What to Know
- Democrats are intensifying their demands for Robert Mueller's full report to be released
- Surgeons have performed what's thought to be the world's first kidney transplant from a living donor with HIV, a milestone for AIDS patients
- Just days after E! News confirmed Nicolas Cage and girlfriend Erika Koike obtained a marriage license, it appears he's pumping the brakes
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Mueller Report Is More Than 300 Pages; Dems Demand Full Release
Democrats intensified their demands for Robert Mueller's full report after learning the special counsel's findings from his Trump-Russia investigation run to more than 300 pages, while President Trump boasted of total exoneration based on a four-page summary by his attorney general. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler was told by Attorney General William Barr there's no intention of giving the confidential report to Congress immediately as he redacts grand jury testimony and other elements. Democrats say they may subpoena the report if it's not forthcoming by their Tuesday deadline, which Barr has said will not be met. Through the day, tempers were rising on Capitol Hill. Shaking her fist for emphasis, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Barr's summary, which cleared Trump of campaign collusion with Russia and criminal obstruction of Mueller's federal probe, was "condescending" and "arrogant." Trump himself headed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a campaign rally, where he deemed the probe "the greatest hoax in the history of our country" and warned that those behind it "would be held accountable."
Johns Hopkins Begins Transplants From Living Donors With HIV
Surgeons in Baltimore have performed what's thought to be the world's first kidney transplant from a living donor with HIV, a milestone for patients with the AIDS virus who need a new organ. If other donors with HIV come forward, it could free up space on the transplant waiting list for everyone. Nina Martinez of Atlanta traveled to Johns Hopkins University to donate a kidney to an HIV-positive stranger, saying she "wanted to make a difference in somebody else's life" and counter the stigma that too often still surrounds HIV infection. Many people think "somebody with HIV is supposed to look sick," Martinez, 35, said before the operation. "It's a powerful statement to show somebody like myself who's healthy enough to be a living organ donor." Hopkins, which is making the transplant public, said both Martinez and the recipient of her kidney, who chose to remain anonymous, are recovering well. There's no count of how many HIV-positive patients are among the 113,000 people on the nation's waiting list for an organ transplant. HIV-positive patients can receive transplants from HIV-negative donors just like anyone else.
Nicolas Cage Files for Annulment Days After Apparent Wedding
Local
Just days after E! News had confirmed Nicolas Cage and girlfriend Erika Koike obtained a marriage license, it appears the actor is pumping the brakes. Court documents obtained by E! News indicate Cage filed for an annulment with Koike, indicating the pair had evidently tied the knot. E! News has reached out to the star's rep for comment. The Blast was first to report the news. Cage and Koike had been dating since last spring. The pair first sparked romance rumors in Puerto Rico while Cage was filming the upcoming action film "Primal." A grizzly-looking Cage and Koike dashed into a private car after dining at a local restaurant on the island. Before dating Koike, Cage was married to Alice Kim for 10 years, but separated in 2016. During their short-lived, but seemingly happy time together, the actor and former waitress welcomed their son Kal-El Coppola, 14. And, before that, the "National Treasure" star was briefly married to Lisa Marie Presley in 2002 and Patricia Arquette in the late 1990s.
City of Chicago to Bill Jussie Smollett $130K for Investigation
A city official says Chicago is seeking $130,000 from "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett to cover the costs of the investigation into his reported beating, which police say was staged. Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for the city government's legal department, confirmed the amount, hours after Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the city would try to recoup the money it spent on the investigation. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has bashed prosecutors' decision to drop charges against Smollett in exchange for community service and his $10,000 bond, told reporters Thursday he expects to ask Smollett and his legal team to write a check. A representative for Smollett's legal team said "it is the mayor and the police chief who owe Jussie - owe him an apology - for dragging an innocent man’s character through the mud. Jussie has paid enough." Emanuel also clapped back at President Trump, who tweeted the case "is an embarrassment to our Nation!"
