Donald Trump 'hired Faux-Bama to mock and fire predecessor', former lawyer claims - Sky News

Before he became president, Donald Trump's strong dislike of Barack Obama saw him hire a "Faux-Bama" to take part in a video in which he mocked and "fired" him, it has been claimed.

According to a new book by his former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, as reported by CNN, Mr Trump employed a lookalike for a skit in which he "ritualistically belittled the first black president and then fired him".

The claim comes from Mr Cohen's upcoming memoir Disloyal: The True Story Of The Former Personal Attorney To President Donald J Trump, which CNN has obtained an early copy of.

While CNN reports that the book does not name the man who allegedly played Mr Obama, or give a date for when the incident happened, it does include a photograph.

It shows Mr Trump sitting behind a desk, facing a black man in a suit, who has a US flag pin on his lapel - and on the desk are two books, one displaying his White House predecessor's name in large letters.

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Image: Michael Cohen worked for Mr Trump between 2006 and 2018

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Also in the memoir, Cohen - who worked as Mr Trump's attorney between 2006 and 2018 - alleges that his former boss was "guilty of the same crimes" that landed him in a federal prison.

Cohen was jailed for three years in May last year after pleading guilty to various crimes - including making illegal hush money payments to silence two women alleged to have had an affair with Mr Trump, and lying to Congress.

Still under house arrest, Cohen reiterates his long-standing claim that Mr Trump approved a $130,000 (£98,000) payment to silence one of those women - porn actress Stormy Daniels - ahead of the 2016 election.

Mr Trump has previously denied knowledge of the payment and having an affair with Ms Daniels.

Cohen's memoir also claims that Mr Trump admires Vladimir Putin, but says the Trump campaign was "far too chaotic and incompetent to actually conspire with the Russian government".

The book - released on Tuesday - has been dismissed by the White House as "fan fiction".

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2020-09-06 09:19:12Z
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Brexit LIVE: EU warned UK ‘serious’ about no deal threat – Boris prepared to WALK AWAY - Daily Express

David Frost is due to hold another round of key negotiations in London with his counterpart Michel Barnier, the European Union's chief negotiator on Tuesday. Informal talks last week between Mr Barnier and Lord Frost failed to find a breakthrough ahead of the eighth round of formal negotiations.

Both sides want a deal agreed next month in order to have it signed off by politicians on both sides of the Channel by the end of the transition period on December 31.

But UK government officials have warned today the UK will not budge, stressing the EU should allow Britain to approach things in its “own way”.

A Government source said: "The EU must also realise that we are serious about leaving with an Australian-style trading relationship and reclaiming our independence as a sovereign nation if we cannot find acceptable terms.”

Boris Johnson's team has made clear that it would “continue to set out our reasonable arguments, which have remained the same since talks began in February”.

Another Number 10 source stressed Brexit deal agreement is made “based on precedent”.

They said: “It’s time the EU accepted that so we can move on."

The UK has repeatedly hit out at Brussels over demands it says have been not to other third-party nations.

Differences remain between the pair on issues such as fishing and the level of taxpayer support the UK will be able to provide for businesses once it is an independent nation.

But Number 10 warned the EU needs to show “more realism” on the “scale of the change that results from our departure”.

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9:30am update: British nationalism could scupper a deal 

British "emotional nationalism" risks leaving the UK without a deal, Ireland's foreign minister has warned.

Simon Coveney feared that both sides would fail to reach an agreement especially as Brexit is a now a low priority for the EU during this month's leaders summit. 

Mr Coveney said: "Nobody wants to be paying tariffs or having unnecessary disruption to trade between the EU and the UK.

"But I do think that the way in which the British political system deals with Brexit is incredibly inward-looking.

"It's focused on British politics, it's driven by pride, emotion, nationalism, as opposed to the detail of what's required to get a trade deal and the compromises that are required to do that."

