January 20, 2023

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Ha Ha. Christopher Cadelago of Politico: "Embattled Rep. George Santos has claimed that reports and videos documenting him performing in drag are both 'outrageous' and 'categorically false.' But nearly a dozen years ago, Santos himself appears to have confirmed that he participated in drag shows while he was a teenager living in Brazil. A Wikipedia page accessed by Politico shows a user named Anthony Devolder -- a Santos alias — writing that he 'startted [sp] his “stage” life at age 17 as an gay night club [sp] DRAG QUEEN and with that won sevral [sp] GAY "BEAUTY PAGENTS [sp]."' The Wiki biography was last edited on April 29, 2011. It contains basic information that matches up with the newly sworn-in congressman, including Devolder being born on July 22, 1988, to a Brazilian family with a European background.... The Wiki bio for Anthony Devolder, which is full of spelling and grammatical errors, appears to contain fantastical descriptions of his supposed career in show business. It claims that he had a part in Disney's 'Hannah Montana,' among other examples." MB: Does the page also say Anthony won the New York City regional spelling bee and lost at the state level only because at the time of the state competition he was being held by kidnappers who were demanding a $5 million ransom from his wealthy parents?

Frivolous-Litigator-in-Chief Cuts Losses. Kara Scannell of CNN: "... Donald Trump on Friday withdrew his lawsuit seeking to block the New York attorney general's office from accessing materials from his private trust. In a one-page notice filed with Judge Donald Middlebrooks, Trump's attorney, Timothy Weber, said he was voluntarily dismissing the lawsuit. No further reason was given. Last month, Middlebrooks rejected Trump's effort to obtain a temporary injunction to block New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, from obtaining documents from the trust, saying Trump had 'no substantial likelihood of success on the merits.' A motion to dismiss the lawsuit was still pending. The move comes one day after Middlebrooks sanctioned Trump and another one of his attorney's $937,989 for a lawsuit Trump brought against Hillary Clinton, former top Justice Department officials and several others alleging they conspired against him in the 2016 campaign."

Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "The decision by President Biden and his top advisers to keep the discovery of classified documents secret from the public and even most of the White House staff for 68 days was driven by what turned out to be a futile hope that ... they could convince the Justice Department that the matter was little more than a minor, good-faith mistake, unlike ... Donald J. Trump's hoarding of documents at his Florida estate.... In the short term, at least, the bet seems to have backfired.... The goal for the Biden team, according to people familiar with the internal deliberations who spoke on condition of anonymity, was to win the trust of Justice Department investigators and demonstrate that the president and his team were cooperating fully. In other words, they would head off any serious legal repercussions by doing exactly the opposite of what the Biden lawyers had seen the Trump legal team do."

Meagan Flynn & Laura Vozzella of the Washington Post: "Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) announced Friday he plans to seek a third term, sending a wave of relief through the Democratic Party amid worries that he would retire and create a potential opening for Republicans."

Adam Satariano of the New York Times: "Alphabet, the parent company of Google, said on Friday that it plans to cut 12,000 jobs, becoming the latest technology company to reduce its work force after a hiring spree during the pandemic and amid concerns about a broader economic slowdown. The job cuts are the company's largest ever, amounting to about 6 percent of the company's global work force. Sundar Pichai, Alphabet's chief executive, said the company expanded too rapidly during the pandemic, when demand for digital services boomed, and now must refocus on products and technology core to the company's future, like artificial intelligence."

Michigan. Livia Albeck-Ripka of the New York Times: "Three family members were sentenced this week to life in prison without parole in the fatal shooting in 2020 of a security guard at a Family Dollar store in Flint, Mich., over a dispute regarding mask requirements at the store, court records show."

Ohio. Voter Suppression by Confusion. Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "Two weeks after a Republican-backed voting law significantly reshaped Ohio's election procedure, local officials, advocates and voters are still making sense of the changes -- and how the alterations could restrict who might cast ballots in 2024.... Local election officials are waiting to hear from the Ohio secretary of state about what IDs they will now accept, how long they can count votes and who can vote outside of polling places. Legal challenges of the law could further complicate the situation.... The legislation, which is now one of the most restrictive voter-ID laws in the country, comes as GOP-led legislatures are increasingly revamping their voting apparatuses following unfounded complaints of fraud by ... Donald Trump after he lost in 2020."

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Matt Viser & Scott Wilson of the Washington Post: "From the air and ground, President Biden surveyed California's most rain-ravaged communities Thursday in a show of federal solidarity in a state that has come to typify the nation's weather extremes. Biden stopped along the Central Coast for several hours, visiting businesses, homeowners and the emergency services crews who have battled blizzards and floods for weeks. The stops took him into two of the state's hardest-hit enclaves, but nearly every corner of reliably Democratic California was affected by the recent rains. Some initial damage estimates place the cost at $1 billion.... Along his route, Biden drew larger than usual crowds for a visit to a disaster site. He was also joined for much of his tour by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)...."

