Author: craigcrawford

Trail Mix Host

Here Comes The Jury

Jury selection starts today in Trump’s criminal trial for covering up a sex scandal to win an election.

Trump’s ideal juror: Blue-collar men who distrust federal law enforcement as well as read and watch right-wing news.

Prosecutors’ ideal: White-collar people, especially women, who watch MSNBC.

— Reuters

AXIOS: How celebrity lawyers would approach Trump’s jury selection…

“You’re looking for people who are posting their vacation pictures and are really big fans of the Rolling Stones and are talking about how much they love the eclipse” — former Harvey Weinstein defense attorney Arthur Aidala.

“You really don’t want jurors who bring something to the table, other than the fact that they have a general understanding that Trump was the president” — former federal prosecutor Joshua Naftalis

Back To the Saudis

NYTimes: Trump Spoke Recently With Saudi Leader

NYT: It is not clear what the former president discussed with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but news of their call came amid Biden administration negotiations with the Saudis over a Middle East peace plan.

This comes amid reporting on the Saudi government intending to work against Biden’s re-election. It also comes as a major Saudi real estate developer has inked a deal with the Trump Organization for a villa and golf project worth $4 billion.

Checkmate? Abortion Rights Amendment Puts Florida In Play

The Florida Supreme Court ruled yesterday one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans can take effect in a month.

But the court also ruled voters can change that in November by passing an abortion rights amendment to the state constitution.

It is tough to imagine a more motivating circumstance for freedom voters: Take away a right but give them the power to restore it.

Biden lost Florida by 360,000 votes in 2020. More than 1 million signed petitions for the abortion rights amendment now going on the ballot, including 800,000 Democrats.

With that math, and considering Republicans have gone down in every election where abortion was on the ballot since the Dobbs decision, the Biden campaign has every reason to take a shot at Florida — a state Republicans have to win to win the Electoral College.

At a minimum the much better funded Biden campaign can force Trump to spend precious money in Florida.

NBC News: JOE BIDEN campaign says it now sees Florida as ‘winnable’ in 2024. In a memo first shared with NBC News, President Joe Biden’s campaign said it believes the issue of abortion will be key in helping make inroads in the Republican-dominated state.

Trump Appeal Bond: A Russian Connection?

Enough here for media snoops to work on.

This is the company Trump just signed to cover his $92 million bond for Carroll rape case judgement so he can appeal:

Chubb Group, an international insurance provider, is insuring oil and gas extraction and transport in Russia, fueling Russia’s war on Ukraine. In fact, Chubb called Russian oil and gas “one of the most promising activities” of its Russian operations.

The insurer was recently backing Nord Stream 2, a massive, controversial natural gas pipeline built by Gazprom, the world’s largest producer of gas and a majority Russian state-owned fossil fuel company.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, more than 75 global organizations sent a letter to Chubb urging them to end the financing, investing, and insuring of companies in Russia’s coal, oil, and gas industries, and to divest from existing holdings. — Rainforest Action Network

From Russia to Brazil, Chubb is Insuring Deadly Oil and Gas Expansion