May 16, 2018

Senate releases transcripts from Trump Tower meeting probe

Donald Trump Jr. (R) walks to a closed door meeting with Senate Intelligence Committee. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The Senate Judiciary Committee released 1,800 pages of interview transcripts from Donald Trump Jr.'s testimony about a controversial meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016 with a Russian lawyer who has since admitted to working with the Kremlin.

Why it matters: The meeting has become a focal point of Robert Mueller's investigation.

Key findings from the transcripts:

Trump Jr. said he didn't know if his father was involved in drafting the statement about the meeting: "I never spoke to my father about it." He said the president "may have commented through Hope Hicks."
He said Hicks asked him if he wanted to talk to the president about the statement, but "I chose not to because I didn't want to bring him into something that he had nothing to do with."
He said his email to Rob Goldstone — "I love it" — was "simply a colloquial way of saying that I appreciated Rob's gesture."
Trump Jr. said he was "skeptical" of the meeting all along, and "my skepticism was justified" because "the meeting provided no meaningful information."

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Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

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Why it matters: South Korea has been a model for how to handle the novel coronavirus, and the closures reportedly followed concerns from parents and teachers over child safety. The country's confirmed death toll has plateaued at 269 over the past few days, with few increases, per Johns Hopkins data.

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Axios

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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

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Dave Lawler, Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian

1 hour ago - World

Trump to end Hong Kong’s special trade status

President Trump. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

President Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. would be fundamentally changing longstanding policies toward Hong Kong as a result of Chinese encroachment on the city's autonomy.

Why it matters: Trump said he would be effectively ending the special trade status that has allowed Hong Kong to flourish as a gateway to the Chinese market. That leaves an uncertain future for businesses that operate in Hong Kong, not to mention the city's 7 million residents, and could be met with reprisals from Beijing.

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