Mueller’s busy week offers new signs his report is coming soon

Special counsel Robert Mueller and his Justice Department supervisors are not saying anything official about the conclusion of their work, but Congress is getting ready. | Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

After many false alarms that the special counsel’s work is winding down, the clues are mounting that it finally is.

The Mueller probe appears to be in the home stretch.

Some Trump aides and advisers have been making that claim for more than a year, with little basis. But the signs are mounting that it’s finally happening.

Story Continued Below

Several came in what was an unusually busy week for Robert Mueller’s investigation into 2016 Russian election interference, with multiple clues that the special counsel’s work is finishing with a final report to the Justice Department.

On Wednesday, a federal judge handed a second prison sentence to Paul Manafort. That closed the door on Mueller’s prosecution of the former Trump campaign chairman, which will put Manafort in jail through the end of 2024 if President Donald Trump doesn’t pardon him or commute the sentence.

Meanwhile other clues emerged this week suggesting that Mueller’s probe is coming to an end. On Tuesday, the special counsel’s lawyers told a federal judge that they have all the information they need from former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has been cooperating with Mueller’s team since he pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI.

Two key members of Mueller’s team are also moving on. The FBI confirmed a week ago Friday that its lead agent tasked to the special counsel’s team has been reassigned to lead the bureau’s Richmond field office. And a Mueller spokesman on Thursday issued a rare public statement confirming that one the office’s prosecutors, Andrew Weissmann, planned to finish his assignment “in the near future.”

“The signs I see are all pointing towards an investigation that is wrapping up,” said Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor who has worked with Weissmann on organized crime cases. “[We are] probably a few weeks or even a month or more away from the issuing of a final report, but certainly a fairly complete draft is already being circulated inside the Mueller team.”

Cotter said he’d be surprised if Weissmann were to leave before reviewing Mueller’s complete findings, making his departure a sign that the report — which Mueller must transmit to his Justice Department superiors — is nearly complete. “His knowledge, experience and skills are too great for Mueller not to use him as a leading author of such a report. And I do not believe he would leave if he thought major new veins of information and significant charges were still to come,” he added.

While Mueller and his Justice Department supervisors aren’t saying anything official about the conclusion of the special counsel’s work, Congress is getting ready for the big moment. The House this week in a unanimous 420-0 vote called on Attorney General William Barr to release in full the special counsel’s final report.

Even if Mueller’s investigation is all but complete, however, his prosecutions will continue for months. On Thursday, a judge set Nov. 5 as the opening date in the trial of former Trump political adviser Roger Stone on charges that he lied to Congress about efforts to contact Wikileaks during the 2016 campaign.

Here’s a recap of all the week’s major events in the Mueller probe:

Paul Manafort: The former Trump campaign chairman finally learned how long he’ll spend in federal prison — nearly 7.5 years — after U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Wednesday meted out the final portion of his sentence for a series of lobbying and obstruction crimes that were folded into Manafort’s guilty plea last fall.

Jackson agreed with U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III, who sentenced Manafort earlier this month separately for his conviction in Virginia on financial fraud, that the longtime GOP operative can get credit for the nine months he’s already served at a pair of interim detention facilities since being jailed last June for witness tampering.

Manafort’s lawyers have asked that the rest of his sentence be served in Cumberland, Maryland, though that decision rests with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Federal prosecutors also have moved to begin seeking restitution from Manafort for about $24 million tied to his crimes, which involves forfeiting several of his New York properties, plus bank accounts and a life insurance policy. He also must pay a $50,000 fine.

Manafort still appears to be playing for a Trump pardon or commutation of his sentence. Outside the D.C. courthouse this week, Manafort lawyer Kevin Downing invoked a favorite presidential talking point: that Mueller had revealed no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, even though his client’s case never was about the topic. Mueller tried Manafort on charges related to his lucrative political work in Ukraine, which ended prior to the 2016 election.

