March 12, 2023

Oren Liebermann of CNN: "The US Air Force unveiled a new color scheme for the new Air Force One jets under construction on Friday, doing away with the darker red, white, and blue chosen by ... Donald Trump and opting for a modernized version of the classic design of the president's aircraft. The color scheme also scraps the design Trump wanted for Air Force One, which featured a deep red stripe down the middle of the aircraft and a dark blue underbelly.... Trump's preferred color scheme had been rejected last year because it would require additional engineering, increasing the time it would take to build and the cost of the aircraft, which has already suffered numerous delays. The dark blue paint threatened to overheat sophisticated electronic components on board and would have required additional Federal Aviation Administration qualification testing, the Air Force said.... The [new] overall scheme stays true to the design Air Force One has sported since President John F. Kennedy was in the White House 60 years ago."

Emily Schmall of the New York Times: "The Naming Commission, a committee created by Congress in response to a public backlash against Confederate memorials in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd, identified two ships to be rechristened in the Navy's fleet. One, a warship deployed in the waters off Japan, called the U.S.S. Chancellorsville after the Confederate Civil War victory in Virginia, will be renamed the U.S.S. Robert Smalls..., after Robert Smalls, a mariner who [in 1862] commandeered a Confederate ship to freedom from slavery.... The other, a Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship called the U.S.N.S. Maury, was named after Matthew Fontaine Maury, a U.S. Navy commander who resigned in 1861 to join the Confederate Navy during the Civil War and who is known as 'Pathfinder of the Seas' for his work charting the global paths of ocean currents. It will be rechristened the U.S.N.S.Marie Tharp, after the ocean cartographer, who helped document the phenomenon of continental drift."

Groundhog Day Moved to January 7. Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "Two months into their new majority, some House Republicans cannot stop fixating on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.... In deep contrast, senators have largely moved on from that horrific attack, deferring to the Justice Department's investigation.... 'I think they need to watch a little less cable TV,' Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) told CNN. For more than two years running, every day the House is in session can feel as if it's Jan. 7 -- the day after.... 'We have ... a lot of people who are openly using their platforms to promote insurrectionists, to promote the idea that Jan. 6 didn't happen, that it was a friendly thing,' said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).... By 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 6, as rioters began making their way into the building, the Senate was quickly locked down and was fully evacuated within 15 minutes. Almost no one saw a rioter.... When the House finally halted debate, rioters were trying to break into the chamber, forcing Capitol Police into a guns-drawn standoff by the back door." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Aw, Kane forgets all about the panic experienced by some senators, like Josh Hawley, who went from encouraging the insurrectionists with a fist pump ... to this: ~~~

Ben Terris of the Washington Post: "In a speech Saturday night [at the Gridiron dinner], former vice president Mike Pence delivered what amounted to his strongest rebuke of Donald Trump, criticizing the former president for his role in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol as well as attempts to rewrite the history of that day. 'President Trump was wrong,' Pence said. 'I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day. And I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable.... The American people have a right to know what took place at the Capitol on January 6th,' he said. 'But make no mistake about it, what happened that day was a disgrace, and it mocks decency to portray it in any other way.' [At the dinner, which typically features politicians doing their best as stand-up comics,] Pence's performance included his own attempt at a comedy routine.... 'I once invited President Trump to Bible study.... He really liked the passages about the smiting and perishing of thine enemies. As he put it, "Ya know Mike, There's some really good stuff in here."'" The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Gosh, mikey indirectly did some smiting of TuKKKer, too. But it case you think God came to mikey in a dream and told him to go forth & speak the truth, it's more likely mikey has a new consultant who told him he might as well let loose, because bending his knee to the fatted Golden Bull was not improving mikey's political prospects. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: See NiskyGuy's comment below, which is spot-on (although perhaps it's impolite to insinuate that a God-fearing man like mikey is a flaming hypocrite).

Danny Hakim & Richard Fausset of the New York Times: After Rudy Guiliani made outlandish claims about voter fraud a Georgia state senate hearing on December 30, 2020, a "Georgia lawyer named Robert Cheeley ... spent 15 minutes laying out specious assertions that the workers were double- and triple-counting votes, saying their actions 'should shock the conscience of every red blooded Georgian' and likening what he said had happened to the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.... [Cheeley] was among the witnesses questioned last year by a special grand jury in Atlanta that investigated election interference by Mr. Trump and his allies, the grand jury's forewoman, Emily Kohrs, said in an interview last month." Cheeley is among those who could be indicted under Georgia's election-fraud conspiracy statues, said Norm Eisen of the Brookings Institution.

Boebert Family Values. Arwa Mahdawi of the Guardian: "Congratulations to Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert who is becoming a grandma at the tender age of 36. Speaking at a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Moms for America event on Tuesday, the Colorado congresswoman shared the news that her 17-year-old son is expecting a baby with his teenage girlfriend in April.... Speaking at the CPAC event, the extremely anti-abortion Boebert said that her biggest fear was whether her son and his partner 'would choose life'. When they did, she was so proud that she decided to turn them into a parable about rural family values.... This shouldn't need to be said in 2023, but forcing teenagers to become parents isn't good for the teenagers, the baby or society in general.... Access to abortion is one way to reduce teenage pregnancies. Quality sexual health education in schools is another. Boebert, of course, is against both."

Perry Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Texas judge who could undo government approval of a key abortion drug has scheduled the first hearing in the case for Wednesday but took unusual steps to keep it from being publicized, according to people familiar with the plans. The hearing will be an opportunity for lawyers for the Justice Department, the company that makes the drug and the conservative group that is challenging it to argue their positions before U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. After they do, the judge could rule at any time.... Kacsmaryk said he would delay putting the hearing on the public docket until late Tuesday to try to minimize disruptions and possible protests, and asked the lawyers on the call not to share information about it before then.... Public access to federal court proceedings is a key principle of the American judicial system, and Kacsmaryk's apparent delay in placing the hearing on the docket is highly unusual." MB: Kacsmaryk is a right-wing Trump appointee who opposes women's reproductive rights. And a lot of other human rights.

Gerrit De Vynck & Rachel Lerman of the Washington Post: "... thousands of people [are] likely to be affected by the stunning collapse of Silicon Valley Bank on Friday, marking the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history and sending shock waves through the tech and finance worlds.... Silicon Valley Bank had relationships with more than half of the venture-backed companies in the United States, according to its website.... While the government took over the bank, which is known for lending to start-ups but also does private banking providing mortgages and other services, deposits are only insured up to $250,000. The bank's assets totaled more than $200 billion. Around $42 billion was withdrawn from the bank on Thursday alone.... Start-up founders worried they'd be forced to lay off workers if money held by the bank was frozen or lost. Large companies such as connected TV provider Roku and video game maker Roblox warned investors that they had hundreds of millions in cash deposited with Silicon Valley Bank that may be in jeopardy." ~~~

~~~ Jeff Stein & Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Federal officials faced growing pressure Saturday to bail out even the biggest customers of the collapsed Silicon Valley Bank, igniting a ferocious political debate over Washington's role in tamping down potential threats to the broader U.S. financial sector. Tech executives, former government officials and at least two Democratic lawmakers called for safeguarding depositors with money at stake in the collapse if a buyer for the bank's assets isn't found by Monday, arguing that it's the only way to limit a cascade of bigger problems." ~~~

