The Commentariat -- July 10, 2021

David McCabe & Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "President Biden signed a sweeping executive order on Friday intended to increase competition within the nation's economy and to limit corporate dominance, factors the White House says have led to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers while dampening pay and restricting the freedom to change jobs. The administration encouraged federal agencies to take a wide range of actions, such as more closely scrutinizing the tech industry, cracking down on high fees charged by ocean shippers and allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter. 'What we've seen over the past few decades is less competition and more concentration that holds our economy back,' Mr. Biden said in the White House on Friday, citing the agriculture, technology and pharmaceutical industries. 'Rather than competing for consumers, they are consuming their competitors. Rather than competing for workers, they're finding ways to gain the upper hand on labor.'" (This is an update of a story linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden signed an executive order Friday taking aim at industries where certain companies dominate the market, kicking off a major new battle between the administration and corporate titans that could reshape aspects of the U.S. economy. The executive order -- which contains 72 initiatives -- is striking in its scope and ambition, challenging the business practices of America's enormous technology, health-care, agricultural and manufacturing firms while also aiming to shake up smaller sectors dominated by only a handful of companies, such as the hearing aid industry. 'The heart of American capitalism is a simple idea: open and fair competition,' Biden said in remarks before signing the order, accompanied by several members of his Cabinet. '...Competition keeps the economy moving and keeps it growing. Fair competition is why capitalism has been the world's greatest force for prosperity and growth.'... The effort ... tees up a major challenge for the administration, which is likely to face sharp resistance from businesses that may seek relief through courts that have shown skepticism about competition arguments in the past." ~~~

David Sanger & Nicole Perlroth of the New York Times: "President Biden warned President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Friday that time was running out for him to rein in the ransomware groups striking the United States, telegraphing that this could be Mr. Putin's final chance to take action on Russia's harboring of cybercriminals before the United States moved to dismantle the threat. In Mr. Biden's starkest warning yet, he conveyed in a phone call to Mr. Putin that the attacks would no longer be treated only as criminal acts, but as national security threats -- and thus may provoke a far more severe response, administration officials said. It is a rationale that has echoes of the legal justification used by the United States and other nations when they cross inside another country's borders to rout terrorist groups or drug cartels.... Later, as he was leaving for Delaware for the weekend, Mr. Biden appeared to specify one of the ways the United States could respond. Asked if it might attack the servers Russian cybercriminals have used to hijack American networks -- meaning knock them offline -- Mr. Biden responded, 'Yes,' according to a pool report." An ABC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the White House readout of the call.

Get Out! Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "President Biden fired ... Donald J. Trump's appointed head of the Social Security Administration on Friday, setting off a possible legal showdown over who rightfully holds the position. Mr. Biden asked on Friday morning for the resignations of Andrew Saul, the agency's commissioner, and David Black, a deputy commissioner. Mr. Black resigned as requested, but Mr. Saul refused and was notified by the administration that he had been fired, an administration official said. He has vowed to fight Mr. Biden's move as illegal. Mr. Biden moved to appoint an acting commissioner, Kilolo Kijakazi, while the administration looks for permanent successors for the two jobs. Ms. Kijakazi has been the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the agency.... A White House official said Friday that Mr. Saul had undermined Social Security's disability benefits, terminated a telework policy at the agency and alienated federal employee unions over work force safety planning amid the pandemic. In March, three top Democrats on the House's Ways and Means Committee called for Mr. Saul's ouster, accusing him of 'aggressive anti-union activities' and the pursuit of benefit cuts that would hurt vulnerable Americans." A number of Congressional Democrats have called for Saul's firing. CNN's story is here.

Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will no longer detain most pregnant, nursing and postpartum women for deportation, reversing a Trump-era rule that permitted officials to jail thousands of immigrants in those circumstances, according to a new policy to be released Friday. ICE's new policy is even more expansive than it was during the Obama era, when President Biden was vice president. The Obama administration generally exempted pregnant women from immigration detention, but the Biden administration is also including women who gave birth within the prior year and those who are nursing, which could last longer than a year." The Hill's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ ** Kevin Sieff of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration began separating migrant families along a remote stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border months earlier than has been previously reported -- part of a little known program coming into view only now as the Biden administration examines government data. In May 2017, Border Patrol agents in Yuma, Ariz., began implementing a program known as the Criminal Consequence Initiative, which allowed for the prosecution of first-time border crossers, including parents who entered the United States with their children and were separated from them.... Some of the parents separated under the Yuma program still remain apart from their children four years later." MB: Reports about Trump & Sessions' "zero tolerance" program horrified Americans, and apparently we didn't know the half of it.

Rebecca Robbins of the New York Times: "The Food and Drug Administration on Friday called for a federal investigation of the process that led to the approval of a new drug for Alzheimer's disease that has spurred sharp criticism from lawmakers and the medical community. In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services' independent Office of the Inspector General, the F.D.A.'s acting commissioner, Dr. Jane Woodcock, acknowledged the scrutiny the agency has faced about the approval process for the drug, which is known as Aduhelm and has a $56,000 annual price tag. She pointed to interactions between representatives from the drug's developer, Biogen, and the agency, saying some 'may have occurred outside of the formal correspondence process.'... It is unusual for the agency to request an investigation into its own staff's decision-making process for an individual drug approval."

Felicia Sonmez & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "The panel charged with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob will hold its first hearing this month, its chairman, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), said Friday. In an interview on MSNBC, Thompson also said the hearing will 'absolutely' go forward even if House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) declines to recommend Republican members for the panel.... McCarthy opposed the creation of the committee and has repeatedly declined to say whether he plans to appoint members; at a news conference last month, he dodged questions on the subject."

Jasmine Hilton & Ellie Silverman of the Washington Post: "The metal fence that has encircled the Capitol since a mob of Trump supporters stormed the complex on Jan. 6 began coming down early Friday evening, relieving residents who had been walled off in their own neighborhood and making way for tourists to get a closer look at the iconic democratic building. The perimeter had become one of the last remaining symbols of the failed security response to the riots that disrupted Congress from confirming President Biden's election victory and led to the deaths of five people.... Capitol Police will continue to monitor threats and the Capitol will still remain closed to public visitors, according to ... a memo sent to lawmakers Wednesday [MB: from, uh, somebody]."

Allen Feuer of the New York Times: "Against the advice of a lawyer, [Stewart] Rhodes..., the leader of the Oath Keepers militia..., spoke freely with [FBI] agents about the Capitol assault for nearly three hours, he said in an interview on Friday. Mr. Rhodes said that he denied that he or any other Oath Keepers had intended to disrupt Congress's certification of the Electoral College vote -- the chief accusation the government has lodged against 16 members of the group who are charged with conspiracy. He also said he told the agents that members of his militia went into the building only after they had heard that someone had been shot inside and wanted to render aid. (A New York Times visual investigation of the events of Jan. 6 did not find evidence of Mr. Rhodes's claims.)" A TPM summary story is here.

