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Donald Trump made a surprise campaign stop at a construction site in New York early on Thursday morning en route to day seven of his hush money trial, where the jury is hearing further testimony from a former tabloid mogul who detailed the “catch-and-kill” scheme central to the case.
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified on Tuesday about his agreement with Mr Trump and former attorney Michael Cohen to “kill” stories about the defendant’s alleged affairs.
New York Justice Juan Merchan may additionally rule in the present day on whether or not Mr Trump needs to be held in contempt and fined $10,000 for allegedly violating a trial gag order by posting about witnesses and jurors on Truth Social.
Elsewhere, 11 native Republicans and several other key Trump allies have been indicted in Arizona for allegedly becoming a member of a failed “fake elector” plot through the aftermath of the 2020 election to falsely certify Mr Trump’s victory within the state.
And, in Washington DC, attorneys for the previous president will in the present day ship oral arguments in entrance of the US Supreme Court in help of his “presidential immunity” defence towards prosecution in what guarantees to be a landmark listening to.
Alex Woodward is offering dwell updates from the courthouse in Manhattan.
Pecker had lunch with Karen McDougal, Keith Davidson and Dylan Howard at Il Pastino the place 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 mentioned. “I wanted her to remain within our [long pause] family.”
Pecker had lunch with Karen McDougal, Keith Davidson and Dylan Howard at Il Pastino the place 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 mentioned. “I wanted her to remain within our [long pause] family.”
Alex Woodward25 April 2024 19:41
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”.
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”.
Alex Woodward25 April 2024 19:39
Pecker is again on the stand. The jury is coming again.
We’re presupposed to wrap by 4:30ish, and the prosecution nonetheless has a whole lot of time left on their estimated clock for questioning. It’s uncertain we’ll get to cross-examination in the present day. That’ll in all probability eat up Friday, however we would get a sign of who’s up subsequent on the stand.
Judge Merchan additionally has not issued any ruling on the gag order.
Pecker is again on the stand. The jury is coming again.
We’re presupposed to wrap by 4:30ish, and the prosecution nonetheless has a whole lot of time left on their estimated clock for questioning. It’s uncertain we’ll get to cross-examination in the present day. That’ll in all probability eat up Friday, however we would get a sign of who’s up subsequent on the stand.
Judge Merchan additionally has not issued any ruling on the gag order.
Alex Woodward25 April 2024 19:27
Court resumes
Court is now again in session following the lunch break, with Donald Trump seated on the defence desk and Judge Juan Merchan again on the bench.
Alex Woodword is reporting for The Independent from the courtroom…
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 19:18
Supreme Court justices seem poised to supply Trump some immunity
Ariana Baio was following this morning’s oral arguments on presidential immunity earlier than the Supreme Court:
During oral arguments on Thursday, the conservative male majority of the court docket toyed with the concept of awarding some protections to the previous president in his case arguing he has presidential immunity from costs introduced by Special Counsel Jack Smith relating to election interference.
A choice that aligns with that might narrowly rule that sure forms of “official acts” are protected against legal prosecution – probably sending Mr Trump’s case again right down to a decrease court docket for evaluate.
If that’s the case, it might hand the previous president a win by additional delaying the federal election interference case from going to trial.
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 19:05
Trump claims campus protests are worse than lethal white supremacist rally in Charlottesville
Donald Trump has claimed that the antisemitic, white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 was “peanuts” in comparison with the present pro-Palestine demonstrations throughout US faculty campuses.
“Joe Biden would say, constantly, that he ran because of Charlottesville,” he wrote, referencing the 2020 election.
“Well, if that’s the case, he’s done a really terrible job because Charlottesville is like a ‘peanut’ compared to the riots and anti-Israel protests that are happening all over our Country, RIGHT NOW.”
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 18:45
Trump meets New Yorkers forward of resumption of hush money trial
Donald Trump met with New Yorkers on Thursday 25 April, forward of the resumption of his legal hush money trial. The former president is accused of falsifying business data documenting a $130,000 fee to porn star Stormy Daniels to maintain her quiet about an affair she mentioned she had with Mr Trump in 2006. He has pleaded not responsible to 34 felony counts and denied having an affair with Ms Daniels, whose actual identify is Stephanie Clifford. The trial is the primary of a previous or current US president and carries political dangers for Mr Trump as he prepares for a November rematch with Joe Biden.
Trump meets New Yorkers forward of resumption of hush money trial
Donald Trump met with New Yorkers on Thursday 25 April, forward of the resumption of his legal hush money trial. The former president is accused of falsifying business data documenting a $130,000 fee to porn star Stormy Daniels to maintain her quiet about an affair she mentioned she had with Mr Trump in 2006. He has pleaded not responsible to 34 felony counts and denied having an affair with Ms Daniels, whose actual identify is Stephanie Clifford. The trial is the primary of a previous or current US president and carries political dangers for Mr Trump as he prepares for a November rematch with Joe Biden.
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 18:15
Pecker seems to be handed transcripts of FBI interviews however 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 round with that reply. He has in any other case spoken fairly slowly, clearly, and quietly.
The jury is excused for lunch.
Court will resume at 2.15pm.
Pecker seems to be handed transcripts of FBI interviews however 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 round with that reply. He has in any other case spoken fairly slowly, clearly, and quietly.
The jury is excused for lunch.
Court will resume at 2.15pm.
Alex Woodward25 April 2024 18:01
Pecker is describing a gathering at Trump Tower on 6 January 2017, the place James Comey, Reince Priebus, Mike Pompeo, and Sean Spicer have been updating Trump on the Fort Lauderdale mass taking pictures
Bodyguard Keith Schiller was there. “How’s our girl?” he requested. “He was referring to Karen McDougal. ’She’s cool, very quiet, no issues.’”
When Pecker met with Trump, Trump requested him: “How’s our girl?”
Trump thanked him for dealing with 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 involved about his household.
“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.”
Pecker is describing a gathering at Trump Tower on 6 January 2017, the place James Comey, Reince Priebus, Mike Pompeo, and Sean Spicer have been updating Trump on the Fort Lauderdale mass taking pictures
Bodyguard Keith Schiller was there. “How’s our girl?” he requested. “He was referring to Karen McDougal. ’She’s cool, very quiet, no issues.’”
When Pecker met with Trump, Trump requested him: “How’s our girl?”
Trump thanked him for dealing with 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 involved about his household.
“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.”
Alex Woodward25 April 2024 17:54
In a dialog with Trump, Pecker advised 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.”
In a dialog with Trump, Pecker advised 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.”
Alex Woodward25 April 2024 17:49
