NEWS AND OPINION:
At least one New York City political organization is responding to former President Donald Trump’s complex legal situation, which he has suggested could lead to his arrest on Tuesday.
The New York Young Republican Club — established in 1911 — has quietly planned a “peaceful protest” rally in New York City on Monday to draw attention to the “American judicial system,” according to an exclusive event notice shared with Inside the Beltway.
And speaking of rallies, Mr. Trump himself has planned his own rally which is only days away, set for Saturday at the airport in Waco, Texas.
It is not without significance.
The event is the first official rally of his 2024 campaign. It is also titled the “Make America Great Again Rally,” — using the same familiar phrase that was a successful theme and mainstay of his 2020 campaign.
So how are things in the host town?
“The city of Waco staff and the Waco Police Dept. are working diligently and strategically with multiple other law enforcement agencies, including the Secret Service, to use best methods to ensure the venue is safe for the event that was requested by the Trump Campaign at the Waco Regional Airport,” Waco Mayor Dillon Meek told KWTX, the city’s CBS affiliate.
But wait, there’s more news percolating around the 45th president.
“Former President Donald Trump has found a group of ardent supporters on Chinese social media as his claims of a looming arrest ricocheted across the Internet,” advised a report from Business Insider.
“On Saturday, news of a possible Trump indictment skyrocketed to the top of the charts on the Twitter-like Weibo platform at 11.30 p.m., Beijing time. The hashtag ‘Trump says he’ll be arrested soon’ was the 5th most-read topic on Weibo on Saturday night, with more than 59 million views,” the report said.
“With the hashtag going viral on Weibo, there was also an outpouring of support for Trump on the platform. A slew of Trump-loving Weibo commenters — who made up the majority of the hundreds of posts seen by Insider — encouraged him to not give up and fight any criminal indictment with all his strength,” Business Insider said.
AND A FEW HEADLINES
The U.S. press, meanwhile, is certainly covering former President Donald Trump’s legal saga. Here’s a few headlines of note.
“Could a criminal indictment actually help Trump’s 2024 campaign?” (New York Magazine); “Manhattan DA’s Trump case rests on shaky legal, ethical ground, experts say” (Just the News); “Manhattan DA says his office won’t tolerate ‘attempts to intimidate’ following Trump posts” (CNN); “Legal expert torches Manhattan DA’s potential Trump arrest: ‘Banana Republic sort of stuff’” (Fox News); “Kevin McCarthy orders congressional probe of local district attorney investigating Trump” (Axios); “Inside the payoff to a porn star that could lead to Trump’s indictment” (The New York Times); and “Why is Donald Trump being arrested and what does indictment mean for his presidency run?” (The Daily Mail).
MESSAGE TO THE MEDIA
In the meantime, Americans are watching the news media, and they are not happy with what they see, at least as far as accuracy and transparency goes.
“Three-quarters of Americans — 75% — think the spreading of misinformation in the United States today is a very serious problem, which includes vast majorities across all political, gender, race, education, and age groups. Seventeen percent think misinformation is a somewhat serious problem, while 4% think it is a not so serious problem and 2 percent think it is not a problem at all,” reports a new Quinnipiac University poll.
“When Americans were asked if they would continue to watch or read the news source they rely on for information if they thought the news source was intentionally not reporting the truth, 87% say they would not continue to watch or read that news source, while 11% say they would continue to watch or read that news source,” the poll analysis said.
Find related numbers and the survey particulars in the Poll du Jour at column’s end.
NEVER A DULL MOMENT
Our ever vigilant and helpful U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists intercepted six giant African snails at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The live snails were discovered Friday in the suitcase of a traveler who arrived in the U.S. from Ghana.
“While intended for direct consumption, the snails pose significant health risks to humans and the environment and are considered an invasive species. The snails were subsequently seized for further analysis,” the agency said in a statement.
“Giant African Snails can carry a parasitic nematode that can lead to meningitis in humans. The snails also have a big appetite and will eat 500 different types of plants, along with plaster and stucco. They are popular for consumption and even kept as pets in other countries,” CBP said.
The state of Florida battled with the snails — which can be 8 inches long and 5 inches in diameter — in Broward and Miami-Dade counties for from 2011 to 2021, ultimately winning the snail war after dropping $24 million on the effort, according to Florida Department of Agriculture.
“The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry has worked toward eradication through multiple rounds of visual surveys and inspections, K-9 detector dog surveys and inspections, manual collection and treatment programs. In total, 168,538 snails were collected from 32 core population areas comprised of thousands of properties,” the agency said in an advisory on Oct. 8, 2021.
POLL DU JOUR
• 37% of U.S. adults describe the current state of the U.S. economy as “poor”; 60% of Republicans, 35% of independents and 13% of Democrats agree.
• 20% of Blacks, 39% of Hispanics and 39% of Whites also agree.
• 38% of adults describe the economy as “not so good”; 33% of Republicans, 4O% of independents and 42% of Democrats agree.
• 45% of Blacks, 41% of Hispanics and 35% of Whites also agree.
• 23% overall describe the economy as “good”: 6% of Republicans, 24% of independents and 41% of Democrats agree.
• 31% of Blacks, 17% of Hispanics and 24% of Whites also agree.
• 1% overall describe the economy as “excellent”; 1% of Republicans, 1% of independents and 3% of Democrats agree.
• 3% of Blacks, 1% of Hispanics and 1% of Whites also agree.
SOURCE: A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,795 U.S. adults conducted March 9-13.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
