Trump is Indicted, Alabama Redistricting, Wildfire Smoke Risks

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted again, this time over his handling of classified documents.

He's due to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday. So how is Trump responding and what do his lawyers say?

JaIME MaRTINEZ That's Asma Khalid. This is up first from NPR News.

And in all probability, if we have anything to say about it, we're going to try to make.

It a Democratic Congress.

Does this ruling forecast similar cases across the South?

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has been drifting from the northeast into the midwest, into cities like Cleveland and Detroit, and to the south as far as Georgia. What are the risks of breathing this smoke and how can you protect yourself and your loved ones? Stay with us, We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

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Christian nationalists want to turn America into a theocracy, a government under biblical rule. If they gain more power, it could mean fewer rights for you. I'm Heath Druzin and on the new season of Extremely American, I'll take you inside the movement. Listen to Extremely American from Boise State Public Radio, part of the NPR Network.

Trump faces a federal criminal indictment related to sensitive documents found at his Florida resort, with charges that include conspiracy and false statements. He's due in federal court in Miami on Tuesday.

NPR Justice correspondent Carrie Johnson has been following this story, and she joins us now to help us understand the latest. Carrie. It's great to have you with us.

Thank you, happy to be here.

Carrie This investigation has been going on now for more than a year, and it's now resulted in the first federal criminal charges against a former president. What do we know about these specific charges?

This indictment is still under seal, but lawyers for Donald Trump have been describing some of the charges. They say there are seven counts. They include willful retention of information related to national defense, part of the Espionage Act. There's at least one charge related to obstruction and at least one other related to false statements, but it's not clear whether anyone else is included in this indictment.

So how is Donald Trump himself reacting to this indictment?

Trump told the World about the FBI search of his Florida home back in August 2022.

So what happens next, what's the sort of next step in this legal process?

Donald Trump has been summoned to show up at the federal courthouse in Miami at 3 p.

So, Carrie? This is the first federal indictment of a former president, but it is the second indictment for Donald Trump. Trump was previously indicted earlier this year, just a couple of months ago, by prosecutors in New York. So does that case offer a kind of blueprint for what might happen here?

Yeah, in many ways, yes. Those charges in New York came from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. There was a lot of security worked out for Trump's appearance at the courthouse in Lower Manhattan. And again, those are charges that relate to falsifying business records for alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. This new federal case from the Justice Department is more serious legally, and it would carry more significant penalties and punishments, too.

So, Carrie, much of this news seems to be coming from the former president himself. I am curious what the Justice Department is saying about the charges.

Nothing. The special counsel, Jack Smith, has not said a word since he was appointed last winter. He had no immediate comment last night. Remember? Smith is a registered, independent former war crimes prosecutor who once led the unit at the Justice Department that prosecutes corrupt public officials. Of course, it's possible the Justice Department will move to unseal the indictment as a matter of public interest before Tuesday.

Real quick, Carrie. This is all going on during the 2024 presidential campaign, so does that mean Trump will be on trial while the campaign is underway?

It does certainly seem, given how the wheels of justice grind, that there will be legal proceedings. It's not clear a trial will be underway during the campaign at this point.

All right, that's NPR's Carrie Johnson. Thank you so much.

My pleasure.

And if you're looking for more legal and political analysis on the indictment, we'll have lots more here on Morning Edition. It's also all available on the NPR One app.

It was a 5-4 decision. The justices yesterday upheld key parts of the Voting Rights Act, the ruling says. The latest congressional map drawn by Alabama's Republican-controlled legislature violated the law and did not represent the interests of Black voters. 27 percent of Alabama's population is Black.

Kyle Gassett, of Troy Public Radio, is in Montgomery, Alabama, and has been listening to reactions to the ruling. He joins us now, Kyle, it is great to have you with us.

Hey Asma.

So this decision seems to be a surprise, I think, to some degree, given the court's recent record on voting rights. What are you hearing? And let's start with Democrats.

Well, Asma. They were surprised, but it's almost like they knew it was going to go their way and didn't want to say it out loud and ruin it. Before the decision came out, I spoke with Joe Reed, who is chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference. He was really happy.

