March election madness

Plus: Pence says Trump was 'wrong' about Jan. 6; lawmakers split on bank collapse response [View this email online]( [NPR Politics]( March 18, 2023 --------------------------------------------------------------- The Big Picture: Ron DeSlippage Scott Olson/Getty Images There have already been some rhetorical punches thrown from former President Donald Trump in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ direction. In early campaign events, Trump has called DeSantis “Ron DeSanctimonious,” “Shutdown Ron” (in reference to actions taken in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic) and claimed it would be “inappropriate” to call DeSantis “Meatball Ron.” Trump [reportedly has casually]( called DeSantis that behind closed doors. All of it is quite clearly because Trump sees DeSantis as a threat – and with good reason. Over the last several months, DeSantis has, at times, polled better than the former president. The attacks and scrutiny are unlikely to let up. [A report this week highlighted]( in addition to his pudding-eating habits, that DeSantis doesn’t schmooze well or enjoy it. Not the best, considering retail politicking is essential to politics. More seriously, this week DeSantis affirmed his lack of strong support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, calling it a “territorial dispute.” That is similar to Trump’s position, but it drew backlash from areas of the GOP that hoped to support him, like the conservative [Wall Street Journal editorial page](. Under the withering attacks – and not being a declared candidate as yet – DeSantis has seen some [slippage in those polls](. But look at it this way: It’s March Madness, and the preseason No. 1 in men’s college basketball was the University of North Carolina (of which your author is a fan). And Carolina didn’t even make the NCAA tournament this year. It’s a reminder that there’s a reason campaigns have to be run and early polls are just that. — [Domenico Montanaro]( NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- ICYMI: Top Stories Yuki Iwamura/AP Congress on banks collapse: Days after the failure of two regional banks shook the financial industry, lawmakers say they want answers but [disagree on what role Congress should play right now.]( Biden, meanwhile, [wants Congress to boost penalties]( for executives when mid-sized banks fail. Pence say Trump 'wrong' about Jan. 6: In his strongest rebuke of the former president, Former Vice President Mike Pence said Donald Trump [was “wrong” for his role on Jan. 6, 2021, and that history will hold him accountable for it.]( U.S. to sell nuclear subs to Australia: President Biden met with leaders from the United Kingdom and Australia this week to [discuss details of helping arm Australia with nuclear submarines](. The move aims to counter China, which has been growing its military power in recent years. Congress moves to repeal AUMFs: A bill ending two Iraq war authorizations [cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate Thursday.]( The bill would close an open-ended justification that presidents have used to carry out military actions in Iraq. Regulating truth on cable: The FCC regulates the local stations that carry your local news programs, which are affiliates of CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox. But there's essentially no regulation of what's said on cable networks – which was [put into stark relief when Fox News' Tucker Carlson tried to rewrite history]( on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. -- [Dustin Jones]( NPR Washington Desk reporter --------------------------------------------------------------- It all comes down to you Your financial support is the NPR Network's greatest strength. You keep the facts flowing. You bring more stories to more ears. You make a real difference when you contribute to independent, trustworthy media. [Please donate today](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Going Deeper: It's All Politics Podcast Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Former President Donald Trump was invited to testify before a New York City grand jury — a move that is widely understood to mean he could soon face criminal charges related to his financial dealings and the payment of hush money to Stephanie Clifford, the adult film star also known as Stormy Daniels. [Get caught up on the case in this episode NPR's Politics Podcast with Tamara Keith, Mara Liasson and Ilya Marritz]( The Shot: Women without headscarves in Iran Marjan Yazdi for NPR Across Iran, women are refusing to wear headscarves in open defiance of regime regulations requiring them to wear a hijab. The hijab remains the official law in Iran. Their protest can be traced back to September, when Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was killed while in police custody after being arrested for allegedly improperly wearing a headscarf. As NPR’s Fatma Tanis reports: The government brutally cracked down on those protests, killing hundreds of people and jailing thousands, according to rights groups. What began as anger at the hijab law grew into a bigger movement as Iranians said they were fed up with the regime's corruption, economic mismanagement and oppression of its citizens. Now, a visible minority of women in Iran are refusing to wear headscarves, in defiant protest against the government and all of its policies. While there are reports of restaurants being fined for allowing women to dine uncovered – like in the photo shown above – women not wearing the hijab told NPR that no one had tried to stop them since last fall. [Read more of Tanis' report here.]( -- [Dustin Jones]( NPR Washington Desk reporter --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Footer]( [Footer]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprpolitics@npr.org](mailto:nprpolitics@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Politics emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]