“Fox News scrapped plans for a Bret Baier-hosted documentary on how former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election,” Insider reports.
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Trump Loses Bid to Lift Contempt Charge
“A New York judge Friday kept a contempt of court finding in place against former President Donald Trump despite new affidavits from Trump and his lawyers that effectively argued he had complied with a subpoena from the state attorney general,” CNBC reports.
Biden Endorses Shontel Brown In Primary
President Biden endorsed Rep. Shontel Brown’s (D-OH) bid for re-election in her hotly contested primary rematch with former Ohio Sen. Nina Turner (D), the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Oath Keeper Pleads Guilty to Seditious Conspiracy
“A second member of the extremist group Oath Keepers pleaded guilty Friday to seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and will cooperate with federal prosecutors to avoid a possible multiyear prison term,” the Washington Post reports.
CNN: “The guilty plea is another major step in the criminal case against the Oath Keepers, as prosecutors work to show how they believe the group of men plotted to stash weapons across the Potomac River, go to the Capitol and stop Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote.”
Midterm Politics Stalls Drug Sentencing Bill
New York Times: “The legislation, which aims to end a longstanding racial disparity in federal prison sentences for drug possession, passed the House overwhelmingly last year, with more than 360 votes. It has been enthusiastically embraced on the left and right and by law enforcement as a long-overdue fix for a biased policy. It has filibuster-proof bipartisan support in the Senate and the endorsement of President Biden and the Justice Department.”
“Yet with control of Congress at stake and Republicans weaponizing a law-and-order message against Democrats in their midterm election campaigns, the fate of the measure is in doubt. Democrats worry that bringing it up would allow Republicans to demand a series of votes that could make them look soft on crime and lax on immigration — risks they are reluctant to take months before they face voters.”
FBI Conducted Millions of Data Searches Without Warrant
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation performed potentially millions of searches of American electronic data last year without a warrant, a revelation likely to stoke longstanding concerns in Congress about government surveillance and privacy,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Pentagon Says Russia Forces Remain Hobbled
“Defense officials assess that Russia is ‘several days’ behind schedule in achieving its objectives in the Donbas, hobbled by logistical issues and Ukrainian resistance,” Politico reports.
“Russian forces are wary of repeating their mistakes trying to take Kyiv, where ground forces advanced too far ahead of their supply lines and did not have the resources to sustain the fight.”
Biden Eyes Targeted Student-Loan Forgiveness
“The White House is considering forgiving at least $10,000 in student loans per borrower through executive action, with momentum increasing as President Joe Biden seeks ways to bolster voter enthusiasm ahead of the November midterms,” Bloomberg reports.
“The administration has not yet settled on the proposal’s contours, but aims for the relief to be targeted to lower- and middle-income individuals.”
Texts Show Sean Hannity Acted as a Trump Operative
“Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Fox’s Sean Hannity exchanged more than 80 text messages between Election Day 2020 and Joe Biden’s January 2021 inauguration, communications that show Hannity’s evolution from staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump’s election lies to being ‘fed up’ with the ‘lunatics’ hurting Trump’s cause in the days before January 6,” CNN reports.
“Throughout the logs, Hannity both gives advice and asks for direction, blurring the lines between his Fox show, his radio show and the Trump White House.”
Philip Bump: Sean Hannity is exactly who we might have assumed.
Quote of the Day
“I like being able to brag to my grandchildren, I got to vote to impeach Donald Trump six times.”
— Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), quoted by Insider, on proxy voting.
Judge Nixes Brian Kemp’s Special Fundraising Committee
“A federal judge ordered a special committee to suspend raising campaign money for Gov. Brian Kemp’s reelection bid until the GOP gubernatorial nomination is decided, temporarily eliminating what had been a major advantage Republican lawmakers carved out for him,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Raphael Warnock Holds Edge In Georgia
A new SurveyUSA poll in Georgia finds Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) leading Herschel Walker (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 50% to 45% with another 5% still undecided.
Manchin Rejects Biden’s Electric Vehicle Tax Credit
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) pushed back on President Biden’s proposal to expand the tax credit for electric-vehicles, calling the idea “ludicrous” and adding a new obstacle to White House plans for fighting climate change, Bloomberg reports.
Said Manchin: “There is a waiting list for EVs right now, with the fuel prices, but they still want us to throw a $5,000, or $7,000 or $12,000 credit for us to buy electric vehicles.”
He added: “When we can’t produce enough product for the people that want it and we’re still going to pay them to take it — it’s absolutely ludicrous in my mind.”
Cracks Emerge In Russian Elite
“In the two months since Russia invaded Ukraine, the silence — and even acquiescence — of the Russian elite has started to fray,” the Washington Post reports.
“Even as opinion polls report overwhelming public support for the military campaign, amid pervasive state propaganda and new laws outlawing criticism of the war, cracks are starting to show. The dividing lines among factions of the Russian economic elite are becoming more marked, and some of the tycoons — especially those who made their fortunes before President Vladimir Putin came to power — have begun, tentatively, to speak.”
“For many, the most immediate focus has been their own woes. Sweeping sanctions imposed by the West have brought down a new iron curtain on the Russian economy, freezing tens of billions of dollars of many of the tycoons’ assets along the way.”
Most Don’t Support Punishing Firms for Social Views
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds a bipartisan majority of U.S. voters — 68% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans — oppose politicians punishing companies over their stances on social issues, a cold reception for campaigns like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ against Walt Disney Co.
However, when presented with a list of prominent politicians, a full 25% of Republican respondents said Ron DeSantis best represents the values of their party, second only to former President Donald Trump who was favored by 40% of Republicans. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott garnered 9%.
Exxon Mobil and Chevron See Big Jump In Profits
“Exxon Mobil and Chevron, the largest U.S. oil companies, on Friday reported a second consecutive quarter of robust earnings as oil and natural gas prices continued to rise after the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” the New York Times reports.
Zelensky Refused to Be Evacuated as Hitmen Swooped In
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky “refused to be evacuated from his compound in Kyiv even as Russian assassination squads parachuted into the capital and tried to storm the building to kill him,” the Telegraph reports.
“At the start of the invasion on Feb 24 those inside defended themselves with automatic weapons and erected defenses as the Russians twice tried to storm them at night.”
Barr Says Nominating Trump Would Be a ‘Mistake’
Former Attorney General William Barr told Newsmax that it would be a “big mistake” for the Republican party to nominate Donald Trump for president in 2024.
