A Russian gun-rights activist will be sentenced next month after admitting she was a secret agent for the Kremlin who tried to infiltrate conservative U.S. political groups as Donald Trump rose to power.

Maria Butina appeared briefly Thursday in federal court in Washington and U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan set Butina’s sentencing for April 26.

Butina, who wore a green jail uniform with her hair pulled back in a long ponytail, did not speak during the court hearing.

In December, she pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent and agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors.

Butina admitted that she and former Russian lawmaker Alexander Torshin used their contacts in the National Rifle Association to pursue back channels to American conservatives during the 2016 campaign, when Trump, a Republican, defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The charges against Butina were brought by federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., and her case is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Mueller concluded his investigation and turned over his report to Attorney General William Barr last week. In a four-page letter to Congress, Barr said the special counsel did not find that Trump’s campaign “conspired or coordinated” with the Russian government to influence the 2016 presidential election. Mueller reached no conclusion on whether Trump obstructed the federal investigation, but the attorney general said there was insufficient evidence Trump obstructed justice by trying to interfere with Mueller’s probe.

Butina faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, though her lawyers have previously noted that federal sentencing guidelines recommend no time to six months. She has been jailed since her arrest in July.
…

Britons desperately wanting some clarity in the country’s interminable Brexit saga were disappointed Wednesday when lawmakers plunged the country’s proposed exit from the European Union, after half-a-century of membership, into further disarray, failing to find a majority for any way forward after a series of so-called indicative votes.

The hope had been a majority might emerge from the eight different options they voted on, which included staying in the EU, leaving with no withdrawal agreement, remaining in the bloc’s customs union and/or single market or holding a second Brexit referendum.

“Parliament Finally Has Its Say: No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.” Britain’s Guardian newspaper announced on its front-page Thursday.

“In summary: the Commons has now overwhelmingly rejected every single type of Brexit, and no Brexit,” tweeted Michel Deacon, the Daily Telegraph’s parliamentary sketch-writer. The option of leaving without a deal was defeated by a huge margin. So, too, was a motion that would see Brexit cancelled altogether.

It wasn’t what the organizers of the indicative votes in the House of Commons had hoped would be the upshot. Backed by the opposition parties and pro-EU Conservative rebels they seized control of the parliamentary agenda from the government, the first time in 140 years that Downing Street hasn’t called the shots on what can be debated and when on the floor of the House of Commons.

“This is going well. Putting the Commons in charge was clearly a brilliant idea,” tweeted Andrew Neil, the arch-Brexiter presenter of a BBC politics show. The EU’s chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker said Britain’s intentions had become more mysterious than those of the mythological sphinxes guarding ancient tombs.

More confusion

To add to the confusion in London, just before the indicative voting, an  exhausted Prime Minister Theresa May told her Conservative lawmakers she would relinquish the party leadership and resign as prime minister, but only if her contentious Brexit withdrawal agreement, which parliament has twice rejected, is passed.

May’s announcement was a last-ditch bid to persuade Conservative Brexiters to back her withdrawal agreement, a deal they disapprove of because it would keep Britain closely aligned with the European Union and obedient to its rules while a longer-term trade relationship is negotiated.

A hardcore of Conservative Eurosceptics and ten lawmakers from Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, who May has to rely on because her government is a minority one, have adamantly refused to back her deal. They say the plan poses a risk to the integrity of the union of the United Kingdom. The DUP believes if it took effect, it would cause trade differences between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, and create in effect a “border down the Irish Sea.”

There were no signs Thursday that May will be able to persuade enough holdouts to vote for her deal, if it is put before the Commons for a third time, leaving Britain on course to crash out of the EU without a deal on April 12, unless the British government requests, for the second time, a Brexit postponement.

EU negotiators have indicated they might be open to another delay, but only if it is a lengthy one of a year or more.

It remains unclear how the political deadlock in London can be broken. The idea of leaving without a transition deal has strong opposition in the Commons and would likely be blocked by a majority of lawmakers.

