Mar 13, 2019

Michael Cohen's lawyer clarifies presidential pardon testimony

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Michael Cohen's attorney wrote to the House Oversight Committee chairman Tuesday to clarify that President Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer didn't ask him for a presidential pardon, the Associated Press reports.

Why it matters: Cohen testified before the committee that he had "never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon" from the president. Trump said Friday Cohen had directly asked him for a pardon. The letter to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) clarifies that Cohen had asked a lawyer to explore the option before he decided to turn against Trump in June. Cohen's lawyer Michael Monico said hist testimony “could have been clearer and more complete,” according to the AP.

Go deeper

Alexi McCammond

35 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Harris: "Women are going to be a priority" in Biden administration

Sen. Kamala Harris at an event in Wilmington, Del. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In her first sit-down interview since being named Joe Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris talked about what she'll do to fight for women if elected VP, and how the Democrats are thinking about voter turnout strategies ahead of November.

What they're saying: "In a Biden-Harris administration women are going to be a priority, understanding that women have many priorities and all of them must be acknowledged," Harris told The 19th*'s Errin Haines-Whack.

Go deeper (2 min. read)

Sara Fischer

36 mins ago - Technology

Facebook goes after Apple

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

Facebook is seeking to force a face-off with Apple over its 30% in-app purchase commission fee, which Facebook suggests hurts small businesses struggling to get by during the pandemic.

The big picture: Facebook has never publicly gone after Apple, a key strategic partner, this aggressively. Both companies face antitrust scrutiny, which in Apple's case has centered on the very fee structure Facebook is now attacking.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

Barak Ravid

1 hour ago - World

Exclusive: UAE wants Israel normalization finalized "as soon as possible," minister says

The UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, told me in an exclusive interview that his country wants to implement its normalization deal with Israel “as soon as possible."

What he's saying: Gargash said he was confident that the U.S.-brokered deal moved Israeli annexation of the West Bank off the table for a “long time.” He also said Israeli tourists would soon be able to travel to the UAE.