Via a breaking news alert from the Anchorage Daily News, we learned that United States Senator Ted Stevens is testifying in his criminal trial this afternoon.  We'll have more details of the testimony as they emerge:

Sen. Ted Stevens has taken the stand in his defense as the final witness in his corruption trial.

"It's a privilege and a duty," Stevens said when warned by the judge out of the presence of the jury that he doesn't have to testify.

The 84-year-old Alaska Republican is on trial for failing to report more than $250,000 in alleged gifts and services, largely from the oil field service company Veco and its chief executive, his former friend Bill Allen. Most of the gifts are connected to renovations that doubled the size of the Stevenses' home.

His testimony follows that of his wife, Catherine, who was a defense witness earlier in the day.