July 28, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden gave final approval on Friday to the biggest reshaping in generations of the country's Uniform Code of Military Justice, stripping commanders of their authority over cases of sexual assault, rape and murder to ensure prosecutions that are independent of the chain of command. By signing a far-reaching executive order, Mr. Biden ushered in the most significant changes to the modern military legal system since it was created in 1950. The order follows two decades of pressure from lawmakers and advocates of sexual assault victims, who argued that victims in the military were too often denied justice, culminating in a bipartisan law mandating changes. The White House called the changes to the military justice system 'a turning point for survivors of gender-based violence in the military' and said they kept promises Mr. Biden made as a candidate.... The changes had for years been opposed by military commanders. But they were finally embraced by the Pentagon in 2021 and mandated by a law spearheaded by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York."

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post on the main things we learned from the superseding classified documents indictment: "The superseding indictment drives home how much this trial will be about the alleged coverup.... The document [Trump 'presented' in Bedminster is one] that he acknowledged in real time he hadn't declassified.... With De Oliveira, the government has another strong candidate for flipping...."

I Take My Science-y Advice From Sen. Potato Head. Chris D'Angelo & Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post: <"Two global climate organizations on Thursday confirmed that July is on track to be the single hottest month on record. It is also likely the hottest monthlong stretch in 120,000 years. Nearly 200 million people -- 60% of the U.S. population -- are currently under an extreme heat or flood advisory. But as usual, Republican climate deniers are quick to dismiss the dire impacts. 'There is a very scientific word for this: It's called summer,' Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told HuffPost when asked about the heat on Thursday. 'It's no hotter right now than it's ever been. I've been in this heat all my life in July and August as a football coach. This world's not heating up, come on.'... 'Southern Louisiana, it's always hot,' [House Majority Leader Steve] Scalise [said'. 'Thank God for air conditioning.'... Meanwhile, the Republican Party is attacking the Biden administration's effort to make home appliances, including air conditioners and dishwashers, more efficient. Fox News and other right-wing media have dutifully dubbed the federal effort as Biden's 'war on appliances.'"

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The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand. -- Mark Felt a/k/a Deep Throat, to Bob Woodward, on the Watergate conspirators ~~~

** ~~~ Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors on Thursday added major accusations to an indictment charging ... Donald J. Trump with mishandling classified documents after he left office, presenting evidence that he told the property manager of Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida, that he wanted security camera footage there to be deleted. The new accusations were revealed in a superseding indictment that named the property manager, Carlos De Oliveira, as a new defendant in the case. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Miami on Monday.... The revised indictment added three serious charges against Mr. Trump: attempting to 'alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal evidence'; inducing someone else to do so; and a new count under the Espionage Act related to a classified national security document that he showed to visitors at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J." (This is a rewrite of a story linked yesterday.) The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is obstruction upon obstruction. On May 11, 2022, the DOJ subpoenaed all classified documents in Trump's possession. In Obstruction Scheme 1, which takes place in late May & early June, Trump has Nauta & De Oliveira move around boxes of various items & papers, including classified docs, so Trump can sift through the boxes and rearrange their contents. He has the guys move boxes containing more than 100 classified docs to places where Trump's own attorneys cannot access them. Then Trump falsely tells his lawyers that all of the classified docs in his possession are in a basement storage closet. The attorneys produce 37 classified documents and turn them over to investigators who come to Mar-a-Lago. While there, those investigators see some surveillance cameras. So in Obstruction Scheme 2, which takes place in late June, a grand jury subpoenas the surveillance video. Trump immediately tells Laurel & Hardy to have the surveillance server destroyed. Nauta secretly rushes from Bedminster to Palm Beach to carry out Trump's order, but a reluctant co-worker foils the scheme. ~~~

~~~ You can read the new indictment, via CNN, here. Mission Fail. MB: The section labeled "The Attempt to Delete Security Camera Footage" (begins at page 26) is a hoot. The guys walk through dark tunnels with flashlights & hold clandestine meetings in the bushes next door to Mar-a-Lardo and in a windowless closet. They sound like mobsters: Carlos tells an IT employee he had better delete the footage because "the boss" wanted it done; then Walt checks with another employee because "someone [MB: i.e., Trump] just wants to make sure Carlos is good," and that person's assures Walt that Carlos is loyal. On that assurance, Trump calls Carlos to tell him not to worry as He Trump would pay for Carlos' lawyer. Oh, and the upshot of all this is that neither the Frick & Frack team nor "the boss" get the IT guy to delete the surveillance footage or deep-six the server. The life of Trump would make a decent "B" mob movie. Better yet, maybe the Coen brothers are taking notes. (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

~~~ From CNN's liveblog: "Special counsel Jack Smith has brought additional charges against ... Donald Trump in the case surrounding his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House, according to the court docket. Trump has been charged with three new counts, including one additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts, related to alleged attempts to delete surveillance video footage at the Mar-a-Lago resort in summer 2022." You'll have to scroll down to read this content. AND ~~~

     ~~~ "... Smith has filed an additional charge against ... Donald Trump for willfully retaining a top-secret document about Iran attack plans, which he discussed with biographers during a taped meeting at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey in July 2021, according to the indictment." Scroll down. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Here's Jack Smith's description of the indictment and a rationale why the superseding indictment should not delay the court's trial schedule. Via Marcy Wheeler.

Marcy Wheeler points to "... a key paragraph of the superseding indictment ... [which] shows how Trump uses legal representation to secure loyalty. It's a fact pattern that crosses both of Trump's crimes, and may well be in the expected January 6 indictment. It may help to break down the omerta currently protecting Trump." That is, Trump keeps poor people from testifying against him by promising to pay their lawyers' fees. MB: It isn't surprising that both Nauta & De Oliveira have Trump-PAC-paid lawyers. Legal codes of ethics demand that lawyers represent their clients, not the entities who pay them, but it would appear Frick's & Frack's are, um, conflicted. You may recall that January 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson said that her Trump-allied lawyer urged her to "forget" what she heard at the White House and hinted her "faulty memory" would pay off in the form of lucractive job offers; it was not until she got another lawyer that she testified truthfully to the January 6 investigators.