But any help from Trump can’t protect Manafort from new charges he faces in New York, where the Manhattan district attorney obtained a 16-count grand jury indictment this week for residential mortgage fraud and other alleged state crimes. A presidential pardon cannot absolve a person convicted at the state level.

Roger Stone: The longtime Trump associate got an early November trial date for allegedly misleading lawmakers about his 2016 contacts with WikiLeaks, which released thousands of emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign aides. That means D.C. jurors will begin to hear his case just as the one-year countdown begins to the next presidential election.

Stone’s lawyers during a court hearing Thursday acknowledged receiving nine terabytes of material from the government in discovery, which they said stacks up “as high as the Washington Monument twice.” His lawyers also got an April 12 deadline to file any motions seeking to toss out the case, something they signaled plans to do in earlier filings which cited “selective or vindictive prosecution” and an “error in the grand jury proceeding.”

Mueller’s plans for trying Stone are unclear. Special counsel deputy Jeannie Rhee took the lead participating in Thursday’s hearing for the prosecution while the soon-to-depart Weissmann made an appearance in the courtroom, seated just inside the courtroom bar with other support staff. The government also has two assistant U.S. attorneys from D.C. who are widely seen as being ready for a hand off should the special counsel close up shop before November.

For his part, Stone blasted out a fundraising plea Thursday night featuring a picture of him, his wife and Trump. Stone said he needs money to defeat the special counsel’s charges and “be free to help the President’s re-election in 2020.”

Michael Flynn: The former Trump national security adviser continues to heed the advice of U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan, who in December urged Flynn to wait until he’d exhausted all cooperation demands before agreeing to be sentenced.

On Wednesday, Mueller’s prosecutors in a joint status report acknowledged Flynn could still be called to testify in the government’s upcoming trial against his former business partner, Bijan Rafiekian, on charges of failing to disclose foreign lobbying on behalf of Turkey. But the special counsel’s office also noted they view Flynn’s cooperation as “otherwise complete.”

In a separate court filing related to the Rafiekian case, defense attorneys revealed this week they’d seen FBI interview notes that suggest Flynn had helped prosecutors in several “ongoing investigations.” Government lawyers during a Friday hearing indicated some of those investigations involve Mueller’s office and some involve other prosecutors, though they didn’t delve into specifics.

Rick Gates: The former Trump campaign deputy is still cooperating with federal prosecutors in “several ongoing investigations” and isn’t ready to be sentenced yet.

That was the takeaway from a one-page joint status report filed in federal court in D.C., the fifth one of its kind since Gates pleaded guilty last February to financial fraud and lying to investigators.

It’s unclear whether Gates’s ongoing cooperation still involves the Mueller probe. But Friday’s filing suggests Gates may be helping federal prosecutors in New York who are investigating Trump’s inauguration committee, which he helped run alongside real estate developer and longtime Trump friend Tom Barrack. The committee is facing questions about the source of its donations and how it spent its record-level $107 million haul.

Another joint status report for Gates is due in court by May 14.

Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.

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Slovakia elections: Polls open in presidential vote

Polls have opened in Slovakia‘s presidential elections that a vocal government critic is poised to win after an investigative journalist’s murder dealt a blow to the ruling party.

Thirteen candidates are vying for the job on Saturday, including Supreme Court judge Stefan Harabin, far-right MP Marian Kotleba and ethnic Hungarian politician Bela Bugar.

Frontrunner Zuzana Caputova, the environmental lawyer, has a double-digit lead over Maros Sefcovic, European Commission vice president backed by the ruling centre-left Direction – Social Democracy (Smer-SD) party.

Caputova, 45, was among tens of thousands of protesters who took to the streets of the eurozone country of 5.4 million last year after journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, were shot dead at his home near the capital Bratislava in February 2018.

Kuciak had been working on a story about links between the Slovak government and the Italian Mafia.

Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were shot dead in 2018 [File: David W Cerny/Reuters]

Caputova has vowed to restore public trust in the state, running on a slogan of: “Let us stand up to evil.”

