7 things you need to know before you start your day

Friday, August 21

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Good morning.

Donald Trump and Michael Cohen are talking again. After all of that.

Cohen was Trump’s fixer, then his enemy, then a key witness against him. He went to prison, wrote books, called Trump every name in the book and helped prosecutors build the hush-money case that ended with Trump being convicted on 34 felony counts. Trump, in turn, spent years calling Cohen a liar and a traitor.

Now they are sitting down together again, and the conversation is apparently warm. Cohen is talking about forgiveness. Trump is praising him. Cohen also wants a pardon, which certainly adds another layer to all of this.

Politics can be strange, but this is especially strange.

Anyway, here’s what else is happening this morning.

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NEW JUDGE, NEW TRIAL?

Karmelo Anthony’s 35-year sentence is back under the microscope, this time in front of a new judge. John Roach was removed after going on television following the verdict and saying the jury “got it right.” Anthony’s lawyers are now pressing for a new trial in the killing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.

DON’S TAKE: Once the judge goes on TV defending the verdict while the case is still alive, the defense has every reason to ask whether he can keep ruling on it.

LOCKED UP AFTER TRUMP CRITICISM

Air Force Major Jason Watson is back in military confinement after publicly criticizing Trump and calling for his impeachment. The Air Force says the detention is tied to continued misconduct. Watson’s lawyers say the timing, right after a CNN interview, looks retaliatory.

DON’S TAKE: The military has rules. It also cannot afford to look like criticizing the president gets you thrown in a cell.

TARIFF REFUND FOR THEM. HIGH PRICES FOR YOU?

Corporate America passed the cost of Trump’s tariffs straight to consumers. Now that billions of dollars in refunds are flowing back after the tariffs were struck down, companies are being asked a pretty simple question: are shoppers getting any of that money back?

DON’S TAKE: Funny how quickly companies pass costs down and how slowly they pass savings back.

GARY STILL IN THE DARK

Gary, Indiana, is still dealing with major power outages more than a week after a derecho ripped through the region with winds near 100 miles an hour. Residents are angry, schools have been disrupted and the restoration has dragged on.

DON’S TAKE: More than a week without power is not a minor delay. People need their lights back on.

$40 TRILLION. STILL SPENDING.

The national debt is pushing toward $40 trillion while the Trump administration is also moving ahead with hundreds of millions of dollars in White House construction projects, including the ballroom.

DON’S TAKE: Washington loves talking about waste right up until it is their project.

D.C. BECOMES A RACE TRACK

The National Mall is turning into a 1.7-mile IndyCar circuit this weekend for the Freedom 250, with drivers racing past some of the most famous landmarks in the country and road closures already snarling downtown.

DON’S TAKE: Great if you bought a ticket. Less great if you just need to get to work.

COKE, FRATS AND FELONIES

Fourteen people are charged in an alleged cocaine-trafficking operation tied to Penn State fraternities, and prosecutors say pledges were even used to package drugs as part of initiation rituals.

DON’S TAKE: If your pledge class involves felony drug packaging, maybe skip rush week.

LUCKY SLICES

Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Congressman Eric Swalwell and searched his Washington home as part of a criminal investigation tied to sexual-assault allegations.

The Democratic National Committee has narrowed the finalists for its 2028 convention to Boston, Denver and Philadelphia. Atlanta and Chicago are out.

The Hunting Wives returns on Thanksgiving. Netflix says Season 2 premieres November 26 with Brittany Snow and Malin Åkerman back.

Jason Statham’s new movie Mutiny opens in theaters today after Amazon apparently made the entire movie available on Prime Video by mistake before the theatrical release.

The FDA has upgraded a recall of GreenWise frozen blueberries and mixed berries sold at Publix to its highest risk level because of an E. coli outbreak linked to the fruit.

TODAY ON THE DON LEMON SHOW

I’ll be live for Hot Topics at 10 a.m. ET on YouTube, and then back for Lemon Live at 5 p.m. ET. We have a lot to get into, including Jason Watson, Karmelo Anthony and the stories everybody is going to be talking about today.

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Something good is going to happen to you today.