Tierney Sneed of CNN: "Special counsel Jack Smith has charged a third defendant, Carlos De Oliveira, in the Trump Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, according to court files.... De Oliveira was the maintenance worker who helped Nauta move boxes of classified documents around Mar-a-Lago after the Justice Department first subpoenaed Trump for classified documents last May." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post: “If the allegations in the latest indictment of Donald Trump hold up, the former president is a common criminal -- and an uncommonly stupid one.... According to the superseding indictment handed up late Thursday, even after Trump knew the FBI was onto his improper retention of classified information, and even after he knew they were seeking security camera footage from the Mar-a-Lago storage areas where the material was kept -- in other words, when any reasonably adept criminal would have known to stop digging holes -- Trump made matters infinitely worse. The alleged conduct ... is nothing short of jaw-dropping...." ~~~

~~~ Oh, Yeah? Let's Ask the Trumpettes! Zach Schonfeld of the Hill: "Former President Trump's campaign lashed out Thursday at new charges levied against him and his associates in his Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, calling it an attempt to harass Trump and those around him. 'This is nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their Department of Justice to harass President Trump and those around him,' the campaign said in a statement."

Lawrence O'Donnell pointed out Thursday that the superseding indictment makes clear that Walt Nauta was not an unwitting employee who accidentally got caught up in a misadventure that got away from him; rather, he was a willing & enthusiastic co-conspirator, who went to great lengths to implement Trump's scheme.

Chutzpah! Laura Jarrett of NBC News: "On top of the new charges against the former president about his alleged mishandling of classified documents comes word from the special counsel that Trump wants to be able to discuss classified discovery [at Mar-a-Lago] outside of a classified setting. Clearly baffled, prosecutors from the special counsel's team write in part in the latest court filing: 'There is no basis for the defendant's request that he be given the extraordinary authority to discuss classified information at his residence, and it is particularly striking that he seeks permission to do so in the very location at which he is charged with willfully retaining the documents charged in this case...." This is part of a liveblog and you may have to scroll down.

**Uh-oh. Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: "Lawyers for ... Donald Trump were meeting Thursday morning with prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith's office, more than a week after Trump said he received a letter from the Justice Department telling him he could face criminal charges in connection with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The meeting, confirmed by a person familiar with the matter..., is another sign that Smith could be close to seeking an indictment of Trump in the Justice Department's long-running elections probe." At 8:35 am ET Thursday, this was a developing story. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Adam Reiss & Vaughn Hillyard of NBC News (at 11:14 am ET): "Trump's attorneys Todd Blanche and John Lauro have met with prosecutors in Smith's office, according to three sources. The lawyers were told to expect an indictment, two sources said." This is part of a liveblog. You'll have to scroll down. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update 2: Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "... Donald Trump posted on Truth Social saying his lawyers met on Thursday to appeal to special counsel Jack Smith that 'an indictment would only further destroy the country.' Trump's attorneys went into their meeting with the special counsel Thursday not to argue the facts of the case against indicting Trump, but instead with a broader appeal that indicting him would only cause more turmoil in the country's political environment, two sources familiar with the meeting said." This is part of a liveblog. You'll have to scroll down. (Also linked yesterday.)

Chang Che of the New York Times: "A Kentucky man who used a flagpole to batter a door near the House chamber during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was found guilty in federal court in Washington on Wednesday on nine counts, including civil disorder and disruption of an official proceeding, prosecutors said. Chad Barrett Jones, 45, of Mount Washington, Ky., was part of a standoff in the Speaker's Lobby that ended in the death of Ashli Babbitt, 35, an Air Force veteran who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police lieutenant as rioters tried to breach the House chamber, prosecutors said. During the encounter, which was captured on video from multiple angles, rioters came close enough to lock eyes with lawmakers, separated only by a few officers and antique wood-and-glass doors. Judge Richard J. Leon of the Federal District Court in Washington found Mr. Jones guilty after a bench trial on two felony and seven misdemeanor charges, including the destruction of government property."

Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "Former Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley pleaded guilty to a federal crime on Thursday in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Kelley pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of entering and remaining on restricted grounds.... Kelley ran for governor in Michigan in 2022 as a Republican, He was arrested last June, before the Republican primary, and was, for a time, leading in the polls." MB: Too bad it's just a misdemeanor. Kelley probably won't get jail time. And I was thinking he would have made a nice simpatico cellmate for Donald Trump. (Also linked yesterday.)

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "The Senate on Thursday gave overwhelming approval to the annual defense policy bill, sidestepping a contentious debate over abortion access for service members and quashing efforts to limit aid for Ukraine in a show of bipartisanship that set up a bitter showdown with the House. The vote was 86 to 11 to pass the bill, which would authorize $886 billion for national defense over the next year. It includes a 5.2 percent pay raise for troops and civilian employees, investments in hypersonic missile and drone technology, and measures to improve competition with China. But its fate is deeply in doubt as the measure heads for what is expected to be a contentious negotiation between the Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-led House, where right-wing hard-liners have attached a raft of conservative social policy mandates." MB: And then the whole damned Congress packed up and went home for a five-week summer vacay. ~~~

~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "House Republicans abandoned efforts to pass a spending bill to fund the Agriculture Department and the F.D.A. on Thursday before heading home for summer break, stymied by internal divisions over funding and social policy that threaten to make it impossible for them to avoid a shutdown in the fall. Caught between hard-right conservatives who wanted tens of billions of dollars cut from the legislation and more mainstream Republicans who oppose abortion-related restrictions that the far right insisted upon adding, G.O.P. leaders abruptly pulled the plug on their plans to pass the $25 billion bill. That added the agriculture measure to a looming legislative pileup in September, when Congress will have just weeks to pass a dozen spending bills or a temporary patch to avoid a government shutdown on Oct. 1." Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Meanwhile, I heard on the teevee tape of Kevin McCarthy boasting Thursday about how Republicans in Congress, unlike Democrats, get things done. It's like Donald Trump's boasting about his "perfect phone calls"; i.e., the one to Zelensky that got him impeached and the one to Raffensperger that is about to get him indicted, probably twice.

Annie Karni & Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "It has been decades since there was any real uncertainty at the top of the Republican Party in the Senate. But Senator Mitch McConnell's alarming freeze-up at a news conference on Wednesday at the Capitol, as well as new disclosures about other recent falls, have shaken his colleagues and intensified quiet discussion about how long he can stay in his position as minority leader, and whether change is coming at the top.For months even before he had an apparent medical episode on camera on Wednesday while speaking to the press, Mr. McConnell, the long-serving Republican leader from Kentucky, has been weakened, both physically and politically."

Manu Raju of CNN: "Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, who froze during a news conference Wednesday and earlier this year suffered a concussion after falling down, has also endured two other falls this year, according to multiple people familiar with the matter," once in Finland in February & earlier this month at Reagan International while deplaning. (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Early Thursday, I wrote in the Comments, "Like Dianne Feinstein, Mitch should retire." The next thing you know, ~~~

     ~~~ Kristin Wilson of CNN: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein had to be corrected and told to vote during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday.... During Thursday's hearing, Feinstein was meant to cast her vote on the Defense Appropriations bill, requiring her to say 'Aye' or 'Nay,' when her name was called. When she didn't answer, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state tried to prompt her. 'Say aye,' she said, repeating herself three times to Feinstein. Feinstein then started to read from prepared remarks, and was interrupted by an aide whispering in her ear. 'Yeah,' Murray said once again. 'Just say "aye."' 'OK, just,' Feinstein replied. 'Aye,' Murray repeated once more. Then Feinstein sat back in her chair. 'Aye,' she said, casting her vote." (Also linked yesterday.)

Maegan Vazquez & Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) reportedly scolded a group of Senate pages late Wednesday evening, using expletives to curse out the teenagers because they were lying on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda. According to Punchbowl News, Van Orden was giving a tour 'for several dozen visitors around midnight' when he saw the pages lying on the floor in the Rotunda and taking photos because it was their final week as pages. Van Orden called the pages 'lazy s----' and told them to 'get the f--- up' off the floor, sources told the outlet. Senate pages are typically high school students who have a number of responsibilities assisting with the day-to-day operations at the Capitol, including shuttling material within the halls of Congress and acting as support staff. When the Senate continues its work late into the night, as it did Wednesday evening, pages are known to rest in the Rotunda -- which is midway between the House and Senate chambers." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I was preparing to write something like, "In fairness to Van Orden, at midnight he was probably drunk," when I read this graf down-story: "The lawmaker's communications director, Anna Kelly, also sought to provide additional context after a photo circulated of Van Orden's Capitol Hill office, appearing to show several empty bottles of alcohol in the trash and on a desk shortly before the incident with the pages allegedly occurred. Kelly shared a tweet with The Post, which said the congressman 'regularly hosts beer and cheese tours with constituents. The congressman hosted roughly 50 constituents and visitors yesterday before a private tour of the Capitol.'" So I'll have to remove the "probably." Both Senate Leaders -- Schumer & McConnell -- expected Van Orden to apologize to the teenagers. He did not.

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way to complete a controversial Mid-Atlantic natural gas pipeline, agreeing that Congress greenlighted the project as part of a behind-the-scenes deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling. Without comment, the justices lifted a lower court's halt on the remaining construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which will stretch 300 miles through rugged mountains in West Virginia and Virginia. Environmentalists claim that the pipeline threatens lands, water resources and endangered species along the way, and have found some success blocking final approval at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond. But much of the pipeline is already built. During the tense negotiations earlier this summer to keep the nation from defaulting on its debts, House Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia wrangled a deal with the Biden administration to cut the courts out of the process. The bill ... expressly stripped courts of jurisdiction to review 'any action' by a federal agency granting authorization for the construction and operation of the pipeline." Politico's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Now, there's a great way to avoid judicial review. Just tuck into every bill a "mitts off, judges" clause. And Democrats could sweeten their bills with, "no Republican-appointed judges may review or rescind any part of this law." If Bibi Netanyahu had thought of this, he could have avoided all those problems with his effort to neuter Israel's judiciary.

Erica Green & Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "President Biden will announce new measures on Thursday aimed at helping communities across the country deal with extreme weather, as rising temperatures scorch much of the country and amplify alarms about the climate crisis. The announcement, to be made in an auditorium on the White House grounds, will come on a day when the National Weather Service is warning that temperatures in the nation's capital could hit triple digits for the first time in nearly seven years. White House officials said the new measures would include funding to improve weather prediction, grants to help ensure clean drinking water across the West and protections for workers who are most vulnerable to heat deaths." MB: I sure as hell hope this invalidates the Texas legislature/Greg Abbott's law outlawing water breaks for construction workers. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Marie: Here are some measures President Biden announced, via NPR. It doesn't appear he has precluded enforcement of Texas' no-water-breaks-for-workers law, which goes into effect in September. (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~ Raymond Zhong of the New York Times: "Weeks of scorching summer heat in North America, Europe, Asia and elsewhere are putting July on track to be Earth's warmest month on record, the European Union climate monitor said on Thursday, the latest milestone in what is emerging as an extraordinary year for global temperatures. Last month, the planet experienced its hottest June since records began in 1850. July 6 was its hottest day. And the odds are rising that 2023 will end up displacing 2016 as the hottest year. At the moment, the eight warmest years on the books are the past eight." (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race 2024

Too askeert to go after frontrunner Donald Trump (he's about 30 points ahead of his nearest rival), GOP presidential candidates attack each other:

Lucy Hodgman of Politico: "Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott on Thursday criticized competitor Ron DeSantis on his support for Florida education standards requiring students to be instructed on the 'benefits' of slavery. Asked by a Politico reporter about the curriculum requirement at a campaign stop outside Des Moines, the South Carolina senator said he hoped that 'every person in our country, and certainly running for president, would appreciate that' slavery had no benefits to enslaved people. 'There is no silver lining in slavery,' Scott said. 'Slavery was really about separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating."

Miranda Nazzaro of the Hill: "GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is pushing back against fellow White House hopeful Chris Christie's (R) claims that she and some other candidates do not call out former President Trump enough. 'Well I'm not obsessively anti-Trump like he is,' Haley said in an interview with Fox News Digital. 'I talk about policies,' she added, pointing to times she has 'disagreed with Trump,' including over Jan. 6, government spending and the Russia-Ukraine war."

Capitalism Is Awesome -- Just Ask Elon. Steve Stecklow & Norihiko Shirouzu of Reuters: "About a decade ago, Tesla rigged the dashboard readouts in its electric cars to provide 'rosy' projections of how far owners can drive before needing to recharge, a source told Reuters. The automaker last year became so inundated with driving-range complaints that it created a special ... 'Diversion Team' in Las Vegas to cancel as many range-related appointments as possible.... The directive to present the [overly] optimistic range estimates came from Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk.... Driving range is among the most important factors in consumer decisions on which electric car to buy, or whether to buy one at all.... Tesla was fined earlier this year by South Korean regulators who found the cars delivered as little as half their advertised range in cold weather."

Beyond the Beltway

Tennessee. David Nakamura & Mark Berman of the Washington Post: “The Justice Department on Thursday opened a sweeping civil rights investigation into allegations that the Memphis Police Department systematically used excessive force and discriminated against Black residents, dramatically escalating federal oversight seven months after the police beating death of Tyre Nichols. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said the probe is not based on any single instance of misconduct but was launched after the department's broad review of public records and information provided by community members." (Also linked yesterday.)

Way Beyond

Israel. The Plot Thickens. Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: “... on Wednesday night, some of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's closest allies provided a glimpse of how they could intervene in his prosecution. Eleven lawmakers from Mr. Netanyahu's right-wing party, Likud, introduced a bill that would strip the attorney general -- who has been critical of the government -- of the right to oversee the prosecution of government ministers, including the prime minister. The move sparked anger among the opposition and an Israeli public that has taken to the streets for months to protest the government's efforts to assert more authority over the judiciary.... Although the Likud leadership disowned the bill and its lead proponent pulled it back, its introduction by about a third of its legislators in Parliament, raised questions about the party's intent."

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 are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Friday is here: "Ukraine has reported gains in the southeast after launching a new counteroffensive push.... Ukraine's defense ministry said a U.S. citizen was killed in battle near Bakhmut. It identified him as a volunteer fighter and former Green Beret named Nicholas Maimer, the latest American veteran to die fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.... Vladimir Putin said 'Russia's attention to Africa is growing steadily' and that this 'is reflected in our plans to step up our diplomatic presence on the continent.' He said Russia was 'ready to restore and open new Russian missions abroad.' The Russian leader, seeking to boost ties, is hosting African leaders at the St. Petersburg summit, although far fewer African heads of state are attending compared to the first Russia-Africa summit in 2019." MB: Yeah, too bad Russia's refusal to allow safe passage to ships carrying Ukrainian ag products is starving Africans.

July 27, 2023

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

** Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors investigating ... Donald J. Trump on charges of illegally handling classified documents unsealed charges on Thursday against a new defendant -- a maintenance worker at Mar-a-Lago.... The worker, Carlos De Oliveira, who is the head of maintenance at the property and also once parked cars there, was charged with conspiracy to obstruct efforts to retrieve the documents. He was joined to a pre-existing indictment filed in Florida last month accusing Mr. Trump and the aide, Walt Nauta, of a conspiracy to obstruct the government's repeated attempts to retrieve the material.... Mr. De Oliveira was caught on a surveillance camera moving boxes into a storage room at Mar-a-Lago ... in the days between the issuance of a grand jury subpoena demanding all remaining classified material in Mr. Trump's possession and a visit by federal prosecutors to see Mr. Trump's lawyers and enforce the subpoena. Phone records show that Mr. De Oliveira also called an information technology worker at Mar-a-Lago last summer. The call caught the government's attention because it was placed shortly after prosecutors issued a subpoena to Mr. Trump's company, the Trump Organization, demanding the footage from the surveillance camera near the storage room." ~~~

