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[.]”

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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.”

Help!

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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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Tuesday
Jun062023

June 7, 2023

Afternoon Update:

** Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Federal prosecutors formally informed Donald Trump's lawyers last week that the former US president is a target of the criminal investigation examining his retention of national security materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort and obstruction of justice, according to two people briefed on the matter.... Trump's lawyers were notified before they met on Monday with the special counsel Jack Smith leading the Mar-a-Lago documents case and the senior career official in the deputy attorney general's office and made the case that prosecutors should not indict the former president in the matter." The New York Times now has the story. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti said on MSNBC, when a prosecutor sends out a target letter, that means an indictment is coming. ~~~

~~~ Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "...Donald Trump told New York Times political reporter Maggie Haberman on Wednesday he has no information regarding an impending federal indictment, despite reports to the contrary. 'Trump tells me minutes ago he has NOT been told he's getting indicted when contacted. "It's not true," he said, adding again he hasn't done anything wrong,' Haberman tweeted on Wednesday.... 'Trump's statement came amid a report from one of his allies that he has been told this. NYT, CNN, WaPo, and other outlets have all reported federal officials have been building toward a likely indictment, including with witnesses in Miami before a grand jury today,' [Haberman wrote in her tweet].... Trump's own Truth Social platform sent out a push alert insisting that Trump would be indicted on Wednesday as well. Trump himself took the platform to deny the claim." ~~~

     ~~~ ** BUT. Marie: A bit later Wednesday afternoon Haberman tweeted, Trump "Demurred when asked if he has been told he is a target."

Spencer Hsu, et al., of the Washington Post: "Justice Department prosecutors are planning to bring a significant portion of any charges stemming from the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, the home of ... Donald Trump, at a nearby federal court in south Florida, according to people familiar with the matter. The legal rationale for such a move is that the bulk of the conduct at issue in the investigation occurred in the southern district of Florida, in and around Trump's Palm Beach residence and private club, even if much of the investigation -- led by special counsel Jack Smith -- has been handled by a grand jury in D.C., these people said. That approach by prosecutors does not rule out the possibility of some charges, such as perjury or false statements, being filed in Washington in connection with grand jury appearances or law enforcement interviews that took place there.... If Trump is charged on his home turf, he could face a significantly different [MB: and more sympathetic] jury pool than the one in Washington."

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed multiple witnesses to testify before a previously unknown grand jury in Florida in the criminal investigation into Donald Trump's handling of national security materials and obstruction of justice, according to people familiar with the matter.... Questioning was expected to be led by Jay Bratt, the justice department's counterintelligence chief detailed to the special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the investigation."

Jonathan Deinst of NBC News: "Former Trump White House official Steve Bannon has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in connection with special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into Jan. 6 and ... Donald Trump's efforts to stay in office, according to two sources.... The subpoena, for documents and testimony, was sent out in late May, the sources said.... Bannon ... was previously charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate after he received congressional subpoenas from the Jan. 6 committee, and was convicted of two charges in July 2022 following a jury trial. In October, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols sentenced Bannon to four months in federal prison, but suspended the sentence while Bannon pursued appeals."

