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☆ Michael Cohen testifies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

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. 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.

Persons: Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Stormy Daniels, “, Cohen, Daniels Organizations: Trump

☆ A Prosecutor in the Trump Georgia Case Resigns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Wade resigned from the Georgia Trump caseNathan Wade resigned today from his post as special prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump. The move came after an Atlanta judge told Fani Willis, Wade’s boss and former romantic partner, that she and her office could keep the case only if Wade stepped down. With delays mounting, the case against Trump and 14 co-defendants, which is related to efforts to undo Trump’s election loss in Georgia in 2020, is unlikely to come to trial before the November election. Willis emerges from weeks of embarrassing hearings and headlines with a bruised reputation that could color the views of a future jury, making convictions more difficult. Another Trump trial: A New York judge delayed Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan until at least mid-April, postponing the only one of his four criminal cases that appeared set to begin.

Persons: Wade, Georgia Trump, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Wade’s, Scott McAfee, Willis, Trump Organizations: Trump Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Fulton County, York, Manhattan

☆ Special counsel appointed in Hunter Biden case
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Justin Porter | More About Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Attorney General Merrick Garland elevated David Weiss, the federal prosecutor investigating President Biden’s son Hunter, to special counsel status. It was a stunning reversal for Garland, who last month had brushed off the idea of appointing Weiss to the role. Shortly after, prosecutors said that they’d reached an impasse with defense lawyers over a plea deal that would have settled tax and gun charges against Hunter Biden. Weiss said in court papers the case “will not resolve short of a trial.”The appointment all but ensures that a yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden’s conduct — including his foreign business dealings, drug use and taxes — will continue. While Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, will be dogged by criminal cases as he campaigns, President Biden will have to worry about a separate special counsel investigation into classified documents, and whether the case against his son will become more serious.

Persons: Merrick Garland, David Weiss, Biden’s, Hunter, Garland, Weiss, they’d, Hunter Biden, ”, Hunter Biden’s, Donald Trump, Biden Organizations: Republican

The fourth criminal case against Donald Trump is likely to intensify next week, when Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., is expected to take her election interference case to a grand jury. Willis has focused her investigation on the weeks after Trump lost the 2020 election, looking into calls that Trump made to pressure local officials, a plan by Trump allies to create a slate of bogus electors and the harassment of local election workers. One big question is how broad the indictments will be, according to our colleague Richard Fausset, who is based in Atlanta. The federal Jan. 6 case, whose indictments were announced last week, was a “very narrowly focused indictment,” Richard told us. “In Georgia, there is the possibility that this will be a multi-defendant indictment that would take in a wide rage of actors who would be accused of violating numerous state crimes in their effort to overturn the election.”

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Willis, Trump, Richard Fausset, ” Richard, “, ” Organizations: Trump Locations: Fulton County ,, Atlanta, Georgia

Ron DeSantis of Florida plainly stated that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, in an apparent change in strategy that may put him at odds with much of the Republican base. “Of course he lost,” DeSantis said in an interview with NBC News on Sunday. “Joe Biden’s the president.”DeSantis, who is polling well behind Trump, for years has dodged questions about whether he believed the election was stolen. The governor’s blunt stance may be a sign that Trump’s legal problems have sent his Republican competitors looking for some way to take advantage. While none of them are openly attacking Trump, they are trying to press on his weaknesses — acknowledging reality and defying the denial espoused by him and many Republicans.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, ” DeSantis, “ Joe Biden’s, Trump Organizations: Republican, NBC News, Trump Locations: Florida

Employers across the U.S. added 187,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate sank to a near record low of 3.5 percent, new data showed today. Most people who want to work can find jobs, according to the report. But the pace of hiring has slowed over the last two months, a sign that the economy is cooling as the Federal Reserve battles inflation. Health care and leisure and hospitality added many of the new jobs, while most other industries — including manufacturing, transportation and warehousing — were flat to negative on job growth. “While we never want to read too much into any one jobs report, the trend over the past few months is pretty clear: We’re getting back to something approaching normal,” our colleague Lydia DePillis said.

