Most Americans believe democracy is at risk in 2024 presidential election: Poll
Around 75% of Americans believe that democracy is at stake in the upcoming 2024 presidential election in November, according to a poll released by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research on Thursday, Aug. 8. Although, which presidential candidates poses the biggest threat to democracy depends on who is asked.
While most Democrats, Republicans and independents viewed the election as important to democracy, Democrats interviewed for the poll cited “grave concerns for the future of democracy” if former President Donald Trump wins the election this fall. Some cited a Fox News interview Trump had with Sean Hannity in December 2023.
During the interview, Trump said he would not be a dictator other than day one in office, if elected.
“No, no, no,” Trump told Hannity. “Other than day one. We’re closing the border and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.”
The findings in the survey suggest that many Democrats continue to view Trump as a threat to democracy due to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as Congress certified the election results after President Joe Biden’s victory in November 2020. The former president has also vowed retribution against political opponents, which some who viewed him as a threat cited as another reason for their opinion.
Meanwhile, Republicans are holding presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris culpable for the actions of the Biden administration.
Trump supporters polled believe the Biden administration is the real threat to democracy, accusing the president and his allies of weaponizing the U.S. Justice Department against Trump in criminal cases and allegedly letting Biden off the hook for possession of classified documents.
No criminal charges were filed in the case.
Other findings in the survey showed that Democrats viewed the race for president as more vital to democracy. According to the poll, more than half of Democrats marked the election as “extremely important” for democracy. Only just 4 out of 10 Republicans and independents reported the same opinion.
The poll was taken days after President Biden dropped out of the presidential race in July and as Vice President Kamala Harris announced her campaign for president.
Biden issues warning after immunity ruling as Trump looks to overturn conviction
Reaction from President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump after the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on presidential immunity. And Hurricane Beryl strengthens to a Category 5 as it approaches Jamaica. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Biden issues warning after SCOTUS ruling as Trump looks to overturn conviction
In a landmark 6-3 vote along ideological lines the Supreme Court justices ruled Monday, July 1, that former President Donald Trump is entitled to immunity for official acts he took while in office. The effects of the court’s decision will be seen in the coming days.
The high court’s ruling gave Trump some immunity from being criminally prosecuted on charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 election, however, it did not totally dismiss Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case. The former president is reportedly looking to have his New York trial conviction overturned based on the Supreme Court’s decision.
According to Trump’s legal team, the Manhattan jury’s verdict that found him guilty of falsifying business records should be overturned because the jurors saw evidence during trial that they now consider to be protected. Trump’s lawyers are seeking a delay in Trump’s sentencing so they can have more time to make their case. Trump’s sentencing is currently scheduled for July 11.
In the Supreme Court’s opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “The president is not above the law. But … the president may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers.”
After that decision came down, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social saying, “Big win for our Constitution and democracy. Proud to be an American.”
BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 1, 2024
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden decided the historic ruling warranted a primetime address. In it, he warned of what he called a “dangerous precedent.”
Biden calling the ruling a, “disservice to the people of this nation,” saying the decision means there are “virtually no limits on what a president can do.”
“This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America,” the president said. “Each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law, not even the President of the United States. [With] today’s Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, that fundamentally changed for all practical purposes.”
Biden repeated Justice Sonia Sotomayer’s dissent, saying the ruling makes the president “now a king above the law.”
In response, Trump posted that the primetime address was just meant to deflect from Biden’s “horrible campaign performance.”
Steve Bannon begins 4-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress
“I’m proud to go to prison,” he said in a press conference before turning himself over to authorities. “I am proud of going to prison today.”
The longtime Trump ally was convicted of contempt for defying a congressional subpoena from the committee that probed the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.
“If this is what it takes to stand up to tyranny, if that’s what it takes to stand up to the [Attorney General Merrick] Garland corrupt criminal DOJ, if this is what it takes to stand up to Nancy Pelosi, if this is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden, I’m proud to do it,” Bannon said. “I was on a destroyer for four years in the Navy. I am prepared for whatever prison has, right? Our prisons are run very well. The Bureau of Prisons does a great job. I’m prepared to do this, whatever task I do, I’m totally prepared mentally, physically, everything, for prison.”
In an interview Monday, former President Trump blamed President Biden for what he claims is a “weaponization” of the justice system, saying Biden is “going to pay a big price” for it. Trump’s campaign told ABC News Trump’s statement meant Biden will lose the election come November.
