The Conversation -- April 23, 2024

Today is another court day for our nation's No. 1 (alleged!) criminal. Here is the New York Times' liveblog of the proceedings:

Jonah Bromwich: "The lawyers and the judge left the courtroom almost immediately after the [morning's] session began.... The judge [returned to] the bench and says that two matters are now in the record.... It appears that the two matters were the two separate attempts that prosecutors have made to see Trump held in contempt of court. They say he's violated the gag order 10 times."

Bromwich: "A prosecutor, Christopher Conroy, begins to detail his team's argument on the gag order. He says each of the 10 Trump posts in question violated the order, and that eight of them were on Truth Social. Two were on his official campaign website."

Maggie Haberman: "Conroy says that these violations pose a very real 'threat' to the proceedings, having an 'undertow' effect on witnesses and making them afraid. The witnesses, he says, 'rightly fear being subject to similar vitriol.'"

Bromwich: "As expected, Conroy says Trump's attacks on Michael Cohen in the hallway outside the courtroom yesterday again violated the order. So that's 11 violations prosecutors say he committed."

Haberman: "Conroy is ticking through Trump's alleged gag order violations, including one in which he thanked Stormy Daniels's disgraced lawyer, Michael Avenatti, for criticizing Michael Cohen. Conroy also describes how Trump called Cohen and Daniels 'sleaze bags.'"

Bromwich: "And finally, Conroy says Trump violated the gag order when on Truth Social, he quoted the Fox News commentator Jesse Watters denigrating prospective jurors as 'undercover liberal activists.' Prosecutors have flagged this as the most serious of the violations and Conroy does so again, calling it 'very troubling.'"

Bromwich: "Todd Blanche, one of Trump's lawyers..., says Trump knows what the gag order allows him to do, and there was 'no willful violation' of it.... It's fascinating to see a lawyer for Trump try to separate out politics from legal proceedings.... The judge loses patience with Todd Blanche.... 'I'm asking the questions, OK,' he says. 'Im going to decide whether your client is in contempt or not, so please don't turn it around.'"

Haberman: "Todd Blanche says Trump is entitled to complain about 'two systems of justice.' 'There's two systems of justice in this courtroom? That's what you're saying?' Justice Merchan says."

Bromwich: "Justice Merchan has repeatedly pushed Todd Blanche to clarify his arguments, only to have Blanche deny that he is saying what he seems to be saying. Trump is very lucky that the jurors are not here for this. Merchan is really dressing down Blanche right now."

Jesse McKinley: "'You've presented nothing,' Merchan just said to Blanche, who has been presenting his argument for some 20 minutes. It's devastating for Blanche."

Bromwich: "As Blanche insists Trump is trying to follow with the rules, Merchan interrupts him. 'You're losing all credibility with the court,' he says.... This hearing, ostensibly about violations of a gag order, doubled as a complete onslaught on the Trump ethos. Justice Merchan clarified that politics infused everything that the former president does and insisted on hearing good faith arguments, and the truth, wherever possible. We knew this was going to be a big moment; it was even more revealing than expected."

[Marie: Sorry, for some reason, the reporters' remarks about Pecker keep disappearing! Really.]

Bromwich: “Joshua Steinglass, a prosecutor, resumes questioning David Pecker.... Pecker says that he’s had 'a great relationship with Mr. Trump over the years,' and that he launched a magazine with him called Trump Style.... He's ... coming across ... as a longtime fan, friend and ally of Trump.... Pecker is now describing what he calls his first meeting with Michael Cohen, in 2007. He says Trump introduced them at his office, and that he was told to route all communications to Trump through Cohen. But Steinglass then makes him clarify: That was his second meeting with Cohen, after meeting him years earlier at a bar mitzvah.... Steinglass asks Pecker about Hope Hicks, another intermediary for Trump."

Haberman: "Steinglass is now drilling down on the key meeting in what prosecutors say was a conspiracy -- an August 2015 gathering between Trump, Cohen and Pecker. 'I received a call from Michael Cohen telling me that the boss wanted to see me,' Pecker says."

Bromwich: "When he got there, he says, Cohen and Trump asked him what he and his magazines could do 'to help the campaign,' a quote that will be key to prosecutors' argument that the hush money payments were made to help Trump win the election."

Alan Feuer: "Recall that Blanche, in his opening statement, tried to convince the jury that Trump's relationship with Pecker was par for the course in the world of journalism. But a naked appeal by a political candidate to a magazine publisher 'to help the campaign' is not normal."

Bromwich: "As expected, Pecker is describing himself as the agent of 'catch-and-kill' schemes in which he or others would help Cohen suppress negative information about Trump, specifically negative information pertaining to 'women selling stories.'"

Haberman: "Pecker is asked if Bill and Hillary Clinton's names came up in the meeting.... Coverage of Hillary Clinton running for president that described Bill Clinton as 'a womanizer' was a big seller, he says. 'I was running the Hillary Clinton stories, I was running Hillary as an enabler for Bill Clinton, with respect to all the womanizing.'... Asked about Trump's reaction to the stories, Pecker says, 'he was pleased.'"

Bromwich: "Pecker repeats that 'writing positive stories about Mr. Trump and covering the election, and writing negative stories about his opponents' helped them both, increasing tabloid newsstand sales while benefitting the Trump campaign. Steinglass then makes him clarify that suppressing negative news about Trump only benefitted the candidate, not the tabloid. Pecker agrees."

Bromwich: "Now, we are discussing negative headlines attacking three of Trump's Republican opponents in 2016, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, which prosecutors argue illustrate the outcome of the agreement reached during the Trump Tower meeting. Pecker says that Cohen would feed him negative information and that The National Enquirer would 'embellish' and add onto it."

Kate Christobek: “Prosecutors just showed several examples of the negative headlines about Trump's opponents, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and Marco Rubio.... Pecker said that after the Republican debates, Cohen would call him and direct him to focus the negative coverage on whichever candidate had been most successful onstage.”

Haberman: “Pecker is now being asked about being introduced to Steve Bannon, Trump's top strategist, in October 2016. He recalls Trump saying, 'I believe you and Steve would get along really well.'”

