August 23, 2018.
South Africa Says President Trump Is 'Misinformed' About Land Seizures
By LAIGNEE BARRON
Land rights in South Africa were on President Donald Trump’s agenda Wednesday night shortly after Fox News aired a segment on the country’s plans to redistribute land amid persisting racial disparities.
President Trump said he has asked the State Department to look into the matter.
“I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and large scale killing of farmers,” he wrote on Twitter. The tweet appears to be in response to the segment as he tagged both Carlson and Fox News.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. “South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.” @TuckerCarlson @FoxNews
12:28 PM - Aug 23, 2018
Earlier this month, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) intends on changing the constitution to allow the government to repossess land without offering compensation. The move aims to address racial inequalities, as white residents continue to own most of South Africa’s land more than two decades after the end of apartheid.
In response to Trump’s tweet, a spokesperson for Ramaphosa said Trump was “misinformed” and that the country would be seeking clarification from the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, Reuters reports.
“South Africa totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past,” read a tweet from the official Twitter account of the South African government posted Thursday. “South Africa will speed up the pace of land reform in a careful and inclusive manner that does not divide our nation.”
South African Government
✔
@GovernmentZA
South Africa totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past. #landexpropriation @realDonaldTrump @PresidencyZA
4:00 PM - Aug 23, 2018
The State Department has not yet commented on the President’s tweet, but in a statement that ran on the Fox News segment it said that, “We are aware of these reports and have been following this issue very closely for some time.”
“South Africans are dealing with the difficult issue of land reform through an open process including public hearings, broad-based consultations, and active civil society engagement,” the statement said.
Since 1994, South Africa has been working to redress land dispossession that occurred during and before apartheid. Through what is termed a “willing-seller, willing-buyer” approach, the government buys up land from white farmers to redistribute to black residents, Reuters reports. While the ANC government had aimed to return 30% of land this way, some estimates suggest just 10% of commercial farmland has been redistributed, according to the BBC.
The state-owned Land and Agricultural Bank estimates the ANC’s expropriation plan could wind up costing the government as much as $2.8 billion in default payments.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Donald Trump is heading towards impeachment – and you have the power to make that happen - Independent
August 23, 2018.
Donald Trump is heading towards impeachment – and you have the power to make that happen
The president's cronies are finally turning on their master and burying him in a series of legal predicaments from which not even Paul Ryan can rescue him
Nash Riggins
@nashriggins
Trump shows little respect for women, poor folks, smart people or just about anyone of colour. He brags about grabbing women “by the pussy”, is facing lawsuits for sexual assault, locks migrant children up and has declared bankruptcy six times. He is a slave to America’s gun lobby, has suggested Mexicans are rapists and doesn’t seem to believe climate change is a genuine phenomenon.
Never has there been a man less capable of representing my country to the world. Never has there been a man who so blatantly tramples upon the freedoms and values that America holds dear. And never has there been a man who so flagrantly cares less about the lives and wellbeing of his people.
History remembers Richard Nixon as some sort of monster but at least he had the common decency to resign when he was caught. Trump lacks both common decency and common sense – and that’s why, in the wake of this week’s judgements, he’s finally got to go.
Mercifully, it appears that national day of reckoning could be fast approaching. Trump’s cronies are finally turning on their master and burying him in a series of legal predicaments from which not even Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan can rescue him.
Yesterday, Trump’s former lawyer and campaign manager were both convicted of a string of financial crimes, with Michael Cohen explicitly implicating the president in involvement in campaign finance violations. What were those campaign violations? According to his former aide Cohen, the president has been lying about paying off women he was afraid might blab about their alleged affairs.
Michael Cohen's lawyer says he will not accept pardon from 'criminal' Donald Trump
Cohen testified under oath Trump directed him to buy the silence of a Playboy playmate and a porn star for the sole purpose of protecting the reality TV star-turned president’s tumultuous sideshow bid for the highest office. According to Cohen’s lawyer, that means Trump should be facing criminal charges too.
The wackiest part of this real-life political fantasy drama? A president lying to the American people about porn star hush money and potential campaign finance violations might not even be the biggest problem for the White House to deal with right now. While we’re all lapping up Cohen and his Playboy money pit over on Stage A, we can’t forget about that “dog” Omarosa Manigault, her stacks of taped conversations with the president, claims of corruption and Trump using the n-word over at the sunshine pavilion. And then what about the looming threat of a Trump subpoena from Robert Mueller, for dodgy dealings with the Russians, on Stage B?
This is unbearable. Trump wasn’t fit to be president before all these skeletons started to pour out of his closet. Now, each and every day, he makes a mockery of the United States and everything we stand for.
That’s why Trump must be impeached – and, my fellow American citizens, you and I have the power to make that happen. If you want Trump to stop greasing up the Oval Office with Big Mac wrappers, get up and do something about it. Write to your representative. Call your senator. They’re the ones who can kickstart impeachment, and they’re elected by us.
If you’re unfortunate enough to be represented by a Trump acolyte incapable of independent thought, then get out there and campaign for their replacement. Get involved. Vote for somebody with the courage to listen, to do what’s right and vote to peacefully rid us of this great orange buffoon.
America is better than this. We are better than this. If you’re sick and tired of listening to a debate about who the president did or did not have sex with – if you’d rather focus on solving genuine problems and trying to make our society a better place – then it’s time for action.
Nash Riggins is an American writer based in Scotland
Donald Trump is heading towards impeachment – and you have the power to make that happen
The president's cronies are finally turning on their master and burying him in a series of legal predicaments from which not even Paul Ryan can rescue him
Nash Riggins
@nashriggins
Trump shows little respect for women, poor folks, smart people or just about anyone of colour. He brags about grabbing women “by the pussy”, is facing lawsuits for sexual assault, locks migrant children up and has declared bankruptcy six times. He is a slave to America’s gun lobby, has suggested Mexicans are rapists and doesn’t seem to believe climate change is a genuine phenomenon.
