Historic Trump trial reaches climax | The Excerpt

On Tuesday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: Former President Donald Trump's hush money trial moves to closing arguments. USA TODAY World Affairs Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard looks at the implications of a decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognize the state of Palestine. Financial aid experts are raising new concerns about a difficult timeline for students hoping to rely on financial aid this summer. USA TODAY Senior Reporter Jessica Guynn discusses how some brands are pulling back on Pride Month merch and promotions. Basketball legend Bill Walton has died at 71.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it.  This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

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Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Tuesday, May 28th, 2024. This is The Excerpt.

Today, Trump's hush money trial reaches a major stage, plus what a decision by several European countries to recognize the State of Palestine means going forward. And some brands are scaling back on Pride Month tie-ins.

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Former President Donald Trump's historic criminal hush money trial will reach a critical peak today. The prosecution and defense will present their closing arguments to the jury after over a month of evidence and testimony. Each side will make the case for the first ever conviction or acquittal of a former US president. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal or commit another crime. Prosecutors argue Trump falsified records tied to reimbursing his then lawyer, Michael Cohen, for an unlawful $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. To win a conviction, prosecutors have to prove not only that Trump falsified business records, but also that his motivation was to hide the violation of federal campaign finance laws in 2016 or hide a plan to violate New York tax or election laws. As always, you can follow along with the latest from the trial on usatoday.com.

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Israel slammed Rafah with airstrikes and tank fire earlier today continuing its offensive in the southern Gaza City, that's despite global outcry over an Israeli attack Sunday that sparked a fire in a tent camp for displaced people killing at least 45, and at least 16 Palestinians were killed in strikes overnight, according to officials in the territory. Israel has kept up attacks despite a ruling by the top UN court on Friday ordering it to stop.

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Meanwhile, a decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognize an independent Palestinian state officially takes effect today. I caught up with USA TODAY world affairs correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard for a look at what that means and what happens next.

Kim, thanks as always for making the time.

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

Kim, Ireland, Norway and Spain have recognized Palestine as a state. I want to just start with this though. What does scholars say about what actually makes a state?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Typically for a state to be able to call itself a state, it needs at least three or four things, and these are a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and some form of independence.

Taylor Wilson:

So what does this decision then from Ireland, Norway and Spain now functionally mean for Palestinians and do more countries recognizing statehood mean tangible improvements to their lives?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Unfortunately, I think that for Palestinians, especially for Palestinians who are in Gaza right now and under constant attack, these recognitions mean very little. In fact, I was speaking to Palestinians in recent days about their thoughts on this matter, and it's an abstract thing. Essentially it's a series of statements that these countries have come out with, but it will not impact the war in Gaza. It will not impact or advance some kind of full statehood for Palestinians at this point in the sense that their borders will be secure in the sense that the Israelis will go away. It's sort of like a mixed bag.

Yes, they are appreciative of the fact that there are additional countries now in Ireland, Spain and Norway that are recognizing Palestinian statehood adding, I should say, to the tally of about 143 countries around the world out of 195. So two-thirds of the world that recognize a Palestinian state. There are actually some concrete impacts of these recognitions. Yes, they are symbolic. However, it does allow these three countries, Ireland, Norway and Spain to elevate their diplomatic status or channels with the Palestinians. As of Tuesday, they can swap ambassadors, technically. They recognize each other's passports. They're eligible to sign more bilateral agreements. These things might seem a bit dull and boring and we probably won't even notice them, but there is some kind of impact that sort of all adds to building some momentum around Palestinian statehood.

Taylor Wilson:

Kim, you mentioned that the majority of the world does recognize a Palestinian state. The US not part of that, does not recognize the State of Palestine. Can you help us understand why that is and the factors at play here?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

The history of it, part of it is that the United States has been a staunch supporter of the Israelis since 1948 when the State of Israel was founded. The US is a weapon supplier to Israel. American Jews feel quite strongly about Israel and have been vocal supporters, backers and funders, frankly, of the Israeli state. So those things need to be taken into consideration.

The other part of this though is more what the diplomats will say and the diplomats will say, yes, that the sort of legal considerations around whether Palestine is formally a state, that those are important, that Palestine is not quite there, that it doesn't have an involved independent economy. It doesn't have the governance structures in place. And so the American point of view over the last number of decades has always been we need to see the Palestinians farther along the road of getting this type of infrastructure in place in order for it to be called a state. And also, and this is a key point, is that the Americans particularly want to see the Israelis and the Palestinians themselves deciding on when there is this sort of moment when we can say there is a two-state solution. They feel quite strongly that it shouldn't be something that's imposed from outside.

