Obviously, two things happened on August 21, 2018 with Manafort and Cohen. Let's consider their import and the change in the dynamic they caused.
First, Manafort. None of the convictions has anything to do with Trump. But his sentencing, plus a second trial a few weeks from now, creates enormous pressure on Manafort to flip on Trump. He might not. But if he has the golden ticket, now is the time to redeem it.
Second, Cohen. Today, Cohen stated that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime. That crime is not about Russia. It's serious, and was done twice. But it's not about Russia.
However, Cohen's lawyer tonight suggested that he might have information that Trump knew in advance that the Russian computer hack was going to happen. THAT, without question, would be collusion and likely criminal conspiracy.
We'll see what happens. But things changed today. It's going to move quickly now. We are in a new phase.