April 4, 2023
Wisconsin & Chicago are holding elections today. Related links under Beyond the Beltway.
Ready for His Perp Walk, Ctd. Florida Man Surrenders
The New York Times is liveblogging this Trumpity Doo-Dah Day. The Washington Post's live updates are here. The AP's live updates are here. CNN's live updates are here.
Michael Sisak, et al., of the AP: "Donald Trump conspired to undermine the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy, prosecutors said Tuesday in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment against the former president. Trump, stone-faced and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said 'not guilty' in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. The broad contours of the case have long been known, but the 16-page indictment contains new details about a scheme that prosecutors say involved multiple payoffs to two women, including a porn star, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of of wedlock."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks following Donald Trump's arraignment: ~~~
~~~ Alvin Bragg's public statement is here. The D.A.'s Statement of Facts, submitted to the court, is here (pdf). ~~~
~~~ The full indictment, via the Manhattan D.A., is here. ~~~
~~~ Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: “Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records under Article 175 of the New York Penal Law.... If convicted on the felony bookkeeping fraud charges, Trump faces a sentence of up to four years for each count. The charge does not carry a mandatory prison sentence, however.” At 4:00 pm ET, this is a continuing story.
Kierra Frazier of Politico: "... Donald Trump's arraignment Tuesday is not a priority for President Joe Biden, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.... 'Of course, this is playing out on many of the networks here on a daily basis for hours and hours,' Jean-Pierre said. 'So, obviously, he will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day, but this is not his focus for today.' The White House has stuck to a 'no comment' script since the news broke that Trump had been indicted Thursday."
Today's Weather Forecast, via RAS:
Ha! pic.twitter.com/HfoPzYj3km
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) April 3, 2023
Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "A Jan. 6 defendant who was charged alongside the Donald Trump supporter who drove a stun gun into the neck of a D.C. police officer during the Capitol attack was convicted Tuesday on three counts.... Ed Badalian was arrested in November 2021.... He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, and a misdemeanor count. He was found not guilty of a tampering count because the judge found that a government witness, a fellow Jan. 6 rioter, was a 'hot mess' on the stand. Badalian was charged alongside Daniel Rodriguez, a MAGA-hatted rioter who admitted that he had electroshocked D.C. Police Officer Mike Fanone when Fanone was abducted by the mob. Rodriguez is set to be sentenced in May. A third man, known to online sleuths as #SwedishScarf and referred to in court as 'Jeff,' was indicted alongside the other two men, but has not yet been arrested. Law enforcement officials believe that he has fled the country."
~~~~~~~~~
Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "Scores of demonstrators from both sides began amassing hours before Mr. Trump, 76, was due at the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, with a pro-Trump rally outside the courthouse headlined by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.... Wearing sunglasses and speaking into a megaphone, Ms. Greene delivered brief remarks, attacking Democrats as 'communists' and 'failures' and reeling off a list of her and her party's policy positions.... Police were separating pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators in Collect Pond Park, keeping an aisle -- and an array of officers -- between the two groups, who were largely peaceful, though at least one small skirmish broke out. Ms. Greene's arrival was accompanied by heavy security.... Representative George Santos, the serial liar and embattled freshman Republican from Long Island, also showed up, though he left shortly after arriving, saying he felt unsafe.” (We interrupt this coverage while I go take my pizza out of the oven.)
How's That "Lock Her Up!" Chants Working for Trump: James Barron of the New York Times: "Today New York will be focused on the arraignment of a former president, the first proceeding of its kind in American history.... This evening a private club on East 66th Street will continue a tradition dating to the 1870s with a black-tie dinner. The honoree will be Hillary Clinton.... The timing is a coincidence, said John Sussek III, the president of the Lotos Club. The date was chosen around the beginning of the year...."
