The Conversation -- August 14, 2023
Montana Kid Power! Mike Baker of the New York Times: "A judge in Montana ruled on Monday that young people in the state have a constitutional right to a healthful environment, finding in a landmark case that the state's failure to consider climate change when evaluating new projects was causing harm. The case, brought by a group of young Montana residents ranging in age from 5 to 22, is the first of its kind to go to trial in the United States.... In her ruling, Kathy Seeley, a district court judge, found that the state's emissions 'have been proven to be a substantial factor' in affecting the climate." ~~~
~~~ Marie: How do you suppose Clarence, Sam & Neil feel about that? And will John Roberts write a deciding opinion arguing that, "The way to stop climate change is to stop talking about climate change"?
In today's Comments, RAS has some good news for Oregon voters.
Tennessee. Kyle Melnick of the Washington Post: "A former Tennessee state senator was sentenced Friday to nearly two years in prison for violating campaign finance laws while running for Congress -- charges the Republican once described as a 'witch hunt' before he pleaded guilty to them. Brian Kelsey, who unsuccessfully tried in March to take back his guilty plea, was sentenced to 21 months in prison after a hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. He was accused of concealing the transfer of $91,000 to a national political organization that supported Kelsey's 2016 congressional campaign. The 45-year-old can no longer run for state office, according to his attorney."
Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "The New York judge [Juan Merchan] presiding over the criminal case against Donald J. Trump in Manhattan has declined to remove himself from the proceedings, a loss for the former president...."
Oops! Just Testing! Timothy Ahmann of Reuters: "The Fulton County, Georgia, court's website briefly posted a document on Monday listing several criminal charges against ... Donald Trump that appeared related to his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state, before taking the document down without explanation. The Fulton County District Attorney's office said in a statement that no charges had been filed against Trump. The document was dated Aug. 14 and named Trump, citing the case as 'open.'... The two-page document cites the 'Violation Of The Georgia Rico (Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations) Act,' 'Solicitation Of Violation Of Oath By Public Officer,' 'Conspiracy To Commit False Statements and Writings' and 'Conspiracy To Commit Forgery in the First Degree,' among other charges listed." ~~~
~~~ A Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury is hearing the Trumpty-Dumpty election interference case, and the New York Times is liveblogging developments, something that's challenging to do since the grand jury is secret and reporters don't know nuthin'.
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Donald Trump slammed the judge presiding over his newest criminal case early Monday, testing her three-day-old warning that he refrain from 'inflammatory' attacks against those involved in his case. In a Truth Social post just before 1 a.m., Trump assailed U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan as 'highly partisan' and 'very biased and unfair,' citing as evidence a statement she made during the sentencing of a woman who participated in the mob that breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Trump's lawyers must have read him the riot act. The last time a judge ordered him to put a lid on it, it took Trump less than 24 hours to defy the order. This time it took him like two-and-a-half whole days! Amazing! Akhilleus suspects (as do I) that we're going to be reading, "Trump D.C. Trial to Start Next Week" sooner rather than later.
Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "Hunter Biden told a federal judge late Sunday that the Justice Department was trying to renege on a major part of his deal with the government -- his agreement to enroll in a diversion program for gun offenders -- that he signed and granted him broad immunity from future federal prosecutions. The move, included in a court filing by Mr. Biden's lawyer, Christopher Clark, is the latest salvo in the back and forth between Mr. Biden and David C. Weiss, a Trump appointee who is leading the long-running investigation into the president's son's conduct. Shortly after Attorney General Merrick B. Garland elevated Mr. Weiss to special counsel, government lawyers said in court papers on Friday that they and Mr. Biden were at an impasse over plea negotiations and that no agreement had been reached.... But in the filing late Sunday, Mr. Biden rebutted prosecutors' claim, saying that he had signed the agreement in court last month and that he planned to abide by it.... In June..., both sides announced that they had reached a deal." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Something is weird here, and I don't think it's Hunter. Clark & Weiss are both attorneys experienced in the fields in which they're working, so I don't see how they could so royally cock this up.
