Dozens of jurors excused as Trump’s hush money trial begins

[KARAH RUCKER]

AT LEAST 50 POSSIBLE JURORS ARE EXCUSED AFTER SAYING THEY COULD NOT BE FAIR REGARDING FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S HUSH MONEY TRIAL

AND — THE ARMORER ON THE SET OF “RUST” IS SENTENCED FOLLOWING THE FATAL SHOOTING OF THE FILM’S CINEMATOGRAPHER

THE MORNING RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.

TODAY IS TUESDAY, APRIL.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

THE HISTORIC CRIMINAL TRIAL OF FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP KICKED OFF ON MONDAY IN NEW YORK  – WITH JURY SELECTION.

THE FIRST DAY ENDING WITH DOZENS OF POTENTIAL JURORS BEING EXCUSED.

MORE THAN HALF OF THE 96 POTENTIAL JURORS IN THE FIRST GROUP WERE DISMISSED AFTER ADMITTING THEY COULD NOT BE FAIR OR IMPARTIAL IN HEARING THE CASE.

IN ADDITION – OTHER JURORS WERE EXCUSED AFTER SAYING THEY COULD NOT SERVE FOR OTHER REASONS.

THIS LEAVES AROUND 34 POTENTIAL JURORS TO FILL OUT THE QUESTIONNAIRE – ANSWERING 42 QUESTIONS ON TOPICS INCLUDING THEIR MEDIA CONSUMPTION AND ANY CONNECTIONS TO THE FORMER PRESIDENT.

TRUMP IS FACING FELONY CHARGES RELATED TO HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS IN 2016 TO ADULT FILM STAR STORMY DANIELS.

TRUMP HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO ALL 34 COUNTS CHARGED AGAINST HIM.

JURY SELECTION WILL CONTINUE TODAY AND COULD END UP TAKING TWO WEEKS – WITH THE TRIAL ITSELF EXPECTED TO LAST SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS.

AS WE REPORTED YESTERDAY ON THE MORNING RUNDOWN – APRIL 15 WAS THE DEADLINE FOR AMERICANS TO FILE THEIR TAXES – AND THAT INCLUDED THE CURRENT PRESIDENT.

THE WHITE HOUSE RELEASING PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN’S JOINT TAX RETURN – SHOWING THE COUPLE EARNING NEARLY $620,000 IN 2023 – WITH FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND (400,000) DOLLARS COMING FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL SALARY. THAT IS UP FROM THE ROUGHLY FIVE HUNDRED EIGHTY THOUSAND (580,000) DOLLARS THEY EARNED LAST YEAR.

THE BIDENS PAID MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED FORTY SIX THOUSAND  DOLLARS (146,629)  IN FEDERAL INCOME TAX – AN INCOME TAX RATE OF TWENTY THREE POINT SEVEN (23.7) PERCENT.

THE WHITE HOUSE RELEASING A STATEMENT SAYING PRESIDENT BIDEN BELIEVES THE LONGSTANDING TRADITION OF ANNUALLY RELEASING PRESIDENTIAL TAX RETURNS SHOULD CONTINUE.

THAT’S LIKELY A REFERENCE TO HIS 2024 PRESIDENTIAL OPPONENT — AS FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP DIDN’T RELEASE HIS TAX RETURNS WHILE IN OFFICE – THOUGH SIX YEARS OF RETURNS WERE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC BY THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE IN 20-22.

WHEN ASKED IF TRUMP WILL RELEASE HIS 2023 TAX RETURNS – A CAMPAIGN SPOKESWOMAN Told USA TODAY THE FORMER PRESIDENT “HAS RELEASED MORE INFORMATION TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ABOUT HIS PERSONAL FINANCES THAN ANY CANDIDATE IN HISTORY.”

AHEAD OF A SENATE HEARING ON WEDNESDAY CONCERNING BOEING’S SAFETY — THE COMPANY IS DENYING ALLEGATIONS BY A WHISTLE BLOWER ABOUT SHORTCUTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF ITS 787 DREAMLINER AND 777 AIRCRAFT, SAYING THE PLANES MEET ALL SAFETY STANDARDS.