She may have gotten a last-minute boost on Thursday after prosecutors charged multimillionaire businessman Marian Kocner, who is believed to have ties to Smer-SD with ordering the murder of the journalist.

Yet voters could also interpret the news as a sign the system works and those currently in power are doing a fine job.

Why are journalists increasingly targeted?

If Caputova wins, she will be Slovakia’s first female head of state. She has been endorsed by incumbent President Andrej Kiska.

Her win could render Smer more vulnerable in the run-up to the next parliamentary election in 2020.

Under Smer, which has held the majority in parliament since 2006, Slovakia joined the euro zone and its growing economy is now the world’s largest per capita car producer.

But corruption remains a problem and this has galvanised anti-establishment voters.

Slovakia ranks 57th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, behind neighbours Poland and the Czech Republic but ahead of Hungary.

Run-off vote

In the event that no candidate receives an absolute majority, a run-off will take place on March 30 between the two candidates with the most votes.

More than four million voters are eligible to vote. Polling stations opened at 7am (06:00 GMT) and are scheduled to close at 10pm (19:00 GMT). The results are expected on Sunday.

Though the office is largely ceremonial, the president ratifies international treaties, appoints top judges and is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The head of state can also veto laws passed by parliament.

Caputova’s (L) main rival is Sefcovic (R) who is backed by the ruling party [Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters]

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Giannis Scores 33 as Bucks Complete Historic Comeback over Heat

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 15: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball against the Miami Heat on March 15, 2019 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Oscar Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Oscar Baldizon/Getty Images

Final scores can be deceiving, and the result of Friday’s game in Miami stands as a prime example.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 33 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists as his team overcame a 20-point halftime deficit to defeat the Miami Heat 113-98 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Per ESPN.com, the Bucks tied a franchise record with the largest second-half comeback in franchise history.

Milwaukee dug itself a massive first-quarter hole and trailed 37-19 after 12 minutes. The Bucks stopped the bleeding in the second quarter but still couldn’t cut into the Heat’s edge.

However, that all changed in the third quarter, when the Bucks engineered a ferocious comeback to crawl within one point. Milwaukee kept its foot on the gas in the fourth, outscoring the Heat 34-18.

Khris Middleton scored 21 points for the Bucks, and Pat Connaughton and Ersan Ilyasova added 15 and 13 off the bench, respectively.

Milwaukee improved to a league-best 52-17, while the Heat fell to 32-36 and are hanging on to the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference with a one-game lead over the Orlando Magic.

If you were entertained by this matchup, then you might be in luck. If the season ended today, the Bucks and Heat would face off in the first round of the playoffs.

The postseason, which starts April 13, is still weeks away, of course, but the Bucks have a relatively safe three-game edge (plus the head-to-head tiebreaker) over the second-place Toronto Raptors.

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Delete Facebook says Whatsapp co-founder

Danica D’Souza

about 12 hours ago

In 2014, Facebook acquired the messenger from Brian Acton for $19 billion. He left in 2017 over disagreements concerning the platform’s running of promotional ads. Since departing, Acton has not shied away from his disdain for Mark Zuckerberg’s company Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, he promoted #deletefacebook.

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Beto O’Rourke belonged to the Cult of the Dead Cow hacking group

Disclosure

Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work.

LOL.

Image: The Washington Post / getty

By Jack Morse2019-03-15 17:29:55 UTC

I guess he wouldn’t have to ask the Russians to do it for him.

Beto O’Rourke — yes, the same skateboard-riding, baby faced, recently declared presidential candidate who narrowly lost a senate campaign to Ted Cruz — just added another cool notch to his Gen X-cred belt. According to a forthcoming book by Joseph Menn, and as he reported in Reuters, the three-term congressman once belonged to the legendary hacking crew known as the Cult of the Dead Cow.

