12:30 Report

12:30 Report — Trump hush money trial hits brief pause

by Cate Martel 04/17/24 12:30 PM ET

Former President Donald Trump arrives for the start of the second day of jury selection at Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in New York. Donald Trump returned to the courtroom Tuesday as a judge works to find a panel of jurors who will decide whether the former president is guilty of criminal charges alleging he falsified business records to cover up a sex scandal during the 2016 campaign. (Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP)

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12:30 REPORT

It’s Wednesday. Every major story-line we’ve been following in the past few months seems to have peaked this week. Like: Trump’s trial, FISA, Ukraine aid, Israel aid, the Mayorkas impeachment, Johnson’s GOP infighting, etc. Whew, OK let’s break it down:

Former President Trump’s criminal trial is taking a scheduled break today. It will resume tomorrow.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is going full steam ahead on the Ukraine and Israel funding bill. This could dramatically implode.
Senators are about to be sworn in to deal with the Mayorkas impeachment.

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. 

💰 Trump’s Criminal Trial

Can you imagine showing up for your normal jury duty and it’s TRUMP’S TRIAL?:

After a long day of interviews and questionnaires, seven of the jurors have been selected in former President Trump’s criminal trial. In total, 12 jurors and six alternates will be chosen.

What to know about the jurors: The jurors are anonymous, but short descriptions of each are public. Read the descriptions of the seven jurors

What’s happening today?: Nothing. The trial happens on every weekday except Wednesday, so it will resume tomorrow.

➤ TRIAL TIDBITS:

Give us the tea. What was it like to be a prospective juror??: A potential juror who was dismissed told MSNBC that it was “jarring” to see Trump in person. She also said it was “bizarre” to see Trump watch her while she discussed him and made eye contact with him. Watch her describe her unusual jury duty experience

Trump saw a meme about himself: “As the lawyers discuss yet another prospective juror, who posted a meme about Trump captioned, ‘I don’t think this is what they meant by ‘Orange Is the New Black,’’ Trump himself appears to be studying the meme on a printed-out sheet of paper. He does not look amused at all.” (from The New York Times’s Jonah Bromwich)

Email vs. reality: The Atlantic’s David A. Graham observed that there was “little drama” in the courtroom on Monday. But that’s not what Trump told his supporters. For example: Trump sent an email to supporters saying, “I JUST STORMED OUT OF BIDEN’S KANGAROO COURT!” The full read

➤ A FEW THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE TRIAL SO FAR:

The pace of jury selection has been moving faster than was expected.
The judge warned Trump about juror intimidation when he made gestures while a prospective juror was questioned.
A few of the prospective jurors mentioned reading Trump’s books or watching “The Apprentice.”

More things to know about the trial, from The Hill’s Niall Stanage

Plus: The New York Times fact-checked Trump’s defenses.

➤ RELATED READS:

‘Why didn’t Trump’s trial start years earlier? Blame Bill Barr’: MSNBC
‘Surreal scenes as jurors in New York trial tell Trump what they really think’: The Guardian

📃 In Congress

So, do you think they can break the land speed record this afternoon?:

Senators will be sworn in at 1 p.m. to decide whether how to handle the impeachment trial against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

What to expect: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) just announced that he will quickly dismiss the charges without holding a trial. These impeachment articles are widely considered to be political, so there’s little chance he would be convicted anyway.

For what it’s worth: Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) thinks evidence should be heard first to keep with precedent.

For context: This is the first time since 1876 that the House sent impeachment articles against a Cabinet official. (The Hill)

📽️ Watch the House impeachment managers walk the articles to the Senate

Welp, what do I have to lose?!:

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is diving headfirst into his risky plan to pass the foreign aid package despite pushback from his party.

The plan: Johnson will hold separate votes by the end of the week to send military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Plus, there’s a fourth catch-all national security bill to appease conservatives.

Does Johnson have the votes?: Johnson has some early support from Democrats, but it’s unclear whether he has enough support to pass all four bills.

Read more from The Hill’s Mychael Schnell: ‘Johnson takes plunge on Ukraine aid in face of ouster threat’

➤ ‘ISN’T IT IRONIC, DON’T YOU THINK?’:

Johnson may need Democrats to bail him out to pass the foreign aid bill and keep his job. The New York Times’s Annie Karni argues that this dynamic gives Democrats substantial power over the plan.

Think about it this way: “If Democrats were to provide those crucial votes, it would mark the second time in two years that Republican leaders have had to turn to the minority party to rescue them from their own recalcitrant right-wing colleagues in order to allow major legislation to be debated and voted on.”

➤ LET’S NOT GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES:

So far, just Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are on board with ousting Johnson. House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (R-Va.) downplayed the chances of Johnson’s ouster in an interview with NewsNation’s “The Hill.”

🐝 Internet Buzz

🦐 Celebrate: Today is National Crawfish Day!

🎤 Billy Joel got a shoutout in the Pentagon press conference: 📽️ Watch the back and forth — I chuckled. (h/t to The Hill’s Mychael Schnell)

💡 ‘Here’s what new LED lightbulb standards mean for American households’: “New standards for light-emitting diode (LED) lightbulbs announced by the Biden administration last week will likely mean measurable savings for American households, but experts say the bulbs last so long it may be years before consumers notice the benefits.” (The Hill)

💿 ‘Taylor Swift Sells a Rainbow of Vinyl Albums. Fans Keep Buying Them’: “Artists across pop genres are finding success with colored vinyl and different variants of their releases. For Swifties, the urge to collect them all is strong.” (The New York Times)

🗓 On The Agenda

The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in Pittsburgh. Vice President Harris is traveling back to Washington, today. (all times Eastern)

12:45 p.m.: Biden meets with steelworkers in Pittsburgh.
12:55 p.m.: Harris leaves Los Angeles and returns to Washington.
1:45 p.m.: Biden speaks at the United Steelworkers headquarters. 💻 Livestream
5 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today’s agenda
5:10 p.m.: Biden returns to the White House.
Today — Thursday: Semafor is hosting a “World Economy Summit.” Featured speakers: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. 💻 Livestream

👋 And Finally…

Let’s leave on a happy note. Here’s a dog with a new friend for the day.

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