Wednesday, May 4, 6–7 p.m. ET

One-third of Americans still believe the Big Lie, which is the verifiably false claim that Donald Trump was the winner of the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court has ruled that certain lies and inaccuracies are protected under the First Amendment — but when an elected official’s lies intentionally undermine our democracy, does that protection extend? And since big lies need an audience, what is the responsibility of the press in preventing their spread?

SPEAKERS: Katy Glenn Bass, Research Director, Knight First Amendment Institute, Columbia University // Catherine J. Ross, Lyle T. Alverson Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School // Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice; Professor of Law, Stetson University College of Law // Moderator: Eugene Daniels, White House Correspondent, Playbook Co-Author, POLITICO

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We understand that after the Mueller investigation and two impeachments, the prospect of Mr. Trump actually facing accountability may be viewed with skepticism. Most recently, he seems to have avoided charges by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg.

But Ms. Willis, a Democrat, has a demonstrated record of courage and of conviction. She has taken on — and convicted — a politically powerful group, Atlanta’s teachers, as the lead prosecutor in the city’s teacher cheating scandal.

And she is playing with a strong hand in this investigation. The evidentiary record of Mr. Trump’s postelection efforts in Georgia is compelling. It is highlighted by a recording of Mr. Trump’s Jan. 2, 2021, call with Mr. Raffensperger, in which Mr. Trump exhorted Mr. Raffensperger to “find” those votes.

The tape also contains threats against the secretary and his staff that had an element of coercion, like Mr. Trump’s warning that failing to identify (nonexistent) fraud would be “a big risk” to Mr. Raffensperger and to his lawyer. The recording is backed by voluminous evidence that Mr. Trump likely knew full well he had lost, including acknowledgment from administration officials like his attorney general, William P. Barr, and an internal Trump campaign memo admitting that many fraud claims were unfounded. As a federal judge noted in finding that Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the election were likely criminal, the former president “likely knew the justification was baseless and therefore that the entire plan was unlawful.”

What’s more, Georgia criminal law is some of the most favorable in the country for getting at Mr. Trump’s alleged misconduct. For example, there is a Georgia law on the books expressly forbidding just what Mr. Trump apparently did in Ms. Willis’s jurisdiction: solicitation of election fraud. Under this statute, a person commits criminal solicitation of election fraud when he or she intentionally “solicits, requests, commands, importunes or otherwise attempts to cause” another person to engage in election fraud.

The first big test of former President Donald Trump’s clout comes Tuesday in Ohio’s bitterly fought Senate primary, where J.D. Vance surged into the lead after winning Trump’s endorsement.

A Vance victory would remind his party that Trump is still king. But the acclaim will be fleeting.

The rest of May looks nowhere near as good for the former president, who has expended his political capital in a series of contests that are already laying bare the limits of his post-presidential influence on the GOP.

In a four-week stretch of primaries running from Nebraska and West Virginia to Idaho, Pennsylvania and Georgia, Trump-endorsed candidates are slogging through difficult races where the former president’s blessing hasn’t proved to be the rocket fuel some expected. In a few cases, his preferred candidates are running far behind.

Russia says its pulling out of the International Space Station over sanctions meant to punish the country for Vladimir Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reports, citing state media outlets Tass and RIA Novosti.

What he's saying: “The decision has been taken already, we’re not obliged to talk about it publicly,” said general director Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, per state media.

“I can say this only — in accordance with our obligations, we’ll inform our partners about the end of our work on the ISS with a year’s notice.”
Rogozin has threatened on multiple occasions to pull out of the space station and let it fall back to Earth in an uncontrolled deorbit in protest of sanctions on Russia, Axios' Jacob Knutson reports.

Democrats are starting to fight back against the bludgeoning they've taken since the Republicans seized on socially charged issues to help win this fall's midterms.

Why it matters: Recent research has shown the barrage of "culture war" messaging — on everything from critical race theory to bashing LGBTQ communities — is working, and Democrats now realize they can't ignore it any longer. They want to make 2022 a referendum on MAGA nation and its agenda.

President Biden himself got more aggressive while traveling to Ohio last Wednesday to honor 2022's Teacher of the Year: a history instructor who teaches courses about oppression and Black history.

"Today, there are too many politicians trying to score political points trying to ban books — even math books. I mean, did you ever think ... that when you'd be teaching, you'd be worrying about book burnings and banning books? All because it doesn't fit somebody's political agenda," the president said.

Tens of thousands of people have taken part in French street demonstrations as May Day marches sent a “message” to Emmanuel Macron that he must consult citizens more during his second term, and reverse plans to raise the retirement age or face protests.

“There will be a fight over pensions, that’s clear – battle has been declared,” said the leftwing CGT trade union in Toulouse. Trade unionists, environmentalists and parties on the left, as well as yellow-vest anti-government protesters, marched in cities across the country – on what is also known as fête du Travail (Labour Day) in France – demanding a rise in pensions and salaries and an end to Macron’s plan to gradually raise the pension age to 65.

The government said that 45 arrests were made on the edge of the peaceful march in Paris, after a small group of people dressed in black, described as “black bloc” anarchists, smashed the windows of businesses, including a McDonald’s, and attacked cash dispensers while setting bins alight. Police fired teargas and one woman was arrested for attacking a firefighter as he put out a fire. Eight police officers were injured.

The centrist Macron, who was reelected last weekend with 58.5% of the vote against the far-right Marine Le Pen, is under pressure to govern differently in his second-term –– with less top-down decision-making and a more participative, decentralised approach, in which citizens would have more input.

Dear Friends,
I hope you and your family are doing well. I am very honored and excited to invite you to an in-person Reception with President Joe Biden, on Monday, May 9,2022 Potomac MD.


The Democratic Party
and
Congressman David Trone & June Trone
cordially invite you to
A Reception with President Joe Biden

In support of the Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund

Monday, May 9, 2022
Time to be announced
Potomac, MD
Address upon R.S.V.P.

Space is limited and all attendees will be required to comply with COVID-19 protocols in order to participate in the event.


For any questions, please contact me at 510-378-0698

Ticket Level
Host ($100,000)
Champion ($36,500)
Supporter ($10,000)

Please register using the below link
https://fundraising.democrats.org/a/5-9-reception?attr=127241332

Ajay Bhutoria,
National Finance Committee, DNC
Author, Entrepreneur, Political Activist.
www.ajaybhutoria.com
510-378-0698