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announcer: and now, "bbc news" anchor: i'm caitriona perry in washington, and this is bbc world news america. donald trump's former lawyer michael cohen takes the stand in the former president's hush money at trial. fighting takes place in gaza, forcing hundreds of people to flee. and ukrainian forces battle to contain russian advances around kharkiv, ukraine's second largest city. anchor: hello and welcome to world news america. donald trump's former attorney and fixer michael cohen took the stand against his former boss on monday. mr. cohan testified he

communicated with mr. trump overtaking each action, leading to the payout of adult film star stormy daniels. mr. trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover up reimbursing mr. cohen for the so-called hush money payments, allegations the former president denies. the prosecution considers mr. cohen a star witness, although the defense claims his testimony cannot be trusted. mr. cohen's involvement with mr. trump again in 2006 when he was hired as his personal lawyer. testifying today, he said it was fair to describe his role as a fixer, where he would take care of whatever donald trump wanted. but the relationship has since soured. mr. cohen pleaded guilty to violating finance laws. he spent just over a year in prison. i am joined now from new york by our north american correspondent who has been watching this for

us. what was the atmosphere like in court today? the prosecution's star witness giving deliberate testimony, with donald trump being reinforcements as well. correspondent: yeah, quite a lineup of reinforcement. beside his son and of staffers, he had three republican allies alongside him in court today, one a potential vice presidential running mate, j.d. vance of ohio, a senator from there, also a senator of alabama, tommy tuberville, and a congresswoman from here in new york, nicole malliotakis. all of them echoing donald trump's talking points that this is all a political witch hunt meant to keep donald trump off of the campaign trail. but look, in court, all focus was on donald trump and michael cohen. katrina, they didn't even look at each other in court.

it was quite a moment to see the back together face-to-face. anchor: the court has rested for the day, but it is far from over for mr. cohen. what did he get through today? what did he say? correspondent: michael cohen said that everything had to be signed off by donald trump. he took jurors through the timeline of this alleged conspiracy and cover-up, saying even before donald trump ran for office he told michael cohen to be ready for negative press, that many women would come forward with stories. and when they eventually did, michael cohen said that the stormy daniels story was something that he thought could be catastrophic for donald trump's campaign and that donald trump himself was fuming, saying it would be a total disaster, that women would hate them for it. ultimately, cohen said that donald trump ordered him to do it, to make the payment to stormy daniels. he said he was ultimately the

one that fronted the money because nobody else would, and he wanted to make sure he would be reimbursed, so he called donald trump before wiring the money to stormy daniels' lawyer. the court was shown those two phone calls from cohen to trump that morning. cohen set ultimately, when donald trump was getting ready to enter the white house, he sat in a meeting with him and allen weisselberg and was told in front of donald trump by the chief financial officer at the time, allen weisselberg, he would be paid in installments that would be described as a legal retainer, and he would get the title of the president's personal lawyer. correspondent: it sounds like there is still a bit to get you to get to whether donald trump knew or ordered these payments. what do we expect to hear tomorrow? correspondent: we are still deep into the prosecution's questioning of michael cohen.

we still have to get to the point where there is a meeting in the white house between donald trump and michael cohen. no doubt they are going to want to also get a head of some other questions that the defense may raise. but of course, it may be the turn for donald trump's lawyers to question michael cohen, and that will no doubt be one of the most crucial parts of this trial because before this, we had seen evidence that implicated donald trump. prosecutors say that michael cohen's testimony directly ties him to the hush-money payments, the alleged conspiracy and the cover up. so, the defense is going to want to basically prove to jurors that it is donald trump's word against michael cohen and they should not trust anything michael cohen has to say. that is really what they have to do to basically save their client from these charges. anchor: we will wait to see what happens tomorrow. thank you for joining us. let's talk about what all of