That’s right, Beto was in a hacker group. In the 1980s. But before you accuse the periodontal exhibitionist of some nefarious plot to infect Grandma’s machine with adware or hack an election, it’s worth reading Menn’s fine print. Basically, O’Rourke was a teenager, and his relationship to the group mostly involved pirated games and conversations on message boards.

The book, Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World, is, as the title suggests, not specifically about O’Rourke. Rather, it’s a deep dive into the hacking group jokingly named after a Lubbock, Texas, slaughterhouse. As described by Menn in Reuters, the group’s antics were mostly harmless and veered toward what we think of today as hacktivism.

But there are, however, more than a few juicy Beto-specific details in the Reuters article. For starters, O’Rourke had his own bulletin board named TacoLand. Oh, also, that he wrote under the handle “Psychedelic Warlord.” And yes, you can still find some of his writing online.

Like, for example, this piece where O’Rourke considered a world without money.

“Think, a free society with no high, middle, or low classification of it’s people,” he wrote. “Think, no more money related murders, suicides, divorces, or theft. Think, no more families living below a set poverty line or children starving to death because of a lack of money.”

Hell yeah, Psychedelic Warlord. Sign us up.

While these are of course the writings of a teenager trying to figure out his identity, and shouldn’t be taken too seriously, O’Rourke did drop at least one nugget of prophetic truth.

“Remember,” he closed out one piece of writing, “we are the next generation, and will soon rule the world.”

If only teenage Beto could see himself now.

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Young American climate protesters join ‘Fridays for Future’

New York City – Before taking the microphone to address a climate rally at Columbia University on an unseasonably warm Friday, the only US presidential contender whose campaign is singularly focused on the climate crisis made some pithy observations.

“This is the epicentre of change right here,” said Washington Governor Jay Inslee, looking at the high-school and college students holding bright placards and basking in the March sunshine.

“The message is really resonating now,” he said. “People are getting it.”

Then, in his speech to the crowd, Inslee cited a one-on-one conversation from several minutes prior with a student activist. “Studying history is great,” said the climate-change candidate. “But making history is even better.”

In New York City, the March 15 climate rallies took place in front of the United Nations, at City Hall, several university campuses, and then culminated in a march from Columbus Circle to the Museum of Natural History.

The day of global action was the first time that significant numbers of American protesters joined their worldwide counterparts, with events in a dizzyingly long list of international locations. From Nauru and New Delhi to Munich and Mexico City, students inspired by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg walked out of school and took to the streets.

About 17 people were arrested by the New York Police Department for disorderly conduct and blocking traffic [Ben Piven/Al Jazeera]

Alexandria Villasenor, the 13-year-old co-founder of Youth Climate Strike US, said at a rally outside the UN: “Climate striking has arrived in America. There are those Americans who deny the truth. We declare that the era of denialism is over.”

Otto Held, 15, was on hand to help organise the young people. He described government leaders as “disrespectful to my future, my children’s future”, and added “previous generations haven’t had to deal with this”.

‘Demand radical change’

One of the groups participating in the day’s events, Extinction Rebellion, took a more aggressive stance to ensuring environmental progress – by promoting non-violent direct action and civil disobedience.

Karlos Edmonds was in attendance at the Inslee speech, waiting in the wings until an opportunity to make waves.

“We have to be there to enforce change,” said Edmonds. “Shutting down streets and stopping machines.”

Later in the day, he was one of about 17 people arrested by the New York Police Department for disorderly conduct and blocking traffic, after a crowd of several thousand rallied on the western edge of Central Park.

Day of global action was the first time significant numbers of American protesters joined their worldwide counterparts [Ben Piven/Al Jazeera]

Other demonstrators took a more practical approach to the Green New Deal resolution proposed by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey.

“No deal is perfect,” said Jennifer Ojilere, 17, a high-school senior participating in her first climate march. “But this is a good place to start.”

And legislators in the nation’s capital also got to see their fair share of climate strikers.

