Michael Cohen in the stands
Michael Cohen — the all-powerful fixer who once bragged about burying Donald Trump’s secrets and spreading his lies — testified at Trump’s criminal trial yesterday.
In a key paragraph, he said the hush money payment he made to Stormy Daniels was made at Trump’s direction. “He said to me, ‘Just do it,'” Cohen said on the witness stand in New York, adding, “I’m doing everything I can to protect my boss.” Here’s the latest.
Cohen’s testimony is key to prosecutors’ efforts to tie Trump to an alleged conspiracy to protect his 2016 presidential campaign by burying Daniels’s account of a 2006 sexual encounter. Cohen admitted to lying and bullying for Trump, buying and suppressing negative coverage, and acting as a “thug.”
Cohen, who still faces cross-examination by the defense, has also substantiated some key assertions: that Trump had no knowledge of his fixers’ machinations, as his lawyers have said, and that the former president was a family man who was deeply concerned. How Daniels’ accusations might affect his behavior. Cohen described Trump as a micromanager who was most concerned about his campaign.
Protesters disrupt Israeli Memorial Day events
Israelis gathered across the country yesterday for the first national day of mourning for victims of war or terror attacks since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7. Protesters disrupted several ceremonies and questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding government officials do more to secure the hostages’ release.
The protests highlighted intense anguish over the war in Gaza, the fate of the hostages taken on October 7 and domestic politics.
hostage: About 240 people were kidnapped by Hamas in the attack, and the Israeli government has so far released more than 100 people.
In Gaza: Israeli airstrikes rocked the northern and southern ends of the territory yesterday, with the military saying it hit more than 120 targets in the past 24 hours. The Israeli military said ground forces were also fighting Hamas militants in multiple locations. During the fighting, tens of thousands of civilians fled and sought safety.
Hamas: A top leader has been overseeing a secret police force in Gaza for years, spying on young people, journalists and those who question the government, according to information reviewed by The New York Times.
Ukraine air defense system under pressure
Ukrainian air defenses have intercepted most Russian missiles in the past, but in recent months an increasing number of missiles have been successfully intercepted, crippling Ukraine’s ability to protect key infrastructure and plunging cities into darkness.
A Times analysis of Ukraine’s daily military reports shows a significant shift. Kiev reported intercepting more than 80 percent of missiles last May. That ratio is now down to less than half as Ukraine demands more supplies and Russia fires heavier artillery fire that overwhelms Ukrainian air defenses and makes missiles faster and harder to shoot down.
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What to see in Cannes
The Cannes Film Festival opens today in southern France. Times culture reporter Kyle Buchanan writes about the films, artists and events we’ll be focusing on.
Some 45 years after “Apocalypse Now” won the Palme d’Or, Francis Ford Coppola returns with “Megacity,” starring Adam Driver as a visionary architect. Determined to rebuild the city after the disaster. It’s hard to imagine a friendlier place than Coppola’s venerable Cannes Film Festival.
But the biggest movie premiere will be Furiosa: The Legend of Mad Max. Expect a big red carpet moment from Anya Taylor-Joy, who takes over the lead role in Charlize Theron’s original. (For more, read our interview with Taylor-Joy.)
Real-world controversies could seep into the glitzy festival. Festival staff may go on strike frustrated over contract. The French film industry is considering #MeToo, with more accusations rumored to emerge during the festival.
