Within a few whirlwind minutes on Tuesday, major developments were revealed in the cases of two associates of President Trump. Michael D. Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws, saying he committed them at the direction of Mr. Trump, and Paul Manafort was convicted on multiple counts of fraud. Confused or overwhelmed by the developments? Mr. Cohen’s guilty pleaOn Tuesday, Mr. Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws, and admitted to arranging payments to two women at Mr. Trump’s behest to secure their silence about affairs they said they had with him. Mr. Cohen said the payments were made “for the principal purpose of influencing the election.”More details:• Read about the tense and somber hearing in the courtroom and watch a video of Mr. Cohen leaving court.

Source: New York Times August 22, 2018 13:52 UTC