Trump loses last-minute bid to halt hush money trial while he seeks new venue

• A New York appeals court judge rejected a last-ditch bid by Donald Trump to delay his upcoming criminal hush money trial while he seeks to move the case to another court.
• Attorneys for Trump had asked the appeals court to change the trial venue and pause a gag order that bars Trump from speaking about likely witnesses or the judge's family.
• The appeal came one week before the trial is set to begin jury selection.
• Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg separately urged Judge Juan Merchan to reject Trump's latest attempt to remove the judge from the case.

A New York appeals court judge on Monday swiftly rejected a last-ditch bid by Donald Trump to delay his upcoming criminal hush money trial while he seeks to move the case to another court.

Judge Lizbeth Gonzalez denied Trump's request on the same day his attorneys filed it, and less than two hours after a hearing where his attorneys argued that the former president cannot get a fair jury in New York, NBC News reported.

Trump's lawyers asked the state appeals court to change the trial venue and pause a gag order that bars Trump from speaking about likely witnesses or the judge's family, a source with direct knowledge told NBC. Trump has frequently targeted both groups in the run-up to the Manhattan Supreme Court trial, which is set to begin jury selection next week.

Trump is charged with falsifying business records to conceal a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. He has made at least eight other attempts to postpone the trial, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Monday's appeal was filed using a legal mechanism that allows a person to directly challenge a court's actions, NBC reported. Doing so allows Trump