Wednesday, March 13, 2024

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1/ A Georgia judge threw out six charges in the Georgia election meddling case against Trump and his allies. The decision by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee marks the first time any charges have been dropped in the four criminal cases Trump faces. Most of the charges still stand, however, including claims that Trump and his team broke the law by trying to stay in power after he lost the 2020 election. The tossed charges were related to Trump’s efforts to pressure officials to violate election laws, like when he called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and told him to “find” enough votes for Trump to win. In his decision, Judge McAfee wrote that prosecutors could seek a reindictment to supplement the six dismissed counts, but said the “lack of detail” regarding the essential legal elements of the charges did not give the defendants “enough information to prepare their defenses intelligently.” (ABC News / Washington Post / Axios)

2/ The House overwhelmingly passed a bill to force TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the app or face a U.S. ban, with both parties saying it threatens national security despite the company’s efforts to wall off U.S. data. The bill’s fate remains uncertain in the Senate, and courts may say it violates free speech, but some worry the move could worsen tensions with China as the U.S. continues to go after Chinese tech companies. The White House has said it backs the bill and views it as a way to address data risks. (New York Times / CNBC / CBS News / Washington Post)

3/ Biden and Trump both won enough votes in their respective primary races to be their parties’ nominees in the 2024 election, setting up a rematch of the 2020 election. Biden had little competition, while Trump easily beat his GOP opponents despite the ongoing criminal cases against him. The 2024 election campaign will be one of the longest in American history and the first presidential rematch in almost 70 years. (New York Times / Washington Post)

poll/ 63% of respondents blamed recent price increases on “large corporations taking advantage of inflation” — up from 54% in November. 38% blamed the price increases on Democratic policies, unchanged from November. (Financial Times-Michigan Ross via CNBC)

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