Michael Cohen is set to testify today in Trump’s hush money trial. Russia is ramping up sabotage across Europe. And students at Duke University walk out of Jerry Seinfeld’s commencement speech.
Here’s what to know today.
Michael Cohen to take stand as star witness in Trump’s hush money trial
Michael Cohen, one of the most anticipated witnesses in the Manhattan district attorney’s hush money case against Donald Trump, will take the stand today to start what’s expected to be days of testimony against the former president.
Cohen, who at one point worked as Trump’s personal attorney, paid $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign so that she would not go public with her claim that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. He has previously said he made the payment “at the direction” of Trump.
Trump reimbursed Cohen in a series of payments in 2017, during the first months of his presidency. Prosecutors charge that Trump falsified business records relating to those payments by classifying them as legal services pursuant to a retainer agreement.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records. He has also denied having an affair with Daniels.
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Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney, said in his opening statement that Cohen was indeed being paid for his legal services and “cannot be trusted.” He also told the jury that Cohen is “obsessed” with Trump and blames him for “virtually all of his problems.” Cohen has repeatedly mocked Trump on social media and in interviews since the start of the trial, leading the judge to warn that Cohen could be excluded from the gag order that bars Trump from attacking witnesses if he kept it up.
Cohen will be questioned by veteran prosecutor Susan Hoffinger, who has been preparing him for about a year. He’ll be cross-examined by Blanche. His testimony is crucial to the prosecution as the trial inches closer to the finish line.
Read more:
- Here’s what you missed last week in Trump’s hush money trial.
- Madeleine Westerhout, Trump's former executive assistant in the White House, detailed her boss' office habits after Stormy Daniels’ testimony wrapped.
Russia’s sabotage campaign intensifies across Europe
Russia is running a sabotage campaign across Europe in an effort by President Vladimir Putin to undermine Western support for Ukraine, hoping to damage railways, military bases and other spots that are used to supply arms to Kyiv, according to U.S. and European officials. European officials are also concerned that Russian propaganda campaigns are being conducted in advance of next month’s European Union parliamentary elections.
The attempted sabotage includes an alleged Russian-backed arson attack on a Ukrainian-linked warehouse in the United Kingdom, a plot to bomb or set fire to military bases in Germany, attempts to hack and disrupt Europe’s railway signal network and the jamming of GPS systems for civil aviation.
The hacking effort also targeted German companies in the defense and aerospace industries. The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence service, Thomas Haldenwang, has warned that the threat of sabotage from Russia — including cyberattacks — is mounting and carries “a high potential for damage.” The reported sabotage reflects Russia’s brand of “hybrid warfare,” placing psychological and political operations alongside military force to weaken an adversary, experts and officials say.
Read more:
- Putin proposed replacing Sergei Shoigu as Russia’s defense minister in a major shakeup.
- At least 4,000 civilians have fled the Kharkiv region in Ukraine since Friday, when Moscow’s forces launched a renewed border assault.
Duke students walk out of Jerry Seinfeld’s commencement speech
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was met with a wave of boos when students at Duke University in North Carolina walked out just before his commencement speech.
Students and some attendees in the bleachers stood up from their seats and began walking out of the stadium. Videos on social media showed a group of students with Palestinian flags walking down an aisle on the stadium field.
Protests also erupted at two different ceremonies at the University of California, Berkeley. During Friday’s law school graduation, students removed their gowns to reveal white shirts that read “UC Divest.” The next day, chants of “Free Palestine” erupted as the student speaker tried to deliver her address at a different ceremony. At the Virginia Commonwealth University ceremony, students walked out of a commencement address being delivered by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
A slew of anti-war demonstrations began to take root on college campuses after students at Columbia University set up an encampment on their university’s lawn. Students have been demanding that their universities divest from companies that either profit from war or from the occupation of Palestinian territories and cut ties to Israel, with many also asking their schools to call for an immediate cease-fire.
Read more on the Israel-Hamas war:
- Israel is battling a regrouped Hamas in northern Gaza as the U.S. has issued some if its harshest criticism yet, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning that Israel has no plan to defeat the militant group.
