The Conversation -- April 13, 2024

** New York Times: “Iran mounted an immense aerial attack on Israel on Saturday night, launching more than 300 drones and missiles in retaliation for a deadly Israeli airstrike in Syria two weeks ago, and marking a significant escalation in hostilities between the two regional foes. The strikes caused only minor damage to one Israeli military base, and most of the airborne threats were intercepted, Israeli military officials said. The United States said it had helped to shoot dozens of drones and missiles.” This is the pinned item in a liveblog.

     ~~~ CNN's live updates, also linked below, are here.

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Zach Montague of the New York Times: “President Biden canceled $7.4 billion in student loan debt on Friday as he tries to shore up support with young voters who are disproportionately affected by soaring education costs, but who may be drifting away over his policy on Israel and the war in Gaza. The latest round of relief is part of a strategy by the White House to take smaller, targeted actions for certain subsets of borrowers after the Supreme Court struck down a far more ambitious plan to wipe out $400 billion in debt last year. Mr. Biden said this week that he would make another attempt at large-scale debt forgiveness for about 30 million people, despite Republican opposition and legal challenges. But in the meantime, he has been chipping away at student debt by fixing and streamlining existing programs that have been plagued by bureaucratic and other problems for years.” CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Luke Broadwater & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: “In a major turnaround, the House on Friday passed a two-year reauthorization of an expiring warrantless surveillance law that had stalled this week amid G.O.P. resistance stoked by ... Donald J. Trump. The bill would extend a provision known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, that is set to lapse next Friday.... The final vote was 273 to 147, with both parties split. One hundred and twenty-six Republicans joined 147 Democrats in favor, while 88 Republicans and 59 Democrats were opposed.... This week [Trump] directed lawmakers ... to 'KILL FISA,' asserting that it had been used to illegally spy on his 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Trump’s contention was incoherent as a matter of law and policy because there are two types of FISA surveillance and the type that is expiring — Section 702 — has nothing to do with the type the F.B.I. used in its investigation into the links between his campaign and Russia amid Moscow’s covert efforts to help him win the 2016 election.” Politico's report is here. (This is an update of a story also linked yesterday.)

He’s doing about as good as you’re going to do. -- Donald Trump, in an assessment of Mike Johnson's performance as Speaker

And congrats to Trump himself, who made a grammatical error, employed an awkward construction and used an ambiguous colloquialism in a ten-word sentence. -- Marie ~~~

~~~ Michael Gold of the New York Times: “... on Friday, [Speaker Mike Johnson] flew to Florida, where the man who has contributed to many of his challenges threw him a crucial lifeline in his hour of need. 'I stand with the speaker,' ... Donald J. Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago ... as Mr. Johnson stood behind him and nodded along. It was a message the speaker needed at a tenuous moment in his leadership, when he faces the threat from one of Mr. Trump’s most loyal allies, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, of a motion to oust him.... 'He’s doing a really good job under really tough circumstances,' said Mr. Trump, who has helped undermine Mr. Johnson’s legislative agenda by voicing opposition to some of his efforts.... Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly railed against providing more aid to Ukraine, did not fully back Mr. Johnson’s effort to provide additional U.S. military assistance to the nation as it continues to fight against Russia’s invading forces. But he moderated his stance on Friday, saying that the two had discussed the issue and that he believed they might find common ground in offering aid 'in the form of a loan,' an idea the former president has pushed for months.” Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Certainly the first time in history that a Speaker of the House has had to negotiate legislation with the leader of a foreign adversary, in this case, Vladimir Putin.

Don & Mike's Excellent Voter Suppression Bill. Jane Timm of NBC News: "... Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson pitched new legislation to crack down on noncitizen voting on Friday, despite the fact the practice is already illegal and occurs rarely. Johnson said House Republicans would introduce a bill to require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, speaking at Mar-a-Lago next to Trump as he seeks to fend off threats from his right flank.... Requiring documentary proof of citizenship could disenfranchise millions of Americans who do not have access to passports or birth certificates. Several states have tried to require documentary proof of citizenship in the past, but federal law currently prohibits it in federal elections.... For Trump, however, the proposal fuses two of his favorite talking points: immigration and voter fraud." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: For most Americans, obtaining documentary proof of their citizenship is somewhere between an inconvenience and an impossibility. If you haven't already obtained a copy of your birth certificate for some other purpose, then you'll have to figure out to get a copy and you'll probably have to pay for it. What if your name has changed? (More likely if you're a woman.) What if there's a mistake on your birth certificate? (There's one on mine.) What if your parents were in the military and you were born outside the U.S.? What if you're adopted? What if you're really old (and likely poor) and your birth was never properly registered? What if your state or local agency is too slow in getting the necessary document(s) to you? What if the elections officials question the documentation you provide? ("Hmm, this is just a copy; the certificate must have an embossed seal.") What Don & Mike cynically call "election integrity" is actually a massive disenfranchisement project. Especially affected would be Americans who are poor, who are women, who have moved recently or temporarily (say, for college), or who were born in other countries and naturalized; IOW, more likely Democratic voters.

Merchan Calls Out Trump Chutzpah. Jennifer Peltz & Michael Sisak of the AP: “The judge in Donald Trump’s hush money criminal case on Friday turned down the former president’s request to postpone his trial because of publicity about the case. It’s the latest in a string of delay denials that Trump has gotten from various courts this week as he fights to stave off the trial’s start Monday with jury selection.... Pointing to Trump’s two federal defamation trials and a state civil fraud trial in Manhattan within the past year, [Judge Juan] Merchan wrote that the ex-president himself 'was personally responsible for generating much, if not most, of the surrounding publicity with his public statements' outside those courtrooms and on social media.... Trump, meanwhile, said Friday that he planned to testify at the trial, calling the case a 'scam.' 'All I can do is tell the truth,' Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. 'And the truth is, they have no case.'”

Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: “Lawyers for ... Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira..., co-defendants of ... Donald J. Trump, argued in federal court in Florida on Friday to dismiss charges of aiding in the obstruction of efforts to recover classified documents.... Judge Aileen M. Cannon considered the defense lawyers’ arguments in her Fort Pierce, Fla., courtroom but ended the two-hour hearing Friday without making a decision on whether the charges against the two men should be dismissed.... Judge Cannon ... suggested that some of their arguments for dismissing the charges were better suited for the jury to consider during the trial.”

Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: “Donald Trump on Friday urged his followers to support his social media app Truth Social, as its parent company’s stock continues to sink lower. Trump in a post on that app said he believes Truth Social embodies the political 'movement' behind his 'Make America Great Again' presidential campaign slogan, adding that 'it shows the Spirit and Love of our Country.'... Trump Media’s share price on Friday morning dipped below $30, a decline of more than $40 from its roaring start. It ended the trading day up 0.6%, but failed to offset an almost 20% decline on the week. Shares are down nearly 50% so far in April. Trump is nevertheless poised to reap a financial windfall from the company.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This strikes me as a violation of campaign finance laws. Trump is asking people to effectively go around these laws by making their "contributions" to one of his failing businesses instead of to his campaign. And of course people can "contribute" any amount they want. One could argue that the purchase of stocks in Trump Media is similar to buying a MAGA mugshot mug. But a mug is something of value: you can't drink Kool-Aid out of it. Worthless stock is, well, just worthless. As Trump would say, "Nobody's ever seen anything like it."

Presidential Race

“MAGA Mike.” Alex Gangitano of the Hill: “President Biden’s reelection campaign unveiled a video Friday linking former President Trump with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in an attempt to highlight their views on reproductive rights issues. In the video 'MAGA Mike,' first shared with The Hill, the Biden campaign complied remarks from both Republicans about reproductive rights.... The video was released days after Trump said he would not sign a national abortion ban if reelected and such a bill passed Congress, a comment that the Biden campaign quickly dismissed as a lie, citing his record on the issue.” Ad embedded yesterday afternoon. (Also linked yesterday.)

Priscilla Alvarez & Michael Williams of CNN: “Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday called the Arizona Supreme Court ruling that banned abortions in almost all cases an 'inflection point' in the fight over abortion rights and pointed the blame at Donald Trump. Harris headed to Arizona to mobilize voters who see November’s election as a referendum on women’s rights, one of the Biden campaign’s key issues in the upcoming election. The vice president has become a go-to voice for the campaign on abortion rights and quickly announced a trip to Tucson after Tuesday’s ruling.” (Also linked yesterday.) A Washington Post story is here.

Philip Bump of the Washington Post: “There is definitely something weird about Donald Trump and his supporters constantly asking Americans whether they were better off four years ago. Almost no one in America was better off four years ago in April than they are now....” Bump helpfully advises Trump on how to better frame the question. ~~~

