Today has been one of those blockbuster days where you don't know quite where to look. For starters, we’re catching up with a decision by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that ends the use of noncompete agreements. A noncompete usually takes the form of a clause in a contract or a separate agreement that prohibits a departing employee from taking any job or starting any business that competes with their former employer for a specified period of time after the employment ends. The agreements also prevent the employee from revealing proprietary information or secrets to anyone else at any time.
The Idaho abortion challenge is extremely upsetting to me. It’s all so completely retro, not the values of a country that (used to be) looked up to. I have a lot of family residing in the US, mainly N. Carolina, Illinois, Nevada and Texas. I worry for everyone, but especially the girls and women. Residents of Idaho will die. Doctors in Idaho will be thrown in jail, and/or they will leave the state entirely.
Doctors in Idaho are leaving the state. And you can’t blame them. You really don’t want to be a woman of childbearing age in Idaho. It is maddening and very sad. The hospital in northern Idaho, Sandpoint, lost all of their OB Gyns last year and you can’t get obstetrical care unless you travel to Spokane, Wa. I used to live in Idaho, and am happy now to live in Oregon where women can make their own healthcare decisions, and medical providers are free to give the care needed.
I'm guessing it hasn't occurred to Republicans that the CURRENT president could do anything he wants to if this immunity case goes the way they want it to go.
Dead justices? A speaker arrested? Opponents of his bills detained until the votes go his way. The possibilities are horrifying to contemplate regardless of who holds the office.
It's mind boggling that ANYONE would think it a good idea.
With SO much going on, let’s all remember to take some time for ourselves. Get outside, work on a craft. I’m sure I’m not the only one who can get wrapped up in all this.
I’ve vowed that since Wednesday is no court, I’m going to water aerobics. I don’t watch the news on the weekends.
Like Joyce says, we’re all in this together so reach out to a friend if you need to.
If Donald Trump is not jailed, the country will not survive. Once again, I remind everyone of the similarity of the country’s position to 1930/31 Germany — Hitler could have been stopped once and for all, but the former chancellors, the present chancellor and the doddering imbecile President, von Hindenburg, dithered and blathered and, well, as they say, the rest is history. Oh, lest we forget, that history included WWII and the holocaust. There is little reason to think a second Trump presidency would turn out much better. INDICT. CONVICT. IMPRISON. DESTROY DONALD TRUMP.
It is entirely clear that the judge is going to hold Trump in contempt: The judge was quite explicit that Trump's lawyer was not responding to his questions, that his responses were not answering the judge's questions, and that Trump's lawyer was giving the judge neither facts nor law supporting their opposition. And it would be hard to see him granting less than the $1000 per violation that the prosecutors asked for -- the max possible yet a sum monetarily insignificant for one of Trump's wealth. I'm not sure that there was anything ambiguous about any of the claimed violations, and I imagine the judge would like to be able to show even-handedness. But at this point, I don't see him leaning over backward for Trump.
What will be interesting is just what the judge will say by way or warning regarding Trump's NEXT violation. Because everyone seems to understand (even though the defense is not acknowledging it) that Trump cannot be controlled by lawyers and won't be restrained by a court order. If it's taking longer than it might for the judge to rule, I'm sure it is because he is fashioning a VERY clear and well-reasoned opinion, carefully addressing Trump's supposed defenses and citing the violations in great detail . . . so that the basis is also very clear for more steps if and when Trump violates the order again.
As I read this judge, he knows he's going to have to jail Trump, reluctant though he may be to take that step, and is preparing the groundwork for that as carefully as possible. Sending Trump to prison, even during say the days trial is running for one week, would be a momentous historic event, and will give rise to quite a lot of hysteria. But I don't think there's any way for the judge to avoid it. It will be interesting to see just how he lays the groundwork, how he communicates to the country at large what's going on. Because that is also part of his job.
It's time to talk about Stormy Daniels, the broad who had the cojones to stand up to the big bad wolf himself, Donald Trump. This is a story about power, corruption, and the sick, twisted games that the rich and famous play with people's lives.
Stormy, she's no angel. She's a porn star, a dame who makes her dough in the seedy underbelly of the American dream. But when she got mixed up with Trump, she found herself in a whole new level of filth. The Donald, he's a man who thinks he can buy anything, even a woman's silence. And when he was finished with Stormy, he tried to discard her like yesterday's trash.
