;)
April 14, 2022
Afternoon Update:
Glub, Glub! Dan Lamothe, et al., of the Washington Post: "The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet sunk after an explosion 'seriously damaged' the vessel as it floated off the coast of Ukraine, Russia said Thursday, with Moscow and Kyiv offered competing claims about the cause of the destruction. Russia's defense ministry offered few other details about the missile cruiser, known as the Moskva. Earlier that day, the hobbled warship was was moving under its own power, heading to the Crimean port city of Sevastopol for repairs as sailors battled a fire onboard, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.... American officials said it was not yet clear whether it was hit by a Ukrainian anti-ship missile, as the governor of Odessa claimed. Russia, meanwhile, attributed the blow to a fire that caused ammunition stocks onboard to detonate.... After the explosion, several other Russian warships in the northern part of the Black Sea repositioned farther away from shore, the U.S. official said." Related story linked below. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Not sure why other warships would move further away from the shore if the cause of the explosion on the Moskva was not a missile hit.
Adam Taylor & David Stern of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian authorities announced Thursday that they had seized a sum of 154 assets from pro-Kremlin opposition politician and mogul Viktor Medvedchuk, who was captured this week following an escape from house arrest shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. Among the long list of property seized from Medvedchuk and his family: 30 plots of land, 23 houses, 32 apartments, 26 cars and one yacht. The seizures add further intrigue to the circumstances of the escape and recapture of one of Ukraine's most notorious oligarchs, known for his close relationship with ... Vladimir Putin, who acts as godfather to Medvedchuk's daughter."
Oh Noes! The Trump-Made-Me-Do-It Defense Fails. Holmes Lybrand & Hannah Rabinowitz of CNN: "A January 6 rioter who claimed he was following 'presidential orders' when he stormed the US Capitol and stole liquor and a coat rack was convicted Thursday on all charges by a jury in Washington, DC. Dustin Thompson, a 38-year-old exterminator from Ohio, faced six charges -- obstructing an official proceeding, theft of government property, illegally entering the Capitol, illegally protesting in the Capitol, and two counts of disorderly conduct in the Capitol.... 'Besides being ordered by the President to go to the Capitol, I don't know what I was thinking,' Thompson told the jury Wednesday. 'I was caught up in the moment.'... After the verdict, federal Judge Reggie Walton blasted ... Donald Trump's conduct. 'The insurgency, and it was in effect that, is very troubling,' Walton said. 'I think our democracy is in trouble because unfortunately we have charlatans, like the former President, in my view, who don't care about democracy and only care about power.' The trial marked the first time a Capitol riot defendant tried to convince a jury that Trump was responsible for the violence on January 6, 2021."
New York Times: "Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has ... launched a hostile bid to take over Twitter, a move that could have broad implications for a social network where world leaders, lawmakers, celebrities and more than 217 million other users conduct daily public discourse.... Mr. Musk has long used Twitter to insult critics, troll short-sellers of Tesla and propose grandiose ideas about space travel. He has also spread inaccurate information about the pandemic. He mused on Twitter about taking Tesla private in a tweet in 2018 and inaccurately claimed he had secured funding for the transaction, after which he was fined $40 million by the S.E.C.... Twitter's board is considering a defensive move known as a poison pill that would severely limit Elon Musk's ability to acquire the social media giant, two people with knowledge of the situation said. The board met on Thursday to discuss Mr. Musk's offer to buy the company.... The poison pill defense ... lets the company flood the market with new shares or allow existing shareholders other than the potential acquirer to buy shares at a discount. This dilutes the bidder's stake and makes buying shares more expensive."
Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "... in recent days, the ground has shifted dramatically under Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian politician who is a close confidant of ... Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and who had also been a client of the Republican political consultant Paul J. Manafort. Mr. Medvedchuk went into hiding early in the war, Ukrainian officials say, and was detained this week. President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on Tuesday a picture on Telegram of the politician, looking tired and disheveled, wearing handcuffs. He was arrested after violating terms of his house arrest while awaiting trial for treason, in a case opened last year. That case is related to coal trading with pro-Russian separatists, but more broadly it has to do with the swirl of financial and political intrigue surrounding Moscow's operations to influence politics in foreign countries.... Mr. Zelensky said he would seek to trade Mr. Medvedchuk to Russia for Ukrainian prisoners of war."
