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| Donald Trump leaving court yesterday in Manhattan. Pool photo by Victor J. Blue |
Opening statements in Trump’s Manhattan trial
The first criminal trial of a former U.S. president began yesterday, with lawyers from each side presenting divergent visions of Donald Trump in their opening statements.
Prosecutors delivered a raw recounting of Trump’s seamy past, portraying him as a co-conspirator in a plot to cover up three sex scandals that threatened his 2016 election win and claiming that Trump lied “over and over and over” again to protect his candidacy.
Trump’s lawyers called the case a “business records violation” that wasn’t, arguing that the 34 felony counts Trump faces amounted to “just 34 pieces of paper.” They sought to undermine the credibility of the prosecution’s key witnesses, like Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer.
The day also included brief testimony from David Pecker, who ran The National Enquirer and whom prosecutors say bought and buried stories that could have imperiled Trump’s 2016 campaign. The proceedings ended early to accommodate the Passover holiday and a juror’s emergency dental appointment.
Here are five takeaways.
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| Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the most senior official to step down since the Oct. 7 assault. Dan Balilty for The New York Times |
An Israeli intelligence leader resigned
Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, Israel’s director of military intelligence, resigned over the intelligence failures that preceded the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. He is the most senior official to offer to step down after the assault.
General Haliva had become a symbol of the Israeli establishment’s failure to prevent the deadliest attack in the country’s history. His resignation was expected to heighten pressure on other senior figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to take greater responsibility for their roles in the catastrophe.
More Israel news:
| Investigation: Israel offered no evidence to support its claims that many U.N. workers were part of terrorist organizations, an independent review found.Retaliation: Israeli officials said that Israel abandoned plans for a much more extensive strike on Iran after diplomatic pressure from allies.Objectives: Israel has failed to achieve its two primary goals of the war, while the suffering of Palestinians has eroded support even among its allies. |
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| Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain speaking about his flagship Rwanda migration policy. Pool photo by Jason Alden |
U.K. approved Rwanda deportation bill
Britain’s Conservative government finally won passage of its Rwanda deportation bill, enshrining a law that human-rights campaigners say is inhumane, immigration experts say is unworkable and legal critics say has corroded the country’s reputation for rule of law.
The legislation is designed to allow the government to put some asylum seekers on one-way flights to Rwanda, where they would have their claims processed. If they were then granted refugee status, they would be resettled in Rwanda, not Britain. But any deportation attempts are likely to encounter further legal challenges, making it unlikely that large numbers of asylum seekers will ever be sent to Rwanda.Continue reading the main story
| MORE TOP NEWS |
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| Andres Kudacki for The New York Times |
| U.S.: In the past few days, the police have arrested scores of students who were participating in pro-Palestinian protests at Yale, Columbia and New York University.Ukraine: The Times used publicly available satellite imagery to show some of Ukraine’s extensive fortifications to slow Russia’s advance.India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Muslims “infiltrators” who would take India’s wealth if his opponents gained power.Heat: Unusually high temperatures in South and Southeast Asia have prompted schools to close, disrupted agriculture and raised the risk of heat stroke.Biden’s comments: Papua New Guinea’s prime minister rejected President Biden’s suggestion that his uncle, a World War II serviceman whose plane went down off the island country’s coast, had been eaten by cannibals. |
| Ecuador: Voters gave the president more powers to combat drug-related gang violence.Espionage case: Three Germans were arrested on suspicion of passing secrets to China.Bird flu: The H5N1 virus has killed many marine mammals and rapidly infiltrated an astonishing array of animals, including squirrels, skunks, bottlenose dolphins and U.S. livestock.A.I.: A new flood of child sexual abuse material created by artificial intelligence could overwhelm the national organization that combats child abuse.Soccer: FIFA is close to an agreement with Apple that would give the tech company worldwide television rights for a major new soccer tournament.TikTok: E.U. regulators threatened to fine the app over potentially addictive features. |
Zoom In
| Biden: The passage of a $95 billion foreign aid package gives the president momentum at a time when U.S. leadership has been questioned on the world stage.War: The world spent $2.4 trillion on military costs and weapons in 2023, the highest level ever recorded, according to a new study. |
| MORNING READ |
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| Charlotte de la Fuente for The New York Times |
The scramble for weight loss drugs made by the pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has created a windfall for the Danish town of Kalundborg.
That’s where Novo Nordisk makes most of its semaglutide, the active ingredient for the diabetes and weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. The company plans to spend about $8.6 billion, the largest manufacturing investment in Denmark by a company, to expand operations in Kalundborg, a town of fewer than 17,000 people.
| SPORTS NEWS |
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| Juanjo Martin/EPA, via Shutterstock |
Real Madrid 3, Barcelona 2: The major points from a dramatic el Clásico.
Chinese Grand Prix: The key takeaways as Formula 1 returned to the Shanghai International Circuit.
Five straight wins for golfer: Nelly Korda secured her second major title at the Chevron Championship.
| ARTS AND IDEAS |
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| Illustration by Maria Chimishkyan |
Is online shopping bad for the planet?
A rotating cast of New York Times climate reporters is answering readers’ climate questions. The first topic: the impact of online shopping.
The truth is less straightforward than you might think. Despite waste from excess packaging and emissions from deliveries, online shopping can sometimes be a good ecological choice. Buying in bulk and bundling orders can make deliveries more efficient.
But if you’re really concerned, there’s one foolproof thing you can do for the planet, and for your bank account: Buy less stuff.
| RECOMMENDATIONS |
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| Julia Gartland for The New York Times |
Cook: Gochujang spices up this shrimp pasta.
