Welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing  — where we take a quick look at the week’s most viewed stories in case you missed any of them. Grab a cup of coffee and sit down with this 21st Century Weekend Edition of your favorite (online) publication!

#1 – Major Development Occurs in Trump Arrest Saga, Identity of Surprise Witness Revealed — by Bonchie 

Trump claims that Costello, who he calls a “highly-respected lawyer,” has “conclusive and irrefutable” proof that should put him in the clear. What that actually amounts to is anyone’s guess. Trump is obviously going to say that regardless, and the nature of Costello’s relationship with Trump’s orbit is going to complicate his credibility. But if he has documentation or something otherwise concrete, perhaps he could turn the entire grand jury on its head.

Besides, Michael Cohen is not without his own credibility issues, being a convicted felon and someone with an obvious ax to grind. The cornerstone of his claim will rest on the audio recording of Trump he provided showing the former president ordering the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

But that doesn’t prove that Trump ordered the payment to be misclassified (which is the “crime” here). If the grand jury hearing turns into a he said, she said between Costello and Cohen, things might come to standstill. That would be a very good thing for the former president.

#2 – NEW: Manhattan DA Bragg’s Email to Employees in Anticipation of Trump Arrest — by Jennifer Van Laar

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who’s reportedly planning to prosecute Donald Trump over “hush” payments to Stormy Daniels made in 2016, sent an email to his employees Saturday afternoon outlining his plans to protect them from any physical threats arising from the arrest, and laughably claims that his office applies the law “evenly and fairly,” and that they “speak publicly only when appropriate.

Considering the number of charges he’s dropped and the percentage of felony charges he’s reduced to misdemeanor (52!), it’s crystal clear that the only people whose safety he cares about are the people in his office, and given the overall state of the city those words ring hollow.

#3 – All Hell Breaks Loose During Briefing After Karine Jean-Pierre Has Reporter Removed — by Bonchie 

Jean-Pierre spends some of the clip laughing about the situation and trying to treat the reporter like a child. He isn’t having it and lights into her for only picking on certain reporters and refusing to answer basic inquiries.

That’s when professional Democrat simp, Brian Karem, jumped in to start berating Ateba for demanding transparency from the White House. Apparently, the press’ job isn’t to hold power to account, but it’s to take whatever scraps Jean-Pierre throws at them. Who knew?

The entire scene was an embarrassment. You would think the White Press Corps would stand up for freedom of speech and try to force the White House to be fair. Unfortunately, that outfit is run by far-left hacks, and while it played defender of the truth during the Trump administration, it’s now just another Democrat mouthpiece.

#4 – Jordan Peterson Analyzes Donald Trump’s Mental Health, Shocks Piers Morgan Into Middle of Next Week — by Mike Miller 

Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan asked clinical psychologist and public intellectual Dr. Jordan Peterson to offer his professional assessment of Trump’s mental health, which some in America view as narcissistic, sociopathic, or worse, while others view Trump as simply a victim and who’s perfectly sane. (No word on whether the latter view Trump, in the former president’s words, as a “very stable genius.”)

On a November edition of “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” the often-snippy host flat-out asked Peterson:

Donald Trump: what is he? Is he a narcissist, a sociopath, a psychopath? All of those things? None of them?

The longer Dr. Peterson’s analysis of the state of Trump’s mental health continued, the more (fill in the blank, as you see fit) shocked, flabbergasted, disappointed, or snitty, the look on Morgan’s face.

#5 – There’s a ‘Bloodbath’ Happening at Disney and Woke Employees Are Being Led to the Chopping Block — by Brandon Morse 

This tells us two things. For one, even executives with positions near the top aren’t safe from the axe. Secondly, it tells us that the super woke are being led to the chopping block. Alonso was an avid social justice advocate who made bizarre moves such as trying to eliminate the term “X-Men” due to it being “outdated” and declaring that “diversity and inclusion” was not a “political game” to Marvel. Alonso was the one who promised that Marvel would get a big infusion of LGBT characters as well.

Disney definitely has a problem with the number of politically radical activists infecting its ranks. Not only has the ideology infected its movies and television shows to the point of being unwatchable, but its hubris in its leftism also led it into a war with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, which it promptly lost, costing the company its tax haven in Florida.

Its commitment to leftist politics also led to the unfair firing of fan-favorite Gina Carano from “The Mandalorian,” further souring the relationship between the company and its customers.