Stormy Daniels testified at Donald Trump’s criminal trial, where prosecutors claim Trump covered up a 0,000 hush money payment made to Daniels by his former lawyer Michael Cohen. Cohen has stated that Trump directed him to make the payment to keep quiet about a sexual encounter Daniels says she had with Trump in 2006.
Donald Trump has been held in contempt of court for violating a gag order for the 10th time by Justice Juan Merchan. The judge warned that further violations could result in jail time, despite already imposing ,000 in fines. Trump’s statements about the jury selection and other comments were found to violate the gag order. The trial involves charges of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Trump has complained that the gag order limits his ability to make his case to voters.
Fact: A lawyer for Donald Trump sought to portray the hush money payment at the center of his criminal trial as extortion.
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial fined the former U.S. president ,000 for contempt of court and warned that he could face jail time if he continued to violate a gag order.
Donald Trump is facing a hush money trial in New York and is using the media attention to amplify his claims of persecution. He is meeting with foreign dignitaries at Trump Tower, making staged visits to locations like a convenience store in Harlem, and posting on his Truth Social platform. Despite the trial, Trump has not had any campaign rallies but is planning some in battleground states. The trial could carry political risks for Trump, as opinion polls show some Republican voters may turn against him if he becomes a convicted felon. The Biden White House is seeking to draw a contrast between Trump and Biden, with Trump accusing the trial of being a witch hunt on his social media platform. Foreign dignitaries have visited Trump at Trump Tower, and he has made efforts to engage in major issues like the war in Ukraine.
Donald Trump’s political group, Save America, spent .6 million on lawyer fees in March, draining the finances supporting his White House bid. The group, largely funded by small donors, has clawed back million from a super PAC, reducing funds available for TV ads supporting Trump. Since the start of 2023, Save America has spent over million on lawyer fees for Trump’s four criminal trials. Trump is facing charges related to falsifying business records, mishandling classified documents, and a civil fraud judgment. Despite raising million in March, Trump’s campaign still lags behind Biden in fundraising, with Biden’s campaign ending the month with million in the bank compared to Trump’s million. Trump has been holding fundraising events to court big donors, helping the Republican Party raise over million in March.
A man died after setting himself on fire outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush-money trial was taking place, but officials said he was not targeting Trump. The man, identified as Max Azzarello, did not mention Trump in pamphlets he threw before setting himself on fire. The incident occurred after jury selection for the trial was completed, with 12 jurors and six alternates set to consider evidence in the case. Trump is accused of covering up a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
A man died after setting himself on fire outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush-money trial was taking place. The man did not appear to be targeting Trump or others involved in the trial.
Fact: Lawyers in Donald Trump’s criminal trial are expected to wrap up the process of selecting a jury that will determine whether a former president is guilty of breaking the law.
Meta Platforms’ Oversight Board is reviewing the company’s handling of sexually explicit AI-generated images of female celebrities on Facebook and Instagram. The board aims to evaluate Meta’s policies and enforcement practices around pornographic fakes created using artificial intelligence. The images were not named to prevent further harm, as advances in AI technology have made fake content indistinguishable from real content, leading to an increase in sexual fakes online. Elon Musk’s social media platform also faced challenges with controlling the spread of fake explicit images of Taylor Swift. Industry executives are calling for legislation to criminalize harmful “deep fakes.” One case involved an AI-generated image of a nude woman resembling a public figure from India on Instagram, while the other featured an AI-generated depiction of a nude woman resembling an American public figure on Facebook. Meta initially left up the image of the Indian woman but reversed course after the board selected it for review. Meta has pledged to implement the board’s decisions.