But Stormy, she wasn't going down without a fight. She battled, tooth and nail, against the legion of lawyers and fixers that Trump dispatched to muzzle her. She endured the insults, the death threats, the character assassination, and she kept on swinging. Because she knew that this wasn't just about her. It was about every woman who's ever been exploited and mistreated by a powerful man.
And now, as David Pecker takes the stand to spill his guts about the whole sordid affair, we're reminded once again of just how deep the decay goes. Pecker, he's a maggot, a bottom-feeder who made his living by peddling sleaze and scandal. He was in cahoots with Trump, helping him cover up his dirty deeds and silence his accusers. It's the kind of corruption that makes you want to take a long, hot shower and scrub yourself raw.
But Stormy, she's not retreating. She's still out there, fighting the good fight, speaking truth to power. She's a reminder that even in the face of overwhelming odds, one woman with enough moxie and determination can make a difference.
So as the sleazy details of this whole mess continue to seep out like pus from a festering wound, let's not forget the real hero of this story. Stormy Daniels, the broad who stood up to the beast and lived to tell the tale. In a world full of cowards and sycophants, she's a shining example of what it means to have true grit.
I'm sure that others have already come to the conclusion that I have just come to. But it has suddenly just dawned on me what Trump's flagrant disregard of the Court's gag order and his smears and clownish antics are really all about.
I now believe that his end game is not merely about taunting and baiting the judge into throwing him into jail so that he could hold himself out as a "political prisoner".
It's more basic than that. And it resembles the political version of the common "Mustard Distraction Scam" practiced by teams of 2 or more pickpockets. One of the group squirts mustard on their victim while the others pick his pockets.
Is Trump squirting us all with mustard to distract us from his hush-money criminal trial and his other crimes?
Last night on The Daily Show, there was a variety of skits parodying Trump's antics in violation of the Court's gag order. They were very funny until, at the end of the show, someone asked, "What case???"
Trump appears to taking a page out of the magician's manual by trying to get us to take our eye off the ball to focus on his antics.
I believe that the extract from the article below on the "Art of Distraction: How Magicians Manipulate Our Minds" could be serving as a blueprint for Trump to distract the electorate' from his "Catch & Kill" hush-money payments to his porn star flame, his attempted coup, his plot to use phony electors, his sexual molestation and defamations and his business frauds. By playing himself to the hilt as the loudmouth blowhard slandering witnesses, judges and even their children and taunting and baiting the judge to throw him in jail, Trump has been struggling to keep the spotlight on him and his vaudeville act and off all the crimes he's committed.
"The key principle employed by magicians is misdirection - guiding attention away from a secret action. It can be as simple as a magician waving one hand to draw attention away from what the other is doing. This exploits what is known as the 'spotlight theory' of attention, which posits that we can only fully concentrate on one thing at a time. When a magician guides our attentional spotlight away from their trick's method, they are free to execute their secret maneuvers without detection....[T]hese principles are closely related to the techniques used in persuasion, advertising, and even political propaganda..."
Hey everybody! Look over here. It's showtime, starring Donald J. Trump!!
Thanks for the Wednesday rundown, Joyce. BTW, what do you think of Glenn Kirschner's recent point that if Justice Merchan holds Trump in criminal contempt, that will mean Trump has also violated Judge Chutkan's conditions of release (not to commit a local, state, or federal crime), and while her proceedings have been stayed, that does not "divest" her court of jurisdiction "to enforce the measures it has already imposed to safeguard the integrity of these proceedings." IOW, she could revoke his pretrial release. Surely an unintended consequence when Trump thought he could just get away with paying a measly $10,000 sanction.
Thank you again, Joyce, for this comprehensive review of today’s activities. I read, with glee, about the convictions against the Republicans who tried to influence the election. Kudos to the AZ AG! What a dirty filthy group of people they are, thinking they could get away with this dastardly deed and all for one notoriously obnoxious bigot and consummate liar. Trump’s goose is cooking, as we speak, unless SCOTUS permits him immunity. I simply do not see that happening. What worries me is what this Court will decide re: the abortion issue. I didn’t burn my bra in the 70’s for nothing! Alito truly needs to be put out to pasture and Thomas needs to resign or be put in prison. Kavanaugh is pathetic while Barrett remains the wild card, in my opinion. Gorsuch isn’t worth giving the time of day to. I heard that Chief justice Roberts is very worried about the legacy of his court. He should be…it’s in shambles and he contributed a lot to it.