~~~ Earlier. Marie: Okay, Ken Delanian of NBC News now is reporting that special counsel lawyers filed a superceding indictment and that it contains not only charges against Carlos De Oliveira but also additional charges for Donald Trump and Walt Nauta. Two of the three new charges against Trump are for obstruction related to deleting surveillance footage. Uh, wow!

~~~ You can read the new indictment, via CNN, here. MB: The section labeled "The Attempt to Delete Security Camera Footage" (begins at page 26) is a hoot. The guys walk through dark tunnels with flashlights & hold clandestine meetings in the bushes next door to Mar-a-Lardo and in a windowless closet. They sound like mobsters, telling an IT employee he had better delete the footage because "the boss" wanted it done; then Walt's checking with another employee because "someone [MB: i.e., Trump] just wants to make sure Carlos is good," and that person assuring Walt that Carlos is loyal. Trump then calls Carlos to tell him not to worry as He Trump would pay for Carlos' lawyer. Oh, and the upshot of all this is that neither the Frick & Frack team nor "the boss" get the IT guy to delete the surveillance footage. The life of Trump will make a couple of decent "B" mob movies. Better yet, let's hope the Coen brothers are taking notes. ~~~

~~~ From CNN's liveblog: "Special counsel Jack Smith has brought additional charges against ... Donald Trump in the case surrounding his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House, according to the court docket. Trump has been charged with three new counts, including one additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts, related to alleged attempts to delete surveillance video footage at the Mar-a-Lago resort in summer 2022." You'll have to scroll down to read this content. AND ~~~

     ~~~ "... Smith has filed an additional charge against ... Donald Trump for willfully retaining a top-secret document about Iran attack plans, which he discussed with biographers during a taped meeting at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey in July 2021, according to the indictment." Scroll down.

Tierney Sneed of CNN: "Special counsel Jack Smith has charged a third defendant, Carlos De Oliveira, in the Trump Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, according to court files.... De Oliveira was the maintenance worker who helped Nauta move boxes of classified documents around Mar-a-Lago after the Justice Department first subpoenaed Trump for classified documents last May." MB: Ken Delanian of MSNBC said that De Oliveira's "name has been added to the docket," which doesn't necessary mean he has been charged.

Marie: Early Thursday, I wrote in the Comments, "Like Dianne Feinstein, Mitch should retire." The next thing you know ~~~

     ~~~ Kristin Wilson of CNN: &"Sen. Dianne Feinstein had to be corrected and told to vote during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday.... During Thursday's hearing, Feinstein was meant to cast her vote on the Defense Appropriations bill, requiring her to say 'Aye' or 'Nay,' when her name was called. When she didn't answer, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state tried to prompt her. 'Say aye,' she said, repeating herself three times to Feinstein. Feinstein then started to read from prepared remarks, and was interrupted by an aide whispering in her ear. 'Yeah,' Murray said once again. 'Just say "aye."' 'OK, just,' Feinstein replied. 'Aye,' Murray repeated once more. Then Feinstein sat back in her chair. 'Aye,' she said, casting her vote."

**Uh-oh. Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: "Lawyers for ... Donald Trump were meeting Thursday morning with prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith's office, more than a week after Trump said he received a letter from the Justice Department telling him he could face criminal charges in connection with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The meeting, confirmed by a person familiar with the matter..., is another sign that Smith could be close to seeking an indictment of Trump in the Justice Department's long-running elections probe." At 8:35 am ET, this was a developing story. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Adam Reiss & Vaughn Hillyard of NBC News (at 11:14 am ET): "Trump's attorneys Todd Blanche and John Lauro have met with prosecutors in Smith's office, according to three sources. The lawyers were told to expect an indictment, two sources said." This is part of a liveblog. You'll have to scroll down. ~~~

     ~~~ Update 2: Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "... Donald Trump posted on Truth Social saying his lawyers met on Thursday to appeal to special counsel Jack Smith that 'an indictment would only further destroy the country.' Trump's attorneys went into their meeting with the special counsel Thursday not to argue the facts of the case against indicting Trump, but instead with a broader appeal that indicting him would only cause more turmoil in the country's political environment, two sources familiar with the meeting said." This is part of a liveblog. You'll have to scroll down.

