;)
Friday
Jun232023
June 23, 2023
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Allison McCann & Amy Walker of the New York Times: "In the year since Roe fell, 20 states enacted laws banning or restricting abortion, forcing a rapid shift in the country;s patchwork of abortion access. Clinic owners scrambled to adjust, canceling appointments and helping patients travel elsewhere. Some clinics relocated, while others stayed open to provide the services they still could. Many simply closed, leaving behind empty buildings.... At least 61 clinics, Planned Parenthood facilities and doctors' offices stopped offering abortions in the last year. Most were in the 14 states that banned abortion outright. But the uncertainty surrounding laws in several other states also caused providers there to shut down. Physicians said the laws in some states were unclear. Others pointed to the possibility of criminal penalties, including prison time, making the prospect of offering abortion services risky. About half of the clinics have shifted their focus to other services, such as birth control and prenatal care.... At least a dozen providers moved and opened new clinics in friendlier states." ~~~
~~~ The Alito Five Don't Care about Truth OR Consequences. Linda Greenhouse of the New York Times: "The crisis in reproductive health care that Dobbs propelled is acute and growing. There have been, in other words, alarming consequences.... And so the question: A year after sowing so much chaos and misery, are any of the five members in Justice Samuel Alito's Dobbs majority sorry? Even a little?... Valuing fetal life over the lives of women and girls was no doubt a feature, not a bug, in the majority's view; that was, after all, the point of Dobbs.... So, no, I don't think the Dobbs justices are sorry. They did what they were put there to do, what they wanted to do, and they were quite explicit in washing their hands of the consequences."
Katelyn Polantz, et al., of CNN: "Special counsel Jack Smith has compelled at least two Republican fake electors to testify to a federal grand jury in Washington in recent weeks by giving them limited immunity, part of a current push by federal prosecutors to swiftly nail down evidence in the sprawling criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.... A parade of related witnesses are being told to appear before the grand jury with no chance for delay.... Prosecutors have played hardball with some of the witnesses in recent weeks, refusing to grant extensions to grand jury subpoenas for testimony and demanding they comply before the end of this month, sources said. In the situations where prosecutors have given witnesses immunity, the special counsel's office arrived at the courthouse in Washington ready to compel their testimony after the witnesses indicated they would decline to answer questions under the Fifth Amendment, the sources added.... The two Nevada Trump electors who were given the limited immunity -- the state's Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald and another Nevada GOP official, Jim DeGraffenreid -- both testified before the grand jury last week."
Vaughn Hillyard & Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "Former President Trump spoke on Thursday at a fundraiser on behalf of people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.... 'I'm going to make a contribution,' Trump told the gathering hosted at his own private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The group, Patriot Freedom Project, included at least one actual defendant along with multiple family members of those charged in the attack. An attendee of the fundraiser verified a video posted online of Trump's remarks. The former president heralded the defendants.... Trump said ... that 'BLM and antifa' were behind the Capitol attack." MB: Don't hold your breaths, suckers, waiting for the contribution.
Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: “Attorney General Merrick B. Garland defended the Justice Department's five-year investigation of Hunter Biden on Friday, forcefully rebutting claims promoted by House Republicans that he blocked federal prosecutors in Delaware from expanding the inquiry to encompass a greater range of crimes. On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee released testimony from two I.R.S. officials who said that David C. Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware who has overseen the inquiry, told them that Justice Department officials prevented him from bringing cases in Washington, D.C., and California. The I.R.S. officials also claimed in their testimony that Mr. Weiss told them that he was rebuffed in his request to be appointed a special counsel.... Mr. Garland denied both assertions during a news conference at the department's headquarters, saying he had given Mr. Weiss 'complete authority' to 'continue his investigation and to make a decision to prosecute any way in which he wanted to and in any district in which he wanted to.'... Mr. Garland and Mr. Weiss have both made public statements that Mr. Weiss had full authority over the case." Read on for more details.
New York. Jonah Bromwich & Hurubie Meko of the New York Times: "Amid a suicide crisis in New York City's jails, a correction officer falsified records to show that scores of her peers had taken a suicide prevention course that they had not actually completed, Bronx prosecutors and the Department of Investigation said on Friday. The Rikers Island officer, Vinette Tucker-Frederick, was said by the Bronx district attorney's office to have awarded credit for the course to 74 officers who were on leave in 2021. She gave their login information to colleagues and told them to take the digital training in the place of the absent officers, prosecutors said.... A nine-year veteran of the Department of Correction, Ms. Tucker-Frederick, 41, was charged with tampering with public records and identity theft and has been suspended indefinitely without pay."
