Pumpkinhead said:

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The legal stuff aside, I wonder what Trump's wife thinks about all the details going to be relived and front page in the news during this trial RE her husband doing it with a porn star and then paying 'hush money'.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how solid do we think Trump's marriage is right now? Sleep in same bedroom solid? Same bedroom but different beds? Different bedrooms? Different houses? Or different states?

I have a suspicion that she will NOT be following this trial very closely, if at all.

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Trump denied it. So did Stormy multiple times. And Stormy is avoiding service of process from Trump's team to appear at this trial. She's on the witness list for the state but the defense still has to subpoena her in case the prosecution doesn't call her.

A lot of strategy still to be employed. Criminal defense counsel can seldom rely on the state's witness lists.

aggiehawg said:

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Pumpkinhead said:

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The legal stuff aside, I wonder what Trump's wife thinks about all the details going to be relived and front page in the news during this trial RE her husband doing it with a porn star and then paying 'hush money'.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how solid do we think Trump's marriage is right now? Sleep in same bedroom solid? Same bedroom but different beds? Different bedrooms? Different houses? Or different states?

I have a suspicion that she will NOT be following this trial very closely, if at all.

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Trump denied it. So did Stormy multiple times. And Stormy is avoiding service of process from Trump's team to appear at this trial. She's on the witness list for the state but the defense still has to subpoena her in case the prosecution doesn't call her.

A lot of strategy still to be employed. Criminal defense counsel can seldom rely on the state's witness lists.

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Stormy denying sleeping with him? Or just the 'hush money' part? I thought I remember her saying they did have sex? So quick googling yes it does appear she says the affair happened. I imagine would be an embarrassing trial for her to follow unless Trump has 100% convinced her everything is fabricated.

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Stormy denying sleeping with him? Or just the 'hush money' part? I thought I remember her saying they did have sex?

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Both. She has stated in writing that she never had sex with Trump. And she denied that she and Cohen (and later Avenatti) tried to extort money from Trump.

Then Avenatti managed to steal money from Stormy (among others he extorted which is why he is in prison) and she wound up being ordered to pay 300K in attorneys fees to Trump. She really doesn't want to add perjury to her rap sheet. But her extortion attempt (felony) is the sword of Damocles Bragg is holding over her head (which the SOL should have passed unless he indicted her and has it under seal).

Stormy is easily misled and used. She's not very smart. She would be a horrible witness, maybe even worse than Cohen who is a convicted felon for perjury.

Retired FBI Agent said:

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Checking in.

I'm in the jury pool.

Will report back.

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Well?

aggiehawg said:

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Stormy denying sleeping with him? Or just the 'hush money' part? I thought I remember her saying they did have sex?

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Both. She has stated in writing that she never had sex with Trump. And she denied that she and Cohen (and later Avenatti) tried to extort money from Trump.

Then Avenatti managed to steal money from Stormy (among others he extorted which is why he is in prison) and she wound up being ordered to pay 300K in attorneys fees to Trump. She really doesn't want to add perjury to her rap sheet. But her extortion attempt (felony) is the sword of Damocles Bragg is holding over her head (which the SOL should have passed unless he indicted her and has it under seal).

Stormy is easily misled and used. She's not very smart. She would be a horrible witness, maybe even worse than Cohen who is a convicted felon for perjury.

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If she got on the stand and said that it was all Cohen and it was just an attempt to extort money from Trump, it would be the greatest bombshell in history. Cohen paid her to sign it but it was just an NDA so she didn't see the harm.

Putting aside this one in a million chance.

Can the prosecutor call a witness that has refused to be questioned by the defense prior to trial?

aggiehawg said:

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Stormy denying sleeping with him? Or just the 'hush money' part? I thought I remember her saying they did have sex?

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Both. She has stated in writing that she never had sex with Trump. And she denied that she and Cohen (and later Avenatti) tried to extort money from Trump.

Then Avenatti managed to steal money from Stormy (among others he extorted which is why he is in prison) and she wound up being ordered to pay 300K in attorneys fees to Trump. She really doesn't want to add perjury to her rap sheet. But her extortion attempt (felony) is the sword of Damocles Bragg is holding over her head (which the SOL should have passed unless he indicted her and has it under seal).

Stormy is easily misled and used. She's not very smart. She would be a horrible witness, maybe even worse than Cohen who is a convicted felon for perjury.

