Stormy Daniels told a New York court about a hush-money payment at the centre of Donald Trump's first criminal trial, which was paid to her before the 2016 election
The adult-film star also described an alleged sexual encounter with Donald Trump at a golf tournament, which he denies happened
Tensions were high in the courtroom when Judge Merchan asked for the prosecution to cut out explicit questions
Trump's lawyer called for a mistrial over testimony made by Daniels, but that motion was quickly rejected
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal the payment
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Todd Blanche, Trump's lawyer, is handling the cross-examination of Sally Franklin.
He starts in an obvious place - pointing out that another author helped Donald Trump write both of the books we've just heard excerpts from.
The implication - there's another voice coming out of these pages, and it might not be Trump's.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
We've just heard quote after quote from Trump's books about his financial practices.
“If I didn’t check up on it [my finances] regularly, I would be in big financial trouble, and I would have no one to blame for it but myself," Trump says in one.
With that, prosecutors have finished their questioning of Sally Franklin.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
The jury is looking particularly attentive this morning as they read lines from Trump’s books projected on the screens in front of them.
“Pay attention to the small numbers in your finances,” one line reads.
The 12 jurors in this high-profile case have managed to stay attentive every day in court - including yesterday, which proved rather tedious as we looked at dozens of documents that are central to the case.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Prosecutors are asking Sally Franklin - currently giving evidence - about two of the books that Penguin Random House published. (We're paging through Trump: How to Get Rich as we type.)
Franklin's being asked to read out some of its contents. In one, Trump (or the author who helped him write the book) wrote:
Quote MessageIf you don’t know every aspect of what you’re doing, down to the paper clips, you’re setting yourself up for some unwelcome surprises."
One chapter reads: "Sometimes, you still have to screw them."
Later, Trump adds: "As it says in the Bible, an eye for an eye." And in another passage, Trump shares his thoughts on sexual chemistry.
Franklin then reads another passage from a different book: Think Like a Billionaire.
When talking about decorating a home, Trump writes: "Make sure you ask to see all of the invoices."
"As I said before, I always sign my checks, so I know where my money is going.”
We were all a bit confused as to why a book publisher was on the stand, but it's clear the prosecution is using Franklin to get some of Trump's own stated viewpoints on life, business - and keeping an eye on your chequebook - into the record.
Nada Tawfik
Reporting outside the courtroom
The defence just unsuccessfully tried to stop Stormy Daniels' testimony about sexual acts. Donald Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche claimed in opening statements that her testimony “while salacious, does not matter”.
Let’s break that down.
There’s no getting around the fact that her testimony about their sexual encounter will include details that will be embarrassing for Donald Trump. He, of course, denies it happened - but as this trial has proven, he is preoccupied with how he is portrayed in the media.
The headlines that will write themselves from her testimony will no doubt bother him, as he once again seeks a return to the White House.
Next, does her testimony matter or not?
In regard to the charges, it doesn’t matter if they had sex, beyond questions of her credibility as a witness. She also has no knowledge of whether the business records were allegedly falsified to cover up the payment to her.
But she is still important for the prosecution’s case and serves as another corroborating witness. She will likely detail how she was prepared to go public before the 2016 election with her story and how the motivation to pay her off in exchange for her silence was in fact the election, and not Melania Trump’s feelings.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Image source, ReutersThat brief argument over Stormy Daniels' upcoming testimony (see our last couple of posts) previews what is sure to be one of the most contentious days in court so far.
The prosecutors, while likely to steer clear of any graphic testimony, are poised to ask about her alleged sexual encounter and subsequent interactions with Donald Trump. The cross-examination by Trump's lawyers is sure to be brutal, as they seek to undermine her credibility and motivations.
And this battle will all play out in front of Donald Trump, who will be sitting a few feet away, listening to Daniels recount highly personal details of an event that he has denied.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
After a short argument, Justice Juan Merchan has sided with prosecutors.
He agrees that it’s important for them to be able to establish the credibility of a witness who has given conflicting statements about her sexual encounter with Donald Trump.
The jury has just entered and our first witness of the day is Sally Franklin. She works at Penguin Random House, the book publisher.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger says her team will need to question Stormy Daniels about certain sexual acts she says she carried out with Trump, but would not dive into too many personal details.
She says there'll be some very brief details about Daniels's alleged encounter with the former president - which he denies.
Image source, Getty ImagesStormy Daniels, 45, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is a Louisiana-born adult film star and director who has won multiple awards for her movie work.
In addition, she made appearances in mainstream Hollywood films, including 2000s comedies The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up.
She also dabbled in politics and previously declared herself to be a Republican - the same party as Donald Trump.
Daniels claims she and Trump had sex, and that she accepted $130,000 (£104,000) from his former lawyer before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about the encounter.
The lawyer, Michael Cohen, was later jailed on multiple charges - but since the allegations surfaced in 2018, the former president has denied any sexual involvement with Daniels.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Trump's lawyers have just confirmed that Stormy Daniels is the second witness today.
Court is now in session and is starting with an objection from Trump's lawyers about Daniels' testifying. They say she has no place in a case about "books and records" and they don't want her testifying about "sexual acts".
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Image source, ReutersTrump arrives at court
Donald Trump has just walked into the courtroom wearing a gold tie, followed by his legal team.
He glances at reporters as he walks to his seat at the defence table.
