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☆ Prosecutors Poised to Conclude Trump Case as Trial Enters Final Days
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Donald J. Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial will enter its final phase on Monday with the prosecution poised to complete its case and the defense considering whether to call witnesses of its own. The witness, Michael D. Cohen, has already testified over the course of three days, telling jurors that in 2015 he entered a conspiracy to suppress information damaging to the presidential campaign of his then-boss, Mr. Trump. Mr. Cohen, who was Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer, suppressed one of those stories himself, paying $130,000 to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, just weeks before the election to bury her story of having had sex with Mr. Trump. After the election, Mr. Cohen testified, the president-elect approved a plan to reimburse him for the payment, knowing that the reimbursements would be classified as ordinary legal expenses. The Manhattan district attorney’s office has charged Mr. Trump with 34 felonies, arguing that what Mr. Cohen described was a crime: the falsification of business records.

Persons: Donald J, Michael D, Cohen, Trump, Stormy Daniels Locations: Manhattan

☆ Bob Menendez: 4 big questions as senator’s corruption trial enters its second week
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Here are four big questions facing Menendez, his lawyers and federal prosecutors as the trial intensifies. How hard does the defense lean on Nadine Menendez? The other half of their telling, in short, is that Nadine Menendez was the one pulling the strings — and hiding it from her husband. Republicans have been surprisingly absent from the hoopla around the Menendez trial. This dynamic could change later this week or next when Trump’s trial is expected to reach its denouement.

Persons: Sen, Bob Menendez’s, —, Menendez, Nadine, Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, Andy Kim, Lara Pomerantz, “, Pomerantz, James Bret Tate, Hana’s, Prosecutors, Nadine Menendez, Avi Weitzman, ” “, ” Weitzman, Weitzman, ”, Candace E, Hana, Will, hasn’t, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, New, New Jersey Democrat, Garden, Democratic, Capitol, US Department of Agriculture, of Agriculture, USDA, Will Republicans, GOP, Republicans Locations: New Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, New York, Manhattan, Egyptian American, Cairo, Hana’s New Jersey, New York City

☆ Opinion | A Trump Conviction Doesn’t Hang on Michael Cohen
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Jeffrey Toobin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But the verdict is likely to turn on the other half — whether Mr. Trump caused the false information to appear on the invoices and vouchers. According to the prosecution, on the eve of the 2016 election, Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s onetime lawyer and fixer, paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, the porn star, to guarantee her silence about a tryst she and Mr. Trump allegedly had a decade earlier. Mr. Trump then reimbursed Mr. Cohen for his outlay, plus a bonus and additional funds for taxes. Several witnesses support the government’s claim that Mr. Trump’s payments to the lawyer were not legal fees. Mr. Trump himself tweeted in 2018 that Mr. Cohen received a “reimbursement” and said as much in a White House financial disclosure form.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, Trump, Michael Cohen, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Cohen, Daniels, ” Organizations: White Locations: Manhattan

☆ Stakes are high for prosecutors to rescue Cohen testimony as Trump trial enters endgame
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Defense lawyers say they expect to complete their bruising cross-examination of Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and enforcer, on Monday morning. In dramatic testimony, Cohen last week directly implicated Trump in the alleged scheme, saying the former president directed him to hand over $130,000 to Daniels and promised him reimbursement. With the end of Cohen’s testimony looming, there is uncertainty over the extent of Trump’s defense case. Blanche referred to the possibility of Trump’s testimony on Thursday, the last day the court was in session. After the defense case wraps up, the prosecution has a chance to put on its own rebuttal.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Michael Cohen —, Cohen, Trump’s, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, ” Cohen, Todd Blanche, Keith Schiller, Blanche, President Trump, Schiller, ’, Randy Zelin, Republican nominee’s, Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, — Bradley Smith, Judge Juan Merchan, Merchan, Smith, —, backtrack, “, ” Blanche, Arthur Engoron, president’s, Engoron Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, Trump, Cornell Law School, Central ”, Republican, Louisiana Republican, Republicans, Commission Locations: New York, Lago, Manhattan, Louisiana, Lake Tahoe

