August 19, 2022

Patricia Mazzei & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal judge ordered the government on Thursday to propose redactions to the highly sensitive affidavit that was used to justify a search warrant executed by the F.B.I. last week at ... Donald J. Trump's private home and club, saying he was inclined to unseal parts of it. Ruling from the bench, the judge, Bruce E. Reinhart, said it was 'very important' that the public have as 'much information' as it can about the historic search at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump's Florida residence, noting that there were portions of the affidavit that 'could be presumptively unsealed.'... Judge Reinhart's decision appeared to strike a middle course between the Justice Department, which had wanted to keep the affidavit entirely under wraps as its investigation into Mr. Trump's handling of classified documents continued, and a group of news organizations, which requested that it be released in full to the public....

"... Although Mr. Trump himself has called on social media for the affidavit to be released -- echoing similar demands made by congressional allies like Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina -- his lawyers were conspicuously absent from the legal proceeding surrounding the unsealing process. At any time, Mr. Trump could have filed papers asking Judge Reinhart to make the affidavit public, but he chose not to." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A Guardian story is here.

~~~ Jamie Gangel, et al., of CNN: "In the days since the FBI seized classified and top secret documents from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, the former President and his allies have claimed that Trump had a 'standing order' to declassify documents he took from the Oval Office to the White House residence. But 18 former top Trump administration officials tell CNN they never heard any such order issued during their time working for Trump, and that they believe the claim to be patently false.... 'Nothing approaching an order that foolish was ever given,' said John Kelly, who served as Trump's chief of staff for 17 months from 2017 to 2019.... Mick Mulvaney, who succeeded Kelly as acting White House chief of staff, also dismissed the idea and told CNN he was 'not aware of a general standing order' during his tenure." ~~~

     ~~~ Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Thursday, Rolling Stone reported that FBI investigators are now questioning former Trump administration officials to check on the former president's alibi that he issued a 'standing order' to declassify the government material found at his Mar-a-Lago country club in Palm Beach, Florida -- and that among those interrogated were top national security staff.... Prior reports have indicated that among the documents the FBI searched for as part of the Mar-a-Lago warrant were high-level nuclear weapons secrets -- which, according to legal experts, the president doesn't actually have unilateral authority to declassify even if he wants to." The Rolling Stone story, which is firewalled, is here.

Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "One of Donald J. Trump’s most trusted executives pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring with Mr. Trump's company to carry out a long-running tax scheme, an admission that painted a damning picture of the former president's family business but did not advance a broader investigation into the man himself. As part of the plea deal with the Manhattan district attorney's office, the executive, Allen H. Weisselberg, is required to testify at the company's trial if prosecutors choose to call on him, and to admit his role in conspiring with Mr. Trump's company to carry out the tax scheme." (Also linked yesterday.)

Senate races are just different, they're statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome. -- Sen. Mitch McConnell, on why the GOP may do poorly in the November election ~~~

~~~ Senate Races 2022. Mitch Knocks GOP Senate Candidates. Amy Wang & Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is warning that the GOP may not win back control of the Senate in November's midterm elections -- a cycle that typically would be favorable to the party not in power -- as a political action committee linked to McConnell stages a rescue effort in the Ohio Senate race. Asked Wednesday by reporters in Kentucky about his midterm predictions, McConnell said there's 'probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate.'" The NBC News story is here. MB: This is a swipe at Trump, too: it is Trump-endorsed candidates in states like Georgia, Pennsylvania & Ohio that the quality of the GOP candidates sucks.

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Tim Craig of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Thursday blocked Florida from enforcing a new state law that limits how private companies teach diversity and inclusion in the workplace, saying the measure violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment right to freedom of speech and expression. In a ruling that took aim at one of Gov. Ron DeSantis's top priorities, U.S. District Court Judge Mark E. Walker said Florida has turned 'the First Amendment upside down' by trying to regulate how employers train employees on topics such as racial inclusion and gender equity.... The 'Stop Woke Act' ... prohibits trainings in public schools, colleges and universities, and workplaces that may cause someone to feel guilty or ashamed about the past collective actions of their race or sex.'... The injunction ... only blocks the enforcement of provisions of the law that deal with trainings offered by private employers."

Florida. Anthony Izaguirre of the AP: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced criminal charges against 20 people for illegally voting in 2020, the first major public move from the Republican's controversial new election police unit. The charges mark the opening salvo from the Office of Election Crimes and Security, which from its conception drew widespread criticism from Democrats and voting rights groups who feared the unit would serve as a political tool for the governor. DeSantis said the people charged were convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense and therefore exemptfrom a constitutional amendment that restores voting rights to some felons. He said most of those charged were from Broward, Miami-Dade or Palm Beach counties, all Democratic strongholds. He released few details." The 20 people were among more than 11 million Florida voters who cast ballots in the 2020 election.

Maryland Gubernatorial Race. Ovetta Wiggins & Erin Cox of the Washington Post: "Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has ratcheted up the rhetoric about GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox, describing him earlier this week as mentally unstable. Hogan, who has previously called Cox a 'QAnon whack job,' described the GOP nominee as 'a nut' during a recent radio interview and reiterated his prediction that Cox has 'no chance whatsoever' of being elected as Maryland's governor in November. 'He's not, in my opinion, mentally stable,' Hogan, who is term-limited, said Wednesday on WGMD radio, based on the Eastern Shore. 'He wanted to hang my friend, Mike Pence, and took three busloads of people to the Capitol.'"

Pennsylvania Senate Race. Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "In Pennsylvania's contentious Senate race, Democratic nominee Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is hitting his Republican rival, Mehmet Oz, where he lives. Fetterman took aim Wednesday at the number of houses Oz owns.... 'I've never spoken to a PA resident who doesn't know how many houses they have ... let alone be off by 8,' Fetterman quipped on Twitter after a Tuesday report by the Daily Beast that Oz owns 10 properties -- far more than the two 'legitimate' houses he claimed in an exchange with a Democratic operative during a recent public event. Oz defended himself by saying he purchased his houses with his own money -- a swipe at Fetterman, who relied on significant financial assistance from his family until becoming lieutenant governor in 2019.... The social media spat comes as new prognostications show that the tight race is drifting in Fetterman's favor[.]" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It isn't as if Fetterman wasn't working; rather, he worked at extremely low-paying, public-service jobs: at AmeriCorps & as a $150/month small-town mayor.

