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☆ Trump’s former ‘thug’ Michael Cohen set for trial-defining testimony in hush money case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Cohen’s testimony is set to be the critical moment of the hush money trial that could make Trump the first ex-president to be convicted of a crime. He has talked extensively about his desire to see President Trump go to prison. He has talked extensively about his desire to see President Trump’s family go to prison. He has talked extensively about President Trump getting convicted in this case,” Blanche said. While the hush money trial harks back to the 2016 election, its end game could play a significant role in the destiny of the White House eight years later.

Persons: CNN — Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s “, Trump, Stormy Daniels, —, Cohen, Daniels, ” Cohen, “, Matthew Colangelo, “ Cohen, ”, ” Colangelo, Anthony Scaramucci, Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Todd Blanche, Trump’s, ” Blanche, John Dean, Roy Cohn, He’s, Judge Juan Merchan, Fani Willis, Joe Biden, he’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, Republican, Trump Organization, House, Nixon White, “ CNN, Mr, Fulton, White House, GOP Locations: Russia, New York, Florida, Fulton County

☆ Tension with Israel represents only one of Biden’s immense election challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

New York prosecutors claim he falsified business records to hide a payment to Stormy Daniels in an early act of election interference in 2016. Trump’s base voters have no problems either with his criminal trials or his false claims that he was cheated out of office. Israel may be far from the biggest worry for Trump’s campaignPolls consistently show that voters care most about the economy. And voters who say the economy is very important to their vote backed Trump over Biden 62% to 30%. It’s not clear that heated Republicans attacks on Biden over Israel Thursday will seriously wound him with his own voters.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump –, pollsters, Trump, Stormy Daniels, He’s, Biden outpolls, Trump’s, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Burnett, ”, ” Biden, ’, George H.W, Bush, ” Bush, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Israel —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Republican Sen, Thom Tillis, GOP Sen, Josh Hawley Organizations: CNN, New, Republican, Biden, Federal, Capitol, Arab American, Hamas, Israel, Israel Thursday, GOP, Capitol Hill, Democratic Locations: Wisconsin, East, Ukraine, Gaza, America, Manhattan, New York, it’s, Israel, United States, Arkansas, Scranton, Gazan, Rafah, Michigan, Missouri

☆ Critical days of Trump trial will test whether he can exercise discipline and restraint
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Her evidence on Tuesday was deeply embarrassing for Trump and drew an aggressive cross-examination from his attorney trying to shatter Daniels’ credibility. Merchan also instructed Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, to rein in his client after complaining that the defendant had cursed audibly and shaken his head during Daniels’ testimony. So far, Trump — who has launched searing attacks on the judge — has managed to refrain from openly attacking Daniels since she took the stand. And her appearance is only an appetizer for expected explosive evidence in the coming days of the biggest star witness, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen. The coming days will therefore require qualities that Trump has always struggled to demonstrate in a riotous life in business and politics: restraint and self-discipline.

Persons: Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Daniels, Judge Juan Merchan, Merchan, Todd Blanche, —, Michael Cohen, Cohen, he’d, ” Daniels, Sarah Matthews, CNN’s Jim Acosta, “, He’s, ” Matthews, Matthews, ” Trump, he’s, Arthur Engoron, Engoron, Trump’s, Jean Carroll Organizations: CNN, Trump, Trump —, White, Trump White House, Prosecutors, Trump Organization Locations: Florida, Lake Tahoe, misbehave

