kraftklub tour lieder

• Apple Music

KARGO - Bundles

KARGO - 2LP Vinyl

KARGO - CD im Digipack

• Google Kalender
• Download iCal

Ein Song reicht - Single

• Official Videos
• Ein Song reicht
• Chemie Chemie Ya

Da sich überall immer mehr rechte Strukturen ausbreiten, finden wir es sehr wichtig, alternative ...

KK Season geht dieses Jahr einen Monat. Juni wird hotttt ?❤️

? Und 1000 Küsse an alle, die abgestimmt haben. Finden euch sehr sweet ?

Wir haben zwei Konzerte in Mexiko City gespielt und es war einfach crazy! No sabíamos qué esperar de ...

¡Nuestro primer concierto propio en México! Muchas gracias a todos los amigos. ??? ? @philipp_gladsome

• Keine Nacht für Niemand

Harrington Jacke

• Statistics Stats
• You are here:

Kraftklub Concert Setlists & Tour Dates

Kargo open airs 2023 tour, upcoming shows.

• Date and Venue Doors Scheduled
• Jun 08 2024 Rock im Park 2024 Nuremberg, Germany Add time  –  Scheduled: 7:00 PM Add time Add times 7:00 PM
• Jun 09 2024 Rock am Ring 2024 Nürburg, Germany Add time  –  Scheduled: 8:15 PM Add time Add times 8:15 PM
• Jun 15 2024 Greenfield Festival 2024 Matten bei Interlaken, Switzerland Doors 12:30 PM  –  Scheduled: 8:35 PM 12:30 PM 8:35 PM
• Jun 29 2024 Lido Sounds 2024 Linz, Austria Add time  –  Scheduled: 9:20 PM Add time Add times 9:20 PM

Kraftklub at 10 Jahre Landstreicher Konzerte 2024

• Songs für Liam
• Fahr mit mir (4x4)
• Unsere Fans
• Wittenberg ist nicht Paris
• Chemie Chemie Ya
• Teil dieser Band
• Kein Liebeslied
• Blaues Licht
• Edit setlist songs
• Edit venue & date
• Edit set times
• Add to festival
• Report setlist

Kraftklub at SO36, Berlin, Germany

• Alles wegen dir
• Ich will nicht nach Berlin

Kraftklub at Mania 2023

• Shut Up and Drive
• Only Girl (in the World)
• Love the Way You Lie (Part II)
• Chris Brown

Kraftklub at Pata Negra, Mexico City, Mexico

• Irgendeine Nummer
• Karl-Marx-Stadt
• Grita tu nombre
• Ein Song reicht

Kraftklub at Multiforo 246, Mexico City, Mexico

• Eure Mädchen
• Schüsse in die Luft

Kraftklub at Dias de Panteon 2023

• Scheissindiedisko

Kraftklub at Rinne (Festwiese Ostragehege), Dresden, Germany

• In meinem Kopf
• Kein Gott, kein Staat, nur du

Kraftklub at Hamburger Kultursommer 2023

Kraftklub at haus der jugend, saalfeld, germany.

More from this Artist

• Artist Statistics
• Add setlist

Most played songs

• Randale ( 386 )
• Ich will nicht nach Berlin ( 368 )
• Karl-Marx-Stadt ( 348 )
• Songs für Liam ( 317 )
• Scheissindiedisko ( 291 )

More Kraftklub statistics

Blond BLVTH K.I.Z Kummer Liebe Grüsse Mambo Kurt One Tape re:covery Royal Republic Tokio Hotel Wanda

View covered by statistics

Artists covered

Die Ärzte Blondie Blur Clowns & Helden Deichkind Falco Die Fantastischen Vier Luis Fonsi Shervin Hajipour Icona Pop K.I.Z Der König tanzt Kummer Klaus Lage Band Motörhead Iggy Pop Ramones Rihanna Die Sterne The Subways Die Toten Hosen Neil Young

View artists covered statistics

Gigs seen live by

1,102 people have seen Kraftklub live.

Timi-tim-timi JackD Dirudown inchen93 What_ever12 NadiniMandarini Valentzin alexandergoetze mago glorietta phia20_09 SeparateWounds lulakritz Zelda_2021 flymotionless jojo4400 holdingoon micro_cutter concertaddic joeor GeorgDD emilygrabowski matzemaerz maik_u2 leaxdo henristosch evil_teddy Violet_ Rebell666 puke_highwalker Drago46120768 setlistflo stam23 Hamburgium Ragna Groetzki Hawthorne pvp_ Purer95 fellwell5 seb_hei minimumplatinum niinaXOs Bakster Lara_2808 Clapauzius felixpoi mariellehere PeterCo Stevo1971

Showing only 50 most recent

Kraftklub on the web

Music links.

• Kraftklub Lyrics (de)
• Official Homepage

Tour Update

Marquee memories: quarters of change.

• Quarters of Change
• Jun 4, 2024
• Jun 3, 2024
• Jun 2, 2024
• Jun 1, 2024
• May 31, 2024
• May 30, 2024
• FAQ | Help | About
• Terms of Service
• Ad Choices | Privacy Policy
• Feature requests
• Songtexte.com

Spotify is currently not available in your country.

Follow us online to find out when we launch., spotify gives you instant access to millions of songs – from old favorites to the latest hits. just hit play to stream anything you like..

Listen everywhere

Spotify works on your computer, mobile, tablet and TV.

Unlimited, ad-free music

No ads. No interruptions. Just music.

Download music & listen offline

Keep playing, even when you don't have a connection.

Premium sounds better

Get ready for incredible sound quality.

• Ich will nicht nach Berlin
• Mit K · 2011
• Fahr mit mir (4x4)
• KARGO · 2022
• Ein Song reicht
• Schüsse in die Luft
• In schwarz · 2014
• Eure Mädchen
• Chemie Chemie Ya
• Keine Nacht für Niemand · 2017
• Songs für Liam
• Mit K · 2012
• Kein Liebeslied
• Teil dieser Band
• Wittenberg ist nicht Paris
• Blaues Licht

Artist Playlists

A German group with clips as clever as their lyrics.

Singles & EPs

Live albums, about kraftklub.

Kraftklub were founded in 2009, when rapper Felix Brummer (aka Bernd Bass) teamed up with rock band Neon Blocks to record a number of songs mixing indie rock and German-language rap. Kraftklub released their first EP, Adonis Maximus, in February 2010 and won the New Music Award seven months later, which led to the group being signed with Universal/Vertigo in January 2011. Kraftklub appeared as an opening act for the Beatsteaks, Fettes Brot, and Casper and took part in Stefan Raab's Bundesvision Song Contest 2011 with their song "Ich Will Nicht Nach Berlin" (the band finished in fifth place). In January 2012, the group released its debut album, Mit K, which reached the top spot in the German album charts. ~ Christian Genzel

Similar Artists

Von wegen lisbeth, feine sahne fischfilet, africa, middle east, and india.

