(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Overnight News Digest for Wednesday, April 5 (Why is this digest different from all other digests?) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-05 Happy Passover! We may be living through a time of plagues, but we can anticipate that someday soon we will all be free! x Tonight, as Doug and I host our own Seder, we wish all those celebrating a Happy Passover. Chag Sameach! pic.twitter.com/Jt8bwNCv8y — Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 5, 2023 (Also, happy Easter for those about to celebrate...) Okay, maybe someday soon not ALL of us will be free… The former guy — aka the Orange Julius, aka the Cheeto Benito — only had the date of his perp walk off by two weeks! But don’t rejoice just yet. You DO know how slowly the wheels of justice grind in this country? Trump’s next court date is DECEMBER. The trial won’t begin until 2024 at the EARLIEST. And while Trump seems to be an expert at turning everything he touches into shite, one thing he IS good at is dragging out the legal process. The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s criminal case said he intends to move swiftly, but between the slow-moving New York court system and Trump’s tendency to push for delays in legal matters, analysts expect the case to linger and collide with the 2024 presidential campaign. ...On Tuesday, prosecutors floated a trial date in January, right before the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses on Feb. 5. But Trump’s legal team suggested a spring 2024 date would be more “realistic,” which the judge sounded open to. ...Trump’s lawyers can be expected to “take every tactic to delay the trial. This has been the Trump legal modus operandi in virtually every case,” Neal Katyal, a former acting solicitor general who has closely tracked litigation involving the former president, said in an email. “Here, delay allows him to fundraise off the indictment without having to face the day of reckoning in the legal system.” On the other hand, the Stormy charges aren’t the only storm on Trump’s horizon... Donald Trump made history on Tuesday when he became the first US president ever to be charged with a crime after leaving office. And thanks to a lifetime of bad behavior, he might soon break his own record for most indictments by a sitting or former POTUS, which currently stands at one. According to The Washington Post, Fulton County District attorney Fani Willis is “expected to announce in coming weeks whether she will file charges in connection to efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results.” While it’s possible Willis will not file any charges at all, or will but they won’t be against Trump, there is obviously a chance she chooses to pull an Alvin Bragg and go after the ex-president. For one thing, the special grand jury impaneled by Willis last year reportedly heard at least two phone calls in which the then president pressured local officials to overturn the election results in Georgia, including the infamous one in which Trump demanded state secretary Brad Raffensperger “find” the exact number of votes he needed to turn his loss to Joe Biden into a win. For another, when asked about the recommendations the group made re: which individuals should be charged, jury forewoman Emily Kohrs told The New York Times it was “not a short list,” adding, of whether or not Trump was on it: “You’re not going to be shocked. It’s not rocket science.” Speaking to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, another juror said of the group’s report: “A lot’s gonna come out sooner or late. And it’s gonna be massive. It’s gonna be massive.” … Of course, the Fulton County case isn’t the only one that could result in charges on top of the ones out of New York. The ex-president is also being investigated by the Justice Department for both his attempt to overturn the election and the insurrection that followed and his handling of classified documents. On Sunday, the Post reported that special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the probes, had uncovered “significant” evidence that Trump may have obstructed justice in the documents case. On Wednesday, an adviser to Mike Pence said the former VP would not appeal a ruling ordering him to comply with a subpoena from Smith to testify before a grand jury about his conversations with Trump leading up to the attack on the Capitol. Fun fact! “Stand by Your Man” does not appear to be on the Trump family playlist…. Shortly before the news broke last week that Donald Trump would, in fact, be indicted, we learned that Melania Trump was reportedly still angry about her husband’s alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels and did not “sympathize” with the fact that he was facing criminal charges and possibly even time in prison. Now that the ex-president has been formally charged—with 34 class E felonies—and is looking at a potential century-plus behind bars if convicted on all counts, the question is whether the former first lady still feels that way. After all, it’s one thing to tell your spouse they made their bed and must now lie in it when you think there’s no chance of their becoming a convicted criminal—it’s another when they’re actually forced to surrender and could spend the rest of your marriage behind bars. Melania, of course, has not said anything publicly about the matter—but one hint that she may not be too broken up about all this? Maybe the fact that she skipped her husband’s post-arraignment speech last night. Yes, following her decision to not accompany the ex-president when he appeared in court on Tuesday, the former first lady chose not to show up for Trump’s rambling remarks at Mar-a-Lago later that day, despite literally living on-site. Another no-show was Ivanka Trump, and while that was pretty much to be expected, the former first daughter still got a shout-out from her dad when he listed his “great” family members. “I have a son here who’s done a great job, and I have another son here who’s done a great job…and Tiffany and Ivanka. And Barron will be great someday. He’s tall. He is tall and he’s smart,” Trump said last night, adding: “But I have a great family and they’ve done a fantastic job, and we appreciate it very much. They’ve gone through hell.” Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Tiffany Trump were all present, as were their respective partners, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Lara Trump, and Michael Boulos x Trump on stage in Mar-a-Lago hours after arraignment on criminal charges in NY. Melania & Ivanka do not appear to be here. Don Jr, Eric & Tiffany are. +Roger Stone, MTG, Gaetz, Rosendale, Ronny Jackson, Kari Lake, Lindell, campaign team. pic.twitter.com/hwHcTDCRvZ — Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) April 5, 2023 During her time as first lady, Melania made it pretty clear that she despised her husband. So it’s possible she’s downright thrilled at the prospect of his doing 136 years in prison and thus spent last night celebrating. He might get a short-term boost, sure. The criminal case New York prosecutors finally unveiled against former President Donald Trump is underwhelming, and Trump might even win. The charges fuel Trump’s refrain that he’s a victim of political persecution, for those who want to align themselves with a self-described victim. As a political force, however, Trump is withering. His mounting troubles probably mean he can’t win a general election under normal circumstances, and the candidates he has endorsed during the last two years generally have a losing record. There’s also worse to come for Trump, which he acknowledges himself. His arraignment on criminal charges in New York City on April 4 may actually be the high point for Trump in the 2024 election cycle. If he’s the Republican presidential nominee in 2024, Democrats will win. ...If getting prosecuted briefly boosts Trump, it damages the GOP because the party’s Trump/anti-Trump civil war will only intensify. The obvious winners are President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats. Assuming Biden runs again, his age is a glaring liability. But Biden won as the anti-Trump in 2020 and he could do it again in 2024. And if Trump loses to somebody else in the GOP primary, Trump’s vindictiveness could fatally wound the GOP nominee in the general election, again helping Biden. 'We knew that this case — like all campaign finance cases — would be challenging. 'But it is our duty to bring hard cases when we believe that the facts and the law support charging a candidate for high office with a crime,' Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Lanny Breuer said in a statement at the time. ...Edwards admitted throughout the trial and afterwards that he 'did wrong - but did not break the law'. And speaking of terrible people running for President — this guy has got to be the worst. He’s been pushing anti-vax conspiracy theories for years, and continues to give the Kennedy Family a bad name. For crying out loud, RFK resisted entreaties to primary Lyndon Johnson over the Vietnam war, only joining the race after LBJ had dropped his re-election bid. Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and scion of one of the country’s most famous political families, is running for president. ...Kennedy, a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of his slain brother Robert F. Kennedy, was once a bestselling author and environmental lawyer who worked on issues such as clean water. x RFK Jr, once a progressive, announces he's running for presidency as a Democrat. Steve Bannon reportedly thrilled. As are these open fascists. So what--he can't break 1%, right? Probably not. And think of what that could do for the states in which Trump lost by a squeaker. https://t.co/ipEmFbsppZ — THE UNDERTOW, by Jeff Sharlet (@JeffSharlet) April 6, 2023 But more than 15 years ago, he became fixated on a belief that vaccines are not safe. He emerged as one of the leading voices in the anti-vaccine movement, and his work has been described by public health experts and even members of his own family as misleading and dangerous. In happier news — democracy wins! Occurring on the same day as Donald Trump’s arrest in Manhattan, Protasiewicz’s victory over former conservative justice Daniel Kelly has huge state and national significance. A new progressive majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court could strike down the heavily gerrymandered maps that have locked in enormous Republican majorities in the legislature and a series of laws that have made it harder to vote. The court could also reverse unpopular laws – like an 1849 abortion ban – that the legislature refuses to repeal. A shift in the court removes the threat that conservatives could use their majority to overturn the 2024 election; Donald Trump’s attempt to nullify Joe Biden’s victory in the state failed by just one vote. The race was the most expensive Supreme Court contest ever, topping $45 million, which triples the previous amount. Protasiewicz outraised Kelly, but conservative groups outspent liberal ones. Kelly was backed by prominent election deniers and funders of the insurrection who wanted to see a MAGA takeover of one of the nation’s most important state courts. In an angry election night speech, Kelly, while acknowledging his loss, called Protasiewicz a “serial liar” and said, “I do not have a worthy opponent to which I can concede.” Since Republicans took over the legislature and governor’s mansion in 2011, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has been a key driver of GOP efforts to make their majorities voter-proof and turn the state into what Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, calls “a democracy-free zone.” But Wikler predicted that Protasiewicz’s election, which was driven by voter disgust with the state’s abortion ban and gerrymandered maps, would lead to “a new era of democracy,” restoring checks and balances and majority rule. Protasiewicz told the Associated Press that her victory was “really about saving our democracy, getting away from extremism.” What do you do if you can’t win elections? "They are holding the cards. They can bring the resolution, or