The Conversation -- April 3, 2024

Ben Protess of the New York Times: "The judge overseeing Donald J. Trump's criminal case in Manhattan rejected his last-ditch bid to delay a trial beyond April 15, removing one of the final obstacles to the first prosecution of a former American president. Mr. Trump had asked the judge to delay the trial until after the Supreme Court rules on whether he is immune from prosecution on charges involving official acts he took while president, an issue that arose in another of his criminal cases.... The judge..., Juan M. Merchan, ruled that the trial did not need to wait for the Supreme Court. He denied Mr. Trump's effort as 'untimely,' ruling that he failed to request the delay by a legal deadline." The NBC News story is here.

Marie: I did not plan to link the following story because I'm so sick of Donald Trump's shenanigans, but because it got a mention in today's Comments, here ya go: ~~~

~~~ Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "... Donald Trump has sued the co-founders of Truth Social, alleging they mismanaged the social media platform early on and should therefore lose their stock in the company, which recently went public. In papers filed last week in Florida state court, Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. argued that executives Wes Moss and Andy Litinsky made a series of costly mistakes that resulted in a long delay in the company's going public and urged a judge to strip them of their shares in the company. The pair, who were contestants on Trump's NBC show 'The Apprentice,' had pitched him on the idea of Truth Social after he was banned from what was then known as Twitter following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol."

** The Russia Connection. Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Donald Trump's social media company Trump Media managed to go public last week only after it had been kept afloat in 2022 by emergency loans provided in part by a Russian-American businessman under scrutiny in a federal insider-trading and money-laundering investigation.... After regulators opened a securities investigation into [a merger agreement with Digital World Acquisition Corporation] in 2021..., Trump Media [took out] emergency loans, including from an entity called ES Family Trust, which opened an account with Paxum Bank, a small bank registered on the Caribbean island of Dominica that is best known for providing financial services to the porn industry.... ES Family Trust operated like a shell company for a Russian-American businessman named Anton Postolnikov, who co-owns Paxum Bank and has been a subject of a years-long joint federal criminal investigation by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into the Trump Media merger.... Postolnikov appears to have used the trust to loan money to help save Trump Media -- and the Truth Social platform -- because his bank itself could not furnish the loan. Postolnikov [is] the nephew of Aleksandr Smirnov, an ally of ... Vladimir Putin...." (MB: This does not appear to be the same Alexander Smirnov, the suspected Russian asset whom the FBI charged in February for lying to the agency about Joe & Hunter Biden. But you gotta love the insider-trading, money-laundering the porn business connections. So Trumpy!) Thanks to RAS for the link.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post reflects on Jack Smith's answer to Judge Aileen Cannon's odd order of a couple of weeks ago. Related story linked below.

~~~~~~~~~~

Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "President Biden on Tuesday called a decision by the Florida Supreme Court to uphold a restrictive abortion law 'outrageous' and 'extreme,' saying that it had effectively eliminated access to the procedure across the American South. The president said in a statement that the restrictions in Florida and others enacted by Republicans across the country 'are putting the health and lives of millions of women at risk.' But Mr. Biden said voters would 'have the opportunity to make their voices heard,' after the court ruled separately that Floridians would be able to decide on expanding abortion access in November. Mr. Biden's statement on the decision, which clears the way for a six-week abortion ban, came as his campaign and a host of Democratic officials began an all-out effort to pin responsibility for dwindling access to abortion care squarely on ... Donald J. Trump." ~~~

Tara Suter of the Hill: "A group of House Republicans want[s] to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after former President Trump.... Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), whose district partially includes Dulles, criticized the bill in a Tuesday post on X...[:] 'Donald Trump is facing 91 felony charges.... If Republicans want to name something after him, I'd suggest they find a federal prison." The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If my local recycling center weren't so nice, I would be okay with naming it the Trump Dump. Maybe an EPA toxic waste site??

