Headlines for Thursday, May 25, 2023
🗽There is no greater power than a community discovering the truth and working together to make sure an injustice is not repeated
🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny. - Thomas Jefferson
🗽There is no greater power than a community discovering the truth and working together to make sure an injustice is not repeated
NEWS HEADLINES FOR MAY 25, 2023
POLITICO: DeSantis signs bill that makes his presidential run easier: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday flicked away a nagging threat to his emerging campaign for president by signing into law a measure that makes it clear he does not have to resign his current position as governor. The change to Florida’s resign-to-run law, which had garnered a ton of debate and legal theorizing in the last few months, was part of a larger overall elections bill approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature that has drawn the scorn of Democrats and voting rights groups who have labeled it “voter suppression.” Two lawsuits were immediately filed in federal court challenging the law. One was filed by the League of Women Voters of Florida while a coalition of several groups, including the Florida State branch of the NAACP, also filed a legal challenge. They took aim at several portions of the bill that placed new restrictions and increased fines on groups that register new voters.
FiveThirtyEight: The Rise, Fall And Potential Resurrection Of Ron DeSantis: After signaling a campaign for months — even years — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis formally announced on Wednesday that he’s running for president. As a result, the two leading Republican candidates in the primary polls, former President Donald Trump and DeSantis, are now both officially in the race. In the leadup to his announcement, DeSantis’s pre-campaign experience demonstrated how quickly political winds can shift. Coming off of a resounding reelection victory in November 2022, DeSantis seemingly had the Republican world at his fingertips. Conservative media fêted his potential 2024 presidential candidacy, and polls of the nascent primary found him not far behind — and sometimes even ahead of — Trump.
Semafor: Ron DeSantis gambled on Elon Musk and went bust: Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that he was running to be the 47th president of the United States with a mission to end a “culture of losing” on the right, and overhaul a federal government that triggered “authoritarian” attempts to restrict Americans’ rights during the pandemic. After some technical difficulties, that is. The first 25 minutes of the much-anticipated event — co-hosted by Elon Musk and David Sacks on Twitter Spaces — were widely panned as a disaster, with glitches overtaking it to the point that Musk was forced to end the live audio stream and transfer it over to his co-host’s page.
New York Times: The Policy Fights Where DeSantis Sees His Chance to Hit Trump: Ron DeSantis is girding for battle with Donald J. Trump where he believes the former president may be most vulnerable to attack from a fellow Republican: on substance. Mr. DeSantis, the Florida governor, is expected to make a series of policy-based arguments, according to his public statements and interviews with people who have met with him privately and described their conversations on the condition of anonymity. He is telling Republicans that, unlike the mercurial Mr. Trump, he can be trusted to adhere to conservative principles; that Mr. Trump is too distractible and undisciplined to deliver conservative policy victories such as completing his much-hyped border wall; and that any policy promises Mr. Trump makes to conservatives are worthless because he is incapable of defeating President Biden.
Bloomberg: As Trump’s Classified Documents Probe Wraps Up, Potential Charges Are Near: Special Counsel Jack Smith is wrapping up his investigation into former president Donald Trump’s refusal to return classified documents after his election defeat and is poised to announce possible criminal charges in the days or weeks after Memorial Day, according to people familiar with the matter. As Smith’s team winds down the classified documents probe, a separate inquiry into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election continues, according to four people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing a confidential inquiry. Trump’s associates believe the Justice Department’s investigation into documents taken from the White House after he left office is close to the end, said one of the people, but they don’t know if charges will be brought against the former president or anyone else.
Associated Press: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton likely broke laws, Republican investigation finds: A Republican-led investigation on Wednesday accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of committing multiple crimes in office — including felonies — during an extraordinary public airing of scandal and alleged lawbreaking that plunged one of the GOP’s conservative stars into new political and legal risk. For more than three hours, investigators presented findings alleging Paxton sought to hide an affair, misused his office to help a donor, skirted protocols “grossly outside” norms and built a culture of fear and retaliation in his office. Investigators told the GOP-led House General Investigating Committee that there was evidence that Paxton repeatedly broke the law over the years, including by misusing official information, abusing his official capacity and retaliation. The dramatic turn of events in the Texas Capitol unleashed a new test of Paxton’s durability in a way he has not previously confronted despite a felony indictment in 2015 and an ongoing FBI investigation. The House committee’s investigation has been quietly going on for months and did not come to light until Tuesday.
