June 17, 2023

Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Michael Corkery of the New York Times: "President Biden made a forceful case on Friday for stronger gun laws, saying American children caught up in school shootings are suffering from the same trauma as soldiers in war. Speaking at a firearms safety summit in Hartford, Conn., attended by victims of gun violence, Mr. Biden marked one year since the passage of a bipartisan bill intended to prevent dangerous people from accessing guns. But he said there was more to be done. 'What's the difference between the post-traumatic stress that a soldier meets in the hills of Afghanistan,' Mr. Biden asked, and the kind of trauma a 'fourth-grade kid meets in a classroom when they have to duck and cover?' Mr. Biden's call for action comes at a time of deep pessimism about the prospects for significant legislative action on gun control, despite one mass shooting after another in the United States." An AP report is here.

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "Leading congressional Republicans excoriated Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Friday for traveling to China this weekend, accusing him of undermining national security by attempting to normalize diplomatic relations with Beijing as they press for a more hard-line approach. Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, threatened to subpoena Mr. Blinken if he failed to produce documents by Friday evening detailing the list of retaliatory actions the U.S. government has considered against China, and when they were applied. 'The Biden administration's weak actions on the global stage continue to embolden the C.C.P.,' Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 4 Republican in the House, said in a statement. The secretary of state's trip, she added, will 'legitimize' the Chinese Communist Party's 'continued subversion of our sovereignty.'" MB: If it undermines U.S. security, but also undermines the Biden administration, Republicans will do it. They are not legislators; they are performing monkeys. And like Melanie, they really don't care, do u?

The Insurrection, Ctd. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump could not have asked for a nicer arraignment-day celebration. During the very same hour in which the former president surrendered to federal authorities in Miami, his Republican allies in the House were, in their most visible and official way yet, embracing as heroes and martyrs the people who sacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in hopes of overturning Trump's election defeat. In the Capitol complex, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), with sidekick Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and four other far-right lawmakers, held a 'hearing' that honored participants in the riot, family members of Jan. 6 rioters and organizers of the attempted overthrow of the 2020 vote. Technically, Gaetz couldn't call such a hearing, because he isn't a committee chairman. But ... Gaetz did his all to make the proceedings look official." Read on. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Here's Alex Wagner of MSNBC on the fake hearing:

Philip Bump of the Washington Post on allegations that Fox "News" and other right-wing outlets constantly cover: that Joe Biden took a bribe from a Ukrainian when Biden was vice president. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) characterized the charge like so: "a three-year-old, secondhand, hearsay, uncorroborated rehashing of Rudy Giuliani's bogus allegations that he got from corrupt Ukrainian officials." After reviewing walk-backs by some of Biden's accusers like Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) & Rep. Jim Comer (R), Bump writes, "Even a number of Republicans aren't willing to vouch for it much more than that." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Discovery Materials, along with any information derived therefrom, shall not be disclosed to the public or the news media, or disseminated on any news or social media platform, without prior notice to and consent of the United States or approval of the Court. -- From text of proposed protective order in U.S. v. Trump & Nauta ~~~

~~~ DOJ Tries to Control Trump. Good Luck with That. Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "The Justice Department on Friday filed a motion seeking to block former President Trump from releasing any classified materials that will be shared with his legal team during his prosecution for the mishandling of records at Mar-a-Lago, noting that some are still being used in the course of their investigation. The documents 'include information pertaining to ongoing investigations' which could be used to further cases against uncharged individuals, the Department of Justice (DOJ) wrote. The suggested protective order, which will be reviewed by Judge Bruce Reinhart, would allow Trump to review the 31 documents the DOJ is using in the case only while in the presence of his attorneys.... Judge Aileen Cannon, who oversaw Trump's previous challenge to the investigation, referred the motion to Reinhart, who approved the initial search of Mar-a-Lago." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update: While Beitsch describes the protective order as one that proscribes release of classified information, CNN's reporting is different:

     ~~~ Tierney Sneed of CNN: "... [Special Counsel Jack] Smith's team said in the filing that the 'government is ready to provide unclassified discovery to the defense.'... [The team] said that among the unclassified materials that prosecutors are set to turn over to the defense is 'information pertaining to ongoing investigations, the disclosure of which could compromise those investigations and identify uncharged individuals.'... 'The discovery materials include sensitive and confidential information,' including personal and financial data, information that reveals 'sensitive' investigative techniques and information about potential witnesses, according to the filing. Some of that information could be in grand jury transcripts or recordings of witness interviews.... Lawyers for Trump and his co-defendant Walt Nauta do not oppose the requested protective order, according to the filing." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Dave Aronberg, the Palm Beach County D.A., said on CNN that the most interesting part of the proposed order is the indication that there are "ongoing investigations." Jack Smith, Aronberg says, is putting the Trump team on notice that he ain't done yet. ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times took up Aronberg's argument: ~~~

     ~~~ Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The court papers -- a standard request to place a protective order on the discovery material -- contained no explanation about what those other inquiries might be or whether they were related to the indictment.... Still, the reference to continuing investigations was the first overt suggestion -- however vague -- that other criminal cases could emerge from the work that the special counsel Jack Smith has done...."

     ~~~ AND Feuer writes this: "Shortly after the government requested the protective order, Judge [Aileen] Cannon asked the federal magistrate judge assigned to help her with the case, Bruce E. Reinhart, to handle the question of whether to impose it. It is common in the Southern District of Florida for magistrate judges, not district judges like Judge Cannon, to handle pretrial motions.... Last summer, [Judge Reinhart] issued a warrant used by the F.B.I. to search Mar-a-Lago.... It could be a significant development moving forward if Judge Reinhart handles the more substantial legal motions that will be filed by Mr. Trump's lawyers in the months to come, given that Judge Cannon was widely criticized for making rulings favorable to Mr. Trump in an early stage of the investigation." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Damned significant, IMO. By employing Reinhart to handle pretrial motions, Cannon avoids tipping her hand about how biased toward Trump her own rulings will be in the case-in-chief. One of the theories I hear pundits on the teevee put forth is that if Cannon sets out making stupid or biased rulings, the prosecution could use those rulings to ask her to recuse, or if she refuses, to go to the 11th Circuit and ask them to force her to recuse. Well, gosh, if she doesn't make any rulings, that option is out. Once she empanels a jury, however, jeopardy attaches, so it's too late to ask for a forced recusal. That is, the prosecution is stuck with her or Trump gets off scot-free. I suspect somebody smarter than Judge Cannon gave her the bright idea of hiding behind Judge Reinhart. If the prosecution wants her to recuse, they'll have to ask her right now, when they have less of a case against her than they might later on. ~~~

~~~ Kyle Cheney of Politico cites a health-fraud case Judge Aileen Cannon is currently overseeing that has presented a few of the same complications the Trump case does. In some disputes in this case, Cannon has ruled for the prosecution.

