A Wrinkle

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vlad Putin, and the world seemed to shrug.

And we shrugged with pretty good reason if our thinking stops at the point where we know there's nobody sending out the Belgian version of Dog The Bounty Hunter to drag Putin into the back of a pickup and speed away towards The Hague.

But what happens when Mr Putin's rivals know they'll get plenty of help from unseen hands if they decide it's time to make their move?

Nature Bats Last

Law enforcement officers climb through debris
looking for survivors early Saturday in Rolling Fork MS
(Rogelio Solis/AP)

Max Olson Chasing

Straight out of an epic Hollywood disaster movie.

How Mississippi’s tornadoes unfolded overnight and why they were so deadly

At least 23 people are dead in Mississippi following a terrifying Friday night in which large, destructive tornadoes tore across the state.

The violent twisters formed amid a severe weather outbreak that unleashed damage from Louisiana to North Carolina. They were fueled by record-setting heat and energized by howling jet stream winds.

The twisters formed from the same destructive storm system that barged into California’s Bay Area on Tuesday and produced deadly flooding in both the Desert Southwest and the nation’s midsection.

The twisters’ terrible toll can be linked to their utter ferocity, the vulnerability of the region they struck and for sweeping through at night, when it was difficult to see them coming.

How the tornadoes were unleashed

The rotating thunderstorm or supercell that spawned the deadly tornadoes swept across the entirety of Mississippi and continued through northern Alabama — an exceptionally long path for a single storm. Supercells contain rotating updrafts fueled by warm, unstable air near the ground and are twisted by changing winds with altitude.

The National Weather Service in Jackson, Miss., first issued a tornado warning for the storm as it entered Mississippi at 7:40 p.m.

Just before 8 p.m., it cautioned “a large and extremely dangerous tornado was located 7 miles west of Rolling Fork.” By 8:03 p.m., the Weather Service said the storm was located near Rolling Fork. “This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. TAKE COVER NOW!,” it warned. Rolling Fork was among one of several towns especially hard hit.

The wedge-shaped funnel was probably on the ground for the next 90 minutes covering 80 miles as it barreled across west-central Mississippi at high speeds. The Weather Service was compelled to declare multiple tornado emergencies, the most dire alert for twisters, as it carved a path through the towns of Anguilla, Louise, Midnight, Silver City, Tchula and Winona.

Along this path, tornado lofted debris 30,000 feet high, said Samuel Emmerson, a member of the radar research group at the University of Oklahoma, describing it on Twitter as an “extremely high-caliber” tornado.

Shortly after passing Winona, around 9:32 p.m., the tornado may have weakened or lifted for a time as the storm raced across northeast Mississippi.

However, it appeared to re-form and strengthen around 10:50 p.m. when the Weather Service office in Memphis declared yet another tornado emergency for the town of Amory and then the city of Smithville.

When radar displayed an unmistakable signature of debris immediately west of Armory, confirmation of the destructive twister, broadcast meteorologist Matt Laubhan for television station WTVA could not contain his emotion.

“Dear Jesus, please help them,” he pleaded.

The storm crossed into northwest Alabama shortly after 11 p.m. and continued producing tornadoes until it reached the northeast part of the state around 12:45 a.m.

The Weather Service received at least 10 reports of tornadoes in northern Alabama from this storm. Around Hartselle, which is about 30 miles southwest of Huntsville, the agency logged reports of damage to homes, people trapped and a tractor-trailer overturned.

Severe storm affected 7 southern states and it’s not over

The storm that swept across Mississippi and northern Alabama was one of many that raged through the South on Friday into early Saturday morning.

The Weather Service has logged more than 100 reports of severe weather from Louisiana to western North Carolina, including more than 80 instances of violent straight line winds that toppled trees and power lines and damaged homes. Tens of thousands lost power.

The Weather Service reported one person was injured near Nashville when a tree fell on a house.

