The Commentariat -- April 3, 2021

Late Morning Update:

Black Votes Matter. Gillian Friedman of the New York Times: "More large companies have voiced their opposition to Republican-led efforts to restrict voting, this time in Texas. On Thursday, American Airlines and Dell Technologies declared their objections to proposals in the state that would restrict local measures intended to make voting easier, such as by extending early voting hours. The pushback in Texas came just a day after Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola spoke out against similar efforts in Georgia, though both companies waited until after Georgia's governor had already signed the law to criticize it.... Those comments came a day after a group of Black executives, led by the former chief executive of American Express and the current chief executive of the drugmaker Merck, called on companies to oppose proposed bills making it more difficult to vote across the country -- saying that they would particularly impact the voting rights of Black Americans." ~~~

~~~ Hannah Denham & Jena McGregor of the Washington Post: "Nearly 200 companies on Friday joined in a strong statement against proposals that threaten to restrict voting access in dozens of states, in a further sign of corporate willingness to speak out on social justice issues. As Major League Baseball announced that it will be moving this summer's All-Star Game out of Atlanta in response to the passage of Georgia's restrictive voting law, executives from at least 193 companies -- including Dow, HP, Twitter and Estée Lauder -- urged the protection of voting rights across the country." ~~~

~~~ In today's Comments, Bobby Lee has a great suggestion: "Why not award the [MLB's All-Star] game to the District of Columbia?"

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here.: "As President Biden enters the homestretch of his first 100 days in office, the general declines in new virus cases, deaths and hospitalizations since January offer signs of hope for a weary nation. But the average number of new cases has risen 19 percent over the past two weeks, and federal health officials say that complacency about the coronavirus could bring on another severe wave of infections."

Sara Tabin & Scott Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune: "A Kaysville[, Utah,] man who formerly worked as a Salt Lake City police officer has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly taking part in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Michael Lee Hardin, 50, was taken into custody without incident by members of the FBI's joint terrorism task force, with assistance from the Utah's State Bureau of Investigation, for 'crimes committed at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.,' according to a news release from the FBI's Utah office.... According to charging documents, [Hardin] was caught on video as part of a crowd pushing its way past police officers and yelling that he had a knife.... The FBI caught Hardin by following up on tips from two people who know him.... '[The first tipster] further claimed that Hardin had sent ... text messages on January 6, 2021, stating, "We stormed the Capitol, I am in here now!" "I know you don't like [Donald] Trump, but He is the rightful President!" and "We will return until we win!",' the [DOJ] statement reads. The second tipster ... gave authorities a photo of Hardin standing next to a bust of Abraham Lincoln, 'in what appears to be the Capitol Crypt,' according to the statement."

Haley Britzky of Task & Purpose: "The Army has suspended several instructors at Fort Sill over allegations they sexually assaulted a female soldier going through initial training at the Oklahoma base.... According to The Intercept, the trainee reported multiple assaults by 22 service members, including several drill sergeants. The trainee's report 'identified seven of the 22 members she said assaulted her,' according to The Intercept." ~~~

     ~~~ Ken Klippenstein & Matthew Cole of the Intercept: "The Army is investigating a possible series of sexual assaults of a female soldier at the Army training base in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, a commander at the base told press yesterday. The investigation, according to a military official with direct knowledge, is scrutinizing allegations of multiple assaults against the soldier by 22 service members. Video of one incident under investigation involving several drill sergeants was circulating at the base and was obtained by Army investigators, the official said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The nature of the assaults is not specified in either of the reports linked. It seems odd that nearly two dozen men would assault one particular trainee. So is she one of many who were assaulted but the only one to report the assaults? Surely there is more to the story.

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Peter Hermann, et al., of the Washington Post: "One Capitol Police officer was killed and another injured Friday when a vehicle rammed into them near the U.S. Capitol, an attack that once again put the city on edge as threats stemming from the deadly insurrection in January had started to wane. It was not immediately clear how the slain officer, identified as William 'Billy' Evans, an 18-year veteran, was fatally injured. Acting U.S. Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman said a man exited the vehicle with a knife and started lunging. She said at least one police officer opened fire, killing the suspect. Several people familiar with the investigation identified the suspect as Noah Green. One of those people said Green has an address in Virginia." (This is an update of a story linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's story is here. CNN has live updates here. The New York Times story is here. (All linked yesterday afternoon.) The NYT is liveblogging developments here.

Laura Reiley of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration has abandoned the Trump administration's opposition to emergency nutrition assistance going to the lowest income households already at the maximum benefit levels. In two lawsuits in Pennsylvania and California, plaintiffs argued that ... Donald Trump's agriculture secretary, Sonny Perdue, misinterpreted a section of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in a way that denied millions of the neediest Americans access to emergency allotments of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.... Tom Vilsack, the current agriculture secretary, moved on Thursday for voluntary dismissal of the agency's appeal in these cases, entering into a settlement that will provide $1 billion per month in additional food assistance to an estimated 25 million people in very low-income American households." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I thought maybe I had linked a story on this yesterday, but I didn't. That was a different Trump cutback Biden has reversed. Little by little, the Biden administration is dumping the entire Trump Cruelty Agenda.

Patricia Cohen of the New York Times: "Just as the Biden administration is pushing to raise taxes on corporations, a new study finds that at least 55 of America's largest paid no taxes last year on billions of dollars in profits. The sweeping tax bill passed in 2017 by a Republican Congress and signed into law by ... Donald J. Trump reduced the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. But dozens of Fortune 500 companies were able to further shrink their tax bill -- sometimes to zero -- thanks to a range of legal deductions and exemptions that have become staples of the tax code, according to the analysis. Salesforce, Archer-Daniels-Midland and Consolidated Edison were among those named in the report, which was done by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning research group in Washington." (Also linked yesterday.)