~~~ Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago? Top News in the NYT, April 13, 2020: “President Trump publicly signaled his frustration on Sunday with Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, after the doctor said more lives could have been saved from the coronavirus if the country had been shut down earlier.... The tweet came amid a flurry of messages blasted out by the president on Sunday defending his handling of the coronavirus, which has come under sharp criticism, and pointing the finger instead at China, the World Health Organization, President Barack Obama, the nation’s governors, Congress, Democrats generally and the news media.” ~~~

~~~ Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago? Top News in the NYT, April 12, 2020: “Behind Trump's Failure on the Virus: ... Throughout January, as Mr. Trump repeatedly played down the seriousness of the virus and focused on other issues, an array of figures inside his government — from top White House advisers to experts deep in the cabinet departments and intelligence agencies — identified the threat, sounded alarms and made clear the need for aggressive action. The president, though, was slow to absorb the scale of the risk and to act accordingly, focusing instead on controlling the message, protecting gains in the economy and batting away warnings from senior officials. It was a problem, he said, that had come out of nowhere and could not have been foreseen.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Matt Viser & Tyler Pager of the Washington Post: “The Democratic National Committee has helped cover some of the legal fees that President Biden incurred over the last year amid a special counsel probe into his handling of classified documents, according to recent federal records.... It is unclear whether all the recent payments are related to the Hur investigation [or to other work the attorneys have done for the DNC].... The funds spent on Biden’s legal bills amount to a small fraction of the amount raised so far by the DNC this election cycle, unlike the Trump operation, where about a fourth of the money raised has gone to pay legal bills.”

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: “The federal judge presiding over Hunter Biden’s gun case in Delaware on Friday rejected Mr. Biden’s claim that he was being subjected to selective prosecution, saying it was 'nonsensical' that the Biden Justice Department would target the president’s son. Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s lawyer, has filed a flurry of motions in the Delaware gun case and a separate indictment in California on tax charges, accusing the government of unfairly singling out his client at the instigation of Republicans and seeking to dismiss the charges. None of those challenges have been successful so far. Judge Maryellen Noreika, who scuttled a plea deal reached between prosecutors and Mr. Biden last summer, said that Mr. Lowell failed to provide evidence that prosecutors had been motivated by animus against Hunter Biden.” The AP's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Judge Noreika is being too cute by half. She knows full well that David Weiss -- the special counsel who brought the charges against Hunter -- was a Trump appointee. Weiss became special counsel only when (a) she herself laid waste to the plea deal, and (b) Weiss asked Merrick Garland to make him special counsel. Of course Merrick obliged. (As special counsel, Weiss is not subject to the usual AG supervision.) Oh, and did I mention that Noreika is a Trump appointee, too? All the while these shenanigans were going on, Congressional Republicans publicly (in at least one hearing and who-knows-how-many-times on Fox "News") raked Weiss over the coals for cutting the plea deal with Hunter.

So a Trump appointee cuts a plea deal with Hunter, Trump's Congressional allies complain about it, then a Trump judge blows up the deal, and the Trump prosecutor gets himself made special prosecutor so he can charge Hunter. It is not "the Biden Justice Department" targeting Biden's son. It is the Trump "Justice" Department. Since nearly all Republicans are now Trump lackeys and Trump promises "retribution" against his political rivals, it's pretty fair to say this is very "selective prosecution." Have I mentioned Republicans don't play fair?

Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: “A former United States ambassador accused of working for decades as a secret agent for Cuba in one of the biggest national security breaches in years pleaded guilty on Friday and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Manuel Rocha, 73, pleaded guilty to two charges — conspiring to defraud the United States as a foreign agent and failing to register as a foreign agent — as part of an agreement with the federal government. He also faces three years of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine.... In an unusual turn of events, Judge ... Beth Bloom of Federal District Court in Miami ... expressed deep frustration with prosecutors for not seeking more penalties for Mr. Rocha, such as forfeiture of his assets. She demanded changes to the plea deal from the bench and pressed prosecutors to reveal more about when the government learned that Mr. Rocha had become 'an enemy of the United States government.' Prosecutors said details beyond those made public in the indictment were classified.” A CBS News story is here.

Shaila Dewan & Julie Bosman of the New York Times: O.J. Simpson's “dramatic trial, which prompted national conversations about race, celebrity, policing and discrimination, also served as a landmark moment in America’s evolving understanding of domestic violence. Media coverage of domestic abuse surged afterward, and the fervent attention encouraged many abuse survivors to reach out for help, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Donations to women’s shelters poured in.... Before her death, [Nicole] Brown Simpson had tried to get the police to intervene multiple times, but they rarely took substantive action. In 1989, officers found her badly beaten and arrested Mr. Simpson. He was convicted of spousal abuse, but was let off with a fine and probation.... Shortly after Ms. Brown Simpson’s death, the Violence Against Women Act gained final approval in Congress and became law, and her sister, Denise Brown, helped save it from budget cuts the following year.” ~~~

~~~ Rachel Snyder of the New York Times: “For years now, I’ve had advocates who work with survivors of domestic violence tell me that two events in 1994 changed entirely the landscape for victims’ services in their field: the passage of the Violence Against Women Act and the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson.... Ms. Brown Simpson’s murder thrust onto the national stage the idea that even beauty, wealth and whiteness could not offer protection from an enraged and estranged spouse. Her murder, along with Ron Goldman’s — for a time, at least — shook an entire nation into some kind of recognition that domestic abuse crosses all bounds of race, class, sexual identity, ethnicity, age. But if the murders brought a sudden shock of awareness of the problem, the trial also illustrated how hard it is for victims to obtain justice, even in the face of overwhelming evidence.”

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Florida, Where Cruelty & Abuse Meet Bullying the Vulnerable. Alejandra Borunda of NPR: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a law that prevents cities or counties from creating protections for workers who labor in the state's often extreme and dangerous heat. Two million people in Florida, from construction to agriculture, work outside in often humid, blazing heat. For years, many of them have asked for rules to protect them from heat: paid rest breaks, water, and access to shade when temperatures soar. After years of negotiations, such rules were on the agenda in Miami-Dade County, home to an estimated 300,000 outdoor workers.... The loss of the local rule was a major blow to Miami-Dade activists and workers who had hoped the county heat protection rules would be in place before summer.... Heat risks have grown dramatically in recent years.... The U.S. experienced its hottest-ever summer in 2023, and Florida recorded its hottest-ever July and August." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: When is the American Psychiatric Association going to accept Republicanosis as a psychiatric disorder and list it in the DSM?

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Europe. Lorne Cook of the AP: “Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced on Friday an investigation into suspected Russian interference in June’s Europe-wide elections, saying that his country’s intelligence service has confirmed the existence of a network trying to undermine support for Ukraine. 'Belgian intelligence services have confirmed the existence of pro-Russian interference networks with activities in several European countries and also here in Belgium,' said De Croo, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.... He said [a Czech] probe showed that members of the European Parliament were approached and offered money to promote Russian propaganda.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Sure makes me wonder if Trump, Miss Margie & their cohort are getting cash payments from Russia in addition to the less direct assistance Russia has been serving up all along.

Israel/Palestine, et al.

CNN's live updates of developments Saturday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "The US currently expects that Iran will carry out strikes against multiple targets inside Israel and that Iranian proxies could also be involved in attacks, according to a senior administration official and a source familiar with the intelligence.... Israel said its warplanes targeted 'military buildings' used by Hezbollah fighters in parts of southern Lebanon on Friday. Hezbollah subsequently fired about 40 rockets toward northern Israel.... At least one Palestinian was killed after hundreds of armed Israeli settlers stormed a village in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes and cars in one of the largest attacks by settlers this year, according to local officials.

Eli Stokols, et al., of Politico: “President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel 'sooner rather than later,' delivering a pessimistic assessment even as he warned Tehran against taking such an action. Answering questions from reporters after delivering remarks to a convention of civil rights leaders, Biden said his grim outlook was based on intelligence reports that he was not at liberty to describe further. Asked what he would say to Iran about a potential attack, Biden was terse. 'Don’t,' he replied. Expectations for a retaliatory attack have risen in the days since an Israeli strike on an Iranian embassy in Syria killed a number of senior commanders on April 1. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had said that Israel 'must be punished' for the embassy attack though Israel has not claimed responsibility for it.”

