Trump hush-money trial live: Stormy Daniels back on stand after warning by judge - BBC News
Madeline Halpert, along with Kayla Epstein and Nada Tawfik, covered the court proceedings in New York.
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time. The mentioned time for the events is based on the time in the United Kingdom.
Daniel's Exit From Standing Up For Himself Agreement
We've come to another section of the scandal.
According to the testimony provided by Daniels, she procured the services of another attorney, Michael Avenatti, at a later time with the objective of nullifying the non-disclosure contract.
She explained that she took this action "to defend myself."
According to Daniels' testimony, she was eventually released from the contract when Michael Cohen promised not to enforce it.
Afterward, Daniels' attorney, Avenatti, was incarcerated for deceiving her.
In the meantime, it appears that prosecutors have had a more favorable afternoon following their guidance to Daniels.
The prosecutors are posing a larger number of questions that require a simple affirmative or negative response, and Daniels is providing briefer replies.
To Impeachment Trial
Just like earlier today, Trump isn't displaying much of a response to Daniels' testimony.
He remains seated calmly in his chair and seems to be gazing directly ahead.
His boy is sitting only a few rows back, hearing all the complex information about his dad's supposed sexual encounter with Daniels.
Eric Trump has a demeanor that is quite similar to that of his father. He maintains a stern and non-reactive look on his face.
Daniels Claims 'ostracism' After Wall Street Journal Piece
The owner of a famous painting by Picasso is being sued by a New York gallery, who claims that the painting was stolen from them twenty years ago. The painting, called "The Actor," is worth an estimated $100m and was created by Picasso in 1904/5 when he was only 23 years old. The gallery, called Pace Gallery, says that the painting disappeared from their storage facility in 1999 and has not been seen since. The current owner of the painting, a man called Leon Black, bought the painting in 2013 for $42m. He is a very wealthy man and is a prominent art collector. He says that he had no idea that the painting was stolen and that he did everything legally when he bought it. He is currently facing legal action from Pace Gallery, who want him to return the painting to them. The case is very complicated and it is not clear who is in the right. It is possible that the painting was, in fact, stolen from the gallery, but it is also possible that they lost it or sold it without realising. It will be up to the courts to decide who owns the painting and what should happen to it.
Daniels claims that she kept following the confidentiality deal, refraining from discussing the supposed sexual incident for a prolonged period.
However, in the year 2018, she was contacted by the Wall Street Journal for an article about the pact, according to her statement.
In previous accounts, it was revealed that she signed a statement to the media rejecting any claims of a romantic relationship with Donald Trump. She admitted that she felt uneasy signing the statement because it did not reflect the truth. Additionally, her non-disclosure agreement stipulated that she was prohibited from making any comments on the issue.
Daniels reported that her family and she were excluded from various social gatherings following the publication of the Wall Street Journal article.
Daniel Earned $96K In The End
Daniels claims that after her lawyer, Davidson, and manager, Gina Rodriguez, received their shares from the $130,000 hush-money payment made by Michael Cohen, she was left with approximately $96,000.
Daniels Cancelled Hush-money Agreement First
Let's resume where we stopped - talking about the delay in providing hush-money to Daniels.
We have discovered an email sent from lawyer Keith Davidson to Michael Cohen. This email stated that the hush-money agreement was terminated because the payment had not been received by the person involved.
During this period, Daniels conveyed her narrative to the media platform Slate.
Consequently, Daniels claims that a fresh agreement was formulated, which she also affixed her signature to.
Daniel's Back: Beware!
Following some discussion, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger left the courtroom to speak with Daniels. Hoffinger instructed Daniels to only answer the questions and avoid adding any unnecessary details, according to Justice Merchan.
Daniels has recently returned to the chamber and is now settling down on her chair at the podium.
Judge Finds Daniels' Testimony Challenging, But No Mistrial Granted
Justice Merchan believes that there is no reason to declare a mistrial.
