nada tawfik in thank you. let me _ serve impartially. nada tawfik in thank you. impartially. nada tawfik in - thank you. let me bring you more on the breaking news we have had on the israel conflict that is going on at the moment and earlier today, we are hearing an aircraft struck and eliminated a commander of hezbollah�*s coastal sector and this is a statement from the idf in lebanon on, and the person they took out was ishmael yusuf and they have said he was a senior and veteran official and several positions of hezbollah�*s military wing and he was a brigade commander and was involved in the planning of rocket attacks from the coastal area of lebanon on towards israel and organised and planned a number of terror or attacks against israel and that is a statement from the idf as everyone watches to see what the israeli move will be next after the events of the weekend. this is bbc news. hello, there. it's not been as windy today. there's still a number of showers around. if we look out in the atlantic, this is where we've got high pressure at the moment. and ar

you can imagine our line at the moment to nada tawfik -- tawfik —— faith gay.eople around but we still have faith gay with us. given how donald trump has been saying quite inflammatory things, really, this is not the case in other countries, can he come out every day as his promising and speak to the media and virtually give press conferences on the steps of the courthouse? certain he will come — the steps of the courthouse? certain he will come out _ the steps of the courthouse? certain he will come out every _ the steps of the courthouse? certain he will come out every day _ the steps of the courthouse? certain he will come out every day and - the steps of the courthouse? certain he will come out every day and he i he will come out every day and he certainly will speak to the press and he certainly will be on social media. the gag order, although unusual and extensive, and i should say well deserved given the comments so far about the justice's family and prospectivejurors, at least the jury and prospectivejurors, at least the jury pool saying the pool is unf

thanks, nada tawfik.rs. thanks, nada tawfik. let's speak to gary _ prosecutors. thanks, nada tawfik. let's speak to gary o'donoghue i prosecutors. thanks, nada tawfik. let's speak to gary o'donoghue at| let's speak to gary o'donoghue at the supreme court, a significant day there, gary? the supreme court, a significant day there. gary?— there, gary? yeah, very significant da . bear there, gary? yeah, very significant day- bear in _ there, gary? yeah, very significant day. bear in mind _ there, gary? yeah, very significant day. bear in mind this _ there, gary? yeah, very significant day. bear in mind this relates - there, gary? yeah, very significant day. bear in mind this relates to i day. bear in mind this relates to perhaps the most serious of the four criminal cases that donald trump is facing, that of trying to overturn the election in 2020. he is facing four counts on those charges and this really is a hearing to say where his lawyers will argue, look, a president can't be criminally prosecuted for so

nada tawfik, thank you ve much, white house. nada tawfik, thank you very much. live _ white house.ery much, live at the courthouse. thank you forjoining us for the a brief thought on the moment we have reached with the former us president bearin reached with the former us president bear in a courtroom, potentially in the dark. , , . bear in a courtroom, potentially in the dark. , . bear in a courtroom, potentially in thedark. , . the dark. this is an historic day in new york- _ the dark. this is an historic day in new york. for _ the dark. this is an historic day in new york. for the _ the dark. this is an historic day in new york. for the first _ the dark. this is an historic day in new york. for the first time i the dark. this is an historic day in new york. for the first time in i new york. for the first time in american _ new york. for the first time in american history a former president has been _ american history a former president has been prosecuted. even though it's the _ has been prosecuted. even though it's the least serious of the four criminal— it's the least serious

nada tawfik at the — time comes he chooses to do so.se, thank you very much. renato mariotti. the first time we've seen a president they are in a criminal case. what do you make of what the moment we have reached? it is quite a moment. — moment we have reached? it is quite a moment. i — moment we have reached? it is quite a moment, i will— moment we have reached? it is quite a moment, i will say— moment we have reached? it is quite a moment, i will say that. _ moment we have reached? it is quite a moment, i will say that. despite i a moment, iwill say that. despite all the controversy surrounding donald trump, at the end of the day, what will matter in this case is the evidence in front of the jury, the testimony of thejury evidence in front of the jury, the testimony of the jury hears and really the arguments that are made by the attorneys so what we just heard a moment ago, the bluster and maybe i would say misleading statements by the former president, none of that will matter within the four walls of a courtroom. in terms ofthat fou