Once Mr. Trump was elected, he agreed to repay Mr. Cohen for the $130,000 hush-money deal and more. And at a meeting in Trump Tower just weeks before he was sworn in, Mr. Trump signed off on the fakery, Mr. Cohen recounted from the stand. “What, if anything, did Mr. Trump say at that time?” a prosecutor asked Mr. Cohen. There, he said, Mr. Trump’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, explained how Mr. Trump would reimburse Mr. Cohen for the payoff. To reach Mr. Trump, Mr. Cohen testified, he called the candidate’s bodyguard, Keith Schiller.

Persons: Donald J, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Michael D, Cohen, Trump, Trump’s, —, Alvin L, Bragg, Cohen —, Marc F, Scholl, ”, ” Mr, Stormy Daniels, Mr, “, Michael M, Joshua Steinglass, Juan M, Merchan —, “ Trump, David Pecker, Pecker, Hope Hicks, Penny, Daniels, Allen Weisselberg, Weisselberg, Susan Hoffinger, Cohen’s, Keith Schiller, Schiller, William K, Rashbaum Organizations: Trump, Mr, Trump “, New, National Enquirer, Playboy, fixer Locations: Manhattan, New York

☆ The Rise of a New Centrism
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Washington, you often hear, is a place so polarized that our leaders barely get anything done. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a progressive leader, has worked on legislation with several conservative Senate Republicans, including Josh Hawley and J.D. My editors recently asked me to make sense of this conundrum: A polarized country in which bipartisanship has somehow become normal. To do so, I spoke with Congress members from both parties, as well as Biden administration officials and outside experts. I emerged from the project believing that the U.S. was indeed a polarized country in many ways — but less polarized than people sometimes think.

Persons: Biden —, Donald Trump’s, —, Elizabeth Warren, Josh Hawley, J.D, Vance, Lina Khan —, Biden, ” Biden, bipartisanship Organizations: Democrats, Republican, Republicans, Federal Trade Commission Locations: U.S

☆ Hecklers Drown Out Trump’s Backers With Cowbells and Whistles
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Nate Schweber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Donald J. Trump has been joined in recent days by entourages of supporters who watch his prosecution in the morning and then give statements backing him outside the courthouse. On Monday, the daily news conference disintegrated into chaos, when anti-Trump demonstrators and hecklers surrounded the speakers, then effectively silenced them with shouts, whistles and the clanging of a cowbell. Among the speakers on Monday in Collect Pond Park, across Centre Street from the courthouse’s front doors, were Bernard Kerik, New York’s former police commissioner, who was pardoned by Mr. Trump for eight felonies; Kash Patel, a former Trump administration intelligence official involved in his 2024 campaign; and Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Georgia Republican. Mr. Clyde said that “the judge is very one-sided,” and Mr. Patel said that the only person harmed had been the defendant: “That victim is Donald J. Trump.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, entourages, Bernard Kerik, Kash Patel, Andrew Clyde, Clyde, Patel, ” Organizations: Trump, Mr, Georgia Republican Locations: Pond, Bernard Kerik , New, Georgia