A "Spurious" Defense. Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's claim that the First Amendment shields his conduct leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is legally 'spurious' and should be rejected as a federal court considers lawsuits that allege he incited the violence, four prominent First Amendment lawyers and scholars argued Thursday. Targeting a key defense raised by lawyers for Trump and co-defendants including Rudolph W. Giuliani and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), the legal experts said that courts have long recognized that speech central to a crime -- such as the political intimidation of voters, lawmakers and government officials -- is barred and not protected by the Constitution. In a 23-page proposed friend-of-the-court brief filed Thursday in a case brought by members of Congress and Capitol police, the legal scholars argued that courts must strike a balance between protecting freedom of political speech and preventing political intimidation.... The four signers were First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams, who has fought several precedent-making cases in court, Berkeley law school dean Erwin Chemerinsky, former Harvard Law School dean Martha Minow and noted constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe."

The Odd Couple. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Ten days ago..., [Mitch McConnell] was asked ... to imagine: 'You're stranded on a desert island and you can only have one companion. Your choices are Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter. Who do you choose? McConnell had little hesitation. 'Biden and I did four bipartisan deals during the Obama administration. I consider him a personal friend,' he said. 'I was the only Republican who went to his son Beau's funeral. So that would be an easy choice. I think Biden is a first-rate person.'" Milbank imagines Joe & Mitch doing a couple of TV survival shows in which they're stranded together on a desert island. For instance, "Episode Two: The survivalists go fishing. Biden spears a fish. Biden goes foraging for kindling to cook the fish but returns to discover tha McConnell has eaten the whole fish raw. McConnell blames Biden for his upset stomach."

This Should Work! ~~~

CPAC attendee sent me this pic of a card they were handed about a “7-pt. plan to restore Donald J. Trump in days, not years,” which involves installing Trump as speaker and ousting Biden & Harris. pic.twitter.com/dS0tQ5jW7b

— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) July 9, 2021

     ~~~ Solender is a Forbes political reporter. Via the Raw Story.

Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service: In the U.S., "white Christians ... have expanded their share of the population, particularly white mainline Protestants. That group sits at 16.4%, an increase from 13% in 2016, whereas white evangelicals ... now represent about 14.5% of the population, down from a peak of 23% in 2006. White Catholics now hover around 11.7%, up from a 2018 low of 10.9%.... The percentage of white Christians ticked up overall, rising from 42% in 2018 to 44% in 2020.... Even with these small gains, however, white Christians have shrunk dramatically as a proportion of the population over the past few decades, having represented 54% of the population as recently as 2006.... Religiously unaffiliated Americans, or 'nones' in religion demography parlance, have lost ground, making up just 23% of the country. The complex group -- which includes atheists, agnostics and some people who say they pray daily but don't claim a specific faith tradition -- peaked at 25.5% of the population in 2018." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ ** Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "The presidency of George W. Bush may have been the high point of the modern Christian right's influence in America.... But the evangelicals who thought they were about to take over America were destined for disappointment.... From this fact derives much of our country's cultural conflict. It helps explain not just the rise of Donald Trump, but also the growth of QAnon and even the escalating conflagration over critical race theory.... QAnon is essentially a millenarian movement, with Trump taking the place of Jesus.... [As for those who are anti-C.R.T.,] the idea that public schools are corrupting children by leading them away from a providential understanding of American history has deep roots in white evangelical culture.... I was frightened by the religious right in its triumphant phase. But it turns out that the movement is just as dangerous in decline.... It didn't take long for the cocky optimism of Generation Joshua to give way to the nihilism of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. If they can't own the country, they're ready to defile it." (Also linked yesterday.)

Steve Thompson & Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Attorneys general in four states are looking into the online fundraising practices of both major political parties.... The practices being examined include the use of pre-checked boxes that lock in recurring donations from political donors who may not intend to sign up for more than one contribution, according to an April 29 letter included in a court filing Wednesday by WinRed, a fundraising platform for GOP committees and campaigns. WinRed is asking the U.S. District Court in Minnesota to stop the investigations by the attorneys general of Minnesota, Connecticut, Maryland and New York, arguing that consumer protection statutes that the attorneys general may try to enforce are preempted by federal law. Identical letters were sent to WinRed and ActBlue, a fundraising platform for Democrats, according to a person familiar with the inquiry...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "In recent months, local TV news crews have faced verbal and physical abuse while on the job. A few reporters have been injured. Some have been robbed or had equipment damaged.... [The year] 2020 ... may have been the most dangerous year in history for TV reporters in the United States.... 'What we're seeing now is part of a disturbing trend of [TV] journalists being in jeopardy in what otherwise are routine stories,' said Dan Shelley, the [Radio Television Digital News Directors Association's] ... director. 'It's not just riots and protests.... Many people feel as if they have permission to be aggressive toward journalists.'... Station managers ... said their journalists had been verbally harassed, punched, slapped, shoved, spat on, robbed at gunpoint, and hit with rocks and water bottles.... Many of the culprits were demonstrators, managers said, but police have also been involved in roughing up journalists."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Sheryl Stolberg, et al., of the New York Times: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged schools on Friday to fully reopen in the fall, even if they cannot take all of the steps the agency recommends to curb the spread of the coronavirus -- a major turn in a public health crisis in which childhood education has long been a political flash point. The agency also said school districts should use local health data to guide decisions about when to tighten or relax prevention measures like masking and physical distancing. With the highly contagious Delta variant spreading and children under 12 still ineligible for vaccination, it recommended that unvaccinated students and staff members keep wearing masks. The guidance is a departure from the C.D.C.'s past recommendations for schools."

Fear of "Needle Nazis." Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "It has been three days since President Biden announced an initiative to send people door-to-door trying to get more people vaccinated, and Republicans and their conservative media allies have wasted no time turning those door-knockers into terrifying straw men.... Republican members of Congress and conservative talkers have wrongly pitched the effort as forced vaccination -- even repeatedly invoking the Nazis -- and lodged baseless suggestions that it would be done using illegally obtained medical information. Others have suggested it's something akin to government coercion or even a precursor to gun confiscation.... [After] Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) ... compar[ed] the effort to 'medical brown shirts showing up at their door ordering vaccinations.'..., Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) took to Twitter the next day to offer her own Nazi comparison, labeling the door-knockers 'needle Nazis.'... Fox News host Tucker Carlson also wrongly pitched this effort as being about forcing vaccinations." (Also linked yesterday.)

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. Jordan Williams of the Hill: "Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed a bill on Friday preventing local governments from teaching critical race theory. The measure, House Bill 2906, prohibits 'the state and any local governments from requiring their employees to engage in orientation, training or therapy that suggest an employee is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously,' Ducey's office said in a statement. The Arizona state House passed the bill in a 31-25 vote.... The state Senate passed the bill on a 16-12 vote.... Republicans have used the term critical race theory as a catch-all for teaching racism, with some panning the theory as discriminatory." MB: The bill, as reported, doesn't seem to have anything to do with critical race theory.

Texas. Sabrina Tavernise of the New York Times: "People across the country may soon be able to sue abortion clinics, doctors and anyone helping a woman get an abortion in Texas, under a new state law that contains a legal innovation with broad implications for the American court system. The provision passed the State Legislature this spring as part of a bill that bans abortion after a doctor detects a fetal heartbeat, usually at about six weeks of pregnancy. Many states have passed such bans, but the law in Texas is different. Ordinarily enforcement would be up to government official.... But the law in Texas prohibits officials from enforcing it. Instead, it ... effectively deputizing ordinary citizens -- including from outside Texas -- to sue clinics and others who violate the law. It awards them at least $10,000 per illegal abortion if they are successful." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's odd how confederates are all concerned about medical professionals getting your "medical information" when they go door-to-door to vaccinate people, but it's just fine for me, as a wingnut busybody with no professional code of ethics, to interfere with the health care of a young woman far, far away.