The Double Life of an FBI Spy. Michael Rothfeld, et al., of the New York Times: "Apart from his outward image as a wholesome and responsible G-man..., there was another, less visible side to [Charles McGonigal], federal prosecutors and his former colleagues say. He held off-the-books meetings with foreign politicians and businessmen and accepted illicit payments while doing favors for associates, according to federal indictments filed against him in two states earlier this year.... A close look at Mr. McGonigal's life and career reveals an arc that appears ... to be a quintessentially American story about greed.... Now, Mr. McGonigal, 55, appears set to become one of the highest-ranking F.B.I. agents ever to be convicted of a crime." Reads like a "B" spy movie: sleazy Russian oligarchs, shady Albanian wheeler-dealers, Paul Manafort (of course!) extra-marital affair with a "connected," vengeful woman.
He Was For It Before He Was Against It Hours Later. Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Sunday that he supported a federal ban on abortion after the first trimester of pregnancy, then quickly backtracked -- underscoring both his ideologically uncomfortable position within the Democratic primary field and the deep salience of abortion in next year's election. Mr. Kennedy, who is running against President Biden, made his comments at the Iowa State Fair after an NBC News reporter asked whether he would sign a bill codifying the right to abortion once protected by Roe v. Wade." ~~~
~~~ David Cohen of Politico: Kennedy's campaign said he "misunderstood the question." MB: That's funny, because here's his answer: "I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life.... Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child." Ali Vitali of NBC News: "So you would cap it at 15 weeks?" Kennedy: "Yes, three months." I don't think it was the question he misunderstood; I think he misunderstood Democratic voters' antipathy to a federal abortion ban, something about which his "campaign," in the form of someone living on Planet Earth, informed him.
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Louis DeJoy, the Amazing Flexible Man. Hailey Fuchs of Politico: "During the summer of 2020, there were few bigger Democratic super villains than Louis DeJoy.... When Joe Biden won [the presidency], it was generally assumed that [DeJoy's] days were numbered. Now, nearly three years later, DeJoy ... [has] become a critical player in Biden's environmental agenda, striking a partnership with the president's green guru, John Podesta, as USPS considers an environmental renaissance of its fleet. It's a remarkable change of script for one of the more memorable side characters of the Trump years.... The pair's partnership centers around an effort to introduce 66,000 electric vehicles to the USPS by 2028, itself part of a broader initiative to add 106,000 new vehicles to USPS fleet. The initiative was buoyed by $3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act...."
Trump Crime Blotter
Zachary Cohen & Sara Murray of CNN: "Atlanta-area prosecutors investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia are in possession of text messages and emails directly connecting members of Donald Trump's legal team to the early January 2021 voting system breach in Coffee County, sources tell CNN.... New evidence has slowly been uncovered about the role of Trump's attorneys, the operatives they hired and how the breach, as well as others like it in other key states, factored into broader plans for overturning the election.... Last year, a former Trump official testified under oath to the House January 6 select committee that plans to access voting systems in Georgia were discussed in meetings at the White House, including during an Oval Office meeting on December 18, 2020, that included Trump.... The messages and documents appear to link [Rudy] Giuliani to the Coffee County breach, while shedding light on another channel of communication between pro-Trump attorneys and the battleground state operatives who worked together to provide unauthorized individuals access to sensitive voting equipment." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind
And he was willin' to make a deal. ~~~
~~~ Danny Hakim & Richard Fausset of the New York Times: During the two months following the November 2020 election, "a vast effort unfolded on behalf of the lame-duck president to overturn the election results in swing states across the country. But perhaps nowhere were there as many attempts to intervene as in Georgia, where Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, is now poised to bring an indictment for a series of brazen moves made on behalf of [Donald] Trump in the state after his loss and for lies that the president and his allies circulated about the election there." This is a long story that rehashes the publicly-known details of Trump's efforts to overturn the Georgia results.
Ian Millhiser of Vox: The right-wing Supreme Court majority has nearly obliterated the First Amendment establishment clause. MB: It seems to me that they are doing to the First Amendment what they did to the Second: take advantage of the ambiguity in the language to undo decades of established jurisprudence. "Freedom of religion," after all, is not expressed in the First Amendment as "separation of church and state," but as a prohibition against the "establishment of religion." Pretty vague. Lots of wiggle room! Millhiser elaborates.