~~~ Dan Primack of Axios: "Silicon Valley Bank on Friday paid out annual bonuses to eligible U.S. employees, just hours before the bank was seized by the U.S. government, Axios has learned from multiple sources.... The bonuses were for work done during 2022, and were previously scheduled to be disbursed on March 10. That date ultimately coincided with the bank's takeover by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation." ~~~

~~~ Hannah Levintova of Mother Jones: Silicon Valley Bank might not have failed "were it not for the work of SVB's President Greg Becker, who eight years ago asked a Senate committee to relax regulations that would soon be applied to his own bank.... A key rule in the [Dodd-Frank] law required that 'Too Big To Fail' banks -- which Dodd-Frank defined as those with more than $50 billion in assets -- undergo stricter oversight, including higher capital ratio requirements designed to shore up the big banks' ability to withstand financial shocks.... Becker [told senators] ... that there was no need for these expensive, federal-government-mandated checks because SVB's activities had a 'low risk profile' -- and because the bank was perfectly capable of keeping itself in check with its 'strong risk management practices.'... Following the hearing and three years of SVB lobbying lawmakers, Becker got his wish: In 2018, Trump signed a bill into law raising the threshold for stricter bank oversight to $250 billion in assets.... The result: major losses at the bank and, on Friday, a full-on collapse -- the exact sort of bank failure that the original regulations that Becker fought against had set out to prevent." ~~~

~~~ Ken Klipperstein of the Intercept: "After successfully lobbying, for the rollback of new rules applied to Wall Street in the wake of the financial crisis, lobbyists for Silicon Valley Bank immediately began pressing their case further to the federal authority that insures bank deposits in the event of another crisis, according to lobbying disclosures reviewed by The Intercept. The lobbying effort managed to exempt banks the size of SVB from more stringent regulations, including stress tests aimed at uncovering the type of weaknesses that led to the bank's implosion last week. Two of the bank's top lobbyists previously served as senior staffers for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.... A chief [reason for SVB's collapse], economists say, is legislation signed into law by President Trump in 2018, which rolled back key parts of the Dodd-Frank banking regulations passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. That 2018 legislation ... passed with strong support from the Republican Party and critical support from some Democrats. Among those leading the charge was then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.... Other SVB lobbyists worked for political figures cutting across both parties including President Bill Clinton, former Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wy., former Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., former Sen. Arlen Specter D/R-Pa., and former Rep. Jay Inslee [D], now governor of Washington."

As the Cookie Crumbles. Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "Blame the coronavirus pandemic for the wildly vacillating supply and demand [for Girl Scout cookies] over the past two years: a surplus of unsold cookies in 2021 and supply chain issues in 2022. This year is seeing similar problems. Last month, the Girl Scouts's hotly anticipated new cookie sold out faster than Beyoncé tickets, and wound up on eBay for four times the price. Louisville-based Little Brownie Bakers [-- which bakes about 75 percent of all Girl Scout cookies --] this week blamed the familiar forces of supply chain and labor shortages, with extreme weather thrown into the mix, for production delays that have disrupted this season's cookie fulfillment efforts."

The Pandemic, Ctd. Mark Johnson of the Washington Post (March 10): "In a rare show of bipartisanship near the third anniversary of the pandemic, the House voted unanimously Friday to declassify all U.S. intelligence information on the origins of the coronavirus. The 419-0 vote in favor of the bill, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent last week, sends it to President Biden's desk. If the bill is signed, the declassified information would have to be released within 90 days, although the language in the bill does not establish a mechanism for enforcement. When asked Friday evening whether he would sign the measure, Biden told reporters outside the White House, 'I haven't made that decision yet.' 'This is strong on symbolic value,' said Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.), the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, adding that the measure does allow Biden 'wide discretion' to withhold information to protect sources and keep methods secret."

Beyond the Beltway

** Florida. Alexandra Berzon & Ken Besinger of the New York Times: "When Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida announced last summer that he had taken the extraordinary step of removing a local prosecutor from his job, he cast his decision as a bold move to protect Floridians. The prosecutor, Andrew H. Warren, a twice-elected state attorney for Hillsborough County and a Democrat, had signed a public pledge not to prosecute those who seek or provide abortions.... Mr. DeSantis and his advisers had failed to find a connection between Mr. Warren's policies and public safety in his community.... A close examination of the episode ... reveals ... a governor's office that seemed driven by a preconceived political narrative, bent on a predetermined outcome, content with a flimsy investigation and focused on maximizing media attention for Mr. DeSantis.... A federal judge ruled in January that the governor had violated Mr. Warren's First Amendment rights and the Florida Constitution in a rush to judgment. 'The actual facts,' Judge Robert L. Hinkle wrote, 'did not matter. All that was needed was a pretext.' Mr. DeSantis's office, the judge said from the bench, had conducted a 'one-sided inquiry' meant to target Mr. Warren. (The judge said he did not have the authority to reinstate Mr. Warren, who is appealing in state and federal court.)" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: DeSantolini's targeting of Warren is all the evidence you need that a President* DeSantolini would not only appropriate governmental agencies and abuse his powers, he would do so specifically to undermine democratic institutions, as he did when he fired Warren, an elected official in good standing, to feed the DeSantolini program of grandstanding for political gain.

Way Beyond

Saudia Arabia/Iran/China. Peter Baker of the New York Times: The Saudi Arabia/Iran rapprochement brokered by China "is among the topsiest and turviest of developments anyone could have imagined, a shift that left heads spinning in capitals around the globe. Alliances and rivalries that have governed diplomacy for generations have, for the moment at least, been upended. The Americans, who have been the central actors in the Middle East for the past three-quarters of a century, almost always the ones in the room where it happened, now find themselves on the sidelines during a moment of significant change.... The Israelis, who have been courting the Saudis against their mutual adversaries in Tehran, now wonder where it leaves them.... [But] After decades of sometimes violent competition for leadership in the Middle East and the broader Islamic world, the decision to reopen embassies that were closed in 2016 represents only a first step.... It is conceivable that this new agreement to exchange ambassadors may not even be carried out in the end...."

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Kyiv is renewing calls for more ammunition and stronger air defenses after Russia fired half a dozen hypersonic missiles at Ukraine last week. In an interview with Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper that published Sunday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said ammunition shortages were the 'number one' problem his country was facing and urged Berlin to speed up promised deliveries. He also called on the German government to begin training Ukrainian pilots to use Western fighter jets. Fierce fighting continues in the eastern town of Bakhmut, where Kuleba said Ukrainian troops would continue to defend. Russian fighters have taken control of most of the eastern part of the city in recent days, while Ukrainian forces are holding their ground in the west, British defense officials said.... The head of Ukraine's armed forces [Valery Zaluzhny] also asked the Pentagon's top general, Mark A. Milley, for better air defenses." ~~~