we can cross over to nada tawfik. what is the latest what you are? . ., ., ., ., , tawfik.t what you are? . ., ., ., ., tawfik. what is the latest what you are? ., ., ., ., ., ,, are? here at niagara falls on the us side, ou are? here at niagara falls on the us side. you can — are? here at niagara falls on the us side. you can see — are? here at niagara falls on the us side, you can see behind _ are? here at niagara falls on the us side, you can see behind me - are? here at niagara falls on the us side, you can see behind mejust- are? here at niagara falls on the us| side, you can see behind mejust how side, you can see behind me just how heavy— side, you can see behind me just how heavy the _ side, you can see behind me just how heavy the cloud cover as at the moment — heavy the cloud cover as at the moment. you can see it is getting noticeahly— moment. you can see it is getting noticeably darker, the temperature has dropped quite a bit. but mother nature _ has dropped quite a bit. but mother nature has— has dropped quite a bit. but mother nature has really been teasing us

we can cross over to nada tawfik. what is the latest where you are?well, helena, here at niagara falls you can see behind me just how heavy the cloud cover is at the moment. you can see it is getting noticeably darker. the temperature has dropped quite a bit. but mother nature has really been teasing us here. there was a brief moment in the break of the clouds, and through that, during this moment of partial eclipse, the sun was viewable as a crescent in the sky. the crowd absolutely went wild. that one moment to see just how thrilling that was for people who have gathered here was quite exciting. people are a little bit cautiously optimistic about the moment of totality and weather will be able to see that brilliant bright corona of the sun. we will have to wait and see what happens with the clouds. many people here came thinking they might see a pink rainbow over niagara falls. as i say, everyone i speak to hear in the foreground -- you can see the crowds gather here on the u.s. side and over in the far ground in the canadian side, nobody here is di

thanks for having me- — nada tawfik because there.e now had opening statements from both sides, withjurors listening intently. essentially prosecutors are really laying out the big picture here for thejurors, saying that this is about a criminal conspiracy and cover—up. the criminal conspiracy they said was election fraud, pure and simple. they really set the scene for jurors, saying that it all came about after the release of the access hollywood tape. now that's the infamous tape that, just ahead of the 2016 presidential election, donald trump was caught on camera basically bragging about the fact that, because he was famous, he could grab women by their genitals. and they say that sent donald trump ultimate campaign panic mode, and just a day later when stormy daniels and the fact that she was trying to sell her story of alleged sexual encounter with donald trump from 2006, the campaign felt another sexual sex scandal, especially with the pawn star, would've been damaging to his campaign, especially with female voters, they say tha

our new york correspondent nada tawfik reports.ar to become the first former president to be criminally charged, it set the united states on an unprecedented course. now, right in the thick of the presidential election campaign, the republican presumptive nominee is beginning his trial in the most salacious of the four cases against him. though it is perhaps the least perilous, legally, given jail time is seen as unlikely. donald trump has repeatedly painted the case as an attempt to interfere in the election. this is a witch hunt, it's a hoax, thank you. the 3a felony counts against him stemmed from hush money paid to the former porn star stormy daniels by trump's former fixer, michael cohen. donald trump has denied the extramarital affair and any wrongdoing. however, he has acknowledged reimbursing cohen after initially denying any knowledge of the payments while president. did you know about $130,000 payments to stormy daniels? but manhattan's district attorney alleges trump directed those payments as part of a scheme to help hi

let's go to neda tawfik, who is in new york.ing on for him. what have we heard in court today? yeah. well, we've had more testimony from the first witness. we're still on the first witness in this case, david pecker, the former publisher of the national enquirer. and remember, prosecutors have really identified him as kind of a key figure in the alleged catch and kill scheme that they say was devised with donald trump and his former lawyer, michael cohen, to have the tabloid help his campaign before the 2016 election. the 2016 election keep out of the news any embarrassing stories? so david pecker has been doing two things here. he's kind of been laying the groundwork, explaining how that catch and kill scheme alleged catch and kill scheme works. he says that when one story came out by a former playboy model, karen mcdougal, that he believed she was telling the truth. he alerted donald trump. they agreed that they should buy her story. he testified that he paid her $150,000 for kind of the rights for her story, but disguised it

our new york correspondent nada tawfik reports.ar to become the first former president to be criminally charged, it set the united states on an unprecedented course. now, right in the thick of the presidential election campaign, the republican presumptive nominee is beginning his trial in the most salacious of the four cases against him. though it is perhaps the least perilous, legally, given jail time is seen as unlikely. donald trump has repeatedly painted the case as an attempt to interfere in the election. this is a witch hunt, it's a hoax, thank you. the sa felony counts against him stemmed from hush money paid to the former porn star stormy daniels by trump's former fixer, michael cohen. donald trump has denied the extramarital affair and any wrongdoing. however, he has acknowledged reimbursing cohen after initially denying any knowledge of the payments while president. did you know about $130,000 payments to stormy daniels? | but manhattan's district attorney alleges trump directed those payments as part of a scheme to help

