Trump's latest indictment, SCOTUS rules against Alabama redistricting: 5 Things podcast

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Trump indicted again

USA TODAY Justice Department Correspondent Bart Jansen puts former President Donald Trump's latest indictment in context. Plus, the Supreme Court rules unexpectedly against Alabama in a challenge to its recently redrawn congressional districts, air quality issues continue due to Canadian wildfires, USA TODAY Pentagon Correspondent Tom Vanden Brook looks at the high suicide rates on Alaskan Army bases, and how some solutions appear to be working, and President Joe Biden signs an executive order, helping military spouses find jobs.

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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Friday, the 9th of June 2023. Today, another indictment for former President Donald Trump. Plus, the Supreme Court rejects a congressional map that diluted the Black vote, and New Yorkers continue to breathe some of the worst air in the world this week.

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Former President Donald Trump has been indicted again. I spoke with USA TODAY Justice Department Correspondent Bart Jansen to learn about his latest legal problems. Thanks for hopping on the podcast, Bart.

Bart Jansen:

Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

Bart, which of the many investigations Trump is facing led to this indictment?

Bart Jansen:

This is a federal investigation having to do with the classified documents that were found at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, more than a year after he left the White House. By the beginning of 2022, the National Archives realized that there were documents they thought were missing from his collection. They were trying to retrieve them. And so over a series of months, federal authorities gained an increasing number of documents from him, and eventually it totaled more than 300 classified documents. So a special counsel has been investigating those documents, and that has apparently yielded an indictment which Trump himself announced.

Taylor Wilson:

Bart, which laws were allegedly violated here?

Bart Jansen:

Well, when the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago in August, they were searching for evidence of violations of three federal statutes. One was called the Espionage Act. Now that's sort of a scary-sounding title. What it really means is that the documents pertained or related to national defense. There have been reports since the search that some of the documents dealt with the Pentagon, perhaps nuclear weapons, perhaps Iran. We don't know what was in the documents. But when you hear Espionage Act, that just means that the documents related to defense issues.

Another law that the search was conducted under was called Section 2071, removing government records. You're not supposed to take official government records from where they are supposed to be filed or deposited. The interesting thing about this law, a person convicted under that statute would be disqualified from holding public office. A lot of Trump's critics have sought to prevent him from seeking the White House again. He, of course, is running for the Republican nomination now. And so if convicted under that statute, he could potentially be blocked from returning to the White House.

The third law that the search was conducted under was obstruction of justice. That would be because of reports that he might have misled investigators about whether he had classified documents stored there at Mar-a-Lago. His lawyers gave statements after a subpoena was served in June, saying that they had searched all the storage rooms that they thought that all classified documents had by that point been returned to federal authorities. And of course, we saw in the FBI search in August that more classified records were found. So the question is, did former President Trump direct his lawyers to say that? Was there a miscommunication? We don't know that obstruction has been a charge, but that is expected to be a potential charge. There are, we are told, seven charges in this indictment, but the Justice Department hasn't detailed what those are. Trump himself announced the indictment and he hasn't explained what the charges are against him.

Taylor Wilson:

As you mentioned, Trump himself announced this indictment. What else did he say? How is he responding to this, Bart, and what's next for him legally going forward?

Bart Jansen:

Trump has been harshly critical of the Justice Department calling this a political investigation. He says he's being treated differently than President Joe Biden, who had classified documents found in a former office in Washington, D.C. and at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. Of course, the contrast is that when Biden's personal lawyers discovered those documents, they immediately called federal authorities. They said, "They're here, come and get them." They were retrieved. And so there wasn't the kind of resistance that former President Trump put up with the records at Mar-a-Lago.

Nevertheless, Trump has proclaimed his innocence. He issued a statement saying in all caps, "I AM AN INNOCENT MAN," and he will fight these charges. He said his initial court appearance is slated for Tuesday at 3:00 PM in Florida. The investigation had been run out of the Washington office of the Justice Department, but we have legal experts explaining that it may be the federal charges were filed in Florida for the classified documents because that's where they were stored, that's where they were found, and that's where any other potential crimes, or the allegations of the crime, such as obstruction - maybe moving the documents, hiding the documents - would've actually happened. So he'll be facing the charges in Florida in federal court.

Taylor Wilson:

USA TODAY Justice Department Correspondent Bart Jansen. Thanks so much.

Bart Jansen:

Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

For now, Trump can continue his 2024 presidential campaign even after being indicted again. Several of those laws allegedly violated by Trump, as outlined by our reporter, Bart, could carry lengthy prison sentences, though, many legal experts still feel actual prison time for the former president may be farfetched.

