A New York prosecutor today launches state lawsuit against Donald Trump The Manhattan jury will be asked to reach a verdict in about six weeks. In a 45-minute opening statement, the prosecutor detailed a scandalous story in which he accused the former president of participating in a “criminal conspiracy” to cover up three sex scandals that threatened threatened Trump’s 2016 election campaign.
“It was election fraud,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said.
Trump watched from the defense table, occasionally shaking his head. His lead attorney, Todd Blanche, offered a dual defense: He downplayed the charges as a minor “business records violation” and questioned the credibility of prosecution witnesses. , including Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.
Before the trial adjourned early for Passover, the jury also heard from the prosecution’s first witness, David Pecker, a former tabloid publisher who is close to Trump. Pecker testified that his tabloids practiced “checkbook journalism.”
Prosecutors said Pecker bought and buried stories that could endanger Trump’s campaign. They will try to convince the jury that the hush money payment to a porn actress at the center of the trial was part of a larger effort to suppress negative press, including two other settlements involving regarding Pecker.
The judges appeared to side with the city on penalties for homeless people
During more than two and a half hours of arguments today, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared inclined to support local legislation allowing a small city in Oregon Ban homeless people from sleeping in public places. Three liberal justices pushed back forcefully.
The case stems from homeless residents of Grants Pass who challenged enforcement by arguing that they were involuntarily homeless because there were no shelter beds available. That argument seems to resonate with liberal justices — “Where should they sleep?” Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked — while conservatives appeared prepared to leave the issue to local lawmakers.
In related news, The Supreme Court today agreed to hear the challenge to the Biden administration regulations on “ghost guns”.
Pro-Palestinian protests disrupt university campuses
At Columbia University, classes are held remotely today following pro-Palestinian protests on and around campus causing some Jewish students to fear for their safety. At Yale, the police arrested at least 47 protesters who defied orders to leave the camp. At NYU, students refused the university’s request to leave the campus square.
Protests were reported at MIT, Michigan, Tufts and other campuses. Harvard leaders planned to close Harvard Yard for most of the week. Administrators at some schools have tried to defuse the protests, while balancing free speech and the fears of many Jewish students, who said some protests have turned anti-Semitism. This is the latest information.
In news from the conflict, head of Israeli military intelligence resign todayfollowing intelligence failures before the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7.
Biden uses Earth Day to attract young voters
President Biden today visited a national park in Virginia, where he announced $7 billion in grants to finance solar energy for hundreds of thousands of homes, primarily in disadvantaged communities.
The event was designed in part to build enthusiasm among young people, a key group of voters in Biden’s re-election bid. A recent poll found that about 58% of voters have heard “little” or “nothing at all” about his signature climate bill, the Disinflation Reduction Act, due to pass in 2022.
Ask a climate reporter: In a new series, we answer your climate questions. First up: Is online shopping bad for the planet?
Putin comes to Broadway
Peter Morgan, who created “The Crown,” spent years pulling back the curtain on the British royal family and writing about polite, repressed women like Princess Diana. His new Broadway play, “Patriots,” which opens today, immerses itself in a very masculine, very violent setting: the rise to power of Vladimir Putin and misguided Russian oligarchs. he is their puppet.
“It was the natural thing to do, after spending so much time in this world to go to another world just to relax a little,” Morgan told Maureen DowdTimes Opinion columnist.
How to dress when you do not want to babysit
A reader in his 30s recently wrote in asking what he should wear to look more mature. Her problem: Some people mistakenly think she’s in her 20s, which can demoralize her at work.
Our fashion critic Vanessa Friedman Please focus on the details. Make it a priority to wear wrinkle-free clothes, sweaters without loose seams, tucked-in shirts, and perhaps most importantly, a well-fitting jacket. “The more respect you show for yourself, the more others will be able to respect you,” Vanessa writes.
Elizabeth II gets a statue (corgi included)
Eighteen months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain is starting to commemorate its former monarch with the unveiling of a number of statues. The first memorial statue, a 7-foot-tall bronze work of the queen in a flowing gown with three corgis at his feetwas launched yesterday in the town of Oakham in England.
The Oakham statue is one of many that depict Queen Elizabeth as warm and approachable – a notable contrast to the stern statues of Queen Victoria.
Wishing you a regal evening.
Thanks for reading. I will come back tomorrow. — Matthew
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