The Evening: A bruising day for Michael Cohen

Also, the return of 'Bridgerton'

View in browser|nytimes.com May 16, 2024 By Whet Moser Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. A grilling for Michael Cohen NATO's plan for Ukraine Plus, eye-catching Native American looks Michael Cohen is expected to be the prosecution's final witness. Andres Kudacki/Associated Press Trump's lawyer assailed Michael Cohen's credibility During hours of bruising testimony in the Manhattan criminal trial of Donald Trump, his defense lawyer hounded Michael Cohen about his history of lying, criminal record and testimony that the defense called bogus. The lawyer, Todd Blanche, sought to cast Trump's former fixer as an unrepentant fabricator who had lied under oath to exact revenge. In one moment of drama, Blanche suggested that Cohen had made up part of his testimony, expressing disbelief that Cohen could accurately recall years-old phone calls. Blanche pressed Cohen to say that one call with Trump's bodyguard — an exchange that Cohen had testified was about the hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels — was really about Cohen getting harassed by a teenage prankster. Directly accusing Cohen of lying, Blanche said, "You can admit it." "No sir, I can't," Cohen responded. He said that he could remember the calls because he had been talking about them for the past six years. Blanche also painted Cohen as upset over missing out on a job in the White House and asked him about conversations in which he had indicated a desire to be chief of staff. "That was for my ego, yes," Cohen admitted but reiterated that he had wanted to be Trump's personal attorney. Blanche played a portion of Cohen's podcast in which Cohen had said that "revenge is a dish best served cold" and had concluded that he wanted Trump "to go down and rot inside for what he did to me and my family." Despite the pressure, Cohen maintained his composure on the stand. Cohen's testimony will continue on Monday. He is expected to be the prosecution's final witness. The judge, Juan Merchan, indicated that summations could begin on Tuesday. The case may go to the jury by Memorial Day weekend. Here are five takeaways from today. Military vehicles, part of a NATO exercise, traveling from Germany to Poland. Laetitia Vancon for The New York Times NATO considers sending trainers into Ukraine NATO allies are inching closer to sending troops into Ukraine to train the country's armed forces, a move that would blur a previous red line. Ukrainian officials have asked for help training 150,000 new recruits closer to the front lines, for faster deployment. The U.S. has said no, but the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today that a NATO deployment of trainers appeared to be inevitable. Under the alliance's treaty, the U.S. would be obliged to aid in the defense of the trainers if they were attacked, potentially dragging America into the war. A new camp for displaced Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip. Mohammed Saber/EPA, via Shutterstock Israel said it would send more troops to Rafah Despite international concerns about Israel's ground invasion of Rafah, Yoav Gallant, the country's defense minister, said today that the army would add more troops to the push. The announcement was a signal that Israel intends to press deeper into Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city. Two Israeli officials said that a key objective of the operation was to demolish the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, which have allowed Hamas to replenish its weapons supply. Satellite images show that Israeli troops have gotten closer to the city's center, as well as widespread damage. Aid: The U.S. military anchored a temporary pier on Gaza's coast today. The Pentagon hopes the operation will eventually bring in enough aid to fill 150 trucks a day. The escalating mpox epidemic in Congo poses a global threat, experts said.  Arlette Bashizi/Reuters The C.D.C. warned of a deadlier mpox U.S. officials are bracing for a return of mpox, the infectious disease formerly called monkeypox that struck tens of thousands of gay and bisexual men worldwide in 2022. A deadlier version of mpox is ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a mortality rate of roughly 5 percent, compared with a rate of less than 0.2 percent for the version that spread two years ago. No cases of the subtype have been found outside Africa, but the C.D.C. is encouraging Americans at highest risk to get vaccinated. More top news Supreme Court: The justices rejected a conservative challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded, by a 7-2 vote. Texas: Gov. Greg Abbott pardoned a man who was convicted of fatally shooting a protester during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in the summer of 2020. White House: President Biden denied Republican lawmakers access to recordings of his interview with a special counsel over his handling of documents. Slovakia: Authorities said the suspect in the shooting of the prime minister was a recently radicalized "lone wolf." China: Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing today for a show of unity with the country's leader, Xi Jinping. Serbia: The government approved a contract with Jared Kushner to build a luxury hotel, drawing criticism from opposition leaders. Congo: The White House loosened sanctions on a mining executive in order to increase U.S. access to a mineral for electric vehicles. Some officials are opposed. Business: Walmart opened the year with strong sales, driven by higher-income shoppers. Detroit: The city's population grew for the first time in decades, one of several moderate post-pandemic rebounds for big cities in the Midwest and Northeast. Health: Scientists calculated the number of calories needed to carry a baby for nine months. It's a lot. TIME TO UNWIND The designer Peshawn Bread made her runway debut at Native Fashion Week.  Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times Showcasing Native American styles This month, Indigenous designers, models and artisans from across North America came to Santa Fe, N.M., for Native Fashion Week. The runway looks — and street style — included patchwork coats and patterned skirts. Chanting and traditional dance were part of the runway shows. Accessories were the key to many looks: turquoise-embellished hats and belts, beaded necklaces and clamshell earrings. See photos of all the eye-catching looks. Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) and Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington) in the new season of "Bridgerton." Liam Daniel/Netflix 'Bridgerton' is back Shonda Rhimes's period costume drama "Bridgerton," which follows eight siblings as they reckon with relationships in early-19th-century London, returns today for its third season on Netflix. Luke Newton, who plays Colin Bridgerton, has stepped up as co-lead, or chief hunk. Nicola Coughlan was also promoted from supporting player to lead. That means her character, Penelope, the youngest daughter of Lady Portia Featherington, got what fans of the show call the "Bridgerton glow-up." Dinner table topics Get mad: Natural disasters made "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" an arduous production, but the film is exhilarating. Read this: Words by the text-based artist Jenny Holzer have taken over the Guggenheim in a career-spanning exhibition. Deeply ingrained: Manoomin, a wild rice of the Upper Midwest, is harvested by canoe. Take care: Tending to aging family members is fraught, so caregivers have to look after themselves as well. ADVERTISEMENT WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Cook: Replace lamb with cauliflower for a vegetarian shawarma. Listen: "Lives Outgrown," the new solo album from Beth Gibbons of Portishead, is a critic's pick. Read: Three new business books tackle greed in corporations, startups and lobbying. Watch: Hong Sang-soo's "In Our Day" is a tender film about simple pleasures. Show: The weather's getting warmer. Here's how to make your own outdoor movie theater. Drink: Ukrainian wines are finding a global audience. Hunt: With $400,000, which house would you buy in the Hudson Valley? Maintain: Phones used to have a short shelf life, but you can now keep them running for up to seven years. Play: Today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. For more, find all our games here. ADVERTISEMENT ONE LAST THING A chocolate, hazelnut and praline cake by Sophia Stolz. Daniel Archer Some piercings with your cake? Sophia Stolz started baking at age 15 as a form of therapy, after being bullied in school. Now 29, she bakes cakes that are "a bit rough," with icing that's often black, or blood red. Her razor-sharp piping brings to mind daggers, or horns. Her style has attracted brands including Bulgari, Hermès and Miu Miu. And she's not the only baker embracing the dark side. Have an unconventional evening. Thanks for reading. Matthew Cullen will be back tomorrow. — Whet Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at evening@nytimes.com. And follow The New York Times on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and TikTok at @nytimes. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editorial Director: Adam Pasick Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Photo Editor: Brent Lewis Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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