Alan Feuer & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "A federal grand jury in Miami continued hearing from witnesses on Wednesday in the investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's possession of hundreds of classified documents and other presidential records at his private club in Florida after he left office. Among those who appeared for questions was Taylor Budowich, a former spokesman to Mr. Trump who now is a top adviser at the super PAC supporting Mr. Trump's presidential candidacy. One matter that prosecutors were interested in asking about was a [false] statement that Mr. Trump had his aides draft shortly after news broke that National Archives officials had recovered 15 boxes of material from him in January 2022. Mr. Budowich was Mr. Trump's spokesman at the time. The statement that Mr. Trump initially wanted to send, according to two people briefed on the matter, said that he had returned all the presidential material he had.... Prosecutors have [the] draft statement.... The statement that Mr. Trump actually sent out after the return of the 15 boxes in early 2022 did not assert that he had returned all the government material in his possession. After his grand jury appearance ended, Mr. Budowich posted a message on Twitter ... [which] described the grand jury inquiry as 'a bogus and deeply troubling effort to use the power of government to "get" Trump.'" CNN's report is here.

Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "An actor and comedian known for his role on the cult HBO comedy 'Mr. Show,' as well as roles on 'Better Call Saul,' 'Arrested Development' and 'Bob's Burgers,' has been arrested and charged with felony civil disorder for taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Jay Johnston ... is also accused of disorderly conduct, trespassing and blocking passage through the Capitol area. Prosecutors say he took part in a mass push against police in a tunnel on the west side of the Capitol, where some of the worst violence of the riot occurred. Johnston 'participated with other rioters in a group assault on the officers' guarding that entrance, according to an FBI agent's affidavit."

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The owner of a Long Island funeral home was charged on Wednesday with spraying an insecticide at police officers guarding the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The man, Peter G. Moloney, 58, was arrested in the Justice Department's sprawling investigation of the mob attack. He was also accused of attacking members of the news media outside the Capitol, according to charging documents unsealed in Federal District Court in Washington. Prosecutors say that Mr. Moloney, of Bayport, N.Y., showed up at the Capitol in a bicycle helmet and protective eyewear, carrying a canister of Black Flag Wasp, Hornet and Yellow Jacket Killer. After he approached a line of officers arrayed behind metal barricades on the west side of the building, prosecutors said, he sprayed several of them with the insecticide."

Amy Wang, et al., of the Washington Post: "The House remained in a stalemate Wednesday, recessing minutes after the session began, as hard-right Republicans defied GOP leadership and blocked legislation. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) met Wednesday afternoon with several members of the House Freedom Caucus to negotiate on their demands after 11 hard-right lawmakers -- still angry over McCarthy's handling of the debt ceiling bill -- voted with Democrats against passing a rule for consideration of several bills this week. A resolution has yet to be struck, though ongoing negotiations now involve possibly scheduling votes on key bills the Freedom Caucus prioritizes. McCarthy admitted Wednesday he had been 'blindsided' by Tuesday's events, which was the first rule vote to fail since November 2002, but insisted that the Republican caucus would emerge stronger."

The Dog Ate Their Homework. Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "Justice Clarence Thomas delayed releasing his annual financial disclosure form with the justices on Wednesday after recent revelations cast scrutiny on his travel, gifts and real estate dealings with a conservative billionaire donor from Texas. Like Justice Thomas, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. also asked for a 90-day extension to file the forms, which detail gifts, investments and other financial holdings, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, which handles the financial forms and the database where they are publicly disclosed." An ABC News story is here.

Adi-Adios. John Koblin & Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: "Chris Licht, the former television producer who oversaw a brief and chaotic run as the chairman of CNN, is out at the network. David Zaslav, the chief executive of CNN's parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, informed staff on Wednesday morning that he had met with Mr. Licht and that he was leaving, effective immediately. Mr. Licht's 13-month run at CNN was marked by one controversy after another.... Mr. Zaslav said that an interim group of leaders -- the CNN veterans Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley and Eric Sherling, as well as the newly appointed chief operating officer, David Leavy -- would take over before a permanent leader was installed." CNN's story, by Oliver Darcy, is here.

