Trump tries to push Sen. Darline Graham across the finish line over some Republicans’ objections

2026-08-21T09:00:29.212Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/21/politics/donald-trump-south-carolina-republicans

Fresh off the losses of three candidates he endorsed in Republican primaries, President Donald Trump faces a much higher-profile test of his political power in South Carolina.

Trump is set to hold a rally Friday night in Myrtle Beach with Sen. Darline Graham, whom he endorsed for her late brother’s Senate seat and whose campaign was shaken by a recent debate when she couldn’t answer a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea because she was “not that informed about national security.”

Both Trump and Graham are at a crucial moment. Some stalwart supporters of the president are openly rejecting his pick in Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff, despite a strong effort by the White House that included Trump calling old rivals to push them to endorse her.

A defeat in South Carolina would further call into question the second-term president’s ability to keep his party ranks in line.

“The entire world is laughing at South Carolina right now and laughing at Darline Graham Nordone,” said former state Rep. Adam Morgan, a Norman supporter, using the full name for Graham that some of her critics like to invoke to distinguish her from Sen. Lindsey Graham. Morgan added that Darline Graham’s debate flub had to be a “serious gut check” for Trump and his political team.

As of Thursday, Trump was showing no signs of backing away from his exclusive support for Darline Graham or making a double endorsement like he did in the South Carolina governor’s runoff after his first pick didn’t win the primary.

“President Trump’s endorsement is the most powerful endorsement in the history of American politics,” White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster said in a statement. “Anyone claiming otherwise is a complete and utter fool.”

Trump moved quickly to consolidate GOP support behind Graham after she finished first in the August 11 primary but did not get enough of the vote to avoid a runoff. Trump called at least two of her opponents that night – Rep. Russell Fry and former Gov. Mark Sanford – and asked them to endorse her, according to sources familiar with the calls.

The results were mixed.

Fry was not ready to immediately back Graham and waited until three days later, after at least one other call from Trump, to do so. They talked about Trump possibly coming to South Carolina to stump for Graham in the runoff, and Fry suggested a place in his district, the Myrtle Beach area, as a good location.

Sanford, who also ran a long-shot campaign against Trump in the 2020 presidential primary, remains neutral in the runoff, while one of his sons, Landon Sanford, backed Norman. A representative for Mark Sanford did not respond to a request for comment.

Businessman Mark Lynch, who ran against Lindsey Graham in the June primary, told CNN he had not spoken to Trump. He endorsed Norman within hours after losing the primary.

“South Carolinians do not want ‘Queen Darline’ appointed as their senator by D.C. special interests and Democrat PACs,” Lynch said in a statement to CNN.

Graham’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment for this story. But she shrugged off the debate flub while speaking with reporters afterward, saying South Carolinians are “worried about their pocketbooks more than they’re worried about the South China Sea.”

During a campaign event Wednesday in Florence, an audience member asked if she had any concerns about “credibility” in the Senate in light of the debate answer.

“Is national security important? Absolutely,” she said. “Can I learn? I’m smart. Yes, I’ll learn. I’ll become informed. Everybody has a first day on the job. President Trump, was he a politician? Has he done a good job? Yes, he has.”

Yet even some Graham supporters cringed at the moment, which came when a moderator, journalist Greta Van Susteren, asked Graham if Taiwan and the South China Sea were “national security issues for the United States.” Struggling to answer, Graham voiced general support for the military and added national security is “not my thing.”

A Republican lawmaker who endorsed Graham after she made the runoff called her debate performance “eyebrow-raising” and said it “didn’t inspire confidence.”

“I’m a little surprised she didn’t have a better pivot than ‘I don’t know about that’. She won’t make that mistake again, that’s for sure. I would think she’ll be able to learn more during the rest of this term,” the lawmaker said. “She had decent answers about domestic issues.”

A GOP source told CNN Graham’s team was downplaying the gaffe to donors and Republicans who’d endorsed her, echoing the candidate and telling them that “people struggling with affordability aren’t concerned about the South China Sea.”

Dorchester County GOP Chairman CJ Westfall, a Graham critic, noted his group texts with state Republicans started lighting up when Graham gave that answer.

“The people who were watching that are the hardcore Republicans,” said Westfall. “And a special runoff? Those voters are the most hardcore of the hardcore.”