Iran, Syria, North Korea sued in connection with Oct. 7 Israel attack
More than 100 victims and families of victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel are suing Iran, Syria and North Korea. They said the countries provided the terrorist organization the money, weapons and instruction to carry out the deadly attack.
📢 BREAKING: ADL filed a federal lawsuit today against Iran, Syria and North Korea for providing material support to Hamas to commit atrocities in Israel on Oct 7, 2023. These state sponsors of terror must be held accountable. 🧵https://t.co/hfIcxLKyz5pic.twitter.com/CUdQWDhQJ5
The lawsuit, which was filed in a New York court, seeks at least $4 billion in damages for the attack. The suit was filed by the Anti-Defamation League — a Jewish advocacy organization — and is the largest case against foreign countries in connection with the attack.
This comes as the Israeli army ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from much of the southern Gaza city Khan Younis on Monday, July 1, signaling troops are likely to launch a new ground assault into the strip’s second-largest city.
The call to move toward the Al Mawasi Humanitarian Zone does not apply to the patients in the European Hospital or the medical staff working there.
There is no intention to evacuate the European Hospital in the Khan Yunis area. https://t.co/MditW1DJ9g
Hurricane Beryl now a Category 5 storm, heads for Jamaica
Hurricane Beryl is now a Category 5 storm. This is the earliest on record that a hurricane in the Atlantic has reached the highest category there is, with wind speeds above 160 miles per hour.
— NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (@NOAA_HurrHunter) July 1, 2024
It made landfall on the Caribbean’s Windward Islands on Monday as a Category 4 storm. Many are still without power or water and at least one death has been reported.
Beryl is only the second Category 5 Atlantic storm to be recorded in July.
Biden student loan repayment plan allowed to proceed
In a small victory for the Biden administration, a federal appeals court will allow the Department of Education to move forward with lowering millions of student loan borrowers’ monthly payments in July. The move comes as the administration faces two legal battles over the repayment plan known as SAVE, which launched in 2023.
A federal judge in Kansas issued an injunction blocking the plan from taking effect on July 1. The Department of Justice quickly appealed.
New: The 10th Circuit has GRANTED @usedgov's request to stay the Kansas court's decision to block parts of the SAVE plan. Unclear yet what this will look like for borrowers (ED placed 3M of them on forbearance last week in light of the rulings). pic.twitter.com/XO9EsoQgls
Under SAVE, many borrowers will pay only 5% of their discretionary income toward their debt every month, and anyone making $32,800 dollars or less will have no monthly payment.
On the other income-driven repayment plans, borrowers pay at least 10% of their discretionary income.
After twice breaking the U.S. record for under-18 runners at the Olympic trials, it was confirmed Monday, July 1, Wilson will be joining Team USA at the Paris summer games later this month.
Teenaged phenom Quincy Wilson, 16, is headed to Paris as part of the U.S. men's 4×400 Olympic relay squad, his coach confirmed on Monday.
He's the youngest American male track athlete to appear at an Olympics 👏
Wilson will be part of the team that runs the 4x400m relay, making him the youngest American male track athlete to appear at an Olympics. Wilson’s team will formally be announced next week.
Supreme Court to issue ruling on Trump’s immunity claim
The Supreme Court will deliver its long-awaited ruling on whether former President Donald Trump is immune from being prosecuted. And after his debate performance last week, President Joe Biden’s future as the Democratic nominee remains a topic of discussion within his party. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, July 1, 2024.
Supreme Court to issue ruling on Trump’s immunity claim
There will be a ruling on whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from criminal prosecution today, Monday, July 1. That is one of the opinions left as the Supreme Court wraps up its current term, extending its rulings into July.
Chief Justice John Roberts announced on Friday, June 28, the highly anticipated decision concerning the former president and all remaining opinions will come down starting at 10 a.m. EST Monday.
The court will decide if the former president is immune from being prosecuted in the federal election interference case where he’s accused of conspiring to obstruct the 2020 presidential election. Trump has argued he should be immune from any official acts taken while in office, saying future presidents would not be able to function without immunity.
Without Presidential Immunity, a President of the United States literally could not function! It should be a STRONG IMMUNITY, where proper decisions can be made, where our Country can be POWERFUL and THRIVE, and where Opponents cannot hold up and extort a Future President for… pic.twitter.com/QurlpNbBoK
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) June 30, 2024
A federal appeals court rejected Trump’s claim in February. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case a few weeks later. During arguments in April, the court focused in on deciding which acts are private and which are considered part of the role of president.
