MICHAEL COHEN, once former president Donald Trump’s personal attorney (Shutterstock).

Former president Donald Trump was closely involved in all the details of efforts to suppress stories about his sexual activities and the payment of “hush money,” former Trump attorney Michael Cohen testified in a New York court on Monday.

Cohen, sometimes referred to as Trump’s “fixer,” said that “Everything required Mr. Trump’s sign-off.” Porn actress Stormy Daniels has testified that she was paid $150,000 to “keep quiet” about her sexual encounter with Trump.

Another similar incident – Cohen testified – was with a Playboy model who was paid $150,000 by Trump (through Cohen) for her silence.

“Hush money” isn’t illegal, but the prosecution is claiming that Trump broke the law by falsifying those “payoffs” as legal expenses in financial statements.

Trump denies any sex with the two women and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Refugees pour out of Gaza’s Rafah

Over a third of a million people have fled the city of Rafah in Gaza Strip ahead of advancing Israeli forces.

HAMAS vs. Israel (Shutterstock).

Amid the chaos, it’s become increasingly difficult for aid – food and other basics – to reach those Palestinians who are trying to stay away from fighting between Israel and Hamas.

In addition to those in Rafah, another 100,000 people are said to have left northern Gaza in the wake of Israeli forces warning of an impending military operation there.

Dodgers rally and win, Angels fold

As has often been the case, one team rallied and won. The other team collapsed late and lost.

After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers chipped away at the San Francisco Giants lead and won the game 6-4 in 10 innings on Monday.

Will Smith’s double brought in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman with the winning runs.

With the win, the Blue Crew is 28-15 and leads the National League West by 6.5 games over the San Diego Padres.

The Los Angeles Angels’ bullpen suffered an epic meltdown and the team lost 10-5 to the St. Louis Cardinals in Anaheim. Starter Jose Soriano worked 5.1 innings having yielded just two hits and no runs. But his successors made the seventh inning a nightmare, giving up seven hits and eight runs.

With the loss, the Angels are 15-27 and fifth and last in the American League West. They are 5-15 at home and have lost four of their last five games.

Weather: About the same

Temperatures and conditions in our West Orange County area won’t change much as we go through the week and head toward the weekend. Morning clouds and afternoon sun are forecast right through Friday. Daytime temps will range from 68 to 70, with lows at 58.