What a time to be a Virginia Democrat. VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL MARK HERRING.

David, Thanks to your hard work and support, Democrats made historic gains in this year's midterms. I want to thank you for everything you've done to get Democrats elected. Because of you, Democrats flipped up to 40 seats in taking back the House of Representatives, and here in Virginia, we certainly did our part. We're sending the outstanding Tim Kaine back to the U.S. Senate, and we added three amazing women to Virginia's congressional delegation: Elaine Luria, Abigail Spanberger and my new congresswoman-elect, Jennifer Wexton! Democrats also added to our ranks in governors' offices, and we now have 27 Democratic Attorneys General around the country who can work to hold the Trump administration accountable.  We've got to keep this year's momentum rolling right into next year, so please pitch in if you can, stay engaged in your community and get ready to lace up those canvassing shoes again next year! Let's get to work, Mark

Thank you! Thank you! FREEDOM UNITED.

Because of your support, our community is celebrating our biggest #GivingTWOsday yet! All in all, we received over $30,000 in donations from more than 360 people around the world to support our efforts. Thank you for doing your part for this movement.Keep up the good work! SEE YOUR IMPACT © 2018 Freedom United is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. 4501 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 132, Raleigh, NC 27604 USA

APA Central Division meeting: Registration is underway!

Dear DAVID, Online registration for the Central Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association is open. The 2019 meeting will take place February 20–23 in Denver, Colorado. Register now to take advantage of the early bird registration rates: $125 for APA members, $240 for non-members, and $40 for student members. Online registration will close February 6. Central meeting registration will not be available February 7 through February 19. You will be able to register on-site at the meeting; however, on-site registration rates will be $50 higher than early bird registration for all categories. Please note: You’ll save an additional $5 on meeting registration if you opt not to receive a paper copy of the program. The meeting program is available online, and our free meeting app for smartphones and tablets will also contain the full program. Reserve your hotel room at the Westin Denver Downtown at the special conference rates of $185 per night (plus applicable taxes and fees). Important information about group rate availability:Some nights in the APA’s room block may sell out before others. If even one of the nights included in your stay is sold out, the hotel’s reservation system will show the APA group rate as unavailable for all of your dates. If this happens, please call the hotel directly at (303) 572-9100, rather than using the online reservations system. The telephone reservation office will normally be able to give you the APA group rate for all nights on which it is available and the lowest available rate for any nights on which the APA block is sold out. Haven’t yet renewed your membership? Renew now! In order to receive the discounted meeting rate available only to paid members, your APA membership must be current. Register online now for the 2019 Central Division meeting. We look forward to seeing you in Denver! All the best, Amy E. Ferrer Executive Director

NPR NEWS- Michael Cohen Admits Trump Tower-Moscow Talks Continued Well Into 2016 Campaign.

November 29, 2018

11:05 AM ET

PHILIP EWING

Michael Cohen walks out of federal court on Thursday in New York. Cohen admitted he lied to Congress about Donald Trump's real estate negotiations in Moscow.

Julie Jacobson/AP

Updated at 3:03 p.m. ET

Donald Trump and his aides continued negotiations about a potential Trump Tower project in Moscow well into the 2016 presidential campaign, his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen acknowledged in a guilty plea in a New York federal court on Thursday.

Cohen admitted that he lied to Congress last year when he said that those discussions had ended in January 2016 and that his overtures to the Russian government went unrequited.

In fact, the talks continued through June, and Cohen did hear back from one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's top aides, spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to court documents.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that Cohen is lying. But that even if Cohen weren't lying, the president said, he hadn't broken any law.

"There would be nothing wrong if I did do it," he said.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Trump: Manafort Pardon Not 'Off The Table' After Briefings From Manafort's Lawyer

Trump said his pledge not to conclude new deals only applied after he had been elected and inaugurated. He was perfectly within his rights to continue to run his businesses even as he pursued the presidency, he said.

