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Stormy Daniels took the stand at Trump's hush-money trial Tuesday. "My name is Stormy Daniels," the porn star at the center of the historic trial said as she swore to tell the truth while at the witness stand of a Manhattan courtroom, just 20 feet from Trump. Daniels told the jury she directed her first adult film at age 23. Advertisement"They marked it down in the books, the check was signed," Trump told reporters before he headed into the courtroom. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger explained that there will be details in Daniels' testimony about how the porn star "ended up having a sexual encounter" with Trump.

Persons: Stormy Daniels, Trump, Daniels, —, Donald Trump's, Stephanie Clifford, Susan Hoffinger, Daniels —, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Michael Cohen, fumed, Cohen, We're, Susan Necheles, Juan Merchan, It's, Necheles, Merchan, Hoffinger Organizations: Service, Trump, Prosecutors, Attorney, Trump Organization, New Locations: Trump, Manhattan, Trump's, Lake Tahoe, Israel

☆ Trump trial: Ex-president posts — then quickly deletes — message about witness schedule, hush money judge
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Donald Trump posted — and then quickly deleted — a statement Tuesday raging over the witness schedule and the judge in his criminal hush money trial. Trump fumed that prosecutors are not telling defense attorneys which witnesses they plan to call until the day before the witness testifies. "I have just recently been told who the witness is today. This is unprecedented, no time for lawyers to prepare," Trump wrote in the post. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told Merchan on Monday the Manhattan District Attorney's office is keeping its witness schedule hidden, in order to stop Trump from targeting people right before they take the stand.

Persons: Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels, Judge Juan Merchan, Trump, Joshua Steinglass, Merchan Organizations: Manhattan District, Trump Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S

☆ Judge threatens Trump with contempt for 'cursing audibly' during Stormy Daniels testimony, new trial transcript shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In a private sidebar conversation, Donald Trump's hush-money judge said he acted out while Stormy Daniels testified. Trump was "cursing audibly" and "uttered a vulgarity" while Daniels answered questions for jurors, the judge said. "I understand that your client is upset at this point, but he is cursing audibly, and he is shaking his head visually and that's contemptuous," Merchan told Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche. AdvertisementDonald Trump was "cursing audibly" during testimony from Stormy Daniels, according to New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan. The judge also said Trump "uttered a vulgarity" when Daniels testified about "The Apprentice."

Persons: Donald Trump's, Stormy Daniels, Trump, audibly, Daniels, —, Juan Merchan, Merchan, Todd Blanche, Donald Trump, Susan Hoffinger, Hoffinger, Blanche, Jean Carroll's, Lewis Kaplan, Carroll, Kaplan Organizations: Service, New, Trump, New York, NBC Locations: Lake Tahoe , California, New, Manhattan, Trump's

Ms. Daniels could take the stand to testify against Mr. Trump as early as this week. Her presence would let Mr. Trump’s defense lawyers attack Ms. Daniels as an extortionist and question her credibility. Nor can she testify about the plan for Mr. Trump to hide his reimbursements to Mr. Cohen by characterizing them as legal fees. Mr. Trump’s lawyers contend that he did not know that the checks he signed for Mr. Cohen were not for legal fees, and that Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump’s employees were responsible for any false records. “He has never thought that the little man, or especially women, and even more, women like me, matter,” Ms. Daniels said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Alvin L, Bragg, Trump’s, Michael Bachner, Bachner, Dave Sanders, Stephanie Clifford, Barrett, “ I’m, Donald Trump, ” Ms, Norm, ”, Peacock, J., r. “ Organizations: Mr, The New York Times Locations: Manhattan, New York City, Baton Rouge, La, Texas, Florida, New York

Donald Trump's attorneys moved for a mistrial Tuesday over Stormy Daniels' testimony. AdvertisementDonald Trump's attorneys moved for a mistrial over Stormy Daniels' graphic testimony on Tuesday, but the judge swiftly denied that motion. Merchan added he was "surprised" the former president's defense team did not raise more objections during Daniels' testimony. "There's no way to unring the bell in our view," Blanche had told the court as he called Daniels' testimony "unduly prejudicial." Merchan ultimately ruled that Daniels' testimony did not rise to the level of scuttling the trial.