David Nakamura & Mark Berman of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department on Thursday opened a sweeping civil rights investigation into allegations that the Memphis Police Department systematically used excessive force and discriminated against Black residents, dramatically escalating federal oversight seven months after the police beating death of Tyre Nichols. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said the probe is not based on any single instance of misconduct but was launched after the department's broad review of public records and information provided by community members."

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way to complete a controversial Mid-Atlantic natural gas pipeline, agreeing that Congress greenlighted the project as part of a behind-the-scenes deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling. Without comment, the justices lifted a lower court's halt on the remaining construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which will stretch 300 miles through rugged mountains in West Virginia and Virginia. Environmentalists claim that the pipeline threatens lands, water resources and endangered species along the way, and have found some success blocking final approval at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond. But much of the pipeline is already built. During the tense negotiations earlier this summer to keep the nation from defaulting on its debts, House Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia wrangled a deal with the Biden administration to cut the courts out of the process. The bill ... expressly stripped courts of jurisdiction to review 'any action' by a federal agency granting authorization for the construction and operation of the pipeline." Politico's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Now, there's a great way to avoid judicial review. Just tuck into every bill a "mitts off, judges" clause. And Democrats could sweeten their bills with, "no Republican-appointed judges may review or rescind any part of this law." If Bibi Netanyahu had thought of this, he could have avoided all those problems with his effort to neuter Israel's judiciary.

Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "Former Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley pleaded guilty to a federal crime on Thursday in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Kelley pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of entering and remaining on restricted grounds.... Kelley ran for governor in Michigan in 2022 as a Republican, He was arrested last June, before the Republican primary, and was, for a time, leading in the polls." MB: Too bad it's just a misdemeanor. Kelley probably won't get jail time. And I was thinking he would have made a nice simpatico cellmate for Donald Trump.

Manu Raju of CNN: "Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, who froze during a news conference Wednesday and earlier this year suffered a concussion after falling down, has also endured two other falls this year, according to multiple people familiar with the matter," once in Finland in February & earlier this month at Reagan International while deplaning.

Erica Green & Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "President Biden will announce new measures on Thursday aimed at helping communities across the country deal with extreme weather, as rising temperatures scorch much of the country and amplify alarms about the climate crisis. The announcement, to be made in an auditorium on the White House grounds, will come on a day when the National Weather Service is warning that temperatures in the nation's capital could hit triple digits for the first time in nearly seven years. White House officials said the new measures would include funding to improve weather prediction, grants to help ensure clean drinking water across the West and protections for workers who are most vulnerable to heat deaths." MB: I sure hope this invalidates the Texas legislature/Greg Abbott's law outlawing water breaks for construction workers. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Marie: Here are some measures President Biden announced, via NPR. It doesn't appear he has precluded enforcement of Texas' no-water-breaks-for-workers law, which goes into effect in September.

~~~ Raymond Zhong of the New York Times: "Weeks of scorching summer heat in North America, Europe, Asia and elsewhere are putting July on track to be Earth's warmest month on record, the European Union climate monitor said on Thursday, the latest milestone in what is emerging as an extraordinary year for global temperatures. Last month, the planet experienced its hottest June since records began in 1850. July 6 was its hottest day. And the odds are rising that 2023 will end up displacing 2016 as the hottest year. At the moment, the eight warmest years on the books are the past eight."

~~~~~~~~~~

Bryan Mena of CNN: "The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark lending rate by a quarter point Wednesday, lifting interest rates to their highest level in 22 years. It's the 11th rate increase since the Fed began its inflation fight in March 2022, and comes just one month after the central bank hit pause in order to assess the state of the economy after the failures of three regional banks since the spring. Fed officials are estimating one more rate hike this year, according to their latest set of projections. Inflation's steady slowdown in recent months has been encouraging for American consumers and businesses, but officials reiterated in their post-meeting statement that 'inflation remains elevated' and that the Fed 'remains highly attentive to inflation risks.'..."

John Sakellariadis of Politico: "The Biden administration has tapped former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley to head the Social Security Administration, the White House announced Wednesday. O'Malley, a Democrat, will require Senate confirmation to take over at the agency, which oversees a $1 trillion budget and is responsible for distributing benefits to older adults and disabled people." (Also linked yesterday.)

Rebecca Shabad & Liz Brown-Kaiser of NBC News: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suddenly stopped speaking during a weekly Republican leadership press conference on Wednesday afternoon, appearing to freeze, and then went silent and was walked away. McConnell, R-Ky., had been making his opening remarks and suddenly stopped talking. His Republican colleagues asked if he was okay and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., escorted McConnell away from the cameras and reporters.... A few minutes later, McConnell walked back to the press conference by himself. When asked about his health, he said he was fine." This is painful to watch: (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. ~~~

Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "Even by the extraordinary standards of contemporary political theater, Wednesday's House Oversight subcommittee hearing on U.F.O.s stood out. There, in a somber chamber of the Rayburn House Office Building, a former national intelligence official told elected representatives that the U.S. government is sheltering alien spacecraft.... David Grusch..., in sworn testimony..., said that longstanding covert programs within the U.S. government possess materials of nonhuman origin that were taken from crash sites.... A succession of lawmakers rebuked what they characterized as decades of unnecessary secrecy in government programs that studied unexplained phenomena. Representative Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, lamented a 'cover-up' that he said stretched far beyond partisan politics.... Under pressure from Congress, the Pentagon and intelligence agencies have gathered hundreds of reports of unexplained phenomena. Officials have said that most of the incidents involved airborne trash, Chinese spying efforts or weather balloons, and that none of the videos or other material collected provides evidence of alien visitation."

A Liar AND [Allegedly!] a Crook. Grace Ashford of the New York Times: "In the years since [Rep. George] Santos [R-N.Y.] first ran for the House in 2020, he has become adept at finding ways to extract money from politics. He founded a political consulting group that he marketed to other Republicans. He sought to profit from the Covid crisis, using campaign connections. And he solicited investments for and from political donors, raising ethical questions.... Mr. Santos ... has not been charged with personal use of campaign funds. But a review of his political career found several previously unreported examples of how he sought to use the connections he made as a candidate for public office to enrich himself." The writers open with a Santos scheme that sounded to the mark a lot like the fake Nigerian prince email scam. (Also linked yesterday.)

Perry Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Wednesday delayed accepting a plea deal for President Biden's son Hunter, saying the terms as written by prosecutors and defense lawyers may not be constitutional, but also signaling the agreement could be approved in the future. The deal that had been struck in June began to unravel near the start of the three-hour hearing. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika asked a series of questions that revealed a disagreement between federal prosecutors and Biden's lawyers over whether the agreement -- in which he would plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and likely avoid jail time -- would protect him from the possibility of additional criminal charges. The complications marked another twist in a case that has been clouded for years by questions about possible political bias, prosecutorial delay, and debate over whether Hunter Biden was being treated too harshly or too gently because of his father's status as a former vice president and, later, president." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. The Guardian's story is here.

How to Become a Multimillionaire on a Justice's Measly $285K Salary. Steve Eder, et al., of the New York Times: Book "deals have become highly lucrative for [Supreme Court] justices, including for those who have used court staff members to help research and promote their books.... Other federal judges are bound by the Code of Conduct for United States Judges.... One of the tenets ... says that 'a judge should not to any substantial degree use judicial chambers, resources or staff to engage in extrajudicial activities.'... The Times reported earlier this year that justices have heavily relied on their staff to support other paid outside work, including teaching, despite a judicial advisory opinion -- which the justices say they voluntarily follow -- that staff members should not help 'The Times reported earlier this year that justices have heavily relied on their staff to support other paid outside work, including teaching, despite a judicial advisory opinion -- which the justices say they voluntarily follow -- that staff members should not help 'in performing activities for which extra compensation is to be received.'"

Rebecca Shabad & Frank Thorp of NBC News: "Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday that it seems like Donald Trump's final White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, might be cooperating with the federal probe into the former president. Christie was reacting to a brief exchange captured on video Wednesday morning in Washington between Meadows and an NBC News reporter, who asked Meadows whether he has testified before a federal grand jury. 'I don't talk about anything J6-related,' Meadows said.... 'Watching that video,' Christie said in an interview on MSNBC's 'Andrea Mitchell Reports,' 'that looks to me like somebody who is cooperating with the federal government.' Christie [-- a former U.S. attorney --] said witnesses who testify before grand juries can talk publicly about it if they want to. 'The only time you can't do it is when the government has a cooperation agreement with you and they say, "No talking about this; the only time we want to hear you talking is when you're on the witness stand,"' he said."

