Mic Daily: Sen. John McCain discontinues brain cancer treatment — and other stories of the day

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While You Weren’t Looking: 5 stories from the Trump administration that aren’t about Michael Cohen

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After weeks of legal turmoil, Michael Cohen — President Donald Trump’s longtime lawyer and political “fixer” — pleaded guilty to eight felony counts on Tuesday, including two charges of campaign finance violations.

The stunning admission, which essentially names the president as an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal crime, dominated headlines throughout the week, along with the news that Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort had been found guilty by a jury on eight felony counts of bank and tax fraud.

But as America’s attention was trained on the Oval Office and what the mounting political scandals will mean for the man who occupies it, elsewhere in Washington, the news churned on as usual.

From Scott Pruitt’s $43,000 phone call to a new Russian hacking threat, here are five stories you might have missed this week.

John McCain discontinues brain cancer treatment, his family says

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Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has discontinued medical treatment for the brain cancer he was diagnosed with last year, McCain’s family announced in a statement Friday morning.

“John has surpassed expectations for his survival,” the family said. “But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment.”

What you need to know about the nationwide prison strike for wages

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A coalition of several prisoner groups, including Jailhouse Lawyers Speak and Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, have declared a national prison strike from Aug. 21 to Sept. 9. The dates are intentional.

Aug. 21 is the anniversary of the death of George Jackson, an author and prison activist who was killed by a guard in 1971. Meanwhile, Sept. 9 is the anniversary of the beginning of the Attica riot that same year, which was held in part as a reaction to Jackson’s death. The largest prison strike in American history also began Sept. 9, 2016.

In letter, Tim Cook, Jamie Dimon and other business leaders slam Trump’s immigration policies

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Business leaders from 60 top companies decried the Trump administration’s immigration policies Wednesday, sending a letter to the administration condemning immigration changes that are causing anxiety for employees and threatening to disrupt operations.

The letter, which was sent by members of the Business Roundtable coalition to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen, centers on the H1-B visa that provides temporary work authorizations for skilled foreign employees.

Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg granted immunity for helping prosecutors in Cohen probe

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On Friday, Trump Organization financial chief Allen Weisselberg was reportedly granted immunity for providing information to prosecutors investigating Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Weisselberg provided authorities with information related to their investigation into the illegal hush agreements Cohen made with two women in 2016 who said they had affairs with Trump.