May 18, 2023
Afternoon Update:
Mouse Poop. Brooks Barnes of the New York Times: After warning there could be a price for Gov. Ron DeSantis' retaliation against Disney for the company's criticism of DeSantis' "Don't Say Gay" law, Disney CEO Robert "Iger and Josh D'Amaro, Disney’s theme park and consumer products chairman, showed that they were not bluffing, pulling the plug on a nearly $1 billion office complex that was scheduled for construction in Orlando. It would have brought more than 2,000 jobs to the region, with $120,000 as the average salary, according to an estimate from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.... The company's battle with Mr. DeSantis and his allies in the Florida Legislature figured prominently into Disney's decision to cancel the Lake Nona project, according to two people briefed on the matter...." The AP story is here.
Robert Barnes & Cat Zackrzewski of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court ruled for Google and Twitter in a pair of closely watched liability cases Thursday, saying families of terrorism victims had not shown the companies helped foster attacks on their loved ones. 'Plaintiffs' allegations are insufficient to establish that these defendants aided and abetted ISIS in carrying out the relevant attack,' Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a unanimous decision in the Twitter case. The court adopted similar reasoning in the claim against Google. The court's narrowly focused rulings sidestepped requests to limit a law that protects social media platforms from lawsuits over content posted by their users, even if the platform's algorithms promote videos that laud terrorist groups. That law, Section 230, has emerged as a lightning rod in the politically polarized debate over the future of online speech, as tech companies come under increased pressure to police offensive, harmful and violent posts on their platforms."
Miss Margie Profiles Black Male Colleague. Jared Gans of the Hill: "Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) criticized Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Thursday for 'reckless' and 'dangerous' remarks after she said she felt 'threatened' following an encounter the two had the day before on the steps of the Capitol. Bowman mentioned the lynching of Emmett Till in 1955 and the killing by police in Ferguson, Mo., of Michael Brown in 2014 in criticizing Greene, saying she was putting him in danger with her remarks and playing on racist tropes that demonized Black men.... 'Throughout history, Black men have continually been characterized as aggressive because, one, of our skin color, but two, because we happen to be outspoken and passionate about certain issues,' Bowman said. Greene at a press conference earlier in the day had said that Bowman has a 'history of aggression' toward her and others that she is 'very concerned' about. 'Yelling, shouting, raising his voice. He has aggressive -- his physical mannerisms are aggressive,' she said.... '...I feel threatened by him.'... Bowman said he never invaded Greene's personal space during their interaction and was laughing during the exchange." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I guess this is Miss Margie showing how fearful she is:
Annie Karni & Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "When she arrived at the Capitol last week after a more than two-month absence recovering from shingles, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, 89, appeared shockingly diminished. Using a wheelchair, with the left side of her face frozen and one eye nearly shut, she seemed disoriented.... Ms. Feinstein's frail appearance was a result of several complications after she was hospitalized for shingles in February, some of which she has not publicly disclosed. The shingles spread to her face and neck, causing vision and balance impairments and facial paralysis known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The virus also brought on a previously unreported case of encephalitis, a rare but potentially debilitating complication of shingles, according to two people familiar with the senator's diagnosis.... And even before this latest illness, Ms. Feinstein had already suffered substantial memory issues that had raised questions about her mental capacity.” Feinstein continues to refuse to retire. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Democrats' failure to politely force Feinstein into retirement is elder abuse.
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Alexandra Hutzler of ABC News: "President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he is 'confident' the U.S. will avert default, expressing optimism a crisis could be avoided as he left for a foreign trip even as debt ceiling negotiations were coming down to the wire.... 'We're going to come together because there's no alternative.... All the leaders have agreed we will not default. Every leader has said that.'... The president said he'll be in 'constant contact' with his team while abroad and will be back in time for the 'final negotiation.'... Biden, who has insisted raising the debt ceiling is nonnegotiable, made it a point to emphasize the talks are about contours of the 2024 budget." The New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ John Wagner, et al., of the Washington Post: "A group of Senate Democrats is circulating a letter urging President Biden to prepare to invoke the 14th Amendment to unilaterally resolve the debt ceiling standoff without involving Congress, according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post ahead of its release. The letter, signed by five senators so far, reflects building unease among White House allies over the direction of negotiations between the president and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on an agreement expected to cut the deficit and raise the debt limit. Liberal lawmakers have balked as Biden entertains spending cuts and new work requirements on federal aid programs -- fueling interest in a solution to the standoff that does not require a deal with McCarthy. The effort comes as House Democrats start to collect signatures for a discharge petition to move legislation that would raise the debt ceiling without any other policy changes, a long-shot procedural move aimed at bypassing the chamber's Republican leaders." (Also linked yesterday.)
