“Paul Manafort’s criminal trial on bank- and tax-fraud charges, speeding along for nearly two weeks, came to a mysterious halt Friday morning as the federal judge and lawyers for both sides huddled out of earshot of the public,” Politico reports.

“Rumors swirled through the ninth-floor courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia, about what the delay could mean — from a looming guilty plea from the former Trump campaign manager, to Judge T.S. Ellis III conceding his second mistake in two days, to an issue with the jury — but there were no clear answers.”

Update: CNN reports the trial has resumed after a five hour delay.

“The federal judge overseeing the Paul Manafort trial took another shot at special counsel Robert Mueller’s team Thursday afternoon, even after conceding earlier in the day that a criticism he leveled at prosecutors on Wednesday was erroneous,” Politico reports.

“The prosecution spent about 40 minutes Thursday afternoon questioning a bank employee about Manafort’s unsuccessful effort to get a $5.5 million construction loan on a Brooklyn brownstone, only to have Judge T.S. Ellis III suggest that the issue was unworthy of such extensive discussion at the trial. Notably, Ellis made the remark with the jury present.”

Federal prosecutors prosecutors in the criminal trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort said that they might not call Manafort’s former business associate Richard Gates to testify, The Hill reports.

Said Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye: “He may testify in this case, he may not.”

A federal judge has granted the request for five witnesses to testify with immunity in the criminal trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, CNN reports.

Politico: “Trump, his lawyers and some of his closest associates have spent months publicly dismissing the Manafort case, scheduled to begin this week in an Alexandria, Virginia, federal court.”

”But the Manafort trial will create daily reminders of the Mueller investigation, as commentators pile onto cable networks to discuss what the case could indicate about the president’s own exposure — and, potentially, as the president himself offers his own analysis on Twitter.”

“The special counsel prosecuting Paul Manafort is seeking to give immunity to five potential witnesses in advance of his trial in Alexandria federal court next week,” the Washington Post reports.

“All five have said they will not testify so as not to incriminate themselves… and so prosecutors are asking Judge T.S. Ellis III to grant them immunity and compel their testimony.”

“The motions are sealed, and the government will not reveal the names of the witnesses unless they are actually called to testify.”

Law & Crime: “The judge overseeing Paul Manafort‘s federal court case on charges of tax evasion and bank fraud in Virginia delayed proceedings in a surprise move on Monday afternoon. According to legal experts familiar with the federal court system, this could be an indication that Manafort is about to cut a plea deal.”

“The delay may or may not have caught the prosecution and defense off guard–but was certainly a shock to those watching the events unfold from a distance. According to the publicly-accessible court docket, no party had submitted a request for such a delay and there was also no indication of an official court notice being filed as of late Monday afternoon.”

According to telephone calls being monitored by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, Paul Manafort has recently told people he’s being treated like a ‘VIP’ at the Virginia prison where he’s been held since June 15, Politico reports.

“The longtime GOP operative’s living arrangements, described in an eight-page motion filed Wednesday by Mueller’s prosecutors, also include ‘unique privileges’ like a private, self-contained cell that’s bigger than what other inmates get, a private bathroom and shower, a personal telephone and daily access between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. to a workspace where Manafort can meet with his lawyers and prepare for his upcoming criminal trials. Manafort also doesn’t have to wear a prison uniform.”

“Paul Manafort has told people he is being treated like a ‘VIP’ in jail, where he has his own phone and computer, writes emails and does not have to wear a uniform,” the Washington Post reports.

“In arguing that Manafort’s July 25 trial in Alexandria federal court on bank and fraud charges should not be delayed, prosecutors said the former Trump campaign manager has been fully able to prepare while incarcerated in Northern Neck Regional Jail… He speaks to his attorneys every day and often multiple times a day, they said. While the calls are limited to 15 minutes in length, there is no limit on how many calls he can make.”

“Newly released court documents explain that President Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort is being kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day ahead of his July 25 trial, citing that his safety cannot be guaranteed otherwise while in prison,” Axios reports.

“A personal assistant to Paul Manafort granted an FBI agent access to a storage locker in Virginia, allowing the government to secure evidence that President Trump’s former campaign manager is trying to suppress,” Reuters reports.