February 2, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Andrew Higgins of the New York Times: "David Pressman, a gay human rights lawyer, knew he was in for a rough time even before he arrived in Hungary with his husband and two children to take up a new job in September as the United States' ambassador to Europe's self-declared citadel of traditional Christian values and friend of the Kremlin.... The ambassador, whose predecessor, appointed by Donald J. Trump, delighted his hosts by praising Viktor Orban, Hungary's illiberal prime minister, has been savaged since his arrival -- along with the Biden administration -- by government-friendly media as a menace to Hungary, its people and their values.... More alarming than the personal attacks, Mr. Pressman said in a recent interview in Budapest, are what he sees as a broader assault on the United States in Hungarian media -- most of which is either directly controlled by the governing Fidesz party or through its business allies -- and a constant 'repurposing of Kremlin propaganda.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I haven't realized quite how bad life in Hungary is now. And this puts a different light on the sexual assault case brought by an unnamed man against CPAC founder Matt Schlapp, who according to Politico, has "developed a cozy relationship with Orbán."

Nicholas Wu & Olivia Beavers of Politico: "After a flip-flop-filled struggle, the House GOP's whip operation passed its first major test: booting progressive Ilhan Omar from a prized committee spot. Republican leaders worked for more than a week to secure the votes to pass the resolution, which cited the Minnesota Democrat's past comments about Israel. A few GOP members had suggested they would oppose Omar's ouster due to bigger concerns -- namely, a desire to not go tit-for-tat with Democrats by using forcible committee removal against the opposing party -- but in the end, Republicans were almost wholly united, with Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) voting present."

Revenge of the Turtle. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has pulled Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who tried to oust him as the Senate's top Republican in a bruising leadership race, off the powerful Commerce Committee. McConnell also removed Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who supported Scott's bid to replace McConnell as leader, from the Commerce panel, which has broad jurisdiction over a swath of federal agencies. The GOP leader insisted last year that he didn't take the attempt to end his leadership reign personally, but the latest move sends a clear message to conservatives that challenging McConnell's leadership carries a cost."

Marie: Oh, Merrick Garland listens to me, after all: ~~~

~~~ Katherine Faulders, et al., of ABC News: "The Department of Justice is in contact with former Vice President Mike Pence's lawyers about scheduling a potential search of his home in Indiana, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News."

Carol Rosenberg of the New York Times: Belize "has taken in a former terrorist turned U.S. government informant whose tale of torture by the C.I.A. moved a military jury at Guantánamo Bay to urge the Pentagon to grant him leniency. U.S. forces released Majid Shoukat Khan, 42, to the custody of the authorities in Belize after a two-hour flight from the U.S. Navy base in Cuba. It was the first resettlement of a detainee since President Barack Obama's administration and culminated months of secret diplomacy.... From 2003 to 2006, he was held incommunicado in secret C.I.A. prisons overseas and kept in dungeonlike conditions that included beatings, nudity, brutal forced feedings, waterboarding and other physical and sexual abuse." The NBC News story is here.

This Is What Passes for a Moderate Republican. Stephen Neukam of the Hill: "Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a moderate Republican who has long been a critic of former President Trump, said he would support Trump if he is the GOP nominee for president in 2024. Hogan, who is mulling a White House bid of his own, has said he does not think Trump will be the party's nominee in 2024. But in an interview with conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, Hogan reluctantly conceded that he would support whomever the GOP's choice for president is in 2024."

A horror movie starring Tucker Carlson, with other Fox hosts in supporting roles, & special Fox guest cameos. Thanks to RAS for the link:

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Monica Garrett of CNN: "Punxsutawney Phil -- the legendary groundhog weather watcher -- woke up and saw his shadow Thursday morning, calling for six more weeks of winter." MB: I guess Phil is right; it's going to be -13 degrees here tomorrow, first time this season the temp has dropped to below zero. ~~~

~~~ Scottie Andrew of CNN: "... the early seeds of the Groundhog Day we know today were planted thousands of years ago, according to Dan Yoder, a folklorist 'born and raised in the Groundhog Country of Central Pennsylvania' who penned the definitive history of the folk holiday turned national tradition. The holiday evolved over centuries as it was observed by different groups, from the Celts to Germans to the Pennsylvania Dutch and eventually, by those in other parts of the US. Its evolution began in the pre-Christian era of Western Europe, when the Celtic world was the predominant cultural force in the region. In the Celtic year, instead of solstices, there were four dates -- similar to the dates we use today to demarcate the seasons -- that were the 'turning points' of the year. One of them, per Yoder, was February 1. These turning point dates were so essential to Europeans at the time that they Christianized them when Western Europe widely adopted Christianity. While May 1 became May Day, and November 1 became All Saints' Day, the February 1 holiday was pushed to the following day -- and would eventually become Groundhog Day." Read on.

Jim Tankersley, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden told Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday that there was room for discussion about addressing America's deficit, even as he insisted that Congress would have to pass a debt-limit increase with no strings attached to avoid a financial cataclysm. Mr. Biden and Mr. McCarthy met at the White House for more than an hour.... After the meeting, the White House said ... that ... the president did say he welcomes a 'separate discussion with congressional leaders about how to reduce the deficit and control the national debt while continuing to grow the economy,' according to a White House summary of the meeting." Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: My Kevin spoke briefly to reporters after the meeting. He was -- and I'm not kidding -- more articulate than I've ever heard him, which is to say that he spoke off-the-cuff but in full, understandable sentences and clauses, albeit saying nothing. I really didn't think he could do that.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "The president and his chief of staff could not hold back their tears. In a ceremony that was by turns sentimental and surreal, the White House on Wednesday officially said farewell to President Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, who has been by Mr. Biden's side for more than three decades.... Mr. Klain broke some news on his way out: He pledged to be there again for a re-election campaign that Mr. Biden has not yet formally announced (but which the president has said he intends to do very soon). But mostly, Mr. Klain offered a small glimpse into the human side of the White House.... Mr. Klain had more access and insight into the president than nearly anyone in the White House.... Mr. Biden wiped tears from his own eyes after Mr. Klain, his rock of more than three decades, said he had learned 'about being a good father from Joe Biden.'... In the end, Mr. Klain turned away from the president and toward his family. 'For the next two years,' he said, 'every day it's my turn to walk the dog.'"

Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. is conducting a search of President Biden's vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., the president's personal lawyer said on Wednesday morning, as investigators continue looking into his possession of classified documents. The search, like at least two others conducted at locations associated with Mr. Biden, was undertaken with the cooperation of the president and his legal team. It was not clear whether any documents were recovered at the beach house." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Say, why aren't FBI agents searching mike pence's home? Or are they? ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Kevin Liptak, et al., CNN: "The FBI completed a search of President Joe Biden's Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home and no documents with classified markings were found, Biden's personal attorney said Wednesday. Bob Bauer, Biden's attorney, did say the FBI took with them handwritten notes and some materials for further review. The search took three-and-a-half hours. 'The DOJ's planned search of the President's Rehoboth residences, conducted in coordination and cooperation with the President's attorneys, has concluded,' Bauer said. 'The search was conducted from 8:30 AM to noon.... No documents with classified markings were found,' he said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Sui-Lee Wee of the New York Times: "The United States is increasing its military presence in the Philippines, both countries announced on Thursday, adding American access to four more bases and asserting the Southeast Asian nation's role as a key strategic partner for Washington in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan. The agreement was announced as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III was in the Philippines for a trip that began on Tuesday. The deal would allow Washington to position military equipment and rotate its troops through nine military bases controlled by the Philippines. It would mark the first time in 30 years that the United States had such a large military presence in the country." An AP story is here.

Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "Tighter restrictions applied by the Biden administration against migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti along the southern border last month led to a precipitous drop in the number of people from those countries crossing into the United States illegally, according to three administration officials and preliminary data. Illegal crossings by migrants from the four countries were down more than 95 percent, preliminary figures obtained by The Washington Post show. Overall, the number of migrants stopped along the Mexico border last month fell to about 150,000, down from the record-high 251,487 tallied in December, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data and officials...."

