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Fox News First

FOX NEWS FIRST: Trump speaks out on Cohen, Manafort in FOX exclusive; Tibbetts' alleged killer used fake name

By Fox News
Published | Updated
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Developing now, Thursday, August 23, 2018

  • In an exclusive interview with FOX News, President Trump said he did not know about his former lawyer Michael Cohen's hush-money payments until 'later on' and weighed in on whether he would consider a pardon for his just-convicted ex-campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Tune in to 'FOX & Friends' at 6 a.m. ET Thursday to see the entire interview
  • EXCLUSIVE: A juror in Paul Manafort's trial revealed that one holdout kept the former Trump campaign chairman from being convicted on all 18 counts of bank and tax fraud
  • The illegal immigrant charged in the killing of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts reportedly worked under a false name, and authorities are investigating whether he allegedly acted alone in the slaying
  • The Trump administration is reportedly considering a plan that would allow states to use federal funds to buy guns for teachers
  • Hawaii is bracing for impact as Hurricane Lane is expected to slam the islands with 100 mph winds Thursday

THE LEAD STORY - TRUMP SPEAKS OUT ON COHEN, MANAFORT: In an exclusive interview with 'FOX & Friends' co-host Ainsley Earhardt, President Trump insisted he learned about hush-money payments made by Michael Cohen “later on” despite his ex-lawyer's claims to the contrary, while maintaining they were not campaign funds ... “Later on I knew. Later on. What he did — and they weren’t taken out of the campaign finance, that’s the big thing. That’s a much bigger thing,” Trump said in the interview, which took place Wednesday. “Did they come out of the campaign? They didn’t come out of the campaign, they came from me.”

The president’s comments come after his former longtime personal attorney and self-described “fixer” entered a guilty plea with federal prosecutors Tuesday, admitting to violating campaign finance laws by arranging hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal “at the direction” of then-candidate Trump. The plea deal stated the payments were meant to influence the election -- by covering up affair allegations -- and the campaign was involved.

Trump also weighed in on whether he'd pardon Paul Manafort following the former campaign chairman's conviction on bank and tax fraud charges. 

MANAFORT JUROR STOOD ALONE: Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team was one holdout juror away from winning a conviction against Paul Manafort on all 18 counts of bank and tax fraud, juror Paula Duncan told FOX News in an exclusive interview Wednesday ... “It was one person who kept the verdict from being guilty on all 18 counts,” Duncan told "FOX News @ Night." She added that Mueller’s team of prosecutors often seemed bored, apparently catnapping during parts of the trial. The identities of the jurors have been closely held, kept under seal by Judge T.S. Ellis III at Tuesday's conclusion of the high-profile trial.

But Duncan gave a behind-the-scenes account to FOX News on Wednesday, after the jury returned a guilty verdict against the former Trump campaign chairman on eight financial crime counts and deadlocked on 10 others. Duncan described herself as an avid supporter of President Trump, but said she was moved by four full boxes of exhibits provided by Mueller’s team – though she was skeptical about prosecutors' motives in the financial crimes case.

‘NOT WHO HE SAID HE WAS’: The illegal immigrant charged with killing Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts worked on a dairy farm for years under a false name just a few miles from where the young woman was allegedly abducted while running last month, his employer said Wednesday ... Cristhian Bahena Rivera was a good employee who showed up on time to take care of the cows and got along well with his co-workers, Dane Lang, manager of Yarrabee Farms in Brooklyn, Iowa, had told the Associated Press.

Rivera kept coming to work after Tibbetts disappeared July 18, and "nobody saw a difference" in his demeanor, Lang said. His colleagues were stunned Tuesday to learn that he was not only the suspect in Tibbetts' death, but that he had a different real name than what he went by on the farm, he said. "Our employee is not who he said he was," Lang said at a news conference at the farm. "This was shocking to us."

In addition, investigators said Wednesday they were working to determine whether Rivera acted alone. They said that other charges may be filed against Rivera if evidence shows that sexual assault or other crimes were committed against Tibbetts.

GREEN LIGHT FOR CLASSROOM GUNS? -  Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is reportedly considering allowing states to use federal funds to buy firearms for educators ... The New York Times, citing multiple people with knowledge of the plan, reported Wednesday evening that the department is focusing on a federal education law that does not explicitly prohibit the purchase of firearms through federal funds called the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants. It would be up to DeVos to approve of any such measure, the Times reported. The Department of Education did not immediately respond to an email from FOX News.

HURRICANE LANE STALKS HAWAII: As Hurricane Lane nears Hawaii, officials and residents prepare for the fierce winds and heavy rain that are expected to hit the Pacific islands .... Hawaii Gov. David Ige said during a news conference Wednesday that he requested a presidential disaster declaration, “which allows us to preposition the state, should the need for federal assistance arise during the Hurricane Lane effects.” The Category 4 storm is expected to bring maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, and currently is moving west-northwest at 8 mph, according to the National Weather Service’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC).

