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On Today’s Episode:Biden’s Lapses Are Said to Be Increasingly Common and Worrisome, by Peter Baker, David E. Sanger, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Katie RogersDemocrats Go Public With Panic About Biden Amid Fears of an Electoral Debacle, by Catie Edmondson, Kellen Browning and Nicholas NehamasJudge Delays Trump’s Sentencing Until Sept. 18 After Immunity Claim, by Ben Protess, William K. Rashbaum, Kate Christobek and Wesley Parnell

Persons: Said, Peter Baker, David E, Sanger, Zolan Kanno, Katie Rogers, Biden, Catie Edmondson, Kellen Browning, Nicholas Nehamas, Ben Protess, William K, Rashbaum, Kate Christobek, Wesley Parnell Organizations: Go

Prosecutors in Manhattan said on Friday that a judge should extend major elements of a gag order that was placed on Donald J. Trump, citing dozens of death threats made to District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg and other officials. The order, issued before Mr. Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial began in mid-April, bars him from attacking witnesses, jurors, court staff and members of the family of the judge who presided over the trial, Juan M. Merchan. It does not prohibit Mr. Trump from criticizing Mr. Bragg, Justice Merchan or the trial itself. In a 19-page filing on Friday, prosecutors argued that Justice Merchan no longer needed to enforce the portion of the gag order relating to trial witnesses, but they said he should keep in place the provisions protecting jurors, prosecutors, court staff and their families. The New York Police Department has logged 56 “actionable threats” since the beginning of April directed against Mr. Bragg, his family and staff members in his office, according to an affidavit provided with the filing.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Attorney Alvin L, Bragg, Trump’s, Juan M, Justice Merchan, Merchan Organizations: Attorney, The New York Police, Mr Locations: Manhattan

☆ How Prosecutors Made the Case Against Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

For years, prosecutors debated, fought and even, in at least two cases, resigned over the fate of the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into Donald J. Trump. Some legal experts predicted it would be the downfall of the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg. But on Thursday, a jury swiftly and decisively vindicated the risky strategy that Mr. Bragg employed to bring 34 felony counts against the former president. Prosecutors were helped by state election law, two judges who allowed their novel legal theory to proceed and their ability to make the most of a high-risk witness, Mr. Trump’s former fixer, Michael D. Cohen. The jury’s verdict — guilty on all 34 felony counts — represented a landmark victory for Mr. Bragg, who claimed a place in history as the first prosecutor to indict, prosecute and convict a former U.S. president.

Persons: Donald J, Alvin L, Bragg, Prosecutors, Trump’s, Michael D, Cohen, —, Mr Organizations: Trump Locations: Manhattan, U.S

Donald J. Trump was convicted on Thursday of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign, capping an extraordinary trial that tested the resilience of the American justice system and transformed the former commander in chief into a felon. The guilty verdict in Manhattan — across the board, on all 34 counts — will reverberate throughout the nation and the world as it ushers in a new era of presidential politics. Mr. Trump will carry the stain of the verdict during his third run for the White House as voters now choose between an unpopular incumbent and a convicted criminal. While it was once unthinkable that Americans would elect a felon as their leader, Mr. Trump’s insurgent behavior delights his supporters as he bulldozes the country’s norms. Now, the man who refused to accept his 2020 election loss is already seeking to delegitimize his conviction, attempting to assert the primacy of his raw political power over the nation’s rule of law.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Organizations: White Locations: American, Manhattan —

☆ Ex-President, Felon and Candidate: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Conviction
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was an end like no other for a trial like no other: a former American president found guilty of 34 felonies. The former president and the presumptive Republican nominee was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a scheme to cover up an extramarital tryst with a porn star, Stormy Daniels, in 2006. That encounter — which the former president denied — led to a $130,000 hush-money payment whose concealment gave rise to the 34 counts of falsifying business records that made Mr. Trump a felon. Mr. Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for July 11; he has indicated he will appeal. Here are five takeaways from the last day of Mr. Trump’s momentous trial.

Persons: Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels, —, Trump Organizations: Republican Locations: American, Manhattan

☆ Jury Deliberations Are Starting in Trump’s Trial. Here’s How They Work.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Kate Christobek | More About Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The jurors’ verdict on each count — guilty or not guilty — must be unanimous. Mr. Trump also must remain inside the courthouse while the jury is deliberating. If the jury finds that he is guilty of even one of the counts, the judge will sentence Mr. Trump at a later date. But if they find that he is not guilty of all of the charges, Mr. Trump will be acquitted. If the jurors cannot reach a verdict, they will inform the judge, who will urge them to continue their deliberations.

