Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

While we wait to find out what's going on in court, this has become a somewhat normal sight in the skies of New York - a small plane towing a Trump banner over the Hudson River.

Today's banner reads "Wake up sleepy Don" and has what appears to be a court sketch of the former president with his eyes closed.

The other times I've seen a plane towing a banner they have been far more pro-Trump.

In the thick of the trial's testimonies, one plane dragged a banner which read "when u indict him, you unite us. MAGA".

Another day it read "President Trump did nothing wrong".

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Todd Blanche and Donald Trump look very jovial right now.

Blanche is laughing at something Trump said.

As he speaks, he covers his face with his hand and jokes with his client.

It's pretty rare to see them in such good spirits like this at the defence table.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Donald Trump and his entourage have just returned to the courtroom.

Trump jokes with his lawyer Todd Blanche and laughs as he takes his seat at the defence table. He looks relaxed alongside his lawyers.

Justice Merchan is here and court is in session. He says he is going to excuse the jury at about 16:30 local time - so in about 15 minutes.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

The prosecution has just walked back into the courtroom. We don't know why.

Stick with us, we will update you when we know more.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Greetings from the courtroom, where nothing is happening.

The jury has been deliberating for about 11 hours in total.

Around this time yesterday, two questions came in from the jury, but today, it's quiet.

Reporters are busying themselves on their laptops or in some cases, reading a book.

Every little movement from the officers or the handful of court staff catches our interest, partially out of journalistic initiative, partially out of... let's just be frank, boredom.

However, the jury could ring that telltale buzzer at any minute, and the atmosphere in this room will instantly change.

Send us your questionspublished at 20:53 British Summer Time 30 May

20:53 BST 30 May

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

We're wrapping up answering reader questions for the day.

But if jury deliberations continue tomorrow, we will be back to answer some more.

If you have a question, send them to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk.

Make sure you include your name, age and location when you send them in.

And for those wondering, the jury has been deliberating for more than 11 hours now.

What happens if the jury can't agree?published at 20:36 British Summer Time 30 May

20:36 BST 30 May

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Md. Tarikul Islam, 45, from Bangladesh asks: What will happen if the trial is declared a mistrial for a divided opinion of the jury? Will Trump be discharged from all allegations?

It’s only day two of deliberations, so it could be a little while before we would see a hung jury. In fact, in New York, if jurors come back to say they are deadlocked, a judge may tell them once or twice to try again.

But if all 12 members still can’t unanimously agree to convict or acquit Trump, then the judge will declare a mistrial.

This means Donald Trump will be neither convicted nor acquitted.

Prosecutors will then be asked on the spot whether they want to retry the case. Legal experts say most do - but in these particularly unusual circumstances of a former president on trial, it’s unclear what they might do.

Let's take a step away from your questions for a moment to bring you these photos from outside the courthouse, where both supporters and opponents continue to gather.

There have been some heated moments between the two groups, and police are trying to keep them separated.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

What is a hung jury?published at 20:07 British Summer Time 30 May

20:07 BST 30 May

Image source, Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg

This question is not from a reader, but it is one of the most asked questions on Google. So let's unpack what the term "hung jury" means.

To get a verdict, the 12 jurors have to all agree - a unanimous decision. A hung jury is when they can’t reach that shared decision. It can take just one juror to cause a hung jury.

In this case, the judge would likely have to call a mistrial in the event of a hung jury, which many legal experts say judges loathe to do in big trials after so much time and effort.

If this happens, Trump and his lawyers will probably declare the outcome as a victory, even though it doesn’t give them the all-out acquittal they’d prefer, because they have been claiming from the beginning that there is no evidence and no crimes were committed.

Could Trump go to prison?published at 19:52 British Summer Time 30 May

19:52 BST 30 May

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

Martin Clarke, 55, from the UK asks: If found guilty can Trump still be President? Also is there jail time involved if he is found guilty?

It wasn't just Martin who asked this question, we heard it from multiple people. So let's unpack the answer.

Donald Trump faces 34 counts of fraud under campaign finance laws, and has pleaded not guilty to all of them.