Ukraine, et al. Tara John, et al., of CNN: "Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of private military group Wagner, has vowed to retaliate after accusing Russia's military leadership of killing a 'huge amount' of his forces in strikes -- prompting Russia's domestic intelligence service to open a criminal case against him. In a series of Telegram posts on Friday, Prigozhin -- who has frequently criticized Russia's traditional military hierarchy -- ... said strikes were launched 'on our camps' and that 'a huge amount of our fighters were killed, our comrades in arms. We will make a decision about how to respond to these atrocities. The next step is ours.' Russia's Ministry of Defense has denied the claims, calling it an 'informational provocation.' The mercenary then warned that retribution would be meted out." ~~~
~~~ Patrick Reevell of ABC News: "The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said the Kremlin's justifications for its invasion of Ukraine are based on lies, in another extraordinary attack on the country's military and political leadership. Prigozhin, a key ally of Putin, in a video posted Friday, contradicted the public explanations for the war, including the central claim made by Putin that the 2022 invasion was necessary to prevent an attack from Ukraine.... But in his video address, Prigozhin, whose fighters have played a leading role in the war, said that was not true and there had been no imminent risk of attack from Ukraine.... He blamed [Sergey] Shoigu, the defense ministry and a 'clan of oligarchs' for starting the war. He accused Shoigu of seeking glory and wanting 'to rob' Ukraine and divide up its assets."
Ariane de Vogue of CNN: "The Supreme Court, in an 8-1 ruling, revived the Biden administration's immigration guidelines that prioritize which noncitizens to deport, dismissing a challenge from two Republican state attorneys general who argued the policies conflicted with immigration law. The court said the states did not have the 'standing,' or the legal right, to sue in the first place in a decision that will further clarify when a state can challenge a federal policy in court going forward." At 10:30 am ET, this is a developing story. The Washington Post's story, by Robert Barnes, is here. Kavanaugh wrote the opinion. Lone dissenter: Insufferable Sam.
Niall Stanage of the Hill: "A quixotic push by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) to impeach President Biden was placed on the back burner Thursday. But even some Republican insiders fear the damage might already have been done. Boebert, one of the fiercest among the GOP's right-wing firebrands, surprised many of her colleagues by introducing an impeachment resolution earlier this week. The move caused disarray in the House Republican conference and the furor was only defused with a deal to send the resolution for consideration by committees.... But [Boebert] is insistent that, if it becomes clear the gambit is solely about delay, she will bring up her resolution 'every day for the rest of my time here in Congress.'... Democrats are ... convinced that the politics of the matter will play to their advantage."
Everybody Is Fed Up with Sen. Potato Head. Al Weaver of the Hill: "The chance that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) will lift his hold on military promotions over the Pentagon's abortion policy anytime soon has dimmed drastically as Senate Republicans struggle to make a deal with him to end the months-long saga.... As of this week, Tuberville is holding up 250 promotions for general and flag officers that are normally approved on the Senate floor via unanimous consent, and the anger among Democrats has not dissipated.... President Biden and the Pentagon also heaped more pressure on Tuberville this week. The president referred to the 'former football coach from Alabama' during a fundraiser in Los Gatos, Calif., earlier this week, calling his hold 'bizarre.'" MB: Maybe if the Senate dining room started serving cute baked potato heads, Tuberville would take the hint.
~~~~~~~~~~
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden emphasized common ground with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India during a lavish state visit on Thursday, publicly skirting points of friction over the government's crackdown on human rights in India and Russia's war in Ukraine in hopes of bolstering economic and geopolitical ties with the world's most populous nation. The president treated Mr. Modi to a day of red-carpet pageantry and showered him with expansive flattery as he sought to draw India closer at a time when the United States finds itself locked in open conflict with Moscow and in an uneasy standoff with China. But even as the leaders announced a range of initiatives, they made no evident progress resolving the disagreements that have strained the relationship in recent months. The visit's most surprising breakthrough was a modest if notable one as Mr. Biden coaxed Mr. Modi into taking questions from reporters at a joint news conference, one of the rare times the nationalist prime minister has done so in his nearly decade-long tenure. Challenged on his record on human rights and religious freedom, Mr. Modi insisted that democracy is 'in India's DNA' and denied that his government has fostered prejudice in serving its people." MB: Yeah, show me an authoritarian who isn't a lying SOS. See related story linked under "Way Beyond the Beltway" below. ~~~
~~~ Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "The mix of political adversaries and Biden family members created a dinner scene so dissonant that no amount of glass clinking could have drowned out the partisan undercurrents.... By the end of the dinner, the prime minister was one of the few guests who had publicly waded into politics. 'You are soft-spoken,' Mr. Modi told the president, 'but when it comes to action, you are very strong.'" Marie: Anyway, lots of glam photos. ~~~
~~~ Here's the official guest list, via the New York Times. Woe be the person who had to make up the seating arrangements.
