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It is widely expected the Supreme Court will review the Colorado judiciary's decision to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the ballot under the 14th Amendment, and furthermore that they will likely reverse that decision.

But it's not that simple, wrote former political strategist Sidney Blumenthal for The Guardian — because the court could only arrive at this conclusion by "shredding originalism and textualism." And that puts the Republican-appointed justices in a bind.

The problems the Republican Party had in 2022 that crippled the "red wave" that was supposed to hand the GOP a massive majority in the House and control of the Senate could plague them again because Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is flexing his muscles after leading the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

According to a report from Politico, the GOP leadership is growing exasperated with Gaetz for promoting alternative far-right candidates of his own choosing for seats where the party already has a candidate in mind.

To some GOP insiders, that has created worries about being stuck with unelectable candidates much like what happened in 2022 and putting hopes of controlling both chambers of Congress — and the White House — in jeopardy.

Politico's Madison Fernandez and Gary Fineout report McCarthy has been busy lining up and promoting candidates as he readies his exit from the House while Gaetz is picking his own candidates to challenge them.

Pressed on the fact that he is bucking McCarthy's work, Gaetz replied, "He’s old news. Mike Johnson’s speaker now.”

Politico notes that "the common theme among these candidates who have caught Gaetz’s attention: They’re all ultra-conservatives who are running in primaries against candidates backed by McCarthy," and then adds that Gaetz's interference is causing a "headache for national Republicans."

Pressed on the fact that he is pushing candidates who stand a strong chance of losing in possible pick-up districts, Gaetz brushed aside concerns by stating, "Primaries are a really important part of the political process. It shows the direction the party is moving.”

Democrats have enjoyed some major victories in Pennsylvania in recent years, including Justice Daniel McCaffery's win in a state supreme court race in 2023. The previous year, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) flipped a U.S. Senate seat that had been mostly in GOP hands for decades, and Gov. Josh Shapiro enjoyed a double-digit landslide win over far-right MAGA Republican Doug Mastriano.

But Pennsylvania is a volatile swing state where candidates have to work extra hard in statewide races. 2024 GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 but lost it to now-President Joe Biden in 2020, and Biden's reelection campaign views Pennsylvania as a must-win state. Many polls are showing a very close race in the Keystone State in a hypothetical Trump/Biden rematch.

According to MSNBC legal analyst Danny Cevallos, the unearthed recording of Donald Trump and RNC chair Ronna McDaniel plotting with Michigan election officials to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election votes will likely be front and center when special counsel Jack Smith presents his case in Judge Tanya Chutkan's courtroom.

After being prompted about the phone call by "Morning Joe" fill-in host Jonathan Lemire, Cevallos began by noting that "there was a lot of talk this last week about, well, could this expose him to liability in a Michigan court? Maybe. But far more interesting to me, having defended federal criminal cases, I can tell you federal court is not a fun place to be for a criminal defense attorney because the government is very good at what they do."

On the first "Morning Joe" episode the day after Christmas, the pared-down MSNBC panel immediately pounced on Donald Trump for his ugly tirade on Truth Social where his Christmas message included wishing people would "rot in hell."

Fill-in in host Jonathan Lemire kicked off the discussion by reading from the former president's post where Trump wrote, "Merry Christmas to all, including Crooked Joe Biden’s ONLY HOPE, Deranged Jack Smith, the out of control Lunatic who just hired outside attorneys, fresh from the SWAMP (unprecedented!), to help him with his poorly executed WITCH HUNT against 'TRUMP' and 'MAGA' Included also are World Leaders, both good and bad, but none of which are as evil and 'sick' as the THUGS we have inside our Country who, with their Open Borders, INFLATION, Afghanistan Surrender, Green New Scam, High Taxes, No Energy Independence, Woke Military, Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Iran, All Electric Car Lunacy, and so much more, are looking to destroy our once great USA. MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Lemire then turned to Rev. Al Sharpton and asked, "The anger from Donald Trump, the bad faith attacks about his political opponents, what does that say to you just about where he is right now mentally and emotionally as this year draws to a close and we barrel into an election year?"

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"It's two things," Sharpton began. "I think it shows that these indictments and the civil case, despite his pretense otherwise, has gotten to him, because he's reacting and responding in a way of no one projecting self-confidence or like this is nothing."

"I also think it shows an inner kind of anger and displacement that he has, because who spends the holiday with this kind of venom, particularly when he is a guy that claims to be this self-confident, self-made guy with this kind of darkness, unless you are just that kind of dark person," he added.

"We've certainly gotten used to Trump's unorthodox holiday messages, 'the haters,' but this one hit a new low, even for him," Lemire chipped in.

Watch the video below or at this link.

The New York Times is reporting that former President Donald Trump is planning to reignite trade wars with foreign nations if he's reelected next year in a move the paper describes as "a high-stakes gamble with the economy’s health."

While Trump levied tariffs on foreign competitors in his first term, the Times reports that a second term would see that effort go into overdrive with the goal of severing the economic relationship between the United States and China.

Iowa's Republican-led government sparked outrage late last week by declining to participate in a federal program that would have provided low-income residents with $40 a month in additional food assistance during the coming summer.

Created by the U.S. Congress late last year, the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) for Children program aims to boost nutrition benefits for families with school-aged children who typically receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year. Starting in summer 2024, eligible families will receive a prepaid debit card with $40 per child for three months.

A longtime Texas conservative activist mailed what appeared to be a blatantly anti-Muslim holiday card to voters in state House Speaker Dade Phelan’s legislative district, the latest political volley in an ongoing feud between the Texas Republican Party’s far-right faction and its more moderate wing.

Photos of the mailers circulated on social media platform X two days before Christmas. The mailers sarcastically wish constituents a “Happy Ramadan,” even though the Muslim holiday fell during the spring this year. It includes photos of Phelan, who is Catholic, at an event celebrating Ramadan with Muslims in the state Capitol earlier this year.