☆ Analysis: Biden’s Rafah warning sends immediate shockwaves through US and global politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Hospitals are overstretched as Palestinians die in Israeli attacks on the suburbs and tens of thousands of people have already fled. For Netanyahu, the eradication of the group that carried out the October 7 attacks may be a matter of political survival. • Can Israel — as Netanyahu vows — go ahead alone in an operation even the US has disowned? • How would a full-scale offensive in Rafah further hamper already faltering attempts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas? Initially, Biden’s warning, delivered in an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett in the swing state of Wisconsin on Wednesday, looks like a case of political whiplash.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, —, Reagan, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Biden, Donald Trump, Netanyahu, Will Biden’s, Israel —, pummel, he’s, Erin Burnett, CNN Alon Pinkas, CNN’s Becky Anderson, ” Pinkas, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Joe ”, Israel’s, Gilad Erdan, Yoav Gallant, “, dissing Biden, Mike Johnson, ” Trump, Trump, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan’s, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Israeli, Gaza Health Ministry, United Nations, Democratic, Republicans, Trump, voters, Republican, House, Hamas, Party, GOP, CNBC Locations: Israel, Rafah, Washington, Gaza, Rafah —, New York, Wisconsin, United States, Europe, Michigan, Chicago, Vietnam, Iran, Damascus, Lebanon, Massachusetts

☆ The Trump hush money trial might be tawdry but it’s likely the only one he’ll face before the election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

He learned late Tuesday afternoon that Judge Aileen Cannon, whom he appointed, indefinitely postponed a trial in his classified documents case in Florida. She told the jury Tuesday about a $130,000 hush money payment she received from Cohen before the 2016 election. But prosecutors allege Trump falsified business records to hide it and to mislead voters in an early bout of election interference. The judge complained that the ex-president was “cursing audibly” during Daniels’ testimony and was shaking his head. “Am I correct that you hate President Trump?” Necheles asked.

Persons: CNN —, Stormy Daniels, Donald, —, he’s, Trump, scowling, Daniels, Aileen Cannon, Ty Cobb, Cannon, ” Cobb, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Cannon’s, Trump’s, it’s, Michael Cohen, Cohen, He’s, “, Donald Trump, Norm Eisen, CNN’s Wolf, Judge Juan Merchan, audibly ”, ”, Todd Blanche, Jeremy Herb, Merchan, Susan Necheles, Necheles, ” Necheles, ” Daniels, ‘, Let’s, ’, Daniels —, Eric Trump, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, White, Trump, White House, ” Locations: Florida, Lake Tahoe

☆ Biden’s antisemitism speech leaves no doubt he’s standing by Israel despite tension with Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The political rawness of the moment, as Israel pounds Gaza and outrage rocks American college campuses, means President Joe Biden’s big speech Tuesday condemning antisemitism is most notable for what he left unsaid. The speech was closely watched given the turmoil in the Middle East and its stunning political reaction in the US. “My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad. While praising the right to free speech as a fundamental American value, he condemned reported instances when some Jewish students have faced antisemitic taunting. Understanding history and preventing it from being manipulated for political gain was a major focus of Biden’s speech, which was delivered on the 79th anniversary of VE Day, when the allies defeated Nazism in World War II.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, movingly, you’re, ” Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Joe ”, We’re, Biden’s, Donald Trump, Trump, Stormy Daniels, “, ” Johnson, Netanyahu, —, Mike Johnson, ’ Organizations: CNN, Jewish, Hamas, Holocaust Memorial, Capitol, Arab, Israel, Gaza Health Ministry, Democratic, Trump, Republicans, Republican, Louisiana Republican, White, GOP, Nazism Locations: Israel, Gaza, Nazi, Rafah, Michigan, Manhattan, Nazi Germany, United States, Louisiana, Charlottesville , Virginia, Gestapo

☆ Judge’s warning provides dilemma for Trump over whether he will risk jail for a political point
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

His warning also presented the former president – who has weaponized his four criminal indictments into a narrative of political martyrdom – with his own dilemma. Elie Honig, a CNN senior legal expert, said that he still believed it was unlikely Trump would end up jailed for contempt of court. He told Trump: “You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president, as well. There are many possible reasons why voters may not be moved by this first trial of a former president. On Monday for example, prosecutors took former Trump employees through complicated financial transactions to lay a paper trail for future testimony from higher-profile witnesses.

