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(NEW YORK) — The judge in former President Trump’s criminal hush money case in New York City says Trump’s trial will proceed on March 25 as planned.

In the case’s final hearing before the trial gets underway, Judge Juan Merchan began the proceedings Thursday by denying Trump’s motion to dismiss the case, saying the trial would begin March 25 with jury selection.

With Trump in the courtroom, his attorney Todd Blanche responded by arguing for a delay, saying Merchan was putting the former president “in an impossible position” by scheduling a trial in the midst of a series of “compressed and expedited schedules” elsewhere in the country, citing Trump’s criminal cases in Washington, Georgia and Florida.

Merchan — who said he had consulted twice with Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing Trump’s federal election interference case in Washington, D.C. — allowed Blanche to air several complaints before cutting him off, asking sharply, “Is there anything else you want to put on the record?”

“I’ve tried to work with you where it’s reasonable,” Merchan told Blanche. “You’re not going to be in two places at the same time.”

Blanche also insisted to Judge Merchan that the onslaught of media coverage is tainting the jury pool.

“The constitution affords the president a fair trial,” Blanche said.

“I appreciate what you’re saying about your client’s constitutional rights. I don’t want to violate his constitutional rights nor does anyone else,” Merchan said. “We are moving ahead towards jury selection on March 25.”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, alleging that Trump falsified Trump Organization records to hide payments he made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who allegedly used the money to kill stories about Trump’s long-denied extramarital affairs with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal just days before the 2016 election.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all wrongdoing. His attorney Todd Blanche has argued in pretrial motions that the payments to Cohen were lawful money transfers from Trump’s own personal bank accounts.

“President Trump cannot be said to have falsified business records of the Trump Organization by paying his personal attorney using his personal bank accounts,” Blanche wrote.

The judge overseeing the case, Juan Manuel Merchan, scheduled Thursday’s hearing late last year to resolve pretrial motions and finalize the trial’s start date, which is currently scheduled for March 25.

 

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(NEW YORK) — The judge in former President Trump’s criminal hush money case in New York City says Trump’s trial will proceed on March 25 as planned, but the defense wants to delay that date.

In the case’s final hearing before the trial gets underway, Judge Juan Merchan began the proceedings Thursday by denying Trump’s motion to dismiss the case, saying the trial would begin March 25 with jury selection.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche responded by arguing for a delay.

Trump, who is present in the courtroom, entered the lower Manhattan courthouse shortly before 9 a.m. ET.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, alleging that Trump falsified Trump Organization records to hide payments he made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who allegedly used the money to kill stories about Trump’s long-denied extramarital affairs with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal just days before the 2016 election.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all wrongdoing. His attorney Todd Blanche has argued in pretrial motions that the payments to Cohen were lawful money transfers from Trump’s own personal bank accounts.

“President Trump cannot be said to have falsified business records of the Trump Organization by paying his personal attorney using his personal bank accounts,” Blanche wrote.

The judge overseeing the case, Juan Manuel Merchan, scheduled Thursday’s hearing late last year to resolve pretrial motions and finalize the trial’s start date, which is currently scheduled for March 25.

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(ATLANTA) — The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s Georgia election interference case is set to hear arguments over motions to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, primarily over accusations that she benefited financially from a personal relationship with a prosecutor she hired for the case.

Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign staffer, filed a motion last month seeking to dismiss the charges against him and disqualify Willis, alleging that she improperly benefited from a “personal, romantic relationship” with prosecutor Nathan Wade. Trump and seven other defendants in the case subsequently joined the effort.

Willis and Wade, in a court filing, admitted to the relationship but said it “does not amount to a disqualifying conflict of interest.” The office also flatly denied any financial benefit, saying the relationship “has never involved direct or indirect financial benefit to District Attorney Willis.”

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 15, 8:45 AM
Attorneys have clashed in court filings

The district attorney’s office and attorneys for the defendants have traded accusations in a series of court filings leading up to Thursday’s hearing.

Trump co-defendant Michael Roman has accused Fani Willis and Nathan Wade of violating “laws regulating the use of public monies” and says they “suffer from irreparable conflicts of interest.” Specifically, he alleges Wade paid for multiple trips for him and Willis, including to Napa Valley and Belize. Credit card statements later revealed Wade paid for at least two flights for Willis on his credit card.

Wade, in an affidavit submitted to the court, said expenses between him and Willis were “roughly divided equally” and that he used his personal funds. The affidavit also said the relationship started after he was hired on the case in 2021, and that he and Willis have never cohabitated.

