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CHARLIE SYKES: The Non-Trivial Crimes of Donald J. Trump
The Next Level🎥 (live @ 7EST): Trump Finally Arrested
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WILLIAM SALETAN: In His Post-Arraignment Speech, Trump Piles on More Lies.
The indictment of Donald Trump for falsifying business records, unveiled on Tuesday by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, has problems. It focuses on consensual adultery, it combines multiple statutes in a novel way, and it seems to rely on federal campaign laws that generally aren’t prosecuted by local officials.
You could argue, based on any of these points, that the indictment is unwise or that Trump should be acquitted. But in a post-arraignment speech at Mar-a-Lago, Trump made it clear that he won’t settle for partial or technical objections. He demands not just a rejection of the indictment, but acceptance of numerous lies about this investigation and several others. He’s making it more and more difficult for Republicans to defend him.
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KIMBERLY WEHLE: The Case Against Trump: The Charges and the Facts Behind Them.
The Manhattan grand jury’s indictment of former President Donald J. Trump was unsealed today following his historic arrest, booking, and plea of not guilty. The 34-count indictment charges Trump with falsifying business records in the first degree under New York Penal Law 175.10 involving—among other things—his alleged payment of $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about his sexual relationship with her, which he denies, in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg identifies multiple hush-money payments for which Trump allegedly reimbursed his former attorney Michael Cohen, plus a series of actions to hide the payments, falsely claiming in a string of records that the money paid Cohen was for legal fees.
The charging documents also outline a pressure campaign, allegedly orchestrated by Trump, to keep Cohen quiet once the FBI caught on to things in April 2018.
🚨OVERTIME 🚨
Happy Wednesday! And happy Passover if you celebrate.
Did Fox melt this county’s brain? VICE is on location in Shasta County, California, and the answer is yes, 100% yes. This is the reason Dominion is suing Fox.
Speaking of Dominion… Time to testify! It seems like the Murdochs are set to take the stand in the Dominion suit. And, speaking of testifying, Mike Pence isn’t going to appeal an order to testify for Jack Smith and will testify.
Will being anti-impeachment… Help Asa Hutchinson’s longshot candidacy? He sure seems to think so.
The joy and pain… of a ’90s boy band concert at a mall in 2023.
Netting makes the rail catch… A dying breed. Which is a change that I’m largely fine with. Keeps players safer, doesn’t fundamentally change the game, and most importantly, keeps fans safe. I’ve seen people leave stadiums on stretchers and been hit by a foul ball myself. In the head. (Perhaps that explains a lot?)
Life inside Lefortovo… The Russian prison currently housing wrongfully detained WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich. #IStandWithEvan.
WI win puts MAGA Republicans in a bind… Having to play defense on abortion is something Republicans are not used to. (It didn’t help that their candidate was loony.) Naturally, Badger state Republicans are showing their true colors in the wake of the L.
And in neighboring Michigan… The state’s abortion ban from 1931 was just repealed outright. Turns out there are consequences to going ultra MAGA.
Is Joe Tacopina gonna do the talking in court? If so, it might not bode well for that former guy. Savannah Guthrie was a stellar political reporter, and while she switched to daytime, it was good to see her put that hat back on.
Meanwhile, in Mississippi… “confederate heritage month” is back.
How to Stop Vulture Funds… From Killing Local News.
RFK Jr. vs. JFK Jr.? I kid, but anti-vax activist RFK Jr. is running against Joe Biden. Seriously.
And now, your daily moment of Zen… A pup snuck into a Ukrainian tent, ate their food, and passed out.
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