Persons: Donald Trump, Juan Merchan, Merchan, Trump, wasn’t, ”, ” Merchan, –, “, Elie Honig, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Jack O’Donnell, CNN’s Erin Burnett, O’Donnell, Merchan’s, you’ll, ” Trump, it’s, Daniels, Joe Biden, he’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, GOP, Trump Plaza Hotel, White Locations: United States, Casino, Atlanta, Georgia, Manhattan

☆ This is 2024’s new political normal six months from the election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It’s just another normal week in American politics as unpredictable forces rock both parties and augur a tense run to an election — now six months less one day away — that could fundamentally change the nation. Prosecutors argue he attempted a cover-up to mislead voters in 2016 in an early act of election interference. She also said that Trump felt it was better to deal with the story after the election than beforehand. Last week, in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Trump refused to guarantee he’d accept the result of the next election. “We have to understand that this is a defining moment for this generation, similar to anti-Vietnam protests, anti-apartheid protests, anti-Iraq War protests,” he said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Mike Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, It’s, —, Trump, Story Daniels, Hope Hicks, Hicks, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Emil Bove, Cohen, Trump’s, Biden, James Singer, “ Trump, ” Singer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mitch Landrieu, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Lyndon Johnson, Landrieu, Democratic Sen, John Fetterman of, ”, Ro Khanna, “, ” Johnson, Johnson, Greene, don’t, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: CNN, Trump, Republican, Georgia Rep, Prosecutors, White House, Nazi Secret Police, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Israel, Republicans, Union, Biden campaign’s, Independent, Democratic, CBS, Hamas, GOP Locations: Gestapo, New York, Gaza, Manhattan, Trump, “ State, Vietnam, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Michigan, California, Iraq, America, Ukraine, Louisiana

☆ Biden cannot afford a boiling summer of protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —President Joe Biden can ill afford a long, hot summer of protest that comes to a boil in time for the Democratic National Convention in August and then bleeds into the final weeks of an already venomous clash with Donald Trump. The nationwide campus protests are not as pervasive as mass civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protests that raged in the 1960s and 1970s. This has been especially testing for Biden — a staunch supporter of Israel dating back to 1970s Prime Minister Golda Meir. More than 3 million Americans served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. This may also help explain why Biden had not addressed the campus protests in detail before Thursday.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, “, ” Biden, ”, Trump’s, Trump, James Traub, Hubert Humphrey, Biden “, ” Traub, Isa Soares, Traub, He’s, Mary McGrory, that’s, Biden’s, afer, Biden —, Golda Meir, he’d, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Lyndon Johnson, LBJ, …, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, ” Sanders, can’t, Netanyahu, shelve, Sanders Organizations: CNN, Democratic National Convention, White, Foreign, Democratic, CNN International, Republicans, Trump, Electoral, Gaza Health Ministry, American, National Guard Locations: Gaza, Vietnam, America, Israel, Vermont, Gazan, Rafah, Southeast Asia

☆ Trump gives his strongman’s ambitions free rein on a day off from court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Donald Trump used his day off from a criminal trial related to a past election to cast a dark, familiar shadow over the next one. Trump cut an unrecognizable figure from the grim ex-president who bleats a daily dirge of complaints about his hush money trial outside Judge Juan Merchan’s court. On specific issues, surveys show Trump leading Biden on most issues including the economy, immigration, and the Israel-Hamas war. “A chilling glimpse into Trump’s second term plansSix months before the election, Trump’s searing campaign rhetoric is becoming less an exercise in performative demagoguery than a blueprint for a potential second term. In the Time interview, Trump comes across as confident and determined to learn the lessons of his first term in which he claims he was let down by “bad” officials.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, ”, Trump, bleats, Juan Merchan’s, ” Trump, he’s, Merchan, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Kamala Harris, Roe, Wade, David Axelrod, Barack Obama, Axelrod, CNN’s Erin Burnett, “, Trump’s, doesn’t, he’d, It’s, Eric Cortellessa, ” He’s, quagmire, it’s Organizations: CNN, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Capitol, shudder, White, Democratic Party, “, Columbia University, Trump, National Guard, Guard, Republican, ’, ” Locations: Wisconsin, Michigan, Manhattan, America, crackdowns, “, “ New York, North Carolina, Israel, Florida, Freeland , Michigan, Washington, China

