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12:30 REPORT
It’s Friday! And happy White House Correspondents’ Association dinner weekend to all who celebrate!!
- The ex-publisher of the National Enquirer is testifying again today in former President Trump’s hush money trial.
- The Supreme Court seems likely to delay Trump’s federal election interference trial. But that doesn’t mean they buy his immunity argument.
- A case in Idaho is reigniting the abortion debate.
- President Biden held an interview with Howard Stern this morning.
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@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
💰 Trump's Criminal Trial
Another day spent in a Manhattan courtroom:
Former President Trump reported for another day of his New York hush money trial this morning.
His demeanor: He walked in, complained to reporters about the “freezing” courthouse, walked more quickly than usual to his seat at the defense table, according to The Hill’s Ella Lee, and chatted with his lawyers. He also wished his wife, former first lady Melania Trump, a happy birthday. “It would be nice to be with her, but I’m at a courthouse for a rigged trial,” Trump told reporters.
Testifying today: David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher, is testifying again. Pecker has divulged that he entered agreements with Trump and his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen to bury negative stories about Trump during the 2016 campaign.
🗨️ Follow The Hill’s live blog for updates from the courtroom
➤ FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP’S SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK TRIAL SPLITSCREEN DAY:
1. “A good day for Trump at the Supreme Court”
2. “Time — and delay — are Trump’s friends”
3. “But Trump’s legal team made some startling claims”
4. “In New York, a clash with Trump rallies.”
5. “An unusual warmth toward a damaging witness.”
Context and details for each from The Hill’s Niall Stanage
➤ PROSECUTORS ARE SENDING A SIGNAL TO TRUMP AND HIS ALLIES ABOUT CONSPIRACY THEORIES:
The New York Times’s Danny Hakim and Richard Fausset write that as more Trump allies face election interference charges, prosecutors are “sending a warning” to Trump and his supporters if they spread conspiracy theories: “disrupting elections can bear a heavy legal cost.”
🏛️The Supreme Court
Any delay is a win for Trump:
The Supreme Court seemed skeptical about former President Trump’s immunity claims during Thursday’s oral arguments but could still help him avoid a messy trial before the November election.
What prosecutors are hoping will happen: Special counsel Jack Smith is hoping the Supreme Court will quickly dismiss Trump’s claims that he is immune from prosecution as the former president.
What seems more likely: The court didn’t seem to buy Trump’s claim of total presidential immunity but could delay the trial for further review. If Trump then wins the election, his Justice Department would almost certainly drop the charges.
What happened during Thursday’s oral arguments?: The justices repeatedly asked Trump’s lawyers to answer hypothetical situations of whether the president has immunity. Some examples:
- Chief Justice John Roberts asked whether a president would be immune from prosecution for accepting a bribe for appointing someone as an ambassador.
- Justice Elena Kagan asked whether a president could be prosecuted for selling nuclear secrets.
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked whether assassinating a political rival would quality for presidential immunity.
^ How Trump’s team reacted to those hypotheticals: Trump’s lawyer said most of those hypotheticals *would* qualify for presidential immunity. 👀
➤ FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
In an interview with NBC News’s Kristen Welker, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) argued that presidents should *not* be immune from criminal prosecution. (The Hill)
Another round of the abortion debate:
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the 2022 ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, has reignited the abortion debate in an Idaho case.
The Idaho question: Whether a federal law to require emergency medical care trumps states’ abortion bans. So, if a patient is in need of emergency medical treatment in a state where abortion is banned, what does the hospital do if that treatment involves an abortion?
Alito’s argument: Alito seems to endorse the idea that a fetus would be entitled to the same “stabilizing treatment” as the pregnant person.
Read more from The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel: ‘Alito reignites fetal rights debate in Idaho abortion case’
➤ MORE READS ON THIS ABORTION CASE:
'Takeaways from the Supreme Court’s oral arguments over emergency abortions': CNN
'Supreme Court Appears Sharply Divided in Emergency Abortion Case': The New York Times
'In its latest abortion case the Supreme Court seems to back Idaho: The Economist
➤ MEANWHILE, IN ARKANSAS:
The Washington Post’s Hannah Knowles writes about “the long-odds push to undo an abortion ban in ruby red Arkansas.”
The gist: “After winning campaigns in both red and blue states, abortion rights activists are facing a test of the limits of their success in what is sometimes ranked as the most ‘pro-life state in America.’” (The Washington Post)
📱 On The Campaign Trail
Republicans’ secret booby trap for Biden:
The TikTok ban passed with bipartisan support earlier this week, but Democrats are bracing for backlash from young voters, reports The Hill’s Alexander Bolton.
How so?: Biden won 60 percent of voters 18 to 29 years old in 2020, but younger voters also support and use TikTok much more than older voters. Biden is taking a political hit for signing that bill into law, even though the ban won’t go into effect until after the election (assuming the courts don’t overturn the ban.)
Read more: ‘GOP’s inclusion of TikTok ban is secret weapon against Biden’
TIDBIT:
President Biden made an unscheduled stop at the Sirius XM radio studio in New York this morning to tape an interview with Howard Stern, per the White House pool report.
All I can think of is the viral clip of JoJo Siwa saying in a raspy voice, “dream guest on my podcast?!”
ANOTHER TIDBIT:
Axios reports that President Biden has changed the way he walks to and from Marine One. Aides now surround him to “draw less attention to the 81-year-old's halting and stiff gait.”
Kristi Noem did what now?!:
The Guardian obtained a copy of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R) new book, where she describes killing her own 14-month-old dog.
“She includes her story about the ill-fated Cricket, she says, to illustrate her willingness, in politics as well as in South Dakota life, to do anything ‘difficult, messy and ugly’ if it simply needs to be done.” Read the story about Cricket the puppy
Keep in mind: Noem’s name is often floated as a potential vice president for former President Trump.
🐝 Internet Buzz
🥨 Celebrate: Today is National Pretzel Day!
🪩American is offering a Taylor Swift class: Washingtonian’s Egan Ward reports that American University is offering a class on the economics of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
🗓 On The Agenda
The House and Senate are out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C., this afternoon.
- Noon: Biden left New York and is returning to Washington, D.C.
- April 30: The Senate returns. 📆 Tuesday’s agenda
👋 And Finally…
To leave you in a good mood, here’s a dog with very selective hearing.
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