Presidential Race 2024. Mike Pence Changes Course. Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Mike Pence announced his presidential campaign in Iowa on Wednesday with a repudiation of Donald J. Trump, portraying his former boss -- and now rival -- as unfit for the presidency and going further than ever before in condemning the character and values of the man he loyally served for four years. Before a crowd of several hundred on the campus of the Des Moines Area Community College, Mr. Pence focused on something that many in his party have tried to desperately avoid: Mr. Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021. 'Jan. 6 was a tragic day in the life of our nation,' Mr. Pence said. 'But thanks to the courage of law enforcement, the violence was quelled, we reconvened the Congress. The very same day, President Trump's reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol.' He added: 'But the American people deserve to know on that fateful day, President Trump also demanded I choose between him and our Constitution. Now voters will be faced with the same choice. I chose the Constitution, and I always will.'... Most elected Republicans have contorted themselves to avoid ever talking about that day.... A growing number of Republicans are going even further, trying to falsely reframe the attack on the Capitol as an inside job by the F.B.I. or by leftist groups pretending to be Trump supporters."

And This Guy Looked in the Mirror and Saw a POTUS. Maeve Reston of the Washington Post: "Entering a GOP field on Wednesday that has largely focused on polarizing debates involving gender, race, abortion and the politics of outrage, [Gov. Doug Burgum (R) who is] not widely known outside North Dakota was attempting to bridge [a] ... divide as he evangelized about how 'big cities could use more ideas and more values from small towns right now.' In his bid, he is trying to shift the GOP debate away from culture war issues and grievances to economic matters that 'touch every American's life,' he told The Washington Post -- even as he has signed legislation restricting abortion and transgender rights. In his announcement in Fargo on Wednesday morning, he acknowledged that he is a long shot in a growing GOP field where ... Donald Trump has dominated and two other candidates joined the race this week."

Ukraine. Isobel Koshiw & Mary Ilyushina of the Washington Post: "Flood victims in Russian-occupied areas of southern Ukraine described scenes of panic and desperation Wednesday as residents remained trapped in their homes and there was no sign of emergency responders coming to their rescue.... Some entire towns and villages were submerged or washed away by the gushing and still-rising waters released by the catastrophic collapse of the Kakhovka dam Tuesday.... The misery unfolding in Oleshky and at least seven other Russian-occupied towns and villages downstream from the dam reflected the damage of nearly 15 months of brutal war and the chaos in a region now governed by officials installed by the Kremlin officials after Ukrainian authorities were ousted. 'The authorities there are not helping,' [resident?] Yaroslav Vasyliev said. 'They are just impeding the process as they are not letting buses and boats that we paid for go through to volunteers.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

Witness for the Prosecution. Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "Mark Meadows, the final White House chief of staff under ... Donald J. Trump and a potentially key figure in inquiries related to Mr. Trump, has testified before a federal grand jury hearing evidence in the investigations being led by the special counsel's office, according to two people.... Mr. Meadows is a figure in both of the two distinct lines of inquiry being pursued by the special counsel appointed to oversee the Justice Department's scrutiny of Mr. Trump, Jack Smith. One inquiry is focused on Mr. Trump's efforts to cling to power after losing the 2020 election, culminating in the attack by a pro-Trump mob on the Capitol.... The other is an investigation into Mr. Trump's handling of hundreds of classified documents after he left office and whether he obstructed efforts to retrieve them. It is not clear precisely when Mr. Meadows testified or if investigators questioned him about one or both of the cases." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Katherine Faulders, et al., of ABC News: "Sources tell ABC News that Meadows answered questions on both [new link] Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Neither the NYT report nor the brief ABC News report addresses whether or not Meadows provided documents and other material to the DOJ investigation, but I presume Smith subpoened those materials. Reading between the lines of a statement Meadows' attorney George Terwillinger gave to the NYT -- "... Mr. Meadows has maintained a commitment to tell the truth where he has a legal obligation to do so" -- it's a reasonable guess that Meadows complied with all aspects of the subpoena. (Of course we should bear in mind that according to Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony to the House January 6 special committee, Meadows regularly burned documents in his White House office fireplace.) Kyle Cheney of Politico, speaking on MSNBC, noted that Meadows provided thousands of text messages to the House's January 6 committee, a treasure trove that provided the committee with a road map to Trump's instigation of the January 6 attack. And these messages, Cheney said, were ones Meadows believed were not protected by executive privilege. Meadows withheld material that he determined were privileged, but Trump lost his bid to bar Meadows and other staff from testifying in matters the DOJ was investigating. So if Meadows is cooperating with the DOJ, he may be the Department's star witness. ~~~

