National News at a Glance

Trump Lawyer Calls for Ending Russia Inquiry

A lawyer for President Donald Trump called on the Justice Department Saturday to end the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, shifting to a more adversarial stance as the inquiry appeared to be intensifying. The comments by John Dowd were prompted by the firing Friday of the former deputy FBI director, Andrew G. McCabe. Dowd exhorted Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who oversees the special counsel, to end the inquiry and accused former FBI Director James Comey of concocting a baseless investigation. Dowd backed off an assertion he was speaking on Trump’s behalf.

Fired FBI Deputy Is Said to Have Kept Memos on Trump

Andrew G. McCabe, the former deputy FBI director who was fired late Friday, kept contemporaneous memos about his interactions with President Donald Trump and his conversations with former Director James Comey, a person close to McCabe said Saturday. The memos could bolster the account of Comey, whose own memos and testimony describe repeated requests by Trump to clear his name. Comey said Trump also asked him to shut down a criminal investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Both matters are under investigation by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is considering whether Trump tried to obstruct justice.

Crack on Florida Bridge Was Discussed in Meeting Hours Before Collapse

Hours before the collapse of a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University on Thursday, the engineering company for the bridge held a meeting to discuss a crack on the structure, according to a statement from the university released early Saturday. The engineering company, Figg Bridge Engineers, delivered a technical presentation on the crack, and “concluded there were no safety concerns and the crack did not compromise the structural integrity of the bridge,” the statement said. Whether the cracking contributed to the collapse, which killed at least six people, remains a key question in the investigation.

Trump’s Rule-Cutting EPA Chief Plots His Political Future

Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, has emerged as a hero to President Donald Trump’s supporters for his hand in rolling back environmental rules at an agency long disliked by farmers, the fossil fuel industry and the far right. And he has occasionally shocked his employees by criticizing the agency. Now, people close to Pruitt say he is using his perch as Trump’s deregulatory czar to position himself for further political prominence — starting with a run for office in his home state of Oklahoma. He is widely viewed as a future candidate for senator or governor there.

Chief of a Hedge Fund Being Sued Quits

A top executive at the investment firm led by billionaire investor Steven A. Cohen has stepped down a month after a female employee sued the firm over accusations that it underpaid female employees and fostered a hostile work environment. Douglas D. Haynes resigned as president of Point72 Asset Management on Friday, according to five people briefed on the matter but not authorized to speak publicly because the suit is continuing. Haynes, a former executive at McKinsey & Co. who joined Point72 in 2014, is named as a defendant in the suit. The firm confirmed Haynes’ departure to employees Friday.

Saying She Was Raped, Pilot Sues Airline

An Alaska Airlines pilot has sued the airline, alleging she was drugged and raped by another pilot during a layover last year. The lawsuit by Betty Pina, 39, was filed in King County Superior Court in Washington state Wednesday, 20 days after it was presented to the airline on Feb. 13. A copy of the complaint was provided by her lawyer, Eric John Makus. The lawsuit says Pina, an Army veteran who flew helicopter missions in Afghanistan, blacked out, and when she came to early the next morning, she was in his hotel room bed, naked from the waist down.

Adrian Lamo, Hacker Who Reported Chelsea Manning to the FBI, Dies at 37

Adrian Lamo, a hacker best known for breaking into the computer networks of The New York Times and other major corporations, and for reporting Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning to authorities, has died, his father and officials said. He was 37. Lamo was found dead in an apartment in Wichita, Kansas, on Wednesday, The Wichita Eagle reported. His father announced the death in a Facebook post Friday. Kate Flavin, a spokeswoman for Sedgwick County, Kansas, said Saturday that the cause of death was unknown. Mario Lamo, his father, said his son went through a difficult period after reporting Manning to authorities.