Ex-Congress staffer, target of conspiracy talk, makes plea deal; NEWS BRIEFING; Staff and news services; Thousands in Poland protest government judicial overhaul ; Judge rules suit challenging census question can proceed ; Israel: Hamas tried to spy on soldiers with fake dating apps; FAA won’t regulate amount of airline legroom ; Men plead no contest for deadly fire in warehouse

WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors concluded an 18-month investigation into a former congressional technology staffer on Tuesday by publicly debunking allegations - promoted by conservative media and President Donald Trump - suggesting he was a Pakistani operative who stole government secrets with cover from House Democrats.

As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Imran Awan pleaded guilty to a relatively minor offense unrelated to his work on Capitol Hill: making a false statement on a bank loan application. U.S. prosecutors said they would not recommend jail time.

But the agreement included an unusual passage that described the scope of the investigation and cleared Awan of a litany of conspiracy theories promulgated on Internet blogs, picked up by right-leaning news sites, and fanned by Trump on Twitter.

"The Government has uncovered no evidence that your client violated federal law with respect to the House computer systems," including stealing equipment or illegally accessing or transferring information, including sensitive or classified information, prosecutors wrote in an 11-page plea agreement dated and signed Tuesday.

Awan and four of his associates worked as IT specialists for dozens of Democratic lawmakers until they were banned from the computer network in February 2017 for allegedly violating House security rules.

The case highlighted Trump's willingness to lobby for specific outcomes of federal criminal investigations and to suggest a coverup by his own Justice Department.

Thousands in Poland protest government judicial overhaul

WARSAW, Poland - Anti-government protests broke out late Tuesday in Warsaw and several other Polish cities in defense of the country's constitution, judicial independence and the rule of law.

The protests came as a lower retirement age was taking effect for Poland's Supreme Court justices. The law introduced by the ruling right-wing party is forcing the chief justice and as many as one-third of the court's sitting judges to step down.

Thousands of people gathered in front of the Supreme Court building in Warsaw, where they held candles, sang the national anthem and shouted "Free courts!" and "Down with dictatorship!"

There were also protests in Krakow, Lodz, Katowice, Wroclaw and other cities. The legislation lowers the mandatory retirement age for justices from 70 to 65.

Judge rules suit challenging census question can proceed

A federal judge Tuesday allowed a multistate lawsuit to move forward amid "strong" evidence that the Trump administration acted in bad faith in its push for a controversial citizenship question to be added to the 2020 Census, plaintiffs in the case said.

Judge Jesse Furman of Manhattan's Southern District also granted a request for discovery, according to New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, whose office filed the case on behalf of 18 states and the District of Columbia.

The judge gave the defendants, which include the Department of Commerce, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the Census Bureau, until July 23 to add documents from the Commerce and Justice departments, detail the documents they refuse to produce and give a basis for the refusal.

Israel: Hamas tried to spy on soldiers with fake dating apps

TEL AVIV, Israel - The Israeli military said Tuesday it had uncovered a plot by Hamas militants to spy on soldiers by befriending them on social media and then luring them into downloading fake dating applications that gave Hamas access to their smartphones.

A senior intelligence officer said Hamas initially reached out to the soldiers through Facebook, often posing as young women, and then moved the relationship over to the WhatsApp texting service. Following dozens of reports from soldiers receiving unusual messages, the military launched operation Broken Heart.

The military said it had uncovered three Hamas-operated apps on Google Play that had been downloaded about 100 times by soldiers since the beginning of the year but that no damage was done.

FAA won't regulate amount of airline legroom

Federal regulators have rejected the idea of setting minimum standards for airline seats and legroom as a safety measure.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that it saw no immediate safety issue that requires new regulations. It cited seven recent accidents in which passengers were able to evacuate.

The FAA was responding to a group called FlyersRights, which had gone to court to prod the agency to act.

FlyersRights said cramped planes combined with the larger size of today's passengers means that planes can't be evacuated in 90 seconds, as required.

A couple of decades ago, the distance between one seatback and the seatback in the next row measured about 35 inches in economy class. Today on some planes it is as tight as 28 inches.

Men plead no contest for deadly fire in warehouse

OAKLAND, Calif. - As grieving relatives of victims watched and sobbed, two men pleaded no contest Tuesday to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in a devastating fire at a dilapidated California warehouse that occurred during an unpermitted concert.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, Derick Almena could be sentenced to nine years in prison and Max Harris could receive a six-year term when sentenced at a later date.

They have been in jail for a year.

Authorities say the 48-year-old Almena rented the warehouse and illegally converted it into an entertainment venue and residences that became known as the "Ghost Ship" before the December 2016 blaze. The 28-year-old Harris helped Almena collect rent and schedule concerts.

Najib Razak, a former Malaysian prime minister, was arrested Tuesday by anti-graft investigators, officials said.

A government task force probing alleged theft and money laundering of a state investment fund said Najib's arrest was linked to the suspicious transfer of $10.6 million into his bank account.

The Syrian government on Tuesday called on refugees to return, saying it has successfully cleared large areas of "terrorists."

The rare appeal reflects the government's growing confidence after more than seven years of war. Syrian forces, with crucial support from Russia and Iran, recently retook large areas near Damascus.

Caption: Heavy rains in Pakistan caused a road to collapse Tuesday in the city of Lahore, where torrential monsoon storms were also blamed for the deaths of six people. The downpour was called one of the heaviest in recent decades and triggered extensive flooding.

ARIF ALI/Getty-AFP