A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.

In The True Spirit Of Lib-Owning

Trump will be holding a campaign rally for Nebraska GOP gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster, who’s been accused of groping eight women.

• Trump’s announcement of the April 29 rally came less than a week after the Nebraska Examiner published its report of eight women, including a state senator, alleging that Herbster had groped or, in one case, forcibly kissed them between 2017 and this year. Three more people spoke to the Nebraska Examiner on the record this week corroborating the allegations.
• Trump endorsed Herbster way back in October, so the timing of this rally seems pretty deliberate (though not out of character for an ex-president who himself has been accused of sexual misconduct, including rape).
• Nebraska Republicans have blasted Herbster’s alleged misconduct as disqualifying for those seeking office. Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) said the candidate’s alleged behavior “should disqualify anyone from elected leadership,” and Nebraska’s female Republican state senators joined their Democratic counterparts in signing a letter declaring that Herbster was “unfit to serve.”

GOP Rep. Claims To Know Nothing About Proud Boys Who Wanted To Protect Him On Jan. 6

According to Rep. Ronny Jackson’s (R-TX) office, the Texas Republican “does not know nor has he ever spoken to” the Proud Boy leaders who allegedly texted each other in a group chat during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection saying Jackson was “on the move” and “needs protection.”

Atlanta DA Reveals When Witnesses Will Testify In Trump Probe

Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis told the local paper that she’s waiting until after the state’s May 24 primaries to call witnesses in her investigation into Trump’s Georgia election meddling.

• Witnesses won’t be called until June 1, Willis said. The grand jury selection process will start on May 2, according to the district attorney.
• Willis will almost certainly want to interview Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), who’s running as an incumbent in the upcoming primary and who Trump also tried to bully into “finding” the nonexistent votes to steal the 2020 election from Biden.
• At least 50 people have voluntarily testified before the prosecutors, according to Willis, adding that she plans to subpoena at least another 30.

DOJ Miiiight Appeal Ruling That Struck Down Mask Mandate

A spokesperson for the Justice Department said on Tuesday that the department would appeal to revive the CDC mask mandate that a Trump-appointed judge struck down earlier this week–but only if the CDC still thinks the mandate “remains necessary for public health.”

Florida GOPers Establish University Tenure Limits For Blatantly Political Reasons

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill on Tuesday that requires a review of tenured university professors at state universities every five years, and free speech lovin’ Republicans didn’t bother to hide the fact that the measure was to crack down on politics they don’t like being taught in schools.

• DeSantis himself said at the bill signing that the purpose of the bill was “all about trying to make these institutions more in line with what the state’s priorities are.” Oh, and “quite frankly of the priorities of parents throughout the state of Florida.” Yes, of course. “Parents.” That’s who this is for.
• Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R) claimed that there are professors who “come to indoctrinate, and they shouldn’t have a lifetime job.”
• University of Florida faculty have already been feeling the pressure to fall in line with DeSantis’ politics, which included a (now-reversed) ban on professors from testifying against the governor’s anti-voting law.

Michigan Dem Rips Into GOP ‘Groomer’ Fearmongering

Speaking on the Senate floor, Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D) fiercely pushed back against Republicans’ efforts to paint those who support LGBTQ+ youth as pro-pedophilia:

Senator Lana Theis accused me by name of grooming and sexualizing children in an attempt to marginalize me for standing up against her marginalizing the LGBTQ community…in a fundraising email, for herself.

Hate wins when people like me stand by and let it happen. I won't. pic.twitter.com/jL5GU42bTv

— Mallory McMorrow (@MalloryMcMorrow) April 19, 2022

Must Read

“Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right’s outrage machine” – The Washington Post

I had heard that Babylon Bee had recently provided financial backing for @libsoftiktok but didn’t have enough confirmation on the details to nail it down for my story.

Seth Dillon, CEO of the Babylon Bee has now confirmed it. pic.twitter.com/t9nGzPGL4m

— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) April 20, 2022

Eastman Still Clutching Onto His Emails

Ex-Trump legal adviser and coup architect John Eastman is trying yet again to claim attorney-client privilege over the emails the House Jan. 6 Committee is seeking in its investigation. About 36,000 pages worth of documents need to stay confidential, Eastman argued on Monday.

Biden Reportedly Told Obama He’s Running Again

Apparently seeking to dispel rumors of Biden only staying for one term, “sources” told the Hill that the President has told former President Barack Obama that he’ll be running again in 2024. If Biden (who’s already the oldest president to take office) were to do that and win, he’d be 82 years old when his second term begins.

Migrants Three Times The Population Of US Caught At The Border, According To GOPer

Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) sounded the alarm on Tuesday over the “more than 1,000,000,000” migrants who’ve allegedly arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border over the past six months, a very real and accurate number of zeros:

Border Patrol agents have apprehended more than 1,000,000,000 migrants at our southern border in just 6 months.
 
President Biden’s open border policies are fueling this crisis! #BidenBorderCrisishttps://t.co/g10hTkaPmx

— Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (@RepDLesko) April 19, 2022

(As an aside, why do conservatives always use the number of migrants apprehended at the border as a sign of Biden’s “disastrous” border policies? Wouldn’t they want one billion migrants stopped at the border?? Make it make sense.)

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