Trump confidant Thomas Barrack faces trial for allegedly acting as foreign agent
CBSN
Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the criminal trial of Thomas Barrack, a billionaire investor and close friend of former President Donald Trump, who is accused of unlawfully lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.
Federal prosecutors say Barrack, who served as a Trump campaign adviser and chair of Trump's inaugural committee, tried to leverage his influence to advance the UAE's interests. Barrack has been out on $250 million bond since soon after his July 2021 arrest, when he was charged with acting as an undisclosed foreign agent for the UAE, obstruction of justice and making false statements to the FBI about his dealings.
Both Barrack and an employee, Matthew Grimes, entered not guilty pleas to the charges. A third suspect, Rashid Al Malik, has not been located by law enforcement.
President Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families.
It's Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus is suiting up for his annual voyage from the North Pole to households around the world. In keeping with decades of tradition, the North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, will once again track Santa's journey to deliver gifts to children before Christmas 2024, using an official map that's updated consistently to show where he is right now.
An anti-money laundering law called the Corporate Transparency Act, or CTA, appears to have been given new life after an appeals court on Monday determined its rules can be enforced as the case proceeds. The law requires small business owners to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, by Jan. 1, or potentially pay fines of up to $10,000.