Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
Robert Mueller Issues Sentencing Recommendations for Michael Flynn; "Loose Ends" in Russia Investigation Being Tied Up
After 19 interviews with former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, special counsel Robert Mueller told a federal court on Tuesday that due to Flynn's "substantial assistance" to the Russia investigation, he should not get jail time. CNN reported that according to the sentencing memo Mueller filed, Flynn not only gave prosecutors "a road map" for the Russia investigation, but may have even encouraged others to cooperate. Flynn initially agreed to cooperate with the investigation after he pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about communications with Russia's ambassador.
According to HuffPost, Mueller's prosecutors have recently said that they're "tying up loose ends" in the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election. In addition to the Flynn sentencing memo, memos about former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen are due at the end of this week. Like Flynn's did, Manafort's and Cohen's memos will give an idea regarding how much they cooperated with the Russia probe. Just last week, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about his involvement with the proposed Trump Tower in Miscow during the 2016 campaign. Manafort, on the other hand, has been accused of violating his cooperation agreement by lying to the special counsel, CNN reported.
The Russia investigation has already resulted in numerous Russia operatives being indicted for spreading false information on social media. Former Trump campaign official Rick Gates has also been cooperating with the probe.
Podcast Helps Solve Decades-Old Case
A man who's been at the center of Australian true-crime podcast The Teacher's Pet was reportedly arrested and will be charged with the murder of Lyn Dawson, his late wife. The Australian reported that Chris Dawson was taken into custody Wednesday morning, more than 37 years after Lyn first disappeared from Sydney's northern beaches.
This was, in large part, due to Hedley Thomas' investigative series, which brought renewed attention to the case. According to the podcast, Dawson, a former professional rugby player who later became a high school teacher, was having an affair with a 16-year-old student who was also the family's babysitter, at the time his wife went missing in 1982. Per Nine News, Dawson has always denied being involved despite two coronial inquests that concluded he killed her.
Dawson is currently awaiting extradition to New South Wales.
Trump Dubs Himself "Tariff Man"
President Trump targeted China in a series of tweets on Tuesday, threatening to impose more tariffs if a "real" trade deal can't be reached. “....I am a Tariff Man," he tweeted. "When people or countries come in to raid the great wealth of our Nation, I want them to pay for doing so," adding that it would "always be the best way to max out our economic power" and that the U.S. is "now taking in $billions in Tariffs."
However, while tariffs may generate some revenue for the U.S., Trump didn't mention that various producers throughout the country are often given retaliatory tariffs, only furthering the trade war. Also, as NBC News points out, when foreign goods are made more expensive by tariffs, the expense charged to the importer is eventually passed down to American consumers.
After Trump's tweets, stocks sank, despite rises just days earlier when China and the U.S. were considering putting an end to the escalating trade war.
What to look for...
The Oscars. They're not for a few months, but Kevin Hart was just announced as the show's host.