MEANWHILE. Bada Bing, Bada Boom. Sara Murray, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump's legal team has lost a bid for emergency help from the federal appeals court in Washington, DC, to block some of his closest advisers from testifying about him to a grand jury, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, according to a new court filing. Trump's team on Monday night asked for the appeals court to wipe away a lower court's ruling that would force several of his top advisers to answer questions to a grand jury investigating Trump and his allies' attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, despite his claims of legal protections around his presidency that would shield some of their testimony. The appeals court denied his request on Tuesday, dealing Trump another legal setback just before he is set to enter a courtroom in Manhattan to face criminal charges in a separate investigation.... Overnight, a panel of three judges on the appeals court -- Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins and Greg Katsas -- had sought a response from the Justice Department regarding Trump's request. The Justice Department responded about two hours later.... Trump's team is unlikely to ask the Supreme Court for help, one source told CNN."
Katie Mettler, et al., of the Washington Post: "Roy C. McGrath, a former top aide to Maryland's then governor [Larry Hogan (R)], is believed to have shot himself following a traffic stop in Tennessee amid a 21-day manhunt that kicked off when he did not show up for court in his federal fraud trial, according to a law enforcement document. The FBI also fired during the stop, the document said, and it is unclear whether the self-inflicted wound or shots from law enforcement killed McGrath."
Sad News. Chelsea Ritschel of the Independent, republished by Yahoo! News: "Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith have reportedly called off their engagement, less than two weeks after announcing their plans to marry. On 4 April, Vanity Fair reported that sources close to the 92-year-old media mogul said the couple had 'abruptly' called off their engagement, with one source citing Murdoch's alleged discomfort with Smith's evangelical views."
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Corey Kilgannon of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump traveled to New York from Florida on Monday to face arraignment in the first indictment of a former American president, his trip monitored minutely from the moment he left his Palm Beach estate until he arrived at Trump Tower in Midtown. Live trackers followed his red-white-and-blue plane all the way to its arrival at La Guardia Airport. Helicopters broadcast the motorcade that swept him to his Manhattan home, which was hemmed in by press, the police and protesters. On Tuesday morning..., the former president will be whisked downtown by police officers and Secret Service agents to surrender at the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg. He will then be arraigned in the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, where his supporters plan a rally outside. Mayor Eric Adams warned Mr. Trump's supporters to keep the peace.... Barricades were deployed, and the Police Department sent a stand-ready order to its roughly 35,000 officers, a force larger and better trained than some national armies." The Guardian's story is here.
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Contributor Jeanne is unhappy with CNN & MSNBC fawning all over Trump: "Four cameras reporting on his every move -- 'we should see him soon' and they might as well be sitting on his felonlap patting his felon cheek." Maybe you think Jeanne is exaggerating. She is not. I just tuned into CNN, and they had three anchors staked out in a booth on the street in front of Trump Tower. Meanwhile, flip over to MSNBC and there's a little picture-in-picture of the airport where Trump's plane is supposed to land: "Soon: Trump to Land in NYC," the title said. Appropriately enough, both channels followed with an O.J.-style low-speed chase -- as videographers traveling in helicopters taped Trump's entourage at the moved from La Guardia to Fifth Avenue. Is this a great country or what?
Michael Isikoff of Yahoo! News: "Donald Trump will be placed under arrest on Tuesday and informed that he has been charged with 34 felony counts for falsification of business records, according to a source who has been briefed on the procedures.... But, the source said, Trump will not be put in handcuffs, placed in a jail cell or subjected to a mug shot -- typical procedures even for white-collar defendants until a judge has weighed in on pretrial conditions. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, which has been consulting with the Secret Service and New York City court officials, concluded there was no reason to subject the former president to handcuffs or a mug shot." ~~~
~~~ Marie: And Andrew McCabe tells CNN that officials will fingerprint Trump electronically, so Trump won't even get his tiny hands dirty. ~~~
~~~ Even More Bad News. Paul Farhi of the Washington Post:"The judge overseeing Donald Trump's arraignment turned down a formal request from news organizations to have TV cameras in his courtroom, and granted journalists limited access to what he acknowledged was a 'historic' proceeding. In a ruling late Monday, Judge Juan M. Merchan said he would permit five news photographers to take still pictures of Trump's appearance in a Manhattan court on Tuesday but ruled that they would have to leave once the actual arraignment began. He also approved TV cameras in the hallways of the Manhattan courthouse where Trump will surrender, but said reporters would not be able to carry electronic recording devices into his courtroom or to 'overflow' rooms in the building. The ruling effectively means that the public won't learn the details of Trump's arraignment -- an unprecedented event of global significance -- until it's over." A Politico story is here. ~~~
~~~ Here's the funny part: "Trump's attorneys had opposed the news organization's request for broader access, saying it would create a 'circus-like' atmosphere and was 'inconsistent' with Trump's presumption of innocence." The greatest publicity whore in American history who treated the Oval Office like Center Ring doesn't want to be photographed. MB: But of course he doesn't; he he doesn't want to see the continuous loop of himself being humiliated.
