;)
The Conversation -- April 1, 2024
The average observer, must now, after hearing defendant’s recent attacks, draw the conclusion that if they become involved in these proceedings, even tangentially, they should worry not only for themselves, but for their loved ones as well. Such concerns will undoubtedly interfere with the fair administration of justice and constitutes a direct attack on the Rule of Law itself. It is no longer just a mere possibility or a reasonable likelihood that there exists a threat to the integrity of the judicial proceedings. The threat is very real. Admonitions are not enough, nor is reliance on self-restraint. -- Judge Juan Merchan, expanding the gag order against Donald Trump ~~~
~~~ Jesse McKinley, et al., of the New York Times: “The New York judge overseeing Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial later this month expanded a gag order on Monday to bar the former president from attacking the judge’s family members, who in recent days have become the target of Mr. Trump’s abuse.... And although the ruling issued on Monday still does not apply to the judge or the district attorney, Justice [Juan] Merchan, granting a request from [Manhattan D.A. Alvin] Bragg’s office, amended the gag order so that it does now cover their families.” ~~~
~~~ Earlier. Kara Scannell of CNN: “The Manhattan district attorney’s office on Monday asked the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial related to hush money payments to expand the gag order to stop the former president from attacking family members of people involved in the case. 'To the extent that the original March 26 Order did not already prohibit this behavior, this Court can and should clarify or extend the Order to protect family members of the Court on the record described below, and should warn defendant that any future disregard of the Order will result in sanctions,' prosecutors wrote in a motion to Judge Juan Merchan.... 'None of defendant’s attacks in the past week consist of campaign advocacy. Instead, defendant has viciously and falsely smeared the Court and the family member for no reason other than the Court’s presiding over this criminal trial,' [prosecutors wrote].” The story has been updated to reflect Judge Merchan's ruling. ~~~
~~~ D.A. Alvin Bragg's filing is here. It begins, “Defendant's dangerous, violent, and reprehensible rhetoric fundamentally threatens the integrity of these proceedings and is intended to intimidate witnesses and trial participants alike — including this Court.”
Ben Protess of the New York Times: “... Donald J. Trump averted a financial disaster on Monday, reaching a deal that will spare him from paying a $454 million judgment in his civil fraud case while he appeals the penalty. The lifeline came in the form of a bond that will prevent New York’s attorney general, who brought the lawsuit that led to the judgment, from collecting the $454 million until Mr. Trump’s appeal is resolved. The attorney general, Letitia James, accused Mr. Trump of fraudulently inflating his net worth by as much as $2 billion, and a judge ruled in her favor.... The $175 million bond came from Knight Specialty Insurance Company, a California company that handles such deals.” Politico's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Rachel Maddow reported on-air that the CEO of Knight is "a big Republican donor."
Florida. Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: “The Florida Supreme Court overturned decades of legal precedent on Monday in ruling that the State Constitution’s privacy protections do not extend to abortion, effectively allowing Florida to ban the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. But in a separate decision released at the same time, the justices allowed Florida voters to decide this fall whether to expand abortion access. The court ruled 4-3 that a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to abortion 'before viability,' usually around 24 weeks, could go on the November ballot.... The conservative-leaning court found that a 15-week abortion ban enacted in 2022 was constitutional. That ruling will allow a six-week ban enacted last year to take effect within 30 days.”
Georgia. Emily Shapiro of ABC News: "A driver rammed into the front gate of the Atlanta FBI office Monday afternoon and was taken into custody, according to FBI officials. The car appeared to try to follow an authorized vehicle as it was entering the gate, and the pop-up barrier was deployed to stop the unauthorized car, officials said.... 'Several of our special agents who were passing by apprehended the man after he exited his vehicle,' FBI Atlanta [said]. 'Currently, we are looking into both state and federal charges.'... The office is outside of Atlanta in Chamblee, Georgia."
Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump’s social media company said Monday it lost more than $58 million last year, sending its stock plunging more than 25 percent only days after a highflying public debut valued it at more than $8 billion. The nosediving share price of the company — which uses the stock ticker DJT, for Trump’s initials — shaved hundreds of millions of dollars off both the company’s market value and Trump’s wealth, given that he owns about 57 percent of the firm. The new financial figures throw into stark relief the gap between Trump Media’s highly hyped investor-driven valuation on the public stock market and the reality of its business performance. The company said in a filing that its management had 'substantial doubt' it would have enough money to pay its debts as they come due, including those from promissory notes the company had previously issued.” CNBC's sad report is here. MB: Otherwise, it's a great investment.
Did Donald Trump spend Easter Sunday ~~~
(a) at the Evangelical Church of the Divine celebrating the resurrection; OR
(b) hiding fake Fabergé eggs for the grandkids' Easter egg hunt; OR
(c) typing out 77 angry tweets?
South Carolina. Ben Brasch of the Washington Post: “Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh was sentenced in federal court to 40 years in prison for nearly two dozen financial crimes, the Associated Press reported Monday, 13 months after the former attorney was found guilty of killing his wife and son. Murdaugh, who is already serving two life sentences, pleaded guilty to 22 financial crimes in September. He admitted to laundering at least $6 million from individuals he represented in court, according to federal court records.”
Israel/Palestine, et al. Casandra Vinograd of the New York Times: “... thousands of Israelis ... began a four-day protest on Sunday night calling for early elections to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Many of them believe he has put his political survival ahead of the broader interests of the Israeli people.... Sunday night’s protest was one of the largest since the start of the war, but appeared smaller than the demonstrations at the peak of a wave of anti-government demonstrations last year, a wave that Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition survived.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Another Slow Gnus Day.
Say, here's an Easter surprise: ~~~
~~~ Donald Trump Doesn't Care about Jesus. Nick Robertson of the Hill: “President Biden and former President Trump shared starkly different Easter messages Sunday. Biden marked the holy day with a solemn message, while Trump lashed out at political opponents in an all-caps post on Truth Social. Trump went after the prosecutors organizing criminal cases against him, reiterating claims that federal special counsel Jack Smith is 'deranged,' calling Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg 'lazy' and lashing out against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The former president also hurled insults at the Department of Justice and 'crooked Joe,' in reference to the president. Biden, a devout Catholic, marked Easter with reminders of the story of Jesus’s sacrifice and with blessings. 'Jill and I send our warmest wishes to Christians around the world celebrating Easter Sunday. Easter reminds us of the power of hope and the promise of Christ’s Resurrection,' the president said.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: For Christians, Easter is the highest holy day of the year. It's a reverential celebration of the miracle of resurrection. For Trump, it's just another day of vicious attacks. ~~~
~~~ Oliver O'Connell & Joe Sommerlad of the Independent: “The Biden campaign seized on Mr Trump’s message, branding him 'feeble and confused' for 'spewing an unhinged all-caps tirade attacking America and talking about himself'.”
Besides railing on about how awful it was that President Biden hailed this year's Transgender Day of Visibility because it happened to occur on Easter, Republicans were also way upset that for today's White Holl Easter Egg Roll, Biden wrote “new rules” that disallowed overtly-religious themes to be painted on eggs in the egg-decorating contest. Chris Geidner, the Law Dork: “As NBC News reported: 'Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board, a group that supports the White House Egg Roll, said in a statement, “The American Egg Board has been a supporter of the White House Easter Egg Roll for over 45 years and the guideline language referenced in recent news reports has consistently applied to the board since its founding, across administrations.”'”