they cannot bring it. And I am so ready for them to bring that and for us to have this hearing in front of all the citizens of Tennessee." x This is a REALLY bad situation that all of America needs to stay tuned to—even with the Trump arraignment tomorrow. Tennessee Republicans are essentially voting to dismantle Tennessee as a democracy. In Wisconsin, Republicans are doing that via gerrymandering; this is even WORSE. https://t.co/TSlJP5hOkB — Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) April 4, 2023 Johnson is a retired school teacher and, she said, the only person in the legislature who has the personal experience of being at a school where there was a shooting. She added that she looks forward to making her case not only to the House but also to all Tennesseans. And in North Carolina, the wife of the former head of the NC Democratic Party has… joined the GOP? Giving them a veto-proof majority in the State Legislature. Rep. Tricia Cotham’s switch from Democrat to Republican tells us a lot about her. First, she clearly lacks any firm political principles, which, in my book, means she lacks character. Second, she probably cut a deal with the GOP to draw her a safe district when they re-gerrymander this summer. Third, she’s more concerned about her political career than the people she represents. Finally, if Cotham thinks she’s protecting her political future, she doesn’t have a very good sense of history when it comes to switching parties. Cotham has long been part of the Democratic Party establishment. She was married to former State Democratic Party Chair Jerry Meek. Her mother, Pat Cotham, is a Mecklenburg County Commissioner and former delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Cotham served in the state house until 2016 as a Democrat. She ran last year promising to bring progressive leadership to Raleigh. I’m a partisan. I don’t have much use for party switchers, especially in this political environment. Cotham is not a lifelong conservative who finally got tired of fighting her party. No, she’s a transactional player who just joined a party that opposes most of what she says she supported less than six months ago. She’s abandoning the values she claimed to hold for decades. As far as I’m concerned, she’s a traitor and they can have her. Meanwhile, in Muskwatch news: x Twitter branding @NPR "state-affiliated media" literally conflicts with its own policy: "State-financed media organizations with editorial independence, like the BBC in the UK or NPR in the US for example, are not defined as state-affiliated media..." 🤯https://t.co/u2bg3QICMS pic.twitter.com/FOCrac61Jm — Ben Pauker (@benpauker) April 5, 2023 Oh, and... if Elon thinks he’s going to win the Maga crowd over to Tesla… ha! ...Stellantis says the upcoming Ram 1500 REV will offer up to a 500-mile range, longer than any electric pickup available. The automaker officially announced the electric truck at the New York International Auto Show today after teasing an ultra-sleek concept in January (which the version you can buy looks nothing like) and a production reveal in February. The standard version of the Ram 1500 EV will include a 168 kWh battery that lasts 350 miles; you’ll need to opt for the premium 229 kWh battery option to reach the 500-mile estimate. By comparison, the Ford F-150 Lightning maxes out at a 320-mile range, while the Chevy Silverado EV can last an estimated 400 miles. Meanwhile, Tesla claims its long-delayed Cybertruck will match the new Ram with a 500-mile range. As far as performance, the truck can go from 0 to 60 mph in as little as 4.4 seconds and has 654 horsepower and 630 lb-ft of torque. Its other specs include a towing capacity of up to 14,000 lbs and a maximum payload of up to 2,700 lbs. In addition, it has a frunk with 15 cubic feet of storage and bidirectional charging (including powering another vehicle, charging a home during power outages and sending power back to the grid). Finally, it can handle up to two ft of water fording. x How can any school district resist an electric bus? They're safer for kids, but almost as importantly, they look extremely cool. pic.twitter.com/WY2wBQIlQm — Earthjustice (@Earthjustice) April 5, 2023 Trains are getting longer. Railroads are getting richer. But these “monster trains” are jumping off of tracks across America and regulators are doing little to curb the risk. ...Though it sat at the floor of a valley along a busy stretch of railroad tracks, the quiet town of Hyndman, Pennsylvania, hadn’t seen a major derailment in recent memory. Trains didn’t frighten residents like Shaffer even though 21 of them trundled through the town’s center day and night. But unbeknownst to them, the corporations that ran those trains had recently adopted a moneymaking strategy to move cargo faster than ever, with fewer workers, on trains that are consistently longer than at any time in history. Driven by the efficiency goals of precision scheduled railroading, companies are forgoing long-held safety precautions, such as assembling trains to distribute weight and risk or taking the proper time to inspect them, ProPublica found. Instead, their rushed workers are stringing together trains that stretch for 2 or even 3 miles, sometimes without regard for the delicate physics of keeping heavy, often combustible tanker cars from jumping off the tracks. x Greetings to the Jews around the world on the occasion of the bright holiday of Passover! Let goodness fill our homes, and peace reign in our lands and hearts. Harmony to all who celebrate Passover today! Chag Pesach Sameach! — Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 5, 2023 This is an open thread where everyone is welcome, especially night owls and early birds, to share and discuss the happenings of the day. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments. The crew of the Overnight News Digest consists of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, jeremybloom, Magnifico, annetteboardman, eeff, rise above the swamp, Besame and jck. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw. 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