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

U.K. Andrew Das, et al., of the New York Times: "The BBC scrambled to rearrange hours of programming in real time on Saturday after the suspension of the popular host of its cornerstone soccer program set off a revolt by on-air talent, forcing the broadcaster to curtail major portions of its weekend sports coverage and leaving it to face accusations that Britain's culture wars had bled into its decision-making. The crisis began on Friday with the announcement that the BBC had suspended Gary Lineker, the former English soccer star and longtime host of the soccer program 'Match of the Day,' over comments that he made criticizing the Conservative government's immigration plans. By Saturday, the decision to remove Mr. Lineker from 'Match of the Day' ... had led not only his co-hosts but also their potential replacements, related play-by-play commentators, and even players and coaches from the Premier League to join a spreading boycott." Read on. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The Lineker controversy was not the only one this week that highlighted the BBC's distaste for liberal messages: ~~~

~~~ Helena Horton of the Guardian (March 10): "The BBC has decided not to broadcast an episode of Sir David Attenborough's flagship new series on British wildlife because of fears its themes of the destruction of nature would risk a backlash from Tory politicians and the rightwing press, the Guardian has been told. The decision has angered the programme-makers and some insiders at the BBC, who fear the corporation has bowed to pressure from lobbying groups with 'dinosaurian ways'."

U.K. Jim Waterson of the Guardian on PM Rishi Sunak's new heated swimming pool at his estate in North Yorkshire, which "uses so much energy" required an upgrade to the local electricity. And other stuff about Richy Rishi's luxurious lifestyle. MB: Sunak is a guy who once said he had friends who were aristocrats & friends who were upper-class but "not working-class" friends. Maybe he could let a few well-scrubbed serfs use the pool when he's in London & wouldn't have to come into direct contact with them. Sunak & his wife -- a tech heiress, are reportedly twice as rich as King Charles & Queen Camilla. Of course Charles & Camilla get state support & they inherited the use of modest housing accommodations.

News Lede

New York Times: "An audio streamer and her husband were fatally shot in Redmond, Wash., early on Friday morning by a fan who had been stalking the woman, the police said. The audio streamer, Zohreh Sadeghi, 33, and her husband, Milad Naseri, 35, were pronounced dead in a home in Redmond, about 15 miles east of Seattle, around 1:45 a.m. on Friday, said Darrell Lowe, the Redmond police chief. Ms. Sadeghi's mother, who was also in the home at the time, escaped and called the police from a neighbor's house.... [Ramin] Khodakaramrezaei, who had been stalking Ms. Sadeghi, fatally shot himself after shooting the couple, according to a Redmond Police Department news release."

March 11, 2023

Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "In one of the most consequential climate decisions of his administration, President Biden is planning to greenlightan enormous $8 billion oil drilling project in the North Slope of Alaska, according to a person familiar with the decision. Alaska lawmakers and oil executives have put intense pressure on the White House to approve the project, citing President Biden's own calls for the industry to increase production amid volatile gas prices stemming from Russia's war against Ukraine. But the proposal to drill for oil has also galvanized young voters and climate activists, many of whom helped elect Mr. Biden and who would view the decision as a betrayal of the president's promise that he would pivot the nation away from fossil fuels. The approval of the largest proposed oil project in the country would mark a turning point in the administration's approach to fossil fuel development." CNN's story is here.

Tony Romm, et al., of the Washington Post: "A powerful group of far-right Republicans on Friday issued a new set of demands in the fight over the debt ceiling, stressing they would only supply their votes to raise the limit if they can secure about $130 billion in spending cuts, cap federal agencies' future budgets and unwind the Biden administration's economic agenda. The ultimatum from the House Freedom Caucus -- led by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) -- threatened to deal a massive blow to government health care, education, science and labor programs. Seeking tougher work requirements on welfare recipients and the repeal of federal funds to fight coronavirus and climate change, the conservatives' wish list appeared to complicate the work to clinch a deal and avert a looming fiscal calamity." MB: Yeah, and cookies & ice cream for every MOC who visits the patriots held at the D.C. jail. Now STFU. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Wingers Notice Jordan Panel Is a Joke. Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "... Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is facing growing frustrations over how he's conducted that panel's business thus far. Some leaders in [MB: oxymoron alert!] hard-right intellectual circles have critiqued the initial work of the subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government as lackluster and unfocused, and some Republican lawmakers have privately raised concerns. Critics say the committee has been too slow to staff up, insufficiently aggressive in issuing subpoenas for interviews and testimony, and lacking in substance." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The underlying problem is that the right's caterwaulling that everything is so unfa-a-a-ir to them is "lacking in substance." Of course, you can't tell that to these "hard-right intellectuals" because they seldom leave Right Wing World.

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "It doesn't seem to matter what you ask [Kevin McCarthy]. He hasn't read it, seen it or heard about it....'I didn't see what was aired,' McCarthy [said of Tucker Carlson's egregious whitewashing of the insurrection]." Among other newsworthy items McCarthy missed: Mitch McConnell's criticism of Tucker's fake report; Trump's speech on the Ellipse; "Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) calling the insurrectionists' rampage a 'normal tourist visit"; Trump's infamous phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger; Marjorie Taylor Greene's harassing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), etc."'Do you agree with his portrayal of what happened that day?' [CNN's Manu] Raju pressed. 'Look,' McCarthy said. 'Each person can come up with their own conclusion.'... Given a choice between fact and fiction, between law and anarchy, between democracy and thuggery, the speaker of the House proclaimed his agnosticism. In doing so, he threw the power of the speakership behind the insurrectionists and against the constitutional order he swore to uphold.... Truth -- and this democracy -- are threatened by a dangerously weak speaker of the House, who has concluded that the only way to preserve his own power is to support Fox News in its sabotage of this country.&" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: McCarthy is a busy man, so it's quite possible he "didn't see" the news he claims to have missed (especially matters than Fox "News" may not have aired). But he should fire his entire staff if they're not keeping him up-to-date on what the Senate Minority Leader & members of McCarthy's own caucus are doing.

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "Michael D. Cohen, the former fixer who for years did Donald J. Trump's dirty work, is expected to testify before a Manhattan grand jury next week, a sign that prosecutors are poised to indict the former president for his role in paying hush money to a porn star, according to people with knowledge of the matter.... Once he has testified, nearly every crucial player in the hush money matter will have appeared before the grand jury -- with the exception of the porn star herself, Stormy Daniels, who may not be called to testify.... Mr. Trump has consistently derided the investigation as a partisan 'witch hunt' engineered by his political enemies and has called Mr. Bragg, a Democrat who is Black, 'racist.' On Thursday, in a lengthy, unrestrained statement on Truth Social, Mr. Trump denied having an affair with Ms. Daniels and insulted her appearance while painting the investigation as part of a conspiracy to keep him from returning to the White House. He and his followers, he wrote, are 'victims of this corrupt, depraved, and weaponized justice system.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Sisak & Jill Colvin of the AP: "Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is scheduled to testify Monday before a Manhattan grand jury investigating hush-money payments made on the former president's behalf, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press."

