--- title: "While you were sleeping: 17 May 2017" description: "Chelsea Manning due for release, Trump asked Flynn investigation to be dropped, and Sharapova denied wild card for Roland Garros." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "Newsdeck" author: "John Stupart" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/johnstupart/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-05-17-while-you-were-sleeping-17-may/" published: "2017-05-17T06:04:46" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 711 --- # While you were sleeping: 17 May 2017 > Chelsea Manning due for release, Trump asked Flynn investigation to be dropped, and Sharapova denied wild card for Roland Garros. By John Stupart · Published 17 May 2017, 08:04 SAST ## Content **Wednesday, 17 May 2017** *“Most people were raised to think they are not worthy. School is a process of taking beautiful kids who are filled with life and beating them into happy slavery. That's as true of a twenty-five-thousand-dollar-a-year executive as it is for the poorest."* **Studs Terkel** ![Image](https://i2.createsend1.com/ei/d/57/A22/0C8/csimport/849x493q70Marianne-Dlamini-waste1.053056.jpg) STORY OF THE DAY [Bathabile Dlamini admits Sassa paid for private security for her children](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kyhldjd-l-p/) By MARIANNE THAMM Sassa officials and Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini faced a pummelling by members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in Parliament on Tuesday with regard to preparations to take over grant payments by 2018 as well as the agency’s R1.1-billion January 2017 closing balance in irregular expenditure. Dlamini also attempted to justify why, as a Cabinet minister, she had got Sassa to foot the bill for private security for her children. There were sweaty heads and furrowed brows all round. [Chelsea Manning due for release](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kyhldjd-l-x/) WikiLeaks source Chelsea Manning will be released today. Manning spent seven years behind bars for leaking 700,000 classified documents but had her sentence commuted by President Barack Obama. Manning has been labelled a traitor by President Donald Trump, while rights activists praise her for revealing information on civilian deaths in Afghanistan. Information also included names of Afghan informants, thereby making Manning a highly controversial figure. [Trump accused of interfering in Flynn investigation](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kyhldjd-l-m/) Informing Russia of sensitive information appeared today to be just an appetiser for Trump scandals this week. The New York Times has revealed that the coifed head of state approached FBI director James Comey and asked him to drop an investigation into disgraced ex-national security advisor Michael Flynn. Citing sources close to Comey, Trump allegedly was quoted as saying: "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go." [Greenpeace fight back against massive lawsuit](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kyhldjd-l-c/) Greenpeace has encouraged publishers to boycott paper products originating from Resolute Forest Products in response to a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed against the advocacy group. Organisations such as Hachette, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster were encouraged to ditch RFP as clients. Greenpeace is being sued for $220-million in damages for alleged defamation, intimidation of customers, and related harms. [Sharapova denied a wild card for Roland Garros](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kyhldjd-l-q/) Maria Sharapova will not be attending Roland Garros this year. FFT president Bernard Guidicelli noted that there were no guidelines on allowing wild cards for players returning from a doping ban. Sponsors and fans will undoubtedly be disappointed at the ruling, while players themselves remained fairly split on the topic. — IN NUMBERS 63,000 The number of square miles of lawn covering the United States. This is roughly the size of Texas. It is the most grown crop in the US. FACTS OF THE DAY Today in 1943 saw the beginning of the famous **Dambuster raid.** **Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone** are two separate swords. 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