It was another absolutely wild week regarding former President Donald Trump's legal cases. The two-day evidentiary hearing in Judge Scott McAfee's Fulton County, Georgia, courtroom lived up to the hype, delivering no shortage of drama from District Attorney Fani Willis and her illicit lover, special prosecutor Nathan Wade. In New York, Justice Juan Merchan waved ahead Alvin Bragg's outrageous prosecution of Trump on fraudulent bookkeeping charges (jury selection will start March 25). Justice Arthur Engoron rendered a truly bonkers verdict on the liability for Trump and The Trump Organization in New York State's "fraud" fishing expedition against the former president and his business: well over $460 million in damages, including interest payments. Absolutely crazy stuff! We are in unchartered waters here, and it is not pretty—at all. One can't help but weep for these United States, which are succumbing to the very Stalinist tactics we once fought an entire decades-long Cold War to banish to the ash heap of history.

Let's take a look at else what is going on out there.

My most recent column argued that as hapless as former President Trump may sometimes seem, there is one thing he has going for him for which he should be immensely grateful: Pretty much everywhere you look, the 45th president is truly blessed with the very best enemies imaginable. Specifically, as I argued in the column, Joe Biden, Nikki Haley, Alvin Bragg, and Fani Willis are all absolutely perfect foils for Trump in their own ways. After all, Biden is genuinely senile and wilting away before our own eyes; Haley is a paradigmatic "BoomerCon" (Boomer Conservative) who represents the pre-2016 Republican Party to which voters clearly do not seek a return; Bragg is bringing a farcical and legally frivolous prosecution against Trump in New York City, involving caricaturable, Hollywood script-worthy characters such as porn star Stormy Daniels; and Willis utterly beclowned herself last Thursday during her hysterical, emotionally unhinged, and deeply unimpressive testimony in Fulton County, Georgia. And after Friday's insane ruling in the civil "fraud" case against The Trump Organization, we can probably add New York Attorney General Tish James and Justice Arthur Engoron to the list as well!

There have been three new episodes of "The Josh Hammer Show" since our last newsletter. For the main show that aired with our radio affiliates over the weekend, I welcomed Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for a wide-ranging conversation on the post-Oct. 7 global fallout of the war in Gaza, where some on the Left (and Right) go wrong when it comes to Israel, the real history of "Palestine," and more. We recorded this episode on video, which you can watch here if you prefer; you can read a partial transcript of our conversation here, as well. I was also delighted to bring back a returning "Josh Hammer Show" guest: Johnny Burtka, president of Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Johnny and I discussed the just-released book of historical essays, Gateway to Statesmanship: Selections from Xenophon to Churchill, which he edited and for which he wrote the introduction. Finally, I released an episode this morning on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' recent impeachment in the House and the Senate trial that will hopefully now follow. You can listen to all episodes of "The Josh Hammer Show" at the Newsweek website, on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

For recent media appearances, I guest-hosted for Jason Rantz last Friday on the eponymous "Jason Rantz Show" on AM 770 KTTH (Seattle), joined my friend Dave Rubin for his popular weekly "Rubin Report" roundtable panel discussion, joined Jesse Kelly on The First, joined Newsmax's "Sunday Agenda" program, and more. To keep up with all my media hits, make sure to follow me on Twitter/X, Instagram, and Facebook! In case you missed it, I also recently launched a new legal-themed podcast with the conservative network The First! The new daily podcast—which is distinct from "The Josh Hammer Show"—is called "America on Trial," and you can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In terms of public events, I will be returning to CPAC tomorrow! I am very excited to moderate and participate in a panel at the highly-attended annual conservative conference alongside (former "Josh Hammer Show" guest!) Brooke Goldstein of The Lawfare Project and Ephraim Shalunov of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Our panel discussion will focus on the terrible recent metastasis of on-campus antisemitism since the Hamas pogrom of Oct. 7, 2023. If you have not done so yet, you can still purchase your ticket to CPAC here. I will also be in Boston on Monday and Tuesday for Federalist Society speaking engagements at three local law schools; email me at j.hammer@newsweek.com for more information if you live in Boston and are interested in attending one of the talks.

Our additional highlighted right-leaning Newsweek op-eds from the past week include selections from John Spencer, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), John Yoo and John Shu, and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)

Thanks for reading and subscribing! We'll see you next week.