• Côte d’Ivoire
• Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The
• Guinea-Bissau
• Niger (English)
• Congo, Republic of
• Saudi Arabia
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• Tanzania, United Republic Of
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates

Asia Pacific

• Indonesia (English)
• Lao People's Democratic Republic
• Malaysia (English)
• Micronesia, Federated States of
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Solomon Islands
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• France (Français)
• Deutschland
• Luxembourg (English)
• Moldova, Republic Of
• North Macedonia
• Portugal (Português)
• Türkiye (English)
• United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina (Español)
• Bolivia (Español)
• Virgin Islands, British
• Cayman Islands
• Chile (Español)
• Colombia (Español)
• Costa Rica (Español)
• República Dominicana
• Ecuador (Español)
• El Salvador (Español)
• Guatemala (Español)
• Honduras (Español)
• Nicaragua (Español)
• Paraguay (Español)
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• St. Vincent and The Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos
• Uruguay (English)
• Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

• Canada (English)
• Canada (Français)
• United States
• Estados Unidos (Español México)
• الولايات المتحدة
• États-Unis (Français France)
• Estados Unidos (Português Brasil)
• 美國 (繁體中文台灣)

• Most popular artists worldwide
• Trending artists worldwide

• Tourbox for artists

Search for events or artists

• Sign up Log in

• Get the app
• Moscow concerts
• Change location
• Popular Artists
• Live streams
• Deutsch Português
• Popular artists

Kraftklub  

• On tour: yes
• Kraftklub is not playing near you. View all concerts
• Moscow, Russian Federation Change location

83,900 fans get concert alerts for this artist.

Join Songkick to track Kraftklub and get concert alerts when they play near you.

Nearest concert to you

LIDO SOUNDS

Touring outside your city

Be the first to know when they tour near Moscow, Russian Federation

Join 83,900 fans getting concert alerts for this artist

Upcoming concerts (3)

Rock im Park

Rock am Ring

Similar artists with upcoming concerts

Tours most with.

Five person Kraftklub combines rock / indie and Sprechgesang with German lyrics to produce a mixture of rap and indie rock music.

The band formed in 2009 while Felix Brummer (vocals), Karl Schumann (guitar, vocals), Steffen Israel (guitar), Till Brummer (bass) and Max Marschk (drums) were still in school in Chemnitz, Germany. In August 2009 the group released their first single, “Zu Jung,” and in February 2010 they released their first EP entitled “Adonis Maximus.” Later that year they were awarded the New Music Award from ARD Radio Station. All of the attention also made it’s way to various record labels, and in January 2011 they signed a deal with Universal Domestic Rock/ Vertigo Berlin.

In 2011 the band came in fifth place in the Bundesvision Song Contest with their song “Ich will nicht nach Berlin.” Immediately after they released the song, which reached number 45 on the German Media Control Charts. In January 2012 Kraftklub released their debut album “Mit K” and it went straight to number one. Later that year they played their first gig outside of their home country of Germany, in "La Puerta Grande" Bar in Bogotá, Spain. While touring the band have played with various bands including Beatsteaks, Fettes Brot and Casper, and the band have been known for performing with a trademark look of poloshirts, varsity jackets and suspenders. In 2014 the band released another album entitled “In Schwarz.”

Live reviews

I do not understand German, and I definitely do not know what Sprechgesang is (it is basically spoken singing), but I do know that I really enjoyed watching the live performance that Kraftklub gives their fans. The five-piece band consists of Felix Brummer as the vocalist, Karl Schumann on guitar, as well as vocals, Steffen Israel on guitar, Till Brummer on bass and Max Marschik as their drummer.

The band has a uniqueness to it that is magnified during their live sets. Dressed entirely in black, complete with a black snow ski mask, they take to the stage and immediately start their performance. As soon as the vocals come in, they have people, dressed in exactly the same manner, with a flag that has their band’s symbol and wave it around. It is essentially a call to arms with their fans, because when you look into the crowd, there are tons of people with flags of all sizes being waved around as well. In between songs they address the crowd like they are their followers, similar to a cult but instead it is a group of people uniting under the same love and passion in the music that Kraftklub makes.

Report as inappropriate

Richtig geiles Konzert Hammer Show bisschen trägere Masse an Menschen vielleicht weil sie alle noch ein bisschen jung sind und vielleicht weil die Musik zum pogen nicht ganz so perfekt ist aber das gesamt Paket war schon echt super tolle Band tolle Show super.

Achso Florian schade das du nicht dabei warst aber Felix hat dich ja Gott sei dank angerufen mit ein paar tausen anderen Leuten :D

The so called Klubtour event in Zurich was unreal!!! It was hot, loud and sooo much fun! The band still looks like they love what they're doing and the audience was singing along to every single song. I've been to a lot a of shows, but this was def one of the best shows ever!!! Kraftklub are awesome!!! Can't wait for their tour in February 2015

Kraftklub are crazy and sure know how to play an awesome gig! The crowd was moshing right from the start, and as Felix proudly informed us, about half way through the set the temperature was already 28C and the humidity was at 82%!!! They played some cracking tunes and got everybody super hyped up. Incredible gig and I'd love to see them again.

Geniales Konzert! Wahrlich Eines der besten Konzerte, die ich bisher besuchen durfte. Ich muss gestehen, dass ich zuvor eher skeptisch war.

Ich war mit einigen Freunden da und habe mich eher überreden lassen mitzugehen. Hat mich jedoch überzeugt. Immer wieder gerne! Top Jungs!

What a great evening. Although it was the closing concert of the tour, Kraftklub was truly energetic playing for more than 2 hours. The really connected to the crowd who was loving them back. Fantastic evening!

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

This was one of the greatest concerts i have seen. The energie was up all night so not only was it a great concert it was a great work out too!

Kraftklub bis zum nächsten mal!

Es war unglaublich und einfach nur geil es war super Stimmung.

Die vorband war auch ganz geil perfektes erstes kraftklub Konzert.

Die Atmosphäre war der Hammer es ist total abgegangen.

Ohne Worte!! Die Stimmung war einfach nur genial - kann ich nur empfehlen selbst wenn man sie noch nie gehört hat, weil live sind sie einfach unschlagbar. Summe immer noch die Lieder

They threw such an awesome show!!! I love that they're so interactive with the crowd. Plus they had a crowd surfing race between all the band members. Super cool to see!

Posters (97)

Past concerts

Pata Negra Centro

Parque Bicentenario

View all past concerts

Kraftklub tour dates and tickets 2024-2025 near you

Want to see Kraftklub in concert? Find information on all of Kraftklub’s upcoming concerts, tour dates and ticket information for 2024-2025.