Persons: Trump, Stormy Daniels

☆ What Penalties Could Trump Face if He Is Convicted?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Kate Christobek | More About Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If Donald J. Trump is convicted, it will be up to Justice Juan M. Merchan to decide whether his punishment will include prison time. Mr. Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the coverup of a $130,000 hush money payment that was made to the porn star Stormy Daniels in the days leading up to the 2016 election. But if Mr. Trump is convicted on more than one count, Justice Merchan would likely impose the punishment concurrently, meaning he would have Mr. Trump to serve prison time on each of the counts simultaneously. Incarceration is not a given: Justice Merchan could instead opt to impose a sentence of probation, with no prison time. Mr. Trump would then be required to regularly report to New York City’s Probation Department.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Justice Juan M, Merchan, Stormy Daniels Organizations: Justice, Department Locations: New York State, New York

☆ Trump’s Case Heads to the Jury: 5 Takeaways From Closing Arguments
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump began its seventh week, the prosecution and the defense made their final pitches to jurors, sending the landmark case into deliberations on Wednesday. A defense lawyer, Todd Blanche, spent three hours Tuesday hammering Michael D. Cohen, the prosecution’s star witness, including accusing him of perjury. He attacked Stormy Daniels, the porn star whose account of a tryst with Mr. Trump in 2006 set in motion the charges the former president faces. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records to hide Mr. Cohen’s reimbursement for a $130,000 hush-money payment he made to Ms. Daniels. Mr. Trump has denied the charges and the sexual encounter.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Todd Blanche, Michael D, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Joshua Steinglass, Daniels

☆ Live Updates: Closing Arguments to Begin in Trump Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

The defense did not call Mr. Weisselberg either, nor did Mr. Trump take the stand in his own defense. And for weeks, Mr. Weisselberg’s absence has loomed large over Mr. Trump’s case, the first criminal trial of an American president. And when Mr. Trump was sworn in as president in 2017, he entrusted Mr. Weisselberg, along with Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, with running his company. Mr. Trump, Mr. Cohen told the jury, “approved” of the arrangement and knew that they would falsify records to cover it up. Over the course of their decades together, Mr. Cohen knew, Mr. Trump and Mr. Weisselberg had become more or less symbiotic.

Persons: Donald J, Allen Weisselberg, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, Allen H, Weisselberg, Trump’s moneyman, Trump’s, lucre —, Eduardo Munoz, Stormy Daniels, Weisselberg’s, beholden, ” Emil Bove, Juan M, Justice Merchan, “, Evan Vucci, Fred Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, ” Mr, ” “, Mr, Jefferson Siegel, —, Arthur F, Engoron, Justice Engoron, ”, ‘ Frick, Frack, Cohen’s, Daniels, Susan Hoffinger, Todd Blanche, Dave Sanders, Blanche, Kate Christobek Organizations: Prosecutors, New York Times, Trump, Mr, Reuters, Manhattan, Trump Organization, “ Trump, New, The New York Times, The Trump Organization, Credit, Frick Locations: Washington, New York, Trump, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, York, tatters

☆ A Swift Defense and a Decision Ahead: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

And, despite dangling the possibility, Mr. Trump did not testify. Testimony started April 22 with a tabloid publisher called by the prosecution, David Pecker, and ended with a lawyer called by the defense, Robert Costello. Mr. Trump, 77, has denied the charges and the encounter. Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s 20th day on trial. Mr. Costello, once Mr. Cohen’s informal adviser, continued on the stand on Tuesday, after a reprimand Monday from Justice Juan M. Merchan, who said he had been “contemptuous.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, David Pecker, Robert Costello, Stormy Daniels, Trump’s, Michael D, Cohen, Hope Hicks, Daniels, . Costello, Justice Juan M, Merchan, ” Organizations: Memorial, Mr, Justice

☆ The Prosecution Rests: Five Takeaways From Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Kate Christobek | Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

After 15 days of testimony from 20 witnesses, the Manhattan district attorney’s office on Monday rested its case against Donald J. Trump. The case was capped by three days of grinding cross-examination of his former fixer, Michael D. Cohen, who finally stepped off the stand on Monday afternoon, leaving jurors to weigh the truthfulness of the prosecution’s star witness. The defense began its case on a mission to sully his credibility, but the second witness Mr. Trump’s lawyers called to the stand quickly became embroiled in a squabble with the judge, Juan M. Merchan. The judge, not surprisingly, prevailed. Though the defense is expected to be brief, Justice Merchan said that closing arguments would not happen until next week.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, sully, Juan M, Merchan Locations: Manhattan

☆ The End Is Near: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Kate Christobek | Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Michael D. Cohen, Donald Trump’s former fixer and current antagonist, faced a tough cross-examination on Thursday as the defense drilled into his past lies. Mr. Cohen, once known as a hothead and a paid bully, did not explode as he did when testifying last fall at Mr. Trump’s civil fraud trial. He seemed at times stressed under the searing questioning from Mr. Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche. Mr. Cohen is not done. Mr. Trump, 77, has denied the charges and having had sex with Ms. Daniels.