Bromwich: “[After a short break,] Pecker is now being asked about Dino Sajudin, a doorman who worked at a Trump building and looked to sell a story — which was apparently false — about Trump fathering a child out of wedlock.... Pecker says Cohen called him furiously denying that the child in question was Trump's, saying that he offered to take a DNA test and that because he was German-Irish and the woman was Hispanic, it was impossible for the child to be his.... Steinglass, the prosecutor, is asking Pecker why he paid so much for this story. 'I made the decision to buy the story because of the potential embarrassment it would have to the campaign and Mr. Trump,' Pecker responds.”

Bromwich: “[Steinglass] moves on immediately to the second catch-and-kill deal, which involved the former Playboy model Karen McDougal.... Pecker says he advised Trump to purchase McDougal’s story directly.... David Pecker tells the courtroom that he asked Dylan Howard, the former editor of The National Enquirer, to investigate Karen McDougal’s story and that he told Cohen he had done so. He seems to indicate his conversations with Cohen soon increased in frequency and the two men began to talk multiple times daily. Cohen said they should communicate over Signal, an encrypted app, which is often used for conversations that a person wants to keep private.”

Nate Schweber: “A day after Trump issued a call for more supporters to gather outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, the number reached its nadir. The number of identifiable Trump fans across the street in Collect Pond Park on Tuesday sank to the mid-single digits, after hovering at about a dozen for a week.”

Trump couldn't get a job at a shopping mall. Thanks to RAS for the lead: ~~~

Donald Trump Has Been Asking, “Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?” Let's Check. Top News in the NYT, April 23, 2020: “The official who led the federal agency involved in developing a coronavirus vaccine said on Wednesday that he was removed from his post after he pressed for rigorous vetting of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug embraced by President Trump as a coronavirus treatment, and that the administration had put 'politics and cronyism ahead of science.'... In a scorching statement, Dr. [Rick] Bright ... assailed the leadership at the health department, saying he was pressured to direct money toward hydroxychloroquine, one of several 'potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections' and repeatedly described by the president as a potential 'game changer' in the fight against the virus.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

News from the Trump Trials

Jonah Bromwich & Ben Protess of the New York Times : “Manhattan prosecutors delivered a raw recounting of Donald J. Trump’s seamy past on Monday as they debuted their case against him to jurors, the nation and the world, reducing the former president to a co-conspirator in a plot to cover up three sex scandals that threatened his 2016 election win. Their opening statement was a pivotal moment in the first prosecution of an American president, a sweeping synopsis of the case against Mr. Trump, who watched from the defense table, occasionally shaking his head. Moments later, Mr. Trump’s lawyer delivered his own opening, beginning with the simple claim that 'President Trump is innocent.'... The former president lied 'over and over and over' again, [prosecutor Matthew] Colangelo emphatically said, casting him as a conniving criminal. But Mr. Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche sought to undercut the prosecution’s lofty rhetoric with a more innocuous distillation of the case: a 'business records violation.' He called it 'just 34 pieces of paper.'” (Also linked yesterday.)

If you're interested in the nitty-gritty, the New York court systems plans to publish daily transcripts of the Trump trial proceedings "online and publicly available before the end of the next business day." Links to the daily transcripts will be on this page. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Marie: I know the transcript of Monday's proceedings was published Monday evening, but I'll be damned if I can see the link to it.

Here's the New York Times' liveblog of Monday's proceedings in the Trump trial. The Times' liveblogs usually include some pretty frank appraisals of the subject at hand. MB: If you don't have access to the Times, you can check out yesterday's Conversation, where I posted quite a few of the reporters' entries. ~~~

     ~~~ David Bauder of the AP: "Trump’s hush money trial is illustrating the potency of live blogs as a news tool — by necessity."

     ~~~ Apparently the answer to that question was yes. ~~~

Jonathan Alter of the New York Times: “In the prosecution’s opening statement, Matthew Colangelo outlined what his team calls the August 2015 'Trump Tower conspiracy' hatched by Trump, Michael Cohen and David Pecker, boss of The National Enquirer.... Colangelo previewed a large amount of evidence that will corroborate Cohen’s testimony about the falsified business records (including handwritten notes) that will most likely be damaging to Trump.... Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney, seemed to be setting up a defense partly based on Trump not wanting the Stormy Daniels story made public in order to protect his family. But Cohen and others are expected to testify that Trump tried to avoid paying the hush money on the theory that it wouldn’t matter if the story came out after the election. So much for shielding Melania.... By insisting that Trump is completely innocent, his lawyers have made it harder for the jury to convict him of just misdemeanors, not felonies. But it will be a few weeks before the jury understands all of that.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Once you've read the various bits of commentary on the 2016 Trump case, the prospects for Trump look bad, and it's my guess that Trump himself has made his prospects worse. For instance, Blanche's assertion that Trump "is innocent" is odd. The defense does not have to prove that the defendant is innocent, only that the prosecution has not proved he's guilty. The defense also doesn't have to prove that Trump is -- ha ha! -- "distinguished." All of the jurors know he's a former president*, and Blanche's assetion that Trump has "earned" the honorific is at odds with the tawdry behavior and corrupt actions of which he is accused in this case. Blanche didn't have to characterize one of New York City's loudest & proudest womanizers as "a family man," a family man whose family, BTW, has not come to the courtroom to support him and who has been successfully sued for sexual assault. I don't think Blanche and his team chose the Trump defense; I think it comes from the lying SOS who claims, "I did nothing wrong."

The defense has to prove only that Trump knew nothing about the unlawful acts that Cohen, Pecker and others engaged in. But if it's true -- as the prosecution has asserted and will have to demonstrate -- that participants in the skullduggery "took notes on the criminal conspiracy," only jury nullification will save Trump. And Justice Merchan already has warned the jury against that. Besides, when Trump himself is dissing and endangering the jury -- and some of them will find out about that -- they don't have a lot of incentive to help him out. 

Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: “Mr. Trump has portrayed his legal jeopardy as a threat to America itself, and he has suggested that the country would not put up with it. But the streets around the courthouse on Monday were chaos-free — well-patrolled and relatively quiet. As his motorcade made its way to the courthouse, the few Trump supporters gathered in the park were outnumbered by Trump detractors, who waved signs about his alleged liaison with a porn star.... Shortly after 7 a.m., he posted on his social media website that 'America Loving Protesters should be allowed to protest at the front steps of Courthouses' and he followed this lament with a call for his supporters to 'GO OUT AND PEACEFULLY PROTEST. RALLY BEHIND MAGA. SAVE OUR COUNTRY!'... Mr. Trump had made no secret of the fact that he wanted a circus to accompany his trial.” MB: I do wonder why the Trumpettes & their ilk have not followed Trump to town to play a part in what has turned out to be barely a one-ring circus. Maybe it's because you can't set up a camper in Manhattan (as far as I know). (Also linked yesterday.)

Lachlan Cartwright in the New York Times Magazine (April 3) describes what went down at the National Enquirer, where he was an editor of "catch-and-kill" stories. Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd: ~~~

Matthew Haag of the New York Times : “The New York attorney general’s office and representatives for Donald J. Trump agreed in court on Monday to slightly modify the terms of a $175 million bond posted by the former president in his civil fraud case after the state questioned the qualifications of the company that provided it and sought to have it rejected. The deal will keep the bond largely unchanged, with the $175 million in cash that Mr. Trump deposited as collateral remaining in a money-market account, while adding new terms stipulating that the $175 million must remain as cash, and not be transferred into mutual funds, for example. The two sides also agreed to give the California firm that provided the bond, Knight Specialty Insurance Company, exclusive control over the money-market account.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “In late November 2021, as officials at the National Archives were trying to persuade ... Donald J. Trump to return a trove of records he had taken from the White House when he left office, one of Mr. Trump’s associates advised him in the sharpest terms possible to give the materials back, newly unsealed documents show. 'Whatever you have, give everything back — let them come here and get everything,' the unnamed associate told Mr. Trump, according to an interview the person gave the F.B.I. 'Don’t give them a noble reason to indict you, because they will.'... A summary of the associate’s interview with federal agents was among nearly 400 pages of investigative records that were unsealed on Monday by the judge overseeing Mr. Trump’s classified documents case. The associate’s identity was redacted from the summary.... [He is referred to as 'Person 16' in the unsealed records.] Person 16 also suggested that some of Mr. Trump’s children had been enlisted in the task of persuading him to return the presidential records to the archives.” ~~~

~~~ Tierney Sneed & Holmes Lybrand of CNN: “Plasmic Echo – a name that could conceivably work for 1970s rock band or could describe the supernatural goo left behind by the ghosts chased in the movie 'Ghostbusters' – appears to be the code name for the FBI investigation into the mishandling of classified documents from the Trump White House. The name was revealed in unredacted court filings published on Monday in the special counsel’s criminal case against ... Donald Trump. A case file included in the documents is marked with the case ID '[Redacted] PLASMIC ECHO; Mishandling of Classified or National Defense Information.'” MB: The name seems a little too cool to be attached to the Frumpy Old Man who was the subject of the operation.

Amanda Seitz of the AP: “The medical records of women will be shielded from criminal investigations if they cross state lines to seek an abortion where it is legal, under a new rule that the Biden administration finalized Monday. The regulation, which is intended to protect women who live in states where abortion is illegal from prosecution, is almost certain to face legal challenges from anti-abortion advocates and criticism from abortion-rights advocates that it does not go far enough. 'No one should have their medical records used against them, their doctor or their loved one just because they sought or received lawful reproductive health care,' Jennifer Klein, the director of the White House Gender Policy Council, told reporters on Monday.”

Peter Baker of the New York Times: “The House passage of a landmark $95 billion foreign aid package gives [President] Biden much-needed momentum at a time when his credibility and American leadership have been questioned on the world stage. For months, the president has vowed unstinting support for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan without being able to deliver on Capitol Hill. Now, at last, he has planeloads of artillery rounds, air defense missiles and other munitions to back up his words. 'This was a historic win for President Biden and for America’s global leadership,' Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, said in an interview.”

Patrick Svitek & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post notice that House Republicans can't just get along with each other: “Since eight Republicans voted with all Democrats to oust then-speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), more pragmatic Republicans have become irate at the 'no' bloc of the conference and encouraged GOP leadership to punish those members.”

Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: “A majority of the Supreme Court appeared inclined on Monday to uphold a series of local ordinances that allowed a small Oregon city to ban homeless people from sleeping or camping in public spaces. The justices seemed split along ideological lines in the case, which has sweeping implications for how the country deals with a growing homelessness crisis. In a lengthy and, at times, fiery argument that lasted almost two and a half hours, questioning from the justices reflected the complexity of the homelessness debate.... The conservative majority appeared sympathetic to arguments by the city of Grants Pass, Ore., that homelessness is a complicated issue best handled by local lawmakers and communities, not judges. The liberal justices strongly resisted that notion.”

Alan Blinder of the New York Times: “Less than a week after the arrests of more than 100 protesters at Columbia, administrators at some of the country’s most influential universities were struggling, and largely failing, to calm campuses torn by the conflict in Gaza and Israel. During the turmoil on Monday, which coincided with the start of Passover, protesters called on their universities to become less financially tied to Israel and its arms suppliers. Many Jewish students agonized anew over some protests and chants that veered into antisemitism, and feared again for their safety. Some faculty members denounced clampdowns on peaceful protests and warned that academia’s mission to promote open debate felt imperiled. Alumni and donors raged. And from Congress, there were calls for the resignation of Columbia’s president, Nemat Shafik, from some of the same lawmakers Dr. Shafik tried to pacify last week with words and tactics that inflamed her own campus.” ~~~

