The Commentariat -- April 2, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Peter Hermann, et al., of the Washington Post: "One Capitol police officer was killed and another injured Friday when a vehicle rammed into them near the U.S. Capitol, the department's chief said at a news conference. Chief Yogananda Pittman said a person exited the vehicle with a knife and started lunging. She said police opened fire, killing the suspect." The New York Times story is here. CNN's story is here. CNN has live updates here.

~~~ 1:30 pm ET: The U.S. Capitol is on lockdown, with little info available. The cable networks have showed videos of a blue sedan which apparently rammed into a big concrete Jersey steel barricade. It's surrounded by law enforcement officials. The vehicle reportedly slammed into two officers, injuring them. They have been hospitalized. The driver is said to have exited the vehicle brandishing a knife, and police shot him/her. S/he is in custody & has been taken to a hospital. Updates: according to Pete Williams of NBC News, the driver has died. Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman confirmed that the suspect died. She said one of the injured officers also died. She indicated the deceased suspect was a male. Nancy Pelosi has ordered Capitol flags flown at half-staff to honor the fallen officer. At about 3 pm ET, police lifted the lockdown.

The New York Times is liveblogging Day 5 the murder trial of Derek Chauvin here. The Washington Post's live updates are here. CNN's liveblog is here. All linked pages also include livefeeds of courtroom proceedings.

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

Patricia Cohen of the New York Times: "Just as the Biden administration is pushing to raise taxes on corporations, a new study finds that at least 55 of America's largest paid no taxes last year on billions of dollars in profits. The sweeping tax bill passed in 2017 by a Republican Congress and signed into law by ... Donald J. Trump reduced the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. But dozens of Fortune 500 companies were able to further shrink their tax bill -- sometimes to zero -- thanks to a range of legal deductions and exemptions that have become staples of the tax code, according to the analysis. Salesforce, Archer-Daniels-Midland and Consolidated Edison were among those named in the report, which was done by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning research group in Washington."

Politico Magazine has published an adapted excerpt from an upcoming book by former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). It's quite entertaining. Really.

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Darlene Superville & Zeke Miller of the AP: President Joe "Biden's full Cabinet met Thursday in the spacious White House East Room, not the comparatively cramped West Wing room that bears the group's name, to allow for social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. Many smaller tables were pushed together to create one gigantic square. Department secretaries and other participants wore face masks. And the portion of the meeting opened to press coverage lacked the over-the-top, hail-to-the chief tributes that came to define Donald Trump's Cabinet meetings. Biden immediately pointed out the diversity of his Cabinet, which includes the first Black defense secretary in Lloyd Austin, the first openly gay Cabinet member in Pete Buttigieg at transportation, the first Native American secretary in Deb Halaand at Interior and the first female treasury secretary in Janet Yellen, among others. Vice President Kamala Harris is the first woman, Black person and Indian American elected to her office. Biden declared the group 'looks like America.'... Trump's Cabinet was largely white and male. Thursday's meeting came a week after the Senate confirmed the final Cabinet member...." ~~~

~~~ Molly Nagle of ABC News: "One day after announcing his massive infrastructure plan, President Joe Biden held his first in-person Cabinet meeting Thursday afternoon at the White House, tasking five members of his Cabinet to take the lead on selling the proposal to the American people -- and Congress. In brief remarks at the top of the meeting, Biden announced that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo would take on the additional responsibility." ~~~

     ~~~ Josh Boak & Lisa Mascaro of the AP: "But the enormity of his task was clear as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's vowed to oppose the plan 'every step of the way.' Speaking in Kentucky, McConnell said he personally likes [President] Biden and they've been friends a long time. But the president will get no cooperation from the GOP, which objects to the corporate tax increases in the plan.... White House chief of staff Ron Klain said the key to any outreach is that the proposal's ideas are already popular.... 'We're happy to have a conversation with people, less about the price tag, more about what are the elements that should be in the plan that people think are missing.' Those conversations could be limited to Democrats...." MB: That's fine, Rachel Maddow pointed out Thursday night. Now Democrats don't have to do a Kabuki dance with Republicans pretending to have an interest in shaping the bill.

Aimee Picchi of CBS News: "A Trump-era plan to cut food stamps is now off the table after the Biden administration said it is abandoning a previous plan to tighten work requirements for working-age adults without children. Those restrictions were projected to deny federal food assistance benefits to 700,000 adults, a proposal that had had drawn strong condemnation from anti-hunger advocates. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on March 24 said it is withdrawing a Trump administration appeal of a federal court ruling that had blocked the planned restrictions on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps. Trump officials had filed the appeal in May, two months after the coronavirus pandemic had shuttered the economy and caused millions of people to lose their jobs."

Sam Mintz of Politico: "President Joe Biden's Department of Transportation is invoking the Civil Rights Act to pause a highway project near Houston, a rare move that offers an early test of the administration's willingness to wield federal power to address a long history of government-driven racial inequities. DOT's intervention follows complaints from local activists that the state's proposed widening of Interstate 45 would displace an overwhelmingly Black and Hispanic community, including schools, places of worship and more than 1,000 homes and businesses. It also comes as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has identified racial equity as a major priority for his department -- after decades in which federal highway money has paid for projects that leveled minority and low-income communities."