Loveday Morris, et al., of the Washington Post: "The United States and other original signatories to the Iran nuclear deal will convene in Vienna next week in an effort to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement that President Biden has said he wants to see salvaged. Representatives of Iran, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and China will convene Tuesday with two challenges on the table: how to roll back sanctions imposed by the Trump administration and bring Tehran's nuclear program back into the limits set by the deal. U.S. envoys will not be part of those discussions, but will be on hand for 'separate contacts' with the group, according to a European Commission statement." MB: The reason the U.S. doesn't have a seat at the table, of course, is because Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement.

Michael Scherer & Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Rep. Matt Gaetz repeatedly boasted to people involved in Florida politics about women he met through a county tax collector who has since been charged by federal authorities with sex trafficking of a minor, according to two people who heard his comments directly. They said the Republican congressman, first elected in 2016, also showed them videos on his phone of naked or topless women on multiple occasions, including at parties with Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector for Seminole County. The women appeared to be adults.... 'Matt was never shy about talking about his relationship to Joel and the access to women that Joel provided him,' said one of these people...." ~~~

~~~ Jose Lambiet & Karen Ruiz of the Daily Mail: "Rep Matt Gaetz is expected to be indicted within the next few weeks as former Florida official and friend Joel Greenberg is believed to have turned on the congressman in the sex trafficking investigation against him, a source close to the probe tells DailyMail.com. Greenberg, who was elected Seminole County Tax Collector in 2016, is currently in jail awaiting trial after being slapped with a string of charges last year including sex trafficking a minor between the age of 14 and 17.... Gaetz's arrest is said to be imminent after the alleged victim, who has not been named, testified before a Florida grand jury this week saying she had sex with the conservative Republican before she turned 18, DailyMail.com has learned." MB: It's the Daily Mail, so any veracity to this story is purely accidental. But it is fun to speculate that Gaetz is toast. ~~~

~~~ The Receipts: Incriminating text messages! Creepy voicemails! Fake IDs! Cash App receipts! Nude photos! On Friday, Business Insider published new reporting on a sex game Gaetz reportedly created as a state legislator.Grainy surveillance tapes! And more (like dodgy hotel bills & middle-of-the-night hotel ATM hits)! Jose Pagliery of the Daily Beast: "When [Joel] Greenberg ... came under investigation by the Secret Service for identity theft and stalking, agents approached former employees at the tax office to obtain proof of the public official's activities. That's when they were suddenly directed to [Matt] Gaetz." Firewalled. MB: Wish I'd been around when the team investigating Greenberg first discovered they'd snagged Gaetz, too. ~~~

~~~ Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "On Friday, Business Insider published new reporting on a sex game [Matt] Gaetz reportedly created as a state legislator. 'Sleeping with married legislators. Spending the night at a college sorority house. These were specific ways now-US Rep. Matt Gaetz and other Florida lawmakers could earn "extra points" in a sex competition in which Gaetz is accused of participating when he served in the state's House of Representatives, a female GOP insider who worked with Gaetz in the 2010s told Insider in an interview,' Business Insider reported Friday.... 'The GOP source said she "heard specific references of Gaetz being involved and scoring points."'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I know this isn't funny because Gaetz & Greeberg victimized real people, possibly including a young girl. But I can't help being happy that Gaetz may finally get his comeuppance for years of sexually harassing & abusing young women & girls. ~~~

~~~ Juliegrace Brufke of the Hill: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) told the Hill ... in a text exchange with the Hill ... said rumors he plans to resign from his office are 'false' and it is 'very safe' to say he doesn't have any intention to do so." MB: The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men gang aft agley, Matt. Not to mention, really stupid schemes. ~~~

~~~ Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The spokesman for Representative Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican under federal investigation into whether he violated laws against sex trafficking, has abruptly resigned amid mounting scrutiny of his boss, the congressman's office confirmed on Friday. Luke Ball, a longtime aide to Mr. Gaetz who was serving as his communications director, had as recently as this week been helping Mr. Gaetz mount a defense against the newly disclosed Justice Department investigation." MB: Sorry, Luke, nobody who was willing to work for Matt Gaetz for years earns points for bowing out the defense of sexual abuse & other crimes. ~~~

~~~ Colby Hall of Mediaite: "CNN's Dana Bash revealed that she received several texts from some of Rep. Matt Gaetz's current and former Republican colleagues in Congress. Many include language that she [said she] can't repeat on morning television."

Trump Treasury Went Full Q, Sanctioned a Pizza Place. Adam Taylor of the Washington Post: "On the very last day ... Donald Trump was in office in January, his administration announced new sanctions targeting a catering company in Verona, Italy. According to the U.S. Treasury, the measures were designed to defeat a 'network attempting to evade United States sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector.' But ... Alessandro Bazzoni, the owner of the catering company..., was not involved in sanctions evasion with Venezuela.... The U.S. Treasury announced this week that it was removing the company linked to Bazzoni -- a catering firm that shares an address with his pizza shop, Dolce Gusto -- from its sanctions blacklist." Turns out the Trumpies sanctioned the wrong Alessandro Bazzoni. MB: Because gross incompetence.

Politico Magazine has published an adapted excerpt from an upcoming book by former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). It's quite entertaining. Really. (Also linked yesterday.)