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "While the facts [behind the Manhattan D.A.'s case against Donald Trump] are dramatic, the case ... would likely hinge on a complex interplay of laws. And a conviction is far from assured." The reporters outline the publicly-known facts of the case and "an untested and therefore risky legal theory...." They also report on Trump's reaction to the story that Trump was likely to be indicted. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Adam Klasfeld of Law & Crime: "... Donald Trump cannot keep E. Jean Carroll from showing a jury the infamous 'Access Hollywood' tape that nearly derailed his 2016 campaign in a lawsuit accusing him of rape, a federal judge ruled. 'In this case, a jury reasonably could find, even from the "Access Hollywood" tape alone, that Mr. Trump admitted in the Access Hollywood tape that he in fact has had contact with women's genitalia in the past without their consent, or that he has attempted to do so,' Senior U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote in a 23-page memorandum opinion." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beth Reinhard & Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "The longtime Republican campaign aide who has leveled sexual misconduct allegations against Matt Schlapp, the influential leader of the Conservative Political Action Conference, was accused last month of sexual battery. Carlton Huffman, 39, was recently ordered by a judge to stay away for one year from a Raleigh, N.C., housemate who alleged he performed unwanted sex acts on her and another woman, according to court documents filed in Wake County Superior Court. The Feb. 27 protective order was issued about one month after Huffman filed a lawsuit in Virginia alleging sexual battery and defamation by Schlapp. Schlapp has denied the claims.... Raleigh police said the case was investigated and closed; an incident report shows no charges were filed. The 19-year-old woman was granted the year-long restraining order against Huffman, while the 22-year-old obtained a protective order for 10 days; a judge then dismissed her complaint." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Andy Kroll & Andrea Bernstein of ProPublica, and Nick Surgey of Documented: "Leonard Leo..., the longtime Federalist Society leader [who] helped create a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court..., declared in a slick but private video to potential donors, he planned to 'crush liberal dominance' across American life. The country was plagued by 'woke-ism' in corporations and education, 'one-sided journalism' and 'entertainment that's really corrupting our youth,' said Leo amid snippets of cheery music and shots of sunsets and American flags.... Leo revealed his latest battle plan in the previously unreported video for the Teneo Network.... Teneo is building what Leo called in the video 'networks of conservatives that can roll back' liberal influence in Wall Street and Silicon Valley, among authors and academics, with pro athletes and Hollywood producers. A Federalist Society for everything." ~~~

~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "Given [Leonard] Leo's past success, he should be taken seriously.... But while Leo's grandiose project could pose a danger to liberalism, it can also be seen as a sign of existential crisis on the right. It demonstrates how conservatives are relying on fantastical ideas about wokeness to tie together a movement that has otherwise lost much of its raison d'être. After all, the nearly 50-year project of ending Roe is complete. Stirring crusades against Communism and then against radical Islam have subsided. The cult of personality around [Donald] Trump has splintered. Many on the right would still like to obliterate the welfare state, but they're deeply defensive about it.... To support the weight [the right are] putting on wokeness, conservatives have had to create a hallucinatory conspiracy theory about how progressive social change works." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oddly, Goldberg doesn't mention it, but I see the "war on wokeness" as a less-than-subtle "war on Black people" & other minorities, including LGBTQ+ people. At its core, it's a racist movement, and a telltale sign is that many of its leaders like Fat Leonard, Fat DeSantolini & Fat Trumpolini (see German Americans, WWI) belong to ethnic groups that were once (and sometimes still now) discriminated against by elites who claimed British heritage and long American pedigrees. Goldberg is correct; the war on wokeness comes from weakness, but it's the weakness of bullies who shoulder a huge chip of resentment over their own sense of "not belonging." This mindset works just as well for people of British and/or Scottish heritage who have not fully realized (at least in their own minds) "the American dream." If they see themselves as failures, they look for somebody else to blame.

Sarah Ellison & others at the Washington Post contrast what key figures at Fox "News" said about Donald Trump publicly vs. privately.

Martha Ross of the Mercury News: "After Kimberly Guilfoyle mysteriously left Fox News in the summer o 2018, she found herself vehemently denying news reports that said her departure was due to allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior. But her former boss, Fox News Chairman Rupert Murdoch, has apparently confirmed that he wanted her gone because of the allegations, which were detailed in a 2020 report in The New Yorker. Murdoch's concerns about Guifoyle, a former top campaign aide for Trump, were revealed in a trove of texts and emails that were recently leaked in Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit against Fox News. Murdoch said in an email, sent in the wake of the 2020 election, that he had 'insisted' Fox News fire Guilfoyle 'for inappropriate behavior.' The 91-year-old executive also ripped into his once-popular Fox News host in other ways, according to the email, which was shared [in a tweet] by Semafor media reporter Max Tani."

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The data of more than 56,000 people, including Social Security numbers and other personal information, was stolen in a hack of the online health insurance marketplace for members of Congress and Washington, D.C., small businesses and residents, officials said in a statement on Friday night. The D.C. Health Benefit Exchange Authority revealed the size and scope of the data breach on Friday.... The data stolen includes names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, health plan information and other personal information, including home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, ethnicity and citizenship status.It was not immediately known how many of those affected were members of Congress.... Exchange officials said they had reached out to affected enrollees to provide three years of identity and credit monitoring."

Rob Copeland, et al., of the New York Times: "Silicon Valley Bank, a lender to some of the biggest names in the technology world..., [became] the largest bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis. The move put nearly $175 billion in customer deposits, including money from some of the biggest names in the technology world, under the control of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. It was an extraordinary denouement less than two days after the bank shocked Wall Street and its depositors with emergency moves to raise cash and stave off a collapse in the face of withdrawal requests and a precipitous decline in the value of its investment holdings.... The F.D.I.C. created a new bank, the National Bank of Santa Clara, to hold the deposits and other assets of the failed one." (Also linked yesterday.)

2024 Presidential Race. Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: Donald "Trump -- who stoked an insurrection trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election and is running again in 2024 -- finds himself in growing peril, both legal and political. Multiple investigations into him and his actions are entering advanced stages, all while many in the Republican Party -- in private conversations and public declarations -- are increasingly trying to find an alternative to him.:

Beyond the Beltway

Tennessee. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R) acknowledged Thursday that he frequently commented on racy and shirtless photos of a man on Instagram, sparking backlash from critics and LGBTQ advocates at a time when the state's No. 2 elected official has supported bills targeting the LGBTQ community. McNally, 79, repeatedly left supportive statements and emoji, some of them arguably flirtatious, on provocative and half-nude photos posted by Franklin McClure, 20..., according to the Tennessee Holler. That outlet ... reported the story Wednesday. Screenshots of McClure's Instagram posts show that McNally left heart and fire emoji from the lawmaker's verified Instagram account in response to a close-up photo of the man's backside that appears to show him only wearing briefs.... 'I'm really, really sorry if I've embarrassed my family, embarrassed my friends, embarrassed any of the members of the legislature with the posts,' McNally, who is also speaker of the state Senate, told [WTVF Nashville]." McClure "told WMC that McNally offered to help find him a job in Tennessee government." McNally's spokesman said McNally "enjoys interacting with constituents and Tennesseans of all religions, backgrounds and orientations on social media." Apparently so. I do feel sorry for McNally, who -- even at 79 -- thinks he has to hide who he is.

Texas. Eleanor Klibanoff of the Texas Tribune: "A Texas man is suing three women under the wrongful death statute, alleging that they assisted his ex-wife in terminating her pregnancy, the first such case brought since the state's near-total ban on abortion last summer. Marcus Silva is represented by Jonathan Mitchell, the former Texas solicitor general and architect of the state's prohibition on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, and state Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park. The lawsuit is filed in state court in Galveston County, where Silva lives. Silva alleges that his now ex-wife learned she was pregnant in July 2022, the month after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and conspired with two friends to illegally obtain abortion-inducing medication and terminate the pregnancy."