Matt Viser & Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "President Biden said Thursday he had 'no regrets' on White House handling of the disclosure that classified documents were found at a private office in Washington and at his Delaware home, pledging cooperation with the Justice Department and expressing confidence that the matter would be resolved. 'I think you're going to find there's nothing there,' he said.... 'Look, as we found a handful of documents that were filed in the wrong place, we immediately turned them over to the Archives and the Justice Department,' he continued. 'We are fully cooperating and looking forward to getting this resolved quickly.'... Biden made the remarks after touring flood damage [in California]...." ~~~

~~~ Loreben Tuquero of PolitiFact: On January 10, Donald Trump, expert on national security law, said in an interview that as vice president, Joe Biden did not have the right to declassify documents. Wrong. "An executive order signed by former President Barack Obama authorizes the vice president to classify and declassify documents.... Donald Trump did not issue an executive order setting new rules on classification and declassification powers; President Joe Biden hasn't issued such an executive order, either. So Obama's order remains in effect. There is some ambiguity about the effect of the order on the vice president's ability to declassify documents that were classified by other agencies.... We saw similar [false] statements being shared elsewhere on social media. It was also amplified on Twitter by conservative lawmakers, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, and Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., and during a CNN interview by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky.

Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "The Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday that the system failure that caused thousands of flight delays last week occurred because contractors 'unintentionally deleted files' on the alert system for pilots, leading to a standstill of planes and frustrated passengers. The F.A.A. said in a statement that the workers had been trying to 'correct synchronization' between the main database for the Notice to Air Missions alerts and a backup database when the files were mistakenly deleted, causing the outage that snarled air traffic throughout the day on Jan. 11. Investigators have found no evidence of a cyberattack or other malicious intent, according to the agency."

Happy Debt Ceiling Day. Jim Tankersley & Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "The United States hit its debt limit on Thursday, prompting the Treasury Department to begin using a series of accounting maneuvers to ensure the federal government can keep paying its bills. In a letter to Congress, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said the government would begin using what is known as extraordinary measures to prevent the nation from breaching its statutory debt limit and asked lawmakers to raise or suspend the cap so that the government could continue meeting its financial obligations." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Manu Raju of CNN: "House Republicans from swing districts are flatly rejecting the White House's position that there be no negotiations with Congress over raising the national debt ceiling, insisting that they won't bend to the Democrats' take-it-or-leave-it approach to avoid the first-ever debt default with no conditions attached. The Republicans, many of whom hail from districts that President Joe Biden won or narrowly lost and are seen as the most likely to break ranks with their party's leadership, said they are not willing to back a 'clean' debt ceiling increase, insisting there must be some fiscal agreement first. That view is in line with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who is calling for negotiations with the White House before a possible default occurs later this year." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Dear Republicans: The way to lower the debt is to authorize more tax revenues and approve less spending. It is NOT to refuse to pay the bills after you've okayed the expenditures. It is NOT to jump up & down screaming, "Aiyee! No more money for hungry children & for selfish old folks who for decades paid into Social Security, Medicare & 401Ks!" Jen Psaki said on MSNBC that the debt limit had been raised 49 times under Republican presidents and that My Kevin voted to raise the limit three times when Donald Trump was president*. I'm taking her word for it. So quit the histrionics, raise taxes on the rich & corporations, and let's pay our damned bills. It's mighty simple. Marie

Grace Ashford, et al., of the New York Times: "A month after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit in 2021 accusing a Florida-based company of operating a Ponzi scheme, [George Santos,] one of the firm's account managers[,] assured an anxious client [named Andrew Intrater] that his money was safe.... Mr. Intrater wanted to know about his investment and a promised letter of credit that secured it. Mr. Santos said that it was already on the way. The letter of credit did not exist, the S.E.C. would later tell a court. The $100 million that Mr. Santos told Mr. Intrater that he had personally raised for Harbor City did not exist either, the commission said. Nor, seemingly, did the close to $4 million that Mr. Santos claimed he and his family had invested in Harbor City. Mr. Santos's representations form the basis of a sworn declaration that Mr. Intrater gave the S.E.C. in May 2022, as part of its Harbor City investigation. Mr. Intrater's interactions with the S.E.C. are the first indication the commission might be interested in Mr. Santos.... The S.E.C. has not indicated publicly that it is looking into Mr. Santos.... If Mr. Santos had lured investors through the use of false statements, he could face charges of securities fraud, legal experts said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Every article I've read that mentions Harbor City in connection with Santos has emphasized that the SEC did not cite him as part of the Ponzi scheme. Given Santos' history, it seemed implausible that he was not an enthusiastic Ponzito. And now we know.

George, the Hypocritical Drag Queen. Kelly Hooper & Olivia Olander of Politico: "A person who appears to be Rep. George Santos talked about performing in drag in a video obtained on Thursday by the New York Post, hours after Santos shot down claims that he was once a drag queen in Brazil.... 'The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or "performed" as a drag Queen is categorically false,' Santos said in a tweet on Thursday morning. 'The media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results....' According to the New York Post's translation, the person in the video was speaking in Portuguese about performing in drag. The video was first obtained by the Post, and it was posted by the Daily Mail.... [His purported drag performances] stand in stark contrast to the conservative views Santos has aligned himself with and the Republican Party's recent crusade against drag shows and performers. Even though he has boasted of being an openly gay Republican, Santos has voiced support for far-right policies such as Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law." ~~~

     ~~~ As Akhilleus noted in yesterday's Comments, at last the media have found an occupation Santos could credibly put on his résumé, yet -- ever so inexplicably -- he's never mentioned it.

This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim.... Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries. He is the mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process, and he cannot be seen as a litigant blindly following the advice of a lawyer. He knew full well the impact of his actions. -- U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks ~~~

~~~ Michael Schmidt & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "In a scathing ruling, a federal judge in Florida on Thursday ordered Donald J. Trump and one of his lawyers [Alina Habba] together to pay nearly a million dollars in sanctions for filing a frivolous lawsuit against nearly three dozen of Mr. Trump's perceived political enemies, including Hillary Clinton and the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey. The ruling was a significant rebuke of Mr. Trump, who has rarely faced such consequences in his long history of using the courts as a weapon against business rivals and partners, as well as former employees and reporters." CNN's report is here.

The Man Who Cried Hoax. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: Donald "Trump obviously uses 'hoax' ... to describe something that he would like to argue is overstated or inaccurate. That those things are generally not inaccurate or overstated.... In the context of a lawsuit centered on allegations that he sexually assaulted author E. Jean Carroll several decades ago, Carroll's lawyers found it useful to point out that Trump simply says everything is a hoax, even when he obviously doesn't think it is. As when he said that about Carroll's accusations." Bump relates parts of the exchange -- during Trump's deposition -- between Trump & Carroll's lawyer Robert Kaplan in which Kaplan nails down Trump's misuse of the word hoax. It's amusing to "hear" Trump's growing irritation.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A federal judge on Thursday rejected a last-ditch effort by Peter Navarro, a former adviser to ... Donald Trump, to dismiss the contempt of Congress charges he faces for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee, keeping his late January trial on track to begin. U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta said Navarro had failed to prove that the former president wanted him to assert executive privilege over his potential testimony -- a key claim that Navarro has long maintained justified his decision to simply blow off the select committee's subpoena.... Navarro's trial on two charges of contempt of Congress is likely to commence later this month." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Konstantin Toropin of Military.com: "Three Marines were arrested Wednesday for their participation in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court documents unsealed Thursday. Micah Coomer, Joshua Abate, and Dodge Dale Hellonen -- three men identified by investigators as active-duty Marines -- were arrested on four charges each stemming from their participation in the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.... All three Marines, who were arrested more than two years after the attack, work in jobs connected to the intelligence community."

