Reading the 'tea leaves': TV networks vamp for time during the wait for the Donald Trump verdict

The phrase “tea leaves” was heard incessantly on television news networks as they waited out a Manhattan jury's deliberations in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial. It was a reference to the attempts to read what was going on through signs that may or may not mean anything. The trial has been good business for the networks, and they weren't about to leave with its conclusion near, even if it meant having hours to fill with speculation. Networks tried to interpret what the jury was thinking based on requests they sent to the judge, along with wondering what the ultimate verdict would mean for Trump's campaign.