Taylor Wilson:

Kim, Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris said that recognition of Palestine is not the end of a process. It's the beginning. So I'll ask you what happens next and what might this conversation look like going forward?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

So one of the things that could happen next, it could trigger some more recognitions. There are other European countries, EU countries, Slovenia and Malta in particular have been discussing the idea of recognizing a Palestinian state. I think the big ones to watch out for would be France and Germany. France, and particularly President Macron has been talking in recent weeks a little bit about, his foreign minister used the phrase recently that recognition was not a taboo for France, but they still feel it's too early. Germany for historical reasons, pretty much similar to the U.S. is a staunch backer of Israel. And so if we saw two major Western countries come out and recognize a Palestinian state, it could have more meaning. Not to say that it doesn't have meaning now, but it would probably move beyond sort of being a symbolic kind of move.

Taylor Wilson:

Kim Hjelmgaard covers world affairs for USA TODAY. Kim, I appreciate the insight as always, sir. Thanks so much.

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Thanks for having me.

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Taylor Wilson:

Financial aid experts are raising new concerns about a potentially unforgiving timeline for students hoping to rely on financial aid this summer. While most college goers register for the fall and spring terms only, some, especially non-traditional and low-income students depend on summer school to finish their degrees as quickly as possible and save money. Under changes made by the U.S. Education Department in 2017, those students are eligible for year-round government assistance. But this year, a congressional mandate to streamline the process of applying for college financial aid threw the system into chaos. Students across the country reported widespread trouble filling out the free application for federal student aid, or FAFSA, while the government botched crucial data that colleges needed to make aid offers. The situation has improved over the last few weeks, but many colleges are still far behind their typical schedules. The disorder has four schools in some cases to rely on their own systems to calculate costs for certain students who want to enroll this summer and are eligible for Pell grants, a need-based federal financial aid program. You can read more with a link in today's show notes.

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Worried about alienating customers after conservative boycotts, some mainstream brands are scaling back merch and promotions ahead of June Pride Month festivities. I spoke with USA TODAY senior reporter Jessica Guynn for more.

Jessica, thanks for hopping on.

Jessica Guynn:

Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

Jessica, mainstream brands in recent years have brushed off anti-LGBTQ hate, but what changed last year?

Jessica Guynn:

Last year, Target and Bud Light found themselves in the culture war crosshairs. Transgender issues were really the flashpoint and the backlash against Target was largely driven by false allegations that it was selling tuck-friendly swimsuits for children. So Target had to move its pride displays from the entrances to the back of stores because conservative activists were confronting employees and employees felt threatened and displays were being vandalized. Bud Light was pummeled by conservatives for having a social media campaign with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. And these boycotts that conservatives organized online really put a damper on sales and got the attention of other brands that also put on big displays of solidarity during Pride Month.

Taylor Wilson:

So fast-forward to this year, Jessica, what are we hearing about many brands pulling back their Pride Month merchandise this year?

Jessica Guynn:

This all started when Target a couple of weeks ago said it was scaling back its pride collection and wouldn't carry the collection in all of its stores. And consumer brands seem to be taking a page from Target and they're taking a more conservative approach to pride this year. They're toning down promotions and the collections they carry. Other consumer brands said they are going about business as usual during Pride Month, but they said they would not tell us that on the record because they don't want to become the next target.

Taylor Wilson:

Jessica, do this year's plans vary at all by industry on these decisions?

Jessica Guynn:

Well, by and large, most brands are not adjusting how they engage with customers during Pride Month, but brands that are in similar businesses as Target and Bud Light are making changes or more of them are. A survey showed that consumer staples companies were the most likely to shift course. And analysts say in this really polarized and volatile political climate, brands are likely to be cautious about how they promote issues and causes for the foreseeable future.

Taylor Wilson:

How do folks in the LGBTQ+ community feel about brands choosing to sit on the sidelines for pride?

Jessica Guynn:

They're pretty unhappy about it. Analysts say most of the pressure on corporations right now is coming from the political right. That wasn't always the case. The LGBTQ+ community engaged in activism, protests, boycotts, that really helped turn corporations that were largely indifferent or hostile to them and to allies in the fight for gay rights. And the LGBTQ+ community has become a huge customer base for these corporations representing trillions in potential sales. So some in the LGBTQ+ community are urging a more robust response to what they see as a hateful campaign against its most vulnerable members.

Taylor Wilson:

Jessica Guynn is a senior reporter with USA TODAY . Thank you, Jessica.

Jessica Guynn:

Thanks so much for having me.

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Taylor Wilson:

Bill Walton has died. The basketball Hall of Famer was an American original. He excelled in basketball and dabbled in the counterculture scene of the late 1960s and early '70s. He remained connected to both in the years since working as a basketball player then TV analyst where he often referenced his fandom for The Grateful Dead Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Walton was impressive on the court despite debilitating injuries. Following a standout career at UCLA where he won two national titles under legendary Coach John Wooden, Walton became the number one pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1974 draft. He led the Blazers to the 1977 NBA Championship earning finals MVP. Bill Walton died after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 71.

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Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Historic Trump hush money trial reaches climax | The Excerpt