Trump Fumes, the Dead Worm in RFK, Jr.'s Brain, and the College Protests
Plus, the situations in Gaza
There is so much going on right now, but the Stormy Daniels testimony yesterday finally elevated Trump’s criminal trial over the quieting (for now) college protests. Daniels went into great detail — arguably, too much detail because there’s a slight possibility it can create grounds for appeal — and left the former President fuming. It was not described as a flattering sexual encounter. Still, there were too many details for anyone to credibly believe it didn’t happen, as Trump’s defense has repeatedly argued (though no one believes it). It probably didn’t help Trump, either, that the jury (and the public) heard that he has reportedly not shared a bed with his wife, Melania, in nearly two decades.
Trump is getting knocked around in court, and he doesn’t have control of the situation, which is the last place a bully wants to be.
It’s unclear if any of it will matter. The sexual encounter with the former President is at the center of the criminal case, but the details are not particularly relevant to the crimes. Meanwhile, there’s nothing here that the American public probably doesn’t already know. I wish cameras were allowed in the courtroom to see Trump fume, though.
Meanwhile, here’s another reminder of what’s at stake in this election. Trump keeps talking about the rule of law, but the Trump-appointed judge overseeing the classified documents case, Aileen M. Cannon, has delayed that trial indefinitely. Cannon pushed the trial back because decisions have not been made on several pre-trial motions, but they’re decisions that <I>she</i> is supposed to make. The trial is almost certainly not going to happen before the election. If Trump wins, there’s a real danger that he will corruptly use the powers of the Presidency to imprison the special prosecutor Jack Smith for treason or something along those lines. Trump’s second term is all about revenge, and I’m terrified of what he will try to do, up to and including baselessly throwing Joe Biden and/or Hillary Clinton in prison.
That’s not the only Trump-appointed judge problem. Thirteen Trump-appointed judges have vowed not to hire any graduates of Columbia University because of the way the school has handled the Gaza protests.
“As judges who hire law clerks every year to serve in the federal judiciary, we have lost confidence in Columbia as an institution of higher education. Columbia has instead become an incubator of bigotry. As a result, Columbia has disqualified itself from educating the future leaders of our country,” a letter written by the 13 judges states.
Judges are supposed to be politically impartial, and that’s the opposite of that. Agree or disagree with the protests; it’s ridiculous to punish every graduate because a few are protesting at the same college.
Speaking of Gaza, things are not going well there. Israel has begun its campaign in Rafah, where a million Palestinians have sought refuge from bombing in the northern parts of Gaza. The invasion has the potential to be even deadlier than what became before it, and that has rightfully pissed off some Democrats, who have grown increasingly frustrated with Israel’s action.
To Biden’s credit, he did at least delay two arms shipments to Israel, which is meant to represent a “shot across the bow” to Israel over its invasion of Rafah. It’s unclear if the Administration will do anything beyond that.
The whole situation is politically perilous for Biden. He gave a forceful speech on Holocaust Remembrance Day condemning the growing antisemitism in the United States, which was appreciated. However, Biden is not showing the same concern for the lives of Palestinians or the concerns about rising Islamophobia in the United States. I’m sure it’s a very naively West Wing thing to say, but in a politically no-win situation, why not just … do the right thing?
To wit: The police never should’ve been used to shut down protests. The police should’ve been used to protect protestors but also be present to guard against violent incidents and ensure that Jewish students can go to class without being harassed. Police officers should be bouncers, not SWAT teams. Had they acted appropriately from the beginning, the situation would not spiraled into what it has become. After all, when it’s a Nazi parade, the police never seem to have a problem protecting their First Amendment rights.
Elsewhere, RFK, Jr. says that about a decade ago, doctors found a dead parasitic worm in his brain. He doesn’t seem to think the worm — or the mercury poisoning he suffered around the same time — has had any ill effect on his health, although he acknowledged at the time that the dead worm had caused cognitive problems.
“I have cognitive problems, clearly,” he said in the 2012 deposition. “I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me.”
No one thinks that the increasingly bizarre things that RFK has said and believed in the years since have anything to do with the worm that was eating his brain. No one? What if that worm ate all his common sense? Anyone think about that?
I do want to end on a positive note: Biden will unveil a $3.3 billion Microsoft investment in Wisconsin today, in the same city where a $10 billion investment Trump promised never fully materialized. It’s going to create thousands of jobs and bring in a lot of money. And the thing about the 2024 election is this: Only five or states actually matter, and Wisconsin is one of them. This is one of the perks of incumbency: Flooding swing states with pork. Now do Michigan!
After all, when it’s a Nazi parade, the police never seem to have a problem protecting their First Amendment rights.
This. All day long, this because the cops are on the side of the Nazis. Back the Blue my ass.
Cannon delaying the trial indefinitely might just be the most maddening development. This is the case with the best chance of conviction. McConnell blocking the nomination of Garland to the Supreme Court continues to bite us in the ass as is it led to him being appointed Attorney General. He sure seemed to be dragging his feet in indicting Agolf Twitler. Getting that judge didn't help but this should have happened much sooner.