In a decision on Friday, the Supreme Court limited obstruction charges that have been brought against Jan. 6 rioters. Former President Trump is also charged with obstruction in this federal case.
The justices will also issue a ruling on when it comes to states passing laws to regulate how social media companies moderate content on their platforms.
Biden’s future as candidate being discussed after debate performance
The fallout from last week’s presidential debate continued to make headlines over the weekend, with President Joe Biden’s future as a candidate being questioned following his debate performance. NBC News released a report on Saturday, June 29, that said the Biden family would discuss the future of the president’s reelection campaign during a previously planned weekend family gathering at Camp David.
Biden’s campaign said the report was false, calling it “100% media-fabricated” and said Biden will be the Democratic nominee.
Biden advisers told CNN the president’s family at Camp David, including the first lady and son Hunter, encouraged him to stay in the race.
Those advisers said there were talks about whether the aides who helped prepare the president should be fired, after some Democrats blamed Biden’s performance on his prep for the event.
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said it was a case of “preparation overload” and the president should continue to run on his record.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., meanwhile, has admitted there are ongoing serious conversations in the party following the debate.
“I mean, this is what a real political party looks like, and this is what a real political party does,” Raskin told ABC News. “Obviously, there was a big problem with Joe Biden’s debate performance, and there is also just a tremendous reservoir of love for Joe Biden in our party. So, this makes it a difficult situation for everybody, but there are very honest and serious and rigorous conversations happening at every level of our party, because it is a political party, and we have differences in point of view.”
Raskin said whatever Biden decides, the Democratic party will be unified.
Biden himself has spoken out about his debate performance. At a rally in North Carolina on Friday, June 28, he said he doesn’t debate as well as he used to but knows how to get the job done. And then he told supporters during a campaign fundraiser in New Jersey over the weekend, “I understand the concern after the debate. I get it. I didn’t have a great night, but I’m going to be fighting harder.”
DOJ offers Boeing plea deal in connection with 2 deadly plane crashes
The Justice Department is giving Boeing the chance to avoid trial in connection with two 737 Max crashes that left a total of nearly 350 people dead. The DOJ has offered Boeing a deal that would include three years’ probation, a fine and a corporate monitor to ensure safety compliance in exchange for a guilty plea to criminal charges.
Families of the victims of two fatal Boeing crashes are tonight furious at the prospect of a "plea deal", between the U-S Justice Department and the aviation giant. #9Newspic.twitter.com/yYG6cPTdcM
The potential plea deal comes after repeated safety failures at Boeing that have resulted in multiple federal investigations. The DOJ said in June the safety failures were a breach of the terms of a 2021 agreement in which the company avoided criminal charges for two fatal crashes.
If Boeing agrees to plead guilty, a judge will have to sign off on the deal.
The lawyer who represents 15 families of those killed in the plane crashes called this a “sweetheart deal” and said they will object to it.
U.S. military bases in Europe on alert amid possible terror threat
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) July 1, 2024
According to the Army, Charlie “applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely.”
One U.S. Official told Fox News that intelligence points to an attack on U.S. bases over the next week or so.
Hurricane Beryl barrels through Caribbean
Hurricane Beryl is now a major Category 3 storm after it picked up power and speed on Sunday, June 30, over the Caribbean. It was previously a Category 4 hurricane, becoming the earlier Cat 4 in the Atlantic on record.
The storm is expected to make landfall in the Windward Islands Monday, July 1, morning. The hurricane’s eye is forecast to track just south of Barbados with 130 mph winds, bringing up to six inches of rain.
And while it’s too soon to know for sure — Beryl, or remnants of the storm, could reach southern Texas by the weekend, bringing heavy rain to the area.
Biles returned to competitive gymnastics last year after withdrawing from the team final and individual all-around at the 2020 Olympics. Biles said she was suffering from the “twisties” — a mental block that causes gymnasts to lose their body position — and taking an extended break to prioritize her mental health.
At 27 years old, the four-time Olympic gold medalist who’s also the most decorated gymnast ever, will be the oldest female American gymnast to compete at the Olympics in 72 years.
Supreme Court sides with Jan. 6 rioter on obstruction charge
On Friday, June 28, the Supreme Court limited obstruction charges the government brought against Jan. 6 rioters and former President Donald Trump. This case, like others in the high court, revolved around the meaning of individual words in a statute, in this case, it was the meaning of “otherwise.”