Michael Ruane of the Washington Post: "Near the end, the battered American destroyer USS Johnston was surrounded by Japanese warships closing in to finish her off. The Johnston was ablaze. Scores of sailors lay dead. And after three hours of heroic battle, only one of its guns could return fire. At 9:45 a.m. on Oct. 25, 1944, the wounded skipper, Cmdr. Ernest E. Evans, gave the order to abandon ship, and 25 minutes later the Johnston sank off the Philippine island of Samar. Evans and 185 members of the crew were lost, and he would become the first Native American in the Navy to receive the Medal of Honor. On Thursday, the Navy and a team of undersea explorers announced that the wreck of the Johnston had been positively identified in 21,180 feet of water. Scattered wreckage had been found at the site in 2019 but could not be positively identified."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Lena Sun & Lori Aratani of the Washington Post: "Federal health officials said fully vaccinated people may travel as evidence mounts of the shots' effectiveness at helping to protect against coronavirus infections and their spread. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that even though fully vaccinated individuals are at lower risk of infection, travel is still not recommended due to the rising number of cases in the United States and globally. The long-awaited guidance is still welcome news for the growing number of vaccinated adults who want greater freedom to visit family members and take vacations for the first time in a year. It is also expected to help boost the travel and airline industries that have been seeking a relaxation of the restrictions." The article is free to nonsubscribers.

Beyond the Beltway

Georgia. Kevin Draper, et al., of the New York Times: "Major League Baseball sent a warning shot on Friday to Republicans considering new restrictions on voting laws, pulling its summer All-Star game out of suburban Atlanta in a rebuke to Georgia's new election restrictions that will make it harder to vote in the state's urban areas. The decision by the baseball commissioner, Rob Manfred, came after days of pressure from civil rights groups and discussions with stakeholders like the Major League Baseball Players Association. The action is likely to put additional pressure on other leading organizations and corporations to consider pulling business out of Georgia, a move that both Republicans and Democrats in the state oppose despite fiercely disagreeing about the new voting law."

Minnesota. Holly Bailey & Robert Samuels of the Washington Post: "Derek Chauvin used force that was 'totally unnecessary' when he knelt on George Floyd's neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds while Floyd was handcuffed and no longer a threat, the longest-serving officer in the Minneapolis department testified Friday. Capping a dramatic first week of testimony in Chauvin's murder trial, Lt. Richard Zimmerman, a 35-year veteran who leads the department's homicide division, questioned the reasoning and technique behind Floyd's restraint, saying the man no longer appeared to be a threat.... Zimmerman, who was called to the scene of Floyd's death at 38th and Chicago on May 25, testified that once someone is handcuffed, 'they are not a threat to you at that point' and the amount of force should be immediately reduced.... The longtime homicide detective, who used to work patrol, said he and other Minneapolis officers had been specifically trained to take particular care with handcuffed suspects and warned to limit use of the prone position...."

The Commentariat -- April 2, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Peter Hermann, et al., of the Washington Post: "One Capitol police officer was killed and another injured Friday when a vehicle rammed into them near the U.S. Capitol, the department's chief said at a news conference. Chief Yogananda Pittman said a person exited the vehicle with a knife and started lunging. She said police opened fire, killing the suspect." The New York Times story is here. CNN's story is here. CNN has live updates here.

~~~ 1:30 pm ET: The U.S. Capitol is on lockdown, with little info available. The cable networks have showed videos of a blue sedan which apparently rammed into a big concrete Jersey steel barricade. It's surrounded by law enforcement officials. The vehicle reportedly slammed into two officers, injuring them. They have been hospitalized. The driver is said to have exited the vehicle brandishing a knife, and police shot him/her. S/he is in custody & has been taken to a hospital. Updates: according to Pete Williams of NBC News, the driver has died. Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman confirmed that the suspect died. She said one of the injured officers also died. She indicated the deceased suspect was a male. Nancy Pelosi has ordered Capitol flags flown at half-staff to honor the fallen officer. At about 3 pm ET, police lifted the lockdown.

The New York Times is liveblogging Day 5 the murder trial of Derek Chauvin here. The Washington Post's live updates are here. CNN's liveblog is here. All linked pages also include livefeeds of courtroom proceedings.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here.

Patricia Cohen of the New York Times: "Just as the Biden administration is pushing to raise taxes on corporations, a new study finds that at least 55 of America's largest paid no taxes last year on billions of dollars in profits. The sweeping tax bill passed in 2017 by a Republican Congress and signed into law by ... Donald J. Trump reduced the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. But dozens of Fortune 500 companies were able to further shrink their tax bill -- sometimes to zero -- thanks to a range of legal deductions and exemptions that have become staples of the tax code, according to the analysis. Salesforce, Archer-Daniels-Midland and Consolidated Edison were among those named in the report, which was done by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning research group in Washington."

Politico Magazine has published an adapted excerpt from an upcoming book by former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). It's quite entertaining. Really.

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Darlene Superville & Zeke Miller of the AP: President Joe "Biden's full Cabinet met Thursday in the spacious White House East Room, not the comparatively cramped West Wing room that bears the group's name, to allow for social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. Many smaller tables were pushed together to create one gigantic square. Department secretaries and other participants wore face masks. And the portion of the meeting opened to press coverage lacked the over-the-top, hail-to-the chief tributes that came to define Donald Trump's Cabinet meetings. Biden immediately pointed out the diversity of his Cabinet, which includes the first Black defense secretary in Lloyd Austin, the first openly gay Cabinet member in Pete Buttigieg at transportation, the first Native American secretary in Deb Halaand at Interior and the first female treasury secretary in Janet Yellen, among others. Vice President Kamala Harris is the first woman, Black person and Indian American elected to her office. Biden declared the group 'looks like America.'... Trump's Cabinet was largely white and male. Thursday's meeting came a week after the Senate confirmed the final Cabinet member...." ~~~

