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NEW YORK (AP) — Witness testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money trial is set to resume Monday morning, setting the stage for an even deeper dive into the events and people involved in what prosecutors have said was a scheme to influence the 2016 presidential election by buying and burying negative stories about the candidate. The trial is in its 12th day. Former Trump adviser Hope Hicks took the stand last week, recounting how Trump’s campaign was turned upside-down following the leak of a video wherein he bragged about grabbing women without their permission. Keith Davidson, who represented porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal in hush money negotiations, also took the stand. Davidson spent hours detailing his role in securing payouts for Daniels and McDougal in exchange for their silence about previous sexual encounters they said they had with Trump. Trump also faced a second contempt hearing over whether he had again violated his gag order over four more prospective violations. Judge Juan M. Merchan has not yet ruled on that sanctions request. Trump was fined $9,000 earlier in the week over gag order violations. Overall, prosecutors are setting the stage for pivotal testimony from Cohen, who paid Daniels $130,000 for her silence before he went to prison for the hush money scheme. Trump is accused of falsifying internal business records to cover up hush money payments — including the payment to Daniels — recording them instead as legal expenses. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The case is the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president and the first of four prosecutions of Trump to reach a jury. Currently: — Hush money, catch and kill and more: Terms to know in Trump trial — What Trump’s gag order means in his hush money case — Key players: Who’s who at Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial — The hush money case is just one of Trump’s legal cases. See the others here — Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in the Trump hush money trial Here’s the latest: Witness testimony in Donald Trump’s criminal trial is entering its third week on Monday and it remains to be seen who will take the stand next. Over the past couple weeks, however, jurors have heard from a host of different people. Following a weeklong jury selection process that began mid-April, jurors heard first from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who among other things explained his pledge to be the “eyes and ears” of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal in hush money negotiations, also took the stand. And jurors heard from others such as a forensic analyst who examined Michael Cohen’s phones and a paralegal with the Manhattan district attorney’s office. And Former White House press secretary and ex-Trump adviser Hope Hicks painted a vivid picture of the chaos that unfolded after the “Access Hollywood” tape leaked and the Wall Street Journal ran a story about McDougal’s hush money deal. The defense cross-examined Hicks for roughly 20 minutes before court adjourned early last Friday. Although an ensemble of different people have testified in Donald Trump’s hush money case over the past two weeks, one pivotal witness has been frequently heard but not yet seen: Michael Cohen. Jurors last week began hearing Cohen’s words on audio recordings as prosecutors worked to directly tie Trump to payments to silence women with damaging claims about him before the 2016 election. Jurors heard, in particular, a potentially crucial piece of evidence: a recording of Trump and Cohen, then his attorney, discussing a plan to pay off an ex-Playboy model who claimed to have an affair with Trump. The former president denies the affair. They also heard a few witnesses recount their interactions with Cohen — some pleasant and others far less so. It’s unclear when the prosecution’s star witness will take the stand. Donald Trump is expected to return to Manhattan court as his hush money trial enters its 12th day. Last week’s proceedings saw a frenzy of witnesses take the stand, including former Trump adviser Hope Hicks and Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal in hush money negotiations with Cohen and the National Enquirer. The week also saw Trump fined $9,000 by Judge Juan M. Merchan for violating a gag order that bars the former president from speaking publicly about key witnesses, jurors and others in the case. A second contempt hearing was heard on Thursday over four more prospective violations, but Merchan did not immediately issue a decision. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Jack Queen and Andy Sullivan NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump returns to a New York courtroom on Monday, where he will be forced to sit silently while others testify about his efforts during the 2016 presidential election to cover up news of an alleged tryst with a porn star. Trump’s criminal hush money trial, entering its 12th day, has featured testimony from a top aide and a former tabloid publisher about efforts during his first presidential bid to tamp down stories of unflattering sexual behavior. New York prosecutors have charged Trump with falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had a sexual encounter with him in 2006. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies ever having sex with Daniels. Trump complains frequently that the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president has kept him cooped up in a chilly Manhattan courtroom when he should be out wooing voters as he mounts a comeback White House bid. Over the weekend, he hosted a bevy of potential vice presidential picks at a Republican Party event in Florida. The case features sordid allegations of adultery and secret payoffs, but it is widely seen as less consequential than three other criminal prosecutions Trump faces. It is the only one certain to go to trial before the Nov. 5 presidential election. The other cases charge him with trying to overturn his 2020 presidential defeat and mishandling classified documents after leaving office. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all three. It is unclear who will testify on Monday. Prosecutors have kept their witness list secret out of concerns that Trump could try to influence key players in the trial. Trump has been fined $9,000 by Justice Juan Merchan for violating a gag order barring him from making public comments about jurors, witnesses and families of the judge and prosecutors if the statements mean to interfere with the case. Merchan is considering whether to impose another fine for further alleged violations, as prosecutors have requested. The main players in the case have yet to testify, including Daniels and Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, who handled the payment to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Last week the 12 jurors and six alternates who will decide Trump’s guilt or innocence heard testimony from Hope Hicks, his former longtime aide who described frantic efforts to respond to stories of alleged affairs and sexual harassment that cropped up in the waning weeks of the 2016 campaign. Hicks grew emotional as she testified that Trump told her to deny that he had sex with Daniels and wanted to keep his wife Melania from hearing about the allegation. That could help Trump’s defense, which maintains he made the payment to shield his family rather than deceive voters. Prosecutors say Trump’s payment to Daniels corrupted the election by keeping the news from voters, at a time when the Republican Trump’s treatment of women was a central issue in his campaign against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. They accuse him of falsifying records to cover up election-law and tax-law violations that elevate the 34 counts he faces from misdemeanors to felonies punishable by up to four years in prison. Jurors have also heard from Daniels’ former lawyer, Keith Davidson, who helped secure the payment, and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who testified that he worked with Trump to suppress stories that might have hurt his presidential bid. (Reporting by Jack Queen in New York and Andy Sullivan in Washington; Editing by Howard Goller) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Mike Stone WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon said Monday that AeroVironment Inc’s Switchblade-600 loitering munition was the first weapon to be publicly confirmed to be part of the Replicator initiative, which aims to rapidly deploy thousands of military drones. The Switchblade-600 has gained notoriety because the Ukrainian military is using it to strike Russian troops. In an effort to enhance the U.S. military’s autonomous and uncrewed capabilities, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks kicked off the $1 billion Replicator idea in August. The two-year program aims to integrate drones and technological innovations into defense programs at an accelerated pace. The Switchblade-600 is the first disclosed weapon in the program, but more tranches and systems are expected. The first tranche also includes undisclosed maritime surface products, other aerial drones and counter-drone systems (c-UAS). The Pentagon confirmed it has $500 million in funding to support Replicator in fiscal year 2024, including about $300 million from the recently passed defense appropriations bill, in addition to funds siphoned from other defense accounts. For 2025, the Pentagon has requested about $500 million to continue the second year of Replicator. This move underscores the Pentagon’s commitment to strengthening the U.S. military’s technological edge, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. AeroVironment, based in Simi Valley, California, is expected to scale up production to meet the Department’s requirements. The initiative also represents a broader strategy to diversify the defense industrial base by incorporating both traditional and non-traditional companies. (Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington. Editing by Gerry Doyle) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

(Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday announced more than $100 million in funding and resources to support American auto workers and small auto suppliers. Historic contracts secured by the United Auto Workers with the Big Three Detroit automakers and recent organizing victories ensure that these jobs will provide comparable wages, retirement security and respect at work, the office of the VP said in a statement. (Reporting by Disha Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernadette Baum) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — When Arkansas lawmakers decided five years ago to replace the statues representing the state at the U.S. Capitol, there was little objection to getting rid of the existing sculptures. The statues that had stood there for more than 100 years were obscure figures in the state’s history. “I remember giving tours to constituents from Arkansas, to young people, and I would point out the two representatives in Statuary Hall in our United States Capitol from Arkansas,” said former Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who also served in Congress. “And they would say, ‘We’ve never heard of them.’” Instead of two little-known figures from the 18th and 19th centuries, the state will soon be represented by the “Man in Black” and a woman who was instrumental in the fight over school desegregation. Officials plan to install statues of civil rights leader Daisy Bates this week and musician Johnny Cash later this year. Bates, who headed the state NAACP, mentored the Black students known as the Little Rock Nine who integrated Central High School in 1957. She is a well-known civil rights figure in Arkansas, where a downtown street in the capital, Little Rock, is named in her honor. The state also marks Daisy Bates Day on Presidents Day. Benjamin Victor, the Idaho sculptor who was chosen to create the statue of Bates, said he began his work by extensively studying her, including reading her 1962 autobiography and visiting her Little