On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Trump's lawyer claims efforts to overturn 2020 election were only 'aspirational,' not criminal

Former President Donald Trump's lawyer claimed efforts to overturn 2020 election were only 'aspirational,' not criminal. Plus, Des Moines Register Audience Growth Strategist Brian Smith talks about the Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair, 11 military vessels from China and Russia found operating near the Aleutian Islands last week were met by four U.S. Navy warships, USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers talks about Vice President Kamala Harris' role on cultural issues, and what happened to the U.S. women's national team?

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Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Monday, the 7th of August 2023. Today, what Trump's legal team is saying about the latest indictment. Plus, we head to Iowa for a look at the Political Soapbox, and what happened to the U.S. at this summer's World Cup?

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One of former President Donald Trump's attorneys in his federal case over attempts to overturn election results defended Trump yesterday against allegations that he knowingly spread false claims of election fraud to remain in power. John Lauro on NBC's Meet The Press, said, "President Trump believed in his heart of hearts that he had won that election." Trump's defense team has argued that free speech protections protect him against the indictment, which accuses him of a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election. Meanwhile, nearly 40 House Democrats signed a letter last week to the Judicial Conference, asking the body to allow Trump's federal criminal trials to be broadcast on television. They argued that increased public access to the court proceedings will be crucial for the health of American democracy.

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One of the first important stops on the presidential election calendar isn't in Washington, DC, it's in Iowa at the state fair. I spoke with Des Moines Register Audience Growth Strategist Brian Smith about the Political Soapbox, which kicks off on Thursday. Brian, thanks for hopping on 5 Things.

Brian Smith:

Yeah, happy to be here.

Taylor Wilson:

So, what is the Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair and how important is it for presidential hopefuls?

Brian Smith:

Yeah, so the Political Soapbox is really the marquee political event at the state fair. It's not an inherently political event, but this provides candidates a great opportunity to interact with and engage the unique crux section of Iowans who turn out to the fair. And really its hallmark is its simplicity. It's not a highly produced political event. It is simply a candidate with a stage, in 20 minutes. And they're outdoors right along the main thorough fair through the fairgrounds, and just really have a chance to build that audience and reach people in unique ways and is really a pivotal moment in the kickoff for the caucus cycle.

Taylor Wilson:

And Brian, who's currently on the roster to speak?

Brian Smith:

Yeah, so we have 13 presidential candidates that are going to be joining us on the Soapbox this year. Two of them are Democrats. So, Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who are challenging President Biden for that nomination. We have one Libertarian, Chase Oliver. Otherwise, the rest are all the Republican candidates who are trying to vie for that spot. So, they range from candidates like Ryan Binkley and Doug Burgum, who are maybe a little less known, through to former Vice President Mike Pence and some of those other bigger names.

Taylor Wilson:

And what are the issues that stand out for Iowans leading up to the caucuses? Where will the speakers be looking to score points?

Brian Smith:

Particularly for the Republican candidates, that's where there's the big competition to get that nomination, and Iowa Republicans look a lot like other Republicans on the national level. They're interested in things about the economy and inflation, and they're concerned about immigration at the southern border. And particularly here in Iowa, we're seeing a lot of concern about what's happening in schools, what books are available, what subjects are being taught, things that candidates are describing as the "woke left." And so that'll be likely a topic we'll see candidates address quite a bit.

And in Iowa, the Republican base that turns out for caucuses tends to be more religious. There's a large evangelical camp that's very influential in the caucus process, and so we'll see how candidates try to appeal to them, particularly on issues like religious freedom and abortion.

Taylor Wilson:

Yeah. So, January 15th is the date of the Iowa Caucus for Republicans. Iowa, as you've outlined, and as our listeners probably know, is a pivotal first state in proving the electability of candidates. What's the story for Democrats, Brian?

Brian Smith:

Yeah, so since about the 1970s, Democrats and Republicans in Iowa have caucused at the same time, and they've been the first in the nation. Caucuses are party run events. They're not state elections, organized by the state system. And so this year's a little more complicated.

At the national level, the Democrats want to reorganize their nominating schedule and have kind of bumped Iowa out of that first spot and want them to go somewhere in the Super Tuesday or after range. Iowa Democrats are still trying to figure out exactly what their caucus might look like this year and whether they're willing to risk going rogue and defying the DNC to go earlier.

Taylor Wilson:

I'm sure our listeners are curious here. What's the one Iowa State Fair food that every candidate will need to sample, to be seen as legit, in the eyes of Iowan voters?