~~~ Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "The latest twist in the inquiry into ... Donald J. Trump's handling of classified documents is the surprise revelation that a previously unknown federal grand jury in Florida has recently started hearing testimony in the case. The grand jury in Florida is separate from the one that has been sitting for months in Washington.... Among those who have appeared before the Washington grand jury in the past few months or have been subpoenaed by it ... are more than 20 members of Mr. Trump's Secret Service security detail.... It is an open question why prosecutors impaneled the Florida grand jury -- which is sitting in Federal District Court in Miami -- and whether it is now the only one hearing testimony.... Legal experts and people familiar with the inquiry suggested that there could be a number of reasons Mr. Smith may have chosen to use a grand jury in Florida for at least some elements of the case....

"A Florida jury might prove to be more sympathetic to Mr. Trump than a Washington jury. And the judges in the Southern District of Florida -- among them Aileen M. Cannon, who made an unusual decision to pause the investigation in its early stages to have an outside arbiter review the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago -- might be more inclined to rule in Mr. Trump's favor than those in Washington." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ A CNN story about the Florida grand jury is here. "A grand jury based in southern Florida has heard testimony from multiple witnesses in recent weeks as part of the federal investigation into ... Donald Trump's handling of classified documents, sources told CNN. Another witness is expected to appear Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Miami as the investigation continues to develop, and the grand jury is expected to hear from at least one additional witness after that." ~~~

     ~~~ An NBC News story about the Secret Service agents' testimony is here. NBC News puts the number of agents who testified at 24. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Two dozen Secret Service agents testified? Hmm. Those guys are professional observers. And they were, by the nature of their jobs, close to Donald Trump at every moment. Unless they have the short memories best characterized by their quick deletion of texts surrounding the January 6 insurrection, they too should have plenty to tell. No wonder Trump and his team think Trump will be indicted.


Karoun Demirjian, et al., of the New York Times: "A group of hard-line Republicans hijacked the House floor on Tuesday, grinding legislative business to a halt for several hours in a striking display of ire at Speaker Kevin McCarthy for making a deal with President Biden to suspend the debt limit and banding together with Democrats to muscle it to passage. The mutiny, staged by nearly a dozen members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus as leaders sought to bring up legislation to guard against restrictions on gas stoves and other federal regulations, reflected the bitter acrimony lingering in the Republican ranks after passage of the debt limit measure last week. It indicated that, even as right-wing lawmakers suggest they are not yet inclined to try to oust Mr. McCarthy from his post over the compromise, they plan to use their clout in the closely divided House to make the speaker's job impossible unless he bows to their will." A Politico story is here.

Ali Vitali of NBC News: “House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, a top Trump ally, is calling on the Justice Department to provide lawmakers with internal documents laying out the scope of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the former president's handling of classified documents found last year at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. In a letter first reported by NBC News, Jordan told Attorney General Merrick Garland that his committee was requesting 'an unredacted copy of the memorandum outlining the scope of Mr. Smith's probes regarding President Trump and any supporting documentation related to his appointment as special counsel.'"

Jim Jordan, et al., v. Facts & Truth. Naomi Nix & Joseph Menn of the Washington Post: "Republican House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and his allies in Congress are demanding documents from and meetings with leading academics who study disinformation, increasing pressure on a group they accuse of colluding with government officials to suppress conservative speech.... The push caps years of pressure from conservative activists who have harangued such academics online and in person and filed open-records requests to obtain the correspondence of those working at public universities. The researchers who have been targeted study the online spread of disinformation, including falsehoods that have been accelerated by ... Donald Trump and other Republican politicians.... The pressure has forced some researchers to change their approach or step back, even as disinformation is rising ahead of the 2024 election."

Nicholas Fandos & Grace Ashford of the New York Times: "A federal magistrate judge on Long Island on Tuesday ruled against Representative George Santos's request to keep private the identities of people who guaranteed his $500,000 bail bond last month, but delayed their release to allow the New York congressman time to appeal. The decision by the judge, Anne Y. Shields, came after media organizations, including The New York Times, requested their release.... Mr. Santos's lawyer had firmly opposed disclosing the names of the so-called sureties.... Prosecutors had not objected to identifying them."

