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Immigrants Avoid Reporting Crimes During Crackdown: Report

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More than one in six adults in immigrant families say they or a family member skipped routine activities — such as driving or visiting a doctor — in 2018 because they did not want to be asked or bothered about their citizenship status, according to the nonprofit research organization Urban Institute.

A new report — based on data collected in December as part of the Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey — suggests that unauthorized immigrants, visa holders, legal permanent residents and even naturalized citizens may be changing their behavior in reaction to federal immigration policies.

“I think it just speaks to the widespread sort of climate of fear and insecurity that makes interactions with public authorities or public space challenging,” said Hamutal Bernstein, the report’s lead author.

In families that included at least one member who did not have a green card or citizenship, almost one in three adults reported that someone skipped an activity to avoid questions about their status. But even among families where all foreign-born members in the household were either legal permanent residents or naturalized citizens, 11.7% steered clear of such encounters.

“I think that is a basic reality that helps us understand the broader ripple effects of immigration policy,” Bernstein said.

Nearly one in four adults in Hispanic immigrant families said someone in their family refrained from at least one routine activity, highlighting how the immigration crackdown since 2017 has disproportionately affected Latino communities. Given that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement routinely detains people from Mexico and Central America (in the 2018 fiscal year, ICE removed almost 236,000 immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, or roughly 92% of the agency’s total removals), it stands to reason that Latinos would be particularly fearful, said Randy Capps, the Migration Policy Institute’s director of research for U.S. programs.

Immigrants were especially wary of activities that involved interactions with police or public officials, according to the report. Almost 10% said someone in their family avoided driving a car, while 9% said they or a family member didn’t apply for or renew a driver’s license. Perhaps most significantly, 8.3% said someone in their family did not talk to police or report a crime because they did not want to be asked about citizenship status.

Other activities that adults in immigrant families said they or a family member avoided included going to public places (7.8%), visiting a doctor or clinic (6.3%), using public transportation (5.8%) or talking with teachers or school officials (4.7%). 12.9% reported avoiding multiple activities.

In families where at least one member did not have a green card or citizenship, some of those numbers skyrocketed. Almost 20% reported that someone in their family avoided driving, and 19.2% said they or a family member didn’t interact with police, despite the fact that the United States offers visas to crime victims who cooperate with law enforcement.

Whether immigrants have a reason to fear the police often depends on their zip codes. In the 2018 fiscal year, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations issued more than 177,000 detainers to law enforcement agencies. Many cities and states across the United States — such as New York City, Illinois and California — have ramped up protections for immigrants in their communities and clamped down on police cooperation with ICE; others — such as Texas, Georgia and Arizona — have actively worked with ICE to detain and deport immigrants, Capps said.

In some states, unauthorized immigrants can legally drive; in others, they cannot obtain a driver’s license, which makes driving unlawful.

“In a place like Houston, it can be quite dangerous for an immigrant to drive,” Capps said.

Though where someone lives may affect how likely they are to be turned over to ICE, the federal agency has the capacity to conduct immigration sweeps anywhere. As Capps pointed out, ICE has targeted sanctuary cities — as well as cities with large immigrant populations — in highly publicized enforcement operations over the last few years.

“The whole point of that,” said Capps, “was to make people afraid — prove that they weren’t safe.”



Photo Credit: John Moore/Getty Images

Dog in Crate Abandoned in Windsor: Animal Control

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A dog was left in a crate and abandoned in Windsor, according to the Windsor Animal Shelter, and they are asking anyone with information to come forward.

A Facebook Post from the Windsor Animal Shelter  says a person driving a vehicle shown in the post abandoned the dog in a crate on Loomis Chaffee property.

Anyone with information is asked to call Windsor Animal Control at 860-688-5273, extension 556.



Photo Credit: Windsor Animal Shelter
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Police Investigating Damage to Crops from ATV Drivers

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Police are investigating reports of ATV operators trespassing on farm fields in South Windsor and authorities said there have been incidents in which crops in the area were intentionally damaged. 

