The Ledes

Thursday, September 26, 2024

The New York Times:' live updates of Hurricane Helene developments today are here. “Hurricane Helene was barreling through the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday en route to Florida, where residents were bracing for extreme rain, destructive winds and deadly storm surge ahead of the storm’s expected landfall. The storm could intensify to a Category 4, if not higher, before making landfall late Thursday, and forecasters warned Helene’s anticipated large size could make its impacts felt across an extensive area. Areas as distant as Atlanta and the Appalachians are at risk for heavy rains.... Many forecast models show the storm making landfall late Thursday near Florida’s Big Bend Coast, a sparsely populated stretch....” ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post has forecasts for some cites in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina & Tennessee that are in or near the probable path of Helene. ~~~

     ~~~ This morning, an MSNBC weatherperson said Tallahassee (which is inland) would experience wind gusts of up to 120 m.p.h. and that the National Weather Service said expected 20-foot storm surges near the coast would be “unsurvivable.”

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The Ledes

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

The New York Times is live-updating developments in the progress of Hurricane Helene. “Helene continued to power north in the Caribbean Sea, strengthening into a hurricane Wednesday morning, on a path that forecasters expect will bring heavy amounts of rain to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and western Cuba before it begins to move toward Florida’s Gulf Coast.” ~~~

~~~ CNN: “Helene rapidly intensified into a hurricane Wednesday as it plows toward a Florida landfall as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States in over a year. The storm will also grow into a massive, sprawling monster as it continues to intensify, one that won’t just slam Florida, but also much of the Southeast.... Thousands of Florida residents have already been forced to evacuate and nearly the entire state is under alerts as the storm threatens to unleash flooding rainfall, damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge.... The hurricane unleashed its fury on parts of Mexico’s Yucátan Peninsula and Cuba Wednesday.“

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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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July 11, 2023

Marie: The Comments "facility" (so to speak) is acting up this morning. People are posting comments, they get the "all-good" message. But, uh, no comment. Then, maybe hours later, up pop the comment. It isn't you. It's Squarespace. Update: I just tested it when I was logged out of my prestigious editorial position, and my test comment came up right away. So maybe it's fixed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Late Morning Update:

Marshall Cohen of CNN: "The Georgia grand jury that is expected to consider charges against ... Donald Trump and his Republican allies for trying to overturn the 2020 election is being selected Tuesday in Atlanta. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, an elected Democrat, launched the investigation in early 2021, after Trump tried to overturn his defeat in the Peach State with a public and private pressure campaign targeting Georgia election officials, the governor, lawmakers and prosecutors. A special grand jury previously heard testimony from 75 witnesses, including Trump advisers, his former attorneys, White House aides, and Georgia officials. That panel issued a redacted report with charging recommendations, which will soon be weighed by the new grand jury. Willis has indicated that final decisions could come next month."

Brian Slodysko & Eric Tucker of the AP: "The Associated Press obtained tens of thousands of pages of emails and other documents that reveal the extent to which public colleges and universities have seen visits by [Supreme Court] justices as opportunities to generate donations -- regularly putting justices in the room with influential donors, including some whose industries have had interests before the court. The documents also reveal that justices spanning the court's ideological divide have lent the prestige of their positions to partisan activity, headlining speaking events with prominent politicians, or advanced their own personal interests, such as sales of their books, through college visits. The conduct would likely be prohibited if done by lower court federal judges.... 'The justices should be aware that people are selling access to them,' said University of Virginia law professor Amanda Frost, an ethics expert.... At least one justice, [Sonia] Sotomayor, seemed keenly aware of the peril of being in a setting with donors. Early in her Supreme Court tenure, she rejected a suggestion that she dine with major contributors to the University of Hawaii during a 2012 visit.... 'Canon 2(B) of the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges provides that a judge "should avoid lending the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others,"' [her aide wrote]." ~~~

     ~~~ BUT. Brian Slodysko & Eric Tucker of the AP: Justice Sonia "Sotomayor's staff has often prodded public institutions that have hosted the justice to buy her memoir or children's books, works that have earned her at least $3.7 million since she joined the court in 2009. Details of those events, largely out of public view, were obtained by The Associated Press through more than 100 open records requests to public institutions.... The documents reveal repeated examples of taxpayer-funded court staff performing tasks for the justice's book ventures, which workers in other branches of government are barred from doing. But when it comes to promoting her literary career, Sotomayor is free to do what other government officials cannot because the Supreme Court does not have a formal code of conduct.... Supreme Court staffers have been deeply involved in organizing speaking engagements intended to sell books.... None of the justices has as forcefully leveraged publicly sponsored travel to boost book sales as has Sotomayor, according to emails and other records reviewed by the AP....