The Conversation -- April 12, 2024

Marie: Circumstances forced me to listen to a few minutes of a Trump presser. where he informed me that there would have been peace and prosperity, health and happiness throughout the world if he had been president* these last several years. So why this? ~~~

~~~ Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago? Top News in the NYT, April 12, 2020: "Behind Trump's Failure on the Virus: ... Throughout January, as Mr. Trump repeatedly played down the seriousness of the virus and focused on other issues, an array of figures inside his government -- from top White House advisers to experts deep in the cabinet departments and intelligence agencies -- identified the threat, sounded alarms and made clear the need for aggressive action. The president, though, was slow to absorb the scale of the risk and to act accordingly, focusing instead on controlling the message, protecting gains in the economy and batting away warnings from senior officials. It was a problem, he said, that had come out of nowhere and could not have been foreseen."

Priscilla Alvarez & Michael Williams of CNN: "Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday called the Arizona Supreme Court ruling that banned abortions in almost all cases an 'inflection point' in the fight over abortion rights and pointed the blame at Donald Trump. Harris headed to Arizona to mobilize voters who see November's election as a referendum on women's rights, one of the Biden campaign's key issues in the upcoming election. The vice president has become a go-to voice for the campaign on abortion rights and quickly announced a trip to Tucson after Tuesday's ruling."

Zach Montague of the New York Times: "President Biden canceled $7.4 billion in student loan debt on Friday as he tries to shore up support with young voters who are disproportionately affected by soaring education costs, but who may be drifting away over his policy on Israel and the war in Gaza. The latest round of relief is part of a strategy by the White House to take smaller, targeted actions for certain subsets of borrowers after the Supreme Court struck down a far more ambitious plan to wipe out $400 billion in debt last year. Mr. Biden said this week that he would make another attempt at large-scale debt forgiveness for about 30 million people, despite Republican opposition and legal challenges. But in the meantime, he has been chipping away at student debt by fixing and streamlining existing programs that have been plagued by bureaucratic and other problems for years." CNN's report is here.

Luke Broadwater & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The House took a critical first step on Friday toward reauthorizing a law extending an expiring warrantless surveillance law that national security officials say is crucial to fighting terrorism, voting to take it up two days after a previous attempt to pass it collapsed. Grasping to salvage the measure before the law expires next week, Speaker Mike Johnson put forward a shorter extension -- two years instead of five -- in a move that appeared to win over hard-right Republicans who blocked the bill earlier this week. On a party-line vote of 213 to 208, the House agreed to take up the new version of the legislation, which would extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702. That cleared the way for a debate Friday on proposed changes to the bill before a final vote on passage. The preliminary vote on Friday suggested that the measure was back on track after ... Donald J. Trump implored lawmakers this week to 'kill' FISA, complaining that government officials had used it to spy on him. Should it pass the House, the Senate would still have to clear it, sending it to President Biden for his signature." ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated: "In a major turnaround, the House on Friday passed a two-year reauthorization of an expiring warrantless surveillance law that had stalled this week amid G.O.P. resistance stoked by ... Donald J. Trump. The bill would extend a provision known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, that is set to lapse next Friday.... The final vote was 273 to 147, with both parties split. One hundred and twenty-six Republicans joined 147 Democrats in favor, while 88 Republicans and 59 Democrats were opposed.... This week [Trump] directed lawmakers ... to 'KILL FISA,' asserting that it had been used to illegally spy on his 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Trump's contention was incoherent as a matter of law and policy because there are two types of FISA surveillance and the type that is expiring -- Section 702 -- has nothing to do with the type the F.B.I. used in its investigation into the links between his campaign and Russia amid Moscow's covert efforts to help him win the 2016 election." Politico's report is here.

Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: "Donald Trump on Friday urged his followers to support his social media app Truth Social, as its parent company's stock continues to sink lower. Trump in a post on that app said he believes Truth Social embodies the political 'movement' behind his 'Make America Great Again' presidential campaign slogan, adding that 'it shows the Spirit and Love of our Country.'... Trump Media's share price on Friday morning dipped below $30, a decline of more than $40 from its roaring start. It ended the trading day up 0.6%, but failed to offset an almost 20% decline on the week. Shares are down nearly 50% so far in April. Trump is nevertheless poised to reap a financial windfall from the company."

"MAGA Mike." Alex Gangitano of the Hill: "President Biden's reelection campaign unveiled a video Friday linking former President Trump with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in an attempt to highlight their views on reproductive rights issues. In the video 'MAGA Mike,' first shared with The Hill, the Biden campaign complied remarks from both Republicans about reproductive rights.... The video was released days after Trump said he would not sign a national abortion ban if reelected and such a bill passed Congress, a comment that the Biden campaign quickly dismissed as a lie, citing his record on the issue." ~~~

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Richard Luscombe of the Guardian: "The sale of firearms on the internet and at gun shows in the US will in future be subject to mandatory background checks, the justice department said on Thursday as it announced a 'historic' new action to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals. The closing of the so-called gun show loophole, which exempts private transactions from restrictions that apply to licensed dealers, has long been a goal of the Biden administration.... The White House estimates that 22% of guns owned by Americans were acquired without a background check and that about 23,000 more individuals will be required to be licensed as a dealer after the rule's implementation.... [Attorney General Merrick] Garland presented the rule as a hardening of the 2022 bipartisan Safer Communities Act.... 'The regulation expands the definition of who must obtain a license and conduct a background check before selling guns,' Garland said. 'It will close the gun show loophole, and it closes the fire-sale loophole by clarifying how firearms dealers who go out of business must go about liquidating their inventory.'... The new rule is the latest in a series of unilateral steps the Biden administration has taken to tighten gun laws, while at the same time highlighting the difficulty of getting legislation through Congress." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This seems like a pretty big deal to me, and I'm not sure why it hasn't received more media attention.