South Windsor Police said they received reports of criminal mischief and trespassing in privately owned farm fields along the Connecticut River. 

Officers will be patrolling Main Street and the areas west of Main Street, using all-wheel drive vehicles, mountain bikes and Gator, the department’s utility vehicle. 

They said they are also setting up video surveillance to capture images of the riders and their transport vehicles and violators might be fined or arrested. 

Anyone who sees illegal use of ATVs or trespassing in the Main Street or Vibert Road area is asked to call South Windsor Police Dispatch at 860-644-2551.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

WATCH: Live Coverage of Mueller's Testimony

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Former special counsel Robert Mueller will face questions from lawmakers for the first time about his two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion and obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump.

Mueller will testify publicly Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET and then before the House Intelligence Committee starting at about 12 p.m. ET. 

Watch live starting at 8:30 a.m. ET — the blog below will refresh every two minutes.



Photo Credit: Andrew Harnik/AP
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MISSING: 97-Year-Old Woman Reported Missing

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A 97-year-old woman has been reported missing and a Silver Alert has been issued.

Alma Phillips might be driving a gray 2018 Nissan Altima with Connecticut plate NGRAVR.

It’s not clear what she was wearing when she was last seen.

She is 4-foot-11 and has blue eyes and white hair.

Anyone with information on where she is should call the Connecticut State Police Troop K Colchester barracks at 860-465-5400.



Photo Credit: Silver Alert

Infant Head & Neck Support Accessories Recalled by Boppy Co.

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The Boppy Company has recalled 14,000 head and neck support accessories because infants' heads can be tilted too far forward, posing a suffocation hazard.

The product is an accessory for use in infant swings, bouncers and strollers. It was sold at Target, Buy Buy Baby, Amazon.com and other retailers nationwide from March 2019 through May 2019 for about $20.

There have been no reported injuries or deaths related to the head support accessory, but the firm representing the company received three reports of babies' heads being pushed forward chin to chest by the product.

A government consumer protection agency said that consumers should immediately stop using the head support accessory and contact The Boppy Company for a full refund.

The Boppy Company head support accessory involved in the recall includes model numbers 4150114 and 4150117. They were sold in two styles: Ebony Floral and Heathered Gray.

Consumers can go to www.boppy.com and click on "important recall information" at the top of the page, email info@boppy.com or call 888-772-6779 during regular business hours for more information.

Yard Goats Hosting “GOAT Gauntlet” Fitness Event at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in November

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The Hartford Yard Goats will host its first ever “GOAT Gauntlet” fitness challenge at the team’s ballpark on Saturday, Nov. 9, the team announced Wednesday. The challenge consists of an obstacle course time trial race throughout the ballpark.

Participants of the fitness challenge will be able to explore areas of the park typically reserved for Yard Goats players. During the event, participants will explore fitness stations including running, stair climbing, box jumping, and plyometric exercises. Participants can be from all ability levels.

Local gym owner David Tripp created the course layout and will be helping organize the time trial.

GOAT Gauntlet heats are available for $75 per participant for Premium Heat times and $65 per participant for Regular Heat times. There is a $10 early bird savings for booking now until September 1st. All participants will receive a commemorative GOAT Gauntlet participation medal.

The course route includes access to areas of the ballpark normally reserved for player or VIP access, including the dugout, team clubhouse, field access weather permitting, though this is a rain/shine/snow event.

Heat times start at 8:00 AM and run every 5 minutes. Premium Heat times at 8:00 AM to noon and Regular Heat times are noon to 3:00 PM.

Reservations are available by calling 860-246-GOAT (4628), by visiting online at www.yardgoatsbaseball.com, or in person at the Click It or Ticket Box Office at Dunkin’ Donuts Park.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

No Exoneration: Mueller Contradicts Trump

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No collusion, no obstruction, President Donald Trump insists. But former special counsel Robert Mueller contradicted Trump in one of his opening comments to Congress on Wednesday.

In the first exchange between Mueller and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, Mueller agreed that his investigation did not exonerate the president of obstruction of justice as the president maintains.