Virginia. City to Remove "Totems for Terrorists." Michael Levenson & Hawes Spencer of the New York Times: "Four years after a woman was killed and dozens were injured when white nationalists protested the planned removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Va., city officials said they would remove the statue on Saturday, along with a nearby monument to Stonewall Jackson, another Confederate general. The announcement by the city on Friday came more than four years after the City Council initially put forth a plan to remove the statue of Lee from what was then known as Lee Park, prompting scores of white nationalists to descend on Charlottesville in August 2017 in a 'Unite the Right' rally to protest the removal.... The violence that day, as well as the open racism and anti-Semitism displayed at the rally, intensified calls to remove Confederate statues across the country." The AP's report is here.

Way Beyond

Haiti. The New York Times' live updates of developments in Haiti Saturday are here: "United States and Colombian officials say they will work with Haiti to understand the origins of a complicated plot that left Haiti's president dead and the country in chaos even as Haitian investigators confront questions emerging closer to home. Of the at least 20 people detained so far in the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse this past week, 18 have been identified as Colombians and two as Haitian Americans. Five suspects are still being sought." ~~~

~~~ Natalie Kitroeff, et al., of the New York Times: "After 24 hours of wild gun battles with suspects in the assassination of Haiti's president, the nation's authorities announced the arrests of 20 people and called on the United States to send troops to help protect crucial infrastructure. Haiti's remarkable request for military assistance from the United States, a former colonial overlord that has repeatedly intervened in the nation's affairs, is a measure of how deeply shaken the nation has been by days of chaos and intrigue. As new developments unfolded at a dizzying pace on Friday, the mystery over who was ultimately behind the assassination only deepened. On the streets, vigilantes prowled for suspects, and the police killed at least three people in gunfights. The vast majority of those arrested have turned out to be from Colombia -- former military men said to have turned mercenaries -- as questions arose about why it had been so easy for attackers to burst into President Jovenel Moïse's home and kill him, seemingly with no shots fired from security staff. And in a brewing political crisis, suspicion has prompted what may shape up to be a standoff between rival governments." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Reporters can marvel at Haiti's "remarkable" request for U.S. military assistance. But you can bet no one in Haiti would be dialing Washington's help line if the former guy had not been run out of town.

~~~ The New York Times' live updates of developments in Haiti Friday are here: "Two Americans arrested in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti this week said that they were not in the room when he was killed and that they had worked only as translators for the hit squad, a Haitian judge said on Friday. Clément Noël, a judge who is involved with the investigation and who interviewed both men soon after their arrest, said that neither was injured in the assault." (Also linked yesterday.)

Algeria. Siobhán O'Grady of the Washington Post profiles Zohra Drif, an Algerian resistance fighter who in 1956 set off a bomb in an Algiers bar popular with French settlers, an incident that "marked a major turning point in Algeria's struggle for independence."

News Ledes

New York Times: "The temperature [in Death Valley, California,] soared to 130 degrees on both Friday and Saturday and was forecast to hit the same peak on Sunday.... The blistering weekend heat, one of the highest temperatures ever recorded on Earth, matched a similar level from August 2020. Those readings could set records if verified, as an earlier record of 134 degrees in 1913 has been disputed by scientists. Much of the West is facing further record-breaking temperatures over the coming days, with over 31 million people in areas under excessive heat warnings or heat advisories. It is the third heat wave to sweep the region this summer."

New York Times: "The death toll [at the collapsed Surfside, Florida, condominium] rose to 86 on Saturday, according to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County. Dozens of people remained unaccounted for...."

The Commentariat -- July 9, 2021

Late Morning Update:

David McCabe & Cecilia Kang of the New York Times: "President Biden on Friday will encourage federal agencies to crack down on the way major tech companies grow through mergers and gain a competitive advantage by leveraging reams of consumer data, as part of a larger executive order aimed at dispersing corporate consolidation throughout the economy. The executive order includes several measures specifically targeting big tech companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon, people with knowledge of its contents said."

Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will no longer detain most pregnant, nursing and postpartum women for deportation, reversing a Trump-era rule that permitted officials to jail thousands of immigrants in those circumstances, according to a new policy to be released Friday. ICE's new policy is even more expansive than it was during the Obama era, when President Biden was vice president. The Obama administration generally exempted pregnant women from immigration detention, but the Biden administration is also including women who gave birth within the prior year and those who are nursing, which could last longer than a year." The Hill's story is here.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here.

Fear of "Needle Nazis." Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "It has been three days since President Biden announced an initiative to send people door-to-door trying to get more people vaccinated, and Republicans and their conservative media allies have wasted no time turning those door-knockers into terrifying straw men.... Republican members of Congress and conservative talkers have wrongly pitched the effort as forced vaccination -- even repeatedly invoking the Nazis -- and lodged baseless suggestions that it would be done using illegally obtained medical information. Others have suggested it's something akin to government coercion or even a precursor to gun confiscation.... [After] Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) ... compar[ed] the effort to 'medical brown shirts showing up at their door ordering vaccinations.'..., Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) took to Twitter the next day to offer her own Nazi comparison, labeling the door-knockers 'needle Nazis.'... Fox News host Tucker Carlson also wrongly pitched this effort as being about forcing vaccinations." ~~~

     ~~~ See also related story re: Missouri governor linked under "The Pandemic, Ctd."

Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service: In the U.S., "white Christians ... have expanded their share of the population, particularly white mainline Protestants. That group sits at 16.4%, an increase from 13% in 2016, whereas white evangelicals ... now represent about 14.5% of the population, down from a peak of 23% in 2006. White Catholics now hover around 11.7%, up from a 2018 low of 10.9%.... The percentage of white Christians ticked up overall, rising from 42% in 2018 to 44% in 2020.... Even with these small gains, however, white Christians have shrunk dramatically as a proportion of the population over the past few decades, having represented 54% of the population as recently as 2006.... Religiously unaffiliated Americans, or 'nones' in religion demography parlance, have lost ground, making up just 23% of the country. The complex group -- which includes atheists, agnostics and some people who say they pray daily but don't claim a specific faith tradition -- peaked at 25.5% of the population in 2018." ~~~

~~~ ** Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "The presidency of George W. Bush may have been the high point of the modern Christian right’s influence in America.... But the evangelicals who thought they were about to take over America were destined for disappointment.... From this fact derives much of our country's cultural conflict. It helps explain not just the rise of Donald Trump, but also the growth of QAnon and even the escalating conflagration over critical race theory.... QAnon is essentially a millenarian movement, with Trump taking the place of Jesus.... [As for those who are anti-C.R.T.,] the idea that public schools are corrupting children by leading them away from a providential understanding of American history has deep roots in white evangelical culture.... I was frightened by the religious right in its triumphant phase. But it turns out that the movement is just as dangerous in decline.... It didn't take long for the cocky optimism of Generation Joshua to give way to the nihilism of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. If they can't own the country, they're ready to defile it."

Steve Thompson & Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Attorneys general in four states are looking into the online fundraising practices of both major political parties.... The practices being examined include the use of pre-checked boxes that lock in recurring donations from political donors who may not intend to sign up for more than one contribution, according to an April 29 letter included in a court filing Wednesday by WinRed, a fundraising platform for GOP committees and campaigns. WinRed is asking the U.S. District Court in Minnesota to stop the investigations by the attorneys general of Minnesota, Connecticut, Maryland and New York, arguing that consumer protection statutes that the attorneys general may try to enforce are preempted by federal law. Identical letters were sent to WinRed and ActBlue, a fundraising platform for Democrats, according to a person familiar with the inquiry...."

The New York Times' live updates of developments in Haiti Friday are here: "Two Americans arrested in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti this week said that they were not in the room when he was killed and that they had worked only as translators for the hit squad, a Haitian judge said on Friday. Clément Noël, a judge who is involved with the investigation and who interviewed both men soon after their arrest, said that neither was injured in the assault."