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point and gave little indication that it is nearing the end of this hiking cycle. Aligning with market expectations, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee boosted the federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point. That takes it to a target range of 4.5%-4.75%, the highest since October 2007. The move marked the eighth increase in a process that began in March 2022. By itself, the funds rate sets what banks charge each other for overnight borrowing, but it also spills through to many consumer debt products." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times report is here.

Ted and Dan's Excellent Can of Worms. Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Two House Democrats [-- Ted Lieu of California and Dan Goldman of New York --] urged the Justice Department's independent inspector general on Wednesday to open an investigation into the special counsel review of the Russia inquiry, citing 'alarming' disclosures in a recent New York Times article. The article, which showed how the special counsel's review became roiled by disputes over prosecutorial ethics, 'reveals possible prosecutorial misconduct, abuse of power, ethical transgressions and a potential cover-up of an allegation of a financial crime committed by the former president,' the lawmakers wrote. In a four-page letter to the inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, they asked that he scrutinize whether the special counsel, John H. Durham, or the attorney general who appointed him, William P. Barr, 'violated any laws, D.O.J. rules or practices, or canons of legal ethics.'"

Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "A routine House committee meeting erupted into a heated, nearly hourlong debate Wednesday over the Pledge of Allegiance, with one Democratic lawmaker [David Cicilline, R.I.] saying that 'insurrectionists' who backed ... Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election should be banner from leading it. The fiery back-and-forth took place in a House Judiciary Committee meeting where members set rules for the current Congress. It began after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., offered an amendment that would give the committee the opportunity to begin each of its meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance.... 'This pledge is an affirmation of your defense of democracy and the Constitution,' Cicilline [said]. 'It's hard to take that claim seriously if in fact, an individual in any way supported an insurrection against the government.'... Other members joined the debate.... Ultimately, Cicilline's amendment was defeated in a 24-13 vote in the GOP-led committee. Gaetz's amendment, on the other hand, passed unanimously, 39-0." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Dareh Gregorian & Haley Talbot of NBC News: "The House Natural Resources Committee's first meeting of the year turned heated Wednesday when a Democratic member offered an amendment that would prohibit lawmakers from carrying guns in its hearing room. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said he was proposing the 'sadly necessary' amendment because it's a 'major issue of safety for members of our committee.... Currently, under statute and Capitol Police Board regulation, members are supposed to have firearms only in their offices,' Huffman said.... Fellow committee member Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who vowed in a viral 2020 video to carry a gun in the Capitol, decried Huffman's 'anti-member safety amendment' as a 'political stunt' before she unveiled an enlarged photo of him wearing a tinfoil hat.... [Other committee members taunted each other.] The Democratic amendment was defeated in a party-line vote."

