The Latest | Lawyers set to focus on picking alternates as Trump's hush money trial resumes

Jury selection in the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump is set to resume Friday following a frenetic day Thursday that eventually saw all 12 jurors and one alternate sworn in after two previously seated jurors were dismissed earlier in the day.

One of those jurors was excused Thursday after expressing doubt about her ability to be fair and impartial after aspects of her identity were disclosed and a second seated juror was removed following concerns over the accuracy of his answers to questions about whether he had ever been accused or convicted of a crime.

Five more alternates are needed.

The seating of the jurors brings the trial one step closer to opening statements and turns the heat up on this year’s race for the White House, placing Trump’s legal jeopardy at the heart of his campaign against President Joe Biden.

The hush money case is the first of Trump’s four indictments to reach trial. It centers on alleged payoffs to two women — porn actor Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had sexual encounters with Trump years earlier. Prosecutors say Trump obscured the true nature of those payments in internal business documents. Trump has said none of the alleged sexual encounters occurred.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and faces up to four years in prison if convicted. It’s unclear whether the judge would opt to put him behind bars.

Currently:

— The hush money case is just one of Trump's legal cases. See the others here

— Judge in Trump case orders media not to report where potential jurors work

— Social media searches play central role at jury selection for Trump’s trial

— Only 1 in 3 US adults think Trump acted illegally in New