The Ledes

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Washington Post: “Rescue teams raced to submerged homes, scoured collapsed buildings and steered thousands from overflowing dams as Helene carved a destructive path Friday, knocking out power and flooding a vast arc of communities across the southeastern United States. At least 40 people were confirmed killed in five states since the storm made landfall late Thursday as a Category 4 behemoth, unleashing record-breaking storm surge and tree-snapping gusts. 4 million homes and businesses have lost electricity across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, prompting concerns that outages could drag on for weeks. Mudslides closed highways. Water swept over roofs and snapped phone lines. Houses vanished from their foundations. Tornadoes added to the chaos. The mayor of hard-hit Canton, N.C., called the scene 'apocalyptic.'” An AP report is here.

The Wires
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The Ledes

Friday, September 27, 2024

New York Times: “Maggie Smith, one of the finest British stage and screen actors of her generation, whose award-winning roles ranged from a freethinking Scottish schoolteacher in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' to the acid-tongued dowager countess on 'Downton Abbey,' died on Friday in London. She was 89.”

The Washington Post's live updates of developments related to Hurricane Helene are here: “Hurricane Helene left one person dead in Florida and two in Georgia as it sped north. One of the biggest storms on record to hit the Gulf Coast, Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend area on Thursday night as a Category 4 colossus with winds of up to 140 mph before weakening to Category 1. Catastrophic winds and torrential rain from the storm — which the National Hurricane Center forecast would eventually slow over the Tennessee Valley — were expected to continue Friday across the Southeast and southern Appalachians.” ~~~

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

Mediaite: “Fox Weather’s Bob Van Dillen was reporting live on Fox & Friends about flooding in Atlanta from Hurricane Helene when he was interrupted by the screams of a woman trapped in her car. During the 7 a.m. hour, Van Dillen was filing a live report on the massive flooding in the area. Fox News viewers could clearly hear the urgent screams for help emerging from a car stuck on a flooded road in the background of the live shot. Van Dillen ... told Fox & Friends that 911 had been called and that the local Fire Department was on its way. But as he continued to file the report, the screams did not stop, so Van Dillen cut the live shot short.... Some 10 minutes later, Fox & Friends aired live footage of Van Dillen carrying the woman to safety, waking through chest-deep water while the flooding engulfed her car in the background[.]”

Help!

To keep the Conversation going, please help me by linking news articles, opinion pieces and other political content in today's Comments section.

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OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, then Akhilleus found one, but it too bit the dust. He found yet another, which I've linked here, and as of September 23, 2024, it's working.

OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.

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Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

Washington Post: “An early Titian masterpiece — once looted by Napolean’s troops and a part of royal collections for centuries — caused a stir when it was stolen from the home of a British marquess in 1995. Seven years later, it was found inside an unassuming white and blue plastic bag at a bus stop in southwest London by an art detective, and returned. This week, the oil painting 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' sold for more than $22 million at Christie’s. It was a record for the Renaissance artist, whom museums describe as the greatest painter of 16th-century Venice. Ahead of the sale in April, the auction house billed it as 'the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market in more than a generation.'”

Washington Post: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare material, has undergone a major renovation. "The change to the building is pervasive, both subtle and transformational."

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Tuesday
Apr042023

April 5, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Karoun Demirjian & Chris Buckley of the New York Times: "Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday became the most senior elected official to meet with a Taiwanese president on U.S. soil since Washington established diplomatic relations with Beijing, at a meeting orchestrated to signal solidarity with the island amid rising tensions with China. The gathering at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is in some ways a backtrack by Mr. McCarthy, who promised during the midterm elections that if he were elected speaker, he would travel to Taiwan to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen in a show of defiance to China. Mr. McCarthy's predecessor, Nancy Pelosi of California, did so last year, when she was the House speaker. Instead, Mr. McCarthy and Ms. Tsai opted for a meeting in the United States that was considered the less-risky option to Washington and Taipei. Leaders in both capitals are trying to balance a desire to shore up Taiwan's ties with the United States, its far most powerful partner, against an interest in avoiding steps that might prompt aggressive military encroachments from Beijing."

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The Justice Department has reached a $144.5 million settlement with the families of 26 people killed in a 2017 mass shooting at a church in Texas after an acrimonious legal battle in which the government claimed it was not liable for its failure to update the national firearms background check system. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has signed off on the deal, which lawyers in the Justice Department's civil division negotiated with lawyers representing the families of victims and survivors who had gathered for Sunday worship at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, outside San Antonio. The settlement is among the largest of its kind.... In February 2022, Judge Xavier Rodriguez of the Federal District Court in San Antonio found that Air Force officials had failed to submit crucial records that would have prevented the suspect in the Sutherland Springs shooting from obtaining from a licensed gun dealer the semiautomatic rifle that he used in the attack."

