Politics

(WASHINGTON) — This week is a busy one for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with the state Legislature convening for their 2023 session and DeSantis traveling to the early presidential nominating state of Iowa — though he’s played down chatter about a White House bid.

During the two-month-long legislative session, Florida politicians are expected to tackle some of the country’s most contentious issues in the wake of DeSantis’ nearly 20-point reelection victory in November, alongside numerous other GOP wins in the state, which has energized conservatives there.

Republicans control both the state’s House and Senate. If DeSantis notches more legislative wins this session, they could help him launch a stronger presidential bid.

Matt Terrill, the managing partner for Firehouse Strategies, a public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C., told ABC News in an interview that DeSantis has political capital that he’s looking to spend following his landslide win.

“There’s an environment there where he is going to have the ability to really enhance and champion and drive forward the Republican legislative agenda,” Terrill said.

Education was and will continue to be a consequential issue. Republicans have introduced a bill that would prevent state universities from any programs or hiring practices involving diversity, equity and inclusion, allow review of a professor’s tenure and remove any majors or minors in gender studies or other related topics — which together amount to sweeping changes in higher education as part of DeSantis’ response to what he calls “woke” excess that has infiltrated classrooms.

His opponents, in turn, have said he is anti-free speech and even authoritarian, wielding his power to target groups and ideas he doesn’t like.

Republicans hope to expand on some of the restrictions in the Parental Rights in Education law — labeled by critics as “Don’t Say Gay” — which passed last year and which banned discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in certain K-12 classrooms, mostly those in third grade and younger, where DeSantis and others say it is inappropriate.

The new HB1223 would require educators to use the pronouns of a student’s gender at birth, while a separate bill would require that students in sixth through 12th grades be taught “that sex is determined by biology and reproductive function at birth.”

Another proposal Republican lawmakers are pushing is legislation allowing Floridians to carry a firearm without a state license. Currently, the state requires a background check and training courses for anyone seeking a permit.

That bill has drawn criticism from gun safety advocates such as Alyssa Ackbar, from March for Our Lives. Ackbar testified against the bill earlier this year.

GOP legislators also want to move forward on a defamation bill that would make it easier for public officials to sue news organizations and others who publish false information.

The measure would weaken the high bar for defamation claims as set in the U.S. Supreme Court’s New York Times Co. v. Sullivan ruling, which for decades has required public figures show “actual malice” — foreknowledge by a publisher that something was false or extreme negligence in handling the information — in order to win a case. The defamation bill would also narrow the scope of who is considered a “public figure.”

Increasing the ability to pursue defamation claims has become a huge part of DeSantis’ platform. In February, he held a roundtable discussion on the topic. He also regularly criticizes how various parts of the news industry operate.

Regarding the media, Florida state Sen. Jason Brodeur has introduced a bill titled “Information Dissemination” which, if passed, would require bloggers who write about DeSantis and the Florida government to register with the state and disclose who is paying them for their posts.

The Legislature could take up yet other headline-making bills.

DeSantis has said over the past few months that he’s willing to sign into law a so-called heartbeat bill that would ban abortions after six weeks. But as of now, no legislation has been filed. Currently, Florida prohibits almost all abortions after 15 weeks.

Another potential bill spectators are watching out for is if Republican lawmakers put forth proposals that would repeal Florida’s “resign-to-run” law, which states that an elected official must step down from office if they run for office in another state. This law would need to be changed for DeSantis to stay on as governor of Florida if he decides to run for president.

As state lawmakers convene again — with DeSantis set for his State of the State speech on Tuesday — the governor will also be making appearances elsewhere this week, traveling to Iowa on Friday.

Since releasing his memoir, The Courage to Be Free, last month, DeSantis has ramped up his travels across the country. He finished a few stints at donor dinners in Texas and California last weekend and gave a high-profile speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in California, where he swiped at Gov. Gavin Newsom — who has also criticized him — and discussed Florida’s gains over the past few years and the actions he’s taken as governor.

DeSantis has publicly shrugged off the repeated questions about a 2024 campaign, but observers say his style bolsters that possibility.

“In the Republican primary, I think many voters are looking not just at a candidate’s rhetoric but their record and who are the candidates who have gotten things done,” Terrill said. “Those are elements voters will look at.”

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(PHILADELPHIA) — For nearly 20 years, as a son of Colombian immigrants, Miguel has been living out his American dream without any certainty he’ll be allowed to stay in America.

Soon, he says, he’s calling it quits on the U.S. and moving to Canada instead.

“I still consider myself a dreamer in the sense that I’m a DACA recipient, but I’m done dreaming. I want a real life,” the 23-year-old college graduate and masters student, who’s chasing a career in education administration, said in an interview.

