Trump expected to appear at pretrial hearing in Manhattan "hush money" criminal case

A New York judge is expected to say Thursday whether the Manhattan district attorney's case against Donald Trump will soon proceed to trial, a first for any former president in U.S. history.

Trump is expected to attend the hearing Thursday morning in the case, which involves the circumstances surrounding a "hush money" payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. A grand jury voted to indict Trump on March 30, 2023, charging him with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty. He has repeatedly accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of pursuing the case for political gain.