☆ Student unrest ratchets up an already tense election year
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Dramatic campus protests are injecting an inflammatory new element into an election year that is already threatening to stretch national unity to a breaking point. Republicans smell an openingGOP Rep. Elise Stefanik is a driver of the deepening political backlash against campus protests. Republicans are also using the drama of student protests as a shield and to downplay their presumptive nominee’s own extremism. The unrest is so far not comparable since there’s no student mob trying to destroy American democracy. And they are not yet in the same league as the civil rights and Vietnam War protests in the 1960s and 1970s.

Persons: they’ve, Joe Biden, Biden, Israel –, Donald Trump, Trump, “, ”, Fox, “ Biden, appeasing, who’ve, Will, Elise Stefanik, Stefanik, Mike Johnson’s, skewer Biden, ” Stefanik, Johnson, aren’t, ” Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Berkeley ”, Richard Nixon, antisemites, Trump’s, ” Trump, George Floyd, David Farber, Paula Newton, John Kennedy, Barack Obama Organizations: CNN, New York Police Department, Columbia University, –, University of California, UCLA, Brown University, Israel, The New York Republican, Harvard, Ivy League, Columbia, National Guard, GOP, Republicans, California, Berkeley, Democratic Party, crackdowns, Capitol, University of Kansas, CNN International, Harvard University Locations: Gaza, America, Texas, Columbia’s, Palestine, Los Angeles, Israel, Rafah, United States, Vietnam, Charlottesville , Virginia

☆ Trump will go from the trial to the trail and back again
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Donald Trump will make his most concentrated effort yet to turn his criminal trial into a political asset in the next two days, heading from the courtroom to the campaign trail and back again. Not surprisingly, a majority of Democrats feel that Trump is being treated more leniently than others, while a majority of Republicans think the opposite. But there’s also a risk Trump’s loose tongue out on the trail could get him into trouble following his alleged violations of Merchan’s gag order. They were also tied in Pennsylvania, a third swing state Biden flipped from Trump four years ago. Trump is following a similar playbook as he fuses his criminal defense as a supposed victim of partisan persecution with his political offensive for a White House comeback.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, They’ve, Michael Cohen, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Joe Biden, Juan Merchan, he’s, —, “, ”, David Pecker, Matthew Colangelo, Todd Blanche, It’s, Biden, there’s, “ I’m, Republican Sen, Lindsey Graham of, Joe Biden’s, Mike Johnson Organizations: CNN, White, Trump, Conservative Political, Republicans, Biden, Republican, White House, CBS News, Sunday, GOP, Democratic, Capitol, Democratic Party, Columbia University, National Guard Locations: New York, Wisconsin, Michigan, Trump, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Bedminster , New Jersey, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, “ State, Pennsylvania, Waukesha , Wisconsin, Gaza, Charlottesville , Virginia, Washington

☆ Biden is up against nostalgia for Trump’s first term
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

More than half, 55%, of all Americans say they see Trump’s presidency as a success, while 44% see it as a failure. Four years ago, he was able to assail Trump’s time in office from his position as a challenger. Biden won all three in 2020 after Trump won them in 2016 in his victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. In the poll, 92% of Republicans view Trump’s time in office a success, while just 73% of Democrats say Biden’s has been a success. And while 85% of Democrats polled say they back Biden, 91% of Republicans say they support Trump.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, he’s, William Barr, Trump, CNN he’d, Ron DeSantis, Biden, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, ”, Israel, Mike Johnson, Benjamin Netanyahu, underscoring, Hillary Clinton, South Carolina Republican Sen, Lindsey Graham, CNN’s Dana, Nikki Haley, Biden’s, CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Kit Maher, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Trump . Barr, Trump’s, Chris Sununu, Haley, —, Georgia —, ” Biden, He’s, Colin Jost, “, ” Jost, Washington Hilton Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republican Party, Florida Gov, Trump’s, Democratic, Columbia University, National Guard, Israel, DeSantis, CBS, Biden, Trump, Trump ., South Carolina Republican, South Carolina Gov, New, New Hampshire Gov, “, White, Republican, Washington Locations: New York, Gaza, Manhattan, Rafah, Michigan , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, “ State, New Hampshire, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, American