More Bad News for Trump. Maggie Haberman & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Mike Pence will not appeal a federal judge's ruling forcing him to testify in front of a grand jury investigating ... Donald J. Trump's efforts to thwart the transfer of power after the 2020 election, an aide said Wednesday.... It is unclear whether lawyers for Mr. Trump, who lost a parallel effort to limit Mr. Pence's testimony, will ... appeal the judge's ruling. In a statement, Mr. Pence's adviser, Devin O'Malley, noted that Mr. Pence had 'prevailed' on his attempts to argue that his testimony should be limited because as the president of the Senate on Jan. 6, 2021, he was protected from legal scrutiny by the executive branch -- including the Justice Department -- under the Constitution's 'speech or debate' clause.... Still, Judge James E. Boasberg, who heard the 'speech or debate' arguments last month at a closed-door hearing in Federal District Court in Washington, said in his ruling that Mr. Pence would still have to testify about any potentially illegal acts committed by Mr. Trump on Jan. 6 or on the days leading up to it." Politico's story is here.

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "Tuesday's turnout ... [for Donald Trump in Manhattan] felt more desultory than menacing, despite some threatening rhetoric.... You could walk a block away and be unaware that anything was happening. Maybe this is to be expected: Many of the people who might have led mob violence have been either indicted or convicted for their involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection. And certainly, there remains an acute danger from Trump fanatics acting alone. The way the Trump camp has targeted the daughter of the judge overseeing the Trump case has been particularly unconscionable. Arguing that the daughter's political work constituted a conflict for her father, people including [Rep. Marjorie Taylor] Greene, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump shared a story featuring her photograph on social media, and Trump went after her in his post-arraignment speech, likely putting her safety at risk."

Lora Kelley of the New York Times: "Twitter on Tuesday evening added a label to National Public Radio's account on the social network, designating the broadcaster 'U.S. state-affiliated media.'... Twitter's guidelines define state-affiliated accounts as 'outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.' Other news media accounts with the label include RT of Russia and Xinhua of China.... John Lansing, the chief executive of NPR, said in a statement[,] 'NPR stands for freedom of speech and holding the powerful accountable. It is unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way.... Isabel Lara, NPR's chief communications officer, said ... that, on average, less than 1 percent of NPR's annual operating budget comes in the form of grants from the government-funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies and departments." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Too bad I deactivated my Twitter account. Since I receive Social Security & Medicare, Musk could label me (and millions of others who do maintain Twitter accounts) as "U.S. state-supported tool."