Another MAGA Attorney. Erica Orden of Politico: "... Donald Trump has hired a top white-collar criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, Todd Blanche, as his lead counsel to handle the Manhattan district attorney's criminal indictment of the former president. Blanche, until recently a partner at law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, said in an email obtained by Politico that he was resigning from the firm...." MB: Todd, get a giant retainer up-front and remember, MAGA stands for Make Attorneys Get Attorneys. This may not end well for you. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
You be the judge: who wins this back-and-forth? ~~~
“Wow.” 60 Minutes uses their prestigious platform to showcase Marjorie Taylor Greene. Then Lesley Stahl seems surprised when Greene calls President Biden and Democrats “pedophiles”. pic.twitter.com/mG4Wevmr9Z
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) April 3, 2023
~~~ digby writes an excellent takedown of Stahl's pro-fascist, fact-check-free interview. ~~~
~~~ Clueless. Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: Lesley "Stahl has been roasted online for granting [Marjorie Taylor] Greene a plum '60 Minutes' interview, which aired Sunday night. But the real problem with this exchange is that Stahl did not show any signs of understanding the longtime role of the 'pedophile' insult in right-wing discourse as an expression of deliberate bigotry against transgender Americans.... The 'pedophile' slur, a companion of the term 'groomer,' is regularly applied by Republicans and right-wing media figures to Democrats and others who stand up for transgender rights, including gender-affirming treatment for adolescents. Greene cheerfully flaunted this use of the term on '60 Minutes,' which left Stahl utterly flummoxed[.]... After marriage equality triumphed, the 'pedophile' smear against Democrats morphed into something stranger: the deranged charges of child trafficking that drive the QAnon conspiracy theory." ~~~
~~~ Marie: It's not as if Stahl couldn't have been prepared for Miss Margie's slur. It was Stahl who brought up the subject. ~~~
~~~ Marie: In fairness to Stahl, she has always been an incompetent, negligent "journalist." In the summer of 1986, when Ronald Reagan was president and had nearly two years still left in his term, Stahl & her husband Aaron Latham met with Reagan in the Oval Office. It was a courtesy visit, a "farewell audience" granted Stahl who was ending her gig as CBS News White House correspondent. Reagan, she found, was completely out of it. He didn't know who Stahl was and didn't understand what she was saying. "A doddering space cadet," she wrote. "Gonzo." And when did Stahl reveal this? Oh, in 2000, a dozen years after Reagan had left office. As the White House reporter for a major news outlet, Stahl had a clear duty to report that the POTUS was mentally incapacitated. And she did not. She protected the President and betrayed the nation.
Real National News
Kenneth Chang of the New York Times: “For the first time in more than half a century, NASA has named a crew of astronauts headed to the moon.... They are Reid Wiseman, the mission's commander; Victor Glover, the pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and, Jeremy Hansen, also a mission specialist. The first three are NASA astronauts, while Mr. Hansen is a member of the Canadian Space Agency.... The mission is a major step in NASA's Artemis program to send astronauts back to the surface of the moon to explore the cold regions near the moon's south pole." The AP's story is here.