Each of the Class E felony charges carries a maximum of four years in prison.

But legal experts told the BBC they think it is unlikely Trump will be jailed if convicted in this case, and that a fine would be the more likely outcome if he is found guilty.

That's because Trump, 77, has no prior criminal convictions and this is a non-violent case.

If the jury does unanimously vote to convict him, it will be up to Justice Juan Merchan to decide on the punishment.

And when it comes to the question about Trump’s presidential bid, the answer is yes - he can still be president if he is found guilty.

Americans can vote for a presidential candidate even if they are in jail.

What will happen to Trump's political ambitions if he is found guilty?published at 19:42 British Summer Time 30 May

19:42 BST 30 May

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Awinoren Clifford Kingsway, 57, from Nigeria asks: If Trump is found guilty and sentenced to prison, what will happen to his presidential ambition and how does the GOP present a new candidate?

Well, we aren’t quite there yet, since the jury is still deliberating.

But let’s say Donald Trump is found guilty. The judge would at some point decide on a sentence. There is a range that Justice Juan Merchan can consider, including a hefty fine or up to four years in prison. He has some discretion, and there’s no indication yet that he could decide on a prison sentence.

A scenario where Trump is sentenced to a prison term would certainly throw the Republican Party – and American politics in general – into chaos.

However, if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Trump from his eight years at the helm of the Republican Party, it’s that we cannot predict what he will do or how the party will react if he enters the 2024 race with a felony conviction.

The Republican Party, and its voters, have stuck with Trump through scandals that would sink other politicians, including a deadly riot by his supporters at the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021 and his extended effort to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election.

We shouldn't be surprised if they stick with Trump as their nominee and party leader in the face of a guilty verdict or prison sentence.

Trump has a way of turning these obstacles to his benefit. He has fundraised aggressively from his multiple legal cases, including this hush money trial, and cast the prosecutions as politically motivated attempts to silence his base.

The jury have just finished having lunch and are now back deliberating.

Meanwhile, stick with us, we still have some more reader questions to answer for you.

Is the jury sequestered?published at 19:32 British Summer Time 30 May

19:32 BST 30 May

Ana Faguy
US reporter

This is another one of the most Googled questions about the Donald Trump hush-money trial.

And the answer is no, the jurors are not sequestered.

At the end of the day jurors are allowed to go home.

Before they leave court, Justice Merchan reminds them not to read or speak about the case when they are outside the courtroom.

You can read some more of the commonly asked questions about this case here.

This question is not from a reader, but it is one of the most asked questions on Google. So let's unpack what the term "hung jury" means.

To get a verdict, the 12-person jury have to all agree - a unanimous decision. A hung jury is when they can’t reach that shared decision. It can take just one juror to cause a hung jury.

In this case, the judge would likely have to call a mistrial in the event of a hung jury, which many legal experts say judges loathe to do in big trials after so much time and effort.

If this happens, Trump and his lawyers will probably declare the outcome as a victory, even though it doesn’t give them the all-out acquittal they’d prefer, because they have been claiming from the beginning that there is no evidence and no crimes were committed.

Are taped phone calls played in court?published at 19:02 British Summer Time 30 May

19:02 BST 30 May

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Sharon Schmitt, 76, from the US asks: Was the tape of the conversation between Michael Cohen and Donald Trump that was referenced in evidence played in court?

I believe Sharon is referring to an audio recording that Michael Cohen made of a conversation he had with Donald Trump, in which the prosecutors allege they were discussing a "catch-and-kill" payment to Playboy model, Karen McDougal.

This tape was played in court for the jurors, and a transcript was shown to them as well.

Some background: McDougal alleged she had an affair with Trump, and the National Enquirer tabloid bought the rights to her story for $150,000, so she couldn't speak publicly about it as Trump ran for president in 2016. Donald Trump has always denied her claims.

Prosecutors have used this as evidence that Trump was aware of a conspiracy to bury damaging stories before the 2016 election. Trump's lawyers, however, say that the two men weren't discussing the pay-out at all, and that the audio doesn't say what the prosecutors claim.

