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From former President Trump’s missing phone logs to still-unreleased public records from the Wisconsin Assembly’s election investigation, efforts to avoid accountability have gone hand in hand with today’s threats to democracy.
Robin Vos Held in Contempt of Court
In one of our lawsuits for the release of public records from the Wisconsin Assembly’s partisan election investigation, a state judge has found Speaker Robin Vos and the Assembly to be in contempt for failing to comply with an earlier court order to turn over the documents.
- Vos and the Assembly now have 14 days to prove they’ve complied with the state’s open records law before they face fines of $1,000 per day.
- The judge wrote that Vos’ office had taken “no reasonable steps” to procure the requested records from contractors and that he “took no steps at all” either to review the documents he did procure or to prevent other records from being destroyed.
Trump and the Jan. 6 Investigation
The Washington Post and CBS News obtained documents showing a gap of more than seven and a half hours on White House phone logs from the late morning to early evening of Jan. 6, 2021, as his supporters were storming the U.S. Capitol.
- The National Archives had turned over the documents to the Jan. 6 select committee. The logs are missing a number of calls, including with allies in Congress, that have already been publicly reported.
- On Monday, a federal judge ordered the release of more than 100 emails of Trump-allied attorney John Eastman, who had attempted to keep them from the select committee by claiming attorney-client privilege.
- In his monumental ruling, the judge also said that Trump had “more likely than not” corruptly and illegally attempted to obstruct the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s win on Jan. 6.
- That same day, the select committee voted to hold former Trump White House aides Daniel Scavino Jr. and Peter Navarro in criminal contempt for their refusal to comply with subpoenas.
- Meanwhile, the Justice Department has expanded its investigation of Jan. 6 to look at the financing and preparations for the rally near the White House that preceded the Capitol attack. According to the New York Times, the department is also looking into the fake-electors scheme.
Politico has an inside look at the preparations former Vice President Pence’s team made before Jan. 6, as Trump allies pressured him to thwart the certification. And the Post looked at Sen. Ted Cruz’s “last-ditch battle to keep Trump in power.”
- Ginni Thomas’ involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election — who the select committee is seeking to interview — also continues to draw scrutiny, including texts that the Times reported show “how firmly she was embedded in the conspiratorial fringe of right-wing politics.”
- According to NBC News, after the 2020 election, Thomas emailed a top House aide to push for Republican members of Congress to support those election-subverting efforts.
The ‘Big Lie’ in Arizona and Other States
In a new court filing in our still-ongoing fight for documents from the discredited “audit” of election results in Arizona’s Maricopa County, the firm Cyber Ninjas tried to walk back its earlier estimate of the number records in its possession. You can read more about those developments here.
A bill to require additional proof of citizenship to vote was signed by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey this week. The new law would cancel the registration of voters who could not submit sufficient proof. Here are other headlines about election-undermining efforts and threats to voting rights in various states:
- Wisconsin election clerks face unprecedented scrutiny despite no widespread fraud (Madison.com)
- Attorney who backs election decertification enters attorney general race to investigate doctors who won’t prescribe ivermectin (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Proposal to split Maricopa County appears dead, House speaker opposed (Arizona Republic)
- Federal judge rules some of Florida’s new voting laws are unconstitutional (Miami Herald)
- The original election fraud grifter is back to claim his Kraken crown — and his money (Daily Beast)
- AG Ken Paxton bills Texas taxpayers for his defense in ‘frivolous’ suit to overturn 2020 election (Houston Chronicle)
- Pennsylvania Senate committee investigation elections holds hearing on ballot drop boxes, Dems walk out (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
- Michigan GOP candidate endorsed by Trump says Capitol riot was ‘a highlight of my life’ (American Independent)
The Coronavirus Pandemic
The FDA authorized a second round of booster shots of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for adults 50 and older, with Biden receiving his second booster this week. The president is continuing to press Congress for new pandemic funding, and the Senate is reportedly nearing an agreement that would approve $10 billion in Covid-19 aid, less than half of the White House’s original request for $22.5 billion.
- State health departments reported needing more epidemiologists on staff to provide basic public health services, according to a CDC survey.
- A report from the Project on Government Oversight found that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy may have violated conflict of interest law by owning stock in one of the companies supplying Covid-19 tests to the public.
- Governors from 21 states are suing the Biden administration to end the federal mask mandate for travel and public transportation. While the majority of the states are led by Republican governors, Democrat-led Kansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana joined the suit.
- As much as 10 percent, or $80 billion, of Paycheck Protection Program money was obtained fraudulently.
The Biden administration is preparing to end the controversial Title 42 border restriction on May 23. The Trump-era order prevents migrants at the border from being able to apply for asylum under the guise of fighting the pandemic, but experts said the policy had little effect in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
- The administration will vaccinate undocumented migrants at the border and detain and place into deportation proceedings single adults who do not comply.
- The administration launched Covid.gov, a one-stop shop for navigating vaccines, testing, masks, treatment, and questions about the virus.
- The CDC removed its travel risk advisory for cruise ships this week, a warning that had been in place since early in the pandemic.
The nationwide daily average for hospitalizations has dropped to slightly more than 17,000, and deaths are around 700 a day.
- The BA.2 variant is now dominant, accounting for more than half of Covid-19 cases nationwide.
- A large study found that ivermectin does not reduce the risk of hospitalization from Covid-19, adding further evidence to what public health experts have been saying throughout the pandemic.
- A new report gives an overview of the challenges and disparities faced by Black Americans during the pandemic, including low access to vaccines and tests, high hospitalization rates, and increased mental health challenges.
- According to another recent study, highlighting the racially disparate impact of the pandemic reduced support for safety precautions among white Americans.
Other Stories We're Following
National News
- Congress OKs money for more immigration judges but case backlog continues to worsen (Border Report)
- ‘No progress’ since George Floyd: U.S. police killing three people a day (Guardian)
In the States
- Ambiguous laws leave Wisconsin clerks unsure of what’s legal during absentee voting (Madison.com)
- Houston lawmaker threatens legislation against companies covering employee abortion travel costs (Houston Chronicle)
- DeSantis vetoes new Florida congressional map, calls for special session (CNN)
- Ohio redistricting: Mapmakers unveil latest state House, Senate plan. See the drafts here (Columbus Dispatch)
- South Dakota House committee recommends no impeachment charges for AG Jason Ravnsborg, who hit and killed a man on a rural highway in 2020 (CBS News)
- Constitutional ban on ‘critical race theory’ in Arizona schools, universities is one vote away from the November ballot (Arizona Mirror)
- AZ Gov. Ducey signs anti-trans laws barring medical treatment, sports participation (AZ Mirror)
- 15-week abortion ban will become Arizona law (AZ Mirror)
- AG Ken Paxton bills Texas taxpayers for his defense in ‘frivolous’ suit to overturn 2020 election (Houston Chronicle)
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