Lawyer i should explain this is not the courtroom itself, no cameras allowed inside the courtroom when proceedings are active. This is on a different floor and you can see there the barrier is where donald trump will often come at the beginning of the day to speak to the media. We are in the short recess which is why cameras can pick him up at this life moment. Lets try and bring you that brief statement he gave before proceedings got under wayjust gave before proceedings got under way just a little gave before proceedings got under wayjust a little earlier. Ijust want to say before we begin, these are all biden trials. This is done as Election Interference. Everybody knows it. Im here, instead of being able to be in pennsylvania and georgia, and lots of other places campaigning. And its very unfair. Fortunately, the poll. Numbers are very good. Theyve been going up because people understand whats going on. This is a witch hunt and its a shame, and it comes out of washington. Its in coordination with washington, everything, including the das office. Its in coordination with washington. I ijust want people to understand that this is done for purposes i of hurting the opponent of the worst president in the history of our country. Lets go back to the live feed from new york, lets listen in. The . New york, lets listen in. They have no idea what new york, lets listen in. They have no idea what they new york, lets listen in. They have no idea what they were new york, lets listen in. They have no idea what they were talking no idea what they were talking about, no idea what they were talking about, we came to an agreement that everything about, we came to an agreement that everything would be the same, we would everything would be the same, we would modify terms. This is where your taxpaying dollars are going, america. Your taxpaying dollars are going, america, right here, witchhunt after witchhunt. America, right here, witchhunt after witchhunt, president trumps company was worth witchhunt, president trumps company was worth more than that case then it is now was worth more than that case then it is now we was worth more than that case then it is now. We are now here because of something that happened when he was in of something that happened when he was in the of something that happened when he was in the white house which wasnt even wrong, was in the white house which wasnt even wrong, it was not wrong. You hire lawyers even wrong, it was not wrong. You hire lawyers to solve those problems, they solve them, you pay them, problems, they solve them, you pay them, this problems, they solve them, you pay them, this is problems, they solve them, you pay them, this is it. This is an affront to the them, this is it. This is an affront to The American Constitution and our judicial to The American Constitution and our judicial system, its an affront to every judicial system, its an affront to every lawyer that cares about their licence every lawyer that cares about their licence and every lawyer that cares about their licence and whats right and wrong. Im licence and whats right and wrong. Im sick licence and whats right and wrong. Im sick of licence and whats right and wrong. Im sick of coming in front of the president im sick of coming in front of the president saying this, but people need president saying this, but people need to president saying this, but people need to understand whats going on in need to understand whats going on in front need to understand whats going on in front of need to understand whats going on in front of the press. God forbid you out in front of the press. God forbid you put an in front of the press. God forbid you put an accounting thing and for legal you put an accounting thing and for legal council, and now our tax payer dollars. Legal council, and now our tax payer dollars. Our legal council, and now our tax payer dollars, ourtime, legal council, and now our tax payer dollars, our time, Attorneys Fees are all dollars, our time, Attorneys Fees are all here dollars, our time, Attorneys Fees are all here because they are afraid of 2024 are all here because they are afraid of 2024. And they should be because the American People are not stupid, they see the American People are not stupid, they see whats going on. Thank you. Ithink they see whats going on. Thank you. I think you they see whats going on. Thank you. I think you got the gist there were those comments there in the courtroom courthouse new york, obviously not inside the courtroom as i was explaining, so theres been very bullish denials from donald trump himself a little earlier that we heard, the legal team and indeed crucially in the courtroom itself where there are no cameras allowed, there is a stills photographer and theyre capturing moments but no they� re ca Pturingrmoments Butane footage they� re caPturingrmoments Butane footage allowed, and weve Video Footage allowed, and weve just been told that the lawyer for donald trump there is finishing his Opening Statements with basically an appeal tojurors, asking them to listen to their evidence and use common sense rather than be taken by prosecutors assertions. Thats why were here, he said before the break. They were picked to jurors because they were asked of put aside their views of trumps persona and we trust you to do