Jack, Call Mo. Vaughn Hillyard of NBC News: "Former Rep. Mo Brooks is 'mildly surprised' that special counsel Jack Smith's office has not sought a meeting with him to discuss his accusations that ... Donald Trump urged him to help 'rescind' the 2020 election.... Brooks, a Republican who represented an Alabama district in Congress, said in an interview that he would meet with prosecutors if they ask.... 'I was shocked [Trump] was so blatant about it -- illegal conduct.'... Brooks previously said Trump had made requests to overturn the 2020 election as late as September 2021.... 'Donald Trump wanted me to do four things: advocate rescinding the election, advocate physically removing Joe Biden from the White House, advocate reinstating Donald Trump as president of the United States and advocate a new special election for president of the United States -- all of which violate the U.S. Constitution and federal law,' Brooks said. 'And after I got done explaining that to him, he withdrew his endorsement and endorsed my opponent [in a primary race for a U.S. Senate seat].'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's possible that the reason Jack hasn't called Mo is that Jack has spoken to a dozen other members of Congress who told him the same thing: that Donald Trump told them to overturn the election in any number of ways that were clearly illegal or unconstitutional.

Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "As Donald Trump considered another White House run last year, his company's finances were at risk of spiraling into crisis. The former president's longtime lender and several banks with his deposits had cut ties in the days around the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters, at a time when Trump had hundreds of millions in loans coming due. In February 2022, the accounting firm that had worked for him for two decades dropped Trump and advised against relying on his 'statement of financial condition,' a metric banks use to evaluate the risks of a loan.... One day after the warning ... became public..., -- a Republican donor named Gregory Garrabrants [-- the blunt-spoken president and CEO of Axos, a little-known online-only financial company] -- signed off on a $100 million loan for Trump Tower.... Three months later, Garrabrants approved a second deal that provided $125 million for Trump's Doral resort.... Axos also financed part of a loan that helped facilitate the $375 million purchase of Trump's D.C. hotel by a group of investors. The Axos loans to Trump were vital to stabilizing his post-presidential finances and enabling him to mount [his 2024] campaign."

Thief-in-Chief to Return Artefacts to Israel. Michael Sainato of the Guardian: "Donald Trump will finally return ancient artifacts sent to the US by Israel in 2019 after the items had a lengthy stay at Mar-a-Lago. Israel sent the items to the US in December 2019 for a Hanukkah event at the White House.... ended up [at Mar-a-Lago] when Republican donor Saul Fox gave them to the then president Trump at a [December] 2021 Hanukkah party at Mar-a-Lago. The items were entrusted to Fox after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic delayed retrieval of the items as the Israel Antiquities Authority did not want to entrust the items to a shipping company. Fox told the Wall Street Journal that he thought the items were to be given to Trump permanently. Previous efforts by senior Israeli officials to retrieve the artifacts over the past several months had failed." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: According to the story, Fox gave the artifacts to "then president Trump" at a December 2021 Hanukkah party. But Trump was not president* (except maybe in his own mind) in December 2021. Weird. Here's a New York Times backstory that doesn't pretend Trump was still president* when Fox "gave" him the artifacts.

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Rudolph W. Giuliani has admitted that while acting as a lawyer for ... Donald J. Trump, he made false statements in asserting that two Georgia election workers had mishandled ballots while counting votes in Atlanta during the 2020 election. The admission by Mr. Giuliani came in court papers filed on Tuesday night as part of a defamation lawsuit that the two workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, had brought against him in Federal District Court in Washington in December 2021. The suit accused Mr. Giuliani and others of promoting a video that purported to show Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss -- who are mother and daughter -- of manipulating ballots while working at the State Farm Arena for the Fulton County Board of Elections.... But Mr. Giuliani, insisting that he still had 'legal defenses' in the case, said that he continued to believe his accusations about Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss were 'constitutionally protected' under the First Amendment. He also refused to acknowledge that his statements had caused the women any damage...." Giuliani said he was making his admissions to save litigation costs. Politico's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yesterday MSNBC & CNN repeatedly played a video of false accusations Giuliani made against the women after the 2020 election. In the video, Rudy accuses them of "passing around USB ports," making the accusation even more ludicrous than intended. A "USB port" is where you dock a USB "flash drive" or "stick." That is, it's an outlet in the computer itself where you plug in a USB stick or other connector. If the women were passing around "ports," they would have had to surreptitiously hand off big ole computers. Just stupid.

Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "A Kentucky man who was part of a mob smashing windows to the House Speaker's Lobby in the Capitol on Jan. 6, which led to Ashli Babbitt trying to climb through before being fatally shot by police, was convicted Thursday of two felonies and seven misdemeanors, including obstruction of an official proceeding and destruction of government property. Chad Barrett Jones, 45, of Mount Washington, Ky., was captured on video as part of a group of Donald Trump supporters cursing U.S. Capitol Police officers who were standing outside the glass doors to the Speaker's Lobby while members of Congress were preparing to evacuate as rioters neared."

Nicholas Kristof of the Washington Post has a fairly good column on the inequality inherent in college admissions policies.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Ukraine, et al.

The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "Ukraine has launched a new push against Russian lines, achieving some gains in the south, Kyiv said. A U.S. official said it was unclear 'what the purpose' of these moves may be.... The goal of Ukraine's latest military push is to reach the Sea of Azov.... Swedish officials accused the Kremlin of backing a disinformation campaign to discredit Stockholm -- which is set to join NATO soon -- in the eyes of Muslims. Copies of the Quran have been burned at demonstrations in the country, triggering outrage among Muslims, including in Turkey, a NATO member country that was slow to agree to Sweden's accession to the transatlantic alliance.... The White House is exploring 'less efficient' land routes to export grain from Ukraine, after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal last week." ~~~

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

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "President Biden has quietly ordered the U.S. government to begin sharing evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine with the International Criminal Court in The Hague, according to officials familiar with the matter, signaling a major shift in American policy. The decision, made by Mr. Biden in recent days, overrides months of resistance by the Pentagon, which had argued that it could pave the way for the court to prosecute American troops, according to the officials." The Guardian's story is here.

Israel. Patrick Kingsley & Aaron Boxerman of the New York Times: "Israel's Supreme Court said Wednesday that it would begin in September to review a contentious new law that diminishes the court's own role, setting the stage for a constitutional crisis and renewed social turmoil if the judges then overturn the legislation. The decision sets up a looming clash between the executive branch of government and the highest court in the land. The Supreme Court must now decide whether to reassert its dominance over Prime Minister Benjamin's Netanyahu's government -- or it must accept the move to reduce its own power. Either conclusion is likely to provoke widespread anger, since the issue has become a proxy for a much broader battle over Israel's character." (Also linked yesterday.)

U.K. Emine Sinmaz of the Guardian: "Kevin Spacey wept and said he was humbled after being cleared of sexual assault in one of the UK's most high-profile #MeToo trials. The 64-year-old Oscar-winning actor sobbed in the dock as he was found not guilty on Wednesday of sexually assaulting four men after a four-week trial at Southwark crown court." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Lede

Washington Post: "Charles Wurster, a scientist whose battle to ban pesticides helped save the bald eagle and other endangered bird species, and led to the founding of the Environmental Defense Fund, one of America's premier environmental groups, died July 6 at his daughter's home in Arlington, Va. He was 92."

July 26, 2023

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Rebecca Shabad & Liz Brown-Kaiser of NBC News: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suddenly stopped speaking during a weekly Republican leadership press conference on Wednesday afternoon, appearing to freeze, and then went silent and was walked away. McConnell, R-Ky., had been making his opening remarks and suddenly stopped talking. His Republican colleagues asked if he was okay and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., escorted McConnell away from the cameras and reporters.... A few minutes later, McConnell walked back to the press conference by himself. When asked about his health, he said he was fine." This is painful to watch: ~~~

Perry Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Wednesday delayed accepting a plea deal for President Biden's son Hunter, saying the terms as written by prosecutors and defense lawyers may not be constitutional, but also signaling the agreement could be approved in the future. The deal that had been struck in June began to unravel near the start of the three-hour hearing. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika asked a series of questions that revealed a disagreement between federal prosecutors and Biden's lawyers over whether the agreement -- in which he would plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and likely avoid jail time -- would protect him from the possibility of additional criminal charges. The complications marked another twist in a case that has been clouded for years by questions about possible political bias, prosecutorial delay, and debate over whether Hunter Biden was being treated too harshly or too gently because of his father's status as a former vice president and, later, president."

