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NYT: Stormy Daniels offers to return $130K to talk about Trump

Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty

Adult film actress Stephanie Clifford — aka Stormy Daniels — sent a letter to President Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, offering to return the $130,000 she was paid promising her silence, in order to legally talk about the alleged affair between her and Trump in 2006, reports the New York Times.

What's next: Clifford's lawyer set a deadline of noon tomorrow for Cohen to respond. If Trump accepts the offer, Clifford's team will wire the money by Friday and she would no longer have to stay silent on her alleged relationship with Trump.

Go deeper

Oriana Gonzalez
3 mins ago - World

Armin Laschet elected as leader of Merkel's CDU party in Germany

Armin Laschet. Photo: Christian Marquar - Pool/Getty Images

Armin Laschet, the centrist governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, was elected on Saturday as the new leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), defeating the more conservative Friedrich Merz by a 521-466 margin.

Why it matters: Laschet is now the most likely successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel as the standard bearer of the German center-right heading into September's elections. With Merkel preparing to step down after 16 years in power, Laschet is seen as a continuity candidate.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Axios
Updated 12 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: CDC director defends agency's response to coronavirus pandemic — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Azar says deadly Capitol siege could "tarnish" Trump administration's legacy — Biden says, "We will manage the hell out of" vaccine distribution.
  3. Vaccine: Battling Black mistrust of the vaccines — "Pharmacy deserts" could become vaccine deserts — Instacart to give $25 to shoppers who get vaccine.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again — Fed chair: No interest rate hike coming any time soon —  Inflation rose more than expected in December.
  5. World: WHO team arrives in China to investigate pandemic origins.
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Bryan Walsh, author of Future
19 mins ago - Politics & Policy

America is anxious, angry and heavily armed

Data: FBI; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Firearms background checks in the U.S. hit a record high in 2020.

The big picture: This past year took our collective arsenal to new heights, with millions of Americans buying guns for the first time. That trend coincides with a moment of peak political and social tension.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow