ZWF: The worst is yet to come (for Trump)
Zander's Weekend Facts #78: Sunday, August 6, 2023
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, taking a look at the latest
Trump indictment, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know about from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 113 features a breakdown of how Name, Image, and Likeness has finally allowed college athletes to get paid and how it’s transforming college sports. Download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, August 6, 2023:
Trump indicted for a third time
Third times a charm, right?
On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
Trump was charged with four counts: one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, two counts related to efforts to obstruct the vote certification proceedings, and one count of conspiracy to violate civil rights.
If you’ve forgotten, Trump has previously been charged by the District Attorney in Manhattan after being accused of falsifying business records, and by a federal grand jury in Florida over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House. And Trump is still awaiting a potential indictment in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election in that state.
But this indictment that came last week may be the most damaging to the former president.
This indictment comes from a years-long probe into the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol that was first investigated by the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. Last summer, the bipartisan committee held memorable hearings featuring many members of the Trump administration detailing what went down that day.
As detailed then, the committee uncovered new video of the attack on the capitol, along with Trump’s response.
The Jan. 6 Committee makes its case
Eight hearings down, and possibly more to go. Over the last month and a half, the January 6 Committee has publicly laid out crucial brand new information regarding the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol in unprecedented fashion. Thursday night we learned even more about former President Donald Trump’s actions, or inactions, on January 6 an…
By the end of the eight hearings, it became clear from the new evidence presented that Trump and members of his team were willing to break the law in an effort to prevent the peaceful transition of power from one president to the next.
And now, the Justice Department, led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, has taken action. Even some of the first words of the 45-page indictment should be enough for those not bogged down in the right-wing disinformation bubble to know that former President Trump’s actions clearly went against the law of the country he swore an oath to protect.
The Defendant, DONALD J. TRUMP, was the forty-fifth President of the United States and a candidate for re-election in 2020. The Defendant lost the 2020 presidential election.
Despite having lost, the Defendant was determined to remain in power. So for more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won. These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false. But the Defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election.
You can read the full indictment here.
The only defense Trump could have would be that his actions and words are protected under the first amendment. Of course, we know that when someone shouts fire in a crowded theater and there’s no fire, it’s not protected free speech.
Or his defense could argue that the former President truly believed that the election had been stolen, making him out to be an ignorant, nonsensical buffoon when he is currently courting voters for his next presidential campaign.
Special Counsel Smith’s team has already likely prepared for that brazen defense as the evidence against Trump continues to mount.
Since he pled not guilty in a Washington, D.C. courtroom, Trump has remained on his Truth Social platform basking in the support of his brainwashed minions and spreading lies about the 2020 election. But one message he sent out caught the eye of not just his biggest critics on the internet, but of the prosecution as well.
This message was sent after Trump agreed to a pre-trial bond, which is currently keeping him out of jail, that stated he wouldn’t commit any new crimes while free, including influencing or intimidating witnesses, jurors, or others involved in the case.
Does the above message sound like a threat to you?
The prosecution rightfully acted swiftly, asking U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to issue a protective order, which would limit what Trump and his defense can say publicly about the case while it is ongoing. The Trump team now has until Monday at 5:00 pm et to respond, after having their requested extension date of Thursday denied.
So Donald Trump is currently a three-time indicted former president, accused of attempting to overturn the presidential election which he lost, who is shamelessly threatening those he’s been admonished not to in a court of law.
Sounds like things are going great.
Even Kimberly Guilfoyle’s shrieking won’t save him now.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s a couple of articles from AP News:
AP News - Trump indicted for efforts to overturn 2020 election and block transfer of power
AP News - Prosecutors ask judge to issue protective order after Trump post appearing to promise revenge
What Zander’s been reading
As the actors’ and writers’ strikes continue on for another week in Hollywood, any potential deal doesn’t appear to be getting close. That could be because, as columnist Brian Merchant writes in the Los Angeles Times, entertainment companies are no longer spending big and following in the footsteps of technology giants by squeezing the labor they rely on.
Check out this week’s featured article at Los Angeles Times - Hollywood is on strike because CEOs fell for Silicon Valley’s magical thinking - (Apple News link)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
Women’s World Cup: The two-time defending champion United States was eliminated in the Round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup after losing to Sweden on penalty kicks. It’s the first time the U.S. have failed to make the semifinals in the history of the competition. Sweden will face Japan in the Quarterfinals on Friday, while the Netherlands advanced against South Africa on Saturday night to take on Spain. In the remaining Round of 16 matches, England face Nigeria and Australia take on Denmark on Monday morning, while Colombia play Jamaica and France face Morocco on Tuesday morning.
