Trump’s historic hush money trial commences with jury selection in New York

What happened?

• Donald Trump is the first U.S. president to face criminal charges in an American courtroom, with the charges centered on $130,000 in payments made to his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, to keep porn actor Stormy Daniels from going public with her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump during the 2016 election campaign.
  
  
• Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges against him in the case
  
  
• Choosing a jury for Trump’s trial has been challenging, with more than 50 potential jurors dismissed for being unable to be fair and impartial.
  
  
• The judge overseeing the trial has made several key rulings, including allowing an actress and model to testify about an alleged affair with Trump, but barring the “Access Hollywood” tape from being played in court.

What is Conservative media saying:

• Trump has made multiple attempts to have the presiding judge, Juan Merchan, recused due to alleged conflicts of interest, but the requests were denied. [foxnews.com, theblaze.com]
  
  
• Merchan has warned Trump that he will face arrest if he disrupts the proceedings and has denied his requests to be excused from the trial on certain days, including to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation. [foxnews.com, nypost.com, usatoday.com]
  
  
• Prosecutors have accused Trump of violating the judge’s gag order and have requested that he be fined, but the judge has not yet ruled on the request. [usatoday.com, theblaze.com]
  

What is Center media saying:

• Trump was reportedly mocked on social media for falling asleep during the first day of the trial, and most of the nation is getting news of the trial secondhand due to New York state law regarding media coverage of court proceedings. [newsweek.com, apnews.com]
  
  
• The first day of the trial focused on handling motion arguments from the defense and prosecution and selecting the jury, which could take up to two weeks due to the large pool of prospective jurors. [news.sky.com]
  
• Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, said he coordinated with Trump on payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. [news.sky.com]
  
  
• Trump’s lawyers say the payment was meant to spare himself and his family embarrassment, not to help him win the election, but prosecutors have described the payments as part of a scheme to bury damaging stories that could have helped Trump’s opponent in the 2016 race. [news.sky.com, apnews.com]
  
  
• Prosecutors have accused Trump of schming to keep his alleged affairs under wraps to avoid suffering in the 2016 presidential election, and they are seeking to hold him in contempt for violating the gag order. [theguardian.com, time.com, slate.com]

What is Liberal media saying:

• Trump has made multiple attempts to have the presiding judge, Juan Merchan, recused due to alleged conflicts of interest, but the requests were denied. [theblaze.com]
  
  
• The defense is looking to slow down the legal proceedings as the November elections near, with tactics like requesting more time for jury selection. [cnn.com]
  
  
• Prosecutors have accused Trump of scheming to keep his alleged affairs under wraps to avoid suffering in the 2016 presidential election, and they are seeking to hold him in contempt for violating the gag order. [theguardian.com, time.com, slate.com]
  
  

Media sources:

• The New York Times – Coverage of Trump’s trial
• Fox News – Jury selection and possible jurors excused
• Fox News – Trump at risk of arrest if attending son’s graduation
• The New York Times – Key takeaways from the hush money trial
• AP News – Overview of the hush money criminal trial
• Fox News – Most dramatic moments from the first day of the trial
• AP News – Court’s stance on cameras during the trial
• The New York Times – Jury selection and its implications
• Newsweek – Barron Trump’s graduation
• Fox News – Trump’s claims about the trial
• The Washington Post – Discussion of the “Access Hollywood” tape
• The Washington Post – Why there are no cameras in federal court
• The Economic Times – Allegations against Judge Juan Merchan
• Time – Overview of the first day of the trial
• Newsweek – Social media reaction to Trump falling asleep
• The Economic Times – Trump’s campaign and the trial
• The Guardian – Overview of the trial
• Sky News – Trump’s dismissal of the case
• Business Insider – Discussion of the judge’s decisions
• The Independent – Overview of the criminal case
• New York Post – Trump’s concerns about missing his son’s graduation
• The New York Times – Discussion on the “Access Hollywood” tape
• USA Today – Day 1 takeaways
• USA Today – Overview of NYC protests during the trial
• NBC News – Summary of the trial’s first day
• The Independent – Jury selection challenges
• The Guardian – Key takeaways from the trial
• The Independent – More on the trial’s first day
• The Guardian – Trump’s statements on social media during the trial
• The Blaze – Jury selection and gag order violations
• Slate – Legal analysis of the trial
• CNN – Trial analysis and takeaways