North Carolina. Nick Corasaniti & Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "The startling defection of a longtime Democratic lawmaker upended the balance of power in North Carolina on Wednesday, giving Republicans narrow veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers of the battleground state's legislature. The Democratic lawmaker, State Representative Tricia Cotham, announced in a news conference on Wednesday morning that she was becoming a Republican, saying she had been bullied by her fellow Democrats and had grown alienated from the party on issues like school choice.... Her declaration infuriated fellow Democrats and sent shock waves through North Carolina."

~~~~~~~~~~

Perhaps the most important story of the day is linked under "Wisconsin" below.

Florida Man Surrenders

Isaac Arnsdorf & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump spent much of Tuesday in an unfamiliar position, at the mercy of others: whisked around Manhattan by the Secret Service; getting fingerprinted in the custody of the district attorney; sitting still and quietly before a judge. He was the center of attention, but not the master of ceremonies, almost entirely silent beyond uttering 'not guilty' in court and blasting out all-caps posts on his social media site. But as soon as the former president returned home, to his namesake ballroom filled with his adoring fans, he was a rock star again, and he snapped back to his usual combative posture, lashing out at the prosecutor and judge in personal terms, despite the latter's admonition Tuesday to watch his words.... When he spoke Tuesday night, Trump did not back off his attacks, calling [Judge Juan] Merchan 'a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family.' Trump also singled out Merchan's daughter.... Trump also lit into the other ongoing investigations hounding him, especially the probe by the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga..., and the federal investigation into his handling of classified documents.... Many of Trump's statements about the case were not factually supported." ~~~

     ~~~ After listing many of the enthusiastic guests attending Trump's speech, the reporters note, "Trump's wife, Melania, whose wedding was the ballroom's inaugural event in 2005, did not appear on Tuesday." During the speech, according to Rachel Maddow, Trump called Fulton County, Georgia, D.A. Fani Willis a "racist," Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg a "criminal," and special federal prosecutor Jack Smith a "lunatic bomb-thrower." The Huffington Post's report is here.

Michael Sisak, et al., of the AP: "Donald Trump conspired to undermine the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy, prosecutors said Tuesday in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment against the former president. Trump, stone-faced and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said 'not guilty' in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. The broad contours of the case have long been known, but the 16-page indictment contains new details about a scheme that prosecutors say involved multiple payoffs to two women, including a porn star, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of of wedlock." (Also linked yesterday.)

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks following Donald Trump's arraignment: ~~~

     ~~~ Alvin Bragg's public statement is here. The D.A.'s Statement of Facts, submitted to the court, is here (pdf). (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ The full indictment, via the Manhattan D.A., is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: "Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records under Article 175 of the New York Penal Law.... If convicted on the felony bookkeeping fraud charges, Trump faces a sentence of up to four years for each count. The charge does not carry a mandatory prison sentence, however." At 4:00 pm ET, this is a continuing story. (Also linked yesterday.)

Charlie Savage of the New York Times:"The unsealed indictment against ... Donald J. Trump on Tuesday laid out an unexpected accusation that bolstered what many legal experts have described as an otherwise risky and novel case: Prosecutors claim he falsified business records in part for a plan to deceive state tax authorities.... Bookkeeping fraud is normally a misdemeanor. For it to rise to a felony, prosecutors must show that a defendant intended to commit, aid or conceal a second crime -- raising the question of what other crime []Manhattan District Attorney Alvin] Bragg would contend is involved.... On Tuesday, Mr. Bragg suggested that prosecutors are putting forward multiple theories for the second crime, potentially giving judges and jurors alternative routes to finding that bookkeeping fraud was a felony.... At a news conference, Mr. Bragg pointed to both state and federal election law." ~~~

~~~ It's a Great Case! Karen Agnifino & Norm Eisen in a New York Times op-ed: "The charge of creating false financial records is constantly brought by Mr. Bragg and other New York D.A.s. In particular, the creation of phony documentation to cover up campaign finance violations has been repeatedly prosecuted in New York. That is exactly what Mr. Trump stands accused of. The judge and jury will make the ultimate determination, but they will be far from the first to consider this question, and the answer has usually been a guilty verdict." ~~~

     ~~~ Actually, No. Ian Millhiser of Vox: "... Bragg built his case on an exceedingly uncertain legal theory. Even if Trump did the things he's accused of, it's not clear Bragg can legally charge Trump for them, at least under the felony version of New York's false records law." ~~~

     ~~~ MB: Curiously, both Agnifino & Eisen and Millhiser limit their arguments to the uncertainty of basing state charges on a federal crime. Neither mentions the state tax violations nor the state election law violation Bragg has addressed, which other experts cite as solid foundations for the felony business records charges. My suspicion is that both of these analyses were written before the D.A.'s statement of the case was released.

ABC News has published the full transcript of Donald Trump's arraignment yesterday. Judge Merchan's warning to Trump is notable. racist DA criminal Smith lunatic bomb-thrower.

Old Dead Eyes, moments before his arraignment in Manhattan. As good as a mugshot.

Marie: Upon seeing this photo, pundits speculated on the emotions that Trump's face revealed. What's clear to me is that he is reflecting on the indignity of having to open his own door to keep it from hitting him in that face. What's become of the world?

David Firestone of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump wanted [a] mug shot, CNN reported, and when he didn't get it, his presidential campaign put a fake one on a fund-raising T-shirt. He wanted it for the same reason he brought his private videographer from Florida to the courthouse: to contrive physical relics of his martyrdom at the hands of his leftist oppressors, proof of the vast conspiracy that he can wave at rallies and blare on his social media platform. But a few things happened on Tuesday that Mr. Trump didn't count on. The images -- and the details of the case itself -- sent a far more serious message than he expected.... The lasting image of the day may well be that of a humbled former president looking hunched, angry and nervous at the courtroom defense table, a suddenly small man wedged between his lawyers, as two New York State court officers loomed behind him in a required posture of making sure the defendant stayed in his place. And the 34 felony charges, to which Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty, turned out to be more significant and more sweeping than previously suspected." ~~~

     ~~~ The Art of the Deal: If You Give Me $47, I'll Give You a Free T-Shirt. Alaina Demopoulos of the Guardian elaborates on how Trump's campaign is monetizing his arrest, beginning with a T-shirt emblazoned with a fake mugshot. "A fake chart [in the Photoshopped mug shot] behind him gave his height as 6ft 5in. Underneath his photo were the words 'NOT GUILTY', printed in big block letters. Trump's official store ... will send fans the mugshot T-shirt 'for free', if they donate $47 to his re-election campaign."

