♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... woman: a successful business owner sells his company and restores his father's historic jazz club with his son. a raymond james financial advisor get to know you,

your passions, and the way you bring people together. life well planned. man: cunard is a proud supporter of public television. on a voyage with cunard, the world awaits. a world of flavor. diverse destinations. and immersive experiences. a world of leisure... and british style. all with cunard's "white-star" service. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" anchor: welcome to world news

america an hour breaking news at this hour. the jury in donald trump's criminal trial has reached a verdict. you are looking at images right now of the manhattan criminal courthouse in new york city. we are waiting to hear what the verdict might be. we heard about 10 minutes ago that there will be sometime another 10, perhaps 20 minutes before we hear that verdict read out. this is an historic trial, the first time in history that a former or current u.s. president is facing a criminal trial. over the past six weeks, we have been watching this trial unfolding. now, as we said, the 12 jurors have reached a decision. that is what we have heard also from the judge. a reminder of the charges the former president is facing just five months away from the election. mr. trump facing 34 counts of falsifying business records, so this decision will be monumental for the election campaign and for mr. trump.

this is allegedly over the cover-up of a hush-money payments to adult onstar stormy daniels in the final months of the 2016 election. our correspondent has been following all the twists and turns over the last six weeks of this trial. i think we can go to her. just bring us up-to-date on this flurry of activity the last 10 or 20 minutes. correspondent: absolutely. we have just heard that the judge has announced that he will call the jury in. we are just moments away from the jury. -- moments away from the jury reading out whether they have found donald trump guilty or not guilty on the 34 counts that he faces of falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony. then the other jurors will have to agree on the findings of

those counts. so, if donald trump is found guilty on just one of those, he will be a convicted felon. so a lot at stake, clearly, for donald trump. he is clearly hoping that this swift decision, not too swift, 11 hours of deliberations, but nevertheless that this decision coming on the second day of deliberations will be one favorable to him. but we are hearing there is a tense atmosphere at the defense table right now. donald trump, who was just joking with his lawyers before the judge was notified that there was a verdict, is now sitting calmly with his arms crossed with his defense lawyer. and the manhattan district attorney, alvin bragg, has also entered the courtroom. he was the first prosecutor to

ever bring charges against a former president. this is a career defining moment for him as well. a lot at stake. he will soon also hear of his team of prosecutors put on a case that was strong enough to convince this jury of seven men and five women to find donald trump lt on all or some of the counts. the jury is going to be getting into the room slowly, and surely they will be coming in. the judge has reminded the court that there will be absolutely no outbursts. i can tell you there is a real air of anticipation, real electricity outside here of the courthouse as we all wait to see what the decision is inside on either side of me for as far as the eye can see, u.s., world media covering this update in the public park across --

covering this update. in the public park across from me, protesters from both sides gathering awaiting this decision. sumi: we cannot say a month how is -- cannot say enough how historic this moment is. just remind us, you set around 11 hours of juror deliberations. they did come back and have questions for the judge. tell us more about that. nada: deals with how they should interpret the law, what inferences they can make from the evidence in order to find that the prosecution had proved or not proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt. we keep talking about how this is a legally complex case. the star witness michael cohen under the law was considered an

accomplice, so the jury could not rely on his word alone. prosecutors argued they did not need to, that there was so much indisputable evidence that backed up what he said, that if they just use their common sense , they would see that the strong testimony from his inner circle, his own aid that is with him everyday, a tabloid executive who throughout the years had always helped donald trump, that is fix or turn foe -- that his fixer turn foe who would like or cheat on his behalf has turned himself in. and that the hush money payment would lead them in one direction only, that donald trump was guilty. the fence on the other hand did not want to make this a case about anybody other than michael cohen. they said that he simply could not be trusted because he was out for revenge.

he was a convicted felon, admitted liar. admitted stealing from donald trump. but as you point out, they wanted part of the testimony from michael cohen. i can tell you donald trump has been found guilty on counts one. donald trump, the first former president to be convicted in a criminal trial. this is a historic moment. this is a monument this moment in u.s. politics, a defining one. donald trump continuing to shatter the norms of the nation's highest office. donald trump found guilty on count one. we are going through the rest of those counts, but already this is an absolutely historic, donald trump losing this case, the jury finding the prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he tried to corrupt the

2016 election by creating a conspiracy and then falsifying business records to cover it up. o.t. on count two, sumi -- guilty on count two, semi-. guilty on count three. sumi: that just stopped me in my tracks. i hear an eruption. nada: well, throughout this trial, we have had groups of protesters across from the courthouse in the public park. they have clearly just gotten the news. there have been a well-known number of donald trump's harshest critics who have held up signs saying convicted donald trump, signs saying that donald trump needs to be held accountable. some celebrations. i would just ask if my cameraman is able to spin the camera to look at what is happening here, because there it is, roger stone has just turned up. i don't know if you can see that in the pictures, but roger stone

