Friday Scoop: Keep It on the DL

Welcome to the Morning Scoop for Friday, August 24, 2018. News is happening today, and we hope it’s exciting enough for you.

We’re getting ready to begin the fall semester at CMN, and we want you to be a part of the team; it’s definitely not too late to join us in reporting important news. To enroll in our contributor program, go here. 

Tabloid Reportedly Kept Hush-Money Stories on Trump in a Safe

Multiple media outlets reported yesterday that federal prosecutors granted immunity to National Enquirer chief David Pecker, and the Associated Press revealed that sources say the tabloid kept a safe filled with damaging stories it killed as part of its relationship with President Trump.

In the months leading up to the 2016 election, “records were stored alongside similar documents pertaining to other celebrities’ catch-and-kill deals, in which exclusive rights to people’s stories were bought with no intention of publishing to keep them out of the news. By keeping celebrities’ embarrassing secrets, the company was able to ingratiate itself with them and ask for favors in return,” according to the AP.

The president’s former personal lawyer Micheal Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations earlier this week, involving payments made to two women who alleged affairs with Trump. It’s believed the Enquirer paid them both for their stories with no intention of publishing them.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Considers Using Federal Funds to Arm Schools

Late Wednesday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was reportedly coming up with a plan that would allow states to use federal grants to purchase guns for teachers, The New York Times has reported.

The plan consists of eliminating the longstanding federal government policy of not paying for weapons in schools and would make use of a government program called the “Support and Academic Enrichment Grants to Buy Firearms,” because this one is different than other federal grants. This one does not expressly prohibit such purchases. making there no mention of providing firearms to teachers.

Read more details in Erin Whitten’s report here. 

Analysis: UMKC Student’s Alleged Sex Trafficking Incident Should be a Wake up Call

Earlier this month, nineteen-year-old UMKC student, Makenzie Kleist and her sister were driving from their home in Illinois to college when they were allegedly pursued by sex traffickers. Kleist tweeted about her story to raise awareness as it was the countless other social media warnings about human sex trafficking signs that saved her life.

Without claiming that it was certainly human sex trafficking, Kleist explained her side of the story and that the details of the event matched those of other cases of mysterious men in cars on Highway 36 preying on young girls. Her motive was to warn people about local sex trafficking to ensure safety. She gave the advice, “They are looking for just women so try to not drive alone if possible. If you see cars with no plates acting suspicious either call someone or pretend to, they’ll get scared. Only ever pull off at a popular exist and go directly inside a busy place.”

Find out exactly what happened in Courtney Good’s story here.

Today in a Tweet: End of a Feud?

Nicki Minaj stated that she “loves Kylie” at the VMA’s, despite the Travis

Scott fiasco. Hopefully, this is a bid for peace. 

Last But Not Least: Hurricane Lane in Hawaii Downgraded to Category Three Storm

Since it began its path towards the islands of Hawaii, Hurricane Lane has weakened in force, according to CNN. About 200 miles south of Honolulu as of early this morning, the storm has already unleashed torrential rainfall, causing landslides and flooding. The National Weather Service has advised the residents of Hawaii that Hurricane Lane is “significant and life-threatening,” despite being downgraded to Category Three. It is expected to pass by Monday.

This pre-weekend Morning Scoop was made possible by Erin Whitten, Courtney Good, and the CMN Staff. Ever have a nightmare about showing up to college orientation in your underwear? We haven’t, but we expect it’s absolutely terrifying.