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In today's local stories, we learn what really happens to ordinary people in the U.S. if officials who have signed an oath to the Constitution don't like them because of their business, their color, or their ethnicity. You can publish a story that upsets some local poobahs and have your business shut down & your property confiscated. You can be sitting around the house minding your own business, but if you do that while Black, you may be repeatedly & extensively tortured. You can be a three-year old child, but if your parents are fleeing Latin America, you may die.
Kansas. Jon Passantino of CNN: "Dozens of news organizations on Sunday condemned a police raid on a Kansas newspaper and its publisher's home, sending a letter to the local police department's chief urging him to immediately return all seized materials. The four-page letter, sent by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody, was signed by 34 news and press freedom organizations, including CNN, The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and others." The sheriff claimed he had an excuse, but he wouldn't say what it was because "ongoing investigation." Uh-huh.
Mississippi Is Still Mississippi. Emma Tucker of CNN: Four white Rankin County sheriff's deputies, an investigating officer and a local town police officer broke into a home without a warrant and tortured two Black men staying there. The officers shot one of the residents in the mouth, and he has suffered permanent injuries. The officers preplanned the January 2023 torture session. According to the DOJ press release, all six officers have pleaded guilty to 16 federal felony charges. MB: You need read only the federal press release, which is an anodyne document, to be sick. You want to think racists are more like Ron DeSantis, who probably doesn't torture or physically harm anyone but just gins up racial animus for fun & profit. But they're not. They're like the officers in Mississippi.
Texas. David Goodman & Edgar Sandoval of the New York Times: "A 3-year-old child died while traveling on a bus chartered by the state of Texas as it transported asylum seekers from the border city of Brownsville to Chicago as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's program to send migrants from Texas to Democratic-run cities in other states, officials said." (Also linked yesterday.)
Share Article The Conversation -- August 13, 2023
David Goodman & Edgar Sandoval of the New York Times: "A 3-year-old child died while traveling on a bus chartered by the state of Texas as it transported asylum seekers from the border city of Brownsville to Chicago as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's program to send migrants from Texas to Democratic-run cities in other states, officials said."
Zachary Cohen & Sara Murray of CNN: "Atlanta-area prosecutors investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia are in possession of text messages and emails directly connecting members of Donald Trump's legal team to the early January 2021 voting system breach in Coffee County, sources tell CNN.... New evidence has slowly been uncovered about the role of Trump's attorneys, the operatives they hired and how the breach, as well as others like it in other key states, factored into broader plans for overturning the election.... Last year, a former Trump official testified under oath to the House January 6 select committee that plans to access voting systems in Georgia were discussed in meetings at the White House, including during an Oval Office meeting on December 18, 2020, that included Trump.... The messages and documents appear to link [Rudy] Giuliani to the Coffee County breach, while shedding light on another channel of communication between pro-Trump attorneys and the battleground state operatives who worked together to provide unauthorized individuals access to sensitive voting equipment."
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Trump Crime Blotter
Sara Murray, et al., of CNN: "An Atlanta-area prosecutor has notified at least two witnesses to appear before a grand jury early next week, the most significant indication of her intention to seek indictments in the investigation of how Donald Trump and others tried to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Former Georgia Lt. Gov Geoff Duncan, a Republican, said Saturday on CNN that he has been told to appear Tuesday before a Fulton County grand jury to testify about the efforts by Trump and his allies. Independent journalist George Chidi posted on social media later Saturday that he'd been told to appear before the grand jury on Tuesday, too. The upcoming appearances signal that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is moving forward with a grand jury presentation where she's expected to seek charges against more than a dozen people stemming from her investigation into the efforts to overturn the 2020 election." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Last week I learned on the teevee that a criminal felon convicted in Georgia has no chance for a pardon before serving his sentence. Saturday I learned on the teevee that Georgia RICO charges, which Fani Willis may bring, have a minimum mandatory sentence of five years. So let's just assume that Trump is found guilty (yeah, I know that's so wrong, but I heard Trump on the phone muscling Brad Raffensperger, and I know Mark Meadows was on the call; ergo, a conspiracy -- so innocent, my ass), and loses his appeals. There are still a lot of "ifs," but I'd say the SOB has a better chance of being fitted for an orange jumpsuit in Georgia than anywhere else. Again, I'll bet the Georgia jails suck.
