Last Update May 02, 2024 08:48am ET

Former President Trump’s Manhattan trial returns Thursday. Trump used Wednesday, a day off from the trial, to return briefly to the campaign trail. Thursday’s proceedings will begin with yet another gag order hearing with Judge Juan Merchan presiding.

Fast Facts:

•  Former President Trump wraps up the third week of his New York criminal trial Thursday. 
•  Trump faces another gag order hearing in the morning after Judge Juan Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for violating the rule, which prohibits the former president from speaking publicly about witnesses in the case. 
•  Trump returns to the courtroom on Thursday after a brief return to the campaign trail. The Manhattan case is not in session on Wednesdays and he took the chance to hold rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin. 

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incoming update…

33 min(s) ago

Trump lashes out at Judge in NY criminal trial over ‘unconstitutional’ gag order

Former President Trump lashed out at Judge Juan Merchan ahead of Thursday’s proceedings in his Manhattan criminal trial.

Trump once again argued Merchan is a “conflicted” judge and a member of the “radical left.” Trump has repeatedly raged against the gag order Merchan imposed on him in early April, which prohibits him from speaking publicly about witnesses in the case.

“WE CANNOT LET THIS RADICAL LEFT, CORRUPT AND HIGHLY CONFLICTED NEW YORK DEMOCRAT JUDGE INTERFERE WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2024 — THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. THE USA IS TRULY A NATION IN DECLINE! REMOVE THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL GAG ORDER,” Trump wrote on social media.

Thursday’s proceedings are expected to begin with yet another gag order hearing. Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for violating the order earlier this week. The court also warned Trump that further violations could result in jail time.

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9 min(s) ago

What were Bill Barr’s recent remarks about Trump?

Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr recently said he would vote for former President Trump in 2024, despite being an open critic of the former president after working in his administration.

Barr told NBC News in 2023, “I strongly oppose Trump for the nomination and will not endorse Trump.”

Despite his past criticism, Barr recently revealed he will be voting for the Republican nominee this election cycle. “I think it’s my duty to pick the person I think would do the least harm to the country. And in my mind, that’s – I will vote the Republican ticket,” Barr told Fox News in April.

Trump responded to the endorsement in a fiery post on his Truth Social platform.

“Wow! Former A.G. Bill Barr, who let a lot of great people down by not investigating Voter Fraud in our Country, has just Endorsed me for President despite the fact that I called him ‘Weak, Slow Moving, Lethargic, Gutless, and Lazy,’” Trump wrote. “Based on the fact that I greatly appreciate his wholehearted Endorsement, I am removing the word ‘Lethargic’ from my statement. Thank you Bill. MAGA2024!”

Despite Trump’s swipe, Barr maintained his backing of Trump on the basis that he would reportedly “do less damage than Biden.”

“I think that Biden is unfit for office,” Barr told CNN. “And I think all this stuff about a threat to democracy – I think the real threat to democracy is the progressive movement and the Biden administration.”

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1 hour(s) ago

Who is prosecution witness Rhona Graff?

Rhona Graff is a longtime personal assistant to former President Trump at the Trump Organization, having worked for him for 30 years prior to him becoming president. Now, she is a witness for the prosecution in his criminal trial in Lower Manhattan. During her time at the Trump Organization, Graff testified that she compiled records that included emails, contact lists and calendar entries. She said the company’s directory had contact information for former Playboy model Karen McDougal and a person named “Stormy.” 

Graff has been reported to be a key player in Trump’s inner circle, with many people needing to go through her to get access to him. She appeared alongside Trump on NBC’s “The Apprentice,” and was a judge on “Miss Teen USA.” Under questioning by Trump’s lawyer, Graff praised Trump’s management style and temperament, calling him a “fair” boss, which reportedly elicited a smile from Trump in the courtroom.

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1 hour(s) ago

What were the reports of Trump sleeping in court?

Former President Donald Trump was reportedly seen dozing off during court, according to reporters covering the criminal trial from inside the Manhattan courtroom. 