Senator Potato Head Is Not Normal. Steve Benen of MSNBC: "Sen. Tommy Tuberville recently campaigned for an ally in Utah, where the Alabama Republican made the case that supernatural forces were undermining the United States. 'I've traveled all over the country -- all 50 states -- I've been in good places and bad places,' the coach-turned-politician said. 'The one thing I saw, we are losing our kids to a Satanic cult.' The GOP lawmaker was apparently quite serious about this, adding, 'There's not one Democrat that can tell you they stand up for God.'... [In response to the fake news that President Biden had banned religious-themed egg decorations from a White House Easter egg roll competition, Tuberville wrote that] 'The Democrats are a Satanic cult.'... [Then, in response to a fake news story that President Biden had replaced Easter with Trans Day, Tuberville again wrote that] Democrats 'are a Satanic cult.'"

Perry Stein of the Washington Post: "Prosecutors and attorneys for Donald Trump submitted their hypothetical jury instructions in the classified-document case late Tuesday.... [Judge Aileen Cannon] last month ordered the defense lawyers and the prosecutors to file submissions outlining hypothetical jury instructions based on competing interpretations of two laws related to the case. Special counsel Jack Smith pushed back hard against the judge, saying that the jury instructions were based on a 'fundamentally flawed legal premise' and warned that he may appeal if the judge rules against him. Legal experts ... say the premise of Cannon's orders indulged some mangled interpretations of laws that have been pushed by Trump's lawyers and supporters.... Prosecutors suggested in their filings that they would appeal if Cannon decides to intertwine the [Presidential Records Act] with the Espionage Act in jury instructions. Trump is not charged with violating the PRA and prosecutors said throughout their filing that the PRA should not be in those instructions." ~~~

     ~~~ Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The unusual and risky move by the prosecutors, contained in a 24-page filing, signaled their mounting impatience with the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, who has allowed the case to become bogged down in a logjam of unresolved issues and curious procedural requests.... The prosecutors derided ... [Trump's brazen assertion] that he cannot be prosecuted for having taken home a trove of national security documents after leaving office because he transformed them into his own personal property under a law known as the Presidential Records Act.... [They said it was] one 'not based on any facts,' adding that it was a 'justification that was concocted more than a year after' Mr. Trump left the White House.... By appearing to adopt Mr. Trump's position on the Presidential Records Act, the judge seemed to be nudging any eventual jurors toward acquitting Mr. Trump or even leaving open the possibility that she herself could acquit the former president.... Almost from the moment she was assigned the case in June, Judge Cannon, who was appointed by Mr. Trump in his waning days in office, has handled the proceeding in an unorthodox manner." CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The prosecutors' filing is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Sounds as if Cannon's proposed jury instructions go something like this: "You will be advised that I am dumber than a rock but totally in the bag for Trump. If you follow my instructions, as you are required to do, you must acquit Trump before the case-in-chief begins and you can go straight home. Thanking you in advance for your service. Adios."

Hankey-Panky. Michael Kranish & Jonathan O'Connell of the Washington Post: Don "Hankey, a [California billionaire and] Trump supporter who made a fortune providing high-interest auto loans to customers with poor credit..., reached out to Trump's team to negotiate a deal that would allow Trump to stay the [$450MM] penalty while he appealed a massive New York civil fraud judgment. But when a court reduced the bond to $175 million last week and Trump said he had the cash to post it himself, the matter seemed moot, Hankey told The Washington Post. Then, to his surprise, the Trump team last week revived the talks and asked Hankey if he would back the new amount. Hankey promptly agreed. He said that his company is charging Trump a 'modest fee,' which he declined to disclose, and that the arrangement allowed Trump to hold onto his money.... If Trump is elected, their relationship could come under new scrutiny if the government is involved in matters affecting Hankey's business." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: What a surprise! Trump's billionaire angel is a creep who made his fortune taking advantage of poor people.

