Wednesday Briefing: Michael Cohen faced Trump’s lawyers

May 15, 2024

	By Amelia Nierenberg

Good morning. We’re covering Michael Cohen’s second day of testimony at Donald Trump’s trial and new U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.

Plus, how New York City is rethinking its streets and sidewalks.

Michael Cohen, center, on his way to court yesterday. Timothy A. Clary/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Michael Cohen faced Trump’s lawyers

The testimony from Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former fixer, is a linchpin in the Manhattan case against the former president. Here’s the latest.

Yesterday, Cohen returned to the stand. Lawyers for the Manhattan district attorney’s office have told the judge that he will be their last witness. On the stand, Cohen described to jurors a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels as an effort to influence the 2016 election “on behalf of Mr. Trump.”

After that, he faced Trump’s legal team. In a barrage of questions, they sought to portray Cohen as an opportunist. Trump’s lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, pressed Cohen about his social media posts, his efforts to monetize his connection to the former president, his own criminal history and his desire to see Trump behind bars.

“Do you want President Trump to get convicted in this case?” Blanche asked.

“Sure,” Cohen replied.

Blanche emphasized Cohen’s television appearances and insult-slinging online — all of which he did in defiance of the prosecution’s wishes and at Trump’s expense. He also noted that Cohen maintains a financial interest in attacking Trump, arguing that he cashed in on their feud with a podcast and books.

Analysis: The defense seemed to be trying to portray Cohen as “essentially, Trump’s stalker,” my colleague Maggie Haberman wrote — a man once obsessed with the former president who was now equally obsessed with getting revenge.

What’s next: Trump’s lawyers indicated that they could call an expert witness and that they had not decided if they would call Trump himself.

Antony Blinken speaking in Ukraine yesterday. Sergei Supinsky/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Blinken visited Kyiv; Putin to visit China

Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, made a surprise visit to Kyiv yesterday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and reaffirm U.S. support for the country.

Blinken’s trip comes at a challenging time in the war effort for Kyiv, and Russia’s recent military gains in northeastern Ukraine hung over his visit. The Biden administration had warned for months that Congress’s delay in approving the recent $60.8 billion aid package would leave the Ukrainians vulnerable.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia is expected to go to China later this week to visit Xi Jinping, China’s leader. The visit will test their “no limits” partnership, which the two autocrats declared more than two years ago to push back against U.S. interference.

But Xi is on a shrinking tightrope: International pressure is mounting for him to curtail Chinese support for Russia and its war. As for Putin, he might be trying to evaluate Xi’s appetite for risk as he tries to deter Western nations from more actively supporting Ukraine.

Other updates:

Russia: Security agents detained a senior general on corruption accusations, widening a purge of the sprawling defense ministry.
Ukraine: My colleagues wrote about a town where Russia breached the front.

At a large shipping yard, thousands of vehicles are stacked in groups. Red cranes are in the background.

Electric cars at a port in Suzhou, China. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

U.S. announces new Chinese tariffs

President Biden will sharply raise tariffs on about $18 billion worth of Chinese products. The biggest increase will be on electric vehicles: up to 100 percent from 25 percent.

The move is an effort to protect strategic U.S. industries from competitors that Biden says are unfairly subsidized by Beijing. In a shift, he also endorsed keeping the tariffs on more than $300 billion worth of Chinese goods that were put in place by Trump. During his 2020 campaign, Biden criticized Trump’s trade war. In office, he has escalated it. But where Trump promised to bring back factory jobs, Biden has focused instead on emerging high-tech industries.

China: Heavy manufacturing subsidies — coupled with weak domestic sales — are how China came to dominate the global market in solar panels and electric cars.

MORE TOP NEWS

A woman wearing a green jacket, a Georgian flag wrapped around her as a cape, as smaller Georgian flag to cover her mouth and a pair of goggles. A crowd of protesters is behind her.

