Putin set to attend Austrian foreign minister's wedding
18 August 2018
The wedding invitation has stirred controversy in Austria
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday - but not before attending nuptials in Austria first.
A Kremlin spokesman confirmed earlier this week that that Mr Putin would be a surprise guest at the wedding of the Austrian foreign minister.
Karin Kneissl is set to marry businessman Wolfgang Meilinger at a vineyard in Austria's Styria state.
He was invited to the ceremony during a visit to Austria earlier this year.
Ms Kneissl, an independent, was picked for the foreign minister job by Austria's far-right Freedom Party - a coalition partner in the current government.
Austria's media has been abuzz about the Russian president's appearance since it was announced earlier this week.
Some opposition politicians have voiced concern about the potential cost to taxpayers incurred by increased security for the visit.
Members of the country's Green Party are among those calling for the foreign minister to resign over Mr Putin's invitation.
The Russian president is also set for informal talks with the German chancellor on Saturday about a number of issues.
Germany is facing pressure from the US to halt work on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project which will transport gas from Russia.
Speaking to the press on Friday, Mrs Merkel said she would like to discuss the possibility of a meeting on Syria with other Nato partners, but that "no specific results are expected" from Saturday's working meeting.
Saturday, August 18, 2018
White House's Kudlow says China looks 'terrible.' Numbers paint a murkier picture - CNBC
White House's Kudlow says China looks 'terrible.' Numbers paint a murkier picture
White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow says China's economy looks "terrible."
However, data show the country is not in as dire straits as Kudlow's remarks suggest.
China's economy is still one of the fastest growing in the world, and capital is not fleeing the country.
Evelyn Cheng | @chengevelyn
Published
CNBC.com
Larry Kudlow: US economy is 'crushing it' while Chinese economy 'looks terrible' Larry Kudlow: US economy is 'crushing it' while Chinese economy 'looks terrible'
1:46 PM ET Thu, 16 Aug 2018 | 04:42
White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow says China's economy looks "terrible," and that investment there is "collapsing." But the data show a more complicated picture.
"I'm not a China expert, although I'm boning up as fast as I can, I would just say right now their economy looks terrible," Kudlow said Thursday in response to President Donald Trump's question at a Cabinet meeting about China's prospects.
Kudlow also said the latest data showed that "retail sales, business investment is collapsing." "There may be some manipulation" in the currency and "investors are moving out of China because they don't like the economy," he added.
Growth is slowing, and the latest economic reports did disappoint analyst expectations. Worries about high debt levels persist. The Chinese yuan has fallen to its lowest level in more than a year against the U.S. dollar.
The Chinese stock market also paints a depressing picture for investors. The Shanghai exchange, which is known to be more volatile and less efficient than U.S. markets, is down 25 percent from a high it hit in late January.
Other numbers paint a less dire picture than Kudlow's comments suggest.
First, fixed asset investment did slow to 5.5 percent year-on-year growth in July, the lowest since 1999, according to Shanghai-based data company Wind Info. Retail sales growth of 8.8 percent in July from a year earlier missed expectations of 9.1 percent and fell from 9 percent in June, according to Reuters. But that is still better than the 6.4 percent year-on-year increase in U.S. retail sales reported for July.
Beijing is trying to transition China's economy to a consumption-driven one from one reliant on manufacturing. The economic growth rate is bound to decline in this process, since the labor productivity of the services industry is significantly lower than that of the manufacturing industry, according to Lu Zhang, a Beijing-based economist at investment research firm CEBM. The quality of China's growth is also improving, she noted.
Overall, China's gross domestic product is expected to grow 6.6 percent this year, slower than last year's 6.9 percent rate but still one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and far above the 3.9 percent global growth forecast, according to a July report from the International Monetary Fund. That compares with the IMF's outlook for a 2.9 percent increase in U.S. GDP this year, up from 2.3 percent last year.
Second, the Chinese yuan has fallen more than 5.5 percent in 2018 against the U.S. dollar. However, it is down less than 1 percent versus the euro over that period.
Part of the weakness in the yuan is due to a slowing economy and easing domestic monetary policy. But at the same time, the U.S. dollar index has strengthened to its highest in more than a year amid Federal Reserve tightening.
China's economy is nowhere near cratering, but will continue weaken, says pro China's economy is nowhere near cratering, but will continue weaken, says pro
21 Hours Ago | 03:56
The official China Foreign Exchange Trade System RMB index, which tracks the yuan's moves against a weighted basket of currencies such as the euro, Japanese yen and Swiss franc, is down about 2 percent this year, according to Wind.
