Inside Michael Cohen's star testimony

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     May 13, 2024 As you've probably heard, Michael Cohen was summoned to Donald Trump's hush-money trial today. My colleague Russ Choma was in the room, where he [witnessed a grumpy-looking]( former president trying to give the impression that he didn't care that his former fixer was mere steps away. Also in the courtroom for moral support were Eric Trump, Tommy Tuberville, and J.D. Vance, though as Russ observed, Vance [seemed occupied]( with other matters from the moment he sat down. But back to Cohen. As my colleague [David Corn wrote]( in advance of his testimony, Cohen's role as a witness is a reminder to the jury that the justice system has finally caught up with "Individual-1"; that, according to filings submitted by federal prosecutors, Cohen broke the law at the behest of Donald J. Trump. Take a look at this glimpse of that relationship, which apparently involved Cohen, a onetime diehard Trump loyalist, working overtime to squash unseemly stories for the boss: "Understand I’ve got this locked down for you, I won't let it out of my grasp," Cohen, [in his testimony today](, recalled telling Trump after helping to secure a "catch and kill" deal for Karen McDougal's story of an affair with Trump. I can't help but feel an acute sense of pity here. Can you imagine ever being so devoted to a man like Trump? May peace be with him. —Inae Oh P.S. After a pregnant woman’s murder, Boston police rounded up countless Black men in search of her killer. [But they were chasing a lie](. This week in partnership with the Boston Globe, our Reveal team digs into why the police bought into a racist hoax. Advertisement [Animals Need You. You Need Data.]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Trump’s Trial Marks the Return of “Individual-1”]( The former co-conspirator who escaped accountability is now in the dock. BY DAVID CORN SPONSORED CONTENT BY FAUNALYTICS   Animals Need You. You Need Data. At Faunalytics, we empower animal advocates to be more effective through research, analysis, strategies, and messages, all for free as a nonprofit organization supporting the animal protection movement. [Sign up]( for our newsletter to get the latest research and data about animal issues weekly or monthly! [Trending] [Israel orders new Rafah evacuations]( BY INAE OH   [Moms for Liberty accuses schools of antisemitism. The irony is rich.]( BY KIERA BUTLER   [Tribal leaders ban Gov. Kristi Noem from 20 percent of South Dakota]( BY JULIANNE MCSHANE   [The founder of Mother’s Day mostly cared about her own mother]( BY NINA MARTIN Advertisement [Animals Need You. You Need Data.]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Lost in the crowd: The hidden bias of health care crowdfunding]( A new book takes on the quick rise—and the inequities—of paying health costs through sites like GoFundMe. BY JULIA MÉTRAUX MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   An important update on our finances We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals—and we can’t sustain coming up short on [donations]( month after month. It is [impossibly hard]( in the news business right now, and the [crisis]( facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. Neither is Mother Jones. Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and [joined forces]( with the Center for Investigative Reporting, which creates the amazing podcast and public radio show [Reveal]( and other investigative projects. It’s going to be hard making it all work, and we simply can’t afford to fall behind our fundraising targets month after month. If you can part with even just a few bucks, [please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today](. And thank you so much to everyone who recently has. We’re grateful. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Share it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755