Jury selection resumed on day two of Donald Trump's long-awaited hush-money trial in New York
It marks the first time that a US president - former or current - has faced a criminal trial
Seven jurors have been chosen so far but dozens of potential jurors have been excused after saying they could not be impartial
The judge has reprimanded Trump for muttering at a potential juror and has also warned his lawyers over their line of questioning
Trump is accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election - which he won
Daniels claims she and Trump had sex in 2006, and she was then paid by Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen to stay quiet about it
Trump is accused of falsifying his business records by saying the reimbursement money he gave Cohen was for legal fees
He faces 34 counts of fraud, but denies any legal wrongdoing - and also denies having an affair with Daniels
Justice Merchan is now denying the prosecutors' request to bring in other allegations against Trump of sexual assault, to which he gives them a quick and direct response.
They're "complete hearsay", the judge says.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Image source, Getty ImagesJoshua Steinglass of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is pushing to expand how they refer to the Access Hollywood tape that came out just before the 2016 election.
The infamous tape, recorded in 2005, captured Donald Trump on audio boasting that he could "grab" women by the genitals without their permission because he is famous.
In pre-trial rulings, Justice Merchan had decided lawyers wouldn't be able to play the actual tape for the jury.
But prosecutors want jurors to know what Trump said to show how aggressively his campaign reacted. They push to include an email chain - which includes a transcript of the tape - between the Washington Post reporter who broke the story and Trump campaign officials.
Prosecutors also want to include a deposition from Trump's E Jean Carroll trial where he describes what he said in the video.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s leading attorney, unsurprisingly does not want any of this evidence used.
Justice Merchan decides that the deposition and the Access Hollywood tape are unnecessary, but the emails with the Washington Post reporter could be relevant if they "set it up properly".
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from outside court
Image source, EPAIt’s a cast of colourful characters at the courthouse today.
A pro-Trump truck has just made its fourth journey around the court and shows no signs of slowing down.
A man in an American flag hat is playing the The Star-Spangled Banner non-stop.
Some supporting the former president are wearing pictures with his mugshot from his Georgia criminal indictment on it.
One man is wearing a Donald Trump wig and a signature blue suit and red tie while doing an impression of the ex-president's voice.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Getty ImagesThe prosecution is now asking to introduce evidence about Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who has claimed to have an affair with Trump, specifically that Trump believed that her story would be damaging to his campaign and he was involved in securing the rights to the story.
But Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche calls it "literally just salacious with no value".
Joshua Steinglass from the prosecution angrily pushes back against this.
Justice Merchan says his previous ruling on McDougal stands, but that he will not permit, at this point, that Trump's wife was pregnant with a child at the time.
As a reminder, the state alleges McDougal was paid $150,000 to keep quiet.
Joshua Steinglass, one of the Manhattan prosecutors in the case, asks to introduce evidence about the Trump 2016 campaign’s co-ordination with the National Enquirer - a tabloid newspaper.
He says that the publication had said it would promote positive stories about Trump and negative stories about Trump’s opponents, including Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche pushes back on the prosecution's effort to introduce evidence from the National Enquirer.
“This evidence would do nothing but confuse the jury about the actual crime charged for several reasons,” Blanche says, describing the evidence as a “side show".
Justice Merchan rules that prosecutors are allowed to introduce them and says he's happy that the defence agrees that the material is not "illegal or improper".
Image source, Getty ImagesJustice Merchan has been speaking about various dates the court will sit.
He says he won't yet rule on Trump's request to skip the trial on 17 May so the former president can attend the high school graduation of his 18-year-old son, Barron Trump.
“It really depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial,” Merchan says.
He also says the court will not sit on Wednesdays, unless things start running behind schedule.
Trump is required to attend court throughout the trial, unless Merchan permits him to be absent.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Justice Merchan considers a motion by the Trump team to adjust alleged “asymmetry” in the jury questionnaire.
Ultimately, Merchan denies it, saying that he did not see asymmetry when viewed through the lens of trying to establish if a possible juror is pro- or anti-Trump.
Besides, he adds, the 42-question document is “already by far the most extensive questionnaire this court has ever used”.
As a reminder, some of the questions jurors will be quizzed on will include ones like: what news do they read? Have they attended a rally for Trump? And are they supporters of extremist movements?
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from outside court
Image source, Getty ImagesArmed police escorted the former president to court from his apartment in Trump Tower
Security is tight here outside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump has just taken a seat, as jury selection for his New York trial gets underway.
After Trump’s first criminal indictment last year - which proved to be much more of a circus - and his civil fraud trial last year, the court police have developed a protocol for handling the hordes of press and protesters.
The perimeter is fenced off with police surrounding the edges, while protesters are confined to a small park behind the press.
Security is no doubt even tighter inside, with the US Secret Service guarding the former president.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from outside court
A truck with Trump flags drives around the New York courthouse
Reporters waiting outside the court this morning have just had their work interrupted by a colourful truck decorated with Trump memorabilia.