☆ Two Trump courtroom dramas could help shape the tone of a future presidency
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Prosecutors have framed the trial as more than a simple case of falsifying business records — the offense with which Trump has been charged. But the results of Trump’s pending cases — and whether they even come to trial — could help decide the tone of a future presidency. But at the same time, Trump is using the privileges of appeals available to any defendant to their full extent. “We’re writing a rule for the ages.”It’s always hazardous to speculate how Supreme Court justices will rule based on their questioning in oral arguments. This could mean the case returns to lower courts for more litigation — a move that could delay the federal election trial for months, far beyond the November election.

Persons: Donald Trump, George Washington, David Pecker, Trump’s, Trump, —, Trump —, Republican nominee’s, Jack Smith’s, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jackson, Pecker, didn’t, Matthew Colangelo, he’s, Joe Biden, Biden, “, Benjamin Franklin, inoculate Trump, CNN’s Zachary B, Wolf, Marquis de Lafayette, demagogue, George Conway, ” Conway, CNN’s Wolf, ”, Neil Gorsuch, “ I’m, Amy Coney Barrett, David Sauer, Sauer, Elena Kagan, Kagan, ” Kagan Organizations: CNN, National Enquirer, Republican, Trump, GOP, Prosecutors, Supreme, White House Locations: New York, Georgia, Florida, — Washington, Washington, Philadelphia , Washington

☆ Trump can’t be in two places at once in double courtroom drama
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But Donald Trump’s return to his hush money trial Thursday does not even represent the most critical courtroom drama of his day. The ex-president’s attention is certain to stray from what he has repeatedly complained is a “freezing” court in New York to the neoclassical splendor of the US Supreme Court. Trump blames Judge Juan Merchan for dashing his hopes of being at the Supreme Court Thursday. Trump’s Supreme Court gambit is also part of his wider campaign strategy. CNN reporters in the courtroom said Trump was deeply engaged at times during Pecker’s earlier testimony.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, —, David Pecker, Juan Merchan, ”, Joe Biden, he’s, Boris Epshteyn, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, Giuliani, Merchan, quagmire, Michael Cohen, Cohen, “ Michael Cohen, ” Trump, WPVI, David Pecker –, Pecker, Karen McDougal – Organizations: CNN, US, Republican, Law, The New, Fox News Digital, Trump, Trump voters, Trump’s, White House, Prosecutors, American Media, National Enquirer, Pecker’s AMI Locations: New York, Washington, Manhattan, The New York, Arizona, Michigan, WPVI Philadelphia

☆ How a gag order showdown explains everything about Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“He knows what he’s not allowed to do, and he does it anyway.”Conroy was referring to Trump’s incessant testing of a gag order protecting witnesses, court staff and the jury. “Michael Cohen is a convicted liar and he’s got no credibility whatsoever,” Trump said in an interview with WPVI Philadelphia. Trump could face a ladder of escalating sanctionsProsecutors now want Merchan to fine Trump $1,000 for each of 10 alleged violations of the gag order and to warn that imprisonment could be an option if he continues to flout restrictions. Trump claims the gag order stifles his right to free speech and to campaign as a presumptive party nominee. And while a dispute over one partial gag order might seem like a small wrinkle in an individual case, it conveys a wider truth about Trump’s impact on American life.