Third, data show foreign investment in China is on the rise, though slower than it had been. It is, however, down in the U.S. That contrasts with Kudlow's comment to Trump that investors are moving out of China and "coming to the USA because they like our economy."
New foreign direct investment in the U.S. fell 32 percent in 2017 to $259.6 billion, according to the latest preliminary figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Chinese acquisitions and investments in the U.S. also dropped 92 percent to $1.8 billion in the first five months of this year, research and consulting firm Rhodium Group said.
Actually utilized foreign capital in China is lower overall at $76.1 billion this year but up single digits year on year, according to analysis of Ministry of Commerce data using Wind Info.
In another indication that capital is not fleeing the country, Chinese foreign exchange reserves rose $5.82 billion in July to $3.118 trillion, contrary to expectations for a decline of $12.1 billion, according to Reuters.
China does, however, face pressure as authorities try to reduce reliance on debt-driven growth, while the economy could also be affected if trade tensions with the U.S. escalate. Kudlow's remarks come as the U.S. and China agreed to resume negotiations on trade later this month.
— CNBC's Everett Rosenfeld contributed to this report
White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow says China's economy looks "terrible."
However, data show the country is not in as dire straits as Kudlow's remarks suggest.
China's economy is still one of the fastest growing in the world, and capital is not fleeing the country.
Evelyn Cheng | @chengevelyn
Published
CNBC.com
Larry Kudlow: US economy is 'crushing it' while Chinese economy 'looks terrible' Larry Kudlow: US economy is 'crushing it' while Chinese economy 'looks terrible'
1:46 PM ET Thu, 16 Aug 2018 | 04:42
White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow says China's economy looks "terrible," and that investment there is "collapsing." But the data show a more complicated picture.
"I'm not a China expert, although I'm boning up as fast as I can, I would just say right now their economy looks terrible," Kudlow said Thursday in response to President Donald Trump's question at a Cabinet meeting about China's prospects.
Kudlow also said the latest data showed that "retail sales, business investment is collapsing." "There may be some manipulation" in the currency and "investors are moving out of China because they don't like the economy," he added.
Growth is slowing, and the latest economic reports did disappoint analyst expectations. Worries about high debt levels persist. The Chinese yuan has fallen to its lowest level in more than a year against the U.S. dollar.
The Chinese stock market also paints a depressing picture for investors. The Shanghai exchange, which is known to be more volatile and less efficient than U.S. markets, is down 25 percent from a high it hit in late January.
Other numbers paint a less dire picture than Kudlow's comments suggest.
First, fixed asset investment did slow to 5.5 percent year-on-year growth in July, the lowest since 1999, according to Shanghai-based data company Wind Info. Retail sales growth of 8.8 percent in July from a year earlier missed expectations of 9.1 percent and fell from 9 percent in June, according to Reuters. But that is still better than the 6.4 percent year-on-year increase in U.S. retail sales reported for July.
Beijing is trying to transition China's economy to a consumption-driven one from one reliant on manufacturing. The economic growth rate is bound to decline in this process, since the labor productivity of the services industry is significantly lower than that of the manufacturing industry, according to Lu Zhang, a Beijing-based economist at investment research firm CEBM. The quality of China's growth is also improving, she noted.
Overall, China's gross domestic product is expected to grow 6.6 percent this year, slower than last year's 6.9 percent rate but still one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and far above the 3.9 percent global growth forecast, according to a July report from the International Monetary Fund. That compares with the IMF's outlook for a 2.9 percent increase in U.S. GDP this year, up from 2.3 percent last year.
Second, the Chinese yuan has fallen more than 5.5 percent in 2018 against the U.S. dollar. However, it is down less than 1 percent versus the euro over that period.
Part of the weakness in the yuan is due to a slowing economy and easing domestic monetary policy. But at the same time, the U.S. dollar index has strengthened to its highest in more than a year amid Federal Reserve tightening.
China's economy is nowhere near cratering, but will continue weaken, says pro China's economy is nowhere near cratering, but will continue weaken, says pro
21 Hours Ago | 03:56
The official China Foreign Exchange Trade System RMB index, which tracks the yuan's moves against a weighted basket of currencies such as the euro, Japanese yen and Swiss franc, is down about 2 percent this year, according to Wind.
