The jury has begun deliberating in Donald Trump’s hush money trial – as the world waits for the seven men and five women to reach their historic verdict.
The deliberations began on Wednesday after nearly two dozen witnesses, 16 days of testimony and hours of lawyers’ closing arguments.
Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with an alleged scheme to bury stories ahead of his 2016 presidential campaign.
It relates to reimbursements paid to Trump’s then lawyer Michael Cohenafter he made a$130,000 (£102,000) payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.
Prosecutors say the reimbursements were falsely logged as “legal expenses” to hide the true nature of the transactions.
Trump, who is the first ever former US president to face a criminal trial, has denied all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.
Trump will be convicted if the jury unanimously finds he created a false entry in his company’s records, or caused someone else to do so, with the intent of committing or concealing a violation of a state law making it illegal for conspirators “to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means”.
A conviction would mean that jurors all agreed that something unlawful was carried out to boost Trump’s election campaign.
However, they don’t have to be unanimous on what that unlawful thing was.
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Trump and lawyer audio about hush money
Where will Trump be during the deliberations?
The former US president doesn’t have to stay in the courtroom itself during deliberations but must be in the building.
During the trial, he and his attorneys and security personnel had the use of a courtroom across the hall for breaks.
Where do deliberations take place?
Behind closed doors in a room reserved for the jury.
While the 12 jurors deliberate, the six alternate jurors who have also observed the whole trial will be in a separate space in the courthouse.
If a jury member is unable to continue because of illness or other reasons, an alternate juror will then take that person’s place, and deliberations will start again from the beginning.
What will we know about the discussions?
The public will know very little because they are held in secret.
The identities of the jurors are also kept from the public.
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Do we know anything about the deliberations so far?
On the first day of deliberations, the jury sent two notes to the judge as they asked to rehear jury instructions as well as testimonies from National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and Trump’s former lawyer Mr Cohen.
The jury cannot be given a transcript and the testimonies will instead be read to them in the courtroom.
Judge Juan M. Merchan said it will take some time to gather the requested sections and about half an hour for it to be read aloud.
Image: Donald Trump pictured grinning ahead of the judge giving final instructions to the jury. Pic: Reuters
While the attorneys and court were gathering that testimony, jurors sent a request to rehear the judge’s instructions on the laws applicable to the case.
Then jurors were brought into court and asked by the judge whether they wanted to hear all of the legal instructions or just part. After explaining that they could answer by note, he sent them home for the evening.
How long will jurors deliberate?
The jury will deliberate for as long as it takes.
The standard court day runs from 9.30am to 4.30pm local time, with a break for lunch.
Image: Donald Trump walks out of the courthourse after the jury is sent out. Pic: Reuters
Can the jurors go home?
This particular jury isn’t sequestered – the legal term for isolating the panel from the outside world.
This means the jurors can go home at the end of each day.
What are the possible outcomes of the trial?
• Guilty – It only takes a guilty verdict on one count for Trump to receive a criminal conviction.
• Not guilty – To be acquitted, the jury must decide that Trump is not guilty on all counts.
• Hung jury – If the jury can’t reach a unanimous verdict, a hung jury can be declared. The judge would then have to declare a mistrial. A retrial could be held in this case.
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What happens if there’s a verdict?
Jurors will send a note to the judge saying they have reached a verdict in the case. The note will not state what that verdict is.
The judge will then summon the former president, his defence team and prosecutors to the courtroom if they’re not already there.
The jury will then be brought in, before the foreperson – which in New York is usually the first juror who was chosen – will be asked whether the panel has reached a verdict.
If the answer is yes, the foreperson will then be asked what the verdict is for each count and will answer either “guilty” or “not guilty”.
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What happens if there isn’t a verdict?
If jurors send a note saying they can’t reach a verdict, the judge will consult with both sides as he decides what to do next.
Defence lawyers might seek an immediate mistrial.
It could be granted, but often the response is to call the jury in for some form of instruction to keep trying.
When would Trump be sentenced if he was found guilty?
If guilty, sentencing will come four to six weeks after the verdict.
He faces up to four years in prison, although legal experts expect the former president to avoid jail time.
Buckingham Palace previously only said the visit would happen “when diaries allow”, but Mr Trump told reporters on Thursday: “I think they are setting a date for September.”
“I don’t know how it can be bigger than the last one,” he said.
“The last one was incredible, but they say the next one will be even more important.”
Image: Sir Keir Starmer handed Trump the invite earlier this year. Pic: PA
Mr Trump will become the only elected political leader in modern times to be invited to two state visits by a British monarch.
The president called the UK a “great country” in his comments at the White House on Thursday and said it was “an honour to be a friend of King Charles and the family, William”.
His first state visit was in 2019, when he was hosted by the late Queen.
