May 2, 2022

Afternoon Update:

... The Pleasure of Your Company... Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is seeking voluntary testimony from three additional members of Congress who appeared to have some coordination with rioters and efforts to block President Biden's electoral victory both before and after the attack. The letter to Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) notes that former President Trump asked him to help keep him in office even after Jan. 6. A letter to Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) references his involvement in discussions to secure presidential pardons in connection with efforts to unwind the 2020 election. It also focuses on his involvement in planning for Jan. 6, both in meetings at the White House and with 'Stop the Steal' organizers, and his coordination with state legislators. And a letter to Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Trump's former White House doctor, points to exchanges between members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group citing the need to protect the lawmaker."

Ohio Senate Race. Trump Can't Recall Whom He Endorsed. Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Speaking at a rally two days ahead of voting in a heated Republican Senate primary in Ohio, Donald Trump appeared to forget the name of JD Vance, the candidate he has endorsed.... Trump said: 'We've endorsed -- JP, right? JD Mandel, and he's doing great. They're all doing good. They're all doing good. And let's see what happens.' Trump appeared to be confusing JD Vance, a former US marine, author of the bestseller Hillbilly Elegy and venture capitalist, with Josh Mandel, a rival who courted Trump for the endorsement."

Mike Allen of Axios: "Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper charges in a memoir out May 10 that former President Trump said when demonstrators were filling the streets around the White House following the death of George Floyd: 'Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?'... That moment in the first week of June, 2020, 'was surreal, sitting in front of the Resolute desk, inside the Oval Office, with this idea weighing heavily in the air, and the president red faced and complaining loudly about the protests under way in Washington, D.C.,' Esper writes.... The book was vetted at the highest levels of the Pentagon. I'm told that as part of the clearance process, the book was reviewed in whole or in part by nearly three dozen 4-star generals, senior civilians, and some Cabinet members. Some of them had witnessed what Esper witnessed."

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Monday that the city of Boston had violated the First Amendment when it refused to let a private group raise a Christian flag in front of its City Hall. One of the three flagpoles in front of the building, which ordinarily flies the flag of Boston, is occasionally made available to groups seeking to celebrate their backgrounds or to promote causes like gay pride. In a 12-year period, the city approved 284 requests for the third flag. It rejected only one, from Camp Constitution, which says it seeks 'to enhance understanding of our Judeo-Christian moral heritage.' The group's application said it sought to raise a 'Christian flag' for one hour at an event that would include 'short speeches by some local clergy focusing on Boston's history.' The flag bore the Latin cross." CNN's report is here.

Pennsylvania. Jesus Jiménez of the New York Times: "A Philadelphia police officer who was fired after he fatally shot a 12-year-old boy in the back in March has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting, the authorities said Monday. A spokesman for the Philadelphia Police Department confirmed that the former officer, Edsaul Mendoza, was arrested on Sunday. At a news conference on Monday, Larry Krasner, the district attorney of Philadelphia, said that Mr. Mendoza had been charged with first-degree murder and other charges. He was being held without bail, Mr. Krasner said. The boy, Thomas Siderio, was fatally shot on March 1 in the city's Girard Estates neighborhood...."

