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Happening Today: John McCain, Robert Mueller, Dementia, Linkin Park, Comic-Con

What to Know

  • Trump's legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of Robert Mueller's investigative team, sources say
  • There are no proven ways to stave off Alzheimer's, but a new report raises the prospect that avoiding key risks could prevent some cases
  • Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington was found dead in his home, the Los Angeles County coroner said

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Trump Legal Team Looking to Investigate Mueller Aides, Sources Say

President Trump's legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said. The revelations come as Mueller's investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family's business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president's external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers "will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue." Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller's investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president's personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president's campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 election. While Trump has assailed the probes as a partisan "witch hunt," the investigations have increasingly ensnared his family and close advisers, including son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.

McCain Says “I'll Be Back Soon” After Cancer Diagnosis

Battling brain cancer, John McCain vowed to return to the Senate, leveling fresh criticism at the Trump administration and aiming a good-natured dig at Republican and Democratic colleagues shaken by news of his diagnosis. "I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support — unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I'll be back soon, so stand-by!" McCain said in a tweet. Showing no signs of stepping back from political and national security battles, he issued a statement slamming the Trump administration over its Syria policy. The 80-year-old McCain, the GOP's presidential nominee in 2008 and a six-term Arizona lawmaker, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, who had removed a blood clot above his left eye. They also managed to remove all of the tumor that was visible on brain scans. The senator and his family are considering further treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation, as he recuperates at his home in Arizona.

Avoiding 9 Key Risks Could Potentially Stave Off Dementia, Panel Says

There are no proven ways to stave off Alzheimer's, but a new report raises the prospect that avoiding nine key risks starting in childhood just might delay or even prevent about a third of dementia cases around the world. How? It has to do with lifestyle factors that may make the brain more vulnerable to problems with memory and thinking as we get older. They're such risks as not getting enough education early in life, high blood pressure and obesity in middle age, and being sedentary and socially isolated in the senior years. The report in the British journal Lancet is provocative — its authors acknowledge their estimate is theoretical, based on statistical modeling. A recent U.S. report was much more cautious, saying there are encouraging hints that a few lifestyle changes can bolster brain health but little if any proof. Still, it's never too early to try, said Lancet lead author Gill Livingston, a psychiatry professor at University College London.

For 1st Time, Over Half of People With HIV Taking AIDS Drugs

For the first time in the global AIDS epidemic that has spanned four decades and killed 35 million people, more than half of all those infected with HIV are on drugs to treat the virus, the United Nations said in a report. AIDS deaths are also now close to half of what they were in 2005, according to the U.N. AIDS agency, although those figures are based on estimates and not actual counts from countries. Experts applauded the progress, but questioned if the billions spent in the past two decades should have brought more impressive results. The U.N. report was released in Paris where an AIDS meeting begins this weekend. She said more resources might have gone to strengthening health systems in poor countries.

Linkin Park Singer Chester Bennington Dies at 41

Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington, whose screeching vocals helped the rock-rap band become one of the most commercially successful acts in the 2000s, was found dead in his home near Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County coroner said. He was 41. Coroner spokesman Brian Elias said authorities are investigating Bennington's death as an apparent suicide at Palos Verdes Estates, but no additional details are available. Band co-founder and producer Mike Shinoda said on Twitter he was "shocked and saddened." "Chester Bennington was an artist of extraordinary talent and charisma, and a human being with a huge heart and a caring soul. Our thoughts and prayers are with his beautiful family, his band-mates and his many friends," Warner Bros. Records CEO and Chairman Cameron Stang said in a statement. The Grammy Award-winning group sold more than 10 million copies of their 2000 debut, "Hybrid Theory," which featured the megahit and anthem, "In the End." They sold another 6 million with 2003's multiplatinum "Meteora." Both albums explored feelings of frustration and fury.

Late “Batman” Actor Adam West Honored at Comic-Con

There are typically a lot of Batmen at Comic-Con, but only one was the subject of a star-filled tribute. Filmmaker Kevin Smith, producer James Tucker, actors Ralph Garman and Lee Meriwether and about a thousand fans paid tribute to the late Adam West at the pop-culture convention. West played Batman in the 1960s TV series and later voiced the character of Mayor West on "Family Guy." He died last month at age 88. Smith said he was about 4 years old when he first saw West in "Batman" on a black-and-white TV. "He defined my youth," Smith said. "He gave me my morality. Everything I learned about being good, I learned from watching Adam West play the Bright Knight." Smith said that when he shared those thoughts with West during his appearance on the "Fatman on Batman" podcast, West said: "That doesn't speak well of your parents."Meriwether said that when she played Catwoman and Kitka opposite West in "Batman: The Movie" movie, she could hardly maintain her character's accent because she was so dazzled by West.

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