Never has there been a man less capable of representing my country to the world. Never has there been a man who so blatantly tramples upon the freedoms and values that America holds dear. And never has there been a man who so flagrantly cares less about the lives and wellbeing of his people.
History remembers Richard Nixon as some sort of monster but at least he had the common decency to resign when he was caught. Trump lacks both common decency and common sense – and that’s why, in the wake of this week’s judgements, he’s finally got to go.
Mercifully, it appears that national day of reckoning could be fast approaching. Trump’s cronies are finally turning on their master and burying him in a series of legal predicaments from which not even Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan can rescue him.
Yesterday, Trump’s former lawyer and campaign manager were both convicted of a string of financial crimes, with Michael Cohen explicitly implicating the president in involvement in campaign finance violations. What were those campaign violations? According to his former aide Cohen, the president has been lying about paying off women he was afraid might blab about their alleged affairs.
Michael Cohen's lawyer says he will not accept pardon from 'criminal' Donald Trump
Cohen testified under oath Trump directed him to buy the silence of a Playboy playmate and a porn star for the sole purpose of protecting the reality TV star-turned president’s tumultuous sideshow bid for the highest office. According to Cohen’s lawyer, that means Trump should be facing criminal charges too.
The wackiest part of this real-life political fantasy drama? A president lying to the American people about porn star hush money and potential campaign finance violations might not even be the biggest problem for the White House to deal with right now. While we’re all lapping up Cohen and his Playboy money pit over on Stage A, we can’t forget about that “dog” Omarosa Manigault, her stacks of taped conversations with the president, claims of corruption and Trump using the n-word over at the sunshine pavilion. And then what about the looming threat of a Trump subpoena from Robert Mueller, for dodgy dealings with the Russians, on Stage B?
This is unbearable. Trump wasn’t fit to be president before all these skeletons started to pour out of his closet. Now, each and every day, he makes a mockery of the United States and everything we stand for.
That’s why Trump must be impeached – and, my fellow American citizens, you and I have the power to make that happen. If you want Trump to stop greasing up the Oval Office with Big Mac wrappers, get up and do something about it. Write to your representative. Call your senator. They’re the ones who can kickstart impeachment, and they’re elected by us.
If you’re unfortunate enough to be represented by a Trump acolyte incapable of independent thought, then get out there and campaign for their replacement. Get involved. Vote for somebody with the courage to listen, to do what’s right and vote to peacefully rid us of this great orange buffoon.
America is better than this. We are better than this. If you’re sick and tired of listening to a debate about who the president did or did not have sex with – if you’d rather focus on solving genuine problems and trying to make our society a better place – then it’s time for action.
Nash Riggins is an American writer based in Scotland
Russia-Trump: Who's who in the drama to end all dramas? - BBC News
Russia-Trump: Who's who in the drama to end all dramas?
22 August 2018
It's more gripping than any box set we can get our hands on right now.
The investigations into Russian interference in the US election, and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin, continue to deliver daily developments and drama worthy of anything seen in House of Cards.
Thirty-two people have now been charged by Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Here is a guide to the main characters in the first four seasons of the only political drama that matters.
Season One - The Election
This is the season in which Donald Trump, the reality TV star, takes centre stage in his own political drama by launching a presidential campaign. He's supported by his family and gets the attention of the Russians. The season ends with a cliffhanger - could Trump the outsider actually win?!
It's been a while since all of this happened, so let's remind you of the key players in this season.
Who is he? Donald Trump, the billionaire candidate (who by Season Three is the 45th president of the United States). If you really need a refresher, here's his life story.
Key plot line As Donald Trump was busy traversing the country canvassing for votes, US intelligence officials said Russia hacked into the emails of his Democratic rivals.
The question is why? Was the Kremlin trying to alter the outcome of the election, and what did Trump and his campaign know?
What, if anything, did Donald Trump do to try to cover things up in the ongoing Russia investigation?
Who is he? He was Trump's campaign chairman before being forced to quit over his ties to Russian oligarchs and Ukraine.
Key plot line Paul Manafort spent more than a decade as a political consultant in Ukraine. He resigned from the campaign in August 2016, after he was accused of having links to pro-Russian groups there. He also sat in on a crucial meeting with a Russian lawyer who may have been trying to feed the Trump team classified information (more on that later).
After an FBI raid on his home later on - in Season Three - Manafort is found guilty on eight charges of tax fraud, bank fraud and failing to disclose foreign banks accounts the season after.
The big question that comes after that is will he start co-operating with investigators - and risk the anger of his former boss Trump - in return for a lenient sentence?
Another trial, on charges of money laundering and illegal lobbying, looms over him.
Read more: The man who helped Trump win
Who is he? The president's eldest child. The Trump who we know did meet the Russians - the big question is why.
Key plot line The role of Donald Trump Jr in this unfolding saga all comes down to a meeting he had with a Russian lawyer, which was set up by a music publicist (the full details of which come out in Season Three). If it sounds random, then in many ways it is.
In June 2016, the publicist, Rob Goldstone, offered him a meeting with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya promising Trump Jr dirt on Hillary Clinton. "This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump," Goldstone wrote. "I love it" Trump Jr replied, and so he invited the pair to Trump Tower, where they met Trump staff Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort.
This meeting is the key to much of our plot line because it raises several key questions. Did this amount to the campaign colluding with a foreign government? Why did he agree to the meeting?