On Saturday, the storm system will push off the East Coast but could still set off some strong thunderstorms in parts of the Southeast and Ohio Valley.

The risk of severe weather and tornadoes is much lower compared to Friday, however. The Storm Prediction Center has placed the zone from southern Mississippi to South Carolina as well as eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia and western Pennsylvania in a Level 1 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms; Friday’s risk in the Mid-South was a Level 4 out of 5.

As the storm front stalls across the South on Sunday, the risk of severe weather could increase again between Louisiana and Georgia, with damaging winds and a couple more tornadoes possible, the Storm Predicton Center said Saturday.

A deadly legacy

The larger storm system which spawned Friday’s tornadoes has a deadly legacy. When it slammed into California on Tuesday, at least five people were killed by trees toppled by winds up to 80 mph in the Bay Area. The same storm spawned the strongest tornado to hit the Los Angeles metro area since 1983.

As the storm exited California on its way toward the central states, it triggered severe flooding in central Arizona, where at least three people died after their vehicles were swept away by floodwaters, the Associated Press reported.

The storm unloaded more heavy rain that spurred flooding over an extensive swath of the central and eastern United States — stretching from eastern Oklahoma into northern West Virginia. The Associated Press reported a car was swept away by floodwaters in southwest Missouri, killing two passengers.

Today's Eternal Sadness

One of the truly shitty parts is that some conservatives consider this a "win".

Trans flight attendant famed for airline ad dies by suicide: ‘Sorry I could not be stronger’

Scott, who shared her transition story for a 2020 Trans Day of Visibility video produced by United, declared in a 2:30 a.m. Instagram post that she was planning to end her life.

“As I take my final breaths and exit this living earth, I would like to apologize to everyone I let down. I am so sorry I could not be better,” reads the emotional Instagram post. “To those that I love, I am sorry I could not be stronger. To those that gave me their everything, I am sorry my effort was not reciprocated.”

When reached by The Post for comment, reps for United said, “We are incredibly saddened by the tragic loss of Kayleigh Scott and extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends and co-workers.”

According to comments on her final post, Scott’s friends called Denver authorities, asking them to do a welfare check on the flight attendant.

Scott continued, “Please understand that me leaving is not a reflection of you, but the result of my own inability to turn myself for the better. To Ashley, Cynthia, Regine & Sophia. I am so sorry. Please remember me for the good memories we have shared, and never for my downfall. I will see you all again on the other side.”

A spokesperson for the Denver Police Department said an investigation is ongoing and that the final determination of cause of death will be made by the Denver Medical Examiner’s Office, the Los Angeles Blade reported.

However, Scott’s sister, Ashley Scott, later commented to confirm her sister’s death.

“To all who have commented and those watching this post, Kay has passed,” Ashley said. “Thank you for your concern and outpouring of love for her. We are going to miss her so much.”

Scott made headlines in 2020 when United featured her as a part of its diversity campaign.

“There was so much pain behind that sweet boy’s eyes … This is a story that I know is so important for me to continue sharing,” said Scott in the video documenting her struggles to fit into the cis community. “Not for me, but for those out there who are still fighting social norms, the boundaries set upon them, fighting themselves. Gay, lesbian, bi, trans, pan, whatever, whoever you identify as, come out to be counted.”

Scott said she credited United for helping her transition.

“My life changed for the better when I came to United as a flight attendant. With the support from the company, our business resource group for LGBTQ+ employees, and all of my loving co-workers,” Scott said at the time. “I was able to break free from the chains that helped me and to this day, I’m living confidently. It’s my true self.”

Details surrounding the end of her life remain unclear, but several of her friends revealed that she struggled with depression.

“2022 has been a year packed with upset and difficulty,” wrote Scott in a New Year’s Eve Facebook post. “I saw too much death & loss in my life, I came to realize I work a meaningless job for a company that doesn’t value me as an employee.”