Nadia Nazar, a 16-year-old student from the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, is co-founder of Zero Hour, a youth-led environmental justice movement.

She joined the main event in Washington DC next to the Capitol building, punctuated by an 11-minute moment of silence to signify the 11 years left until even more disastrous effects of a warming climate.

“I don’t think 100 percent is unrealistic,” Nazar said, referring to the goal of moving entirely to renewable energy sources by 2030. “We need to demand radical change right now, or else people won’t pay attention.”

However, the marine biologist’s daughter – who testified in February to the House Natural Resources Committee – restated that goal in a more modest way: “To get a good portion of the fossil-fuel industry transitioned by then.

“We want to include everyone, not leave anyone behind,” Nazar said. “The other day I was talking to a former coal worker. People just want jobs to support their families, with steady incomes. Renewable jobs would be great for them, with better job security.”

Demonstrators highlighted the Green New Deal resolution proposed by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey [Ben Piven/Al Jazeera]

‘Nothing is guaranteed’

Ryan Madden, 24, is an organiser with the Long Island Progressive Coalition who also volunteers with the Sunrise Movement.

He has served as a youth delegate to COP climate summits. “I saw 30 people there negotiating for our [American] interests, but the Maldives had one delegate at the conference,” said Madden. “That solidified my work.”

“As a person of privilege in the Global North, in the country most responsible for the [climate] crisis“, Madden said his goal for a worldwide reparations programme is “to go above and beyond in the reduction of carbon emissions”.

Madden said the Sunrise Movement is emboldened by having a “fossil-fuel apologist in the White House” and will continue its 15-state tour, largely focused on “strategically making [climate] a wedge issue in the next Democratic primary”.

But he added, “Nothing is guaranteed, so 2020 could be horrible.”

“We don’t really get to dictate the laws of physics here,” said Madden. “The climate will continue to change in ways that we don’t have full control over. Whoever is in office, we need to reorient the logic of our economy.”

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Zion Williamson, Duke Advance to ACC Title with Win vs UNC; RJ Barrett Drops 15

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 15: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball against the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game in the semifinals of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 15, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Zion Williamson posted 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting and 11 rebounds—including the game-winning bucket with 31 seconds remaining—as No. 5 Duke beat No. 3 North Carolina 74-73 in the Division I ACC men’s basketball tournament semifinals Friday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

ESPN @espn

Zion just willed this into the bucket https://t.co/G4FESRoKTU

UNC had numerous chances down the stretch to take the lead, starting with a Cameron Johnson three-point miss with 17 seconds remaining.

Duke forward RJ Barrett grabbed the rebound and was fouled, but he missed two free throws. The Tar Heels then charged down the court, but a long Coby White two-pointer and a Johnson tip attempt could not connect.

Johnson scored 23 points for the 27-6 Tar Heels, whose eight-game win streak ended.

Barrett added 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for 28-5 Duke.

What’s Next?

Duke will face Florida State for the ACC title Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

UNC will discover its NCAA tournament placement Sunday during the NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show, which begins at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.

This article will be updated to provide more information soon.

Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.

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Rams Rumors: Ex-Jaguars QB Blake Bortles to Visit on Monday After Being Cut

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

Former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, who was released in March after five seasons with the team, is visiting the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, per Mike Silver of NFL Network.

The 26-year-old would back up starter Jared Goff, who helped lead the Rams to a 13-3 record and Super Bowl LII appearance last season.

Bortles nearly led his Jags team to a Super Bowl the year before, but like Goff, his season ended with a crushing postseason defeat to the New England Patriots.

A 10-6 season and 2017 AFC Championship Game appearance seemed to foreshadow more success for the Jags in 2018, but the bottom fell out on Jacksonville en route to a 5-11 campaign.

Bortles was benched twice for Cody Kessler as he finished just 29th in adjusted yards per pass attempt, according to Pro Football Reference. This week the Jags signed ex-Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles to a four-year deal, effectively ending Bortles’ tenure in Jacksonville.