Presidential Race

Hannah Knowles of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump used his campaign event in Michigan on Tuesday to denounce what he called 'Biden's border bloodbath,' zeroing in on the case of a young woman killed by someone immigration officials say had entered the country illegally. 'She lit up that room, and I've heard that from so many people,' Trump said at a news conference in the hometown of the 25-year-old victim, Ruby Garcia. 'I spoke to some of her family.' But Garcia's sister, acting as a family spokeswoman, said Tuesday that Trump and his campaign have not contacted her or other immediate relatives -- and rebuked the GOP presidential nominee's effort to make the case part of his calls for a border crackdown....[Laken ]Riley, [-- a Georgia student allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant --] was 'barbarically murdered by an illegal alien animal,' Trump said Tuesday." Riley's family has embraced Trump. Politico's story is here.

"Start the Steal." A.B. Stoddard in the Bulwark: "There is a plan afoot to overturn the results of the November election, and for both parties it is fast becoming a major concern. The scheme is being hatched by Republicans on behalf of Donald Trump, who seeks to steal the election if Joe Biden defeats him again. The Biden campaign and an army of lawyers are working to thwart it.... Trump will declare victory on election night before all the votes are counted, as he did in 2020 -- and as we know he had planned before election night.... Should Biden prevail, Trump will claim the results were tainted -- by mail-in voting, machine voting, machine counting, ballot harvesting corrupt election officials, liberal cities, and illegal immigrants.... Republican-controlled legislatures in several key swing states -- Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin -- could throw the election."

Tuesday Primary Elections

Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "President Biden and ... Donald J. Trump won overwhelming victories in state primaries on Tuesday, while a small but significant protest vote in both parties continued to assert itself against each candidate. Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump, who have already clinched their nominations, scored yawning leads in primaries in Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, with the races called shortly after polls closed in each state. Mr. Trump held at least 75 percent of the vote in every state as of 11 p.m. But Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the race early last month, still took at least 10 percent of the vote in all four states.... Mr. Biden held at least 80 percent of the vote in every primary as of 11 p.m."

The turning point in American politics came when Republicans realized they didn’t need to be skillful liars — they just needed to be constant liars. The key was quantity, not quality.

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) April 2, 2024

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link.

