July 10, 2022

Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: To shore up U.S. & European economies & to prevent a global food crisis, "U.S. officials have latched on to a never-before-tried plan aimed at depressing global oil prices -- one that would complement European sanctions and allow critical flows of Russian crude onto global markets to continue but at a steeply discounted price.... The potential for another oil shock to puncture the global economy, and perhaps [President] Biden-s re-election prospects, has driven the administration's attempts to persuade government and business leaders around the world to sign on to a global price cap on Russian oil. It is a novel and untested effort to force Russia to sell its oil to the world at a steep discount. Administration officials and Mr. Biden say the goal is twofold: to starve Moscow's oil-rich war machine of funding and to relieve pressure on energy consumers around the world who are facing rising fuel prices.... Even some skeptics say that the price cap could, if nothing else, keep enough Russian oil pumping to avoid a recession-triggering price spike."

President Biden, in a Washington Post op-ed, on why he's going to Saudi Arabia: "I know that there are many who disagree with my decision to travel to Saudi Arabia. My views on human rights are clear and long-standing, and fundamental freedoms are always on the agenda when I travel abroad, as they will be during this trip, just as they will be in Israel and the West Bank.... The Middle East I'll be visiting is more stable and secure than the one my administration inherited 18 months ago.... When I meet with Saudi leaders on Friday, my aim will be to strengthen a strategic partnership going forward that's based on mutual interests and responsibilities, while also holding true to fundamental American values.... Next week, I will be the first president to visit the Middle East since 9/11 without U.S. troops engaged in a combat mission there. It's my aim to keep it that way." Worth reading for the details on developments in the Middle East.

Hannah Natanson of the Washington Post: "Hundreds of people protested for abortion rights Saturday by marching to the White House and planting themselves in front of the building for about an hour, defying D.C. law and risking arrest.... No arrests were made, according to spokespeople for the U.S. Park Police and the Secret Service.... The demonstration was organized by the Women's March, a movement that drew millions to the streets in the nation's capital and across the country the day after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president in 2017. The group has called for a 'Summer of Rage' in response to the Supreme Court's overturning last month of Roe v. Wade.... The Women's March is also urging President Biden to declare a national emergency that would allow the federal government to dedicate additional funds for abortion procedures. Other actions requested by the group include new federal guidance increasing access to abortion pills and the leasing of federal land to abortion providers." ~~~

~~~ New York Times Editors: "There are several steps the federal government can take now, with laws that are already on the books, to fortify abortion services in states where they are legal, support doctors facing legal and logistical quandaries and help women who may need to cross state lines or secure abortion pills online. The executive order [President Biden] signed Friday does little more than direct the health and human services secretary to look for ways to better enforce these existing laws, and report back.... The most urgent step for the federal government to take is to ensure access to medication abortion, the most common method of abortion.... The F.D.A. should follow the attorney general's lead and say, unequivocally, that the agency's approval of and regulatory decisions around prescription drugs, including abortion pills, pre-empt any state-level regulations or statutes.... The agency should also take immediate steps to loosen constraints on medication abortion that experts have long said are unnecessary.... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should also make clear, publicly, that all hospitals receiving federal funds for Medicare and Medicaid (meaning nearly all hospitals and clinics) are required to provide all F.D.A.-approved drugs ... in a medical emergency."

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration on Friday said it will terminate its four-decade-old tax treaty with Hungary over that country's resistance to implementing a global minimum tax, as the United States seeks to create a global tax floor for large multinational corporations. In a statement on Friday, the Treasury Department said the United States is ending the treaty with Hungary because 'the benefits are no longer reciprocal,' citing a loss of tax revenue for the United States and little return for American investment in the country. Hungary, which has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in Europe, is currently blocking the European Union's implementation of the global minimum tax agreement. World leaders have agreed on a 15 percent corporate tax floor, championed as a top priority by Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen.... When the treaty was agreed to, Hungary's tax rate was 50 percent; it is now 9 percent -- less than half the U.S. rate."

Ramon Vargas of the Guardian: "The US army has suspended a retired three-star general [-- Gary Volesky --] from a lucrative consultant's role after a social media post appearing under his name taunted first lady Jill Biden's support of abortion rights.... 'For nearly 50 years, women have had the right to make our own decisions about our bodies,' the Democratic first lady's statement said about the [Supreme Court] ruling, which in effect outlawed abortions in more than half the country. 'Today, that right was stolen from us.' An account under Volesky's name replied: 'Glad to see you finally know what a woman is.' Some on the platform interpreted the remark as a verbal potshot at the Biden White House's support for the transgender community." MB: Volesky will probably get a more lucrative job as a Fox "News" talking head. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's story is here. It more clearly explains that Volesky held a "mentoring" role in his consultancy. Some mentor, especially since -- as I believe Patrick pointed out a few weeks ago -- the Supreme Court's ruling is extremely problematic for the military, inasmuch as many young military women are stationed in states that restrict or disallow abortions.

[The committee] received critical testimony on nearly every major topic in its investigation, reinforcing key points regarding Donald Trump's misconduct and providing highly relevant new information that will play a central role in its upcoming hearings. This includes information demonstrating Donald Trump's supreme dereliction of duty.... The testimony also corroborated key elements of Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony. -- Tim Mulvey, spokesman for the House panel who questioned Pat Cipollone Friday ~~~

~~~ Luke Broadwater & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times have more on Pat Cipollone's testimony before House committee investigators: "Pat A. Cipollone, who served as White House counsel for ... Donald J. Trump, was asked detailed questions on Friday about pardons, false election fraud claims and the former president's pressure campaign against Vice President Mike Pence, according to three people familiar with his testimony.... The panel did not press him to either corroborate or contradict some specific details of explosive testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson.... Mr. Cipollone ... invoked certain privileges in declining to answer some of the committee's questions."

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. Amanda Holpuch of the New York Times: "The governor of Arizona has signed a measure into law that makes it illegal for people to record videos within eight feet of police activity, limiting efforts to increase transparency around law enforcement operations. The law, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday, goes into effect in September. Many civil rights groups and news media organizations have criticized the measure.... ​​There are exceptions for people on private property, in a vehicle stopped by the police, or those who are the subjects of police contact, as long as they do not interfere with officers' actions. There are no exceptions for journalists.... The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet ruled on whether recording a video of a police officer in public while they are on duty is protected under the First Amendment. The action is recognized as a constitutional right in most federal appeals courts, including the Ninth Circuit, which covers Arizona." MB: Sure seems to me to violate the First Amendment. This isn't peeping-Tom stuff; it's public officials engaging in official acts. And the public has every right to know what's going on in their names.

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Sunday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Sunday are here: "Rescuers are searching for more than 24 people feared trapped under rubble, after Russian missiles hit a residential block in the eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar, the regional governor says. Fifteen people are so far confirmed dead from the Saturday evening strike, in what Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak called 'another terrorist attack by the terrorist country.' Elsewhere in Donetsk region, Russian forces continue offensive operations, with unsuccessful assaults northwest of the city of Slovyansk, according to analysts.... Ukrainian officials also appear to be preparing for conflict in the south as they seek to recapture territory from Moscow.... Following the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday criticized China's 'alignment' with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, questioning how any country could be neutral in the face of such aggression."