Alexandra Hutzler, et al., of ABC News: "Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday addressed a joint meeting of Congress, where he praised U.S. leadership on the world stage as 'indispensable.' Kishida is in Washington this week as the U.S. looks to strengthen relationships with allies in the Indo-Pacific amid the mutual threat from China, North Korea and Russia. During his speech to lawmakers, Kishida warned..., 'Without U.S. support, how long before the hopes of Ukraine would collapse under the onslaught from Moscow?... Without the presence of the United States, how long before the Indo-Pacific would face even harsher realities?'... Kishida's remarks toward Ukraine skeptics come as U.S. aid to the war-torn ally as it fights Russia's invasion is stalled in a political fight on Capitol Hill."

Besties! Clare Foran, et al., of CNN: "Speaker Mike Johnson is making an effort to emphasize close ties to ... Donald Trump as the Louisiana Republican faces the threat of a vote to strip him of the speaker's gavel. Johnson and Trump are set to appear together at Mar-a-Lago on Friday to deliver joint remarks and make an announcement on 'election integrity.' The event, which sources say was the speaker's idea, comes as ... GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia dangles the possibility of forcing a vote to oust him from the top leadership post."

Benjamin Weiser & Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and his wife, Nadine Menendez, will be tried separately in a federal bribery case, a Manhattan judge ruled on Thursday. The trial of Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, will go forward as scheduled on May 6, but Ms. Menendez's case will be delayed until the summer. The judge, Sidney H. Stein, issued his ruling after Ms. Menendez's lawyers told him that she had a 'serious medical condition' that would require surgery and a potentially extended period of treatment and recovery."

Tobi Raji of the Washington Post: "The Senate Judiciary Committee sent a subpoena Thursday to conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo as part of a months-long inquiry into undisclosed gifts to Supreme Court justices and he promptly rejected it, calling the move 'politically motivated.' 'I am not capitulating to his lawless support of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and the left's dark money effort to silence and cancel political opposition,' Leo said of Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the committee's chairman, in a statement to The Washington Post.... With Leo's refusal, Democrats would be forced to hold a Senate vote if they wanted to seek enforcement of the subpoena in court -- a nearly impossible task in a narrowly split chamber with 60 votes needed to break a filibuster." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. CNN's report is here.

Alan Feuer & Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "... Trump's two co-defendants [in the documents case], Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira..., [will try on Friday] to have the charges they are facing dismissed.... In written filings, [their lawyers] have already told Judge Aileen M. Cannon ... that even though their clients may have been following orders from Mr. Trump, they could not have joined him in a plot to hide classified materials they knew nothing about or in obstructing an investigation they never knew existed.... Prosecutors have argued that motions to dismiss, like those to be discussed on Friday, are meant to raise legal issues, not to question the sufficiency of the evidence in an indictment. They have suggested that the arguments advanced by Mr. Nauta and Mr. De Oliveira are better handled as disputes at trial." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: IOW, this appears to be another matter where Judge Aileen either doesn't know what she is doing or is pretending she doesn't know what she is doing, because -- as the prosecution argues -- the matters are of an evidentiary nature and should be decided by a jury, not by the judge in a pretrial ruling. Joyce Vance said on MSNBC this morning that it was "remarkable" that Cannon was holding a hearing on the motions, which should have been dismissed out of hand. ~~~

     ~~~ Tierney Sneed & Holmes Lybrand of CNN: "The transcript of an FBI interview made public late Thursday details how [Walt Nauta,] an aide to ... Donald Trump, characterized the boxes of sensitive documents that are now at the center of the special counsel's case into the mishandling of classified documents from the Trump White House.... [In the interview,] the former president's valet repeatedly claims that he believed Trump stored news clippings, hairspray, shampoo, picture frames and other miscellaneous materials in the boxes.... US District Judge Aileen Cannon granted Nauta permission to file a version of the transcript with minor redactions ahead of a hearing Friday where he will argue that special counsel Jack Smith's charges against him should be thrown out." Includes interview transcript.

Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "Evan Corcoran, an attorney for Donald Trump who became a critical witness in the classified documents case against the former president, no longer represents him.... According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Corcoran left Trump's legal team in recent months, a notable departure as the criminal case remains in limbo in south Florida. Corcoran's quiet exit from Trump's orbit could pose a significant issue for the former president, with the potential for prosecutors to call him as a key witness if the case goes to trial."

Calling a Crook a Crook. Filip Timotija of the Hill: "Former Obama deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner engaged in a 'level of corruption that we've just never seen' when talking about [Kushner's] firm's recent investments overseas.... The New York Times's [recently reported] that ... 99 percent of his investment fund's money came from foreign sources.... 'This is a guy, Jared Kushner, who had no expertise, no qualification whatsoever to be in the White House while he was there. He made it his account to work in the Gulf Arab states. He basically helped lead the cover-up for [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud]. Get him in from the cold after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.' Rhodes said Kushner securing a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia six months after leaving the White House is a way for Salman to exert influence on U.S. foreign policy if Trump returns to the Oval Office after the November election.... 'He chose to work on issues in the Middle East, and he chose to work with the Gulf Arab states, knowing that the payout would be on the back end,' Rhodes said...."

Presidential Race

No, Republicans Do Not Play Fair. Ever. Patrick Svitek of the Washington Post: "Democratic officials are looking at their options after Republican secretaries of state in Ohio and Alabama warned them that President Biden might not appear on their ballots in November because of the timing of his expected nomination at the Democratic National Convention..... The situation has created new headaches for Democrats and stoked distrust with election officials over what has long been considered an apolitical process. The chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, Randy Kelley, this week accused the GOP secretary of state, Wes Allen, of 'partisan gamesmanship,' noting that accommodations had been made for Republicans in the past when their national conventions were later in the summer.... The Biden campaign has said a possible solution is 'provisional' certification.... But Allen has rebuffed that idea, and Democrats are also exploring legislative remedies. On Thursday, a Democratic state senator in Alabama, Merika Coleman, introduced a bill that would move that state's deadline back to Aug. 23, the Friday after the Democratic National Convention ends [and would leave the decision to the whims of the GOP-controlled legislature]." ~~~