Persons: Donald, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, —, Donald Trump's, Juan Merchan, Blanche, Merchan, Trump's, Todd Blanche, Trump, Susan Necheles Organizations: Trump, Service, New, Merchan, Prosecutors Locations: Manhattan, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas

Judge Juan Merchan hit Trump with his 10th gag order violation Monday, along with a warning of jail. Merely fining Trump $1,000 per violation has not been a sufficient deterrent, the judge said. Advertisement"The last thing I want to do is put you in jail," Merchan added. AdvertisementMerchan fined Trump an additional $1,000 for violating his gag order on Monday, bringing the total amount Trump has now been fined for breaching the order to $10,000. Last week, the former president was fined $9,000 for violating his gag order nine other times.

Persons: Juan Merchan, Trump, —, Donald Trump's, Merchan, incarcerating Trump, Stormy Daniels, Trump's, Michael Cohen, Daniels Organizations: Trump, Service, Secret Service, —, GOP, Prosecutors, Daniels Locations: York, Manhattan, United States

Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan has reached the third week of testimony, and there are only a few key witnesses who have yet to take the stand. There is Michael D. Cohen, the Trump fixer who made that payment and is expected to be crucial for the prosecution. And there are several employees of the Trump family business, who helped the then-president reimburse Mr. Cohen. The exact order of witnesses is unclear, but the trial is zipping along and the prosecution could wrap up in little more than two weeks. Ms. Daniels could testify as soon as this week, bringing her face to face with Mr. Trump, who for years has attacked her.

Persons: Donald J, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, Daniels Organizations: Trump fixer Locations: Manhattan

☆ Trump Hush-Money Trial Sees 'Falsified' Documents at Heart of Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Those witnesses, longtime Trump Organization employees Jeffrey McConney and Deborah Tarassoff, handled the checks, invoices, and other records that comprise the 34 business records the Manhattan district attorney's office alleges Trump illegally falsified. He was sentenced to five months in jail in 2022 for a Trump Organization felony payroll tax-fraud prosecution, and is now serving another five-month sentence for felony perjury in last year's Trump Organization civil fraud trial. The Trump Organization needed to reimburse Cohen for some money, McConney testified that Weissberg told him. Yet another Trump Organization employee would FedEx the checks to Trump in DC, he testified. In the afternoon, prosecutor Christopher Conroy slogged through more records with Tarasoff, who said she has worked at the Trump Organization for 24 years.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Jeffrey McConney, Deborah Tarassoff, Trump, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Daniels, Melania Trump, McConney, Cohen, Allen Weisselberg, Weisselberg, Weissberg, Colangelo, Keith Davidson —, Jeffrey McConney's, pic.twitter.com, c2d9IQyKe5, Jacob Shamsian ⚖️, Dear Allen, Christopher Conroy slogged, Tarasoff, Todd Blanche, yawn, Conroy, Tarassoff, he'd Organizations: Service, Prosecutors, Trump, Business, Trump Organization, Attorney, Tahoe, White, FedEx Locations: Donald Trump's Manhattan, Manhattan, Weisselberg, Florida, Trump, New York, DC, Sharpie

☆ Why Does Trump Face Felony Charges? Prosecutors Say He Was Hiding Other Crimes.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Why are they felony charges? What is a felony? A felony is a crime of greater seriousness than a misdemeanor, and conviction of a felony carries the possible penalty of a year or more in prison. Falsifying business records in New York State can be a misdemeanor, but prosecutors can bring the charge as a felony if they believe the records were falsified to conceal another crime. Manhattan district attorney Alvin L. Bragg had suggested that Mr. Trump concealed three potential crimes, although he has not charged him with any of those.