nada tawfik reporting there.ional council has started running the country. the body is tasked with organising elections and restoring order to haiti, suffering from deadly gang violence. he agreed to step down after armed groups refused to let him return from a trip abroad. in other news, experts are warning sexually abusive cyber attacks are on the rise across the world and anyone can be a victim of so—called extortion. it comes after two men were arrested in nigeria earlier this month after an australian teenager took his own life. —— sextortion. police allege they told the teenager they would release personal photos unless he paid them $500. there was an extensive study looking at the studies. the fbi is warning this is a rapidly escalating threat and teenagers don't know where to turn. �* , , ., teenagers don't know where to turn. �* , ,., , , turn. let's give some numbers here. in 2021 _ turn. let's give some numbers here. in 2021 there _ turn. let's give some numbers here. in 2021 there were - turn. let's g

nada tawfik, bbc news, niagara falls, new york.logram haul is estimated to be worth more than $10 million and was intercepted last month on route to japan. customs officials say they made the discovery while examining two air compressors, which drew suspicions due to their unusual texture and weight. a 31—year—old man has been arrested and released on bail pending further investigations. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. monday was quite a quiet day of weather, really. we had some sunny spells breaking through the cloud, for example here in cambridgeshire, and across large parts of england it was a warm day for april with temperatures topping out at 19 celsius at kew in london. these temperatures around 5 or 6 degrees above average. it's going to be a much cooler kind of day for tuesday, notjust cooler, it's going to be wet and windy for many as well. the change is down to an area of low pressure, this area of cloud you can see swirling to the southwest of the uk. that's essentially pushing northwards and eastwards over the nex

here's nada tawfik.ing to a cross—country tale that began when she disappeared lastjuly in san diego, california, only to be discovered more than 2000 miles away in michigan. how the terrier mix ended up there is a mystery. her owners, mehrad and miz houman, posted flyers around town and pleas on social media. and had gone months without any encouraging news. then just as they were planning to travel for easter weekend to minneapolis to see relatives they got a call from an animal welfare group that mishka had been found. daddy is bringing her home. once the family landed in minnesota mehrad drove ten hours overnight to michigan for the emotional reunion. it's wonderful. lilly, what do you think? are you so happy? we are so overjoyed and still in shock that she is here but we couldn't be more happy. because mishka had been chipped the grosse pointe animal adoption society was able to match her with her owners. we don't know who or how she got here to michigan. we know she didn't walk but that's about all

all right, thank you, nada tawfik. the biggest election in the world is under way in india.he future of india's democracy, following a crackdown on political opponents. prime minister narendra modi is hoping to win a third term in power. the main opposition congress party, in alliance with smaller parties, is seeking to prevent that. the election is an enormous undertaking. close to a billion people can cast a ballot, one in eight of the world's population, so voting takes place on seven separate days over the next six weeks. yogita limaye reports from uttar pradesh. a right given to every adult citizen since india's independence. more than 75 years on, it remains a much cherished one. despite the blazing heat, people came out. this is rural muzaffarnagar in uttar pradesh. a politically significant state because it sends the most number of mps to parliament. many here are farmers and daily wagers, coming in early so they can get to theirjobs after voting. this man has flown back from saudi arabia, where he works as a construction labourer, to cast his ballot. translation: un

neda tawfik reports now, on a strange shaggy dog tale.a happy ending to a cross—country tale that began when she disappeared lastjuly in san diego, california, only to be discovered more than 2,000 miles away in michigan. how the terrier mix ended up there is a mystery. her owners, mehrad and miz houman, posted flyers around town and feeds on social media. and had gone months without any encouraging news. then, just as they were planning to travel for easter weekend to minneapolis to see relatives, they got a call from an animal welfare group that mishka had been found. daddy's bringing her home. once the family landed in minnesota, mehrad drove ten hours overnight to michigan for the emotional reunion. yeah, it's wonderful. lilly, what do you think? are you so happy? we are so overjoyed and still in shock that she's here, but we couldn't be more happy. because mishka had been chipped, the grosse pointe animal adoption society was able to match her with her owners. we don't know who or how she got here to michigan. we know she didn't walk

