November 29, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.

Marie: Maybe Joe Biden is showing his age, after all. Several times this afternoon, CNN posted a chyron -- actually, two different chryons -- that announced "Breaking News: Biden Addresses Duel Problems." In fact, watching Biden's press conference early this afternoon on the new coronavirus variant was comforting; it was as if a kindly elder statesman was explaining a serious problem to the kids. No suggestions about bleaching the virus; no telling reporters they were "a disgrace," or were asking stupid questions; no asking a Black reporter if she could set up a meeting between him & her friends in the Congressional Black Caucus, no lies for the sake of lying & rants for the sake of ranting. ~~~

~~~ Disappointing, though, that the backdrop for the presser was not the red plastic tinsel I had hoped for:

~~~ The White House published some photos of the decorated rooms here. Near the bottom of the page is a link to a downloadable pdf that elaborates on the meanings of the decor & includes instructions for making an ornament.

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol moved on Monday to begin contempt of Congress proceedings against Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official involved in ... Donald J. Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, setting a vote this week on recommending criminal charges for his refusal to cooperate with a subpoena from the panel.... At the same time, the committee is considering what to do about ... Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump's former chief of staff, who has also refused to comply with a subpoena. The committee said that Mr. Meadows had refused to answer even basic questions, such as whether he was using a private cellphone to communicate on Jan. 6 and the location of his text messages from that day."

Kate Conger & Lauren Hirsch of the New York Times: "Jack Dorsey is stepping down as chief executive of Twitter, the social media site he co-founded in 2006 and guided through the tumultuous years of the Trump administration. Twitter announced Mr. Dorsey's departure on Monday. He is being replaced by Parag Agrawal, the company's current chief technology officer. Mr. Dorsey's plans were first reported by CNBC."

Brian Schwartz of CNBC: "CNN host Chris Cuomo used his sources in the media world to seek information on women who accused his brother Andrew Cuomo, then the governor of New York, of sexual harassment, according to documents released Monday by the New York Attorney General's Office. While Chris Cuomo has previously acknowledged advising his brother and his team on the response to the scandals, the records show that his role in helping the then-governor was much larger and more intimate than previously known. Chris Cuomo was actively in touch with Melissa DeRosa, who was the then-governor's top aide, about incoming media reports that detailed alleged sexual harassment by Andrew Cuomo, according to exhibits from the Attorney General's probe and a transcript of his interview with the state's investigators. He also lobbied to help the governor's office as it sought to weather the storm of accusations, and he dictated statements for the then-governor to use.... CNN issued a comment hours after the publication of this article, saying the news organization would be reviewing the documents."

Barbados. Ross Urken of the Washington Post: "In Barbados, it's out with the queen, in with a president as the Caribbean island nation becomes the first Commonwealth realm in nearly three decades to declare itself a republic. The move, debated for years, gained momentum amid the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and growing demands for reparations for slavery on the island. Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced last year that the nation of 300,000 would become a republic by Tuesday, the 55th anniversary of its independence. That means removing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state, a break with nearly four centuries of history in the former British colony. Prince Charles, who has long used the island dubbed 'Little England' as his polo playground, plans to join the celebrations in Bridgetown. The heir to the British throne will be the next head of the Commonwealth, the association made up almost entirely of former territories of the British Empire. Barbados, the easternmost island of the Caribbean, known for cricket, rum and the international pop star Rihanna, plans to remain a member of the group."

New Zealand. Gina Harkins of the Washington Post: "Julie Anne Genter planned on getting to the hospital by bike ahead of her daughter's birth, but she didn't know she would be the one pedaling. The member of the New Zealand Parliament was already having contractions when preparing to bike to the hospital early Sunday morning. Genter, an avid cyclist and member of New Zealand's Green Party, planned to make the 10-minute trek riding in the front of a cargo bike driven by her partner, Peter Nunns. When they realized it would be too much weight with her hospital bag, she told the New Zealand news outlet Stuff she 'just got out and rode.' It's not immediately clear what kind of bicycle she took to the hospital, though she has talked about owning an electric cargo bike. Less than an hour after arriving at the hospital, the 41-year-old Genter gave birth to a baby girl."