The New York Times is liveblogging developments in a court proceeding in which Hunter Biden is expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges. ~~~

     ~~~ Clusterfuck! The deal appears to blow up: "... the judge who must approve the deal, Maryellen Noreika, questioned whether it meant that [Hunter] Biden would be immune from prosecution for other possible crimes -- including violations related to representing foreign governments -- in perpetuity. When a top prosecutor in the case said it would not, Chris Clark, Mr. Biden's lead lawyer, responded by saying the agreement was 'null and void.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Schmidt: "As we wait to see whether the deal is salvaged, it's important to remember that it was negotiated over weeks in which there were lengthy back and forths about every inch of the deal. The idea that this issue was not resolved seems extraordinary." ~~~

~~~ According to CNN's liveblog, "The Hunter Biden plea proceedings have restarted and the president's son has agreed to a limited agreement that covers 2014 to 2019 and only includes conduct related to tax offenses, drug use and gun possession. President Joe Biden's son will still plead guilty to the tax misdemeanors for 2017 and 2018, but the agreement will also cover his tax-related conduct for the three years prior. The two sides have agreed that this deal does not shield him from potential future charges." That's a whole different story from what Hunter's lawyers have been saying over the past weeks. Commentators on MSNBC were aghast that such a "misunderstanding" on so fundamental a matter could have occurred in such a high-profile case. ~~~

     ~~~ And Then: "US District Judge Maryellen Noreika said she was not ready to accept the plea deal, and the hearing ended with Hunter Biden pleading not guilty for the time being. The judge asked the sides to file additional briefs explaining the plea deal's legal structuring."

John Sakellariadis of Politico: "The Biden administration has tapped former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley to head the Social Security Administration, the White House announced Wednesday. O'Malley, a Democrat, will require Senate confirmation to take over at the agency, which oversees a $1 trillion budget and is responsible for distributing benefits to older adults and disabled people."

Thief-in-Chief to Return Artefacts to Israel. Michael Sainato of the Guardian: "Donald Trump will finally return ancient artefacts sent to the US by Israel in 2019 after the items had a lengthy stay at Mar-a-Lago. Israel sent the items to the US in December 2019 for a Hanukkah event at the White House.... ended up [at Mar-a-Lago] when Republican donor Saul Fox gave them to the then president Trump at a [December] 2021 Hanukkah party at Mar-a-Lago. The items were entrusted to Fox after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic delayed retrieval of the items as the Israel Antiquities Authority did not want to entrust the items to a shipping company. Fox told the Wall Street Journal that he thought the items were to be given to Trump permanently. Previous efforts by senior Israeli officials to retrieve the artifacts over the past several months had failed." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: According to the story, Fox gave the artifacts to "then president Trump" at a December 2021 Hanukkah party. But Trump was not president* (except maybe in his own mind) in December 2021. Weird. Here's a New York Times backstory that doesn't pretend Trump was still president* when Fox "gave" him the artifacts.

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Rudolph W. Giuliani has admitted that while acting as a lawyer for ... Donald J. Trump, he made false statements in asserting that two Georgia election workers had mishandled ballots while counting votes in Atlanta during the 2020 election. The admission by Mr. Giuliani came in court papers filed on Tuesday night as part of a defamation lawsuit that the two workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, had brought against him in Federal District Court in Washington in December 2021. The suit accused Mr. Giuliani and others of promoting a video that purported to show Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss -- who are mother and daughter -- of manipulating ballots while working at the State Farm Arena for the Fulton County Board of Elections.... But Mr. Giuliani, insisting that he still had 'legal defenses' in the case, said that he continued to believe his accusations about Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss were 'constitutionally protected' under the First Amendment. He also refused to acknowledge that his statements had caused the women any damage...." Giuliani said he was making his admissions to save litigation costs. Politico's report is here.

A Liar AND [Allegedly!] a Crook. Grace Ashford of the New York Times: "In the years since [Rep. George] Santos [R-N.Y.] first ran for the House in 2020, he has become adept at finding ways to extract money from politics. He founded a political consulting group that he marketed to other Republicans. He sought to profit from the Covid crisis, using campaign connections. And he solicited investments for and from political donors, raising ethical questions.... Mr. Santos ... has not been charged with personal use of campaign funds. But a review of his political career found several previously unreported examples of how he sought to use the connections he made as a candidate for public office to enrich himself." The writers open with a Santos scheme that sounded to the mark a lot like the fake Nigerian prince email ruse.

Israel. Patrick Kingsley & Aaron Boxerman of the New York Times: "Israel's Supreme Court said Wednesday that it would begin in September to review a contentious new law that diminishes the court's own role, setting the stage for a constitutional crisis and renewed social turmoil if the judges then overturn the legislation. The decision sets up a looming clash between the executive branch of government and the highest court in the land. The Supreme Court must now decide whether to reassert its dominance over Prime Minister Benjamin's Netanyahu's government -- or it must accept the move to reduce its own power. Either conclusion is likely to provoke widespread anger, since the issue has become a proxy for a much broader battle over Israel's character."

U.K. Emine Sinmaz of the Guardian: "Kevin Spacey wept and said he was humbled after being cleared of sexual assault in one of the UK's most high-profile #MeToo trials. The 64-year-old Oscar-winning actor sobbed in the dock as he was found not guilty on Wednesday of sexually assaulting four men after a four-week trial at Southwark crown court."

~~~~~~~~~~

Erica Green of the New York Times: "On Tuesday..., President Biden established a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, a fierce advocate for her son who insisted on an open coffin at his funeral so the country could bear witness to the brutality he suffered. The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument includes three protected sites, in Illinois, where Emmett was born 82 years ago to the day on Tuesday, and in Mississippi, where he was tortured and killed after being accused of whistling at a white woman. The monument comes as Mr. Biden has made the case for reckoning with the legacy of racism in America, even as some Republicans try to restrict how Black history is taught. 'At a time when there are those who seek to ban books, bury history, we&'re making it clear -- crystal, crystal clear: While darkness and denialism can hide much, they erase nothing,' he said during a ceremony at the White House, which was attended by Vice President Kamala Harris as well as members of the Till family." ~~~

     ~~~ In 1955, Mrs. Till telegrammed President Eisenhower (R) pleading that "justice is meted out to all persons involved in the beastly lynching of my son." No one in the Eisenhower administration responded.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "One of President Biden's dogs has bitten several Secret Service agents, and even sent one to the hospital, part of a series of at least 10 incidents of 'aggressive behavior,' according to internal emails recently obtained by a conservative watchdog group. The correspondence shows that Commander, the nearly 2-year-old German shepherd, has struggled to adjust to life at the White House, where he arrived in 2021, and Delaware, where the Bidens own two homes.... The Bidens have partnered with the Secret Service for 'additional leashing protocols and training' to rein in Commander, according to ... a White House spokeswoman." MB: It seems the measures taken were not adequate.

Take That, Supremes! Michael Shear & Anemona Hartocollis of the New York Times: "The Education Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Harvard University's legacy admissions policy, inserting the federal government directly into a fierce national debate about wealth, privilege and race after the Supreme Court gutted the use of affirmative action in higher education. The inquiry into one of the nation's richest and most prestigious universities will examine allegations by three liberal groups that Harvard's practice of showing preference for the relatives of alumni and donors discriminates against Black, Hispanic and Asian applicants in favor of white and wealthy students who are less qualified. The Education Department's Office of Civil Rights has powerful enforcement authority that could eventually lead to a settlement with Harvard or trigger a lengthy legal battle like the one that led to the Supreme Court's decision to severely limit race-conscious admissions last month, reversing a decades-long approach that had increased chances for Black students and those from other minority groups."

Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: "A federal judge in California on Tuesday struck down the Biden administration's temporary restrictions on migrants seeking asylum, ruling that the government's plan to reduce illegal crossings on the southern border violated federal law. U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar ruled against a system the Biden administration imposed more than two months ago to penalize migrants who crossed the border illegally and reward those who scheduled appointments to seek asylum instead. Tigar granted the government's request to delay the ruling from taking effect for 14 days to allow time for officials to appeal." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

They Have No Shame. Luke Broadwater & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "On the eve of Hunter Biden's court appearance to enter into a plea deal for misdemeanor tax crimes that would allow him to avoid prison time, House Republicans and conservative groups sought to intervene in the case, urging a judge to throw out the agreement he reached with prosecutors. The highly unusual legal maneuvering -- which experts said was unlikely to succeed -- illustrated the lengths that House Republicans and their allied groups have been willing to go to as they have tried to use Mr. Biden's legal and personal troubles to inflict political damage on his father, President Biden. Representative Jason Smith of Missouri, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, filed a brief in Federal District Court in Wilmington, Del., where Hunter Biden's plea deal is to be considered by a judge on Wednesday."

Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post: "For nearly a decade, [Sen. Tommy] Tuberville [R-Ala.] has described the World War II exploits of his father, Charles R. Tuberville Jr., in a relatively consistent way -- that he was a tank commander, that he earned five Bronze Stars, that he participated in the D-Day landing and that he lied about his age to join the army. News organizations have tended to accept Tuberville's version and either reprint or broadcast it. Yet an examination of army histories, newspaper reports and other materials calls into question many of the claims put forth by Tuberville, who sits on both the Senate Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs committees and is now in a high-profile battle with the Biden administration over a Defense Department policy offering time off and travel reimbursement to service members who need to go out of state for abortions." Each of these claims is either demonstrably false or dubious. MB: This is Mr. Potato Head's attempt to bathe himself in heroism-by-proxy. There's no such thing.

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Tuesday wiped out the conviction and sentence of Bowe Bergdahl, the former Army sergeant who walked off a base in Afghanistan in 2009 only to be held captive by the Taliban for five years, and whose release in a prisoner swap prompted intense controversy. In a 63-page ruling, Judge Reggie B. Walton of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia vacated all the court-martial proceedings against Sergeant Bergdahl after October 2017. At the time, the military judge in the case, Jeffery R. Nance, then an Army colonel, applied for a job with the Justice Department under President Donald J. Trump, a step he did not disclose. Mr. Trump had repeatedly railed against the sergeant, calling him a traitor and suggesting that he be executed. The ruling could lead to a second trial before a new judge.... Colonel Nance had earlier rejected a ... motion [to throw out the case], and he had submitted that ruling as a writing sample with his job application at the Justice Department." ~~~

     ~~~ Spencer Hsu & Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "The judge [MB: which judge? Walton or the original trial judge?] rejected Bergdahl's claim that Donald Trump exercised unlawful influence as the military's commander in chief by vilifying him during the case as a 'dirty rotten traitor' deserving of execution. In 2015, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), then the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Bergdahl 'clearly a deserter' and offered to hold a committee hearing if he was not punished. Without referring to either Trump or McCain by name, [Judge Walton] bluntly chided political officeholders and candidates who 'express their desired verdict and punishment of individuals merely accused of committing criminal offenses,' saying doing so violates the principle that the accused are innocent until proved guilty." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Walton -- a Dubya appointee -- holds Trump in low regard. According to the WashPo report, "After a trial involving a Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot defendant last year, Walton described Trump as a 'charlatan' who 'doesn't, in my view, really care about democracy but only about power. And as a result of that, it's tearing this country apart.'"

Noam Scheiber of the New York Times: "United Parcel Service announced Tuesday that it had reached a tentative deal on a five-year contract with the union representing more than 325,000 of its U.S. workers, a key step in averting a potential strike next month.... The union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, reported in June that its UPS members had voted to authorize a strike after the expiration of the current agreement on Aug. 1, with 97 percent of those who took part in the vote endorsing the move.... The Teamsters said that under the tentative agreement, current full- and part-time UPS employees represented by the union would receive a $2.75-an-hour raise this year, and $7.50 an hour in raises over the course of the contract.... The deal, if ratified, removes a serious threat to the U.S. economy.... A 10-day UPS strike would cost the U.S. economy about $7 billion, according to an estimate from the Anderson Economic Group." Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Alan Feuer & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "In recent weeks, [special prosecutor Jack] Smith's team has pushed forward in collecting new evidence and in arranging new interviews with witnesses who could shed light on [Donald] Trump's mind-set in the chaotic postelection period or on other subjects important to the inquiry. At the same time, word has emerged of previously undisclosed investigative efforts, hinting at the breadth and scope of the issues prosecutors are examining.... Among the previously unknown steps taken by Mr. Smith's team was an interview conducted about three months ago with Richard P. Donoghue, a former top official in the Justice Department at the end of Mr. Trump's time in office.... Prosecutors under Mr. Smith have asked questions as to when and how federal officials went about securing the election, and how they coordinated those efforts with secretaries of state in various states.... Prosecutors have also sought to determine how regularly the White House was briefed on election security measures." MB: If you haven't kept up with recent news stories on the nature of Smith's inquiries, this article provides a good review.

One Way or Another, She's Gonna Getcha, Getcha, Getcha. Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "The Fulton county district attorney investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia in recent weeks has weighed several potential statutes under which to charge, including solicitation to commit election fraud and conspiracy to commit election fraud..., as well as solicitation of a public or political officer to fail to perform their duties and solicitation to destroy, deface or remove ballots..., according to two people briefed on the matter.... The district attorney is also seeking to charge at least some of the Trump operatives who were involved in accessing voting machines and copying sensitive election data in Coffee county, Georgia, in January 2021 with computer trespass crimes, the two people said.... The move by the Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, to identify a list of potential charges marks a major juncture in the criminal investigation and suggests prosecutors are on course to ask a grand jury to return indictments next month." (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: I was watching a German teevee series this morning, and in one scene, a neo-Nazi gang leader said that if Germany didn't get rid of Muslim immigrants, "we won't have a country anymore." This is precisely -- almost word-for-word -- what Donald Trump says, in various contexts, about the U.S. I don't think that's a coincidence. Trump does not just tolerate neo-Nazis; he takes inspiration from them. Some might say Trump is a neo-Nazi.

Tucker Carlson Is a Victim Again. Just Ask Him. Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Tucker Carlson 'knows' he was fired by Fox News in April as a condition of the $787.5m settlement with Dominion Voting Systems regarding the broadcast of Donald Trump's lie about election fraud, the former host says in a new book. 'They agreed to take me off the air, my show off the air, as a condition of the Dominion settlement,' Carlson tells his biographer, Chadwick Moore. 'They had to settle this; Rupert [Murdoch, the 92-year-old Fox News owner] couldn't testify. I think that deal was made minutes before the trial started. I mean, I know it was.'"

A Trumpish Swindler Goes to Jail. Colin Moynihan of the New York Times: "A Colorado man convicted last year of conspiring to defraud people who donated money to build the kind of border wall championed by Donald J. Trump was sentenced Tuesday to five years and three months in prison. The defendant, Timothy Shea, began raising money for a wall between the United States and Mexico in late 2018, working with a disabled veteran named Brian Kolfage. In early 2019 Stephen K. Bannon, the former Trump adviser, and Andrew Badolato, a financier from Florida, joined them to form a group called We Build the Wall. The group raised more than $25 million, saying that everything it took in would go toward the wall.... Prosecutors said that instead the defendants stole more than a million dollars from the group, spending some on jewelry, boat payments and cases of a Trump-themed energy drink that claimed to contain 'liberal tears.'" The Hill's story is here.

Jeremy Merrill & Hanna Koslowska of the Washington Post: "While the legitimacy of the gold retirement investment industry is the subject of numerous lawsuits -- including allegations of fraud by federal and state regulators against ... companies [that sell gold and silver coins] -- its advertising has become a mainstay of right-wing media. The industry spends millions of dollars a year to reach viewers of Fox, Newsmax and other conservative outlets, according to a Washington Post analysis of ad data and financial records, as well as interviews with industry insiders.... An analysis by The Post of political newsletters, social media, podcasts and a national database of television ads collected by the company AdImpact found that pitches to invest in gold coins are a daily presence in media that caters to a right-wing audience and often echo conservative talking points about looming economic and societal collapse. The Post found no similar ads for gold retirement investments in mainstream or left-wing media sources in the databases." The coins these sellers offer have high mark-ups, far higher than typical coin dealers charge. Among the promoters of the rip-offs: Rudy Giuliani & Ted Cruz. MB: I'll bet that surprises you. (Also linked yesterday.)

