August 28, 2022
Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "Ironic that Friday was Women's Equality Day, designated so by Congress in the '70s. At a time when women all over the world should be blossoming, we're seeing stunning setbacks. There's a bizarre trend of punishing women, Saudi-style, for their sexuality. Sanna Marin, Finland's 36-year-old prime minister, is under fire for dancing with her friends in a country that always gets named 'the happiest country in the world' in the United Nations-sponsored World Happiness Report. What a grim, still-sexist world this is, when Marin is forced to tearfully apologize -- and take a drug test -- after video leaked of her letting loose.... The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was cheered for chugging beers at a public concert while Marin was under fire for dancing at a private party."
Smooth Sailing. AP: "The U.S. Navy sailed two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, in the first such transit publicized since U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier in August, at a time when tensions have kept the waterway particularly busy. The USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville are conducting a routine transit, the U.S. 7th Fleet said. The cruisers 'transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State,' the statement said."
Alan Feuer & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "A federal judge in Florida gave notice on Saturday of her 'preliminary intent' to appoint an independent arbiter, known as a special master, to conduct a review of the highly sensitive documents that were seized by the F.B.I. this month during a search of Mar-a-Lago..., Donald J. Trump's club and residence in Palm Beach. In an unusual action that fell short of a formal order, the judge, Aileen M. Cannon of the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Florida, signaled that she was inclined to agree with the former president and his lawyers that a special master should be appointed to review the seized documents.... Judge Cannon, who was appointed by Mr. Trump in 2020, set a hearing for arguments in the matter for Thursday in the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach -- not the one in Fort Pierce, Fla., where she typically works." The Hill's report is here.
Does This Orange Jumpsuit Make Me Look Fat? Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Since the release of the search warrant [on Mar-a-Lago], which listed three criminal laws as the foundation of the investigation, one -- the Espionage Act — has received the most attention. Discussion has largely focused on the spectacle of the F.B.I. finding documents marked as highly classified and Mr. Trump's questionable claims that he had declassified everything held at his residence. But by some measures, the crime of obstruction is as, or even more, serious a threat to Mr. Trump or his close associates. The version investigators are using, known as Section 1519, is part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a broad set of reforms enacted in 2002.... The heavily redacted affidavit [released Friday] provides new details of the government's efforts to retrieve and secure the material in Mr. Trump's possession, highlighting how prosecutors may be pursuing a theory that the former president, his aides or both might have illegally obstructed an effort of well over a year to recover sensitive documents that do not belong to him.... Section 1519's maximum penalty is 20 years in prison, which is twice as long as the penalty under the Espionage Act." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Jeremy Herb & Annie Grayer of CNN: "Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has sent a letter to the House Intelligence and House Oversight committee chairs, saying the intelligence community is conducting a damage assessment of the documents taken from ... Donald Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago, according to a letter obtained by CNN.... Several members of Congress have called for an intelligence damage assessment of the documents." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Notes from the Scene of the Crime. Niall Stanage of the Hill: "One of former President Trump's main claims about the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago is being undermined by Friday's release of a key affidavit. Trump has pushed the narrative that he and his lawyers were cooperating with the Department of Justice's (DOJ) inquiries about documents from his time in the White House. This, he claims, means that the Aug. 8 raid on his Florida estate was gratuitous.... Even in heavily redacted form, the affidavit points out that there was a prolonged process lasting around seven months in 2021 before Trump's team coughed up any documents at all.... [For instance,] according to a Trump legal filing earlier this week, one of the FBI agents, having been shown the storage room in which some documents were held, purportedly said, Now it all makes sense.' The same Trump filing refers to a June 8 letter in which the DOJ 'requested, in pertinent part, that the storage room be secured' -- a request that is implied to have been met when Trump told staff to put a second lock on the door. By contrast, the DOJ's affidavit quotes a letter on the same date -- presumably the same letter -- reiterating to a Trump lawyer that there was no 'secure location authorized for the storage of classified information' anywhere at the resort. The letter makes clear that the DOJ's request was not some generalized security check-up but a demand for the 'preservation' of the storage room in its 'current condition until further notice' -- phrasing that is far more redolent of an investigation of a possible crime scene than a friendly chat about padlocks." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Steve Benin of MSNBC: "The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Organized Crime Corruption and Reporting Project published a stunning report [Friday] on a young woman named Inna Yashchyshyn, who presented herself as Anna de Rothschild.... The report notes that this woman -- with a fake identity and shadowy background' -- allegedly bypassed the security at Mar-a-Lago with relative ease[.] The FBI has reportedly begun an inquiry into the matter.... Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, who actually chaired the Senate Homeland Security Committee for six years, downplayed the seriousness of Trump's scandal last week because, as the Wisconsinite put it, Mar-a-Lago is 'a pretty safe place' and 'a secure location.'... There's overwhelming evidence to the contrary."~~~
~~~ A related straight news story by Edward Helmore of the Guardian is here. Yashchyshyn is the daughter of an Illinois truck driver.
Jacqueline Alemany, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the nearly three weeks since the FBI searched ... Donald Trump's Florida home to recover classified documents, the National Archives and Records Administration has become the target of a rash of threats and vitriol.... Following the Aug. 8 FBI search, Trump and his allies unleashed a torrent of attacks on one of the most apolitical arms of the federal bureaucracy.... Trump's recent actions have whipped his followers into a fervor against the Archives, and he has empowered some of his most politically combative allies to represent him in negotiations with the agency.... In June, around the time the Justice Department stepped up its hunt for documents at Mar-a-Lago, Trump assigned two new Archives representatives who focused on pubicizing documents they claimed would vindicate Trump and damage the FBI: Kash Patel and John Solomon.... NARA's motto, Littera Scripta Manet, translates from Latin to 'the written word remains.' But in Trump's White House, the written word was often torn, destroyed, misplaced or hoarded.... Some NARA officials believe that there might still be more records missing, according to a person familiar with the matter." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I doubt that anyone who decides to embark upon a career as an archivist thinks, "Wow, this job is going to be fun. I'll be wrangling with presidents* & be in danger at every moment."
