** News Roundup: The Lies that Undermine
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* The Trump Administration and the Big Lie
* Sen. Johnson Texts with Commissioner Hahn
* More Brandtjen Communication Records

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Here’s the latest news on threats to U.S. democracy, from renewed scrutiny on Mark Meadows’ and Ginni Thomas’ communications to the seemingly inexhaustible efforts in various states to keep alive the election-undermining lies that drove attempts to subvert the 2020 vote.

In the States

Wisconsin: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ comment last week that election “decertification” is legally impossible — made at the same time he alleged, without evidence, widespread fraud in 2020 — continues to draw backlash ([link removed]) from members of his own party who have clamored for the anti-democratic action. Even the lawyer representing Michael Gableman, who is conducting Vos’ partisan election investigation, has said calls for decertification are “pointless.” ([link removed])
* Gableman has previously said the legislature should consider decertification. This week, he appeared again on Tucker Carlson’s show, claiming that ([link removed]) “agents” of Mark Zuckerberg “took over the election” in Wisconsin cities.
* Vos said on Tuesday that he was considering withdrawing ([link removed]) his and Gableman’s subpoenas to various city officials, which he said could help lead to those officials being prosecuted for crimes he did not specify.
* Withdrawing the subpoenas could help finally wind down Gableman’s probe, but — as evinced by yet another hearing ([link removed]) in the Assembly’s elections committee about unsubstantiated allegations of fraud — that likely won’t mean the end of conservative efforts to use such claims to justify measures that would make it harder for Wisconsinites to vote.


American Oversight’s fight for the release of public records related to Gableman’s investigation continues: This week, a Dane County judge once again voiced frustration ([link removed]) that Vos had still not produced the documents in one of our lawsuits, and gave Vos’ office a “drop dead” deadline of April 7 to search for the records.

Arizona: The partisan and discredited “audit” of Maricopa County’s election concluded months ago, but that also hasn’t signaled the end of Arizona conservatives’ efforts to drum up support for baseless voter-fraud claims.
* An independent audit ([link removed]) of the county’s vote-counting machines wrapped up this week, finding that, as expected, the machines were not connected to the internet ([link removed]) .
* Of course, that hasn’t stopped state Sen. Kelly Townsend from issuing a subpoena ([link removed]) to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors demanding records related to voter registration and early ballots.
* Meanwhile, Townsend’s committee on Thursday passed a bill ([link removed]) that would end early voting and require hand counts of ballots.


Other States: More proposed voting restrictions aren’t the only threat to democracy — a fringe legal theory ([link removed]) known as the “independent state legislature” doctrine, which holds that state legislatures have the sole power over running federal elections, is popping up in states like Ohio ([link removed]) and Pennsylvania ([link removed]) . Its application would also give those legislatures’ partisan majorities enormous power over redistricting.

Here are headlines about other anti-democratic efforts across the country:
* Noem signs bill banning election donations like Zuckerberg’s (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Couy Griffin found guilty, here’s what it means to Otero County (Alamogordo Daily News ([link removed]) )
* A Republican fights voter fraud in his race, 231 days before Election Day (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Congress investigating conspiracy-prone ‘audit’ tech company (Daily Beast ([link removed]) )
* As GOP lawmakers push for more election fraud charges, prosecutors find few cases (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Investigation blames human error for issues in Fulton election audit (Atlanta Journal-Constitution ([link removed]) )
* ‘Voters are angry’: Here’s how Senate Bill 1 affected primaries in Tarrant County, Texas (Fort Worth Star-Telegram ([link removed]) )
* GOP push against ballot drop boxes hits rural places, too (Associated Press ([link removed]) )


The Trump Administration and the Big Lie

Ginni Thomas and Mark Meadows: The Washington Post and CBS News ([link removed]) have obtained text messages showing that in the weeks after the 2020 election, Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, repeatedly pushed former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to pursue the former president’s election-overturning schemes, calling the election “the greatest Heist of our History.” In one message, Meadows wrote, “This is a fight of good versus evil.”
* Meadows’ role in the leadup to Jan. 6, 2021, has also been under renewed scrutiny this week, thanks to a report from Rolling Stone ([link removed]) . According to a man who helped plan the rally that preceded the attack, Meadows was overheard participating in a call in which he and other key figures planned to have the crowd eventually march from the Ellipse to the Capitol and “make it look like they went down there on their own.”


DHS Voter-Fraud Directive: In late April of 2020, Ken Cuccinelli directed the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis to look into potential voter fraud from mail-in voting. “The issuance of a directive,” reported Politico ([link removed]) , “casts a new light on the extent of Trump World’s efforts to use government resources to investigate spurious claims about U.S. elections.”

