A transcript from Paul Manafort's Monday hearing with prosecutors reveals that special counsel Robert Mueller has evidence Manafort continued doing work related to Ukraine in 2018, despite being indicted in October 2017 for charges that include failing to register as a foreign agent.
Details: During the 4-hour hearing, which was convened to discuss whether Manafort breached his plea deal by lying, a prosecutor called attention to Manafort's meetings with business associate Konstantin Kilimnik, who is suspected of having ties to Russian intelligence. He alleges Manafort lied about how many times he discussed a redacted topic with Kilimnik — believed to be a Ukrainian peace plan — and that the two men discussed the matter as late as winter 2018.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner will travel to several Middle Eastern capitals in late February for talks on the Trump administration's upcoming Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal, U.S. officials told me.
Why it matters: The Trump administration is expected to release the long awaited peace plan after the April 9th elections in Israel. Until then, it is trying to mobilize support for the plan, especially in the Arab world, and build a public diplomacy strategy with allies.
A federal judge ruled Thursday that materials obtained in the raid of President Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen's home, hotel room and office must be released to the public with appropriate redactions.
Details: A number of media organizations filed suits requesting that the documents be released under the First Amendment, arguing it would be in the public interest because the subject matter "implicates the integrity of the 2016 presidential election." Judge William Pauley ordered that the government must submit the documents with proposed redactions by Feb. 28, at which point the court will review and release them to the public as deemed appropriate.
Invasive species could hitch a ride along China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), according to a new study. The BRI is intended to accelerate trade and transportation among more than 80 countries, including some of the world’s most biodiverse areas. Examining those areas, researchers identified “invasion hotspots,” which are especially vulnerable to non-native species, and found that a majority of them are within the BRI’s six proposed economic corridors.
A prolific espionage group, which the U.S. government believes is Chinese, compromised billion-dollar business service provider Visma in 2018, according to a report by the threat intelligence firm Recorded Future.
Why it matters: Visma, located in Norway, has more than 850,000 customers. The Recorded Future report, produced in part with data garnered by industry partner Rapid7, also details intrusions into the networks of an unnamed U.S. law firm and unnamed apparel company.
European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday that he's wondered about what a "special place in hell" for Brexit supporters might look like after a meeting in Brussels about the possible consequences of a "no deal" Brexit with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
President Trump said in his State of the Union address Tuesday that his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be held on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam.
The big picture: After the two leaders' historic summit in Singapore last June, Trump insisted that Kim had committed to "complete" denuclearization. On Tuesday, Trump claimed "nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months." But satellite images show North Korea has been expanding certain missile bases, and testimony from Trump's own senior intelligence officials suggests it's unlikely that North Korea will completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities.
A tension has surfaced in Europe between a fear of China effectively buying up whole industries and local companies becoming too large: Public officials are uncertain which dynamic is more pernicious.
Driving the news: In a decision tomorrow, the European Commission is expected to veto the railroad merger of Germany's giant Siemens and France's Alstom.
