Michael Cohen describes a hush-money deal
Donald Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen returned to the witness stand yesterday to face attorneys from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and Donald Trump’s legal team in the case against the former president.
Cohen told jurors he receives monthly checks – most with the former president’s signature – purported to be part of a legal “retention” agreement but were actually reimbursements for hush money he paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump Have sexual relations. Cohen’s testimony is the first and only personal account linking Trump to key documents in the case.
In a series of questions, Trump’s lawyers sought to paint Cohen as an opportunist. Trump’s top lawyer Todd Branch questioned Cohen about his social media posts, his efforts to cash in on his feud with the former president, his own criminal history and his desire to see Trump behind bars. Apply pressure.
analyze: My colleague Maggie Haberman writes that the defense appears to be trying to paint Cohen as “essentially a Trump stalker” — someone who was once obsessed with the former president and is now equally obsessed with revenge .
What’s next: Trump’s lawyers have said they could call expert witnesses, but they have not yet decided whether to call Trump himself.
Other details: Appeals court deals blow to Trump Judge’s gag order upheld.
Russia expands purge of Defense Department
Russian security agent Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov detainedA senior general was charged with “massive” bribery earlier yesterday, according to the Investigative Committee of Russia’s federal law enforcement agencies. His detention comes days after Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly replaced long-serving Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Prosecutors said General Kuznetsov accepted bribes from “commercial interests” between 2021 and 2023 while working to protect state secrets. Prosecutors claim security agents found the equivalent of $1 million in cash and luxury goods when they searched his home.
UN adjusts Gaza death toll
The United Nations has begun The death toll is much lower In the interest of women and children in Gaza, it acknowledged that the information it had about Israeli casualties during the war in the territory was incomplete.
The group has now killed 4,959 women and 7,797 children, down from at least 9,500 women and 14,500 children earlier this month. While the total number of casualties – about 35,000 – remained largely unchanged, a U.N. official said the organization was waiting for more identifying information on some 10,000 dead so they were not included in the new statistics.
background: The change comes as the United Nations switches to citing more conservative data sources. The change intensifies debate over the figures’ credibility, although many international officials and experts say the figures are generally reliable.
Gaza: Israeli military leaders increasingly frustrated There was a lack of plans to govern the territory after the war.
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British housekeepers are still busy—— But not quite like they used to be. Today, the role isn’t just about polishing silverware and folding napkins, it’s also about lifestyle management, akin to a personal maître d’.
Customer requests can sometimes be unusual. “Customers point to the shoreline and say, ‘I’d like to have dinner at the top of the mountain tonight – please make arrangements,'” said one experienced housekeeper. We called a local restaurant and helicoptered in dinner and table settings for six people.
Lived: Alice Munro, Canadian writer and Nobel Prize winner, is widely regarded as a master of short stories. already dead. She is 92 years old.
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PGA Championship: s story Akshay Bhatia Start in Valhalla.
Art and Thought
New York City Street Fight
New York City’s streets are always bustling, but they’ve been getting more lively lately almost dangerously uninhabitable.
Residents clashed over traffic, parking and garbage dumps. Cars and taxis compete for space, and buses swerve to avoid trucks parked in bike lanes. Electric bikes are everywhere. Today, far fewer pedestrians are killed by motorists, but last year was the deadliest year for cyclists since 1999.
“All of these things are trying to fit into the grid that was designed in 1811,” explains my colleague Dodai Stewart in video. Relief may be coming: The city is about to enact the nation’s first congestion pricing plan, which will charge most drivers $15 to enter much of Manhattan below 60th Street.