The justices were split largely ideologically. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion and was joined by Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Jackson. Justice Barrett wrote the dissent which Justices Sotomayor and Kagan joined.
Here’s the back story.
Joseph Fischer went into the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021 and, in his words, “pushed police back about 25 feet.” A grand jury returned a seven count indictment against him, which included allegations of assaulting a federal officer and entering a restricted area.
Count three charged him with violating the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 which imposes criminal liability on anyone who corruptly “alters, destroys, mutilates or conceals a record, document or other object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding.”
The law also applies to anyone who “otherwise obstructs, influences or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so.”
Fischer argued that the statute only applies to those who impacted the integrity or availability of evidence. The government countered that the law applies to all forms of obstructive conduct.
In the decision, the nation’s top juris doctor explained how the majority reached its conclusion with a line that could come straight from English textbook: “Resolving such a dispute requires us to determine how the residual clause is linked to its ‘surrounding words.’”
The justices ultimately concluded that to prove a defendant violated the statute, “the Government must establish that the defendant impaired the availability or integrity for use in an official proceeding of records, documents, objects or other things used in an official proceeding, or attempted to do so.”
“The Court does not dispute that Congress’s joint session qualifies as an ‘official proceeding’; that rioters delayed the proceeding; or even that Fischer’s alleged conduct was part of a successful effort to forcibly halt the certification of the election results,” Justice Barrett wrote in her dissent. “Given these premises, the case that Fischer can be tried for ‘obstructing, influencing or impeding an official proceeding’ seems open and shut. So why does the Court hold otherwise? Because it simply cannot believe that Congress meant what it said.”
Hundreds of other Jan. 6 rioters are charged with the same statute as Fischer, and so is former President Trump in the case brought forward by special counsel Jack Smith. This decision will make it more difficult for prosecutors to bring charges and secure a guilty verdict.
Supreme Court to deliver rulings on presidential power, abortion, social media
The Supreme Court is set to issue rulings on several high-profile cases. And the closed-door trial for a Wall Street Journal reporter begins in Russia. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Wednesday, June 26, 2024.
SCOTUS to deliver rulings on presidential power, abortion, social media
It’s decision time at the Supreme Court. Over the next three days, the high court is set to deliver rulings on 14 argued cases — including high-profile ones on subjects like presidential power, abortion care and social media.
As President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump prepare for the first presidential debate on Thursday, June 27, the court is poised to deliver a ruling on Trump’s claims of “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution. With Trump facing federal charges accusing of him of attempts to overturn the 2020 election, the court will decide if a former president can be prosecuted for “official acts” taken while in the White House.
During oral arguments in April, the justices seemed open to the idea of some immunity for presidents when conducting official acts, while questioning what exactly falls under that category.
The Supreme Court will also tackle the legality of a felony obstruction charge used by the Justice Department against 300 people who stormed the capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A former Pennsylvania police officer has challenged that charge — stemming from a law to prevent the destruction of evidence during financial crimes — which originated during the Enron accounting scandal.
The obstruction charge is one of four former President Trump faces in his federal election subversion case.
Then, for the first time since Roe v. Wade was overturned, the court will issue a ruling on state-level abortion restrictions. The question before the justices is whether doctors can perform abortions in medical emergencies despite a state’s strict near-total abortion ban.
The topic of social media is also on the docket. First, the Supreme Court will determine whether state laws restricting how social media platforms moderate content violate the First Amendment. In another case, the justices will decide whether the Biden administration violated the Constitution in its communication with social media companies to remove misinformation on COVID-19 and the 2020 election.
While the Supreme Court justices usually look to complete their work by the end of June, there is a possibility the opinions may continue to early July.
Wall Street Journal reporter’s espionage trial starts in Russia
The espionage trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is now underway in Russia behind closed doors. Gershkovich appeared in a courtroom the morning of Wednesday, June 26, inside a glass cage before the proceedings began.
Falsely accused WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich appeared in a Russian court as proceedings started in a secret trial that will offer him few legal protectionshttps://t.co/CnygQ1pxLJhttps://t.co/CnygQ1pxLJ
He is the first western journalist to be arrested on espionage in post-Soviet Russia.
Gershkovich was arrested while reporting for the Wall Street Journal in March 2023, just weeks before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, accused of spying for the CIA.