Kierra Frazier of Politico: "... Donald Trump's arraignment Tuesday is not a priority for President Joe Biden, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.... 'Of course, this is playing out on many of the networks here on a daily basis for hours and hours,' Jean-Pierre said. 'So, obviously, he will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day, but this is not his focus for today.' The White House has stuck to a 'no comment' script since the news broke that Trump had been indicted Thursday." (Also linked yesterday.)

Today's Weather Forecast, via RAS:

Jesse McKinley of the New York Times:"Scores of demonstrators from both sides began amassing hours before Mr. Trump, 76, was due at the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, with a pro-Trump rally outside the courthouse headlined by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.... Wearing sunglasses and speaking into a megaphone, Ms. Greene delivered brief remarks, attacking Democrats as 'communists' and 'failures' and reeling off a list of her and her party's policy positions.... Police were separating pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators in Collect Pond Park, keeping an aisle -- and an array of officers -- between the two groups, who were largely peaceful, though at least one small skirmish broke out. Ms. Greene's arrival was accompanied by heavy security.... Representative George Santos, the serial liar and embattled freshman Republican from Long Island, also showed up, though he left shortly after arriving, saying he felt unsafe." (Also linked yesterday.)

How's That "Lock Her Up!" Chants Working for Trump: James Barron of the New York Times: "Today New York will be focused on the arraignment of a former president, the first proceeding of its kind in American history.... This evening a private club on East 66th Street will continue a tradition dating to the 1870s with a black-tie dinner. The honoree will be Hillary Clinton.... The timing is a coincidence, said John Sussek III, the president of the Lotos Club. The date was chosen around the beginning of the year...." (Also linked yesterday.)

MEANWHILE. Bada Bing, Bada Boom. Sara Murray, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump's legal team has lost a bid for emergency help from the federal appeals court in Washington, DC, to block some of his closest advisers from testifying about him to a grand jury, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, according to a new court filing. Trump's team on Monday night asked for the appeals court to wipe away a lower court's ruling that would force several of his top advisers to answer questions to a grand jury investigating Trump and his allies' attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, despite his claims of legal protections around his presidency that would shield some of their testimony. The appeals court denied his request on Tuesday, dealing Trump another legal setback just before he is set to enter a courtroom in Manhattan to face criminal charges in a separate investigation.... Overnight, a panel of three judges on the appeals court -- Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins and Greg Katsas -- had sought a response from the Justice Department regarding Trump's request. The Justice Department responded about two hours later.... Trump's team is unlikely to ask the Supreme Court for help, one source told CNN." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "A Jan. 6 defendant who was charged alongside the Donald Trump supporter who drove a stun gun into the neck of a D.C. police officer during the Capitol attack was convicted Tuesday on three counts.... Ed Badalian was arrested in November 2021.... He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, and a misdemeanor count. He was found not guilty of a tampering count because the judge found that a government witness, a fellow Jan. 6 rioter, was a 'hot mess' on the stand. Badalian was charged alongside Daniel Rodriguez, a MAGA-hatted rioter who admitted that he had electroshocked D.C. Police Officer Mike Fanone when Fanone was abducted by the mob. Rodriguez is set to be sentenced in May. A third man, known to online sleuths as #SwedishScarf and referred to in court as 'Jeff,' was indicted alongside the other two men, but has not yet been arrested. Law enforcement officials believe that he has fled the country." (Also linked yesterday.)

Katie Mettler, et al., of the Washington Post: "Roy C. McGrath, a former top aide to Maryland's then governor [Larry Hogan (R)], is believed to have shot himself following a traffic stop in Tennessee amid a 21-day manhunt that kicked off when he did not show up for court in his federal fraud trial, according to a law enforcement document. The FBI also fired during the stop, the document said, and it is unclear whether the self-inflicted wound or shots from law enforcement killed McGrath." (Also linked yesterday.)

