Washington
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Essential U.S. political news & intel to start your day.
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March 22, 2023
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Today’s Top News
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The Manhattan grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s role in a hush money scheme with Stormy Daniels is set to meet today, where it could hear from additional witnesses or prosecutors could present charges — the final steps before a vote on whether to indict the former president and 2024 GOP presidential candidate. (The Wall Street Journal) New York prosecutors are said to have obtained communications dating back to 2018 between Daniels and Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, raising the possibility that the defense attorney could soon be sidelined. (CNN)
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised questions about Trump’s character in an interview with Piers Morgan, saying the conduct underlying his New York troubles is “just outside my wheelhouse” as he panned Trump’s nickname for him. The remarks by DeSantis, who is expected to launch a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in the coming months, prompted Trump spokesperson Jason Miller to slam the governor as “an establishment Never Trumper who despises the MAGA base.” (The New York Times)
- Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutors presented evidence showing Trump deliberately misled his attorneys about his retention of classified documents, according to reported comments by a federal judge who is said to have ordered Trump attorney Evan Corcoran to comply with a subpoena. (ABC News)
- The Senate is poised today to advance the repeal of the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force in Afghanistan. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he thinks there’s a strong chance the repeals could pass the House but will have to go through committee first. (Roll Call)
Happening today (all in ET):
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| PRESENTED BY THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION |
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What Else You Need To Know
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White House & Administration
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Fed Meeting Holds High Stakes for Biden
Jim Tankersley, The New York Times
The president is counting on the central bank to strike the right balance on jobs and inflation — and to prevent a spiraling financial crisis.
Intel Bulletins Warn of Surge in Violent Threats Over Trump Arrest
Jana Winter, Rolling Stone
Violent extremists are advocating lethal attacks and proclaiming their willingness to die for the cause, according to law enforcement reports obtained by Rolling Stone.
US to send Patriot missile systems and tanks to Ukraine faster than originally planned
Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky, CNN
US Patriot missile defense systems and Abram tanks are set to be deployed to Ukraine faster than originally planned, US defense officials said on Tuesday. A group of 65 Ukrainian soldiers will complete their training on the systems at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in the coming days, the defense officials said.
The Pentagon prepares for its next battle: GOP accusations of ‘wokeness’
Lara Seligman et al., Politico
Practice sessions, talking points and binders loaded with facts are all part of DoD’s planned counteroffensive.
Longtime Israel backers in U.S. turn outraged critics — but Biden administration remains distant
Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times
With massive street protests, a mutiny by elite military reserve officers and outrage from diplomats, academics and former officials, Israel seems steeped in epic crisis.
Air Force IDs 2 new GOP candidates whose military records were improperly released
Olivia Beavers, Politico
The military branch notified House Republicans that a total of seven congressional candidates in 2022, all in their party, had personnel material released without authorization.
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Senate committee set to vote on Biden’s embattled FAA nominee
Maegan Vazquez, CNN
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is scheduled to vote on President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday morning – marking a consequential moment for the embattled nominee and the agency, which is attempting to address a slew of major challenges.
TikTok lands first major ally on Capitol Hill: Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman
Sahil Kapur, NBC News
The congressman is defending the app, rejecting efforts to ban TikTok as “ill-advised” and part of a “fearmongering” campaign with undertones of “xenophobia” around China.
Banking crisis emboldens House Republicans on debt limit
Max Cohen and Brendan Pedersen, Punchbowl News
The recent collapse of two large regional banks rattled global markets, raising concerns about financial stability during a precarious moment for the U.S. economy. Would this backdrop of uncertainty, we wondered, cause House Republicans to grow wary of launching a debt limit showdown?
McConnell phones Senate Republicans, who say he’s ‘eager’ to be back
Liz Goodwin and Paul Kane, The Washington Post
Nearly two weeks after a fall that left him with a concussion and a broken rib, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) spoke on the phone with at least three of his Republican colleagues on Tuesday, expressing a desire to get back to the Capitol but not sharing an exact timeline for his return.
