Live updates: First week of testimony concludes in Trump hush money trial

Mr Trump’s former assistant at the Trump Organization also took the stand, mentioning seeing adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lobby of Trump Tower one day, close to the former president’s office.

Jurors also heard from a banker, who laid the groundwork for the creation of the shell company that ultimately sent payments to Ms Daniels — a critical piece of the case.

Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the so-called hush money payments given to the porn star before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence over an alleged affair.

Kelly Rissman and Alex Woodward have the full story.

“We’re ready, just tell me where,” Trump said. “We’ll do it at the White House. That would be very comfortable actually. You tell me where.”

The comments came after President Biden said Friday that he will participate in televised debates, ending speculation about whether or not he would debate Trump, during an hour-long, wide-ranging interview with Sirius-XM radio host Howard Stern.

More details in our full story.

Donald Trump’s request to have a new trial in his $83m defamation case with writer E Jean Carroll, who accused him of sexual assault, was denied by a federal court.

Judge Lews Kaplan of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected the motion on Thursday after Mr Trump had sought a fresh trial.

When he arrives, behind the pair of agents and leading a pack of attorneys and others in his entourage, he is the first to sit at the defence table. He is briefly alone, staring at nothing in particular, with his hands clasped and his shoulders tight as he leans on the wide table in front of him.

When his attorneys speak privately with the judge or the prosecution, he’s left by himself. The screens that capture the courtroom around him — which are also broadcast in an adjoining room for other assembled press — make the room appear massive.

He looks small against the empty space where his attorneys would sit and the reserved but unoccupied seats behind him. His eyes are closed for most of the proceedings, though it’s unclear whether he’s asleep, checked out completely, or trying to focus on the testimony just a few feet away from him. He will frequently tilt his head to the side as if he’s turning his ears to hear better.

Oliver O’Connell and Alex Woodward have this report on what it’s like to be in court during the former president’s historic trial.

Donald Trump’s defence attorneys have tried to undermine trial testimony from one of the alleged architects of the scheme to buy up politically damaging stories about Mr Trump in order to boost his 2016 election chances.

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, the first witness in the former president’s historic hush money trial, faced a barrage of “yes” or “no” questions during cross-examination from Mr Trump’s lawyer Emil Bove on Thursday and Friday in an attempt to poke holes in his week-long testimony.

But Mr Bove’s attempts to impeach Mr Pecker’s credibility fell flat, as the former publisher repeatedly affirmed his under-oath descriptions of his meetings with Mr Trump.

A poll conducted last week shows the country is decisively split over whether Mr Trump is being treated more leniently or more harshly.

Some 34 per cent say they believe the former president is being treated “more leniently” than other criminal defendants in the historic trial, according to the CNN poll on Thursday. The same percentage believe that he is being treated “more harshly”.

Only 13 per cent believe he is being treated “about the same” as other defendants.

I’ve been waiting for Crooked Joe at the Courthouse, the Fake News Media was there also — HE DIDN’T SHOW! ANY WHERE, ANY TIME, ANY PLACE!