SimpleImages/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.Here's how the news is developing:Apr 19, 5:14 PMTrump, exiting court, reiterates his plans to testifyFormer President Donald Trump reiterated his plans to testify in his criminal trial as he exited the courtroom at the end of the day."We just had another hearing and the trial starts on Monday, which is long before a lot of people thought," Trump said. "The judge wants to go as fast as possible."The former president again, without evidence, called the trial a witch hunt orchestrated by his political rivals.Apr 19, 4:46 PMJudge won't order prosecutors to disclose 1st witnessJudge Juan Merchan declined to order prosecutors to disclose their first witness after defense attorneys remade a request from yesterday."I still think that under the circumstances, the people's response is understandable, and I am not going to compel them to do anything," Merchan said, citing the hearing set for Tuesday to hold Trump in contempt for violating the judge's limited gag order.Yesterday, prosecutors expressed concern that Trump might attack the initial witnesses if he learned their names. Today, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass offered a compromise -- that they would turn over the first witnesses name on Sunday with a strict condition."If that should be tweeted, that will be the last time we extend that courtesy," Steinglass said.Steinglass said that while the testimony of the first witness will likely begin on Monday, it is unlikely the witness finishes their direct examination by the end of the day.Court was subsequently recessed for the day.Apr 19, 4:43 PMJudge denies Trump's request for emergency stayAn appeals court judge has denied the defense's request for an emergency stay of the trial.Trump earlier Friday filed the emergency appeal as he sought to change the venue of the trial based on some of the responses prospective jurors gave during the jury selection process.The appeals court judge denied Trump's request to delay the start of the trial.Trump's prior attempts to move the trial out of Manhattan have failed.Apr 19, 4:28 PMJudge sets opening statements for Monday"We're going to have opening statements on Monday morning," Judge Juan Merchan declared.He made the pronouncement after admonishing the defense to stop filing letters "targeting individual decisions one by one by one.""There comes a point where you accept my rulings," he told Trump and his defense team."I've entertained your motions. I've entertained your arguments," Merchan said. "There's nothing else to clarify. There is nothing else to argue. We are going to have opening statements on Monday. We are starting on Monday."Apr 19, 4:12 PMJudge to rule tomorrow on Trump's cross-examinationJudge Juan Merchan plans to issue a ruling tomorrow about the bounds of Donald Trump's cross-examination if the former president decides to testify during the trial.After hearing a brief oral argument this afternoon, Merchan told the parties he is reserving his decision, which he plans to issue sometime tomorrow.Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo argued that Trump's alleged prior bad acts as demonstrated by a variety of civil and criminal determinations should be fair game during cross-examination.Apr 19, 3:55 PMDA seeks to question Trump about earlier gag orderThe Sandoval hearing on Trump's potential testimony got underway with prosecutors pushing to cross-examine former president Donald Trump about his alleged violation of the limited gag order in his civil fraud trial.Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo asked Judge Merchan to permit them to ask the former president about his testimony during his civil fraud trial when the former president claimed he was not referring to Judge Arthur Engoron's law clerk during remarks in the hallway of the courthouse last year.Engoron determined that Trump's brief testimony rang "hollow and untrue."Colangelo asked Merchan to allow cross-examination about Trump's testimony and the gag order violation last year in order to probe his credibility."He lied," Colangelo said of Trump. "It is very hard to think of something more probative of a testifying defendant's credibility."Apr 19, 3:37 PMCourt resumes for afternoon sessionJudge Juan Merchan began the court's afternoon session but did not mention the self-immolation incident this afternoon in the park across from the courthouse, and Trump did not respond to questions about the incident when asked by a reporter in the hallway outside the courtroom.The judge plans to hold a Sandoval hearing this afternoon to determine the bounds of Trump's cross-examination if he decides to testify.In a filing earlier this week, prosecutors said they planned to question the former president about his past civil cases, including $464 million business fraud judgment, the defamation and battery cases brought by E. Jean Carroll and a lawsuit Trump filed against Hillary Clinton claiming she conspired to rig the 2016 election.Prosecutors also want to question Trump about the Trump Organization's 2022 criminal trial for tax evasion and the civil case against the Trump Foundation for misusing charitable donations to further Trump's political interests.Trump is seated at counsel table between his lawyers Emil Bove and Todd Blanche. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is not present in the courtroom.Apr 19, 3:10 PMTrump files emergency appeal to move trialFormer President Trump has filed a new emergency appeal to change the venue of his criminal trial.Oral arguments are scheduled for this afternoon to determine whether the trial should be temporarily paused.The motion is expected to cite some of the responses prospective jurors gave during the jury selection process.Trump's prior attempts to move the trial out of Manhattan have failed.Apr 19, 2:02 PMMan apparently sets himself on fire outside courthouseA man apparently set himself on fire outside the courthouse while Trump was inside during the trial.The person was badly burned and taken away from the scene on a stretcher.It was not immediately clear if the incident was related to the criminal proceedings.Apr 19, 1:52 PMHearing on potential Trump testimony set for afternoonThe hearing on the scope of former President Trump's potential testimony will occur today at 3:15 p.m.Known as a Sandoval hearing, it will determine the extent of the prosecution's cross-examination.Prosecutors have indicated they would like to question Trump about matters beyond the criminal case, including his recent $454 million civil fraud judgment, the two verdicts in the E. Jean Carroll cases and a lawsuit he filed against Hillary Clinton that resulted in legal sanctions.Trump exited the courthouse when today's jury selection proceedings concluded, following the swearing in of the alternate jurors.Apr 19, 1:43 PMAlternate jurors sworn inThe six alternate jurors have been sworn-in, raising their hands."We have now completed jury selection for this case," Judge Merchan said.The alternate jurors are five women and one man.Alternate Juror No. 6 lives on the Upper East Side and is a project manager for a construction company and a mother of three children who "does whatever my kids want me to do in my spare time."Her father was convicted of a federal crime when she was in high school. She said she was "shielded" from the details at the time.Apr 19, 1:37 PMFull jury panel now selected“We have a full panel,” Judge Merchan said after alternate jurors 5 and 6 were selected.Alternate Juror No. 5 is originally from Texas and has s