~~~ Molly Nagle of ABC News: "One day after announcing his massive infrastructure plan, President Joe Biden held his first in-person Cabinet meeting Thursday afternoon at the White House, tasking five members of his Cabinet to take the lead on selling the proposal to the American people -- and Congress. In brief remarks at the top of the meeting, Biden announced that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo would take on the additional responsibility." ~~~

     ~~~ Josh Boak & Lisa Mascaro of the AP: "But the enormity of his task was clear as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's vowed to oppose the plan 'every step of the way.' Speaking in Kentucky, McConnell said he personally likes [President] Biden and they've been friends a long time. But the president will get no cooperation from the GOP, which objects to the corporate tax increases in the plan.... White House chief of staff Ron Klain said the key to any outreach is that the proposal's ideas are already popular.... 'We're happy to have a conversation with people, less about the price tag, more about what are the elements that should be in the plan that people think are missing.' Those conversations could be limited to Democrats...." MB: That's fine, Rachel Maddow pointed out Thursday night. Now Democrats don't have to do a Kabuki dance with Republicans pretending to have an interest in shaping the bill.

Aimee Picchi of CBS News: "A Trump-era plan to cut food stamps is now off the table after the Biden administration said it is abandoning a previous plan to tighten work requirements for working-age adults without children. Those restrictions were projected to deny federal food assistance benefits to 700,000 adults, a proposal that had had drawn strong condemnation from anti-hunger advocates. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on March 24 said it is withdrawing a Trump administration appeal of a federal court ruling that had blocked the planned restrictions on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps. Trump officials had filed the appeal in May, two months after the coronavirus pandemic had shuttered the economy and caused millions of people to lose their jobs."

Sam Mintz of Politico: "President Joe Biden's Department of Transportation is invoking the Civil Rights Act to pause a highway project near Houston, a rare move that offers an early test of the administration's willingness to wield federal power to address a long history of government-driven racial inequities. DOT's intervention follows complaints from local activists that the state's proposed widening of Interstate 45 would displace an overwhelmingly Black and Hispanic community, including schools, places of worship and more than 1,000 homes and businesses. It also comes as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has identified racial equity as a major priority for his department -- after decades in which federal highway money has paid for projects that leveled minority and low-income communities."

Daniel Lippman of Politico: "The White House is removing the Interior Department's chief of staff, Jennifer Van der Heide, who recently planned a 50-person indoor party at the agency that the White House ordered canceled, and is moving her to a senior counselor job at the agency, according to two Biden administration officials. The White House's Cabinet affairs office ordered that party, which was intended to celebrate Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's confirmation, to be called off amid fears it could become a superspreader event, as Politico first reported late last week." MB: Van der Heide said she thought the fact that the agency was called the Interior Department meant they could party in the interior of the building. She's quite bright, and we're sure she'll make a great senior counselor. (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Looks as if Matt Gaetz may resign his Congressional seat soon to spend more time with his (wealthy) family -- and his lawyer. It appears the DOJ already has collected a pile of receipts. ~~~

Katie Benner & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "A Justice Department investigation into Representative Matt Gaetz and an indicted Florida politician is focusing on their involvement with multiple women who were recruited online for sex and received cash payments, according to people close to the investigation and text messages and payment receipts reviewed by The New York Times. Investigators believe Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector in Seminole County, Fla., who was indicted last year on a federal sex trafficking charge and other crimes, initially met the women through websites that connect people who go on dates in exchange for gifts, fine dining, travel and allowances, according to three people with knowledge of the encounters. Mr. Greenberg introduced the women to Mr. Gaetz, who also had sex with them, the people said.... In encounters during 2019 and 2020, Mr. Gaetz and Mr. Greenberg instructed the women to meet at certain times and places, often at hotels around Florida, and would tell them the amount of money they were willing to pay, according to the messages and interviews. One person said that the men also paid in cash.... Some of the men and women took ecstasy, an illegal hallucinogenic drug...." The Hill has a summary report here. ~~~

~~~ Evan Perez, et al., of CNN: "Federal investigators looking into Rep. Matt Gaetz's relationships with young women have examined whether any federal campaign money was involved in paying for travel and expenses for the women, a person briefed on the matter said. Investigators are examining whether the Florida Republican engaged in a relationship with a woman that began when she was 17 years old and whether his involvement with other young women broke federal sex trafficking and prostitution laws, according to that source and another person briefed on the matter. Investigators are also pursuing allegations from witnesses and other evidence that Gaetz may have used cash and drugs in his dealings with young women, the sources said.... Information that may connect Gaetz to a fake ID scheme at the center of the case against [a] second Florida politician, Joel Greenberg, was presented to federal investigators in a meeting early last year, according to two other people.... According to one of the people familiar with the matter, an employee at the tax collector's office saw Greenberg and Gaetz on internal office surveillance video looking through driver licenses on a weekend evening." ~~~