Rebecca Solnit of the Guardian: "The US supreme court justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas cited the Comstock Act, named after the 19th-century anti-vice campaigner Anthony Comstock, in last week's case about access to the abortion pill mifepristone.... The Comstock Law has come up a lot lately, and it's part of the Republican war on sex ... -- against sex education, against access to birth control, against the healthcare provider Planned Parenthood and of course against abortion -- ... along with a war against the rights of women and on the rights and very existence of queer and trans people.... It's not a coincidence that the authoritarian right is obsessed with both the border and women's bodies; they'd like to increase the patrolling of both, and essentially shut them both down. It's an obsession with purity and control to be achieved by punitive and sometimes homicidally violent means."

~~~~~~~~~~

California Jesus Jiménez of the New York Times: "Newly released footage and audio recordings from a vehicle pursuit in September 2022 show that a 15-year-old girl who had been kidnapped by her father was fatally shot by gunfire from deputies as she followed their instructions to exit her father's truck. The girl, Savannah Graziano, was fatally shot on Sept. 27, 2022, off Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County, one day after the California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert that said her father, Anthony Graziano, 45, was believed to have abducted her, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department."

Georgia. Marie: You be the judge, but I don't think Kelby Vera of the Huffington Post gets it. She writes, "Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger [R]was so bothered by the depiction of the state's voting laws in 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' that he fired off a personal letter to star and creator, Larry David. During the 12th and final season, David ends up getting arrested after he passes off a bottle of water to his friend Leon's aunt while she waits in line to vote at her Atlanta precinct.... It seems Raffenspeger didn’t take kindly to the Georgia-inspired storyline...." But Raffensperger's letter to David is actually pretty funny, IMO, even as he tries to make the point that Georgia's most recent voter suppression law isn't as bad as David depicts it. Raffensperger writes, in part: "As the chief elections officer for the State of Georgia, we would like to congratulate you on becoming the first, and to our knowledge, only person arrested for distributing water bottles to voters within 150 feet of a polling station.... We apologize if you didn't receive celebrity treatment at the local jail. 'I'm afraid they've gotten used to bigger stars. It's the TMZ of mugshots."

Oklahoma. AP: "Voters in the northwest Oklahoma city of Enid ousted a city council member [Judd Blevins] with ties to white nationalism, according to unofficial results posted Tuesday on the Oklahoma Election Board website.... They instead selected Cheryl Patterson, a grandmother and longtime youth leader at an area church, to fill the seat. Blevins, an Iraq War veteran, was narrowly elected to the seat last year despite his ties to white nationalist groups. Blevins acknowledged at a community forum last week that he marched in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. He also admitted being connected to the now-defunct white supremacist group Identity Evropa. When asked at the forum to explain his involvement in the rally and his ties to Identity Evropa, he responded: 'Bringing attention to the same issues that got Donald Trump elected in 2016: securing America's borders, reforming our legal immigration system and, quite frankly, pushing back on this anti-white hatred that is so common in media entertainment.'" Thanks to Ken W. for the lead. MB: Judd, what works for the Orange Racist may not work for all racists.

Wisconsin. Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "Wisconsin voters opted Tuesday to ban private funding for election administration, joining more than two dozen states that have ended or limited the practice after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife spent $350 million to help local governments run elections during the coronavirus pandemic. Voters approved an amendment to the state constitution to ban the donations, according to a tally of unofficial results by the Associated Press. They also approved a second proposal that limits who can perform election-related duties. Both measures were initiated by Republican state legislators."

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Wednesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel 'deeply regrets' the ... Israel Defense Forces strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza..., while the IDF said that the strike was a 'grave mistake' and the result of a 'misidentification.'... An Israeli delegation returned from cease-fire talks in Cairo after working with mediators on an updated proposal for Hamas, according to the prime minister's office. Hamas officials have not yet responded to the latest round of talks." MB: Seems to me Bibi has had more than 32,000 SNAFUs too many; it's time for him to get out and face his criminal trials. ~~~

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

Matt Berg, et al., of Politico: "Israel's strike against aid workers trying to get food to residents in Gaza reverberated across Washington on Tuesday, particularly resonating because of the American death and the connections the group's founder -- José Andrés -- has to the capital. Administration officials lashed out at new levels, and Israel was left struggling for damage control.... The White House was 'outraged' to learn of the strike, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday. Still, Kirby said Washington would continue to support Israel's defense of itself, even while 'there are issues of deconfliction that clearly need to be fleshed out and improved.'" ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement, via the White House, is here. ~~~

~~~ Nick Waters of bellingcat: "Seven aid workers were killed when their convoy was hit by an Israeli airstrike overnight, as it was leaving their Deir al-Balah warehouse, amid ongoing operations delivering aid supplies inside Gaza. The food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) said they had coordinated the convoy's movements with the Israel Defense Forces.... The destroyed vehicles bear the hallmarks of a precision strike, which only the IDF has the capability to conduct in the region. Images from the aftermath of the strike show that the WCK vehicles were white and at least one had the WCK logo and name clearly marked on the roof.... Bellingcat geolocated two of the vehicles on a road identified by the UN's OCHA as being an 'Accessible Road for Humanitarian Aid,' while the third was in a field immediately next to this road.Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday the aid workers were killed in an 'unintended strike.'"

Cleve Wootson & Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post: "A group of six Muslim leaders will meet with President Biden and Vice President Harris on Tuesday evening to discuss U.S. policy in the Gaza Strip, after they were invited for a small Ramadan dinner but rejected such a gathering as inappropriate given the administration's continued support of Israel amid devastation in the territory. Biden initially invited the leaders for iftar, the meal in which Muslims break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that the leaders 'expressed the preference' of a policy meeting, and the White House adjusted its plans to accommodate their request." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Nandita Bose & Kanishka Singh of Reuters: "The White House held a scaled-down iftar dinner on Tuesday to celebrate Islam's holy month of Ramadan, after some invitees turned the president down over frustrations in the Muslim community over his policy toward the Israel-Gaza war. President Joe Biden met with Muslim leaders before having a small dinner with senior Muslim officials in his administration, first lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband [Doug Emhoff]."

