Donald Trump is still waiting to get indicted for his attempted coup but got a few more charges in the meantime. The Republican presidential primary contenders wake up to the fact that they’re running against a criminal defendant who is still nearly 40 points ahead of them. Sam Alito flips off Congress in the Wall Street Journal while a House Republican screams at some kids. Kevin McCarthy almost comes to blows with Eric Swalwell and Congress investigates if aliens might exist. And later, Tommy talks with Lydia Kiesling about her new novel Mobility, the very first book from Crooked Media Reads.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

SHOW NOTES

TRUMP CRIMES

• NY Post: Trump angrily denies ordering Mar-a-Lago security tapes deleted, calls prosecutor ‘deranged’
• WaPo: Trump PAC has spent more than $40 million on legal costs this year for himself, others
• NYT: $60 Million Refund Request Shows Financial Pressure on Trump From Legal Fees 
• NYTTrump Team Creates Legal-Defense Fund to Cover His Allies’ Bills
• CNN: Fulton County DA says work is done in Trump probe and ‘we’re ready to go’ 
• Newsweek: Trump Trial Schedule Shift Isn’t Out of the Question, Alvin Bragg Suggests
• Politico: Tracking Trump’s Legal Eras Tour

MESS AMERICA 

• Des Moines Register: 2024 candidates are tiptoeing around Trump indictments. Iowa GOP Lincoln Dinner shows why.
• Politico: Trump hits back at GOP candidate who said he’s running to ‘stay out of jail’
• ABC: DeSantis: GOP will lose in 2024 if it’s referendum on ‘what document was left by the toilet at Mar-a-Lago’
• CNN: New signs Trump’s campaign is designed to bankroll his legal defense
• Politico: GOP voters need to move beyond Trump, Nikki Haley warns
• Playbook: Trump’s legal bills pile up
• The Hill: Hurd says getting booed at Lincoln Dinner ‘was as expected’ 
• Des Moines Register: 13 GOP presidential candidates make their pitch at Iowa Lincoln Dinner. What they said.
• Politico: Trump insulted their governor and may be indicted again. They love him.
• The Hill: Trump takes aim at DeSantis amid Iowa gathering of rivals: ‘I wouldn’t take a chance on that one’
• NYT: Trump and DeSantis Collide for First Time in Iowa, as Fortunes Diverge
• The Hill: Trump, DeSantis aides spar over former president’s spending on legal fees
• CNBC: Boos, corn and criminal charges: Trump and GOP rivals storm Iowa
• NYT: Trump Crushing DeSantis and G.O.P. Rivals, Times/Siena Poll Finds
• NYT: Why Trump Is So Hard to Beat
• Politico: DeSantis unveils economic plan, aim to ease process for discharging student loans through bankruptcy
• Des Moines Register: Ron DeSantis displays campaign ‘reset’ in Iowa, but national controversies still dog him