Rafael Bernal of the Hill: "A second bus of Latin American asylum applicants arrived in Washington, D.C. from Texas early Thursday, as part of GOP Gov. Greg Abbott's push to augment the national visibility of the Biden administration's asylum policies. The bus, which transported 14 Nicaraguan, Cuban, Venezuelan and Colombian nationals, dropped off the prospective asylees outside of the building that houses the Washington bureau of Fox News, which broke the story. Other media organizations are also in the building.... The migrants, who are legally in the country awaiting official determination of their asylum claims, voluntarily agreed to be bussed to Washington, D.C. as part of Abbott's initiative."
Eric Tucker & Farnoush Amiri of the AP: "Stephen Miller, who served as a top aide to ... Donald Trump, will appear Thursday before the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to two people familiar with the matter.... He had resisted previous efforts by the committee, filing a lawsuit last month seeking to quash a committee subpoena for his phone records."
Nebraska Gubernatorial Race. Aaron Sanderford of the Nebraska Examiner, republished in the Raw Story: "Time after time, Charles Herbster worked the crowds as he attended events, either as a candidate for Nebraska governor, a significant Republican donor or a beauty pageant judge.... He would extend a handshake to the men. But when young women reached out for a handshake, as well, on at least several occasions he pulled them into an embrace instead. Herbster, the CEO of Conklin Co. and now a frontrunner in the 2022 GOP primary race, sometimes went further, according to eight women who spoke with the Nebraska Examiner. During an event in 2019, for example, Republican State Sen. Julie Slama confirmed that as she walked by Herbster, he reached up her skirt, without her consent, and touched her inappropriately. The incident happened in the middle of a crowded ballroom at the Douglas County Republican Party's annual Elephant Remembers dinner.... Another person attending the 2019 event saw Herbster reach up Slama's skirt and had told the Examiner about it. That witness and two others said they saw Herbster grope another young woman on her buttocks at the same event.... [Six] women said Herbster groped them on their buttocks, outside of their clothes, during political events or beauty pageants.... A seventh woman said Herbster once cornered her privately and kissed her forcibly.... Herbster denied the women's allegations 'unequivocally.'"
Tennessee. If Only America's Homeless Could Be More Like Hitler. Ryan Grenoble of the Huffington Post: "A Tennessee Republican wants the state's unhoused population to draw inspiration from Adolf Hitler. No, seriously. While debating a bill on Wednesday that would criminalize homeless camps on public property in the state, State Sen. Frank Niceley (R) decided to share with the chamber 'a little history lesson on homelessness.' That lesson: Hitler was homeless for a spell, too, but by golly, then he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and 'went on to lead a life that got him in the history books.'... The bill passed 22 to 10 and is now headed to Governor Bill Lee (R) for his signature."
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Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "The United States is weighing whether to send a high-level official to Ukraine.... On Tuesday night, in his nightly address, [President Zelensky] said that he had 'sincere gratitude' for the $800 million in military aid that President Biden had agreed to send." ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Thursday are here.
Molly Nagle & Luis Martinez of ABC News: "Following a call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Joe Biden announced Wednesday his administration is authorizing an additional $800 million for weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, including artillery and armored personnel carriers, as it braces to defend itself from an expected new Russian offensive. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby walked reporters through the aid package in an afternoon press briefing, saying it includes 'new capabilities that we have not provided to Ukraine.'... Biden announced the $800 million package in an earlier written statement.... 'This new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine. These new capabilities include artillery systems, artillery rounds, and armored personnel carriers,' Biden said. 'I have also approved the transfer of additional helicopters. In addition, we continue to facilitate the transfer of significant capabilities from our Allies and partners around the world,' Biden added. According to the Pentagon, the list of new military hardware includes 155mm howitzer artillery -- a specific request from Ukraine -- 200 M-113 armored personnel carriers, 100 armored humvees, 300 Switchblade drones, and 11 MI-17 helicopters. The U.S. had given Ukraine five helicopters as part of an earlier shipment."
