July 6, 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Mark Landler & Stephen Castle of the New York Times: "His support crumbling, his government in disarray, his alibis exhausted, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain tried frantically on Wednesday to salvage his position, even as a delegation of cabinet colleagues traveled to Downing Street to plead with their scandal-scarred leader to step down. More than 30 government ministers or aides quit, multiple Conservative Party lawmakers urged Mr. Johnson to resign, and he got a withering reception in Parliament, where backbenchers jeered, 'Bye, Boris!' as he left by a side door after a merciless grilling over his handling of the party's latest sex-and-bullying scandal.... Mr. Johnson vowed to fight on, insisting he had a mandate from voters to steer Britain into its post-Brexit future...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BTW, if you think you may recognize a former American president* in Boris, the NYT report closes with this: "'Unlike most leaders, he doesn't care how much damage he does on his way out the door,' said Jonathan Powell, who served as chief of staff to a former prime minister, Tony Blair. 'There isn't anyone in our history who's had this kind of nature. Our system is not built for something like this.'"

An A-mazing Coincidence. Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: James Comey, "the former F.B.I. director, and his deputy [Andrew McCabe], both of whom ... Donald J. Trump wanted prosecuted, were selected for a rare audit program that the [I.R.S.] says is random.... The minuscule chances of the two highest-ranking F.B.I. officials ... being randomly subjected to a detailed scrub of their tax returns a few years after leaving their posts presents extraordinary questions.... The I.R.S. commissioner, Charles P. Rettig, who was appointed to the post by Mr. Trump in 2018, declined to be interviewed about the audits.... Unlike a typical audit that asks individuals to explain a specific part of their taxes, these audits comb through the full return, forcing taxpayers in some cases to go to great lengths to essentially recreate their finances for the year in question.: MB: This would be a good time to fire Rettig, so no more of these a-mazing coincidences occur. Like next up: Liz Cheney or Nancy Pelosi.

Mike Smith & Robert Chiarito of the New York Times: "An Illinois man charged in the killing of seven people at a Fourth of July parade was ordered held in jail without bond on Wednesday, as questions continued to mount about why he was allowed to buy guns despite alarming police encounters.... In court, Ben Dillon, a prosecutor, described in the fullest detail yet how officials say the attack unfolded on Monday.... Mr. Dillon said that [the suspect] confessed to the shooting after his arrest on Monday evening.... Investigators believed that [the suspect] fled to Madison, Wis., after the attack, but then returned to Illinois, where he was arrested. [Deputy] Chief [Christopher] Covelli [of the Lake County sheriff's office] said the police believed [the suspect] saw a holiday celebration in Madison and considered using a second rifle that he had with him in the car to carry out another shooting there, but decided against it.

Maggie Haberman & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Pat A. Cipollone, the White House counsel to ... Donald J. Trump who repeatedly fought back against Mr. Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, has reached a deal to testify by Friday before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, according to people familiar with the inquiry. The agreement was a breakthrough for the panel, which has pressed for weeks for Mr. Cipollone to cooperate -- and issued a subpoena to him last week.... Mr. Cipollone was a witness to pivotal moments in Mr. Trump's push to invalidate the election results, including discussions about seizing voting machines and sending false letters to state officials about election fraud. He was also present in the West Wing on Jan. 6, 2021, as Mr. Trump reacted to the violence at the Capitol when his supporters attacked the building in his name.... Mr. Cipollone will sit for a transcribed interview, according to a person familiar with the discussions. He is not expected to testify publicly." The AP's story is here.

Ashley Parker & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "In the view of many distraught Democrats, the country is facing a full-blown crisis on a range of fronts, and [President] Biden seems unable or unwilling to respond with appropriate force. Democracy is under direct attack, they say, as Republicans change election rules and the Supreme Court rapidly rewrites American law. Shootings are routine, abortion rights have ended and Democrats could suffer big losses in the next election. Biden's response is often a mix of scolding Republicans, urging Americans to vote Democratic and voicing broad optimism about the country. For some Democrats, that risks a dangerous failure to meet the moment.... [Illinois Gov. J.B.] Pritzker mocked the notion that 'you have a constitutional right to an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine' -- something Biden has done previously -- and California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been displaying a notably pugnacious spirit." Newsom is running an anti-DeSantis ad -- in Florida. A related Politico story is here.

Emily Czachor of CBS News: "Gun violence spiked over Fourth of July weekend, with shootings reported in nearly every U.S. state that killed a total of at least 220 people and wounded close to 570 others, according to the Gun Violence Archive.... Of all gun violence incidents accounted for during the holiday weekend, at least 11 were classified as mass shootings by the Gun Violence Archive. Any situation where four or more people, excluding the shooter, are killed or wounded by gunshots is considered a mass shooting."