Yeah, Right. Adam Liptak & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court announced on Thursday that an internal investigation had failed to identify the person who leaked a draft of the opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had established a constitutional right to abortion. In a 20-page report, the court's marshal, Gail A. Curley, who oversaw the inquiry, said that investigators had conducted 126 formal interviews of 97 employees, all of whom had denied being the source of the leak. But several employees acknowledged that they had told their spouses or partners about the draft opinion and the vote count in violation of the court's confidentiality rules, the report said. The investigation did not determine whether any of those discussions led to a copy of the draft opinion becoming public. Investigators also found no forensic evidence of who may have leaked the opinion...." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, they know. At least Roberts knows, as do at least a few others. And they don't want you to know. Because it would be damaging to the confederates. Who do you suppose could walk out of the building with a briefcase full of secret docs & nobody would check him at the door? Oh, I know: a justice. And to whom might he show the opinion? Perhaps his spouse? I'm not saying her name begins with G-I-N-N-I. It very well could be somebody else. But whoever it is, John Roberts isn't saying. I hope the name of the perp leaks, too. See also commentary at the end of yesterday's Comments thread. Seems I'm not the only skeptic 'round here. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Several commentators appearing on MSNBC Thursday inferred from the enigmatic "report" that the "investigators" did not interview the justices themselves. Huh. Wonder why. They also noted that Curley works for the Supreme Court and can be fired without cause and that she has no experience conducting or leading investigations of any kind, much less leak investigations. Roberts of course could call in real investigators from the Justice Department, but he has opted not to do so. Again, one wonders why. ~~~

    ~~~ Lock 'em Up! Donald Trump, Constitutional law expert, has the solution. Mary Papenfuss of the Huffington Post: "Donald Trump insisted Thursday that 'the reporter' who published the leaked Supreme Court draft ruling overturning Roe v. Wade be jailed until the source of the leak can be determined. Though Trump did not name any particular individual or publication, the draft majority opinion was first reported on in Politico last May by journalists Josh Gerstein and Alexander Ward. Trump also called for throwing 'the publisher and editor' behind bars.... 'Calling for egregious abuses of power in order to suppress the Constitutional rights of reporters is an insult to the rule of law and undermines fundamental American values and traditions,'... [White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said]."

James Robenaut of the Washington Post: "The original Roe v. Wade decision was leaked in 1973. And we know exactly who leaked it. Larry Hammond, a Supreme Court clerk at the time, leaked the ruling to a Time magazine reporter in January 1973. The issue of Time, with an article titled 'The Sexes: Abortion on Demand,' appeared on newsstands hours before the decision was announced by Justice Harry Blackmun. Hammond, who died in 2020, told me about the leak when I interviewed him for my book.... Hammond clerked for Justice Lewis Powell and played an important role in convincing Powell that the 'viability' standard (when a fetus could live outside the womb) was the most supportable line to draw in determining when a state may not regulate a woman's right to an abortion. Powell privately persuaded Justice Harry A. Blackmun and ultimately a 7-to-2 majority to adopt the viability standard, and that has been at the heart of Roe and later Casey v. Planned Parenthood, which were both reversed last year."

David Yaffe-Bellany of the New York Times: "The cryptocurrency lender Genesis Global Holdco filed for bankruptcy late on Thursday, the latest crypto company to do so after the collapse of FTX, the exchange founded by Sam Bankman-Fried. A year ago, Genesis and a group of other large lending firms drew millions of customers with the promise that they could deposit their crypto holdings and earn sky-high returns. But Genesis's bankruptcy filing makes it the fourth major crypto lender to fail since last spring, when a downturn in the digital asset market sent prices plunging. Other major lenders that have gone out of business include Celsius Network and Voyager Digital, whose customers lost billions of dollars in deposits."

Julia Jacobs & Graham Bowley of the New York Times: "The actor Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for handling the gun that discharged on the set of 'Rust,' killing its cinematographer, as will the movie's armorer, who loaded the gun, prosecutors in New Mexico announced on Thursday. Prosecutors said they would charge Mr. Baldwin with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, saying that he had a duty to ensure the gun and the ammunition were properly checked and that he should never have pointed it at anyone.... Mr. Baldwin, both a producer and a lead actor in "Rust," has long denied culpability for the shooting...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Presidential Race 2024. Nikki Haley & Mike Pompeo are having a he said/she said fight (Guardian link).

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Patricia Mazzei & Anemona Hartocollis of the New York Times: "Florida will not allow a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies to be offered in its high schools, stating that the course is not 'historically accurate' and violates state law. In a letter last week, the Florida Department of Education informed the College Board, which administers A.P. exams, that it would not include the class in the state's course directory. Rigorous A.P. courses allow high school students to obtain credit and advanced placement in college.... The letter, with no name attached to it, did not cite which law the course violated or what in the curriculum was objectionable.... But last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed legislation that restricted how racism and other aspects of history can be taught in schools and workplaces. The law's sponsors called it the Stop WOKE Act." MB: This whole fake controversy is explicitly racist. (Also linked yesterday.)

Kansas. John Hanna of the AP: "A federal court jury convicted a Kansas man who insisted that a death threat he made against U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner [R] was a message from God, amid what authorities have said is a sharp rise in threats against members of Congress and their families.... Neill acted as his own attorney and cross-examined LaTurner on the witness stand Wednesday. Neill testified Thursday that he was a messenger from God and he passed along a message from God threatening LaTurner for ignoring concerns about sorcery, wizards, extraterrestrials and a war for people's souls."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

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

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Friday is here: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged Western allies to provide tanks to Kyiv without delay, warning a meeting of dozens of defense ministers that 'terror does not allow for discussion' and that 'time remains a Russian weapon.' Ukraine&'s allies appear stuck in a seemingly unresolved rift over who will supply Kyiv with battle tanks ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive. Berlin has been in a standoff with Washington over the provision of tanks to Ukraine, saying Germany will do so only if the United States sends them as well, The Post has reported. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said earlier this week that his country would consider sending German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine without Germany's approval."

Steven Erlanger, et al., of the New York Times: "A day before a critical meeting in Germany to chart the next steps in the defense of Ukraine, Kyiv's allies made it clear on Thursday that they were prepared to furnish a major infusion of military aid to help it fend off Russian aggression. Armored vehicles, rockets and missiles, artillery rounds and air-defense systems were just part of an aid package that is expected to total billions of dollars worth of matériel when officials from as many as 50 nations have struck a final deal on Friday."

Catherine Belton of the Washington Post: "Russia's state nuclear power conglomerate has been working to supply the Russian arms industry with components, technology and raw materials for missile fuel, documents show, aiding Moscow's deadly onslaught on Ukraine and leading to calls for the company, Rosatom, to be put under sanctions. A letter from a Rosatom department chief, dated October 2022 and obtained by Ukrainian intelligence, refers to a recent meeting with the Defense Ministry and representatives of Russia's military-industrial complex. It shows the state nuclear company offering to provide goods to Russian military units and to Russian weapons manufacturers that are under sanctions."

Julian Barnes of the New York Times: “William J. Burns, the C.I.A. director, traveled to Kyiv last week for secret consultations with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, according to two U.S. officials. Since just before the invasion, Mr. Burns has made periodic visits to Ukraine to meet with intelligence officials and to convey information to Mr. Zelensky.... On Monday, a delegation including Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman; Jon Finer, the principal deputy national security adviser; and Colin H. Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, met with President Zelensky."

