May 22, 2023

Evening Update:

Tony Romm, et al., of the Washington Post: "With as few as 10 days remaining until the U.S. government could default, President Biden on Monday resumed direct negotiations with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), hoping to resolve a stalemate over the debt ceiling that has started to spook Wall Street. The two men entered the new round of talks after a weekend of turbulence and acrimony, and mere hours after the Treasury Department issued its latest warning -- this time, using more urgent language -- that the U.S. is 'highly likely' to run out of cash and other options in early June, perhaps as soon as the first of the month." See also Akhilleus' comment in Monday's thread on the WashPo's "journalism" re: the debt ceiling negotiations.

"Oops!" Jennifer Bendery of the Huffington Post: "Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) on Monday inadvertently implied that House Republicans' high-profile investigation into President Joe Biden's family members and their finances is actually about helping Donald Trump win the presidency in 2024. Comer, who is leading the GOP's probe as chair of the House oversight and accountability committee, appeared to say the quiet part out loud during a 'Fox & Friends First' interview. 'We have talked to you .... about how the media can just not ignore this any longer...,' said the show's host, Ashley Strohmier. 'So do you think that because of your investigation, that is what's moved this needle with the media?' 'Absolutely. There's no question,' Comer replied. 'You look at the polling, and right now Donald Trump is 7 points ahead of Joe Biden and trending upward, Joe Biden's trending downward. And I believe that the media is looking around, scratching their head, and they're realizing that the American people are keeping up with our investigation.'"

Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors overseeing the investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's handling of classified documents have issued a subpoena for information about Mr. Trump's business dealings in foreign countries since he took office, according to two people familiar with the matter.... The subpoena suggests that investigators have cast a wider net than previously understood as they scrutinize whether he broke the law in taking sensitive government materials with him upon leaving the White House and then not fully complying with demands for their return. The subpoena -- drafted by the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith -- sought details on the Trump Organization's real estate licensing and development dealings in seven countries: China, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, according to the people familiar with the matter. The subpoena sought the records for deals reached since 2017, when Mr. Trump was sworn in as president.... Collectively, the subpoena's demand ... suggests that Mr. Smith is exploring whether there is any connection between Mr. Trump's deal-making abroad and the classified documents he took with him when he left office."

Paula Reid, et al., of CNN: "Donald Trump asked whether he could push back against Justice Department efforts last year to recover any classified documents still in his possession during conversations with his lawyer over compliance with a federal subpoena, according to multiple sources familiar with notes taken by his lawyer and turned over to investigators. Special counsel Jack Smith has obtained dozens of pages of notes that Trump's attorney Evan Corcoran took last spring, memorializing conversations with his client after the former president received the subpoena last May and before a key meeting with the Justice Department a few weeks later when Trump's legal team [falsely] said they had turned over all classified records they could find, the sources told CNN.... Some sources close to the former president say he was merely asking Corcoran for legal advice when he inquired about whether they could beat back the subpoena. But Trump has offered shifting explanations for why he did not return all the classified documents in a timely fashion. Trump has said he had 'the absolute right' to take the documents as recently as this month at a CNN town hall." See also the story by Hugo Lowell of the Guardian, linked below. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: IMO, just asking "Do I really have to do this?" is a perfectly legitimate question that anyone receiving a subpoena might ask his lawyer. The questions are, "What was the lawyer's advice?", "How did Trump respond to the advice?" and, ultimately, "What actions did Trump take in response to that advice?"

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump is running for president with a series of low-hanging legal clouds looming over him. It probably doesn't help that two of his former lawyers have pointed to the dissension, alienation and alleged missteps that have plagued his legal effort for years. Speaking to CNN on Saturday, attorney Timothy Parlatore, who recently left the Trump legal team, blamed infighting and one fellow lawyer in particular for his departure. And he seemed to warn of the problems that that lawyer, Boris Epshteyn, is creating for Trump's defense. Meanwhile, former top Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb went so far as to predict that Trump 'will go to jail' in the classified-documents case, while also citing the Trump team's poor handling of it."

Keep on Talkin', Motor Mouth. Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "E. Jean Carroll, who this month won $5 million in damages from ... Donald J. Trump, is now seeking a 'very substantial' additional amount in response to his insults on a CNN program just a day after she won her sexual abuse and defamation case."