However, Roman’s attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, has alleged some of the statements in Wade’s affidavit were inaccurate. Merchant says she a witness ready to testify that the relationship predated Wade’s hiring, which would dispute Wade’s affidavit.

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(WASHINGTON) — An alleged gunman accused of shooting three Metropolitan Police Department officers in Washington, D.C., surrendered Wednesday night after a lengthy standoff, the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed.

The incident unfolded Wednesday morning around 7:30 a.m. when the officers went to a residence to serve an arrest warrant on a subject wanted on a charge of cruelty to animals.

Officers tried to make contact with the individual inside the home, but the suspect refused to go outside, Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters earlier Wednesday.

Officers then tried to go inside the home, and the suspect then fired at them, Smith said.

The three officers suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds and were said to be in “good spirits” at local hospitals, Smith said. A fourth officer was injured but was not shot, she said. All are expected to recover, the MPD said Wednesday night.

The alleged gunman stayed barricaded until Wednesday evening. Authorities negotiated with the subject throughout the day.

The MPD identified the suspect as Julius James, 46, of Southeast, D.C.

He was arrested following his surrender and charged with Cruelty to Animals.

Authorities said additional charges for the assault on the four officers are pending.

ABC was not immediately able to find a legal representative for James.

Samantha Miller of the Humane Rescue Alliance told ABC News that dozens of dogs were recovered Wednesday.

“Officers with the Humane Rescue Alliance removed 31 dogs, 20 adults and 11 puppies, from the home. The dogs are in the care of HRA at a secure location, where they will be examined and provided with the care they need,” Miller said.

President Joe Biden is praying for the officers’ recoveries, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday.

“This shooting is yet another distressing and painful reminder of the toll gun violence is inflicting on families in our communities, and obviously on our nation,” Jean-Pierre said. “The president has taken executive actions to help keep guns out of the dangerous hands, and [the Department of Justice] is implementing the new gun trafficking law in the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, but it’s not enough. We need the Republicans in Congress to act — we need them to be willing to make sure that communities are safer.”

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(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) — Investigators are searching for answers after gunfire erupted near the end of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring at least 21 others.

The mass shooting unfolded outside Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, as Chiefs fans were leaving a parade and rally for the NFL champions. More than 800 law enforcement officers were on duty in the area, as one million paradegoers were expected to attend Wednesday’s celebration, according to Kansas City Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas.

Three suspects were detained and at least one firearm was recovered from the scene, according to the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department. An investigation into the shooting was ongoing, with the motive unclear.

Multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News on Wednesday that there was no evidence pointing to terrorism thus far and the local police department would remain the lead agency in the investigation for now.

“I am angry,” Kansas City Missouri Police Chief Graves told reporters Wednesday. “The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment.”

Investigators are still working to determine the total number of victims from the incident. Twenty-two people sustained gunshot wounds and one of them died, police said. Eight of the gunshot victims were hospitalized with “immediately” life-threatening injuries and seven with life-threatening injuries, according to the Kansas City Missouri Fire Department.

Children’s Mercy Kansas City Hospital admitted and treated a total of 12 patients from Wednesday’s shooting, including 11 children between the ages of 6 and 15, according to Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Stephanie Meyer. Nine of the patients were gunshot victims and three were being treated for “incidental injuries,” Meyer said. All were expected to make a full recovery.

Local radio station KKFI 90.1 FM confirmed that its DJ, Lisa Lopez-Galvan, was killed in the shooting.

“It is with sincere sadness and an extremely heavy and broken heart that we let our community know that KKFI DJ Lisa Lopez, host of Taste of Tejano lost her life today in the shooting at the KC Chiefs’ rally. Our hearts and prayers are with her family,” the radio station said in a statement Wednesday. “This senseless act has taken a beautiful person from her family and this KC Community.”

All Chiefs players, coaches and staff were confirmed safe.

So far this year, there have been at least 48 mass shootings in the United States, with 81 killed and 165 wounded.

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(NEW YORK) — When Donald Trump first entered a Manhattan, New York courtroom last April for his arraignment on hush money charges, the moment was historic for the country and novel for the former president.

But in the year that followed, Trump faced four additional indictments and spent about three weeks in New York courtrooms to attend his civil trials — denying wrongdoing in each case. The unprecedented became the norm for a former president simultaneously fighting multiple criminal cases while vying for the presidency.