Giselle Ewing of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Saturday blamed his political enemies for legal fees he's incurred over the course of three recent indictments. Trump's Save America PAC shrank from over $100 million at the beginning of last year to $3.6 million after bankrolling legal fees for the former president and his allies.... 'The Lunatic Left, working closely with Crooked Joe Biden and his corrupt DOJ, is not only focusing on Election Interference, but on getting the Trump Campaign to spend vast amounts of money on legal fees, thereby having less to spend on ads showing that Crooked Joe is the WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY!' Trump wrote Saturday on the way to the Iowa State Fair." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Trump is right. If Joe Biden had not beat him by 302 - 232 in the Electoral College & 7MM votes in 2020, Trump and his mob might not have had to break so many laws. It's all Biden's fault.
Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "... Richard Hanania [is] a rising star among conservative writers and intellectuals. For years before appearing in the pages of newspapers and publications like this one, Hanania wrote articles for white supremacist publications under a pseudonym.... Hanania no longer writes for those publications.... [But] he still makes explicitly racist statements and arguments, now under his own name.... More interesting than either Hanania ... or his rancid views are his backers." They include Harlan Crow and Silicon Valley billionaires Marc Andreessen, Peter Thiel & David Sacks, a close associate of Elon Musk.
Presidential Race 2024
What Can the Matter Be? Ronnie's So Long at the Fair! Nicholas Nehamas of the New York Times: "It's been said that a bad day at the fair is always better than a good day at work. For Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, those two ideas collided on Saturday in Iowa.... Ahead of the Florida governor's appearance with Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa at a "fair-side chat," a plane flew overhead with a banner that read 'Be likable, Ron!'... The joke was a reference to advice given to Mr. DeSantis before a 2018 debate during his first run for Florida governor. Then, during the interview, a small group of liberal protesters with cowbells and whistles sought to interrupt the conversation with Ms. Reynolds.... Mr. DeSantis was trailed for much of the day by Trump supporters with placards trumpeting Mr. Trump as a 'back-to-back Iowa champ' in 2016 and 2020. Mr. Trump ... did not win the 2016 Iowa caucuses.... He never conceded defeat.... As Mr. DeSantis finished flipping pork chops [at the fair], [Donald] Trump's plane appeared overhead, circling the fairgrounds ... and prompting chants of 'We love Trump' from supporters in the crowd.... [Some fairgoers] jeered him with cries of 'Loser!' 'Fascist!' or 'DeSanctimonious (a favored insult of Mr. Trump's), which Mr. DeSantis ignored. One woman hurled an expletive at him...." A Politico story is here.
Alabama. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "A man accused of using a chair to attack others during a brawl in Montgomery, Ala., last weekend turned himself in to the police on Friday, the authorities said, becoming the fifth person charged in a fight that captured national attention largely because of the racial overtones."
~~~ Marie: Here's the story behind the brawl, according to the Times article: "The altercation began at [Mongomery]'s popular Riverfront Park after a pontoon boat docked in a space designated for the Harriott II, a riverboat cruise that was returning from a trip on the Alabama River. For 45 minutes, the captain of the Harriott II instructed the pontoon boat via the public announcement system to move out of the way, to no avail. Instead, the white boaters responded with gestures, cursing and taunting, the police said." The dock appears to be in the heart of a major city. The jerks in the pontoon boat seemed to be docked in a spot reserved for the riverboat. So why is it that in 45 minutes, the riverboat captain didn't call the police? Something is wrong with this picture.
Kansas. Freedom of the Press? Nah. Noah Lanard of Mother Jones: "Local law enforcement in Marion, Kansas, seized cell phones, computers, and other material from the office of the Marion County Record, its reporters, and the home of its publisher, according to reporting from the Kansas Reflector, a nonprofit newsroom. Eric Meyer, the Record's publisher and owner, said the raid came after an anonymous source leaked information about a local restaurant owner to the paper.... All five officers from the city police force, along with two sheriff's deputies, took 'everything we have,' Meyer said. According to the Reflector, the search may have violated federal protections for journalists: 'The search warrant, signed by Marion County District Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar, appears to violate federal law that provides protections against searching and seizing materials from journalists.'" Weirdly, law enforcement seized the paper's assets -- including ads & legal notices meant to be published this week -- because of a story the paper did not publish because the editor had concerns about the source.