Don Jr said the meeting was about Russian adoption policy, but his father later said it was about political opposition research. Mr Trump's lawyers say he dictated his son's first misleading explanation, leading to questions of whether the president sought to obstruct a Justice Department inquiry.
What happened at the meeting is the scene investigators will be playing over and over again as they try to work out if there was any impropriety.
Season Two - The Transition
Donald Trump confounds his critics by winning the presidency. But the transition is as gripping as the season before it as Trump picks his cabinet, introducing key characters to the mix. The season ends with Trump taking the oath of office on a cold January morning - but there are more twists to come.
Who is he? The granite-faced former general who later became the shortest-serving member of Donald Trump's cabinet. He resigned after not being honest about his contact with a Russian official - and was later charged with making false statements to the FBI.
Key plot line Michael Flynn was appointed national security adviser just days after the election, against the advice of then-President Obama, who warned Trump not to hire him. Flynn's starring role came in December 2016, when he spoke to the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak.
The Washington Post and New York Times said the men discussed Russian sanctions, and that Flynn later lied to the Vice President Mike Pence about the conversation (Mr Kislyak said the men discussed only "simple things").
The substance of those talks eventually led to Flynn being prosecuted as part of the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
On 1 December 2017, Mr Flynn pleaded guilty to making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements" to the FBI about what he and Kislyak discussed. The investigation reached Trump's inner circle.
Read more: Out after 23 days - who is Michael Flynn?
Who is he? Many roads in this drama lead back to Sergei Kislyak, the jolly and charismatic figure, who up until July 2017 was the Russian ambassador to Washington.
Key plot line Kislyak's role in this drama is unclear - but he makes several appearances as the man many of our cast have had meetings with. The key questions for investigators are - why were they drawn to him, and what was said? The Russian ambassador spoke to both Flynn and Sessions - meetings which both Trump officials didn't initially acknowledge took place.
Anything else we should know? Well, Russia fiercely fought back against claims on CNN that Kislyak was a "top spy and recruiter of spies".
Who is he? Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III hovered in the background during Season One, when he was an Alabama senator and a trusted Trump adviser, but we really got to know him during Season Two, when he became Trump's nominee for attorney general.
Key plot line Sessions is one of a number of Trump's team to meet the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyakand there are question marks over the nature of those meetings.
Since the FBI investigation focused on the Trump campaign, Sessions stood down from the inquiry. That decision led to plenty of tension, with Trump taking potshot after potshot at Sessions on Twitter.
Sessions has said any suggestion he colluded with Russia is "an appalling and detestable lie".
In January, it was revealed that Sessions had been questioned by Mueller. He appeared to be first member of Trump's cabinet to be interviewed.
Season Three - The Presidency
This is where the drama really picked up and all the plot lines came together. A lot of the background characters we saw in Season One came back with a vengeance and the infighting got nasty - and, don't look now, but the police are circling.
Who is she? A Russian lawyer with a fearsome reputation who has fought against US restrictions on Russia. But is she a Kremlin stooge?
In November 2017 she told the US Senate: "I operate independently of any governmental bodies".
But in April 2018 she admitted in an interview with NBC News to being an "informant" for Russia's prosecutor general.
Key plot line Hers is a small but crucial role - she's the one who Trump Jr, Kushner and Manafort met in June 2016, the details of which began trickling out a year later once Trump became president.
She says the meeting was to discuss adoptions - but those who helped set it up said she was offering dirt on the Democrats and Hillary Clinton's campaign. In June 2018 Mr Trump tweeted that the meeting was "to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics".
That meeting would never have happened without...
Who are they? Emin Agalarov is Azerbaijan's biggest pop star, of course. Have you not heard Love is a Deadly Game? Emin helped bring Donald Trump's Miss Universe competition to Russia and the two are close enough to send each other birthday messages. His dad, Aras, is a billionaire who mixes in the highest circles of influence in Moscow.
Key plot line Emin is the man who set the wheels in motion on that Trump Jr meeting. An email sent to Trump Jr suggests Emin was offering information on the Democrats (Emin says he didn't). The email also says Aras Agalarov had apparently met the "crown prosecutor" of Russia - a role that weirdly doesn't exist - and got information on Hillary Clinton. Are you keeping up?
Who is she? One of those supporting characters who came from nowhere to play a massive role in the rest of the season. She was the acting attorney general, until Sessions was confirmed in his role. And then she was fired...
Key plot line She's the one who informed the White House that Flynn had not been truthful about his meetings with the Russians. She argued that the fact the Russians knew about these meetings, and that the White House didn't, made Flynn vulnerable to blackmail. Her reward? Donald Trump fired her over an unrelated matter weeks later. She's been a persistent critic of the president ever since.
Who is he? He became deputy attorney general under Jeff Sessions In the TV drama of the Russia scandal, this is the sort of role that would go to a solid Broadway actor you recognise but can't put a name to.
Key plot line Given Sessions stood down from leading the main investigation into the Trump-Russia ties, it fell to Rosenstein to do that job. In a major plot development, he appointed a special investigator - not a popular move with the White House. He's also the guy who recommended in a letter that FBI chief Comey be fired. That move proved to be a bit more popular with the president.
Who is he? Married to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, Kushner is the character who is seen but very rarely heard.
Key plot line Amid cries of nepotism, he was given a plum White House job as senior adviser to the president with a wide-ranging portfolio. It's his contacts with the Russians during the election campaign and beyond that have led to investigators circling him. In June 2016, Kushner attended THAT meeting with Donald Trump Jr and the Russian lawyer. He says he was so bored he messaged his assistant to call him so he could leave.
Kushner is also another cast member who had repeated contact with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak - contact that he initially failed to disclose.