Jacqueline Sweet of Politico: "FBI agents are investigating Rep. George Santos' role in an alleged GoFundMe scheme involving a disabled U.S. Navy veteran's dying service dog. Two agents contacted former service member Richard Osthoff Wednesday on behalf of the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York, he told Politico." MB: Glad this is happening. Scamming kindly people in a ruse that uses a homeless veteran & his dying dog so you can buy yourself some crew-neck sweaters is mighty low. ~~~

~~~ Noah Lenard & David Corn of Mother Jones: "Last week, Mother Jones reported that more than a dozen top donors to Rep. George Santos' first congressional campaign did not appear to exist.... According to Santos' campaign filings with the Federal Election Commission, his recent campaign pulled in more than $45,000 from relatives who lived in Queens. This included a mail handler who gave more than $4,000, a painter who donated the maximum of $5,800, and a student who also contributed $5,800. One of Santos' relatives, who was recorded as giving $5,800, says that they did not make any donation to Santos.... [The relative said,] 'I'm dumbfounded.' The relative ... [said], 'I don't have that money to throw around!' The relative's account raises the possibility that money was improperly donated to Santos' most recent campaign." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's possible the donations Santos listed in his FEC reports never existed at all, and he just made it all up to make him appear to be a serious candidate with financial backing. But if there was money that came in and went out, where did it come from? Some of George Anthony's other scams? Where did it go? George's Cartier wristwatch?

More Than Anything Else, I'm Sorry for Myself. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A Jan. 6 defendant who sprayed a chemical irritant at about 15 police officers -- and later bragged about it in a video interview -- was sentenced Wednesday to 68 months in prison. This is one of the stiffest Jan. 6 sentences handed down to date. Daniel Caldwell, a 51-year-old Marine Corps veteran, delivered a tearful apology in court to the officers he sprayed, expressing remorse for his actions that day and pleading with U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly for mercy.... Caldwell lamented that he'd likely miss the birth of his first grandchild.... He expressed regret that he'd miss his middle child’s military deployment and would be unable to be there for his aging father, who is battling cancer.... But Kollar-Kotelly repeatedly described Caldwell as an 'insurrectionist' and noted that his deployment of chemical spray at officers created such an intense cloud that it nearly broke the depleted police line by itself.... She said it was crucial for her sentence to 'fortify against the revolutionary fervor that you and others felt on Jan. 6 and may still feel today.'"

Kara Scannell of CNN: "A top executive of the Trump Organization is expected to appear Thursday before a Manhattan grand jury investigating ... Donald Trump's alleged role in a hush money payment scheme, people familiar with the matter said. The executive, Jeffrey McConney, the controller of the Trump Organization, is one of the highest-ranking financial officers at the company and has responsibility for its books and records. McConney's planned appearance comes as prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney's office are accelerating their investigation into the hush money scheme to stop adult film star Stormy Daniels from going public about a past affair with Trump just before the 2016 presidential election. (Trump has denied the affair.)" (Also linked yesterday.)

Yes, Massah. College Board Bows to DeSantolini. Anemona Hartocolis & Eliza Fawcett of the New York Times: "After heavy criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the College Board released on Wednesday an official curriculum for its new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies -- stripped of much of the subject matter that had angered the governor and other conservatives. The College Board purged the names of many Black writers and scholars associated with critical race theory, the queer experience and Black feminism. It ushered out some politically fraught topics, like Black Lives Matter, from the formal curriculum. And it added something new: 'Black conservatism' is now offered as an idea for a research project." (Also linked yesterday.)

Sarah Fitzpatrick & Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "Lawyers for Hunter Biden sent letters Wednesday requesting investigations into allies of ... Donald Trump who they say trafficked in stolen information from his laptop -- a dramatic shift in strategy for the president's son after years of GOP attacks. Among the letters, which were obtained by NBC News, was one sent Wednesday asking the Justice Department's National Security Division for an investigation into 'individuals for whom there is considerable reason to believe violated various federal laws in accessing, copying, manipulating, and/or disseminating Mr. Biden's personal computer data,' including Rudy Giuliani.... Biden lawyers wrote a similar letter to the Delaware attorney general's office, requesting a probe into the same people, alleging they violated 'various Delaware laws' in accessing Biden's information from what Trump has called 'the laptop from hell.'... Biden's lawyers also sent a letter to Fox News host Tucker Carlson demanding a retraction of 'false and defamatory statements made by Mr. Carlson on his show' about Biden." The Washington Post's story, by Matt Viser, is here.

Marie's Sports Report. It's February 1, So Tom Brady Is Retiring Again. Mark Maske of the Washington Post: "Tom Brady, the legendary quarterback who established himself over more than two decades as the NFL's most prolific winner and arguably its greatest player, announced Wednesday that he is retiring. This time, he said, he will not change his mind. 'I'll get to the point right away: I'm retiring, for good,' Brady said in a 53-second video posted to social media. 'I know the process was a pretty big deal last time. So when I woke up this morning, I figured I'd just press record and let you guys know first. So I won't be long-winded. You only get one super-emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year.'" MB: At least he's quite gracious about it. He could have started an insurrection or something. (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. DeSantolini Makes Another Directly Racist, Homophobic Move. Guardian & Agencies: "Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced plans this week to block state colleges from having programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory in his latest attack on Black and LGBTQ+ people in the public education system..... DeSantis pledged at a news conference that critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, known as DEI, would get 'no funding, and that will wither on the vine'. DeSantis has pursued an aggressive series of policies to block teaching or discussion about America's racist past and present, making a name for himself in a national Republican party still defined by the legacy of Donald Trump, who famously mobilized white voters' racism and resentment of attempts to change the nation's racial hierarchy into a winning bid for the White House."; ~~~

Nevada. Lizzie Johnson of the Washington Post: "Authorities had long suspected [attorney Matthew] Beasley of running a massive Ponzi scheme with his business partner, Jeffrey Judd, that mainly targeted Mormons.... The investment was pitched as a nearly risk-free opportunity to earn annual returns of 50 percent by lending money to slip-and-fall victims awaiting checks after the settlement of their lawsuits.... Beasley, who repeatedly acknowledged that he was running a Ponzi scheme during [a] confrontation with the FBI, and Judd, who has denied knowingly defrauding anyone, amassed a fortune. [The FBI also raised Judd's home.]... As cash flowed into Beasley's attorney trust account, he told the FBI, he used it to pay his gambling debts. In all, SEC forensic accounting would show that Beasley sent more than $6.7 million to his bookie.... He maintained to the FBI that Judd didn't know it was a Ponzi scheme. In an April SEC complaint against Judd -- who received at least $315 million from the alleged scam -- the regulatory agency said that he either 'knew or was reckless in not knowing ... the business was a fraud.'"

New Jersey. Daniel Han of Politico: "A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a New Jersey law that allows the state Attorney General to sue the gun industry if it endangers public safety through its sales or marketing practices. U.S. District Judge Zahid Nisar Quraishi, an appointee of President Joe Biden, issued the preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the law. In his 20-page opinion, Quraishi, sitting in Trenton, said the New Jersey law appeared to be at odds with the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005, a federal law that shields the gun industry from lawsuits when their products are used during the commission of a crime. The order comes one day after another federal judge blocked a separate New Jersey law that addressed restrictions on concealed carry in New Jersey. The law blocked Tuesday was the centerpiece of Gov. Phil Murphy's third package of gun control laws.... A spokesperson for Murphy said the governor was 'disappointed' by Tuesday's order, but is 'confident that this decision will be swiftly reversed on appeal.'"

New Jersey. Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "The police arrested a 26-year-old man on Wednesday and charged him with firebombing a large synagogue in Bloomfield, N.J., days after a Molotov cocktail was hurled at the building's glass door, federal officials said. Nicholas Malindretos, of Clifton, N.J., was spotted Sunday night in surveillance video footage wearing a ski mask and throwing the incendiary device toward the synagogue, Temple Ner Tamid, according to the United States Attorney's office. The bottle broke and did not penetrate the front door, which is coated in a shatterproof film."

New York. Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: "An upstate New York man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to threatening to harm Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and to show her 'what violence truly is' in several phone messages left at her congressional office, federal prosecutors said. The man, Joseph F. Morelli, 51, of Endicott, N.Y., was indicted last April on three counts of transmitting interstate threatening communications after he left seven menacing messages for Ms. Greene, Republican of Georgia, at her Washington office over two days in March, according to court filings."

South Dakota. Amancai Biraben & Stephen Groves of the AP: "The South Dakota Senate on Wednesday censured and reinstated a Republican senator who was suspended last week amid allegations she harassed a legislative aide by telling the aide that she had harmed her child by getting him vaccinated. The Republican-controlled Senate overwhelmingly approved a report from an investigative committee that concluded Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller harassed a staff member of the Legislative Research Council, which assists lawmakers with drafting bills and research. The aide, who has not been publicly named, filed a complaint last week alleging that Frye-Mueller became aggressive when she asked about vaccines and told the aide her child could die from them or have health issues...." According to the aide, Frye-Mueller made some, well, sexually-suggestive remarks about breastfeeding, which the reporters relate. "The senator has sued the Senate's leadership in federal court, arguing that her suspension, which was made without first holding a hearing, violated her right to due process and free speech and her ability to represent her constituents."

Way Beyond

Australia. Annibelle Timsit & Bryan Pietsch of the Washington Post: "A tiny but dangerous radioactive capsule that sparked an urgent, days-long search after it went missing in Western Australia has been found, officials there said Wednesday.... Authorities said they did not believe anyone had come into contact with the capsule or been harmed by the toxic substance inside during the days it was lost in the remote Australian outback. The capsule -- which is less than a third of an inch long -- contains cesium-137, a radioactive material that the emergency services warned can 'cause radiation burns or radiation sickness.' 'This is an extraordinary result,' [Western Australia Emergency Services Minister Stephen] Dawson said, highlighting authorities' 'relentless search over the past six days' to find the capsule. 'The search group have quite literally found the needle in the haystack.'... Officials said they believe the capsule fell off the back of a truck while in transit. It was discovered Wednesday just 6½ feet from the northbound roadside edge of the Great Northern Highway...." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Australia. Sorry, Charlie. Natasha Frost of the New York Times: "King Charles III will not succeed Queen Elizabeth II on Australia's 5-dollar bill, which will instead be redesigned to honor Indigenous Australians and their history. The decision, announced by the country's central bank on Thursday, rekindled debate about republicanism in Australia, with critics decrying it as 'woke nonsense' and others lauding the change. Although Australia is independent, it remains a constitutional monarchy with the British sovereign as its head of state." Politico's story is here. The Reserve Bank of Australia's press release is here.

Haiti. John Pacenti & Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "Chief suspects in the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti made their first appearances in a federal courtroom in Miami on Wednesday, agreeing to detention as the government accused the men of a sprawling conspiracy to seize power." Prosecutors laid out the alleged plot to kill President Moïse.

Iran. Nilo Tabrizy, et al., of the Washington Post: "Four months into Iran's uprising, protesters are still in the streets. Authorities are still answering with violence and intimidation. Nowhere is this bloody stalemate more evident than in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, which endured the single deadliest government crackdown on protesters in late September and is now the site of weekly demonstrations after Friday prayers.... Visual evidence shows with new clarity how security forces are operating in the region, as Iran's feared Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) works in tandem with riot police and plainclothes agents to violently suppress demonstrations -- carrying out arbitrary arrests, indiscriminate beatings and, in some cases, opening fire on civilians.... The majority of the population in the province is ethnic Baluch, a predominantly Sunni minority that has faced neglect and discrimination for decades at the hands of Tehran's theocratic Shiite government."

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 briefing for Thursday is here: "President Volodymyr Zelensky praised an ongoing anti-corruption drive as'movement toward justice' after Ukrainian authorities raided and searched multiple locations tied to incumbent and past members of government.... The push comes just days ahead of a scheduled summit in Kyiv between Ukraine and the European Union, during Ukraine's bid to become a full member of the bloc, which has set out anti-corruption efforts as a condition of joining. Ukrainian authorities raided and searched multiple locations on Wednesday, including the home of oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky and construction companies in Kyiv. Some senior government officials were removed, according to Zelensky.... The former head of procurement at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry was charged with embezzlement for allegedly buying nearly 3,000 bulletproof vests of inadequate quality for more than $2.7 million.... France is supplying Ukraine with air defense radar systems to track incoming missiles and drones in the area around Kyiv..... General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the [U.S.] maker of armed drones, said it offered two of its training aircraft for sale for the symbolic price of $1."

Emily Rauhala of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian officials have a long list of requests for their European allies this week: fighter jets and other heavy weaponry to fend off a looming Russian offensive, E.U. membership within a few years, legal mechanisms to hold Russians to account, and a plan to use seized Russian assets for reconstruction. But a delegation of senior E.U. officials that arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday is unlikely to offer concrete promises on any of these.... The gap between Ukrainian hopes and E.U. capability will be on full display."

February 1, 2023

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point and gave little indication that it is nearing the end of this hiking cycle. Aligning with market expectations, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee boosted the federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point. That takes it to a target range of 4.5%-4.75%, the highest since October 2007. The move marked the eighth increase in a process that began in March 2022. By itself, the funds rate sets what banks charge each other for overnight borrowing, but it also spills through to many consumer debt products."

Yes, Massah. College Board Bows to DeSantolini. Anemona Hartocolis & Eliza Fawcet tof the New York Times: "After heavy criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the College Board released on Wednesday an official curriculum for its new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies -- stripped of much of the subject matter that had angered the governor and other conservatives. The College Board purged the names of many Black writers and scholars associated with critical race theory, the queer experience and Black feminism. It ushered out some politically fraught topics, like Black Lives Matter, from the formal curriculum. And it added something new: 'Black conservatism' is now offered as an idea for a research project."

Kara Scannell of CNN: "A top executive of the Trump Organization is expected to appear Thursday before a Manhattan grand jury investigating ... Donald Trump's alleged role in a hush money payment scheme, people familiar with the matter said. The executive, Jeffrey McConney, the controller of the Trump Organization, is one of the highest-ranking financial officers at the company and has responsibility for its books and records. McConney's planned appearance comes as prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney's office are accelerating their investigation into the hush money scheme to stop adult film star Stormy Daniels from going public about a past affair with Trump just before the 2016 presidential election. (Trump has denied the affair.)"

Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. is conducting a search of President Biden's vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., the president's personal lawyer said on Wednesday morning, as investigators continue looking into his possession of classified documents. The search, like at least two others conducted at locations associated with Mr. Biden, was undertaken with the cooperation of the president and his legal team. It was not clear whether any documents were recovered at the beach house." CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Say, why aren't FBI agents searching mike pence's home? Or are they? ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Kevin Liptak, et al., CNN: "The FBI completed a search of President Joe Biden's Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home and no documents with classified markings were found, Biden's personal attorney said Wednesday. Bob Bauer, Biden's attorney, did say the FBI took with them handwritten notes and some materials for further review. The search took three-and-a-half hours. 'The DOJ's planned search of the President's Rehoboth residences, conducted in coordination and cooperation with the Presiden's attorneys, has concluded,' Bauer said. 'The search was conducted from 8:30 AM to noon.... No documents with classified markings were found,' he said."

Waiting for Trump's Expiration Date. Meant to embed this earlier. Quite a good segment: ~~~

Marie's Sports Report. It's February 1, So Tom Brady Is Retiring Again. Mark Maske of the Washington Post: "Tom Brady, the legendary quarterback who established himself over more than two decades as the NFL's most prolific winner and arguably its greatest player, announced Wednesday that he is retiring. This time, he said, he will not change his mind. 'I'll get to the point right away: I'm retiring, for good,' Brady said in a 53-second video posted to social media. 'I know the process was a pretty big deal last time. So when I woke up this morning, I figured I'd just press record and let you guys know first. So I won't be long-winded. You only get one super-emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year.'" MB: At least he's quite gracious about it. He could have started an insurrection or something.

Australia. Annibelle Timsit & Bryan Pietsch of the Washington Post: "A tiny but dangerous radioactive capsule that sparked an urgent, days-long search after it went missing in Western Australia has been found, officials there said Wednesday.... Authorities said they did not believe anyone had come into contact with the capsule or been harmed by the toxic substance inside during the days it was lost in the remote Australian outback. The capsule -- which is less than a third of an inch long -- contains cesium-137, a radioactive material that the emergency services warned can 'cause radiation burns or radiation sickness.' 'This is an extraordinary result,' [Western Australia Emergency Services Minister Stephen] Dawson said, highlighting authorities' 'relentless search over the past six days' to find the capsule. 'The search group have quite literally found the needle in the haystack.'... Officials said they believe the capsule fell off the back of a truck while in transit. It was discovered Wednesday just 6½ feet from the northbound roadside edge of the Great Northern Highway...." CNN's report is here.

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Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post: "FBI agents searched President Biden's former office at the Penn Biden Center in mid-November, a little more than a week after the White House alerted federal officials that a Biden lawyer had found evidence of classified records at the D.C.-based think tank, according to one person familiar with the search.... Biden and his lawyers cooperated with the search, two people familiar with the effort said. It could not be determined whether FBI agents uncovered additional classified records or items." The CBS News story is here.

Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "... Republicans have insisted that they want 'structural' fiscal changes in exchange for voting to raise the [debt ceiling], but they have so far declined to offer a cohesive plan outlining what programs they would cut. Internal divisions over how to reduce spending have been spilling into public view, underscoring the political challenge that Republicans face as they try to wield the specter of a default to extract concessions from President Biden and Democrats. In the meantime, the United States technically has already exceeded the $31.4 trillion debt limit.... Before [a scheduled] meeting [Wednesday], White House officials said that Mr. Biden would ask [Speaker Kevin] McCarthy to commit to the principle that the United States will never default on its financial obligations and press him about when House Republicans plan to release their budget.... Mr. McCarthy accused Mr. Biden of being irresponsible by suggesting that he was unwilling to seek common ground over the debt ceiling and said that the White House's refusal to bargain was 'childish.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Rappeport is too generous. The real reason Republicans "have so far declined to offer a cohesive plan&' is that their cohesive plan is to cut or eliminate every social safety program they can identify, and for some strange reason, that is not popular even among the most committed Republican voters who have been paying into some of these programs all of their adult lives.

The Mysterious Case of the Phantom Treasurer. Grace Ashford & Michael Gold of the New York Times: "The longtime campaign treasurer and trusted aide of embattled Representative George Santos has resigned, potentially exacerbating the congressman's already troubled finances. The treasurer, Nancy Marks, whose resignation was made public on Tuesday in letters filed with the Federal Election Commission, has been with from Mr. Santos since his first run for office, assisting with accounting and fund-raising and joining him in at least one for-profit business endeavor.... On Tuesday night, the Santos campaign filed a year-end report bearing the signature of a new treasurer, Andrew Olson. But the filings offered little detail beyond his name, and the campaign has not yet filed paperwork designating Mr. Olson in that role. Ms. Marks's letters said that she had resigned on Jan. 25 -- the same day that the Santos campaign committee, as well as several affiliated financial committees, filed paperwork stating that Ms. Marks was being replaced as treasurer by Thomas Datwyler. But Mr. Datwyler ... said that he had told Mr. Santos's team that he was not interested in assuming those duties.... Ms. Marks's signature was on various year-end campaign finance reports filed on Tuesday ... even though she said she had resigned as the committees' treasurer the week before." ~~~