Persons: Michael D, Cohen, Donald Trump’s, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Mr, Trump, Barron’s, Stormy Daniels, Daniels Organizations: Mr Locations: Lake Tahoe, Nev

☆ Cohen on Cross: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Michael Cohen faced a fierce cross-examination on Tuesday afternoon in the criminal trial of Donald Trump, as the defense tried to tear down the prosecution’s key witness. Mr. Cohen was repeatedly attacked by Mr. Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, who suggested he was being evasive on the stand, had selective amnesia and was a jilted former employee profiting off his hatred of the former president. Mr. Cohen, once Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, has testified that Mr. Trump directed him to pay $130,000 in hush money to Stormy Daniels, a porn star, to suppress her account of a sexual rendezvous with him in a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2006. Mr. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of Mr. Cohen. Mr. Trump, 77, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with Ms. Daniels.

Persons: Michael Cohen, Donald Trump, Cohen, Todd Blanche, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels Organizations: Mr Locations: Lake

☆ Cohen Testimony Begins Climax of Case Against Trump: 5 Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The $130,000 payment led to the charges against the former president: that Mr. Trump falsified 34 business records to hide a reimbursement to Mr. Cohen. Mr. Trump, 77, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with Ms. Daniels. Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s 16th day on trial:Cohen brought four weeks together in one day. Since testimony began April 22, prosecutors have been stitching together the motive and methods of the $130,000 payment, using evidence like phone logs, emails and text messages and witness testimony. Mr. Cohen brought many of those moments to life, describing Mr. Trump’s micromanagement and his campaign’s panic after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape just before the 2016 election.

Persons: Michael D, Cohen, Donald J, Trump’s, ”, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Daniels, Mr, Trump’s micromanagement

☆ Stormy Daniels Is Steady on the Stand: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Kate Christobek | Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Eventually, Ms. Necheles went straight to the point. Ms. Daniels responded forcefully: “No.”At the conclusion of the day, Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, asked Justice Juan M. Merchan whether he would modify a gag order to let Mr. Trump respond publicly to Ms. Daniels’s testimony. The judge denied the request and Mr. Trump’s second motion this week for a mistrial. The former president is accused of falsifying business records to hide a $130,000 payment to Ms. Daniels just before the 2016 election, a payment meant to silence her story. Mr. Trump, 77, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with Ms. Daniels.

Persons: Stormy Daniels, Donald J, Trump, Susan Necheles, Daniels’s, Necheles, ”, Daniels, Trump’s, Todd Blanche, Juan M Locations: Nevada, Lake Tahoe

Prosecutors cannot force Donald J. Trump to testify at his criminal trial in Manhattan, but that does not mean they can’t use his words against him. On Tuesday, the prosecutors unearthed a series of damaging excerpts from books that the former president wrote, plucking out passages to help make their case against Mr. Trump. In essence, they called a past version of Mr. Trump to testify against his future self. In his own words, Mr. Trump described how he kept a focus on minute details and watched every penny that left his accounts, corroborating a core component of the prosecution’s case as they argue that he knew that his company falsified business records to cover up a hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn star. On cross-examination, Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, suggested that a ghost writer had been responsible for these words.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Trump’s, Todd Blanche Locations: Manhattan

☆ Stormy Daniels Delivers Intense Testimony in Trump’s Trial: 6 Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Kate Christobek | Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

“The people call Stormy Daniels.”So began the intense and often uncomfortable testimony of Ms. Daniels, who spent almost five hours in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday recounting her story of a 2006 encounter with Donald J. Trump and the ensuing hush-money cover-up that has become the bedrock of the prosecution’s case. Ms. Daniels spoke quickly and at length about her first meeting with Mr. Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nev.After the lunch break, Mr. Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche moved for a mistrial, arguing that the prosecution’s questions were designed to embarrass Mr. Trump and prejudice the jury. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, agreed that some of Ms. Daniels’s testimony “may have been better left unsaid,” but denied a mistrial.