Persons: Donald J, Stormy Daniels, Alvin L, Bragg, Trump Organizations: Trump Locations: New York, Manhattan

☆ Live Updates: Trump’s Criminal Trial Speeds Along, With Few Key Witnesses Remaining
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Ben Protess | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The Manhattan district attorney has charged Mr. Trump, 77, with falsifying 34 business records to hide a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who says she and Mr. Trump had a tryst in 2006 while he was married. Mr. Trump, the first American president to face criminal prosecution, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with Ms. Daniels. Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s 11th day, and third week, on trial:A scandalous recording resurfaces. Ms. Hicks recalled consulting with Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, who eventually paid Ms. Daniels to keep quiet. On Thursday, prosecutors presented four more incidents and called Mr. Trump’s statements “corrosive.” Mr. Trump’s legal team argued that he was merely responding to political attacks.

Persons: Hope Hicks, Donald J, Trump, Gasps, Trump’s, Hicks, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Ivanka, Donald Trump’s, Billy Bush, Mark Makela, Juan M, ” Mr, “, Karen McDougal, McDougal, Michael D, Cohen, —, Keith Davidson, Hillary Clinton, Davidson, Mr, Doug Mills, Clinton, ”, Justice Merchan, Merchan Organizations: White, White House, The Washington Post, ”, The New York, The, Wall Street, The National Enquirer, Trump, Manhattan Criminal, New York Times, Prosecutors, Mr Locations: Manhattan, Los Angeles

☆ Fact check: Another week, another round of false Trump claims about his trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Washington CNN —Former President Donald Trump continues to make false claims about his New York trial. Here’s a fact check of four false claims and one misleading claim he made about the trial in his courthouse comments last week. Judge Juan Merchan’s gag order, which narrowly restricts his out-of-court speech, does not in any way stop him from testifying. The gag order also does not broadly prevent Trump from talking. Trump’s campaign scheduleTrump continued Friday to complain that the New York trial is preventing him from being on the campaign trail.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, –, “ I’m, who’s, ”, he’s, I’m, Judge Juan Merchan’s, Joe Biden, Merchan, Rather, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bragg, it’s, “, ’ Trump, ’ ” Trump, ’, you’re, ” Trump, ” Merchan, Defendant, Biden, It’s, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, CNN’s Kristen Holmes Organizations: Washington CNN, New, Trump, Manhattan, Attorney, “, Republican, Miami, Prix, Georgia, Biden, Justice Department Locations: New York, Manhattan, Michigan, York, Fulton County , Georgia, Washington , DC, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Bedminster , New Jersey, York’s

☆ Trump hush-money porn star trial: Here's what's happened so far
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Former US President Donald Trump attends his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 2, 2024. The historic hush-money trial, which still has another three to five weeks to go, marks the first-ever criminal trial of an ex-U.S. president. Fined $9,000 for contempt of courtFormer US President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom at Manhattan criminal court in New York, US, on Friday, May 3, 2024. Prosecutors dig inRepublican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump shouts during a campaign event in Freeland, Michigan, U.S. May 1, 2024. Pecker, who said that he purchased the story in order to bury it, said that Trump never reimbursed the company.

Persons: Donald Trump, Doug Mills, He's, he's, Juan Merchan, Trump, Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Joe Biden, —, doesn't, Trump's protestation, Chris Conroy, Brendan Mcdermid, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, David Pecker, Pecker, Donald Trump's, Timothy A, Clary, Cohen, Karen McDougal, Rhona Graff, McDougal, Gary Farro, Keith Davidson, Davidson, Hope Hicks, Alex Wong Organizations: Manhattan Criminal, Afp, Getty, Manhattan Supreme, Reuters, Attorney, Trump, Truth Social, Republican, National Enquirer, American Media, White House, Capitol Locations: New York City, Manhattan, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Waukesha , Wisconsin, Freeland , Michigan, U.S, Republic, Washington , DC

