Stormy Daniels's Lawyer Considers Defamation Suit Against Trump
The lawyer representing the adult film star Stormy Daniels is considering adding to his caseload: Michael Avenatti said Thursday he would likely file a defamation suit against President Trump for accusing Daniels of a "total con job."
"It's an outrage that he can't control himself," Avenatti said in an interview on Cheddar. "And it's an outrage that he's now lying to the American people about my client."
On Wednesday night, Trump [tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/986547093610299392) that Daniels was "playing the Fake News Media for Fools," by releasing a sketch of the man she said threatened her in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011.
The defamation case, should Avenatti choose to file it against the president, would be in addition to the suit he said he already filed against Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.
Cohen is the one who negotiated a non-disclosure agreement with Daniels to bar her from talking about a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump in 2006.
Avenatti is suing to lift the non-disclosure agreement his client signed in 2016, and he will fight a motion in court on Friday that would delay his client's suit.
Cohen attracted the interest of the special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is looking into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia. And the FBI raided Cohen's office and hotel room. The acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York said the raid was intended to gather evidence of alleged crimes concerning Cohen's business transactions.
"I think the likelihood of him being indicted is very, very high. Extremely high. Close to 100 percent," said Avenatti, without offering any evidence to support his certainty. "I think when that happens he will roll on the president."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/michael-avenatti-cohen-will-roll-on-the-president).
Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, NJ and Ayana Morris, co-director of the documentary 'Why Is We Americans?,' join Cheddar News to discuss the new documentary highlighting the impact of the Baraka family.
Former New York City mayor and lawyer to Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani made his singing debut on a taping of Fox’s The Masked Singer. However, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke, two judges on the competition show, reportedly left in protest when Giuliani was unmasked upon being eliminated.
All Hands celebrates Black History Month by highlighting achievements in inclusivity and paying homage to those who have fought for equal rights. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) joins Cheddar News to discuss voter suppression; Damali Peterman, CEO of Breakthrough ADR, elaborates on the biggest barriers for Black professionals; Andre Perry, senior fellow of Brookings Institution, dives into student loans and the racial wealth divide; and lastly, BET CEO Scott Mills discusses the company's initiatives for 2022.
All month long Cheddar News is celebrating Black History Month.
In our nation’s capital, Black history is being made right now.
cheddar's own Arielle Hixon puts the spotlight on three lawmakers making that happen, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif. 43rd District) joined Cheddar News to talk about the current political climate in America, including efforts to roll back voting rights in multiple states in light of Black History Month. "Why do we have to deal with those who still believe that somehow this country only belongs to the whites of the country and that somehow they have to do everything that they can to undermine our voting and do voters suppression to keep us from being influential and at the table by which to solve problems?" she asked. Waters chided "two Democrats" who she said were stymying attempts to rectify the issue and also spoke on President Biden’s promise to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court.
Wall Street saw another volatile day after the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged for now, with plans to raise rates in March at its next meeting in order to ease inflation. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed has not made decisions on the size of rate increases, adding that the Fed is not trying to get inflation below two-percent. Ken Johnson, CFA and Investment Strategy Analyst explains why Powell thinks that high inflation is a significant threat to the labor market.
Anu Gaggar, global investment strategist for Commonwealth Financial Network, joined Cheddar News to discuss how global supply chains could be disrupted even further by an armed conflict in Ukraine.
Solid-state battery maker Factorial Energy recently raised $200 million in a Series D round led by Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. Factorial says the funding will be used to accelerate commercial production and deployment of its solid-state battery technology, which the company says is safer, and offers up to 50% more driving range than current lithium-ion technology. Factorial also has joint development agreements (announced in late 2021) with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai, three of the top 10 global automotive manufacturers, to commercialize its batteries. Factorial CEO Siyu Huang joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