- Social media users are urging one another to block the social accounts of celebrities who have remained silent about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
- As pro-Palestinian protesters clash with counter-protesters at U.S. colleges, among the most vocal defenders of Israel are members of the Iranian-Jewish community.
- Sen. Lindsey Graham compared Israel’s military operations to the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on Japan in World War II, saying, “Israel, do whatever you have to do.”
Jury selection to begin in Sen. Bob Menendez bribery case in New York
Jury selection begins today in the federal criminal trial of Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who has been charged with accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in bribes — including some in gold bars — in return for official acts. The indictment alleges that federal investigators found more than $480,000 in cash in his home stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets and a safe.
The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, has been charged as well, but she will stand trial at a later date because of a medical issue. The indictment alleges that Menendez and his wife received “gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle and other items of value,” such as jewelry and exercise equipment.
The federal criminal trial is the second that Menendez has faced since he was elected to the Senate in 2006. He was charged in 2015 with illegally accepting favors from a Florida eye doctor, including flights on a private jet, three nights at a five-star hotel in Paris and more than $750,000 in political contributions for him and the Democratic Party.
Steve Buscemi punched randomly while walking in New York City
Actor Steve Buscemi was walking in midtown Manhattan in New York City last week when someone punched him in broad daylight. He is known for his roles in the films “Fargo” and “Reservoir Dogs,” and was last seen on screen in the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Police arrived to find Buscemi with bruising, swelling and bleeding in his left eye. He was stable when emergency services took him to a hospital. An investigation continues, police said, and no arrests have been made. The attack is the latest in a string of odd incidents in which New York City pedestrians — including several celebrities and influencers — have been attacked while walking on the street.
Politics in Brief
Exclusive: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said it’s up to the federal government to remedy its past infrastructure wrongs that have harmed valuable local communities, and a video on the subject, shared first with NBC News, highlights an initiative to help reconnect Philadelphia’s Chinatown, which was cut off by an expressway decades ago.
Student loans: President Joe Biden has been proposing plans to reduce or erase student loan debts for millions of borrowers, but many have struggled to make sense of what all these initiatives mean for them about when debts will be forgiven.
GOP VP hopefuls: Vice presidential prospects JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Elise Stefanik and Marjorie Taylor Greene are each trying to take a unique opportunity to try to appeal to Trump.
Local elections: The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in a suit that will determine the future of ballot drop boxes in the battleground state’s elections.
First on NBC: Biden’s campaign plans to host a fundraiser in Los Angeles next month with former President Barack Obama and Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts, according to details first shared with NBC News.
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Staff Pick: A toast to the aunts, aunties and tías
This Mother’s Day, the editors for NBC Asian America, NBC BLK, NBC Latino and NBC Out wanted to open up the field to celebrate the many people who take motherly roles in our lives. We got the idea for this project after a study from earlier this year showed aunts played an important role in supporting Black and Latino LGBTQ youth when they were in danger of becoming unhoused. That got us talking about the aunties, tías and ayis who are the pillars of our communities. We love them, we are them. So whether you’re the jet-setting wine aunt (me, aspiringly) or the family matriarch, this one’s for you.
— Joy Y. Wang, senior editorial director
In Case You Missed It
- WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league is working to capitalize on the rising interest in the women’s game, but also recognizes the outrage over the pay dispartiy with the NBA.
- Thomas Jefferson University is apologizing after the names of some graduates of the nursing program were unrecognizably pronounced at their commencement, as seen in videos from the ceremony that have since gone viral.
- Switzerland’s Nemo won Eurovision, becoming the first nonbinary winner in the song contest’s history.
- A missing person’s case from 1968 has finally been put to rest after authorities were able to identify remains that were discovered nearly 40 years ago.
- A mysterious ailment causing fish in the Florida Keys to spin in circles and die has touched off a race to find the cause and save the endangered sawfish.
- Some people will still be able to get a glimpse of the Auroras in some areas of the U.S. into Tuesday.
Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Though it may be satisfying to pop and pick at blackheads, experts say this only makes the problem worse. But these blackhead treatments will help get the job done.
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