“I had my heart destroyed, I lost my nice little home and had to downsize significantly and start over,” continued the post. “I’m really struggling to find happiness and hope. I’m begging 2023 to be better to me. Please.”

Scott’s mother also posted about her daughter’s passing.

“I now have words, my mind is completely rushed with thoughts of you and you like a flooded river are just rushing though my heart,” wrote Andrea Sylvestro. “Kayleigh Scott … I am so unbelievably proud to have you as my daughter, proud and amazed by everything that you have done in your life, your smile was absolutely beautiful, your laughter was unbelievably contagious, your heart was bigger than any of us could have ever understood.”

Sylvestro’s lengthy tribute continued: “I miss you so much already, everything that you have been through, every morning you woke up and looked in that mirror, I hope you saw what we all saw.. a beautiful, eloquent, compassionate, courageous beautiful soul! love you so so much,” continued the post. “Fly high my beautiful daughter, I will not let a day go by that I don’t honor your name and everything you stood for.”

“Go climb those mountains, live free and let the wind take you away…all my love my beautiful girl,” concluded the post.

According to Scott’s Instagram, she was an avid skier and mountain climber.

The Post reached out to United and Denver police for comment.

Meanwhile, Scott’s death has sent shock waves through the LGBTQ+ community.

“Such a promising life, it’s devastating for an LGBTIQ like me in his early sixties to learn of tragedies of such untimely demise,” commented one person on Twitter.

“My heart is in pieces,” tweeted another.

“Stop targeting vulnerable people. They were born equal to everyone,” a third person declared on a post about Scott’s passing.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can dial the 24/7 national suicide prevention hotline at 988 or go to 988Lifeline.org.

Karma's Only A Bitch When You Are

The pinch-face blue-nosed prigs never quite get the whole thing about equal justice and even-handed administration of the law.

They always try to set it up so their side gets what they want and everybody else can go whistle for it.

So far, it's always come back around to bite 'em in the ass.

So far.

A Utah parent says the Bible contains porn and should be removed from school libraries. 

Here’s their full challenge.

The parent writes that the book should be considered indecent under Utah’s new book banning law, after seeing the other titles that have been pulled.

Frustrated by the books being removed from school libraries, a Utah parent says there’s one that hasn’t been challenged yet, but that they believe should be, for being “one of the most sex-ridden books around.”

So they’ve submitted a request for their school district in Davis County to now review the Bible for any inappropriate content.

“Incest, onanism, bestiality, prostitution, genital mutilation, fellatio, dildos, rape, and even infanticide,” the parent wrote in their request, listing topics they found concerning in the religious text. “You’ll no doubt find that the Bible, under Utah Code Ann. § 76-10-1227, has ‘no serious values for minors’ because it’s pornographic by our new definition.”

The code cited is the Utah law passed in 2022 to ban any books containing “pornographic or indecent” content from Utah schools, both in libraries and in the classroom. It came after outcry from conservative parents groups, who have been pushing to have titles removed.

The Salt Lake Tribune obtained a copy of the parent’s petition for the book review of the Bible late Tuesday after submitting a public records request for it on March 9, asking for an expedited response, which was denied. Davis School District did not respond to The Tribune’s request for comment then, but returned a call late Wednesday.

District spokesperson Christopher Williams repeated what he’s told other media outlets: “We don’t differentiate between one request and another. We see that as the work that we do.”

He said the Bible challenge has been given to a committee to review; the process typically takes 60 days, but Williams said the committee is not done with this request due to a backlog as more parents have been questioning books.

According to the copy of the request, the parent submitted their challenge on Dec. 11. The district removed the parent’s name, address and contact information, citing privacy reasons. The parent also attached to their request an eight-page listing of passages from the Bible that they found to be offensive and worth reviewing.

Their request is to specifically remove the book from shelves at Davis High School.

“Get this PORN out of our schools,” the parent wrote. “If the books that have been banned so far are any indication for way lesser offenses, this should be a slam dunk.”

