[KARAH RUCKER]

MICHAEL COHEN — THE ONE-TIME LAWYER OF DONALD TRUMP — IS SET TO TAKE THE STAND IN THE FORMER PRESIDENT’S CRIMINAL TRIAL

AND — GRADUATES PROTESTING THE WAR IN GAZA WALK OUT ON JERRY SEINFELD DURING DUKE’S COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

THE MORNING RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.

TODAY IS MONDAY, MAY 13TH

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

TODAY — PROSECUTORS ARE EXPECTED TO CALL ON THEIR STAR WITNESS– DONALD TRUMP’S FORMER LAWYER MICHAEL COHEN – AS THE FORMER PRESIDENT’S CRIMINAL TRIAL ENTERS ITS FIFTH WEEK IN NEW YORK.

TRUMP IS CHARGED WITH FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS RELATED TO PAYMENTS HE MADE TO COHEN. THE FORMER PRESIDENT HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO THOSE CHARGES.

LAST WEEK – ADULT FILM STAR STORMY DANIELS TESTIFIED COHEN PAID HER 130 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO PREVENT HER STORY ABOUT AN ALLEGED RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUMP FROM GOING PUBLIC BEFORE THE 2016 ELECTION. TRUMP HAS DENIED THE RELATIONSHIP EVER HAPPENED.

COHEN WILL BE THE 19TH WITNESS BROUGHT TO THE STAND BY THE PROSECUTION.

THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE SAYS IT MAY CONCLUDE ITS CASE THIS WEEK.  THEN TRUMP’S TEAM WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO CALL THEIR WITNESSES.

FOLLOWING CLOSING ARGUMENTS – THE CASE WILL THEN GO INTO THE HANDS OF THE JURY.

JURY SELECTION IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN TODAY IN THE TRIAL OF SENATOR BOB MENENDEZ.

THE DEMOCRATIC SENATOR IS ACCUSED OF ACCEPTING BRIBES OF GOLD AND CASH TO BENEFIT THREE NEW JERSEY BUSINESSMEN AND THE GOVERNMENTS OF EGYPT AND QATAR.

MENENDEZ WILL STAND TRIAL IN MANHATTAN ALONGSIDE TWO REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS. ALL THREE HAVE PLEADED NOT GUILTY.

A THIRD BUSINESSMAN HAS PLEADED GUILTY AND WILL TESTIFY AGAINST THE OTHER DEFENDANTS.

EVIDENCE INCLUDES GOLD BARS WORTH OVER $100,000 AND MORE THAN $486,000 IN CASH FOUND DURING A RAID ON MENENDEZ’S NEW JERSEY HOME.

MENENDEZ’S WIFE HAS ALSO BEEN CHARGED, BUT HER TRIAL IS POSTPONED UNTIL AT LEAST JULY FOR HEALTH REASONS.

THIS IS THE SENATOR’S SECOND CORRUPTION TRIAL THIS DECADE — WITH THE PREVIOUS ONE ENDING IN A DEADLOCKED JURY IN 2017.

THE UNREST AT COLLEGE CAMPUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY OVER THE WAR IN GAZA CONTINUED THIS WEEKEND – AS DOZENS OF STUDENTS WALKED OUT DURING DUKE’S COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY.

ROUGHLY 30 STUDENTS GOT UP FROM THEIR SEATS DURING SUNDAY’S CEREMONY — SOME WAVING PALESTINIAN FLAGS — AS COMEDIAN “JERRY SEINFELD” WAS AWARDED AN HONORARY DEGREE – AND WAS SET TO ADDRESS THE GRADUATING CLASS.

THE GROUP OF STUDENTS WALKING OUT COULD BE HEARD CHANTING “FREE PALESTINE.” THEY WERE MET BY A MIX OF BOOS AND CHEERS WITH OTHER GRADUATES CHANTING “JERRY” IN SUPPORT OF THE GUEST SPEAKER.

THE PROTESTING STUDENTS HELD AN ALTERNATE MAKESHIFT GRADUATION IN ANOTHER PART OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CAMPUS.

