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US Monthly Headline News April 2022 - Page 3
David Jackson, Candy Woodall, Merdie Nzanga | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON –House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy and his allies are scrambling to contain the damage wrought by new audio tapes in which he can be heard saying Trump should have resigned after the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021 – comments he denied making just hours before the release of the tapes.
Ian Millhiser

At the urging of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida legislature voted this week to punish one of the world’s biggest producers of entertainment and pop culture, because DeSantis and his fellow Florida Republicans disagreed with that producer’s First Amendment-protected speech. DeSantis signed the bill into law on Friday. Florida’s decision to strip a government benefit from Disney because, in DeSantis’s words, Disney expressed “woke” opinions and “tried to attack me to advance their woke agenda,” is unconstitutional. And it’s not a close case. As the Supreme Court said in Hartman v. Moore (2006), “official reprisal for protected speech ‘offends the Constitution [because] it threatens to inhibit exercise of the protected right.’” Nor does it matter how the government retaliates against a person or business who expresses an opinion that the government does not like — any official retaliation against someone because they engaged in First Amendment-protected speech is unconstitutional.
Dave Berman, Clayton Park, Florida Today

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature's actions to start the clock on dissolving a special self-governance district created for The Walt Disney Co. in 1967 could have dramatic impacts for two Orlando-area counties and their taxpayers. The 38.5-square-mile Reedy Creek Improvement District gave Disney significant control of its property surrounding its Walt Disney World complex in Orange and Osceola counties. Reedy Creek, for example, oversees public safety for Disney, as well as upkeep of roads and other infrastructure like water treatment and building inspections. Dissolving Reedy Creek is equivalent to dissolving a city.
Alex Griffing

Controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) testified under oath on Thursday in the potentially landmark disqualification hearing to determine whether or not a challenge to bar Greene from the November ballot over her role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is valid. CNN notes that the hearing marks the first time a sitting member of Congress has testified under oath about the attack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters, an attack many argue was incited by the rhetoric of 2020 election conspiracy theorists like Greene. Free Speech for People, a liberal campaign-finance reform organization, is behind the case, which is an attempt to use a Civil War-era provision in the constitution which bars sitting members of Congress who engaged in insurrection from running for reelection. Greene has been outspoken about the effort. On Friday, wen pushed to confirm the intent behind her rhetoric, including various tweets presented in court, Greene dodged the questions. “I don’t support violence of any kind,” Greene said in response to a question. “My words never ever mean anything for violence.”
Sam Levine in New York

As Florida Republicans gave final approval to new congressional districts on Thursday, Black lawmakers staged a sit-in on the floor of the legislature, praying, chanting and singing that Black voters were under attack in the state. The extraordinary moment served as a remarkable endpoint to a brazen attack by the Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. Earlier this month, in an unprecedented move, Republicans in the legislature took the unusual step of allowing DeSantis to take the lead on drawing new congressional districts. The governor’s plan went out of its way to reduce from four to two the number of districts where Black candidates can elect the candidate of their choosing. The plan significantly distorts the map in favor of Republicans, giving them a hold on 20 of 28 congressional seats in a state Donald Trump won in 2020 with 51.2% of the vote. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Florida map is nearly tied with Texas as the most biased in the US.
Richard Luscombe

For Joe Biden, the vote by Florida Republicans on Thursday to strip Disney of its self-governing powers was a step too far. “Christ, they’re going after Mickey Mouse,” the president exclaimed at a fundraiser in Oregon, in apparent disbelief that state governor Ron DeSantis’s culture wars had reached the gates of the Magic Kingdom. The move, Biden asserted, reflected his belief that the “far right has taken over the party”. By voting to penalize Florida’s largest private employer, lawmakers followed DeSantis’s wishes in securing revenge on a company he brands as “woke” for its opposition to his “don’t say gay” law.
Claudia Grisales

The Republican Party is facing a new moment of reckoning tied to its top leaders and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. It follows the release of two private audio conversations involving House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, including a new tape in which he claims Trump admitted some responsibility for the insurrection. "I've been very clear to the president: He bears responsibility for his words and actions, no ifs ands or buts," McCarthy is heard telling the House Republican conference in a Jan. 11, 2021 call. "I asked him personally today does he hold responsibility for what happened? Does he feel bad about what happened? He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened ... And he needs to acknowledge that."
Ayana Archie, Claudia Grisales

