On today’s episode of the 5 Things podcast: Donald Trump’s push to block Georgia investigation into 2020 election rejected by judge
Donald Trump’s push to block a Georgia investigation into the 2020 election was rejected by a judge. Plus, USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers on Democrats linking the GOP push to impeach Biden to Trump indictments, what a witness said about President Joe Biden greeting Hunter Biden’s associates, small Ukraine gains come at a high cost, and USA TODAY Politics Reporter Rachel Looker on what we know about the latest talks to fund the government. Also, Angus Cloud, best known for his ‘Euphoria’ role as Fezco, dies at 25.
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Dana Taylor:
Good morning. I’m Dana Taylor and this is 5 Things you need to know for Tuesday, August 1st, 2023. Donald Trump’s push to block a Georgia investigation was rejected by a judge, a witness claims that Joe Biden greeted Hunter Biden’s associates and clients on the phone, and in Ukraine, Russia savages Zelenskyy’s hometown.
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A judge in Georgia rejected former President Donald Trump’s push to block an investigation over his alleged efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results, according to a nine-page ruling filed Monday. Trump’s legal team filed a motion in March to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from investigating or prosecuting Trump. They also sought to quash a report from a special grand jury that investigated him in the case and block any state prosecuting agency from using evidence gathered by the jury. Judge Robert McBurney wrote that Trump couldn’t mount such a challenge. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has called for FBI security as Atlanta braces for possible indictments. The request comes after former President Trump singled out prosecutors and encouraged protests during a recent rally.
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GOP leaders are tying a push to impeach President Biden to former President Trump’s indictments. Here to help me dig into the politics of this is White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers. Francesca, thanks for joining me.
Francesca Chambers:
Thank you so much.
Dana Taylor:
So what’s the evidence that GOP leaders are trying to tie a possible Biden impeachment with Trump’s indictments?
Francesca Chambers:
So Democratic allies of President Joe Biden are pointing to social media posts that Donald Trump has made saying that he thinks that Biden should be impeached to show a connection between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy saying that what Biden is being charged with by the GOP is rising to the level of an impeachment inquiry. Now, House Republicans haven’t said that they are going to impeach President Biden yet, but they are looking for evidence. One thing that they point to is an FBI form that is redacted that was released publicly. Now, this form is based on uncorroborated evidence and it’s from a confidential source. So they’re currently trying to find additional evidence before they move forward.
Dana Taylor:
And what’s the likelihood that Trump wins the Republican nomination and we see a rematch between Biden and Trump in the general election?
Francesca Chambers:
Well right now, which I would note is six months before the first contest will be held, he is more than 30 points ahead of the other GOP competitors. And so when you look at that polling, there is this rising sense among not just Republicans, but Democrats also, that it could end up being a rematch in 2024.
Dana Taylor:
And what’s the basis for their inquiry and what kinds of things will they be looking for?
Francesca Chambers:
Republicans are tying it back to that FBI document that has been released but the witness itself is confidential. That’s something that we do not know, and the information is uncorroberated. Democrats are pushing back and noting that the Department of Justice under Donald Trump’s presidency investigated and looked into this and then decided not to pursue. It was also a Trump-appointed US attorney who looked into this as well under the previous Justice Department.
Dana Taylor:
And if the Republican-led House is able to get the votes to impeach President Biden, will that give them the political leverage they’re looking for in the general election?
Francesca Chambers:
Well, even Republicans who are supportive of the idea of an impeachment inquiry to President Joe Biden aren’t yet saying that he should be impeached. They’re drawing a line between opening an inquiry in which they say would give them an opportunity and more tools to investigate, and the actual vote for impeachment. The other thing is it would have to go through the Senate for him to be convicted. Notably, Donald Trump (was) impeached twice by the House of Representatives but acquitted both times in the US Senate.
Dana Taylor:
Francesca, thanks so much for hopping on the show.
Francesca Chambers:
Thank you so much for having me.
