Closing summary
In a hearing today, Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Texas federal judge appointed by Donald Trump, appeared open to a far-right group’s arguments that could lead to the nationwide banning of medication abortion. Kacsmaryk said he’d rule on the case “as soon as possible.” Meanwhile, the feud between Trump and Ron DeSantis continues. Trump’s campaign is making plans to attack the Florida governor’s record, and a group linked to the ex-president has filed a formal complaint over DeSantis’s “shadow presidential campaign”.
Here’s what else has happened today so far:
A Chinese tycoon linked to Steve Bannon and other Trump allies was indicted by the federal government.
The Senate’s Democratic leader condemned DeSantis for his opposition to military aid to Ukraine.
Wisconsin Republicans have proposed exceptions to the state’s abortion ban for rape and incest, and to protect the life of the mother.
Joe Biden stumped for his trademark legislation in a visit to swing-state Nevada, arguing it lowered prescription drug costs.
Defense secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to his counterpart in Moscow a day after an American drone was downed following a collision with a Russian plane over the Black Sea.
Mitt Romney was once so powerful in the Republican party that he was their nominee for the presidency in 2012, a contest he ended up losing to Barack Obama.
Today, the GOP has changed so dramatically – thanks in large part to Donald Trump – that Semafor reports the Utah senator declined to share his views on whether Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis should run for president:
Romney says he doesn’t want to weigh in on whether DeSantis should jump into the GOP presidential primary with striking candor:
— Joseph Zeballos-Roig (@josephzeballos) March 15, 2023
“Frankly, the McCain-Romney-Reagan wing of the party is like three feathers now. So I don't expect having much influence there”
Biden argues trademark legislation lowered prescription drug costs
Joe Biden is delivering a speech in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he is cheering lower prescription drug prices he credits to last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
The legislation passed by Biden’s Democratic allies in Congress is the biggest piece of legislation Washington has enacted to fight climate change, and also contained provisions to lower the cost of medications. The White House today released data on the progress made by the legislation since its passage, while Biden has traveled to the swing state’s largest city to stump for its reforms.
You can watch the speech live below:
Updated
The Guardian’s Cecilia Nowell was in the room where a Texas judge was considering a case brought by far-right groups seeking to ban medication abortion today. Here’s what she had to say:
A Texas court heard a closely watched case on Wednesday on the future of a key abortion medication amid protests against the presiding judge’s decision not to publicize the hearing.
Justice department officials, drug company attorneys and lawyers from the anti-abortion Alliance Defending Freedom gathered in the remote city of Amarillo, Texas, for a hearing before Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who has been asked by anti-abortion groups to grant a preliminary injunction revoking the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, one of two medications used in more than 50% of all abortions in the US.
In a hearing that lasted more than four hours, the judge asked both sides questions about the administrative law governing the FDA and whether the plaintiffs had standing to bring the case. Appearing neutral, he gave little inclination of how he would rule, but promised a decision would come “as soon as possible”. He offered nothing beyond that in terms of a timeline.
Updated
Trump-appointed judge seems open to arguments against abortion pill
A Texas federal judge appointed by Donald Trump appeared sympathetic today to arguments from a far-right group trying to get abortion pills banned in the United States, according to reporters who attended the hearing in Amarillo, Texas:
Just got out of the Amarillo courthouse: Kacsmaryk appeared to seriously entertain claims that mifepristone is unsafe — and asked plaintiffs for guidance on whether his court could order the FDA to withdraw approval. Wow.
— Caroline Kitchener (@CAKitchener) March 15, 2023
Story with @PerryStein @amarimow https://t.co/OrUn3Ya4TL
We’ll have more on this story as it develops.
Updated
At his press conference, defense secretary Lloyd Austin said he had spoken to his Russian counterpart and insisted Moscow operate military flights in a “safe and professional” manner, while underscoring that the United State will continue flying where international law allows.
For the latest on the downing of the US drone and the war in Ukraine in general, follow the Guardian’s live blog:
Updated
Top Pentagon officials are due to hold a press briefing shortly, a day after a Russian aircraft hit a US drone flying over the Black Sea.
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin vowed a little earlier today that America will continue to “fly and to operate wherever international law allows”.
Austin said: “This hazardous episode is part of a pattern of aggressive, and risky, and unsafe actions in international airspace. So make no mistake, the United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows. And it is incumbent upon Russia to operate as military aircraft in a safe and professional manner.”
You can follow all the details of the Guardian’s coverage of the diplomatic fallout from this incident, and Russia’s invasion itself in our Ukraine war live blog and our other stories.
Updated
The US Senate has cleared a crucial hurdle in the nomination process for former Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti to become US ambassador to India, after being nominated by Joe Biden.
