March 20, 2023

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Zeke Miller of the AP: "President Joe Biden issued the first veto of his presidency Monday in an early sign of shifting White House relations with the new Congress since Republicans took control of the House in January.... Biden sought to kill a Republican-authored measure that would ban the government from considering environmental impacts or potential lawsuits when making investment decisions for people's retirement plans. In a video released by the White House, Biden said he vetoed the measure because it 'put at risk the retirement savings of individuals across the country.' His first veto represents a more confrontational approach at the midway of Biden's term in office, as he faces a GOP-controlled House that is eager to undo parts of his policy legacy and investigate his administration and his family."

Dalel Mawad, et al., of CNN: "Two no-confidence votes against French President Emmanuel Macron's government have failed in the country's parliament, clearing the way for his hugely unpopular pension reforms to be implemented and sparking new protests in Paris. The government triggered special constitutional powers last Thursday to push through controversial legislation that would raise the age of retirement from 62 to 64 for most workers. Lawmakers critical of the move called the no-confidence votes that were held on Monday. The first motion was brought forward by the small parliamentary group 'LIOT,' which represents various small parties, and was seen as the most likely of the two to threaten the government. It received 278 votes -- just nine short of the 287 majority needed to pass. The second vote -- tabled last week by far-right party National Rally -- drew less support, with only 94 lawmakers voting in favor. The government's narrow survival will exacerbates the legitimacy crisis that Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne's cabinet and Macron's presidency are facing."

Alan Feuer & Zach Montague of the New York Times: "Four people who marched with the Oath Keepers militia into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were convicted on Monday of conspiracy to obstruct the work of Congress, bringing an end to the third and final trial examining the role that members of the far-right group played in the attack. The four defendants -- Sandra Parker, Laura Steele, Connie Meggs and William Isaacs -- were also found guilty of an array of other charges, including destruction of government property and conspiracy to prevent members of Congress from discharging their duties by certifying the results of the 2020 election. Two other people charged in the case -- Ms. Parker's husband, Bennie Parker, and Michael Greene, a close associate of Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers -- avoided conviction on conspiracy charges, but were both found guilty of illegally entering and remaining on the Capitol grounds."

Don Lemon & Jason Morris of CNN: "Atlanta-area prosecutors are considering bringing racketeering and conspiracy charges in connection with Donald Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. Investigators have a large volume of substantial evidence related to a possible conspiracy from inside and outside the state, including recordings of phone calls, emails, text messages, documents, and testimony before a special grand jury. Their work, the source said, underscores the belief that the push to help Trump was not just a grassroots effort that originated inside the state." ~~~

~~~ Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "Lawyers for ... Donald J. Trump filed a motion in a Georgia court on Monday seeking to quash the final report of a special grand jury that investigated whether Mr. Trump and some of his allies interfered in the 2020 election results in Georgia. The motion also seeks to 'preclude the use of any evidence derived' from the report, and asks that the office of Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, be disqualified from the case." MB: Waah, waaah, waaaah. Good luck with this one, Donald. You're just aggravating the judge who has to rule on such a waste-of-time motion.

Soros, Soros, Soros. Natasha Korecki of NBC News: "After remaining silent over the weekend, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took shots at the 'Soros-funded prosecutor' in Manhattan involved in an ongoing hush money case against ... Donald Trump. 'I have no interest in getting involved in some manufactured circus by some Soros-DA,' DeSantis said at a news conference Monday, referring to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. 'He's trying to do a political spectacle. He's trying to virtue signal for his base. I've got real issues I got to deal with here in the state of Florida. I don't know what's going to happen but I do know this: the Manhattan district attorney is a Soros-funded prosecutor,' he added." MB: Have you got that now? A Jewish man has funded a Black D.A., see. And that can only be bad news. (I have no idea if Bragg received a political contribution from Soros or from a Soros-funded PAC. And I'm not going to look it up, because I really, really don't care.)

Kylie Atwood of CNN: "An American aid worker who was kidnapped in Niger more than six years ago and held hostage by terrorists has been released, President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan tweeted on Monday. 'I'm gratified & relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in captivity. The U.S. thanks Niger for its help in bringing him home to all who miss & love him. I thank so many across our government who've worked tirelessly toward securing his freedom,' Sullivan tweeted. Jeffery Woodke is now being offered support and transport. He was released outside of Niger in the Mali-Burkina Faso area, [a senior administration] official said."

~~~~~~~~~~

Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post: "President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call on Sunday that democratic values -- including 'genuine checks and balances' -- had to remain a pillar of the U.S.-Israel relationship, a veiled warning to Netanyahu about his incendiary plan to overhaul the country's judicial system. During the phone call between the two leaders, Biden expressed 'concern' about Netanyahu's plan in a 'candid and constructive conversation' that lasted about 45 minutes, according to a senior administration official...."

DOJ Tries to Curtail Judge-Shopping. Perry Stein of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department has challenged three high-profile lawsuits filed in Texas against Biden administration policies, accusing state politicians of choosing small, conservative federal court divisions that have little relevance to their cases but nearly guarantee them a sympathetic judge. It's part of the administration's first concerted effort to fight what some legal experts say is a growing problem of 'forum shopping' -- a strategy in which plaintiffs are alleged to cherry-pick judges they want to hear their cases, bucking the random assignment of judges that is considered a tenet of the American legal system. One of the requests was denied. The other two are pending. In the fall, the Justice Department succeeded in convincing a Texas judge in a fourth case -- involving a death-row prisoner -- that he had no jurisdiction to rule on the matter.... Even the perception of judge shopping, the federal government argued, could erode public trust in the justice system.... Most federal court divisions across the country include multiple judges, who are assigned at random to cases as they are filed.... [But] according to legal experts, the opportunity to judge shop in Texas is unique because of just how many single-judge divisions there are, most of them in rural, heavily Republican areas."

The Woes of Trump, Ctd.