Persons: Lydia DePillis Organizations: Federal Locations: U.S

☆ Putin condemns the Wagner revolt as a failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Speaking publicly for the first time in two days, a visibly angry President Vladimir Putin denounced as “blackmail” a weekend rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group but suggested leniency for the fighters who took part. “They wanted Russians to fight each other,” Putin said in a televised address. “They rubbed their hands, dreaming of taking revenge for their failures at the front and during the so-called counteroffensive. The group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed in an audio message earlier that he had no intention of ousting Putin with his march on Moscow. Although the revolt was halted, it showed that Putin’s hold over the elite coalition that keeps him in power is under stress, with unpredictable consequences.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ”, Wagner, “, ” Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin Locations: Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Wagner’s leader said the Kremlin attacked his forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking his private forces, shortly after he released a scathing video that described the invasion of Ukraine as a “racket” meant to enrich Russia’s corrupt elite. Prigozhin, who leads the Wagner private military company, accused the Russian minister of defense, Sergei Shoigu, of sending missiles and helicopters to attack camps in Ukraine, where his fighters were bivouacked. “The evil carried by the country’s military leadership must be stopped,” Prigozhin said. Russian law enforcement immediately accused him of fomenting an “armed rebellion.”For months, the feud between Prigozhin and Russia’s military leadership has hampered the war effort, but these new accusations took the conflict to a new level. Never before had Prigozhin accused military leaders of attacking his forces, nor had asserted in such stark terms that the Kremlin’s stated justification for the war was nonsense.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, “, ” Prigozhin Locations: Ukraine, Prigozhin

☆ A Surprise Supreme Court Ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Matthew Cullen | Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Supreme Court ruled that Alabama had diluted the power of Black voters by drawing a congressional voting map with a single district in which they made up a majority. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, both members of the court’s conservative wing, joined its three liberal members in the 5-to-4 ruling, which requires the state to draw a second district in which Black voters have the opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. Advocates had feared the case would undermine the Voting Rights Act, a landmark legislative achievement of the civil rights movement. “The court in recent years has been systematically cutting back on the voting rights act, and there was every reason to think that they would continue to do so in the context of redistricting,” our colleague Adam Liptak said. “To have a 5-4 majority going in a different direction, if only to uphold the status quo, was a big surprise.”

Persons: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Adam Liptak, “, ” Locations: Alabama

☆ Wildfire Smoke Blankets the East With Unhealthy Air
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Matthew Cullen | Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Millions of people in the U.S. and Canada awoke this morning in a world of haze. Smoke from an outbreak of intense wildfires in Canada has been billowing south, polluting the air from Minnesota to Massachusetts and causing dangerous breathing conditions, especially in and around New York State. In New York City, where plumes of smoke cast an eerie orange blur over the streets, the air quality was the worst it had been in decades. Commuters donned Covid masks, schoolchildren were kept indoors at recess and doctors urged people to avoid going outside. In Syracuse, the air quality index surpassed 400 (100 is considered unhealthy, and 300 is hazardous).

Organizations: ” Locations: U.S, Canada, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York State, New York City, Syracuse, Binghamton, New York, Ottawa

☆ A Critical Dam Is Destroyed on Ukraine’s Front Line
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Matthew Cullen | Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Kakhovka dam and electric plant on the front line in southern Ukraine was destroyed today, sending torrents of water through the breach and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Russia and Ukraine were quick to blame each other for the disaster, but it was not immediately clear who was responsible. Officials in Kyiv said that Moscow’s forces had blown up the Russian-controlled dam in the predawn hours, a day after U.S. officials said it appeared a Ukrainian counteroffensive had begun. More than 40,000 people could be in the path of the flooding in both Ukrainian- and Russian-controlled territory, a Ukrainian official said. “People here are shocked,” said our colleague Marc Santora, who was in southern Ukraine.

