10 things you need to know today: April 17, 2018

Trump backpedals on new Russia sanctions, Fox News' Sean Hannity named as Michael Cohen's third client, and more

Fox News' Sean Hannity was named as Michael Cohen's third client.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1. White House holds off on Russia sanctions

President Trump held off on imposing new sanctions to punish Russia for supporting Syria on Monday, reversing plans announced just a day earlier by United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. The additional sanctions were expected as a response to Syria's suspected chemical weapons attack in a rebel-held area. Moscow had referred to the looming measures as "international economic raiding." Haley had said Sunday on CBS News' Face the Nation that the sanctions would target Russian companies linked to equipment used in the alleged chemical attack, indicating they would be unveiled Monday. Trump, however, reportedly told his national security advisers he was not yet comfortable pulling the trigger on the sanctions.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.