~~~~~~~~~~

John Wagner, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden said Thursday that the country had accomplished its objectives in Afghanistan of killing Osama bin Laden and undercutting al-Qaeda's ability to launch more attacks on the United States as he defended his decision to bring a 20-year war to an end. Biden, during a White House speech, was defiant in the face of gains by the Taliban since he announced a planned U.S. troop withdrawal in April and said the Afghan people needed to dictate their own future. 'We did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build,' Biden said.... 'I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome.'... Biden also pledged to evacuate thousands of interpreters who served alongside troops in Afghanistan, as well as their families." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

Jonathan Lemire, et al., of the AP: "Facing a call to 'save American democracy,' the Biden administration on Thursday unveiled new efforts to help protect voting rights amid growing complaints from civil rights activists and other Democrats that the White House has not done enough to fight attempts by Republican-led state legislatures to restrict access to the ballot. President Joe Biden met with civil rights leaders in the West Wing, while Vice President Kamala Harris announced $25 million in new spending by the Democratic National Committee to support efforts to protect voting access ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.... The president last week told reporters that he planned on 'speaking extensively' on voting rights and that he would be 'going on the road on this issue.' So far, a major speech has not happened and a trip has not occurred, leading to rising frustration from those in his own party who view the GOP crackdown on voting rights as an existential threat to both Democrats and democracy." ~~~

~~~ Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "Several top civil rights leaders, in what was described as a 'a very candid, no-holds-barred meeting' that stretched nearly two hours, urged President Biden on Thursday to take more assertive action to combat Republican efforts to change voting laws around the country. While several of the civil rights leaders described Biden as one of their allies, they also pressed him to do more, speak louder and make voting rights a central priority. Their exasperation with waiting on Washington to act was evident as they also pledged to embark on 'a summer of activism, a summer of getting back in the streets,' evoking the 1960s movement that helped lead to the Voting Rights Act."

Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The Justice Department has agreed to pay $6.1 million to a technology contractor to create a massive database of videos, photographs, documents and social media posts related to the Capitol riot as part of the process of turning relevant evidence over to defense attorneys for the more than 500 people facing criminal charges in the Jan. 6 events, according to a court filing and government records. To take on the daunting task, the federal government has turned to Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, a firm prosecutors called 'a litigation support vendor with extensive experience providing complex litigation technology services.' Prosecutors are trying to organize thousands of hours of body-worn camera footage, closed-circuit surveillance camera footage, more than a million social media videos, data from phones and email accounts, and the responses to more than 6,000 grand jury subpoenas, according to a court filing Thursday."

William Booth & Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "Should he be convicted of espionage in Virginia federal court, the United States has offered that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could serve his sentence in Australia, a British court said Wednesday. The assurance came as the Justice Department seeks to extradite Assange from London, where he is currently in custody. A judge in Britain blocked his transfer to the United States in January, ruling that he was at extreme risk of suicide and might not be protected from harming himself in a federal prison. Now, the United States has been granted an appeal before Britain's High Court, on the grounds that the lower-court judge did not hear assurances of how Assange would be treated in American custody.... Should he serve time in a U.S. facility, the government pledged that Assange would not be held in total isolation or imprisoned at a 'Supermax' facility in Colorado."

Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "Congressional Democrats and Republicans have agreed to increase funding for the Internal Revenue Service so that the agency can bring in more tax revenue, hoping the money can help pay down some of the infrastructure package's expected price tag. The early contours of the infrastructure blueprint have won the White House's support, but the IRS provision in particular is drawing opposition from well-funded conservative groups, which are strongly opposed to expanding the reach of a tax-collection agency that they long have alleged is politically motivated.... They are preparing a letter that warns Republicans should not negotiate with the White House unless they agree to 'no additional funding for the Internal Revenue Service.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Rebecca Robbins & Pam Belluck of the New York Times: "Under fire for approving a questionable drug for all Alzheime's patients, the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday greatly narrowed its previous recommendation and is now suggesting that only those with mild memory or thinking problems should receive it. The reversal, highly unusual for a drug that has been available for only a few weeks, is likely to reduce the approximate number of Americans who are eligible for the treatment to 1.5 million from six million. The approval of Aduhelm early last month was one of the most contentious F.D.A. decisions in years."

Jan Hoffman of the New York Times: "Fifteen states have reached an agreement with Purdue Pharma, the maker of the prescription painkiller OxyContin, that would pave the way toward a $4.5 billion settlement of thousands of opioid cases. The states decided late Wednesday to drop their opposition to Purdue's bankruptcy reorganization plan, in exchange for a release of millions of documents and an additional $50 million from members of the Sackler family, the company's owners. The agreement was contained in a late-night filing by a mediator in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, N.Y. The settlement extracts concessions that will be added to a comprehensive proposal now being voted upon by more than 3,000 plaintiffs, including cities, counties, tribes and states, who sought to hold Purdue and its owners responsible for their role in the opioid epidemic. More than 500,000 Americans have died from overdoses of prescription and illegal opioids." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Oh, Lordy, Don't Tell the Kids about the 3/5ths Provision. Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "Sen. Tom Cotton is calling for the firing of a U.S. Air Force Academy professor after she admitted to discussing critical race theory with cadets. But even a cursory look at the Arkansas Republican's slimy argument shows how full of holes it really is. This episode sheds light on a larger absurdity about this whole debate. Republicans keep telling us the mere discussion of such topics risks weakening our country.... Cotton and other Republicans are unloading over this op-ed piece in The Post by Lynne Chandler García, an associate professor of political science at the Air Force Academy. In it, García says she teaches critical race theory as an 'academic framework' to analyze the fact that the founding and its documents harbored a 'duality' between ideals of equality and realities of inequality and slavery.... This is all anodyne stuff. The idea that the founding harbored that 'duality' doesn't seem controversial.... What makes this so ridiculous is that generally speaking, such self-scrutiny is something you want institutions to undertake." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If that so-called professor were worth her salt, she'd be leading an Air Force cadets all-male a capella glee club in heartfelt renditions of "Dixie" and "Swanee Ribber." Still longing for de old plantation.

Even Trump's Adversaries Are Grifters. Kevin Draper of the New York Times: "Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who rose to national prominence while representing the pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels in her lawsuits against ... Donald J. Trump, was sentenced on Thursday to two and a half years in prison and three years of supervised release by Judge Paul G. Gardephe in federal court in Manhattan. Avenatti was convicted in February 2020 of trying to extort more than $20 million from the apparel giant Nike, but his sentencing was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic." Aventatti fought back tears as he told the judge how sorry he was. CNBC's report is here. It has Avenatti "weeping." MB: "But more than anything else I'm sorry for myself...."

The Wall Street Journal publishes an adaptation from Michael Bender's book about the last days of Trump's presidency*. I've linked the page, but of course it's subscriber-firewalled. If you can't access it from this link, you might be able to get it via Google, as I did.

After This ~~~

