Special prosecutor Jack Smithhas continued his subpoena salvo as he investigates Donald Trump, this time with a summons to Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state who famously defied Trump’s attempts to meddle in the state’s 2020 election result. Elsewhere, the supreme court agreed to hear another case against Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, which remains on hold, while we’ll find out tomorrow about a reported breakthrough in fusion energy.

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Here’s more about what happened today:

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• A federal judge has officially nixed the special master’s review of documents taken from Mar-a-Lago, which slowed down the investigation into whether Donald Trump unlawfully retained government secrets.

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• The January 6 committee is continuing to mull how many criminal referrals to send to the justice department as a result of its investigation.

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• The White House condemnedrightwing lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene after she made comments asserting her prowess at organizing insurrections. The congresswoman said she was just being sarcastic.

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• Legislation to stop another January 6may end up being attached to a big funding bill Congress is trying to reach an agreement on.

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• Black Lives Matter has set up its own student loan relief fund to make up for the Biden administration’s hamstrung program.

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Jack Smith, the special prosecutor handling the criminal probes of Donald Trump, has sent a subpoena to the secretary of state in Georgia, one of the states the former president targeted in his effort to overturn the result of the 2020 election, the Associated Press reports.

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Smith has sent a number of subpoenas to officials nationwide since attorney general Merrick Garland last month appointed him to oversee the justice department’s investigations into the January 6 insurrection and Trump’s attempts to remain in power, as well as the discovery of government secrets at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

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The latest subpoena was sent to Brad Raffensperger, the Republican official tasked with overseeing Georgia’s elections who defied Trump’s demand to “find” him the votes necessary to win the state in the 2020 election, even after it had been held.

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Here’s more on what Smith wants, from the AP:

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The special counsel is seeking “any and all communications in any form” between June 1, 2020, and Jan. 20, 2021, “to, from or involving” Trump, his campaign, lawyers and aides, including former campaign officials such as Bill Stepien and Justin Clark and lawyers John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn, L. Lin Wood, Sidney Powell and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, according to the subpoena, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

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Efforts by Trump and his associates to reverse his loss in Georgia are currently the subject of a separate investigation led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Atlanta. A special grand jury seated to aid that investigation has heard from dozens of witnesses, including a number of high-profile Trump allies, over the past six months and is expected to wrap up its work soon.

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Among other things, Willis is investigating the Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Raffensperger.

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It was not immediately clear whether any counties in Georgia had also received subpoenas from the special counsel.

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In the weeks following the 2020 election, Trump focused in part on Fulton County, which includes most of the city of Atlanta, making unsupported allegations of election fraud. But the county had not received a subpoena by Monday morning, a spokesperson said.

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Rightwing lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene has released a statement defending her comments on the January 6 insurrection as a “sarcastic joke” and saying Democrats and the White House “continue to accuse me of something I had nothing to do with”.

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“The White House needs to learn how sarcasm works. My comments were making fun of Joe Biden and the Democrats, who have continuously made me a political target since January 6th,” Greene said.

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The Republican House representative from Georgia sparked fury over the weekend by saying that if she and former Donald Trump White House adviser Steven Bannon had been in charge of the attack on the Capitol, the crowd would have won, and attendees “would’ve been armed”. Greene said the condemnation that followed, including from a spokesman for the Biden administration, put her at risk.

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“Every day, I receive violent threats against my life simply because Democrats and the media have lied and smeared my character for the past two years. This includes threats resulting in actual arrests with criminal charges and threats against my home in an attempt to have me killed,” Greene said.

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She went on to reiterate a number of the far-right conspiracies theories that have been her hallmark ever since arriving in Congress last year. Here’s the rest of Greene’s statement:

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The only time Democrats “support” the 2A is when armed Antifa larpers want to defend perverts at drag queen story time or when leftist Hollywood celebs and politicians are protected by armed bodyguards.

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Rather than trying to weaponize a sarcastic joke I made, they should be going after people like Yoel Roth who silenced a sitting President and allowed child pornography to run rampant on Twitter.

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I will never back down from my support of the Second Amendment. And I will never allow the White House, Democrats, or the media to continue to accuse me of something I had nothing to do with.

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The supreme court has agreed to hear a second challenge to Joe Biden’s plan to relieve some federal student loan debt, which remains on hold. Meanwhile, the science world is preparing for tomorrow’s big announcement from the energy department, which is reportedly the success of an experiment that produced more energy from a fusion reaction than was put in.