The parent points to action by Utah Parents United, a right-leaning group that has led the efforts to challenge books here for being inappropriate. It has largely centered on texts written by and about the LGBTQ community and people of color.

Based on the new Utah law, something is indecent if it includes explicit sexual arousal, stimulation, masturbation, intercourse, sodomy or fondling. According to state attorneys, material doesn’t have to be “taken as a whole” in those situations or left on the shelf during a review. If there is a scene involving any of those acts, it should be immediately removed.

Those who have opposed that effort have said it steps on the First Amendment right for kids to access materials, especially from diverse viewpoints.

In submitting the online form for the book review, the parent echoes that, writing: “I thank the Utah Legislature and Utah Parents United for making this bad faith process so much easier and way more efficient. Now we can all ban books and you don’t even need to read them or be accurate about it. Heck, you don’t even need to see the book!”

(The parent does note, though, that they read the Bible before suggesting it be removed.)

The parent argues that Utah Parents United is “a white supremacist hate group” that is stepping on education and the freedom to access literature. They say that’s particularly worrisome in Davis School District, which has been “under investigation for being racist.”

Davis was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice, which released a report in 2021 finding that the district intentionally ignored “serious and widespread” racial harassment in its schools for years.

Utah Parents United responded to a request for comment from The Tribune on Wednesday, saying: “We believe in following the law. That’s all we’re asking schools to do.”

The group has previously said that its members are not challenging books based on race or LGBTQ relationships. But they have repeatedly targeted the same titles in school districts across the state, including “The Bluest Eye” by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison and “Gender Queer,” a graphic novel about the author’s journey of self-identity.

Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, who sponsored the bill to remove pornographic books from school libraries, called the request to pull the Bible “antics that drain school resources.”

“There was a purpose to the bill and this kind of stuff, it’s very unfortunate,” he said. “There are any number of studies that directly link sexualization and hyper-sexualization with sexual exploitation and abuse. Certainly, those are things we don’t want in schools.”

He said his measure was not meant to ban books but to limit books based on what’s age appropriate for children in schools.

“If a parent still wants their kid to read a certain book, they can go buy it on Amazon or at a bookstore or even check it out at their public library,” Ivory added.

Williams with Davis School District noted that parents can also call their child’s school and limit their account, specifically, so the student cannot check out listed titles. Only 10 parents have done that across the district, Williams noted.

When asked specifically if the challenge on the Bible had merit, Ivory said: “I guess the schools will get to burn time and resource to determine that.”

He also acknowledged the parent who submitted the request “really had to go through their Bible study” to come up with the list of examples they found inappropriate. He added: “I hope they paid attention to other parts of the Bible, though.”

The eight-page list starts with passages from Genesis that mention sex, alcohol, nudity, rape and incest. A quote from Genesis 19:8 reads: “See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish.”

Genesis 19:35-36 adds: “Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.”

The other citations highlight similar themes, including passages mentioning “whoredom” and “breasts” and “fornication.”

Ivory said he sees the request as a political stunt, not a serious request. He suggested: “For people to minimize that and to make a mockery of it is very sad.”

The books he said he was worried about in drafting the measure included graphic novels with drawings that legislative attorneys advised him he couldn’t show in public meetings because “they would violate state and federal obscenity laws.” That includes “Gender Queer,” a novel about the author’s journey of self-identity that has some scenes of illustrated figures engaging in sexual conduct.

Last year in Alpine School District, 52 books flagged by parents were pulled from shelves while they were reviewed. One of the books on the list seemed possibly misidentified simply because of its title. It’s called “SEX: If You’re Scared of the Truth Don’t Read This!” The author argues in favor of abstinence, which is what is taught by law in Utah schools.

The Bible wasn’t challenged there and doesn’t appear to have been questioned yet in other Utah school districts where books have been removed, including nine in Canyons School District and several in Washington County School District.