Daniel Lippman of Politico: "The White House is removing the Interior Department's chief of staff, Jennifer Van der Heide, who recently planned a 50-person indoor party at the agency that the White House ordered canceled, and is moving her to a senior counselor job at the agency, according to two Biden administration officials. The White House's Cabinet affairs office ordered that party, which was intended to celebrate Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's confirmation, to be called off amid fears it could become a superspreader event, as Politico first reported late last week." MB: Van der Heide said she thought the fact that the agency was called the Interior Department meant they could party in the interior of the building. She's quite bright, and we're sure she'll make a great senior counselor. (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Looks as if Matt Gaetz may resign his Congressional seat soon to spend more time with his (wealthy) family -- and his lawyer. It appears the DOJ already has collected a pile of receipts. ~~~

Katie Benner & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "A Justice Department investigation into Representative Matt Gaetz and an indicted Florida politician is focusing on their involvement with multiple women who were recruited online for sex and received cash payments, according to people close to the investigation and text messages and payment receipts reviewed by The New York Times. Investigators believe Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector in Seminole County, Fla., who was indicted last year on a federal sex trafficking charge and other crimes, initially met the women through websites that connect people who go on dates in exchange for gifts, fine dining, travel and allowances, according to three people with knowledge of the encounters. Mr. Greenberg introduced the women to Mr. Gaetz, who also had sex with them, the people said.... In encounters during 2019 and 2020, Mr. Gaetz and Mr. Greenberg instructed the women to meet at certain times and places, often at hotels around Florida, and would tell them the amount of money they were willing to pay, according to the messages and interviews. One person said that the men also paid in cash.... Some of the men and women took ecstasy, an illegal hallucinogenic drug...." The Hill has a summary report here. ~~~

~~~ Evan Perez, et al., of CNN: "Federal investigators looking into Rep. Matt Gaetz's relationships with young women have examined whether any federal campaign money was involved in paying for travel and expenses for the women, a person briefed on the matter said. Investigators are examining whether the Florida Republican engaged in a relationship with a woman that began when she was 17 years old and whether his involvement with other young women broke federal sex trafficking and prostitution laws, according to that source and another person briefed on the matter. Investigators are also pursuing allegations from witnesses and other evidence that Gaetz may have used cash and drugs in his dealings with young women, the sources said.... Information that may connect Gaetz to a fake ID scheme at the center of the case against [a] second Florida politician, Joel Greenberg, was presented to federal investigators in a meeting early last year, according to two other people.... According to one of the people familiar with the matter, an employee at the tax collector's office saw Greenberg and Gaetz on internal office surveillance video looking through driver licenses on a weekend evening." ~~~

~~~ Jeremy Herb, et al., of CNN: "Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican being investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations..., gained a reputation in Congress over his relationships with women and bragging about his sexual escapades to his colleagues, multiple sources told CNN. Gaetz allegedly showed off to other lawmakers photos and videos of nude women he said he had slept with, the sources told CNN, including while on the House floor. The sources, including two people directly shown the material, said Gaetz displayed the images of women on his phone and talked about having sex with them. One of the videos showed a naked woman with a hula hoop, according to one source." MB: The thing is, Matt, we now know you paid for it. So no bragging rights, you slimy, twisted creep. ~~~

~~~ Thomas Moore of the Hill: "Fox News has confirmed it has no plans to hire Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for a job at the network. 'No one with any level of authority has had conversations with Matt Gaetz for any of our platforms, and we have no interest in hiring him,' the network said in a statement. The statement was issued after a report in The Daily Beast Wednesday that Gaetz was talking with people at Fox News, One America News Network and Newsmax about possible jobs. Axios first reported Tuesday that Gaetz was considering retiring from Congress and possibly working at Newsmax." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Near the end of yesterday's Comments thread, Rose in Michigan made a wonderful contribution.

Beyond the Beltway

Minnesota. Steve Karnowski, et al., of the AP: "A Minneapolis police supervisory sergeant who was on duty the night George Floyd died testified that he believes the officers who restrained Floyd could have ended it after he stopped resisting. David Pleoger testified Thursday at the trial of since-fired officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death. He noted that officers are trained to roll people on their side to help with their breathing after they have been restrained in the prone position.... Thursday's testimony began with Floyd's girlfriend tearfully telling the jury how they met in 2017 -- at a Salvation Army shelter where he was a security guard with 'this great, deep Southern voice, raspy' -- and how they both struggled with an addiction to painkillers." The Washington Post's story is here.

Georgia. Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "The Georgia State House passed a bill that would eliminate tax breaks for Delta Airlines for jet fuel. The vote was 97-73 and moves onto the state Senate. In a memo Wednesday, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told employees that Georgia's new voter suppression law was 'unacceptable' and 'based on a lie' of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election." MB: Looks as if Georgia Republicans have learned from Donald Trump how to misuse their positions to exact retribution.

Yin. Texas. Jane Timm of NBC News: "The Texas Senate in the early morning hours Thursday passed a package of election bills that would put new restrictions on voting in the state. The final version of the Senate Bill 7 is not yet online for review, but the original bill banned overnight early voting hours and drive-thru early voting, while restricting how election officials handle mail voting." (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~ And Yang. Virginia. John Kruzel of the Hill: "Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed into law Wednesday a measure that fills some of the gaps in voter protections created nearly a decade ago when the Supreme Court gutted federal voting rights oversight. A key piece of the Virginia law is a requirement that state election officials get prior approval -- or preclearance -- before making changes to voting rules, a provision that aims to blunt would-be voter suppression efforts." Thanks to RockyGirl for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Reid Epstein & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "As states across the South race to establish new voting restrictions, Virginia is bolting in the opposite direction. The Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, this week capped a multiyear liberal movement for greater ballot access by signing off on sweeping legislation to recreate pivotal elements of the federal Voting Rights Act that were struck down by the Supreme Court's conservative majority in 2013. Alone among the states of the former Confederacy, Virginia has become a voting rights bastion, increasingly encouraging its citizens -- especially people of color -- to exercise their democratic rights. Virginia, which for nearly 50 years had to submit changes to its elections to the federal government for approval under the Voting Rights Act's preclearance requirements, has now effectively imposed the same covenants on itself, an extraordinary step for a state with a long history of segregation and racially targeted voting laws." ~~~

~~~ Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court of Virginia has cleared the way for the city of Charlottesville to take down the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was the focus of 2017's deadly Unite the Right rally, and the ruling appears to open the door for statue removals around the state. The Charlottesville City Council voted to take down both the Lee and a nearby statue of Stonewall Jackson shortly after the rally in which white supremacists defended Confederate iconography, with one of them driving his car through a crowd of counterprotesters and killing a young woman. But several local residents sued to prevent the statues from coming down. They argued that a state law passed in 1997 prohibited localities from removing Confederate war memorials." (Also linked yesterday.)

