Push Notification

Veteran investigative journalist Susanne Craig has spent the past decades following Donald Trump's finances, and she thinks that the New York jury finally managed to shut him up when they handed down the damages amount in the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial.

“They found the price of silence for Donald Trump," Craig told Alex Witt on MSNBC Sunday.

Prior to deriding her courtroom skills, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman suggested Donald Trump might be thinking about dropping controversial attorney Alina Habba after taking a massive $83.3 million hit in the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial.

Speaking with MSNBC host Alex Witt, the attorney jokingly called Habba's courtroom skills a "comedy of bumbling" because it appears she has no idea how to conduct herself in a courtroom.

Before he got to the point, he noted that Trump was "brought to heel" by the massive penalty imposed by a 9-person jury.

"He [Trump] has not publicly mentioned E. Jean Carroll since the ruling. Could he be putting himself on some sort of defamation budget?" host Witt joked.

"Yeah, I think so," Litman replied. "And I think it is significant because it shows him having been brought to heel. You saw his supporters saying, 'He doesn't take any crap. He does what he wants and gets away with it.' Here, he did what he wanted but didn't get away with it; he got socked once a little bit and now very harshly."

ALSO READ: Alina Habba is persona non grata at her Pennsylvania law school

"I think maybe Alina Habba, maybe in his own mind, that's a path I can't go and I've been burned very severely, we will see," he continued before adding, "But I think it will be a really encouraging sign that the legal system can actually constrain him."

Addressing Habba later, he continued, "She does seem to be perfectly chosen to be the wrong lawyer in the courtroom. She got generally mocked for not having the basic skills, which I think is true, but more than that, she tussled with the judge. she tussled with, you know, everything about the proceedings. She was Trumpian."

Defense analyst Joe Buccina, a retired colonel, refuted a Fox News talking point that blamed the death of three U.S. soldiers on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent medical procedure.

Fox News host Mike Emanuel suggested Austin's health was a "complication" during a breaking news report on three service members reportedly killed by an Iran-backed militia in Jordan.

Appearing on MSNBC on Sunday morning, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Wiessmann claimed that Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversaw the just-concluded E. Jean Carroll defamation trial, will make sure the New York writer whom Donald Trump sexually abused won't have to chase after her money.

Speaking with host Jen Psaki, the attorney explained the steps the embattled Trump will have to take if he appeals the stunning $83 million judgment ordered by a unanimous 9-person jury.

"Now, what the court does, because anybody including Donald Trump is entitled to due process, and that means he's entitled to appeal both verdicts," he began and then added, "anyone would be entitled to do that."

"However, during that period, what the court requires, and is already required with respect to the first judgment, and no doubt will require with respect to this judgment, is that the defendant post a bond; that is that they have to put up the money for a bond that will make sure that the plaintiff's not left with nothing," he added.

ALSO READ: Why Biden doesn’t need to become Obama to defeat Trump

'"In other words, if you want to be heard on appeal and take the time to be heard by another court as to whether legally it was done correctly — they won't review the facts — but legally they will review it, the money is in the court or a bond is in the court to make sure that E. Jean Carroll, if the decisions are affirmed, has that pool of money to go after," he elaborated. "And so I think people need to know, yes she will have to wait, but there is no question that Judge Kaplan will make sure that there is that pool of money in the court so that if she prevails on appeal she is able to be paid in full."

Watch below or at the link.

UAW President Shawn Fain blasted former President Donald Trump on Sunday over his poor record on supporting unions.

During an interview on Face the Nation, host Margaret Brennan reported that the Teamsters reportedly met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home.

Following writer E. Jean Carroll's defamation trial jury's order for Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million in damages — the silence from the Republican Party is worth noting, according to Politico politics editor David Siders.

He writes, "In the past, when prosecutors or the courts have smacked Trump, the former president fumed and the GOP rage machine spun itself into overdrive, framing the court developments as acts of political persecution. In the Carroll case, the first part happened, but not the second."

Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway brushed off Donald Trump's flubs during speeches as "clearly a typo on the teleprompter."

On Sunday's Fox News Media Buzz program, host Howard Kurtz aired clips of both Trump and President Joe Biden misspeaking.

During an appearance on MSNBC on Sunday morning, former Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) warned his party that it is headed for a big collapse in November because Republican voters will stay home due to Donald Trump being at the top of the ticket.

Speaking with MSNBC fill-in host Charles Coleman Jr., an exasperated Dent pointed to recent polls and GOP primary results to bolster his case.

"Since 2016 Donald Trump has made losing great again for Republicans," he joked referring to Trump's 'Make America Great Again' mantra.

ALSO READ: Few Trumpers who embrace political violence understand its endgame

"For this very reason: his brand of politics turns off a lot of swing voters and independents. There are some Republicans still here representing districts that Joe Biden won — about seventeen or so. And Donald Trump makes victory exceedingly difficult for them in these districts as well as the swing states."

"And until Republicans figure this out, Donald Trump is creating problems for them not only with independents but I would argue with a significant amount of the Republican base," he elaborated.

"Yes, Donald Trump controls the party, he has over half the voters, he conceded, "But it depends on which polls you look at, but maybe as many as a third of Republican voters aren't going to vote for Donald Trump this time. This is catastrophic, not only for the presidential race of the GOP, but also for many down-ballot races"

Watch below or at the link

Fox News host Maria Bartiromo teased a possible conflict between the federal government and Texas as the start of a new civil war.

During a Sunday interview on Fox News, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) vowed to defy the federal government by putting razor wire along the border.

As part of a rant about the standoff at the border between Texas authorities and federal agents over razor wire being used to keep immigrants seeking asylum from entering the U.S., Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) urged Texas Republicans to ignore a Supreme Court 5-4 ruling on the matter.

Noem, reported to be on the list of possible Donald Trump running mate candidates, blew off concerns from CNN "State of the Union" host Dana Bash that the razor wire is leading to the needless death of innocents and instead ranted about President Joe Biden.

"You and two dozen other Republican governors wrote a letter expressing solidarity with Texas urging the state to use every tool and strategy, including razor wire fence to secure the border," host Bash prompted. "A lot of people interpreted that to mean you think Texas should defy the Supreme Court and stop federal agents from removing the razor wire. Do you think Texas should do that? Should they defy the Supreme Court?"

ALSO READ: Why Biden doesn’t need to become Obama to defeat Trump

"Texas should stand their ground," expressionless Noem replied. "They should enforce their state law and go back to the constitutional rights that they have been granted to protect their state's sovereignty. That's what so many of us governors are offended by. Democrats were threatening to encourage the president to activate our [national] guards in order to get them to stand down and not protect our states."

Former President Donald Trump accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of knowing the decision in his fraud trial ahead of time.

In a Sunday morning rant on his Truth Social platform, Trump pointed out that New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron is expected to rule on his case in the coming days. Trump faces accusations of manipulating property values for financial gain.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) reacted to the verdict in the E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse case by doubling down on his support of former President Donald Trump.

During a Sunday interview on ABC's This Week program, host Martha Raddatz asked the surrogate if he was bothered after a jury ordered Trump to pay $83 million for defaming Carroll.

According to attorney Shan Wu, the swift E. Jean Carroll jury decision to award her $83.3 million in damages after being defamed by Donald Trump is both good news and bad news for the former president.

In his column for the Daily Beast, Wu contends that by rushing the awarding of damages out on Friday, the former president was given a break because it could easily have been much more if they had waited until after the weekend.