Florida. Lev, the Giver Who Keeps on Giving. Aram Roston & Joseph Tanfani of Reuters: "Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas and his business partner were arrested in 2019, accused by the U.S. government of funneling a Russian oligarch's money into American political campaigns. One recipient of Parnas' donations -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis -- has said he was barely an acquaintance.... But DeSantis and Parnas worked more closely together than the Republican governor has disclosed, according to a detailed account of their relationship Parnas provided to Reuters and 63 previously unreported text messages from DeSantis to Parnas between May and October 2018, as DeSantis campaigned for governor. A jury later found Parnas guilty of campaign finance crimes and other charges.... The disclosures from Parnas cast new light on the Florida governor's relationship with the businessman and the role Parnas played in helping DeSantis gain entree to the circle of .... Donald Trump."

DeSantis Welcomes Violent Criminal Cops to Florida. Richard Luscombe of the Guardian: "Numerous police officers lured to new jobs in Florida with cash from Governor Ron DeSantis's flagship law enforcement relocation program have histories of excessive violence or have been arrested for crimes including kidnapping and murder since signing up, a study of state documents has found. DeSantis ... has spent more than $13.5m to date on the recruitment bonus program, which he touted in 2021 as an incentive to officers in other states frustrated by Covid-19 vaccination mandates.... Among the almost 600 officers who moved to Florida and received the bonus -- or were recruited in state -- are a sizable number who either arrived with a range of complaints against them, or have since accrued criminal charges, the online media outlet Daily Dot has discovered."

Naomi Nix, et al., of the Washington Post: "The European Union fined Meta a record $1.3 billion on Monday after finding the Facebook parent broke its privacy laws by transferring user data from Europe to the United States -- one of the most impactful penalties from the E.U. rules, which could have broad implications for American businesses. The Irish Data Protection Commission ordered Meta to suspend all transfers of personal data belonging to users in the E.U. and the European Economic Area -- which includes non-E. U. countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway -- to the United States. The Irish Data Protection Commission said in a statement that Meta's data transfers were in breach of the E.U.'s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), rules that restrict what companies can do with people's personal data. It is the largest GDPR fine handed down by the bloc...."

Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: "The popular video app TikTok sued Montana on Monday, saying the state's new law banning the app statewide would violate Americans' First Amendment right to free expression. The federal lawsuit will set the stage for a broader debate over the short-video app and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, which some critics in the United States have said is vulnerable to Chinese government propaganda and espionage. The lawsuit seeks to overturn the law, which Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed last week and is set to go into effect Jan. 1. The legal challenge will probably delay the measure."

Washington State. Caroline O'Donovan & Naomi Nix of the Washington Post: "On Monday, some Amazon workers at the company's Seattle headquarters announced internally their plans to walk off the job. In messages sent out via Slack and email, employee organizers urged their colleagues to walk out on May 31 -- one week after the company's annual shareholder meeting -- in response to frustration over layoffs and the return-to-office mandate, as well as concerns about Amazon's climate commitments.... The walkout, which organizers hope will draw at least 1,000 Seattle-based participants, is part of a greater wave of anxiety spilling over into agitation among Silicon Valley workers as hiring freezes follow mass layoffs amid a looming potential recession."

Delaware Senate Race. Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Senator Thomas R. Carper, a veteran Democrat from Delaware, announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election next year, opening up a seat in a deep-blue state that he said he hoped would go to his handpicked successor. Mr. Carper, 76, is in his fourth term in the Senate and is the last surviving Vietnam veteran to serve there. He has held public office since the 1970s, first as Delaware's treasurer, then for a decade as a congressman, then as governor and, since 2001, as a senator. 'This just seems like a good time just to turn the page and move on,' Mr. Carper said at a news conference in Wilmington, Del.... The senator said he intended to do all he could to help Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, the Democrat who serves as the state's only member of the House and was his former intern, win the race to succeed him." The AP's story is here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Paul Kane, et al., of the Washington Post: "A day after partisan acrimony disrupted talks around the debt ceiling, President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to restart negotiations Sunday, sending a newly hopeful signal that the two parties might avoid an economic catastrophe as few as 11 days away. The two leaders spoke by phone Sunday and agreed to dispatch their chief emissaries for further staff talks at 6 p.m. before Biden and McCarthy (R-Calif.) connect again in Washington on Monday.... The call with McCarthy took place as Biden was returning from the Group of Seven summit in Japan.... On Sunday, during an appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen warned that some bills would have to go unpaid if the government breaches the June 1 deadline." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Elliot Spagat of the AP: "The recent deaths of an 8-year-old Panamanian girl and 17-year-old boy from Honduras who were under U.S. government supervision have again raised questions about how prepared authorities are to handle medical emergencies suffered by migrants arriving in the U.S., especially as agencies struggle with massive overcrowding at facilities along the southern border."

