Live updates: Michael Cohen testifies in Trump hush money trial

Of course Trump is not bothered about the brutal execution of Cricket by the South Dakota governor: he hates dogs, was the first president in recent memory not to have a pet and was visibly terrified when the heroic Belgian Manois Conan arrived at the White House in November 2019 to receive his medal.

Katie Hawkinson has this one too.

The parade of GOP leaders appearing outside the New York City courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial is “a little embarrassing,” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said Wednesday.

“I think it’s a little demeaning to show up in front of a courthouse particularly one where we’re talking about an allegation of paying a porn star,” Romney told reporters before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting in Washington.

Ms Cheney tweeted on Tuesday in reference to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson showing up: “Have to admit I’m surprised that @SpeakerJohnson wants to be in the “I cheated on my wife with a porn star” club. I guess he’s not that concerned with teaching morality to our young people after all.”

Olivia Troye, a former aide to Mike Pence and now outspoken critic of former president Trump, replied: “The hypocrisy runs deep.”

Here’s Amelia Neath on a fabulous gaffe from Vivek Ramaswamy yesterday.

I realise that shame is an unfashionable concept these days but maybe it’s time we brought it back.

Amelia Neath reports on Florida congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna and her friends’ efforts to remind Trump that he’s the GOP’s Special Little Guy.

Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have accepted an invitation from ABC to a second presidential debate on 10 September 2024.

President Joe Biden trolled Donald Trump about his ongoing criminal hush money trial as he dared his political arch rival to go head-to-head with him in a series of presidential debates.

“I hear you’re free on Wednesdays,” the president roasted Mr Trump – a direct reference to the weekly day off from the trial in Manhattan criminal court.

After a rapid back-and-forth between the president and former president, the two men agreed to face off on stage for the first time since 2020 on 27 June.

Donald Trump was asked by Hugh Hewitt this morning whether he will release a list of his national security team, Jill Covin of the AP reports.

His answer didn’t sound like it was something he’d given a lot of thought to…

“The answer is yes. I think it’s a great idea… it’s a very good idea,” he responded.

He added that he “will be putting out a Supreme Court list” again, too.

Given the ages of the current Supreme Court justices, the next president will almost certainly have the opportunity to appoint one, if not more, judges to the nation’s highest court.

Federal prosecutors have asked the judge overseeing Trump ally Steve Bannon’s prison term to reverse a stay on his sentence now that an appeals court has upheld his contempt of Congress conviction.

Here’s more from Michelle Del Rey and Katie Hawkinson.

CNN will host an election debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald J. Trump on June 27, 2024 at 9pm ET from the crucial battleground state of Georgia.

The debate will be held in CNN’s Atlanta studios. To ensure candidates may maximize the time allotted in the debate, no audience will be present. Moderators for the debate and additional details will be announced at a later date.

To qualify for participation, candidates must fulfil the requirements outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States; file a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission; a candidate’s name must appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency prior to the eligibility deadline; agree to accept the rules and format of the debate; and receive at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet CNN’s standards for reporting.

Polls that meet CNN editorial standards and will be considered qualifying polls include those sponsored by: CNN, ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, Marquette University Law School, Monmouth University, NBC News, the New York Times/Siena College, NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist College, Quinnipiac University, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.

The polling window to determine eligibility for the debate opened March 13, 2024, and closes seven days before the date of the debate.