Washington Post: Texas lawmakers approve bill to allow school districts to replace counselors with chaplains: The Texas House of Representatives Wednesday gave final approval to a bill to allow uncertified chaplains in public schools, including to replace professional counselors, the last step before the measure is signed into law. The bill, which now goes to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), came in a session of aggressive legislative measures in Texas and several other states aiming to weaken decades of distinction between religion and government. Supporters say they believe the Supreme Court’s ruling last summer in Kennedy v. Bremerton, in favor of a high school football coach who prayed with players, essentially removed any guardrails between them. At midnight Tuesday, a bill that had passed the Senate requiring a version of the Ten Commandments be hung in every classroom in the state did not secure a House vote in time and died.
Associated Press: State lawmakers want children to fill labor shortages, even in bars and on school nights: As the federal government cracks down on child labor violations, some state lawmakers are embracing legislation to let children work longer hours and in more hazardous occupations. The legislators, mostly Republicans, argue that relaxing child labor laws could ease nationwide labor shortages. But child welfare advocates worry the measures represent a coordinated push to scale back hard-won protections for minors. Lawmakers proposed loosening child labor laws in at least 10 states over the past two years, according to a report published last month by the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. Some bills became law, while others were withdrawn or vetoed.
New York Times: Jan. 6 Rioter Who Reclined in Pelosi’s Office Given Sentence of More Than 4 Years:An Arkansas man who became notorious for putting his foot on a desk in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the attack on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald J. Trump was sentenced on Wednesday to four and a half years in prison. The man, Richard “Bigo” Barnett, was found guilty at a trial in January of eight criminal offenses, including interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder and obstructing the certification of the 2020 election that took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. After deliberating for less than three hours, a jury in Federal District Court in Washington rejected Mr. Barnett’s testimony that he had ended up in Ms. Pelosi’s office suite while looking for a bathroom and that the 950,000-volt stun gun he was carrying that day was not working.
Associated Press: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launches 2024 GOP presidential campaign to challenge Trump: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday, stepping into a crowded Republican primary contest that will test both his national appeal as an outspoken cultural conservative and the GOP’s willingness to move on from former President Donald Trump. The 44-year-old Republican revealed his decision in a Federal Election Commission filing before an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk. It marks a new chapter in his extraordinary rise from little-known congressman to two-term governor to a leading figure in the nation’s bitter fights over race, gender, abortion and other divisive issues. DeSantis is considered to be Trump’s strongest Republican rival even as the governor faces questions about his far-right policies, his campaign-trail personality and his lack of relationships across the Republican ecosystem. Still, he has generated significant interest among GOP primary voters by casting himself as a younger and more electable version of the embattled former president.
Politico: Here’s a look at the most contentious legislation DeSantis has signed leading up to his presidential bid: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has spent the months leading up to his presidential announcement signing legislation that’s made national headlines — and hasn’t always garnered a favorable reaction among his political rivals and fellow Republicans. The GOP-controlled Legislature has handed DeSantis many legislative victories in what has helped the governor create his political agenda. He has pushed Florida lawmakers to restrict gender-affirming care for minors and permanently ban pandemic-related mandates.
New York Times: Amassing Power, DeSantis Maximized Might of Governor’s Office: Few knew what to expect from Ron DeSantis when he was first elected Florida governor in 2018 as a little-known congressman. He had barely eked out a victory. He had almost no ties to the State Capitol. His policy agenda seemed unclear. But he knew, at least, how he wanted to govern: He directed his general counsel to figure out just how far a governor could push his authority. He pored over a binder enumerating his varied powers: appointing Florida Supreme Court justices, removing local elected officials and wielding line-item vetoes against state lawmakers. Then he systematically deployed each one. Four years later, Mr. DeSantis is entering the 2024 Republican presidential primary race with a promise that he would make the country more conservative — just as he did Florida, using nearly every means necessary to muscle through his right-wing vision.
Vanity Fair: Donald Trump’s Lawyers Would Like to Chat With the DOJ About His Next Potential Indictment: Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Justice Department–appointed special counsel Jack Smith is close to wrapping up his classified-documents investigation involving Donald Trump, and that some of the ex-president’s “close associates are bracing for his indictment.” Also seemingly concerned about fresh criminal charges for the former guy? His attorneys, if their letter to Merrick Garland is any indication. In a note sent to the attorney general on Tuesday—the same day the Journal’s story was published—James Trusty and John Rowley, attorneys working for Trump, claimed that the 45th POTUS is being “treated unfairly” and that the federal investigation is being conducted in an “outrageous and unlawful fashion.” They added: “We request a meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss the ongoing injustice that is being perpetrated by your Special Counsel and his prosecutors.”
