3 Things To Know Today

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1 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Acquitted In Impeachment Trial

Impeached Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted on all 16 articles of impeachment on Saturday. After the votes, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the Republican president of the Senate who presided over the trial, said, “Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. is hereby, at this moment, reinstated to office.” After the two-week trial, only two Republicans voted to convict Paxton. The articles of impeachment accused Paxton of accepting bribes from, and giving legal assistance to, Nate Paul, a developer and campaign donor. Sen. Ted Cruz said after the verdict “This was the right outcome, consistent with the will of the voters.” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that “The jury has spoken,” before finishing by saying, “I look forward to continuing to work with him to secure the border and protect Texas from federal overreach.” Texas state Rep. Andrew Murr, the lead prosecutor in the trial, criticized the vote, saying, “I am proud of the case that we presented because it demonstrates considerable, uncontested, uncontroverted evidence of Mr. Paxton's corruption."

2 Former President Trump Tells "Meet The Press" He “Needed 22,000 Votes To Win” 2020 Election

As first days on the job go, Kristen Welker had a big one on Sunday as she took over moderator duties on NBC’s “Meet the Press” from the departed Chuck Todd. Welker had a sit-down interview with former President Donald Trump, and during the interview at Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey estate, Welker covered a wide range of topics. One of the biggest was when Trump talked about how close the 2020 election was, saying he needed, “around 22,000 votes” to win. Welker pressed Trump on that statement, asking him if that meant he knew he lost. Trump responded by saying, “No. I say I won the election.” Trump said Republicans “speak very inarticulately” about abortion, and criticized those that are pushing an abortion ban with no exceptions. He said “Both sides are going to come together” if he’s reelected. When asked about the possibility of going to prison, Trump said “I don’t even think about it.” He wouldn’t completely rule out pardoning himself if he’s reelected, but said, “I think it’s very unlikely.” When asked if he would pardon those convicted of taking part in the Jan. 6th riot at the Capitol, he first said he “certainly might” before saying “No, it’s a very, very sad thing. And it’s – they’re dividing the country so badly, and it’s very dangerous.” Welker asked if the current impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden was part of the “retribution” agenda he refers to frequently, Trump said “No, not at all.” On the subject of budget negotiations in Congress, Trump said Republican hard-liners shouldn’t back down on their demands, and then said, “I’d shut down the government if they can’t make an appropriate deal, absolutely.”

3 UAW President Says Automakers' Plan To Lay Off Workers "Won't Work”

Ford and General Motors, two of the Big 3 automakers in the U.S., have announced temporary layoffs they say are caused by the United Auto Workers strike that started Thursday night at midnight. Just hours after the strike began, Ford told 600 workers at a Michigan plant to not report to work on Friday. The company told ABC News in a statement that striking workers in the paint department at a nearby plant would leave assembly workers with a shortage of parts. GM also said on Friday that it plans to keep around 2,000 workers at its Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas at home as early as next week. UAW President Shawn Fain responded to the announcements on Saturday, saying “Their plan won’t work.” He also said of the Big 3 in the statement “With their record profits, they don’t have to lay off a single employee. In fact, they could double every autoworker’s pay, not raise car prices, and still rake in billions.” A source with the union told ABC News that it had “reasonably productive conversations with Ford” on Saturday. President Joe Biden said on Friday that he’s sending acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and White House senior adviser Gene Sperling to Detroit to offer support for an agreement. UAW is asking for a 36% increase in pay, a 32-hour work week, and pension changes.


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