Ukrainian Military Finds an Even Better Way to Say "Go Fuck Yourself." Andrew Jeong & Russ Thebault of the Washington Post: "Late Wednesday, Odessa state regional administrator Maxim Marchenko said a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship cruise missile had struck the [Russian navy missile cruiser] Moskva, causing serious damage.... The Kremlin [said] only that it suffered significant damage from a fire. But whatever happened to the ... Moskva -- the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet -- the episode serves as a significant morale boost for beleaguered Ukrainian forces and a major blow to Russia, military experts said.... All of the ship's approximately 500 crew members were evacuated to other Black Sea Fleet ships in the area, Russia said.... Early Thursday, the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a Moscow-based think tank, said on its Telegram channel that it believed the ship had been sunk and sided with the Ukrainian assessment.... If the 12,000-ton Moskva went under, it would be the largest wartime sinking of a naval vessel since World War II.... The ship is named after Russia's capital and was at the center of a widely reported attack on Snake Island, when Ukrainian border guards drew global attention for insulting Russian troops during the early days of the invasion." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on CNN at 8 am ET that the ship "is able to make its own way" and is exiting the Black Sea.
Yellin Steps Up. Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen on Wednesday urged China to persuade Russia to end its war in Ukraine and warned that staying on the sidelines could jeopardize China's standing in the global economy.... 'Going forward, it will be increasingly difficult to separate economic issues from broader considerations of national interest, including national security,' Ms. Yellen said in a speech to the Atlantic Council, a think tank. 'The world;s attitude towards China and its willingness to embrace further economic integration may well be affected by China's reaction to our call for resolute action on Russia.' Ms. Yellen added that Russia's actions were at odds with China's longstanding public commitments to sovereignty and territorial integrity and called on China to use its influence with Russia to end the war.... Ms. Yellen singled out countries such as China and India that have continued to engage with Russia despite the global backlash against the atrocities it has committed in Ukraine.... 'And let's be clear: The unified coalition of sanctioning countries will not be indifferent to actions that undermine the sanctions we've put in place,' she said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ A transcript of Yellin's remarks, as prepared, via the Treasury Department, is here.
Andrew Higgins of the New York Times: "As ... Vladimir V. Putin of Russia vows to fight the war to its 'full completion' and his forces regroup for an expected push in Ukraine's east, NATO countries, including the United States, are scrambling to keep the weapons flowing and bulk up the country's defenses.... NATO members are already sending Ukraine bigger and better weaponry than before, including T-72 tanks and short-range air defense systems from the Czech Republic.... The [powerful but aging] S-300 [anti-aircraft] system from Slovakia is the biggest item a NATO country has sent so far.... Hungary ... has declared itself neutral in the conflict and barred weapons from passing through its own territory to Ukraine ... but it is believed to have quietly provided weapons through other countries."
Bryan Pietsch of the Washington Post: "The shipbuilder behind the world's largest yacht describes it as 'one of the most complex and challenging yachts ever built,' with 'entertainment and recreation spaces never before seen on' such a vessel, and an interior of 'rare and exclusive luxury materials.' It has two helipads and the largest yacht pool ever built, and it can accommodate 36 guests and 96 staff. And this week, it was impounded by German authorities for its ties to a Russian oligarch. Germany's federal police said Tuesday that 'through extensive investigations despite offshore concealment,' it found that the yacht is owned by Gulbakhor Ismailova, the sister of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.... It is being held in the Port of Hamburg in Germany." ~~~
~~~ Marie: A person does wonder what will ultimately happen to these yachts that governments have seized. Will there be a super-yacht super-sale? Who will buy them? Can they be converted to other, less louche, uses?