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Federal prosecutors have evidence Donald Trump was put on notice that he could not retain any classified documents after he was subpoenaed for their return last year, as they examine whether the subsequent failure to fully comply with the subpoena was a deliberate act of obstruction by the former president. The previously unreported warning conveyed to Trump by his lawyer Evan Corcoran could be significant in the criminal investigation surrounding Trump's handling of classified materials given it shows he knew about his subpoena obligations.... The federal investigation led by special counsel Jack Smith has recently focused on why the subpoena was not compiled with, notably whether Trump arranged for boxes of classified documents to be moved out of the storage room so he could illegally retain them."

Kris Grim of the New York Times: WNBA star Brittney Griner returned to the court this weekend after her wrongful detention in Russia. Fans gave her a rock-star welcome.

Maya Yang of the Guardian: "The convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein appeared to threaten Bill Gates and tried to blackmail the multi-billionaire over his extramarital affair with a Russian bridge player, according to a new report published by the Wall Street Journal. Speaking to the Journal, sources familiar with the matter said that after Epstein found out about the Microsoft co-founder's affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova, he threatened Gates into reimbursing him for tuition costs that Epstein had initially covered for Antonova to attend software coding school."

Presidential Race 2024. Meg Kinnard of the AP: "As he launches his presidential campaign on Monday, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is officially wading into a GOP primary battle already largely dominated by two commanding figures: ... Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Scott, the only Black Republican senator, will make his campaign announcement in his hometown of North Charleston after making it official last week with the Federal Election Commission. The late morning event is taking place at Charleston Southern University, Scott's alma mater and a private school affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention."

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post: In 2011, Ron DeSantis wrote a now out-of-print American "history book" in which he bashed then-President Obama, accusing him of "conducting a dangerous power grab" and "dismisse[d] slavery as a 'personal flaw' of the Founding Fathers, irrelevant to the really important stuff: context-free, cherry-picked quotes from James Madison and Alexander Hamilton.... [Now of course he] has moved to stop history lessons in Florida that might make students uncomfortable and who attacked an AP African American Studies course he said 'lacks historical value....'"

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Monday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Monday is here: "Ukrainian forces are staging counterattacks on Russian troops on the outskirts of Bakhmut, even as their presence in the eastern city dwindles just to small footholds, according to Kyiv. Their latest stated goal is the encirclement of Russian troops to force them to defend their ground.... Russia will probably need to send in reinforcements to hold on to Bakhmut and its surroundings 'at the expense of operations in other directions,' analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said.... Russia's ambassador to the United States suggested that any transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv would bring NATO partners into the conflict.... Workers are focusing on restoring electricity supplies in the Zaporizhzhia area after what a local official described as an 'emergency situation' at one of its energy facilities."

Jennifer Hansler of CNN: “Paul Whelan, an American who is wrongfully detained in Russia, told CNN on Sunday that he feels confident that his case is a priority for the United States government but wishes it could be resolved faster. 'I remain positive and confident on a daily basis that the wheels are turning. I just wish they would turn a little bit more quickly,' said Whelan, who called CNN exclusively from his prison camp in remote Mordovia. Whelan said he does harbor concerns that he could be left behind again -- particularly after the Russians wrongfully detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich."