Marie: This morning I was wondering why the family of the Highland Park shooter didn't raise a stink when he started buying guns. Here's the answer, and it isn't a good one: ~~~

The Irresponsible Parent. Russ Thebault & Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "The Illinois State Police confirmed on Tuesday that the father of the Highland Park parade shooting suspect sponsored his son's application for a gun permit months after relatives reported that Robert E. Crimo III had threatened to 'kill everyone,' and that authorities had 'insufficient basis' to deny the application.... Because Crimo was under 21 at the time [he wished to purchased a gun -- December 2019 --], state law required him to have the consent of a parent or guardian before he could own a firearm or ammunition.... State police had received a 'clear and present danger report' on Crimo after the September [2019] incident, but because at the time he did not have a pending application or an active permit, known as a FOID card, the agency ruled there was no action it could take. When reviewing Crimo's application less than six months later, state police officials once again decided there was nothing they could do -- this time, the agency said, because Crimo had a sponsor." ~~~

     ~~~ According to the report, the knives the police confiscated from the young man were returned when the father claimed the knives belonged to him. So Dad is just an all-around ass. I doubt he can be held responsible for aiding & abetting, but that's what he did.

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Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden on Tuesday honored four Vietnam-era soldiers for what he called 'acts of incredible heroism,' bestowing on them the Medal of Honor, America's highest military honor, nearly half a century after the end of the conflict in Southeast Asia. At a somber ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Mr. Biden recounted the acts of bravery of the four men, one of whom was killed in action in Vietnam just three months after he helped evacuate his platoon from a village while under heavy enemy fire." Video of the ceremony is here.

Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Democrats are sleep-walking into a disaster by failing to keep pace with the number of judges who are retiring. President Joe Biden's staff boasted at the end of last year that he had nominated and confirmed a historic number of judges to start off his term, but the president and Senate Democrats could leave more than 60 judicial vacancies at the end of this year -- and they may not have a chance to fill them once a new Congress is sworn in, argued legal expert Christopher Kang in a new column for Slate." MB: Yeah, well, let's hope Biden doesn't nominate any of Mitch's faves. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nick Corasaniti & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The Justice Department sued Arizona on Tuesday over a new state law requiring proof of citizenship to vote in a presidential election, saying the Republican-imposed restrictions are a 'textbook violation' of federal law. It is the third time the department under Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has challenged a state's voting law and comes as Democratic leaders and voting rights groups have pressed Mr. Garland to act more decisively against measures that limit access to the ballot."

Return of the Spotted Owl. Matthew Daly of the AP: "A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a host of actions by the Trump administration to roll back protections for endangered or threatened species, a year after the Biden administration said it was moving to strengthen such species protections. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in Northern California eliminated the Trump-era rules even as two wildlife agencies under President Joe Biden are reviewing or rescinding the regulations. The decision restores a range of protections under the Endangered Species Act -- including some that date to the 1970s -- while the reviews are completed. Environmental groups hailed the decision, which they said sped up needed protections and critical habitat designations for threatened species, including salmon in the Pacific Northwest."

"Stand Back and Stand By." Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol plans to hold a hearing next Tuesday to reveal its findings about the connections between ... Donald J. Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election and the domestic violent extremist groups that helped to organize the siege on Congress. The panel announced that the session would take place on July 12 at 10 a.m. It is expected to be led by Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, and Representative Stephanie Murphy, Democrat of Florida, who plan to chart the rise of the right-wing domestic violent extremist groups that attacked the Capitol and how Mr. Trump amassed and inspired the mob. The panel also plans to detail known links and conversations between political actors close to Mr. Trump and extremists."

Katelyn Polantz & Ryan Nobles of CNN: "Sarah Matthews, who served as deputy press secretary in the Trump White House until resigning shortly after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, has been subpoenaed by the House select committee investigating the insurrection and has agreed to testify at an upcoming hearing, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation. Matthews has been subpoenaed to testify at a public hearing as early as next week, sources tell CNN. Matthews resigned the night of January 6, 2021, saying in a statement that she was honored to serve in Donald Trump's administration but 'was deeply disturbed by what I saw.'"

Eugene Scott of the Washington Post: "Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Tuesday shared profanity-filled threats and other obscenities that his office has received during the hearings by the House select committee into the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump supporters.... Kinzinger tweeted some of the recordings compiled by high school and college students interning for him this summer and invited readers to listen to the attacks. One caller said he hopes Kinzinger dies quickly, while another called him a lying backstabber for his participation on the committee. Callers left racist comments and disputed the facts of the investigation while wishing harm on the lawmaker's family."

Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "A Georgia grand jury has subpoenaed Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and members of Donald Trump's campaign legal team. In addition to the South Carolina Republican, the Fulton County special grand jury investigating Trump's efforts to overturn his loss has issued subpoenas to Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Cleta Mitchell, Kenneth Chesbro and Jenna Ellis, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The subpoenas were filed Tuesday and signed off by Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who is overseeing the grand jury and must approve summons for individuals who live out of state." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here.

Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Tuesday, Business Insider reported that ... Donald Trump is trying to sue a pair of former FBI officials who have been at the center of a number of right-wing conspiracy theories about the Russia investigation -- but that he has failed half a dozen times to locate them for service of the lawsuit. '... Donald Trump has been trying since March to serve former FBI officials Lisa Page and Peter Strzok with a 108-page lawsuit -- but hasn't been able to find either of them, according to new court papers,' reported Laura Italiano. 'Trump "has attempted service unsuccessfully six (6) times"' on both Page and Strzok, with the most recent attempts failing on June 30, his lawyers told a federal judge in Florida." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't know about Lisa Page, but it's odd that process servers can't find Strzok. He's a regular MSNBC contributor, and appeared just yesterday. I didn't see the TV at the time he was speaking (I was installing a stair rail), so I don't know if he was in-studio or phoning in from an "undisclosed location" (likely his living room), but, either way, he's not exactly elusive.

Beyond the Beltway

Illinois. Robert Klemko, et al., of the Washington Post: "The 21-year-old accused of opening fire on a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb [-- Highland Park --] planned the attack for weeks and used a legally purchased military-style weapon to kill seven and injure more than 30 people, police said, in the latest mass shooting to shake a traumatized nation. Authorities charged Robert E. Crimo III with seven counts of first-degree murder Tuesday but said there was no definitive motive for the rampage, which left this tranquil city of 30,000 reeling as it mourned the dead.... At a news conference near the parade route, Eric Rinehart, the Lake County state's attorney, pledged to pursue justice for the victims and called for a ban on assault-style weapons.... President Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at public buildings and military posts in the wake of the shooting as 'a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of gun violence perpetrated on our Independence Day.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Kim Bellware, et al., of the Washington Post: "The 21-year-old charged with opening fire at an Independence Day parade here had so alarmed his family with violent threats in 2019 that they summoned police, who confiscated more than a dozen knives and other sharp weapons from his home, authorities said Tuesday. Police were contacted in September 2019 by a relative who reported that Robert Crimo III had a collection of knives and 'said he was going to kill everyone,' said Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force. Police took the weapons but did not seek criminal charges.... Officers had also been called to the home earlier that year because of a reported suicide attempt by Crimo, Covelli said.... In the months after the two police visits, the suspected attacker acquired five firearms, including the powerful rifle police say he fired dozens of times into a crowd during Monday's holiday parade in this suburb of Chicago." An NBC News story is here. MB: So after you threaten to "kill everyone," it's legal to purchase guns & ammo. And wasn't his family the least bit alarmed that the kid kept buying guns? ~~~

     ~~~ Ken Tenbarge & Ben Collins of NBC News: "A YouTube channel with numerous videos featuring the suspect in Monday's Highland Park shooting posted clips that telegraphed violence, including one that appears to show the parade route that was targeted and another showing an animated shooting.... The most recent video on the 'zerotwo' channel, uploaded eight months ago, included a cartoon figure shooting people and a voice-over that implied violence. One of those videos, titled 'Robert Crimo Archive Footage: File XM058,' appears to show the site of the parade route that became the location of the deadly shooting...."

Mississippi. Ashton Pittman of the Mississippi Free Press: "Wednesday will be the last day the Jackson Women's Health Organization can provide abortions after a state court declined to block a near-total abortion ban from going into effect on Thursday, July 7. In court Tuesday morning, attorneys for the clinic asked the judge, Special Chancellor Debbra K. Halford, to block the state's 2007 trigger law from taking effect Thursday, July 7. When it does, the ban will 'prohibit abortions in the state of Mississippi' at any stage 'except in cases where necessary for the preservation of the mother's life or where the pregnancy was caused by rape.'"

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates Wednesday on developments in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "After sweeping through Luhansk, Russian forces are now gaining ground in the neighboring Donetsk region. Both are part of the prized industrial Donbas heartland of eastern Ukraine that Moscow is seeking to control. On Wednesday Donetsk's regional governor urged the area's 350,000 residents to evacuate as Russia intensifies its bombardment campaign.... [U.S.] Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Indonesia for a gathering of Group of 20 foreign ministers this week that will focus on food and energy security. A traditional one-on-one meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is not on the agenda, the State Department has said.... President Biden has read a letter written by WNBA star Brittney Griner, who said she fears indefinite detention in Russia." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Wednesday are here. The Guardian's summary of developments is here.