The debate moment appeared to be a turning point for Republicans who had previously been holding back on airing reservations about her candidacy.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a longtime Norman ally who ran against Trump in 2024, said on X that Lindsey Graham was “well informed” about national security and it is “not something you inherit.” Kevin Roberts, head of the Heritage Foundation and a strong Trump ally, called Darline Graham’s answer “embarrassing and inexcusable.”

“Can we just stop this ridiculous experiment in nepotism now???” former Trump adviser Steve Cortes wrote on X.

Graham’s critics also noted that she said during the debate that South Carolina has a population of 50 million people when it is actually about a tenth of that size. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Norman supporter, highlighted Graham’s error on social media and said, “I can’t even right now with this Senate race.”

Beyond the national security question, the debate signaled that the race had entered a new, more contentious phase. Graham seized several opportunities to attack Norman, including in a closing statement that was particularly animated.

“Fact is, I’ve done more in 20 days than you have done in 20 years,” Graham told Norman, a five-term congressman.

Norman largely shrugged off her jabs as part of “silly season,” but his allies are sharpening their rhetoric against her. A pro-Norman super PAC, Palmetto First PAC, is running a TV ad that says Graham “inherited” the seat and asks, “What if Darline Graham had any other last name?”

The cast of outside groups backing Graham has only grown in the runoff. The latest entrants include two super PACs aligned with artificial intelligence industry and a third group focused on clean energy, Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC, that recently helped unseat Rep. Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, in his primary.

Norman has sought to make up for the overwhelming outside funding backing Graham by self-funding his campaign. He loaned his campaign $1.3 million on Monday, according to a campaign finance filing, adding to the $400,000 he put into his campaign last week.

As for endorsements, Fry is not the only big name in South Carolina politics that has coalesced behind Graham since the primary. She has also picked up endorsements from Sen. Tim Scott and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. Evette was Trump’s initial choice in the primary for governor but lost to Attorney General Alan Wilson in the runoff.

Graham has also garnered endorsements from some anti-abortion groups as intra-party critics question have highlighted her friendship with — and two past small political donations to – a former GOP state lawmaker who fought the state’s near-total abortion ban. One of the organizations, the Susan B. Anthony List, followed Trump’s lead and backed Graham even though Norman has an “A+” rating on its legislative scorecard.

“I have gotten to know Darline Graham and I am confident she is 100% committed to advocating for unborn children and their mothers in the U.S. Senate,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement.

Dannenfelser visited South Carolina on Thursday to campaign with Graham, as did the second highest-ranking Republican in the Senate, Majority Whip John Barrasso.

Norman has gained some interesting, if lower-profile, endorsements in the runoff. Among them is the Republican Party in Lexington County, Graham’s home county and where she got the most votes in the primary.

Mark Weber, the chairman of the Lexington County GOP, said he moved to South Carolina from California in 1989 and has come to appreciate that the state “truly believes in state’s rights and local control.”

“While I am a Trump support[er] and Lexington and SC is Trump Country,” Weber said in a text message, “SC voters don’t want anyone to twist our arms or tell us how to vote.”