Greece. Nicholas Paphitis of the AP: "Despite inflicting the most crushing defeat in half a century on the opposition, Greece's center-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected Monday to seek a second national election within weeks, as he lacks the majority in Parliament to govern alone. With 99.55% of the votes counted early Monday, Mitsotakis] New Democracy party won 40.79% -- twice the leftwing main opposition Syriza's 20.07%. Socialist Pasok came in third at 11.46%. The margin far outstripped pollsters] forecasts and was the biggest since 1974, when Greece's first democratic elections were held after the fall of the seven-year military dictatorship. But the one-off proportional representation system in effect Sunday means ND only gains 146 of Parliament's 300 seats, five short of a governing majority. The new elections, expected in late June or early July, will revert to the previous system that grants the first party a bonus of up to 50 seats. That would ensure Mitsotakis a comfortable majority for a second term in power."

Italy. Annabelle Timsit of the Washington Post: "At least 13 people are dead and tens of thousands displaced after floods hit northern Italy, upending production in agriculture-rich areas and prompting the country's prime minister to cut short her trip to Japan for the Group of Seven summit."

News Ledes

New York Times: "The man accused of murdering four college students during a predawn intrusion at their house near the University of Idaho declined to enter a plea to the charges Monday, electing to 'stand silent' during the first step in what promises to be a lengthy legal process. Judge John C. Judge said he would enter a not-guilty plea for the defendant, Bryan Kohberger, after Mr. Kohberger's lawyer, Anne Taylor, said her client had elected not to enter any plea at this stage. Mr. Kohberger has said through a lawyer in the past that he expects to be exonerated." MB: Judge Judge. Cute.

Washington Post: "C. Boyden Gray, a patrician conservative lawyer who served as White House counsel to President George H.W. Bush and was influential in shepherding Republican judicial and Justice Department nominees as a strategist and fundraiser, died overnight on May 20 or 21 at his home in Washington. He was 80."

May 21, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Paul Kane, et al., of the Washington Post: "A day after partisan acrimony disrupted talks around the debt ceiling, President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to restart negotiations Sunday, sending a newly hopeful signal that the two parties might avoid an economic catastrophe as few as 11 days away. The two leaders spoke by phone Sunday and agreed to dispatch their chief emissaries for further staff talks at 6 p.m. before Biden and McCarthy (R-Calif.) connect again in Washington on Monday.... The call with McCarthy took place as Biden was returning from the Group of Seven summit in Japan.... On Sunday, during an appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen warned that some bills would have to go unpaid if the government breaches the June 1 deadline."

~~~~~~~~~~

Biden Lectures GOP Toddlers Having Temper Tantrum. Zeke Miller & Josh Boak of the AP: "President Joe Biden said Sunday that Republicans in the U.S. House must move off their 'extreme positions' on the now-stalled talks over raising America's debt limit and that there would be no agreement to avert a catastrophic default only on their terms. 'It's time for Republicans to accept that there is no bipartisan deal to be made solely, solely, on their partisan terms,' Biden said in Hiroshima, Japan, where he attended the Group of Seven summit." ~~~

