What to Know
- President Trump openly questioned his own intelligence agencies' firm finding that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election to his benefit
- The FDA has issued a voluntary recall of several medications used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure over cancer concerns
- Showtime and Sacha Baron Cohen are pushing back against allegations he duped guests on his new show by posing as a disabled veteran
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Trump Embraces Longtime U.S. Foe Putin, Doubting Own Intel
In an extraordinary embrace of a longtime U.S. enemy, President Trump openly questioned his own intelligence agencies' firm finding that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election to his benefit, seeming to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin's insistence that Moscow's hands were clean. The reaction back home was immediate and visceral, among fellow Republicans as well as usual Trump critics. "Shameful," ''disgraceful," ''weak," were a few of the comments. Makes the U.S. "look like a pushover," said GOP Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee. Trump's meeting with Putin in Helsinki was his first time sharing the international stage with a man he has described as an important U.S. competitor — but whom he has also praised a strong, effective leader. His remarks, siding with a foe on foreign soil over his own government, was a stark illustration of Trump's willingness to upend decades of U.S. foreign policy and rattle Western allies in service of his political concerns.
Amazon Prime Day Brings Deals, But Also an Outage
Amazon Prime Day 2018 has started, although an outage brought error messages to some shoppers. Today.com has done a round-up of good deals and will keep updating this page as new top deals come in. Some early deals on Monday were Echo Dots for $30 (normally $50) and a Toshiba 50-inch 4K HD Smart LED TV for $290 (normally $400).
FDA Recalls Blood Pressure, Heart Drugs Over Cancer Concerns
Local
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a voluntary recall of several medications used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure over concerns that an active ingredient in the drugs could be contaminated with a cancer-causing agent. The agency reported that traces of N-nitrosodimethylamine, a "probable human carcinogen," was found in the active ingredient valsartan in the recalled products. The FDA noted not all products containing valsartan are contaminated and being recalled. The valsartan contained in the recall was supplied by a third-party. Companies that have recalled valsartan products are: Major Pharmaceuticals, Solco Healthcare and Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. Solco Healthcare and Teva Pharmaceuticals are also recalling valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide medicines. Patients are urged to look at the drug name and company name on the label of their prescription bottle to determine whether a specific product has been recalled. If the information is not on the bottle, patients should contact the pharmacy that dispensed the medicine to find out the company name.
Sacha Baron Cohen, Showtime Push Back Against Sarah Palin
Showtime and Sacha Baron Cohen are pushing back against allegations the comedian duped guests on his new show by posing as a disabled veteran. The network says in a statement that Baron Cohen "did not present himself as a disabled veteran" or wear any military apparel when he met with Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Palin on Facebook complained that Baron Cohen "heavily disguised himself" as a disabled U.S. veteran in a wheelchair when she was "duped" into an interview. She challenged Baron Cohen and Showtime to donate proceeds from the show to a veterans' charity. In the new show "Who Is America?," Baron Cohen dons various prosthetics and accents in an attempt to embarrass those on the right and left.
Johnny Depp Settles Lawsuits Involving Former Managers
Johnny Depp has settled lawsuits with his former business managers that put a spotlight on the actor's lavish lifestyle. Depp's representatives said the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star had settled litigation filed against The Management Group, which he accused in January 2017 seeking more than $25 million over alleged financial abuse and negligence. No details of the settlement were released. Depp had accused the firm of filing his taxes late, costing him $7.5 million in penalties. The firm denied filing the returns late, and said Depp's taxes were paid when the star had money available to pay them. The firm also countersued and argued that Depp was solely to blame for his money troubles, spending more than $2 million a month. That lawsuit said Depp paid more than $75 million to buy and maintain 14 homes, including a French chateau and a chain of islands in the Bahamas, as well as a 150-foot yacht, private jet travel and expensive art collection.
Cardi B Leads MTV VMA Nods With 10; Beyonce, Jay-Z Nab 8
The year of Cardi B continues — this time with 10 MTV Video Music Award nominations. MTV announced the white-hot rapper is the most nominated act at this year's show, which returns to Radio City Music Hall on Aug. 20. Five of Cardi B's nominations are thanks to her collaboration with Bruno Mars on the upbeat anthem, "Finesse (Remix)." The song's video, inspired by '90s sketch comedy series "In Living Color," will compete for video of the year along with Childish Gambino's "This Is America," Drake's "God's Plan," Beyonce and Jay-Z's "Apes(asterisk)(asterisk)t," Camila Cabello's "Havana" and Ariana Grande's "No Tears Left to Cry." Beyonce and Jay-Z — who recently released a collaborative album as The Carters — are nominated for eight awards with "Apes(asterisk)(asterisk)t," which was filmed at the Louvre museum in Paris.