Persons: Chris Conroy, Donald Trump, “, he’s, ” Conroy, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Juan Merchan, Trump, “ Michael Cohen, ” Trump, CNN’s John Miller, “ Judge Merchan, ”, Jeffrey Swartz, Jim Sciutto, CNN Max, lacerating, Merchan, Elizabeth Williams, Todd Blanche, doesn’t, CNN’s Erin Burnett, —, Jack Smith’s, there’s, •, Joe Biden’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, mishandle, He’s, president’s, Trump’s, George Conway, ” Conway, CNN’s Burnett Organizations: CNN, GOP, The New, Trump, Philadelphia, Prosecutors, New York City Department of Corrections, Cooley Law, US, Trump Organization, Conservative Political, Conference, Biden Locations: The New York, Washington ,, Georgia

Donald Trump was once, and may soon be again, the most powerful man in the world. But on Monday, his diminished reality as a criminal defendant will become clear during opening statements in his first criminal trial. Nothing is more antithetical to Trump’s lifelong operating assumption that because of who he is, he is immune from such accountability. Regardless of its outcome, this trial is underscoring how the presumptive GOP nominee is like no other presidential candidate in history. Read Collinson's full analysis ahead of opening statements in Trump's first criminal trial.

Persons: Donald Trump, he’s, Trump, Read, Trump's Organizations: White, Republican Locations: Manhattan

☆ Opening statements to show the stark personal and political stakes of Trump’s first criminal trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

But on Monday, his diminished reality as a criminal defendant will become clear in humbling fashion during opening statements in his first criminal trial. The process, known as a Sandoval hearing, offered the ex-president a glimpse of personal and unflattering revelations that the trial could dredge up. The political case against the prosecutions was laid out by South Dakota Gov. But Noem rehearsed a political argument that Trump and his associates will be seeking to land as the trial goes ahead. But the deeply consequential political and personal stakes for the former president will become even clearer when the first trial begins for real on Monday.

Persons: Donald Trump, he’s, Trump, Joe Biden, –, victimhood, He’s, “, ” Trump, president’s, haggled, Sandoval, Stacey Schneider, Jean Carroll, ” Schneider, it’s, Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen, David Pecker, Pecker, Joshua Steinglass, ”, Juan Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bragg, Biden, There’s, Kristi Noem, ” Noem, CNN’s Dana, Noem, Cohen Organizations: CNN, White, Republican, Trump, American Media Inc, National Enquirer, Prosecutors, Manhattan, Attorney, Democratic, Mar, South Dakota Gov, New York Times Locations: Manhattan, North Carolina, New York, United States, “ State, Siena, Dakota

☆ By passing Ukraine aid, the accidental speaker became an unlikely Churchill
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Republican Speaker Mike Johnson showed political courage that is rare in Washington and notable legislative skill for an inexperienced leader in forcing a long-delayed $60 billion aid bill for Ukraine through the House of Representatives on Saturday. And 112 Republicans — a majority of the conference — voted against the Ukraine bill. And any Republican speaker propped up by Democrats might hemorrhage support among GOP lawmakers and be forced to resign. “As we deliberate on this vote, you have to ask yourself this question: Am I Chamberlain or Churchill?” he said. The accidental speaker makes an unlikely Churchill, but on Saturday he proved to be a far more daring and substantial figure than many of his Republican and Democratic critics previously believed.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, Vladimir Putin, Ronald Reagan, Joe Biden’s, “, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, ” CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen, Putin, —, Biden, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, Johnson —, Kevin McCarthy’s, Marc Molinaro, CNN’s Manu Raju, Trump, Zelensky, Trump’s, Hakeem Jeffries, Mike Quigley, It’s, ” Quigley, Chuck Schumer, Jeffries, Mike McCaul, ‘, it’s, McCaul, Chamberlain, Churchill Organizations: CNN, West, GOP, America, MAGA, United States House, Representatives, Ukraine, Republican Party, Trump, Republicans, Georgia, Mar, Democratic, Congressional Ukraine Caucus, Illinois Democrat, Foreign, Texas Republican, Republican Locations: Washington, Ukraine, Russian, Louisiana, United States, Russia, Europe, Iran, China, Israel, Taiwan, Mexico, Georgia, New York, Kyiv, Texas, Nazi Germany

