Hunter Biden trial live: Daughter Naomi's texts with father are read out in court

Prosecutors rested their case and Noami Biden took the stand to defend her father on another dramatic day in Hunter's federal gun trial.

Naomi told the court she visited her father in rehab in 2018 and was then ambushed by the defense with a series of text messages she sent her dad.

Jill Biden watched from the public gallery after flying 4,000 miles from France to be in court.

Her husband, President Joe Biden, continued to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day with a speech at Pointe Du Hoc - the clifftop where one of the most daring American missions of the Normandy invasion took place.

Late on Friday, the judge who oversaw Donald Trump's hush money trial sparked drama when he notified both prosecution and defense attorneys of a Facebook post by a user claiming they had contact with the jury.

Catch up on what else you missed today:

• Jill Biden watches granddaughter Naomi testify after flying from France
• Biden says heroes killed on D-Day would want America to stand up to Putin
• Saving Private Biden: How Spielberg helped Joe write Normandy speech
• Trump reveals what he thinks happened when Biden bent over
• Who has been named the 'worst boss' on Capitol Hill?

Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi was ambushed with devastating text messages that blew a hole in the her father's defense in the federal gun trial.

First Lady Jill Biden watched from the gallery as her granddaughter testified about interactions with her father at rehab and when he was in the depths of a crack cocaine addiction.

It came on another dramatic day in the trial, where the prosecution wrapped its case after less than a week and Naomi was questioned about life with her father.

At first, questioned by Hunter’s lawyer Abbe Lowell, she painted a rosy picture of Hunter’s sobriety in the lead-up to his October 2018 gun purchase over which he is charged.

Naomi said she visited Hunter with her then-boyfriend Peter in Los Angeles in August 2018, where Hunter had been having a short rehab stint.

‘He seemed like the clearest I’d seen him since my uncle died,’ she said, referring to Beau Biden who died from brain cancer on May 30, 2015.

‘He seemed really great,’ Naomi added. ‘I told him that I was so proud of him and so proud to be able to introduce Peter to him.’

The judge in Donald Trump's hush money trial sent a letter to the ex-president's lawyers and the prosecutors warning of an incriminating social media post that went up before the jury reached its verdict in the historic case.

The twelve New York jurors found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records on May 30. Sentencing is set for July 11. He is the first former president to found guilty on criminal charges.

But in a letter to Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass and other lawyers in the trial, Judge Juan Merchan brought to their attention a comment posted on the Unified Court System's public Facebook page.

The United States may have to deploy more strategic nuclear weapons in coming years to deter growing threats from Russia, China and other adversaries, a senior White House aide said on Friday.

Pranay Vaddi, the top National Security Council arms control official, made his comments in a speech on 'a more competitive approach' to arms control that outlined a policy shift aimed at pressing Moscow and Beijing to reverse rejections of U.S. calls for arsenal limitation talks.

'Absent a change in adversary arsenals, we may reach a point in the coming years where an increase from current deployed numbers is required. We need to be fully prepared to execute if the president makes that decision," he told the Arms Control Association.

'If that day comes, it will result in a determination that more nuclear weapons are required to deter our adversaries and protect the American people and our allies and partners.'

U.S. Supreme Court justices reported receiving gifts including a stay in a Bali hotel and tickets to a Beyonce concert, as well as nearly $1.6 million in book advances and royalties in annual financial disclosure forms for 2023 released on Friday.

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who has come under criticism for failing to disclose gifts from businessman and Republican donor Harlan Crow, revised his 2019 form to acknowledge he accepted 'food and lodging' at a Bali hotel and at a California club.

Liberal Justice Kentaji Brown Jackson said she received four concert tickets from music superstar Beyonce Knowles-Carter valued at $3,711.84.

From Dailymail.com's Josh Boswell in Delaware criminal court:

Hunter Biden's daughter Naomi was ambushed with devastating text messages blowing a hole in the defense’s case.

At first, questioned by Hunter’s lawyer Abbe Lowell, she painted a rosy picture of Hunter’s sobriety in the lead-up to his October 2018 gun purchase over which he is charged.

Naomi said she visited Hunter with her then-boyfriend Peter in Los Angeles in August 2018, where Hunter had been having a short rehab stint.

‘He seemed really great,’ Naomi said. ‘I told him that I was so proud of him and so proud to be able to introduce Peter to him.’

But then prosecutor Leo Wise started his cross-examination – and handed Naomi, Lowell and the judge 20 pages of text messages between her and Hunter from the time.

