- The Russian government sent more than 60 money transfers to embassies around the world with an accompanying note that said: “to finance election campaign of 2016” [BuzzFeed].
- The revised GOP tax reform plan from the Senate now includes repealing the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that most Americans have health insurance. Many tax cuts for individuals would also expire in 2025 [New York Times].
- Attorney General Jeff Sessions changes his story about contacts with Russia during the 2016 campaign again but denies that he lied about those contacts during two previous hearings before Congress [New York Times].
- Poll: Former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump 46-35% in a hypothetical 2020 election matchup [Politico].
- The announcement that Attorney General Jeff Sessions may appoint another special counsel to investigate the Clinton Foundation has longtime staffers worrying he is politicizing the Justice Department [Washington Post].
- The jury in the corruption trial of Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez still has not reached a verdict [Politico].
- Republicans are hoping President Donald Trump will help them salvage the Roy Moore situation [The Hill].
- Moore says he’s being “harassed” by the media over sexual allegations against him [CNN].
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell predicts that Moore could be expelled if he wins next month’s election [Politico].
- Former White House strategist Steve Bannon is reportedly having second thoughts about backing Roy Moore‘s campaign in Alabama [Daily Beast].
- China is sending an envoy to North Korea following President Trump’s visit [Associated Press].
- A gunman in Northern California killed ten people at several locations before he was shot dead by law enforcement [New York Times].
- The United States gave a $2.8 million no-bid contract to a company founded by a former KGB leader to provide security for the American embassy in Moscow [New York Times].
- There’s been an apparent coup in Zimbabwe. The military says they’ve taken custody of President Robert Mugabe [New York Times].
On this day in history:
- 1533 – Francisco Pizarro arrives in Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire.
- 1777 – After 16 months of debate the Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation.
- 1864 – Civil War: Union General William Tecumseh Sherman begins Sherman’s March to the Sea.
- 1939 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt lays the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial.
- 1969 – More than 500,000 people demonstrated in Washington against the Vietnam War.