☆ How Trump’s first term may have laid the groundwork to make his radical immigration agenda a reality
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Phil Mattingly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Trump’s advisers don’t see their agenda as aspirational political messaging. “Think about the first term, but on steroids,” a former senior Trump administration official who is working outside the campaign to draft immigration policy options for a second term. In closed-door fundraisers, Biden has also called attention to the radical nature of Trump’s immigration proposals – something his 2020 campaign used to its advantage. It shouldn’t.”The dramatic scale of Trump’s immigration agenda would have a sweeping effect across the US, Schulte said – one that shouldn’t get lost in debates over his rhetoric. Once viewed as radical and relegated to the fringes of the GOP, Trump’s immigration agenda is now an animating force for most, if not all, Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, don’t, ”, “, Todd Schulte, Joe Biden, Stephen Miller, ” Miller, Sebastian Gorka, Trump’s, Miller, ” Trump, Eisenhower, Clinton, Karoline Leavitt, Leavitt, Biden Biden, Biden, Biden’s, would’ve, ” There’s, SSRS, ” Biden, that’s, ” Schulte, Schulte, –, shouldn’t, “ He’s, Steve Vladeck, “ That’s, Neil Gorsuch, – Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett –, Vladeck Organizations: CNN, Republican, Supreme, National Guard, Trump, Democratic, Trump White House, Refugee, US Navy, Pentagon, White, Border Patrol, Department, Office, Senate Democratic, Democrats, Gallup, Biden, ” Trump, GOP, Republicans, Capitol, CNN Supreme, University of Texas Locations: United States, Panama, Mexico, torpedoing, California, America, Michigan, Ohio

☆ As Trump Trial Nears Its End, the Law May Give Prosecutors an Edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Ben Protess | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over the course of his monthlong criminal trial, the evidence against Donald J. Trump has piled up. And a parade of 18 witnesses who together told a compelling story: that Mr. Trump orchestrated a conspiracy to suppress sex scandals during the 2016 election, and after winning, sought to bury a porn star’s story for good. But the 19th and final witness of their case — the only one to directly link Mr. Trump to the 34 business records he is charged with falsifying — is Michael D. Cohen. Though Mr. Cohen got off to a strong start, Mr. Trump’s lawyer eventually hammered his credibility, highlighting his criminal record and painting him as a serial liar bent on taking down the former president. Between the reams of circumstantial evidence and some very favorable laws underpinning the charges, the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, has retained inherent advantages.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, Trump’s, —, Alvin L, Bragg Organizations: Trump Locations: Manhattan

☆ ‘SNL’ takes on ‘former President Trump’s’ trial and campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Michael Wade Sanders | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Election Updates: Rubio, a Trump V.P. Contender, won’t commit to certifying 2024 election results.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Maggie Astor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Mr. Trump addressed the group as he is on trial in Manhattan on criminal charges that he falsified business records related to a hush-money payment to a porn star. Gun safety groups hung up T-shirts with the names of people killed by gun violence in Dallas County. At the N.R.A.’s meeting, Mr. Trump, whose campaign fund-raising has lagged in Texas, urged gun owners to head to the polls to help deliver him the election. She also criticized Mr. Trump for saying, “We have to get over it” after a shooting in Iowa this year that killed a sixth grader. Mr. Trump “is catering to the gun lobby and threatening to make the crisis worse if re-elected,” Ms. Harris said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden, ”, Mr, “, Greg Abbott, John Cornyn, you’ve, Andrew Arulanandam, Abbott, Biden’s, ” “ Donald Trump, Joe Biden, ” Mr, N.R.A, ” Ana, Maria Ramos, Jill Brown, Louis, —, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Trump’s, Kamala Harris, ” Ms, Harris Organizations: National Rifle Association, Biden, “, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Texas Democrats, Dallas City Hall, City Hall Plaza, Associated Press, Allen, Outlets, Republican, Trump coalition, Las, Supreme Locations: Dallas, Manhattan, Houston, Uvalde , Texas, Texas, Dallas County, United States, Pennsylvania, Las Vegas, Parkland, Fla, Iowa

☆ Eric Molitor was acquitted on charges related to the Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot. Now he’s running for sheriff
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Alison Main | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A man acquitted last year on charges linked to a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is now looking to unseat an incumbent county sheriff. Eric Molitor has filed to run in the Republican primary this August against Trent Taylor, the sheriff of deep-red Wexford County in Northern Michigan. Taylor told CNN he believes he’s constitutionally obligated to enforce the state’s laws and that it would be “reckless” not to do so, as Molitor has said he would. Molitor told CNN his experience opened his eyes to flaws in the justice system.