~~~ Jeremy Herb, et al., of CNN: "Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican being investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations..., gained a reputation in Congress over his relationships with women and bragging about his sexual escapades to his colleagues, multiple sources told CNN. Gaetz allegedly showed off to other lawmakers photos and videos of nude women he said he had slept with, the sources told CNN, including while on the House floor. The sources, including two people directly shown the material, said Gaetz displayed the images of women on his phone and talked about having sex with them. One of the videos showed a naked woman with a hula hoop, according to one source." MB: The thing is, Matt, we now know you paid for it. So no bragging rights, you slimy, twisted creep. ~~~

~~~ Thomas Moore of the Hill: "Fox News has confirmed it has no plans to hire Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for a job at the network. 'No one with any level of authority has had conversations with Matt Gaetz for any of our platforms, and we have no interest in hiring him,' the network said in a statement. The statement was issued after a report in The Daily Beast Wednesday that Gaetz was talking with people at Fox News, One America News Network and Newsmax about possible jobs. Axios first reported Tuesday that Gaetz was considering retiring from Congress and possibly working at Newsmax." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Near the end of yesterday's Comments thread, Rose in Michigan made a wonderful contribution.

Beyond the Beltway

Minnesota. Steve Karnowski, et al., of the AP: "A Minneapolis police supervisory sergeant who was on duty the night George Floyd died testified that he believes the officers who restrained Floyd could have ended it after he stopped resisting. David Pleoger testified Thursday at the trial of since-fired officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death. He noted that officers are trained to roll people on their side to help with their breathing after they have been restrained in the prone position.... Thursday's testimony began with Floyd's girlfriend tearfully telling the jury how they met in 2017 -- at a Salvation Army shelter where he was a security guard with 'this great, deep Southern voice, raspy' -- and how they both struggled with an addiction to painkillers." The Washington Post's story is here.

Georgia. Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "The Georgia State House passed a bill that would eliminate tax breaks for Delta Airlines for jet fuel. The vote was 97-73 and moves onto the state Senate. In a memo Wednesday, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told employees that Georgia's new voter suppression law was 'unacceptable' and 'based on a lie' of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election." MB: Looks as if Georgia Republicans have learned from Donald Trump how to misuse their positions to exact retribution.

Yin. Texas. Jane Timm of NBC News: "The Texas Senate in the early morning hours Thursday passed a package of election bills that would put new restrictions on voting in the state. The final version of the Senate Bill 7 is not yet online for review, but the original bill banned overnight early voting hours and drive-thru early voting, while restricting how election officials handle mail voting." (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~ And Yang. Virginia. John Kruzel of the Hill: "Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed into law Wednesday a measure that fills some of the gaps in voter protections created nearly a decade ago when the Supreme Court gutted federal voting rights oversight. A key piece of the Virginia law is a requirement that state election officials get prior approval -- or preclearance -- before making changes to voting rules, a provision that aims to blunt would-be voter suppression efforts." Thanks to RockyGirl for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Reid Epstein & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "As states across the South race to establish new voting restrictions, Virginia is bolting in the opposite direction. The Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, this week capped a multiyear liberal movement for greater ballot access by signing off on sweeping legislation to recreate pivotal elements of the federal Voting Rights Act that were struck down by the Supreme Court's conservative majority in 2013. Alone among the states of the former Confederacy, Virginia has become a voting rights bastion, increasingly encouraging its citizens -- especially people of color -- to exercise their democratic rights. Virginia, which for nearly 50 years had to submit changes to its elections to the federal government for approval under the Voting Rights Act's preclearance requirements, has now effectively imposed the same covenants on itself, an extraordinary step for a state with a long history of segregation and racially targeted voting laws." ~~~

~~~ Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court of Virginia has cleared the way for the city of Charlottesville to take down the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was the focus of 2017's deadly Unite the Right rally, and the ruling appears to open the door for statue removals around the state. The Charlottesville City Council voted to take down both the Lee and a nearby statue of Stonewall Jackson shortly after the rally in which white supremacists defended Confederate iconography, with one of them driving his car through a crowd of counterprotesters and killing a young woman. But several local residents sued to prevent the statues from coming down. They argued that a state law passed in 1997 prohibited localities from removing Confederate war memorials." (Also linked yesterday.)

Wisconsin. Jerry Lambe of Law & Crime: "Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday asked a federal judge to order ... Donald Trump to reimburse the city [state??] for attorneys' fees and court costs associated with his unsuccessful attempts to overturn the state's 2020 election results through 'frivolous' legal action. The motion was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin by attorneys for the Democratic governor. They said that Trump's claims were 'bereft of legal or factual basis,' but the state still had no choice but to spend taxpayer dollars to defend against the 'scattershot litigation tactics' employed by Trump's legal team. The state is now seeking to recoup $145,174.90 in legal expenditures associated with the case."

Way Beyond

Robyn Dixon of the Washington Post: "Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, on a hunger strike after being denied medical care, has been hoping for a visit from a doctor. Instead he got a less welcome visitor Thursday: Maria Butina, the Russian agent convicted and jailed for conspiring to infiltrate political organizations in the United States without registering with authorities. According to a post by Navalny's team on his Twitter account, Butina was reporting for the Kremlin-funded RT television network, formerly Russia Today.... 'Instead of a doctor, Butina, a wretched propagandist from RT channel, arrived today accompanied by video cameras,' said a post Thursday on Navalny's Twitter account. She was 'shouting that this is the best and most comfortable prison.' The account said Navalny lectured her for 15 minutes in front of the other prisoners, calling her 'a parasite and a servant of thieves.' Posts on Navalny's social media are made in his name by members of his team since he has no access to the Internet."

News Lede

CNBC: "Job growth boomed in March at the fastest pace since last summer, as stronger economic growth and an aggressive vaccination effort contributed to a surge in hospitality and construction jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 916,000 for the month while the unemployment rate fell to 6%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for an increase of 675,000...."