There was bipartisan support in the upper chamber earlier today to advance Garcetti’s nomination and he is now set for a confirmation vote this afternoon.
BREAKING: Senate advances Eric Garcetti’s nomination for U.S. ambassador to India, 52-42, with the help of seven Republicans. He will be confirmed later this afternoon.
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) March 15, 2023
GOP yes: Young, Hagerty, Collins, Daines, Graham, Marshall, Cassidy
Dem no: Kelly, Brown, Hirono
Garcetti’s process from nomination to confirmation has been unusually long and rocky, following allegations that he had not acted on sexual assault and harassment accusations against a top aide, Politico reports. Garcetti denied he knew of the accusations before they became public.
Republican lawmaker Greg Steube has introduced legislation to install weapons lockers in the buildings used by the House of Representatives, so that employees can carry weapons on their commute and store them at work.
Here he is on Fox News explaining his proposal:
Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) explains his legislation to install weapons lockers in the Capitol:
— The Recount (@therecount) March 15, 2023
“We’ve gotta have some avenue for law-abiding citizens to be able to protect themselves when they’re walking to and from work that work in our federal office buildings.” pic.twitter.com/egTk31FTGS
Updated
The day so far
A Trump-appointed federal judge in Amarillo, Texas, has convened a hearing that could result in a nationwide ban on medication abortion at the request of far-right groups opposed to the procedure. There’s no telling when a decision in the case could come, but it may be as soon as today. Meanwhile, the feud between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis continues, with Trump’s campaign planning to attack the Florida governor’s record and a group linked to the ex-president filing a formal complaint over DeSantis’s “shadow presidential campaign”.
Here’s what else has happened today so far:
A Chinese tycoon linked to Steve Bannon and other Trump allies was indicted by the federal government.
The Senate’s Democratic leader condemned DeSantis for his opposition to military aid to Ukraine.
Wisconsin Republicans have proposed exceptions to the state’s abortion ban for rape and incest and to protect the life of the mother.
Updated
The abortion pill hearing in Texas isn’t the only major court case going on this week. As the Guardian’s Sam Levine reports, North Carolina’s supreme court may soon decide to overrule itself. Why? So it can get rid of state legislative districts that aren’t as advantageous for Republicans as they would like:
The North Carolina supreme court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in a major gerrymandering case that could have significant implications for US voting rights.
In a highly unusual move, the North Carolina court appears poised to overrule itself and get rid of congressional and state legislative districts it approved last year. The GOP-drawn map that was struck down could have produced a 11-3 advantage for Republicans in the congressional delegation. The one that replaced it was far less advantageous to the GOP and wound up producing a 7-7 split in the 2022 midterm elections. The court’s decision would probably allow Republicans to get a more advantageous map back in place.
Protesters have gathered outside the federal courthouse in Amarillo, Texas where a judge could as soon as today issue a ruling that would stop sales of abortion medication nationwide.
The group includes Jaime Cruz, who dressed up like a kangaroo:
As well as others who chose more traditional tactics:
Besides protesters, there was also a lengthy line just to get into the building, where seats for the public are limited:
US prosecutor indicts Trump-linked Chinese tycoon
The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports that a federal prosecutor has unveiled an indictment against a Chinese tycoon tied to Steve Bannon and other top allies of Donald Trump. Here’s what we know so far about the charges:
Ho Wan Kwok, a Chinese tycoon with close links to prominent Trumpist Republicans including Steve Bannon, has been indicted on 12 counts relating to an alleged $1bn fraud.
The charges announced by the US attorney for the southern district of New York on Wednesday include wire fraud, securities fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.
Kin Ming Je, a Hong Kong and UK dual citizen also known as William Je and described as Kwok’s financier, was also named in the charges and faced a further count of obstruction of justice.
The US attorney for the SDNY, Damian Williams, said: “As alleged, Ho Wan Kwok, known to many as Miles Guo, led a complex conspiracy to defraud thousands of his online followers out of over $1bn.
As Ron DeSantis apparently moves closer to announcing a presidential run, he earlier this week came out in opposition to further American aid to Ukraine.
Though the stance puts him in line with his chief rival Donald Trump, other Republicans were quick to signal their displeasure with DeSantis’s comments, including Florida senator Marco Rubio and Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate foreign relations committee.
Needless to say, Democrats were also not pleased with the governor’s comments, which came in response to a questionnaire from Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson. CBS News reports that on the Senate floor today, the chamber’s Democratic leader Chuck Schumer hit back at DeSantis:
In his floor remarks, Schumer criticized DeSantis on his Ukraine stance.
— Jack Turman III (@jackturmanIII) March 15, 2023
"I have to wonder what he would have thought if he was around in the 1930's. We know what happened then when many refused to stand up to aggression,” he said.
