The Conversation -- November 11, 2023

Santa Fe National Cemetery

Kevin Freking & Stephen Groves of the AP: "House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled his proposal on Saturday to avoid a partial government shutdown by extending government funding for some agencies and programs until Jan. 19 and continuing funding for others until Feb. 2. The approach is unusual for a stopgap spending bill. Usually, lawmakers extend funding until a certain date for all programs.... The bill excludes funding requested by President Joe Biden for Israel, Ukraine and the U.S. border with Mexico." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: All I can figure out is that Johnson's plan is to pass the buck to the Senate and President; if they don't approve the bill, Mike will blame Democrats for shutting down the government.

Wafaa Shurafa & Bassem Mroue of the AP: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back Saturday against growing international calls for a cease-fire, saying Israel's battle to crush Gaza's ruling Hamas militants will continue with 'full force.' A cease-fire would be possible only if all 239 hostages held by militants in Gaza are released, Netanyahu said in a televised address. The Israeli leader also insisted that after the war, now entering its sixth week, Gaza would be demilitarized and Israel would retain security control there. Asked what he meant by security control, Netanyahu said Israeli forces must be able to enter Gaza freely to hunt down militants."

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Josh Gerstein of the Politico: "Donald Trump is endorsing an effort by news organizations to provide live television coverage of his trial on federal charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. In a bombastic legal filing submitted late Friday to the judge who's scheduled that trial to begin in March, Trump's attorneys argued he's the victim of political persecution by President Joe Biden's administration and should be allowed to use the platform of TV to showcase the proceedings' unfairness. 'The prosecution wishes to continue this travesty in darkness. President Trump calls for sunlight,' defense attorneys John Lauro and Todd Blanche wrote."

President for Life. Marie: Yesterday we linked to a WashPo story that cited Donald Trump's saying during a Univision interview,

"They [Democrats] have done something that allows the next party ... if I happen to be president and I see somebody who's doing well and beating me very badly, I say, "Go down and indict them." They'd be out of business. They'd be out of the election."

Trump's plan to break the knees of his political adversaries has gained at least some of the attention it deserves. But I haven't heard a single mention of Part 2 of what Trump says is the plan. To parse Trump's terrible syntax as best I can: Trump says here, "If I am elected president*, I will tell DOJ to indict anyone who is 'beating me very badly' in the next election." Now, I ask you, What "next election"? Should Trump win a second term, he would be term-limited out. Under the Constitution, he cannot run again; there cannot be another presidential election in which Trump is president*, he sics the DOJ on an opponent who is "beating me very badly." Ergo, it is obvious that Trump plans to run for a third term.

Shane Harris & Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "A senior Ukrainian military officer with deep ties to the country's intelligence services played a central role in the bombing of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline last year, according to officials in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe, as well as other people.... The officer's role provides the most direct evidence to date tying Ukraine's military and security leadership to a controversial act of sabotage that has spawned multiple criminal investigations and that U.S. and Western officials have called a dangerous attack on Europe's energy infrastructure. Roman Chervinsky, a decorated 48-year-old colonel who served in Ukraine's Special Operations Forces, was the ''coordinator' of the Nord Stream operation..., managing logistics and support for a six-person team that rented a sailboat under false identities and used deep-sea diving equipment to place explosive charges on the gas pipelines. On Sept. 26, 2022, three explosions caused massive leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The attack left only one of the four gas links in the network intact as winter approached. Chervinsky ... took orders from more senior Ukrainian officials, who ultimately reported to Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine's highest-ranking military officer, said people familiar with how the operation was carried out.... Chervinsky's participation in the Nord Stream bombing contradicts [President] Zelensky's public denials that his country was involved."

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Yasmeen Abutaleb & Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "President Biden will meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an economic conference in San Francisco next week, one year after their last face-to-face meeting in Bali. The two leaders are expected to meet on Wednesday as they both travel to San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, which is being held in San Francisco, senior administration officials told reporters during a call on Thursday. Biden and Xi have not had any direct communication since their last in-person summit last year. The highly anticipated meeting comes as the two sides try to stabilize a relationship rocked by a series of crises, including China's aggressive response to former speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last year and the U.S. military's shoot-down of a Chinese spy balloon that crossed the United States in February."

Darla Mercado & Christina Wilkie of CNBC: "Moody's Investors Service on Friday lowered its ratings outlook on the United States' government to negative from stable, pointing to rising risks to the nation's fiscal strength.... 'In the context of higher interest rates, without effective fiscal policy measures to reduce government spending or increase revenues,' the agency said. 'Moody's expects that the US' fiscal deficits will remain very large, significantly weakening debt affordability.' Brinkmanship in Washington has also been a contributing factor, Moody's said. 'Continued political polarization within US Congress raises the risk that successive governments will not be able to reach consensus on a fiscal plan to slow the decline in debt affordability,' the ratings agency said." MB: This is both-siderism-speak. Maybe Mike Johnson is a good indicator of what "polarization" really means: some about scrapping most of the Constitution. ~~~