Palestine. Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "Palestinians expressed disappointment and anger at the United States on Tuesday, after Washington said it had concluded that Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist killed while reporting in the occupied West Bank, was likely shot unintentionally by a bullet fired from Israeli military lines. The American conclusion renewed Palestinian claims that the United States does not act as a fair broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, days ahead of a visit to the region by President Biden, who has not reversed several Trump administration moves that Palestinians deemed harmful to their hopes of independence.... By asserting that she was shot by accident, and that the fatal bullet was too damaged to match it with a specific rifle, the United States also signaled that it did not expect Israel to pursue criminal charges against any particular soldier." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: How can you assign motive when you don't know who the shooter was?

U.K. Bye-Bye, Boris. Karla Adam & William Booth of the Washington Post: "Two of Boris Johnson's most senior cabinet ministers resigned on Tuesday, raising serious questions about Johnson's leadership and how long the British leader might cling to power. Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Sajid Javid, the health secretary, announced their departures within minutes of each other, making it clear they had lost confidence in Johnson's leadership." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian is live-updates developments here. It's not looking good for Boris.

July 5, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Democrats are sleep-walking into a disaster by failing to keep pace with the number of judges who are retiring. President Joe Biden's staff boasted at the end of last year that he had nominated and confirmed a historic number of judges to start off his term, but the president and Senate Democrats could leave more than 60 judicial vacancies at the end of this year -- and they may not have a chance to fill them once a new Congress is sworn in, argued legal expert Christopher Kang in a new column for Slate." MB: Yeah, well, let's hope Biden doesn't nominate any of Mitch's faves.

Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "A Georgia grand jury has subpoenaed Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and members of Donald Trump's campaign legal team. In addition to the South Carolina Republican, the Fulton County special grand jury investigating Trump's efforts to overturn his loss has issued subpoenas to Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Cleta Mitchell, Kenneth Chesbro and Jenna Ellis, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The subpoenas were filed Tuesday and signed off by Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who is overseeing the grand jury and must approve summons for individuals who live out of state."

U.K. Bye-Bye, Boris. Karla Adam & William Booth of the Washington Post: "Two of Boris Johnson's most senior cabinet ministers resigned on Tuesday, raising serious questions about Johnson's leadership and how long the British leader might cling to power. Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Sajid Javid, the health secretary, announced their departures within minutes of each other, making it clear they had lost confidence in Johnson's leadership." The AP's report is here.

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Paul Waldman of the Washington Post has had it with the vaunted Founding Fathers: "And now it's time for us to declare our own independence, from Founding Father fetishism.... As we've seen recently, the American right has found in the framers an extraordinarily effective tool with which they can roll back social progress and undermine our democracy.... It has gone from an affectation to a weapon, and a brutally effective one.... Originalism was a scam from the start, a foolproof methodology for conservatives to arrive at whatever judicial result matches their policy preferences.... This is the conceit of today's right: The Founders were essentially perfect, and only we conservatives are capable of interpreting their will.... I've never been more fearful for the future of America than I am today; there are good reasons to believe that the democracy we began to fashion two and a half centuries ago may not survive the next decade." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There is a reason confederate judges turn to the Founding Fathers for all interpretations of the Constitution & laws: the founders were white, propertied, Christian men whose property included their chattel wives & enslaved men, women & children. They had little respect for the environment & no experience in running or living under a centralized government. So they were inclined to give short shrift to the rights of the rest of us & to many matters that can best be organized & regulated by a national government at a time when we can all move from state to state in a matter of hours, not days, and technology connects us in seconds.

There is not anything in the Constitution that says that the Court, the Supreme Court, is the last word on what the Constitution means. -- Justice Sonia Sotomayor, oral arguments, Dobbs v. Jackson ~~~

~~~ The Supremes Are Not So Supreme, Ctd. Joshua Zeitz in Politico Magazine: "... Sotomayor's primary intent was to argue that rights and prerogatives need not be explicitly delineated in the Constitution for them to exist. The right to privacy -- more specifically, the right to terminate a pregnancy -- does not appear anywhere in the document, but neither does the Supreme Court's power of judicial review. Both exist by strong implication.... Liberal critics of today's judicial activism are right when they note that the Supreme Court essentially arrogated to itself the right of judicial review -- the right to declare legislative and executive actions unconstitutional -- in 1803, in the case of Marbury v. Madison.... In the same way that Congress or the Supreme Court can rein in a renegade president, as was the case during Watergate, the president and Congress can place checks on an otherwise unconstrained court, if they believe the justices have exceeded their mandate.... The Constitution also grants Congress the power to strip the Supreme Court of its jurisdiction over specific matters.... In theory, Congress could very easily pass legislation denying the Supreme Court jurisdiction over a new voting rights act, a law codifying the right to privacy (including abortion rights), and other popular measures.... To save the Supreme Court from itself, Congress might first have to shrink it." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: IOW, it is not impossible to imagine -- even within the constraints of that document the beloved Christian, propertied, white-guy Founders cobbled together -- a United States in which the Supremes issued opinions that were just that: opinions. Congress and the president then would decide whether or not to accept a majority opinion or go in another direction. Congress & the prez also could decide whether or not to accept past opinions that squeezed or overturned rights previously granted: like the limitations the Supremes have placed on voting rights over the years, or overturning the rights to women had to health care. Congress might jigger some laws to meet some objections criticss raised, or said opinions might end up in the dustbin of history. There is a way for the will of the people, as expressed below, to prevail.~~~

