3 Things To Know Today

1 Trump Attorney: Concerns About Corruption In Ukraine Were Legit

As Day Seven of the Trump impeachment trial closed yesterday, President Trump’s attorneys kept beating their drum: whatever acts the President may or may not have committed weren’t impeachable and that the President's concerns about corruption in Ukraine were legitimate. As for the advent of allegations made by for National Security Advisor John Bolton? They say that’s nothing, too. Here’s a rundown of the arguments made: Attorney Eric Herschmann questioned why Hunter Biden was given a lucrative post on the board of Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company. Biden is the son of Joe Biden, who was vice president at the time. Herschmann called Burisma a corrupt company. He accused Biden of initiating the firing of a top Ukrainian prosecutor. Biden has called the prosecutor corrupt. Deputy White House Counsel Michael Purpura [[purr-PURE-ah]] is insisting that President Trump was deeply concerned about corruption in Ukraine. Purpura rejected Democratic arguments that Trump never cared about corruption when he withheld vital U.S. military aid to Ukraine. Purpura stressed that Trump was legitimately disturbed about corruption and was angry that U.S. allies were not doing their fair share to help Ukraine. He called it "burden sharing." Purpura said there's no proof that Trump withheld the aid until Ukraine's president committed to launch a corruption investigation. He also rejected Democratic assertions that Trump denied the Ukrainian president a coveted White House meeting. Legal scholar Alan Dershowitz said the House articles of impeachment against the President simply don’t meet the constitutional standard of high crimes and misdemeanors. Dershowitz said abuse of power and obstruction of Congress are "vague and open-ended" concepts. He also argued that House Democrats did not prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Dershowitz noted that he voted for Hillary Clinton and would be making the same arguments if the House impeached her on similar grounds.

2 The Investigation Into The Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash Continues

NTSB investigators will be collecting evidence all week from the Southern California helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, as well as seven other people. Why is it taking so long? The scene is said to be the size of almost two football fields. On top of that, it's in steep, rugged terrain with aircraft parts spread on both sides of a hill above Calabasas. As far as progress, drones have begun mapping the wreckage and three of the nine bodies were recovered. So far, weather is considering to be the most likely cause of the crash. A dual engine failure is considered by experts to be highly unlikely, what’s already known is that the chopper was flying low in foggy weather. Still, it's only one possible cause being explored. On a related note, the NTSB's first report is expected next week, but in the meantime, witnesses are being asked to send in any pictures of footage they have of the area at the time of the crash. Meanwhile...the Better Business Bureau is warning people to be aware of potential scams surrounding this tragedy. Scammers could target the market for increased interest in memorabilia, and could use phishing "click bait" headlines that lead to malicious sites. Here are some tips from the B-B-B: Look at the sender's email address before clicking on anything. Don't click links in email unless you're positive they go to a reputable site. And be wary of who is liking what sites on social media, as accounts can be hacked and sharing of sites can be malicious.

3 Coronavirus Death Toll Rises

The death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus in China has passed 100. China's health officials say at least 107 people have died from the respiratory illness, while nearly 4500 have been infected. The disease has found its way to the U.S. with five confirmed cases so far. Dozens of people are being tested for the illness, but the CDC notes the coronavirus hasn't spread through human-to-human contact here. All of the U.S. patients were recently in the area of China where the outbreak is centralized. Meanwhile, American health officials are monitoring over a hundred people for the coronavirus. The CDC said dozens of people are still undergoing tests to see if they've come down with the respiratory illness. So far, five cases of the disease have been confirmed. Facebook is the first major American company to suspend travel to China over the deadly coronavirus outbreak. The social media giant says it's putting restrictions in place out of an abundance of caution. But they’re not alone. The State Department is also warning that Americans should reconsider any travel to China. Airlines have been canceling flights and changing schedules amid the spread of the virus.


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