The Full Belmonte, 10/26/2023
Police respond to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
At least 16 dead in Maine mass killing. Police hunt for the shooter as residents take shelter
“A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents were told to shelter in place or seek safety. Read more.
Recent developments:
Two law enforcement officials told the AP that dozens of people were wounded, and the death toll was expected to rise. However, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck declined to provide a specific estimate, calling it a ‘fluid situation.’
An order for residents and business owners to stay inside and off the streets of Lewiston was extended Wednesday night to cover the town of Lisbon, about 8 miles away, after a ‘vehicle of interest’ was found there, authorities said.
Wednesday’s death toll was staggering for a state that had 29 homicides in all of 2022. Maine doesn’t require permits to carry guns, and the state has a longstanding culture of gun ownership that is tied to traditions of hunting and sport shooting. Recent attempts by gun control advocates to tighten the state’s gun laws failed.” [AP News]
A woman is hugged by a man at a reunification center at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
Derek Davis, AP
Israeli troops launch brief ground raid into Gaza ahead of expected wider incursion
“After conducting more than two weeks of devastating air raids, Israeli troops and tanks began striking several militant targets to ‘prepare the battlefield’ ahead of a widely expected ground invasion. Read more.
Recent developments:
The raid came after the U.N. warned it is on the verge of running out of fuel in the Gaza Strip, forcing it to sharply curtail relief efforts in the territory, which has been sealed off since Hamas’ bloody rampage across southern Israel.
The rising death tolls in Gaza are unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war is now the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. Even greater loss of life could come if Israel launches a ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas. The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 6,500 Palestinians have been killed in the war. Over 1,400 people in Israel have been killed since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.” [AP News]
House Republicans elect Mike Johnson as speaker
“House Republicans elected little-known Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson as speaker on the first ballot this afternoon, ending the chaos that has left the chamber without a leader for more than three weeks.
Johnson was the fourth Republican nominated for the job, following Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, and Tom Emmer, who dropped out Tuesday just hours after he was nominated.
Every Republican present voted for Johnson, a staunch conservative, putting an end to the internal battle that erupted on Oct. 3, when Kevin McCarthy became the first speaker in U.S. history to be voted out.
Johnson played a key role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and received the backing of former President Donald Trump this morning.
Here are five things to know about the new speaker.” [NBC News]
New US House speaker tried to help overturn the 2020 election, raising concerns about the next one
“Mike Johnson, the Louisiana congressman who was elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, took the lead in filing a brief in a lawsuit that sought to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 win. Johnson’s selection has raised concerns about how a speaker who supported Donald Trump’s last effort to stay in power could be well-positioned to do so again if the former president is the GOP nominee and loses the 2024 presidential election. Read more.
Why this matters:
After the 2020 election, Johnson echoed some of the wilder conspiracy theories pushed by Trump to explain away his loss. He then voted against certifying Biden’s win even after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Trump’s supporters in trying to overturn the election have not fared well with voters since the assault on the Capitol. Instead, they have excelled at winning internal Republican contests and taking control of some state parties. Now they also have claimed one of the nation’s most powerful political positions.
Johnson’s role three years ago is relevant now not only because the U.S. Constitution puts the speaker second in the line of presidential succession after the vice president. The House now led by Johnson will also have to certify the winner of the upcoming presidential election.” [AP News]
“A Donald Trump-approved far-right Republican from Louisiana is now second in line to the presidency. Representative Mike Johnson, an opponent of reproductive rights and same-sex marriage who helped lead members of his party in seeking to reverse the election of President Joe Biden, was elected by the razor-thin GOP majority to be Speaker of the House. His job new job could give him even more power over Congress’ role in certifying the results of the 2024 contest. Johnson’s western Louisiana district is largely rural and among the poorest in the nation. Here’s what you need to know.” [Bloomberg]
Representative Mike Johnson Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg
Trump called to witness stand, fined $10,000 for violating gag order
“Former President Donald Trump was called to the witness stand today by the judge in his $250 million fraud trial, and fined $10,000 for violating a gag order barring him from disparaging court staffers.
Judge Arthur Engoron called Trump to testify under oath about remarks he made earlier in the hallway, when he told reporters that a ‘very partisan’ person was sitting next to the judge in the courtroom.
Engoron indicated he believed Trump was talking about his law clerk, whom Trump has previously attacked on social media.
