New York v. Trump -- Falsifying business records in the first degree. GUILTY on all 34 counts. Appeal no doubt forthcoming.
Sentencing: July 11 (per NPR).
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THURSDAY 5/30/24
It’s Day Two of jury deliberations in the Trump falsified business records/hush money trial. On Wednesday, the jury, which consists of seven men and five women, asked to rehear portions of testimony by former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen (The New York Times).
Musk to Join Trump? – Presumed Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk are in talks for a potential role for Musk in a second Trump administration, The Wall Street Journal reports in an exclusive. A role for Musk hasn’t been “fully hammered out and might not happen,” according to people familiar with the talks, though the pair have discussed ways to give Musk “formal input and influence” on policies related to the economy and border security.
Musk runs Space-X, X and Tesla, the latter of which triggered an electric car revolution. Notable, because Trump wants to roll back the Biden administration’s programs to boost EV sales in the U.S. with strict emissions standards after 2030 and by building a national recharging network that would rely on Tesla’s Supercharger technology.
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Alito Won’t Recuse – Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito says he will not recuse himself on two upcoming decisions regarding the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, after an upside-down American flag and an “Appeal to Heaven” flag were photographed outside two of his homes. Democratic members of Congress called on Alito – who blames the freak-flags on his wife -- to recuse himself. A decision on ex-President Trump’s claim of immunity in the January 6th case is imminent.
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The Polls – Donald J. Trump’s popularity is “soaring,” Newsweek reports, citing surveys by polling firm Civiqs, which say 41% polled Monday have a favorable view of the ex-president compared with 55% who have an unfavorable view. That -14 point gap is Trump’s best since December 29, 2021.
Meanwhile … The New York Times’ The Upshot says President Biden still holds support among white voters, and could determine who wins Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin which “probably offer his clearest path to victory.”
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WEDNESDAY 5/29/24
In the Jury’s Hands – Jurors in Manhattan will begin deliberations in the New York district attorney’s case against Donald J. Trump accusing him of falsifying business records to cover up an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. Judge Juan Merchan was to give the jury deliberation instructions early Wednesday. The answer is, yes, the jury could return a verdict within hours. Or within days. Perhaps weeks?
They are not to consider lead defense attorney Todd Blanche’s “suggestion” that the former president could go to jail if convicted, a statement in his closing arguments Tuesday that drew quick and harsh admonishment from Judge Juan Merchan (Axios), who called Blanche’s statement “highly inappropriate.”
Was it an honest mistake by Blanche, inexperienced as a trial defense attorney but with plenty of experience as a prosecutor, or was it a calculated shot at saying something in court that a jury cannot unhear?
Blanche began his closing arguments Tuesday by attacking prosecution witness Michael Cohen, whom he called a “G.L.O.A.T.”, or “greatest liar of all time.”
In his closing arguments, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass described, “meticulously,” The New York Times reported, what he said was Trump’s scheme to “muzzle” on the eve of the ’16 presidential election Stormy Daniels’ story of their sexual encounter the prosecutor said crossed legal lines when Trump reimbursed Cohen for paying the adult film star $130,000 in hush money.
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Trump Won’t ‘Ban’ Birth Control – Candidate Donald J. Trump’s Project 2025 based on The Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for the coming election does not call for a ban on birth control in the wake of the ex-president’s success in overturning Roe v. Wade, according to analysis by Politico, but it would remove requirements that insurance covers male condoms and emergency contraception in favor of requiring coverage of natural family planning methods.
Coincidentally, in Trump’s business records falsification/hush money case, adult film star Stormy Daniels testified that Trump did not use a condom in their brief affair.
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It’s Not Antisemitism, It’s Netanyahu – In what might be described as a “well, we knew that/told ya so” moment for protesters inside Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to be overusing claims of antisemitism to deflect from his own problems, stifle legitimate criticism and further his political agenda, according to the Associated Press. Those problems include a years-long corruption investigation, his efforts with the help of a far-right parliamentary coalition to suck power out of the country’s judiciary and the way his government was taken by surprise in the October 7 Hamas attack.
“Not every criticism against Israel is antisemitic,” Israel historian Tom Segev told the AP. “The moment you say it is antisemitic hate, you take away all legitimacy from the criticism and try to crush the debate.”
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TUESDAY 5/28/24
Covering Trump Tax Cuts – Capitol Hill Republicans are looking at how they can cover approximately $4 trillion of tax cuts from the Trump administration, which are up for expiration next year. Should they cover any or all of it? The Wall Street Journal reports many Republicans argue that extending the tax cuts would be essential for strong growth, while others in the GOP are looking to repeal electric vehicle tax credits (which have been around for a long time, but were boosted by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act) and other federal spending.
Keep in mind this is bound to come up in 2025 whether Donald J. Trump or President Biden wins the November 5 election. If Biden is re-elected, he will potentially face a Republican-majority Senate and/or House.
For Trump, a money-raiser… Meanwhile, Trump has tied requests for donations to his campaign to tax-cut pledges and other policy positions, The Washington Post reports, “and is testing the boundaries of federal campaign finance laws.” The ex- and future hopeful president told a group of wealthy donors at a New York luxury hotel recently that it would cost $25 million to have lunch with him, the report says, not the $1 million one businessman offered.
Authoritarian response… Trump also told donors he will “crush” pro-Palestinian protests and deport student demonstrators if he wins the November 5 election (WaPo).
This campaign promise came after an Israeli strike Sunday on a Rafah tent camp killed at least 45 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian authorities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “a tragic accident.”
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Up on the Hill – Congress is on Memorial Day break all week. Both chambers return to Capitol Hill on Monday, June 3, with the House in session through Thursday, June 6 and the Senate in session through Friday, June 7.
--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa