1. “Despite my initial desire to vigorously defend myself, I have had a change of heart.”

Rick Gates, the former deputy chairman of the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty to fraud and lying to investigators in the special counsel’s inquiry into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. He is cooperating with the inquiry, and may be offering incriminating information about Paul Manafort, his longtime associate and a former chairman of the Trump campaign.

In a letter to friends and family, Mr. Gates, above, wrote that the cost and the “circuslike atmosphere” of an anticipated trial spurred him to make a deal. Read our 2017 profile of Mr. Gates here.