NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Trump tweets: President Trump began his day Tuesday criticizing the FBI and claiming the now-famous dossier containing allegations about his connections to Russia and possible coordination between his campaign and the Kremlin is a “pile of garbage.” Trump, vacationing at his private Florida estate in Mar-a-Lago, appeared to be watching and quoting from the morning cablenews show “Fox and Friends” while tweeting. “WOW, @foxandfrlends ‘Dossier is bogus. Clinton Campaign, DNC funded Dossier. FBI CANNOT (after all of this time) VERIFY CLAIMS IN DOSSIER OF RUSSIA/TRUMP COLLUSION. FBI TAINTED.’ And they used this Crooked Hillary pile of garbage as the basis for going after the Trump Campaign!,” Trump tweeted. The Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee helped fund the dossier, which was first published by BuzzFeed in January. Officials have said that some of the information it contains has been corroborated, but other parts — including the most salacious claims about Trump’s behavior — remain unverified.
2 Sex assault complaint: A singer and potential congressional candidate said Tuesday that she has filed a sexual assault complaint against President Trump’s former campaign manager for hitting her twice on her buttocks during a Washington gathering in November. Joy Villa, a Trump backer who wore a “Make America Great Again” dress at the Grammys this year, said she plans to meet with detectives next week about the complaint against Corey Lewandowski. She said he struck her “extremely hard” even after she told him to stop. Villa is considering a run for a Florida congressional seat.
3 Terror plot: The son of a Boston police captain charged with plotting a terrorist attack on a college campus to support the Islamic State heads to trial next year. A federal judge last week scheduled 25-year-old Alexander Ciccolo’s trial to start June 18. Ciccolo, of Adams, was arrested in 2015 after receiving guns from a federal informant. Prosecutors say he planned to detonate homemade bombs similar to the pressure cooker bombs used in the 2013 Boston Marathon attack. He pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Ciccolo’s mother has said her son “would not hurt a fly.”
4 Christmas tip: Employees of a Waffle House restaurant received a huge tip of over $3,500 from Ohio churchgoers whose pastor preached about generosity at Christmas. The Dayton Daily News reported five women working at the Wapakoneta restaurant were stunned when congregants from Grand Lake United Methodist Church in Celina delivered the cash. The workers were told they could split the money, amounting to over $700 apiece. Church member Barb Vorhees says several dozen churchgoers drove to the restaurant, a popular Southern chain, and packed inside to see the surprise.