The Commentariat -- April 1, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Daniel Lippman of Politico: "The White House is removing the Interior Department's chief of staff, Jennifer Van der Heide, who recently planned a 50-person indoor party at the agency that the White House ordered canceled, and is moving her to a senior counselor job at the agency, according to two Biden administration officials. The White House's Cabinet affairs office ordered that party, which was intended to celebrate Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's confirmation, to be called off amid fears it could become a superspreader event, as Politico first reported late last week." MB: Van der Heide said she thought the fact that the agency was called the Interior Department meant they could party in the interior of the building. She's pretty bright, and we're all sure she'll make a great "senior counselor."

Thomas Moore of the Hill: "Fox News has confirmed it has no plans to hire Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for a job at the network. 'No one with any level of authority has had conversations with Matt Gaetz for any of our platforms, and we have no interest in hiring him,' the network said in a statement. The statement was issued after a report in The Daily Beast Wednesday that Gaetz was talking with people at Fox News, One America News Network and Newsmax about possible jobs. Axios first reported Tuesday that Gaetz was considering retiring from Congress and possibly working at Newsmax."

Yin. Texas. Jane Timm of NBC News: "The Texas Senate in the early morning hours Thursday passed a package of election bills that would put new restrictions on voting in the state. The final version of the Senate Bill 7 is not yet online for review, but the original bill banned overnight early voting hours and drive-thru early voting, while restricting how election officials handle mail voting."

~~~ And Yang. Virginia. Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court of Virginia has cleared the way for the city of Charlottesville to take down the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was the focus of 2017's deadly Unite the Right rally, and the ruling appears to open the door for statue removals around the state. The Charlottesville City Council voted to take down both the Lee and a nearby statue of Stonewall Jackson shortly after the rally in which white supremacists defended Confederate iconography, with one of them driving his car through a crowd of counterprotesters and killing a young woman. But several local residents sued to prevent the statues from coming down. They argued that a state law passed in 1997 prohibited localities from removing Confederate war memorials."

The New York Times is liveblogging Day 4 of Derek Chauvin's trial here. The Washington Post's live updates are here.

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Jonathan Lemire, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden outlined a huge $2.3 trillion plan Wednesday to reengineer the nation's infrastructure in what he billed as 'a once-in-a-generation investment in America' that would undo his predecessor's signature legislative achievement -- giant tax cuts for corporations -- in the process. Speaking at a carpenters union training center in Pittsburgh, Biden drew comparisons between his hard-hatted proposed transformation of the U.S. economy and the space race -- and promised results as grand in scale as the New Deal or Great Society programs that shaped the 20th century. 'It's not a plan that tinkers around the edges,' Biden said. 'It's a once-in-a-generation investment in America unlike anything we've seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago. In fact, it's the largest American jobs investment since World War II. It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs.'... [Biden's] infrastructure projects would be financed by higher corporate taxes -- a trade-off that could lead to fierce resistance from the business community and thwart attempts to work with Republican lawmakers. Biden hopes to pass an infrastructure plan by summer, which could mean relying solely on the slim Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate." ~~~

     ~~~ Lawrence O'Donnell pointed out that in choosing Pittsburgh as the site for his infrastructure announcement, Biden was choosing the city that has the greatest number of bridges in the world, three more than Venice, Italy.

Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "The Defense Department on Wednesday reversed a Trump-era ban restricting transgender troops from serving openly, outlining new policies that include greater access to medical care resources to help people transition while in uniform. The new Pentagon guidelines roll back 2019 Trump administration restrictions that severely limited how transgender people could enlist and serve. Soon after taking office, President Biden issued an executive order offering immediate protection for troops at risk of being forced out of the military, with the White House saying in a statement that 'America is stronger, at home and around the world, when it is inclusive.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't know why Horton repeatedly invokes a "Trump-era ban." This was Donald Trump's ban. His personal order. In July 2017, "... Donald Trump used Twitter to announce that the U.S. Military will no longer allow transgender people to serve 'in any capacity,' reversing Obama-era policy." The Pentagon, under then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, initially resisted Trump's Twitter rant.

So Long, Trump "Experts." Dino Grandoni of the Washington Post: "Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan will purge more than 40 outside experts appointed under ... Donald Trump from two key advisory panels, a move he says will help restore the role of science at the agency and reduce the heavy influence of industry over environmental regulations. The unusual decision, announced Wednesday, will sweep away outside researchers picked under the previous administration whose expert advice helped the agency craft regulations related to air pollution, the oil-and-gas extraction method known as fracking and other issues. Critics say that, under Trump, membership of the two panels -- the EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) -- tilted too heavily in favor of regulated industries and that their positions sometimes contradicted scientific consensus."

Tracy Connor, et al., of the Daily Beast: "The scandal swirling around Rep. Matt Gaetz took a stunning turn Wednesday with the news that a former Air Force intelligence official and a Florida lawyer tried to get the congressman's dad to cough up $25 million that would be used to free American Bob Levinson from Iranian custody -- and somehow release Gaetz from a federal sex-crimes investigation. And if that wasn't enough, here's one more strange fact: Levinson was declared dead last year. The Washington Examiner obtained a document that was allegedly presented to Don Gaetz [-- Matt's father --] by the ex-military official, Bob Kent, that laid out the purported scheme. The site also obtained an email sent to Don Gaetz's lawyer by federal prosecutors that suggests they were looking into whether a crime was under way. The document ... stipulated that Gaetz would deposit money for Levinson's ransom in an account connected to the firm of Florida lawyer David McGee, who has represented the Levinson family for years. Also named in the scheme: Stephen Alford, a convicted fraudster who McGee has represented -- both in court and in business matters." ~~~

