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☆ Summer transfer window: The biggest moves so far as Saudi Arabia becomes major factor
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —European soccer’s summer transfer window is in full swing, with several household names already moving to pastures new. Karim Benzema – Real Madrid to Al-IttihadIn the first major coup of the summer for the Saudi Pro League, Karim Benzema has agreed to join Al-Ittihad once his contract expires with Real Madrid. After a disappointing season, Real Madrid will be hopeful that Bellingham will be a star midfielder for years to come once the ageing Luka Modric and Toni Kroos depart. The 32-year-old midfielder has signed a contract worth around £86 million ($109.8 million) a year, according to UK media. Rice, who was in the youth ranks at Chelsea and then West Ham, was voted Conference League player of the season.

Persons: Cristiano Ronaldo’s, Al Nassr, Karim Benzema –, Karim Benzema, Ittihad, Benzema, Frenchman, Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid Jude Bellingham, Florencia Tan Jun, Bellingham, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, N’Golo Kanté, Ittihad N'Golo Kanté, Justin Tallis, Kanté, Christopher Nkunku –, Chelsea Christopher Nkunku, Annegret Hilse, Germain, Chrisopher Nkunku, Nkunku, Todd Boehly, Kai Havertz, Germany's, Maja Hitij, Kai Kavertz, Mikel Arteta, Havertz, Boehly, Declan Rice –, Declan Rice, Richard Heathcote, Rice, West Ham’s, Mateo Kovačić –, Mateo Kovačić, Pep Guardiola’s, İlkay Gündoğan, Bernardo Silva, Alexis Mac Allister, Alex Pantling, Lionel Messi, Mac Allister, Jurgen Klopp, Mac, Roberto Firmino’s, Rúben Neves, Al Hilal Rúben Neves, Naomi Baker, Al Hilal, Neves Organizations: CNN, Super League, CNN Sport, Saudi Pro League, Al, Real Madrid, League, La Liga, Real, Champions League, Borussia Dortmund, Birmingham City, English, Ittihad N'Golo, France, Getty, Benzema, Chelsea, Premier League, FA, Europa League, UEFA Super, Leicester, Leipzig, RB Leipzig, Bundesliga, Reuters, Paris Saint, Arsenal, Ukraine, Gunners, Manchester City, football’s, Europa Conference League, Gent, Manchester United, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Manchester, Argentina, Brighton, Liverpool, Anfield, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wolves, Everton, Molineux, Portugal Locations: England, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Portuguese, Saudi Arabian, Karim Benzema – Real Madrid, Al, Ittihad, Bellingham, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Leicester, Paris, Leipzig, Bremen, Germany, Declan Rice – West Ham, West Ham, Mateo Kovačić – Chelsea, Madrid, Spain, Croatian, Brighton, Argentina, Qatar, Barcelona

Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar, both 19-year-old students at the University of Nottingham, and Ian Coates, 65, a school janitor, were fatally stabbed. Coates was later found dead from knife injuries on Magdala Road by a member of the public, police said. Police responded to a "major incident" in Nottingham city center early Tuesday morning. “Barnaby Philip John Webber was a beautiful, brilliant, bright young man, with everything in life to look forward to,” his family said. “At 19 he was just at the start of his journey into adulthood and was developing into a wonderful young man,” the family added.

Persons: Barnaby Webber, Grace Kumar, Ian Coates, van, tasered, Coates, “, Kate Meynell, Meynell, Lynn Haggitt, ” Haggitt, ” “ I’ve, ”, Darren Staples, Shearer West, Webber, Kumar, ” Webber, “ Barnaby Philip John Webber, Webbs ’, Handout, AP Kumar, “ Grace, Grace, Kumar’s, “ Ian, ” Ross Middleton, Diana Owen, Ian, David Mellen, Jacob King, Constable Meynell, ” Meynell Organizations: CNN, Nottingham, University of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Police, Police, BBC, Getty, University of Nottingham’s, Bishops Hull Cricket Club, AP, England, England Hockey, Southgate Hockey Club, Southgate Hockey Club Coates, . Academy Trust, Huntingdon Academy, L.E.A.D . Academy Trust, St, Lawn Tennis Association, Nottingham City Locations: Ilkeston, Milton, Nottingham, AFP, Taunton, England, Huntingdon, St Peter’s, Rothesay, “, Peter's