** FBI Shoots Dead Top Maryland Aide. Steve Thompson of the Washington Post: "Roy C. McGrath, a fugitive who had been a top aide to Larry Hogan when he was Maryland's governor, died Monday as the result of a confrontation with the FBI in the area of Knoxville, Tenn., his lawyer said. He had been the subject of a 21-day manhunt launched after he failed to show up to federal court in Baltimore.... In a statement Monday night, the FBI said that it was 'reviewing an agent-involved shooting' that occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. 'During the arrest the subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital....'... McGrath, 53, was slated to face wire fraud and embezzlement charges stemming from alleged financial improprieties as the head of a Maryland quasi-public agency beginning March 13...." CNN's story is here.
Noah Weiland of the New York Times: "As of Saturday, state officials around the country could begin removing people from Medicaid who no longer qualify -- something they had been prohibited from doing under a provision in a coronavirus relief package passed by Congress in 2020.... In part because of that policy, the nation's uninsured rate reached a record low early last year.... The federal government has estimated that about 15 million people will lose coverage in the coming months, including nearly seven million people who are expected to be dropped from the rolls even though they are still eligible. Nearly half of those who lose coverage will be Black or Hispanic, according to federal projections."
Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "America experienced a bigger decline in life expectancy when Covid struck than any other wealthy country. Furthermore, while life expectancy recovered in many countries in 2021, here it continued to fall.... Over the past four decades, our life expectancy has been lagging ever further [than] that of other advanced nations -- even nations whose economic performance has been poor by conventional measures.... Life expectancy is hugely unequal across U.S. regions, with major coastal cities not looking much worse than Europe but the South and the eastern heartland doing far worse.... Geographic health disparities have surged in recent decades.... There is, in fact, a strong correlation between how much a stat's life expectancy rose from 1990 to 2019 and its political lean...."
Beyond the Beltway
Florida. Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics: "Gov. Ron DeSantis has quietly signed permitless carry legislation. The measure eliminates a requirement for Floridians to obtain a license to carry a concealed gun. The Legislature reports the bill (HB 543) was signed at 8:15 a.m. Monday morning. Fox News first reported the bill had become law, but the article contained no statement from DeSantis. The Governor also did not post any social media announcing his signature. Photograph were provided to Fox News by the National Rifle Association, an organization that had representatives at a small signing in DeSantis' office.... Hard-line Second Amendment activists have criticized the bill for falling short of open carry. Many, in fact, had encouraged DeSantis to reject the legislation." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ The Emperor Strikes Back. Brooks Barnes of the New York Times: "Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Monday requested 'a thorough review and investigation' into an effort by the Walt Disney Company to limit state oversight of development at Disney World. The request came in a letter to Melinda Miguel, Florida's chief inspector general. Last week, Mr. DeSantis and his allies realized that Disney had pushed through a development agreement in early February that would allow the company to sidestep a new oversight board whose members were appointed by Mr. DeSantis." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Chris Isidore & Steve Contorno of CNN: "Disney CEO Bob Iger fought back against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis" actions against his company, telling Disney shareholders on Monday that recent actions by the state were 'anti-business.'"
Florida. Arek Sarkissian of Politico: "The Florida Senate on Monday approved a proposed ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, with two Republicans opposing the bill amid outbursts from protesters. The bill, S.B. 300, would ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for women facing life-threatening harm during pregnancy, and exemptions of up to 15 weeks for victims of rape, incest and human trafficking. There's also $30 million for the Florida Department of Health to expand programs that support contraception, parenting and pregnancies. The measure, which is sponsored by state Sen. Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach), was approved 26-13 and still must pass the state House before heading to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis."
~~~ Hannah Knowles & Kelsey Ables of the Washington Post: "Florida Democrats chair Nikki Fried and state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D) were among 11 people arrested Monday night while protesting abortion legislation outside Tallahassee's City Hall, police said.... The arrests came hours after the state Senate voted to approve a ban on abortion in most cases after six weeks, which is being described by activists as a near-total abortion ban. It is expected to be approved by the state House and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in the coming weeks, and would mark a shift from the 15-week ban DeSantis signed into law last year.... Tallahassee police said protesters were told they could not continue their demonstration after sundown and were arrested for trespassing after multiple warnings." The Florida Politics story is here.
