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A Win for Trump

QuickTake
Bloomberg

Greetings, QuickTake readers. In this edition: AOC wins big, Bayer pays up, and space tourism is closer than you think.

Michael Flynn Charges Dismissed

A federal appeals court ordered a judge to immediately dismiss the criminal case against Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

"He was persecuted," Trump said of Flynn, adding unprompted that "the Obama administration spied on the campaign." 

The 2-1 ruling is a win for Trump, who has repeatedly slammed the case against Flynn as part of a broader conspiracy by Democrats to undermine him and his administration. Attorney General William Barr reversed course on its prosecution of Flynn last month, requesting the court drop the case because Flynn's false statements to two federal agents weren't "material" to their investigation and they set him up to lie as part of a biased agenda.

In his dissent, Judge Robert Wilkins, an Obama appointee, said the decision is a "drastic and extraordinary remedy" that he believed had never happened before.

$ignificant figures

15.9%. Florida's coronavirus positivity rate jumped this much, from 10.8% a day prior.

100,000. Bayer has agreed to settle roughly this many U.S. lawsuits claiming the company's Roundup weedkiller caused cancer.

70%. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez captured a large majority of votes in New York's Democratic primary to fend off would-be candidates, according to state election results.

Highly quotable

1. "We understand that it is a major disappointment for many Muslims who are looking forward to making the pilgrimage this year." Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO supports Saudi Arabia's decision to limit travel at this year's Hajj.

2. "I believe that William Barr poses the greatest threat in my lifetime to our rule of law and to public trust in it." Donald Ayer harshly criticized the attorney general during a congressional testimony.

3. "We're safely and responsibly reclaiming our businesses, reclaiming our community lives." VP Mike Pence and others went to a school and faith-based event without face masks in Wisconsin despite continuing Covid-19 concerns.

This is not normal

Eco-unfriendly. Large-scale tree planting may actually harm the environment, according to new studies, which found expanding forests led to a loss of biodiversity and had little effect on the capture of greenhouse gases. 

The future is now

To infinity. Virgin Galactic signed a deal with NASA to develop a "private orbital astronaut readiness program" to find prospective space tourists and coordinate commercial trips to the International Space Station.

What's good

A Pakistani court has freed 33-year-old Kaavan, "the world's loneliest elephant," after conditions at an Islamabad zoo sparked a high-profile rights campaign led by Cher, which now forces officials to find the animal a new "suitable sanctuary."

 

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-Angelo Spagnolo

 

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