this means. i am joined by a former federal prosecutor, anne-marie mcavoy. we heard from our correspondent who was in court. michael cohen was in the box for hours, with the prosecution going over details about how michael cohan, donald trump, and others interacted with each other in the organization. as a former federal prosecutor, what do you think is the purpose of that approach? correspondent: they want him to be as believable as possible. they want to try to lay the groundwork for leading up to the main event, which is trying to show that donald trump did in fact understand they were being written off as legal fees and he was part of that decision and was well aware of it. so, it was a lead up to that fact, which michael cohen testified to today. anchor: just to be clear, making so-called hush-money payments of itself is not illegal, but what

is at issue here is how it was accounted for, isn't it? correspondent: yes, and it is still not clear, actually. the way this has to be handled by the prosecution's there has to be an underlying crime that he was trying to hide. it is still not clear what that underlying crime is. the prosecution has never come straight out and said it. it appears to be some kind of campaign finance issue, although none of the funds came from the campaign, so it is still a little murky as to what the underlying crime is. anchor: if the former president knew a colleague had made the payment and that colleague wanted reimbursement and was reimbursed, with that of itself be the crime -- what would not f itself be the crime? >> no. that is a nondisclosure agreement. as long as it didn't come from the campaign itself, that would not be an obvious campaign finance issue. maybe some sort of fraud, but the other thing that is

problematic is that from what the testimony was today, that agreement was made in january of 2017, at which point donald trump had already been elected. it is a very strange case and clearly the underlying fraud that is alleged, the whole thing is rather questionable in that sense because it is just not clear. the other issue is that allen weisselberg apparently is not planning to testify, so you still only have michael cohen's version versus -- there is nobody else at this point to verify what he is actually testifying to. anchor: allen weisselberg was the former cfo at the trump organization, and the judge himself seemed surprised that the prosecution wasn't calling him. was that a surprise to you as well? >> well, given the way that

testimony has gone, yes, because michael cohen today has testified there was a meeting that trump was there and allen weisselberg and himself. so, there is nothing to verify that other than michael cohen. most cases, you do want to have some sort of corroborating evidence. you don't want it to be just what someone says, especially when it is someone like michael cohen, who has admitted he has lied in court before. he has admitted he has lied to congress. he has been convicted of lying and gone to jail for it. so somebody like that especially, who you -- you really want that corroborating evidence. so far, we haven't seen it. it seems like the only one who can provide that is allen weisselberg, who is currently in jail, but certainly could be brought to court to testify. it may mean that it may not

support what michael cohen says. that question is there if he is not coming to court. anchor: the prosecution will continue their questioning of michael cohen tomorrow, and at some point the defense will begin their cross-examination. what line do you expect them to take? >> i think they are going to take a very strong line towards the fact that michael cohen is not a credible witness, and it is going to be pretty easy for them to show. you have his own statements admitting he has lied under oath numerous times in different settings. you have statements he has made on tv and on his podcast about having lied in the past. and he claims he has turned a new leaf and is being completely honest and, as he says, it is truth to power. it depends whether the jury will believe him. but i am sure the defense will also raise the issue that he is making money off of this, he is

on tiktok trying to make money, he has goods he is trying to set up. he even has a tv show he is putting out there, hoping that somebody will pick up, called "the fixer" based on his activity with donald trump. so, they clearly will play on all of that to show the jury that they cannot believe anything the guy says. anchor: we will wait to see what happens next in court. annemarie mcavoy, former federal prosecutor, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. anchor: meanwhile in the race for the white house, a new poll shows donald trump leading joe biden in five of the six states that are considered to be battlegrounds. according to a poll from the new york times, philadelphia inquirer, and siena college, president biden leads in wisconsin by two percentage points while mr. trump leads in the states of pennsylvania, arizona, michigan, georgia, and nevada. in the latter two, he is ahead by 10 and 12 percentage points respectively.