Read more: The son-in-law with Trump's ear
Who is he? A British former tabloid journalist, with a penchant for selfies in silly hats, is perhaps an unlikely addition to the cast, but in most good dramas there's always room for the slightly out-of-place eccentric.
Key plot line Rob Goldstone finds his way into Donald Trump's circle of trust thanks to his connections with Russian pop star Emin Agalarov.
Goldstone manages the pop star, and it was he who contacted Donald Trump Jr on behalf of his client to set up that now-infamous meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016. Goldstone sent an email to Trump Jr promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, in an email exchange that is a key piece of evidence in this inquiry.
Another highlight on Goldstone's CV is his work bringing the Miss Universe contest to Russia, and it is through these connections he once met Donald Trump himself.
Who is he? At 6ft 8in (just over two metres), James Comey is a towering figure, the character who gives little away about himself personally, but has a huge personal role in this story.
Key plot line He first entered this drama in Season One, when as head of the FBI he reopened the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails - just weeks before the election. Democrats blamed him for her loss, Republicans hailed him a hero. That, we thought, was the last we'd seen of him.
Cue Season Three, when months into the Trump presidency, Comey was fired by the new president. In true television drama style, he learned of his sacking as he was watching TV news during a trip to LA. By this point, Comey was heading up an investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Was this why he was given the heave-ho?
His testimony to the Senate was one of the most gripping scenes in this drama so far, as - under oath - he told politicians he was asked to pledge loyalty to the president - but refused. He also said he was told by Trump to "let go" of the investigation into Michael Flynn. A character whose stock is still high - it's unclear when he'll next make an appearance.
Who is he? A former election adviser to Trump, although you'd be forgiven if you didn't remember the face. He was in only a few scenes in Season Two, but he had a massive role to play in Season Three, becoming the first person to plead guilty as part of the investigation.
Key plot line In late October 2017, court documents emerged showing Papadopoulos had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the timing of meetings with alleged go-betweens for Russia.
He falsely claimed that he had met two figures with Russian connections before joining the Trump campaign in March 2016. In fact, he met them after joining the campaign. After lying to the FBI, he deleted an incriminating Facebook account and destroyed a phone.
His guilty plea has the potential to damage the US leader because it relates directly to his campaign, analysts say. And, it turns out, he has been co-operating with Mueller's investigation. What has he revealed? And who has he implicated?
Who is he? The man who could decide the fate of the Trump presidency.
Key plot line Some characters wield a lot of power, but don't have a starring role, such as Robert Mueller, the tall chiselled figure who was appointed as "special counsel" to take over the Russia investigation in the wake of the dismissal of James Comey. Mueller comes from the same stock as Comey - both are former heads of the FBI. It's led some to accuse Mueller of not being impartial.
There have been reports that the president has considered firing Mueller - but he's still in the job. With a team of more than 15 lawyers, and a staff of more than three dozen, he's working quietly behind the scenes amassing evidence.
Mueller's inquiry runs alongside similar ones being conducted by politicians in Congress - but he's the only one who can press charges against anyone.
He plays a big part in Season Four onward.
Season Four - The legal fight
After Season Three ended with the first charges being laid down by Robert Mueller, things really speed up in Season Four. The president's fury with the special counsel investigation increases, but investigators continue to circle.
Who is he? OK, he's not Putin's chef any more, but he once was - now he's the man accused of spearheading Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 election.
Key plot line A little out of the blue, Mueller announces charges against Prigozhin and 12 other Russians, accusing them of tampering with the US election by (among other things) organising and promoting political rallies in the US.
They're also said to have tried to buy a cage large enough to hold an actress dressed as Hillary Clinton in a prison costume. Russia has dismissed the accusation.
Who is he? He worked alongside Paul Manafort as a consultant, and became an aide to the Trump campaign in 2016. He floated around the edges of Season One, so you wouldn't have seen that much of him.
Key plot line He was charged along with Manafort, and eventually pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and lying to investigators (despite maintaining his innocence). His plea deal, and decision to co-operate with investigators, means he may have some interesting things to say - he actually stayed with the Trump campaign for some time after Manafort left, so was right in the middle of things.
Who is he? The man who once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump - but who instead ended up dumping him deep in trouble.
Key plot line Cohen, as Trump's long-time personal lawyer, lingered around the edges of the plot for the first three seasons, but became the big player of the fourth.
When Mueller's team began looking into Cohen's finances, they passed on their concerns to investigators in New York.
Then, in August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws after paying hush money to Trump's alleged mistresses during the campaign. He said he did so after instructions by "the candidate" - presumed to be the man who later became president.
With this, the plot took an unexpected new turn.
Text by Rajini Vaidyanathan and Roland Hughes; illustrations by Gerry Fletcher
22 August 2018
It's more gripping than any box set we can get our hands on right now.
The investigations into Russian interference in the US election, and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin, continue to deliver daily developments and drama worthy of anything seen in House of Cards.
Thirty-two people have now been charged by Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Here is a guide to the main characters in the first four seasons of the only political drama that matters.
Season One - The Election
This is the season in which Donald Trump, the reality TV star, takes centre stage in his own political drama by launching a presidential campaign. He's supported by his family and gets the attention of the Russians. The season ends with a cliffhanger - could Trump the outsider actually win?!
It's been a while since all of this happened, so let's remind you of the key players in this season.
Who is he? Donald Trump, the billionaire candidate (who by Season Three is the 45th president of the United States). If you really need a refresher, here's his life story.
Key plot line As Donald Trump was busy traversing the country canvassing for votes, US intelligence officials said Russia hacked into the emails of his Democratic rivals.
