'Bombshell exchange' at Trump fraud trial sparks 'instant objection' from lawyer

ALSO READ: GOP leader tries to laugh off major Mar-a-Lago bruising — with claim that shuns evidence

Patrick Birney, an assistant vice president for financial operations at the Trump Organization, delivered explosive testimony on Monday that drew a furious reaction from an attorney representing former President Donald Trump.

As reported by The Messenger's Adam Klasfeld, an attorney representing New York Attorney General Letitia James' office asked Birney whether former Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg had ever told him that Trump wanted to see his net worth on his statements of financial condition go up from year to year, to which Birney replied, "Yes."

Klasfeld then added that this "bombshell exchange instantly sparked an objection by Trump's lawyer Chris Kise," who argued that Birney's testimony in this matter should be inadmissible on the grounds that it is "the heart of hearsay."

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Forbes reporter Dan Alexander added some context to Birney's testimony, which he said would leave a mark regardless of whether Judge Arthur Engoron finds it admissible.

"His testimony, delivered in monotone with long pauses, was certainly not theatrical," wrote Alexander, who has become a frequent target of Trump for his reporting on the ways the former president fraudulently inflated his net worth. "But the actual words he said were devastating to his employer, the Trump Organization – and ultimately to Donald Trump."

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'Floored me': Influencer exposes staggering money gap fueling right-wing propaganda

The Bulwark flagged a stunning revelation shared by popular political influencer Maria Comstock, one that laid bare the vast disparity in scale between conservative and liberal political influence campaigns.

Comstock, who’s amassed millions of followers across several social media platforms, revealed in a social media post recently that, in the lead-up to the 2024 election, she was approached by both conservative and liberal groups with offers to produce paid political content. The difference in rates offered by the two groups, she wrote, left her “floored.”

“Left: $2,000 for one video. Right: $36,000 for one video,” Comstock wrote. “Same format. Same audience size. Same production lift. A 1,700% difference.”

Comstock said that because of her personal “values,” she declined the offers from conservative-leaning groups and accepted offers from the liberal-leaning ones. However, she noted that for many influencers, forgoing larger payouts to instead produce content more aligned with their own personal political leanings was a luxury many couldn’t afford.

“Let's be honest: for many creators, that delta makes the decision for you. For influencers, brand deals aren’t ‘extra.’ They’re rent. They’re healthcare. They’re payroll for editors,” Comstock wrote.

“When someone offers you the equivalent of several months’ income for one deliverable, it’s not an abstract ethical debate; it’s survival math. And if you’re a lifestyle, sports, or comedy creator who doesn’t deeply care about politics? The incentive structure nudges you in one direction.”

Comstock argued that without a major course correction, the vast difference in funding between conservative and liberal political influence campaigns could dramatically shape political discourse in years to come.

“Creators are rational actors responding to incentives. If one side offers 18x the rate for the same work, it will shape the ideological makeup of the influencer economy over time, not necessarily because creators are ideologues, but because they are business owners,” she wrote.

“The political influencer ecosystem isn’t *just* about ideas. It’s about capital allocation. And right now, capital is not evenly distributed.”

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'Astounding to watch': CNN reporter floored as Johnson and Thune now on 'collision course'

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Sen. John Thune (R-SD) were at odds Friday after the Senate passed its DHS bill overnight to try to end the ongoing partial government shutdown.

Johnson announced on Friday that he would set forward his own legislation, which does not have enough support to pass, after the Senate bill passed, and called it "a joke." He said he wouldn't support it, despite the Senate Republicans' vote to support the bill to fund all agencies under the Department of Homeland Security except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. DHS has been unfunded since February due to disputes over ICE and CBP’s often violent operations.

CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox described what was next on Capitol Hill as Johnson pushed forward the new legislation.

"The reality is he probably would have enough votes if he were to get some Democrats along with him," Fox said.

"And we heard from [House Minority Leader Hakeem] Jeffries earlier today that he said Democrats were willing to do whatever is necessary in order to end TSA workers not getting paid as soon as today. So the votes likely would have been there if he would have brought this to the floor. But obviously, he is facing a lot of pressure from conservatives in his conference who were not happy with what the Senate sent over in the middle of the night."

Johnson was visibly frustrated in front of a group of reporters on Friday.

"It was really astounding to watch the Speaker of the House highlight parts of this legislation he did not like, and then accused Republicans of having not possibly read the entirety of this bill if they were truly supportive of it," Fox said. "It's just a good reminder, like you noted, this bill was passed by voice vote in the middle of the night by the Senate. That means that at some point, there was a unanimous agreement that this was the path forward. And obviously, this puts him and Majority Leader John Thune on a collision course. John Thune is the Senate majority leader. And while he tried not to call out John Thune by name, and he tried to tap dance around the fact that Thune was responsible for putting this on the floor. Thune's the majority leader. Johnson can argue that this was Chuck Schumer's master plan all along, but he doesn't have control of the Senate floor. John Thune does."

Fox pointed to the apparent division among Republicans in the House and Senate.

"Clearly, there is daylight between those two Republican leaders," she added. "And I would also point out that Johnson said he spoke to Donald Trump, the president, just before he came out. That might give you an indication of where the president is right now. If the Speaker of the House felt comfortable coming out here and making such a juxtaposition to what Senate Republican leaders did just a few hours ago, I mean, clearly, this is not a shutdown that is going to end any time soon unless there is some really radical shift in Speaker Johnson's direction, given how forceful he just was, that does not look to be the case right now."

Saturday’s ‘No Kings’ protests expected to be largest display against Trump yet


Organizers of the third round of No Kings protests against President Donald Trump say they expect Saturday will be the single largest day of American political protest in history, with more than 3,000 events planned across the nation, including nearly 70 in Arizona.

An estimated 7 million people showed up to rally against the Trump administration in October — more than the 5 million or so who protested in June — and No Kings organizers are anticipating nearly 9 million people will take to the streets this weekend.

Arizona organizers are expecting record turnout, building off of the April 2025 Hands Off protest and the previous No Kings days.

“Four of the five largest days of protest in U.S. history have been against Trump. Three have been during his second term,” Nathan Taylortaft, co-director of East Valley Unite, said in a written statement. “Don’t be surprised if we break our own records to a great extent on March 28. That goes for both Chandler specifically, and nationwide.”

In Arizona, events will span every corner of the state, from Yuma to Bullhead City to Kayenta to Douglas. The bulk of the planned protests are in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, which collectively are home to more than 60% of Arizonans.

More than 15 events are planned for the Tucson area, while there are more than two dozen in metro Phoenix. And residents in the state’s two most Republican counties, Yavapai and Mohave, will have multiple options: Three protests are planned in Mohave and five are scheduled in Yavapai.

“This country was founded in defiance of a tyrannical King, and that spirit of independence is still alive today,” Toby Friedman, leader of Sedona Indivisible, said in a statement.

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