Republicans attack N.Y. district attorney before Trump indictment

If it’s WEDNESDAY… Political world continues to brace for possible indictment of Donald Trump in New York… President Biden’s approval rating remains stagnant in new poll… Ron DeSantis escalates his criticism of Trump… Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell calls fellow GOP senators as he recovers from fall, per NBC’s Capitol Hill team… And candidates in upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race tangle over “fake elector” scheme.

But FIRST... Sen. Rand Paul is calling to jail Manhattan’s district attorney.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy says D.A. Alvin Bragg is “somebody putting their thumb on the scale [of justice] simply because they don’t agree with somebody else’s political view.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., adds: “This is the epitome of the weaponizing of the federal government against Democrats’ political opponents.”

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., emails his fundraising list: “This is what a banana republic looks like.”

All before any indictment against former President Donald Trump has been handed down — or before any charges have been spelled out.

Can we take a deep breath? Exercise some caution? And let the justice system work its course?

After all, it was just a few months ago when Republicans attacked the FBI for searching Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. But those criticisms quickly died down after it got reported what the ex-president had at his Florida home (like classified documents on Iran and China).

We’re also talking about an ex-president who was impeached twice (with bipartisan votes against him), who’s currently facing MULTIPLE criminal investigations, who maintains he won a presidential election he clearly lost, and who still defends those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Yet elected Republicans are trashing the judicial system — all to once again defend Trump before we even know the charges he faces.

And while other Republicans are remaining silent, that silence isn’t helping the rule of law, either.

“I don’t know how to spell the sanctimonious one. I don’t really know what it means, but I kinda like it, it’s long, it’s got a lot of vowels.”

— Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis on Trump’s nickname for him as “Ron DeSanctimonious,” in an interview with Fox Nation. 

That’s how many consecutive times the Federal Reserve has hiked the federal funds interest rate since last year, ultimately raising the key rate from about zero to more than 4.5%. 

Now, the Federal Reserve is poised to announce whether it’ll raise rates again, as the Fed continues to try to walk the tightrope of curbing inflation amid a complicated economic backdrop that was shaken even more by the recent collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. 

Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, is expected to speak at 2:30 p.m. ET, to shed more light on where the Fed plans to go from here.

Other numbers you need to know today

 41%: The share of Americans in a new Monmouth University poll who approve of the job President Joe Biden is doing as president. 

 4: The number of years a Capitol rioter was sentenced to prison for assaulting police during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack. 

 9: The number of months another Capitol rioter was sentenced to prison on Tuesday. He broke into the Capitol while wearing a GoPro camera.

 19: The number of states that now ban transgender athletes from participating in girls or women’s sports, after a ban in Wyoming became law Tuesday.

 Nearly 30%: The increase in new drug shortages between 2021 and 2022, as NBC News’ Rebecca Shabad and Julie Tsirkin report on the effects of shortages for drugs like ADHD medicine and medication for children. 

 514,000: How many acres of land are now part of two new national monuments, per proclamations Biden signed on Tuesday. 

 19: How many Tennessee Senate Republicans voted to allow Lt. Gov. Randy McNally to continue serving as the Senate speaker following revelations that he frequently commented on a young gay man’s risqué Instagram photos

 $5 million: How much money former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated to an outside group behind a TV ad campaign to support New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget proposal, per the New York Times. 

 $6.5 million: How much money has been spent on TV ads so far in the Philadelphia mayor’s race, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

 1: The margin in Japan’s victory over the United States in last night’s World Baseball Classic title game. 

Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court race is shaping up to be the Midwest’s most closely watched race in 2023, with broad implications for the 2024 election cycle and beyond.

Just two weeks before Election Day, both candidates met for their first and only debate in the general election. Though the race is technically non-partisan, voters wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell if they tuned in.

The issues raised on the debate stage had little to do with judicial philosophy, and instead resembled a typical partisan debate. Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz, the liberal candidate in the race, was asked about her endorsements from liberal groups and financial backing from state Democrats as issues like abortion rights took center stage. 

“I’ve been also very clear about what my views are, what my personal opinion is with regard to a woman’s right to choose. My personal opinion is that it should be the woman’s right to make a reproductive health decision,” Protasiewicz said.

Former state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, the conservative candidate in the race, defended his endorsements from Wisconsin Right to Life, an anti-abortion rights group, and clarified the role he played as an attorney for the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

“You obviously don’t know the difference between having a client and being on a payroll,” Kelly said, when Protasiewicz criticized his Republican ties.

“I’ve never been on the payroll of the state party. I’ve had clients because, as it turns out, I’m a lawyer,” he added.

If the partisan implications weren’t clear from the debate, former President Barack Obama tweeted a call to action shortly before the debate, and the Republican State Leadership Committee’s Judicial Fairness Initiative announced a $200,000 digital and mail ad buy to boost Kelly’s campaign.

In other campaign news…

Florida men get heated: NBC News’ Jonathan Allen, Allan Smith and Ali Vitali break down “how the Trump-DeSantis cold war turned hot.” DeSantis continued to ramp up his Trump criticism in an interview with Fox Nation, but said he would focus on running against Biden if he decides to jump into the presidential race. 

DeSantis throwback: Inside Elections’ Nathan Gonzales recalls an interview with DeSantis from his first run for Congress in 2012, writing in Roll Call that DeSantis has changed how he talks about his background.

Dividing line: Former Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday criticized fellow Republicans who won’t discuss changes to Social Security and Medicare during an event at Washington & Lee University in Virginia.

Scott’s summit: Politico reports that South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott is inviting donors to a “Faith in America Summit” in Charleston next month as he weighs a presidential bid. 

Slotkin’s run: The Detroit News explores how Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is making gun violence a central part of her Senate campaign. 

Speaking of the Michigan Senate race: Politico reports that Democrat Pamela Pugh, the president of the Michigan State Board of Education, is considering a Senate run. 

Crime and politics: Crime has become a “flashpoint” in the GOP primary for governor in Kentucky, per the Associated Press. 

Talking strategy: National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., detailed some of his 2024 strategy to Politico, noting he wants the committee to expand the use of so-called hybrid ads, develop a ground game in districts without competitive contests at the top of the ticket, and recruit candidates “that fit their districts.” 

Refund time: House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., said his team has returned campaign donations he received from a fundraiser with Signature Bank executives ahead of its collapse, NBC News’ Scott Wong and Rose Horowitch report.

Heading West: Los Angeles Times columnist Mark Barabak has launched a series on the leftward shift in Western states, and how that shift is affecting presidential politics, with his first installment focused on Colorado.

Ballot bid: Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s Forward Party is working to gain access to the Arizona ballot, per the Arizona Republic.

Biden signed the measure on Monday that would block changes to the District of Columbia’s criminal code. 

A Fox News producer is suing the network, alleging that she was coerced into providing misleading testimony in a defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems, and that the network was a “toxic workplace.”