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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* This isn't surprising: "The judge overseeing the Trump hush money case, Juan Merchan, and his family and court in Manhattan have received unsubstantiated threats since Trump's hearing yesterday, two sources familiar with the matter said."
* Michigan’s old abortion ban is officially no more: “A near-century old abortion ban that fueled one of the largest ballot drives in Michigan history was repealed Wednesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, just months after voters enshrined abortion rights in the state’s constitution. ‘Today, we’re going to take action to make sure that our statutes and our laws reflect our values and our constitution,’ Whitmer said at a bill signing outside of Detroit.”
* Evan Gershkovich: “The White House said the release of Evan Gershkovich is a priority for President Biden, as lawyers visited the jailed Wall Street Journal reporter nearly a week after Russian authorities arrested him on charges of espionage. ‘These charges are ridiculous. Evan is not a spy,’ White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday.”
* All is not well in Florida: “Eleven people, including some high-profile Democrats, were arrested in Tallahassee on Monday night during a peaceful protest against the proposed six-week abortion ban that is quickly moving through the Florida legislature. Among those arrested were state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D) and Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.”
* It’s awfully tough to defend the GOP’s expulsion efforts in Tennessee: “Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said Tuesday he supports the expulsion of three Democrats who engaged in a protest against gun violence on the House floor. But pressed on claims that the trio were intending to ‘incite violence,’ the Republican leader admitted he had no such evidence.”
* A story we’ve followed for quite a while: “Elliott Broidy, a former top Republican fundraiser who admitted to illegally lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of foreign nationals, described his actions publicly Tuesday for the first time, testifying in court about his failed attempts to quash a federal investigation of a Malaysian financier and to spur U.S. officials to extradite a wealthy Chinese dissident living in New York, whom Beijing had branded a criminal.”
* A brutal report from state Attorney General Anthony Brown: “Maryland’s top prosecutor on Wednesday accused Catholic Church officials in Baltimore of engaging in a yearslong coverup of the sexual abuse of 600-plus children, some of whom were ‘preyed upon by multiple abusers over decades.’”
* Oh my: “The sheriff of Frederick County, Maryland, is accused of scheming with a gun dealer to illegally acquire machine guns, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday. A federal grand jury charged Sheriff Charles Austin Jenkins, 66, with conspiracy and making false statements.”
* Even by Elon's standards, this was ridiculous: “National Public Radio denounced Twitter’s decision to label the non-profit media organization a ‘state-affiliated media’ account, calling the move ‘unacceptable.’”
See you tomorrow.