Way Beyond

Saudi Arabia/Iran/China. Vivian Nereim of the New York Times: "Saudi Arabia and Iran have reached an agreement, facilitated by China, to re-establish diplomatic ties after a seven-year split, the countries said on Friday, in what could be a step toward realignment between often hostile regional rivals. Saudi and Iranian officials announced the agreement after talks this week in China, which maintains close ties with both countries, in a joint statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency. Iran's state news media also announced an agreement. The two countries agreed to reactivate a lapsed security cooperation pact -- a shift that comes after years of Iranian proxies targeting Saudi Arabia with missile and drone attacks -- as well as older trade, investment and cultural accords." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Israel. Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "The news of a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday was ... greeted in Israel with surprise, anxiety and introspection. It also compounded a sense of national peril set off by profound domestic divisions about the policies of the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And it seemed to catch Mr. Netanyahu -- who has long presented himself as the Israeli leader best qualified to fight Iran and most able to charm Saudi Arabia -- off guard. The announcement undermined Israeli hopes of forming a regional security alliance against Iran."

** Israel. Miriam Berger, et al., of the Washington Post: "Israeli security forces in an armored vehicle fired repeatedly into a group of civilians sheltering between a mosque and a clinic after a Feb. 22 raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, killing two people, including a teenager, and wounding three others, according to witnesses and a visual reconstruction of the event by The Washington Post.... The Post reconstruction shows that, while responding to what they claimed was a gunman, Israeli forces fired at least 14 times from inside their armored vehicle.... The Israelis continued firing even after those people would have been visible from the vehicle's windows, the analysis shows.... Israeli forces killed at least 11 people during and after the raid, including several Palestinian fighters, and wounded 102, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and social media posts by Palestinian armed groups.... Recent shootings of civilians by Israeli forces have alarmed human rights and advocacy groups, several of which called the events a result of soldiers being given impunity for unlawful violence against Palestinian civilians."

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "Kyiv has ordered the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to leave a monastery where its headquarters is located. Ukraine's culture minister said on Telegram that the church -- which recently declared independence from the pro-war Moscow Patriarch -- 'violated the terms of the agreement regarding the use of state property.' The church said in a Facebook post that Kyiv was 'obviously biased.'" ~~~

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

News Lede

Washington Post: "Heavy rains are washing out roads and leading to emergency rescues in central California as the state braces for more storms in the coming days. The California National Guard helped with at least 56 rescues in the early hours of Saturday morning after a levee breach inundated the small community of Pajaro in Monterey County. On Saturday, the governor's office said that it was working to help the largely Latino community, which has a population of just under 3,000."

March 10, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "While the facts [behind the Manhattan D.A.'s case against Donald Trump] are dramatic, the case ... would likely hinge on a complex interplay of laws. And a conviction is far from assured." The reporters outline the publicly-known facts of the case and "an untested and therefore risky legal theory...." They also report on Trump's reaction to the story that Trump was likely to be indicted. You don't need to read that part; you could probably write it. Hint: D.A. Alvin Bragg is a racist Democrat who is just trying to bring down Trump by any fake means possible.

Tony Romm, et al., of the Washington Post: "A powerful group of far-right Republicans on Friday issued a new set of demands in the fight over the debt ceiling, stressing they would only supply their votes to raise the limit if they can secure about $130 billion in spending cuts, cap federal agencies' future budgets and unwind the Biden administration's economic agenda. The ultimatum from the House Freedom Caucus -- led by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) -- threatened to deal a massive blow to government health care, education, science and labor programs. Seeking tougher work requirements on welfare recipients and the repeal of federal funds to fight coronavirus and climate change, the conservatives' wish list appeared to complicate the work to clinch a deal and avert a looming fiscal calamity." MB: Yeah, and cookies & ice cream for every MOC who visits the patriots held at the D.C. jail. Now STFU.

Wingers Notice Jordan Panel Is a Joke. Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "... Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is facing growing frustrations over how he's conducted that panel's business thus far. Some leaders in [MB: oxymoron alert!] hard-right intellectual circles have critiqued the initial work of the subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government as lackluster and unfocused, and some Republican lawmakers have privately raised concerns. Critics say the committee has been too slow to staff up, insufficiently aggressive in issuing subpoenas for interviews and testimony, and lacking in substance." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The underlying problem, of course, is that the right's caterwaulling that everything is so unfa-a-a-ir to them is "lacking in substance." Of course, you can't tell that to these "hard-right intellectuals" because they seldom leave Right Wing World.

Rob Copeland, et al., of the New York Times: "Silicon Valley Bank, a lender to some of the biggest names in the technology world..., [became] the largest bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis. The move put nearly $175 billion in customer deposits, including money from some of the biggest names in the technology world, under the control of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. It was an extraordinary denouement less than two days after the bank shocked Wall Street and its depositors with emergency moves to raise cash and stave off a collapse in the face of withdrawal requests and a precipitous decline in the value of its investment holdings.... The F.D.I.C. created a new bank, the National Bank of Santa Clara, to hold the deposits and other assets of the failed one."

Adam Klasfeld of Law & Crime: "... Donald Trump cannot keep E. Jean Carroll from showing a jury the infamous 'Access Hollywood' tape that nearly derailed his 2016 campaign in a lawsuit accusing him of rape, a federal judge ruled. 'In this case, a jury reasonably could find, even from the 'Access Hollywood' tape alone, that Mr. Trump admitted in the Access Hollywood tape that he in fact has had contact with women's genitalia in the past without their consent, or that he has attempted to do so,' Senior U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote in a 23-page memorandum opinion."

Beth Reinhard & Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "The longtime Republican campaign aide who has leveled sexual misconduct allegations against Matt Schlapp, the influential leader of the Conservative Political Action Conference, was accused last month of sexual battery.Carlton Huffman, 39, was recently ordered by a judge to stay away for one year from a Raleigh, N.C., housemate who alleged he performed unwanted sex acts on her and another woman, according to court documents filed in Wake County Superior Court. The Feb. 27 protective order was issued about one month after Huffman filed a lawsuit in Virginia alleging sexual battery and defamation by Schlapp. Schlapp has denied the claims.... Raleigh police said the case was investigated and closed; an incident report shows no charges were filed. The 19-year-old woman was granted the year-long restraining order against Huffman, while the 22-year-old obtained a protective order for 10 days; a judge then dismissed her complaint."

Saudi Arabia/Iran/China. Vivian Nereim of the New York Times: "Saudi Arabia and Iran have reached an agreement, facilitated by China, to re-establish diplomatic ties after a seven-year split, the countries said on Friday, in what could be a step toward realignment between often hostile regional rivals. Saudi and Iranian officials announced the agreement after talks this week in China, which maintains close ties with both countries, in a joint statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency. Iran's state news media also announced an agreement. The two countries agreed to reactivate a lapsed security cooperation pact -- a shift that comes after years of Iranian proxies targeting Saudi Arabia with missile and drone attacks -- as well as older trade, investment and cultural accords."

