Trump asks for election interference case immunity and Shohei Otani bomb threat: Morning Rundown
Why Donald Trump is getting luckier than hundreds of his supporters. An ex-Nickelodeon producer apologizes for his behavior on the set of popular kids' TV shows. And what it’s like in a Louisiana city where 90% of the population has left.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump’s Jan. 6 trial delay tactics are working — but not for his supporters
Former President Donald Trump’s delay strategy seems to be paying off when it comes to the four federal charges against him relating to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The case has been on pause since December. Yesterday, his legal team asked the Supreme Court for “absolute immunity” in his effort to overturn the 2020 election results that resulted in the riot, and justices will hear oral arguments on those claims next month. At this pace, it’s possible this case won’t make it to trial before the November election. And if Trump is re-elected, there’s a possibility he’ll never face a federal trial.
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His supporters, however, aren’t able to make the same arguments to delay their cases. So far, 950 people have been convicted of crimes related to Jan. 6, and hundreds of more cases continue to make their way through the courts. Many defendants have pointed out the stark contrast between how Capitol attack cases have upended their lives and how the charges against Trump have played out.
On the same day that Trump made a court appearance to enter a not guilty plea in the Jan. 6 case, the FBI arrested a riot suspect in Texas. Trump had made an agreement with the special counsel’s office to appear in court rather than be arrested. In contrast, the Texas suspect was held in pretrial custody for months, after a judge ordered him detained over alarming social media messages.
Appeals court takes on Texas immigration law again
A federal appeals court ordered a controversial Texas immigration law to be put on hold late last night, hours after the Supreme Court ruled that the measure known as SB 4 could be enforced. This morning, the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments on the issue. SB 4 would allow police to arrest migrants who illegally cross the border from Mexico and impose criminal penalties. Under the law, state judges could also order people to be deported to Mexico.
The appeals court appeared to be taking the hint from the Supreme Court, which, in rejecting an emergency application filed by the Biden administration, put the onus on the appeals court to act quickly.
Federal interest rate likely won’t change this time around
The Federal Reserve will announce today whether it will change the key federal interest rate, which economists predict will remain at about 5.5% — a rate that has been in place since July, but perhaps for not much longer. With the general election looming and the Federal Reserve not wanting to be seen as influencing any outcome, economists predict an interest-rate cut could be implemented by June.
With the help of a higher interest rate, the Fed hopes inflation will fall to about 2%. The Consumer Price Index is currently stalled at about 3%, largely because of housing costs, but many analysts say that cost is starting to come down. For months, the question facing the Fed is whether it can keep pressure on price growth by leaving interest rates higher without sparking a recession.
Trump-backed candidate prevails in high-stakes Ohio Senate primary
Bernie Moreno, a former car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur, won Ohio’s Republican Senate nomination, capping an often hostile primary that underscored the high stakes of November’s general election. Moreno is vying for the seat held by three-term Sen. Sherrod Brown, one of two Democratic incumbents up for re-election in states that Trump twice won by wide margins. An endorsement from Trump — and a last-minute visit from the former president at a rally over the weekend — set Moreno apart from his competitors, Sen. Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, as the race took a nasty tenor in its final stretch.
More coverage of the 2024 election:
See full results in the Ohio Senate primary. And even though President Joe Biden and Trump are officially nominees, see results for presidential primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio.
Two types of voters could determine whether Biden or Trump wins the presidential race in November: the “aspirationalists” and the “transactionalists,” as NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd labels them in this week’s column. Read the full analysis here.
A Republican state senator in Michigan eviscerated Trump’s voter fraud claims just a few years ago. He explains why he’s now endorsing Trump for another term in the White House.
The Environmental Defense Fund will oppose Trump and aims to spend $20 million to support other candidates instead.
Ex-Nickelodeon producer apologizes after docuseries
Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider has spoken out after the premiere of “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” a docuseries that featured several actors and former child stars who alleged abuse, inappropriate behavior and a toxic work environment while appearing on shows produced by Schneider. Schneider apologized for his behavior and the on-set atmosphere of the preteen- and teen-focused shows he produced in the 2000s and 2010s, which included “All That,” “The Amanda Show,” “Drake and Josh” and “iCarly.”
“Facing my past behaviors — some of which are embarrassing and that I regret — and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” he said during a video conversation with actor Bobbie K. Bowman that was uploaded to Schneider’s YouTube channel. Here’s what else he said.
In in the docuseries, actor Drake Bell, who starred in the show “Drake and Josh,” came forward with accusations against dialogue coach Brian Peck. After the release, a former Nickelodeon star appeared to mock Bell during a livestream on TikTok, and then later apologized.
Cuban president accuses U.S. of fueling protests
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel lashed out at the U.S. in a rare interview, calling the American government “interventionist,” as protests have broken out in different parts of the island over food and water shortages. Earlier this week, the Cuban government accused the U.S. of firing up the protesters, a claim that the State Department called “absurd.”
“The most absurd thing is that they have applied a criminal blockade against us for more than 65 years,” Díaz-Canel said, referring to the ongoing economic sanctions against Cuba after the 1959 revolution. He also claimed that the protests this week were relatively peaceful but made to look like “serious events” by the U.S.
Díaz-Canel’s comments to NBC News during Havana’s International Informatics Fair come as Cuban people take to the streets after enduring long power cuts in some parts of the country, rising inflation and shortages of food and medicine. Watch the full interview here.
Politics in Brief
Israel-Hamas war: Who’s behind the pro-Palestinian protests that are disrupting Biden’s campaign events? Despite some accusations, public records show no direct financial ties to any U.S.-designated terrorist groups.
RNC staffing: Conservative activist Scott Presler, who has a large online following and has helped spread a wide range of conspiracies, will not be getting a job with the Republican National Committee.
Navarro surrenders: Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro, who was convicted of contempt of Congress, turned himself in to begin a four-month sentence. But first, he held a press conference in a nearby strip mall parking lot.
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Staff Pick: A town where 90% of the population has left
When you look at a map, Cameron, Louisiana, looks dangerously close to toppling into the ocean. The town has been slammed by a series of four powerful hurricanes in the last decade, and the population has dwindled by 90%. We know now that hurricanes are getting stronger much faster because of climate change. And as the world continues to warm, communities like Cameron are disappearing. Reporting from Cameron, we found a dying town coping with locals' grief shaped by losing their homes. — Nidhi Sharma, NBC Climate Unit, and Lauren Wilson, “Stay Tuned”
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