U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had planned to get former President Donald Trump to resign after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, The New York Times revealed in an audio recording Thursday. In the recorded conversation, McCarthy, a Republican, reportedly told a group of Republican leaders that he didn't believe Trump would voluntarily step down, and contemplated rallying Congress to have him impeached a second time, saying that he believed the measure would pass both the House and Senate. "I'm seriously thinking of having that conversation with him tonight," McCarthy said. "From what I know of him — I mean, you guys know him too — do you think he would ever back away?" McCarthy said he would alert the former president of his plans to begin an impeachment trial if he did not resign.
By Jay Croft and Steve Contorno, CNN

(CNN) Florida education officials have released four images from some of the math textbooks the state rejected this month, citing what they said were references to critical race theory or other "prohibited" topics. The state Department of Education last week rejected 54 of 132 math textbooks publishers had submitted. The books did not comply with its Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking Standards or were rejected for including critical race theory (CRT), social emotional learning (SEL) and more, it said. Some conservative groups claim critical race theory and social emotional learning are used to indoctrinate students. Among the images released this week from books the state said were not adopted are references to "racial prejudice" and SEL. Which books they're from and their full context isn't clear.
By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The work of an investigator looking into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin generated fresh criticism Thursday after newly posted documents included a memo describing one elections worker as “probably” a Democrat in part because she loves nature and “has a weird nose ring.” Also on Thursday, a judge ordered Michael Gableman to stop deleting records, the latest legal defeat for the former state Supreme Court justice. Gableman has released two interim reports on the election won by President Joe Biden and has suggested the GOP-controlled Legislature look into decertifying his victory. Republican leaders including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who hired Gableman, have repeatedly said they have no intention of trying to decertify the win. Gableman's reports have not included evidence to back up the false claims that Donald Trump won Wisconsin in 2020.
CNBC's Tyler Mathisen reports a new book alleges that both House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wanted former President Trump out of the White House following the Jan. 6 riots.
By Melanie Zanona, CNN

(CNN) In the days following the January 6 insurrection, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told Republican lawmakers on a private conference call that then-President Donald Trump had admitted bearing some responsibility for the deadly attack, according to new audio -- a significant admission that sheds light on Trump's mindset in the immediate aftermath of the US Capitol riots. A readout of that conversation, which took place on January 11, 2021, had been previously reported by CNN. But two New York Times reporters obtained an audio recording of the conference call for their upcoming book, "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America's Future," and shared it with CNN. "But let me be very clear to you and I have been very clear to the President. He bears responsibility for his words and actions. No if, ands or buts," McCarthy told House Republicans on January 11, 2021, according to the audio obtained by CNN. "I asked him personally today, does he hold responsibility for what happened? Does he feel bad about what happened? He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened. And he needs to acknowledge that."
by Jonathan Chait

Some observers of Viktor Orban’s slowly tightening grip over Hungary have wondered what response would ensue if a sufficiently determined reactionary implemented the same methods here in the United States. Based on the evidence from Florida, where Ron DeSantis is test-driving his brand of “competent Trumpism,” the answer is, very little. After DeSantis signed an anti-gay measure, Disney issued a statement condemning it, and suspended its political donations, which had previously included generous support for DeSantis. In retaliation, DeSantis rushed through a measure targeting Disney’s legal status. He is establishing a new norms in Republican politics: Corporations that publicly question the party’s preferred policy, or withhold donations in protest, will be subject to discriminatory policy. If they enjoy favorable regulatory or tax treatment, they can continue to do so on the condition that they stay in the GOP’s political good graces. This is one way rulers like Orban and Putin hold power. It is a method that, until quite recently, would have been considered unthinkable in the United States. That bright line has been obliterated. Trump and DeSantis have now made it almost unremarkable.
By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Congressman Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, came under fire from some of his fellow party members, after an audio recording showed him saying that then-President Donald Trump should resign over the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. The comments, which McCarthy had denied hours before the recording emerged, could undermine his widely known ambition to become House speaker next year if Republicans take control of the chamber in November's midterm elections, as expected. But as criticism of the House minority leader mounted on Twitter, the Washington Post reported that he and Trump had spoken by phone and that the Republican former president was not upset about the congressman's remarks, which could greatly mute the rank-and-file reaction among Trump supporters.
Certain recordings could complicate the California Republican's quest to become Speaker of the House, particularly if Trump comes out against him.
By Kyle Cheney, Nicholas Wu and Meridith McGraw