Kraftklub is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 3 concerts across 2 countries in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

Next 3 concerts:

• Nuremberg, Germany
• Nürburg, Germany
• Linz, Austria

Next concert:

Popularity ranking:

• Fakear (4755)
• Kraftklub (4756)
• Ana Tijoux (4757)

Concerts played in 2024:

Touring history

Most played:

• Berlin (20)
• Hamburg (13)
• Cologne (13)
• Munich (10)
• Stuttgart (9)

Appears most with:

• Casper (34)
• Broilers (13)
• Beatsteaks (11)
• Jennifer Rostock (11)
• Fettes Brot (10)

Distance travelled:

Similar artists

• Most popular charts
• Campaigns for promoters
• API information
• Brand guidelines
• Community guidelines
• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Cookies settings
• Cookies policy

Get your tour dates seen everywhere.

• But we really hope you love us.

POPNABLE germany

• Radio Popnable
• WorldVision
• Hot 100 Songs - Daily
• Top 100 Songs - Daily
• Top 20 Likeable Songs - Daily
• Top 10 Annoying Songs - Daily
• Top 40 Songs
• Artists Top 40
• Trends Top 40
• Most Popular Songs

Kraftklub's Most Popular Songs Chart

• Biography and Facts
• Related Artists
• Concerts & Tours
• Ask a Question

[Edit Photo]

[Instagram Add]

[Facebook Add]

[Twitter Add]

Duplicated Artist

Kraftklub's Most Popular Songs

The most popular Kraftklub's song is "Dein Lied" . The song has been published on 17/03/2017. The highest achieved chart position has been reached by "Dein Lied". "Dein Lied" has gained the number 13 as the best result in the weekly music chart - German Top 40 Top Chart and spent 61 weeks on the listing. Originally, "Dein Lied"'s title is "KRAFTKLUB - DEIN LIED (OFFICIAL VIDEO)". "Dein Lied" has accumulated 10.1M total views, 102.8K likes, and 5.3K dislikes on YouTube since the premiere day (17 March 2017).

About ToS What's New Contact Us Privacy Copyrights (DMCA)

• ALL MOSCOW TOURS
• Getting Russian Visa
• Top 10 Reasons To Go
• Things To Do In Moscow
• Sheremetyevo Airport
• Domodedovo Airport
• Vnukovo Airport
• Airports Transfer
• Layover in Moscow
• Best Moscow Hotels
• Best Moscow Hostels
• Art in Moscow
• Moscow Theatres
• Moscow Parks
• Free Attractions
• Walking Routes
• Sports in Moscow
• Shopping in Moscow
• The Moscow Metro
• Moscow Public Transport
• Taxi in Moscow
• Driving in Moscow
• Moscow Maps & Traffic
• Facts about Moscow – City Factsheet
• Expat Communities
• Groceries in Moscow
• Healthcare in Moscow
• Blogs about Moscow
• Flat Rentals

We do amazing tours in Moscow for amazing people from all over the world

Gastronomic Moscow Private Tour

Savour some of the finest foods Moscow has to offer: from exquisite cuisine to Russian fast food, from products of local farmers to the restaurant included in the international rating of The World's 50 Best …

All-in-One Moscow Essential Private Tour

If you are in Russia for the first time but do not enjoy visiting crowded ordinary touristic paths, then All-In-One Moscow Walking Tour was created for you! It’ll let you see all of the most …

Moscow Art & Design Private Tour

Try the taste of Russian classic and contemporary visual art! This tour was specifically created to show major masterpieces of Russian art under the guidance of a passionate and knowledgable local art expert. It includes …

Moscow Metro & Stalin Skyscrapers Private Tour

The beauty of Moscow’s underground is well known all over the world – made from the marble and granite each station is the grandiose monument itself, not only the member of the largest in the …

Soviet Moscow Historical & Heritage Private Tour

The unique opportunity to look through the pages of the USSR Moscow history that are as breathtaking as terrifying is to enjoy Soviet Moscow tour. During more than 6 hours a tourist visits the majority …

Layover in Moscow Tailor-Made Private Tour

This tour was created for those who want to see the city during the layover in one of Moscow airports. Depending on how much time you have, we will choose an ideal program for you …

«Day Two» Moscow Private Tour

If you’ve seen all touristy places in Moscow already, it’s time to go a bit further: walk in charming quiet neighborhoods of Moscow, have a snack in one of the best patios with a view …

Whole Day in Moscow Private Tour

If you have a whole day you can devote to exploring Moscow, this is the perfect tour for you! Explore the key sightseeing spots of Moscow city center and visit off-the-beaten path places in Moscow …

Market Leaders

Our site is a number one Moscow city guide for travelers with more than 50 000 readers.

Modern Service

We are a team of young Muscovites who adore Moscow and love what they do.

9 Years With You

We do our job since 2012 and we know our beloved city better than anyone else.

Tour Guide Jobs →

Every year we host more and more private tours in English, Russian and other languages for travelers from all over the world. They need best service, amazing stories and deep history knowledge. If you want to become our guide, please write us.

Contact Info

+7 495 166-72-69

[email protected]

119019 Moscow, Russia, Filippovskiy per. 7, 1

Mon - Sun 10.00 - 18.00

MAIN MENU CD vocal concert & recital Compilations Featuring Groups of Artists Cole Porter - All Star Tribute Ethel Merman, John Raitt, Martha Wright, Gretchen Wyler, Peter Nero, and Jillana

New Orleans Opera and its Singers , 1859 -1919 Bourbon Street to Paradise Indianapolis Children's Choir performing Purcell & Britten

Artist By Last Name

Renata Tebaldi - The Farewell Tour - Moscow, 1975 VAI AUDIO, 1 CD: cat# 1164, $16.99

A. Scarlatti: O, cessate di piagarmi 3:11 Paradisi: M’ha presa alla sua ragna 2:40 Gluck: Paride ed Elena O del mio dolce ardor 4:03 Parisotti (attr. Pergolesi): Se tu m’ami 3:29 Rossini: La promessa 4:00 Bellini: Malinconia, ninfa gentile 1:57 Bellini: Vanne, o rosa fortunata 2:22 Verdi: Stornello 2:13 Verdi: In solitaria stanza 3:52 Donizetti: Me voglio fa’ ’na casa 3:08 Beethoven: Ah, perfido! 11:57 Puccini: è l’uccellino 1:37 Zandonai: L’assiuolo 3:46 Buzzi-Peccia: Serenatella veneziana (Colombetto) 3:33 Puccini: Manon Lescaut In quelle trine morbide 2:18 Tosti: ’A vucchella 2:38 Buzzi-Peccia: Lolita 3:34 Puccini: O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi 1:54 DeCurtis: Non ti scordar di me 3:30 Puccini: La Bohème Sì, mi chiamano Mimì 4:35 Puccini: Madama Butterfly Un bel dì vedremo 3:46

Edoardo Muller, piano Live performance, October 13, 1975, Moscow 

2018 Primetime Emmy & James Beard Award Winner

R&K Insider

Join our newsletter to get exclusives on where our correspondents travel, what they eat, where they stay. Free to sign up.

A History of Moscow in 13 Dishes

Featured city guides.