Third, data show foreign investment in China is on the rise, though slower than it had been. It is, however, down in the U.S. That contrasts with Kudlow's comment to Trump that investors are moving out of China and "coming to the USA because they like our economy."
New foreign direct investment in the U.S. fell 32 percent in 2017 to $259.6 billion, according to the latest preliminary figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Chinese acquisitions and investments in the U.S. also dropped 92 percent to $1.8 billion in the first five months of this year, research and consulting firm Rhodium Group said.
Actually utilized foreign capital in China is lower overall at $76.1 billion this year but up single digits year on year, according to analysis of Ministry of Commerce data using Wind Info.
In another indication that capital is not fleeing the country, Chinese foreign exchange reserves rose $5.82 billion in July to $3.118 trillion, contrary to expectations for a decline of $12.1 billion, according to Reuters.
China does, however, face pressure as authorities try to reduce reliance on debt-driven growth, while the economy could also be affected if trade tensions with the U.S. escalate. Kudlow's remarks come as the U.S. and China agreed to resume negotiations on trade later this month.
— CNBC's Everett Rosenfeld contributed to this report
Omarosa Manigault Newman Releases Tape of Lara Trump’s $15,000-a-Month Job Offer - New York Times
Omarosa Manigault Newman Releases Tape of Lara Trump’s $15,000-a-Month Job Offer
By releasing tapes of her private conversations, Omarosa Manigault Newman has taken a page from President Trump’s playbook.CreditShannon Stapleton/Reuters
By Maggie Haberman and Kenneth P. Vogel
Aug. 16, 2018
Omarosa Manigault Newman released a secret recording on Thursday that she said backed her claim that President Trump’s daughter-in-law had offered her a $15,000-a-month contract in exchange for her silence about her time as a White House adviser.
The audio, released during an interview on MSNBC, is the latest in the trickle of recordings that Ms. Manigault Newman has made public to bolster the credibility — and sales — of her tell-some book, “Unhinged,” about her tenure at the White House.
In the book, she claimed that the Trump 2020 campaign, which is partly overseen by Lara Trump, who is married to Mr. Trump’s son Eric, offered her a salary equal to what she had earned before being fired from the White House in December.
Ms. Trump noted on the tape, which Ms. Manigault Newman said was recorded days after she was fired, that the money would come from campaign donors.
“All the money that we raise and that pays salaries is directly from donors, small-dollar donors for the most part,” Ms. Trump said. “So I know you, you were making 179 at the White House, and I think we can work something out where we keep you right along those lines.”
In a statement, Ms. Trump said that she had shared a bond with Ms. Manigault Newman during the 2016 campaign “as a friend and a campaign sister, and I am absolutely shocked and saddened by her betrayal and violation on a deeply personal level.”
“I hope it’s all worth it for you, Omarosa, because some things you just can’t put a price on,” she continued.
The tapes of Ms. Manigault Newman’s private conversations with Mr. Trump and other officials connected to him have rattled the White House in a way that few things other than the special counsel investigation into possible campaign collusion with Russia have. Mr. Trump’s aides have been concerned that they will make appearances on other tapes, of which Ms. Manigault Newman is believed to have as many as 200.
Her willingness to slowly deploy the tapes for maximum effect is straight from Mr. Trump’s playbook, which includes boasts of relying on “truthful hyperbole” to engage people, of threatening to expose people with recordings and of claiming to have scurrilous information about people that he might reveal at any moment.
“Believe me,” Ms. Manigault Newman said on MSNBC, invoking one of Mr. Trump’s favorite phrases to convey his sincerity, “my tapes are much better than theirs.”
Ms. Manigault Newman is not the only person who has caused Mr. Trump harm with his own tactics.
Another is Michael D. Cohen, the president’s former personal lawyer, who told allies he did not want to be made the scapegoat for Mr. Trump’s legal troubles. Mr. Cohen secretly recorded a conversation in which he and Mr. Trump discussed payments from The National Enquirer’s parent company to a Playboy model who had claimed she had an affair with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump’s campaign said it had no knowledge of the payments, but the recording was made before those denials.
Michael Avenatti — who represents Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic film actress who also said she had an affair with Mr. Trump and was paid hush money by Mr. Cohen — has also used the president’s own tactics to rattle him.
Mr. Avenatti has waited for Mr. Trump to make denials and has then dribbled out contradictory information. He has been omnipresent on cable news, just as Mr. Trump was in 2016.
