The Washington Post has a good rundown if you can’t keep up.
Trump Officials Blocked CDC from Briefing the Public
Dr. Bob Redfield, former head of the CDC, told House investigators that throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Trump appointees repeatedly blocked his public health experts from briefing the American public, ABC News reports.
The Stock Market Was Hammered In April
New York Times: “Runaway inflation, and the interest rate increases meant to contain it, will make life harder for consumers. A severe Covid lockdown in China and the invasion of Ukraine are adding to disruptions in the flow of goods across borders, contributing to rising food and energy prices, and threatening corporate profits.”
“On Wall Street in April, it all seemed to build to the same conclusion: The economy is about to take a hit.”
“That fear led to the S&P 500’s worst monthly decline since the March 2020 panic over the coronavirus. After a 3.6 percent plunge on Friday, the index was down 8.8 percent for the month. Stocks are now down more than 13 percent in 2022.”
Wall Street Journal: “An April rout in technology stocks deepened Friday, dragging the Nasdaq Composite toward its worst monthly performance in more than a decade.”
Nearly All Democratic Frontliners Outraised Opponents
Politico: “We’ve run the numbers and all but two of the 35 House Democratic frontline members outraised their Republican opponents during the most recent quarter.”
“That money may not be enough in a hostile political environment but certainly can’t hurt.”
Ex-GOP Lawmaker Found Guilty of Raping Intern
Former Idaho state Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger (R) was found guilty of raping a 19-year-old legislative intern, a 12-person jury concluded after 11 hours of deliberations over the course of two days,” the Idaho Statesman reports.
Russia Running Short of Precision Missiles
“Russia is running short of precision missiles in its war against Ukraine and its arms factories lack the ability to produce enough to keep up with demand,” the Financial Times reports.
“Limitations in Russia’s arms supply industry and the impact of western sanctions mean Moscow is having to transport missiles from other parts of the country to Ukraine.”
Fox News Scrapped Documentary on How Trump Lost
“Fox News scrapped plans for a Bret Baier-hosted documentary on how former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election,” Insider reports.
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.
