Jan 17, 2019 - Politics & Policy

WSJ: Michael Cohen hired IT firm to rig early polling for Trump

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. Photo: Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

President Trump's then-personal lawyer Michael Cohen hired an IT firm, RedFinch Solutions, LLC, to attempt to rig online polls at CNBC and the Drudge Report in 2014 and 2015 in Trump's favor, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Details: Cohen was supposed to pay John Gauger, RedFinch's owner, $50,000 for his services during a meeting at Trump Tower in early 2015, but instead handed him "a blue Walmart bag containing between $12,000 and $13,000 in cash and, randomly, a boxing glove that [Cohen] said had been worn by a Brazilian mixed-martial arts fighter"

Gauger told the WSJ that he never got the full $50,000, though Cohen reportedly requested a reimbursement for the complete amount from Trump and The Trump Organization.

The backdrop: Neither of Cohen's schemes in the online polls ended up being particularly successful.

Cohen had asked RedFinch to write a script to repeatedly vote for Trump in a 2014 CNBC online poll of the country’s top business leaders. Trump didn't crack the top 100.
In 2015, RedFinch was asked to do the same for a Drudge Report poll of potential Republican presidential candidates ahead of the 2016 election. Trump ultimately finished fifth with about 5% of the total.

Another piece of color from the WSJ piece: Cohen also asked Gauger "to create the @WomenForCohen account, still active in 2019, to elevate his profile. The account’s profile says it is run by 'Women who love and support Michael Cohen. Strong, pit bull, sex symbol, no nonsense, business oriented and ready to make a difference!'"

The backdrop: Cohen has since been sentenced in a New York federal court to three years in prison on charges related to other work for Trump, including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress.

Go deeper: Top House Democrats warn Trump after Cohen comments

Go deeper

Rashaan Ayesh

48 mins ago - Sports

Washington Redskins to review team name amid public pressure

Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

The Washington Redskins have announced they will be conducting a review of the team's name after mounting pressure from the public and corporate sponsors.

Why it matters: This review is the first formal step the Redskins are taking since the debate surrounding the name first began. It comes after weeks of discussions between the team and the NFL, the team said.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

Dan Primack

2 hours ago - Economy & Business

Scoop: Instacart raises another $100 million

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Visuals

Grocery delivery company Instacart has raised $100 million in new funding, on top of the $225 million it announced last month, the company tells Axios. This brings its valuation to $13.8 billion.

Why it matters: This funding comes at what could be an inflection point for Instacart, as customers it acquired during coronavirus lockdowns decide whether they want to continue with the service or resume in-person grocery shopping.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)

Axios

Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 10,902,347 — Total deaths: 521,940 — Total recoveries — 5,777,662 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 2,739,879 — Total deaths: 128,740 — Total recoveries: 781,970 — Total tested: 33,462,181 — Map.
Public health: The states where face coverings are mandatory — Regeneron stops trial after drug fails to help patients — What we know about the coronavirus immune response — Fauci says it has been a "very disturbing week" for the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S.
Business: Top business leaders urge the White House to develop mandatory mask guidelines.
Politics: Herman Cain hospitalized for COVID-19 after attending Trump Tulsa rally — Biden downplays jobs number, rebukes Trump for ignoring health crisis.
Economy: The economy may recover just quickly enough to kill political interest in more stimulus.
States: Texas mandates face masks in public spaces — Florida reports more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases, and its most-infected county issues curfew.