News Ledes

New York Times: "David Crosby, the outspoken and often troubled singer, songwriter and guitarist who helped create two of the most influential and beloved American bands of the classic-rock era of the 1960s and '70s, the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, has died. He was 81."

Washington Post: "K. Alexander Müller, a Swiss physicist who shared a Nobel Prize for breakthroughs in finding ultraefficient pathways for electricity that rewrote theories on materials known as superconductors and that opened new horizons in medicine and transportation, died Jan. 9 in Zurich. He was 95. The death was announced by the Nobel committee and IBM, whose Zurich Research Laboratory had employed him for decades."

January 19, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Yeah, Right. Adam Liptak & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court announced on Thursday that an internal investigation had failed to identify the person who leaked a draft of the opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had established a constitutional right to abortion. In a 20-page report, the court's marshal, Gail A. Curley, who oversaw the inquiry, said that investigators had conducted 126 formal interviews of 97 employees, all of whom had denied being the source of the leak. But several employees acknowledged that they had told their spouses or partners about the draft opinion and the vote count in violation of the court's confidentiality rules, the report said. The investigation did not determine whether any of those discussions led to a copy of the draft opinion becoming public. Investigators also found no forensic evidence of who may have leaked the opinion...." The AP's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, they know. At least Roberts knows, as do at least a few others. And they don't want you to know. Because it would be damaging to the confederates. Who do you suppose could walk out of the building with a briefcase full of secret docs & nobody would check him at the door? Oh, I know: a justice. And to whom might he show the opinion? Perhaps his spouse? I'm not saying her name begins with G-I-N-N-I. It very well could be somebody else. But whoever it is, John Roberts isn't saying. I hope the name of the perp leaks, too.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A federal judge on Thursday rejected a last-ditch effort by Peter Navarro, a former adviser to ... Donald Trump, to dismiss the contempt of Congress charges he faces for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee, keeping his late January trial on track to begin. U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta said Navarro had failed to prove that the former president wanted him to assert executive privilege over his potential testimony -- a key claim that Navarro has long maintained justified his decision to simply blow off the select committee's subpoena.... Navarro's trial on two charges of contempt of Congress is likely to commence later this month."

