A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily by Matt Kiser and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
Day 967: "Step up."
Today in one sentence: Inflation accelerated for a second consecutive month; a federal judge denied Mark Meadows’ request to pause court proceedings in Fulton County while he appeals the ruling; a federal judge refused to give Trump permission to discuss classified documents at Mar-a-Lago; Trump privately discussed impeaching Biden with House Republicans; Mitt Romney will not seek re-election, saying it's time for a “new generation of leaders” beyond Trump and Biden; and 66% of voters support maximum age limits for president, members of Congress (68%), and Supreme Court justices (67%).
1/ Inflation accelerated for a second consecutive month – the fastest pace in more than a year – due to a jump in gasoline prices, which accounted for more than half of the increase. Consumer prices rose 0.6% in August from the prior month – the most since inflation peaked at a four-decade high in June 2022 – and up 3.7% from a year earlier. Although prices climbed at a faster monthly pace than expected, the report keeps Federal Reserve officials on track to hold interest rates steady next week after raising rates to a 22-year high in July. The Fed has two more meetings this year – in early November and mid-December – and their decision on whether to lift rates higher will depend on whether price increases continue to slow in coming months. (Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / New York Times / USA Today / CNBC / ABC News / NBC News / Politico)
2/ A federal judge denied Mark Meadows’ request to pause court proceedings in Fulton County while he appeals the ruling. Last week, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones rejected Meadows’ request to move his case to federal court. Meadows “has not shown he is entitled to an emergency stay,” Jones ruled, adding: “Meadows’s contentions that he would be irreparably harmed by the possibility of facing trial next month are insufficient to carry his burden on the emergency stay requested.” Meadows, meanwhile, appealed the decision to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which granted him an expedited review. (CNBC / CNN / ABC News / Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
3/ A federal judge refused to give Trump permission to discuss classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, where he’s already mishandled classified documents. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, however, didn’t specify where the secure facility for reviewing sensitive records for Trump’s trial will be. Trump’s lawyers argued that requiring him to travel to talk about classified information would impose a heavy burden, given the complex logistics and security involved as both a former president and 2024 candidate. Prosecutors, however, told Cannon that Trump was seeking “special treatment that no other criminal defendant would receive.” (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / CNBC / Bloomberg)
4/ Trump privately discussed impeaching Biden with House Republicans. Trump has been briefed weekly by Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking House Republican, on the impeachment strategy, as well as regularly talked with members of the House Freedom Caucus and other Republicans who’ve pushed for the inquiry. Two nights before Kevin McCarthy announced the impeachment inquiry, Trump had dinner with Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has introduced articles of impeachment against Biden. (New York Times / Politico)
5/ Mitt Romney will not seek re-election, saying it’s time for a “new generation of leaders” beyond Trump and Biden. Romney, 76, noted that he would be in his mid-80s by the end of another term and that it’s time for a new generation to “step up” and “shape the world they’re going to live in.” Romney is the only Republican to vote to convict Trump in both of his impeachment trials. (Washington Post / New York Times / NPR / CNN / Bloomberg)
poll/ 66% of voters support maximum age limits for president, members of Congress (68%), and Supreme Court justices (67%). (Associated Press)
A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily by Matt Kiser and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
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