"Irreconcilable Differences." Tierney Sneed of CNN: "A lawyer who was representing ... Donald Trump in his defamation lawsuit against CNN said Friday that he was withdrawing from the case, in the latest sign of the break-up of the Trump legal team since the lawyer, Jim Trusty, and another Trump attorney stopped representing the former president in the criminal documents case against him. 'Mr. Trusty's withdrawal is based upon irreconcilable differences between Counsel and Plaintiff and Counsel can no longer effectively and properly represent Plaintiff,' Trusty said in a filing requesting the court's permission to withdraw." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Steve Benen of MSNBC has more on Donald Trump's invocation of "The Clinton Socks Case": In an all-caps social media post, Trump said "he should now be in the clear thanks to 'the Clinton Socks case.' He made the same point during his weird speech on Tuesday night in New Jersey[.]... Bill Clinton, during his White House tenure, spoke at some length with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch, and as part of the project, there were many recordings of their conversations. According to one 2007 account, tapes were at one point stored in a sock drawer. A conservative group called Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit, demanding that Clinton be forced to turn over the recordings. In 2012, a federal court rejected the organization's claims, concluding that the tapes were personal records, not official presidential materials.... The 2012 court ruling 'explicitly states that the Presidential Records Act distinguishes presidential records from "personal records," defined as documents that are "purely private or nonpublic character."' In contrast, Trump took highly sensitive national security secrets to his glorified country club. To see the two as comparable is to overlook every relevant detail.... Trump will need to think of something else the next time he wants to pretend he's been 'exonerated.'" ~~~

    ~~~ Marie: Trump's sock-drawer defense is more evidence that Trump has no real defense. Sorta like if you got fired and left the office with your own framed photo of your mom and a proposed company patent application you'd been reviewing. You stole the patent draft, but the photo belongs to you.

** Robert Reich in the Guardian on how Donald Trump & the Republican party exemplify these five elements of fascism: "1. The rejection of democracy, the rule of law and equal rights under the law in favor of a strongman who interprets the popular will.... 2. The galvanizing of popular rage against cultural elites.... 3. Nationalism based on a dominant 'superior' race and historic bloodlines.... 4. Extolling brute strength and heroic warriors.... 5. Disdain of women and fear of non-standard gender identities or sexual orientation." Reich distinguishes between fascism & authoritarianism.

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Friday found Kellye SoRelle -- an attorney for the Oath Keepers and girlfriend of the right-wing group's leader, Stewart Rhodes -- mentally incompetent to stand trial as scheduled next month on charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta of D.C. postponed SoRelle's trial indefinitely, finding -- based on reports by defense and government medical experts -- that she was suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering her unable to understand the proceedings against her or to assist properly in her defense.... The reports and the nature of SoRelle's condition were not made public."

Robert McFadden of the New York Times: "Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst who after experiencing a sobbing antiwar epiphany on a bathroom floor made the momentous decision in 1971 to disclose a secret history of American lies and deceit in Vietnam, what came to be known as the Pentagon Papers, died on Friday at his home in Kensington, Calif., in the Bay Area. He was 92." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Alex Kingsbury of the New York Times: "Months before his death, Mr. Ellsberg agreed to speak with Times Opinion at his California home about the lessons he's learned." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Presidential Race 2024

Seung Min Kim & Will Weissert of the AP: "President Joe Biden will tout his pro-labor bona fides on Saturday at his first major political rally since he formalized his reelection campaign, appearing alongside union members to make his case that his economic agenda is boosting the middle class. His campaign says Biden, who will appear at the Philadelphia Convention Center, will 'lay out the core principles of his economic message' in his remarks. Biden also plans to talk about how a sweeping climate, tax and health care package he signed into law last year has cut the cost of prescription drugs and lowered insurance premiums, as his administration focuses on his achievements his first two years the centerpiece argument for his reelection. Ahead of the event, several of the nation's most powerful unions -- including the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees -- officially endorsed Biden's campaign. The first-of-its-kind joint endorsement among the unions and the backdrop of hundreds of workers are all part of a meticulously choreographed effort to show the support of labor behind what Biden himself calls the most pro-union president in history." ~~~

~~~ Arlette Saenz & Betsy Klein of CNN: "First lady Dr. Jill Biden is emerging as a prominent voice taking on Republicans and ... Donald Trump since his indictment -- even as the White House has maintained a stay-silent strategy on the legal case. In her first solo events of the campaign, the first lady has not shied away from critiquing the former president and offered a rare comment related to his legal woes as she reflected on Republican support for Trump despite his indictment. 'My heart feels so broken by a lot of the headlines that we see on the news,' she said during an off-camera fundraiser in New York City Monday.... 'Like I just saw, when I was on my plane, it said 61% of Republicans are going to vote, they would vote for Trump.... They don't care about the indictment. So that's a little shocking, I think.'... In a pair of Democratic fundraisers in California Tuesday evening, she warned of the impact 'MAGA Republicans' would have on the country and framed the presidential election as a choice between the 'corruption and chaos' of the Trump administration and stability offered by her husband. 'We cannot go back to those dark days,' the first lady said at a fundraiser in Marin County, California." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

Indiana. Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "A federal judge in Indiana largely blocked that state's ban on transition medical care for youth from taking effect on July 1, the latest in a series of courtroom wins for transgender-rights advocates.... The preliminary injunction, issued on Friday by Judge James Patrick Hanlon, allows transgender children in Indiana to continue receiving hormone treatments and puberty blockers while a lawsuit opposing the state's ban progresses. Gender-transition surgeries for minors, which are rare, remain banned in the state."

Minnesota. David Nakamura, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Minneapolis Police Department engaged in the systemic use of excessive force and discriminated against racial minorities in the years leading up to the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in 2020, federal authorities said Friday. In a scathing 89-page report released following a more than two-year federal civil rights investigation, the Justice Department excoriated the Minneapolis police force as an agency that put officers and local residents at unnecessary risk and failed to act upon repeated warnings about biased behavior. Specifically, the report criticizes the Minneapolis police for: using 'dangerous tactics and weapons' -- including neck restraints and Tasers -- against people for petty offense or no crimes; punishing residents who criticized the police; patrolling neighborhoods differently based on their racial makeup; and discriminating against those with behavioral health disabilities." (Also linked yesterday.)

New Hampshire. David Enrich of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors in Boston unveiled criminal charges on Friday against three men accused of vandalizing the homes of journalists in New Hampshire and Massachusetts in retaliation for an investigation into a local businessman. The charges stem from a string of incidents last spring after New Hampshire Public Radio aired an exposé about sexual misconduct allegations against Eric Spofford, who until recently had owned the state's largest network of drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers. Mr. Spofford later sued the news organization for libel. Mr. Spofford was not named in the criminal complaint. But a person repeatedly named by prosecutors as 'Subject 1' is Mr. Spofford, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The complaint said that a 'close personal associate' of Subject 1 'solicited' the three men to attack the homes."

Pennsylvania. David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "A Pennsylvania man was found guilty Friday on federal charges of fatally shooting 11 people and wounding seven others at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, a verdict that makes him eligible for the death penalty for what authorities say was the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. A 12-member jury in federal court in Pittsburgh convicted Robert G. Bowers, 50, of Baldwin, Pa., on multiple counts after two weeks of searing testimony from dozens of prosecution witnesses, according to the Associated Press. Among those who testified were survivors, including police officers, who had been shot during the attack." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "An African delegation led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is traveling to Russia, where they will try to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek peace with Ukraine. The peace mission -- which also includes officials from Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, the Comoros, Egypt, Uganda and the Republic of Congo -- met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday as the capital was hit by a Russian attack that combined ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.... Ukraine has advanced up to two kilometers, or about 1.25 miles, in the south, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said late Friday.... Russia has already transferred some tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus and will complete its deployment of the weapons by the end of the year, [Putin] said. ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Saturday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.

June 16, 2023

Afternoon Update:

The Discovery Materials, along with any information derived therefrom, shall not be disclosed to the public or the news media, or disseminated on any news or social media platform, without prior notice to and consent of the United States or approval of the Court. -- From text of proposed protective order in U.S. v. Trump & Nauta ~~~