Utah Parents United curriculum director Brooke Stephens also filed a police report with both Farmington Police Department and Davis County Sheriff’s Office last year, according to copies provided to The Tribune, to report a list of 47 books in Davis School District. None of those were religious texts.

The school district, according to the spokesperson, has the Bible, Book of Mormon, Torah and Quran available to check out.

It Rolls

ICYMI

Anger as Trump posts picture of himself wielding baseball bat next to Alvin Bragg’s head

Donald Trump sparked anger by posting a picture of himself holding a baseball bat next to the head of the Manhattan District Attorney leading an investigation into him.

The one-term president posted an article to Truth Social which included a composite picture of himself and Alvin Bragg, who has accused the one-term president of creating “a false expectation” of being arrested this week.

The Manhattan grand jury is investigating hush money payments Mr Trump is accused of making to adult actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Mr Trump has repeatedly denied any sexual relationship with Ms Daniels.

But critics were quick to point out the Truth Social post featuring Mr Bragg and demanding that action be taken against Mr Trump.

“This threat is obstruction of justice and is a dangerous call to violence. Everyone needs to speak out,” wrote author Jennifer Taub on Twitter.

“Trump has today issued repeated stochastic terrorist calls for his cult to “remove” the “animal” Alvin Bragg - and use a baseball bat,” tweeted former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann.

And he added: “He’s trying to get this man killed. Period. Enough.”

CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen also spoke out about Mr Trump’s post.

“Threatening a prosecutor is a crime in NY. In fact MULTIPLE crimes:

• Harassment in the first degree NYPL 240.25
• Menacing in the second degree NYPL 120.14
• Stalking in the fourth or third degree NYPL 120.45 & 120.50

And that’s just for starters….” he tweeted.

Mr Trump’s post came as Mr Bragg’s office blasted House Republican chairs of the House Judiciary, Oversight, and Administration committees, who sent a letter claiming the investigation was an “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority.”

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office general counsel Leslie Dubeck called the letter sent by the chairmen on 20 March “an unprecedented inquiry into a pending local prosecution”.

“The Letter only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene. Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry,” she added.

Waiting

Kathleen Parker is one of the pimpiest of the ideology pimps, so every now and then, she inadvertently gets one right. Which is how she stays in business. As deliberately wrong as she can be, sometimes she stumbles and tells the truth. AKA: The Classic Beltway Gaffe.

So we can file this one under "Even A Blind Hog Roots Up An Acorn Once In A While".

Opinion

Waiting for a Trump indictment has become an arresting comedy

With apologies to Samuel Beckett, waiting for Donald Trump to be arrested is a bit like waiting for Godot to show up. Only in today’s comedy, Trump never shows up for an event that never happens.

Which allows ample time to consider whether this is good, or bad, for Trump.

Keep in mind it was Trump and not Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg who announced that he’d be arrested Tuesday. Then Wednesday came and then Thursday, and the would-be defendant was still on the campaign trail.

The specificity of his doomsday prophesy should have been a hint that he was fundraising rather than girding for a confrontation with a new archenemy. Within short order of posting about his dreamed-for arrest, Trump’s campaign raised $1.5 million. Not a bad take for an election-denying, rabble-rousing loser. Not to put too fine a point on the matter.

No one expects Trump to be handcuffed or perp-walked, though he doubtless would prefer such a show. He would be fingerprinted, however, photographed for a mug shot and swabbed for New York’s state DNA database.

And to think it all began with an adult-film star and hush money.

To refresh your memory, Stormy Daniels allegedly had a fling with The Don long before he was The Prez. Concerned that she might spoil everything if Americans found out, especially in the wake of his infamous boasts about assaulting women, Trump allegedly directed his sidekick attorney Michael Cohen to pay her off. More shocking than the deed itself was the cheap thrill he took Daniels for. Only $130,000 in exchange for the presidency? She should sue for something, though I can’t think what.