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman reportedly saw Trump fall asleep in the courtroom,writing that the former president “appeared to nod off a few times, his mouth going slack and his head drooping onto his chest.”

Haberman reiterated the claims when asked about the reports during an interview with CNN.

“I reported earlier that he had appeared to fall asleep. Now, we had seen him – I want to be clear that I’ve seen lots of people fall asleep in courtrooms. I’ve seen jurors fall asleep. I’ve seen judges fall asleep. If anyone falls asleep who’s a criminal defendant in a case, we’re going to report on it. But he doesn’t like when such things are reported and I’m guessing – I don’t know – that that’s what this was about,” Haberman told the outlet.

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1 hour(s) ago

Can the Supreme Court grant Trump immunity and are they expected to?

The Supreme Court is weighing whether to grant former President Trump presidential immunity in the case brought against him by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

SCOTUS has the power to grant Trump immunity from criminal conviction on the basis that he formerly served as president, meaning he would be safe from prosecution in the ongoing election interference case. 

The high court heard oral arguments for the Trump case in late April, reviewing the question: “Whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office?”

It is unknown at this time how the court will rule on the issue, as the nine judges consider questions about potential implications for future presidents.

“If an incumbent who loses a very close, hotly contested election, knows that a real possibility after leaving office is not that the president is going to be able to go off into a peaceful retirement, but that the president may be criminally prosecuted by a bitter political opponent, will that not lead us into a cycle that destabilizes the functioning of our country as a democracy?” Justice Samuel Alito asked.

SCOTUS is not expected to issue a ruling until May or June.

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2 hour(s) ago

Where can I read transcripts of the Trump trial?

The unprecedented trial of former President Trumpalso marks another “historic step:” the New York Courts releasing daily transcripts of court proceedings. 

America’s eyes are locked on the Trump trial, where the 45th president faces 34 felony charges of falsifying business records. The New York Courts announced earlier this month that it made the “historic step” of releasing daily court transcripts of the trial to the public, allowing people a close look at what happens behind the closed courtroom doors. 

A certified transcript of each day’s proceeding will be posted online before the end of the next business day, the New York Courts announced last week. The transcripts of each day of the trial can be found on its website under the “People v Donald J. Trump.”

The Trump trial is not televised, with reporters either in the courtroom or in an overflow room releasing details of the trial to the public. 

First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George said in the New York Courts’ press release that the “historic case” has created “unparalleled public interest,” sparking the release of the transcripts. 

“I am pleased to join Chief Administrative Judge Zayas in announcing that the trial transcripts – providing a word-for-word account of the proceedings – will be posted daily on our website, giving the public ready access to the full, accurate court record. This will serve to enhance public understanding of the trial with minimum disruption to the courtroom proceedings,” St. George said.

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2 hour(s) ago

NY v Trump to resume with gag order hearing after Trump fined $9K, threatened with jail time

The judge presiding over former President Trump’s unprecedented criminal trial will hold a hearing Thursday morning to consider the remaining alleged gag order violations after fining the 2024 presumptive Republican nominee $9,000 and threatening him with jail time.

Trump’s criminal trial is set to resume at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Court does not meet on Wednesdays. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and prosecutors from his office alleged the former president violated the gag order that Judge Juan Merchan imposed upon him 14 times. 

The gag order bans Trump from speaking publicly about witnesses, court staff and their families. 

Merchan on Tuesday found that Trump violated the order on nine separate occasions, with each violation resulting in a $1,000 fine.

The judge detailed in the order that if Trump carries out “continued willful violations” of the gag order, he could face “incarceratory punishment” if “necessary and appropriate.”

During a hearing on the gag order last week, Merchan said the Trump legal team was “losing all credibility” while defending the 45th president’s comments on social media that violated the order.

“I’ve asked you eight or nine times, ‘Show me the exact post that he was responding to,’ and you haven’t been able to do that once,” Merchan told the Trump team last week.

The defense team argued in the hearing that Trump was responding to attacks made against him when he posted comments that allegedly violated the order.