The question is why? Was the Kremlin trying to alter the outcome of the election, and what did Trump and his campaign know?
What, if anything, did Donald Trump do to try to cover things up in the ongoing Russia investigation?
Who is he? He was Trump's campaign chairman before being forced to quit over his ties to Russian oligarchs and Ukraine.
Key plot line Paul Manafort spent more than a decade as a political consultant in Ukraine. He resigned from the campaign in August 2016, after he was accused of having links to pro-Russian groups there. He also sat in on a crucial meeting with a Russian lawyer who may have been trying to feed the Trump team classified information (more on that later).
After an FBI raid on his home later on - in Season Three - Manafort is found guilty on eight charges of tax fraud, bank fraud and failing to disclose foreign banks accounts the season after.
The big question that comes after that is will he start co-operating with investigators - and risk the anger of his former boss Trump - in return for a lenient sentence?
Another trial, on charges of money laundering and illegal lobbying, looms over him.
Read more: The man who helped Trump win
Who is he? The president's eldest child. The Trump who we know did meet the Russians - the big question is why.
Key plot line The role of Donald Trump Jr in this unfolding saga all comes down to a meeting he had with a Russian lawyer, which was set up by a music publicist (the full details of which come out in Season Three). If it sounds random, then in many ways it is.
In June 2016, the publicist, Rob Goldstone, offered him a meeting with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya promising Trump Jr dirt on Hillary Clinton. "This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump," Goldstone wrote. "I love it" Trump Jr replied, and so he invited the pair to Trump Tower, where they met Trump staff Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort.
This meeting is the key to much of our plot line because it raises several key questions. Did this amount to the campaign colluding with a foreign government? Why did he agree to the meeting?
Don Jr said the meeting was about Russian adoption policy, but his father later said it was about political opposition research. Mr Trump's lawyers say he dictated his son's first misleading explanation, leading to questions of whether the president sought to obstruct a Justice Department inquiry.
What happened at the meeting is the scene investigators will be playing over and over again as they try to work out if there was any impropriety.
Season Two - The Transition
Donald Trump confounds his critics by winning the presidency. But the transition is as gripping as the season before it as Trump picks his cabinet, introducing key characters to the mix. The season ends with Trump taking the oath of office on a cold January morning - but there are more twists to come.
Who is he? The granite-faced former general who later became the shortest-serving member of Donald Trump's cabinet. He resigned after not being honest about his contact with a Russian official - and was later charged with making false statements to the FBI.
Key plot line Michael Flynn was appointed national security adviser just days after the election, against the advice of then-President Obama, who warned Trump not to hire him. Flynn's starring role came in December 2016, when he spoke to the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak.
The Washington Post and New York Times said the men discussed Russian sanctions, and that Flynn later lied to the Vice President Mike Pence about the conversation (Mr Kislyak said the men discussed only "simple things").
The substance of those talks eventually led to Flynn being prosecuted as part of the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
On 1 December 2017, Mr Flynn pleaded guilty to making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements" to the FBI about what he and Kislyak discussed. The investigation reached Trump's inner circle.
Read more: Out after 23 days - who is Michael Flynn?
Who is he? Many roads in this drama lead back to Sergei Kislyak, the jolly and charismatic figure, who up until July 2017 was the Russian ambassador to Washington.
Key plot line Kislyak's role in this drama is unclear - but he makes several appearances as the man many of our cast have had meetings with. The key questions for investigators are - why were they drawn to him, and what was said? The Russian ambassador spoke to both Flynn and Sessions - meetings which both Trump officials didn't initially acknowledge took place.
Anything else we should know? Well, Russia fiercely fought back against claims on CNN that Kislyak was a "top spy and recruiter of spies".
Who is he? Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III hovered in the background during Season One, when he was an Alabama senator and a trusted Trump adviser, but we really got to know him during Season Two, when he became Trump's nominee for attorney general.
Key plot line Sessions is one of a number of Trump's team to meet the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyakand there are question marks over the nature of those meetings.
Since the FBI investigation focused on the Trump campaign, Sessions stood down from the inquiry. That decision led to plenty of tension, with Trump taking potshot after potshot at Sessions on Twitter.
Sessions has said any suggestion he colluded with Russia is "an appalling and detestable lie".
In January, it was revealed that Sessions had been questioned by Mueller. He appeared to be first member of Trump's cabinet to be interviewed.
Season Three - The Presidency
This is where the drama really picked up and all the plot lines came together. A lot of the background characters we saw in Season One came back with a vengeance and the infighting got nasty - and, don't look now, but the police are circling.
Who is she? A Russian lawyer with a fearsome reputation who has fought against US restrictions on Russia. But is she a Kremlin stooge?
In November 2017 she told the US Senate: "I operate independently of any governmental bodies".
But in April 2018 she admitted in an interview with NBC News to being an "informant" for Russia's prosecutor general.
Key plot line Hers is a small but crucial role - she's the one who Trump Jr, Kushner and Manafort met in June 2016, the details of which began trickling out a year later once Trump became president.
She says the meeting was to discuss adoptions - but those who helped set it up said she was offering dirt on the Democrats and Hillary Clinton's campaign. In June 2018 Mr Trump tweeted that the meeting was "to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics".
That meeting would never have happened without...
Who are they? Emin Agalarov is Azerbaijan's biggest pop star, of course. Have you not heard Love is a Deadly Game? Emin helped bring Donald Trump's Miss Universe competition to Russia and the two are close enough to send each other birthday messages. His dad, Aras, is a billionaire who mixes in the highest circles of influence in Moscow.
