Headlines for Tuesday, May 23, 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 23, 2023
Wall Street Journal: Special Counsel Is Wrapping Up Trump Mar-a-Lago Probe: Special counsel Jack Smith has all but finished obtaining testimony and other evidence in his criminal investigation into whether former President Donald Trump mishandled classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, according to people familiar with the matter. Some of Trump’s close associates are bracing for his indictment and anticipate being able to fundraise off a prosecution, people in the former president’s circle said, as clashes within the Trump legal team have led to the departure of a key lawyer. In recent weeks prosecutors working for Smith have completed interviews with nearly every employee at Trump’s Florida home, from top political aides to maids and maintenance staff, the people said. Prosecutors have pressed witnesses—some in multiple rounds of testimony—on questions that appeared to home in on specific elements Smith’s team would need to show to prove a crime, including those that speak to Trump’s intentions, and questions aimed at undermining potential defenses Trump could raise, they said.
The Hill: Justice digs into Trump attorney notes to bolster case: Justice Department prosecutors have been pouring over detailed notes from an attorney for Donald Trump on the Mar-a-Lago case to bolster their case that the former president may have committed obstruction of justice. The notes from Evan Corcoran, who has since ceased representing Trump on the matter, show that he explained to Trump that a 2022 subpoena meant he could not keep any classified records, with Trump wishing to fight the effort to compel the documents, according to reporting from The Guardian and CNN.
The Hill: Trump hush money trial in Manhattan DA criminal case set for March 2024: Former President Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan over his alleged role in a hush money scheme has been set for next March during the heat of the GOP primary election. Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case, on Tuesday indicated the trial will begin on March 25, 2024, according to a court spokesperson. Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York state court. He has pleaded not guilty. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) is prosecuting Trump’s reimbursement of his then-fixer, Michael Cohen, for making a $130,000 hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
MSNBC: A new report suggests Jack Smith has some very key Mar-a-Lago notes: It’s been about two months since a lawyer for former President Donald Trump was forced to testify as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the handling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. It wasn’t clear at the time why a federal judge opted to approve a “crime fraud exception” to the usual shield of attorney-client privilege and ordered Evan Corcoran to testify. But now we have an inkling — and it’s not an encouraging development if the former president is still hoping to avoid a federal indictment. Among the roughly 50 pages of contemporaneous notes handed over to Smith in March was evidence that Corcoran had warned Trump he couldn’t hold on to any classified documents still in his possession, The Guardian reported on Monday, citing three people “with knowledge of” what the notes contained. (NBC News has not independently verified the reported contents of the notes.) When combined with previous reporting on Corcoran’s grand jury testimony, this development seemingly makes for compelling evidence in a possible obstruction of justice case against Trump.
Daily Beast: Tucker Carlson’s War Against Fox News Will Only Get Dirtier: Tucker Carlson and his loyalists have begun an intense pressure campaign against Fox News in the hopes of getting him released from a noncompete clause—and people familiar with the situation tell Confider the squabble may only get worse as the fired primetime star may know where some proverbial bodies are buried. A steady stream of leaks about Fox News over the past week, designed to embarrass the network or further undermine its standing with conservative viewers, have come after negotiations between Carlson’s lawyers and Fox have stalled out.
Bloomberg Law: Top Court’s Pork-Producer Ruling Could Affect Abortion-Pill Suit: A US Supreme Court decision upholding a California pork production law could be the key to a lawsuit challenging West Virginia’s ban on a popular abortion-inducing drug. The state’s ban on mifepristone—one of a two-drug regimen used to terminate a pregnancy during its earliest stage—is at issue in the case before the US District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. GenBioPro Inc., which makes a generic version of the drug, sued state officials claiming that the state law violates the US Constitution’s commerce clause by interfering with interstate sales of a product that’s been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and is subject to a complex regulatory scheme involving its distribution.
USA Today: She stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Then Gov. Ron DeSantis made her a state regulator: It was Jan. 6, 2021, and a group of die-hard Republicans from Okaloosa County, Florida, had traveled 15 hours north to Washington, for a rally where President Donald Trump urged his followers to try to stop the certification of the election. After the rally, as a crowd marched toward the Capitol, some of the Florida contingent peeled off. But Sandra Atkinson – who had just been elected chair of the county's Republican Party – kept marching. The walk would put her in the middle of an insurrection, and eventually, of the dilemma now facing likely presidential contender Gov. Ron DeSantis. According to a USA TODAY review of multiple videos from the day and an interview with a close Republican Party associate, Atkinson proceeded to the Capitol and through the doors. The same kind of activity has led to criminal charges for many who stormed the Capitol Jan. 6 – charges for unlawful entry, picketing or other nonviolent acts.