Maya Boddie of Alternet, republished in the Raw Story: "On Saturday night, Trump launched into his fourth attack on [Judge Juan Merchan's] daughter Loren Merchan for her ties to a political consultancy, which he claims makes the case against him biased.... On Saturday night, Trump launched into his fourth attack on the judge’s daughter Loren Merchan for her ties to a political consultancy, which he claims makes the case against him biased. [The Post article included a photo of Loren Merchan.]... University of Alabama law professor Joyce Vance shared a screenshot of Trump's post via X, writing, 'You can't have a legal system with integrity & the ability to counteract you if you're a wannabe dictator. That's why Trump is trying to delegitimize our institutions.' Former FBI counsel Andrew Weissmann also reacted to Trump's post by suggesting that the court, '1. tighten the bail release conditions ASAP. 2. Warn that jail will result from threatening ANYONE while out on bail, or posting about witnesses, jurors, court or prosecution families. 3. Enforce- that is what it means to treat likes alike. The foundation of the rule of law.'" ~~~
~~~ Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Yet Another NBC News Fail. David McAfee of the Raw Story: "NBC host Kristen Welker is in hot water after a report in which she told viewers that Donald Trump's attacks against the daughter of a judge in the former president's criminal case are a 'reminder' that this is a 'deeply divided nation.'... Singer Bill Madden ... [wrote,] 'The fourth estate is having its 1930s Germany moment: At a time in our history when America is under attack from a deranged lunatic, Kristen Welker continues to pander in bothsidesism.... It is the failure of the free press that'll be the death of democracy.'"
~~~~~~~~~~
Israel/Palestine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here: “The Israel Defense Forces said Monday its troops have completed their operation at al-Shifa Hospital and left the area, following a raid that lasted about two weeks and targeted militants 'in close quarters encounters.' Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense, said emergency workers who arrived at dawn to recover bodies found that the hospital’s buildings were burned and shelled by artillery in a scene he described as 'tragic in every sense of the word.'... Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government is facing growing protests as tens of thousands of demonstrators, including families of hostages, took to the streets for a second night Sunday, demanding fresh elections and calling for the government to secure the release of hostages remaining in Gaza.”
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Reader Comments (13)
It ain’t hard…
The Kristen Welker nonsense concerning coverage of Trump lies points to what has become a dangerously silly preoccupation in the MSM: Oh, oh, oh…how can we be fair to the MAGAts?
Vox clutches their pearls:
“This is a difficult dilemma, and hardly a hypothetical one. Every day in American media, editors and journalists have to make similar choices. Questions like ‘How do I accurately report what Republican sources say without publishing lies?’ and ‘How can I describe a racist Trump comment without coming off as a Democratic hack?’ are the everyday stuff of mainstream American media.”
(*sigh*) Answer to question number one: say right up front: “Trump, Bible Mike, MTG, whomever, came out today with another pack of lies.” It’s important for readers to know that these people are serial liars. I get that there’s the feeling that repeating the lies gives them oxygen, but they’re out there anyway. Say: “This is a huge sack of shit.”
Second question: who says—who even THINKS—that addressing Fatty’s endemic and ubiquitous racism makes one look like a hack? Tell the truth and say what it is. Look, this is another one of those “We have to reach the Trumpbots, and we have to be nice, otherwise they’ll hate us!” non-conundrum conundrum. Pro tip: they already do. They’d call you a Democratic hack for saying B comes after A.
More pearl clutching:
For institutions that pride themselves on objectivity and fairness to all sides, these practical questions raise more philosophical ones. What does ‘objectivity’ mean if not simply treating the positions of the two major parties as reasonable disputes between reasonable people? What is ‘fairness’ in a world where a major party leader is opposed to basic principles of democratic fairness? How do we cover a party that has entirely lost its way?”
No. No no no no no no!
How about considering facts to be the existential soul of objectivity? We are in a different dimension now, kids. MAGA positions are almost universally NOT reasonable. NOT fact based. You don’t have to be FAIR to liars.
Got it?
The Columbia Journalism Review does some impressive Mikimoto massaging of their own:
“This is always true in journalism—reporters, even if they don’t like to admit it, are constantly facing the challenge of balancing critical coverage with access, and politicians aren’t exactly known for their truthfulness. It’s just become more true in the Trump era. And while McDaniel, who played a role in Trump’s attempts to subvert the 2020 election and has a long history of false statements, is a rather extreme example, the question of who to allow a voice on the airwaves isn’t getting easier.”
