An Implausible Candidate's Implausible Story

A rundown of the key players in Donald Trump's hush money trial: the judge, the opposing lawyers, and the top witnesses

CNN's Kaitlan Collins speaks with New York Times reporter and CNN senior political analyst Maggie Haberman about how former President Donald Trump behaved around the prospective jurors in the hush money trial in New York.

Stephen Colbert covers the latest in the news. He touches on unsafe solar eclipse glasses, seeking drivers for the nutmobiles, home-invading alligators, the junk people are finding on Jersey Shore (the beach, not the inane reality show). Meanwhile, you know there's more. There's always more. Open thread below. read more

The following guest post is from Spencer Lindsay, a faculty member in the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona. Predicting elections and estimating the uncertainty around those predictions is not an easy task. It is especially difficult to have a clear picture of the outcome six and a half months before the election.

I remember Donald Trump saying that Hillary Clinton, who traveled 956,733 miles as Secretary of State, didn't "have the stamina" to be President. I also recall Trump calling the President "Sleepy Joe" and "corrupt." As it happens, Trump is facing 91 felony charges. He fell asleep in court, and "his eyes looked red and bloodshot when he opened them and peered at the judge." Sad! Maggie Haberman, a senior political correspondent for the New York Times, also known as the Trump Whisperer, told Jake Tapper, His jaw kept falling on his chest, and his mouth kept going slack." Defendant Trump reportedly glared at Haberman before leaving court. The internet lit up.

“After a short-lived honeymoon, former President Donald Trump’s media company is experiencing a rough reception on Wall Street. Trump Media & Technology Group — which trades under the ticker DJT, his initials — tumbled 18.4% in Monday trading, a drop that follows last week’s 21% plunge,” CBS News reports. “The stock plunge has erased billions from Trump’s stake — at least on paper.