A few miles south of the namesake tower where Donald Trump began his run for president, New York prosecutors are grinding away at an investigation into his business dealings that could shadow him...

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge on Thursday ordered the release of President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer from prison, saying the government retaliated against him for planning to release a book...

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. WHERE TRUMP'S SECRETS WERE STORED

The National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents on hush-money payments and other damaging stories it killed as part of its cozy relationship with Donald Trump, The AP has learned.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's attorney general is looking to open a criminal investigation into whether Michael Cohen violated state tax law, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Attorney General Barbara Underwood has requested a criminal referral from the state tax department to investigate and potentially file charges against Cohen, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's attorney general is looking to open a criminal investigation into whether Michael Cohen violated state tax law.

A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday that Attorney General Barbara Underwood recently requested a criminal referral from the state tax department to investigate and potentially file charges against Cohen, the former personal attorney for Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):

10:45 p.m.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is declaring that the Justice Department "will not be improperly influenced by political considerations" as he pushes back against President Donald Trump's latest jabs.

Sessions' response came after Trump, appearing increasingly vulnerable to long-running investigations, accused the attorney general of failing to take control of his department.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the National Enquirer's cozy relationship with Donald Trump (all times local):

6:30 p.m.

The Associated Press has learned the National Enquirer kept a safe for documents on hush money payments and other damaging stories it killed amid its cozy relationship with Donald Trump before the 2016 presidential election.

NEW YORK (AP) — Mired in financial woes, Michael Cohen is sticking his hand out and asking the public for help paying for his legal defense, and one anonymous donor already has ponied up $50,000.

Through his lawyer, Donald Trump's former "fixer" says collecting contributions through a GoFundMe page set up after his guilty plea this week is the only way to ensure the truth comes out about the president.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents on hush money payments and other damaging stories it killed as part of its cozy relationship with Donald Trump leading up to the 2016 presidential election, people familiar with the arrangement told The Associated Press.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions punched back hard at President Donald Trump's latest sneering criticism Thursday as their long-running rift exploded into a public smackdown. Trump, concerned by the legal downfall of two former advisers, accused Sessions of failing to take control of the Justice Department, leading Sessions to declare that he and his department "will not be improperly influenced by political considerations."

CHICAGO (AP) — Democrats aren't ready to embrace the I-word.

A day after separate legal hammers dropped nearly simultaneously on two former members of President Donald Trump's inner circle, Democrats in Washington and across the country faced a delicate balance as they sought to take political advantage of his growing troubles without alienating moderates and independents turned off by talk of impeachment.

NEW YORK (AP) — The plea deal reached by Donald Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen has laid bare a relationship between the president and the publisher of the National Enquirer that goes well beyond the tabloid's screaming headlines.

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. WHAT TRUMP CLAIMED

The president incorrectly argued on Fox News that paying hush-money to two women wasn't "even a campaign violation" because he reimbursed lawyer Michael Cohen with his own money.

2. DEMOCRATS AREN'T READY TO EMBRACE THE I-WORD

NEW YORK (AP) — What other dirt might Michael Cohen have on Donald Trump?

Cohen's lawyer says the president's former "fixer" has information "on certain subjects that should be of interest" to the special prosecutor beyond his allegations made while pleading guilty Tuesday that Trump directed him to make hush-money payments to fend off damage to his White House bid.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After President Donald Trump was implicated in a federal crime, members of both parties dismissed talk of impeachment, with Republicans shrugging off the accusations or withholding judgment.

The legal entanglements surrounding Trump — the guilty plea by former lawyer Michael Cohen and the fraud conviction of one-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort — delivered a one-two punch Tuesday that left lawmakers struggling for an appropriate response ahead of the midterm campaigns.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After his longtime fixer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to several felony charges, President Donald Trump is shrugging off the two campaign finance charges as "not a crime."

The reality? The crimes are real, and Cohen faces time in a very real prison.

A breakdown of the legal questions around the case involving the president's former personal attorney:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Russia probe. His former lawyer's records — and memory. Two women with lawsuits. A third with tapes.

President Donald Trump is facing real political threats following one electrifying hour Tuesday that brought a plea deal by his onetime lawyer, Michael Cohen, and the conviction of Paul Manafort, the former chairman of the his 2016 presidential campaign.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The day after President Donald Trump was implicated in a federal crime, members of both parties dismissed talk of impeachment, with some Democrats expressing fears Wednesday about such a politically risky step, and Republicans shrugging off the accusations or withholding judgment.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump accused his former lawyer Michael Cohen of lying under pressure of prosecution Wednesday as his White House grappled with allegations that the president had orchestrated a campaign cover-up to buy the silence of two women who claimed he had affairs with them.