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Dana Taylor:
Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former business associate, told lawmakers during testimony on Monday that Hunter Biden put President Joe Biden on the phone with clients before his father was elected to the White House. But Archer still argued that Joe Biden wasn’t involved in their financial dealings despite the contacts. Republicans have alleged for months that Joe Biden knew about his son’s business dealings and was engaged in influence-pedaling with his family while he served as vice president. It’s an allegation that the White House has denied. Devon Archer’s testimony also came after Hunter Biden’s decision to plead not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges in court last week. He was originally expected to plead guilty under an agreement made with federal prosecutors which Republicans claimed was a sweetheart deal. Devon Archer was convicted in 2018 for his role in a scheme surrounding the fraudulent issuance and sale of more than $60 million in Tribal bonds. He was sentenced to a year and a day in prison last year.
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Rescue workers were scrambling through rubble searching for survivors Monday after Russian missiles slammed into the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At least six people were killed, authorities said. The attack came a day after three Ukrainian drones damaged buildings in Moscow, prompting Zelenskyy to say it was inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair to bring the war to Russian territory. Local authorities said at least 75 people were injured, including five children in the attack on Kryvyi Rih. A nine-story apartment building and a four-story building at a university were severely damaged in the city of more than 600,000 people, authorities said. Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram, “The murdering country will be held accountable before the court for what it has done. We will not forgive.” Tuesday was declared a day of mourning for the city.
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When Congress returns from its August recess it will have about three weeks to pass about a dozen bills to fund the government, how likely is a shutdown and what can realistically pass in both chambers? For more on this story, I’m joined by Politics Reporter Rachel Looker. Rachel, thanks for joining me.
Rachel Looker:
Thank you for having me.
Dana Taylor:
So what do we know about the latest talks to get these funding bills passed?
Rachel Looker:
Sure. So the House and the Senate last week left for their six-week summer recess. And when they return in the middle of September they’re going to have roughly about three weeks until the September 30th deadline to pass a federal budget. So before they left for their recess, they did pass one out of 12 spending bills in the House. So when they return, they’ll have 11 more spending bills that they will have to get through, or the government could face another shutdown.
Dana Taylor:
And how likely is it that lawmakers just agree to pass a continuation resolution?
Rachel Looker:
So that is one option if lawmakers cannot come to a deal before the September 30th deadline, a continuing resolution would keep funding at or close to the current levels and it would buy lawmakers more time at the negotiating table. However, Republicans are saying that a continuing resolution would extend the Democratic policies from last year’s spending bill which is not in their interest and it’s uncertain whether a continuing resolution would even pass in the first place. A lot of lawmakers haven’t really discussed the idea thoroughly.
Dana Taylor:
So Rachel, what are the big sticking points?
Rachel Looker:
So members of the House Freedom Caucus, which is a group of conservative lawmakers in the House, have been demanding deeper cuts from GOP leadership in the House. So specifically after the debt ceiling negotiations between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden from a few months ago, a lot of these hard-line conservatives feel like they were left out of these conversations. So they’re really looking for some deeper spending cuts with these 12 spending bills coming up in the fall. Another sticking point for House Republicans is their insistence for leadership to vote on the 12 separate spending bills that fund the government as opposed to one large omnibus spending bill, which would include all of them. House Freedom Caucus members are saying that they would rather vote on these 12 separate bills as opposed to the omnibus.
Dana Taylor:
So what do people listening now need to know?
Rachel Looker:
I think it’s important to remember that in the Senate which will also have to move forward with these spending bills, several senators from both sides of the aisle say they don’t think that a government shutdown is likely. We are seeing some more bipartisanship in the Senate, which could get some more spending bills through before that September 30th deadline.
Dana Taylor:
Rachel, thanks so much for joining me.
Rachel Looker:
Thank you for having me.
Dana Taylor:
And before we go, actor Angus Cloud, best known for his role as Fezco on the TV drama Euphoria, has died. He was 25.
Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us seven mornings a week on your favorite podcast platform. If you like the show, please subscribe, leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Any comments, you can reach us at podcasts@usatoday.com. Catch up on all the news you need to know throughout the day at usatoday.com. I’m Dana Taylor filling in for Taylor Wilson and I’m back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.