Cohen Pleads Guilty; Manafort Convicted; Hawaii’s Hurricane Lane

Know an LGBTQ student itching to study abroad? Here are some things to think about. [NPR]( Daily Headlines Wednesday, August 22, 2018 FIRST UP [Michael Cohen pleads guilty, implicates Trump in illegal campaign contributions.]( [Michael Cohen, former lawyer to President Trump, leaves the federal courthouse Tuesday in New York City.]( Yana Paskova/Getty Images President Trump's former lawyer and fixer entered his pleas in New York federal court on charges of tax evasion, falsifying bank submissions and making payments to keep two women quiet during Trump’s presidential campaign. He will be sentenced on Dec. 12 and could face a maximum of 65 years in prison. [Read more](. [Paul Manafort found guilty of eight counts in federal tax and bank fraud trial.]( A jury on Tuesday found Donald Trump's former campaign chairman guilty on eight of the 18 charges he faced in his tax and bank fraud trial; the judge declared a mistrial on the 10 other counts after jurors could not agree. The verdict marked the first public court test of the work by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller. Speaking on Tuesday evening in Charleston, W.Va., Trump said Manafort was a "good man." [Read more](. [Republican congressman Duncan Hunter indicted on charges of misusing campaign money.]( The California representative and his wife, Margaret, allegedly spent $250,000 on personal expenses like their children’s school tuition, dental work, family vacations, theater tickets and video games, according to an indictment by the Department of Justice. Speaker Paul Ryan called the allegations “deeply serious.” The couple will be arraigned in a federal court on Thursday. [Read more](. [Hawaii braces for Category 5 storm Hurricane Lane.]( [A satellite image shows Hurricane Lane in the Central Pacific Ocean on Wednesday.]( NOAA The National Weather Service expects the storm’s center to move “very close or over” the island of Hawaii, or the Big Island, Thursday through Saturday. Lane’s maximum sustained winds are nearly 160 mph, and flash flooding and landslides are expected. [Read more](. DIGGING DEEPER [Judge T.S. Ellis III gives jury instructions in front of tax fraud defendant Paul Manafort on Tuesday.]( Art Lien Key takeaways from Cohen and Manafort’s remarkable day Two of President Trump's former associates, Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen, were either found guilty or pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes within an hour of each other Tuesday afternoon. Trump commented on both men via Twitter Wednesday morning, calling Manafort a ["brave man"]( and advising everyone else to [avoid Cohen's legal services](. Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, told NPR Wednesday that his client "would [never accept a pardon]( a man that he considers to be both corrupt and a dangerous person in the Oval Office." Why this is important: The convictions prove the danger of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation for Trump. None of Tuesday's convictions have anything directly to do with Russian interference in U.S. elections. Cohen's veracity is questionable, Manafort was convicted of multiple fraud counts, and the president's falsehoods keep mounting. However, federal agents retain possession of all of Cohen's secret tapes and documents seized earlier this year from his home and other locations. Could Mueller's investigation be coming to a close? It's unclear. The Justice Department has guidelines that say federal employees can't use their authority or influence to affect elections, and this year's midterms are a little more than two months away. How will the Democrats and Trump respond? Democrats are running an ad targeting Republican scandals, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) calls the Trump administration "nakedly corrupt." Trump himself has always vowed to hit back "five times harder" than his perceived attackers thought possible. And [there is always speculation that Trump could issue pardons](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( BEFORE YOU GO [In the new Barnum's Animals box, the animals roam free.]( Mondelez International - New packaging for Barnum’s Animal Crackers sees the beasts [finally set free](. - Millions of [Muslim worshippers flock to Mecca]( for hajj. - Was [Madonna’s North African garb]( at the VMAs a case of cultural appropriation? - [For LGBTQ students]( studying abroad comes with extra concerns. - The vast majority of sexual assault survivors never report their experiences. Now, [there’s an app for that](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today’s newsletter was written by [Korva Coleman]( and [Emily Sullivan](. You received this message because you're subscribed to our News emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]