The Trump administration might look like an insane dumpster fire, but it's actually a well-oiled machine, full of smart, competent people. Just kidding. It's even more of an insane dumpster fire than you could have possibly imagined. Trump gave writer Michael Wolff access to his inner circle, which now Wolff is sharing all the juicy details in his new book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. The book contains several astonishing and hilarious revelations. Here's some highlights: Donald hated his inauguration because no A-listers showed up. Steve Bannon thought Donald Jr's meeting with Russians was treasonous, and that his dad was there. Ivanka makes fun of her dad's combover. Donald doesn't read, or even skim; his staff considers him "semi-literate." Donald didn't even want be President. Melania didn't want to him to win, either; on Election Night, she cried in despair. The President and the First Lady sleep in separate bedrooms. And every night, Donald goes to sleep at 6:30PM, eating a cheeseburger in bed, alone, watching three televisions. Of course, President Trump and the White House have slammed the book, calling it "phony," "full of lies," "a complete fantasy," and "tabloid gossip." His lawyers are even trying to block the book's release, sending cease-and-desist letters to Wolff and the publisher, Henry Holt & Co. They claim the information breaks “confidentiality and non-disparagement agreement.” Obviously, this is a huge contradiction. If the book is "full of lies," how is Wolff breaking a confidentiality agreement? A confidentiality agreement says that you won't reveal any real information. So, this is book is both full of lies and totally true? It doesn't make sense. Luckily, we've got roughly 5,000 late night talk shows pointing out the comedy in Trumpland so our heads don't explode. And Jimmy Kimmel has really been on a roll lately. He summed up America's gun problems in a heartbreaking monologue, and has been a passionate advocate for health care, ever since his son, Billy, was forced to undergo heart surgery. Thankfully, Billy's doing great, and last month he made his late night debut. Watch out, Guillermo! He might take your spot as sidekick. [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e0bUPfHU4s]] Last night Kimmel weighed on Wolff's book, and pointed out a hilarious flaw in Trump's attacks: They've totally backfired. The furious statement and the cease-and-desist have done nothing but stir up interest in the book. "It's gone from number 48,000 on Amazon straight to Number One,” said Kimmel. “If you don’t want people to read a book about you, why would you take legal action to try to stop people from reading the book about you?” (Good point!) “I wasn’t going to buy the book, I was just gonna read the excerpts in magazines and move on," Jimmy continued. "But now that Trump’s lawyers are going all-out to try to stop this book from being published, I’m buying 20 copies! I can’t buy enough of these books!" I mean, it's pretty simple reverse psychology. When people tell you not to read something, you just want to read it more. You'd think a so-called genius marketer like Donald Trump would be aware of that strategy. Maybe someone on his staff will explain it to him as he goes to sleep alone in bed at 6:30PM, munching on a cheeseburger.

If anyone can weather a storm, it’s Donald Trump. He’s taken a shot at women, immigrants, Mexicans, the disabled and even insulted the late Senator John McCain - who never gave up information during five and a half years of torture - by stating that he isn’t a war hero because he got caught.

One of Trump’s trigger issues is the media’s apparent misrepresentation of social and political issues. However, one reason why Trump hasn’t yet drowned in a sea of scandal is his ability to influence the news.

In the world of damage control there are super-injunctions, non-disclosure agreements, buried stories and perhaps the most cunning: “catch and kill”. The Associated Press has reported that the National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents on damaging stories - including hush money payments - as part of its cozy relationship with Trump.

The CEO of parent company American Media Inc (AMI) is long-term friend of Donald Trump, David Pecker. Exclusive rights to certain stories were purchased by the publisher which would then shelve the story indefinitely.

According to reports, one of these stories centred on an extramarital affair with former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal. A decade later, during Trump’s presidential campaign, McDougal detailed the story of her affair to AMI in exchange for $150,000. However, it was never published.

Four days before the election, McDougal's claims were fervently denied. However, a recording made by Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen has now proven McDougal’s allegations - in particular, payments of hush money - to be true.

On the tape, released in July, Trump can be heard discussing McDougal. Cohen seems to be suggesting that he can’t rely on his friendly relationship with David Pecker forever and therefore a payment must be made. Cohen made the payment to AMI from a shell company - a business which only exists on paper - and was reimbursed by Trump.

"I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David," Cohen can be heard saying to Trump, on the tape. “You never know where that company - you never know what he’s gonna be—”
“David gets hit by a truck,” Trump replies.
“Correct,” Cohen replies. “So, I’m all over that.”

Firmly caught up in Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation into election interference, Cohen has pled guilty to eight counts of campaign finance violation. However, David Pecker - the man accused of facilitating multiple “catch-and-kill” operations - has been granted immunity.

As a paper which thrives on scoops and sensationalism, writers at the National Enquirer apparently became frustrated with the practice. Five people familiar with AMI spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, not least because they signed non-disclosure agreements.

While sheltering Trump from potential PR disasters, the National Enquirer mounted an attack on his political opponents - most notably, Hillary Clinton. Claiming everything from her husband being a child molester to her only having six months to live, the paper did everything in its power to discredit her.