Emily Rauhala of the Washington Post: "Russia warned Finland and Sweden on Thursday that if they join NATO, Moscow will reinforce the Baltic Sea region, including by deploying nuclear weapons. The threat came a day after Finnish officials suggested the country could request to join the 30-member military alliance within weeks and as Sweden mulled making a similar move.... NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels last week that the two countries meet NATO standards for 'political, democratic, civilian control over the security institutions and the armed forces. If Finland were to join NATO. Russia's land border with members of the alliance would more than double." ~~~
~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "... joining NATO isn't just a matter of Finland and Sweden deciding to become members; it is also about whether current members would agree to this. The conventional wisdom is that both countries would be welcomed with open arms. In the United States, that would require at least two-thirds of the Senate voting to ratify their membership. But exactly how that debate would go down could be quite interesting -- especially in light of the GOP's slight-but-significant Trump-era drift into more skepticism of NATO. And the looming unknown would be Donald Trump himself weighing in on the process -- and not necessarily in favor.... Expanding the alliance has been a consensus issue -- and even a unanimous one in 2003-2004 -- but Russia's invasion of Ukraine brings into stark relief the prospect of perceived provocation that critics had warned about." ~~~
~~~ Rachel Maddow had quite a good segment Tuesday night on Finland's many efforts to fend off Russian aggression, the latest being a likely decision to join NATO. If, like me, you know little or nothing about the "Winter War," you will find the story illuminating:
~~~ Early last month, only a week after Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the Washington Post published historian Gordon Sander's brief story of the Winter War, highlighting its parallels to Putin's war on Ukraine. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) Also, in yesterday's Comments, contributor Victoria added some interesting information about the Winter War.
Katie Benner of the New York Times: "The Justice Department took steps on Wednesday to overhaul policing practices in Washington, D.C., and Springfield, Mass., such as how and when to use force, as President Biden works to fulfill his campaign promise to curb police abuses. The department said it had reached an agreement with the city of Springfield, Mass., after an investigation into its police department's narcotics bureau found a pattern of excessive force. Under that agreement, known as a consent decree, the Springfield police will improve policies and training to ensure that officers avoid the use of force whenever possible. In a separate legal filing, the Justice Department said the U.S. Park Police and the Secret Service had changed policies related to how they police demonstrations, bringing to a close a case that civil rights groups had brought against the Trump administration." ~~~
~~~ Ellie Silverman of the Washington Post: "The American Civil Liberties Union of D.C. and the Justice Department announced a settlement on Wednesday to resolve portions of four civil lawsuits sparked by the June 2020 violent and unprovoked clearing of demonstrators from Lafayette Square during protests over the police killing of George Floyd. Law enforcement authorities fired flash-bang shells, gas and rubber bullets into the crowd of hundreds of peaceful racial justice demonstrators on June 1, 2020, at Lafayette Square across from the White House. Soon after..., Donald Trump walked through the cleared park to visit the historic St. John's Church, where he posed for a photo op holding a Bible.... Civil rights groups behind the case highlighted specific aspects from the settlement in a news release, including dispersal requirements that the Park Police facilitate a safe pathway to exit and provide audible warnings. The Park Police is not permitted to revoke demonstration permits absent 'clear and present danger to the public safety,' and officers can't display gas masks and shields without a high-ranking officer's approval, 'absent exigent circumstances,' court filings show." ~~~
~~~ CNN's report is here. The DOJ's press release is here.
Maggie Haberman & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Two of ... Donald J. Trump's top White House lawyers met on Wednesday with the House committee investigating the Capitol attack, after Mr. Trump authorized them to engage with the panel, according to a person familiar with the matter. Pat A. Cipollone, the former White House counsel, and Patrick F. Philbin, who was his deputy, met separately with the panel, two people familiar with the sessions said.... The two were not under oath and their interviews were not transcribed, but the men could return for formal interviews or deposition later, one of the people said, describing it as a typical process as investigators determine who they want to question."
Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "President Biden has authorized the National Archives and Records Administration to hand over a new tranche of Trump White House documents to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.... In a letter transmitting notice of the White House's decision to Trump, Archivist David Ferriero writes that the archives will deliver the records to the committee April 28. It's unclear what documents exactly will be included in the latest batch...."
Manu Raju of CNN: "In the weeks after he lost the 2020 election..., [Donald] Trump was certain he could subvert the election outcome, telling [Mitch] McConnell, then the Senate majority leader, and other top Republicans that he had personally been on the phone with officials in Pennsylvania and Michigan -- and they told him they would move to keep him in power, despite the results showing [Joe] Biden had won their states..., according to a soon-to-be-released book by New York Times political reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.... The phone call was one of the final conversations McConnell had with Trump. Their relationship ... effectively ended after McConnell went to the Senate floor on December 15, 2020, and acknowledged Biden's victory following states' certification of the electoral results. The two haven't spoken since...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Hey, January 6 committee, time to "invite" Moscow Mitch in for an interview. He seems to have relevant information that would help fill out the picture of Trump's persistent criminal effort to effect a coup.
Jacqueline Alemany & Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department this week rebuffed a request from the House Oversight Committee for more details about the 15 boxes of White House records that ... Donald Trump improperly removed to Mar-a-Lago, hinting in a letter that an ongoing investigation prevents the department from doing so.... In the letter sent this week, [acting assistant attorney general Peter] Hyun writes that ... 'the Department previously asked NARA [National Archives] not to share or otherwise disclose to others information relating to this matter in order to protect the integrity of our ongoing work.' Hyun concludes the letter [by noting that Justice will withhold] '... information the disclosure of which might compromise open criminal investigations or prosecutions or civil cases.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: That is, as Lawrence O'Donnell pointed out, the letter hinted that DOJ currently was investigating Trump for unlawful civil or criminal actions. But I'm not pinning my hopes on this. It seems likely that DOJ ultimately will decide against prosecuting Trump. Or else their target(s) may not be Trump at all but some other person or persons who ordered the transfer of the papers to Mar-a-Lardo. Trump always slips the surly bonds of justice and probably not just because the federal prison system can't find a big enough bolt of orange fabric to sew up an extra-large jump suit.
Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff in the Trump White House, has been removed from the voter roll in North Carolina as the state investigates allegations that he committed voter fraud in the 2020 election.... State investigators in North Carolina launched a probe into Meadows's voter registration last month after news organizations reported he had registered to vote in 2020 using the address of a mobile home in Scaly Mountain, N.C. The former owner of the mobile home claimed Meadows never stayed there, prompting the state attorney general to request an investigation." CNN's report is here. MB: If a Texas woman can be sentenced to five years in jail for voting in an election in which she thought she was eligible to vote, it seems the chief of staff to the president* ought to be sentenced to at least 10 years for knowingly casting an illegal vote. Throw the book at him. Lock him up. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
The Trump-Made-Me-Do-It Defense Goes to Court. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "An exterminator from Columbus, Ohio, [Dustin] Thompson, 38..., began spending long days on the internet [in March 2020], steeping himself in conspiracy theories about the upcoming vote.... He fully believed that if Donald J. Trump ended up losing, it would only be because the voting had been rigged, as the president had been warning publicly for months. Even after Joseph R. Biden Jr. was declared the winner, Mr. Thompson could not accept that it was true. All of this, he told a jury at his criminal trial on Wednesday, led him to Washington on Jan. 6 for a Stop the Steal rally, where he and a friend listened to Mr. Trump give an incendiary speech near the White House. In an hour on the witness stand, Mr. Thompson blamed Mr. Trump for what eventually occurred, saying that he had been answering the president's call to go to the Capitol and 'fight like hell' when he joined the throng swarming into the building and made off with a bottle of bourbon and a coat rack.... Mr. Thompson is the first defendant to attempt the argument at trial in front of a jury.... His lawyer said on Tuesday, was 'so influenced -- so used and abused' by Mr. Trump that he could not be held accountable for his behavior." ~~~
~~~ The NBC News story by Ryan Reilly is here: "A Trump supporter who admitted he stormed the Capitol and stole a bottle of liquor and a coat rack on Jan. 6, 2021, testified at his trial Wednesday that he was 'following presidential orders.' Dustin Thompson, 38 -- a married, college-educated Ohio resident -- told jurors he didn't have any strong male role models in his life and was hoping to gain the'respect' and 'approval' of ... Donald Trump when he entered the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot."
