'Start Here' podcast: We called Cohen
It's Wednesday, April 11, 2018. Here are some of the stories we're talking about on ABC News' new daily podcast, "Start Here."
1. Checking in on Cohen
The president has signaled his disdain for federal investigators before. But rarely have we seen him as angry as Monday, when he learned that federal agents raided the home and offices of his personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
This all started with a referral from Special Counsel Robert Mueller. But even though he handed this particular investigation off to federal prosecutors in New York, Trump seems to be entertaining the possibility of firing Mueller.
ABC News’ Kyra Phillips spoke to Cohen by phone and says the attorney was rattled by the raids.
2. "A game of cat and mouse"
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled by Senators on the Commerce and Judiciary committees for nearly five hours Tuesday in the most-anticipated congressional hearing in months.
Ashkan Soltani, the chief technologist at the Federal Trade Commission during the Obama administration, tells us that the more lawmakers revealed "their lack of technical understanding, the more comfortable Mark was."
3. Coalition coming together?
With Trump promising major decisions on Syria in the coming days, the United Nations Security Council gathered to discuss options.
And despite kisses on both cheeks between Ambassador Nikki Haley and the Russian ambassador, they proceeded to rip into each other and vetoed each other's resolutions.
ABC News correspondent James Longman, in Beirut, says that simple veto from Russia in the face of international consensus might have given President Trump the chance to get some allies on his side ahead of a potential missile strike.
4. Early admission investigation
Right now across the country, high schoolers are getting accepted into colleges -- the result of hard work and killer essays.
However, the Justice Department appears to be investigating college admissions programs and how much information they share in private about students they accept. Experts who have seen the documents sent to colleges say this could be an anti-trust investigation.
Robert Massa, senior vice president of enrollment and institutional planning at Drew University in New Jersey, says the practice is about holding early-admission students accountable.
5. Airline lavatory worry
Late last year, Boeing started shipping a new plane model: a 737 Max 8.
American Airlines started using it to fly between New York and Florida. And since then, the people who fly in them have been talking.
We speak to a flight attendant who works for another major airline who says while the aircraft is beautiful, its bathrooms could pose a safety -– and sanitary -– risk to passengers and crew.
"Start Here" is a daily ABC News podcast hosted by Brad Mielke featuring original reporting on stories that are driving the national conversation. Listen for free at Apple Podcasts -- also available on TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and the ABC News app.
Follow @StartHereABC on social for exclusive content, show updates and more: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