~~~ Stephanie Saul of the New York Times: “The [Columbia U]niversity senate is expected to vote, possibly as early as Wednesday, on a resolution censuring [university president Nemat] Shafik, a reaction to her testimony before Congress and the arrests of more than 100 student protesters. A draft of the resolution, circulated Monday, accused Dr. Shafik of violating 'the fundamental requirements of academic freedom,' ignoring faculty governance and staging an 'unprecedented assault on student rights.' The resolution is expected to be introduced by two members of the 111-seat senate. It specifically states that the resolution is not a call for Dr. Shafik’s resignation, but the resolution also calls for the censure of other university officials, including Claire Shipman and David Greenwald, the chairs of Columbia’s board of trustees.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Minnesota. Legislator by Day, Cat Burglar by Night. Steve Karnowski of the AP: “A state senator and former broadcast meteorologist was arrested on suspicion of burglary early Monday in the northwestern Minnesota city of Detroit Lakes, police said. Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 49, of Woodbury, was being held in the Becker County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary.... Mitchell worked as a meteorologist with the U.S. military and for KSTP-TV and Minnesota Public Radio before she was elected to the Senate in 2022 from a suburban St. Paul district. She still serves as lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, commanding a weather unit, her official profile says. She worked for The Weather Channel earlier in her career, her profile says. Dispatchers received a 911 call at 4:45 a.m. from a homeowner about 'an active burglary in process at her residence,' [Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve] Todd said in an interview. Officers searched the home and arrested Mitchell, Todd said.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Tuesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: “The U.S. State Department said in a new report that the conflict between Israel and Hamas 'continues to raise deeply troubling concerns for human rights,' pointing to alleged violations in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, and citing reports of war crimes committed by Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups. A separate, independent report looking into the embattled U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees found that Israel has not substantiated claims that significant numbers of the agency’s employees have ties to militant groups.... U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a news conference that Hamas has 'moved the goal posts' on hostage talks. After Iran and Israel exchanged attacks, Miller said the militant group’s leaders appear to have made 'the determination that they might get the full-scale regional war they were hoping for, and so have not agreed to a very significant proposal that was on the table.'” ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's live updates for Tuesday are here. The New York Times' live updates are here.

The Conversation -- April 22, 2024

Matthew Haag of the New York Times : "The New York attorney general's office and representatives for Donald J. Trump agreed in court on Monday to slightly modify the terms of a $175 million bond posted by the former president in his civil fraud case after the state questioned the qualifications of the company that provided it and sought to have it rejected. The deal will keep the bond largely unchanged, with the $175 million in cash that Mr. Trump deposited as collateral remaining in a money-market account, while adding new terms stipulating that the $175 million must remain as cash, and not be transferred into mutual funds, for example. The two sides also agreed to give the California firm that provided the bond, Knight Specialty Insurance Company, exclusive control over the money-market account."

Jonah Bromwich & Ben Protess of the New York Times : "Manhattan prosecutors delivered a raw recounting of Donald J. Trump's seamy past on Monday as they debuted their case against him to jurors, the nation and the world, reducing the former president to a co-conspirator in a plot to cover up three sex scandals that threatened his 2016 election win. Their opening statement was a pivotal moment in the first prosecution of an American president, a sweeping synopsis of the case against Mr. Trump, who watched from the defense table, occasionally shaking his head. Moments later, Mr. Trump's lawyer delivered his own opening, beginning with the simple claim that 'President Trump is innocent.'... The former president lied 'over and over and over' again, [prosecutor Matthew] Colangelo emphatically said, casting him as a conniving criminal. But Mr. Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche sought to undercut the prosecution's lofty rhetoric with a more innocuous distillation of the case: a 'business records violation.' He called it 'just 34 pieces of paper.'"

Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump has portrayed his legal jeopardy as a threat to America itself, and he has suggested that the country would not put up with it. But the streets around the courthouse on Monday were chaos-free -- well-patrolled and relatively quiet. As his motorcade made its way to the courthouse, the few Trump supporters gathered in the park were outnumbered by Trump detractors, who waved signs about his alleged liaison with a porn star.... Shortly after 7 a.m., he posted on his social media website that 'America Loving Protesters should be allowed to protest at the front steps of Courthouses' and he followed this lament with a call for his supporters to 'GO OUT AND PEACEFULLY PROTEST. RALLY BEHIND MAGA. SAVE OUR COUNTRY!'... Mr. Trump had made no secret of the fact that he wanted a circus to accompany his trial." MB: I do wonder why the Trumpettes & their ilk have not followed Trump to town to play a part in what has turned out to be barely a one-ring circus. Maybe it's because you can't set up a camper in Manhattan (as far as I know).

Jonathan Alter of the New York Times: "In the prosecution's opening statement, Matthew Colangelo outlined what his team calls the August 2015 'Trump Tower conspiracy' hatched by Trump, Michael Cohen and David Pecker, boss of The National Enquirer.... Colangelo previewed a large amount of evidence that will corroborate Cohen's testimony about the falsified business records (including handwritten notes) that will most likely be damaging to Trump.... Todd Blanche, Trump's lead attorney, seemed to be setting up a defense partly based on Trump not wanting the Stormy Daniels story made public in order to protect his family. But Cohen and others are expected to testify that Trump tried to avoid paying the hush money on the theory that it wouldn't matter if the story came out after the election. So much for shielding Melania.... By insisting that Trump is completely innocent, his lawyers have made it harder for the jury to convict him of just misdemeanors, not felonies. But it will be a few weeks before the jury understands all of that."

Lachlan Cartwright in the New York Times Magazine (April 3) describes what went down at the National Enquirer, where he was an editor of "catch-and-kill" stories. Thanks to Akhilleus for the link.

If you're interested in the nitty-gritty, the New York court systems plans to publish daily transcripts of the Trump trial proceedings "online and publicly available before the end of the next business day." Links to the daily transcripts will be on this page. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: I know the transcript of Monday's proceedings was published several hours ago, but I'll be damned if I can see the link to it.

Here's the New York Times' liveblog of proceedings in the Trump trial du jour. The Times' liveblogs usually include some pretty frank appraisals of the subject at hand. However, if you want to save a lot of time, Akhilleus has got his hands on Trump's opening statement and reports it at the top of today's Comments. ~~~

Susanne Craig: "Trump is struggling to stay awake. His eyes were closed for a short period. He was jolted awake when Todd Blanche, his lawyer, nudged him while sliding a note in front of him."