“I don’t think it’s going back to square one, but it’s still disheartening that it didn’t work out in America,” he said.

More than a decade after President Barack Obama created DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, to temporarily protect young undocumented immigrants like Miguel from deportation, a growing number say they are looking to leave the country on their own terms.

Immigrant and community advocates say interest among DACA recipients in building a future outside America’s borders has been surging in recent months, after a federal appeals court in October said the DACA program is likely illegal and should be eliminated entirely. Legal experts expect the case to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I think that’s why we’ve had an increase of membership and folks asking questions just because they’ve been discouraged for so long,” said Tawheeda Wahabzada, a former DACA recipient who self-deported to Canada in 2020 and co-founded ONWARD, an online support network of hundreds of disillusioned American dreamers.

Congress has repeatedly tried, unsuccessfully, to create a pathway to permanent residency for the estimated 3.6 million American dreamers brought to the country as young children, and a legislative solution is not on the horizon.

“For me, personally, it is sad, but at the same time, being able to live life on my terms, and not what Congress or a judge or lawyers far away decide, is incredibly empowering for me,” said Miguel, who asked to withhold his last name to protect his family’s privacy.

Nearly 700,000 young immigrants are currently enrolled in DACA, according to the Department of Homeland Security. It is not known exactly how many are considering uprooting from America, or how many have already left.

Several independent analyses have estimated that losing the contributions of DACA recipients from the U.S. economy could cost hundreds of billions of dollars in lost income and tax revenue.

“Brain drain, essentially,” Wahabzada said of the exodus. “Many are declaring an end to their American dream in the U.S., but the components of that dream, the essence of that dream, could still continue elsewhere.”

In interviews with ABC News, several former DACA recipients who are rebuilding their lives abroad said that years of uncertainty in America — because of a situation that was no fault of their own — took a steep emotional and financial toll.

“Stability. That’s what I want,” said Miguel. “All I want is just to have a nice apartment or a nice home. A dog. And I don’t have that right now because I’m living my life in two-year increments.”

He said the process of renewing two-year DACA authorization to live and work in the U.S. has cost him more than $10,000 in application and legal fees.

“The States is basically a golden cage. You have all these opportunities but you can’t really go anywhere past a certain point,” said Madai Zamora, a former DACA recipient who lived in the U.S. from age 3 but self-deported to Mexico in 2018 when she was 24.

Zamora, who grew up in California and North Carolina before graduating college and becoming a teacher, runs a video blog “Diary of a Native Foreigner” that documents her transition to a place she lived briefly as a child but has never truly known.

“Just having to navigate everything by myself, without my mom or my siblings or my nieces has been very difficult,” she said.

Her family still resides in the U.S.

Jason Hong, a former DACA recipient and co-founder of ONWARD, spent 18 years growing up on the East Coast before leaving home in 2019 for Spain, where he got an entrepreneur visa and now runs two startup companies.

“Immigrants are the ones who create the jobs,” Hong said in an interview from Madrid. “So for me, I really wanted to kind of represent that segment where I can create a company based on my ideas and, hopefully, to create job opportunities for other people.”

Critics of extending permanent legal status to DACA recipients say it would be an “amnesty” for families that broke the law, and could compromise jobs for other Americans. It remains a sticking point in congressional negotiations over the dreamers as immigration authorities face near-record levels of migration along the southern border.

DACA recipients and their advocates — which include Democrats and Republicans — say the college graduates are filling vital roles that remain in high demand, including health care workers, teachers, and small business owners.

Monsy Hernandez, a former DACA recipient from South Carolina, moved to Germany at 23 in order to pursue a career in social work, leaving the US at a time when social workers are in short supply.

“I wanted very badly to consider myself American and to be seen as American. However, it was very obvious to me in the way that I was treated and the way that people spoke to me, that I was not welcome,” Hernandez said in an interview.

“I do not have any regrets about self-deporting. I’m no longer illegal, and I found that it’s been incredibly healing to be able to settle down and live in a country where I am accepted and feel accepted,” Monsy said.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC News that the Biden administration does not want DACA recipients to abandon their American dreams.

“We’re committed to youth who know no other country, no other home than the United States of America, who’ve contributed so much to the well-being and prosperity of our country,” he said. “We’ve sought to fortify the DACA program through our regulation, and we are hopeful that the Supreme Court will recognize the integrity of the DACA program and protect the Dreamers.”

Miguel, who is preparing to move to Canada this summer to enroll in business school and apply for permanent residency, says years of political promises have failed to materialize.

“I think it shows that the American Dream has, you know, in many ways left us out, unfortunately,” he said. “That’s not to spite the American people. I consider myself American. I love this country. But unfortunately, the dream has really left us out.”

