Tuesday Briefing: Michael Cohen on the stand

Plus, the Cannes Film Festival.

View in browser|nytimes.com May 14, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering Michael Cohen's testimony and a fraught Memorial Day in Israel. Plus: An Italian love affair with tomatoes. Michael Cohen spoke about doing Donald Trump's dirty work for a decade. Mike Segar/Reuters 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 in New York, adding, "I was doing everything and more to protect my boss." Here's the latest. Cohen's testimony is a key to prosecutors' 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: that Trump was, as his lawyers argue, oblivious to his fixer's machinations, and that the former president was a family man deeply worried about how Daniels's accusations would harm his marriage. Cohen described Trump as a micromanager, who was focused above all else on his campaign. Mourning in Ashdod, Israel, on Monday. Nir Elias/Reuters Protesters disrupted Israeli Memorial Day events Israelis gathered across the country yesterday for the first national day of mourning for victims of war or terrorist attacks since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assault. Protesters disrupted several ceremonies and heckled Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, as they demanded that government officials do more to secure the release of hostages. The protests underscored the strength of the anguish over the war in the Gaza Strip, the fate of hostages taken on Oct. 7 and domestic politics. Hostages: About 240 people were abducted by Hamas in the attacks, and the Israeli government has so far secured the release of more than 100. In Gaza: Israeli airstrikes yesterday shook the northern and southern ends of the territory, with the military saying it had struck more than 120 targets over the past 24 hours. Ground troops also engaged Hamas fighters in several locations, the Israeli military said. Amid the fighting, tens of thousands of civilians fled, seeking safety. Hamas: A top leader for years oversaw a secret police force in Gaza that spied on young people, journalists and those who questioned the government, according to information reviewed by The New York Times. Destroyed apartment buildings in Ocheretyne, Ukraine, last month. Anatolii Stepanov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Ukraine's air defenses are under strain Ukrainian air defenses used to intercept most Russian missiles, but in recent months, more and more have made it through, crippling Ukraine's ability to protect major infrastructure and plunging cities into darkness. A Times analysis of daily Ukrainian military reports shows a major shift. Kyiv reported intercepting more than 80 percent of the missiles last May. That rate has now dropped to less than half, as Ukraine calls for more supplies and Russia fires larger barrages that overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and faster missiles that are harder to shoot down. ADVERTISEMENT MORE TOP NEWS U.S. election: Donald Trump leads President Biden in five crucial battleground states, new polls showed. Read our analysis of the Biden campaign. 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. Indonesia: Heavy rain triggered flash flooding and a mudslide of volcanic rock and ash that killed at least 37 people on Sumatra. California: Dozens of cases are under review after notes from jury selection in a 1990s murder case indicated that prosecutors worked to exclude Jews. Philanthropy: Melinda French Gates said she would resign from the Gates Foundation. Energy: U.S. regulators approved sweeping changes to how America's electric grids are planned and funded, a move that could make it easier to add wind and solar power. Europe Britain: Three men have been charged with assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service, the police said. Finland: A right-wing lawmaker has been kicked out of his party after he fired a gun outside a bar at 4 a.m. Health: A pediatrician who led a British review of youth gender treatments said that U.S. doctors were too encouraging of the treatments — based on a fear of upsetting political progressives. MORNING READ Photograph by Anthony Cotsifas. Set design by Victoria Petro-Conroy When tomatoes arrived in Europe 500 years ago, many considered them dangerous. Now, a fruit once thought of as "evil" defines Italy's cuisine. CONVERSATION STARTERS Traveling in style: Some 2,500 top-ranked dogs are competing in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Getting there requires extensive organizing — and treats. Wearing your memories: Should a reader get rid of her clothes after a divorce? Our fashion critic weighs in. 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. ADVERTISEMENT SPORTS NEWS Stu Forster/Getty Images Arsenal 1, Manchester United 0: The title race is still alive. St Pauli: Bundesliga promotion and leftist principles combine. Wells Fargo Championship: Does Rory McIlroy's win make him a favorite for the P.G.A. Championship? ARTS AND IDEAS Warner Bros., 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. (For more, read our interview with Taylor-Joy.) Real-world controversies may bleed into the glitzy festival. The festival's workers may strike, frustrated by their contracts. And the French film industry is reckoning with #MeToo, with more accusations rumored to be coming during the festival. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Christopher Testani for The New York Times Cook: Pan-seared asparagus with cashews and an egg is a hearty vegetarian dish. Watch: Two older men in France explore sex and desire in the enigmatic drama "A Prince." Read: "The Light Eaters" looks at how plants see the world and the agency they have in their own lives. Process: Changing your hair, getting divorced, taking spa vacations — everything is a "journey" now. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha P.S. "The Retrievals," a podcast from Serial Productions and The Times about deceit at a Yale fertility clinic, won a Peabody Award. Reach Natasha and the team 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: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe 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 TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018