Stormy Daniels: I’m Now Free to Tell My Trump Story


The newspaper says Mr Cohen declined to answer why the "private transaction" was made


Stormy Daniels is no longer bound by a non-disclosure contract after Mr Trump's lawyer admitted he paid her, manager Gina Rodriguez says.

Mr Trump's personal lawyer confirmed in a statement to media he privately paid Ms Daniels $130,000 (£95,000) in 2016.

Ms Rodriguez says that acknowledgement allows her client to speak freely.





An X-rated cover-up?

Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC Washington

Donald Trump's lawyer and all-around fixer Michael Cohen has said he doesn't plan "further comment" on his six-figure payment to Stormy Daniels. His statements, however, raise more questions than they answer.

While he said the money came from his "personal funds" and was not reimbursed directly or indirectly by the Trump Organization or the Trump campaign, that leaves open the possibility that he was compensated by other parties - including Mr Trump himself.

Why, in his generosity, would Mr Cohen give $130,000 to Ms Daniels? The Wall Street Journal has reported that it was in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement about a decade-old affair between Mr Trump and Ms Daniels. Circumstantial evidence - that Ms Daniels had been in contact with media outlets prior to the transfer and has since gone silent - lends credence to this line.


Even though the alleged affair is long since past, a story about possible hush money and an attempted cover-up just weeks before the presidential election is much more dangerous for a White House already on its heels. And if it turns out there's more to the money trail than has been disclosed, an embarrassing situation could quickly morph into a criminal inquiry.






The reports re-emerged in January when the Wall Street Journal reported that she was paid to sign a non-disclosure agreement in the run-up to the 2016 election, which prevented her from discussing the alleged liaison.


Responding to questions from CNN about why the payment was made, Mr Cohen said: "Just because something isn't true doesn't mean that it can't cause you harm or damage."

"I will always protect Mr Trump," Mr Cohen added.

On 30 January, Ms Daniels' publicist released a statement in her name denying having an affair with Mr Trump.

But many - including Ms Daniels herself - were quick to note that the signature attached to that denial did not bear much resemblance to another copy of her autograph which had been attached to an earlier statement.
Ms Daniels hosted a Super Bowl party last month

That denial had been released by Mr Cohen on 10 January.


Minutes after Mr Trump's first formal State of the Union address to Congress, she gave an interview to late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

In it, she refused to directly answer whether she had signed a non-disclosure agreement, or if she had "ever made love to someone whose name rhymes with Lonald Lump".


Assailant caught in US school shooting, 'numerous fatalities'

Horrific mass shooting at a Florida high school

n this frame grab from video provided by WPLG-TV, students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland evacuate the area Picture: WPLG-TV/APSource:AP

MIAMI: A gunman opened fire Wednesday at a Florida high school, an incident that officials said caused "numerous fatalities" and left terrified students huddled in their classrooms, texting friends and family for help.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office said a suspect was in custody following the incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, a city about 50 miles (80 kilometres) north of Miami.
AT LEAST one person is dead and dozens of people have been injured following a horrific mass shooting at a Florida high school.

Coral Springs Police was called to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland following reports of an active shooter on the scene.

Authorities warned the public to stay away from the area as the campus remains in lockdown.

It remained unknown exactly how many people were shot, however, it is understood there have been “multiple fatalities”.
The shooting, one of several in the United States since the start of the year, will once again throw the spotlight on the country's epidemic of gun violence and the ready accessibility of weapons, with 33,000 gun-related deaths annually.

Emergency crews on the scene near Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Picture: ABCNewsSource:Supplied

The superintendent of the county's school district, Robert Runcie, said he believed there were "numerous fatalities," and that the gunman may have been a former student.

"Just a horrible day for us," Runcie said, adding that the incident appeared to be over.
So far, 14 "victims" had been or were being taken to local hospital, the sheriff's office said. Earlier reports suggested that between 20 and 50 people had been hurt.

"This is a very tragic situation for everybody involved," Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky told CNN, adding that she had spoken to a number of students.

Asked about security, the mayor said a police officer is always stationed at the school and there was a "single point of entry."
Television images showed students being led out of the school by heavily armed police officers and an armoured vehicle filled with a SWAT team arriving at the scene.


Police officers in helmets, bulletproof vests and armed with automatic weapons could be seen stationed at several points around the sprawling school complex, which houses nearly 3,000 students.

Parents wait for news following the horrific mass shooting. Picture: Joel Auerbach/APSource:AP

A math teacher at the school told CBS that he was hiding with six of his students.
"We are fine. We are waiting," he said.

Caesar Figueroa told CNN his daughter was hiding in a closet and texting her family.
"She's trapped with her 10 friends. She said she heard gunshots. A window blew and everybody is screaming and running, and she said she ran in the closet and she's still there," Figueroa said.
The Broward Sheriff’s office confirmed the suspected shooter is now in custody, however, stressed the scene remains active.

“So far we have at least 14 victims,” the Sheriff’s office said.


"My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting," President Donald Trump said on Twitter.

Coral Spring Police told concerned parents over Twitter the school remained on lockdown as a precaution.

Since January 2013, "there have been at least 283 school shootings across the country -- which averages out to one school shooting a week," according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit group that advocates for gun control.

Police handcuff the suspected gunmen following the shooting



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