Persons: Gretchen Whitmer, Eric Molitor, Trent Taylor, ”, Taylor, “, Molitor, Whitmer, he’s, ” Taylor, ” Molitor, we’ve, Dan Pfannes, Pfannes, MAGA, Donald Trump’s “, Trump, Michele Lundgren, Dana Nessel, ’ ”, CNN’s Lauren del Valle, Veronica Stracqualursi, Josh Campbell, Michelle Watson Organizations: CNN, Michigan, Republican, Democrat, Michigan State University, Northern, Capitol, Michigan House, Democrats, The Michigan Sheriffs ’ Association, Michigan Democratic Party, MAGA Republican, Michigan Republicans won’t, Republican Party Locations: Wexford County, Northern Michigan, Cadillac , Michigan, Michigan, Wexford

One Friday last month, Jamie Raskin, a Democratic congressman from Maryland, spent a chunk of his day in court securing a protective order. Mr. Raskin, who played a leading role in Donald J. Trump’s second impeachment hearing, said he received about 50 menacing calls, emails and letters every month that are turned over to the Capitol Police. His latest court visit was prompted by a man who showed up at his house and screamed in his face about the Covid-19 vaccine, Mr. Trump’s impeachment and gender-related surgeries. Nearly two years earlier, the same man, with his 3-year-old son in his arms, had yelled profanities at Mr. Raskin at a July 4 parade, according to a police report. He just needs some parenting lessons,” Mr. Raskin said.

Persons: Jamie Raskin, Raskin, Donald J, Trump’s, profanities, “, ” Mr Organizations: Democratic, Capitol Police Locations: Maryland

☆ Opinion: Credibility is the key at Trump trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

The idea that Cohen talked to Trump about Daniels on that call “was a lie,” Blanche alleged. Moreover, my experience has been that juries don’t decide based upon one moment — they base their judgment on an overall view.”There were allegedly three parties aware of the scheme to conceal the real reason Trump paid Cohen more than $400,000 in supposed legal fees: Trump, Cohen and Allen Weisselberg, then-chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. “Weisselberg could be the linchpin to validate Cohen’s claims about Trump agreeing to reimburse him through Trump Organization, as a business expense,” wrote attorney Stacy Schneider. Trump seems to be tempted to go mano a mano and show that he is better fit to be commander-in-chief. The new requirement for GOP politicians wanting to demonstrate their loyalty to Trump seems to be visiting the Manhattan courthouse where he’s on trial.

Persons: CNN —, ” Mark Twain, “, Twain, ” Michael Cohen, Donald Trump, —, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Todd Blanche, Cohen, Norm Eisen, Blanche, ”, pummeled Cohen, Robert Mueller, Nick Anderson, Agency Cohen, Keith Schiller, Daniels, ” Blanche, ” Eisen, don’t, Allen Weisselberg, Stacy Schneider, Weisselberg, David Zurawik, “ I’ve, Sen, Robert Menendez, He’s, George Santos ., CNN “ It’s, he’s, ‘, Henry Cuellar, ” Cupp, Drew Sheneman, Georgia —, Vladimir Putin’s, Frida Ghitis, ” Ghitis, Joe Biden’s, ” Dana Summers, “ Biden, ” Julian Zelizer, mano, Biden, ” Bill Bramhall, Stephanie Griffith, Howard Tucker, Gayle Fleming, Michael Ventura Gayle Fleming, Biden —, ” Tom Brady’s, Kara Alaimo, Tom Brady “, Kevin Hart, Gisele Bündchen, Brady, Benjamin, Vivian, ’ Brady, ’, Alaimo, Brady didn’t, Nafees Syed, Kamel El Hilali, Andrew Borene, freakout Scott Stantis, Jeff Yang, … ” Brown, Keith Magee, Brown, backpedaling, Forget, Doug Burgum, Scott Jennings, Burgum’s, Bill Bramhall, Content Agency Clarence Thomas Washington, Clarence Thomas ’, Dean Obeidallah, Thomas, Harlan Crow, ” Clay Jones, John Oliver’s, Steve Vladeck, “ Thomas, ” Don’t, Clayton Swope, Dan Perry, Netanyahu, Jill Filipovic, Miss Teen USA Mary Ziegler, Bob Kolasky, Megan L, Ranney, Karen Tang, Halle Berry, Naomi Watts, Jonathan Yeo, King Charles III, Aaron Chown, Holly Thomas, King Organizations: CNN, Trump, Tribune, Agency, Trump Organization, Twitter, Facebook, DC, Robert Menendez of New, GOP, ” Texas, White, Europe, Russia, Kyiv, Biden, ABC, Democratic Party, Netflix, Garden State, Content Agency, Capitol, Consumer Financial, Board, Fifth Circuit, ICC, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Buckingham Palace, Royal Locations: New York, Robert Menendez of, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Russian, Ukraine, Slovakia, Georgia, Soviet Republic, United States, Cleveland, “, Manhattan, North, . North Dakota, ” That’s, Louisiana , Mississippi, Texas, Florida’s, Buckingham

