Letters from an American - April 15, 2024

Episode Date: April 16, 2024

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April 15, 2024 April 15 is a curiously fraught day in American history. In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to put down a rebellion in the southern states. 5,000 volunteers to put down a rebellion in the southern states. In 1865, Lincoln breathed his last at 7.22 a.m., and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who adored the president, said, Now he belongs to the ages. In 1912, the British passenger liner RMS Titanic sank at 2.20 a.m. after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic. In 1920, two security guards in Braintree, Massachusetts were murdered on this date. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti would be accused of the crime, convicted, and in 1927, executed. In 1947, Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color line

in baseball's major leagues. In 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and wounding 264 others. And on April 15, 2024, the criminal case of the people of New York versus Donald J. Trump began in Manhattan. For the first time in history, a former president is facing criminal prosecution. The case has been dubbed a hush money case by the media, but it's really a case about election interference. In 2016, shortly after the Access Hollywood tape, in which then-candidate Trump boasted of sexually assaulting women, became public, Trump allegedly falsified business records of the Trump Organization to hide payments to individuals who possessed damaging stories about him, especially about his behavior with women, before the election.

Then-Trump fixer Michael Cohen paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleged she had had an affair with Trump, $130,000 through a shell company. He also set up a $150,000 payment from the publisher of the National Enquirer to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also claimed to have had an affair with Trump. That money would give the National Enquirer exclusive rights to the story, meaning they could decline to publish it and she could not take it elsewhere. This practice is known as catch and kill. Trump then allegedly falsified business records to reimburse Cohen for legal expenses. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has

charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying those records. The case might last as long as eight weeks. In many ways, this trial is a vindication of the rule of law. Despite his many attempts to delay it, a former president is facing accountability for his actions, just as any American should. The trial schedule reflected that standard practice. Presiding Judge Juan Merchan set out the terms of the trial, covering what information the jury can hear about Trump, and reminding Trump that, per the laws of New York, if he fails to appear in court as required, a warrant will be issued for his arrest. But as jury selection began today, it was also clear that this is no normal trial. clear that this is no normal trial. The names of the jurors will not be released outside the courtroom out of concerns for their safety, underscoring the degree to which Trump has urged his supporters to violence. And the country is so deeply divided over Trump and his movement

that more than half of the first batch of jurors were excused when they said they could not judge the case impartially. No jurors were chosen today. Trump has used this case, like his others, to try to undermine the rule of law. Rarely arguing that he didn't commit any of the offenses for which he was charged in four different cases, two civil, two criminal, he has insisted instead that he is being unfairly prosecuted. The Democrats have rigged the judicial system against him, he repeatedly claims, and enough of his loyalists have bought that idea that today some of them urge Trump supporters in the jury pool to undermine the rule of law by lying to get on the jury, then refusing to convict,

a plea that observers noted sounded like jury tampering. then refusing to convict, a plea that observers noted sounded like jury tampering. Trump's effort to signal that he remains disgusted by the charges against him continued today. New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman noted that shortly before court adjourned for the day, Trump's campaign sent out a fundraising email falsely claiming he had just stormed out of court. But it was notable that only a few dozen of his supporters showed up at the court today, and they did not stay long. Trump has also refused to stop attacking the judge and other participants in the trial, despite a gag order imposed by the judge. Today, even as prosecutors were asking Judge Mershon to find Trump in contempt for violating the gag

order, Trump posted a video in which one of his allies attacked the judge's wife, as well as primary witness Michael Cohen. Judge Mershon has scheduled a hearing on potential violations of the gag order for the morning of April 23rd. Trump is trying to undermine the rule of law not only out of apparent fear of the outcome of his trials, but also because his appearance in court is likely to hurt his popularity. Last month, an Ipsos poll showed that 32% of respondents said a conviction in this case would make them less likely to support Trump for the presidency. And that's before we've heard any of the new evidence that

various sources have said we will hear, and which by the nature of the case is likely to be sorted. Seeing Trump treated like any defendant is almost certain to damage his brand as a man who commands his surroundings. Today, Haberman noted, one thing that's striking, Trump has used the previous court appearances in other cases to project an image of grandeur. That's hard to do in this dingy courtroom, which smells slightly off, and where he is an island amid a sea of people. Further, the public nature of this trial will make it harder for Trump to present himself only through carefully curated appearances. for Trump to present himself only through carefully curated appearances. Haberman also noted that Trump, who has repeatedly attacked President Joe Biden as Sleepy Joe, appeared to fall asleep during today's proceedings. Repeatedly, his head would fall down, Haberman said. He didn't pay attention to a note his lawyer passed him. His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going

slack. While Trump was nodding off in court, President Biden was meeting in the Oval Office with Prime Minister Mohammad Shaya al-Sudani of the Republic of Iraq and then with Prime Minister Petra Fiala of the Czech Republic. Outside of this case, Trump's image as a wealthy man is also crumbling. Today was the day by which Trump's lawyers needed to prove that the $175 million appeals bond he posted against the $454 million judgment in the fraud case would really secure the judgment. Late tonight, his lawyers filed their justification of the bond, insisting it was secure and saying there was no need for the hearing about it scheduled for April 22nd. Legal analysts on social media immediately found errors in the document. Trump's lawyers also filed paperwork today with the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue more than 20 million more shares of common stock in the Trump Media and Technology Group. The price

of the company's stock has been dropping since the spike after the initial public offering of March 26. Upon today's news, it dropped another 18%. It has dropped 62% since public trading began. Although news from Manhattan took up most of the oxygen today, the Commerce Department also made a major announcement. Through the Chips and Science Act, it is investing up to $6.4 billion in a Samsung Electronics chip manufacturing and research cluster in Taylor, Texas. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the two proposed factories will create at least 17,000 construction and 4,500 manufacturing jobs. In addition to its historical significance, April 15th is also tax day. Biden reinstated the tradition of voluntarily releasing tax returns after Trump ended it. And today, Biden, First Lady Jill Biden,

Vice President Kamala Harris, and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff all released their taxes, revealing that their salaries make up most of their income. Ken Thomas and Ashley Ebeling of the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump campaign did not answer questions about whether Trump would release his tax returns. Letters from an American was produced at Soundscape Productions,

Dedham, Massachusetts. Recorded with music composed by Michael Moss. This is the world.