Is Donald Trump in court today? Trial yesterday ended in Stormy Daniels' cross examination
Former president Donald Trump's criminal trial is off today for its regularly scheduled weekly break, but the defense will continue its intense cross examination of witness Stormy Daniels Thursday morning.
On Monday, the beginning of week four of the trial, prosecutors said they were roughly halfway through their case, according to NBC News. Trump complained that the trial is taking too long while leaving the courthouse Monday, but the court since the trial started has estimated the proceeding will take six-to-eight weeks.
Trump is on trial for 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors are trying to show that he covered up reimbursements to former lawyer Michael Cohen, who paid Daniels $130,00 in 2016 to stay quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump.
Here is what to know at the midpoint of the trial's fourth week:
Donald Trump trial live updates: Stormy Daniels is back on the stand in hush money case
Trump's hush money trial transcripts, evidence and witnesses
Stormy Daniels is the 13th witness called to the stand. See the full witness list.
The court is publishing transcripts and evidence from each days proceedings, which become available by the end of the following business day.
The transcript of Daniels' testimony so far is likely to be published on the New York State Unified Court System's media website by close of business on Wednesday.
Trump trial schedule
The hush money trial is expected to last six-to-eight weeks, according to a court media advisory. Proceedings usually start at 9:30 a.m. and run through the business day.
Court it out on Wednesdays, and Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that the following days will be off days:
May 17 - Trump requested this day off to attend his son Barron Trump's graduation.
May 24 - A juror has a scheduling conflict, so Merchan said court could break that day.
June 3 - Proceedings will be canceled this day at the defense's request so long as the jury is not deliberating at that time.
Week four so far focused on Trump's checks, Stormy Daniels testimony
Much of Monday's testimony was about accounting records for payments to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. Jurors saw a series of checks purportedly from Donald Trump to Michael Cohen. They form a central part of prosecutors' narrative that Trump was reimbursing Cohen for a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels and falsifying records about it.
Tuesday took a dramatic turn when Daniels took the stand. She testified in detail about their alleged sexual encounter in 2006, saying Trump greeted her in silky pajamas, posed on the bed in his underwear while she was in the bathroom, and that she was shaken after it was over.
Trump's lawyer requested a mistrial after Daniels' morning testimony, saying it would be "impossible to come back from."
But Merchan denied that request, saying there were "guardrails" in place for her testimony.
Daniels briefly discussed the hush money deal and how the whole thing became public, before the prosecutor turned her over to Trump's lawyer Susan Necheles.
Cross examination appeared to be off to a combative start, as they discussed the money Daniels was ordered to pay Trump in a lost defamation lawsuit. At one point, Daniels testified at Necheles prompting that she hates Trump. They will continue questioning Thursday morning.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump trial today: Court on regular break with Stormy Daniels on stand