Neil MacFarquhar of the New York Times: Russian officials "'need more soldiers, desperately, and are already using what some analysts call a 'stealth mobilization' to bring in new recruits without resorting to a politically risky national draft. To make up the manpower shortfall, the Kremlin is relying on a combination of impoverished ethnic minorities, Ukrainians from the separatist territories, mercenaries and militarized National Guard units to fight the war, and promising hefty cash incentives for volunteers.... Vladimir V. Putin hobbled the mobilization effort from the beginning, experts said, by refusing to put Russia on a war footing that would have allowed the military to start calling up reserves. Hence, the Kremlin has tried to glue together replacement battalions through other means.'" The article goes a long way toward explaining why Russian forces have seemed, at times, to be so ineffective.

Sri Lanka. New York Times: "President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose family has dominated politics in Sri Lanka for much of the past two decades, has agreed to resign after months of protests accusing him of running the island nation's economy into the ground through corruption and mismanagement, the speaker of the country's parliament said on Saturday. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, the parliamentary speaker and an ally of the president, announced the development at the end of a chaotic day. Protesters entered the president's residence and office, ​and thousands ​more ​descended on the capital, Colombo, to register their growing fury over his government's inability to address a crippling economic crisis. As the demonstrations swelled, the country's political leaders urged Mr. Rajapaksa to step down." This is a liveblog. ~~~

     ~~~ In an update, the Times report that Rajapaksa, according to Abeywardena, will resign Wednesday. But Rajapaksa remains in hiding and "hasn't been seen or heard from publicly since protesters stormed his official residence Saturday in Colombo...." So somebody with less in the way of guts than Boris Johnson, who at least managed to emerge from Downing Street to say, "Them's the breaks." But maybe more guts than Donald Trump, who still doesn't have the bare-minimal sense to decency to concede.

     ~~~ Do you suppose anybody has ever had the guts to say to Donald Trump, directly, "You lost. You lost big. Not because Joe Biden cheated. Not because crooked poll workers rigged the machines. Not because half the voters were non-citizens. You lost because millions more bona fide Americans voted for Biden than voted for you. Millions more Americans preferred Joe to you. I can tell you, if the situation had been reversed, Joe Biden would have had the balls to concede. You're a limp dick. Mr. President.*"

July 9, 2022

Michael Shear & Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "Under pressure to do more to respond to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, President Biden on Friday issued an executive order that aimed to ensure access to abortion medication and emergency contraception while preparing for legal fights to come. But the order is vague about how the president hopes to accomplish those goals, leaving the details largely to Xavier Becerra, his secretary of health and human services, who has said the administration has 'no magic bullet' that can restore access to abortion. And Mr. Biden's order stops far short of demands from abortion rights advocates, who have criticized him for failing to move quickly to take action after the court's decision two weeks ago.... 'For God's sake, there's an election in November. Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote,' the president said [before signing the order], noting that the justices in the majority 'practically dares' women to assert their political power to put in place laws that restore abortion rights. 'Consider the challenge accepted, court. But in the meantime, I'm signing this important executive order.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A Politico report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the language of President Biden's executive order, via the White House.

Eileen Sullivan & Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "Border Patrol agents on horseback used 'unnecessary' force in September against Black migrants who crossed into Del Rio, Texas, en masse, amid a humanitarian crisis that exposed the Biden administration's struggle to manage a record number of southwestern border crossings. In the absence of clear instructions from their supervisors, the agents took commands from the Texas state police and improperly 'used force or the threat of force' to drive migrants back into the Rio Grande. These findings and others came from an extensive review of the events of Sept. 19, when about 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants had gathered in squalid conditions underneath a bridge in Del Rio after crossing into the country from Mexico.... While four agents are facing disciplinary action for the events of that day, the report disclosed deeper problems within the agency.... Among those issues are the conflicting objectives between federal and local officers, a situation that is poised to get worse after Texas on Thursday ordered even more local law enforcement involvement in enforcing immigration laws."

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "On Tuesday, the venerable Gallup organization reported that just 27 percent of Americans expressed confidence in their institutions -- the lowest level of trust since the questions were first asked half a century ago. On Wednesday, Mitch McConnell showed us why Americans feel this way.... McConnell [pulled out of talks on a bill to help U.S. manufacturers compete with China's semi-conductor industry in retribution for Democrats' planning to use ] 'reconciliation' to pass [a] prescription-drug bill by a simple majority vote.... To stop Americans from getting cheaper prescriptions, he is willing to sabotage American manufacturers (and therefore assist China).... This cynicism has destroyed Americans' faith in their government.... For three decades, as the Republicans transitioned from a limited-government party to an anti-government party, GOP leaders have seen political advantage in undermining Americans' confidence in their institutions, and in sabotaging the functions of government.... McConnell played a major part in the sabotage...."

Nicholas Wu & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone spent over eight hours meeting with the Jan. 6 select committee.... Cipollone huddled with committee investigators in a closed-door conference room of the Tip O'Neill House Office Building, emerging about half a dozen times to hold sidebar conversations with his attorney in a separate room.... Details of Cipollone's testimony remained concealed late Friday but a source familiar with the interview indicated the committee found his testimony 'very helpful.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Pamela Brown, et al., of CNN: "Two people familiar with former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone's testimony Friday told CNN that the House select committee ... did not ask him if he told then-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson the day of the attack that they would 'get charged with every crime imaginable' if they went to the US Capitol.... It is unclear if Cipollone corroborated other parts of Hutchinson's testimony.... [A] source ... [said] that no one has refuted any of Hutchinson's testimony under oath.... When asked specifically if Cipollone confirmed testimony from Hutchinson, [Rep. Zoe] Lofgren [D-Calif.] said, 'Not contradicting is not the same as confirming.'... 'Mr. Cipollone provided a great deal of new information relevant to the select committee's investigation, which further underscores President Trump's supreme dereliction of duty,' [a] source said. 'The committee will show much of this to the American people in the days ahead.'"