Russia. Shane Harris of the Washington Post: "More than two weeks before terrorists staged a bloody attack [on Crocus City Hall] in the suburbs of Moscow, the U.S. government told Russian officials that [the] popular concert venue was a potential target, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The high degree of specificity conveyed in the warning underscores Washington's confidence that the Islamic State was preparing an attack that threatened large numbers of civilians, and it directly contradicts Moscow's claims that the U.S. warnings were too general to help preempt the assault. The U.S. identification of the Crocus concert hall as a potential target -- a fact that has not been previously reported -- raises new questions about why Russian authorities failed to take stronger measures to protect the venue, where gunmen killed more than 140 people and set fire to the building." MB: Listen, the GRU has other things to do: like undermining Ukraine & getting Donald Trump elected.

News Ledes

The Washington Post is live-updating developments following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Taiwan.

Washington Post: "The largest egg producer in the United States said Tuesday that it temporarily ceased operations at one of its Texas facilities after detecting bird flu in chickens -- the latest in a steady uptick of cases among U.S. farm animals in recent weeks. Cal-Maine Foods said it culled about 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets (young hens) after some of its chickens at a Parmer County, Texas, facility tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), caused by influenza A viruses that spread widely among wild and domestic birds. A dairy worker in Texas was being treated for the virus that causes avian influenza, becoming only the second known human case in the United States, state and federal officials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the person tested positive for H5N1 bird flu."