Trump allies accuse DeSantis of 'shadow presidential campaign'
NBC News reports that allies of Donald Trump have filed a formal complaint against Ron DeSantis, accusing the Florida governor of running a “shadow presidential campaign” that violates the state’s election law.
The petition was brought before the Florida Commission on Ethics by Make America Great Again Inc, a Super Pac aligned with the former president, which asks the government body to investigate “whether pro-DeSantis Super Pacs, his ‘personally lucrative book tour’ and a continued wave of state-level campaign contributions, among other things, ‘are unlawful because they serve his personal political objectives, are in furtherance of his personal financial gain at the expense of Florida taxpayers, and are intended to influence his official decision to resign from office,’” NBC News reports.
Here’s more from their report:
Trump’s allies face a tall order in getting the commission to investigate DeSantis, considering he appointed five of the nine members.
The draft complaint details steps DeSantis has taken in recent months that appear to orchestrate a coming presidential bid.
DeSantis is widely expected to run for president but has not yet formally announced. The complaint alleges, however, that he has already checked all the boxes for someone considering a run for the White House, including making stops in early primary states; writing a book (his is titled “The Courage to Be Free”); raising tens of millions of dollars to go into a state-level committee that could be transferred to a federal super PAC; and watching a constellation of supporter-led super PACs and an outside nonprofit group pop up, some with the stated intention of getting DeSantis to run for president.
The pro-Trump super PAC says those steps, when taken together, violate a handful of Florida laws about officeholders’ accepting illegal gifts.
“This letter provides ample evidence to support a finding of probable cause by the Florida Commission on Ethics that Governor DeSantis, in concert with certain associated political committees, political consultants and a 501(c)(4) organization, has solicited and received millions of dollars’ worth of illegal gifts in violation of Florida State ethics laws and the Florida Constitution,” the draft complaint reads.
It is addressed to chairman of the Ethics Commission, Glenton Gilzean, whom DeSantis appointed.
Updated
For today’s hearing on the abortion pill lawsuit in Amarillo, Texas, reporters on the scene say they lined up at the federal courthouse in the wee hours of the morning for a chance to get inside:
Bright and early at the Amarillo courthouse. They’re only allowing 19 press and 19 members of the public. No overflow room here. 6am and all the public spots are already taken. The hearing doesn’t start for three hours. pic.twitter.com/UpJh9iESeb
— Caroline Kitchener (@CAKitchener) March 15, 2023
From one big issue to another.
— Mireya Villarreal (@ABCMireya) March 15, 2023
In #Amarillo covering the latest #abortion news. Federal hearing set for this morning could decide the fate of the abortion pill.
Dozens showed up before 5am to wait in line for a select number of spots. #mifepristone pic.twitter.com/gSdnfMYRjT
Meanwhile in Wisconsin, Republican lawmakers who control the badly gerrymandered states’s legislature are proposing exceptions to its abortion ban, the Associated Press reports.
While they wouldn’t restore rights lost when Roe v Wade was overturned last year, Republicans have offered to create exceptions for rape and incest, and to protect the life of the mother. The Democratic governor Tony Evers, meanwhile, has filed a lawsuit attempting to overturn the state’s ban, which was passed in 1849.
Here’s more from the AP’s story:
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that he hoped Democrats and Evers would be open to clarifying the health of the mother exception and creating rape and incest exceptions for up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy.
Evers said during his successful reelection campaign last year that he would veto any bill that does not do away with the ban entirely and return the law as it was before Roe v. Wade was overturned.
A paragraph was deleted from this post to remove incorrect Associated Press copy.
Updated
Trump-appointed judge to weigh fate of abortion pill
This morning, a Trump-appointed federal judge will hear a case brought by an anti-abortion group attempting to stop the nationwide distribution of a drug used in the procedure. A ruling in the group’s favor could upend one of the avenues remaining for medication abortion in states that banned the procedure following the overturning of Roe v Wade last year. The Guardian’s Cecilia Nowell is in Amarillo, Texas, for the hearing, and has this report:
A Texas court is hearing a closely watched case on Wednesday morning on the future of a key abortion medication amid protests against the presiding judge’s decision not to publicize the hearing.
Justice department officials, drug company attorneys and lawyers from the anti-abortion Alliance Defending Freedom gathered in the remote city of Amarillo, Texas, for a hearing before Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who has been asked by anti-abortion groups to revoke the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, one of two medications used in more than 50% of all abortions in the US.
Outside, Women’s March organizers invited demonstrators to dress as judges and kangaroos for a “Kangaroo Court” protest, in reference to Kacsmaryk’s attempt to keep the hearing secret by not publicizing it in advance on the court’s docket. Anonymous sources leaked the news to the Washington Post and it was eventually formally announced on Monday evening. A decision could come as soon as Wednesday.
