Closing Summary
It is 4pm in Washington DC. Here is a look at the day’s key developments:
Donald Trump’s expected indictment over his hush money payment to the adult film maker and actor Stormy Daniels may be delayed for a month, Politico reports, because of a scheduled hiatus for the grand jury in the case in Manhattan. The site’s report is based on an anonymous source “familiar with the proceedings.”
First lady Jill Biden will attend a vigil in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday to mark the lives lost in Monday’s mass shooting at the Covenant School. The candlelight will begin at 5:30pm at Public Square Park in Nashville, Tennessee, according to WKRN. Others expected to attend the vigil include Nashville mayor John Cooper, musician Sheryl Crow, as well as members of Nashville police and fire departments.
Four Democratic senators have called for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, or Noaa, to investigate whale deaths on both US coasts which have prompted calls from Republicans for a pause or halt to work on offshore wind farms. “Without action, the North Atlantic right whale will likely go extinct,” the senators wrote. “If we do not act, other whale species may face the same fate,” the senators said.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Narcan for over-the-counter nonprescription use in a step forward towards addressing the opioid overdose crisis. “The FDA remains committed to addressing the evolving complexities of the overdose crisis. As part of this work, the agency has used its regulatory authority to facilitate greater access to naloxone by encouraging the development of and approving an over-the-counter naloxone product to address the dire public health need,” said FDA commissioner Robert M. Califf.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader, said it was “unconscionable” and “unAmerican” for Republicans to refuse to act after yet another school shooting, the one in Nashville, Tennessee that on Monday left three nine-year olds and three adults dead and another community traumatized. “We’re demanding that Congress act,” the New Yorker said, at a press conference on the Capitol steps, surrounded by Democratic lawmakers and gun safety activists.
The senate has voted to repeal the Iraq Authorizations for the Use of Military Force in a move to return war powers to Congress from the White House twenty years later. It remains unclear whether the Republican-majority House will follow suit.
A Democratic opponent of Josh Hawley labelled the far-right Missouri senator “a fraud and a coward”, after the Republican demanded the killing of three nine-year-old children and three adults at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, be investigated as a federal hate crime. On Tuesday, Lucas Kunce, a Missouri Democrat running to oppose Hawley in 2024, said: “One out of 100 senators voted against the anti-hate crime bill in 2021. His name is Josh Hawley. He’s a fraud and a coward. Some days it’s more obvious than others.”
Republican representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee said that nothing could be done about school shootings in the wake of Monday’s tragedy in Nashville in which 6 people were gunned down, including three children. “Three precious little kids lost their lives, and I believe three adults, I believe, and the shooter of course, lost their life too… So, it’s a horrible, horrible situation. And, we’re not gonna fix it,” Burchett told reporters.
Republicans in North Carolina today repealed a requirement for permits when buying pistols, overriding a veto from the Democratic governor, Roy Cooper. The move came two days after a shooter in neighbouring Tennessee carried a pistol and two automatic weapons into a Christian school in Nashville and killed three children and three adults before being killed by police.
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz faced Bernie Sanders today in a union-busting hearing. The hearing committee was chaired by Democratic Vermont senator Bernie Sanders who has been one of Schultz’s harshest critics. The committee has accused Schultz of running “the most significant union-busting campaign in modern history.”
Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie has vowed to never throw his support behind presidential candidate Donald Trump again, even if he wins the GOP nomination. On Wednesday, Axios reported Christie, who pledged his allegiance to Trump during the 2016 presidential election, saying: “I can’t help him. No way.”
That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as we wrap up the blog for today. Thank you for following along.
FBI and US Marshals on the hunt of ex-chief of staff to former Maryland governor
The FBI and US Marshals are each offering $10,000 for any information that leads to the capture of Roy McGrath, former Maryland governor Larry Hogan’s ex-chief of staff.
According to an FBI poster, McGrath is charged with wire fraud and theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
The FBI has described him as a “fugitive and [is] considered an international flight risk.”
“During his October 2021 court appearance, McGrath entered a plea of not guilty on all charges and was released pre-trial on the condition that he appear at all scheduled court dates,” the poster said.
“McGrath’s trial was scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on March 13, 2023 at the United States District Court in Baltimore. McGrath failed to appear for trial,” it added.
McGrath was the former director of Maryland Environmental Services and “has ties to Naples, Florida.”
Jill Biden to visit mass shooting vigil in Nashville, Tennessee
First lady Jill Biden will attend a vigil in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday to mark the lives lost in Monday’s mass shooting at the Covenant School.
“Following her visit to Ohio today to meet with military families, the First Lady will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to join a candlelight vigil to honor and mourn the lives of the victims of The Covenant School shooting,” said Vanessa Valdivia, the first lady’s press secretary.