Lisa Mascaro of the AP: "Eager to impeach President Joe Biden, hard-right House Republicans forced a vote Thursday that sent the matter to congressional committees in a clear demonstration of the challenge that Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces in controlling the majority party.... Rep. Lauren Boebert, backed by allies, was able to use House rules to force a snap vote on such a grave constitutional matter. The 219-208 party-line vote sent her resolution to committees for possible consideration, like any other bill. They are under no obligation to do anything.... During Thursday's debate, Republicans were admonished multiple times by the presiding officer to tone down their remarks.... In a private meeting Wednesday, McCarthy encouraged lawmakers to consider the traditional process for bringing such consequential legislation forward. Boebert had used what is called a privileged resolution to force the vote.... Rank-and-file Republicans were angry at being forced into the position of having to vote on a resolution to impeach Biden even though they had not gone through the traditional process of an impeachment inquiry. They resented a single lawmaker jumping the queue of priorities." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie's Note to Rank-and-File Members: Nobody "forced" you sheeples to vote "yay." ~~~
~~~ Al Weaver of the Hill: "Senate Republicans are questioning the push by House conservatives to impeach President Biden and other administration officials, arguing the moves are a waste of time and futile efforts that likely lack an impeachable offense. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) surprised even her own GOP colleagues Tuesday when she filed a privileged motion that would force a vote on a resolution to impeach Biden." MB: Yeah, well, I'm mighty upset Boebert (allegedly!) plagiarized MTG's impeachment filing against Chris Wray. (Related ridiculous story linked below.) (Also linked yesterday.)
Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: "The House Ethics Committee announced an expanded investigation into Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) in a letter Thursday, to include allegations that he fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits, marking a departure from the panel's typical practice of staying out of matters that coincide with federal charges against lawmakers. The move comes a month after the freshman congressman was indicted on federal charges, which allege that he defrauded his donors, used their money for his personal benefit and wrongfully claimed unemployment benefits. Santos faces seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of lying to the House of Representatives on financial forms. The congressman pleaded not guilty in May...." The Hill's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Michael Gold & Grace Ashford of the New York Times: "... the names of the two guarantors [of Rep. George Santos' $500,000 bond] were unsealed [Thursday] and revealed to be two of his relatives: his father, Gercino dos Santos Jr., and his aunt Elma Preven. The disclosure put an end to weeks of speculation that was heightened by Mr. Santos's vehement opposition to making his guarantors' names public, as they are in most cases.... They did not have to put up cash or property to secure his release, but they told a magistrate judge they would be 'personally responsible' for ensuring that he appeared in court and followed the conditions of his bond. If he did not, the guarantors would be on the hook for the entirety of the $500,000 bond." The ABC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Nick Visser of the Huffington Post: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) thinks maybe Joe Biden is at fault for the deaths of five people on the privately owned-and-operated submersible craft Titan. "You know, we've got to look into it, see what's true and what isn't.... What appears to be the case is epic failure in leadership. Where exactly that leadership failure is, I don't know. Is it the White House, Coast Guard, Navy? I'm not sure," Crenshaw said in a statement. MB: Yeah, I'm not sure, either, Danny Boy.
Seen at the Courthouse. Ryan Reilly, et al., of NBC News: "The deputy director of Election Day operations for Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign appeared before a federal grand jury Thursday as part of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into Jan. 6 and efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of presidential power. Gary Michael Brown, who has been accused of being involved in the so-called fake electors scheme after the 2020 election, was seen headed into the third-floor grand jury space at a courthouse in Washington where a grand jury has been hearing testimony about efforts to stop the transfer of power to President Joe Biden. Stanley Woodward -- an attorney who is representing several Trump aides, including Walt Nauta, who was indicted along with Trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case -- accompanied Brown in court Thursday." ~~~
~~~ Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Federal prosecutors investigating Donald Trump's retention of national security material were examining evidence within weeks of the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago last year that he might have handled classified documents at his Bedminster club in New Jersey, according to two people close to the matter. The indications of classified documents at Bedminster so alarmed prosecutors that they focused part of the investigation on whether Trump might have transported the materials or disclosed their contents there in addition to refusing to return them to the government, the people said.... Within weeks of the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, the justice department sought to act on the indications of classified documents at Bedminster when it told the Trump legal team that prosecutors believed the former president still possessed classified materials, the people said. The message in the letter, which became a formal court motion filed under seal weeks later, was clear: arrange for new searches of all of the Trump properties because, as of that time, the only place that had been combed for classified documents was the Mar-a-Lago resort.... [Trump's] legal team ultimately decided on working with the justice department.... But when the new searches of the Trump properties by contractors took place, they found no classified documents at Bedminster, according to people familiar with what they certified...." (Also linked yesterday.)