Wisconsin. Jerry Lambe of Law & Crime: "Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday asked a federal judge to order ... Donald Trump to reimburse the city [state??] for attorneys' fees and court costs associated with his unsuccessful attempts to overturn the state's 2020 election results through 'frivolous' legal action. The motion was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin by attorneys for the Democratic governor. They said that Trump's claims were 'bereft of legal or factual basis,' but the state still had no choice but to spend taxpayer dollars to defend against the 'scattershot litigation tactics' employed by Trump's legal team. The state is now seeking to recoup $145,174.90 in legal expenditures associated with the case."

Way Beyond

Robyn Dixon of the Washington Post: "Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, on a hunger strike after being denied medical care, has been hoping for a visit from a doctor. Instead he got a less welcome visitor Thursday: Maria Butina, the Russian agent convicted and jailed for conspiring to infiltrate political organizations in the United States without registering with authorities. According to a post by Navalny's team on his Twitter account, Butina was reporting for the Kremlin-funded RT television network, formerly Russia Today.... 'Instead of a doctor, Butina, a wretched propagandist from RT channel, arrived today accompanied by video cameras,' said a post Thursday on Navalny's Twitter account. She was 'shouting that this is the best and most comfortable prison.' The account said Navalny lectured her for 15 minutes in front of the other prisoners, calling her 'a parasite and a servant of thieves.' Posts on Navalny's social media are made in his name by members of his team since he has no access to the Internet."

News Lede

CNBC: "Job growth boomed in March at the fastest pace since last summer, as stronger economic growth and an aggressive vaccination effort contributed to a surge in hospitality and construction jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 916,000 for the month while the unemployment rate fell to 6%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for an increase of 675,000...."

The Commentariat -- April 1, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Daniel Lippman of Politico: "The White House is removing the Interior Department's chief of staff, Jennifer Van der Heide, who recently planned a 50-person indoor party at the agency that the White House ordered canceled, and is moving her to a senior counselor job at the agency, according to two Biden administration officials. The White House's Cabinet affairs office ordered that party, which was intended to celebrate Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's confirmation, to be called off amid fears it could become a superspreader event, as Politico first reported late last week." MB: Van der Heide said she thought the fact that the agency was called the Interior Department meant they could party in the interior of the building. She's pretty bright, and we're all sure she'll make a great "senior counselor."

Thomas Moore of the Hill: "Fox News has confirmed it has no plans to hire Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for a job at the network. 'No one with any level of authority has had conversations with Matt Gaetz for any of our platforms, and we have no interest in hiring him,' the network said in a statement. The statement was issued after a report in The Daily Beast Wednesday that Gaetz was talking with people at Fox News, One America News Network and Newsmax about possible jobs. Axios first reported Tuesday that Gaetz was considering retiring from Congress and possibly working at Newsmax."

Yin. Texas. Jane Timm of NBC News: "The Texas Senate in the early morning hours Thursday passed a package of election bills that would put new restrictions on voting in the state. The final version of the Senate Bill 7 is not yet online for review, but the original bill banned overnight early voting hours and drive-thru early voting, while restricting how election officials handle mail voting."

~~~ And Yang. Virginia. Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court of Virginia has cleared the way for the city of Charlottesville to take down the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was the focus of 2017's deadly Unite the Right rally, and the ruling appears to open the door for statue removals around the state. The Charlottesville City Council voted to take down both the Lee and a nearby statue of Stonewall Jackson shortly after the rally in which white supremacists defended Confederate iconography, with one of them driving his car through a crowd of counterprotesters and killing a young woman. But several local residents sued to prevent the statues from coming down. They argued that a state law passed in 1997 prohibited localities from removing Confederate war memorials."

The New York Times is liveblogging Day 4 of Derek Chauvin's trial here. The Washington Post's live updates are here.

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Jonathan Lemire, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden outlined a huge $2.3 trillion plan Wednesday to reengineer the nation's infrastructure in what he billed as 'a once-in-a-generation investment in America' that would undo his predecessor's signature legislative achievement -- giant tax cuts for corporations -- in the process. Speaking at a carpenters union training center in Pittsburgh, Biden drew comparisons between his hard-hatted proposed transformation of the U.S. economy and the space race -- and promised results as grand in scale as the New Deal or Great Society programs that shaped the 20th century. 'It's not a plan that tinkers around the edges,' Biden said. 'It's a once-in-a-generation investment in America unlike anything we've seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago. In fact, it's the largest American jobs investment since World War II. It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs.'... [Biden's] infrastructure projects would be financed by higher corporate taxes -- a trade-off that could lead to fierce resistance from the business community and thwart attempts to work with Republican lawmakers. Biden hopes to pass an infrastructure plan by summer, which could mean relying solely on the slim Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate." ~~~

     ~~~ Lawrence O'Donnell pointed out that in choosing Pittsburgh as the site for his infrastructure announcement, Biden was choosing the city that has the greatest number of bridges in the world, three more than Venice, Italy.

Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "The Defense Department on Wednesday reversed a Trump-era ban restricting transgender troops from serving openly, outlining new policies that include greater access to medical care resources to help people transition while in uniform. The new Pentagon guidelines roll back 2019 Trump administration restrictions that severely limited how transgender people could enlist and serve. Soon after taking office, President Biden issued an executive order offering immediate protection for troops at risk of being forced out of the military, with the White House saying in a statement that 'America is stronger, at home and around the world, when it is inclusive.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't know why Horton repeatedly invokes a "Trump-era ban." This was Donald Trump's ban. His personal order. In July 2017, "... Donald Trump used Twitter to announce that the U.S. Military will no longer allow transgender people to serve 'in any capacity,' reversing Obama-era policy." The Pentagon, under then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, initially resisted Trump's Twitter rant.

So Long, Trump "Experts." Dino Grandoni of the Washington Post: "Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan will purge more than 40 outside experts appointed under ... Donald Trump from two key advisory panels, a move he says will help restore the role of science at the agency and reduce the heavy influence of industry over environmental regulations. The unusual decision, announced Wednesday, will sweep away outside researchers picked under the previous administration whose expert advice helped the agency craft regulations related to air pollution, the oil-and-gas extraction method known as fracking and other issues. Critics say that, under Trump, membership of the two panels -- the EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) -- tilted too heavily in favor of regulated industries and that their positions sometimes contradicted scientific consensus."

Tracy Connor, et al., of the Daily Beast: "The scandal swirling around Rep. Matt Gaetz took a stunning turn Wednesday with the news that a former Air Force intelligence official and a Florida lawyer tried to get the congressman's dad to cough up $25 million that would be used to free American Bob Levinson from Iranian custody -- and somehow release Gaetz from a federal sex-crimes investigation. And if that wasn't enough, here's one more strange fact: Levinson was declared dead last year. The Washington Examiner obtained a document that was allegedly presented to Don Gaetz [-- Matt's father --] by the ex-military official, Bob Kent, that laid out the purported scheme. The site also obtained an email sent to Don Gaetz's lawyer by federal prosecutors that suggests they were looking into whether a crime was under way. The document ... stipulated that Gaetz would deposit money for Levinson's ransom in an account connected to the firm of Florida lawyer David McGee, who has represented the Levinson family for years. Also named in the scheme: Stephen Alford, a convicted fraudster who McGee has represented -- both in court and in business matters." ~~~

