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TRUMP-RUSSIA-STONE

Trial team quits Roger Stone case in dispute over sentence

WASHINGTON (AP) — The four lawyers who prosecuted Roger Stone have quit the case after the Justice Department overruled them and said it would lower the amount of prison time it would seek for President Donald Trump’s longtime ally. The resignations raise questions over whether Trump had at least indirectly exerted his will on a Justice Department he often views as an arm of the White House. Trump and the Justice Department say there was no communication. The Republican president blasted the original sentencing recommendation as “horrible and unfair." On Wednesday he tweeted congratulations to Attorney General William Barr “for taking charge" of the case. Stone has denied wrongdoing and called the case politically motivated.

TRUMP-EMBOLDENED

With impeachment over, critics see Trump 'retribution tour'

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the week since his acquittal on impeachment charges, a fully emboldened President Donald Trump is demonstrating his determination to assert an iron grip on government. He is pushing his Justice Department to ease up on friends while exacting payback on real and perceived foes. Trump has told confidants in recent days that he felt both vindicated and strengthened by the Senate acquittal, believing Republicans have rallied around him in unprecedented fashion while voters were turned off by the political process. That's according to four White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing who were not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.

PUERTO RICO-PHISHING SCAM

Official: Puerto Rico govt loses $2.6M in phishing scam

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A senior Puerto Rico official says the island's government has lost more than $2.6 million after falling for an email phishing scam. The finance director of the island's Industrial Development Company filed a complaint with police Wednesday saying the agency sent the money to a fraudulent account. According to a police statement, agency director Rubén Rivera says the government agency transferred the money on Jan. 17 after receiving an email that alleged a change to a banking account tied to remittance payments. It’s unclear whether officials have been able to recover any of the money and what impact the financial loss has on the government agency.

AP-US-CHINA-OUTBREAK-US-EVACUEES

2nd case of new coronavirus confirmed among China evacuees

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A second case of novel coronavirus has been confirmed in the U.S. among evacuees from China. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the person was aboard a flight from the city of Wuhan that arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California last week. The patient is in isolation at a San Diego hospital. Also in isolation is a woman who was mistakenly released because of a mislabeled sample that hadn't been tested for coronavirus. The evacuee was returned to the hospital on Monday after testing positive for the virus.

ELECTION SECURITY-NEVADA CAUCUS

After Iowa caucus problems, concerns grow over Nevada's plan

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Concerns are growing that next week's Nevada caucuses could offer a repeat of the chaos that ensnared the Iowa vote. Volunteers who will be leading the Feb. 22 caucuses say key information has yet to be shared. There has been no hands-on training with iPads being deployed to caucus sites on Election Day nor opportunities to try out a new tool that will be loaded onto the iPads and used during the caucus process. Nevada Democrats were initially working with the same app developer used in Iowa but scrapped those plans after the company's app failed there.

ELECTION 2020-SANDERS-JITTERY DEMOCRATS

Some Democrats fear fallout from Sanders atop the ticket

DENVER (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders' strong showing in Democrats' presidential contests in Iowa and New Hampshire is worrying members of the party back in Congress. Their concern: that the Vermont independent is a self-proclaimed socialist who embraces programs like Medicare for All. And that could scare away the very moderate voters that Democrats will need to protect their majority in the House and to give them a shot at gaining enough seats to win Senate control. Democrats are holding numerous nervous huddles about Sanders and his impact on them, but many say there's little they can do but watch the primaries and hope.

REPRESENTATIVE THREATENED

Maryland man pleads guilty to threatening to kill U.S. Rep.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that a Maryland man pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. A statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Baltimore says 43-year-old Darryl Albert Varnum admitted to leaving a threatening voice message at the Florida office of a lawmaker because the House member supported legislation he opposed. The legislator wasn't identified by authorities. The Westminster man was indicted in July 2019. Shortly after his arrest, a federal magistrate ordered that he complete a 28-day inpatient program at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Sykesville. He faces up to five years in prison.

MEXICO-CORRUPTION

Spanish police arrest former oil executive sought by Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican officials say a former head of Mexico's state oil company has been arrested in Spain on a international warrant issued by Mexico. The detention of Emilio Lozoya marks one of the most high-profile detentions for alleged corruption under Mexico's current president, who made fighting graft a core promise to Mexicans. Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero says the arrest took place Wednesday in the southeastern Spanish port city of Malaga. Lozoya was director of Pemex between 2012 and 2016, during the administration of former President Enrique Peña Nieto. Mexico issued international arrest warrants against Lozoya last year as a result of corruption investigations. Lozoya has denied wrongdoing.

BC-US-MAR-A-LAGO-INTRUDER

Jury finds Mar-a-Lago intruder not guilty of trespassing

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Florida jury has found a 56-year-old Chinese woman not guilty of trespassing at President Donald Trump's part-time residence in Palm Beach. Jurors on Wednesday did find Jing Lu guilty of resisting a police officer without violence during her arrest. The incident marked the second time in 2019 that a Chinese national had been charged with illicitly entering Trump's Florida resort. Prosecutors said Lu purposely intruded in a “calculated" and “planned" manner. Lu testified that she paid a Chinese guide to drop her off at various locations in South Florida and that her language barrier prevented her from understanding security officer's orders to leave the property.

HOUSTON-FATAL DRUG RAID

DA: Man innocent in case tied to ex-cop charged in raid

HOUSTON (AP) — Prosecutors say they believe a second person who was convicted based on what they allege is false testimony by an ex-Houston police officer whose cases are being reviewed after a 2019 deadly drug raid is actually innocent. Steven Mallet had pleaded guilty in 2009 to a drug charge. His brother Otis was also convicted. A judge declared Otis Mallet innocent earlier this month. Prosecutors say both men were convicted based on testimony by Gerald Goines. His cases are now being reviewed after he was accused of lying in a search warrant that led to a drug raid that killed a couple.