Talking Points Memo

Many thought this day would never come. But it has come. Former President Donald J. Trump is a defendant in a criminal trial.

Many have said it, but it's worth repeating: No matter your opinion on the matter, a former president sitting as the defendant in a criminal trial — a first! — is a big deal. You and I both know that the takes are and are going to be volcanic. There's going to be all kinds of nonsense written and said about these court proceedings. The completely out–of-whack signal to noise ratio does not make the case any less important. Which is why TPM should be your home for all things Trump trial.

First of all, there is executive editor David Kurtz who has a law degree himself. If you are a regular Morning Memo reader, then you already understand his ability to appreciate both the nuance and the gravity of each and every little legal machination. Not only does DK understand the stuff, he knows the important legal commentators to follow. So, if you subscribe to the Morning Memo, you get his thoughts but also the curated analysis of a variety of experts.

Second, there is Josh Kovensky who is our man-on-the-scene. He's been live-tweeting everything that's going on. You should follow him here. 

Third, there is the other Josh, Josh Marshall, who is something of a Trump-ologist and has an intuitive sense for how Trump handles things. A taste of what I mean from today's Backchannel:

Commentators have been going for months debating the merits of the New York/"hush money" prosecution of Donald Trump. Is it "serious"? Is it serious enough? How does it match up against the three other criminal prosecutions still looming over him? Does it lower the average level of seriousness when the independent seriousness of each is added together and divided by four? In the most general sense the entire conversation is an example of what we might call the Trump Reality Distortion Vortex. One of Trump's great powers is that he is like a heavy magnet of distorted thinking. When he comes into proximity people start thinking stupid things, asking stupid questions. What opinion should we, who are not prosecutors, have toward a chronic lawbreaker who is charged with breaking the laws he broke? Will it make him stronger? Were the laws broken enough?
 

So look, you can go search for the good stuff on your own. Or we can be your guide.

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