Nadler, the Democrat of New York: “The president has repeatedly said that your report exonerated him. That is not what your report said, is that correct?”

Mueller: “Right, that is not what the report said.”

Nadler: “Did you actually totally exonerate the president?”

Mueller: “No.”

When asked to explain the report’s findings in plain terms, Mueller said: “The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed.”

Mueller has said he would not go beyond the 448-page report that he submitted to the Justice Department in March, but one goal of Democrats has been to have Mueller speak its findings out loud in his testimony before Congress.

Volume II of Mueller’s report sets out 10 instances of potential acts of obstruction of justice by Trump. They range from pressuring former FBI Director James Comey to end the investigation into then-national security adviser Michael Flynn — who lied about his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak — to calling former Attorney General Jeff Sessions at home and asking him to reverse his recusal from the Russia investigation, the report says. In October, Trump met privately with Sessions and asked him to “take [a] look” at investigating Clinton, according to the report.

“If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state,” the report states. “Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment.”

But at the outset of the report, Mueller wrote that he would abide by the finding of a determination from the Office of Legal Counsel that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted. The team also decided that in the interest of fairness, it would not evaluate the president’s actions to determine whether the president had committed a crime.

The report also noted that a criminal investigation during the president’s term is permissible, and that a president does not have immunity after he leaves office.

Nadler in his exchange with Mueller referred to the Office of Legal Counsel opinion.

“Although department policy barred you from indicting the president for this conduct, you made clear that he is not exonerated,” Nadler said. “Any other person who acted this way would have been charged with a crime.”

In the United States, not even the president is above the law, Nadler said.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Meet Hartford Henry, the New Hartford Fire Department Mascot

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The Hartford Fire Department has a new mascot and his name is Hartford Henry. Hartford Henry will attend several city events, celebrations and community gatherings to help spread fire prevention messages, the fire department announced Wednesday.

He also stars in a comic book that will be given to children in the city to teach about fire safety.

The fire safety comic book will be given to all Hartford Public School children, from pre-kindergarten through third grade, according to the fire department.

In the comic book, Hartford Henry speaks to children about fire prevention and the importance of not playing with lighters or matches.

The book also has recycling anti-littering messages.

“As a professional fire service, we must always look for ways to come up with ingenious initiatives to reduce the risk in our communities,” Fire Chief Reginald Freeman said in a statement.

“This comic book affords us that opportunity as well as address quality of life issues through our Hartford youth by embedding anti-littering messages subliminally throughout the body of work,” Freeman said.

The Hartford Fire Department will hold an event start at 11 a.m. on July 26 at the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford at 170 Sigourney St. in Hartford.



Photo Credit: Hartford Fire Department

Supporting Our Schools Drive To Help Local Students And Teachers

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NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut are proud to present the 2019 Supporting Our Schools drive. This year we are excited to join forces with Raymour & Flanigan to host a school supply drive in all their furniture stores across the state. You can stop by any of the Connecticut locations listed below to donate.

What: Supporting Our Schools School Supply Donation Drive

Where: Click here for participating Raymour & Flanigan locations

When:  Supplies can also be dropped off starting July 15 – Aug. 18.

Who: All donations will support local students who participate in the United Way and Boys & Girls Clubs across CT.

Supplies Needed: 

  • #2 Pencils
  • Backpacks
  • Black/Blue Pens
  • Composition Notebooks
  • Spiral Notebooks
  • Crayons
  • Dry Erase Markers
  • Highlighters
  • Index Cards
  • Kid-Safety Scissors
  • Pocket Folders
  • Rulers
  • USB Flash Drives

They are many disadvantaged students in our communities that can benefit from your generosity. For thousands of students, basic school supplies are so necessary, and sometimes very hard to afford.  Join us to make a difference for children and classrooms from kindergarten through high school!  

As part of this great initiative, our partners from Raymour & Flanigan will be hosting a one-day event at their Manchester and Newington stores in CT on Saturday, July 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. During this free event, they will be offering free food, music, face painting, and much more.