~~~ Josh Boak & Zeke Miller of the AP: "President Joe Biden tried to reassure world leaders on Saturday that the United States would not default as he consulted with the heads of Australia, Japan and India in a meeting of the so-called Quad partnership that had been hastily rescheduled because of the debt limit standoff back in Washington.... The Quad members originally had planned to meet in Sydney next week, but got together instead on the sidelines of the G7 so Biden could return to Washington earlier on Sunday in hopes of finalizing a deal to increase the U.S. borrowing limit before the government runs out of cash to pay its bills." ~~~

~~~ Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "Republican negotiators rejected a White House offer to limit spending next year on both the military and a wide range of critical domestic programs as part of high-stakes negotiations over the federal debt ceiling.... Republicans are pushing instead for higher defense spending and more significant domestic spending reductions.... House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) ... said it would be difficult for talks to resume before President Biden returns Sunday from his trip to Asia." Politico's story is here.

Alan Feuer & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "A conflict inside ... Donald J. Trump's legal team erupted into public view on Saturday as one of his former lawyers went on television to attack one of his current lawyers, who has been the focus of ire from others on the team. The former lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, withdrew this past week from representing Mr. Trump.... Appearing on CNN on Saturday, Mr. Parlatore disclosed that his departure had been spurred by irreconcilable differences with Boris Epshteyn, another lawyer who has been working as something akin to an in-house counsel for the former president.... Mr. Parlatore described how Mr. Epshteyn had hindered him and other lawyers from getting information to Mr. Trump.... Most notably, Mr. Parlatore singled out Mr. Epshteyn as trying to keep the team from conducting additional searches of Mr. Trump's properties after the F.B.I. executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago...." CNN's report is here.

Florida Travel Warning. Julia Shapero of the Hill: "The NAACP issued a formal travel advisory for Florida on Saturday, saying the state has become 'hostile to Black Americans' under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R) leadership. 'On a seeming quest to silence African-American voices, the Governor and the State of Florida have shown that African Americans are not welcome in the State of Florida,' the travel advisory reads.... The advisory points to several of DeSantis's controversial policies, including legislation he signed on Monday to prohibit colleges from spending public funds on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Sunday is here: "Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with President Biden at the Group of Seven summit in Japan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sparked speculation over whether Ukraine had lost control of the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut.... Bakhmut is 'just dead and a lot of dead Russians,' Zelensky told reporters in Hiroshima. 'They came to us. Our defenders in Bakhmut, they did strong work, and of course we appreciate them' for their effort, he said. Russia claimed control of the eastern Ukrainian city on Saturday, but earlier Sunday, the Ukrainian military had said battles were continuing there.... Zelensky and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had their first face-to-face meeting since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. India is one of the few countries that has been reluctant to join the Western coalition against the Russian invasion. Zelensky also met the heads of state of Italy, France and Germany, he said in his nightly address, adding that his focus at the summit is to press for more weapons for Ukraine.... President Biden announced a new tranche of military assistance for Ukraine, including ammunition, artillery and vehicles." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Zeke Miller, et al., of the AP: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russian forces weren't occupying Bakhmut, casting doubt on Moscow's claims that the eastern Ukrainian city had fallen. Responding to a reporter's question about the status of the city at the Group of Seven meeting in Japan, Zelenskyy said: 'Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today.'... Zelenskyy's response in English to a question earlier at the summit about the status of Bakhmut was interpreted by many as saying the city had fallen to Russian forces. When asked if the city was in Ukraine's hands, Zelenskyy said: 'I think no, but you have to -- to understand that there is nothing, They've destroyed everything. There are no buildings. It's a pity. It's tragedy.'"

Adam Schreck of the AP: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy huddled with some of his biggest backers in Hiroshima on Sunday, building momentum for his country's war effort even as Russia claimed a symbolic victory on the battlefield. The Ukrainian leader's in-person appearance in his trademark olive drab during the final day of the Group of Seven summit underscored the centrality of the war for the bloc of rich democracies. It also stole much of the limelight from other priorities, including security challenges in Asia and outreach to the developing world, that the leaders focused on at the three-day gathering."