Persons: ”, Marc Santora, “ They’ve Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Antonivka

☆ Has Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Begun?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Matthew Cullen | Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a sudden flurry of military activity, Ukrainian forces have ramped up their artillery strikes and ground assaults at several points along the front line. Russian officials reported major Ukrainian attacks at five different locations in the eastern region of Donetsk. U.S. officials said today that it was possible that the long-awaited counteroffensive had begun, citing satellite imagery that showed a significant uptick in movement from Ukrainian positions. Officials in Kyiv, however, were tight-lipped about their strategy, and feints or diversions are to be expected in war. In the southeast, analysts anticipate that Ukraine’s troops will seek to cut off the so-called land bridge that connects Russian-occupied Crimea to Russia.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Locations: Donetsk . U.S, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russian, Crimea, Russia

☆ The U.S. Opens the Door for Ukraine to Get F-16s
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Matthew Cullen | Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a sharp reversal, President Biden told leaders at the Group of 7 summit in Japan today that he would allow Ukrainian pilots to be trained on American-made F-16s, according to several U.S. officials. The U.S. will also discuss in the coming months how to supply Ukraine with the jets, which would be a major upgrade for its air force. Some European countries have offered to provide F-16s, but need American approval to do so. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is scheduled to appear at the G7 summit. The G7 leaders spent much of the day discussing the coming Ukrainian counteroffensive and its chances of forcing Russia to the negotiating table.

☆ Meta Gave Away Its A.I. Crown Jewels
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Matthew Cullen | Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The tech industry’s race to develop artificial intelligence has been upended by a decision to give away a powerful system for free. In February Meta released LLaMA, an A.I. “It is out in the wild.”Meta, formerly known as Facebook, believes that sharing its underlying A.I. “Open source tends to win,” Cade said. “The difference now: The tech is potentially dangerous.”Separately: In Hiroshima, Japan, leaders of the G7 countries added A.I.

☆ Biden Heads to Japan for the G7
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Matthew Cullen | Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Biden’s trip abroad and challenge at homePresident Biden left this afternoon for Japan to attend the annual Group of 7 summit meeting, which begins tomorrow in Hiroshima. But the major potential threat to that stability this year could come from the U.S. Almost simultaneously, House Democrats pushed forward on a complex, long-shot plan to raise the limit by forcing a vote. G7 leaders will also turn their focus to Ukraine and China. “The other big issue will be how to handle China and the threat of its economic, technological and military rise.”

☆ Glimmers of Hope for a Debt Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Matthew Cullen | Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The pressure is on for a debt dealCongressional leaders met with President Biden at the White House today to talk about the debt limit, but the two sides are still far apart. White House officials said that Biden will shorten a weeklong foreign trip that begins tomorrow to return to the U.S. to deal with the negotiations. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, said he was “committed” to getting a bipartisan bill done — a notable shift for Democrats, who had insisted that House Republicans pass a clean debt ceiling raise. “Congressional leaders are looking at the calendar and realizing the window of opportunity that they have to avert an economic crisis is rapidly diminishing every day,” my colleague Catie Edmondson said. But there are potential areas of negotiations, she said, including work requirements for social safety net programs.

☆ What’s Next for Turkey?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Justin Porter | Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Although he fell just short of an outright majority, with 49.5 percent of the vote, signs point strongly to yet another Erdogan victory in two weeks. A third candidate, Sinan Ogan, received 5.2 percent, and his right-wing supporters are likely to vote for Erdogan in the runoff, analysts say. Erdogan’s party and its allies also maintained a commanding majority in the parliamentary vote after stepping up nationalist rhetoric. However, my colleague Ben Hubbard reported that Erdogan’s failure to secure an outright majority this weekend indicated that some voters had grown tired of his financial management and drastic consolidation of power. Turkey has been struggling with a sinking currency and painful inflation that exceeded 80 percent last year.

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