Newly released audio showing that McCarthy wanted Donald Trump to resign in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection has prompted allies of the former president to question whether McCarthy is fit for the top job in the House. While the GOP leader is still seen as the overwhelming favorite to be speaker in 2023, given Republicans’ likelihood of taking back the House, it could endanger McCarthy’s chances to win over a necessary block of pro-Trump Republicans — particularly if Trump comes out against McCarthy’s speakership bid. Though most House Republicans remained silent Friday — and some indicated they believed the controversy would abate — several of Trump’s close allies said they believe McCarthy would need to spend months proving his pro-Trump bona fides. Most of Washington awaited a public signal from Trump himself about how to respond to the McCarthy audio, or further clarifications from McCarthy about his Jan. 10, 2021 comments, including why he initially denied making them.
By Lauren Fox, CNN

(CNN) New audio of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy released on Thursday night reveals he did consider asking then-President Donald Trump to resign in the days after the January 6 riot -- contradicting his office's earlier denials of New York Times reporting that he had done so. In the audio, which was obtained by the Times and first played on MSNBC Thursday evening, McCarthy is heard answering a question from Rep. Liz Cheney -- then a member of GOP leadership -- about whether there was any chance Trump would resign. McCarthy says, "My gut tells me no. I am seriously thinking about having that conversation with him tonight." "The only discussion I would have with him is I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation that he should resign," McCarthy says, referring to the impeachment resolution in the House. "That would be my take, but I don't think he would take it. But I don't know." CNN has obtained only a portion of the audio.
Adam Klasfeld

Two of the men indicted with Steve Bannon years ago pleaded guilty on Thursday to allegations that the former White House chief strategist dodged through a pardon obtained from former President Donald Trump, his former boss. Iraq War veteran Brian Kolfage and Bannon’s friend Andrew Badolato, who received no clemency from Trump, admitted that they conspired to defraud donors who shelled out money to We Build the Wall, a crowdfunding effort to build a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border. They did not plead guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering, which was charged in their original indictment. But Kolfage did plead guilty to certain tax offenses with which he was separately charged in Florida.
Robert Frank

A repeal of Disney’s self-government status in Florida could leave local taxpayers with more than $1 billion in bond debt, according to tax officials and legislators. The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill that would dissolve Disney’s special improvement district, escalating Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attack on the company over its opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed by critics the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The state Senate passed the bill Wednesday, after it was first introduced Tuesday. It will now go to the governor for his signature. Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District was created in 1967 and gives the Walt Disney Company full regulatory control over Disney World as well as government services such as fire protection, emergency services, water, utilities, sewage and infrastructure.
Do not piss off the GOP or they will come after you.

By Dianne Gallagher, Steve Contorno and Rachel Janfaza, CNN

(CNN) The Florida legislature on Thursday gave final passage to a pair of bills aimed at Disney, weeks into the company's feud with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over its objections to a new law that limits certain classroom discussion on sexual orientation and gender identity. One of the bills would eliminate the unique status that allows Disney to operate as an independent government around its Orlando-area theme parks. The other would eliminate a Disney carve-out in a social media bill that was signed into law last year but put on hold by a federal judge. The bills passed 70-38 in the Florida House on Thursday. The vote happened without any final debate and came as several Black Democratic members were staging a protest over the congressional redistricting map. The Disney bills passed the state Senate on Wednesday, and now head to DeSantis' desk. Disney drew the ire of DeSantis and Sunshine State Republicans earlier this year over legislation that prohibits schools from teaching young children about sexual orientation or gender identity.
dlevinthal@insider.com (Dave Levinthal)

In November, Republican US Senate candidate JD Vance blew past a deadline for disclosing his personal finances, in violation of federal law. When Vance finally detailed his finances about a month late, his disclosures to Congress were missing key details about his expansive wealth, including how much money Vance made from the Netflix adaptation of his "Hillbilly Elegy" novel. Now, the Federal Election Commission is prodding Vance's campaign committee to cough up details about $700,000 in loans Vance has personally made to his campaign. "You must provide the name and address of the loan source, the date incurred, the original amount of the loan, the due date, the interest rate, the cumulative payment, and the outstanding balance," FEC senior campaign finance analyst Brian Buhr wrote April 19 to JD Vance for Senate Inc.
Weston Blasi