Laura Jedeed in Politico Magazine: "'Speaker Mike Johnson has long been a supporter of Convention of States,' Mark Meckler, co-founder of Convention of States Action (COSA), told me.... For the last 10 years, the 'Convention of States' movement has sought to remake the Constitution and force a tea party vision of the framers' intent upon America. This group wants to wholesale rewrite wide swaths of the U.S. Constitution in one fell swoop. In the process, they hope to do away with regulatory agencies like the FDA and the CDC, virtually eliminate the federal government's ability to borrow money, and empower state legislatures to override federal law." ~~~

~~~ Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) displays a flag associated with Christian extremism outside his office at the U.S. Capitol. The Louisiana Republican posted flags outside his office representing the United States and Louisiana, along with a Revolutionary War-era 'Appeal to Heaven' flag, which has become associated with New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) network seeking to place the government under right-wing Christian control, reported Rolling Stone.... 'The "Mandate," as they understand it, is given by God for Christians to "take dominion" and "conquer" the tops of all seven of these sectors and have Christian influence flow down into the rest of society,' reported Bradley Onishi and Matthew D. Taylor for the magazine."

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "The House is not in order. Under [Mike] Johnson, the House is utterly out of control. It's not just the speaker's inability to curb the proliferation of censure resolutions, which have turned the chamber into a seething den of recriminations. In just seven days, the federal government will shut down after a temporary extension in funding (which cost Kevin McCarthy the speakership) expires. And Johnson (R-La.) has been fumbling in the dark. He squandered this week without passing, or even floating, a plan to avoid a shutdown. His plan -- whatever it is -- will come to the floor just days before the lights go out.... The serial failures are the direct result of GOP leadership's stubborn insistence on passing spending bills with Republican votes alone -- in contrast to the Senate, where all 12 appropriations bills command bipartisan support.... Trust him? Not after this start."

Jonah Bromwich & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Representative Elise Stefanik, a member of the House Republican leadership and an ally of ... Donald J. Trump, filed an ethics complaint Friday attacking the judge presiding over Mr. Trump's civil fraud trial, the latest salvo in a right-wing war against the case. Echoing the courtroom rhetoric of Mr. Trump's lawyers, the letter complains that the Democratic judge, Arthur F. Engoron, has been biased against the former president.... The letter, to a judicial conduct commission, is unlikely to have any immediate repercussions in the trial, which will determine the consequences Mr. Trump and his company will face as a result of the fraud. But it represents the latest Republican attempt to tar Justice Engoron, and to meddle with Ms. James's case." The NBC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you look at the letter, you'll see that it is a screed with footnotes. You might think the authors were hack lawyers for Trump.

Devlin Barrett & Perry Stein of the Washington Post: "The judge overseeing Donald Trump's indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents said Friday she would give the former president more time to review evidence before the May trial date, but also signaled she could decide next year if the trial itself should be pushed back. In a nine-page order, U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon said she would revisit Trump's request to delay the trial in South Florida at a scheduling conference in March.... Cannon wrote in her order Friday that she expects a significant amount of legal fighting to come over what she called the 'unusually high volume' of evidence, particularly classified evidence." Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The hoohah over access to classified docs seems warranted. While there are likely a few classified docs that the Trump team needs to see because the government alleges in its charging papers that Trump has shared classified information he obtained from them, the main issues regarding the classified material is not the content of the documents but the facts that he stole them, hid them and lied to the feds about having them. So for most of the hundreds of classified documents the feds found lying around Mar-a-Lardo, all the Trumpies need to review are the folders or cover sheets, not the contents.

Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "The Rev. Stephen C. Lee is one of the lesser-known figures indicted with ... Donald J. Trump in Fulton County, Ga., on charges of unlawfully conspiring to keep Mr. Trump in power after the 2020 election. But on Thursday night at an evangelical church near Chicago, dozens of people held their arms aloft and prayed over Pastor Lee at a fund-raiser where he was portrayed as an American hero -- and a victim of religious persecution.... Pastor Lee, 71, is a former law enforcement officer who became a Lutheran minister and currently leads a small church in Orland Park, Ill.... His lawyer, David Shestokas, has argued that Pastor Lee was ... engaging in 'pastoral activities' when he showed up in Georgia after the 2020 election. There, he tried to meet with Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County elections worker whom Mr. Trump and his allies had falsely accused of ballot fraud, a conspiracy theory that ricocheted around the internet. At the time, Ms. Freeman was being barraged with threats and harassment."

Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "An associate of a Jan. 6 defendant pleaded guilty this week to charges that the two men plotted 'to murder employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.' Austin Carter, who was a 26-year-old security officer and a member of the Army Reserves at the time of his arrest in December 2022, admitted in a plea agreement that he 'unlawfully and knowingly combined, conspired, and agreed with his co-defendant,' Edward Kelley, to kill FBI personnel. Carter admitted that he provided a cooperating witness 'with a list of FBI employees that CARTER received from KELLEY' on or about Dec. 13, 2022, and that Carter instructed the cooperating witness 'to memorize the FBI employees identified on the list and then burn the list.' Kelley and Carter 'discussed plans to attack the FBI Field Office in Knoxville, Tennessee' and that the purpose of the conspiracy was 'to retaliate against government conduct,' Carter admitted. A court filing from December said that the list Kelley provided included about 37 names of law enforcement personnel who worked on Kelley's Jan. 6 case, and identified which officers were present when Kelley was arrested."

Ryan Reilly & Jonathan Dienst of NBC News: "A former New Jersey National Guard police sergeant accused of pepper-spraying officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack turned himself in to authorities in New Jersey on Friday following a 48-hour manhunt. Gregory Yetman faces several charges, including felonies such as assaulting officers and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, as well as some misdemeanor offenses, according to the FBI. Yetman was taken into custody after the FBI on Thursday announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest."

