Orange is the New Black: Perhaps the most damning statement about the indictment of Donald Trump came from his daughter Ivanka, who did not proclaim the former president’s innocence or claim he’s the victim of political prosecution. Ivanka said in a statement, “I love my father, and I love my country. Today, I am pained for both.”

  Trump is scheduled for arraignment in Manhattan Tuesday afternoon on 30 or more charges related to the $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels to remain silent about a bedroom fling she had with the real estate mogul before he ran for president. 

  The basic theory is that Trump channeled the payoff through his then lawyer, Michael Cohen, reimbursed Cohen, then hid the payment within business records. What the indictment would come down to is falsification of business records, a misdemeanor, combined with falsification of records to conceal or commit another crime, which becomes a felony.

  He will be fingerprinted and have his mugshot taken.

  Trump was immediately fundraising off the indictment and given a chance to dump him, prominent Republicans snapped into line behind him. South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham was so angry he was nearly sputtering. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the indictment “un-American.” Former Vice President Mike Pence, once the target of Trump crazies chanting “hang Mike Pence,” said it was an “outrage. 

  And House speaker Kevin McCarthy said the indictment has “irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our presidential election.” He said that in defense of a man who tried to overturn a presidential election.

  President Biden is staying on the sidelines for this one.

The Big Lie: A judge in Delaware Superior Court has ordered Fox News to stand trial in the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought against the company by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox hosts and guests following the 2020 election had repeatedly made false claims that Dominion was involved in vote switching and suppression to deny victory to President Donald Trump.

  In a ruling that should have Fox quaking, Judge Eric Davis wrote, “The evidence developed in this civil proceeding” demonstrates that it “is CRYSTAL clear that none of the statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true.”

  Fox has defended itself in part by claiming that much of what it put on the air about election fraud was merely “opinion,” but Davis wrote, “It appears oxymoronic to call the statements ‘opinions’ while also asserting the statements are newsworthy allegations and/or substantially accurate reports of official proceedings.” 

  The trial begins April 17^th. Under defamation law, Dominion must prove that Fox either knowingly spread false information or did so with reckless disregard for the truth. 

Twister: At least seven people are dead after tornadoes touched down in Indiana, Arkansas, and Illinois. In Belvidere, Illinois, one person was killed and at least 28 injured when the roof of the Apollo Theatre fell in during a heavy metal concert.

Upbeat: Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has been released from Walter Reed Hospital after being treated for severe depression. 

  “I want everyone to know that depression is treatable, and treatment works,” Fetterman said in a statement. He has had bouts of depression for years. “This isn’t about politics – right now there are people who are suffering with depression in red counties and blue counties,” he said.

Final Four: Iowa’s dominant star Caitlin Clark scored 41 points last night as her team knocked off  South Carolina 77-73 to win a spot in the NCAA women’s final basketball match. South Carolina had been undefeated.

  Clark has become the star of women’s college basketball with a shot like an intercontinental missile. She’s deadly with three-pointers from the outside, sometimes hitting the basket from just inside the half-court line.

  “Tonight showed how fun women’s basketball is,” Clark said. “I’m sure so many people wish this was a series of seven. That would be really, really fun.”

  Also last night, Louisiana State beat Virginia Tech 79-72 to reach the final game against Iowa on Sunday. 

The Obit Page: Mark Russell, the singing and piano-playing satirist who skewered the workings of Washington for 60 years, has died at age 90.

  Russell took the material Washington offered for free and made a living with it. He sang “Bail to the Chief” for Richard Nixon and ”When You Wish Upon Ken Starr” about the special prosecutor in the Bill Clinton impeachment.

  Russell was in residence from 1961 to 1981 at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington. He hosted comedy specials on television and hit the road for colleges and conventions for as many as 100 shows a year.  

  Once asked whether had had writers working for him, Russell answered, “Oh, yes — 100 in the Senate and 435 in the House of Representatives.”

The Spin Rack: Police in Canada say they have recovered the bodies of eight migrants from the St. Lawrence River where it runs through Mohawk Nation territory.— The CE0 of the giant Blackstone investment group said the collapse of silicon Valley Bank was caused by “people on iPhones and other devices hearing on social media that some bank might be in trouble.” Steven Schwartzman said, “They responded with huge withdrawals in a very short period of time, collapsing the bank.” — The Biden administration granted California the legal authority to require that half of all heavy trucks sold in the state must be all-electric by 2035. —  The Justice Department has sued Norfolk Southern for cleanup costs and penalties after the train derailment and chemical spill last month in East Palestine, Ohio. — Pope Francis has been discharged from the hospital. 

Below the Fold: Jacob Chansley, the “QAnon Shaman” who received one of the longest sentences among Capitol rioters, has been released early from federal prison for good behavior and sent to a reentry center. Shirtless, tattooed, and wearing a fur hat with horns when he charged into the Capitol, Chansley is probably the most famous of the rioters.

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