All the President's men

Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort ... social media ... Mollie Tibbetts ... Pope Francis ... Hurricane Lane

view in browser Wednesday 8.22.18 The worst flooding in a century has ravaged India's southwestern state of Kerala, killing hundreds and forcing thousands to take shelter in relief camps. Here's how you can help. And here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. By Doug Criss Michael Cohen & Paul Manafort   If this were an episode of "House of Cards" or "The West Wing," we would all yell that the writers had jumped the shark. But this is real. Two men close to President Trump became convicted felons yesterday at almost the same time. Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was convicted on eight counts of financial crimes (the jury deadlocked on 10 other counts), while ex-Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal counts, including tax fraud and campaign finance violations. And, oh yeah, he dropped a bombshell: He admitted in court that he committed some of these crimes "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office." That would be one Donald J. Trump. CNN's Stephen Collinson said the whiplash events of the day had the feel of a TV season finale. And like all good finales, it presented new questions as it answered old ones: How much legal jeopardy is the President in? Will these convictions embolden special counsel Robert Mueller to turn up the heat on Cohen and Manafort in the Russia probe (which you can track here)? Are Democrats guaranteed to impeach Trump if they win the House in November? And what will Trump's Twitter feed look like today? The President said almost nothing about Cohen or Manafort during his rally last night in West Virginia (though the crowd did do -- we kid you not -- a "lock her up" chant at the mention of Hillary Clinton's name). Collinson also wrote that the day's events prove that, even in the Trump era, "truth and facts still matter in America."   Social media Facebook's not playing around in its quest to rid itself of troublesome pages. The social media giant took down another 652 pages that it said were part of coordinated disinformation campaigns in the US, the UK, Latin America and the Middle East. The pages were linked to Iran and Russia. Twitter's doing it, too, getting rid of 284 Iranian-linked accounts that it said were being used for "coordinated manipulation." Social media companies are scrambling to protect their platforms ahead of November's midterms to stop a repeat of online meddling that occurred during the 2016 presidential election.   Mollie Tibbetts An autopsy is planned today on the body found in an Iowa cornfield that's believed to be Mollie Tibbetts. The 20-year-old disappeared a month ago while out for an evening jog. Cristhian Bahena Rivera, an undocumented immigrant, confessed to killing her, police said. He told police he was driving around and saw her, then got out of his car and ran beside her, even after she told him she'd call police. Rivera then claims he blacked out, police said. He led police to her body yesterday. This tragic case is sure to get swamped in politics, as President Trump and other GOP officials railed on the fact that Rivera is in the US illegally.    Pope Francis Pope Francis will meet with sex abuse victims during his visit to Ireland this weekend. The Pope's under immense pressure to say and do more about the clergy sex abuse scandal that's rocking the Catholic Church, so it's also "very possible" Francis will address the controversy publicly while on the Emerald Isle. Ireland suffered through its own abuse scandal almost a decade ago. This announcement from the Vatican comes days after Francis put out a letter acknowledging the church's failure to act on the abuse in the wake of revelations of decades of abuse by priests in Pennsylvania.   Hurricane Lane Hawaii's prepping for Hurricane Lane, which could make a direct hit on the island chain later this week. Lane's now a Category 5 storm, and meteorologists think it will weaken to a Category 3 before it plows through some Hawaiian Islands from Thursday through Saturday (you can track the path here). It's also possible Lane could pass just south of Hawaii, like Hurricane Hector did two weeks ago. This is the latest threat in what's turned into a challenging year for Hawaii, which has suffered through a false missile alarm alert and damage from the Kilauea volcano eruptions.    I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett. Actress and #MeToo leader Asia Argento, denying reports that she sexually assaulted musician Jimmy Bennett when he was 17 ADVERTISEMENT People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. Survival story Their mother died when their car crashed, but a 3-year-old and his 1-year-old brother somehow managed to survive on their own for days after the wreck. Sharing the love Think you need millions to start collecting Andy Warhol's work? Nah, all it takes is $20. A clean start Some of his students were bullied because their clothes were dirty. So, this New Jersey principal got a free laundromat installed at his high school. Beyond the call The Argentine police officer heard a crying baby while patrolling a hospital. When she realized the child was hungry, she breastfed the infant herself. Break out The animals on the front of the Barnum's animal crackers box are now out of their cages -- after PETA complained. 177 The number of migrants on an Italian Coast Guard ship that Italy won't let disembark until it gets assurances they'll be relocated elsewhere in Europe say hello to ...   Dave Armstrong from metro Detroit Occupation: retired The best part of your morning routine? "I am not kidding you when I say the best part of my morning routine is reading 5 Things, which I have been doing for three or four months now." So long, summer Ready to go to auctioneer's school? It's one of five back-to-school stories from Great Big Story that'll make summer's end a little less sad. (Click to view.) Share Tweet ALL CNN NEWSLETTERS CNN Five Things shows up in your inbox every weekday at 6 a.m. ET and on Sundays at 9 a.m. ET. Like what you see? Don't like what you see? Let us know. We're all about self improvement. Did a friend forward you this newsletter? Sign yourself up! 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