~~~ At the Glastonbury (England) music festival Olivia Rodrigo & Lily Allen tag the confederate Supremes. Thank you to Nisky Guy for the link:

Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the Guardian: "A US judge has asked the Biden administration to weigh in on whether Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, should be granted sovereign immunity in a civil case brought against him in the US by Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was killed by Saudi agents in 2018. John Bates, a district court judge, gave the US government until 1 August to declare its interests in the civil case or give the court notice that it has no view on the matter. The administration's decision could have a profound effect on the civil case and comes as Joe Biden is facing criticism for abandoning a campaign promise to turn Saudi Arabia into a 'pariah'.” (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Meryl Kornfield, et al., of the Washington Post: "In a blow to claims that drug companies fueled the opioid crisis, a federal judge ruled Monday that the nation's three major drug distributors did not cause a public nuisance by shipping millions of addictive pain pills to a West Virginia community that was among the hardest hit. In a legal win for AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, Judge David A. Faber dismissed the argument made by Cabell County and its seat, Huntington, that the distributors bore responsibility for the consequences of an inundation of opioids, according to the judge's order filed in the U.S. District Court in West Virginia. The distributors have denied wrongdoing and have said the painkillers they shipped were prescribed by licensed doctors and filled by pharmacies. They argued they had no way of telling that those prescriptions were not legitimate and that any of the drugs may have been funneled to the black market." MB: Faber, a senior judge, is a George H.W. Bush appointee. So, you know, business as usual.

Republicans Cheat on Everything. Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "More than a year after Congress approved a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, Republicans in nearly two dozen states have ratcheted up efforts to tap some of those funds for an unrelated purpose: paying for tax cuts. The moves have threatened to siphon off aid that might otherwise help states fight the pandemic, shore up their local economies or prepare for a potential recession.... Congress ultimately laid down few conditions for how local leaders could use the pot of money, which totaled $350 billion nationally. But they were clear about one thing: The federal government would not subsidize state tax cuts.... Since then, however, GOP leaders have challenged the tax cut prohibition in federal courtrooms and state capitals. Attorneys general in 21 states have fought to overturn the Biden administration's policy, federal court filings show, backed at times by powerful groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce...."

