Comment on U.S. stresses need to reduce imbalances in China trade

The judge overseeing Alex Jones’ bankruptcy case threw him a bone yesterday, saying he could continue operating his media company over the next few weeks before the decision is made on whether it should be liquidated. Via the Daily Beast: Jones has been ordered to pay $1.5 billion to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School after they won lawsuits in Texas and Connecticut claiming he’d defamed them and caused them emotional distress.

Witnesses in the various criminal cases against the former president have gotten pay raises, new jobs and more. If any benefits were intended to influence testimony, that could be a crime. (Knowing Trump, what do you think?) Via ProPublica: Nine witnesses in the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump have received significant financial benefits, including large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, and a grant of shares and cash from Trump’s media company. The benefits have flowed from Trump’s businesses and campaign committees, according to a ProPublica analysis of public disclosures, court records and securities filings.

The newspaper that's converted more people to conspiracy theories than any other outlet might be in deep doo-doo. The Epoch Times, a formerly free newspaper distributed on the streets of New York that focuses on conspiracist, right-wing takes and reports that are extremely critical of the Chinese Communist Party, successfully expanded its operation on YouTube and Facebook, reaching millions of Americans with pro-Trump clickbait and batshit crazy misinformation.

Pardoned convicted felon Michael Flynn ranted at the Christian nationalist Reawaken America forum that to fix America we need to have only one religion: his version of Christianity. CNN's Jim Acosta and Carl Bernstein were horrified by his words and couldn't believe he was Trump's first national security advisor. JIM ACOSTA, CNN: Former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who is also facing a January 6th subpoena.

Mock Paper Scissors: The laddies doth protest too much. Darwinfish2: Each one of these issues is important enough for the election. Emptywheel: Trump undone by the truth of his Pecker. Teri Kanefield: All about appeals. Equal Justice Initiative: The execution of Jamie Mills. This installment by Batocchio. E-mail tips to mbru AT crooksandliars DOT com. read more

Forrest Gump once said, "I'm not a smart man, but I do know what love is." Well, Rudy Giuliani *really* isn't a smart man, and judging by his 3 divorces, doesn't seem to know too much about love either. But man can the chode humiliate himself in service of Donald Trump.