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Here’s what else has happened so far today:

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• A federal judge has officially nixed the special master’s review of documents taken from Mar-a-Lago, which slowed down the investigation into whether Donald Trump unlawfully retained government secrets.

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• The January 6 committee is continuing to mull how many criminal referrals to send to the justice department as a result of its investigation.

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• The White House condemnedrightwing lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene after she made comments asserting her prowess at organizing insurrections.

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The supreme court has agreed to take up a second challenge to Joe Biden’s plan to cancel as much as $20,000 in federal student loans, Bloomberg reports:

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NEW: Supreme Court expands review of Biden student-loan relief plan, will also hear case involving two borrowers who say they were unfairly excluded from full scope of program. Argument set for late Feb or early March. pic.twitter.com/Gd2OjKFC8t

— Greg Stohr (@GregStohr) December 12, 2022

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Announced in August, the plan has been on hold after Republicans in six states sued, saying the White House had exceeded its authority. The supreme court has also agreed to hear that case, likely sometime between late February and early March.

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A federal judge has formally ended Donald Trump’s effort to have a court-appointed official review documents taken by the FBI from Mar-a-Lago, which had slowed progress of the investigation into whether he illegally held on to government secrets after leaving the White House, Bloomberg reports:

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And now it's 100% official: Judge Aileen Cannon has dismissed Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago special master case, following the 11th Circuit's ruling that she lacked jurisdiction to do all of this.

Previously: https://t.co/cNd2MgyEfe

And: https://t.co/hT34UZLxwdpic.twitter.com/sYHyBz9K7B

— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) December 12, 2022

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The ruling by Judge Aileen Cannon, who had originally granted the former president’s request to appoint a special master in the case, came after an appeals court ruled she never should have made that decision.

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The end of the special master review came after Trump’s legal team decided not to appeal the matter to the supreme court, where the former president has been on a losing streak lately. Trump had requested the appointment of a special master after federal agents searched his south Florida property in August, arguing a review was necessary to keep prosecutors from using documents covered by executive or attorney-client privilege in their investigation. Critics claimed the special master process only served to frustrate the federal inquiry into whether the former president unlawfully took secret materials with him after leaving the White House last year.

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Good morning, US politics readers. The price of gasoline and other energy sources are always a liability for American presidents, and Joe Biden is no exception. But what if those no longer mattered? That’s the promise from a breakthrough in fusion power made by American scientists, who managed to get more energy out of a reaction than they put in, the Financial Times reported over the weekend. The government hasn’t announced the experiment’s results yet and it will probably be years, if not decades, for fusion to become a major part of the electrical grid. Nonetheless, the breakthrough will likely be welcome news for a White House keen to tout its dedication to promoting carbon-free energy sources.

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Here’s what else is going on today:

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• Congress is up against a Friday deadline to fund the government or risk a shutdown, one of a host of year-end legislative priorities the Democratic majority is trying to get through before Republicans take the House next year.

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• Biden’s lone public event will be a visit to a Marine Corps Toys for Tots event at a military base just across the river from Washington held at 12:40 pm eastern time.

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• White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will be joined by national security adviser Jake Sullivan at her briefing today, at 3 pm eastern time.

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Closing abstract

Particular prosecutor Jack Smith has continued his subpoena salvo as he investigates Donald Trump, this time with a summons to Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state who famously defied Trump’s makes an attempt to meddle within the state’s 2020 election end result. Elsewhere, the supreme court docket agreed to listen to one other case in opposition to Joe Biden’s pupil mortgage forgiveness plan, which stays on maintain, whereas we’ll discover out tomorrow a few reported breakthrough in fusion power.

Right here’s extra about what occurred at present:

• A federal decide has formally nixed the particular grasp’s assessment of paperwork taken from Mar-a-Lago, which slowed down the investigation into whether or not Donald Trump unlawfully retained authorities secrets and techniques.

• The January 6 committee is continuous to mull what number of felony referrals to ship to the justice division because of its investigation.

• The White Home condemnedrightwing lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene after she made feedback asserting her prowess at organizing insurrections. The congresswoman mentioned she was simply being sarcastic.

• Laws to cease one other January 6 could find yourself being connected to an enormous funding invoice Congress is attempting to achieve an settlement on.

• Black Lives Matter has arrange its personal pupil mortgage reduction fund to make up for the Biden administration’s hamstrung program.

With the Biden administration’s pupil mortgage forgiveness plan stalled in court docket, the Associated Press reports that the Black Lives Matter basis has began its personal debt reduction effort.