The backup route is Bortles’ likeliest option for 2019, and the Rams would instantly have one of the best in the league if they sign the ex-UCF star.

The starter path is unlikely next season, with 31 of 32 NFL teams either having their option in place or looking likely to select a blue-chip signal-caller in the 2019 draft.

The 32nd team is the Miami Dolphins.

The Fins traded starter Ryan Tannehill to the Tennessee Titans on Friday, leaving former sixth-round picks Jake Rudock and Luke Falk as the depth chart’s remaining signal-callers. Neither has started a game on the professional level, so it’s unlikely either player is leading the Dolphins in Week 1.

But Miami can also look to the draft, where it picks 13th overall. The issue is Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins and Missouri’s Drew Lock may all be gone by then.

The Dolphins could conceivably sign Bortles, who is arguably the best quarterback left on the free-agent wire. But if that doesn’t work out, then the 6’5″ veteran can do far worse than Los Angeles, a dynamite offensive team that finished second in scoring.

Bortles could continue his development under head coach and offensive guru Sean McVay, who has pulled off many right moves during his two-year tenure.

In due time, Bortles could get another shot down the road as a starter following a backup stint, much like the man who won a Super Bowl before replacing him in Jacksonville.

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ACC Tournament Live: Duke vs. UNC

Duke Basketball @DukeMBB

wassap wassap aye https://t.co/7kfKA3gib6

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Colin Kaepernick Rumors: QB Interested in Dolphins After Ryan Tannehill Trade

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 01: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers drops back to pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter of their NFL football game at Levi's Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Miami Dolphins have an opening at quarterback after the team’s Friday trade of ex-starter Ryan Tannehill to the Tennessee Titans.

That has reportedly gotten ex-San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Colin Kaepernick‘s attention, per a source to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports:

Jason La Canfora @JasonLaCanfora

Reached out to source close to @Kaepernick7 and asked if he was interested in filling Miami QB vacancy. Was told “yes, he’s training hard and ready to play” could get interesting

The 31-year-old Kaepernick, who threw 72 touchdown passes and rushed for 13 scores from 2011-2016, has been out of the league for two seasons since his six-year 49ers tenure ended.

During his final year, Kaepernick protested social injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem. He hasn’t been able to find a pro job since, and the quarterback filed a grievance against the league that was eventually settled out of court in February.

As for where the Dolphins could turn at quarterback, that remains a mystery.

Jake Rudock and Luke Falk are the two remaining Dolphins on the depth chart.

The 26-year-old Rudock has played three career games, completing three of five passes for 24 yards and an interception. The Detroit Lions selected him in the sixth round of the 2016 draft.

The 24-year-old Falk was a Titans sixth-round pick in 2017 and has not seen live game action.

Rudock and Falk could hypothetically develop into starters down the line, but giving one of them a shot now is a risky proposition.

The Dolphins have to figure out a solution but have few options.

They could look to draft a quarterback in 2019, but it’s possible the three top options (Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, Missouri’s Drew Lock) are gone by the time Miami picks at No. 13. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report currently has that trio going in the top 10, with no other signal-caller picked in the first round.

They can alternatively look to trade for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen, provided the loud chatter connecting Murray and the Cards (discussed here via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com) rings true. Rosen was the 10th overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft.

The best remaining free agent on the market is arguably ex-Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, who has shown flashes of why he was drafted third overall in 2014 but who was also benched twice last year in the midst of a trying season.

Kaepernick could be an intriguing stopgap of sorts if the team is looking to essentially punt the 2019 season in hopes of drafting a superstar signal-caller in 2020 with better draft position. Although the first half of his 49ers tenure (which included two NFC Championship Game trips and one Super Bowl appearance) was far more successful than the second half (three seasons out of the playoffs), the 49ers experienced much turmoil as the team had three head coaches from 2014-2016.

Kaepernick could fare better in a more stable situation under first-year head coach Brian Flores.

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