## Michael Cohen: Melania Trump came up with idea to spin "Access Hollywood" tape as "locker room talk"

Authored by salon.com

But testifying Monday, Michael Cohen, the one-time fixer for the former president, said that the argument that the recording merely reflected "locker room talk" came not from within the campaign but was suggested by Trump's wife, Melania.

"We needed to put a spin on this," Cohen explained Monday, per CNN.

"The spin he wanted put on it was that this is 'locker room talk,' something that Melania had recommended — or, at least, he told me that’s what Melania had thought it was — and use that in order to get control over the story and to minimize its impact on him and his campaign.".

It was in the tumultuous aftermath of its release that Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet, a transaction that was falsely recorded — allegedly with Trump's knowledge — as a legal expense so as to avoid campaign finance reporting requirements.

In 2018, Cohen received a three-year prison sentence for his role in the scheme.

Daniels last week testified that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, just months after Melania gave birth to his son, Barron.

Trump, Daniels said, told her not to "worry" about his wife. »

### Square Enix to make multiplatform move after PS5 exclusives disappoint

Authored by polygon.com

Square Enix has revealed a new business plan — titled “Square Enix Reboots, and Awakens” — that will see the publisher “aggressively pursue” a multiplatform strategy for its biggest games across Nintendo, Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows PC.

Square Enix said its goal was to “build an environment where more customers can enjoy our titles,” especially regarding “major franchises and AAA titles including catalog titles.”

Of course, Square Enix is not the only company wondering if platform exclusivity can work at all at scale anymore. »

### Estonia ‘seriously’ discussing sending troops to ‘rear’ jobs in Ukraine: Official

Authored by breakingdefense.com

He also emphasized that it’s “not unthinkable” that NATO nations opposed to such a move would change their minds “as time goes on.”.

Herem was likely referring to the outcry that followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s declaration that Western nations must be open to discussing sending their troops in to aid Ukraine.

(Kallas, the Estonian PM, in March appeared to defend Macron’s statement, noting that he wasn’t talking specifically about sending ground troops into combat. »

### What Does America Want in Ukraine?

Authored by foreignpolicy.com

The new bill may well represent the last big package that the United States will send to Ukraine.

The White House presented the supplemental as an all-or-nothing choice: Approve billions in funding or watch Ukraine go under.

Throughout the Ukraine aid debate, key questions were left entirely unanswered: What is the United States trying to achieve in Ukraine given that total victory is not feasible? »

### Russia's 'brazen' and intensifying sabotage campaign across Europe

Authored by nbcnews.com

Beyond Germany, Russia has staged thousands of cyberattacks on Czech and European railways, including hacking into signals and ticketing services, according to a Czech official.

But they warned that physical attacks in Europe represented a more aggressive approach and that Russia was “crossing new lines.”.

Russia has denied it is spreading disinformation, conducting a sabotage campaign or trying to influence European officials. »

## In pictures

## Also in the news

#### Gov. Kristi Noem banished by 2 more South Dakota tribes, now banned from nearly 20% of her state

#### Husband behind viral dress that broke internet admits he strangled wife

#### Texas man reclaims world’s oldest skydiver record at 106 years old

#### Melinda French Gates is resigning from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

#### Joe Biden will double, triple and quadruple tariffs on some Chinese goods, with EV duties jumping to 102.5% from 27.5%