‘Hate wins when people like me stand by and let it happen. I won’t.’ That was Mallory McMorrow, a Democratic state lawmaker in Michigan, responding to comments from a fellow state senator from the Republican side of the aisle who had suggested in a fundraising email that McMorrow supports sexualizing children. Republican Lana Theis, from south-central Michigan near the Indiana state line, insinuated in a campaign email that McMorrow, from suburban Detroit and the parent of a young daughter herself, wanted to “groom and sexualize kindergarteners.” McMorrow responded in a Senate floor speech on Tuesday that has gone viral.
by Lara M. Brown

Although analysts disagree on the magnitude of the coming Republican midterms rout, few believe that Democrats will retain their House majority. Despite a few losses during redistricting, Republicans need to net only five more seats to win the Speaker’s gavel. The Senate landscape is a bit more uncertain for the GOP. Whereas Democrats are defending four incumbents in competitive seats, Republicans have two vulnerable incumbents and three open seats in states that could go either way. Former President Trump’s controversial endorsements in some of these primaries may be dividing, more than uniting, Republicans, which could prove problematic come the November elections. Still, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is spending widely to maximize the chances of the Senate Republicans netting the one more seat they need to make him the chamber’s majority leader.
Jessica Kwong

Spies actively working for Russian President Vladimir Putin have most likely infiltrated US intelligence, former CIA and FBI officers have reportedly said. Former intelligence officials apparently gave their read on the situation in interviews with ex-federal prosecutor and New York Time bestselling author Lis Wiehl, 60. The report comes at a time when the US needs to anticipate Putin’s next moves more than ever, given Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine, said Wiehl. She spoke in light of her forthcoming boook, A Spy in Plain Sight: The Inside Story of the FBI and Robert Hanssen – America’s Most Damaging Russian Spy. Wiehl’s book is a deep dive on the life of Robert Hanssen, who was an FBI double agent feeding information to Russian and Soviet agencies from 1979 until he was discovered in 2001. ‘We have to be very aware that this could happen again,’ Wiehl told The Sun in a report published on Wednesday. ‘It was shocking to me when I did my interviews and asked the FBI agents and CIA officers.
Greg Fox

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The House speaker set the stage for a day in which Republicans braced for Democrats to stall the passage of three bills, which included Gov. Ron DeSantis' congressional map and two measures that punish Disney. One of the bills would wipe out Disney's 55-year-old government structure, the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The district provides water, sewer, electric power and public safety for millions of visitors, employees and residents. The other bill would jettison an exemption from the state's new social media or "Big-Tech" law, which opens companies up to lawsuits, if they suspend or de-platform messaging, especially from politicians.
By TERRY WALLACE, Associated Press

Aprominent conservative activist in Houston has been charged with unlawful restraint and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon over an October incident involving a contractor the activist hired, his attorneys said Wednesday. Jared Woodfill and Gary Polland, attorneys for Dr. Steven Hotze, said the Harris County District Attorney’s Office told them Wednesday that Hotze was indicted over allegations against a former police officer, Mark Aguirre, who worked for Hotze. Aguirre had been retained to pursue a voter fraud investigation on behalf of Houston-based Liberty Center for God and Country, a nonprofit organization that Hotze runs.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried's lawsuit targets a federal requirement that prohibits medical marijuana users from purchasing firearms.
By Marc Caputo

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s lone statewide elected Democrat, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, plans to sue the Biden administration Wednesday to try to block a federal rule that prohibits medical marijuana users from buying guns or maintaining concealed-carry permits. NBC News obtained a draft copy of the lawsuit. The lawsuit targets a federal form that asks whether the gun buyer is an unlawful user of drugs and specifies that marijuana is illegal under federal law. A person allowed by the state to use marijuana must then check “yes,” which results in denial of the purchase. Lying by checking “no” runs the risk of a five-year prison sentence for making a false statement.
Arjun Singh

Florida governor Ron DeSantis is stepping into the growing dispute between Elon Musk and Twitter over the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s hostile takeover of the social media company. During a Tuesday news conference, DeSantis said that the state’s lawyers were reviewing options for legal action against Twitter’s Board of Directors, to “hold them accountable for breaching their fiduciary duty.” Florida, through its Retirement System pension fund, is an investor in Twitter. The move comes after the Wall Street Journal on Monday quoted sources who said that Twitter plans to reject Musk’s bid to purchase the company at $54.20 per share, an 18 percent premium over the closing price of $45.08 on the day of his offer. Shortly after Musk announced his bid, Twitter’s board activated a “poison pill” defense mechanism against an informal attempt by Musk to buy more stock, whereby new shares would be sold at a discount to dilute his control over the company. Musk is currently Twitter’s largest individual shareholder, owning 9 percent of its stock. Musk had cited Twitter’s free speech policies as the reason for his bid.
By Scott MacFarlane, Robert Legare