Persons: Stormy Daniels, ”, Ms, Daniels, Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Todd Blanche, Mr, Juan M, Merchan Locations: Manhattan, Lake Tahoe, Nev

☆ Trump Is Threatened With Jail at His Criminal Trial: 5 Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Donald J. Trump’s Monday began with a grave warning from Juan M. Merchan, the judge presiding over the former president’s criminal trial, threatening to imprison him if he continued to flout a gag order. That testimony was elicited from two employees, one current and one retired, of the Trump Organization. The former president is accused of falsifying business records to cover up that $130,000 payment. Mr. Trump, 77, the first American president to face criminal prosecution, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with the woman, Stormy Daniels. If convicted, he could face prison time or probation.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Juan M, Justice Merchan, Trump, “, Michael D, Cohen, Stormy Daniels Organizations: Mr, Trump Organization

☆ 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

Keith Davidson, the former lawyer for the porn star Stormy Daniels, faced a blistering cross-examination on Thursday in the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump, with defense lawyers casting him as a serial extortionist of celebrities. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, also heard arguments about additional violations of a gag order by Mr. Trump, just days after he held the former president in contempt and fined him $9,000 for nine other violations. Justice Merchan has threatened jail time if the violations continue, but did not rule on four new allegations on Thursday. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records, including checks and invoices, to hide a $130,000 payment to Ms. Daniels, who says she and Mr. Trump had a tryst in 2006 while he was married. Mr. Trump, the first American president to face prosecution, has denied the felony charges, and having had sex with Ms. Daniels.

Persons: Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Donald J, Juan M, Trump, Merchan, Daniels Organizations: Trump

☆ Contempt Fines and Hush-Money Details: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The third week of the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump began with a rebuke: The judge, Juan M. Merchan, held the former president in contempt and fined him $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order. He also threatened jail time if the violations continue. The lawyer, Keith Davidson, also described an earlier deal to buy the silence of another woman, Karen McDougal, who said she’d had a longer-term affair with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records to hide the payment to Ms. Daniels. He has denied the felony charges, and having had sex with Ms. Daniels and Ms. McDougal.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Karen McDougal, she’d, Daniels, McDougal

☆ 5 Takeaways From the Second Week of Donald J. Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Kate Christobek | Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The second week of Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial was dominated by four days of testimony by David Pecker, the former publisher of The National Enquirer, who detailed his efforts to safeguard Mr. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Pecker, a longtime associate of the former president, talked at length about a “catch and kill” scheme that he said he had entered into with Mr. Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, during a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower. The publisher said he would purchase the rights to unsavory stories he had no intention of running. Mr. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an effort to conceal the payment. Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied that he had sex with Ms. Daniels.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, David Pecker, Trump’s, Pecker, Trump, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Daniels Organizations: National Enquirer, Mr, Trump Tower Locations: Donald Trump’s Manhattan

☆ 5 Takeaways From David Pecker’s Testimony in Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The criminal trial of Donald Trump featured vivid testimony on Thursday about a plot to protect his first presidential campaign and the beginnings of a tough cross-examination of the prosecution’s initial witness, David Pecker. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to Ms. Daniels, who has said they had a sexual encounter in 2006 and was shopping that story in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election. He has denied the charges and having sex with Ms. Daniels and Ms. McDougal; the former president could face probation or prison if convicted. Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s seventh day on trial:Pecker teed up falsified records charges. As part of a so-called catch-and-kill scheme, Mr. Pecker testified that his company, AMI, paid Ms. McDougal $150,000 to purchase her story, with no intention of publishing anything about an affair with Mr. Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, David Pecker, Pecker, Trump, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, McDougal, Trump’s Organizations: National Enquirer, AMI

☆ Trump’s Trial Features Fierce Debate Over What He Can Say: 5 Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tuesday’s session of Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial began with a heated clash between Justice Juan M. Merchan and Mr. Trump’s lead lawyer over a gag order. It ended with an insider’s look into a tabloid newspaper practice known as “catch and kill.”Prosecutors said that Mr. Trump had “willfully and blatantly” violated a gag order barring him from attacking jurors and witnesses, among others. They said he had done so in comments outside the courtroom and online and should be found in contempt of court. Mr. Trump’s top lawyer said in response that Mr. Trump was simply defending himself from political attacks. Justice Merchan did not rule, but he scolded the lawyer, Todd Blanche, saying, “you’re losing all credibility with the court.”A former ally of Mr. Trump, David Pecker, the ex-publisher of The National Enquirer, later testified to buying and burying unflattering stories about Mr. Trump during his 2016 run for president, an arrangement he called “highly, highly confidential.”

Persons: Donald J, Juan M, Merchan, Trump’s, ”, Trump, Justice Merchan, Todd Blanche, “ you’re, David Pecker Organizations: ” Prosecutors, National Enquirer

covers the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The Times. He has written about security issues for more than two decades.

Organizations: The Times

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