NEW YORK (AP) — The guilty plea of President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, may not mean it's "case closed" for federal prosecutors in Manhattan.

Those prosecutors scrambled to get a plea deal done to avoid appearances that news of it could influence the midterm elections. And they were mum Wednesday about what might come next.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):

7 p.m.

President Donald Trump is accusing his former lawyer Michael Cohen of lying under pressure of prosecution as his White House grapples with allegations that the president orchestrated a campaign cover-up to buy the silence of two women who claimed he had affairs with them.

NEW YORK (AP) — The plea deal reached by Donald Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen has laid bare a relationship between the president and the publisher of the National Enquirer that goes well beyond the tabloid's screaming headlines.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After his longtime fixer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to several felony charges, President Donald Trump is shrugging off the two campaign finance charges as "not a crime."

The reality? The crimes are real, and Cohen faces time in a very real prison.

Here's a breakdown of the legal questions around the case involving the president's former personal attorney.

WASHINGTON (AP) — His name is Donald John Trump, but federal prosecutors have a simpler moniker for the 45th president: Individual 1.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Russia probe. His former lawyer's records — and memory. Two women with lawsuits. A third with tapes.

President Donald Trump is facing real political threats following one electrifying hour Tuesday that brought a plea deal by his onetime lawyer, Michael Cohen, and the conviction of Paul Manafort, the former chairman of the his 2016 presidential campaign.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Investigators in New York state have issued a subpoena to Michael Cohen as part of their probe into the Trump Foundation, an official with Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration confirmed to The Associated Press Wednesday.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Paul Manafort, the longtime political operative who for months led Donald Trump's successful presidential campaign, was found guilty of eight financial crimes in the first trial victory of the special counsel investigation into the president's associates.

A judge declared a mistrial Tuesday on 10 other counts the jury could not agree on.

A bad day in court for his former associates could foreshadow hard days ahead for President Donald Trump. But it's unlikely he'll find himself in a courtroom facing criminal charges, at least while he's president.

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. WITH COHEN PLEA, GOP FACES FAMILIAR QUANDARY

The former Trump attorney and fixer pleaded guilty to campaign-finance violations and other charges, increasing pressure on the Republican Party in a midterm election year.

2. WHO IS INDIVIDUAL 1

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's longtime fixer, Michael Cohen, once said he'd take a bullet for his boss, but on Tuesday he pleaded guilty to eight felonies and described payoffs to women at Trump's direction before the 2016 election.

NEW YORK (AP) — The unveiling of federal criminal charges against President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer came with drama as attorney Michael Cohen went farther than prosecutors were willing to go in pointing fingers. Not only did Cohen plead guilty to all eight charges, but he directly implicated the president in the payment of hush money to two women who claim they had affairs with him.

How did the court appearance play out and what are the implications? Some questions and answers:

Tuesday was a bad day in court for former associates of President Donald Trump, and it could foreshadow hard days ahead for the president.

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, pleaded guilty Tuesday to campaign-finance violations and other charges, saying Trump directed him to arrange the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model to fend off damage to his White House bid.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on a financial fraud probe involving Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen (all times local):

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump confronted one of the most perilous moments of his presidency Tuesday after two onetime members of his inner circle simultaneously were labeled "guilty" of criminal charges. Although Trump largely ignored the jarring back-to-back blows at a campaign rally in West Virginia, questions mounted about his possible legal exposure and political future.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Paul Manafort, the longtime political operative who for months led Donald Trump's successful presidential campaign, was found guilty of eight financial crimes Tuesday in the first trial victory of the special counsel investigation into the president's associates.

A judge declared a mistrial on 10 other counts the jury could not agree on.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):

9:10 p.m.

President Donald Trump has avoided mention of his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his former personal attorney Michael Cohen at a campaign rally in Charleston, West Virginia.

The closest reference on Tuesday night came when he slammed the special counsel investigation into Russian election interference as a "witch hunt" and asked: "Where is the collusion?"

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The Latest on the Paul Manafort trial (all times local):

9 p.m.

Paul Manafort, the political operative who once led Donald Trump's successful presidential campaign, has been found guilty of eight financial crimes in the first trial victory of the special counsel investigation into the president's associates.

A judge declared a mistrial on 10 other counts the jury could not agree on.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's longtime fixer, Michael Cohen, once said he'd take a bullet for his boss, but on Tuesday he pleaded guilty to eight felonies and described payoffs to women at Trump's direction before the 2016 election.