'Knee deep' in 'cult of Trump'

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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Michael Cohen faced stern questioning on the stand in Donald Trump's hush money trial. President Joe Biden slaps new tariffs on electric vehicles and other goods from China. And the FBI warned LGBTQ Pride Month events could be targets of terror.

👋Hey Tuesday! Laura Davis here with all the news you need to know. 

But first: It's getting hot out there. ☀️🥵 It wasn't just your imagination: Last summer was the hottest in 2,000 years.

Trump's lawyers cross-examine Michael Cohen

In their first crack at him, Michael Cohen faced stern questioning from Donald Trump's defense team Tuesday in the former president's hush money trial. The disbarred lawyer told jurors Monday that he was following Trump's orders when he bought porn star Stormy Daniels's silence about an alleged affair with Trump. But Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, avoided addressing the specifics of the payoff at the center of the case while working to show that Cohen may have had a motive to lie about his former boss. At one point, he asked if Cohen had been "obsessed" with Trump, whom he once idolized, and asked Cohen to confirm he hadn't been lying when he said nice things about Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. "At that time, I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump, yes," Cohen said. 👉 Here are highlights from Tuesday's proceedings.

Biden raises tariffs on Chinese EVs, other goods

President Joe Biden is hiking tariffs on electric vehicles, semiconductors and several other goods imported from China, escalating a trade war between the two world's largest economies as the Biden administration accuses Chinese competitors of unfair practices in industries the U.S. is trying to grow. The moves, which come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China, are designed to protect American industries in clean energy that the administration has targeted with major investments to try to catch up with China.

What else gets higher tariffs? Other goods include solar cells, batteries, battery materials, cranes used at ports, and certain medical supplies, as well as steel and aluminum. 👀 How the new tariffs could impact you and the economy.

Real quick

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Lobster liquidation looms

Red Lobster has abruptly closed dozens of restaurants across the country. A look at the restaurant chain's website reveals 87 stores temporarily closed across 27 states, with some of them having their kitchen equipment up for auction on an online restaurant liquidator. The liquidation website lists auctions for 48 locations that have closed, ending on Thursday, and that each winner will receive the "entire contents of the Red Lobster location they bid on." 🦞 What we know + see the list of closures.

A target on Pride Month events?

Federal authorities have issued a public service alert warning that foreign terrorist organizations may potentially target LGBTQ+ “events and venues” during Pride Month in June. No specific threats or intelligence suggesting targets were mentioned in a statement from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. But officials said efforts by foreign terrorist organizations “to commit or inspire violence” against holiday celebrations, including Pride events or LGBTQ+-related venues, are compounded by the current heightened threat environment in the United States and other Western countries. 👉 Here's what we know about the warning.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump hush money trial, China tariffs, Red Lobster closings: Tuesday's news