Nope. It’s very easy. These fuckers get enormous play on other outlets. You know some MAGA prick is going to show up and lie and you’re worried about it? Don’t put them on! It’s not hard. Oh, and by the way, you think Ronna McDaniel is an extreme case? Seriously? She’s one of the more civilized seeming liars. They’re ALL extreme. Anyone coming on to root for Trump, spread his lies, attack anyone who dares to question his fitness for office, is a goddam enemy of journalism, truth, common decency, democracy, the US of A, and pretty much everything good in the world, including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a good night’s sleep.
Look, do the National Geographic editors worry because they’re not giving enough space to flat earthers?
Does the New England Journal of Medicine lose sleep because they’re not adequately reporting the opinions of idiots who prescribe a double shot of Clorox for curing Covid?
Do you think Scientific American cares that their lack of reporting on Jewish space lasers gives Qanon morons agita?
If you’re in the business of providing accurate, factual information, why not stick to that goal?
It’s a new world. Right wingers aren’t asking that their positions on a flat tax or a bigger Pentagon budget be given a fair hearing. They’re pushing for a Christian nationalist/fascist/authoritarian state where voting rights are eliminated, where enemies (like REPORTERS!) can be jailed, tortured, and executed, where women can be imprisoned for seeking proper health care, and where a deranged demagogue be made dictator for life.
Questions?
Forgot to photoshop the horns out
"Our Trump reporting upsets some readers, but there aren’t two sides to facts: Letter from the Editor
This is a tough column to write, because I don’t want to demean or insult those who write me in good faith. I’ve started it a half dozen times since November but turned to other topics each time because this needle hard to thread. No matter how I present it, I’ll offend some thoughtful, decent people.
The north star here is truth. We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information.
The truth is that Donald Trump undermined faith in our elections in his false bid to retain the presidency. He sparked an insurrection intended to overthrow our government and keep himself in power. No president in our history has done worse.
As for those who equate Trump and Joe Biden, that’s false equivalency. Biden has done nothing remotely close to the egregious, anti-American acts of Trump. We can debate the success and mindset of our current president, as we have about most presidents in our lifetimes, but Biden was never a threat to our democracy. Trump is. He is unique among all American presidents for his efforts to keep power at any cost."
RAS - The New Yorker article that Chris Quinn of Cleveland.com linked to is really ominous:
The Enablers
I sure hope Donald has sold enough bibles to now cover his huge
debt. I think it's something like 345 million dollars due today.
That's lots of bibles when you consider the price, except for the
ones with his beautiful signature. Those will be rare, priceless
collectibles.
April fools. I'm joking. Could care less if he gets the money or not.
The grift continues,
Raw Story
"A publisher’s slip-up revealed that House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-KY) is hawking a book about his effort to impeach President Joe Biden, according to a new report."
The real racism.
"If Donald Trump returns to the White House, close allies want to dramatically change the government's interpretation of Civil Rights-era laws to focus on "anti-white racism" rather than discrimination against people of color.
Why it matters: Trump's Justice Department would push to eliminate or upend programs in government and corporate America that are designed to counter racism that has favored whites."
If you’re a lawyer about to be disbarred, disgraced, indicted for a crime, found guilty and imprisoned, you probably worked for Donald Trump.
And you are an asshole for the ages, a legal pariah, and worse than historically reviled ratfuckers.
In the 128 page report recommending the unqualified disbarment of Trump scheming mouthpiece John Eastman, a California judge, author of that finding, compares Eastman—unfavorably—to Nixon plumber and head of the CRP (Creep) ratfuckers, Donald Segretti:
“Judge Roland notes that ‘Segretti had significant mitigation. He was only 30 years old at the time of the misconduct and thought he was acting under the umbrella of the White House.’ Where Eastman is 63, and his infamous coup memos, written on behalf of the Trump campaign and not the White House, were a whole lot more serious than Segretti’s ‘dirty tricks.’”
Worse than the King of the Ratfuckers.
Hmmm…sounds like a guy Trump would hire.