Happy Debt Ceiling Day. Jim Tankersley & Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "The United States hit its debt limit on Thursday, prompting the Treasury Department to begin using a series of accounting maneuvers to ensure the federal government can keep paying its bills. In a letter to Congress, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said the government would begin using what is known as extraordinary measures to prevent the nation from breaching its statutory debt limit and asked lawmakers to raise or suspend the cap so that the government could continue meeting its financial obligations." ~~~

~~~ Manu Raju of CNN: "House Republicans from swing districts are flatly rejecting the White House's position that there be no negotiations with Congress over raising the national debt ceiling, insisting that they won't bend to the Democrats' take-it-or-leave-it approach to avoid the first-ever debt default with no conditions attached. The Republicans, many of whom hail from districts that President Joe Biden won or narrowly lost and are seen as the most likely to break ranks with their party's leadership, said they are not willing to back a 'clean' debt ceiling increase, insisting there must be some fiscal agreement first. That view is in line with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who is calling for negotiations with the White House before a possible default occurs later this year."

Julia Jacobs & Graham Bowley of the New York Times: "The actor Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for handling the gun that discharged on the set of 'Rust,' killing its cinematographer, as will the movie's armorer, who loaded the gun, prosecutors in New Mexico announced on Thursday. Prosecutors said they would charge Mr. Baldwin with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, saying that he had a duty to ensure the gun and the ammunition were properly checked and that he should never have pointed it at anyone.... Mr. Baldwin, both a producer and a lead actor in 'Rust,' has long denied culpability for the shooting...."

Florida. Patricia Mazzei & Anemona Hartocollis of the New York Times: "Florida will not allow a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies to be offered in its high schools, stating that the course is not 'historically accurate' and violates state law. In a letter last week, the Florida Department of Education informed the College Board, which administers A.P. exams, that it would not include the class in the state's course directory. Rigorous A.P. courses allow high school students to obtain credit and advanced placement in college.... The letter, with no name attached to it, did not cite which law the course violated or what in the curriculum was objectionable.... But last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed legislation that restricted how racism and other aspects of history can be taught in schools and workplaces. The law's sponsors called it the Stop WOKE Act." MB: This whole fake controversy is explicitly racist.

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Today, @VP and I ordered our lunch from @GhostburgerDC – one of the 10.5 million small businesses that have applied to start during our Administration.

If you missed the news, ketchup: that’s the most in a two-year period. Ever.

More proof that our economic plan is working. pic.twitter.com/qfqq1L91FE

— President Biden (@POTUS) January 17, 2023

     ~~~ Washington Post story, by Tim Carman, here.

Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News: "The Biden administration is set to announce on Thursday a pilot program that will allow groups of private American citizens to financially sponsor the resettlement of refugees fleeing war and violence across the world, three people briefed on the announcement told CBS News. The State Department initiative, which will be called Welcome Corps, could pave the way for a seismic shift in U.S. refugee policy, as most refugees brought to the U.S. for the past decades have been resettled by nine nonprofit organizations that receive federal funding. Under the program, modeled after a long-standing system in Canada, groups of at least five U.S.-based individuals could have the opportunity to sponsor refugees if they raise $2,275 per refugee, pass background checks and submit a plan about how they will assist the newcomers, the sources said."

Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Several of the most extreme Republicans in Congress and those most closely allied with [Donald] Trump have landed seats on the Oversight and Accountability Committee, the main investigative organ in the House. From that perch, they are poised to shape inquiries into the Biden administration and to serve as agents of Mr. Trump in litigating his grievances as he plots his re-election campaign. Their appointments are the latest evidence that the new Republican majority is driven by a hard-right faction that has modeled itself in Mr. Trump's image, shares his penchant for dealing in incendiary statements and misinformation, and is bent on using its newfound power to exact revenge on Democrats and President Biden. Many of the panel's new Republican members -- including Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania -- are among Mr. Trump's most devoted allies in Congress." ~~~

     ~~~ Christopher Cadelago, et al., of Politico: "House Republicans' installation of some of their most incendiary conservatives on the Oversight Committee is sparking an unexpected feeling inside the White House: unbridled glee.... One White House ally called it a 'political gift.' The jubilation was tempered, somewhat, by Democrats on the Hill who expressed more apprehension about the posting. 'The English language runs out of adjectives to describe the debasement, cynical debasement of the whole process these appointments represent,' Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a senior Oversight panel member, said in an interview. 'And it is, I think, a huge black mark on Kevin McCarthy.'... 'The Republicans have brought the QAnon caucus to the Oversight Committee, and you can expect them to run with the most ludicrous conspiracy theories one can ever imagine,' said Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.).'" MB: I myself am anxious to know if President Biden trained Jewish space lasers on son Hunter's laptop in an unsuccessful effort to zap all the dick pix.

Another Cruel Santos Lie. Michael Gold of the New York Times: "Representative George Santos of New York has said consistently that his mother, Fatima Devolder, was working at her office in the South Tower of the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Even as he altered his official biography to remove other false claims, Mr. Santos's account of ties to the tragedy remained. But official immigration documents reviewed by The New York Times on Wednesday directly contradict that claim, too. In an application for a visa to enter the United States filed in 2003, Ms. Devolder said that she had left the country for Brazil in June 1999 and had not returned since. In earlier paperwork filed in June 2001, three months before the attacks, Ms. Devolder said that she had been unable to return to the United States since 1999 because her green card had been stolen in Brazil....

"In a message posted on Twitter in July 2021, Mr. Santos said that the attacks 'claimed my mothers life,' but on his campaign website, his biography said that Ms. Devolder 'survived the tragic events on September 11th, but she passed away a few years later when she lost her battle to cancer.' Mr. Santos had also previously said that his mother worked her way up to become 'the first female executive at a major financial institution.' But on immigration documents, she described herself as a housekeeper and home aide." The NBC News story is here. MB: This lie is an affront to New Yorkers and others who suffered losses in the September 11 attacks.

Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is concerned that a former prosecutor who wrote a book about his time investigating Donald Trump may jeopardize the office's continuing probe, potentially violating laws and ethics rules in the process, according to a letter to the publisher and author sent Wednesday. The former investigator, Mark Pomerantz, was put on a special assignment to work the Trump case by Bragg's predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., and helped lead the effort until his abrupt resignation in February 2022, weeks into Bragg's term. Pomerantz and another veteran lawyer, Carey Dunne, quit together in disagreement over how to proceed with the case. Since then, Pomerantz has criticized Bragg, saying he wrongly stopped a move to quickly indict Trump, while Bragg sought more time to evaluate the evidence. Bragg now says a new book by Pomerantz to be published next month by Simon & Schuster could interfere with that effort." (Also linked yesterday.)

You've Seen One Babe, You've Seen 'em All. Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump mistook his sexual assault accuser E. Jean Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples when shown a photograph from the 1990s in a deposition at Mar-a-Lago last year, potentially undermining one of the common defenses he has used to deny an attack. Trump ... has repeatedly said Carroll is not his 'type,' suggesting an assault could not have occurred because he would not have pursued her romantically. 'That's Marla, yeah. That's my wife,' Trump said under examination.... The black-and-white photo at issue has been circulating since Carroll made allegations against then-president Trump in 2019...." A CNBC story, which includes the photo, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Larry Neumeister of the AP: During the deposition, Carroll's attorney Robert "Kaplan asked Trump if he was talking about Carroll's physical appearance in pictures when he said she was not his type. 'Physically she's not my type, and now that I've gotten indirectly to hear things about her, she wouldn't be my type in any way, shape, or form,' he said, calling her accusation 'ridiculous.'" MB: Uh, if Carroll wasn't his "type," why did he mistake her for the woman for whom he abandoned his first wife?

Marc Caputo & Jonathan Allen of NBC News: "... Donald Trump is looking to regain control over his powerful social media accounts. With access to his Twitter account back, Trump's campaign is formally petitioning Facebook's parent company to unblock his account there after it was locked in response to the U.S. Capitol riot two years ago.... A Meta spokesperson declined to comment about Trump beyond saying the company 'will announce a decision in the coming weeks in line with the process we laid out.'"

Karen Weise of the New York Times: "Microsoft plans to lay off 10,000 workers, the company said Wednesday, as it looks to trim costs amid economic uncertainty and to refocus on strategic priorities, such as artificial intelligence. The company employed about 221,000 workers as of the end of June, and the cuts amount to less than 5 percent of its global work force. With the cuts, Microsoft becomes the latest tech giant to pull back after a frenzied few years of hiring, when the pandemic-fueled surge in online services and the expansion of cloud computing created fierce competition for tech talent." (Also linked yesterday.)

Chris Mooney of the Washington Post: "The coldest and highest parts of the Greenland ice sheet, nearly 2 miles above sea level in many locations, are warming rapidly and showing changes that are unprecedented in at least a millennium, scientists reported Wednesday.... 'We find the 2001-2011 decade the warmest of the whole period of 1,000 years,' said Maria Hörhold, the study's lead author and a scientist at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany." MB: So now I'm even more irritated that the selfish Danes refused to sell Greenland to Donald Trump. We coulda had another island paradise! (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. DeSantis's Fake Outrage. Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has built his national profile, and possibly a future presidential run, on challenging major companies on controversial social issues. But some of those same companies and their lobbyists bankrolled his inaugural festivities this month. Two major fundraisers are lobbyists for Disney, the entertainment giant that DeSantis moved to punish for speaking out against his bill restricting classroom discussions of sexuality. Another inauguration co-chair lobbies for BlackRock, the investment powerhouse that DeSantis's administration divested of state funds in retaliation for the firm's social impact standards. Additional listed sponsors included CVS Health and Walgreens, chain pharmacies that DeSantis criticized at a recent news conference on drug prices."

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní & Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "After a combative hourslong hearing, the [state] Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-9 against [Gov. Kathy Hochul's] nomination of Justice Hector D. LaSalle, whose nomination was strongly opposed by progressives who saw him as too conservative. The committee's rejection -- the first time that New York lawmakers have voted against a governor's choice for chief judge -- laid bare how vulnerable Ms. Hochul, a Buffalo-area Democrat, may be to a challenge from her own party. All 10 senators who voted against the judge were Democrats; two Democrats voted in favor of Justice LaSalle, while one Democrat and all six Republicans on the committee voted in favor 'without recommendation.' The rejection does not necessarily mean that the LaSalle saga is over. The governor has not ruled out taking legal action to force a vote on Justice LaSalle's nomination on the full Senate floor...."

Way Beyond

New Zealand. Natasha Frost of the New York Times: "Jacinda Ardern, who became a global liberal icon as New Zealand's prime minister but faced deepening political challenges with an election looming at home, said in a surprise announcement on Thursday that she would step down as the country's leader. In a tearful speech in the New Zealand city of Napier, where Ms. Ardern's Labour Party was hosting its summer caucus retreat, she said she did not feel personally prepared to complete another term. She will leave office by Feb. 7, she said.... Labour lawmakers will elect a new leader of the party -- and the country -- in three days' time, Ms. Ardern said." The Guardian's story is here.

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

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Thursday is here: "The Biden administration is expected to announce a new military package for Ukraine worth about $2.5 billion that is likely to include dozens of Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, two people familiar with the decision told The Washington Post. The package will also include a restock of ammunition for howitzers and rocket artillery, the people said, and more mine-resistant vehicles. Ukraine's security services opened a criminal investigation into the helicopter crash near a kindergarten that killed at least 14 people, including Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.... U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will convene a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Thursday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he will be joined by Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The meeting will include defense ministers and chiefs 'from nearly 50 nations ... to discuss Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine,' the Pentagon said in a statement.... The Wagner Group criticized the Russian Defense Ministry's guidelines restricting soldiers' use of electronic devices. Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the Russian oligarch who heads the private military force, said on Telegram that tablets and smartphones are 'essential to modern warfare,' as the group continues its verbal attacks on the Kremlin."

Helene Cooper, et al., of the New York Times: "... the Biden administration has held to a hard line since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, refusing to provide Kyiv with the weapons it needs to target the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has been using as a base for launching devastating strikes. Now that line is starting to soften. After months of discussions with Ukrainian officials, the Biden administration is finally starting to concede that Kyiv may need the power to strike the Russian sanctuary, even if such a move increases the risk of escalation, according to several U.S. officials.... Crimea, between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, is home to tens of thousands of dug-in Russian troops and numerous Russian military bases. White House officials insist there is no change in position. Crimea, they say, belongs to Ukraine."

January 18, 2023

Late Morning Update:

Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is concerned that a former prosecutor who wrote a book about his time investigating Donald Trump may jeopardize the office's continuing probe, potentially violating laws and ethics rules in the process, according to a letter to the publisher and author sent Wednesday. The former investigator, Mark Pomerantz, was put on a special assignment to work the Trump case by Bragg's predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., and helped lead the effort until his abrupt resignation in February 2022, weeks into Bragg's term. Pomerantz and another veteran lawyer, Carey Dunne, quit together in disagreement over how to proceed with the case. Since then, Pomerantz has criticized Bragg, saying he wrongly stopped a move to quickly indict Trump, while Bragg sought more time to evaluate the evidence. Bragg now says a new book by Pomerantz to be published next month by Simon & Schuster could interfere with that effort."

Karen Weise of the New York Times: "Microsoft plans to lay off 10,000 workers, the company said Wednesday, as it looks to trim costs amid economic uncertainty and to refocus on strategic priorities, such as artificial intelligence. The company employed about 221,000 workers as of the end of June, and the cuts amount to less than 5 percent of its global work force. With the cuts, Microsoft becomes the latest tech giant to pull back after a frenzied few years of hiring, when the pandemic-fueled surge in online services and the expansion of cloud computing created fierce competition for tech talent."

Chris Mooney of the Washington Post: "The coldest and highest parts of the Greenland ice sheet, nearly 2 miles above sea level in many locations, are warming rapidly and showing changes that are unprecedented in at least a millennium, scientists reported Wednesday.... 'We find the 2001-2011 decade the warmest of the whole period of 1,000 years,' said Maria Hörhold, the study's lead author and a scientist at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany." MB: Now I'm even more irritated that the selfish Danes refused to sell Greenland to Trump. We coulda had another island paradise!

