Justice Kagan just noted a fact we reported in Slate: In the short time that Idaho has been allowed to enforce its abortion ban against women who need emergency termination, SIX women have been airlifted to another state for care that's illegal in Idaho. slate.com/news-and-polit…

Pecker delivers blockbuster account of Trump Tower meeting with Trump and Cohen:

Trump “asked me what can I do and what my magazines can do to help the campaign.'

Pecker said he could 'publish positive stories about Trump' and 'negative stories about his opponents.'

(cont'd)

Senate set to vote this afternoon to break a filibuster and advance the $95 billion foreign aid package that passed the House on Saturday. The bill could pass the Senate as soon as today, sending it to Biden's desk.

'The U.S. economy is one of the only places in the world right now that is doing even better than expected before the pandemic began.'

cc: The Washington Post Catherine Rampell

HOW IT HAPPENED

1. Rs say no foreign aid without border security

2. Ds say nope

3. Rs say then no aid

4. Ds cave, cut a deal for tougher border laws with Lankford and McConnell

5. Trump tells them to kill it

6. Rs kill it

7. Rs pass foreign aid without the border security

NYT on first witness in Trump criminal case: David Pecker, who ran the company that owned The National Enquirer, is set to go first, and is expected to recount for the jury several conversations with Mr. Trump about the hush money

Latest: A man lit himself on fire outside courthouse where Trump trial underway, NYPD officials brief within hour. CNN team on the ground observed one of the flyers - it said 'NYU is a mob front' and had various allegations of wrongdoings against the school.

Per witness, man who set himself ablaze had a sign saying something about Trump and Biden's working together to orchestrate a coup. ie part of the craziness of the trial itself & not an independent protest. There will be big challenges keeping trial from spinning out of control.

Breaking: House has voted in a bipartisan manner to advance a key foreign aid package, a significant step in sending aid to Ukraine and Israel and setting up a final vote as soon as Saturday. Democratic votes were necessary to overcome opposition from Speaker Mike Johnson’s right

Lauren Boebert bragging about her FART team - August 2022

A SATURDAY NIGHT VOTE is expected.

NEW — TOM MASSIE said in a closed House Republican meeting that he’s going to cosponsor the motion to vacate, per several sources in the room.

One House Republican made the point to me that if this GOP plan doesn’t pass, the floodgates will open and they’ll just sign the senate bill discharge petition.

'The Supreme Court announced that it will not hear Mckesson v. Doe. The decision leaves in place a lower court decision that effectively eliminated the right to organize a mass protest in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.'

vox.com/scotus/2408008…

Judge Juan Merchan has taken the bench.

The first criminal trial of Donald Trump has officially begun.

Last night on CNN I mentioned to Nic Robertson that what he might be seeing in the sky over Jerusalem was not IronDome strikes, but rather air-to-air hits by IDF aircraft against drones and cruise missiles. Received this footage from an old Israeli colleague this morning

The most important lesson of the last 24 hours?

PASS THE UKRAINE, ISRAEL, TAIWAN AID PACKAGE!