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Donald Trump is in Florida today for the high school graduation of his teenage son Barron Trump before later jetting out for a Republican fundraising dinner in St Paul, Minnesota.
The GOP presidential candidate’s hush money trial wrapped up for the week on Thursday after a day of heated cross-examination in which key witness Michael Cohen was grilled by defense attorney Todd Blanche.
The former “fixer” for the defendant spent the entire day on the stand in Judge Juan Merchan’s Manhattan courtroom, with much of the questioning revolving around previous occasions in which he had lied under oath.
Mr Blanche zeroed in on whether Cohen, who received tens of thousands of phone calls per year, could specifically remember what was discussed in a 90-second call in 2016.
The witness remained calm and steadfast during his testimony, walking the jury through the strategy allegedly employed by Mr Trump’s inner circle to delay making the $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in October 2016 to buy her silence about the sexual encounter she claims he had with the politician in July 2006.
Judge Merchan has now asked both sides to prepare for closing arguments on Tuesday.
Alex Woodward is covering the trial from Manhattan Criminal Court.
London mayor says Trump is racist, sexist and homophobic and should be ‘called out’
Sadiq Khan has labelled the Republican presidential candidate racist, sexist and homophobic – and warned that the Labour Party, widely expected to win the next UK general election, must do more to “call him out”.
With Trump challenging for the presidency once again, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy suggested during a bridge-building trip with Republicans in Washington DC last week that their presidential candidate in the upcoming elections was “often misunderstood” on European policy.
But speaking after being re-elected for a third term as London’s mayor, Khan insisted Trump was far from misunderstood.
Andy Gregory reports on what he had to say.
Boebert says sleeping Trump looks ‘pretty’
Well, I’ll say this for the Colorado congresswoman – this is a new one.
“I think he’s praying, but if he is sleeping, [he] certainly looks pretty as he sleeps,” Boebert said yesterday, utterly incredibly.
“His mouth is kind of tight-lipped, so maybe it’s just a sombre moment of thought.”
Stephen Colbert takes dig at Trump over infamous inauguration photo
The late-night host has poked fun at the relatively sparse crowds at Trump’s inauguration in 2017 after Michael Cohen revealed at the former president’s hush money trial that he had a hard time getting tickets for the event.
Here’s Amelia Neath’s report.
America runs on Rudy? Bankrupt Giuliani pivots to coffee salesman
After being New York City’s mayor, Trump’s lawyer and a criminal defendant, Rudy Giuliani is now trying his hand at being a coffee salesman as he grapples with bankruptcy and debt of $148m.
As proceedings in his bankruptcy case rumbled on this week, Giuliani launched “Rudy Coffee”, offering three styles of coffee beans.
The first 100 bags are signed by the former mayor, the products’ website claims, and will begin shipping in June.
Gustaf Kilander filed this report as The Independent’s New York office awaited delivery of a package to present you with a taste test.
New York hush money trial: Professional ‘line sitters’ charging hundreds for access to Trump’s proceedings
Some New Yorkers are making hundreds of dollars a day by holding spaces in the queue for Trump’s hush money trial.
“The press has been hiring us for this court case. That’s $50 per hour,” says Robert Samuel, owner of Same Ole Line Dudes.
For members of the public, his team of more than 25 “line sitters” charge $25 per hour.
“We have sleeping bags and tents and tarps,” Samuel explained on a wet and rainy morning in Lower Manhattan yesterday.
You can watch our interview with him below.
Professional ‘line sitters’ charge hundreds for access to Trump trial
Professional ‘line sitters’ are making hundreds of dollars from holding spaces in the queue for Donald Trump’s hush money trial.” The press has been hiring us for this court case. That’s $50 per hour” Owner of Same Ole Line Dudes, Robert Samuel, told The Independent. For members of the public his team of more than 25 line sitters charge $25 per hour.”We have sleeping bags and tents and tarps” Mr Samuel said on a wet and rainy morning in Lower Manhattan.
New York hush money trial: The best sketches from Trump’s five weeks in court
With no cameras permitted inside Manhattan Criminal Court, it has been left up to the courtroom sketch artists to give life to the proceedings, with the drawings of professionals Jane Rosenberg, Elizabeth Williams and Christine Cornell capturing the key moments and helping to illustrate the many twists and turns.
Here’s a look at some of their best work.
Trump’s dinner with oil executives sparks inquiry by House Democrats
House Democrats are investigating Trump’s alleged promise that he will undo certain all-important climate policies to please the fossil fuel sector if its denizens agree to bankroll his return to the White House.
Here’s Stuti Mishra’s report.
Tim Scott enlists Kellyanne Conway to boost chances of becoming Trump’s veep
Former 2024 Republican candidate and South Carolina senator Tim Scott is lobbying hard among Trump’s inner circle in the hope of becoming his pick for vice president.
Scott is leaning on Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, as he pushes himself as the top choice, The Daily Beast reported on Thursday.
His private lobbying effort is coupled with a very public one – Scott has hit cable news and declared in recent days that he would do “whatever it takes” for the man who worked to overturn the 2020 election and is facing 88 felony counts.
John Bowden has more.
Kamala Harris agrees to debate with Trump’s running mate
The US vice president has agreed to take part in a veep debate with Trump’s so-far-unnamed running mate just a day after the Republican candidate and President Joe Biden agreed to two showdowns.
The Biden-Harris campaign said on Thursday that it had accepted an invitation from CBS News to take part in a VP debate either on 23 July or 13 August.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
‘Stand back and stand by’: Matt Gaetz invokes Trump’s infamous call to Proud Boys at trial
MAGA Republican Matt Gaetz invoked Trump’s notorious – and widely condemned – call to the far-right group the Proud Boys as he showed up in court in Manhattan to support the former president at his hush money trial.
“Standing back and standing by, Mr President,” Gaetz wrote on X, along with an image of himself at the courthouse.
The phrase echoed Trump’s infamous comments on stage at one of the 2020 presidential debates against now-president Joe Biden.
Other fringe GOP goons present at court yesterday including representatives Lauren Boebert (who was booed and heckled with cries of “Beetlejuice!”), Andy Biggs, Anna Paulina Luna, Mike Waltz and Eli Crane.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Source: independent.co.uk