nada tawfik, bbc news, new york.nd his wife isla fisher have announced they are divorcing after 111 years of marriage. in a social media post announcing the split, the actors said theyjointly filed to end their marriage last year. the pair, who have three children, met in 2001 and married in 2010. what's the secret to living a long—life? well one great—grandfather from merseyside who has just become the world's oldest man, says it's down to eating fish and chips every friday. john tinniswood from southport, is 111 years and 224 days old. he was born in 1912, the same year the titanic sank. apart from a weekly fish supper, he says regular exercise is also important. if you don't eat too much and so long as you exercise both the brain and the body, you should keep them young. if you don't, they will wither. it's as simple as that. now it's time for a look at the weather with elizabeth rizzini. hello there. a very blustery weekend of weather right across the uk, with gusts of wind widely of a0 to 50mph. gales towards we

nada tawfik, bbc news, new york. before we go — a vibrant sign of spring at one english farm.he rampage of colors includes more than 100 diferent varieties of tulips. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. storm kathleen will dominate our weather through this weekend. a deep area of low pressure passing well to the west of the uk, but close enough to bring gales in northern and western parts. one other consequence though — some very warm air being drawn up from the south. here's how the storm developed during friday. a strong and powerfuljet stream really energising this area of low pressure, this curl of clouds developing here. wherever you see a weather system spinning up into a curl like this, well, it shows that it really will mean business. this deep, low passing to the west of ireland, lots of iosbars squeezing together. so some very strong winds, but also some very warm air. northern scotland, far warmer than it has been over recent days. parts of eastern england could get to 21 or 22 degrees. some rain to start off across the northern half of scotland — heavy rain at th

live to new york and our correspondent nada tawfik.rmitted to say what he just said outside the court and what you read into its? —— was he permitted. and what you read into its? -- was he permitted-— he permitted. yes, it is interesting because he — he permitted. yes, it is interesting because he was — he permitted. yes, it is interesting because he was yesterday - he permitted. yes, it is interesting because he was yesterday saying l he permitted. yes, it is interesting i because he was yesterday saying how he lost his voice, that he was being silenced, but as you soar right there, immediately outside of the courtroom, he is very much expressing how he feels. the limited 939 expressing how he feels. the limited gag order that was placed on him reallyjust gag order that was placed on him really just prevents gag order that was placed on him reallyjust prevents him from going after the judge's reallyjust prevents him from going after thejudge's family, reallyjust prevents him from going afterthejudge's family, court after the judge's f

nada tawfik, bbc news, niagara falls, new york.says security will be "considerably reinforced" at the champions league match in the french capital between paris saint—germain and barcelona after a "threat" from a group linked to islamic state. gerald darmanin said the threat was made against all of the quarter—final matches, notjust psg's first leg clash with barcelona at the parc des princes. we'll have more on that at six. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu says his government has set a date for its planned attack on the city of rafah — in the south of gaza — where over a million—and—a—half palestinians are sheltering. world leaders have repeatedly urged israel not to go ahead with the attack. meanwhile, efforts between israel and hamas over a ceasefire deal are continuing in egypt — and more food aid is now reaching gaza. let's speak to our middle east correspondent hugo bachega, who is in jerusalem. how are the talks going? yesterday i was here talking about signs of cautious optimism from israel, that a breakthrough wa

nada tawfik, bbc news, new york. if only mishka could talk.in operations took industrial action in addition, there will be an overtime ban in force until saturday. it could mean further delay and cancellation. here we go again — picket lines, quiet stations and inconvenience. i think we've not been notified enough about it. we have just come in a taxi and the taxi driver didn't even mention it, so it's just missed our day up completely. i'm heading to work, but i'm going to have a quiet day because of all of this. the cars are running, the trains are not. in tamworth, carl, who doesn't drive, took this video of his deserted local station. the lack of trains today means a rare visit from his daughter who lives with her mum in wales had to be cut short. it had a huge impact, as i said, i don't see her very often, - once every holiday. i really look forward - to having the time with her and then it's very quieti when she's gone home. some families on easter holiday outings to the holiday outings to the harry potter studios near watford had altere