Can prosecutors prove Hunter Biden lied on his federal gun form? The case for both sides

A jury evaluating felony gun charges against Hunter Biden heard about his struggles with substance abuse through his own voice Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors spent more than an hour playing an audiobook narration by Hunter Biden of his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” during the first day of testimony in the historic trial − the first for the child of a sitting president in U.S. history.

The excerpts played for the jury paint a picture of a man struggling with addiction over a series of years. In opening statements, prosecutors said the excerpts are part of the evidence they will introduce to prove that Hunter Biden was both an unlawful user of and addicted to controlled substances and lied about that when he purchased a handgun in October 2018.

Hunter Biden faces three firearms felonies for allegedly lying about his drug use on the form required to purchase the handgun, as well as possessing the gun while he was allegedly a drug user. He faces the potential of 25 years in prison if convicted, though it's likely his sentence would be much shorter or probation.

Defense attorneys emphasized in opening statements to the jury that prosecutors must prove that Hunter Biden knowingly lied on the form, arguing that prosecutors cannot prove that Hunter Biden considered himself a user or addicted when he purchased the gun.

Both Hunter Biden and his sister, Ashley, appeared to wipe tears from their eyes as excerpts from the book played. First lady Jill Biden embraced Ashley on the first row behind the defendant’s table.

The first day of trial testimony emphasized how the trial will be a family affair: Hallie Biden, Hunter Biden’s former lover and his late brother’s widow, will testify, as will his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, and his uncle James Biden, according to attorneys' statements in court.

“No one is above the law,” said Special Prosecutor Derek Hines. “It doesn’t matter who you are or what your name is.”

Prosecutors say Biden was ‘a user of crack and drug addict’

Hines walked the jury through the sequence of events and evidence he said will show Hunter Biden’s guilt, the details of which have largely been known for years.

He said Hunter Biden walked into a gun store north of Wilmington in October 2018 and purchased a number of items, among those: a handgun and a speed-loading device, as well as hollow-point ammo.

When he bought the gun, he filled out a standardized federal form including his name and address, as well as a series of questions about his personal history. One of those asked whether the signatory is addicted to or an unlawful user of controlled substances. Hunter Biden answered that he was not.

Prosecutors contend that is a lie and a felony. Hines said that lie will be evidenced through excerpts from his memoir and his messages, as well as the testimony of his ex-wife and former lovers.

He told the jury about a text message sent around the same time Hunter Biden purchased the gun in which he said he was smoking crack on a car at Fourth and Rodney streets in Wilmington. In another around the same time, he told Hallie Biden he was behind the Blue Rocks stadium in Wilmington waiting for a dealer.

He also took the jury through how the gun was trashed outside Janssen’s Market in Greenville by Hallie Biden.

Hines told the jury that Hallie Biden also began using drugs while in a relationship with Hunter Biden and will testify pursuant to an immunity agreement. He said she will confirm the authenticity of some messages presented to the jury and testify about Hunter Biden’s conduct.

He added that Zoe Kestan, another former girlfriend, will also testify under an immunity agreement and detail how Hunter Biden was smoking crack every 20 minutes while he was not sleeping months before he purchased the gun.

Additionally, Hines said prosecutors will introduce evidence showing Hunter Biden withdrawing large amounts of cash, “consistent with someone purchasing drugs.” Evidence introduced later in the day showed that Hunter Biden withdrew more than $150,000 in cash during a three-month period in the fall of 2018.

When police recovered the gun after it was trashed at Janssen’s, it was in a brown leather pouch that had a “white powdery substance,” that Hines said tested positive for cocaine.

Recent: The first witness in Hunter Biden's trial is an FBI agent who was portrayed in an HBO show

“We are here because he chose to illegally own a firearm: He was a user of crack and a drug addict,” Hines told the jury.

How will Hunter Biden’s attorneys defend the case?

Tuesday’s opening statements also gave the public the most full account of how defense attorneys plan to combat the charges.

Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s defense attorney, gently pounded the lectern as he told the jury nobody will contest that Hunter Biden struggled with addiction before and after his purchase of the firearm, but not during the period leading up to the gun’s purchase or the 11 days he had it.

“The better evidence is that Hunter was not using when he bought the gun,” Lowell told the jury.

Lowell emphasized to the jury that prosecutors must show that Hunter Biden knowingly lied on the firearms form, something he contends prosecutors cannot prove. He said his client’s state of mind is what is important, “not what government witnesses might think, not what he wrote in a book in 2021.”

He told the jury that Hunter Biden had been in rehab for months leading up to the gun purchase.

He also took aim at the gun shop’s handling of Hunter Biden, as well as the form he filled out that is now at the center of the case. He noted that the salesperson, a man named Gordon Cleveland, never verified Hunter Biden’s address, as is required by law. He said the man referred to himself as the "whale hunter," seeking to bring in "big business."

“A sale is a sale and that was their goal that day,” Lowell said. “You will hear they wanted it done quickly.”

Lowell noted that the store never explained to Hunter Biden what the terms related to drug use on the form meant and that they are not defined on the form as other terms are. He also told the jury to listen to whether the store employees even know what those terms mean.

He sought to put time between Hunter Biden’s drug use and the language on the form. He noted that the form asks multiple questions like “have you ever been” a fugitive, but when it asks about drug use, it uses the term “are you.”

Prosecutors and defense attorneys have litigated what timeframe for which the legal definition of unlawful user or addicted to applies. The final jury instructions to the jury defining those terms have not been finalized as of Tuesday.

He also said Hunter Biden had no credit card at the time prosecutors inferred he was withdrawing large amounts of cash to buy drugs. Instead, he was spending “thousands and thousands” on his own recovery. He said some text messages prosecutors will present as incriminating consist of him lying to Hallie Biden because he did not want to see her then.

Lowell emphasized that Hunter Biden had the gun for 11 days but removed it from its locked box only once during that period.

FBI agent Erika Jensen testifies

After opening statements, prosecutors called their first witness: FBI Special Agent Erika Jensen, who investigated the case.

During her testimony, prosecutors introduced the federal form at the center of the case.

Jensen's testimony was primarily used to introduce the memoir excerpts, as well as a raft of text messages and emails prosecutors said reference Hunter Biden speaking about or seeking to purchase drugs. The evidence also included videos appearing to depict crack cocaine.

Lowell, Hunter Biden's defense attorney, began his cross-examination of Jensen late in the day. He questioned her about the lack of messages in October 2018, the month the gun was purchased, that actually reference drug use.

His cross-examination will resume Wednesday morning.

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or [email protected]

Jury Selection in Hunter Biden’s Gun Case Begins

The president’s son is on trial in Wilmington, Del., on three charges that he lied about his drug use on a federal firearms application in 2018.

• Share full article

Glenn Thrush and Eileen Sullivan

Reporting from Wilmington, Del.

Family Turns Out to Support Hunter Biden as Jury Is Selected in Gun Trial

Follow our live updates of Hunter Biden’s trial in a gun case.

