Wabs said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Wabs said:

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Jury taking it's time at the crime buffet the judge gave them. No need for unanimity or majority. Each one trying to pick which crime they like best.

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Sunay Brunch Buffet. And we will not know which predicate crimes they used to reach their verdict in the absence of a Special Verdict form.

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Meh. It's not the like the "convicted" needs to know what "crime" they were convicted of.

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Why this is important is because of the outstanding defense motion for directed verdict. Assuming the jurors found the FECA "violations" of Cohen and Pecker's AMI as attributable to Trump and so stated on the Special Verdict form (which is not present in this case) Merchan would be hard pressed not to grant directed verdict for lack of jurisdiction of a state court over a FECA matter. But he can now claim he doesn't know which one the jury used so he doesn't have to grant it.

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One court reporter is reading the questions while the court reporter sitting in the witness seat reads the answers to the questions.
The two court reporters, both women, are reading as the lawyer and witness, both speaking with classic New York accents.
Most of the jurors are watching the court reporters reading. Some are taking notes.
The first one is David Pecker's testimony about the call with Trump.

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The court reporters have started reading a transcript of David Pecker's direct examination by prosecutor Joshua Steinglass regarding the decision not to be repaid by Trump for Karen McDougal's life rights.

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Tony Franklins Other Shoe said:

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This is the kabuki theatre trolling us. They want the perception of the jury thoroughly deliberating and considering all angles. Kangaroo Kourt in full session so they can broadcast to the masses.

Pretty pessimistic view, but that's all I got this morning.

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Agreed. Kabuki trolling. This is bs. Them going through the motions doing media prep so they don't look like dumbasses on tv tonight when their memaw watching.

aggiehawg said:

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Just a heads up as I have another window up from scotusblog to see if the Trump immunity case comes down today.

Now back to the matter at hand from CNN.

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Judge Juan Merchan also said he would include all of the disputed witness testimony that had been discussed yesterday in the readback to the jury.
That includes another new section pointed out by prosecutor Joshua Steinglass.
Remember: After the jury was dismissed Wednesday, attorneys for both sides hashed out which sections of testimony would be read to the jurors. They requested three sections of testimony involving AMI chief David Pecker, and one section involving Michael Cohen's testimony about the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting.

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Is that THIS section that Blanche wanted left out?

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The parties disagree about the excerpts that answer the third jury readback request David Pecker's testimony about the Trump Tower meeting.
They're going over the first passage in dispute. They agree on what page and line to start but not where it should end.
Prosecutors want an extra page of testimony to include what happened after the meeting and the execution of the plan hatched at the meeting.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass says they tried to draw a line between the substance of the meeting and what happened afterward.

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Attorney Todd Blanche says the defense believes they should keep the readback narrow to the request and what happened after the meeting isn't directly responsive to the request.

Judge Juan Merchan says he understands why Blanche would be concerned over most of the portion the prosecutors want to add.

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We're moving on to another request from the jury: For the court reporters to re-read former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker's testimony about a meeting at Trump Tower.

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Dufflepud said:

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I think Trump should run ON the convicted felon moniker. Wear it as a badge of honor - "convicted BY the felons". Thoughts?

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I actually think that is his plan. I got blasted for asking if he even wants a hung jury/acquittal many pages back. The conviction will be this year's Hunter laptop etc he runs on despite the Dem-CCP folks claiming it is a disqualifier. There were many ways to avoid this/litigate differently, but I think both sides want the kangaroo conviction for the election.

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Judge Juan Merchan says they can provide them headphones or speakers. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass suggests they give them both.

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So belts and suspenders on the audio.

Got it.

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We're moving on to another request from the jury: for the court reporters to re-read former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker's testimony about a meeting at Trump Tower in 2015.
The first part of that testimony being read back in court includes Pecker recalling the timing of the meeting, which he said was held in August, and that Donald Trump, Trump's fixer Michael Cohen and longtime aide Hope Hicks were present.
The reporters go on to read a portion of Pecker's testimony where he says that he expected there to be women coming forward to sell stories about Trump during his presidential campaign both because Trump was a well-known eligible bachelor and because it's common when people run for public office in general.
In the testimony, Pecker recalls saying he would notify Cohen if he was aware of any such stories on the market.
Jurors then hear the portion of Pecker's testimony where he says he believed it could be "mutually beneficial" for the National Enquirer and for Trump for the magazine to write positive stories about Trump and write negative stories about his opponent.
Pecker then responds to questions about helping Cohen potentially purchase stories with the intent of not running them for Trump, and about how that specifically would benefit Trump's campaign.

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Sounds like Feels is taking over this jury vs facts of a crime.

Muy said:

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Sounds like Feels is taking over this jury vs facts of a crime.

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Yeah, we all know the outcome

If Trump gets convicted (and arrested again), I hope one of his rapper supporters has already gifted him with one of best street-cred gifts you can get.

Imagine if he flashed this smile while being whisked away to a secured jail cell. His support amongst young black men would immediately jump from 21% to 50%+:

Exactly, Trump can say "the system that has unfairly imprisoned black men is expanding to anyone in its wake".

If Trump goes to Riker's Island then 100% we live in a simulation and 100% on Trump being a time traveller within that simulation.