~~~ Matt Dixon & Betsy Swan of Politico: "Rep. Matt Gaetz's father, Don, a former Florida Senate president, said he is working with the FBI, including wearing a wire on more than one occasion as part of an investigation into an alleged extortion plot that the pair said was organized by former federal prosecutor David McGee. 'The FBI asked me to try and get that information for Matt and an indication we would transfer money to Mr. David McGee,' Don Gaetz said in an interview late Tuesday, without specifying what information he was referring to.... [Former AG Bill] Barr ... received multiple briefings on the Gaetz probe, beginning in the summer of 2020.... The briefing was important because -- among other reasons -- Barr didn't want to accidentally appear anywhere with Gaetz.... At one point, Barr was scheduled for a meet-and-greet with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee. But DOJ canceled his appearance at the event when they saw that Gaetz, a member of that committee, had RSVP'd for it." ~~~

~~~ His Dinner with Matt. Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Fox News host Tucker Carlson was angered after Congressman Matt Gaetz attempted to rope him into a scandal involving allegations related to sex trafficking of a minor, a person familiar with the matter said.... Gaetz, who has strongly denied allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her travel with him, seemed to attempt to draw Carlson into the controversy during a bizarre Tuesday night interview.... Gaetz suggested Carlson had met a woman involved in the recent controversy related to the sex allegations. Gaetz said that woman was threatened by the FBI to tell people he was involved in a 'pay to play scheme.'... 'You and I went to dinner about two years ago,' Gaetz told Carlson. 'Your wife was there, and I brought a friend of mine, you'll remember her.' Carlson immediately denied knowledge of the dinner." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BTW, we'll never know who's lying without the receipts. I would not hazard to opine on who's less credible, Gaetz  or Carlson. ~~~