“We’re not bad people. We’re good people,” he added. “We just want a chance to succeed.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Pending changes to the century-old criminal code of Washington, D.C., are now at the center of political controversy in Congress and an ongoing debate about the capitol’s municipal sovereignty — as local advocates say solutions require the very unity lacking in the discussion, with violence on the rise.

The Senate, which has rarely-used oversight authority over the D.C. council, is expected on Wednesday to reject new reforms that would have majorly overhauled the district’s criminal code for the first time since 1901.

The new code would reduce some criminal penalties, including for carjacking and robbery, while increasing others, including for attempted murder; it would also require more jury trials and end some mandatory minimum punishments.

While the city council unanimously supported the so-called crime bill, which was developed over 16 years, Mayor Muriel Bowser unsuccessfully vetoed the legislation. Republicans and some Democrats in Congress are now seeking to block it and President Joe Biden has said he will not get in the way, despite his support of D.C. statehood.

Homicides growing

The number of D.C. homicides so far this year is up 31% compared to this point in 2022, according to data from the Metropolitan Police Department. There were 203 homicides last year — a slight reduction from 2021, which followed several years of steady increases in homicides going back to 2017.

Total reports of violent crime in the district, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, are down slightly so far this year while overall reported crime is up 25%, according to MPD.

At a press conference Monday, Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee stressed what he called the need for long sentences for those guilty of homicide. He said the average homicide suspect has been arrested 11 times prior.

“We want to keep bad guys off the street and keep them from getting guns in their hands,” Contee said. “If we can do those things, we’ll see a reduction in homicides in the city.”

Mayor Bowser acknowledged a recent scourge of shooting deaths while echoing Contee’s determined outlook at the press conference.

“We start this year in a tough spot with shootings and homicides,” she said. “But I assure you that we’re going to use all the resources at our disposal.”

‘Hard for us to come together as one’

Although activists have many differing opinions on the crime bill and policing in the district, the local leaders are united in wanting more of a voice should the criminal code be revisited and sent back to Congress, which the city council chairman has indicated is the next step.

On Thursday, some of those advocates gathered with lawmakers in southeast D.C., steps away from where police said a woman was accidentally shot in front of a Safeway and a police station.

Ron Moten, co-founder of Don’t Mute DC, said divisions in the debates about policing kept the community further from reducing violence.

“Some of the same people now who raised hell telling people to resign are the same people who say we don’t need police,” he said. “So everybody feeling it and don’t know what to do. … This is the time that we start bringing everybody together because we all are in duress, we all are living in fear. So it’s hard for us to come together as one D.C., united as one.”

Moten, who is hosting a series of events across all eight wards in the district aimed at curbing violence, did not mince words.

“We have a serious problem in D.C.,” he said. “We have elected officials who are not culturally competent.”

“Put all the B.S. — put all of the titles, put all the different parties, Democrat, Republican, Black, white — out the door and let’s talk about the real elephant in the room which is equity, harmony, inclusion, education and accountability,” Moten added.

Community members had a role, too, he said.

“It’s very important to get people from the community to step up,” he said. “They’re part of the prevention. And it’s just that simple. It’s both ways, and it ain’t just the government either.”

Moten told ABC News on Monday that “you have the right to scrutinize the policy that [the city puts] forth, but you don’t have a right to strip us of justice and democracy.” He strongly disagrees with the current crime bill, he said.

But Congress intervening “is going against democracy — whether we agree with the legislation or not, that’s not the issue. I think that the voters should deal with that,” he said.

The D.C. native, who identifies as an independent, said he expects crime to be one of the top issues in the next federal election and said that if Biden had come out in support of the criminal code changes, that would have hurt him politically — just as House Democrats who backed the bill are now facing scrutiny at home.

“This is a decision for future votes,” he said.

Moten was incarcerated in the 1990s and has since worked to keep people out of prison and empower the community. He said he doesn’t want to see a return to mass incarceration that happened following the wave of street violence in the 1980s and 1990s. He wants more work on the criminal code and would like individual assessments and support to prevent repeat or similar offenses.

He said on Thursday that the assessments could see if an individual “was robbing somebody because he got to feed his siblings [or] if he was robbing somebody because he’d been traumatized for the last 10 years and never got no services [or] if he robbed somebody because he played Grand Theft Auto … Whatever that situation might be, there has to be an assessment plan put in place to let them know, ‘We’re gonna help you. But if you don’t take the help, you’re going to face stiff penalties.'”