West Virginia/Massachusetts. Eliza Fawcett of the Washington Post: "Three men were indicted in the death of the notorious gangster James (Whitey) Bulger, who was beaten to death four years ago in a West Virginia federal prison where he was serving a sentence for crimes that terrorized Boston in the 1970s and '80s, prosecutors said on Thursday. Fotios Geas, Paul J. DeCologero and Sean McKinnon were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia. All three men were incarcerated with Mr. Bulger in the Hazelton prison in Bruceton Mills, W.Va., where Mr. Bulger, 89, had been serving two life terms for his role in 11 murders committed when he controlled Boston's underworld for several decades.&" A Guardian report is here.

Wyoming. They Lie Even When They Win. Olivia Beavers of Politico: "After Donald Trump-backed Harriet Hageman claimed Wednesday night that Rep. Liz Cheney never fully conceded their Wyoming GOP primary race, the defeated incumbent released her receipts. Hageman told Fox News that Cheney had 'left a very brief two-second message on my cell phone' Tuesday night, without addressing 'any kind of concession or anything else.' According to audio provided by the Cheney campaign to Politico, however, Cheney called Hageman to concede the race at 8:13 p.m. on Tuesday night. Audible in the recording is an aide notifying Cheney that the Associated Press had just called the race for her opponent. 'Hi, Harriet, it is Liz Cheney calling,' Cheney is heard saying in the audio. 'It is about 8:13 on Tuesday the 16th, I'm calling to concede the election and congratulate you on the win. Thanks.' The recording contradicts the narrative Hageman offered host Sean Hannity on Wednesday about Cheney's call on primary night.... Cheney added that she never heard back from Hageman." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

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 Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here: "Both Russia and Ukraine are warning of a possible attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently under Russian control, in southeastern Ukraine. Plant employees have been ordered to stay home, and Russia could be preparing to disconnect the plant from Ukraine's electricity grid. The United Nations has expressed alarm, warning that any damage to the plant would be 'suicide.' Here's the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe."

Liz Sly of the Washington Post: "Until this week, Ukrainians seemed to see President Volodymyr Zelensky as beyond reproach.... Comments he made to The Washington Post justifying his failure to share with Ukrainians details of repeated U.S. warnings that Russia planned to invade have punctured the bubble, triggering a cascade of public criticism unprecedented since the war began. Ordinary people tweeted their experiences of chaos and dislocation after an invasion for which they were unprepared, and described how they might have made different choices had they known what was coming. Public figures and academics wrote harsh critiques on Facebook of his decision to downplay the risk of an invasion, saying he bears at least some responsibility for the atrocities that followed. In the interview with The Post, published Tuesday, Zelensky cited his fears that Ukrainians would panic, flee the country and trigger economic collapse as the reason he chose not to share the stark warnings passed on by U.S. officials regarding Russia's plans."

August 18, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Patricia Mazzei & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal judge ordered the government on Thursday to propose redactions to the highly sensitive affidavit that was used to justify a search warrant executed by the F.B.I. last week at ... Donald J. Trump's private home and club, saying he was inclined to unseal parts of it. Ruling from the bench, the judge, Bruce E. Reinhart, said it was 'very important' that the public have as 'much information' as it can about the historic search at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump's Florida residence, noting that there were portions of the affidavit that 'could be presumptively unsealed.'... Judge Reinhart's decision appeared to strike a middle course between the Justice Department, which had wanted to keep the affidavit entirely under wraps as its investigation into Mr. Trump's handling of classified documents continued, and a group of news organizations, which requested that it be released in full to the public....

"... Although Mr. Trump himself has called on social media for the affidavit to be released -- echoing similar demands made by congressional allies like Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina -- his lawyers were conspicuously absent from the legal proceeding surrounding the unsealing process. At any time, Mr. Trump could have filed papers asking Judge Reinhart to make the affidavit public, but he chose not to."

Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "One of Donald J. Trump's most trusted executives pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring with Mr. Trump's company to carry out a long-running tax scheme, an admission that painted a damning picture of the former president's family business but did not advance a broader investigation into the man himself. As part of the plea deal with the Manhattan district attorney's office, the executive, Allen H. Weisselberg, is required to testify at the company's trial if prosecutors choose to call on him, and to admit his role in conspiring with Mr. Trump's company to carry out the tax scheme."

