I picture it like this:
Yes, a brush back on steinglass. A little too close to the sun on trump’s threats.
By going beyond what is necessary to argue for the convictions. It’s easy for lawyers who sense they are winning to get a little precious with the jury at a critical moment.
Example: Acting a little too sure of what the jury is going to do with their argument: “Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, I know where you’re headed!” It doesn’t usually end well. Far better to humbly solicit the jurors’ agreement than to intimate you know what they’re going to do because the case you put on was just… so… bitchin’!!
Hope this clarifies.
Put far better than I did. 
Per cnn:
With the jury out of the room for the latest break, the lawyers are arguing about the tweet from Donald Trump – “If you go after me, I’m coming after you!!”
Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche argues that to link Trump directly to precautions Stormy Daniels took concerning security would be “prejudicial.”
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass pushes back saying it was considered in pretrial motions and that the defense opened the door wide enough to drive a truck through it in its suggestions that Daniels was benefiting from the situation.
Merchan says, citing the length of Steinglass’s summations:
“I think you’ve gone as far as you need to go with that and you don’t need to go any further.”
rc: tie the bow, steinglass.
Per cnn:
Judge Juan Merchan is on the bench and court is back in session.
“Before we bring the jury back in. The jury has said all along today that they could work until 8 p.m. You’ve been going for four hours now.”
Merchan suggests a colleague hand prosecutor Joshua Steinglass a note to let him know when it’s 8 p.m. and to wrap it up.
Steinglass did not have any reaction to this suggestion.
Jury is coming back.
“Jurors thank you again for your flexibility. We’re taking full advantage of it tonight,” Judge Juan Merchan says as the prosecution resumes its closing argument.
“Thanks for sticking with me,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass tells the jury.
He then says “yesterday” and corrects himself to note it was today that he told them something.
Steinglass adds: “It feels like yesterday.”
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass has put up a timeline — going back to August 2015.
The prosecution’s slide show is pulling up pieces of evidence on a screen.
“Mr Trump Involved Every Step of the Way” reads a powerpoint slide as Steinglass starts back up.
rc: oh dear.
He is going through the time line quickly. From what they are saying on cnn, he is highlighting the big dates and timing.
He appears to be using the timeline graphic to summarize his closing.
Indeed!
Man, I can barely hold it together for a decent 110minute movie. Listening to 7 hours of speechifying would probably be way past my limit.
Per cnn:
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass has highlighted a phone log on October 26 when Michael Cohen called Trump twice before initiating the transfer to attorney Keith Davidson, who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.
“Think about the timing of these phones calls. They’re absolutely critical,” he says pausing. “Unlike the call on the 24th. This was the final go-ahead.”
He is at Jan. 2017 now.
AKA: Please stop! Please, or I’m going to cry!
Indeed.
Per cnn:
Joshua Steinglass is now going over a November 4, 2016, call between Michael Cohen and Trump’s former body Keith Schiller.
He tells the jury, “I know what you’re thinking, how do we know” that this call between Cohen and Schiller’s phone was actually a call between Cohen and Trump. Steinglass says the jury has to look at the circumstances and it makes sense that Trump and Cohen would talk during the “media monsoon.”
According to Cohen’s testimony, Weisselberg said “we’re going to pay you over 12 months. That made Cohen believe (Allen) Weisselberg and Trump already discussed the repayment schedule,” Steinglass argues.
He says Trump and Weisselberg had a “frick and frack” routine.
Joshua Steinglass is walking through Donald Trump’s actions across the timeline, including calls with Michael Cohen, meetings with David Pecker and the fact he signed nine of the checks, among other actions.
Joshua Steinglass quickly goes through another summary slide titled “The defendant’s direct involvement - Payments/coverup” which he says shows instances of “overt evidence” of Donald Trump’s involvement, including the catch-and-kill scheme and the payment and coverup scheme that includes the nine checks he signed.
In addition to the overt evidence, Steinglass says the jury should also use their common sense.
The prosecutor says it’s “inconceivable” that Trump would be involved in silencing the women but “suddenly stick his head in the sand” when it came to the reimbursement scheme.
Donald Trump was “the beneficiary of the entire scheme” and the payment scheme to reimburse Michael Cohen in installments over a year did not help Cohen who needed to pay back his home equity loan without his wife finding out, Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said.
