The newsletter starts tonight with enormous gratitude to folks in the courtroom, reporters and lawyers, who are live-blogging and tweeting the first criminal trial of Donald Trump. It’s ridiculous that the former president is on trial and Americans can’t watch, or at least listen to, the trial in real time. I have strong views about the damage done by excluding all but a very few people from access to the courtroom during this most important of trials, so I’m grateful to the people who are sitting in and recording their impressions and the proceedings so we can follow along. If you’re looking for some good follows:
Thank you Joyce for your comprehensive synopsis of this first day. One of our substack members, Gloria Horton-Young has written a poem for us (posted below) on the topic of Trump's falling asleep in the courtroom today. I'm posting it below. Enjoy!
Increasing, as reports of Trump failure to stay awake were documented, you see the degenerate intent of the masters of the Republican Party. What better figurehead than one who will willingly - or dementedly - guarantee to accede to whatever policies the donor elite want? A catastrophic prospect.
Thank you once again Joyce. I took a peek at some of the headlines today and tuned into a couple of cable channels to get the drift of what happened today.
I have one bone to pick with the Washington Post when it comes to their reporting on the jury selection. I'll name the reporter. It's David Nakamura. There appears to be a newer piece after the problem reporting that I'll discuss in a second. The headline of the newer piece is "Trump comes face-to-face with prospective jurors, anonymous to public". In this piece he seems to take care in describing some of the jurors, noting that "But the opening day of jury selection sounded more like the prospective jurors were reciting their dating app profiles than sounding off about their partisan views of Trump."
However, earlier in the day, as the Washington Post wass doing live updates, some specifically from Mr. Nalamura, he described more than one juror information about the neighborhood where they lived, who they worked for, and what their spouse did for a living. It seemed clear to me to be enough information for a zealous tracker to identify the exact person. One was noted to be a prosecutor in the Bronx and another was noted as working at a bookseller, where the name of the bookshop was shown.
I just went back to find these specific instances, and thankfully, the Post has provided the following statement above all of the live updates and has edited the information to be a bit less specific:
CLARIFICATION
Several posts have been updated to remove specific information about where prospective jurors work, which was detailed in open court.
When I saw what I had seen earlier, I wrote directly to Mr. Nakamura to point out the issue. It seems that through one or more others pointing this out, the Post made the appropriate updates.
It was a fascinating day! Thank you for tying it all together this evening!
I will only have three opportunities tomorrow during the school day to check in! I’ll be excited to get in my car and head home so I can catch up on all the highlights!
He’s fucked. In the photos I saw of him today at court in Manhattan he looks old and tired and flaccid and sick. And it’s only day one.
Nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide. Every day. All day. He has to sit through the endless tedium of routine courtroom procedures. With his mouth shut. Three weeks to pick a jury. And then weeks of “betrayal “ by people who once revered him. And he can’t campaign. His physical presence in court is required. He gets 60 seconds to bleat on the courthouse steps about the galactic injustice of it all, but he looks evermore diminished, weak, and powerless. This is shrinking him. G
He’s suddenly The Wizard. Not powerful at all, but a sham, a puny man behind a fearsome fačade.
A popular, cautionary quote recently was “A clown with a flamethrower still has a flamethrower.” A corollary is finally emerging. “A clown with a flamethrower is still a clown.”
I saw all that in his face today. He’s hiding it as best he can. But he’s fucked … and he knows it.
I am very pessimistic that Trump will be found guilty in this trial or in any of the others. All it takes is for Trump supporters in the jury pool to masquerade as ideal open-minded jurists. They would blatantly lie on the questionnaire and during oral questioning by the attorneys, ensuring at least one of them will be chosen. Then, they would refuse to convict, causing a mistrial and a big political win for Trump. The odds of this occurring for at least one jurist are virtually 100% in my mind. What say you?