~~~ This. Lachlan Markay of Axios: "Toyota has announced it will cease donations to Republicans who objected to the certification of President Biden's electoral college victory.... The company revealed its decision, first reported by the Detroit News, in a statement on Thursday, saying it understood that its PAC's donations to those objectors, which far outpaced those of any other company, 'troubled some stakeholders.' Toyota's statement came less than two weeks after Axios reported the Japanese automaker donated $55,000 to 37 election objectors, the most of any corporate PAC by a significant margin." The Washington Post's story, by Amy Wang, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Sky Palma of the Raw Story: "This Thursday, the anti-Trump conservative PAC Lincoln Project released a new ad targeting Toyota for being part of a string of corporations 'lavishing massive campaign donations on Republicans who tried to overturn the 2020 election and who now seek to cover up the January 6th attack on the Capitol.'... Toyota announced on the same day the ad was released that it will stop contributing to members of Congress who opposed the election certification." ~~~

~~~ BUT. Karl Evers-Hillstrom of the Hill: "Six months after the Capitol attack, only a small number of powerful corporations have made good on their pledge to suspend PAC donations to the 147 Republican lawmakers who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Among the 10 biggest corporate PAC donors that pledged to pause their contributions to election objectors, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Verizon have followed through on their promises, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings. Other top PACs that vowed to withhold contributions, such as AT&T, Comcast, General Electric, Home Depot, Pfizer and Walmart, have been bankrolling party committees or leadership PACs that can easily funnel campaign cash to election objectors. Those company PACs have not made direct donations to the lawmakers" campaigns."

Clothilde Goujard of Politico: "Violent videos and misinformation are amplified by YouTube's algorithm, despite the company's rules meant to limit their spread, according to a Mozilla Foundation report published July 7. The foundation -- a nonprofit that advocates on privacy issues -- found 71 percent of all videos that volunteers reported as disturbing were recommended by the video-sharing platform's algorithm. They included conspiracies about 9/11 and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the promotion of white supremacy. Researchers also found that people in non-English speaking countries were more likely to encounter videos they considered disturbing, indicating that YouTube's efforts to better police its platforms have been uneven." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Apparently it depends a lot upon what you usually search for. When I call up YouTube, as I do daily, I get Biden speeches & tours of tiny houses built by environmentalists. Not much violence there.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Li Cohen of CBS News: "Pfizer announced on Thursday that its COVID vaccine booster shot could further protect individuals from 'all currently known variants' of COVID-19 -- including the highly transmittable Delta variant. The booster shot is currently undergoing trials, the company said, and has shown 'encouraging clinical trial data in a small number of participants in our study.'"

Lauren Aratani of the Guardian: "More than nine out of 10 Americans who died from Covid-19 in the US in June were unvaccinated, according to Dr Anthony Fauci -- a statistic that health officials say is especially concerning given the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy in some regions and the rise of the Delta variant.... Cases are rising in nearly half the states as low vaccination rates are being met with the more transmissible and severe Delta or B.1.617.2, variant, identified in India in December 2020. Vaccinations administered in the US have shown to be effective against the Delta variant, though it poses serious risks to those who remain unvaccinated. The variant is already the dominant strain of Covid-19 in the country, accounting for more than 50% of all new US cases and up to 80% of cases in some regions, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data released Tuesday." ~~~

~~~ SO ... Missouri. Heather Hollingsworth of the AP: "... Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he doesn't want government employees going door-to-door in his state to urge people to get vaccinated, even as a COVID-19 outbreak overwhelms some hospitals. Missouri asked for help last week from newly formed federal 'surge response' teams as it combats an influx of cases that public health officials are blaming on fast-spreading delta variant and deep-seated concerns about the vaccine. After President Joe Biden mentioned the possibility of door-to-door promotion of the vaccine, Parson tweeted: 'I have directed our health department to let the federal government know that sending government employees or agents door-to-door to compel vaccination would NOT be an effective OR a welcome strategy in Missouri!'... 'We know there's a vast number of people that is hesitant to take the vaccine,' Parson said. 'That is what we all should be working together trying to find a solution to get more vaccine in more people's arms, not trying to force people to take it. Not trying to scare them into it....'... Jeffrey Zeints, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Thursday that the best people to promote vaccinations are 'local trusted messengers' like doctors, faith leaders and community leaders, who may go door to door."

Japan. Ben Dooley of the New York Times: "Olympic organizers said on Thursday that they would bar spectators from most events at the Games scheduled to open in two weeks, a decision that followed the declaration of a new state of emergency in Tokyo in response to a sudden spike in coronavirus cases. Officials have long insisted that they can hold the Tokyo Games safely amid a pandemic. Last month, they announced that they would allow domestic spectators at the events despite public fears that the Games could become a petri dish for new variants of the virus." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Bobby Calvan & Steven Sloan of the AP: In the wake of the Surfside condominium collapse tragedy, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) tones down the Trumpiness. Sometimes.

Minnesota. Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "Prosecutors challenged an assertion from the judge who oversaw Derek Chauvin's murder trial that the children who witnessed George Floyd's killing weren't traumatized by the event and therefore did not factor that into his sentencing decision. In a letter made public Thursday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asked Hennepin County District Judge Peter A. Cahill to amend a June 25 memo detailing his decision to sentence Chauvin to 22½ years in prison for Floyd's murder. In the memo, Cahill said he found no evidence of trauma among four young girls who witnessed the killing and ultimately didn't take that into account when determining Chauvin's jail time. 'The state expressly does not request that the court modify any part of (the) defendant's 22.5-year sentence for the murder of George Floyd,' Ellison wrote. But Ellison pressed Cahill to 'correct the public record' and amend his analysis to 'more accurately reflect the experiences' of the children who witnessed the killing and later testified at trial to 'prevent potentially causing further harm by discounting the trauma suffered by these young girls.'" The Hill's story is here.

Way Beyond

Haiti. Tom Phillips, et al., of the Guardian: "A heavily armed commando unit that assassinated Haiti's president, Jovenel Moïse, was composed of 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans, authorities have said, as the hunt goes on for the masterminds of the killing.... Authorities tracked the suspected assassins on Wednesday to a house near the scene of the crime in Petionville, a northern, hillside suburb of the capital, Port-au-Prince. A firefight lasted late into the night and authorities detained a number of suspects on Thursday. Police chief Charles Leon paraded 17 men before journalists at a news conference late on Thursday, showing a number of Colombian passports plus assault rifles, machetes, walkie-talkies and materials including bolt cutters and hammers."

~~~ Jacqueline Charles & Michael Wilner of the Miami Herald: "Two South Florida men have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moïse, along with 15 Colombian nationals, Haiti police said Thursday night. James Solages, 35, of Fort Lauderdale, was identified as one of the assailants by Mathias Pierre, a minister in charge of Haitian elections. Solages, originally from Haiti, is an American citizen, Pierre said.... Pierre identified a second man arrested in the assassination as Joseph Vincent, 55, from the Miami area. Vincent, originally from Haiti, is also a U.S. citizen, Pierre said."