The bill has prompted a series of tense protests in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi. Giorgi Arjevanidze/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Georgia: Parliament gave its final approval to a bill that critics fear could push the country back into the Kremlin’s orbit.
France: A vast manhunt is underway for armed assailants who ambushed a prison convoy, killing at least two prison guards and freeing an inmate.
Climate: Last summer was the hottest in the Northern Hemisphere in 2,000 years, a study found.
New Caledonia: The French territory in the South Pacific put a curfew in place after a proposed constitutional change led to violent protests. See a video here.
Gaza: The U.N. said that a staff member was killed when one of its convoys came under fire in Rafah.
Britain: The government summoned the Chinese ambassador a day after police charged three men with assisting Hong Kong’s intelligence service.
India: The death toll in the Mumbai billboard collapse has risen to at least 14. Strong winds toppled the sign, which officials said had been put up without permission.
U.S.: The Biden administration ordered a company with Chinese origins to sell and close a cryptocurrency mine near a nuclear missile base in Wyoming.

Culture

Roman Polanski: A French court ruled that he did not defame an actress who had accused him of raping her when he called her a liar in an interview in 2019.
Iran: The director Mohammad Rasoulof fled the country after a court sentenced him to eight years in prison for his movies.

MORNING READ

A man wearing a dark three-piece suit and a pale tie walking down a grand staircase lined in paintings while carrying a tray of drinks in one hand.

These days, said the butler Graeme Currie, being a butler requires “sparkle, darling, sparkle.” Billy Barraclough for The New York Times

Britain’s butlers are changing. These days, buttling (yes, that’s a verb) is less polishing silver and more concierge-style lifestyle management — akin to a private maitre d’.

And while aristocrats wanted them to act like furniture, new-money entrepreneurs see them more like a flashy accessory.

Lives lived:

Netiporn Sanesangkhom: A prominent Thai pro-democracy activist, she died of cardiac arrest after a monthslong hunger strike in prison. She was 28.

Alice Munro: The Canadian writer and Nobel laureate, who was widely considered a master of the short story, has died. She was 92.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A fluffy white dog looks huge in the foreground of a photo. Behind the dog there is another one just like him being groomed by a woman.

Practicality is not one of the traits the judges are looking for at Westminster. Amir Hamja/The New York Times

Good dogs: See behind-the-scenes photos from this year’s Westminster dog show. The top prize will be awarded a few hours after we send this briefing.
Tomato wars: When tomatoes came to Europe 500 years ago, some thought they were dangerous. Now, this “evil” food defines Italian cuisine.
Looks past: A U.S. company that specializes in 18th-century re-enactment clothing has thrived after period fashions blossomed during the pandemic.

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

ARTS & IDEAS

An animated .gif shows an overcrowded New York City street complete with comic-book-style sound effects.

Leon Edler for The New York Times

The fight over New York City’s streets

New York City’s streets have always bustled, but lately, they’re almost dangerously unlivable.

Residents clash over traffic, parking and heaps of trash. Cars and taxis vie for space as buses swerve to avoid trucks parked in bike lanes. E-bikes are everywhere. Far fewer pedestrians get killed by motorists these days, but last year was the deadliest for cyclists since 1999.

“All of this stuff is trying to fit into a grid that was designed in 1811,” my colleague Dodai Stewart explains in a video. Relief may be on the way: The city is about to enact the first congestion pricing plan in the U.S., which would charge most drivers $15 to enter much of Manhattan below 60th Street.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A cast-iron skillet holds creamy spicy tomato beans and greens. Toasted slices of bread are on a small dish nearby.

Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.

Cook: These humble beans can become a spicy, spectacular meal.

Read: “The Light Eaters” looks at how plants see the world.

Listen: This little audio tour will introduce you to the power and beauty of Africa’s guitar giants.

Pare: Should you get rid of clothes after a divorce?

Beautify: We tested more than 30 mascaras. These are the best ones.

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

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

Email us at briefing@nytimes.com.

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