Trump said he ultimately decided not to pursue a real estate project in Russia, but it isn't clear precisely how discussions ended over the notional Trump Tower in Moscow.

In a statement provided to NPR Thursday afternoon, the president's lawyer didn't pull any punches when it came to Cohen. "Michael Cohen is a liar," said Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. "It's no surprise that Cohen lied to Congress. He's a proven liar who is doing everything he can to get out of a long-term prison sentence for serious crimes ... that had nothing to do with the Trump Organization."

"With regard to the hotel proposal in Moscow," Giuliani also said, "the President has been completely open and transparent."

What the new information means

The new timeline established by Cohen's plea means that the talks with Russians and the Russian government were ongoing when Trump became the GOP front-runner and not long before he formally became the party's nominee.

People described in the court papers, including Cohen, even discussed when to schedule potential trips to Russia as part of their negotiations as they planned for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

The GOP adopted a platform at that convention that softened the party's official view on support for Ukraine, which Russia had invaded in 2014. It isn't clear whether there's any link among Russians, American political figures and that change in the platform, although such a connection has long been a subject of speculation.

Cohen's acknowledgement on Thursday also means that the negotiations with Russians were taking place the same month as the much-discussed meeting in New York City at which the president's top campaign aides hosted a Russian delegation that had offered dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. have admitted that campaign leaders went into the meeting expecting material that would be useful against the Democratic presidential nominee but said that this is common practice in politics and that nothing came from it.

NATIONAL SECURITY

The Russia Investigations: Trump Says His Answers For Mueller Are Done. Now What?

According to accounts from people in the meeting that were given to Congress and from elsewhere, the Russians provided a tip about people who they said were improperly funneling money to the Democratic National Committee.

Trump Jr. has said he did not take any action based on that tip.

The question about what Trump knew specifically about that meeting and generally about Russia's wave of active measures against the U.S. is at the heart of the investigation being run by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller is trying to determine whether anyone on Trump's campaign conspired with the Russians who interfered with the election using cyberattacks, the dumping of stolen data, agitation on social media and other techniques.

Trump has denied publicly that he had any knowledge at the time and said as much in written answers recently given to Mueller's office, according to reports on Wednesday.

Critics fear pressure on Mueller

Trump's opponents faulted what they called the deepening air of criminality around the president's sometime-associates, several of whom have pleaded guilty in the Russia case or associated investigations.

"This is yet another example of the President's closest allies lying about their contacts with Russia. With each indictment and each guilty plea, we learn more about the president's connections to Russia in the midst of Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 election," said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee.

Warner's committee was one of the two to which Cohen gave statements that his guilty plea now admits were lies. Warner and other Democrats say the prospect of increasing pressure from Mueller's office means the Senate must pass legislation that would protect him from being pressured or fired by the president.

"Special counsel Mueller's investigation must continue — free from political interference by the president — until the truth is out, and Congress should pass legislation immediately to make sure that happens," Warner said.

The other committee to which Cohen has now admitted lying was the House intelligence panel; its incoming chairman, California Rep. Adam Schiff, said on Thursday that the plea shows how important it will be to launch new investigations in 2019.

"These false statements regarding the continued pursuit of a Moscow-Trump Tower deal during much of the presidential campaign only underscore the importance of a thorough investigation into any financial entanglement between Trump and Russia," he said.

Give back to philosophy this #GivingTuesday. AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION.

Dear DAVID, Today is #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving back to the causes you care about. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the American Philosophical Association today. "The APA is an extraordinary organization for philosophers and something to be prized by all of us who are committed to the future of philosophy and the future of our students. If you have any doubts about this, I recommend spending some time on the APA website examining the wealth of information for undergraduate students, graduate students, teachers of philosophy, departments threatened with closure, departments and students involved in the hiring process, as well as the work of our many committees detailed in their annual reports, the hugely varied projects supported by APA grants, the many prizes awarded annually, and much more. The amazing thing about the APA is that it works on behalf of philosophers and provides an extraordinary range of resources regardless of membership in the APA. The APA is able to do so much to support philosophers and philosophy only because of your voluntary support via annual dues and contributions to APA funds. I encourage you to support this exceptional professional organization for philosophers." – Cheshire Calhoun, Arizona State University, chair of the APA Board Every act of generosity counts, and each means even more when we give together. Join the #GivingTuesday movement by making a donation to the APA. With gratitude, Amy E. Ferrer Executive Director

Call for Nominations: 2019 Lebowitz Prize. AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION.