In January, not far from the Safeway scene where Moten and others spoke last week, community leaders and activists joined together at a Busboys and Poets restaurant in Anacostia to share a unified message, written in bold red and white on signs carried by attendees: “Thou shall not kill.”

The message was first spread across D.C. 30 years ago, at the height of the crack epidemic.

Philip Pannell, executive director of the Anacostia Coordinating Council, told ABC News in January that he brought back the posters to shock the consciousness of the community, hoping the simple phrase might make a potential criminal think twice.

Several thousand posters have been ordered and posted in windows and businesses and other locations across the city, Pannell said.

“Maybe someone with a gun who is thinking of pulling the trigger may look up and actually see the poster and we moved by not to shoot,” Pannell said. “Because of the constant violence and the shootings and homicides, there are substantial numbers of people in our community that have become too desensitized, almost numb to it.”

Pannell noted then that although there are many anti-violence programs in the district, most residents are not attending or are being touched by those efforts. He said his message against killing “may actually start conversations in areas where there have not been any.”

Mayor’s view

Bowser said Friday, during an interview on the radio show “The Politics Hour” with Kojo Nnamdi, that she wanted to look D.C. “residents in the face and say that we didn’t make carjacking penalties more lenient. We didn’t make the environment for police who are trying to take guns off the streets even harder. So we have some work to do. And I know that we’ll all roll up our sleeves and get it done.”

She said she would be making more proposals to the city council.

“What we have to do is not fight each other,” she said.

With a Senate vote expected Wednesday on a resolution to quash the crime bill, activists plan to stage a protest outside of Union Station, not far from the Capitol.

“If Congress overrode local government like this anywhere else in the country, residents would be outraged,” organizers for the event wrote in a joint statement. “It is an act of disregard for our local autonomy and sets a dangerous precedent for future interference.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is “well on his way to recovery” a little more than two weeks after he first checked himself into a Washington hospital “to receive treatment for clinical depression,” his chief of staff said on Monday.

Adam Jentleson shared the health update in a tweet along with photos of Fetterman, a Democrat, reviewing proposed rail safety legislation.

“[He] wanted me to say how grateful he is for all the well wishes. He’s laser focused on [Pennsylvania] & will be back soon,” Jentleson wrote.

Fetterman’s spokesman, Joe Calvello, had said in a statement on Feb. 27 that he was “doing well, working with the wonderful doctors, and remains on a path to recovery.” Calvello stressed then that Fetterman’s staff remained busy, including by opening satellite offices in Pennsylvania and “keeping [Fetterman] updated on Senate business and news.”

The senator sought treatment on Feb. 15, Jentleson announced in a statement at the time: “While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks.”

Jentleson said then that Fetterman was evaluated on Feb. 13 by Congress’ attending physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan, who “recommended inpatient care” at Walter Reed hospital. “John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis.”

“After examining John, the doctors at Walter Reed told us that John is getting the care he needs, and will soon be back to himself,” Jentleson said.

Fetterman won his seat in the November midterms. He suffered a stroke during the campaign, which his doctors said was the result of irregular heart rhythm that led to a clot.

He recovered before the election and returned to the trail, albeit with limited appearances. After the stroke, he worked with a speech therapist and also has had auditory processing issues that require the use of closed-captioning devices.

“He has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office,” his doctor said, via his campaign, in October.

Earlier in February, Fetterman was hospitalized for several days of observation after feeling lightheaded, though his aides said testing had ruled out seizures or another stroke.

A source close to Fetterman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told ABC News in February that his current hospitalization had no direct connection to the stroke he survived.

He hadn’t been eating regularly and “he’s been doing his job, but he just seems off,” the source said last month.

“This is an ailment — it’s a different ailment,” the source said. After the stroke, Fetterman “was still himself. The last couple of weeks, he hasn’t been himself.”

Fetterman’s family has no timeline for inpatient or outpatient care but believe it’s “weeks, not months — and not days” that he will likely be away from the Senate.

“Depression is very treatable. A lot of people don’t seek treatment because of the stigma. … What John Fetterman is doing right now is exactly what people should do when experiencing mental health challenges,” the source said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted in support of Fetterman soon after he announced he was getting treatment, writing, “Happy to hear [he] is getting the help he needs and deserves. Millions of Americans, like John, struggle with depression each day. I am looking forward to seeing him return to the Senate soon. Sending love and support to John, Gisele, and their family.”

Some Republicans echoed that. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted that he and his wife were “lifting John up in prayer. Mental illness is real & serious, and I hope that he gets the care he needs. Regardless of which side of the political aisle you’re on, please respect his family’s request for privacy.”

Fetterman’s wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, wrote on Twitter that “this is a difficult time for our family, so please respect our privacy. For us, the kids come first.” She and the senator share three children.