Check out an angle that Glenn Kirschner put forward earlier this evening. "Oooo. Oooo, Francis." If Judge Merchan finds Trump in contempt of court, Trump will have violated his conditions of release on the charge in DC about attempting to overturn the election and the government on 01-06-2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5_KNfvDVRk
I keep seeing discussions of incarcerating DJT if he continues to violate the gag order. Is there any reason why he could not just be put on house arrest in his 30,000 square foot condo (we know how big it really is). Who could object to that? Why not fit him with an ankle monitor to make sure he stays there? Not being able to attend rallies and golf dates would seriously hamper his movements and might even get his attention without the specter of a jail cell to fundraise from.
Thank you Joyce. You are a gleaming treasure in my inbox. I always look forward to words and pictures.
I live in Idaho. I used to work for Idaho in Session a few years ago which is kind of like Idaho's CSPAN. The reps here are unbelievable and even more head smacking now. The complete disregard for compassion and constituent needs, replaced by knee jerk ideocracy is astounding - flabbergasting!
Thanks for covering this. It's a long shot here, hoping for something resembling a balance. Kind of like hoping a sea gull will drop a fish on your head as you wander the desert.
One more day, so much happening. I will be listening to the comments from the lawyers and people covering the trial as it goes on. It is really too bad it isn't being televised. Thank you for filling us in ! You are a gem!
An Arizona Grand Jury has indicted 18 named Defendants, 11 Fake Electors detailing the Defendants' see-through cover story along with 7 Trump allies: Mark Meadows, Rudy, Eastman & others including JENNA ELLIS. Ellis has already pled guilty in the Georgia Rico case & reasoned deduction indicates Jenna will also cop-a-plea in AZ & will be a witness for the Prosecution on these Class 2, 4 & 5 felonies.
Kudos to MSNBC Reporter, Vaughn Hillyard, tonite who was interviewed by Alex Wagner. Vaughn Hillyard has documented that 1 Fake Elector is the COO of the Trump, Charlie Kirk Front "Turning Point USA' essentially the vehicle for taking over the ARIZONA R's for 2024 MAGA mayhem.
This case alleges a conspiracy to disenfranchise AZ voters & put Trump in power without 270 Electoral College votes on J6.
I cannot imagine a woman in Idaho tolerating this situation for herself, or for any other woman in the state. Nor can I believe the men who love them will.
The Idaho abortion challenge is extremely upsetting to me. It’s all so completely retro, not the values of a country that (used to be) looked up to. I have a lot of family residing in the US, mainly N. Carolina, Illinois, Nevada and Texas. I worry for everyone, but especially the girls and women. Residents of Idaho will die. Doctors in Idaho will be thrown in jail, and/or they will leave the state entirely.
Doctors in Idaho are leaving the state. And you can’t blame them. You really don’t want to be a woman of childbearing age in Idaho. It is maddening and very sad. The hospital in northern Idaho, Sandpoint, lost all of their OB Gyns last year and you can’t get obstetrical care unless you travel to Spokane, Wa. I used to live in Idaho, and am happy now to live in Oregon where women can make their own healthcare decisions, and medical providers are free to give the care needed.
I'm guessing it hasn't occurred to Republicans that the CURRENT president could do anything he wants to if this immunity case goes the way they want it to go.
Dead justices? A speaker arrested? Opponents of his bills detained until the votes go his way. The possibilities are horrifying to contemplate regardless of who holds the office.
It's mind boggling that ANYONE would think it a good idea.
With SO much going on, let’s all remember to take some time for ourselves. Get outside, work on a craft. I’m sure I’m not the only one who can get wrapped up in all this.
I’ve vowed that since Wednesday is no court, I’m going to water aerobics. I don’t watch the news on the weekends.
Like Joyce says, we’re all in this together so reach out to a friend if you need to.
Democracy will prevail!
If Donald Trump is not jailed, the country will not survive. Once again, I remind everyone of the similarity of the country’s position to 1930/31 Germany — Hitler could have been stopped once and for all, but the former chancellors, the present chancellor and the doddering imbecile President, von Hindenburg, dithered and blathered and, well, as they say, the rest is history. Oh, lest we forget, that history included WWII and the holocaust. There is little reason to think a second Trump presidency would turn out much better. INDICT. CONVICT. IMPRISON. DESTROY DONALD TRUMP.
HEARING ON CONTEMPT MOTION RE GAG ORDER: I just read the transcript of the hearing (which you can find here https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/transcripts/ -- then click on 4-23-2024).
