Testimony continues in Trump criminal trial as Supreme Court debates immunity

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

DEVELOPMENTS IN FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S LEGAL CASES TAKE US TO A NEW YORK CITY COURTROOM AND THE U.S. SUPREME COURT

AND — USC CANCELS ITS MAIN COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY FOLLOWING DOZENS OF ARRESTS DURING CAMPUS PROTESTS

THE MORNING RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.

TODAY IS FRIDAY, APRIL 26TH.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

I’M LAUREN TAYLOR.

CROSS-EXAMINATION WILL CONTINUE TODAY — AS FORMER NATIONAL ENQUIRER PUBLISHER DAVID PECKER — RETURNS TO THE STAND IN FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S CRIMINAL TRIAL IN NEW YORK.

WHILE IN WASHINGTON – THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES DEBATE TRUMP’S IMMUNITY CLAIMS.

ON THURSDAY – PECKER WAS QUESTIONED FURTHER ABOUT HIS INTERACTIONS WITH THE FORMER PRESIDENT.

THE FORMER TABLOID NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER TESTIFIED — THAT HE AGREED TO PURCHASE THE RIGHTS TO A STORY FROM PLAYBOY MODEL KAREN MCDOUGAL ABOUT HER ALLEGED RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUMP – AFTER SPEAKING WITH TRUMP’S ATTORNEY MICHAEL COHEN – SO IT WOULD NOT EMBARRASS TRUMP OR HURT HIS 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.

THE DEFENSE HOWEVER FRAMED THESE “CATCH-AND-KILL” TECHNIQUES AS “STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES” FOR THE TABLOID INDUSTRY – WITH PECKER TESTIFYING ABOUT OTHER DEALS MADE WITH FORMER CONGRESSMAN RAHM EMANUEL AND FORMER CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER.

PECKER SAID HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN COORDINATING THE $1-hundred and 30 THOUSAND DOLLARS COHEN PAID TO ADULT FILM STAR STORMY DANIELS —

TO PREVENT HER STORY ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUMP GETTING OUT.

RATHER THAN THE ENQUIRER PURCHASING IT – PECKER SUGGESTED COHEN SHOULD BUY IT HIMSELF – WHICH HE DID.

IT IS THAT PAYMENT — AND TRUMP REIMBURSING COHEN — THAT IS THE FOCUS OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S CASE.

ALSO ON THURSDAY – THE SUPREME COURT HEARD ARGUMENTS ON WHETHER FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP SHOULD HAVE ABSOLUTE IMMUNITY WHEN IT COMES TO HIS FEDERAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE.

YOU CAN SEE RAY’S FULL REPORT ON OUR WEBSITE — “SAN DOT COM”.

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAS CANCELED ITS MAIN STAGE GRADUATION CEREMONY – MAKING THE ANNOUNCEMENT A DAY AFTER MORE THAN 90 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED IN A PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTEST – ONE OF SEVERAL BEING HELD AT COLLEGE CAMPUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

THE CEREMONY USUALLY DRAWS AROUND 65-THOUSAND PEOPLE.

U-S-C SAYS IT WILL STILL HOLD DOZENS OF OTHER EVENTS — INCLUDING INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES.

U-S-C HAD PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED IT DECIDED THE STUDENT VALEDICTORIAN – WHO IS MUSLIM AND HAS SHARED PRO-PALESTINIAN VIEWS – WOULD NOT SPEAK AT COMMENCEMENT DUE TO FEAR OF THREATS AND MAINTAINING CAMPUS SAFETY.

THE UNIVERSITY SAID THAT DECISION HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND 17 OTHER WORLD LEADERS ON THURSDAY CALLED ON HAMAS TO RELEASE THE REMAINING HOSTAGES HELD CAPTIVE IN GAZA.

IN A JOINT STATEMENT, THE LEADERS HIGHLIGHTED INTERNATIONAL LAWS PROTECTING HOSTAGES —

EXPRESSING STRONG SUPPORT FOR MEDIATION EFFORTS TO RESOLVE THE CRISIS AND BRING THE HOSTAGES HOME.

THE LEADERS FROM COUNTRIES — INCLUDING ARGENTINA, CANADA, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM — EMPHASIZED THAT THE HOSTAGES MUST BE RELEASED TO FOCUS ON PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE REGION.

THE JOINT STATEMENT CAME A DAY AFTER HAMAS RELEASED A VIDEO SHOWING AN AMERICAN HOSTAGE, 23-YEAR-OLD HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN, WHO IS MISSING PART OF HIS LEFT ARM BUT OTHERWISE APPEARED HEALTHY.

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY — PRESIDENT BIDEN MET WITH A 4-YEAR-OLD DUAL CITIZEN OF ISRAEL AND AMERICA WHO WAS AMONG THE FIRST GROUP OF HOSTAGES TO BE RELEASED DURING A NOVEMBER TRUCE.

MORE THAN 130 HOSTAGES, INCLUDING FIVE AMERICANS, ARE STILL BELIEVED TO BE IN HAMAS CAPTIVITY.

AT AN INTER-FAITH “CELEBRATION OF LIFE” AT THE WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL ON THURSDAY — CHEF JOSÉ ANDRÉS —

FOUNDER OF WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN — DELIVERED EMOTIONAL REMARKS IN HONOR OF THE SEVEN AID WORKERS KILLED IN A GAZA AIRSTRIKE BY THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES EARLIER THIS MONTH.

ISRAELI MILITARY OFFICIALS ADMITTED THE AIRSTRIKE WAS A MISTAKE — AND HAVE TAKEN DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS AGAINST THOSE INVOLVED.

ANDRÉS HAS CALLED FOR A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION INTO THE INCIDENT.

HE SAID HE HOPED THAT WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN WILL CONTINUE ITS GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS —

HONORING THE SPIRIT AND DEDICATION OF THE AID WORKERS LOST.

JOSE ANDRES
CHEF AND FOUNDER OF WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN

“In the worst moments, the best of humanity shows up, Saif, John, Jacob, Zomi, Jim, James and Damian, they were the best of humanity. Their examples should inspire us to do better, to be better.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE MEMORIAL SERVICE INCLUDED PERSONAL STORIES ABOUT THE WORKERS’ LIVES AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO HELPING COMMUNITIES IN CRISIS.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS AT THE CENTER OF CONTROVERSY AT A high school in MARYLAND – WHERE A TEACHER IS ACCUSED OF USING AN AI-GENERATED VOICE RECORDING TO IMPERSONATE THE PRINCIPAL.

AUTHORITIES SAY THIS CASE APPEARS TO BE AMONG THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE COUNTRY.

POLICE ARRESTED DAZHON “DAY-ZAHN” DARIEN (DAIR-IEN) ON THURSDAY – A PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER AND THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT PIKESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL – ON CHARGES INCLUDING RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT AND DISRUPTING SCHOOL ACTIVITIES.

POLICE SAY DARIEN CREATED A PHONY RECORDING OF THE PRINCIPAL — THAT INCLUDED RACIST AND ANTISEMITIC REMARKS —

AFTER THE TWO HAD SPOKEN ON WHETHER HIS CONTRACT WOULD BE RENEWED.

THE AUDIO SPREAD ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND LED TO THE PRINCIPAL BEING PLACED ON PAID ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE.

DARIEN WAS ARRESTED WHILE TRYING TO BOARD A FLIGHT AT BWI AIRPORT.

AUTHORITIES DID NOT SAY IF HE WAS TRYING TO FLEE.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS HELD A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM AT THE WHITE HOUSE ON THURSDAY – WITH GUESTS INCLUDING RECENTLY PARDONED FORMER INMATES — AS WELL AS REALITY TV-STAR AND ENTREPRENEUR KIM KARDASHIAN.

AT THE WHITE HOUSE MEETING – HARRIS CONFIRMED THE FINALIZATION OF CHANGES TO A SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION RULE — REMOVING MOST RESTRICTIONS BASED ON A PERSON’S CRIMINAL RECORD.

THE V-P THANKED KARDASHIAN FOR HER ADVOCACY — AND USING HER PLATFORM TO TALK ABOUT GIVING SECOND CHANCES.

KARDASHIAN — WHO BECAME AN ACTIVIST FOR CRIMINAL REFORM DURING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION — SPOKE OF THE CHANGES BEING MADE TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

KIM KARDASHIAN | CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ACTIVIST

“Every time I’ve gone and visited a prison, I’ve met some of the smartest individuals with the brightest ideas and to see the changes that are happening to make their reentry easier I think is going to be life-changing especially with the small business loans”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION CAME A DAY AFTER PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONED 11 PEOPLE — AND COMMUTED THE SENTENCES OF FIVE OTHERS —

WHO HAD BEEN CONVICTED OF NON-VIOLENT DRUG CHARGES.

FOUR OF THOSE PARDONED WERE PART OF THURSDAY’S MEETING.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES FOR THIS FRIDAY.

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

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE ON MONDAY.

UNTIL THEN I’M LAUREN TAYLOR. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!