Beyond the Beltway

There are no words for the kind of monster who lies in wait and fires into a crowd of families celebrating a holiday with their community.... Prayers alone will not put a stop to the terror of rampant gun violence in our country. -- Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.), remarks in Highland Park, Monday ~~~

~~~ Illinois. Mark Guarino, et al., of the Washington Post: "A gunman perched on a rooftop fired dozens of rounds at spectators at a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb on Monday, killing at least six people and adding yet another name to the list of American towns caught up in a countrywide wave of mass-casualty shootings.... Eight hours after the shooting, at about 6:30 p.m. local time, police announced the arrest of a 'person of interest' and presumed suspect. Police identified the man as 22-year-old Robert E. Crimo III of suburban Chicago.... Bobby Crimo ... performs as a Chicago-area rap artist under the name Awake the Rapper.... Some of the videos attributed to the rapper depict violent imagery, including a heavily armed shooter entering a school.... So far this year, the United States has recorded more than 250 mass shootings, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.... Darren Bailey, the Republican candidate for Illinois governor, posted a video on Facebook about two hours after the shooting, asking supporters to pray for law enforcement and the families of the victims, then return to celebrating the holiday." Related reports in yesterday's News Ledes. ~~~

     ~~~ Bryan Piesch & Gerrit De Vynck of the Washington Post: "The man detained by police as a 'person of interest' in the shooting in a Chicago suburb ... was a local rapper whose online presence contained tinges of violence and a haunting monologue depicting a troubled young man.... Crimo -- known online as 'Awake the Rapper' -- is like many internet performers, with a modest following, amateur music videos on YouTube and tracks on Spotify.... Videos with a voice-over show a computer-drawn image of a figure wearing what appears to be tactical gear and shooting a rifle, with a person kneeling, hands raised apparently begging for mercy, and another lying on the ground. Another clip shows a person appearing to be Crimo wearing a helmet and vest inside a classroom next to an American flag ... [accompanied by a] voice-over...: 'I need to leave now, I need to just do it. It is my destiny. Everything has led up to this; nothing can stop me, not even myself.' In another video, Crimo says: ... 'I hate when others get more attention than me on the internet.'... Photos that appear to show Crimo attending a rally for former president Donald Trump have also surfaced, but it is not clear from his online postings that he was a supporter of Trump or any other political party or candidate." ~~~

     ~~~ Ben Collins & Safia Ali of NBC News: “Robert 'Bobby' E. Crimo III, the person of interest identified by police after Monday's shooting in a Chicago suburb..., left a long trail of tributes to mass shootings and public killings on social media platforms, according to numerous profiles that appear to belong to him..... [His] recent music videos included depictions of mass murder.... Crimo had his own Discord server, where fans and people who knew him would chat. The community featured a politics board filled with nihilistic political memes.... Crimo also posted frequently to a message board that discussed graphic depictions of murder, suicide and death. His most recent post to that message board came last week, when he posted a video of a beheading."

Way Beyond

Ukraine., et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Tuesday are here.

Jake Russell of the Washington Post: "WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February on drug charges, wrote a letter to President Biden that was delivered to the White House on Monday morning, her sports agency said. In the letter, Griner, 31, expressed fear over not knowing how long she will be detained and urged Biden to work for her release and that of other Americans detained abroad. 'As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I'm terrified I might be here forever,' Griner wrote in an excerpt of the letter shared by Wasserman, a talent agency that represents the basketball star." An ESPN report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Griner made a calculated decision to go to Russia to earn money after the U.S. warned American citizens not to travel to Russia. I get that outstanding professional women basketball players don't make nearly as much money as male stars. And I get that people make stupid mistakes. I've made some of my own. Perhaps she thought her fame would render her too exceptional to jail on trumped-up charges. Perhaps her talent agency talked her into going. So too bad Griner doesn't have her Olympic jersey to protect her. I'm sorry for her, but not so sorry I think the U.S. should trade a high-profile Russian criminal for her.

Israel/Palestine. Patrick Kingsley & Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "The bullet that killed Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian American journalist shot in the occupied West Bank in May, was most likely fired from Israeli military lines but was too damaged to say for sure, the State Department said on Monday. The damage to the bullet made it difficult to draw a definitive conclusion about the gun it was fired from, according to a State Department statement. But shots fired from the position of the Israel Defense Forces were 'likely responsible for the death,' it added.... Palestinian officials have said that Ms. Abu Akleh was intentionally killed by an Israeli soldier. The Israeli government ... [has said] that she was hit by either an Israeli soldier or a Palestinian gunman. Israeli officers have said that an Israeli soldier from Duvdevan, an elite unit, fired in Ms. Abu Akleh's direction, but that it was impossible to determine who shot her without examining the bullet." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) Politico's report is here.

News Ledes

AP: "The gunman who attacked an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago fired more than 70 rounds with an AR-15-style gun that killed at least six people, then evaded initial capture by dressing as a woman and blending into the fleeing crowd, police said Tuesday. Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli told a news conference that the suspected shooter, who was arrested late Monday, used a high-powered rifle 'similar to an AR-15' to spray bullets from atop a commercial building into a crowd that had gathered for the parade in Highland Park.... Investigators who have interrogated the suspect and reviewed his social media posts have not determined a motive for the attack or found any indication that the shooter targeted anyone by race, religion or other protected status, Covelli said." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates of developments in the Highland Park massacre aftermath are here.

