Good Wednesday morning! Trump’s criminal trial comes to a close; Progressive West Coast cities see push for tough-on-crime policies; and new study looks at the extra calories needed to carry a baby.

First time getting the Mo Newsletter? Subscribe now.

Good morning,

What does it appear Americans detest more than any other country in the world? Body odor. And the numbers show it.

• In 2023, Americans bought $6.6 billion worth of deodorant — about $20/person. Research firm Euromonitor found that’s more than any other wealthy country.

• Companies are looking to broaden that market further.

  • Dove and SheaMoisture launched full-body deodorants.

  • Secret is targeting feet and "underboob” odors. The groin has also been a hot spot for new products.

    • Products are mostly creams, sprays and sticks to cover up smells rather than antiperspirants, which stop the sweat that causes them. A biologist at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts says that’s a good thing, because "blocking sweating on larger parts of your body is asking for overheating".

Smell ya later!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

Mo News Merch: Every purchase supports independent journalism and helps us continue our news coverage.

Shop our Mo News mugs, hats, t-shirts, children & baby gear, fleeces, notebooks, stickers, and more. Stay informed and stay stylish, friends.

📌 TRUMP CRIMINAL TRIAL COMES TO A CLOSE: WHAT’S NEXT

The jury is set to begin deliberations today in the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president. Yesterday, New York prosecutors and former President Trump’s defense attorneys made their closing arguments.

• What Trump was thinking during the 4+ hours of the prosecution laying our their case: “BORING!,” he posted on TruthSocial.

THE ARGUMENTS
The prosecution called the case “a conspiracy and a cover-up” while the defense painted key witness testimony as made-up.

• Defense: Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche went first, telling jurors that prosecutors did not prove their case and that their witnesses — particularly key witness Michael Cohen — were untrustworthy and lying for their benefit.

  • Zeroing-in on Cohen, Blanche argued he’s the “MVP of liars,” and the “GLOAT: Greatest Liar of All Time.”

  • He also said Trump’s payments to Cohen were reimbursement for legal work, not a cover-up that he’s being accused of. He asserted that Trump was not worried about the affair story hurting his presidential prospects.

• Prosecution: New York prosecutor Joshua Steinglass argued Trump defrauded the American people before the 2016 election by silencing porn star Stormy Daniels’ account of a sexual encounter with him for $130,000.

  • Steinglass said there is "literally a mountain of evidence corroborating" Cohen’s testimony.

  • He argued the case is about holding Trump accountable for “making false business entries in his own business records” to cover up election interference.

WHAT’S NEXT
The judge will give instructions to the jury before they begin deliberations later today. The 34 felony charges Trump faces for allegedly falsifying business records carries a sentence of up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine. But that’s if he’s convicted, and prison time is unlikely.

• If he gets off: Only one of the 12 jurors needs to find reasonable doubt. That would lead to a mistrial, and the prosecution could potentially choose to try the case again.

  • Many legal experts doubt all 12 New Yorkers will unanimously agree to acquit Trump.

• If convicted: Judges have broad authority on when and what the sentence will be in New York.

👮‍♀️ PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTORS GOING DOWN ONE BY ONE IN THE WEST

Progressive prosecutors along the West Coast are increasingly struggling to stay in office. Voters in historically Democratic stronghold cities are concerned about issues like crime, and making their voices heard at the ballot box by voting against candidates that have had more lenient approaches.

FOR EXAMPLE…
Last week, Portland residents ousted progressive District Attorney Mike Schmidt for a tough-on-crime challenger from his own office, Nathan Vasquez. He placed blame on Schmidt over Portland’s growing problems with drugs and crime in recent years.

• Been here before: Voters booted San Francisco’s District Attorney Chesa Boudin — a public defender turned prosecutor — from office in 2022 over his light-on-crime policies.

• Up next: Another recall could happen in Alameda County — which includes Oakland — where DA Pamela Price faces an ouster vote in November over surging crime rates in the area.

  • In Los Angeles, George Gascón, one of the country’s most progressive prosecutors, is fighting a close reelection race.

WHAT TYPE OF CRIME
Taking a closer look at homicides in San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle over 15 years, the latter two cities started to see an increase in 2016.

• Along with the entire US, the three cities saw a jump in 2020. Though, in comparison to cities across the nation, the homicide rates in the three cities are not even in the top ten.