Cash donations will be accepted during the event to go towards buying more supplies.

Come with your family to celebrate with us and be part of this great event. NBC CT and Telemundo CT will be hosting talent appearances and handing out swag to the attendees.

Do not miss out this opportunity to be part of making a difference and connecting with your local communities.

Shark Sightings Close Cape Cod Beach

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Two shark sightings on Wednesday morning closed a Cape Cod beach to swimming for one hour.

According to the Sharktivity app, two great white sharks were spotted swimming about 50 and 200 yards, respectively, off Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro, Massachusetts, at 10:49 a.m. The beach will be closed to swimming for an hour.

Fifteen great whites were spotted off Cape Cod last weekend, and two separate beaches were closed to swimming.

Head of the Meadow Beach has now been closed to swimming due to shark sightings on multiple occasions this summer.

Researchers on Cape Cod launched a new study last month focused on the hunting and feeding habits of the region's great white sharks following last year's two attacks on humans, including the state's first fatal one in more than 80 years. They hope the work contributes critical information to the ongoing debate over how to keep Cape beachgoers safe.

One Massachusetts citizens group is calling for eliminating federal protections on seals, which have been blamed for drawing an increased number of great white sharks to the region in recent years.

Man Threatened to Kill Everyone at Canton Daycare: Police

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A Winsted man is accused of making threats against a Canton daycare and the daycare has increased security and a police officer has responded to the premises.

Police said 29-year-old David Ragozzine, of Winsted, called Joni’s Daycare and Preschool in Canton at 12:21 p.m. on Monday, made verbal threats and indicated he would assault a specific staff member and kill everyone, according to Canton police.

Ragozzine was arrested and charged with breach of peace in the second degree and threatening in the first degree.

He is being held on $100,00 bond, according to police.

The investigation is ongoing.



Photo Credit: Canton Police

Family Issues Statement as Search for Jennifer Dulos Goes On

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Jennifer Dulos, a mom of five from New Canaan, has now been missing for two months and her family and firiends have released a new statement.

The 50-year-old mother of five was last seen on May 24 while dropping off her children at a New Canaan school.

Carrie Luft released a statement Wednesday on behalf of the family and friends of Jennifer Farber Dulos. 

“Today marks two months since Jennifer, beloved mother, daughter, sister, cousin, and friend, disappeared. We miss her beyond words. Please know that the five children are doing well, surrounded by love and support. 

“The flow of support from the New Canaan and Farmington/Avon communities, individuals as well as organizations, has helped keep us going during this ordeal. We are very grateful to all of you. And we express our deepest thanks to the New Canaan and Connecticut State police for their tireless efforts on the case. 

“As July nears an end, we’re reminded of Jennifer’s love for the Fire Island beach she visited as a girl. Last summer she was so happy to be able to share her favorite childhood spot with her own children. 

“We continue to urge anyone who has information about Jennifer’s disappearance from New Canaan on May 24, her whereabouts, or anything in between, to please email FindJenniferDulos@newcanaanct.gov or call the New Canaan Police Tip Line at (203) 594-3544. Thank you.”

New Canaan Police Department said that they have received more than 1200 tips in the case.

Court documents in the case say investigators who responded to the missing person report in May found blood splatter and evidence of cleanup attempts at Jennifer Dulos' home. 

Dulos’ estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, have been charged with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution in connection with the case. 

The arrest warrant states that city surveillance cameras captured images of a man police said matched the appearance of Fotis throwing away bags of garbage along Albany Avenue in Hartford the day Jennifer disappeared.

Both Troconis and Fotis have pleaded not guilty, are free on bond and maintain their innocence.

Police said this remains “a very active and dynamic investigation that involves dozens of investigators.”

In addition to tips, police said they have nearly 80 responses with video surveillance from homes or businesses.

Police urge everyone with information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance to contact them. In addition to the tip line, 203-594-3544, tips and information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance can be sent to FindJenniferDulos@newcanaanct.gov and submitted anonymously at www.FindJenniferDulos.com.