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Jasmine Wright of CNN: "Doug Emhoff, husband to Vice President Kamala Harris, spoke at the National Menorah lighting ceremony on Sunday for the first night of Hanukkah. The first Jewish spouse of a president or a vice president, Emhoff has publicly highlighted various tenets of his faith while his wife is in office. 'On this first night of Hanukkah, Jews all around the world are going to light their menorahs in the windows of their homes -- just like the vice president and I are going to do later tonight at our home here in DC,' Emhoff said during the ceremony. 'As we light this menorah on this lawn of the free, let us rededicate ourselves to doing everything we can to shine a light on hate, so we can put an end to hate....Let us remember always that Jewish history is American history; our values, American values,' he continued."

Allie Bice of Politico: "Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Sunday said Sen. Ted Cruz's call to prosecute him smacked of bias against science.... '... they're really criticizing science because I represent science. That's dangerous,' he said.... 'I'm just going to do my job and I'm going to be saving lives and they're going to be lying,' he added.... When asked if the recent accusations [coming from Cruz, Rand Paul & Tom Cotton] are a way for Republican lawmakers to use him as a scapegoat to deflect criticism from ... Donald Trump, Fauci said, 'You have to be asleep not to figure that one out.'"

Clarence & Amy & Bart, et al., Will Be up Your Womb Today. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "In 1973, in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court drew a line. The Constitution, it said, did not allow states to ban abortions before the fetus could survive outside the womb. On Wednesday, when the court hears the most important abortion case in a generation, a central question will be whether the court's conservative majority is prepared to erase that line. The case concerns a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, long before fetal viability." An AP story is here. ~~~

~~~ "Her Heart Was Beating, Too." Sarah Wildman of the New York Times on women around the world whose deaths have sparked movements to end or change draconian anti-abortion laws. ~~~

     ~~~ Shame, Shame. Marie: A main goal of anti-abortion crusaders, of course, is to shame women for having sex when their purpose was not procreation. However, there's a secondary shame element, too: women who are too poor or otherwise cannot travel to obtain abortions are shamed for not having the wherewithal to terminate their pregnancies.

Pentagon Thwarts Money-making Scheme of Man Who Sold His Soul to Trump. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on Sunday sued the agency he once led, accusing officials at the Pentagon of improperly blocking significant portions of an upcoming memoir about his tumultuous tenure under ... Donald J. Trump. The allegations by Mr. Esper, whom Mr. Trump fired shortly after losing his re-election bid last November, are laid out in a lawsuit filed in Federal District Court in Washington, D.C.... John F. Kirby, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, said the agency was aware of Mr. Esper's concerns...." The Guardian's story is here.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here. The New York Times' live Covid-19 updates for Monday are here.

Marie Cheng of the AP on what is known about the omicron variant of the coronavirus so far.

Leanne Italie of the AP: "With an expanded definition to reflect the times, Merriam-Webster has declared an omnipresent truth as its 2021 word of the year: vaccine. 'This was a word that was extremely high in our data every single day in 2021,' Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor-at-large, told The Associated Press ahead of Monday's announcement. 'It really represents two different stories. One is the science story, which is this remarkable speed with which the vaccines were developed. But there's also the debates regarding policy, politics and political affiliation. It's one word that carries these two huge stories,' he said."

Beyond the Beltway

Ohio. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "Dayton's zoning appeals board on Tuesday approved the city's request to demolish the building where the state legends Wilbur and Orville Wright opened their first successful bicycle business. City officials plan to review developers' proposals for the space and then decide who should be awarded the property. The building, all parties agree, is dilapidated. But its potential demolition is pitting some officials, who say the building is dangerous and a nuisance to neighbors, against preservationists, who contend that it holds historical importance and, if redeveloped, could qualify for tax credits."

Texas. Raja Razek of CNN: "Actor Matthew McConaughey announced Sunday in a video message on Twitter that a future in political leadership is not in the cards -- right now. After acknowledging that he had taken time exploring politics and considered a run for the governor of Texas, McConaughey said he's decided to focus his efforts in the private sector." MB: Too bad, because if had planned to run as a Republican, he could have messed up Greg Abbott quite a bit.

Way Beyond

France. Arno Pedram & Sylvie Corbet of the AP: "France is inducting Josephine Baker -- Missouri-born cabaret dancer, French World War II spy and civil rights activist -- into its Pantheon, the first Black woman honored in the final resting place of France's most revered luminaries. On Tuesday, a coffin carrying soils from the U.S., France and Monaco -- places where Baker made her mark -- will be deposited inside the domed Pantheon monument overlooking the Left Bank of Paris. Her body will stay in Monaco, at the request of her family. French President Emmanuel Macron decided on her entry into the Pantheon, responding to a petition. In addition to honoring an exceptional figure in French history, the move is meant to send a message against racism and celebrate U.S.-French connections. 'She embodies, before anything, women's freedom,' Laurent Kupferman, the author of the petition for the move, told The Associated Press."