Wyoming. They Lie Even When They Win. Olivia Beavers of Politico: "After Donald Trump-backed Harriet Hageman claimed Wednesday night that Rep. Liz Cheney never fully conceded their Wyoming GOP primary race, the defeated incumbent released her receipts. Hageman told Fox News that Cheney had 'left a very brief two-second message on my cell phone' Tuesday night, without addressing 'any kind of concession or anything else.' According to audio provided by the Cheney campaign to Politico, however, Cheney called Hageman to concede the race at 8:13 p.m. on Tuesday night. Audible in the recording is an aide notifying Cheney that the Associated Press had just called the race for her opponent. 'Hi, Harriet, it is Liz Cheney calling,' Cheney is heard saying in the audio. 'It is about 8:13 on Tuesday the 16th, I'm calling to concede the election and congratulate you on the win. Thanks.' The recording contradicts the narrative Hageman offered host Sean Hannity on Wednesday about Cheney's call on primary night.... Cheney added that she never heard back from Hageman."

~~~~~~~~~~

Sharon La Franiere of the New York Times: "Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Wednesday delivered a sweeping rebuke of her agency's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying it had failed to respond quickly enough and needed to be overhauled. In a meeting with senior staff, Dr. Walensky outlined in broad terms a plan to reorganize the agency's structure to prioritize public health needs and efforts to curb continuing outbreaks, and to put less emphasis on publication of scientific papers about rare diseases. The steps announced on Wednesday grew out of an external review Dr. Walensky had ordered in April, after months of scathing criticism of the C.D.C.'s response to the pandemic. Its public messages on masking and other mitigation measures were sometimes so confusing or abruptly modified that they seemed more like internal drafts than carefully considered proclamations. The public guidance has been 'confusing and overwhelming,' according to a briefing document provided by the agency. Leaders of the agency's Covid team rotated out after only a few months, leaving other senior federal health officials unsure about who was in charge. And important data were sometimes inexplicably released too late to inform federal decisions...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Cat Zakrzewski of the Washington Post: :The Federal Trade Commission is threatening to sue an adtech company it alleges reveals people's visits to sensitive locations, including women's reproductive health clinics, according to a lawsuit against the agency. The agency's proposed complaint, against Idaho-based Kochava, argues the company violates laws that prohibit 'unfair or deceptive practices' by allowing its customers to license data collected from mobile devices that can identify people and track their visits to health-care providers. In addition to women's reproductive health clinics, the agency argues that the data can be used to trace people to therapists' offices, addiction recovery centers and other medical facilities.... The action is an early indication of how the agency might assert itself as a defender of health-related data, in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade inJune."

Anna Swanson of the New York Times: "The Biden administration said on Wednesday that it would begin formal trade negotiations with Taiwan this fall, after several weeks of rising tensions over the island democracy that China claims as its own. The announcement marks a step toward a pact that would deepen economic and technological ties between the United States and Taiwan, after initial talks were announced in June."

Everything Is Going Very, Very Smoothly

Uh Oh. Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors investigating the role that ... Donald J. Trump and his allies played in the events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol have issued a grand jury subpoena to the National Archives for all the documents the agency provided to a parallel House select committee inquiry, according to a copy of the subpoena obtained by The New York Times. The subpoena, issued to the National Archives in May, made a sweeping demand for 'all materials, in whatever form' that the archives had given to the Jan. 6 House committee. Those materials included records from the files of Mr. Trump's top aides, his daily schedule and phone logs and a draft text of the president's speech that preceded the riot. It was signed by Thomas P. Windom, the federal prosecutor who has been leading the Justice Department's wide-ranging inquiry into what part Mr. Trump and his allies may have played in various schemes to maintain power ... -- chief among them a plan to submit fake slates of pro-Trump electors in states actually won by Joseph R. Biden Jr."

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "Allen H. Weisselberg, for decades one of Donald J. Trump's most trusted executives, has reached a deal to plead guilty on Thursday and admit to participating in a long-running tax scheme at the former president's family business -- a serious blow to the company that could heighten its risk in an upcoming trial on related charges. Mr. Weisselberg will have to admit to all 15 felonies that prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney's office accused him of, according to people with knowledge of the matter. And if he is called as a witness at the company's trial in October, he will have to testify about his role in the scheme to avoid paying taxes on lavish corporate perks, the people said. But Mr. Weisselberg will not implicate Mr. Trump or his family if he takes the stand in that trial, the people said, and he has refused to cooperate with prosecutors in their broader investigation into Mr. Trump, who has not been accused of wrongdoing. Even so, his potential testimony will put the Trump Organization at a disadvantage and is likely to make Mr. Weisselberg a central witness at the October trial, where the company will face many of the same charges." The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This deal is a bit perplexing. It sounds as if Weisselberg could testify to something like, "Yes, the company policy was to violate the laws, but I'm not going to tell you whether or not Trump or Junior approved it." Update: Andrew Weissmann, appearing on MSNBC, said Weisselberg's deal is still bad news for Trump. Since Trump signed the checks, it will hardly be difficult for the prosecution to establish that Trump was in on the scam.

Richard Fausset of the New York Times: Rudy Giuliani "showed up shortly before 8:30 a.m. to appear before a Fulton County[, Georgia,] special grand jury conducting a criminal investigation into postelection meddling by Mr. Trump and his associates. Local prosecutors informed Mr. Giuliani's lawyers this week that he was a 'target' in that investigation, meaning that his indictment was possible." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. New Lede: "Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former lawyer for Donald J. Trump and a target in the criminal investigation into Mr. Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia's results in the 2020 presidential election, spent hours behind closed doors on Wednesday taking questions as part of a special grand jury proceeding. But a lawyer for Mr. Giuliani declined to say whether he answered any of them." ~~~

     ~~~ Matthew Brown & Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis achieved a long-sought goa Wednesday, with former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani appearing for six hours before a grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election.... Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) filed a 121-page motion late Wednesday alleging that the sweeping probe was being pursued 'for improper political purposes,' and asking the court to kill a subpoena requiring his testimony later this month. Giuliani's attorneys declined to offer substantive details of his appearance, citing grand jury secrecy rules, but one of them said it had gone smoothly."

Alan Feuer & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday called on Republicans to stop attacking the nation's top law enforcement agencies over the F.B.I.'s search of Mar-a-Lago..., Donald J. Trump's Palm Beach, Fla., home.... Speaking at a political event in New Hampshire, Mr. Pence said that Republicans could hold the Justice Department and the F.B.I. accountable for their decisions 'without attacking the rank-and-file law enforcement personnel.'... Mr. Pence also said on Wednesday that he would consider talking to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol -- the clearest indication to date that he might be willing to participate in the panel's ongoing efforts." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A Guardian report is here.

Ah, Here's a Ray of Trumpy Sunshine. Josh Dawsey & Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump bombarded his supporters with more than 100 emails asking for money based on the FBI's search of the Mar-a-Lago Club for classified materials last week. They paid off. Contributions to Trump's political action committee topped $1 million on at least two days after the Aug. 8 search of his Palm Beach, Fla., estate, according to two people familiar with the figures. The daily hauls jumped from a level of $200,000 to $300,000 that had been typical in recent months.... The donations stayed unusually high for several more days and are still above average, both of these people said, though they have leveled off in recent days. There are more contributors than usual, these people said, and the average donation has climbed."

Jordan Libowitz & Lauren White of CREW: "The Secret Service knew of a threat to Nancy Pelosi on January 6th days before the insurrection, but did not pass it along until hours after the Capitol had been breached, according to Secret Service emails obtained by CREW. On January 4, Secret Service agents discovered a Parler account, which we've chosen not to name, posting a series of violent threats towards lawmakers.... At 5:55 pm on January 6, after hours of defending the United States Capitol from a violent mob, the United States Capitol Police received the post along with a message from the Secret Service: 'Good afternoon, The US Secret Service is passing notification to the US Capitol Police regarding discovery of a social media threat directed toward Speaker Nancy Pelosi.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A CNN report is here.