“All the hallmarks of classic propaganda appear in the newly politicized tabloids,” writes Jack Schafer on Politico. “First, there is the pure volume of the malicious bunk they churn out. The tabs construct wild story after wild story that ‘entertains, confuses, and overwhelms the audience,’ as one recent report described modern Russian propaganda technique.” He concludes: “The ability of the Enquirer and its weird sister tabloids to feed word-of-mouth.”

Of course, other scandals have have threatened Trump’s career. Such as when he was sued by the federal government for discriminating against black people. “The Government contended that Trump Management had refused to rent or negotiate rentals ‘because of race and color,”’ according to the New York Times. “It also charged that the company had required different rental terms and conditions because of race and that it had misrepresented to blacks that apartments were not available.”

Though “blacks” seems an insulting word for the New York Times to use, this was back in 1973. Trump continued to use the word, stating in 2008: “I have a great relationship with the blacks. I’ve always had a great relationship with the blacks."

After a long legal battle, Trump eventually agreed to offer tenancies to everyone, as opposed to just white people. While abhorrent, Trump nevertheless managed to shake off the criticism and continue his career.

Having built up an unwaveringly loyal following of fans who see him as much as a leader as a politician, one might question whether Trump needs to bury or "kill" damaging stories at all. However, perhaps when you’ve got as much money as Donald Trump, paying a few thousand dollars to keep your aides happy is just a drop in the ocean.

Donald Trump's presidency has been mired in scandals, most notably, the alleged Stormi Daniels affair and the accusations of treasonous collusion with Russia during the 2016 election. However, the man is surprisingly resilient, like Super Mario after an invincibility star. The scandals appear to cause no damage. His base still loves him, and the vast majority of Republican politicians continue to support him.

Yet Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation continues, and this was not a good week for President Trump. His former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was found guilty on ten criminal charges. This includes five tax fraud charges, two charges of bank fraud and one charge of hiding foreign bank accounts. Manafort faces a maximum punishment of 80 years in prison.

To make matters worse, Trump's longtime personal attorney and close confidant, Michael Cohen, pled guilty to eight crimes. These range from tax evasion to campaign-finance violations, springing from the payoff for the alleged Stormi Daniels affair. Reportedly Cohen, who is said to know a lot of Trump's secrets, has "flipped." This news has given Trump critics hope that their fantasy of impeachment might become a reality.

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However, they want to hold back on impeachment. In an interview with Fox News' Aisnley Earhardt, President Trump revealed what would happen if the Democrats regained control of Congress and removed him from office: The stock market would crash, and "everybody would be very poor."

"If I ever got impeached, I think the market would crash, I think everybody would be very poor. You would see numbers that you wouldn't believe. ... You know, I guess it says something like high crimes and all -- I don't know how you can impeach somebody who has done a great job."

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Sounds logical to me! When asked what grade he would give himself on his performance in office, President Trump said, "A plus." Pretty humble - he could have said A plus plus plus, but he held back.

 
"I give myself an A+. I don't think any President has ever done what I have done. We haven't even been 2 years. Biggest tax cuts in history. Soon to be two unbelievable Supreme Court justices, I'm sure that Justice Kavanaugh will be approved. Justice Gorsuch has been a star.

"You look at all the things we have done with regulations, the economy is the best it has ever been in history. The only thing I'm doing badly in is the press doesn't cover me fairly."

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Well, according to Politifact, Trump's tax cuts were not the biggest in history. Critics would argue that those tax cuts mostly benefited the rich, and that the economy is booming thanks in part to Barack Obama's policies, and that Justice Gorsuch should have never been confirmed, since that Supreme Court pick was rightfully Barack Obama's, and outrageously stolen from him by a petty, petulant Republican-controlled Congress. But hey, that's the divided USA! One side grades Trump an A plus, while the other side grades him an F minus.

In the interview, the president also decried confidents "flipping," equating it to lying, and arguing the practice should be illegal.

"It's called flipping and it almost ought to be illegal... I know all about flipping, 30, 40 years I have been watching flippers. Everything is wonderful and then they get 10 years in jail and they flip on whoever the next highest one is or as high as you can go."

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Few people predicted Donald Trump would become president, and few can predict how this FBI investigation will end. Impeachment seems unlikely, though, since it would require consent from the House and two-thirds of the Senate, which Republicans dominate.

Also, only two US presidents were impeached, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, and they both were acquitted by the Senate, meaning they did not have to leave office. (Richard Nixon resigned, rather than face a vote from the Senate, which likely would voted to remove him from office.)

