Decision by Beau's Widow Led to Hunter Biden's Historic Trial

From one sensational court case right into another: One of two trials Hunter Biden faces this year starts Monday in Delaware. President Biden's son faces charges related to allegedly falsifying information on a firearms application, and jury selection begins at 9am in that trial, which is expected to last three to five days. The New York Times reports that the more serious of the two trials is over allegations that Hunter Biden didn't pay taxes related to overseas business activities, and that case won't go to court until September. More details on the gun charges trial:

• The allegations: "Hunter Biden possessed a firearm while knowing he was an unlawful user of or addicted to any stimulant, narcotic drug or any other controlled substance, in violation of federal law," per prosecutors. He's charged with three felonies, two of them related to allegedly lying in order to purchase the gun and the third alleging he illegally possessed the gun for 11 days in 2018.

• Historic: No child of any other sitting president has ever gone on trial in the US, CNN reports.
• Who will take the stand: Three of the dozen or so witnesses expected to be called by the prosecution are Hunter Biden's former romantic partners, who are expected to testify about Biden's alleged drug use. They are his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle; his late brother's widow, Hallie Biden, whom Hunter Biden dated after his brother's death; and Lunden Roberts, the mother of one of Biden's children.
• His brother's widow: Per the Washington Post, a "dramatic day" between Hallie Biden and Hunter Biden set off the chain of events leading to Monday's trial. Hallie Biden found the gun in Hunter's pickup and angrily threw it in the trash outside a market. "Are you insane?" he texted her. (Their texts are part of the case.) Hallie Biden's attempts to retrieve the gun ended up getting police involved. See the whole story at the Post.
• How a plea deal fell apart: It once seemed Hunter Biden would be spared a trial, until his plea deal fell apart. ABC News recaps that timeline here.
• Potential sentence: If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years behind bars, but first-time offenders typically get much lighter sentences.

(More Hunter Biden stories.)