The Coronavirus Pandemic

Congress’s pandemic budget impasse continues to threaten the nation’s preparedness for another potential wave. This week, the Health Resources and Services Administration announced that it is no longer paying ([link removed]) for testing and treatment and will stop covering vaccination-related costs for uninsured individuals ([link removed]) after April 5. The White House has also warned that it will not be able to purchase another round of booster shots ([link removed]) if a fourth dose is deemed necessary.
* Public health experts and high-risk Americans are worried about the consequences ([link removed]) of the CDC’s new metrics and relaxed public health measures, especially if the country faces the same wave as Europe and Asia.
* Black adults were hospitalized ([link removed]) during the omicron wave at higher rates than they were at any other point in the pandemic, a peak that was also the highest hospitalization rate of any racial group at any point. During the height of the surge, Black adults were four times as likely to be hospitalized as white adults.
* A USA Today investigation found that despite losing nearly no money during the pandemic, charter schools ([link removed]) across the country applied for and obtained nearly $1 billion from the Paycheck Protection Program. While technically businesses, charter schools receive public funding and many were supported by state governments during the pandemic.
* A study found that the number of alcohol-related deaths ([link removed]) increased by 26 percent in 2020, the largest jump in decades, correlating with increases in anxiety and depression.
* Moderna is seeking authorization for its vaccine for children under 6 ([link removed]) .
* The Biden administration is considering recommending ([link removed]) another round of booster shots for those 65 and older.


While case counts continue to decrease across the country as a whole, the BA.2 variant ([link removed]) is quickly becoming dominant. The nationwide daily average for hospitalizations has dropped to slightly more than 20,000 ([link removed]) , and deaths have dipped to around 900 ([link removed]) a day.
* New York City ([link removed]) is seeing an uptick in case counts, with numbers in schools having more than doubled ([link removed]) from February to March.
* Some states, including New Hampshire, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Utah are closing state-run testing centers ([link removed]) , citing drops in demand for testing.
* Multiple states are funneling pandemic relief money from the American Rescue Plan toward prisons and law enforcement ([link removed]) .
* Citing safety risks, federal regulators suspended the license ([link removed]) of a Chicago testing lab that had received $187 million in government funding.
* The White House released guidance ([link removed]) to improve indoor air quality ([link removed]) in buildings including schools, suggesting funds from the American Rescue Plan be used to upgrade ventilation systems.

On the Records

Sen. Johnson Texts with Commissioner Hahn
American Oversight obtained ([link removed]) text messages ([link removed]) sent by Sen. Ron Johnson in October 2020 to former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn regarding the coronavirus. The records show Johnson told Hahn that the U.S. was “significantly [overstating] the number of cases that are contagious” and also texted Hahn about approving “HCQ,” likely a reference to hydroxychloroquine.

More Brandtjen Communication Records
We ​​obtained more records from the office of Wisconsin Rep. Janel Brandtjen, includingtexts exchanged between Brandtjen and Doug Logan ([link removed]) , the CEO of Cyber Ninjas, revealing that they were in direct contact in August 2021, weeks after Brandtjen issuedsubpoenas ([link removed]) for voting materials in Wisconsin’s Milwaukee and Brown counties.
Other Stories We're Following

National News
* Trump is guilty of ‘numerous’ felonies, prosecutor who resigned says (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Trump sues Hillary Clinton and allies over Russia claims related to 2016 election (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Supreme Court Sides with Wisconsin Republicans in Redistricting Case (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Ginni Thomas donated $15,000 to GOP campaigns, including Trump’s (Forbes ([link removed]) )
* USPS truck contract prompts cries for investigation (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* A voting rights report from the White House outlines how to expand Native American access (NPR ([link removed]) )
* U.S. immigrants feel ‘chilling effect’ of Trump-era benefits rule (Reuters ([link removed]) )
* U.S. launches deportation operation to Colombia using Title 42 border rule (CBS News ([link removed]) )
* Schools are quietly pulling titles from their libraries (Washington Post ([link removed]) )


In the States
* Arizona Republicans are pushing to divide Maricopa County. Critics say it’s about revenge for 2020 — and planning for 2024 (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Gov. Greg Abbott brags about his border initiative. The evidence doesn’t back him up (ProPublica/Texas Tribune/Marshall Project ([link removed]) )
* Cost of Indiana AG Rokita trip to Texas border: $2,400 (Journal Gazette ([link removed]) )
* Texas continues imprisoning migrants without filing charges or appointing lawyers, court filings claim (Texas Tribune ([link removed]) )
* Groups sue for records in Montana mine pollution case (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Texas superintendent tells librarians to pull books on sexuality, transgender people (NBC News/ProPublica/Texas Tribune ([link removed]) )
* Idaho governor signs bill banning abortion after 6 weeks modeled after Texas law (ABC News ([link removed]) )
* Nebraska and Colorado are fighting over water after 99 years of sharing rights (Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) )


The Big Lie
* MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he’s spending at least $1 million a month to build his social media empire, with 2 apps he hopes will rival YouTube and Facebook (Business Insider ([link removed]) )
* Capitol riot suspect is granted refugee status in Belarus after fleeing US (CNN ([link removed]) )

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