That quote is not about what you think it's about. [San Antonio Express-News - Header Logo]( [View in browser]( SPRING SALE: Only 25¢
For a limited time, save on unlimited digital access. [Subscribe Today.]( [Please, please plead it out]( If anyone else had committed [the crimes allegedly perpetrated by former President Donald Trump](, a New York assistant district attorney would close the case with a plea bargain. The state would drop the felony to a misdemeanor; the accused would pay a fine and agree to a period of supervision. A deal makes sense because [the facts are not in dispute](, only the intent. Fact 1: Actor Stormy Daniels and Trump spent time alone together in 2006. A decade later, during Trumpâs presidential campaign, attorney Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 not to discuss it. Fact 2: Cohen sent false invoices to the Trump Organization for $180,000, which Trump paid from the companyâs checking account. Cohen and Trump's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said the payment was a reimbursement to Cohen for handling Daniels. Fact 3: The Trump Organization reported the payment to Cohen as a business expense. Making a false statement in a business filing is a misdemeanor. District Attorney Alvin Bragg only gets to a felony by claiming the payoff was an illicit campaign expenditure. Democrats have seen this movie before. The Justice Department tried to prosecute presidential candidate John Edwards in 2012 on the same set of facts. His backers paid a woman with whom he had a child $1 million to hush up during the 2008 election. A [jury found him not guilty on one count and deadlocked on five others](. Federal and state prosecutors know it's hard to prove whether a payoff is to avoid personal embarrassment or an illegal campaign contribution. Trump and the State of New York would save millions in legal expenses and avoid the high-stakes media circus if they cut a plea deal. But this is Trump, who takes pride in making everything larger than life. He will turn these lemons into lemonade by using the prosecution to suck all the oxygen out of his opponentâs campaigns, guaranteeing his renomination. After two impeachments and the Jan. 6 insurrection, the former presidentâs critics should know by heart this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, [which Trump has repeated](. âWhen you strike at a king, you must kill him.â But more on that in the Takeaway. [Chris Tomlinson Headshot] Chris Tomlinson
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[Experts slam $10B grid plan, GOP approves anyway]( Texas Republicans approved a $10 billion plan for backup electricity after industry experts and executives told them it was a bad idea, urged alternatives. [Story photo for I'm not worried about chatbots replacing me](
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[I'm not worried about chatbots replacing me]( Technology has never eliminated work or obviated creativity. Despite increased productivity, most people still work long hours to house and feed themselves. What I'm Reading Must Read: [Trump arrest on 34 felonies leaves former president dazed and accused]( The Editorial Board has a different take. (Houston Chronicle) Should Read: [White nationalism remains major concern for voters of color]( Christian nationalism is a growing threat, as 1 in 10 Americans are defined as adherents to Christian nationalism. (Brookings) Interesting Read: Oilman George Mitchellâs foundation aims to usher in a new energy era in the Permian Basin ([Houston Chronicle]( and [San Antonio Express-News]() Technical Read: [Inflation and Asset Returns]( During âbadâ inflation, stock and bond prices fall together; during âgoodâ inflation, stock prices rise while bonds fall. (University of Chicago Becker-Friedman Institute) Fun Read: [Are Boston and Philadelphia really the most helpful, neighborly cities in America?]( Is Texas no longer the friendship state? (Washington Post) Question of the Week Should we care if politicians cheat on their spouses? Reply directly to this email and tell me your thoughts. Mailbag Last Weekâs Question: What do you spend more money on, subscriptions to journalism websites and newspapers â or subscriptions to entertainment sites like Netflix or Hulu? âI spend more on Netflix than a paper. On the flip side, I ONLY have Netflix for TV, no other service. ⦠I have not watched ânewsâ programs like Fox, CNN, etc. in years ⦠well, FOX never. They are all quite biased, and some just out-and-out lie!â âRoberta Cox, Rockport âI have two paid subscriptions: the Chronicle and SiriusXM. Both allow me to avoid the histrionics and adverts of televised news and entertainment. I do not have a high regard for âbreaking news,â as it is often error-filled until the facts can be determined. Research takes time.â âMichael D. Cockman, Houston âI spend more on web and radio news than on streaming services. I subscribe to the Express-News, the New York Times and Texas Monthly. I am also a sustaining member of TPR and have done that in every city I have lived in.â âAnn Winer, San Antonio âI am happy to say I do spend more money on my news subscriptions than my streaming services (I pay for Netflix, AppleTV+ and Prime, with a basic subscription to Hulu). I subscribe to digital versions of the Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post and The New York Times. I also subscribe to Apple News ... Frankly, I should evaluate how much Iâm spending, not that it would make a difference.â âRobin Davidson, Houston âI read ProPublica, just took the NYT offer of $4/month for one year, TX Tribune. Of course, I actually subscribe to the Houston Chronicle â I still get the paper seven days a week!â âKendra Mahoney, Clear Lake The Takeaway When most people encounter Ralph Waldo Emersonâs quote about killing the king, they imagine whispers inside palace halls and a grey-bearded sage offering advice to rebels considering a coup dâetat. The disgruntled have always recognized that attempting to topple a sovereign is a life-or-death gamble. People with power never give it up willingly. President Donald Trump proved in January 2021 that only the rule of law maintains our democracy. Machiavelli made this observation four centuries before Emerson in [The Prince](: "Men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge." Emerson deserves credit for concision. But the quote comes not from a poem or essay but as a throw-away line to a young Harvard student. After Emerson urged the student to read Plato, the young man wrote a polemic criticizing the great philosopher and mailed it to his philosopher-poet professor. A year later, Emerson responded, "[I read your piece on Plato. Holmes, when you strike at a king, you must kill him](." The student was [Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.](, who became one of Americaâs greatest Supreme Court justices and who considered Emerson one of his most influential teachers. "That was the second great lesson â humility," Holmes said of Emerson. Emerson was not talking about the violent overthrow of a government but the more important and lasting war of ideas. Share With Your Friends Do you know someone who would like Tomlinson's Take? For the Houston edition, [send them here to sign up](; for the San Antonio edition, [send them here](. More Newsletters Express Briefing Catch up on everything you need to know to start your day in San Antonio with our Express Briefing newsletter. [Sign Up](
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