So Much Crime, (So Little Time). Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The investigations [into Donald Trump's various (alleged!) criminal acts] are confronting prosecutors with tough choices. They must decide whether and how to charge not just Mr. Trump, but also associates who could face jeopardy for actions to which he was not a direct party.... The publicly known understanding of the evidence is incomplete. It is not clear, for example, in several instances what facts investigators have been able to gather about Mr. Trump's personal knowledge, directions and intentions related to several of the matters. Here is a look at some of the criminal laws that different prosecutors appear to be weighing and how they might apply to Mr. Trump's actions." ~~~

~~~ Apparently some MAGA Republicans can learn: ~~~

~~~ Eric Tucker & Michael Kunzelman of the AP: "... Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap. The ambivalence raises questions about whether Trump, though a leading Republican contender in the 2024 presidential race who retains a devoted following, still has the power to mobilize far-right supporters the way he did ... before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It also suggests that the hundreds of arrests that followed the Capitol riot, not to mention the convictions and long prison sentences, may have dampened the desire for repeat mass unrest.... The New York Young Republican Club has announced plans for a protest at an undisclosed location in Manhattan on Monday, and incendiary but isolated posts surfaced on fringe social media platforms from supporters calling for an armed confrontation with law enforcement at Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. But ... there were few signs his appeal had inspired his supporters to organize and rally around an event like the Jan. 6 gathering."

Olivia Beavers & Jordain Carney of Politico: "Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday pushed back on Donald Trump's calls for protests if he is ultimately indicted.... 'I don't think people should protest this, no,' McCarthy told reporters during [at press conference held] the first night of the House GOP's three-day annual issues retreat. 'We want calmness out there.'... But the top House Republican sought to smooth over Trump's wording, in a throwback to a frequent GOP tactic during his four years in the White House, suggesting he likely meant to 'educate' people about the actions by [Manhattan D.A. Alvin] Bragg. '... He's not talking in a harmful way, and nobody should.'" MB: Hey, kids, are you educated yet?

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "... the frenzied posts from [Donald] Trump reflected his deep panic and anxiety over the imminence and likelihood of criminal charges..., the sources said, not least because he is powerless to stop the district attorney's office from moving forward with a case that will take the US into new legal territory as Trump revs up his 2024 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Trump and his allies have suggested in recent days that an indictment in the hush money case could benefit him politically..., but it is also true that Trump himself is deeply fearful of criminal charges. Trump discussed the hush money case every day last week.... Trump has expressed interest in appearing in person at the Manhattan criminal court, where he believes he can turn proceedings into a spectacle before a gaggle of reporters, sources said, and raised the prospect on Saturday afternoon...."

Jonathan Swan & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's political operation is trying to use the news of his expected indictment by a Manhattan grand jury to turn the strident base of the Republican Party against his expected rival for the 2024 presidential nomination, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. Immediately after the former president predicted on Saturday that his arrest was imminent, Mr. Trump's operatives and friendly media outlets began publicly pressuring Mr. DeSantis to condemn the law enforcement officials in New York, portraying his silence on the matter as bordering on treason.... An aide to Mr. DeSantis did not respond to a request for comment.... Nikki Haley, the former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor who entered the presidential race last month, and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina have not said a word."

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "A Manhattan grand jury that is expected to vote soon on whether to indict Donald J. Trump may hear testimony Monday attacking the prosecution's star witness, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The testimony would come from a lawyer, Robert J. Costello, who would appear at the request of Mr. Trump's lawyers, the people said. Mr. Costello was once a legal adviser to Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump's former fixer, who has been a key witness for the Manhattan district attorney's office. Mr. Costello and Mr. Cohen had a falling out, and Mr. Costello would appear solely to undermine Mr. Cohen's credibility, the people said.... Mr. Trump's lawyers have asked that Mr. Costello testify, but the final decision rests with the grand jury; it is unclear whether they have made a decision." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: At about the same time the linked NYT story above dropped, Michael Cohen appeared on MSNBC & said that the Manhattan D.A.'s office has asked him to be available Monday to appear as a "rebuttal" witness before the grand jury. Cohen did not know (or did not reveal) any details, including whose testimony he might be called upon to rebut. An NBC story, which mirrors the NYT & AP reports, is here. It does not mentions Cohen's appearance on MSNBC but includes video of the MSNBC interview (I guess; the video never loaded for me).

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Marcy Wheeler: "... on Saturday morning, on his failing social media platform, [Donald Trump] tweeted out incitement that included the following, in all caps: An unsubstantiated claim about illegal leaks probably based on Fox News reporting about efforts to prepare for potential violence as a response to a Trump indictment next week; An attack on Alvin Bragg's record on crime; A claim Bragg is funded by George Soros, the kind of coded antisemitism Trump is including in virtually all his communications these days; An assertion that he would be charged on something that 'numerous other prosecutors!' had debunked as a fairy tale; An overstatement of the degree to which he is leading in polls and an admission that he is the 'former' President; A day, Tuesday, when he would be 'arrested' A call to 'protest,' invoking one of the same cries used to incite a coup attempt on January 6, 'take our country back.'

"The response was almost instantaneous, with one after another journalist screen-capping the tweet in its entirety.... It's like Pavlov's dogs, pure reflexive behavior at this point: The more incendiary Trump's tweets, the more quickly journalists rush to disseminate them unfiltered on Twitter.... The most newsworthy detail in Trump's tweet (beyond the incitement) -- the day he would be charged -- was just made up, a guess based off the same information all the rest of us have.... Trump's team simply guessed what day he'll be charged so as to make a call to fight newsworthy enough for kneejerk journalists to help it go viral for him.... He made the presidential race about him again, exclusively about him.... Finally, all this was done without any mention of the actual facts of the case."

Ken Meyer of Mediaite: "Former Vice President Mike Pence faced an intense interview from ABC News's Jon Karl -- during which he was forced to directly respond to Donald Trump defending his supporters who wanted to hunt him down and execute him.... In one part of the conversation, Karl asked Pence about Trump attempting to blame him for the siege Trump's supporters launched on the U.S. Capitol.... [After Pence responded,] Karl followed up by rolling audio from an interview he conducted with Trump back in 2021 -- during which Trump defended the Capitol rioters chanting 'Hang Mike Pence' because the vice president refused Trump's unconstitutional demand that he overturn his 2020 election defeat.... [Pence responded,] '... There is no excuse for the violence that took place at the Capitol on January 6th, and I'll never diminish it as long as I live....'" Includes video of the interview. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Sunday called on Congress to lift the federal insurance levels for bank deposits above $250,000, a week after the Biden administration announced it would protect all depositors at Silicon Valley Bank, regardless of how much money they had in the failing institution. Currently, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, insures only up to $250,000 in deposits at banks. On CBS's 'Face the Nation,' Warren, a member of the Senate Banking Committee and a commercial and bankruptcy law expert, suggested raising that figure to anywhere from $2 million to $10 million. 'Small businesses need to be able to count on getting their money to make payroll, to pay the utility bills,' she said. 'Nonprofits need to be able to do that. These are not folks who can investigate the safety and soundness of their individual banks. That's the job the regulators are supposed to do.'"