McCarthy downplays N.Y. case against Trump, dismisses it as ‘personal money’
Marisa Iati and John Wagner, The Washington Post
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday sought to downplay the legal case related to a hush-money payment by former president Donald Trump to an adult-film actress, saying it involved “personal money” and shouldn’t be able to be prosecuted under the statute of limitations.
Democrats brace for fight over SNAP benefits in farm bill
Nick Robertson, The Hill
House and Senate Democrats are ready to play hardball to protect Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in this year’s farm bill as the food program becomes caught up in broader GOP efforts to cut government spending.
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan Issues Sweeping Subpoenas to Universities Researching Disinformation
Andrea Bernstein, ProPublica
In the subpoenas, Jordan asserted that the schools may have contributed to the Biden administration’s “censorship regime by advising on so-called misinformation.”
As budget cuts loom, group warns of effects on House staff pay
Justin Papp, Roll Call
A bipartisan coalition of 25 advocacy groups, think tanks and individuals is warning of a “crisis for staff” if Republicans roll back discretionary spending that had boosted pay for House staffers.
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Tucker Carlson Desperately Tries to Walk Back Trump ‘Hate’
Justin Baragona, The Daily Beast
Recently unearthed text messages reveal that the Fox News star hates Trump “passionately.” Carlson is now saying he actually loves the ex-president.
‘We Were Helpless’: Despair at the C.D.C. as the Pandemic Erupted
Apoorva Mandavilli, The New York Times
Current and former employees recall rising desperation as Trump administration officials squelched research into the new coronavirus.
Video Shows Virginia Man’s Death in Custody
Campbell Robertson and Christine Hauser, The New York Times
Irvo Otieno’s death was a devastating ending to a journey that began when his family immigrated from Kenya when he was a young boy, “compelled by the American dream.”
The Supreme Court has been paying Michael Chertoff’s firm for 5 years
Josh Gerstein, Politico
For five years, former federal appeals court judge and Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff has been secretly advising the Supreme Court on security matters, Chertoff confirmed to Congress in a letter released Tuesday. The arrangement went undisclosed until this year because there was no requirement for the high court to reveal it.
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Trump at Mar-a-Lago: Magical Thinking and a Perp-Walk Fixation
Michael C. Bender and Maggie Haberman, The New York Times
Those who have spent time with Donald Trump in recent days say he has often appeared significantly disconnected from the severity of his potential legal woes.
Trump campaign prepares for ‘new normal’: Running under indictment
Isaac Arnsdorf et al., The Washington Post
The escalating criminal jeopardy confronting Donald Trump has restored him to his political comfort zone, according to advisers and allies: counterattacking, with prominent Republicans largely behind him.
Readying for takeoff: Tim Scott takes next steps in leadup to presidential announcement
Natalie Allison, Politico
The South Carolina Republican is dipping his toes back into those 2024 waters, with a donor confab and some conspicuous early state visits.
Nobody Likes Mike Pence
McKay Coppins, The Atlantic
In focus groups, Republican voters are brutal in their assessment of the former vice president.
Pence seeks ‘common sense’ Social Security, Medicare reform
Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press
As he mulls a 2024 presidential bid, former Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday called for “common sense and compassionate solutions” to reform entitlement programs and the nation’s debt burden, suggesting changes to Social Security and Medicare programs hurtling toward insolvency, particularly for younger generations, without naming specific recommendations.
Inside Ron DeSantis’s Plan to Ride Anti-vaxxism to the White House
Katherine Eban, Vanity Fair
He was for the COVID-19 vaccines before he was against them, but now Florida’s governor is all-in on vaccine skepticism—and hoping to use the issue to outflank Trump on the right. With the presidential primaries looming, and MAGA activists angling to turn Trump against the vaccines he helped fast-track, experts fear anti-vaxxism could soon become an official plank of the Republican Party.