Carry On, Airman. Glenn Thrush & Robin Stein of the New York Times: "Air Force officials caught Airman Jack Teixeira taking notes and conducting deep-dive searches for classified material months before he was charged with leaking a vast trove of government secrets, but did not remove him from his job, according to a Justice Department filing on Wednesday. On two occasions in September and October 2022, Airman Teixeira's superiors in the Massachusetts Air National Guard admonished him after reports that he had taken 'concerning actions' while handling classified information. Those included stuffing a note into his pocket after reviewing secret information inside his unit, according to a court filing.... Not only was Airman Teixeira allowed to remain in his job -- he seems to have retained his top-secret security clearance -- but he was subsequently given the second of two certificates after completing training intended to prevent the 'unauthorized disclosure' of classified information.... Two of Airman Teixeira's superiors at the 102nd Intelligence Wing on Cape Cod have been suspended pending completion of an internal investigation by the Air Force inspector general, according to a spokeswoman for the service.... Their access to classified information has been temporarily blocked, she added." An AP story is here. CNN's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: This is astounding. Authorities were tougher on Donald Trump for stealing classified documents than they were on Teixeira. ~~~
~~~ Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "The Air National Guard member accused in a high-profile classified leaks case appears to have shared sensitive secrets with foreign nationals.... One of the groups where [Jack Teixeira] shared information had upward of 150 users, officials said, and among the members 'are a number of individuals who represented that they resided in other countries' and whose accounts trace back to foreign internet addresses. Teixeira's 'willful transmission of classified information over an extended period to more than 150 users worldwide' undermines his lawyer's claims that he never meant for the information to be shared widely, prosecutors wrote."
Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, Rachael S. Rollins, misused her office to 'boost' a political ally, flouted ethics rules to obtain free tickets from the Boston Celtics and lied under oath to investigators, the Justice Department inspector general said on Wednesday. The 161-page report -- one of the most extraordinary public denunciations of a sitting federal prosecutor in recent memory -- was released a day after Ms. Rollins announced she would resign at the end of this week.... Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz opened an investigation into Ms. Rollins last year after a published report that she had attended a July 2022 Democratic National Committee fund-raiser headlined by Jill Biden.... But the inquiry rapidly expanded to encompass a striking range of apparent misconduct, including efforts to discredit a political rival and her acceptance of flights and a stay at a resort that were paid for by a sports and entertainment company, he said.... The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, another federal watchdog agency, released its own findings on Ms. Rollins shortly after the inspector general's report came out, concluding that she had violated the Hatch Act, which restricts political activity by federal officials."
** Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation has revoked the security clearances of three agents who either took part in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or later expressed views about it that placed into question their 'allegiance to the United States,' the bureau said on Wednesday in a letter to congressional investigators. The letter, written by a top official at the F.B.I., came one day before at least two of the agents -- Marcus Allen and Stephen Friend -- were set to testify in front of a House Judiciary subcommittee investigating what Republicans contend is the 'weaponization' of the federal government against conservatives.... The agents who had their security clearances revoked -- Mr. Allen, Mr. Friend and a third man, Brett Gloss -- have all been suspended by the F.B.I. as the bureau reviews their cases, according to congressional investigators.... A spokesman for [Rep. Jim] Jordan [R-Ohio] ... characterized the F.B.I.'s action as 'a desperate attempt to salvage their reputation' that was coming 'before brave whistle-blowers testify about the agency's politicized behavior and retaliation against anyone who dares speak out.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: Read on. If the allegations against these agents are true, they are clearly traitors (under the common meaning of the term "traitor"). Yet for Jim Jordan and his ilk, these traitors are commendable "whistleblowers." I get that Jordan, under the speech-and-debate provision of the Constitution, can say whatever he wants. But I think his support for and admiration of these insurrectionists makes him a traitor, too. ~~~
~~~ A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts. David Smith of the Guardian: "Witnesses set to testify to Congress about the 'weaponisation' of the US government on Thursday have links to far-right groups and a history of supporting conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccines and the January 6 insurrection, a congressional watchdog [-- the Congressional Integrity Project --] has warned.... [According to the group, 'Stephen] Friend has a record of collaborating with Trump's closest allies.... Kash Patel sent Friend $5,000 almost immediately after they connected in November 2022, and gave Friend a job at a far-right thinktank.'... Witness Garret O'Boyle is a former FBI special agent who ... is a prolific Covid-19 vaccine conspiracy theorist, and once compared Covid-19 vaccine mandates to the Nazi regime.... The project says O'Boyle has supported and publicly engaged with an 'early and prominent' QAnon influencer.... O'Boyle is an election denier who ... claims the FBI has retaliated against him for resisting investigations into the January 6 insurrection...." And so forth.
