The Excerpt podcast: Multiple legal developments for former President Trump

On Thursday's episode of The Excerpt podcast: The Supreme Court will consider presidential immunity in April, delaying former President Donald Trump's election interference trial. Plus, a judge rules Trump must post a bond for the full $454 million judgment against him. And an Illinois judge has ruled Trump is disqualified from the state's 2024 election ballot. USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page looks at the legacy of Sen. Mitch McConnell, as he announces he'll be stepping down from his leadership post. Hunter Biden denies President Joe Biden was involved in family business. USA TODAY White House Correspondent Joey Garrison previews President Joe Biden's trip to the border. Lawmakers reach a short-term solution to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it.  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.

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Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and today is Thursday, February 29th, 2024. This is The Excerpt. Today, former president Donald Trump gets some major news on his legal fronts, plus a look at Mitch McConnell's legacy. As he announces he'll step down from his leadership post and Biden visits the border.

Taylor Wilson:

We begin today with a number of developments surrounding former president Donald Trump's legal issues. First, the Supreme Court said yesterday that it will decide whether Trump can be tried for attempting to steal the 2020 election. The court set an accelerated schedule to hear the case in April while his criminal trial remains delayed. The move is a win for Trump who is appealing a lower court's decision that he's not immune from prosecution. Even if Trump loses that appeal, the Supreme Court may not reach a decision quickly enough for a trial to proceed in time for a verdict before the November election.

Taylor Wilson:

But Trump received worse news yesterday when a New York appellate judge rejected an emergency request from him to post a $100 million bond while appealing a $454 million judgment against him for fraud related to his business. A judge now ruled that Trump must post bond for the entire $454 million judgment. And in Illinois, a judge has barred Trump from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot over his alleged role in the Capitol riot. Trump is expected to appeal the decision and the Supreme Court will likely weigh in. Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell will step down from his leadership post in November.

Mitch McConnell:

I'm now 82. As Ecclesiastes as these tells us to everything, there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. To serve Kentucky in the Senate, has been the honor of my life. To lead my Republican colleagues has been the highest privilege.

Taylor Wilson:

McConnell was the longest serving Senate leader. He'll finish his current term in the Senate, which is set to end in January of 2027. For more on his legacy in Congress, I spoke with USA Today, Washington Bureau Chief, Susan Page. Susan, thanks for making the time.

Susan Page:

It's always good to be with you.

Taylor Wilson:

So Susan, what did we hear from Senator McConnell during this speech yesterday?

Susan Page:

This was kind of a surprise. He announced he was stepping down from the leadership post that he has held for so long, the longest serving Senate leader in American history. And it was surprising not only because he announced he was stepping down, but because he did it at odds with his image. Mitch McConnell is a guy who's easy to caricature. He's got kind of a sour expression on his face, he's no good at making big speeches, he holds his cards very close to his vest. But in this speech, he was introspective, he was even a little emotional.

Taylor Wilson:

And Susan, I'm curious why he's making this decision now. For instance, how much of a factor is it that he may simply no longer recognize this version of the Republican Party in the era of Donald Trump and what else is at play here?

Susan Page:

Well, on the one hand, he did just turn 82 years old, and that's a retirement age in most professions. But I think it's also true that this is no longer Mitch McConnell's Republican Party. And we see that at the moment, in the debate over aid to Ukraine. Traditionally, that would've been something Republicans supported a Ukraine and its war against Russia. Now we're in a situation where we are not entirely sure how this continuing aid... Whether it will survive in the House of Representatives under Republican control. So this is a different political era than the one when Mitch McConnell arrived in the US Senate in 1985.

Taylor Wilson:

Susan, did we hear from any other lawmakers or political leaders after this announcement?

Susan Page:

President Biden issued a statement praising Mitch McConnell saying they'd often been at odds, but that he'd always been someone you could deal with. But there is some hard feelings with Democrats, it was Mitch McConnell who made it impossible for Merrick Garland to be confirmed for the Supreme Court during the last year of the Obama administration. The court is something he really focused on, he helped confirm a whole generation of more conservative federal judges.

Taylor Wilson:

And in terms of McConnell's legacy as a Senate leader, is it about legislative successes or failures or how he worked with various presidents? What stands out to you, Susan?

Susan Page:

He defied democratic presidents, he was often the figure standing between them and some of their biggest plans. He's someone who helped Republican presidents. He left a particular stamp on the judiciary and he survived. And that is something that no politician has done quite as well as Mitch McConnell.

Taylor Wilson:

All right, Susan Page is USA Today's Washington Bureau Chief. Thank you, Susan.

Susan Page:

Hey, thank you.

Taylor Wilson:

Hunter Biden appeared in front of lawmakers yesterday on Capitol Hill for a closed door deposition. There he forcefully rejected House Republicans allegations that his father, President Joe Biden was improperly involved in his business dealings. His prepared opening statement read, "You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA motivated conspiracies about my father because there aren't any." Republicans have alleged that President Joe Biden influenced US foreign policy to benefit his family financially. But investigators have yet to come up with any evidence directly tying Joe Biden to his family's affairs. President Joe Biden will make a rare trip to the US Mexico border today. But mayors and governors around the country are hoping for more than a photo op. I spoke with USA Today White House correspondent, Joey Garrison for more. Joey, thanks for making the time.