Comrade Donald, I Presume. Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Russia has expanded its list of sanctioned Americans in a tit-for-tat retaliation for the latest curbs imposed by the United States. But what is particularly striking is how much President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is adopting perceived enemies of ... Donald J. Trump as his own. Among the 500 people singled out for travel and financial restrictions on Friday were Americans seen as adversaries by Mr. Trump, including Letitia James, the state attorney general of New York who has investigated and sued him. Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state of Georgia who rebuffed Mr. Trump's pressure to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election, also made the list. And Lt. Michael Byrd, the Capitol Police officer who shot the pro-Trump rioter Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6, 2021, was another notable name."

Mali/Russia. Jason Burke of the Observer/Guardian: "Over ... five days, hundreds ... would die in the village of Moura in the Mopti region of Mali at the hands of troops overseen by Russian mercenaries, according to a new United Nations report. All but a small fraction were unarmed civilians. Published last week after an extensive human rights fact-finding mission conducted over several months by UN staff in Mali, the report gives an hour by hour account of events during a five-day military operation in Moura in March 2022, giving details of the worst single atrocity associated with the Kremlin-linked Wagner group outside Ukraine."

News Lede

CNN: "A SpaceX rocket carrying a decorated former NASA astronaut and three paying customers took off from Florida Sunday afternoon. The crew is embarking on a weeklong stay aboard the International Space Station. Their journey, put together by the Houston-based company Axiom Space, marks the second all-private mission to the orbiting outpost. Called AX-2, the mission is making history as stem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi becomes the first woman from Saudi Arabia to travel to space."

May 20, 2023

Marie: If every American voter were forced to read this Washington Post story about Baby Milo before going to the ballot box, none would ever vote for a Republican. Please let us not hold just Gov. Ron DeSantis and his mostly-captive state legislature, who are more than willing to cause death & incalculable pain in service of DeSantis' national ambitions. Let us start with Sadistic Sam & the Supremes. Here's a video version of the story:

     ~~~ Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "All across the country, Republicans have passed laws to ... ban, limit or restrict the right to bodily autonomy, whether abortion or gender-affirming health care for transgender people..., regardless of public opinion.... The war on bodily autonomy is a critical project for nearly the entire G.O.P., pursued with dedication by Republicans from the lowliest state legislator to the party's powerful functionaries on the Supreme Court.... There is the push to free business from the suffocating grasp of child labor laws.... Republican-led legislatures are placing harsh limits on what teachers and other educators can say in the classroom about American history or the existence of L.G.B.T.Q. people.... Last but certainly not least is the Republican effort to make civil society a shooting gallery.... Famously, [President Franklin Roosevelt named four] freedoms: ... the 'freedom of speech and expression,' the 'freedom of every person to worship God in his own way,' the 'freedom from want' and the 'freedom from fear.'... There are, I think, four freedoms we can glean from the Republican program.... The freedom to control..., the freedom to exploit..., the freedom to censor..., and there is the freedom to menace...."

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "Bipartisan talks between top White House and Republican congressional officials over a deal to raise the debt limit ended without a breakthrough on Friday, capping a day of whiplash as negotiators seeking to avoid the first default in the nation's history repeatedly started and ended discussions amid growing G.O.P. frustration. Negotiations came to a halt on Friday morning after Republicans vented anger about discussions on spending caps, and Speaker Kevin McCarthy declared a 'pause' to the talks. Just hours later, he announced Republicans' return to the negotiating table, but the discussions ended after an hour on Friday night, and it was unclear when negotiators planned to meet again." (This is an update of a story linked yesterday afternoon.) The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Every failure is an opportunity. Quit messing with these deadbeat hostage-takers, Joe. It's Fourteenth Amendment time! ~~~

     ~~~ BUT. Adam Cancryn of Politico: "Progressive lawmakers renewed their call for President Joe Biden to bypass Congress to avert a default after the abrupt cancellation of debt ceiling talks on Friday. But the White House remains resistant. It issued a subdued statement indicating it sees no reason to pull the plug on talks. And privately, its message has been even blunter. Senior Biden officials have told progressive activists and lawmakers in recent days that they do not see the 14th Amendment -- which says the 'validity of the public debt' cannot be questioned -- as a viable means of circumventing debt ceiling negotiations.... The White House has studied the issue for months, with some aides concluding that Biden would likely have the authority to declare the debt limit unconstitutional.... But Biden advisers have told progressives that they see it as a poor option overall, fearing such a move would trigger a pitched legal battle, undermine global faith in U.S. creditworthiness and damage the economy. Officials have warned that even the appearance of more seriously considering the 14th Amendment could blow up talks that are already quite delicate."

