Jury begins deliberating in federal case against Trump ally

NEW YORK (AP) — A jury has started deliberating in the case of a Donald Trump loyalist accused of using his access to the Republican former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates. Jurors got the case on Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn. They ended the day without a verdict. The defendant, Tom Barrack, has pleaded not guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, obstruction of justice and making false statements. Barrack is a California billionaire and a longtime friend of Trump who chaired Trump’s inaugural committee. He has vehemently denied the charges.