Day 1205: "Problems, clearly."
1/ A Georgia court agreed to hear Trump’s appeal of a decision allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue the election interference case involving Trump and others. The decision makes it unlikely that the case will go to trial before the November election. In March, Judge Scott McAfee declined to remove Willis following revelations that she was engaged in a romantic relationship with a member of her legal team. McAfee ruled that Willis could keep the case if Nathan Wade resign, which he did a few hours later. Nevertheless, nearly six weeks later the Georgia Court of Appeals “granted” a request for appeal and ordered Trump and his co-defendants to file a “notice of appeal” within 10 days. (Washington Post / NPR / Associated Press / NBC News / New York Times / Axios / CNBC / Politico / ABC News)
2/ Biden championed Microsoft’s $3.3 billion investment to build a new artificial intelligence center in Wisconsin as evidence of a “historic boom” in U.S. manufacturing. The facility is located on the same site where, in 2018, Trump touted a $10 billion Foxconn facility that promised to create 13,000 jobs. Although Trump promised to build the “eighth wonder of the world,” Foxconn later downsized its plans for the factory, which has created just over 1,000 jobs so far. “My predecessor made promises, which he broke more than kept,” Biden said, adding: He promised a $10 billion investment by Foxconn. He came with your senator, Ron Johnson, with a golden shovel and didn’t build a damn thing. They dug a hole with those golden shovels and then they fell into it.” Microsoft’s investment is expected to create 2,000 permanent jobs and 2,300 temporary union construction jobs, as well as develop a program to train residents for data center and other technical careers. (Washington Post / NBC News / The Verge / Associated Press / Bloomberg / CNN / Politico)
3/ A Los Angeles man launched an independent campaign for president after discovering a dead worm in his brain. Before his run for president, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had experienced short- and long-term memory loss, described himself as having “cognitive problems, clearly,” promoted vaccine conspiracy theories, and argued against public health measures enacted during the coronavirus pandemic. Neurologists initially believed the dark spots on Kennedy Jr.’s brain were a tumor, but shortly before a scheduled surgery he received a call from another doctor who believed the mass “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.” Doctors ultimately determined that the spot was the remains of a dead parasite of unknown species. Kennedy Jr. has since challenged both Biden and Trump to a debate in order to prove his “mental and physical fitness” for office. (New York Times / Washington Post)