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Here’s a look at some of the people who are likely to play a key role in the case.

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Meanwhile, the overflow courtroom was once again abuzz with whispers about Donald Trump’s soporific state.

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Just 10 minutes into trial this morning, it appears that his eyes lowered, prompting the perennial question: Did he doze off again?

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He’s since spoken to two of his lawyers, so whatever cat-nap the former commander-in-chief might have enjoyed was brief.

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Judge Juan Merchan is also now inside the courtroom and the court is in session.

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Donald Trump is sitting at the defense table along with his lawyers, Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and Susan Necheles.

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Sitting in the back row of the courtroom are Trump aide Steven Cheung and lawyer Cliff Robert, who was one of Trump’s main attorney’s in the New York attorney general’s civil fraud trial.

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Donald Trump, speaking to reporters before entering the Manhattan courthouse, once again railed against the hush-money case and called on judge Juan Merchan to remove the gag order against him because it’s “very, very unfair”. Trump said:

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\n

The gag order has to come off. People are allowed to speak about me and I have a gag order, just to show you how much more unfair it is.

\n

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He added:

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They’ve taken away my constitutional rights to speak and that includes speaking to you. I have a lot to say to you. And I’m not allowed to say it and I’m the only one.

\n

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Prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office are looking to fine Trump over violating his gag order after disparaging witnesses in the case on social media. A hearing is set for next week.

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Good morning US politics readers. Donald Trump is set to appear in a Manhattan courtroom for the fourth day of his hush-money trial, where a dozen jurors and one alternate have already selected to sit on the first criminal trial of a former president in US history.

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Five alternates remain to be chosen before jury selection wraps up and the presiding judge, Justice Juan Merchan, has suggested that opening statements could begin as early as Monday.

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Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of the alleged effort to cover up hush money paid to adult actor Stormy Daniels. Trump also faces other trials involving his actions on January 6, attempts to subvert the 2020 election in Georgia and charges related to his keeping of classified documents at his resort in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, after he had left office.

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Trump’s criminal hush-money trial: what to know

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• A guide to Trump’s hush-money trial – so far

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• The jurors: who is on the Trump trial jury?

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• The key arguments prosecutors will use against Trump

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• How will Trump’s trial work?

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• From Michael Cohen to Stormy Daniels: the key players

\n

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Here’s what else we’re watching:

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• House Democrats came to the rescue of Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker, in a rare move on Thursday night in order to save the Ukraine aid legislation from right wing rebels.

\n

• Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, is in Capri, Italy, for Group of Seven meetings of foreign ministers.

\n

• Janet Yellen, the treasury secretary, is in meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) in Washington.

\n

• 12pm ET. Joe Biden will deliver remarks at the IBEW construction and maintenance conference.

\n

• 1.30pm. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will brief.

\n

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A full jury of 12 people has been seated in the criminal case against Donald Trump, bringing the first criminal trial of a former president a significant step closer to beginning. At least one of six alternate jurors had been selected before court concluded on Thursday.

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The development came after two jurors were removed, underscoring the difficulty of choosing a jury in one of the most high-stakes cases in US history.

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A woman known only as “Juror Two” appeared briefly before judge Juan Merchan to say that she no longer believed she could be unbiased in the case. Since being selected on Tuesday, she had been described in the media and had received a flurry of text messages from friends and family that led her to believe she had been identified. The judge excused her.

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Her dismissal came as reporters have been hanging on every detail they can glean about the 12 jurors who will determine Trump’s criminal fate. Fox News’s Jesse Watters also did a segment on Tuesday that directly attacked the jurors, including Juror Two. “I’m not so sure about Juror No 2,” Watters said on his show on Tuesday.

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A second juror was excused after prosecutors expressed concerns that he may not have been truthful on his jury questionnaire about his criminal history.

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Prosecutors told Merchan that in researching the juror, they had discovered that someone with the same name was arrested decades ago for tearing down posters supportive of the political right. They also said it appeared his wife had been involved in an anti-corruption probe with the district attorney.

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The juror appeared in court on Thursday for two lengthy conversations with Merchan and lawyers for both sides. Merchan sealed the conversation, saying it was personal, and then excused the juror.

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Key events

Victoria Bekiempis

Oftentimes, potential jurors’ candor makes for an entertaining selection process.

One described his relationship status as “not married, never been married, no kids,” and then said shortly thereafter:

I’m trying to find a wife in my spare time, it’s not working.

Perhaps his singledom would make things easier if chosen to carry out this civic duty. The potential alternate juror told the court:

I can stay as long as you need me to.

And then sometimes, would-be jurors reveal things that are just a bit weird. On Friday, one man said he cleans his local dog park twice daily, describing it as meditation.

Prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office have accused Donald Trump of violating a gag order and urged the court to find him in contempt.

Prosecutors filed their argument on Thursday accusing the former president of violating the order seven more times, in addition to another filing earlier this week, which accused him of violating the order on three other previous occasions.

On Monday, prosecutors asked judge Juan Merchan to find Trump $1,000 per social media post they said violated the judge’s gag order limiting what he can say publicly about witnesses.

Trump’s “decision to specifically target individuals whom this Court’s order protects is a deliberate flouting of this Court’s directives,” prosecutor Chris Conroy wrote in his filing on Thursday.

Merchan will decide on the request at a hearing scheduled for Tuesday 23 April.

Trump railed against the court-imposed gag order this morning before he headed inside the courtroom, saying that it has to “come off … People are allowed to speak about me and I have a gag order, just to show you how much more unfair it is.”

Victoria Bekiempis

There were a few instances where Donald Trump seemed more reactive than at other points during the process.