The Fed Repeatedly Warned SVB It Had Serious Weaknesses. Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Silicon Valley Bank's risky practices were on the Federal Reserve's radar for more than a year -- an awareness that proved insufficient to stop the bank's demise. The Fed repeatedly warned the bank that it had problems, according to a person familiar with the matter. In 2021, a Fed review of the growing bank found serious weaknesses in how it was handling key risks. Supervisors at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, which oversaw Silicon Valley Bank, issued six citations. Those warnings, known as 'matters requiring attention' and 'matters requiring immediate attention,' flagged that the firm was doing a bad job of ensuring that it would have enough easy-to-tap cash on hand in the event of trouble. But the bank did not fix its vulnerabilities. By July 2022, Silicon Valley Bank was in a full supervisory review -- getting a more careful look -- and was ultimately rated deficient for governance and controls. It was placed under a set of restrictions that prevented it from growing through acquisitions.... It became clear to the Fed that the firm was using bad models to determine how its business would fare as the central bank raised rates.... By early 2023..., [a Fed] checkup identified additional deficiencies -- but at that point, the bank's days were numbered." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Andrew Sorkin, et al., of the New York Times: "UBS has agreed to buy Credit Suisse, its beleaguered rival, the Swiss government said on Sunday, in a hastily arranged deal meant to shore up the global financial sector after a week of turmoil. Swiss government leaders and regulators said that the deal was the most effective way of reassuring investors after Credit Suisse's shares tumbled following the implosion of Silicon Valley Bank earlier this month.... Credit Suisse's troubles were largely of its own making, tied to years of scandals and financial missteps that have cost it billions of dollars in trading losses and legal fines." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

New York. Althea Legaspi of Rolling Stone, republished by Yahoo! Entertainment: "A man was arrested outside 'Drag Story Hour NYC' hosted by New York Attorney General Letitia James on Sunday following a clash between more than 100 protesters, New York Post reports.... [The] event took place at The Center, an LGBTQ+ community center on West 13th Street, where video footage shows a man in a gold mask being arrested outside after protesters purportedly clashed over drag performers reading stories to kids, and tax dollars helping fund the event.... Video appearing to be filmed from outside the event depicts at least one person wearing a far-right Proud Boys sweatshirt who was in attendance and was told to 'get the fuck out of here' by opposing protesters. The man was joined by another, who appeared to have blood on his face...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: All I could find about this altercation came from poorly-written stories. As nearly as I can tell, the Proud Boys got in an altercation with supporters of the event, and the Proud Boys got the worst of it. I don't know what the Proud Boys expected; they were in the West Village, for pete's sake, not far from the Stonewall Inn. I'm totally against violence, of course, but I'm not all that broken up about drag queen supporters getting the better of a gang of bigots.

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

The Guardian's live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.

The New York Times is liveblogging developments in Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow. the Washington Post's live updates are here.

March 19, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Andrew Sorkin, et al., of the New York Times: "UBS has agreed to buy Credit Suisse, its beleaguered rival, the Swiss government said on Sunday, in a hastily arranged deal meant to shore up the global financial sector after a week of turmoil. Swiss government leaders and regulators said that the deal was the most effective way of reassuring investors after Credit Suisse's shares tumbled following the implosion of Silicon Valley Bank earlier this month.... Credit Suisse's troubles were largely of its own making, tied to years of scandals and financial missteps that have cost it billions of dollars in trading losses and legal fines."

The Fed Repeatedly Warned SVB It Had Serious Weaknesses. Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Silicon Valley Bank's risky practices were on the Federal Reserve's radar for more than a year -- an awareness that proved insufficient to stop the bank's demise. The Fed repeatedly warned the bank that it had problems, according to a person familiar with the matter. In 2021, a Fed review of the growing bank found serious weaknesses in how it was handling key risks. Supervisors at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, which oversaw Silicon Valley Bank, issued six citations. Those warnings, known as 'matters requiring attention' and 'matters requiring immediate attention,' flagged that the firm was doing a bad job of ensuring that it would have enough easy-to-tap cash on hand in the event of trouble. But the bank did not fix its vulnerabilities. By July 2022, Silicon Valley Bank was in a full supervisory review -- getting a more careful look -- and was ultimately rated deficient for governance and controls. It was placed under a set of restrictions that prevented it from growing through acquisitions.... It became clear to the Fed that the firm was using bad models to determine how its business would fare as the central bank raised rates.... By early 2023..., [a Fed] checkup identified additional deficiencies -- but at that point, the bank's days were numbered."

Ken Meyer of Mediaite: "Former Vice President Mike Pence faced an intense interview from ABC News's Jon Karl -- during which he was forced to directly respond to Donald Trump defending his supporters who wanted to hunt him down and execute him.... In one part of the conversation, Karl asked Pence about Trump attempting to blame him for the siege Trump's supporters launched on the U.S. Capitol.... [After Pence responded,] Karl followed up by rolling audio from an interview he conducted with Trump back in 2021 -- during which Trump defended the Capitol rioters chanting 'Hang Mike Pence' because the vice president refused Trump's unconstitutional demand that he overturn his 2020 election defeat.... [Pence responded,] '... There is no excuse for the violence that took place at the Capitol on January 6th, and I'll never diminish it as long as I live....'" Includes video of the interview.

Marie: Michael Cohen said on MSNBC that the Manhattan D.A.'s office has asked him to be available Monday to appear as a "rebuttal" witness before the grand jury. Cohen did not know (or did not reveal) any details, but MSNBC commentators have hypothesized that Trump's attorneys have brought a witness (or witnesses) before the grand jury to try to disprove some of the prosecutor's case. I'll put up a link to a print story if one becomes available. ~~~

     ~~~ Ah, the Explanation. Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "A Manhattan grand jury that is expected to vote soon on whether to indict Donald J. Trump may hear testimony Monday attacking the prosecution's star witness, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The testimony would come from a lawyer, Robert J. Costello, who would appear at the request of Mr. Trump's lawyers, the people said. Mr. Costello was once a legal adviser to Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump's former fixer, who has been a key witness for the Manhattan district attorney's office. Mr. Costello and Mr. Cohen had a falling out, and Mr. Costello would appear solely to undermine Mr. Cohen's credibility, the people said.... Mr. Trump's lawyers have asked that Mr. Costello testify, but the final decision rests with the grand jury; it is unclear whether they have made a decision."

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** Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "... Donald Trump said Saturday [in an Untruth Social post that] he expects to be arrested in connection with the investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney next week and called for protests as a result. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump, referring to himself, said the 'leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week.... Protest, take our nation back,' he wrote.... Trump's US Secret Service detail would deliver him to the Manhattan district attorney's office for fingerprinting and then taking mugshots in offices of the district attorney's detective squad. As is customary in cases where a defendant is allowed to voluntarily surrender, after arrest processing, the former president would be brought directly to an arraignment before a judge where he would likely be released on his own recognizance.... Another witness is expected to testify Monday before the grand jury investigating the hush money payments, according to a source familiar with the investigation. It is not clear whether this would be the final witness before it votes on a possible indictment." This was a developing story at 9 am ET Saturday, and I have quoted a few parts of the story added later Saturday. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As usual, Trump behaves in a dangerous & completely irresponsible. As Rep. Maxine Waters said on MSNBC Saturday morning, "it's almost as if he is organizing domestic terrorists to protest his arrest." Andrew Weissmann, also appearing on MSNBC a few minutes later, noted that Trump did not urge his fans to protest "peacefully" and that the "take out nation back" language is particularly provocative. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ According to MSNBC, the Manhattan D.A.'s office or other officials have not formally notified Trump of his impending arrest, and Trump has made his remarks based on leaks (or as Trump put it, "ILLEGAL LEAKS") & public reporting. Garrett Haake of NBC News says Trump is trying to scoop his own arrest. ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: “Mr. Trump made the declaration on Truth Social at 7:26. a.m., in a post written in all capital letters.... There was no immediate indication as to why the former president appeared confident that he would be arrested Tuesday. People with knowledge of the matter have said that at least one more witness is expected to testify in front of the grand jury.... Three people close to Mr. Trump said that the former president's team had no specific knowledge about when an indictment might come or when an arrest could be anticipated. One of those people ... said that Mr. Trump's advisers' best guess was that it could happen around Tuesday, and that someone may have relayed that to him, but that they also had made clear to one another that they didn't know a specific time frame.... Mr. Trump's post urging his supporters to 'PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!' carried unmistakable echoes of the incendiary messages he posted online in the weeks before the attack on the Capitol." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Erica Orden of Politico: "Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg offered a private retort to Donald Trump's message Saturday urging supporters to protest his expected indictment, telling office employees in an email that 'we do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.'... In his email, Bragg didn't identify Trump by name, referring only to the 'public comments surrounding an ongoing investigation by this office.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: Donald Trump's "language [in his Untruth Social text], along with a fundraising pitch sent out by his 2024 presidential campaign, echoed rhetoric that Trump used in advance of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.... 'MANHATTAN D.A. COULD BE CLOSE TO CHARGING TRUMP,' one pitch Saturday morning read. 'Patriot -- With the Deep State gunning for President Trump with phony witch hunts like never before, we had to be sure you saw the *private and secure* message he wrote for YOU....' Secret Service officials were caught by surprise Saturday morning by Trump's post predicting a Tuesday arrest.... Trump wrote a second post on Truth Social later in the day calling on his supporters to 'PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST' in what appeared to be complaints about the Biden presidency. The Secret Service officials also expect that the district attorney's office would negotiate terms under which Trump could voluntarily turn himself in. The lawyers have provided no such notification.... Trump also wants to force Republicans to defend him against the investigation publicly.... A Trump-aligned PAC, MAGA Inc., sent a news release tracking which of Trump's fellow 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls had come to his defense and which had not." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The WashPo report makes clear that Trump made up the Tuesday arrest date (which is not to say it couldn't happen on or about Tuesday), and his posts were designed to rile his base into another revolutionary fervor and to fundraise. The fact that the grand jury still has at least one more witness to hear Monday means that they almost certainly have not yet formally recommended charges. ~~~

     ~~~ Scoop! Marie: I don't know how he did it, but Akhilleus has managed to come up with Donald Trump's prepared statement, to be delivered from a Manhattan jail. The text appears at the top of today's Comments, along with a parallel excerpt from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail. ~~~

~~~ The Chickens Come Home to Root (for Trump). Guardian & Agencies: "Top Republicans, including some of Donald Trump's potential rivals for the party's 2024 presidential nomination, rushed to his defence after the former president said he expected to be arrested next week." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Why isn't it obvious to everyone that a person who can't stand up to Trump can't stand up to Putin, Xi and other anti-American leaders? Would this be so hard?: "President* Trump believes he will be indicted in New York City. In our great American justice system, everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. That is, of course, my presumption, too. President Trump, like all American citizens, will get his day in court." But none of Trump's potential rivals for the presidency* has the guts to put out even a mealy-mouthed statement like that.

~~~ Minnyvonne Burke & Julie Tsirkin of NBC News: "House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and several MAGA Republicans rallied around Donald Trump on Saturday ahead of the former president's possible indictment by a Manhattan grand jury.... 'Here we go again -- an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,' McCarthy wrote in a tweet. 'I'm directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions,' McCarthy added." MB: You know, Kevin, that sounds to me an awful lot like jury tampering, jury-pool tampering and attempting to impede the course of justice. But I'm not a lawyer. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Gerrit DeVynck, et al., of the Washington Post (March 17): "Donald Trump posted on Facebook and YouTube on Friday for the first time since the platforms had suspended him following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol -- and just hours after YouTube lifted the suspension. 'I'M BACK!' the former president announced on both platforms, accompanied by a video clip from CNN from when he was elected president.... YouTube said in a tweet it had 'carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence while balancing the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election.'" MB: YouTube's statement is particularly ironic -- and shortsighted -- in light of the "risk of real-world violence" Trump generated only hours later.