Stephen Vladeck in a New York Times op-ed discusses how confederate Supreme Court justices are using the so-called "shadow docket," unsigned & usually unexplained decisions to effect sweeping rulings that affect millions of Americans. "By publicly endorsing the charge that the conservative justices are short-circuiting ordinary procedures to reach their desired results without sufficient explanation [in a dissent last week], Chief Justice Roberts provided a powerful counter to defenders of the court's behavior.... [His signing on with the liberals in this matter] also made clear what many have long suspected: The Roberts court is over.... Instead, the court's destiny increasingly appears to be controlled by Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett."
~~~ Marie: So what if it turns out that the most powerful woman in the U.S. is not Nancy Pelosi or Kamala Harris -- respectively third- and second-in-line to the presidency -- but Amy Phony Barrett? Vladeck, BTW, points out why Akhilleus' handle for Barrett is apt: "She implored an audience ... just last week to 'read the opinion' before jumping to any conclusions about whether the justices are acting more like politicians than judges. Two days later, she joined the majority's unsigned, unexplained order in the Clean Water Act case, in which there was no opinion to read." Phony indeed.
Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss Special Counsel John Durham's criminal case against Democratically connected lawyer Michael Sussmann, paving the way for the matter to head to trial. The six-page ruling was highly technical, and the judge did not offer a resounding endorsement of the special counsel's case. But it was an undeniable win for Durham, and sets the stage for a high-profile courtroom showdown next month." CNN's report is here.
Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "Just over two years after Iowa's disastrous Democratic caucuses, in which officials struggled to deliver results, party officials across the country are increasingly weighing whether to pursue their own early-state primary slots -- a dynamic set to rapidly accelerate. On Wednesday, members of the Democratic National Committee's powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to begin an application process that will determine which states host the first presidential nominating contests in the 2024 cycle. The outcome may overhaul how the party's presidential nominee is chosen and reorder which constituencies have the greatest influence.... Criticism of Iowa and, to a lesser extent, New Hampshire -- two states that have long opened the presidential nominating process -- has grown louder in recent years from those who see them as unrepresentative of the party's diverse electorate." Politico's story is here. A Des Moines Register story is here.
Michelle Chapman of the AP: "Tesla CEO Elon Musk is offering to buy Twitter, saying the social media platform he has criticized for not living up to free speech principles needs to be transformed as a private company. Twitter Inc. said in a regulatory filing on Thursday that Musk, currently the company's biggest shareholder, has proposed buying the remaining shares of Twitter that he doesn't already own at $54.20 per share, an offer worth more than $43 billion. Musk called that price his best and final offer, although he provided no details on financing. The offer is non-binding and subject to financing and other conditions." ~~~
~~~ Marie: So we live in a country where our tax and regulatory laws make it possible for one individual to put $43 billion into a major social media outlet, giving himself sole control of content. I find this morally reprehensible. The "American dream"? I don't think so. Let's stop pretending "Russian oligarchs" are the world's worst people. We have our own. And he already has 80 million Twitter followers.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here.
Heather Murphy of the New York Times: "Despite great pressure from airlines, the hospitality industry and Republican lawmakers to lift the rule requiring masks on planes and other public transportation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended the federal transportation mask requirement for two weeks on Wednesday, five days before it was set to expire. The mask mandate now expires May 3, if it is not extended yet again. Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the new White House Covid response coordinator, said in an interview that the additional time will allow the C.D.C. to assess whether BA.2, a subvariant of the coronavirus, is going to become a 'ripple or a wave' in the United States. The C.D.C. will use that information to determine whether the mandate should be extended further, he said."
