Morning! While you were sleeping (or staying up to binge-watch Friends for the tenth time, or pulling an all-nighter in the library), a few things went down that you’ll probably want to know about. So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get scrolling.
Rumor Has It
Netflix released on Thursday Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong’s new feminist cartoon series, Tuca & Bertie, and it honestly looks amazing.
Per the trailer, Haddish and Wong star as a pair of 30-year-old birds, who are BFF’s and neighbors in the same apartment building. According to Deadline, Haddish’s character Tuca is a “cocky, carefree toucan,” and Wong’s character Bertie is an “anxious, daydreaming songbird.” The follows their friendship and life changes as well as their hilarious shenanigans.
“It’s finally coming to fruition. It’s real,” Haddish said, per Hellogiggles. “It’s a real cartoon. And I that my character got ass.”
“In a lot of ways, it kind of does mirror us because Tiffany’s, like, out there and about and she’s fun and is not repressed, and I’m kind of a recluse and I’m a homebody,” Wong said in the first teaser video, according to Hellogiggles. “I’m like the homebody person who is at home with my husband and my kids.”
The series will hit Netflix on May 3.
News You Can Eat
Sorry my fellow ice cream lovers, but it looks like you will have to go without your favorite flavors of ice cream for a while.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, has issued a recall on their Coconut 7-Layer Bars in bulk containers and their Chunky Monkey individual pints. It’s reported that these two flavors may contain tree nuts, including almonds, Brazil nuts, and hazelnuts, that aren’t listed on the ingredient or allergen lists.
Some pint-sized containers of Ben & Jerry’s Coconut Seven Layer Bar bulk and Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey are being recalled because of issues with nuts https://t.co/QYbK3h89Bj pic.twitter.com/Zt35RWgjWd
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 17, 2019
According to Delish, an undeclared nut was found during production. There haven’t been any reports of illness or allergic reactions, but the company is still investigating the issue and recalling the products “out of an abundance of caution.”
Both labels do contain the warnings that the ice cream “contains walnuts” and “may contain other tree nuts.” The FDA explains that those with nut allergies can have “serious or life-threatening” allergic reactions.
“The affected Ben & Jerry’s Coconut Seven Layer Bar bulk product is sold in a tub containing 2.4 gallons with a Consumer UPC of 076840104246 and best by date of SEP1520BJ4,” the FDA said. “The affected Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey pint is sold in a pint tub (473 mL) with a Consumer UPC of 076840100354 and best by dates of AUG2820BH2, AUG2920BH2, or AUG3020BH2.”
For more information on the FDA’s recall, read more here.
Then This Happened
On Thursday, the Justice Department released a redacted version of Robert Mueller’s report, which detailed the findings from the special counsel’s investigations into whether President Trump’s 2016 campaign conspired with Russia. Here’s a quick rundown of what they’ve found.
According to The New York Times, Mueller saw a ton of ties between Trump associates and the Russian government, but could not establish that the campaign illegally interfered with the 2016 election.
“The investigation found numerous links between individuals with ties to the Russian government and ties to the Trump Campaign,” the report said per The New York Times, but “the evidence was not sufficient to support criminal charges.”
It does note that the Trump campaign believed it would benefit from Russia’s interference with the election.
Mueller’s investigation found two primary instances of Russia’s effort to aide Trump’s candidacy, including a social media operation against Hillary Clinton and a hacking operation to retrieve emails from the Clinton campaign and Democratic party.
“Because we determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment, we did not draw ultimate conclusions about the President’s conduct,” the report said, per CNN. “The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent present difficult issues that would need to be resolved if we were making a traditional prosecutorial judgment.”
“At the same time, if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” it said, per Huffington Post.
#Mueller Bottomline pic.twitter.com/VjjBQNmeX4
— Raju Narisetti (@raju) April 18, 2019
The report essentially concluded that Trump didn’t commit a crime, but this report still doesn’t clear him of obstruction.
Mueller’s team noted 10 instances of Trump and his teams’ efforts to disrupt the investigation, but he decided not to say whether or not Trump obstructed justice.
Despite two years of investigation, it seems like we will be in this for the long hall. The report has given Congress the authority to further question and investigation the situation.
“With respect to whether the President can be found to have obstructed justice by exercising his powers under Article II of the Constitution,” the report said, per PolitiFact. “We concluded that Congress has the authority to prohibit a President’s corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice.”
Congress could very well explore the issue further now that the report gives them the power to do so. Already, House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler has called Mueller to testify before Congress, Vox reports.
Read the full Mueller report here.
Happy Thoughts
On a brighter note, Ben & Jerry’s is giving away free ‘Half-Baked’ ice cream to people who buy weed on 4/20!