~~~ Meryl Kornfield, et al., of the Washington Post: "Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) told House Republicans on Tuesday that he will step down temporarily from his committee assignments amid multiple investigations into his campaign finances after he lied about key aspects of his biography. Santos ... said in a closed-door meeting of House Republicans that he would remove himself from his assignments on the House Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. Santos told the meeting he will step down because 'he's a distraction,' according to a Republican lawmaker who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. The conversation comes one day after Santos met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: But totally Santos' magnanimous idea, and I'm sure it had nothing to do with this:

     ~~~ Olivia Beavers & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "... even those lower-profile Santos assignments quickly became a political liability for Speaker Kevin McCarthy's conference, particularly as Republicans scrape for the votes they need to yank Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the Foreign Affairs Committee." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Get Out! Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "In resisting calls to push out embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has insisted that it's up to the voters. Well, the voters have spoken, and they clearly want him out. In fact, they have expressed that preference by a rather historic margin. A Newsday/Siena College poll finds that 78 percent of voters in Santos's congressional district want him to resign.... His numbers come shy only of the 9 in 10 voters who wanted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) to resign in 2008 amid a corruption scandal that would later land him in prison."

~~~ Will Steakin of ABC News: "... multiple men have described to ABC News past relationships with ... [George Santos] -- some allegedly occurring when they were still teenagers -- that they said turned toxic due to a flood of lies that Santos told to try to manipulate and trap them.... 'He promised the world," [Leandro] Bis said of Santos, who Bis said at one point promised to marry him in order to help him secure U.S. citizenship.... [Pedro] Vilarva said [their year-long] relationship ended after he started searching online for information on the multiple names he noticed Santos had used over the course of their relationship."

Ken Dilanian & Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "The House Jan. 6 committee concluded that the FBI and other federal security agencies could have prevented a violent mob from overrunning the Capitol had they acted on the large volume of intelligence collected beforehand, the chief investigator told NBC News in an exclusive interview -- a judgment the committee left out of its televised hearings and final report. Former federal prosecutor Tim Heaphy, the committee's chief investigative counsel, said that while he endorses the panel's main finding that ... Donald Trump sparked the riot by urging protesters to go to the Capitol, his probe documented how federal law enforcement failures contributed to the debacle."

Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Video released on Tuesday showed Donald Trump answering questions from the New York state attorney general, Letitia James, in a deposition in a civil fraud case late last summer. Questioned about his financial affairs, the former president repeatedly invoked his fifth-amendment right against self-incrimination -- part of a refusal to answer he repeated more than 400 times.... The footage was obtained and reported by CBS News." Includes brief video. ~~~

     ~~~ From the CBS News story by Graham Cates, linked above: "Once the preliminary questions wrapped up, Trump was given an opportunity to read a prepared statement into the record. He began with a familiar refrain: 'This is the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country.' He called James 'a renegade and out of control prosecutor' and accused her of having political motives for her office's investigation into his financial practices." ~~~

     ~~~ CBS News posted a 37-minute YouTube video of excerpts from Trump's deposition. I heard on the teevee that the deposition ran about four hours. But if you'd like to torture someone, just replaying this 37-minutes video over & over again should outperform the infamous Chinese water torture. ~~~

