'You have Donald Trump clearly goading the judge.' Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads)🌻 talks with Rachel Maddow about how Judge Merchan should deal with Donald Trump testing the limits of the gag order in his criminal trial by criticizing the jurors.

'The mission was the election.' Rachel Maddow explains how prosecutors are pointing to the 2016 election as the time when people were released from agreements to keep silent about accusations against Donald Trump because by that point ... mission accomplished.

'That sends a message to the jury...' Katie Phang points out that sustained objections and sidebars during the defense opening statements in Donald Trump's trial likely had a negative effect on the jury members' impressions of the statement.

Today’s pro-Trump demonstrators outside of the lower Manhattan courthouse.

Why does Kevin McCarthy keep going on national television, even when the appearances make him look worse?

It's probably because he still hopes to land a gig on Team Trump. msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-…

'He seems like a man who's miserable to be here.' Rachel Maddow reflects on Donald Trump's disposition in the courtroom during opening statements of his New York criminal trial.

TONIGHT at 8pm ET: Following opening statements in former President Trump’s New York criminal trial, Rachel Rachel Maddow MSNBC and team break down the latest in this case. Tune in tonight at 8pm ET on MSNBC.

David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, will testify that Trump met with him after the election to thank him for dealing with the stories about women claiming to have had an affair with him, the prosecution says. nbcnews.com/politics/donal…

First witness is taking the stand.

NEW: Opening statements in the Trump criminal trial are now over. The DA’s opening was tight, practiced, and mostly chronological before they doubled back to cover perceived vulnerabilities of the case. But the defense’s opening drew objections that were sustained. 1/

NOTE: Rachel is *in the courtroom right now* and will share her insights from being there in person tonight.

Tonight!
Special prime time coverage of opening statements in Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial begins at 8pmET on MSNBC.

See you at the long desk!

Throughout 2023, House GOP leaders relied on the Democratic minority to pass every major bill that reached the White House.

So far in 2024, it's happening again — which says a lot about the parties' interest in governing. msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-…

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Trump also pardoned Benton and a co-conspirator for a *separate* bribery conviction involving the Ron Paul campaign—then his 2024 campaign hired the co-conspirator: thedailybeast.com/trump-hired-ad…

'One woman miscarried in the restroom lobby of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to admit her. Another woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a security guard turned her away from the facility. And in North Carolina, a

Turning Point Action official resigns after accusation of election-related fraud washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/…

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Yesterday I attended a conference in Las Vegas for a far-right sheriffs group. It drew a parade of felons, disgraced politicians, election deniers, conspiracy theorists and, in the end, even a few sheriffs. My dispatch from the fringe: nbcnews.com/news/us-news/c…