Beyond the Beltway
Florida. Gary Fineout of Politico: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a move that will likely trigger a huge legal fight, is pushing ahead with a new congressional map for his state that could allow Republicans to pick up an additional four seats this year. The DeSantis administration formally submitted its plan Wednesday to the GOP-controlled Legislature where leaders in that chamber have already signaled they would accept whatever proposal was offered to them. Legislators are scheduled to hold a three-and-a-half day special session next week to adopt a new map after the governor vetoed a previous plan.... Manny Diaz, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, said the map would be immediately challenged if adopted.... Any challenge in state court would wind up before the state's Supreme Court, which has undergone a huge rightward shift due to DeSantis appointments."
Florida. Lori Rosza of the Washington Post: Gov. Ron "DeSantis's decision to go after the Walt Disney Co. for its opposition to a bill banning the teaching of gender-related issues to kids younger than third grade -- dubbed the 'don't say gay' bill by its foes -- opens new front in the growing culture wars being waged by top Republican officials around the country in a midterm election year.... DeSantis's crusade against Disney could win him points among national conservatives as he considers a 2024 presidential run.... Nonetheless, Florida observers -- some of them Republicans -- say DeSantis runs a risk by taking on Disney on its home turf.... 'It's inexplicable that the governor would go after the largest employer in the state, one that attracts millions of visitors from around the world and is a huge part of our tourism industry,' said state Rep. Joseph Geller [D]. 'They call Disney the third rail of politics in Florida for a reason.'"
Florida. Eugene Scott of the Washington Post: "Two Florida men charged with filing ballots in two states in the 2020 presidential election confessed to voter fraud, according to court records. Charles F. Barnes and Jay Ketcik, residents of The Villages in Sumter County, Fla., pleaded guilty to casting more than one ballot in the election. Voter fraud is a third-degree felony that can result in a maximum five-year prison sentence. Barnes, 64, and Ketcik, 63, will be able to defer prosecution if they abide by the court-ordered requirements that State Attorney Bill Gladson set, according to pretrial intervention documents.... Ketcik, a registered Republican, was among three Central Florida residents who had expressed support for ... Donald Trump before being arrested in December.... Barnes, who has no party affiliation, was arrested in January and faced similar charges." A Raw Story report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Kentucky. Veronica Stracqualursi & Amanda Musa of CNN: "Kentucky's GOP-controlled legislature on Wednesday overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's veto of a broad abortion bill that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, restricts access to medication abortion and makes it more difficult for a minor to obtain an abortion in the state. Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Kentucky swiftly announced plans to challenge the law. House Bill 3 prohibits a physician from performing, inducing or attempting to perform or induce an abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except in a medical emergency. It does not include exceptions for cases of rape and incest."
Michigan. Anna Nichols & Ed White of the AP: "A Black man face-down on the ground was fatally shot in the back of the head by a Michigan police officer, the violent climax of a traffic stop, brief foot chase and struggle over a stun gun, according to videos of the April 4 incident released Wednesday. Patrick Lyoya, 26, was killed outside a house in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The white officer repeatedly ordered Lyoya to 'let go' of his Taser, at one point demanding: 'Drop the Taser!' Citing a need for transparency, the city's new police chief, Eric Winstrom, released four videos, including critical footage of the shooting recorded by a passenger in Lyoya's car.... State police are investigating the shooting."