The U.S. government, Wall Street Journal and Gershkovich himself all deny the allegations. The State Department has declared him “wrongfully detained.”
His trial is expected to last months. If convicted, Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange free after guilty plea
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his home country of Australia on Wednesday, June 26, a free man. He was released from U.S. custody after pleading guilty to violating espionage law.
— Free Assange – #FreeAssange (@FreeAssangeNews) June 26, 2024
As part of the deal with the Justice Department, Assange will get no more prison time since he already spent the last five years in a London prison fighting extradition to the U.S.
He had originally been facing 18 criminal charges relating to WikiLeaks’ release of sensitive information into the public domain, but only had to plead guilty to one charge as part of the agreement.
Judge partially lifts Trump gag order from New York criminal trial
The judge in former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal case has partially lifted a gag order put in place during the trial.
For the entire trial, Trump was barred from talking about potential witnesses, jurors, or court staff and their families. Now, the former president is allowed to comment publicly about witnesses and jurors.
The judge also left a separate order in place prohibiting Trump and his lawyers from disclosing the identities of jurors or their addresses.
In May, Trump became the first president to be convicted of a felony when the jury found him guilty of 34 felony counts of falsified business records. He’s set to be sentenced July 11.
House committee to vote on holding Biden’s ghostwriter in contempt
The House Judiciary Committee plans to vote on a measure to hold President Biden’s ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, in contempt of Congress. The vote stems from Zwonitzer refusing to hand over documents and other materials tied to his work on the president’s memoirs.
The vote is set for Thursday morning, just hours before Biden and Trump’s debate.
The resolution to hold Zwonitzer in contempt is expected to advance on party lines.
The White House on Tuesday called the vote an attempt “to harass and intimidate a private citizen.”
Results for New York, Colorado, Utah primary elections
Results are in for several states that held primary elections on Tuesday, June 25. In the most expensive congressional primary in history, incumbent Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman lost to George Latimer in New York’s 16th district.
While this race garnered a lot of headlines, tomorrow we turn a new page. We must come together, united to defend our Democratic values from MAGA extremism.
Bowman became the first member of the progressive group in the House known as “the squad” to lose in the primaries this year. During the race, a pro-Israeli lobbying group spent nearly $15 million in efforts to stop Bowman, who had been critical of Israel’s operations in Gaza.
In Colorado, after switching districts, Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert won the House primary in the state’s 4th district. Boebert has previously received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
And in Utah, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, won the GOP primary to fill Mitt Romney’s open Senate seat. Curtis is favored to win in November since Utah has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1970.
Toys ‘R’ Us uses OpenAI’s Sora to create brand film
Toys”R”Us is known for the slogan “I don’t want to grow up,” but now the toy brand is growing with the times. It used AI to make its latest promotional video.
The retail toy company used OpenAI’s text to video tool called Sora to create the video.
Toys”R”Us released the video at an advertising event in France, saying it is the first ever brand film created by the technology. While Sora is not yet publicly available, the toy chain partnered with an agency that is an early tester of the AI model.
Trump visits Republicans on Capitol Hill, says he wants to eliminate taxes on tips
Former President Donald Trump visited Capitol Hill Thursday, June 13, to meet with House and Senate Republicans in two separate meetings. Lawmakers inside the room told Straight Arrow News that Trump discussed his 2024 campaign strategy and policy.
“We have great unity, we have great common sense, a lot of very smart people in this room and a lot of people that love our country,” Trump said after his meeting with senators.
Lawmakers were quick to talk about the former president’s new idea to end taxes on tips.
“Just remove all taxes on tips is basically what he said,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said. “You don’t need a bunch of Harvard lawyers and accountants in there to tell me to do that.”
The former president also spoke about foreign policy. According to one representative, Trump said he wants to end support for foreign wars, specifically Ukraine, and increase financial support for members of the U.S. military.
“Trump reflected on the fact that it is a travesty in our country that you’ve got troops who are on food stamps, who are not even getting minimum wage when you look at the hours that they’re putting in, and he lamented the fact that we’re sending $60 billion to Ukraine and we’re not paying our troops more,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said. “So President Trump was explicitly a critic of the Ukraine aid and a supporter of the increases in pay for American troops.”
On border security, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said Republicans would make another attempt to get HR 2 signed into law. That bill is the Republicans’ border security bill which they passed in the House but could not move any further. The bill would limit the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to grant immigrant parole and restart border wall construction. However, it also included other measures that critics called harsh.