Key plot line Emin is the man who set the wheels in motion on that Trump Jr meeting. An email sent to Trump Jr suggests Emin was offering information on the Democrats (Emin says he didn't). The email also says Aras Agalarov had apparently met the "crown prosecutor" of Russia - a role that weirdly doesn't exist - and got information on Hillary Clinton. Are you keeping up?
Who is she? One of those supporting characters who came from nowhere to play a massive role in the rest of the season. She was the acting attorney general, until Sessions was confirmed in his role. And then she was fired...
Key plot line She's the one who informed the White House that Flynn had not been truthful about his meetings with the Russians. She argued that the fact the Russians knew about these meetings, and that the White House didn't, made Flynn vulnerable to blackmail. Her reward? Donald Trump fired her over an unrelated matter weeks later. She's been a persistent critic of the president ever since.
Who is he? He became deputy attorney general under Jeff Sessions In the TV drama of the Russia scandal, this is the sort of role that would go to a solid Broadway actor you recognise but can't put a name to.
Key plot line Given Sessions stood down from leading the main investigation into the Trump-Russia ties, it fell to Rosenstein to do that job. In a major plot development, he appointed a special investigator - not a popular move with the White House. He's also the guy who recommended in a letter that FBI chief Comey be fired. That move proved to be a bit more popular with the president.
Who is he? Married to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, Kushner is the character who is seen but very rarely heard.
Key plot line Amid cries of nepotism, he was given a plum White House job as senior adviser to the president with a wide-ranging portfolio. It's his contacts with the Russians during the election campaign and beyond that have led to investigators circling him. In June 2016, Kushner attended THAT meeting with Donald Trump Jr and the Russian lawyer. He says he was so bored he messaged his assistant to call him so he could leave.
Kushner is also another cast member who had repeated contact with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak - contact that he initially failed to disclose.
Read more: The son-in-law with Trump's ear
Who is he? A British former tabloid journalist, with a penchant for selfies in silly hats, is perhaps an unlikely addition to the cast, but in most good dramas there's always room for the slightly out-of-place eccentric.
Key plot line Rob Goldstone finds his way into Donald Trump's circle of trust thanks to his connections with Russian pop star Emin Agalarov.
Goldstone manages the pop star, and it was he who contacted Donald Trump Jr on behalf of his client to set up that now-infamous meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016. Goldstone sent an email to Trump Jr promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, in an email exchange that is a key piece of evidence in this inquiry.
Another highlight on Goldstone's CV is his work bringing the Miss Universe contest to Russia, and it is through these connections he once met Donald Trump himself.
Who is he? At 6ft 8in (just over two metres), James Comey is a towering figure, the character who gives little away about himself personally, but has a huge personal role in this story.
Key plot line He first entered this drama in Season One, when as head of the FBI he reopened the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails - just weeks before the election. Democrats blamed him for her loss, Republicans hailed him a hero. That, we thought, was the last we'd seen of him.
Cue Season Three, when months into the Trump presidency, Comey was fired by the new president. In true television drama style, he learned of his sacking as he was watching TV news during a trip to LA. By this point, Comey was heading up an investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Was this why he was given the heave-ho?
His testimony to the Senate was one of the most gripping scenes in this drama so far, as - under oath - he told politicians he was asked to pledge loyalty to the president - but refused. He also said he was told by Trump to "let go" of the investigation into Michael Flynn. A character whose stock is still high - it's unclear when he'll next make an appearance.
Who is he? A former election adviser to Trump, although you'd be forgiven if you didn't remember the face. He was in only a few scenes in Season Two, but he had a massive role to play in Season Three, becoming the first person to plead guilty as part of the investigation.
Key plot line In late October 2017, court documents emerged showing Papadopoulos had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the timing of meetings with alleged go-betweens for Russia.
He falsely claimed that he had met two figures with Russian connections before joining the Trump campaign in March 2016. In fact, he met them after joining the campaign. After lying to the FBI, he deleted an incriminating Facebook account and destroyed a phone.
His guilty plea has the potential to damage the US leader because it relates directly to his campaign, analysts say. And, it turns out, he has been co-operating with Mueller's investigation. What has he revealed? And who has he implicated?
Who is he? The man who could decide the fate of the Trump presidency.
Key plot line Some characters wield a lot of power, but don't have a starring role, such as Robert Mueller, the tall chiselled figure who was appointed as "special counsel" to take over the Russia investigation in the wake of the dismissal of James Comey. Mueller comes from the same stock as Comey - both are former heads of the FBI. It's led some to accuse Mueller of not being impartial.
There have been reports that the president has considered firing Mueller - but he's still in the job. With a team of more than 15 lawyers, and a staff of more than three dozen, he's working quietly behind the scenes amassing evidence.
Mueller's inquiry runs alongside similar ones being conducted by politicians in Congress - but he's the only one who can press charges against anyone.
He plays a big part in Season Four onward.
Season Four - The legal fight
After Season Three ended with the first charges being laid down by Robert Mueller, things really speed up in Season Four. The president's fury with the special counsel investigation increases, but investigators continue to circle.
Who is he? OK, he's not Putin's chef any more, but he once was - now he's the man accused of spearheading Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 election.
Key plot line A little out of the blue, Mueller announces charges against Prigozhin and 12 other Russians, accusing them of tampering with the US election by (among other things) organising and promoting political rallies in the US.
They're also said to have tried to buy a cage large enough to hold an actress dressed as Hillary Clinton in a prison costume. Russia has dismissed the accusation.
Who is he? He worked alongside Paul Manafort as a consultant, and became an aide to the Trump campaign in 2016. He floated around the edges of Season One, so you wouldn't have seen that much of him.
