Set the countdown for 4 March next year. That’s the date scheduled for the beginning of the first criminal trial of Donald Trump, and it falls smack-bang in the middle of the Republicans’ schedule to pick their candidate to run for president… The case in question (and it’s good to clarify because there are 4 in play) is the one brought by federal prosecutors relating to Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Note: 5 March is Super Tuesday – when Republicans in 15 US states will vote in their primary elections to pick their nominee. And Trump is not happy about the scheduling conflict… He’s already said he’ll appeal the date, something which isn’t possible. Elsewhere in campaign interruptions, the second-placed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had to leave the campaign to handle 2 crises in his state – a racially motivated mass shooting and an incoming hurricane expected to make landfall by Thursday.

Want to know more about the US presidential race? Our latest Squiz Shortcut takes you through the process and the candidates. Noice.