I think trump should have one of his SS detail bring a nice comfy Mr. Pillow pillow with them each day of the trial. Let him get nice and comfy because the ride is going to get bumpy as soon as the jury is impaneled. Or, they could bring some toothpicks to keep his eyelids propped open, and maybe a napkin to wear under his mouth to catch any droppings during the day. I know, yuck! But, Joyce is correct, not a good look for anyone who desires to run the country into the ground like trump does. Sounds like Judge Merchan is doing is level best to get things underway; I wish him much good will. It will be more difficult once the prosecution starts putting on their case. Btw, if you want to see a scary movie, go see Civil War, which we saw today. It scared us plenty, but all of us who fear a trump Presidency should see it. I yield back my time.
I’m going in but not now. I need to drive to New Haven from Hartford, the take the Metro North at 4 AM to Grand Central then the number 6 subway to Court then wait. If they approve my photo press credentials I’m in if not, I fight with the spectator class. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll get a few entries for my book. I’m there to promote my book of course.
When the juror questions were made public, I read through them as if I had to answer them. I don't think my answers would thrill trump's side. It would be hard not to have bias when you hate everything about a person as much as I do.
This is going to be so interesting, watching it all play out.
I'm also anxious for the SCOTUS arguments this week and next.
1. How does the judge's decision to deny Trump's renewed motion to recuse align with legal obligations and ethical guidelines for judges in similar situations?
2. In what ways might Trump's lawyers' tactics, such as filing motions they know they are likely to lose, be setting the stage for potential issues on appeal if Trump is convicted?
3. How does the judge's ruling on the admissibility of evidence related to the National Enquirer's "catch and kill" practices and Trump's alleged affairs balance the relevance and potential prejudice of such evidence?
4. What factors might the judge consider when deciding whether to hold Trump in contempt for potential violations of the gag order, and how might the timing of the show-cause hearing impact the trial proceedings?
5. How might the judge strike a balance between holding Trump accountable for his behavior and avoiding the appearance of bias or creating grounds for appeal based on prejudice?
6. What implications might Trump's apparent lack of focus and nodding off during the trial proceedings have on public perception of his fitness for office, and how might this behavior be viewed differently compared to similar actions by other political figures?
7. How does the high number of prospective jurors excused for inability to be fair and impartial reflect the challenges of selecting an unbiased jury in a high-profile case involving a polarizing figure like Donald Trump?
8. What strategies might Trump's lawyers employ when questioning Michael Cohen's credibility based on his prior federal conviction, while avoiding the suggestion that Trump is also guilty of related crimes?
Day One. Delays seem to be over but now his attorneys are looking for appeals if/when they lose.
What a crew!!!!
Thank goodness Judge Merchan “continues to make legal rulings that will be defensible on appeal.”
Next Wednesday will be violation of gag orders. IMO trump will continues his texts and speeches. It is all being recorded. Should be interesting and I’m hopeful it will be a penalty of not just a few thousand dollars.
Just deciding on a jury seems like it will be long. Day one trump had to take a snoozer. Sleepy don trying to impress potential jurists.
Thank you, Joyce for sharing information and your input.
Y'all have to cut the guy some slack on the sleepy thing; first of all, there are the late night tweets. Maybe the muse doesn't strike until after midnight, no? Then, there's the early morning wake-up call to renew the make up, the spray-on tan and the famous comb-over, choosing the costume (Shall I wear this red, or no, that red tie?) before heading out the door. Then, depending on where he's staying, there could be a commute into Manhattan as well. I know I'd be bleary-eyed if I had to keep up that kind of schedule.
Thank you Joyce for your comprehensive synopsis of this first day. One of our substack members, Gloria Horton-Young has written a poem for us (posted below) on the topic of Trump's falling asleep in the courtroom today. I'm posting it below. Enjoy!
Freefall
by Gloria Horton-Young, 4-15-2024
Oh, the irony! The man
who once mocked "Sleepy Joe"
Now can't keep his own
eyes open, don't you
know?
"Sleepy Don," they'll call him,
as he dozes off in
court
While facing charges for
his sleazy Stormy payoff,
the wart
•
He's nodding off, his jaw
goes slack, his mind's a
blur
Can't even focus on his
lawyer's notes, the cur
If he can't stay awake
when his own fate is on
the line
How can we trust him with
the nation's fate, the
swine?