~~~ They Caught the Wrong Guy! David Gilbert of Vice: QAnon followers think the Gaetz investigation is all part of The Plan. "For more than three years, QAnon followers have been waiting for the Storm, the moment when high-profile [Democratic] lawmakers and other elites would be made to answer for their crimes of child sex trafficking. On Tuesday it sure seemed like the Storm had arrived, when the New York Times broke a bombshell story that Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, 38, was being investigated by the Department of Justice for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel with him. But in the hours after the news broke, QAnon followers ... frantically scrambled to explain why he couldn't possibly have done what he's accused of doing...." Because winger Gaetz doesn't fit QAnon's sex-trafficker profile, the theory now is that he is working with the FBI to thwart the child sex ring. ~~~

~~~ Friend of Matt Indicted on More Charges. Christopher Heath of WFTV Orlando: "Already facing charges of sex trafficking a child, stalking and identity theft, former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg is now facing new charges related to Small Business Administration pandemic loans he received after resigning from his office. According to federal court documents, in early 2020, Greenberg dissolved two companies he owned: DG3 Network and Greenberg Media. However, after his arrest and subsequent resignation as tax collector, the feds say Greenberg restarted both companies in order to obtain pandemic SBA loans.... [According to the indictment, Greenberg submitted] false documents stating that the companies were in business prior to February 2020, that they each had revenues in the 12 months prior, and making false claims about the number of employees.... Greenberg now faces 33 federal charges." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: What an enterprising young man is Joel. Whereas I might be challenged by the tasks a county tax collector is required to do, not so Joel. He spent his entire tenure coming up with one jaw-dropping crooked scheme after another. And some of Joel's activities were uniquely inventive; I mean, who would have thought to use a tax collector's badge to pull over a woman who might -- or might not -- have been driving over the speed limit? Let's see how inventive he is at designing a defense.

Ryan Heath of Politico: "The Government Accountability Office has issued a damning report about the implementation of legislation supporting Ivanka Trump's signature women's empowerment initiative.... As Ivanka Trump traveled the world talking up the whole-of-government Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, deep problems were developing in [the] roll out of the... [law]."

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood admitted to federal prosecutors that he intentionally excluded from his financial disclosures a $50,000 loan he obtained while in office from a billionaire foreign donor, a document released by the Justice Department said Wednesday. During an interview with the FBI in 2017, LaHood [-- an Obama appointee --] initially denied receiving the loan, but later acknowledged the payment after being shown a copy of the $50,000 check he received in 2012, according to a non-prosecution agreement LaHood signed with federal prosecutors in Los Angeles. Under the deal struck in 2019, federal prosecutors agreed not to file criminal charges over the omissions and misstatement, while LaHood agreed to pay a $40,000 fine and to repay the loan." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: LaHood is a Republican. President Obama hired too many Republicans (Jim Comey).

Lauren Feiner of CNBC: "Facebook removed a video featuring ... Donald Trump, a company spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday, citing his indefinite suspension from the platform.... The video featuring Trump was posted by his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who was interviewing the former president. Lara Trump had teased the interview in an Instagram photo of the sit-down on Tuesday."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here.

Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "A top adviser privately urged ... Donald Trump to acquire critical medical supplies in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak -- and after the warning was ignored, pursued his own ad hoc strategy that committed more than $1 billion in federal funds and has since prompted multiple probes, according to newly released documents from congressional investigators. Peter Navarro, who served as Trump's trade adviser, warned the president on March 1, 2020, to 'MOVE IN "TRUMP TIME"' to invest in ingredients for drugs, handheld coronavirus tests and other supplies to fight the virus, according to a memo obtained by the House's select subcommittee on the coronavirus outbreak. Navarro also said that he'd been trying to acquire more protective gear like masks, critiquing the administration's pace.... [In dodgy deals,] Navarro ... steered a $765 million loan to Eastman Kodak to produce ingredients for generic drugs, a $354 million sole-source contract for pharmaceutical ingredients to a start-up called Phlow, and a $96 million sole-source contract for powered respirators and filters from AirBoss Defense Group." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. ProPublica's story, by David McSwane, is more damning: "A top adviser to ... Donald Trump pressured agency officials to reward politically connected or otherwise untested companies with hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts as part of a chaotic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the early findings of an inquiry led by House Democrats. Peter Navarro ... essentially verbally awarded a $96 million deal for respirators to a company with White House connections. Later, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were pressured to sign the contract after the fact, according to correspondence obtained by congressional investigators."

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "State prosecutors in Manhattan investigating ... Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization have subpoenaed the personal bank records of the company's chief financial officer and are questioning gifts he and his family received from Mr. Trump, according to people with knowledge of the matter. In recent weeks, the prosecutors have trained their focus on the executive, Allen H. Weisselberg, in what appears to be a determined effort to gain his cooperation. Mr. Weisselberg, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, has overseen the Trump Organization's finances for decades and may hold the key to any possible criminal case in New York against the former president and his family business."

Beyond the Beltway

Minnesota. They Were Witnesses; They Were Victims. John Eligon, et al., of the New York Times: "In surveillance footage played for the first time in a Minneapolis courtroom on Wednesday, the world got to see George Floyd as it never had before: He was just another customer in a corner store.... On the third day of testimony in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with murdering Mr. Floyd, a clearer picture emerged of the events preceding Mr. Floyd's death, with witness after witness agonizing over whether they could have done anything to stop what would soon unfold.... Mr. Floyd's death last May left a trail of agony for the people who were part of the unfolding tragedy -- the weight of what they had witnessed plain to see in the form of tears, long pauses and deep breaths during their testimony."

Arizona. This Should Go Well. Jeremy Duda & Jim Small of the Arizona Mirror: "The audit team that Senate President Karen Fann [R] selected to examine the 2020 general election in Maricopa County will be led by a company owned by an advocate of the 'Stop the Steal' movement who repeatedly alleged on social media that the election was rigged against ... Donald Trump. Fann announced on Wednesday that she'd selected four companies to participate in an extensive audit and recount of the election, led by Cyber Ninjas, [a] Florida-based cybersecurity company. Cyber Ninjas is owned by Doug Logan, who has been an active promoter of baseless conspiracy theories alleging widespread election fraud last year, including in Arizona."

Georgia. David Gelles of the New York Times: "Companies that remained silent last week as Georgia Republicans rushed to pass a law to restrict voting access reversed course on Wednesday in the face of mounting outrage from activists, customers and a coalition of powerful Black executives. Delta Air Lines, Georgia's largest employer, had made only general statements in support of voting rights last week and had declined to take a position on the legislation. That muted response drew fierce criticism, as well as protests at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and calls for a boycott. But on Wednesday, Ed Bastian, Delta's chief executive, made a stark reversal. 'I need to make it crystal clear that the final bill is unacceptable and does not match Delta's values,' he wrote in an internal memo.... Coca-Cola, another of Georgia's largest companies, which had also declined to take a position on the legislation before it passed, made a similarly worded statement." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Okay, so maybe capitalism really isn't awesome, but democracy is. Those protesters, who took time out of their own lives to fight for the fundamental right to vote, get all the credit for Bastian's "stark reversal." We all owe them our thanks. ~~~

     ~~~ Hannah Denham & Jena McGregor of the Washington Post: "Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) hit back at [Delta CEO Ed] Bastian, saying that the airline executive had worked closely with state officials in drafting the law.... And two Atlanta sports teams -- the Falcons professional football team and the Hawks basketball team -- issued statements [against] the bill within the past day."

New York. Michael Gold & Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: “A homeless man who was out on parole for killing his mother was arrested and charged with a hate crime early Wednesday morning in connection with a violent attack on a Filipino immigrant near Times Square, the police said. The man, Brandon Elliot, 38, was living at a hotel in Midtown Manhattan that has been serving as a homeless shelter, the police said. He was seen on security footage brutally assaulting Vilma Kari, 65, as she was walking to church on Monday morning, the police said.... 'Mr. Elliot is accused of brutally shoving, kicking and stomping a 65-year-old mother to the ground after telling her that she didn't belong here,' [Manhattan D.A. Cyrus] Vance [Jr.] said at a joint news conference with the city's police commissioner, Dermot F. Shea. 'So let me join the commissioner in being clear: This brave woman belongs here. Asian-American New Yorkers belong here. Everyone belongs here.'"

Way Beyond

Russia. Andrew Roth of the Guardian: "Alexei Navalny has gone on hunger strike after saying he was denied urgent medical treatment in prison. The Russian opposition leader has complained of a 'sharp deterioration' in his health since his transfer to a prison colony in the Vladimir region to serve a two-and-a-half year sentence on embezzlement charges. The colony, which is 60 miles from Moscow, is notoriously strict and said to excel at isolating inmates from the outside world."

News Lede

AP: "A child was among four people killed Wednesday in a shooting at a Southern California office building that left a fifth victim and the gunman critically wounded, police said. The violence in the city of Orange southeast of Los Angeles was the nation's third mass shooting in just over two weeks."

The Commentariat -- March 31, 2021

Late Morning Update:

The New York Times' live updates of Day 3 of the Derek Chauvin murder trial are here. The Washington Post's live updates of Day 3 are here. CNN's live updates are here.

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

Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "A top adviser privately urged ... Donald Trump to acquire critical medical supplies in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak -- and after the warning was ignored, pursued his own ad hoc strategy that committed more than $1 billion in federal funds and has since prompted multiple probes, according to newly released documents from congressional investigators. Peter Navarro, who served as Trump's trade adviser, warned the president on March 1, 2020, to 'MOVE IN "TRUMP TIME"' to invest in ingredients for drugs, handheld coronavirus tests and other supplies to fight the virus, according to a memo obtained by the House's select subcommittee on the coronavirus outbreak. Navarro also said that he'd been trying to acquire more protective gear like masks, critiquing the administration's pace.... [In dodgy deals,] Navarro ... steered a $765 million loan to Eastman Kodak to produce ingredients for generic drugs, a $354 million sole-source contract for pharmaceutical ingredients to a start-up called Phlow, and a $96 million sole-source contract for powered respirators and filters from AirBoss Defense Group."