CNN —Rudy Giuliani was served Friday with notice of his indictment related to an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona, according to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. Richie Taylor, a spokesperson for Mayes, previously told CNN that the attorney general’s office had tried for weeks to locate Giuliani. An attendee of the party told CNN that Giuliani was served papers by two agents of the Arizona attorney general’s office in the late hours of the birthday bash. They must concede they can’t count votes.”Hours later, Giuliani was served notice of the indictment. The Arizona indictment is just the latest legal woe for Giuliani stemming from his time as Trump’s attorney after the 2020 presidential election.

Persons: CNN — Rudy Giuliani, Kris Mayes, “, ” Mayes, Giuliani, ”, Richie Taylor, Mayes, Caroline Wren, Kari Lake, ” “, —, Ted Goodman, can’t, Donald Trump’s, Pence, John Eastman, CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, GOP, New, New York City, Trump, Dominion Locations: Arizona, Palm Beach , Florida, New York, Phoenix, Georgia

☆ Opinion | Why the Manhattan Trial Is Probably Helping Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Throughout the Republican primary campaign (such as it was), it was perfectly clear that the multiple indictments of Donald Trump helped him consolidate support. This was a source of moral exasperation to liberals, but their bafflement coexisted with the hope that what played well with the MAGA faithful would have the opposite effect in the general election. Trump’s cries of persecution might rally conservatives in a primary, but the trials themselves would help Joe Biden cruise to re-election. But watching the trial play out so far, it seems just as likely that as in the primaries, so now in the general election: Any political effect from being charged and tried is probably working marginally in Trump’s favor. First, consider how this trial plays if you are not paying close attention to the legal details.

Persons: Donald Trump, MAGA, Trump’s, Joe Biden, we’re, Trump, Stormy Daniels Organizations: Republican

☆ Giuliani Is Formally Notified of His Indictment in Arizona Election Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rudolph W. Giuliani was served with a notice of his indictment in the Arizona election interference case on Friday night, becoming the last of the 18 defendants to receive the notice after nearly a month of unsuccessful attempts by the authorities. The indictment against Mr. Giuliani, Donald J. Trump’s former personal lawyer, and others includes conspiracy, fraud and forgery charges related to their attempts to change the results of the 2020 election in the state in favor of Mr. Trump, according to prosecutors. Among the other defendants are Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, along with all of the fake electors who acted on Mr. Trump’s behalf to keep him in power despite his defeat there. They waited to serve him outside as he left,” Mr. Taylor said. Mr. Giuliani’s spokesman, Ted Goodman, confirmed in a statement on Saturday that Mr. Giuliani was served “after the party, after guests had left and as he was walking to the car.”