☆ US judge rejects 3M effort to resolve earplug lawsuits in bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Dietrich Knauth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Friday dismissed the bankruptcy of 3M subsidiary Aearo Technologies, rejecting an effort to resolve nearly 260,000 lawsuits alleging that 3M military earplugs caused hearing loss for veterans and U.S. service members. 3M and Aearo had argued that the earplug litigation had spiraled out of control and could be resolved only in bankruptcy. Graham acknowledged that the earplug litigation was “staggering,” representing 30% of all cases currently pending in the federal district courts. Those appeals could “fundamentally change the trajectory” of the earplug lawsuits, 3M said. 3M’s bankruptcy strategy mirrors a similar effort by Johnson & Johnson, which has attempted to resolve lawsuits through the bankruptcy of a newly created subsidiary, LTL Management.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Jeffrey Graham, Aearo, Graham, Bryan Aylstock, Chris Seeger, ” “, ” Aylstock, Seeger, Johnson, J, LTL Organizations: YORK, Aearo Technologies, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, 3M, Aearo, U.S, Circuit, Johnson, LTL Management Locations: U.S, New York City, Indianapolis, Pensacola , Florida, Florida

☆ West Ham ends 43-year wait for major trophy but condemns fan trouble during final
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —West Ham ended its 43-year wait for a major trophy after beating Fiorentina 2-1 in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday. It was knocked out of the Europa League semifinals last year but managed to reward its passionate fanbase with a memorable performance on Wednesday. West Ham captain Declan Rice was leading the celebrations after lifting the trophy, amid speculation around his future at the club. “There is interest from other club that’s out there but I have two years left at West Ham. “There hasn’t been anything yet, my focus is playing for West Ham, enjoying tonight and seeing what happens.”

Persons: Jarrod Bowen, West, David Moyes, “ I’ve, we’ve, ”, West Ham, Saïd Benrahma’s, Giacomo Bonaventura’s, Bowen, Lucas Paquetá’s, I’m, ” Cristiano Biraghi, Jonathan Moscrop, Cristiano Biraghi, West Ham United unreservedly, Declan Rice, ” Rice Organizations: CNN, Fiorentina, Europa Conference League, Premier League, Fortuna Arena, Europa League, West Ham, West Ham United, UEFA Europa Conference League, Reuters, London, UEFA, BT Sport, West Locations: Ham, Prague, “, West, Europe, West Ham, England

☆ Jude Bellingham: Real Madrid agrees $110m deal to sign Borussia Dortmund star
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Real Madrid has agreed a deal to sign football star Jude Bellingham, the Englishman’s club Borussia Dortmund announced on Wednesday. According to a statement from the German club, Real Madrid will pay €103 million ($110.4m) to acquire the 19-year-old, as well as additional fees. Bellingham will need to complete a medical before sealing the move. The midfielder quickly impressed playing for the Bundesliga club, his maturity and leadership qualities at a young age shining through. I’m sure he’s going to be the best midfielder in the world.”Multiple teams have reportedly been interested in acquiring Bellingham’s signature this summer but after Liverpool dropped out of the race to sign him, Real Madrid seemed the likeliest of destinations.

Persons: Jude Bellingham, ” Bellingham, –, Edin Terzić, Gareth Southgate’s, Bellingham, “, I’ve, ”, Phil Foden, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde Organizations: CNN — Real, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, ”, Dortmund, Birmingham City, Bundesliga, Gareth Southgate’s England national, ITV, Liverpool, La Liga, Casemiro, Manchester United Locations: CNN — Real Madrid, Bellingham, ” Dortmund, Germany, England, Real Madrid, Spanish

☆ Phil Neville: David Beckham's Inter Miami 'part ways' with head coach
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Former Manchester United and England star Phil Neville has been sacked as head coach at David Beckham’s Inter Miami, the team announced on Thursday. Beckham, 48, is one of the co-owners of Inter Miami, alongside brothers Jorge and Jose Mas. “He and his family embraced Miami and he has devoted himself to the drive to bring success to the city and to our fans. “Phil has made a real contribution to the culture of our club with his qualities as a leader and knowledge as a coach. He guided Inter Miami to the MLS Cup playoffs in 2022 and, according to the club, he has helped progress several youth academy prospects’ careers.

