| This is an OZY Special Briefing, an extension of the Presidential Daily Brief. The Special Briefing tells you what you need to know about an important issue, individual or story that is making news. Each one serves up an interesting selection of facts, opinions, images and videos in order to catch you up and vault you ahead. WHAT TO KNOW What’s happening? Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort goes on trial on Tuesday on charges arising from the investigation being led by special counsel Robert Mueller into potential Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. It is the first of two scheduled trials for Manafort, who took over from Corey Lewandowski as Trump’s campaign head in June 2016. What are the charges against him? Manafort, 69, who has pleaded not guilty, faces charges of tax evasion and bank fraud, and the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars. Prosecutors have levied a 32-count indictment — with 436 pieces of evidence — against Manafort that largely deals with him hiding more than $30 million in income from tax authorities. The former lobbyist received millions of dollars during his support of pro-Russia Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and has been in jail since June for trying to influence the testimony of witnesses in his case. What’s this got to do with Trump-Russia? Mueller’s team has said it will not present evidence about any campaign collusion at Manafort’s first trial. But as part of detailing Manafort’s alleged financial crimes, prosecutors plan to lay out Manafort’s extensive dealings with Russia-linked Ukrainian oligarchs, his financial ties to them and the personal debts he had incurred prior to joining the Trump campaign — all of which could lay the groundwork to show collusion between Manafort and Russia during the campaign. | 