The news this week is kind of a funhouse mirror, reflecting an odd mix of Situation Normal and weird twists. I would imagine this is closer than average to what covering news looked like in the Before Times. If, y’know, the Before Times involved investigating investigators and sitting House reps wanted for fraud.
Standard standing reminders still apply: I may be starting a seventh year of journalism, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a classified document!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!
Cleanup in Aisle 45:
We did have one story pop up on the Election Rejection news front. Here’s what has happened:
- 400 Fifths. A video was released this week of Trump’s August deposition with New York AG Leticia James, who you may remember brought a $250M fraud lawsuit against him this past fall. The video is noteworthy because it shows Trump invoking the fifth amendment literally over 400 times during the course of a four-hour deposition–for those of you playing the home game, that’s approximately 100 non-answers per hour. The civil case isn’t scheduled to go on trial until the fall, but it will be interesting to see if there’s further news on this before then.
We also had a handful of odds and ends for Biden Rebuilding, though nothing I would call earth-shattering. Here’s what I have for you:
- Biden Admin Potpourri. The DNC approved Biden’s plan this week to dramatically change how Dem primaries work, pushing forward South Carolina’s primaries to the first date and pushing several other states forward or back. (That said, the plan still faces some logistical hurdles before it can be enacted.) In other news, the Fed raised interest rates again this week, for the eighth time this year–though it’s a milder hike than previous increases have been, at only 0.25%. Presumably, this is because inflation has been easing up since the last increase. Finally, on the classified document front, it turns out Biden’s beach home didn’t have any–and the FBI is planning a search of Pence’s home in Indiana.
Your New Normal:
- Broken House Blues (Committee Edition). House committees were a hot topic again this week, with the GOP removing Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee because they didn’t like things she said four years ago. Meanwhile, newly-elected fraud entrepreneur George Santos stepped down from his committees, ostensibly because of ongoing investigations of him but possibly also because a former staffer just accused him of sexual assault in a letter to the House Ethics Committee. And in other House investigation news, Jim Jordan‘s new Judiciary Committee is apparently investigating the Department of Justice because… reasons? Candidly, I don’t think even he understands the reasoning he put forward in what is surely the first of many made-up investigations into the Biden administration.
- African American Study Studies. After weeks of Florida governor Ron DeSantis threatening to ban the course, the College Board revealed this week that they have stripped much of the modern curriculum from AP African American Studies. The new version of the course has eliminated references to Angela Davis, Kimberle Krenshaw, the Black Lives Matter movement, mass incarceration, and reparations–all really significant omissions from a unit reviewing the 1960s through today. It’s unclear whether DeSantis will move off of his proposed ban based on these changes, but I’m gonna go ahead and guess that he will not. In support of my hypothesis, I offer the fact that he spent the week banning diversity programs at state colleges and ousting the college President at New College of Florida.
The Bad:
- Tragedy in Turkey and Syria. Two massive earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria today, killing at least 4,100 people and injuring many thousands more. A quake of this magnitude hasn’t been seen in this region since 1939, and there were a lot of different factors contributing to the devastation caused by this one. Rescue and recovery operations are being slowed by the freezing temperatures, and we likely won’t know the full extent of the damage until those are completed. That said, it’s very likely that we’re looking at another humanitarian crisis in a region that has already suffered more than its fair share of them.
The Good:
- Recent Wrongful Death Suits. A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled this week that the father of a murdered protester can bring a wrongful death suit against the civilian “counter-protester” who killed him during the Kenosha shootings. It’s heartening to see this proceed forward, particularly against the backdrop of the wrongful death suit brought last month against two civilian “protesters” from January 6, whose assault with bear spray resulted in an officer’s death. (Interestingly enough, that family is also suing Donald Trump, on the theory that his incitement makes him liable.) It’s complicated news, to be sure, but it’s ultimately promising to see the possibility of consequence for political violence–especially figures like Kyle Rittenhouse, whose massive alt-right backing can allow them to escape criminal consequences.
So that’s all I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this confused chicken and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me your favorite cat picture!
National News Roundup 