Someone did this to Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. pic.twitter.com/hYODCOfZBq
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) June 22, 2023
L'État, C'est Moi. As Trump's Pathologies Go, So Goes the GOP. Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "Donald Trump did not -- and does not -- recognize any distinction between himself and the office of the presidency.... This view is as close a fundamental rejection of American constitutionalism as you can imagine -- and it helps explain much of the former president's behavior in and out of office.... For Trump, he is the president. He is the government. The documents, in his mind, belonged to him.... In addition to covering for the former president in the face of federal charges, the other Republicans vying for the nomination have adopted his view that the independence of federal law enforcement violates his (and potentially their) authority as president.... There is the recent enthusiasm among so-called nationalist or populist conservatives for using the state to enforce a particular social order.... As the Republican Party has come to shape itself around [Trump's] person, it has also adopted his worldview, which is to say, the worldview and ideology of the boss. No longer content to run government for business, the Republican Party now hopes to run government as a business.... The next Republican president, in short, will almost certainly be the worst boss you, and American democracy, have ever had."
Marie: Forgot to say: several MSNBC commentators, not to mention Adam Schiff during the hearing itself, remarked on how John Durham, during his sworn testimony yesterday, couldn't remember much of anything about the Mueller report -- like about how Trump said publicly, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing." Then, as the New York Times reported in July 2018, "As it turns out, that same day, the Russians -- whether they had tuned in or not -- made their first effort to break into the servers used by Mrs. Clinton's personal office, according to a sweeping 29-page indictment unsealed Friday by the special counsel's office that charged 12 Russians with election hacking." But Durham had no idea. If he read the Mueller report, he had to have read it quite selectively.
Luke Broadwater & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "The lead I.R.S. agent investigating whether Hunter Biden committed tax crimes told Congress his team uncovered evidence that Mr. Biden had invoked his father, who was then out of office, while pressing a potential Chinese business partner in 2017 to move ahead with a proposed energy deal, House Republicans said. In testimony made public on Thursday, Gary Shapley, an I.R.S. agent since 2009 who supervised the tax agency's investigation into Hunter Biden, said his team used a search warrant to obtain a July 30, 2017, WhatsApp message from Mr. Biden to Henry Zhao, a Chinese businessman. In a summary of the message, provided to the House Ways and Means Committee by Mr. Shapley, Mr. Biden told Mr. Zhao that he was sitting with his father and that 'we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled.... And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction.'... But it was not immediately clear whether Hunter Biden had been with his father when he sent the message or what his father ... knew about his son's negotiations with his potential Chinese partners." A Washington Post story is here. An NBC News story is here.
Presidential Race 2024. Will Weissert of the AP: "Former Texas congressman Will Hurd, a onetime CIA officer and fierce critic of Donald Trump, announced Thursday that he's running for president, hoping to build momentum as a more moderate alternative to the Republican front-runner Hurd, 45, served three terms in the House through January 2021, becoming the chamber's only Black Republican during his final two years in office." (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's story is here.
"Friend-of-the-Court." Devan Cole & Audrey Ash of CNN: "Last July, [Supreme Court Justice Samuel] Alito was feted in Rome by Notre Dame's Religious Liberty Initiative, which has in recent years joined the growing ranks of conservative legal activists who are finding new favor at the Supreme Court -- and forging ties with the justices. The group's legal clinic has filed a series of 'friend-of-the-court' briefs in religious liberty cases before the Supreme Court since its founding in 2020. After the high court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, the group paid for Alito's trip to Rome to deliver a keynote address at a gala hosted at a palace in the heart of the city.... At the start of his speech, he thanked the group for the 'warm hospitality' it provided to him and his wife, which, he later said, included a stay at a hotel that 'looks out over the Roman Forum.' During various parts of the address, he gleefully mocked critics of his ruling overturning the constitutional right to abortion....
"Alito stressed in a statement to CNN that his invitation to speak in Rome was not specifically from the initiative's clinic, which submits the briefs to the court. 'My understanding is that Notre Dame Law School's Religious Liberty Initiative has a number of components, only one of which is a clinic that, like the legal clinics at many other law schools, files amicus briefs in the Supreme Court,' the statement said. 'I was not invited to speak in Rome by the clinic.'...
"A few months after Justice Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in at the Supreme Court in 2020..., she sold her private residence to a recently hired professor who was taking on a leadership position at the [Religious Liberty Initiative].... Neither Barrett's real estate deal nor Alito's appearance in Italy appear to violate any of the court's ethics rules, according to several experts interviewed by CNN."
