⚖️ Axios PM: Alito blames wife

🐼 Plus: Panda-monium in D.C. | Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Open in app View in browser   Presented By BlackRock   Axios PM By Mike Allen · May 29, 2024 Good afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Zachary Basu, is 592 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.     1 big thing: Alito blames wife Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images   Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito rejected a request to recuse himself from cases related to Jan. 6 amid backlash over two controversial flags flown at his homes, Axios' Jacob Knutson reports. Why it matters: In his most detailed explanation yet, the conservative justice told senators his wife was "solely responsible" for flying the flags, which have become symbols of the pro-Trump "Stop the Steal" movement. The first incident — the flying of an upside-down American flag at their Virginia home in January 2021 — came after a "very nasty neighborhood dispute" that caused great distress to his wife, Alito wrote. The justice said he asked Martha-Ann Alito to take down the flag when he became aware she was flying it, but that she refused to do so for several days. Noting that he and his wife jointly own their home, Alito claimed "there were no additional steps that I could have taken to have the flag taken down more promptly." The second incident — the 2023 flying of an "Appeal to Heaven" flag associated with Christian nationalism and carried by Jan. 6 rioters — was also Martha-Ann Alito's doing, the justice said. Alito said he and his wife were "not aware of any connection between this historic flag and the 'Stop the Steal Movement'" and that he "assumed she was flying it to express a religious and patriotic message." "My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not," Alito wrote, concluding that the incidents do not meet the standard for recusal. Go deeper ... Read the letter.     2. 🕒 No Trump verdict today Screenshot via CNN The 12 jurors in former President Trump's New York hush money trial deliberated for more than four hours today, before being excused shortly after 4 p.m. ET. They'll reconvene tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. Why it matters: Any verdict on each of Trump's 34 felony counts must be unanimous. Judge Juan Merchan urged the jury this morning to "set aside" their personal opinions and treat the former president like "another member of the community." Trump appeared to be bracing for a possible guilty verdict as he left the courtroom, telling reporters: "Mother Teresa could not beat these charges." Go deeper ... Read the jury instructions.     A message from BlackRock BlackRock is invested in the future of teachers like Andy     BlackRock is proud to help manage the retirement plan assets for roughly half of public school teachers in the U.S. An example: Meet Andy, a teacher from Tucson, Arizona, who is giving back to his community while also planning for a secure retirement. Learn more by watching his story.     3. Catch me up Data: FHFA; Map: Axios Visuals 🏠 Above: U.S. home prices are up an average of 6.6% from last year, with Vermont experiencing the highest home appreciation in the country, Axios' Brianna Crane and Emily Peck report. 👀 Trump and Elon Musk speak several times a month and have discussed a potential advisory role for the Tesla CEO in a second Trump administration, The Wall Street Journal reports. ⛳ Kentucky prosecutors dropped charges against Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 golfer, following his stunning arrest earlier this month outside the PGA Championship, Axios' Ivana Saric reports.     4. 🐼 1 fun thing: Panda-monium Bao Li in his habitat at Shenshuping Base in Wolong, China. Photo: Roshan Patel, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute   Giant pandas are officially returning to the Smithsonian's National Zoo, Mimi Montgomery and Anna Spiegel write for Axios D.C. Why it matters: The nation's capital said goodbye to its last three pandas in November as part of a loan agreement with the Chinese government, leaving D.C. sans panda for the first time in over two decades. Today, first lady Jill Biden joined National Zoo officials to announce that two new pandas will arrive by the end of the year and stay through at least April 2034. Bao Li is a 2-year-old male and the grandson of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the two pandas who left the zoo last year. He'll be joined by Qing Bao, a 2-year-old female. Go deeper.     A message from BlackRock The BlackRock Foundation helps millions of Americans build savings     Nearly 40% of Americans lack enough money to cover a $400 emergency expense. The positive news: BlackRock's Emergency Savings Initiative has been focused on strengthening the economic security of Americans by helping workers build up rainy day savings to prepare for the unexpected. Learn more.   Are you a fan of this email format? 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