Rudy Giuliani is wasting no time as Trump's new lawyer, calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to step in on the Michael Cohen case and comparing the investigators to "storm troopers."
Be smart: These story lines are coming together, and a Giuliani-empowered Trump will only get more aggressive.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill Thursday increasing teachers' wages by 20% over the next three years as part of the passage of the state's new budget.
Why it matters: The deal falls short of initial demands made in March, but Arizonateachers said they would be willing to go back into the classroom if the government passed a budget with teacher raises by Thursday.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is unaware that many U.S. companies are having difficulties finding enough skilled workers to fill open positions, based on comments he made this week at the Milken Global Conference.
CBS managers were warned three times about former "CBS This Morning" anchor Charlie Rose's sexual misconduct, beginning in 1986 and as recently as last year, the Washington Post reports. The Post's investigation also found that Rose sexually harassed an additional 27 women he worked with both at CBS and elsewhere.
The backdrop: Rose was ousted from his positions at CBS, PBS and Bloomberg when allegations first arose against him in November at the height of the #MeToo movement. The first report of his sexual misconduct — also from The Post — included accounts from eight women who detailed incidents from the early 1990s through 2011.
The idea of winning a Nobel Peace Prize for progress with North Korea may prove irresistible to President Trump.
What we're hearing: While Trump has privately ridiculed President Obama for receiving a Nobel too soon, Trump is intrigued by the idea of winning one himself, according to sources familiar with his thinking.
Brazil said Wednesday it had not reached any agreement with the U.S. for permanent exemptions on steel and aluminum import tariffs despite an announcement Monday by the White House, the New York Times reports.
The details: Brazilian officials said the U.S. ended tariff talks last week and only offered a choice of tariffs or quotas. Brazil’s account "appears to contradict the White House’s version of the events," per the Times. The White House said agreements had been reached in principle with Argentina, Australia and Brazil and “will be finalized shortly.” The White House didn’t respond to the Times’ request for comment.
China isn't buying U.S. soybeans, as the country hinges on planned tariffs on soybean shipments announced last month amid the growing U.S.-China trade war, Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: As Axios' Erica Pandey reported, soybeans are "almost exclusively produced by farmers in the GOP's rural base who voted overwhelmingly for President Trump in the 2016 election." Bunge Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Soren Schroder told Bloomberg: "Whatever they're buying is non-U.S. They're buying beans in Canada, in Brazil, mostly Brazil, but very deliberately not buying anything from the U.S."
Poultry and meat workers quit in numbers rivaling almost any industry. That's because their physically tough work is among the least-pleasant on the planet.
What's new: Tyson Foods — the largest American poultry producer — is getting praised by industry activists for improved conditions, including higher wages and an education program for its largely immigrant work force.
Hulu announced Wednesday that it reached 20 million subscribers and is renewing the dystopian drama Handmaid's Tale that helped it reach its latest heights, per the Hollywood Reporter.
The state of play: Hulu is still a smaller streaming service than its top two competitors, Netflix and Amazon, but Handmaid's Tale has helped it draw a bigger audience. Hulu also benefits from providing more television and advertising opportunities than its competitors.
Viking Global Investors has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Birchbox, via a recap that will effectively wipe out the other venture capitalists that invested over $85 million (including at a valuation just south of $500 million).
Why it's a big deal: Birchbox was the original "stuff in a box" company, kicking off a niche industry that would attract both startups and legacy retailers.
Nearly 13,000 TV commercials from Jan. 1 through April 24 mentioned or showed a photo of Clinton with more than 5,000 coming from Ohio, according to data compiled for USA Today by Kantar Media's Campaign Media Analysis Group.
The state of play: In Ohio, more than 5,000 TV commercials this year have mentioned Clinton, all in the state's GOP primary for governor.
"Entertainment industry heavyweights made an upbeat case for their business at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, despite fast-growing competition from online video networks such as Netflix and Amazon.com," the L.A. Times' Ryan Faughnder reports.
What they're saying: MGM Television President Mark Burnett, whose company produces "Survivor," "The Voice" and "The Handmaid's Tale," told the conference: "Basically, if you're not a hit maker in what we do, you're in big trouble ... Once you have something that emotionally connects … money is falling from the sky, globally ... That money is falling into our buckets, if we have the most connective content in the world."
Health care companies are rushing to buy or invest in areas that focus on the elderly population, as baby boomers are reaching an age when they require more health care services.
The big picture: More of the nation's health care spending is going toward government programs, especially Medicare and Medicaid, so the industry is naturally running to where the dollars will be. But that doesn't guarantee seniors will get better care.