According to Cohen, who testified before the grand jury, he paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, with his own money, and Trump reimbursed him for legal fees. (Trump denies everything, including the alleged tryst.) Because the payment was aimed at helping Trump win the 2016 election, Bragg might contend, as prosecutors in the Cohen case did, that the money should have been declared a campaign contribution. Trump did not report the payment, needless to say.

For his part, Bragg may be out of his league. Given Trump’s record of deceptions and antagonisms, not the least of which was his role in inspiring the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, one would think it not much of a challenge. But Trump’s record also includes countless lawsuits, which he files with the gleeful frequency of a parking-ticket scribbler in the District of Columbia. He loves lawsuits and must be pretty good at the racket — or at least at hiring lawyers who are.

When Trump essentially bragged that he’d be arrested Tuesday, it seems he was merely staging a puppet show. He wouldn’t be arrested unless he wanted to be. Once an indictment is issued, all he has to do is quietly turn himself in. But where’s the fun in that? The puppets were the however-many who crowdfunded his next foray on the hustings.

And the arrest? We wait.

Bragg’s case centers on the idea that the Daniels payoff was far above the $2,700 allowed for individual campaign contributions. By not disclosing it, Trump may have violated federal tax rules that apply to political campaigns.

Of course, some might think, So the man had a night out and wanted the broad to keep her trap shut. (Speaking gangster here.) Nobody’s knees got busted. What’s the big deal?

Well, the United States of America got a little bruised. Never mind the utter seediness of Trump — election laws exist to protect us from thugs and criminals, some of whom wear nice suits and, apparently, own tanning booths. But it seems questionable whether Bragg has a solid indictment — and more’s the pity. It’s worth noting that Cohen, who pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to eight counts, including criminal tax evasion and campaign finance violations, received a three-year prison sentence.

Democrats and other anti-Trumpers have long hoped a criminal conviction would preclude the former president from ever holding public office again. Would that it were so. No law says someone can’t run if indicted. Trump could even serve as president, assuming he’s not in prison.

In 2016, Trump famously told the audience at a Christian college: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” Whether this remains true isn’t clear. As of Wednesday, his “favorable” rating was at 41 percent, unfavorable at 54.8 percent. These numbers have been relatively constant the past two years.

I suppose it’s possible Trump could enjoy some time in penitential seclusion, depending on sentencing if convicted, but I wouldn’t bet the family goat on it. More likely, if he’s indicted at all, Trump will glory in the injustice of Bragg’s folly, raising millions more for another run at the presidency and emboldening his base to save America from traitors.

His arrest could happen any day now. . . . Or, like Beckett’s Didi and Gogo, we could wait forever for Trump to have his day in court.

Not Darwin

... but not wrong either ... if it suits your need to slag the other side.

This came across on one of my feeds on some social media platform or another, to poke fun at MAGA Conservatives.

It would seem it popped up originally as a snarky slam on "Woke", but it's pretty interesting how "both sides" are using this to denigrate the other.

Keeping it Both-Sides-y helps push people away from engaging in anything political, which helps the cynical manipulators stay in power, so Paranoid Mike says there could be a very conscious effort afoot to come up with memes that are generic enough to apply to Woke or MAGA or anything you feel needs to be slammed.

Charles Darwin predicted a sub-species of humans “will deny biology” and “attempt to undo the centuries of human development by rewriting history.”

No, this isn’t a real Charles Darwin quote about what it means to be ‘woke’

"Great is the power of steady misrepresentation," Charles Darwin once said. That’s perhaps true in the case of a quote attributed to the famed naturalist that periodically appears on social media. 

PolitiFact recently published a story on what it means to be "woke," but a March 15 Facebook post suggests Darwin has it covered. 

