First Draft on Politics: A Lot Happened This Week in American Politics. Here’s What You Need to Know.

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Saturday, August 25, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [A Lot Happened This Week in American Politics. Here’s What You Need to Know.]( By EMILY COCHRANE Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges. [Michael D. Cohen leaving federal court after pleading guilty on Tuesday in New York.] Michael D. Cohen leaving federal court after pleading guilty on Tuesday in New York. Andres Kudacki for The New York Times Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, [pleaded guilty]( in federal court on Tuesday to breaking campaign finance laws and other charges. Mr. Cohen admitted that Mr. Trump had directed him to arrange payments to two women during the 2016 presidential campaign to keep them from speaking publicly about alleged affairs with Mr. Trump. Additional Reading ■[Anatomy of a Crime: Sex, Hush Money and a Trump Fixer’s Guilty Plea]( ■[Cohen Implicates President Trump. What Do Prosecutors Do Now?]( ■[David Pecker, Chief of National Enquirer’s Publisher, Is Said to Get Immunity in Trump Inquiry]( Paul Manafort was found guilty on eight of the 18 charges brought against him. [Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, in February in Washington.] Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, in February in Washington. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s former campaign chairman, [was convicted on Tuesday]( of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failure to disclose a foreign bank account. A member of the jury [said there was a single holdout]( who forced a mistrial on the other 10 charges that Mr. Manafort faced. Mr. Trump praised Mr. Manafort on Wednesday [for refusing]( to “break” and cooperate with federal prosecutors. Additional Reading ■News Analysis: [Cohen and Manafort Are in Deeper Legal Trouble. Mueller Could Benefit.]( ■[Takeaways From the Conviction of Paul Manafort]( ■[What’s Next for Manafort and Cohen?]( President Trump lashed out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions. [Jeff Sessions said that as long as he was the attorney general, he would not be influenced by politics.] Jeff Sessions said that as long as he was the attorney general, he would not be influenced by politics. Bridget Bennett for The New York Times With Mr. Cohen’s guilty plea and Mr. Manafort’s conviction minutes apart on Tuesday, Mr. Trump’s efforts to dismiss the criminal investigations engulfing his administration [were crippled](. The president’s lawyers [have urged him]( to avoid considering pardons until the inquiries are over. Mr. Trump lashed out on Thursday at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, [blaming the Justice Department]( for the investigations, and then he [urged Mr. Sessions on Friday to look into “corruption”]( on the “other side.” Mr. Sessions returned the reprimand on Thursday with a rare statement of defiance, warning Mr. Trump not to intrude on federal law enforcement. Additional Reading ■[Giuliani Says ‘Truth Isn’t Truth’ in Defense of Trump’s Legal Strategy]( ■White House Memo: [With a Vocabulary From ‘Goodfellas,’ Trump Evokes His Native New York]( ■[As Trump Goes on a Twitter Rampage, Melania Trump Announces a Solo Trip to Africa]( ■[‘How Did We End Up Here?’ Trump Wonders as the White House Soldiers On]( The E.P.A. announced new coal pollution regulation. [The Brandon Shores Power Plant near Baltimore. The Trump administration’s overhaul of Obama-era pollution rules is likely to set the stage for years of legal clashes.] The Brandon Shores Power Plant near Baltimore. The Trump administration’s overhaul of Obama-era pollution rules is likely to set the stage for years of legal clashes. Mark Wilson/Getty Images Andrew Wheeler, the acting administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, [signed a plan]( on Monday to weaken the regulation of coal-fired power plants. It’s a long-anticipated overhaul of Obama-era rules that environmentalists criticized as a retreat from efforts to counter climate change. It [could also enable]( some of the United States’ dirtiest remaining coal plants to be refurbished and keep running without modern pollution controls. A Trump administration analysis [revealed Tuesday]( that the new rules could lead to as many as 1,400 premature deaths annually by 2030 because of an increase in the extremely fine particulate matter that is linked to heart and lung disease. Additional Reading ■[Trump’s New Pollution Rules Still Won’t Save the Coal Industry]( ■Fact Check: [Trump’s False Claims About Coal, the Environment and West Virginia]( ■[Trump Put a Low Cost on Carbon Emissions. Here’s Why It Matters.]