Trump said he was referring to Michael Cohen, his former fixer-turned-foe, who is testifying at the trial for a second day. Engoron said he found Trump's testimony ‘not credible,’ then handed down the $10,000 fine, and warned him, ‘Don’t do it again or it will be worse.’
A short time later, after the judge denied a motion from Trump’s lawyer, the former president got up from his seat and stormed out of the courtroom, prompting his Secret Service detail to hurry after him.” [NBC News]
Gaza hospitals on the brink of collapse as hostage talks progress
“Gaza’s health system is at a breaking point, with some hospitals running out of fuel and no longer functioning, while they are overwhelmed with wounded patients and civilians taking shelter from Israel’s continued airstrikes.
The U.N. has warned it will be forced to halt its humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza, unless fuel supplies are allowed into the Hamas-controlled territory. Israel has let some aid to enter Gaza from Egypt, but is blocking fuel deliveries.
More than 2 million people live within Gaza’s roughly 140 square miles. Nearly 600,000 have been internally displaced, and are sheltering in 150 U.N. facilities that are four times over capacity, the agency said today.
U.N. Secretary General António Guterres on Tuesday called for a cease-fire to allow more aid into Gaza, but he angered Israeli officials when he said the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks ‘did not happen in a vacuum’ and said they ‘cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.’
Israel has called for Guterres to resign over his comments. Guterres today denied accusations that he was justifying the Hamas attacks, saying he was ‘shocked by the misrepresentations’ of his statement.
The death toll in Gaza has now climbed to more than 6,500, Palestinian health officials said. In Israel, 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attacks, officials there have said.
An estimated 220 hostages are still being held by Hamas. Officials in Qatar, who are mediating hostage talks, say that ‘some progress’ has been made, and they are hopeful of a breakthrough soon.” [NBC News]
‘Nightmare’ Hurricane Otis slams Mexico as Category 5 storm
“Hurricane Otis has taken many by surprise after it ‘explosively intensified’ from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just 24 hours, in what the National Hurricane Center called a ‘nightmare scenario’ for Southern Mexico.
Otis is now one of the fiercest hurricanes to hit the region, making landfall overnight near the resort city of Acapulco, after it rapidly strengthened by about 115 mph in a single day, the NHC said.
Video shows powerful winds as Otis roared ashore and ripped through hotels in the popular tourist destination.
The only storm on record to intensify faster than Otis was Hurricane Patricia back in 2015, the NHC said.” [NBC News]
Clarence Thomas Didn’t Fully Repay $267,230 Loan for Luxury Motor Home, Senate Report Says
Senate panel wants to know if the justice paid taxes on portion of loan that it says was forgiven
Justice Clarence Thomas hasn’t disclosed his tax returns, so it isn’t publicly known whether he reported any income related to the vehicle. PHOTO: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS
“WASHINGTON—Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas didn’t report on required financial disclosure forms that a friend forgave some or all of a $267,230 loan, according to a report released Wednesday by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden.
‘The new evidence obtained by the Committee raises a number of potentially serious tax questions for Justice Thomas,’ said the report prepared by the committee’s Democratic staff.
Thomas and his wife Virginia borrowed the money from Anthony Welters, a longtime friend who with Thomas came up in the Black conservative movement, to purchase a luxury motor coach in 1999, according to the report.
‘This is a $267,000 transaction that has been kept secret for decades. Finance Committee members are finding out the details at the same time as everyone else,’ said Wyden (D., Ore.). ‘Justice Thomas should inform the committee whether he reported this forgiven loan on his tax returns and paid all income taxes owed.’
Thomas’s lawyer, Elliot Berke, disputed Wyden’s report.
‘The loan was never forgiven. Any suggestion to the contrary is false. The Thomases made all payments to Mr. Welters on a regular basis until the terms of the agreement were satisfied in full,’ Berke said.
The report is the latest disclosure that adds to the scrutiny faced by Thomas for accepting free trips and other financial dealings with conservative billionaires. He has vigorously defended not disclosing those matters in past years, saying omissions were due to inadvertent mistakes or legal guidance then in effect.
Wyden released a four-page report on documents turned over by Welters, who made a fortune in the healthcare industry and later became a director of the Carlyle Group investment firm. The report says that documents indicate that Welters forgave the principal of the loan in 2008 after Thomas made at least one annual interest payment of $20,042.….” Read more at Wall Street Journal
UAW and Ford announce tentative deal to end strike, raise autoworkers’ pay by more than 25 percent
“If ratified by a majority of Ford’s union members, the tentative contract agreement would end the United Auto Workers walkout against that company, though strikes continue at General Motors and Stellantis. The Ford deal would include a 25 percent wage increase over the life of the contract, plus cost-of-living adjustments to wages that would boost the total pay hike to roughly 30 percent over the life of the contract.”
