The Latest: California Wildfire Death Toll Rises To 81

At a time when more high earners are leaving New York state, or at least are claiming to, state officials are stepping up already intense scrutiny to make sure those residents have actually moved. Because for the ultrarich, even an extra day in the wrong place could mean millions in income-tax liability.

Omarosa Manigault Newman yesterday recalled the measures that fellow aides used to take to prevent Trump from falling asleep in meetings and ceremonies. So it turns out his constant accusations of Sleepy Joe really are projection! Via HuffPost: The onetime “Apprentice” contestant-turned-Trump critic explained that because her former boss ― who reportedly preferred intelligence briefings full of pictures ― “cannot focus, nor can he sit still for long,” they would build events “specifically to address his attention deficit.” “We would break up the events so that he be stimulated and not fall asleep,” Newman remembered to MSNBC’s Jason Johnson. “We could slide him different information or news articles that he could read while the long proceedings were going on, anything to keep him focused so that he wouldn’t just get up and walk out,” she added. Newman suggested Trump will find it difficult, therefore, to sit through his hush money trial where proceedings can be “very boring.” He’s already reportedly fallen asleep in court, she noted. It is “highly likely” Trump will “blow up” when hearing testimony he doesn’t like, she added, saying the “worst place you can allow Trump to be Trump is in a courtroom.” read more

Democrats helped Republican leaders advance legislation to provide billions in stalled security funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, steering the measures closer toward passage this weekend. Via CBS News: After about nine hours of recess, the House Rules Committee reconvened late Thursday night and moved GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson's foreign aid bills on a 9-3 vote, thanks to the votes of all four Democrats who sit on the committee: Ranking Member Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania Rep.

Despite warnings from Judge Juan Merchan that the media should not be revealing too many details which could identify the jurors in the Trump trial in Manhattan, Fox's Jesse Watters spent another evening railing about them in the obvious hope that they'll either be identified or intimidated. I watched at least one pundit on MSNBC say the judge could have shut this sort of thing down ahead of time by not making their information available to the media at all.

Juanita Jean - hubris, thy name is Donald; Lawyers, Guns & Money - NPR agonistes and the Bari Weiss grift model; Left Jabs - GOP Putin caucus now in the spotlight; Obsidian Wings - the eyes have it; Roy Edroso Breaks it Down - Romney: the Wrath of Rockefeller. Send tips to MBRU (AT) crooksandliars (DOT) com read more

Day 3 of the Trump Criminal Trial was quite a chaotic one!!! Started with fireworks about more of Trump's gag order violations, the worst one being a post with a direct quote attacking the jurors. After his post accusing jurors of being "undercover liberal activists", Juror #2 (an oncology nurse that was outed by the incredible amount of detail reported by journalists), decided to leave the jury! Fox News host Jesse Watters on Tuesday broadcast extensive biographical details about Juror No.