U.S. and world news for May 13

Trump ahead in polls: New polls released this morning that were a joint effort of The New York Times, Sienna College and The Philadelphia Inquirer, report that Donald Trump leads President Biden in five key states in the 2024 Presidential Election. The states are Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Biden leads in Wisconsin. Trump has 49% and Biden 42% in Arizona. It’s Trump 49%, Biden 39% in Georgia. Trump leads 49% to 42% in Michigan. Trump has 50% to Biden’s 38% in Nevada. It’s Trump 47%, Biden 42% in Pennsylvania, according to the New York Times, Sienna College, Philadelphia Inquirer polling. 

Trump’s crowd: Just as Donald Trump and his campaign staff lied about the size of the crowd for his inauguration in Washington, D.C., in 2016, evidence is refuting their claims about the size of the beachfront crowd in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Saturday for a Trump campaign rally. The Trump people claim 100,000 people attended the rally while videos of the crowd show a crowd estimated at from 10,000 to fewer than 20,000 people. The videos also show that thousands of people began walking out of the rally shortly after Trump started speaking and that the crowd had thinned out before he finished. Wildwood’s Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr., who is a Republican and Trump supporter, offered the Trump campaign use of the town’s beachfront for the rally, which previously had been said to be capable of holding around 20,000 people.

Cohen testimony: The testimony of former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen in Trump’s hush money trial today is said to be critical for the prosecution to convince the jury that Trump was deeply involved in the payoff of porn star Stormy Daniels. The payoff of $130,000 allegedly was to prevent her story of a sexual encounter with Trump from becoming public just before the 2016 Presidential Election. Trump’s attorneys needed to discredit Cohen as a convicted felon and known liar. Prosecutors are expected to finish presenting their case this week.

Menendez trial: Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey has gone on trial in federal court in New York on charges of taking bribes. Menendez, his wife and three New Jersey businessmen were charged in the alleged scheme involving the governments of Egypt and Qatar as well as the businessmen and Sen. and Mrs. Menendez. One of the businessmen pleaded guilty and is cooperating with prosecutors. The bribes allegedly taken by Menendez included cash, gold bars and a luxury automobile.

Israel-Hamas war: On NBC’s “Meet the Press” yesterday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. still stands by Israel even though President Biden has threatened to withhold sending heavy bombs to Israel if it stages a full-scale invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah. He said that the U.S. shares Israel’s objective in making sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza anymore and that Israel eliminates the leadership of Hamas. Blinken said that the U.S. believes there’s a better way of achieving that than going headlong into Rafah. Blinken also said that the U.S has not seen a plan from Israel on what happens after the war in Gaza ends.

Roger Corman: The family of movie producer and director Roger Corman revealed over the weekend that Corman died last Thursday at age 98. Corman, who had a long career making low-budget horror and exploitation films that were staples at drive-in theaters during their heyday, gave starts to many Hollywood luminaries. They included Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, Ron Howard, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Ellen Burstyn. Corman also distributed in the U.S. films by famed European directors Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman.