Trump trial live updates: Latest news coverage on hush money case

Pecker had lunch with Karen McDougal, Keith Davidson and Dylan Howard at Il Pastino where she talked “about the articles she was preparing with ghostwriters” and that she was upset that “articles were taking a while, she hasn’t been trained for media training because she wanted to be that anchor on the red carpet for Radar”.

“For my standpoint, the purpose of the meeting was to make sure she’s compliant with the agreement,” Pecker said. “I wanted her to remain within our [long pause] family.”

Trump invited Pecker to the White House for a “thank you dinner.”

“He invited myself and my wife. She didn’t want to go to Washington.”

“Mr Trump asked me to join him in a walk from the Oval Office to the dining area … as we walked out, President Trump asked me how is Karen doing? So I said she’s doing well, she’s quiet, things are going good.”

Dylan Howard texted Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal’s attorney Keith Davidson on 12 July 2017: “Surreal last night”.

Pecker is back on the stand. The jury is coming back.

We’re supposed to wrap by 4:30ish, and the prosecution still has a lot of time left on their estimated clock for questioning. It’s doubtful we’ll get to cross-examination today. That’ll probably eat up Friday, but we might get an indication of who’s up next on the stand.

Judge Merchan also has not issued any ruling on the gag order.

Pecker appears to be handed transcripts of FBI interviews but there’s an objection and sidebar

“Prior to the election, if a negative story was coming out with respect to Donald Trump, and he spoke about it, he was concerned about Melania … What the family might hear … After the campaign when I was in his office and we were discussing this, he was concerned about the doorman story with respect to, if the story came out, which wasn’t true, about him having an illegitimate child, I didn’t hear or discuss his concern what would Melania say or what Ivanka would say.”

Pecker was fumbling around with that answer. He has otherwise spoken pretty slowly, clearly, and quietly.

The jury is excused for lunch.

Court will resume at 2.15pm.

Pecker is describing a meeting at Trump Tower on 6 January 2017, where James Comey, Reince Priebus, Mike Pompeo, and Sean Spicer were updating Trump on the Fort Lauderdale mass shooting

Bodyguard Keith Schiller was there. “How’s our girl?” he asked. “He was referring to Karen McDougal. ’She’s cool, very quiet, no issues.’”

When Pecker met with Trump, Trump asked him: “How’s our girl?”

Trump thanked him for handling McDougal and “the doorman situation.”

“He said the stories would be very embarrassing … to him, his family and the campaign.”

Steinglass asks if he believed Trump was concerned about his family.

“In conversations I had with Michael Cohen with respect to both of these stories, his family was never mentioned. Conversations I had directly with Mr Trump, his family was never mentioned,” Pecker says.

“The concern was the campaign.”

In a conversation with Trump, Pecker told him: “I said, Michael Cohen is very concerned about this bonus this year and I want you to know he’s very loyal, he’s been working very hard from my perspective, I believe he’d throw himself in front of a bus for you.”

Pecker says that “Mr Trump told me, I don’t know what you’re talking about. He said Michael Cohen has multiple apartments in my buildings. … He owns 15 taxi medallions. He said, Don’t worry about it I’ll take care of it.”