~~~ Widlore Merancourt, et al., of the Washington Post: "A U.S. citizen of Haitian descent has been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, a senior official here said Thursday. James Solages, a U.S. citizen, is among the six people arrested so far in Moïse's killing, according to Mathias Pierre, Haiti's minister of elections and inter-party relations. Pierre told The Washington Post that at least one other detainee is also believed to be a Haitian American. Four other suspects have been killed, authorities have said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Constant Méheut, et al., of the New York Times: "The political storm in Haiti intensified on Thursday as two competing prime ministers claimed the right to run the country, setting up an extraordinary power struggle over who had the legal authority to govern after the brazen assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in his home the day before. Haiti's interim prime minister, Claude Joseph, says he has taken command of the police and the army, declaring a 'state of siege' that essentially put the country under martial law. But constitutional experts questioned his right to impose it, and his claim to power was quickly challenged by a rival. Two days before his death, Mr. Moïse had appointed a new prime minister, Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon who was supposed to take up the role this week and told a local newspaper that he was the rightful prime minister instead."

~~~ The New York Times' live updates of developments in Haiti Thursday are here: "Two American citizens are among at least 15 people detained in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse Haitian officials said Thursday night as they paraded the suspects before the news media and asserted that 'foreigners' had been involved in the brazen attack."

News Lede

Weather Channel: "Tropical Storm Elsa is spreading heavy rain, gusty winds and the threat of a few tornadoes up the East Coast through Friday.... Elsa is located about 5 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey, as of early Friday morning." MB: It's already spreading heavy rain in New Hampshire at 7:30 am ET.

The Commentariat -- July 8, 2021

Afternoon Update:

John Wagner, et al., of the Washington Post: “President Biden said Thursday that the country had accomplished its objectives in Afghanistan of killing Osama bin Laden and undercutting al-Qaeda’s ability to launch more attacks on the United States as he defended his decision to bring a 20-year war to an end. Biden, during a White House speech, was defiant in the face of gains by the Taliban since he announced a planned U.S. troop withdrawal in April and said the Afghan people needed to dictate their own future. 'We did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build,' Biden said.... 'I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome.'... Biden also pledged to evacuate thousands of interpreters who served alongside troops in Afghanistan, as well as their families.” ~~~

Widlore Merancourt, et al., of the Washington Post: "A U.S. citizen of Haitian descent has been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, a senior official here said Thursday. James Solages, a U.S. citizen, is among the six people arrested so far in Moïse’s killing, according to Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s minister of elections and inter-party relations. Pierre told The Washington Post that at least one other detainee is also believed to be a Haitian American. Four other suspects have been killed, authorities have said."

Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: “Congressional Democrats and Republicans have agreed to increase funding for the Internal Revenue Service so that the agency can bring in more tax revenue, hoping the money can help pay down some of the infrastructure package’s expected price tag. The early contours of the infrastructure blueprint have won the White House’s support, but the IRS provision in particular is drawing opposition from well-funded conservative groups, which are strongly opposed to expanding the reach of a tax-collection agency that they long have alleged is politically motivated.... They are preparing a letter that warns Republicans should not negotiate with the White House unless they agree to 'no additional funding for the Internal Revenue Service.'”

Jan Hoffman of the New York Times: "Fifteen states have reached an agreement with Purdue Pharma, the maker of the prescription painkiller OxyContin, that would pave the way toward a $4.5 billion settlement of thousands of opioid cases. The states decided late Wednesday to drop their opposition to Purdue’s bankruptcy reorganization plan, in exchange for a release of millions of documents and an additional $50 million from members of the Sackler family, the company’s owners. The agreement was contained in a late-night filing by a mediator in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, N.Y. The settlement extracts concessions that will be added to a comprehensive proposal now being voted upon by more than 3,000 plaintiffs, including cities, counties, tribes and states, who sought to hold Purdue and its owners responsible for their role in the opioid epidemic. More than 500,000 Americans have died from overdoses of prescription and illegal opioids."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here.

Ben Dooley of the New York Times: "Olympic organizers said on Thursday that they would bar spectators from most events at the Games scheduled to open in two weeks, a decision that followed the declaration of a new state of emergency in Tokyo in response to a sudden spike in coronavirus cases. Officials have long insisted that they can hold the Tokyo Games safely amid a pandemic. Last month, they announced that they would allow domestic spectators at the events despite public fears that the Games could become a petri dish for new variants of the virus."

~~~~~~~~~~

Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: "President Biden said Wednesday that his focus remains on his administration’s expansive efforts to invest in programs that touch many facets of American life, not just the bipartisan infrastructure agreement that has spent weeks in the spotlight. Biden toured McHenry County College [in Crystal Lake, Illinois], which has a workforce development plan and on-site child-care facility, two programs that exemplify cornerstones of his American Families Plan.... In the opening minutes of his remarks at the community college, which is a 90-minute drive northwest of Chicago, Biden lauded the work of the legislative group that had forged a framework for a compromise on infrastructure. But the president spent the bulk of the half-hour speech stressing that much more needs to be done."

David Sanger & Nicole Perlroth of the New York Times: “President Biden emerged from a Situation Room meeting with his top cybersecurity advisers on Wednesday to declare that he 'will deliver' a response to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for the wave of ransomware attacks hitting American companies, after hearing a series of options about how he could disrupt the extortion efforts. Mr. Biden’s vague statement, delivered as he was departing for a trip, left it unclear whether he was planning another verbal warning to Mr. Putin — similar to the one he issued three weeks ago during a one-on-one summit in Geneva — or would move ahead with more aggressive options to dismantle the infrastructure used by Russian-language criminal groups.” The AP's story is here.

Libby Cathey of ABC News: "President Joe Biden taunted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday for having acknowledged his home state of Kentucky will receive money from the Biden administration-backed American Rescue Plan -- despite McConnell not having voted for it.... ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega asked the president about remarks McConnell made Tuesday on his infrastructure packages.... 'Mitch McConnell loves our programs,' the president said with a smile.... 'Have you seen what Mitch McConnell said? He told me he wasn't going to get a single vote in order to allow me to get, with the help of everybody here, that $1.9 trillion ... program for economic growth,' he said. 'Look it up, man. He's bragging about it in Kentucky. It's a great thing for Kentucky, it's getting $4 billion to help poor -- it's amazing,' Biden added, mimicking McConnell and gesturing widely. In fact, McConnell at an event on Tuesday in his home state did talk about the American Rescue Plan. 'So you're gonna get a lot more money. I didn't vote for it...," he said. 'My advice to members of the legislatures and other public officials is spend it wisely, because hopefully this windfall doesn't come around again.'"