in gaza, civilians are fleeing fighting on two fronts, in the south near rafa and the north near to paglia. the military says they are targeting resurgence of hamas after forcing them out. it is home to more than 300,000 people, many of them facing acute hunger. residents are abandoning the city following reports of bombardments. fighting is being reported in the south of gaza in rafah. the u.n. says since israel began its operation, 360,000 people have fled. the u.s. secretary of state antony blinken warned an all-out assault on rafah in the south may provoke anarchy without actually eliminating hamas. the fighting comes as israel marks memorial day, remembering its fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. the bbc's diplomatic

correspondent paul adams is following these latest development in the region. correspondent: the war returns to the north. this panic in jabalia. they have been told to leave, but is there anywhere safe? >we don't know where to go, she says. we have been forced from one place to another. i saw a tank and a bulldozer. they are over there. months after israeli forces last fought through these streets, they are back. israel says it is trying to stop hamas reorganizing.after seven months of work, the group is still unpredictable -- months of war, the group is still unpredictable. a crossing point for eight heading into the north. israel under enormous pressure to prevent starvation. a convoy carrying flower went in yesterday, -- flour went in yesterday, a rare sight in a place to pride for so long, place of hunger and disease.

for israel, a moment of introspection. it is memorial day, when the country reflects on its own pain for those who have died in the course of israel's long years of conflict. this already among the worst in living memory. emotions still raw at the scene of the music festival where so many young israelis died on october 7. this woman's brothers fighting in gaza. >> i just want my brothers and my sisters out. i know what they have been through and what they are going through now. and we all want the war to end, but we didn't start it. correspondent: in jerusalem, israel's unpopular prime minister spoke of his and the country's determination. >> this is what the war is all about. it is either us, israel, or them, the hamas monster. their continued existence, liberty, security, or

destruction, slaughter, rape, and enslavement. correspondent: war is still raging at both ends of the gaza strip. mr. netanyahu looking for some version of total victory. his frustrated allies warning that this is not possible, that dangerous anarchy is the more likely outcome, a warning the prime minister does not appear to be heating. paul adams, jerusalem. anchor: thousands of palestinians have left north eastern ukraine after the russian military opened a new front. ukrainian police are conducting door-to-door evacuations in border towns, rescuing civilians from areas under attack by russian mortars, artillery, and gunfire. this footage is from the town of vovchansk, which has been heavily bombed in recent days. the town is 45 miles from kharkiv.

ukrainian officials fear russia may be able to strike hark eve with artillery if it comes within 30 miles. in an address, president volodymyr zelenskyy says counterattacks are underway in the northeast. he also urged soldiers to hold their ground. >> our task is clear, to thwart russia's attempt to expand the war. the fulfillment of this task depends literally on everyone who is on the ground right now, from vovchansk, to kharkiv to donetsk. there should be no safe place for the occupier on ukrainian soil and in our sky. anchor: let's cross over to the ukrainian capital kyiv and to speak to our ukraine correspondent. james, put into context for us, how significant is this push forward by the russian troops seeking to create this new front in the northeast? correspondent: we are talking about 1000 kilometers of front line. it just got a whole lot longer.

ukrainian forces are struggling to contain two incursions across the border into the northeast in the kharkiv region. we are talking about an area in which russian forces threw everything out in the early stages in the invasion. it is an area where the city held and surrounding territory was subsequently liberated. yet, here we are once more, where you have warnings of gathering troops across the border, around 35000 and counting, and you have them seemingly walking in unchallenged in the face a few defenses or minefields or anything like that, and you have them now shelling towns like vovchansk, claiming to have captured several villages. as you alluded to, while it is not thought they can take the city of kharkiv, they tried with a far greater, better trained army two years ago. the very real fear is it could later ruin if it comes into artillery range. it is of fear held by countless cities across the east, and now

northeast, because of russia's invasion blueprint. people know what that involves the closer they get. and even with the arrival of much-needed american ammunition and weaponry, ukraine's hopes in the near and medium term are simply to hold on. and right now, they are failing to do so. anchor: with that newly arrived, recently funded military aid from the u.s. that you mentioned, how set is ukraine to be able to resist this offensive? correspondent: i think for now, when you talk about officers and soldiers, we understand that some of that ammunition has arrived. so, presumably that will be the artillery shells, maybe some forms of howitzer and other launch systems, because of the u.s. having ammunition depots inside europe. you cannot typically ship them in. they typically come by road or

