What to Know in Washington: Special Counsel Reups Trump Charges

Special Counsel Jack Smith isn’t ready to quit his election interference case against Donald Trump. But first, you should know:

• Trump said he worked out a deal with ABC to debate Kamala Harris next month.
• President Joe Biden blasted a ruling temporarily blocking legal status for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants.
• Harris and Tim Walz will sit with CNN for a joint interview Thursday.

Special Counsel Reups Election Charges Against Trump

Special Counsel Jack Smith filed updated charges against Donald Trump over allegations of interference in the 2020 election.

The update signals Smith is moving forward with prosecution despite a setback dealt by the Supreme Court, which ruled earlier this summer he’s at least partially immune from charges related official acts as president, potentially including efforts to pressure former vice president Mike Pence to intervene.

The indictment removed certain allegations related to Trump’s communications with government officials — including the section related to alleged efforts to involve the Justice Department. It removed one of the six unindicted co-conspirators who wasn’t named but whose description matched former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark. It maintains the same four charges accusing him of conspiring to overturn election results.

Smith’s move is expected to stir fresh legal wrangling between Smith’s office and Trump’s lawyers over whether the updated indictment can survive under the Supreme Court’s expanded definition of presidential immunity from criminal charges. Read More

More Federal Electric Vehicle Money Flows to Battleground States

Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are among swing-state cities getting some of the latest federal grants to build more charging stations for electric vehicles — some $521 million total in this rollout.

The power authority that supports the Sioux Reservation in North Dakota is also a recipient — along with Philadelphia, Detroit, and Florida’s Miami-Dade County, among others — according to a Biden administration announcement.

The Strategy: The latest round of federal funding — stemming from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law — will benefit public community charging, filling critical gaps in accessibility, said Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. He said the administration is “on track and ... ahead” of the goal to get a half-million EV chargers installed by the end of the decade.

The Criticism: Yet Klein said demand among grant applicants has outpaced the amount of money that’s been disbursed to date — which seems to underscore criticism from members of Congress and others over the pace of the rollout of EV chargers funded by federal dollars. Both parties in Congress have expressed concern over continuing tax incentives and subsidies for EVs. And GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has said that, if re-elected, he would roll back Democrats’ efforts to shift the country from gas-powered cars to more environmentally friendly electric ones. Read More

The Bigger Picture: A new BGOV OnPoint covers federal and state emissions rules, EV data, congressional action, industry positions, 2024 election messaging, and court challenges. Read More

Editor’s Picks

Trump Adds Former Democrats RFK Jr., Gabbard to Transition Team

Donald Trump is adding Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to his presidential transition team, spotlighting two former Democrats who have endorsed his campaign in a bid to widen his electoral appeal in a close race with Vice President Kamala Harris.

North Carolina Moved to ‘Toss Up’ by Cook Report as Harris Gains

North Carolina has been moved to “toss up” from “lean Republican” by the Cook Political Report, as Vice President Kamala Harris gains ground with Democrats and independents.

Swifties for Kamala Let the Campaigning Begin, Without Taylor

Pop star Taylor Swift has yet to endorse a candidate for president this election season, but some of her fans are entering their political era by organizing for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden Calls Texas District Court Immigration Ruling ‘Wrong’

President Joe Biden decried a ruling that temporarily blocked a new administration program that would have offered legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, endangering a key policy goal the administration announced in June to balance restrictions earlier this year to speed the deportation of recent arrivals entering the country illegally.

What Else We’re Reading

First Harris, Walz Joint Interview to Air on CNN Thursday

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will sit with CNN on Thursday for their first joint interview, CNN says.

Trump Confirms Appearance at Sept. 10 Presidential Debate

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he reached an agreement on the Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC News, according to a post on Truth Social.

Biden’s Monument Policy Challenged as Eyes Turn to Tenth Circuit

Lawsuits challenging the White House’s ability to set aside large swaths of public land as a national monument are advancing in at least four court cases across the US, including one long-stayed case that Utah is seeking to reopen.

Trump Rebuked by Judge for Tactics in Truth Social Stock Case

Donald Trump dodged a contempt of court ruling in litigation over his Truth Social platform Tuesday, but a Delaware judge said she’ll hold his “deeply disappointing” legal tactics against him if he can’t color within the lines going forward.

Women Harmed by Doctors, Then Failed by US Civil Rights Watchdog

It’s the job of the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights to investigate civil rights violations in hospitals that get federal funding. But it often fails to hold doctors and hospitals accountable for discrimination, Bloomberg Law found after reviewing hundreds of records released by the agency in response to a public records request and the office’s public settlement agreements from the past five years.