     ~~~ Ben Kamisar, et al., of NBC News: "It's not the first time a convention has been held in late August -- but it would be a first if any related ballot access questions weren't solved easily, without fanfare or much controversy.... The Biden campaign is resolute: It believes he'll be on every state's presidential ballot no matter what, pointing to a long history of similar issues getting solved without any fight -- including in 2020, in Alabama, Oklahoma, Illinois, Washington and Montana.... [But] John Wahl, [Alabama's] Republican Party chair, gave no indication he'd suggest Republicans work to help the Democrats. Instead, he released a statement attacking Democrats for holding their convention outside of the deadline, claiming it showed 'shocking disregard for Alabama's electoral process.'"

Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "The Republican National Committee sent out a scripted robocall on behalf of its new co-chair Lara Trump, falsely claiming Democrats were guilty of 'massive fraud' in the 2020 election.... 'No photo IDs, unsecured ballot drop boxes, mass mailing of ballots and voter rolls chock full of deceased people and non-citizens are just a few examples of the massive fraud that took place. If Democrats have their way, your vote could be canceled out by someone who isn't even an American citizen.'"

Aaron Pellish of CNN: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign manager said on Wednesday that New York campaign staff member Rita Palma was fired after she told GOP voters in a meeting last week that preventing President Joe Biden's victory was her 'number one priority' and encouraged them to volunteer for ... Donald Trump in Pennsylvania."

Marie: I had the teevee news on during the day yesterday, and it was pretty much all-O.J. all the time. Yet it was not until mid-afternoon that a reporter who originally covered parts of the story -- Marika Gerrard -- mentioned what I thought was a central element of the double-murder story: that it was the ultimate result of continual spousal abuse: "According to Lenore Walker, the Simpson-Brown marriage was a 'textbook example of domestic abuse.'... [Nicole] Brown described an incident in which Simpson broke her arm during a fight.... She wrote about him beating her in public, during sex, and even in front of family and friends.... Of the 62 incidents of abuse, the police were notified eight times, and Simpson was arrested once." It is not likely an accident that abuse by Black men -- Clarence Thomas, Simpson & Bill Cosby -- has done so much to advance the rights of women. The Great White Majority is still more afraid of Black men than of equally-abusive White men. Yet they don't seem to think abuse-less-than-murder is a worthy subject for teevee discussion. But the thrill of the slo-mo Bronco chase? Absolutely!

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Colorado. Oops! Left My Loaded Glock in the Bathroom. Lauren Irwin of the Hill: "A Colorado Republican state representative issued an apology after he left his loaded gun in a bathroom in the state's Capitol building. State Rep. Don Wilson (R) posted a statement dated Wednesday on the social platform X, apologizing for 'briefly' leaving his firearm unattended after the building was closed to the public.... Police said they reviewed surveillance footage of the building and saw Wilson exiting the restroom about half an hour before the gun was found [by a janitor].... Members of the public may have been in the building during the [time the gun was in the restroom].... The Colorado state Legislature is debating Senate Bill 131, which would expand the list of places prohibiting people from carrying a firearm, both concealed and open carry, to include the Capitol building. The bill was passed in the state Senate last week."

Maine. Summer Conception of NBC News: "Two Maine lawmakers are facing possible censure after one said the deadliest mass shooting in the state, in Lewiston in October, was a sign of retribution from God over the passage of a law expanding abortion access by the Democratic-led state Legislature and other 'immoral laws.'... [The] remarks drew condemnation from state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.... The Maine House is set to hold a vote on censuring [Michael] Lemelin and [Shelley] Rudnicki for their comments." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As usual, I don't think much of a screwed-up god who would murder innocent people because of the separate and supposedly immoral acts of others.

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Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin complained directly to his Israeli counterpart that Israel did not notify the United States before conducting a strike on an Iranian site in Syria this month, which the Pentagon sees as increasing risks to American forces in the Middle East, U.S. officials ... told The Washington Post. A U.N. team visiting Khan Younis following the withdrawal of Israeli troops reported destruction 'disproportionate to anything one can imagine,' World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.... Gen. Michael 'Erik' Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, was in Israel on Thursday, a Pentagon spokesperson said, as the allies coordinate on preparing for Iran's threatened retaliation."

Russia. Alexandra Alter of the New York Times: "During the years leading up to his death in a Russian prison, Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, was writing a memoir about his life and work as a pro-democracy activist. Titled 'Patriot,' the memoir will be published in the United States by Knopf on Oct. 22, with a first printing of half a million copies, and a simultaneous release in multiple countries."

The Conversation -- April 11, 2024

Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "The substance of the state visit of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was focused on finding ways to counter China, but the style of the dinner was all about highlighting a capital city that owes its springtime resplendence, in large part, to the diplomatic overtures of the Japanese [the 3,000 cherry trees Japan gave to the U.S. in 2012]." Includes some great photos. ~~~

     ~~~ Aishvarya Kavi of the New York Times: "Japan is giving the United States 250 cherry trees to replace more than 100 that will be torn up during construction around the Tidal Basin in Washington, the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said on Wednesday. The gift honors the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which the United States will celebrate in 2026, Mr. Kishida said at a White House ceremony welcoming him for a state visit."

To the Moon, Fumio! Peter Baker & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan announced a range of moves on Wednesday to further enhance military, economic and other cooperation between the two longtime allies as part of the president's efforts to counter China's aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region. During a pomp-filled state visit honoring the visiting Japanese prime minister, the president said the United States and Japan would create an expanded defense architecture with Australia, participate in three-way military exercises with Britain and explore ways for Japan to join a U.S.-led coalition with Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Biden also announced that the United States would take a Japanese astronaut to the moon as part of NASA's Artemis program, which would be the first time a non-American has set foot on the moon." (Also linked yesterday.)

No, Mike, Donald Trump is not your friend. He is not anybody's friend. ~~~