~~~ DOJ Tries to Control Trump. Good Luck with That. Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "The Justice Department on Friday filed a motion seeking to block former President Trump from releasing any classified materials that will be shared with his legal team during his prosecution for the mishandling of records at Mar-a-Lago, noting that some are still being used in the course of their investigation. The documents 'include information pertaining to ongoing investigations' which could be used to further cases against uncharged individuals, the Department of Justice (DOJ) wrote. The suggested protective order, which will be reviewed by Judge Bruce Reinhart, would allow Trump to review the 31 documents the DOJ is using in the case only while in the presence of his attorneys.... Judge Aileen Cannon, who oversaw Trump's previous challenge to the investigation, referred the motion to Reinhart, who approved the initial search of Mar-a-Lago."~~~

     ~~~ Update: While Beitsch describes the protective order as one that proscribes release of classified information, CNN's reporting is different:

     ~~~ Tierney Sneed of CNN: "... [Special Counsel Jack] Smith’s team said in the filing that the 'government is ready to provide unclassified discovery to the defense.'... [The team] said that among the unclassified materials that prosecutors are set to turn over to the defense is 'information pertaining to ongoing investigations, the disclosure of which could compromise those investigations and identify uncharged individuals.'... 'The discovery materials include sensitive and confidential information,' including personal and financial data, information that reveals 'sensitive' investigative techniques and information about potential witnesses, according to the filing. Some of that information could be in grand jury transcripts or recordings of witness interviews.... Lawyers for Trump and his co-defendant Walt Nauta do not oppose the requested protective order, according to the filing." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Dave Aronberg, the Palm Beach County D.A., said on CNN that the most interesting part of the proposed order is the indication that there are "ongoing investigations." Jack Smith, Aronberg says, is putting the Trump team on notice that he ain't done yet. ~~~

~~~ “Irreconcilable Differences.” Tierney Sneed of CNN: "A lawyer who was representing ... Donald Trump in his defamation lawsuit against CNN said Friday that he was withdrawing from the case, in the latest sign of the break-up of the Trump legal team since the lawyer, Jim Trusty, and another Trump attorney stopped representing the former president in the criminal documents case against him. 'Mr. Trusty's withdrawal is based upon irreconcilable differences between Counsel and Plaintiff and Counsel can no longer effectively and properly represent Plaintiff,' Trusty said in a filing requesting the court's permission to withdraw."

Robert McFadden of the New York Times: "Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst who after experiencing a sobbing antiwar epiphany on a bathroom floor made the momentous decision in 1971 to disclose a secret history of American lies and deceit in Vietnam, what came to be known as the Pentagon Papers, died on Friday at his home in Kensington, Calif., in the Bay Area. He was 92." ~~~

~~~ Alex Kingsbury of the New York Times: "Months before his death, Mr. Ellsberg agreed to speak with Times Opinion at his California home about the lessons he's learned."

Arlette Saenz & Betsy Klein of CNN: "First lady Dr. Jill Biden is emerging as a prominent voice taking on Republicans and ... Donald Trump since his indictment -- even as the White House has maintained a stay-silent strategy on the legal case. In her first solo events of the campaign, the first lady has not shied away from critiquing the former president and offered a rare comment related to his legal woes as she reflected on Republican support for Trump despite his indictment. 'My heart feels so broken by a lot of the headlines that we see on the news,' she said during an off-camera fundraiser in New York City Monday.... 'Like I just saw, when I was on my plane, it said 61% of Republicans are going to vote, they would vote for Trump.... They don't care about the indictment. So that's a little shocking, I think.'... In a pair of Democratic fundraisers in California Tuesday evening, she warned of the impact 'MAGA Republicans' would have on the country and framed the presidential election as a choice between the 'corruption and chaos' of the Trump administration and stability offered by her husband. 'We cannot go back to those dark days,' the first lady said at a fundraiser in Marin County, California."

The Insurrection, Ctd. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump could not have asked for a nicer arraignment-day celebration. During the very same hour in which the former president surrendered to federal authorities in Miami, his Republican allies in the House were, in their most visible and official way yet, embracing as heroes and martyrs the people who sacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in hopes of overturning Trump's election defeat. In the Capitol complex, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), with sidekick Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and four other far-right lawmakers, held a 'hearing' that honored participants in the riot, family members of Jan. 6 rioters and organizers of the attempted overthrow of the 2020 vote. Technically, Gaetz couldn't call such a hearing, because he isn't a committee chairman. But ... Gaetz did his all to make the proceedings look official." Read on.

Philip Bump of the Washington Post on allegations that Fox "News" and other right-wing outlets constantly cover: that Joe Biden took a bribe from a Ukrainian when Biden was vice president. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) characterized the charge like so: "a three-year-old, secondhand, hearsay, uncorroborated rehashing of Rudy Giuliani's bogus allegations that he got from corrupt Ukrainian officials." After reviewing walk-backs by some of Biden's accusers like Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) & Rep. Jim Comer (R), Bump writes, "Even a number of Republicans aren't willing to vouch for it much more than that."

David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "A Pennsylvania man was found guilty Friday on federal charges of fatally shooting 11 people and wounding seven others at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, a verdict that makes him eligible for the death penalty for what authorities say was the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. A 12-member jury in federal court in Pittsburgh convicted Robert G. Bowers, 50, of Baldwin, Pa., on multiple counts after two weeks of searing testimony from dozens of prosecution witnesses, according to the Associated Press. Among those who testified were survivors, including police officers, who had been shot during the attack."