SEINFELD – who is jewish and HAS TWO CHILDREN ATTENDING DUKE – HAS BEEN OUTSPOKEN ABOUT HIS SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL SINCE HAMAS’ TERROR ATTACK IN OCTOBER.

IN HIS SPEECH – HE TOUCHED UPON THE CONCEPT OF PRIVILEGE WHILE TELLING STUDENTS NOT TO BE SHY ABOUT UTILIZING THE FACT THEY ATTENDED DUKE.

JERRY SEINFELD | ACTOR AND COMEDIAN

“Privilege is a word that has taken quite a beating lately. Privilege today seems to be the worst thing you can have. I would like to take a moment to defend it. Again, a lot of you are thinking, I can’t believe they invited this guy. Too late. I say, use your privilege. I grew up a Jewish boy from New York. That is a privilege, if you want to be a comedian.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

Seinfeld has not yet commented on the walkout.

A PLANNED DEMOLITION AT THE SITE OF BALTIMORE’S FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR LATER TODAY — AFTER BEING DELAYED THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LIGHTNING IN THE VICINITY.

ENGINEERS ARE PLANNING TO USE CONTROLLED EXPLOSIVES IN THE REMAINS OF THE BRIDGE IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE STRANDED CONTAINER SHIP FROM THE CHANNEL.

THE SHIP COLLIDED WITH THE BRIDGE BACK IN MARCH — KILLING SIX PEOPLE AND LEADING TO THE CLOSURE OF THE PORT OF BALTIMORE. THE INCIDENT REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.

OVER THE WEEKEND IT WAS ANNOUNCED THE FIRST HUMAN RECIPIENT OF A GENETICALLY-MODIFIED PIG KIDNEY TRANSPLANT HAS PASSED AWAY.

RICK SLAYMAN RECEIVED THE TRANSPLANT BACK IN MARCH AT MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL AT THE AGE OF 62.

SLAYMAN WAS BATTLING END-STAGE KIDNEY DISEASE – HIS FAMILY SAYING HE UNDERWENT THE SURGERY TO GIVE HOPE TO OTHERS NEEDING A TRANSPLANT TO SURVIVE.

LAST MONTH – A 54-YEAR-OLD WOMAN IN NEW JERSEY BECAME THE SECOND PERSON TO UNDERGO THE SAME PROCEDURE.

IN A STATEMENT — THE HOSPITAL SAID THERE IS “NO INDICATION” THAT SLAYMAN’S DEATH WAS THE RESULT OF THE TRANSPLANT – ADDING HE WILL FOREVER BE “A BEACON OF HOPE TO COUNTLESS TRANSPLANT PATIENTS WORLDWIDE.”

FINALLY THIS MORNING – WE LEAVE YOU WITH SOME VIEWS OF A COLORFUL NIGHT SKY BEAMING ACROSS AMERICA FROM OVER THE WEEKEND.

AND IT WAS ALL THANKS TO A RARE YET POWERFUL SOLAR STORM.

THE AURORA BOREALIS (BORE-EE-ALICE) OR NORTHERN LIGHTS CAN USUALLY BE SEEN ONLY IN AREAS NEAR THE NORTH POLE. BUT DUE TO INCREASED SOLAR ACTIVITY — A DAZZLING LIGHT DISPLAY WAS WITNESSED IN THE U-S AS FAR SOUTH AS FLORIDA.

THIS WAS THE STRONGEST SOLAR STORM TO HIT EARTH SINCE 2003, ACCORDING TO THE “U.S. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION.”

THE AGENCY ISSUED A WARNING THAT THE STORM COULD AFFECT POWER GRIDS, COMMUNICATION NETWORKS, AND NAVIGATION SYSTEMS.

BUT NO MAJOR OUTAGES WERE REPORTED–

GIVING PEOPLE ACROSS THE US AND THE WORLD A CHANCE TO SNAP A FEW PHOTOS AND TAKE IN THE RARE EVENT ABOVE.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES FOR THIS MONDAY.

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.

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