Plus: National Guard Troops Arrive In Chicago & Comey Pleads Not Guilty

Good evening,

Dolly Parton is setting the record straight about her health on Wednesday, trying to reassure fans that she’s just fine, and not on her “deathbed.” On Monday, one of Dolly’s sisters asked fans to pray for the 79-year-old singer, fueling rumors about the country singer’s health.

The video posted to Dolly Parton’s Instagram page was captioned: “I ain’t dead yet!”

The post comes after two of her sisters publicly commented on her health in recent days. Her sister, Freida Parton, had to clarify that a Monday Facebook post calling for prayers for Dolly wasn’t meant to alarm fans.
Parton says she postponed her Las Vegas residency and canceled an upcoming Oscars humanitarian award appearance to stay close to home for “a few treatments,” but stressed that “nothing major” is wrong.
- “I let some things go while caring for my husband before he passed,” she said at the Grand Ole Opry Wednesday. Carl Dean died in March at the age of 82. They were married for nearly 60 years.

You know the internet has gone wild when someone has to start a video by stating the date just to calm people down. We’re glad you’re doing okay, Dolly — and yes, we’ll keep praying for you anyway <3

Lauren
Mo News Producer

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Trump Threatens To Arrest Chicago Mayor, Illinois Gov. As National Guard Arrives

Nearly 500 National Guard troops arrived at an military facility in Illinois this week as part of President Trump’s crackdown on crime and violence in the Chicago area.

The Pentagon activated around 200 National Guard troops from Texas and 300 from Illinois for an initial period of 60 days despite the state’s governor saying the move is not necessary and unconstitutional.

Trump followed up on Wednesday by calling for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, to be jailed. They are not accused of any specific crimes.

Johnson responded, “This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere.” Pritzker vowed not to “back down” and warned that Trump’s rhetoric shows a slide toward “full-blown authoritarianism.”

WHAT WE KNOW
Trump deployed troops over the weekend to Chicago after hundreds of protesters clashed with federal immigration agents outside an ICE facility. We wrote about at what was happening on the ground in Monday’s newsletter.

Illinois officials filed a lawsuit on Monday attempting to block Trump’s move, but the judge allowed it to go forward temporarily. However, U.S. District Judge April Perry, a Biden appointee, suggested the federal government should “strongly consider” pausing the troop deployment until after a hearing set for tomorrow.

So far, judges in California and Oregon have found Trump’s similar deployments to cities in those states to be unlawful.

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🚨 ONE THING WE’RE WATCHING

Ex-FBI Director Comey Pleads Not Guilty, Backed By Experienced Legal Team

Former FBI Director James Comey made his first court appearance Wednesday after being federally indicted late last month, pleading not guilty to charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

The case is widely seen as the first major prosecution of President Trump's political enemies.

INSIDE THE COURTROOM
Comey, a former U.S. attorney in Manhattan, is represented by Patrick Fitzgerald, the former U.S. attorney in Chicago. He led the prosecution of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, helped take down the Chicago mob, and helped put two consecutive governors — one Republican, one Democratic— behind bars.

On the other side sits Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump defense lawyer with no prosecutorial experience. Wednesday’s hearing was just her second-ever appearance as a prosecutor.
- She was installed last month after Trump fired the previous U.S. attorney for refusing to indict Comey.

Comey’s trial is set for January 5. His lawyers plan to move to dismiss the case, arguing it is a “vindictive” and “selective” prosecution.

HOW WE GOT HERE
The charges stem from Comey’s Sept. 30, 2020, Senate testimony, when he told Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) he stood by earlier claims that he never authorized FBI leaks about investigations into then-President Trump or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The case is in Virginia because Comey testified remotely from his home in McLean, VA, during COVID. The indictment includes very few details, so it is unclear how much evidence the government has to prove that he lied.

A 2018 DOJ inspector general report said Comey’s deputy, Andrew McCabe, claimed his boss authorized him to leak to the media. But the same report found McCabe also gave false or misleading statements. TRANSLATION: This appears to be an extremely challenging case to get a conviction on.

🚨 ONE THING TO UPDATE

Uber Driver Charged With Intentionally Setting Pacific Palisades Fire In LA

Federal authorities have arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, a Florida resident and Uber driver, for allegedly intentionally setting the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 buildings in January.

Rinderknecht was charged with destruction of property by means of fire after investigators traced the larger fire back to a smaller fire he allegedly set on New Year’s Day — known as the Lachman Fire — that was contained by local firefighters before winds reignited it days later.
Officials say they used his cellphone data to pinpoint his location and he lied to investigators during questioning. He is a former resident of the Pacific Palisades, and moved to Florida after the fire.

Investigators say Rinderknecht screen-recorded his attempts at calling 911 after he allegedly set the fire, then asked ChatGPT, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?” He had also used ChatGPT last July to generate a “dystopian painting” depicting a forest burning on one side, people fleeing, and the rich watching from afar.

If convicted, he faces five to 20 years in federal prison.

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⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

Senate fails for the sixth time to pass a government funding bill (POLITICO)
Judge blocks Trump admin’s plan to politicize funds to fight teen pregnancy (MSNBC)
NYPD Cops: ‘I will quit if Zohran is elected’ (THE FREE PRESS)
Joan Bennett Kennedy, former wife of Sen. Ted Kennedy, dies at 89 (NBC BOSTON)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

Trump may travel to Middle East on Sunday, as sources say Gaza deal ‘very close’ (CNN)
The man who carried out the Manchester synagogue attack pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, police say (BBC)
Some 900 stranded by blizzard at Mount Everest reach safety (CBS)
Denmark plans to ban social media for users under 15, as PM says platforms are ‘stealing childhood’ (THE GUARDIAN)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Gold hits $4,000 an ounce for the first time (REUTERS)
Amazon launches vending machines in clinics that sell prescription drugs (THE VERGE)
Tesla offers cheaper versions of 2 electric vehicles in bid to win back market share in tough year (AP)
Women carry a higher genetic risk of depression, new study says (GUARDIAN)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes football’s first billionaire player (ESPN)
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl dethrones Adele’s 25 for the biggest opening week for an album in the streaming era (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
Disney raises ticket prices for Disney World and Disneyland theme parks (CBS)
Comedian Bill Burr blasts critics of Riyadh comedy festival (FOX)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… AI-generated content is flooding social media following the recent launch of OpenAI’s Sora 2. While it blurs the line between real and fake, some of the creations are undeniably entertaining — like Mosh’s favorite series of historic figures reimagined as WWE fighters (think Honest Abe vs. George Washington).

For the record, our money is on General George Washington, who beat the much larger British military on the battlefield. If it was an AI political debate, we’d go with Lincoln.