Neil Irwin of the New York Times: “This week, the White House is planning to release an executive order focused on competition policy. People familiar with the order say one section has several provisions aimed at increasing competition in the labor market. The order will encourage the Federal Trade Commission to ban or limit noncompete agreements, which employers have increasingly used in recent years to try to hamper workers’ ability to quit for a better job. It encourages the F.T.C. to ban 'unnecessary' occupational licensing restrictions, which can make finding new work harder, especially across state lines. And it encourages the F.T.C. and Justice Department to further restrict the ability of employers to share information on worker pay in ways that might amount to collusion. More broadly, the executive order encourages antitrust regulators to consider how mergers might contribute to so-called monopsony — conditions in which workers have few choices of where to work and therefore lack leverage to negotiate higher wages or better benefits.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Lara Seligman of Politico: "The U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan is essentially complete, despite President Joe Biden's comments last week that American troops will leave by late August, according to two U.S. officials.... The U.S. currently has roughly 600 troops in Afghanistan, most of whom are Marine Corps and Army personnel providing security at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the person said. The rest of the 600 will be based at the Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, said another U.S. official with direct knowledge of the discussions. All of those troops are expected to remain after the pullout is officially complete, The Associated Press first reported last month. Besides the security troops, the only U.S. military personnel left to withdraw by the Sept. 11 deadline Biden set in May are Gen. Scott Miller, the commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, and a handful of staff, the two officials said."

Luz Lazo of the Washington Post: "Amtrak has signed a mammoth contract with manufacturing company Siemens Mobility for 83 new train sets, part of a $7.3 billion plan to upgrade its rolling stock over the next decade. Under the plan announced Wednesday, Amtrak will replace nearly 40 percent of its rail car fleet by 2031 and invest $2 billion in facilities upgrades systemwide. The oldest cars in Amtrak’s fleet would be taken off the rails after five decades of service. The deal marks one of the railroad’s biggest investments in its 50 years of operation and comes as the company is pursuing an ambitious $75 billion expansion to bring trains to dozens of cities and towns across the nation."

Mark Berman of the Washington Post: “The Air Force was mostly responsible for the 2017 massacre at a Sutherland Springs, Tex., church because it failed to submit records to federal law enforcement that could have prevented the attacker from buying guns, a judge determined this week. The gunman, former airman Devin Kelley, was convicted of domestic assault years before he opened fire during Sunday morning services, killing more than two dozen people. That military conviction would have prevented him from passing the background check for buying guns, but the Air Force never submitted his criminal record or fingerprints to the FBI despite having 'an obligation — and multiple opportunities' to do so, according to U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez.... Kelley joined the Air Force in 2010.... He was given a bad-conduct discharge in 2014 after being convicted of attacking his wife and stepson and sentenced to 12 months of confinement.... In breaking down liability, Rodriguez apportioned 60 percent to parts of the Air Force and the remaining 40 percent to the gunman.”

Jim Mustian of the AP: "The FBI is taking the unusual step of ordering a new look at the autopsy of Black motorist Ronald Greene to consider evidence not provided after his 2019 death, including graphic body camera video of Louisiana state troopers stunning, punching and dragging him after a high-speed chase. The re-examined autopsy is part of a federal civil rights investigation that has taken on new urgency in the nearly two months since The Associated Press obtained and published the video of Greene’s arrest. Federal prosecutors also met with his family last month and made clear they plan to present the case to a grand jury by the summer’s end."

Sarah Ellison of the Washington Post reports on Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, the whistleblower who leaked 2,000 federal government documents to BuzzFeed News journalist Jason Leopold. “Edwards — known to her friends as 'May' — is largely unknown and mostly forgotten. She is scheduled to report to the Bureau of Prisons in August [to serve a six-month sentence], and no celebrities are clamoring about the injustice on Twitter.”

Insurrectionist/Teacher Thought It Was All a Kids' Game. Jordan Williams of the Hill: "The FBI seized a 'fully constructed' Lego set of the U.S. Capitol from the home of an alleged insurrectionist. Prosecutors detailed the finding in a court document for Robert Morss, who was arrested on June 11 at his home in Glenshaw, Pa.... The Pittsburg Post-Gazette previously reported that Morss was a substitute social studies teacher.... He faces nine charges in connection to the riots, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees; civil disorder; robbery of the personal property of the United States and obstruction of an official proceeding." (Also linked yesterday.) 

Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump on Wednesday declared that a police officer defending lawmakers and the Capitol on Jan. 6 had 'no reason' to shoot an individual involved in the attack and echoed calls from the far right for the officer to be publicly named.... In April, a U.S. Capitol Police officer was cleared of criminal wrongdoing for fatally shooting Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt as she attempted to breach a set of doors deep in the Capitol during the January siege.... Some conservatives have sought to turn Babbitt into a martyr.... Trump ... declared, without evidence, that he knows 'exactly' who the officer is.” ~~~

     ~~~ Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "New York Magazine columnist Jonathan Chait describes Trump's willingness to embrace Babbitt as a martyr as a 'chilling' development that he believes shows the former president is coming around to supporting the deadly riot waged by his followers to stop the certification of the 2020 election.... Although Trump at least tried to distance himself from the riot shortly after it occurred, Chait argues that he's been emboldened to embrace it because the Republican Party failed to expunge him from its ranks. 'By throwing himself behind this message, Trump is endorsing the most radical interpretation of his presidency,' he concludes. 'January 6 was not a minor misstep after a successful era, as fans like Mike Pence and Lindsey Graham now say. It was the heroic culmination of a righteous uprising.' Read the whole column here." (Firewalled.)

     ~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Early in the morning of May 29, [as people around the nation protested the murder of George Floyd, Donald Trump tweeted,] 'Any difficulty and we will assume control..., but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.'... Concerned about the unrest [that night], the president’s protective detail moved him into a bunker inside the White House, a precautionary measure that Trump would later claim involved nothing more than a tour. (This was not true.)... '[N]obody came close to breaching the fence' outside the White House, Trump [said]. 'If they had they would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen. That’s when people would have been really badly hurt, at least.'... This, at its heart, is Trump’s view of justice. Those on his side are exempt from accountability for their actions. Those on the other side, however, most be dealt with harshly — more harshly than the law allows.... This is precisely what the American legal system is supposed to uproot, this idea that culpability for a crime should be colored by political belief or political allegiance.”

Former Guy Sues Social Media.  Cat Zakrzewski & Rachel Lerman of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump on Wednesday filed class-action lawsuits targeting Facebook, Google and Twitter and their CEOs, escalating his long-running battle with the companies following their suspensions of his accounts. The suits were filed in the Southern District of Florida, and Trump said at a news conference in Bedminster, N.J., that they would call for the court to issue an order blocking the companies’ alleged censorship of the American people.... The suits allege that the companies violated Trump’s First Amendment rights in suspending his accounts and argues that Facebook, in particular, no longer should be considered a private company but 'a state actor' whose actions are constrained by First Amendment restrictions on government limitations on free speech. Traditionally, the First Amendment is thought to constrain only government actions, not those of private companies. It also called for the court to strike down Section 230, a decades-old Internet law that protects tech companies from lawsuits over content moderation decisions.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Zoe Tillman of BuzzFeed News: "... Donald Trump’s latest attempt at getting back on mainstream social media platforms came in the form of lawsuits on Wednesday against Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube — each featuring a series of claims that multiple courts, including the US Supreme Court, have rebuffed.... The US Supreme Court and federal appeals and district courts have repeatedly rejected efforts to classify social media platforms as state actors.... In [a 2019] opinion by Justice Brett Kavanaugh — one of Trump’s nominees — the court found that the First Amendment didn’t apply to the operator of public access channels that had suspended producers over content.... [Trump is] also claiming, without evidence, that the companies were coerced by Democrats in Congress who threatened to strip them of Section 230 immunity if they didn’t restrict conservative speech and that Section 230 itself represents a government endorsement of unconstitutional censorship." Et-cetera. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There are a number of reasons Trump is bringing these frivolous suits now. One, he thinks anyone or any entity who rebuffs him or knocks him is "unfair." Two, the suits take the focus away from the real cases against his company & its CEO Allen Weisselberg. Three ~~~