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "F.B.I. analysts improperly used a warrantless surveillance program to search for information about hundreds of Americans who came under scrutiny in connection with two politically charged episodes of civil unrest: the protests after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, a newly declassified court ruling shows. While the F.B.I. has tightened restrictions since then, the disclosure of the misuses is likely to provide fodder to critics of the program as the Biden administration seeks to persuade Congress to renew it. The surveillance program, known as Section 702, empowers the government to collect, without a warrant and from American companies like Google and AT&T, the communications of foreigners abroad who are targeted for intelligenc purposes -- even when they are talking with or about Americans." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Meet Your Congressman. Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "... [Rep. Jamaal] Bowman, a media-savvy democratic socialist from the Bronx, has rapidly made a name for himself this spring by going where most of them have not: up to his opponents' actual faces.... Michael Eric Dyson, a professor of African American studies at Vanderbilt University, said that Mr. Bowman was part of a younger generation of Black politicians who have been shaped by hip-hop culture and who bring 'unvarnished gutbucket speech to bear on American politics,' with no desire to coddle those who disagree with them."

Alicia Napierkowski & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Air Force National Guardsman accused of posting a trove of secret documents online, will remain in prison pending his trial because he poses a continuing threat to national security and public safety, a federal magistrate judge ruled on Friday. The judge, David H. Hennessy, cited Airman Teixeira's history of seeking out and posting classified intelligence materials in defiance of his superiors at an Air Force base on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, in denying his request to be released on bond into the custody of his father."

Zach Schonfeld of the Hill: "Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch on Thursday slammed the use of emergency power during the pandemic as a mass intrusion on civil liberties. The high court on Thursday dismissed as moot a case seeking to preserve Title 42 after the pandemic emergency expired last week. The public health authority had allowed for the swift expulsion of migrants without allowing them to seek asylum. Gorsuch, in an attached statement to the court's unsigned order, more broadly railed against the use of emergency powers since COVID-19 shut down normal life, referencing among other things, lockdown orders, a federal ban on evictions and vaccine mandates. 'Since March 2020, we may have experienced the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country. Executive officials across the country issued emergency decrees on a breathtaking scale,' Gorsuch wrote." MB: Yeah, Neil, you arrogant prick, because when you voted in Dobbs to overturn Roe v. Wade, nobody who matters (to you) lost her civil rights. But you had to wear a mask?! Oh, horrors.

Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "A Metropolitan Police Department lieutenant who supervised the intelligence branch of the Washington, D.C., police was indicted this week, charged with tipping off former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio about a pending warrant for his arrest just ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.... Shane Lamond, 47, was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said Friday. A federal grand jury charged Lamond with obstructing the investigation into the burning of [a Black Lives Matter] banner Dec. 12, 2020, when the Proud Boys were roaming the streets of Washington for a pro-Trump event. Between July 2019 and January 2021, Tarrio and Lamond communicated 'at least 500 times using cloud-based messaging services...," the indictment said. They sent approximately 145 messages using a secret chat function on Telegram that causes messages to disappear, the indictment charged, adding 'at least 101 of these messages were destroyed.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Rudy's Legal Woes. (1) Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal judge has ordered Rudy Giuliani to provide a detailed accounting of his finances and net worth in connection with a lawsuit filed by two Georgia poll workers who contend the Trump lawyer defamed them by publicly accusing them of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell issued the order during an unusual hearing Friday on ongoing disputes about access to Giuliani's evidence related to the suit brought by Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss two years ago.... After the hearing, Giuliani declined to speak to reporters about the document fight.... However, outside the courthouse, he held forth on a series of other subjects. He portrayed himself as a victim of a 'fascist state' seeking to punish anyone who provided legal counsel to ... Donald Trump." ~~~

