The 12-person jury in the New York criminal case against former President Donald Trump began deliberations on Wednesday following instructions on the law from acting Justice Juan Merchan, according to live updates from the courthouse.Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo previously told Blaze News that the judge's jury instructions "may tilt the field against the defense," noting that it is "the last thing the judge could do to favor the prosecution."'Merchan just delivered the coup de grace instruction.'Trump is facing 34 state felony criminal charges for allegedly falsifying business records concerning 11 invoices, 12 vouchers, and 11 checks. Payments to Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, were recorded as $420,000 of legal expenses. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's team claimed that the payments made to Cohen were not legal expenses but reimbursements for a $130,000 settlement payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with the former president.Former federal prosecutor and former Trump attorney Jim Trusty previously told Blaze News that Merchan's jury instruction could significantly impact the case's outcome."There's a big difference between a judge saying that the government must prove that the entries were false and that President Trump knew, or should have known, about them," Trusty stated. "The other way you could say it is, the government has to prove that these entries that were made were false and that President Trump, beyond a reasonable doubt, was complicit in making these entries."Merchan told jurors that Trump "is not required to prove that he is not guilty," nor is he "required to prove or disprove anything." He noted that Trump's decision not to testify in the case could not be used against him."It is not sufficient to prove that the defendant is probably guilty," Merchan explained. "The people must prove beyond a reasonable doubt every element of the crime, including the defendant is the person who committed that crime. The burden of proof never shifts from the people to the defendant.""If you are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of the charged crime, you must find the defendant not guilty," he added. Merchan repeatedly told jurors that they are the "judges of the facts" of the case.Jurors were informed that they cannot convict Trump based solely on Cohen's testimony because, under the law, he is an accomplice, Merchan explained.Regarding the accusation that Trump falsified business records, the judge told jurors that to render a guilty verdict, "You must find beyond a reasonable doubt first that he solicited requested, commanded, importuned or intentionally aided that person to engage in that conduct and second that he did so with the state of mind required with the commission of the offense.""A person is guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree when with intent to defraud, which includes the intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof, he makes or causes a false entry in the records of a business enterprise," Merchan continued. He stated that if the jurors find Trump guilty, they do not need to be unanimous on "whether the defendant committed the crime personally, or acted in concert with another, or both." Additionally, Merchan said jurors do not have to agree about the "unlawful" means, which could include violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, falsification of other business records, or violations of tax laws."You need not be unanimous as to what those unlawful means were … you may consider: violations of FECA, falsification of other business records, violation of tax laws," Merchan told jurors.Legal expert Jonathan Turley wrote on X, "Merchan just delivered the coup de grace instruction. He said that there is no need to agree on what occurred. They can disagree on what the crime was among the three choices. Thus, this means that they could split 4-4-4 and he will still treat them as unanimous."Journalist Paul Ingrassia stated that Merchan's jury instructions "may be the broadest definition of a crime in history.""Merchan is literally throwing the whole book at the jury. What authority does he have as a state court judge from a mediocre law school to opine on something as nuanced as federal election law? It's so intricate and complex that the FEC has exclusive jurisdiction -- and ordinarily preempts -- other courts from all federal election law-related issues," Ingrassia wrote on X.Merchan concluded his instructions, and jurors left to begin deliberations early Wednesday afternoon. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Democratic National Committee has offered a proposal, which, if actualized, should ensure that Joe Biden appears on the ballot in Ohio this November.For the moment, Democrats in Ohio are in a bit of a bind. As Blaze News reported last week, Ohio law requires parties to certify their nominees for president and vice president 90 days before Election Day, which means they would have to certify those candidates by August 7 this year. However, the Democratic National Convention isn't slated to nominate Biden and Kamala Harris officially until August 22.'Through a virtual roll call, we will ensure that Republicans can’t chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks.'Similar deadline issues have occurred for both parties in Ohio in the past, but in those instances, state lawmakers passed temporary legislative fixes to ensure the appropriate candidates appeared on the ballot come Election Day. This year, no such legislative fixes have advanced.So, the DNC has decided to step in, pledging to host a "virtual roll call" to nominate Biden and Harris in time for the statutory deadline of August 7. The party also blamed Republicans for supposedly preventing Ohio Democrats from formally nominating their chosen candidate in accordance with state election law."Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree. But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own," said DNC Chair Jamie Harrison in a statement issued on Tuesday. "Through a virtual roll call, we will ensure that Republicans can’t chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks and that Ohioans can exercise their right to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice."The DNC held a similar virtual roll call in 2020 because of the COVID-related government shutdowns. This year, party leaders plan to gather enough members to vote for formal certification virtually and then hold a separate in-person vote at the convention as well.Though no virtual roll call has yet been scheduled, it is expected to occur sometime after June 4, when committee members are expected to meet and vote to amend bylaws relating to roll calls.Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, confirmed that a national roll call would satisfy state laws about nominee certification but claimed he has yet to receive any official notice about a virtual roll call from Democrat officials."We haven’t been contacted by the Democratic Party or its legal counsel about the revisions they reportedly intend to make to their nominating process," said a spokesperson for LaRose. "Moving up the date of their formal convention vote to meet Ohio’s ballot access deadline was certainly one option offered by our office for consideration. The other option was legislative action to temporarily adjust the certification deadline. We’re encouraged to see the party is actively pursuing both solutions, and we look forward to seeing the details."Republican Gov. Mike DeWine expressed relief that the ballot issue will likely soon be resolved. However, he also wants state legislators to meet for a special session to find a more permanent solution to the deadline problem. "We do not want to leave something so basic as having the sitting President of the United States on the ballot to others when this can — and should — be done legislatively," he said. He likewise wants lawmakers to address issues regarding foreign influence on state campaigns, claiming that some individuals "likely intend to put foreign money into ballot measures this fall and that groups promoting these initiatives might be relying on such support from foreign sources."State Democrats countered that foreign donations are already illegal. "[Republicans] are using this as a cover to get at what they really want to attack and that is weakening the citizen ballot initiative process," claimed Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington).Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The asymmetrical multiplayer genre has been notoriously hard to break into, for a variety of reasons. Some haven’t had enough players, others have been reviewed poorly, and even successful games like Friday the 13th have had their issues, culminating in a complete shutdown looming on the horizon. So it’s impressive that Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is making waves even before it has officially launched, with reviews coming in on the positive side. There’s only one fly in the ointment right now and it’s to do with a particular gun. Continue reading Killer Klowns from Outer Space’s launch hits popcorn gun problems MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Horror games, Killer Klowns from Outer Space release date, Multiplayer games

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