“Take care of yourselves. Hold your loved ones close, you are not alone,” she wrote, while praising her husband for “asking for help and getting the care he needs.”

“After what he’s been through in the past year, there’s probably no one who wanted to talk about his own health less than John,” she wrote. “I’m so proud of him.”

ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Allison Pecorin, Lauren Peller, Trish Turner and Alisa Wiersema contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Senate intends to move forward with a vote this week to revoke much-debated changes to Washington, D.C.’s criminal code even as the city council’s chairman sought Monday to withdraw the original legislation so that it could be revised and resubmitted.

The latest episode in the evolving controversy over the so-called D.C. crime bill began Monday when D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson delivered a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris in her capacity as president of the Senate confirming that the city would withdraw its criminal code revisions in order to make further changes and send them back to Congress at a future date.

Under the district’s unique status, Congress has ultimate authority over its laws.

“I’m quite clear in my letter that pulling it back means that the clock stops and it would have to be retransmitted to both houses, and that this will enable the council to work on the measure in light of congressional comments and to [be] retransmitted later. So, I will say I don’t know that that will stop the Senate Republicans. But our position is that the bill is not before Congress anymore,” Mendelson told reporters.

However, Senate leadership aides on both sides of the aisle told ABC News that Mendelson’s letter will not affect the vote or stop Congress from passing a resolution disapproving of the criminal code changes.

A Senate Democratic leadership staffer said that the authority granting Congress the power to green-light Washington laws does not allow for district legislation to be withdrawn after it is sent.

This person also said that the House measure to scrap the code changes, which was already passed, is what is receiving a vote in the Senate — rather than the Senate voting directly on the D.C. crime bill.

“We still expect the vote to occur,” the source said.

A senior GOP leadership aide confirmed the same, saying, “We will still vote and hold Democrats accountable for their soft on crime agenda.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer subsequently told reporters that the vote would be held Wednesday, though he didn’t say how he would cast his ballot.

The district city council last year unanimously passed changes to its criminal code. The revisions, in development for some 16 years, would mark the first major update to the code since its inception in 1901.

Among the changes, it would reduce maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking, robbery and other offenses, scrap some mandatory minimum sentences for some crimes and expand jury trials for some misdemeanors. The penalties for other crimes, such as attempted murder and attempted sexual assault, would increase.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, vetoed the legislation but the council overrode her veto in a 12-1 vote in January. Some on the council cited the “robust and healthy debate” that went into the revisions while others said there would still be several years to pass amendments before the changes would take effect.

The legislation was then sent to Congress for approval, under the Home Rule Act.

The House’s Republican majority, with the help of 31 Democrats, in February passed a bill disapproving of the legislation. Sen Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., sponsored an identical resolution to quash the crime bill and a number of Senate Democrats — from conservative to liberal — have told ABC that they plan to vote with Republicans.

The criminal code changes and the resulting backlash in Congress have stirred debate among Democrats about the best approach to public safety while respecting the autonomy of the nation’s capital.

This is the first time in 30 years that Congress is using this power over D.C. and Democrats have reversed their normal support of the district’s independence in the face of GOP criticism and in the wake of high-profile Democratic losses in Chicago and New York, where crime and public safety have become major concerns.

President Joe Biden waded into the debate when he said last week that he would not veto the disapproval resolution if it passes, though the White House previously said it opposed Congress intervening and repeated a call for D.C. statehood.

“One thing the president believes in is making sure that the streets in America and communities across the country are safe,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last week. “That includes D.C.”

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said that she wished the president “told us first” before House Democrats voted in support of the new criminal code.

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(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump is seeking to prevent the special counsel investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election from using testimony provided by former top White House lawyers to a federal grand jury, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

In recent weeks Trump’s attorneys have asked a court to bar special counsel Jack Smith from using testimony from former White House counsel Pat Cipollone and his former deputy Patrick Philbin as evidence in Smith’s ongoing investigation into the events surrounding Jan. 6, said the sources, who spoke about the confidential court battle on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss nonpublic litigation.

Trump’s lawyers have also filed to prevent Smith from using former Trump lawyer Eric Herschmann’s grand jury testimony, the sources said.

Prosecutors in Smith’s office have urged an appeals court to reject Trump’s efforts, arguing that the matter is moot given that the three men have already spoken to the grand jury, the sources said in regard to the sealed testimony.

Representatives for Cipollone, Philbin and Herschmann did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News. The special counsel’s office declined to comment.

“The DOJ is continuously stepping far outside the standard norms in attempting to destroy the long-accepted, long-held, Constitutionally based standards of attorney-client privilege and executive privilege,” a source close to Trump who is familiar with the issues told ABC News.