Will Steakin, et al., of ABC News: "In June of this year, seven weeks before the FBI raided ... Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in search of classified materials, former Defense Department appointee and outspoken Trump loyalist Kash Patel vowed to retrieve classified documents from the National Archives and publish them on his website. Trump had just issued a letter instructing the National Archives to grant Patel and conservative journalist John Solomon access to nonpublic administration records, according to reporting at the time.... Patel claimed Trump's White House counsel had blocked the release of those documents, and instead had them delivered to the National Archives.... 'I'm going to identify every single document that they blocked from being declassified at the National Archives, and we're going to start putting that information out next week,' [Patel said on a June 22 podcast].... 'I know what's there' in the Archives, said Patel [June 23]. 'I can't still talk about them, but the whole process is going to be: Identify the documents, whether it's Russiagate, Hunter Biden, impeachment, Jan 6th -- and put them out.'... As of last month, Patel was still pursuing his plan to publish documents currently in the National Archives." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Patel's threat then seems to be to damage Trump's political opponents. But this type of threat also suggests that Michael Cohen, whom I mentioned yesterday, was right when he hypothesized that Trump was retaining classified documents to use as leverage in the event the DOJ threatened to bring criminal charges against him. Update: Former DOJ prosecutor Andrew Weissmann suggested on MSNBC that Patel's threat probably alarmed the DOJ & caused increased urgency in collecting the secret documents Trump had squirreled away at Mar-a-Lago. ~~~

     ~~~ Update 2. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times addresses the Big Question: "Why did [Trump] insist on refusing to turn over government papers that by law did not belong to him, igniting another legal conflagration?... Here are the main possibilities. [1] Mr. Trump, a pack rat who for decades showed off knickknacks in his overstuffed Trump Tower office -- including a giant shoe that once belonged to the basketball player Shaquille O'Neal -- treated the nation's secrets as similar trinkets to brandish. [2] Mr. Trump embodied Louis XIV's phrase .L'état, c'est moi,' or 'I am the state.'... [3] Mr. Trump had little interest in the security of government documents or protocols to keep them protected.... Over time, Mr. Trump bristled against the guardrails people tried placing on him.... [4] [Some] advisers wondered if Mr. Trump kept some documents because they contained details about people he knew." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Haberman never says a word about the blackmail motive Michael Cohen suggested. I don't suppose the Times would let her do so if she had wanted to. It would be an accusation presented without evidence: a very Trumpy thing to do, of course, by not a journalistic thing. However, Haberman does drop a couple of clues that back up Cohen's blackmail hypothesis: "[Trump] sometimes asked to keep material after his intelligence briefings, but aides said he was so uninterested in the paperwork during the briefings themselves that they never understood what he wanted it for." And "Among the items that presidents are given on overseas trips are biographies of foreign leaders, a former administration official said. One version is unclassified and fairly routine. But the other is classified and can contain numerous personal details. One of the files the F.B.I. seized at Mar-a-Lago was marked 'info re: President of France,' about Emmanuel Macron."

Paul Kane of the Washington Post: Liz "Cheney used her defiant concession speech Tuesday night, after losing badly in the GOP primary to Trump's handpicked candidate, to promise a sustained campaign against the ex-president and his allies. She surrendered her rising-star status in Congress in a sacrificial manner toward a higher calling to take on the most powerful figure in her increasingly conspiratorial political party.... Congressional historians say ... What Cheney has done, in sacrificing her seat and yet fighting to the finish without wavering, is just not common in this era.... She has gained a level of attention that now dwarfs almost every other member of Congress, commanding a platform that all but a handful of other Republicans in the Capitol have attempted." Video of Cheney's concession speech is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

If you have a Washington Post subscription, you will want to listen to George Conway's dramatic reading of his Donald Trump-cookies column (August 16). Audio and column here. It's worth reading the very end of the column. (If you don't have a WashPo subscription, you can make due with a dramatic reading by comedian & Trump impersonator J-L Cauvin.) (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jan Hoffman of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Wednesday ordered three of the nation's largest pharmacy chains -- CVS, Walgreens and Walmart — to pay $650.5 million to two Ohio counties, ruling that the companies must be held accountable for their part in fueling the opioid epidemic. The decision is a companion piece to a November jury verdict that found the companies had continued to dispense mass quantities of prescription painkillers over the years while ignoring flagrant signs that the pills were being abused. The ruling is the first by a federal judge that assigns a firm money figure against the pharmacy chains for their roles in the opioid crisis. Here, the judge, Dan A. Polster of United States District Court in northern Ohio, who has overseen more than 3,000 cases in the opioid litigation, ruled that the pharmacies bore responsibility for one-third of the amount that Ohio's hard-hit Lake and Trumbull counties need to address the continuing damage wrought by the epidemic.... Representatives for CVS, Walgreens and Walmart ... said their companies would appeal."

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Sam Levine of the Guardian: "Florida Republicans intentionally targeted Black voters when they enacted new voting restrictions last year, the justice department said in a court filing on Wednesday. The department told a federal appellate court that a lower court had correctly evaluated claims of racial discrimination when it came to Florida's new law. In March, US District Judge Mark Walker blocked new restrictions on the availability of absentee ballot drop boxes, regulations for third party voter registration groups, and a ban on providing food and water to people standing in line to vote. The US court of appeals for the 11th circuit paused that ruling earlier this year while it considers an appeal from Florida officials."

Florida. Matt Dixon of Politico: "Ousted Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit arguing Gov. Ron DeSantis abused his power when suspending him from office over, among other things, a pledge to not prosecute women who violate Florida's new 15-week abortion ban.... Warren's lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida, alleges that DeSantis violated his First Amendment rights by suspending him for signing a pledge to not prosecute women for seeking abortions and his public statements opposing the criminalization of transgender people. He is asking the court to throw out DeSantis' executive order used to suspended him and to rule governors are not allowed to take similar actions moving forward. It also alleges DeSantis overstepped his authority to suspend elected officials from office because he did so with Warren only for signing pledges, rather than in response to an official action." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Florida. Another Teenager Forced to Give Birth. Brittany Shammas & Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "A Florida appeals court on Monday upheld a ruling that denied a 16-year-old an abortion out of concern she lacked the maturity to make the decision, despite her statements that she 'is not ready to have a baby.' The teenager, described in court documents as 'almost seventeen years-old and parentless' and identified only as Jane Doe 22-B, had submitted a handwritten petition seeking a waiver of the state's parental notification and consent requirements. Under Florida law, an abortion generally cannot be performed on a minor without the consent of a parent or guardian. In her petition, according to the appeals court, the teenager wrote that she is still in school and doesn't have a job, and that 'the father is unable to assist her.' Court records indicate she was 10 weeks pregnant at the time she sought a court's permission to end her pregnancy." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It is clear that anti-abortion laws not only sharply curtailed women's rights, they also attack children's rights. Cruelty is the point.

Massachusetts. Derek Hawkins & Meena Venkataramanan of the Washington Post: "New England's largest pediatric hospital said Wednesday that it was fending off a torrent of threats and harassment targeting staffers who treat transgender patients after conservative influencers attacked them in false and misleading social media posts. Boston Children's Hospital said it asked law enforcement for help protecting its employees and patients after facing 'a large volume of hostile internet activity, phone calls, and harassing emails including threats of violence toward our clinicians and staff.' It said the threats began last week after Twitter accounts popular on the far right circulated what the hospital called misinformation about its transgender care."

North Carolina Congressional Race. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Trump-endorsed congressional candidate Bo Hines, the Republican nominee from North Carolina's 13th District, weighed in recently on all the talk about the United States becoming a banana republic, one of those nominal democracies where the rule of law is shaky. But Hines, a former college football player, spoke as if everybody was referring to Banana Republic, the clothing retailer. 'A lot of people have likened the situation going on right now, is, you know, they say we're in a Banana Republic,' he told radio host John Fredericks. 'I think that's an insult to Banana Republics across the country. I mean, at least the manager of Banana Republic, unlike our president, knows where he is and why he's there and what he's doing.' Hines's campaign retroactively labeled this 'a joke.' Ha!... Misunderstanding a universal idiom, particularly while maligning President Biden's mental acuity, suggests Hines is just not very PetSmart." After running through some other politicians' gaffes, Milbank suggests some new clothing lines for Republicans. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In fairness to Hines, I'm certain there are some politics-related sports memes I just don't get. I would not, however, try to use them in a sentence. I recall that when Massachusetts Senate candidate Martha Coakley (D) caught heat for responding to a question about a star Red Sox pitcher with a gaffe, I thought I would have responded to the question with, "I have no idea." Because I didn't. As for Martha, she lost to the intellectually-challenged Cosmo centerfold ex-Senator Scott Brown (R) in what was, at the time, a critical election.

Way Beyond