Jill Biden, wearing a purple blazer and scribbling on a white legal pad, sat in the first row of a drab fourth-floor courtroom on Monday in a show of support for Hunter Biden, whom she raised as her son, on the first day of his trial on federal firearms charges.

The first lady, who followed hours of mundane interviews with dozens of prospective jurors before the panel was selected on Monday afternoon, rose to her feet when the judge called a short break about halfway through. She walked slowly over to him, offered a long hug, then stroked Mr. Biden’s cheek.

The opening hours of jury selection in Mr. Biden’s trial on charges that he lied about his drug use in applying to buy a handgun in 2018 were, as expected, a high-stakes political spectacle — with a throng of reporters crowding the courthouse while TV crews did live shots, nearly nonstop, after sunrise.

But the presence of Mr. Biden’s family and friends, including his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, his half sister, Ashley Biden, and his close friend Kevin Morris, served as a reminder that the trial was also a profound personal crisis for a family that has had more than its share of travails — in the middle of the most unforgiving presidential campaign in recent memory.

“Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” President Biden said in a statement issued after the proceeding began.

“Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us,” added Mr. Biden, who spent Sunday night with his son at the family house in Wilmington. “Our family has been through a lot together, and Jill and I are going to continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support.”

But the trial is also expected to air less flattering details of Hunter Biden’s family life.

The special counsel overseeing the prosecution, David C. Weiss, has signaled that he will call Hunter Biden’s former wife, Kathleen Buhle, who is locked in a long legal battle with him over unpaid alimony, according to prosecutors.

A top deputy to Mr. Weiss, Leo P. Wise, has filed court papers indicating that he also plans to call Hallie Biden, the widow of Hunter Biden’s brother, Beau. Ms. Biden was dating Hunter Biden when he bought the handgun at issue in the case.

By late afternoon, Judge Maryellen Noreika had seated the jury: four Black men, three Black women, three white women and two white men.

The selection process also provided an unexpected glimpse into the insular cultural and political microclimate of Delaware, one of the country’s smallest states, where encounters with the first family were so commonplace as to be almost unremarkable.

One potential juror, a former police officer, matter-of-factly told the judge that he had once worked with Dr. Biden at a local college. Just when it seemed he had passed muster, he let slip that he had supported Ferris Wharton, who unsuccessfully challenged Beau Biden for Delaware attorney general in 2006.

“Next juror, please,” Judge Noreika said, with a slight grin.

Last September, a federal grand jury charged Hunter Biden with three felonies: lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the federal firearms application used to screen applicants and possessing an illegally obtained gun for 11 days, from Oct. 12 to Oct. 23, 2018.

If convicted, Mr. Biden could face up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines. But nonviolent first-time offenders who have not been accused of using the weapon in another crime rarely get serious prison time for the charges.

Legal experts say it is more likely a sentence could include a central element of the original plea deal — mandatory enrollment in a firearms diversion program intended to reduce incarceration rates for the least serious gun crimes.

Mr. Biden, his legal team and his family are hoping to turn the court’s attention away from his actions during a long period of out-of-control drug and alcohol use to the more universal experiences of families affected by relatives with substance abuse problems, and Mr. Biden’s recent success in staying sober.

Many of the would-be jurors spoke emotionally about their own families’ struggles, with one man breaking down in tears when he talked about a brother-in-law who had been addicted to drugs.

Another juror candidate shared a relative’s history with substance abuse and how it had made her more sympathetic with other people experiencing similar problems.

“It’s a disease, and I don’t look down on that,” she said as Hunter and Jill Biden craned forward in their seats to listen intently. “People have problems.”

Mr. Biden has been sober for years and has written about his difficulty with crack addiction and alcohol dependency in his memoir, which is likely to be used as evidence. Over the past year, the president’s son has submitted to drug testing and passed, according to his lawyer Abbe Lowell.

The gun charges are related to whether Mr. Biden had lied on a standard form issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when he bought a .38-caliber pistol. Prosecutors said he falsely claimed he was not taking drugs at the time. Mr. Biden had the gun for under two weeks, he has said, before Hallie Biden tossed it in a dumpster, fearful that he would use it to harm himself.

It is relatively rare for such gun charges to be brought against a first-time, nonviolent offender like Mr. Biden, unless it is being used as leverage for a confession on other crimes, such as drug trafficking, current and former prosecutors have said.

The gun trial is only the first of two Mr. Biden is facing.

Last month, the federal judge in Los Angeles who is presiding over his tax case agreed to push the start of that trial from later this month to Sept. 5, giving Mr. Biden’s lawyers time to prepare.

While the move came as a relief to the president’s son, it thrusts into the homestretch of the campaign season a trial that is likely to highlight Hunter’s Biden’s efforts to leverage his family’s name into profit.

Mr. Biden has pleaded not guilty to charges of evading a tax assessment , failing to file and pay taxes, and filing a false or fraudulent tax return.

Judge Noreika, an appointee of President Donald J. Trump, tightly controlled her courtroom on Monday, much as she did during the hearing that ended Mr. Biden’s plea agreement last July, and showed every indication of wanting to move things along as quickly as possible.

She swatted down Mr. Lowell’s attempt to disqualify two potential jurors — hours after delivering two small but significant setbacks to Mr. Biden’s defense.

She has also ruled that Mr. Biden’s lawyers cannot refer to the fact that the local authorities declined to prosecute him when the gun was recovered. She also blocked Mr. Weiss from making any reference to the tax case when presenting evidence in Delaware.

For his part, Mr. Biden sat through the jury selection sternly, wearing reading glasses and taking notes.

But when the judge called for the midday break, he sprang from his seat like a student hearing the end-of-day bell, flashed a grin and began fist-bumping and hugging the people who had shown up to support him.

Zach Montague contributed reporting.

Zach Montague

Jill Biden, the first lady, left the courthouse after watching the proceedings so far. The court is in recess until 2:30 p.m.

Thirty-one people have now qualified out of the 36 that the judge will use to empanel a jury. Lawyers will still have opportunities to strike some who qualified as they work to land on a final panel of 12 jurors plus four alternates.

Advertisement

Lawyers are working around the fact that almost every potential juror interviewed this afternoon has heard about the case to some extent, a reflection of how large a presence President Biden and his family have in their home state.

“I live in Delaware, you can’t swing a cat without hearing something,” one prospective juror said about the Biden family.

Glenn Thrush

When Judge Noreika called a 10-minute recess after interviewing the first 30 juror candidates, Hunter Biden sprung up from his chair with a broad smile and began embracing his family and friends. Last in line was Jill Biden, who offered an extended hug, looked into his eyes and stroked his cheek.

One of the most striking moments in a morning of relatively workaday interviews came when juror candidate 27 spoke passionately about her family’s own history with substance abuse. “It’s a disease, and I don’t look down on that,” she said as Hunter and Jill Biden craned forward in their seats to listen. “People have problems.”

Jill Biden was present for the first three-plus hours of jury selection, sitting in the second row, with Hunter Biden’s wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, and his half sister Ashley Biden. She followed the interview of the jurors closely, jotting down notes in a white legal pad.

