Hicks...

The Republican National Committee has paid nearly half a million dollars to a law firm representing former White House communications director Hope Hicks in the ongoing Russia investigation, Federal Election Commission records show.

The two payments in April, totaling $451,779, were made to Trout Cacheris & Janis for "legal and compliance services." Hicks is represented by the firm’s founder, Robert Trout. Two additional attorneys at the firm represent other witnesses in the Russia probe.

In late February, Hicks appeared before the House Intelligence Committee for a closed-door interview related to Russia interference in the 2016 election but refused to answer questions about her time in the White House, according to Republicans and Democrats on the panel.

Nothing...

Iraq...

Following the 2003 US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Mr Sadr burst onto the scene as a renegade champion of poorer Shias, leading militant fighters who carried out deadly attacks on American forces and were notorious for sectarian killings of Sunni Muslims. 

In recent years, Mr Sadr has gained popularity as a nationalist voice, opposing Iranian influence and waging a public campaign against corruption.

For this election, he ran a non-sectarian campaign focused on issues of social justice, allying with secularists and Iraq's communist party, and broadening support beyond his traditional base. 

While al-Sadr has continued to oppose the US military presence in Iraq, he is also openly critical of Iran. He even made a recent trip to Saudi Arabia. The US ally is Tehran’s archival.

Let us not interfere in the Iraq business again. They are different culture, religions, hopes and aspiration.

Water Down...

Beer lovers across the U.S. have filed $5 million class-action lawsuits accusing Anheuser-Busch of watering down its Budweiser, Michelob and other brands.

The suits claim consumers have been cheated out of the alcohol content stated on labels. Budweiser and Michelob each boast of being 5 percent alcohol, while some "light" versions are said to be just over 4 percent.

The lawsuits are based on information from former employees at the company's 13 U.S. breweries, some in high-level plant positions, according to lead lawyer Josh Boxer of San Rafael, Calif. 

The excess water is added just before bottling and cuts the stated alcohol content by 3 percent to 8 percent, he said.

Anheuser-Busch InBev called the claims "groundless" and said its beers fully comply with labeling laws. 

Tracing...

A 55-year-old man has been arrested in a 31-year-old cold case involving a young couple murdered in Washington state.

Sheriff’s Officers arrested William Talbott for the November 1987 murders of 20-year-old Jay Cook and 18-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office said.

Investigators tapped a public genealogy website to match crime scene DNA. The analysis was performed by Parabon, a Virginia company.

 A digital file containing DNA genotype data from evidence at the crime scene was uploaded to GEDMatch, a public genetic genealogy website, and promising matches were found for two of the suspect’s relatives, the sheriff’s office said.

Itch

Divorce occurred most frequently among couples at the height of their reproductive and parenting years—for men, ages 25 to 29, and for women, ages 20 to 24 and 25 to 29—and among those with one dependent child.

In more contemporary hunter-gatherer societies, women tend to bear their children about four years apart. After a child is weaned at around age four, the child often joins a playgroup and is cared for by older siblings. This allows unhappy couples to break up and find a more suitable partner.

Serial pair bonding may have been beneficial to survival among our forebears because having children with more than one partner produces offspring with greater genetic variety and a wider range of skills. Hence, in the changeable environment of ancient Africa, some offspring would have had a better chance of enduring.

The four-year divorce peak among modern humans may represent the remains of an ancestral reproductive strategy to stay bonded long enough to raise a child.

By understanding this susceptibility, we might anticipate, and perhaps be able to avoid, the four-year itch.

Fiske...

 Fiske was 17 weeks pregnant when she went to visit Imran to discuss raising the child, according to WROC. That's when he slipped a pill into her tea, which caused her to go into premature labor hours later. She was rushed to the hospital, but the infant did not survive. 

Despite Fiske's loss, she argued against a stiff penalty for Imran. The doctor, who lost his license following his arrest.

Imran told the judge he loved Fiske "more than anyone in the world" and prays for their unborn child everyday. 

WJLA reports Imran could also be deported to his native Pakistan after serving three years in prison, now that is the punishment.

Yanny...

Royal...

Santa Fe...

It was barely after 7:30 a.m. at Santa Fe High School, about 35 miles southeast of Houston, when gunfire first resounded through the halls, the opening volley of yet another massacre at an American high school that would leave students, teachers and staff members shocked, and in some cases bloodied. But they were not necessarily surprised.

No detectors?