Joey Garrison:

Hey, thanks for having me on Taylor.

Taylor Wilson:

So Joey, what is President Joe Biden planning during this trip to the border later today and why is he making this trip now?

Joey Garrison:

Yeah, so President Biden is going to be headed to Brownsville, Texas today and what will be a second visit to the border of his presidency. And it comes as he's been going on offense on the border as opposed to defense in which Democrats usually are positioned in after he's been urging Congress to pass a border security bill that was negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators at the urging of Donald Trump. Congressional Republicans effectively killed that bill. And so now that gave Biden an opening to say, "Hey look, I'm trying to shore up the border. I'm trying to improve security measures, but Republicans for political reasons are standing in the way." And that's what I think we're going to hear from him, especially today during this trip.

Taylor Wilson:

Joey, there are both Democratic and Republican critics of Biden around the country on the issue of immigration. What do mayors and governors say they actually want from this administration?

Joey Garrison:

Some of the mayors of the biggest cities in the nation, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, who's a democrat, has been critical of Biden's handling of the border. Many mayors just want to see action regardless of where that comes from. The national US Mayor's Conference endorsed a bipartisan border bill that was backed by Biden. They want to see that signed into law. Of course, Republicans would not allow a vote on that bill. With that pushed to the side now, they want to see some action however it comes. Perhaps it's executive action to achieve some of the policy aims of that. The White House hasn't ruled out executive action as a possibility. In fact, Biden is considering it, particularly when it comes to this ability to what Biden's called shut down the border for the flow of additional migrants and asylum seekers. But they still say the White House that they want to see the bill passed as the ultimate goal they have.

Joey Garrison:

They're legal questions when it comes to restricting the ability of asylum seekers to claim asylum. So however it comes, mayors, cities, states, they're the ones who are dealing with the influx of migrants in terms of having to get a basic services, housing, shelter, other accommodations for these migrants in cities like New York. So they just want some form of federal government action however it comes. On the other side, you have Republican governors who have really taken more of the queue from Trump, the front row or the Republican Party, where they want more hard line, aggressive action on the border. Republican governors had an event on the border just a couple of weeks ago where they say they want to see executive action for Biden to shut down the border. They say Biden really is unfairly pointing the finger of Congress for failing to act. But really Biden, they say has the power to do some of these things on their own.

Taylor Wilson:

How is this trip part of the broader shift on the border and immigration from the Biden administration that you and I, Joey, have discussed previously here on the show?

Joey Garrison:

For a long time Republicans, one of their big attacks on President Biden was, "Hey, he hasn't visited the border. He is ignoring this problem. He is not talking about it." Well, of course, Biden on the way to a trip to Mexico last January did stop in El Paso, Texas. But this is really his first border visit solely to talk just about this border issue. For several years, this has been an issue that President Biden, the White House really didn't want to talk about, but now they think they have an opening to go on offense on it because of Republicans standing in the way of congressional action on this. Now of note, this visit today comes as Donald Trump happens to also be visiting the border 325 miles away in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Joey Garrison:

And the Biden campaign really pushed back Trump's trip, calling it more of a political stunt, and again, blaming Trump for the reason there is inaction on the border because he told Republican lawmakers that he opposed it. And so the Biden campaign is trying to draw out some of the key distinctions between how the White House wants to address the border as opposed to Trump. So even though Biden is going hard on the border, they're trying to stress that it's a different kind of get tough strategy than what you hear from Donald Trump.

Taylor Wilson:

Joey Garrison is a White House correspondent with USA today. Thank you, Joey.

Joey Garrison:

Hey, thanks.

Taylor Wilson:

Meanwhile, US, Mexican and Guatemalan officials met yesterday to address record migration and possible solutions. You can read more about the ongoing conversation around the border with a link in today's show notes. Lawmakers have agreed on a short-term spending deal to avoid a partial government shutdown. The extension referred to as a continuing resolution, will fund parts of the government through March 8th and the remainder through March 22nd. With the short-term measure, lawmakers again kick the can down the road in a bid to buy more time to come up with a full spending agreement for the nation's government. You can read more with a link in today's show notes.

Taylor Wilson:

When Mary Lee Forsyth turned 16, she'd only had four birthdays. Now that she's turning 100, she's getting ready for her 25th. The Oklahoma Native is a leapling, a term for people born on Leap Day, which appears on the calendar just about every four years and happens to appear today. And USA Today will again be honoring the Women of the Year for 2024. You can find more on usatoday.com, beginning at 10:00 AM eastern time. And dinosaur lovers, be sure to stay tuned to The Excerpt later today when my co-host Dana Taylor discusses Pliosaurus, the T-Rex of the sea with Steve Etches, a plumber and paleontologist. You can find the episode right here on this feed beginning at 4:00 PM Eastern Time. Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson, and I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA Today.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Excerpt podcast: The Supreme Court considers immunity for Trump