Guilty, not guilty, or a bit of both?published at 18:47 British Summer Time 30 May

18:47 BST 30 May

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Paul Craddock from the UK asks: Can Trump be found guilty on some of the 34 charges and not guilty of others, or is it all or nothing?

It is entirely possible that the jury returns a mix of verdicts for each of the charges.

Their decision for each charge must be unanimous, but they are absolutely allowed to find Donald Trump guilty of some of the charges but not guilty of others. There is also the possibility that they cannot reach a consensus on some of the charges.

Each charge is tied to a specific cheque, invoice, or ledger entry relating to Michael Cohen's reimbursements for his pay-out to Stormy Daniels. Some of these documents are invoices submitted by Cohen, some are cheques bearing Trump's signature.

Because each of these documents are tied together, however, it wouldn't be surprising if the jury's decision is consistent for all of them.

Most asked questions of the casepublished at 18:37 British Summer Time 30 May

18:37 BST 30 May

Tiffany Wertheimer
US Reporter

Here's a quick Q&A on the most popular queries about this trial.

When will the jury reach a verdict?

We have no idea. What goes on in the deliberation room is a carefully guarded secret, and the only hint we get of how things might be going is when the jury returns to court to ask questions. Even then, it's difficult to get a clear idea of... anything! Deliberations could last hours, days or even (but unlikely) weeks.

You can read Gary O'Donoghue's thoughts on the mysterious deliberation room here.

Do they get the judge's instructions in the deliberation room?

No. That's why they asked for some of the instructions to be repeated today, and many jurors were frantically scribbling notes while Justice Merchan re-read them.

Does the verdict have to be unanimous?

Yes. The 12-member jury must all agree on the verdict, whether it is guilty or not guilty. If they cannot reach a unanimous verdict, it's a hung jury and the judge will likely call a mistrial.

What were the jury's instructions?

Justice Merchan's instructions to the jury - all 55 pages of them - were read out yesterday before the panel retired to deliberate. They were complicated but precise, and gave a range of guidelines advising jurors not to base their decisions on biases or the criminal convictions of other witnesses in the case.

You can read the full instructions here, external.

Ask us your questions about this trialpublished at 18:32 British Summer Time 30 May

18:32 BST 30 May

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

Donald Trump’s hush-money trial in New York is not only historic - it's complicated.

So we have been answering your questions about the case.

Working with Tiffany Wertheimer and myself are reporters Kayla Epstein and Madeline Halpert, who have spent every day in court covering this trial.

If you have a question, send them to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk

And we'll be posting the answers here.

Mike Wendling
US disinformation reporter

As we all wait, there’s a concerted push underway by Trump supporters to bolster his contention that the trial is “rigged” against him.

The former president regularly attacked the prosecutors and judge in the case – at least until a gag order quieted him down a little. He's also complained that jurors in heavily Democratic New York City won’t give him a fair hearing.

But his supporters face no legal restrictions, and a number of viral posts are crossing the line from political spin to outright misinformation.

Several Maga (Make America Great Again) influencers have suggested that Judge Merchan has said the verdict does not need to be unanimous.

How they got that impression is complicated – suffice to say it has to do with the unique circumstances of the case and the cover-up that prosecutors are alleging.

But the idea that the jurors don’t have to agree on a conviction is flat-out wrong – New York State law is very clear on the matter.

Meanwhile on TikTok, the liberal watchdog organisation Media Matters says it has found numerous examples of posts claiming that the jury has already reached a verdict of “not guilty”.

These appear to be mostly clickbait aimed at Trump supporters or hopeful thinking on their behalf.

One such post is a photo of Trump in the courtroom, over a track of Whitney Houston’s hit I Will Always Love You and captioned: “THE JURY HAS SPOKEN… NOT GUITLY”.

It’s direct, cheesy, and – at least for now – completely untrue.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York

Sometimes it’s important to remember that not everyone is following this trial closely - or at all.

During my last live broadcast outside the New York courthouse, a cyclist in the bike lane stopped directly behind me.

The police quickly moved him on, but first the curious man asked my producer, “what are you all waiting for?”

A historic decision, as he’ll soon find out!