     ~~~ Grifters Gotta Grift. Paul Waldman of the Washington Post: Donald Trump's lawsuit against the big social media companies is “puny and pathetic. Perhaps because of his company’s struggles, Trump is returning to his roots as a small-time grifter, desperate to draw attention to himself and willing to do just about anything to grab a few extra bucks.... His complaint against Facebook — presumably prepared by actual lawyers, hard as that may be to believe — claims that it 'rises beyond that of a private company to that of a state actor....' It goes on to use the word 'unconstitutional' again and again to describe Facebook’s decisions, despite the fact that only government action is or isn’t constitutional.... As soon as Trump announced the suit, fundraising texts were blasted out to his supporters.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Somehow, after all these years, I managed to miss Trump's piss-in-a-bottle scam. Waldman enlightens us: “For much of his career, there has been no scam too small for him to pull and no product too cheesy for him to hawk, whether it was steaks or ties or vodka or vitamins. That last one involved people sending in a urine test, after which they’d receive a package of vitamins supposedly tuned to their unique metabolism. You can guess how it ended.” (Worth clicking on the link here to the STAT article, too.)

We're All the Big Grifter's Marks. David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, N.J., charged the Secret Service nearly $10,200 for guest rooms used by his protective detail during Trump’s first month at the club this summer, newly released spending records show. The records — released by the Secret Service in response to a public-records request — show that the ex-president has continued a habit he began in first days of his presidency: charging rent to the agency that protects his life.... In all, Trump’s company charged the government more than $2.5 million during his presidency, according to a Post analysis of federal spending records."

Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: “The D.C. Court of Appeals has temporarily barred Rudolph W. Giuliani from practicing law, following a similar decision in New York. A committee of judges in New York determined last month that Giuliani was unfit to keep practicing law after he 'communicated demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large' while representing ... Donald Trump and the Trump campaign in connection with their efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. A day after the ruling, disciplinary counsel in D.C. recommended suspending Giuliani’s license in D.C. until the New York case is resolved. On Wednesday the D.C. Court of Appeals agreed.” CNN's story is here.

Nicholas Kulish of the New York Times: “If over the next two years [Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates] can’t find a way to work together following their planned divorce, Mr. Gates will [take over their charitable foundation].... 'They have agreed that if after two years either one of them decides that they cannot continue to work together, Melinda will resign as co-chair and trustee,' [foundation CEO Mark] Suzman said in a message on Wednesday to employees of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. If that happened, he added, Ms. French Gates 'would receive personal resources from Bill for her philanthropic work' separate from the foundation’s endowment. The money at stake underscores the strange mix of public significance — in global health, poverty reduction and gender equality, among other important areas — and private affairs that attends any move made by the first couple of philanthropy, even after the announcement of their split. The foundation plans to add trustees outside their close circle, a step toward better governance that philanthropy experts had urged for years.”

What Climate Change? Henry Fountain of the New York Times: “Last month was the warmest June on record in North America, researchers said Wednesday, confirming the suspicions of millions of people who endured some of the hottest temperatures ever experienced on the continent. The Copernicus Climate Change Service, an agency supported by the European Union, said that average surface temperatures for June in North America were about one-quarter of a degree Fahrenheit (0.15 of a degree Celsius) higher than the average for June 2012, the previous record-holder.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Henry Fountain of the New York Times: "The extraordinary heat wave that scorched the Pacific Northwest last week would almost certainly not have occurred without global warming, an international team of climate researchers said Wednesday. Temperatures were so extreme — including readings of 116 degrees Fahrenheit in Portland, Ore., and a Canadian record of 121 in British Columbia — that the researchers had difficulty saying just how rare the heat wave was. But they estimated that in any given year there was only a 0.1 percent chance of such an intense heat wave occurring."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. Yvonne Sanchez of the Arizona Republic: “Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs on Wednesday asked Attorney General Mark Brnovich to open a criminal investigation into possible efforts by ... Donald Trump and his allies to influence Maricopa County supervisors as the ballots were still being tallied. Hobbs said some of the communications 'involve clear efforts to induce supervisors to refuse to comply with their duties,' which could violate Arizona law. She cited The Arizona Republic’s reporting last week on text messages and voicemails from the White House, Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward to the Republican members of the Board of Supervisors. 'The reporting also includes firsthand statements from the victims of this potential crime,' Hobbs said. She cited at least one potential felony charge under Arizona law.... Hobbs, a Democrat, is running for governor next year.... Brnovich, a Republican, is running for the U.S. Senate next year.... Late Wednesday, Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., called on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to examine the possibility of 'an extremely serious crime' in what Gallago called a 'pressure campaign' exerted by the Trump campaign and party officials.”

Georgia. Pamela Kirkland & Sara Murray of CNN: "A federal court judge on Wednesday denied a motion to stop the implementation of parts of Georgia's new voting law, ahead of state legislature runoff elections next week. In the ruling, US District Judge J. P. Boulee declined to block parts of SB202, saying the timing of the request presents a problem with runoff elections already ongoing and would change rules for elections that are already underway. The runoffs for two Georgia House seats are set for July 13." Boulee is a Trump appointee.

Minnesota. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Darnella Frazier, the teenager whose cellphone footage of Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd last year sparked a racial reckoning in the United States, said Tuesday that her uncle was killed in a car crash involving a Minneapolis police vehicle that was pursuing a robbery suspect. Leneal Lamont Frazier, 40, was in his car when it was struck by Minneapolis police while they were in a high-speed chase with another vehicle on the north side of the city. The victim, who was later identified by Darnella Frazier as her uncle, was not being pursued by police, authorities said." (Also linked yesterday.)

New York. Dana Rubinstein, et al., of the New York Times: "Kathryn Garcia and Maya D. Wiley, who ran muscular campaigns to become the first female mayor of New York City, acknowledged on Wednesday that their bids had fallen short, conceding to Eric Adams in the Democratic primary." (Also linked yesterday.)

Way Beyond 

Haiti. The New York Times' live updates Thursday of development in Haiti's political crisis are here. ~~~

~~~ The New York Times is live-updating of developments in Haiti after the assassination of the country's president, Jovenel Moïse. (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times' full story is here. ~~~

~~~ Evens Sanon & Danica Coto of the AP: "Haiti’s police chief says four suspected killers of President Jovenel Moïse have been fatally shot by police and two others arrested in an apparent hostage-taking situation. Léon Charles said late Wednesday that three police officers held hostage were freed. The killing of Moïse early Wednesday, and the wounding of his wife, was sure to bring more chaos to the unstable Caribbean country already beset by gang violence, soaring inflation and protests by opposition supporters who accused Moïse of increasing authoritarianism."

South Africa. John Eligon of the New York Times: "Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa, was taken into custody on Wednesday to begin serving a 15-month prison sentence, capping a stunning downfall for a once-lauded freedom fighter who battled the apartheid regime alongside Nelson Mandela. The Constitutional Court, the nation’s highest judicial body, ordered Mr. Zuma’s imprisonment last month after finding him guilty of contempt for failing to appear before a commission investigating corruption accusations that tainted his tenure as the nation’s leader from 2009 to 2018."