On Thursday, officials at Simon & Schuster, the publisher of “Unhinged,” said they had received a legal warning letter against publication from Charles Harder, the libel lawyer whom Mr. Trump has retained in other matters. The publisher’s lawyer responded in kind, saying the president was using the highest platform in the land to censor someone.
Some major donors to Mr. Trump were bothered by the revelations that the campaign may have been used as a slush fund to pay fired or troublesome employees, said Dan K. Eberhart, an Arizona donor and energy executive who serves as an adviser to the America First Policies group created to support Mr. Trump’s agenda.
“It’s diverting donor money that could be used to wage the midterm election battle or store resources for Trump’s re-election,” Mr. Eberhart said. “Instead, it’s an elongated hush payment.”
He added, though, that he did not believe it would dissuade donors. “They still want to win elections,” he said.
By releasing tapes of her private conversations, Omarosa Manigault Newman has taken a page from President Trump’s playbook.CreditShannon Stapleton/Reuters
By Maggie Haberman and Kenneth P. Vogel
Aug. 16, 2018
Omarosa Manigault Newman released a secret recording on Thursday that she said backed her claim that President Trump’s daughter-in-law had offered her a $15,000-a-month contract in exchange for her silence about her time as a White House adviser.
The audio, released during an interview on MSNBC, is the latest in the trickle of recordings that Ms. Manigault Newman has made public to bolster the credibility — and sales — of her tell-some book, “Unhinged,” about her tenure at the White House.
In the book, she claimed that the Trump 2020 campaign, which is partly overseen by Lara Trump, who is married to Mr. Trump’s son Eric, offered her a salary equal to what she had earned before being fired from the White House in December.
Ms. Trump noted on the tape, which Ms. Manigault Newman said was recorded days after she was fired, that the money would come from campaign donors.
“All the money that we raise and that pays salaries is directly from donors, small-dollar donors for the most part,” Ms. Trump said. “So I know you, you were making 179 at the White House, and I think we can work something out where we keep you right along those lines.”
In a statement, Ms. Trump said that she had shared a bond with Ms. Manigault Newman during the 2016 campaign “as a friend and a campaign sister, and I am absolutely shocked and saddened by her betrayal and violation on a deeply personal level.”
“I hope it’s all worth it for you, Omarosa, because some things you just can’t put a price on,” she continued.
The tapes of Ms. Manigault Newman’s private conversations with Mr. Trump and other officials connected to him have rattled the White House in a way that few things other than the special counsel investigation into possible campaign collusion with Russia have. Mr. Trump’s aides have been concerned that they will make appearances on other tapes, of which Ms. Manigault Newman is believed to have as many as 200.
Her willingness to slowly deploy the tapes for maximum effect is straight from Mr. Trump’s playbook, which includes boasts of relying on “truthful hyperbole” to engage people, of threatening to expose people with recordings and of claiming to have scurrilous information about people that he might reveal at any moment.
“Believe me,” Ms. Manigault Newman said on MSNBC, invoking one of Mr. Trump’s favorite phrases to convey his sincerity, “my tapes are much better than theirs.”
Ms. Manigault Newman is not the only person who has caused Mr. Trump harm with his own tactics.
Another is Michael D. Cohen, the president’s former personal lawyer, who told allies he did not want to be made the scapegoat for Mr. Trump’s legal troubles. Mr. Cohen secretly recorded a conversation in which he and Mr. Trump discussed payments from The National Enquirer’s parent company to a Playboy model who had claimed she had an affair with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump’s campaign said it had no knowledge of the payments, but the recording was made before those denials.
Michael Avenatti — who represents Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic film actress who also said she had an affair with Mr. Trump and was paid hush money by Mr. Cohen — has also used the president’s own tactics to rattle him.
Mr. Avenatti has waited for Mr. Trump to make denials and has then dribbled out contradictory information. He has been omnipresent on cable news, just as Mr. Trump was in 2016.
On Thursday, officials at Simon & Schuster, the publisher of “Unhinged,” said they had received a legal warning letter against publication from Charles Harder, the libel lawyer whom Mr. Trump has retained in other matters. The publisher’s lawyer responded in kind, saying the president was using the highest platform in the land to censor someone.
Some major donors to Mr. Trump were bothered by the revelations that the campaign may have been used as a slush fund to pay fired or troublesome employees, said Dan K. Eberhart, an Arizona donor and energy executive who serves as an adviser to the America First Policies group created to support Mr. Trump’s agenda.
