Special counsel Robert Mueller filed his first criminal charges against Russian nationals and businesses on Friday for what he called a wide-ranging effort to undermine the 2016 presidential election, including by "supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump."
The indictment charges 13 Russian nationals and three businesses – including an internet firm tied to the Kremlin – with conspiracy, identity theft, and failing to register as foreign agents. Prosecutors said officials at that firm, the Internet Research Agency, described their work as "information warfare against the United States," and their goal as "spreading distrust toward the candidates and the political system."
In the indictment, Mueller charged that some of the Russians, posing as Americans, "communicated with unwitting individuals" associated with Trump's 2016 campaign "to seek to coordinate political activities."
The first criminal charges against Russian nationals and businesses were filed on Friday by special counsel Robert Mueller in regards to what he called a wide-ranging effort to undermine the 2016 presidential election and assist in the election of President Trump. And according to the indictment, part of Russia’s interference occurred right here in the Queen City.
The indictment charged 13 Russian nationals and three businesses – including an internet firm tied to the Kremlin – with conspiracy, identity theft, and failing to register as foreign agents.
The indictment names Charlotte as a city that hosted of one of the events seemingly organized by the Russian defendants.
The suspect in the south Florida high school shooting will plead guilty in the massacre if the death penalty is taken off the table, the public defender's office said Friday.
Nikolas Cruz, 19, admitted he was behind the the 17 killings inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
"I am overwhelmingly saddened that every system failed. The school system, the mental health system, DCF, law enforcement and the FBI," said Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office is representing Cruz. "Because we failed to stop it, and we could have, we should not kill the person who behaved as we feared but ignored."
Cruz was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. Finkelstein said he is unsure if prosecutors will agree to the idea of pulling the death penalty off the table.
A massive earthquake hit Mexico Friday evening, leaving buildings shaking throughout the southern portion of the country.
The earthquake was first measured as a 7.5-magnitude and later lowered to having a 7.2-magnitude by the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was found along the Pacific coast near Santiago Ixtayutla, a town in Oaxaca in the southwestern area of the country.
On Saturday Team USA men's hockey faces off against Olympic Athletes from Russia, Ted Ligety races for gold in giant slalom, the US men's curling team faces Japan, and Team USA hopes to repeat their Sochi sweep of the men's freeski slopestyle podium.