The Conversation -- April 2, 2024

The medieval church liked to illustrate the seven deadly sins in stained glass windows, triptychs and other media. The church's purpose was to educate their illiterate parishoners. Well, we have our own illiterati, Trump's beloved "poorly educated," and RAS has found some contemporary church art for them:

~~~~~~~~~~

Amber Ferguson of the Washington Post: "Throughout the day [Monday], the White House grounds were filled with about 40,000 people [-- a record number to attend a White House Easter egg roll --] and brightly colored eggs, continuing a tradition that started in 1878. The day was cold and the event was delayed by 90 minutes because of the rain 00 unlike last year, when the weather was sunny and clear. Once again, this year's theme was 'EGGucation,' which focused on educational opportunities, in recognition of first lady Jill Biden's career as a teacher for more than 30 years.... The day's first activities were reserved for people with disabilities, which allowed families to maneuver the various stations without crowds." MB: I guess so many people showed up despite the bad weather because they were afraid that next year, the kids would have to pay with their lunch money for Trump-stamped eggs.

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "Speaker Mike Johnson has begun publicly laying out potential conditions for extending a fresh round of American military assistance to Ukraine, the strongest indication yet that he plans to push through the House a package that many Republicans view as toxic and have tried to block. His terms may include tying the aid for Kyiv to a measure that would force President Biden to reverse a moratorium on new permits for liquefied natural gas export facilities, something that Republicans would see as a political victory against the Democratic president's climate agenda. The move would also hand Mr. Johnson a powerful parochial win, unblocking a proposed export terminal in his home state of Louisiana that would be situated along a shipping channel that connects the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Charles."

The Trials of Trump & the Gang

How to Call Out a Bully. 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." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ 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 report has been updated to reflect Judge Merchan's ruling. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ 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." (Also linked yesterday.)

Adam Reiss, et al., of NBC News: "Former White House communications director Hope Hicks is expected to be a witness for the prosecution when the falsifying business records case against Donald Trump goes to trial in New York this month, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told NBC News on Monday. Hicks met for several hours last year with the Manhattan prosecutors who brought the case.... An attorney for Hicks said in 2019 that she'd been unaware of the hush money payment until it became public. But an FBI agent who'd been investigating [Michael] Cohen said in an affidavit for Cohen's federal criminal case that he believed Hicks was involved in the negotiations aimed at preventing [porn actress Stormy] Daniels from going public with her claim that she'd had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006."

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. (Also linked yesterday.) The AP report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Rachel Maddow reported on-air that the CEO of Knight is "a big Republican donor." ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "... between this rock-solid foundation for Trump's recent paper increase in net worth and his impeccable history of making his creditors whole I see nothing that could possibly go wrong."

Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "A federal appeals court has rejected another argument from former Trump adviser Peter Navarro, one of a series of recent legal losses that has the economist facing sanction for defying court orders even as he serves a four-month prison sentence for ignoring similar demands from Congress."

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. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Rob Wile of NBC News: "An auditor has raised doubts about the ability of ... Donald Trump's publicly traded company to stay in business, according to a new regulatory filing.... The filing includes a note from an independent accounting firm, Colorado-based BF Borgers CPA PC, warning that Trump Media's 'operating losses raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.' The firm has worked with Trump Media since 2022. The note is dated March 25, the day before Trump's company started trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the symbol DJT, surging at first and earning comparisons to so-called meme stocks." MB: Uh, shouldn't that note have been made public before suckers people started trading in DJT stock?? Obviously, insiders had the information before the stock opened on the Nasdaq.

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?

Alex Thompson of Axios: "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.... Targets would range from decades-old policies aimed at giving minorities economic opportunities, to more recent programs that began in response to the pandemic and the killing of George Floyd.... 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.'... In 2021, Miller's group successfully sued to block the implementation of a $29 billion pandemic-era program for women- and minority-owned restaurants, saying it discriminated against white-owned businesses.... The Heritage Foundation's well-funded 'Project 2025' envisions a second Trump administration ending what it calls 'affirmative discrimination.'" Thanks to RAS for the link. See also Akhilleus' commentary in yesterday's thread. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The DOJ and its civil rights division during the Trump administration championed a number of these pro-white policies. Maybe the Trumpies have a more comprehensive plan for a second Trump term.

Presidential Race. Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly advanced an argument Monday that President Biden poses a greater threat to democracy than Donald Trump, a comment that drew swift rebukes from several historians and experts. Kennedy, speaking to CNN's Erin Burnett on Monday night, criticized the Biden administration's push for social media companies to monitor their platforms for medical misinformation.... Kennedy claimed Biden was 'censoring me' and is 'weaponizing federal agencies.' He added that Trump -- who has alarmed some experts with rhetoric and stances they have compared to authoritarian leaders, plotted a more extreme second term and inspired his supporters to fight the results of an election he continues to falsely claim was stolen -- is not as significant a threat to democracy.... Biden's allies condemned Kennedy's attack and said it was an indication he is a 'spoiler candidate' who is spreading 'MAGA talking points.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is why you don't give nuts like RFK Jr. a national platform on CNN, Erin.

Philip Bump of the Washington Post: The right wing is outraged that two events can sometimes occur on the same day: in this case, Easter, because of the cycles of the moon, and Trans Day of Visibility because it's been March 31 since it was first celebrated in 2009. Bump notes, "(Biden, who attends church regularly, also included a reference to Jesus in his message. Trump -- did not.) The outrage, then, is not about Biden giving precedence to Trans Day of Visibility but that he had the gall to recognize it at all." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I see that next year, Easter will fall on April 20. That's also Hitler's birthday. I wonder which one Trump will prioritize, but I'm guessing that if you look very closely, you'll be able to make out an odd little orange mustache on the upper lip of the Orange Jesus.

Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post: "Unapologetic racism is back, thanks to the anything-goes MAGA permission structure and the echo-chamber amplification of social media. This fact was brought home on the morning of March 26, shortly after a massive cargo ship struck and collapsed the iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge spanning the entrance to Baltimore harbor. Mayor Brandon Scott, who had raced to the scene, went before television cameras to give an update on the 'unthinkable tragedy,' as any mayor would have done. But Scott is African American -- and for MAGA trolls on X, Elon Musk's social media platform, that means he can't be seen as just any mayor. 'This is Baltimore's DEI mayor commenting on the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge,' one such troll posted, along with a clip of Scott's remarks, to his more than 275,000 followers. 'It's going to get so, so much worse. Prepare accordingly.' 'DEI' is shorthand for diversity, equity and inclusion. For decades..., those concepts have been lauded in our public discourse as virtues. For the unhinged far right, however, 'DEI' has come to mean 'any Black or Brown person who holds a position of authority that we think should have gone to a White man.'"

Perry Stein of the Washington Post: "A federal judge rejected more than a half-dozen requests from Hunter Biden's attorneys arguing that the nine-count criminal tax case against him should be dismissed.... The rejections mean that the president's son will probably head to trial in Los Angeles unless he strikes a deal with prosecutors on the three felony and six misdemeanor tax charges. Scarsi has already scheduled the trial to start in June -- right in the middle of President Biden's reelection campaign. Hunter Biden is also scheduled to go to trial that same month in a separate federal case in Delaware on gun charges."

