Prosecutors had offered seven-year sentence, three years probation and 180 days in jail in exchange for guilty plea

The trial for the star rapper A$AP Rocky, who is accused of firing a gun at a former friend in a November 2021 incident, kicked off in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on Friday.

The proceedings come a year after the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm. On Tuesday A$AP Rocky, 36, declined a plea offer from prosecutors who recommended ​​a seven-year suspended sentence, three years of probation and 180 days in jail in exchange for a guilty plea.

Announcement comes day before Donald Trump will visit fire-torn areas and amid criticism around state water supply

Gavin Newsom has signed a $2.5bn relief package to help areas of Los Angeles recover from the devastating fires that have been burning for nearly two weeks. The funds were announced during a press conference on Thursday in Pasadena, just outside of Altadena, the town hit hardest by the Eaton fire, which ignited on 7 January.

The signing of the bipartisan aid package comes a day before Donald Trump is set to visit the fire-torn areas and amid continued criticism of the California governor and other state officials’ management of the state’s water supply. It also follows a new blaze, the Hughes fire, which sparked on Wednesday morning and quickly grew. It is now 36% contained and has burned nearly 10,400 acres (4,209 hectares), according to Cal Fire.