The texts showed that Hunter failed to show up for their arranged car swap, and when she texted him in the afternoon of October 17 he failed to respond until almost midnight, when he wrote: ‘are you up?’

Hunter then woke Naomi up by texting her at 2am, asking: ‘where the keys to the truck and can Peter bring to 57th and 5th?’

Naomi mumbled into the microphone causing Wise to ask her to repeat herself, and said that ‘I don’t remember any of this.’

The judge sent the jury home after there were no more defense witnesses left to testify Friday.

But defense attorney Abbe Lowell did not rule out calling at least one more witness to the stand Monday.

Outside court, he would not elaborate on who the witness might be or whether he would call Hunter Biden to the stand.

The defense said it will not be calling James Biden, the president's brother, as had been expected.

The jury has been sent home for the weekend.

Defense lawyers have until Monday to decide if they wil call Hunter Biden

Naomi Biden told prosecutor Leo Wise she was aware of her father's drug use when she went to visit him in California in August 2018.

'I knew that he was struggling with addiction,' she said.

Naomi said she couldn't recall when she first became aware of Hunter's drug use, but that it was sometime after her uncle Beau Biden died in 2015.

Naomi said she probably saw her father only once during his visit to New York in mid-October 2018.

Wise showed her records indicating she texted Hunter on October 17, but he didn't respond until several hours later, asking whether she was awake and telling her to call him.

At 2am Hunter texted Naomi asking where the keys to his truck were and whether her boyfriend could meet and swap vehicles.

'Right now?' she responded.

Wise asked: 'Do you know what your father was doing at two o'clock in the morning and why he was asking you for the car then?' Wise asked.

'No,' replied Naomi, adding that her father 'still seemed good and I was hopeful.'

In a text to her father at the time, however, Naomi wrote, 'I'm really sorry dad I can't take this.'

Hunter Biden was seen wiping tears away as his daughter Naomi, 30, took the stand as a defense witness.

He watched his daughter intently from the defense table as she addressed the court and admitted she was 'nervous'.

Naomi has been a fierce public defender of her father.

It was the first time the president's son has become emotional during his trial gun and drugs trial.

Naomi is pictured here on the left leaving court after her testimony.

Naomi Biden, 30, told the jury more about seeing her father in California in the weeks leading up to his gun purchase in Delawrae.

She describing his treatment for addiction and his sobriety.

'He seemed really great,' she said. 'He seemed hopeful.'

President Joe Biden told the story of Army Rangers scaling a 100ft cliff under Nazi gunfire 80 years ago and urged Americans to follow their example in fighting hateful ideologies at home and abroad in a major set-piece speech Friday.

Standing above the beaches where Allied forces poured into occupied France on D-Day, he invoked their spirit to set out his own vision for America's place in the world.

'Does anyone doubt they would want America to stand up against Putin's aggression here in Europe today,' he said.

'They stormed the beaches alongside our allies. Does anyone believe Rangers want America to go it alone today.'

Biden is in France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day and will be feted in Paris on Saturday during an official visit.

Naomi described how in October 2018 she traveled from Washington to New York in Hunter Biden's truck to move her boyfriend's belongings.

Naomi said Hunter Biden's truck was in good shape when she drove it.

She told defense attorney Abbe Lowell she didn't see any drug paraphernalia or evidence of drug use in the truck.

Naomi testified about visiting her father in California in August 2018.

'I hadn't seen my dad in a long time, and I knew he was in a rehab facility there. He reached out,' she said.

Naomi said she and her boyfriend, who is now her husband, met Hunter and his 'sober coach' at a coffee shop.

'I told him I was so proud of him,' Naomi told the jury.

The defense has called Naomi Biden to the stand.

The testimony from Hunter's daughter is to try and soften the impact of Hallie's description of his drug-fueled lifestyle.

On cross-examination, prosecutor Leo Wise asked Turner whether he had met with defense attorneys before his testimony.

Turner said his interaction with defense attorneys after being subpoenaed was 'a mess.'

'They can't be on time for nothing,' said Turner, who had appeared irritated with defense lawyer Abbe Lowell during his direct examination.

Former gun story employee Jason Turner said he wrote Hunter Biden's vehicle registration number in a box on the form for supplemental information.

But on the form shown in court, that box is empty.

'Where is it?' defense attorney Abbe Lowell asked. 'There's no such reference.'

'There should be,' Turner said.

Lowell also noted that certain information on the form was entered in black ink, while other information was in red ink.

Turner said he switched pens while filling out the form.

'How come?' Lowell asked.