Second-term US presidents who have already made a state visit usually get tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.
Image: The president was hosted by the Queen in June 2019. Pic: Reuters
But Mr Trump is set to get all the pomp and ceremony laid on again in his honour – with another state banquet likely at Buckingham Palace.
The Royal Family‘s soft power diplomacy is viewed as a way of currying favour with the president, who’s known for his love of the monarchy and links to the UK through his mother, who was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.
It comes as the government seeks an economic deal with the US, in the hope of potentially lessening the impact of the president’s tariffs.
Four people are in hospital as police deal with an active shooter on a university campus in Florida.
Videos showed people running through traffic, fleeing the scene, around the time of the shooting at the student union at Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee.
Local police were “on the scene or on the way”, according to an alert sent out by the school and students have been told to “shelter in place”.
The FBI is also said to be responding to the incident.
Image: Florida State University students wait for news amid an active shooter incident at the school.
Pic: AP/Kate Payne
In a statement, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said it was “actively receiving and caring for patients” from the incident.
“At this time, details are still unfolding, and we do not yet have specific information to share. However, we want to assure the community that our teams are fully mobilised and prepared to provide the highest level of care and support to all those affected,” it added.
President Donald Trump said he was fully briefed on the incident and described it as “a shame”.
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He added: “It’s a horrible thing. Horrible that things like this take place.”
Florida governor Ron DeSantis, in a statement posted on X, said: “Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding.”
Ambulances, fire trucks and police vehicles raced to the campus around midday local time (5pm UK time) on Thursday.
As students streamed away from the area of the student union in their hundreds, some were visibly emotional and others were glued to their phones.
Dozens later gathered near the university’s music school, waiting for news.
Florida State University student Daniella Streety told NBC News of the chaos that unfolded at the scene.
She remained on lockdown in a campus building and said: “I did see them carry out one student in what looked like on a stretcher and kept them in the road until an ambulance was able to pick them up.”
Joshua Sirmans, 20, was in the university’s main library when he said alarms began going off warning of an active shooter.
Police escorted him and other students out of the library with their hands over their heads, he said.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
A US federal judge has warned that he could hold the Trump administration in contempt for violating his orders to turn around planes carrying deportees to El Salvador.
US District Judge James E. Boasberg said he had found “probable cause” to hold the administration in criminal contempt and warned he could refer the matter for prosecution if it does not “purge” its contempt.
If the government doesn’t purge the contempt, charges could be brought forward by the Justice Department, NBC News reported.
And if the executive-led Justice Department refused to prosecute the matter, Judge Boasberg said he would appoint another attorney to prosecute the contempt.
Mr Boasberg said the administration could “purge contempt by returning those who were sent to El Salvador prison, in violation of his order, to the US.
This, he said, “might avail themselves of their right to challenge their removability”.
“The Constitution does not tolerate wilful disobedience of judicial orders – especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it,” the judge wrote.
Executive vs judicial
This marks a notable escalation in the ongoing tensions between the judicial and executive branches of the US government during Donald Trump’s second term.
Parts of the US president’s legislative programme have been halted by judges, as the administration strains against the restraints of the separation of powers.
Mr Trump previously called for Judge Boasberg to be impeached while the Justice Department claimed he overstepped his authority – both reflecting the administration’s attempts to overcome perceived obstacles to the implementation of its agenda.
Mr Trump’s administration has also argued it did not violate any orders.
It claimed the judge didn’t include a turnaround directive in his written order and said the planes had already left the US by the time the order came down.
‘Administrative error’
At the heart of the legal wrangling is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who was sent to El Salvador by the Trump administration in March despite an immigration court order preventing his deportation.
Washington acknowledged that Mr Garcia was deported due to an “administrative error”.
The US Supreme Court has called on the administration to facilitate his return, upholding a court order by Judge Paula Xinis, but Trump officials have claimed that Mr Garcia has ties to the MS-13 gang.
Image: Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Pic: CASA/AP
Mr Garcia’s lawyers have argued there is no evidence of this.
This all comes after El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele visited the White House earlier this week.
During his time with Mr Trump, Mr Bukele said that he would not return Mr Garcia, likening it to smuggling “a terrorist into the United States.”
Image: The US and El Salvador presidents in the Oval Office.
Pic: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
Along with Mr Garcia, the Trump administration has deported hundreds of people, mostly Venezuelans, whom it claims are gang members without presenting evidence and without a trial.
Democrat senator travels to El Salvador
Meanwhile, Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen arrived in El Salvador on Wednesday, saying he would seek a meeting with the country’s officials to secure Mr Garcia’s release.
“I just arrived in San Salvador a little while ago and look forward to meeting with the US embassy team to discuss Mr. Abrego Garcia’s release,” Mr Van Hollen said on social media.
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