Quick Hit:

A New York jury is continuing deliberations for a second day Thursday in the historic and unprecedented criminal trial of former President Trump. Trump criticized the case outside the courthouse, calling it politically motivated and claiming, "the whole system is rigged."

Key Details:

• Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

• During Wednesday's initital deliberations, the jury sent two notes to Judge Juan Merchan. They requested to rehear his instructions on evaluating evidence and asked for the testimony of David Pecker, former CEO of American Media, Inc., and Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney.

• Outside the courthouse, Trump stated, "Everyone's against this case. I haven't seen one legal scholar...say that this case should've been filed...It's 7-years-old...Bragg turned it down, then he rejuvenated it when I was running for office—at the request of Biden." He added, "I just want to say that this is a very sad day for America. The whole world is watching...the whole system is rigged."

Diving Deeper:

A New York jury has resumed deliberations for a second day in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump. The case, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, charges Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

On Wednesday, Judge Juan Merchan instructed the jurors to consider the evidence carefully and not to discuss or research the case outside of deliberations. The jury sent two notes to the judge during their first day of deliberations, asking for a review of his instructions on evaluating evidence and requesting the testimony of David Pecker and Michael Cohen. While the lawyers agreed on the transcript portions for three requests, they disputed the exact lines for Pecker's testimony about a meeting at Trump Tower, leaving a few lines in contention that Judge Merchan decided to review overnight.

Throughout the trial, Trump's defense has centered on discrediting the prosecution’s key witness, Michael Cohen. Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, labeled Cohen as the "greatest liar of all time" and questioned the prosecution's reliance on his testimony. Despite the gag order, Trump has made public comments criticizing the trial, describing it as a "witch hunt" and lamenting the absence of "key witnesses" he believes should have been called by the prosecution.

Trump, speaking outside of the courtroom before proceedings began, said, "Everyone's against this case. I haven't seen one legal scholar...say that this case should've been filed...It's 7-years-old...Bragg turned it down, then he rejuvenated it when I was running for office—at the request of Biden." He added, "I just want to say that this is a very sad day for America. The whole world is watching...the whole system is rigged."