The judge in Donald Trump’s highly controversial hush money trial cleared the courtroom of media on Monday before threatening to dismiss the defense witness Robert Costello from the trial entirely due to his behavior on the stand.

Judge Juan M. Merchan reprimanded Robert Costello, a former federal prosecutor, for his conduct during testimony. Costello irritated Merchan repeatedly, in part by continuing to speak after objections were sustained, indicating to witnesses that they should stop talking. Costello muttered “jeez” when he was interrupted by an objection. He also labeled the entire exercise “ridiculous.”

The discussion occurred near the close of a heated day that saw the prosecution’s star witness admit to stealing tens of thousands of dollars from Trump’s firm. Trump’s lawyers also pushed Merchan to drop the case after prosecutors finished presenting evidence. The judge did not immediately rule on the request.

Robert Costello on Witness Stand

However, the most uncomfortable moments occurred with Costello on the witness stand. Merchan first led the jurors out of the courtroom to discuss basic decorum. He chastised Costello for saying “jeez” when cut off by a protracted argument and “strike it” at another point.

Merchan told him, “I am the only one who can strike testimony in court. “Do you understand that?”

“And then if you don’t like my ruling, you don’t give me side eye and you don’t roll your eyes.”

Merchan was about to call the jury back in when he asked Costello, “Are you staring me down right now?” and then ejected the press to further chastise him.

“I’m putting you on notice that your conduct is contemptuous,” Merchan said, according to a transcript of the conversation that took place after the reporters left the room. “If you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand.”

Costello did not respond to a message seeking comment Monday night.

When Merchan called the reporters back in, Costello’s evidence continued, and it will resume on Tuesday. The defense is using him to undermine the credibility of Trump’s former attorney and rival, Michael Cohen.

After the jurors had left for the day, defense attorney Todd Blanche informed the court that prosecutors had failed to prove their case and that it should be dismissed immediately. Blanche begged the judge to “not send this case to the jury based on Mr. Cohen’s testimony.”

Cohen was the last witness

The judge remained unfazed by the argument, asking the defense attorney whether he believed that “as a matter of law, this person’s so not worthy of belief that it shouldn’t even be considered by the jury?”

“You said his lies are irrefutable,” the judge responded. “But you think he’s going to fool 12 New Yorkers into believing this lie?”

Cohen was the last witness — at least for the time being — for prosecutors trying to prove that Trump attempted to bury bad reports about himself and then altered internal business documents to conceal them as part of a conspiracy to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election. The defense has portrayed Cohen as a media-obsessed liar on a revenge mission to bring down Trump.

The defense called Costello because of his role as Cohen’s enemy and critic in the years after their professional relationship fractured spectacularly.

Costello offered to represent Cohen shortly after the lawyer’s hotel room, office, and house were raided, and Cohen had to decide whether to stay defiant in the face of a criminal investigation or to collaborate with authorities in the hopes of receiving more lenient punishment.

Costello said that Cohen told him Trump “knew nothing” about the $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels that is at the heart of the investigation.

“Michael Cohen said numerous times that President Trump knew nothing about those payments, that he did this on his own, and he repeated that numerous times,” Costello told the jury.

Trump would not testify

Trump lawyer Emil Bove told the judge that the defense does not intend to call any other witnesses following Costello, however they may bring campaign finance expert Bradley A. Smith for limited testimony.

They have not explicitly stated that Trump would not testify, but this is the clearest hint yet that he will forego his right to testify in his own defense.

Cohen returned to the witness stand for a fourth day on Monday, telling jurors that he stole from the Trump Organization when his 2016 holiday bonus was reduced from $150,000 to $50,000.

Cohen claimed he paid $50,000 to a technology firm for artificially increasing Trump’s standing in a CNBC online poll of notable CEOs. Cohen claimed he only provided the firm $20,000 in cash in a brown paper bag, but he sought reimbursement from Trump for the entire amount, pocketing the remainder.

Cohen claimed he never paid the Trump Organization back. Cohen has never been accused of stealing from Trump’s company.

Cohen is an important witness, but also a problematic one. He acknowledged on the witness stand to a number of previous lies, many of which he alleges were intended to protect Trump. Cohen also served time in prison after pleading guilty to a number of criminal counts, including lying to Congress and a bank, as well as campaign finance violations tied to the hush money scam.

However, when pressed by Blanche, Cohen maintained by his account of talks with Trump about the hush money payment to Daniels. Cohen stated that he spoke with Trump about the topic over 20 times in October 2016.

“No doubt in your mind?” Blanche inquired whether Cohen remembers having contacts with Trump about the Daniels case. No question, Cohen stated.

Trump facing 34 felony counts

Following more than four weeks of testimony, jurors could begin deliberate next week on whether Trump is guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first criminal trial of a former US president.