Wisconsin. How to Neuter (and Remove) an Elected Supreme Court Justice. Daily Kos: "... when liberal Judge Janet Protasiewicz trounced her conservative opponent in the state Supreme Court election in April, it was a big win -- not just for those who care about reestablishing their reproductive rights, but for anyone who genuinely cares about representative democracy.... Fair legislative maps looked achievable for the first time in more than a decade.... On Friday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos [R] hinted that impeachment could be on the table if Protasiewicz votes to disrupt the GOP's plans for a permanent white minority rule [in Wisconsin].... As The Journal Sentinel points out, Republicans now have the power to hold impeachment trials after having attained a supermajority in the state Senate -- largely thanks to gerrymandered maps. And if they do, they could theoretically sideline Protasiewicz in order to protect those same maps." MB: This story is poorly-written, but the Journal Sentinel story is firewalled, so this is the best I can access.
Marie: Here's something to cheer you up. Or bring you to tears. Thanks to RAS for the link. See also dog stories at the end of yesterday's thread.
News Lede
AP: "As the death toll from a wildfire that razed a historic Maui town reached 93, authorities warned Saturday that the effort to find and identify the dead was still in its early stages. It's already the deadliest U.S. wildfire for over a century.Crews with cadaver dogs have covered just 3% of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said." New York Times live updates are here.
The Conversation -- August 12, 2023
All the AG's Special Counsels. Herein are linked stories about three -- count 'em, three -- special counsels. Hunter Biden should be proud, I guess. As far as I can tell, he is the only private citizen to get his very own special counsel; all the other special counsels have been appointed to investigate some form of public corruption or wrongdoing.
Perry Stein & David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware as special counsel in the ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden's tax case, a move that appeared aimed at rebutting Republican criticism that the process had been politicized. Garland made the surprise announcement during a midday news conference.... The appointment of Weiss, an appointee of former president Donald Trump who began the investigation of President Biden's son in 2018 and has continued to lead the prosecution under Garland, would give him broad authority and, presumably, distance the attorney general from some key decisions in the case. Justice officials said Weiss requested to be named as special counsel on Tuesday, and Garland agreed. Weiss will hold this position while he continues to serve as U.S. attorney in Delaware, Garland said." The NBC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: "The move raised the possibility that [Hunter] Biden could be tried in the politically charged case, which seemed resolved until a few weeks ago.... Prosecutors for [David] Weiss's office also filed court papers on Friday indicating that they had reached an impasse with Mr. Biden's lawyers over the proposed plea deal, suggesting that he might now be indicted. Up until a few days ago, the two sides had still been hoping to salvage the deal, but that effort snagged on Mr. Biden's demand for blanket immunity from future prosecution." ~~~
~~~ Andrew Goudsward of Reuters: "... Hunter Biden may be headed for a criminal trial, U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss said shortly after promotion into that role on Friday, in a sign that courtroom drama could play an outsized role in the 2024 presidential election." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Appointing a special counsel seems excessive to me, but reasonable, given House Republicans' demands for the appointment of a special counsel, their cries of "conspiracy!" and their Keystone Cops-style "investigations" of Everything Hunter. Let's see how well it worked: ~~~
~~~ From the New York Times liveblog in developments of the Hunter Biden case: "Representative James Comer, the oversight committee chairman in the House..., sees the appointment of a special counsel as a way to protect the president's son. 'This move by Attorney General Garland is part of the Justice Department's efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup,' he said in a statement." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Scott Wong & Kate Santaliz of NBC News: "House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, had previously called on Garland to name a special counsel in the case. But on Friday, Jordan's team also took aim at [David] Weiss, who was nominated by ... Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney in Delaware and stayed on under President Joe Biden.... 'David Weiss can't be trusted and this is just a new way to whitewash the Biden family's corruption,' said Jordan spokesman Russell Dye." MB: In case it never dawned on you (ha ha) that nothing will satisfy, here's the proof: (1) Jordan whines that Garland must appoint special counsel; (2) Garland appoints special counsel nominated by Donald Trump; (3) Jordan whines that Trump-nominated, Garland-appointed special counsel cannot be trusted. (Also linked yesterday.)