From the Lincoln Project:

Presidential Race 2024. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey who was eclipsed by Donald J. Trump in the 2016 presidential primaries, filed paperwork on Tuesday saying that he would seek the 2024 Republican nomination, setting up a rematch with the former president and expanding the field of G.O.P. candidates. In making a second run for the presidency, Mr. Christie, 60, has positioned himself as the person most willing to attack both Mr. Trump, his former friend turned adversary, and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who has been in second place in nearly every public Republican primary poll for months.... Mr. Christie, who is set to announce his run at a town-hall-style event in New Hampshire Tuesday evening, has already begun laying out an aggressive case against Mr. Trump...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Later That Same Day. Trip Gabriel & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Mr. Christie, who declared his run on Tuesday evening at a town-hall-style event in New Hampshire, set himself apart from all other Republicans running by going directly after Mr. Trump. He called him 'a bitter, angry man,' said his record in office was a failure and, in an unusually personal attack, accused Mr. Trump and family members of profiting off the presidency.... 'The grift from this family is breathtaking," Mr. Christie said. 'It's breathtaking. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House and months later get $2 billion from the Saudis?... That's your money he stole,' he continued, adding, 'That makes us a banana republic.' Over more than two hours, Mr. Christie also chided other Republicans in the race as being too timid to criticize Mr. Trump by name." ~~~

~~~ Christie made his announcement at St. Anselm's College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, just across the bridge, as it were, from Manchester, the state's largest city. Near the end of yesterday's Comments, Akhilleus tells us a little about Saint Anselm himself, who, Akhilleus says, "would have seen Trump as the scheming dissembler he is." ~~~

~~~ AND contributor Elizabeth reminds us of the original "time for some traffic problems" on the George Washington Bridge:

Marie's Sports Report. Rick Maese & Matt Bonesteel of the Washington Post: "After months of acrimony that stretched from tee boxes to court rooms, the PGA Tour and its deep-pocketed Saudi-funded rival, LIV Golf, announced Tuesday they are merging operations, bringing an end to a bitter feud that divided the golf world and revamped the economics underpinning the sport. The stunning announcement came after months of pointed rhetoric and heated debate about the human rights record of the breakaway tour's Saudi backers. It also came amid ongoing litigation between LIV and the PGA Tour.... The two sides have agreed to mutually end 'all pending litigation between the participating parties,' the organizations said in a Tuesday morning statement announcing the agreement, which also includes the DP World Tour, a Europe-based league. The three organizations will combine to create a new for-profit commercial entity...." ~~~

     ~~~ Alan Blinder of the New York Times: "The new company came together so quickly that it does not yet even have a name and is referred to in the agreement documents simply as 'NewCo.' It would be controlled by the PGA Tour but significantly financed by the Saudi government's Public Investment Fund. The fund's governor, Yasir al-Rumayyan, will be the new company's chairman. The deal, coming when Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking to assert itself on the world stage as something besides one of the world's largest oil producers, has implications beyond sports. The Saudi money will give the new organization greater clout, but it comes with the troubling association of the kingdom's human rights record, its treatment of women and accusations that it was responsible for the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a leading critic." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times is liveblogging developments here. Andrew Das wrote in an item, "A group of relatives of people killed on Sept. 11 issued a blistering criticism of the planned merger between the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series and the PGA Tour, calling the tour and its commissioner 'paid Saudi shills' for agreeing to it.... Critics of Saudi Arabia frequently deride its investments in teams and leagues as 'sportswashing' and say it is a thinly veiled effort to rehabilitate the kingdom's reputation amid accusations that it has financed terrorism and murdered a Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. [9/11 Families United chair Terry] Strada criticized [PGA Commissioner Jay] Monahan for 'co-opting' the 9/11 community last year in the PGA Tour&'s initial and strident opposition to the Saudi-backed golf tour, only to cut a merger deal this week. 'Mr. Monahan talked last summer about knowing people who lost loved ones on 9/11, then wondered aloud on national television whether LIV golfers ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour,' Strade wrote. 'They do now -- as does he. PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Like all professional sports organizations, the PGA is a for-profit corporation. Corporations may be people, my friend, but like many people, they only pretend there's such a thing as "corporate morality," and it exists, in the most malleable of forms, only insofar as it's convenient. If you encourage your children or others to participate in or "root for" a sports team, you are encouraging them to fail -- to fall for a careless, avaricious gang whose corporate model is designed to betray them. Oh, and in the case of the PGA or whatever it may be called, you're also helping out Donald Trump: ~~~

