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Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial continues today at Manhattan Criminal Court with adult film actor Stormy Daniels currently testifying.
The key witness took the stand and regaled jurors with how she met the former president, the lead-up to their now-infamous sexual encounter in July 2006 and what happened in the years after, leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
After lunch, the defence moved for a mistrial given her “prejudicial” evidence.
On Monday, the jury heard from Jeffrey McConney and Deborah Tarasoff, about the paper trail within the Trump Organization leading to Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to Daniels to ensure her silence about the sexual encounter, which his inner circle feared could sink his campaign.
Earlier that day, Judge Juan Merchan found the former president in contempt of court for a tenth time, fining him another $1,000 and warning that the next violation of his gag order would result in jail time.
As the day drew to a close, the prosecution told Judge Merchan that they expect to be able to wrap up their case in about two weeks, with Cohen among the witnesses yet to be called.
The Independent’s Alex Woodward is covering the trial at Manhattan Criminal Court.
Key Points
- Stormy Daniels testifies that Trump said she reminded him of his daughter
- Trump told Stormy Daniels he and Melania ‘don’t sleep in the same room‘, she testifies
- Judge threatens Trump with jail over gag order violations
- Key takeaways from start of third week of testimony
- Stormy Daniels may seal Trump’s fate. How did a porn star become one of the most powerful people in politics?
“Your honor knew this was an issue … but now we’ve heard it, and it is an issue,” Blanche continues.
“The issue is she has testified today about consent, about danger. That’s not the point of this case. … And that’s not the story she was selling in 2016.”
“This is the kind of testimony that makes it impossible to come back from, not even talking about the fact we’re talking about someone who is going to go out and campaign this afternoon.”
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 19:08 1715105171When Daniels mentions meeting in a “public place,” “What’s the jury to do with that?” Blanche says.
“It’s extraordinarily prejudicial to insert safety concerns into a trial about business records.”
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 19:06 1715105053Defence asks for mistrial
Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s lead defence attorney, has asked Judge Merchan for a mistrial following this morning’s testimony from Stormy Daniels.
Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse:
Blanche says: “The court set guardrails for this testimony, and the guardrails from this witness … were just thrown to the side.”
Her testimony was “so unduly and inappropriately prejudicial” and there is “no remedy … to unring this bell.”
“All of this has nothing to do with this case, and is extraordinarily prejudicial.”
Other than for the “pure embarrassment,” her testimony is intended “to inflame this jury to not look at the evidence that matters but just here from this witness.”
Oliver O'Connell7 May 2024 19:04 1715104897Court resumes after lunch
Per pool: “Trump reentered the courtroom at 1:57pm. Waved with his right hand did not answer questions. Eric did not answer questions.”
Judge Juan Merchan has returned to the bench.
Oliver O'Connell7 May 2024 19:01 1715104545RFK Jr sues Meta after Facebook and Instagram blocked his video
The political action committee behind a 30-minute infomercial meant to pitch voters on independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr says it will file a lawsuit against Meta after the company’s platforms temporarily blocked posting of a link to the campaign video last week.
The short film, titled Who is Bobby Kennedy?, is meant to introduce voters to the long-shot contender, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist who is also the son of late New York senator Robert F Kennedy. Instagram and Facebook, which are both owned by Meta, made the video temporarily unavailable after it was first posted.
Slickly produced, the video is the product of work by The Morning Show creatorJay Carson and opens with Mr Kennedy reading press clippings describing him in negative terms. It became available on 3 May via YouTube, but in the days immediately following the commercial’s launch, the super PAC claims Meta deliberately blocked it.
A spokesperson for Meta, Andy Stone, denied the claims in a statement and said the video was temporarily blocked because it had been classified as spam.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
RFK Jr sues Meta after Facebook and Instagram blocked his campaign video
Super PAC backing the environmental lawyer-turned-conspiracy theorist claims censorship
Oliver O'Connell7 May 2024 18:55 1715103655‘Smart, blonde and beautiful’: Stormy Daniels testifies that Trump said she reminded him of his daughter
Kelly Rissman reports:
Key hush money trial witness Stormy Daniels took the stand, regaling jurors with how she met former president Donald Trump and the lead-up to their now-infamous sexual encounter — that included Mr Trump telling the porn star that she reminded him of his daughter.
The porn star’s highly anticipated testimony comes on Tuesday, the fourth week of the hush money trial. Mr Trump has been accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to so-called hush money payments given to Ms Daniels ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about the alleged affair in 2006 — one year after he married Melania.
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Stormy Daniels testifies that Trump said she reminded him of his daughter
She recalled his hotel suite being ‘three times the size of my apartment’
Oliver O'Connell7 May 2024 18:40 1715102445Former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia says he’s voting for Biden
Geoff Duncan, a lifetime member of the GOP and former lieutenant governor of Georgia, has revealed he will be voting for Joe Biden this November after heavily criticising presumed rival Donald Trump and warning of the threat he poses to the presidency.
Amelia Neath reports.
Former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia says he’s voting for Biden
’This November, I am voting for a decent person I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant without a moral compass,’ says Geoff Duncan
Oliver O'Connell7 May 2024 18:20 1715101255Classified documents case: Trump team handed a win
John Bowden reports:
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s classified documents case in Florida just handed the former president’s team more time.
Judge Aileen Cannon just removed a deadline for his team to submit a key filing, which was originally set for this coming Thursday. That key filing was a list of classified materials they plan to present as evidence at trial.
This is a win for Trump in the political sense, as it makes it unlikely that he will go on trial for mishandling classified materials before the November presidential election.
Continue reading...
Trump’s team given another small win in his classified documents case
Ex-president’s team has pursued a strategy of pushing back deadlines so that he avoids going on trial before the November election. The latest development is a triumph for that strategy
Oliver O'Connell7 May 2024 18:00 1715100602The contract included a list of eight names that Daniels provided. Those were the friends she told the story to.
She was concerned that the payment was late, not necessarily because of the money but because she was worried that if Trump won and “got what he wanted,” she would continue to feel unsafe with her story out there.
Judge Merchan excuses the jurors for lunch.
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 17:50 1715100211There was a four-day deadline to pay, says Daniels.
“I was afraid if it wasn’t done before the nominations and things that it wasn’t safe and he wouldn’t pay. … The election, is what I meant to say.”
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 17:43 Newer1 / 9OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
