National News
NEW YORK (AP) — An individual found ablaze in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's hush money trial is being held has been taken away on a stretcher.
The fire was extinguished on Friday, shortly after a jury and alternates were seated in Trump's criminal trial. You could see an individual lying on the bottom burning. People then rushed over, extinguished the person with a fireplace extinguisher and tried to place out the flames. Rescue employees then took the person away on a stretcher.
A full jury of twelve people and 6 alternates were seated in Trump's Hush money case Just just a few minutes earlier, the primary criminal trial against a former US president moved one step closer to the opening statement.
The fire occurred in a park across from the courthouse that was a gathering place for protesters and media covering jury selection for Trump's trial.
Lawyers spent days interviewing dozens of New Yorkers to pick the panel, which has vowed to place aside their personal views and impartially assess whether the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is guilty or not. The jury features a sales skilled, a software developer, an English teacher and a number of other lawyers.
The trial will keep Trump in a Manhattan courtroom for weeks, forcing him to juggle his own Dual role as defendant and political candidate against the backdrop of his hard-fought race against President Joe Biden. It will contain salacious and unflattering statements that his opponent will little question seize on to portray him as unfit to return as commander-in-chief.
Trump has spent the week sitting quietly within the courtroom as lawyers press potential jurors to precise their views about him, searching for biases that would dissuade them from hearing the case. During breaks within the proceedings, he spoke in front of the cameras within the hallway concerning the allegations and the judge and used his increasing legal problems as a political rallying cry to portray himself as a victim.
Over several days, dozens of jury members were dismissed because they said they didn't imagine they could possibly be fair. Others expressed concern about having to come to a decision such a momentous case with excessive media attention. The judge has ruled that their names will only be known to prosecutors, Trump and their legal teams.
A lady chosen to serve on the jury was fired Thursday after she raised concerns about messages she said she received from family and friends when facets of her identity became public. On Friday, one other woman broke down in tears as she was questioned by a prosecutor about her ability to come to a decision the case based solely on the evidence presented in court.
“I’m so nervous and scared right now,” the girl said. “I'm so sorry. I don't want anyone who feels that way to judge my case either. I don't want to waste the court's time.”
As more potential jurors were questioned Friday, Trump appeared to lean over the defense table, scribbling on some papers and exchanging notes with one among his lawyers. He occasionally raised his gaze to look into the jury box, including when a prospective juror said he volunteered for Hillary Clinton's campaign to “get the vote.”
Another potential juror caught Trump's attention when he mentioned that he followed the White House Instagram account, including during Trump's term. Trump grinned at a person who was asked if he was married and joked that he had been trying to search out a wife in his free time, but “it's not working.”
Judge Juan Merchan can be expected to carry a hearing Friday to contemplate a request from prosecutors to boost Trump's past legal entanglements if he takes the stand within the hush money case. Manhattan prosecutors have said they need to query Trump about his recent civil fraud trial, which led to a… $454 million verdict after a judge found that Trump had lied about his wealth for years. He is appealing this ruling.
At the guts of the trial is a payment of $130,000 Michael CohenTrump's former lawyer and private aide has reached out to porn actress Stormy Daniels to stop her claims a few sexual encounter with Trump in the ultimate days of the 2016 race from becoming public.
Prosecutors say Trump concealed the true nature of the payments in internal records as his company filed charges against Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2018 and is predicted to be a key prosecution witness.
Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels and his lawyers argue that the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal fees.
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. He faces as much as 4 years in prison if convicted, but it surely shouldn’t be clear whether the judge would put him behind bars. Trump would almost definitely appeal any conviction.
Trump is involved on this 4 criminal casesHowever, it shouldn’t be clear whether any more will face trial before the November election. Appeals and litigation have caused delays in the opposite three cases facing Trump plans to overturn the 2020 election results and with illegal hoarding of secret documents.
image credit : www.boston.com