~~~ Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "Attorneys working under New York Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday asked a judge overseeing the office's $250 million fraud lawsuit to place sanctions on Trump parties and their attorneys for 'falsely' denying facts in recent court filings and rehashing 'frivolous' arguments." ~~~

~~~ Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The expanding legal threats facing ... Donald J. Trump are testing as never before his decades-old playbook for fending off prosecutors, regulators and other accusers and foes, with his trademark mix of defiance, counterattacks, bluffs and delays encountering a series of setbacks.... And he remains dedicated to the techniques for dealing with such threats -- tactics he learned from his former lawyer Roy M. Cohn, who favored attacking the legal system while trying to work insider connections.... "You can wear down a private party if they do not have the same resources as you, or you can settle a civil case and make it go away, but ... it is really rather difficult -- if not impossible -- to wear down federal prosecutors and the F.B.I. and make them go away.' [said former federal prosecutor Chuck Rosenberg.]"

The Merry Wives of Supremes. Steve Eder of the New York Times: "After Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joined the Supreme Court, his wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, gave up her career as a law firm partner to become a high-end legal recruiter in an effort to alleviate potential conflicts of interest.... Now, [Kendal Price,] a former colleague of Mrs. Roberts, has raised concerns that her recruiting work poses potential ethics issues for the chief justice. Seeking an inquiry, the ex-colleague has provided records to the Justice Department and Congress indicating Mrs. Roberts has been paid millions of dollars in commissions for placing lawyers at firms -- some of which have business before the Supreme Court.... Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois and chairman of the Judiciary Committee..., said in a statement that his letter raised "troubling issues that once again demonstrate the need" for ethics reforms to 'begin the process of restoring faith in the Supreme Court.'" Politico's story is here (and it's pretty good).

Cruelty Is of the Essence of the Scheme. Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News: "Nine Republican-controlled states asked a federal judge in Texas on Tuesday to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in its entirety over two years, a move that would prevent nearly 600,000 immigrants known as 'Dreamers' from renewing their deportation protections and work permits.... For over a decade, DACA has allowed hundreds of thousands of immigrants lacking legal status who were brought to the U.S. as children to work and live in the country without fear of deportation.... The states that joined Texas' bid to terminate DACA were Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, West Virginia, Kansas and Mississippi." MB: What is the matter with these people? Do they blow up frogs for fun? Do they download the lesson plans from the Nazi school?

RNC Report: It's a Lie, It Was Disastrous, and We're Going with It Anyway. Amy Gardner & Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "A new internal report prepared by the Republican National Committee proposes creating a permanent infrastructure in every state to ramp up 'election integrity' activities in response to perceptions within GOP ranks of widespread fraud and abuse in the way the country selects its leaders. The report, prepared by the RNC's 'National Election Integrity Team' and obtained by The Washington Post, reveals the degree to which Republicans continue to trade on ... Donald Trump's false claims that Democrats and their allies rigged his defeat in 2020.... Yet the report also acknowledges that the GOP's obsession with election fraud has cost the party.... But instead of combating misinformation about fraud, the report encourages the recruitment of staff and volunteers to monitor elections and the development of more aggressive legal strategies to 'hold election officials accountable for violating the law.'"

2024 Presidential Election. Stephanie Saul, et al., of the New York Times: "Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, as he positions himself for a run for president next year, has become an increasingly vocal culture warrior, vowing to take on liberal orthodoxy and its champions.... But his crusade has perhaps played out most dramatically in classrooms and on university campuses. He has banned instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade, limited what schools and employers can teach about racism and other aspects of history and rejected math textbooks en masse for what the state called 'indoctrination.' Most recently, he banned the College Board's Advanced Placement courses in African American studies for high school students. On Tuesday, Governor DeSantis, a Republican, took his most aggressive swing yet at the education establishment, announcing a proposed overhaul of the state's higher education system that would eliminate what he called 'ideological conformity.' If enacted, courses in Western civilization would be mandated, diversity and equity programs would be eliminated, and the protections of tenure would be reduced.... He had already moved to overhaul the leadership of the New College of Florida...," which the ousted president called a hostile takeover. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Since I am not in the habit of torturing myself by listening to Gov. DeSantolini, I have seldom heard him speak. But the other day, I saw a clip on the teevee of his making a statement in which he affected sincerity. He is so bad at it that I think all but the most gullible voters would see through it. I'm not sure the Florida Fascist will be the popular candidate the media make him out to be.

Michael Scherer, et al., of the Washington Post: "Nikki Haley, a former United Nations ambassador and governor of South Carolina, is planning to announce that she will run for president -- positioning herself to be the first declared Republican challenger to Donald Trump at a time when other prospective candidates have slowed their moves." CNN's story is here: "Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is expected to announce she's running for president on February 15 in Charleston...."

Evan Halper of the Washington Post: "The country's largest oil companies made more money in 2022 than ever before, eclipsing windfalls of earlier years and making themselves a potential target for driver frustration as prices at the pump rise. ExxonMobil on Tuesday reported a record-smashing annual profit of $55.7 billion for 2022, soaring past its earlier record of $45 billion in 2008. The news comes just days after another American oil behemoth, Chevron, drew the ire of the White House when the company announced its biggest windfall ever, with $36.5 billion in profits for the year.... 'The only thing stopping Big Oil from increasing production is their decision to pay shareholders billions instead of reinvesting profits,' President Biden tweeted Tuesday night. 'Instead of demanding accountability, Republican officials are blaming us. I'm doing my part to lower prices, it's time Big Oil did theirs.'... The House on Friday passed a bill that would restrict the administration from further drawing down the nation's emergency reserve unless the federal government expands available leases for oil and gas drilling on federal lands every time it is tapped. The measure is unlikely to advance in the Democratic-controlled Senate."

The Pandemic, Ctd. Jonathan Swan & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Republicans on Tuesday pushed legislation through the House that would repeal vaccine mandates and declare the pandemic over, blowing past Democratic opposition in a broader drive to use the federal response to the coronavirus spread against President Biden and his party, stoking a culture war over a major public health challenge. The largely party-line votes ... were the start of a flurry of legislative activity by the G.O.P. this week that has virtually no chance of yielding any new laws, since the measures cannot make it through the Democratic-controlled Senate or to Mr. Biden's desk, where he would be all but certain to veto them.... Democrats are pushing back hard on the effort by painting Republicans as extremists who are rushing to repeal public health measures without proper planning." ~~~

     ~~~ Linda Qiu of the New York Times: "As the House debated for hours over pandemic measures, Republican lawmakers on Tuesday repeatedly misled about the efficacy of vaccines, the rationale behind vaccine mandates and their effects." Qiu fact-checks a few false statements.

Beyond the Beltway

New York. Rampant Prosecutorial Misconduct Causes Dismissal of Rampant Police Misconduct Case. Jonah Bromich & Maria Cramer of the New York Times: "After Joseph Franco was charged in 2019 with perjury and other crimes related to his decades as a New York Police Department narcotics detective, prosecutors lined up to dismiss cases in which he had been involved. But on Tuesday, one more prosecution was tossed: that of Mr. Franco himself. A New York State judge, Robert M. Mandelbaum, found that prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney's office had failed to turn over evidence to the detective's lawyers on three occasions, a major ethical violation, and dismissed the charges.... The prosecutor handling the case, Stephanie Minogue, was immediately removed as deputy chief of the Police Accountability Unit, which reports directly to the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg.... The two-week trial [of Franco] will be remembered as a highly public case of wrongdoing by prosecutors, one that all but ensures that the former detective will not face another jury."

Way Beyond

Haiti/U.S. Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "Three Haitian Americans and a Colombian national have been charged in the United States with involvement in the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. The announcement of the charges from the federal government -- more than 18 months after the murder of Mr. Moïse -- outlined a sprawling conspiracy to murder the Haitian leader and seize power, supported by an unnamed former Haitian Supreme Court judge, Colombian mercenaries and an illegal arms shipment from the United States.... Three other men had already been charged in the United States in connection with the assassination plot.... The four newly charged men are scheduled to make their first appearance in court in Miami on Wednesday afternoon, after being transferred into U.S. custody on Tuesday. They were arrested in Haiti soon after Mr. Moïse's assassination and had been detained there since." The AP report is here.

Ukraine, et al. The Guardian's live updates of developments Wednesday is Russia's war on Ukraine are here.

News Lede

CNN: "Two emperor tamarin monkeys missing since Monday from the Dallas Zoo were found alive Tuesday in the closet of an abandoned Dallas-area home, officials said, and police say they still want to talk to a certain man in connection with the case. The monkeys' retrieval -- after officials said the animals were believed to have been stolen -- is part of just the latest in a string of suspicious incidents this month at the zoo, including what it said were 'unusual' circumstances surrounding a vulture's death last week. As for the monkeys: Investigators found them after receiving a tip they may be at an abandoned home in Lancaster, a city some 15 miles south of the zoo, Dallas police said. 'Dallas police, with Lancaster police, went to the home and the home was empty, and the monkeys were found in a closet,' Dallas police told CNN."

January 31, 2023

Late Morning Update:

Meryl Kornfield, et al., of the Washington Post: "Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) told House Republicans on Tuesday that he will step down temporarily from his committee assignments amid multiple investigations into his campaign finances after he lied about key aspects of his biography. Santos ... said in a closed-door meeting of House Republicans that he would remove himself from his assignments on the House Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. Santos told the meeting he will step down because 'he's a distraction,' according to a Republican lawmaker who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. The conversation comes one day after Santos met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)."~~~

     ~~~ Marie: But totally Santos' magnanimous idea, and I'm sure it had nothing to do with this:

     ~~~ Olivia Beavers & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "... even those lower-profile Santos assignments quickly became a political liability for Speaker Kevin McCarthy's conference, particularly as Republicans scrape for the votes they need to yank Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the Foreign Affairs Committee."