Trump plans to return to that same New York courtroom on Thursday for the final scheduled hearing before he goes to trial on March 25 for what prosecutors allege was “an expansive and corrupt criminal scheme” to conceal information from voters ahead of the 2016 election.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, alleging that Trump falsified Trump Organization records to hide payments he made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who allegedly used the money to kill stories about Trump’s long-denied extramarital affairs with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal just days before the 2016 election.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all wrongdoing.

The judge overseeing the case, Juan Manuel Merchan, scheduled Thursday’s hearing late last year to resolve pretrial motions and finalize the trial date, which appears likely to be Trump’s first criminal trial this year.

Motion to dismiss

In October, Trump’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the charges by arguing that the case itself was politically motivated, that it interferes with the 2024 election, that it’s barred by the statute of limitations, and that it includes multiple technical defects.

“The pendency of these proceedings, and the manner in which they were initiated, calls into question the integrity of the criminal justice process, is inconsistent with bedrock due process principles, and is interfering with the campaign of the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election,” Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche said in the motion.

Blanche argued that the payments to Cohen were lawful money transfers from Trump’s own personal bank accounts.

“President Trump cannot be said to have falsified business records of the Trump Organization by paying his personal attorney using his personal bank accounts,” Blanche wrote.

In response, prosecutors argued that Trump is asking for special treatment because he is running for president.

“Courts have repeatedly rejected defendant’s demands for special treatment and instead have adhered to the core principle that the rule of law applies equally to the powerful as to the powerless,” prosecutors wrote.

Meanwhile, in Georgia

As Trump attends the hearing in New York, a separate hearing in his Georgia election interference case is scheduled to take place in Atlanta.

Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ sprawling racketeering case against Trump and 18 co-defendants, has set a two-day hearing to hear motions on whether Willis should be disqualified from the case after multiple defendants accused her of benefiting financially from a personal relationship with a prosecutor she hired in the case. Willis has denied the allegation.

“I think it’s clear that disqualification can occur if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one,” Judge McAfee said during a Monday hearing. “The state has admitted a relationship existed. And so what remains to be proven is the existence and extent of any financial benefit, again if there even was one.”

Despite the high stakes in Georgia, Trump opted to attend the New York hearing instead of the Fulton County one. He is not required to attend either hearing, and can leave the hearing whenever he wants.

“President Trump will be attending court in New York on Thursday,” Trump’s attorney in Georgia, Steve Sadow, said in a statement Tuesday.

Trump’s trial calendar

Of Trump’s four criminal trials, only two currently have set trial dates. His New York trial is scheduled to begin March 25 and his federal classified documents case in Florida is scheduled to start on May 20, although that trial date appears unlikely to stick given the complexity of the case.

Trump’s federal election interference case in Washington, D.C. was initially scheduled to begin on March 4, but the proceedings have been frozen since December while Trump advances his appeal on the grounds of presidential immunity. Last week a three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals rejected Trump’s claim of presidential immunity as it pertains to the case, and on Monday Trump asked the Supreme Court to stay that decision in order to allow the appellate process to play out.

The Supreme Court is currently considering Trump’s application for an emergency stay of the proceedings.

If or when the federal election case resumes, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan would likely need to give the parties at least two months to prepare for a trial, according to NYU Law Professor Richard Pildes.

With that case stalled, Judge Merchan in New York appears positioned to oversee Trump’s first criminal trial and has already begun communicating with the parties about the jury selection process.

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(KANSAS CITY) — One person has died and at least 21 others were injured by gunfire when a shooting broke out in Kansas City, Missouri, following the parade and rally for the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, officials said Wednesday.

The shooting took place west of Union Station, outside near the garage, as Chiefs fans were leaving, according to Kansas City police.

Paradegoer Arnold Sauther said when the rally ended, the Chiefs went into Union Station, and fans followed the players to get autographs.

“Then, all of a sudden they all started running out, and you see all these policemen come running in there — and you knew something happened in the station,” Sauther told Kansas City ABC affiliate KMBC-TV.

One woman told KMBC that they hid near an elevator and “prayed.”

“There was yelling, and we didn’t know if it was safe to leave, so we tried to block the doors. We heard the elevator start to move, so we opened the doors and ran out — there were officers there,” she told the station. “I’ve never been so glad to see an officer in my life.”

Gunshot victims were transported to several hospitals in the area, including eight with “immediately” life-threatening injuries and seven with life-threatening injuries, according to Interim Kansas City Fire Chief Ross Grundyson.

Children’s Mercy Kansas City Hospital treated 12 total patients from the rally, including 11 children between the ages of 6 and 15, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Stephanie Meyer told reporters Wednesday. Nine of the patients were gunshot victims and three were being treated for “incidental injuries,” she said. All are expected to make a full recovery.