Jesse Wegman of the New York Times: "For someone who wields unimaginable power and exudes utter confidence in his own moral rectitude, Justice Samuel Alito is an exceptionally touchy guy. Exhibit A: His decision to devote time and energy to a newspaper essay defending himself against charges of ethical and legal violations that had not yet been published, and which he considered invalid in the first place. The essay, in both form and substance, epitomizes the bitterness and superciliousness that he has demonstrated in regular doses throughout his years on the Supreme Court.... For most of his 17 years on the court, he has appeared to relish playing the role of bare-knuckled partisan soldier, standing athwart history in loyal service to a vengeful, theocratic right-wing movement that elevates religious liberty for some over basic freedoms for all....It is this odor of impunity, this mockery of legitimate critique, this disregard for the rights and freedoms of millions of Americans-- this 'stench' of politicization, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor put it during oral arguments in the case that eventually overturned Roe v. Wade == that defines today's Supreme Court." ~~~
~~~ They Who Shall Not Be Questioned. Marie: See also Jamelle Bouie's column, linked above, on Trump's hubris. Alito shares that same pathology, IMO. Just as Trump told Bret Baier recently that he didn't plan to debate other GOP presidential candidates because it was "unfair" for candidates with lower poll numbers to criticize him, Alito argues that's it's unfair for low-paid reporters at a nonprofit news organization to dig into his luxury vacations and implicitly criticize him for neither reporting the gifts nor recusing himself from opining on the giftor's case that came before the court.
Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the Guardian: "The rightwing billionaire real estate developer Harlan Crow is facing a possible showdown with Senate investigators looking into the financial arrangement behind lavish vacations, private flights and other perks that were given to the conservative supreme court justice Clarence Thomas but never publicly disclosed. At the centre of the Senate investigation are questions about the tax treatment of the gifts -- which could be worth millions of dollars -- and what Crow's financial treatment of those expenses might reveal about the true nature of his relationship with Thomas.... [Sen. Ron] Wyden [D-Ore.] has accused Crow of 'stonewalling' basic questions about his gifts to Thomas and his family.... He has also said he is discussing next steps to compel Crow to respond fully to his questions, including by subpoena."
John Flesher of the AP: "Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. will pay at least $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foam and a host of consumer products, the company said Thursday. The deal would compensate water providers for pollution with per- and polyfluorinated substances, known collectively as PFAS -- a broad class of chemicals used in nonstick, water- and grease-resistant products such as clothing and cookware. Described as 'forever chemicals' because they don't degrade naturally in the environment, PFAS have been linked to a variety of health problems, including liver and immune-system damage and some cancers." The New York Times story is here.
Michael Mitsanas of NBC News: "A local Indiana chapter of Moms for Liberty, a national conservative parents organization, apologized on Thursday for quoting Adolf Hitler in a newsletter. The Hamilton County chapter of Moms for Liberty quoted Hitler's remarks at a 1935 rally on the front page of its new newsletter on Wednesday. The quote, placed directly below the masthead, read: 'He alone, who OWNS the youth, GAINS the future.' After the Indianapolis Star first reported this story on Wednesday, the local chapter of Moms for Liberty added additional 'context' to the original newsletter, saying the quote from this horrific leader should put parents on alert.... If the government has control over our children today, they control our country's future,' the note read." MB: So, ah, first Hitler was giving good advice, then he was giving bad advice? P.S. Lose the comma after "alone."
Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Mia Gingerich of Media Matters: "In an abhorrent bid to further its demonization of trans people and the medical professionals who provide medically necessary care, Fox News' website is altering articles from The Associated Press and Reuters to replace the phrase 'gender-affirming care' with the terms 'sex change' or 'sex reassignment' -- phrases that the AP, trans journalists, and LGBTQ rights advocates deem outdated -- and frequently removing or replacing references to 'care' or 'medical care.' In one of the most recent examples, Fox fabricated a quote from an Oregon state senator, putting words in the mouth of an elected official. In changing the text of AP articles without disclosing the edits to its readers, Fox News is obscuring the true impact of legislation that removes a broad range of lifesaving treatment options for trans youth. Both the AP and Reuters confirmed that altering their content to change the meaning or accuracy of the reporting violates their rules."
Beyond the Beltway
Kentucky. Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "Kentucky's GOP governor hopeful and Attorney General Daniel Cameron has been accused of taking cash from officials his office was investigating. The Daily Beast uncovered donations of $6,900 made to Cameron's office in March and April from people who run an addiction recovery center that was being investigated by the state, it reported. The donations came at the end of an investigation by his office, which began in 2022, but it wasn't until an open records request by the Beast that he recused himself from the investigation.... Edgewater Recovery Center is being investigated by the Kentucky Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse, which is under Cameron's office. He scored cash from the owner of the recovery center, the company's lawyer, directors of the medical unit, workers in HR and the clinical practices.... To make matters worse, Cameron attacked a local judge for doing the exact same thing at the same time."
