Trump news: Top Democrat calls for House Intel Committee investigation to be reopened after Cohen guilty plea
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Donald Trump's disastrous week continues to rumble on, as the US president attempts to change a narrative that is swiftly spiralling out of his control and once again leading opponents to call for thorough investigations.
On Tuesday, two former associates of Mr Trump were convicted of a number of charges, with the president's former lawyer admitting to a pair of campaign finance violations during the presidential election.
Michael Cohen, Mr Trump's so-called legal "fixer" implicated the president when he told the court his client had directed him to make payments to two women for the "purpose of influencing the election".
Cohen admitted paying the hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, two women who have alleged they had extramarital affairs with Mr Trump.
The developments have once again raised the spectre of impeachment, with one Democratic congressman warning the "countdown" is underway. The threat to Mr Trump's presidency was raised once again on Friday, when Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that the committee's now-closed Russia investigation should be reopened in the light of the disclosures from Cohen.
Omarosa Manigault Newman, a former White House aide, has added fuel to the fire, saying she is "fully willing and ready" to testify in impeachment proceedings against the president.
Paul Manafort, Mr Trump's one-time campaign manager, was also found guilty on Tuesday over numerous charges of financial and tax fraud, the same day Cohen admitted his guilt.
The convictions stemmed from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, as well as the Kremlin's interference in the 2016 election.
On Thursday, it was revealed the White House opposed a bill which would significantly bolster America's defences against future election hacking.
Mr Trump has consistently dismissed the threat posed by Russia, and has flip flopped on whether he believes Moscow interfered in the last election.
Here's more on Donald Trump's claims conservative accounts are being discriminated against on social media.
According to a new YouGov poll, Democrats now hold a six-point lead over Republicans ahead of November's midterm elections.
The National Enquirer kept damaging stories about Donald Trump in a safe in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, according to reports.
Documents relating to "hush-money payments" made to a porn actress and a Playboy model who alleged affairs with the businessman were stored alongside details of embarrassing secrets about other celebrities, it is alleged.
The claims emerged after it was reported that federal prosecutors have granted immunity to National Enquirer chief executive David Pecker in exchange for providing information on the deals.
Donald Trump would lose to Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden if the 2020 election was held today, according to a new Morning Consult poll, which shows the two Democratic veterans each hold a 12-point lead over the president.
Another new poll!
According to a survey by the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Donald Trump continues to receive poor marks from a majority of Americans on his overall job performance, even as he enjoys relatively good assessments of his handling of the economy.
The poll found 60 per cent of Americans disapprove of Mr Trump's work as president, compared with 38 percent who approve.
Mr Trump's approval rating has been largely stable over the course of his presidency.
Ratings of Mr Trump among all Americans are equally dim on a host of issues, including immigration and health care, even as the president continues to receive high marks from his base of Republican supporters.
Here's more on the president's escalating feud with Jeff Sessions, his attorney general:
Donald Trump has escalated his long-running feud with attorney general Jeff Sessions, calling on him to probe a litany of recurring complaints against Democrats and those investigating his administration.
Responding to Mr Sessions' declaration that he would not be influenced by politics, the president tweeted that the Justice Department chief must "look into all of the corruption on the 'other side"', later adding: "Come on Jeff, you can do it, the country is waiting!"
Earlier this week, Mr Trump, concerned by the legal downfall of two former advisers, accused Mr Sessions of failing to take control of the Justice Department.
Mr Sessions hit back on Thursday, saying he and his department "will not be improperly influenced by political considerations".
Mr Trump's anger with Mr Sessions boiled over in an interview with Fox News in which the president also expressed frustration with the plea agreement his one-time legal "fixer" Michael Cohen cut with prosecutors, including implicating Mr Trump in a crime that Cohen admitted.
The president said it might be better if co-operating with prosecutors in exchange for more favourable treatment was illegal because people "just make up lies".
On Friday, Mr Trump also complained about the five-year sentence given to a former government contractor convicted of mailing a classified US report to a news organisation.
He said "this is 'small potatoes' compared to what Hillary Clinton did".
Prosecutors said 26-year-old Reality Winner was handed the longest sentence imposed for a federal crime involving leaks to the media.
With much debate about impeachment, here's a reminder of what Donald Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, had to say about the prospect on Thursday.
The National Enquirer kept damaging stories about Donald Trump in a safe in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, according to reports.
The revelation has prompted a lot of debate on social media, a lot of it directed at a poor local outlet in Cincinnati.
Here's more on the American public's view on Donald Trump's tariffs:
Fewer than half of Americans expect the president's tariffs to do much to help the US economy, but their widespread unpopularity has not led most Republicans to stray from supporting Mr Trump's trade policy as the 2018 midterm elections approach.
Majorities of Americans also doubt the recently announced taxes on imports will increase jobs or wages at home, according to a poll released Friday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The survey found that 35 per cent of Americans think the tariffs will leave them worse off financially, while only 19 per cent expect improvement. Forty per cent expect them to help the economy, while 44 per cent expect them to hurt and 16 per cent expect them to make no difference.
More specifically, about four in 10 think the policy will lead to an increase in jobs. Only about three in 10 expect wage gains.
Moreover, 72 per cent of Americans say the import levies will cause prices for everyday goods to climb. The agreement about tariffs setting off inflation is bipartisan, with Republicans nearly as likely to express concern about rising prices as Democrats.
"Tariffs don't help anybody," said Raymond Brown, 65, a retired truck driver from Rio Grande, New Jersey. "It seems like the tariffs are imposed and the corporations just pass that tax onto the consumer."
A registered Republican, Mr Brown worries that he would need to pay more for a new car because of the steel and aluminum tariffs the Trump administration has added to the cost of importing the metals. He said he fears auto costs could rise even more if tariffs are placed on electronic equipment made abroad that is installed in cars assembled in the US.
Yet despite concern about his trade policies, the economy is a relative source of strength for Mr Trump. While only 38 per cent of Americans approve of his handling of the presidency, 51 per cent approve of his stewardship of the US economy, according to the poll.
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