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Created
Sat, 05/08/2023 - 23:00
Trump plays ‘chicken’ with the court U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya might as well have warned a toddler in a highchair not to throw his spoon onto the floor … again. During Donald Trump’s first court appearance Thursday on Jan. 6 conspiracy charges, Upadhyaya issued a stern (and unusual) warning to the accused before releasing him on bond: “It is a crime to try to influence a juror or to threaten or attempt to bribe a witness or any other person who may have information about your case, or to retaliate against anyone for providing information about your case to the prosecution, or to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice. Do you understand these warnings and consequences, sir?” Trump replied in the affirmative, just as he had before the world on Jan. 20, 2017, when he swore to “faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States” and to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” We know how that worked out. Violation of those conditions could lead to Trump’s being held until trial and could add to his sentence if convicted, Upadhyaya warned.
Created
Sun, 06/08/2023 - 02:00
“What we’re trying to do is identify the pockets of independence and seize them,” This is the Trump agenda. Nothing else really matters. And there are many, many Republican voters who are all in with him on this: DONALD TRUMP IS a long, long way from winning the GOP primary, let alone retaking the White House. But he always has revenge on his mind, and his allies are preparing to use a future administration to not only undo all of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s work — but to take vengeance on Smith, and on virtually everyone else, who dared investigate Trump during his time out of power. Rosters full of MAGAfied lawyers are being assembled. Plans are being laid for an entire new office of the Justice Department dedicated to “election integrity.” An assembly line is being prepared of revenge-focused “special counsels” and “special prosecutors.” Gameplans for making Smith’s life hell, starting in Jan. 2025, have already been discussed with Trump himself.
Created
Sun, 06/08/2023 - 05:00
It’s early, but it’s worth thinking about this anyway. I assume you’ve already read or heard about the NY Times poll this week which has everyone scared to death that Donald Trump will win again in 2024. (I would just say that people need to remember that almost every re-elected incumbent was very unpopular at this stage of the campaign. It’s the normal dynamic.) This discussion with the pollster Nate Cohn is instructive about the possible advantages for Biden and also the possible roadblocks, one of which is terrifying to me: Michael Barbaro: … [G]iven that at this moment he’s tied with Trump at 43 percent of the electorate that was polled here, that leaves us with about 14% of the general election voters who seem up for grabs. So what can you tell us about that group of people?  Nate Cohn: Well, the main thing that characterizes this group is that they don’t like either of these candidates, but to be honest they’re not a bad group for Democrats on paper, and they’re not a bad group for Joe Biden.  On paper, this is a group that’s disproportionately young.
Created
Sun, 06/08/2023 - 00:30
Share and enjoy NC state Rep. Lindsey Prather (D), a former educator, caught my attention this morning with this post from Houston. If you did not know the name Lauren Ashley before. Remember it now. “This woman needs to run for office. I’ll donate to her campaign and get my friends to do the same,” responded substacker Charlotte Clymer. That’s Mike Miles whom Ashley is castigating. He is the recently state-appointed Houston schools supertintendent. Because as in many other GOP-controlled states, democracy is optional in Texas. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) of frozen constituents, no water breaks for construction workers, and dead bodies in floating razor wire barriers fame took over the Houston Independent School System (HISD) in March: After a prolonged legal battle and weeks of speculation, the Texas Education Agency on Wednesday confirmed it’s removing Houston Independent School District’s democratically elected school board and superintendent, effectively putting the state in charge of its largest school district.