Key players: Who's who at Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial shifts to opening statements Monday, followed by the start of witness testimony. A jury of seven men and five women, plus six alternates, was picked last week.

The trial centers on allegations the former president falsified his company’s internal records to obscure the true nature of reimbursement payments to his former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen, who arranged hush money payments to bury negative stories about him during his 2016 presidential race.

The witnesses include a porn actor, a former tabloid publisher and Cohen, who went to federal prison for his role in the hush money matter and for other crimes, including lying to Congress. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass forewarned prospective jurors that they have "what you might consider to be some baggage."

Here's a look at the key players in the historic first criminal trial of a former U.S. president:

DONALD TRUMP — The former president of the United States and the presumptive Republican nominee, who parlayed his success as reality television star and celebrity businessman and won the presidential election in 2016, becoming America’s 45th president. The trial involves allegations that he falsified his company’s records to hide the true nature of payments to Cohen, who helped bury negative stories about him during the 2016 presidential campaign. He’s pleaded not guilty.

MICHAEL COHEN — Trump’s former lawyer and fixer. He was once a fierce Trump ally, but now he’s a key prosecution witness against his former boss. Cohen worked for the Trump Organization from 2006 to 2017. He later went to federal prison after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations relating to the hush money arrangements and other, unrelated crimes.

STORMY DANIELS — The porn actor who received a $130,000 payment from Cohen as part of his hush-money efforts. Cohen paid Daniels to keep quiet about what she says was a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Trump denies having sex with Daniels.

KAREN MCDOUGAL — A former Playboy model who said she had a 10-month affair with Trump in the mid-2000s. She was paid $150,000 in 2016 by the parent company of the National Enquirer for the rights to her story about the alleged relationship. Trump denies having sex with McDougal.

DAVID PECKER — The National Enquirer’s former publisher and a longtime Trump friend. Prosecutors say he met with Trump and Cohen at Trump Tower in August 2015 and agreed to help Trump’s campaign identify negative stories about him.

HOPE HICKS — Trump’s former White House communications director. Prosecutors say she spoke with Trump by phone during a frenzied effort to keep allegations of his marital infidelity out of the press after the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape leaked weeks before the 2016 election. In the tape, from 2005, Trump boasted about grabbing women without permission.

ALVIN BRAGG — A former civil rights lawyer and law professor, Bragg is a Democrat in his first term as Manhattan’s district attorney. He inherited the Trump investigation when he took office in 2021. He oversaw the prosecution of Trump’s company in an unrelated tax fraud case before moving to indict Trump last year.

MATTHEW COLANGELO — A former high-ranking Justice Department official who was hired by Bragg in 2022 to lead the Trump investigation. They previously worked together on Trump-related matters at the New York attorney general’s office.

JOSHUA STEINGLASS — A Manhattan prosecutor for more than 25 years, he has worked on some of the office’s more high-profile cases, including the Trump Organization's tax fraud conviction in 2022, and cases involving violent crimes.

SUSAN HOFFINGER — The chief of the district attorney's Investigation Division, she returned to the office in 2022 after more than 20 years in private practice with her sister, Fran. She worked with Steinglass on the Trump Organization tax fraud prosecution.

TODD BLANCHE — A former federal prosecutor, Blanche previously represented Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, in a mortgage fraud case — and got it thrown out. Blanche successfully argued that the case, brought by the same prosecutor’s office now taking on Trump, was too similar to one that landed Manafort in federal prison and therefore amounted to double jeopardy.

SUSAN NECHELES — A former Brooklyn prosecutor, Necheles is a respected New York City defense lawyer who represented Trump’s company at its tax fraud trial last year. In the past she served as counsel to the late Genovese crime family underboss Venero Mangano, known as Benny Eggs, and defended John Gotti’s lawyer, Bruce Cutler, in the early 90s.

EMIL BOVE — A star college lacrosse player, Bove was a veteran federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. He was involved in multiple high-profile prosecutions, including a drug-trafficking case against the former Honduran president’s brother, a man who set off a pressure cooker device in Manhattan and a man who sent dozens of mail bombs to prominent targets across the country.