AS SEEN ON FOX NEWS

CIVIL RIGHTS VET CALLS OUT 'FRAUDS': "To remember something doesn't mean you're celebrating it. These are anarchists and are not freedom fighters ... Taking down a Confederate statue does nothing for saving a life in Chicago."  – Civil rights veteran Bob Woodson, on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," blasting student rioters who wrecked Confederate statue "Silent Sam" on the University of North Carolina campus in Chapel Hill, N.C. WATCH

JUROR SPEAKS OUT: "Certainly Mr. Manafort got caught breaking the law, but he wouldn’t have gotten caught if they weren’t after President Trump." – Manafort trial juror Paula Duncan, on "FOX News @ Night," reflecting on the case against former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort. WATCH

TRENDING

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U.S. stock market sets record-long bull run.

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THE SWAMP

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter blames 'Democrat prosecutors' for his indictment on corruption charges | Hunter to speak out on 'The Story' at 7 p.m. ET

Dems seize on Cohen plea deal to push off Kavanaugh hearings.

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ACROSS THE NATION

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MINDING YOUR BUSINESS

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Airlines cut back routes as higher fuel prices weigh.

No college degree? Score your dream job at these companies.

FOX NEWS OPINION

Mike Huckabee: Israel needs our support and prayers now more than ever.

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Todd Starnes: California Dems prepare for crackdown on churches.

HOLLYWOOD SQUARED

Asia Argento accuser Jimmy Bennett breaks silence on sexual assault allegation.

'Big Bang Theory' to end after Season 12.

LA prosecutors reviewing second Kevin Spacey sexual assault claim: report.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?

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STAY TUNED

On Facebook:

Check out 'FOX News Update,' our new Facebook-exclusive news program!

On FOX News: 

FOX & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: President Trump sits down for an exclusive interview with FOX News' Ainsley Earhardt. Plus, Ted Williams traces key locations in Mollie Tibbetts’ murder; Lawrence Jones reacts to skyrocketting college tuition; the next installment of "Cooking with Friends" features David Bossie and his "Bossie Burgers."

The Story, 7 p.m. ET:  EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter speaks out on the corruption charges he faces in his first national TV interview since his indictment.

On FOX Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: FOX Business' Edward Lawrence interviews Esther George, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Guests include: Michael Milken, chairman of the Milken Institute; Mary Ann Mendoza, whose son was killed by an illegal immigrant; Sen. Jim Inhofe.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Van Hipp, American Defense International chairman; Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder and executive director; Kris Paronto, author of "The Ranger Way."

The Intelligence Report, 2 p.m. ET: Kayleigh McEnany, RNC national spokeswoman; Adam Lashinsky, executive editor of Fortune; Capri Cafaro, former minority leader, Ohio state Senate; Todd Horowitz, chief strategist of BubbaTrading.com.

Countdown to the Closing Bell, 3 p.m. ET: Byron Wien, Blackstone vice chairman; Chad Bown, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics; John Bozzella, Global Automakers CEO and president; Robyn O'Brien, AllergyKids Foundation founder; Alan Rechtschaffen, partner of the Rechtschaffen Institutional Group at UBS Financial Services, Inc.

On FOX News Radio:

The FOX News Rundown podcast: Wednesday was a historic day of Wall Street, marking the longest bull market run in history. FOX Business Network's Lauren Simonetti and author and economist Ben Stein discuss the significance of the milestone. Jose Baez, the defense attorney behind two trials that made international news, is back in the spotlight with a new tell-all book. He joins the podcast to discuss "Unnecessary Roughness: Inside the Trial and Final Days of Aaron Hernandez." Plus, commentary by Paul J. Batura, vice president of communications at Focus on the Family.

Want the FOX News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: David Bossie and Rep. Adam Kinzinger take on the potential impact of latest developments in the Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort cases; Kris Paronto on security clearances; Larry Sabato looks ahead to the November midterms; John Huebusch discusses his new book, "The Second Coming."

The Tom Shillue Show, 3 p.m. ET: Ben Shapiro, editor of DailyWire.com, joins Tom Shillue to discuss the latest developments in the Russia probe!

#OnThisDay

2000: Approximately 51 million viewers tune in for the finale of the first season of the CBS reality show "Survivor" to see contestant Richard Hatch win the $1 million prize.

1989: In a case that inflamed racial tensions in New York, Yusuf Hawkins, a 16-year-old black youth, is shot dead after he and his friends are confronted by a group of white youths in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. (Gunman Joey Fama would be convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison; he will be eligible for parole in 2022.)

1973: A bank robbery-turned-hostage-taking begins in Stockholm; the four hostages end up empathizing with their captors, a psychological condition now referred to as "Stockholm Syndrome."

FOX News First is compiled by FOX News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Friday morning.