Crash Course: “Lawyers are giggling”: Legal experts scratch their heads at Trump’s “very strange” new DOJ lawsuit

"He's sort of asking Merrick Garland to prosecute him," says Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe. [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0Q2aHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL2xldHRlci80NzI1VwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). [Donald-Trump] Brandon Bell/Getty Images “Lawyers are giggling”: Legal experts scratch their heads at Trump’s “very strange” new DOJ lawsuit Despite the mounting evidence that Trump's actions may have run afoul of federal laws governing classified materials and document preservation, Trump [filed a lawsuit](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RhaHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yYWdlLmNvdXJ0bGlzdGVuZXIuY29tL3JlY2FwL2dvdi51c2NvdXJ0cy5mbHNkLjYxODc2My9nb3YudXNjb3VydHMuZmxzZC42MTg3NjMuMS4wLnBkZlcDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) on Monday arguing that the feds have "failed to legitimize its historic decision" to raid his home. The lawsuit called for a court to appoint a special master, a third party that is typically a former judge, to review whether some materials may be protected by attorney-client privilege or other guidelines. The lawsuit seeks the return of documents the FBI seized in the raid. Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann called out a "fatal flaw" in Trump's complaint. "Nothing needs to be sifted because none of the documents are actually the former president's. These all belong, whether classified or not classified, to the national archives," he said, describing the court filing as a "press release masquerading (tenuously) as a legal brief." Orin Kerr, a conservative law professor at UC Berkeley, [noted](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0Q3aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9PcmluS2Vyci9zdGF0dXMvMTU2MTkzNTU2Njc1MjU1OTEwNFcDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) that "lawyers are giggling at Trump's motion, and how poorly it was done." "Reading Trump legal filings you imagine a lawyer who doesn't quite know what he's doing," he wrote, "and then Trump taking a Sharpie to the draft and insisting on passages that read like tweets." [Read more from Igor Derysh.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0R3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMjMvbGF3eWVycy1hcmUtZ2lnZ2xpbmctbGVnYWwtZXhwZXJ0cy1zY3JhdGNoLXRoZWlyLWhlYWRzLWF0LXRydW1wcy12ZXJ5LXN0cmFuZ2UtbmV3LWRvai9XA3NwY0IKYwTDBAZj9gNN2FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) [Pro-choice-protesters] Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Promotion from Morning Brew [Check it out!] Become smarter in just 5 minutes There's a reason over 2.6 million people start their day with Morning Brew - the daily email that delivers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Business news doesn't have to be dry and dense...make your mornings more enjoyable, for free. [Check it out!](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveDR6YmliMTYxbVcDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) Kansas was just the beginning: Abortion-rights activists turn to states — and they're winning In a surprising development last week, the South Carolina Supreme Court [stopped the state from enforcing a law](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RNaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL25hdGlvbi8yMDIyLzA4LzE3L3NvdXRoLWNhcm9saW5hLWFib3J0aW9uLWJhbi9XA3NwY0IKYwTDBAZj9gNN2FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) banning abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, ruling that it would run afoul of the state constitution. That law was enacted in 2021 in the run-up to the U.S. Supreme Court's [Dobbs](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0Q8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3VwcmVtZWNvdXJ0Lmdvdi9vcGluaW9ucy8yMXBkZi8xOS0xMzkyXzZqMzcucGRmVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) decision which overturned Roe v. Wade. Proponents of the law expected that in a post-Roe world it would end abortion in South Carolina. No one would ever mistake South Carolina — one of the most conservative states in the nation — for a hotbed of support for reproductive rights. But the court's decision is a reminder that state constitutions, even in bright red states, often afford protections and freedoms that [go well beyond](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RgaHR0cHM6Ly9kaWdpdGFsY29tbW9ucy5sYXcuYnVmZmFsby5lZHUvY2dpL3ZpZXdjb250ZW50LmNnaT9hcnRpY2xlPTEyMTQmY29udGV4dD1qb3VybmFsX2FydGljbGVzVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) what the federal Bill of Rights provides. Although no state constitution contains an [explicit guarantee of reproductive freedom](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0Q2aHR0cHM6Ly9ib2x0c21hZy5vcmcvc3RhdGUtY29uc3RpdHV0aW9ucy1hbmQtYWJvcnRpb24vVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~), all over the country, defenders of reproductive rights are [carrying on their