Look Who's Smiling Now
It's certainly not Donald John Trump, the twice-impeached, four-times indicted former president of the United States. Keep reading for all the news you need and a few other fun things, too.
Good morning from Boston on this Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, and thank you for rising up with me. As the rainbow cow in Copley Square says, I hope today you will “reach a little higher!”
On This Day:
Woodstock opened on this day in 1969 on Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, N.Y.
East Germany started construction on the Berlin Wall in 1961. It stood for 28 years, and for 34 years the world has known only one Germany. I still have a small piece of that terrible divider between the East and the West.
And lest you believe it is merely “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,” King Macbeth of Scotland was killed on this day in 1057.
Here Now the News:
THE FOURTH INDICTMENT OF THE 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.: Donald Trump and 18 allies were indicted in Georgia over their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, with prosecutors using a statute normally associated with mobsters to accuse the former president, lawyers and other aides of a “criminal enterprise” to keep him in power. —Associated Press
The nearly 100-page indictment details dozens of acts by Trump or his allies to undo his defeat, including beseeching Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to find enough votes for him to win the battleground state; harassing an election worker who faced false claims of fraud; and attempting to persuade Georgia lawmakers to ignore the will of voters and appoint a new slate of electoral college electors favorable to Trump.
In one particularly brazen episode, it also outlines a plot involving one of his lawyers to access voting machines in a rural Georgia county and steal data from a voting machine company.
THE GUEST BOOKING OF THE DECADE! MSNBC should give a big fat raise to Andrew Dallos, the Rachel Maddow producer who booked Hillary Clinton last night! Her reaction to the indictment of her former rival has gone viral: Deadline
THE INDICTMENT TRUMP FEARED MOST: There can be no pardon for this one, reports Axios.
WHO ARE THE 18 ALLIES? They include Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro and Jeffrey Clark, as well as Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. —Al-Jazeera
THE UNINDICTED CO-CONSPIRATORS: A number of fake electors struck immunity deals with Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis’ office in the past few months, court filings show. Through the indictment, prosecutors number at least 19 unindicted co-conspirators, including 13 who are alleged to have participated in the fake elector plot. —NBC News
WHO IS FANI WILLIS? Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WHO IS THE JUDGE ASSIGNED TO THIS CASE? CNN
UNDERSTANDING THE “RICO” RACKETEERING CHARGE COMMONLY USED TO TRY MOBSTERS: PBS Newshour
IRONY: Rudy Giuliani pioneered the RICO charge as a federal prosecutor and now stands indicted for his alleged role in the Trump scheme —Insider
HIGH NOON: Trump and the others indicted must surrender by noon on Aug. 25 — Fox News
READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE INDICTMENT HERE: The New York Times
GEORGIA COURT’S ERROR IN PUBLISHING EARLY VERSION OF INDICTMENT SEIZED UPON BY TRUMP AND SUPPORTERS: ABC News
TRUMP RESPONDS (AND MISSPELLS “INDICTED”): NYT
MAUI UPDATE: The death toll stands at 99 but is likely to go much higher as only 25% of the burned-out part of the Hawaiian island has been searched. —CNN
HOW FIRE TURNED LAHAINA INTO A DEATH TRAP: A stunning and tragic analysis by The New York Times.
MORE AMERICANS ARE BECOMING HOMELESS AT A RECORD RATE: The Wall Street Journal
CUTTING THE CORD: For the first time in the history of television, fewer than half of those viewing entertainment at home are watching TV, as streaming services become most Americans’ go-to. — WSJ
SHAKEUP AT CBS NEWS: Wendy McMahon and my long ago boss and friend Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews will now lead the Eye network. —Hollywood Reporter
Healthwatch
A LINK BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION AND DEMENTIA: CBS News
Star Trek Corner
THE RADICAL POLITICS OF STAR TREK: Tribune Mag
HOW TO VIEW EVERY SEASON OF EVERY STAR TREK SERIES: Click here to subscribe to Paramount+
That’s all for this edition! I’ll be back tomorrow morning with the stories you need to rise up and start your day. Until then… May your news be good news!
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