8am update: Lord Frost is not scared of walking away from EU talks 

The UK's chief negotiator has said the Government is not "scared" of walking away from talks with the European Union without a deal and vowed not to blink in the final phase.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday,  the Prime Minister's Europe sherpa said the UK was preparing to leave the transition period "come what may" - even if that meant exiting with no deal, which officials have dubbed a so-called "Australian-style" arrangement.

Lord Frost told the newspaper the UK would not agree to being a "client state" to the EU and said Theresa May's administration had allowed Brussels to believe there could be an eleventh hour concession on a trade deal.

He said: "We came in after a Government and negotiating team that had blinked and had its bluff called at critical moments and the EU had learned not to take our word seriously.

"So a lot of what we are trying to do this year is to get them to realise that we mean what we say and they should take our position seriously."

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2020-09-06 07:41:00Z
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Typhoon Haishen: 200,000 ordered to evacuate as Japan braces for storm - BBC News

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More than 200,000 people have been ordered to evacuate areas of Japan threatened by an approaching storm.

Typhoon Haishen is expected to intensify on Sunday, bringing heavy rain, storm surges and winds of more than 100mph (160km/h).

It will move past Kyushu on Sunday, and is expected make landfall in South Korea on Monday.

It comes days after Typhoon Maysak, one of the strongest storms to hit the region in years.

The latest typhoon has led to the closure of factories, schools and businesses across western Japan. Hundreds of flights and train services have also been cancelled.

Japan's government will be holding an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday to address the storm.

The position of Typhoon Haishen at midnight GMT on Saturday

The country's weather agency said it was not likely to issue its most serious typhoon warning, but added that residents should exercise their "most serious caution" for possible record rains and high waves along the coast.

Yoshihisa Nakamoto, director of the agency's forecast division, told reporters that surging tides may also cause flooding in low-lying areas, particularly around river mouths.

• What are hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons?

As a result of the storm, hundreds of thousands of people have been advised to move to designated shelters in places like schools and community centres. This includes all 36,600 residents of the city of Goto, in Nagasaki, where the typhoon may hit directly.

But local media report that some people have chosen to find safety in local hotels to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading in crowded public shelters.

Typhoon Haishen has also forced Japan's coast guard to suspend its search for missing sailors from a cargo ship that sank during Typhoon Maysak.

The Gulf Livestock 1 was carrying 43 crew members and 6,000 cows when it went missing on Wednesday.

Three crew members were rescued alive.

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2020-09-06 07:26:48Z
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Lake Travis: Several boats sink at pro-Trump parade in Texas - BBC News

Several boats have sunk on a lake in the US state of Texas during a parade to support President Donald Trump in November's election, officials say.

Authorities say the choppy water was likely caused by the large number of vessels moving closely together on Lake Travis, near the state capital, Austin.

Images showed boats with Trump campaign flags manoeuvring at close quarters.

Media say people had to be rescued from the water, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The event, called Lake Travis Trump Boat Parade, was organised on Facebook, and more than 2,600 people marked themselves as having attended it.

An investigation has been launched and there is no evidence of any intentional act, Travis County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kristen Dark said.

"We responded to multiple calls of boats in distress, several of them sank," she said. "We had an exceptional number of boats on the lake today... When they all started moving at the same time, it generated significant waves."

The incident happened around 12:00 (17:00 GMT) on Saturday, Labor Day weekend in the US. The event page said boats were asked to drive at 10mph (16km/h).

Paul Yura, from the National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio, told the Associated Press that there were no storms in the area at the time of the parade.

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2020-09-06 05:30:59Z
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Lake Travis: Several boats sink at pro-Trump parade in Texas - BBC News

Several boats have sunk on a lake in the US state of Texas during a parade to support President Donald Trump in November's election, officials say.

Authorities say the choppy water was likely caused by the large number of vessels moving closely together on Lake Travis, near the state capital, Austin.

Images showed boats with Trump campaign flags manoeuvring at close quarters.

Media say people had to be rescued from the water, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The event, called Lake Travis Trump Boat Parade, was organised on Facebook, and more than 2,600 people marked themselves as having attended it.