Updated
The Senate’s judiciary committee will today hold a hearing on gun safety, after the supreme court’s decision last year to expand the right to carry a concealed weapon nationwide. Democratic senator Chris Murphy is not on the committee, but if he was, one wonders what he would have to say, considering his comments about Republicans in an interview yesterday. Here’s more on that, from the Guardian’s Edward Helmore:
A Democratic US senator at the forefront of a push to enact new gun control measures has said Republicans “don’t give a crap” about children or gun violence.
Connecticut’s Chris Murphy – who has been a leading force for Democrat gun control efforts since the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting killed 26 people in his state, 20 of them children – made the comment in a wide-ranging interview with Salon that was published on Tuesday.
In the interview, Murphy said that it was inexplicable for Republicans to claim they care about the wellbeing of children while thwarting efforts to shield them from gun violence, including by blocking legislation that would restrict sales of assault-style weapons.
Federal prosecutors in New York involved in the criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s social media company last year started examining whether it violated money laundering statutes in connection with the acceptance of $8m with suspected Russian ties, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The company – Trump Media, which owns Trump’s Truth Social platform – initially came under criminal investigation over its preparations for a potential merger with a blank check company called Digital World (DWAC) that was also the subject of an earlier probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Towards the end of last year, federal prosecutors started examining two loans totaling $8m wired to Trump Media, through the Caribbean, from two obscure entities that both appear to be controlled in part by the relation of an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, the sources said.
The expanded nature of the criminal investigation, which has not been previously reported, threatens to delay the completion of the merger between Trump Media and DWAC, which would provide the company and Truth Social with up to $1.3bn in capital, in addition to a stock market listing.
Even if Trump Media and its officers face no criminal exposure for the transactions, the optics of borrowing money from potentially unsavory sources through opaque conduits could cloud Trump’s image as he seeks to recapture the White House in 2024.
The extent of the exposure for Trump Media and its officers for money laundering remains unclear. The statutes broadly require prosecutors to show that defendants knew the money was the proceeds of some form of unlawful activity and the transaction was designed to conceal its source.
But money laundering prosecutions are typically based on circumstantial evidence and can be based on materials that show that the money in question was unlikely to have legitimate origins, legal experts said.
Trump plans to end DeSantis's 'free ride' with attack campaign
Ron DeSantis was once an ally of Donald Trump, and while he hasn’t broken publicly with him, the former president certainly has. The reason is DeSantis’s clear presidential ambitions and the fact that he seems to have a receptive audience in the GOP. Polls routinely show him as number-two behind Trump among GOP voters’ choice for the presidential nomination next year, with gaps of varying width between the two men. According to Politico, Trump’s campaign plans to make sure his lead is as wide as possible.
“The team itself has felt like he has had a free ride without scrutiny for a number of years,” Bryan Lanza, a Trump associate who worked on his 2016 presidential campaign, told Politico about DeSantis. “Just because he’s aggressive and willing to fight doesn’t make him Maga. Maga is the policies and there is a tremendous amount of sunlight between Trump policies and DeSantis policies. The more and more that gets highlighted the more DeSantis is going to get exposed as just another member of the establishment and compared to Jeb Bush.”
But as the piece makes clear, Trump has lost some support he once had in his first campaign more than six years ago.
Tom Marino was the co-chair of Trump’s Pennsylvania campaign in 2015, but has switched his support to DeSantis. Here’s what he has to say about the former president now: “Trump was a good policy guy and I’d put him up there with Ronald Reagan on policy, but presidentially he was a disaster the way he acted, the calling people names.”
Updated
Republican civil war brews as Trump prepares to neutralize DeSantis
Good morning, US politics blog readers. He did it in 2016, and now he’s preparing to do it again next year, if not sooner. Donald Trump has plans to crush the campaigns of every other Republican that runs for president in 2024, particularly Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor viewed as the second-most popular man in the GOP after the former president. According to Politico, Trump has a big pile of opposition research to deploy against him, and among its most potent allegations will be accusations that during his time as a federal prosecutor, DeSantis went easy in child pornography cases. Considering he’s already come up with one of his trademark nicknames for the governor – “Ron DeSanctimonious” – this turns of events seemed inevitable.
Here’s what else is happening today:
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer wants the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate all the largest American railroads, not just Norfolk Southern, operator of the train that derailed and spilled toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio.
A Texas federal judge is today considering a lawsuit brought by anti-abortion groups that, if successful, could cut off access to medication abortion nationwide.
The Senate judiciary committee will hold a hearing on gun safety after the supreme court last year expanded the right to carry a concealed weapon nationwide.