New Mexico. Julia Jacobs of the New York Times: "The original armorer on the film 'Rust,' who was charged with involuntary manslaughter after a gun that was loaded with live ammunition fired on the set and killed the cinematographer, will face an additional charge of evidence tampering related to narcotics, a special prosecutor in the case said Thursday. The new charge against the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 'relates to the transfer of narcotics to another person' on Oct. 21, 2021, the day of the shooting, 'with the intent to prevent criminal prosecution,' the prosecutor, Kari T. Morrissey, said in a statement. A lawyer for Ms. Gutierrez-Reed said that she intended to plead not guilty to both the evidence tampering and the involuntary manslaughter charges." The article goes on describe discord among the investigators & prosecutors in the case. The Guardian's story is here.
Wyoming. Pam Belluck of the New York Times: "A Wyoming judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the first state law specifically banning the use of pills for abortion, the most common method in the country. Just over a week before the ban was scheduled to take effect, Judge Melissa Owens of Teton County District Court granted a temporary restraining order, putting the law on hold pending further court proceedings. Ruling from the bench after a hearing that lasted about two hours, Judge Owens said that the plaintiffs, who include four health care providers, 'have clearly shown probable success on the merits and that at least some of the plaintiffs will suffer possible irreparable injury' if the ban were to take effect." MB: Yeah, well, a photo of Judge Owens, suggests she is young enough to still be ovulating. Lady judges should not be allowed to rule on these things because obviously they are biased, not to mention they might make their rulings on a PMS day.
Way Beyond
India/Russia. Nidhi Verma of Reuters: "India's rising imports of Russian oil hit a record high of about 1.95 million barrels per day (bpd) in May denting purchases from Iraq and Saudi Arabia fell, tanker data from trade and industry sources showed. India, the world's third biggest oil consumer and importer, buys more than 80% of its oil from overseas markets. Its refiners have been gorging on Russian oil since the West imposed sanctions over Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine."
Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live update of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Friday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Friday is here: "Ukrainian missiles hit a bridge connecting Russian-held territory in Kherson and the Crimean Peninsula, Russian officials said Thursday.... RIA Novosti, a Russian state-operated news outlet, shared a video showing a large hole in the Chonhar bridge -- known as the 'Gate to Crimea' -- surrounded by what appeared to be missile fragments. No casualties were reported. The bridge is used by the Russian military to move between Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, and other Russian-held areas.... The United Nations added Russia's armed forces to a list of global offenders for killing 136 children in Ukraine in 2022, according to a U.N. Security Council document seen by Reuters.... Russia Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Moscow will finish forming a 'reserve army' by the end of June as well as a new army corps.... India is ready to contribute in 'any way we can to restore peace' between Russia and Ukraine, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a news conference alongside President Biden. New Delhi has rebuked Moscow for the war in Ukraine, but has not joined international sanctions and continues to buy energy and weapons from Russia."
AP: "A Moscow court on Thursday ruled that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich must remain in jail on espionage charges until at least late August, rejecting the American journalist's appeal to be released. The 31-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested in late March while on a reporting trip. A Moscow court ruled last month to keep him in custody until Aug. 30, but his lawyers had challenged the decision." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Ledes
New York Times: "A vast multinational search for five people who had descended to view the wreckage of the sunken R.M.S. Titanic ended on Thursday after pieces of the privately owned submersible vessel that had carried them were found on the ocean floor, evidence of a 'catastrophic implosion' with no survivors, according to the U.S. Coast Guard." ~~~
~~~ New York Times: "The U.S. Navy, using data from a secret network of underwater sensors designed to track hostile submarines, detected 'an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion' in the vicinity of the Titan submersible at the time communications with the vessel were lost on Sunday, two senior Navy officials said on Thursday."
Washington Post: "A large tornado tore through the town of Matador, Tex., leaving four people dead and 10 injured, emergency services said early Thursday. The destructive tornado hit amid a siege of violent storms stretching from around Houston to Denver on Wednesday afternoon and night."
Share Article
Comments for this entry have been disabled. Additional comments may not be added to this entry at this time.
Reader Comments (16)
While we pride ourselves on being a nation of laws and not of men (granted, with occasional exceptions), below the surface of those nice words there is in effect very little difference between an autocrat in the White House or one (or five) on the SCOTUS. In both cases the "I" imposes its will on the many.