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This in a great summary and 8 or 9 years ago yet just coming to trial.....

and the Bushes sit quietly along with most of the old republican party. The want Trump gone so we can go back to the old trading game between the parties.

How has this not been posted?

This person was set to be a juror. There is no way in hell Trump escapes this.

NEW: Dismissed Trump juror who just became a U.S. citizen targets Trump for his skin color, says her biggest takeaway was the color of his skin.

Remarkable.

"You know, he looked less orange, definitely like more yellowish. Like yellow."

"He looks bored. He wants this to be… pic.twitter.com/b9wXJHYXli

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 18, 2024

They see it as their civic duty to stop Trump. That is the problem. I think they would convict him on anything in New York.

aggiehawg said:

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Retired FBI Agent said:

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Checking in.

I'm in the jury pool.

Will report back.

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Well?

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🚨A juror seated in Trump's trial was just dismissed after it was found out he was arrested for engaging in POLITICAL VANDALISM against the right

He lied under oath in order to "get Trump"

RIGGED TRIAL pic.twitter.com/AycLYgQTrC

— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) April 18, 2024

aggiehawg said:

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The full 12-person jury for Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial has been seated. One alternate has also been selected, and jury selection will continue until about six alternates are seated.
Here's what we know about the seven men and five women on the jury:

• The first seated juror, who will be the foreperson on Trump's jury, is a man originally from Ireland. He works in sales and has some college education. He is married but doesn't have kids. He reads the New York Times and Daily Mail and watches some Fox News and MSNBC.
• Juror two is an investment banker who has a Master's degree. He lives with his wife and does not have any kids. He follows Trump's TruthSocial posts as well as Michael Cohen on X, formerly known as Twitter. He said he's followed Trump since he became president and has seen quotes from Trump's book "The Art of the Deal."
• Juror three is a corporate lawyer originally from Oregon. He gets his news from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Google. He's a younger man who's never been married and doesn't have kids.
• Juror four is a security engineer who is married and has three kids. He has a high school diploma, no social media and reads a "smattering" of the news organizations named in the questionnaire.
• Juror five is a young Black woman who teaches English in a public charter school system. She has a Master's degree in education, is not married and doesn't have any kids.
• Juror six is a software engineer at a large broadcast company who recently graduated from college. She voiced no strong feelings about Trump, is not married, has no kids and currently lives with three roommates in Chelsea. The juror gets her news from the New York Times, Google, Facebook and TikTok.
• Juror seven is a civil litigator who is married with two kids and lives on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Originally from North Carolina, he reads the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post and Washington Post. He said he has "political views as to the Trump presidency" and that he thinks there were likely Trump administration policies he disagreed with.
• Juror eight is a retired wealth manager who is married with two kids. The man's hobbies include fly fishing and yoga.
• Juror nine is a speech therapist with a Master's degree. She's not married and lives alone.
• Juror 10 works for an e-commerce company and says he doesn't really follow the news. He does, however, listen to podcasts on behavioral psychology. He was born and raised in Ohio, is unmarried and lives with another adult. He says he loves to spend time outdoors and with animals.
• Juror 11 was seated on the jury after Judge Juan Merchan denied Trump's challenge to remove her for cause. Trump's lawyers argued she should be dismissed because she said she does not like Trump's "persona." The juror works for a multinational apparel company, is not a native New Yorker, is not married and doesn't have kids. She doesn't really follow the news but occasionally follows headlines and reads industry-specific publications.
• The final juror seated on the main panel is a physical therapist. She has a doctorate degree and reads the New York Times, USA Today and CNN.

Meanwhile, the first empaneled alternate juror is an analyst for an asset management company who grew up in England. She lives with her boyfriend. She reads the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

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Nothing to base this on other than the descriptions but feels like Jurors 1, 2, and 4 might be Trumps best chance for not guilty.

None of these jurors read texags. Not good for Trump.

YouTube and Daily Mail gonna be chaos to deliberations.

BREAKING: “Mr. Wonderful” from Shark Tank, Kevin O’Leary, says Trump trial is sheer stupidity.

“This is about the American brand... We look like clowns. I hate this.”pic.twitter.com/U42iqXXuHC

— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) April 18, 2024

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As day three concluded in Donald Trump's hush money business fraud case, the former president's attorney Todd Blanche asked the district attorney's office to share the first three witnesses they plan to call, noting that opening arguments and the first witness testimony could begin as soon as Monday.