"Sotomayor's publisher, Penguin Random House, also has played a role in organizing her talks, in some cases pressing public institutions to commit to buying a specific number of copies or requesting that attendees purchase books to obtain tickets, emails show. The publisher has had several matters before the court in which Sotomayor did not recuse herself." MB: Sotomayor's Supreme Court staff also have been telling the universities how many copies of her books they should purchase. Sometimes members of the public who want to meet Justice Sotomayor have to purchase copies of her book to get into the room.

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "If you are concerned about contempt for precedent, partisan hackery and judicial hubris, take a look at what district court judges have been doing. There was U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk's atrocious ruling in April reversing the Food and Drug Administration's 2-decades-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.... And let's not forget the unsupportable ruling from U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon of Florida putting her finger on the scale to try to block the Justice Department from reviewing secret documents hoarded by ... Donald Trump.... But not to be outdone, U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty in Louisiana, in a case involving government contacts with social media companies, [ruled that government officials could not even speak to tech companies about moderating misinformation].... Trump populated the judiciary with underqualified ideologues, 10 of whom were rated unqualified by the American Bar Association. (In addition, they were overwhelmingly White and male; not a single African American judge was nominated to a circuit court.) Thanks to Ken. W. for the link.

Pennsylvania. Joel Wolfram & Campbell Robertson of the New York Times: Philadelphia police officials describe "an apparent error of a 911 dispatcher that ... meant that ... deadly gunfire [in a home] was not known by authorities until the following night. By then, the man now suspected of having killed [the man in that home] had already carried out one of the city's deadliest mass shootings [the following day, July 3]."

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday at the NATO meeting and in other news of Russia's war on Ukraine are here.

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Tuesday are here: "NATO leaders are gathering in [Lithuania] for their annual summit, and Ukraine is top of the agenda. Member states are set to discuss further military aid and political support for Ukraine, while Kyiv wants specific pledges on when and how it can join the defense alliance. But with the Biden administration among those reluctant to set clear preconditions for Ukraine while the war with Russia is ongoing, the key question for the alliance may be what else it can negotiate during the two-day summit to provide reassurance to Kyiv and send an unequivocal message to Moscow."

** From the New York Times Ukraine/Russia liveblog Monday, also linked earlier: "Turkey agreed on Monday to clear the way for Sweden to join NATO, a sudden reversal just hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the European Union should first advance his country's bid to join the E.U. bloc. NATO's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, announced Turkey's decision from Vilnius, Lithuania, where the alliance was preparing to open its annual summit on Tuesday.... The statement said Mr. Erdogan met on Monday with Mr. Stoltenberg and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden to discuss the country's bid.... In return, Sweden and Turkey would continue to work bilaterally against terrorism, Sweden would help reinvigorate Turkey's application to enter the European Union, and NATO would establish a new 'special coordinator for counterterrorism,' he said.... Hungary is the only other NATO member that has yet to approve Sweden's bid, but Hungarian officials have said that if Turkey's position changes, they would not obstruct the process." MB: Given all the hoohah that preceded Turkey's decision, this is a BFD. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Alexandra Hutzler of ABC News: "Turkey is dropping its opposition to Sweden's bid to join NATO, a big development on the eve of the alliance's 74th annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. The announcement was applauded by President Joe Biden and comes a day after he spoke with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about U.S. F-16s for Ankara, although any direct connection was unclear." ~~~

     ~~~ Earlier That Same Day ~~~

     ~~~ So yesterday morning we learned that Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was hinging his support for Sweden's entry into NATO on the U.S.'s willingness to see F-16s to Turkey. Apparently that was not enough: ~~~

     ~~~ Blackmailer-in-Chief. Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said on Monday that the European Union should open the way for Turkey to join the bloc before Turkey allows Sweden to join NATO, adding a surprising new condition that could further stall the military alliance's efforts to expand. Mr. Erdogan's latest demand came a day before the opening of NATO's two-day annual summit, where leaders, including President Biden, had hoped to secure unanimous approval from member states to allow Sweden to become the 32nd member." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Asli Aydintasbas of the Washington Post: "President Biden and his team worked hard to get Erdogan to 'yes' and are to be applauded for their efforts.... Behind all the public bluster, Erdogan's most important ask has long been clear: He needs the United States to sell him F-16s.... The Biden administration has long been in favor of the transaction, but Congress had been blocking it.... The White House made headway over the weekend in convincing congressional leaders -- in particular, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) -- that it is better to keep Turkey inside the NATO tent by going ahead with the sale.... Erdogan also might have gotten some concessions from Europe. As part of the announcement, Sweden agreed to support expanding the E.U.'s free-trade arrangement with Turkey.... This is an important moment — and an opening to try to reverse Turkey's drift."


