So Much Of The 2024 Election Hinges On These Two Political Events Today

The first president to be impeached twice will make history by becoming the first to be arraigned on criminal charges.

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It's arraignment day for Trump

trump in a suit and red tie waving

In news that might make someone from 2016’s head explode, the first president to be impeached twice will make history on Tuesday by becoming the first to be arraigned on criminal charges

Following his indictment by a New York grand jury on Thursday, Donald Trump is set to voluntarily surrender to authorities at the Manhattan Criminal Court at around 2:15 p.m. Eastern time. Trump’s arraignment means the public will learn for the first time what charges he’s facing related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

In preparing for what he described as a “major historical event,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters that authorities had not identified any specific threats from far-right agitators, but that police had prepared for the worst. Adams also had a specific warning for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Trump acolyte who vowed to come to New York to protest. “While you’re in town, be on your best behavior,” he said.

Never before in history has a president — former or current — been criminally prosecuted, let alone one who is currently making another bid for the White House. Even Trump himself seems somewhat astonished by the developments. “On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse,” he wrote on his Truth Social website on Sunday. “America was not supposed to be this way!”

a woman in a ton of prop-trump maga gear stands in a crowd of trump supporters
a man with his back to the camera looks onward at a tv screen with a news broadcaster and camera lights

What’s next for the former president

  • The grand jury indictment against Trump has been under seal, but reports suggest he may be facing about 30 counts of business fraud charges, including at least one felony. Falsifying business records can be a felony in New York if it is done to conceal evidence of another crime — in this instance, a possible violation of federal election campaign finance laws.
  • Trump is also attempting to use the charges to his benefit ahead of the 2024 presidential election. He has fundraised millions of dollars from supporters since the indictment, and he has seen himself rise in polling against other 2024 rivals as he casts himself as a political victim. He's expected to give a speech on Tuesday night upon his return to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

This election in Wisconsin will likely determine the future of abortion rights in the state

Dan Kelly and Janet Protasiewicz debate each other onstage in between a giant sign that reads "campaign 2023"

On Tuesday, voters will cast ballots for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Though the state Supreme Court is technically nonpartisan, the outcome of this race will determine the ideological balance of its judges, directly affecting the future of abortion rights in the state.

In Wisconsin, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, an 1849 law — which prohibits all abortion in all cases except to save the pregnant person’s life — once again took effect. The state’s Democratic attorney general, Josh Kaul, with the support of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, sued to overturn the ban and pledged not to enforce it while the legal challenge continues to make its way through the courts.

Still, many abortion providers in the state stopped performing the procedure because of ambiguity around its legality. The legal case against the ban is now expected to go before the state Supreme Court in the next year or two, and the justices will have the final word on whether the 1849 ban remains the law.

The two candidates running on Tuesday are conservative Daniel Kelly, a 58-year-old who served on the state Supreme Court from 2016 to 2020, and liberal Janet Protasiewicz, a 60-year-old Milwaukee County circuit judge who also spent decades as a prosecutor. 

The outcome of Tuesday’s vote will also undoubtedly contribute to shaping the 2024 election landscape. Though conservatives have held a 4–3 majority on the state Supreme Court since 2008, Wisconsin is traditionally a swing state, and the last six presidential elections have been decided by less than a percentage point.

SNAPSHOTS

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

an aerial view of a destroyed home without a roof

The latest in Hollywood

Talent agent Jim Toth (L) and producer-actor Reese Witherspoon attend a Moet & Chandon event together

Reese Witherspoon officially filed for divorce from Jim Toth amid reports that the $900 million sale of her production company sent them "in different directions." Witherspoon and Toth have both proven to be powerful forces in the business world, and there has been much speculation about how the two will divide their wealth and assets.

A viral video of Tom Holland and Zendaya being hounded by paparazzi has left people super uncomfortable. This comes a year and a half after both Tom and Zendaya opened up about having their privacy “robbed” because of the press.

Chris Pratt hit back at criticism surrounding The Super Mario Bros. Movie. “This is the soundtrack to your youth. You don't want someone to come along and cynically kind of destroy it as a cash grab with the movie. I fully understand that,” Pratt said in a recent interview with Extra, adding that there were “so many hearts and souls and minds dedicated to making sure that didn't happen."

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