The $500,000 program administered by the Black Lives Matter International Community Basis is geared toward present and former Black college students, and can award greater than 500 recipients with funds of between $750 and $4,500. The applying for the reduction could be discovered here.

Right here’s extra on this system from the AP:

The BLM basis’s Scholar Solidarity Fund is an enlargement of a earlier initiative it began final 12 months as hundreds of thousands of Individuals struggled to make ends meet amid financial uncertainty within the coronavirus pandemic. This time the inspiration mentioned it intends to make use of philanthropic {dollars} to attract consideration to problems with financial injustice, particularly whereas a proposed federal pupil debt forgiveness plan is held up by litigation from opponents.

“The very fact of the matter is that Black individuals who work to get an schooling are struggling proper now,” BLM basis board chair Cicley Homosexual mentioned. “We acknowledge that we are able to’t construct a world of true liberation with out the brilliance of Black people who find themselves dedicated to furthering their schooling.”

The reduction is supposed for bachelor’s diploma recipients, in addition to those that didn’t full their diploma however nonetheless carry pupil mortgage debt. Candidates should have attended a university or college within the U.S. The inspiration is asking candidates to submit mortgage paperwork to show their eligibility.

If chosen, candidates with $75,000 or much less in debt will obtain $1,500. Candidates with debt between $75,001 and $150,000 will obtain $3,000. And candidates with $150,001 or extra in debt will obtain $4,500.

The cash shouldn’t be restricted to be used solely on pupil mortgage funds, however the basis mentioned its reduction funds are supposed to decrease recipients’ total debt burden.

In a second section of the fund, the BLM basis mentioned it can give microgrants of $750 to reduction fund candidates who’re at present attending traditionally Black schools and universities, to assist with housing, meals, expertise, books and transportation prices.

There are various, many items of unfinished enterprise lawmakers in Congress wish to get accomplished earlier than the 12 months ends. One among them is a invoice to cease the kind of authorized plot Donald Trump tried on January 6.

Its destiny now seems tied to a long-term authorities funding invoice Democrats are hoping to move, NBC News reports.

The measure clarifying elements of the 1887 Electoral Rely Act seems to have the assist wanted to move each the Home and Senate. Democrats assist the proposal and Mitch McConnell, the highest Republican within the Senate, mentioned he’d vote for it, a very good signal that it’ll get the GOP assist vital to beat a filibuster in that chamber.

However amid fevered negotiations within the Home and Senate on passing a long-term authorities funding invoice, it’s unclear when the electoral rely reform proposal will come up for a vote.

Based on NBC, Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic senator who performed a serious function in forging the compromise laws, says attaching the electoral rely act reforms to the omnibus funding invoice beneath negotiation is “the obvious” manner of getting it handed.

“We’ll get this accomplished by the tip of the 12 months if I’ve to gradual every little thing else down,” Klobuchar advised NBC, including, “It’s going to occur.”

Trump particular prosecutor subpoenas Georgia secretary of state

Jack Smith, the particular prosecutor dealing with the felony probes of Donald Trump, has despatched a subpoena to the secretary of state in Georgia, one of many states the previous president focused in his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, the Associated Press reports.

Smith has despatched various subpoenas to officers nationwide since legal professional normal Merrick Garland final month appointed him to supervise the justice division’s investigations into the January 6 rebellion and Trump’s makes an attempt to stay in energy, in addition to the invention of presidency secrets and techniques at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

The most recent subpoena was despatched to Brad Raffensperger, the Republican official tasked with overseeing Georgia’s elections who defied Trump’s demand to “discover” him the votes essential to win the state within the 2020 election, even after it had been held.

Right here’s extra on what Smith needs, from the AP:

The particular counsel is looking for “any and all communications in any type” between June 1, 2020, and Jan. 20, 2021, “to, from or involving” Trump, his marketing campaign, legal professionals and aides, together with former marketing campaign officers similar to Invoice Stepien and Justin Clark and legal professionals John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn, L. Lin Wooden, Sidney Powell and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, in accordance with the subpoena, which was obtained by The Related Press.

Efforts by Trump and his associates to reverse his loss in Georgia are at present the topic of a separate investigation led by Fulton County District Legal professional Fani Willis in Atlanta. A particular grand jury seated to assist that investigation has heard from dozens of witnesses, together with various high-profile Trump allies, over the previous six months and is anticipated to wrap up its work quickly.

Amongst different issues, Willis is investigating the Jan. 2, 2021, cellphone name between Trump and Raffensperger.

