The Evening Brief: Donald Trump rages and the Republican gong show continues

[Daily Kos Evening Brief]( [The Evening Brief: Republicans are truly in disarray]( The Republican Party sh-tshow continues unabated this week. Let’s start with Donald Trump, who has been on quite the bender the past few days. It’s certainly clear that [if the media gave Donald Trump the same level of “Is he too old?” scrutiny](, there wouldn’t be much else for them to write about. Imagine if Joe Biden had spewed [this nonsense](: “All the currently dry canals [in California] will be brimming and used to irrigate everything, including your own homes and bathrooms and everything. You’re going to be happy, and I’m going to get it done fast. They say that there’s so much water up north that I want to have the overflow areas go into your forests and dampen your forests. Because if you dampen your forests you’re not going to have these forest fires that are burning at levels that nobody’s ever seen before.” And that was just the tip of his weekend inanities. Now, Trump [is back in court]( as he faces a bench trial in New York over the fate of his business empire. The judge in the case [is a former New York City cabbie](, which means he must be immune to BS, right? He has to be, as Trump has already lost his mind, calling him “a Deranged, Trump Hating Judge, who RAILROADED this FAKE CASE.” And that was just the beginning of [Trump’s livid, deluded eight-minute rant](. If you’re wondering why Trump is showing up to court when he doesn’t have to, it could be because his business is the only thing he actually cares about, or maybe he just thinks [he can raise money off of the court case](. The grift remains strong with that one. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy must feel relief that Trump has taken the media glare off him. Fresh off[capitulating to Democrats]( on a clean continuing resolution to fund the government for 45 days, he has to contend with the possibility of a Rep. Matt Gaetz-led coup attempt. If Gaetz (or one of his Freedom Caucus allies) pulls the trigger on a leadership challenge, the big question is whether [Democrats save Kevin McCarthy's job](. There are good reasons pro and con, but if Democrats lend a hand, it’ll come with conditions. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [has no interest in helping](. House Republicans are [losing patience with their nihilist right]( flank, and there are fresh murmurs that they may move to expel Gaetz from Congress. Fun! Other top stories: - [Republicans thought they could use Robert F. Kennedy Jr. against Biden. Whoops]( - [Texas AG sues Yelp for being honest about crisis pregnancy centers]( - [The hosts of 'The View' give a master class in how to mock Trump and turn him into a laughingstock]( - [If you can afford to make a monthly donation, please take a minute right now to give $3 to keep Daily Kos online and accessible for everyone.]( - [California's new senator makes history, but will she seek a full term in 2024?]( - [Ukraine Update: A new weapon is making its way to Ukraine, and it's better than ATACMS]( - [Leopards ate the face of this conservative Idaho community]( - [A rural Texas county makes traveling for an abortion on its roads illegal]( - You’ll find the best [daily Ukraine coverage]( at Daily Kos! Before you leave, can you do one more thing? 2023 has been a hard financial year for Daily Kos. Donations of just a few dollars from our readers and activists helps us pay the bills. Please support progressive news and activism by making a donation of $5 today. [Chip in $5]( If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.