Key plot line He was charged along with Manafort, and eventually pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and lying to investigators (despite maintaining his innocence). His plea deal, and decision to co-operate with investigators, means he may have some interesting things to say - he actually stayed with the Trump campaign for some time after Manafort left, so was right in the middle of things.
Who is he? The man who once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump - but who instead ended up dumping him deep in trouble.
Key plot line Cohen, as Trump's long-time personal lawyer, lingered around the edges of the plot for the first three seasons, but became the big player of the fourth.
When Mueller's team began looking into Cohen's finances, they passed on their concerns to investigators in New York.
Then, in August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws after paying hush money to Trump's alleged mistresses during the campaign. He said he did so after instructions by "the candidate" - presumed to be the man who later became president.
With this, the plot took an unexpected new turn.
Text by Rajini Vaidyanathan and Roland Hughes; illustrations by Gerry Fletcher
Trump insists hush money payments by Cohen were legal - BBC News
August 23, 2018.
Trump insists hush money payments by Cohen were legal
Trump voter: "Everybody lies"
US President Donald Trump has insisted that payments to two women who say he had affairs with them did not break election campaign rules.
It comes after his ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to violating laws during the 2016 presidential election over his handling of the hush money.
Interviewed by Fox & Friends, Mr Trump said the payments had come from him personally, not from the campaign.
He has in the past denied knowing about one of the payments altogether.
'I don't care if Trump paid off a porn star'
Mr Trump also accused Cohen of making up stories to receive a lighter sentence.
What did Trump say exactly?
In an excerpt from the Fox & Friends interview, which will be aired in full on Thursday, Mr Trump responded to questions about the hush payments by insisting that they were "not a campaign violation".
"They came from me," he said. "And I tweeted about it. But they did not come out of the campaign."
He added that he had only found out about the payments "later on".
His comments contradict a statement made earlier by Cohen under oath in which he said the president had instructed him to make the payments.
Was Trump's Stormy Daniels payment legal?
In July, Cohen released audio tapes of him and Mr Trump allegedly discussing one of the payments before the election.
So did the payments break campaign rules?
Cohen, who was Mr Trump's personal lawyer for more than a decade, admitted passing on funds to two women thought to be porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
The hush money payments were not reported to the Federal Election Commission during the campaign.
The question is whether the payments were made to protect Mr Trump's personal reputation or to protect his image as a presidential candidate.
Under US election rules, any payments made with the aim of influencing a vote must be reported.
For more on this story:
Why Trump's opponents are holding off on impeachment
Trumpland's crazy Tuesday, blow by blow
Trump's chances of weathering the storm
Cohen acknowledged in court that the aim was indeed to protect Mr Trump's candidacy, saying he had paid the money "at the direction" of Mr Trump "for the principal purpose of influencing the election".
If Mr Trump were to be prosecuted over the money - not through the normal courts, because he is the sitting president, but conceivably in Congress, through an impeachment process - investigators would have to prove that he had indeed given the money to Cohen for electoral reasons.
How has Trump contradicted himself?
In his first public comments, back in April, about his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, Mr Trump denied knowing about the $130,000 (£100,000) payment made to the actress via Cohen.
Ms Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleges that she and Mr Trump had sex in a hotel room in 2006.
Asked by a reporter in the press cabin of Air Force One if he had any knowledge about where Cohen had got the money to pay Ms Daniels, the president responded at the time: "I don't know."
The following month, Mr Trump officially disclosed a payment to Cohen of between $100,001 and $250,000 for expenses incurred in 2016.
What happens next?
Any action against Mr Trump is unlikely until after the mid-term elections on 6 November, when the opposition Democrats will seek to break the grip of Mr Trump's Republican Party on Congress.
In the meantime, Cohen may agree to testify to the inquiry into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
There is no confirmation that Cohen will speak to Robert Mueller's inquiry but his personal lawyer has said his client is happy to talk.
Trump insists hush money payments by Cohen were legal
Trump voter: "Everybody lies"
US President Donald Trump has insisted that payments to two women who say he had affairs with them did not break election campaign rules.
It comes after his ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to violating laws during the 2016 presidential election over his handling of the hush money.
Interviewed by Fox & Friends, Mr Trump said the payments had come from him personally, not from the campaign.
He has in the past denied knowing about one of the payments altogether.
'I don't care if Trump paid off a porn star'
Mr Trump also accused Cohen of making up stories to receive a lighter sentence.
What did Trump say exactly?
In an excerpt from the Fox & Friends interview, which will be aired in full on Thursday, Mr Trump responded to questions about the hush payments by insisting that they were "not a campaign violation".
"They came from me," he said. "And I tweeted about it. But they did not come out of the campaign."
He added that he had only found out about the payments "later on".
His comments contradict a statement made earlier by Cohen under oath in which he said the president had instructed him to make the payments.
Was Trump's Stormy Daniels payment legal?
In July, Cohen released audio tapes of him and Mr Trump allegedly discussing one of the payments before the election.
So did the payments break campaign rules?
Cohen, who was Mr Trump's personal lawyer for more than a decade, admitted passing on funds to two women thought to be porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
The hush money payments were not reported to the Federal Election Commission during the campaign.
The question is whether the payments were made to protect Mr Trump's personal reputation or to protect his image as a presidential candidate.
Under US election rules, any payments made with the aim of influencing a vote must be reported.
For more on this story:
Why Trump's opponents are holding off on impeachment
Trumpland's crazy Tuesday, blow by blow
Trump's chances of weathering the storm
Cohen acknowledged in court that the aim was indeed to protect Mr Trump's candidacy, saying he had paid the money "at the direction" of Mr Trump "for the principal purpose of influencing the election".
If Mr Trump were to be prosecuted over the money - not through the normal courts, because he is the sitting president, but conceivably in Congress, through an impeachment process - investigators would have to prove that he had indeed given the money to Cohen for electoral reasons.