Investigators late last year overcame a previous legal challenge that was made on the grounds of executive privilege. Both Cipollone and Philbin appeared before the grand jury in September 2022, but declined to answer some questions until issues surrounding claims of executive privilege were resolved. Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., ruled that claims of privilege by Trump didn’t apply, and Trump’s legal team did not seek to stay the ruling.

Cipollone and Philbin then appeared before the grand jury for a second time in December 2022. Trump’s lawyers appealed Howell’s ruling about a month later, after the two had already provided additional testimony.

Cipollone was one of the few aides with Trump on the day of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and is said to have significant insight into events before, leading up to, and after the attack. In the days following Jan. 6, Cipollone advised Trump that Trump could potentially face legal jeopardy in connection with his role encouraging supporters to march on the Capitol, sources said following the attack.

Both Cipollone and Philbin were part of a Jan. 3, 2021, Oval Office meeting where Trump mulled replacing then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen with Jeff Clark, a Trump loyalist who had vowed to use the DOJ to investigate alleged 2020 election irregularities.

Trump’s previously undisclosed attempt to suppress the lawyers’ testimony adds yet another dimension to the ongoing efforts by his legal team to slow the fast-paced developments in Smith’s investigations — including Smith’s separate probe into Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office and Trump’s potential obstruction of the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

Last month DOJ investigators probing Trump’s handling of classified documents asked a judge to overrule attorney-client privilege and compel Trump attorney Evan Corcoran to answer questions about his interactions with Trump before a grand jury, sources previously told ABC News. The DOJ made the request on the basis of the crime-fraud exception, sources said, which allows for attorney-client privilege to be suspended in cases where it is suspected that legal services were rendered in the commission of a crime.

Oral arguments in the matter are scheduled for later this week, according to sources.

The special counsel has also asked a federal judge to compel former Vice President Mike Pence to testify after Pence was subpoenaed last month as part of the Jan. 6 probe, sources familiar with the matter previously told ABC News. Last week, Trump’s attorneys filed a motion to prevent Pence from testifying on the grounds of executive privilege.

Sources told ABC News that in February, prosecutors investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election also moved to compel testimony from a number of other top Trump aides, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows. In some cases the motion seeks to break through claims of executive privilege that either some of the witnesses or attorneys for Trump have attempted to assert.

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(WASHINGTON) — Former “Boy Meets World” star Ben Savage is running for Congress in California’s 30th Congressional District, he announced on Monday.

“I’m running for Congress because it’s time to restore faith in government by offering reasonable, innovative and compassionate solutions to our country’s most pressing issues,” Savage wrote in an Instagram post.

“And it’s time for new and passionate leaders who can help move our country forward. Leaders who want to see the government operating at maximum capacity, unhindered by political divisions and special interests,” he continued.

He described himself as a “proud Californian, union member and longtime resident of District 30 who comes from a family of unwavering service to our country and community.”

Savage is running for Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff’s seat while Schiff is now running to succeed Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who will retire at the end of her term.

In January, Savage submitted paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run as a Democrat in the 30th District, which encompasses West Hollywood, Burbank and parts of Pasadena.

A representative for Savage told ABC News in a statement at the time, despite the filing, that “he is focused on his upcoming wedding. Ben is still making decisions and always looking for opportunities to give back and serve the community.” (Earlier in January, Savage announced he is engaged to Tessa Angermeier.)

This isn’t Savage’s first campaign to hold office. He ran unsuccessfully to be on the West Hollywood City Council in the 2022 election, focusing on community safety, housing and homelessness, according to his website.

Savage famously played the lead role of Cory Matthews on ABC’s “Boy Meets World” from 1993 to 2000 and then reprised his character in the 2014 reboot, “Girl Meets World.” His most recent roles were two TV films, in 2022 and 2020.

Savage has seemingly long had an interest in politics, having studied political science at Stanford University, where he graduated in 2004. He also interned for Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, then a Republican, in 2003.

The general election will be on Nov. 5, 2024.

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(NEW YORK) — A Norfolk Southern freight train derailed Saturday in Springfield, Ohio, marking the fourth rail incident in the state in the last couple of months, including the toxic crash in East Palestine, Ohio.

Although the company said there were no hazardous materials in the latest incident, elected officials in the area have expressed more frustration with Norfolk Southern and called for better safety protocols.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown spoke with GMA 3 about the incident and his legislation, the Railway Safety Act.

GMA 3: Joining us now is the senior senator from Ohio, Sherrod Brown. Senator, thanks for taking the time. Let’s jump right in to this because we have a lot to talk to you about. Begin by telling us the latest that you can share with us about the second Norfolk Southern derailment, which is near Springfield, Ohio.