fight](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RIaHR0cHM6Ly90aGVpbnRlcmNlcHQuY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMDMvYWJvcnRpb24tcmlnaHRzLXN0YXRlLWNvbnN0aXR1dGlvbnMvVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) at the state level, often by reference to state constitutional protections of privacy, autonomy and dignity. For example, the National Conference of State Legislatures [notes](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0R7aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmNzbC5vcmcvcmVzZWFyY2gvdGVsZWNvbW11bmljYXRpb25zLWFuZC1pbmZvcm1hdGlvbi10ZWNobm9sb2d5L3ByaXZhY3ktcHJvdGVjdGlvbnMtaW4tc3RhdGUtY29uc3RpdHV0aW9ucy5hc3B4VwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) that constitutions in Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Washington contain specific provisions relating to a right to privacy, a word that does not appear in the U.S. Constitution or Bill of Rights. [Read more from Austin Sarat.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0R8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMjMva2Fuc2FzLXdhcy1qdXN0LXRoZS1iZWdpbm5pbmctYWJvcnRpb24tcmlnaHRzLWFjdGl2aXN0cy10dXJuLXRvLXN0YXRlcy0tYW5kLXRoZXlyZS13aW5uaW5nL1cDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - As Anthony Fauci announces retirement, experts weigh in on [how history will remember him](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0Q5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMjMvZmF1Y2ktcmV0aXJlbWVudC1sZWdhY3kvVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - Harry Styles has attracted more male fans, but will they be [less toxic than his original stans?](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RPaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMjMvaGFycnktc3R5bGVzLWZhbmRvbS1vbGl2aWEtd2lsZGUtcXVlZXJiYWl0aW5nL1cDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - ["Only Murders in the Building" boss](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RNaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMjMvb25seS1pbi10aGUtYnVpbGRpbmctZW5kaW5nLWtpbGxlci1zZWFzb24tMy9XA3NwY0IKYwTDBAZj9gNN2FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) on that killer party, other possible suspects and next season - [Looking for love and finding elote](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMjMvbG9va2luZy1mb3ItbG92ZS1hbmQtZmluZGluZy1lbG90ZS1hLW1lZGl0YXRpb24tb24tbWV4aWNhbi1zdHJlZXQtY29ybi9XA3NwY0IKYwTDBAZj9gNN2FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo): A meditation on Mexican street corn Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9zYWxvbi51czgubGlzdC1tYW5hZ2UuY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91PTcxY2IzZThhNmU5NjM5YzgxMDIzY2Q0MjcmaWQ9NWRlZGEyYWFhN1cDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to receive Crash Course. [Teenage-boy] Getty Images/MoMo Productions Andrew Tate shows how fascists recruit online: Men fall victim to the insecurity-to-fascism pipeline "Andrew Who?" That's most of what the over-30 crowd said in response to the news that [Andrew Tate had been banned from TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RSaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3RlY2hub2xvZ3kvMjAyMi8wOC8yMS9hbmRyZXctdGF0ZS10aWt0b2staW5zdGFncmFtL1cDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) after a spate of negative coverage and increasing concerns from parents and teachers about the TikTok star's power over his followers. For adults who don't have teenage sons, the 35-year-old kickboxer-turned-TikTok star was largely unknown, but as anyone in the high school and college age set could tell you, online he was an overnight sensation. Across the English-speaking world, parents and teachers grew increasingly alarmed, hearing teenage boys and young men parroting Tate's woman-hating rhetoric. Beyond arguing that women shouldn't be allowed to drive or work outside of the home, Tate has [bragged about beating a woman with a machete](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlZ3VhcmRpYW4uY29tL3RlY2hub2xvZ3kvMjAyMi9hdWcvMDYvYW5kcmV3LXRhdGUtdmlvbGVudC1taXNvZ3luaXN0aWMtd29ybGQtb2YtdGlrdG9rLW5ldy1zdGFyVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) and [praised Donald Trump for sexually assaulting women](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0Q7aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFyaWVjbGFpcmUuY29tLmF1L2FuZHJldy10YXRlLXRpa3Rvay1kYW5nZXJvdXNXA3NwY0IKYwTDBAZj9gNN2FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). But he is very much not joking. [Police in Romania raided the British-born Tate's Romanian home](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlZGFpbHliZWFzdC5jb20vcG9saWNlLXJhaWQtbWFnYS1raW5nLW9mLXRveGljLW1hc2N1bGluaXR5LWluLWh1bWFuLXRyYWZmaWNraW5nLWludmVzdGlnYXRpb25XA3NwY0IKYwTDBAZj9gNN2FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) in April, as part of an investigation into human trafficking. Parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about the wellbeing of young people should be worried. It's not just that Tate was spreading hateful ideas and encouraging violence against women, though that on its own is terrifying enough. It's that Tate is just the latest example of the way that far-right figures lure in young men by preying on their insecurities. Once the influencers suck in these young men, they start redirecting audience energies towards fascist organizing. Tate is just a piece of a larger puzzle that explains, for instance, how so many otherwise normal young men get wrapped up in groups like the Proud Boys and actions like storming the Capitol on January 6. [Read more from Amanda Marcotte.