☆ Cohen had 39,745 contacts stored in his iPhone, analyst tells Trump's hush-money trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Michael Cohen was found to have 39,745 contacts stored in his cellphone, said a data analyst. Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, is set to testify against the former president's New York trial. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementProsecutors at Donald Trump's hush money trial wrapped up Thursday's proceedings with testimony from a digital data analyst who works for the Manhattan District Attorney. Douglas Daus, testified he had extracted data from two iPhones belonging to Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, and so-called "fixer"One device had 39,745 contacts, which Daus described as "unusual."

Persons: Michael Cohen, Karen McDougal, Cohen, Trump's, —, Donald Trump's, Douglas Daus, Daus, I've, Hope Hicks, Trump, Allen Weisselberg, Lady Melania Trump, Jane Rosenberg, David, David Pecker, Todd Blanche, Donald, Von ShitzInPantz Organizations: Service, Manhattan, New, Attorney's, Associated Press, Trump Organization, Reuters, Trump, Playboy, American Media, fixer Locations: York, New York County

☆ Stormy unchained: Lawyers for Trump and porn star struggled to control her after hush-money story broke in 2018
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Text messages shown in Donald Trump's hush-money trial reveal attorneys' struggles to manage Stormy Daniels. Michael Cohen, Trump's ex-attorney, appeared frantic in messages after the hush-money story broke in 2018. Minutes later Cohen texted Davidson, "Please call me," before he again texted, "Cmon!" Advertisement"Why is she going on Kimmel after the Sotu," Cohen texted Davidson days earlier. "She just denied the letter," Cohen texted Davidson at the time.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen, Trump's, Cohen, Daniels, —, Keith Davidson, Davidson, Trump, Drew Angerer, Davidson texted Cohen, Cohen messaged Davidson, Stephanie Clifford —, Sean Hannity's, Davidson texted, Cohen texted Davidson, texted, Eduardo Munoz, Let's, Cohen backtracked, Michael Cohen's, Jane Rosenberg Davidson, Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel, Cohen messaged, Gina Rodriguez, Gina Organizations: Prosecutors, Trump, Service, Street, Sean Hannity's Fox, Manhattan, REUTERS, Attorney's Locations: Los Angeles, LA, Manhattan, NY

☆ Trump’s bombardment of dishonesty: Fact-checking 32 of his false claims to Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +43 min

We’re paying for close to 100% of NATO.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. They don’t pay their bills.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. (It rose to about $314 billion in 2020, Trump’s last full year in office.) Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. Facts First: Trump’s claim that “nobody died other than Ashli” is false.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, William Barr, Bill Barr, Barr, Bill, I’m, ”, it’s, Biden, Joe Biden, Tamar Hermann, Hermann, Bill Clinton, “ Trump, ” Trump, …, National Guard Trump, I’ve, George Floyd, Tim Walz, Walz, Paul —, –, Erwan, George Washington, “ don’t, they’re, Stoltenberg, Trump’s, Lagadec, Marc Lipsitch, Barack Obama, European Union won’t, Cortellessa, “ Moody’s, Moody’s, Mark Zandi, Zandi, ’ ” Zandi, Joe Biden’s, rioter Ashli Babbitt, Brian Sicknick, Sicknick, Trump’s ‘, patriotically, ‘, patriotically ’, ” Nancy Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi, “ Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi, Christopher Miller, Miller, Eric Cortellessa, Alvin Bragg’s, Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, Alvin Bragg, ” Cortellessa, Hillary Clinton, —, Roe, Wade, Kimberly Mutcherson, “ Donald Trump’s, Maya Manian, Mary Ziegler, Davis, Ziegler, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Roe should’ve, ’, Crime Biden, don’t, “ Biden, he’s, James Biden, Jeff Asher, Asher, It’s, ” “, ” Asher Organizations: Washington CNN, Time, Trump, NATO, Capitol, Trump’s, Trade Center, didn’t, World Trade Center, Department, ISIS, CNN, Democratic, White House, White, South Korea Trump, Pentagon’s Defense Manpower Data, Biden Administration, Congressional Research Service, Israel, Israeli Democracy Institute, National Guard, Minnesota Democratic Gov, Minnesota National Guard, Guard, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Transatlantic, for Disease Control, World Bank, Washington Post, Harvard, Harvard’s, National, Trump -, of Health, Human Services, Strategic, Biden, U.S . International Trade Commission, European, Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, European Union, US, European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association, Bloomberg Economics, US Capitol Police, Capitol Police, “, Republican, Democratic Rep, National Guardsmen, District of Columbia National Guard, Army, Capitol Police Board, Senate, Justice Department, Pulitzer Foundation, Pulitzer, New York Times, Electoral, Democrat, ” Rutgers Law, American University, university’s Health, University of California, ”, Customs, Border Protection, Crime, Manchurian, Republicans, FBI Locations: “, New York City, Saudi, Florida, al Qaeda, New York, Texas, Mexico, South Korea, Trump , South Korea, South, Korea, Israel, Washington, Trump , Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Trump, Minnesota, St, United States, Germany, Brussels, Belgium, Harvard University, China, EU, DC, Trump’s, ”, York, Manhattan, York’s, Russia, That’s