Presidential Race 2024

Charlie Savage, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump is planning an extreme expansion of his first-term crackdown on immigration if he returns to power in 2025 -- including preparing to round up undocumented people already in the United States on a vast scale and detain them in sprawling camps while they wait to be expelled.... Mr. Trump wants to revive his first-term border policies, including banning entry by people from certain Muslim-majority nations and reimposing a Covid 19-era policy of refusing asylum claims -- though this time he would base that refusal on assertions that migrants carry other infectious diseases like tuberculosis. He plans to scour the country for unauthorized immigrants and deport people by the millions per year."

Charlie Nash of Mediaite: Former Trump Secretary of Defense Mark Esper explained on CNN that Trump could invoke the Insurrection Act against ordinary protesters, and in his opinion, it would be "completely legal."

Tommy Christopher of Mediaite: "On Tuesday night, Democrats won a slew of unexpected victories in those off-year elections -- such as Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear's victory and the success of ballot initiatives protecting abortion rights -- that stunned the political world. But in a new interview for Univision Noticias with Enrique Acevedo, Trump took credit once again for overturning Roe v. Wade and made a stunning escalation of his oft-told lie that Democrats believe in literally murdering babies after they’re born: '...The Democrats were killing babies after birth, killing babies in the ninth month, you know, etc., etc....'"

Ben Terris & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post play "Where's Melanie?" I don't think they've seen her but they hear she's mostly at Mar-a-Lardo & sometimes at Trump Tower in NYC.

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Louisiana. Katie Benner of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court on Friday agreed with a lower-court ruling that Louisiana's latest congressional map very likely violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters, and ordered the state to finalize a new map by Jan. 15. The decision, issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, said that the State Legislature should complete a new set of voting districts in time 'for the result to be used for the 2024 Louisiana congressional elections.' Louisiana is one of several Southern states led by Republicans that have been mired in legal battles as they face accusations of racial discrimination in their electoral maps."

New York. William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "F.B.I. agents seized [New York City] Mayor Eric Adams's electronic devices early this week in what appeared to be a dramatic escalation of a criminal inquiry into whether his 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government and others to funnel money into its coffers. The agents approached the mayor after an event in Manhattan on Monday evening and asked his security detail to step away, a person ... said. They climbed into his S.U.V. with him and, pursuant to a court-authorized warrant, took his devices, the person said. The devices -- at least two cellphones and an iPad -- were returned to the mayor within a matter of days, according to that person and another person familiar with the situation." CNN's story is here.

Ohio. Melissa Quinn of CBS News: "Republicans in the Ohio state legislature are threatening to strip state courts of their authority to review cases related to Issue 1, the ballot measure approved by voters on Tuesday that established a right to abortion in the state constitution. A group of four state GOP lawmakers announced their plans in a press release Thursday, which also teased forthcoming legislative action in response to voters' approval of the reproductive rights initiative.... The GOP lawmakers did not provide details on the legislation they plan to introduce."

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Israel/Palestine. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Saturday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "As Israeli tanks encircled hospitals in Gaza City, bombardment and fighting has raged around al-Shifa Hospital, the city's largest, with medical workers unable to leave. Fuel shortages left the overcrowded hospital without power, killing a premature baby and four patients in the intensive care unit, Gaza health officials said Saturday. The International Committee of the Red Cross warned earlier that the medical system in the besieged Palestinian enclave had reached a 'point of no return.' Doctors Without Borders said they could not reach staff at al-Shifa, where thousands of displaced people have been sheltering. Amid an Israeli advance against Hamas, several hospitals in Gaza City have come under fire or were overtaken by Israeli forces on Friday, forcing their evacuation, according to videos verified by The Washington Post." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times's live updates are here. CNN's live updates are here.

The Conversation -- November 10, 2023

Jeanne Whalen of the Washington Post: "President Biden and the head of the United Auto Workers on Thursday hailed the planned reopening of a shuttered auto factory in northern Illinois, saying the recent autoworkers' strike had pushed Stellantis to reinvest in the site and promise thousands of new jobs. The Jeep maker's pledge to reopen the facility was one of the union's bigger wins in the tentative contract agreement that it reached with the company late last month. It's also a win for Biden, who threw his weight behind the autoworkers' strike and personally lobbied Stellantis for the factory's revival. The tentative agreement, which still must be ratified by a majority of Stellantis's UAW workers, calls for the company to invest roughly $5 billion in Belvidere, a small city 70 miles northwest of Chicago." ~~~

     ~~~ Jennifer Bahney of Mediaite: "President Joe Biden had a comical moment while addressing United Auto Workers members in Illinois on Thursday in the form of a sudden thud that interrupted his speech.... 'I want the press to know, that wasn't me,' he continued to applause and laughter, as he broke into a smile."

Tony Romm & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "For the second time this year, the U.S. government on Thursday began making formal preparations for a possible federal shutdown, as hard-line House conservatives once again threatened to leave Congress unable to meet a fast-approaching fiscal deadline. With only eight days remaining [MB: make that seven] before current funding expires, the White House's top budget office told federal agencies to ready their plans for a major interruption, which could see millions of civilian workers and military personnel sent home or forced to work without pay after Nov. 17.... Even as the House prepared on Thursday to conclude its legislative work for the week, the chamber still did not have a fully developed plan in hand to extend federal funding, days after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) urged the public to 'trust us.'" ~~~

