Russia: Trump Invited Putin to Visit White House The White House confirmed that President Trump has discussed meeting with Vladimir Putin in the near future. The Kremlin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said the two men spoke on March 20 and Trump proposed a meeting. The phone call came before last week’s diplomatic explusions following the nerve attack on Russian double agent Sergei Skripal.
Massive Shopping Mall Fire in Russia Kills More Than 60 People At least 64 children in a shopping center in the Siberian city of Kemerovo were killed. An entire class of schoolchildren reportedly died in the fire. Some of the children called their family to say goodbye, before dying in the fire. “We are burning, perhaps this is goodbye.” A child victim wrote on social media Investigators said there was no alarm and exists were blocked.
Russian Curler Alexander Krushelnitsky Allegedly Failed Drug Test According to CBS News, Krushelnitsky’s coach dismissed claims that the athlete used Meldonium, which increases stamina and has been banned since 2016. Reports say a lab in Seoul will double-check the test for confirmation. Other Olympic athletes participating in this year’s Winter Games have shared their concerns. Mark Kennedy, a Canadian curler (CBS News) Russia has been the center of droping controversy before for allegedly having a state-sponsored doping program.
Robert Mueller Announces 13 Indictments in Election Interference On Friday, Mueller said a grand jury has indicted 13 Russian nationals for the 2016 presidential election hacking. Statement from indictment Statement in indictment Three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, according to news outlets. Five have been charged with aggravated identity theft.
1. Two downtown Las Vegas casinos will open temporarily to preserve gaming licenses. The Las Vegas Club and Mermaids casinos must have casino play on the floor for at least 8 hours every two years to preserve a gaming license. United Coin Machine will set up slot machines in the two casinos in late June to help maintain the license.
2. Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that two dozen reputed Russian mobsters and associates were arrested on racketeering charges. Razhden Shulaya, the alleged leader of a Soviet mafia syndicate, was arrested in Las Vegas and is accused of running gambling, stolen goods and protection rackets in several states. Thirty-three defendants in total were charged in the indictment.
3. A Las Vegas judge posted and removed a doctored photo of herself with Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson. The photo was posted on Heidi Almase’s campaign Facebook page Tuesday night before it was quickly removed. Almase’s campaign manager Jennifer Barrier says she is close family friends with Johnson, but did not have authorization to post the image.