“It’s diverting donor money that could be used to wage the midterm election battle or store resources for Trump’s re-election,” Mr. Eberhart said. “Instead, it’s an elongated hush payment.”
He added, though, that he did not believe it would dissuade donors. “They still want to win elections,” he said.
George Papadopoulos: Mueller proposes sentence for ex-Trump aide - BBC News
August 18, 2018.
George Papadopoulos: Mueller proposes sentence for ex-Trump aide
George Papadopoulos said he was told the Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton
US special counsel Robert Mueller has recommended a prison sentence of up to six months for former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos.
Mr Mueller, head of an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election, said such a sentence was "warranted and appropriate".
Mr Papadopoulos has admitted lying about his contacts with Russians while a member of the Trump campaign team.
Sentencing is due to take place on 7 September.
"The government does not take a position with respect to a particular sentence to be imposed, but respectfully submits that a sentence of incarceration within the applicable guidelines range of zero to six months imprisonment is appropriate and warranted," Mr Mueller's memorandum to the judge in the case says.
The memorandum adds that Mr Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about his contacts with alleged Russian go-betweens.
They included a London-based professor who said Russia had "dirt" on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
"The defendant's lies undermined investigators' ability to challenge the professor or potentially detain or arrest him while he was still in the United States," the memorandum says.
"The defendant's false statements were intended to harm the investigation, and did so."
Mr Papadopoulos - a Chicago-based international energy lawyer - is one of three ex-Trump campaign officials who have admitted lying to investigators, including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and businessman Richard Gates, who served as deputy campaign chairman.
Separately, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort faces charges of bank and tax fraud in the first trial stemming from the inquiry into alleged Russian meddling. He denies any wrongdoing.
Manafort: The man who helped Trump win
Prosecutors say the 69-year-old dodged taxes on millions of dollars he made lobbying for Ukrainian politicians.
Members of the jury are now deciding their verdict - with their identities protected over safety concerns after the judge in the case admitted he had received threats himself.
If found guilty on the fraud charges, Mr Manafort could spend the rest of his life in jail.
The allegations against him are not linked to Mr Trump and centre on his consultancy work with pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.
US special counsel Robert Mueller has recommended a prison sentence of up to six months for former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos.
Mr Mueller, head of an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election, said such a sentence was "warranted and appropriate".
Mr Papadopoulos has admitted lying about his contacts with Russians while a member of the Trump campaign team.
Sentencing is due to take place on 7 September.
"The government does not take a position with respect to a particular sentence to be imposed, but respectfully submits that a sentence of incarceration within the applicable guidelines range of zero to six months imprisonment is appropriate and warranted," Mr Mueller's memorandum to the judge in the case says.
The memorandum adds that Mr Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about his contacts with alleged Russian go-betweens.
They included a London-based professor who said Russia had "dirt" on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
"The defendant's lies undermined investigators' ability to challenge the professor or potentially detain or arrest him while he was still in the United States," the memorandum says.
"The defendant's false statements were intended to harm the investigation, and did so."
Mr Papadopoulos - a Chicago-based international energy lawyer - is one of three ex-Trump campaign officials who have admitted lying to investigators, including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and businessman Richard Gates, who served as deputy campaign chairman.
Separately, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort faces charges of bank and tax fraud in the first trial stemming from the inquiry into alleged Russian meddling. He denies any wrongdoing.
Manafort: The man who helped Trump win
Prosecutors say the 69-year-old dodged taxes on millions of dollars he made lobbying for Ukrainian politicians.
Members of the jury are now deciding their verdict - with their identities protected over safety concerns after the judge in the case admitted he had received threats himself.
If found guilty on the fraud charges, Mr Manafort could spend the rest of his life in jail.
The allegations against him are not linked to Mr Trump and centre on his consultancy work with pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.
George Papadopoulos: Mueller proposes sentence for ex-Trump aide
George Papadopoulos said he was told the Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton
US special counsel Robert Mueller has recommended a prison sentence of up to six months for former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos.
Mr Mueller, head of an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election, said such a sentence was "warranted and appropriate".
Mr Papadopoulos has admitted lying about his contacts with Russians while a member of the Trump campaign team.
Sentencing is due to take place on 7 September.
"The government does not take a position with respect to a particular sentence to be imposed, but respectfully submits that a sentence of incarceration within the applicable guidelines range of zero to six months imprisonment is appropriate and warranted," Mr Mueller's memorandum to the judge in the case says.
