Judge Rejects Trump’s Third Recusal Request

Former President Donald Trump has lost his third bid to have Judge Juan Merchan recuse himself from presiding over Trump's New York hush money criminal case. Trump's legal team argued that Merchan had a conflict of interest due to his daughter's work as a political consultant for Democrats, including Kamala Harris. However, Merchan rejected these claims, calling them 'rife with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated.' Merchan is set to rule on Trump's presidential immunity claim by August 16, with sentencing scheduled for September 18. Despite being convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, Trump is expected to remain out of prison pending appeal.