Wall Street Journal: With 2024 Bid, DeSantis Makes Case to Be Trump’s Successor Atop GOP: After seven years of party domination by Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is ready to present himself to Republicans as the natural successor to the former president’s movement and the best candidate to move the GOP beyond a “culture of losing.” DeSantis has for months acted like a 2024 presidential candidate, but on Wednesday he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission making the campaign official, fully joining him in conflict with Trump—and a growing field of other GOP hopefuls who are more confident about their chances as DeSantis has slipped in polls. Wednesday evening, DeSantis is set to highlight his decision in a Twitter Spaces discussion with Elon Musk. He is then expected to be interviewed on Fox News. Travel to early voting states is being planned for after Memorial Day.
Washington Post: Can Ron DeSantis emerge from Trump’s shadow?: As is so often the case, it was the paperwork that made it official. On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis filed the requisite form to enter the field for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination. In doing so, he immediately vaults into a robust lead over most of the declared candidates. But in politics, as in a cattle auction, second place doesn’t do you much good. FiveThirtyEight’s running average of Republican primary polls shows the unpleasant state of the contest for DeSantis. Since March, when former president Donald Trump led DeSantis by a 45 percent to 30 percent margin, Trump has consistently peeled away support from his rival. In the first week of March, Trump and DeSantis combined for an average of 74.7 percent of the vote in the polling average. In the most recent seven-day period, they combined for 74.3 percent. The difference is that Trump now has five supporters for every two that DeSantis has.
CBS News: Donald Trump's second day in court, a virtual experience: Live from Mar-a-Lago, former president Donald Trump was televised for an audience of one: the judge in his criminal case. The television-star-turned-president appeared Tuesday afternoon for an unusual criminal court appearance. The setup, in which a defendant appears via live video feed instead of in person, is extraordinarily rare, and typically used for those who are hospitalized, according to court spokesperson Lucian Chalfen. New York Judge Juan Merchan decided to hold Trump's second hearing on felony charges this way to spare the city and court a repeat of the disruptive security operation that accompanied Trump's in-person arraignment on April 4. In that first appearance, the former president pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records stemming from an investigation into hush-money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign.
USA Today: Indictment coming? Donald Trump's lawyers seek meeting with prosecutors on documents case: Donald Trump's lawyers are seeking a meeting with Attorney General Merrick Garland about the classified documents investigation, a request that is often a sign that an indictment is imminent. "We request a meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss the ongoing injustice that is being perpetrated by your Special Counsel and his prosecutors," said the Tuesday letter to Garland signed by Trump attorneys John Rowley and James Trusty. It's unclear whether Garland will grant a meeting to Trump's legal team; last year, he assigned the documents case to Special Counsel Jack Smith. The Trump letter "suggests to me that Trump’s lawyers believe an indictment is coming soon," said Barb McQuade, a former federal prosecutor and a law professor at the University of Michigan. "Lawyers often request a meeting at this stage to try to negotiate some resolution."
The Daily Beast: DeSantis Runs to Tuckerless Fox News for First Post-Announcement TV Hit: After officially announcing his 2024 presidential run during a Twitter Spaces sitdown with “Chief Twit” Elon Musk on Wednesday evening, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will grant his first TV interview to Fox News. The interview, however, will likely give ammo to MAGA loyalists as the governor’s appearance will be during the hour previously hosted by Tucker Carlson, who was shockingly fired by Fox last month. Instead of Carlson at 8 p.m., DeSantis will speak with former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), who’s been guest-hosting in Carlson’s old time slot this week. Fox News has recently seen its ratings plunge, especially in primetime, as furious MAGA viewers have fled in droves since Carlson’s ouster. The ex-Fox star has coordinated a rogues gallery of right-wing celebrities to attack the network, calling for a boycott of Fox, in an effort to free him from his contract. Additionally, Trump—who has ramped up his attacks against DeSantis ahead of his rival’s announcement—has recently urged Fox News viewers to flip the channel to far-right alternative Newsmax, which has seen its viewership surge following Carlson’s exit. Meanwhile, amid the plummeting ratings, Fox News is currently weighing a major primetime lineup shuffle.
