SINCERETALK

Both the prosecution and the defense have officially rested their cases in former President Donald Trump's first criminal trial. Now, with a week to go before both sides present their closing arguments, Judge Juan Merchan has laid out the process for how jurors are to reach their verdict. Politico reported Tuesday that in order to find Trump guilty of felony falsification of business records, they must agree that the falsification was done in order to cover up a separate crime. However, they don't all have to be in unanimous agreement on any of the three possible "predicate" crimes Merchan laid out. Those three predicate crimes are tax-related offenses, along with both state and federal campaign finance violations. While defense lawyers unsuccessfully argued that jurors should have to agree unanimously on the predicate crime for each alleged instance of falsification, prosecutor Michael Colangelo countered that the law currently on the books doesn't require t...

Two Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department officers were hospitalised after a shootout with armed robbers in Cornelius and Delvers streets, Marshalltown, on Tuesday evening. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/IrPJaBe via sinceretalk

A slew of prominent Republicans have continued to rush to Donald Trump's defense amid his New York hush money trial over the last two weeks. From House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and JD Vance (R-OH), the MAGA supporting lawmakers believe showing up to defend the former president against the law is more critical than attending legislative sessions in Washington. Legal correspondent Lisa Rubin, who's been in the Manhattan courtroom as well, spoke with MSNBC's The Reidout host Joy Reid about the goals of the "tightly coordinated surrogates operation" backing Trump. READ MORE: ' Mouths of Sauron': Observers blast 'mobster tactic' of Trump surrogates 'violating' gag order "Let's talk about the atmospherics," Reid said. "Here's who was in court with Donald Trump today: Allen Wilson, some people you haven't heard of, some congressmen, insurrectionist Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-...

Editor’s note : The following first appeared in Dorf on Law. On Friday, Justice Clarence "I hate DC" Thomas gave a speech to the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Conference that was so full of anger, false narratives, and whining that it is tragically perfect for the age of Trump. Here are some lowlights annotated. In response to a question about mean-spiritedness, he said: “I think there’s challenges to that. We’re in a world and we — certainly my wife and I the last two or three years it’s been — just the nastiness and the lies, it’s just incredible.” Translation: They would not let my wife and me overturn a presidential election. "Reckless" people in Washington, DC, will " bomb your reputation." Translation: Being the darling of Heritage, Fed Soc, and Fox, and having a former clerk as the 10 o'clock anchor on Fox, are not enough for this poor little snowflake. “They don’t bomb you necessarily, but they bomb your reputation or your good name or ...

New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, after becoming visibly angered by Trump defense witness Robert Costello, cleared the courtroom of the jury and the press before admonishing the “MAGA-friendly lawyer” Monday afternoon in the ex-president’s criminal “hush money” trial. Calling it a “brawl,” The Daily Beast set the scene: “After Costello, a former prosecutor, was reprimanded for delivering outbursts in the court whenever he was interrupted or told not to answer a question that had been objected to and sustained, Costello began to stare down the judge.” Before the reprimand, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported : “Twice now the judge has sustained an objection and Costello answered regardless. Judge Merchan addresses him directly to not answer if he’s sustained the objection. ‘Jesus,’ Costello mutters after it happens again. ‘I’m sorry,’ the judge, visibly annoyed, says to him. ‘I’m sorry?'” And then, the admonition. READ MORE: ‘Wack Pack’: Questions Swirl Over ‘Trump Unif...

The Times reported somewhat late that an upside-down American flag had flown outside Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s home in Alexandria, Virginia, less than two weeks after the January 6 Capitol attack. The so-called “Stop the Steal” movement adopted the inverted flag as a symbol in its war against democracy. Insurrectionists had brandished that symbol when storming the Capitol. Concerned neighbors took photos of the shocking display, which the Times obtained more than three years later. It’s unclear what took so long. Did the neighbors use 1991 camera technology, where you have to drop the film off at a local CVS and then promptly forget about it? Obviously, Alito lives in a predominately white neighborhood where no one is a Black Twitter power user. Viral videos on social media have taken down countless racist “Karens” since 2021. It’s not a surprise that Alito is a far-right maga hack, but flying an upside-down flag is a bit outré for a Supreme Court justice. When asked...

The Rhodes Trust has suspended selecting past pupils from four top schools and their nine partner schools for scholarships in 2025, following concerns for some time that applicants and winners remain "predominantly white", 30 years after apartheid ended. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/kfET1Il via sinceretalk