Dear DAVID, The nomination deadline for the 2019 Dr. Martin R. Lebowitz and Eve Lewellis Lebowitz Prize is December 1, 2018. For information on the prize and the nomination process, please visit the Dr. Martin R. Lebowitz and Eve Lewellis Lebowitz Prize page. The Lebowitz Prize for philosophical achievement and contribution is awarded by the Phi Beta Kappa Society in conjunction with the American Philosophical Association. The associated Lebowitz symposium is presented annually at a divisional meeting of the American Philosophical Association. Both societies are grateful to Eve Lewellis Lebowitz for her generous bequest, honoring her late husband, Martin R. Lebowitz, and providing a significant, tangible recognition for excellence in philosophical thought. The dialogic character of the Lebowitz symposium, created by the gift, emphasizes the historic work of philosophy as a process of inquiry. The winners of the prize will present contrasting (but not necessarily opposing) views on an important philosophical issue of current interest. Past Lebowitz symposia have addressed topics including the scientific method, meaning, social epistemology, and disability. Honoraria for the symposiasts, funded from the endowment created by the Lebowitzs’ $1 million gift, are approximately $25,000 each. The winning submission will have the opportunity to be published in the Journal of the American Philosophical Association. Publication will be arranged by mutual agreement of the winners and the journal’s editorial board. The winners will be selected by a committee appointed jointly by the Phi Beta Kappa Society and the American Philosophical Association, and ratified by the Phi Beta Kappa Senate. Previous winners of the Lebowitz Prize: 2018 winners: Kit Fine and Stephen Yablo 2017 winners: Nancy Cartwright and Elliott Sober 2016 winners: Ernest Sosa and Stephen Stich 2015 winners: Alvin Goldman and Jennifer Lackey 2014 winners: Jonathan Schaffer and Jessica Wilson 2013 winners: Anita Silvers and Eva F. Kittay APA members are eligible to nominate or self-nominate. Please contact me if you have any questions regarding the prize or the nomination process. I look forward to receiving your nominations! Sincerely, Jen Horneman The Phi Beta Kappa Society

Our community is forcing change in the tea industry! FREEDOM UNITED.

Dear David, We are delighted to announce that our community has helped us move closer to ending labor abuses in the tea industry!  The Freedom United team partnered with Traidcraft Exchange to press all major tea brands to publish where they buy their tea. As of last week, 4 of the 6 big tea brands have felt compelled to share their tea sources. Ask the last two tea companies 'Who Picked My Tea?' to see them do the same! Ask 'Who Picked My Tea?' Traidcraft Exchange thank you for asking 'Who Picked My Tea?' saying: "It means that in six months we’ve got four out of the six biggest UK tea brands to answer the question ‘Who picked my tea? – a fantastic achievement and proof that campaigning works. But more importantly, it has tipped the balance towards making transparency the norm.  Before we started the campaign, the tea sector was known for its secrecy and tea workers had no idea who was buying their tea. But with four major brands publishing, we have made transparency the norm. Many of you joined us on tour last week, when campaigners from Assam shared their experiences. One thing that struck me was  how grateful they were for our support. We know that changing conditions in Assam won’t be easy. But getting the brands to publish is a vital first step to enable tea workers, and organisations working with them, to hold tea companies to account and call for better conditions and pay.   Thank you for being part of this change." In solidarity, Miriam and the Freedom United team P.S. Congratulate Clipper by posting a comment on our page – we'll make sure they know what you said! Miriam Karmali Advocacy, Freedom United