January 1, House Dems Subpoena Rudy Giuliani

This Day in History | 1890

Yosemite National Park is established.

Good Morning Middle Americans!

House Democrats have subpoenaed President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani for documents related to his interactions with Ukrainian officials. Also, GOP Rep. Chris Collins of New York is resigning from Congress ahead of his expected guilty plea in an insider trading case. Meanwhile, defying the NCAA, California has opened the way for college athletes to hire agents and make money from endorsement deals with sneaker companies, soft drink makers, car dealerships and other sponsors, just like the pros.

Read all about it!

– Fraser Dixon 

House Subpoenas Giuliani, Trump’s Lawyer, for Ukraine Records

(New York Times) – House Democrats investigating whether to impeach President Trump issued a subpoena on Monday demanding that Rudolph W. Giuliani, his private lawyer, produce communications and other records related to his attempts to pressure Ukraine to investigate the president’s Democratic rivals.

The new demands of Mr. Giuliani and separate requests sent to three of his associates said to be involved in the Ukraine matter suggest that Democrats are moving quickly to stand up their investigation, even as Mr. Trump on Monday questioned whether the chairman leading their impeachment inquiry, Representative Adam B. Schiff, should be arrested for treason.

Read More from the NY Times here

New York GOP Rep. Chris Collins Resigns Amid Insider Trading Scandal

(Newsweek) – U.S. Representative Chris Collins, a fourth-term Republican from Western New York, resigned on Monday prior to an expected guilty plea in an insider trading case.

Collins sent a letter of resignation Monday to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, according to her spokesman, who said Collins’s resignation will be effective tomorrow after it’s filed in the House’s pro forma session.

New York prosecutors have accused Collins of passing along sensitive information to family members while he sat on the board of an Australian-based company named Innate Immunotherapeutics. Rep. Collins owned about 17 percent of the company’s stock.

Find out More from Newsweek here

California defies NCAA as Gov. Gavin Newsom signs into law Fair Pay to Play Act

(ESPN) – Advocates of the new law say Newsom’s approval marks the most significant step in a decades-long battle to create new compensation options for NCAA student-athletes. The law, which is scheduled to go into effect in January 2023, does not require schools to pay athletes directly as employees. Instead, it makes it illegal for schools to prevent an athlete from earning money by selling the rights to his or her name, image or likeness to outside bidders.

The law also allows for college athletes to hire a licensed agent to represent them. The bill was amended several times, including a recent provision that prevents athletes from signing endorsement deals that conflict with their team’s sponsors. For example, a basketball player could not wear Nike products during team events if he or she plays for a school that is sponsored by Under Armour.

Current NCAA rules do not allow players to accept any compensation related to their status as a college athlete from outside sources. The organization’s board of governors and its president, Mark Emmert, both sent letters to California lawmakers earlier this year asking them not to pass the bill. Emmert called the bill an “existential threat” to the college sports model in a recent interview with CBS Sports.

Learn more from ESPN here