Closing arguments in Trump’s criminal trial
Yesterday, the prosecution and defense presented their closing arguments to the jury in the first criminal prosecution of a US president. Below are live updates.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said Donald Trump engaged in a fraud against the American people just before the 2016 election by silencing a porn star who told of a sexual encounter with him. He said the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels was part of a scheme that “most likely caused President Trump to be elected.”
Steinglass, who had not yet finished his remarks at the time of our publication, wove a sweeping story about Trump, with help from Michael Cohen, his former fixer, and the tabloid reformed The National Enquirer, sought to bury negative news ahead of the election. “This is open election fraud, an act of abetting Mr. Trump’s conspiracy to promote the election by illegal means,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer, spent hours attacking Cohen’s credibility, calling him “GLOAT” or “the greatest liar of all time.”
Blanche’s calculation was simple: If the jury did not believe Cohen, that could constitute a reasonable doubt, rendering his client unable to convict. Blanche at one point calls Cohen “literally the embodiment of reasonable human doubt.”
As soon as Wednesday, Judge Juan Merchan will instruct jurors on the relevant law before they begin deliberations. It can take a jury from a few hours to a few weeks to reach a verdict. If convicted, Trump could face up to four years in prison.
Israel continues to attack Rafah
The Israeli military said its troops were stepping up ground attacks on the Rafah area yesterday, despite international outrage over a deadly airstrike on a camp on Sunday that caused a fire that killed several people. At least 45 people died. This is the latest information.
The Israeli military’s chief spokesman claimed that the bombs Israel used in the attack were too small to cause a fire of that size.
In addition, Gaza officials also said 21 people were killed yesterday in attacks on a tent camp for displaced people in Al-Mawasi, a designated safe area near Rafah. The Israeli army, which said it was engaged in close combat in the area, denied having carried out any attacks inside the area.
Displaced Palestinians fled areas of Rafah yesterday, spurred by what residents said were a night of intense shelling.
Help: Temporary dock that the US built to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza breaks when the sea is rough.
Important elections in South Africa
Thirty years ago, South Africans voted in the country’s first free and fair election. Today, when voting goes ahead, the African National Congress could lose its outright majority for the first time since then. Here’s what to know.
A new generation of voters had no lived experience of apartheid and they blamed the ANC for unemployment, rampant crime and an economy devastated by blackouts. Voter turnout fell below 50% for the first time in 2021. We talked to many young people across the country who plans to sit out the election.
Depth: To The Times Magazine, John Eligon, our Johannesburg bureau chief, looks at the gradual decline of Nelson Mandela’s party.
MORE TOP NEWS
The ferocious, ferocious Lord Howe Island stick insect has been dubbed the “world’s rarest invertebrate”, nearly extinct by invasive species off the Australian coast. An intensive conservation program is bringing the beetle backhighlights the possibilities and challenges of invertebrate conservation.
START THE CONVERSATION
SPORTS NEWS
ART AND IDEAS
Jeans wizard
In the fashion world, Benjamin Talley Smith is man behind denim curtainHis name is passed from brand to brand, designer to designer, like a secret password.
The global jeans market is expected to reach $121.50 billion by 2030. There is hardly a brand that doesn’t dream about jeans, and Mr. Smith has worked among the jeans giants and global luxury corporations. Khaite’s Danielle jeans are named after his wife, Danielle Robinson.
My colleague Vanessa Friedman, chief fashion critic for The Times, says denim is a language all its own, full of phrases like “whisker,” “ghost patch,” “chevron” and “triangle.” magic”, a term referring to optimization. location of back pocket.
Get everything just right and it will “make your butt look really good,” says Smith.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That’s all for today’s meeting. Thank you for spending part of your morning with us and see you tomorrow. — Justin
Correction: Yesterday’s news report incorrectly stated the date Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House. That was in the 1970s, not the year 1970.
You can contact Justin and the team at [email protected].