~~~~~~~~~~

William Booth & Shira Rubin of the Washington Post: "On one topic, Israelis and Palestinians appear to agree: Both are deeply skeptical, even scornful, of renewed calls being made by the Biden administration for a two-state solution here. Many called the gesture -- at this moment of violence and radicalism -- feeble, even farcical. On his first trip to the region after the return of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken promoted the long-held dream of two states side by side -- one Israeli, one Palestinian -- as the best guarantor of peace. In a joint news conference with Netanyahu on Monday, after days of escalating bloodshed, Blinken said that maintaining the 'vision' of a two-state solution was 'the only way forward.' Blinken did not call for a new round of talks. He called for calm.... On Tuesday, Blinken met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, now in his late 80s and struggling for relevance. Blinken was expected to appeal to Abbas to condemn violence." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If Israel & Palestine are skeptical of the possibility or wisdom of a two-state solution, they need only look to our own history: Americans did not accept a two-state solution in the 19th century, and that has left us a country so divided that even a president* instigated a revolution. Some people just can't get along.

~~~ Michael Crowley of the New York Times:"As Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken stood beside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Monday in Jerusalem, the two men spoke of an enduring bond between their countries -- even as deepening differences on a series of fundamental issues are placing that unity under enormous stress. In the context of a relationship troubled by Israel's political lurch rightward and escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence, along with disagreements on matters including Iran's nuclear program and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the familiar affirmations of a vital alliance almost seemed defensive, as if the two men recognized how difficult sustaining that bond has become. Mr. Blinken pleaded with Israelis and Palestinians to prevent a cycle of retribution...."

Ellen Nakashima & Rebecca Tan of the Washington Post: "The U.S. military is poised to secure expanded access to key bases in the Philippines on the heels of a significant revamp of U.S. force posture in Japan -- developments that reflect the allies' concern with an increasingly fraught security environment in the region and a desire to deepen alliances with the United States, according to U.S. and Philippine >officials. While negotiations are still ongoing, an announcement is expected as soon as this week when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets in Manila with his counterpart and then with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr."

Adam Entous & Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times: "The Justice Department has informed John R. Allen, a retired four-star Marine general, that federal prosecutors have closed an investigation into whether he secretly lobbied for the government of Qatar and that no criminal charges will be brought against him in the case, according to a statement by General Allen's lawyer. The investigation of General Allen became public in June, when an F.B.I. agent's application to search his electronic communications was unsealed, possibly by accident. Days after the revelations, General Allen resigned as president of the Brookings Institution, a left-leaning think tank in Washington."

Holmes Lybrand of CNN: "A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who stored files with classified information at his Florida home is set to plead guilty in February to one count of unlawful retention of national defense information, according to court documents. The defendant, Robert Birchum, served in the Air Force for more than 30 years and previously held top secret clearance. According to his plea agreement, he stored hundreds of files that contained information marked as top secret, secret or confidential classified outside of authorized locations. In 2017, investigators found a thumb drive, two hard drives and paper documents containing classified information in Birchum's possession, including at his home, court documents state. Two of the files on the thumb drive at Birchum's home contained information on the National Security Agency's 'methods of collection, and identify targets' vulnerabilities,' according to the plea.... Separately, in a temporary residence overseas..., investigators say they found another hard drive containing 117 files with classified national defense information." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So it took something like six years to resolve this case against a mere colonel. This does not bode well for a timely resolution of the big Trump docs case. ~~~

Kaitlan Collins & Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "Two people who found two classified documents in a Florida storage facility for Donald Trump have testified before a federal grand jury in Washington that's looking at the former president's handling of national security records at his Mar-a-Lago residence, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The two individuals who were hired to search four of Trump's properties last fall were each interviewed for about three hours in separate appearances last week.... The development comes at the same time federal prosecutors are pushing to look at files on a laptop of at least one staff member around Trump at Mar-a-Lago, according to multiple sources.... Special counsel Jack Smith and prosecutors who now work for him have used the federal grand jury nearly weekly to question witnesses in the Mar-a-Lago investigation." ~~~

~~~ Michael Shear of the New York Times on how the White House handles classified documents: "Current and former officials who have been part of that process, under Democratic and Republican presidents alike, described an elaborate National Security Council tracking system for highly sensitive documents like the P.D.B. but a more casual dissemination of the churn of classified documents that are used every day by officials from the president to junior national security aides.... The rules governing the handling of classified documents have been in place at the White House for decades, according to people familiar with them, though how strictly to follow them is up to each president and his aides." Shear goes through the nitty-gritty of how the tracking process works -- and how slip-ups are bound to occur. ~~~

     ~~~ See also Patrick's comment near the end of yesterday's thread for why the FBI isn't just passing out classified docs as favors to Senators, even to those on the Intel Committee. Patrick's explanation is quite helpful.

MEANWHILE. William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "The Manhattan district attorney's office on Monday began presenting evidence to a grand jury about Donald J. Trump's role in paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign, laying the groundwork for potential criminal charges against the former president in the coming months, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The grand jury was recently impaneled, and the beginning of witness testimony represents a clear signal that the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, is nearing a decision about whether to charge Mr. Trump.... The developments compound Mr. Trump's legal woes in the early days of his third presidential campaign." NPR's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Sky Palma of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump sent a barrage of Freedom of Information Act requests to the IRS in an attempt to get a behind-the-scenes look at the agency's preparations to turn his tax records over to Congress, Bloomberg reports." MB: Bloomberg's lede is, "Donald Trump demanded reams of information from the Internal Revenue Service as it was preparing to turn over his personal tax returns to a congressional committee, papering the agency with a deluge of [FOIA requests]." The Bloomberg story is firewalled.