~~~~~~~~~~

Jim Tankersley & Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "President Biden intends to pay for the $2 trillion package of infrastructure spending he will propose on Wednesday with a substantial increase in corporate taxes, people briefed on the plan said Tuesday. The scale of the infrastructure program -- one of the most ambitious attempts in generations to shore up the nation's aging roads, bridges, rail lines and utilities -- is so big that it will require 15 years of higher taxes on corporations to pay for eight years of spending, they said."

Kate Bennett of CNN: "The Bidens' dog Major has been involved in another biting incident that required medical attention, two people with knowledge of the incident tell CNN. The incident, which involved a National Park Service employee, took place on the White House South Lawn on Monday afternoon. The employee was working at the time and needed to stop in order to receive treatment from the White House medical unit. First lady Jill Biden's press secretary Michael LaRosa told CNN that Major is 'still adjusting to his new surroundings.' 'Yes, Major nipped someone on a walk. Out of an abundance of caution, the individual was seen by WHMU and then returned to work without injury.'... Major, a 3-year-old German shepherd adopted by the Bidens in 2018, received training within the last two weeks, according to the White House, following a separate biting incident earlier this month."

Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration allowed reporters for the first time Tuesday to go inside the crowded border tents where record numbers of migrant teenagers and children have been held in recent weeks after crossing into the United States without their parents. Department of Homeland Security officials permitted the Associated Press and a camera crew to tour the Donna, Tex., temporary processing facility run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where 3,400 unaccompanied minors were in custody Tuesday along with 700 members of migrant families. The reporters allowed inside described extreme levels of overcrowding, including one detention 'pod' with 516 minors despite a pandemic-rated capacity of 32 people. Another pod had 676 minors, and a third had 567, officials said. The Biden administration is on pace to take in more than 17,000 unaccompanied minors this month, far higher than the previous record of 11,861 in May 2019." ~~~

     ~~~ Elliot Spagat & Nomaan Merchant of the AP: "More than 500 migrant children were packed into plastic-walled rooms built for 32 people, sitting inches apart on mats with foil blankets Tuesday at the largest U.S. Customs and Border Protection holding facility for unaccompanied children. Overall, CBP's main child processing center, a compound of white tents in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, held over 4,100 migrants, more than 3,400 of them children who traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border alone. The rest of the migrants being housed were families. The facility, designed for 250 people under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the coronavirus pandemic, has had to adapt amid a spike in families and unaccompanied children crossing the border.... Children, most of them between 13 and 17, are separated by age. Families occupied a separate pod that was less crowded than the jam-packed rooms for olde children. A room for 'tender age' children from 3 to 9 years old consisted of a walled playpen with mats on the floor and far more space than the eight pods for older children."

Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "Women's access to contraceptives and reproductive care is a global human right that will be monitored by the United States, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken declared on Tuesday, reversing a Trump administration policy that had overlooked discrimination or denials of women seeking sexual health services worldwide. The announcement was one of several departures Mr. Blinken made from the previous administration's approach as the State Department issued its annual report on human rights violations, even while he similarly condemned abuses and state-sanctioned oppression from China to Syria to Venezuela that have continued for years. The report was completed during the Trump administration and, Mr. Blinken said, did not include examples of women who were refused health care and family planning information in nearly 200 countries and territories in 2020. He has directed officials to compile that data and identify violators this year...."

Republicans Find a New Stupid War on Government. Annie Linskey, et al., of the Washington Post: "Republicans are opening a new front in the pandemic culture wars, attacking efforts by the Biden administration to develop guidelines for coronavirus vaccination passports that businesses can use to determine who can safely participate in activities such as flights, concerts and indoor dining. The issue has received an increasing amount of attention from some of the party's most extreme members and conservative media figures, but it has also been seized on by Republican leaders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.... 'It's completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society,' [DeSantis said].... Some conservative activists comparing it with Nazi policies to identify Jews.... [The attack] ... taps into a long-standing warning from the right: that a powerful federal government will try to control the population."

Marie: It was a windy day in my part of the USA yesterday. The power went out several times, but otherwise, I was none the worse for wear. I did go outside, but my hair looked fine, IMO. MEANWHILE, however the breezes blew in the Sunshine State, things were not going well for two Florida men who seem to put extraordinary stock in their coifs. ~~~

~~~ Matt's Very Bad Hair Day

Unpossible! Michael Schmidt, et al., of the New York Times: "Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and a close ally of ... Donald J. Trump, is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him, according to three people briefed on the matter. Investigators are examining whether Mr. Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, the people said. A variety of federal statutes make it illegal to induce someone under 18 to travel over state lines to engage in sex in exchange for money or something of value. The Justice Department regularly prosecutes such cases, and offenders often receive severe sentences.... The investigation was opened in the final months of the Trump administration under Attorney General William P. Barr.... Given Mr. Gaetz's national profile, senior Justice Department officials in Washington -- including some appointed by Mr. Trump -- were notified of the investigation, the people said.... ~~~

"... the examination of Mr. Gaetz, 38, is part of a broader investigation into a political ally of his, a local official in Florida named Joel Greenberg, who was indicted last summer on an array of charges, including sex trafficking of a child and financially supporting people in exchange for sex, at least one of whom was an underage girl. Mr. Greenberg, who has since resigned his post as tax collector in Seminole County, north of Orlando, visited the White House with Mr. Gaetz in 2019, according to a photograph that Mr. Greenberg posted on Twitter." The report also links Greenberg to Roger Stone & the Proud Boys. MB: These sleazebags are all friends. There's a club of sorts, and Mar-a-Lardo would seem to be a good clubhouse. An AP story on Gaetz is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "... the probe [of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)] has been complicated by the congressman's assertion that his family is being extorted.... Axios published an interview in which Gaetz confirmed the probe but claimed the allegations against him were 'rooted in an extortion effort against my family.'... Gaetz repeated the extortion claim in a statement, alleging that a former Justice Department employee, whom he did not identify, had been 'seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name.' Gaetz asserted that his family had been cooperating with the FBI, and that his father had even worn a wire. 'No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation,' Gaetz said." A Politico story is here. ~~~