David Nakamura, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Minneapolis Police Department engaged in the systemic use of excessive force and discriminated against racial minorities in the years leading up to the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in 2020, federal authorities said Friday. In a scathing 89-page report released following a more than two-year federal civil rights investigation, the Justice Department excoriated the Minneapolis police force as an agency that put officers and local residents at unnecessary risk and failed to act upon repeated warnings about biased behavior. Specifically, the report criticizes the Minneapolis police for: using 'dangerous tactics and weapons' -- including neck restraints and Tasers -- against people for petty offense or no crimes; punishing residents who criticized the police; patrolling neighborhoods differently based on their racial makeup; and discriminating against those with behavioral health disabilities."

~~~~~~~~~~

SO NOW THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT, PLUS THE CLINTON SOCKS CASE, TOTALLY EXONERATED ME FROM THE CONTINUING WITCH HUNT BROUGHT ON BY CORRUPT JOE BIDEN, THE DOJ, DERANGED JACK SMITH, AND THEIR RADICAL LEFT, MARXIST THUGS, WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO DROP ALL CHARGES AGAINST ME, APOLOGIZE, AND RETURN EVERYTHING THAT WAS ILLEGALLY TAKEN (FOURTH AMENDMENT) FROM MY HOME? THIS WAS NOTHING OTHER THAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!! -- Donald Trump, social media post, June 15

(If you've never heard of THE CLINTON SOCKS CASE, the AP explains it here and shows that it in no way parallels THE TRUMP STOLEN CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE. -- Marie Burns)

Trump Vows to Make America Great a Banana Republic. Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "When Donald J. Trump responded to his latest indictment by promising to appoint a special prosecutor if he's re-elected to 'go after' President Biden and his family, he signaled that a second Trump term would fully jettison the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence.... In his first term, Mr. Trump gradually ramped up pressure on the Justice Department, eroding its traditional independence from White House political control. He is now unabashedly saying he will throw that effort into overdrive if he returns to power.... Two of the most important figures in this effort work at the same Washington-based organization, the Center for Renewing America: Jeffrey B. Clark and Russell T. Vought. During the Trump presidency, Mr. Vought served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Clark, who oversaw the Justice Department's civil and environmental divisions, was the only senior official at the department who tried to help Mr. Trump overturn the 2020 election.... They are condemning Mr. Biden and Democrats for what they claim is the politicization of the justice system, but at the same time pushing an intellectual framework that a future Republican president might use to justify directing individual law enforcement investigations." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: That is to say, there is a striking irony in (a) wingers promoting a DOJ controlled by the president* as Trump promises to use the DOJ to rain retribution down on his political opponents for unspecified crimes, while (b) falsely accusing President Biden of being a horrible "wannabe dictator" for controlling the DOJ & using it to persecute Trump. Do these people even listen to themselves? ~~~

~~~ Speaking of ironies, Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post posits that Trump's plot to avoid prosecution by announcing a run for president* backfired because it caused Merrick the Unready to name a special prosecutor, "and that special counsel proved to be a bulldog, chasing down every lead, pursuing all needed appeals and empaneling multiple grand juries." Rubin goes on to enumerate reasons she thinks Jack Smith is likely to prosecute Trump (and some of his cronies) for crimes related to the January 6 insurrection. Worth a read.

My Boxes. Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: While he was still president*, Donald Trump's "aides employed [the term '"beautiful mind" material'] to capture a type of organized chaos that Mr. Trump insisted on, the collection and transportation of a blizzard of newspapers and official documents that he kept close and that seemed to give him a sense of security. [Aides used the term 'beautiful mind' in reference to the title of a book and movie about John Nash, the schizophrenic mathematician.] One former White House official ... said that while the materials were disorganized, Mr. Trump would notice if somebody had riffled through them or they were not arranged in a particular way.... Mr. Trump was generally able to identify what was in the boxes most immediately around him.... When Mr. Trump left the White House..., he knew the contents of the boxes around him.... [According to the indictment..., 'Trump was personally involved in this process' [of packing the boxes he would take with him].... Mr. Trump's attachment to the contents of the boxes has now left him in serious legal peril, but it appears to be in keeping with a long pattern of behavior. Mr. Trump has always hung onto news clippings, documents and other mementos, according to more than a half-dozen people who have worked for him over the years...."

The Lying Cheapskate. Charlie Nash of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump reportedly left a restaurant within 10 minutes without paying for any food -- after telling his supporters there, 'Food for everyone!' on Tuesday. Following his arraignment in a Miami federal courthouse over his retention of government documents, Trump visited a restaurant full of his supporters in Little Havana.... According to a report from the Miami New Times, while Trump declared 'Food for everyone!' during his visit to Versailles restaurant, 'It turns out no one got anything. Not even a cafecito to-go.'" MB: This is SOP for Trump. For instance, he is infamous for making big shows of pledges to charities, so the charities give him positive publicity, after which he reneges on the pledges (WashPo link).

Aileen Is on the Job. Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "The judge overseeing ... Donald J. Trump's indictment on charges of illegally retaining national defense information[,] issued an order on Thursday instructing any lawyer who wants to take part in the case to start the process of obtaining a security clearance to handle classified material by early next week. The brief order by the federal judge, Aileen M. Cannon, instructed the lawyers to reach out to the Litigation Security Group at the Justice Department by Tuesday to 'expedite' the process for getting a clearance.... The order by Judge Cannon, who faced a barrage of criticism last year for issuing rulings favorable to Mr. Trump at an early stage of the investigation, suggested that at least for now she has no plans to recuse herself from the case. It was also a preliminary indication that she has decided to move things forward relatively briskly." CNN's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Well, that's nice. But Andrew Weissmann, appearing on MSNBC, said the "brief order" was fairly incomprehensible. First, it required lawyers whom Trump has not yet employed to self-identify and contact the Litigation Security Group by today. Second, the order demands these unidentified, not-yet-employed lawyers to "be in compliance," but it doesn't specify what constitutes "compliance."

Merrick Thwarts the Revolution. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Twice in recent months, allies of ... Donald J. Trump have used violent language to criticize the criminal charges brought against him, calling for vengeance and encouraging Mr. Trump's supporters to respond to the indictments as though they were acts of war.... Both times -- first in April in Manhattan and then on Tuesday in Miami -- ... the crowds that actually showed up for Mr. Trump were relatively tame and fairly small. But ... scholars of political violence said ... that after the cataclysmic events of Jan. 6, 2021, many Trump supporters have become more reluctant to act on statements by Mr. Trump's allies suggesting that a second American Revolution might be coming or calling for civil war.... One reason for the absence of conflict in Miami, [scholar Rachel] Kleinfeld wrote in an email, was that the prosecutions of Jan. 6 protesters ... have had 'a real deterrent effect' on those who might have once considered violence. She also said that many people remain 'angry at Trump for failing to provide monetary support for those jailed on his behalf after Jan. 6.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Mark Landler of the New York Times: "There are obvious parallels in the political tempests convulsing Britain and the United States, but also stark differences: ... Donald J. Trump faces federal criminal charges [for stealing top secret documents] while Boris Johnson was judged to be deceitful about attending parties. And yet, Britain's Conservative Party has regularly stood up to Mr. Johnson while the Republican Party is still mostly in thrall to Mr. Trump."

