David Pecker is expected to be the first witness called in Trump hush money trial, source says
CNN
David Pecker, the former chairman of the National Enquirer’s parent company, is expected to be the first witness called by the Manhattan district attorney’s office in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial, according to a person familiar with the plans.
David Pecker, the former chairman of the National Enquirer’s parent company, is expected to be the first witness called by the Manhattan district attorney’s office in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial, according to a person familiar with the plans. Pecker was a central player in the alleged scheme to pay hush money to adult-film star Stormy Daniels to cover up her alleged affair with Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The DA’s office is expected to call him after the completion of opening statements, which are set to begin Monday. The New York Times was first to report on the expected witness. As the then-chairman and CEO of American Media Inc., Pecker was involved in numerous “catch-and-kill” schemes orchestrated on Trump’s behalf. In October 2016, an agent for Daniels contacted AMI and said she was willing to go public with her allegations of an affair with Trump. The former president has denied the affair. Pecker then allegedly contacted Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who negotiated the deal to “purchase [her] silence” for $130,000, according to court filings.
More than a month into the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are reckoning with their own travel privileges amid anxieties the funding crunch could exacerbate issues at already understaffed airports around the country.
TV host and comedian Bill Maher has been chosen to receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, two sources close to the Kennedy Center told CNN.
Conventional wisdom has set in that President Donald Trump’s base is sticking with him on the Iran war, but he has alienated significant portions of his voters — and risks alienating more.
US officials are furiously trying to avert a potential monthslong closure of the Strait of Hormuz, privately acknowledging that reopening the key waterway is a problem without a clear solution and dependent at least in part on what lengths President Donald Trump is willing to go to force the Iranian regime’s hand, multiple administration and intelligence officials tell CNN.
The chief executive of Live Nation testified Thursday that it was “disgusting” that a top ticketing employee talked about “robbing fans blind” in internal messages.
Supreme Court revives First Amendment lawsuit from street preacher who called concertgoers ‘sissies’
The Supreme Court on Friday revived a First Amendment lawsuit from a street preacher who used a loudspeaker to call people “whores,” “Jezebels” and “sissies” as they tried to enter an amphitheater to attend concerts in a suburban Mississippi community.
As millions of Americans braced for a series of brutal storms this winter, the senior official in charge of the federal government’s disaster response had been on the job only a few weeks — and had previously claimed on podcasts that he once teleported to a Waffle House.
Air travelers across the US continue to face travel headaches as Transportation Security Administration workers go without full pay. Find the latest live updates here.
Veterans’ advocates are raising concerns that a new agreement between the departments of Veterans Affairs and Justice could take away veterans’ autonomy over their health care decisions and deter them from seeking care, particularly those facing homelessness.
Admirers of Cesar Chavez and public officials are scrambling to respond to claims about the man who has been honored with holidays, statues and school names in communities around the country.
The co-founder of Super Micro Computer and two others were charged with diverting $2.5 billion worth of servers with Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips to China, in violation of US laws barring exports to that country without a license.
The Treasury Department will begin to manage federal student loans in default, taking on a key function of the Education Department as the Trump administration further pushes to dismantle it.
The Justice Department on Thursday seized several websites it says were used by Iran as part of “psychological operations” targeting perceived advisories and spreading terrorist propaganda.