Authorities are still working to determine the total number of victims in the incident.

On Wednesday night, KKFI 90.1 FM confirmed Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a DJ at the station, had been killed in the incident.

“It is with sincere sadness and an extremely heavy and broken heart that we let our community know that KKFI DJ Lisa Lopez, host of Taste of Tejano lost her life today in the shooting at the KC Chiefs’ rally. Our hearts and prayers are with her family. We encourage anyone who feels they saw something to reach out to law enforcement at 816 234 5111,” the station’s statement read.

“This senseless act has taken a beautiful person from her family and this KC Community,” KKFI’s statement concluded.

Three suspects have been detained, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a media briefing Wednesday, calling the shooting a “tragedy.”

At least one firearm has been recovered, the chief said. A motive remains unclear.

Authorities said Wednesday the scene would remain active as investigators had a “large ground to cover.”

About one million paradegoers had been expected at Wednesday’s celebration.

The police chief said 800 law enforcement officers were at the parade and rally.

“I am angry,” Graves said. “The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment.”

All Chiefs players, coaches and staff were safe, officials confirmed later in the afternoon.

Chiefs’ players, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, linebacker Drue Tranquill, guard Trey Smith and tight end Travis Kelce spoke out on social media about the shooting.

Mahomes wrote, “Praying for Kansas City… 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽,” on his X page.

Praying for Kansas City… 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) February 14, 2024

“Please join me in prayer for all the victims in this heinous act,” Tranquill wrote on X. “Pray that doctors & first responders would have steady hands & that all would experience full healing.”

Smith thanked the first responders “who ran towards the sound of danger.”

“You’re the ones who should be celebrated today,” he posted.

Travis Kelce wrote on X, “I am heartbroken over the tragedy that took place today. My heart is with all who came out to celebrate with us and have been affected. KC, you mean the world to me.”

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he and first lady Teresa Parson were present at the celebration when shots broke out.

“Thanks to the professionalism of our security officers and first responders, Teresa and I and our staff are safe and secure,” he said in a statement.

“We commend local first responders and our state Missouri Disaster Medical Assistance Team for their quick actions to stop the threat and treat those in need,” his statement continued. “State and local law enforcement were prepared, they had a plan, and they ran towards danger when presented, undoubtedly saving lives. … As we wait to learn more, our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of this senseless violence.”

President Joe Biden said in a statement Wednesday night that the Kansas City shooting “cuts deep in the American soul,” and should “shame us into acting.”

“We have to decide who we are as a country,” Biden wrote. “For me, we’re a country where people should have the right to go to school, to go to church, to walk the street — and to attend a Super Bowl celebration — without fear of losing your life to gun violence.”

The president said he and the first lady are praying for the victims and the country.

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(WASHINGTON) — Two protesters dumped red powder on the encasement protecting the U.S. Constitution at the National Archives, prompting the closure of its rotunda and galleries Wednesday afternoon.

Around 2:30 p.m., two men poured red powder on themselves and the encased Constitution in the Archives’ rotunda. D.C. police responded to the scene where they arrested them for destruction of federal property.

There was no damage to the Constitution.

In a video posted on X, two men covered in the red powder are standing in front of the Constitution, one of them saying, “We all deserve clean air, water, food and a livable climate.”

Climate protesters have recently targeted works of art and other landmarks to draw attention to their cause. On Tuesday, two climate activists attached images of recent flood damage in the Tuscany region on the protective glass of Botticelli’s masterpiece “The Birth of Venus” hanging at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery.

The National Archives released a statement condemning the vandalism on the sacred documents.

“The National Archives Rotunda is the sanctuary for our nation’s founding documents. They are here for all Americans to view and understand the principles of our nation. We take such vandalism very seriously and we will insist that the perpetrators be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Dr. Colleen Shogan, archivist of the United States, said in the statement.

The rotunda houses the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights.

The National Archives said the rotunda will be closed for clean up and is set to open at its scheduled time Thursday.

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(MIAMI) — An activity permission slip for a reading of a Black author’s book at a Miami-Dade public school library stoked anger and confusion among parents and school board members.

In a now-viral post on social media, a parent posted a photo of a required permission slip for an event in which “students will participate and listen to a book written by an African American” hosted during Black History Month, the slip read.

The district told ABC News that officials “realize that the description of the event may have caused confusion, and we are working with our schools to reemphasize the importance of clarity for parents in describing activities/events that would require parental permission.”

The district clarified that permission slips were sent home because of the guest speakers who would be participating in the school-authorized education-related activity.

