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Adult film actor Stormy Daniels is expected to face more cross-examination from Donald Trump’s lawyers – after fiery exchanges at his hush money trial.
Ms Daniels – who is set to take the stand again on Thursday – has already regaled jurors with how she met Trump, their now-infamous sexual encounter in July 2006, and events leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
After lunch on Tuesday, the defence moved for a mistrial given her “prejudicial” evidence, which was denied by Judge Juan Merchan.
As cross-examination began, Ms Daniels was confronted about whether she hates Trump and wants to see him in jail — to which she replied she wants to see him held accountable.
On Monday, the jury heard from Jeffrey McConney and Deborah Tarasoff, about the paper trail within the Trump Organization leading to Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to Daniels to ensure her silence about the sexual encounter, which his inner circle feared could sink his campaign.
Earlier that day, the former president was found in contempt of court for a tenth time, fined another $1,000 and warned that the next violation of his gag order would result in jail time. Mr Trump has asked an appeals court for a speedy appeal of the gag order.
Yesterday in court: Defiant Stormy Daniels comes face to face with Trump
Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse:
“It’ll make a great story,” she said, according to Ms Daniels. “What could possibly go wrong?”
Oliver O’Connell9 May 2024 00:45
Trump ‘considers plan to send hit squads to Mexico to kill cartel leaders’
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is privately considering a plan to deploy American assassination squads to Mexico to take out drug cartel leaders if he is re-elected in November, according to a report.
Three sources familiar with the former president’s proposal told Rolling Stone that he has insisted that the American military has “tougher killers than they do” and is mulling a similar plot to that carried out when US forces killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi back in 2019.
The deployment would be covert, the outlet reported, and would not rely on the Mexican government’s consent.
Here’s Kelly Rissman with the details:
Oliver O’Connell8 May 2024 23:45
Rep Mike Collins creates fresh outrage on X with RFK joke
Read on to see what he said…
Oliver O’Connell8 May 2024 23:15
Trump asks for quick ruling on his challenge to hush money gag order
Donald Trump is trying to fast-track a court’s decision on whether to overturn a gag order that blocks him from publicly attacking witnesses and jurors during his hush money trial in New York.
Lawyers for the former president filed a motion on Wednesday asking a state appeals court to quickly issue a ruling on his challenge, or to get permission to appeal to the state’s highest appeals court.
The motion comes after the judge presiding over the trial in Manhattan directly warned Mr Trump that he could be jailed for any future violations of the gag order, which he was already found to have violated 10 times within the trial’s first few weeks.
Lawyers with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office have filed an objection, which remains under seal on the appellate court docket.
Here’s our most recent reporting on the former president’s latest violation and what Judge Merchan has threatened:
Alex Woodward8 May 2024 22:49
Trump’s appeal of Fani Willis disqualification hearing to be heard by Georgia court
A Georgia appeals court has granted Donald Trump’s request for an appeal challenging the ruling that Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis can stay on the state’s election interference case against the former president and his allies.
The former president and eight of his co-defendants then filed for an appeal of the decision, calling the court’s refusal to disqualify her a “plain legal error”.
Oliver O’Connell8 May 2024 22:45
BREAKING: Marjorie Taylor Greene files motion to vacate Speaker Mike Johnson
Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, DC:
Oliver O’Connell8 May 2024 22:23
Trump VP hopeful Elise Stefanik tries to recreate viral moment at antisemitism hearing — but falls flat
Republicans hoping for a repeat of the viral moment that took down multiple Ivy League university presidents came away disappointed after attempts to create conflict with a trio of K-12 school officials from Democratic jurisdictions fell flat.
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC:
Oliver O’Connell8 May 2024 22:15
Profile: Stormy Daniels — one of the most powerful people in politics?
Io Dodds tells the story of how a woman at the crossroads of politics, business, and sex work – never quite as separate as American elites would like to believe – could end up sealing the downfall of the 45th US president.
How Stormy Daniels became one of the most powerful people in politics
Stormy Daniels was dancing her way through a ‘Make America Horny Again’ tour when news emerged that she had received hush money payments from Donald Trump. As those payments sit at the centre of Trump’s trial, Io Dodds explains how Daniels landed in the middle of a political firestorm
Oliver O’Connell8 May 2024 21:45
Despite right-wing calls to ban app, Trump super PAC joins TikTok with @MAGA handle
Katie Hawkinson has the details:
Oliver O’Connell8 May 2024 21:30
Biden campaign revels in trolling Trump over Microsoft’s Wisconsin jobs investment
Oliver O’Connell8 May 2024 21:15
