Trump White House Continues Lawyering Up as Russia Investigation Unfolds

After an awkward week in the ongoing investigation of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, the White House has brought on a new lawyer. Ty Cobb, a Washington veteran, is joining the legal team to help coordinate the White House response to the ongoing investigation, a job previously handled by Donald Trump’s combative personal lawyer, Marc E. Kasowitz, whose aggressive e-mails made their own headlines this week.

The new hire was first reported by Bloomberg News, and ends a weeks-long search by the White House, reportedly encouraged by White House counsel Don McGahn. Cobb is “intended to be traffic cop, enforcer of discipline, and public spokesman” for the investigation, according to Bloomberg News, working with Kasowitz and outside lawyers and leaving the rest of the White House counsel to focus on other things. (In the Trump administration, there are always other things).

The New York Times notes this suggests evidence of a growing rift between Trump and Kasowitz, whom the president has clashed with and criticized more often in recent weeks. Trump’s Twitter account creates a constant battleground for the two of them, with the president’s lawyer repeatedly attempting to curb his social media use. Trump also criticized Kasowitz’s “flat performance” at his June 8 news conference after James Comey’s hearing, and is reportedly frustrated with his lack of proximity: Kasowitz commutes from his home in New York City, and so is unable to be with Trump’s staff seven days a week.

Meanwhile, Jared Kushner is also in the midst of a legal shakeup, with the Times reporting that his attorney Jamie Gorelick will step away from advising him on anything related to Russia, though she’ll continue to advise him on other issues. With Kushner under fire for his own meetings with Russia, that leaves plenty for Gorelick’s successor, Abbe D. Lowell, to take on.

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Avengers: Infinity War Footage Released At D23

Disney and Marvel are bringing plenty to show at their annual D23 Expo, including some brand new footage from the anticipated Avengers: Infinity War.

The footage popped up during the Marvel Studios Live-Action panel, and you can read the description below from ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis, who is attending the event.

“Avengers tower comes into frame. Clips from The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Iron Man 2, and Iron Man 3 play.”

Then the new footage begins.

“‘We are arriving,’ Mantis said to the Guardians. Teenage Groot in a seat. They describe this place as ‘dangerous.’ The body of Thor lands on their windshield. His hair is short. Rocket is startled. Mantis wakes him up using her powers. Thor is startled. All of the Guardians look at him, prompting him to ask who they are. The ship zips through the cosmos. Elsewhere, Wanda dodges some white energy, and it breaks a truck. Soemwhere else, Loki stands in ruin, presenting the Tesseract to someone. Peter’s Spider-Sense takes off as he rides a bus. Tony prepares for battle. He is in space with the Guardians.

“‘Fun really isn’t something one considers when balancing the universe,’ Thanos said. ‘This does put a smile on my face.’ Gamora looks on, terrified. The Guardians observe ruin in many places across Earth and the cosmos. Thanos warps into this new world. Star-Lord battles him. Strange battles him. Spider-man, in his new suit, battles him. Winter Soldier battles on Earth. Wakanda readies to defend their territory. Cap steps out of the shadows, beared, with longer hair. Hulkbuster fights. Black Panther fights the four legged creature from Infinity. Thor’s head is squeezed by Thanos. Thanos pummels Iron Man in a fight. The Guardians are all defeated. Thanos has assembled the Infinity Gauntlet. He throws energy from a hole in space.”

As you can see by the first footage, Infinity War is going to be quite epic, and will include just about everyone in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe. That includes Spider-Man: Homecoming actor Tom Holland, who described it as bigger than anyone can fathom.

“It needs no teasing,” Holland said to the Toronto Sun. “That movie literally needs no teasing. It’s going to be the biggest movie of all time. Believe me; no one is ready for that movie. I don’t know anything about it or what it’s about.”

In addition to Spider-Man, Infinity War will also bring in Black Panther, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Thor, Hulk, and many more.

Avengers: Infinity War currently has a 4.34 out of 5 on ComicBook.com’s anticipation rankings, which you can submit your vote for here. The description for Infinity War is included below.

Avengers: Infinity War is described by Marvel Studios as the culmination of everything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Iron Man in 2008. The movie is filming now under directors Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

The expansive confirmed cast includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bethany, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, and Josh Brolin as the villain Thanos.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming are in theaters now, followed by Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017. After that Black Panther debuts on February 16, 2018, while Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. Ant-Man and the Wasp is slated for July 6, 2018, followed by Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.

MORE AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR: Infinity War Has Officially Wrapped Production / D23 – First Look At Thanos, Black Panther, Star Wars, And More / What Could Be Hiding Behind Thanos At The Marvel Studios Booth?

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