What Are the Con Men Doing Now? ~~~

     ~~~ (1) (a) & (b) Isaac Stanley-Becker, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump is considering sending a letter to Stephen K. Bannon saying that he is waiving his claim of executive privilege, potentially clearing the way for his former chief strategist to testify before the House select committee investigating the pro-Trump riot at the Capitol.... The letter would reiterate that Trump invoked executive privilege in September 2021, when Bannon was first subpoenaed by the House committee. But it would say that the former president is now willing to give up that claim -- which has been disputed -- if Bannon can reach an agreement on the terms of an appearance before the panel.... Bannon was charged with contempt of Congress in November 2021 for refusing to comply with the subpoena. A trial on those charges is scheduled to begin July 18, though Bannon has sought to delay the proceedings." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ (2) Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes says he will waive his Fifth Amendment rights and testify to the Jan. 6 select committee if they permit him to testify in person. Rhodes, who is currently incarcerated while awaiting trial on seditious conspiracy charges for his role in the breach of the Capitol, says he wants the committee to arrange with the U.S. Marshals Service to permit him to appear in person at the Capitol complex rather than testify from the jail...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) For news about another busy con man, see the report on Elon Musk, linked below. ~~~

~~~ Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "U.S. prosecutors leveled new accusations Friday against the leader of the Oath Keepers [Stewart Rhodes] and alleged members who have been charged with seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, saying one co-conspirator came to Washington with explosives and detailing allegations that a co-defendant kept a 'death list' with the name of a Georgia election official. The allegations came days before the Jan. 6 House committee is set to hold its next hearing Tuesday, which is expected to explore connections between extremist groups accused of playing key roles in the violence at the Capitol and ... Donald Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election.... In a 28-page filing, prosecutors said a law enforcement search on Jan. 19, 2021, of the home of charged co-defendant Thomas Caldwell, a retired Navy intelligence officer from Berryville, Va., recovered a document that included the words 'DEATH LIST' handwritten across the top with the name of a Georgia election official and a purported family member of the official. Both were targets of baseless accusations that they were involved in voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, prosecutors said." CNN's report is here.

** Tom Jackman, et al., of the Washington Post: "The full picture of how many among the crowd [at the January 6, 2021, insurrection] were armed before the riot occurred is unclear, but court records, trial testimony and accounts from police officers and rioters have supplied growing evidence that multiple people brought firearms to Washington for Jan. 6, 2021. Six men were arrested that day for having guns in the vicinity of the U.S. Capitol, and a seventh who arrived after the riot ended was arrested the following day. Despite some instances in which alerts about people with guns turned out to be false alarms, accounts from police officers and rioters indicate that many firearms were spotted on Jan. 6 but were not seized as law enforcement focused more on defending the Capitol than on arresting gun-law violators.... ~~~

~~~ "U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, whose pursuit by a mob inside the Capitol was the subject of a viral video, has said that but for police restraint in the use of force, the riot 'could have easily been a bloodbath,' a sentiment echoed by several officers on the witness stand in Jan. 6 criminal trials. Defendants have said as much as well. In video evidence played at his trial, Guy Reffitt of Wylie, Tex., said that as he stood near the front of the mob on the west side of the Capitol, he counted eight firearms carried by five people." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) Read the whole report. And these, of course, are just the firearms authorities learned about. Surely there were many more. MB: I'm still amazed there wasn't more of an exchange of gunfire with large loss of life.

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal appeals court ruled Friday that a House committee is entitled to a wide array of records on ... Donald Trump's finances and business practices, but the court further narrowed aspects of the subpoena.... If the decision from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals stands, Trump's former accounting firm Mazars will have to give the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee five years of records on potential inaccuracies in the financial statements of Trump or his business and a little more than two years of records related to the lease with the federal government for the former Trump International Hotel in Washington. Mazars will also have to provide records from 2017 and 2018 on transactions between the Trump Organization and any foreign, local or state government or official. Trump could ask the full bench of the D.C. Circuit to rehear the case or petition the Supreme Court to take it up again. Two years ago to the day from Friday's ruling, the justices issued an opinion rejecting Trump's sweeping claims of executive privilege but declared that lower courts did not do enough to scrutinize the House panel's purported needs for the information and whether the subpoena was tailored to those needs." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Looks to me as if Trump will be able to extend the judicial wrangling till next January, at which time Republicans are likely to take over the House & drop the case.

The Stupid Cruelty of MTG. David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement: "U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has promoted several very different responses over the past few hours to the July 4 mass shooting that left seven people dead, scores injured, and a two-year-old boy orphaned. The Republican from Georgia went from promoting the right wing's latest talking points, that antidepressants are to blame for the massacre, and demanding to see the alleged shooter's medical records, to claiming it 'sounds like' a false flag operation, 'designed to persuade Republicans to go along with' gun control.... Police have offered no indication anyone except the alleged shooter planned the Independence Day massacre, and have said he spent weeks doing so. 'I mean, after all, remember we didn't see that happen at all the Pride parades in the month of June,' she lamented angrily, ignoring all the right-wing violence at Pride celebrations this year." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: To suggest, obviously with no evidence whatsoever, to the many victims of this massacre that they were nothing more than convenient pawns in a liberal political campaign is the height of cruelty against innocent victims of the extremist gun policies she promotes. I hope someone will stand up in Congress & condemn her remarks.

Peter Canellos & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "The former leader of a religious right organization said he recruited and coached wealthy volunteers including a prominent Dayton, Ohio, evangelical couple to wine, dine and entertain conservative Supreme Court justices while pushing conservative positions on abortion, homosexuality, gun restrictions and other issues. Rob Schenck, an evangelical minister who headed the Faith and Action group headquartered near the Supreme Court from 1995 to 2018, said he arranged over the years for about 20 couples to fly to Washington to visit with and entertain Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and the late Antonin Scalia.... The calculated nature of Faith and Action's efforts shows how outside actors can use social activities and expensive dinners to penetrate the court's highly sealed environment.... Faith and Action became a part of Liberty Counsel in 2018 and is now known as Faith and Liberty. Its vice president, Peggy Nienaber, was quoted earlier this week as praying with Supreme Court justices.... Schenck told [Rolling Stone] magazine that he began the prayer sessions as a way of building rapport with conservative justices."

     ~~~ Marie: Last month, following the Supremes' decision to overturn Roe, Rachel Maddow warned that it won't be long before anti-abortionists "bring a 'fetal personhood' case before the Supreme Court in a bid to totally shut down abortion nationwide. Such a case would aim to define a fetus as a human being, and an abortion as murder." I think Rachel is right, but I'm here to tell you there's an upside to the Extremes' likely ruling on the matter, especially for urban professional women who might find themselves in an unwelcome family way: ~~~

     ~~~ Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "... a pregnant woman in Plano, [Texas,] Brandy Bottone, told a police officer who pulled her over in the carpool lane that in light of the Roe v. Wade rescission, her fetus counted as a passenger.... According to [a Dallas Morning News] report, the officer ... issued [Bottone] a $215 citation" for violating the HOV law that limits the use of the lane to vehicles carrying more than one person. That mean officer won't be able to ticket nice ladies like Brandy when Clarence Thomas has his way.