BBC News: Ron DeSantis thinks his feud with Disney will pay off. Here's why: Ron DeSantis is refusing to back down from a fight with Disney over how issues of sexuality and gender identity are taught in schools. It's a high-stakes gamble the governor is making about what Republican voters - and ultimately the American public - want from their next president. Steve Schussler sits in the front seat of a car bobbing in the middle of Lake Buena Vista and surveys his Disney Springs empire. While discussions over the political strategy - and wisdom - behind Mr DeSantis's fight with the Walt Disney Company touch on larger, theoretical debates about the direction of the Republican Party, for a businessman like Mr Schussler the feud has very real consequences.
Slate: How the ProPublica Guys Broke That Huge Clarence Thomas Story: In early April, three reporters at ProPublica published an explosive story about the friendship between billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski reported that Crow had flown Thomas all over the world for fancy holidays and hosted him in a variety of luxury settings—none of which was disclosed on required financial filings. After publishing the story, tips came in detailing other largesse: In 2014, Crow had purchased the home where Thomas’ mother lived—and continues to live to this day—and also paid for the private schooling of Thomas’ grandnephew, whom he raised as his own son. This story started with a pile of records that had been sitting on the internet for years. Several years ago, a nonprofit called Fix The Court sued the Department of Justice to get a massive trove of highly redacted records related to Supreme Court justices’ travel. The records didn’t tell you that much—even the names of the justices were redacted—but they did tell you that a justice had gone from point A to point B on a given day. Sometimes, they also told you their method of travel, whether it was via Amtrak or on a private jet.
Reuters: Justice Thomas' billionaire friend rejects Senate panel over gift list: Texas billionaire Harlan Crow has rejected a Senate committee's request to detail gifts he or his companies have made to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Tuesday. "We do not believe the committee has the authority to investigate Mr. Crow's personal friendship with Justice Clarence Thomas," read the letter from Crow's lawyers. "Most importantly, Congress does not have the constitutional power to impose ethics rules and standards on the Supreme Court."
POLITICO: DeSantis installs another conservative on Florida’s Supreme Court: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continued his complete makeover of the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday by elevating conservative appeals court Judge Meredith Sasso to the state’s highest court. Sasso is the seventh pick that DeSantis has made to the court since he first came into office in 2019 and is the fourth woman he has named as a justice. The court for the first time ever will now have three women serving on the bench simultaneously. “I am proud to appoint Judge Meredith Sasso to the Florida Supreme Court because her fidelity to the Constitution will help preserve freedom in our state for generations to come,” DeSantis said in a statement. “As a Cuban-American woman who understands the importance of our constitutional system and the rule of law, Judge Sasso will serve our state well.” Sasso, 40, is taking the place of Justice Ricky Polston, who resigned from his position earlier this year and was hired as the new general counsel for Citizens Property Insurance, the insurer of last resort for residents of Florida.
York Times: Prosecutors Sought Records on Trump’s Foreign Business Deals Since 2017: Federal prosecutors overseeing the investigation into former President Donald J. Trump’s handling of classified documents have issued a subpoena for information about Mr. Trump’s business dealings in foreign countries since he took office, according to two people familiar with the matter. It remains unclear precisely what the prosecutors were hoping to find by sending the subpoena to Mr. Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, or when it was issued. But the subpoena suggests that investigators have cast a wider net than previously understood as they scrutinize whether he broke the law in taking sensitive government materials with him upon leaving the White House and then not fully complying with demands for their return. The subpoena — drafted by the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith — sought details on the Trump Organization’s real estate licensing and development dealings in seven countries: China, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, according to the people familiar with the matter. The subpoena sought the records for deals reached since 2017, when Mr. Trump was sworn in as president.
ABC News: Trump to make virtual court appearance so judge can ensure he understands protective order: Former President Donald Trump will appear, virtually, in a Manhattan court Tuesday so a judge can ensure he understands the terms of a protective order imposed in the criminal case against him. Trump, who last month pleaded not guilty in a New York City courtroom to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a 2016 hush money payment, is prohibited from sharing on social media any evidence turned over by the Manhattan district attorney during discovery. The protective order was requested by prosecutors after Trump criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, presiding Judge Juan Merchan, and others associated with the criminal case. Merchan imposed the protective order over the evidence, but stopped short of imposing a gag order, saying he wanted to give Trump the freedom to speak about the case as he campaigns for president.
Washington Post: DeSantis envisions shaping ‘7-2 conservative majority’ on Supreme Court: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis previewed more of his 2024 pitch Monday night with a new emphasis on the next president’s ability to push the Supreme Court further to the right, calling for new justices in the mold of Clarence Thomas and “improvements” to others such as Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., a Republican appointee who has sometimes sided with the court’s liberal wing. Speaking to a Christian media conference in Orlando, the soon-to-be GOP presidential candidate also leaned into the idea that he could serve eight years if elected — an implicit contrast with former president Donald Trump, the Republican polling leader, who could serve only four more years. DeSantis recounted how he flipped the Florida Supreme Court to conservative control as governor and speculated to an enthusiastic crowd that several U.S. Supreme Court justices could need replacements over the next two presidential terms. “I think if you look over the next two presidential terms, there is a good chance that you could be called upon to seek replacements for Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito and the issue with that is, you can’t really do better than those two,” DeSantis said in his address to the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. He went on to say that, “if you replace a Clarence Thomas with somebody like a Roberts or somebody like that, then you’re gonna actually see the court move to the left, and you can’t do that.”
