About an hour after day one of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan closed, the former president published the first of what would be a series of posts on Truth Social about his disdain for the trial, specifically his required attendance.

The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, filed a motion in papers made public on Tuesday to hold Trump in contempt of court for violating a partial gag order in the case.

Prosecutors said that Trump had already violated his gag order three times, posting about the witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels on social media. They asked the judge to fine Trump $3,000 for the violation. Merchan said he will hold a hearing on the alleged violations on 23 April.

In his posts, Trump blasted Judge Juan Merchan for requiring Trump to attend the trial every day it is in session. The trial, centered on hush-money payments Trump funneled to the adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election, is expected to last at least six weeks. Daniels said she and Trump had a brief affair in 2006.

Attending the trial, Trump said, would mean he will have to miss the high school graduation of his son, Barron Trump.

“Who will explain for me, to my wonderful son, Barron, who is a GREAT Student at a fantastic School, that his Dad will likely not be allowed to attend his Graduation Ceremony, something that we have been talking about for years,” Trump wrote on Monday afternoon after court ended for the day. Trump called Merchan a “Conflicted and Corrupt New York State Judge” overseeing “a bogus ‘Biden Case’”.

Trump said that he would also be unable to attend the US supreme court hearing arguments for his presidential immunity claims over the January 6 insurrection.

“This shows such great disdain and disrespect for our Nation’s Highest Court, especially for a topic so important as Presidential Immunity, without which our country would never be the same!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Though Merchan subjected Trump to a gag order before the trial began, it only extends to prosecutors other than Bragg, witnesses, court employees, jurors and their families. Trump is free to criticize Merchan himself, though it will probably not help Trump win the favor over the judge, who will decide on Trump’s sentence if the jury finds him guilty.

Before the trial, Merchan extended the gag order to cover his family and Bragg’s family after Trump posted about Merchan’s daughter, who worked for a company that helped Democratic candidates with digital campaigns. Trump and his lawyers have twice tried to get Merchan recused from the case, to no avail.

Trump’s lawyers in court argued that the posts were not covered by the gag order as Trump was responding to allegations the witnesses made. In another post on Tuesday morning, Trump called Merchan a “Trump Hating Judge” who “won’t let me respond to people that are on TV lying and spewing hate all day long.

“He is running rough shod over my lawyers and legal team,” Trump wrote. “I want to speak, or at least be able to respond. Election Interference! RIGGED, UNCONSTITUTIONAL TRIAL! Take off the Gag Order!!!”

Jury selection continues on Tuesday and could take up much of the trial’s first week.

Trump’s criminal hush money trial: what to know

• A guide to Trump’s hush money trial – so far

• The key arguments prosecutors will use against Trump

• How will Trump’s trial work?

• From Michael Cohen to Stormy Daniels: The key players

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Group Black has acquired the digital marketing and influencer agency Galore Media Inc., which specializes in content and activations around beauty, pop culture and fashion. The companies are set to make the announcement Tuesday at marketing conference Possible Miami. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Galore has featured the likes of Zendaya, Bad Bunny and Kylie Jenner on its digital covers, with influencer and former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Lele Pons as Galore’s latest cover face of an issue that will include the next generation of Latin and Hispanic creators. Pons is part of the company’s talent agency, Galore Agency.

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Galore claims 15 million users a month through its various social channels and has collaborated with brands including Samsung, Apple and Estée Lauder.

Galore cofounders Mike Albanese and Prince Chenoa will join Group Black as senior vice president and editor in chief of Galore, respectively.

“Looking forward, we plan to further Galore’s dominance with culturally connected diverse audiences through developing bespoke content and experiences tied to beauty, fashion, lifestyle and music,” said Travis Montaque, Group Black chief executive officer and founder. “Our focus extends beyond mere social media presence; we plan to elevate Galore’s editorial and content offerings, enriching its digital footprint and solidifying its cultural relevance.”

Added Chenoa: “Group Black understands culture authentically, and I could not think of a better partner to help amplify and grow Galore’s reach and mission.”

(Group Black is part of the She Media ad network, which is owned by Penske Media, parent of WWD.)

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Trump Media shares fell by more than 10% on Tuesday morning after the company announced its Truth Social platform is moving to launch a live TV streaming platform.

The plummet of DJT shares came a day after they closed more than 18% lower.

Trump Media’s majority shareholder is former President Donald Trump, who holds nearly 60% of its stock. Trump is in court in New York for jury selection in his criminal hush money case.

The company’s market capitalization has decreased by more than $5 billion since its stock began public trading on March 26 after a merger with shell company Digital World Acquisition Corp.

Trump Media shares that day opened at more than $70 and soared to nearly $80.

Shares were selling for $25.11 as of 10:11 a.m. ET Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump Media in a press release said it “has finished the research and development phase of its new live TV streaming platform and will begin scaling up its own content delivery network.”

The company said it will roll out streaming content in three phases, the first of which will introduce Truth Social’s content delivery network for streaming live TV to the app for Android, iOS and web.

Phase two will release stand-alone Truth Social streaming apps for phones, tablets and other devices, while phase three will release such apps for home television, Trump Media said.

“The streaming content is expected to focus on live TV including news networks, religious channels, family-friendly content including films and documentaries; and other content that has been cancelled, is at risk of cancellation, or is being suppressed on other platforms and services,” Trump Media said in its release.

CEO Devin Nunes in a prepared statement said, “We’re excited to move forward with the next big phase for Truth Social.”

“With our streaming content, we aim to provide a permanent home for high-quality news and entertainment that face discrimination by other channels and content delivery service,” Nunes said. “There is a lot of great content that simply can’t find an audience for unjust reasons, and we want to let these creators know they’ll soon have a guaranteed platform where they won’t be cancelled.”

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

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