美国高校外国申请者减一成 十年来最大跌幅

2026年8月21日 18:00 / 联合早报

顶尖学府如哈佛受到的冲击较小，外国申请人数仅减少1%。 （路透社）

（华盛顿彭博电）美国高校今年秋季入学的外国申请者减少约一成，创至少10年来最大跌幅，显示特朗普政府收紧学生签证政策后，国际学生入学人数可能锐减。

美国主要大学申请平台Common App星期四（8月20日）发布报告说，外国申请者比去年减少近1万6000人。调查涵盖1146所高校，比上一学年增加4%。

亚洲和非洲申请人数均出现双位数跌幅，欧洲也减少4%，扭转多年来持续增长的趋势。美国国内的申请者则增加4%。

过去一年，特朗普政府多次修改学生签证规定，限制外国学生入境。2024年至2025年申请周期结束时，当局才开始加大打击学生签证持有者，外国申请人数当时仅减少1%。

Common App高级数据科学家休斯说，最近的这次跌幅是平台自2013年开始收集电子申请数据以来最大的一次，由于更难取得签证，这可能降低学生申请意愿。

美国最近也收紧实行数十年的政策，限制签证持有者转系、转校，以及毕业后留美，外国学生人数跌势可能加剧。

不同高校受到的影响不一，仅录取低于25%申请者的顶尖学府，外国申请者只减少1%；录取率超过一半的高校则锐减约20%，显示国际知名度较低的学校承受更大压力。

国际学生减少将加剧美国高校的财务困境。这些学校已面对适龄人口萎缩，以及社会质疑高等教育价值等挑战。

另一方面，申请者提交SAT或ACT等标准化考试成绩的人数比去年增加11%，不提交者减少5%，显示这类考试重新受到重视。

目前仅5%高校强制提交成绩，而特朗普政府此前曾明确表示，不强制提交考试成绩的政策往往更有利于贫困和非白人申请者。

美国高校外国申请者减一成 十年来最大跌幅

2026年8月21日 18:00 / 联合早报

顶尖学府如哈佛受到的冲击较小，外国申请人数仅减少1%。 （路透社）

（华盛顿彭博电）美国高校今年秋季入学的外国申请者减少约一成，创至少10年来最大跌幅，显示特朗普政府收紧学生签证政策后，国际学生入学人数可能锐减。

美国主要大学申请平台Common App星期四（8月20日）发布报告说，外国申请者比去年减少近1万6000人。调查涵盖1146所高校，比上一学年增加4%。

亚洲和非洲申请人数均出现双位数跌幅，欧洲也减少4%，扭转多年来持续增长的趋势。美国国内的申请者则增加4%。

过去一年，特朗普政府多次修改学生签证规定，限制外国学生入境。2024年至2025年申请周期结束时，当局才开始加大打击学生签证持有者，外国申请人数当时仅减少1%。

Common App高级数据科学家休斯说，最近的这次跌幅是平台自2013年开始收集电子申请数据以来最大的一次，由于更难取得签证，这可能降低学生申请意愿。

美国最近也收紧实行数十年的政策，限制签证持有者转系、转校，以及毕业后留美，外国学生人数跌势可能加剧。

不同高校受到的影响不一，仅录取低于25%申请者的顶尖学府，外国申请者只减少1%；录取率超过一半的高校则锐减约20%，显示国际知名度较低的学校承受更大压力。

国际学生减少将加剧美国高校的财务困境。这些学校已面对适龄人口萎缩，以及社会质疑高等教育价值等挑战。

另一方面，申请者提交SAT或ACT等标准化考试成绩的人数比去年增加11%，不提交者减少5%，显示这类考试重新受到重视。

目前仅5%高校强制提交成绩，而特朗普政府此前曾明确表示，不强制提交考试成绩的政策往往更有利于贫困和非白人申请者。

本月迎国庆 安华预告将有重大宣布

2026-08-21 18:17 / 联合早报

马来西亚本月底将迎来69周年国庆，登嘉楼媒体俱乐部星期四（8月20日）在武吉勿刹举行独立日庆典攀登活动，参与者登顶后以多面国旗组成“超大国旗”合影留念。 （马新社）

（吉隆坡综合讯）马来西亚首相安华预告，从本月底至10月，他将在三个重要日子作出与国家和人民息息相关的重大宣布，包括国庆日、马来西亚日和财政预算案。

安华星期四（8月20日）在一场“与安华相遇”对话会上透露，他会在8月底国庆日前夕、9月16日马来西亚日及10月初提呈财政预算案时，作出数项重要宣布。

不过，他没有透露具体详情，只说会事先聆听及征求各方的意见。

马国将在8月31日庆祝独立69周年。按照惯例，安华会在国庆日前夕，也就是8月30日晚上发表国庆献词。

安华说：“8月30日晚上会有一项宣布，（之后是）9月16日，接着10月初财政预算案（也会有宣布）。”

尽管安华没有进一步说明，但外界普遍认为，安华领导的希望联盟近期接连在州选举中受挫，接下来必然会推出许多惠民措施挽回民心，特别是通过预计10月9日提呈的2027年度财政预算案来“派糖果”，为随时可能举行的全国大选铺路。

另一方面，马国通讯部秘书长阿都哈林说，考虑到全球能源危机，今年国庆庆典，政府将秉持节约原则控制开支，缩减游行及表演规模，但空军飞行表演等标志性节目仍会保留，庆典的热闹气氛不会因此减弱。

马国今年国庆以“昌明马来西亚：共享福祉”为主题，预料当天将吸引超过8万人到布城广场同庆。

What we know about the IndyCar race taking over the heart of DC

2026-08-21T10:00:30.202Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/21/politics/freedom-250-grand-prix-dc

Monaco, Las Vegas, Detroit, and Miami have boasted high-speed street races — and soon, Washington, DC will too.

