Trump says he’s looking ‘forward’ to taking stand at trial

Former President Trump says he would “absolutely” take the stand to defend himself if asked to testify in any of his impending trials.

“That, I would do. That, I look forward to,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday.

Trump faces charges in four separate cases across New York, Florida, Georgia and Washington, D.C.

In the Georgia case, prosecutors say they plan to call at least 150 witnesses in the sweeping election interference case involving Trump and 18 allies.

Special prosecutor Nathan Wade told a judge Wednesday that a trial would take about four months if all 19 co-defendants are tried together.

“And it’s also predicated upon whether or not, of course, the defendants elect to testify or not,” he said. 

Related: 

• Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee rejected Kenneth Chesebro’s attempt to sever his case from Sidney Powell. Both have made formal requests for a speedy trial in the case.
• Former White House lawyer
  Ty Cobb says he doesn’t think former Trump chief of staff
  Mark Meadows will successfully get his Georgia election interference case moved to a federal court.

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Elizabeth Crisp, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

• The special prosecutor investigating the president’s son, Hunter Biden, expects to seek an indictment by Sept. 29, a new court filing indicates.

• E. Jean Carroll scored another partial victory in her defamation lawsuit against former President Trump, with a judge ruling a trial is needed only to determine how much Trump must pay the writer.

• The leader of the United Auto Workers says the union will strike at any Detroit automaker that does not reach a new labor agreement by next week.

GOP lawmakers want to ban the threat of future federal mask mandates in schools, airplanes and public transportation as coronavirus cases begin to surge again.

Only a handful of places have moved to reinstate mask requirements in specific locations where there have been recent outbreaks.

But Republican Sens. J.D. Vance (Ohio), Mike Braun (Ind.) and Josh Hawley (Mo.) have introduced the “Freedom to Breathe Act.”

“Multiple entities within our government, within the public health bureaucracy, there are local schools in the D.C. area now reimposing mask mandates, this is coming back unless we stop it from happening,” Vance said in a statement.

Rep. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) is listed as a House sponsor for the legislation.

The Biden administration is expected to cancel controversial leases to drill for oil in a wildlife refuge in Alaska, sources tell The Hill.

The leases were first granted under the previous administration in 2021, but President Biden vowed on the campaign trail that he would move to “permanently” protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to a number of species and land considered sacred by the Gwich’in tribe. 

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who is an ophthalmologist, is pushing back on assurances about GOP Leader Mitch McConnell‘s (Ky.) health, calling the Capitol physician’s diagnosis “misinformation” and “clearly not accurate.”

The Federal Reserve is “well positioned to proceed cautiously” on interest rate hikes after an aggressive tightening cycle, Boston Federal Reserve President Susan Collins said at an event this week.

“Overall, we are well positioned to proceed cautiously in this uncertain economic environment, recognizing the risks while remaining resolute and data-dependent, with the flexibility to adjust as conditions warrant,” Collins said in remarks to the New England Council.

The Fed “may be near, or even at, the peak” of rate hikes, but Collins warned that “further tightening could be warranted.” 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lead attorney berated a key prosecution witness during the Republican’s impeachment trial, questioning why he went to the FBI.

Jeff Mateer, a conservative lawyer who formerly served as the first assistant Attorney General in Texas, said he and other deputies in the AG’s office reported Paxton to the FBI for allegedly “asking illegal actions on behalf of what we then knew was a campaign donor.”

Massachusetts saw a huge spike in the number of people traveling to the state for abortions after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, according to a rigorous analysis published this week.

Researchers found the number of out-of-state abortion-seekers shot up 37.5 percent in the year since the Supreme Court’s ruling, when comparing data from before the ruling — accounting for a variety of factors including seasonal changes and the COVID-19 pandemic — to the months that followed.

“The sky’s the limit: It’s time to modernize air traffic control” — former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao (Read here)

“Mr. President, release the emails” — Bernard Goldberg, ward-winning writer and journalist (Read here)

21 days until the next GOP debate.
131 days until the Iowa caucuses.
313 days until the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
348 days until the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
426 days until Election Day.

10 a.m.: Senate meets.

The President will travel to New Delhi, India, to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

8:30 p.m.: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be on “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Fox News.