Trump’s sentencing hearing in July presents another dangerous moment for Trump, if he can’t keep his big yap shut.

• Trump could provoke Judge Merchan if he does anything other than sit quietly, Trump’s own former lawyer Tim Parlatore warned. Defendants often use this moment to accept responsibility and express remorse, in an attempt to curry sympathy before the judge hands down a sentence. But Parlatore thinks Trump doesn’t have it in him to express contrition. “I don’t think he would say that,” Parlatore told CNN. “That’s why you don’t want him to talk.” Some legal experts think Trump will get home confinement or community service, and never see the inside of a jail cell. But legal scholar Norm Eisen thinks “a jail sentence is on the table.” No former president has ever been convicted of a crime before, so there’s no road map for where this might go.

• Trump will be sentenced just four days before the GOP convention, raising the incentive for him to turn the whole thing into a political spectacle. Some Trump fans seem even more amped up to support him in the wake of his criminal debacle: His campaign website crashed on Thursday as small-money donors rushed to hand him $35 million. But other would-be Trump voters may be turned off by his crimes, according to Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America — especially those who are younger and more diverse than average Trump voters, those who voted for Trump’s primary opponent Nikki Haley, and those who see the 2020 election as legitimate. 

“This is an existential risk to Trump’s campaign, if Democrats can take advantage of it,” Pfeiffer said on today's episode of the What A Day podcast.  

President Biden announced a new proposal Friday for a temporary — and eventually permanent — ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The plan consists of three phases that would see the release of hostages and a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. The plan would begin with a six-week ceasefire that would extend until both sides agreed to terms to end the war permanently. Israel did not comment on the proposal, which comes days after a top official said the war would extend through the end of the year.

Israeli forces expanded into central Rafah, a city where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians have gathered seeking refuge, while humanitarian aid continues to be disrupted. The Biden administration urged Israel against a potentially devastating Rafah invasion, but also said the latest developments haven’t yet crossed Biden’s “red line.” 

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he’s leaving the Democratic Party to become an Independent. The decision is a culmination of the conservative-leaning lawmaker’s longtime break-up with the Dems. Manchin has previously said he won’t run for re-election, in a state where Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) is now widely expected to win in November. Thanks a lot, Joe! Hope the coal money was worth it!

Trump’s MAGA-media allies spewed dangerous, vengeful rhetoric in defense of the felonious former president after his guilty verdicts were announced. The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh and The Federalist’s Sean Davis both argued that Trump should make a list of Democrats that he should throw in prison should he get back in office in November. Tucker Carlson said the verdict marks the end of our justice system. Fox News’ Laura Ingraham compared Democrats to evil dictators, and Sean Hannity said the Constitution is “literally dying before our eyes.” Hey, what happened to the “Law and Order” crowd, huh?

Meanwhile, former Republican Governor of Maryland turned Senate candidate Larry Hogan said Americans need to “respect the verdict and the legal process.” Hogan was never a fan of Trump and it took guts for him to speak out against him while running for a spot in the GOP Senate. A senior Trump advisor fired back on X, telling Hogan “You just ended your campaign.” Very mafia-coded!

Elon Musk has agreed to host live video town halls with Trump and his second rival presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that will stream on X, formerly known as Twitter, where platform users will be able to ask questions. The move underscores Musk's deeper dive into right-wing politics coupled with his many attempts to get eyeballs on the struggling platform. It also underscores his desperate need for the kind of negative attention that apparently even the CyberTruck didn’t fulfill.  

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The state of Michigan has offered to take over the remaining lead service line removals in Flint, promising to finish the work by next year. Flint’s city government failed its requirements to complete the project by 2020 after a lawsuit found the city and state unlawfully exposed residents to lead through drinking water, prompting the state to take over the engineering and construction. 

Vermont just became the first state to enact a law requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a portion of the damage caused by climate change. We’re sorry for calling Vermont the Land of White Hippies for so long, you guys make really good maple syrup and legislation.