Todd Blanche, the lead lawyer defending Donald Trump in his New York criminal trial, wasted no time today before aggressively questioning the prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen. He opened his cross-examination by pressing Cohen on whether he had described Blanche on social media as a “crying little shit.”
Blanche’s tone moderated as the questioning continued, but his central effort appeared to remain the same: He spent the afternoon attempting to convince the jury that Cohen — Trump’s one-time lawyer and fixer — is a self-interested liar who hates Trump and remains obsessed with getting vengeance against him. Here are some highlights.
In a series of questions seemingly designed to paint Cohen as more interested in damaging Trump than sticking to the facts, Blanche singled out comments by Cohen suggesting that Trump belonged in a cage, like an “animal,” and describing the former president as a “Cheeto dusted cartoon villain.”
“Do you want President Trump to get convicted in this case?” Blanche asked. “Sure,” Cohen replied.
The cross-examination, which will continue on Thursday after the trial takes a day off, could prove to be crucial. Cohen is the prosecution’s 19th and final witness, and likely the most important one. During his two days of testimony, he has claimed that Trump knew at the time that the 2016 hush-money payment, which is at the center of the felony charges against him, would be falsely labeled legal expenses.
Trump’s lawyers indicated to the judge that they could call an expert witness, and that no decision had been made about whether to call Trump himself. Today, the former president largely sat with his eyes closed, leaning back in his chair at the defense table, stirring only occasionally.
Biden sharply increased tariffs on Chinese imports
President Biden today announced hefty new import fees on several Chinese products, including semiconductors and advanced batteries, and an increase of tariffs on electric vehicles to 100 percent from 25 percent. The tariffs, Biden said, are designed to protect American industries from competitors that he said were unfairly subsidized by Beijing.
The president also officially endorsed maintaining tariffs on more than $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, put in place by Donald Trump, that Biden had previously criticized. In an effort to add jobs and appeal to swing voters in the industrial Midwest, Biden’s position has shifted, but he and Trump still disagree on some parts of the trade war.
Harvard struck a deal to end an on-campus encampment
Harvard University and a group of student protesters announced today that they had negotiated a deal to end a three-week pro-Palestinian encampment in Harvard Yard. School officials will discuss student questions about the endowment and quickly process petitions for the reinstatement of suspended students. But Harvard said it had not committed to taking any action.
The agreement followed similar deals to end encampments at more than a dozen other campuses, including Brown and Northwestern, in part to lessen the disruptions at graduation ceremonies. Over the weekend, scuffles broke out outside Pomona College’s commencement.
Alice Munro died at 92
Alice Munro, the revered Canadian author and Nobel laureate who dedicated her long career to churning out psychologically dense short stories, died last night at her home in Ontario. She was 92.
Munro proved in one dazzling short story after another that the humble facts of a single person’s experience, subjected to the alchemy of language and imagination and psychological insight, could provide the raw material for great literature, my colleague Gregory Cowles wrote.
If you’ve never read her work, here’s where to start.
More top news
The W.N.B.A. is looking to seize the moment
When Caitlin Clark makes her professional debut tonight against the Connecticut Sun, it will begin what the W.N.B.A. hopes is the beginning of a new, more flourishing era for the league. Viewership is skyrocketing, arenas are beginning to sell out and a collection of young stars, including Clark, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso have veteran players and fans excited about what’s to come.
As of today, the Las Vegas Aces are the team to beat.
The Westminster Dog Show’s big night is here
Seven of the most magnificent looking dogs in the world will compete tonight over the most coveted prize at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: best in show. The final competitors, one from each category — sporting, working, terrier, hound, toy, non-sporting and herding — were selected from a group of about 2,500 dogs.
Only one can be crowned the winner. The show, in its 148th edition, begins at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, and you can follow my colleagues’ live coverage here.
Go to Red Lobster and get your claws on a bargain
If you ever wanted to buy a lobster tank and an industrial freezer, now is the time.
The struggling restaurant Red Lobster, a fixture of American dining that has waned in popularity, is auctioning off equipment from more than 50 different locations this week. At each restaurant, the highest bidder will become the new owner of nearly every single nonperishable item inside. That includes: ovens, blenders, booths, plates, bar setups and much more.
Have a thrifty evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
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