Brian Smith:

That's a tough one, particularly in Iowa, that is a big farming state. There are big delegations from the pork producers and the Cattlemen Association that are at the fair. It's a pretty standard photo op for candidates to come flip pork chops with the pork producers and make stops at that cattleman ranch. I think everyone's probably going to grab a corn dog, but hitting up the local Iowa farmers is probably the essential piece.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Brian Smith from the Des Moines Register. Thanks for your time, Brian.

Brian Smith:

Yes. Thank you.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

Eleven military vessels from China and Russia found operating near the Aleutian Islands last week were met by four U.S. Navy warships. Alaska's two senators issued a joint news release on Friday saying they had been briefed about the operation. Republican Dan Sullivan said that the Russian and Chinese ships operating together is a reminder that we've entered a new era of authoritarian aggression. Still, the Northern Command told the Wall Street Journal that the vessels remained in international waters and were not considered a threat.

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Vice President Kamala Harris is embracing a new role, battling the GOP over cultural issues. I spoke with USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers for more. Thanks for hopping on 5 Things, Francesca.

Francesca Chambers:

Oh, it's always a pleasure.

Taylor Wilson:

So, I want to start here. Can you outline for us what Vice President Kamala Harris's fight with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has looked like on Black history curriculum guidelines?

Francesca Chambers:

So, after the state of Florida put out its new African-American history curriculum, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against it immediately. She went down to the state of Florida and intentionally held an event where she met with civil rights leaders and also rallied Democrats in the area against it.

Now, after she raised the issue, then you saw several Republicans, Black Republicans, also come in behind her on that. They also said that Ron DeSantis needed to clarify his position and also came out against the curriculum. DeSantis had said that he was not involved in creating it, however he did defend it.

Now, what was the specific issue with it that she had? The curriculum, in part, states that African-Americans, while they were in captivity, benefited from the skills that they developed. So this has been a real sticking point, not just for the Vice President, but also for several of Ron DeSantis' GOP competitors, as well as elected Black Republicans.

Taylor Wilson:

You talk about Kamala Harris as this culture warrior going forward. What other cultural issues has the Vice President honed in on?

Francesca Chambers:

This really began before the midterm elections, when the Supreme Court was about to rule in the Dobbs case. She immediately jumped on the issue of abortion rights, and that did become one of the defining issues in the midterm elections.

So, after having played that role in 2022, now her allies in the Biden campaign, see an opportunity for her to focus on issues like reproductive rights, but also guns and issues such as the slavery debate with Ron DeSantis, but other things, too, that would fall in that culture war bucket in the 2024 election.

Taylor Wilson:

Yeah, I mean, you write about this idea of energizing lethargic Democrats. What does all this tell us about what Harris's role might be going forward to help Biden and the Democratic ticket for 2024?

Francesca Chambers:

So, President Biden has also given remarks on these issues, but he has largely, and this is a strategy the White House has pursued, been focused on his economic agenda and focused on the business of being President. As one of my sources called it, the Rose Garden Strategy, a very traditional role. Whereas we've seen the Vice President take on a role where she is attacking the GOP, specifically the Republicans who were campaigning for election in 2024 and competing for the GOP nomination.

Taylor Wilson:

And on the GOP side of things, Francesca, how do Republicans view Harris in this role? I mean, will she increasingly become a focal point of attack for the GOP in these culture wars?

Francesca Chambers:

That's one of the concerns that Vice President Kamala Harris's allies have, is that she'll become a target, but already she was. Nikki Haley, one of the Republican presidential contenders, had focused on her already. And now in her dispute with Ron DeSantis, he has capitalized on it. He invited her down to the state of Florida to have a conversation about the Black history standards. But again, Republicans were already campaigning against her. So her allies think it's important for her to push back on the things that they're hearing come out of the GOP race, especially as we look toward that first Republican presidential debate.

Taylor Wilson:

All right, USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers. Great insight, as always. Thanks so much, Francesca.

Francesca Chambers:

Thanks so much.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

It was not to be this year for the U.S. Women's National Team. They went crashing out yesterday at the World Cup to Sweden after a 120-minute scoreless draw forced a penalty shootout, which the U.S. then lost. It was their earliest exit ever at a major tournament and comes at a time when the rest of the world is catching up in women's soccer. With the exception of a quarterfinal loss at the 2016 Olympics, they'd reached the semi-finals at every World Cup and Olympics tournament. This time, they couldn't even make the quarters. Our own USA TODAY Sports Columnist Nancy Armour, who previewed the rest of the tournament on 5 Things Saturday, wrote that this will rank among the biggest failures in sports history. She outlines a number of reasons how this happened. Check out a link in today's show notes.

And thanks for listening to 5 Things. If you like the show, please subscribe and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. And if you have any comments, you can reach us at podcasts@usatoday.com. I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

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