Michael Sisak of the AP: "A suburban New York prosecutor said Thursday that she has closed a multiyear investigation that focused in part on whether the twice-indicted former president [Trump] or his company misled authorities to reduce taxes on properties they own. Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah [D] said in a statement that she reached the decision after an investigation that was conducted 'objectively, and independent of politics, party affiliation and personal or political beliefs.' No charges were filed against Trump or his company, the Trump Organization.... In an all-capitals post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that ending the investigation was 'the honorable thing to do in that I did nothing wrong, but where and when do I get my reputation back? When will the other fake cases against me be dropped?'" MB: Oh, your reputation is intact, Donald.

Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: "A federal judge on Thursday set the trial date in E. Jean Carroll's initial defamation lawsuit against former President Trump for January 15, 2024.... On Tuesday, [Judge Lewis] Kaplan ruled to accept an amended lawsuit in this defamation case. The amended lawsuit includes comments Trump made during a CNN town hall in May, just one day after being found liable in Carroll's other lawsuit. He claimed not to know Carroll while calling her a 'whack job' and calling the case 'fake news.'"

Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Fox News is on the verge of settling another major lawsuit. Abby Grossberg, the former network producer who filed an explosive complaint against the company earlier this year, is in the final stages of ironing out a settlement with the company, people familiar with the matter told CNN. The settlement will mark the fourth case in a string of lawsuits that the billionaire owners of Fox News, Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, have moved to put an end to in recent months.... Among many of the bombshell allegations included in her complaint was the charge that Fox News lawyers coerced her into providing misleading testimony when she was deposed as part of Dominion's billion-dollar lawsuit. She later accused Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott of being complicit in the alleged coercion and claimed Fox's lawyers deleted messages from her phone. Grossberg also made a number of eye-popping allegations about the workplace environment at Fox News, accusing the network of rampant sexism."

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who posted dozens of secret intelligence reports and other sensitive documents on a social media server, on six counts of retaining and transmitting classified national defense information. The filing of criminal charges in Boston federal court against Airman Teixeira, 21, comes about two months after F.B.I. agents arrested him at his home in North Dighton, Mass., and paves the way for a trial stemming from one of the most damaging national security leaks in recent history.... Airman Teixeira's disclosures -- exposing secrets of the United States, its allies and its adversaries -- have bared rifts between the United States and its allies and given Russia information about intelligence-gathering methods, as news organizations have divulged some of the material. And Justice Department lawyers have said the extent of the information he leaked 'far exceeds what has been publicly disclosed.'" NPR's story is here.

Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 1978 law aimed at keeping Native American adoptees with their tribes and traditions, handing a victory to tribes that had argued that a blow to the law would upend the basic principles that have allowed them to govern themselves. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion. She was joined by six other justices. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., dissented." A Guardian story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Sean Lyngaas of CNN: "Several US federal government agencies have been hit in a global cyberattack by Russian cybercriminals that exploits a vulnerability in widely used software, according to a top US cybersecurity agency.... Aside from US government agencies, 'several hundred' companies and organizations in the US could be affected by the hacking spree, a senior CISA official told reporters later Thursday, citing estimates from private experts. Clop, the ransomware gang allegedly responsible, is known to demand multimillion-dollar ransoms. But no ransom demands have been made of federal agencies, the senior official told reporters in a background briefing. CISA's response comes as Progress Software, the US firm that makes the software exploited by the hackers, said it had discovered a second vulnerability in the code that the company was working to fix. The Department of Energy is among multiple federal agencies breached in the ongoing global hacking campaign, a department spokesperson confirmed to CNN."

Presidential Race 2024. Vaughn Hillyard & Dan Gallo of NBC News: "The co-chair of No Labels, the political organization trying to mount a third-party presidential campaign in 2024, vowed on Thursday to end the group's effort if polling next spring shows President Joe Biden 'way, way out ahead' of ... Donald Trump. 'No Labels is not and will not be a spoiler in favor of Donald Trump in 2024,' said Dr. Ben Chavis, the Democratic co-chair of No Labels, in an interview on Thursday." MB: Of course this makes no sense. If Biden is "way, way out ahead" of Trump, then a No Labels candidate would not be a spoiler. The spoiler problem arises if Biden and Trump are close, as they are apt to be, what with the millions of stupid voters.

Beyond the Beltway

Pennsylvania. Campbell Robertson & Jon Moss of the New York Times: "After three weeks of wrenching testimony, the prosecution and the defense delivered closing arguments on Thursday in the first phase of the federal trial of the man charged with carrying out the deadliest antisemitic attack in the country's history. Robert Bowers, 50, the man charged in the October 2018 killing of 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue, faces the possibility of a death sentence if convicted. The phase of the trial that concluded on Thursday in federal court here was to determine whether Mr. Bowers was guilty, and the outcome of this stage of the proceedings has not been in significant doubt."

Tennessee. Adam Edelman of NBC News: "The two Democratic state representatives in Tennessee who were expelled by Republicans over gun violence protests won their primary races for their old seats Thursday night. Justin Jones won in Nashville, and Justin J. Pearson won in Memphis. Pearson had faced a Democratic challenger, David Page, while Jones ran unopposed. Unofficial results showed that Pearson and Jones won overwhelmingly."

Way Beyond

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

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Friday is here: "Senior officials from NATO members and partner countries are in Brussels for a second day of defense ministerial meetings. On the first day of the program, the United States and its allies were briefed by Ukrainian officials, discussed F-16 training plans for Ukrainian pilots and talked about efforts to help Kyiv maintain German tanks.... U.S. lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill that would authorize using confiscated Russian assets to pay for aid to Ukraine and help finance the country's reconstruction. The bill aims to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to pay for the damage caused by his invasion, 'not U.S. taxpayers,' the lawmakers said.

"Sweden will probably not join NATO before next month's gathering of the military alliance, said Jeff Flake, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. His remarks, in an interview with Axios, come as Turkey continues its opposition to Sweden's membership, saying Stockholm has been too lenient toward militant Kurdish groups, which Ankara views as threats. Flake, a Republican former senator from Arizona, said U.S. lawmakers have withheld the sale of F-16s to Turkey to pressure Ankara to ease its demands against Sweden.... U.S. authorities charged a Russian national for participating in deploying ransomware and cyberattacks. Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov, 20, directly executed at least five attacks against computer systems in the United States and abroad, the Justice Department said. Astamirov is the third person charged in the LockBit ransomware campaign and the second to be apprehended, the department said."

