'Moment of peril' | Big court loss for Trump | Kotick's secret companies

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE FRI, FEB 18, 2022 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Good morning,   The Ukraine-Russia crisis entered another nerve-racking day. Former President Trump and two of his kids have new legal headaches. And the chief of video game giant Activision Blizzard has been using secret shell companies to fund Republican campaigns.   Here are some of the stories we're following at CNBC Politics: Invasion fears in Ukraine: This week, Russian officials claimed they pulled back some forces from around Ukraine, but Western intelligence refuted those assertions. The U.S. continued to push for diplomacy to delay and ultimately prevent an attack. While leaders negotiated, reports emerged of ceasefire violations in Ukraine, and officials warned that Russia was looking to create a pretext for an invasion. Follow our live blog, with reporting from CNBC reporters Amanda Macias and Chloe Taylor here. Judge rules against Trump:  A judge ordered the former president and two of his adult children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, to testify in N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James' civil fraud probe into Trump and his company. The three Trumps must give depositions within the next three weeks. "Today, justice prevailed," James said Thursday. A spokesperson for the Trump Organization said: "The entire system is corrupt." Read the full report from CNBC Politics reporters Kevin Breuninger and Dan Mangan here. The video game CEO and the GOP: Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has donated to both Democrats and Republicans over the years. But CNBC Politics reporter Brian Schwartz has found that Kotick has used at least two secret shell companies to cut big checks to organizations backing Republican candidates. The revelations come as Activision, which has been under scrutiny for alleged workplace misconduct within the company, prepares to be taken over by Microsoft. Read the reports here and here.    Thanks for reading CNBC Politics.    Thoughts? Tips? Email us at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.   Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here.  Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Ukraine-Russia crisis live updates: New reports of violence as Russians prepare fresh military drills The U.S. pushed for a diplomatic solution as Russian forces prepared for more large-scale military drills near Ukraine's borders. Senate passes bill to prevent government shutdown, sends it to Biden The three-week government funding bill heads to President Biden's desk, and lawmakers now aim to craft a full-year spending package. Trump and two of his adult children must testify in New York attorney general probe, judge says Lawyers for Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump attacked New York Attorney General Letitia James for political bias against Trump. House panel asks federal agency to end Trump's lease of DC hotel as questions rise over his financial statements The House committee cited accounting firm Mazars' decision to drop the Trump Organization as a client and disavow years of the company's financial statements. Biden rejects Trump bid to stop Jan. 6 probe from getting White House visitor logs from day of attack President Joe Biden has rejected former President Donald Trump's privilege claims over White House visitor logs from the day of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Blinken makes dramatic bid at UN to prevent Russian invasion of Ukraine "Let me be clear, I am here today not to start a war but to prevent one," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Vote on Biden Fed picks delayed as GOP presses for answers on Raskin's ties to firm A Republican boycott Tuesday held up a Senate committee vote on the appointment of a top banking regulator and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has a second secret company that spent big money to back GOP campaigns Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has another secret company that he used to donate big money to Republican campaigns. California lays out plan to live with Covid for the long-term, fight future surges and new variants California's plan aims to pick up rising viral transmission early and sequence new variants to determine whether vaccines and therapeutics are still effective. Some lawmakers and their families are betting thousands of dollars on crypto Eight lawmakers or their immediate family have traded cryptocurrency over the past year, with bets ranging as high as $100,000, a CNBC analysis found.     Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2022 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS