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 1316: "The alternative is untenable."
Today in one sentence: Special counsel Jack Smith charged Trump in a superseding indictment in the case involving an alleged conspiracy to obstruct the results of the 2020 election; Democrats sued the Georgia State Election Board over new election rules that could lead to post-election “chaos” in the state in November; Trump added conspiracy theorists Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to his presidential transition team as co-chairs; and more than 200 Republicans who worked for both Bush presidents, Mitt Romney, and John McCain signed a letter endorsing Kamala Harris for president.
1/ Special counsel Jack Smith charged Trump in a superseding indictment in the case involving an alleged conspiracy to obstruct the results of the 2020 election. The superseding indictment retains the four charges against Trump from Smith’s original indictment, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, but recalibrated the case to adjust to the Supreme Court’s ruling that presidents enjoy sweeping immunity from prosecution for their official conduct. “Today, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a superseding indictment, ECF No. 226, charging the defendant with the same criminal offenses that were charged in the original indictment,” the Justice Department said. “The superseding indictment, which was presented to a new grand jury that had not previously heard evidence in this case, reflects the Government’s efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court’s holdings and remand instructions.” There’s no chance the case will be tried before November’s election – and if Trump wins, he’s expected to pressure his appointees at the Justice Department to drop the case. (ABC News / Washington Post / CNN / Politico / NBC News / New York Times / Bloomberg / Associated Press / NPR)
2/ Democrats sued the Georgia State Election Board over new election rules that could lead to post-election “chaos” in the state in November. The lawsuit, filed in Georgia state court by the Democratic National Committee, the Georgia Democratic Party, and Democratic members of several county election boards, argues that the rules give local election officials a broad license to “hunt for purported election irregularities of any kind, potentially delaying certification and displacing longstanding (and court-supervised) processes for addressing fraud.” The state election board voted 3-2 to pass rules that give election officials authority to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying election results, and requires that county election officials be given “all election related documentation” before certification. “At minimum, these novel requirements introduce substantial uncertainty in the post-election process and – if interpreted as their drafters have suggested – invite chaos by establishing new processes at odds with existing statutory duties,” the lawsuit argues. (New York Times / CNN / USA Today / WABE / NBC News)
3/ Trump added conspiracy theorists Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to his presidential transition team as co-chairs. Gabbard and Kennedy, both onetime Democratic presidential candidates, both endorsed Trump within the last week and are joining the transition team to “you know, and to help pick the people who will be running the government.” Kennedy is best known for his anti-vaccine and public health skepticism, pledges to not “take sides” on the 9/11 attacks, launching an independent campaign for president after discovering a dead worm in his brain, and confessing to leaving a dead bear cub in Central Park in 2014 because he thought it would be “amusing.” Gabbard’s past, meanwhile, includes skepticism that the Syrian government used chemical weapons during its civil war, defending Russia in its war against Ukraine, promoted transphobia, and spread Russian propaganda. (New York Times / The New Republic / Axios / Politico / Washington Post / CNN / Bloomberg)
4/ More than 200 Republicans who worked for both Bush presidents, Mitt Romney, and John McCain signed a letter endorsing Kamala Harris for president. In their letter, the former staff members “jointly declare that we’re voting for Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz this November,” and called on moderate Republicans and conservative independents in swing states who voted for Biden in 2020 to vote for Harris in November. “Of course, we have plenty of honest, ideological disagreements with Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz. That’s to be expected,” they wrote. “The alternative, however, is simply untenable.” (USA Today / NBC News / New York Times / ABC News / Associated Press)
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📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.
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⛔️ Sept. 2: Labor Day – No WTFJHT.
📺 Sept. 4: Proposed Fox News presidential debate.
🗳️ Sept. 6: First state begins mail voting.
📺 Sept. 10: Confirmed ABC News presidential debate.
🗳️ Sept. 16: First state starts early voting.
⚖️ Sept. 18: Trump is sentenced.
📺 Sept. 25: Proposed NBC News presidential debate.
📺 Oct. 1: CBS News vice presidential debate.
📆 Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote in some states.
⛔️ Oct. 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day – No WTFJHT.
🗳️ Nov. 5: Election Day. - ✅ Get election ready: Register to vote, update your address, or request an absentee ballot at Vote.org, TurboVote.org, RocktheVote.org, or VoteFromAbroad.org.
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📈 The WTFJHT Election Poll Tracking Tracker ™️
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Harris 49% – Trump 46% (New York Times)
Harris 47% – Trump 44% (538)
Harris 49% – Trump 45% (Nate Silver)
Harris 48% – Trump 45% (The Economist)
Harris 48% – Trump 47% (RealClearPolitics)
Harris 50% – Trump 48% (Election Betting Odds) -
🔮 Election Forecast Tracker
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Harris wins 59 times out of 100. Trump wins 41 times out of 100. (538)
Harris wins 52 times out of 100. Trump wins 48 times out of 100. (Nate Silver)
Harris wins 50 times out of 100. Trump wins 50 times out of 100. (The Economist)
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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