The defense rests, like Trump’s sleepy head 😴

Disgraced former President Trump took a big step toward finding out whether he’ll face voters as a convicted felon on election day, when the defense rested Tuesday in his Manhattan hush-money trial.

• Despite vowing to testify, Trump wimped out at the last minute. Legal experts, of course, had predicted that putting this notorious liar under oath could doom him. Donald Trump, Jr. attempted to justify his father’s decision by telling reporters: “You don’t subject yourself to that nonsense” — referring to the trial that, of course, Trump brought upon himself. 

• Closing arguments are now set to kick off one week from today, because Judge Juan Merchan didn’t want to squeeze closings and deliberations in before Memorial Day Weekend. And, let’s be honest, who could blame him? So attorneys and the judge spent the afternoon deliberating over the jury charge. That’s an explanation given to the jurors about their responsibilities and impact, and how to decide the case, ideally using as little legalese as possible. Some experts argue this crucial detail could make or break this case. 

• After the jury gets their instructions by Thursday, and lawyers begin making their closing arguments on Tuesday, the jury will meet to decide Trump’s fate. Some legal analysts have said that prison is unlikely even if Trump is found guilty, however, given that prior similar cases have only resulted in incarceration for only 1-in-10 cases. 

The bigger question may be how voters will react — and particularly, how many independents and moderate Republicans might balk at the prospect of sending a convicted felon to the White House.

The man once hailed as America’s Mayor continued his surreal descent into strange infamy this week. Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty to felony charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Arizona on Tuesday, just days after he was served with criminal indictment papers at his own 80th birthday bash on Friday. The longtime Trump attorney was the only defendant among 11 appearing Tuesday who was ordered to post a $10,000 bond after allegedly ducking the summons for weeks. 

Giuliani called in to the hearing by phone and told the court he does not have an attorney, but eventually would get one. He denied “hiding,” and slammed the indictment as “a complete embarrassment.” He said he didn’t have a copy of that indictment, but had a “general familiarity with the charges from reading it in the newspapers.” He rambled so much the judge threatened to cut his mic, saying: “I don’t want to have to mute you.” 

Giuliani is already grappling with a parallel criminal case in Georgia, as well as bankruptcy and a crushing $148 million defamation debt. He’s begun raising money, bizarrely, as a coffee salesman. His decaf brand literally features a picture of Rudy sitting on a beach in flip-flops “enjoying life.” Which, we can confidently say after the week this guy just had, is definitely Fake News.

An Associated Press executive criticized the Israeli government for seizing a camera and other equipment belonging to the media outlet. Israeli officials accused the AP of violating a new law against sharing content with Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based media organization that has been highly critical of Israel’s actions towards Palestinians. Hours later, Israeli officials reversed course, and said they would return the equipment. 

Voters in Georgia are deciding today whether they want to give Fani Willis another term as District Attorney in Fulton County, GA in the Peach State’s primary. The Democratic lawyer is prosecuting Trump and his co-conspirators’ for their efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. The judge overseeing this case is on the ballot, too. That doesn’t make us nervous at all! 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to bring a bipartisan border bill back up for a vote this week as Democrats attempt to take a stronger stance on immigration heading into November. The idea seems to be to force Republicans to vote against tighter border security once again, in order to show they, and Trump, would rather campaign on this issue than solve the problem (which, it goes without saying, is the GOP’s whole thing). 

President Biden’s approval rate hit its lowest level in nearly two years. Just 36 percent of Americans approve of the commander-in-chief’s job performance in the latest Reuters/ISOS poll. Top concerns include the economy, inflation and immigration. 

Trump posted a video on Truth Social extolling the “creation of a unified reich.” He eventually removed the post after widespread criticism over its evident reference to actual Nazi Germany, aka, the Third Reich. And yes, he did this during Jewish Awareness Heritage Month!

Biden condemned Trump’s video as “Hitler’s language.” Vice President Kamala Harris called it “appalling.” Adam Kinzinger, the anti-Trumper former House Republican Congressman from Illinois, tweeted: “Please pardon my language, but there is not other thing to say than ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? This man is a stain, a Nazi.” 

Voters are telling focus groups they're worried that Trumpism could last more than four years if he wins this election. "I wouldn’t put it past him, now that he owns the [Republican National Committee], to say, ‘Don Jr. is going to do the next term, and he’ll get two. And then Barron will get two,’" one undecided Pennsylvania swing-voter said, according to Bloomberg. (Note: Barron is, thank God, too young for this to happen.) 

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About 70 percent of American adults report “doing at least OK financially” according to a new survey by the Federal Reserve. In a campaign year where the economy is a top issue for many voters this is, basically, “at least OK” news for Biden, but still represents a significant drop from a high of 78 percent in 2021. 

Support for abortion rights has increased, even as access to abortion has been radically curtailed in states around the country since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago. Sixty-three percent of Americans said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey, a four-point jump since 2021, a year before the decision that overturned Roe.