~~~~~~~~~~

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." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I heard someone say on TV that a young woman who needs an abortion will have to drive all the way to Virginia to get one. Depending upon what part of Florida she lives in, that will be a very long day's drive.

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." (Also linked yesterday.)

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." (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Tuesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israel announced an independent investigation into a strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in a strike in Gaza. The food aid nonprofit blamed the Israel Defense Forces and said it was immediately pausing its operations in the region, saying Tuesday victims included dual citizen of the United States and Canada, nationals from Australia, Poland and the United Kingdom, and at least one Palestinian worker. Israel described the deaths as 'tragic' but did not say it was responsible.... The United Nations is planning a mission to Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital as soon as it can gain access, Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the U.N. secretary general, said Monday. The Israel Defense Forces said it has pulled back from the hospital after a roughly two-week-long siege that left the sprawling medical campus in ruins." ~~~

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

Farnaz Fassihi, et al., of the New York Times: "At least three senior commanders and four officers overseeing Iran's covert operations in the Middle East were killed on Monday when Israeli warplanes struck a building in Damascus that is part of the Iranian Embassy complex, according to Iranian and Syrian officials. The strike in Damascus, the Syrian capital, appeared to be among the deadliest attacks in a yearslong shadow war between Israel and Iran that has included the assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists. That covert war has moved into the open as tensions between the countries have intensified over Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, the Iranian-backed militia that led the Oct. 7 attack on Israel."

Daniel Victor & Natasha Frost of the New York Times: "International aid workers from World Central Kitchen, a disaster relief nonprofit that has become a source of food for desperate Gazans, were killed in an airstrike in Gaza, according to José Andrés, the chef who founded the organization. Mr. Andrés said on the X that 'several of our sisters and brothers' were killed in the airstrike, which was reported late Monday in Deir al-Balah, a city in central Gaza. He said the Israeli military had carried out the strike, though that could not be immediately confirmed. The Israeli military said in a statement early Tuesday that it was 'conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.'"

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." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Ledes

Washington Post: "A 7.4 magnitude earthquake, followed by several strong aftershocks, struck off the east coast of Taiwan Wednesday morning, damaging buildings, causing landslides and prompting tsunami warnings in both Taiwan and Japan."

New York Times: "Lou Conter, the last known survivor of the battleship Arizona, which sank with the loss of 1,177 sailors and Marines in Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, plunging the United States into World War II, died on Monday at his home in Grass Valley, Calif. He was 102." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: When Lou was a young man, he would have read about many Civil War soldiers who were still living; I can remember reading about a few when I was just learning to read the front page of the newspaper. And those Civil War soldiers would have been around to read about the contemporaneous deaths of some Revolutionary War soldiers. We are a young country.

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.”