On the Theory of Barbie. (1) Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "This summer's two biggest entertainment phenomena, the movie 'Barbie' and Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, have a lot in common. Both feature conventionally gorgeous blond women who alternately revel in mainstream femininity and chafe at its limitations, enacting an ambivalence shared by many of their fans. Both, beneath their slick, exuberant pop surfaces, tell female coming-of-age stories marked by existential crises and bitter confrontations with sexism.... The film's blunt feminism -- its villain is, literally, patriarchy -- has prompted an enjoyably impotent right-wing backlash.... An obvious lesson from the gargantuan success of both 'Barbie' and the Eras Tour is that there is a huge, underserved market for entertainment that takes the feelings of girls and women seriously.... For the most part, unfortunately, it appears as if the lesson Hollywood is going to take from the success of 'Barbie' is not to make more stories for women, but to make more movies about toys." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

On the Theory of Barbie. (2) Jessica Bennett of the New York Times: "Barbie [the Mattel doll] has been a protest slogan ('I am not your Barbie'), a bimbo (remember 'Math class is tough' Barbie?), an eating disorder accelerant.... But Barbie has also been a lawyer, a pilot, an astronaut and the president. She has never married, lives alone and does not have children. The movie seemed as full of contradictions as the doll. It was promoted through a marketing campaign that had more licensing deals than Barbie has outfits.... But it also had a director -- Greta Gerwig -- with indie street cred, and early reviews focused on the film's subversiveness.... [Feminist writer Susan Faludi, who views the film with Bennett, told her,] 'It seems to me that a big theme underlying the movie is shock and horror over what happened to us -- what happened to women -- from 2016 on, with the double whammy of Trump and then Dobbs. And in particular, I thought abortion was the subtext to a lot.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race 2024

Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign is expanding the number of staff it's cutting to include more than a third of his payroll as the Florida governor looks to get his primary bid back on track. The cuts, which were confirmed by advisers, will amount to a total of 38 jobs shed across an array of departments." MB: In case you're feeling sad that some nice kids lost their jobs, bear in mind that the "nice kids" are probably a lot like this one: ~~~

~~~ Julia Manchester of the Hill: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's presidential campaign fired a staffer this week who promoted Nazi imagery in a pro-DeSantis video.... [Nate] Hochman was a speechwriter on the campaign and previously worked at the conservative publication The National Review. Axios reported on Tuesday that Hochman created a video that featured DeSantis at the center of Florida's state seal that morphs into a Sonnenrad, which is an ancient European symbol that was used by the Nazis in their imagery and propaganda." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A guest on MSNBC pointed out last night that Florida's education departmental teaching guidelines -- unlike their rosy picture of slavery -- portray the Holocaust as the horror it was. I would like to think that's because Ron DeSantis has an ounce of decency, but it's more likely because he is trying to appeal to Jewish voters.

Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and members of his team were involved in a car accident Tuesday morning but are uninjured, his campaign said.... 'We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,' [campaign spokesperson Bryan Griffin said in a statement]." MB: I don't wish car crashes on anyone, but "well wishes of the nation"? What a presumptuous twit. And I'll be damned if I'll get down on my knees and thank the lord for protecting DeSantolini while he's out among the dimwits hustling votes. (Also linked yesterday.)

Musk's "X" Obsession. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: In 2000, Elon Musk wanted to change the name of PayPal to X.com, the name of a company he owned & which merged with the company that owned PayPal. Musk became CEO of the combined companies. But focus groups thought X.com connoted a porn website. The board ousted Musk. Now, with Musk's decision to kill the Twitter bird and rebrand the company "X," "critics on Twitter have joked that the logo for the rebranded X -- one that Musk promises to make into an 'everything app' 00 is indistinguishable from the logos of severa pornography sites." ~~~

These are all porn except one. That one's Twitter. pic.twitter.com/VYUWOFsFTv

— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) July 24, 2023

     ~~~ Marie: Oddly, the messages one writes on the Site-Formerly-Known-as-Twitter are still called "tweets." ~~~

~~~ Oh, Wait. There's More. Ben Brasch of the Washington Post: "The name of [Musk's] son ... is X Æ A-12. Nearly 25 years ago, Musk founded the online bank X.com, which eventually became PayPal. In 2002, Musk introduced his spacecraft manufacturing company, SpaceX. And in 2015, the Tesla founder and CEO released the Model X crossover vehicle." ~~~

~~~ And There's a Little Legal Problem. Blake Brittain of Reuters: "Billionaire Elon Musk's decision to rebrand Twitter as X could be complicated legally: companies including Meta ... and Microsoft ... already have intellectual property rights to the same letter. X is so widely used and cited in trademarks that it is a candidate for legal challenges - and the company formerly known as Twitter could face its own issues defending its X brand in the future. 'There's a 100% chance that Twitter is going to get sued over this by somebody,' said trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who said he counted nearly 900 active U.S. trademark registrations that already cover the letter X in a wide range of industries." MB: But hey, Elon, I'm sure you wouldn't be a multi-billionaire but for your great ideas, so I'm sure you thought this through.

Damian Carrington of the Guardian: "The Gulf Stream system could collapse as soon as 2025, a new study suggests. The shutting down of the vital ocean currents, called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc) by scientists, would bring catastrophic climate impacts. Amoc was already known to be at its weakest in 1,600 years owing to global heating and researchers spotted warning signs of a tipping point in 2021. The new analysis estimates a timescale for the collapse of between 2025 and 2095, with a central estimate of 2050, if global carbon emissions are not reduced. Evidence from past collapses indicates changes of temperature of 10C in a few decades, although these occurred during ice ages.... Amoc carries warm ocean water northwards towards the pole where it cools and sinks, driving the Atlantic's currents. But an influx of fresh water from the accelerating melting of Greenland's ice cap and other sources is increasingly smothering the currents. A collapse of Amoc would have disastrous consequences around the world, severely disrupting the rains that billions of people depend on for food in India, South America and west Africa." ~~~

~~~ Dani Anguiano of the Guardian & Agencies: "The surface ocean temperature around the Florida Keys soared to 101.19F (38.43C) this week, in what could be a global record as ocean heat around the state reaches unprecedented extremes.... Normal water temperatures for the area this time of year should be between 73F and 88F (23C and 31C), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). The level of heat recorded this week is about the same as a hot tub.... The south Florida coast has been grappling with an extreme heatwave that threatens marine life and ocean ecosystems.... The temperatures in Florida also pose a threat to human food supplies and livelihoods for those whose work is tied to the water." MB: Yeah, and no going for a dip to cool off.

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post (July 24): "Florida's decision to teach in schools that slavery in this country was of 'personal benefit' to some enslaved people is obscene revisionism.... One of my great-great-grandfathers, enslaved in Charleston, S.C., was indeed compelled to learn to be a blacksmith. But he had no ability to 'parlay' anything, because his time and labor were not his own. They belonged to his enslaver. He belonged to his enslaver.... He was sold like a piece of livestock at least twice that I know of. To say he 'developed skills,' as if he had signed up for some sort of apprenticeship program, is appallingly ahistorical. As was true for the millions of other enslaved African Americans, anything he achieved was in spite of his bondage." ~~~

     ~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post examines the recent history of how right-wing extremists got to extolling the benefits slaves derived from captivity.

Idaho. Kirk Siegler of NPR: "A jury has ordered anti-government extremist Ammon Bundy and associates to pay more than $50 million in damages to Idaho's largest hospital in connection with armed protests last year that led to a security lockdown. The decision handed down late Monday follows a ten day civil trial in which Bundy was a no show and where attorneys with St. Luke's Hospital outlined what they called an extensive campaign of bullying, intimidation and disinformation directed at doctors and medical staff that they say continues today.... The drama goes back to March of 2022 when Bundy led a series of tense protests against the hospitalization of one of his associate's infant grandkids who state social workers said was malnourished. According to court documents, protesters, some armed, tried to force their way into the hospital's locked exits. Some held 'wanted' signs naming individual doctors and nurses and even blocked an ambulance entrance as car horns blared.... Meanwhile, it's unclear how much if any of the $50 million in damages, half of them punitive, will ever get paid."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "In Russia, the lower house has passed legislation that will raise the country's maximum draft age from 27 to 30 as Moscow scrambles to find fighters for its war in Ukraine. The changes will be enacted on Jan. 1, according to an official Telegram channel. Current Russian law requires men between 18 and 27 to complete one year of military service.... Russia's conscription bill also cracks down on draft dodging by preventing men who have received a draft notice from leaving the country, local media reported. The bill is expected to be approved by the upper chamber and signed into law by President Vladimir Putin. Russia's Black Sea Fleet has changed position 'in preparedness to enforce a blockade on Ukraine,' Britain's Defense Ministry said Wednesday, noting the change since Moscow pulled out of the grain deal earlier this month.... The United States will send Ukraine an additional $400 million in security assistance, the Pentagon announced." ~~~

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

Anushka Patin & Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "Trevor Reed, the former U.S. Marine who was detained in Russia for nearly three years and later freed in a prisoner swap, was injured while fighting in Ukraine, the State Department said on Tuesday. Mr. Reed's condition was not immediately clear. He is receiving medical care in Germany, said Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman.... Mr. Reed's decision to return to the region [after Russia released him] and become a volunteer fighter for Ukraine created some 'exasperation' within the Biden administration, an administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters said on Tuesday."

News Ledes

BBC News: "Irish singer and activist Sinéad O'Connor has died at the 'age] of 56." O'Connor's New York Times obituary is here.

New York Times: "A construction crane partially collapsed in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, injuring six people, New York City officials said. The crane collapsed around 7:30 a.m., and it was unclear whether it was occupied at the time, Officer Antonio Antenucci said. Traffic was closed around 10th and 11th Avenues between 41st and 42nd Streets, near Hudson Yards. Four civilians and two firefighters received minor injuries, officials said. Photos and video on social media appeared to show the car of the crane on fire before the arm collapsed, slamming into an adjacent building as it fell. People on the street ran as the crane fell."