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0SFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMjMvYW5kcmV3LXRhdGUtc2hvd3MtaG93LWZhc2Npc3RzLXJlY3J1aXQtb25saW5lLW1lbi1mYWxsLXZpY3RpbS10by10aGUtaW5zZWN1cml0eS10by1mYXNjaXNtLXBpcGVsaW5lL1cDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "After Roe, teens are teaching themselves sex ed, because the adults won’t," [The Washington Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RLaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL2VkdWNhdGlvbi8yMDIyLzA4LzIzL3RlZW4tc2V4LWVkdWNhdGlvbi1yb2UvVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "Ex-Twitter exec blows the whistle, alleging reckless and negligent cybersecurity policies," [CNN](/08/23/tech/twitter-whistleblower-peiter-zatko-security/index.html) - "At the Jan. 6 hearings, race isn't discussed much. Still, it's a central issue," [NPR](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RDaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy8yMDIyLzA4LzIzLzExMTc5OTMwMTIvamFudWFyeS02dGgtaGVhcmluZ3MtcmFjZVcDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "Court filing in Bored Apes lawsuit revives claims founders built NFT empire on Nazi ideology," [Daily Dot](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGFpbHlkb3QuY29tL2RlYnVnL2JvcmVkLWFwZXMtcmFjaXN0LWFjY3VzYXRpb25zLW5mdHMvVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "Companies Are Cutting Back on Maternity and Paternity Leave," [The Wall Street Journal](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud3NqLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlcy90aGUtc3VycHJpc2luZy1iZW5lZml0LXNvbWUtY29tcGFuaWVzLWFyZS10YWtpbmctYXdheXBhcmVudGFsLWxlYXZlLTExNjYxMTI1NjA1VwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "How a Secretive Billionaire Handed His Fortune to the Architect of the Right-Wing Takeover of the Courts," [ProPublica](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0REaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucHJvcHVibGljYS5vcmcvYXJ0aWNsZS9kYXJrLW1vbmV5LWxlb25hcmQtbGVvLWJhcnJlLXNlaWRXA3NwY0IKYwTDBAZj9gNN2FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) [USA-Today-headquarters] Win McNamee/Getty Images Bad to worse for news biz: Gannett chain turns to union busting, layoffs, stock buybacks There's been a lot of reporting about the unprecedented wave of union organizing in the wake of the COVID pandemic. From Starbucks stores to Amazon warehouses workers are standing up for themselves, collectively putting their own situation at risk to improve the social contract they have with the corporate behemoths who for decades have gotten their way in Washington. What's gotten less attention from the corporate news media is how publicly traded corporations like Amazon and Starbucks are doubling down on illegal or dubious strategies to defeat these organizing efforts, often in ways that are not in the long-term interest of workers, the nation, their brands or even their investors, but actually serve only to personally enrich the C-suite. Such is evidently the case with the [Gannett](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0QYaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ2FubmV0dC5jb20vVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) newspaper chain, which owns more than 250 newspapers across the country including USA Today. Gannett's precarious business model has been to pile up hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, which our corporate tax code encourages, to buy up local papers and then cut costs by shrinking newsroom staffs, invariably resulting in a degradation of local news coverage. Last year, Gannett CEO Mike Reed raked in $7.7 million while the median salary of a Gannett employee was $48,419. According to their union, it's not uncommon for members to have to resort to food pantries to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Gannett spared no expense hiring union-busting attorneys and now has 11 open investigations for unfair labor practices, according to the [NRLB website](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RLaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmxyYi5nb3Yvc2VhcmNoL2Nhc2UvZ2FubmV0dD9mJTVCMCU1RD1jYXNlX3R5cGU6QyZzJTVCMCU1RD1PcGVuVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~). [Read more from Bob Hennelly.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0R7aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMjMvdG8td29yc2UtZm9yLW5ld3MtYml6LWdhbm5ldHQtY2hhaW4tdHVybnMtdG8tdW5pb24tYnVzdGluZy1sYXlvZmZzLXN0b2NrLWJ1eWJhY2tzX3BhcnRuZXIvVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, DE 19801 [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmMEwwQGY_YDTdhSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2022 Crash Course, All rights reserved. [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk6InBP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpjBMMEBmP2A03YUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)