~~~ Epic Fail. Catie Edmondson & Carl Hulse of the New York Times: “At odds with one another on spending, House Republicans abruptly scrapped their legislative work on Thursday and left Washington with little progress toward funding the government and no plan to avert a shutdown next week. Speaker Mike Johnson, just two weeks into the job, had yet to give any public indication about his plan to prevent a lapse in government spending -- currently slated to happen next Friday at midnight if Congress fails to act. That effort would involve rallying deeply anti-spending Republicans around a stopgap funding bill that is likely to be a dead letter in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Instead of revealing a path forward to keep the government open, Mr. Johnson spent the week trying and failing to push through two individual spending bills that collapsed for lack of G.O.P. support." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The chaos caucus almost certainly wants to shut down the government. They're so anti-government that they seem to have a perverse strategy to prove that everything about the federal government, themselves included, is worthless. BTW, Mike, an actual leader would keep the kids in their seats all weekend, not give them a long weekend vacay.

Sour Grapes. Manu Raju, et al., of CNN: "Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ... railed on the Republicans who voted for his removal -- and bluntly predicted that one of his detractors would lose reelection next year. In an exclusive interview with CNN in his new office on Thursday, McCarthy said that GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina didn't deserve to be reelected in her competitive district next year -- and he questioned the wisdom of his GOP critics for following the lead of Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, whom he accused of leading the charge out of retaliation for an ethics complaint he is facing.... McCarthy referred to six of his GOP detractors as 'disruptors,' and said he was particularly surprised that Mace and Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett joined Gaetz in the effort to oust him. And McCarthy said the Republican Party would benefit 'tremendously' if Gaetz was no longer a member of the House, saying there should be 'consequences' for his action."

Pot > Kettle. Tori Otten of the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: Rep. James "Comer [R-Ky.] has for months accused [President] Biden of corruption, although he has yet to produce any evidence. In late October, he dropped a so-called 'bombshell': Biden had given his brother James Biden a $200,000 check with the words 'loan repayment' on the front. Comer insisted the check was actually proof of 'shady' business practices in the Biden family, despite the fact that multiple news outlets -- including conservative-leaning ones -- found evidence to the contrary. What's more, the check was from 2018, when Biden was not in office or running for president. But as The Daily Beast pointed out in a report published Thursday, 'if Comer genuinely believes these transactions clear the "shady business practices" bar, he might want to consider a parallel inquiry into his own family.' Not only did Comer also lend his brother $200,000, he did it in the sketchiest way possible, according to the report. Comer co-owns a farming business with his brother.... With this business, Comer and his brother have engaged in multiple land swaps over the years.... While he was swapping the land from his family's farming business, Comer held multiple important roles in agriculture oversight.... The Beast also found that Comer supposedly runs multiple businesses that do not appear to exist on paper." Thanks to Forrest M. for the link.

Tobi Raji of the Washington Post: "The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed its highly anticipated Thursday morning vote to subpoena a pair of close associates of two Supreme Court justices, after Republicans on the committee filed more than 90 amendments to slow the next phase of a months-long Supreme Court ethics inquiry. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee that oversees the federal courts, in a statement accused Republicans of 'jamm[ing] the gears of the committee' as it seeks to understand the extent of the gifts and luxury trips Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow and conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo provided or helped arrange for Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr." CNN's story is here.

** Jack Has a Plan. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A new court filing from [Jack] Smith's team this week reveals that the mob that stormed Congress in [Donald] Trump's name will be the centerpiece of his trial, scheduled to begin on March 4. It wasn't just an unfortunate reaction to Trump's incendiary remarks that day, prosecutors contend. It was a tool that Trump used to launch one last desperate bid to cling to power. Trump's criminal conspiracies 'culminated and converged' on Jan. 6, when he attempted to prevent Congress from finalizing Joe Biden's victory, argued senior assistant special counsel Molly Gaston. One of the ways that the defendant did so ... was to direct an angry crowd of his supporters to the Capitol and to continue to stoke their anger while they were rioting,' Gaston wrote in the filing.... By combining the Trump allegations with the riot, Smith is unlocking a mountain of case law developed in those Jan. 6 riot cases to tie Trump more clearly to the violence than he has been to date. In short, he's casting Trump as one of the 1,200-plus riot defendants who have already been charged....

"The words in Smith's filing are almost verbatim the case that the committee's vice chair, Liz Cheney, made at the panel's first public hearing.... To make [the prosecution's] case, Smith seems poised to adopt another tactic the select committee once used: testimony of the Jan. 6 rioters themselves, along with video of the mob's intense violence -- much of it coming after Trump repeatedly implored his supporters to march on the Capitol.... Dozens -- if not hundreds -- of those charged in the riot have pointed squarely at Trump for motivating their conduct. Thousands of Trump's supporters had already begun marching to the Capitol before Trump urged them to conduct their march 'peacefully and patriotically.'" ~~~

The new prosecution filing, which is here, was submitted in answer to Trump's motion to "prohibit federal prosecutors from even mentioning the chaos and violence unleashed by his supporters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021." This answer is worth reading, too, as it provides not only a narrative of January 6 events but also evidence that Trump himself has previously admitted, in court filings, that the the indictment "directly alleges that [the defendant] 'directed [supporters] to the Capitol to obstruct the certification proceeding,"' and argued that any Select Committee records of his and others' knowledge and intent related to actions at the Capitol on January 6 "is plainly relevant." (Also linked yesterday.)

Katelyn Polantz & Paula Reid of CNN: "A plumber, a maid, a chauffeur and a woodworker are among Mar-a-Lago staffers and contract workers who federal prosecutors may call to testify against ... Donald Trump and his two co-defendants at their upcoming criminal trial in Florida, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation.... Other likely witnesses also include Trump Secret Service agents, former intelligence officials, as well as people who were in the room with Trump when he was captured on multiple audio recordings referencing a military document about potential plans to bomb Iran, according to the sources. But the low-level workers who were the eyes and ears of Mar-a-Lago, if called to testify, could offer the public a new level of insight into the exclusive club and Trump's approach to sensitive national security information since he left office. Some of them are still employed at Mar-a-Lago."

Marcy Wheeler: "Right in the middle of an impeachment for extorting Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dig up dirt on the Bidens and Burisma, Bill Barr's DOJ shut down a corruption investigation into Burisma's Mykola Zlochevsky. Then, days later, Barr set up a process that would insert an allegation that Zlochevsky bribed Joe Biden into the ongoing investigation of Hunter Biden. That is -- by far -- the most scandalous allegation that has come out of the Jamie Comer and Jim Jordan-led effort to gin up an impeachment of Joe Biden. Bill Barr's DOJ shut down an investigation into Zlochevsky's corruption, and then mainlined an allegation of corruption involving Zlochevsky into the investigation of Joe Biden's son. To be fair, the claim that Bill Barr's DOJ shut down a corruption investigation of Zlochevsky didn't come from Comer or Jordan. It came from [Sen.] Chuck Grassley [R-Iowa]. Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: Just is case you were wondering if Barr's DOJ might have been politically corrupt right at the tippy-top. (Also linked yesterday.)