News Ledes

Texas. New York Times: "A storm system that swept through Texas on Thursday evening killed three people and injured dozens of others, an official said, as the state braced for a weekend of brutal heat. The three deaths and more than 75 injuries happened in Perryton, a city where a mobile home park took a direct hit from a tornado, the local fire chief, Paul Dutcher, told NBC News. He told CNN that one person died in the trailer park and two others died downtown, and that one person was missing. About 200 homes and the town firehouse were destroyed...."

Greece. Guardian: "Survivors from an overcrowded fishing boat that capsized and sank on Wednesday off the Greek coast in one of the worst disasters in the Mediterranean in recent years have told doctors and police that women and children were travelling in the hold of the vessel. Seventy-eight people have been confirmed dead, but there are fears the number of victims could run into the hundreds. 'Right now everything is guesswork but we are working on the assumption that as many as 500 are missing,' said Nicolaos Spanoudakis, a police inspector. 'Women and children, it seems, were in the hold.'"

June 15, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 1978 law aimed at keeping Native American adoptees with their tribes and traditions, handing a victory to tribes that had argued that a blow to the law would upend the basic principles that have allowed them to govern themselves. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion. She was joined by six other justices. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., dissented." A Guardian story is here.

Trump Vows to Make America Great a Banana Republic. Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "When Donald J. Trump responded to his latest indictment by promising to appoint a special prosecutor if he's re-elected to 'go after' President Biden and his family, he signaled that a second Trump term would fully jettison the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence.... In his first term, Mr. Trump gradually ramped up pressure on the Justice Department, eroding its traditional independence from White House political control. He is now unabashedly saying he will throw that effort into overdrive if he returns to power.... Two of the most important figures in this effort work at the same Washington-based organization, the Center for Renewing America: Jeffrey B. Clark and Russell T. Vought. During the Trump presidency, Mr. Vought served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Clark, who oversaw the Justice Department's civil and environmental divisions, was the only senior official at the department who tried to help Mr. Trump overturn the 2020 election.... They are condemning Mr. Biden and Democrats for what they claim is the politicization of the justice system, but at the same time pushing an intellectual framework that a future Republican president might use to justify directing individual law enforcement investigations."

Merrick Thwarts the Revolution. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Twice in recent months, allies of ... Donald J. Trump have used violent language to criticize the criminal charges brought against him, calling for vengeance and encouraging Mr. Trump's supporters to respond to the indictments as though they were acts of war.... Both times — first in April in Manhattan and then on Tuesday in Miami -- ... the crowds that actually showed up for Mr. Trump were relatively tame and fairly small. But ... scholars of political violence said ... that after the cataclysmic events of Jan. 6, 2021, many Trump supporters have become more reluctant to act on statements by Mr. Trump's allies suggesting that a second American Revolution might be coming or calling for civil war.... One reason for the absence of conflict in Miami, [scholar Rachel] Kleinfeld wrote in an email, was that the prosecutions of Jan. 6 protesters ... have had 'a real deterrent effect' on those who might have once considered violence. She also said that many people remain 'angry at Trump for failing to provide monetary support for those jailed on his behalf after Jan. 6.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "Under indictment and enraged..., Donald J. Trump -- with the help of Republican allies, social media supporters and Fox News -- is lashing out at his successor.... The accusations against [President] Biden are being presented without any evidence that they are true, and Mr. Trump's claims of an unfair prosecution came even after Attorney General Merrick B. Garland appointed a special counsel specifically to insulate the inquiries from political considerations. But that hardly seems to be the point for Mr. Trump and his allies as they make a concerted effort to smear Mr. Biden and erode confidence in the legal system. Just hours after his arraignment, Mr. Trump promised payback if he wins the White House in 2024.... The response from Mr. Biden and his advisers has been studious silence.... But if [Mr. Trump] does become Mr. Biden's opponent for the presidency again, the strategy of avoidance may eventually have to change."

Perry Stein of the Washington Post: "Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday afternoon defended the Justice Department's classified-documents investigation of ...Donald Trump, who has been calling Jack Smith, the special counsel in charge of the probe, a 'thug' and a 'lunatic.' In his first public comments since Trump was indicted last week, Garland would not answer specific questions about the investigation, but said that he had faith in the 'integrity' of the probe and would let the indictment and future court filings speak for the Justice Department. 'Mr. Smith is a veteran, career prosecutor. He has assembled a group of talented prosecutors and agents who share his commitment to integrity and the rule of law,' Garland said at an event at Justice Department headquarters...."

Josh Dawsey & Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: Last fall, one of Donald Trump's attorneys, "Christopher Kise, wanted to quietly approach [the Department of] Justice to see if he could negotiate a settlement that would preclude charges, hoping Attorney General Merrick Garland and the department would want an exit ramp to avoid prosecuting a former president.... But Trump was not interested after listening to other lawyers who urged a more pugilistic approach.... That quiet entreaty last fall was one of many occasions when lawyers and advisers sought to get Trump to take a more cooperative stance in a bid to avoid [prosecution].... Since the National Archives first asked for the return of presidential documents in Trump's possession in February 2021 and until a grand jury issued its indictment this month, Trump was repeatedly stubborn and eschewed opportunities to avoid criminal charges, according to people with knowledge of the case.... Trump time and again rejected the advice from lawyers and advisers who urged him to cooperate and instead took the advice of Tom Fitton, the head of the conservative group Judicial Watch, and a range of others who told him he could legally keep the documents...." MB: Tom Fitton is not a lawyer. ~~~

     ~~~ Nikki Ramirez of Rolling Stone, republished by Yahoo! News, reprises much of the content of the WashPo story. MB: It is fairly mind-boggling that an elderly person who is in peril of years of incarceration would follow legal advice from a crackpot with no legal training over the advice of several of his own attorneys.

** Michael Schmidt & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Aileen M. Cannon, the Federal District Court judge assigned to preside over ... Donald J. Trump's classified documents case, has scant experience running criminal trials, calling into question her readiness to handle what is likely to be an extraordinarily complex and high-profile courtroom clash. Judge Cannon, 42, has been on the bench since November 2020, when Mr. Trump gave her a lifetime appointment shortly after he lost re-election. She had not previously served as any kind of judge, and because about 98 percent of federal criminal cases are resolved with plea deals, she has had only a limited opportunity to learn how to preside over a trial.... A New York Times review .. identified [only] four [cases] that went to trial. Each was a relatively routine matter.... Judge Cannon's suitability to handle such a high-stakes and high-profile case has already attracted scrutiny amid widespread perceptions that she demonstrated bias in the former president's favor last year.... In that case, she shocked legal experts across the ideological divide by disrupting the investigation -- including suggesting that Mr. Trump gets special protections as a former president that any other target of a search warrant would not receive -- before a conservative appeals court shut her down, ruling that she never had legitimate legal authority to intervene....