The charges derive from internal Trump Organization records that show payments to Cohen were classified as legal expenditures. Prosecutors contend they were actually reimbursements for Daniels’ payment to prevent her from going public with claims of a sexual encounter with Trump prior to the 2016 election. Trump claims nothing sexual occurred between them.

Donald Trump has pled not guilty. His lawyers claim that the Daniels arrangement and Cohen’s payment were both legal.

“There’s no crime,” Trump told reporters after arriving at the courthouse on Monday. “We paid legal fees. Do you know what the price is? “A legal expense.”

After Trump’s witnesses have testified, prosecutors will have the opportunity to call rebuttal witnesses. The judge, citing scheduling constraints, stated that he expected closing arguments to take place on May 28, the Tuesday following Memorial Day.

Source: The Associated Press

Texas’s Van Horn — Sixty years after being selected as America’s first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight finally entered space on Sunday, traveling with Jeff Bezos’ rocket business.

President John F. Kennedy supported Dwight as a candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps while he was an Air Force pilot. He was not chosen for the 1963 class, though.

During a roughly 10-minute voyage, Ed, now 90 years old, experienced a brief period of weightlessness along with five other passengers in the Blue Origin capsule as it skimmed space. “It was a life-changing experience,” he said.

Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate, finally goes to space 60 years later

Soon after stepping out of the capsule, Dwight commented, “I thought I really didn’t need this in my life.” “But I am thrilled because I need it in my life right now.”

After a quick trip from West Texas, Ed set a new record for the oldest person in space, surpassing “Star Trek” star William Shatner by over two months in 2021.

It was the first personnel launch for Blue Origin in almost a full year. After a mishap in 2022 that saw the rocket crash but the experiment capsule successfully drop to the ground, the corporation was forced to ground itself. Last December, flights were restarted, but nobody was on board. Blue Origin flew space tourists for the sixth time during this mission.

Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate, finally goes to space 60 years later

Dwight, a Denver-based sculptor, was accompanied by four American and French business owners and a retired accountant. The cost of their tickets was kept a secret; the charity Space for Humanity partially funded Dwight’s seat.

Ed was one of the possible astronauts NASA was advised by the Air Force to consider. However, he was not selected for the 1963 class, which featured future Gemini and Apollo astronauts, including Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin from Apollo 11. In 1983, Guion Bluford became the first African American in space after NASA began accepting applications for Black astronauts in 1978. Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez, a Cuban of African origin, was the first Black astronaut launched by the Soviet Union three years prior.

Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate, finally goes to space 60 years later

Ed joined IBM and launched a construction company after leaving the military in 1966. In the late 1970s, he obtained a master’s degree in sculpture. Since then, he has made art his life’s work. His sculptures, which are found in monuments and memorials across the nation, are centered on Black history. His artworks have soared into space on multiple occasions.

SOURCE – (AP)

United Arab Emirates’ DUBAI — Following their helicopter crash in fog on Monday, the bodies of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister were discovered, depriving the Islamic Republic of two important figures at a time when unprecedented tensions are roiling the Middle East.

The Shiite theocracy’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, swiftly appointed a little-known vice president as caretaker and affirmed that the administration was in charge, but the fatalities were yet another setback for a nation already struggling with domestic and international challenges.

The helicopter crashed in high terrain in a sudden, dense fog, but Iran has not claimed responsibility for the incident or implied that sabotage was the cause.

The capital of Iran, Tehran, saw Monday schoolchildren and open businesses. But security forces, both plainclothes and uniformed, were conspicuously present.

Iran’s President And Foreign Minister Die In Helicopter Crash At Moment Of High Tensions In Mideast

Hundreds more mourners poured into downtown Vali-e-Asr square later in the day, waving Palestinian flags and clutching posters of Raisi. A few males were crying clearly and holding prayer beads. Ladies with black chadors stood in a group with pictures of the deceased leader.

The 36-year-old Mohammad Beheshti remarked, “We were shocked that we lost such a character, a character that made Iran proud and humiliated the enemies.”

The disaster occurs while the region is rocked by the Israel-Hamas conflict. The crisis was initiated by an attack spearheaded by Hamas, which Iran sponsors. Hezbollah, which Tehran also backs, has fired missiles at Israel. Iran attacked Israel with its own historic drone and missile attack last month.

Raisi, 63, a hard-liner who once oversaw the nation’s judiciary, was considered Khamenei’s protégé. Under his leadership, Iran’s uranium enrichment program brought it closer to weapons-grade levels, and it provided Russia with drones equipped with bombs to aid in its conflict in Ukraine. As a result, ties with the West continued to worsen.

The situation is made much more delicate by the fact that his government has endured years of large-scale demonstrations for women’s rights and the failing economy.