Pac-12 Exodus: The Pac-12 Conference is down to just four remaining schools after five universities announced their departures from the conference last week. On Friday, the Universities of Oregon and Washington announced they’ll be joining the Big Ten Conference next summer. Three schools will also be joining the Big 12 Conference, with Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Utah announcing their intended departures for next summer. The University of Colorado Boulder previously announced it will join the Big 12 after the upcoming season.
European Soccer Season Begins: The 2023/24 club soccer season in Europe is set to begin over the next few weeks. The English Premier League, whose defending champions Manchester City also won last season’s UEFA Champions League, begins on Friday with City taking on newly-promoted Burnley. Manchester City will face Arsenal in the FA Community Shield to open the season later today at 11:00 am et on ESPN+. In Italy, Serie A will kick off on Saturday, August 19 with AC Milan featuring new American transfers Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah. The Spanish La Liga will open up play this Friday, while the German Bundesliga begins its new season on Friday, August 18.
Diana Taurasi: Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury became the first WNBA player to score 10,000 points during Friday night’s win over the Atlanta Dream. Taurasi scored 42 points in the 97-71 win, her first 40-point game since July 14, 2010. Taurasi also became the oldest WNBA player at 41 years old with a 40-point game. Taurasi also scored 32 points in the second half, the second most all-time in a half in a WNBA game. Taurasi also has the most made 3-point field goals in league history with 1,344. Sue Bird is the only other player to have made over 1,000 three-pointers in the WNBA.
NFL Preseason: The NFL preseason officially began on Thursday with the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio between the Browns and Jets. The Browns won 21-16, with nine former players being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame two days later. Among this year’s inductees were Ronde Barber, Darelle Revis, Joe Thomas, and DeMarcus Ware. The remaining 30 teams in the league begin their preseason later this week, with the Texans facing the Patriots and the Vikings taking on the Seahawks on Thursday.
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
U.S. Credit Rating: Ratings company Fitch downgraded the U.S. credit rating on its debt from AAA to AA+ last week. The firm noted that the downgrade was due to the recent political standoffs regarding raising the debt limit and funding the government, which Fitch notes “have eroded confidence in fiscal management.” Standard & Poor’s, another ratings firm, downgraded the U.S. rating to AA+ in 2011 after a separate standoff regarding the debt limit. The change likely means slightly higher mortgage and credit card rates, along with higher interest rates on savings accounts and bonds.
Election Tampering Charges: Three allies of former President Donald Trump were charged in Michigan last week after being accused of accessing and tampering with voting machines during the 2020 election. Former Republican candidate for state Attorney General Matthew DePerno, attorney Stefanie Lambert, and former Republican state Rep. Daire Rendon were accused of having “orchestrated a coordinated plan to gain access to voting tabulators” in an effort to overturn the results of the presidential election. The charges come after 16 Republicans were charged in the state last month after they submitted false certificates as electors for Trump, who lost the state in the election.
Ocean Temperatures: While air temperatures have broken records across the world this summer, ocean temperatures are also abnormally warm. Copernicus, the European Union’s climate change service, has measured the average daily global sea surface temperature to be 69.73°F (20.96°C) on August 1, the hottest on record. The previous record was 20.95°C recorded on March 29, 2016. Scientists say that climate change is making the seas warmer as they absorb more heat from greenhouse gas emissions. Late last month, water temperatures in Manatee Bay off of Florida’s south coast reached 101°F (38.3°C).
Alexey Navalny: One of the most vocal domestic critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin, opposition leader Alexey Navalny, was sentenced to 19 years in Russian prison on Friday. The 19-year sentence on extremism-related charges is in addition to a nine-year sentence Navalny is currently serving on fraud and embezzlement charges. The U.S. State Department called the sentencing an “unjust conclusion to an unjust trial.”
‘Tennessee Three’ Elections: Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, the two Democratic lawmakers who were expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives, won the special elections for their seats on Thursday. Jones and Pearson, along with state Rep. Gloria Johnson, took part in a protest against gun violence on the state House floor in April that Republicans called a breach in decorum. Jones and Pearson were expelled from the legislature by the Republican super-majority, while Johnson narrowly avoided expulsion. The Tennessee House is expected to reconvene later this month in a special session where the legislature could address the state’s gun laws.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
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You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.substack.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab f;/or your enjoyment! That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The facts in print return next Sunday, August 13, 2023.
