What happened
Stormy Daniels, the porn actress at the heart of former President Donald Trump's ongoing hush-money trial, took the stand Tuesday, testifying in sometimes graphic detail about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. Judge Juan Merchan reprimanded Trump, who denies having sex with Daniels, for glowering and "cursing audibly" during her testimony. But the former president got good news later Tuesday when U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed another one of his four criminal trials, for illegally retaining and hiding top secret documents.
Who said what
Daniels went into such detail about what at times sounded like "nonconsensual sex" that Trump's lawyers "complained bitterly" that her "account of a possible sex crime had hopelessly tainted the jury" against the ex-president, The Washington Post said. Merchan denied their request for a mistrial, but the sordid testimony could give Trump "solid grounds to appeal if he is found guilty."
In Florida, Judge Cannon said it would be "imprudent" to set a new trial date as she works through Trump's myriad "pending pretrial motions" and special evidentiary questions. "Some legal observers" suggest Cannon is "deliberately slow-walking the case on behalf of the man who appointed her to the court," the BBC said.
What next?
Cross examination of Daniels is expected to continue Thursday. Cannon's ruling makes it unlikely Trump will face trial in that case before he faces voters in November.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The ‘menopause gold rush’Under the Radar Women vulnerable to misinformation and marketing of ‘unregulated’ products
-
Voting Rights Act: SCOTUS’s pivotal decisionFeature A Supreme Court ruling against the Voting Rights Act could allow Republicans to redraw districts and solidify control of the House
-
No Kings rally: What did it achieve?Feature The latest ‘No Kings’ march has become the largest protest in U.S. history
-
No Kings rally: What did it achieve?
Feature The latest ‘No Kings’ march has become the largest protest in U.S. history
-
Push for Ukraine ceasefire collapsesFeature Talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were called off after the Russian president refused to compromise on his demands
-
Trump eyes regime change in VenezuelaFeature Officials believe Trump’s ‘war on narco-terrorism’ is actually a push to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
‘Social media is the new tabloid’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are ICE’s recruitment woes complicating Trump’s immigration agenda?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Lowered training standards and ‘athletically allergic’ hopefuls are hindering the White House plan to turn the Department of Homeland Security into a federal police force
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
-
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s rebellion: Maga hardliner turns on TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