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 briefings for Thursday are here: "U.N. Secretary General António Guterres is in Ukraine to review progress on a deal to release the country's grain exports, and strikes overnight pummeled Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.... The U.N. chief will meet the leaders of Ukraine and Turkey to address the nuclear threat from an escalation in fighting around the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine.... Ukraine is activating a unit under the command of its special forces to attack far behind Russian lines, its defense minister said in an interview.... Kharkiv had one of its 'most tragic' nights in the war, the region's governor said early Thursday, describing Russian strikes.... Rescuers worked through the night in Kharkiv to douse fires and clear rubble, photos showed."

Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "Over the past six months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has become an inspiring wartime leader and champion of his country. During an hour-long, wide-ranging interview with The Washington Post at the presidential office, where hallways are kept dark and are lined with sandbags to protect against Russian attack, Zelensky discussed U.S. warnings about Russia preparing to launch a full-scale invasion -- and if he believed them. [This] is a translated and lightly edited transcript of excerpts from the interview. The full transcript will be published at a later date." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Julian Borger of the Guardian: "Nineteen retired US generals and former officials have called on the Biden administration to step up the pace of arms supplies to Ukraine or run the risk of 'unintentionally seizing defeat from the jaws of victory'. They said that the US was providing enough weaponry to ensure a stalemate but not sufficient to help Ukraine recapture territory seized by Russia. The former officers, diplomats and other officials argue the administration is inhibited by fear of triggering a Russian escalation, possibly involving nuclear weapons -- but they argue that failure to defeat Vladimir Putin in Ukraine increases the danger of a confrontation with Moscow later 'on less favourable grounds'."

Saudi Arabia. Sarah Dadouch & Annabelle Timsit of the Washington Post: "Saudi Arabia quietly sentenced a woman last week to 34 years in prison over her Twitter activity, marking the longest Saudi sentence ever for a peaceful activist and launching a fresh wave of fear among the government's detractors, three rights groups said. The woman, Salma al-Shehab, was detained in January 2021 in Saudi Arabia, where she was on vacation, days before the Saudi citizen and mother of two was set to return to her home in Britain, according to rights groups. The charges against the 33-year-old all revolved around her Twitter activity, according to court documents. Shehab had been active on the social media platform during campaigns demanding the abolition of the country's guardianship system, which gives men legal control over certain aspects of female relatives' lives. She had called for the freeing of Saudi prisoners of conscience."

August 17, 2022

Afternoon Update:

If you have a Washington Post subscription, you will want to listen to George Conway's dramatic reading of his Donald Trump-cookies column (August 16). Audio and column here. It's worth reading the very end of the column. (If you don't have a WashPo subscription, you can make due with a dramatic reading by comedian & Trump impersonator J-L Cauvin.)

Sharon La Franiere of the New York Times: "Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Wednesday delivered a sweeping rebuke of her agency;s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying it had failed to respond quickly enough and needed to be overhauled. In a meeting with senior staff, Dr. Walensky outlined in broad terms a plan to reorganize the agency's structure to prioritize public health needs and efforts to curb continuing outbreaks, and to put less emphasis on publication of scientific papers about rare diseases. The steps announced on Wednesday grew out of an external review Dr. Walensky had ordered in April, after months of scathing criticism of the C.D.C.'s response to the pandemic. Its public messages on masking and other mitigation measures were sometimes so confusing or abruptly modified that they seemed more like internal drafts than carefully considered proclamations. The public guidance has been 'confusing and overwhelming,' according to a briefing document provided by the agency. Leaders of the agency's Covid team rotated out after only a few months, leaving other senior federal health officials unsure about who was in charge. And important data were sometimes inexplicably released too late to inform federal decisions...."

Alan Feuer & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday called on Republicans to stop attacking the nation's top law enforcement agencies over the F.B.I.'s search of Mar-a-Lago..., Donald J. Trump's Palm Beach, Fla., home.... Speaking at a political event in New Hampshire, Mr. Pence said that Republicans could hold the Justice Department and the F.B.I. accountable for their decisions 'without attacking the rank-and-file law enforcement personnel.'... Mr. Pence also said on Wednesday that he would consider talking to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol -- the clearest indication to date that he might be willing to participate in the panel's ongoing efforts."

Richard Fausset of the New York Times: Rudy Giuliani ' showed up shortly before 8:30 a.m. to appear before a Fulton County[, Georgia,] special grand jury conducting a criminal investigation into postelection meddling by Mr. Trump and his associates. Local prosecutors informed Mr. Giuliani's lawyers this week that he was a 'target' in that investigation, meaning that his indictment was possible."

Jordan Libowitz & Lauren White of CREW: "The Secret Service knew of a threat to Nancy Pelosi on January 6th days before the insurrection, but did not pass it along until hours after the Capitol had been breached, according to Secret Service emails obtained by CREW. On January 4, Secret Service agents discovered a Parler account, which we've chosen not to name, posting a series of violent threats towards lawmakers.... At 5:55 pm on January 6, after hours of defending the United States Capitol from a violent mob, the United States Capitol Police received the post along with a message from the Secret Service: 'Good afternoon, The US Secret Service is passing notification to the US Capitol Police regarding discovery of a social media threat directed toward Speaker Nancy Pelosi.'"

Paul Kane of the Washington Post: Liz "Cheney used her defiant concession speech Tuesday night, after losing badly in the GOP primary to Trump's handpicked candidate, to promise a sustained campaign against the ex-president and his allies. She surrendered her rising-star status in Congress in a sacrificial manner toward a higher calling to take on the most powerful figure in her increasingly conspiratorial political party.... Congressional historians say ... What Cheney has done, in sacrificing her seat and yet fighting to the finish without wavering, is just not common in this era.... She has gained a level of attention that now dwarfs almost every other member of Congress, commanding a platform that all but a handful of other Republicans in the Capitol have attempted." Video of Cheney's concession speech is here.

Florida. Matt Dixon of Politico: "Ousted Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit arguing Gov. Ron DeSantis abused his power when suspending him from office over, among other things, a pledge to not prosecute women who violate Florida's new 15-week abortion ban.... Warren's lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida, alleges that DeSantis violated his First Amendment rights by suspending him for signing a pledge to not prosecute women for seeking abortions and his public statements opposing the criminalization of transgender people. He is asking the court to throw out DeSantis' executive order used to suspended him and to rule governors are not allowed to take similar actions moving forward. It also alleges DeSantis overstepped his authority to suspend elected officials from office because he did so with Warren only for signing pledges, rather than in response to an official action."

Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "Over the past six months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has become an inspiring wartime leader and champion of his country. During an hour-long, wide-ranging interview with The Washington Post at the presidential office, where hallways are kept dark and are lined with sandbags to protect against Russian attack, Zelensky discussed U.S. warnings about Russia preparing to launch a full-scale invasion -- and if he believed them. [This] is a translated and lightly edited transcript of excerpts from the interview. The full transcript will be published at a later date."

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times is live-updating primary election results. "Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming conceded defeat to Harriet Hageman in her Republican primary on Tuesday, handing Donald J. Trump his most prized trophy yet in his long campaign to purge the Republican Party of his critics." MB: What a joke it would be if Democrats in the next Congress made Cheney the next Speaker of the House. (I hope they don't, but for a day or two, it would be great. The speaker need not be a House member.) ~~~

"Former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska and two leading rivals advanced to the November election for Alaska's open House seat, according to The Associated Press. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, and Nick Begich III, a Republican from Alaska's most prominent Democratic political dynasty, advanced along with Ms. Palin. The three are vying to succeed Representative Don Young, who died in March after serving nearly 50 years as Alaska's lone congressman."

     ~~~ Update: Jonathan Martin writes the New York Times' stand-alone story of Cheney's primary defeat. Here's the ABC News story.

Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a centrist Republican seeking a fourth full term in Washington, advanced to the general election along with her chief rival, Kelly Tshibaka, in the state's Senate primary race, according to The Associated Press. Ms. Murkowski and Ms. Tshibaka each earned enough votes to advance to the general election in the fall as part of Alaska's new open primary system. Ms. Murkowski is hoping to fend off a conservative backlash over her vote in the Senate to convict ... Donald J. Trump of inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. With an estimated 50 percent of the vote reported, Ms. Murkowski and Ms. Tshibaka were neck and neck at just over 40 percent apiece. The nearest rival after them was in the single digits." Trump & the Alaska Republican party endorsed Tshibaka.

This is a BFD. https://t.co/L0sh8ULo4T

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 16, 2022