Associated Press: North Carolina gerrymander ruling gives electoral gift to GOP in Congress: A North Carolina redistricting ruling has set up a possible electoral windfall for congressional Republicans in preserving their U.S. House majority next year, declaring that judges should stay out of scrutinizing seat boundaries for partisan advantage. While Democrats only need to flip five GOP seats overall to regain control, experts say the state Supreme Court decision means four Democratic incumbents in the state — three of them first-term members — are vulnerable. Meanwhile, litigation involving congressional maps in states such as Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Ohio and Texas could also rework district lines and alter the 2024 electoral map. The legal guardrails on redistricting are in an unusual state of flux. State and federal courts both were active in striking down congressional maps during the most recent bonanza of redrawing legislative lines based on once-a-decade census data. Additional action by the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming weeks could spark new challenges and redrawn maps.
Vox: How Elon Musk turned Twitter into a big nest for the right wing: Elon Musk has long claimed he wants Twitter to be a digital town square open to debate from all aspects of the political spectrum. “For Twitter to deserve public trust it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally,” the billionaire tweeted in April last year, shortly after he made his bid to buy the company. But lately, Musk has been upsetting one side a lot more than the other. He has been courting some of the most powerful figures in conservative politics to make Twitter their platform of choice, while angering liberals by engaging with conspiracy theories and culture-war-baiting rhetoric. The latest development came on Tuesday when Musk confirmed that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will launch his presidential bid on Twitter Spaces on Wednesday at 6 pm ET, in a special conversation with Musk. It’s a first for a presidential candidate to announce their bid for presidency on a social media network, and it’s particularly notable that Musk, the company’s owner, is throwing his star power and massive following behind the effort.
Palm Beach Post: Trump's campaign accuses DeSantis of threatening veto power for Florida endorsements: Former President Donald Trump's campaign is accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis of threatening Florida lawmakers with his veto power to acquire their presidential endorsement. But two Palm Beach County lawmakers who endorsed DeSantis aren't buying that story. After the main super PAC backing DeSantis for 2024, Never Back Down, released a list of Florida state lawmaker endorsements May 17, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement that DeSantis' team got the support because of "the threat of his veto pen if they don’t acquiesce to his demand to endorse his candidacy." "There are some brave legislators who have stood up to DeSantis’ Swamp-like behavior and resisted his intimidation tactics in order to do what is right for Florida and the country," Cheung said in the email. "Those who he can’t control — including almost the entirety of the Florida federal congressional delegation — have endorsed President Trump because he’s the only candidate who can beat Joe Biden and take back the White House.”
Tampa Bay Times: These two Tampa Bay legislators have not endorsed DeSantis. Will it cost them?: When 99 of the 113 Republican state legislators endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis for president last week, two of the 14 holdouts were from the Tampa Bay area — Sen. Ed Hooper of Palm Harbor and Rep. Mike Beltran of Riverview. Will that affect appropriations for local projects? Tallahassee insiders say DeSantis intensely recruited legislators, responding to Donald Trump’s endorsements from 10 of Florida’s 20 GOP U.S. House members. In response, Trump last week accused DeSantis of “terrorizing” legislators into backing him by threatening to veto spending projects in their districts. Beltran filed only one such request this year, $250,000 for a local technology training program.
PBS: Trump’s recent comments complicate his legal team’s ability to contest charges, experts say: Donald Trump speaks about his legal woes in a way that would make most defense attorneys wince. A recent sampling: In a March interview on Fox News Channel, the Republican former president said he had “the right to take” classified documents with him to his Florida resort and wouldn’t say he hadn’t looked at the records since leaving office. During a CNN town hall this month, he said he told a Georgia elections official “you owe me” votes in the 2020 election. At the same town hall on May 10 he insulted a female writer as a “wack job” — only a day after that same woman, E. Jean Carroll, won a $5 million judgment against him in a civil suit alleging defamation and sexual assault. On Monday, Carroll amended a lawsuit to hold him liable for the town hall remarks.
CNBC: Not just Disney: DeSantis brings history of business battles to the presidential campaign: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially launched his presidential campaign Wednesday, putting his blend of pro-business conservativism and culture-war populism to the test at the national level. DeSantis, 44, filed campaign paperwork and is set to announce his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Twitter, during a live conversation with Elon Musk that is set for 6 p.m. ET. The announcement will cement DeSantis as the top Republican rival to former President Donald Trump, who has held a consistent polling lead over the primary field. DeSantis worked to establish himself as a champion of economic growth even before he pushed to quickly lift Covid lockdown policies in the name of revitalizing Florida’s ailing businesses. He has since taken credit for the state’s low unemployment rate, its population growth and its economy outpacing the national average.
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