Members of the far-right Oath Keepers group allegedly exchanged messages about the safety of Republican Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson — who was also Donald Trump's former White House doctor — during the chaos of the U.S. Capitol riot. The messages, one of which said Jackson must be protected because he has "critical data," were part of a batch of newly released messages from members of the alleged Jan. 6, 2021 conspirators, according to a new court filing from one of the defendants. Accused Oath Keeper Edward Vallejo of Arizona is seeking release from pretrial detention and submitted a lengthy court filing ahead of an Apr. 29 court hearing on his request.  The 337-page filing includes dozens of pages of messages allegedly exchanged by members of the Oath Keepers in the days prior to Jan. 6, 2021 and during the peak of the violence that day.
A 1967 Florida law created a special district that allows Disney to self-govern, including collecting taxes and providing emergency services.
By Marc Caputo and Rebecca Shabad

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Disney crossed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by opposing his law restricting schools from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity. Now DeSantis and his fellow Republicans in the Florida Legislature are ready to make the company pay for it. In a surprise move, DeSantis on Tuesday asked the lawmakers to consider eliminating the special taxing district that allows the company to act as a type of local government. DeSantis in a news conference Tuesday said that, in addition to a new congressional map they're voting on this week in a special session, lawmakers "will be considering termination of all special districts that were enacted in Florida prior to 1968, and that includes the Reedy Creek Improvement District."
kleonard@insider.com (Kimberly Leonard)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday defended the state's Department of Education for rejecting a record number of math textbooks in which reviewers accused publishers of invoking social and emotional learning into the subject. "There is a movement to say math should be not about getting the right answer, but more about social and emotional response," DeSantis, a Republican, said at an event in The Villages, Florida, when asked by a reporter about the rejections, which applied to grades K-12. This type of learning would continue to be rejected in Florida, he pledged, saying that school districts in other states were "moving toward a more sociological and political" type of learning. "It doesn't matter how you feel about the math problem," DeSantis said. "It matters whether you can solve the math problem."
Adam Staten

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says the state may get involved in billionaire Elon Musk's attempt to buy Twitter. DeSantis, during a Tuesday press conference for the signing of a bill designed to improve accountability for higher education in the state, made the comments that Florida may pursue some type of action when it comes to Musk's attempt to buy the social media site. This comes after Musk offered to buy 100 percent of the popular platform, offering more than $40 billion. However, in response to Musk's offer, Twitter adopted the "poison pill." After signing the bill into law, DeSantis, without being prompted, brought up Musk's attempt to buy the platform. He mentioned that the State of Florida, through their pension system, does own shares of the tech company and indicated some moves from the state against Twitter may be forthcoming.
By Khaleda Rahman

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' press secretary has defended the rejection of dozens of math textbooks over alleged references to critical race theory. On Friday, the Florida Department of Education said it had rejected 54 out of 132 math textbooks that it described as publishers' "attempts to indoctrinate students." The department said the rejected textbooks were found to be "impermissible with either Florida's new standards or contained prohibited topics," including critical race theory, an increasingly controversial topic in many parts of the U.S.
Jeremy Stahl

Last week, ABC News reported that John Eastman—the former Trump attorney at the center of the plot to overturn the 2020 election—was still at it. Indeed, video from a closed-door event in March showed Eastman rousing a crowd to pressure Wisconsin legislators to decertify the state’s 2020 election results. “If they’re not going to exercise [that power], then we need to find people who will,” Eastman told the crowd. Eastman does not appear at all chastened by the threat of legal consequences for his actions.   Among the ringleaders of the attempted 2020 coup, this cavalier attitude is not unusual. Steve Bannon, for instance, has spent recent months helping to organize hundreds of fellow coup supporters to take over local election apparatuses ahead of the 2024 election , despite being under indictment for contempt of Congress. Other leaders in Trump’s coup attempt, like former Roger Stone associate Jason Sullivan, continue to push the Big Lie and threaten violence against political opponents.
Sebastian Murdock

