Trump acknowledges Cohen dealt with porn star
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that his personal attorney Michael Cohen represented him “with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal,” after previously denying any knowledge of a payment Mr. Cohen made to the porn actress who alleges an affair with Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump spoke by phone Thursday to “Fox & Friends.”
He said weeks ago that he had no knowledge of a $130,000 payment Mr. Cohen made to Ms. Daniels before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual tryst with Mr. Trump in 2006.
Arguing that Mr. Cohen was one of his “many attorneys,” Mr. Trump said Thursday: “He represents me like with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal,” and added, “From what I see, he did absolutely nothing wrong. There were no campaign funds going in.”
Ms. Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti responded Thursday: “Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen previously represented to the American people that Mr. Cohen acted on his own and Mr. Trump knew nothing about the agreement with my client, the $130k payment, etc. As I predicted, that has now been shown to be completely false.”
Pruitt under fire
WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt took heat from lawmakers Thursday over his profligate spending and lobbyist ties and tried to divert responsibility to underlings.
The EPA administrator said “twisted” allegations against him were meant to undermine the administration’s anti-regulatory agenda, and he denied knowing details of some of the lavish spending done on his behalf at the agency.
The public grilling at back-to-back House hearings, called formally to consider EPA’s budget, came as support has appeared to erode for Mr. Pruitt among fellow Republicans after revelations about unusual security spending, first-class flights, a sweetheart condo lease and more. Even Republicans who heartily support Mr. Pruitt’s policy agenda said his apparent lapses had to be scrutinized.
Democrats excoriated him. “You are unfit to hold public office,” said Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey.
Teacher walkouts go on
PHOENIX — A sea of teachers clad in red shirts and holding “Money for Schools” signs reached the Arizona Capitol to press lawmakers for action Thursday, a key event in an unprecedented walkout that closed most of the state’s public schools and built on an educator uprising that bubbled up in other parts of the U.S.
Tens of thousands of teachers and their supporters headed through downtown Phoenix to a rally to demand increased school funding on top of big pay hikes offered by the Republican governor. Widespread walkouts also were underway in Colorado, where teachers protested at their own Capitol and some schools were shut down.
Educators in both states want more classroom resources and have received offers either for increased school funding or pay, but they say the money isn’t guaranteed and the efforts aren’t enough. The walkouts are the climax of an uprising that spread from West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky.
A lack of resolution led Arizona educators to launch the first-ever statewide strike to force their demands. It comes as about half of all Colorado students will see their schools shuttered over two days as teachers take up the Arizona movement’s #RedforEd mantle.
Wisconsin refinery blast
An explosion rocked a refinery in northwestern Wisconsin on Thursday, injuring at least 11 people, forcing the evacuation of homes, schools and a hospital, and sending a plume of noxious smoke billowing into the air.
Authorities said a tank of crude oil or asphalt exploded about 10 a.m. at the Husky Energy oil refinery in Superior, a city of about 27,000 that shares a Lake Superior shipping port with nearby Duluth, Minn. That prompted them to order the evacuation of a three-mile radius around the refinery, as well as a 10-mile corridor south of it where the smoke was heading.
It was unclear how many people were being evacuated. The corridor downwind to the south of the refinery is sparsely populated. Hospital officials said only one of the injured was seriously hurt, with what was described as a blast injury. No deaths were reported, and officials said all workers had been accounted for.