Live updates: Michael Cohen to testify in Trump hush money trial Monday

In a relatively quiet day for the hush money trial, jurors heard from a former Trump administration aide and three analysts who introduced phone records, text messages and other evidence that will tee up Cohen’s expected testimony next week.

He coordinated with former tabloid publisher David Pecker to catch and kill stories and ultimately paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 for her silence over a sexual encounter she allegedly had with Mr Trump in 2006. The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over the $130,000 payment.

Cohen could take the stand to testify as early as Monday with Manhattan prosecutors telling New York Justice Juan Merchan they are on track to rest their case as soon as next Friday.

Here are the key moments from today’s day in court:

The judge acknowledged the momentousness of jailing a presidential candidate in an election year but told Mr Trump: “At the end of the day I have a job to do, and part of that job is to protect the dignity of the justice system.”

Unfortunately for Judge Merchan, “dignity” has been a commodity in short supply in the trial.

In memoriam: The Rudy Giuliani Show.

Michelle Del Rey reports:

Rudy Giuliani has been suspended from his radio show for peddling false claims about the 2020 presidential election live on air.

WABC’s billionaire owner John Catsimatidis, who is also a Republican donor, told The New York Times that he had axed the former New York City mayor from “The Rudy Giuliani Show” and the radio show has been cancelled because he failed to comply with the station’s policy around the election.

Mr Catsimatidis said that Mr Giuliani had been given repeated warnings before his ousting.

Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon could soon be heading to jail after a federal court of appeals upheld his contempt of Congress conviction for failing to testify about the January 6 Capitol riot.

In a ruling on Friday morning, a three-judge panel with the Washington DC Court of Appeals denied Bannon’s appeal.

Continue reading for the full details…

Joe Khalil, White House correspondent for NewsNation, hit the nail on the head with the following tweet and helped out this reporter with a summary of just a portion of the craziness this week:

Our coverage is linked below:

Manhattan prosecutors anticipated wrapping up their case in chief by 21 May. But they could finish several days earlier, according to Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass.

He told the judge that there were only two witnesses left – including Michael Cohen. It’s possible the prosecution could rest its case by the end of next week.

The next few weeks of the trial will take up three days each, rather than four (Wednesdays are “off” the calendar). Mr Trump convinced Judge Merchan to adjourn on 17 May so he could attend his son’s high school graduation, and the trial will also be “off” on 24 and 27 May. If the defense doesn’t present a case, or presents an abbreviated one, jurors could begin deliberating as soon as the first week of June.

Speaking on his NBC Late Night show, Meyers threw back to a rally speech from Mr Trump in 2021, where he called Ms Taylor Greene “so smart” and one of his “favourite people”.

Dan Gooding has the story…

Allen Weisselberg, the twice-convicted former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, is currently in Rikers Island jail after pleading guilty to perjury in another case involving his former boss.

Last year, he spent 100 days at the notorious New York jail after he was convicted on a range of tax crimes in another separate case stemming from a sweeping criminal investigation into the business.

Manhattan prosecutors now want to explain to jurors in Mr Trump’s criminal trial why he won’t be making an appearance, despite his name appearing throughout trial documents and on the lips of nearly every witness.

But Mr Trump’s attorneys don’t want jurors to know. It’s not the jail part that bothers them – it’s a severance agreement from the Trump Organization. Inside? A promise that he won’t “denigrate” the company “verbally or in writing or any of its entities.”

In other words, Weisselberg could lose out on his $750,000 severance if he testifies against his former boss.

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy suggested, half-jokingly, that the court could instead explain to jurors that he’s not appearing in court because he’s in jail for perjury.

“I think that would be one way to solve the problem,” the judge replied.

Judge Merchan said attorneys on both sides were “trying to jump the gun.”

“We’re trying to explain why he’s not here without making an effort to get him here,” he said.

He suggested that Weisselberg could be called into court to answer questions under oath but without a jury present. He’ll reserve a decision at a later date.