Persons: Phil Neville, David Beckham’s, Neville, Beckham, Alex Ferguson, Jorge, Jose Mas, Phil, ” Beckham, “ Phil, Jim Rassol, Reuters “, ” Neville, “ I’m, ”, Jason Kreis, Javier Morales Organizations: CNN, Former Manchester United, David Beckham’s Inter Miami, United, English Premier League, Inter Miami, ” Inter Miami, New York Red Bulls, MLS, Eastern Conference, Miami, England women’s, Inter, FC Dallas, Reuters, Inter Miami CF, Club Locations: England, Beckham, Miami, New

☆ Opinion: The Russian official with a none-too-subtle message from the boss
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The world awoke Wednesday morning to the latest threat from Russia’s former president and prime minister Dmitry Medvedev. He’s like the fictional figure who appears out of nowhere, stares ahead with a blank face and slowly runs his finger across his throat: a none-too-subtle message from the boss. Or is he speaking for the Russian president? Shortly before he died, he had called Russia’s war against Ukraine “a fascist invasion.” The cause of death remains unexplained. With the war in Ukraine – a pivotal moment in Russia’s history – Putin remains at the center of the mafia-like government he has built.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, James, “, –, Venance, Putin, Xi Jinping, ”, ” Medvedev, Sen, Lindsey Graham of, Vladimir Putin toasts, Sergei Surovikin, Kirill Kuryavtsev, Pyotr Kucherenko, Ukraine “, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Kara, Navalny, embarrassingly, Putin’s, couldn’t, Ukraine – Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Twitter, Russia’s Security, Russia, Foreign, Getty, London, Telegram, Kremlin, Ukraine, Facebook, Navalny’s, Corruption Foundation, YouTube Locations: United Kingdom, Moscow, Ukraine, ”, Russia, Russian, London, France, AFP, Crimea, Poland, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Syria, Cuba, Kara, West, Italy

☆ Lionel Messi: What next for arguably the greatest player in history?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —After helping Paris Saint-Germain win its 11th Ligue 1 title at the weekend, Lionel Messi has some thinking to do. While Messi struggled with injury during his first season in Paris, he still managed to show flashes of his brilliance. Earlier this year, Messi’s long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Saudi club Al Nassr for an eye-watering sum of money, perhaps paving the way for other superstars to follow suit. “I think money is always a factor in human decision making,” Mora y Araujo said, amid reports Saudi club Al Hilal was targeting Messi’s signature. Despite an array of world class talent, PSG has failed to win the Champions League with Messi.

☆ Fact Check-Fox News has not fired Laura Ingraham
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Fox News has not fired host Laura Ingraham, a spokesperson for the network said, calling May 2023 posts on social media that made the claim “false.”Users have shared posts that read: “BREAKING: Laura Ingraham got FIRED from her nightly show on Fox.”Examples can be seen (here), (here), (here). Ingraham continues to host her show, with transcripts of broadcasts as recent as May 25 available on the Fox News website (here). The claims arose in the context of reports (here), (here) that major changes would take place at Fox News after host Tucker Carlson’s exit in April (here). Ingraham joined Fox News in 2007 and has hosted “The Ingraham Angle” since October 2017 (here). A Fox News spokesperson said in May 2023 that Ingraham continues to work at the network.

☆ Opinion: A boast that could sink Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. CNN —“I’m the one that got rid of Roe v. Wade,” former President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday on Newsmax. Congress has the power to rein in the court, wrote CNN legal analyst and law professor Steve Vladeck, whose new book “The Shadow Docket” focuses on the Supreme Court. Courtesy Boaz FreundIn 2019, then-President Trump issued an executive order requiring hospitals to post the prices of common medical services and procedures. For some, its celebration of a multiracial but purely fictional British aristocracy may even be a big part of its appeal.”As escapism, “Queen Charlotte” is a success.

CNN —At first glance, the idea of a former NFL legend and a former US Women’s National Team star wanting to bring “global eyeballs” to an English soccer club might seem an unusual ambition. Its inhabitants have also been hit particularly hard by the UK’s cost of living crisis, which hasn’t been lost on JJ Watt and his wife, Kealia. “Burnley is a special club. “All I want to do is help tell their story. “The success of the football club this year has given such a boost to Burnley and the surrounding area.

☆ AI boom could expose investors’ natural stupidity
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Felix Martin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Indeed, enthusiasm about AI has become the one ray of light piercing the stock market gloom created by the record-breaking rise in U.S. interest rates. It’s a good moment for investors to be especially alert to the tendency of natural stupidity to drive stock market valuations to unrealistic – and therefore ultimately unprofitable – extremes. However, the most important lessons of behavioural economics relate to a more fundamental question: Will the new generation of AI do what it promises? Behavioural economics offers some cautionary tales for such attempts to apply AI in the wild. For example, stock market returns can be affected by a small number of rare but extreme movements in share prices.