The candlelight will begin at 5:30pm at Public Square Park in Nashville, Tennessee, according to WKRN.
Others expected to attend the vigil include Nashville mayor John Cooper, musician Sheryl Crow, as well as members of Nashville police and fire departments.
Following the mass shooting which saw six people gunned down, including three children, Biden tweeted, “Another school shooting. I am truly without words — our children deserve better. We stand — all of us — with Nashville.”
Four Democratic senators have called for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, or Noaa, to investigate whale deaths on both US coasts which have prompted calls from Republicans for a pause or halt to work on offshore wind farms.
Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker (New Jersey), Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut) and Jeff Merkley (Oregon) made the call in a letter released on Tuesday night.
“Without action, the North Atlantic right whale will likely go extinct,” the senators wrote. “If we do not act, other whale species may face the same fate.”
Most recent deaths have involved humpbacks. The senators’ letter did not mention offshore wind as a possible cause of whale deaths.
Federal agencies have said there is no evidence linking offshore wind projects to whale deaths, many of which are determined to have been caused by ship strikes or entanglement with fishing gear.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Booker said: “To protect these animals, we must follow the facts and address the known, documented causes of death.”
Lauren Gaches, a Noaa spokesperson, told the AP that as of Wednesday, 30 whale deaths had been recorded on the Atlantic coast since 1 December. There were 21 humpback whales; three sperm whales; three minke whales; two North Atlantic right whales and one sei whale.
The Democratic senators also expressed concern about the deaths of gray whales on the west coast, where 298 have washed ashore since 2019. Some showed signs of emaciation. Noaa said more research is needed.
Further reading:
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said that it is “unacceptable” for Republicans to continue arguing that there is nothing else that can be done to prevent gun violence in the US.
“Republicans in Congress need to show some courage. And if they had courage, they would be introducing legislation on banning assault weapons today. That’s what they would be doing today.”
“Guns…is the leading cause that’s killing ur kids and [Republicans] refuse to show some courage and do anything about it,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that it’s “shameful” on the Republicans’ part.
“The reason that there is no assault weapons ban is not because of this president, it’s not because of Democrats in Congress, Republicans in Congress need to look in the mirror.”
FDA approves first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Narcan for over-the-counter nonprescription use in a step forward towards addressing the opioid overdose crisis.
Narcan is the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription and swiftly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses.
“The FDA remains committed to addressing the evolving complexities of the overdose crisis. As part of this work, the agency has used its regulatory authority to facilitate greater access to naloxone by encouraging the development of and approving an over-the-counter naloxone product to address the dire public health need,” said FDA commissioner Robert M. Califf.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued praise towards the decision on Wednesday, saying:
“It is a critical tool that has saved thousands of lives and now the FDA is making this life-saving medicine more accessible to more people across the country. This historic action president Biden has taken to tackle the opioid epidemic have resulted in a decrease or flattening in overdose deaths for seven months in a row.”
She continued, “The president is surging our efforts to continue this trend in his budget. He has called on Congress to significantly increase funding, to protect our communities from drug traffickers and get people the care they need. Our work is not over.”
The social movement nonprofit Indivisible Project has praised the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and its chairman Bernie Sanders for grilling former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on his anti-union efforts today.
“We want to thank Democrats on the Senate HELP Committee, led by Chairman Bernie Sanders, for holding former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz accountable for his attempts to grind down unionization efforts in Starbucks stores. Under questioning from Democrats, Schultz got pretty steamed – he even refused to answer Chairman Sanders when asked whether he had ever intimidated or threatened unionizing workers,” the organization said.
“Schultz may have been a little jittery today, but wealthy, union-busting corporate lackeys like him deserve a few extra shots when they attack workers’ rights,” it continued, adding, “All workers deserve to be dripped out in the protections that a unionized workplace provides. We appreciate Senate Democrats fighting for workers at Starbucks and around the country, and filtering out the union-busting from greedy CEOs.”
At the hearing, Schultz repeatedly denied union-quashing activities, despite a report released by the committee that found that the coffee giant violated labor practice laws 130 times in six states.
“Starbucks coffee company, unequivocally — and let me set the tone for this very early on — has not broken the law,” Schultz said.
House Democrats call for gun reform after Nashville
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader, said it was “unconscionable” and “unAmerican” for Republicans to refuse to act after yet another school shooting, the one in Nashville, Tennessee that on Monday left three nine-year olds and three adults dead and another community traumatized.
“We’re demanding that Congress act,” the New Yorker said, at a press conference on the Capitol steps, surrounded by Democratic lawmakers and gun safety activists.
The Massachusetts congresswoman Katherine Clark, the Democratic whip, denounced Republicans’ “vile cynicism” in response to the 130th mass shooting this year (as defined by the Gun Violence Archive).