How has Trump contradicted himself?
In his first public comments, back in April, about his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, Mr Trump denied knowing about the $130,000 (£100,000) payment made to the actress via Cohen.
Ms Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleges that she and Mr Trump had sex in a hotel room in 2006.
Asked by a reporter in the press cabin of Air Force One if he had any knowledge about where Cohen had got the money to pay Ms Daniels, the president responded at the time: "I don't know."
The following month, Mr Trump officially disclosed a payment to Cohen of between $100,001 and $250,000 for expenses incurred in 2016.
What happens next?
Any action against Mr Trump is unlikely until after the mid-term elections on 6 November, when the opposition Democrats will seek to break the grip of Mr Trump's Republican Party on Congress.
In the meantime, Cohen may agree to testify to the inquiry into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
There is no confirmation that Cohen will speak to Robert Mueller's inquiry but his personal lawyer has said his client is happy to talk.
Manafort Juror: One ‘Holdout’ Kept Him From Being Convicted on All Counts - Daily Intelligencer ( New York Magazine )
August 23, 2018.
Manafort Juror: One ‘Holdout’ Kept Him From Being Convicted on All Counts
By Margaret Hartmann@MargHartmann
Late on Wednesday night, Fox News aired a lengthy interview with Paula Duncan, the first juror in Paul Manafort’s trial to go public. Duncan, 52, identified herself as a strong support of President Trump, saying she kept a Make America Great Again hat in the backseat of her car as she drove to the trial, and plans to vote for Trump again in 2020. However, Duncan said she became convinced that Manafort was guilty on all 18 counts of bank and tax fraud, and almost the entire jury agreed; she revealed that the jury deadlocked on ten of the counts due to a single juror.
“We all tried to convince her to look at the paper trail,” Duncan said. “We laid it out in front of her again and again and she still said that she had a reasonable doubt. And that’s the way the jury worked. We didn’t want it to be hung, so we tried for an extended period of time to convince her, but in the end she held out and that’s why we have ten counts that did not get a verdict.”
Duncan initially said she felt the case was “politicized” because “in the evidence there were references to Trump and his son-in-law and to the Trump campaign.” She also referred to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation as the “witch hunt to try to find Russian collusion,” borrowing Trump’s phrasing, and noted that Manafort wouldn’t have been caught if not for his ties to the president. “Something that went through my mind is, this should have been a tax audit,” Duncan said.
However, she said she felt all of the jurors tried to consider the evidence fairly, regardless of their political leanings, and “crazily enough, there were even tears” during deliberations.
Earlier on Wednesday, unsealed transcripts in the case revealed that there were tensions on the jury, and the defense requested a mistrial several times. About two weeks ago, a female juror reported that another juror had commented “the defense was weak,” though they were barred from discussing the case before deliberations. Judge T.S. Ellis III interviewed all of the jurors, and everyone except the women who initially complained said they were following all of his instructions.
Duncan said it was difficult not to discuss the case with other jurors while they waited around for the proceedings to get underway, but they followed the rules and did their civil duty. While the judge kept the jurors’ names under seal to protect them, Duncan said she does not feel threatened and wanted to shed light on the case.
“I thought that the public, America, needed to know how close this was, and that the evidence was overwhelming,” Duncan said. “I did not want Paul Manafort to be guilty, but he was, and no one’s above the law.”
Manafort Juror: One ‘Holdout’ Kept Him From Being Convicted on All Counts
By Margaret Hartmann@MargHartmann
Late on Wednesday night, Fox News aired a lengthy interview with Paula Duncan, the first juror in Paul Manafort’s trial to go public. Duncan, 52, identified herself as a strong support of President Trump, saying she kept a Make America Great Again hat in the backseat of her car as she drove to the trial, and plans to vote for Trump again in 2020. However, Duncan said she became convinced that Manafort was guilty on all 18 counts of bank and tax fraud, and almost the entire jury agreed; she revealed that the jury deadlocked on ten of the counts due to a single juror.
“We all tried to convince her to look at the paper trail,” Duncan said. “We laid it out in front of her again and again and she still said that she had a reasonable doubt. And that’s the way the jury worked. We didn’t want it to be hung, so we tried for an extended period of time to convince her, but in the end she held out and that’s why we have ten counts that did not get a verdict.”
Duncan initially said she felt the case was “politicized” because “in the evidence there were references to Trump and his son-in-law and to the Trump campaign.” She also referred to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation as the “witch hunt to try to find Russian collusion,” borrowing Trump’s phrasing, and noted that Manafort wouldn’t have been caught if not for his ties to the president. “Something that went through my mind is, this should have been a tax audit,” Duncan said.
However, she said she felt all of the jurors tried to consider the evidence fairly, regardless of their political leanings, and “crazily enough, there were even tears” during deliberations.
Earlier on Wednesday, unsealed transcripts in the case revealed that there were tensions on the jury, and the defense requested a mistrial several times. About two weeks ago, a female juror reported that another juror had commented “the defense was weak,” though they were barred from discussing the case before deliberations. Judge T.S. Ellis III interviewed all of the jurors, and everyone except the women who initially complained said they were following all of his instructions.
Duncan said it was difficult not to discuss the case with other jurors while they waited around for the proceedings to get underway, but they followed the rules and did their civil duty. While the judge kept the jurors’ names under seal to protect them, Duncan said she does not feel threatened and wanted to shed light on the case.
“I thought that the public, America, needed to know how close this was, and that the evidence was overwhelming,” Duncan said. “I did not want Paul Manafort to be guilty, but he was, and no one’s above the law.”
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