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The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with President Andrzej Duda of Poland, a key ally, on Monday, as the United States moves to significantly escalate its investment in Ukraine's war effort. The Senate this week will most likely take up President Biden's request for an additional $33 billion in military aid, putting the U.S. on pace to spend more than the annual average it spent on the war in Afghanistan. Ms. Pelosi, whose unannounced visit to Kyiv on Saturday made her the most senior American official to go there since the war began, vowed on Sunday to back Ukraine 'until victory is won.' In Washington, members of Congress from both parties have called for swift approval of Mr. Biden's request for more artillery, antitank weapons and other hardware for Ukraine.... ~~~

~~~ "Russia has struggled to make much progress in its offensive in the separatist east and sent its highest ranking uniformed officer, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, to the front line there late last week, U.S. and Ukrainian officials said.... An evacuation of civilians from Mariupol was underway, according to Ukrainian officials and the United Nations. Officials in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine reported fierce battles as Russian tank columns tried to push into areas that Moscow's forces have pounded with artillery fire." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here: "In the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia, a reception center has been set up for the expected arrival of about 100 evacuees from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. One early arrival on Monday told The Washington Post that the journey, which would usually take three hours, took days due to scores of Russian checkpoints. The agreement to allow civilians a United Nations-backed 'safe passage' to leave the plant comes after weeks of sporadic negotiations. But the chief of the Donetsk regional patrol police told The Post that Russia continued to shell the plant, even though there are still civilians on the factory grounds.... European Union energy ministers will meet in Brussels to discuss the energy crisis, with countries debating a ban on Russian oil. German officials suggested that they would not oppose an embargo and they could end their reliance on Russian crude by late summer." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Monday are here. The Guardian's daily summary of war developments is here.

Cara Anna & Inna Varenytsia of the AP: "People fleeing besieged Mariupol described weeks of bombardments and deprivations as they arrived Monday in Ukrainian-held territory, where relief workers awaited the first group of civilians freed from a steel plant that is last redoubt of Ukrainian fighters in the devastated port city. Video posted online Sunday by Ukrainian forces showed elderly women and mothers with small children climbing over a steep pile of rubble from the sprawling Azovstal steel plant and eventually boarding a bus. More than 100 civilians from the plant were expected to arrive in Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) northwest of Mariupol, on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The evacuation, if successful, would represent rare progress in easing the human cost of the almost 10-week war, which has caused particular suffering in Mariupol." ~~~

     ~~~ Update from CNN's live updates: "A Ukrainian commander inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol said his men experienced a turbulent night after the first batch of evacuees were able to leave the plant on Sunday. 'As soon as the evacuation of civilians was completed yesterday, the enemy began using all kinds of weapons. The night was restless,' said Denys Shleha, commander of the 12th Operational Brigade of the National Guard. 'The [Russian] naval artillery worked on Azovstal from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. In the morning it became quieter.' It is unclear whether another batch of civilians trapped inside the complex will be able to leave on Monday."

Boris & Natasha, Foiled Again. Olexsandr Fylyppov & Tim Lister of CNN: "Russian troops in the occupied city of Melitopol have stolen all the equipment from a farm equipment dealership -- and shipped it to Chechnya, according to a Ukrainian businessman in the area. But after a journey of more than 700 miles, the thieves were unable to use any of the equipment -- because it had been locked remotely. Over the past few weeks there's been a growing number of reports of Russian troops stealing farm equipment, grain and even building materials - beyond widespread looting of residences. But the removal of valuable agricultural equipment from a John Deere dealership in Melitopol speaks to an increasingly organized operation, one that even uses Russian military transport as part of the heist." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

Haaretz, Reuters & DPA, published in Haaretz: "Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Sunday that the fact Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish does not negate his country's Nazi elements, claiming that Nazi Germany's leader Adolf Hitler also 'had Jewish blood.' According to an interview with Italian media, Lavrov said: 'Zelenskyy is a Jew? Hitler also had Jewish origins ... The greatest antisemites are precisely the Jews.'... The Russian foreign minister also accused the U.S. and Canada of training 'neo-Nazi subdivisions' that are now in the ranks of the Ukrainian army.... Speaking to Army Radio on Monday, Israeli Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel blasted Lavrov's claim that Hitler was Jewish, a theory widely discredited by historians, as 'delusions that are meant to justify the Russians' horrific acts in Ukraine.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I have no idea if Trump's friend Sergey believes some of the insane stuff he has said since his country attacked Ukraine, but he has moved way past "diplomatic" inaccuracies into the realm of crazy. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Tia Goldenberger of the AP: "Israel on Monday lashed out at Russia over 'unforgivable' comments by its foreign minister about Nazism and antisemitism -- including claims that Adolf Hitler was Jewish. Israel, which summoned the Russian ambassador in response, said the remarks blamed Jews for their own murder in the Holocaust. It was a steep decline in the ties between the two countries at a time when Israel has sought to stake out a neutral position between Russia and Ukraine and remain in Russia's good stead for its security needs in the Middle East.... In some of the harshest remarks since the start of the war in Ukraine, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called Lavrov's statement 'unforgivable and scandalous and a horrible historical error.'... 'Using the Holocaust of the Jewish people as a means to score political points must be stopped immediately,' [Prime Minister Naftali Bennett] said.... Ukraine also condemned Lavrov's remarks."

Sheila Regan & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Sunday paid tribute to one of his closest friends and mentors, the man who guided him in some of the darkest times in his life, taught him how to be a senator and advised him on the vice presidency. In a 30-minute speech that was at times humorous and other times emotional, Biden called former vice president Walter Mondale 'one of the great giants in American history -- and that's not hyperbole.... He was one of the finest men you've ever known,' Biden said. 'One of the most decent people I've ever dealt with, and one of the toughest, smartest men I've ever worked with.'... Mondale died at age 93 in April 2021, but his funeral was delayed because of the pandemic. He served as a state attorney general, senator and vice president, and later as ambassador to Japan under President Bill Clinton."

Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol will decide 'in the next week or two' whether to issue subpoenas trying to force Republican lawmakers to testify about Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election, [Adam Kinzinger,] one of two Republicans on the panel said on Sunday.... The Illinois congressman also told CBS's Face the Nation public hearings planned for June will aim to 'lay the whole story out in front of the American people ... because ultimately, they have to be the judge' of Trump's attempt to hold on to power." Kingzinger had a few choice words about Miss Margie, too. ~~~

