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| Trump says Giuliani will 'get his facts straight' | Trump has date, location for Kim Jong Un meeting | Trump, Pence head to Dallas for NRA convention | Why you need to change your Twitter password | DC Cinco de Mayo specials |
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I feel like the number $130,000 will haunt President Trump forever. Like I bet he wakes up in the middle of the night and it's 1:30 a.m.: |
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| Via The Hill's Jordan Fabian, the White House has struggled to contain the fallout from the damaging revelations about the criminal investigations plaguing Donald Trump's presidency. http://bit.ly/2IbjhfZ |
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How Washington has reacted, in one gif |
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| Why the story blew up: Trump's new attorney, Rudy Giuliani, disclosed that the president reimbursed his longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Giuliani's statement was designed to reduce Trump's legal exposure to possible campaign finance charges. But it also contradicted the president's previous claim he had no knowledge of the payment, renewing questions about the White House's commitment to honesty. How the West Wing has reacted: Many in the West Wing were taken by surprise. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she first learned that Trump reimbursed Cohen at the same time the public did, pushing back on questions questioning her credibility. Timeline: Here's a brief explainer of President Trump's alleged $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels through his personal lawyer Michael Cohen: http://bit.ly/2wcLMVJ |
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NEW UPDATES -- Trump adds a few sound bites this morning: |
| On his way to the National Rifle Association convention in Texas, President Trump spoke to the press this morning on the White House lawn. Here are the highlights: |
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| ON GIULIANI -- HE'LL LEARN: |
| Trump suggested his new personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani may have gotten details wrong about a hush-money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Quote: "He started yesterday … he'll get his facts straight," Trump told reporters at the White House. "He's a great guy." Watch the clip: http://bit.ly/2HW4GC1 |
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| ON NORTH KOREA -- IT'S A DATE!: |
| Trump announced that his administration has agreed to a date and location for his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Quote: "We now have a date. And we have a location. We'll be announcing it very soon," Trump said from the White House lawn. Watch the clip: http://bit.ly/2rmmuQj |
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| ON A POTENTIAL MUELLER INTERVIEW -- I'D *LOVE* TO, BUT I'M PROBABLY BUSY THAT DAY...: |
| Trump said he would "love to" speak with special counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia investigation, but will only do so if he can be "treated fairly." Quote: "I would love to speak, but I have to find that we're going to be treated fairly because everybody sees it right now and it is a pure witch hunt." Watch: http://bit.ly/2rlVxLN |
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| Happy Friday. You know I have to make this bad joke -- May the 4th be with you. I'm Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what's coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com, @CateMartel and on Facebook. |
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Giuliani is veeery chatty these days: |
| Rudy Giuliani, newly hired to President Trump's legal team, has been making a slew of headlines in the press. Here are a few of the latest -- enjoy: |
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| 'HMMM, I DID CAUSE CHAOS HERE. LEMME CLARIFY THOSE TRUMP PAYMENTS': |
| Via NBC's Kristen Welker and Dennis Romero, Rudy Giuliani insisted that President Trump didn't know the reason he was paying his lawyer Michael Cohen $130,000 and found out right before the 2016 presidential election that it was for adult-film star Stormy Daniels. https://nbcnews.to/2w700Yi Tidbit: According to Giuliani, here's what Trump said when he found out the payment was for Stormy Daniels: "Oh my goodness, I guess that's what it was for." https://nbcnews.to/2w700Yi |
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| EXCLUSIVE -- ON THE PEOPLE INVESTIGATING MICHAEL COHEN: |
| In a phone call with The Hill's Niall Stanage, Rudy Giuliani called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to look into the people investigating Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. In Giuliani's words: "I am waiting for the attorney general to step in, in his role as defender of justice, and put these people under investigation." http://bit.ly/2KxQW1M What Giuliani was referring to: NBC News reported that federal investigators monitored Michael Cohen's phones. Keep in mind: NBC originally reported that feds had "wiretapped" Cohen, but later corrected the story to say "the monitoring of Cohen's phones was limited to a log of calls." https://nbcnews.to/2HVU0mV Trump slammed NBC for the correction: The president tweeted, "NBC NEWS is wrong again! They cite 'sources' which are constantly wrong. Problem is, like so many others, the sources probably don't exist, they are fabricated, fiction! NBC, my former home with the Apprentice, is now as bad as Fake News CNN. Sad!" http://bit.ly/2rmHPZb |