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The Supreme Court yesterday ruled unexpectedly against Alabama in a challenge to its recently redrawn congressional districts. The decision strikes down an argument for so-called colorblind boundaries that voting rights advocates feared could have diluted the power of Black voters through much of the country. The 5-4 decision was a win for voting rights groups and a break with past decisions from the conservative court that have limited the scope of the Voting Rights Act, the 1965 law intended to ensure Black Americans are not discriminated against at the ballot box. The decision means Alabama will have to redraw the map it used in the 2022 midterm election, likely to include a second district made up of African-American voters. More broadly, states will have to remain mindful of the impact on race when drawing political boundaries. This is one of several major disputes the court is considering this term that deals with race and what efforts governments and other institutions must make to combat discrimination. Later this month, justices will hand down another major opinion, challenging the use of affirmative action in college admissions.

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New Yorkers breathed the worst urban air quality in the world yesterday as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to drift into American cities. The air quality monitoring website, iqair.com, had New York atop its global list yesterday with Detroit also as high as third at one point. Flights were temporarily halted at New York's LaGuardia Airport and in Philadelphia. And today will be a remote instruction day for the more than a million New York City public school students. President Joe Biden urged Americans to seek local guidance on air quality and pointed people to the website airnow.gov to keep up to date. AccuWeather reports that parts of the Northeast could see moderate air quality improvements today, but some of the most dense smoke may shift west toward Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit. More than 400 fires are burning north of the border, forcing tens of thousands of evacuations. A haze also hung over Canada's largest city, Toronto, yesterday.

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Army bases in Alaska have seen a wave of high suicide rates in recent years, but there may be a glimmer of hope. I spoke with USA TODAY Pentagon Correspondent Tom Vanden Brook to learn more. Thanks for hopping on the podcast, Tom.

Tom Vanden Brook:

Sure thing, Taylor.

Taylor Wilson:

Tom, how many deaths are we talking about and how do these numbers compare with the rest of the military?

Tom Vanden Brook:

Taylor, the issue really popped up in Alaska in 2021 when there were 17 suicides among soldiers posted to Alaska, and that was way out of proportion to the force there. There are about 11,500 soldiers there. So the rate was well above that for the military at large, and it alarmed the military. They launched a study to see what was going on there and in some other bases around the world that were having problems as well. But the real problem was in Alaska.

Taylor Wilson:

And what are some of the reasons for these high suicide numbers in Alaska, specifically?

Tom Vanden Brook:

Alaska is a tough state in general for anybody to live in. Right now, it's got the third-highest rate of suicide across the country just for civilians and for the military. It ranks behind only Wyoming and Montana for suicide rate. It's a tough environment. People know about that. I mean, it can get down to 60 below in the interior and limited sunlight in the winter, and then in the summer, the sun really goes down and it can disrupt sleep patterns, and that can lead to lots of problems for people.

Taylor Wilson:

And, Tom, you wrote that things might be turning for the better in Alaska. What solutions have officials focused on there?

Tom Vanden Brook:

Well, after we went up there last year and did some reporting about how soldiers were not seeing counselors in a timely way, the army and the Pentagon sent dozens of counselors to the state and reduced the wait times that soldiers in crisis had to see somebody to talk about their problems. And that seems to have made a big difference. So the suicide numbers dropped from 17 in 2021 to six last year, and they only suspect one so far this year. So there seems to be a correlation there, senior defense officials tell us too early to say for sure, but it does seem to have made a difference.

Taylor Wilson:

And are any of these same solutions being implemented on other military bases outside of Alaska as well?

Tom Vanden Brook:

Well, that's why we traveled to Alaska with the Deputy Defense Secretary. She wanted to see what was going on there to see what lessons would be able to be extended across the force. So they're looking at that. They're looking at the data. No decisions yet, but obviously it does look like the fact that access to mental health care makes a big difference. They're also looking at improving just the quality of life at these bases so that people have better living conditions and also access to childcare, which seems to be an issue for lots of families. It really straps them.

Taylor Wilson:

Tom Vanden Brook, thanks so much.

Tom Vanden Brook:

Thanks, Taylor.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

About one in five military spouses don't have a job. That's a rate that hasn't significantly changed over the past decade. But President Joe Biden today, while visiting Fort Liberty in North Carolina, will sign an executive order directing federal agencies to take a number of actions to help spouses have stable careers. That's despite frequent moves, time apart for training, and needing to care for an injured service member or veteran, all challenges that military spouses face. The order includes making remote work more accessible to spouses stationed overseas, and to help with the cost of childcare. It'll also direct a small business administration to develop resources for spouses who need to relocate a business.

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. We're produced by Shannon Rae Green, and our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Special thanks to Cherie Saunders, Alexis Gustin and Mark Sovel. I'm Taylor Wilson. Back tomorrow with another episode of 5 Things.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's latest indictment, air quality issues linger: 5 Things podcast