~~~ Farnoush Amiri of the AP: "... a batch of startling evidence ... shows the deep involvement of some House Republicans in Trump's desperate attempt to stay in power. A review of the evidence finds new details about how, long before the attack on the Capitol unfolded, several GOP lawmakers were participating directly in Trump's campaign to reverse the results of a free and fair election. It's a connection that members of the House Jan. 6 committee are making explicit as they prepare to launch public hearings in June.... Among [their] ideas: naming fake slates of electors in seven swing states, declaring martial law and seizing voting machines.... The majority of the lawmakers have since denied their involvement in these efforts.

Sara Murray, et al., of CNN: "As Donald Trump badgered Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on an hour-long call to 'find' the votes necessary to flip the battleground state to Trump's column after the 2020 election, a Raffensperger aide fired off a plea for help. 'Need to end this call,' Jordan Fuchs, then the deputy secretary of state, said in a text message to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. 'I don't think this will be productive much longer.'... That call now stands at the center of an investigation into Trump, which is set to advance this week when Atlanta-area prosecutors convene a special grand jury to determine whether any of Trump's actions related to Georgia's election -- or those of his allies -- were criminal.... For [Fulton County DA Fani] Willis, her probe has been playing out against a backdrop of racist threats that began the moment she announced an investigation into Trump. For Monday's jury selection, officials are planning to close roads surrounding the courthouse, station snipers on the roof and have K-9 police dogs at the ready, according to people involved in the planning. Prosecutors on Willis' team have also been issued bulletproof vests, said a person familiar with the situation."

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A federal judge late Sunday rejected the Republican National Committee's bid to block its mass email marketing vendor from releasing records to the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack as it probes whether ... Donald Trump's campaign spread false claims of fraud after the 2020 election through fundraising appeals that also stoked violence. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly of Washington delivered a thorough victory to the House select committee, tossing out the RNC's claims that its and the Trump campaign's information was protected on grounds including the First Amendment and ruling that under the Constitution's grant of legislative powers to Congress and the speech-or-debate clause, judges cannot interfere with how lawmakers obtain and use information." ~~~

     ~~~ Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A federal judge late Sunday resoundingly supported the Jan. 6 select committee's effort to obtain internal Republican National Committee data about efforts to fundraise off claims that the 2020 election was stolen. In a landmark ruling rejecting an RNC lawsuit, U.S. District Court Judge Tim Kelly said the select committee had demonstrated its need for the party's data on its fundraising emails between Nov. 3, 2020, and Jan. 6, 2021 -- when the RNC and Trump campaign sent supporters messages falsely suggesting the election was stolen. The committee contends those emails helped sow the seeds of the violence that erupted on Jan. 6.... Kelly issued an injunction to allow the RNC to appeal his ruling by May 5." Kelly is a Trump appointee.

Beyond the Beltway

Nebraska. Gropers, United. (Allegedly!) Dave Weigel of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump on Sunday made a closing pitch for a Republican gubernatorial candidate who has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple women, stepping deeper into a primary that has divided Republicans in this staunchly conservative state. Trump appeared at a rally in Greenwood with Charles Herbster, a businessman who has advised the former president on agricultural policy and has donated to his campaigns. The visit came after a recent Nebraska Examiner report in which eight women, including a state senator speaking on the record, accused Herbster of touching them inappropriately. Last week, another one of the eight women alleged on the record that Herbster had groped her. He has denied the accusations.... The former president called Herbster a 'very good man' who had been 'maligned.' Trump said Herbster was 'innocent' of what he called 'despicable charges.'"

May 1, 2022

The New York Times' live updates of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the most senior American official to visit Kyiv, announcing on Sunday that she had met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and had pledged 'to do what is needed to help the Ukrainian people as they defend democracy for their nation and for the world.' The visit on Saturday by Ms. Pelosi and a small delegation of American lawmakers was kept secret until they returned to Poland, where they held a news conference on Sunday morning.... Russia's renewed assault in the east has made only incremental territorial gains while causing widespread carnage, as local leaders and Ukrainian military officials in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions reported fierce battles and as Russian tank columns tried to push into areas that Moscow's forces have pounded with artillery fire. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that it had struck 800 targets across Ukraine over the past day.... In territory controlled by Russia, the occupying forces were trying to solidify control and taking steps to erase Ukrainian identity. On Sunday, Russian forces in the southern region of Kherson started to enforce the transition to the Russian ruble from Ukrainian currency. At the same time, nearly all internet and cellular service in the region went down over the weekend." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Sunday are here: Speaker "Pelosi walked the streets of Ukraine's capital with House lawmakers, including Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory W. Meeks (N.Y.) and Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (Mass.).... In Kyiv, [President] Zelensky awarded Pelosi with the Order of Princess Olga, a decoration bestowed upon women who have made outstanding contributions to Ukraine.... Civilian evacuations from a Mariupol steel plant that has been the last base for Ukrainian fighters in the besieged port city were expected to continue on Sunday, after a group of about 20 women and children were allowed to leave under a cease-fire that began Saturday." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Sunday are here.

