EPISODE 221: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN

A-Block (1:40) SPECIAL COMMENT: The UK newspaper "The Independent" reports Trump may be indicted as early as tomorrow for violations of the Espionage Act, specifically 18 U-S Code 793, Gathering, Transmitting or Losing Defense Information, a part of the act that does NOT require the actual documents in question to be CLASSIFIED – a deliberate choice by prosecutors, a strategic one, which thus completely ERASES Trump’s defense that whatever he stole, he had somehow DE-classified it by blinking three times in succession or throwing ketchup at a particular White House wall. Those guilty of violations of 18 U-S Code 793, quote, “shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years or both” and the Independent Counsel’s Grand Jury will be asked to vote an indictment against Trump for violating 793 as early as TOMORROW, with the caveat that “that vote could be delayed as much as a week until the next meeting of the grand jury to allow for a complete presentation of evidence, or to allow investigators to gather more evidence for presentation if necessary” unquote.

“The Independent” reports emphasizes that an indictment on ONE charge from 18 U-S Code 793 is far from all of it – that Trump may also be indicted on OTHER counts within the Espionage Age umbrella, AND potentially for Obstruction of Justice, AND that Jack Smith’s mysterious FLORIDA Grand Jury is still operating and further indictments could emanate from there. The Washington Post in fact reports that the BULK of indictments could come from the Miami Grand Jury, which could give us a scenario in which there is ONE indictment in Washington tomorrow or next week, and many more from Florida in the weeks to come.

The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg adds that Mark Meadows DID flip, so, told you so. Quote: “It is understood that the former North Carolina congressman testified as part of a deal for which he has already received limited immunity in exchange for his testimony. A source who was briefed on the agreement claimed that the alleged agreement will involve the ex-chief of staff entering pleas of guilty to unspecified federal crimes.” The Independent says Meadows attorney George Terwilliger said the guilty plea story is quote “complete bull(spit)”but would NOT answer questions about immunity or testimony.

B-Block (8:47) POSTSCRIPTS TO THE NEWS: CNN fired Chris Licht - at dawn - in Central Park - explains what caused all the damn SMOKE here. He was fired for being a schmuck. He should've been fired for not understanding that the cable news "middle" he pursued doesn't exist, will never exist, hasn't existed for 25 years. Journalism and "advocacy" and profits can all be made. You just have to be what he wasn't: Good At It. (18:50) NOTE: The remainder of this bulletin is from Wednesday's original podcast: Mark Meadows has flipped. There’s no other possible conclusion. The news has been coming for weeks. Per ABC, Meadows testified to the Jack Smith Election Grand Jury and to the Jack Smith Documents Grand Jury. And 20 members of the Trump Secret Service detail - past or present - have been subpoenaed to testify in Washington, while we begin to see what the third Smith Grand Jury in Miami is all about and how it might but Trump on trial there and not Washington.

And this all explains both why Bloomberg reports "Trump representatives in recent weeks have asked for recommendations of Washington-based counsel with trial experience…” and why Trump returned yesterday to stochastic terrorism. He made social media posts demanding that his thugs "fight" to prevent his indictment, just as he told the crowd on the Ellipse in Washington on January 6 to "fight" the certification. Dismiss Trump and his animal-like cunning and destructive skill at your peril and OUR peril. What you think you see in him is as bad as you think it is. Or worse. Always. Always. On January 6th. Yesterday. The Truth Social posts were made in hopes of getting somebody to attack Jack Smith or Merrick Garland or someone. The Trump thinking is not complex: "This other creature is in my way. Destroy this other creature."

B-Block (38:20) POSTSCRIPTS TO THE NEWS: Chris Licht does it again! ANOTHER presidential town hall - and how you can get one. And when is the parade for CNN Media Reporter Oliver Darcy and will he be riding in the front car or in the metaphorical hearse in the back? (21:29) IN SPORTS: Don't delude yourself. The PGA golf tour did not "merge" with LIV Golf. It sold itself to the Saudis, after a year of talking about Saudi blood money. It's despicable and it will either be prevented, or it will destroy the sport in the country. And Jacob deGrom is probably out of baseball until Opening Day 2025. Who didn't see that coming? (26:59) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: It's condescending, proselytizing Harris Faulkner of Fox - and her pronouns are D,U,M,B.