Jackson Richman of Mediaite: "Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh exited a Washington, D.C., steakhouse this week through the back door due to protesters, reported Politico. The outlet's Playbook newsletter reported on Friday that Kavanaugh 'was dining at Morton's downtown D.C. location' as 'protesters soon showed up out front, called the manager to tell him to kick Kavanaugh out and later tweeted that the justice was forced to exit through the rear of the restaurant.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) MB: I'm so sorry Bart & his friends had their meal interrupted. Now let's ask how the inconvenience of steakus interruptus compares with the inconvenience of carrying, birthing & rearing the child of one's rapist. ~~~

     ~~~ The Constitution Does Not Guarantee the Right to Dinner. Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post: "The right to congregate and eat dinner is actually not to be found anywhere in the Constitution.... [Brett Kavanaugh] might want his old freedom back, or ask for someone to escort him through the gantlet of protesters who want him to feel bad about his choices, which after all don't affect anyone other than millions of people whose lives are going to be fundamentally changed and whom he is consigning to a status lower than that of full person with the bodily autonomy and right to direct their lives that this entails.... But there is no right, however seemingly basic, that cannot vanish away like a ghostly mist the second someone remembers that there might be a medieval text, somewhere, out there that disagrees." MB: Nice to see Alexandra feels as bad about Bart's interrupted outing as I do.

Elizabeth Dias of the New York Times: Pennsylvania's GOP gubernatorial nominee Doug "Mastriano's ascension in Pennsylvania is perhaps the most prominent example of right-wing candidates for public office who explicitly aim to promote Christian power in America. The religious right has long supported conservative causes, but this current wave seeks more: a nation that actively prioritizes their particular set of Christian beliefs and far-right views and that more openly embraces Christianity as a bedrock identity. Many dismiss the historic American principle of the separation of church and state.... Their presence reveals a fringe pushing into the mainstream."

Speaking of Con Men. Gerrit de Vynck, et al., of the Washington Post: "Elon Musk is terminating his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, according to a filing the billionaire made with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday. Musk's lawyers sent a letter to Twitter saying he is 'terminating their merger agreement,' according to the filing. In the letter, Musk argues he has a right to drop out of the deal because Twitter hasn't given him enough information about the company's business." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A CNBC report is here. MB: Wait, wait, Elon. I thought you were buying Twitter to make sure (dangerous, untruthful) free speech prevailed for those of us who can cram all our brilliant, independent thoughts into 280 characters. ~~~

     ~~~ Ari Hawkins & Josh Sisco of Politico: "Elon Musk officially terminated a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter on Friday, a move that would appear to dash the hopes of ... Donald Trump and his supporters that the social media platform would loosen content restrictions that have frustrated conservatives. The move spurred fresh attacks on Twitter's existing management, including from Donald Trump Jr., who said it showed that censorship is going to be alive and well.... [Twitter] vowed to take legal action and complete the merger for the original price, according to a statement from chair Bret Taylor."

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

Beyond the Beltway

Louisiana. Ava Sasani & Kate Zernike of the New York Times: "A judge in Louisiana allowed state laws banning nearly all abortions to take effect on Friday, lifting an earlier court decision that had temporarily blocked them. Abortions were immediately outlawed starting at conception, with an exception for a threat to the life of a pregnant woman, but with no exceptions for rape or incest. Under one Louisiana law, abortion providers face possible jail time of 10 or 15 years, depending on when the pregnancy was terminated."

North Carolina. War on Electricity. David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement: "North Carolina Republican state Rep. Ben Moss has filed legislation that takes aim at free electric vehicle charging stations, both those constructed by private businesses and those constructed by towns and cities. Rep. Moss's bill bans state and local governments from providing free electric vehicle charging stations unless they also provide gasoline, including diesel, 'through a pump to the public at no charge.' Moss also wants to require businesses that provide privately owned electric vehicle charging stations that are free to the public -- say, ones in a store or mall parking lot -- to print on every receipt how much of that person's purchase goes to pay for the free electricity.... Car and Driver's Ezra Dyer, who happens to be Rep. Moss' constituent, says his state representative has 'decided that his animating principle is Being Mad at Electricity.'"

Wisconsin. Patrick Marley, now of the Washington Post: "A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court barred the use of most ballot drop boxes on Friday and ruled voters could not give their completed absentee ballots to others to return on their behalf, a practice that some conservatives disparage as 'ballot harvesting.' It's a ruling feared by voting rights proponents, who said ahead of time such a decision would make it harder for voters -- particularly those with disabilities -- to return their absentee ballots.... The 4-3 ruling came a month before the state's Aug. 9 primaries.... For years, ballot drop boxes were used without controversy across Wisconsin. Election clerks greatly expanded their use in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic.... The decision fell along ideological lines, with the justices elected with support from Republicans in the majority and justices elected with support from Democrats in dissent.... In a dissent, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley called the majority 'dangerous to democracy.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you read the full report, I think you'll find it pretty much falls in the "both-sides" school of journalism. I didn't notice this of Marley's reporting when he worked for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but he seems to go out of his way to promote the pretense that Republicans' opposition to drop boxes is all about their concern for election integrity. See also Patrick's commentary in yesterday's thread.

Way Beyond

U.K., et al. Fintan O'Toole in the Guardian: "It is hard to think of a figure at once so fatuous and so consequential [as Boris Johnson], so flippant and yet so profoundly influential. His reign was short -- its malign hangover will last long.... The soundtrack to Johnson's political career is the crash of breaking glass as he chucks rocks over the walls of the neighbours across the Irish Sea and the Channel.... The worst aspect of this is his reckless sabotaging of the Good Friday agreement.... He deliberately trivialised the problems of the Irish border.... He introduced legislation deliberately designed to make Northern Ireland a source of open-ended conflict with the EU.... [This] brought relations between Britain and Ireland to their lowest point for decades. And it thrilled autocrats everywhere. Johnson made the rule of law and the honouring of treaties into another of his bad jokes."

July 8, 2022

Afternoon Update:

What Are the Con Men Doing Today? ~~~

     ~~~ (1) Gerrit de Vynck, et al., of the Washington Post: "Elon Musk is terminating his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, according to a filing the billionaire made with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday. Musk's lawyers sent a letter to Twitter saying he is 'terminating their merger agreement,' according to the filing. In the letter, Musk argues he has a right to drop out of the deal because Twitter hasn't given him enough information about the company's business." ~~~

     ~~~ (2) (a) & (b) Isaac Stanley-Becker, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump is considering sending a letter to Stephen K. Bannon saying that he is waiving his claim of executive privilege, potentially clearing the way for his former chief strategist to testify before the House select committee investigating the pro-Trump riot at the Capitol.... The letter would reiterate that Trump invoked executive privilege in September 2021, when Bannon was first subpoenaed by the House committee. But it would say that the former president is now willing to give up that claim -- which has been disputed -- if Bannon can reach an agreement on the terms of an appearance before the panel.... Bannon was charged with contempt of Congress in November 2021 for refusing to comply with the subpoena. A trial on those charges is scheduled to begin July 18, though Bannon has sought to delay the proceedings." ~~~

     ~~~ (3) Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes says he will waive his Fifth Amendment rights and testify to the Jan. 6 select committee if they permit him to testify in person. Rhodes, who is currently incarcerated while awaiting trial on seditious conspiracy charges for his role in the breach of the Capitol, says he wants the committee to arrange with the U.S. Marshals Service to permit him to appear in person at the Capitol complex rather than testify from the jail...."