Persons: Rudolph W, Giuliani, Mr, Donald J, Trump, Mark Meadows, Richie Taylor, Kris Mayes, ” Mr, Taylor, Giuliani’s, Ted Goodman Organizations: Mr, White House Locations: Arizona, Palm Beach County, Fla

☆ Donald Trump addresses an embattled NRA as he campaigns against Biden’s gun policies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Steve Contorno | Daniel Strauss | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Significantly less clear, though, is how much the NRA can help Trump’s bid to win the White House once again. “Donald Trump is winning no new voters when he boasts about doing nothing about gun violence during his presidency. Period,” said Nick Suplina, a senior vice president at Everytown for Gun Safety, a group founded in the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Suplina said Trump’s NRA appearance “shows that both the organization and the man are a bit desperate for each other. Among both gun safety advocates and gun rights groups, there’s little disagreement about the stakes in 2024.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Wayne LaPierre, It’s, ”, “ It’s, I’ve, ” Trump, Kristi Noem, Donald Trump Jr, Joe Biden’s, Bryan Lanza, “ Donald Trump, ” Lanza, “, Biden, Nick Suplina, Sandy, Suplina, Aidan Johnston, Johnston, ” Suplina, ” Biden, Karoline Leavitt, CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene Organizations: Dallas CNN —, National Rifle Association, NRA, White House, New, Political, Mar, CNN, North Dakota Gov, Libertarian Party, Republican, Trump, Biden, Safety, Sandy Hook Elementary, Gun Owners of America, White, U.S Locations: New York, Manhattan, Jersey, Washington ,, Minnesota, United States, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Parkland , Florida

“I have been clear at home, and I will be clear here,” Ms. Stefanik is expected to say in her speech, according to a prepared version of her remarks reviewed by The New York Times. “There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel.”Her remarks also appear designed to curry favor with former President Donald J. Trump, who has mentioned Ms. Stefanik, a former George W. Bush White House aide and staunch defender of Mr. Trump, as a potential vice-presidential candidate. Ms. Stefanik has positioned herself as one of Mr. Trump’s most loyal defenders in Congress, a role she first staked out during his first impeachment in 2019. Her prepared remarks for Sunday mention Mr. Trump by name three times while highlighting several of his administration’s accomplishments, including a package of Middle East deals known as the Abraham Accords and moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. “We must not let the extremism in elite corners conceal the deep, abiding love for Israel among the American people,” Ms. Stefanik plans to say.

Persons: Ms, Stefanik, ”, Donald J, Trump, George W, Bush, Stefanik’s, Trump’s, Abraham, “ Organizations: The New York Times, House, Abraham Accords Locations: Israel, U.S, Jerusalem

☆ Election Updates: After a week in court, Trump steps out to Minnesota and Texas. Next up, the Bronx.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Katie Glueck | Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Former President Donald J. Trump, who has been spending much of his time recently as a criminal defendant in a Manhattan courtroom, will be in a different New York borough next Thursday, when he will hold a campaign event in the Bronx. But Mr. Trump’s aides have been discussing an event in the South Bronx for weeks. Last month, in his first campaign stop since the start of the trial, Mr. Trump visited a bodega in Harlem, attacking the district attorney prosecuting him and casting himself as tough on crime. The former president told donors at a Manhattan fund-raiser this week that he was planning something in the South Bronx, making a joke that he might get hurt in the neighborhood. You may never see me again,” he said, prompting laughter, according to an attendee who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private event.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden, Trump’s, “ We’re, ”, Ritchie Torres, Donald Trump, Mr, Torres Organizations: Republican, ”, New York Democrat, Bronx Locations: Manhattan, New York, Bronx, Crotona, South Bronx, New York City, bodega, Harlem

☆ Opinion | The Truth Hurts — Especially When Bill Maher Dishes It Out
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Maureen Dowd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Back in 2013, I got a call from Bill Maher. He was being hit with a lawsuit by Donald Trump and thought it would be “comedy gold” for my column. Maher offered to give $5 million to charity if he could see the birth certificate of Trump, who had offered $5 million to charity for records to verify the birthplace of President Barack Obama. “He’s not even a real person,” an exasperated Maher told Conan O’Brien about Trump at the time. I told Maher that it wasn’t worth writing about Trump and his silly lawsuits and risible presidential aspirations.