The issue for residents, however, is less about violent crime, and more about property crime, theft, soaring homelessness, drug decriminalization policies and businesses fleeing parts of city centers.

• Portland, Seattle and the Bay Area all rank in the top 10 per capita for car theft.

• Homelessness rates have soared across the West Coast, and opioid overdose deaths have hit all three cities — in Portland they have more than tripled since 2019 .

• Bottom line: From California to New York, Americans are concerned about crime. 58% of American adults think reducing crime should be a top priority for lawmakers — up over 10% from when Biden started in the White House in 2021.

🤰 STUDY: GROWING A BABY REQUIRES A LOT OF EXTRA CALORIES (SHOCKER)

Scientists are discovering how much energy is needed to grow a baby. From cravings to eating more and taking naps mid-day, the research is just catching up to what moms have always known: It’s a lot.

HOW MUCH
Human pregnancy demands 49,753 dietary calories over the course of nine months, a study published in the journal Science found. That’s about 50 pints of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream or 199 Snickers candy bars (though we recommend more nutritious meals:). Daily, that amounts to about 182 extra calories.

• How they got to the number: Evolutionary biology researchers analyzed data from thousands of existing scientific articles to look at the energy cost of several species.

  • Key takeaway: Early in the pregnancy, less calories are needed, but they shift over the course of 9 months.

    • Once you get to the second trimester, you need about 350 extra calories a day. You need 450 more calories daily in the third trimester, according to some dietitians.

    • If you breastfeed after the baby is born, you will need to add 450 to 500 more calories to your diet.

It’s not just humans: Deer, snakes, goats and about 80 other species also need extra calories to power pregnancies.

• But not all pregnancies are created equal. A white-tailed deer needs an extra 112,000 calories to produce a fawn. Deer, like humans, need to support embryos as they grow inside their bodies — which takes a lot more energy than an animal that can lay an egg.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Biden campaign sends Robert De Niro to Trump’s NY trial. He calls Trump a threat to the world and clashes with pro-Trump protesters (MO NEWS)

📌 Company that posted discriminatory 'whites only' job ad settles with federal government (ABC NEWS)

📌 Democrats plan to nominate Biden virtually to avoid missing Ohio's ballot deadline (AP)

📌 Harvard plans to stay silent on any controversial issues after months of Israel-Hamas war backlash (HARVARD CRIMSON)

📌 Second American avoids prison time in Turks and Caicos for accidentally packing 2 bullets (ABC NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 US aid deliveries to Gaza by sea suspended after damage to $320 million temporary pier (NBC NEWS)

📌 IDF says hidden store of terror munitions may have caused deadly Rafah blaze (TIMES OF ISRAEL)

📌 Pope Francis accused of making homophobic slur in a closed-door meeting (CNN)

📌 Georgia parliament overturns veto on “pro-Russian” law (BBC)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 OpenAI announces new safety board after employee revolt (CNN)

📌 NYC sunset phenomenon, Manhattanhenge, dazzles New Yorkers (MO NEWS)

📌 YouTube Music will let you search by humming into your Android phone (VERGE)

📌 Melinda French Gates to give $1B for global women’s rights efforts (AXIOS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 US box office on track to have worst Memorial Day weekend since 1995 (CNN)

📌 'Home Alone' house hits the market with $5.25 million price tag (TODAY)

📌 Jimmy Kimmel's son Billy, 7, undergoes third open-heart surgery (USA TODAY)

📌 Country singer Darius Rucker breaks silence, explains 'crazy thing' about drug arrest (FOX NEWS)

📌 World's rarest album — Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’ — to go on display in Australia (BBC)

The news never stops, and neither do we. Support Mo News and help us keep our coverage going and growing.

✓ Access the private Instagram, including weekend news coverage, the weekly news quiz, issue deep dives, AMAs and video Q&A’s with Mosh
✓ Listen to the member-only podcast for early access to interviews, as well as exclusive and BTS episodes
✓ Support Mo News and help us provide independent, non-partisan news coverage

🗓 ON THIS DAY: MAY 29

• 1942: American singer and actor Bing Crosby recorded the holiday classic White Christmas. The Irving Berlin-written classic becomes one of the best-selling singles of all time.

• 1953: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. Since then, more than 6,600 others have successfully climbed it.

• 1982: Survivor released ‘Eye Of The Tiger.’

• 1992: ‘Sister Act’ premieres in theaters.