It was not instantly clear whether or not any counties in Georgia had additionally obtained subpoenas from the particular counsel.

Within the weeks following the 2020 election, Trump centered partially on Fulton County, which incorporates many of the metropolis of Atlanta, making unsupported allegations of election fraud. However the county had not obtained a subpoena by Monday morning, a spokesperson mentioned.

Final publicly owned Accomplice monument comes down in Richmond

The Hill reports that the final publicly owned Accomplice monument in Richmond, Virginia, has come down on Monday.

The transfer completes a course of initiated in 2020 within the state’s capital metropolis to take down statues glorifying the slave states of the Confederacy.

It adds: “Staff working cranes lifted up a statue of A.P. Hill — a Accomplice normal within the Northern Virginia military who was a trusted affiliate of Gen. Robert E. Lee — and positioned it on a flatbed truck.

The statue will now head to the Black Historical past Museum and Cultural Heart of Virginia. Hill’s memorial had towered over a busy intersection within the metropolis close to a faculty for greater than 130 years.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia applauded the statue’s elimination.

“Let’s not overlook: Eradicating symbols of racism is simply one of many first steps to dismantling racist methods,” the organization tweeted.”

Greene says January 6 remarks a ‘sarcastic joke’

Rightwing lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene has launched a press release defending her feedback on the January 6 rebellion as a “sarcastic joke” and saying Democrats and the White Home “proceed to accuse me of one thing I had nothing to do with”.

“The White Home must find out how sarcasm works. My feedback have been making enjoyable of Joe Biden and the Democrats, who’ve constantly made me a political goal since January sixth,” Greene mentioned.

The Republican Home consultant from Georgia sparked fury over the weekend by saying that if she and former Donald Trump White Home adviser Steven Bannon had been answerable for the assault on the Capitol, the group would have gained, and attendees “would’ve been armed”. Greene mentioned the condemnation that adopted, together with from a spokesman for the Biden administration, put her in danger.

“Day by day, I obtain violent threats in opposition to my life just because Democrats and the media have lied and smeared my character for the previous two years. This contains threats leading to precise arrests with felony prices and threats in opposition to my dwelling in an try and have me killed,” Greene mentioned.

She went on to reiterate various the far-right conspiracies theories which were her hallmark ever since arriving in Congress final 12 months. Right here’s the remainder of Greene’s assertion:

The one time Democrats “assist” the 2A is when armed Antifa larpers wish to defend perverts at drag queen story time or when leftist Hollywood celebs and politicians are protected by armed bodyguards.

Fairly than attempting to weaponize a sarcastic joke I made, they need to be going after folks like Yoel Roth who silenced a sitting President and allowed youngster pornography to run rampant on Twitter.

I’ll by no means again down from my assist of the Second Modification. And I’ll by no means permit the White Home, Democrats, or the media to proceed to accuse me of one thing I had nothing to do with.

Tim Scott to run for Republican nomination in 2024?

With Donald Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign firmly on the ropes only a month after his announcement, a complete host of different Republican names are actually being talked about as contenders for the get together nomination.

Maybe none are as fascinating as Tim Scott, a Black Republican senator from South Carolina. Scott is a agency conservative, near Trump but in addition admired by many different sections of the get together, particularly because it digests its woeful underperformance within the current midterm elections.

Politico takes an in-depth look here.

However here’s a key taster:

“His Republican colleagues are buzzing about his huge reelection victory this 12 months, rising nationwide profile, substantial fundraising hauls and cross-country travels for different candidates. And so they’re completely satisfied to speak him up.

The South Carolinian carved out a novel lane within the GOP, popular with mainstream leaders like Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell however by no means publicly at odds with Trump world, even when he’s supplied halted criticism of the previous president. And because the solely Black Republican senator, he’d supply his get together a compelling probability to construct on its long-running effort to spice up numerous candidate recruitment by additional interesting to Democratic-leaning constituencies.”

New polling released by CNN within the wake of the midterms exhibits Individuals stay as divided as ever relating to their views of the nation’s management.

The ballot performed by SSRS finds 51% of respondents say they’ve extra confidence within the new Republican majority within the Home, in opposition to the 49% which can be extra devoted to Joe Biden. Nevertheless, they anticipate the brand new GOP majority to enhance the federal price range scenario by an 11-point margin, in accordance with the ballot.

