Trump aftershocks still felt in both parties: The Note
Trump doesn't have to run in 2024 to continue to dominate talk and realities.
The TAKE with Rick Klein
Democrats feel like they just beat former President Donald Trump again, after a California blowout where Gov. Gavin Newsom framed the recall race explicitly against Trumpism.
But Trump has not and is not going anywhere -- and the aftershocks of his presidency continue to be felt across both parties and inside the White House.
President Joe Biden is dealing with a chunk of the fallout regarding the actions of Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whose conduct in the final days of the Trump administration are explored in the new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa of The Washington Post.
Congress and law-enforcement agencies are coping with the consequences of Trump's election lies, with fencing going up around the Capitol overnight in preparation for this weekend's rally in support of Jan. 6 rioters.
And while Larry Elder isn't pursuing previous threats of challenging the legitimacy of the election, Tuesday's recall results offer a new reminder of both Trump's potency and potential limits.
Overlooked in coverage of Newsom's landslide was Elder's dominance among the replacement candidates. His brand of Trumpism sold among those who wanted Newsom gone – but didn't fly among the independent and Democratic voters he would have needed to get Newsom replaced.
The question of whether Trump runs again looms over just about all 2024 conversations these days. But he doesn't have to run to continue to dominate talk and realities.
The RUNDOWN with Averi Harper
In devastating testimony in Congress Wednesday, Olympic gymnasts highlighted a system they say failed them as they reported sexual abuse at the hands of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
In disturbing detail, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman shared their stories of sexual assault by Nassar, who is serving up to 175 years in prison. The elite athletes also accused USA gymnastics and the FBI grossly mishandling the investigations.
"They quietly allowed Nassar to slip out the side door, knowingly allowing him to continue his work. ... Nassar found more than 100 new victims to molest," said Raisman. "It was like serving innocent children up to a pedophile, on a silver platter."
Their claims were corroborated by a scathing Justice Department inspector general report which says two FBI field offices failed to respond adequately, allegedly giving Nassar the time to abuse 70 young athletes over 15 months.
FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was not leading the agency at the time, offered an apology.
"I'm sorry that so many different people let you down over and over again. And I'm especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed," said Wray.
The women said they shared their stories in hopes of accountability for those who turned a blind eye, but the outcome is uncertain. DOJ has twice declined to prosecute FBI officials who were called out for misconduct in the report.
The TIP with Alisa Wiersema
A few months shy of the one-year marker of Biden's 2020 presidential victory, Pennsylvania Republicans are laying the groundwork to review last year's general election.
Although Biden won Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes -- nearly double the margin of Trump's 2016 win in the same state -- on Wednesday, state Republicans voted to subpoena the Pennsylvania Department of State for personal information about every registered voter to examine if voter fraud occurred last fall. According to state Sen. Cris Dush who is leading the probe, the intent is to investigate allegations about the "validity of people who have voted" rather than who they voted for.
There is no indication that any widespread fraud occurred. This much has been indicated by Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman last year following the election. Still, Corman has also indicated that perceived issues with the way the election was administered should be reviewed.
The development in Pennsylvania is the latest of several states' efforts to attempt to relitigate the outcome of the 2020 election through baseless claims of widespread voter fraud propagated by Trump. The review will unfold against the backdrop of what is expected to be the nation's most high-profile Senate race, further adding to the heated partisanship of the upcoming campaign cycle.
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. Thursday morning's episode features USA Today columnist and ABC News contributor Christine Brennan on the emotional testimony of four U.S. gymnastics stars against the FBI's handling of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case. Then, ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl breaks down the fallout from a new book alleging news details about the final months of the Trump administration. And, ABC's Eva Pilgrim reports on a mysterious murder plot involving a prominent South Carolina attorney. http://apple.co/2HPocUL
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