“The false business records benefited one person and one person only and that’s the defendant.”
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass raises the question of reasonable doubt, telling jurors not to take the defense’s “invitation to consider each piece of evidence in a vacuum.”
“You’ve got to look at the evidence as a whole,” he says.
Steinglass tells the jurors to listen to the judge’s instructions on reasonable doubt carefully, saying that “the people have proven this case beyond all reasonable doubt.”
Nobody is saying Trump got behind a computer and generated vouchers and checks but he set the scheme in motion, Steinglass says.
“Juries determine intent all the time,” Steinglass says of need to prove an intent to defraud.
It does seem like overkill with Steinglass, but I have some sympathy for him and the entire prosecution team.
Consider having lived with this fact scenario for more than a decade, the fits and starts of getting it charged, then getting it to trial, all the delay, all the abuse, the endless crap heaped upon you by Trump and his minions. And you are finally at the day when you can drive the stake through Trump’s heart. This is your one big moment!
It would be hard to know when to stop. I’d probably do just the same.
The most fun part of jury duty is finally getting in the room together and getting to talk about the trial. The first half hour will just be talking shit and snark before getting down to business.
He should now…
Per cnn:
As the prosecutor appears to be winding up his closing arguments, Judge Juan Merchan for the second time in a few minutes sustains a defense objection and tells Joshua Steinglass that he will instruct the jury on the law.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass says the prosecution has proven Trump had intent to commit, aid or conceal a violation of the election law.
Steinglass says of the conspiracy related to election fraud, “We’re basically beating a dead horse here.” The court reporter asked him to repeat that phrase.
True dat.
Jurors deliberate with no one present except each other (there are rare exceptions), but the bailiff waits just outside the door in case he is needed. In our courtrooms, the jury deliberation room was also close to my work station.
I and the bailiff used to always listen for the massive collective guffaw that emanated from the jury room about 3 minutes after they were sequestered. Every time.
Last jury I was on it seemed like the defense attorney really connected with us while the prosecutor did not know how to do anything but express a sense of urgency about the case. It does seem to matter which side makes that connection. I suspect that chemistry is a bigger factor in the justice system than we realize.
In the two trials I have been on, the bailiff was basically the bouncer, and we had little or nothing to do with that person. Our bench liaison was the court clerk. If we needed anything or wanted to communicate with the judge, we went through the clerk.
That’s the same as it was in the courts where I worked. Only the jury would communicate via note through the bailiff, who would bring the note to me, and I would take it to the judge for him to read and issue additional instructions. Sometimes it was something we could take care of ourselves. Most often we needed to get the lawyers and parties back to discuss.
The prosecution has ended!
Per cnn:
The scheme shows a whole lot of thought and energy to conceal the truth, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass says, when Trump could’ve just paid Stormy Daniels directly.
“The name of the game was concealment, and all roads lead inescapably to the man that benefited the most, the defendant, former president Donald J. Trump,” Steinglass says after raising lies, shell companies, encrypted apps and other means.
They will be back at 10 am tomorrow, instructions to take about an hour.
Back to cnn:
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass notes that Trump has a right to a fair trial and to put the prosecution to its burden.
“Now he’s gotten that trial, he’s had his day in court,” Steinglass said.
“The law is the law and it applies to everyone equally. There is no special standard for this defendant,” Steinglass says.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass wrapped up his closing argument with a final message for the jury: “You have to put aside the distractions, the press, the politics the noise. Focus on the evidence and the logical inference that can be drawn from that evidence.”
“Use your common sense and follow the judge’s legal instructions,” Steinglass tells the jury.
“In the interest of justice and in the name of the people of the state of the New York, I ask you to find the defendant guilty. Thank you,” Steinglass says to the jury.
Steinglass thanked the jury for their time, saying “I apologize for trading brevity for thoroughness.”
Yep. It sounds as if the judge’s instructions will come tomorrow morning, and they should take about an hour.
Now, for Trump’s Daily Rant …
Hm. No Daily Rant today. Looks like Trump just walked out and got in his car, and the motorcade left.
TBF, I’d be exhausted too after something as long and complicated as that, no matter what my role.