~~~ Here's the Axios interview of Gaetz, conducted by Jonathan Swan. Gaetz says, "I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know when I was a single guy.... I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I've dated. You know, I've paid for flights, for hotel rooms. I've been, you know, generous as a partner. I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not.'" MB: Kind of a non-denial denial, IMO. I think we're going to find out that Gaetz had "no idea that girl was younger than 18." ~~~

~~~ Earlier That Same Day. Alayna Treene of Axios: "Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has privately told confidants he's seriously considering not seeking re-election and possibly leaving Congress early for a job at Newsmax, three sources with direct knowledge of the talks tell Axios." MB: Actually, Matt may be leaving Congress early for a job in a federal pen. I'll bet the boys will like him. ~~~

~~~ Martin Comas, et al., of the Orlando Sentinel: "Federal authorities are investigating potential sex trafficking violations by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a probe that emerged from the prosecution of former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg.... Greenberg, who faces a slew of charges including sex trafficking of a child..., is currently slated to stand trial in June.... Greenberg resigned as tax collector in June, after he was arrested at his home by federal agents. He faces 14 charges, including allegations that he stalked a political opponent, illegally used a state database to create fake IDs and sex trafficked a minor.... Prosecutors said in a grand jury indictment that Greenberg, as tax collector, took surrendered drivers licenses before they were shredded by office staff and created new IDs with his photograph but with the personal information of residents.... Greenberg also is charged with producing 'a false identification document and to facilitate his efforts to engage in commercial sex acts,' according to federal indictments...." The story is firewalled, but hey, it's the end of the month. The Washington Post has a story here. ~~~

~~~ Steve M. "[Joel Greenberg] engaged in a staggering array of sleazy activities, up to and including pedophilia. He was indicted nine months ago. So why have I never heard of him until now? If there were a close associate of prominent Democrats who'd done a tenth of what Greenberg has done and had visited the White House during a Democratic presidency, there would have been several hundred stories about him on Fox News. Your right-wing relatives would have dropped his name in conversation as if he were as famous as Tom Brady.... I don't want to be exactly like Republicans. But I think we'd be winning over more voters if there were more demonization of Republicans who deserve it." ~~~

~~~ Blake Montgomery & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: Matt "Gaetz told Fox that the former DOJ employee going after him was David McGee, now a lawyer at Beggs & Lane. In an interview with The Daily Beast late Tuesday night, McGee said any reports of extortion involving him or his firm were 'completely, totally false.... This is a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that Matt Gaetz is apparently about to be indicted for sex trafficking underage girls,' McGee said.... Gaetz proposed to his girlfriend Ginger Luckey at Mar-a-Lago in December.... Gaetz's romances with younger women have attracted some scrutiny. In 2018, a college student confirmed to HuffPo reporter Matt Fuller -- who is now a Daily Beast editor — that she was dating the congressman.... In 2019, Mother Jones reported that a staffer admonished Gaetz via text about his relationship with a camera-happy 21-year-old...." ~~~

~~~ Aris Folley of the Hill: "Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) on Tuesday called for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to be suspended from the House Judiciary Committee, on which they both serve, pending the outcome of a Department of Justice (DOJ) probe reportedly investigating whether the Florida lawmaker had sexual relations with a teenager. 'Rep Matt Gaetz should be taken off the @HouseJudiciary Committee until the @TheJusticeDept investigation is completed,' Lieu tweeted shortly after news broke of the investigation on Tuesday. 'He should not be sitting on a Congressional Committee with oversight over the DOJ while the Department is investigating him,' Lieu added."

~~~ Donald's Bad Hair Day

Marshall Cohen & Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "Two US Capitol Police officers who say they were injured during the January 6 insurrection are suing ... Donald Trump for inciting the crowd. The officers -- the first police to sue in court following the riot -- say they suffered physical and emotional damages because Trump allegedly 'inflamed, encouraged, incited (and) directed' the violent mob that stormed the Capitol. Capitol Police Officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby, who have been with the force for a combined 28 years, said they were injured during the attack. Hemby 'was crushed against the doors' of the Capitol, was 'sprayed with chemicals' and bled from his face, the lawsuit says. Blassingame claims he was slammed against a stone column, injuring his head and back." ~~~

~~~ Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "The legal issues facing ... Donald J. Trump compounded on Tuesday when the highest court in New York State allowed a defamation suit from a former contestant on his reality television show 'The Apprentice' to proceed. The suit was filed by the contestant, Summer Zervos, in 2017, after Mr. Trump said that she had lied when she accused him of having groped and kissed her against her will years earlier. Mr. Trump had tried to stop the suit, arguing that as president, he was protected from legal action. Two courts had decided against him before his lawyers appealed the case to the State Court of Appeals, the highest court in New York. But before the court heard the case, Mr. Trump ceased to be president." ~~~

~~~ Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a broad non-disclosure agreement that Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign required employees to sign is unenforceable. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Gardephe's ruling generally steered clear of the constitutional issues presented by such agreements in the context of political campaigns. Instead, the judge -- an appointee of President George W. Bush -- said the sweeping, boilerplate language the campaign compelled employees to sign was so vague that the agreement was invalid under New York contract law."

