Trump Trial Watch

It was a sunny day in lower Manhattan, but things quickly got Stormy inside the courtroom on Tuesday.

After brief testimony from Sally Franklin, a senior vice president at Penguin Random House who helped the prosecution introduce excerpts of former President Donald Trump’s books into evidence, adult film star Stormy Daniels took the stand.

Daniels’ testimony has been one of the most highly anticipated of the trial and the 45-year-old delivered a jaw-dropping account of her relationship with Trump. More than once, Judge Juan Merchan interrupted Daniels to instruct her to keep her answers short. Merchan also sustained dozens of objections from the defense, including one when Daniels went into great detail about her sexual encounter with Trump.

When court returned from lunch, Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, told the court that the defense was moving for a mistrial based on Daniels’ testimony from the morning. Merchan denied the motion, saying that while he agreed that “some things were better left unsaid,” Daniels was a difficult witness to control.

Court snapshot: A fast talker, Daniels sped through her testimony on Tuesday. Both Merchan and Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger repeatedly asked her to slow down so that the court reporters could keep up with her.

Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City who focuses on U.S. and world politics. Get in touch with Katherine via email here.

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