Spencer Hsu, et al., of the Washington Post: Washington, D.C.'s "federal court system is bracing for many years more of trials stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, with new charges possible against as many as 1,000 more people.... 'It's an enormous, enormous case and, by almost any measure, the largest case the Justice Department has ever had,' said Randall Eliason, a former federal prosecutor.... Eliason said that while the riot cases may be about halfway over, there are indications some of the other branches of the investigation -- like the false electors scheme or efforts to use Justice Department officials to undo the election results -- appear to be further along, because the witnesses now being subpoenaed include some of the most thorny legal matters and the people closest to ... Donald Trump." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Too bad the rubes don't recognize the high cost of investigating, charging, trying, sentencing & jailing the January 6 "patriots," another legacy of Trump's presidency*.

Devlin Barrett & Julian Mark of the Washington Post (March 17): "The Justice Department and FBI have been investigating the company that owns TikTok, the popular video application that is coming under increasing criticism from the U.S. government, according to people familiar with the matter. At issue is whether ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, may have violated any laws by inappropriately gathering the data of some of its users, including journalists who cover technology companies.... It was not clear what potential federal crimes were at issue, but the Justice Department's fraud section is involved in the investigation...."

Elizabeth Williamson & Emily Steel New York Times: "The Infowars conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones, who faces more than $1.4 billion in legal damages for defaming the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, has devised a new way to taunt them: wriggling out of paying them the money they are owed. Mr. Jones, who has an estimated net worth as high as $270 million, declared both business and personal bankruptcy last year as the families won historic verdicts in two lawsuits over his lies about the 2012 shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators.... A New York Times review of financial documents and court records filed over the past year found that Mr. Jones has transferred millions of dollars in property, cash and business deals to family and friends, including to a new company run by his former personal trainer, all potentially out of reach of creditors. He has also spent heavily on luxuries.... 'If anybody thinks they're shutting me down, they're mistaken,' Mr. Jones said on his new podcast last month.... Mr. Jones's continued obfuscation about his net worth has given him leverage over the families, who are also fighting an American bankruptcy system that makes the survival of businesses a priority and has so far given Mr. Jones an advantage in court."

The October Surprise. Peter Baker of the New York Times on how, in 1980, former Texas Gov. John Connolly (R) went on a mission to the Middle East to sabotage President Jimmy Carter's re-election. Ben Barnes, then a prominent young Texas Democratic politician, accompanied Connolly & now tells all. "Mr. Connally, he said, took him to one Middle Eastern capital after another that summer, meeting with a host of regional leaders to deliver a blunt message to be passed to Iran: Don't release the hostages before the election. [Ronald] Reagan will win and give you a better deal. Then shortly after returning home, Mr. Barnes said, Mr. Connally reported to William J. Casey, the chairman of Mr. Reagan's campaign and later director of the Central Intelligence Agency, briefing him about the trip in an airport lounge. Mr. Carter's camp has long suspected that Mr. Casey or someone else in Mr Reagan's orbit sought to secretly torpedo efforts to liberate the hostages before the election, and books have been written on what came to be called the October surprise."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Ukraine, et al.

The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "Russian forces sent 16 Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack Ukrainian facilities around Kyiv and western parts of the country overnight on Saturday, according to Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat. Ukrainian forces struck down 11 of the 16 drones, he added, despite poor nighttime visibility.... A Black Sea grain deal between Russia and Ukraine was extended on Saturday, although the two parties gave differing accounts for how long it would last: 60 or 120 days, respectively." ~~~

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

Putin Thumbs His Nose at the ICC. AP: "Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula's annexation from Ukraine on Saturday, the day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes. Putin visited an art school and a children's center that are part of a project to develop a historical park on the site of an ancient Greek colony, Russian state news agencies said. The ICC accused him Friday of bearing personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion of the neighboring country that started almost 13 months ago." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Andrés Martínez & Ivan Nechepurenko New York Times: "resident Vladimir V. Putin of Russia traveled to Mariupol, a Ukrainian city his forces captured after a devastating siege, in a defiant and highly symbolic move that came two days after an international court issued a warrant for his arrest.... It was Mr. Putin's second unannounced trip of the weekend to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, and the closest the Russian leader has been to the front lines since the full-scale invasion last February. His trip on Saturday to Crimea was timed to coincide with the ninth anniversary of Russia's illegal annexation of the peninsula."

Francesca Ebel of the Washington Post: "... a flood of new videos ... have surfaced since mid-February, in which recent Russian conscripts have complained about how they are being sent to fight and die on the front lines in Ukraine, using phrases such as 'criminal orders' and 'senseless assaults.' One Russian media outlet, Vyorstka, calculated that in one month, recruits from at least 16 regions across Russia have appeared in videos appealing for Putin's intervention. Scores of conscripts say they are being forced to storm Ukrainian positions as part of Russia's eastern offensive, without sufficient training, ammunition or weapons.... The flurry of videos signals that the problems that plagued Russia&'s invasion throughout its first year are far from resolved, and they offer further evidence that Moscow is relying on a grim tactic of sending waves of soldiers to certain death to soften up Ukrainian positions, ahead of sending in elite, experienced fighters to then gain ground."

March 18, 2023

Morning Update:

Putin Thumbs His Nose at the ICC. AP: "Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula's annexation from Ukraine on Saturday, the day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes. Putin visited an art school and a children's center that are part of a project to develop a historical park on the site of an ancient Greek colony, Russian state news agencies said. The ICC accused him Friday of bearing personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion of the neighboring country that started almost 13 months ago."

Minnyvonne Burke & Julie Tsirkin of NBC News: "House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and several MAGA Republicans rallied around Donald Trump on Saturday ahead of the former president's possible indictment by a Manhattan grand jury.... 'Here we go again -- an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,' McCarthy wrote in a tweet. 'I'm directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions,' McCarthy added." MB: You know, Kevin, that sounds to me an awful lot like jury tampering, jury-pool tampering and attempting to impede the course of justice. But I'm not a lawyer.

** Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "... Donald Trump said Saturday [in a fake Twitter post that] he expects to be arrested in connection with the investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney next week and called for protests as a result. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump, referring to himself, said the 'leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week.... Protest, take our nation back,' he wrote.... Trump's US Secret Service detail would deliver him to the Manhattan district attorney's office for fingerprinting and then taking mugshots in offices of the district attorney's detective squad. As is customary in cases where a defendant is allowed to voluntarily surrender, after arrest processing, the former president would be brought directly to an arraignment before a judge where he would likely be released on his own recognizance." This is a developing story at 9 am ET. MB: As usual, Trump behaves in a dangerous & completely irresponsible. As Rep. Maxine Waters said on MSNBC, "it's almost as if he is organizing domestic terrorists to protest his arrest." Andrew Weissmann, also appearing on MSNBC, noted that Trump did not urge his fans to protest "peacefully" and that the "take out nation back" language is particularly provocative. ~~~

     ~~~ According to MSNBC, the Manhattan D.A.'s office or other officials have not formally notified Trump of his impending arrest, and Trump has made his remarks based on leaks (or as Trump put it, "ILLEGAL LEAKS") & public reporting. Garrett Haake of NBC News says Trump is trying to scoop his own arrest. ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump made the declaration on Truth Social at 7:26. a.m., in a post written in all capital letters.... There was no immediate indication as to why the former president appeared confident that he would be arrested Tuesday. People with knowledge of the matter have said that at least one more witness is expected to testify in front of the grand jury.... Three people close to Mr. Trump said that the former president's team had no specific knowledge about when an indictment might come or when an arrest could be anticipated. One of those people ... said that Mr. Trump's advisers' best guess was that it could happen around Tuesday, and that someone may have relayed that to him, but that they also had made clear to one another that they didn't know a specific time frame.... Mr. Trump's post urging his supporters to 'PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!' carried unmistakable echoes of the incendiary messages he posted online in the weeks before the attack on the Capitol."

~~~~~~~~~~

A Pocketful of Shamrocks. Michael Shear of the New York Times: "Friday evening, [President] Biden hosted a shamrock presentation and reception at the White House for ... Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, or taoiseach and others..., capping a day celebrating the Irish.... Mr. Biden is only the second Irish Catholic to occupy the White House, after John F. Kennedy.... But the current president may be the most unabashedly proud of his Irish roots, saying often that he got his 'Irish values' from his mother, who told him to treat people with respect and dignity.... He has also been an ardent supporter of the efforts to secure peace in Northern Ireland. The treaty that created the framework for that peace, known as the Good Friday Agreement, turns 25 years old this year and will serve as the reason for Mr. Biden's first visit to Ireland as president in April.... The president was introduced at the luncheon by its host, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, another Irish American politician and Mr. Biden's chief adversary in Washington...." More on Kevin's St. Patrick's Day blarney linked below.

Today in Trumpy Fraud News

Jared Gans of the Hill: "An attorney for Donald Trump says the former president would not refuse to surrender to authorities if he is indicted in the Manhattan district attorney's probe into a hush-money deal from his 2016 presidential run. 'There won't be a standoff at Mar-a-Lago with Secret Service and the Manhattan DA's office,' Joe Tacopina told The New York Daily News." MB: Sounds like an effort to preempt a traditional perp walk, which -- to my great disappointment -- is unlikely to occur.

Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: "A federal judge has at least partially granted a request from U.S. prosecutors to force an attorney for Donald Trump to testify before a grand jury about the former president's possession of classified documents after leaving office, according to two people briefed on the decision. The lawyer, Evan Corcoran, had refused to answer investigators' questions about his interactions with Trump, invoking attorney-client privilege.... U.S. prosecutors argued that there are exceptions to the privilege, including when there is evidence that a client used the attorney's legal services in furtherance of a crime. In secret court filings and a hearing held behind closed doors last week, people familiar with the matter said, prosecutors sought to show Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell of Washington that there were grounds for a 'crime-fraud exception.' Howell agreed.... Trump's team is expected to ask incoming Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, who succeeds the term-limited Howell as of midnight Saturday, to stay her order while they appeal, the people familiar with the matter said." CNN's report is here. The New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Thief-in-Chief. (Allegedly)!) Jacqueline Alemany & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Federal officials cannot find two gifts received by ... Donald Trump and his family from foreign nations, including a life-size painting of Trump from the president of El Salvador and golf clubs from the Japanese prime minister, according to a new report from House Democrats. The gifts are among more than 100 foreign gifts -- with a total value of nearly $300,000 -- that Trump and his family failed to report to the State Department in violation of federal law, according to the report, which cites government records and emails. The 15-page report, a result of a year-long investigation by the House Oversight Committee..., revealed that the Trump family did not disclose dozens of gifts from countries that are not U.S. allies or have a complicated relationship with Washington. That includes 16 gifts from Saudi Arabia..., 17 gifts from India..., and at least five gifts from China. Trump reported zero gifts entirely the final year of his presidency, according to the report....

"Trump repeatedly told advisers that gifts given to him during the presidency were his and did not belong to the federal government, former chief of staff John F. Kelly and other aides have previously told The Washington Post.... Any gifts to the Trump family that were not memorialized in written communications by administration officials could still be outstanding. Republicans did not appear to participate in the investigation, which began while Democrats controlled the House.... The report also raises concerns about whether the unreported gifts may have been used by foreign governments to influence U.S. policy positions toward those countries." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ The New York Times report, which adds other details, is here. CNN's report is here.

Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "When Donald Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, in a now-infamous bid to overturn the 2020 election, he alleged that thousands of dead people had voted in the state.... But a report commissioned by his own campaign dated one day prior told a different story: Researchers paid by Trump's team had 'high confidence' of only nine dead voters in Fulton County, defined as ballots that may have been cast by someone else in the name of a deceased person. They believed there was a 'potential statewide exposure' of 23 such votes across the Peach State -- or 4,977 fewer than the 'minimum' [5,000 dead voters] Trump claimed. In a separate failed bid to overturn the results in Nevada, Trump's lawyers said in a court filing that 1,506 ballots were cast in the names of dead people and 42,284 voted twice. The researchers paid by Trump's team had 'high confidence' that 12 ballots were cast in the names of deceased people in Clark County, Nev., and believed the 'high end potential exposure' was 20 voters statewide -- some 1,486 fewer than Trump's lawyers said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jonathan Dienst of NBC News: "Local, state and federal law enforcement and security agencies are preparing for the possibility that ... Donald Trump will be indicted as early as next week, according to five senior officials familiar with the preparations. Law enforcement agencies are conducting preliminary security assessments, the officials said, and are discussing potential security plans in and around the Manhattan Criminal Court, at 100 Centre Street, in case Trump is charged in connection with an alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels and travels to New York to face any charges." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

BUT Look for the Silver Lining. For all the bad news showered upon the former Dear Leader, the Googles come to the rescue, offering a ray of sunshine on a dark, gloomy day: ~~~

     ~~~ Nico Grantof the New York Times: "YouTube suspended ... Donald J. Trump's account on the platform six days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The video platform said it was concerned that Mr. Trump's lies about the 2020 election could lead to more real-world violence. YouTube, which is owned by Google, reversed that decision on Friday, permitting Mr. Trump to once again upload videos to the popular site. The move came after similar decisions by Twitter and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram." The ABC News story is here.

Trump Goes Full Pogo. The greatest threat to Western Civilization today is not Russia. It's probably, more than anything else, ourselves and some of the horrible, U.S.A.-hating people that represent us. -- Donald Trump, in a video posted Thursday on Fake Twitter, seeking to regain his status as top Putin spokesman in the U.S. ~~~