Monica Alba & Carol Lee of NBC News: "Attorneys for President Joe Biden and the special counsel appointed to investigate his handling of classified documents have been negotiating for about a month over the terms under which he would be interviewed, two people familiar with the matter said. Discussions between Biden's lawyers and special counsel Robert Hur's office are focused on how, when and where the interview might take place, as well as the scope of the questions, these people said. They stressed that the negotiations are ongoing and that no agreement has been reached." (Also linked yesterday.)
Trump Crime Blotter
I see the possibility for a lot of problems here. -- Judge Tanya Chutkan, on Donald Trump's potential of intimidating witnesses & influencing jurors ~~~
~~~ Glenn Thrush & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The federal judge overseeing ... Donald J. Trump's prosecution on charges of seeking to overturn the 2020 election rejected his request on Friday to be able to speak broadly about evidence and witnesses -- and warned Mr. Trump she would take necessary 'measures' to keep him from intimidating witnesses or tainting potential jurors. The caution from the judge, Tanya S. Chutkan, came during a 90-minute hearing in Federal District Court in Washington to discuss the scope of a protective order over the discovery evidence in Mr. Trump's case, a typically routine step in criminal matters. Judge Chutkan said she planned to impose the order but agreed to a modification requested by the Trump legal team that it apply only to 'sensitive' materials and not all evidence turned over to the defense.
"She concluded the hearing with a blunt warning to Mr. Trump, and an unmistakable reference to a recent social media post in which he warned, 'If you go after me, I'm coming after you!' -- a statement his spokesman later said was aimed at political opponents and not at people involved in the case. 'I do want to issue a general word of caution -- I intend to ensure the orderly administration of justice in this case as I would in any other case, and even arguably ambiguous statements by the parties or their counsel,' she said, could be considered an attempt to 'intimidate witnesses or prejudice potential jurors,' triggering the court to take action.... Judge Chutkan ... made it clear -- within minutes of ascending the bench -- that she intended to view Mr. Trump primarily as a defendant rather than a political figure, and suggested she sided with the government's push for a speedy trial.... The judge described Mr. Trump's candidacy as 'a day job,' like [any other] defendant." The CBS News report is here. Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ She Was Not Amused. Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "The Independent's Andrew Feinberg reports that [Judge Tanya] Chutkan repeatedly emphasized to Trump lawyer John Lauro that 'the existence of a political campaign is not going to have any bearing on my decision.'... According to Feinberg, Lauro brought up the 2024 campaign multiple times on Friday's hearing to determine whether Trump will be hit with a protective order on what information he can share publicly ahead of his trial. 'Judge not amused,' commented Feinberg." ~~~
~~~ A copy of the protective order, via NBC News, is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: It took less than 24 hours for Trump to defy a magistrate judge's order that imposed restrictions on him. Let's see how long it takes him to try a stunt to cross Chutkan.
Amy Wang & Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "Michigan state Rep. Matt Maddock (R) warned supporters at a recent fundraiser at his home that a 'civil war' would break out or that people would get shot if the government continued to target conservatives, according to audio of the event obtained by the Messenger, which first reported the remarks. Maddock, whose wife was one of 16 'fake electors' charged with felony crimes in Michigan last month..., [made the remarks at a] 'Free The 16 Electors Poolside Party!' -- was held at the Maddocks' home to raise legal defense funds for the fake electors, according to a copy of the invitation.... 'Someone's going to get so pissed off, they're going to shoot someone,' Maddock [said], according to the recording.... [Matt] Maddock compared prosecuting Trump electors to Nazis' attempts to subdue Jewish people before leading them into gas chambers during the Holocaust.... You are going to shut the eff up and you are going to walk into that gas chamber. That's what they want, because that's what's coming for us.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: I've got news for these posh-looking, pink-hued, whiney rebels without a clue: (allegedly!) making false claims in an effort to overturn a presidential election, then facing prosecution & possible jail time for committing the crime, is not even minimally equivalent to being abused, starved, tortured & murdered because of your religion or ethnicity. The gall of these entitled leeches holding a pool party-fundraiser to compare themselves to Holocaust victims is beyond the pale.
A Warning for the Trumpster. David Yaffe-Bellany & Matthew Goldstein of the New York Times: "Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was sent to jail on Friday after a federal judge in New York revoked his bail, accusing him of trying to influence witnesses who are poised to testify against him at a widely anticipated trial in less than two months. Mr. Bankman-Fried, 31, had been under house arrest at his parents' home in Palo Alto, Calif., since he was arrested in December on fraud charges stemming from FTX's implosion. But at a hearing on Friday, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court in Manhattan said that arrangement would have to end, after prosecutors argued that Mr. Bankman-Fried had twice tried to interfere with witnesses in the case, including by giving documents to reporters." The AP story is here.