Race cars will push speeds up to 180 miles per hour this weekend as the nation’s capital joins other iconic cities hosting street circuits, where public roads are converted into a race track. In DC, the Freedom 250 Grand Prix is part of a belated celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s continued efforts to transform Washington.

In a first-of-its-kind event for DC meant to cap off a summer of celebrations, more than 200,000 people are expected on the National Mall for the two-day IndyCar race.

The slender, angular four-wheel cars will zip past the US Capitol, make sharp turns around the National Archives, and pass the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for a total of 147 laps (equal to a 250-mile race to honor the semi-quincentennial). The audio levels at an IndyCar race can reach about 135 decibels. By comparison, motorcycles reach about 88 decibels.

At the helm of the event is Bud Denker, president of the Penske Corporation, who overcame bureaucratic obstacles to map out a race across downtown Washington. The Grand Prix was fast-tracked in January when Trump signed an executive order titled “Celebrating American Greatness with American Motor Racing,” which bypassed congressional approval. Trump is expected to attend the Sunday Grand Prix, according to the White House.

The race comes after a series of events hosted by Freedom 250, a Trump-backed nonprofit tasked with celebrating the nation’s semi-quincentennial. Earlier this summer, the group put on a 16-day “Great American State Fair,” which featured pavilions showcasing every US state and territory, and a youth athletic contest branded as the “Patriot Games” with a grand prize of $250,000.

Penske is planning the race and footing the bill, a similar structure to the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House — Penske and UFC are both sponsors of Freedom 250. The Grand Prix is part of Trump’s plan to celebrate the nation’s semi-quincentennial.

Washington DC begins to prepare for the Freedom250 Grand Prix

https://www.cnn.com/

Here’s what else you need to know about the event:

The route starts a few blocks in front of the Capitol, along 3rd Street, and is followed by turns onto Pennsylvania Avenue and then 9th Street — passing the National Gallery of Art and National Archives. The route had to include Pennsylvania Avenue — the street where the White House is located and which has a normal speed limit of 25 miles per hour — because it was wide enough to serve as a pit lane.

The course then turns onto Constitution Avenue and cuts across 7th Street, bisecting the National Mall before turning onto Independence Avenue, past the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It then turns on Maryland Avenue and back onto 3rd Street, spanning less than 1.7 miles and seven turns.

The event takes place over two days, with gates opening at 8 a.m. ET. Saturday’s schedule is dominated by practice sessions before a final qualifying round where drivers will determine their starting positions. A winner will be crowned Sunday at the main event, with post-race ceremonies to follow.

The race required extensive construction to allow open-wheel IndyCars to race safely at speeds of up to 180 mph. Walls (to protect both racers and spectators) and viewing areas along the track were built — and will need to be taken down after race day. The walls weigh 10,000 pounds, according to Denker, and sit at 1 meter high.

The build-out of the track began at the end of July. Lindsey Appiah, the DC deputy mayor for public safety and justice, told CNN that returning the city to normal after the event will take until roughly the second week of September. While much of the work took place at night, the two-month construction process in the heart of Washington promised to further exasperate commuters and residents in the area whose daily patterns have been disrupted by a busy summer of celebrations.

Denker said some 49 manholes had to be reshaped and smoothed over with silicone to ensure the high-speed cars don’t suck the covers off their place. He praised DC roads for being an ideal track due to their asphalt, vowing to fix any damage to the roads that may occur.

Not everyone is pleased with the extended construction. Elyssa Feder, co-founder and Executive Director of Rising Organizers, a community organizing nonprofit based in DC, said that residents are feeling a “sense of frustration that the administration continues to use the District of Columbia as its playground.”