As I noted on the Wegman column:
"And on top of his ethical lapses and thin skin, as he proved in "Dodd" and again in hi WSJ piece, Alito crafts a terrible argument.
Another national embarrassment in a robe."
https://news.yahoo.com/conspiracy-theories-michelle-obamas-gender-
195218766.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=0_00
Who knew? Other than conspiracy theorists and millions of their
followers who evidently believe anything in print, no matter the
source.
I'm not a doctor (and didn't play one on TV) but seems to me that if
a man transgenders to a woman, this person still isn't able to give
birth, and in Michelle's case, twice.
We do live in strange times.
Ken: that pride of being a nation of laws and not of men reminded me of how Jamelle Bouie parsed it today:
"Donald Trump did not — and does not — recognize any distinction between himself and the office of the presidency. He is it and it is him.
This view is as close a fundamental rejection of American constitutionalism as you can imagine — and it helps explain much of the former president’s behavior in and out of office. It is why he could not abide any opposition to anything he tried to pursue, why he raged against the “deep state,” why he strained against every limit on his authority, why he rejected the very idea that he could lose the 2020 presidential election and why he decided he could simply take classified documents to his home in Florida."
Meanwhile in the House of Utter- nutters we have cat fights over who stole what from whom plus let's strangle a decent democrat ( Adam S.) because he dared to impeach our beloved leader. And by George, we ain't giving up on the hunt for Hunter's foibles ––even though the case has been settled. What fun we are having screwing around like demented dunces and getting paid for it!!!!!
I read a story yesterday that I can't get out of my mind. A two year old boy got a hold of his father's gun and accidentally shot his pregnant mother who after losing the baby later lost her own life. Think about the consequences for that two year old–––how does one deal with that. After police investigated the home they found multiple guns.
Life's labors lost.
P.D.
Anent your last paragraph, this story has haunted me since I first read it around 1968. It apparently became a film I did not see. Just as well. The story was enough.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stone_Boy_(short_story)
Biden’s to blame for everything! Right?
So wealthy idiots go to the bottom of the ocean in a “jerry-rigged” (according to science reporter David Pogue who got into this thing and found it extremely dangerous) submersible, get in trouble and it’s all Biden’s fault for not instantly flying to the rescue. He should have ordered the Coast Guard, the US Navy, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Rocky the Flying Squirrel to scour thousands of square miles of ocean floor to save these people. Within seconds of hearing about it.
Right.
Just wondering if this Dan Crenshaw idiot is as concerned when a boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsizes. Let me think about that for a bit.
Nah. He wouldn’t give a shit. In fact, he’d probably blame Biden for not sending a sub out to torpedo the thing sooner.
He also misuses (doesn’t understand) what “begs the question” means either. I’ll help him, the poor dear. What he means is “a question that needs to be answered”. So I’ll ask him a question that needs to be answered. Is the president responsible for immediately answering every distress call received from ships at sea? There can’t be many more than several HUNDRED of those every year.
And many of those calls are likely from ships manned by serious people who didn’t put their lives and the lives of rescuers at risk by getting into a dodgy contraption and going to the bottom of the ocean. Not that their calls for help should have been ignored, but this was not the sort of thing where you find the vessel in distress in a couple of hours and pull everyone to safety.
And about that business of how the Coast Guard and Navy should have been Johnny on the Spot. This thing went down hundreds of miles outside US waters. The Coast Guard are not tasked with covering the entire ocean. Neither does the Navy have nuclear subs sitting around waiting to go help idiots who go to see the Titanic in a Dollar Store tin can. (The creators of this thing decided to scrimp on the hull, using five inch carbon fiber instead of seven inches of steel, and installing a gigantic viewing window rated for pressure at 1,300 feet, not two miles down).
But, whatever…it’s Biden’s fault.
Yesterday I couldn’t find my good reading glasses for an hour. Biden!
You bastard!
Oh yeah, one other thing…
This Crenshaw imbecile sez “We gotta find out what’s true and what’s not!”
Really? Since when do Party of Traitor slugs care about what’s true and what’s not? Is this something new? Crap. I must have missed that.
@Ken Winkes: You seem to imply -- but on second reading, I don't think you mean -- that P.D. is rehashing a 55-year-old story. However, the one she is recounting happened last week & made national news this week.
Marie and P. D.
Sorry for the implication. Such was certainly not my intent. Just thought P. D. and others who might not be familiar with Berriault's disturbing fiction might like to check it out.
Since 1968, I've seen the horrors of gun accidents played out more times than I can remember or count, but it's this story's portrayal of the boy's and the family's agony that has stuck with me.
@Akhilleus: Fortunately, Boebert has added the Case of Your Misplaced Spectacles to her Articles of Impeachment of Joseph R. Biden. Since she copied the article from your comment, you might want to whine about it and call her a profane name.