Frustration on EU side

EU negotiators, out of exasperation, could decide to raise the stakes and decline another Brexit postponement, hoping to force the Commons to stop Brexit altogether, say some analysts. But it is unlikely they would risk such a high stakes gamble, fearing that might push Britain into crashing out by accident as much as by design.

European Council President, Donald Tusk, said last week in Brussels that the European Union will work with Britain for as long as it takes and on Wednesday he urged European lawmakers to be open to a long delay in Britain’s departure.

That leaves Britain trapped — paralyzed by a deadlocked House of Commons, itself a reflection of a country split down the middle over staying a member of the EU or quitting. With all avenues seemingly leading to dead-ends, there is more talk now in the British parliament of the need to hold an general election, hoping that returns a parliament that is not so undecided.

Behind-the-scenes Cabinet ministers and Conservative party officials are war-gaming calling an election three years ahead of schedule. David Davies, a pro-Brexit Conservative MP who quit as Brexit minister, says “a general election is a lot more likely now.” He added: “I don’t say it’s going to happen, but clearly if a government can’t get through on the one issue which we were really elected to deal with at the last election it puts us all in a very difficult situation.”

The problem in calling a snap election is the British public doesn’t want another one so soon after the Conservatives called another early poll two years ago, according to opinion surveys, with just 12 percent backing the idea.

The other problem for the Conservatives is that they would be fighting an election with a leader who has announced she intends to step down soon and heading a party that’s even more deeply and rancorously divided than the main opposition Labour party.

In the division lobbies on Wednesday some Conservative lawmakers on different sides of the Brexit question were spotted cursing each other and one clash prompted the intervention of colleagues, who feared a brawl might break out.

Commons in charge

Organizers of Wednesday’s indicative voting are placing some hopes that the Commons can still break the deadlock. They say clarity could be reached on Monday when lawmakers are due for another session of indicative voting, this time on the options that attracted the most support.

Labour’s Stephen Doughty said they never expected the votes on Wednesday to reveal a majority for one option. The whole idea was to narrow down the alternatives that have the most support and for parliament then to reconsider.

The two closest votes Wednesday were for staying in the EU’s customs union and another for a second referendum confirming any Brexit departure. Both attracted more votes than May’s deal has got the two occasions it was voted on in parliament. Campaigners for a second referendum appear buoyed.

They believe Britons have shifted their attitudes on Brexit since the 2016 referendum, pointing to a new polling study by veteran pollster John Curtice, which indicates voters are becoming increasingly doubtful about Brexit. The study suggests two and half years after the plebiscite, leaving the European Union may not now reflect majority thinking.

 
…

British Prime Minister Theresa May is making one final push to convince enough lawmakers to approve her deal for the country’s planned split with the European Union.

The future of Brexit became more uncertain than ever Wednesday after Parliament turned down 16 different alternatives to Prime Minister May’s deal for Britain to split from the EU. Negotiators reduced that number down to eight, which were brought to votes. The options included keeping Britain in a customs union with the EU, and one that would have put the question of leaving the EU to another voter referendum.

All final eight ideas were rejected, although the idea of entering into a customs union came closest to winning majority support. Another proposal, holding a second Brexit referendum, also garnered a great deal of support.

The House of Commons took over Brexit planning from Prime Minister May after she tried and failed twice to pass her deal. The contention over May’s plan centers on trade and the border crossing between EU member Ireland and British-controlled Northern Ireland, which local residents routinely cross daily without stopping.

Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party is staunchly opposed to the plan.

The EU has given Britain until April 12 to let members know what it plans to do, or it would leave the EU with no exit plan in place, which could lead to economic chaos.

Stephen Barclay, Britain’s Brexit secretary, said the fact that eight different proposals failed is another sign that May’s plan “was the best option.”

May said Wednesday she would step down as prime minister “earlier than I intended” if lawmakers adopt the plan she negotiated with the European Union.

“I know there is a desire for a new approach and new leadership in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations, and I won’t stand in the way of that,” she said Wednesday.

Britons voted nearly three years ago to leave the EU. But as last week’s scheduled departure date grew near, so did turmoil over terms of the deal May negotiated with EU leaders.

Pro-Brexit members of her Conservative Party had called for her resignation, but until Wednesday she has resisted.

