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New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s latest moves suggest prosecutors are nearing a decision about charging former President Trump in connection with a $130,000 hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. 

The Manhattan district attorney’s office this week escalated the fight by empaneling another grand jury in the case and presenting witnesses.  

Legal experts and a former colleague of Bragg’s said the Democratic attorney’s actions indicate prosecutors are edging closer to possible charges against Trump. 

“If they actually are presenting witnesses, the first thing I said is, ‘Oh, this is real. They’re going for it,’” said Catherine Christian, a former financial fraud prosecutor in Bragg’s office who was not involved in the investigation. 

Trump has downplayed the development in a series of Truth Social posts, arguing Bragg should focus on fighting crime in New York.  

The former president painted the investigation as a witch hunt and warned about statutes of limitations, referring to the time window in which prosecutors can bring charges. 

“Some Radical Left crazies, coupled with ‘ratings crushed’ and failing Fake News, are trying to get [Bragg] to go the prosecutorial misconduct route, and take on certain very weak cases which are dead anyway based on the Statute of Limitations. FIGHT VIOLENT CRIME!” Trump posted on Wednesday. 

Trump attorney Ronald Fischetti and Bragg spokeswoman Danielle Filson did not return requests for comment for this story.  

The controversy surrounding Trump and Daniels began when Trump’s longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, made a $130,000 payment to Daniels in October 2016 to stop her from publicly alleging she had an affair with Trump. Trump has denied the affair. 

Cohen later pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance violations. He claimed that Trump directed him to make the payment and that Trump reimbursed him in monthly installments that included a bonus, even presenting one of the purported checks to lawmakers at a 2019 committee hearing. 

Bragg could attempt to bring state charges of falsifying business records against the former president if prosecutors can show that Trump, with an intent to defraud, was personally involved in unlawfully designating Cohen’s reimbursements a legal expense.

That misdemeanor would carry up to a year in jail, but a felony version of the crime could carry up to four years.  

For prosecutors to pursue the charge, they would additionally need to show the fraud included an intent to commit another crime.  

Legal experts suggest that could involve breaking state campaign finance or tax laws, but they questioned if a federal campaign finance violation would suffice. 

Prosecutors would also need to grapple with the five-year statute of limitations on most New York felonies. Many known allegations involve transactions in 2016 and 2017. 

Christian insisted Bragg wouldn’t have moved forward with the grand jury if he was too late, suggesting a legal doctrine might be in play that allows prosecutors to bring charges after the deadline in certain circumstances, known as tolling. 

“I assume — these are very competent people — they found a reason why it was tolled in this case, possibly because he’s been out of the jurisdiction,” said Christian, who is now a partner at Liston Abramson. 

If the case gets to the merits, proving either charge could also heavily rely on the testimony of Cohen, a convicted felon. 

“I do think Michael Cohen comes with some credibility, given his current track record of cooperation. But we’ll see. He’ll definitely be attacked,” said William “Widge” Devaney, a former assistant U.S. attorney in New Jersey who is now a partner at Baker & McKenzie. 

Cohen said on Wednesday that he recently spoke to Bragg’s office and provided his cellphone, describing it as a “reinvigorated” investigation. 

“I’ve said all along that I thought the DA’s case is by far the simplest to prove, and it is the most destructive to Donald Trump individually, and to his business as well,” Cohen told CNN’s Don Lemon. “I do believe that he will see repercussions for the first time in almost his entire life.” 

The grand jury could also end without bringing any charges, as did one earlier in the investigation. 

Cyrus Vance Jr., Bragg’s predecessor and the one who began the probe, convened a previous grand jury as the investigation expanded from the hush payment to an additional prong of whether Trump and his businesses unlawfully manipulated asset values for tax and loan benefits. 

After Bragg took over, that grand jury expired without levying any charges against the former president. 

At the time, the investigation seemed to lose steam. Two top prosecutors who expressed a desire to charge Trump resigned, indicating that Bragg had stopped pursuing the indictment. 

