The jury selection process for Donald Trump's hush money trial
was exhaustive and combative at every step. Both sides
raised concerns about bias that it finished in one week
was a surprise to some and a point of contention
for Trump. And this is really a the speed
at which 12 jurors and six backups were chosen from
a pool of hundreds. Speaks to the reputation of
justice Juan Merchan, a veteran judge known for running
his courtrooms like a tight ship. He powered through
a series of lawyers objections and requests even an added
hearing to determine what Trump can and cannot be asked
on the stand about his previous legal cases. Trump's
defense team also made one last attempt to have the
trial moved out of Manhattan again. It was denied
in court, Marchand put his foot down. There's
nothing else to argue. He said we're going to
have opening statements on Monday and just as details were
finalized. A horrific act took place just across the
street from the courthouse. A man threw pamphlets in
the air and set himself on fire in a park
where pro and anti Trump demonstrators have been gathering all
week to be propaganda based, almost like a conspiracy
theory of that man is now in critical condition.
Police are investigating his background and possible motivations and Chris
, you were outside the courthouse when this happened.
That's right. It happened right behind where we're standing
and Ian, it was shocking and scary to witness
that incident. I think it was a reminder that
no matter how much security there is here, there's
just no way that law enforcement can anticipate every single
threat, especially for a case like this one that
attracts so much attention. We're told they're going to
be reviewing their security protocols this weekend. But remember
, the challenge is that we're in downtown Manhattan,
densely packed and many of the areas around the courthouse
are still open to the public. Chris R in
New York City.