From TPM Reader JS …
Continue reading “Who Is On Trial Here?”I’m getting so enraged by all of these headlines in the NYT and WaPo that claim this is “bad for Biden” or a “test for the rule of law.’ No.
Trump and the Clown-Wowza Reality Distortion Field
I sort of held my tongue through most of the revelations and hijinks yesterday. I will share some thoughts later on the particulars of the indictment. (You can do no better than reading Josh Kovensky’s global wrap-up here.) But for now I wanted to share one thought.
That is the sheer ordinariness of the whole story. That may seem like an odd thing to say: ex-President facing multiple federal felony indictments for the first time ever, the bizarre details of this antic clown’s Florida Villa-cum-Hotel stuffed with banker’s boxes of classified documents, the bathroom chandelier, the power glitz jammed together with gaudy dime store aesthetic. But we grant Trump too much by lavishing, wearying too much in the purported weightiness of the moment. It’s very normal. Yes, powerful people get away with a lot. But if you commit crimes repeatedly and brazenly you’re very likely to get charged with one or more crimes, particularly if you’re in the public spotlight.
Continue reading “Trump and the Clown-Wowza Reality Distortion Field”How Baseless Anti-Trans Claims Fuel ‘Crime-Control Theater,’ And The Adoption Of Harmful Laws
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at The Conversation.
It has been seven years since North Carolina made headlines for enacting a “bathroom bill” — legislation intended to prevent transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.
Continue reading “How Baseless Anti-Trans Claims Fuel ‘Crime-Control Theater,’ And The Adoption Of Harmful Laws “Now We Know: Trump Went On A Big Rant The Day After Receiving His Target Letter
Donald Trump received his target letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith in the Mar-a-Lago case way back on May 19. The very next day, Trump went on a very specific Truth Social rant spree.
Continue reading “Now We Know: Trump Went On A Big Rant The Day After Receiving His Target Letter”MAGA Republicans Sound Alarm On AI Campaign Ads Only After DeSantis Posted Fake Trump Pics
MAGA Republicans — who have been largely quiet around the dangers posed by artificial intelligence technology when it comes to the upcoming elections — might be jumping on the anti-AI bandwagon – but only after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) presidential campaign posted what appears to be a partially AI-generated ad this week, attacking former President Donald Trump.
Continue reading “MAGA Republicans Sound Alarm On AI Campaign Ads Only After DeSantis Posted Fake Trump Pics”Trump Indicted On 37 Counts In Mar-a-Lago Probe
The federal indictment against former President Donald Trump — the first against a former president in U.S. history — was unsealed Friday afternoon, revealing that Trump faces 37 separate counts, including willful retention of national defense information, false statements, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Continue reading “Trump Indicted On 37 Counts In Mar-a-Lago Probe”As Bad As It Gets: Trump Led Comically Corrupt Attempt To Keep And Hide Classified Info
President Donald Trump had to hold onto the reams of classified documents he took with him — at any cost, and in any place.
Continue reading “As Bad As It Gets: Trump Led Comically Corrupt Attempt To Keep And Hide Classified Info”Progress Report
Obviously we didn’t anticipate that Trump would be indicted by federal prosecutors on the second day of our critical TPM Journalism Fund drive. So we’re focused on covering every dimension of this story while still doing everything we can to hit the number we need to make. We are off to a solid start, which is awesome and a great relief. But we’ve still got quite a ways to go. As of this morning we’re move than a third of the way there, roughly $180,000. (Thank you!) It would be great to get to the halfway point going into the weekend or as close as we can get to that milestone. If you have a moment this afternoon, wonderful. The link is right here.
Late Update: And more news (indictment unsealed). Think of it as classic fundraiser interference, with Trump deliberately seeking to hurt TPM.
Resist the Drama
It’s hard not to feel a sense of the weightiness of this moment. But it’s worth resisting that feeling, stepping back from it. It grants Trump too much. If you brazenly commit crimes again and again there’s a good chance you’ll get charged with a crime. That’s normal and commonplace. It is as predictable as night following day, the order of the seasons. This case doesn’t even include the constitutional wrinkles of judging actions as head of state. These are alleged crimes Trump committed as an ordinary citizen: theft of government documents, obstruction of justice, lying to federal agents.
Continue reading “Resist the Drama”Supreme Court’s Alabama Decision Already Affecting Case That Could Shift Congressional Makeup
Ramifications from the Supreme Court’s surprise Thursday decision to preserve the Voting Rights Act’s protection against racial gerrymanders are already developing in a related case out of Georgia.
Continue reading “Supreme Court’s Alabama Decision Already Affecting Case That Could Shift Congressional Makeup”