NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's quest to avoid prison got a boost when a panel of appeals judges heard his appeal Wednesday, questioning whether his actions were crimes or politics as usual.The Democrat wasn't at oral arguments before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, but he likely heard a positive report from his lawyers.Two of the panel's three judges questioned whether Silver's actions fit the definition of a [...]