July 4, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Contra Nisky Guy (see below) (well, not really contra), Paul Waldman of the Washington Post has had it with the vaunted Founding Fathers: "And now it's time for us to declare our own independence, from Founding Father fetishism.... As we've seen recently, the American right has found in the framers an extraordinarily effective tool with which they can roll back social progress and undermine our democracy.... It has gone from an affectation to a weapon, and a brutally effective one.... Originalism was a scam from the start, a foolproof methodology for conservatives to arrive at whatever judicial result matches their policy preferences.... This is the conceit of today's right: The Founders were essentially perfect, and only we conservatives are capable of interpreting their will.... I've never been more fearful for the future of America than I am today; there are good reasons to believe that the democracy we began to fashion two and a half centuries ago may not survive the next decade." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There is a reason confederate judges turn to the Founding Fathers for all interpretations of the Constitution & laws: the founders were white, propertied, Christian men whose property included their chattel wives & enslaved men, women & children. They had little respect for the environment & no experience in running or living under a centralized government. So they were inclined to give short shrift to the rights of the rest of us & to many matters that can best be organized & regulated by a national government at a time when we can all move from state to state in a matter of hours, not days, and technology connects us in seconds.

Patrick Kingsley & Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "The bullet that killed Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian American journalist shot in the occupied West Bank in May, was most likely fired from Israeli military lines but was too damaged to say for sure, the State Department said on Monday. The damage to the bullet made it difficult to draw a definitive conclusion about the gun it was fired from, according to a State Department statement. But shots fired from the position of the Israel Defense Forces were 'likely responsible for the death,' it added.... Palestinian officials have said that Ms. Abu Akleh was intentionally killed by an Israeli soldier. The Israeli government ... [has said] that she was hit by either an Israeli soldier or a Palestinian gunman. Israeli officers have said that an Israeli soldier from Duvdevan, an elite unit, fired in Ms. Abu Akleh's direction, but that it was impossible to determine who shot her without examining the bullet."

Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the Guardian: "A US judge has asked the Biden administration to weigh in on whether Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, should be granted sovereign immunity in a civil case brought against him in the US by Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was killed by Saudi agents in 2018. John Bates, a district court judge, gave the US government until 1 August to declare its interests in the civil case or give the court notice that it has no view on the matter. The administration's decision could have a profound effect on the civil case and comes as Joe Biden is facing criticism for abandoning a campaign promise to turn Saudi Arabia into a 'pariah'."

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Nisky Guy has become an originalist! And it turns out that can be a good thing. See the top of today's Comments.

Marie: So the news I'm starting with today involves a president* who tried to toss the will of the people, how police are using women's phone records to prosecute them for getting abortions, Akron cops shot a Black man 60 times, & Russia won the battle for another Ukrainian city. Happy "Independence Day"!

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "... nearly two and a half centuries after the 13 American colonies declared independence from an unelected king, the nation is left weighing a somber new view of the fragility of its democracy -- and the question of what, if anything, could and should be done about it.... For a year and a half, [Donald] Trump has been shielded by obfuscations and mischaracterizations, benefiting from uncertainty about what he was thinking on Jan. 6, 2021.... But for a man who famously avoids leaving emails or other trails of evidence of his unspoken motives, any doubts about what was really going through Mr. Trump's mind on that day of violence seemed to have been eviscerated by testimony presented in recent weeks by the House committee investigating the Capitol attack.... More than perhaps any insider account that has emerged, the recollections of ... Cassidy Hutchinson demolished the fiction of a president who had nothing to do with what happened."

Benjamin Siegel & Mariam Kahn of ABC News: "The Justice Department should not avoid prosecuting Donald Trump in relation to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack if a prosecution is warranted, Rep. Liz Cheney said in an interview with ABC News' 'This Week' co-anchor Jonathan Karl. While bringing charges against the former president -- who may challenge President Joe Biden in 2024 -- would be unprecedented and "difficult for the country, not doing so would support a 'much graver constitutional threat,' Cheney said Wednesday in an interview at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library that aired Sunday on 'This Week.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm sick of hearing that to prosecute Trump would turn the U.S. into a banana republic. What turned the U.S. into a banana republic were Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, not the prospect of holding him responsible for his actions.

Hope Yen of the AP: "More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's devastating testimony last week against ... Donald Trump, says [Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.),] a member of a House committee investigating the insurrection.... The next hearings will aim to show how Trump illegally directed a violent mob toward the Capitol on Jan. 6, and then failed to take quick action to stop the attack once it began. Over the weekend, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the committee's vice chair, made clear that criminal referrals to the Justice Department, including against Trump, could follow."