nada tawfik there. we are going to talks more about that. rockets and planes into that airspace to be able to determine a little bit more, so let's talk some more about that with our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. such an interesting day, not only in her good looks, julie is beautiful, but it also tells us a lot about — it gives us an opportunity to find out things we hadn't before. it gives us an opportunity to find out things we hadn't before.— things we hadn't before. it was a da when things we hadn't before. it was a day when the — things we hadn't before. it was a day when the science _ things we hadn't before. it was a day when the science and - things we hadn't before. it was a day when the science and beauty things we hadn't before. it was a - day when the science and beauty met and just how beautiful was it. one of the things i always find amazing about total eclipses is that it is an incredible cosmic coincidence, because the big money shot as the atmosphere that we can see of the sun which is normal out of view because the s

nada tawfik, thank you for that.vative talk show host at all american radio. what do you make of what you heard today? i what do you make of what you heard toda ? ~ , . ., ., today? i think this charade continues _ today? i think this charade continues with _ today? i think this charade continues with that - today? i think this charade continues with that as - today? i think this charade continues with that as i - today? i think this charade | continues with that as i was listening to your correspondent i can't help but think about this reminds me of what bill clinton did in entering into a private business agreement over a personal relationship, allegedly with paula jones. and bill clinton was different and donald trump in this case in that he would actually be the sitting president of the united states. but the sitting president of the united states. �* ., , �* ., states. but he wasn't running for reelection. _ states. but he wasn't running for reelection, was _ states. but he wasn't running for reelection, was he?

our correspondent nada tawfik sent this update from outside the court.really comes after a day of twists and turns. just hours after two at the jurors were abruptly excused. one, a young woman who said she felt intimidated after her identity was figured out by family and friends and she said she didn't think she could be impartial and fair and that outside opinions could affect her decision—making in the courtroom. another was a gentleman that prosecutors were concerned hadn't been forthright about his criminal history. he was excused by the judge for outside court he said he wanted to serve. so he wasn't happy with that decision. but the 12 jurors, those that we do have seated now, they a diverse group, different ethnicities, differentjobs. everyone works as lawyers, physical therapists, finance, security engineer, sales and a recent college graduate. one noted that even read the bbc. donald trump looked on as they were sworn in and said they could be fair and impartial but this is what he said outside of court. the whole world is watching. you have a d

thrilled the enormous crowds who'd gathered in its path along the way — including our very own nada tawfik

let's cross to new york and speak with our correspondent, nada tawfik.header for donald trump today. two matters before two differentjudges in new york, can you explain to us and remind us what has happened in this bond hearing? absolutely. itjust underscores how many cases donald trump is facing because literally right behind me are the two courts. this bond hearing is starting at the top of the hour, so very shortly, and that is related to his civil fraud case that was brought by new york's attorney general letitia james. that is the case where a judge found him liable saying he did fraudulently inflate his assets to get better loans from banks. he was fined in that case more than $300 million in ill gotten gains. when you add interest to that, that explodes to more than $400 million. donald trump while he appeals in order to kind of pause collection efforts, that could have affected some of his key properties in new york. he sought to get a bond to be held with the court until the appeals process plays out. he was given a lifeline, the judge allowed h

nada tawfik, bbc news, niagara falls, new york.after a river burst its banks. we have a helicopterfilming those live pictures of that flooding over west sussex. the evacuations have included around 180 people who were rescued overnight from a holiday park. and around 15 from littlehampton. westcott boot—mack littleha m pton. westcott boot— mack west littlehampton. westcott boot—mack west sussex county council said that one person was showing signs of hypothermia, we can see the pictures there of that flooding in that area after the river aaron burst its banks and warnings it may increase. evacuations are under way of about 20 people. forecasters warn that heavy rain and winds will batter parts of southern england, west of wales and northern ireland over the next few days. the west sussex county council warning that the water levels have not yet receded and warning that flooding may increase throughout the day. they said that this morning, those who were evacuated currently remain displaced in a refugee centre. it has been set up ac

thank you very much indeed for that, nada tawfik.al implications of this trial? it’s implications of this trial? it's ureat implications of this trial? it's treat to implications of this trial? it's great to be _ implications of this trial? it�*s great to be with you, thanks so much for having me. the political implications are — i think there is a general perception that out of all the trials trump faces, this new york city one is subsequently the weakest. i think that's not at all to downplay the gravity of the allegations, falsifying business records is a serious offence. but it's to point out in comparison to the other cases, the stakes and evidence seem weaker, and i think that'll have implications in terms of the politics because many americans maybe won't be swayed in terms of what they see. when the indictment came down by alvin bragg indictment came down by alvin bragg in new york city, it wasn'tjust republicans who ran to trump's defence, i think even some democrats were worried about the strength of the evidence, there was