The district attorney's office refused. Assistant District Attorney Josh Steinglass acknowledged that courtesy is often extended. But because Trump has been posting on social media about their witnesses, he said with a shrug, "We're not telling him who the witnesses are."

Judge Juan Merchan said he couldn't fault prosecutors for that. Trump visibly shook his head over the exchange. Blanche then proposed that he would assure the district attorney's office that Trump would not post about the witnesses if they shared their witness list.

"I don't think you can make that representation," Merchan responded.

Blanche continued to protest, but Merchan said he would not order them to turn over their witnesses. "They're not required to," he said.

Why this matters: The tactic from the district attorney's office means that not only will Trump's team be in the dark about upcoming witnesses, the DA's office could also choose to keep the identities of witnesses in the wings from the public, too meaning it's possible witnesses become a surprise on a daily basis.

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Day Four CNN live bkog is HERE

This will have the effect of drawing out the trial with frequent starts and stops and breaks between direct and cross.

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Prosecutors in Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial accused the former president of violating a gag order seven more times Thursday and urged the court to find him in contempt.
Prosecutors filed their argument Thursday in addition to another filing earlier this week, which accused Trump of violating the gag order on three other previous occasions. The documents were submitted to support arguments made orally in court earlier Thursday.
The DA's office claims Trump continued to violate the gag order in several online posts to his Truth Social account and also in articles posted on Trump's official campaign website. The posts appear to attack Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen, a key witness in the case who is expected to testify.
In the filing, prosecutor Chris Conroy asks the judge to hold Trump in contempt for violating the gag order and sanction Trump $1,000 for each alleged violation which prohibits him from talking about witnesses in the case, the DA's office or court staff.

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Conroy wrote in the Thursday filing, "Defendant's decision to specifically target individuals whom this Court's order protects is a deliberate flouting of this Court's directives."

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Judge Juan Merchan will decide on the request at a hearing he had already scheduled for next Tuesday, April 23, regarding three other gag order violation allegations that had already been raised by prosecutors.
This isn't the first time Trump has been scrutinized for his social media posts. He was fined twice for violating a gag order imposed by New York Judge Arthur Engoron in his civil fraud trial

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Such BS.

Personally, I don't think the judge is taking this too seriously. If he wanted to slap Trump he could have had a quick hearing already to reprimand Trump.

It's hard to be sympathetic to a poor, innocent witness who's been attacking the defendant in social media. Don't start no stuff won't be no stuff

aggiejayrod said:

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Personally, I don't think the judge is taking this too seriously. If he wanted to slap Trump he could have had a quick hearing already to reprimand Trump.

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That's not how it works. He set this for a show cause hearing, which tells you he is taking it very seriously.

aggiejayrod said:

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Personally, I don't think the judge is taking this too seriously. If he wanted to slap Trump he could have had a quick hearing already to reprimand Trump.

It's hard to be sympathetic to a poor, innocent witness who's been attacking the defendant in social media. Don't start no stuff won't be no stuff

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Cohen is of no use to anyone except for his constant dumping on Trump on CNN for which he is paid. A gag order on him, it could be argued, takes his livelihood away.

Merchan is not taking this trial very seriously either. Playing games with defense counsel by keeping them in the dark about witnesses and exhibits (because if counsel sees the list of exhbits they can guess who the witness will be for foundational purposes) is unfair in such a large case with so many extraneous matters potentially being raised. Defense already has one hand tied behind their back because Bragg has yet to identify the predicate crime supporing the felony charges.

There is a good reason why every other office or agency such as the FEC have declined to bring this case. There's no there, there.

Merchan wants a three ring circus in his court.

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The court is in session. A panel of 12 jurors and one alternate have already been chosen. More alternates will be selected today as the judge indicated he wants about six alternates.
Here's what is expected to happen in court:

• 22 potential jurors from the most recent panel are expected to return to the courtroom to answer their questionnaires.
• From there, the voir dire process will take place yet again with an address and questioning of prospective jurors by the prosecution and defense, about 30 minutes for each side.
• Each side has two peremptory strikes per alternate and those strikes do not carryover. These strikes allow both sides to remove a potential alternate without cause.
• Another panel of 96 potential jurors will be called at approximately 11:30 a.m. ET if they don't get enough alternates from this group. This group was sworn in yesterday.
• The judge also indicated the anticipated Sandoval hearing may be today if they get through alternate selection. That routine hearing will address Trump's criminal history and assess how much prosecutors can ask if a defendant testifies.