Trump immediately looked over to one prospective alternate when he started speaking and looked back at him a few more times, per a pool report.

This was a juror who wound up saying: “Citizens United is the law of the land” and that he wants the source of the political contributions to be public.

Another possible alternate juror who piqued Trump’s interest: one who had volunteered for Get Out The Vote during a Clinton campaign.

This potential juror also said he went to a woman’s march. Per a pool report, Trump and Blanche exchanged notes and briefly spoke after this man said he’d participated in these events.

Yet another potential alternate prompted a seeming smile from Trump, after she revealed “My father is a lifelong friend of Chris Christie.”

Victoria Bekiempis

Donald Trump didn’t have much of a reaction after that prospective alternate juror described difficulty in being impartial.

Trump, who’s leaning, elbows on the defense table, was looking down.

When the former prospective alternate juror passed by him while exiting the courtroom, Trump did not appear to look up, per a pool report.

As the morning session plodded on, Trump could be seen shuffling papers around periodically.

Potential jurors are now answering the 42-point questionnaire for jury selection. Some of the questions they have been asked to answer include:

• Are you a native New Yorker? If not, where did you live previously?

• What do you do for a living?

• Do you participate in any organizations or advocacy groups?

• Which of the following print publications, cable and/ or network programs, or online media such as websites, blogs, or social media platforms do you visit, read, or watch? (Choices are: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, New York Daily News, Newsday, Huffington Post, Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Newsmax, MSN, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Truth Social, X, Tik Tok, I do not follow the news, Other [name])

• Have you, a relative, or close friend had any experience or interaction with the criminal justice system, including a police officer or other type oflaw enforcement agent, which caused you to form an opinion, whether positive or negative, about the police or our criminal justice system?

• Have you, a relative, or a close friend ever worked or volunteered for a Trump presidential campaign, the Trump presidential administration, or any other political entity affiliated with Mr. Trump?

• Have you ever attended a rally or campaign event for Donald Trump?

• Have you ever considered yourself a supporter of or belonged to any of the following: the QAnon movement, Proud Boys, Oathkeepers, Three Percenters, Boogaloo Boys, Antifa?

• The defendant in this case has written a number of books. Have you read (or listened to audio) of any one or more of those books? If so, which ones?

Victoria Bekiempis

Another one bites the dust. A prospective alternate juror just now tells the court:

I don’t think I could be impartial. After thinking about this yesterday, when I read the questions, I don’t think I could be impartial.

The potential alternate juror is excused without objection from either side.

Who are the key players in the hush-money trial?

Here’s a look at some of the people who are likely to play a key role in the case.

Victoria Bekiempis

Another would-be juror is excused without objection from either side after expressing her concerns about serving with regard to impartiality. She said:

I want to jump ahead. After the last day and some introspection, I don’t think I can be impartial. I want to be and I had every intention … I think after the questions posed to prospective jurors and asking those questions to myself I don’t think I can be impartial.

Victoria Bekiempis

Meanwhile, the pool report touched on another question circulating in the overflow room: Was there something in Trump’s mouth?

Per pool: “Trump appears to be chewing on something as he sits at the defense table.”

As he emerged from the lower Manhattan courthouse on Thursday afternoon after 12 people were selected to sit on the jury in his hush-money case, Donald Trump complained about the “very unfair” trial including the temperature of the courtroom.

“It’s a whopping outrage,” Trump told reporters as he clutched a massive stack of printed-out articles and opinion columns criticizing the case.

I’m sitting here for days now, from morning to night, in that freezing room … Everybody was freezing in there! All for this.

He added:

I am supposed to be in Georgia, in North Carolina, South Carolina. I’m supposed to be in a lot of different places campaigning, but I’ve been here all day.

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Donald Trump after the third day of his first criminal trial: “I’ve been sitting here for days now from morning ’til night in that freezing room. Freezing. Everybody was freezing in there.” pic.twitter.com/BuwcaCkfcD

&mdash; Republican Voters Against Trump (@AccountableGOP) April 18, 2024

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Donald Trump after the third day of his first criminal trial: “I’ve been sitting here for days now from morning ’til night in that freezing room. Freezing. Everybody was freezing in there.” pic.twitter.com/BuwcaCkfcD

— Republican Voters Against Trump (@AccountableGOP) April 18, 2024

Judge Juan Merchan has told the court this morning that they are still working on the temperature in the courtroom.

Trump appears to fall asleep just 10 minutes into trial

Victoria Bekiempis

Meanwhile, the overflow courtroom was once again abuzz with whispers about Donald Trump’s soporific state.

Just 10 minutes into trial this morning, it appears that his eyes lowered, prompting the perennial question: Did he doze off again?

He’s since spoken to two of his lawyers, so whatever cat-nap the former commander-in-chief might have enjoyed was brief.

The identities of the jurors who will judge Donald Trump will remain anonymous in the case out of security concerns.

The dismissal of one juror on Thursday who feared she had been identified prompted judge Juan Merchan to rebuke reporters covering the case for revealing too much about the physical descriptions of jurors. Earlier this week he admonished Trump against intimidating jurors.

The judge said:

I would recommend the press simply apply common sense and refrain from anything that has to do, for example, with physical descriptions. It’s just not necessary, it serves no purpose.

He went on to prohibit the press from reporting on the employers of jurors.

Victoria Bekiempis

A moment of levity in the overflow courtroom. The second prospective juror, going through her questions to the juror questionnaire, did not seem keen on one form of contemporary media.

Do I ever listen to podcasts, she said aloud:

No, never!

The Guardian