Stormy Daniels testifies in Trump hush money trial: Live updates

Judge Juan Merchan is on the bench and proceedings are getting underway.

Alex Woodward is at the courthouse reporting for The Independent and will be sending updates throughout the day.

Stormy Daniels is back on the stand. Jury coming in…

There is an issue with court photography.

At around 8:43, a court officer told the pool photographers in the hallway pen that Justice Merchan is no longer allowing photography in the courtroom for the rest of the trial.

Officer said that someone in the pool violated the court order by taking a photograph of Trump from the aisle, while walking into the well. The order permits photographers to take photos only from the well itself, the officer said.

Pool photogs talked to court spox Al Baker, who said he would look into the matter.

Photographers can still do their job in the hallway outside.

And an update from the pool:

Court spox Al Baker said photos inside the court are “not happening today”.

Here’s more on the youngest Trump’s first baby steps into politics from James Liddell.

Donald Trump is seated in court beside Todd Blanche.

Susan Necheles and Emil Bove are seated beside them.

Trump entered hallway at 9:18 and walked up with Todd Blanche. Spoke for 5 minutes.

Rick Scott (not Tim) hung back and didn’t come close to poolers nor talk to us

Trump began by criticizing Biden’s decision on arms to Israel. Said: “If any Jewish person voted for Joe Biden they should be ashamed of themselves”

Said his lawyers just filed a “major motion” in appellate division over gag order.

Talked about unfairness of trial, Merchan.

“We have Rick Scott here, we have other politicians here.” Unclear who other politicians are.

Said “there’s a danger from the right”, not the left

Praised statement from Ted Cruz criticizing the case.

‘I think you’ll see some very interesting things today ” and praised his lawyers.

The prosecution has arrived in the courtroom. Assistant DA Susan Hoffinger is searching through documents on the table, with Rebecca Mangold to her right.

Joshua Steinglass, Matthew Colangelo, and Christopher Conroy are also present.

Presumably, he’ll be catching up on sleep in court today…

Donald Trump has branded Paul Ryan, as the “most incompetent” speaker of the House of Representatives in US history after Mr Ryan said that Trump won’t get his vote in this year’s presidential election.

Mr Ryan, 54, doubled-down on his belief that Trump is the wrong choice of canditate for the Republicans, stating he has no interest in giving him another shot in the White House, as Trump gets set for a rematch against his successor, Joe Biden.

His rationale, it appears, is simple: Trump lacks the temperament required to lead the US for a second term.

Say what you like about the American justice system (and Trump does), but it undeniably gets to the bottom of things, winces Sean O’Grady.

On Tuesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, the host showed his excitement that his show was yet again mentioned during court proceedings that day, notably when Daniels was asked to recount her 2018 interview with Kimmel, where he questioned if her signature was legitimate on a letter signed by her stating that she had not had an affair with Trump.

“Somehow, I’ve become the Kato Kaelin of this trial,” Kimmel said, making reference to referring to one of the key witnesses in OJ Simpson’s “trial of the century” in the 1990s.

Amelia Neath has the story.

For more on the artist formerly known as Stephanie Clifford, here’s a profile from Io Dodds.