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Donald Trump made a surprise campaign stop at a construction site in New York early on Thursday morning en route to day seven of his hush money trial, where the jury heard further testimony from a former tabloid mogul who detailed the “catch-and-kill” scheme.
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified about his agreement with his “mentor” Mr Trump and former attorney Michael Cohen to “kill” stories about the defendant’s alleged affairs. Cross-examination by defence lawyer Emil Bove will likely wrap up on Friday.
Justice Juan Merchan is yet to rule on whether Mr Trump should be held in contempt and fined $10,000 for allegedly violating a trial gag order by posting about witnesses and jurors on Truth Social.
Elsewhere, 11 local Republicans and several key Trump allies have been indicted in Arizona for allegedly joining a failed “fake elector” plot during the aftermath of the 2020 election to keep Mr Trump in office.
And, in Washington DC, attorneys for the former president delivered oral arguments in front of the Supreme Court in support of his “presidential immunity” defence against prosecution in a landmark hearing.
Alex Woodward is providing live updates from the courthouse in Manhattan.
The National Enquirer was the go-to American tabloid for many years. Donald Trump helped change that
Catch and kill. Checkbook journalism. Secret deals. Friends helping friends.
Even by National Enquirer standards, testimony by its former publisher David Pecker at Donald Trump‘s hush money trial this week has revealed an astonishing level of corruption at America’s best-known tabloid and may one day be seen as the moment it effectively died.
“It just has zero credibility,” said Lachlan Cartwright, executive editor of the Enquirer from 2014 to 2017. “Whatever sort of credibility it had was totally damaged by what happened in court this week.”
On Thursday, Pecker was back on the witness stand to tell more about the arrangement he made to boost Trump’s presidential candidacy in 2016, tear down his rivals and silence any revelations that may have damaged him.
Watch: Former Trump White House lawyer says ex-president needs to be sharp to speak with press
Oliver O’Connell26 April 2024 00:15
E Jean Carroll defamation: Trump loses latest bid for new trial
A federal court denied former president Donald Trump’s request to have a new trial related to the charges that he defamed writer E Jean Carroll, who accused him of sexual assault.
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York handed down the denial on Thursday after Mr Trump had sought a new trial.
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 23:45
Watch: Trump calls Charlottesville ‘a little peanut’ compared to college Gaza protests
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 23:00
Schwarzenegger dragged into Trump hush money trial as tabloid boss reveals plan to buy damaging stories
Alex Woodward and Kelly Rissman report:
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 22:45
Watch: Trump glad to have been forced to attend ‘very interesting day’ despite missing SCOTUS immunity hearing
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 22:00
What is happening with the gag order violations?
Judge Juan Merchan has not yet issued an order on the 10 alleged gag order violations, but he will hold a hearing on the 11th through 14th alleged incidents next week, as he did the other day about those first 10.
We are still waiting on an order regarding the first 10. It is unclear if he’ll do something about that before the next hearing or whether he will wait to do it all together.
Alex Woodward25 April 2024 21:52
MAGA conspiracy blog files for bankruptcy amid string of defamation lawsuits
But its peddling of conspiracy theories has landed the blog in hot water in recent years and it is now facing several lawsuits alleging it promoted bogus claims about the 2020 election.
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 21:45
Watch: Hoarse-sounding Trump says testimony was ‘breathtaking’
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 21:42
Judge sets cause hearing for alleged gag order violations
Oliver O’Connell25 April 2024 21:36
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