3/22/23 - Newsletter
3/22/23 - Newsletter
District Court Judge Beryl Howell determined that prosecutors have provided enough compelling and preliminary evidence showing that Donald Trump broke the law. Special counsel Jack Smith's office proved that the former president deliberately misled his lawyers and investigators by concealing hundreds of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence. This was enough for Judge Beryl Howell to apply the crime-fraud exception, ordering Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran to testify before a grand jury.
Trump's legal team quickly appealed. But today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered Evan to turn over audio, notes, transcripts, and other documents to the Department of Justice and testify on Friday.
In January, House Republicans were forced to scrap their original immigration bills, which stirred frustration among the centrists in the caucus, as I mentioned in a previous newsletter, such as GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas. This time around, Judiciary and Homeland Security chairmen Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Mark Green (R-TN) are working on drafting border and immigration bills behind the scenes, leadership aides tell POLITICO.
Tensions will escalate within the party as Jordan has signaled supporting Chip Roy's (R-TX) controversial bill barring asylum into the United States, making centrist Republicans anxious.
Georgia's GOP-led General Assembly passed a bill banning most gender-affirming care for children and teenagers and criminalizing doctors who provide care. SB 140 is expected to be signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp (R). Mental health evaluations are conducted throughout gender-affirming care: "social, psychological, behavioral, and medical interventions." The party that once preached for limited government is now dictating the lives of Americans.
Bonner General Health's Board of Directors announced they would no longer provide labor and delivery services after May 19 because of Idaho's "legal and political climate." The state "continues to introduce and pass bills that criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care," forcing "highly respected" and "talented physicians" to flee. In their press release, the Bonner General Health's Board of Directors and Senior Leadership also mention that the loss of pediatrician coverage for "neonatal resuscitations and perinatal care" has made safe labor and delivery services impossible.
Must-reads:
With a focus on taking back the Senate, Republicans are eager to unseat Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in 2024. They want Rep. Mike Gallagher, who represents Wisconsin's 8th District, to do it. The congressman has other plans on taking Senator Ron Johnson's (R-WI) seat in 2028 if and when he retires. And a Wisconsin Republican believes Gallagher "hasn't been all that focused on what's been going on at home."
POLITICO: “Republicans’ best hope for Wisconsin Senate is a Trump critic”
Today’s West Wing Playbook sheds light on the bitter relationship between the Biden administration and Moderna. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, which has recorded $36 billion in sales since its COVID-19 vaccine distribution, refused to prioritize low-income Americans.
West Wing Playbook: “The Covid vaccine king on Biden world’s nerves”
A Fox News producer, Abby Grossberg, filed a lawsuit against the network, alleging she was coached and pressured to give misleading testimony in Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against the company for intentionally spreading election fraud conspiracies in 2020. According to the lawsuit, the network was trying to pin the blame on her and Fox News host Maria Bartiromo.
Grossberg was a senior producer for Tucker Carlson, calling it a toxic and misogynistic environment. A New York "workspace was decorated with large pictures" of former speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in a "plunging swimsuit." Tucker Carlson's staff repeatedly made fun of Jewish people.
New York Times: “Fox Producer Says She Was Set Up in Dominion Case”
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and his administration are pushing to revoke the liquor license of a hotel in Miami for hosting a Christmas-themed drag show last December.
Although state agents went undercover to supervise the event and acknowledged "nothing indecent had happened on stage," Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation will proceed with a complaint alleging "the venue had illegally exposed children to sexual content."
Tampa Bay Times: “Florida undercover agents reported no ‘lewd acts’ at drag show targeted by DeSantis”