Maria Alfaro of the Washington Post: :The House on Wednesday voted largely along party lines to refer a resolution to expel Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to the Ethics Committee. The resolution to expel the freshman lawmaker was introduced on Tuesday by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.). Because Garcia filed it as a privileged motion, under House rules, Republicans were forced to put it to a vote, move to table it or refer it to a committee within two days. They chose to refer it to the Ethics Committee, a move criticized by Democrats, who were looking to quickly oust Santos from their ranks. The final vote on the motion to refer the resolution to the ethics panel was 221-204. Seven lawmakers voted present.... Santos also voted to refer the resolution." A CNN story is here.
Charlie Nash of Mediaite: “Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) physically removed a protester from a press conference with Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) on Wednesday as the man screamed, 'Get off me! You're hurting me!' Several recordings showed democratic socialist protester Jake Burdett being pushed by Higgins out of the Washington, D.C. event as the congressman said, 'You're out.'... As Boebert [began to speak], Burdett confronted the congresswoman and pushed beyond the barricades, moving towards her. Higgins responded by physically removing Burdett from the event. Burdett -- who describes himself as a 'progressive activist' and a 'Democratic Socialist' on social media -- claimed in a Twitter post that he was detained by DC police following the incident." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Higgins previously served as an M.P. and as a police officer in several jurisdictions, so in theory he knows how to handle (or manhandle) protesters and hecklers. It does seem to me that a reasonable person could consider Burdett's pushing beyond barricades and moving toward Boebert as threatening, if those barricades established a reasonable distance between the public and the speaker. Needless to say, I'm no fan of Clay Higgins, but I'm not convinced he was wrong to push Higgins back.
How is it possible that Sen. Potatohead is dumber than a steaming Idaho potato? ~~~
~~~ William Thornton of AL.com: "Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville today said yesterday's Durham report shows that 'a whole list of people lied,' including members of Congress, about links between the Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.... Speaking on 'John Bachman Now,' Tuberville said, 'If people don't go to jail for this, the American people should just stand up and say, "Listen, enough's enough, let's don't have elections anymore.["] I wish there was a special investigation into the voter fraud....'"Tuberville also weighed in on the U.S.-Mexican border situation: "Tuberville said [Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro] Mayorkas had 'lied about this the whole time.... You know, they sent 1,500 troops down there, to make sure they get them in quicker,' he said. 'That's all they did. We need 15,000 down there with guns to help keep them out.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: As usual, Tuberville doesn't seem to know what he's talking about. He has conflated or confused the 2016 election -- which is the subject of John Durham's report -- and the 2020 election, when Donald Trump claimed massive voter fraud. Anyhow, we should definitely not have elections anymore.
Jamie Gangel, et al., of CNN: "The National Archives has informed ... Donald Trump that it is set to hand over to special counsel Jack Smith 16 records which show Trump and his top advisers had knowledge of the correct declassification process while he was president, according to multiple sources.... According to [a] letter [from acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall to Trump], Trump tried to block the special counsel from accessing the 16 records by asserting a claim of 'constitutionally based privilege.'... The 16 presidential records, which were subpoenaed earlier this year, may provide critical evidence establishing the former president's awareness of the declassification process, a key part of the criminal investigation into Trump's mishandling of classified documents. The records may also provide insight into Trump's intent and whether he willfully disregarded what he knew to be clearly established protocols, according to a source familiar with recent testimony provided to the grand jury by former top Trump officials.... At a CNN town hall last week Trump repeated the claim that simply by removing classified documents from the White House he had declassified them. 'And, by the way, they become automatically declassified when I took them,' Trump said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: "Constitutionally based privilege"??? Really? That's like asserting that IRS instructions on how to complete your Form 1040 constitute a privileged communication. Ridiculous. Speaking of Trump's lame attempts to claim privilege ~~~
~~~ Alan Feuer & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Timothy Parlatore, one of the lawyers representing ... Donald J. Trump in the federal investigations into Mr. Trump's handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, has resigned from the former president's legal team.... Mr. Parlatore's withdrawal from the twin special counsel cases leaves Mr. Trump a lawyer short at a moment when prosecutors under [special counsel Jack] Smith seem to be nearing the end of their sprawling grand jury investigations and may be approaching a decision about whether to bring charges.... Since last summer and until recently, Mr. Parlatore played a key role in Mr. Trump's [largely unsuccessful] attempts to use attorney-client and executive privilege to limit the scope of the testimony provided by a series of witnesses who appeared in front of grand juries hearing evidence in both of the matters...." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "An active-duty Marine who entered the Capitol with two of his colleagues from the Quantico Marine Corps Base on Jan. 6, 2021, and then spent more than 50 minutes wandering through the building, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor count of illegally parading or demonstrating in the Capitol. All three Marines work in intelligence gathering, including one at the National Security Agency headquarters in Maryland. Cpl. Micah R. Coomer, 24, is allegedly the fourth active-duty Marine from Quantico to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6, and the first active-duty military member to plead guilty in the riot." MB: It's not exactly reassuring to know that these guys & Jack Teixeira (story linked above) are among the servicemembers entrusted with our national security.
