How cable TV pundits misread Trump’s legal troubles- POLITICO

Another US attorney and cable news regularly ventured that a “first indictment against the Trump organization could be just the opening salvo in a spate of indictments naming executives, Trump family members, or even Trump himself.” Another well-known expert said immediately after the Weisselberg indictment that the prosecutor’s office was “on the brink. They are on the verge of a much bigger case against Trump and his companies.”

So far, no one but Weisselberg has been charged in the prosecution’s investigation, and more than a year later there is no public indication that the bureau will launch a fuller trial against Trump or his companies any time soon.

One reason these kinds of predictions are so common is that there’s little downside to being wrong as a legal commentator when you’re loudly denouncing Trump — a surefire route to cable news bookings and added financial and reputational benefits.

For example, Dan Goldman, a Democrat attorney during Trump’s first impeachment trial, predicted that the impeachment against the Trump Organization would be “devastating” and that “any indictment” would “damn” the company by forcing it into bankruptcy. That hasn’t remotely happened, but Goldman’s star could be on the rise. The former prosecutor who used toregret Pressure from politicians to impeach Trump is ongoing next week in the Democratic primary in New York’s 10th congressional district and hisVeincampaignmessage was that Trump should be prosecuted. Last week, The New York Times endorsed him in a controversial editorial.

On Wednesday, Trump sarcastically endorsed Goldman, who was quick to tweet in response: “I’m coming for you Donald.” The tweet has more than 45,000 likes. As of today, Goldman appears to be at the top.

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Sign up with news, tips and ideas below [email protected]. Or contact the author of tonight at [email protected].

– Accused Rushdie attacker expected to appear in court: A grand jury has indicted the man who stabbed Salman Rushdie as the acclaimed author was preparing to speak in western New York, county prosecutors said today. Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, NJ, is scheduled to appear on the charges at an afternoon court hearing in Chautauqua County. Matar was arrested on August 12 after he stormed onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and stabbed Rushdie multiple times in front of a horrified crowd.

– The Trump Mar-a-Lago investigation is still in “early stages,” a senior DOJ official reveals: A senior Justice Department official said today the probe into the handling of classified records kept at Trump’s private home is “at an early stage,” suggesting the explosive probe has a long way to go. “This investigation is open,” said Jay Bratt, the director of the Department of Justice’s counterintelligence division.

— Mitch McConnell gives a medium-term forecast: The Senate Minority Leader sought to tone down expectations for his party’s midterms performance during a stop at the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Florence, Kentucky today, calling a change of control in the House of Representatives more likely than in the Senate. “Senate races are just different. They’re national, the quality of the candidates has a lot to do with the outcome,” McConnell said.

— CNN cancels ‘Reliable Sources’, host Stelter leaves the network: Brian Stelter will leave CNN as the network cancels its long-running talk show Reliable Sources. The decision to end Stelter’s show appears to be the first major step in new network chairman Chris Licht’s attempt to make the network less politically contentious, according to the Associated Press. Stelter has been the host of “Reliable Sources” for nine years. The final episode of the show, which first aired three decades ago, will air on Sunday.

– Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks DeSantis “Stop-WOKE” Law: A federal judge today blocked Florida from enforcing a key aspect of the state’s new law restricting what Gov. Ron DeSantis calls “woke” workplace training about race. In the decision, Chief US District Judge Mark Walker slammed the law and slammed its policies as “bordering on incomprehensible” as he issued an injunction on the grounds that the law violated the First Amendment. The ruling was heralded as a “major victory for freedom of speech” by the group of companies suing the state, but that victory may be short-lived as the DeSantis administration is sure to appeal.

CHINA IS ACCUSED OF SECRETATION — Forced labor has taken place in China’s Xinjiang region, the UN’s top slavery expert writes in a new report that has angered Beijing Ali Walker.

It is “reasonable to conclude that forced labor among Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other ethnic minorities in sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing” took place in the western region, where China has been accused of human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority, and a ” genocide” by the United States

In scathing remarks, the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Tomoya Obokata, added that some aspects of China’s Xinjiang policy may even amount to “enslavement as a crime against humanity”.

Beijing blasted the UN slavery expert after the report was released. “A certain special rapporteur chooses to believe lies and disinformation about Xinjiang being spread by the US and some other Western countries and anti-Chinese forces,” said a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry.

DANCING WITH THE STARS — Not all politicians can thwart a move like Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, you write Luna Muniz and Camille Gijs.

The 36-year-old leader came under fire today after leaked videos of her dancing happily with several famous Finnish faces.

Over the years, leaders have used conferences, international business trips, campaign tours, and sometimes no reason at all to show off their dance skills – or ineptness.

The POLITICO jury ranked the political leaders’ dance moves from best to weirdest. Read a full report – from Donald Trump to Theresa May to Boris Yeltsin, complete with videos.

Has someone forwarded this email to you? Sign up here.