Open for reader comments.

July 15, 2023

          Hi, all. This short note is designed to open the Comments section after a busy week of important news. As always, please be respectful and “like” worthy comments to promote them to the top. If you leave a comment and it “disappears,” that is because new comments are posted at the bottom of the Comments section.

          A few topics for consideration:

          Trump's increasing legal jeopardy. I have refrained over the last two weeks from reporting every new detail emerging from the investigation by special counsel Jack Smith. Many of the new reports regarding witnesses relate to testimony that was provided a couple of months ago but is just being reported now. It seems like someone—probably Trump's defense camp—is leaking in anticipation of a second indictment from Jack Smith.

          As to the timing of the indictment: One logical time for a federal indictment of Trump on election interference would be prior to any indictment by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who asked law enforcement to be ready for a possible Georgia indictment “between July 11 and September 1.” If that logic is sound, Jack Smith should be issuing a second indictment in the next few weeks.

          Finally, the new revelations suggest that Jack Smith is looking at evidence of Trump's “state of mind” in promoting the “false electors” scheme. While it is difficult to make predictions (especially about the future), it seems clear that Jack Smith is at least considering whether to charge Trump for interfering in the 2020 electoral count by Congress. For the good of the nation, let’s hope so!

Biden announces $39 billion in student loan forgiveness for 800,000 borrowers. See WaPo, Biden administration announces $39 billion in student loan forgiveness. (Article is accessible to all.) Biden is doing everything possible to keep his promise to reduce student loan debt.

House MAGA caucus pass a defense funding bill with an abortion ban, anti-LGBTQ provisions, and the prohibition of diversity training.  It’s official: Republicans want to deny every woman in America their right to reproductivity liberty. By passing a bill prohibiting the military from paying for travel for women personnel stationed in states with abortion bans, the House MAGA caucus has taken the first step toward a national ban. See CNN, NDAA: House passes defense bill after adopting controversial amendments targeting abortion policy and other issues.

          This move by the House MAGA caucus makes clear that 2024 will be decided on the issue of reproductive liberty. Polling shows that Republicans are on the wrong side of the issue, especially given the 6-week bans that are becoming the default in Republican states like Florida and Iowa.

Senior federal judge tells the Supreme Court what he thinks of their (lack of) ethics. In an unusual op-ed, a sitting senior federal judge has told the Supreme Court that its ethics scandals “stink.” Judge Ponsor, a senior judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, wrote A Federal Judge Asks: Does the Supreme Court Realize How Bad It Smells? (This article is accessible to all.)

Concluding Thoughts.

          There is much more to discuss, but those topics should get the conversation started.

          I am experimenting with ways to open weekend comments to all readers while avoiding bad-faith comments for non-readers/intruders who use the open comment days to pick “Twitter fights” with loyal readers of the newsletter. So, the Comments section will be open to everyone through 1:00 PM Eastern on Saturday, at which point the Comments section will revert to paying subscribers only. I appreciate your patience while I search for ways to broaden opportunities for discussion by all readers while protecting the community atmosphere of the Comments section.

          Enjoy the weekend, everyone! I will be putting the finishing touches on the swing set I started to build three weeks ago for our granddaughters and will post a picture on Monday!