Donald Trump appears to freeze during NRA speech on Saturday night

Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial has resumed at Manhattan Criminal Court, with the former president’s estranged ex-lawyer Michael Cohen back on the witness stand for further cross-examination from the defence in an attempt to undermine his credibility.

Cohen endured something of a rocky ride during last Thursday’s appearance when he was accused of lying by Trump attorney Todd Blanche and challenged over inconsistencies in his public statements about the Stormy Daniels payoff at the heart of the case.

Mr Trump denies having an affair with the adult film star and all of the 34 felony charges he faces over the $130,000 payment made to her in October 2016 to ensure her silence during his presidential campaign.

It is still not clear whether the defendant himself plans to testify or how many witnesses, if any, the defence might call. Closing arguments were expected on Tuesday but have now been pushed to next week.

Over the weekend, Mr Trump addressed the National Rifle Association (NRA) in Dallas, Texas, and pledged to roll back all anti-gun legislation introduced by Joe Biden should he win in November.

Alex Woodward is covering the trial for The Independent at Manhattan Criminal Court.

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The court will recess for a few minutes so prosecutors can check once again if Mr Browning from CSPAN can come back tomorrow…

In short: Judge Merchan is suggesting that the defense can present their case, and then when Browning arrives tomorrow, prosecutors would loop back and admit that photo evidence.

In the meantime, sounds like prosecutors are prepared to rest momentarily, and then defense will introduce possibly two witnesses

Alex Woodward20 May 2024 19:28

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Judge Merchan says while the evidence is relevant, “I can’t see how the People can get past the hearsay objection.”

Browning’s testimony “didn’t lay a foundation for any and all videos,” and to “suggest that a paralegal or anyone else” could step in as “qualified to testify as record custodians” doesn’t work.

“I don’t think we can say that,” he says.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass suggests that they could bring Browning back to testify to introduce that image, and they’re working out travel and scheduling. Merchan says “We have time for that.”

Defence attorney Todd Blanche obviously objects.

“There’s a likelihood that we close today,” he says. “We have a witness in the back … we have another short witness.”

Why wasn’t this taken up sooner, Merchan asks prosecutors

Steinglass says they just found out about the evidence over the weekend, and they assumed Browning’s testimony about CSPAN material would apply.

“It doesn’t even seem like Blanche is contesting that they weren’t even together,” he says, noting that Blanche hasn’t explicitly stipulated that Schiller and Trump weren’t in the same room.

Blanche: “It’s patently unfair in our view for the court to allow the People given an obvious ruling on the admissibility of a picture on redirect to allow them to stop, presumably rest or not rest.”

Merchan cuts him off: “What I could do simply is adjourn until tomorrow.”

Alex Woodward20 May 2024 19:26

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Court gets back underway after lunch break

Court is resuming after the lunch break.

Alex Woodward continues to report from the courthouse:

Donald Trump just flashed a thumbs-up to an aide who gave him a piece of paper.

Judge Merchan is gonna rule on the admission of video stills that prosecutors want to introduce to prove that Trump and Keith Schiller were with one another when Michael Cohen called to tell him that the Stormy Daniels deal was a go.

The judge is reviewing testimony from Robert X Browning, the CSPAN archivist, who testified about the collection of footage that prosecutors had previously introduced. Prosecutors said his testimony should apply in this case too – the video stills they’re using come from CSPAN.

Oliver O’Connell20 May 2024 19:19

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Michael Cohen reveals Tiffany Trump was target of extortion plot

Ariana Baio and Alex Woodward have the story:

Oliver O’Connell20 May 2024 19:15

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Biden says 2020 election loss left Trump ‘unhinged’

Joe Biden described Donald Trump as “unhinged” following the Republican’s loss of the 2020 presidential election. The US president was delivering commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black men’s college in Atlanta, in a visit to the battleground state of Michigan on Sunday, 19 May. Discussing the January 6 Capitol insurrection, Mr Biden said: “Surely something snapped in Trump… That’s why on January 6, what happened? Every legal avenue Trump tried to challenge the election failed. “He’s not only obsessed about losing 2020. He is clearly unhinged… He calls the insurrectionists who stormed Capitol Hill – patriots.”

Oliver O’Connell20 May 2024 19:00

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Watch: Alina Habba claims Trump wants to testify

It looks increasingly unlikely that he will and conventional wisdom is that it would be an “act of near-insanity”….

Oliver O’Connell20 May 2024 18:50

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Why was Ruby Wax kicked off Trump’s private jet?

The TV personality, 71, had been mid-interview with The Apprentice businessman, who went on to be president from January 2017 to January 2021, when she misinterpreted his political ambition as a joke.

Lydia Spencer-Elliott has the details:

Oliver O’Connell20 May 2024 18:45

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Biden asks how Trump would have handled Jan 6 if Black Americans had been responsible

“Let me ask you: what do you think he would have done on January 6 if Black Americans had stormed the Capitol?” President Biden said during an address to the Detroit chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Saturday.

Oliver O’Connell20 May 2024 18:30

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Full story: Michael Cohen admits to stealing from Trump Organization while clawing back Stormy Daniels’ hush money

Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse:

Those reimbursements – paid out in monthly $35,000 instalments in 2017 – totaled $420,000.

Oliver O’Connell20 May 2024 18:15

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Watch: Trump’s claims of barricades preventing supporters coming to court debunked (again)

…and the jury is getting “fatigued”, reports MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle.

Oliver O’Connell20 May 2024 18:05



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