Weekend Report: What's going on?

Judge orders Trump to pay over $450 million--massive implications. Christian nationalists--with Trump--plan sweeping abortion restrictions for '25. Why has Trump said nothing about Navalny's death?

The reports that Donald Trump was ordered to pay over $350 million by the judge in the New York fraud case were later revised: It’s over $450 million with the pre-penalty interest added. If he appeals—and he says he will—that money has to be put in escrow or he needs to secure a bond, not an easy thing for Trump. If he loses on appeal, he must pay the interest—another $100 million is likely—and add all this to the E. Jean Carroll fine of over $80 million. It’s a financially devastating situation that will cause a lot of disruption as he is bleeding cash on lawyers and facing criminal trials.

Apparently, Trump campaign officials are angry that news leaked about how Trump is mulling supporting a federal abortion ban and limiting it to 16 weeks with exceptions—a report the Trump campaign called “fake news.” But Christian nationalists close to Trump are planning sweeping abortion restrictions for his presidency, which Trump will dutifully enact and which don’t even require a legislative ban but could in essence bring us there. “We don’t need a federal ban when we have [the] Comstock [Act] on the books,” one advocate leading the charge said. “There’s a smorgasbord of options.”

And while Republicans in Congress have condemned the death of Vladimir Putin opponent Alexi Navalny, laying it at the feet of Putin (even if they’re taking orders from Trump and not getting aid to Ukraine), Trump hasn’t said anything. Why is he staying silent? I have some thoughts.