Glenn Thrush and Michael S. Schmidt

Hunter Biden will also face trial in September, over a scheme to evade federal taxes on millions in income from foreign businesses.

The trial on a gun charge is not the only one Hunter Biden will face this year: In September, he will be tried over a scheme to evade federal taxes on millions in income from foreign businesses.

Mr. Biden faces three counts each of evasion of a tax assessment, failure to file and pay taxes, and filing a false or fraudulent tax return, according to the 56-page indictment — a withering play-by-play of personal indulgence with potentially enormous political costs for his father.

The charges, filed in California in December, came five months after he appeared to be on the verge of a plea deal that would have avoided jail time and potentially granted him broad immunity from future prosecution stemming from his business dealings. But the agreement collapsed, and in September, he was indicted in Delaware on three charges stemming from his illegal purchase of a handgun in 2018, a period when he used drugs heavily and was prohibited from owning a firearm.

The tax charges have always been the more serious element of the inquiry by the special counsel, David C. Weiss, who began investigating the president’s son five years ago as the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney for Delaware. Mr. Weiss was retained when President Biden took office in 2021.

Mr. Biden “engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019,” Mr. Weiss wrote.

“Between 2016 and Oct. 15, 2020, the defendant spent this money on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes,” he added.

If convicted, he could face a maximum of 17 years in prison, Justice Department officials said.

Read the Tax Indictment Against Hunter Biden

The president’s son was indicted on nine counts accusing him of evading federal taxes on millions of dollars he has made in his work with foreign companies.

The charges, while serious, were far less explosive than ones pushed by former President Donald J. Trump and congressional Republicans, who have been angry with the department for failing to find wider criminal wrongdoing by the president’s son and family.

Many of the facts laid out in the indictment were already widely known, and the litany of Mr. Biden’s actions tracks closely with a narrative he drafted with prosecutors in the plea deal that collapsed over the summer.

Prosecutors said that he “subverted the payroll and tax withholding process of his own company,” Owasco PC, by withdrawing millions from the coffers that he used to subsidize “an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills.” They also accused him of taking false business deductions.

Mr. Weiss called out Mr. Biden for failing to pay child support and his reliance on associates, including the Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris, to pay his way. Prosecutors included a chart that tracked the cash he siphoned from Owasco’s coffers — $1.6 million in A.T.M. withdrawals, $683,212 for “payments — various women,” nearly $400,000 for clothing and accessories, and around $750,000 for restaurants, health and beauty products, groceries, and other retail purchases.

Throughout the document, Mr. Weiss presented an unflattering split-screen of Mr. Biden, scooping up millions in income and gifts from friends while stubbornly refusing to pay his taxes. That pattern even persisted into 2020, after he had borrowed money to pay off his tax liabilities from the previous few years, prosecutors wrote.

“Defendant spent $17,500 each month, totaling approximately $200,000 from January through Oct. 15, 2020, on a lavish house on a canal in Venice Beach, Calif.,” they wrote, adding that “the I.R.S. stood as the last creditor to be paid.”

In a statement, Abbe Lowell, Mr. Biden’s lawyer, said Mr. Weiss had “bowed to Republican pressure” and accused him of reneging on their previous agreement.

“If Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought,” he said.

Luke Broadwater and Kenneth P. Vogel contributed reporting.

The judge overseeing the trial is working to assemble a jury from a pool of 250 Delaware residents who were summoned. So far, the judge is moving through a group of 50 who are in line for what is known as voir dire. Moments ago, one prospective juror was fielding questions about their views on gun ownership and Second Amendment rights, a line of questioning that lawyers on both sides have used to scrutinize for biases.

Luke Broadwater

Reporting from the Capitol

House Republicans, flailing in their drive to impeach Biden, look to related targets.

With their efforts to impeach President Biden faltering, House Republicans have been discussing ways to save face, including whether to issue criminal referrals against him and those close to him as a means to end the inquiry.

A political and factual reality has set in on Capitol Hill. Despite their subpoenas and depositions, House Republicans have been unable to produce any solid evidence of wrongdoing by Mr. Biden and lack the votes in their own party to charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors, the constitutional standard for impeachment.

Instead, top G.O.P. lawmakers have begun strategizing about making criminal referrals against Mr. Biden, members of his family and his associates, which would essentially mean sending letters to the Justice Department urging prosecutors to investigate specific crimes they believe — but can’t prove — may have been committed.

The move would be largely symbolic, but it would allow Republicans in Congress to put an end to their impeachment inquiry without risking a losing vote on the House floor. It has the added appeal for the G.O.P. of aligning with former President Donald J. Trump’s vow to prosecute Mr. Biden if he wins the election.

And making criminal referrals would avoid a repeat of the humiliating process that the House Republicans, who have a tiny and dwindling majority, went through in February, with the impeachment of Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary. After initially falling short of the votes needed to impeach , Republicans barely succeeded on the second try, only to watch as the Democratic-controlled Senate quickly dismissed the charges against Mr. Mayorkas in April without a trial.

The G.O.P. drive to impeach Mr. Biden, mostly by attempting to tie him to the financial dealings of his son Hunter Biden, has met a series of setbacks. A three-week chaotic speaker fight in the fall derailed committees’ work. Five House Republicans quit or left Congress, weakening the G.O.P. majority, and the investigation was never able to produce the kind of damning evidence needed to convince moderate members to vote for impeachment.

Witnesses repeatedly undercut Republicans’ claims. Most debilitating was the indictment of a key informant who was accused of making up lies about the Bidens.

Republicans say they are not finished with their investigation, and could still change course and decide to hold an impeachment vote. They have been demanding audio recordings of President Biden that were part of the special-counsel investigation by Robert K. Hur into his handling of classified documents.

Last month, two House committees voted along party lines to recommend holding Merrick B. Garland, the attorney general, in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with their subpoenas demanding the recordings. Those resolutions would have to go to the full House for a vote. Approval is not certain, given Republicans’ narrow majority and intraparty divisions, congressional aides said.

Representative James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and chairman of the Oversight Committee, has repeatedly suggested that issuing criminal referrals could mark the end of the impeachment inquiry. In March, he sent a fund-raising email in which he requested donations while informing donors he was “preparing criminal referrals as the culmination of my investigation.”

Criminal referrals would be a politically easier move for House Republicans than impeachment. They do not require a vote of Congress or even carry any legal weight. Mr. Comer could simply draft a letter laying out the allegations.

The Democratic-run special House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol made major headlines in the last Congress with its criminal referrals of Mr. Trump. (He was later charged by the Justice Department with crimes related to the plan to overturn the 2020 election. A trial date is not set.)

Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel on the weaponization of government, said Republicans were merely trying to salvage a flailing investigation.

Even some Republicans said a referral against Mr. Biden might not make sense, citing the Justice Department’s policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Eileen Sullivan

Hunter Biden’s family members joined him in court after a weekend together.

