'Start Here': Don McGahn, ICE, Pope Francis and 'Crazy Rich Asians'. What you need to know to start your day.

White House counsel Don McGahn is cooperating with Robert Mueller's team.

August 20, 2018, 5:51 AM

It's Monday, Aug. 20, 2018. Here are some of the stories we're talking about on ABC News' new daily podcast, "Start Here."

1. White House counsel has cooperated extensively with Russia probe: Sources

Over the weekend, The New York Times reported, and ABC News confirmed that White House counsel Don McGahn has cooperated extensively with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office.

ABC News’ Terry Moran says the news shocked lawyers around the country.

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2. Bolton considering privatizing war in Afghanistan

The president may be considering a proposal to privatize the war in Afghanistan after nearly 17 years of U.S. involvement, according to NBC News.

When asked about the report, Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton told ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz that he's "always open to new ideas," but it'll "ultimately be the president's decision."

ABC News' Luis Martinez, who covers the Pentagon, tells us: "Who knows if it'll actually become reality because we hear that the South Asia strategy is working, that's what the president's generals are saying publicly."

3. Critics want more action from Vatican as sex abuse scandal continues

It took days for higher-ups within the Catholic Church to respond to a Pennsylvania grand jury’s report accusing priests of abusing more than 1,000 children over decades. And now as church officials prepare for the World Meeting of Families in Dublin this weekend amid the allegations, critics are calling for the Vatican to take a more aggressive stance against abuse.

Jack Jenkins with the Religion News Service says we’re beginning to see “a trend where the very powerful in the Catholic Church are starting to be held accountable, are starting to feel the heat about the abuse scandal, and are starting to answer for it.”

4. ICE arrests man driving pregnant wife to hospital

A man driving his pregnant wife to a hospital was taken into custody by ICE this weekend, sparking an outcry from immigration activists. ICE initially said in a statement that 36-year-old Joel Arrona-Lara is an undocumented immigrant in custody pending removal proceedings, but later updated the statement saying he is wanted in Mexico on homicide charges.

Arrona-Lara's legal defense teams says the allegations are unconfirmed, according to ABC News' Marci Gonzalez: "His attorney thinks that this could possibly be a case of mistaken identity."

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents patrol for undocumented immigrants in Utah County Jail in Spanish Fork, Utah, March 12, 2008.
Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, FILE

5. 'Crazy Rich Asians' wins big at box office

The box office numbers were even better than expected for "Crazy Rich Asians," which opened at No. 1 this weekend, hauling in $25 million in three days, and $34 million since it opened Wednesday.

Karen Ho, who wrote a Time Magazine cover story on the movie, tells us that this is a big moment for the Asian community.

Jimmy O. Yang, Henry Golding, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Kevin Kwan, Constance Wu and Ken Jeong attend SiriusXM's Entertainment Weekly Radio Spotlight With The Cast Of 'Crazy Rich Asians' in New York City, Aug. 15, 2018.
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM, FILE