Here are the top four news stories from during winter break that you may have missed or forgotten about.
1. President Obama commutes the sentence of Chelsea Manning
In one of his last official acts as president, Obama commuted the sentence of whistleblower Chelsea Manning on Jan. 17. Manning, a former military intelligence analyst convicted in 2010 of leaking classified government documents to WikiLeaks, is set to be freed from prison in March of this year, rather than in 2045.
The documents that Manning leaked contained information including the abuse of detainees in Iraq, dossiers on Guantanamo Bay detainees being held without trial, a video of an American military helicopter attack in Baghdad that killed two journalists and various other diplomatic cables regarding civilian deaths in Iraq.
While Obama commuted Manning’s sentence, he did not pardon her, meaning that her criminal offenses are not forgiven and still on record.
Obama also commuted the sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, a Puerto Rican nationalist who helped carry out a series of bombings in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Rivera has served 33 years of a 75-year sentence.
A full pardon was granted to James Cartwright, a retired Marine general who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about interviews he had with reporters regarding cyberattacks against Iran.
2. BuzzFeed published unverified Trump dossier.
BuzzFeed News published a 35-page unverified dossier on Trump Jan. 10, which includes allegations of contact between Trump’s campaign and the Russian government, in addition to the use of prostitutes by Trump during visits to Moscow.
The dossier also claims that the Russian government has compromising information regarding Trump.
Although it is not known who compiled the dossier or who leaked it, the BBC reported that ex-MI6 officer Christopher Steele is believed to have compiled all the memos for Trump’s political opponents. Although Steele has not confirmed if he is responsible for the dossier, it is now believed that he is in hiding out of fear for his safety, according to a BBC report.
CNN had reported on the dossier without publishing the whole report. The news outlet included a summary of the allegations in addition to the fact that both Obama and Trump had been briefed on the dossier.
In response to the leaked information, Trump tweeted that the allegations were “fake” and “phony.”
During a press conference the next day, Trump blasted BuzzFeed, calling the news site a “failing pile of garbage.” He also took shots at CNN, refusing to take a question from CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta and calling the news network “fake news” and a “terrible” organization.
3. El Chapo extradited to the United States.
Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was extradited from his native country to the United States on Jan. 20.
Friday morning, Guzman pleaded “not guilty” to 17 felony counts, including money laundering, drug trafficking and firearms violations, among other criminal activities.
The charges Guzman faces carry a minimum sentencing of life in prison. He is next scheduled to appear in court Feb. 3.
4. Confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet begin.
The Senate began confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet during the second week of January. As of Jan. 22, only two appointments have been confirmed by the Senate.
Retired Marine General James Mattis was confirmed to run the Department of Defense with a vote of 98-1. Retired Marine General John Kelly was also approved to run the Department of Homeland Security, with a vote of 88-11.
The rest of Trump’s appointees, who have been deemed more controversial than the two retired generals, include Rex Tillerson for secretary of state, Betsy DeVos for secretary of education and Ben Carson to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Both DeVos and Carson have received strong opposition from Senate Democrats due to their lack of government experience and related field experience.
The opposition to Tillerson stems from his business dealings and interests in Russia. During Tillerson’s confirmation hearing, Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio repeatedly asked him whether he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was a war criminal or violated human rights. Tillerson would not answer the question, causing the senator to question Tillerson’s fitness for the position.
* All information comes from The New York Times and CNN.