The memorandum adds that Mr Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about his contacts with alleged Russian go-betweens.
They included a London-based professor who said Russia had "dirt" on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
"The defendant's lies undermined investigators' ability to challenge the professor or potentially detain or arrest him while he was still in the United States," the memorandum says.
"The defendant's false statements were intended to harm the investigation, and did so."
Mr Papadopoulos - a Chicago-based international energy lawyer - is one of three ex-Trump campaign officials who have admitted lying to investigators, including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and businessman Richard Gates, who served as deputy campaign chairman.
Separately, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort faces charges of bank and tax fraud in the first trial stemming from the inquiry into alleged Russian meddling. He denies any wrongdoing.
Manafort: The man who helped Trump win
Prosecutors say the 69-year-old dodged taxes on millions of dollars he made lobbying for Ukrainian politicians.
Members of the jury are now deciding their verdict - with their identities protected over safety concerns after the judge in the case admitted he had received threats himself.
If found guilty on the fraud charges, Mr Manafort could spend the rest of his life in jail.
The allegations against him are not linked to Mr Trump and centre on his consultancy work with pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.
US special counsel Robert Mueller has recommended a prison sentence of up to six months for former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos.
Mr Mueller, head of an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election, said such a sentence was "warranted and appropriate".
Mr Papadopoulos has admitted lying about his contacts with Russians while a member of the Trump campaign team.
Sentencing is due to take place on 7 September.
"The government does not take a position with respect to a particular sentence to be imposed, but respectfully submits that a sentence of incarceration within the applicable guidelines range of zero to six months imprisonment is appropriate and warranted," Mr Mueller's memorandum to the judge in the case says.
The memorandum adds that Mr Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about his contacts with alleged Russian go-betweens.
They included a London-based professor who said Russia had "dirt" on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
"The defendant's lies undermined investigators' ability to challenge the professor or potentially detain or arrest him while he was still in the United States," the memorandum says.
"The defendant's false statements were intended to harm the investigation, and did so."
Mr Papadopoulos - a Chicago-based international energy lawyer - is one of three ex-Trump campaign officials who have admitted lying to investigators, including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and businessman Richard Gates, who served as deputy campaign chairman.
Separately, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort faces charges of bank and tax fraud in the first trial stemming from the inquiry into alleged Russian meddling. He denies any wrongdoing.
Manafort: The man who helped Trump win
Prosecutors say the 69-year-old dodged taxes on millions of dollars he made lobbying for Ukrainian politicians.
Members of the jury are now deciding their verdict - with their identities protected over safety concerns after the judge in the case admitted he had received threats himself.
If found guilty on the fraud charges, Mr Manafort could spend the rest of his life in jail.
The allegations against him are not linked to Mr Trump and centre on his consultancy work with pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.
Kofi Annan, former UN chief, dies at 80 - BBC News
August 18, 2018.
Kofi Annan, former UN chief, dies at 80
Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general who won the Nobel Peace Prize for humanitarian work, has died aged 80, international diplomats say.
Annan was the first black African to take up the role of the world's top diplomat, serving two terms from 1997 to 2006.
He later served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Annan's tenure coincided with the Iraq War and the HIV/Aids pandemic.
Kofi Annan, former UN chief, dies at 80
Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general who won the Nobel Peace Prize for humanitarian work, has died aged 80, international diplomats say.
Annan was the first black African to take up the role of the world's top diplomat, serving two terms from 1997 to 2006.
He later served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Annan's tenure coincided with the Iraq War and the HIV/Aids pandemic.
Omarosa releases secret tape of Lara Trump offering her $15K-a-month campaign job - MSNBC
Omarosa releases secret tape of Lara Trump offering her $15K-a-month campaign job
The tape, which was broadcast on MSNBC, was made just days after the former "Apprentice" contestant left her White House job.
by Adam Edelman / Aug.17.2018
Omarosa Manigault Newman, the former reality TV star who became a top White House aide to President Donald Trump, on Thursday released exclusively to MSNBC a secret tape of campaign official Lara Trump offering her a $15,000-a-month job after she was fired from the administration.
The tape — which, according to Manigault Newman was made on Dec. 16, 2017, just days after she had left the White House — appears to corroborate claims she made in her new book about receiving an offer from the president's re-election campaign. Manigault Newman wrote in her book that the job offer came with the condition of signing a nondisclosure agreement; she said she did not accept it.
