[KARAH RUCKER]

MICHAEL COHEN — THE ONE-TIME LAWYER FOR DONALD TRUMP — TAKES THE STAND IN THE FORMER PRESIDENT’S CRIMINAL TRIAL

AND — A GIANT BILLBOARD COLLAPSES IN INDIA — KILLING MORE THAN A DOZEN PEOPLE AND LEAVING DOZENS INJURED.

THE MORNING RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.

TODAY IS TUESDAY, MAY 14TH

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

DAY 16 OF DONALD TRUMP’S CRIMINAL TRIAL IN NEW YORK SAW HIS FORMER ATTORNEY TAKE THE STAND.

MICHAEL COHEN TESTIFYING THE FORMER PRESIDENT NOT ONLY KNEW ABOUT THE 130 THOUSAND DOLLAR PAYMENT he MADE TO ADULT FILM STAR STORMY DANIELS, but says TRUMP also AUTHORIZED IT AND APPROVED THE PLAN TO REPAY him.

COHEN ALLEGING TRUMP TOLD HIM QUOTE “JUST DO IT” CONCERNING THE PAYMENT TO DANIELS DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF THE 2016 ELECTION. IT WAS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL TIMES COHEN SAID HE WAS QUOTING HIS FORMER CLIENT THROUGHOUT THE  NEARLY SIX-HOURSLONG TESTIMONY.

COHEN SAYING THE PAYMENT TO DANIELS WAS TO STOP HER FROM SHARING HER STORY ABOUT AN ALLEGED AFFAIR SHE HAD WITH TRUMP IN 2006 – SOMETHING COHEN SAID WOULD HAVE BEEN “CATASTROPHIC” FOR TRUMP’S BID TO BECOME PRESIDENT.

COHEN SAYING TRUMP DID NOT WANT DANIELS’ STORY TO BE PUBLISHED ALLEGING THE FORMER PRESIDENT SAID the following. quote —

“WOMEN ARE GOING TO HATE ME, GUYS MAY THINK IT’S COOL. BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE A DISASTER FOR THE CAMPAIGN.”

COHEN also says THE PAYMENT WAS “ALL ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN,” WHILE TRUMP’S DEFENSE HAS SUGGESTED IT WAS MEANT TO PROTECT HIS FAMILY FROM EMBARRASSMENT.  COHEN SAYs TRUMP TOLD HIM TO PUSH PAYING DANIELS UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION, QUOTING TRUMP AGAIN — WHO ALLEGEDLY SAID,

“PUSH IT OUT PAST THE ELECTION, BECAUSE IF I WIN, IT HAS NO RELEVANCE, AND IF I LOSE, I DON’T REALLY CARE.”

TRUMP HAS DENIED ANY RELATIONSHIP WITH DANIELS AND HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO CHARGES OF FALSIFYING DOCUMENTS CONCERNING PAYMENTS HE MADE TO COHEN.

COHEN’S TESTIMONY moved quickly on monday — and will CONTINUE TODAY. HE could FACE CROSS-EXAMINATION FROM TRUMP’S LEGAL TEAM as early as today —

who will try to discredit cohen because of his past conviction for lying under oath.

IN AN UNANNOUNCED VISIT TODAY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN ARRIVED IN KYIV – REASSURING UKRAINE THAT IT HAS AMERICA’S CONTINUED SUPPORT AS THE WAR WITH RUSSIA PRESSES ON.

SPEAKING TO UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY – BLINKEN CALLED THIS “A CHALLENGING TIME” – BUT PROMISED HELP FROM THE U.S. IS ON THE WAY AFTER CONGRESS PASSED THE FOREIGN AID PACKAGE LAST MONTH WHICH SEES 60 BILLION DOLLARS GOING TO AID FOR UKRAINE.

BLINKEN says – THE AID **will “MAKE A DIFFERENCE” IN UKRAINE’S FIGHT ON THE BATTLEFIELD – WITH MUCH OF THE AID GOING TO REPLENISH THE COUNTRY’S ARTILLERY AND AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS.

THIS IS BLINKEN’S FOURTH TRIP TO THE UKRAINIAN CAPITAL SINCE the war began IN FEBRUARY 2022.

