Michael Cohen's book about being Trump's 'fixer' reportedly dead in the water

President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen lost out on a tell-all book deal that would have detailed his personal and business relationship with the president.

People with direct knowledge of the matter told Fox Business that Cohen had an agreement in principle with Hachette Book Group for an upfront payment of roughly $500,000, but that deal is now reportedly off the table.

The sources said Hachette pulled the deal for now, and possibly for good, as controversies continue to emerge surrounding Cohen.

Cohen’s close relationship with Trump was what caused multiple major publishing houses to court him for a book deal in the first place.

However, his current business problems, which stem from his less-public role with Trump, are what caused the deal to possibly be null.

Cohen has come under investigation in the past few months for paying $130,000 in hush money right before the 2016 election to porn star Stormy Daniels, who alleged she had an extramarital affair with Trump.

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/michael-cohens-book-about-being-trumps-fixer-reportedly-dead-in-the-water

'Optimistic' Jim Mattis drops some 'very good news' about Trump-Kim summit

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis echoed sentiments made by President Trump Friday and told reporters he is "very optimistic" that U.S. and North Korean officials will soon meet back at the negotiating table in regards to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"We have got some, possibly some good news on the Korea summit, where it may, if our diplomats can pull it off, may have it back on even," Mattis said at the Pentagon, according to the pool.

On Thursday, Trump canceled his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but he hinted Friday morning that the summit could still take place in the future or even on the originally scheduled date of June 12.

Mattis characterized these rapid developments as the "usual give and take" associated with "trying to put together big summits and stuff."

"The diplomats are still at work on the summit, possibility of a summit, so that is very good news," he added.

“I am optimistic that the diplomats are working, our diplomats are working very hard to make this happen."

When asked if the United States would restart military exercises in the region, Mattis said the military is not "changing anything right now, it is steady as she goes."

"The diplomats are in the lead and in charge, and we give them our best wishes to have a fruitful way forward."

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/jim-mattis-drops-some-very-good-news-about-north-korea-summit

DHS to cancel Obama-era foreign investor immigration program

The Trump administration moved Friday to officially revoke an Obama-era program designed to entice foreign entrepreneurs to move to the U.S. to invest their cash in businesses here, saying the previous administration overstepped its powers.

The revocation, if it becomes final, would be yet another blow to President Obama’s attempts to rewrite the immigration system by executive fiat — a policy that also included the DACA deportation amnesty for illegal immigrant “Dreamers,” a broader prohibition on deportations of most illegal immigrants, and new programs to allow more people to enter legally.

The International Entrepreneur program fell into that latter category, with Mr. Obama intending it to be another way for foreign businessmen to skip the usual immigration process and gain a foothold in the U.S.

But Homeland Security now says it no longer believes the program is legal.

“DHS is now proposing to eliminate the IE Final Rule because the department believes that it represents an overly broad interpretation of parole authority, lacks sufficient protections for U.S. workers and investors, and is not the appropriate vehicle for attracting and retaining international entrepreneurs,” the department said in a statement.

Officials said wealthy investors already have other avenues of entering the U.S., such as the EB-5 visa, dubbed the “golden visa” because it lets people willing to invest at least $500,000 get a speedy path to citizenship.

The Obama administration had claimed it was using its “parole” authority to create the program. Under the law, the Homeland Security secretary can parole someone into the U.S., which usually also gives them work authorization, for a specific humanitarian or other important public benefits.

The law doesn’t define public benefit, but the Obama administration said it read it to cover having foreign entrepreneurs gain a foothold in the U.S. The rule required they prove they could attract investment in their businesses.

The level of investment was fairly low — just 10 percent of companies with as little as $250,000 in capital would have been enough to qualify. Startups had to show they created at least five jobs in order for investors to get a renewal of their parole. Those here under the program would not have been allowed to adjust their status to legal permanent residency, officials insisted.

But the Trump administration said it was still a misuse of parole authority, which has generally been seen as a case-by-case decision, not a categorical grant.

Homeland Security first moved to delay the program last July, but a federal judge said they cut too many corners. In December he ordered them to get it up and running.

https:// www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/25/dhs-cancel-foreign-investor-immigration-program/

FBI issues warning on hacking group with Russian ties

The FBI on Friday issued a formal warning about a Russian hacking campaign and asked consumers to reboot their network devices to disrupt malicious software that has already compromised “hundreds of thousands” of personal devices.

A bonnet known as “VPNFilter” is being used to target routers in homes and offices across the country, the FBI said.

“The FBI recommends any owner of small office and home office routers reboot the devices to temporarily disrupt the malware and aid the potential identification of infected devices,” the public alert said.

“Owners are advised to consider disabling remote management settings on devices and secure with strong passwords and encryption when enabled. Network devices should be upgraded to the latest available versions of firmware,” the alert continued.

Internet security researchers said Thursday the VPNFilter has infected an estimated 500,000 consumer routers worldwide.

The same security experts have inked the malware to APT 28 also known as Sofacy, a cyberterrorism group with ties to the Russian government.

A blog post from Cisco’s cyberintelligence unit, Talos, said known devices that have been infected by the VPNFilter malware include manufacturers Linksys, MikroTik, Netgear and TP-Link.

The malware allows hackers to take make a router unusable, cutting off Internet access, Talos said.

The Justice Department on Wednesday announced efforts to disrupt a global bonnet targeting the government, military and security organizations.

“These hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities and putting every American’s privacy and network security at risk,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Bob Johnson said in a statement.

https:// www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/25/fbi-issues-warning-hacking-group-russian-ties/

Sen. Ben Cardin: Trump cancelling North Korea summit throws negotiations 'off track'

Sen. Ben Cardin said Friday that President Trump has thrown diplomacy with North Korea “off track.”

“I think most people believe the president is doing this for negotiating reasons. I’m just puzzled by it,” Mr. Cardin, Maryland Democrat, said on CNN.

He credited the president for being clear in what a deal with North Korea would look like, meaning a denuclearized Korean peninsula. He also said that, despite Democrats disagreement with Mr. Trump in other areas, they do want the president to succeed.

“This is an extremely dangerous situation. Millions of lives, literally, are at risk if there’s a miscalculation,” the senator said. “All of us want the president to succeed and find a diplomatic way to end the crisis on the Korean peninsula.”

Mr. Trump cancelled the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after hostile rhetoric from the regime, but he seemed open to moving forward after Mr. Kim sent a letter saying he is still willing to meet.

https:// www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/25/ben-cardin-donald-trump-cancelling-north-korea-sum/