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Trump is writing notes on Post-its and passing them to his attorneys as the testimony readback continues. He handed one to Emil Bove and another to Todd Blanche.
Blanche passed him a note back, and Trump hunched over to read it before placing it on the table.
This is happening as the jury hears the court reporters read the cross-examination of David Pecker about the Trump Tower meeting.

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CNN spin again:

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Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed Wednesday that Judge Juan Merchan "is not requiring a unanimous decision on the fake charges against me."
Trump made the claim in a social media post in which he described Merchan's supposed position as "RIDICULOUS, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND UNAMERICAN." He was echoing assertions that had been circulating among conservatives after Fox News anchor John Roberts wrote on social media earlier on Wednesday that "Judge Merchan just told the jury that they do not need unanimity to convict."
Facts First: Trump's claim inaccurately depicts what Merchan said.
Merchan told the jury in his instructions on Wednesday that their verdict "must be unanimous" on each of the 34 counts that Trump faces and that, to convict Trump of felony falsification of business records, they would have to unanimously agree that he falsified business records with the intent to commit, aid or conceal another crime that other crime being a violation of a New York election law.

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But Merchan explained that while this New York election law prohibits people from conspiring to use "unlawful means" to promote a candidate's election, jurors don't have to unanimously agree on which particular "unlawful means" Trump may have used; they can find him guilty as long as they unanimously agree that Trump used some unlawful means.

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Prosecutors provided three theories of what unlawful means Trump used. Merchan told the jury: "Although you must conclude unanimously that the defendant conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means, you need not be unanimous as to what those unlawful means were. In determining whether the defendant conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means, you may consider the following: (1) violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act otherwise known as FECA; (2) the falsification of other business records; or (3) violation of tax laws."
Lee Kovarsky, a University of Texas law professor who has been following the trial, put it this way on social media on Wednesday: "If a law says NO VEHICLES IN THE PARK & list of vehicles includes mopeds and motorcycles, all the instruction means is that you need unanimous conclusion of vehicle but not unanimous on whether vehicle was moped or harley."

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Jury lining up their interviews w CNN, MSNBC and The View along with book deals.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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Texas velvet maestro said:

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Trump doesn't seem worried. comes out twice a day and reads the news. then "and now I'll go sit in a refrigerator for 6 hours. thank you."

there's never been anyone like this guy.

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The stress of being under 88-felony indictments would crush most people. But he gets up every day and talks **** like there's no tomorrow, Never seen anything like it.

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hard bark indeed, he's been demonized by a thousand of the most popular people, talking heads and celebs in America, and prosecuted w lawfare, lies dossiers, impeachments....for 8 years now? non stop trump is hitler for so many years now. half the country is straight up brainwashed to hate him.

HTownAg98 said:

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HAPPENING NOW: The jury says it wants Merchan to begin the instructions with the part about how they are supposed to consider the evidence and draw inferences -- including the metaphor about how if the ground is wet in the AM, you can infer it rained over night.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) May 30, 2024

This doesn't look good for Trump.

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Crazy. How he answers that is important.

Yes, you can infer that it rained last night. You can also infer that there was a lot of dew, making the ground wet.
You can infer that the yard sprinklers were on overnight.

You can make lots of inferences, though you have to decide beyond a reasonable doubt what happened.

That's why you have corroborating evidence. It might be smart to check the weather and see if it rained. But somehow I'm sure that Merchan won't approach that question this way.

Texas velvet maestro said:

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Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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Texas velvet maestro said:

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Trump doesn't seem worried. comes out twice a day and reads the news. then "and now I'll go sit in a refrigerator for 6 hours. thank you."

there's never been anyone like this guy.

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The stress of being under 88-felony indictments would crush most people. But he gets up every day and talks **** like there's no tomorrow, Never seen anything like it.

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hard bark indeed, he's been demonized by a thousand of the most popular people, talking heads and celebs in America, and prosecuted w lawfare, lies dossiers, impeachments....for 8 years now? non stop trump is hitler for so many years now. half the country is straight up brainwashed to hate him.

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The well of TDS has stopped producing.

Don't know how there's anything they can say about Trump or do to Trump that hasn't already been done. Nothing moves the needle anymore and I'm not sure how calling Trump a convicted felon is going to change anything,

Cant call the mfer 'literally hitler' for 9-years then tack on also convicted felon.

They going for the money shot here and only puffs of air coming out.

So we'll see.

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The 12-person jury is leaving the courtroom to continue deliberations in Donald Trump's hush money trial.

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So we are back to the waiting game.

aggiehawg said:

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The 12-person jury is leaving the courtroom to continue deliberations in Donald Trump's hush money trial.

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So we are back to the waiting game.

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My guess is that it won't be for long.

The jury is probably confused about the campaign violation accusations by the government. Would have been nice to hear from an expert.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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We coming up on the 2-minute warning of this Trump hush money trial so that means it's time for the Aflac trivia question.

Which case had the longer jury charge?

The 2006 Enron trial involving 28 counts of conspiracy, fraud and insider trading brought against Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay which spanned 14 weeks and involved 54 witnesses;

OR

The hush money trial against former president Donald Trump.

Answer after the break.

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The Enron jury charge by Sim Lake and the Trump hush money charge by Merchan were both 55-pages long.

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With the readback concluded, Trump stands and flashes a thumbs up to someone seated in the gallery.
Holding a stack of papers, he exits with his legal team, pumping his fist as he enters the courtroom hallway.
The judge is off the bench, and prosecutors have also left the courtroom.

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