Thursday Morning Scoop: The Cooler Kind of IG
Welcome to the Morning Scoop for June 14, 2018. We would say we can’t believe everyone is still talking about the 2016 elections halfway through 2018, but sadly, we can. On that note, happy birthday President Trump!
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Inspector General to Release Report on Clinton Investigation
Later today, Inspector General Michael Horowitz is expected to release a comprehensive report on the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation. According to CNN, the report will be made available to the public at 2 p.m. EST.
The report is intended to offer non-partisan insight into one of the most scrutinized federal investigations in decades. It will offer an assessment of whether former FBI Director James Comey ignored important procedure while leading the investigation of Clinton, as well as a confirmation of whether or not President Trump was correct in firing him.
According to NPR, the IG report will also cover more specific cases of misconduct within the FBI. This includes coverage of former Deputy Direct Andrew McCabe, who allegedly lied to investigators, as well as former agents Lisa Page and Peter Stzrok, who have been under fire for disclosing private information via text.
President Trump has greeted the potential report with excitement, telling reporters at G7 that it could be a “birthday present” for him on his 72nd birthday, which is today.
Comcast Makes Offer for 21st Century Fox, Creating Bidding War With Disney
Comcast made a $65 billion bid for 21st Century Fox Wednesday which is expected to be the first of many entertainment buy-ups in the wake of AT&T’s decisive victory to buy Time Warner.
The Washington Post reports, “The offer sets up a battle of wills between two of the most dominant and deep-pocketed entertainment companies in the world — Walt Disney, which proposed a $52.4 billion offer for Fox last year, and Comcast, the nation’s leading cable company which already owns Universal Studios and NBC.”
Entertainment company stocks also went up Wednesday with investors anticipating big conglomerates looking to buy ailing film and television studios.
California Might Become Three Separate States
A proposal to split California into three states has made its way onto the ballot for the midterm elections this coming November. The initiative, known as Cal-3, has been proposed by billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper, according to BBC.
According to USA Today, Draper has explained why Cal-3 is a favorable measure, most importantly that the split will lead to improved organization and lower taxes. He created a similar bid back in 2014, which proposed dividing California into six smaller states. The bid was set to be on the November 2016 ballot, boasting 1.3 million signatures, but the California secretary of state deemed about 40% of those signatures illegitimate.
Read Carla Loebenstein’s full report here.
Today in a Tweet
Today celebrates the day that the U.S. adopted stars and stripes. Does anyone else get pumped for the Fourth of July when they see the flag?
Last But Not Least: North American Trio Wins FIFA World Cup 2026 Bid
Earlier today, A North American joint bid, consisting of the United States, Canada and Mexico, won the right to host the 2026 soccer World Cup. This will be the first time, since 1994, with the majority of matches, including the final in the United States.
Over the past year, U.S. soccer officials worked to form an alliance with Mexican and Canadian colleagues. The trio will begin planning for 48-teams, 80-match tournaments at 16 venues around the three countries. The bid defeated Morocco in an unexpected vote 134-65. Voters were pulled over by promises of record breaking crowds, and a large amount of revenue, bringing in $11 billion in profit for FIFA.
What kind of effect will this have? Read Danielle Germain’s story here.
This special edition of the Morning Scoop was compiled by Natalia Kolenko, Danielle Germain, and Carla Loebenstein, who today is serving as “CMN Staff.” This edition is special because we’re celebrating the fact that you’ve been wondering why it’s special.
