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Donald Trump described the hush money case against him as an “assault on America” as he arrived at court in New York ahead of his historic trial.

The former US president is accused of criminally altering business records to cover up a $130,000 (£104,200) payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, during his 2016 election campaign.

Ms Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who was paid $150,000 (£120,000), both claim to have had affairs with Trump.

His lawyers say the payment was meant to spare himself and his family embarrassment, not to help him win the election.

Speaking as he arrived at the Manhattan court, Trump said: “Nothing like this has ever happened before. It should never been brought.

Donald Trump  sits in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
Donald Trump sits in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York.
Pic: Reuters

“It’s an assault on America. An assault on our country. A country that’s failing.

“It’s an attack on a political opponent, that’s all it is. So I’m very proud to be here.”

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The key figures in the Donald Trump hush money case

Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

Trump then continued to attack US President Joe Biden and repeated claims that the trial is political persecution, saying: “It’s a country that’s run by an incompetent man who is very much involved in this case.”

Before proceedings began Judge Juan M Merchan denied a request by the defence to recuse himself from the case.

Defence lawyers had renewed a motion from last summer arguing that an interview Mr Merchan gave to the media, his daughter’s work at a political consultancy firm and his daughter’s social media activity created a conflict of interest that merited recusal.

Donald Trump .
Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

But Mr Merchan said Trump had “failed to provide” evidence of a conflict and instead relied on a “series of inferences [and] innuendos”.

“Defendant’s second motion for recusal is denied,” the judge ruled in court.

He added that he will not yet rule on Trump’s request to skip the trial on 17 May in order to attend his son’s high school graduation.

“It really depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial,” Mr Merchan said.

People hold placards against Former U.S. President Donald Trump on the day of his hush money criminal trial, in New York City, U.S., April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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People hold placards against Trump. Pic: Reuters

The trial begins with the selection of the jury, which Sky News’ US partner network, NBC, said could take up to two weeks because of the large pool of prospective jurors.

Both the defence and prosecution agreed to a “hybrid” approach to the selection process, involving jurors being asked separate questions – one about conflicts with the trial, and another on whether jurors identify as impartial or unbiased.

Mr Merchan said the process – first requested by Trump’s lawyers – would not delay anything.

Around 200 Trump supporters gathered outside the courthouse as well as roughly 40 other individuals who were protesting against the former president.

Donald Trump at Manhattan criminal court with his legal team ahead of the start of jury selection
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Trump with his legal team ahead of the start of jury selection. Pic: Reuters

One group of demonstrators carried a banner that read, “no one is above the law”.

Monday’s proceedings mark the first of four indictments against the former president to go to trial, and is the first to be held ahead of this year’s presidential election.

Trump faces two other criminal trials accusing him of trying to subvert his 2020 election loss to Mr Biden, and another that accuses him of mishandling classified information after he left the White House in 2021.

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He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. No other former US president has ever faced criminal charges.

Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, said he co-ordinated with Trump on payments to Ms Daniels and to Ms McDougal.

Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in 2018 in relation to the payments and was sentenced to three years in prison. He was released into house arrest after one year.

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Trump administration halts international student visa applications

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Trump administration halts international student visa applications

The Trump administration has stopped the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students hoping to study in the US while it prepares to expand social media vetting of applicants.

A US official said on Tuesday the suspension is intended to be temporary and does not apply to applicants who already have visa interviews scheduled.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an internal administration document.

A downturn in enrolment of international students could hurt university budgets in the US.

To make up for cuts in federal research funding, some colleges previously shifted to enrolling more international students, who often pay full tuition.

Now, an internal cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and seen by the Associated Press news agency shows how new student visa interviews are being halted as the US State Department plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting.

The cable says that “in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity” until the guidance is issued.

It also says the halting of new visa interviews is “effective immediately”.

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Asked about the suspension at a briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the US uses every available resource to vet people applying for visas.

“We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that’s coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,” Ms Bruce said.

The move, first reported by Politico, is the latest in the White House’s crackdown on international students.

Last week, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enrol international students, removing the college from the programme that allows schools to sponsor foreign students for visas.

That effort was quickly challenged in court and for now is blocked by a federal judge.

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Harvard foreign student ban blocked

This spring the Trump administration also revoked the legal status of thousands of international students already in the country, leading some to leave the US out of fear of deportation.

After many students filed successful legal challenges, the administration said it was restoring the students’ legal status.

But the government also expanded the grounds for terminating international students’ legal status going forward.

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US President Donald Trump’s previous administration stepped up scrutiny of all visa applicants, introducing reviews of their social media accounts.

The policy remained during President Joe Biden’s administration.

An extended pause in scheduling student visas could lead to delays that may disrupt college, boarding school or exchange students’ plans to enrol in summer and autumn terms.

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Trump vs universities: Could social media deny students entry to US?

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Trump vs universities: Could social media deny students entry to US?

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The Trump administration has ordered embassies to stop scheduling student visa appointments as it prepares to implement strict social media vetting.

US correspondents Martha Kelner and James Matthews discuss why the administration is introducing the drastic measures and what a ban on international students could mean for the US.

Plus, Trump has threatened to pull California’s federal funding over one high school trans athlete.

If you’ve got a question you’d like the Trump100 team to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk.

Don’t forget, you can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.

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SpaceX Starship rocket spins out of control on test flight, marking third failure in a row

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SpaceX Starship rocket spins out of control on test flight, marking third failure in a row

A test flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket has failed for the third time in a row.

It began spinning out of control about 30 minutes after its launch because of fuel leaks – meaning it broke up on re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

“Our chances of making it all the way down to the Indian Ocean are pretty slim,” a SpaceX commentator said during a livestream.

There had been hopes of a successful mission, as the rocket had progressed beyond the point of explosive past failures in January and March.

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March: SpaceX debris lights up sky after failed launch

But plans to release a series of mock satellites after lift-off were abandoned because its payload door failed to open fully.

The vessel had been mounted atop a Super Heavy booster that was being reused for the first time ever – and while that was meant to make a soft landing, it ended up slamming into the Gulf of Mexico.

SpaceX hopes that Starship will one day be used to ferry people and cargo to Mars, but this latest setback plunges Elon Musk’s ambitions into doubt.

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Failed launches earlier this year disrupted dozens of flights across the US – and the project was grounded for two months while an investigation took place.

Musk was due to update the world on his space exploration ambitions later, in a speech entitled “The Road to Making Life Multiplanetary” – but the event has been delayed without explanation.

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Jan: Starship explosion sparks travel chaos

Nonetheless, the world’s richest man described the latest test flight as a “big improvement”.

He also vowed to pick up the pace with future launches – and says the next three flights will take place every three to four weeks.

On X, the company added: “With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”

NASA needs SpaceX to make huge advances with Starship over the next 12 months as the US agency tries to fulfil an ambition of landing astronauts back on the moon.

Musk had been hoping for success after pledging to start focusing on his many businesses – Tesla, X and SpaceX among them – after attempting to slash government spending while in the Trump administration.

Footage posted on social media showed the billionaire watching the test flight unfold from a control centre, while wearing the T-shirt “Occupy Mars”.

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