☆ Israeli and Iranian strikes transform Middle East geopolitics
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Israel and Iran have now thrust the Middle East into a dangerous new era by erasing the taboo against overt military strikes on one another’s territory. Most immediately, the ball is in Iran’s court after Israel conducted strikes near the city of Isfahan early Friday. Initial reports suggest that the action was limited and, according to US officials, did not target Iranian nuclear sites in the area. Hours before the Israeli strikes, for instance, Iran had warned that any Israeli attack would be met with a robust response. “I do think it sends a message to Tehran that really they are more vulnerable to Israeli strikes than they would like to admit,” Davis said.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, John Kennedy, Netanyahu, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden’s, it’s, Antony Blinken, Donald Trump, ” Aaron David Miller, ” Israel, they’d, Malcolm Davis, CNN’s Michael Holmes, ” Davis, Israel – Organizations: CNN, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s, Cuban, Israel, American, Hamas, Republicans, Democratic, US, Australian Strategic Policy Institute Locations: CNN — Israel, Iran, Isfahan, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Damascus, Gaza, United States, Washington, Italy, Lebanon, Tehran

☆ Mike Johnson: Doing ‘the right thing’ may cost the speaker his gavel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —It took less than six months for Speaker Mike Johnson to reach his existential moment. His tiny majority means he can’t afford to lose more than one GOP vote to pass a bill on a party-line vote. But a GOP speaker dependent on Democratic votes will be seen by many Republicans as a tool of the minority party and would be on borrowed time. In this way, those who oppose Ukraine aid on principle could vote against it, allowing Democrats who support it to ensure its passage. These are important responsibilities,” Johnson told Tapper.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Paul Ryan, John Boehner –, Johnson, ” Johnson, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie of, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Greene, Chip Roy, Roy, ”, –, CNN’s Manu Raju, ’ Johnson, he’s, Tapper, “, Dan Crenshaw, CNN’s Raju, Johnson “, ” Trump, hasn’t, bankrolling, Dwight Eisenhower, George W, Bush, Vladimir Putin doesn’t, We’re, Putin, Xi, Lloyd Austin, Biden, he’d Organizations: CNN, Louisiana Republican, Republicans, Texas Rep, Democratic, GOP, White, Texas GOP, Lago, Trump, Senate, “, ”, House Defense Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Mexico, Kyiv, Washington, Texas, Mar, Trumpism, Europe, Iran, North Korea, British, Jordanian, Russia, Russia’s, United States

☆ A jury that will decide Trump’s fate begins to take shape as first criminal trial powers ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

First, the conventions of the criminal trial – like those in thousands of courtrooms every day – mean this case will grind on relentlessly. In previous civil trials, Trump challenged the dignity of the rule of the court and feuded with other judges. But potential jurors appeared to take their obligation deeply seriously. But other potential jurors said they’d be able to put any political feelings about Trump to one side and focus on the evidence and the law. And in another revealing trend that hinted at the ex-president’s political appeal, some potential jurors mentioned that they viewed his rhetorical eruptions as those of someone who speaks his mind, unlike conventional politicians.

Persons: Donald Trump, ”, Biden, Trump, Juan Merchan, — Trump, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Joe Biden, “, Alvin, ” Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Andrzej Duda, don’t, Duda, Mimi Rocah, CNN’s Erin Burnett, “ You’re, Merchan, he’s, won’t, Barron’s, they’d, Robert Hirschhorn, CNN’s Burnett, Christine Cornell, John Gotti, Bernie Madoff Organizations: CNN, White House, ”, Manhattan, Attorney, New York, Trump, US, Office, Southern, of, Boeing, Republican Locations: Manhattan, bodega, Pennsylvania, Trump, of New York, New York

