Headline News from The Associated Press
AP Headline News - May 29 2024 16:00 (EDT)
AP News. I'm Ed Donahue here. Less than four hours into deliberations, the jury and former President Donald Trump's Hush Money trial sent a note to the judge. There are four requests, including wanting to re-hear testimony. About a 2015 Trump Tower meeting where a plan to squelch negative stories about Trump was discussed. The AP's Julie Walker is in New York. Donald Trump sat between his lawyers, leading back with his head-dilted eyes closed as the judge and his Hush Money trial instructed the jury. They appeared alert and engaged with several taking notes. Judge Juan Mershan spent over an hour explaining standard jury charges, such as the burden of proof being on the prosecution and the defendant, Trump, not required to prove or disprove anything. Mershan also told jurors they can't hold the former President's decision not to testify against him. The jury gets a private room in the courthouse to deliberate. Meanwhile, Trump and his team are in their own room waiting for a verdict. At Criminal Court in Manhattan, I'm Julie Walker. In Philadelphia, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are making a pitch to black voters. The president says there are big differences between him and Donald Trump. He's that landlord who denies housing applications because of the color of his skin. He's that guy who won't say black lives matter and evokes neo-Nazi Third Reich terms. National Security spokesman John Kirby says there is a fresh proposal for ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. We are doing everything we can to see if we can't get that advanced because it could lead to the ceasefire in a temporary way that could also lead to something more sustained. Israel's military says it's taken control of a strategic corridor along Gaza's border with Egypt. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito says he won't back out of any cases that involve Donald Trump or Capitol riot defendants over the controversy over flags that flew over his homes. This is AP News. The AP found worker outreach groups affected by new state laws are struggling to do their work. After the 2020 election, several Republican-controlled states passed legislation that was promoted as cracking down on voter fraud. Most of those laws are facing court challenges. In Florida, the League of Women voters say they've had to shift to digital outreach while fighting a law that tightened registration paperwork, deadlines, and enhanced criminal fines and penalties. Kansas passed a bill that made it a felony if anyone registering voters was assumed to impersonate an election official. Anita Alexander with Loud Light, Kansas, says they've had to stop registration efforts because would-be voters perceived their staff as election workers even when told otherwise. Voting rights experts say the laws contribute to a culture of fear and strip access to the ballot box, especially for minority voters. The House Ethics Committee is opening an investigation into Texas Democrat Henry Quayar indicted a bribery, money laundering, and working on behalf of a foreign government. I'm Ed Donahue, AP News.