On the new tape, Lara Trump says: "It sounds a little like, obviously, that there are some things you've got in the back pocket to pull out. Clearly, if you come on board the campaign, like, we can't have, we got to," she continues, before Manigault Newman interjects, "Oh, God no."
"Everything, everybody, positive, right?" Trump continues.
In an interview with MSNBC's Craig Melvin after the excerpts were aired, Manigault Newman said the recording was proof of "an attempt" by the Trump team "to buy my silence, to censor me, and to pay me off."
Asked if she saw it as "hush money," Manigault Newman responded, "Absolutely."
Manigault Newman shared four excerpts from the recording of the longer conversation for broadcast; NBC News has heard the full tape of the conversation and the clips are in context.
In another excerpt of the recording, Lara Trump, who is married to Donald Trump's son Eric, is heard explaining to Manigault Newman that "the only thing that we have to consider, where we're talking salary as far as the campaign is concerned, is that, as you know, everything is public."
"And that all the money that we raise and that pays salaries is directly from donors, small-dollar donors for the most part. So, I know you, you were making 179 at the White House. And I think we can work something out where we keep you right along those lines," Trump continues. "Specifically, let me see, I haven't even added up the numbers. But we were talking about, like, 15K a month. Let me see what that adds up to. Times 12. Yeah."
"So that's $180,000. Does that sound like a fair deal for you?" Trump is heard saying.
In another excerpt, Trump says the job would require Manigault Newman to be flexible about where she is working, pointing out that she would have to come to New York occasionally, but could remain in Washington, if she wanted to, and might be asked to do speaking engagements for the campaign.
Full Interview: Omarosa releases tape of Lara Trump offering campaign job
AUG.17.201815:46
When asked by Melvin why she did not share the full tape for NBC to play, Manigault Newman responded that she wanted to "undergird everything" in her book.
She reiterated that she had witnessed "corruption" during her time in the White House, but when asked for the specifics of what she saw, she replied that "there are things I'm going to save to share when the time is right."
Later Thursday, a lawyer for the Trump campaign sent a letter to Simon and Schuster, the publisher of Manigault Newman's book, alleging she was in violation of an agreement she had signed with the Trump campaign and saying that the publisher and others would face claims should it proceed with selling the book. Simon and Schuster responded by saying it was proceeding and was acting "well within its rights."
Sarah Sanders says she ‘can’t guarantee’ there’s no tape of Trump using the ‘N-word’
Trump lashes out at Omarosa on Twitter
Manigault Newman wouldn't comment on whether she'd spoken with special counsel Robert Mueller's team — which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election — since she began releasing her tapes (she told MSNBC on Tuesday that she’d been interviewed by Mueller), but said she would stand by her previous statement.
"Every time the Trump people challenge me, I bring the receipts," she said, adding that she would release more audio tapes "if I need to."
"I'll do what I have to do to protect myself," she said.
Shortly before her appearance, the Republican National Committee released an ad online that showcased several instances when Manigault Newman, during the campaign and presidency, praised Trump — an apparent effort to contrast the former aide's past glowing remarks with her current criticism.
Trump tweeted a link to the video, and wrote, "Thank you for the kind words Omarosa!"
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Thank you for the kind words Omarosa!
GOP
✔
@GOP
Guess she forgot about these tapes…
4:55 AM - Aug 17, 2018
Responding to the video, she told Melvin that "my tapes are much better than theirs."
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the Trump campaign, Lara Trump called Manigault Newman's latest tape "a fraud" and said she was "shocked and saddened by her betrayal and violation."
The latest secret audio recording — the fourth one Manigault Newman has released in recent days — comes after the release this week of her book, "Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House," in which she slammed the president as racist and in mental decline.
Trump has repeatedly insulted Manigault Newman in the days since her media blitz began, calling her "wacky," "vicious but not smart,"a "dog," and someone who “constantly missed work.” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has called Manigault Newman a "disgruntled former" employee whose book was simply an effort to profit off "false attacks."
Since last weekend, Manigault Newman has publicly shared audio recordings made in the White House of Trump and of chief of staff John Kelly, as well as one that she said was a phone call between herself and several other Trump advisers.
The tape, which was broadcast on MSNBC, was made just days after the former "Apprentice" contestant left her White House job.
by Adam Edelman / Aug.17.2018
Omarosa Manigault Newman, the former reality TV star who became a top White House aide to President Donald Trump, on Thursday released exclusively to MSNBC a secret tape of campaign official Lara Trump offering her a $15,000-a-month job after she was fired from the administration.