live now to nada tawfik, our north america correspondent in new york who has been following the trial is up—to—date on what we have been hearing with so many of the potential jurors are saying hearing with so many of the potentialjurors are saying they simply can't be impartial, and that is of course because mr trump is so well known. is of course because mr trump is so well known-— well known. that is absolutely ri . ht, well known. that is absolutely right. and _ well known. that is absolutely right, and look, _ well known. that is absolutely right, and look, it _ well known. that is absolutely right, and look, it is _ well known. that is absolutely right, and look, it is often - well known. that is absolutely | right, and look, it is often said that cases are won and lost a jury selection and it is certainly a high—stakes process that both sides have a real stake in to get right. what we have had so far is the first panel of prospective jurors, 96 people, sworn in, all residents of manhattan, and it was interesting, reporters inside noted how some visibly reacted to seeing donald t

helena: nada tawfik, as always great to talk to you. in washington the u.s. court appeared divided over a case which could impact hundreds of prosecutions related to the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol, including some charges levied against former presidt trump. the conservative majority questioned the idea that an obstruction law could be applied to charges stemming from the riot. that statute which makes it a crime to obstruct, influence, or impede official proceeding is at the heart of the federal government case against hundreds of writers. how the court defines the scope of that loft could potentially eliminate some charges that mr. trump faces in his federal election subversion case. the supreme court set to hear arguments next week to determine whether the former president has immunity. we have some pictures now, that devastating fire that engulfed denmark's historic stock exchange building in copenhagen. members of the public rushed to rescue historic paintings. it took hours to get the fire under control. the cause for the moment is unknown but

our correspondent nada tawfik sent this update from outside the court in new york.the 12 jurors who will be citing donald trump's fate in his first criminal trial. they are seven men and five women. and it really comes after a day of twists and turns, just hours after two other jurors were abruptly excused. one, a young woman who said she felt intimidated after her identity was figured out by family and friends. and she said she didn't think she could be impartial and fair, that outside opinions could affect her decision making in the courtroom. another was a gentleman that prosecutors were concerned hadn't been forthright about his criminal history. he was excused by the judge, but outside of court, he said he wanted to serve, so he wasn't happy with that decision. but the 12 jurors, those that we do have seated now, they are a diverse group, different ethnicities, differentjobs. everyone works from lawyers, physical therapists, in finance, a security engineer in sales, a recent college graduate. one noted that they even read the bbc. and donald trump looked on as

our north america correspondent nada tawfik has been following developments from the un in new york —ch this went how everyone may have expected. the secretary—general decided to be the first one to brief councilmembers because he reiterated the warning he has been given, giving, really, in the last six months since the escalation after october seven, the war in gaza, warning that this could all lead to a massive escalation, or all out war in the middle east on multiple fronts, so he had one key message coming to the security council today, de—escalate, exercise maximum restraint. then we really heard from israel's allies reiterating their condemnation of iran's retaliatory attack, and stating that they would stand by israel but the same message that they want to see a de—escalation as well. and then from iran's allies, russia and china, again saying there has been double standards and hypocrisy from the likes of the us and the uk, saying that the root cause of all of this is the war in gaza and that needs to be addressed, there needs to be an immediate cease—fire there in order for t

our correspondent nada tawfik has been following the trial closely from new york.se. he said that he heard president biden agreed to a debate and he invited him to do that any time anywhere, even suggesting here in new york next week or even the white house. in court, his defence team had a chance to cross—examine two trump insiders. rona graff, donald trump�*s long—time assistant for over 30 years, prosecutors had her testify that she had entered the contacts for the former playboy model karen mcdougal and stormy daniels into donald trump�*s company contacts, and that she vaguely recalled seeing stormy daniels in trump tower ahead of the 2016 election. but she admitted on the stand that she did not want to be here in court. testifying that she respected donald trump, and he even stood up and tried to give her a brief hello on her way out. well, things were very different with the former national enquirer publisher david pecker. the defence tried to discredit him even though he was a reliable witness who said he didn�*t hold any grudges against donald trump or have

