11 of Our Best Weekend Reads - The New York Times
Here are some gems you may have missed in your quest to be an informed citizen during this head-spinning news week.
ABC Suspends Reporter Brian Ross Over Erroneous Report About Trump - The New York Times
Brian Ross, the chief investigative correspondent for ABC News, has been suspended for four weeks without pay after incorrectly reporting that Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser, would testify that President Trump had directed him to make contact with Russian officials while Mr. Trump was still a candidate, the network announced on Saturday.
Mr. Trump directed Mr. Flynn to make contact after the election, as president-elect, the network said.
ABC initially issued a clarification after Mr.
Met Opera to Investigate James Levine Over Sexual Abuse Accusation - The New York Times
The Metropolitan Opera announced Saturday night that it would open an investigation into its famed conductor, James Levine, based on a 2016 police report in which a man accused Mr. Levine of sexually abusing him three decades ago, beginning when the man was a teenager.
Met officials acknowledged they had been aware of the police report since last year, but said that Mr. Levine had denied the accusation and that they had heard nothing further from the police. They decided to begin an investigation after receiving media inquiries about Mr.
Mueller Removed Top Agent in Russia Inquiry Over Possible Anti-Trump Texts - The New York Times
WASHINGTON — The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, removed a top F.B.I. agent this summer from his investigation into Russian election meddling after the Justice Department’s inspector general began examining whether the agent had sent text messages that expressed anti-Trump political views, according to three people briefed on the matter.
The agent, Peter Strzok, is considered one of the most experienced and trusted F.B.I. counterintelligence investigators.
Right and Left React to Michael Flynn’s Guilty Plea - The New York Times
The political news cycle is fast, and keeping up can be overwhelming. Trying to find differing perspectives worth your time is even harder. That’s why we have scoured the internet for political writing from the right and left that you might not have seen.
Has this series exposed you to new ideas? Tell us how.
Wrenched From Scandal to Success, Trump Looks Ahead, and Over His Shoulder - The New York Times
WASHINGTON — The highs and lows of a presidency rarely come in such quick succession.
Trump Says He Fired Michael Flynn ‘Because He Lied’ to F.B.I. - The New York Times
President Trump said on Saturday that he had fired Michael T. Flynn, his first national security adviser, because he lied not just to the vice president but also to the F.B.I.
The president has long asserted that he fired Mr. Flynn in February, less than a month after he took office, because Mr. Flynn had lied to Vice President Mike Pence over whether he talked with the Russian ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, about sanctions imposed on Russia by President Barack Obama.
By saying on Twitter on Saturday that Mr.
Emails Dispute White House Claims That Flynn Acted Independently on Russia - The New York Times
WASHINGTON — When President Trump fired his national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, in February, White House officials portrayed him as a renegade who had acted independently in his discussions with a Russian official during the presidential transition and then lied to his colleagues about the interactions.
But emails among top transition officials, provided or described to The New York Times, suggest that Mr. Flynn was far from a rogue actor. In fact, the emails, coupled with interviews and court documents filed on Friday, showed that Mr.
Tax Bill Offers Last-Minute Breaks for Developers, Banks and Oil Industry - The New York Times
The overhaul by Republican lawmakers of the nation’s tax laws percolated for weeks with virtually no public input, and by the end it turned into a chaotic mad dash with many last-minute changes on Friday night and Saturday morning, some handwritten in the margins of the nearly 500-page bill.
Even hours after the Senate vote, tax experts were scratching their heads over precisely what had made it into the final version of the bill and the impact of some significant provisions.
Still, it was clear that many ch
Heading Toward Tax Victory, Republicans Eye Next Step: Cut Spending - The New York Times
As the tax cut legislation passed by the Senate early Saturday hurtles toward final approval, Republicans are preparing to use the swelling deficits made worse by the package as a rationale to pursue their long-held vision: undoing the entitlements of the New Deal and Great Society, leaving government leaner and the safety net skimpier for millions of Americans.
Speaker Paul D. Ryan and other Republicans are beginning to express their big dreams publicly, vowing that next year they will move on to changes in Medicare and Social Security.