AND Trump Still Loves Putin. Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "In a post on his Truth Social account..., [Donald Trump] attacked former officials at the FBI and CIA whom he accused of trying to undermine his presidency.... 'Remember in Helsinki when a 3rd rate reporter asked me, essentially, who I trusted more, President Putin of Russia, or our "Intelligence' lowlifes,"' he wrote. 'My instinct at the time was that we had really bad people in the form of James Comey, McCabe (whose wife was being helped out by Crooked Hillary while Crooked was under investigation!), Brennan, Peter Strzok (whose wife is at the SEC) & his lover, Lisa Page. Now add McGonigal & other slime to the list. Who would you choose, Putin or these Misfits?" MB: Had a few more Americans in a few battleground states voted for Trump, Ukraine would be under Russian control today.

Olivia Olander of Politico: "... Donald Trump sued journalist Bob Woodward on Monday, alleging that an audiobook published using interview tapes from their conversations violated his rights and copyright interests. The lawsuit accuses Woodward of 'systematic usurpation, manipulation, and exploitation of audio,' by publishing 'The Trump Tapes,' Woodward's 2022 audio compilation of his conversations with Trump.... The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Florida. It also named as defendants Simon & Schuster -- the audiobook's publisher -- and Paramount, Simon & Schuster's parent company. Woodward and Simon & Schuster said in a joint statement on Monday evening that the lawsuit was 'without merit,' since the interviews were recorded on the record with Trump's consent." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The suit argues that Woodward "repeatedly informed [Trump] that such interviews were for the sole purpose of a book." But, uh, The Trump Tapes is a book, albeit an audio book. Did Woodward promise Trump he would release only one book? I doubt it. So it appears Trump has not given up on his longstanding practice of bringing frivolous lawsuits.

Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats, prepare to investigate the investigations of the investigators.... The New York Times disclosed extraordinary new revelations this past week about prosecutor John Durham's years-long quest to delegitimize the FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. In 2019, this obsession of ... Donald Trump was initiated by his attorney general, William P. Barr, but as the Times found, Durham's effort was itself profoundly tainted.... In an emailed statement, [Senate Judiciary Committee chair Richard] Durbin [D-Ill.] said that reports of Durham's 'abuses' are 'outrageous,' and 'one of many instances' in which Trump and Barr 'weaponized the Justice Department.'... We also need to know how Attorney General Merrick Garland approached the situation and how much he knew about it. That could be very awkward for Democrats.... It's already clear [the House's 'weaponization of government committee' will be pursuing the same phantoms Durham chased." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you didn't read the Times report, linked in Sargent's post, try to find the time to do it if you have a NYT subscription. ~~~

~~~ David Firestone of the New York Times: "Former Attorney General William Barr has spent the last year in a desperate salvage operation for what's left of his legal and ethical reputation. During his 22 months in office, he allowed his Justice Department to become a personal protection racket for his boss, Donald Trump, and left prosecutors, the F.B.I. and other law enforcement officials subject to the worst impulses of the president. But then, in his 2022 memoir, Mr. Barr did an about-face, bashing Mr. Trump for lacking a presidential temperament and singling out his 'self-indulgence and lack of self-control.'... The hollow and self-serving nature of this turnabout was always apparent.... [And last week's Times] reporting demonstrated a staggering abuse of the special counsel system and the attorney general's office, all in a failed attempt by Mr. Barr to rewrite the sour truths of Mr. Trump's history.... His efforts came to naught, and so will his campaign to be remembered as a defender of the Constitution." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "This squalid episode is a note-perfect example of how Republican scandal-mongering operates. The right ascribes to its adversaries, whether in the Democratic Party or the putative deep state, monstrous corruption and elaborate conspiracies. Then, in the name of fighting back, it mimics the tactics it has accused its foes of using.... [Speaker Kevin] McCarthy has stacked the Oversight Committee, central to the House's investigative apparatus, with flame-throwing fantasists, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar and Lauren Boebert. Further, as Politico reported in a 'field guide' to the coming Republican inquiries, McCarthy has urged Republicans to treat every committee like the Oversight Committee, meaning all investigations, all the time.... These ['investigations'] all promise to be congressional equivalents of the Durham inquiry.... It remains to be seen whether our political media is up for the task of making ... distinctions [between investigating a political matter based on reality and one] ... meant to troll for dirt and reify Fox News phantasms."

Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal appeals court panel has put a secret hold on the Justice Department's effort to access the phone of Rep. Scott Perry as part of a broader probe of efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to subvert the 2020 election. In a sealed order issued earlier this month, the three-judge panel temporarily blocked a lower-court ruling that granted prosecutors access to Perry's communications. The Dec. 28 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell was the product of a secret, monthslong legal battle by prosecutors who have been fighting the Pennsylvania Republican's attorneys on the matter since August.... The fight has intensified in recent weeks and drawn the House, newly led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, into the fray.... The House's decision to intervene in legal cases is governed by the 'Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group,' a five-member panel that includes [Speaker Kevin] McCarthy, his Democratic counterpart Hakeem Jeffries, and other members of House leadership. The panel voted unanimously to support the House;s intervention in the matter, seeking to protect the chamber's [Article I] prerogatives....:

The Pandemic, Ctd. Tyler Pager & Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "President Biden told Congress on Monday that he will end the national emergencies to combat the coronavirus outbreak on May 11, a move that will restructure the federal government's response to the pandemic nearly three years after the virus first arrived in the United States. The declaration came as Biden announced his opposition to House Republicans' efforts to end the emergency declarations immediately, a move the White House argued would cause chaos and disrupt efforts at an orderly winding down of the emergency status.... Still, an average of more than 500 Americans are dying every day from the virus." The AP's report is here.

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. Yvonne Sanchez of the Washington Post: "Arizona's top election official has asked the [state] attorney general to investigate Kari Lake, the Republican candidate who lost her bid for governor in 2022, over potential campaign violations involving the disclosure of voter signatures. The complaint could set up a legal showdown in the battleground state between a prominent conservative election denier backed by Donald Trump and two newly elected Democrats who campaigned with messages of strengthening public trust in elections. The referral from Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) to Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) comes as Lake has doubled down on her unproven claims that administration of the state's midterm elections resulted in her loss.... [In a grievance tweet, Lake] included a graphic containing images of 16 voter signatures.... In his letter, Fontes pointed to state law ... that .. says records containing voter signatures 'shall not be accessible or reproduced by any person other than the voter.' Violation of that law, he wrote, is a felony."

California. Lisa Bonos & Joyce Lau of the Washington Post: "More details have emerged about the workplace dispute that led Zhao Chunli, 66, to allegedly kill seven people and attempt to kill another at two mushroom farms in Northern California a week ago. Zhao told investigators that his Half Moon Bay shooting was sparked after his boss asked him to pay a $100 repair bill for damage that had been done to heavy construction equipment, according to local news reports confirmed by San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. After confronting his supervisor and a co-worker, whom Zhao thought were responsible for the collision between his forklift and a bulldozer, he allegedly shot them, according to reports confirmed by Wagstaffe." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Florida. Matt Dixon of Politico: "Florida is set to become the 26th state to allow citizens to carry firearms without a permit under legislation outlined Monday by Republican House Speaker Paul Renner. Conservatives and gun rights groups in Florida have long pushed to give Florida residents to ability to carry firearms with a permit, known by supporters as 'constitutional carry,' but past legislation has routinely gotten bogged down. This year's efforts are bolstered by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has repeatedly said he would sign a permitless carry bill if lawmakers sent it to his desk.... The state also won't mandate other provisions, including a training requirement needed to get a permit. Permits would still be an option for gun owners who want to get them, something needed to be able to legally carry a gun in states that do not have permitless carry. The proposal does not address whether people will be allowed to openly carry firearms in public."

Florida. Javier Manjarres of the Floridian: "A Leon County[, Florida,] circuit judge has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the Florida Department of Transportation and a contractor did not fully comply with public-records requests about controversial state-funded flights of illegal migrants to Martha's Vinyard in Massachusetts. Judge Angela Dempsey last week issued two similar decisions rejecting the lawsuit that the non-profit Florida Center for Government Accountability filed in October against the Department of Transportation and Vertol Systems Company, Inc. The center contended that the department and the contractor violated the state's public-records law by not fully providing requested documents about the September flights of about 50 migrants from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha's Vineyard. The flights, engineered by Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration, have drawn national scrutiny. Dempsey concluded that the center did not prove the department and Vertol had withheld documents."

Tennessee. Jessica Jaglois of the New York Times: "The Memphis Police Department confirmed on Monday that a sixth officer had been taken off duty in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols. Five officers were fired by the department earlier this month, soon after being placed on leave, and charged last week with second-degree murder in connection with Mr. Nichols's death. The sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, has been placed on administrative leave; it is not clear exactly what role he played in the encounter." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Adrian Sainz has the AP story. In an update, Sainz writes, "Also Monday, Fire Department officials announced the firing of emergency medical technicians Robert Long and JaMicheal Sandridge and fire[person?] Lt. Michelle Whitaker in connection with Nichols' death. Fire Chief Gina Sweat said in a statement that the department received a call from police to respond to a report of a person who had been pepper-sprayed.... Long and Sandridge, based on the nature of the call and information they were told by police, 'failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr. Nichols,' the statement said Whitaker and the driver remained in the engine. An investigation determined that all three violated 'multiple' policies and protocols, the statement said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Maham Javaid, et al., of the Washington Post: "A seventh Memphis police officer has been 'relieved of duty' during the investigation of Tyre Nichols's death after a beating by police. The Memphis Police Department said in a statement Monday evening that the 'actions and inactions' of Officer Preston Hemphill and another officer, whom the department did not name, were the subject of an administrative investigation."

     ~~~ Marie: Am I alone in wondering if there was some other, perhaps personal, motivation here? All of these perps knew what happened to the killers of George Floyd. Why would they risk the same fate? This looks like a conspiracy among at least nine ten city officers to beat one man to death and/or to facilitate the murder. It's hard to believe the only reason is a shared general assumption they could get away with it. Update: Akhilleus gives us what might be the answer at the end of yesterday's Comments. ~~~

