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Sen. Bob Menendez found guilty on all counts in bribery trial

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Sen. Bob Menendez found guilty on all counts in bribery trial

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey was found guilty of bribery charges, including acting as an agent of the Egyptian government.

Frank Franklin II/AP/AP


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Frank Franklin II/AP/AP

A federal jury in Manhattan on Tuesday found Sen. Robert Menendez guilty of using his political influence as a powerful member of Congress to benefit New Jersey businessmen as well as the governments of Egypt and Qatar in return for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, including gold bars.

Menendez, a powerful Democrat from New Jersey who chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was convicted on all 16 counts, including bribery, obstruction of justice, acting as a foreign agent and honest services wire fraud.

“This case has always been about shocking levels of corruption—hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, a Mercedes Benz. This wasn’t politics as usual. This was politics for profit,” U.S. Attorney Damien Williams said outside the courthouse. “Now that a jury has convicted Bob Menendez, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end.”

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Immediately after the verdict was announced, the top Democrat in Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, called on Menendez to step aside: “In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer said in a statement.

Menendez stepped down as head of the foreign relations panel after his indictment, but stayed in the U.S. Senate and is still running for reelection in November — as an independent.

Menendez was tried alongside two businessmen accused of bribing him: Egyptian-American Wael Hana and real estate developer Fred Daibes. A third businessman, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty and testified against the trio.

Hana and Daibes were also found guilty on all the counts they were facing.

Menendez’s wife, Nadine, was also charged in the case. She had been scheduled to face trial separately this summer after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but on Tuesday the judge delayed her trial indefinitely. No reason was given.

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Prosecutors accuse her of acting as a go-between with the businessmen in order to shield her husband.

The two-month trial was marked by colorful testimony and exhibits. At one point, jurors were able to hold a gold bar that the government says was found in a search of Menendez’s house. Prosecutors argued Menendez put his greed above service to the country and his constituents, while the senator’s lawyers rejected the charges and said the government lacked evidence of direct bribery.

Menendez did not testify on his own behalf.

This is the second federal criminal trial for Menendez. He was indicted in 2015 on unrelated federal corruption and bribery charges. A jury in that case could not reach a unanimous verdict and the judge declared a mistrial.

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Iran’s fight for survival / The widening war / Trump’s nebulous goals : Sources & Methods

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Iran’s fight for survival / The widening war / Trump’s nebulous goals : Sources & Methods
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is spilling out across the region. What are the goals? And how does it end?Host Mary Louise Kelly talks with International Correspondent Aya Batrawy, based in Dubai, and Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, about the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Six days of war have turned the middle east upside down, and it’s still not clear how the U.S. will determine when its objectives have been accomplished.Recommended Iran reading:Blackwave by Kim GhattasAll the Shah’s Men by Stephen KinzerPrisoner by Jason RezaianPersian Mirrors by Elaine SciolinoListener spy novel recommendation: Pariah by Dan FespermanEmail the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.
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Map: 4.9-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Louisiana

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Map: 4.9-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Louisiana

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 4 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “light,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Central time. The New York Times

A light, 4.9-magnitude earthquake struck in Louisiana on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The temblor happened at 5:30 a.m. Central time about 6 miles west of Edgefield, La., data from the agency shows.

U.S.G.S. data earlier reported that the magnitude was 4.4.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

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Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Central time. Shake data is as of Thursday, March 5 at 8:40 a.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Thursday, March 5 at 10:46 a.m. Eastern.

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Donald Trump has no ‘phase two’ plan for Iran war, says US senator

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Donald Trump has no ‘phase two’ plan for Iran war, says US senator

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