Tierney Sneed of CNN: "The Supreme Court refused to block a local and state ban on assault weapon sales in Illinois, rejecting an emergency request from gun rights advocates and a gun store. A vote count was not disclosed and the court did not explain its action. Wednesday's move by the high court is the latest example of the justices staying out of Second Amendment-related disputes for the moment, after the conservative majority last year issued a major ruling expanding its scope." The Washington Post's report, by Robert Barnes, is here. The New York Times story, by Adam Liptak, is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Ian Millhiser of Vox: "The Supreme Court handed down a very brief order on Wednesday morning that offers gun regulation advocates a slightly surprising -- but likely short-lived — victory.... The case, known as National Association for Gun Rights v. City of Naperville, arose on the Court's 'shadow docket,' a hodgepodge of emergency motions and other expedited matters that the Court sometimes decides without full briefing or oral argument. The most likely explanation for the Court's latest order is that a majority of the justices believed that this case did not warrant this expedited treatment, not that a majority of the Court will ultimately vote to uphold assault rifle bans.... The case will be heard by a federal appeals court in late June, and that court's decision may be reviewed by the Supreme Court under its ordinary, less rushed process for hearing cases. Nevertheless, the Court's brief order in the Naperville case is significant ... because it suggests that at least some key members of the Supreme Court have grown disillusioned with the Court's once-very-frequent use of the shadow docket."
Ann Marimow, et al., of the Washington Post: "A federal appeals court on Wednesday seemed prepared to limit access to a key abortion medication first approved more than two decades ago, expressing deep skepticism that the government followed the proper process when it loosened regulations to make the pill more readily available. A panel of three judges, all of whom have previously supported other types of abortion restrictions, peppered lawyers for the government and the drug manufacturer with questions about why the Food and Drug Administration has allowed mifepristone to be prescribed by a medical professional other than a doctor and sent directly to patients by mail.... Judge James C. Ho rejected the government's argument that the court should not second-guess the expertise of the FDA, which first approved mifepristone in 2000." The CBS News story is here. ~~~
~~~ The Company He Keeps. Marie: If Judge Ho seems familiar to you, perhaps it's because you recall this photo, which Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted of Ho being sworn in by one Justice Clarence Thomas in front of a palatial fireplace in billionaire Harlan Crow's Dallas home & museum for Adolf Hitler & various dictators. ~~~
Honored to attend Jim Ho's swearing in to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals today, alongside Justice Clarence Thomas & Judge Jerry Smith. I am confident my good friend Jim will be an extraordinary appellate judge and a principled jurist faithful to the law. pic.twitter.com/s1tWYu2j2c
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) January 5, 2018
Rizwan Shah of BNN: "Erik Prince, the prominent US billionaire and founder of the private military company Blackwater, has been indicted in Austria for his alleged involvement in trafficking arms to Libya in violation of the United Nations arms embargo. The indictment comes as a result of a United Nations security report issued in February 2021, which provided compelling evidence supporting the allegations against Prince. The report, conducted by a UN expert panel, revealed that Prince orchestrated a covert military operation in Africa, clandestinely supplying Libyan general and warlord Khalifa Haftar with expensive war equipment to support his fight against the government.... The indictment filed in Austria includes criminal charges against Erik Prince and five other individuals allegedly involved in the arms trafficking operation.... The uncertainty surrounding Erik Prince's whereabouts adds a layer of intrigue to the case." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Everything I know about BNN (close to nothing) I learned in a 4-minute search of the Internet. As far as I can tell from my thorough research, BNN (Breaking News Network) is a legitimate source for news. If it is not, I apologize. I've linked the report because contributor Forrest M. mentions the underlying story in today's Comments. As for Prince's unknown whereabouts, maybe Forrest could skulk around his own neighborhood in search of the elusive Prince. bearing in mind that Prince is likely to be armed and dangerous.
