Trump complains that no jurors smiled at him during his trial
The convicted felon’s post-verdict conservative media grievance tour brought him to Newsmax this week, where he added this complaint about the jury to the wrap sheet: they weren’t even polite enough to smile at him.
Here’s more from Kelly Rissman.
Trump complains that no jurors smiled at him during his trial in rambling interview
Trump said that he ‘knew we were in deep trouble’ by the jurors’ location in his home state in New York
Joe Sommerlad6 June 2024 13:45
Recap: Trump claims nuclear war is a greater threat to the world than climate crisis
Here’s a closer look at Trump’s vision of man-made apocalypse in conversation with Sean Hannity last night.
His comments came immediately after it was revealed that the world had just seen its hottest May on record, completing 12 months in a row that have set new global temperature records for the time of year, but also right after Russian president Vladimir Putin threatened to supply long-range missiles to enemies of the West in retaliation for American and European support for Ukraine.
Trump claims nuclear war is a greater threat to the world than climate crisis
Former president warns of foreign conflict leading to ‘world obliteration’ but rubbishes climate change as ‘weather’ while claiming to be an environmentalist
Joe Sommerlad6 June 2024 13:15
Trump lawyers ask New York judge to lift hush money trial gag order
The former president’s attorneys are asking the New York judge who presided over his hush money trial to lift a gag order imposed on him that prevents him from commenting about witnesses, jurors and others tied to the criminal case.
In a letter made public this week, Trump’s defense attorney Todd Blanche asked Justice Juan Merchan to end the gag order “now that the trial has concluded” after a jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on May 30.
“The concerns articulated by the government and the Court do not justify continued restrictions on the First Amendment rights of President Trump – who remains the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election – and the American people,” Blanche wrote.
Here’s more from Alex Woodward and Martha McHardy.
Trump lawyers ask New York judge to lift hush money trial gag order
Attorney Todd Blanche asks Judge Juan Merchan to end the gag order ‘now that the trial has concluded’
Joe Sommerlad6 June 2024 12:45
Mar-a-Lago judge allows activist attorneys to defend Trump in court
The federal judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case in Florida will allow several parties uninvolved in the case to argue in court over the former president’s attempt to dismiss the charges against him, an extraordinary and rare move from a judge who has come under fire for a series of favorable rulings for the convicted former president.
US district judge Aileen Cannon – who was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2020 – will allow two right-wing activist attorneys to argue in support of Trump’s motion to dismiss the charges against him by claiming that special counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed.
The judge will hear from Josh Blackman with the conservative Landmark Legal Foundation as well as Gene Schaerr, who represents right-wing Citizen United legal advocacy group and a Heritage Foundation-linked group of former Republican attorneys general.
In a motion to argue in support of Trump, the groups claimed that the US Supreme Court “will take a keen interest” in the judge’s decision, signaling that a challenge at the nation’s highest court could follow, prolonging a trial over Trump’s allegedly unlawful retention of classified materials at his Mar-a-Lago compound.
Judge Cannon also allowed one constitutional law expert, Matthew Seligman with Stanford’s Constitutional Law Center, to defend Smith’s appointment on behalf of a group of former federal officials and US attorneys, legal scholars and pro-democracy advocates.
Oral arguments on Trump’s motion are scheduled for June 21. Prosecutors and Trump’s attorneys must file their briefs by June 11.
Here’s Alex Woodward’s report.
Mar-a-Lago judge allows activist attorneys to defend Trump in court
US District Judge Aileen Cannon will hear in-court arguments from right-wing groups to decide if Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed
Joe Sommerlad6 June 2024 12:15
Mike Johnson debases himself for Trump in latest Fox appearance
The Republican House speaker should rest assured that history will not judge his conduct in recent weeks kindly, the devout Christian last night busy doing the devil’s work by spreading the great replacement theory as well as unfounded and irresponsible conspiracy theories about the Manhattan district attorney who brought about the successful prosecution of Trump.
Joe Sommerlad6 June 2024 11:45
Trump campaigning with Turning Point in Arizona today
Our man returns to the campaign trail on Thursday with a trip to Arizona, his first public outing since the Trump Tower rant the followed his conviction at his hush money trial last week.
Having spent the last seven days griping on conservative media and meeting donors in private, Trump is scheduled to speak at a town hall in Phoenix organized by Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization that has seen its influence rise alongside Trump’s takeover of the GOP.
He is likely to find a friendly audience. Led by Charlie Kirk, Turning Point has attempted to harness the energy of young people drawn to Trump’s Make America Great Again movement by cultivating conservative influencers and hosting glitzy events. And it’s made Kirk and his allies wealthy.
Nowhere is Turning Point’s influence greater than in Arizona, the group’s adopted home state where its loyalists have taken on prominent roles in the state GOP but have struggled to win general elections.
Its slate of conservative candidates lost in the 2022 midterms, including Kari Lake, who lost the race for governor and is now running for the US Senate.
The group is looking to expand its influence this year to other battleground states and got a boost when Trump ousted former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel in February.
She was replaced by Trump’s hand-picked successor, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who has spoken positively about working with Turning Point.
The presidential challenger will be speaking at 2pm local time, that’s 5pm in New York and 10pm in London.
Here he is, incidentally, entertaining guests at Mar-a-Lago last night – no doubt telling his audience that toilets had a much more powerful flush in the 1980s and that windmills kill too many birds.
Joe Sommerlad6 June 2024 11:15
Trump ally says Black families were closer under Jim Crow
Florida congressman Bryon Donalds was not on that veep list either and, on this evidence, perhaps that is for the best.
Here he is getting schooled on his bizarre comments by CNN’s Abby Phillip and Derrick Johnson of the NAACP.
Here’s John Bowden with House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries’s angry response to Donalds.
Dem leader Jeffries condemns ‘ignorant’ Byron Donalds for Jim Crow comments
Florida congressman says Black familes voted ‘conservatively’ in era when many were violently prevented from voting at all
Joe Sommerlad6 June 2024 10:45
Trump’s potential VP picks narrow to four men
The former president has reportedly narrowed down his search for a running mate and is now focused on four potential vice presidential candidates, all of whom are men.
Sorry Elise Stefanik and Kristi Noem – you were just too weird.
Graeme Massie takes a look at the shortlist.
Trump’s potential VP picks narrow to four men – here are the frontrunners
The former president has said he will likely not make a decision on his running mate until closer GOP convention in July
Joe Sommerlad6 June 2024 10:15
Cohen says Trump’s eyes closed ‘at least 95 per cent of the time’ during trial
The hush money case’s star witness is back online after a strenuous 17-hour stretch on the stand and has been offering his observations on the defendant’s demeanour in the Judge Merchan’s courtroom.
Joe Sommerlad6 June 2024 09:45
Trump set to have gun license revoked by NYPD after felony conviction
The former president’s gun license is set to be revoked by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) following his historic conviction on 34 felony counts.
An NYPD spokesperson previously said that Trump’s license was initially suspended when he was indicted on falsifying business records in April 2023, NBC News report.
Now, police sources have told CNN that the agency will revoke the license, which Trump has had for more than a decade, in the wake of his conviction.
Graeme Massie has more.
Trump set to have gun license revoked by NYPD after historic felony conviction
Former president’s license was suspended when he was indicted in 2023
Joe Sommerlad6 June 2024 09:15