“We’ve already passed HR 2, our border security plan,” Greene said. “President Trump supports it. I think that would be something that he would get passed literally in his first few days of office.”
Amidst the tight security, there were two small groups of Trump supporters and very loud protesters. Many of the protesters were Palestinian and shouted that the lawmakers were racist Zionists as they left the meeting.
This was Trump’s first time back to the Capitol since the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Some Democrats criticized his appearance.
“Today, the instigator of an insurrection is returning to the scene of the crime,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told Politico. “January 6th was a crime against the Capitol, that saw Nazi and Confederate flags flying under the dome that Lincoln built. It was a crime against the Constitution and its peaceful transfer of power, in a desperate attempt to cling to power.”
Multiple reporters from foreign outlets asked lawmakers if they too think Trump was returning to the scene of a crime.
“No, it’s not a crime scene man,” Burchett said. “If you think some guy with horns is going to take over our country, ma’am, you need to go back to whatever news source you’re from.”
Republicans also said Trump will be holding at least 100 tele-town halls for members this election season as the GOP attempts to keep its House majority and win a majority in the Senate.
As travel season heats up, one security measure is missing: air marshals
The busy spring break travel period is underway. Millions of Americans are expected to take to the skies, potentially leading to traffic, long lines, crowds and maybe even an unruly passenger.
Unruly passenger incidents peaked in 2021 with nearly 6,000 cases, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and the numbers have decreased since then. The U.S. Air Marshal Service is in charge of handling those unruly passengers — or at least, that’s supposed to be the case.
There have been over 300 incidents already documented so far in 2024. During one incident in February, a man had to be subdued mid-flight when he tried opening the plane’s emergency door on a flight from Albuquerque to Chicago, according to witnesses. However, it wasn’t an air marshal who brought him down. Passengers and crew members wrestled with the man, duct taped his legs and threw flex cuffs on him.
“We always travel in teams,” Sonya LaBosco, the executive director of the Air Marshal National Council said. “So, we’re going to always have teams. What we would have done is subdue that individual very quickly.”
LaBosco said air marshals are not flying on domestic flights right now. The Biden administration has sent many air marshals to the U.S. southern border to help with administrative work.
“I have to tell you, it’s quite alarming and disgraceful that we’ve left the American people alone in the skies for this type of deployment,” LaBosco said.
“They are still on the border,” LaBosco said. “They are still doing non-law enforcement support personnel only duties on the border. And we’re still following the National Capital Region individuals that were in the area for Jan. 6, 2021.”
LaBosco claims air marshals are handing out water bottles and picking up Uber Eats orders at the border.
“You name it, we’re a jack of all trades down there,” LaBosco said. “Anything that you would have someone do that’s a support personnel, that’s picking up supplies, walking around. They may walk around and make sure a gate is secure somewhere or check a box for a delivery, like if someone came in and out and made a delivery to the border patrol station.”
According to LaBosco, air marshals’ only law enforcement duties while in flight currently consist of “Quiet Skies” missions.
“We are on flights today, following individuals that were in the National Capital Region on Jan. 6, nothing has changed, and that program is still active and going,” LaBosco said.
And who are they following? According to LaBosco, they’re following people who flew into Washington, D.C., around the time of Jan. 6, 2021 — even if those people had nothing to do with the Capitol riots or have never been convicted of a crime.
“It’s random people to include children, teenagers, the elderly, paraplegics,” LaBosco said. “Anyone that you can imagine that you see on a regular basis traveling in the airport, that’s who we’re following. We haven’t come up with one bad guy yet. We haven’t come up with one case where someone was trying to take over an aircraft. All those cases were without air marshals on board right. These flight incidents and these rage incidents that you’re seeing, you don’t see any intervention from any law enforcement on any of those planes.”
Since there’s no law enforcement to help intervene on flights, if there’s an emergency, what happens if there’s an unruly passenger situation?
According to LaBosco, if people are traveling with a group, talk to each other before boarding the plane and come up with a plan in case something happens on board the aircraft. Be aware of the surroundings and locate all the exits on board.
”Make sure you hit your call button if you see something suspicious,” LaBosco said. “Give the flight crew an opportunity. You know they’re safety professionals. They’re there to do a lot more than just serve drinks.”
If it’s necessary to take someone down, try to communicate with other passengers, and get them to help restrain an unruly person.