Jonah Bromwich: "The judge reads his ruling on the Sandoval hearing aloud. This determines what prosecutors can ask Trump about if he testifies. Justice Merchan says he will allow the prosecution to bring up six different determinations from four other cases, including his loss in the civil fraud trial earlier this year.... Justice Merchan will also let prosecutors ask about Trump's attack on a law clerk in that case, in violation of a gag order.... Prosecutors will also be allowed to ask Trump about having been found liable twice for defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll."

Alan Feuer: "... the judge just handed the prosecution a fairly heavy legal cudgel to use against Trump if he does decide to testify."

Bromwich: "The trial will only go until 12:30 p.m. today, Justice Merchan tells the jurors. Tomorrow, the day will start at 11 a.m and end at 2 p.m."

Bromwich: "Matthew Colangelo, one of the prosecutors, stands up to deliver his side's opening statement.... He begins by telling the jury that Trump lied 'over and over and over' again by disguising business records."

Maggie Haberman: "Colangelo is saying that Trump, Michael Cohen and David Pecker 'formed' a conspiracy at a meeting early in the campaign to help Trump get elected."

Kate Christobek: "As Matthew Colangelo says that Trump orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election, Trump shook his head."

Haberman: "Trump has attacked Colangelo on Truth Social repeatedly. He worked at the Department of Justice before being hired to work on this case in 2022. Trump has used that fact to baselessly claim the existence of a widespread conspiracy against him."

Bromwich: "Matthew Colangelo has a conversational, easy-to-follow style. This is all very easy to understand thus far, as he explains Michael Cohen's job, which he says was 'to take care of problems for the defendant.' A fixer, in other words, he says."

Haberman: "Colangelo is now describing the practice of 'catch and kill,' in which The National Enquirer bought stories that were problematic to Trump and then buried them.... One of those catch-and-kill deals involved a story that turned out to be false about Trump fathering a child out of wedlock."

Christobek: "Trump is visibly displeased at the mention of the alleged out-of-wedlock child and strongly shakes his head."

Bromwich: "Colangelo is now describing the second 'catch-and-kill' deal in question, relating to Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Trump.... Colangelo says David Pecker will testify that $150,000 [paid to McDougal] was more than The National Enquirer would typically have paid for such a deal, and that Pecker had trouble being reimbursed for it. Crucially, Colangelo says, Pecker will testify that he spoke to Trump about it."

Haberman: "Colangelo then continues the narrative, saying the Access Hollywood tape's emergence was the precursor to a story from a porn star named Stormy Daniels that was about to become public. 'So at Trum's direction, Cohen negotiated a deal to buy Ms. Daniels's story in order to prevent American voters from learning that information before Election Day,' he says."

Bromwich: "'It was election fraud, pure and simple,' Colangelo says bluntly."

Bromwich: "'President Trump is innocent,' are the first words of [Trump attorney Todd] Blanche's opening. 'President Trump did not commit any crimes.'"

Haberman: "'I have a spoiler alert: There's nothing wrong with trying to influence an election,' Blanche says. 'It's called democracy.'"

Bromwich: "Blanche now tries to tell the jury that Cohen has perjured himself. Colangelo objects and the objection is sustained.... [After a bench conference, it appears the judge has ruled] that Blanche will not be allowed to accuse Cohen of perjury directly. But he will say that Cohen lied under oath."

Haberman: "Blanche is now trying to portray The National Enquirer's practices as similar to how other news outlets operate, in terms of deciding when and how to publish a story. That is not correct."

William Rashbaum: "David Pecker is the first witness for the prosecution, and their choice looks to be a good one for them."

Haberman: "'We used checkbook journalism, and we paid for stories,' Pecker says of his time at The National Enquirer. Steinglass, the prosecutor, asks him whether he had 'final say' over editorial decisions. Anything over $10,000 for a story, Pecker says, had to be approved by him."

