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In the days prior to his firing, former FBI director James Comey reportedly asked for more prosecutors and personnel to help with the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, according to The New York Times. It is unclear what happened after Comey made the request, or if it played a role in his firing. A Department of Justice spokesperson contradicts these claims.

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has been subpoenaed by the Senate Intelligence Committee, NPR reported. “The subpoena requests documents relevant to the Committee's investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 elections,” said Sens. Richard Burr and Mark Warner. Flynn’s attorneys have previously stated that he will not testify about any Trump campaign association with Russia unless he is granted immunity.

A study from the Natural Resources Defense Council suggests that almost all of the tap water available on Puerto Rico violates federal safety standards, according to NPR. More than 2.4 million Puerto Ricans rely on tap water, which may contain harmful bacteria. The study claims that none of the municipal water systems on the island test for lead contamination. The NRDC is calling for federal and local authorities to invest in the water infrastructure.

A study claims that annually, about 12,500 kids under 18 are treated in the ER for ear injuries stemming from cotton swabs, CNN reported. On average, this breaks down to 34 visits per day. To draw their conclusions, researchers looked at a collection of hospital visits between 1990 and 2010. "This is not like brushing your teeth every day. Children and adults do not need to clean out the ear canal of wax as part of a routine hygiene practice," said Dr. Kris Jatana, lead author of the study.

Police officers were on hand as workers removed a statue of Jefferson Davis in New Orleans on Thursday, NPR reported. As the city continued to take down monuments representative of the Confederacy, security was in place to control protesters. “To literally put the Confederacy on a pedestal in some of our most prominent public places is not only an inaccurate reflection of our past, it is an affront to our present, and a bad prescription for our future,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu in a statement.

A poll shows that unemployed Americans were more likely to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton than Republican Donald Trump in last year’s election, according to USA Today. In the poll from Express Employment Professionals, 35 percent said they voted for Clinton, while 25 percent voted for Trump. However, their views on the current administration are mixed – 39 percent believe that the administration could have a “positive impact” on creating jobs, and 58 percent believe that it would be easier to find a job if there were less illegal immigration. “Despite the political commentary, political opinion is not as black and white—or red and blue—as we are often led to believe,” said Bob Funk of Express Employee Professionals.

Defense Secretary James Mattis said the U.S. intends to “work out” any concerns with Turkey surrounding the country’s decision to arm Kurdish fighters, Reuters reported. Earlier this week, President Trump approved a plan to arm Syrian Kurds in an attempt to help them retake the city of Raqqa from ISIS. Turkey has opposed the move and still hopes that the decision will be reversed. "The secretary reiterated U.S. commitment to protecting our NATO ally," said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White, after Mattis met with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is looking for another $900 million to help with the Somali crisis, Reuters reported. There are more than six million people in need of humanitarian aid in the country, and an excess of 275,000 children are on the verge of starvation. Guterres said that the ongoing drought in the region has been the most pressing concern. Terrorists continue to launch deadly attacks in Somalia, despite progress made by the country's military.

Michael Parks, known for his roles in “Twin Peaks” and “Then Came Bronson,” has passed away at the age of 77, according to NPR. Over his career, he accumulated more than 100 credits for his roles in television and film. In 1969, he played Jim Bronson in “Then Came Bronson,” a television action drama on NBC. He went on to appear as a regular in 'Twin Peaks,' and featured in films including Tarantino's 'Kill Bill' series and 'Django Unchained', as well as 'Tusk' and 'Red State' from Kevin Smith. No cause of death was immediately announced.

North Korea continues to insist that the U.S. and South Korea developed an assassination plot against Kim Jong-un, and it is now asking for “terror suspects” to be handed over, Reuters reported. "The Central Prosecutor's Office will ask for the handover of those criminals and prosecute them under the relevant laws," said North Korean vice foreign minister Han Song Ryol. Last week, the North accused the CIA and South Korea’s National Intelligence Service of planning to use a biochemical weapon to exterminate Kim. It is unclear how many “suspects” are being sought by North Korean officials.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that Germany will wait on sending more troops to Afghanistan, according to Business Insider. This comes after NATO and the US committed to sending additional troops over to pressure the Taliban into negotiations with the Afghan government. "I don't think we're first in line to expand our capacities there,” said Merkel on Thursday. “It's more important to ensure that ... stability is guaranteed in the north.”

Microsoft has issued a patch to combat a newly discovered Windows operating flaw, Zdnet reported. Known as CVE-2017-0290, the flaw was discovered by vulnerability hunter Tavis Ormandy and publicized on Twitter. Ormandy called it a “crazy bad” bug that may be “one of the worst” Windows remote execution flaws in recent memory.” The flaw could allow cyber hackers to remotely access and hijack an entire operating system.