Don Jr. testifies in civil fraud case, while House Speaker Johnson faces vetting questions

[Daily Kos: The Brief]( [Trump’s civil fraud case is a family affair]( Donald Trump’s [civil fraud case in New York continued Wednesday](, with his son Don Jr. taking the stand. Daily Kos [covered it live]( and a full recap of the testimony can be [found here](. Eric Trump is scheduled to take the stand on Thursday, with Donald Trump on the docket Monday, Nov. 6, and Ivanka Trump on Wednesday, Nov. 8. We will be covering the testimony live. Did Republicans even bother to vet this guy? Rep. Mike Johnson was a back-benching nobody until he was suddenly elected speaker of the House. Because of his low profile, you’d expect Republicans to have vetted him more. Alas. By the hour, it seems, new information keeps bubbling up about his long history of bigotry and [deep involvement with a conversion therapy-backing “ex-gay” group]( that launched a campaign to bully LGBTQ+ kids. If that weren’t enough, Johnson’s personal finances are now under scrutiny. In financial disclosures, the Johnsons have reported for years that they have [no savings accounts, no checking accounts, and no retirement accounts](. Needless to say, red flags abound. Johnson is now pushing his Israel aid package, which is DOA in the Senate since it tries to [offset the aid]( with multibillion-dollar cuts to the IRS’s beefed-up tax enforcement. The issue here? The offsets are pointless since the purpose of the increased tax enforcement was to bring in revenue that the IRS lost to tax cheats. A commissioner from the IRS said that taking away such funding from the IRS could increase the deficit by up to $90 billion over the next 10 years. [So much for fiscal responsibility](. And are we really supposed to be lectured on financial responsibility from a guy who allegedly doesn’t even have a basic checking account? More top stories: - [James Comer discovers another smoking water pistol]( House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer latest bombshell landed with a thud. Again. - [Awkward: Nancy Mace's 'Daily Show' appearance goes about as well as you might imagine]( South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace dug quite a hole for herself on “The Daily Show.” - [Trump's relationship with far-right groups under scrutiny during 'insurrection' trial in Colorado]( Trump’s chances at remaining on the ballot in Colorado grow slimmer as each court day passes. - [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.]( - [The New York Times publishes its most cowardly piece yet on the Republican march to fascism]( Fascism. The word the Times is looking for but cannot find is "fascism." - [Democrats are crushing it in special elections this year. That's unambiguously good news]( It’s beginning to look a lot like 2018 around here. That’s very good news. - [Trial to determine if Trump can be barred from offices reaches far back in history for answers]( Read the latest from the trial to determine whether Donald Trump is eligible to be on the Colorado ballot in 2024. - [It's getting chilly outside. Stay warm with a Daily Kos hoodie. Click here to get yours now!]( Daily Kos needs you now more than ever We are falling behind our projections for two of our three major revenue streams: advertising and list building. This means that at this moment, we need to rely more and more on donations from the Daily Kos community to make ends meet. Can you chip in $5 right now to help Daily Kos keep fighting? [Donate $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. 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