☆ Live updates: Pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia, UCLA campuses amid Israel's war in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | Dalia Faheid | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

More than 2,000 people have been arrested at colleges and universities since April 18 as a growing wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests ripples across the US. During the weeks of demonstrations, protesters have mainly called for schools to divest from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza. He drew a line between what he called peaceful and violent protests, repeated his support for Israel, and dismissed calls for the National Guard to intervene. Portland police officers standby on the campus of Portland State University in Portland on Thursday. University of California, Los Angeles: More than 200 people were arrested Thursday on suspicion of resisting orders to disperse from the now-dismantled encampment on the campus.

Persons: Joe Biden, John Rudoff Organizations: CNN, Israel, National Guard, Portland State University, Getty, University of Pennsylvania, Ivy League, Philadelphia Mayor’s, . Columbia University, New York Police Department, Emory University, The, Islamic Relations, University of California Locations: Israel, Gaza, Portland, AFP, Hamilton, Manhattan, Atlanta, Palestine, Georgia, Los Angeles

Much of Hicks’ testimony focused on her role on the Trump campaign in October 2016, just before Election Day. When cross-examining Hicks, Trump attorney Emil Bove elicited testimony that Trump was also concerned about what his wife would think. Video Ad Feedback Trump closed his eyes during Hope Hicks' testimony. There was a lot at play.”Hicks forwarded the email that included a transcript of the audio to several Trump campaign staffers including Kellyanne Conway. With Hicks’ testimony, prosecutors nudged closer to the repayment and the alleged charges.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Hope Hicks, Hicks, Daniels, Michael Cohen, “, ”, Trump, Matthew Colangelo, ” Hicks, Karen McDougal’s, Emil Bove, Kellyanne Conway, chuckling, Steve Bannon, Conway, Jared Kushner, Jason Miller, McDougal, Cohen, nudged, –, Honig, CNN Hicks, Colangelo, Michael, ‘ Mr, ’ Michael Cohen Trump’s, Douglas Daus, Trump’s, Daus, DANY, Cohen ”, ” Daus, Prosecutors, Chris Conroy, Judge Juan Merchan, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Daniel Dale, He’s, ” Merchan, ” Trump, Merchan Organizations: CNN, White House, Trump, Manhattan, Attorney’s Office, Trump White House, Trump Organization, Prosecutors, Wall Street, American Media, Inc, Wall, Washington Post, ” Prosecutors, House, New York Times, Trump “, Manhattan DA Locations: Washington, Manhattan, New York, Michigan

