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Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

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Report: second Trump lawyer involved with Stormy Daniels pay-off

Stormy Daniels. Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images

CNN reports that Jill Martin, a Trump Organization lawyer, has been involved with the legal battle surrounding the alleged relationship between porn star Stormy Daniels and President Donald Trump.

Why it matters: This illustrates deeper ties between the Trump Organization and the payment to Daniels. But, Martin provided CNN with a statement from the Trump Organization that states they are "not representing anyone and...the company has had no involvement in the matter."

  • Per CNN, Martin's name is on a "demand for arbitration" document from last month, as the lawyer representing "Essential Consultants, LLC," the company Cohen set up to pay Daniels $130,000 in a non-disclosure agreement.
  • General Counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, Larry Noble, told CNN that if the Trump Organization was involved with the payment, it could violate campaign finance regulations.

Go deeper

Jonathan Swan
42 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Off the Rails

Episode 5: The secret CIA plan

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer, Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images

Beginning on election night 2020 and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol with two weeks left in his term. This Axios series takes you inside the collapse of a president.

Episode 5: Trump vs. Gina — The president becomes increasingly rash and devises a plan to tamper with the nation's intelligence command.

In his final weeks in office, after losing the election to Joe Biden, President Donald Trump embarked on a vengeful exit strategy that included a hasty and ill-thought-out plan to jam up CIA Director Gina Haspel by firing her top deputy and replacing him with a protege of Republican Congressman Devin Nunes.

Go deeper (5 min. read)Arrow
Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

  1. Health: CDC director defends agency's response to pandemic — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Empire State Building among hundreds to light up in Biden inauguration coronavirus tribute.
  3. Vaccine: Fauci: 100 million doses in 100 days is "absolutely" doable.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again.
  5. Tech: Kids' screen time sees a big increase.
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Orion Rummler
4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden Cabinet confirmation schedule: When to watch hearings

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Jan. 16 in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

The first hearings for President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet nominations begin on Tuesday, with testimony from his picks to lead the departments of State, Homeland and Defense.

Why it matters: It's been a slow start for a process that usually takes place days or weeks earlier for incoming presidents. The first slate of nominees will appear on Tuesday before a Republican-controlled Senate, but that will change once the new Democratic senators-elect from Georgia are sworn in.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow

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