NEWS OF THE DAY
1 Avenatti out: Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels and a vocal Trump critic, says in a tweeted statement that he will not mount a 2020 presidential run. Avenatti said he made the decision at the urging of his family. Avenatti had been laying the groundwork for a possible run with visits to early voting states. But he’s had a difficult few weeks, including his arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence. The Los Angeles district attorney declined to prosecute him. He expressed concern that the Democratic Party will nominate someone who “has no chance of actually beating Donald Trump. We will not prevail in 2020 without a fighter.”
2 Ballot fraud: Allegations of flagrant absentee ballot fraud in a North Carolina district have thrown the Election Day results of one of the nation’s last unresolved midterm congressional races into question. Unofficial ballot totals showed Republican Mark Harris ahead of Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes in the 9th Congressional District. But the state elections board refused to certify the results after “claims of numerous irregularities and concerted fraudulent activities” involving mail-in ballots.
3 Panama papers: Federal authorities announced a raft of conspiracy and tax fraud charges Tuesday against four men in the first U.S. prosecution related to the so-called Panama Papers. The 11-count indictment unsealed in Manhattan stems from what prosecutors described as an “intercontinental money laundering scheme” involving a global law firm based in Panama. Two Germans, one American and a Panamanian attorney were charged with conspiracy and other counts. The Panama Papers include a collection of 11 million secret financial documents that illustrated how some of the world’s richest people hide their money. The records were first leaked to a major German newspaper.
4 Cyber intrusion: The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee says it was hit with a “cyber intrusion” during the 2018 midterm campaign and the breach has been reported to the FBI. Committee spokesman Ian Prior says Tuesday that the intrusion was by an “unknown entity,” but an internal investigation also has been launched. In March, NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers said the committee has hired multiple cybersecurity staffers to work with its candidates and promised to do more.
5 Texas execution: A member of the notorious “Texas 7” gang of escaped prisoners was executed Tuesday for the fatal shooting of a Dallas police officer during a Christmas Eve robbery nearly 18 years ago. Joseph Garcia received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the 2000 shooting death of 29-year-old Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins. Asked if he had a final statement, Garcia replied: “Yes, sir.” “Dear heavenly Father, please forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Garcia, 47, became the 22nd inmate put to death this year in the U.S. and the 12th given lethal injection in Texas, the nation’s busiest capital punishment state.