** News Roundup: 'Much To-Do About Nothing'
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* Internal Turmoil at Trump’s USAGM
* Ginni Thomas’ Political Activism
* Pitching ‘War Powers’ to Address Immigration 

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The Big Story

This week, our lawsuit forced the release of more than 700 pages ([link removed]) of public records from the Wisconsin election investigation — revealing that the probe has done little actual investigating, despite the extensive efforts of the Wisconsin Assembly to shield those documents from the public.

As the judge ([link removed]) put it on Tuesday when ordering the records to be released, they amount to “much to-do about nothing” and do not support the conclusions put forward by attorney Michael Gableman in the problematic report he released last week.
* The documents show that months into review, Gableman’s Office of Special Counsel was apparently considering ways to avoid transparency and still selecting furniture. We previously uncovered documents showing that Gableman is personally being paid $11,000 each month for his work on the review, and he has spent hundreds of thousands on staff and outside attorneys ([link removed]) .
* American Oversight’s review ([link removed]) of the records did uncover some new key findings, including that certain conservative figures appear to have played a more significant role in the investigation than previously known, and that Gableman looked to get in touch with longtime voting-restriction proponent Hans von Spakovsky.
* We also obtained a copy of the second amendment to Gableman’s contract ([link removed]) . Gableman’s original contract had ended in 2021; it has now been extended again through April ([link removed]) .


Hours after the records were released, former President Donald Trump issued a statement suggesting that state Republican leaders should decertify the 2020 election results — something legally impossible, and something Gableman has nevertheless also suggested.
* In a separate lawsuit we filed for investigation-related records held by Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, the judge on Thursday ([link removed]) said she would order Vos to, by March 23, search for records that may have been deleted ([link removed]) and to respond to other requests we’ve filed.
* Records we obtained late last week ([link removed]) revealed that taxpayers footed the bill for Gableman — who on Monday appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show ([link removed]) — to travel to a local political event ([link removed]) in December.
* They also show that the taxpayer-funded investigation has cost at least $519,000 ([link removed]) since its launch, despite Gableman’s testimony last week that he had about $300,000 of his $676,000 ([link removed]) budget remaining.


Here are some other stories we’ve been monitoring this past week about the efforts in multiple states to undermine confidence not just in the 2020 election, but in future elections as well.
* ProPublica ([link removed]) reported on a new group called the Voter Reference Foundation, led by a former Trump campaign official and linked to billionaire Richard Uihlein, who is active in Wisconsin politics. The group is helping Big Lie-supporting citizens comb through voter rolls to hunt for supposed voter fraud.
* On Wednesday, Florida lawmakers passed ([link removed]) a version of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to create a new election police force, worrying voting-rights advocates.
* An Arizona bill that would have given the attorney general more power to investigate elections failed in the state Senate ([link removed]) . So did a bill ([link removed]) that would have required audits after every election.
* American Oversight has uncovered new details about the discredited “audit” of Maricopa County’s 2020 election. Additional review ([link removed]) of the more than 80,000 pages of records we obtained last summer found communications from state Sen. Kelly Townsend about the scheme to appoint false electors, as well as emails about the selection of Cyber Ninjas.


The Coronavirus Pandemic

Friday marks the two-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic ([link removed]) , which was followed two days later by Trump declaring a national emergency ([link removed]) .
* Congress abandoned the inclusion of Covid relief funding ([link removed]) in the omnibus bill after lawmakers disputed a plan that would provide the $15 billion in aid at the expense of money allocated to some states by last year’s American Rescue Plan.
* Households are now eligible to order a second batch of free at-home rapid tests ([link removed]) through the Postal Service at COVIDtests.gov ([link removed]) .
* Officials say the Biden administration is leaning toward ending Title 42 ([link removed]) , the rule allowing for the expulsions of migrants at the Mexico border because of the pandemic. Separately, a federal court ruled ([link removed]) that the government can’t use the rule to send migrant families back to countries where they are in danger of being persecuted.
* TSA and the CDC extended the mask mandate for airplanes ([link removed]) and public transportation through April 18. It was originally set to expire March 18.
* Data show that the Bureau of Prisons ([link removed]) is not stockpiling doses of Pfizer’s antiviral pill Paxlovid, despite frequent outbreaks in prisons and the convenience and availability of the treatment.
* A study found that people who were infected with Covid-19 sustained more tissue damage and loss of gray matter ([link removed]) in their brains, primarily in areas related to smell, than those who had never been infected.


The country is now on a path toward surpassing 1 million deaths, with the nationwide death toll having climbed above 960,000 ([link removed]) and January and February having been among the deadliest months ([link removed]) of the pandemic. The daily average for hospitalizations are slightly more than 33,000 ([link removed]) and for deaths around 1,300. Both figures are declining.
* The Florida health department recommended against vaccines ([link removed]) for healthy children, a move led by DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.
* Officials in New York City ended the school mask mandate ([link removed]) as well as the city’s proof-of-vaccination requirement ([link removed]) for restaurants and certain other venues. Children under 5, who are not eligible for the vaccine, are still required to wear masks in daycare and school settings.
* The Chicago Teachers Union has argued that the city’s announcement that mask mandates in schools will end next week is a violation of the union’s agreement ([link removed]) with the school district for in-person instruction.
* School districts with mask requirements saw lower rates of Covid-19 than those where masks were optional, according to data from a CDC study ([link removed]) of more than 200 public school districts in Arkansas from August to October 2021.