“We will not rest until we find Jennifer,” the statement from New Canaan police says.

Travel Experts Offer Tips to Vacationers Heading to Cape Cod After Tornado

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As crews work to clean up downed trees and power lines from Tuesday’s tornado on Cape Cod, AAA has advice for vacationers. 

If you already booked a reservation for the Cape this weekend, Suzanne Aresco, the Director of Travel for AAA recommends you immediately contact the property you are staying at. 

“Contact the property, the hotel, the vacation rental directly. Call the owner, find out what’s the status of it. Do they have electricity? Is everything operating smoothly? Reconfirm their travel plans for the near future,” Aresco said. 

Aresco said the Cape is unique because it offers more than just traditional hotels. You might have a reservation at a boutique or family-owned cottage, but each of those properties has a different set of terms. 

If you call and they tell you the electric is working properly and there is no damage to their property, then your reservation most likely stands. 

But you might want to brainstorm other family activities, knowing the town might still have downed trees and power lines. 

“Travel is an adventure and we can always expect something different to happen, whether it be weather, it could be a rainy week all week and the properties are still expecting you to honor your vacation and so make plans accordingly,” Aresco said. 

AAA also recommends that prior to booking your next vacation, you read the cancellation terms very carefully so you understand the refund policies.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Police Investigating Behind Commercial Building in North Branford

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North Branford police said in a Facebook post that there is a police presence behind a commercial building at 280 Branford Road. 

The North Branford Police Facebook page says the investigation is an isolated incident and the public has no reason to be concerned. 

No additional information was immediately available.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
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Parent Charged in College Bribery Scheme Pleads Guilty

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A California entrepreneur pleaded guilty Wednesday to paying $250,000 to get his son into to the University of Southern California as a fake volleyball recruit.

Jeffrey Bizzack, of Solana Beach, California, was the 51st person to be charged in a sweeping scheme that involved rigging test scores and bribing coaches to get students into elite schools including Georgetown, Stanford and Yale universities. Bizzack is the 23rd defendant to plead guilty, while the others are fighting their charges.

Bizzack, 59, entered the plea to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in Boston's federal court. As part of a plea deal with Bizzack, prosecutors are recommending nine months in prison, a $75,000 fine and other restitution to be decided during sentencing.

Authorities say Bizzack gave a total of $200,000 to a sham charity run by the admissions consultant at the center of the scheme and sent a $50,000 check to the USC Galen Center, a campus sports arena, to have his son designated as a recruit for the volleyball team. His son was formally accepted in March 2018.

The consultant, Rick Singer, then made monthly payments of $20,000 to USC's then-senior associate athletic director, Donna Heinel, for her help getting Bizzack's son and other children of prominent parents into the school.

Heinel has pleaded not guilty in the case. Singer pleaded guilty in March and helped build the case against parents and others accused in the scheme.

When asked by a federal judge about the prosecution's account Wednesday, Bizzack said it was accurate to the best of his knowledge. Bizzack described himself as an entrepreneur who has worked in the tech and surfing industries. He said little else as the judge formally accepted his guilty plea.

He was released following the hearing and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 30. The maximum he could face is 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

In June, when Bizzack's plea deal was announced, his lawyers said he deeply regrets his actions and the effect it will have on his son. They said his son had no knowledge of the arrangement to get him accepted to USC.

Bizzack is among 15 parents that have pleaded guilty to participating in the scheme, including "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman, who admitted to paying $15,000 to have someone correct the answers on her daughter's SAT.

Those fighting the charges include "Full House" star Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, who are accused of paying $500,000 to get their daughters into USC as fake crew recruits. They are scheduled to appear in court in August.



Photo Credit: JOSH REYNOLDS/AP

Fat Shaming? Forever 21 Mails Diet Bars With Orders

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Clothing store Forever 21 is being accused of fat shaming after it sent Atkins diet bars with their online orders, including plus-sized orders, NBC News reported.

