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April 16, 2024

The first six jurors have been empaneled in the New York criminal "hush money" trial of former President Donald Trump, now in its second day. About 80 have been dismissed so far. Prosecutors and defense attorneys got their first chance today to directly question potential jurors who made it past a first round of screening. Earlier, Joshua Steinglass, a member of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, told the jurors that the case "has nothing to do with your politics."

In Washington, a divided Supreme Court wrestled on Tuesday with the scope of a federal obstruction statute used to prosecute hundreds of people who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a legal battle that could have ramifications for another criminal prosecution of Trump, the federal 2020 election interference case against him.

Chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett anchors "America Decides" at 5 p.m. and will be talking about the second day of Trump's criminal trial. President Biden has been campaigning in Scranton, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes will be joining Major to talk about the state of the Biden campaign.

First 6 jurors seated in Trump trial as judge warns former president about comments

Six Manhattan residents were sworn in Tuesday afternoon to serve on the jury in former President Donald Trump's criminal trial as lawyers for both sides clashed over which potential jurors should -- and should not -- be seated. At least six more, plus another half dozen alternates, must still be chosen. Most of the roughly 80 who have been excused said they could not be impartial in deciding a case involving Trump. On Tuesday, a dispute over one juror's Facebook posts showing celebrations after Trump lost the 2020 election prompted audible comments from the former president. That earned him an admonishment from Judge Juan Merchan, who told Trump attorney Todd Blanche to speak to his client. Read more here from Graham Kates, Katrina Kaufman and Stefan Becket.

Supreme Court appears divided over obstruction law used to prosecute Trump, Jan. 6 rioters

Several conservative justices seemed concerned that the Justice Department is applying a federal obstruction statute too broadly and could use it to prosecute people who participate in sit-ins or other demonstrations.

At issue in the court fight known as Fischer v. U.S. is whether federal prosecutors can apply a law passed in the wake of the Enron scandal to the Jan. 6 assault. The measure makes it a crime to "corruptly" obstruct or impede an official proceeding, and defense attorneys argued that the Justice Department has turned the measure into a "dragnet."

The first provision of the law prohibits altering, destroying, mutilating or concealing a document. Before the Jan. 6 attack, prosecutors had never used the statute in cases that did not involve evidence tampering. But since the unprecedented assault on the Capitol, it has been levied against more than 350 defendants who breached the building where Congress had convened a joint session to tally states' electoral votes. More than 1,380 people have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack. Read more here from Melissa Quinn.

On and Off the Trail:

Trump allies encourage Mar-a-Lago visits with foreign leaders months before election It's rare for foreign ambassadors and ministers to meet with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee half a year before the presidential election, but allies of the former president have been encouraging foreign countries to send emissaries to Mar-a-Lago to reconnect ahead of another potential Trump stint in the White House, sources with direct knowledge of the meetings confirmed to CBS News. Fin Gómez and Zachary Hudak report.
The Biden campaign is trying to keep Jan. 6 top of mind with voters. Will it work? When Vice President Kamala Harris dropped by a campaign office in Madison, Wisconsin, in March, those who attended were handed some poster board and asked to write down why they're supporting President Biden's reelection. Democratic voter Frank Pohlkamp wrote, "because democracy matters." Former President Donald Trump has placed Jan. 6 at the center of his presidential campaign, as both he and other Republicans downplay the severity of the attack and the baseless claims of election fraud that inspired it. Mr. Biden believes reminding voters again about this rhetoric from Trump, and painting him as a "threat" to democracy is a crucial contrast to highlight. Read the story here by Aaron Navarro and Hunter Woodall.
Biden campaigns in his Pennsylvania hometown The president was in Scranton, today, where he contrasted his world view with Trump's, Bo Erickson reports. "People like Donald Trump learned very different lessons. He learned the best way to get rich is to inherit it, not a bad way," Mr. Biden said. "He learned that paying taxes was something that people who worked for a living did and not him."
The president summed up the difference between him and Trump as "Scranton values or Mar-a-Lago values," adding, "These are the competing visions for our economy, and they raise questions of fundamental fairness at the heart of his campaign."