"Lawyers who have appeared before Judge Cannon in run-of-the-mill criminal cases ... said she is demonstrably inexperienced and can bristle when her actions are questioned or unexpected issues arise.... The Trump case is likely to raise myriad complexities that would be challenging for any judge -- let alone one who will be essentially learning on the job.... Judge Cannon's [Senate Judiciary Committee] questionnaire answers put forward few experiences or accomplishments that clearly distinguished her as seasoned and demonstrably ready for the powers and responsibilities of a lifetime appointment to be a federal judge." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: An argument I keep hearing pundits make is, "Well, she may not know much, but she has clerks who will set her straight." Really? She had clerks last year when she made those wild-assed, contra-Constitutional rulings in favor of Trump, and her clerks either did not set her straight or she did not heed them. ~~~

     ~~~ Alex Wagner of MSNBC on Aileen Cannon's so-called professional experience:

Maybe Jack Smith Has Another Trump Indictment Up His Sleeve. Jamie Frevelle of Mediaite: "While it's only speculation, Ryan Goodman and Andrew Weissmann write in The Atlantic that none of the 37 counts outlined in the 49-page indictment include a charge of dissemination of classified information, a 'steeper' charge. The reason for this, they suspect, is because these charges were made in Florida -- but the possible dissemination, or communication of information or materials may have happened in New Jersey.... The recording they mention is the one obtained by CNN in which Trump is heard 'waving around documents' and saying, on tape, 'Secret. This is secret information. Look, look at this' and 'This was done by the military and given to me.'... There are concerns that [Aileen Cannon] may not be objective when it comes to the former president. There is also the chance that Cannon could 'pocket-veto' the charges by scheduling the trial for a date after the 2024 election...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Fun Fact. Sophie Tatum of the Messenger: If found guilty in the documents case before election day 2024, Trump will lose his right to vote for himself in Florida.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Mike Ives of the New York Times elaborates on Fox "News" running a chyron last night that called President Biden a "wannabe dictator": "The onscreen text appeared briefly at the bottom of a split-screen broadcast that showed President Biden and former President Trump speaking from respective podiums, at the White House and a Trump golf club in Bedminster, N.J. 'Wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested,' the chyron read. It did not refer to Mr. Biden by name, but the implication was clear.... A spokeswoman for Fox News said, 'The chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

 
Michael Crowley, et al., of the New York Times: "The Biden administration has been negotiating quietly with Iran to limit Tehran's nuclear program and free imprisoned Americans, according to officials from three countries, in part of a larger U.S. effort to ease tensions and reduce the risk of a military confrontation with the Islamic Republic. The U.S. goal is to reach an informal, unwritten agreement, which some Iranian officials are calling a 'political cease-fire.' It would aim to prevent a further escalation in a long-hostile relationship that has grown even more fraught as Iran builds up a stockpile of highly enriched uranium close to bomb-grade purity, supplies Russia with drones for use in Ukraine and brutally cracks down on domestic political protests."

Max Bearak of the New York Times: "... American companies are paying around $1 billion a year to Russia's state-owned nuclear agency to buy the fuel that generates more than half of the United States' emissions-free energy. It is one of the most significant remaining flows of money from the United States to Russia, and it continues despite strenuous efforts among U.S. allies to sever economic ties with Moscow. The enriched uranium payments are made to subsidiaries of Rosatom, which in turn is closely intertwined with Russia's military apparatus.... No American-owned company enriches uranium.... But building a new enriched uranium supply chain will take years -- and significantly more government funding than currently allocated."

Rachel Siegel & Abha Bhattari of the Washington Post: "The Federal Reserve is leaving interest rates unchanged for the first time since spring 2022, signaling a new chapter in the central bank's fraught fight against inflation. The decision at the end of the Fed's two-day policy meeting on Wednesday was widely expected, after a long run of rate hikes pushed the central bank's benchmark rate up by five percentage points in 15 months. The Fed also signaled more rate hikes would come before the end of the year, according to economic projections also released Wednesday, though it was unclear when exactly those increases might happen." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jennifer Bendery of the Huffington Post: "The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Dale Ho to a lifetime federal judgeship, a major victory for progressives who have been anxiously awaiting action on Ho's nomination for nearly two years. Ho was confirmed 50 to 49 to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Every Republican voted no. Every Democrat, including the two independents who caucus with them, voted to confirm him, except for one: Joe Manchin of West Virginia.... Ho, 46, is considered one of the nation's leading voting rights lawyers. He's been the director of the American Civil Liberties Union's voting rights project since 2013 and was previously a staff attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He argued two cases against the Trump administration at the Supreme Court, one of which successfully challenged ... Donald Trump's plan to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census.... [Ho] had his Judiciary Committee hearing in December 2021. But since then, Ho's nomination stalled amid stiff GOP opposition and Democratic absences...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: But Ho wrote nothing, nothing about flamenco dancing or tomatoes! What if he has to hear a case in which a flamenco dancer sues a tomato producer for not growing cancer-preventing tomatoes? Ho will be totally unprepared! (See Alex Wagner segment embedded above for context.)

John Wagner & Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "The Republican-led House voted to table a measure Wednesday that would censure Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) for pressing allegations that ... Donald Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. Twenty Republicans voted with Democrats to table the measure -- effectively killing it -- in a vote of 225-196. Two Republicans and five Democrats voted present. The resolution also sought to fine Schiff, the former House Intelligence Committee chairman, $16 million, which its sponsor, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), says is half the cost of an investigation into the alleged collusion.... As Schiff spoke to reporters after the vote, Luna rolled by on a foot scooter and interrupted him by saying she'll file the same measure next week. Schiff, meanwhile, said it 'showed a lot of courage' for 20 of his Republican colleagues to vote against the 'crazy MAGA folks.'"

Presidential Race 2024

Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "Top Democratic strategists, including current advisers to President Biden and former U.S. senators, met last week with former Republicans who oppose Donald Trump at the offices of a downtown D.C. think tank. Their mission: to figure out how to best subvert a potential third-party presidential bid by the group No Labels, an effort they all agreed risked undermining Biden's reelection campaign and reelecting ... Donald Trump to the White House.... [There were] about 40 people in the room and others appearing on Zoom.... Attendees included former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, Democratic National Committee senior adviser Cedric L. Richmond and Stephanie Cutter, a former campaign adviser to Barack Obama who has worked with the Biden team. They were joined by former senators Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), along with representatives of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, former Weekly Standard publisher Bill Kristol and Lucy Caldwell, a former Republican consultant...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Gary Fineout & Brakkton Booker of Politico: "Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is joining the crowded Republican field for president, becoming the first Hispanic in the race who also contends he can broaden the appeal for Republicans nationally -- especially to Hispanics. Suarez, 45, filed official federal paperwork on Wednesday, just one day after Donald Trump's arraignment in downtown Miami.... Suarez has touted the city's low crime rate and economic successes, but he has lately been dogged by news reports about a developer who hired him to allegedly secure permits for a stalled real estate project at the same time the developer was trying to win approval for a city project."

