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Happening Today: Michael Cohen, Mark Zuckerberg, FDA, Fleetwood Mac, Bill Cosby

What to Know

  • Trump lashed out against Mueller's Russia probe, and exhibited concern about the investigation after officials raided his attorney's office
  • U.S. health officials placed new restrictions on a permanent contraceptive implant that has been subject to reports of painful complications
  • Lindsey Buckingham is out of Fleetwood Mac after the band said in a statement that he will not be on their new tour

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Trump Fumes at Mueller Probe After Raid on Attorney

President Trump has lashed out against special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, branding it "an attack on our country" and exhibiting mounting concern about the yearlong probe after federal authorities raided the offices of his personal attorney Michael Cohen. Caught off guard and furious with the encroaching inquiry, the president showed a flare of temper watching cable news coverage of the raid, summoning lawyers Ty Cobb and Jay Sekulow to get their opinion of what was happening. Aides and outside allies described Trump as shaken and increasingly frustrated by the development, and they said his reaction had sparked discussion about whether the raid would usher an unpredictable new phase in how the president responds to the probe. Trump vented from the Oval Office that Mueller's investigators were "going too far" and conducting "their witch hunt" to undermine his presidency, according to three people familiar with the president's views but not allowed to discuss them publicly. Minutes later he publicly unleashed his sharpest invective to date against the sweeping investigation, calling the search "a disgrace."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Testify to Congress

Lost amid a flurry of Facebook announcements about privacy settings and data access is a much more fundamental question: Is Facebook really changing its relationship with users, or just tinkering around the edges of a deeper problem — its insatiable appetite for the data it uses to sell ads? CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is scheduled to testify to Congress today, long defined the company's mission as making the world more open and connected. He's now tweaking that high-minded goal to emphasize positive community-building, not just connectivity. But it's not at all clear how much Facebook can shift without undermining what makes it one of the world's most profitable companies. Wall Street analysts are already counting on Facebook to survive a user revolt. Based on recent polling, GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives expects roughly 15 percent of users to disengage somewhat from the social network following revelations that the political data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica improperly obtained personal information from 87 million users to try to influence elections. In a worst-case scenario, decreased engagement and what Ives terms a "negligible" number of deleted accounts could cost the company up to $2 billion in annual advertising, Ives said. Facebook could likely survive a $2 billion cut in its bottom line.

Court to Decide if Drug Use While Pregnant Is Child Abuse

Pennsylvania's highest court will decide whether a woman's use of illegal drugs while pregnant qualifies as child abuse under state law. The Supreme Court recently took up the case of a woman who tested positive for suboxone and marijuana at the time she gave birth early last year. A county judge ruled that did not qualify as child abuse under the state's Child Protective Services Law, but the intermediate Superior Court said drug use while pregnant can make bodily injury to a child likely after birth. Court records indicate the child spent 19 days in the hospital being treated for drug dependence, exhibiting severe withdrawal symptoms. The mother's lawyers argue lawmakers never intended the child protection law to apply to acts during pregnancy. In a filing with Supreme Court, the woman's lawyers said most states, with a few exceptions, "have taken a non-punitive approach to the issue."

FDA Puts Restrictions on Birth Control Implant But No Recall

U.S. health officials placed new restrictions on a permanent contraceptive implant that has been subject to reports of painful complications from thousands of women. But the metal implant, called Essure, will remain on the market. The Food and Drug Administration said only women who read and have the opportunity to sign a brochure about the risks of the device will be able to receive the implant made by Bayer. The checklist of risks must also be signed by the woman's doctor. The new requirement comes almost two years after the FDA added its strongest warning to Essure, citing problems reported with the nickel-titanium implant. The agency also ordered Bayer to conduct a study of the device's safety. Patients have reported cases of pain, bleeding, allergic reactions and cases where the implant punctured the uterus or shifted out of place. Those reports are submitted to the FDA by patients, physicians and the manufacturer. In a statement after the announcement, Bayer said it will continue to tell health care providers about "the importance of appropriately counseling each patient on the benefits and risks of Essure."

Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac Part Ways, Band Says

Lindsey Buckingham will have to go his own way. The singer-guitarist is out of Fleetwood Mac. The band said in a statement that Buckingham will not be on their new tour. The announcement came in two terse sentences at the bottom of a long news release announcing the new concerts. "Lindsey Buckingham will not be performing with the band on this tour," the statement said. "The band wishes Lindsey all the best." He'll be jointly replaced by Neil Finn of Crowded House and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers. Buckingham joined the band with then-girlfriend Stevie Nicks in 1974 and the two became the central faces, voices and songwriters of the group for the four decades that followed. Buckingham left the band once before in 1987, returning for a tour in 1996 and remaining a steady member since. No details were given on what led to the latest split.

Bill Cosby Paid Accuser Nearly $3.4M, Prosecutor Says

Bill Cosby paid nearly $3.4 million to the woman he is charged with sexually assaulting, a prosecutor revealed to jurors, answering one of the biggest questions surrounding the case as the comedian's retrial got underway. District Attorney Kevin Steele highlighted the 2006 civil settlement during his opening statement, in an apparent attempt to suggest Cosby wouldn't have paid out so much money if the accusations against him were false. Cosby's lawyers have signaled they intend to use the settlement to argue that Andrea Constand falsely accused the former TV star in hopes of landing a big payoff. The amount had been confidential — and was kept out of the first trial — but a judge ruled that both sides could discuss it at this one. Cosby, 80, is charged with drugging and molesting Constand, a former employee of Temple University's basketball program, at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Constand says he gave her pills that made her woozy, then penetrated her with his fingers as she lay incapacitated, unable to tell him to stop. The defense will deliver its opening statement today in a trial expected to last a month.

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