~~~~~~~~~~

Maegan Vazquez & Nikki Carvajal of CNN: "President Joe Biden welcomed the Golden State Warriors to the White House on Tuesday to celebrate their 2022 NBA championship, marking their return to the building for the first time since a high-profile clash with ... Donald Trump.... The Warriors' invitation to visit the White House to celebrate their 2017 championship was rescinded by Trump after Steph Curry criticized him over his attacks on Black athletes protesting during the national anthem. Instead of visiting the White House, the Warriors toured the National Museum of African-American History and Culture with local Washington students. In 2019, they opted to meet with former President Barack Obama instead of making the traditional White House stop.... Noting the team's activism, Biden said they were, 'speaking out against racism, standing up for equality. I mean speaking out loudly against racism standing up for encouraging people to vote, empowering children and their families to eat healthy, learn and play and safe places, rallying the country against gun violence.' Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff were also in attendance. Harris -- who hails from California -- said she had been a Warriors fan her 'entire life.'"

Luke Barr, et al., of ABC News: "The Justice Department considered but decided against sending FBI agents to President Joe Biden's Delaware home to monitor his attorneys' search for classified documents, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.... It was something both sides agreed to, sources said, in part because Biden and his attorneys were cooperating with the Justice Department.... But legal experts, including former federal prosecutors reached by ABC News, say at least so far, that for Biden there doesn't appear to be evidence that would justify the dramatic and unprecedented step of the FBI seeking a search warrant on the current president's private residence.... But in the Justice Department, the decision to search [Donald] Trump's residence was seen as a true last-resort move after months and months of a complete breakdown in trust that continues to this day. Indeed, sources have told ABC News the government has been fighting in closed-court proceedings in recent weeks to have Trump verify he still doesn't possess classified records."

Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum. Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Two far-right members of Congress whose threatening behavior prompted their removal from committees when Democrats controlled the US House were given assignments on Tuesday by the new Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia will sit on the House homeland security committee and the oversight committee. Paul Gosar of Arizona was named to oversight and natural resources.... [Greene, a] congresswoman who recently said the January 6 attack on the US Capitol would have succeeded had she organised it will now sit on the homeland security committee."

Michael Gold & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "... House Republican leadership on Tuesday gave ... George Santos seats on the Small Business and the Science, Space and Technology Committees.... Neither of Mr. Santos's two committees are seen as plum seats for lawmakers hoping to boost their profile on Capitol Hill, and they are not as highly regarded as the committees he had initially sought: either the House Financial Services or Foreign Affairs Committees.... 'I came to D.C. without really any preconceived notions of what committees to serve,' Mr. Santos [told Steve Bannon on Bannon's podcast last week]. Mr. Santos will take his seat on the Small Business Committee as he faces questions about his own firm, the Devolder Organization, which he said on financial disclosures paid him $700,000 and dividends between $1 million and $5 million....

"On Monday, [Speaker Kevin] McCarthy told CNN that he 'always had a few questions' about Mr. Santos's background. He also said he had spoken to Mr. Santos about an incident in which a Santos aide was caught impersonating Mr. McCarthy's chief of staff while soliciting campaign donations. Yet Mr. McCarthy has defended putting Mr. Santos on committees, noting that his constituents elected him." An NBC News story is here.