Illinois. Chicago Mayoral Election. Mitch Smith of the New York Times: “After rejecting the incumbent mayor, Lori Lightfoot, in the first round of balloting in February, Chicago voters were set to choose on Tuesday between two candidates with starkly different visions for the country's third-largest city. Paul Vallas, a former public schools executive, has run on a more conservative platform, calling for a larger police force, a crackdown on crime and more charter schools. His opponent, Brandon Johnson, a county commissioner and union organizer, has campaigned as a proud progressive who wants to expand social programs, spend more on neighborhood schools and add new taxes." The Guardian's story is here.
Tennessee: ~~~
~~~ ** Melissa Brown & Vivian Jones of the Tennessean: "Yells rang out through the state Capitol as Tennessee House Republicans on Monday introduced resolutions to expel three Democrats for 'disorderly behavior' after the trio led protest chants for gun reform on the floor of the chamber last week in the wake of the deadly Covenant School shooting. On Thursday, the three House Democrats approached the podium between bills without being recognized to speak, a breach of chamber rules. With a bullhorn, Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis led protestors in the galleries in several chants calling for gun reform.... The House chamber fell into chaos as Republican Rep. Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, introduced the first resolution, which called for Pearson's expulsion. Protestors screamed from the galleries above. Pearson raised his fist in protest, and House Democrats raised their hands to object. Amid the chaos, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, called for the vote, and the resolution passed with overwhelming support from the Republican supermajority. All three resolutions passed in a party-line vote of 72 to 23. Democrats will have little power to block expulsions on Thursday." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Read on. This is an outrageous attack on democracy. I can see censuring members or otherwise expressing disapproval if the majority disagrees with their efforts to save children's lives. But to remove members of the opposition for expressing their views in a nonviolent manner is as anti-democratic as any act of a legislative body I've ever heard of. If this action is allowed to prevail, the majorities of every legislature in every state and the Congress itself can just increase their majorities by expelling members of the minority with trumped-up charges. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's story is here. Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE. David Moye of the Huffington Post: On Monday, "State Rep. William Lamberth [R] agreed to talk with the [student] protesters..., [and asked] which firearm they'd prefer to be shot with. If there is a firearm out there that you're comfortable being shot with, please show me which one it is,' he asked rhetorically." MB: Rhetorically? To me, it sounds like a threat to kill children, if with a nice handgun.
Wisconsin State Supreme Court Election. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: Wisconsin voters "on Tuesday will choose a justice to fill a swing seat on the state's Supreme Court. The winner -- either Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal Milwaukee County judge, or Daniel Kelly, a conservative former State Supreme Court justice -- will have the deciding vote on a host of major issues, including abortion rights, gerrymandered political maps, and voting and election cases surrounding the 2024 presidential contest." Politico's story is here.
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al.
The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Tuesday is here: "Russia's military equipped Belarusian aircraft with nuclear weapon capabilities, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.... Moscow is probably seeking to develop private military alternatives to the Wagner Group for combat in Ukraine, Britain's Defense Ministry said. 'Russia's military leadership likely wants a replacement PMC that it has more control over,' defense intelligence officials said, referring to private military companies.... Russian forces deployed 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones against Ukrainian targets overnight, Ukraine's southern military command said Tuesday.... The Biden administration is preparing another arms package for Ukraine to be announced this week, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters."
Finland/NATO Countries. Emily Rauhala & Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "Finland is set to formally join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Tuesday, a historic shift for a country that once insisted it was safer outside the military alliance, a dramatic rebuke to Russia and a sign of how President Vladimir Putin's gamble in Ukraine is upending the post-Cold War order. Finnish membership will double NATO's land border with Russia, adding more than 800 miles. It will also bolster the alliance's presence around the Baltic Sea and enhance its position in the Arctic. To justify his unprovoked attack on Ukraine, Putin cited the possibility of NATO expansion. Now, his war has brought a bigger, stronger NATO to his door.... But the fact that Sweden's flag will not go up alongside Finland's speaks to the challenge of keeping NATO allies united, even in the face of Russia's threats.... Membership applications must be approved by all existing NATO countries. And Turkey positioned itself as a spoiler, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan using the process to extract concessions and score domestic political points.... Hungary is stalling, too...." The AP's story is here.
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