France. Roger Cohen & Léontine Gallois of the New York Times: "Perhaps France was always going to have a hard time with nonbinary pronouns. Its language is intensely gender-specific and fiercely protected by august authorities. Still, the furor provoked by a prominent dictionary's inclusion of the pronoun 'iel' has been remarkably virulent. Le Petit Robert, rivaled only by the Larousse in linguistic authority, chose to add 'iel' -- a gender-neutral merging of the masculine 'il' (he) and the feminine 'elle' (she) -- to its latest online edition. Jean-Michel Blanquer, the education minister, was not amused. 'You must not manipulate the French language, whatever the cause,' he said, expressing support for the view that 'iel' was an expression of 'wokisme.'... Neologisms like 'antivax' and 'passe sanitaire' (health pass) do enter the lexicon with some regularity, but the Académie française, founded in 1634 to protect the French language, remains a vigilant guardian of linguistic purity against what one member called 'brainless Globish' a couple of years ago." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't know that "iel" is any worse than "they," which has now become an acceptable substitute for "he" and "she" in American English, as in "Tony went to Stop 'n Shop where they bought a Kosher chicken." Aargh!

Honduras. Christopher Sherman of the AP: "Leftist opposition candidate Xiomara Castro held a commanding lead early Monday as Hondurans appeared poised to remove the conservative National Party from power after 12 years of continuous rule. Castro declared herself the winner despite orders from the National Electoral Council to political parties to await official results. 'We win! We win!' Castro, Honduras' former first lady who is making her third presidential run, told cheering Liberty and Re-foundation party supporters when only a fraction of the ballots had been tallied. 'Today the people have obtained justice. We have reversed authoritarianism.' The National Party also quickly declared victory for its candidate, Tegucigalpa Mayor Nasry Asfura, but the early returns were not promising."

News Lede

New York Times: "Arlene Dahl, who parlayed success as a movie actress in the 1940s and '50s into an even more successful career as an author, beauty expert, astrologist, and fashion and cosmetics entrepreneur, died on Monday at her home in Manhattan. She was 96."

November 28, 2021

Marie: So far, this is not a slow-news day; it's a no-news day, unless you consider it news that looming death & destruction, in the form of a microscopic virus, is coming your way.

Alanne Orjoux & Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "First lady Jill Biden will reveal the theme and decor for the White House holiday trimmings on Monday, her office announced. Biden will be joined by a National Guard family in honor of the National Guard's role in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, a statement from her office said Saturday. The presence of the National Guard family also honors all the Guard families spending their holidays away from loved ones." MB: Oh, please, Dr. Jill, let it be trees covered in blood-red plastic tinsel again.

Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: "Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn has embraced his position as a hero to QAnon conspiracy theorists. He took the QAnon oath, sold QAnon T-shirts, and even auctioned off a QAnon quilt. He appeared at a QAnon convention and signed books with a QAnon slogan. Some QAnon followers even believe that Flynn is 'Q,' the mysterious figure behind QAnon. But a recording released late Saturday night by a one-time Flynn ally suggests that the retired three-star general privately believes QAnon to be 'total nonsense.'... [In a phone call between Flynn & loony Trumpy lawyer Lin Wood & recorded by Wood,] Flynn attempts to disown QAnon, claiming it's a 'disinformation campaign' created by the CIA [... and the left]." Firewalled. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So even when Flynn claims not to hold to a crazy potpourri of conspiracy theories, he comes up with a new one: that QAnon conspiracies are part of some kind of plot in which CIA agents & leftists got together to make up & disseminate a bunch of coocoo stuff. Yeah, Mike, I can see where that probably happened. No doubt that's where the idea arose that JFK, Jr. would be Donald's new veep.

Matthew Cappucci of the Washington Post: "The first images of Earth from Landsat 9 have been released this month, ushering in a new chapter in the longest-running continuous satellite program dedicated to Earth observation. The satellite, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Sept. 27, is in the midst of a 100-day test period and will offer an ultra-detailed glimpse at changes in land use and natural resources.... 'The incredible first pictures from the Landsat 9 satellite are a glimpse into the data that will help us make science-based decisions on key issues including water use, wildfire impacts, coral reef degradation, glacier and ice-shelf retreat and tropical deforestation,' said USGS acting director David Applegate in a news release." MB: But can they tell if you're growing a marijuana crop in the back yard?

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here.

Pan Pylas of the AP: “The new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries on Saturday, just days after being identified in South Africa, leaving governments around the world scrambling to stop the spread. The U.K. on Saturday tightened its rules on mask-wearing and on testing of international arrivals after finding two cases. New cases were confirmed Saturday in Germany and Italy, with Belgium, Israel and Hong Kong also reporting that the variant has been found in travelers. In the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci ... said he would not be surprised if the omicron variant was already in the United States, too. 'We have not detected it yet, but when you have a virus that is showing this degree of transmissibility ... it almost invariably is ultimately going to go essentially all over,' Fauci said on NBC television." A related Washington Post story is here.

Charley Locke in the New York Times Magazine: "Covid-19 put American infrastructure to the test -- and by most measures, it failed.... Students without access to the internet tried to get by on once-a-week printed packets. Nurses wore trash bags as medical equipment. Nobody could buy toilet paper. But these failures, along with so many more, may also have provided the impetus -- in the form of unprecedented federal funding -- for the United States to modernize itself, filling cracks and bridging gaps in our technological, medical and manufacturing capabilities that have been widening for decades. To date, the federal government has allocated $4.52 trillion in response to Covid-19 -- a staggering figure, one that exceeds the entire federal budget in 2019. Most of that funding comes from just two bills: the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act, passed in March 2020 ($2.2 trillion), and the American Rescue Plan Act, or A.R.P., from March 2021 ($1.9 trillion). These bills covered a huge range of funding, much of it focused on short-term recovery: Together, they allocated more than $1 trillion in direct aid to Americans in economic need.... But the two bills also made huge investments in the future.... The Covid funds are functioning as a one-time injection to compensate for what has been a trend toward disinvestment in recent years."