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| ON THE CHANCES THAT MUELLER SUBPOENAS TRUMP: |
| Rudy Giuliani said the chances special counsel Robert Mueller subpoenas President Trump in the Russia investigation are a tossup. "I think it's 50/50," Giuliani told ABC News. "But I got to prepare for that 50 percent." http://bit.ly/2HOrV4V |
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The White House may need to pour another out: |
| Via The Associated Press's Chad Day, Eric Tucker and Zeke Miller, White House counsel Don McGahn is planning to leave his post at some point. Yeah, but: Two sources "cautioned that the timing was unclear and McGahn's departure was not imminent." McGahn's replacement: "Trump's new attorney, Emmet Flood, a veteran of the Clinton impeachment battles, is the leading candidate to replace [McGahn]." http://bit.ly/2HQnTVy |
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J-O-B-S: |
| The U.S. economy added 164,000 jobs in April, a modest number that was less than expected as the nation's labor market maintains a steady pace of growth. Some context: Expectations were for an April gain of about 190,000 jobs. Unemployment rate: The unemployment rate fell to 3.9 percent, the lowest level since December 2000, the Labor Department reported on Friday. http://bit.ly/2JSZnDM |
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New poll -- the freshman 15 is haunting the president: |
| According to a new Reuters–Ipsos poll, President Trump's support among union workers has dropped 15 points (!) in one year. The numbers: Trump's support among union workers hit its all-time high of 62 percent last March and now is at 47 percent. Keep in mind for the midterms: Democrats are working hard to win back union voters, a bloc that has typically been a stronghold for them. http://bit.ly/2rjRoIc |
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Change your Twitter passwords: |
| Twitter discovered a bug that had been saving users' passwords. The issue has been resolved, but the company recommends that users change their passwords. Details: https://cnnmon.ie/2rhH84e |
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Y'know what -- I'm staying!: |
| House Chaplain Patrick Conroy has retracted his resignation letter, arguing he deserves to keep his job. "I have never been disciplined, nor reprimanded, nor have I ever heard a complaint about my ministry during my time as House Chaplain," Conroy said. "It is my desire to continue to serve as House Chaplain ... to the end of my current two-year term, and beyond, unless my services are officially terminated (however that is properly done) or I am not re-elected to the position by the membership of the House." Ryan on Thursday backed down and said he accepted Conroy's decision. The two will sit down soon. Back story: Conroy said Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) chief of staff, on behalf of Ryan, told him to resign and suggested that it might be time for a non-Catholic to fill the post. Full story: http://bit.ly/2JSNQo1 |
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*Watches*
*Pauses*
*Looks up and out in an existential way*: |
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Watch the video -- seriously, trust me: http://bit.ly/2FFqMGF |
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Ahh hahaha: |
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| ... : |
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| Congress is out, but will return next week. President Trump and Vice President Pence are both traveling to Dallas for the day to speak at a National Rifle Association forum. Video of Trump leaving for Texas: http://bit.ly/2rfSEwT Saturday: More than 40 embassies in D.C. are open to the public, featuring cultural food, music and art. Details and 13 other events in D.C. this weekend: https://wapo.st/2rhPJTC |
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| 1:15 p.m. EDT: Vice President Pence speaks at the National Rifle Association's annual forum in Texas. Livestream: http://bit.ly/2FHRWNf 1:45 p.m. EDT: President Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association's annual forum in Texas. Livestream: http://bit.ly/2FHRWNf Sunday: Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul will appear on NBC's "Meet the Press." |
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| NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...: | |
| Today is National Orange Juice Day. Have a mimosa for me! And for planning purposes, tomorrow is National Enchilada Day! |
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Now where is my sombrero?: |
| Via Washingtonian, here's a list of Cinco de Mayo food and margarita specials around Washington, D.C. The list -- I'm looking at you, Tico taco stations: http://bit.ly/2wcqN5x And: Here's a list of specials around the country: https://usat.ly/2KAVd4w |
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| And to get your weekend off to a great start, meet the most polite doggo: http://bit.ly/2rjm9Ni |