Timothy Bella & Julian Duplain of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have seized more than 2,000 pieces of artwork from the besieged port city of Mariupol. They have been taken to Russian-occupied Donetsk, local channel TV7 reported. The Mariupol City Council wrote in a Telegram message Thursday that Russian forces have raided the three local museums, including the Kuindzhi Art Museum, since the start of the invasion." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Al Jazeera: "Dutch dock workers are refusing to unload a tanker with a consignment of Russian diesel in the port of Amsterdam, a day after a similar action by dockers kept the ship from entering Rotterdam port. The Sunny Liger, a 42,000-tonne tanker was lying at anchor off Amsterdam on Saturday, while port companies were mulling her entry into the Dutch capital. On Friday, dock workers in Rotterdam also refused to handle her cargo. 'Late last night we requested all parties in the port of Amsterdam not to let the ship dock and not to (handle) it,' the FNV trade union's harbour worker branch chairwoman Asmae Hajjari said."

Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "Washington's media and political elite partied like it was 2019 on Saturday at the annual White House correspondents' dinner, the traditionally glitzy spring gala that staggered back to life after a pandemic-induced two-year hiatus. Despite the continuing specter of the coronavirus, the event once again had all its usual trappings and excesses: a tuxedoed-and-begowned throng of insiders, a smattering of celebrities, an appearance by the president and a big-name comedian to make fun of them and it." The Guardian's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Actually, they partied more like it was 2016, as the so-called then-president* didn't have the guts to go in 2017 and 2018. ~~~

This is the first time the president has attended this dinner in six years. It's understandable. We had a horrible plague, followed by two years of covid. -- President Biden, at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Saturday

     ~~~ Here's what Sonia Rao of the Washington Post dubs President Biden's best jokes.

Trump said he won the election, but everyone was able to look at the numbers and see that he was wrong. That's why Ron DeSantis is one step ahead. First you ban the math textbooks, then nobody knows how to count the votes. -- Trevor Noah, at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Saturday ~~~

     ~~~ And these are Trevor Noah's best burns, according to Rao.

As you may know, James Corden is leaving his late-late-nite gig. Apparently, he is in search of new opportunities. Let's see how this one works out:

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Attorney John Eastman, a key architect of ... Donald Trump's legal effort to overturn the 2020 election, is preparing to provide another 10,000 pages of records to the Jan. 6 select committee, his attorney revealed late Friday.... Eastman had claimed attorney-client privilege over 37,000 pages of post-election emails related to his work for Trump. But under pressure from U.S. District Court Judge David Carter -- who ruled in March that Eastman and Trump likely entered into a criminal conspiracy to overturn the election -- Eastman withdrew privilege claims for nearly a third of that total. In Friday's court filing, Eastman's lawyers indicated that the select committee now wants more time to consider how to handle the remaining 27,000 pages of records that remain in dispute." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Eric Tucker of the AP: "Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows accused the congressional committee investigating last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol of leaking all of the text messages he provided to the panel in what he says was an effort to vilify him publicly. The argument was made in a filing Friday in Washington's federal court.... In the ... filing, lawyers for Meadows asked a judge to reject the committee's request for a court ruling in its favor that could force Meadows to comply with [committee] subpoenas." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Who's doing the "vilifying" if what's so embarrassing is your own texts?

Graham Kates of CBS News: "Fulton County[,Georgia,] prosecutors will begin selecting participants Monday for a special grand jury to consider whether ... Donald Trump should be charged for his attempts to pressure Georgia officials to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ... has said in interviews that the investigation includes a January 2, 2021 phone call in which Trump told Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, 'I just want to find 11,780 votes.' Trump lost the state to Joe Biden by that margin -- an outcome that was affirmed by several recounts."