November 27, 2021

Darlene Superville of the AP: President "Biden spent more than an hour walking around downtown Nantucket's cobblestone streets, popping unannounced into quaint mom-and-pop shops, appearing to make purchases and posing for photos with surprised business owners.... He stopped in at a leather goods store and several clothing, gift and home goods stores before the family reunited to participate in another one of their traditions: attending Nantucket's annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony."

Matthew Daly of the AP: "The Biden administration on Friday recommended an overhaul of the nation's oil and gas leasing program to limit areas available areas for energy development and raise costs for oil and gas companies to drill on public land and water. The long-awaited report by the Interior Department stops short of recommending an end to oil and gas leasing on public lands, as many environmental groups have urged. But officials said the report would lead to a more responsible leasing process that provides a better return to U.S. taxpayers.... Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement ... that the new report's recommendations will mitigate worsening climate change impacts 'while staying steadfast in the pursuit of environmental justice.'″ The Washington Post's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) called for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to take 'appropriate action' against Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) Friday after Boebert shared an anti-Muslim story about Omar during Thanksgiving break. During an event in her Colorado district, Boebert told the audience about an encounter with Omar in the Capitol, describing another encounter with Omar as 'not my first "Jihad Squad" moment,' according to a video posted on Twitter. 'I was getting into an elevator with one of my staffers,' Boebert told the laughing crowd. '... and I see a Capitol police officer running to the elevator. I see fret all over his face, and he's reaching, and the door's shutting, like I can't open it, like what's happening. I look to my left, and there she is. Ilhan Omar. And I said, "Well, she doesn't have a backpack, we should be fine."' 'Saying I am a suicide bomber is no laughing matter,' Omar tweeted. '...normalizing this bigotry not only endangers my life but the lives of all Muslims. Anti-Muslim bigotry has no place in Congress.' Omar had, earlier on Thursday, said the story was made up.... In a statement, Democratic congressional leaders -- including Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (Md.) -- said Boebert has repeatedly made targeted Islamophobic comments against Omar and she should retract her latest story, which they said is fictionalized."

Brian Schwartz of CNBC: "Since he was acquitted of homicide and other charges last Friday, Kyle Rittenhouse has said he wanted to stay out of politics, and that he was disturbed by how his case became politicized.... Yet Rittenhouse ... has emerged as a symbolic figure for the pro-Trump right wing.... Rittenhouse made the comments about politics and polarization on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show, which had a crew embedded with the Rittenhouse team during his trial. He has appeared alongside Republican operatives in photos, and he met with Donald Trump himself at the former president's private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida." Schwatz names some of the Trump acolytes who have associated themselves with Rittenhouse. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Lay Your Head Upon My Pillow. S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "Despite months of promising to file an explosive lawsuit that would 'pull down' the 2020 presidential election results and reinstate Donald Trump to the White House, pillow-monger Mike Lindell has instead turned his election-fraud-athon into a four-day sales promotion.... 'o lawsuit has been filed, and the show, which featured the same lies about the election Lindell has been spreading for a year, prominently featured Lindell's pillow ads with its own 'promo code.'... In recent days, Lindell has been claiming that the attorneys general who were going to sign on to his suit were pressured out of doing so by Republican National Committee chair Ronna [Romney] McDaniel. 'Ronna McDaniel better resign today,' he said Thursday." She didn't.

Mary Papenfuss of the Huffington Post: "Donald Trump erupted Friday about Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa's book 'Peril' ― more than two months after it was published and its revelations about the former president filled the media.... Trump appeared to be particularly incensed about revelations that the U.S. may have edged dangerously close to war with China amid his unpredictability after his 2020 election loss -- and the subsequent Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol.... When anecdotes from the book were first revealed, Trump called Milley a 'dumbass.' In his statement Friday, Trump referred to him as 'one of the dumber generals' and repeated a previous comment that if Milley actually called China, he 'should be tried for treason.' 'I never had even a thought of going to war with China, other than the war I was winning, which was on TRADE,' he wrote.... The Phase One trade deal finally eked out by his administration in 2019 is largely regarded as a failure." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Right before Trump initiated his "winning" war on TRADE, I bought a stainless steel sink for $277. I had to get the specs on it for my plumber the other day, upon which I learned that the current price for that exact same sink is $399. Yes indeed, Donaldo, we are, as you predicted, tired of so much winning.

Tali Arbel & Anne D'Innocenzio of the AP report on Black Friday activity.

The Pandemic, Ctd., Brought to You by the Unvaccinated

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here.

Perry Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "A new, possibly more infectious coronavirus variant, with an unusual number of mutations, had scientists sounding the alarm and countries including the United States moving to impose travel restrictions as the world feared another setback on the long road out of the pandemic. Senior Biden administration officials announced Friday that starting Monday, travel to the United States will be restricted from South Africa and seven other countries -- Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The new policy, which does not affect U.S. citizens and permanent residents, was enacted 'out of an abundance of caution,' officials said, as public health officials work to learn more about the new variant." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update: More info on the new variant from Victoria at the top of today's Comments. ~~~