Texas and Beyond. A Different Kind of Mexican Standoff. Aaron Nelsen, et al., of the New York Times: "Trucks attempting to enter Texas loaded with goods from Mexico sat motionless for hours on Tuesday as lengthy vehicle inspections ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott in a clash with the Biden administration over immigration snarled traffic at major commercial crossings. In the city of Pharr, a major international bridge over which about $12 million in produce is shipped to the United States daily has been effectively shut down in both directions since Monday as scores of drivers in Mexico set up a blockade of their own in protest over the new inspections. A similar protest by truckers also blocked a bridge into El Paso.... Mr. Abbott has sought novel strategies to insert the state into immigration enforcement.... The vehicle inspections are part of that effort: a carefully constructed policy aimed at smugglers and migrants but carried out under powers available to the state, namely vehicle safety.... Calls for the governor to end the inspection policy came not just from Democrats [like his rival in the gubernatorial race Beto O'Rourke]. The state's conservative agriculture commissioner, Sid Miller, also urged Mr. Abbott to reverse course." A related Texas Tribune story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Alex Gangitano of the Hill: "The White House on Wednesday slammed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for the delays at the state's border with Mexico after he ordered state troopers to step up truck inspections.... 'Governor Abbott's unnecessary and redundant inspections of trucks transiting ports of entry between Texas and Mexico are causing significant disruptions to the food and automobile supply chains, delaying manufacturing, impacting jobs, and raising prices for families in Texas and across the country,' [Press Secretary Jen] Psaki said in a statement."(Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update. David Goodman of the New York Times: "Ratcheting up the stakes in a clash over immigration that has tangled trade routes into Texas, [Gov. Greg] Abbott said he would end the inspections only at one entry point -- the bridge between Laredo and the Mexican city of Colombia, Nuevo León -- and only because the governor of that state had agreed to increase border security on the Mexican side. The Texas police, Mr. Abbott said, would continue to stop all trucks coming from other Mexican states for safety inspections, despite increasing pressure from truckers, business groups and officials from both parties who are calling for an end to the delays that have stretched for hours and even days and sharply limited commercial traffic. 'Clogged bridges can end only through the type of collaboration that we are demonstrating today between Texas and Nuevo León,' said Mr. Abbott, a two-term Republican up for re-election this year."
~~~ Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "A group of undocumented migrants arrived in the nation's capital Wednesday on a bus sent by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, part of the Republican governor's strategy to oppose the Biden administration's rescinding of a Trump-era border policy. 'By busing migrants to Washington, D.C., the Biden Administration will be able to more immediately meet the needs of the people they are allowing to cross our border,' Abbott said in a statement Wednesday, adding that another busload of people are en route.The migrants, from Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, were being dropped off between Union Station and the Capitol as 'part of Governor Abbott's response to the Biden Administration's decision to end Title 42 expulsions,' his office said." MB: I'd like to see Abbott charged with human rights violations. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Way Beyond
U.K. Stephen Castle of the New York Times: "By Wednesday nearly every member of [Prime Minister Boris] Johnson's cabinet had defended their boss against demands for his resignation after he was fined by the police for breaching lockdown laws in Downing Street. Only one lawmaker from his Conservative Party gave media interviews calling on him to quit. While that suggests Mr. Johnson can ride out the immediate storm, the danger is far from over for a prime minister who could face further fines in a swirling scandal called 'partygate' over lockdown-busting social events held in Downing Street and other government buildings."
U.K. Say What? Stephen Castle & Abdi Dahir of the New York Times: "Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain announced plans on Thursday to send some asylum seekers thousands of miles to Rwanda to have their applications processed, a significant hardening of migration policy. The British government has so far failed to curb the arrival of a small but steady flow of people making dangerous crossings, often on unseaworthy boats, across the English Channel from France, much to the frustration of Mr. Johnson. In exchange, Britain will pay Rwanda 120 million pounds, about $157 million, to finance 'opportunities for Rwandans and migrants' including education, secondary qualifications, vocational and skills training and language lessons, the Rwandan government said in a statement. Rights groups have expressed concerns that the move could encourage other nations to adopt 'offshoring' of asylum processing, and the plan was greeted with a storm of protest from opposition politicians and charities who were worried both about the principle behind the policy and the choice of Rwanda, a country whose rights record Britain has previously questioned." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I guess Boris was unable to cut a better deal with Somalia and Yemen.
News Lede
New York Times: "Frank R. James was held without bail on Thursday after prosecutors said he posed a continued threat in the wake of a violent and premeditated attack on New York's subway. His lawyers, who said their client had called a tip line to surrender, asked a federal judge to ensure Mr. James received psychiatric care in jail. Mr. James's brief initial court appearance marked a new stage in a case that shocked a city already on edge about subway crime." The Guardian's report is here.
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