☆ West Ham players clash with AZ Alkmaar fans in bid to protect families inside stadium
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —West Ham players confronted a group of AZ Alkmaar fans at the end of the teams’ match on Thursday after the section of the stadium containing the Premier League side’s friends and families came under attack. Videos also showed a number of West Ham players leaping over the hoardings in an attempt to intervene before security arrived to calm the situation. “I was really concerned about how the family of my teammates and the West Ham family are,” he told Sky Sports. CNN has reached out to West Ham and AZ Alkmaar for comment but had not received a response at time of publication. According to Reuters, there was a similar incident after the first leg in London last week when AZ supporters were accosted by West Ham fans.

☆ Superstar Billy Graham, Model of the Buff, Blond Wrestler, Dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Richard Sandomir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Superstar Billy Graham, a professional wrestler whose extravagant presence — 22-inch biceps, dyed blond hair, feather boas, tie-dyed tights and an outrageous gift of gab — influenced the style of future stars like Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura, died on Wednesday in Phoenix. The cause was sepsis and multiple organ failure, said Keith Elliot Greenberg, who collaborated with Graham on his autobiography. Graham’s longtime use of steroids had weakened his bones, requiring at least six hip replacements, and made him sterile. He also received a liver transplant in 2002 after contracting hepatitis C.“If you look at those that came after him, more people have patterned themselves after Superstar Billy Graham and become a success in this business than probably anybody,” Triple H, the superstar wrestler whose birth name is Paul Levesque, said at Graham’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004. “And when it comes to bodies, there was nobody, and I mean nobody, that could touch the Superstar.”Graham, who was born Eldridge Wayne Coleman, had been an evangelist, a bodybuilder who bench pressed as much as 605 pounds, a defensive end in the Canadian Football League, a debt collector and a bouncer before turning to wrestling in 1970.

☆ Finger-Pointing Won’t Save Anyone if Default Leads to Economic Collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Is it the Biden default? Or the Republican Default on America? Democrats lambaste Republicans for taking the debt ceiling hostage to appease “extreme MAGA” conservatives bent on shrinking government spending. Republicans hit Democrats for waiting too long to open talks and not taking G.O.P. They will flush us all.”Polls have suggested Mr. Graham’s view is correct.

☆ Brooklyn’s Batcave Reborn as Gotham’s Art Factory
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Hilarie M. Sheets | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rising at the edge of Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal — a rezoned superfund site with developers racing to build — the colossal industrial relic known locally as the Batcave has found its own Bruce Wayne. Consider it his gift to Gotham. On May 19, the nonprofit organization celebrates its grand opening, inviting a broad swath of the art world, city government and local residents to tour its state-of-the-art facilities designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with PBDW Architects. The conceptual artist Lorna Simpson, who’s collaborated with Powerhouse’s print shop, sees all kinds of opportunities for cross-pollination between media in the new building. “I really had ceramic envy walking through Powerhouse,” Simpson said, imagining that artists will have ideas that “can branch into something else that happens within the building because you can easily look at samples or have a conversation about technique.”

☆ After Years of Political Hype, the Durham Inquiry Failed to Deliver
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Durham delivered a report that scolded the F.B.I. but failed to live up to the expectations of supporters of Donald J. Trump that he would uncover a politically motivated “deep state” conspiracy. or intelligence official with a crime and acknowledged in a footnote that Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign did nothing prosecutable, either. of “confirmation bias” rather than making a more explosive conclusion of political bias — made scant difference in parts of the political arena. Mr. Trump and many of his loyalists issued statements treating it as vindication of their claims that the Russia inquiry involved far more extravagant wrongdoing.

☆ John Durham’s Report and a Presidency in Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Holman W. Jenkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Holman W. Jenkins Jr. is a member of the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Jenkins joined the Journal in May 1992 as a writer for the editorial page in New York. In February 1994, he moved to Hong Kong as editor of The Asian Wall Street Journal's editorial page. Mr. Jenkins won a 1997 Gerald Loeb Award for distinguished business and financial coverage. Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Jenkins received a bachelor's degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

☆ Trump is weaponizing the Russia report he demanded -- even though it lacks bombshells
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Another Trump ally, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, argued the report showed the “rule of law in America is subservient to political outcomes. In another politically sensitive part of his report, Durham found that the FBI did not pursue allegations against Clinton with the same vigor with which they acted against Trump. He pointed out that the Trump investigation was launched at a time when Russia was attacking Democratic National Committee servers and had used stolen information to attack Clinton. The investigation was only launched after the bureau received evidence from a friendly foreign government that the Trump campaign had been offered help by the Russians. But all Trump needed from the report was a headline and a general narrative of suspicion against the FBI.