The airspace above the capital will be impacted as well. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will temporarily pause flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, the day of the Grand Prix, though those times may change.

The full race will be broadcast on Fox Sports platforms for those who want to watch from home.

The event’s free general admission tickets quickly sold out following a May lottery. Penske said the organization received nearly 300,000 requests for the race. General admission attendees are split into the STARS or STRIPES areas associated with their designated ticket zones. Attendees who missed the May lottery for free tickets could attend through suites, which cost $200,000 to $250,000 apiece, though all have been sold, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, one of the race organizers, told CNN.

The race features 25 drivers from countries across the world, including Arrow McLaren Racing’s Pato O’Ward, IndyCar’s only full-time racer from Mexico, who told the Indianapolis Business Journal it would be “ironic” if he won given the president’s politics.

Other drivers include this year’s Indianapolis 500 winner, Felix Rosenqvist, and Spanish driver Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, among others.

Attendees can expect TSA-style security magnetometer screening and a clear bag policy, similar to the elevated security measures surrounding the July Fourth celebration on the National Mall. The DC government proposed that the event be designated as a national special security event — a status reserved for the nation’s highest-profile and highest-risk gatherings, such as presidential inaugurations and state funerals.

Instead, the race received a special event assessment rating of Level 1 — the highest designation below a national special security event. Denker earlier this summer likened the security to that of the Super Bowl and potentially even higher. While security has been the biggest challenge, Denker said, it’s not a concern for him.

The race will go on rain or shine, unless there is lightning, which would force organizers to delay the event. If there is rain, the cars will be equipped with rain tires. After last month’s “Salute to America” event battled extreme weather and thunderstorms, organizers said there are 10 safe havens designated around the racetrack for spectators.

The price tag is more than $35 million, all of it paid for by IndyCar. That makes the over 100-lap race among the most expensive on the IndyCar calendar. Any revenue that exceeds IndyCar’s costs will be distributed to Washington, DC-based charities, organizers said.

The city of Washington is also tapping into a $90 million emergency planning and security fund, which provides federal dollars to accommodate events of this nature, according to Appiah, who anticipates the full fund will be used by the end of summer.

The NTT IndyCar series has brought street races to other cities such as Detroit; Long Beach, California; Arlington, Texas; and Indianapolis.

The National Gallery of Art, which sits right beside the race’s pit lane, said it conducted an “extensive vibration study” and applied a set of safety measures accordingly to protect guests and collections amid the high speeds of cars.

It appears so. Outgoing DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference last month she is “very serious” about bringing future races like this to the city as it aims to solidify its sports presence. By 2030, she said, DC will have all of its professional sports teams in city limits, including a brand-new NFL stadium that will serve as the home for the Washington Commanders.

本月迎国庆 安华预告将有重大宣布

2026-08-21 18:17 / 联合早报

马来西亚本月底将迎来69周年国庆，登嘉楼媒体俱乐部星期四（8月20日）在武吉勿刹举行独立日庆典攀登活动，参与者登顶后以多面国旗组成“超大国旗”合影留念。 （马新社）

马来西亚本月底将迎来69周年国庆，登嘉楼媒体俱乐部星期四（8月20日）在武吉勿刹举行独立日庆典攀登活动，参与者登顶后以多面国旗组成“超大国旗”合影留念。 （马新社）

（吉隆坡综合讯）马来西亚首相安华预告，从本月底至10月，他将在三个重要日子作出与国家和人民息息相关的重大宣布，包括国庆日、马来西亚日和财政预算案。

安华星期四（8月20日）在一场“与安华相遇”对话会上透露，他会在8月底国庆日前夕、9月16日马来西亚日及10月初提呈财政预算案时，作出数项重要宣布。

不过，他没有透露具体详情，只说会事先聆听及征求各方的意见。

马国将在8月31日庆祝独立69周年。按照惯例，安华会在国庆日前夕，也就是8月30日晚上发表国庆献词。

安华说：“8月30日晚上会有一项宣布，（之后是）9月16日，接着10月初财政预算案（也会有宣布）。”

尽管安华没有进一步说明，但外界普遍认为，安华领导的希望联盟近期接连在州选举中受挫，接下来必然会推出许多惠民措施挽回民心，特别是通过预计10月9日提呈的2027年度财政预算案来“派糖果”，为随时可能举行的全国大选铺路。