SEN. SHERROD BROWN: That’s the fourth derailment in five months. Steubenville, Sandusky, of course, the most disastrous East Palestine in eastern Ohio and now Springfield. And I have some questions about Springfield that there was some residue in the cars. I want to make sure that that’s not a problem for local residents. But I mean, start with this: This is a company immensely profitable. They’ve done billions of dollars in stock buybacks. In the last couple of years alone…they’ve laid off a third of their workforce.

They’ve compromised on safety. The workers don’t have enough time to do the thorough inspections they should do. So companies like this do the kind of damage they did for, again, four derailments in five months in my state.

What it’s done to East Palestine, it’s going to take tens of millions of dollars to fix what they did, and people there are still suffering. [They’re] coming back into their homes, testing their water, testing the soil, testing the air, the damage to farmers and local businesses. So they still have a lot to answer for.

GMA 3: And while this new one is much different than what happened in East Palestine, you were just talking about that no hazardous chemicals were leaked. You met with residents of East Palestine last week. What stood out to you from that discussion? Are you satisfied with the cleanup efforts that are going on there?

BROWN: No, I’m not satisfied. I’m not satisfied that this company is going to change its behavior. I’m not satisfied that they have really listened to local residents whose lives are upended. They just want to get their lives back to normal. Norfolk Southern says they’re going to pay for everything. They said they’re going to pay for hotel stays and testing and damages. But one of the fears I have is what these chemicals mean for somebody two years, five years down the road.

And I compare that to what Congress did on the PACT Act, for the hundreds of thousands of veterans who were exposed to these football field-sized burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan and breathed all this stuff in. We passed a law, the PACT Act, that simply says if you have one of 23 illnesses that we’ve identified in that law, you get immediate care at the VA without having to get a lawyer and suing and all of that.

I don’t know if that’s what we’re going to need to do in East Palestine. If we do, if we write a law like that or we’re going to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the damage they did.

GMA 3: And Senator, we’re getting word today that Norfolk Southern announced and they announced it today that all of its trains over 10,000 feet will now use distributed power units, which will be remotely controlled and help with acceleration and braking. That’s what they have done. You have recently introduced your own suggested changes to this bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023. So I’m curious, what would that legislation do? And do you think it would have prevented what happened in East Palestine?

BROWN: Well, I don’t know if it would have prevented it, certainly would have mitigated the damage. It wouldn’t have been nearly this, this is damaging to a local community. Think about a couple of things. One hundred and fifty cars in East Palestine, many of them jumped the tracks. In Springfield, as you just reported, more than 200 cars.

That’s one of the things our bill does is create, would require a two-person crew. Norfolk Southern wanted to have a one-person crew on these trains. It also says it also mandates when these trains come into the state, they’ve got to notify the state authorities if they’re carrying hazardous materials so the state can then inform local firefighters to be ready in case something happens.

It improves the safety of wheel bearings, which has been the cause of more of these accidents than anything else. It ups the fines. The average fine Norfolk Southern paid in the last few years is $10,000 for safety violations. That’s pennies on the dollar of a company that gives $6, $7 billion in stock buybacks.

So we will do a number of those things in this bill. And Sen. [J.D.] Vance, the Republican sponsor, and I and then Sen. [Bob] Casey in Pennsylvania, we have three Republicans, three Democrats. As soon as I return this week…we’re going to work to get this bill through the Senate.

GMA 3: Now we hear you criticizing Norfolk Southern. You’re mentioning the stock buybacks. The CEO of Norfolk Southern, Alan Shaw, is due to testify before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Thursday. Now, you’re not actually on that committee, but what would you like to see them press the company on?

BROWN: Well, I’m testifying too when the CEO does. I want him to promise to a congressional committee, to a Senate committee that he’s going to do all these things that he is going to notify when trains come into the state, that he’s committing to a two-person crew, that he will not object, that he will even support bigger fines, that he will pay, that they will reimburse all these residents.

Five thousand people live in that town. But we think the damage could be to farmers. A farmer told me that she has 25-herd of beef cattle. She’s getting calls from regular customers that buy a side of beef, half a beef. Is it safe this year? I don’t know. She doesn’t know. The customers don’t know.

So Norfolk Southern needs to commit especially to long-term health problems that might come to people in this community. They need to commit to pay for that, to bring this community back to normal as much as it possibly can.

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(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is seeking to delay the civil fraud case he faces in New York by several months. This timeframe would push the trial, currently scheduled for October, deeper into the 2024 presidential campaign.

In a recent court filing, Trump’s attorneys said the delay they’re seeking is “borne of necessity” given the case’s complexity and the “staggering volume” of evidence.