Twitter users who ordered from the store, popular among teenage girls, shared pictures of the Atkins meal replacement bars that came with their clothes. Many of the women who thought the promotion was in bad taste said the bars were included with their order of plus-sized items.

"BUSINESS TIP: If you're selling a product geared to Fat people, probably best not to tell them that you want to eradicate fat bodies... FYI we're not only fat, we're fierce too and you're not getting our money anymore! *cough* @forever21 *cough*," author Rebecca Sky tweeted.

The Atkins diet peaked in popularity in 2003 and 2004, ushering in the age of bun-less burgers and special low-carb menus at chain restaurants. Recently, Atkins has been marketing itself as a less strict, but just-as-effective version as 2019's diet du jour, Keto.

With actor Rob Lowe as their current spokesman, Atkins presents itself as a healthy lifestyle, but is explicit that the main perk of their diet, a mixture of their low carb, high protein products and recipes, is weight loss.

 Forever 21 has long been lauded for selling a considerable range of clothing options for plus-sized women. But some women who had been a fan of the store for exactly that reason said they would begin shopping elsewhere after the diet bar sample was included in their order.



Photo Credit: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Mueller Says Trump Not Exonerated and Other Top Moments

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Democrats had one of their most successful moments in the opening minutes of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s appearance before Congress on Wednesday: He countered President Donald Trump’s insistence that he has been exonerated by Mueller’s report into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“The president has repeatedly said that your report exonerated him. That is not what your report said, is that correct?” asked the Judiciary Committee’s chairman, Jerrold Nadler, in the morning

Mueller answered, “Right, that is not what the report said.”

Nadler: “Did you actually totally exonerate the president?”

Mueller: “No.”

The president meanwhile was tweeting, “NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION,” and again attacking Mueller as a “highly conflicted” investigator with a team of "angry Democrats."

“Why didn’t Robert Mueller & his band of 18 Angry Democrats spend any time investigating Crooked Hillary Clinton, Lyin’ & Leakin’ James Comey, Lisa Page and her Psycho lover, Peter S, Andy McCabe, the beautiful Ohr family, Fusion GPS, and many more, including HIMSELF & Andrew W?” the president wrote.

Mueller's refutation of the president's claim was one of the top takeaways from his long-anticipated testimony before Congress about his 448-page report. Democrats highlighted sections about Trump’s potential obstruction of justice, while Republicans attacked the report itself, Mueller’s team and even Mueller himself. Meanwhile, commentators had lots of questions about Mueller’s performance, particularly muted in the morning, though more animated in the afternoon.

Mueller’s team did not find sufficient evidence to charge any Trump campaign member with criminal conspiracy but also did not exonerate the president of a crime. The report said the team was unable to say the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice.

“The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

Asked during the morning session to explain the report’s findings in plain terms, Mueller said: “The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed.”

At the start of the afternoon session before the House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of California led Mueller through a series of questions -- about Russia's sweeping and systematic interference with the election, Russian outreach to the Trump campaign and the lies told by members of Trump's campaign team, among them former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and the president's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

"And when Donald Trump called your investigation a witch hunt that also was false, was it not?" Schiff asked.

"I like to think so, yes," Mueller said.

"Well your investigation is not a witch hunt," Schiff said, a claim Trump has made repeatedly.

"It is not a witch hunt," Mueller said.

If some Democrats hoped that his testimony would spark calls for impeachment, that seemed unlikely. Mueller's responses were guarded and sometimes unsure; at one point he seemed to be searching for the word "conspiracy." He repeatedly declined to answer questions, and when in an afternoon session Rep. Jackie Speier, Democrat of California, gave him 1 minute and 39 seconds to say what he wanted the American people to glean from the report, he took up only a fraction of that time. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pushed back on calls for impeachment, an issue that has divided the country and even Democrats, some of who argue that they should focus instead on defeating the president at the polls.

Mueller has steered clear of talking about impeachment, saying only during his news conference on May 29 as he announced his resignation from the Justice Department, “The Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing.”