Well, if we got two majority Black districts, in all probability, in all probability, we.

Would get a second Black congressman. And in all probability, if we have anything to say about it, we're going to try to make.

It a Democratic congressman.

When I talked to him, he was sitting in front of a large congressional map that he called a near-perfect plan. The old map had seven districts with just one Black majority representative. this new one showed two Black majority districts. Of course, the Republican-controlled legislature still gets to make the new map, and if it doesn't suit Democrats, they say they'll go to court again.

OK, so how are Republicans in the state responding?

Well, Republicans were kind of quiet, but Wes Allen, Alabama's secretary of state and a Republican, issued a statement. He said that he was disappointed with the opinion, but that he remains committed to complying with election law. It's safe to say that this decision has many Republicans nationally contemplating what this means for future elections, including 2024. As you know, OSMA Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the U.S.

So you mentioned the 2024 election. A key question here is, will these new maps in Alabama be ready for the next presidential election, the next big cycle of 2024??

Well, Osma. Democrats are hoping so, and this decision really was a win for voting rights in a state where one in four residents is Black. It upheld what's known as Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which some had feared the court would strike down completely. Jatoon Bosby-Gilchrist is the executive director of the Alabama ACLU. I spoke with her and she was glad the court applied the law here.

The point of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act emphasizes that you cannot dilute political voting power. And that's exactly what this was a dilution of Black political voting power in the state.

So yeah, this ruling OSMA could affect congressional maps across the South for years to come.

Interesting, we'll be watching. Kyle Gassett is a reporter with Troy Public Radio. Thanks for taking the time.

Thank you, Osma.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is polluting the air throughout much of the eastern United States, with New York City and the Washington D.

In the Midwest, cities such as Cleveland and Detroit are also experiencing unhealthy levels of smoke. And these conditions are expected to last through at least the end of the day. So how do you protect yourself then, with your family, from the risks?

And P.

Good morning.

So the air, I will say, at least around here in Washington, D.

Yeah, I'm in the D.

So what kind of threats, I mean? what dangers are you referring to?

Well, so the smoky air is full of tiny particles that you breathe into your airways and they get down into your lungs, they can even pass into your bloodstream. I spoke to Dr. Keith Brenner, he's a pulmonologist at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.

There's been studies that track, you know, daily amounts of air pollution on days that were its highest. There's a higher chance of dying of cardiovascular disease.

And, you know, there's lots of evidence that shows hospitalizations for asthma rise when the air quality is bad.

So, Maria, I understand the dangers you're describing, but I would say not breathing is really not an option, right for folks in this situation. So what do you do when the air is this poor?

Well, so first, you can check the air quality where you live by going to AirNow.

Good advice That is very good advice.

And you know one thing, if you have to go outside, wait for it, mask up.

Any mask, any type of mask is all right.

No, not really. I spoke with Lindsay Marr, she's an aerosols expert at Virginia Tech. She says. The smoke particles, you know, those tiny particles, are really small, in fact, they're roughly the same size as Covid particles.

So, just like with Covid, the best mask is going to be a high-quality, well-fitting what we call respirator, an N95 or KN95 or KF94.

Marr says surgical masks and cloth masks can also help somewhat if they're close-fitted. But really, if you've got that N95 or K95, that's the best protection, just make sure it fits properly. You know the drill? Cover your mouth and nose, please.

Unfortunately, we do know the drill, and luckily I had some spare KN95 still sitting around. NPR's Maria Gendoy.

Oh, yeah, me too.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

And that is up first for Friday, June 9th. I'm Asma Khalid.

And I'm a Martinez Up First is produced by David West, Ziad Butch, Lindsay Toddy. Our editors are Lima Abdullah, Susana Capilouto and Jane Greenhalgh, and also Alice Wolfley. We get engineering support from Trey Watson.

And don't forget, you can hear us in your ears on Saturday, too. Aisha Roscoe and Scott Simon will have the news. It'll be here in this feed or wherever you get your podcasts.

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