In a Feb. 13 hearing about the incident, Dr. Jose L. Dotres, superintendent of the Miami Dade Public Schools, said he spoke to leaders of the school that issued the permission slip.

“There is absolutely no need for any parent permission slip. Absolutely none,” he said at the hearing.

He said he is working with educators and administrators in what will be “an ongoing process to make sure that we seek the clarity that’s required to make sure that we only use parent permission slips for when they’re needed.”

The permission slip request highlighted the ongoing scrutiny of the state’s restrictions concerning education on race.

The state’s 2022 Individual Freedom Act, also known as the Stop WOKE Act, restricts race-related curriculum in schools, including topics like unconscious bias and privilege. Classroom lessons can’t cause students to feel any responsibility, guilt, or anguish, in relation to past actions committed by people of their race, according to the legislation.

Critics of these policies have said they are too vague and cause teachers to avoid or self-censor subjects that relate to race for fear of violating the law.

Supporters of the bills argue it protects students from “indoctrination,” according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.

The Florida Board of Education has also come under scrutiny for changing the state’s standards on African American history in July 2023, requiring that students be taught that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

The standards also conflate incidents of race-based violence against Black Americans with “acts of violence perpetrated … by African Americans,” the new standards read.

The Florida Department of Education told ABC News in 2023 that the version of the course at the time was “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”

Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. defended the move in a tweet at the time, writing, “Florida is focused on teaching true and accurate African American history.”

DeSantis’ administration also rejected an AP African American history course in 2023. The Florida Department of Education told ABC News the version of the course at the time was “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”

The decision stoked criticism from educators across the country and even the White House.

“The state chooses to block a course that is meant for high-achieving high school students to learn about their history of arts and culture,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a press briefing at the time. “It is incomprehensible.”

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(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) — A celebration turned into chaos on Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri, after gunfire erupted following the parade and rally for the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win.

One person was killed and at least 21 people injured by gunfire in the shooting, according to Kansas City police.

The incident occurred west of Union Station, outside near the garage, as Chiefs fans were leaving, according to police. Three people have been detained for investigation in the shooting, police said.

About one million paradegoers were expected at Wednesday’s celebration. Several recounted the fear and panic that pervaded following the shooting.

Julie Mobley told ABC News that the Chiefs players had just finished speaking when she thought she heard fireworks. Then her daughter pulled her to the ground.

“It was very scary,” said Mobley, who took off work to attend the parade with her daughter. “To have something like this was absolutely horrible.”

Mary Althiser, who was at the parade with Mobley, also ducked to the ground.

“At first it didn’t seem like anything but then you saw this huge rush of crowd trying to jump in to where you were,” Althiser told ABC News.

Paradegoer Arnold Sauther said when the rally ended the Chiefs went into Union Station, and fans followed the players to get autographs.

“Then, all of a sudden they all started running out, and you see all these policemen come running in there — and you knew something happened in the station,” Sauther told Kansas City ABC affiliate KMBC-TV.

“People started crashing forward, everybody started running, there was screaming,” one woman visiting from New Hampshire told KMBC. “We didn’t know what was happening, but in this day and age when people run, you run.”

She said they sought shelter near an elevator and “prayed.”

“There was yelling and we didn’t know if it was safe to leave, so we tried to block the doors. We heard the elevator start to move so we opened the doors and ran out — there were officers there,” she said. “I’ve never been so glad to see an officer in my life.”

Witness Jennifer Wilbers told KMBC she heard gunshots and started running.

“We look over and there’s a guy next to us on the ground,” she told the station.

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves called the shooting a “tragedy.” Authorities are still working to determine the number of victims in the incident, she said.

A motive remains under investigation, the chief said.

Gene Hamilton told ABC News he is worried about how gun violence will impact young paradegoers.

“I look at the children. They have to grow up with this — very disturbing,” Hamilton said. “This is a celebration.”

Paradegoer Zachary Dial told ABC News he and his family were stranded and unable to get to their car due to a lockdown following the shooting.

“I just wanted to make sure that my woman was good, my niece was good and that we could get home safely. I feel sorry for the ones that didn’t,” Dial said.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who was at the parade with his wife and mother, was also among those who ran for safety.

“We never would have thought that we, along with Chiefs players, along with fans, hundreds of thousands of people, would be forced to run to our safety today,” he said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

He said he is “heartbroken” for the victims and their families.

“This is a day that a lot of people look forward to, something they remember for a lifetime,” he said. “And what they shouldn’t have to remember is the threat of gun violence marring a day like this, injuring them and their families.”

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