~~~ A related Washington Post story, by Annie Linskey, covers travel restrictions implemented as a result of the new coronavirus variant. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ President Biden's statement on the new variant is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Eshe Nelson of the New York Times: "Stocks around the world fell on Friday and oil prices plunged, after evidence of a new coronavirus variant in South Africa prompted another round of travel restrictions and reignited concerns about the economic toll imposed by the pandemic. The S&P 500 logged its worst day since February as a growing list of nations, including the United States, moved to prohibit travel from half a dozen or so African countries. The uncertainty shook a stock market that had been performing robustly, and market watchers said the heightened volatility might continue as countries assessed the risks of the variant. The number of mutations in this new variant has raised fears that it could be especially contagious and render current vaccines less effective. But scientists haven't come to firm conclusions yet." CNBC's report is here.

Rebecca Robbins of the New York Times: "The pharmaceutical company Merck said on Friday that in a final analysis of a clinical trial, its antiviral pill reduced the risk of hospitalization and death among high-risk Covid patients by 30 percent, down from an earlier estimate of 50 percent. The lower efficacy is a disappointment for the drug, known as molnupiravir, which health officials around the world are counting on as a critical tool to save lives and reduce the burden on hospitals. It increases the importance of a similar, apparently more effective, offering from Pfizer that is also under review by the Food and Drug Administration."