the special counsel, to bring this case before the election. 0ur north america correspondent nada tawfikirst witness in this case, the publisher of the national enquirer, and he gave more details into these payments that he said he made on behalf of donald trump through his lawyer, michael cohen. the first to a former playboy model, karen mcdougal, who said she had an affair with donald trump, which donald trump denies. he said he paid $150,000 to her because michael cohen said "the boss will take care of it". but he said when he went to get reimbursement, his legal adviser really urged him against it. and then parts, as prosecutors allege, of this cover up, saying that donald trump spoke to him many times afterward, asking about why the women, for example, had given interviews when there was an agreement with them not to. and then the defence was able to just start their questioning of david pecker. and he testified that this kind of chequebookjournalism, paying to suppress stories, was standard operating procedure and that he had done it with several celebrities, including tiger woods

as our north america correspondent nada tawfik reports, it happened as the jury selection for mr trump'stion had concluded slightly after 1:30 in the afternoon, when the man, later identified as a florida resident in his mid 30s, entered the park. he threw coloured pamphlets in the air, doused himself in lighterfluid and set himself on fire. and we here could see the blaze, could feel that heat. now, officials later said that he wasn't targeting any individual, any group or, in fact, this trial. their investigation is ongoing, but they believe he was a conspiracy theorist. now, they say they are going to be reviewing security protocols around this courthouse in light of the high—profile nature of this trial and whether, in fact, to close that park down to the public. but nevertheless, court resumed. it remained on schedule. and opening statements in this trial will now begin on monday. donald trump leaving the court today again slammed this case as a hoax, as a witch hunt. he is charged with falsifying business records to hide a so—called hush money payment to the adult film star stormy

thrilled the enormous crowds who'd gathered in its path along the way — including our very own nada tawfik a listen to this. it's picking through the clouds, mother nature is teasing us, there it is! that's spectacular! wow, that is fabulous! here we go, it is fully, you can see it fully now! you can see it now. mother nature is truly teasing us today, earlier it peaked through and it has peaked through and it has peaked through again. it through and it has peaked through again.— through and it has peaked through again. it was clearly excitin: through again. it was clearly exciting and _ through again. it was clearly exciting and she _ through again. it was clearly exciting and she explained l through again. it was clearly - exciting and she explained what the app is feels like. certainly a joyous moment now it is sunny in niagara falls but for a moment with the heavy cloud cover many were beginning to feel that they were not going to be able to witness that moment of totality. to see that bright intense corona of the sun as the moon blocked the sun's atmosphere. but they were able to. and

live to new york and our correspondent nada tawfik. learned about this one insurer? matthew, thisjuror learned about this one insurer? matthew, this juror had learned about this one insurer? matthew, thisjuror had called into the parties last night and in court today said she slept on it and said she couldn't feel she could be fair and impartial because she said the outside influence would affect her opinions. that's because there were details revealed about her and other jurors about where they worked, their ages, so this young woman who was a nurse said that family and friends found out that she was a juror on this case. really quickly, thejudge decided to juror on this case. really quickly, the judge decided to excuse her. there might be anotherjuror of the original seven who might get excused as well. we're waiting to see what happens there. essentially, there were concerns he wasn't as forthright about his criminal history. this really underscores how we started the day with seven, we're down to six and might be down to five but y

also, there is no crime. 0ur north america correspondent nada tawfik has more from new york.he judge was so eager to make headway in a jury selection. a dramatic moment came where donald trump was reprimanded for, as the judge said, audibly muttering and gesturing in front of one juror. he said he would not take jurors being intimidated in his courtroom. we had a point where several jurors said they could not be impartial, orfor personal reasons they were excused. both sides, the defence and the prosecution, got the opportunity to strike jurors they did not want to be seated. at one point, donald trump's lawyers went far back in social media posts of the jurors, saying that one man had posted to have donald trump "locked up". that man was struck from the jury. of those who were seated, they are a diverse group. a young black woman who is a teacher, a woman who is a nurse — an oncologist nurse. the fourth person is originally from ireland, and an older man from puerto rico. the jurors who were sworn in so far are a diverse group, they have all assured the judge and both sides

our correspondent nada tawfik has been following the trial closely from new york.s, but from what i observed in court, not all of them are facing the former president's wrath. rhona graff is fiercely loyal to donald trump, and his former assistant of 30 years did not even want to appear here. her time on the stand was limited. she said she entered playboy model karen mcdougal and stormy daniels's contacts into the database for trumps. she also vaguely remembered seeing stormy daniels at trump tower ahead of the 2016 presidential election, but she spoke positively of her former boss, who stood up to give her a brief hello as she left the courtroom. the first witness, david pecker, the defence chose not to be as aggressive with him as they are likely to do trump's former fixer, michael cohen. the soft—spoken former publisher of the national enquirer came off as a reliable witness and he and trump seemed to show a mutual respect, so instead the defence tried to gently prod him to say the scheme was a typical tabloid business decision, the catch and kill scheme, but da

