america to a state of, quote, godliness. the secret recordings that are creating fresh controversy for supreme court justice samuel alito. plus, a rare op-ed from attorney general merrick garland this morning, defending the doj as the house takes new steps towards holding him in contempt. and later, a primary day battle of wills, how donald trump s endorsement power is colliding with kevin mccarthy s revenge tour in south carolina. great to have you with us. thank you for being here. it is 10:00 eastern. i m ana cabrera reporting from new york. we begin with verdict watch in the federal gun case against hunter biden. the jury back to deliberations this morning after being handed the case yesterday afternoon, following closing arguments where the prosecution called the evidence overwhelming. and the defense argued the prosecution had not proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt. nbc s ken dilanian is outside that courthouse in wilmington. also with us, civil rights at