, i believe that is him, i apologize if i got that wrong, many people now just absorbing the news. sumi: while we are seeing this, take us back to the counts. we are seeing 16 guilty counts, more than half. take us through this. nada: let's remember that these counts really run together, because these are in relation to 11 checks, 11 invoices, and 12 business -- sumi: nada, i am going to interrupt you, we are getting -- nada: he is guilty on all counts. sumi: yes, take us through this. nada: sumi, donald trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts. a member, these counts really run together, because if the jury -- remember, these counts

really run together, because if the jury was going to buy into the prosecutor's case that donald trump ordered these business records proven to be falsified to cover up election fraud, you really did assume that they were going to find donald trump guilty on all these counts. there were two checks that donald trump had not signed only, but nevertheless -- had not signed personally, but nevertheless, they found there was enough evidence to back up the prosecution's argument that donald trump directed all of this. donald trump guilty on all 34 counts, the forced former president to be convicted in a criminal trial. he will now go down as a convicted felon in the history books. sumi, on the ballot in november, voters will now have to contend with if they are comfortable voting for the republican presumptive nominee to run the

nation's highest office, to go into the white house, when he has been found to be a convicted felon who is interested in corrupting the 2016 election to get into power. you can probably hear sounds around me. there are a bit of scuffles between protesters in the park as both sides battle. very passionate. they are politically invested in the outcome of this trial. it is really just a microcosm of the divisions in america. donald trump such a polarizing figure. for his opponents, this will really resonate with him as finally being held accountable. for supporters, they will see him as a martyr. sumi -- sumi, we await donald trump's reaction to this after being found guilty on all 34 counts. sumi: thank you for taking us through this historic moment.

stay right there. we will get back with you. i want to join nick, a former watergate prosecutor. we spoke with you just yesterday. i want to get your reaction to this verdict, guilty on all 34 counts. >> i am not the least bit surprised. as i think i told you yesterday, based on those two smoking gun notes, the two trump organization employees, based on the self-inflicted wounds of putting bumpus taliban the stand as part of their defense, and based on what we heard from the jury this morning in terms of what they asked for, they went right to the jugular in terms of asking for evidence to be read back about the august 2015 meeting at trump tower, attended by trump, david packer from the national enquirer, and michael cohen, and then asked for the

conversation that was just between donald trump and david pecker in june of 2016. d it seemed that not surprised. sumi: donald trump convicted in the first trial of a former president. take us through how historic this is from your perspective. >> having been involved in the watergate case, if president ford had not pardoned donald trump back in 1974, and we had gone ahead and indicted him for instruction -- for obstruction of justice and falsifying his tax returns, this would not be the big deal it is today. this is a big deal because it is the first time a u.s. president in our entire history has ever been convicted of a crime.

not only that, he could be the presidential nominee for the republican party, and ironically, as a convicted felon, he may not be able to vote for himself. sumi: take us through these 34 counts in what they meant. you have talked a little bit about this, but why you think the jurors came out with this verdict. >> i think the evidence was overwhelming. it was not just michael cohen's testimony. it was david pecker's testimony that backed it up. it was a tape recording in which michael cohen discussed with donald trump how they were going to buy the rights to karen mcdougal from the national enquirer. and there was all the documentation put in right from the get-go that related to what the national enquirer did in terms of boosting up trump, knocking down his competitors, and what they did in terms of paying off at least two of the catch and kill individuals, dean

of the doorman and karen mcdougal, the playboy playmate. the evidence there, just the documentation on that was very convincing. almost everything about this case is in the documents. it is almost like if you took the witnesses away, you can follow the documents and see what happened here. i think that is what the jury did. it was obvious they ran -- went right back to david pecker and the meeting at trump tower and started from there. everything emanated from their -- from there. and there was no doubt that donald trump caused the falsification of records. the conclusion was obvious. and whether or not michael cohen lied, i think it was pretty clear from the costello testimony that he was lying in order to protect donald trump,

and once he started cooperating, he was telling a different story, all of which was supported by other witnesses and documents. sumi: pulled on a second, because this was the core of the defense's closing argument, and that was that michael cohen is a liar. it was not convincing to jurors? >> not at all, because they could show what he said here was fully cooperated. that is the key. what they were able to show through mr. packer, through hope hicks, through jeffrey mcdonagh , the controller for the trump organization, and through all the documents and through trump's own writings and own books that supported everything and everybody was saying about how he operated his business, how he was a micromanager, how he had to approve everything michael cohen did. if michael cohen was a liar, it

was because he was lying to protect donald trump, and that became extremely clear through the bob castella testimony. sumi: we have been looking at the pictures of the courthouse doors. we see the protests that appear to be happening outside the courthouse. the fact that donald trump was in the courthouse for these six weeks, tell us what this must have been like for him. >> it could not have been a pleasant situation. he had no choice but to be there. if he did not show up, the sheriff would have come out and brought him in. he would have been forced to be there. there is no excuse for a defendant not showing up for a criminal trial. and so he had no choice but to be there. if you look at the expression on his face, the entire time he looked like he was sitting on a cactus, basically, is the only way i can describe it. he was in pain the whole time, even though he tried to play mr. trump guy -- mr. tough guy.