Donald Trump deliberately framed this absurd standoff with the government of the United States to prove that he could still stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn't lose any voters. -- Judge J. Michael Luttig, Ret. ~~~

~~~ Isaac Arnsdorf, et al., of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump is seeking to present the next election as a stark choice: whether to return to power a twice-impeached, twice-indicted former president so that he can beat his prosecution and exact revenge on his political opponents.... Although he makes sure to tie up his fate with that of the country and his MAGA movement, he is equally clear about what he stands to lose: his own personal freedom.... More broadly, he has begun staking out a legal and political defense that relies on misrepresentations of facts and law.... In the process, Trump is now determinedly delegitimizing the legal system, as he has tried to do in the past with public health measures, the intelligence community, elections and other people or agencies he views as opposing him."

Ruth Graham & Elizabeth Dias of the New York Times: "After overwhelmingly voting to finalize the expulsion of two churches with female pastors, Southern Baptists voted on Wednesday to further expand restrictions on women in church leadership, potentially opening up hundreds of new churches to investigation and expulsions. Delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in New Orleans approved an amendment to their constitution that their churches must have 'only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.'"

Capitalism Is Gross. Michael Levenson of the New York Times: "The manager of a morgue at Harvard Medical School has been charged with selling body parts from donated cadavers and allowing buyers to come to the morgue to choose which parts they wanted, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday. Prosecutors said that the manager, Cedric Lodge, 55, and his wife, Denise Lodge, 63, both of Goffstown, N.H., and three others had been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pennsylvania on charges of conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods. A sixth person, Jeremy Pauley, 41, of Bloomsburg, Pa., was charged separately, prosecutors said. A seventh, Candace Chapman Scott, of Little Rock, Ark., was previously indicted in Arkansas, prosecutors said." An NBC Boston story is here.

Beyond the Beltway

California. Livia Albeck-Ripka of the New York Times: "Two men from Orange County, Calif., including a Marine, have been arrested and are facing federal charges after being accused of using a Molotov cocktail to firebomb a Costa Mesa clinic operated by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America last year, federal authorities said. The men, Tibet Ergul, 21, of Irvine, and Chance Brannon, 23, of San Juan Capistrano, were arrested on Wednesday morning and charged with using an explosive or fire to damage property, the Justice Department said in a news release."

Mississippi Is Still Mississippi. Daniel Wu of the Washington Post: "Six sheriff's deputies responding to a report of drug activity at a Mississippi home in January deactivated their body cameras before forcibly entering the house -- despite not having a search warrant, a lawsuit alleges. Once inside, the Rankin County Sheriff's Office deputies allegedly handcuffed two Black men and subjected them to a night of abuse. While Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker were subdued, the deputies beat them, hurled racist slurs and repeatedly used Tasers on the men, the federal lawsuit filed Monday by Jenkins and Parker states. The deputies, who are White, also waterboarded Jenkins and Parker, pelted them with eggs and attempted to sexually assault them with a sex toy, according to [a] lawsuit [Jenkins and Parker have filed]. The encounter ended nearly two hours later when a deputy placed a gun in Jenkins's mouth and shot him, permanently injuring his face, the lawsuit alleges."

Montana. Phil Helsel of NBC News: "A Montana man who fired an AK-style rifle at the home of a lesbian woman and said he wanted to 'get rid of' gay people in his small town was sentenced to 18 years in prison Tuesday, prosecutors said. John Howald, 46, opened fire at the woman's home in Basin in March 2020 and set off to shoot others before he was interrupted by a sheriff's deputy the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana said in a statement Wednesday. Howald was shouting anti-gay slurs and said he wanted to 'clean' the small community by killing gay and lesbian people, the office said. No one was injured in the gunfire."

Nevada. Mike Ives of the New York Times: "Nine women accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault in a Nevada lawsuit on Wednesday, less than two months after the state changed its statute of limitations for civil cases involving that crime. The women said in the lawsuit that the assaults took place in Nevada between 1979 and 1992, some in Mr. Cosby's hotel suite in Las Vegas. They said that Mr. Cosby, now 85, had drugged or attempted to drug each of them before the assaults."

New York. Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "A grand jury on Wednesday voted to indict a Marine veteran who was arrested last month after killing a homeless man on a subway car in a case that created a political firestorm in New York City and beyond, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The case against the veteran, Daniel Penny, was brought by the Manhattan district attorney's office, which had charged Mr. Penny with manslaughter in the death of the homeless man, Jordan Neely, but needed the grand jury's approval to proceed with the case." An ABC News story is here.

Texas, California. Jill Cowan & Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Tx.) sent "a group of Latin American asylum seekers on Wednesday [to California. Abbott acknowledged in a statement that he has bussed] at least 42 migrants, including children and toddlers..., to Los Angeles.... State officials said Los Angeles nonprofits had been informed in advance of the relocation, unlike what happened before two planeloads of migrants arrived in Sacramento earlier this month with the backing of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.... It was not immediately clear on Wednesday whether the migrants had agreed to travel to California or what they had been told about the journey west."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Thursday is here: "U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is in Brussels to host a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which includes ministers from almost 50 countries assisting Kyiv's war efforts.... Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated Thursday that financial and military aid was making a difference on the battlefield, as Ukraine's highly anticipated counteroffensive begins. He said 'fierce fighting' was underway as the alliance moves to strengthen defense spending. Earlier this week, Stoltenberg met with [President] Biden in Washington to discuss the ongoing conflict.... More than 2 million Ukrainian children have been forced to flee since the war began, according to UNICEF.... Ukrainian forces are making grinding advances in several directions in the early stages of their counteroffensive, according to officials."

U.K. Danica Kirka & Sylvia Hui of the AP: "Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament about the lockdown-flouting parties that undermined his credibility and contributed to his downfall, a committee of lawmakers said Thursday after a year-long investigation. A scathing report from the House of Commons Privileges Committee found that Johnson's actions and his response to the committee were such a flagrant violation of the rules that they warranted a 90-day suspension from Parliament. While a condemning indictment of the former prime minister's conduct, the recommendation is largely symbolic because Johnson angrily quit as a lawmaker Friday after the committee informed him of its conclusions." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times story is here. The Guardian is running a liveblog of developments.

News Ledes

New York Times: "Glenda Jackson, the two-time Oscar winner who renounced a successful film and stage career in her 50s to become a member of the British Parliament, then returned to the stage at 80 as the title character in 'King Lear,' died on Thursday at her home in Blackheath, London. She was 87." Jackson's Guardian obituary is here.

New York Times: "Robert Gottlieb, an illustrious editor at Simon & Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf and The New Yorker whose deft touch shaped a bibliophile's library of novels, nonfiction books and magazine articles by a pantheon of acclaimed writers from the middle to the late 20th century, died on Wednesday in Manhattan. He was 92."