Michael Shear & Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "Under pressure to do more to respond to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, President Biden on Friday issued an executive order that aimed to ensure access to abortion medication and emergency contraception while preparing for legal fights to come. But the order is vague about how the president hopes to accomplish those goals, leaving the details largely to Xavier Becerra, his secretary of health and human services, who has said the administration has 'no magic bullet' that can restore access to abortion. And Mr. Biden's order stops far short of demands from abortion rights advocates, who have criticized him for failing to move quickly to take action after the court’s decision two weeks ago.... 'For God's sake, there's an election in November. Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote,' the president said [before signing the order], noting that the justices in the majority 'practically dares' women to assert their political power to put in place laws that restore abortion rights. 'Consider the challenge accepted, court. But in the meantime, I'm signing this important executive order.'" A Politico report is here.

Jackson Richman of Mediaite: “Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh exited a Washington, D.C., steakhouse this week through the back door due to protesters, reported Politico. The outlet's Playbook newsletter reported on Friday that Kavanaugh 'was dining at Morton's downtown D.C. location' as 'protesters soon showed up out front, called the manager to tell him to kick Kavanaugh out and later tweeted that the justice was forced to exit through the rear of the restaurant.'" MB: I'm so sorry Bart & his friends had their meal interrupted. Now let's ask how the inconvenience of steakus interruptus compares with the inconvenience of carrying, birthing & rearing the child of one's rapist.

** Tom Jackman, et al., of the Washington Post: "The full picture of how many among the crowd [at the January 6, 2021, insurrection] were armed before the riot occurred is unclear, but court records, trial testimony and accounts from police officers and rioters have supplied growing evidence that multiple people brought firearms to Washington for Jan. 6, 2021. Six men were arrested that day for having guns in the vicinity of the U.S. Capitol, and a seventh who arrived after the riot ended was arrested the following day. Despite some instances in which alerts about people with guns turned out to be false alarms, accounts from police officers and rioters indicate that many firearms were spotted on Jan. 6 but were not seized as law enforcement focused more on defending the Capitol than on arresting gun-law violators.... ~~~

~~~ &"U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, whose pursuit by a mob inside the Capitol was the subject of a viral video, has said that but for police restraint in the use of force, the riot 'could have easily been a bloodbath,' a sentiment echoed by several officers on the witness stand in Jan. 6 criminal trials. Defendants have said as much as well. In video evidence played at his trial, Guy Reffitt of Wylie, Tex., said that as he stood near the front of the mob on the west side of the Capitol, he counted eight firearms carried by five people." Read the whole report. And these, of course, are just the firearms authorities learned about. Surely there were many more. MB: I'm still amazed there wasn't more of an exchange of gunfire with large loss of life.

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

Wisconsin. Patrick Marley, now of the Washington Post: "A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court barred the use of most ballot drop boxes on Friday and ruled voters could not give their completed absentee ballots to others to return on their behalf, a practice that some conservatives disparage as 'ballot harvesting.' I's a ruling feared by voting rights proponents, who said ahead of time such a decision would make it harder for voters -- particularly those with disabilities -- to return their absentee ballots.... The 4-3 ruling came a month before the state's Aug. 9 primaries.... For years, ballot drop boxes were used without controversy across Wisconsin. Election clerks greatly expanded their use in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic.... The decision fell along ideological lines, with the justices elected with support from Republicans in the majority and justices elected with support from Democrats in dissent.... In a dissent, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley called the majority 'dangerous to democracy.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you read the full report, I think you'll find it pretty much falls in the "both-sides" school of journalism. I didn't notice this of Marley's reporting when he worked for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but he seems to go out of his way to promote the pretense that Republicans' opposition to drop boxes is all about their concern for election integrity.

~~~~~~~~~~

WashPo: "Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ... died after being shot at a campaign event Friday...." Stories linked below.

Seung Min Kim & Zeke Miller of the AP: "President Joe Biden will take executive action Friday to protect access to abortion, according to three people familiar with the matter, as he faces mounting pressure from Democrats to be more forceful on the subject after the Supreme Court ended a constitutional right to the procedure two weeks ago. Biden will speak Friday morning 'on protecting access to reproductive health care services,' the sources said. The actions he was expected to outline are intended to try to mitigate some potential penalties women seeking abortion may face after the ruling, but are limited in their ability to safeguard access to abortion nationwide. Biden is expected to formalize instructions to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to push back on efforts to limit the ability of women to access federally approved abortion medication or to travel across state lines to access clinical abortion services." A Washington Post story is here.

Eugene Scott & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Thursday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to 17 people in a wide variety of endeavors, including gymnast Simone Biles, Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington and, posthumously, inventor Steve Jobs and former senator John McCain. Biden's list of recipients, his first as president, reflected his personal and political identity, ranging from a labor leader, the late AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, to a gun control activist, former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He named several Republicans known for working across the aisle, those who came from average backgrounds to do extraordinary things -- and, in true Biden form, a Catholic nun [Sister Simone Campbell]. 'This,' Biden said at the conclusion of the event, 'is America.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I stopped what I was doing -- still hanging that stair rail (it's complicated!) -- and watched the ceremony. It was moving, and returns the Medal of Freedom to being a meaningful award given to deserving recipients. You may remember Trump's "honorees": From the WashPo story: "During his four years in office..., Donald Trump honored 24 people, a list populated by practitioners of his favorite sport, golf -- Tiger Woods, Gary Player and Annika Sorenstam -- and some of his fiercest political allies, such as radio host Rush Limbaugh and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)."

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "The commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service faces a new onslaught of questions after a report Wednesday showed that two foes of ... Donald Trump had been selected for a rare audit during Trump's administration. Charles Rettig, whose elevation by Trump to lead the service in 2018 surprised many tax professionals..., faced new scrutiny after the New York Times revealed that both former FBI director James B. Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe, were the subject of highly unusual audits that the IRS says was selected at random.... [Rettig] started out as a Trump ally..., shielding the former president's tax returns from public view in the face of a House Democratic lawsuit. But Rettig has proved a willing partner for the Biden administration, as well, supporting its efforts to close the gap between what taxpayers owe and what they pay, and implementing expansive new stimulus measures.... The revelation [about Comey & McCabe] will also bring new scrutiny to former Trump treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, since Treasury oversees the IRS." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~\

     ~~~ Update. Kara Scannell of CNN: "The head of the Internal Revenue Service has asked a watchdog to investigate the decision to conduct rare tax audits of former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the agency announced Thursday. 'The IRS has referred the matter to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration for review. IRS Commissioner (Charles) Rettig personally reached out to TIGTA after receiving a press inquiry,' the IRS said in a statement." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A New York Times story is here. ~~~

~~~ Marie: I've been hoping somebody would do this: ~~~

~~~ "What Are the Odds?" Francesca Paris & Josh Katz of the New York Times: "The New York Times has reported that the Internal Revenue Service gave one of its most rigorous types of audits to James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, and to Andrew G. McCabe, his former deputy.... What are the odds?... If this problem were to appear in a textbook about probability, it might read like this: If there are 154 million marbles (the approximate number of tax returns filed each year) in a giant urn, and some small number of them are red (those representing Mr. Comey and Mr. McCabe among them), what are the chances that you will draw two or more red marbles if you randomly draw a few thousand from the urn (the number of audits in that year)?... If we limit the exercise to only Mr. McCabe and Mr. Comey -- this equation yields a probability of roughly one in 950 million. Those are considerably steeper odds than your chances of winning the Powerball." Emphasis added. The writers go on to suggest some other factors which reasonably would increase the odds of Comey's & McCabe's audits: like the fact that the IRS tends to choose high-earners (i.e., like Comey & McCabe) more often than others for the special audit. But still. (Also linked yesterday.)

