Robert Reich on what Trump’s trial is showing us about Trump world:
“This cast of characters — and there are many, many others like them in Trump world — are loathsome not because they have violated the law, but because they have contributed to creating a harsh society in which everyone is potentially bought or sold.”
“In a fair world, in a just world, the mainstream media would be covering these cases with the weight they deserve, with at least some of the intensity they have devoted to Biden’s age, how much milk has cost under his presidency, or how the withdrawal from Afghanistan was executed.”
“But we don’t live in a fair world and while the media needs constant and intense criticism and oversight, the likelihood of them getting better at their jobs is remote — at best.
So the task falls to the opposition party. That is not ideal but it is where we are.”
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial, Michael Cohen, took the stand Monday, poised to offer testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president. Monte Francis has the details. Tom Burges Watson speaks to Philip Hackney, Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. #Trump#trial#Cohen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TIO7XoFmAs
#TrumpTrial starts HERE. #Trump#legal
Please remember I don’t reply while live-posting. Plz use NFL (Not For Laffy, but no hashtag) so I can ignore those replies.
1/… Bower:
Trump enters the courtroom. Before arriving, he lingered for a moment in the doorway, talking to his lawyers, Emile Bove and Todd Blanche. He had a piece of paper in his hand, which he waved around as he spoke.
All this lawyer is doing is proving #Trump (and his ilk) believe he can do what he wants to a woman ("grab 'em) and women have to let him because, "...when you're famous they let you do it." Thanks for reminding the jury, Trump. #StormyDaniels#trial
The decision to hear the appeal reopens the possibility that#FaniWillis, the Fulton County district attorney, could be disqualified from prosecuting Trump & 14 #CoConspirators over efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The decision to hear the appeal, handed down by a 3-judge panel, is likely to further #delay the #Georgia#criminal case against #Trump & 14 of his #CoConspirators, making it less likely that the case will go to #trial before the Nov #election.
The terse 3-sentence announcement reopens the possibility that DA #FaniWillis could be #disqualified from the biggest case of her career, & one of the most significant state criminal cases in the nation’s history.
The trial on charges that Donald Trump willfully retained classified national security records after leaving the White House was scheduled to start May 20.
"Yesterday, witnesses established that the paper trail of payments to Trump fixer Michael Cohen, who forwarded the money to Daniels, had been falsified. … A number of observers have suggested that the evidence presented through documents yesterday was not riveting, but historians would disagree."
NEW: Judge #Cannon enters an Order “temporarily staying” the requirement for #Trump to have to file his CIPA Section 5 notice in the MAL classified #documents case.
Sec. 5 requires Trump to disclose to the Government the classified materials he intends on using at trial. #trial
As I was unable to do a #TrumpTrial 🧵 today, here’s a #GiftArticle on the day’s proceedings:
“After 2 wks of enthralling jurors w/stories of sex & scandal, prosecutors delved into the documents at the heart of Trump’s #criminal trial on Mon, a pivotal turn in the case that came on the same day the judge held #Trump in #contempt & threatened to #jail him.”
“#Trump, the first American president to face prosecution, is on #trial for 34 #felony counts of falsifying business records, 1 for each doc: 11 checks to #MichaelCohen, 11 invoices from Cohen & 12 entries in Trump’s general ledger. The invoices & ledger entries claimed that Cohen had been repaid for ‘legal expenses’ that arose from a ‘retainer agreement.’”
Presidential immunity and the ‘Dark Age Ahead’
By Kurt Cobb, originally published by Resource Insights April 28, 2024
"...For those at the highest reaches of commerce, (corporatized) science, and major professions—as well as for politicians elected from hopelessly gerrymandered districts—accountability & transparency has all but disappeared. In this environment, the ethics-challenged Supreme Court is inviting presidents, past, current & future, to join a club that members of the court are already in, an elite club of leaders in American society who are almost entirely unaccountable. If the Supreme Court can be in the club, why shouldn’t the president? The fact that some members of the court cannot see that this is what is happening is a testament to how accustomed those members have become to being unaccountable. These self-styled philosopher-kings believe it was ever thus ordained to be this way..."
#NY’s highest court on Thurs overturned Harvey #Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on #felony#SexCrime charges, a stunning reversal in the foundational case of the #MeToo era.
In a 4-3 decision, the #NY Court of Appeals found that the #trial#judge who presided over #HarveyWeinstein’s case had made a crucial mistake, allowing prosecutors to call as #witnesses a series of women who said Weinstein had assaulted them — but whose accusations were not part of the #charges against him.
"IN THE FIRST WEEK OF HIS CRIMINAL TRIAL, Donald Trump raised about $5.6 million online by warning his small dollar-donors that the 'Deep State' was out to lock him up."
Trump sent out an email when jury selection began, saying Biden's attacking him, and his disciples responded by sending $1.6 million in response to the email. He took in another $1 million the rest of the week, mostly from small donors.
"Trump seems aware that his power is waning. Early yesterday, he called for supporters to 'RALLY BEHIND MAGA,' but only a handful of people gathered outside the courthouse. Today he claimed that the turnout was low because police had 'completely CLOSED DOWN' the streets around the courthouse. That was a lie: the streets, the sidewalk, even the courthouse have remained open to the public."
Noah Berlatsky on how the corporate media and not just Fox help serve Trump's interests:
"Trump is a creature of publicity and propaganda, with a talent for shameless self-promotion and self-marketing. He’s put his brand on everything from Trump steaks to Trump bibles. As a recognizable figure who regularly says controversial and shocking things, he’s a riveting story for journalists."
"Trump may have forced his legal team to stand by his absurd claims that none of the sex with Stormy Daniels ever happened, the payoff to cover that non-event was never reimbursed, that Cohen only received legal fees, and that everyone else but Trump is lying. He may even feel he needs to maintain this ridiculous narrative to keep public opinion on his side for the election.
But as a legal strategy, it’s pretty foolish. And oh-so-Trumpian."
On Monday, with prosecutors beginning to make their case to the jury that Donald Trump committed 34 felonies, Trump didn’t get angry, animated or antagonistic. Instead, he fell asleep."
But the media:
"As the media watchdog group Media Matters noted last June after Biden announced his re-election run, corporate media was quick to cover Biden’s age and stamina issues but not Trump."
"A former POTUS is a criminal defendant. Let’s pause for a moment and—to use a phrase I abhor that was ubiquitous on Twitter seven years ago—let that sink in. ...
A FPOTUS indictment, therefore, is unprecedented. And this is just the first of Trump’s criminal trials. There are three more pending. … That doesn’t even take into account the civil fraud case…."
"The New York Times reported there are at least nine court officers and additional Secret Service agents in the courtroom today, a much larger security presence than normal.
Outside the court, a local park has been turned into a stage by Trump supporters."
Trump classified documents trial in Florida postponed indefinitely (www.cnbc.com)
The trial on charges that Donald Trump willfully retained classified national security records after leaving the White House was scheduled to start May 20.
Trump "hush money" trial opening statements get underway in New York (www.cbsnews.com)
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker is expected to be called as the first witness in Trump's "hush money" trial in New York.