Emily Davies & Peter Hermann of the Washington Post: "Now, as the government investigates whether ... [two men -- Arian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali -- who posed as federal agents,] may have bribed members of the Secret Service who lived in the building and threatened national security, questions still remain over the motive behind the alleged ruse." MB: This is another of those "Franco is still dead" stories that Patrick pointed out last week, but it gathers & expands on some details of the men's activities. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Maybe in commemoration of May Day, Nicholas Confessore of the New York Times is taking a three-part deep dive into white nationalist Tucker Carlson: "... Mr. Carlson has constructed what may be the most racist show in the history of cable news -- and also, by some measures, the most successful.... Night after night, hour by hour, Mr. Carlson warns his viewers that they inhabit a civilization under siege -- by violent Black Lives Matter protesters in American cities, by diseased migrants from south of the border, by refugees importing alien cultures, and by tech companies and cultural elites who will silence them, or label them racist, if they complain.... His encyclopedia of provocations has only expanded. Since the 2020 presidential election, Mr. Carlson has become the most visible and voluble defender of those who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol to keep Donald J. Trump in office, playing down the presence of white nationalists in the crowd and claiming the attack 'barely rates as a footnote.' In February, as Western pundits and politicians lined up to condemn the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, for his impending invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Carlson invited his viewers to shift focus back to the true enemy at home." Part 1 is here; Part 2 is here; and Part 3, which is mostly audio clips with some context provided, is here. According to the Times, "This series is part of an ongoing examination by The Times of challenges to democratic norms in the United States and around the world." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ TuKKKer Is Not the Problem. What may be the clearest indication that we have deep-seated, extensive and intractable political problems is not the voter suppressing, racist and misogynistic governments of red states or our national Constitutionally-supported minority government that makes it nearly impossible to get anything useful done, but that Tucker Carlson has any audience at all, let alone a large one. -- Ken W., in yesterday's Comments thread ~~~

~~~ Racism Was of the Essence of the Scheme. Scott Lemieux of LG&$: "... the increase in ratings as [Carlson] got more explicitly racist is the real key here.... Without the white nationalist demagoguery he was just another dispensable mediocrity. He became an actual star by grasping the same things about both himself and the Republican electorate that Trump did."

Beyond the Beltway

** Connecticut, a Pro-Woman State. Sarah Nir & Kate Zernike of the New York Times: "Connecticut lawmakers approved a bill late Friday night that takes direct aim at states that have passed aggressive anti-abortion laws as the country prepares for a Supreme Court ruling this summer that could weaken or overturn the constitutional right to abortion enshrined in Roe v. Wade. The Connecticut bill, which Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, has said he intends to sign, would expand the field of people who can perform certain types of abortions beyond doctors, to include nurse-midwives, physician assistants and other medical professionals. And in what lawmakers said could be a model for other states seeking to safeguard abortion rights, the law would also shield abortion providers and patients from lawsuits initiated by states that have banned or plan to ban abortion, even outside their own borders." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nebraska. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "A second woman has publicly accused Charles W. Herbster, the Republican candidate for governor in Nebraska endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump, of groping her at a 2019 Republican fund-raising dinner. Elizabeth Todsen said Mr. Herbster grabbed her at the dinner in Omaha and said details of the incident reported earlier this month by the Nebraska Examiner were correct.... The longtime Trump ally has adopted the former president's playbook in responding to the allegations, forcefully denying them, suing his first public accuser, a state senator, and tying her to his political rivals."

News Lede

New York Times: "Naomi Judd, of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds and the mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, died on Saturday. She was 76."

April 30, 2022

Afternoon Update:

If you want to watch all or part of the White House Correspondents Association dinner, which is tonight, this Washington Post article tells you where you can watch. "Guests will begin arriving at the Hilton around 5:30 p.m. for the pre-parties sponsored by news organizations. The dinner is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. The speeches and awards usually start around 9:30 p.m., followed by [President] Biden and [Trevor] Noah. The main event is supposed to end around 10:30 p.m., after which the post-parties ... will begin.... The Washington Post will live-stream the dinner starting around 6:30 p.m. C-SPAN will start its live coverage at 8 p.m. (also live-streamed via C-SPAN.org). CNN's coverage ... will start at 7, though the network says it will cut away for the day's news, including coverage of the war in Ukraine. Similarly, MSNBC said it plans to carry 'portions of the dinner.'"

Maybe in commemoration of May Day, Nicholas Confessore of the New York Times is taking a three-part deep dive into white nationalist Tucker Carlson: "... Mr. Carlson has constructed what may be the most racist show in the history of cable news -- and also, by some measures, the most successful.... Night after night, hour by hour, Mr. Carlson warns his viewers that they inhabit a civilization under siege -- by violent Black Lives Matter protesters in American cities, by diseased migrants from south of the border, by refugees importing alien cultures, and by tech companies and cultural elites who will silence them, or label them racist, if they complain.... His encyclopedia of provocations has only expanded. Since the 2020 presidential election, Mr. Carlson has become the most visible and voluble defender of those who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol to keep Donald J. Trump in office, playing down the presence of white nationalists in the crowd and claiming the attack 'barely rates as a footnote.' In February, as Western pundits and politicians lined up to condemn the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, for his impending invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Carlson invited his viewers to shift focus back to the true enemy at home." Part 1 is here; Part 2 is here; and Part 3, which is mostly audio clips with some context provided, is here. According to the Times, "This series is part of an ongoing examination by The Times of challenges to democratic norms in the United States and around the world."

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Attorney John Eastman, a key architect of ... Donald Trump's legal effort to overturn the 2020 election, is preparing to provide another 10,000 pages of records to the Jan. 6 select committee, his attorney revealed late Friday.... Eastman had claimed attorney-client privilege over 37,000 pages of post-election emails related to his work for Trump. But under pressure from U.S. District Court Judge David Carter -- who ruled in March that Eastman and Trump likely entered into a criminal conspiracy to overturn the election -- Eastman withdrew privilege claims for nearly a third of that total. In Friday's court filing, Eastman's lawyers indicated that the select committee now wants more time to consider how to handle the remaining 27,000 pages of records that remain in dispute."

