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Not to put too fine a point on it, but the former president* of the United States is a dangerous fcking lunatic and he's decompensating quickly. Read this goddamn thing, it's the kind of stuff that makes people change subway cars.

Trump post on Truth Social on March 23.

It no longer matters whether or not he's playing a role or playing everyone for fools. He knows what his more dangerous devotees actually hear when he starts raving like this. It no longer matters whether or not he's doing all this out of abject terror of being hauled before the bar in two states and the District of Columbia. Even quaking on his golden throne, he can still bring the temple down on his own head. Especially since the entire Republican Party is lending him its support. And he knows it, too, because he won't shut his digital gob.

Not even the fundamental incoherence, the random capitalization, or the laughably bad spelling matter any more. An ungrammatical death threat is still a death threat. Not all dangerous lunatics can write like Ted Kaczynski.

If it wishes to save itself, the entire system must devote itself to the task of getting this guy out of public life forever. Every criminal prosecution should hit the afterburners. Every civil suit must proceed apace. The Democratic Party should dedicate itself, body and soul, to hanging this decrepit bag of poison around the neck of every Republican, local and national.

If you have Republicans on your town council, they must answer for him as surely as his congressional acolytes and enablers must. His name should be a political curse for generations to come. This is going to require people in my business to unshackle themselves from some of the more staid norms and customs of the tribe. This is a time for plain-speaking, with as much contempt and derision as we can muster. All the chips are falling, and we should take as a guide-star the principles articulated by William Lloyd Garrison when he launched The Liberator in 1831.

The time for moderate alarms is long past.

Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston and has three children.

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Donald Trump Threatens District Attorney as Indictment Looms in ... - Esquire

Trump praying on one knee that's been circulating on social media.Twitter

Images created with artificial intelligence have flooded social media in recent months, with some people using AI tools like Midjourney to imagine what it would look like for Donald Trump to be arrested. But the former president isnt opposed to AI-created photos. Trump shared an image of himself on Thursday morning over at Truth Social. And its almost certainly fake.

The image, which has been circulating on pro-Trump Twitter since at least Saturday, shows the former president on one knee praying. At first glance it even looks like it could be a real photo. But anyone who looks closer will notice the telltale signs of AI.

For starters, you always want to look at the hands. AI image creation tools have tremendous difficulty with generating realistic hands, and this image is no different. Trump appears to be missing his ring finger on his right hand, at the very least, and his thumbs are grafted on in a jumbled mess that seems to defy basic human anatomy.

Hugging Face has created a tool that lets people upload images to determine the probability a given image was created with artificial intelligence. The Hugging Face tool says this particular image of Trump was created by machines with about 90% confidence.

But you dont even need fancy online tools or a knowledge of artificial intelligence to determine this image probably isnt real. The first clue shouldve been that Trump is taking one knee in a pose that would be somewhat difficult for a fit and healthy man whos 76 years old, let alone Trump. As far as I can tell, Trump has never taken a knee in public.

The other big giveaway that this image isnt real is that Trumps right kneethe one on the groundappears to be directly behind his left foot. Trump isnt proficient in yogaor hes been hiding his super-human flexibility for a very long time.

There are other context clues that such an image is clearly fake. For instance, Trump is the center of attention in every room he enters. None of the four faces we can see in the background of this image are bothering to look in Trumps direction.

If Donald Trump, the 45th president of the U.S., suddenly got on one knee and started to pray in the middle of a room, you can bet everyone in that room would be either looking at him or joining him in prayer. The American public has a wide variety of opinions on Trump, but cool indifference to the man basically doesnt exist.

I ran the image through several other online tools, including TinEye and Yandex Images, to see if the image appeared anywhere else, on the off chance that it was real. But nothing came back with a hit.

This isnt the first time Trump has been caught sharing fake images of himself. Back in 2019, Trumps team was digitally altering photos of the president to make him look more fit and even gave him longer fingers. Seriously.

In short, Trump must know this image is fake, but doesnt mind sharing it with his followers to encourage the cult of personality that drives his movement. What does Trump actually look like when hes praying at church? We have the answer from a 2019 surprise visit to a church in Virginia, seen below.

Just dont ask Trump his favorite Bible passage.

Im a technology reporter and founder of Paleofuture.com, a website I started in 2007 that looks at past visions of the future, from flying cars and jetpacks to utopias and dystopias. Paleofuture was formerly hosted at Smithsonian magazine (2011-2013) and Gizmodo (2013-2020).

