Michael Cohen's lengthy cross-examination is having a major effect on Donald Trump's hush-money trial, legal analysts have said. David Ring, a partner in the Taylor & Ring law firm in Los Angeles, told Newsweek that the jury's attitude to Trump will largely determine how they view Cohen's many personal failings. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024, is the first former president in U.S. history to stand trial in a criminal case. He has pleaded not guilty to...

Donald Trump finally had a good day in court. The presumptive GOP nominee has often seemed embarrassed and infuriated by his first criminal trial, which has featured salacious exposés of his personal life and details of his alleged attempts to cover it up. But on Thursday, he got to savor his former fixer-turned-enemy Michael Cohen wobbling on the stand under a fearsome cross-examination. Cohen appeared to be tripped up over an account of a call he’d previously said under oath was to...

A 2016 surveillance video obtained exclusively by CNN shows Sean “Diddy” Combs grab, shove, drag and kick his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura during an altercation that matches allegations in a now-settled federal lawsuit filed by Ventura in November. The footage, compiled from multiple camera angles dated March 5, 2016, appears to show the rapper, producer and business mogul during an incident that, according to Ventura’s complaint, occurred at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in...

Houston's mayor said at least four people died in a severe windstorm that caused widespread damage Thursday, as the National Weather Service warned of "dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding" in eastern Texas and western Louisiana. The big picture: The NWS' Storm Prediction Center had warned of possible tornadoes and issued a high risk (Level 4 of 4) of excessive rainfall for portions of western Louisiana and eastern Texas as widespread thunderstorms struck the already-saturated...

In her new book “Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches From the Wrong Side of History,” Nellie Bowles, a former New York Times journalist grown disillusioned with both the mainstream media and the left, writes about the year 2020, when the combustible confluence of the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd and the prospect of Donald Trump’s re-election made politics and culture go “berserk.” She describes a liberal intelligentsia “wild with rage and optimism,” brimming with “fresh ideas from...

An Israeli activist group that has been attacking aid shipments bound for the Gaza Strip was removed from a leading fundraising platform after Newsweek inquiries. The Tzav 9 group's JGive fundraiser had raised more than $87,000 garnered from more than 1,480 donors, as of Thursday. The campaign page declared the group's intention to "stop the supply convoys from reaching Hamas," along with the Tzav 9 logo and its refrain of: "Victory depends on you!" The group has vowed to block all aid...

Some of Donald Trump's allies are assembling proposals to curtail the Justice Department's independence and turn the nation's top law enforcement body into an attack dog for conservative causes, nine people involved in the effort told Reuters. If successful, the overhaul could represent one of the most consequential actions of a second Trump presidency given the Justice Department's role in protecting democratic institutions and upholding the rule of law. It would also mark a dramatic...

The State Department has issued a worldwide travel advisory urging U.S. citizens overseas to stay alert at upcoming Pride celebrations due to the potential for increased violence against people in the LGBTQ+ community. “Due to the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution,” the State Department said. “Stay alert in locations frequented by...

Social media users hammered Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday after saying the Inflation Reduction Act is dropping "trillions of dollars" on American streets. Harris' critics argued it was ironic that the legislation she pointed to was intended to boost the economy and alleviate inflation by having the government spending exorbitant amounts of money. "Has there ever been a more ironic sentence?" journalist and Grabien.com founder Tom Elliott asked Thursday in response to Harris'...

Nina Jankowicz, the former face of the short-lived Disinformation Governance Board, revealed to Congress that the Department of Homeland Security was intentionally opaque in the face of overwhelming criticism that led to the board’s collapse. Jankowicz spoke to lawmakers during a deposition about the department’s internal decisions to address widespread concerns about the floundering board. The deposition took place last April, but after it was broached during a hearing this week, House...