It’s Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. Thanks for choosing to start here.
1. Giuliani: Manafort lawyers have briefed Trump legal team on special counsel discussions
Earlier this week, we learned that Paul Manafort, the president’s former campaign chair, stood accused of lying to the special counsel even after signing a plea deal to cooperate.
Now Rudy Giuliani, the president’s lead attorney, says Manafort has been funneling questions from the special counsel back to the White House, providing a sense of where Robert Mueller’s investigation is heading.
ABC News Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran says this makes it more likely the president would pardon Manafort.
2. Senate advances Yemen legislation after closed-door briefing on Khashoggi
Yesterday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis briefed senators behind closed doors on Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Afterward, both Democrats and Republicans voiced their displeasure, saying CIA director Gina Haspel should have been present to discuss the agency’s assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
ABC News’ Conor Finnegan tells us that now some Republicans are siding against the White House when it comes to U.S. involvement in Yemen.
3. Redskins claim linebacker 2 days after he’s cut for domestic violence arrest
The San Francisco 49ers released linebacker Reuben Foster over the weekend after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge in Tampa, Florida.
Two days later, the Washington Redskins claimed the rights to Foster, which has outraged some fans.
“There’s no guarantee he is ever going to play here,” Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said. “He’s got a lot of work to do personally, with the team, with the NFL, with himself before he even thinks about playing football again.”
Ryan Smith, an ABC News legal analyst and a co-host of ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” says the Redskins are no stranger to off-field controversies.
4. Study: Number of children without health insurance in the US on the rise
Overnight, a new report from Georgetown University was released that found the number of children in the U.S. without health insurance has spiked since Trump took office.
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty tells us that, among other factors, anti-immigration policies are contributing to the rise.
Other news:
‘The size of the defense budget is not a measure of patriotism’: Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal tells ABC News that the president’s criticisms of those in the military are “deeply disturbing to a lot of thoughtful people.”
‘So we need to figure out what the other 40-plus guns are doing in his possession and who they belong to and whether or not he’s even able to have them’: Police discover Nazi paraphernalia and dozens of guns at the home of a man who releases doves at events for a living — and who and once told the L.A. Times, “I got into all-white birds in the ’80s” — after he’s arrested for threatening a customer.
‘He draws pictures of many of the women he killed’: A 78-year-old man already in jail for life now says he may have killed 90 people.
‘Complicit in oppression and human rights abuses’: Many Google employees oppose building a censored search engine in China.
From our partners at FiveThirtyEight:
Magnus Carlsen Is, Again, The World Chess Champion
Last ‘Nightline’:
Ivanka Trump responds to questions on personal email use, the border crisis, her father: As a senior adviser to the president, Ivanka Trump says there’s “no equivalency” with her email scandal and Hillary Clinton’s and that she’s not concerned with the Mueller investigation.
Swedish model accused of ‘blackfishing’ reopens debate on race and appropriation: An Instagram model denies darkening her skin and changing the appearance of her hair and lips, saying, “I cannot change the way I was born. … I’ve never claimed to be black or biracial.”
Today in history:
Nov. 29, 2009 — Four police officers are shot dead in Washington state in a targeted attack.
The must-see photo:
The National Christmas Tree glows as the president and first lady participate in the 96th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington. (photo credit: Jim Young/Reuters)
For more great photos from around the world click HERE.
Hot on social:
A pelican with a fishing lure caught in its wing is flying again thanks to some help from these kindly visitors to Hatteras Island, North Carolina.
All right, you’re off and running. You can always get the latest news on ABCNews.com and on the ABC News app. Details on how to subscribe to the “Start Here” podcast are below. See you tomorrow.
“Start Here” is the flagship daily news podcast from ABC News — a straightforward look at the day’s top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or the ABC News app. On Amazon Echo, ask Alexa to “Play ‘Start Here'” or add the “Start Here” skill to your Flash Briefing. Follow @StartHereABC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for exclusive content, show updates and more.