that. Opening from the prosecution and defence, getting a much clearer picture now of what their arguments will be, the context will be effectively the framing for this trial in the days and weeks ahead. We will get plenty more reaction to what weve heard so far ahead of hearing from any actual witnesses in the trial potentially this afternoon or into tomorrow. Plenty more reaction in a moment. Mps have finished debating the governments rwanda bill, which aimns to send some Asylum Seekers to rwands. Rishi sunak said today he wants the first plaves to take off within 10 12 weeks. The bill has been going back and forth between the commons and lords forth between the commons and lords forfour forth between the commons and lords for four months. Pm says he wants that to happen today. Lets take a closer look at the controversial rwanda asylum policy. So far this year, more than 6,000 migrants have made the journey across the channel from Continental Europe to england. Under the policy, anyone entering the uk illegally, could be sent to rwanda, with no limit on numbers. The government hopes the policy will stop people trying to make the dangerous crossing in small boats. The plan has been strongly criticised by human rights groups, and the Uk Supreme Court ruled the policy was unlawful. Here is Rishi Sunak Setting out a timeline for his plan. The first flight will leave in 10 12 weeks. Now, of course that is later than we wanted, but we have always been clear that processing will take time and if labour peers had not spent weeks holding up the bill in the House Of Lords to try to block these flights altogether, we would have begun this process weeks ago. Lets speak to our Political Correspondent in westminster, peter saull. So things are under way . They are, it feels like so things are under way . They are, it feels like groundhog so things are under way . They are, it feels like Groundhog Day so things are under way . They are, it feels like Groundhog Day here so things are under way . They are, it feels like Groundhog Day here in | it feels like Groundhog Day here in the house of parliament, the commons has once again started debating this legislation. God knows theyve debated it enough already, ill shortly moved a couple of votes on the amendments that were passed by the amendments that were passed by the House Of Lords last week, one effectively means that people who served alongside uk armed forces, overseas in places like afghanistan would be exempt from the policy, the other says that an independent committee of experts would have to declare that rolando was safe before flights could actually take off rwanda. But you heard the pm adamant that this is it tonight. One of the press Conference Takeaways is that hes broken his promise that flights will take off at the end of spring, 10 12 week takes us to the end of june, beginning ofjuly. So hes broken that promise, the question is, whos to blame for that delay . He says its labour, continually blocking this legislation, labour points out its the government who controls the schedule here in parliament and theres been ample opportunity in recent weeks to do with the Prime Minister plans to do tonight go late into the evening and ultimately get it over the line. At the House Of Lords is in no mood quite yet to back down, the thinking is go from the commons back to the lords later on this evening, the House Of Lords will put forward two more amendments, slightly narrower they say in scope than the ones passed last week, then itll presumably go back to the House Of Commons, but well have to wait and see whether the numbers are there on the Opposition Benches and across benches in the House Of Lords to send it back the House Of Commons one more time. But ultimately the thinking is the lords will back down, itll make it onto the statute book at some point, the expectation is anyway this week, and ultimately the plans are in place to get flights off the ground to rolando. Peter, thanks very much for that. Lets speak to our africa correspondent Barbara Plett usher. Just remind us of the role that rhonda will play here . Rwanda will exce t the rhonda will play here . Rwanda will except the refugees, rhonda will play here . Rwanda will except the refugees, itll rhonda will play here . Rwanda will except the refugees, itll give rhonda will play here . Rwanda willj except the refugees, itll give them a shelter and food, then basically provide them with support for the first couple of years that they are here. Itll process their applications for asylum, and if those applications are rejected for whatever reason, itll still allow them to stay that was one of the key things the Supreme Court had mentioned as a concern if these migrants could be deported back to the countries from which theyd fled. Thats been adjusted in a treaty between rwanda and uk, and it is preparing to accept the migrants once they come and its been ready to do so for nearly two years now. Although its had to make changes to its Asylum Process because its expecting the arrangements they have right now it will be adequate to deal with all the people they anticipate will be coming. Barbara, thanks very anticipate will be coming. Barbara, thanks very much anticipate will be coming. Barbara, thanks very much for anticipate will be coming. Barbara, thanks