Turner said the red ink is easier to see for audit purposes.

The defense called its first witness, gun store employee Jason Turner.

Turner said the instructions for both the buyer and the seller are clearly spelled out on the gun purchase form.

He said that before he ran the background check, another employee, Gordon Cleveland, showed him the form and a copy f Hunter Biden's passport.

'It was missing information,' Turner said.

He explainied that the form was missing Hunter Biden's signature and a supplementary form of identification showing Hunter's address, which was not on the passport.

Shortly before the 2020 election, when he was in the news, Naomi Biden defended her father in a lengthy and heartfelt tribute on social media.

Hunter's daughter Naomi, 30, has arrived at the court where she may be a witness for the defense.

She arrived with her husband Peter Neal.

It is the first time she has attended court for the trial.

Neal has been at court frequently, sometimes sitting next to Jill Biden.

From Dailymail.com's Josh Boswell in Delaware crminal court:

Abbe Lowell, Hunter's lawyer, filed a motion for acquittal.

He introduced three points:

1 - That the prosecution is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.

2 - That Congress amended the gun law being used to charge Hunter in 2021 to boost the maximum sentence from 10 to 15 years. Lowell argues this action actually invalidates the previous version of the statute, making some of the charges against Hunter technically invalid.

3 - Insufficient evidence

The president's brother, Hunter's uncle, is expected to be a witness for the defense.

From Dailymail.com's Josh Boswell in Delaware criminal court:

After the prosecution rested Hunter embraced his lawyer Abbe Lowell as the jury exited the courtroom.

Earlier, Lowell told Hunter's aunt Valerie Biden Owens ‘you have such an amazing family in so many ways,’ calling them ‘inspiring’.

From Dailymail.com's Josh Boswell in Delaware criminal court:

Prosecutor Derek Hines told the court: ‘The United States rests.’

There are three defense witnesses coming up:

Ron Palimere, owner of StarQuest Shooters gun shop.

Vincent Clemons, a state police officer who took part in the 2018 gun probe.

Jason Turner, a StarQuest staffer who ran the background check for the gun sale

Federal prosecutors wrapped up their gun case against Hunter Biden on Friday.

They had caled two final witnesses in their effort to prove that the president's son lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form when he said he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.

The witnesses were an FBI forensic chemist, Jason Brewer, who tested a residue found on the leather pouch that contained Hunter Biden's gun.

It came back positive for cocaine, though the amount was minimal, he told jurors.

A Drug Enforcement Administration agent testified about text messages Hunter Biden sent to alleged dealers.

Their testimony capped a week that has been largely dedicated to highlighting the seriousness of Hunter Biden's drug problem through highly personal and often revealing testimony. Defense attorneys may now call witnesses.

President Joe Biden told the stories of D-Day veterans he met on the 80th anniversary and then spoke of their heroics at Pointe du Hoc.

Today, as I look out at this battlefield, and all the bunkers and bomb craters that still surround it, one thought comes to mind: My God, my God, how did they do it? How were these Americans willing to risk everything

President Joe Biden is speaking about democracy at Pointe du Hoc, the site of one of the most daring missions from American forces on D-Day.

He started off by walking the cliffs along the Normandy coastline.

He took the lectern and said: 'I know I'll get in trouble with the Secret Service if I go to the edge and look over'.

In a statement President Biden said:

On my watch, 15.6 million more Americans have the dignity and respect that comes with a job.

Unemployment has been at or below 4% for 30 months - the longest stretch in 50 years. And a record high share of working-age women have jobs.

I will keep fighting to lower costs for families like the ones I grew up with in Scranton. The Republican plan would increase inflation by repealing the Affordable Care Act, siding with Big Oil to raise utility bills, letting Big Banks rip off Americans, and blow up the debt by slashing taxes for billionaires.

Dr. Jason Brewer, an FBI forensic chemist based in Quantico, Virginia, said he discovered traces of cocaine on a leather pouch that was found with Hunter's gun.

The expert witness was handed the leather pouch by the prosecutor and was asked to explain what he discovered.

'I found a minimal amount of white powder,' he said.

Under cross-examination he said the traces were 'minimal' and the tests had not been carried out until five years after the gun was found. He also could not confirm who put it there.

U.S. job growth blew past estimates in May even as unemployment edged up, data showed Friday.

The world's biggest economy added 272,000 jobs last month, up from a revised 165,000 in April, the Department of Labor said..

Unemployment crept up from 3.9 percent to 4.0 percent.

