Exes' denials; Immigrants' stories -- CBS News Brief, Feb. 16, 2017
Denying all
Two key figures in the probe of Russian interference in the U.S. election say they did nothing illegal. They’re two of the Trump campaign officials the FBI is investigating. Former campaign manager Paul Manafort flatly denies contacting anyone associated with the Russian government. And former Trump adviser Carter Page calls allegations that he or the campaign coordinated with russians “completely fabricated by paid consultants and private investigators.”
Big beneficiary
President Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants is paying off for at least one major U.S. company: CoreCivic, America’s biggest for-profit prison operator, whose stock price has surged since the real estate mogul was elected. We look at why CoreCivic expects to gain from the White House’s immigration policy.
Dimmed prospects
Five days after President Trump signed his travel ban, a young Iraqi named Layth Baheej wiped away tears as he took the oath of citizenship and listened to a U.S. immigration official in Baltimore welcoming him to be a full participant in American democracy. Four of his siblings were killed in the war, and Baheej hopes he’ll be able to bring his surviving siblings and his parents to join him here, but Mr. Trump’s ban has cast a shadow over those hopes.
Haley’s stand
The new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has already made it crystal clear she seeks a reset at the world body -- dampening its longstanding anti-Israel bias.
Tight bond
Wednesday’s meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underscored the critical -- if complex -- relationship between the two countries. We look at how the U.S. and Israel are intertwined on the economic front, from military aid to tech linkages.
Endangered reform?
President Trump derides the financial reform law known as Dodd-Frank as a “disaster,” while Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen this week said the 2010 rules have made U.S. banks safer. At least the two might agree on this: Dodd-Frank is making an impact on Americans’ lives. We explore where the law has succeeded and where it has fallen short of its stated goals.
Waste not
There could soon be something new to check out at your grocery store. The food industry is working to simplify labels on perishable food. Date stamps such as “best by,” “sell by,” “use by” and “best before” can be confusing for shoppers. Trade groups are moving to reduce those “expiration” labels to just two: “use by” and “best if used by.” They say that would not only reduce consumer confusion, but also keep people from wasting perfectly good food.
Help yourself
If you’re self-employed, be sure to take advantage of some tax deductions geared to you: If you’re not diligent about claiming all you’re entitled to, you can wind up with an uncomfortably high tax bill.
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