☆ Trump Trial Live Updates: Witness Who Extracted Secret Recordings to Return to the Stand
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Before the tape was revealed, Mr. Trump’s legal team aggressively attacked the credibility of Mr. Davidson during a cross-examination that quickly turned hostile. Frequently, Mr. Davidson would respond, “I don’t recall.”Mr. Bove confronted Mr. Davidson about his “fuzzy” memory and Mr. Davidson responded forcefully that his answers had been truthful. Image The jury heard a recording, made by Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s longtime fixer, during the 2016 campaign. That included one in which Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen discussed a hush-money deal for Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who was trying to sell a story about an affair with Mr. Trump. The potential witness list has several major names, including Ms. Daniels, Mr. Cohen and Hope Hicks, who is Mr. Trump’s former spokeswoman.

Persons: Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Donald J, Juan M, Trump, Merchan, Daniels, Davidson, Michael D, Cohen, Mr, Emil Bove, ” Mr, Bove, ”, “, Trump’s, Maansi Srivastava, Davidson’s, Justice Merchan, Alvin L, Bragg, Todd Blanche, ” Trump, Blanche, Doug Mills, Biden’s, Biden, We’re, Douglas Daus, Karen McDougal, Hope Hicks Organizations: Trump, Prosecutors, Trump White House, New York, ., White, Playboy Locations: Manhattan, Michigan, Wisconsin

☆ Hear the tapes: DA's theory of Trump as the hush-money mastermind takes a hit in newly-released defense recordings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Defense tapes played in court Thursday have been posted to SoundCloud by Law360. They are recordings of 2018 phone calls between the two lawyers who struck the 2016 hush-money deal. They suggest an alternate reality to the DA's — where Trump is more victim than mastermind. Davidson's surmise — that Cohen was likely taping him at the time — makes a pair of newly-released defense tapes all the more compelling and perplexing. AdvertisementAnd while Colangelo told jurors that prosecutors will prove Trump "orchestrated" an election-influencing hush-money conspiracy, the charges do not require proof of who played whom.

Persons: Trump, —, Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Davidson, Donald Trump's fixer, Davidson's, Daniels, Trump’s, Keith Davidson hesitantly, ODuQQ4i1tg, Frank G, hesitatingly, Attorney Alvin Bragg, 89n0yKPqe3, Anthony Kotzev, Gina Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo Organizations: Law360, Service, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump, Prosecutors

Hope Hicks, a former longtime advisor to Donald Trump, took the witness stand in his hush-money trial Friday. Hicks was Trump's 2016 campaign press secretary and later his White House communications director. AdvertisementHope Hicks, an ex-White House aide and longtime advisor to Donald Trump, broke down in tears while on the witness stand on Friday in the former president's hush-money criminal trial. After answering "yes," Hicks grabbed a tissue and turned to her left while sitting on the witness stand. Hicks took the witness stand again after about a five-minute break, looking flushed but calmer.

Persons: Hope Hicks, Donald Trump, Hicks, —, Emil Bove, Ms, Juan Merchan, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Trump's, Michael Cohen, Hicks —, Cohen, Daniels Organizations: White House, Service, White, Trump Organization, Trump, Prosecutors, Attorney's, Daniels, National Enquirer Locations: Trump, Manhattan

☆ Trump trial resumes after infamous Cohen phone call tape is played for jury
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the first day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024 in New York City. The lawyer, Keith Davidson, negotiated six-figure hush money deals for porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal ahead of the 2016 presidential election. On the night Trump won that election, Davidson texted the Enquirer's then-editor in chief, "What have we done?" But he added that he and the top editor, Dylan Howard, understood at the time that "our activities may have in some way assisted the presidential campaign of Donald Trump." Jurors heard a recording of Trump saying asking Cohen, "So what do we got to pay for this — 150?"