An investigation has been launched and there is no evidence of any intentional act, Travis County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kristen Dark said.

"We responded to multiple calls of boats in distress, several of them sank," she said. "We had an exceptional number of boats on the lake today... When they all started moving at the same time, it generated significant waves."

The incident happened around 12:00 (17:00 GMT) on Saturday, Labor Day weekend in the US. The event page said boats were asked to drive at 10mph (16km/h).

Paul Yura, from the National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio, told the Associated Press that there were no storms in the area at the time of the parade.

More about the US election

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2020-09-06 04:32:20Z
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Lake Travis: Several boats sink at pro-Trump parade in Texas - BBC News

Several boats have sunk on a lake in the US state of Texas during a parade to support President Donald Trump in November's election, officials say.

Authorities say the choppy water was likely caused by the large number of vessels moving closely together on Lake Travis, near the state capital, Austin.

Images showed boats with Trump campaign flags manoeuvring at close quarters.

Media say people had to be rescued from the water, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The event, called Lake Travis Trump Boat Parade, was organised on Facebook, and more than 2,600 people marked themselves as having attended it.

An investigation has been launched and there is no evidence of any intentional act, Travis County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kristen Dark said.

"We responded to multiple calls of boats in distress, several of them sank," she said. "We had an exceptional number of boats on the lake today... When they all started moving at the same time, it generated significant waves."

The incident happened around 12:00 (17:00 GMT) on Saturday, Labor Day weekend in the US. The event page said boats were asked to drive at 10mph (16km/h).

Paul Yura, from the National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio, told the Associated Press that there were no storms in the area at the time of the parade.

More about the US election

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2020-09-06 03:40:48Z
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Brexit: Negotiator David Frost says UK not scared of walking away - BBC News

The UK's chief Brexit negotiator has said the government is not "scared" of walking away from talks without a trade deal ready to come into force in 2021.

David Frost told the Mail on Sunday the UK would leave the transition arrangement - which sees it follow many EU rules - "come what may" in December.

In contrast, he said Theresa May's team had "blinked and had its bluff called".

EU negotiator Michel Barnier has said he is "worried and disappointed" about a lack of concessions from the UK.

He was speaking after informal talks between the pair failed to find a breakthrough.

An eighth round of formal negotiations begins on Tuesday.

Both sides want a deal agreed next month in order to have it signed off by politicians on both sides of the Channel by the end of the transition period on 31 December.

Differences remain on issues such as fishing and the level of taxpayer support the UK will be able to provide for businesses once it is an independent nation.

Lord Frost told the newspaper: "A lot of what we are trying to do this year is to get them to realise that we mean what we say and they should take our position seriously."

'Unsurprising muscle-flexing'

Analysis by Chris Mason, Political Correspondent, BBC News

The UK left the European Union in February but until the end of December it is in a transition period, where very little has actually changed.

The time left to negotiate a long-term arrangement between London and Brussels is tight, and the language from Lord Frost is defiant.

"We are not going to be a client state," he says. "We are not going to accept provisions that lock us into the way the EU do things."

While this is his first interview since the UK left the EU, officials in Brussels are familiar with his arguments. One described the remarks as "unsurprising muscle-flexing".

Sources there say what they can't accept is the UK having the freedom to undercut businesses on the Continent in their own Single Market.

The time for compromise is running short. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but there's no guarantee it will.

In the interview, Lord Frost said wanting control over the country's money and affairs "should not be controversial".

"That's what being an independent country is about, that's what the British people voted for and that's what will happen at the end of the year," he said.

"I don't think that we are scared of this at all. We want to get back the powers to control our borders and that is the most important thing."

The government was "fully ready" to trade with the EU without a formal deal, he said.

In practice, this would mean taxes on exports and customs checks.

It's a scenario which road hauliers say would cause "severe" disruption to supply chains, with border management systems not yet up and running to make sure consignments are cleared to proceed to the EU.

Last week, the Road Haulage Association said the UK was "sleepwalking into a disaster".

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2020-09-06 04:07:10Z
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