*By Carlo Versano*
President Trump's former campaign chair Paul Manafort is, as of Friday, the latest of the president's ex-associates to plead guilty to felony charges.
Manafort was convicted in federal court in August of eight financial fraud charges, though "this is the first time time Paul Manafort has ever admitted to committing a crime," Ben Dreyfuss, editorial director of Mother Jones, said.
Friday's plea deal was related to a separate set of charges for which the former political consultant was awaiting trial.
As part of the plea, Manafort will cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
That is "massive news," Dreyfuss said.
Trump praised Manafort as a "brave man" when he was found guilty of bank and tax fraud last month ー roughly the same hour when Trump's former consigliere Michael Cohen was offering to cooperate, much to the chagrin of the president.
Manafort's lawyer said Friday his client had offered "full cooperation," though as Dreyfuss noted, no details have been made public yetー and what specifically Manafort could offer prosecutors remains unknown.
"No one knows what he could say except for Trump himself," Dreyfuss said.
The DOJ identified three cities that could have federal funding slashed under a memorandum by President Donald Trump that sought to identify localities that permit "anarchy, violence and destruction in American cities."
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, has died at her home in Washington.
U.S. health officials are dropping a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and telling all those who have been in close contact with infected people to get tested.
Senator Jon Tester of Montana joined Cheddar to discuss movement on a new stimulus deal in Congress after talks paused in August. Tester also discusses how Joe Biden can win back rural voters this November.
An Associated Press review found growing allegations that a gynecologist performed surgeries and other procedures that detained migrant women never sought or didn’t fully understand.
Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima, Washington, said he was issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by 14 states that sued the Trump administration and the U.S. Postal Service.
College towns across the U.S. have emerged as virus hot spots in recent weeks as schools struggle to contain the virus.
As the U.S. treks into the 7th month of the coronavirus pandemic, trust in government agencies and top medical officials is dropping among Republican voters. Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, joined Cheddar to discuss how people can navigate advice from medical professionals as some guidances are deemed political.
The Federal Reserve adjusted its inflation target to seek price increases above 2% annually, a move that will likely keep interest rates low for years to come.
The federal government is outlining a sweeping plan to make COVID-19 vaccines available for free to all Americans.
