Today the first criminal trial of a former president in U.S. history gets underway, with opening arguments and a 12-person jury of his peers in attendance in a New York City courtroom.
Polls have indicated that Trump’s base will stick with him regardless of the outcome of this trial, which is usually called a “hush money” scandal but is really about election interference.
That’s because the reason Trump paid porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 to stay quiet about their affair was he was afraid it would damage his chances in that year’s election.
Trump beat Hillary Clinton that time around.
But regardless of how the right-wing base feels about the philandering Trump, there is another demographic he has to be mindful of — suburban women, especially in the six or seven swing states that will decide the 2024 election.
As the salacious details emerge during this trial about Trump’s affair with Daniels soon after his wife Melania gave birth to their son, Barron, the former president’s standing with suburban voters, already tenuous, may erode.
That is one of the potential political implications of this trial.
HEADLINES:
Netanyahu Resists U.S. Plan to Cut Off Aid to Israeli Military Unit — After months of inaction, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is poised to bar U.S. aid to an Israeli unit accused of human rights abuses. (ProPublica)
Prosecutions of Fake Electors for Trump Gain Ground in Swing States —Georgia, Michigan and Nevada have already brought charges against people who posed as electors for Donald Trump, and Arizona and Wisconsin have active investigations. (NYT)
US Speaker Mike Johnson may pay political price for Ukraine deal (BBC)
Bipartisan outrage boils over at threat to Johnson’s speakership (Politico)
Hakeem Jeffries emerges as Congress' shadow speaker (Axios)
Ukraine Aid Divides Republicans, After Trump Tones Down His Resistance (NYT)
Gaza aid flotilla plans to challenge Israeli blockade, organizers say (WP)
RFK Jr. candidacy hurts Trump more than Biden, NBC News poll finds (NBC)
How large parts of Trump’s trial are playing out in the shadows (Politico)
The Real Bias at NPR: Story Selection (TNR)
California wants Big Tech to pay for news. Google is fighting back. (WP)
Verified pro-Nazi X accounts flourish under Elon Musk (NBC)
Most difficult global outlook since 1930s heralds end of US-led world order (Guardian)
Why Did Cars Get So Expensive? (Atlantic)
Jared Kushner’s Ambition Threatens One of Europe’s Last Pristine Ecosystems (Mother Jones)
The First Unintended Consequence Of AI—And It’s Huge (Forbes)
Officials Urge Americans To Sort Plastics, Glass Into Separate Oceans (The Onion)
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