Emily Davies & Peter Hermann of the Washington Post: "Now, as the government investigates whether ... [two men -- Arian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali -- who posed as federal agents,] may have bribed members of the Secret Service who lived in the building and threatened national security, questions still remain over the motive behind the alleged ruse." MB: This is another of those "Franco is still dead" stories that Patrick pointed out last week, but it gathers & expands on some details of the men's activities.

** Connecticut, a Pro-Woman State. Sarah Nir & Kate Zernike of the New York Times: "Connecticut lawmakers approved a bill late Friday night that takes direct aim at states that have passed aggressive anti-abortion laws as the country prepares for a Supreme Court ruling this summer that could weaken or overturn the constitutional right to abortion enshrined in Roe v. Wade. The Connecticut bill, which Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, has said he intends to sign, would expand the field of people who can perform certain types of abortions beyond doctors, to include nurse-midwives, physician assistants and other medical professionals. And in what lawmakers said could be a model for other states seeking to safeguard abortion rights, the law would also shield abortion providers and patients from lawsuits initiated by states that have banned or plan to ban abortion, even outside their own borders."

Timothy Bella & Julian Duplain of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have seized more than 2,000 pieces of artwork from the besieged port city of Mariupol. They have been taken to Russian-occupied Donetsk, local channel TV7 reported. The Mariupol City Council wrote in a Telegram message Thursday that Russian forces have raided the three local museums, including the Kuindzhi Art Museum, since the start of the invasion."

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The New York Times' live updates of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Russia's offensive in eastern Ukraine appears to be faltering, as its troops suffer battlefield losses and logistical and morale problems similar to those they faced in the war's first phase, Western officials and analysts say. As Russian efforts to encircle Ukrainian troops in the east by attacking from three sides seemed to stall in recent days, Ukrainians managed to retake a small town near the northern city of Kharkiv.... Yet Russian forces continued to rain destruction on civilians trapped in Mariupol, some of whom were sheltering at the Azovstal steel plant.... Russian troops occupying Mariupol have plundered more than 2,000 items from its museums and taken them to the city of Donetsk, the capital of an eastern region controlled by Moscow-backed separatists, according to the Mariupol City Council.... Family members of a United States citizen confirmed on Friday that he had died fighting alongside Ukrainians. He is believed to be the first American killed in action in the war. Britain's Foreign Office also confirmed the death of a British national, said to be a former soldier who had been fighting as a volunteer." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Saturday are here: Russia's "slow advance gives little sign that the conflict will end soon. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was a 'high' chance of negotiations breaking down because of 'Moscow's playbook on murdering people.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Saturday are here. The Guardian's "full report" is here.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden wants Congress to expedite visas for Russian scientists eager to leave their country in the midst of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, an effort to accelerate a brain drain already underway and further deprive President Vladimir V. Putin of some of Russia's top talent. An administration proposal sent to Capitol Hill as part of a larger package requesting $33 billion in spending on the war would suspend for four years the requirement that scientists applying for H1-B visas have a sponsoring employer, eliminating one of the biggest obstacles for many seeking to come to the United States. The measure would apply only to Russian citizens with master's or doctoral degrees in science or engineering fields like artificial intelligence, nuclear engineering or quantum physics. Administration officials argued that such a move would have dual advantages -- costing Russia while benefiting America."

Ian Duncan of the Washington Post: "President Biden met with internal federal agency watchdogs Friday, enlisting inspectors general to guard against waste and fraud as the government spends money from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. Biden told the group that a close eye on the money is needed to ensure infrastructure spending goes where it is needed most, rather than invested in projects that would boost the political fortunes of local leaders. 'Strong oversight is, you know, how we're going to deliver for the American people on time and on budget, and making sure the investments get to where they're supposed to go,' he said. The accountability push comes as the federal government ramps up to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in coming years on roads, bridges, broadband, transit networks and water pipes. The White House budget office released a memo Friday to agencies to guide their spending, urging them to prioritize transparency. At the same time, officials said they are seeking to hire 6,000 workers this year to oversee the implementation of the package, with another 2,000 positions to be filled in coming years." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It often strikes me as odd that Biden fares so poorly on popularity polls, because -- as much as I love Obama -- Biden is the best U.S. president of the 21st century.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "The Department of Homeland Security's creation of a Disinformation Governance Board has set off a backlash on the right-- even as it's not entirely clear what the perhaps unfortunately named board will do. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas mentioned the creation of the board in multiple congressional hearings this week.... Amid growing anti-censorship fervor on the right, a bevy of Republicans have suggested that the initiative amounts to policing speech. Elon Musk declared it 'messed up.' Many on the right likened it to the 'Ministry of Truth' from George Orwell's book '1984.'... 'Rather than police our border, Homeland Security has decided to make policing Americans' speech its top priority,' Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) claimed.... Despite Republicans' expressed concern, they didn't press Mayorkas in much detail at hearings Wednesday and Thursday. And the DHS does have a history of tackling disinformation, including during the Trump administration." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Clearly, in the wrong hands (say, a Trumpbot's), such a board could become Orwellian. Nevertheless, right now, it looks more like a hilarious way to "own the wingers."

Jonathan Weisman & Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Besieged by multiplying scandals and salacious accusations, Representative Madison Cawthorn, Republican of North Carolina, is under mounting pressure from both parties to end his short career in Congress. In rapid succession, Mr. Cawthorn, who entered Congress as a rising star of the party's far right, has been accused of falsely suggesting that his Republican colleagues routinely throw cocaine-fueled orgies, insider trading and an inappropriate relationship with a male aide. This week, he was detained at an airport, where police said he tried to bring a loaded handgun onto an airplane, the second time he has attempted that." ~~~