The tape — which, according to Manigault Newman was made on Dec. 16, 2017, just days after she had left the White House — appears to corroborate claims she made in her new book about receiving an offer from the president's re-election campaign. Manigault Newman wrote in her book that the job offer came with the condition of signing a nondisclosure agreement; she said she did not accept it.
On the new tape, Lara Trump says: "It sounds a little like, obviously, that there are some things you've got in the back pocket to pull out. Clearly, if you come on board the campaign, like, we can't have, we got to," she continues, before Manigault Newman interjects, "Oh, God no."
"Everything, everybody, positive, right?" Trump continues.
In an interview with MSNBC's Craig Melvin after the excerpts were aired, Manigault Newman said the recording was proof of "an attempt" by the Trump team "to buy my silence, to censor me, and to pay me off."
Asked if she saw it as "hush money," Manigault Newman responded, "Absolutely."
Manigault Newman shared four excerpts from the recording of the longer conversation for broadcast; NBC News has heard the full tape of the conversation and the clips are in context.
In another excerpt of the recording, Lara Trump, who is married to Donald Trump's son Eric, is heard explaining to Manigault Newman that "the only thing that we have to consider, where we're talking salary as far as the campaign is concerned, is that, as you know, everything is public."
"And that all the money that we raise and that pays salaries is directly from donors, small-dollar donors for the most part. So, I know you, you were making 179 at the White House. And I think we can work something out where we keep you right along those lines," Trump continues. "Specifically, let me see, I haven't even added up the numbers. But we were talking about, like, 15K a month. Let me see what that adds up to. Times 12. Yeah."
"So that's $180,000. Does that sound like a fair deal for you?" Trump is heard saying.
In another excerpt, Trump says the job would require Manigault Newman to be flexible about where she is working, pointing out that she would have to come to New York occasionally, but could remain in Washington, if she wanted to, and might be asked to do speaking engagements for the campaign.
Full Interview: Omarosa releases tape of Lara Trump offering campaign job
AUG.17.201815:46
When asked by Melvin why she did not share the full tape for NBC to play, Manigault Newman responded that she wanted to "undergird everything" in her book.
She reiterated that she had witnessed "corruption" during her time in the White House, but when asked for the specifics of what she saw, she replied that "there are things I'm going to save to share when the time is right."
Later Thursday, a lawyer for the Trump campaign sent a letter to Simon and Schuster, the publisher of Manigault Newman's book, alleging she was in violation of an agreement she had signed with the Trump campaign and saying that the publisher and others would face claims should it proceed with selling the book. Simon and Schuster responded by saying it was proceeding and was acting "well within its rights."
Sarah Sanders says she ‘can’t guarantee’ there’s no tape of Trump using the ‘N-word’
Trump lashes out at Omarosa on Twitter
Manigault Newman wouldn't comment on whether she'd spoken with special counsel Robert Mueller's team — which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election — since she began releasing her tapes (she told MSNBC on Tuesday that she’d been interviewed by Mueller), but said she would stand by her previous statement.
"Every time the Trump people challenge me, I bring the receipts," she said, adding that she would release more audio tapes "if I need to."
"I'll do what I have to do to protect myself," she said.
Shortly before her appearance, the Republican National Committee released an ad online that showcased several instances when Manigault Newman, during the campaign and presidency, praised Trump — an apparent effort to contrast the former aide's past glowing remarks with her current criticism.
Trump tweeted a link to the video, and wrote, "Thank you for the kind words Omarosa!"
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Thank you for the kind words Omarosa!
GOP
✔
@GOP
Guess she forgot about these tapes…
4:55 AM - Aug 17, 2018
Responding to the video, she told Melvin that "my tapes are much better than theirs."
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the Trump campaign, Lara Trump called Manigault Newman's latest tape "a fraud" and said she was "shocked and saddened by her betrayal and violation."
The latest secret audio recording — the fourth one Manigault Newman has released in recent days — comes after the release this week of her book, "Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House," in which she slammed the president as racist and in mental decline.
Trump has repeatedly insulted Manigault Newman in the days since her media blitz began, calling her "wacky," "vicious but not smart,"a "dog," and someone who “constantly missed work.” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has called Manigault Newman a "disgruntled former" employee whose book was simply an effort to profit off "false attacks."
Since last weekend, Manigault Newman has publicly shared audio recordings made in the White House of Trump and of chief of staff John Kelly, as well as one that she said was a phone call between herself and several other Trump advisers.
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