Weekend Report: What's happening?

GOP governors, MAGA extremists promote talk of "civil war," over "invasion" at border. Trump ordered to pay whopping $83 million, and it ain't over yet. Haley calls Trump "totally unhinged."

As Texas continues to defy the Supreme Court and the federal government, refusing to stop erecting razor wire on the border and blocking border agents from a park on the Rio Grande, Governor Greg Abbott, other GOP governors, and MAGA extremists are invoking a new “civil war." Governors in red states that comprise the Old Confederacy (and other red states) are sending in their states’ National Guard to do battle, while a protest convoy, “Army of God,” plans to block the border while other extremists are calling on MAGA to “buy weapons.” What can go wrong?

Donald Trump has been ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll a staggering $83.3 million in damages in the second defamation suit. And before anyone says, “He’ll never pay,” realize that he must actually put the money in escrow or take out a bond with interest—if anyone will lend him money—if he appeals, which he said is what he will do. He already had to scramble to put aside the $5.5 million in cash last year for the first defamation suit, which is on appeal, but this is a lot more. And in just a few days, he could be ordered to fork over $370 million in the New York fraud case.

And Nikki Haley seized on the defamation case as more Trump chaos, after calling Trump “totally unhinged.” Liz Cheney, Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, and others are urging her to continue on in the GOP primary race, even though she has no chance of winning the nomination. And Haley’s backers are with her for now, as she’s raising millions more dollars. Are they actually trying to help Joe Biden? Whatever the case, I’m all in.