~~~~~~~~~~

Jim Tankersley, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden on Thursday proposed a $6.8 trillion budget that sought to increase spending on the military and a wide range of new social programs while also reducing future budget deficits, defying Republican calls to scale back government and reasserting his economic vision before an expected re-election campaign. The budget contains some $5 trillion in proposed tax increases on high earners and corporations over a decade, much of which would offset new spending programs aimed at the middle class and the poor. It seeks to reduce budget deficits by nearly $3 trillion over that time.... But after claiming credit for a $1.7 trillion decline in the annual deficit over the past year, Mr. Biden now sees the deficit increasing again in the 2024 fiscal year, to $1.8 trillion. It reaffirms Mr. Biden's case that he can prevent the growing debt burden from weighing on the economy while expanding spending and protecting popular safety-net programs -- almost entirely by asking companies and the wealthy to pay more in taxes.... [The increase] is driven by rising costs of servicing the national debt as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates to curb inflation and by new programs the president is proposing that are not fully offset by tax increases in their first year." ~~~

~~~ Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "It is one of President Biden's most common refrains on the stump: 'Don't tell me what you value,' Biden says, quoting his father. 'Show me your budget -- and I'll tell you what you value.' With Republicans controlling the House, the 2024 budget released by the White House on Thursday has little chance of being approved by Congress. But the 182-page document still consists of hundreds of policy proposals, numbers, charts and other data points that provide insight into the priorities of the president and his team. The spending blueprint also serves as the initial offer in negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over the federal budget -- talks likely to prove a major flash point in Congress throughout the year, which faces a tense standoff over the national debt ceiling and a potentially catastrophic default.... Here are seven key takeaways from the 2024 White House budget." ~~~

~~~ Caitlin Emma & Adam Cancryn of Politico: President Biden's budget "marks both a campaign pitch and an opening shot at House Republicans who have demanded significant spending cuts. Democrats have been daring Republicans to put their demands in writing as the GOP seeks fiscal concessions in return for helping to lift the debt ceiling later this year.... Speaking to union members at a [Philadelphia, Pa., ] trade school, Biden framed his proposal as a direct challenge to House Republicans advocating for deep spending cuts amid a looming standoff over lifting the nation's borrowing limit." ~~~

     ~~~ The President Ate My Homework. Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA) admitted that his party's budget is going to be late, but that it's r[e]ally all President Joe Biden's fault. 'We were gonna do the budget in April. But unfortunately, the President's so late with his budget, it delays our budget,' McCarthy explained, according to CNN's Melanie Zanona.... It's unclear why McCarthy needed Biden's budget before the Republicans could write their own."

Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "The leaders of the United States, Australia and Britain will unveil on Monday a plan to outfit Australia with nuclear-powered submarines in an unprecedented three-way defense partnership that seeks to counter China-s attempts to achieve naval dominance in the Pacific. The plan, known as AUKUS, was first announced in September 2021. The advanced submarines -- the first of which will be American-made -- are now expected to arrive as early as 2032, still a decade off but years ahead of the timeline many expected, said Western officials, who like others interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity." ~~~

~~~ Cashing In. Craig Whitlock & Nate Jones of the Washington Post: "In its quest to build nuclear-powered submarines, the government of Australia recently hired a little-known, one-person consulting firm from Virginia: Briny Deep. Briny Deep, based in Alexandria, Va., received a $210,000 part-time contract in late November to advise Australian defense officials during their negotiations to acquire top-secret nuclear submarine technology from the United States and Britain, according to Australian contracting documents. U.S. public records show the company is owned by John M. Richardson, a retired four-star U.S. admiral and career submariner who headed the U.S. Navy from 2015 to 2019. Richardson, who declined to comment, is the latest former U.S. Navy leader to cash in on the nuclear talks by working as a high-dollar consultant for the Australian government, a pattern that was revealed in a Washington Post investigation last year. His case brings to a dozen the number of retired officers and former civilian leaders from the U.S. Navy whom Australia has employed as advisers since the nuclear talks began in September 2021, documents show."

Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: "Recent moves in some states to loosen child worker protections are 'irresponsible' and make it easier to hire children for dangerous work, the Labor Department's top attorney said Thursday.... Instead of making it easier to hire youths for dangerous work, governments should try to 'increase accountability and ramp up enforcement' of existing laws, Labor Solicitor Seema Nanda said in a statement. 'No child should be working in dangerous workplaces in this country, full stop.'... The Labor Department has observed a 69 percent increase in minors employed in violation of federal law since 2018, Nanda said.... Nanda in her statement said that federal laws still applied, even in states that loosened their regulations." Arkansas reduced child labor protections this week; similar bills are making their way through Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota legislatures.

Rachel Pannett & Liz Goodwin of the Washington Post: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is being treated for a concussion after falling Wednesday evening, and is expected to remain hospitalized 'for a few days,' a spokesperson announced Thursday afternoon." This is the new lede to a story by Pannett, linked below. An ABC News story is here. MB: Now I'm a little sorry I made a joke yesterday, not about McConnell's fall or his injury, but about who caused it. As for the guy at whose expense the joke was aimed: he still deserves it.(Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "About three years ago, a Federal Bureau of Investigation analyst violated the rules for searching a repository of messages intercepted by the program by making overly broad queries about an undisclosed member of Congress. The conversation about that incident, which became public with few other details in a footnote of a report that was declassified in December, underwent a startling twist on Thursday at a House Intelligence Committee hearing. An Illinois Republican, Representative Darin LaHood, identified himself as that lawmaker. 'I have had the opportunity to review the classified summary of this violation, and it is my opinion that the member of Congress who was wrongfully queried multiple times solely by his name was, in fact, me,' he said from the dais. Mr. LaHood ... is the leader of a bipartisan working group of Intelligence Committee members who are trying to persuade Congress to reauthorize the warrantless surveillance law in question, known as Section 702.... Elected to Congress in 2014, Mr. LaHood is a former federal counterterrorism prosecutor and the son of Ray LaHood, who was also a Republican member of Congress from Illinois and later served as transportation secretary in the Obama administration. Mr. LaHood provided no further details about the incident. But he ... call[ed] the queries about communications involving a member of Congress an egregious violation that betrayed trust in government surveillance power and could be 'seen as a threat to the separation of powers.' At the same time, he made clear that he still believes that Congress must reauthorize Section 702...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Justine McDaniel, et al., of the Washington Post: "Failures by the railroad company operating the train that derailed and caused a chemical disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, left emergency responders 'scrambling' as they grappled with the possibility of a major explosion, some witnesses and lawmakers told Congress on Thursday. Speaking at a morning Senate hearing on the Feb. 3 derailment -- where lawmakers grilled Norfolk Southern CEO Alan H. Shaw and pressed Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator Debra Shore on the response to the fiery crash -- an emergency management director said officials were confused and misled by the railway's lack of communication as they tried to determine whether to allow Norfolk Southern to do a 'controlled release' of toxic vinyl chloride. With the area under threat of a potentially deadly explosion, Norfolk Southern personnel did not come to officials' meetings -- and decision-makers learned partway through their planning that the company 'wanted to' release chemicals from five tank cars, not one, said Eric Brewer..., director of emergency services in Beaver County, Pa., which neighbors East Palestine.... Even as Shaw promised lawmakers that Norfolk Southern 'runs a safe railroad,' another one of its trains went off the tracks in Alabama partway through the hearing. That followed another Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio earlier this month." (Also linked yesterday.)

Cat Zakrzewski of the Washington Post: "For more than six months, the Federal Trade Commission has been investigating Twitter's security practices, following an explosive whistleblower complaint accusing the company of violating a 2011 settlement that required it implement privacy safeguards. That investigation expanded in the wake of Elon Musk's takeover.... Now ... House Republicans ... argue that the agency is using its privacy probe to thwart Musk's absolutist vision of free speech on Twitter.... Republicans fanned these allegations at a combative Thursday hearing ... led by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).... The contentious, more than two-hour hearing was peppered with arguments between Jordan and Rep. Stacey E. Plaskett, the top Democrat on the House subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government.... 'There is something going on between Congressional Republicans and Elon Musk,' [Plaskett] said. 'Mr. Chairman, Americans can see through this. Musk is helping you out politically, and you're going out of your way to promote and protect him, and to praise him for his work.'" Read on.

David Moye of the Huffington Post: "Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) called out the hypocrisy of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) during a Judiciary subcommittee meeting Thursday.... 'I think that it is quite rich that we are talking about subpoena compliance under a chairman of the full committee who was absolutely out of subpoena compliance in the last Congress,' Swalwell said [during a subcommittee hearing], noting that Jordan refused to cooperate with subpoenas from the Jan. 6 committee."

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "House Republicans on Thursday began their promised investigation into whether people charged with crimes in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol have been mistreated in jail, fulfilling a pledge G.O.P. leaders made to their right flank. The investigation -- part of a broader effort by Republicans to rewrite the history of the riot in part by portraying participants as the true victims -- has been a top priority of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia. On Thursday, Ms. Greene wrote to the D.C. mayor, Muriel Bowser, demanding answers to questions, a tour of the correctional facility in southeastern Washington, and access to staff and inmates to conduct interviews by March 23. She and two other lawmakers also asked for all documents and communications about the Jan. 6 detainees' complaints regarding the conditions.... The investigation at the jail is one of several demands made by right-wing lawmakers as Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, sought their votes during weeks of intense negotiations in his campaign for the top job in the House."

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on the House floor, Wednesday:

Not Exactly a Reliable Witness, But Still.... Jacqueline Sweet of Politico: "Rep. George Santos orchestrated a 2017 credit card skimming operation in Seattle, the man who was convicted of the fraud and deported to Brazil said in a sworn declaration submitted to federal authorities Wednesday. 'I am coming forward today to declare that the person in charge of the crime of credit card fraud when I was arrested was George Santos/Anthony Devolder,' Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha wrote in the declaration.... 'Santos taught me how to skim card information and how to clone cards. He gave me all the materials and taught me how to put skimming devices and cameras on ATM machines,' Trelha said in the declaration.... Santos kept a warehouse on Kirkman Road in Orlando to store the skimming equipment, according to the declaration.... [Santos] was previously questioned about the Seattle scheme by investigators for the U.S. Secret Service, CBS News has reported. He was never charged, but the investigation remains open."

That Day Tourists Secretly Trashed a GOP Senator's Office. Ryan Reilly & Sahil Kapur of NBC News: "Two years ago, a mob of rioters ... viciously assaulted police, smashed out windows, stormed into an office, flipped over a giant conference table and barricaded themselves inside the U.S. Capitol, readying themselves for a fight with police inside a suite of 'hideaway' offices for U.S. senators. One of the offices, federal prosecutors recently disclosed, belonged to Republican Jim Risch, the 79-year-old junior senator from Idaho, where [Donald] Trump is tremendously popular. Video< shows a rioter -- who has pleaded guilty to driving a stun gun into ... police officer [Michael Fanone]'s neck, nearly killing him -- smashing out Risch's window overlooking the Washington Monument and the national mall in an attempt to let more rioters into the building. Additional video released this week shows Risch's trashed desk.... A review of Risch's public statements on the Jan. 6, 2021, riot show no indication that he has ever mentioned what happened to his office that day. Asked by NBC News this week about his office being trashed and told about the new footage of rioters in his hideaway, Risch demurred." MB: Just plain weird. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** Manhattan D.A. Likely to Indict Trump. William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "The Manhattan district attorney's office recently signaled to Donald J. Trump's lawyers that he could face criminal charges for his role in the payment of hush money to a porn star, the strongest indication yet that prosecutors are nearing an indictment of the former president, according to four people with knowledge of the matter. The prosecutors offered Mr. Trump the chance to testify next week before the grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the potential case.... Such offers almost always indicate an indictment is close; it would be unusual for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, to notify a potential defendant without ultimately seeking charges against him. In New York, potential defendants have the right to answer questions in the grand jury before they are indicted, but they rarely testify, and Mr. Trump is likely to decline the offer. His lawyers could also meet privately with the prosecutors in hopes of fending off criminal charges. Any case would mark the first indictment of a former American president, and could upend the 2024 presidential race." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The AP's story is here.

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Federal prosecutors involved in the criminal investigation of Donald Trump's retention of classified documents argued to a US judge on Thursday that one of the former US president's lawyers should answer more questions before a grand jury over objections of attorney-client privilege. US prosecutors have been seeking to invoke the so-called crime-fraud exception that allows them to compel testimony about communications between an attorney and a client when they have evidence to suggest legal advice was used in furtherance of a crime. In the sealed hearing before the chief US district judge for the District of Columbia Beryl Howell, prosecutors argued that they had reason to believe that legal advice to Trump from his lawyer Evan Corcoran was used by Trump to obstruct the classified-marked documents investigation."

Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A federal judge has ordered former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro to turn over to the government hundreds of emails that he sent or received during his nearly four years as a White House aide. In an opinion on Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly rejected a slew of arguments Navarro's attorneys floated in a bid to knock out a civil suit the Justice Department filed in August to recover messages that Navarro handled through a personal ProtonMail account but refused to return to the National Archives after ... Donald Trump left office. Kollar-Kotelly said the privately held emails were plainly subject to the Presidential Records Act.... The tone of Kollar-Kotelly's 22-page opinion was brutal...."

Jane Timm of NBC News: "Lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems and a group of media outlets argue that Fox News abused the redaction process and blacked out more than is warranted in the thousands of pages of legal filings and evidence made public in the defamation case it's facing. The new court filings call for the release of pages of evidence that Fox lawyers want to keep secret.... Parties are allowed to designate information like private contact details and trade secrets as confidential in such legal filings, said attorneys for Dominion and a trio of media outlets -- The New York Times, The Associated Press and National Public Radio. But they argued that the Fox attorneys overdid it." ~~~