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Judge Juan Merchan said they are working on the temperature situation in the courtroom after Donald Trump yesterday quipped about how chilly it is.

"We're also still working on the temperature in the courtroom," Merchan said at the start of court today.

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Prosecutors and former President Donald Trump's attorneys will each get 25 minutes to question the 22 prospective jurors, after the prosecution asked for an extra 5 minutes because there are more than 18 jurors today.

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A prospective juror has been excused this morning after she said she has really bad anxiety and doesn't think she "can be completely here and fair."

She told the judge she is concerned that as the trial goes on and the more people know she is part of the jury, "I might not be able to be completely fair and not emotional so that concerns me."

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Donald Trump is sitting, facing straight ahead during this round of jury questions.
At one point, defense attorney Todd Blanche passed Trump a note. Trump then flicked it over to attorney Emil Bove, who put it in the inside the pocket of his suit jacket.
Trump then whispered with those two attorneys.

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One prospective juror is a woman originally from Spain who is not currently working and is married with adult children.
She likes to travel and says she does not follow the news and does not have any social media accounts. She says she's "very fortunate in life" not to have health issues.
"I don't have strong opinions about former President Donald Trump that would interfere" with the ability to be a fair and impartial juror, she says.

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Donald Trump is looking over at the jury box while potential jurors answer questions.

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He is allowed to do that not sure why this is bugging the CNN reporters so much.

Anyway:

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Another prospective juror was excused after saying that "after some introspection," she does not think she can be impartial.

"I want to be, and I have every intention when I first started, but I think after the questions posed to prospective jurors, in asking those questions to myself, I don't think I can be impartial," she says.

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Kudos to those people who freely admit they won't even pretend they could be fair on this case. They could be a potentially fair juror on another case but not this one.

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As the search for more alternates continues, a group of potential jurors is being questioned in court about their background and beliefs about former President Donald Trump.
When asked if they have any feelings or opinions about how Trump is being treated in this case, some of the potential jurors said they believe he is being treated "fairly."

• One prospective juror is a native New Yorker and an executive chef who has been in the restaurant industry for 20 years. He is married and likes to watch TV and run. He says he does not read news outlets but watches "mostly YouTube." He says he will be fair and impartial as a juror, and believes Trump is "being treated fairly" in this case.
• Another prospective juror is a native New Yorker. He works in IT and his wife is a karate instructor. He is "big" into martial arts and listens to pod casts on the topic. When asked if he has any feelings or opinions about how Trump is being treated in the case, he responded, "fairly."

Meanwhile another prospective juror, who said she is a woman who is a single lawyer, said she may have read Trump's book "The Art of the Deal" when she was younger, but she can't be sure. She has multiple degrees, a law degree, Master's degree, and bachelor's degree. She used to be an amateur boxer but gave that up because she got too many black eyes, now her hobbies include watching TV on the couch. She said she browses headlines. Her father is a court officer.

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People in the group of possible alternate jurors continue to answer their questionnaires. Here's a look at what some of them are saying about how they consume news:

• One potential juror works for a global accounting firm. She lives with her significant other, who works in finance. Most consistently, she reads The New York Times, New York Post, Wall Street Journal and Fox News.
• Another prospective juror is married with two children. She said she's "not a big news person" but looks at The New York Times, Reuters and the BBC. She said she does have social media profiles, but she doesn't post or use them.
• One prospective juror originally from Europe said he doesn't follow news as much as other people he knows, but he alternates between ABC, CBS, Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. He used to listen to NPR and Fox News radio and noted the two are "remarkably different."

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Don't know why I am so surprised there are so many foreign born prospective jurors on these panels but I am.

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As questioning of potential alternates continues, another juror has been excused after saying she could not be fair and impartial.

Three potential jurors have been excused so far today, out of a panel of 22.

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Here's how a few more potential alternate jurors described their jobs, hobbies and news consumption habits:

• One prospective juror is a native New Yorker and retired high school teacher. He is a widower with an adult son, who is also a teacher. He likes cultural organizations including the New-York Historical Society, reads The New York Times every morning and also lists NPR, CNN and C-SPAN as media sources. He says he believes "that everyone should obey the law" and that jurors should "make our decisions solely on the evidence presented before us."
• Another alternate is a consultant, whose wife is a dentist. He listens to podcasts that summarize the news. He says he read Trump's "The Art of the Deal" years ago.
• A prospective juror started by noting that he worked in music and entertainment as a private equity fund manager and has a minority investment in a podcast company that he believed produced Michael Cohen's "Mea Culpa" podcast. He says he wasn't part of any decision-making and did not listen to the podcast, and that it would not be an issue for him to be fair and impartial. The prospective juror was raised in New Jersey and likes fitness, yoga, arts and culture. He reads The New York Times and says if the TV is on, he'll watch MSNBC. He notes that he worked for get-out-the vote efforts for the Democratic Party and attended the women's march and rally.