JUAN M. MERCHAN — The judge presiding over the case. He was also the judge in the Trump Organization’s tax fraud trial in 2022 and is overseeing a border wall fraud case against longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon. Merchan has twice denied requests by Trump’s lawyers that he step aside from the case. They contend he is biased because his daughter runs a political consulting firm that has worked for Democrats, including President Joe Biden. Merchan has said he is certain of his “ability to be fair and impartial.”

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

FILE - Judge Juan M. Merchan poses in his chambers in New York, March 14, 2024. Merchan is the judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial. He was also the judge in the Trump Organization's tax fraud trial in 2022 and is overseeing a border wall fraud case against longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

FIILE - Donald Trump's defense attorney, Emil Bove, returns to the courtroom after a break at Manhattan criminal court, April 16, 2024, in New York. A star college lacrosse player, Bove was a veteran prosecutor for years in the prestigious Southern District of New York. In that role, he was involved in multiple high-profile prosecutions, including a drug trafficking case against the brother of the former Honduran president. He also served as co-chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool, File)

FILE - Donald Trump's defense attorney, Susan Necheles, returns to the courtroom at Manhattan criminal court, April 16, 2024, in New York. A former Brooklyn prosecutor, Necheles is a respected New York City defense lawyer who represented Donald Trump's company at its tax fraud trial last year. In the past she served as counsel to the late Genovese crime family underboss Venero Mangano, known as Benny Eggs, and defended John Gotti's lawyer, Bruce Cutler, in the early 90s. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool, File)

FILE - Former President Donald Trump's attorney Todd Blanche exits the courtroom, April 19, 2024, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. A former federal prosecutor, Blanche previously represented Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, in a mortgage fraud case, and got it thrown out. Blanche successfully argued that the case, brought by the same prosecutor's office now taking on Trump, was too similar to one that landed Manafort in federal prison and therefore amounted to double jeopardy. (Mark Peterson/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg listens at news conference in New York, Feb. 7, 2023. A former civil rights lawyer and law professor, Bragg is a Democrat in his first term as Manhattan's district attorney. He inherited the Donald Trump investigation when he took office in 2021. He oversaw the prosecution of Trump's company in an unrelated tax fraud case before moving to indict Trump last year. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

FILE - Hope Hicks, former White House Communications Director, arrives to meet with the House Intelligence Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 27, 2018. Prosecutors say Hicks spoke with former President Donald Trump by phone during a frenzied effort to keep allegations of his marital infidelity out of the press after the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape leaked weeks before the 2016 election. In the tape, from 2005, Trump boasted about grabbing women without permission. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - David Pecker, chairman and CEO of American Media, speaks at an event, Jan. 31, 2014 in New York. Pecker is The National Enquirer's former publisher and a longtime friend of Donald Trump. Prosecutors say he met with Trump and Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen at Trump Tower in August 2015 and agreed to help Trump's campaign identify negative stories about him. (Marion Curtis via AP, File)

FILE - Stormy Daniels arrives at an event in Berlin, on Oct. 11, 2018. The porn actor received a $130,000 payment from Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen as part of his hush-money efforts. Cohen paid Daniels to keep quiet about what she says was a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Trump denies having sex with Daniels. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

FILE - Michael Cohen arrives at New York Supreme Court Oct. 25, 2023, in New York. Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer, Cohen was once a fierce Trump ally, but now he's a key prosecution witness against his former boss in the Trump hush money trial. Cohen worked for the Trump Organization from 2006 to 2017. He later went to federal prison after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations relating to the hush-money arrangements and other, unrelated crimes. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

FILE - Former President Donald Trump attends jury selection at Manhattan criminal court in New York, April 15, 2024. Trump's criminal hush money trial involves allegations that he falsified his company's records to hide the true nature of payments to his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who helped bury negative stories about him during the 2016 presidential campaign. He's pleaded not guilty. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a three-run double that snapped a seventh-inning tie and the New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 5-2 on Sunday to finish a weekend sweep with a rain-shortened win.