“The current schedule makes the preparation of a defense impossible,” Trump’s attorneys Alina Habba and Clifford Robert wrote. “Fundamental notions of fair play and due process mandate that Defendants are afforded every opportunity to prepare a meaningful defense, rather than to have an impossible schedule forced upon them.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a $250 million civil lawsuit last September against Trump, his eldest children and his company that alleged they schemed to inflate Trump’s net worth and the value of his real estate holdings, duping lenders and insurers into giving the Trump Organization better terms than deserved.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and has derided the lawsuit as part of a partisan witch hunt.

James has not formally responded to the new motion but has written previously to the judge opposing delays.

“[T]here is no unfair prejudice to Defendants under the existing schedule and Defendants’ claimed hardship is self-inflicted,” Assistant Attorney General Colleen Faherty wrote in a letter to the court last month. “In short, Defendants have had ample time and opportunity to familiarize themselves with the matter. Instead, they have waited until the eve of the fact discovery deadline to only just begin their process of conducting discovery to prepare for trial, and now seek more time.”

Delaying the case would require the approval of Judge Arthur Engoron, who has previously signaled his intention to begin the trial as scheduled on Oct. 2 “come hell or high water,” according to a February court filing.

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(SIMI VALLEY, Calif.) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Southern California on Sunday, taking swipes at Gov. Gavin Newsom in his own backyard amid a widening Republican Primary battle ahead of 2024.

“I know you guys got a lot of problems out here, but your governor is very concerned about what we’re doing in Florida, so I figured I had to come by,” DeSantis said, speaking before a crowd of over a thousand people at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library’s Air Force One Pavilion and drawing considerable applause.

But it was not a warm welcome from everyone. The Simi Valley Police Department said Sunday that library employees discovered black spray paint on an entrance sign reading “Ron DeFascist” in the early morning hours.

Authorities said employees were able to remove the paint before DeSantis’ arrival. However, soon after, a large contingent of several dozen protesters took to the sidewalks in front of the library to protest his speech.

DeSantis’ visit to the Golden State follows two days spent in Texas fundraising for the Harris and Dallas County Republican Parties and exactly one year away from Super Tuesday when voters in both states will hit the polls to cast their ballot for a 2024 presidential nominee.

While DeSantis has not officially entered the race for the Republican nomination, he is widely viewed as a potential favorite by many. A recent UC Berkeley/LA Times poll released last week showed him leading former President Donald Trump by eight points in California’s primary next year.

In a statement issued on Saturday before his arrival, Newsom sarcastically welcomed DeSantis to the “real freedom state.”

“California residents are safer, healthier and more prosperous than those unfortunate enough to have you as their governor,” he said. “Oh, by the way, you’re going to get smoked by Trump.”

During his speech, DeSantis took the opportunity to draw a sharp contrast between his state and California, as well as other Democratic states like New York and Illinois.

“I think it goes back to this woke mind virus that’s infected the left and all these other institutions,” DeSantis said. “I mean, think about the way they have governed the states. They put things like woke ideology over the tried and true principles that President Reagan stood for and that most Americans believe in.”

Following his speech in Simi Valley, DeSantis traveled south to Orange County to speak to over 900 donors at the Westin Anaheim Resort in a closed-door event.

“We raised more money from this event than we’ve raised on any one-night fundraising event in the history of the Orange County Republican Party,” Fred Whitaker, chair of the county party, said. “So you could say the interest for Governor DeSantis is off the charts.”

Areas like Orange County and Simi Valley offer ample opportunity for potential Republican candidates like DeSantis to rub elbows with some of the country’s wealthiest and most powerful GOP members ahead of 2024.

“We are the county with the most Republican donors; we’re the county that still, as far as urban counties, is the most competitive for Republicans; we control over two-thirds of all the elected offices in Orange County and yet we’re in the heart of the LA basin,” Whitaker said. “I think if you have any interest in running for president, then you need to talk to Orange County Republican donors. You need to talk to Orange County Republican voters.”

According to OpenSecrets, DeSantis brought in nearly $4 million alone from California amid his gubernatorial reelection battle in 2022, outpacing even more conservative states like Texas. Although California is a liberal stronghold, it could wield substantial weight in a GOP presidential primary.

Between its winner take all status and the number of delegates it offers — more than any other state — California could be critical to any candidate hoping to make it through Super Tuesday amid a potentially crowded GOP field.

“California, by moving its primary from June to March for the 2024 presidential election, is going to have a much different dynamic than there was in 2016,” Whitaker told ABC News. “In 2016, by the time the primary happened, the nomination had already been decided. Super Tuesday’s right in the heart of it.”

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