Michael Cohen faces Trump’s lawyers
The testimony of Donald Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen is key to the Manhattan case against the former president. this is the latest.
Yesterday, Cohen returned to the witness stand. Lawyers for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office told the judge he will be their final witness. On the witness stand, Cohen described to jurors a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels to influence the 2016 election “on behalf of Mr. Trump.”
He has since faced Trump’s legal team. In a series of questions, they sought to paint Cohen as an opportunist. Trump’s top lawyer Todd Blanche has spoken out over his social media posts, his efforts to cash in on his ties to the former president, his own criminal history and his desire to see Trump behind bars. Desire pressed Cohen.
“Do you hope President Trump is convicted in this case?” Branch asked.
“Of course,” Cohen replied.
Branch highlighted Cohen’s television appearances and online insults — all of which were actions he took to ignore prosecutors’ wishes and at Trump’s expense. He also noted that Cohen maintains a financial interest in attacking Trump, arguing that he profited from their feud through podcasts and books.
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.
Blinken visits Kiev; Putin to visit China
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Unexpected visit to Kyiv Yesterday met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and reiterated US support for the country.
Blinken’s trip comes at a challenging time in the war in Kiev and is also affected by Russia’s recent military advances in northeastern Ukraine. The Biden administration has warned for months that congressional delays in approving the latest $60.8 billion aid package would leave Ukrainians vulnerable.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to travel to China later this week to visit Chinese leader Xi Jinping.This visit will Testing their “no limits” partnershipthe two dictators made the announcement more than two years ago to counter U.S. interference.
But Xi Jinping is walking a narrowing tightrope: International pressure is mounting on him to limit China’s support for Russia and its war. As for Putin, he may be trying to gauge Xi Jinping’s risk appetite as he seeks to prevent Western countries from supporting Ukraine more actively.
Other updates:
The move is an effort to protect strategic U.S. industries from competitors that Biden says are unfairly subsidized by Beijing. He also supports continuing Trump’s tariffs on more than $300 billion worth of Chinese goods. Biden criticized Trump’s trade war during the 2020 campaign. During his tenure, he escalated the matter. But while Trump promised to restore factory jobs, Biden focused on emerging high-tech industries.
China: Massive manufacturing subsidies, coupled with weak domestic sales, are the reasons for China’s decline. Dominate the global market Solar panels and electric cars.
More headlines
Housekeeping is changing in the UK. Today, housekeeping (yes, that’s a verb) is less about polishing money and more like concierge-style lifestyle management—similar to a personal maître d’.
While aristocrats wanted them to be like furniture, nouveau riche entrepreneurs saw them as more of an ornate accessory.
Lived:
Netipong Sanesangkong: She is a well-known Thai democracy activist died of cardiac arrest after a month-long hunger strike in prison. She is 28 years old.
Alice Munro: canadian writer and nobel laureatesWidely considered a master of the short story, he has died. She is 92 years old.
conversation starter
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 of the 1811 design,” says my colleague Dodai Stewart explained 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.