Dominic Rushe of the Guardian: "The top five executives at the US’s largest companies have amassed close to $9bn in tax-free retirement saving accounts while many of their employees have struggled to set aside any funds for retirement, according to a new report released on Thursday ... [by the Institute for Policy Studies and Jobs With Justice.... Income taxes will be due on this compensation when they withdraw the funds, but in the meantime, they benefit from the tax-free compounding of investment returns. These so-called 'top hat' plans allow unlimited tax-deferred retirement while ordinary workers face strict limits on their 401(k) retirement plan contributions. The survey found that at many of these companies, a sizeable percentage of workers -- in some cases as much as half -- had no money in their 401(k)s.... At Walmart, CEO Doug McMillon held more than $169m in his deferred compensation account at the end of 2022 -- enough to generate a monthly retirement check of more than $1m, according to the report. Meanwhile, among eligible participants in Walmart's 401(k) plan, nearly half (46%) have zero balances saved for retirement. The median pay at Walmart is $27,136."
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Oliver Darcy of CNN: "While accepting the prestigious Columbia Journalism Award and serving as the school's 2023 commencement speaker, Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday became the first network anchor to publicly voice dissent with management over the [Trump] town hall, which has spawned a storm of fierce backlash. Amanpour, CNN's chief international anchor, disclosed that she had met with CNN boss Chris Licht this week and that the two 'had a very robust exchange of views' about the matter.... 'I still respectfully disagree with allowing Donald Trump to appear in that particular format,' the veteran anchor said, contending that the American people had demonstrated with their votes in the last three elections that they are well aware of his behavior.... In private, the town hall has been widely criticized by [CNN] employees at all levels across the organization." ~~~
(~~~ Marie: BTW, for the crap-ass job she did in fact-checking Trump, Kaitlan Collins, who moderated the fake town-hall meeting and is a graduate of the Tucker Carlson School of Journalism, has been rewarded with the prestigious job of anchoring CNN's 9 pm hour.)
Presidential Race 2024. Hannah Knowles & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to officially enter the 2024 presidential race next week, as the Republican gathers top fundraisers in Miami, according to two people...." More news about DeSantolini linked below.
Beyond the Beltway
Colorado, Florida. Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Republicans suffered surprising losses Tuesday in mayoral races in Jacksonville, Fla., and Colorado Springs, dealing a blow to the GOP in two longtime conservative strongholds and highlighting the limits of waging hyperpartisan campaign battles in local races. In Jacksonville, Florida's most populous city, Democrat Donna Deegan upset Republican Daniel Davis by about 4 percentage points to win the mayor's race. Deegan's victory flips the mayoral seat of the largest city in the United States that was held by a Republican.... And in Colorado Springs, political newcomer and business executive Yemi Mobolade, an independent, defeated Republican Wayne Williams by a decisive margin Tuesday night, surprising many in the conservative-leaning city that ... Donald Trump won handily in 2020.... Deegan, 62, and Mobolade, 44, leaned into a message of unity throughout their campaigns, largely ignoring national partisan politics...."
Florida. Nicholas Nehamas & Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: "Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, an all-but-declared presidential candidate, has stepped up his headline-hunting travel and events ahead of an official announcement, traversing the state and trying to hoover up national attention as he signs the sharply conservative legislation he believes can propel him to the Republican Party's nomination. On Wednesday, Mr. DeSantis signed a slew of measures that hit all the culture-clash notes his base has rewarded him for, including bills banning gender-transition care for minors, preventing children from attending 'adult live performances' like drag shows and restricting the use of preferred pronouns in schools." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: When last I lived in Florida, voters passed a state constitutional amendment protecting the rights of pregnant pigs. Now they need to pass an amendment protecting the rights of guinea pigs, because Ron DeSantolini is making all Floridians guinea pigs as part of his grotesque performances designed to make himself more popular among righty-right-wing MAGA voters.