     ~~~ Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "The surprising deal on Tuesday ending a civil war in the world of professional golf stands to produce benefits for ... Donald J. Trump's family business by increasing the prospect of major tournaments continuing to be played at Trump-owned courses in the United States and perhaps abroad. The outcome is the latest example of how the close relationship between Mr. Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and Saudi Arabia, whose sovereign wealth fund is the force behind the upheaval in the golf world, has proved beneficial to both sides even as it has prompted intense ethical scrutiny and political criticism.... Since the establishment of LIV Golf..., Mr. Trump and his family have aligned themselves with LIV against the PGA Tour at a time when the golf establishment in the United States and Britain had moved to shut Trump courses out of major professional competitions, a trophy that the Trump family had long sought....

"Mr. Trump ... and his family have had unusually close ties with Saudi Arabia and the royal family there. His first foreign trip as president was to Riyadh, where he received a lavish welcome.... After Mr. Trump left office, that relationship continued in the form of a $2 billion commitment by the Public Investment Fund -- led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler -- to an investment fund set up by Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump's son-in-law. The Saudi fund also put $1 billion into a firm run by Steven Mnuchin, who had been Mr. Trump's Treasury secretary. LIV Golf is backed by the same Saudi fund.... Already, the Justice Department, as part of its investigation into the handling of classified documents by Mr. Trump, has subpoenaed the Trump Organization, seeking records pertaining to Mr. Trump's dealings with LIV Golf.... On Truth Social, Mr. Trump's social media platform and personal megaphone, he wrote: 'Great news from LIV Golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf.'"

Beyond the Beltway

Florida, California. Nicholas Nehamas & Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: "After days of silence, officials in Florida confirmed on Tuesday that the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis had orchestrated two recent charter flights that carried groups of migrants from New Mexico to Sacramento. The flights had generated an immediate outcry from leaders in California, who promised to initiate criminal and civil investigations, saying that the migrants had been deceived into boarding the planes. They also sharply criticized Mr. DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate."

Florida. Brendan Farrington of the AP: "A federal judge temporarily blocked portions of a new Florida law championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that bans transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers, saying in a Tuesday ruling that gender identity is real and the state has no rational basis for denying patients treatment. Judge Robert Hinkle issued a preliminary injunction, saying three transgender children can continue receiving treatment.... Hinkle's ruling was narrowly focused on the three children whose parents brought the suit.... DeSantis's office issued a statement saying ... the law will be enforced for all except the three children."

Florida. Academic Freedom? Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. Naomi Feinstein of the Miami New Times: Richard Corcoran, the DeSantis-appointed interim president of New College in Sarasota, declined to renew the contract of the college's only U.S. history professor Erik Wallenberg after Wallenberg invited outspoken Black history emeritus professor Marvin Dunn to lecture at the college. Both Wallenberg & Dunn have criticized Ron DeSantis.

New Hampshire. David Enrich of the New York Times reports on how Lauren Chooljian, a journalist at New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) and her editor Dan Barrick have been subjected to threats, harassment, home vandalism and a lawsuit after "Ms. Chooljian had published an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by Eric Spofford, the founder of New Hampshire's largest network of addiction rehabilitation centers.... Ms. Chooljian's sources, meanwhile, were under pressure from Mr. Spofford's lawyers.... In September, Mr. Spofford filed a 90-page libel lawsuit against NHPR, Ms. Chooljian, Mr. Barrick and others, including three of the sources in the March article.... F.B.I. agents and federal prosecutors in Boston are investigating the vandalism, according to three people with knowledge of their efforts. They are looking into Mr. Spofford's potential involvement...."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "The United Nations is calling the destruction unleashed by damage to southern Ukraine's Kakhovka dam 'monumental.' More than 1,400 people in the Ukrainian-controlled Kherson region were evacuated from their homes, local officials said. Although they added that the intensity of flooding was now decreasing, officials said almost 2,000 homes had been inundated. The head of Kherson's Russian occupation administration, Vladimir Saldo, said Wednesday that as many as 40,000 people were affected, according to Russian media.... The damage to the Soviet-era dam and hydroelectric power plant -- controlled by Russia since the start of the war -- poses strategic challenges to both sides, experts say.... The United States cannot conclusively say what led to the breach of the dam, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday.... The devastation caused by the Kakhovka dam breach is likely to lead to long-term environmental consequences for the region, The Washington Post reported....