It is entirely clear that the judge is going to hold Trump in contempt: The judge was quite explicit that Trump's lawyer was not responding to his questions, that his responses were not answering the judge's questions, and that Trump's lawyer was giving the judge neither facts nor law supporting their opposition. And it would be hard to see him granting less than the $1000 per violation that the prosecutors asked for -- the max possible yet a sum monetarily insignificant for one of Trump's wealth. I'm not sure that there was anything ambiguous about any of the claimed violations, and I imagine the judge would like to be able to show even-handedness. But at this point, I don't see him leaning over backward for Trump.
What will be interesting is just what the judge will say by way or warning regarding Trump's NEXT violation. Because everyone seems to understand (even though the defense is not acknowledging it) that Trump cannot be controlled by lawyers and won't be restrained by a court order. If it's taking longer than it might for the judge to rule, I'm sure it is because he is fashioning a VERY clear and well-reasoned opinion, carefully addressing Trump's supposed defenses and citing the violations in great detail . . . so that the basis is also very clear for more steps if and when Trump violates the order again.
As I read this judge, he knows he's going to have to jail Trump, reluctant though he may be to take that step, and is preparing the groundwork for that as carefully as possible. Sending Trump to prison, even during say the days trial is running for one week, would be a momentous historic event, and will give rise to quite a lot of hysteria. But I don't think there's any way for the judge to avoid it. It will be interesting to see just how he lays the groundwork, how he communicates to the country at large what's going on. Because that is also part of his job.
It's time to talk about Stormy Daniels, the broad who had the cojones to stand up to the big bad wolf himself, Donald Trump. This is a story about power, corruption, and the sick, twisted games that the rich and famous play with people's lives.
Stormy, she's no angel. She's a porn star, a dame who makes her dough in the seedy underbelly of the American dream. But when she got mixed up with Trump, she found herself in a whole new level of filth. The Donald, he's a man who thinks he can buy anything, even a woman's silence. And when he was finished with Stormy, he tried to discard her like yesterday's trash.
But Stormy, she wasn't going down without a fight. She battled, tooth and nail, against the legion of lawyers and fixers that Trump dispatched to muzzle her. She endured the insults, the death threats, the character assassination, and she kept on swinging. Because she knew that this wasn't just about her. It was about every woman who's ever been exploited and mistreated by a powerful man.
And now, as David Pecker takes the stand to spill his guts about the whole sordid affair, we're reminded once again of just how deep the decay goes. Pecker, he's a maggot, a bottom-feeder who made his living by peddling sleaze and scandal. He was in cahoots with Trump, helping him cover up his dirty deeds and silence his accusers. It's the kind of corruption that makes you want to take a long, hot shower and scrub yourself raw.
But Stormy, she's not retreating. She's still out there, fighting the good fight, speaking truth to power. She's a reminder that even in the face of overwhelming odds, one woman with enough moxie and determination can make a difference.
So as the sleazy details of this whole mess continue to seep out like pus from a festering wound, let's not forget the real hero of this story. Stormy Daniels, the broad who stood up to the beast and lived to tell the tale. In a world full of cowards and sycophants, she's a shining example of what it means to have true grit.
Trial??? What trial???"
I'm sure that others have already come to the conclusion that I have just come to. But it has suddenly just dawned on me what Trump's flagrant disregard of the Court's gag order and his smears and clownish antics are really all about.
I now believe that his end game is not merely about taunting and baiting the judge into throwing him into jail so that he could hold himself out as a "political prisoner".
It's more basic than that. And it resembles the political version of the common "Mustard Distraction Scam" practiced by teams of 2 or more pickpockets. One of the group squirts mustard on their victim while the others pick his pockets.
Is Trump squirting us all with mustard to distract us from his hush-money criminal trial and his other crimes?
Last night on The Daily Show, there was a variety of skits parodying Trump's antics in violation of the Court's gag order. They were very funny until, at the end of the show, someone asked, "What case???"
Trump appears to taking a page out of the magician's manual by trying to get us to take our eye off the ball to focus on his antics.
I believe that the extract from the article below on the "Art of Distraction: How Magicians Manipulate Our Minds" could be serving as a blueprint for Trump to distract the electorate' from his "Catch & Kill" hush-money payments to his porn star flame, his attempted coup, his plot to use phony electors, his sexual molestation and defamations and his business frauds. By playing himself to the hilt as the loudmouth blowhard slandering witnesses, judges and even their children and taunting and baiting the judge to throw him in jail, Trump has been struggling to keep the spotlight on him and his vaudeville act and off all the crimes he's committed.
