Michael Cohen is the most serious threat against President Donald Trump right now, according to political consultant Rick Wilson.
“A lot of the things that Trump’s business enterprise is involved in are things that Cohen has a hand in,” explained Wilson, adding that the president's personal lawyer is involved in everything from adult film star Stormy Daniels to Trump’s business dealings around the world, including in Russia.
He “is the nexus of all these things,” said Wilson. “This guy is the Rosetta Stone of sleaze for this organization.”
Being the bridge that connects many of Trump’s controversies could end up forcing Cohen to flip on his long-time client, explained Wilson.
“You’re going to see this guy having to really consider if he’s willing to go to prison for Donald Trump and spend hard time behind bars,” said Wilson. “He’s a guy in a really tight situation right now.”
Cohen paid off two women, including Daniels, to keep them silent about their alleged sexual encounters with the president. The infamous [Steele dossier](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3259984-Trump-Intelligence-Allegations.html), which alleges collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign team, also names Cohen as taking part in a secret meeting in Prague in 2016.
The FBI is looking into all of those dealings, seizing files from Cohen's office, hotel room, and apartment earlier this month. Defense lawyers, arguing those documents are protected by attorney-client privilege, lost a battle this week to get access to them before prosecutors, though exactly how they'll be reviewed remains a question.
But the big revelation from Monday's hearing in New York was that Fox News host Sean Hannity is one of Cohen's clients.
“What else could this drama devolve into?” asked Wilson. “In a Hollywood screenplay, this would have been considered too over the top.”
In his broadcast Monday night, Hannity distanced himself from Cohen, saying their only dealings were over real estate. On Tuesday Fox issued a statement saying executives were surprised to learn of the relationship between the anchor and Cohen, but that Hannity, "continues to have our full support."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/president-trumps-biggest-threat-michael-cohen-or-stormy-daniels).
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
The two-sentence footnote raised serious concerns about accuracy and credibility.
Real estate software company RealPage has agreed to stop sharing nonpublic information between landlords as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice.
A legislative package to end the government shutdown appears on track. A handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to advance the bill after what's become a deepening disruption of federal programs and services. But hurdles remain. Senators are hopeful they can pass the package as soon as Monday and send it to the House. What’s in and out of the bipartisan deal has drawn criticism and leaves few senators fully satisfied. The legislation includes funding for SNAP food aid and other programs while ensuring backpay for furloughed federal workers. But it fails to fund expiring health care subsidies Democrats have been fighting for, pushing that debate off for a vote next month.
