I’ll let Lawrence O’Donnell ramble a bit.

Trump is doing his best to stir up violence against anyone involved in prosecuting him. It appears the man shot by FBI agents in Utah yesterday had been motivated by Trump to make the threats that caught the agency’s attention. There is a growing consensus that we’re unlikely to see another January 6 style mass mob, but there is increasing likelihood of lone wolf terrorists, snipers, assassins. “We are witnessing Trump telling America that if he doesn’t get his way — regardless of democratic norms like elections or the rule of law — then you will get violence,” it says here.

Judge Tanya Chutkan needs beefed-up security. So much muck has been thrown at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis that she has told her staff to be careful and not respond to any of it.  See the actual ad Trump’s campaign is running against the prosecutors working to bring him to justice.

Any other defendant would have been slammed by the courts for this behavior. He’d be in jail already. But everyone is afraid to penalize Trump. This is why he is so dangerous. His threats and cult following have given him power. And you know he’s not going to follow whatever protective order Judge Chutkan issues. They’re saying that if he starts publicly intimidating witnesses, that would be a separate crime. He could be charged. Charging him just seems to encourage him.

Jack Smith today proposed a start date of January 2 for the J5 trial. The filing document begins:

In its August 3, 2023, Minute Order, the Court directed the Government to “file a brief proposing a trial date and providing an estimate of the time required to set forth the prosecution’s case in chief” at trial. The Government proposes that trial begin on January 2, 2024, and estimates that its case in chief will take no longer than four to six weeks. This trial date, and the proposed schedule outlined below, would give the defendant time to review the discovery in this case and prepare a defense, and would allow the Court and parties to fully litigate any pre-trial legal issues. Most importantly, a January 2 trial date would vindicate the public’s strong interest in a speedy trial—an interest guaranteed by the Constitution and federal law in all cases, but of particular significance here, where the defendant, a former president, is charged with conspiring
to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election, obstruct the certification of the election results, and discount citizens’ legitimate votes.

Go to page 3 and begin reading at “The Constitution and Federal Law Provide that a Speedy Trial is in the Public’s Interest and in the Interests of Justice,” where it’s argued that the public needs a speedy trial in this matter.

In Other News: Clarence Thomas has taken undisclosed benefits from every right-leaning rich guy in the Western Hemisphere. This is a scale of corruption unprecedented in U.S. federal court history, I understand. If he’s still on the bench next time the Dems control both houses of Congress, they really need to impeach and remove him.I

In More Other News: The wildfires in Hawaii are so terribly tragic. I have nothing to say except that it’s such a damn shame.