Presidential Race 2024
Candidate for American Dictator Bars Press from Campaign Event. Ty Rushing of the Starting Line: "Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign team today contacted law enforcement in an attempt to prohibit Iowa Starting Line reporters from covering his campaign in the Hawkeye State, according to Shelby County Sheriff's deputies. Two reporters -- including Starting Line's Chief Political Correspondent Ty Rushing -- were greeted by multiple sheriff's deputies at the entrance of the American Legion in Harlan on Friday afternoon, where DeSantis was making his second campaign stop of the day.... No other media outlets were excluded from the event. After speaking to a crowd inside, DeSantis answered questions from other reporters on the front lawn, where Starting Line was also prohibited from participating. Deputies stood guard on the sidewalk throughout the event." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Gosh, maybe I've figured out why DeSantis prohibited Rushing from his event. In video Rushing posted, he appears to be Black. It's an anti-woke thang. As Judge Chutkan said Friday morning, Freedom of the press is not absolute. And for DeSantolini, it's absolutely not for Black reporters. ~~~
~~~ By Contrast, These Two Nice White Ladies Got to Curtail a DeSantis Event Friday. Natalie Allison of Politico: "Chanting 'Ron DeFascist' and 'pudding fingers' on a megaphone while ringing cowbells, two protesters effectively cut short the Florida governor's first campaign stop of the day at a large roadside rock painted for war veterans.... At the DeSantis event, Kara Ryan of Des Moines said she and her aunt, Heather Ryan, were there on behalf of a political action committee called 'Bitches Get Stuff Done,' that supports abortion rights." MB: Have to admit this demonstration is kinda crass, but nothing in the league of the damage Ron has done. Also, interesting to note that it takes only two bitches to heckling the stuffing out of Gov. Mouseturd; a more skilled politician would know how to get the hecklers to STFU. (Also linked yesterday.) MB: I suppose freedom of white assembly still stands. For now.
Illinois. Nadine El-Bawab of ABC News: "The Illinois State Supreme Court found a strict assault weapons ban passed after the Highland Park shooting to be constitutional in a ruling issued Friday. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit that claimed that the ban violated the equal protections clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The court reversed a lower court finding and said that the law does not violate the equal protections clause. However, the Supreme Court did not comment on claims that the law also violated the Second Amendment."
Texas. Gideon Rubin of the Raw Story: "Former Donald Trump physician and current Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) threatened a state trooper amid an altercation with authorities at a rodeo last month, The Dallas Morning News reports, citing a sheriff's incident report. Jackson threatened to beat the state trooper and 'bury' a West Texas sheriff in the next election after deputies pushed him to the ground and handcuffed him in the July 29 incident, authorities said according to the report.... Jackson previously said he was trying to help a teenager experiencing a seizure at the time of the incident.... But Carson County Sheriff Tam Terry's report ... [described] the retired rear admiral as being confrontational and uncooperative during the incident. Deputies asked Jackson to step back at least four times before detaining him so emergency responders could render aid to the girl, the report said. Chief Deputy Sheriff JC Blackburn said Jackson continued 'screaming profanity about the trooper' even after being released from handcuffs...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: On paper, Rep. Ronny is about as solid a citizen as you'll find: a doctor to presidents, a Congressman, a former Navy flag officer. However, given his pattern of bad behavior, one is inclined to suspect that Rep. Ronny was just angry that the troopers & paramedics had prevented him from getting his picture in the paper as a local hero who had saved a damsel in distress.
News Lede
Washington Post: "Nearly 72 hours after flames began to race through this historic Maui town, killing at least 67 people, the magnitude of the tragedy remained unclear Friday amid spotty communication and few official updates. Hundreds of people remained unaccounted for, and rumors swirled about the death toll and the cause of the wildfires, the worst in Hawaii's history. Frustration with the government response deepened as the state emergency services agency confirmed that it had not activated warning sirens as the fire advanced, though it said alerts were sent via mobile phones, television and other channels."