The driver honked his horn loudly and repeatedly as he drove by the criminal court.
Protesters across the street chanted, “go Trump!” as he drove by.
Image source, Getty ImagesAs we just reported, Justice Merchan began the day's proceedings by addressing Trump's latest motion for him to recuse himself from the case.
Merchan has denied the motion to recuse, and says that the court will not address the matter any further.
Image source, Getty ImagesTrump and Todd Blanche, his head attorney, are continuously huddling together to speak at the defence table as they wait for proceedings to get under way.
Trump seems to have a view of himself and the rest of the defence table on one of four large TV monitors mounted to the front wall of the courtroom, which is positioned to the left of the bench.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung can be seen seated in the back of the room.
Image source, Getty ImagesDonald Trump seated next to his attorney Todd Blanche
Judge Merchan has entered the courtroom.
“Good morning, Mr Trump,” Merchan says, after the lawyers introduced themselves.
Merchan starts with some “loose ends,” including the outstanding motion for recusal.
Trump and his legal team have aimed to have Merchan removed from the case, claiming that the judge is biased against the former president.
Donald Trump and his legal team have entered the courtroom and we are about to get under way.
Stick with us as we cover this historic moment, the first time ever that a US president - former or current - has faced a criminal trial.
Image source, AFPDonald Trump is now inside the courtroom, ready for the first day of his trial.
For the first time, we are seeing a (former or current) US president be criminally prosecuted.
He is accused of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up an alleged sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy Daniels to shield his 2016 election campaign from adverse publicity.
The former president has maintained his innocence.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Image source, Getty ImagesI'm standing outside the courthouse as we wait for Trump’s historic trial to begin.
Dozens of pro and anti-Trump supporters have gathered across the street from the criminal courts building, just as the former president takes a seat at the defence table. The protesters are carrying signs and chanting as a news helicopter circles above us.
The demonstrators have remained civil thus far and are nearly outnumbered by hordes of press broadcasting live from outside the trial.
The crowd today greatly outnumbers the protesters who came to Trump’s civil fraud trial earlier this year, signalling the importance of these court proceedings for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Kayla Epstein
in court
I’m watching a pool feed of the court room, with a camera trained on the defence table.
Because of the low angle of the lens, we can’t see anyone’s face until they sit down, only their body.
Suddenly, a bright red tie and a blue suit enters the frame.
The tie shuffles towards the end of the defence table and takes a seat. And then Trump’s face comes into view.
With the blown-out lighting of the camera, the former president's straw-colored hair looks like a shock of white. His face is drawn, and he is frowning. He has assumed his usual slouched posture at the defence table.
His attorneys Todd Blanche, Emil Bove, and Susan Necheles flank him.
His trial is about to begin.
'I'm proud to be here', Trump speaks ahead of trial
We have just heard from Donald Trump, who gave a very short speech to the press in the courthouse, saying that such a case "has never happened before, there has been never anything like this".
His tone is one of defiance - mirroring his social media posts today and over the weekend - and he repeated unsubstantiated claims that the trial is a witch hunt against him.
He claims: "Every legal scholar said this case is nonsense, it should have never been brought, there is no case."
"This is an assault on America and that's why I'm very proud to be here," Trump adds.
He concludes by saying that the case is "an attack on a political opponent. I am very honoured to be here.”
Donald Trump has just started giving a statement to media as he makes his way into the courtroom.
You can watch live by pressing the play button at the top of this page.
And we will bring you text updates shortly.
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
Image source, ReutersTrump has used his previous court appearances, like this one back in February, to stump for the upcoming election
We're expecting Donald Trump to speak at the courthouse at any moment. For the presumptive Republican nominee for president, the line between the campaign trail and the courtroom has almost entirely vanished.
The president has held impromptu press conferences before and after his mandatory courthouse appearances. His team has fired off fundraising emails detailing the latest twists and turns of his legal odysseys.
And through it all, his standing among Republican primary voters has held firm – or been solidified. And he continues to be neck-and-neck with Joe Biden in public opinion polling for November’s presidential election.
The former president’s judicial journey enters a new stage with the start of his first criminal trial. But there is no reason to believe that his attitude or strategy will change significantly as he takes his place at the defendant’s table.
Expect more turns before the camera on the courthouse steps, using the national spotlight to highlight his political messages. Expect more extended diatribes on his social media platform.
In other words, expect Donald Trump to continue to be Donald Trump even during the history-making first-ever criminal trial of a former president.
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Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Only a handful of reporters will be in the actual courtroom for jury selection, since they need to fill the room with potential jurors.
I’m in an overflow courtroom down the hall with most of the press corps.
It’s a large, wood panelled room that’s been set up with a large TV screen at the front. The cameras will be trained on Donald Trump, the prosecution table, and the judge, but we won’t see the potential jury.
The atmosphere inside this room is far less tense than the courtroom itself.
The reporters who are actually in the courtroom will serve as our eyes and ears.
They’ll send the rest of the press corps dispatches, known as pool reports, with lots of details we won't be able to see on camera.