of potential jurors had been dismissed throughout the week. 0ur north america correspondent nada tawfik looked on as they raised their right hands and swore that they would be fair and impartial in hearing this case. and it comes after a day of twists and turns after two jurors were abruptly excused — one, a young woman who said she felt intimidated after details of her identity were made public. she said friends and family had reached out, guessing she was a likelyjuror, and she felt that outside opinions might impact her decision—making. she said she couldn't be sure that she could be impartial and fair and she was excused. another was a gentleman, originally from puerto rico. he said he found donald trump fascinating and was an it consultant. but prosecutors questioned whether he was forthright about his criminal history and, ultimately, he was excused. later, outside of court, he told reporters that he had wanted to serve. but for the 12 jurors that have been selected, also one alternate — the remaining alternates will be chosen tomorrow when court resumes — but out of the 12, there

he's fined a total of $9,000 for nine breaches. 0ur north america correspondent nada tawfik has the latest from outside the court in new york. tell us about the fine and the comments when issuing the find. yeah. well, matthew, we had been waiting for the judge to rule on this request from prosecutors to hold donald trump in contempt of court. he rejected donald trump was not lawyers that the post his campaign website were responding to political attacks. he found in only one of the ten instances that there was a tenuous correlation as he put it to some remarks by one of the key witnesses in this trial, michael cohen. 0therwise witnesses in this trial, michael cohen. otherwise he sided with prosecutors that donald trump had wilfully violated a gag water nine out of ten times. under new york law, he is only able to find donald trump $1000 per violation. he did that but also said given donald trump is wealthy he might not be discouraged from violating the gag water but he said that was not off the table. he has till close of business friday to pay the fine, it is a drop in the bucket compared

our correspondent nada tawfik has been following the trial closely from new york. york or the white house. in court, his defence team had a chance to cross—examine two trump insiders. rona graff, donald trump�*s long—time assistant for over 30 years. prosecutors had her testify she entered the contacts for the former playboy model karen mcdougal and stormy daniels into donald trump�*s former company contacts and that she vaguely recalled seeing stormy daniels in trump tower ahead of the 2016 election. she admitted on the stand she didn�*t want to be here in court testifying, she respected donald trump and he even stood up and tried to give her a brief hello on her way out. things were different with the former national enquirer publisher david pecker. the defence tried to discredit him, though he was a reliable witness who said he didn�*t hold grudges or have ill will against donald trump. they tried to get him to say that the alleged cash and kill scheme which prosecutors had said is a criminal conspiracy to influence the election, while the defence tried to paint

a man set himself ablaze and is now in a critical condition. 0ur north america correspondent nada tawfikry selection had concluded slightly after 1:30 in the afternoon when a man now identified as a florida resident in his mid—30s entered the park, flew coloured pamphlets in the air and doused himself in lighterfluid and set himself on fire and we could see the blaze and feel the heat. 0fficials later said he was not targeting an individual 0rgroup orthe 0r group or the trial. they believe he was a conspiracy theorist. they say they will review security protocols around the courthouse in light of the high—profile nature of the trial and whether or not to close the park to the public. nevertheless, court resumed and remained on schedule and opening statements in this trial will now be beginning on monday. donald trump leaving the court today, again slamming this case as a hoax, a witch—hunt. he is charged with falsifying business records to hide a so—called hush money payment to the adult film star stormy daniels in order to influence the 2016 election, to hide a potentially damaging sex

between mr trump and the presiding judge, justicejuan merchant, as our north america correspondent nada tawfikn it ran over in a time because the judge was so eager to make headway in a jury so eager to make headway in a jury selection. a dramatic moment came where donald trump was reprimanded for, as the judge water, audibly muttering and gesturing in front of one juror. he said he would not take jewellery is juror. he said he would not takejewellery is being take jewellery is being intimidated in his courtroom. we had a point where several jurors said they could not be impartial or for personal reasons they were excused. both sides, the defence and the prosecution, got the opportunity to strike jurors they did not want to be seated. at one point donald trump and his lawyers went far back in social media posts of the jurors, saying that one man had posted to have donald trump locked up. that man was struck from the jury. locked up. that man was struck from thejury. 0f locked up. that man was struck from the jury. of those who were seated, they are a diverse group. a young black woman who was