另一方面，马国通讯部秘书长阿都哈林说，考虑到全球能源危机，今年国庆庆典，政府将秉持节约原则控制开支，缩减游行及表演规模，但空军飞行表演等标志性节目仍会保留，庆典的热闹气氛不会因此减弱。

马国今年国庆以“昌明马来西亚：共享福祉”为主题，预料当天将吸引超过8万人到布城广场同庆。

Trump appears on radio show of Michael Cohen, fixer-turned-foe, after detente

August 21, 2026 5:49 AM EDT / CBS/AP

President Trump appeared Thursday on the radio show of Michael Cohen, his fixer-turned-foe, in a stunning public reunion with the man who once called him a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain” and testified against him both in court and before Congress.

For Cohen, who served prison time for his role in what he said was covering up Mr. Trump’s “dirty deeds,” it was the culmination of a behind-the-scenes detente that would have been impossible to imagine several years ago.

The interview, part of which aired Thursday evening on Cohen’s radio program on 77 WABC-AM in New York and which will air in full on Sunday, was an exceptionally friendly affair, with only passing reference to the men’s tumultuous history.

“They weaponized you like nobody’s ever been weaponized, like few have been,” Mr. Trump told Cohen.

“I respect the fact that you recanted everything you said,” he went on. “That’s a big thing that you did.”

In an interview with CNN shortly before the radio interview aired, Cohen said he had resubmitted a pardon application to the White House that had been denied by the previous administration, but had yet to receive any response and planned to follow up Friday.

“I took that same application with the same documentation, and I just rewrote the cover letter removing the name of President Joe Biden and inserting the name President Donald Trump,” Cohen said. ” … I have not received an acknowledgement that they have the application, which is on my to-do list. … I intend to call tomorrow to find out what happened because I did send it by FedEx, so I do have a receipt.”

The truce with Cohen makes him the latest in a long line of Trump loyalists who have had public fallings-out with the president but found themselves back in his good graces. Other recent examples include Elon Musk and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

But the split from Cohen was perhaps the most personal. Cohen once boasted that he would “take a bullet” for the president and was by Mr. Trump’s side during his political rise. After their public breakup, Cohen’s testimony in Mr. Trump’s 2024 criminal hush money trial instead helped secure Mr. Trump’s criminal conviction just as he was trying to make his political comeback.

Michael Cohen and President Trump in undated photos. CBS News

Behind the Trump-Cohen mending of fences

Cohen has since criticized prosecutors in the case — an admission that paved the way for their reconciliation.

Cohen has said he and the president have had multiple conversations over the past year and introduced the interview by explaining his decision to move on.

“Forgiveness does not mean amnesia. It does not mean that the past did not happen. It does not mean the scars vanish, that the pain was fake or that I have forgotten a single second of what transpired, I have not. Forgiveness isn’t about erasing history,” he said. “It is about having the courage to decide that yesterday will no longer dictate tomorrow.”

He sounded nostalgic about a time when he was one of Mr. Trump’s most trusted aides, saying at one point, “Boss, remember when I was by your side?”

The clip was introduced with the 1975 War song, “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” and closed with the lyrics, “Reunited and it feels so good,” from the 1978 Peaches & Herb song.

In a long post on his online newsletter Thursday promoting the interview, Cohen said that although his relationship with Mr. Trump became “political blood sport,” there were 15 years of close friendship between them.

“The good times don’t cease to have existed because the bad times came afterward,” Cohen wrote.

Simply, he said, “We forgave.”

The president had made no warm public statements about Cohen before Thursday, but in a series of social media posts this year, he linked to some of his former lawyer’s comments saying he felt pressured by prosecutors to testify against Mr. Trump in the criminal hush money case and a civil fraud case.

Highlights of the Trump-Cohen split

In 2024, Cohen was the star witness in Mr. Trump’s criminal hush money trial, which resulted in a 34-count felony conviction. He ended up facing no punishment.

But over days of probing questioning by prosecutors, followed by bruising cross-examination, Cohen placed the then-Republican candidate at the center of schemes during the 2016 presidential election to stifle accounts from an adult film actor and former Playboy model who said they had sexual encounters with Mr. Trump.