"The United States learned of a Ukrainian military plan to carry out a covert attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline, leaked military documents say. The previously undisclosed documents, first leaked on the chat platform Discord, suggest that details about the plan collected by a European intelligence service were shared with the CIA in June 2022, The Post reported.... Russian ally Belarus lost its bid for a temporary spot at the U.N. Security Council, the Associated Press reported. While five countries were elected unopposed, Slovenia beat Belarus...."

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

Courtney Kube & Abigail Williams of NBC News: "The United States government has intelligence that is leaning toward Russia as the culprit of the attack on the dam in Ukraine, according to two U.S. officials and one Western official. President Joe Biden's administration was working to declassify some of the intelligence and share it...." MB: Why can't President Biden just declassify the intel in his mind?


U.K. Mark Landler & Megan Specia of the New York Times: "Prince Harry finally got his day in court against the British tabloid press that he has long reviled, taking the stand in London on Tuesday to accuse the Mirror Newspaper Group of hacking his cellphone more than a decade ago. Through five hours of polite but persistent grilling, Harry stood by his claims that the Mirror Group's reporters intercepted his voice mail messages and used other unlawful means to dig up personal information about him.... Harry is one of four plaintiffs in this case, one of only two civil suits rooted in the phone hacking scandal of 2011 that has made it all the way to trial. He is the first senior royal to testify in court since 1891, when the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, testified in the case of a man accused of cheating at a game of baccarat." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian is liveblogging Harry's testimony today (Wednesday).

News Ledes

CNN: "Pope Francis will have surgery on his abdomen and remain in a Rome hospital for several days, the Vatican said Wednesday, sparking renewed fears over the 86-year-old's fragile health. The pope was forced to cancel several work commitments in late May after he was debilitated by a fever. He was also hospitalized in March for bronchitis but responded well to antibiotics.... Technically called a laparotomy, Wednesday's procedure involves general anesthesia and is intended to repair a hernia that the Vatican said was causing 'recurrent, painful and worsening' symptoms. According to medical sources, the intervention is likely related to the surgery Francis experienced in 2021 to remove half of his colon." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Washington Post: "Pope Francis underwent intestinal surgery Wednesday and finished the three-hour procedure without complications, the Vatican said, though the episode raised fresh concerns about the health of the 86-year-old pontiff. Francis will remain in the hospital for at least five to seven days, his doctor said. The Vatican canceled his meetings until June 18, while also promoting his planned trip to Portugal in August."

Washington Post: "Smoke and haze from the wildfires ravaging swaths of Canadian forest have reached the eastern United States. Hazardous fine particles have degraded air quality in regions as far away as South Carolina, turning the skies gray and brown. In New York City, which is now behind only New Delhi for poor air pollution levels worldwide, officials told the most vulnerable people to wear high-quality masks if they go outside. As of early Wednesday, Canadian officials reported more than 400 active fires, with more than 240 listed as 'out of control.'" This is a liveblog.