Sharon Lerner of the Intercept (June 30) on how Charles Koch bought the Supreme Court's decision to restrict the EPA: "To ensure further growth of his riches even as science showed that the continued use of fossil fuels would accelerate climate disaster, Koch has funneled some of his vast fortune into an extraordinary network of political front groups, lobbying efforts, think tanks, and activist networks that aim to stifle climate action. For decades, the Kochtopus, as some call his many-tentacled political influence machine, has sought to undermine not just the environmental regulation in Koch Industries' path but also the science and philosophy of government on which it is based.... Americans for Prosperity, an astroturf political group founded by Charles Koch and his brother David, conducted extraordinary campaigns to put [Gorsuch, Kavenaugh & Barrett] on the highest bench.... The case itself can also be tied directly to Koch. The challengers are 27 Republican attorneys general, who were supported by the Koch-funded Republican Attorneys General Association."

Cat Zakrzewski, et al., of the Washington Post: "Women have been punished for terminating pregnancy for years. Between 2000 and 2021, more than 60 cases in the United States involved someone being investigated, arrested or charged for allegedly ending their own pregnancy or assisting someone else, according to an analysis by If/When/How, a reproductive justice nonprofit. If/When/How estimates the number of cases may be much higher.... A number of those cases have hinged on text messages, search history and other forms of digital evidence."

Beyond the Beltway

Ohio. Andres Simakis, et al., of the Washington Post: "Police released body-camera footage Sunday showing officers firing dozens of rounds at a Black man who left his car while fleeing a traffic stop one week ago, a killing that has sparked outrage, investigations and demands for accountability. Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett said he did not know the exact number of rounds fired at Jayland Walker, 25. But, Mylett added, the medical examiner's report indicates more than 60 wounds on Walker's body.... Evidence indicates that Walker had fired a gun during the car chase, Mylett said.... Among the images polic displayed Sunday were those of a gun that they said they found in his car, beside a loaded magazine.... Police tried to stop Walker's Buick about 12:30 a.m. June 27 for investigation of an unspecified traffic violation and chased him when he did not pull over, the Akron Police Department said. Shortly after an officer said he heard a gunshot come from the Buick, Walker jumped out of the car and ran into a parking lot, with officers following -- and eventually firing."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Ukrainian forces on Sunday announced their withdrawal from the eastern city of Lysychansk -- their final foothold in the Luhansk region -- in a crucial loss that gives Moscow access to capture much of the rest of eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military said continued defense of the city would have fatal consequences, given the Russian troops' 'advantage' in 'artillery, aviation, ammunition and personnel.' President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed in his nightly address that Ukraine would return to Lysychansk.... Russia on Sunday shelled several cities in the Donetsk region, which neighbors Luhansk. In the town of Slovyansk, six people were killed and 20 wounded, officials said.... Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday expressed shock at the destruction in Ukraine during his first visit to the country. He was taken to Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, where Russian forces were accused of deliberately killing civilians and other war crimes." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Monday are here.

Thomas Gibbons-Neff, et al., of the New York Times: "The last major city held by Ukraine in the heavily contested eastern province of Luhansk has fallen, military officials on both sides said Sunday, giving Moscow a milestone victory in its campaign to capture the Donbas, the mineral-rich region bordering Russia that has long been in President Vladimir V. Putin's sights. The industrial city of Lysychansk, on a rise overlooking the Siversky Donets River, had held out for a week after Russia seized control of Sievierodonetsk, its twin city across the river. But as Russia inundated Lysychansk with artillery fire and strangled its supply lines, building on months of bombardment and weeks of ferocious street fighting that reduced both cities to grayed-out husks, Ukrainian defenders were forced to retreat.... Western military analysts had expressed little doubt that Moscow would eventually prevail in the twin cities, but with their loss undeniable, pressure redoubled on the United States and its allies to get the more powerful weapons they have promised Ukraine to the front."

News Lede

AP: "At least six people died and 24 were wounded in a shooting at a July Fourth parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, and officers are searching for a suspect who likely fired on the festivities from a rooftop, police said Monday. Highland Park Police Commander Chris O'Neill, the incident commander on scene, urged people to shelter in place as authorities search for the suspect. Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference that the gunman apparently opened fire on parade-goers from a rooftop using a 'high-powered rifle' that was recovered at the scene.&" The report has been updated. ~~~

     ~~~ According to CNN, the shooter is believed to be a white male, aged 18-20. ~~~

     ~~~ New York Times live updates of developments are here. @ about 6:04 p.m. ET: ** "Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said at a news conference that the police are looking for Robert E. Crimo III, 22, in connection with the shooting. He is believed to be driving a 2010 silver Honda Fit with Illinois license plates, Covelli said, and is 'from the area' and goes by the name 'Bobby.'" ~~~

     ~~~ ** 17:52 pm ET, Highland Park police gave a brief news conference & said police had located the suspect in his vehicle in Lake Forest, a suburb not far from Highland Park; the suspect left his car & a brief chase ensued after which the police took him into custody & arrested him. I'll get up a real news report ASAP. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the initial NYT update: "Chief Lou Jogmen of the Highland Park Police said that Crimo had been spotted in his car by a North Chicago police unit. When the police tried to stop him, Crimo fled, leading officers on a brief chase, before they were able to stop him and take him into custody, Jogmen said. Crimo was being taken to the Highland Park Police Department, he said."

     ~~~ Marie: In almost every mass murder, there are multiple mass murderers, too, or at least accessories before the fact: the Second Amendment fetishists in Congress & statehouses who regard their gun lobby money as way more important than the lives of innocent Americans. Ditto the Supremes for their support. I wonder if Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) thinks shooting parade-goers from a rooftop is a lot like shooting prairie dogs on the back 40.