~~~ Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "It has belatedly occurred to fellow Republicans that [Rep.] Madison Cawthorn [R-N.C.] might be a liability.... But Cawthorn is a monster of Republicans' own creation. His character flaws were fully displayed when he first ran for Congress in 2020: nods to white supremacists, extravagant lies, accusations of sexually predatory behavior, overt racism and a long list of driving offenses. Craven Republican leaders knew all that -- and embraced him unreservedly. Ousting Cawthorn ... won't cure this Republican illness; the North Carolina congressman is just a symptom. More than 50 QAnon believers have run for Congress as Republicans in 2022, the liberal watchdog Media Matters reports. Several who participated in the events of Jan. 6, 2021, have run for Congress.... Cawthorn and the many rising oddballs and extremists are the inevitable result of Republican leaders' choices: drawing increasingly uncompetitive districts, blessing unlimited dark money, exercising timid leadership, embracing disinformation, flirting with white nationalism, stoking conspiracies and undermining elections." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A second member of the extremist group Oath Keepers pleaded guilty Friday to seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and will cooperate with federal prosecutors to avoid a possible multiyear prison term. Brian Ulrich, 44, of Guyton, Ga., was arrested in August on charges of joining a group of right-wing Oath Keepers members who planned and organized travel to Washington, stashed firearms in an Arlington hotel, then sent several individuals with tactical gear, helmets and radios into the Capitol.... Ulrich pleaded guilty to two of five felony counts, seditious conspiracy and obstructing an official proceeding (Congress's certification of the 2020 election results on Jan. 6).... Prosecutors agreed in a plea deal to drop the three other counts -- conspiring to prevent an officer from discharging his or her duties, aiding and abetting, and evidence tampering." Politico's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "... in the weeks since the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, stopped presenting evidence to [grand] jurors about [Donald] Trump, new signs have emerged that the former president will not be indicted in Manhattan in the foreseeable future -- if at all. At least three of the witnesses once central to the case have either not heard from the district attorney's office in months, or have not been asked to testify, according to people with knowledge of the matter. In recent weeks, a prosecutor at the Manhattan district attorney's office who played a key role in the investigation has stopped focusing on a potential case against Mr. Trump, other people with knowledge of the inquiry said -- a move that followed the resignation earlier this year of the two senior prosecutors leading the investigation. And the remaining prosecutors working on the Trump investigation have abandoned the 'war room' they used to prepare for their grand jury presentation early this year...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Michael Sisak of the AP: "Donald Trump's lawyers, seeking to reverse their client's $10,000-per-day contempt fine, provided a New York judge Friday with an affidavit in which the former president claims he didn't turn over subpoenaed documents to the state attorney general's office because he doesn't have them. The judge, though, was unmoved and refused to lift sanctions he imposed on Trump on Monday. Judge Arthur Engoron criticized the lack of detail in Trump affidavit, which amounted to two paragraphs, saying that he should have explained the methods he uses to stores his records and efforts he made to locate the subpoenaed files.... Frank Runyeon, a reporter for the legal publication Law360, said that Engoron held an impromptu hearing Friday, without a court stenographer, in which he addressed the affidavits from Trump and his lawyers and ruled to keep the contempt fine in place." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jamie Gangel, et al., of CNN: "Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Fox's Sean Hannity exchanged more than 80 text messages between Election Day 2020 and Joe Biden's January 2021 inauguration, communications that show Hannity's evolution from staunch supporter of ... Donald Trump's election lies to being 'fed up' with the 'lunatics' hurting Trump's cause in the days before January 6.... Initially after the November 2020 election, Hannity appeared to be all in with Trump's false election claims. On November 29, he texted Meadows saying he had his team trying to prove election fraud: 'I've had my team digging into the numbers. There is no way Biden got these numbers. Just mathematically impossible...." But several weeks later, as Trump's team lost court challenges and the wild claims from attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell failed to materialize into anything more than false conspiracy theories, Hannity's tone shifted.... By New Year's Eve, Hannity ... appeared to accept the fact that the election was over...." The Hannity/Meadows texts are here, via CNN. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Trump's Border Wall Is a Death Trap. Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "Since 2019, when the [border wall's] height was raised to 30 feet along much of the border in California, the number of patients arriving at the UC San Diego Medical Center's trauma ward after falling off the structure has jumped fivefold, to 375, the physicians [at UC-San Diego] found. Falling deaths at the barrier went from zero to 16 during that time, according to the report, citing records maintained by the San Diego county medical examiner. The falling incidents are a subset of the soaring number of injuries, deaths and rescues occurring all across the southern border, where immigration arrests have reached an all-time high under President Biden. Migrants attempting to evade capture have drowned in the Rio Grande, died of exposure in South Texas and Arizona, and disappeared into the Pacific Ocean during smuggling attempts at sea."

Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Max Tani in Politico Magazine: It's not easy for White House reporters to be journalistic stars now that Joe Biden is president. "Biden ... has been a journalistic sedative.... Attention isn't his brand, the way it is with Trump, and his staff exerts far more control over his time and his media interactions, alongside their efforts to eliminate traces of palace intrigue from political coverage. The president does few interviews and his communications team has an informal policy of not engaging in gossip stories ... and chide reporters who they don't think focus enough on policy. Press secretary Jen Psaki rarely expresses emotion from the podium, where she speaks slowly and avoids lengthy confrontations with reporters.... 'Jen ... is very good at her job, which is unfortunate,' one reporter who has covered the past two administrations from the room said. 'And the work is a lot less rewarding, because you're no longer saving democracy from Sean Spicer and his Men's Wearhouse suit. Jawing with Jen just makes you look like an asshole.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

Idaho. Rebecca Boone of the AP: "A former Idaho lawmaker was convicted Friday of raping a 19-year-old legislative intern after a dramatic trial in which the young woman fled the witness stand during testimony, saying 'I can't do this.' The intern told a Statehouse supervisor that Aaron von Ehlinger raped her at his apartment after the two had dinner at a Boise restaurant in March 2021. Von Ehlinger said the sex was consensual. At the time, the Lewiston Republican was serving as a state representative, but he later resigned. Von Ehlinger, 39, was found guilty Friday of rape. He was found not guilty of sexual penetration with a foreign object."

Texas. David Goodman & Edgar Sandoval of the New York Times: Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) "aggressive posture has done little to stem the tide [of immigrants entering Texas] and also exposed him to fierce criticism that he is using his authority to meddle in a policy area that belongs to the federal government.... Now Mr. Abbott is weighing whether to invoke actual war powers to seize much broader state authority on the border. He could do so, advocates inside and outside his administration argue, by officially declaring an 'invasion' to comply with a clause in the U.S. Constitution that says states cannot engage in war except when 'actually invaded.' Top lawyers for Mr. Abbott and for the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, met this month to debate the move, which would put the state in a head-on collision with the federal government by allowing state police to arrest and deport migrants...."