Washington Post: "National Transportation Safety Board investigators spent Tuesday at a Virginia crash site, combing through the wreckage of a plane linked to a sonic boom heard across Washington as a picture emerged of the pilot as an experienced, safety-focused former airline captain.... Experts say publicly available data indicates the plane might have lost pressurization, leaving the pilot and passengers unconscious and the jet on autopilot until it ran out of fuel.... [Pilot Jeff] Hefner was a retired Southwest Airlines captain and former member of its pilots union's board of directors.... Hefner's flight history ... included 25 years and more than 25,000 flight-hours with Southwest. He also was certified as an aircraft mechanic..., ]a friend said]."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (8)

Here's something to add to the Lincoln Project's ship of fools:

"Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) slammed a former Trump administration official for bringing up transgender issues at a hearing about sustainable investing on Tuesday. Many Republicans have attacked ESG, the environmental, social and governance investment strategy that also accounts for a company’s approach to climate change and social issues, as “woke” and detrimental to profits.
But Balint, who is gay, reached her boiling point at claims made by GOP “climate and energy strategy strategist” Mandy Gunasekara, who worked in the Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump and has been dubbed the “chief architect of the Paris Accord withdrawal.” Gunasekara asserted that ESG promoted gender transitions for children at the House Oversight Committee meeting.

“I wanna know, do you really believe that garbage?” Balint asked.

“It’s not about believing. It’s a matter of fact,” Gunasekara answered.

“So you believe investing strategies are actually ... weaponized to support and promote gender transition for children? It is that essentially what you’re saying, or do you just use it as another opportunity to beat up on children?” Balint said.

“I’m not the one beating up on children,” Gunasekara said. “It’s the people who are promoting gender transitions in children that are potentially harming them.”

I sometimes feel as though we are dealing with people who have been brainwashed––-all of them belonging to some kind of political religious cult that freezes the brain and nothing like reason can penetrate it.

June 7, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

@P.D.Pepe: Yes, and the ridiculous part of the whole anti-trans movement is that before Ron DeSantis & his cronies came up with the idea that picking on trans people was a big winner, most people who are now so upset never came across ant trans people and never gave them a second thought. Now these anti-"woke" loons are going to meetings and filling out book protest forms and picketing and I don't know what-all to save themselves and "the children" from people who have almost no effect on their lives and are just trying to get along and manage life's problems like the rest of us.

If I weren't once a left-handed redhead, I think I'd start a movement against left-handed redheads, who are ruining this country with their sinister, communist ideology. The "cute little red redhaired girl"? OMG, ban "Peanuts"! Left-handed scissors? Boycott the manufacturer! There's nothing about my left-handed-redhead movement that's any stupider than Ron DeSantis's. Hold on while I practice holding my picket sign in my right hand.

June 7, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

There must have been something in the bible about beating up
trans people. Was it love thy neighbor as thyself? Do unto others
as you would have them do unto you? And on and on.

Have to get to Target now. They have way too many clothes and
stuff for straight men. They should know better.

June 7, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris

I think the Republican Bible says something more on the line of, Do unto others as you believe they would do unto you.
And since they believe they are always being victimized and attacked they think it is perfectly Christian of them to attack and victimize others in turn.

June 7, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

How the Right defines itself:

In a series of negatives.

I'm not Black or Brown or Yellow. And I'm certainly not gay or trans or too feminine.

I may not know who I am, and I may not amount to much, but I sure as hell know who I'm not.

June 7, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

More on possible indictments:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-indictment-espionage-prosecution-charges-b2353397.html

June 7, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

@Ken Winkes: Thanks. I've been putting off linking to the Independent story. I hope it's right, but I'm looking for some reliable confirmation.

June 7, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

I want the media to quit referring to the dingbats in the winger part of congress as "ultraconservative" anything. They are not. Mostly, they are reactionary crackpots. They are not nuts, they are poorly informed, uneducated pieces of slime attempting to hijack the entire country. They are joined by Floriduh Cement Blockhead, Unknown winger gov of half of Dakota, New Jersey Blowhard and Traffic Expert, Vague winger Arkansas ex-gov, Liar Lady from the home office of sedition (SC, thanks Charlie!) and God Botherer who wants Mother to be First Lady, and last, but certainly only most in criminal enterprises Fattylips. None of these people are fit to be president. None. As none of the congressrodents are fit to be in congress.

June 7, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne
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