Jeenah Moon / Reuters

Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey) and Madeleine Carlisle (@maddiecarlisle2)

Today in 5 Lines

  • Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime former lawyer, was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of tax evasion, campaign-finance violations, and lying to Congress. In a prepared statement, Cohen said that his “blind loyalty” to Trump led him “to take a path of darkness instead of light.”

  • The Senate passed a resolution demanding an end to the U.S. military’s support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. But when passing a consequential $867 billion farm deal, House Republicans tucked in an unrelated provision to prevent a floor vote on the war in Yemen, blocking its path to passing in the House.

  • Dozens of former state and federal judges called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to stop making immigration arrests at courthouses.

  • About 20 percent fewer new people have signed up for insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act ahead of a Saturday deadline, compared with this time last year, according to a status report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

  • Republicans and Democrats appear to be headed toward a do-over election in North Carolina’s Ninth Congressional District, where the November election was rocked by claims of fraud.

Today on The Atlantic

  • Rigging Democracy: Nationwide demographic shifts mean that the Republican Party is slowly turning into the party of the minority. But the GOP is finding ways to retain power. (Vann R. Newkirk II)

  • A War on Women: The rise of authoritarianism around the world has been propelled by promises to reverse feminists’ gains made in the past decades, argues Peter Beinart.

  • Compromised: As he exits public office, Paul Ryan leaves behind a legacy of capitulating to many Trumpian policies that went against his own beliefs. (Dick Polman)

  • An Unlikely Coalition?: Many conservative Christian leaders support Trump’s push for criminal-justice reform, but black and progressive clergy members are hesitant to support him, even on such a nonpartisan issue. (Emma Green)

Snapshot

Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, leaves federal court after his sentencing in New York. (Craig Ruttle / AP)

What We’re Reading

Democracy on the Move: President Trump describes the migrant caravan traveling toward the U.S. border as a “lawless” group. But along the way, the migrants have elected officials, built a public-safety council, and even set up their own press shop. (Jesus Rodriguez, Politico)

What Happened to the Mooch?: More than two dozen senior officials have left the Trump administration in the last two years. Here’s where they’ve ended up. (Brittany Shepherd, Washingtonian)

Points for Authenticity: President Trump came out looking better than both Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker designee Nancy Pelosi after their live-streamed argument on Tuesday, argues Matt Lewis. (Daily Beast)

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