First Thing: Trump ‘vows to escalate attacks’ on Manhattan prosecutor

Stunned by indictment at first, ex-president indicates he wants to politically rough 'em up'. Plus, Judy Blume on why it is time to fight back against censorship

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Good morning.

Donald Trump has told advisers and associates in recent days that he is prepared to escalate attacks against the Manhattan prosecutor who revived the criminal prosecution into hush money payments made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016 now he has been indicted by a grand jury.

What is the case actually about? The case centers on $130,000 that Trump paid to Daniels through his former lawyer Michael Cohen in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump later reimbursed Cohen with monthly $35,000 checks, which were recorded as legal expenses. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal tax evasion and campaign-finance violation charges.

Will Trump indictment make white evangelicals ditch imperfect vessel'? No, said Robert Jones, the president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute, and author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity. The evidence from the public opinion data suggests that it will not make much difference," Jones said.

Who was Tatarsky? With more than 560,000 followers on Telegram, the 40-year-old was one of Russia's most influential military bloggers. He became a trenchant critic of the defence ministry, blaming it for Russia's inability to achieve military gains in Ukraine. He frequently travelled with Russian troops on the frontlines.