However, he concurs with the lawyers of President Trump that it would have been more appropriate to not disclose certain information during Stormy Daniels' testimony earlier in the day.
He states that Daniels has been a challenging witness for the prosecution to manage, and he points out that he has been upholding protests from Trump's legal team.
Prosecutors Refute Complaints Over Daniels Testimony
The prosecutors are presently presenting their argument.
It has been said that Justice Merchan didn't impose any limitations on her testimony.
According to Susan Hoffinger, many of the things that Daniels is disclosing are not fresh information.
According to her, they have been very careful in getting her statement, and she mentions that the other party can bring up any concerns they have while questioning her.
"Judge's Frustration Surfaces"
The legal team of Trump attempted to request for mistrials earlier, which they also did during his trial for civil business fraud. Soon we will learn about the decision of Justice Merchan.
Earlier today, he expressed annoyance with the prosecutor's interrogation of Daniels. Trump's legal team expressed their disagreement several times and he urged Daniels to stay focused on answering the questions with brief responses.
"Trump's Attorney Seeks Mistrial"
Todd Blanche, who is representing Trump, is pushing for the case to be dismissed due to errors in the legal proceedings.
He explains that the court established certain limitations for Daniels' testimony, but those limits were disregarded.
He says that the testimony of Daniels unfairly and incorrectly shows Trump in a negative light and argues that Daniels has altered her version of events regarding the supposed meeting.
Trump Faces New Legal Battles
Donald Trump has re-entered the courtroom following his lunch break.
Eric's child and the legal representative Alina Habba are both present.
Trial 101: Understanding The Basics
During the midday recess, let's take a moment to recall the purpose of this legal proceeding.
Donald Trump has been accused of committing business fraud related to an undisclosed payment made to a pornographic movie star under the pseudonym of Stormy Daniels.
According to Daniels, she had sexual relations with Trump and received a sum of $130,000 from his ex-lawyer before the 2016 election as an agreement that she would not speak publicly about their affair.
The prosecution claims that Trump instructed his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to make a payment. They also assert that Trump reimbursed Cohen and falsely listed the payments as legal expenses in his company's financial records.
The act of giving money to keep quiet is not against the law. However, the officials in charge of the case argue that the way the payment was documented is a form of committing fraud in an election.
After the accusations came to light in 2018, the ex-president has maintained that he did not have any sexual relationship with Daniels.
He is confronted with 34 charges of deception based on campaign financing regulations in New York. He has asserted his innocence to all of the accusations.
Curious about Trump's activities when he's not attending court proceedings? Our North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher, provides insight into the White House election process through his weekly publication, US Election Unspun newsletter.
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Trump Urges Supporters To Remain Loyal During Ongoing Trial
The ownership rights of the following text belong to the political campaign led by Donald Trump.
During Trump's court appearance in New York today, his campaign staff sent out an electronic mail to solicit patronage and funding from his followers.
The electronic mail contains many statements that have already been expressed by the past leader: references to the judge having affiliations with the Democratic party, classifying the trial as an unfounded investigation, and portraying Joe Biden as having dishonest behavior.
The message in the email states that a judge who aligns with the Democratic party, Joe Biden in particular, believes that they can control me by threatening to send me to prison and that as a result, you will abandon me.
"He understands that if he loses your backing, it will be a devastating setback that will ultimately end my candidacy."
Trump was reported as saying, "I need to be certain that you will never abandon me" while addressing his followers, and then requested them to contribute by providing a link to a donations page.
What Has Occurred Thus Far?
Wow, what a start to the day.
Many people have doubted the relevance of Stormy Daniels' testimony as she has no knowledge of the main issue in this court case - Donald Trump's financial records.
They were greatly mistaken.
This morning's events involved a sometimes uncomfortable conversation between Daniels, the judge, and attorneys from both parties.