Haberman: "Pecker is dismissed from the stand. We expect him back tomorrow." That's it for today's testimony.

~~~~~~~~~~

Marie: The headline planted on Stephen Markley's opinion piece in the NYT -- "A Planetary Crisis Awaits the Next President" -- made me suspect Markley would use his precious Sunday NYT space to make mild mitigation, both-sider suggestions to whoever got the top job next time around. Well, I was wrong. Markley really lets fly what a disaster Trump would be: "... everyone will fall short -- and, surely, I've fallen short --in describing just how frightening a second Trump presidency could actually be...." And his attitude toward Biden is similar to what yours may be: "I fully admit, Mr. Biden was not my first, nor even my seventh, choice in the 2020 Democratic primary. Yet when it came to the immense challenge of confronting this crisis, I am forever grateful that he proved me wrong, delivering a game-changing victory with the narrowest of congressional margins." Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Brad Plumer of the New York Times: "President Biden will travel to a national park in Virginia on Monday, Earth Day, to spotlight his clean energy investments, with an eye on bolstering support among young voters disillusioned with their choices for the 2024 election. Against the backdrop of the park, Prince William Forest, Mr. Biden will announce $7 billion in grants to fund solar power for hundreds of thousands of homes in primarily disadvantaged communities, according to the White House. He will be joined by future members of the American Climate Corps, a new work force for young people hoping to combat climate change. Mr. Biden's top officials will also fan out across the country to promote his environmental policy. Mr. Biden hopes Monday's event can build enthusiasm among young people, a crucial constituency for his re-election bid that includes some who have expressed disappointment with the White House on economic and foreign policy matters but that also cares deeply about environmental policy." The AP story is here.

Tyler Pager of the Washington Post: "Growing up in a proud Irish Catholic middle-class family, Joe Biden idolized the Kennedys. He and his family saw the Kennedys -- successful, wealthy, attractive Irish Catholics -- as the embodiment of the American Dream. Biden says Robert F. Kennedy Sr., whose bust sits in the Oval Office, inspired him to become a public defender and ultimately run for office. 'The Kennedys were, as a group, the people he patterned his life after,' said former senator Ted Kaufman (D-Del.), who was Biden's longtime chief of staff and remains his close friend. 'Not just his political life, but his life.' So when the Kennedy family rallied behind Biden last week in Philadelphia with a full-throated endorsement of his reelection campaign, pointedly choosing him over one of their own -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent -- it was not just politically helpful. It was also a hugely personal victory for Biden."

Philip Nieto of Mediaite: "President Joe Biden's White House denounced Columbia University's pro-Palestinian protests as 'blatantly anti-Semitic and dangerous.' Over the last week, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have gathered to demand an end to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The student protesters set up what they called a 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' and included tents, signs, and more. The actions have led to hundreds of activists being arrested, including the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I do realize that hot war and mass murder are not the best circumstances under which to try to foster nuance, but to folks on both sides: there is a stark difference between antisemitism and anti-war. And it is quite possible to be pro-Israel and anti-Bibi.

     ~~~ Update. So a Little Nuance. Kyle Melnick of the Washington Post: "President Biden condemned antisemitism on college campuses in a statement on Sunday, three days after more than 100 people protesting the Gaza war on Columbia University's campus were arrested. Biden's statement, which came as part of a lengthy Passover greeting he issued from the White House, didn't name Columbia directly but said there had been 'harassment and calls for violence against Jews' in recent days.... The president and the White House often issue holiday greetings for various faiths, but the latest statement was notable for its political references. It noted that Passover was coming at a difficult time for Jews still processing the Oct. 7 attacks, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 in Israel and took numerous hostages." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: For the first time in my life, I am beginning to wonder if the very premise of a Jewish state is past its sell-by date. A more tolerant model of government could do a much better job at maintaining the peace by guaranteeing equal protection to Jews & non-Jews alike. I never thought I'd feel that way, but Netanyahu has showed me the cracks in my traditional views of Israel. If this be the Promised Land, I'd rather be in Sweden! Of course I don't think my Kumbaya premise holds much chance in a land buffeted by war after war going back to pre-history, so in the meantime, I'll go with the less-than-ideal two-state "solution."

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times reports the official version of how Mike Johnson got to "yes" on aid to Ukraine: "Mr. Johnson's decision to risk his speakership to push the $95 billion foreign aid bill through the House on Saturday was the culmination of a remarkable personal and political arc for the Louisiana Republican.... As a rank-and-file hard-liner, Mr. Johnson had largely opposed efforts to fund Kyiv's war effort.... Mr. Johnson attributed his turnabout in part to the intelligence briefings he received, a striking assertion from a leader of a party that has embraced ... Donald J. Trump's deep mistrust of the intelligence community.... 'I want to be on the right side of history,' Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, recalled the speaker telling him." In yesterday's Comments, Ken W., Akhilleus & I expressed more skeptical views of the impetus for the Conversion of Saint Michael of Shreve. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Besides, there's this: ~~~

~~~ The Shadow Speaker. Andrew Solender of Axios: "Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) found himself in an unusual position for a minority leader last week: It was he, not the House speaker, who had the ultimate power to decide whether legislation came to the floor.... Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a master legislative tactician, heaped praise on her successor: 'He is fabulous. We're so proud of him.' One senior House Democrat told Axios: 'It easily could have fallen apart ... He played the cards the way you'd want to play them.'... Jeffries' message to his members leading up to the foreign aid fight was to stay unified behind him and not commit themselves to positions on saving [Mike] Johnson that might box the party in."