"WOKE explained by Darwin," reads the post, which contains some typos. "At some stage, the Human Species will divide. Whilst most will continue to evolve, a minority of those lacking the intellectual capacity of thought, will develop as a sub-species. Being easily lead, form into Packs attempting to control the majority. They will deny biology, attempt to undo the centuries of human development by re-writing history, and gradually revert to their Primate Origins. They will expect all to conform to their point of view without question." 

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

While this reads like a contemporary and barbed criticism of people who are "woke," we found no credible sources to corroborate that Darwin said this. 

It doesn’t appear in his well-known book "The Origin of the Species," or "Geological Observations on the Volcanic Islands," or "The Voyage of the Beagle," or "The Descent of Man," or his autobiography, or "The Expression of the Emotions In Man and Animals," or a series of essays about natural selection, or "The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms." Searching these and other writings we could find online, we found nothing like what appears in the Facebook post. 

We didn’t turn up any other evidence searching more broadly online. The quotation doesn’t appear in the University of Cambridge’s Darwin Correspondence Project site, though it does make an appearance on several meme sites, and in one case, someone said he was explaining supporters of former President Donald Trump. That, of course, is also baseless — not to mention Darwin died 64 years before Trump was born.

We rate claims that this is an authentic Darwin quote False.

"Don't be fool enough to swallow every little

rhetorical turd that floats by on the internet."

-- Abe Lincoln

Pro Left Podcast

"If you do what I tell you to do, I can keep you out of prison. I'm not sure, at this point, that I want to."

A Score Card Fer Ya

Perp Walk Watch

Donald Trump: His four biggest legal problems

Donald Trump is under investigation for everything from his handling of top secret documents to alleged payments made to a former adult film star - and he is facing numerous lawsuits as well.

It can be difficult to keep track of the investigations, so here's four that could have the biggest impact on him both personally and politically.

Stormy Daniels

What's being investigated?

Prosecutors in New York are investigating alleged hush-money payments made on Mr Trump's behalf to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film star who went public with claims the pair had an affair.

Mr Trump denies they had sexual relations.

Meanwhile, the business practices of his family company, the Trump Organization, are being examined by prosecutors.

Letitia James, the New York attorney general, is leading a civil investigation (which cannot result in criminal charges) and has spent years looking at whether the company committed various acts of fraud over several decades.

A criminal investigation is being led by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and is looking at similar issues.

What has Trump said?

A member of his legal team told the Associated Press that there was no legal basis for the Stormy Daniels case and he did not believe prosecutors had made a decision on charges.

Separately, the former president and his lawyers have insisted the allegations against the Trump Organization are politically motivated.

Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised both Ms James and Mr Bragg.

So how serious is it?

In the Stormy Daniels case, Mr Trump has been invited to testify to a grand jury. Experts suggest this indicates he could soon face criminal charges, but it is not clear what these could be.

If prosecutors proceed, it would be the first criminal case ever brought against a former US president.

The criminal investigation into the Trump Organization has already yielded convictions. The company was found guilty in December of fraud and falsifying business records and fined $1.6m (£1.31m). Allen Weisselberg, the organisation's chief financial officer, was sentenced to five months in jail in January.

In the civil case, Ms James has filed a lawsuit against Mr Trump and three of his children accusing them of "astounding" fraud and deception.

The lawsuit alleges that the family inflated their net worth by billions, and is seeking $250m (£226m) that was allegedly obtained through fraudulent means. It's also seeking bans on Mr Trump and his children from serving in a leadership role in any New York business.

A Manhattan judge has denied Mr Trump's bid to delay the trial, saying the scheduled date of 2 October is "written in stone".

Mar-a-Lago

What's being investigated?

The Department of Justice is looking into the removal of government documents from the White House, which were then taken to Mr Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after he left office. Investigators are assessing how these documents were stored and who may have had access to them.

The former president's sprawling beachside property was searched in August and 11,000 documents were seized, including around 100 marked as classified. Some of these were labelled top secret.

Unsurprisingly, we know very little about what's in the documents at this stage. But classified material usually contains information that officials feel could damage national security if made public.