~~~ Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Tuesday signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, an ambitious measure that aims to tamp down on inflation, lower prescription drug prices, tackle climate change, reduce the deficit and impose a minimum tax on profits of the largest corporations. At a bill signing ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House, Biden praised the legislation as among the most significant measures in the history of the country. 'Let me say from the start: With this law, the American people won and the special interests lost,' Biden said. His administration had begun amid 'a dark time in America,' Biden added, citing the coronavirus pandemic, joblessness and threats to democracy." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: President Biden begins speaking at about 9:40 min. in. I've left the introductory speeches in because Rep. Jim Clyborn's & Sen. Chuck Schumer's remarks are not bad, either.

Gabrielle Canon & Richard Luscombe of the Guardian & Agencies: "After western US states failed to reach agreements to reduce water use from the beleaguered Colorado River, the federal government stepped in on Tuesday, issuing cuts that will affect two states and Mexico. Officials with the Bureau of Reclamation declared a 'tier 2' shortage in the river basin as the drought continues to pummel the American west, pushing its largest reservoirs to new lows. The waning water levels, which have left dramatic bathtub rings in reservoirs and unearthed buried bodies and other artifacts, continue to threaten hydroelectric power production, drinking water, and agricultural production.... The new cuts will reduce Arizona's water share by 21%, Nevada's by 8% and Mexico's by 7%, but officials are concerned more reductions will be needed." The Washington Post's story is here.

