Sunday’s “60 Minutes” featuring an interview with adult film star Stormy Daniels was the most-watched episode of the show in a decade, bringing in more than 21 million views.
But the biggest takeaway for former prosecutor Jonna Spilbor was that Daniels poses no real legal threat to the president.
“There’s nothing that Donald Trump has done that’s been illegal in terms of his dealings with her...This is really [just] an embarrassment, and it’s a way for Stormy Daniels to profit off a consensual encounter,” said Spilbor.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Cliffords, claims she had a consensual affair with the president back in 2006.
In the interview, she said she was threatened into silence in 2011 after she initially sold her story to Bauer Publishing.
“[She] cannot back up any of her claims,” said Spilbor. “If she was truly threatened, she should have gone to the police.”
She also provided the salacious details of their time together, including spanking Trump with a Forbes magazine.
During the 2016 presidential election Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer at the time, paid Daniels $130,000 in hush money and made her sign a non-disclosure agreement.
She’s now suing to invalidate the NDA, since Trump himself never signed on the dotted line.
Daniels interview aired days after CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper caught up with Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, who also claims to have had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/why-former-prosecutor-jonna-spilbor-says-stormy-daniels-doesnt-have-a-case-against-president-trump).
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, July 26, 2019.
Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer during the George W. Bush administration, says Democrats should still open an impeachment inquiry into the president despite the tepid response to Mueller's testimony.
Amid ongoing resistance from employees about Microsoft’s contracts with the U.S. military, CEO Satya Nadella issued a broad defense this week of the company’s work with the U.S government and said America’s democratic process serves as a key check on the deployment of new technology.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, July 25, 2019.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, July 24, 2019.
With all eyes on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, former Special Counsel Robert Mueller began his much-anticipated testimony by largely repeating what he outlined in April in his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, - but stating very clearly that in the investigation, “the president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed.”
Tuesday’s 97-2 vote in the Senate to extend permanent protections for 9/11 first responders came after many years of activists' visits to Capitol Hill. And minutes after the lopsided vote, responder John Feal made sure to alert lawmakers that his days of tirelessly knocking down their doors are thankfully coming to a close, saying, "We’ll put down our swords."
With a vote of 97-2, the Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will fund the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund through 2090.
Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans are protesting in the streets of San Juan, calling for embattled governor Ricardo Rosselló to resign. Victoria Leandra, Journalist and Producer at VICE News, joined Cheddar to discuss the latest.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, July 23, 2019.