Then, there’s (drum roll…) the man who almost became Attorney General of the United States, a low level legal Mortimer Snerd, a half assed environmental lawyer (could a MAGA lawyer in environmental affairs be anything other than half assed?), all because he was chomping at the bit to weaponize the DoJ in furtherance of Fatty’s plot to overthrow the government, Jeffrey Clark! Yaaay Jeffey (Reminds me of that little kid in those old Family Circus comics, the kid Jeffey, who was always getting into trouble for painting the baby in peanut butter).
In HIS disbarment proceedings, little Jeffey, after claiming attorney client privileges, was met with quizzical stares. He was a low level environmental lawyer in the Justice Department. “Who”, he was asked, “was your client?”
“Donald Trump!” he proudly, but stupidly, replied.
No. He wasn’t. Justice department officials take an oath to the constitution. They represent the United States, and in some cases the Office of the President. They do not represent an individual.
But in Trump World, they do. And the only oath they take is to do his bidding. To hell with the Constitution.
So, two crooked morons. Both getting disbarred, disgraced, indicted, and soon to become familiar with daily life in prison.
All the best people.
Robert Reich
"Record corporate profits from your thinning wallets
Why doesn’t the mainstream media want to talk about this?
Last November, The New York Times contacted me about contributing a NYTimes Opinion video. I suggested one on corporate monopolies keeping prices high. After lots of to-ing and fro-ing, the editor wrote: “One of our economists felt that it might be a little late, in that the rate of price increases is slowing ... and so this particular take might not be as timely as I'd hoped.”
Not timely?
In 2023, PepsiCo’s chief financial officer said that even though inflation was dropping, its prices would not be. Pepsi hiked its prices by double digits and announced plans to keep them high in 2024.
If Pepsi were challenged by tougher competition, consumers would just buy something cheaper. But PepsiCo’s only major soda competitor is Coca-Cola, which — surprise, surprise — announced similar price hikes at about the same time as Pepsi and has also kept its prices high.
We’re seeing this pattern across much of the economy — especially with groceries. At the end of 2023, Americans were paying at least 30 percent more for beef, pork, and poultry products than they were in 2020."
Pssst…here’s a stock tip for the suck ups and MAGA morons pouring money into Trump’s broke-ass media company.
The last time the letters DJT ran across a ticker screen, that stock was delisted. Dee-Listed. The previous DJT stock was issued with great fanfare as part of Fatty’s casino grift. The stock was delisted when the company folded and Mr. Billionaire Stable Genius declared bankruptcy. For the third time.
Just think about that. A casino. Losing boatloads of money. Leaking cash and sinking like a rowboat at sea in a hurricane. Casinos print money. They don’t lose it.
Only Trump.
And here’s the latest scam. Another worthless DJT stock that gushes money like water from a firehose, days after he crows about his business genius.
It’s the same with his political scams. The last DJT presidency was delisted too.
But, oh…the next will be much different!
Right?
From the Racism is Bad, Bad, Bad Department:
Good news! If the Orange Monster succeeds in grifting/cheating/stealing his way back to “his” White House, he intends to fight, fight, fight racism! Racism by minorities and evil woke lib’ruls against poor, put upon white people, that is.
And you’ll never guess which Fatty Grand Wizard is center stage in this promised pledfe to go after those who would try to muscle in on white privilege:
“A central vehicle for the effort has been America First Legal, founded by former Trump aide Stephen Miller, who has called the group conservatives' ‘long-awaited answer to the ACLU.’”
That’s right. Stephen “Cage those brown babies” Miller.
Why is it that so many in the trump camp resemble cartoonish, mustache twirling James Bond villains? (Wouldn’t Musk make a great Bond baddie?) The big difference is that when Goldfinger tells 007 “I don’t want you to talk, Mr. Bond, I want you to die!” it was in a movie. Miller and Trump mean for this to happen in the real world. Think this is hyperbole? Remember Jared’s plan to let black and brown people die from Covid to help Fatty win an election? They did it.
That wasn’t cinematic. That was real world Sin-O-Matic.
Post getting disappeared.
Medicine
"What Happens When Private Equity Takes Over an Emergency Room
One in four ERs are now staffed by private equity-based firms. The waits are longer, the bills are higher, and ER doctors are being replaced by contractors."