Elections 2024

Michael Wines of the New York Times: "Suspicious letters were sent to local elections officials in at least four states, the authorities said on Thursday, including to two locations in Washington State that were said to include white powders containing the toxic drug fentanyl. Preliminary tests indicated that letters sent to at least two of four Washington election offices -- in Spokane County and King County, which includes Seattle -- contained fentanyl, law enforcement officials said. Georgia authorities said that a letter bound for the election office in Fulton County, which includes much of Atlanta, had been flagged as potentially including fentanyl but had not yet been delivered. And California authorities said that they were uncertain what was in letters sent to election offices in Sacramento and Los Angeles. Fentanyl can be fatal if ingested even in small doses, but in general, experts say, skin contact such as what might occur when opening a letter poses little risk. None of the affected election offices reported that any employees were [was!] injured." The NBC News story is here.

Presidential Race. Matt Viser & Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "President Biden ... is now facing an expanding list of declared or potential challengers who could further complicate his effort to win a second term and defeat leading rival Donald Trump. On Thursday, Jill Stein, blamed by some Democrats for helping to funnel votes away from Hillary Clinton in 2016, announced another presidential bid in 2024 as the Green Party candidate. And later in the day, Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) ... announced he was retiring from the Senate and would spend the coming months traveling the country to gauge 'if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.' [Manchin stories linked below.] Biden also faces nettlesome campaign opponents in Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) -- who recently launched a Democratic primary challenge declaring that 'it's time for a new generation' -- and from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who after flirting with a primary campaign is running as an independent in the general election."

Presidential Race. Margaret Sullivan of the Guardian: Reading the results of a poll that "showed Donald Trump winning the presidential election by significant margins over Joe Biden in several swing states..., [plus] Biden's low approval ratings, despite his accomplishments, and you come to an unavoidable conclusion: the news media needs [need!] to do its job better. The press must get across to American citizens the crucial importance of this election and the dangers of a Trump win.... Instead, journalists have emphasized Joe Biden's age and Trump's 'freewheeling' style. They blame the public's attitudes on 'polarization', as if they themselves have no role. And, of course, they make the election about the horse race -- rather than what would happen a few lengths after the finish line. Here's what must be hammered home: Trump cannot be re-elected if you want the United States to be a place where elections decide outcomes, where voting rights matter, and where politicians don't baselessly prosecute their adversaries." Thanks to Elizabeth for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: "In an interview that aired Thursday night on Univision..., Donald Trump indicated that if he's elected in 2024, he may use the federal government to punish his critics and he defended his administration's separation of migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border. During the interview on the Spanish-language TV network, journalist Enrique Acevedo asked Trump if he would weaponize the FBI and Justice Department on his opponents in the same way he claims federal law enforcement agencies have been weaponized against him. 'Yeah. If they do this, and they've already done it, but if they follow through on this, yeah, it could certainly happen in reverse,' Trump told Acevedo, according to excerpts of the interview.... 'They have done something that allows the next party ... if I happen to be president and I see somebody who's doing well and beating me very badly, I say, 'Go down and indict them." They'd be out of business. They'd be out of the election,' Trump continued....

"The decision to separate families [at the U.S.-Mexico border], he argued, stopped people from coming by their hundreds of thousands because 'when they hear family separation, they say "Well, we better not go."'" MB: I doubt this sounds any better in Spanish. A CBS News story is here.

Presidential Race/West Virginia Senate Race. Manchin's One-Two Punch. Burgess Everett of Politico: "Joe Manchin will not seek reelection to the Senate, a move that essentially cedes his seat to the GOP in deep-red West Virginia and removes one of Congress' most prominent centrist voices in either party.... Manchin has repeatedly declined to rule out a third-party run for president, possibly on a ticket funded by the deep-pocketed group No Labels. He indicated that he may not be leaving the political scene entirely, saying that he will be 'traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle.'" MB: Newsflash, Joe: A politician who avidly promotes fossil fuel is not "in the middle." Anyhow, I have the feeling Joe looked in the mirror and saw a distinguished senator who should be president. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: Joe Manchin's decision "not seek re-election [deals] a blow to Democrats' chances of holding the Senate next year.... Mr. Manchin, who served six years as governor before his election to the Senate in 2010, was seen as the only Democrat with a chance of holding the seat.... Instead, Mr. Manchin ... said he would continue exploring whether there was an appetite in the country for a centrist third-party bid for the presidency. That prospect has alarmed many Democrats, who fear such a run could doom President Biden's hopes of remaining in the White House.

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Israel/Palestine

The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates are here: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel doesn't 'seek to occupy Gaza,' a slight shift in tone after his previous comments that Israel would be responsible for the Palestinian enclave's security 'for an indefinite period' raised red flags in the Biden administration. 'We don't seek to conquer Gaza ... and we don't seek to govern Gaza,' he said in an interview with Fox News late Thursday, adding that the goal 'in the foreseeable future' was to eliminate threats from Hamas militants. Israel announced a six-hour evacuation corridor on Gaza's main highway on Friday, after agreeing to 'tactical, localized pauses' for aid deliveries and fleeing civilians. However, this fell short of the three-day pause sought by President Biden, while aid groups described the pauses as insufficient for Palestinians growing desperate with little food or water, and nowhere safe to flee. ~~~

"Barbara Leaf, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, said this week that the number of Palestinian lives lost in Gaza is likely to be higher than the 10,000 being cited by Gaza's Health Ministry. Leaf, the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, told a House panel Wednesday the number of lives lost in just one month of fighting is probably 'higher than is being cited.'" ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's live updates for Friday are here: "US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave one of his most direct condemnations yet of the mounting death toll in Gaza, saying 'far too many Palestinians have been killed.' The US has offered firm support to Israel but Blinken's messaging has shifted in recent days. A hospital in Gaza said Israeli strikes hit near the vicinity of two hospitals in the north of the territory, where fighting has been raging. Israel has not commented on the strikes, but accuses Hamas of embedding itself in civilian infrastructure."