The state-run IRNA news agency said that all eight occupants of the Bell 212 helicopter, which Iran had purchased in the early 2000s, perished in the crash. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the province governor of East Azerbaijan, a prominent Tabrizian priest, a Revolutionary Guard officer, and three crew members were among the deceased, according to IRNA.

Since the time of the shah, Bell helicopters have been widely used in Iran. However, due to Western sanctions, planes in Iran frequently operate without safety inspections and experience a shortage of parts. In light of this, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attempted to assign blame for the tragedy to the US.

The United States “embargoed the sale of aircraft and aviation parts to Iran and does not allow the people of Iran to enjoy good aviation facilities,” Zarif told The Associated Press, citing this as one of the main causes of yesterday’s tragedy.

Although U.S. sanctions have prevented Iran from replacing and repairing its fleet for decades, according to Ali Vaez, project director for the International Crisis Group’s Iran program, “one can’t overlook human error and the weather’s role in this particular accident.”

Aerospace researcher and consultant Richard Aboulafia stated that Iran is probably using the black market to obtain parts for maintaining the fleet, but he doubted Iran’s ability to operate older helicopters safely.

“It’s not a good combination to have black-market parts and whatever local maintenance capabilities they have,” he stated.

Iran’s President And Foreign Minister Die In Helicopter Crash At Moment Of High Tensions In Mideast

According to aviation data business Cirium, there are now 15 Bell 212 helicopters registered in Iran, with an average age of 35. These helicopters may be in storage or actively used.

State TV did not provide an apparent cause for the crash in the Iranian region of East Azerbaijan. However, IRNA footage displayed the accident location, which was across a precipitous valley among a range of lush mountains.

According to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the country is still investigating the circumstances surrounding the “very unfortunate helicopter crash,” but it is unable to determine what caused it. He stated, “At this point in time, I don’t necessarily see any broader regional security impacts.”

By the constitution, Khamenei has designated Mohammad Mokhber, the first vice president, as caretaker for the time being. According to IRNA, a successor would be chosen on June 28. According to Iranian state TV, Raisi’s funeral was scheduled for Thursday in his birthplace of Mashhad, with further funerals scheduled for Tuesday.

According to state television, Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, will become the nation’s acting foreign minister.

Soon after Iran confirmed there were no survivors, condolences flowed in from allies and neighbors. In a message on the social media site X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that his nation “stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.” In a statement by the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Raisi “a true friend of Russia.”

Syrian President Bashar Assad, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also extended condolences. Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, expressed his and his government’s “deep shock.” When the tragedy occurred on Sunday, Raisi returned from the border between Iran and Azerbaijan, where he had recently opened a dam with Aliyev.

The tragedy shocked Iranians equally, and Khamenei announced a five-day public mourning period. However, a lot of people have been demoralized by the country’s rial currency collapse and concerns of regional conflicts escalating out of control, particularly with Israel or Pakistan, with which Iran traded gunfire this year.

Tehran resident Mahrooz Mohammadi Zadeh, 53, said, “I don’t think he was as successful as he should have been, but he tried to carry out his duties well.”

Although Khamenei insisted that Iran’s government would continue as usual, Raisi’s passing aroused concerns about what would happen when the 85-year-old supreme leader passed away or resigned. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, only two persons have occupied this office, which has the final say on all matters pertaining to the state.

Iran’s President And Foreign Minister Die In Helicopter Crash At Moment Of High Tensions In Mideast

Raisi was considered a possible candidate. The sole additional individual proposed has been Mojtaba, Khamenei’s 55-year-old son. However, questions have been raised about appointing a family member to a position, especially since the revolution toppled the Shah’s hereditary Pahlavi monarchy.

Iran’s Cabinet promised in a statement during an emergency meeting that it would follow Raisi’s lead and that “there will be no problem with management of the country, with the help of God and the people.”

Iran’s 2021 presidential election was won by Raisi despite the lowest voter turnout in the country’s history. The U.S. imposed sanctions on him partly due to his role in the 1988 horrific Iran-Iraq war death of thousands of political detainees.

Iran now obstructs foreign inspections and enriches uranium almost to weapons-grade levels under Raisi. Iran has armed Russia in the conflict with Ukraine and attacked Israel with a large-scale drone and missile assault as part of its conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, it has persisted in arming proxies in the Middle East, like as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

For years, the nation has been rocked by widespread protests. The latest concerned Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022; she was a lady held due to her reportedly loose headscarf, or hijab. Following the protests, there was a months-long security crackdown that resulted in over 500 deaths and over 22,000 arrests.

Iran was held accountable by a United Nations investigating panel in March for the “physical violence” that resulted in Amini’s murder.

The second president of Iran to pass away in office was Raisi. President Muhammad Ali Rajai was assassinated by a bomb in 1981 during the tumultuous days following the Islamic Revolution in his nation.

SOURCE – (AP)