Splits are deeper relating to different points, the survey signifies:

Individuals are extra intently divided on the impact the GOP majority may have on inflation (37% optimistic, 33% detrimental), gun insurance policies (39% optimistic, 41% detrimental) and tax insurance policies (34% optimistic, 38% detrimental). And so they are inclined to anticipate a dangerous affect on immigration legal guidelines (32% optimistic, 41% detrimental) and the extent of cooperation inside the federal authorities (23% optimistic, 43% detrimental).

Individuals are usually downbeat when it come to each events’ leaders, though they do are inclined to assist members of their very own crew:

Whereas 53% of US adults maintain an unfavorable opinion of outgoing Speaker of the Home Nancy Pelosi and simply 33% have a positive one, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents categorical optimistic views by a roughly 3 to 1 margin (63% favorable, 20% unfavorable). Far fewer Individuals have shaped an opinion of incoming Home Democratic Chief Hakeem Jeffries (64% have both not heard of him or have but to type an opinion), however Democratic-aligned views are usually optimistic (33% favorable, 5% unfavorable amongst Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents). Views of Home Republican chief Kevin McCarthy, who’s vying to change into speaker, tilt detrimental among the many full public, 36% unfavorable to 19% favorable, with practically half uncertain how they really feel about him. Amongst Republicans and Republican leaners, there’s been a shift towards the optimistic since this summer time: 39% now have a positive view and 16% unfavorable, in contrast with 19% favorable and 28% unfavorable in CNN’s polling this summer time.

Each events wish to accuse the opposite of being excessive, and the survey signifies the sentiment is widespread among the many public – although the GOP is considered as extra excessive total:

Half of Individuals at present say the GOP’s views and insurance policies are too excessive, fairly than usually mainstream, whereas 44% name the Democratic Get together too excessive – each numbers are little modified since final summer time.

The day thus far

The supreme court docket has agreed to listen to a second problem to Joe Biden’s plan to alleviate some federal pupil mortgage debt, which stays on maintain. In the meantime, the science world is getting ready for tomorrow’s large announcement from the power division, which is reportedly the success of an experiment that produced extra power from a fusion response than was put in.

Right here’s what else has occurred thus far at present:

• A federal decide has formally nixed the particular grasp’s assessment of paperwork taken from Mar-a-Lago, which slowed down the investigation into whether or not Donald Trump unlawfully retained authorities secrets and techniques.

• The January 6 committee is continuous to mull what number of felony referrals to ship to the justice division because of its investigation.

• The White Home condemnedrightwing lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene after she made feedback asserting her prowess at organizing insurrections.

The US authorities’s commerce regulator is weighing whether or not to OK the merger of two of the nation’s largest grocery store chains, at the same time as staff fret it may result in mass layoffs, Michael Sainato experiences:

Hundreds of staff at two of America’s greatest supermarkets are warning of potential mass layoffs as the large companies push for a merger.

Kroger, the second largest grocery chain within the US, and Albertsons, the fourth largest, are pushing for a merger by means of the Federal Commerce Fee, which is reviewing the proposal.

Native unions representing over 100,000 Albertsons and Kroger staff strongly oppose the merger due to its seemingly affect on competitors, costs for customers, and job cuts that may end result as scores of shops are divested.

Throughout US Senate panel hearings, Kroger’s chief govt, Rodney McMullen, claimed no staff could be laid off, however mentioned the corporate deliberate to put 100 to 350 shops right into a spin-off firm. Albertsons announced it could pay shareholders about $4bn in particular dividends as a part of the merger settlement, and spend $24.6bn to amass Kroger, with expectations to shut the deal by early 2024 if accepted by federal regulators.

“A win for our prospects, a win for our associates, and a win for the communities,” McMullen has said in assist of the merger. McMullen’s wage of $18m in complete compensation is 679 times that of the median employee at Kroger.

However many grocery staff who witnessed the 2014 and 2015 merger between Albertsons and Safeway noticed comparable guarantees made after which damaged by company executives.

Joe Biden is beneath stress from media organizations and others to drop the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Eric Lichtblau experiences:

The Biden administration has been saying all the best issues these days about respecting a free and vigorous press, after 4 years of relentless media-bashing and authorized assaults beneath Donald Trump.

The legal professional normal, Merrick Garland, has even put in place expanded protections for journalists this fall, saying that “a free and impartial press is important to the functioning of our democracy”.

However the greatest check of Biden’s dedication stays imprisoned in a jail cell in London, the place WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been held since 2019 whereas going through prosecution in america beneath the Espionage Act, a century-old statute that has by no means been used earlier than for publishing categorised data.