Aaron Judge homered early for the Yankees off Tarik Skubal, who struck out a career-best 12 in six innings. The game was called following a 56-minute delay in the middle of the eighth after the teams played through steady showers much of the day.

Completing a 17-day stretch without a break in the schedule, the Yankees (23-13) improved to a season-high 10 games over .500.

“Wins are precious in this league,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "It’s really good to shake hands three times into an off day. It does a lot for the soul.”

New York loaded the bases against reliever Shelby Miller (3-4) in the seventh before Soto lined Andrew Chafin’s sinker down the right-field line to break a 2-all tie.

“I think I just like big moments,” Soto said. "I like to be up there and it gives me a little bit of adrenaline and I want to get the job done so bad.”

The Yankees loaded the bases again but were unable to capitalize in a half-inning that took more than 30 minutes. Soto has 28 RBIs, most on the team.

Victor González (2-1) retired the final batter in the top of the seventh. Dennis Santana pitched a scoreless eighth for his second save.

With players dodging raindrops for most of the afternoon, a tight pitchers' duel between left-handers lasted until the seventh, when Skubal and counterpart Nestor Cortes were both lifted.

Cortes left with two on and one out before Spencer Torkelson greeted Ian Hamilton with an RBI double, cutting New York's lead to 2-1. Javier Báez followed a walk to Colt Keith with an RBI groundout.

Cortes was charged with two runs on three hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings, striking out nine.

“To the righties I was able to locate both sides of the plate and to lefties the slider was really good,” Cortes said.

After being ejected Saturday for the first time in his career, Yankees captain Aaron Judge came back strong with a solo shot into the right-field seats in his first at-bat. His seventh home run of the year was the first given up by Skubal in a month.

“It’s impressive, man. It’s fun competing against guys like that, especially the young ace of the team," Judge said. "I’m looking forward to more battles with him, that's for sure.”

Judge finished the series 5 for 10, raising his batting average from .197 to .220.

The Yankees scored again in the second on Oswaldo Cabrera’s run-scoring double.

Skubal permitted two runs and six hits with no walks.

EXTRA EFFORT

The grounds crew at Yankee Stadium was especially busy between most half-innings, scrambling to keep the infield dirt, batter’s box and pitcher’s mound relatively dry.

“The field became more and more unplayable and it got to be really dangerous. Guys couldn’t run full speed. There were puddles going everywhere," Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “We tried. Everybody tried. The grounds crew was amazing. Alan Porter, the crew chief, was awesome with how he communicated everything, and we tried our best to get the game in. But enough was enough at the end, despite us being down.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: 3B Gio Urshela (right hamstring strain) is with the team and working out but has yet to run the bases. Hinch hopes Urshela will do that at some point this week in Cleveland. … Wenceel Pérez was scratched from the original lineup due to illness.

Yankees: 1B Anthony Rizzo was given a planned day off. … INF DJ LeMahieu (bruised right foot) hit a little bit Saturday and Sunday, Boone said. … RHP Gerrit Cole (right elbow inflammation) felt good the morning after throwing off a mound for the first time since he got injured in spring training.

UP NEXT

Tigers: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-1, 4.00 ERA) faces Guardians RHP Triston McKenzie (2-2, 4.34) in the opener of a three-game series Monday night.

Yankees: Following their first off day since April 18, the Yankees host Houston in the opener of a three-game series Tuesday night. RHP Luis Gil (2-1, 3.19 ERA) pitches for New York.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Detroit Tigers' Spencer Torkelson hits an RBI double during the seventh inning of the baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees' Oswaldo Cabrera hits and RBI double during the second inning of the baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Detroit Tigers' Javier Báez hits into a fielder's choice during the seventh inning of the baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. Tigers' Jake Rogers scored on the play. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal, top right, looks on as the grounds crew maintains the mound amid rainfall during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Fans watch a baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers in the rain during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Members of the grounds crew cover the field during a rain delay in the eighth inning of the baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto reacts after hitting a three-run double during the seventh inning of the baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto reacts after hitting a three-run double during the seventh inning of the baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto heads to first base after hitting a three-run double during the seventh inning of the baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto hits a three-run double during the seventh inning of the baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)