Read more at Washington Post
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried will testify at his criminal trial, likely tomorrow and Friday.
“Many legal observers see his defense team’s announcement as a Hail Mary attempt to persuade jurors that he never intended to defraud the crypto exchange’s customers out of billions of dollars. Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to seven criminal counts, including fraud and money laundering. Typically, criminal-defense attorneys advise clients not to take the stand to avoid cross examination. Over three weeks, witnesses painted a picture of Bankman-Fried as a dismissive, image-obsessed boss who doctored balance sheets and lied to the public.” [Wall Street Journal]
Mark Meadows gets immunity
Michael Cohen, former President Trump's fixer-turned-foe, looks toward his former boss during questioning yesterday at Trump's civil fraud trial in Manhattan. Courtroom sketch: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters
“Mark Meadows, former President Trump's final chief of staff in the White House, was granted immunity to testify under oath by special counsel Jack Smith, ABC News reports.
Why it matters: Meadows told Smith's team ‘that he repeatedly told Trump in the weeks after the 2020 election that allegations of significant voting fraud ... were baseless,’ and that Trump had been ‘dishonest’ with his quick claim of victory right after polls closed, ABC says.” [Axios]
“Legal abortions in the U.S. rose slightly in the year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, driven by increases in states where abortion remained legal.” [New York Times]
“The Senate confirmed Michael Whitaker to run the Federal Aviation Administration, which had lacked a permanent leader for more than 18 months.” [New York Times]
“The estranged son of Nashville’s police chief was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot, his mother said, after he was accused of shooting two officers during a traffic stop.” [NBC News]
Scholastic apologizes, reverses decision siloing books on race, LGBTQ topics
Scholastic's book fairs became embroiled in controversy over a decision to separate books discussing LGBTQ themes and race into a special collection this fall.
USA TODAY
“The president of the children’s book publisher Scholastic has apologized and reversed the company’s decision to separate books discussing LGBTQ themes and race into a special collection this fall.
The ‘Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice’ collection will be discontinued in January, Scholastic president Ellie Berger wrote in a letter to authors and illustrators posted to social media on Tuesday by author Vicky Fang.
In the letter, Berger stressed Scholastic's good intentions but acknowledged it was a mistake to segregate diverse books. The books come in a separate case that elementary schools can include in − or exclude from − their fall book fairs. A representative for children's book author Juana Martinez-Neal, the recipient of a Caldecott Honor, confirmed her literary agency, Full Circle Literary, also received a copy of Berger's letter.
The decision, which Scholastic said originally was made to protect school employees from liability in states or districts that have enacted book restrictions, drew intense ire from some bestselling authors and librarians last week. Many pointed to the decision as evidence of a beloved American tradition falling victim to culture-war battles.
‘This fall, we made changes in our U.S. elementary school fairs out of concern for our Book Fair hosts,’ Scholastic said in a statement to USA TODAY. ‘In doing this, we offered a collection of books to supplement the diverse collection of titles already available at the Scholastic Book Fair. We understand now that the separate nature of the collection has caused confusion and feelings of exclusion. We are working across Scholastic to find a better way.’….” [USA Today]
Support jumps for political violence
Data: Public Religion Research Institute. Chart: Tory Lysik/Axios Visuals
“Nearly a quarter of Americans agree that ‘patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country’ — the most in the nearly three years the question has been asked since Donald Trump's presidency, Axios' Russell Contreras writes from a new survey.
Why it matters: The wide-ranging survey by Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the Brookings Institution sheds light on the religious, racial and political differences that are shaping America's increasingly tense politics.
The report found there's one thing the vast majority of Americans agree on: People across the political spectrum — 75% of all Americans — agree that American democracy is at risk in the 2024 presidential election.
Democrats (84%) are the most likely to agree that the future of American democracy is at risk. 77% of Republicans and 73% of independents agree.
By the numbers: The survey found that 23% of Americans agree that ‘because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.’
One-third of Republicans believe ‘patriots’ may have to resort to violence to ‘save the country,’ compared with 22% of independents and 13% of Democrats.” [Axios]
Hamas Fighters Trained in Iran Before Oct. 7 Attacks
Roughly 500 Palestinian militants got specialized combat instruction at Iranian facilities as recently as September
A Hamas fighter in the Gaza Strip this summer.