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration said Tuesday it will grant full, automatic forgiveness of $3.9 billion in education debt held by former students of the defunct for-profit chain ITT Technical Institute. The action covers 208,000 people who were enrolled at ITT Tech from Jan. 1, 2005, to its closure in September 2016. Former students are not required to submit an application and will receive a letter from the Education Department informing them of the pending discharge."

It's not theirs, it's mine. -- Donald Trump, to aides attempting to get him to turn over documents to the National Archives ~~~

~~~ Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Pat A. Cipollone and Patrick F. Philbin, the White House counsel and his deputy under ... Donald J. Trump, were interviewed by the F.B.I. in connection with boxes of sensitive documents that were stored at Mr. Trump's residence in Florida after he left office, three people familiar with the matter said. Mr. Cipollone and Mr. Philbin are the most senior people who worked for Mr. Trump who are known to have been interviewed by investigators after the National Archives referred the matter to the Justice Department this year.... Mr. Cipollone and Mr. Philbin were Mr. Trump's representatives to deal with the National Archives.... Mr. Philbin tried to help the National Archives retrieve the material, two of the people familiar with the discussions said. But the former president repeatedly resisted entreaties from his advisers.... Mr. Philbin is among eight people who currently or used to work for Mr. Trump who have been contacted by the F.B.I. since a grand jury was formed this year." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's not theirs, it's mine. As Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC pointed out, there's your proof of intent. Trump's advisors, including a former White House counsel, undoubtedly told him it was illegal for him to take and retain documents that were the property of the National Archives, and Trump would not relent. He knew it was against the law, and he did it anyway.

Marie: Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen told Dana Bash of CNN Tuesday night that he thinks the reason Trump stole top-secret documents was to use them to threaten the feds: he would tell the DOJ that if it brought criminal charges against him, he would publish the secrets. Cohen also remarked that whoever revealed to the FBI the exact location of the purloined papers must have had an intimate knowledge of Mar-a-Lago. Therefore, he hypothesized, that person was most likely ... Jared Kushner! I doubt it; I think the most likely person was a grunt: someone assigned to locate a storage place & lug the pilfered papers thereto. The interview was enjoyable nonetheless, if largely because Cohen speaks like a seasoned New York mobster: "For Trump, loyalty is like First Avenue: a one-way street." ~~~

     ~~~ On the other hand, Cohen's suspicion of Kushner might help explain why staunch Trump ally & all-around jerk Peter Navarro wrote this essay bashing Jared.

Perry Stein & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump has called on a judge to unseal the affidavit central to last week's FBI search of his Florida home, believing that any information made public about the investigation ... will electrify his supporters and benefit him politically, according to people he has conferred with in recent days.... Late Monday, in a post on the social media site he started, Truth Social, the former president said that 'in the interest of TRANSPARENCY,' the affidavit should be released without redactions.The Justice Department this week filed a motion to keep the document under seal.... 'It's an advocacy document,' [a former top DOJ official] said.... '... there's no exculpatory information. It's never a good story for the defendant.' Magistrate Judge Bruce E. Reinhart has called a hearing for Thursday afternoon. Trump's legal team has until Thursday morning to file a motion with the court if the former president intends to make a formal appeal for its release. His attorneys had not done so as of Tuesday evening." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: IOW, this appears to be the usual fake Trump chest-thump. He does not really want the affidavit released (although he would love to know any details about the witnesses the affidavit may cite, the better to find out who the mole(s) is/are and to [promote death threats & such against these new-found enemies). But if his lawyers don't appeal to the court, his Monday-night whine is just another feint. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, In Trump's Offices. Daniel Lippman, et al., of Politico: "It was part free-for-all, part fire sale. Souvenirs were kept, records were indiscriminately thrown away. The Oval Office and its adjacent private dining room were only packed up the weekend before ... Donald Trump moved out, former aides said. So-called 'burn bags' were widely present, according to two former Trump White House officials.... Those who observed the process later conceded that it was not entirely clear if documents should have been headed to the National Archives instead of the incinerator. It was in those tumultuous moments that -- investigators allege -- boxes containing classified material were packed and sent to Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.... [The frantic Trump exit] stood in marked contrast to the process put in place by Trump's predecessor. President Barack Obama's administration, facing term limits, knew it was leaving and began the transition in August 2016, according to Neil Eggleston, former Obama White House counsel. Beyond that, they didn't regard the rules around record retention as vague." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This article looks like a set-up for the carelessness excuse. However, even if all those boxes of publicly-owned material went to Mar-a-Lardo "by accident," we still have not heard an explanation as to why Trump retained them once the National Archives notified him they wanted the documents returned to the government.

Isaac Arnsdorf, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump and close aides have spent the eight days since the FBI searched his Florida home rushing to assemble a team of respected defense lawyers. But the answer they keep hearing is 'no.'... Ordinarily, the prestige and publicity of representing a former president ... would attract high-powered attorneys. But Trump's search is being hampered by his divisiveness, as well as his reputation for stiffing vendors and ignoring advice."

Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: "As Mr. Trump sought to hold on to power, two of Mr. Pence's senior aides -- Marc Short, his chief of staff, and Greg Jacob, his counsel -- indexed and boxed all of his government papers, according to three former officials with knowledge of the work. Mr. Jacob spent the bulk of his final few days in government preparing the final boxes, with the goal of ensuring that Mr. Pence left office without a single paper that did not belong to him, one of the officials said." (This is from a story also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: [Mike] "Pence allies are now quietly drawing attention to sharp differences in how [he and Trump] handled their documents as Trump's presidency ended. Sources tell the New York Times that Pence aides scrupulously followed protocol in organizing his government papers -- a contrast obviously intended to reflect badly on Trump.... It's hard to imagine these points being made without at least tacit awareness on Pence's part. So after Trump's endless abuse, Pence allies might be slipping in the shiv at a vulnerable moment." MB: Yeah, pence is slipping the shiv into Trump mighty "quietly." Pence doesn't dare come out & say, "See, I didn't steal public property the way Trump did." Instead, that supposed shiv appears beginning at about Paragraph #20 of a NYT story. How many MAGA maniacs do you suppose will be reading the final grafs of a NYT story?

Luke Broadwater & Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "The Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog, who is under criticism for his handling of an investigation into missing Secret Service text messages around the time of the Capitol attack, is refusing to cooperate with congressional demands, even blocking his employees from testifying before Congress, two top Democrats said on Tuesday. Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney, Democrat of New York and the chairwoman of the Oversight Committee, and Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to Joseph V. Cuffari, the Homeland Security inspector general [and a Trump appointee], demanding that his office comply with their requests for documents and transcribed interviews.... The clash is the latest development surrounding missing text messages from around Jan. 6, 2021, that were sent and received by Secret Service agents and later erased." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Kate Brumback of the AP: "Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to appear in an Atlanta courthouse to testify before a special grand jury that is investigating attempts by ... Donald Trump and others to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia. It's unclear how much the former New York mayor and attorney for Trump will be willing to say now that his lawyers have been informed he's a target of the investigation. Questioning will take place behind closed doors Wednesday because the special grand jury proceedings are secret."