It's Showtime! Jonah Bromwich & Ben Protess of the New York Times : "The first criminal trial of an American president will debut on Monday for a jury of 12 New Yorkers, as prosecutors and defense lawyers deliver opening statements that provide dueling interpretations of the evidence against Donald J. Trump.... Prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney's office are expected to say that Mr. Trump orchestrated a scheme to suppress stories that could have damaged his 2016 campaign.... The defense ... will try to poke holes in that narrative.... His lawyers will most likely focus on [former Trump lawyer Michael] Cohen, calling him a serial liar with an ax to grind against Mr. Trump. They are also expected to argue that Mr. Trump was not personally involved in the falsification of the records at his company. And they may assert that Mr. Trump's motive for pursuing the hush-money deals was not political, and that he was trying to protect his family from negative publicity." ~~~

~~~ Michael Rothfeld of the New York Times: In the 2016 election interference criminal case against Donald Trump, "... prosecutors for Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, will try to show that the payment [to Stormy Daniels] was part of a larger effort to suppress negative news about Mr. Trump to sway the election. That scheme, they will contend, resulted in not just the hush-money payment at the center of the trial, but two others. Though the other episodes are not part of the formal indictment in the case, prosecutors will use them to argue that the true purpose of the Daniels payment was related to the election, making it a federal campaign finance violation, and that his company's records were falsified to cover it up. The accusation that Mr. Trump concealed another crime elevates charges that would normally be misdemeanors into felonies." Based on numerous sources, including court records, Rothfeld traces the schemes to quash stories that might hurt Trump's chances to win the 2016 presidential election. Rothfeld, who previously worked for the Wall Street Journal, was the lead reporter on the WSJ's Pulitzer Prize-winning reports on Trump's hush-money payments in 2018. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ OR, you could just go with Patrick Fitzgerald's explanation:

Liz Cheney in a New York Times op-ed: "On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Donald Trump's arguments that he is immune from prosecution for his efforts to steal the 2020 presidential election. It is likely that all -- or nearly all -- of the justices agree that a former president who attempted to seize power and remain in office illegally can be prosecuted.... If the trial is delayed past this fall and Mr. Trump wins re-election, he will surely fire the special counsel, order his Justice Department to drop all Jan. 6 cases and try to prevent key grand jury testimony from ever seeing the light of day.... The Supreme Court should understand this reality and conclude without delay that no immunity applies here."

Still Crazier. Derek Hawkins, et al., of the Washington Post: "On Truth Social, [Donald Trump] is serving up an even more extreme version of his online [Twitter] self. His following is diminished, but his posting has accelerated. He has traded combative tweets for even more belligerent screeds. Diatribes against his perceived enemies have drawn gag orders from judges in multiple cases. His media diet has become almost exclusively right-wing. And above all, he persists in spreading lies about his 2020 election loss, deep into his campaign for another term.... It's here that Trump ... offers an intimate view of what his second term could look like: isolated, vitriolic and vengeful.... On a typical day, Trump's feed is a flurry of polls and links interspersed with a drumbeat of attacks and dire warnings about the state of the country[.]... He also is now more likely to write in all caps[.]... At least 570 posts since he announced his presidential bid in November 2022 have contained insulting language directed at someone.... In between all that, Trump reposts bizarre AI-generated art and crudely doctored images. And the site abounds with fringe companies peddling diet supplements, political-themed knickknacks and gold bars."

The Fascists Have Always Been with Us. Paul Rosenberg of Salon interviews author David Austin Walsh on the history of the far right in the U.S. Walsh tells Rosenberg: "... even after the so-called purge of the racists and the Nazis and antisemites in the mid-1960s, you still see these elements very close to the so-called mainstream of American conservatism.... [William F. Buckley, Jr.] is the conduit through which I found all the characters in my book.... Joe McCarthy ... doesn't emerge out of nowhere.... You already have, immediately after World War II, the growing power of the farthest fringes of the right.... There's a real danger in 2024 of nostalgizing the 20th-century conservative movement as 'responsible,' 'respectable' and 'about ideas.' The same features of what became MAGAism were embedded in the movement from the very beginning, and were broadly tolerated by conservative elites even if they found them to be slightly distasteful." (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "The head of intelligence for the Israel Defense Forces said he will step down and retire over the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, in what Israeli media reported is the first departure of a general because of the failures that allowed the assault to happen.... In a resignation letter shared by the IDF, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva wrote that the military intelligence directorate did not live up to its mission under his command on the day of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. 'I have been carrying that black day ever since, day and night,' he said. The attack was preceded by several intelligence failures, including internal warnings that were downplayed or dismissed.... Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed alarm that the United States is considering imposing sanctions on an IDF unit, describing it as the 'height of absurdity' at a time when his troops are battling Hamas in Gaza.... Netanyahu was responding to a report by Axios that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce sanctions against Netzah Yehuda, an ultra-Orthodox military unit accused of human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz told Blinken in a call that the move would 'harm Israel's international legitimacy.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Monday are here.

The Conversation -- April 21, 2024

Philip Nieto of Mediaite: "President Joe Biden's White House denounced Columbia University's pro-Palestinian protests as 'blatantly anti-Semitic and dangerous.' Over the last week, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have gathered to demand an end to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The student protesters set up what they called a 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' and included tents, signs, and more. The actions have led to hundreds of activists being arrested, including the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I do realize that hot war and mass murder are not the best circumstances under which to try to foster nuance, but to folks on both sides: there is a stark difference between antisemitism and anti-war. And it is quite possible to be pro-Israel and anti-Bibi.

On the other hand, for the first time in my life, I am beginning to wonder if the very premise of a Jewish state is past its sell-by date. A more tolerant model of government could do a much better job at maintaining the peace by guaranteeing equal protection to Jews & non-Jews alike. I never thought I'd feel that way, but Netanyahu has showed me the cracks in my traditional views of Israel. If this be the Promised Land, I'd rather be in Sweden! Of course I don't think my Kumbaya premise holds much chance in a series of wars that predate history, so in the meantime, I'll go with the two-state "solution."

The Fascists Have Always Been with Us. Paul Rosenberg of Salon interviews author David Austin Walsh on the history of the far right in the U.S. Walsh tells Rosenberg: "... even after the so-called purge of the racists and the Nazis and antisemites in the mid-1960s, you still see these elements very close to the so-called mainstream of American conservatism.... [William F. Buckley, Jr.] is the conduit through which I found all the characters in my book.... Joe McCarthy ... doesn't emerge out of nowhere.... You already have, immediately after World War II, the growing power of the farthest fringes of the right.... There's a real danger in 2024 of nostalgizing the 20th-century conservative movement as 'responsible,' 'respectable' and 'about ideas.' The same features of what became MAGAism were embedded in the movement from the very beginning, and were broadly tolerated by conservative elites even if they found them to be slightly distasteful."

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times reports the official version of how Mike Johnson got to "yes" on aid to Ukraine: "Mr. Johnson's decision to risk his speakership to push the $95 billion foreign aid bill through the House on Saturday was the culmination of a remarkable personal and political arc for the Louisiana Republican.... As a rank-and-file hard-liner, Mr. Johnson had largely opposed efforts to fund Kyiv's war effort.... Mr. Johnson attributed his turnabout in part to the intelligence briefings he received, a striking assertion from a leader of a party that has embraced ... Donald J. Trump's deep mistrust of the intelligence community.... 'I want to be on the right side of history,' Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, recalled the speaker telling him." In today's Comments, Ken W. & I are more skeptical of the impetus for the Conversion of St. Michael of Shreve.

Michael Rothfeld of the New York Times: In the 2016 election interference criminal case against Donald Trump, "... prosecutors for Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, will try to show that the payment [to Stormy Daniels] was part of a larger effort to suppress negative news about Mr. Trump to sway the election. That scheme, they will contend, resulted in not just the hush-money payment at the center of the trial, but two others. Though the other episodes are not part of the formal indictment in the case, prosecutors will use them to argue that the true purpose of the Daniels payment was related to the election, making it a federal campaign finance violation, and that his company's records were falsified to cover it up. The accusation that Mr. Trump concealed another crime elevates charges that would normally be misdemeanors into felonies." Based on numerous sources, including court records, Rothfeld traces the schemes to quash stories that might hurt Trump's chances to win the 2016 presidential election. Rothfeld, who previously worked for the Wall Street Journal, was the lead reporter on the WSJ's Pulitzer Prize-winning reports on Trump's hush-money payments in 2018.

Marie: The headline planted on Stephen Markley's opinion piece in the NYT -- "A Planetary Crisis Awaits the Next President" -- made me suspect Markley would use his precious Sunday NYT space to make mild mitigation, both-sider suggestions to whoever got the top job next time around. Well, I was wrong. Markley really lets fly what a disaster Trump would be: "... everyone will fall short -- and, surely, I've fallen short -- in describing just how frightening a second Trump presidency could actually be...." And his attitude toward Biden is similar to what yours may be: "I fully admit, Mr. Biden was not my first, nor even my seventh, choice in the 2020 Democratic primary. Yet when it came to the immense challenge of confronting this crisis, I am forever grateful that he proved me wrong, delivering a game-changing victory with the narrowest of congressional margins." Thanks to RAS for the link.