My work has appeared at BBC Future, Slate, The Verge, GOOD, Pacific Standard, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Buzzfeed. Most recently, I was a senior writer at Gizmodo for ten years. Ive also given talks at South by Southwest, dConstruct in Brighton, The Conference in Malmo, UCLAs Digital Cash conference in Los Angeles, and the University of Virginias edUi conference. In 2012, I partnered with the BBC to put on an exhibit of retro-futuristic items from my personal collection in Hollywood, California.

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Donald Trump Shares Fake AI-Created Image Of Himself On Truth Social - Forbes

Former President Donald Trump addresses the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on March 4 in National Harbor, Md. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

Former President Donald Trump addresses the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on March 4 in National Harbor, Md.

As the possibility looms of a Manhattan grand jury handing down a criminal indictment for former President Donald Trump, he also faces scrutiny in other ongoing investigations that could come with charges of their own.

The proceedings from New York, Georgia and the federal Department of Justice all have the potential to upend the 2024 presidential race, in which Trump has already announced his candidacy.

Trump has survived plenty of investigations already remember the Mueller investigation? How about the Ukraine impeachment inquiry? but criminal charges, and a subsequent arrest, could have a dramatic effect on his 2024 campaign. Never before has a former president been charged with a crime.

Here are the active investigations:

This criminal case centers on a $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actor, made just before the 2016 election in order to quiet her allegations of an affair with Trump.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, says that she and Trump had an affair at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006. As Trump's campaign for president picked up steam, she offered to sell her story to gossip magazines. In October, executives at the National Enquirer, a publication long friendly to Trump, alerted Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Cohen reached an agreement with Daniels to pay her $130,000 in exchange for keeping her story quiet. Her attorney received the money from Cohen on Oct. 27, less than two weeks before the election.

After Trump was elected president, Cohen was reimbursed with a total of $420,000, to account for taxes and other costs. Some of the reimbursement checks were signed by Trump himself, who has admitted to repaying Cohen for money paid to Daniels. He has denied having the affair.

According to court records, the Trump Organization's top executives falsely identified the reimbursements as a "retainer" for "legal services."

Now, the grand jury is examining whether Trump committed a felony under New York state law by falsifying business records to cover up another crime like the violation of campaign finance laws with the hush money payment.

The case is being brought by Alvin Bragg Jr., who was elected district attorney of New York County in 2021. He took over the case from his predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., who had opened a broad criminal inquiry into Trump's business activities while Trump was still president.

Earlier this month, reports emerged that prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney's office had offered Trump the chance to testify before a grand jury. In New York, that's usually a signal that charges are coming soon, as potential defendants must have the opportunity to answer questions in the grand jury before an indictment. (Trump declined the offer to testify.)

The Georgia case centers on the actions of Trump and his allies in the weeks following the 2020 presidential election, as they pressured state officials to undo his loss in the state.

After Trump narrowly lost the state, he repeatedly called Georgia state officials to pressure them to find ways to change the outcome including the infamous call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, in which he instructed the Republican Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes." Trump also called Gov. Brian Kemp and the state attorney general to urge them to contest the election results.

The inquiry has also examined efforts to send slates of fake electors to the Electoral College to say that Trump won, rather than Joe Biden.

The investigation is led by Fani Willis, the top prosecutor in Fulton County, Ga., where a special grand jury spent eight months hearing from more than 70 witnesses. Their work was finalized in early January. A portion of their report was released last month, but a judge ruled that most of it should remain confidential, for now.

Willis has said decisions on indictments are "imminent." It's not clear if Trump would be among those charged. Possible crimes for him or others could include soliciting election fraud, giving false statements to government bodies and racketeering.

The U.S. Department of Justice has two ongoing investigations into possible criminal actions by Trump. Both probes are being led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland last year.

One of the investigations centers on how Trump handled classified documents after his presidency ended. Last June, a lawyer for Trump certified that a "diligent search" for classified documents had been conducted at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and all documents found had been turned over to federal authorities. But two months later, an FBI raid recovered more than 100 additional documents.

(President Biden has been embroiled in his own classified documents scandal after files were found to be improperly stored at his Delaware home and a think tank office in Washington he previously used. A different special counsel has also been appointed to investigate that.)

Smith is also looking at Trump's attempt to interfere with the 2020 election. As part of that probe, prosecutors have interviewed numerous Trump allies and aides. They've also subpoenaed former Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump pressured intensely to overturn the election results during the certification process on Jan. 6.

