Tuesday Briefing – The New York Times
Opening statements at Trump's trial in ManhattanThe first criminal trial of a former US president began yesterday, with lawyers from both sides presenting divergent views of Donald Trump in their opening statements.Prosecutors have provided a stark account of Trump's sordid past, painting him as a co-conspirator in a plot to cover up three sex scandals that threatened his 2016 election victory and alleging that Trump lied "over and over and over" to protect his candidacy.Trump's lawyers called the case a "breach of corporate records" which it was not, arguing that the 34 crimes Trump faced amounted to "only 34 pieces of paper." They sought to undermine the credibility of key prosecution witnesses, such as Michael Cohen, Trump's former fixer.The day also included brief test...