John White

Former vice presidential nominee John Edwards was acquitted of one count of campaign finance fraud, and a deadlocked jury yielded a mistrial on five other counts; Also, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing a ban on the sale of sodas and sugary beverages larger than 16 ounces; And, political differences seemed to dissolve during the unveiling of former President George W. Bush's portrait in the White House.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Former presidential candidate John Edwards was found not guilty on one of six campaign fraud charges Thursday, and the jury could not reach a verdict on the other counts, leading the judge to declare a mistrial on them.Edwards was accused of masterminding a plan to use money from two wealthy donors to hide his pregnant mistress during his run for the White House in 2008.It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would retry Edwards on the other counts.Edwards did not react when the verdict and mistrial were announced, but he was happy and smiling about an hour earlier when the jury said it had reached a verdict on one count after nine days of deliberations.The acquittal and mistrial highlighted a day of confusion when the judge mistakenly believed jurors had reached a verdict on all six counts.Instead, the jury told the judge they had a unanimous decision on only one charge, and the panel was sent back to the jury room for more talks. About an hour later, the jury sent the note to the judge saying it had exhausted talks.Prosecutors accused Edwards of knowing about roughly $1 million being funneled to former aide Andrew Young and the candidate's mistress Rielle Hunter. They also said he was well aware of the $2,300 legal limit on campaign donations.The weekslong trial has gone into the most intimate details of a sordid sex scandal that effectively ended Edwards' political career and the elaborate cover-up that involved his most trusted aide, the aide's wife, and the two wealthy donors.Edwards' lawyers have argued that the ex-U.S. senator never knew that taking the money violated campaign finance law, and that his personal transgressions weren't illegal.The jury has made more news in recent days of the trial, as Eagles has closed the court to discuss unspecified issues with jurors. Four alternate jurors began wearing matching colored shirts to court and one of them was said to be exchanging smiles with Edwards. Eagles

By MICHAEL BIESECKER, ASSOCIATED PRESSGREENSBORO, N.C. John Edwards was acquitted on one charge of campaign finance fraud and a mistrial was declared on five other counts Thursday when jurors said they couldn't decide if he illegally used money to hide his pregnant mistress while he ran for president.The monthlong trial exposed a sordid sex scandal that dashed Edwards' White House aspirations in 2008, and the jury's decision came on a confusing day.The judge initially called jurors in to read a verdict on all six counts, before learning that they had only agreed to one. About an hour later, the jury sent the note to the judge saying it had exhausted its discussions.Below, a live blog of the latest developments to unfold: All of the attention on the John Edwards verdict presents some political opportunity for the clever-minded. As Twitter explodes with reaction to the not-guilty-on-one-count verdict, the AFL-CIO's super PAC has jumped into action, buying the following ad that's featured on 'John Edwards' searches: -- Sam SteinThe AP reports: Instead, the jury told the judge they had a unanimous decision on only one charge, and the panel was sent back to the jury room for more talks. ... The jury reached a verdict on one count of illegal campaign contributions involving Mellon, but their decision was not announced. Edwards appeared happy and smiled at his family. His attorneys argued for a mistrial on the other counts and they asked for the verdict to be announced. It was not read, and U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Eagles told the jurors to keep deliberating. She apologized for calling them into the courtroom and then sending them back for more discussions. 'I was obviously under the impression you had reached a verdict on all six counts,' Eagles said. The judge read the jury the Allen Charge, encouraging them to reconsider their positions and deliberate further. But she said it's possible they may not be able to

CNN's Jeffrey Toobin was characteristically candid about the latest shambolic developments in the John Edwards corruption trial.After days of protracted deliberation, the jury revealed on Thursday that they had reached a unanimous verdict on just one of the six counts that Edwards has been charged with. The judge in the trial sent the jury back to deliberate further.Speaking just after the announcement, Toobin was frank.'This is a mess,' he said. 'This is not how a trial is supposed to end ... I assure you that the legal term for this is 'a mess.' Juries are supposed to resolve an entire case.'Toobin said that the prosecution could theoretically accept a partial verdict and then retry Edwards on the other counts, but that this would be a 'cumbersome, expensive ... some would say unfair' way to go about things.WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Wolf Blitzer of CNN attends the PEOPLE/TIME Party on the eve of the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 27, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for People)NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 27: CNN anchor Erin Burnett attends the launch party for CNN's 'Erin Burnett OutFront' at Robert atop the Museum of Arts and Design on September 27, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 21: Anderson Cooper speaks during a rehearsal before a taping of Jeopardy! Power Players Week at DAR Constitution Hall on April 21, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images)MESA, AZ - FEBRUARY 22: CNN correspondent John King talks to the audience before moderating a debate sponsored by CNN and the Republican Party of Arizona at the Mesa Arts Center between Republican presidential candidates U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on February 22, 2012 in Mesa, Arizona. The debate is the last one scheduled befo