It is the first time unemployment has hit 4 percent in over two years.

The hotter than expected job figures could complicate the Federal Reserve's calculus as it weighs the right time to lower interest rates.

It also remains to be seen if positive employment data would translate into rosier perceptions of President Joe Biden, who has been struggling to convince voters of his handling of the economy.

Biden said:

The great American comeback continues, but we still have to make more progress.

Hunter Biden has been charged with three felonies:

1 - Lying to a federally licensed gun dealer.

2 - Making a false claim on an application by saying he was not a drug user.

3 - lllegally having the gun for 11 days.

He has pleaded not guilty.

He had hoped to resolve the gun case and another separate tax case in California with a plea deal last year.

The deal was the result of a years-long investigation into his business dealings.

The deal had him pleading guilty to lower-level charges that would have resolved both cases and spared him the spectacle of a trial so close to the 2024 election.

It fell apart after Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned unusual aspects of the proposed agreement and the lawyers could not resolve them.

Judge Noreika is now presiding over the trial.

The First Lady is making a whirlwind trip.

She was in France on Thursday for D-Day events.

Today, she is in court in Delaware for Hunter Biden's trial.

On Saturday she will be back in France for a state dinner.

In all, she will be making a 7,000-mile round trip to spend one day in court.

Going into court in Delaware on Friday...

In France on Thursday...

A new Fox News poll shows Joe Biden and Trump tied on 48 percent in the state of Virginia.

Biden won Virginia by 10 points in 2020.

Trump has tripled his support among black voters to 25 percent, according to the poll.

President Joe Biden on Friday apologized to Volodymyr Zelensky for the way hardline Republicans delayed a $61 billion package of funding for months earlier this year and promised that the U.S. would continue to stand with Ukraine in its time of need.

'We're still in ... completely, thoroughly,' Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart during their meeting at a Paris hotel.

Both leaders are in the French capital after Thursday's 80th anniversary of D-Day, which proved a chance to underline international alliances against totalitarianism.

Washington is Kyiv's biggest supplier of weapons and cash by far at a time when Ukraine faces an intensified Russian offensive in the east. But isolationist Republicans, urged on by former President Donald Trump, have at times hamstrung efforts to get funding bills through Congress.

'You continue to fight in a way that is just remarkable. It's remarkable. And we're not going to walk away from you,' said Biden.

Her salacious appearance on the witness stand at Donald Trump’s hush money trial stunned the world.

Now Stormy Daniels is getting ready to tell her full life story and her role in securing the first guilty verdict against a former U.S. president in history in an exclusive Daily Mail podcast.

The adult actress will tell her deeply-personal story and reveal all about her alleged liaisons with the man who could be in the White House again in Everything I Know About Me.

The hit series looks into the lives of the world’s most famous faces, and Daniels will be the first to be featured in the U.S.

The first episode will be available on Tuesday June 11th.

Among the many revelations Stormy makes is a bombshell admission about why she believes Melania knows she is 'telling the truth' about her tryst with Trump in 2006.

Jill Biden is expected in court for Hunter Biden's trial in Delaware today after rushing back from D-Day anniversary events in France.

The first lady was with President Biden in France on Thursday before flying 3,600 miles to Delaware to attend court on Friday.

She will then head straight back across the Atlantic for a state dinner in France on Saturday.

Jill Biden attended the first few days of the trial ealrier this week, sitting behind Hunter and hugging him during intervals.

She has previoulsy described being in regular touch with him by text message.

The surveillance footage showing Hallie Biden throwing Hunter's gun in the rash was released by the court on Thursday.

The video shows Hallie outside Janssen's Market in Delaware on October 23, 2018, pulling up in her BMW.

The Colt Cobra Revolver had been placed in a small gift bag and was hidden on the back seat.

She is then seen walking to the store's exterior and throwing it in the trash.

Another clip shows her returning to the store and searching for the gun, and asking employees if the trash had been taken out.

Hallie told the court she was 'panicked' and didn't want Hunter to 'hurt himself'.

'I realize it was a stupid idea now, but I was panicking,' she told the court on Thursday.

Welcome to DailyMail.com's daily politics blog, with live coverage of the biggest stories from the corridors of power.

Prosecutors are expected to wrap up their case against Hunter Biden in his gun trial, after his ex Hallie Biden detailed how they used crack cocaine together.

The court was also shown surveillance footage of the moment she threw the gun at the center of the case in the trash can outside a Delaware grocery store.

President Joe Biden is meanwhile still in France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and apologized to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for Republicans holding up foreign aid.