Michael Dobbs of the Washington Post: "G. Gordon Liddy, the undercover operative whose bungling of the Watergate break-in triggered one of the gravest constitutional crises in American history and led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon, died March 30 at his daughter's home in Fairfax County, Va. He was 90.... A theatrical personality whose event-filled career included more twists and turns than a fictional potboiler, Mr. Liddy was at various times an FBI agent, jailbird, radio talk-show host, best-selling author, candidate for Congress, actor and promoter of gold investments." Liddy's New York Times obituary is here. The AP's obituary is here.

Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "When Simon J. Levien found [a photo of Harvard men dressed in KKK robes & hoods gathered around the statue of John Harvard on Class Day 1924] last spring, he dove into reporting that resulted in a 4,500-word feature published last week in the Harvard Crimson, culminating nearly a year of research.... The Harvard branch of the Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1921, according to university archives.... Levien said he and professors who study Harvard's history were disappointed with how little Harvard appears to have reckoned with its racism in the modern era -- especially when he considers how much of the information he pieced together was hiding in plain sight in archives, student newspaper clippings and other documents as recent as 2014."

Marie's Free Advice to All Fugitives: Do not make yourself a star of YouTube videos. ~~~

~~~ Buon Appetito! Teo Armus of the Washington Post: "Marc Feren Claude Biart was always careful to hide his face in his Italian cooking tutorials, filming the YouTube videos while laying low from police on a sandy beach in the Caribbean. But Biart, an alleged member of southern Italy's powerful 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate, had failed to obscure his tattoos on tape -- a clue authorities say they used to track down the mobster in the Dominican Republic. Biart, 53, was arrested Monday at Milan's Malpensa Airport after arriving on a flight from Santo Domingo, according to the Italian state broadcaster Rai, the latest episode in a sprawling, international effort to fight the 'Ndrangheta."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Florida. Alexander Nazaryan of Yahoo! News: "New research published earlier this month in the American Journal of Public Health argues that Florida is undercounting the number of people who died from COVID-19 by thousands of cases, casting new doubt on claims that Gov. Ron DeSantis navigated the coronavirus pandemic successfully. Conservatives have celebrated DeSantis for his handling of the pandemic, which has killed more than 30,000 residents of the state. Critics of the combative governor, meanwhile, say that many of those death would have been prevented if he had listened more diligently to health experts. DeSantis resisted lockdowns, downplayed masks and has made it increasingly difficult for localities to institute public health measures of their own. And the state could be on the cusp of a new coronavirus surge."

Beyond the Beltway

Minnesota. Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: Darnella Frazier, "the teenager who filmed the viral video of Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck. tearfully recalled Tuesday how the Black man begged for his life and the 'cold look' on the face of the White police officer accused of killing him. In deeply emotional testimony, Darnella Frazier, who was just 17 when she came across Floyd being restrained by the police, testified of the lingering anxiety and guilt she feels about Floyd's death and not doing more to intervene.... Frazier was one of several eyewitnesses called to the stand Tuesday, including four girls who were under 18 when they saw Floyd being held to the ground by Chauvin and two other officers during a May 25 police investigation into an alleged counterfeit $20 bill. The jury also heard from firefighter Genevieve Hansen, who was off-duty and came across the scene while on a walk. Hansen burst into tears as she recounted begging officers to check Floyd's pulse but being rebuffed." The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ As RAS pointed out yesterday, not much has changed in the last 30 years:

     ~~~ Marie: On the TV police procedural shows I watch, the cops sometimes beat up "suspects." But they don't do so in broad daylight on a busy street. And really, that is the most audacious part of the story: that not one, but several, cops thought it was all right to murder a Black man in the middle of the day even as they knew people were watching & videotaping the murder.

Missouri. All-White Jury Does Not Convict White Cops Who Allegedly Beat Black Undercover Cop. AP: “No convictions were returned for three white St. Louis police officers accused of beating a Black undercover colleague so severely during a protest over another officer's acquittal that he had to undergo multiple surgeries. A jury on Monday acquitted officer Steven Korte of charges of deprivation of rights under color of law and of lying to the FBI in connection to the attack on officer Luther Hall. It happened when Hall was mistaken for a protester during demonstrations that erupted after former police officer Jason Stockley, who is white, was found not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith, who was Black.... The former officer Christopher Myers also was acquitted of a deprivation of rights count but the jury could not reach a verdict on a charge of destruction of evidence against Myers for allegedly smashing Hall's cellphone. The jury also deadlocked on the deprivation of rights charge against the former officer Dustin Boone, leading the judge to declare a mistrial on counts where the jury could not agree.... The verdicts reignited criticisms that an all-white jury was picked to decide the case. 'If an undercover cop can't get justice, how will the rest of us who have been maced, shot, beaten, and brutalized ever get justice?' Tweeted Cori Bush, a Black congresswoman who represents the Missouri district that includes St Louis."

Texas. Arelis Hernández of the Washington Post: "A Texas grand jury indicted two former sheriff's deputies on manslaughter charges Tuesday related to the 2019 death of Javier Ambler, a Black man whose death in law enforcement custody was captured by a television film crew. Travis County District Attorney José Garza announced the charges against former Williamson County deputies James Johnson and Zachary Camden, who resigned earlier this year. Both men were being held on $150,000 bond and prohibited from seeking any law enforcement or security work. This is the second high-profile indictment against Texas law enforcers in March for Garza's office, which also secured first-degree murder charges against an Austin police officer in the 2020 shooting death of Michael Ramos. That was the first murder indictment ever returned against an Austin city police officer stemming from a use-of-force incident."

Way Beyond

Tom Phillips of the Guardian: "Jair Bolsonaro's crisis-stricken administration has been rocked by the sudden sacking of Brazil's defence minister [Gen Fernando Azevedo] and the subsequent resignation of the heads of all three branches of the armed forces. The commanders of the Brazilian army, navy and air force -- Gen Edson Leal Pujol, Adm Ilques Barbosa and Lt-Brig Antônio Carlos Bermudez -- met with the president's new minister on Tuesday morning and reportedly tendered their resignations during a dramatic and heated encounter. On Tuesday afternoon the defence ministry confirmed all three would be replaced, a political earthquake that rattled a country already grappling with one of the world's worst coronavirus outbreaks. The Folha de São Paulo newspaper said that never before in Brazilian history had the heads of all three branches of the military resigned out of disagreement with a president."