Trump’s Hush-Money Judge Has Already Made Some Good Rulings

Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher.

It may be early days, but the judge handling Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial—in which the former president is accused of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election—has already made some important rulings.

That’s according to The New Abnormal co-host Andy Levy, who explains on this week’s episode that among those decisions from Judge Juan Merchan is a ruling that will allow prosecutors to ask Trump about both verdicts rendered against Trump in defamation cases brought by the writer E. Jean Carroll.

They can also cross-examine Trump on the New York civil fraud verdict that found he violated the law by fraudulently inflating the value of his properties. Two violations of Judge Arthur Engoron’s gag order during the trial last fall are also on the table during questioning.

However, that’s only if Trump takes the stand in this trial—“which I don’t see any way on God’s Earth, he does,” Levy said.

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Then, philanthropist and former White House social secretary for the Obama administration, Deesha Dyer, joins the show to talk about her new book, Undiplomatic: How My Attitude Created the Best Kind of Trouble. Dyer reflects on her time in the White House before the Trump administration.

“I was there from 2009 as an intern, then got hired and then ended up staying to the very last day, the worst day, the transfer of power. We weren’t perfect by any means, but it was a time where we really did have community. I have no idea what the hell is happening now. I mean, every day is something different and somebody falling asleep at a trial and it’s just like, what happened to the days of welcoming people and actually talking around the table?”

NYC Judge Needs to Treat Trump Like the Mafia Boss He Is

Plus! Mother Jones’ national voting rights correspondent, Ari Berman, talks to Levy about his new book, Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It.

Berman reveals how the seeds of today’s Republican party, and the seeds of minority rule in general, were actually planted way back in 1787 at America’s fabled Constitutional Convention.

Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher.

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