Michael Cohen describes a hush money agreement
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former fixer, returned to the stand yesterday to face lawyers from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, as well as Donald Trump’s legal team, in the case against the former president.
Cohen told the jury he received checks every month – most of which were signed by the former president – were said to be part of a legal “retainer” agreement, but in reality it was a repayment for hush money he paid to the porn star Stormy Daniels, who alleges that she had sex with Trump. Cohen’s testimony is the first and only personal account tying Trump to documents at the crux of the case.
In a series of questions, Trump’s lawyers sought to portray Cohen as an opportunist. Trump’s lead attorney, Todd Blanche, pressed Cohen about his social media posts, his efforts to monetize his feud with the former president, his own criminal history and his desire to see Trump behind bars.
Analysis: The defense appears to be trying to portray Cohen as “essentially, a Trump stalker,” my colleague Maggie Haberman writes — a man once obsessed with the former president, who is now obsessed with revenge.
What’s next: Trump’s lawyers indicated that they may call an expert witness and they have not decided whether they will call Trump himself.
Other details: In a blow to Trump, an appeals court uphold the judge’s gag order.
Russia expands its purge of the Ministry of Defense
Russian security agent detained Lieutenant General Yury Kuznetsov, a high-ranking general, early yesterday morning on charges of “large-scale” bribery, according to the Russian Investigative Committee, a federal law enforcement agency. His arrest occurred days after Russian President Vladimir Putin suddenly replaced veteran Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Prosecutors claim that General Kuznetsov accepted bribes from “commercial interests” between 2021 and 2023, when he was on duty to protect state secrets. Prosecutors claim that security officers discovered the equivalent of $1 million in cash and luxury items while searching his home.
UN adjusts death toll in Gaza
The UN has begun citing a much lower death toll for women and children in Gaza, admitted that they had incomplete information about casualties in Israel’s war on the territory.
The organization currently reports that 4,959 women and 7,797 children died, down from at least 9,500 women and 14,500 children earlier this month. While the total number of casualties – about 35,000 people – remained broadly the same, a United Nations official said the organization was waiting for more identifying information on about 10,000 dead, so they were not included in the toll. new material.
Background: The change comes as the United Nations moves to cite a more conservative source for its numbers. The change has added fuel to the debate about the reliability of those figures, even though many international officials and experts say the numbers are generally reliable.
Gaza: Israeli military leaders are increasingly frustrated with the lack of a post-war territorial management plan.
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British housekeepers are still complaining — but not quite as they once did. Today, this role involves not only polishing silver and folding napkins but also managing a lifestyle, much like a personal maid.
Customer requests sometimes become unusual. “The customer pointed toward the coast and said, ‘I’d like to have dinner on that mountaintop tonight – please arrange that,'” a veteran butler said. A local restaurant was called, then dinner and set the table for six people brought in by helicopter.
Life lived: Alice Munro, Nobel Prize-winning Canadian writer who is considered by many to be a master of the short story, has died. She was 92 years old.
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The battle on the streets of New York
The streets of New York City are always bustling, but recently they It is almost impossible to live dangerously.
Residents clash over traffic, parking and trash piles. Cars and taxis compete for space while buses swerve to avoid trucks parked in bike lanes. Electric bicycles are everywhere. There are far fewer pedestrians killed by drivers these days, but last year was the deadliest year for cyclists since 1999.
“All of this is trying to fit into a grid that was designed in 1811,” my colleague Dodai Stewart explains. in a video. Relief may be on the way: The city is about to enact the nation’s first congestion pricing plan, which would charge most drivers $15 to enter much of Manhattan below 60th Street.