Emily Peck & Sara Fischer of Axios: "The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) refused Donald Trump's application for a trademark for 'Truth Social,' the name of his social media company earlier this month.... The USPTO found two other companies who already use the Truth Social wording, which would create what's known as 'likelihood of confusion' if Trump also got the mark. Typically, when a company files for a trademark -- the distinct brand-name it wishes to use exclusively -- lawyers vet the term to make sure there's no conflicts.... Trump can appeal, which trademark lawyers believe is likely.... The trademark refusal is just the latest setback for the former president's social media app and its parent company, which have been beset by a raft of issues over the past few months." MB: You might think Trump would have hired a patent attorney who knew how to apply for a patent, but I suppose he couldn't find any who would work for him without demanding a huge retainer. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's Truth Social website is facing financial challenges as its traffic remains puny and the company that is scheduled to acquire it expresses fear that his legal troubles could lead to a decline in his popularity. Six months after its high-profile launch, the site -- a clone of Twitter, which banned Trump after Jan. 6, 2021 -- still has no guaranteed source of revenue and a questionable path to growth, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings from Digital World Acquisition, the company planning to take Trump's start-up, the Trump Media & Technology Group, public. The company warned this week that its business could be damaged if Trump 'becomes less popular or there are further controversies that damage his credibility.' The company has seen its stock price plunge nearly 75 percent since its March peak and reported in a filing last week that it had lost $6.5 million in the first half of the year.” (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Jared's Dilemma: "There's Different Words." Annie Karni & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Making the rounds promoting his new memoir, Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of ... Donald J. Trump, this week ... [was asked] Did he agree with Mr. Trump's false claim that the 2020 election was stolen? 'I think that there's different words,' Mr. Kushner told the talk show host Megyn Kelly during a friendly interview.... Pressed to say whether Mr. Trump lost, Mr. Kushner demurred. 'I believe it was a very sloppy election,' he said. 'I think that there's a lot of issues that I think if litigated differently may have had different insights into them.' In reality, the words that election officials have used to describe the 2020 contest are 'the most secure in American history,' and judges across the country rejected nearly all of the several dozen lawsuits that allies of Mr. Trump filed alleging fraud. Mr. Kushner's reluctance to concede as much reflected the contortions he is now attempting as he tries to sell a book whose success hinges on his close ties to Mr. Trump. At the same time, he is seeking to keep his distance from the lies and misdeeds that paved the way for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Like the memoir itself, titled 'Breaking History,' the task involves a highly selective narrative that casts Mr. Kushner as a young star getting things done in the White House without getting his hands dirty." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yeah, it depends upon what the meaning of "lost" is. What a nitwit. Karni & Haberman have fun tearing into Jared in this straight news story.
Beyond the Beltway
Utah. Jim Acosta of CNN: "Utah independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin has accused a motorist of brandishing a firearm and pointing it at him and his wife as the couple was driving home from a campaign event in April. The allegation is described in a 'victim impact statement' filed by McMullin in the District Court for Utah County, Utah, this week.... In the filing, McMullin accused the motorist, Jack Aaron Whelchel, of making unprovoked threats that included forcing the couple's car into oncoming traffic, before aiming a firearm in a threatening manner. Whelchel was indicted in April on misdemeanor charges of making a threat with a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct. Whelchel pleaded not guilty to both charges. McMullin testified as a witness during a preliminary hearing in July, at which he identified Whelchel as the motorist, but the candidate has not publicly mentioned the incident.... [Whelchel's attorney] said he expects the case to go to a jury trial after a scheduled hearing next month.... Whelchel's Facebook page features several far-right memes."
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Sunday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefings for Sunday are here: "Local authorities in Zaporizhzhia are distributing potassium iodide tablets in case of a leak of radioactive material , and residents are lining up. The tablets helps counteract the effects of radioactive exposure by blocking the body's absorption of the radioactive form of iodine.... The [U.S.] State Department confirmed another U.S. citizen has died but did not identify them.... Vladimir Putin has ordered payments and welfare benefits be made to Ukrainians arriving in Russia, according to a law signed this weekend."
Pakistan's "Climate Catastrophe." Zarar Khan of the AP: "Deaths from widespread flooding in Pakistan topped 1,000 since mid-June, officials said Sunday, as the country's climate minister called the deadly monsoon season 'a serious climate catastrophe.' Flash flooding from the heavy rains has washed away villages and crops as soldiers and rescue workers evacuated stranded residents to the safety of relief camps and provided food to thousands of displaced Pakistanis. Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority reported the death toll since the monsoon season began earlier than normal this year -- in mid-June -- reached 1,033 people after new fatalities were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southern Sindh provinces."
News Lede
Washington Post: "Four people were dead after a man set a residence on fire, shot at people fleeing and was then killed by a police officer early Sunday in Houston, authorities said. Just after 1 a.m., the city's police and fire departments received calls about a fire and shooting at a house used as a rental facility, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said at a news conference. Firefighters arrived first but had to take cover when the gunman opened fire, although it was not clear if he was firing at them. Soon after that, police officers got to the scene and found the shooter in a parking lot across the street from the house. An officer shot and killed the man, who was dressed in black and armed with a shotgun, Finner said. Two residents were pronounced dead at the scene, and a third died at a hospital."