What's To Come In The Week Ahead
With Meghna Chakrabarti
We’ll kick off the week with a look at what’s to come in Washington and around the globe.
Guests
Julie Pace, Washington bureau chief for the Associated Press. (@jpaceDC)
Shawna Thomas, Washington bureau chief for Vice News. (@Shawna)
Michael Crowley, national security editor and senior foreign affairs correspondent for Politico. (@michaelcrowley)
From The Reading List
NPR: “President Trump Attacks Report On White House Counsel’s Cooperation With Mueller” — “In a series of tweets over the weekend, President Trump responded to a story published in The New York Times, that detailed extensive cooperation between White House counsel Donald McGahn, and the inquiry by special counsel Robert Mueller into obstruction of justice and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
“In a tweet Saturday night, President Trump said he allowed and encouraged McGahn’s cooperation with the special counsel. ‘In addition we readily gave over one million pages of documents. Most transparent in history,’ Trump wrote.”
New York Times: “Cohen, Trump’s Ex-Lawyer, Investigated for Bank Fraud in Excess of $20 Million” — “Federal authorities investigating whether President Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael D. Cohen, committed bank and tax fraud have zeroed in on well over $20 million in loans obtained by taxi businesses that he and his family own, according to people familiar with the matter.
“Investigators are also examining whether Mr. Cohen violated campaign finance or other laws by helping to arrange financial deals to secure the silence of women who said they had affairs with Mr. Trump. The inquiry has entered the final stage and prosecutors are considering filing charges by the end of August, two of the people said.”
USA Today: “Five Key Points That Could Sway The Jury In Paul Manafort’s Trial” — “Manafort’s attorneys took direct aim at the credibility of Rick Gates, Manafort’s former partner and the government’s star witness, multiple times throughout the trial – even highlighting it again in closing arguments. Gates pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy and lying to the FBI as part of a deal requiring him to testify against Manafort.”
The New York Times: “As Stock Markets Brush Off Trade Tensions, A Warning Of Trouble Ahead” — Right now, while American stock investors don’t seem too bothered by the impact of a trade war, the metal is raising a red flag. The price of copper has fallen 19 percent just since early June, and it’s now at its lowest in about a year. That’s a steeper drop than for other commodities like crude oil, which has also been falling in recent weeks.”
John Brennan isn’t backing down. Even more members of the national security establishment are backing him up. Today, 175 former officials signed a letter saying “the country will be weakened if there’s a political litmus test” for security experts. There’s news that Michael Cohen is being investigated for bank fraud. And, the Manafort trial.
This hour, On Point: We’ll look at what’s coming in the week ahead.
— Meghna Chakrabarti
[Copyright 2018 NPR]