“There’s a lot of things they have in the aircraft to try to you subdue someone,” LaBosco said. “And don’t be afraid to do it quickly because you can’t make any mistakes at 35,000 feet because there’s too much at risk.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, recently introduced the No FAMs at the Border Act, a bill that would put air marshals back in the skies. LaBosco said she supports the measure because air marshals are needed on planes to keep Americans safe.
“That was a very scary flight,” LaBosco said. “But air marshals should be on those flights. We would have been on that flight, that’s a flight we normally would have been on, but because we’re at the border or following Jan. 6 people, we’re not doing any of our regular duties.”
“Contrary to recent media reports, federal air marshals continue to deploy on flights throughout the world protecting travelers based on TSA’s risk-based methodology,” a spokesperson said. “Federal air marshals provide mission critical security throughout the transportation domain to maintain the security of the homeland. Temporary deployments to the southwest border have not affected TSA’s aviation security operations.”
Court tosses part of Jan. 6 sentence, could impact 100 defendants’ prison time
More than a hundred people convicted on charges related to Jan. 6 could have their sentences changed after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit tossed a portion of retired Air Force Lt. Col. Larry R. Brock Jr.’s sentence. Brock appealed his felony conviction of obstructing the work of Congress.
While the panel of three Democratic appointees upheld the conviction, they ruled Brock should not have faced a stiffer sentence related to the obstruction charge.
“Brock’s interference with one stage of the electoral college vote-counting process — while no doubt endangering our democratic processes and temporarily derailing Congress’s constitutional work — did not interfere with the ‘administration of justice,’” the ruling stated.
According to Edward Ungvarsky, a defense attorney involved in several Jan. 6 cases, more than a hundred other Jan. 6 convicts had their sentences shaped by this “sentencing enhancement,” which increases the amount of prison time that a judge can hand down. The attorney said those Jan. 6 prisoners with the same charge can now ask to be resentenced.
While the appeals court’s ruling could change the sentences of more than a hundred defendants, another appeal that the U.S. Supreme Court will consider on April 16 could change more than 1,300 cases for Jan. 6 detainees.
The high court will decide whether the crime of obstructing an official proceeding includes blocking Congress from certifying the 2020 election results. It is the same charge Brock challenged that resulted in the appeals court potentially changing how other defendants are sentenced.
The appeals court ruling could impact prior cases and future ones as the Justice Department continues to make high-profile arrests of people who were inside the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Approximately 785 people have already been sentenced and around 750 have pleaded guilty to federal charges. This ruling could impact future plea deals, as the sentencing enhancement is no longer added to a defendant’s potential prison term.
New Jan. 6 video shows lawmakers clearing hall just before rioters appear
Three years after the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, new videos are still emerging. Security camera footage from Punchbowl News shows just how close rioters were to lawmakers during the breach of the Capitol building.
House Democrats in safety hoods can be seen frantically storming out of the third-floor gallery of the Capitol, guided to safety by a U.S. Capitol police officer. Thirty seconds later, three rioters rush the same hallway, narrowly missing an encounter with the lawmakers.
Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., one of the members who escaped, had access to the security video for over a year. According to Punchbowl News, Kuster chose not to release it for security reasons and due to the Jan. 6 Committee’s jurisdiction. However, after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson released all of the Jan. 6 footage, Kuster believed it was time the video was seen.
The new footage came just before a speech from President Joe Biden on Friday, Jan. 5, where he outlined what he believes is at stake in the next election.
“Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time. And it’s what the 2024 election is all about,” Biden said.
Administration officials say the address will serve as a “dire warning” about the threat Biden believes former President Donald Trump poses to American democracy.
Trump will also hold a campaign event this week. He will appear in Iowa Friday, over a week ahead of the state’s leadoff Republican caucuses on Jan. 15.
The former president has downplayed the attack on the Capitol, saying he will pardon those convicted of crimes during the riots if he wins another term.
Hundreds of individuals have already been convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack. The convictions include members of far-right extremist groups, former police officers, an Olympic gold medalist and active-duty U.S. Marines.
Washington, D.C.’s federal courthouse remains flooded with cases from the riots. There are guilty plea hearings and sentencings still pending. The ongoing saga represents the largest criminal investigation in American history, and the hunt for suspects continues to this day.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves went over the latest criminal prosecutions and the ongoing search for suspects Thursday during a press conference on the riots.