Moderate Drinking Can Kill You, Too. Roni Rabin of the New York Times: "A new analysis of more than 40 years of research ... found that the risks of dying prematurely increase significantly for women once they drink 25 grams of alcohol a day, which is less than two standard cocktails containing 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, two 12-ounce beers or two 5-ounce glasses of wine. The risks to men increase significantly at 45 grams of alcohol a day, or just over three drinks. The new report, which analyzed more than 100 studies of almost five million adults, was not designed to develop drinking recommendations, but to correct for methodological problems that plagued many of the older observational studies.... [Dr.] Tim Stockwell, a scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research ... [said that once he] and his colleagues corrected for these errors and others, he said, 'Lo and behold, the supposed health benefits of drinking shrink dramatically, and become non-statistically significant.'"

The Pandemic, Ctd. Noah Weiland & Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "The Food and Drug Administration plans to allow older and immunocompromised Americans to get a second updated coronavirus booster shot in the near future, an acknowledgment of the virus's continuing risks to vulnerable people whose immunity might be sagging months after a previous inoculation. Federal regulators are expected to authorize the additional dose in the next few weeks, according to people familiar with the agency's planning. Those 65 and older would be able to receive the vaccine at least four months after their previous updated shot. Those with immune deficiencies would also be eligible, and the vaccines would be free of charge. Regulators are expected to authorize the additional dose without explicitly recommending it for those groups, a stance that emphasizes the discretion of patients and their health providers. Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is expected to sign off on the decision...."

Tiffany Hsu of the New York Times: "Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday that it had agreed to pay $8.9 billion to tens of thousands of people who claimed the company's talcum powder products caused cancer, a proposal that lawyers for the plaintiffs called a 'significant victory' in a legal fight that has lasted more than a decade. The proposed settlement would be paid out over 25 years through a subsidiary, which filed for bankruptcy to enable the $8.9 billion trust, Johnson & Johnson said in a court filing. If a bankruptcy court approves it, the agreement will resolve all current and future claims involving Johnson & Johnson products that contain talc, such as baby powder, the company said."

Sad News. Chelsea Ritschel of the Independent, republished by Yahoo! News: "Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith have reportedly called off their engagement, less than two weeks after announcing their plans to marry. On 4 April, Vanity Fair reported that sources close to the 92-year-old media mogul said the couple had 'abruptly' called off their engagement, with one source citing Murdoch's alleged discomfort with Smith's evangelical views." (Also linked yesterday.) At the top of today's Comments, unwashed suggests the underlying cause of the break-up.

Beyond the Beltway

Illinois. Chicago Mayoral Election. Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "Brandon Johnson, a county commissioner and union organizer who called for a vast expansion of social programs in Chicago, as well as new taxes, was elected mayor of the country's third-largest city on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. Mr. Johnson's victory over Paul Vallas, a fellow Democrat with far more conservative views on crime and education, showed voters rejecting the tough-on-crime politics that have become a staple of municipal elections in recent years and instead embracing a decidedly progressive vision for a city still struggling to emerge from a pandemic malaise." Politico's story is here.

** Wisconsin. Democracy, Women's Rights Win. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Wisconsin voters on Tuesday chose to upend the political direction of their state by electing a liberal candidate to the State Supreme Court, flipping majority control from conservatives, according to The Associated Press. The result means that in the next year, the court is likely to reverse the state's abortion ban and end the use of gerrymandered legislative maps drawn by Republicans. Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal Milwaukee County judge, defeated Daniel Kelly, a conservative former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who sought a return to the bench. With more than 80 percent of votes counted, Judge Protasiewicz led by more than 10 percentage points, though the margin was expected to narrow as rural counties tallied ballots." An NBC News story is here.

Way Beyond

Israel. Raja Abdulrahim & Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "The Israeli police raided the most sensitive holy site in Jerusalem before dawn on Wednesday after Palestinians barricaded themselves inside a mosque there, setting off a brief exchange of rocket fire from Gaza and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes into the territory. The violence at the Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, led to the injuries of at least 12 Palestinians and two Israeli officers and the arrests of hundreds of Palestinians. Officials and diplomats had been warning in recent days that the overlap of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover, which begins on Wednesday evening, could lead to clashes as more worshipers head to the site."

New Zealand. Rachel Pannett of the Washington Post: "Jacinda Ardern delivered her final speech to New Zealand's Parliament on Wednesday, as the former prime minister is set to begin new global roles combating online extremism and protecting the environment. Ardern stepped down in January but had remained in Parliament to avoid triggering an election ahead of the national one in October.... Ardern's successor as prime minister, Chris Hipkins, announced Tuesday that she had been appointed to an unpaid role as a special envoy to the Christchurch Call -- a global initiative begun by Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron to urge tech giants and other governments to commit to combating the spread of extremism on social media.... Ardern will also join the board of trustees of the Earthshot Prize, a charity founded by Britain's Prince William to support inventors with potentially planet-saving ideas."