Daniels frequently provided lengthy responses, and Justice Merchan had to reiterate the importance of staying on topic. Additionally, Daniels was requested to speak at a slower pace to ensure that the stenographer accurately captured the proceedings.
The magistrate also reprimanded the prosecutors, instructing Susan Hoffinger to moderate her questioning style. This was done to reduce the amount of explicit content in some of the responses.
The legal team of Trump raised objections to almost all of Hoffinger's inquiries, and Judge Merchan frequently favored their stance.
A lot of the information we listened to wasn't fresh - Daniels has participated in interviews previously and published a book.
Regarding the payment for hushing up, she perceived it as a mutually beneficial situation as she wished to keep the purported sexual encounter from her partner while also receiving financial compensation.
She didn't receive the payment on time and utilized a false identity (Peggy Peterson) when putting her signature on the contract.
Trump has consistently refuted any claims of engaging in any sexual activity with Stormy Daniels.
Lunch Break In Court
According to Stormy Daniels, she did not receive the payment meant to keep her quiet in a timely manner.
According to her, Trump provided justifications to his attorney, Michael Cohen, who in turn conveyed the reasons for the delay to her attorney, Keith Davidson.
We're happy to announce that we will be taking a short break for lunch.
Daniels departs from the witness stand and strides past the defense table - she doesn't seem to glance at Trump.
Stick around with us as we keep reporting on the eagerly awaited testimony.
Daniels Signed Hush-money With Fake Name?
We are revisiting the contract and official papers from 2016 that were intended to ensure Daniels would not speak publicly about the matter. At that time, it was negotiated by Keith Davidson, her former lawyer, and Michael Cohen.
As per the arrangement, she was to receive a payment of $130,000 and was prohibited from disclosing her account of engaging in sexual activity with Trump to the public.
We have already witnessed these papers, such as the arrangement for settlement and a supplementary agreement, during Davidson's examination in the previous trial. Davidson revealed the way he bargained for the contract.
We're now learning about Daniels' story of how she signed a document using a made-up name, Peggy Peterson. Daniels stated that she used the false name to keep the identities of the involved parties secret.
Daniels Indifferent To Money Amount, Says Statement
Daniels is starting to share her perspective regarding the confidential money agreement made in the month of October in the year 2016.
The woman expressed that she eventually grasped the fact that President Trump and his attorney, Michael Cohen, were attempting to purchase her narrative regarding a supposed sexual incident. According to her, her manager, Gina Rodriguez, notified her about the unfolding situation.
Daniels stated that she comprehended Cohen was acting as the representative of Trump, and that Cohen was keen on financially compensating her for her narrative.
According to her, striking a deal would have been beneficial for both parties involved. The reason being, she didn't want her partner to find out about the supposed interaction with Trump and she would have received financial compensation.
According to Daniels, she didn't bother to bargain for the $130,000 sum that Cohen ultimately paid for her story, as she claims that the money was of no importance to her.
During her testimony, Daniels claimed that she was prosperous in terms of finances at that particular period.
Sketch Of Court Focuses On Trump's Book
The blog section's featured photograph is owned by Reuters and was taken by Jane Rosenberg.
We've recently received a court drawing featuring Sally Franklin as today's initial witness, yet it's overshadowed by the Trump book cover that's also depicted.
Sally Franklin from Penguin Random House talked about various choices in the books and was questioned about Donald Trump's collaboration with another writer in creating them. The prosecutors appeared to want to leverage Trump's own statements as evidence against him, while the defense attempted to detach him from certain parts of the text.
"Daniels Flooded With Trump Story Offers"
Let's skip ahead to 2015, a time before Trump announced his presidential candidacy.
According to Daniels, numerous offers were being made to her to narrate her account of the supposed sexual incident. However, she was uncertain how to proceed with them due to the peril she encountered in a Las Vegas parking lot as mentioned in the previous article.
She informed the court that she permitted her manager, Gina Rodriguez, to attempt to sell her tale.
