Will Trump heed the gag order? A ticking time bomb

Judge imposes partial gag order on Trump. What happens when he ignores it?

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed a partial gag order on Donald Trump Monday, prohibiting him from targeting prosecutors, courtroom staff, and witnesses (including potential ones)—something Trump has regularly done so far. The order allows Trump to claim the prosecution is politically motivated and there is little doubt he’ll be hammering away at this angle in media and campaign stops.

Prosecutor Molly Gaston tried to make the case that Trump wasn’t “above the law.” Chutkan responded by mentioning that the First Amendment doesn’t allow Trump to threaten “people who are simply doing their jobs.” She continued, “We’re not talking about censorship here. We’re talking restrictions to ensure there is a fair administration of justice on this case.” Trump’s lawyers claimed the gag order was a “desperate effort at censorship.”

The big question now is, what will Chutkan do about it when Trump inevitably violates the order?

Jim Jordan searches for 217 votes

Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise both failed to get the magic 217 votes needed to stay or become speaker, respectively. Far-right Rep. Jim Jordan faces opposition from Republican House moderates unwilling to reward the Freedom Caucus for ousting McCarthy. Still, no one should ever depend on spineless Republican “moderates” for anything, and the Trump-backed Jordan has been bullying his way forward.

Meanwhile, some Democrats are willing to bail out Republicans … for a price.

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