~~~~~~~~~~

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The House voted resoundingly on Saturday to approve $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as Speaker Mike Johnson put his job on the line to advance the long-stalled aid package by marshaling support from mainstream Republicans and Democrats. In four back-to-back votes, overwhelming bipartisan coalitions of lawmakers approved fresh rounds of funding for the three U.S. allies, as well as another bill meant to sweeten the deal for conservatives that could result in a nationwide ban of TikTok.... Minutes before the vote on assistance for Kyiv, Democrats began to wave small Ukrainian flags on the House floor, as hard-right Republicans jeered. The legislation includes $60 billion for Kyiv; $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza; and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific region.

"It would direct the president to seek repayment from the Ukrainian government of $10 billion in economic assistance, a concept supported by ... Donald J. Trump, who had pushed for any aid to Kyiv to be in the form of a loan. But it also would allow the president to forgive those loans starting in 2026. It also contained a measure to help pave the way to selling off frozen Russian sovereign assets to help fund the Ukrainian war effort, and a new round of sanctions on Iran. The Senate is expected to pass the legislation as early as Tuesday and send it to President Biden's desk, capping its tortured journey through Congress." (Also linked yesterday.) An NPR story is here.

Maria Kostenko, et al., of CNN: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu have thanked US lawmakers after they voted in favor of new aid packages for their countries worth billions of dollars."

David McAfee of the Raw Story: According to David Frum of the Atlantic, the Ukraine vote shows that "'... Trump's party in Congress has rebelled against him -- and not on a personal payoff to some oddball Trump loyalist, but on one of Trump's most cherished issues, his siding with Russia against Ukraine.'... Trump still has strong GOP support, but 'the cracks in unity are visible,' according to [Frum]."

Jill Colvin of the AP: “Over the past week, Donald Trump has been forced to sit inside a frigid New York courtroom and listen to a parade of potential jurors in his criminal hush money trial share their unvarnished assessments of him. It's been a dramatic departure for the former president and presumptive 2024 GOP nominee, who is accustomed to spending his days in a cocoon of cheering crowds and constant adulation.... [At] Mar-a-Lago..., he is surrounded by doting paid staff and dues-paying members who have shelled out tens of thousands of dollars to be near him. Many days, Trump heads to his nearby golf course, where he is 'swarmed by people wanting to shake his hand, take pictures of him, and tell him how amazing he is,' said Stephanie Grisham, a longtime aide who broke with Trump after ... Jan. 6, 2021. When he returns to Mar-a-Lago in the afternoon, members lunching on the patio often stand and applaud. He receives the same standing ovation at dinner, which often ends with Trump playing DJ on his iPad, blasting favorites like 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World' by James Brown."

Presidential Race

Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "At least 10 men wearing the uniform of the Proud Boys, a violent extremist group, appeared outside the entrance of a rally [in Wilmington, N.C.,] for presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.... A spokesman for the Biden campaign condemned Trump for emboldening violent extremists.... It was not clear if the Proud Boys entered the event, which was subsequently canceled because of severe weather.... The crowd awaiting Trump on the airport tarmac was similar in size to the audience during a rally here in 2022. Vendors sold T-shirts, posters and lawn signs bearing varied renderings of Trump's mug shot; as well as vulgar signs; bumper stickers and shirts directed at Biden; knives; Confederate flag bedsheets; shirts for the QAnon online extremist movement; and MAGA visors with attached orange poufs."

Maeve Reston & Clara Morse of the Washington Post: Donald Trump's "legal expenses continue to be a tremendous burden on his campaign and its allied groups, the latest campaign finance records show, accounting for 26 percent of the spending in March by his political committees. New Federal Election Commission filings released Saturday show that Save America leadership PAC, a Trump-aligned group he has used to pay some of his lawyers, took in $5 million during March and racked up $4.6 million in legal bills for Trump and some of his associates.... Trump's political committees have spent at least $16.7 million on legal bills so far this year, and owe another $900,000 to various firms as of the end of March, bringing his overall legal fees since starting his campaign to around $86 million." CNN's report is here.

Donald Trump Has Been Asking, "Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?" Let's Check. Top News in the NYT, April 21, 2020. Bernie Sanders: "... supplies like personal protective equipment for health care workers -- seen as essential if coronavirus surges re-emerge -- remain in dangerously short supply. An intense and chaotic scramble continues to unfold as hospitals, cities and states go out on their own to compete for masks and gowns, with uneven and shifting coordination by the federal government." ~~~

~~~ Top News in the NYT, April 20, 2020. Bernie Sanders: "We are the richest country in the history of the world, but at a time of massive income and wealth inequality, that reality means little to half of our people who live paycheck to paycheck, the 40 million living in poverty, the 87 million who are uninsured or underinsured, and the half million who are homeless. In the midst of the twin crises that we face -- the coronavirus pandemic and the meltdown of our economy -- it's imperative that we re-examine some of the foundations of American society, understand why they are failing us, and fight for a fairer and more just nation." (Also linked yesterday.)

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Israel/Palestine, et al. CNN's live updates of developments Sunday is the Israel/Hamas war are here: "At least 14 people, including one child, have been killed in an Israeli military operation in Nur al-Shams refugee camp, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The military said the operation, which appeared to be one of the largest in the occupied West Bank since October 7, had killed 10 'terrorists.' Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli settlers killed an ambulance driver trying to transport Palestinians who had been attacked, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. A spike in violence by extremist settlers in the occupied territory has led to more sanctions by the US and EU. Officials in Tehran have sought to play down the Friday morning strike on Iran -- which has been attributed to Israel -- as tensions simmer from a significant escalation between the regional powerhouses."

News Lede

New York Times: "Terry Anderson, the American journalist who had been the longest-held Western hostage in Lebanon when he was finally released in 1991 by Islamic militants after more than six years in captivity, died on Saturday at his home in Greenwood Lake, N.Y., in the Hudson Valley. He was 76."