After monitoring the 2016 election interference trial of Donald Trump for the past several weeks, I have no clue whether he’ll be convicted or not.
The media shorthand for the case — the “hush money” trial — is misleading, as is much of the coverage of the actual issue at hand.
Prosecutors brought the case under a legal theory that Trump had filed false business documents in furtherance of a conspiracy to prevent exposure of his relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels from becoming public at a time that it might have hurt his chances in the 2016 election.
He is almost certainly guilty; common sense and a great deal of circumstantial evidence supports the prosecution theory.
The problem is proving it, as the key witness against Trump is a convicted liar, Michael Cohen. Then again Trump also is a liar, on a far grander scale and with far greater consequences than Cohen.
So what we have here is a small little man who lies compulsively facing off against a gargantuan figure who lies compulsively.
One spent time to jail for his lies, the other is the purported Republican nominee for President who may well end up in jail, at least briefly.
Mad magazine would have had a field day with this one.
HEADLINES:
Trump Is Still at War With the Constitution (NYT)
Michael Cohen pressed on his crimes and lies as defense attacks key Trump hush money trial witness (AP)
As Hamas returns to the north, Israel’s Gaza endgame is nowhere in sight (WP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to deepen their "strategic partnership" while scolding the United States for a series of moves that they said threatened their countries. (Reuters)
Slovakia’s prime minister is expected to survive assassination attempt, deputy says (AP)
U.S. to end coal leasing in nation’s largest coal-producing region (WP)
Democrats are deeply divided over Biden's handling of both the war in Gazaand the US campus protests against it, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found, fraying the coalition that he relied on four years ago to defeat Trump. (Reuters)
Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district (AP)
Scientists may have figured out why some mice make better dads than others. Oldfield mice have a cell that makes a “parenting” hormone, a new study found. (WP)
Hollywood at a Crossroads: “Everyone Is Using AI, But They Are Scared to Admit It” (Hollywood Reporter)
She left the CIA in frustration. Now her spy novel is racking up awards. (WP)
Google is reinventing itself for the AI age (Yahoo)
What Do You Do When A.I. Takes Your Voice? (NYT)
Will AI replace doctors who read X-rays, or just make them better than ever? (AP)
AI videos are spreading fast in India as the election progresses, highlighting the growing threat of misinformation in the world's most populous nation. (Reuters)
Arizona Prosecutors Unable To Find Rudy Giuliani Despite Searching Dozens Of Landfills (The Onion)
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