     ~~~ Marie. So we know George Anthony has told nothing but lies about his small business experience, and that got him the post on the Small Business Committee. Did he also tell Kevin he was a nuclear physicist or an astronomer to garner a seat on the Science & Technology Committee. And not surprising to see he's still lying: if you ask for particular committee assignments, as George reportedly did, then you do have "preconceived notions" about committee assignments. ~~~

     ~~~ Ed Mazza of the Huffington Post: "Scott Kelly, retired NASA astronaut and twin to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), offered some sarcastic congratulations [link fixed] to embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who was just named to the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. Kelly wrote [on Twitter], 'Awesome to have former NASA astronaut and moon walker, Representative George Santos @Santos4Congress on the House Science Space and Technology Committee. To infinity and beyond!'" The article includes tweets from several other wags mocking Santos. MB: In fairness to Santos, he has "slipped the surly bonds of Earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings." ~~~

     ~~~ Jacqueline Sweet of Patch relates how George Santos, who identified in 2016 as Anthony Devolder, set up a GoFundMe page for a disabled homeless veteran named Richard Osthoff whose service dog Sapphire needed a $3,000 operation to remove an aggressive stomach tumor. "Osthoff and another New Jersey veteran, retired police Sgt. Michael Boll, who tried to intervene to help Osthoff in 2016, told Patch that Santos closed the GoFundMe he set up for Sapphire after it raised $3,000 on social media and disappeared." Sapphire had to be euthanized. Includes screengrabs of George Anthony's cruel texts. MB: It isn't just voters George scammed. It was a disabled vet and his deathly-ill service dog. This isn't funny anymore, is it?

Rumble in the Ladies! Conover Kennard of Crooks & Liars: "You would think that controversial Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert would be friends since they're both ridiculously stupid conspiracy theorists. However, that's not the case.... The two sparred online over whether to support Kevin McCarthy in his bid for House speaker, but things got worse when Greene and BoBo ran into each other in the bathroom, and a shouting match ensued over multiple issues. The two lawmakers clashed about Kevin McCarthy. Donald Trump. and Ukraine aid. Via The Daily Beast: '... According to multiple sources, the two women were nearly in a screaming match in the Speaker's lobby ladies' room just off the House floor.'"

Abigail Weinberg of Mother Jones: At Davos, before an audience of the richest people in the world, Senators Kyrsten Sinema & Joe Manchin literally high-fived their successful effort to maintain the anti-democratic Senate filibuster.

Shawna Chen of Axios: "A federal judge said Tuesday that a California woman [Danean MacAndrew] who breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection 'followed then-President Trump's instructions' in breaking the law.... District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote in the 18-page opinion[,] '... Every step of the way, from the western boundary of Capitol grounds, to the West Lawn, to the Upper West Terrace, to the interior of the Capitol itself, [MacAndrew] saw sign after sign that her presence was unlawful.... Nevertheless, heeding the call of former President Trump, she continued onwards to 'stop the steal.' Having followed then-President Trump's instructions, which were in line with her stated desires, the Court therefore finds that Defendant intended her presence to be disruptive to Congressional business.'"

It's About Time. Ben Protess & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "The Manhattan district attorney's office on Tuesday took a significant step forward in its investigation of Donald J. Trump, meeting with his former personal lawyer [Michael Cohen] about hush money paid to a porn star who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump.... Mr. Cohen has said publicly that Mr. Trump directed him, in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign, to buy the silence of Stephanie Clifford, the actress known as Stormy Daniels.... Keith Davidson, the lawyer who represented Ms. Clifford and helped arrange the deal, was also contacted by the Manhattan prosecutors in recent weeks, but has not been interviewed, a person with knowledge of the matter said. And Mr. Cohen is expected to return for additional meetings in the coming weeks."

Presidential Election 2024. Evangelicals Abandon the Orange Jesus. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Some of these prominent evangelical leaders who backed you last time, they're not yet willing to commit, David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network told [Donald] Trump in an interview... '... What is your message to them?. 'Well, I don't really care,' Trump replied -- then quickly undercut that insouciance. 'That's a sign of disloyalty.... The 'disloyalty' here, in Trump's telling, was that 'nobody has ever done more for right-to-life than Donald Trump.'... His message to Brody centered on evangelical leaders, but it could be applied equally to other Republicans. Republicans, too, backed Trump overwhelmingly in 2016 and 2020 but are now sending mixed messages...."

Michael Bender of the New York Times: "Matt Schlapp, the head of one of the nation's largest conservative advocacy groups and an adviser to ... Donald J. Trump, was accused in a lawsuit on Tuesday of groping an employee on Herschel Walker's Senate campaign in October. A lawyer for Mr. Schlapp, Charlie Spies, denied the allegations.... The lawsuit, filed in the Virginia Circuit Court in Alexandria, accuses Mr. Schlapp of 'aggressively fondling' the man's 'genital area in a sustained fashion' while the two were alone in a car. The staff member filed the suit anonymously, citing privacy concerns and a fear of retaliation given Mr. Schlapp's influential position as chairman of the American Conservative Union, which hosts the Conservative Political Action Conference.... The lawsuit also accuses Mr. Schlapp and his wife, Mercedes Schlapp, who served as Mr. Trump's White House director of strategic communications, of defamation and conspiracy, claiming that they coordinated a campaign to discredit the Walker aide and his allegations." The AP's report is here.

Capitalism Is Awesome, Ctd.

