Crash Course: "Very strong case": Legal experts say Manhattan case may finally end Trump's "crime spree"

Evidence shows "that these hush money payments were covert campaign finance benefits," legal scholar says [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcmF3eW9veHVtZS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azhXA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMzVxemh6a3c1cS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). "Very strong case": Legal experts say Manhattan case may finally end Trump's "crime spree" Legal experts pushed back on claims that the Manhattan district attorney case against former President Donald Trump is weak — particularly since the details of the indictment are yet to be released. A grand jury on Thursday voted to indict Trump on more than 30 counts related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election," according to [NBC News](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOGQyeTB5c3VlcS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azhXA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). Trump is expected to be arraigned in court early next week, his defense attorney Joe Tacopina told the network. The indictment itself remains sealed for now, but this is the first time that a criminal case has been brought against a former U.S. president – one who is the leading contender seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. [Read the rest from Areeba Shah.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY2pubHRieXY1cy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) Nicolas Cage reveals what he loves about "Renfield": "You're laughing and then you're screaming" "Renfield" — a modern furthering of the "[Dracula](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveGFza3loaDQ0ZS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)" story starring [Nicolas Cage](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZXV5dTE1dDU1NS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) as the dark prince himself with Nicholas Hoult in the title role as his codependent familiar — celebrated its world premiere on Thursday in New Orleans on the opening night of The Overlook Film Festival. As Salon's in-house New Orleanian, and someone who has been a fan of both vampire lore and Cage's work since an early age, I jumped at the chance to attend. Arriving early for the press line and staying late for a Q&A after the film, I was able to hear firsthand from Cage, director Chris McKay, executive producer Samantha Nisenboim and screenplay writer Ryan Ridley how infusing horror with comedy results in a gory, action-packed masterpiece that effectively sets itself apart from the Dracula films that have come before it. [Read the rest from Kelly McClure.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYzBoZGVwbHhlYy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (The Overlook Film Festival/Universal Pictures) ~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaW4zN2F2dWVxdS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo - From "1923" to "Shrinking," [Harrison Ford](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdWMwbjR4a25vaC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)'s grandpa renaissance is here - Make a splash! [The 8 best vinegars](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOXc3OTFpYTJhay8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) and how to use them - Hide your muscular calves! On ["Yellowjackets,"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmI1cmFrN252OC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) sex is violence - "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps:" How a joke about [bootstraps](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMXd4NmVrbzNuNi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) devolved into an American credo - "March came in like a lion and went out with Trump on the lam," says Bill Maher on "Real Time" - [Loneliness](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvajNqdnF3M2c4Ni8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) isn't just bad for your mental health — it can compromise your immune system - How [the pandemic stole your focus](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdmxxY2k1d2tjbS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) — and how to get it back - "They've gone too far," says Trump on [Truth Social](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY3pnYWxzYzhmNC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) If you found yourself here without subscribing, sign up for [Crash Course](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZ2xwYXY2MnBpcC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), so you don't miss anything! Citizen Trump Everything that happens to Donald Trump from now on is going to follow a script that mirrors the experience of ordinary criminals who are indicted and arraigned every day in Manhattan. Next Tuesday, sometime after 2:30 according to reports, he will be escorted into the Criminal Courts Building in lower Manhattan by his lawyers and a member of his Secret Service detail. He will be arrested. He will be booked. He will be fingerprinted. He will have his mugshot taken: front, left and right profiles. He will be taken into the courtroom of Judge Juan Merchan, the same judge who oversaw the Trump Organization tax fraud trial. He will be arraigned. The charges against him will be read. He will be asked, "what is your plea?" He will plead not guilty. Bail will be set, along with whatever restrictions the judge deems necessary to ensure his appearance at his trial sometime in the future. He will be released. [Read the rest from Lucian K. Truscott IV.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveHR4eWNwMnR4dy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "A 9-year-old girl didn’t want her goat slaughtered. California fair officials sent deputies after it," [Los Angeles Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveGpwb2d0bmdzcC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azhXA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Terminator creator James Cameron says AI has taken over and it's already too late," [Unilad](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdWZpb2V3dHo3cy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azhXA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "The oceans just reached their hottest temperature on record as El Niño looms," [CNN](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbTBvaTdhenpmYS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azhXA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "US Senator John Fetterman discharged from hospital after depression treatment," [Reuters](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvN3dxcnRnMjhlZC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azhXA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) War on women: The link between white supremacy, "men's rights" and anti-abortion politics Efforts by Republicans and their allies to roll back abortion rights continue, with a looming federal ban on the abortion pill mifepristone, which accounts for [more than half](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMHE2b2JwcTVqei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azhXA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) of all pregnancy terminations each year. That case is being decided by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, and was litigated by Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian advocacy group that was also involved in the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision last year, which overturned Roe v. Wade and the nationwide right to abortion. Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, has adopted various terms used by anti-abortion advocates in his comments from the case, referring to "chemical abortion" and "mail-in abortion," for example, phrases that are widely rejected in medical professional settings. His language has led to [concerns](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY2RmY2VsdXJtZi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azhXA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) that the judge is tipping his hand to the anti-abortion movement, and will likely declare a national ban on mifepristone. [Read the rest from Anthony DiMaggio.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMHF1eXZrNDRsOC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTRpZmR1emN5azgmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCHBYClk7E5pbFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmQhwWApZOxOaWxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2023 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, DE 19801 [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmC-XAP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpkIcFgKWTsTmlsUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)