At the same time President Biden started his workday in Wilmington, Del., on Monday, jury selection was underway for his son Hunter, just a short drive away from the Biden family’s home, in a trial stemming from gun charges filed against the president’s son last year.

Mr. Biden and his family spent the weekend together at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Del. They traveled to Wilmington on Sunday night. The president, who has kept in close touch with his son about his legal troubles, is expected to leave for a fund-raiser in New York on Monday afternoon and head to Paris on Tuesday.

Hunter Biden and his legal team arrived at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building around 8:10 a.m. between two members of his family who came to observe the proceedings. His half sister, Ashley Biden, and her mother, Jill Biden, who turned 73 on Monday, arrived separately.

Ahead of the trial, the Biden family pulled together this weekend, sharing time in their home state, with Hunter and his father biking and attending church on Saturday.

The trial centers on accusations that the president’s son lied on a federal form when he purchased a gun in 2018, at a time when he was struggling with addiction. Hunter Biden’s lawyers have said he misunderstood the questionnaire he filled out, and that the charges are overstated.

Glenn Thrush and Mattathias Schwartz

Hunter Biden and his financial supporters are squeezed for money as his trial begins.

Over the past turbulent decade, through myriad self-inflicted troubles, Hunter Biden has relied on the kindness of friends and family — wives and girlfriends, business partners, his father and, most recently, a Los Angeles lawyer who provided the president’s son a $7 million lifeline .

But now that lawyer, Kevin Morris, who has played many parts in Mr. Biden’s life — legal adviser, confidant, strategist, art patron and friend — has told associates he is running out of liquid assets to make any more loans, deepening a chronic cash crunch that has already left Mr. Biden’s lawyers working for little or no compensation.

With Mr. Biden’s trial on gun charges beginning in Delaware, Mr. Morris has said he might need to sell some real estate holdings or other assets if others do not step up to fill the gap, according to people familiar with the situation. He hopes to pressure the president’s advisers into helping find new donors, people close to the situation said.

Financial troubles are nothing new for President Biden’s son, and his current woes are unlikely to prevent him from mounting a sturdy defense. But it adds a layer of stress and uncertainty, and could limit his ability to hire expert witnesses or other specialists in the gun case or in his trial on tax charges in California in September, they said.

Mr. Morris has lent Mr. Biden money to cover an array of expenses he incurred in recent years, including his multimillion-dollar back taxes bill and legal expenses stemming from the government’s long-running investigation. Mr. Morris has also helped Mr. Biden on other expenses, including rent on expensive houses in Malibu and payments for a luxury car.

Some of Hunter Biden’s debts to Mr. Morris were documented by four promissory notes, totaling $5.3 million, that were reviewed by The New York Times. A fifth promissory note, detailed in a letter from Mr. Morris’s lawyers, brings the total to $6.5 million.

Mr. Biden agreed to pay 5 percent interest, with no payments due before October 2025.

But Mr. Morris has expressed growing concerns about how much longer he can soldier on, in hopes of enlisting the assistance of President Biden’s personal lawyer Bob Bauer in raising money to help pay off Hunter Biden’s debts. Mr. Bauer, the former White House counsel, handles many of the president’s most sensitive legal and political affairs.

Katie Rogers

Reporting from Washington

Leading up to the trial, President Biden has chosen to pull his son closer.

President Biden wakes up every day to a list of concerns he must address as commander in chief, but at the top of that list, people who know him say, is a concern that nags at him as a father: the legal problems of his son, Hunter Biden.

The president has weathered years of personal and legal scandals surrounding his son, who has battled alcoholism and addiction, and the trial is the most serious legal problem facing him since Mr. Biden was elected to the presidency. But Mr. Biden has refused to shut out his son or treat him as a political liability — in fact, the president has a tendency to pull his son closer the worse things seem to get.

Father and son were spotted on a bicycle ride and at church on Saturday afternoon in Delaware. Earlier in the week, they were together to mark the anniversary of the death of Beau Biden, the president’s eldest son, who died of brain cancer on May 30, 2015.

Hunter Biden has fielded questions from friends who have approached to ask him how he is doing. At a state dinner honoring Kenya in late May, the veteran Democratic operative Donna Brazile, who has known the Bidens since the 1980s, asked him how he was doing. He replied, “as best as possible,” she recalled.

The president’s refusal to distance himself from his son has led to some uncomfortable juxtapositions: Hunter Biden was dining yards away from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, whose Justice Department is overseeing the federal charges.

Ms. Brazile added that she was not surprised that the president would invite his son.

“This is a dad who loves his children, and that is part of who Joe Biden is,” she said. “This is a guy who wants to get his life back,” she added of Mr. Biden’s son, “and find a better life and a better way of living so he can take care of his family. That’s who Hunter is.”

In a statement, President Biden says that he won’t comment on the court proceedings but that he is standing by his son. “I am the president, but I am also a dad,” he said. “Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today.”

“Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us,” the statement continued. “A lot of families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and know what we mean. As the president, I don’t and won’t comment on pending federal cases, but as dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him and respect for his strength.”

How common is a prosecution for the gun charges Hunter Biden faces?

A substantial percentage of those accused of lying on a federal firearms application, as Hunter Biden has been, are not indicted on that charge unless they are also accused of a more serious underlying crime, current and former law enforcement officials said. Most negotiate deals that include probation and enrollment in programs that include counseling, monitoring and regular drug testing.

“It is rare as a stand-alone,” said John P. Fishwick Jr., who served as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia from 2015-17. “These charges are usually brought against convicted felons who illegally possess a gun or who commit a violent or drug-related charge.”

Prosecutions for lying to a dealer are relatively rare, averaging fewer than 300 per year . There were some 25 million to 30 million background checks performed annually around the time of Mr. Biden’s gun purchase, according to statistics obtained by The Washington Post .

Charges of illegal firearms possession are much more common. But they too are most often used as an add-on, to leverage plea deals or to ensure that a defendant is convicted on at least one charge if there are doubts that they will be convicted on an underlying charge, Mr. Fishwick and other former prosecutors said.

In May 2023, for example, when more than 20 people in Savannah received sentences from 10 months to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to illegal firearms possession, all of them had criminal records or were caught in the act of committing another crime.

When officials with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reviewed Hunter Biden’s gun application several years ago, they believed the case most likely would have been dropped if the target were a lesser-known person — because the gun had not been used in a crime and Mr. Biden had taken steps to get and stay sober, according to a former law enforcement official familiar with the situation.

In a sign of a tough week ahead for Hunter Biden, Judge Noreika refused to hear testimony from an expert witness the defense planned to use to question whether the president’s son saw himself as a drug addict at the time he filled out a firearms application claiming he was sober.

Late Sunday night, the judge in Hunter Biden’s gun case, Maryellen Noreika, blocked one of the main lines of his defense — refusing to enter into evidence a slightly altered version of his firearms application Hunter Biden’s lawyers had claimed was adulterated.