Dan Lamothe & Craig Whitlock of the Washington Post: "Michael Flynn, the retired Army general and onetime adviser to ... Donald Trump, was cited by the Defense Department inspector general for failing to disclose lucrative speaking engagements and other business arrangements with foreign entities, prompting the U.S. government to pursue tens of thousands of dollars in penalties against him.... Investigators determined that Flynn received nearly $450,000 from Turkish and Russian interests in 2015, including for an appearance in Moscow alongside President Vladimir Putin, but found no records that he had sought government approval beforehand. Their findings are detailed in a January 2021 memo to the Army released through the Freedom of Information Act on Thursday. The Army notified Flynn in a May 2 letter ... that it would seek to recoup $38,557.06 from him, zeroing in on money and in-kind compensation he received for a gala dinner celebrating the 10th anniversary of RT, the Kremlin-run news agency.... It was not clear why the Army sanctioned Flynn for the Moscow visit but not his other work." The money can be recouped from Flynn's retirement pay.

Sahil Kapur & Frank Thorp of NBC News: "Senate Democrats have reached an agreement to raise taxes on some high earners who they say are abusing a loophole to slash their tax bills, two sources familiar with the discussions said. The lawmakers, the sources said, plan to close the tax break for those earning more than $400,000 a year, requiring them to pay 3.8% in taxes on certain income from pass-through businesses, in what is effectively a slimmed-down package after the Build Back Better Act stalled last year. They project that closing the tax loophole would raise about $200 billion over a decade, a source said, which would be used to pay for Medicare through 2031 in an effort to keep the federal health care program from going bankrupt."

K.K. Ottesen of the Washington Post Magazine interviews civil war expert Barbara Walter on right-wing extremeist plans for civil war against the U.S.: "What we're heading toward is an insurgency, which is a form of a civil war. That is the 21st-century version of a civil war, especially in countries with powerful governments and powerful militaries, which is what the United States is.... An insurgency tends to be much more decentralized, often fought by multiple groups. Sometimes they're actually competing with each other. Sometimes they coordinate their behavior. They use unconventional tactics. They target infrastructure. They target civilians. They use domestic terror and guerrilla warfare. Hit-and-run raids and bombs." ~~~

~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "A new Monmouth University poll ... shows more Republicans regard Jan. 6 as a 'legitimate protest' than a 'riot' [much less an 'insurrection].... Whereas more Republicans once said it was a 'riot' than a 'legitimate protest,' by a 15-point margin, that has been flipped, with Republicans favoring the 'legitimate protest' label by 16 points. A majority of Republicans no longer even regard Jan. 6 as a 'riot.'"

Charles Blow of the New York Times on showing the carnage: "... on some level, not allowing the public access to some version of the gore is extending a form of disinformation, permitting a warped, naïve or incorrect impression to persist when it could be corrected.... We need to see these images not for shock value but for truth value." MB: At the top of his column, Blow describes some observations by Dr. David Baum, an obstetrician who was on the scene at Highland Park because he was attending the parade with his family. Baum, according to Blow, has taken to calling the scene "horrific" & "unspeakable," but when I heard him on cable news a short time after the mass murder, Dr. Baum described heads partially blown away & body cavities open to expose torn-up organs. Pictures of the Uvalde massacre, mostly of little children, some of whom had to be identified by their clothing because their faces were blown away, would be even more horrible. These are the pictures that should go on every Republican legislator's desk. Then let them talk about prairie dogs. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "Last week, the Supreme Court announced it would hear arguments in Moore v. Harper, a challenge to North Carolina's new congressional map.... A Republican victory at the Supreme Court would, according to the election law expert Rick Hasen, '... could essentially neuter the ability of state courts to protect voters under provisions of state constitutions against infringement of their rights.'... This radical interpretation of the Elections Clause of the Constitution [-- called 'the independent state legislature doctrine --] also extends to the Presidential Electors Clause, such that during a presidential election year, state legislatures could allocate Electoral College votes in any way they see fit.... Under the independent state legislature doctrine, the next time Trump tries to overturn the results of an election he lost, he won't need a mob."

Erin Griffith of the New York Times: "Ramesh Balwani, a former top executive at Theranos, was found guilty on Thursday of 12 counts of fraud, in a verdict that was more severe than that of his co-conspirator, Elizabeth Holmes, and that solidified the failed blood-testing start-up as the ultimate Silicon Valley cautionary tale. Mr. Balwani and Ms. Holmes, who together pushed Theranos to soaring heights with a promise to revolutionize health care, are the most prominent tech executives to be charged with and convicted of fraud in a generation. A jury of five men and seven women took 32 hours to produce a verdict, convicting Mr. Balwani, known as Sunny, of all 10 counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud." The Guardian's story is here.

Quelle Surprise. Faiz Siddiqui & Gerrit De Vynck  of the Washington Post: "Elon Musk's deal to buy Twitter is in serious jeopardy, three people familiar with the matter say, as Musk's camp concluded that Twitter's figures on spam accounts are not verifiable. Musk's team has stopped engaging in certain discussions around funding for the $44 billion deal, including with a party named as a likely backer, one of the people said.... The spam accounts are not the only reason Musk might try to wriggle out of the deal. Twitter's share price has fallen dramatically since his takeover bid in April, leading to the impression that he is overpaying." A Guardian story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Elon seems to love the publicity, but maybe this latest reluctant-suitor story is an attempt to change the focus from this story:

     ~~~ Sara O'Brien of CNN: "Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO and world's richest man, welcomed twins last year with an executive at one of his other companies, Neuralink, Insider reported on Wednesday. Musk, who posted a tweet on May 24 saying 'USA birth rate has been below min sustainable levels for ~50 years' and pinned it to the top of his more than 100 million-follower Twitter account, quietly fathered the children with Shivon Zilis, who works for Musk at the company which hopes to develop an implantable computer chip for the human brain, according to documents obtained by Insider.... On Thursday morning, Musk appeared to acknowledge the story on Twitter by reiterating his stance about birth rates. 'Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis,' he tweeted. 'A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far.'"