Michael Bloomberg Has Found a New $5 Million Cause: Helping Hochul
Nicholas Fandos, The New York Times
Mr. Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, has quietly bankrolled a group that is flooding the airwaves with ads to support Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget plans.
National Republicans are looking for Senate candidates who are filthy rich
Ally Mutnick, Politico
Democrats have been out-raising Republicans in the past two cycles. Republicans have come up with a possible solution.
Wisconsin Court Candidates Clash Over Abortion and Democracy
Reid J. Epstein, The New York Times
In their lone debate, Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal, and Daniel Kelly, a conservative, unleashed searing attacks on each other. At stake is a crucial seat on the battleground state’s Supreme Court.
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U.S. State-Government Websites Use TikTok Trackers, Review Finds
Byron Tau and Dustin Volz, The Wall Street Journal
More than two dozen state governments have placed web-tracking code made by TikTok parent ByteDance Ltd. on official websites, according to a new report from a cybersecurity company, illustrating the difficulties U.S. regulators face in curtailing data-collection efforts by the popular Chinese-owned app.
DeSantis Privately Called for Google to Be “Broken Up”
Andy Kroll and Nick Surgey, ProPublica and Documented
In previously unreported videos from a closed-door Teneo Network conference, Florida’s Republican governor takes his anti-big tech rhetoric beyond what he has said publicly.
Florida GOP lawmaker who wrote ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill facing up to 35 years after pleading guilty in COVID fraud case
David Badash, Raw Story
Joe Harding, the now-former Florida Republican lawmaker who authored the extremist “Don’t Say Gay” bill could face up to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday afternoon to federal felony fraud charges in a scheme to obtain $150,000 in COVID-19 relief funds, according to Florida Politics‘ publisher Peter Scorsch.
Oklahoma Supreme Court finds ‘limited right’ to abortion in state constitution
Chris Casteel, The Oklahoman
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the state constitution includes “an inherent right of a pregnant woman to terminate a pregnancy when necessary to save her life.”
Idaho hospital to stop delivering babies, partly due to ‘political climate’
Brittany Shammas and Marisa Iati, The Washington Post
Brooke Macumber planned to have her fourth child in the same small hospital where two of her older children were born — the same place her husband had been delivered decades earlier.
Anti-porn bills in 8 states could force device makers to censor sexual material
Ben Goggin, NBC News
The bills would require phone and tablet manufacturers like Apple and Samsung to turn on content filters by default, but their reach could be deeper than intended.
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A Message From the Alzheimer’s Association:
The Biden Administration has made the unprecedented decision to block access to FDA-approved treatments for people living with Alzheimer’s
Each day CMS denies access, more than 2,000 people transition to a more advanced stage of Alzheimer’s where they are no longer eligible for treatment. The role and responsibility of CMS is to provide health care coverage, not to stand between a patient and a doctor when deciding what FDA-approved treatments are appropriate. Learn more at alz.org/coverage.
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TikTok’s CEO Will Tell Congress His App Is Safer Than Most
Alex Barinka and Anna Edgerton, Bloomberg
TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Chew plans to tell Congress his app does more to protect young users than rival social media and that Beijing has no authority over its data, invoking familiar arguments to head off a US ban or forced sale.
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Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
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What We Missed About Trump’s First Great Victory
Thomas B. Edsall, The New York Times
Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory continues to confound election experts. How could American voters put such a fractious figure into the White House?
Will an Indictment Sink Trump, or Rescue Him?
Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report
When it comes to Donald Trump, conventional wisdom has often gotten it wrong. He was never supposed to win the nomination — certainly not after attacking John McCain’s military record, or Megyn Kelly’s appearance, or Ted Cruz’s wife. Still, he won.
The GOP gains among ‘voters of color’ are overhyped
Perry Bacon, The Washington Post
The 2020 and 2022 election results have led Republicans, the news media and even some Democrats to suggest that we are seeing a major shift in American politics. Asian, Black and Latino voters have flipped to the Republicans in such large numbers that the Democrats are in huge trouble, the story goes.
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Research Reports and Polling
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