His son Eric Trump and lawyer Alina Habba are also here in the front row, as they were yesterday.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Prosecutors are entering the courtroom carrying their large stacks of files, as per usual.
Secret Service staff have also arrived, seated at several different points in the room while they wait for Donald Trump to enter.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Image source, Getty ImagesAccording to reports, we might hear from one of the prosecution’s star witnesses today: Stormy Daniels.
Daniels alleges that she and Trump had sex at a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada in 2006 shortly after Trump’s wife Melania gave birth to their son - a claim Trump denies.
Prosecutors say Trump directed his former lawyer Michael Cohen to pay her $130,000 in exchange for her silence.
Though the scandal will make for a fascinating day in court, experts say Daniels' role as a witness is more limited, as she was never directly in touch with Trump about the hush-money payment.
Still, lawyers say, Daniels will play a crucial part in narrating the context that led up to the hush-money and its reimbursement - the heart of the District Attorney's case
“She’s the piece of the puzzle that you need in terms of understanding why there would have been a payoff,” former Brooklyn prosecutor Julie Rendelman tells me.
Experts say Daniels will also help corroborate testimony from Cohen, whose credibility will likely be in question because of his criminal convictions and his animosity toward Trump.
Daniels "completes the narrative”, former Manhattan prosecutor Diana Florence tells me.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Trump's Truth Social account reportedly posted, then deleted, a message that refers to an upcoming witness today.
Remember, he is banned from making statements about witnesses or potential witnesses by the gag order Justice Juan Merchan imposed.
"I have just recently been told who the witness is today," the post began. "This is unprecedented, no time for lawyers to prepare."
The Truth Social post is no longer live - presumably because it could run afoul of the gag order, and the judge warned Trump yesterday that further violations could leave him no choice but to put Trump in jail for a short period.
While Trump has attacked the judge and the gag order, he has in recent days declined to comment on witnesses or the jury when the press asked him about it.
Prosecutors have also said they are not telling Trump's team who they plan to call to the witness stand because they are worried Trump will attack that person online.
They have kept the information closely guarded up until the night before, when Trump's lawyers are alerted.
If Trump's now-deleted claim was true, it would be far from "unprecedented" - it's the standard operating procedure for this trial. In fact, prosecutors are not actually obligated to give Trump's attorneys a heads up about a witness at all.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Good morning from the court in New York.
Reporters are packed in for another day of testimony in Donald Trump's hush-money trial.
We've just heard from an AP news report that Stormy Daniels could take the stand today - that hasn't been confirmed though.
Daniels alleges she and Trump had sex in 2006, shortly after his wife Melania gave birth to their son.
Trump has vehemently denied any sexual encounter with her - making for a likely tense day of testimony.
Phil McCausland
Reporting from New York
We are ending another day of covering the first criminal trial of a former president - Donald Trump.
It was an eventful one: Trump was threatened with jail time for violating his gag order, and the prosecution introduced key evidence that corresponds with the 34 charges of falsifying business records that the former president faces.
Prosecutors estimate that they need about two more weeks to finish making their case, so join us again tomorrow in the BBC's continuing coverage from the courtroom.
This page featured Madeline Halpert, Kayla Epstein and Nada Tawfik reporting from court in New York.
It was edited by Jessica Murphy, Lisa Lambert and Phil McCausland.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Image source, ReutersProsecutors allege Trump broke the law by falsely recording reimbursements to Michael Cohen as legal expenses, and that he did so to cover up or commit a second crime.
Trump’s defence attorneys strategy today - and in much of the case - has been to distance Trump from the payments and undercut the witness’ testimony.
While under cross-examination, former Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney testified that Trump never directed him to oversee Cohen's reimbursements.
Trump employee Deborah Tarasoff, meanwhile, told the defence team that she just followed direction - which also typically never came from Trump directly. She admitted that she had a limited view of the payments.
The defence knows that they have to establish Trump's distance from Cohen's reimbursement to win this case, and they're making prosecutors work to establish their claims about the former president.
Image source, ReutersCourt is done for the day, but on his way out the former president took a parting shot at the gag order that he was found in violation of for the tenth time today.
"Our constitution is much more important than jail. It’s not even close. I’ll give that sacrifice any day," he said.
Justice Merchan warned Trump that he could face jail time if he continues to violate the gag order, which bars him from speaking about witnesses, jurors and others involved in the case.
Trump also appeared upset at the estimate that prosecutors will need two more weeks to conclude their case.
“The government just said they want 2-to-3 more weeks. That means they want to keep me off the trail for 2-to-3 more weeks," the presumptive Republican nominee for president said.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
There were no bombshell moments on the stand, but the evidence prosecutors introduced today was crucial.
Each of the 34 felony charges against Trump corresponds to an invoice, ledger entry, or cheque tied to reimbursing Michael Cohen for the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. Today, we saw all those documents.
Prosecutors introduced this evidence by questioning Trump Organization ex-controller Jeffrey McConney, and an accounting employee named Deborah Tarasoff.
We heard that once Cohen’s repayments started coming from Trump’s personal account in spring 2017, the cheques would be sent to the White House for him to personally sign.
And we saw his unmissable, jagged signature, etched in Sharpie ink, on several of those payments.
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court
Justice Merchan asks prosecutor Joshua Steinglass how much longer it will take for the prosecution to present its case.
Steinglass just gave him a rough estimate of two more weeks.