( In Congress, more fraud charges, Brett Kavanaugh’s looming confirmation and John McCain’s announcement. [Representative Duncan Hunter, Republican of California, and his wife are accused of spending tens of thousands of dollars of campaign funds on personal expenses.] Representative Duncan Hunter, Republican of California, and his wife are accused of spending tens of thousands of dollars of campaign funds on personal expenses. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Representative Duncan Hunter [was indicted on Tuesday by a federal grand jury]( in San Diego on charges that he and his wife used more than $250,000 in campaign funds to pay for personal expenses and filed false campaign finance records. (Here’s [an explanation]( of the indictment.) Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings are set to begin Sept. 4. Despite his assurance on Tuesday to Senator Susan Collins of Maine that [he believed the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision]( was “settled law,” Democrats [have demanded more information]( his work for President George W. Bush and with the independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton. Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, [will no longer receive]( treatment for his brain cancer, his family said Friday. He had been undergoing treatment since July 2017. Additional Reading ■[Republicans Urge Embattled Incumbents to Speak Out on Trump]( ■[Betsy DeVos Eyes Federal Education Grants to Put Guns in Schools]( ■On Washington: [As Bad News Piles Up, Senate Republicans Hardly Flinch]( ■[Senator Says He Has Trump’s Backing for Prison Bill Vote Late This Year]( Mr. Trump canceled Mike Pompeo’s planned trip to North Korea. [Mr. Trump said he had asked Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, to cancel next week’s trip to North Korea.] Mr. Trump said he had asked Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, to cancel next week’s trip to North Korea. Tom Brenner for The New York Times On Friday, Mr. Trump [abruptly canceled]( Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s planned trip to North Korea, citing a lack of progress in denuclearization talks. The announcement came a day after Mr. Pompeo [announced a special envoy]( to handle negotiations with the North and to accompany him next week. In other diplomacy efforts, bilateral trade talks between the United States and China [restarted this week](. But it ended on Thursday with little sign of progress as Washington moved ahead with additional tariffs. Additional Reading ■[New U.S. Sanctions Target Russia for Defying Rules on North Korea]( ■[U.S. Criticism of ‘Suspected’ Nuclear Sites May Derail Talks, North Korean Media Warns]( ■[Army Recommends Silver Star for Captain Criticized in Deadly Niger Ambush]( Primaries, special election results and preparation for the November midterms. [A guard outside the Kremlin in June in Moscow.] A guard outside the Kremlin in June in Moscow. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Vital Kremlin informants [have largely gone silent]( ahead of the November midterm elections, leaving American spy agencies in the dark about what Russia’s intentions are. The Democratic National Committee reported that a suspected hacking attempt this week on its voter database [was a false alarm]( as the unusual activity was a test to determine the organization’s security. Republicans in Wyoming [rejected]( President Trump’s preferred candidate in their governor’s race on Tuesday and renominated Senator John Barrasso, a 15-year Republican veteran of Wyoming politics. Additional Reading ■[In Many Close Races for G.O.P. Seats, Democrats Have More Money]( ■[New Russian Hacking Targeted Republican Groups, Microsoft Says]( ■[For Female Candidates, Harassment and Threats Come Every Day]( ■[Georgia County Rejects Plan to Close 7 Polling Places in Majority-Black Area]( HAVE A CONFIDENTIAL NEWS TIP? Do you have the next big story? Want to share it with The New York Times? We offer several ways to get in touch with and provide materials to our journalists. [Learn More »]( ADVERTISEMENT [Climate Fwd: Newsletter]( What on Earth is going on? Sign up to get our latest stories and insights about climate change — along with answers to your questions and tips on how to help. [• Sign Up »]( LIKE THIS EMAIL? 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