A tense day in court for Stormy Daniels
Donald Trump’s lawyers tried again to make Stormy Daniels look like she was lying yesterday about her account of a 2006 sexual relationship. But Daniels, who agreed to pay $130,000 to maintain her silence, is at the center of 34 felony charges. that Trump faces, he resisted.
“You made all this up, right?” asked a lawyer.
Daniels responded with a resounding “No.”
During a combative interrogation, which began Tuesday and continued yesterday, Daniels oscillated between vulnerability and defiance. When the defense attacked her for selling gear to her supporters, she responded by comparing it to Trump’s own merchandise.
Susan Necheles, Trump’s lawyer, grilled Daniels for more than two hours. While Necheles attempted to undermine her credibility, Daniels continually dodged her. In one exchange, Necheles suggested that Daniels, because of her career in porn, had a lot of experience with “fake sex stories.”
Daniels responded: “Sex in movies is very real, like what happened to me in that room.”
A Daniels-Trump summary: They met in July 2006, but their lives intersected over the next decade and beyond. Here’s a breakdown of the timeline.
Hopes for Gaza deal dipped as talks stalled
Yesterday, high-level negotiations in Cairo were suspended; The Israeli and Hamas delegations left, as did the CIA director, dealing a blow to hopes that a deal could be reached soon.
Here’s the latest.
The pause is a setback, given that some had seen signs earlier in the week that a deal could be close. Still, one official said negotiators were interpreting the suspension as a pause rather than a derailment.
Israel’s actions in Rafah could set the tone for future discussions. On Wednesday, President Biden acknowledged that Israel had used American bombs to kill civilians in Gaza. He said the United States would also withhold artillery if Israel went ahead with a major operation in Rafah.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel reacted defiantly to Biden’s comments: “If we need to be alone, we will be alone.” Fears are growing that a break with the United States could affect Israel’s ability to continue its war. Netanyahu is caught between allies demanding a ceasefire agreement and demands from the right in his own country to press ahead with the invasion.
A view from the sky: These satellite images of Rafah, taken after Israeli forces entered the city, show widespread damage and clusters of Israeli armored vehicles.
Ukraine deeply attacks Russia
Ukraine attacked an oil refinery deep inside Russia, officials on both sides said yesterday, as kyiv works to weaken the Russian military and its energy industry.
The drone attack on the facility, which is one of Russia’s largest and is more than 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) from Ukraine’s border, shows that kyiv is increasingly capable of hitting targets further inland. of his enemy’s territory.
Background: This attack, along with others on two oil depots, were part of an ongoing campaign. kyiv hopes to disrupt Russia’s military logistics by attacking facilities that supply fuel to its tanks, ships and planes. Ukraine also hopes to undermine Russia’s energy industry, which is critical to its economy.
Impact: An energy expert in Belgium said the attacks had knocked out more than 10 percent of Russia’s oil refining capacity, temporarily reducing its ability to convert its crude oil into products such as gasoline, diesel and gasoline.
MORE TOP NEWS
Majid Khan, a former al Qaeda courier, spent two decades in Guantanamo Bay and was tortured in CIA custody. In the year since his release, he has reunited with his wife, met his daughter, and had a son. They now live in Belize.
“Life is a test,” he said. He sees the next chapter of his life as an opportunity to make things right. He was hurt, he said, and did things that hurt others. “May God forgive.”
To learn more, listen to the latest season of the “Serial” podcast, which is about Guantánamo.
Lives lived: Steve Albini, a musician and audio engineer who helped define the sound of ’90s alternative rock, has died at age 61. Listen to some of his essential recordings.
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New friends: Our tech columnist spent the last month hanging out with some fellow AI folks. This is what he learned.
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More drugs, less violence: The change in attitude has led Britain’s film classification board to rerate some classic films, such as “Mary Poppins.”
How loneliness affects the brain
Everyone feels lonely from time to time. But for some people, loneliness takes hold in a way that is detrimental to their health. Chronic loneliness can even change people’s brains.
Neurologically, chronic loneliness is associated with changes in areas important for social cognition, self-awareness, and emotion processing. For years, scientists have known about the connection between loneliness and Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. A study published late last year suggested an association with Parkinson’s disease. It is also related to depression.
So what can you do? It sounds obvious, but a common recommendation is to place yourself in places and situations where you can meet people and make new friends. Cognitive behavioral therapy can also help address the root cause of why you may find it difficult to interact with others.