Cohen testified that Mr. Trump promised to reimburse the lawyer for the money Cohen fronted and he was constantly updated on behind-the-scenes efforts to bury stories the campaign feared could be harmful.

“What I was doing, I was doing at the direction of and benefit of Mr. Trump,” Cohen testified.

Cohen’s testimony at the time appeared to be the final breach in a once-close relationship between the lawyer and his client that was tested in dramatic fashion in 2018 when FBI agents searched Cohen’s office, home and hotel room.

Cohen later pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about a Trump Tower project in Russia as well as to campaign finance violations in which he implicated Mr. Trump in payments that went to Stormy Daniels, the adult film star, and Karen McDougal, the Playboy playmate. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

“I truly f**king hope that this man ends up in prison,”Cohen said at one point. “You better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to my family.”

Trump and Cohen patch things up

Since his trial testimony, though, Cohen has sung a different tune as he’s moved closer to Mr. Trump, insisting that he had testified under duress.

“I felt pressured and coerced to only provide information and testimony that would satisfy the government’s desire to build the cases against and secure a judgment and convictions against President Trump,” he wrote in a Substack post in January.

Cohen testified before Congress in 2019, alleging Mr. Trump had a history of misrepresenting the value of assets to gain favorable loan terms and tax benefits.

He gave similar testimony in a 2023 civil fraud trial in New York, which found that Mr. Trump and his companies had engaged in fraud by exaggerating his wealth for decades. A New York appeals court later threw out a $550 million judgment against Mr. Trump in that case. Mr. Trump has asked a court to overturn the remaining parts of the case.

In his tell-all memoir in 2020, “Disloyal: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump,” Cohen was unsparing, calling Mr. Trump an “organized crime don” and “master manipulator.”

But, foreshadowing their later rapprochement, Cohen also wrote that he still cared for Mr. Trump, writing, “I had and still have a lot of affection for him.”

欧洲8000万人经受40摄氏度“烤”验 德法西逾2.5万人死于高温

2026年8月21日 19:22 / 联合早报

欧洲大陆今夏连续经历好几波热浪，大片地区陷入干旱。在黑山首都波德戈里察（Podgorica），当地的齐耶夫纳河（Cijevna River）因持续高温少雨而干涸，河床裸露，沙石清晰可见。 （法新社）

（巴黎综合电）过去两个月，欧洲各地多达8000万人在创纪录的夏季热浪中至少经历一天40摄氏度以上的高温炙烤。德国、法国和西班牙今夏已有2万5000多人因高温相关原因死亡。

法新社综合分析欧洲干旱观测站的每日最高温数据和欧盟联合研究中心的人口数据发现，自6月中以来，3000万法国人、2300万西班牙人，以及德国和意大利各800万人，至少经历了一天40摄氏度以上的高温。这些地区当中，有许多之前不常出现如此酷热天气，许多建筑物包括医院、学校和疗养院都没有冷气等降温设施。

若以35摄氏度以上高温计算，欧洲多达80%的人口或相当于4亿9000万人都在过去两个月经历过这番折磨，且非常频繁。以法国来看，超过2000万人在这期间经历了至少21天，是2022年夏季的五倍。

以往多能避开极端高温的英国、比利时、荷兰和波兰今年都逃不过35摄氏度以上高温的煎熬。

据法国国家科学研究中心的观察，虽然高山地区得以躲过最严酷的热浪，但阿尔卑斯山脉仍受高温波及，今年的落石事件次数创纪录。这是因为高温融化了石头缝隙间的冰，导致它们无法黏合而坠落。

德国四月以来已1万4000人死于热浪相关因素

德国星期四（8月20日）发布的官方数据显示，今年4月6日至8月9日期间，已有1万4000多起与热浪相关的死亡案例，创历史纪录，相当于每10万人中有17人因此死亡。

过去10年死亡人数较多的2018年和2019年，分别约有9400人和7600人死亡。而今年单单在6月22日至28日、多地气温达到40摄氏度的一周内，就有约9600人因高温相关原因死亡。加上西班牙的4500多人和法国的7300多人，热浪已导致欧洲大陆西部三大国至今累计逾2万5000人丢命。

