A surprising decision from the Supreme Court could have a massive impact on the 2024 presidential

election. The justices will hear arguments on Donald Trump's immunity claim, which will delay

his federal election interference trial. We'll have expert legal analysis for you on that in just a moment.

Also ahead, the end of an era for Senate Republicans. The party's longest serving leader in the

upper chamber is stepping down at the end of the year. We'll take a look at Mitch McConnell's

legacy and who could replace them. And that comes as congressional leaders now have a deal to fund part of the government

for a few more weeks, giving lawmakers a little more time to get a lot done.

Good morning and welcome to way too early on this Thursday, February 29th, leap day, just as we needed this year to be a little bit longer.

I'm Jonathan Lemire.

Thanks for starting your day with us.

And we begin with some massive news that broke late yesterday.

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider former President

Trump's claim of presidential immunity in his federal election interference case. The

conservative court's decision to hear the case will further a delay, a potential trial. The

High Court has scheduled arguments for April 22nd, and a final ruling might not come until

months later. If the court rules in favor of Trump, the special counsel's charges would be dismissed.

If the Supreme Court rules, as the U.S. Court of Appeals already unanimously did, the Trump does not have absolute immunity.

The delay could push the start of the trial to the fall. That would set the stage for the

presumptive Republican nominee to be on trial in a criminal proceeding right before the presidential

election. There's also a possibility the trial wouldn't start

until after the election. Meanwhile, an appeals court judge has denied Trump's request to temporarily

delay payments of the $454 million judgment in his New York civil fraud case. Trump offered to

...