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona Gubernatorial Race. Yvonne Sanchez of the Washington Post: "Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) on Thursday endorsed real estate developer Karrin Taylor Robson in the battleground state's GOP primary race for governor, arguing that she is best positioned to succeed him over a Trump-backed candidate. The endorsement puts Ducey, a two-term governor who is head of the national Republican Governors Association, head-to-head against ... Donald Trump and his favored candidate, former TV anchor Kari Lake.... The leading candidate for the Democratic nomination is Secretary of State Katie Hobbs." CNN's report is here.

Arizona Senate Race. Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "Blake Masters, a Republican candidate for the Senate in Arizona who won the endorsement of ... Donald J. Trump, has been dogged by a trail of youthful writings in which he lamented the entry of the United States into the First and Second World Wars, approvingly quoted a Nazi war criminal and pushed an isolationism that extended beyond even Mr. Trump's.... As a candidate, Mr. Masters, now 35, takes a position diametrically opposed to that of his younger self and in line with Mr. Trump's views: He favors militarizing the border and ending what he calls an 'invasion' by immigrants entering the country illegally.... Mr. Masters has also been denounced for contemporary statements, like his April 11 remark that America's gun violence problem boiled down to 'Black people, frankly,' and his apparent embrace of the 'replacement theory; promulgated by white supremacists...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Masters' "trail of youthful writings" traces back to the days he was a student at Stanford, a prestigious school. I have been wonderling for some time about our supposedly prestigious universities. When a liberal educational institution keeps producing nitwits like Masters and most of the confederate Supremes, how useful is the curriculum, how effective the professors? I think a lot of departments, run by dotty deans, think they're showing how open-minded they are by throwing academic robes around the shoulders of right-wing hacks, but in fact those right-wing hacks are giving ideas and cover to the narrow-minded, privileged little snots who increasingly run our government.

Georgia Senate Race. Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "A person described as a 'closely connected adviser' to [Herschel] Walker's Senate campaign has shared internal campaign messages with the [Daily Beast] that show a chaotic candidate who is mistrusted by his own campaign staff, who also express concerns that he 'isn't mentally fit for the job.' This adviser ... tells The Daily Beast that Walker tells lies 'like he's breathing' and further said that 'he's lied so much that we don't know what's true.' The adviser came forward ... after The Daily Beast reported on multiple undisclosed children that Walker has fathered over the years. According to the adviser, Walker lied to his own staff about the children, which led the campaign to put out claims about them that were later shown to be false."

Georgia. Livia Albeck-Ripka of the New York Times: "An explosive device that 'unknown individuals' detonated early Wednesday destroyed a granite monument in Georgia that was built under mysterious circumstances more than four decades ago and promoted by state officials as 'America's Stonehenge,' the authorities said. The monument, known as the Georgia Guidestones, which was built about nine miles north of Elberton, Ga., had four granite slabs connected to a center pillar, with a capstone on top.... It is unclear why the 19-foot granite slabs were there, or what they meant...." Some right-wing conspiracy theorists, including Alex Jones, have described the stones as designed to send some dire or satanic message. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Here's more from Amy Cheng of the Washington Post: "In a 2008 documentary, [Alex Jones] pointed to the granite slabs as evidence that global elites were plotting to enslave most of the world.... Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) ... told Jones in an interview Wednesday that the monument represented a future of 'population control' as envisioned by the 'hard left.'... Educator Kandiss Taylor, who finished a distant third ... [in the state's GOP gubernatorial primary], pledged to dismantle the monument and fight the 'Luciferian Cabal' that she suggested was behind it." MB: Is it really a "documentary" when it's all pure fantasy? I thought a documentary was supposed to document facts.

Jay Senter & Shaila Dewan of the New York Times: "A white Minneapolis police officer whose murder of a Black man outside a convenience store touched off protests around the world was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison on Thursday.... The former officer, Derek Chauvin, 46, was sentenced for using excessive force under color of law against both George Floyd, the man who died in the encounter, and a 14-year-old boy, also Black, who was injured in an unrelated, though similar, incident. With time already served deducted, Mr. Chauvin's sentence amounts to 20 years and five months, near the lower end of the range of 20 to 25 years prescribed by the sentencing guidelines. His federal and state sentences are to be served concurrently." The Guardian's story is here.

Pennsylvania. Christine Chung of the New York Times: "Two days after Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014, was sworn in as a police officer for a rural Pennsylvania community, he left the position, the borough of Tioga announced on Thursday. It came after a public outcry in response to the Williamsport Sun-Gazette article that revealed his hiring. David Wilcox, the mayor of Tioga, appeared on Wednesday at a community protest against Mr. Loehmann's hiring.... He stood atop a pickup truck and told residents that he had 'zero knowledge of the candidate that we just hired for our police department,' according to a video posted by The Wellsboro Gazette.... But Henry Hilow, a lawyer for Mr. Loehmann, called Mr. Wilcox’s statement disingenuous. He said the mayor had been aware of Mr. Loehmann's history. According to Mr. Hilow, Mr. Loehmann decided to resign because he did not want to be part of 'infighting' between the Tioga borough board and its mayor."

Texas. Arelis Hernández of the Washington Post: "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state National Guard soldiers and law enforcement officers Thursday to apprehend and return migrants suspected of crossing illegally back to the U.S.-Mexico border, testing how far his state can go in trying to enforce immigration law -- a federal responsibility. The order comes days after a group of right-wing Texas officials -- alongside a few former Trump administration leaders and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) -- asked the Republican governor to invoke the state and U.S. constitutions in declaring an 'invasion' at the southwest borde and to use his powers to repel it. The leaders of the sparsely populated counties near the border with Mexico complain that they have been overrun by smuggling attempts and increasing numbers of migrants evading detection.:

Way Beyond

** Japan. Michelle Lee of the Washington Post: "Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot at a campaign event Friday, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing Japanese police sources. Party officials cited in Japanese media said Abe is unconscious. He was giving a speech in Nara to support a campaigner, according to NHK. A short time later, NHK reported that Abe was showing no vital signs. At least two gunshots were heard on-site. The incident comes ahead of elections Sunday for Japan's upper house of parliament." This is all there is to the story at 11:20 pm ET Thursday. ~~~

     ~~~ ** Update: "Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a towering political figure at home and abroad, died after being shot at a campaign event Friday, doctors said, shocking a nation where firearms laws are among the world's strictest and gun violence is rare. Abe, 67, was stumping for a fellow politician from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Nara, near Osaka, on Friday morning when a gunman opened fire with what police described as a homemade weapon. Hidetada Fukushima, head of the emergency center at the Nara Medical University Hospital, said Abe arrived at the hospital at 12:20 p.m. Friday without vital signs. Doctors found two gunshot wounds to the neck, and one of the bullets had reached the heart, Fukushima said.... The assassination of Japan's longest-serving prime minister, and a staunch U.S. ally, sent shock waves throughout the country ahead of elections for the upper house of parliament on Sunday. Police arrested a suspect, a man from Nara in his 40s named Tetsuya Yamagami, and seized a gun. Yamagami was a member of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces for three years, defense officials told Japanese media."