New York Times: "Israeli strikes have continued to batter the Gaza Strip since Israel's ground invasion began 13 days ago. As the Israeli military has encircled Gaza City and reached deep into the city, air and ground strikes have hit locations throughout the enclave where thousands of displaced people are known to be sheltering, including hospitals and schools."

From CNN's liveblog on the Israel/Hamas war, also linked yesterday: "Israel will begin to implement four-hour pauses of military operations in areas of northern Gaza each day, the White House says, to allow for humanitarian assistance and to allow civilians to flee. Israel will announce the timing of the pauses three hours beforehand, according to John Kirby, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council. 'We've been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause, and that this process is starting today,' Kirby said." MB: It seems pretty clear, from comments President Biden made to reporters, that the U.S. is behind these temporary ceasefires. I doubt if Trump -- or any of the bozos on Wednesday night's debate state, would have instigated these humanitarian pauses. (Also linked yesterday.)

Charlie Nash of Mediaite: "An open letter condemning 'Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza' received more than 750 signatures from journalists on Thursday. 'We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians,' declared the letter, which noted that at least 35 journalists had been killed, with many other reporters losing members of their family, as a result of Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza over the past month." MB: That is a staggering number of journalists killed in less than a month. By comparison, in the 20-year Vietnam war, 63 journalists were killed.

Jake Offenhartz of the AP: ""Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the lobby of The New York Times on Thursday, demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza while accusing the media of showing a bias toward Israel in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. The latest in a series of near-nightly demonstrations since the start of the war saw thousands march through Midtown Manhattan to protest Israel's attacks on Gaza. At around 5 p.m., a small group of demonstrators led by media workers calling themselves 'Writers Bloc' entered the atrium of the Times building carrying a banner calling for a cease-fire. They remained for over an hour, reading off the names of thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza, including at least 36 journalists whose deaths have been confirmed since the war began. They scattered editions of a mock newspaper -- 'The New York War Crimes' -- that charged the media with 'complicity in laundering genocide' and called on The Times' editorial board to publicly back a cease-fire."

The Conversation -- November 9, 2023

** Jack Has a Plan. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A new court filing from [Jack] Smith's team this week reveals that the mob that stormed Congress in [Donald] Trump's name will be the centerpiece of his trial, scheduled to begin on March 4. It wasn't just an unfortunate reaction to Trump's incendiary remarks that day, prosecutors contend. It was a tool that Trump used to launch one last desperate bid to cling to power. Trump's criminal conspiracies 'culminated and converged' on Jan. 6, when he attempted to prevent Congress from finalizing Joe Biden's victory, argued senior assistant special counsel Molly Gaston. One of the ways that the defendant did so ... was to direct an angry crowd of his supporters to the Capitol and to continue to stoke their anger while they were rioting,' Gaston wrote in the filing.... By combining the Trump allegations with the riot, Smith is unlocking a mountain of case law developed in those Jan. 6 riot cases to tie Trump more clearly to the violence than he has been to date. In short, he's casting Trump as one of the 1,200-plus riot defendants who have already been charged....

"The words in Smith's filing are almost verbatim the case that the committee's vice chair, Liz Cheney, made at the panel's first public hearing.... To make [the prosecution's] case, Smith seems poised to adopt another tactic the select committee once used: testimony of the Jan. 6 rioters themselves, along with video of the mob's intense violence -- much of it coming after Trump repeatedly implored his supporters to march on the Capitol.... Dozens -- if not hundreds -- of those charged in the riot have pointed squarely at Trump for motivating their conduct. Thousands of Trump's supporters had already begun marching to the Capitol before Trump urged them to conduct their march 'peacefully and patriotically.'" ~~~

The new prosecution filing, which is here, was submitted in answer to Trump's motion to "prohibit federal prosecutors from even mentioning the chaos and violence unleashed by his supporters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021." This answer is worth reading, too, as it provides not only a narrative of January 6 events but also evidence that Trump himself has previously admitted, in court filings, that the the indictment "directly alleges that [the defendant] 'directed [supporters] to the Capitol to obstruct the certification proceeding,"' and argued that any Select Committee records of his and others' knowledge and intent related to actions at the Capitol on January 6 "is plainly relevant."

Burgess Everett of Politico: "Joe Manchin will not seek reelection to the Senate, a move that essentially cedes his seat to the GOP in deep-red West Virginia and removes one of Congress' most prominent centrist voices in either party.... Manchin has repeatedly declined to rule out a third-party run for president, possibly on a ticket funded by the deep-pocketed group No Labels. He indicated that he may not be leaving the political scene entirely, saying that he will be 'traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle.'" MB: Newsflash, Joe: A politician who avidly promotes fossil fuel is not :in the middle." Anyhow, I have the feeling Joe looked in the mirror and saw a distinguished senator who should be president.

Margaret Sullivan of the Guardian: Reading the results of a poll that "showed Donald Trump winning the presidential election by significant margins over Joe Biden in several swing states..., [plus] Biden's low approval ratings, despite his accomplishments, and you come to an unavoidable conclusion: the news media needs to do its job better. The press must get across to American citizens the crucial importance of this election and the dangers of a Trump win.... Instead, journalists have emphasized Joe Biden's age and Trump's 'freewheeling' style. They blame the public's attitudes on 'polarization', as if they themselves have no role. And, of course, they make the election about the horse race -- rather than what would happen a few lengths after the finish line. Here's what must be hammered home: Trump cannot be re-elected if you want the United States to be a place where elections decide outcomes, where voting rights matter, and where politicians don't baselessly prosecute their adversaries." Thanks to Elizabeth for the link.