“That’s not just a tragedy. It’s a choice,” Clark said, accusing House Republicans of “prioritizing the sale of AR-15s over our children” and daring the majority party to bring legislation to the floor that would ban assault weapons and enact stricter background checks on gun sales.
“The least the Maga [pro-Trump] majority can do is to show parents where they stand,” she said. “Put yourself on the record.”
The Georgia congresswoman Lucy McBath, whose son was killed by gun violence, decried legislative inaction.
“Congress has lost its way. We have lost our soul,” she said. “How much blood must be spilled until we do the right thing?”
The Texas congresswoman Veronica Escobar assailed Tim Burchett, the Tennessee Republican who declared yesterday that Congress wasn’t “gonna fix” gun violence.
“It is our obligation to fix it,” Escobar said.
The Minnesota congresswoman Angie Craig noted that just last week, House Republicans championed the passage of their “Parents bill of rights”, which they argued was necessary to ensure students are safe in schools. Addressing gun violence was not a part of the agenda.
Until Republicans demonstrate a willingness to act on gun violence, Craig said, “I don’t want to hear another damn word from them about keeping our schools or communities safe.”
Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate majority leader, has some news for us…
BREAKING NEWS: The Senate has voted to the repeal the Iraq Authorizations for the Use of Military Force.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 29, 2023
The issue is not done yet, as the House has to follow suit and it’s not clear Republicans will do so.
Here’s some background, to be updated with today’s vote of course:
Trump indictment may not come till late April – report
Donald Trump’s expected indictment over his hush money payment to the adult film maker and actor Stormy Daniels may be delayed for a month, Politico reports, because of a scheduled hiatus for the grand jury in the case in Manhattan.
The site’s report is based on an anonymous source “familiar with the proceedings”.
Politico said “the break would push any indictment of the former president to late April at the earliest”, but added that the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, could change the grand jury schedule and ask it to convene during planned breaks.
Bragg’s office did not comment.
Trump first denied then admitted reimbursing his former fixer, Michael Cohen, for $130,000 paid to Daniels in 2016 to be quiet about the affair she claims and which Trump denies.
The former president claims to be the victim of prosecutorial political and racial bias. Bragg is Black.
Trump and Republican supporters have accused Bragg of doing the bidding of George Soros, the progressive philanthropist – an attack line with established antisemitic overtones.
Trump has also predicted his own arrest and appeared to threaten violence against Bragg. Running for president in 2024, he also faces legal jeopardy over his election subversion at the state and federal levels, his business affairs, his retention of classified records and an allegation of rape in New York.
He denies all wrongdoing.
Peter Stone has more:
Updated
Democrat: Hawley 'a fraud and a coward' over Nashville
A Democratic opponent of Josh Hawley labelled the far-right Missouri senator “a fraud and a coward”, after the Republican demanded the killing of three nine-year-old children and three adults at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, be investigated as a federal hate crime.
Less than two years ago, Hawley was the only senator to vote against a bill to crack down on hate crimes against Asian Americans during the Covid pandemic.
That bill, he said, would “turn the federal government into the speech police [and] give government sweeping authority to decide what counts as offensive speech and then monitor it”.
Federal and state authorities have said the motive in the Nashville attack had not been established.
On Tuesday, Lucas Kunce, a Missouri Democrat running to oppose Hawley in 2024, said: “One out of 100 senators voted against the anti-hate crime bill in 2021. His name is Josh Hawley. He’s a fraud and a coward. Some days it’s more obvious than others.”
Full story:
House Democrats hold press conference calling for gun control
House Democrats including Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic whip Katherine Clark are holding a press conference on Capitol Hill to call for an end to gun violence.
The press conferences comes amid the aftermath of a mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee that saw six people gunned down including three children.
At the press conference, Democratic Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar criticized Republicans for their lack of effort on preventing gun violence.
“I am outraged as a legislator, I am ashamed at the lack of political will to keep our kids safe from our Republican colleagues… Why is it that our Republican colleagues continue to lie and pretend we can’t do anything about it,” she said.
“I say to my Republican colleagues, stop listening to your corrupt campaign donors… Give us a vote on common sense gun reform and show American parents where we are,” she added.
Updated
Republican representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee said that nothing could be done about school shootings in the wake of Monday’s tragedy in Nashville in which 6 people were gunned down, including three children.
“Three precious little kids lost their lives, and I believe three adults, I believe, and the shooter of course, lost their life too… So, it’s a horrible, horrible situation. And, we’re not gonna fix it,” Burchett told reporters.
“Criminals are gonna be criminals. And my daddy fought in the Second World War, fought in the Pacific, fought the Japanese, and he told me, he said, ‘Buddy,’ he said, ‘if somebody wants to take you out, and doesn’t mind losing their life, there’s not a whole heck of a lot you can do about it,’” he added.
When asked about any responsibility Congress may have had in the shooting, Burchett replied,
“I don’t see any real role that we could do other than mess things up, honestly, because of the situation… Like I said, I don’t think a criminal is going to stop from guns, you know, you can print them out on the computer now, 3-D printing, and, there’s really, I don’t think you’re going to stop the gun violence.”
Republicans in North Carolina today repealed a requirement for permits when buying pistols, overriding a veto from the Democratic governor, Roy Cooper.
The move came two days after a shooter in neighbouring Tennessee carried a pistol and two automatic weapons into a Christian school in Nashville and killed three children and three adults before being killed by police.
According to the Associated Press, the North Carolina House “voted 71-46 to enact over Cooper’s objections [and] to eliminate the state’s long-standing pistol handgun purchase system, which requires in part for sheriffs to perform character evaluations of gun applicants. The Senate voted to override the veto on Tuesday.
“Cooper and Democrats warned the repeal would allow more dangerous people to obtain weapons through private sales, which do not require a background check, and limit law enforcement’s ability to prevent them from committing violent crimes.
“The enacted bill also would allow guns on some school properties where religious services are held.”
The AP also reports that three House Democrats failed to vote on the veto override, thereby enabling Republicans to meet the constitutional requirement.
Here’s Ed Pilkington, meanwhile, on what the Nashville shooting has revealed about America’s love for military grade weapons:
Updated
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz will face Bernie Sanders today in a union-busting hearing.
The hearing committee is chaired by Democratic Vermont senator Bernie Sanders who has been one of Schultz’s harshest critics.
The committee has accused Schultz of running “the most significant union-busting campaign in modern history.”
A report by the committee’s majority staff found that Starbucks violated labor practice laws 130 times in six states and is facing another 70 cases.
According to the report, Starbucks has fired workers in retaliation for union organizing, shut down stores and withheld pay and benefits.
“There is mounting evidence that the $113bn company’s anti-union efforts include a pattern of flagrant violations of federal labor law,” the report said.
“Starbucks has engaged in the most significant union-busting campaign in modern history. It has been led by Howard Schultz,” it added.
Updated
Republican senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota said that enough has been done about gun control, following the mass shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee earlier this month.
In an interview with CNN, Rounds said, “I think the things that have already been done have gone about as far as we’re going to with gun control.”
Rounds went on to propose reallocating $500 million for solar panels in schools to increased security instead so the schools could be “more difficult to get into.”
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), post-Nashville: "I think the things that have already been done have gone about as far as we're going to with gun control."
— The Recount (@therecount) March 29, 2023
Rounds then suggests taking $500M away from schools allocated for solar panels in order to use that money for increased security. pic.twitter.com/FMZkCeZ5QI
Chris Christie promises to never support Donald Trump again
The former governor of New Jersey has vowed to never pledge his allegiance again to Donald Trump, even if the former president wins the GOP nomination again.
In a statement to Axios published on Wednesday, Christie, who previously supported Trump in the 2016 election, said, “I can’t help him. No way.”
Christie went to condemn Trump for showing a video at his rally of the January 6 choir by those who were arrested at the deadly riots.
“When you have the Jan. 6 choir at a rally and you show video of it — I just don’t think that person is appropriate for the presidency,” he said.
Although Christie has not yet revealed whether he will run for president, he has issued stern criticisms not only towards Trump but also to president Joe Biden.
“I can’t imagine myself voting for Joe Biden, either. I don’t know if I can vote for either of these guys. They’re both too old. They’re both out of touch with what’s going on in the world right now,” he said.
Potential GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie vows to never support Donald Trump again
Good morning, US politics readers. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie has vowed to never throw his support behind presidential candidate Donald Trump again, even if he wins the GOP nomination.
On Wednesday, Axios reported Christie, who pledged his allegiance to Trump during the 2016 presidential election, saying: “I can’t help him. No way.”
“Look, I just can’t … When you have the Jan. 6 choir at a rally and you show video of it – I just don’t think that person is appropriate for the presidency,” he added.
Earlier this week, Christie spoke at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire and said that Trump’s “end will not be a calm and quiet conclusion”.
So far, only a few prominent Republicans have joined in on the race to challenge Trump, including former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Others potential candidates include Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Trump’s former vice president Mike Pence.
As we bring you the latest on today’s US politics, here are other key developments and events to expect today:
The FBI and US Marshals are each offering $10,000 for any information that can lead to the capture of Roy McGrath, ex-chief of staff to former Maryland governor Larry Hogan who is on the run from wire fraud and embezzlement charges.
Joe Biden will host the virtual Summit for Democracy later this morning with world leaders, as well as representatives from the private and public sectors.
The Biden administration will hold an oil and gas drilling rights auction of a large area in the US Gulf of Mexico today that spans the size of Italy.