~~~ Steve Benen of MSNBC comments on the full three-and-a-half-minute video: "As visions go, this is more a weird and paranoid rant than the basis for a major party presidential platform. In fact, if one were to read the transcript..., a typical person might think it was an unhinged tirade from some random person with a YouTube channel that has four followers.... As a practical matter, it's likely that Vladimir Putin will celebrate the clip and prepare new efforts to help return the former American president to the White House in order to advance the kind of agenda Moscow desperately wants to see."

Justine McDaniel & Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "U.S. Capitol Police only learned from the media that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had provided access to security footage of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot to television personality Tucker Carlson, and the police then were shown just one of about 40 clips before Carlson aired them earlier this month, the police department's lawyer said in an affidavit Friday. The police had asked House Republicans to let them review every clip that would be made public for security reasons, Capitol Police general counsel Thomas DiBiase said in the six-page declaration. But DiBiase said he only viewed a single clip.... On Feb. 28, McCarthy told reporters that he had been consulting with U.S. Capitol Police about the release of the footage. Carlson said on air that 'before airing any of this video, we checked first with the Capitol Police. We're happy to say their reservations were minor and for the most part, they were reasonable.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Following his SOP to deflect and/or deny, “At the Capitol on Friday, McCarthy said he had not read the police department's court filing and he instead reiterated his past claims that House GOP officials worked with the Capitol Police to determine which video clips were sensitive to security issues...." ~~~

     ~~~ Politico's story is here. You can read DiBiase's declaration here.

Casey Gannon of of CNN: "A US Air Force veteran who entered the Senate chambers in military gear during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol was sentenced on Friday to two years in prison. Larry Brock, 55, was found guilty on six charges, including the felony of obstruction of an official proceeding, during a bench trial in November 2022. 'It's really pretty astounding coming from a former high-ranked military officer. It's astounding and atrocious,' US District Judge John Bates said Friday as he explained his sentence."

Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "Hunter Biden has filed a sweeping countersuit against the computer repair shop owner who said that Biden dropped his laptop off and never claimed it, a legal action that escalates the battle over how provocative data and images of the president's son were obtained nearly five years ago. In the counterclaim, filed on Friday morning in U.S. District Court in Delaware, Biden and his attorneys say that John Paul Mac Isaac had no legal right to copy and distribute private information. They accuse him and others of six counts of invasion of privacy, including conspiracy to obtain and distribute the data.... The move is a response to a suit filed by Mac Isaac himself last year and amended several times since, alleging that Hunter Biden defamed him by saying he had illegally accessed the data -- when in fact, Mac Isaac contends, the laptop became his property when it was abandoned in his shop." Read on. The part at the end concerning Keith Ablow -- Hunter Biden's psychiatrist, who also was a friend of Steve Bannon's -- strikes me as, um, significant, considering that Bannon was one of the people who allegedly was passing around data from the laptop. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) Politico's story is here.

Michelle Chapman of the AP: "The parent of Silicon Valley Bank filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy a week after the tech-focused bank failed and was seized by the U.S. government. The filing from SVB Financial Group on Friday is not a surprise, with much of the company now under the control of U.S. banking regulators." (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race 2024. Dan Christensen of the Florida Bulldog (March 13): "A second ex-Guantanamo detainee has stepped forward to say that Gov. Ron DeSantis, while a U.S. Navy JAG officer in 2006, watched and allowed the brutal forced feedings of detainees that U.N. human rights authorities, an international physician's group and others have condemned as a form of torture. In January, Florida Bulldog reported ex-prisoner Mansoor Adayfi's account of being force-fed via a painful nasal tube inserted down his throat by Gitmo authorities.... According to Adayfi, DeSantis, a Navy lawyer who told Guantanamo detainees he was there to make sure they were treated humanely, watched in amusement on more than one occasion as he was strapped to a 'feeding chair' and cans of Ensure were poured into him as he screamed. Now, Ahmed Ould Abdel Aziz, known in Guantanamo as detainee #757 during his 13-year internment there without charges, has told Florida Bulldog he repeatedly witnessed DeSantis and 'the feeding people' entering cell blocks where 'barbaric' force feedings were taking place." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Somehow, somehow I think Ron's cruelty toward prisoners he was supposed to protect helps explain why, years later, he eats chocolate pudding with his fingers.

Beyond the Beltway

Marie: Looks like Friday was Hate Crime Day in Right Wing World. Unfortunately, the hate crime bill proposed, passed or signed into law were not against hate crimes, but were in and of themselves hate crimes -- against Blacks, young girls, transgender people, all women of child-bearing age & men who might impregnate them.