~~~ Matt Dixon & Betsy Swan of Politico: "Rep. Matt Gaetz's father, Don, a former Florida Senate president, said he is working with the FBI, including wearing a wire on more than one occasion as part of an investigation into an alleged extortion plot that the pair said was organized by former federal prosecutor David McGee. 'The FBI asked me to try and get that information for Matt and an indication we would transfer money to Mr. David McGee,' Don Gaetz said in an interview late Tuesday, without specifying what information he was referring to.... [Former AG Bill] Barr ... received multiple briefings on the Gaetz probe, beginning in the summer of 2020.... The briefing was important because -- among other reasons -- Barr didn't want to accidentally appear anywhere with Gaetz.... At one point, Barr was scheduled for a meet-and-greet with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee. But DOJ canceled his appearance at the event when they saw that Gaetz, a member of that committee, had RSVP'd for it." ~~~

~~~ His Dinner with Matt. Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Fox News host Tucker Carlson was angered after Congressman Matt Gaetz attempted to rope him into a scandal involving allegations related to sex trafficking of a minor, a person familiar with the matter said.... Gaetz, who has strongly denied allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her travel with him, seemed to attempt to draw Carlson into the controversy during a bizarre Tuesday night interview.... Gaetz suggested Carlson had met a woman involved in the recent controversy related to the sex allegations. Gaetz said that woman was threatened by the FBI to tell people he was involved in a 'pay to play scheme.'... 'You and I went to dinner about two years ago,' Gaetz told Carlson. 'Your wife was there, and I brought a friend of mine, you'll remember her.' Carlson immediately denied knowledge of the dinner." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BTW, we'll never know who's lying without the receipts. I would not hazard to opine on who's less credible, Gaetz  or Carlson. ~~~