THE FORMER BOEING EMPLOYEE is CLAIMING THAT ASSEMBLY PROCESSES PUT “EXCESSIVE” STRESS ON AIRPLANE JOINTS, POTENTIALLY SHORTENING THE AIRCRAFTS’ LIFESPANS — ADDING HE SAW WORKERS TRYING TO GET MISALIGNED PARTS TO FIT BY  “JUMPING ON THE PIECES OF THE AIRPLANE TO GET THEM TO ALIGN.”

BOEING HAS CALLED THE WHISTLEBLOWER’S ACCOUNTS INACCURATE — STANDING BY THE COMPANY’S SAFETY MEASURES.

IN A TWO-HOUR PRESENTATION WITH REPORTERS ON MONDAY — BOEING OFFICIALS EXPLAINED STRESS  AND IMPACT TESTS PERFORMED ON THEIR PLANES.

THE WHISTLEBLOWER IS SCHEDULED TO TESTIFY IN WEDNESDAY’S SENATE HEARING AS THE FAA INVESTIGATES HIS CLAIMS.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer | New Mexico District Court

“I am sentencing you to 18 months of incarceration at a New Mexico Women’s Correctional facility.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

HANNAH GUTIERREZ-REED, THE ARMORER ON THE FILM “RUST,” WAS SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER IN THE DEATH OF CINEMATOGRAPHER HALYNA HUTCHINS.

FOUND GUILTY LAST MONTH, GUTIERREZ-REED RECEIVED THE MAXIMUM PENALTY FOR MISTAKENLY LOADING LIVE AMMUNITION INTO A REVOLVER HELD BY ACTOR ALEC BALDWIN ON THE SANTA FE SET IN 2021.

BALDWIN, ALSO FACING CHARGES OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER, IS SCHEDULED FOR TRIAL ON JULY 10 FOLLOWING HIS INDICTMENT BY A GRAND JURY IN JANUARY.

THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS PREPARING TO FILE AN ANTITRUST LAWSUIT AGAINST LIVE NATION – the company that owns Ticketmaster.

that’s ACCORDING TO A WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORT.

WHILE THE EXACT DETAILS HAVE NOT BEEN DISCLOSED – THE JOURNAL REPORTS THE DOJ WOULD CLAIM THAT “LIVE NATION” LEVERAGED ITS DOMINANCE IN THE LIVE EVENT TICKETING MARKET IN A WAY THAT UNDERMINES COMPETITION.

you’ll probably remember when LIVE NATION was under a lot of SCRUTINY FOLLOWING TICKETMASTER’S SITE CRASHING WHEN TAYLOR SWIFT TICKETS WENT ON SALE IN NOVEMBER 2022.

LIVE NATION MERGED WITH TICKETMASTER IN 20-10 – WITH THE JOURNAL REPORTING LIVE NATION NOW HOLDING MORE THAN 80 PERCENT OF THE MARKET FOR PRIMARY TICKET SALES IN THE BIGGEST VENUES IN THE U.S.

A TICKETMASTER SPOKESPERSON REPLYING  — THE COMPANY HAS MORE COMPETITION TODAY THAN IT HAS EVER HAD.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – CAITLIN CLARK — KNOWN FOR BEING NUMBER ONE WHEN IT COMES TO MULTIPLE COLLEGE BASKETBALL RECORDS – HAS TOPPED ANOTHER LIST – BEING THE NUMBER ONE OVERALL DRAFT PICK.

CLARK WAS SELECTED NUMBER ONE BY THE INDIANA FEVER AT THE 2024 WNBA DRAFT MONDAY NIGHT.

THE DRAFT WAS HELD AT THE BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC – IN FRONT OF FANS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2016.

TICKETS FOR THE EVENT Sold OUT WITHIN **MINUTES OF GOING ON SALE.

BACK IN FEBRUARY — CLARK ANNOUNCED SHE WAS ENTERING THE DRAFT INSTEAD OF PLAYING ANOTHER YEAR AT IOWA.

CLARK’S RECORD-BREAKING COLLEGE CAREER INCLUDED BECOMING THE ALL-TIME POINTS LEADER IN MEN’S OR WOMEN’S DIVISION 1 HISTORY AND THE ALL-TIME LEADER IN POINTS, ASSISTS AND 3-POINTERS IN NC-DOUBLE-A TOURNAMENT HISTORY.

NOW CLARK IS LOOKING TO MAKE MORE HISTORY moving on up to THE PRO LEVEL.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES FOR THIS TUESDAY.

UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS. THAT’S STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.

UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. HAVE A GREAT DAY!