•
But wait, there's more!
The moron speaks
in tongues
Spewing gibberish on the
campaign trail, his brain's unstrung
"Adlinthin," he says, a
word that's not a word at
all
Just like his presidency, a
farce, a
freefall
•
And let's not forget his
blatant disregard
For the gag order, calling
witnesses "sleazeballs,"
the lard
He can't control himself,
his ego knows no bounds
The prosecutors seek to
hold him in contempt, the
clown
•
The judge must find a way
to make him pay
Without fueling his cries
of "political foul play"
Hit him where it hurts,
right in his bloated wallet
That'll shut him up, the
babbling, blithering varlet
•
Day one, and Trump's
already in a world of
trouble
Creating chaos, making
his own bubble
But for the rest of us,
it's a glimmer of hope
Watching the Orange
Menace finally on the rope
•
So, let the trial unfold, let
justice have its day
As "Sleepy Don" faces the
music, the price he'll pay
For his lies, his greed, his
utter lack of grace
A fitting end for a man
who's a disgrace.
Some of those who said they couldn’t be fair may be people who actually were just afraid to be jurors on a Trump trial.
Favorite quip from Xitter:
“Don Snorleone”
Increasing, as reports of Trump failure to stay awake were documented, you see the degenerate intent of the masters of the Republican Party. What better figurehead than one who will willingly - or dementedly - guarantee to accede to whatever policies the donor elite want? A catastrophic prospect.
Thank you Joyce. We are lucky to have your explanation every evening🙏🏼⚖️☮️
Thank you once again Joyce. I took a peek at some of the headlines today and tuned into a couple of cable channels to get the drift of what happened today.
I have one bone to pick with the Washington Post when it comes to their reporting on the jury selection. I'll name the reporter. It's David Nakamura. There appears to be a newer piece after the problem reporting that I'll discuss in a second. The headline of the newer piece is "Trump comes face-to-face with prospective jurors, anonymous to public". In this piece he seems to take care in describing some of the jurors, noting that "But the opening day of jury selection sounded more like the prospective jurors were reciting their dating app profiles than sounding off about their partisan views of Trump."
However, earlier in the day, as the Washington Post wass doing live updates, some specifically from Mr. Nalamura, he described more than one juror information about the neighborhood where they lived, who they worked for, and what their spouse did for a living. It seemed clear to me to be enough information for a zealous tracker to identify the exact person. One was noted to be a prosecutor in the Bronx and another was noted as working at a bookseller, where the name of the bookshop was shown.
I just went back to find these specific instances, and thankfully, the Post has provided the following statement above all of the live updates and has edited the information to be a bit less specific:
CLARIFICATION
Several posts have been updated to remove specific information about where prospective jurors work, which was detailed in open court.
When I saw what I had seen earlier, I wrote directly to Mr. Nakamura to point out the issue. It seems that through one or more others pointing this out, the Post made the appropriate updates.
It was a fascinating day! Thank you for tying it all together this evening!
I will only have three opportunities tomorrow during the school day to check in! I’ll be excited to get in my car and head home so I can catch up on all the highlights!
I’m thankful to everyone on here that indeed
we ARE indeed in this together! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
He’s fucked. In the photos I saw of him today at court in Manhattan he looks old and tired and flaccid and sick. And it’s only day one.
Nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide. Every day. All day. He has to sit through the endless tedium of routine courtroom procedures. With his mouth shut. Three weeks to pick a jury. And then weeks of “betrayal “ by people who once revered him. And he can’t campaign. His physical presence in court is required. He gets 60 seconds to bleat on the courthouse steps about the galactic injustice of it all, but he looks evermore diminished, weak, and powerless. This is shrinking him. G
He’s suddenly The Wizard. Not powerful at all, but a sham, a puny man behind a fearsome fačade.
A popular, cautionary quote recently was “A clown with a flamethrower still has a flamethrower.” A corollary is finally emerging. “A clown with a flamethrower is still a clown.”
I saw all that in his face today. He’s hiding it as best he can. But he’s fucked … and he knows it.
