from WNYC studios. I'm Brian Lehrer. This is my daily politics podcast. It's Tuesday, April 2nd.

If you haven't heard yet, the first criminal trial of Donald Trump will actually begin now

in less than two weeks and right here in New York.

It's the so-called Stormy Daniels hush money case.

But remember, the alleged crime is not paying the hush money itself.

It wasn't a crime to pay the porn star to stop saying they had an affair.

The alleged crime was falsifying business records to cover up the

hush money payments during the 2016 presidential election. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is

charging that Trump basically made an illegal campaign donation to himself by paying out that

money but not reporting it as campaign spending. Instead, Trump arranged for his

attorney, Michael Cohen, to write the checks to Stormy Daniels, and Trump reimburse Cohen as if for

routine business expenses. So that's the actual case, right? Jury selection is scheduled to begin

two weeks from yesterday, Monday, April 15th.

But there's now a case within the case that is arguably much more serious than allegedly hiding campaign spending.

The judge in the case, Juan Mershan, felt compelled yesterday to expand a gag order on Trump to include verbal or

printed attacks on family members of witnesses and justice system personnel because Trump had

been attacking the judge's own daughter in social media posts and things for being connected

with a company that helps Democrats win

elections. Judge Mershahn wrote this in yesterday's order. Quote, the average observer must now,

after hearing defendants' recent attacks, draw the conclusion that if they become involved in

these proceedings, even tangentially, they should worry not only for

themselves, but their loved ones. Such concerns will undoubtedly interfere with the fair administration

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