David Yaffe-Bellany of the New York Times: In "the final days of FTX..., the company's top executives started to panic. In November, a run on deposits sent the exchange into meltdown, exposing a gaping hole in the firm's accounts and forcing it to file for bankruptcy.... Documents [the New York Times obtained] offer a detailed account of the discussions among FTX and Alameda executives about the exchange's use of customer funds.... Gary Wang and Nishad Singh..., FTX executives who worked on the exchange's code..., [Mr. Wang has] pleaded guilty to fraud charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors." ~~~

~~~ Matthew Goldstein & David Yaffe-Bellany of the New York Times: "Two months after FTX filed for bankruptcy, lawyers for the once high-flying cryptocurrency exchange have begun to identify and put a value on its assets, as they determine how much they will be able to recover to repay lenders and customers who lost billions of dollars. In a court filing on Tuesday, lawyers from the New York firm of Sullivan & Cromwell -- which is facing a controversy of its own tied to work it did for FTX before the bankruptcy -- said that they had located $5.5 billion in assets held in customer accounts or tucked away in other parts of the company.... In just three years, FTX, founded by Sam Bankman-Fried, had swiftly put money into a hodgepodge of assets.... Aside from the $5.5 billion, FTX also holds sizable positions in 20 digital assets that the lawyers described as 'illiquid tokens' that are difficult to convert into cash."

Science Fiction, by Elon Musk. Irina Ivanova of CBS News: "A Tesla video purporting to demonstrate the automaker's self-driving capabilities was actually staged, according to claims from a senior engineer at the company reported by Reuters. The video was shared in a 2016 blog post titled 'Full Self-Driving Hardware on All Teslas,' that is still available. Before the nearly 4-minute video begins, the screen flashes text reading, 'The person in the driver's seat is only there for legal reasons. He is not doing anything. The car is driving itself.' The video then shows a Tesla pulling out of a driveway, stopping at intersections and red lights, traveling on a highway, delivering a person to an office complex and then parallel-parking itself.... CEO Elon Musk promoted the demonstration on Twitter, writing, 'Tesla drives itself (no human input at all).'... But ... [Reuters] cited a deposition from Ashok Elluswamy, the company's director of Autopilot software, that was taken as part of a lawsuit over a driver's 2018 death in a Tesla. 'The intent of the video was not to accurately portray what was available for customers in 2016. It was to portray what was possible to build into the system,' Elluswamy said.... Elluswamy said the car was driving a predetermined route in the video and that drivers intervened to take control during trial runs.... He also testified that, during attempts to show the Model X could park itself without a driver, a test car crashed into a fence in Tesla's parking lot, Reuters reported." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Next thing you know, Elon will be hiring moonwalker Congressman George Santos to run Twitter's verification and moderation department.

Beyond the Beltway

Illinois. Livia Albeck-Ripka of the New York Times: "The authorities in Peoria, Ill., are investigating a reported firebombing that they said caused extensive damage to a Planned Parenthood clinic on Sunday, just days after sweeping abortion protections were signed into law in Illinois. The fire at the Peoria Health Center was reported to the police by a bystander, who noticed an 'unknown suspect throwing a flammable item into a public building,' said Semone Roth, a spokeswoman for the Peoria Police Department.... A truck used by the person who had set the fire was identified in footage obtained by the police, the department said, but they had been unable to locate it."

Minnesota. Vimal Patel of the New York Times: "Hamline University officials made an about-face on Tuesday in its treatment of a lecturer who showed an image of the Prophet Muhammad in an art history class, walking back one of their most controversial statements -- that showing the image was Islamophobic. They also said that respect for Muslim students should not have superseded academic freedom. University officials changed their stance after the lecturer, who lost her teaching job, sued the small Minnesota school for religious discrimination and defamation.... The controversy began in October, when Erika López Prater, an adjunct professor, warned students multiple times before showing a reverential image of the holy figure created in the 14th-century.... Historians of Islamic art said that images of the Prophet Muhammad are regularly shown in art history classrooms without incident.... An email to students and faculty from David Everett, a senior administrator, said the instructor's actions were clearly Islamophobic. The university's president co-signed a statement saying that respect for the Muslim students in the online class 'should have superseded academic freedom.'"

New Mexico. The Party of Extreme Violence. Simon Romero & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "After seeking a state legislative seat, Solomon Peña, 39, a supporter of Donald J. Trump who attended the pro-Trump rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, refused to concede, despite losing by 48 percentage points to an incumbent in a district that has long voted for Democrats. He was arrested on Monday in connection with the shootings at the homes of four Democratic officials.... The police filed a rash of charges against Mr. Peña, including criminal solicitation, attempted aggravated battery, shooting at an occupied dwelling, shooting from a moving vehicle and conspiracy. Mr. Peña, who previously served time in prison for burglary and other crimes, took part in at least one of the attacks himself, according to the criminal complaint in the case, trying to fire an AR-15 rifle at the home of Linda Lopez, a state senator.... Though there have been some notable attacks and threats of violence from people on the left, scholars who study political violence say that most violent episodes with a political bent in recent years have been committed by right-wing extremists or people with conservative-leaning views." ~~~

There's been this narrative for a long time: If you don't get your way, it's okay to be violent. The message came from the top. It came from Trump. -- former Bernalillo commissioner Debbie O'Malley, whose home was shot at Dec. 11

I absolutely blame election denialism and Trump. -- Linda Lopez

[It is] appalling that some people would use this tragedy to try to score cheap political points. President Trump had nothing to do with this and any assertion otherwise is totally reprehensible. -- Steven Cheung, spokesman for Donald Trump

There are elected officials in this room today whose homes were shot at in despicable acts of political violence. -- Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D), calling for a ban on assault weapons in an address to the state legislature on the first day of its 2023 session ~~~

     ~~~ Amy Gardner & Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff of the Washington Post: "... new details emerged Tuesday about the alleged conspiracy, including how close a spray of bullets came to the sleeping 10-year-old daughter of a state senator.... The [conspirators] allegedly stole at least two cars used in the incidents, police said.... The documents also allege that [Solomon] Peña personally participated in the [Linda] Lopez shooting because he was displeased that prior shootings had aimed 'so high up on the walls.'... In an interview, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said he has no doubt that Peña was motivated by [Donald] Trump's false claims of election fraud following the former president's 2020 defeat. Medina said federal law enforcement is also investigating potential federal firearms violations related to the shootings, as well as whether Peña participated in the Jan. 6 riots.... Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller (D) said Peña visited all four targets' homes in the days leading up to the attacks, seeking to persuade them that the result of his election had been rigged."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

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

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Wednesday is here: "At least 15 people, including Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky, died in a helicopter crash near a kindergarten in Brovary, a city next to Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Three children, other ministry officials and helicopter crew members were also among those killed in the Wednesday morning crash, he said.... Police identified the helicopter as a State Emergency Service aircraft but provided no details about the cause of the crash. At least 25 other people, including 10 children, were injured, Zelensky said.... Ukraine's prime minister [Denys Shmyhal] ... ordered an immediate investigation into [the crash].... NATO chiefs of defense are gathering in Brussels for a two-day meeting focused on the war in Ukraine and Euro-Atlantic security." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's story on the helicopter crash, by Isobel Koshiw & Peter Beaumont, is here.

Eric Schmitt, et al., of the New York Times: "The Pentagon is tapping into a vast but little-known stockpile of American ammunition in Israel to help meet Ukraine's dire need for artillery shells in the war with Russia, American and Israeli officials say.... The United States has also allowed Israel to access the supplies in emergencies.... Israel has consistently refused to supply weapons to Ukraine out of fear of damaging relations with Moscow and initially expressed concerns about appearing complicit in arming Ukraine if the Pentagon drew its munitions from the stockpile." MB: Yes, because it would be a shame to "damage relations" with perhaps the world's most notorious war criminal.