What has Trump said?

He's denied wrongdoing and criticised the justice department's investigation, branding it "politically motivated" and a "witch-hunt".

He has offered shifting defences which have mostly hinged on the argument that he declassified the material. No evidence has yet been provided that this is true.

The former president has also argued that some of the documents are protected by "privilege" - a legal concept that would prevent them from being used in future proceedings. An independent lawyer is reviewing the seized material to determine if this is the case and that process continues.

But Mr Trump has not directly addressed the key question of why the documents were at Mar-a-Lago in the first place.

So how serious is it?

This is an active criminal investigation and could result in charges being filed.

Among other statutes, the justice department believes Mr Trump may have violated the Espionage Act by keeping national security information that "could be used to the injury of the United States".

In addition to charges relating to the classified documents themselves, prosecutors are also looking at obstruction of justice as another potential crime.

Mr Trump's team are now locked in a legal battle with the justice department over the investigation.

The department has appointed an independent lawyer, or special counsel, to oversee all of its criminal investigations into Mr Trump. Jack Smith will lead its various inquiries and will ultimately decide whether to bring charges.

The Capitol Riot

What's being investigated?

Mr Trump's alleged role in the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the building in an effort to stop the confirmation of President Joe Biden's election victory, is under scrutiny from several federal government bodies.

The most visible has been a congressional committee that spent 18 months looking into Mr Trump's actions. They held a series of televised hearings laying out their case that his election fraud claims led directly to the riot.

Following these hearings, the committee accused Mr Trump of inciting insurrection and other crimes.

The justice department is running a separate criminal probe into 6 January and broader efforts to overturn the election - but this has largely been shrouded in secrecy. It's the largest police investigation in US history, but the extent to which Mr Trump is a target is unclear.

What has Trump said?

He's denied responsibility for the riot and criticised the congressional committee, which he described as a "kangaroo court" and "unselect pseudo-committee".

He has continued to repeat his unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud.

So how serious is it?

The congressional committee - made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans - concluded its hearings by recommending four criminal charges against Mr Trump which it then referred to the justice department.

The move was largely symbolic as it is up to the department to decide whether to file criminal charges. There is no indication this is imminent.

The justice department's criminal probe, however, has already led to hundreds of people who stormed the Capitol being charged.

The former president has not been called for questioning in that inquiry, but it remains a possibility. He could also - in theory - be charged if investigators believe there is sufficient evidence of wrongdoing.

Georgia

What's being investigated?

Prosecutors spent eight months looking into alleged attempts to overturn Mr Trump's narrow loss in the state in the 2020 presidential election.

The criminal investigation was opened after the disclosure of an hour-long phone call between the former president and the state's top election official on 2 January 2021.

"I just want to find 11,780 votes," Mr Trump said during the call to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger - a reference to the number of ballots needed to give him victory in the swing state.

A grand jury investigating the case was dissolved earlier this year after filing a final report, which remains sealed.

What has Trump said?

He's described the investigation - as he has many others - as a "witch hunt".

Mr Trump has also attacked the legal official leading the inquiry - the chief prosecutor of Fulton County, Fani Willis - as a "young, ambitious, Radical Left Democrat... who is presiding over one of the most Crime Ridden and Corrupt places".

So how serious is it?

"The allegations are very serious. If indicted and convicted, people are facing prison sentences," Ms Willis told the Washington Post last month.

The 26-member grand jury did not have indictment powers but may have recommended charges. Among the potential crimes it looked into were the solicitation of election fraud, making false statements to government officials, and racketeering.

It is not known whether the former president is being directly investigated, but some of his allies are known to be part of the inquiry.

For a criminal conviction, however, prosecutors would ultimately need to prove beyond reasonable doubt that those involved knew their actions were fraudulent.

In January, a prosecutor working on behalf of Fulton County said the district attorney's office believes the report should only be released after prosecutors determine whether or not to bring charges.

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