THIS MORNING – THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION UNVEILING A SERIES OF NEW TARIFFS ON CHINESE GOODS – IMPACTING 18 BILLION DOLLARS IN IMPORTS — INCLUDING ELECTRIC VEHICLES.

IN A PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING THE INCREASED TARIFFS, THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS, “CHINA’S UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES CONCERNING TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, AND INNOVATION ARE THREATENING AMERICAN BUSINESSES AND WORKERS” ADDING “CHINA IS ALSO FLOODING GLOBAL MARKETS WITH ARTIFICIALLY LOW-PRICED EXPORTS.”

THE NEW TARIFFS WILL TAKE EFFECT OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

TARIFFS INCREASING THIS YEAR INCLUDE GOODS SUCH AS EVS, BATTERIES, SOLAR CELLS, MEDICAL PRODUCTS LIKE SYRINGES AND NEEDLES, AS WELL AS STEEL AND ALUMINUM.

THE TARIFF RATE ON EVS WILL INCREASE FROM 25 PERCENT TO 100 PERCENT.

YOU CAN NOW GET NOTIFIED ABOUT OUR LATEST STORIES ON THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE INDUSTRY BY DOWNLOADING THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TO YOUR MOBILE DEVICE AND SIGNING UP FOR ALERTS.

A LARGE BILLBOARD COLLAPSED DURING HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE INDIAN CITY OF MUMBAI KILLING 14 PEOPLE AND INJURING AT LEAST 74 OTHERS MONDAY.

THE NEARLY 100-FOOT TALL BILLBOARD FELL ON A GAS STATION WHERE POLICE SAY IT WAS ILLEGALLY INSTALLED.

A RESCUE OPERATION IS ONGOING —  AND IT REMAINS UNCLEAR HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL TRAPPED.

SO FAR 31 OF THOSE INJURED HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL WITH MINOR INJURIES.

CREWS DEMOLISHED THE LARGEST REMAINING SPAN OF A COLLAPSED BRIDGE IN BALTIMORE — CLEARING THE WAY FOR THE EVENTUAL FULL RETURN OF SHIPPING THROUGH ONE OF THE BUSIEST SEA ROUTES IN THE US.

THE FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSED AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A CARGO SHIP NAMED THE DALI, WHICH LOST POWER AND VEERED OFF COURSE. AS A RESULT, A SECTION OF THE BRIDGE LANDED ON THE GROUNDED CONTAINER SHIP.

THE OPERATION WAS DELAYED DUE TO BAD WEATHER, BUT THE DEMOLITION WENT ACCORDING TO PLAN MONDAY EVENING.

THE GROUNDED CONTAINER SHIP WILL NOW BE RELOCATED, ALLOWING TRAFFIC TO RESUME THROUGH THE PORT OF BALTIMORE.

AUTHORITIES ESTIMATE IT WILL COST UP TO 1 POINT 9 BILLION DOLLARS AND TAKE OVER FOUR YEARS TO REBUILD THE BRIDGE.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – CAN A GOAT BE A SUCCESSFUL FOOTBALL COMMENTATOR? WELL, WE’LL FIND OUT IN SEPTEMBER. THAT’S WHEN TOM BRADY – CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE THE GOAT – THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME – ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD WILL MAKE HIS BROADCAST DEBUT.

IT WAS BACK IN MAY 2022 – WHEN BRADY SAID HE WOULD EVENTUALLY BE TRADING IN HIS HELMET FOR A HEADSET – IN A 10-YEAR 375 MILLION DOLLAR DEAL WITH FOX.

THE NETWORK ANNOUNCING MONDAY DURING THEIR MEDIA UPFRONT PRESENTATION THAT BRADY WILL DEBUT AS AN ANALYST ON SEPTEMBER 8TH WHEN THE DALLAS COWBOYS MEET THE CLEVELAND BROWNS.

THE SEVEN-TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMPION HAS ALREADY RECENTLY MADE SOME WAVES BEHIND A MICROPHONE – AT HIS NETFLIX ROAST SPECIAL – WHICH WAS VIEWED TWO MILLION TIMES DURING ITS PREMIERE NIGHT.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES FOR THIS TUESDAY.

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.

UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. HAVE A GREAT DAY!