Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings on the second day of jury selection at Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in New York. Trump returned to the courtroom Tuesday as a judge works to find a panel of jurors who will decide whether the former president is guilty of criminal charges alleging he falsified business records to cover up a sex scandal during the 2016 campaign. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool Photo via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — The first seven jurors for Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial have been chosen after lawyers grilled members of the jury pool about their social media posts, political views and personal lives. The questioning Tuesday was designed to help decide whether they can sit in fair judgment of the Republican former president. The panelists selected are an information technology worker, an English teacher, an oncology nurse, a sales professional, a software engineer and two lawyers. Eleven more still need to be picked before opening statements begin as early as next week. The case accuses Trump of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal during his 2016 campaign. Trump denies wrongdoing.