From CNN's liveblog on the Israel/Hamas war, also linked below: "Israel will begin to implement four-hour pauses of military operations in areas of northern Gaza each day, the White House says, to allow for humanitarian assistance and to allow civilians to flee. Israel will announce the timing of the pauses three hours beforehand, according to John Kirby, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council. 'We've been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause, and that this process is starting today,' Kirby said." MB: It seems pretty clear, from comments President Biden made to reporters, that the U.S. is behind these temporary ceasefires. I doubt if Trump -- or any of the bozos on Wednesday night's debate state, would have instigated these humanitarian pauses.

Marcy Wheeler: "Right in the middle of an impeachment for extorting Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dig up dirt on the Bidens and Burisma, Bill Barr's DOJ shut down a corruption investigation into Burisma's Mykola Zlochevsky. Then, days later, Barr set up a process that would insert an allegation that Zlochevsky bribed Joe Biden into the ongoing investigation of Hunter Biden. That is -- by far -- the most scandalous allegation that has come out of the Jamie Comer and Jim Jordan -led effort to gin up an impeachment of Joe Biden. Bill Barr's DOJ shut down an investigation into Zlochevsky's corruption, and then mainlined an allegation of corruption involving Zlochevsky into the investigation of Joe Biden's son. To be fair, the claim that Bill Barr's DOJ shut down a corruption investigation of Zlochevsky didn't come from Comer or Jordan. It came from [Sen.] Chuck Grassley [R-Iowa]. Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: Just is case you were wondering if Barr's DOJ might have been politically corrupt right at the tippy-top.

~~~~~~~~~~

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The Biden administration has chosen a vacant lot in Greenbelt, Md., for the new headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, despite the lingering concerns of some senior bureau officials, four people familiar with the situation said late Wednesday. The plan, which is expected to be made public on Thursday, could still face internal hurdles and zoning or funding issues, but if it goes through it would end one of the most hotly contested bureaucratic decisions of the past decade. Under the proposal, the sprawling campus will be near the Greenbelt Metro station as part of a larger multiuse development. It would replace the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building in downtown Washington, which is sheathed in netting to shield passers-by from falling concrete." Politico's story is here.

Matt Seyler & Luis Martinez of ABC News: "The U.S. military on Wednesday said American warplanes struck a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria that officials said was being used by Iran-backed militants responsible for dozens of drone and rocket attacks against American troops in the region over the last three weeks. It was the second such counterstrike in the past two weeks.... Two F-15 fighters launched precision munitions at a weapons-storage warehouse in Deir el-Zour province, according to U.S. officials. 'This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates. The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today's action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,' [Defense Secretary Lloyd] Austin said [in a prepared statement]."

Holmes Lybrand of CNN: "Three individuals have been arrested on charges of operating a 'high-end brothel network' in Massachusetts and Virginia with a clientele that included elected officials, military officers and government contractors with security clearances, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.... [Acting U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Joshua] Levy did not identify any of the brothel's clients and noted that multiple search warrants are being executed in the case in Massachusetts, California and Virginia. Han Lee, 41, of Cambridge, Massachusetts; James Lee, 68, of Torrance, California; and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Massachusetts have been charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity."

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "House Republicans on Wednesday issued subpoenas demanding testimony from Hunter and James Biden, the president's son and brother, as they hunt for evidence to try to build an impeachment case against him. Representative James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and the chairman of the Oversight Committee, authorized the subpoenas of President Biden's family members as well as Rob Walker, one of their business associates. It was the most significant move in the impeachment inquiry since Republicans announced they were opening it in September, despite no evidence that the president had committed high crimes or misdemeanors.... Also on Wednesday, Mr. Comer demanded that other Biden family members submit to transcribed interviews. He sent letters seeking interviews to Sara Biden; Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden, the president's older son; Elizabeth Secundy, Hallie Biden's sister; Melissa Cohen, who is married to Hunter Biden; and Tony Bobulinski, a former associate of Hunter Biden's who has accused the Bidens of wrongdoing." CNN's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Really? The sister of the widow of the deceased brother of the living son of the President? I'm surprised they didn't subpoena Joe's dogs, too. Then, instead of biting themselves in the ass with another failed fishing expedition, Commander could do the job for them.

Brandi Buchman of Law & Crime: "In a 3-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered [Donald] Trump to finally declare whether he intends to use an 'advice of counsel' defense at his criminal trial in the nation's capital no later than Jan. 15, 2024. Prosecutors asked the judge in October to set a Dec. 18 deadline, sharing concerns that Trump was waiting 'until the eve of trial' to formally declare his strategy." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jonah Bromwich & Ben Protess of the New York Times: "... on Wednesday, Ivanka Trump calmly sidestepped accusations that her family's business prospered thanks to a lie. Ms. Trump ... was questioned for five hours about her father's net worth and the loans he received because of it. While some evidence suggested that Ms. Trump had dealt directly with her father's annual financial statements, which listed the value of his assets, she said that her focus had been elsewhere. 'I would assume he would have personal financial statements,' she said, adding, 'Those weren't things that I was privy to.' The trial stems from a lawsuit filed by the attorney general, Letitia James, that accuses ... Donald J. Trump and his family business of fraudulently inflating his wealth on the financial statements." ~~~

     ~~~ Here are the New York Times' live updates of Ivanka Trump's testimony in the Trump Family Fraud case. See yesterday's Conversation for some excerpts. CNN's live updates are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Seth takes a closer look at the news:

Presidential Race 2024

Nicholas Riccardi & Steve Peoples of the AP: "... five Republican presidential candidates gathered Wednesday for the party's latest debate. [Donald] Trump, the overwhelming front-runner in the race, skipped the event, as he has the first two, citing his polling advantage. There was no shortage of noteworthy confrontations on stage, as the participants debated the Israel-Hamas war, the future of abortion rights and Trump himself. But with the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses approaching, it seemed unlikely that the debate fundamentally changed the presidential nomination fight.... Moderators from NBC News opened by pressing the contenders to articulate why they -- and not Trump -- should become the Republican nominee. There was hardly a robust takedown of Trump...." ~~~