very much for that. Weve heard the Opening Statements from the defence, we are now heading into hearing from the first witness into hearing from the first witness in Donald Trumps trial in new york, a crucial moment in the trial. Lets speak to ankush khardori, In Washington A senior staff writer and columnist for Politico Magazine and a former federal prosecutor. Thanks very much for coming on the programme. Thanks very much for coming on the programme programme. Thanks for having me. Weve heard programme. Thanks for having me. Weve heard the programme. Thanks for having me. Weve heard the opening programme. Thanks for having me. Weve heard the opening from programme. Thanks for having me. Weve heard the opening from both sides, what have you made of it . I thought it was a fairly conventional opening from both sides, not much of a surprise to those of us whove been following this closely. The prosecution has framed this as an Election Interference case, an effort by trump to bury a story that could have influenced the 2016 election, and the defence is basically saying, look, this case is all about the prosecutions key witness, Michael Cohen, a serial liar and convicted felon, and trump is like lawyers got up and said it keys the key witness who is a liar, you shouldnt believe him and youll have to acquit trump after all is said and done. We have to acquit trump after all is said and done. Have to acquit trump after all is said and done. We are hearing ust before all the fi said and done. We are hearing ust before all the arguments � said and done. We are hearing ust before all the arguments from h before all the arguments from various different legal experts saying how crucial the framing is of the Opening Statements. We had someone giving frighteningly high statistics frankly about the amount of jurors that statistics frankly about the amount ofjurors that make up their mind after the Opening Statements, then dont really change their mind when it comes to the end. Are you a little bit more judicious than that, a bit more sceptical than that because back what do you make of it . Im a bit more sceptical in this case. This is a complex case, all the jurors understand that the implications for the country and political system are serious, and itll be a long trial, at least if the government estimates how long itll take, it could be 5 6 more weeks of this. I doubt theyll even remember much of whats in the opening the functioning of the opening the functioning of the opening from the governments perspective is to give jurors a road map for how to follow the evidence that theyll here. Its not to tell them what the verdict will be, thatll come at the closing. What the government did today was layout for them the story that theyll here over the course of this trial, and trumps lawyers had the opportunity to respond and basically said its all a bunch of nonsense based on Michael Cohens lies. Interesting, we will hear Michael Cohens lies. Interesting, we will hear from Michael Cohens lies. Interesting, we will hear from the Michael Cohens lies. Interesting, we will hear from the first Michael Cohens lies. Interesting, | we will hear from the first witness in a moment, david packer this phrase catch and kill is something we will all be repeating at nausea and im sure afterwards, just talk us through the rule of him and why hes being called first. Hes being called first. David packer was hes being called first. David packer was at hes being called first. David packer was at the hes being called first. David packer was at the centre hes being called first. David packer was at the centre ofl hes being called first. David i packer was at the centre of this catch and kill scheme, he worked with the national enquirer, a tabloid in the us, and he was essentially buying stories in coordination with trunk, negative stories that wouldve hurt trump from a Playboy Playmate and at one point potentially Stormy Daniels to buy those stories and not publish them, so to catch them and kill them. They prosecution has said that david pecker had at least one discussion with trump about this effort, and i suspect theyll put him on to talk a lot about that conversation and exactly what was said to trump and what trump said in response, and exactly how much knowledge we can infer from that knowledge we can infer from that Knowledge Based on what trump said. Great to have your thoughts, things are coming on the programme. Thanks for havin are coming on the programme. Thanks for having me nada tawfik because there. Will come onto the witnesses but first, bring us right up to speed with what weve heard there this morning. Weve 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 thats the infamous tape that, just ahead of the 2016 president ial 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, wouldve been damaging to his campaign, especially with female voters, they say thats when this whole catch and kill scheme was hatched. And they say that donald trump lied over and over again when he was trying to cover up that scheme in business records. Now the defence essentially said, look, there is no crime here, donald trump is innocent, he wasnt involved in any part of the accounting for that payment, Michael Cohen did that on his own, and he said that essentially, there is no crime of tryi