The former president talked to his attorney Todd Blanche after the latter juror said he was involved with voter efforts and attended the march.

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"We're also still working on the temperature in the courtroom," Merchan said at the start of court today.

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They keep it cold so people stay awake. Cold also knocks the smell down.

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More potential alternate jurors described their employment, some family members and what they do in their spare time:

• One prospective alternate is a married program manager for a global medical technology firm with a degree in mechanical engineering. She teaches and practices yoga and does home renovations in her spare time. She's been the victim of a few smaller crimes, including credit card fraud, a stolen car, and her house was broken into. In response to specific questions, she said she has a friend who is an intellectual property litigator and others who are felons.
• Another prospective juror starts by saying that her father's lifelong friend is former New Jersey Gov. and GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie. Judge Juan Merchan asks her if that would affect her ability to be fair and impartial. "I don't believe so," she says, prompting Merchan to ask if that was a figure of speech or if she's unsure. It was just a figure of speech, she says. The prospective juror works in sales for a trading company. She likes to walk in Central Park, go to restaurants and enjoy New York City. She says she reads news from all sources through the Bloomberg terminal at her office. She used to listen The New York Times podcast "The Daily," but says she stopped because it got "too depressing." She notes that a relative of Michael Cohen works at her company but says she's never worked with him. On the question of whether she has firmly held beliefs about Trump as a candidate that could interfere with her ability to be fair, she says, "I have opinions, but I don't think it should interfere."
• Another juror works in insurance. "I try to find a wife in my spare time," he joked. He said he has two close friends in local law enforcement and three family members who work in the New York state court system, including a court officer in the courtroom.

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I don't recall seeing Chris Christie as a potential witness in this case but never know with this prosecution team.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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"We're also still working on the temperature in the courtroom," Merchan said at the start of court today.

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They keep it cold so people stay awake. Cold also knocks the smell down.

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So much this. If you have ever been in a hot courtroom working with jailed defendants, you will understand that the courtroom is never too cold.

Sounds like they gonna do a finger sniff on this. Test the waters and see what reaction before they put their political opponent in jail.

aggiehawg said:

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People in the group of possible alternate jurors continue to answer their questionnaires. Here's a look at what some of them are saying about how they consume news:

• One potential juror works for a global accounting firm. She lives with her significant other, who works in finance. Most consistently, she reads The New York Times, New York Post, Wall Street Journal and Fox News.
• Another prospective juror is married with two children. She said she's "not a big news person" but looks at The New York Times, Reuters and the BBC. She said she does have social media profiles, but she doesn't post or use them.
• One prospective juror originally from Europe said he doesn't follow news as much as other people he knows, but he alternates between ABC, CBS, Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. He used to listen to NPR and Fox News radio and noted the two are "remarkably different."

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Don't know why I am so surprised there are so many foreign born prospective jurors on these panels but I am.

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you do realize there are 12 million illegals and millions more "legals" that have arrived in the past few years. It surprises you many settle in New York?

We'll be looking at 'two weeks to stop the spread' but for Trump.

Ease folks in. Be gentle with 'em. Prime 'em up. Get the juices flowing.

A little weekend jail stay until Trump learns to behave.

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A possible alternate juror was allowed to remain through the questionnaire process after revealing she had been convicted of a crime in another state.

Before the questionnaire process started, she told the judge she was convicted of a crime in another state and would be disqualified.

Judge Juan Merchan had her approach the bench so they could discuss it privately. He ultimately allowed her stay and she was not disqualified.

Trump watched intently as she shared her story.

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Sheesh!

Wouldn't surprise us at all if someone already floated the idea of putting Trump in the jailhouse for contempt and having him show up for trial in oranges.

'Orange man in orange'

Mark me down for that as well as a side bet.

Art96 said:

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None of these jurors read texags. Not good for Trump.

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Disgusting ad hominem. Let me guess: Premium poster?

I would guess the average poster here knows many more facts than you do about this case.