Rock home and Central High. He said he hopes the statue will help U.S. Capitol visitors learn more about her as well. “I hope it really first and foremost inspires them to study Daisy Bates’ life and legacy,” Victor said. “A big part of it is to capture that spirit of hers and inspire others to do the same and stand up for what’s right.” The 8-foot tall bronze statue depicts Bates, who with her husband published the Arkansas State Press newspaper, walking with a newspaper in her arm. She holds a notebook and pen in one hand and wears a NAACP pin and rose on her lapel. Cash was born in Kingsland, a tiny town about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Little Rock. He died in 2003 at age 71. His achievements include 90 million records sold worldwide spanning country, rock, blues, folk and gospel. He was among the few artists inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The 8-foot (2.4-meter) tall statue of Cash depicts the singer with a guitar slung across his back and a Bible in his hand. Little Rock sculptor Kevin Kresse, who was selected to create the statue, has sculpted other musical figures from Arkansas such as Al Green, Glen Campbell and Levon Helm. Kresse views Cash as a much-needed addition to the Capitol as a counterbalance to the conflict in Congress, he said. “He walked the walk and he lived what he believed. And that was just this quality that really appealed to me,” Kresse said. “And that interior thoughtfulness was something that I really wanted to try to bring out in this sculpture.” The Bates and Cash statues will replace ones depicting James P. Clarke, a former governor and U.S. senator in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and Uriah Rose, a 19th century attorney. The statues had come under scrutiny, especially over racist comments Clarke made calling on the Democratic Party to preserve “white standards.” Republican Sen. Bart Hester, a Republican who is now the Senate president pro tem, began calling for the statues to be replaced in 2018. Clarke Tucker, Clarke’s great-great-grandson and a Democratic state senator, also called for his ancestor’s statue to come down. “There was recognition broadly that it was time for a change,” said Hutchinson, who signed the 2019 law requiring the Bates and Cash statues to go up. Choosing their replacements was the hard part, with lawmakers offering competing ideas ranging from Walmart founder Sam Walton to a Navy SEAL from the state who was killed in Afghanistan. After some wrangling, lawmakers eventually approved Bates and Cash. Sen. David Wallace, who sponsored the legislation to replace the previous sculptures, said he hoped the new statues would tell people more about the types of figures Arkansas has produced over the years. “We wanted to do the common person that represented Arkansas,” Wallace said. “And I think that with Daisy Bates and with Johnny Cash, we covered the spectrum in Arkansas. Just, they represent the common folks of Arkansas.” ___ Associated Press reporter Mike Pesoli contributed to this report. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

HOUSTON (AP) — Floodwaters closed some Texas schools on Monday after days of heavy rains pummeled the Houston area and led to hundreds of rescues including people who were stranded on rooftops. A 5-year-old boy died after riding in a car that was swept away in fast waters, authorities said. Although forecasters expected storms to begin tapering off in southeastern Texas, high waters continued to close some roads and left residents facing lengthy cleanups in neighborhoods where rising river levels led to weekend evacuation orders. Houston is one of the most flood-prone metro areas in the country. Hurricane Harvey in 2017 dumped historic rainfall that flooded thousands of homes and resulted in more than 60,000 rescues. In one soggy area of Houston, school officials in Channelview canceled classes and said a survey of their employees found many of them had experienced circumstances that would prevent them from coming to work. “These folks have suffered much, people,” Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace said Sunday during a Facebook livestream as he rode a boat through a rural flooded neighborhood. Partially submerged cars and street signs peeked above the water around him. Areas near Lake Livingston, located northeast of Houston, received upwards of 23 inches (58 centimeters) of rain over the past week, National Weather Service meteorologist Jimmy Fowler said. In Johnson County, south of Fort Worth, a 5-year-old boy died when he was swept away after the vehicle he was riding in became stuck in swift-moving water near the community of Lillian just before 2 a.m. Sunday, an official said. The child and two adults were trying to reach dry ground when they were swept away. The adults were rescued around 5 a.m. and taken to a hospital, while the child was found dead around 7:20 a.m. in the water, Johnson County Emergency Management Director Jamie Moore wrote in a social media post. Storms brought 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain in a span of six to eight hours in some areas from central Texas to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Stalley said. Since last week, storms have forced numerous high-water rescues in the Houston area, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes. Greg Moss, 68, stayed put in his recreational vehicle on Sunday after leaving his home in the community of Channelview in eastern Harris County near the San Jacinto River. A day earlier, he had packed up many of his belongings and left before the road to his home flooded. “I would be stuck for four days,” Moss said. “So now at least I can go get something to eat.” Moss moved his belongings and vehicle to a neighbor’s home, where he planned to stay until the waters recede. The floodwaters had already gone down by a couple of feet and he wasn’t worried his home would flood because it’s located on higher ground, Moss said Sunday. ___ Stengle reported from Dallas and Associated Press reporter Juan A. Lozano contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com