rail. so come these things do take time. even once they do arrive, if i click my finger and they have everything in that $61 billion package, ukraine will only be able to potentially suppress russian advances. perhaps to supply lines with missile strikes. no one is talking about liberation at this moment in time. it is nevertheless still desperately needed. kyiv has always been adamant about that. what you are seeing is russia growing confidence. you're saying moscow try to take advantage of that delay to american aid, and its goals are swelling as well. they are setting their sites for as much ukrainian territory -- setting their sights for as much ukrainian territory as possible. if that city were to fall, the dynamic of the war changes. it creates pressure to show some kind of return for the well's= western he has been given

-- for the western help he has been given. anchor: meanwhile, russian president has removed sergei shoigu as defense minister. he presided over the full-scale invasion of ukraine and is set to be replaced with an economist was little military experience. the kremlin justified the change, saying the defense ministry needed innovation. some analysts believe the goal is to align russia's economy more closely with the war effort in ukraine, which is draining significant financial resources. big u.s. state department spokesperson classified the move as a sign of desperation. let's speak about these developments now with the executive director of the mccain institute and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for russia, ukraine, and eurasia. thank you for joining us. what do you make of this push by russia to establish a new front?

we just heard james describing there. >> clearly, they are taking advantage of the fact that u.s. assistance is lagging by six months, if not more, because as we heard not all of the ammunition, not all of the weapons are in ukraine yet. the russians continue to have an advantage in manpower. while the ukrainians are on the offensive, and that is the stronger place to be, it sounds like they had not adequately prepared for their defense. now they are fighting on an even more extended line. it is a really precarious situation, and they have to try to defend what is strategically important. they may have to withdraw from smaller villages. anchor: if that preparation you describe wasn't there, what difference does the newly arrived, recently funded military aid from the u.s. make? >> it depends on how fast it comes.

some of this is also more row and the -- morale and will. ukrainian morale is pretty low, by all accounts. we have not heard this much open criticism in our press as we are hearing today. but i will say, i don't think the russian morale is great either because they are throwing bodies at the ukrainians, and i don't know that they are providing the russian troops with any better protection or logistics support than they have been all along. there is more equipment, though, and for sure putin is wise to the fact that he has to ramp up his industry. anchor: if russia does make these gains to get a bit of momentum, and that is very important in these sorts of situations, what is the bigger regional concern, as you see it? >> the bigger regional concern is that ultimately ukraine does not have sufficient manpower,

does not have or isn't able to quickly use the equipment that we give them to achieve a blow to russia perhaps behind their lines, as ukraine has been doing for a while now systematically, taking out some of the oil refineries. i think there is a danger that the ukrainians may again run out of manpower. they do have a new law, mobilization law, which lowered the age of the men who could be recruited and is clearly aimed at getting more fresh troops to the field. but what has happened is now you see pieces in the media where the estonian government, for one, is thinking about putting in support troops, estonian support troops. obviously not in the line of fire, but freeing up ukrainians from desk jobs or logistics and repair work behind the enemy lines. anchor: we will have to leave it there for the moment.

evelyn farkas, executive director of the mccain institute. thanks for joining us. >> thank you, katrina. anchor: before we go, we have new pictures in baltimore of the planned demolition of the francis scott key bridge. [explosion] anchor: the small explosive charges you heard were set off a short time ago, aimed at freeing the cargo ship from the bridge it crashed into nearly seven weeks ago. the plans demolition will help officials remove debris and fully reopen the key shipping channel there. remember, you can find out more about the day's news at our website, bbc.com/news, and find us on your favorite social media firms as well. that is it for the moment. i am caitriona perry. from the team here, thanks for watching world news america. take care.

announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff bennett is on assignment. on the "newshour" tonight, michael cohen takes the stand in former president trump's

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