Associated Press: Florida sued over law blocking Chinese citizens, other foreigners from buying property: A group of Chinese citizens living and working in Florida sued the state Monday over a new law that bans Chinese nationals from purchasing property in large swaths of the state. The law applies to properties within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of military installations and other “critical infrastructure” and also affects citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. But Chinese citizens and those selling property to them face the harshest penalties. The prohibition also applies to agricultural land. The American Civil Liberties Union says the law will have a substantial chilling effect on sales to Chinese and Asian people who can legally buy property. The suit says the law unfairly equates Chinese people with the actions of their government and there is no evidence of national security risk from Chinese citizens buying Florida property.
Huffington Post: Watergate Lawyer John Dean Says Donald Trump’s ‘Loose Lips’ Will Cost Him Big Bucks: Watergate lawyer John Dean on Monday hailed writer E. Jean Carroll’s request for more damages from Donald Trump over the former president’s continued slurs about her. Trump has continued to defame Carroll — most notably during his controversial town hall on CNN — even after a Manhattan jury found him liable in a civil trial for sexual abuse and defamation after Carroll alleged Trump raped her in the 1990s.
Axios: Kari Lake fails in legal challenge to Arizona governor's race loss: A judge on Monday evening rejected defeated GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake's allegation that Maricopa County didn't verify signatures on early 2022 ballots. The ruling strikes down the final claim in her long-running attempt to overturn her loss to now-Gov. Katie Hobbs. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled Lake failed to show that signature verification didn't occur in accordance with state statute or the Election Procedures Manual, which is drafted by the secretary of state's office and has the force of law.
Politico: Florida sued over law banning minors from drag performances: The restaurant chain Hamburger Mary’s is suing Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida over its recently enacted ban on minors attending drag performances, claiming that the state is depriving it of its First Amendment right of free expression. The suit, filed in federal court in central Florida, alleges that the law the governor signed into law Wednesday is so broad that it has “a chilling effect on protected speech.” At issue is a measure the Republican-led Legislature approved in April that bars minors from attending drag shows with “lewd” performances. The governor has personally called for tighter restrictions around such shows, which he says “sexualize” children.
The Hill: NAACP takes on DeSantis ahead of likely 2024 bid: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) took an extraordinary step in issuing a travel advisory to Florida in response to policies by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that many have criticized as discriminatory and anti-Black. The move comes as DeSantis prepares to launch his candidacy for president in the coming days, putting him in a potentially uncomfortable spot as his critics look to shine a spotlight on his controversial policies. “We didn’t get here overnight. It was because of the election, so we have to prepare for the next election so we can get rid of him once and for all,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP. Since his election, DeSantis has faced allegations of attempting to suppress Black votes through gerrymandering and targeting mostly Black people with a police division dedicated to prosecuting voting fraud.
The Guardian: Ohioans are trying to make abortion a right. So Republicans want to rewrite the rules: On 10 May, a group of religious leaders huddled to pray in a circle in front of the Ohio state capitol. Inside the statehouse, Republicans were voting on a bill that could thwart advocates’ efforts to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. In the group of clergy was the Rev Terry Williams, a pastor who lives in a small town about 50 miles (80km) south of Columbus. When a congregant confided in Williams in 2012 that she needed an abortion, the pastor struggled to find a clinic – there are currently only six in the state of Ohio. The experience drew Williams into reproductive health advocacy. As Ohio law currently stands, voters can amend the state constitution by a direct vote with a simple majority. If it passes this November, one such ballot initiative – brought forward by Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom – would codify the right to abortion in the Ohio constitution. But Republicans in the Ohio house of representatives passed a proposal on 10 May that could make it much harder for that abortion rights measure to pass by requiring a supermajority vote for ballot measures. The proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR-2), is scheduled to come before voters in an August special election.
Business Insider: George Santos' staff hand-delivered letters to fellow House Republicans thanking them for showing 'courage' by blocking his expulsion from Congress: Rep. George Santos of New York sent thank-you notes to Republicans who helped block a vote on expelling him from the House of Representatives last week. Several House GOP sources told Insider on Monday that staffers for the New York Republican delivered the letters to their offices. It was not immediately clear if the letter had gone to every single lawmaker who voted to protect Santos. "I want to personally thank you for your support in referring the vote for my expulsion to the Ethics Committee," reads the letter from Santos. "This has been an especially difficult time in my life, and I want to serve my constituents the best I can."
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