~~~ Jason Abbruzzese & Kevin Collier of NBC News: "The Federal Communications Commission's oversight of Fox's broadcast licenses means it could bring its power to bear on [Rupert] Murdoch for his admission that he could have stopped Fox News from spreading misleading claims about Dominion Voting Systems, which by extension helped spread the lie that the 2020 election was stolen.... Few people familiar with the FCC expect action.... The FCC's most relevant power in relation to Murdoch is the granting of broadcast licenses, in which it allows private companies to use public airwaves as long as certain criteria are met.... But the FCC has far less power when it comes to cable TV channels, which don't use public airwaves for transmission.... 'But Murdoch owns a number of broadcast stations, and I think it would be fair for the FCC to ask whether he is of fit moral character to own those licenses in light of recent revelations that Murdoch knew the election fraud claims were lies and allowed them to air,' ... said Jessica Gonzalez, a co-CEO of the media advocacy group Free Press. "

In case you think self-described "conservatives" are dedicated to protecting personal freedom, as they claim: ~~~

~~~ Michelle Boorstein & Heather Kelly of the Washington Post: "A group of conservative Colorado Catholics has spent millions of dollars to buy mobile app tracking data that identified priests who used gay dating and hookup apps and then shared it with bishops around the country. The secretive effort was the work of a Denver nonprofit called Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal, whose trustees are philanthropists Mark Bauman, John Martin and Tim Reichert.... The use of data is emblematic of a new surveillance frontier in which private individuals can potentially track other Americans' locations and activities using commercially available information.... The project's existence reflects a newly empowered American Catholic right wing that sees enforcing its interpretation of church teaching on sexuality and gender as an existential issue for the church and that no longer trusts bishops to do so." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The Guardian's story is here.

Presidential Race 2024. Margaret Sullivan of the Guardian: "The Florida governor Ron DeSantis likes to brag that he's just getting started with his rightwing agenda. 'You ain't seen nothing yet,' was how he put it in one recent speech. He means it as a promise, but it ought to be heard as a threat. That's particularly true for women whose abortion rights already are being dangerously curtailed and for gay and transgender students who are already being treated as lower life forms. It's particularly true for those who care about voting rights and press rights, and for those who cherish the power of books and free expression as a foundation of societal wellbeing. Of course, if DeSantis should somehow capture the presidency (he's undeclared thus far but the Oval Office is clearly on his mind), that threat would extend to our entire nation and to the world beyond. 'DeSantis rules by an authoritarian playbook," wrote Miami Herald columnist Fabiola Santiago, despite the Orwellian title of the governor's book, The Courage to Be Free.... That's why it's appalling to see the media lavish him with so much fawning coverage." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Could not agree more. Every reporter & statistician who cheerfully discusses the latest who's-up/who's-down polls should be rebuked if they don't also report on democracy's stake in the race. The media should ascribe pro/anti-democracy scores to all of the presidential candidates. The usual horse-race type of "news" reporting is horseshit.

Beyond the Beltway

Poppy Noor of the Guardian: "For decades, the mainstream anti-abortion movement promised that it did not believe women who have abortions should be criminally charged. But now, Republican lawmakers in several US states have introduced legislation proposing homicide and other criminal charges for those seeking abortion care. The bills have been introduced in states such as Texas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Some explicitly target medication abortion and self-managed abortion; some look to remove provisions in the law which previously protected pregnant people from criminalization; and others look to establish the fetus as a person from the point of conception. It is highly unlikely that all of these bills will pass.... Republicans have frequently hit walls when trying to pass anti-abortion legislation, with lawmakers at odds over exactly how far bans should go."

New York. Hurubie Meko of the New York Times: "In 2004, police officers showed the image of a young Black man to a witness, who chose him from an array of six as a suspect in a fatal shooting in Brooklyn's East Flatbush neighborhood. That identification withstood scrutiny through an indictment, trial and appeals over more than 18 years. The Brooklyn district attorney's office said Thursday that detectives, prosecutors and the original trial's judge knew from the outset that the photo in the array wasn't actually of the man they wanted to arrest, but they proceeded anyway. A report by the agency's conviction review unit said that the two men shared a name, and they had addresses in the same precinct, but investigators knew early on that they were different people. [Sheldon] Thomas, 35, appeared in court on Thursday afternoon before Matthew J. D'Emic, a judge with the Brooklyn Supreme Court who ordered him freed." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ohio. Marty Schladen of the Ohio Capital Journal: "After more than nine hours of deliberation, a jury on Thursday found former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder [R] and state Republican Chairman Matt Borges guilty of felony racketeering charges in connection with a billion-dollar utility bailout that was passed in 2019.... U.S. District Judge Timothy Black will schedule a sentencing hearing shortly.... Former U.S. Attorney David DeVillers said it was likely the biggest bribery and money laundering scandal in Ohio history.... Akron-based FirstEnergy and other utilities paid tens of millions into an effort to elect friendly lawmakers in 2018 who would vote to make Householder speaker the following year. Immediately after taking the speaker's gavel, Householder worked furiously to pass a $1.3 billion bailout, the vast majority of which benefited FirstEnergy subsidiary FirstEnergy Services.... [Later,] Householder took control of the push to block the repeal, while Borges assisted...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here.

Texas. Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "Five pregnant women and two doctors filed suit in Texas this week claiming that the state's six-week abortion ban violates the state constitution's due process and equal protection guarantees. The complaint asks that, at a minimum, the court declare a woman can obtain an abortion when a physician in good faith finds the patient suffers a condition of complication that 'poses a risk of infection, bleeding, or otherwise makes continuing a pregnancy unsafe for the pregnant person; a physical medical condition that is exacerbated by pregnancy' that can't be effectively treated or where 'the fetus is unlikely to survive the pregnancy and sustain life after birth.'... The bracing and enlightening facts set out in the complaint should be mandatory reading for lawmakers who want to strip women of essential health care. Unlike most suits that are brought by advocacy groups, this action has real, live plaintiffs with heart-wrenching personal stories[.]" (Also linked yesterday.)

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: "Ukraine's military warned early Friday that the threat of a Russian missile attack remained high, a day after the Kremlin launched a barrage of missiles and confirmed its use of hypersonic weapons. The attack killed at least nine people. Repair crews are working to restore power and water supply in parts of the country after the attack hit critical infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said."

China. Chris Buckley & Keith Bradsher of the New York Times: "Xi Jinping has solidified his status as China's most powerful leader in decades by sweeping into a new term as president, as he steels the country for an era of superpower rivalry and seeks to revive a battered economy. Mr. Xi never faced serious doubt that he would be endorsed for a third five-year term as state president at the annual meeting of the National People's Congress, the Communist Party-controlled legislature. The vote was a ritual formalizing his continued dominance of Chinese politics after he already claimed another term as party leader in October. Still, the meeting's unanimous endorsement of Mr. Xi's precedent-breaking third term as president highlighted how his control at the top seems undiminished, even after a torrid year of policy disappointments and reversals." The Guardian's story is here.

Mexico. Niha Masih & Mary Beth Sheridan of the Washington Post: "Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Thursday pushed back against [U.S.] Republican lawmakers who had called on the Biden administration to take military action against drug cartels across the border following the killings of two Americans in Matamoros, saying such demands were a threat to Mexican sovereignty. 'We are not going to allow any foreign government to intervene and much less foreign armed forces to intervene in our territory,' López Obrador said at a news conference, adding that he would ask Americans of Mexican and Hispanic origin not to vote for Republicans if their 'aggression' continued." ~~~

~~~ Natalie Kitroeff & Maria Abi-Habib of the New York Times: "Five men, lying face down with their hands tied, were found by the Mexican authorities on Thursday along with a letter purportedly written by a powerful criminal cartel, blaming the men for a recent attack on four Americans, according to two people familiar with the investigation. The note apologized for the assault, which left two Americans and one Mexican dead, and claimed that the cartel was offering up the men who had carried it out, according to photos reviewed by The Times.... It was not clear whether the message was accurate or actually written by the cartel. The Mexican authorities will question the five men, officials said, to try to determine whether they actually participated in the abduction and killings." An AP story is here.

Saudi Arabia. Michael Crowley, et al., of the New York Times: "Saudi Arabia is seeking security guarantees from the United States, help with developing a civilian nuclear program and fewer restrictions on U.S. arms sales as its price for normalizing relations with Israel, people familiar with the exchanges say. If sealed, the deal could set up a major political realignment of the Middle East." MB: Uh, a murdering, lying butcher promises to be nice to Israel if we'll sell him more guns and provide him with nuclear technology? What could possibly go wrong?

News Ledes

CNBC: "Job creation decelerated in February but was still stronger than expected despite the Federal Reserve's efforts to slow the economy and bring down inflation. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 311,000 for the month, the Labor Department reported Friday. That was above the 225,000 Dow Jones estimate and a sign that the employment market is still hot. The unemployment rate rose to 3.6%, above the expectation for 3.4%, amid a tick higher in the labor force participation rate to 62.5%, its highest level since March 2020.... There also was some good news on the inflation side, as average hourly earnings climbed 4.6% from a year ago, below the estimate for 4.8%. The monthly increase of 0.2% also was below the 0.4% estimate."

New York Times: "Several people were killed and several more were injured in a shooting in a Jehovah's Witness hall in Hamburg, Germany, on Thursday night, in a rare mass shooting in the country. The police, including tactical and bomb disposal units, were on the scene late Thursday, and the injured were rushed to local hospitals. Little was immediately known about the assailant, and the Hamburg police said early Friday that they believed there was just one. A police spokesman indicated that the attacker might be among the dead." ~~~

     ~~~ Washington Post: "While there were no indications of the gunman having connections to terrorist groups, local authorities did receive an anonymous message in January raising alarm about the man's hatred of his former employer and religious groups, particularly the Jehovah's Witnesses, of which he was a member until about 18 months ago. The message led to questions about whether the man -- who had legally purchased a semiautomatic handgun on a sports shooter license -- was mentally fit to own a firearm. Investigators who subsequently checked the man's home in February, however, did not find any evidence to justify revoking his license, police said Friday, while acknowledging those sent had not been trained to spot signs of mental illness." The Guardian's story is here.

Washington Post: "A powerful atmospheric river will send a surge of subtropical moisture into California on Thursday and Friday, delivering heavy rain and even more mountain snow. It will also bring a renewed risk of serious flooding as warmer rain combines with widespread snow and saturated soil. The storm will target Northern and central California, including the Bay Area, where flood watches blanket much of the region lasting into Sunday. Heavy rain and melting snow could cause significant flooding." ~~~

~~~ New York Times: "... homeowners in the towns near Lake Tahoe ... [were] racing to remove massive snowdrifts from [their rooves]. Forecasters and local officials have raised concerns about flooding from snowmelt. But perhaps a greater worry this time is that the snow will act as a sponge, soaking up the rain and becoming heavy enough for roofs to collapse. A second atmospheric river is expected to arrive on Monday."