If it’s THURSDAY… Title 42, the pandemic-era measure barring migrants from entering U.S., ends tonight at 11:59 pm ET, per NBC’s Julia Ainsley… Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., pleads not guilty to federal charges and says he’ll run for re-election… And Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., casts her first votes since absence.
But FIRST... You have to take Donald Trump’s words both seriously and literally, as we’ve learned over the last seven years.
And so what stood out to us from his televised town hall last night wasn’t the media criticism (though there’s plenty of that), or his ad-hominem attacks on E. Jean Carroll and CNN’s moderator, or all of his false assertions.
Instead, what stood out were Trump’s clear statements about what he’d do in office if he wins a second term in 2024.
He said he’d pardon “many” of the Jan. 6 rioters.
“I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can’t say for every single one because a couple of them, probably, they got out of control,” Trump said.
He instructed congressional Republicans to “do a default” if President Biden doesn’t give them big spending cuts.
“I say to the Republicans out there -- congressmen, senators -- if they don’t give you massive cuts, you’re going to have to do a default. And I don’t believe they’re going to do a default because I think the Democrats will absolutely cave because you don’t want to have that happen. But it’s better than what we’re doing right now because we’re spending money like drunken sailors.”
And he criticized giving arms to Ukraine, and refused to say if he wants Ukraine to win its war against Russia.
“[W]e’re giving away so much equipment. We don’t want have ammunition for ourselves right now,” he said.
Also this:
CNN’s COLLINS: Can you say if you want Ukraine or Russia to win this war?
TRUMP: I want everybody to stop dying. They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying.
As we’ve said before, the best way to cover Trump in the 2024 presidential race is to reveal — to readers and viewers — WHAT a second-term Trump presidency would mean when it comes to policy and programs.
We also learned last night what Trump didn’t want to touch: a federal abortion ban.
COLLINS: The question about a federal abortion ban. You did not say yes or no to that. You did not say how many weeks...
TRUMP: It depends what -- it depends what the deal is. Lindsey Graham’s a good man.
COLLINS: You did not say how many weeks.
TRUMP: He’s got an idea. And a lot of other people have an idea. And I look at all the...
COLLINS: And a lot of people will be curious what your idea...
TRUMP: I’ll make the right decision...
Headline of the day
Data Download: The number of the day is … 13
That’s the number of counts New York Republican Rep. George Santos is facing, per a federal indictment that was unsealed Tuesday.
Santos pleaded not guilty to counts including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making materially false statements to the House.
The charges are the latest twist in the story of the embattled congressman, who has faced calls from across the political spectrum to resign amid allegations of wrongdoing and misleading his constituents. Santos said after his arraignment that he still plans to run for re-election.
Read more about the allegations and Santos’ response on NBCNews.com.
Other numbers to know:
4.9%: The increase in consumer prices year-over-year, the first time the margin dipped under 5%.
100: The number of regional migration hubs the U.S. plans to open to handle asylum claims outside of the country as Title 42 is set to expire, per the Associated Press.
30.3%: The share of China’s value-added global manufacturing in 2021, according to Bruce Mehlman’s latest presentation on what he calls the “Four Addictions” — China, Digital, Easy Money and Debt. It was 8.6% for China in 2004.
17: How many Food and Drug Administration advisory board members voted Wednesday in favor of making a birth control pill available over the counter (no members of the board voted against it).
25: The number of years in jail a U.S. Army sergeant was sentenced for shooting and killing an armed Black Lives Matter protester in Texas. The man is seeking a pardon from Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he would grant him one.
3.1%: The early estimate for the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment after rising inflation.
53: The number of miles away that the closest public tornado shelter is from Rolling Rock, Miss., the site of a devastating tornado that touched down in March, per an NBC News investigation into the lack of shelters in the area.
18%: The increase in homelessness in the D.C. region, per Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments data reported on by The Washington Post.
Eyes on 2024: Trump backers stand by their man
One day after a jury found former President Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, Trump mocked his accuser and suggested the verdict actually helps him politically.
Trump said during Wednesday night’s CNN town hall there “aren’t too many” voters who would find the verdict disqualifying, adding, “Because my poll numbers just came out [and] they went up,” NBC News’ Allan Smith reports. (It’s not clear what poll numbers Trump was referencing).
The verdict certainly hasn’t hurt his support among some of his backers on Capitol Hill.
“I don’t think it changes his support. It definitely doesn’t change my support for him at all,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told NBC News.
“I think it’s actually ridiculous what’s happened to him,” Mullin added, suggesting that Trump could never get a fair trial in “a liberal state,” referencing that the trial took place in New York.
Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, said he “absolutely” stands by his Trump endorsement and called the civil trial a “witch hunt.”
“This election is about policy, not personalities,” Williams said.
As we noted yesterday, Trump’s announced presidential primary opponents have also been hesitant to criticize Trump following the verdict, except for former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said “I’m not going to get into that” when asked to respond to the verdict during an interview with Hugh Hewitt.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has been weighing another run for president, did directly criticize Trump, saying “this kind of conduct is unacceptable for somebody that we call a leader and wanting to take leadership again.”
The verdict may ultimately hurt Trump if he becomes the nominee, but NBC News’ Jonathan Allen writes that many Republicans — both those who support Trump and those who oppose him – believe “the smart money is on Trump escaping unharmed within the GOP or even getting a boost.”
In other campaign news…
Biden’s pitch: President Joe Biden traveled to a swing House district in New York on Wednesday to push Republicans to raise the debt limit. During his speech Biden described the district’s GOP congressman, Mike Lawler, a top Democratic target next year, as “the kind of Republican I was used to dealing with.” NBC News’ Mike Memoli reports that Lawler was later asked if he might use the president’s comments in a campaign ad next year, and the congressman smirked and said, “We’ll see what happens.”
What’s new in DeSantisland?: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new immigration billWednesday that includes beefing up E-Verify, barring undocumented residents from being admitted to the state bar, and banning ID cards for people who can’t prove their citizenship.
Hunting for Hunter: House Republicans held a press conference “alleging that relatives of the president engaged in business with foreign nationals without detailing evidence of any crime,” NBC News’ Summer Concepcion and Sarah Fitzpatrick report.
Lewandowski on Team Vivek?: Politico reports that Corey Lewandowski, who managed Trump’s 2016 campaign, has discussed joining a super PAC backing GOP presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy.
Breaking with Biden: Texas Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, who is running for Senate, sharply criticized the Biden administration in a statement Wednesday, saying the administration “has fallen short on getting Texas border communities the support they need” with Title 42 set to expire, per NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin.
Craft transgender comment draws flack: Kentucky gubernatorial hopeful Kelly Craft’s recent comment that “we will not have transgenders in our school system” drew criticism from LGBTQ activists.
ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world:
Biden’s administration is preparing to direct Customs and Border Protection “to begin releasing migrants into the U.S. without court dates or the ability to track them, according to three sources familiar with the plans,” NBC News’ Julia Ainsley reports.
The Biden administration worries that a debt ceiling standoff at home could get in the way of President Biden’s agenda at an upcoming G-7 meeting, NBC News’ Katherine Doyle and Peter Nicholas report.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., appeared to suggest white nationalists should not be prohibited from serving in the military