~~~ (2) Sky Palma of the Raw Story: "Former Montgomery County district attorney Bruce Castor, who recently represented Rudy Giuliani in a civil suit, filed a motion in court this Tuesday to be removed as Giuliani's lawyer in the case, The Inquirer reported. 'He's not cooperating, and he's not paying me,' Castor explained. Giuliani was named in a lawsuit by a Delaware County voting-machine supervisor who says conspiracy theories about the 2020 election made him a target of hatred."~~~

~~~ (3) Adam Klasfeld of Law & Crime: "Two days after a woman filed a salacious lawsuit accusing Rudy Giuliani of rape, The Gateway Pundit ran the former mayor's raw and 'EXCLUSIVE' reaction to her sexual abuse claims. Law&Crime has learned that Giuliani's supposed comment was quietly airbrushed.... Within hours of publication, the right-wing website -- known for propagating fake news and conspiracy theories -- quietly deleted some of the most incendiary claims about Giuliani's accuser: Noelle Dunphy." In his original statement, Giuliani accused Dunphy of being a professional sex worker who scammed elderly men, a woman whom he never employed & who illegally taped him & accessed his emails. The massaged statement omitted those claims.

Emma Brown & Chris Dehghanpoor of the Washington Post: "A Nevada computer scientist has gone to federal court to pursue the $5 million prize he is owed by MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell following a ruling by private arbitrators last month. The arbitrators found that Robert Zeidman deserved the money because he had successfully challenged data related to Lindell's false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen -- and had thus won a contest Lindell had dubbed: 'Prove Mike Wrong.' In their April 19 decision, they gave Lindell's firm, Lindell Management, 30 days to pay. Since then, Lindell has not turned over any money, and on Thursday he asked a state court in Minnesota to vacate the award on the grounds that the arbitration panel had 'exceeded its powers.'" A CBS News story is here.

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Aidan McLaughlin of Mediaite: "The New York Post dropped a bombshell report last week: amid a nationwide influx of migrants, nearly two-dozen homeless veterans were kicked out of hotels where they were being temporarily housed in order to make room for migrants in upstate New York. The story, which was based on a claim by a veterans advocate, got the front page treatment: 'VETS KICKED OUT FOR MIGRANTS,' bellowed the Post last Saturday.... Naturally, Fox News covered the story enthusiastically, treating it as gospel on nearly every program. Hosts pinned blame for the very local story on [President] Biden.... Then, the story fell apart. First, the hotels that veterans were supposedly booted from told Mid-Hudson News they had no idea what the advocate, YIT Foundation Executive Director Sharon Finch, was talking about. Then, a local Republican New York lawmaker dug into her claims and concluded that she lied.... But wait, it gets worse. The Mid-Hudson News -- kudos to this local paper for some tremendous coverage on this story, by the way -- reported on Friday morning that seven homeless men had come forward to reveal that Finch approached them at a shelter this week, offering to pay them in cash, food, and alcohol to pretend that they were veterans who had been kicked out of the hotels to make way for migrants. [The New York Post printed a correction and a report on their story being false.] Fox News has yet to issue any correction over the story." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Presidential Race 2024. Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "The bipartisan political group No Labels is stepping up a well-funded effort to field a 'unity ticket' for the 2024 presidential race, prompting fierce resistance from even some of its closest allies who fear handing the White House back to Donald J. Trump. At the top of the list of potential candidates is Senator Joe Manchin III, the conservative West Virginia Democrat who has been a headache to his party and could bleed support from President Biden in areas crucial to his re-election." MB: These people make me sick. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

Nebraska. Molly Hennessy-Fiske of the Washington Post: "Conservatives in the Nebraska legislature won just enough votes Friday to pass a combined ban on abortion at 12 weeks and gender-affirming treatment for minors, amid continuing protests at the state Capitol.... Friday's vote followed the 49-member Republican-dominated legislature's interim approval of the measure Tuesday. Gov. Jim Pillen (R) has said he will sign the bill and released a statement applauding its passage." The AP story is here.

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Saturday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Saturday is here: "President Biden is likely to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Japan for the Group of Seven summit this weekend, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.... The Ukrainian president has been on a whirlwind diplomatic tour in recent days, visiting Western European capitals and Saudi Arabia.... Zelensky urged Arab countries to help secure the release of Ukrainians in Russian detention in a Friday speech at the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia."

David Sanger, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden told U.S. allies on Friday that he would allow Ukrainian pilots to be trained on American-made F-16 fighter jets, moving toward letting other countries give the planes to Ukraine -- a major upgrade of the Ukrainian military and a sharp reversal.... Mr. Biden told other leaders of the Group of 7 nations, the world's wealthiest democracies, of his decision on pilot training, opening a path to supplying Ukraine with fighter jets, at their summit meeting in Hiroshima, Japan."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Martin Amis, whose caustic, erudite and bleakly comic novels redefined British fiction in the 1980s and '90s with their sharp appraisal of tabloid culture and consumer excess, and whose private life made him tabloid fodder himself, died on Friday at his home in Lake Worth, Fla. He was 73."/p>

New York Times: "Jim Brown, the Cleveland Browns fullback who was acclaimed as one of the greatest players in pro football history, and who remained in the public eye as a Hollywood action hero and a civil rights activist, though his name was later tarnished by accusations of violent conduct against women, died on Thursday night at his home in Los Angeles. He was 87."