多瑙河水位急降 保加利亚核电厂减产

欧洲大陆旱灾导致多瑙河水位下降，使得保加利亚成为最新一个被迫减少核电厂发电的国家。

位于多瑙河畔的科兹洛杜伊（Kozloduy）国营核电厂宣布，由于多瑙河“史无前例严重”的水位下降，须减少两个核反应堆当中一个的发电量约120兆瓦，以确保核电厂可安全运作。

科兹洛杜伊是保加利亚唯一核电厂，供应全国三分之一的电力。这是它营运52年来首次因“极端气候和水文条件”而减产。

邻国罗马尼亚和匈牙利核电厂本月早前也因多瑙河水位急降而减产或暂停运作。

欧洲8000万人经受40摄氏度“烤”验 德法西逾2.5万人死于高温

2026年8月21日 19:22 / 联合早报

欧洲大陆今夏连续经历好几波热浪，大片地区陷入干旱。在黑山首都波德戈里察（Podgorica），当地的齐耶夫纳河（Cijevna River）因持续高温少雨而干涸，河床裸露，沙石清晰可见。 （法新社）

（巴黎综合电）过去两个月，欧洲各地多达8000万人在创纪录的夏季热浪中至少经历一天40摄氏度以上的高温炙烤。德国、法国和西班牙今夏已有2万5000多人因高温相关原因死亡。

法新社综合分析欧洲干旱观测站的每日最高温数据和欧盟联合研究中心的人口数据发现，自6月中以来，3000万法国人、2300万西班牙人，以及德国和意大利各800万人，至少经历了一天40摄氏度以上的高温。这些地区当中，有许多之前不常出现如此酷热天气，许多建筑物包括医院、学校和疗养院都没有冷气等降温设施。

若以35摄氏度以上高温计算，欧洲多达80%的人口或相当于4亿9000万人都在过去两个月经历过这番折磨，且非常频繁。以法国来看，超过2000万人在这期间经历了至少21天，是2022年夏季的五倍。

以往多能避开极端高温的英国、比利时、荷兰和波兰今年都逃不过35摄氏度以上高温的煎熬。

据法国国家科学研究中心的观察，虽然高山地区得以躲过最严酷的热浪，但阿尔卑斯山脉仍受高温波及，今年的落石事件次数创纪录。这是因为高温融化了石头缝隙间的冰，导致它们无法黏合而坠落。

德国四月以来已1万4000人死于热浪相关因素

德国星期四（8月20日）发布的官方数据显示，今年4月6日至8月9日期间，已有1万4000多起与热浪相关的死亡案例，创历史纪录，相当于每10万人中有17人因此死亡。

过去10年死亡人数较多的2018年和2019年，分别约有9400人和7600人死亡。而今年单单在6月22日至28日、多地气温达到40摄氏度的一周内，就有约9600人因高温相关原因死亡。加上西班牙的4500多人和法国的7300多人，热浪已导致欧洲大陆西部三大国至今累计逾2万5000人丢命。

多瑙河水位急降 保加利亚核电厂减产

欧洲大陆旱灾导致多瑙河水位下降，使得保加利亚成为最新一个被迫减少核电厂发电的国家。

位于多瑙河畔的科兹洛杜伊（Kozloduy）国营核电厂宣布，由于多瑙河“史无前例严重”的水位下降，须减少两个核反应堆当中一个的发电量约120兆瓦，以确保核电厂可安全运作。

科兹洛杜伊是保加利亚唯一核电厂，供应全国三分之一的电力。这是它营运52年来首次因“极端气候和水文条件”而减产。

邻国罗马尼亚和匈牙利核电厂本月早前也因多瑙河水位急降而减产或暂停运作。

‘My Guardian and Protector’: Natalie Harp’s letters to Trump revealed

2026-08-21T11:49:18.027Z / CNN Politics

‘My Guardian and Protector’: Natalie Harp’s letters to Trump revealed

In letters released by The Daily Beast, Natalie Harp, executive assistant to President Donald Trump, wrote to him, “You are all that matters to me” and “You have the absolute right to cuss me out,” among other personal lines. CNN’s Alayna Treene reports. CNN has not independently confirmed the letters were sent by Harp.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/21/politics/video/natalie-harp-letters-to-trump-digvid