The title of the article is: "Art of Distraction: How Magicians Manipulate Our Minds" https://www.miragenews.com/art-of-distraction-how-magicians-manipulate-our-1024588/#
The following are extracts:
"The key principle employed by magicians is misdirection - guiding attention away from a secret action. It can be as simple as a magician waving one hand to draw attention away from what the other is doing. This exploits what is known as the 'spotlight theory' of attention, which posits that we can only fully concentrate on one thing at a time. When a magician guides our attentional spotlight away from their trick's method, they are free to execute their secret maneuvers without detection....[T]hese principles are closely related to the techniques used in persuasion, advertising, and even political propaganda..."
Hey everybody! Look over here. It's showtime, starring Donald J. Trump!!
Trial? What trial????
Thanks for the Wednesday rundown, Joyce. BTW, what do you think of Glenn Kirschner's recent point that if Justice Merchan holds Trump in criminal contempt, that will mean Trump has also violated Judge Chutkan's conditions of release (not to commit a local, state, or federal crime), and while her proceedings have been stayed, that does not "divest" her court of jurisdiction "to enforce the measures it has already imposed to safeguard the integrity of these proceedings." IOW, she could revoke his pretrial release. Surely an unintended consequence when Trump thought he could just get away with paying a measly $10,000 sanction.
Thank you again, Joyce, for this comprehensive review of today’s activities. I read, with glee, about the convictions against the Republicans who tried to influence the election. Kudos to the AZ AG! What a dirty filthy group of people they are, thinking they could get away with this dastardly deed and all for one notoriously obnoxious bigot and consummate liar. Trump’s goose is cooking, as we speak, unless SCOTUS permits him immunity. I simply do not see that happening. What worries me is what this Court will decide re: the abortion issue. I didn’t burn my bra in the 70’s for nothing! Alito truly needs to be put out to pasture and Thomas needs to resign or be put in prison. Kavanaugh is pathetic while Barrett remains the wild card, in my opinion. Gorsuch isn’t worth giving the time of day to. I heard that Chief justice Roberts is very worried about the legacy of his court. He should be…it’s in shambles and he contributed a lot to it.
Check out an angle that Glenn Kirschner put forward earlier this evening. "Oooo. Oooo, Francis." If Judge Merchan finds Trump in contempt of court, Trump will have violated his conditions of release on the charge in DC about attempting to overturn the election and the government on 01-06-2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5_KNfvDVRk
I keep seeing discussions of incarcerating DJT if he continues to violate the gag order. Is there any reason why he could not just be put on house arrest in his 30,000 square foot condo (we know how big it really is). Who could object to that? Why not fit him with an ankle monitor to make sure he stays there? Not being able to attend rallies and golf dates would seriously hamper his movements and might even get his attention without the specter of a jail cell to fundraise from.
Thank you Joyce. You are a gleaming treasure in my inbox. I always look forward to words and pictures.
I live in Idaho. I used to work for Idaho in Session a few years ago which is kind of like Idaho's CSPAN. The reps here are unbelievable and even more head smacking now. The complete disregard for compassion and constituent needs, replaced by knee jerk ideocracy is astounding - flabbergasting!
Thanks for covering this. It's a long shot here, hoping for something resembling a balance. Kind of like hoping a sea gull will drop a fish on your head as you wander the desert.
One more day, so much happening. I will be listening to the comments from the lawyers and people covering the trial as it goes on. It is really too bad it isn't being televised. Thank you for filling us in ! You are a gem!
An Arizona Grand Jury has indicted 18 named Defendants, 11 Fake Electors detailing the Defendants' see-through cover story along with 7 Trump allies: Mark Meadows, Rudy, Eastman & others including JENNA ELLIS. Ellis has already pled guilty in the Georgia Rico case & reasoned deduction indicates Jenna will also cop-a-plea in AZ & will be a witness for the Prosecution on these Class 2, 4 & 5 felonies.
Kudos to MSNBC Reporter, Vaughn Hillyard, tonite who was interviewed by Alex Wagner. Vaughn Hillyard has documented that 1 Fake Elector is the COO of the Trump, Charlie Kirk Front "Turning Point USA' essentially the vehicle for taking over the ARIZONA R's for 2024 MAGA mayhem.
This case alleges a conspiracy to disenfranchise AZ voters & put Trump in power without 270 Electoral College votes on J6.
I cannot imagine a woman in Idaho tolerating this situation for herself, or for any other woman in the state. Nor can I believe the men who love them will.