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting Poland on Wednesday in a rare wartime trip outside his country. Polish President Andrzej Duda announced the visit, noting that Zelensky will also meet with Ukrainians living in Poland. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beijing for talks that will also include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Russia's war in Ukraine is on the agenda of the visit.... Lawyers were able to visit Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich nearly a week after he was detained in Russia, publisher Almar Latour said in a statement. U.S. Embassy representatives have not yet been granted access to the 31-year-old American, who is being held in Lefortovo prison in Moscow." ~~~

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

Comments Off

Reader Comments (13)

"...with one source citing Murdoch’s alleged discomfort with Smith’s evangelical views.”

Tithing?

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered Commenterunwashed

Unwashed,

Hahaha…yeah, a tenth of Rupert’s fortune to a bunch of Bible bangers. Like that would happen. Isn’t that what pre-nups are for? Maybe he could negotiate that down to an autographed picture of TuKKKer and ten cents off the church’s monthly subscription to Fox,

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

No mug shot of the Fat Felon? Not to worry. He’ll have his flunkies produce a fake Time magazine cover with a fake mug shot just like the one they published with OJ’s mug, under the headline “Just like Jesus! Send money!”

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Akhilleus: He already did. See David Firestone's op-ed, linked above.

April 5, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

The back to back coverage of the Donald's trips back and forth got to be tedious but gosh! we gots to know New York road ways and side ways in a way we didn't know before and learned how many doors were at the court house and that's really important to know for some reason. But hey! it's what we do when someone as important as Fatty falls flat on his keister.

So once He got back to his merry palace he once again entertained a group in the ballroom spouting bad stuff about judges and others even though he had been warned not to do so. There was someone absent from this occassion–-Melanie––-whom I have wondered a bit about. How is she faring these days–--and what about their son–-is he getting flack from his school chums? We never learn a thing about him.

Sex, lies and video tapes brings this tyrant down and we have miles to go with the other crimes he has committed but for now we can sit back and hoist a few for Alvin Bragg and a judge that isn'i a cream puff.

Finally Wisconsin has a chance to redeem itself!!!!

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

The Wisconsin election is further proof that un-gerrymandered state wide elections, as do national elections, accurately reflect the the people's will.

Two questions:

Why would the SCOTUS continue to ignore this obvious fact?

And how in hell does Ron Johnson ever get elected?

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

@Ken Winkes: Wisconsin is more-or-less a 50-50 state, Democrats & Republicans. I would guess yesterday's state supreme court election results were mostly a reflection of what Badgers thought of abortion rights. I expect they'll go back to the 50-50 situation come the next election unless the makeup of the electorate changes in some way.

The homes of Joe McCarthy & Bob LaFollette are still there.

April 5, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

I think you're right, Marie....and thanks for reminding me to renew my subscription to "The Progressive."

But Ron Johnson? Sheesh!

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Donald and I are under a gag order.

I gag whenever I see his photo or he opens his pie hole.

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

“Racist! Animal! Criminal! Lunatic bomb thrower!”

There goes the small fingered vulgarian again, projecting, as always.

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Hey…the dumbwaiter has delivered Fatty’s lunch down at Marred-a-Lardo, and look! It’s ANOTHER shit sandwich:

“Former top national security officials have testified to a federal grand jury that they repeatedly told former President Donald Trump and his allies that the government didn’t have the authority to seize voting machines after the 2020 election, CNN has learned.”

Yes, Jack Smith, “lunatic bomb thrower”, has delivered more shit to lunatic former guy.

Looks like Fatty’s whine about how he truly, honestly, seriously, hand to god believed the ‘lection was stole, is going back down the dumbwaiter to the kitchen to be fed into the disposal, cuz loads of insiders told him he lost and, by the way, that plan he and Four Seasons Rudy had for having the military and DHS seize voting machines was, um, not constitutional.

Waaaaahhh…

So when NY gets through with his hush money coverup, and Georgia arrests him for election interference, he’s got another shit sandwich to munch on: attempting to overthrow an election he knows he—BIG LOSER—lost.

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Oops…forgot the linky:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/05/politics/election-voting-machines-trump-national-security/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_term=link&utm_content=2023-04-05T17%3A30%3A07&utm_source=twCNN

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

New from Randy Rainbow:
https://youtu.be/ues8ycOxXKM

April 5, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe
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