It’s Monday. We have officially entered the part of the year where it’s dark around 5:30 p.m. 🌒 Welcome to standard time! Here’s what we’re covering today: -
Former President Trump is testifying today in the New York civil fraud trial. His testimony has been very heated so far.
- President Biden is announcing a major investment in Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.
- Billionaire Elon Musk is launching his own ChatGPT rival.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up.
Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-release.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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Donald Trump is testifying:
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Former President Trump is testifying today in the New York civil fraud trial against him. What’s at stake for Trump?: “The trial puts Trump’s long storied career as a real estate mogul and business executive in major jeopardy. At stake are Trump’s business licenses and the potential for him to lose control of some of his most famed properties.” The Hill’s Ella Lee is in New York covering the trial. Check out the live blog of updates |
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📸 Photo of Trump in the courtroom
Trump ran through his laundry list of grievances: Trump complained about the “Democrat” prosecutors and attorneys general, calling them “all Trump haters.”
The judge asked Trump to cool it: “I’d like to move things along a little faster; please no speeches,” Judge Arthur Engoron said.
Trump: “I’m sure the judge will rule against me because he always rules against me.” Judge Engoron: “You can attack me … but answer the question.” The judge also called for Trump’s lawyer to rein him in: After several outbursts from the judge, who accused Trump of treating his testimony like a “political rally.”
More from Lee in the courtroom
Livestream of the courthouse
This ABC News lede: “When Donald Trump enters court on Monday, the former president will swap his chair next to his lawyers for a seat on the witness stand — sitting to the left of a judge he has called a wacko, feet from a clerk he has called biased, and directly across from a state attorney general he has called, without evidence, a dirty cop.” (ABC News)
From last week: Here’s an MSNBC video of Donald Trump Jr. in the courtroom as a witness. What to know about the New York trial: From The New York Times |
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➤ ‘TRUMP INDICTMENTS HAVEN’T SUNK HIS CAMPAIGN, BUT A CONVICTION MIGHT’: |
“For Donald J. Trump, a new set of New York Times/Siena College polls captures a stunning, seemingly contradictory picture.”
“His 91 felony charges in four different jurisdictions have not significantly hurt him among voters in battleground states. Yet he remains weaker than at least one of his Republican rivals, and if he’s convicted and sentenced in any of his cases, some voters appear ready to turn on him — to the point where he could lose the 2024 election.” 91 felony charges (!)
How a conviction could shift the 2024 picture, via The New York Times’s Jonathan Swan, Ruth Igielnik and Maggie Haberman |
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Can I get a ‘choo choo?!’: |
President Biden is announcing a $16.4 billion project in Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor today, as part of larger infrastructure investment.
Where did Biden find the $16.4 billion?: It’s part of the bipartisan infrastructure law’s $66 billion in rail investments.
Keep in mind: Biden took Amtrak for decades commuting to and from Washington, D.C., as a U.S. senator from Delaware.
What to expect in the project: “The projects include rebuilding 100-year-old tunnels and bridges, upgrading tracks, power systems, signals, stations and advancing future projects that aim to improve travel times by increasing operating speeds and reducing delays.” (The Hill) Watch Biden’s 1:15 p.m. announcement: Livestream |
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Speaker Johnson is now in charge: |
“House Republicans are approaching their Biden impeachment inquiry with renewed vigor following the election of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has cautioned against rushing an investigation even as he’s previously accused the president of bribery.” When Johnson was on the House Judiciary Committee: He was very vocal in criticizing Biden, even accusing Biden of bribery. Keep in mind: “While the GOP has fanned the flames, it has yet to find a smoking gun that implicates the president of directly benefiting from his family’s international business dealings or making policy decisions as vice president because of them.” Where the investigation stands, via The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch |
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➤ ‘JOHNSON EMBRACES DEFICIT FIGHT, SETTING UP BATTLE OVER MEDICARE, SOCIAL SECURITY’: |
“Democrats and progressive advocacy groups are homing in on Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) past support for steep cuts to entitlements, as the new Speaker embraces a deficit commission that could spotlight the issue in the run-up to the 2024 election.” (The Hill) |
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Tomorrow’s Election Day may not be getting much attention, but it will be fascinating: |
Voters head to the polls tomorrow for an election that will be critical for previewing Americans’ priorities for 2024. The Hill’s Caroline Vakil broke down 5 key races to watch:
- “Virginia state Legislature”
- “Kentucky governor’s race”
- “Mississippi governor’s race”
- “Ohio ballot measures on abortion, marijuana”
- “Open seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court”
What to know for each |
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➤ LOCAL ELECTION PREVIEWS: |
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David Axelrod, a onetime senior adviser to former President Obama, suggested Sunday that President Biden drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Why?: Axelrod pointed to polling showing Biden trailing Trump.
Excerpt of Axelrod’s post: “[President Biden] is justly proud of his accomplishments. Trump is a dangerous, unhinged demagogue whose brazen disdain for the rules, norms, laws and institutions or democracy should be disqualifying. But the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore.” Read Axelrod’s full reasoning
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🧀 Celebrate: Today is National Nachos Day!
🧻 Charmin has changed some of its toilet paper to scalloped-edging: Slate’s Dan Kois then wrote: “How I Got to the Bottom of a Vexing Toilet Paper Mystery.” (Slate) 🤖 Another ChatGPT competitor: Billionaire Elon Musk’s xAI company is launching its own artificial intelligence bot named “Grok.” (Time)
🛝 Interesting read: “Childhood Independence Is a Mental-Health Issue.” Kathryn Jezer-Morton writes how hypervigilance in American parents can harm kids’ development. (The Cut) |
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The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in Delaware, returning to D.C. later today. (all times Eastern) |
- Today: Vice President Harris speaks with foreign leaders to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict.
- 12:25 p.m.: Biden meets with Amtrak workers in New Castle, Del.
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1:15 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks infrastructure and investing in rail service. 📺 Livestream
- 3:20 p.m.: Biden returns to the White House.
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5:30 p.m.: The Senate holds a cloture vote on a nomination. Today’s agenda
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6:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. Today’s agenda
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