1/ Jury selection in Trump’s criminal hush money trial began, marking the first criminal prosecution of an American president. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to conceal hush money payments during his 2016 campaign. If convicted, could face up to four years in prison. The task of selecting 12 jurors and six alternates could take up to two weeks. More than half of the first 96 prospective jurors were dismissed after saying they can’t be fair or impartial, and the court adjourned for the day with no jurors chosen. Trump, meanwhile, appeared to nod off several times, sitting motionless in his seat at the defense table, his back slightly arched, his head drooping onto his chest, and his mouth going slack. Trump will be required to attend the trial each day, which will take place four days a week and could last eight weeks. This is the first of Trump’s four criminal prosecutions to go to trial. (New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Politico / NPR / NBC News / Axios)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2024/04/15/day-1182/