Russia, If You're Listening

It's not looking like Donald Trump is going to have a merry Christmas. After avoiding talking about impeachment or legal consequences for Donald Trump, the Democrats are suddenly dangling the threat of jail time over the President's head. So what's changed? Michael Cohen. He's been telling the Mueller investigation all sorts of juicy information. It's changed what we knew about the Trump Tower Moscow timeline. Russia, If You're Listening has this SPECIAL UPDATE to explain what's new.

Former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort seemed to have flipped on the boss in September. That's when he signed a plea deal with Robert Mueller and pleaded guilty to a number of financial crimes. But now, Mueller says Manafort has reneged on the deal and lied to his investigators. That could lead to years of jail time. What is Manafort thinking? And will Donald Trump confront Vladimir Putin over this week's naval skirmish in the Kerch Strait between the Russian and Ukranian navies? Dr Gorana Grgic from the US Studies Centre joins Russia, If You're Listening.

President Donald Trump's party has lost the House of Representatives, and the firings have already begun. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who Trump has long wanted gone, is out. His temporary replacement is a guy who has called the Mueller probe a "witch hunt", and suggested Mueller's budget should be cut to the bone. So what's going to happen to the Mueller investigation? Today we're joined by Emma Shortis from RMIT, and Andrew Beatty, a news editor for Agence France Presse in Australia, and a former White House correspondent.

The American political system is being challenged in unprecedented ways, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been challenged before. The Mueller investigation into Donald Trump is just the latest of over a dozen special investigations ordered since the US Civil War. But there are two in the last 50 years which are seen as historical references for what’s happening right now - Watergate, and the Lewinsky Scandal. One led to a resignation. The other led to an impeachment. We spoke to Leon Neyfakh, a man who has delved deeply into both those investigations for his wildly successful podcast, Slow Burn, and learned a lot of lessons which should be remembered while talking about the Russia investigation.

We've received so many great questions since we started this podcast. What happens if Mueller gets fired? What's the worst thing Trump could be found guilty of? Where does this all end!? It's time to pin Matt down and make him answer them. Questions: 01:17 - If Mueller gets fired, what happens to the evidence he's collected? 04:39 - What's the worst thing Trump could be found guilty of? 08:27 - What if the investigation is still going when the next Presidential primaries begin? 10:48 - Hasn't the US done a bit of its own interfering in foreign elections before? 15:17 - Is there going to be a tipping point when Republican politicians will change their opinion on Trump? 18:50 - How does this whole thing end? If there's a question you want answered, email us at russia@abc.net.au.

Donald Trump's nominee for the US Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh has faced down mounting allegations of sexual misconduct from a growing list of women. After an emotional Senate appearance by him and one of his accusers, it's unclear whether he has the numbers to be confirmed. But if Kavanaugh is confirmed, it could have big implications for the Russia investigation. We're joined by Professor Simon Jackman from the US Studies Centre and Emma Shortis from RMIT University. If you want to get in touch or have a question you'd like us to answer our email is russia@abc.net.au

The only person in the world with the power to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller may lose his job. US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein marched to the White House for a meeting with Donald Trump earlier this week but the President wasn't there. They've rescheduled for tomorrow. What will it mean if Rosenstein is fired or steps down? Will it mean Robert Mueller's days are numbered?

He held out for a long time, but Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort has finally flipped. What does Manafort know about the Trump Tower meeting and the Trump campaign? Is a pardon still on the table? And how close is Robert Mueller to concluding his investigation? We're joined by Emma Shortis from the European Union Centre at RMIT University in Melbourne, and Professor Sandeep Gopalan, the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic Innovation at Deakin University. Want to get in touch? Email russia@abc.net.au.

We end the season with the head of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election - Robert Mueller. He's been taking down key players, circling closer and closer to Donald Trump. But can he finish before the President shuts him down? This is our last deep dive into a key character in the Russia investigation for this season, but we'll keep you updated with Trumpdates every time an important development in the story breaks. Keep an eye on your feed. Want to get in touch? Email russia@abc.net.au.