A Hamas fighter in the Gaza Strip this summer. YOUSEF MASOUD/SOPA/ZUMA PRESS
“TEL AVIV—In the weeks leading up to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, hundreds of the Palestinian Islamist militant group’s fighters received specialized combat training in Iran, according to people familiar with intelligence related to the assault.
Roughly 500 militants from Hamas and an allied group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, participated in the exercises in September, which were led by officers of the Quds Force, the foreign-operations arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the people said.
Senior Palestinian officials and Iranian Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani, the head of Quds Force, also attended, they said.
More than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed Oct. 7 by Hamas fighters who poured across the border from the Gaza Strip. Scores of others were kidnapped and taken back to Gaza, where they are being held hostage….” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“One year ago, President Xi Jinping was embarking on the first week of a precedent-defying third term that many analysts saw as a stability booster, as power coalesced around his loyalist team.
The abrupt ouster of Xi’s defense minister this week is the latest example of how, from personnel shocks to an economic slump, the Chinese leader’s extended rule hasn’t been as smooth as predicted.
Li Shangfu’s removal after seven months made him the shortest-serving defense minister in China’s history — matching the unenviable record set by Qin Gang when he was ousted as foreign minister in July.
Xi has also removed the top generals overseeing China’s secretive nuclear arsenal, while the military has launched a corruption probe into the hardware procurement division going back more than five years, suggesting more purges ahead.
The dismissals come as Xi makes rare economic moves. China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong yesterday publicly visited the nation’s central bank for the first time since taking power in 2012.
That was seen as a telling symbol of the attention he is paying to China’s economy, as it battles a grinding property crisis, a crunch in local government debt and the lingering threat of deflation.
On the same day, China increased its headline fiscal deficit to the largest in three decades and unveiled 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) in additional sovereign debt that marked a shift from its traditional growth model.
That slowdown in growth has broader consequences: China is no longer set to eclipse the US as the world’s biggest economy anytime soon.
As Xi’s rivalry with the US continues to dominate his foreign policy, that only adds to the Chinese leader’s long list of problems. “— Jenni Marsh [Bloomberg]
WATCH: Bloomberg Originals look at why China’s slowdown could send ripples around the world. Source: Bloomberg
“Diplomatic efforts continued to avert a wider Middle East conflagration, with US President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussing the Israel-Hamas war and more European leaders visiting the region. At the same time, the head of the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah met with senior members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Lebanon and focused on ‘what the resistance axis must do at this sensitive stage.’” [Bloomberg]
“Ukraine’s military has formed a battalion of soldiers composed entirely of Russian citizens who want to fight against President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. As Daryna Krasnolutska reports, the 60-strong Sibir (Siberia) battalion includes Russians and people from ethnic minorities including Yakuts and Buryats in eastern Siberia who said they wanted independence from Moscow and viewed a Ukrainian victory as a step toward that goal.” [Bloomberg]
Sibir Battalion members participate in military exercises. Photographer: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg
“Poland’s Donald Tusk will meet European Union leaders in Brussels this week as the likely new prime minister moves to rebuild the nation’s frayed relationship with the bloc and unlock more than €35 billion ($37 billion) in financial aid. While it may be weeks until Tusk forms a government, the former European Council chief will meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today before EU leaders gather for a summit.” [Bloomberg]
“President Joko Widodo’s son was named as a running mate by one of three frontrunners vying to become Indonesia’s next leader in Feb. 14 elections. The winner will need to manage the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation’s resources, balance competing US and Chinese interests and decide whether to continue with the construction of a new capital in Borneo.” [Bloomberg]
“Japan’s Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot require transgender people to undergo surgery in order to change their legal gender, a decision that brings the country in line with many other advanced democracies.” [Bloomberg]
Michigan State investigation finds Mel Tucker sexually harassed rape survivor
“Former Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker has been found responsible for violating the school's sexual harassment policy – a huge victory for the woman who accused him, prominent rape survivor and activist Brenda Tracy − and a permanent stain on the reputation of one of the nation’s highest-paid coaches. The finding of fault against Tucker comes 10 months after Tracy filed a complaint with the university's Title IX office. Michigan State suspended Tucker on Sept. 10, hours after Tracy went public with her allegations in a USA TODAY investigation, and fired him two weeks later.” Read more at USA Today