She's Got a Ticket to Ride. Kate Brumback of the AP: "A judge in Colorado on Tuesday ordered a legal adviser for ... Donald Trump's campaign to travel to Georgia to testify before a special grand jury that's looking into whether Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia. Judge Gregory Lammons in Fort Collins, Colorado, made the decision after holding a hearing on a request from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to compel testimony from attorney Jenna Ellis. Prosecutors are interested in Ellis's role in helping to coordinate and plan legislative hearings in Georgia and others states where false allegations of election fraud were pushed, according to testimony in court. Fulton County prosecutors have purchased plane tickets and made a hotel reservation in preparation for Ellis to testify on Aug. 25."

Jaclyn Diaz of NPR: "Former California Rep. TJ Cox is facing dozens of federal charges related to allegations the Democrat participated in multiple fraud schemes, including one involving his run for Congress. The Justice Department released details Tuesday of the 15 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of money laundering, one count of financial institution fraud, and one count of campaign contribution fraud against Cox. He served in the U.S. House for a single term, from 2019-2021. During the 2018 race, he narrowly defeated Republican David Valadao.... Cox lost the rematch against Valadao. According to federal prosecutors, Cox's alleged schemes spanned years, at least from 2013-2018, and involved multiple frauds. Cox allegedly targeted companies, both for-profit and nonprofit entities, he was already affiliated with, according to the unsealed indictment. In two different fraud schemes, Cox illicitly netted more than $1.7 million from diverted client payments as well as company loans and investments that he solicited and later stole, according to prosecutors." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.

Sarag Dadouch of the Washington Post: "Syria denied on Wednesday that it is holding missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in Syria a decade ago at the height of the civil war that has torn the country apart. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry addressed President Biden's claim last week that Tice is being held by the Syrian government, calling it 'invalid accusations against the Syrian government of kidnapping or arresting U.S. citizens, among them Austin Tice, a service member in the U.S. Army.' It added that Tice and others had entered illegally.... 'We know with certainty that he has been held by the Syrian regime,' Biden said in a statement on Aug. 10. 'We have repeatedly asked the government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home.'"

Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "In states enforcing the most draconian abortion bans since the Supreme Court brutally yanked reproductive rights away from the people relying on them, it's going exactly to plan [Jezebel link]: 'A pregnant woman in Louisiana says she's being forced to choose between carrying a fetus that lacks a skull and the top of its head (as a result of a rare condition called acrania) to term, or traveling several states over for a legal abortion, since Louisiana has banned abortion with very narrow exceptions. "It's hard knowing that I'm carrying it to bury it," Nancy Davis, who's 13 weeks pregnant and is already the mother of one child, told local news station WAFB9 on Monday.'... When Alito said that women had only intangible and not material reliance interests on Roe, he (amazingly enough) meant it."

Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Tuesday threw out the plea agreements for a Maryland couple who had tried to sell submarine secrets to a foreign country, arguing that the prison time for one of the defendants was less than some low-level drug dealers receive. The couple, Jonathan and Diana Toebbe, originally pleaded guilty in February to charges that they took part in a conspiracy to sell submarine secrets. Their plot had started to unravel almost as soon as they put it in motion, when Brazilian intelligence officials turned over to the F.B.I. a letter the couple had anonymously written in 2020, offering to sell nuclear secrets. The disclosure began a lengthy effort to learn the couple's identity and retrieve the secrets they stole. Mr. Toebbe had agreed to a deal that would send him to prison for 12 years, while Ms. Toebbe agreed to serve three years, which would have likely freed her in two years." (Also linked yesterday.)"

Betsy Klein of CNN: "First lady Dr. Jill Biden has tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, her spokesperson said Tuesday. 'After testing negative for Covid-19 on Monday during her regular testing cadence, the First Lady began to develop cold-like symptoms late in the evening. She tested negative again on a rapid antigen test, but a PCR test came back positive,' said Elizabeth Alexander, her communications director. The first lady, who is double vaccinated and twice boosted, is taking Paxlovid, Pfizer's antiviral drug, per Alexander. The first lady is currently in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, with President Joe Biden, who is due to return to Washington for a bill signing later Tuesday." (Also linked yesterday.)

Roni Rabin of the New York Times: "In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when prevention seemed light years away, several scientists launched trials to see whether a tuberculosis vaccine [-- the Bacillus-Calmette-Guerin vaccine --] developed in the early 1900s might protect people by bolstering the immune system. As new threats like monkeypox and polio re-emerge and the coronavirus continues to evolve, the potential of the old vaccine to provide a measure of universal protection against infectious diseases has gained renewed interest among scientists. Now the results of clinical trials conducted during the pandemic are coming in, and the findings, while mixed, are encouraging." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Sounds like something the Covid scammers would be selling on Fox "News," except for the fact that it might actually provide some protection against Covid-19 & other diseases.

Beyond the Beltway

New York. Jay Root of the New York Times: "Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will not have to turn over the proceeds of his $5.1 million book deal, after a judge ruled on Tuesday that a state ethics board had violated Mr. Cuomo's due process in seeking the money. The now-defunct Joint Commission on Public Ethics, known as JCOPE, had initially approved Mr. Cuomo's book deal in 2020, but revoked it a few months after he left office, saying he had obtained the green light under false pretenses, improperly using state resources in writing the memoir...."

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 briefings for Wednesday are here: "For the second time in a week, Ukraine's special forces struck targets in Russian-occupied Crimea, audacious attacks that demonstrate Kyiv's ability to carry out covert operations deep behind enemy lines. The peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, has been a key military supply hub for Russian forces and remains a popular destination for the country's tourists. The Kremlin claimed the Tuesday explosion, which destroyed an ammunition depot, was an 'act of sabotage,' while a Ukrainian official said the blast was the work of the same Ukrainian special forces team believed responsible for a strike last week on a Russian air base in Crimea."

... Aleem Maqbool of BBC News: "Russia is facing the mass migration abroad of large numbers of its Jewish population, with at least one in eight leaving the country since its war with Ukraine began. The Jewish Agency helps Jews around the world move to Israel. It says an astonishing 20,500 of Russia's estimated total of 165,000 Jews have gone since March. Thousands more have moved to other countries. Undoubtedly the spectre of historical Jewish persecution has loomed large in the minds of many of those who are a part of this sudden mass migration and those still trying to get out of Russia."

Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "This account, [about the prelude to war against Ukraine] in previously unreported detail, shines new light on the uphill climb to restore U.S. credibility, the attempt to balance secrecy around intelligence with the need to persuade others of its truth, and the challenge of determining how the world's most powerful military alliance would help a less-than-perfect democracy on Russia's border defy an attack without NATO firing a shot. The first in a series of articles examining the road to war and the military campaign in Ukraine, it is drawn from in-depth interviews with more than three dozen senior U.S., Ukrainian, European and NATO officials about a global crisis whose end is yet to be determined."