May 24, 2017

Trump retains private lawyer in Russia probe

Shannon Vavra, Jonathan Swan

Andrew Theodorakis, POOL via AP

President Trump has retained Marc Kasowitz, his long-time attorney, in the Russia probe, Axios has confirmed.

This comes at a pivotal moment for Trump, with special prosecutor Robert Mueller now leading the federal investigation into ties between his associates and Russia. A White House source says Trump feels comfortable with Kasowitz, who will be lead attorney, and that other names could be added to his legal team.

Key points about Kasowitz:

  • He has represented Trump in various instances over the past 15 years relating to everything from Trump's divorces to a threat to sue the New York Times.
  • The Russia connection: One of his clients is Russia's largest state-run bank, OJSC Sberbank of Russia.
  • The O'Reilly connection: Kasowitz was Bill O'Reilly's lead attorney during the former Fox host's sexual harassment scandal.

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Axios

Coronavirus spreads to more countries as

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

Afghanistan, Kuwait and Bahrain each reported their first cases of the novel coronavirus, Al Jazeera first reported, as infections in South Korea, Italy and mainland China continued to increase on Monday.

The big picture: As South Korea and Italy stepped up emergency measures in efforts to thwart the spread of the virus, World Health Organization officials expressed concern about infections with no clear link to China. COVID-19 has killed at least 2,619 people and infected almost 80,000 others, with all but 27 deaths occurring in mainland China.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 4 mins ago - Health
Rebecca Falconer

In photos: India welcomes president with massive "Namaste Trump" rally

First Lady Melania Trump, President Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the "Namaste Trump" rally at Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, on Monday. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump was addressing a massive rally after arriving with members of the U.S. first family in Ahmedabad, northwest India, Monday for a two-day visit.

Why it matters: The countries are forging deeper ties, particularly in the military dimension, as India’s location, size and economic growth making it the "obvious counterweight to China" for American policymakers, per Axios' Dave Lawler and Zachary Basu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is demonstrating the importance of the visit by holding a "Namaste Trump Rally" at a packed 110,000-capacity Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad — the world's largest cricket venue.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 54 mins ago - World
Rebecca Falconer

Sanders reveals free childcare plan for preschoolers

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally on Saturday in El Paso, Texas. Photo: Cengiz Yar/Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders announced on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday a new plan to guarantee free child care and pre-kindergarten to all American children from infancy to age four.

Details: In the wide-ranging interview, Sanders told Anderson Cooper he planned to pay for universal childcare with a wealth tax. "It's taxes on billionaires," he said.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 5 hours ago - Politics & Policy