Tuesday Briefing: The prosecution’s star witness at the Trump trial

May 14, 2024

	By Amelia Nierenberg

Good morning. We’re covering Michael Cohen’s testimony in Donald Trump’s criminal trial and Vladimir Putin’s defense shake-up.

Plus, what to watch at Cannes.

Michael Cohen, wearing a suit and a pink tie, stares straight into the camera.

Michael Cohen said that working for Donald Trump was the fulfillment of a youthful dream. Julia Nikhinson/Associated Press

Michael Cohen on the stand

Michael Cohen — the do-anything fixer who once boasted about burying Donald Trump’s secrets and spreading his lies — testified yesterday at Trump’s criminal trial. In a crucial passage, he said that the hush-money payment that he made to Stormy Daniels came at Trump’s direction.

“He expressed to me, ‘Just do it,’” Cohen said on the stand, adding, “I was doing everything and more to protect my boss.”

Here’s the latest.

Cohen’s testimony is key to efforts to tie Trump to allegations of a conspiracy to safeguard his presidential campaign in 2016 by burying Daniels’s account of a 2006 sexual encounter. Cohen admitted to lying and bullying for Trump, buying and suppressing negative stories while acting the part of a “thug.”

Cohen, who still faces cross-examination from the defense, also ground down some key assertions.

Trump’s lawyers argue that Trump was oblivious to his fixer’s machinations; Cohen described his boss as a micromanager. Trump’s team has also tried to paint its client as a family man deeply worried about how Daniels’s accusations would harm his marriage. Cohen described Trump as callous, saying that it “was all about the campaign.”

a man with white hair in a suit and red tie. he seems to be speaking -- he is smiling, and his hands are outspread.

Andrei Belousov, a methodical bureaucrat, will oversee Russia’s war effort. Pool photo by Vyacheslav Prokofyev

A new Russian defense minister for a long war

President Vladimir Putin’s surprise pick to lead Russia’s sprawling defense ministry made his first public appearance in his new role yesterday and spoke more about bureaucracy rather than the battlefield in Ukraine.

The appointment of Andrei Belousov, a soft-spoken expert on economic policy, signaled that Putin is focusing on subordinating Russia’s economy to its military needs in order to sustain a war of attrition with Ukraine.

In his remarks, Belousov did not reference the situation at the front, where Russian forces are mounting a new offensive in the northeast. He described his priorities as improving standards of care and living for soldiers, veterans and their families.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable” that soldiers are redirected to overcrowded hospitals when on leave, Belousov said. “This issue needs to be resolved.”

On the battlefield: A top Ukrainian general said its military was confronting a “critical” situation in the northeast as it tries to repel the Russian offensive. Ukraine is increasingly failing to stop Russian missiles as it awaits more weapons to bolster its air defenses.

Yahya Sinwar, holding the Torah book, speaks while standing in front of a lectern in Gaza City. A tower and part of a golden dome are visible behind him.

Israeli intelligence agencies think that Yahya Sinwar directly oversaw the unit. Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times

How Hamas spied on Palestinians

The Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has for years overseen a secret police force in Gaza that conducted surveillance and built files on young people, journalists and those who questioned the government, according to intelligence officials and internal documents reviewed by The Times.

The unit relied on informants in Gaza, some of whom reported their neighbors to the police.

In Israel: Protesters disrupted Memorial Day, a sign of wartime divisions.

MORE TOP NEWS

A graphic showing the results of a poll of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia and Nevada -- people were asked who they would vote for if the elections were held tomorrow. The results skew for Trump in every state but Wisconsin.

U.S. election: Donald Trump leads President Biden in five crucial battleground states, a new set of polls showed.

India: Storms killed at least eight people in Mumbai.
Covid: Zhang Zhan, who was imprisoned in China for documenting the early days of the pandemic, was expected to be released yesterday after a four-year sentence.
Philanthropy: Melinda French Gates said that she would resign from the Gates Foundation.
Britain: Three men have been charged with assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service, the police said.
Kashmir: Pakistan’s prime minister called an emergency meeting to deal with growing protests in the Pakistan-controlled part of the region, which have been driven by anger over high electricity bills and flour prices.
Indonesia: Heavy rain triggered flash flooding and a mudslide of volcanic rock and ash that killed at least 37 people on Sumatra.
Spain: The governing Socialists won elections in Catalonia, which could lead to the first anti-independence government there in over a decade.
China: The government is increasing fares on its high-speed train network, part of a broader push to stem losses at subsidized public services.

MORNING READ

An illustration of the McDonald’s Golden Arches sign rendered to look like an infinity symbol.

Ben Wiseman

“Super Size Me,” a documentary released 20 years ago, led to a backlash against McDonald’s, a symbol of the hegemony of American capitalism. But it didn’t stick.

Not only is McDonald’s now bigger than ever, with nearly 42,000 global locations, but fast food in general has boomed.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A woman tends to a man lying on his back during a psilocybin mushroom ceremony.

A psychedelic retreat in Texas. Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

Spiritual drugs: Some organizations that describe themselves as churches in the U.S. are offering psychedelics to their followers.

Curtain up, lights out: About 130 children had a sleepover at Rome’s opera house, as part of a campaign to make theater more accessible.
Traveling in style: Some 2,500 top-ranked dogs are in New York City to compete in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Getting there requires organizing, and treats.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

A scene from “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” shows a light across the face of Anya Taylor-Joy as she looks back while at the wheel of a vehicle. In the distance, a tank truck with people standing on top of the cistern and black smoke from flames can be seen.

Anya Taylor-Joy in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” Warner Bros. Pictures, via Associated Press

What to look for at Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival begins today in the south of France. Kyle Buchanan, a Times culture reporter, wrote about the movies, artists and events we’ll be keeping an eye on.

Some 45 years after “Apocalypse Now” won the Palme d’Or, Francis Ford Coppola is back with “Megalopolis,” starring Adam Driver as a visionary architect determined to rebuild a city after a disaster. It’s hard to imagine a friendlier place for the film’s debut than Cannes, where Coppola is revered.

But the biggest movie premiere will be “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” Expect a major red-carpet moment from Anya Taylor-Joy, who takes over the title character originated by Charlize Theron.

Real-world controversies may bleed into the glitzy festival. The festival’s workers might strike, frustrated by their contracts. And the French film industry is reckoning with #MeToo, with more accusations rumored to come during the festival.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A shallow white bowl holds white rice topped with pan-seared asparagus with cashews, a runny-yolked egg and a lime wedge.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Cook: This pan-seared asparagus with cashews and an egg makes for a hearty vegetarian dish.

Read: “All Fours,” Miranda July’s new novel, riffs on middle age, anxiety and adultery.

Watch: Two older men in France explore sex and desire in the enigmatic drama “A Prince.”

Purge: Here are tips for clearing out photos you don’t like from your phone’s camera roll.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

P.S. “The Retrievals,” a podcast from Serial Productions and The Times about deceit at a Yale fertility clinic, won a Peabody Award.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Amelia

You can reach us at briefing@nytimes.com.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition from The New York Times.

To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request.

Subscribe to The Times Get The New York Times app

Connect with us on: