Live updates: Michael Cohen to testify in Trump hush money trial Monday

Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon could soon be heading to jail after a federal court of appeals upheld his contempt of Congress conviction for failing to testify about the January 6 Capitol riot.

In a ruling on Friday morning, a three-judge panel with the Washington DC Court of Appeals denied Bannon’s appeal.

Continue reading for the full details…

Joe Khalil, White House correspondent for NewsNation, hit the nail on the head with the following tweet and helped out this reporter with a summary of just a portion of the craziness this week:

Our coverage is linked below:

Manhattan prosecutors anticipated wrapping up their case in chief by 21 May. But they could finish several days earlier, according to Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass.

He told the judge that there were only two witnesses left – including Michael Cohen. It’s possible the prosecution could rest its case by the end of next week.

The next few weeks of the trial will take up three days each, rather than four (Wednesdays are “off” the calendar). Mr Trump convinced Judge Merchan to adjourn on 17 May so he could attend his son’s high school graduation, and the trial will also be “off” on 24 and 27 May. If the defense doesn’t present a case, or presents an abbreviated one, jurors could begin deliberating as soon as the first week of June.

Speaking on his NBC Late Night show, Meyers threw back to a rally speech from Mr Trump in 2021, where he called Ms Taylor Greene “so smart” and one of his “favourite people”.

Dan Gooding has the story…

Allen Weisselberg, the twice-convicted former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, is currently in Rikers Island jail after pleading guilty to perjury in another case involving his former boss.

Last year, he spent 100 days at the notorious New York jail after he was convicted on a range of tax crimes in another separate case stemming from a sweeping criminal investigation into the business.

Manhattan prosecutors now want to explain to jurors in Mr Trump’s criminal trial why he won’t be making an appearance, despite his name appearing throughout trial documents and on the lips of nearly every witness.

But Mr Trump’s attorneys don’t want jurors to know. It’s not the jail part that bothers them – it’s a severance agreement from the Trump Organization. Inside? A promise that he won’t “denigrate” the company “verbally or in writing or any of its entities.”

In other words, Weisselberg could lose out on his $750,000 severance if he testifies against his former boss.

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy suggested, half-jokingly, that the court could instead explain to jurors that he’s not appearing in court because he’s in jail for perjury.

“I think that would be one way to solve the problem,” the judge replied.

Judge Merchan said attorneys on both sides were “trying to jump the gun.”

“We’re trying to explain why he’s not here without making an effort to get him here,” he said.

He suggested that Weisselberg could be called into court to answer questions under oath but without a jury present. He’ll reserve a decision at a later date.

It’s usually The Simpsons that predicts the future, but today it fell to someone else entirely.

Lawyer, comedian and cable news contributor Dean Obeidallah made a solidly accurate prediction about one of the tweets shown to the court today, being proven right almost exactly six years ago to the day.

Then-president Donald Trump tweeted on 3 May 2018 at 6.46am:

Mr Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are…..

[The tweet was incorrectly threaded and so does not lead directly onto the next post]

This will be marked as an exhibit in trump’s criminal trial

Clearly, he saw the train coming down the tracks from a very long way off…

New Yorkers probably thought the Met Gala was the biggest fashion event of the week but meanwhile, downtown…

As every Savile Row tailor doubtless recommends: a piece of sticky tape on the back of a tie will really elevate a look for the modern gentleman.

Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan: