Image by Patrick Feller licensed under CC BY 2.0
Michael Cohen, who was Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, pleaded guilty to eight felony charges, including tax evasion and campaign finance violations. In addition to owing about $1.4 million in unpaid income taxes, Cohen, who has described himself as Trump’s “fixer,” admitted to a role in paying two women to stay silent about their relationships with Trump, with the purpose of influencing the 2016 presidential election. Listen to hear more about Cohen’s admission of financial crimes and their implications for the president.
Story Length: 3:51
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December 5, 2017
4:16
Two longtime business associates who served together on the Trump presidential campaign were recently indicted on charges including conspiracy against the U.S. and conspiracy to launder money. Paul Manafort was a former Trump campaign manager and Rick Gates also worked for the campaign. Although this was discovered during an investigation looking into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, these charges do not include collusion with the Russian government. The charges describe a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. of millions of dollars in taxes. Listen to hear more about these charges.
Read MoreDecember 18, 2015
3:32
Campaign contributions come in from many sources. There are limits to the amount of money a campaign committee can contribute to support a candidate, but there are no limits on how much money a Super PAC can contribute. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell would like to change the campaign finance law. These laws were put into place to prevent corruption, but both Republicans and Democrats have been working to dismantle campaign finance limits. Listen to this story with your students and debate this question: Should we set limits on campaign contributions?
Read MoreNovember 13, 2015
3:56
Presidential campaigns reported their latest fundraising totals recently. There is a shift in campaign fundraising focus from a candidate’s own committee raising money to independent superPACs. A candidate’s own campaign committee can't take contributions greater than $2,700. SuperPACs have no contribution limits at all. Also, a candidate cannot raise big money for a superPAC, but it's fine for a superPAC to raise money for a candidate's campaign. Are the fundraising laws fair? Listen to this story with your students and debate whether political campaign spending should be limited.
Read MoreAugust 18, 2014
7:47
Forty years ago President Richard Nixon resigned after getting caught obstructing the investigation of the Watergate break in. In today’s story we hear from a reporter who covered this investigation and resignation in 1974. She recalls the uncertainty and anxiety of the American people that the system may not hold up in this time of transition. We hear from politicians at the time and the reflections of citizens in the aftermath of Nixon’s resignation. Listen to this story to better understand how Americans felt during this unprecedented period of transition.
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