This is Mary, Henry, Erica, Julia, Lloyd, calling from the drink stack, Horseshoe Island,

Stony Lake, Ontario, Canada. We're drinking 12-year-old Scotch, just like Michael Cohen.

This podcast was recorded at... It's 1.30 on Thursday, August 23rd.

Things may have changed by the time you hear this. Okay, here's the show!

Hey there, it's the NPR Politics podcast here with our weekly wrap of the week's

biggest political stories. To a president Trump's closest allies were found guilty or pleaded guilty,

the same day as another Republican congressman was indicted. In Microsoft and Facebook and

Twitter all announced attempts by foreign governments to influence American voters.

I'm Scott Detro, I cover Congress. I'm Sarah McCammon, I'm covering the White House.

I'm Tim Mac, political reporter. And I'm Ron Elbing, editor correspondent.

All right, there is clearly one moment this week that we need to start with. And I'm talking

about one moment in specific because near simultaneously in Virginia and in New York City,

top close-ades associates of President Trump were either being found guilty or pleading guilty

to serious crimes. And this really reshaped the political landscape and the legal landscape

of the Mueller investigation. Paul Manafort, the former campaign chair, found guilty on eight

counts after a lengthy trial. And then a surprise, we weren't expecting Michael Cohen,

that long time aid and fixer saying he broke the law and saying that he did so with the knowledge

and the direction of President Trump. Sarah, President Trump is responding to both of these guys

in to put it mildly very different ways. Let's let's start with how he's talking about Paul Manafort.

Yeah, and again, Manafort was his campaign chairman. He came into the campaign the summer

before the election. And Trump is on a couple of things. You know, remember Manafort again was the

one who was convicted on eight counts in his tax and bank fraud trial. And he did not cooperate

...