Day 840: "Absolutely no idea."
Today in one sentence: A jury unanimously found Trump liable for the sexual abuse, battery, and defamation of E. Jean Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages; a judge barred Trump from publicly posting evidence and other material related to the pending criminal hush money case; the Senate Judiciary Committee asked Republican megadonor Harlan Crow to provide an accounting of the free travel and gifts he gave to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; Biden met with Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders for the first time since February to discuss raising the debt ceiling; and between 34% and 38% of Americans say they have a "great deal" or "fair amount" of confidence in Biden, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Congress to do the right thing for the economy.
1/ A jury unanimously found Trump liable for the sexual abuse, battery, and defamation of E. Jean Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages. The jury, however, didn’t find Trump liable for rape, as Carroll had alleged. In New York, sexual abuse is defined as subjecting a person to sexual contact without consent while rape is defined as sexual intercourse without consent. Carroll had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, which Trump denied, calling her a liar. Carroll later sued Trump for battery and defamation. Since it was a civil case – not criminal – Trump has not been convicted of any crime and faces no prison time. Trump called the verdict a “disgrace,” adding: “I have absolutely no idea who this woman is.” It is the first time a former president has been found civilly liable for sexual misconduct. (New York Times / NBC News / Associated Press / CNBC / Bloomberg / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)
2/ A judge barred Trump from publicly posting evidence and other material related to the pending criminal hush money case. Judge Juan Merchan also barred Trump from reviewing evidence in the case other than in the presence of his lawyers and “shall not be permitted to copy, photograph, transcribe, or otherwise independently possess the Limited Dissemination Materials.” Prosecutors had argued that the “risk” of Trump using the material “inappropriately is substantial.” (CNBC / NBC News)
3/ The Senate Judiciary Committee asked Republican megadonor Harlan Crow to provide an accounting of the free travel and gifts he gave to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The committee also asked Crow to provide a list of real estate transactions, transportation, lodging, and more he might have provided. The Senate Finance Committee is seeking similar information from Crow, who declined to answer questions. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden accused Crow of “stonewalling,” saying he would “explore using other tools at the committee’s disposal to obtain this critical information.” (Washington Post / Politico / NBC News / CNN / New York Times / The Hill / Bloomberg)
4/ Biden met with Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders for the first time since February to discuss raising the debt ceiling. The Treasury Department has warned that the government will default on its obligations for the first time in history as soon as June 1 unless Congress raises the borrowing limit. McCarthy said he “didn’t see any new movement” after the meeting, while Mitch McConnell blamed the White House for rejecting the Republican’s proposal to cut spending in exchange for lifting the debt limit. Democrats and the White House have maintained that they want the debt limit and spending deals to be handled separately. There are seven days when the House and Senate are in session and Biden is in town between now and the June 1 default deadline. (Washington Post / NPR / NBC News / New York Times / Bloomberg)
poll/ Between 34% and 38% of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in Biden, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Congress to do the right thing for the economy. (Gallup)
poll/ 66% of adults say the abortion drug mifepristone should remain on the market, while 24% say it should be taken off the market. (Washington Post)
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