“It is my sense of responsibility and duty that has meant I have kept working to ensure Brexit is delivered,” she said.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn contends May was “unable to compromise and unable to reunite the country.” He said May must “either listen and change course or go.”
…

Britain’s Parliament on Wednesday turned down multiple alternatives to the government’s twice-rejected deal for leaving the European Union, leaving the future of Brexit more uncertain than ever. 

The House of Commons took over Brexit from Prime Minister Theresa May, who had failed to secure approval of a deal.  

Lawmakers began debate Wednesday with 16 separate plans. Negotiators reduced that number to eight, which were brought to votes. All were rejected. 

Among the alternatives turned down was one that would have kept Britain in a customs union with the EU, and one that would have put the question of leaving the EU to another referendum. 

The EU has given Britain until April 12 to let members know what it plans to do, or it will leave the EU with no exit plan in place, which could lead to economic chaos. 

Stephen Barclay, Britain’s Brexit secretary, said the fact that eight different proposals failed was another sign that May’s plan “was the best option.” 

May said Wednesday that she would step down as prime minister “earlier than I intended” if lawmakers adopted the plan she negotiated with the EU. 

“I know there is a desire for a new approach and new leadership in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations, and I won’t stand in the way of that,” she said. 

May has said she will consider support for other plans as “indicative votes,” but has refused to say whether she will adhere to the result. 

Vote led to turmoil

Britons voted nearly three years ago to leave the EU. But as last week’s scheduled departure date grew near, so did turmoil over terms of the deal May negotiated with EU leaders.  

The contention over May’s plan centers on trade and the border crossing between EU member Ireland and British-controlled Northern Ireland, which local residents routinely cross daily without stopping. 

May hopes to put her plan up for another vote, despite the decisive earlier losses.

Pro-Brexit members of her Conservative Party had called for her resignation, but until Wednesday she had resisted. 

“It is my sense of responsibility and duty that has meant I have kept working to ensure Brexit is delivered,” she said. 

Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn contended May was “unable to compromise and unable to reunite the country.” He said May must “either listen and change course or go.” 
…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that it was time to rename Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia as a mosque, saying that it had been a “very big mistake” to convert it into a museum.

“Hagia Sophia will not be called a museum. It will be taken out of that status. We will call Hagia Sophia a mosque,” Erdogan told A Haber television during an interview. 

“Those who come to Hagia Sophia will visit Hagia Sophia mosque,” he said.  

The former church and mosque, now a museum, often sparks tensions between Christians and Muslims over Islamic activities held there, including the reading of verses from the Quran or collective prayers. 

Its secular status allows believers of all faiths to meditate, reflect or simply enjoy the astonishing architecture of a building dating to the sixth century. 

Erdogan is campaigning for votes for his Justice and Development Party (AKP) ahead of municipal elections on March 31.   

The Turkish leader said the plan would be discussed after the elections. 

“We think the time has come to take such a step, given there is a demand” from the Turkish people, he said. 

Such a move is likely to anger Christians and raise tensions between historic foes Turkey and Greece, both NATO members. 

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited the Hagia Sophia in February. 

Asked about the criticism, Erdogan said: “There are attacks targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque,” referring to the compound in Jerusalem known to Jews as the Temple Mount.  

“Those who remain silent on this cannot dare to give advice to us on [Hagia Sophia],” he added.
…

Three members of the French government have quit their jobs ahead of campaigns for European Parliament elections next month and municipal elections in France next year, the presidency said on Wednesday.

​

European affairs minister Nathalie Loiseau, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux and digital junior minister Mounir Mahjoubi, have left the government, the Elysee palace said in a brief statement.

Loiseau had earlier announced her resignation in order to lead the LREM party into the May 26 European Parliament vote and Mahjoubi has said he would run for Paris mayor in 2020.

Griveaux has repeatedly said he will announce by the end of spring whether he is running for Paris mayor.

The statement had no other details although the three departures are likely to lead to a cabinet mini-reshuffle in the coming days.

Asked when the reshuffle could take place, an Elyse  official had no comment.
…