During the hearing, Republicans brought up impeachment, among them Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who asked why the report did not recommend it. Mueller said that he was not going to talk about the issue.

But it wasn’t until the end of the morning session that a Democrat finally raised the issue. Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar asked whether Mueller’s comment at the news conference referred to impeachment.

Mueller said he would not comment, but when she asked him about a footnote about constitutional processes for addressing presidential misconduct, he said, “I think I heard you mention at least one.”

"Impeachment?" she asked.

He declined to comment.

Other Republicans criticized Mueller for leaving exculpatory information out of the report and accused his team of bias. Former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who were having an affair, were removed from the team over anti-Trump texts that they exchanged. Others supported Trump’s opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“Peter Strzok hated Trump,” Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert told Mueller. “You didn’t know that before he was made part of your team?”

"I did not know that," Mueller said, adding he acted quickly to reassign Strzok when he found out.

In one of his most animated moments, Mueller defended his team’s integrity regardless of their politics.

“I’ve been in this business for almost 25 years and in those 25 years, I’ve not had occasion once to ask somebody about their political affiliation,” Mueller said. “It is not done. What I care about is the capability of the individual to do the job and do the job quickly and seriously and with integrity.”

He repeatedly declined to answer questions about the so-called Steele dossier, a report from former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele for Fusion GPS. Fusion GPS was hired to do opposition research on Trump by a law firm working for Clinton and the Democratic party.

The dossier contained unverified data and Republicans have repeatedly called it fake. 

Democrats in the morning focused on the times Trump possibly obstructed justice as laid out in Mueller's report. Trump put pressure on the former FBI Director James Comey to end an investigation into Flynn, who lied about his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak.

After Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed a special counsel on May 17, 2017, Trump told advisers that it was “the end of his presidency” and demanded that then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions resign, though when Sessions submitted his resignation, Trump didn’t accept it.

In the summer of 2017, when reporters were asking about a June 9, 2016, meeting in Trump Tower including Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who was said to be offering damaging information about Hillary Clinton as “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump,” Trump directed aides not to disclose emails setting up the meeting. Then he edited a press statement for his son to say only that it was about the adoption of Russian children. 

The emails came out.

“If it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer,” Trump Jr. wrote.

By the end of the seven hours of testimony, Mueller had declined to answer or had deflected questions for a total of 198 times. NBC News kept track. You can take a listen here.



Photo Credit: AP

Breast Cancer Survivor Makes Closer to Free Ride a Family Affair

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For Jaime Krasnitski, a 2016 breast cancer diagnosis came without a warning.

“I had no family history. I had no risk factors. I went for my baseline mammogram and was not expecting the news that I got,” said Krasnitski, of East Hampton.

After chemotherapy, surgery and radiation Krasnitski has now been in remission two and a half years and is thriving. Come September she’ll participate in her second “Closer To Free” bicycle ride, raising money to fight cancer.

The ride, now in its ninth year, will take place in New Haven September 7. Every dollar raised supports patient care and research at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center.

“I can ride and three years ago, I couldn’t. I couldn’t do much of anything,” she said, with a smile knowing how far she’s come.

Krasnitski says she rides, because she can, an obligation she feels toward helping others facing a similar battle.

“It’s what I feel like I should be doing,” Krasnitski said. “I got a second chance. A lot of people don’t.”

For the Krasnitski’s the ride is a family affair. Her four person team named, “Mama K’s Crew,” is made up of her biggest supporters - her husband Todd and children Dolan and Erica, who’ve taken up the fight against cancer themselves.

“They sneak it into art projects. They have breast cancer symbol decals on their helmets when they ride. They often ride with pink socks,” says Jaime

The ride offers distances of 10, 25, 40, 65 and 100 miles. While Jaime and her children will ride the 25 mile distance this year her husband will take on the 100-mile challenge.

With that she looks forward to two things, raising her fundraising goal of $2,500 and, enjoying the overall family experience.

NBC Connecticut is proud to once again be a media sponsor for the Closer to Free Ride.



Photo Credit: Contributed Photo
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