Beyond the Beltway

Debra Kahn, et al., of Politico (Nov. 23): "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants half a billion dollars to protect his state from the ravages of 'extreme weather events.' Texas Gov. Greg Abbott devoted $1.6 billion toward preparing communities for increasingly devastating hurricanes. But they still won't say if they believe in climate change. Even if conservative politicians can't stomach the words, they're spending money to combat the fallout hammering their states and cities. Bracing for global warming is the rare climate issue that appeals to both Republicans and Democrats, and 34 states have done some sort of climate-adaptation planning, according to Georgetown University's state policy tracker.... Conservative Republicans still refuse to explicitly connect global warming with what's happening at home."

Missouri. Lindsey Bever & Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Kevin Strickland was exonerated in a 1978 triple murder, but under Missouri law, he is not eligible for any compensation from the state for the 43 years he spent behind bars -- one of the longest-standing wrongful convictions in the nation's history. That hasn't stopped his supporters from stepping in instead, raising more than $1 million through a GoFundMe campaign to help him start a new life.... Taken into custody as a teenager, Strickland has no retirement savings, no work history to help him get Social Security benefits -- and no compensation from the state of Missouri, which by law only grants people compensation when they are proven innocent through DNA testing."

Way Beyond

Ukraine/Russia. David Stern of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted Friday that a group of Russians and Ukrainians planned to attempt a coup in Ukraine next month and that the plotters tried to enlist the help of the country's richest man, Rinat Akhmetov. Zelensky, speaking at a 'press marathon' for local and international media, said that audio recordings, obtained by Ukraine's security services, caught plotters discussing their plans and mentioning Akhmetov's name." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)