Bad news. Thomas is back today. He just needed a day off to finish his "homework."

Trump don't need no stinkin' audit watchdogs. Jus' take his word for it.

Buy NOW! ~ Daddy needs yo money.

Right now it's a bit of a circus in there. Blanche is second guessing a couple jurors for prior Facebook posts. Judge Merchan is letting them stay.

And, like me, glued to the television set waiting for something exciting to happen.

Like just now. Judge Merchan just chastised and admonished Trump, for the umpteenth time, for trying to intimidate the jury by speaking to his attorney loud enough for the jury to hear.

Like I said, Trump is nothing if not redundant. He'll go with whatever he thinks works, every single time.

DONNERBOY

PTSD

I would suggest we do not absorb Trump's problems. We come on this site to argue, discuss, prognosticate, speculate, debate and otherwise get totally immersed in things that we can't do anything about. I find it a good idea to back off sometimes and let the world turn without me.

Posting on a blog should be a pastime, not a vocation.

DONNERBOY @ #9

"Do you find it scary to try and think like a Trumpy do?"

Not in the lest. In fact, I think of it as a talent. To catch a crook you have to think like a crook. For example, what would I do if I was in his shoes, cornered like a rat. Trump leaves a lot of markers. He's nothing if not redundant. Jury nullification is too iffy. He'll go to his one and only comfort zone ~ the U.S. Supreme Court. Like a child crying for his mother to save him when there's a bogyman under his bed.

I appreciate your concern. But don't worry about me. To me, Trump is just like a child in a size 52 blue suit.

Trump just showed up at the courthouse this morning and, as usual, he's stage crafting his case for the camera before he enters the room. MSNBC is running commercials while everybody settles down in their set.

Yesterday Trump looked like he had just been dragged through a tree chipper. He looks a little better today, at least from a distance. He's still walking with his shoulders slumped forward and his head down. Still sleepless and exhausted.

DOC

One of my g-g-g-great grandfathers was named Wild Goose (or Duck)

The English translation is my family name. He went on to get a college education at Oxford University and eventually became a mover and shaker in early American politics.

Are we actually going to have a discussion about doing #1 while waiting for #2?

This has nothing to do with "real" men. It's about reading a magazine while they're doing their "business."

DOC

I'm sure he'd call the general "Custard."

Bragg's case against Trump is practically impenetrable.

That means the defense has to concentrate on convincing only one juror to get all teary-eyed over the persecution of poor, misunderstood, victimized and maligned Donald Trump. Whatever he did was because, just like you, he loves America so much.

LOL ~ How's that for a closing argument?

I have another escape hatch for Trump.

Trump will challenge his conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court on the grounds that he was illegally convicted by a jury of his peers when, actually, he has no peers.

Now, the Supreme Court will be asked to define "peers." That could take months or, at least, until after the election.

I'm not sure Bragg is ready for that one.

LAMP @ #5

"I'm not there yet."

Your choice. But keep in mind that the Kremlin has already announced that the Speaker is "Our Johnson" without a clue about America's slangy euphemisms.

If Trump ever holds a rally in Montana, I'm sure he'll have something equally stupid to say about Custer's Last Stand.

It was obvious that Trump didn't know a single thing about Gettysburg nor did he care.

My guess is he asked somebody on his staff to give him something Pennsylvania-ish to talk about at his rally.

TRUTHY

You're probably right.

We're all going to be red in the face if Thomas turns up alive and healthy.

Maybe Roberts just thought it wasn't any of our business why Thomas was MIA on Monday.

LAMP

Roberts had an explanation for why Thomas was absent the other time.

The problem this time seems to be that Roberts did not have an explanation for Thomas' absence.

So that leaves the question wide open for hanky-panky speculation.

And why did Trump think it was urgent for him to be there on April 25 when his immunity case is scheduled to be heard? (request denied by Judge Merchan)

Trump has never bothered to attend when any of his other cases were being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

And the judge won't let Trump off on April 25th to attend the U.S. Supreme Court hearing on his immunity case either.

I wonder if there's a connection to the report that Justice Clarance Thomas is MIA ~ Missing in Action ~ today without an explanation from Chief Justice Roberts?

Is Thomas dead, at age 75? Possibly. Does Trump think he has to be there on April 25th to intimidate the other justices? Possibly.

Roberts isn't saying much so it must be serious.

And guess what. The immunity case is coming before the Court on April 25 ~ just 10 days from now.

Could this be linked to why Trump asked to be excused from the hush money case on April 25 so he could attend the U.S. Supreme Court hearing?

Does Trump think his presence at the U.S. Supreme Court would be intimidating?

Looks like court adjourned around 4:30 EST after which Trump went on another rant about witch hunts and election interference, etc., etc. ~ all his usual spiel.

One thing I haven't heard about yet.

Who are the witnesses for the defense?

Are there any?

MSNBC is reporting that jury selection is over. No word on when court will adjourn for the day.

DONNERBOY @ #19

"Donald Trump's own words are too prejudicial against Donald Trump."

The judge won't make a decision until tomorrow morning after the hearing.

I think the prosecution will convince the judge that they need to bring up previous behavior, namely lies, etc. to counter Trump's testimony in case he decides to take the stand in his own defense.

The judge will probably agree but with some stipulations.

CORKY

You jest. But I'm sure there are people who think so.

This case is about the falsification of business records to cover up an underlying crime.

BTW, I don't see Melania in court today to support her husband.

Another hearing will be held tomorrow morning about the prosecutor's request to introduce evidence from other trials to establish Trump's lack of credibility. The defense is calling that too prejudicial.

Maybe he was asking his attorney if he could go take a nap in the limousine until after jury selections.

He looks terrible, like he hasn't had much sleep lately. And those blue cholesterol bags under his eye are enormous. He doesn't appear to be wearing his usual stage makeup.

Reporters inside the room are reporting that Trump is talking to his attorney, perhaps trying to make suggestions, and his attorney was heard to say, "No, no, no!" and wave him off.