Haley Britzky of CNN: "A major branch of the US military does not have a Senate confirmed leader for the first time in more than a century, as a result of a Republican senator refusing to lift his block on military nominations. Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger relinquished command on Monday after holding a private retirement ceremony, after more than 40 years of service. His successor, Gen. Eric Smith, has not yet been confirmed to take over due to the hold on senior military nominations by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville. Speaking at Berger's relinquishment of command ceremony on Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a point to mention the hold and its impact on 'stable and orderly leadership transitions,' and military families.... Berger agreed just moments later, saying, 'We need the Senate to do their job so we can have a sitting Commandant that's appointed and confirmed.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mr. Potato Head Is Totally a White Potato. Ed Mazza of the Huffington Post: "Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) offered up a head-spinning defense of white nationalists on Monday, saying he's against racism but that many of them 'just have different beliefs.'... 'A white nationalist is someone who believes that the white race is superior to other races,' [CNN's Kaitlan Collins told Tuberville].... 'Well, that's some people's opinion,' Tuberville replied, and again he defined a white nationalist as 'an American.'"

Cat Zakrzewski & Tim Starks of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on Monday to stay a preliminary injunction that puts extraordinary limits on government communications with social media companies, arguing that the sweeping order could chill law enforcement activity to protect national security interests. The 22-page request came just hours after U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty denied the Justice Department's request for a stay. Doughty imposed the preliminary injunction limiting government communications with social media companies July 4. The Justice Department's filing signaled that it could seek the intervention of the Supreme Court, saying that at a minimum, the 5th Circuit should put the order on pause for 10 days to give the nation's highest court time to consider an application for a stay."

Steve Benen of MSNBC: "Clarence Thomas' ethics mess goes from bad to worse.... Over the last few months, the Supreme Court justices' principal problem was his relationship with Texas billionaire Harlan Crow, and the generosity the GOP megadonor has shown Thomas. But what the [New York] Times appears to have uncovered is a similar problem multiplied several times: Thomas 'has received benefits -- many of them previously unreported -- from a broader cohort of wealthy and powerful friends,' thanks to his connections established through the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans."

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "David C. Weiss, the federal prosecutor in Delaware who has led the criminal investigation of Hunter Biden, on Monday rebutted a key element of testimony to Congress by an Internal Revenue Service official who said that Mr. Weiss complained about being blocked from pursuing the case the way he wanted. In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Weiss said that he had never asked Justice Department officials to give him special counsel status to pursue the case, contradicting testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee by the I.R.S. official, Gary Shapley, who said Mr. Weiss had sought that status and been turned down.... Mr. Weiss added in the letter to [Sen. Lindsey] Graham that he had 'never been denied the authority to bring charges in any jurisdiction.'... He [did not] explicitly address a key assertion made by Mr. Shapley: that Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys in California and Washington had blocked Mr. Weiss from prosecuting Hunter Biden on felony tax charges...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) Politico has an item here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The headline here should be something like, "Another GOP Conspiracy Bites the Dust." But this one won't bite the dust just because Weiss has denied some of Shapley's testimony. Jim Jordan is a bulldog, and like the bulldog my grandparents' once had, he will hang on the bull's chest as long as Biden has a government job.

Surprise! Too Busy to Defend Their Crimes. Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump's lawyers argued in new court papers that for a host of legal and political reasons, the trial should be pushed beyond the December timeframe proposed by the Justice Department, and possibly after the November 2024 election. In a 12-page filing late Monday night, Trump's lawyers Christopher Kise and Todd Blanche claimed that putting the former president on trial later this year for alleged mishandling of classified papers and obstruction will be 'unreasonable, telling, and would result in a miscarriage of justice.' The lawyers argued that no trial date be set for the time being.... The judge in the case, Aileen Cannon, has scheduled a hearing for Friday, but lawyers for Trump and his co-defendant, Waltine 'Walt' Nauta, have suggested delaying that until next week in order to accommodate the schedule of Nauta's lawyer. Trump and Nauta, the new filing argues, are going to be too busy with a presidential campaign to properly prepare for a criminal trial at the end of this year." A CNBC story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The reasonable response to this is, "Okay then, don't run for president*." No one is required to run for president, any number of people have chosen not to run for personal reasons. Joe Biden, for instance, chose not to run in 2016 because he and his family were grieving the death of son Beau Biden. Defending yourself against criminal charges is a pretty good reason to forget other personal ambitions. ~~~

     ~~~ Marcy Wheeler: "... at its core, [Trump's motion] argues that a guy accused of using the access to the nation's secrets he got by getting elected President on false promises [of protecting the nation's secrets] the last time, should get a shot at accessing those secrets again, without first letting a jury decide whether he had abused his position of power the last time. Trump promised voters in 2016 that he would protect classified secrets; it's actually a key part of how he got elected. Now he says voters shouldn't a chance to find out whether he broke that promise before going to the polls again." ~~~