Rules banning electronics in the courtroom make speedy reporting on Hunter Biden’s trial tricky.

For journalists, reporting on federal trials from the courtroom requires parting with what have become standard tools: laptops, recording devices and smartphones.

Hunter Biden’s trial this week on a gun charge at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building and United States Court House in Wilmington, Del., will be no different.

Reporters in the courtroom will be taking handwritten notes. They cannot bring any electronics into the building except whatever fits in a small lockable pouch provided by the U.S. Marshals — usually one or two cellphones. The bag allows reporters to keep their devices on site but not to use them.

To update their editors from the trial, reporters will have to leave the building to use their phones or laptops. They will not be allowed back inside the courtroom if they leave before a scheduled break.

Like at most courts, there will be an overflow room for journalists to watch the proceedings on closed-circuit monitors. Some federal buildings allow reporters to use their phones and computers from the overflow room, but that is not the case for Mr. Biden’s trial.

With very limited exceptions , reporters are not allowed to record the proceedings, even from the overflow room. To get the exact words used in the courtroom, journalists and the public alike have to purchase a transcript from the court reporter, who charges by the page. Rates depend on how quickly the transcript is needed and whether anyone else has already purchased it, ranging from 70 cents to $8 a page.

But every courthouse is different. That small pouch for the cellphones in Delaware seems like an indulgence compared to the restrictions at a courthouse handling one of former President Donald J. Trump’s cases.

At the Alto Lee Adams Sr. building in Fort Pierce, Fla., which is hosting Mr. Trump’s case regarding the mishandling of national security documents, reporters cannot bring in any electronics at all. (When I go there, I pack my electronics in a cooler that I keep in the trunk of my rental car so they don’t overheat.)

But reporters who covered Mr. Trump’s trial in Manhattan had it relatively easy: They were allowed to sit in the press area of the courtroom and use their laptops to take notes, write and send material to their editors. Still, they could not use their phones, even for texting.

The mood outside the courthouse is muted this morning, despite the interest the trial has stirred among President Biden’s critics. A few curious onlookers have stopped to snap photos of the media, but no demonstrators have turned out so far.

Michael S. Schmidt ,  Luke Broadwater and Glenn Thrush

Confidential correspondence and interviews give a look inside the collapse of Hunter Biden’s plea deal.

There were signs, subtle but unmistakable, that Hunter Biden’s high-stakes plea agreement with federal prosecutors might be on shaky ground hours before it went public in June 2023, according to emails sent by his legal team to the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware.

When one of Mr. Biden’s lawyers sent over the draft of the statement they intended to share with the news media, a top deputy to David C. Weiss, who had overseen the inquiry since 2018, asked to remove two words describing the status of the investigation, according to interviews and internal correspondence on the deal obtained by The New York Times. “Concluded” and “conclusion” should be replaced with the weaker “resolved,” the deputy said.

Six weeks later, the federal judge presiding over a hearing on the agreement would expose even deeper divisions and the deal imploded, prompting Mr. Weiss to seek appointment as special counsel with the freedom to expand the inquiry and bring new charges.

The deal’s collapse — chronicled in over 200 pages of confidential correspondence between Mr. Weiss’s office and Mr. Biden’s legal team, and interviews with those close to Mr. Biden, lawyers involved in the case and Justice Department officials — came after intense negotiations that started with the prospect that Mr. Biden would not be charged at all and now could end in two separate trials.

The Times found that earlier in 2023, Mr. Weiss appeared willing to forgo any prosecution of Mr. Biden at all, and his office came close to agreeing to end the investigation without requiring a guilty plea on any charges. But the correspondence reveals that his position, relayed through his staff, changed in the spring, around the time a pair of I.R.S. officials on the case accused the Justice Department of hamstringing the investigation. Mr. Weiss suddenly demanded that Mr. Biden plead guilty to committing tax offenses.

The I.R.S. agents and their Republican allies say they believe the evidence they brought forward, at the precise time they did, played a role in influencing the outcome, a claim senior law enforcement officials dispute. While Mr. Biden’s legal team agrees that the I.R.S. agents affected the deal, his lawyers have contended to the Justice Department that by disclosing details about the investigation to Congress, they broke the law and should be prosecuted.

The first lady, Jill Biden, has also arrived and strode past reporters outside in a purple suit.

President Biden and his family spent the weekend at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Del. They traveled to Wilmington on Sunday night. The president is expected to leave for a fund-raiser in New York on Monday afternoon and head to Paris on Tuesday.

As Hunter walked in, a reporter shouted, "How do you feel about the plea deal?" — none has been announced — taking everybody by surprise, particularly his lawyer Abbe Lowell, who looked sourly at the questioner before walking into the courthouse with his client.

Hunter walked past reporters flanked by his lawyers, entering the courthouse at 8:10, just moments after Ashley Biden, his half-sister, and some of his other lawyers arrived.

Here are the gun charges Hunter Biden faces.

On the face of it, Hunter Biden appears at risk of being sentenced to as long as 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines if he is convicted on the three gun charges brought against him .

In reality, few people fitting Mr. Biden’s profile — a first-time, nonviolent offender accused of lying on a federal firearms application, who never used the gun (in his case, a Colt Cobra .38 that he held onto for less than two weeks more than five years ago) to commit a crime — get serious prison time for the offenses charged in the indictment .

Just bringing the charges is out of the ordinary in some ways, former law enforcement officials say, and the legal basis of the prosecution is under constitutional challenge.

The indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Wilmington, Del., charged Mr. Biden with three felonies: lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail; making a false claim on the federal firearms application used to screen applicants, with a sentence of up to five years; and possession of an illegally obtained gun from Oct. 12-23, 2018, which carries a maximum of 10 years.

The charges stem from the purchase of a handgun by Mr. Biden at one of the low points of his troubled life. He had been addicted to crack cocaine, bouncing in and out of rehab, was divorced, using prostitutes and having money problems. The New York Times reported last year that Mr. Biden later recounted to friends going into the gun store on a whim and buying the .38 because he thought spending time at a shooting range would help him avoid using drugs.

In purchasing the gun, Mr. Biden had to fill out a form for a federal background check. In response to a question on the form about whether he was using drugs, Mr. Biden said he was not — an assertion that prosecutors concluded was false.

The first two charges against Mr. Biden are essentially the same — that he lied about his drug use to illegally obtain the weapon, and that he falsely claimed that he was not “addicted to any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance” on the federal form, known as a 4473.

The third charge, illegal possession of the gun while under the influence of drugs, stems from the time he had the weapon. Hallie Biden, his brother Beau’s widow — and his romantic partner at the time — eventually discovered the gun and threw it into a dumpster.

The section of federal law cited in the indictment, 18 U.S. Code § 922, is the main statute used to define who can and cannot possess a firearm. It bars drug users, people convicted of felonies whose punishment exceeds a one-year prison sentence, fugitives from justice, people judged to be “mentally defective,” and those receiving dishonorable discharges from the military.