In the months since, Bragg has secured convictions for the Trump Organization and its former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, on charges related to executive perks. Five things Biden is likely to say and not say in the State of the Union Abbott issues disaster declaration following Texas ice storm

Now, the hush payment and the president himself have reemerged as a focus in just one of multiple legal battles involving the former president. Trump could become the first former president to face an indictment.

Federal investigations into the mishandling of classified records at Mar-a-Lago and efforts to block the 2020 transition of power also continue. A district attorney in Georgia is investigating Trump’s actions following the 2020 election, and the New York attorney general is also pursuing a civil lawsuit against the former president. 

“On one level, I think Bragg doesn’t want to be left out of the party if there are going to be additional criminal charges brought against Trump,” said Devaney.

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Man and boy arrested on suspicion of arson after restaurant fire leaves two in critical condition

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Man and boy arrested on suspicion of arson after restaurant fire leaves two in critical condition

A 54-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy have been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after a restaurant fire in east London on Friday.

Three people were taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition after the fire at the Indian Aroma in Ilford.

Two remained in a critical condition on Sunday morning, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The restaurant suffered extensive damage in the blaze.

Two further victims are thought to have left the scene before officers arrived, Scotland Yard said.

Woodford Avenue from above. Pic: UK News and Pictures
Image:
Woodford Avenue from above. Pic: UK News and Pictures

Police are still trying to identify them.

CCTV footage seen by the PA news agency appears to show a group of people wearing face coverings walk into the restaurant and pour liquid on the floor.

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Seconds later, the inside of the restaurant is engulfed in flames.

“While we have made two arrests, our investigation continues at pace so we can piece together what happened on Friday evening,” said the Met Police’s DCI Mark Rogers.

“I know the community [is] concerned and shocked by this incident.

The moment the fire broke out.
Image:
The moment the fire broke out.

“I would urge anyone with any information or concerns to come forward and speak to police.”

Hospital porter Edward Thawe went to help after hearing screams from his nearby home.

He described the scene as “horrible” and “more than scary and the sort of thing that you don’t want to look at twice.”

He said: “I heard screaming and people saying they had called the police.”

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The 43-year-old said he saw a woman and a severely burned man who may have been customers.

Another witness, who did not want to be named, said he saw three “severely burned” people being doused by the emergency services and given oxygen.

“I can only imagine the pain they were going through,” he said.

On Saturday, the London Ambulance Service told Sky News: “We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team.

“We treated five people for burns and smoke inhalation. We took two patients to a major trauma centre and three others to local hospitals.”

The police investigation is continuing.

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Fast-track asylum appeals process to be introduced – as average time for decisions is more than one year

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Fast-track asylum appeals process to be introduced - as average time for decisions is more than one year

A new fast-track asylum appeals process will be introduced to speed up the process of deporting people without a right to remain in the UK, the home secretary has said.

As it currently takes, on average, more than a year to reach a decision on asylum appeals, the government plans to set up a new independent panel focused on asylum appeals to help reduce the backlog.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said “completely unacceptable” delays in the appeals process left failed asylum seekers in the system for years.

There are about 51,000 asylum appeals waiting to be heard.

The new independent body will use professionally-trained adjudicators, rather than relying on judges.

Ministers are introducing a new 24-week deadline for the first-tier tribunal to determine asylum appeals by those receiving accommodation support and appeals by foreign offenders.

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Police clash with protesters in Bristol

But they believe the current tribunal system, which covers a wide range of different cases, is still failing to ensure failed asylum seekers can be returned as swiftly as possible, nor can it accommodate a fast-track system for safe countries.

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It comes amid protests about the use of hotel accommodation for migrants.

The home secretary said the overhaul would result in a system which is “swift, fair and independent, with high standards in place”.

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She said: “We inherited an asylum system in complete chaos with a soaring backlog of asylum cases and a broken appeals system with thousands of people in the system for years on end.

