Thursday Morning Scoop: Stormy Day For Trump

Welcome to the Morning Scoop for Thursday, May 3, 2018. Rudy Giuliani tells the world that there was a Stormy payoff, and Trump has already tweeted his response. But all we’ve been able to think about is the new Netflix lineup.

Follow this link to get the Morning Scoop in your inbox or send it to a friend, which would make us happy. It could serve as your token commemoration of World Press Freedom Day. 

Giuliani Shares With Media: Trump Funded Stormy Payoff

Here’s Giuliani reporting something to someone that isn’t Hannity. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Last night on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani reported that President Trump had in fact backed his lawyer, Michael Cohen, in the payoff of Stormy Daniels.

Stormy Daniels, the porn star who alleged an affair with Trump prior to his election, shared in January that she was paid $130,000 to keep quiet about her involvement with the President. In February, Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen reported that he paid the money out of his own pocket, and that Trump had no knowledge of it. Trump also denied knowing anything about the payoff.

But Giuliani shared otherwise, claiming that the money was “funneled through the law firm,” and that “Trump reimbursed him.” He added that there was no issue with this conduct, because the money was not in “campaign finance violation,” making it “perfectly legal.” Giuliani later reported to The Washington Post that he doesn’t expect to be fired for sharing this information, and the President previously gave him the go-ahead for publicly sharing this information.

Trump tweeted a response early this morning, stating that Cohen did in fact receive the money through a “monthly retainer,” for which they had a non-disclosure agreement. He asserted that the payoff was to “stop the false and extortionist accusations” about the affair, and that the was no campaign finance involved in the transaction.

Recent E.Coli Outbreak Takes Its First Life

The first fatality from the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce occurred in California, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

According to the CDC, 23 more cases were reported since Friday, bringing the total to 121 illnesses across 25 states, with 52 hospitalizations that include 14 cases of kidney failure. Because of these casualties, the CDC continues to warn against purchasing or consuming romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona, growing region, where the outbreak is suspected to have originated. This includes whole heads and hearts of romaine, chopped romaine, baby romaine, organic romaine, and salad mixes that include romaine lettuce.

Read Arianna Lynne’s coverage here.

CMN Exclusive: #SaveStudentNewsrooms Movement Supported by 130 Universities

#SaveStudentNewsrooms, the campaign created by three University of Florida students who saw the struggles college newspapers face and wanted to make awareness of it, went viral April 25. College Media Network sat down with Jimena Tavel, one of #SaveStudentNewsrooms organizers to hear more about the campaign’s inception and its effect on students around the globe.

The instance that triggered the movement specifically was when the team found out that the independent newspaper at Southern Methodist University was dissolving in May and going to be under the control of the school’s journalism department. “We were appalled by the news and, frankly, threatened,” Tavel said. “It all started with this tweet asking if anyone knew student journalist leaders who would be interested in making an official connection.”

The #SaveStudentNewsrooms crew was overwhelmed with the support. “We had more than 130 newsrooms join the campaign for our day of action, April 25,” Tavel told CMN. “I think none of us expected it to blow up as much as it did, but we’re shocked and grateful so many people care about college journalism.”

Read Lindsay Wigo’s full report here. 

Today in a Tweet: World Press Freedom Day

A solemn reminder that not every country gets to enjoy this luxury. 

Last But Not Least: The May Netflix Lineup Is Here!

Order some pizza and put on your old sweats, because it’s time for a binge.

This month, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman” will reunite both with comedian Tina Fey and news personality Howard Stern, a longtime guest on Late Night with David Letterman. Carol Burnett will be trading the Broadway stage for season one of the Netflix original, “A Little Help with Carol Burnett.” Among the other top shows to make a reappearance, “Bill Nye Saves The World,” “Scandal,” “Dear White People,” and “Unbreakable Kendall Schmidt.”

We’re stoked, and so is CMN’s Julia Schemmer, which you can read about here. 

This Thursday Morning Scoop was compiled by Arianna Lynne, Lindsay Wigo, Julia Schemmer, and the CMN Staff. It’s the home stretch of the semester, and this summer weather tastes like sweet, sweet freedom.