I am very pessimistic that Trump will be found guilty in this trial or in any of the others. All it takes is for Trump supporters in the jury pool to masquerade as ideal open-minded jurists. They would blatantly lie on the questionnaire and during oral questioning by the attorneys, ensuring at least one of them will be chosen. Then, they would refuse to convict, causing a mistrial and a big political win for Trump. The odds of this occurring for at least one jurist are virtually 100% in my mind. What say you?
Every time I read your closing Joyce, "we are in this together," I feel a calm come over me 💙
I think trump should have one of his SS detail bring a nice comfy Mr. Pillow pillow with them each day of the trial. Let him get nice and comfy because the ride is going to get bumpy as soon as the jury is impaneled. Or, they could bring some toothpicks to keep his eyelids propped open, and maybe a napkin to wear under his mouth to catch any droppings during the day. I know, yuck! But, Joyce is correct, not a good look for anyone who desires to run the country into the ground like trump does. Sounds like Judge Merchan is doing is level best to get things underway; I wish him much good will. It will be more difficult once the prosecution starts putting on their case. Btw, if you want to see a scary movie, go see Civil War, which we saw today. It scared us plenty, but all of us who fear a trump Presidency should see it. I yield back my time.
I’m going in but not now. I need to drive to New Haven from Hartford, the take the Metro North at 4 AM to Grand Central then the number 6 subway to Court then wait. If they approve my photo press credentials I’m in if not, I fight with the spectator class. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll get a few entries for my book. I’m there to promote my book of course.
Thank you Joyce.
When the juror questions were made public, I read through them as if I had to answer them. I don't think my answers would thrill trump's side. It would be hard not to have bias when you hate everything about a person as much as I do.
This is going to be so interesting, watching it all play out.
I'm also anxious for the SCOTUS arguments this week and next.
I have questions.
1. How does the judge's decision to deny Trump's renewed motion to recuse align with legal obligations and ethical guidelines for judges in similar situations?
2. In what ways might Trump's lawyers' tactics, such as filing motions they know they are likely to lose, be setting the stage for potential issues on appeal if Trump is convicted?
3. How does the judge's ruling on the admissibility of evidence related to the National Enquirer's "catch and kill" practices and Trump's alleged affairs balance the relevance and potential prejudice of such evidence?
4. What factors might the judge consider when deciding whether to hold Trump in contempt for potential violations of the gag order, and how might the timing of the show-cause hearing impact the trial proceedings?
5. How might the judge strike a balance between holding Trump accountable for his behavior and avoiding the appearance of bias or creating grounds for appeal based on prejudice?
6. What implications might Trump's apparent lack of focus and nodding off during the trial proceedings have on public perception of his fitness for office, and how might this behavior be viewed differently compared to similar actions by other political figures?
7. How does the high number of prospective jurors excused for inability to be fair and impartial reflect the challenges of selecting an unbiased jury in a high-profile case involving a polarizing figure like Donald Trump?
8. What strategies might Trump's lawyers employ when questioning Michael Cohen's credibility based on his prior federal conviction, while avoiding the suggestion that Trump is also guilty of related crimes?
Day One. Delays seem to be over but now his attorneys are looking for appeals if/when they lose.
What a crew!!!!
Thank goodness Judge Merchan “continues to make legal rulings that will be defensible on appeal.”
Next Wednesday will be violation of gag orders. IMO trump will continues his texts and speeches. It is all being recorded. Should be interesting and I’m hopeful it will be a penalty of not just a few thousand dollars.
Just deciding on a jury seems like it will be long. Day one trump had to take a snoozer. Sleepy don trying to impress potential jurists.
Thank you, Joyce for sharing information and your input.
Y'all have to cut the guy some slack on the sleepy thing; first of all, there are the late night tweets. Maybe the muse doesn't strike until after midnight, no? Then, there's the early morning wake-up call to renew the make up, the spray-on tan and the famous comb-over, choosing the costume (Shall I wear this red, or no, that red tie?) before heading out the door. Then, depending on where he's staying, there could be a commute into Manhattan as well. I know I'd be bleary-eyed if I had to keep up that kind of schedule.