Persons: Bill Maher, Donald Trump, Bill Maher ”, Trump, Maher, Barack Obama, Trump’s, Fred Trump, Michael Cohen, “ He’s, ”, Conan O’Brien, J.R . Ewing Organizations: Trump Locations: “ Dallas

☆ Opinion | It Is Inexcusable How Judge Cannon Is Delaying the Trump Documents Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Brian Greer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The task before Judge Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over the classified documents case of Donald Trump, is not easy. She must protect Mr. Trump’s constitutional rights while also ensuring the prompt and fair administration of justice. Still, it is inexcusable that she is utterly failing to keep the case moving along in a fair but timely manner. And unfortunately, there isn’t much that the special counsel in the case, Jack Smith, can do about it. The volume of classified records subject to discovery is not outside the norm, and if the defendant were not Donald Trump, this would be a relatively routine Espionage Act prosecution for unlawful retention of classified records.

Persons: Aileen Cannon, Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Trump Organizations: Mr, White, Presidential

☆ Rule 1 to Be Trump’s Running Mate: Defend Him, but Don’t Steal the Show
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Michael C. Bender | Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The cavalry of Republican vice-presidential contenders and other party officials inside the courthouse for Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial was so large one day this week that the group initially had trouble arranging themselves in the two rows set aside for guests of the defense team. Wedged into their seats, they were immediately confronted with testimony accusing their party’s leader — who was trying to inoculate his 2016 presidential campaign from political damage — of writing checks for bogus legal expenses to hide hush-money payments to a porn star. None of the conservatives in the courtroom flinched or raised an eyebrow, including Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Representative Byron Donalds of Florida, both of whom are said to be under consideration for Mr. Trump’s running mate. Instead, their stoic, protective presence underscored the biggest political quandary facing ambitious Republicans who want Mr. Trump to pick them for vice president: how to fiercely defend him without stealing any of his precious spotlight.

Persons: Donald J, —, Doug Burgum, Byron Donalds of, Trump’s, Trump Organizations: Republican, Gov Locations: North Dakota, Byron Donalds of Florida

☆ Trump’s Criminal Trial, Explained
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Stormy Daniels was on the witness stand, Donald Trump was at the defense table and I could feel a queasy energy flow through the Manhattan courtroom. This is the third of Trump’s trials that I’ve covered, but there’s still something striking about seeing a ubiquitous media figure in the flesh. Trump is not on trial for sleeping with Daniels, which he denies, or for paying her to keep silent. Even though it’s a documents case, the trial has thrummed with high-octane moments like his face-off with Daniels. Each time the prosecution calls a witness, rows of onlookers watch a figure from Trump’s past swear an oath that could threaten his future.

Persons: Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump, Daniels, I’ve, Trump, it’s Organizations: Trump, Prosecutors Locations: Manhattan, today’s

☆ Take My Wife, Please: For Political Damage Control, Just Blame Your Spouse
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Rebecca Davis O Brien | Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is a tale as old as Adam and Eve: A husband, faced with accusations of misconduct, blames the wife. It is also a time-honored, bipartisan political strategy. This week, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey pointed ringed fingers at their wives for episodes that have landed each man in political or legal trouble. The justice’s wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was in a feud with neighbors at the time over an anti-Trump sign, The Times reported. In the case of Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, it was his lawyer who did the finger pointing.

Persons: Adam, Samuel A, Alito Jr, Bob Menendez, Alito, ”, Donald J, Trump’s, Biden’s, Martha, Ann Alito, Menendez, Avi Weitzman Organizations: Bob Menendez of New, New York Times, Times, Democrat Locations: Bob Menendez of, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Manhattan

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