~~~ Luke Broadwater & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Right-wing House Republicans on Wednesday blocked legislation to extend an expiring warrantless surveillance law that national security officials call crucial to gathering intelligence and fighting terrorism, dealing Speaker Mike Johnson a stinging defeat after ... Donald J. Trump urged lawmakers to kill the bill. In an upset on the House floor, the measure, which would extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702, failed what is normally a routine procedural test. On a vote of 228 to 193, 19 House Republicans, most aligned with the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, joined Democrats in opposing its consideration. Such defections were once considered unthinkable but have become increasingly common as the hard right has rebelled against G.O.P. leaders. It was unclear how Republicans would attempt to move forward.... Complicating matters, Republicans had bundled a procedural measure to open debate on the bill with an unrelated resolution condemning President Biden's border policies, all but ensuring that no Democrats would vote to advance the package." (Also linked yesterday.)

** Kayla Guo of the New York Times: "... roughly 6 million women ... went to work during World War II, memorialized by the now iconic recruitment poster depicting Rosie the Riveter, her hair tied back in a kerchief, rolling up the sleeve of her denim shirt and flexing a muscle beneath the slogan, 'We can do it!' More than eight decades later..., around two dozen other so-called Rosies -- many of them white-haired and most wearing the red with white polka dots made famous by the poster -- ... gathered at the Capitol ... to receive the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of their efforts.... During the war, women were desperately needed to fill jobs vacated by men who had left to serve in the armed forces.... 'These enterprising and patriotic women answered the call to serve on the home front during World War II, and forever changed the role of women in the work force,' Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine and a lead sponsor of the legislation [which passed in 2020], said during Wednesday's ceremony."

The Trials of Trump & the Trump Gang, Ctd.

Desperate Measures. Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "Lawyers for Donald J. Trump have spent this week seeking to stave off the former president's trial on charges that he covered up a sex scandal. They tried again Wednesday. Again, they failed. In Mr. Trump's latest last-minute bid to delay a trial that starts Monday, he filed a civil action in an appeals court against the judge in the case, Juan M. Merchan. It sought to delay the trial while the appeals court reconsidered several of the judge's rulings. A single appellate court judge, Ellen Gesmer, promptly rejected Mr. Trump's request. Mr. Trump can now have his action heard by a full panel of five appellate court judges, but it would be nearly impossible for the court to act before the trial begins. The episode underscored Mr. Trump's increasing desperation to delay the trial, and his scattershot approach to doing so." A Reuters story is here.

Brennan Center for Justice (April 5): "A group of 15 founding era historians ... have filed a brief [with the Supreme Court] challenging Trump's claim of immunity.... The historians' brief argues that Trump's claim of criminal immunity would transform the presidency into a monarchy -- exactly what the Framers of the Constitution sought to avoid.... The Framers instead understood presidents to be accountable to the people and to the laws, and explicitly recognized that criminal prosecution would be one way among several to hold them accountable. The brief also rebuts Trump's assertion that a president can be prosecuted only after being impeached. That assertion, the historians explain, is inconsistent with the historical understanding of impeachment as a political remedy completely separate from the criminal remedy of prosecution. It is also inconsistent with the long record of prosecutions or threats of prosecutions of officers who were not impeached -- including President Nixon, who accepted a pardon to avoid prosecution despite having resigned before impeachment could proceed. Finally, the brief notes that even if there is some immunity which may attach to the president for certain 'official' acts, the Framers never contemplated that immunity would attach for the acts President Trump stands accused of: the attempted overthrow of the 2020 election. If presidents were granted such immunity, then incumbents could interfere in the transfer of power. And the Framers gave the incumbent president no role ... in the election of the next president, in order to guard elections against executive meddling." ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the brief, via the Court.

No, Mike Allen, Donald Trump is not your friend. He is not anybody's friend. ~~~

Because Trump, Weisselberg Is Back at Rikers. Kate Christobek, et al., of the New York Times: "Allen H. Weisselberg, Donald J. Trump's longtime financial lieutenant, was sentenced Wednesday to five months in the Rikers Island jail complex for perjury, capping a legal saga that has now landed him behind bars twice. The sentence, handed down by a state court judge in Manhattan, came just five days before Mr. Trump is to go on trial in the same courthouse on accusations that he covered up a sex scandal. Mr. Weisselberg was not charged in the same case as Mr. Trump, but he would not be headed to jail if not for his former boss's own troubles: Prosecutors set their sights on Mr. Weisselberg after he refused to turn on Mr. Trump." The AP story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump has to be in Manhattan next week to sit for his first criminal trial. Do you suppose he will take the bus to Rikers to visit his loyal factotum? Yeah, I didn't think so, either.

Presidential Race

Steve Contorno & Kate Sullivan of CNN: "Donald Trump said Wednesday he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected president, reversing a promise the former president made as a candidate in 2016 and stood by during his first term in the White House. His latest shift on abortion is a remarkable position for a Republican presidential nominee and it is illustrative of Trump's desire to make one of his greatest political liabilities disappear. It follows a lengthy statement released Monday in which Trump expressed states and voters should decide how and when to restrict abortion but left unclear how far he would take that approach. Appearing on a tarmac in Atlanta ... [and] asked if he would sign a national abortion ban if it passed Congress, Trump shook his head. 'No.'... 'Donald Trump owns the suffering and chaos happening right now, including in Arizona, because he proudly overturned Roe -- something he called "an incredible thing" and "pretty amazing" just today,' Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said. 'Trump lies constantly -- about everything == but has one track record: banning abortion every chance he gets.'" MB: You just gotta trust in Trump. (Also linked yesterday.)

Trump Is Still the King of Chaos. Stephen Collinson of CNN: "After storming to the Republican nomination, Trump is again the epicenter of controversy ... as he blazes a trail of disruption through Congress, immigration and national security policy, reproductive health care and the nation's top courts.... His volatile personality, loyalty tests, rampant falsehoods, thirst to serve his political self-interest and the aftershocks of his first term are compromising attempts to govern the country." With examples.

Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago? Top News in the NYT, April 11, 2020: "As he grapples simultaneously with the most devastating public health and economic crises of a lifetime, President Trump finds himself pulled in opposite directions on what to do next. The bankers, corporate executives and industrialists plead with him to reopen the country as soon as possible, while the medical experts beg for more time to curb the coronavirus."

Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "George Riley Jr., a Republican Party of Florida executive director, issued an apology this week after it was revealed that he trashed a hotel room after an employee there observed him 'under the influence.' The Tampa Bay Times revealed that Riley Jr. last week was reported missing by his family after he had seemingly disappeared without notice. It turns out that Riley was staying at the Hampton Inn in Kissimmee, Florida, where he would be kicked out of his room for 'excessive drinking and damage caused to the room' during his stay. In particular, employees said they found the room in total disrepair upon inspecting it as Riley had 'urinated and vomited throughout,' which required the hotel to pay for a deep cleaning.... After being ousted from the hotel, Riley went missing for another two days before he was finally picked up this past Friday by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ We Have a Tie! S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "One of Donald Trump's county campaign chairs in New Hampshire lost his job as a police officer [in about 2006] after threatening to kill his colleagues in a shooting spree, murder the department chief and rape the chief's wife in retaliation for his suspension over his relationship with a high school girl, according to a newly released report from an internal affairs investigation. Jonathan Stone, who is currently a second-term state representative, was announced as Trump's Sullivan County chair by his campaign on June 27, 2023. The coup-attempting former president first came to know Stone during Trump's 2016 run, when Stone gave him an inscribed AR-15 assault rifle at a campaign stop.... Stone ... opened a gun shop after losing his job as a police officer...." The state supreme court released investigative records last week as a result of a press lawsuit.

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Arizona GOP State Legislators Block Bills to Repeal Abortion Ban. Jack Healy of the New York Times: "Democrats, who have criticized the decision resurrecting a 160-year-old abortion ban that has no exceptions for rape or incest, quickly tried to push bills through the Republican-controlled state Legislature that would repeal the ban.... But Republican leaders in the Senate removed one bill from the day's agenda on Wednesday.... In the other chamber, a Republican House member who has done a political about-face and called for striking down the law made a motion to vote on a Democratic repeal bill that has sat stalled for months. But Republican leaders quickly put the House into recess before any vote could be held. Democrats on the Senate floor jeered as their Republican colleagues filed out of the chamber." (Also linked yesterday.) An ABC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Watch what they do, not what they say. ~~~

Steve M. has the background on how the Arizona supreme court got packed with "justices" who are so fond of the territorial code against women. The New York Times story is here.

~~~ Arizona Senate Race. Kari Finds Her Inner Emily Litella. Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "Kari Lake, the leading Republican candidate for Senate in Arizona, was quick to denounce the state Supreme Court's ruling upholding an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions in the state. The law is 'out of step with Arizonans,' she said in a statement. She called on state lawmakers to 'come up' with a 'solution that Arizonans can support.' But Ms. Lake, an ally of ... Donald J. Trump and a 2020 election denier, had voiced enthusiastic support for the law less than two years ago, when she was in the midst of a scorched-earth campaign for the Republican nomination for governor. Asked then what she thought of the ban, she said she was thrilled it existed and called a 'great law.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Virginia. Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post: "A 6-year-old boy who shot and wounded a teacher at Virginia's Richneck Elementary School last year should have been unenrolled after choking a different teacher, but basic lapses by administrators allowed him back, according to a special grand jury report released Wednesday. The breakdown was one in a long line of failures by school administrators to act on warnings about the boy before he sneaked a gun into the Newport News school and opened fire on Abigail Zwerner, a first-grade teacher, the special grand jury wrote.... The panel found a school so poorly protected that it was vulnerable to a 'probable massacre' in an active shooter situation, officials who kept secrets from parents and a lack of help for the young shooter.... The 11-member panel also recommended a criminal probe of a high-ranking member of Newport News Public Schools for allegedly obstructing the investigation into the shooting, after key pieces of evidence -- the boy's disciplinary files -- went missing. The special grand jury reserved its harshest judgments for Richneck's former assistant principal, Ebony Parker, who it found was warned three times on the day of the shooting that the boy had a weapon but failed to do anything. It indicted her on eight charges of child abuse, possibly the first time an administrator has been charged in connection with the handling of a school shooting, experts said."

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Israel/Palestine, et al. CNN's live updates of developments Thursday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "The Israeli military said it killed three sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an airstrike in Gaza, describing them as military wing operatives. The killings threaten to complicate negotiations aiming to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal. Hamas has told negotiators it is unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages matching the criteria needed for a ceasefire deal, according to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the discussions, raising fears that more hostages may be dead than are publicly known. A day after criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct of the war in Gaza, US President Joe Biden touted an 'ironclad' commitment to Israel's security in the face of Iranian threats. UNICEF said one of its vehicles was hit by 'live ammunition' while waiting to enter northern Gaza from the south. The incident came as Israel's defense minister said his government planned to 'flood Gaza with aid,' and that US pressure played a role in the decision." ~~~

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

Ukraine, et al. Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "The top American military commander in Europe warned on Wednesday that Ukraine could lose the war with Russia if the United States did not send more ammunition to Ukrainian forces, and fast.... Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the head of the Pentagon's European Command, told the House Armed Services Committee..., who is also NATO's top military commander, said Ukraine's allies had provided much of the equipment and arms that Kyiv needed to combat the larger Russian military, including all donated fuel and 90 percent of its tanks. But the United States gives Ukraine most of the two critical munitions that are in shortest supply: artillery shells and air-defense interceptors. 'If we do not continue to support Ukraine, Ukraine will run out of artillery shells and will run out of air defense interceptors in fairly short order,' General Cavoli said. 'Based on my experience in 37-plus years in the U.S. military, if one side can shoot and the other side can't shoot back, the side that can't shoot back loses.'"

News Lede

New York Times: "O.J. Simpson, who ran to fame on the football field, made fortunes as a Black all-American in movies, advertising and television, and was acquitted of killing his former wife and her friend in a 1995 trial in Los Angeles that mesmerized the nation, died on Wednesday. He was 76. The cause was cancer, his family announced on social media."