Prosecutors are also reportedly investigating the finances of Save America, a Trump-affiliated political action committee.

The DOJ investigations are ongoing. There's not much known about when charges, if any, would come. But as the 2024 election draws closer, any indictment is sure to draw accusations of political motivations.

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Here are the criminal investigations Donald Trump faces - NPR

A Manhattan grand jury could decide whether to indict Donald J. Trump in the days ahead, potentially touching off a sequence of events that could include the unprecedented sight of a former president in handcuffs.

But much about what comes next remains unclear. Prosecutors have signaled that an indictment is likely, but it is not a certainty. Before Mr. Trump can be charged, the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, must ask the grand jury that has been hearing evidence about the former president to vote on whether to charge him. A majority of jurors must agree to do so.

The timing of any potential indictment, arrest and arraignment is unknown, and likely to remain so after a vote is conducted.

The investigation, conducted by Mr. Braggs office, has been focused on Mr. Trumps involvement in the payment of hush money to a porn star during the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Heres what we know and dont know about the course of the investigation and what might happen.

The special grand jury that has been hearing testimony meets three afternoons a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. At least one more witness could be called before jurors are asked to vote, according to people familiar with the matter.

Once all the witnesses have testified, prosecutors must explain the criminal charges they are seeking to the jury of 23 Manhattan residents before asking them to vote. A simple majority is all that is required to hand up an indictment.

If Mr. Trump is indicted, prosecutors would most likely work with his legal team to arrange his surrender in Manhattan. Within several days of his indictment, Mr. Trump, who lives at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, would travel to the city and turn himself in at the district attorneys office in Lower Manhattan. Hours later, he would be arraigned in a courtroom in the same building.

Any indictment of Mr. Trump would almost certainly be sealed, and the charges would be kept secret from the public after the grand jurors vote. The unsealing of the indictment and a public announcement of the charges against him would coincide with his surrender and arraignment.

However, there is some chance that Mr. Trump does not surrender there have been differing reports on that possibility which could kick off a more complex scenario.

Mr. Trumps lawyers have met with prosecutors in hopes of warding off criminal charges, and while it is unlikely, there is a faint possibility that Mr. Bragg will opt not to seek an indictment (or that he will seek one and grand jurors will vote to reject it).

But prosecutors have broad discretion during grand jury proceedings and the defense has almost no role. Every available signal has suggested that an indictment is imminent.

While it is clear that Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating the role Mr. Trump played in a hush-money payment to the porn star, Stormy Daniels, the specific criminal charges prosecutors could seek are unknown and will probably remain so even after he is indicted.

People with knowledge of the matter have suggested the charges would stem from the falsification of business records that recorded reimbursements to Michael Cohen Mr. Trumps former lawyer and fixer and the prosecutions star witness as legal fees. Such a charge, combined with a second crime involving illegal campaign contributions, could rise to a low-level felony.

Some of the routine steps that follow any felony arrest in New York would apply to the former president as they would to anyone else: He would be photographed and fingerprinted, and read a standard Miranda warning offering him the right to remain silent.

But because of Mr. Trumps status as a former president and his round-the-clock Secret Service detail prosecutors are likely to make some accommodations. He could be held in an interview room instead of a cell; the investigators who process his arrest may forgo handcuffs.

Law enforcement agencies around New York have also had discussions about how to prepare for the prospect of protests, which Mr. Trump called for explicitly on his social media site, Truth Social, over the weekend. A protest in Manhattan on Monday evening was sparsely attended.

Because of the nature of the potential charges against Mr. Trump, the law does not allow prosecutors to seek to have him held on bail. And as a leading presidential candidate, he is far from a flight risk.

Mr. Trump will almost certainly be released shortly after he is arraigned.

Once Mr. Trump has been charged, the case against him will probablybe mired in protracted litigation. Should the matter eventually make it to trial, it could conceivably play out in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election with Mr. Trump, the defendant, in the thick of his campaign.

Chelsia Rose Marcius contributed reporting.

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How an Indictment and Arrest of Donald Trump Could Unfold - The New York Times

Evelyn Knapp walks past a flag featuring former President Donald Trump that supporters are flying near his Mar-a-Lago home on March 20, 2023, in Palm Beach, Florida. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

This story originally appeared in Here's the Deal, our weekly politics newsletter. For more politics coverage and analysis, sign up here.

Former President Donald Trump has predicted he will be arrested this week, on charges related to a hush money payment aimed at covering up an alleged affair. A Manhattan grand jury is expected to issue an indictment soon, according to multiple reports.

But that is just one in a small constellation of investigations circling him. Here's a look at the government probes into Trump.

There are four known government-run investigations into Trump or his business. Let's first look at them in terms of location and prosecutorial scale, from national to local.

Trump has repeatedly and vociferously denied wrongdoing in all of these cases. He has alleged prosecutors have open political bias against him, and that he is being targeted by left-leaning officials.

Now, a little about each one, in order of when we expect to hear about charging decisions or next steps.

What is this case about? Hush money and potential accounting and campaign finance violations. This surrounds a 2016 payment of $130,000 to Clifford. The grand jury is scrutinizing the money that was paid to gain her silence about an affair she said she had with Trump in 2006 and 2007. Trump's response to the case has varied. Trump has acknowledged he was aware of the payment, but he and his spokespeople contend he did not understand its full nature.

Who is the prosecutor? The Manhattan district attorney is Alvin Bragg. He was elected to that job last November.

What are possible charges?

Isn't there a statute of limitations involved here? Yes. The accounting fraud charge has a two-year statute of limitation as a misdemeanor and five years as a felony. BUT, New York law extends that timing if a defendant has lived for a significant time out of the state. As president, Trump lived and worked in the White House and his Florida home. If these charges appear, expect this to be a point of contention.

When might we hear? News of a possible indictment is expected any day now. The grand jury in the case will next meet Wednesday.

What is this case about? Whether Trump interfered with, including if he tried to overturn, the 2020 election results in Georgia. This case includes the January 2021 call from Trump to Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Trump repeatedly said he needed 11,000 more votes.

Why Fulton County? The county contains Atlanta, the state capital. It also is the most populous county in Georgia. In addition, it has a prosecutor who wanted to launch the case.

Who is the prosecutor? Fulton County's district attorney is Fani Willis. She took office in January 2021. Willis called a "special purpose grand jury" to review evidence and make recommendations in this case.

What are possible charges? There is a wide range of potential charges here, and some may not be clear yet. A member of the grand jury convened for this case told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that the group recommended multiple indictments.

They could include:

When might we hear? Soon. Willis said in January that decisions are "imminent." On Monday, Trump's attorneys filed a motion to keep the final grand jury report secret and remove the district attorney's office from the case. Some see that as indication that he too expects news from the DA soon.

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What is this case about? Whether Trump and others involved in the Trump Organization committed fraud by inflating values of some assets, including properties, to get loans and other business benefits.

This is not a criminal case. Instead, this is a civil lawsuit filed by the state attorney general. She does not have the ability to file criminal charges, though she has referred the case to the Manhattan district attorney for that possibility.

Who is the attorney general involved? New York's attorney general is Letitia James. She was first elected in 2018.

What are the possible consequences? Again, the New York attorney general's lawsuit is not a criminal case and thus there are no charges involved. But there are serious stakes for Trump and some family members.

When could we hear? This case is set to go to trial in October.

A view of former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Photo by Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters

What is this case about? This is a set of two investigations connected to Trump, overseen by a single, independent prosecutor at the Department of Justice. The order establishing the special counsel lays out two areas:

Who is the prosecutor? The special counsel is Jack Smith, who formerly served as the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Previous to that, he oversaw the public integrity unit at the DOJ.

What are the possible charges? The spectrum of charges is large and much is unknown about how the special counsel is proceeding. But we have some outside guidance.

First, the House Select Committee to Investigate January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol recommended four charges against Trump to the DOJ in its final report.

Multiple outlets report that the special counsel also is looking into the Save America PAC, through which Trump raised millions of dollars after the election with his false 2020 claims. Specific possible charges, based on previous cases about fraudulent PACs, include:

Regarding the classified documents, some possible charges are indicated in the FBI's search warrant of Mar-a-Lago:

Note: A separate special counsel is overseeing an investigation into possible mishandling of classified documents by President Joe Biden.

When could we hear? It is unclear. Special Counsel Smith, appointed in November, is overseeing a massive probe here. His appointment does not have an end date.

But the directive establishing his investigation also notes that Trump is a current candidate for president, leading to speculation that Smith may want to complete what he can before that election cycle moves too far, including before 2024 arrives.

CNN reported in December that he was moving "fast."

Let's recap:

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Trump faces 4 investigations. Heres where they stand - PBS NewsHour