Could it be that a 2 year old with a gun is the only birth control
those 'conservatives' cotton to?
It helps the gun sales so they'll get more donations from the gun
lobby.
A word to the wise: when planning to go down in a submersible,
make sure you have a 2 way ticket.
I did that in Honolulu so I know from experience.
Marie,
I’m not short on profane names, so…
I am very pleased to note that I have not had the misfortune to have seen or heard Crenshaw's heaping of "blame" on Biden for the idiocy that took place this week. I have thought for years that people should be charged for their rescue if it is something dumb like mountain climbing (17 people have died on Everest this year, I heard, and it is so crowded one needs a reservation...) or other adventure stunts. Husband was ranting at some commentator this morning extolling the virtue of "following your dreams" or "pushing yourself" to do things that put yourself and others in danger. The west is full of sheriff departments that rescue morons every day. They should have to pay the full cost of rescue. Maybe that would stop the idiots. Or not.
Barring that, maybe let's take up a collection to send Crenshaw and his fellow goopers to the bottom of the sea. I hear it's lovely there.
If the congressmorons really wanted to take out Potato Head, they could. If Boobert can find a "rare" instance in which to bypass "normal" proceedings, then someone could declare PH null and void and go ahead with the congress' business. The congress seems to operate by the skin of its teeth all the time, citing RULES that are not LAWS and thus are invalid, especially where needed in dire circumstances. That they choose not to adds to the disgust with which most sensible people view the detestible congress. Go ahead, Potato Head-- enjoy your notoriety. It won't be mentioned on your hopefully soon gravestone.
In today's Washington Post, Monica Hesse explores the anthro linguistic implications of… well, here's the title of her piece:
Marjorie Taylor Greene called Lauren Boebert a . . . what?
A fun read. (That's a gift link, no WaPo subscription required.)
@Jeanne: I'm with you and Husband on the adventure enthusiasts. Year ago, the NYT published a straight story about how some balloon enthusiast -- Richard Branson, maybe -- had been rescued by Australians crews when his flight went awry. The article called Branson (or whoever it was) a "hero." No, not really. In my mind, he was a careless adventurer, and the rescue ops cost the Australians millions. The rescuers probably were heroes, but not the guy whom they had to save. I wrote to the Times and complained about the hero designation for the careless adventurer, and the Times published my complaint in the print edition.
In general, I am disgusted with publications that insist upon calling athletes "heroes" because they caught a fly ball or made a difficult tackle. I'll own that there are some athletes who may be heroic in that they overcome physical disabilities or something to play, but generally there's nothing heroic, in my estimation, at playing sports, especially professional sports. Neither is it heroic to engage in dangerous sports like mountain climbing. (Hiking in the mountains in good weather on solid paths is quite another thing.)
I'm all for trying to save people who get in a spot, even if the spot is of their own making, but I think those who get rescued from sporting mishaps should have to pay the costs of those rescues if they can. As it stands right now, mostly Canadian and American taxpayers will have to pick up the costs of the attempts to rescue the crew of the Titan. I'm sure there will be lawsuits to follow from those families to the Titan operator, but I doubt the taxpayers will recoup any of the huge costs incurred in the rescue effort.
Years ago, I lived in Oklahoma, and a haybarn across the road from me caught on fire. We had a volunteer fire department, and I paid them for "fire insurance"; that is, they would come out if I had a fire. But the neighbors who owned the barn didn't have insurance, and the operator told me I'd have to pay to have the department come out. I didn't know the neighbors as they had a huge rural lot and their house faced another road. I didn't even know what they looked like. So I opted not to pay for their burning barn. The operator told me if the fire jumped to my property, I could call and the fire department would come out & try to put the fire out at my place. (How does that even work?) The point is, in some cases, you do have to pay to be rescued. But I imagine that's the exception, not the rule.
@Monoloco: Obviously, Boebert & Greene are vying for the title of Queen of the Loons, and Greene is upset that Boebert is trying to one-up her. Both of their husbands have recently filed for divorce, so I'd guess the intense competition is causing friction back home.
To make matters worse, they have new competition in Rep. Anna Luna (R-Fla.), whose claim to fame is repeatedly going after Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). I heard that she had introduced six House measures since she was elected in 2022, and five of them were against Schiff. This week, she got him censured, so she may move on to trying to fry bigger fish. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Luna is arguably more attractive than either Boebert or Greene, so she has a good shot at the rhinestone crown. You go, girls!
And a great time was had by all:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/23/prigozhin-wagner-mercenary-russia-military/
@Monoloco
Thanks for the link. Don't often visit the style section but this one was worth the trip.