~~~ Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "American police officers have extraordinary power to work their will as they see fit.... The police have no obligation to either protect or assist you, even in the face of a credible threat to your life, and they are virtually immune to legal consequences for their actions under the doctrine of 'qualified immunity,' with so few exceptions ... that it essentially proves the rule. What little accountability exists for American police is easily subverted. Internal-affairs departments are often more interested in exonerating colleagues than investigating misconduct, and police unions do everything they can to shield bad actors.... To give power and authority without responsibility or accountability -- to give an institution and its agents the right and the ability to do violence without restraint or consequence -- is to cultivate the worst qualities imaginable, among them arrogance, sadism and contempt for the lives of others."

Way Beyond

Eshe Nelson of the New York Times: "After a succession of crises, investors, economists and policymakers have begun grasping onto the brighter spots in Europe's economy: a few weeks of warmer winter weather, lower natural gas prices, and an upturn in German investor sentiment. Just a few months ago, governments were planning for power outages and gas rationing as the continent faced winter without Russian gas. Now, the headline rate of inflation appears to be at or past its peak and consumers have been surprisingly resilient to the economic turmoil.... For now, the imminent risk of recession has been forestalled. The eurozone economy grew 0.1 percent in the last quarter of 2022.... It was another small piece of good economic news to add to a modest pile." ~~~

~~~ Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "The International Monetary Fund said on Monday that it expected the global economy to slow this year as central banks continued to raise interest rates to tame inflation, but it also suggested that output would be more resilient than previously anticipated and that a global recession would probably be avoided. The I.M.F. upgraded its economic growth projections for 2023 and 2024 in its closely watched World Economic Outlook report, pointing to resilient consumers and the reopening of China's economy as among the reasons for a more optimistic outlook. The fund warned, however, that the fight against inflation was not over and urged central banks to avoid the temptation to change course. 'The fight against inflation is starting to pay off, but central banks must continue their efforts,' Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, the I.M.F.'s chief economist, said in an essay that accompanied the report."

Brazil. Fiddling While Brasília Burns. Meg Kelly & Imogen Piper of the Washington Post: "A Post examination of more than 150 videos and images from Jan. 8 -- including CCTV and body-camera footage -- reveals that rank-and-file members of PMDF [Polícia Militar do Distrito Federal], tasked with securing the streets surrounding governmen buildings, did little to stop the initial assault. The visuals, chronologically synchronized by The Post, while not comprehensive, show few, if any, rank-and-file members supported other security forces in the first hours of their efforts to re-secure the government complex.... Multiple analysts who reviewed footage at The Post's request questioned the PMDF's preparation, noting that the initial rank-and-file officers did not appear to be prepared for crowd control, as they were not wearing riot gear and appeared to have erected only a small number of physical barriers. They said the PMDF are often better prepared and implement greater crowd control measures at soccer games." ~~~

~~~ David Biller of the AP: "Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has filed a request for a six-month visitor visa to stay in the U.S., indicating he may have no immediate intention of returning home, where legal issues await.... Bolsonaro is being investigated for whether he had any role in inciting [the January 8] uprising. It is just one of several probes targeting the former president and that pose a legal headache upon his eventual homecoming, and which could strip him of his eligibility in future races -- or worse."

Pakistan. Riaz Khan of the AP: "The death toll from the previous day's suicide bombing at a mosque in northwestern Pakistani rose to 83 on Tuesday, officials said. The assault on a Sunni mosque inside a major police facility was one of the deadliest attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent years. More than 300 worshippers were praying in the mosque in the city of Peshawar, with more approaching, when the bomber set off his explosives vest on Monday morning. The blast ripped through the mosque, killing and injuring scores and also blew off a part of the roof." ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Haq Khan & Pamela Constable of the Washington Post: "After frantically combing through the debris of the devastated mosque throughout the night and Tuesday morning, police called off the search for survivors of a terrorist suicide bombing in the highly guarded site where several hundred police and army men had gathered for afternoon prayers. The acting chief minister of this northwestern province, Muhammad Azam Khan, announced that 95 people were killed and 221 injured, making it one of the deadliest attacks ever carried out against Pakistan's security forces. The blast Monday signaled the brazen revival of violent tactics by the extremist Pakistani Taliban group, which had once been quelled by a military crackdown and until recently was in peace talks with the government."

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "President Biden said the United States will not send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, rejecting renewed calls by Kyiv officials for these advanced weapons to turn the tide of the conflict and boost Ukraine's command of its own airspace. Buoyed by long-sought commitments last week from the United States and Germany to send tanks, a Ukrainian official described fighter jets as Kyiv's 'next big hurdle.'... France has not ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine but would do so only under certain criteria, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday, including a condition that would bar Kyiv from using the aircraft to attack Russian territory.... The Pentagon announced Monday the first shipment of Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. More than 60 Bradleys departed from North Charleston, S.C., last week, the U.S. Transportation Command said in a statement.... Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence boss, was one of the only top Ukrainian officials who correctly warned that Russia would invade the country.... In an interview with [the WashPo's] Ukraine bureau chief Isabelle Khurshudyan, Budanov predicted that annexed Crimea would be returned to Ukraine and that Russia would not use nuclear weapons to fight for the land. 'It all started in Crimea in 2014, and it will all end there,' he said."

Former British PM Boris Johnson, in a Washington Post op-ed: “The result [of failing to invite Ukraine to join NATO] is the worst war in Europe for 80 years. Russian President Vladimir Putin has destroyed countless lives, homes, hopes and dreams. He has also destroyed the slightest reason to sympathize with him or to humor him in his paranoia. Along the way, he has vaporized the case against Ukrainian membership of NATO.... People used to argue that the prospect of Ukrainian membership in NATO was 'provocative' to Putin and to Russia. In truth, we should never have accepted this argument.... I admit that for a time I accepted it.... We should have insisted on the reality -- that the Kremlin had nothing to fear from NATO because it is a defensive alliance."