Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s onetime fixer and now the star witness at his criminal trial, today described for jurors how Trump told him to pay off Stormy Daniels: “Just do it.”
The testimonies of Cohen and Daniels are intended to show jurors that Trump falsified business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to buy Daniels’s silence about a sexual encounter. Trump faces 34 felony counts related to the records, and probation or up to four years in prison if convicted.
Cohen testified that when Trump ordered him to pay Daniels off, Cohen financed the payment with a home equity line of credit. After the election, Trump repaid him, prosecutors say, and disguised the reimbursement as ordinary legal expenses.
The former Trump fixer’s testimony ground away at the defense’s assertion that Trump wasn’t aware of Cohen’s actions. Instead, Cohen testified, Trump was a micromanager in the process to head off a story that would have been “catastrophic” for his presidential campaign in 2016.
My colleague Jesse McKinley wrote in the Trump on Trial newsletter that, for supporters of the case against Trump, Cohen’s testimony today was a tale of redemption for a former enforcer seeking revenge and accountability. But for Trump’s followers, Cohen is a liar and a traitor who enriched himself by writing fictional tell-alls and offering fictional testimony.
Which version of the story the jury believes, Jesse writes, will decide Trump’s fate. Before then, Cohen faces what is likely to be a brutal cross-examination.
The polls reveal an erosion of support for Biden among Black and Hispanic voters who are upset about the economy and Gaza. Since similar polls in November, the stock market has gained 25 percent, Trump’s criminal trial started, and the Biden campaign has unleashed tens of millions of dollars in advertisements, but there is little indication that these developments have helped Biden.
Russian forces advanced in northeastern Ukraine
A top Ukrainian general said today that Ukrainian troops were confronting a “critical” situation in the country’s northeast as they battled to repel a Russian offensive.
Russian troops opened a new line of attack last week near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. They captured at least nine villages and forced thousands of civilians to flee. The general’s bleak assessment echoed that of other Ukrainian officers: Military prospects are dimming. The $61 billion worth of arms from the U.S. — approved three weeks ago — has barely begun to arrive.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s new defense minister, Andrei Belousov, is expected to provide a new building block toward fighting a long war.
Power grid reforms could boost solar and wind energy
Federal regulators today approved the largest changes in more than a decade to how America’s electric grids are planned and funded. Experts have warned that there aren’t enough high-voltage lines being built, increasing the risk of blackouts and delaying the transition to renewable energy.
The new measures require grid operators to plan for needs 20 years in the future. Energy companies have proposed more than 11,000 renewable projects nationwide, but many are in limbo because of insufficient capacity.
The savage return of Furiosa
Anya Taylor-Joy knew there was nothing normal about making a “Mad Max” movie when she signed on to star in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” which premieres tomorrow at Cannes and in theaters May 24.
This film will put Taylor-Joy’s nascent stardom to its biggest test. The previous film, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” was one of the most infamously difficult productions in Hollywood history. To make the character her own, she allowed herself to be put through an emotional and physical wringer for six and a half months.
“I wanted to be changed,” she said. “I wanted to be put in a situation in extremis where I would have no choice but to grow. And I got it.”
Here’s what else to look out for this year at the Cannes Film Festival.
How to make stuffed pasta at home
Stefano Secchi, chef and co-owner of Rezdôra in New York City, demonstrates how to make pansoti, a triangle-shaped stuffed pasta from the Liguria region of Italy. It only takes a handful of ingredients and kitchen tools — watch this.
How 2,500 stars descended on New York City
The A-listers who traveled to New York this past weekend gathered for the biggest event of their careers. They didn’t travel light. They didn’t carry their own bags, much less pack them, and they certainly didn’t carry their own passports. Oh, and they required lots of treats. Treats are nonnegotiable.
Here’s how show dogs, and their entourages, get to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Have a pampered evening.