Florida. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "... one [Florida] GOP lawmaker acknowledged this week that his proposed sexual health bill would ban girls from talking about their menstrual cycles in school.... House Bill 1069 [-- proposed by state Rep. Stan McClain --] would also require that instruction on sexual health, such as health education, sexually transmitted diseases and human sexuality, 'only occur in grades 6 through 12,' which prompted [state Rep. Ashley] Gantt [D] to ask whether the proposed legislation would prohibit young girls from talking about their periods in school when they first start having them.... McClain responded, 'It would.'... The bill ended up passing [in committee], 13-5, on Wednesday in a party-line vote...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So what is the school nurse supposed to do when a 10-year-old girl comes to her, terrified that she is bleeding and having no idea why? (Add to this that the little girl may be in pain.) Under this law, I guess the nurse is supposed to respond, "Well, ain't that something." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. For No Apparent Reason, Kids, a Bus Driver Told a Lady to Move to a Different Seat. Sarah Mervosh of the New York Times: "Now, the state is reviewing curriculum in what is perhaps the most contentious subject in education: social studies.... A prominent conservative education group, whose members volunteered to review textbooks, objected to a slew of them, accusing publishers of 'promoting their bias.'... The Florida Citizens Alliance, a conservative group, has urged the state to reject 28 of the 38 textbooks that its volunteers reviewed, including more than a dozen by McGraw Hill, a major national publisher.... In an attempt to cater to Florida, at least one publisher [-- Studies Weekly --] made significant changes to its materials, walking back or omitting references to race, even in its telling of the Rosa Parks story.... In the current lesson on Rosa Parks, segregation is clearly explained: 'The law said African Americans had to give up their seats on the bus if a white person wanted to sit down.' But in the initial version created for the textbook review, race is mentioned indirectly. 'She was told to move to a different seat because of the color of her skin,' the lesson said. In the updated version, race is not mentioned at all. 'She was told to move to a different seat,' the lesson said, without an explanation of segregation."

Kentucky. Andrea Sacedo of the Washington Post: "In a matter of hours on Thursday, Republican legislators in Kentucky passed an anti-transgender bill that would allow teachers to misgender their students and bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth in what advocates called the latest among a string of GOP-pushed anti-transgender legislation. The new bill not only forbids trans youth from receiving gender-affirming care, a practice that professional medical associations have deemed safe and effective for children with gender dysphoria, but takes it a step further by mandating doctors set a timeline to de-transition children already taking puberty blockers or undergoing hormone therapy. Under the bill, teachers would not be allowed to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity with students of any age. School districts would also be required to craft policies that forbid transgender students from using the restroom tied to their gender identities.... [Kentucky's House passed a similar bill.] Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), who is running for reelection this year, now has 10 days to either veto or sign Senate Bill 150 into law. Even if he did veto it, Kentucky's legislature would be able to override his decision."

Minnesota. Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "The former Minneapolis police officer convicted of the murder of George Floyd pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of tax evasion and was ordered to pay nearly $38,000 in restitution. Derek Chauvin entered the plea before a Washington County, Minn., judge Friday morning. The ex-officer appeared via video from a federal prison in Tucson, where he is serving a 22-½ year sentence for Floyd's murder and a 20-year sentence for violating the man's federal civil rights. The sentences are running concurrently. Chauvin and his now ex-wife, Kellie Chauvin, were charged in July 2020 on multiple counts of underreporting and failing to pay Minnesota state taxes. The couple was accused of underreporting more than $464,000 in joint income between 2014 and 2019 -- including at least $95,000 Chauvin allegedly earned while working as an off-duty security guard.... Last month, Kellie Chauvin pleaded guilty to two counts of tax evasion as part of a plea deal, telling the judge she had relied on her husband to manage their finances and file taxes." She too will have to pay about $38,000 in restitution. The AP's report is here.

Wyoming. Andrew Jeong of the Washington Post: "Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) late Friday signed into law a ban on abortion pills, as the state adopted what appears to be the nation's first such state law. The new law says that it will be 'unlawful to prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion.' The law includes penalties of up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to $9,000. But it exempts people who take abortion pills from criminal liability. It also allows drugs to be used in case they are needed to treat 'natural miscarriages.'"

Way Beyond

France. Quel Désastre! Silvie Corbet & Barbara Surk of the AP: "Protests against French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to force a bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 through parliament without a vote disrupted traffic, garbage collection and university campuses in Paris as opponents of the change maintained their resolve to get the government to back down. Striking sanitation workers blocked a waste collection plant that is home to Europe's largest incinerator to underline their determination, and university students walked out of lecture halls to join the strikes. Leaders of the influential CGT union called on people to leave schools, factories, refineries and other work places." (Also linked yesterday.)

Turkey, Finland, Sweden. Emily Rauhala & Kareem Fahim of the Washington Post: "On Friday..., Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... announced that Finland's [NATO] membership request was being sent to Turkey's parliament for ratification, paving the way for the alliance to grow. But Erdogan will not sign off on Sweden's bid without additional steps.... At a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Friday in Ankara, Turkey's capital, Erdogan credited Finland with taking 'sincere and concrete steps' to fulfill security commitments it made to Turkey nearly a year ago at a NATO summit in Madrid.... Erdogan said ... that talks with Sweden would 'continue on the basis of the principles of our alliance and our approach to the fight against terrorism.'" The AP's story is here.

Ukraine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "President Biden said the International Criminal Court was 'justified' in issuing an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has 'clearly committed war crimes.'... While the warrant is unlikely to land Putin or commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova in court, it could make it difficult for them to travel to countries that cooperate with the Hague-based tribunal, which include several of Russia's neighbors.... The United States said it would oppose any cease-fire proposal that could emerge from talks between the Chinese and Russian leaders. 'A cease-fire now is, again, effectively the ratification of Russian conquest,' White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters Friday, according to the Associated Press.... Senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials held a video call to discuss the battleground situation and U.S. support, Ukrainian officials said Saturday.... A group of European Union countries will sign an agreement Monday to buy artillery rounds for Ukraine, Reuters reported...."

Mike Corner & Raf Casert of the AP: "The International Criminal Court said Friday that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court has issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. The ICC said in a statement that Putin 'is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of (children) and that of unlawful transfer of (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marlise Simons, et al., of the New York Times: "Here's a closer look at the court, the warrant and what it could mean for Russia's leader.... The court says that Mr. Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children.... The court also issued a warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children's rights, who has been the public face of a Kremlin-sponsored program in which Ukrainian children and teenagers have been taken to Russia.... Many democracies joined the International Criminal Court, including close American allies like Britain. But the United States has long kept its distance, fearing that the court might one day seek to prosecute American officials, and Russia is also not a member. The Biden administration has been engaged in an internal dispute over whether to provide the court with evidence gathered by the U.S. intelligence community about Russian war crimes."