“That is why we are taking practical steps to fix the foundations and restore control and order to the system.

“We are determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system as part of our plan to end asylum hotels.

“Already since the election, we have reduced the backlog of people waiting for initial decisions by 24% and increased failed asylum returns by 30%.

“But we cannot carry on with these completely unacceptable delays in appeals as a result of the system we have inherited which mean that failed asylum seekers stay in the system for years on end at huge cost to the taxpayer.”

Official figures released earlier this month showed a total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

‘Waving immigrants through even faster will not fix the problem’

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “I think this goes nowhere near far enough.

“The underlying rights, which allows most illegal immigrants to stay here, are not changing. Simply waving illegal immigrants through even faster to full housing and welfare rights will not fix the problem.”

Chris Philp
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Chris Philp

He added: “Immigration judges will still apply ever expanding common-sense defying definitions of ECHR rights to allow foreign criminals and illegal immigrants to stay here.”

But the Liberal Democrats have been more positive in their response, with shadow attorney general, Ben Maguire, saying: “A faster application process would mean that those with no right to be here are sent back swiftly and those who do have a valid claim can get a job, integrate and contribute to the community.”

Asked for his thoughts on the policy, immigration lawyer Harjap Singh Bhangal told Sky News that it “definitely sounds like some sort of solution”.

He pointed that the backlog of asylum seekers waiting for a decision is “huge”, around 51,000 people – and that during this time, they are not allowed to work.

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A new fast-track asylum appeals process will be introduced to speed up the process of deporting people without a right to remain in the UK.

He said: “The equivalent would be saying that imagine if A-level students this year sat the exams and were told ‘well, hold on, you’re not going to get your results for two years’ time. But in the meantime, you can’t go to university.’

“You’d have mayhem, and it’d be pandemonium in the street. You’d have broken people idle with nothing to do. Essentially, this is what’s happening to asylum seekers.”

He added that one of the reasons it takes so long for cases to be heard is because asylum seekers have to represent themselves in court, which can mean upwards of half a day is spent translating and explaining everything to them.

Mr Bhangal also said the immigration system is “broken”, because “they take ages to make a decision which could be made in one week”.

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Family pay tribute to ‘beloved’ man who died in ‘accident while working on fairground ride’

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Family pay tribute to 'beloved' man who died in 'accident while working on fairground ride'

A man who died after suffering “serious head injuries” while “working on a fairground ride” has been named as Corrie Lee Stavers.

Emergency services were called to the Spanish City Summer Funfair in Whitley Bay in North Tyneside after reports that a man, in his 20s, had been injured around 2.15pm on Saturday, police said.

Mr Stavers, 28, was treated at the scene but was declared dead a short time later.

In a statement issued by the police, his family said: “It’s with broken hearts that we share the devastating news that our beloved Corrie has passed away.

“He was tragically taken from us in an accident while working on a fairground ride. None of us were prepared for this, and the pain of losing him so suddenly is impossible to put into words.

“Our lives will never be the same without him, but his memory will live on in our hearts forever.

“We love you endlessly Corrie, and we miss you more than words can ever say.

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“You’re with our mam now – rest in peace Corrie.”

The funfair, which is in Whitley Bay’s Spanish City Plaza area, has been shut “until further notice” and the Health and Safety Executive has been informed.

The annual funfair had opened on Thursday and had been due to run until Bank Holiday Monday.

Read more from Sky News:
Man and boy arrested after restaurant fire
Fast-track asylum appeals process to be introduced

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Emergency services attended and a man in his 20s was found to have suffered serious head injuries.

“Despite the best efforts of medical staff, a short time later the man was sadly declared dead.

“His next of kin have been contacted and are being supported by specialist officers.”

The spokesman added: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this extremely difficult time.

“We have contacted the Health and Safety Executive and are working with them to establish exactly what happened.

“The fair has been closed to the public and will remain closed until further notice.”

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