After The New Yorker's shocking expose on Harvey Weinstein, women everywhere have felt empowered to speak out against sexual harassment, assault and misconduct. Many famous figures in Hollywood and Washington have paid a heavy price for their actions: Netflix fired Kevin Spacey from the last season of House of Cards. The FX network cut all ties with Louis CK. Minnesota Senator Al Franken chose to resign from office. But you know who didn't face any repercussions for his alleged actions? Donald Trump. While everyone else lost their jobs, he became the most powerful person in the country. We all remember the video from the Access Hollywood tour bus: While waiting to shoot a segment in 2005, Donald Trump bragged to Billy Bush about grabbing women by the genitalia, claiming that "when you're a star, they let you do it, you can do anything." Isn't it weird that Billy Bush lost his job just for listening to these comments, while Donald Trump dismissed it as "locker room talk" and went on to win the election? Apparently, we have very high standards for hosts of cheesy tabloid shows, but not so much for presidents. But it's not just the Access Hollywood tape. Over the decades, more than 20 women have accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment, assault and abuse. With the rise of the "#MeToo" movement, the women have banded together, appearing on television shows and holding press conferences to implore Congress to conduct an investigation into Donald Trump's behavior. That hasn't happened yet. But Trump did finally respond to the scandal on Twitter, denying all of the allegations. He claims the women are lying, and that their stories are "fake news." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/940554567414091776]] Well, it's another big day for "fake news," by which I mean "real news the president won't like." According to a new report by The Wall Street Journal, Donald's Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, arranged a payment of $130,000 to a former adult film actress in 2016, in exchange for her keeping quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. (Which means this incident occurred at roughly the same time as the Access Hollywood bus incident.) The woman who reportedly signed this nondisclosure agreement is Stephanie Clifford, who you might as know better as Stormy Daniels. (Oh, sure, pretend like you don't recognize her.) Back in 2016, just before the election, she was scheduled to appear on Good Morning America to discuss her affair with Trump. However, she suddenly cancelled at the last minute, without explanation and cut off all contact. (Possibly because of the non-disclosure agreement and the six figure check.) The alleged sexual encounter is said to have taken place at a Lake Tahoe golf tournament in July 2006. In fact, this is the same golf tournament where another one of Trump's alleged sexual encounters took place. Adult film actress Jessica Drake - who is one of Trump's twenty accusers - says she was at the event when Donald grabbed her, kissed her and offered her $10,000 for sex. In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, Michael Cohen calls the allegations "outlandish" and says that Trump "once again vehemently denies" the encounter. The official White House position is that all the women are lying, and Congress seems reluctant to conduct any kind of investigation. But maybe this scandal gives hope to disgraced figures like Kevin Spacey, Louis CK and Senator Al Franken. If you're accused of sexual misconduct, just run for President as a Republican. You'll never lose your job.

Another day, another Trump related rumour mill. While it's still seems somewhat farcical, and in turn enraging, that the former Apprentice star and veritable Twitter troll, Donald Trump, is sitting in the White House, it does make for some entertaining tabloid chatter. Case in point: Donald Trump Jr. is being divorced by his wife of 13 years, Vanessa.

The news, which emerged last week, is certainly a case of history repeating itself: Trump Jr.'s divorce, like his father's before him, is being covered in the the New York Post. And already, details about the couple's troubled marriage are emerging. Sources have told Page Six that Trump Jr. treated Vanessa like a "second-class citizen" and provided her with little financial support. "He gives her very little help and has been keeping her on a tight budget,” one source said. “She doesn’t live a lavish life and can very rarely pick up a check at dinner," the insider continued.

Certainly, unlike father like son, Trump Jr. is reportedly stingy, and it could be the reason why he's facing divorce.

While a spokesperson for Vanessa Trump has vehemently denied Page Six's report, a second source has come forward to corroborate that Trump Jr. has tight pursestrings. "Don Jr. was never generous with money. Vanessa has had to rely on her mother for financial help for her personal needs," the insider claimed.

This, of course, is ironic as Trump Jr.'s father is a billionaire property mogul with an estimated net-worth of $3.1 billion.

It is evident, however, that such allegations would be more surprising if we weren't talking about the same man who traded photos of his engagement at the Short Hills mall in New Jersey for a free engagement ring. It was a move that even his fame-hungry patriarch questioned - speaking in 2004 to Larry King, Trump stated "You have a name that is hot as a pistol, you have to be very careful with things like this."

And according to the Page Six sources, the couple had faced problems throughout their relationship, with friends urging Vanessa not to go through with the wedding. The election of her father-in-law only made matters worse - what with Donald Trump Jr.'s increasingly contentious social-media presence.

"She was interviewing divorce lawyers before [the Presidency]," a source continued. "No one thought he’d win. He won and she decided to stay until his term is over. But she just couldn’t stand it anymore."

Vanessa Trump's spokesperson has denied all allegations. "These claims are simply not true. Don and Vanessa have tremendous respect for each other and always have. The notion that she has had to rely on her family for assistance is absolutely false and utterly ridiculous," they told Page Six, adding that Vanessa's views on Trump Jr.'s social media posts lie in the "likes".

"Vanessa is very protective of her five children, as anyone would be, especially those in the public eye,” her spokesperson added. “That said, any claims that she is unhappy with Don posting photos of their children on social is not true. In fact, Vanessa is usually the first to ‘like’ the posts that he shares. Don is a wonderful and very involved father."

Irrespective of her reasoning, it seems that Vanessa and Don Jr. are finally going their separate ways.