Montana. Sapna Maheshwari of the New York Times: "The governor of Montana, Greg Gianforte [Arrr], signed a bill on Wednesday to ban TikTok from operating inside the state, the most extreme prohibition of the app in the nation and one that will almost certainly be challenged in court. The ban will take effect on Jan. 1.... The legislation prohibits mobile app stores, like those run by Apple and Google, from offering TikTok within the state. A trade group funded by Apple and Google has said in recent months that it is impossible for the companies to prevent access to TikTok in a single state.... The American Civil Liberties Union said on Wednesday that the legislation 'flouts the First Amendment.'" The CBS News report is here.
New York. Benjamin Weiser & Lola Fadulu of the New York Times: "Judge [Vernon] Broderick imposed eight consecutive life sentences on [New York City bike path mass murderer Sayfullo] Saipov -- one for each fatality -- and consecutive sentences totaling 260 years on other counts.... [Previously,] the jurors [had] deadlocked at 7-to-5 in favor of a life sentence.... About 20 victims, family members and others addressed the court, in person or in writing, aiming their anger, sadness and, in a few cases, their forgiveness directly at Mr. Saipov.... Mr. Saipov, speaking through an Uzbek interpreter, also addressed the court. Showing no remorse, he spoke for almost an hour, ultimately focusing on what he said was the persecution of Muslims around the world." He expressed pride in murdering non-Muslims.
New York. Max Foster & John Miller of CNN: "Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were involved in a 'near catastrophic car chase' involving paparazzi in New York City on Tuesday night, his spokesperson says. The couple were followed by a 'swarm' of paparazzi, but there was no car accident, according to a law enforcement source. The incident happened after Harry accompanied Meghan to the Women of Vision Awards, held at the city's Ziegfeld Ballroom. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were also traveling with Doria Ragland, Meghan's mother." Paparazzi on motorcycles, scooters & in cars followed the party for nearly two hours. MB: OR, they could have rented a car with heavily-tinted windows & ignored the paparazzi. You can't lead a car chase if you don't, you know, drive. And you are not particularly likely to be involved in "near catastropic" situations if you don't lead that chase by driving erratically and/or at excessive speeds. Harry is 38 years old; Markle is 41. Time to grow up. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Much Ado About Not Much. Karla Adam, et al., of the Washington Post: "A New York Police Department spokesperson said the presence of many photographers made the couple's transport 'challenging,' adding that they arrived at their destination safely without any collisions or injuries. A taxi driver who transported the couple for a part of their journey after attending the event told The Washington Post in an interview that he would not call the incident a chase, adding that he felt safe during the ride." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
South Carolina. Kate Zernike of the New York Times: "The South Carolina House of Representatives approved a ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy on Tuesday night, setting up a repeat fight in a red state that has become an unexpected battleground over abortion. The vote came after roughly 24 hours of often rancorous debate in a rare special session called by the governor, and fell largely along party lines, 82 to 33. Because the House amended a bill passed earlier by the Senate, the bill now goes back to the Senate for another vote.... The bill will test a South Carolina Supreme Court ruling in January, which found a right to abortion in the state Constitution and struck down a previous six-week ban. That opinion was written by the court's only female justice, who retired shortly after. The legislature replaced her with a man, who was supported by the conservative Freedom Caucus in the House."
Texas. David Montgomery & David Goodman of the New York Times: "Over the opposition of Democrats and the loud protests at the Capitol this month, the Texas Legislature voted on Wednesday to approve a bill banning hormone and puberty blocking treatments, as well as surgeries for transgender children. The state is poised to become the largest state to ban transition medical care for minors. The final version of the bill included a limited exemption for those transgender children who were already receiving medical treatment before the bill's passage, though it also required those patients to 'wean' themselves off the medications over an unspecified period of time."
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Thursday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Thursday are here: "Explosions rocked Kyiv early Thursday, according to its mayor, as Russia continued a wave of strikes on the Ukrainian capital.... Debris from missiles fell on the city, but no casualties were reported.... Ukraine's air force said it destroyed 29 of 30 missiles and four drones during the overnight strikes. Elsewhere, a young boy was killed by Russian shelling in the southern Kherson region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address.... Russia agreed to a two-month extension of the Black Sea grain deal, a day ahead of its expiration on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced.... China's special representative for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, met with Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during his visit to Ukraine, China's Foreign Ministry said. Beijing is willing to promote efforts to restore peace based on its 12-point proposal and will 'continue to provide Ukraine with assistance within its capacity,' according to a statement."
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