“With nearly 900 people convicted to date of crimes committed on Jan. 6, 2021, we are at a point in our prosecutions where thousands of photographs, videos and communications have been accepted by courts,” Graves said. “The public’s help is still needed though. More than 80 people are wanted and unidentified for acts of violence at the Capitol.”
Hundreds of individuals already charged in the riots await a Supreme Court decision which will determine if charges of obstruction of an official proceeding include disrupting the certification of the 2020 election, as it relates to rioters storming the Capitol chambers.
The Supreme Court could overturn the charges, including the charge against Trump.
Around 300 people are charged with “obstruction of an official proceeding” related to Jan. 6, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
During a rally in Coralville, Iowa, on Wednesday, Trump railed against the charges by U.S. special counsel Jack Smith and his push to get the matter to the Supreme Court, saying it was politically motivated. The former president also implied immunity.
“And now they’re fighting like hell because they want to try and get a guilty plea from the Supreme Court of the United States, which I can’t imagine, because you have presidential immunity, but strange things happen,” Trump said. “But they want to get that because that’s the only way they’re going to win the election.”
At least two defendants in the Jan. 6 case had their sentences delayed as they await a decision by the Supreme Court. More revelations on Thursday also suggest the scope of the assault on officers at the Capitol may have been greater than previously thought.
According to CNN, the DOJ believes the number of officers injured during the Capitol riots is larger than the 140 reported.
Graves said it is “likely the largest single-day, mass assault of law enforcement officers in our nation’s history.”
“The 140 numbers undercount the number of officers who were physically injured, let alone those who have suffered trauma as a result of the day’s events,” Graves said.
Dozens of people believed to have assaulted law enforcement on Jan. 6 have yet to be identified, according to Graves. The U.S. attorney said the statute of limitations is five years, meaning anyone who assaulted an officer would have to prosecuted by Jan. 6, 2026.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Biden will hold his speech on Saturday, Jan. 6. The correct date is Friday, Jan. 5. The video and written article have been updated to reflect this correction. SAN regrets the error.
Meadows cooperates with feds in election interference case, Trump reacts
Former chief of staff to former President Donald Trump, Mark Meadows, struck a deal with special counsel Jack Smith in Trump’s 2020 federal election interference case. Meadows received immunity to testify before a grand jury, according to ABC News.
Smith is building a case against Trump for allegedly trying to overturn and “spread lies” about the 2020 election.
According to the report, Meadows told investigators that Trump’s rhetoric concerning the 2020 election was “dishonest” to the American people. Investigators questioned Meadows on conversations he apparently had with Trump concerning election results.
Meadows allegedly informed Smith’s investigators that he indeed did not believe the 2020 election had been stolen, and told Trump in the weeks after the election that there was no proof of widespread fraud.
Since November 2020, Trump repeatedly said the presidential election was “stolen,” and has never conceded publicly.
“I think one of our great achievements will be election security because nobody, until I came along, had any idea how corrupt our elections were,” Trump said during a rally on Jan. 6, 2021. “And again, most people would stand there at nine in the evening and say, ‘I want to thank you very much,’ and they go off to some other life, but I said, ‘Something’s wrong here. Something’s really wrong. Can’t have happened.’ And we fight. We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country any more.”
Trump’s supporters then stormed the U.S. Capitol hoping to prevent the certification of the election.
About a year after Trump left the Oval Office, Meadows published a book titled “The Chief’s Chief,” in which he claimed the election was stolen and rigged with help from “allies in the liberal media.”
Meadows’ testimony seemingly contradicts what he wrote in his book. However, according to the ABC News report, Meadows told Smith’s investigators that “he doesn’t actually believe some of the statements in his book.”
Trump has responded to the claim that Meadows is cooperating with federal prosecutors.
“I don’t think Mark Meadows would lie about the rigged and stolen 2020 presidential election for getting immunity against prosecution,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. “Some people would make that deal, but they are weaklings and cowards.”
Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case and filed three motions this week to dismiss the case. Trump claims the charges against him violate his right to freedom of speech under the First Amendment, saying “the government may not prohibit core political speech on matters of public concern, regardless of its supposed truth or falsity.”
In another post on Truth Social, Trump claims Meadows never told him that allegations of significant election fraud were baseless, and that Meadows certainly didn’t say it in his book, either.
Meadows is now the fourth Trump ally to turn against him. Other former Trump attorneys, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis and Kenneth Chesebro, have each taken plea deals in Trump’s Georgia election fraud case, as the former president is also facing similar charges in conspiring to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.