☆ Trump’s first criminal trial is a historic and solemn moment for America
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The United States, unlike democracies that have been historically less stable, is not a nation accustomed to seeing its former heads of state on trial. This is one reason why Trump’s 2024 campaign is running as much through the courtrooms as according to the traditional rhythms of a White House bid. It’s very unfair that I’m having a trial there,” Trump said on Friday, alluding to New York City’s liberal lean. The deteriorating situation could bolster Trump’s claims the world is spinning out of control under his successor’s watch. Merchan has declined efforts by the president’s attorneys to get the trial relocated to a jurisdiction where voters may be more favorable to Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, ”, Biden, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Juan Merchan, Judge Arthur Engoron, Joe Biden, “, that’s, Robert Hirschhorn, ” Trump, he’s, Nelson Mandela, Alexey Navalny, Bragg, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, ” Bragg, ” Trump’s, …, Norm Eisen, ” Eisen, Alvin Bragg, Jack Smith, Michael Cohen, Merchan, Cohen Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, Attorney, Democrat, Conservative Political, Conference, Biden, White House, Prosecutors Locations: United States, Manhattan, New York, Pennsylvania, Israel, Iran

☆ Trump and Johnson Trump build alliance on the falsehood of the stolen election
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The stolen election falsehood that dominates the GOPJohnson’s willingness to lend the authority of his office to Trump’s “election integrity” campaign shows how Trump’s stolen election conspiracy theory has consumed almost every pillar of power in the GOP. Trump and Johnson are also expected to relitigate the 2020 election during Friday’s press conference, a Trump adviser told CNN. “IT’S SO THEY CAN VOTE, VOTE, VOTE,” Trump said on his Truth Social network in December. Two days after the election, Trump declared, “If you count the legal votes, I easily win. “I support President Trump, I’m one of his biggest fighters here in Congress.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Trump, Aileen Cannon, Trump’s, Johnson, ”, CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Fredreka Schouten, CNN’s KFile, Lara Trump, William Barr, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden’s, ” Trump, ” Johnson, Biden, There’s, —, Matt Gaetz –, “, ” Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, she’d, ” Greene, CNN’s Manu Raju, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy —, Trump — Organizations: CNN —, Republican, GOP, Trump’s, Trump, Republicans, Republican National Committee, RNC, CNN, Democratic, Electoral, “, Christian Broadcasting Network, Biden, Georgia Republican, House Republicans, Capitol Locations: Trump, Congress, Lago, Florida, New York, Georgia, American, Texas, Georgia , Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ukraine, Mar, November’s

☆ Trump is recreating his web of chaos at home and abroad in a preview of what a second term could look like
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Some top Democrats worry that Americans have forgotten the chaos that raged every day Donald Trump was president, and that voters’ faded recall of the uproar will end up handing him a second term. Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is threatening to topple Johnson if he dares to pass it. — Nationwide chaos is, meanwhile, spreading in the wake of the Trump-built Supreme Court conservative majority overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. — Bipartisan efforts to solve a border crisis are in tatters after Trump’s House followers in February killed the most sweeping and conservative bill in years. Yet Trump has vowed to end the war in 24 hours if he wins a second term.

Persons: Donald Trump, ’, Trump, Mike Johnson, Ukraine –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson, Roe, Wade, Trump’s, Joe Biden, —, Johnson –, Lago Trump, bucked Johnson, Bill Barr, CNN’s Annie Grayer, ” Barr, ”, Barr, “ We’re, Greene, “, ” Greene, CNN’s Manu Raju, We’re, laud, Ronald Reagan’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, don’t, CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen, Putin, Christopher Cavoli, ” Cavoli, Biden, majority’s handiwork, he’d, didn’t, –, he’s Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republican, Trump, Washington, Trump -, Mar, Foreign Intelligence, FBI, FISA, Kremlin, Ukraine, European Command, House Armed Services Committee, Arizona Locations: Ukraine, Arizona, tatters, America, Washington, Russia, Georgia, Florida, Russian, Mar, Alabama

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