☆ The Durham Report Offered Few Conclusions. The Right Drew Its Own.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With Mr. Durham’s investigation now officially finished, no court cases or indictments will advance such claims. But the Republican interpretation of the final Durham report will feed a narrative of “Deep State” corruption that is fueling not only Mr. Trump’s quest for the White House in 2024 but that of many of his rivals for the Republican nomination. Regardless of Mr. Durham’s actual conclusions, his report appears to serve that theme. On his Truth Social website, Mr. Trump said the special prosecutor had concluded that “the FBI should never have launched the Trump-Russia Probe!” In fact, Mr. Durham said he agreed that the F.B.I. “I, and much more importantly, the American public have been victims of this long-running and treasonous charade started by the Democrats — started by Comey,” Mr. Trump told Fox News Digital.

☆ US special counsel faults FBI's handling of 2016 Trump-Russia probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The FBI lacked “actual evidence” to investigate Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and relied too heavily on tips provided by Trump’s political opponents to fuel the probe, U.S. Special Counsel John Durham concluded in a report released on Monday. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at his final campaign event at the Devos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. November 8, 2016. That Crossfire Hurricane investigation would later be handed over to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who in March 2019 concluded there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. In his new 306-page report, Durham concluded that U.S. intelligence and law enforcement did not possess any “actual evidence” of collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia prior to launching Crossfire Hurricane. He also accused the bureau of treating the 2016 Trump probe differently from other politically sensitive investigations, including several involving Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

☆ Special counsel John Durham concludes FBI never should have launched full Trump-Russia probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Zachary Cohen Devan Cole Tierney Sneed Evan Perez Hannah Rabinowitz Jeremy Herb Marshall Cohen | Zachary Cohen | Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

“Strzok, at a minimum, had pronounced hostile feelings toward Trump,” Durham wrote, while quoting in a footnote previously known texts between Strzok and Lisa Page, then an FBI attorney. Witness testimony exposed the FBI’s overreliance on the dossier as it sought court approval to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser in 2016. Mixed results over 3+ yearsBarr tapped Durham in 2019 to review the origins of the Russia probe, and the scope of Durham’s work grew over the years. Former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which inherited the initial Russia probe, released a detailed accounting of Russia’s effort to interfere in the 2016 election. Mueller found no evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but investigators documented numerous contacts between Trump associates and Russians.

☆ Hillary Clinton: Durham interviewed former Secretary of State on alleged plan to tie Trump to Russia, found no 'provable criminal offense'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Evan Perez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The special counsel was looking into whether any crimes occurred in the handling of an uncorroborated piece of US intelligence indicating Russia knew of a Clinton campaign plan to vilify her opponent, Trump, by tying him to the country. During the Trump administration, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe released some of Brennan’s notes about the intelligence used in his briefing of former President Barack Obama. Ratcliffe publicly said that the intelligence community never corroborated the Russian claims of a “Clinton Plan” to frame Trump, and didn’t know whether it was fabricated. In her interview with Durham’s investigators, Clinton expressed sympathy for Durham’s hunt. Durham concludes that it would be impossible to prosecute anyone for their handling of the intelligence.

☆ Takeaways from special counsel John Durham’s report on FBI’s Russia-Trump probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Special counsel John Durham released his final report on Monday in which he casts doubt about the FBI’s decision to launch a full investigation into connections between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. The report does not ultimately fulfill the expectations set by former President Trump and his allies who have long claimed that it would prove the FBI’s investigation was nothing more than a political witch hunt. That finding was at the core of Durham’s most scathing criticism of the FBI’s decision to launch a full investigation. “Strzok, at a minimum, had pronounced hostile feelings toward Trump,” Durham wrote, while quoting in a footnote previously known texts between Strzok and Lisa Page, then an FBI attorney. Witness testimony exposed the FBI’s overreliance on the dossier as it sought court approval to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser in 2016.

John Durham, the Trump-era special counsel who for four years has pursued a politically fraught investigation into the Russia inquiry, accused the F.B.I. of a “lack of analytical rigor” in a final report made public on Monday that examined the bureau’s investigation into whether the 2016 Trump campaign was conspiring with Moscow. Mr. Durham’s 306-page report appeared to show little substantial new information about the F.B.I.’s handling of the Russia investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane, and it failed to produce the kinds of blockbuster revelations impugning the bureau that former President Donald J. Trump and his allies had once suggested that Mr. Durham would find. Instead, the report — released without substantive comment or redactions by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland — repeated previously exposed flaws in the inquiry, including from a 2019 inspector general report, while concluding that the F.B.I. suffered from a confirmation bias as it pursued leads about Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia.

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