Former Republican challenger likely to become secretary of state as further developments expected in Trump’s legal battlesSteve Bannon is due in court today ahead of his trial on criminal fraud charges over a push to fund Trump’s border wall, weeks after he was released from prison on a separate conviction. Bannon, the 70-year-old former Trump adviser, is scheduled to stand trial starting on 9 December in New York state court in Manhattan.Prosecutors allege that he deceived donors who contributed more than $15 million in 2019 to a private fundraising drive to build a barrier along the US-Mexico border. Bannon has pleaded not guilty. He is set to appear for a final pretrial conference before acting justice April Newbauer at 2:15 pm EST (1915 GMT). Continue reading...