~~~ Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "Former President Trump's co-defendant in the Mar-a-Lago case, Walt Nauta, is pushing the court to delay a conference to discuss the handling of classified evidence in the case, teeing up a decision for Judge Aileen Cannon that could signal how quickly she plans to handle the case. A filing from the attorney of Nauta asks Cannon to reschedule the Friday conference, arguing he is due in court on another matter while the Florida-based attorney Nauta hired the day before his twice-scheduled arraignment -- Sasha Dadan -- is not yet prepared to participate.... The conference is a routine part of the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) and was granted by Cannon shortly after Trump was arraigned last month in Miami.... [In response, DOJ prosecutors] chastise [Nauta's attorney Stanley] Woodward for apparently failing to undertake the paperwork required to get a clearance.... Brandon Van Grack, a former top national security lawyer with the Department of Justice, called Nauta's motion 'a delay tactic and the first real test for the Court to keep the case on schedule.'"

Kara Scannell of CNN: "A New York judge has ordered Steve Bannon to pay his former attorneys nearly $500,000 in unpaid legal fees for work on various legal matters, including his fight against a subpoena by the congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack. The law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP sued Bannon in February alleging he failed to pay his legal bills for work the lawyers did for him on the congressional investigation as well as criminal investigations into his efforts to crowdfund a wall along the southern US border. In a six-page order issued Friday, Judge Arlene Bluth ordered Bannon to pay $480,487.87 in unpaid bills as well as 'reasonable legal fees' to his former lawyers who brought the lawsuit." MB: What a surprise! Bannon the Scammer doesn't pay his lawyers. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ella Lee of the Hill: "The head of a U.S. think tank who has repeatedly accused President Biden and his family of corruption has been charged with acting as an unregistered agent of China, Manhattan prosecutors announced Monday evening. Gal Luft, co-director of the Maryland-based Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, is accused of recruiting and paying an unnamed former high-ranking U.S. government official on behalf of principals based in China in 2016, without registering as a foreign agent, which is legally required. The former high-ranking official was an advisor to then President-elect Trump and was allegedly paid to publicly support certain policies pertaining to China, according to the 58-page, eight-count indictment unsealed Monday. Manhattan prosecutors also allege Luft attempted to broker illicit arms deals to sell weapons to countries including Libya, the United Arab Emirates and Kenya without having a license to do so, as is legally required in the U.S. And Luft is accused of violating Iran sanctions.... Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the Oversight Committee, called Luft a 'very credible witness on Biden family corruption' in a tweet last week. Comer and other Republicans have heralded Luft as a whistleblower in the Hunter Biden laptop probe." CNN's story is here.