but i was there. he did not look like a happy camper. but certainly what has happened today is not a resume builder and is not going to be something that is going to help him. we win the white house. sumi: really good to get your analysis and take on this historic moment. donald trump convicted of falsifying business records on all 34 counts. the first criminal trial of a former or current president. it was just about five minutes ago, 10 minutes ago that we heard the jury re-out the -- readouts that verdict. let's go back to nada outside the courthouse. if you can hear us, we have been talking about just how the jury came to this verdict after deliberating for two days. this was unanimous, and there are several possibilities of which way this could go. this was a question of which

side made the best argument. it appears the prosecution came out on top here. nada: before we get into that, i want to bring you more updates from inside the courtroom, because donald trump is still there with his lawyers. we have heard that sentencing will take place on july 11 in the morning. they did that, the defense requested a later date because of a conflict with a hearing donald trump has in florida. donald trump will be sentenced in this case just days before at the republican national convention. again, donald trump continuing to shatter the norms of the nation's highest office. months away from the election, we are already seeing just how much we are in unprecedented territory, both legally and

politically, with his conviction. also, we saw a request from the defense to try to get this case thrown out again. another attempt by the defense -- sumi: not a, one second, we see donald trump walking out. -- nada, one second, we see donald trump walking out after finding the jury's verdict. pres. trump: this was a disgrace. this was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who is corrupt. this is a rigged trial, a disgrace. they would not give us a venue change. we were at 5% through 6% in this district, in this area. this was a rigged, disgraceful trial. the real verdict is going to be november 5 by the people, and they know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here. and the soros backed d.a. and

the whole thing, we did not do a thing wrong of a very innocent man. it is ok. i am fighting for our country, for our constitution. our whole country is being rigged right now. this was done by the biden administration, in order to hurt a political opponent. i think it is just a disgrace, and we will fight to the end and we will win, because our country has gone to hell. we don't have the same country anymore. we have a divided mess. we are a nation in serious decline. aliens of people pouring into our country right now from prisons and from -- millions of people pouring into our country right now from prisons and from institutions, terrorists. we have a country in big trouble, but this was a rigged decision from day one with a conflicted judge who should have never been allowed to try this case. we will fight for our

constitution. this is far from over. thank you very much. correspondent: [inaudible] correspondent: [inaudible] sumi: nada, you heard that statadent. this is very much what we have heard from donald trump over these six weeks. what did you make of it? nada: no surprise there at all. donald trump to affiant, saying that this case was all politically motivated. that has been his talking point from the start of this trial, even well before this trial. his campaign fundraising outfit that, rallying his supporters on that point. donald trump is now in a position where, at each rally, at each campaign event, he will, no doubt, position himself as a martyr, someone who is being attacked by his political

opponents in order to keep him out of the white house. look, he says he is going to fight to the end. i have to say, for donald trump, there is no doubt that he is squarely focused on how this can turn around, how he can take this loss and turn it into a benefit for him politically. he has shown an ability to do that in the past. let's not forget he is a former president who was twice indicted, twice impeached, four times indicted in criminal cases , hit with several civil penalties, and nevertheless he is still pushing on to try to win the white house, but he has left the courthouse there with his son, eric. the judge deciding to release him on his own recognizance, and sentencing, but a moment that will be, because donald trump

unlikely to face prison in this, perhaps probation, but it will be interesting to see what happens. sumi: thank you. we are still looking at these images. we just heard from donald trump speaking there, and we have emery and richard with us, lawyers who could give us some insight. i want to get both of your reactions, starting with you, anne-marie. >> it is certainly a monumental decision that the verdict is today. it is certainly really earth shattering what happened today. undoubtedly, there will be an appeal, probably immediate. the sentencing could get put off after july -- until after july, though i know they have a july date for sentencing now. there are a lot of grounds for appeal here. there is a good chance the case is going to be overturned on appeal. but the question is, will that happen before the election, and

the likelihood of the appeal being heard before the elections is not very good. so he will probably be a convicted felon when he runs for office in november. sumi: just a reminder, you are seeing pictures from just outside the courthouse of this monumental, historic moment in u.s. history. we have just seen donald trump in convicted of falsifying business records in the first criminal trial of a former president, convicted on all 34 counts. he saw the 12 jurors, after having been deliberated for 12 days, being called back into the court and delivering that historic verdict. we heard the president say it was a great trial and called this a disgrace as well. -- was a announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on the “newshour” tonight, former president trump is found guilty on all counts in his criminal hush money trial. >> i think it's a just a disgrace. and we'll keep fighting, we'll fight till the end and we'll win.