Florida officials continued their war on education this week after rejecting more than 50 proposed math textbooks that allegedly “included references to Critical Race Theory.” The Florida Department of Education announced Friday it would not include 54 of the 132 ― or 41% ― of math textbooks on the state’s adopted list, citing “CRT” as one of the main reasons. “Reasons for rejecting textbooks included references to Critical Race Theory (CRT), inclusions of Common Core, and the unsolicited addition of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in mathematics,” the statement said. “The highest number of books rejected were for grade levels K-5, where an alarming 71 percent were not appropriately aligned with Florida standards or included prohibited topics and unsolicited strategies.” The state’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said without evidence that the math textbooks “included indoctrinating concepts like race essentialism, especially, bizarrely, for elementary school students.”
Jason Lemon

Former U.S. Army prosecutor Glenn Kirschner contended on Saturday that former President Donald Trump and his allies "inarguably committed" crimes in what he described as their effort to carry out a "coup" by attempting to overturn President Joe Biden's election win. Trump and a number of his allies have openly discussed their efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, claiming that Biden won due to widespread voter fraud. This conspiracy theory has been discredited and debunked by Republican and Democratic election officials and experts. No evidence has come to light corroborating the allegations.
By Justin Sink

The Biden administration will take action to extend the moratorium on student loan payments or decide whether he plans to cancel student debt through executive action in the coming months, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. The freeze on student loan payments “is either going to be extended or we’re going to make a decision” about canceling debt, Psaki said during a taping of the “Pod Save America” podcast.
By LOLITA C. BALDOR

FORT IRWIN, Calif. (AP) — In the dusty California desert, U.S. Army trainers are already using lessons learned from Russia’s war against Ukraine as they prepare soldiers for future fights against a major adversary such as Russia or China. The role-players in this month’s exercise at the National Training Center speak Russian. The enemy force that controls the fictional town of Ujen is using a steady stream of social media posts to make false accusations against the American brigade preparing to attack. In the coming weeks, the planned training scenario for the next brigade coming in will focus on how to battle an enemy willing to destroy a city with rocket and missile fire in order to conquer it.
bgriffiths@insider.com (Brent D. Griffiths)

Republican Sen. Mike Lee privately expressed "grave concerns" to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about his friend and political ally Sen. Ted Cruz's efforts to question and potentially overturn some of the 2020 election results. "I have grave concerns with the way my friend Ted is going about this effort," Lee wrote to Meadows on January 3, according to CNN. "This will not inure to the benefit of the president." Lee's texts are among the thousands of messages Meadows turned over to the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack. His objections were more to some of the avenues that Cruz and Sen. Josh Hawley were taking than Republicans actually trying to find avenues to thwart Joe Biden from becoming the president.
Mary Papenfuss

Nebraska Republican state Sen. Julie Slama said she was “in shock” when Donald Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster allegedly put his hand “up my dress” at a GOP dinner. Slama detailed what she has described as an “assault” in 2019 in an interview Thursday, the day the Nebraska Examiner reported that she and seven other women had accused the Republican businessman of groping them. “As I was ... walking to my table, I felt a hand reach up my skirt, up my dress and the hand was Charles Herbster’s,” Slama said in an interview on News Radio KFAB in Omaha. “I was in shock. I was mortified. It’s one of the most traumatizing things I’ve ever been through.” Slama added: “I watched as five minutes later he grabbed the buttocks of another young woman. ... This was witnessed by several people at the event.”
Nicole Duncan-Smith

The governor of Mississippi has declared April to be both Confederate Heritage Month and Genocide Awareness Month. Gov. Tate Reeves unpacked Genocide Awareness Month as a time to reflect on the “systematic destruction of lives” and noted it had “no place in society,” but he neglected to mention the devastating race-based institution of American slavery or the near destruction of Native American people by white colonizers in the country. The Magnolia State’s top government executive declared also Confederate Heritage Month as a time to recognize the state’s Civil War history, a tradition initiated by his predecessors in 1993. “April is the month when, in 1861, the American Civil War began between the Confederate and Union armies, reportedly the costliest and deadliest war ever fought on American soil,” read Reeves from the proclamation.
The text messages from Lee to the White House give new insight into the extent of his role in attempting to keep Donald Trump in the White House.
By Robert Gehrke

We woke up Friday morning to a bombshell report from CNN, which had obtained text messages sent by Utah Sen. Mike Lee to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows discussing efforts to overturn the 2020 election and keep Donald Trump in the White House. The text messages take us on a roller coaster, where Lee initially embraces the conspiracy theories of Trump lawyer Sidney Powell before coming to the realization that she could potentially expose the president to legal liability for her defamatory statements.
By Alicia Wallace and Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN

San Francisco CNN — A weeklong protest by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott against President Biden’s recent immigration policy reached a resolution on Friday, but the gridlock it created has resulted in hundreds of millions of lost dollars and delays in shipments of everything from avocados to automobile parts that will have a longer-term impact. On Friday, Abbott reversed course on an order he put in place last week that required lengthier “enhanced safety inspections” of commercial vehicles entering Texas. The efforts, he said, were to help stop the flow of illegal contraband and human trafficking.
Nikki Peterson was the unit administrator at the Community Corrections Center in Lincoln. She resigned after being accused of unauthorized communications with an inmate and sex abuse of an inmate. Her arrest comes just four months after Sarah Torsiello's arrest. Torsiello was the assistant warden at the new Reception and Treatment Center, formerly known as the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center and Lincoln Correctional Center. According to court documents, investigators say she kissed and groped an inmate who's serving a life sentence. The cases are not connected, but Doug Koebernick, the inspector general of corrections says it's still concerning.
A Black student’s interview with a local news channel was interrupted by shouts of “white power” this week.
Brooke Leigh Howard

Black fraternities and sororities at Arkansas State University were targeted in racist attacks online this week—but students say the posts are just part of a much larger problem on campus. “On behalf of the entire Arkansas State University community, I condemn the recent statements of anonymous individuals,” Chancellor Kelly Damphousse wrote in a statement released Thursday. “The language and labels used by persons posting about the weekly [National Pan-Hellenic Council] events on campus is simply unacceptable and disgraceful. …The type of statements made recently related to Black students and members of NPHC organizations are shameful and unwelcome at Arkansas State University.”
By DAVID PITT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that Democratic Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer qualifies for the primary ballot, rejecting a lower court decision and allowing her to continue her campaign for the nomination and the chance to face longtime Republican Sen. Charles Grassley. The court’s unanimous decision leaves Finkenauer as the likely front-runner in a race with two lesser-known candidates ahead of Iowa’s June 7 primary. The winner will run against Grassley, who is seeking an eighth term in the Senate. “This is a moment for all advocates for democracy — Democrats, Republicans and Independents — to celebrate the enduring strength of our democratic process and a reminder to never take it for granted,” Finkenauer said in a statement.
Jon Skolnik

Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday lamented the idea that Americans would be forced to learn Spanish if President Biden keeps "shipping illegal immigrants" in the country. Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday lamented the idea that Americans would be forced to learn Spanish if President Biden keeps "shipping illegal immigrants" in the country.
Lauren Feiner

Twitter adopted a limited duration shareholder rights plan, often called a “poison pill,” a day after billionaire Elon Musk offered to buy the company for $43 billion, the company announced Friday. The board voted unanimously to adopt the plan. Under the new structure, if any person or group acquires beneficial ownership of at least 15% of Twitter’s outstanding common stock without the board’s approval, other shareholders will be allowed to purchase additional shares at a discount. The plan is set to expire on April 14, 2023.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) today announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously adopted a limited duration shareholder rights plan (the "Rights Plan"). The Board adopted the Rights Plan following an unsolicited, non-binding proposal to acquire Twitter. The Rights Plan is intended to enable all shareholders to realize the full value of their investment in Twitter. The Rights Plan will reduce the likelihood that any entity, person or group gains control of Twitter through open market accumulation without paying all shareholders an appropriate control premium or without providing the Board sufficient time to make informed judgments and take actions that are in the best interests of shareholders.
Keith Reed

Afederal judge issued a ruling in a case over a political fundraising law in Georgia that will put Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and even some Republicans at a big disadvantage as they try to unseat Gov. Brian Kemp. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Cohen ruled that Abrams can’t start raising unlimited funds for her campaign under a new Georgia law that allows her potential opponent, Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, to do the same. Cohen wrote that he, “will not rewrite Georgia law,” to allow Abrams to play by the same rules that, ironically, the state’s legislature rewrote last year to Kemp’s advantage. In 2021, Georgia’s Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a law that exempts some incumbents–particularly the governor and lieutenant governor–as well as party nominees for elected offices from fundraising caps on their campaigns. Candidates in those positions can create so-called leadership committees that don’t have to abide by the $7,600 cap on donations from individuals in general elections, while all other candidates do. The leadership committees can also coordinate directly with candidates’ campaigns, something that a traditional political action committee, such as Abrams’ One Georgia, cannot do.
Fred Lambert