Well, Isn't That Special! Mark Schlabach of ESPN: "The LIV Golf League's season-ending team championship will be played at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami for the second straight year.... The three-day team championship was originally scheduled to be played Nov. 3-5 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. LIV Golf League officials have been working to move it back to Trump National Doral, where it was staged in the league's inaugural season in 2022. The Jeddah event, now scheduled for Oct. 13-15, will be the final regular-season tournament."

Jeremy Peters & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Of all the distortions and paranoia that Tucker Carlson promoted on his since-canceled Fox News program, one looms large: a conspiracy theory that an Arizona man working as a covert government agent incited the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol to sabotage and discredit ... Donald J. Trump and his political movement. What's known about the man -- a two-time Trump voter named Ray Epps -- is that he took part in demonstrations in Washington that day and the night before. He was captured on camera urging a crowd to march with him and enter the Capitol. But at other points, he pleads for calm once it becomes clear the situation is turning violent.... [There is no video evidence he ever went inside the Capitol.] Federal prosecutors have not charged Mr. Epps with a crime..., [but he] could still be indicted.... For more than 18 months, Mr. Carlson insisted that the lack of charges against Mr. Epps could mean only one thing: that he was being protected because he was a secret government agent.... He repeated Mr. Epps's name over and over -- in nearly 20 episodes -- imprinting it on the minds of his viewers.... Now lawyers representing Mr. Epps and his wife are proceeding with plans to sue Fox News for defamation.... First Amendment experts say Mr. Epps has a viable case for defamation...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

Louisiana. Chang Che of the New York Times: "A former Catholic priest in Louisiana who preyed on 17 men who were intoxicated or needed help, drugging and photographing them -- and sexually assaulting at least a dozen of them -- was sentenced on Friday to 25 years in prison. Judge Shayna Beevers Morvant of the 24th Judicial District Court handed down the sentence to the former priest, Stephen Sauer, 61, after he pleaded guilty on Friday to 13 counts of sexual battery, nine counts of third-degree rape, 17 counts of video voyeurism and 16 misdemeanor charges of drug possession, according to a news release from the district attorney for Jefferson Parish, part of the greater New Orleans area. The judge also ordered Mr. Sauer to register as a sex offender and barred him from contacting 12 of the victims for life."

Michigan Senate Race. John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Hill Harper, an actor best known for his work on the television series 'The Good Doctor' and 'CSI: NY,' announced a bid Monday for a U.S. Senate seat from Michigan, entering a crowded Democratic primary that has been dominated by Rep. Elissa Slotkin. In media interviews, Harper, a first-time political candidate, pledged to run to Slotkin's left, calling himself 'the most progressive candidate' in the field."

Nevada Senate Race. John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Sam Brown, a retired U.S. Army captain severely injured by an explosion in Afghanistan, announced a GOP bid Monday for the seat held by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), among those whom Republicans are eying as they seek control of the Senate in next year's elections. Brown ran for Senate last year but placed second behind Adam Laxalt in the Republican primary with 34 percent of the vote. Laxalt, a former Nevada attorney general, narrowly lost to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) in the general election. This time around, Brown is running with the support of national Republican leaders and struck a more moderate tone in his announcement.... In Brown's failed Senate bid last year, he proved to be a relatively strong fundraiser. He voiced opposition to abortion access and accused Laxalt of not doing enough to protect 'election integrity.'"

News Ledes

New York Times: "The company that possesses the exclusive salvage rights to the Titanic shipwreck and the ship's artifacts filed in federal court on Saturday a map of the surrounding seabed that shows where searchers found the twisted remains of the Titan submersible. The map, a mosaic of sonar images that were annotated by experts at the company, RMS Titanic Inc., helps indicate how close the craft was to its intended destination when disaster struck." Includes imagery.

