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April 17, 2024
YouGov poll: 57% of Americans -- a new high -- say Trump's alleged crimes are 'serious' as hush money trial begins
(Yahoo News) As the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president kicks off this week in Manhattan, more Americans than ever before (57%) say the underlying crimes that defendant Donald Trump has been charged with — “falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to a porn star” — are “serious,” according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll. That number is up six percentage points from the last time Yahoo News and YouGov asked about the hush money case, in December 2023.
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Democrats keep control of the Michigan house after key special elections
(Detroit News) Democrats regained their narrow 56-54 majority in the Michigan House after capturing two special elections in Metro Detroit on Tuesday. Macomb County Commissioner Mai Xiong and Westland City Councilman Peter Herzberg, both Democrats, led their opponent by wide margins in unofficial results in House Districts 13 and 25 late Tuesday. The wins were largely expected in the Metro Detroit districts, but lauded nonetheless by the state and national Democratic parties, the Biden-Harris campaign and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Caucus.
Go to discussionFacing a Republican revolt, House Speaker Johnson's plan for US aid to Ukraine, allies uncertain
(AP) Defiant and determined, House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed back Tuesday against mounting Republican anger over his proposed U.S. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, and rejected a call to step aside or risk a vote to oust him from office. “I am not resigning,” Johnson said after a testy morning meeting of fellow House Republicans at the Capitol.
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The Joy of Making Trump Listen to Mean Tweets About Himself
(Daily Beast) In his historic New York criminal trial, former President Donald Trump faces the prospect of some very real punishments—including fines and even prison time. But in court in Manhattan on Tuesday, the former president was subjected to a different kind of punishment that seemed almost expressly designed to torment him: He had to sit silently as mean tweets about him were read aloud.
Go to discussionTrump Makes It Kind of Impossible to Be an 'Impartial' Juror
(Daily Beast) Trump understands our judicial system better than most, having spent his entire career suing and being sued. The man has probably spent more time in courtrooms than Judge Judy. So when he complains that he is being unfairly targeted by overzealous prosecutors and compromised judges, he understands the prejudicial effects of his words. Trump understands that the only person undermining the legitimacy of the proceedings is Trump.
Go to discussionTrump prosecution could have happened years ago - Barr's Justice Department looked into hush-money saga, then it stopped
(New Republic) Why didn’t the Department of Justice at least investigate (it has a policy against prosecuting a sitting president) the crime it put Cohen in prison for but was possibly directed by, paid for, and also committed by Donald Trump? For one possible answer let’s turn to Geoffrey Berman, the lifelong Republican and U.S. attorney appointed by Trump to run the prosecutor’s office at the Southern District of New York. He wrote the book Holding the Line, published in September 2022, about his experiences.
Go to discussionAZ-SEN: US Republican Kari Lake tells supporters: 'Strap on a Glock' as election nears
(Reuters) Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, an ardent supporter of former president Donald Trump, urged supporters in Arizona to "strap on a Glock" pistol as they prepare for what she called an intense six months leading up to the Nov. 5 elections. "We are going to put on the armor of God. Then maybe strap on a Glock," Lake told a cheering audience at an Arizona rally on Sunday. "You can put one (Glock) here," she said, touching her right hip. "And one in the back, or one in the front, whatever you guys decide."
Go to discussionTrump's Mar-a-Lago fundraising pitch to oil executives: I will kill wind
(Washington Post) Former president Donald Trump repeatedly ranted about wind power during a fundraising dinner with oil and gas industry executives last week, falsely claiming that the renewable-energy source is unreliable, unattractive and bad for the environment. “I hate wind,” Trump told the executives over a meal of chopped steak at his Mar-a-Lago Club and resort in Florida, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation.
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