     ~~~ The New York Times is live-updating developments here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's story is here. The Guardian's live updates are here. ~~~

     ~~~ Japan Times: "Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe -- one of the most consequential leaders in Japan's post-war history -- was shot in the chest while he was making a stump speech on a street in the city of Nara on Friday in what appears to be an assassination attempt. He is reportedly under cardiopulmonary arrest. He was unconscious when he was rushed to a hospital and was bleeding from the chest. The police have arrested the man suspected of attacking Abe.... Abe was transported via a medical helicopter to Nara Medical University in the city of Kashihara, south of central Nara, according to NHK, who quoted ambulance officials." ~~~

     ~~~ Abe's New York Times obituary, by Motoko Rich, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement, via the White House, is here.

Mexico. Mary Sheridan & Gabriela Martínez of the Washington Post: "Mexican prosecutors are investigating former president Enrique Peña Nieto in a case involving the suspicious movements of millions of dollars, authorities said Thursday. It was the first announcement of a corruption probe into the ex-leader. Pablo Gómez, head of the Treasury Ministry's financial crimes unit, told reporters that officials had detected 'a scheme through which a former president received economic benefits.' He said the findings had been handed over to the attorney general's office, which has opened an investigation. Peña Nieto has not been charged with a crime.... Gómez said the ex-leader had received 26 million pesos -- around $1.3 million -- in transfers in 2019 and 2021 from a relative who was making large deposits and withdrawals of cash from a bank account."

Netherlands. The Woes of Bezos. Claire Moses of the New York Times: "Jeff Bezos will not be able to sail a new, more than 400-foot-long superyacht through the waters of the Dutch city of Rotterdam anytime soon. The port city faced an uproar months ago as it considered dismantling a section of a 95-year-old bridge to allow the Amazon founder's yacht to pass. But now the boat's builder, the Dutch company Oceanco, has decided to refrain from applying for a permit, according to a Rotterdam City Council member. It was unclear how Mr. Bezos' yacht would leave the area or whether Oceanco would finish the boat.... The yacht was supposed to sail through the Koningshaven Bridge, known locally as 'De Hef,' over the summer and was on track to become the largest sailing yacht in the world at 417 feet, according to the superyacht industry publication Boat International."

U.K. The Guardian is live-updating developments Friday in Boris Johnson's long good-bye. ~~~

~~~ Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. Pippa Crerar of the (U.K.) Daily Mirror: "... the Prime Minister and wife Carrie have planned a lavish bash at the grace-and-favour country home to mark their marriage. The couple tied the knot in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral in front of just a handful of guests in May 2021. They then celebrated in the Downing Street garden but were only allowed 30 guests because of Covid restrictions in place at the time. The couple's Chequers do, planned for July 30, is expected to be a much bigger and more glamorous affair. Two separate sources told the Mirror that Mr and Mrs Johnson were keen to go ahead with the party, to which they have invited many of their family and friends.... The PM, who has finally announced that he would resign, would have to cancel the lavish do if he leaves office immediately." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ In a comment early yesterday, this is what Akhilleus predicted would happen. Chequers is the country home of the PM, so if Boris quit right off, as the Mirror sez, he could not hold the "lavish bash." ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Freedland of the Guardian: "Lies and a brazen contempt for the rules powered [Boris Johnson's] rise; lies and a brazen contempt for the rules brought his fall.... What began as defects in the personality of one man ended as defects in his party and his government, inflicting great damage on the entire country.... The last, fatal lie was his claim that he had not been told directly of complaints of sexual misconduct committed by the former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, a claim rapidly exposed as false in a rare intervention from a former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, Simon McDonald. It turned out that Johnson had indeed been briefed about Pincher.... But though that newest dishonesty was the last straw first for Sajid Javid, then minutes later for Rishi Sunak, and, over the dizzying 36 hours that followed, dozens of others, triggering a wave of resignations and withdrawals of backbench support that ultimately brought Johnson's removal, it was hardly what broke the Johnson premiership.... Dishonesty has been the one constant through Johnson's career. Famously, he was sacked from his first job, at the Times, for making up a quote, and later he was sacked from Michael Howard's frontbench for lying to the then party leader about an affair." And so forth. ~~~

~~~ Sarah Lyall of the New York Times: "After a lifetime of swaggering and dissembling his way through one scandal after another on the strength of his prodigious political skills -- a potent mix of charm, guile, ruthlessness, hubris, oratorical dexterity and rumpled Wodehousian bluster -- Boris Johnson has finally reached the end. It seems that the laws of gravity apply to him after all.... Over the years, he has routinely been described as mendacious, irresponsible, reckless and lacking any coherent philosophy other than wanting to seize and hold on to power.... In contrast to ... Donald J. Trump..., Mr. Johnson's approach has rarely been to double down on his lies or to delude himself for consistency's sake into acting as if they were true. Rather, he recasts them to fit new information that comes to light, as if the truth were a fungible concept, no more solid than quicksand.... His government weathered scandal after scandal, much of it centered on Mr. Johnson's own behavior.... His resignation speech, in which he vowed to remain in office until the Conservatives could choose a new leader, was notable for its lack of self-awareness and its misreading of the curdled mood of his former supporters."

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates in developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Friday are here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here: "The governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk region, which is now almost completely under Russian control, said Friday that the city of Severodonetsk is facing a 'humanitarian disaster.'... [U.S.] Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russia to end its blockade of Ukrainian grain exports in a contentious closed-door session of Group of 20 foreign ministers in Indonesia on Friday. It is the first time top Russian diplomat Sergei Lavrov has been face to face with many of his Western counterparts since the war began, though many have refused to meet with him alone. Meanwhile, the U.N. World Food Program warned of a 'looming hunger catastrophe' because of the war.... Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the war is just getting started, as he dared Ukraine's Western partners to fight his troops on the battlefield.... Blinken said he would not relent until 'wrongfully detained' WNBA star Brittney Griner is freed from Russian detention." ~~~

~~~ Robyn Dixon of the Washington Post: "American WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to carrying cannabis oil on the second day of a trial in Moscow that could see her sentenced to 10 years in prison. 'I'd like to plead guilty, Your Honor,' Griner said, according a Reuters reporter in the court. 'But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law.' She then asked to give her testimony at a later date, saying she needed time to prepare, and the court adjourned." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

News Ledes

CNBC: "Job growth accelerated at a much faster pace than expected in June, indicating that the main pillar of the U.S. economy remains strong despite pockets of weakness. Nonfarm payrolls increased 372,000 in the month, better than the 250,000 Dow Jones estimate and continuing what has been a strong year for job growth, according to data Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate was 3.6%, unchanged from May and in line with estimates."

New York Times: "Tony Sirico, the actor who played the eccentric gangster Paulie Walnuts on 'The Sopranos,' died Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 79."