On the Records

Internal Turmoil at Trump’s USAGM
Emails American Oversight obtained ([link removed]) shed light on the internal turmoil at the U.S. Agency for Global Media in 2020 — the entity that oversees Voice of America. That year, Michael Pack, the former Trump-appointed CEO, initiated a politically motivated purge of high-level employees and oversaw the delay and rejection of visa renewals for foreign journalists employed by USAGM. During his tenure, Pack’s actions threatened to undermine USAGM’s work and to turn it into a pro-Trump political operation.

Ginni Thomas’ Political Activism
The activism of prominent conservative Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has for years raised questions about partisan influence on the judicial system and ethics in the Supreme Court. Records we’ve obtained ([link removed]) through public records requests reveal Ginni Thomas’ ties to the Trump administration as well as evidence of Justice Thomas’ contact with Gov. DeSantis.

Pitching ‘War Powers’ to Address Immigration
Three months before Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich penned a February legal opinion declaring illegal immigration an “invasion” and calling on the state to authorize military force, former senior Trump administration officials Russ Vought and Ken Cuccinelli had pitched that idea to the office of Gov. Doug Ducey, records American Oversight obtained show ([link removed]) .

The governor should “activate and deploy all [National Guard] units” to “detain illegal immigrants,” Vought wrote in a Nov. 11, 2021, email ([link removed]) . The idea relies on what experts say is a dubious interpretation of the Constitution, which says that individual states may not go to war on their own “unless actually invaded.”

Instances of White Supremacy in the Coast Guard
American Oversight has been investigating white supremacy in the military and recently obtained more records ([link removed]) related to reports of white supremacy within the Coast Guard between 2017 and 2021. The documents add to our understanding of how incidents have been identified, reported, and addressed within the military branch.
Other Stories We're Following

The Big Lie and Election Investigations
* 1 in 5 local election officials say they’re likely to quit before 2024 (NPR ([link removed]) )
* Cyber Ninjas asks Arizona Supreme Court to block daily fine (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Mark Meadows spread Trump’s voter fraud claims. Now his voting record is under scrutiny (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* The big lie goes on tour in Minnesota (Minnesota Reformer ([link removed]) )
* Colorado county elections official Tina Peters is indicted in probe of alleged tampering with voting equipment (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* New Michigan audit debunks dead voter theory in 2020 election (Detroit News ([link removed]) )
* Wisconsin Elections Commission pushes back on Gableman report (Wisconsin Public Radio ([link removed]) )
* Milwaukee prosecutor will not charge Wisconsin election commissioners (Reuters ([link removed]) )


The Jan. 6 Investigation
* Sidney Powell has secretly been funding the legal defense of the Oath Keepers (BuzzFeed News ([link removed]) )
* Watchdog finds DHS identified threats prior to January 6 but did not widely share intelligence until after attack (CNN ([link removed]) )
* Stephen Miller sues to block Jan. 6 committee’s subpoena for his phone records (CNN ([link removed]) )
* Judge will review lawyer’s emails sought by Jan. 6 panel (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Guy Reffitt guilty on all counts in first Capitol riot trial (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Former Proud Boys leader indicted in Jan. 6 investigation (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* U.S. judge dismisses lead federal charge against Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendant (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Dozens more U.S. Capitol Police officers were injured on January 6 than previously known, report says (CNN ([link removed]) )
* RNC to sue Jan. 6 committee over Salesforce subpoena (Axios ([link removed]) )


National News
* Secret surveillance program by ICE collects Americans’ money transfer data without warrants, says Sen. Wyden (Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) )
* Senate passes $107 billion USPS overhaul, sending bill to Biden for expected approval (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* The hidden billion-dollar cost of repeated police misconduct (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* The 2020 Census had big undercounts of Black people, Latinos, and Native Americans (NPR ([link removed]) )


State News
* Arizona lawmaker speaks to white nationalists, calls for violence — and sets fundraising records (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* How one of Trump’s loudest voices on voter fraud is splintering Idaho’s GOP (NBC News ([link removed]) )
* In a ‘huge win’ for transparency, New Jersey Supreme Court says settlement agreements with public employees are public (NorthJersey.com ([link removed]) )
* Idaho House passes bill that could lead to prosecution of librarians for “harmful material” (Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed]) )
* Texas clinic for transgender youth closed last year under political pressure from the governor’s office, phone recordings reveal (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* HUD says Texas discriminated against communities of color when it denied Houston flood aid post-Hurricane Harvey (Texas Tribune ([link removed]) )

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