Persons: Donald Trump, Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, Trump, Daniels, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Judge Juan Merchan, Merchan, Davidson, Trump's, Michael Cohen, David Pecker, Dylan Howard, Douglas Daus, Cohen, McDougal Organizations: U.S, Manhattan Criminal, Prosecutors, New, Trump, Manhattan, Attorney, National Enquirer, American Media Locations: New York City, New York

☆ Who Is Hope Hicks, Once One of Trump’s Most Trusted Advisers?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Maggie Haberman | Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hope Hicks was 26 years old and had no political experience when Donald J. Trump plucked her from a job at his daughter Ivanka’s clothing business and hired her for his presidential campaign in 2015. In the years that followed, she rose to be one of his most trusted advisers, eventually serving as the White House communications director. But Mr. Trump has been angry with Ms. Hicks since 2022, when text messages emerged during a House investigation into his efforts to stay in power after his election loss. The messages showed that she had been critical of him after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by his supporters. Now, Ms. Hicks, 35, has taken the stand in Mr. Trump’s hush-money trial in a Lower Manhattan courtroom.

Persons: Hope Hicks, Donald J, Trump, Hicks, Trump’s, Michael D, Cohen Organizations: White House, Capitol, Trump Locations: Lower Manhattan, Manhattan

☆ N.Y.P.D. Says Police Officer Accidentally Fired Gun Inside Columbia Building
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Andrés R. Martínez | More About Andrés R. Martínez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An officer whose gun went off inside a Columbia University building this week fired it accidentally as the police were removing pro-Palestinian protesters from the campus, the New York Police Department said on Thursday. The officer, who was not identified, was approaching a barricade on the first floor of Hamilton Hall when he fired his gun, which had a flashlight on it, the police said. The shooting was captured on the officer’s body camera, which was handed over to the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The episode did not come to light until Thursday, when The City, a local news organization, published a story that said a shot had been fired inside Hamilton Hall on Tuesday as police cleared the Columbia campus of protesters. It was the second time in two weeks that Columbia officials asked the police to enter the Manhattan campus to remove demonstrators.

Organizations: Columbia University, New York Police, Hamilton Hall, Hamilton, Columbia Locations: Manhattan, The City

☆ Hope Hicks Takes the Stand: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gasps were heard in the overflow courtroom when Hope Hicks was called as a witness on Friday in Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, an audible sign of the anticipation as Mr. Trump’s former press secretary and White House communications director took the stand. In nearly three hours on the stand, Ms. Hicks described the impact on Mr. Trump’s campaign of the so-called “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Mr. Trump bragged about grabbing women’s genitals. As soon as the tape was disclosed in October 2016, Ms. Hicks said, she knew it would be “a massive story.”Taking the stand under a subpoena, Ms. Hicks said she was nervous, and at one point, early in the cross-examination, she broke down in tears. The Manhattan district attorney has charged Mr. Trump, 77, with falsifying 34 business records to hide a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who says she and Mr. Trump had a tryst in 2006 while he was married. Mr. Trump, the first American president to face criminal prosecution, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with Ms. Daniels.

Persons: Gasps, Hope Hicks, Donald J, Trump’s, Hicks, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels Organizations: White House Locations: Manhattan

It might seem strange that prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office are eliciting such testimony about their central witness, especially given that the defense has already begun attacking Mr. Cohen’s credibility. Mr. Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal crimes in 2018, was often belligerent as he did Mr. Trump’s bidding. It appears that the district attorney’s office will seek to turn that to their advantage: So far, they’ve drawn smiles and chuckles from jurors when asking witnesses to discuss Mr. Cohen. “I didn’t want to receive a million frustrating phone calls from Michael,” said the lawyer, Keith Davidson, who in 2016 represented a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who received the hush money. Prosecutors have accused the former president of falsifying business records to cover up the hush money deal and charged him with 34 felonies.

Persons: Cohen, they’ve, “, Michael, ”, Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Trump Organizations: Prosecutors Locations: Manhattan

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