Elon Musk opened up in a new interview yesterday about the SEC lawsuit regarding his attempt to take Tesla private back in 2018 and his infamous “funding secured” announcement. The Tesla CEO now claims funding was indeed secured and that he was forced to settle with the SEC because the company’s banks were telling him that he wouldn’t be able to secure additional funding if he kept fighting the lawsuit. The whole situation stems from the SEC filing a lawsuit against Musk over his infamous “funding secured” comment regarding his failed attempt to take Tesla private back in 2018. Back in 2018, Musk briefly considered trying to bring Tesla private and disclosed that to investors through a simple tweet. The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) judged that Musk exaggerated and misled shareholders when saying that the funding was “secured” in the tweet:
"Diaz faced frequent racial abuse" and Tesla "did little or nothing to respond."
Jon Brodkin

On Wednesday, a federal judge rejected Tesla's claim that it is not liable for "disturbing" racist abuse suffered by an ex-factory worker. US District Judge William Orrick rejected what he called Tesla's "watered-down revisionism" that cast plaintiff Owen Diaz's suffering as "mild and short-lived." The judge slashed Diaz's financial award, however. While the jury awarded Diaz $6.9 million in compensatory damages and $130 million in punitive damages, Orrick set the amounts at $1.5 million in compensatory damages and $13.5 million in punitive damages instead. He wrote that the new compensatory amount of $1.5 million is "the highest award supported by the evidence" and that the punitive damages can be nine times that amount based on US law.
By Kara Scannel

Federal prosecutors in New York on Thursday unsealed an indictment charging a member of Russia's legislature and two of his staffers with orchestrating a propaganda and disinformation campaign targeting US lawmakers. Aleksandr Babakov, deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma, and his staffers Aleksandr Vorobev and Mikhail Plisyuk, were charged with conspiring to act in the US as an unregistered foreign agent, conspiring to violate US sanctions and conspiring to commit visa fraud. As part of the alleged scheme, in 2017, prosecutors said the men allegedly violated US sanctions laws by seeking to recruit at least one US businessman and at least one congressman with an all-expenses paid trip to attend a conference in Yalta, an area in Russian-controlled Crimea, for the benefit of Sergey Aksyonov, a Russian placed on the US sanctions list following Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Brigid Kennedy

Leaked documents show FBI claims about surveillance limits ahead of Jan. 6 were misleading. In the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress the bureau was unable to fully prevent or anticipate the insurrection because it lacked the power, resources, and capability to aggressively monitor social media, "where much of the planning for the insurrection took place," Rolling Stone writes. Since then, the FBI has subsequently built out its online surveillance capabilities — even "entering into one of the largest social-media monitoring contracts of any federal agency," Rolling Stone adds. Well, according to internal records obtained by Rolling Stone, the FBI was already involved in "ongoing and widespread" tracking of multiple social media platforms — including Twitter, Facebook, and Telegram — prior to Jan. 6. The documents indicate the FBI has "all the authority it needs" to review social platforms for issues of public safety, and had no qualms doing so during racial justice protests in the summer of 2020.
James, 62, made his first court appearance Thursday. He is accused of setting off smoke canisters and wounding 10 in a rush-hour attack on a Manhattan-bound N train.
By Jonathan Dienst, Adam Reiss and David K. Li

The man accused of opening fire on a rush-hour New York subway car did so with “premeditated” intentions and had access to a “stockpile” of weapons, prosecutors said Thursday. Frank James, 62, made his initial appearance in a federal courtroom and stands accused of committing a terrorist attack on mass transit, a federal charge that could bring a life sentence if convicted, prosecutors said. James picked up a U-Haul van on Monday in Philadelphia and came to New York City with violent plans, according to a memo filed by the government. "The defendant committed a premeditated mass shooting on the New York City subway system and then fled the scene, with a stockpile of ammunition and other dangerous items stowed in his storage unit," the federal prosecutors wrote.
Zachary Basu

President Biden announced Wednesday that he has approved the transfer of helicopters, artillery systems and armored vehicles as part of a package of $800 million in additional military aid to Ukraine.

Why it matters: The U.S. and its European allies are drastically ramping up the scale and scope of their military assistance ahead of a massive Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region, which officials believe will dictate the trajectory of the rest of the war.
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