After a tense week of jury selection, Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is now truly underway. This morning the prosecution and defence teams presented their opening statements.
The first witness called to the stand is tabloid mogul David Pecker, who owned The National Enquirer and was part of the scandal “catch-and-kill” scheme.
New York Justice Juan Merchan ruled that Manhattan prosecutors can question Mr Trump about a blockbuster fraud ruling, gag order violations and defamation verdicts if he chooses to testify.
The defendant spent much of the weekend complaining about the case on Truth Social and angrily posting his presidential immunity claims — on which the Supreme Court will hear arguments this Thursday.
Meanwhile, figures released by the Federal Election Commission revealed that legal fees had eaten up three-quarters of the cash from the pro-Trump Save America PAC, a key fundraising group.
Elsewhere among the myriad legal issues engulfing the former president, an agreement has been reached over Mr Trump’s $175m bond to appeal the civil fraud trial ruling and the public filing is due of witness statements in the classified documents case.
Alex Woodward is providing live updates from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan
New Pearl Jam song is about Donald Trump ‘playing the victim’
“Wreckage” appears on Dark Matter, the Seattle band’s twelfth album, which was released on Friday (19 April).
Singer-songwriter Vedder, 59, told The Times that the song represents an appeal for unity.
Kevin E G Perry has the story:
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 20:00
Watch: Biden campaign and White House ‘well-served by being hands-off’ on Trump trial
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 19:40
Melania Trump selling Mother’s Day necklace for $245
Ms Trump’s new necklace, named “Her Love & Gratitude”, retails for a pricey $245, is made from gold vermeil and features a flower pendant with heart-shaped petals and adjustable 16-18 inch chain and can be engraved with names, initials or meaningful dates, according to her website.
Joe Sommerlad has the details…
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 19:20
This morning in court – in sketches
No cameras in court, no problem… Here’s how courtroom sketch artists captured today’s historic trial of former president Donald Trump.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 19:09
Civil fraud trial: Trump reaches deal with New York AG Letitia James over bond
The dispute centered around the underwriter: Knight Specialty Insurance Company (KSIC) a California-based company that gave Mr Trump an 11th-hour lifeline. The company is part of the Knight Insurance Group, chaired by billionaire Don Hankey.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 19:00
‘It was election fraud. Pure and simple’: Trump trial hears 2016 scheme in opening statements
Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan:
In their opening arguments to jurors, Manhattan prosecutors outlined Donald Trump’s alleged criminal conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election by paying off publishers to bury compromising stories.
“This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover up,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo told jurors on Monday.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 18:40
Watch: Trump is ‘annoyed, resigned, maybe angry’ according to Rachel Maddow
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 18:31
RFK Jr sapping more support from Trump than Biden, poll finds
Anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr’s long-shot presidential bid appears to be drawing more support from former president Donald Trump than President Joe Biden, according to a new poll.
The survey of 1,000 registered voters, conducted between 12-15 April by NBC News, revealed that Mr Biden is trailing Mr Trump by two percentage points in a hypothetical two-way race, 46 per cent to 44 per cent.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 18:20
Trump delivers usual list of grievances outside courtroom
Donald Trump spoke at the media as he left the courtroom and delivered the latest remix of his usual list of grievances, heavily weighted toward the civil fraud trial (in which there was a development today regarding the appeal bond)
He also argued that he should be out on the campaign trail, making an odd claim that “people” came up to him in court to say they couldn’t believe he was indicted in this case.
The former president appears to want to frame this as some kind of bookkeeping error of which he was completely unaware. He also made a point of saying that they didn’t claim the payment to Cohen as a tax deduction, which appears to be evidence of more of an attempt to not leave a paper trail…
Mr Trump yet again baselessly accused President Joe Biden of orchestrating all of the civil and criminal cases against him. That is not true.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 18:05
Meanwhile, in another court…
Donald Trump has reached a deal with New York Attorney General Letitia James over his multi-million dollar civil fraud bond.
After weeks of back-and-forth between Donald Trump’s legal team and the New York Attorney General’s Office over the $175m bond in his civil fraud ruling, the two sides have agreed to allow the bond to be backed by a California-based company so long as it the collateral remains in cash, among other stipulations.
On Monday, attorneys for Mr Trump and Letitia James’ office met for a hearing on the bond dispute, approximately 500 feet from where opening arguments began in Mr Trump’s first criminal trial.
The dispute centered around the underwriter: Knight Specialty Insurance Company (KSIC) a California-based company that gave Mr Trump an 11th-hour lifeline. The company is part of the Knight Insurance Group, chaired by billionaire Don Hankey.
KSCI disagreed, claiming in a filing that they could because it was backed in a Charles Schwab account pledged to them.
After a relatively brief hearing on Monday, lawyers for Mr Trump and Ms James’ office came to an agreement that would keep the $175m in collateral in cash, have KSCI maintain control of it and KSCI will designate an agent to accept legal services on their behalf in New York.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 17:50
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