An anonymous op-ed published by the New York Times has exploded like a hand grenade in Washington D.C. The op-ed was reportedly written by a "senior figure in the Trump administration". The author said they are among a group of senior officials inside the White House who are working to slow down the worst parts of the President's agenda. They said that, despite being a supporter of Republican policies, they are disturbed by the President's amorality, and his erratic and anti-democratic behaviour. What does this mean for the future of Donald Trump's presidency, and the Mueller investigation? Matt is joined by Gorana Grgic from the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and Emma Shortis from the European Union Centre at RMIT University in Melbourne. Links: Read the New York Times Op-ed here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html Want to get in touch? Email russia@abc.net.au.

Michael Cohen is called Donald Trump's personal lawyer, but really he's a "fixer" - a man who solves problems for the boss. It all came unstuck when investigators probed into hush money payments he made to a model and a porn star. He pleaded guilty to eight criminal counts, and announced he was happy to tell the truth to anyone who asked for it. So what information will he give up and should Trump be worried? Want to get in touch? Email russia@abc.net.au.

We've spoken a lot about hacking on this podcast, but Russia and America have the cyber capabilities to do much more than hack elections. In fact, around 30 to 40 countries are thought to have cyber weapons that are sophisticated enough to bring advanced, and highly wired, countries to their knees. What's worse, is that our ability to attack other countries with digital weapons is far better than our ability to defend against attacks. Matt spoke to David Sanger, the national security correspondent for the New York Times and host of Deep State Radio podcast. His new book is called The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au.

Felix Sater's life is a mystery. He went to jail for stabbing a guy in the face, he was involved with the Russian Mafia, and was an informant for the CIA. He also helped Donald Trump build his property empire. So are there any secrets? And what does he know?

The White House is struggling to figure out how to respond to the twin bombshells of Paul Manafort's conviction and Michael Cohen's guilty plea. After remaining silent for 24 hours about the issue - even on Twitter - the President has attempted to defend himself in an interview on Fox News. But his statements about campaign finance violations may just have landed him in more trouble. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au.

Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen has pled guilty to tax fraud, lying to a bank, and campaign finance violations. On the same day, his former campaign director Paul Manafort has been found guilty of other financial crimes. The President's inner-circle has been breached. What will this mean for Donald Trump? Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au.

Donald Trump's business flourished with the 80s real estate boom and bled money when the recession hit. These days no one really knows how much he really has. Why the secrecy? Today, the story of the Trump Organization, and when Russian money might have ended up in his pocket.

Pulitzer Prize-winning BuzzFeed journalist Mark Schoofs is behind some of the biggest investigations into Russia's influence in Western Democracies. Last year, his team at BuzzFeed revealed in a six part series that Russia had been assassinating people in the UK for over a decade. And the British Government did nothing about it. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Former FBI director James Comey is both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's biggest nightmare. He's the grandson of a cop with a dogged commitment to integrity, independence and note taking. But could his integrity be what cost Hillary Clinton the election? And did it cause Donald Trump to commit a crime?

General Michael Flynn was a high ranking defence official and a Democrat before he joined up with Donald Trump. He's now accused of planning a kidnapping, acting illegally as an unregistered foreign agent, and found guilty of lying to the FBI. Why was he allowed to stay in the White House when he was compromised by the Russian Government?

The trial of Trump's former campaign director Paul Manafort began this week. In response, Donald Trump let fly with a tweetstorm. He's calling on the Attorney-General to end the Mueller investigation. Manafort is on trial for crimes connected to his work in Ukraine, but his defence team is blaming his deputy Rick Gates. And Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen is keen to tell prosecutors all about the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting. It's been a big week. We've got John Barron from ABC News' Planet America and Emma Shortis from RMIT University in Melbourne on the episode to make sense of it all. Want to get in touch? Email: russia@abc.net.au.