~~~ They Caught the Wrong Guy! David Gilbert of Vice: QAnon followers think the Gaetz investigation is all part of The Plan. "For more than three years, QAnon followers have been waiting for the Storm, the moment when high-profile [Democratic] lawmakers and other elites would be made to answer for their crimes of child sex trafficking. On Tuesday it sure seemed like the Storm had arrived, when the New York Times broke a bombshell story that Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, 38, was being investigated by the Department of Justice for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel with him. But in the hours after the news broke, QAnon followers ... frantically scrambled to explain why he couldn't possibly have done what he's accused of doing...." Because winger Gaetz doesn't fit QAnon's sex-trafficker profile, the theory now is that he is working with the FBI to thwart the child sex ring. ~~~

~~~ Friend of Matt Indicted on More Charges. Christopher Heath of WFTV Orlando: "Already facing charges of sex trafficking a child, stalking and identity theft, former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg is now facing new charges related to Small Business Administration pandemic loans he received after resigning from his office. According to federal court documents, in early 2020, Greenberg dissolved two companies he owned: DG3 Network and Greenberg Media. However, after his arrest and subsequent resignation as tax collector, the feds say Greenberg restarted both companies in order to obtain pandemic SBA loans.... [According to the indictment, Greenberg submitted] false documents stating that the companies were in business prior to February 2020, that they each had revenues in the 12 months prior, and making false claims about the number of employees.... Greenberg now faces 33 federal charges." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: What an enterprising young man is Joel. Whereas I might be challenged by the tasks a county tax collector is required to do, not so Joel. He spent his entire tenure coming up with one jaw-dropping crooked scheme after another. And some of Joel's activities were uniquely inventive; I mean, who would have thought to use a tax collector's badge to pull over a woman who might -- or might not -- have been driving over the speed limit? Let's see how inventive he is at designing a defense.

Ryan Heath of Politico: "The Government Accountability Office has issued a damning report about the implementation of legislation supporting Ivanka Trump's signature women's empowerment initiative.... As Ivanka Trump traveled the world talking up the whole-of-government Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, deep problems were developing in [the] roll out of the... [law]."

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood admitted to federal prosecutors that he intentionally excluded from his financial disclosures a $50,000 loan he obtained while in office from a billionaire foreign donor, a document released by the Justice Department said Wednesday. During an interview with the FBI in 2017, LaHood [-- an Obama appointee --] initially denied receiving the loan, but later acknowledged the payment after being shown a copy of the $50,000 check he received in 2012, according to a non-prosecution agreement LaHood signed with federal prosecutors in Los Angeles. Under the deal struck in 2019, federal prosecutors agreed not to file criminal charges over the omissions and misstatement, while LaHood agreed to pay a $40,000 fine and to repay the loan." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: LaHood is a Republican. President Obama hired too many Republicans (Jim Comey).

Lauren Feiner of CNBC: "Facebook removed a video featuring ... Donald Trump, a company spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday, citing his indefinite suspension from the platform.... The video featuring Trump was posted by his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who was interviewing the former president. Lara Trump had teased the interview in an Instagram photo of the sit-down on Tuesday."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here.

Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "A top adviser privately urged ... Donald Trump to acquire critical medical supplies in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak -- and after the warning was ignored, pursued his own ad hoc strategy that committed more than $1 billion in federal funds and has since prompted multiple probes, according to newly released documents from congressional investigators. Peter Navarro, who served as Trump's trade adviser, warned the president on March 1, 2020, to 'MOVE IN "TRUMP TIME"' to invest in ingredients for drugs, handheld coronavirus tests and other supplies to fight the virus, according to a memo obtained by the House's select subcommittee on the coronavirus outbreak. Navarro also said that he'd been trying to acquire more protective gear like masks, critiquing the administration's pace.... [In dodgy deals,] Navarro ... steered a $765 million loan to Eastman Kodak to produce ingredients for generic drugs, a $354 million sole-source contract for pharmaceutical ingredients to a start-up called Phlow, and a $96 million sole-source contract for powered respirators and filters from AirBoss Defense Group." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. ProPublica's story, by David McSwane, is more damning: "A top adviser to ... Donald Trump pressured agency officials to reward politically connected or otherwise untested companies with hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts as part of a chaotic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the early findings of an inquiry led by House Democrats. Peter Navarro ... essentially verbally awarded a $96 million deal for respirators to a company with White House connections. Later, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were pressured to sign the contract after the fact, according to correspondence obtained by congressional investigators."

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "State prosecutors in Manhattan investigating ... Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization have subpoenaed the personal bank records of the company's chief financial officer and are questioning gifts he and his family received from Mr. Trump, according to people with knowledge of the matter. In recent weeks, the prosecutors have trained their focus on the executive, Allen H. Weisselberg, in what appears to be a determined effort to gain his cooperation. Mr. Weisselberg, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, has overseen the Trump Organization's finances for decades and may hold the key to any possible criminal case in New York against the former president and his family business."

Beyond the Beltway

Minnesota. They Were Witnesses; They Were Victims. John Eligon, et al., of the New York Times: "In surveillance footage played for the first time in a Minneapolis courtroom on Wednesday, the world got to see George Floyd as it never had before: He was just another customer in a corner store.... On the third day of testimony in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with murdering Mr. Floyd, a clearer picture emerged of the events preceding Mr. Floyd's death, with witness after witness agonizing over whether they could have done anything to stop what would soon unfold.... Mr. Floyd's death last May left a trail of agony for the people who were part of the unfolding tragedy -- the weight of what they had witnessed plain to see in the form of tears, long pauses and deep breaths during their testimony."

Arizona. This Should Go Well. Jeremy Duda & Jim Small of the Arizona Mirror: "The audit team that Senate President Karen Fann [R] selected to examine the 2020 general election in Maricopa County will be led by a company owned by an advocate of the 'Stop the Steal' movement who repeatedly alleged on social media that the election was rigged against ... Donald Trump. Fann announced on Wednesday that she'd selected four companies to participate in an extensive audit and recount of the election, led by Cyber Ninjas, [a] Florida-based cybersecurity company. Cyber Ninjas is owned by Doug Logan, who has been an active promoter of baseless conspiracy theories alleging widespread election fraud last year, including in Arizona."

Georgia. David Gelles of the New York Times: "Companies that remained silent last week as Georgia Republicans rushed to pass a law to restrict voting access reversed course on Wednesday in the face of mounting outrage from activists, customers and a coalition of powerful Black executives. Delta Air Lines, Georgia's largest employer, had made only general statements in support of voting rights last week and had declined to take a position on the legislation. That muted response drew fierce criticism, as well as protests at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and calls for a boycott. But on Wednesday, Ed Bastian, Delta's chief executive, made a stark reversal. 'I need to make it crystal clear that the final bill is unacceptable and does not match Delta's values,' he wrote in an internal memo.... Coca-Cola, another of Georgia's largest companies, which had also declined to take a position on the legislation before it passed, made a similarly worded statement." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Okay, so maybe capitalism really isn't awesome, but democracy is. Those protesters, who took time out of their own lives to fight for the fundamental right to vote, get all the credit for Bastian's "stark reversal." We all owe them our thanks. ~~~

     ~~~ Hannah Denham & Jena McGregor of the Washington Post: "Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) hit back at [Delta CEO Ed] Bastian, saying that the airline executive had worked closely with state officials in drafting the law.... And two Atlanta sports teams -- the Falcons professional football team and the Hawks basketball team -- issued statements [against] the bill within the past day."

New York. Michael Gold & Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: “A homeless man who was out on parole for killing his mother was arrested and charged with a hate crime early Wednesday morning in connection with a violent attack on a Filipino immigrant near Times Square, the police said. The man, Brandon Elliot, 38, was living at a hotel in Midtown Manhattan that has been serving as a homeless shelter, the police said. He was seen on security footage brutally assaulting Vilma Kari, 65, as she was walking to church on Monday morning, the police said.... 'Mr. Elliot is accused of brutally shoving, kicking and stomping a 65-year-old mother to the ground after telling her that she didn't belong here,' [Manhattan D.A. Cyrus] Vance [Jr.] said at a joint news conference with the city's police commissioner, Dermot F. Shea. 'So let me join the commissioner in being clear: This brave woman belongs here. Asian-American New Yorkers belong here. Everyone belongs here.'"

Way Beyond

Russia. Andrew Roth of the Guardian: "Alexei Navalny has gone on hunger strike after saying he was denied urgent medical treatment in prison. The Russian opposition leader has complained of a 'sharp deterioration' in his health since his transfer to a prison colony in the Vladimir region to serve a two-and-a-half year sentence on embezzlement charges. The colony, which is 60 miles from Moscow, is notoriously strict and said to excel at isolating inmates from the outside world."

News Lede

AP: "A child was among four people killed Wednesday in a shooting at a Southern California office building that left a fifth victim and the gunman critically wounded, police said. The violence in the city of Orange southeast of Los Angeles was the nation's third mass shooting in just over two weeks."