New York Times: "Torrential rainfall and widespread flooding wreaked havoc in the river valleys and mountain towns of Vermont and New York State on Monday, ravaging communities and drawing comparisons to the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene more than a decade ago. The storm caused a night of chaos in New York on Sunday, particularly in the Hudson Valley, where up to eight inches of rain fell in some areas and one person died. But its center had shifted to Vermont by Monday, putting the landlocked and mountainous state -- and particularly a number of tiny, isolated towns along rivers and creeks, just as when Irene struck -- in the cross hairs for major flooding."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (13)

Let's all get together! Yes, the news that the big bird from Turkey has opened his wings for Sweden is, as Marie put it--A Big Fucking Deal!

And among all the other news our Pin Point Georgia guy has more than one rich Daddy that has given him the good life. Thomas once envisioned a priesthood––-wearing those robes that signify being "not of this world"––-now his S.C. robes mean just the opposite–-they have bought him luxery and fancy feasts. Senator Whitehouse says he's on the case so let's see how that works out.

And today here in Wallingford it is cool, the skies are finally just a tad blue after weeks of heat and smoky air. God, in his wisdom. must have heard our prayers––-what a guy–--has an ear out for only a few.

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

It blows the mind.

It's not just the secrets.

The guy who while in office, trod heavy-footed on the Constitution's emoluments clause, put together the most corrupt Cabinet in the nation's history, helped plan an insurrection, cozied up to dictators, practiced extortion on the leader of a foreign government, launched several vindictive IRS and Justice Dept. investigations of his political enemies would now like to be treated "fairly."

I'd like to see that too.

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Lost it the first time around, so will try again.

It's not just the secrets.

So this same guy who put together the most corrupt Cabinet in our history, who trampled all over the Constitution's emoluments clause, told tens of thousands of documented lies, who attempted extortion on the leader of a foreign country, who ordered the IRS and Justice Dept. investigations of his political enemies, who cozied up to dictators, and who arranged a violent insurrection now wants to be treated "fairly."

I'm all for that.

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Posted earlier---said it was submitted--but no see it here.

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

Ken: Well said!!!!!
I'm posting for the third time this morning–--my first two posts although said were submitted haven't been.

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

I wake up in the morning hoping to see a crawl across the bottom of the television screen say: Former "president" indicted twice more and ordered to drop out of the presidential race. Time is ticking away and I am so afraid the "judge" will think her legacy is ruined unless she kowtows to every Grizzly Old Party dream, drama and hope. I do not know why the "Justice" department hasn't removed him already. I know-- it is simply a dream.

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

Alarm bells from Jennifer:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/11/lower-federal-courts-rot-reform/

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

In the face of some small evidence to the contrary (Standard Oil?), guess bigger is always better in America...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/11/microsoft-activision-ftc-decision/

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Marie,

How are you making out with all that rain in the North Country? Didn’t you leave Florida to avoid being washed away? My brother up in Saratoga said power was in and out, no internet and rivers running down the streets. Good thing global warming is a nasty lib lie like the traitors all say. All this crazy weather must be Jesus’ way of letting everyone know to leave his only begotten son, the Fat Fascist, alone cuz only he can fix things.

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Trump’s hack judges aren’t putting a thumb on the scales of justice, they’re outlawing those scales. They’re replacing “justice for all” with “Justice for Trump and the traitors”.

Hey, that’s what they were hired to do, right?

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Here's a USGS map showing the current status of rivers in New England. Hover over a dot for summary information, click on it for a pop-up window with more detail. Some display the river heights if you select the "Forecast" tab. The drop-down menus above allow you to change states/regions.

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered Commenterunwashed

All nine of the Justices signed on to a statement a few months ago from the court saying ethics reform and oversight are not needed. There is always a tell. Like Trump the system has protected them from the consequences of their actions for so long. And like Trump they flaunt their corruption because they've always gotten away with it and they believe that no one can hold them to account. Selfish assholes doing whatever they want and screwing the rest of us who have to deal with the consequences.

July 11, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

@unwashed: Thanks for the map. The rivers near me are rated "high."

July 11, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns
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