~~~ Judging by news stories, this is the top takeaway from the event (quote from the AP story linked above): "... halfway through the debate, after Haley said she'd respond to Ramaswamy's digs rather than answer a question about banning Tik-Tok, that Ramaswamy made his most shocking attack. Noting Haley hadn't answered the question, Ramaswamy said, 'Her own daughter was using the app for a long time, so you might want to take care of your daughter first.' Haley responded by forcefully telling Ramaswamy to 'leave my daughter out of your voice.' She later said, 'You're just scum.'" ~~~

     ~~~ NBC News, which hosted this first not-Fox debate, reports what it calls highlights. ~~~

     ~~~ Natalie Allison & Meredith McGraw of Politico: Tim Scott brings his girlfriend. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The biggest debate about the debate seems to be centered on whether or not Vivek Ramaswamy called Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky a Nazi. Ken Bensinger of the New York Times gets the record right. Many other outlets have not been as kindly to Ramaswamy. For what it's worth, I don't think Vivek meant what he seemed to say, but that's only because I already knew the context. Note to Vivek: a president should know how to speak carefully and clearly -- and also not be a scum. ~~~

     ~~~ Speaking of scums who don't know how to speak carefully & clearly ~~~

     ~~~ Meredith McGraw & Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "Donald Trump spent the third presidential primary debate 10 miles away, musing about how dull the night he was ditching surely was. 'They're not watchable,' Trump said of the Republican forum taking place in Miami as he spoke. 'You know, the last debate was the lowest-rated debate in the history of politics, so therefore do you think we did the right thing by not participating?' Trump said to cheers in the crowd." AND ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: According MSNBC this morning, Trump is still very confused. Despite having made the same mistake last week, he can't find Hungary on a map, claiming again that it borders Ukraine & Russia. While Hungary does have a teeny border with Ukraine, nowhere does it come close to abutting Russia. Trump also confused China and North Korea, calling Little Kim the leader of 1.4 billion people, the approximately number of people living in China. North Korea's population is more like 26 million.

Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that ... Donald Trump can appear on the primary ballot next year but left open the possibility he could be struck from the general election ballot because of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.... In a short court order, Minnesota Chief Justice Natalie E. Hudson said the justices are dismissing the case because the state's March 5 primary is 'an internal party election to serve internal party purposes' that does not provide the final determination of who appears on the ballot for the general election in November 2024.'... Trump praised the ruling in a statement posted on his Truth Social platform: 'Congratulations to all who fought this HOAX!'"

Brooks Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "SAG-AFTRA, the union representing tens of thousands of actors, reached a tentative deal for a new contract with entertainment companies on Wednesday, clearing the way for the $134 billion American movie and television business to swing back into motion. Hollywood's assembly lines have been at a near-standstill since May because of a pair of strikes by writers and actors, resulting in financial pain for studios and for many of the two million Americans -- makeup artists, set builders, location scouts, chauffeurs, casting directors -- who work in jobs directly or indirectly related to making TV shows and films. Upset about streaming-service pay and fearful of fast-developing artificial intelligence technology, actors joined screenwriters on picket lines in July. The writers had walked out in May over similar concerns. It was the first time since 1960, when Ronald Reagan was the head of the actors' union and Marilyn Monroe was still starring in films, that actors and writers were both on strike." NPR's story is here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "An estimated 50,000 people fled the north of Gaza through a 'corridor' opened by the Israeli military Wednesday, according to the U.N. humanitarian affairs agency, as Israeli ground troops pushed deeper into Gaza City and clashed with Hamas militants. U.N. human rights commissioner Volker Türk accused both Hamas and Israel of war crimes, citing the 'the atrocities perpetrated' by Hamas on Oct. 7 and 'the collective punishment by Israel of Palestinian civilians.' French President Emmanuel Macron convened an international aid conference on Thursday, with dozens of world leaders, as well as U.N. and Red Cross officials, expected to attend." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates are here. CNN's updates are here.

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said Wednesday that Gaza should be unified with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority once the war is over, offering a strong signal about what the United States sees as its preferred endgame in the fight between Israel and Hamas. The message, delivered during a meeting of foreign ministers in Tokyo, came as President Biden feels growing pressure to use his leverage to push for sustainable, long-term goals in the region and minimize civilian casualties. But increasingly, the United States and Israel are showing signs that their interests are diverging."

Ukraine, et al. David Stern, et al., of the Washington Post: "Members of Ukraine's 128th Mountain Assault Brigade gathered Friday morning for a medal ceremony near the front line in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia -- continuing a military tradition dating back to Soviet times, which Ukrainian officials had sustained to prop up morale among exhausted troops.... But instead of celebrating the fighters' bravery and service, the award ceremony turned into a bloodbath. A Russian missile strike killed at least 19 soldiers in attendance, including several high-ranking officers and some of the brigade's best warriors. Many had removed their helmets for the proceedings and suffered head injuries. Dozens of others were wounded.... The awful toll from the ceremony, which was called in honor of Ukrainian Missile Force and Artillery Day, has raised searing questions about why such a large public event was held in a location that could easily be seen by Russian drones and was well within range of Russian missiles."

News Lede

CNN: “A suspect has been taken into custody in last month's killing of Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll, Detroit Police said Wednesday. In a statement on X, Police Chief James E. White said details of the investigation will remain confidential at this time.... Investigators are treating her death as arising from a domestic dispute and not extremism, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation."