The Full Belmonte, 1/10/2023
House Narrowly Approves Rules Amid Concerns About McCarthy’s Concessions
After initially balking at a package of changes to House rules that enshrine concessions the speaker made to ultraconservative members, Republicans united to push them through.
“WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Monday pushed through an overhaul of operating rules for the new Congress, overcoming the concerns of some rank-and-file members about concessions that Speaker Kevin McCarthy made to the hard right last week in the desperate and drawn-out process of securing his job.
Mr. McCarthy clinched the speaker’s gavel early Saturday after a historic 15 rounds of voting that stretched across five days, and after giving in to a sweeping series of demands from the ultraconservative rebels who opposed him, including allowing any single lawmaker to call a snap vote to oust him. The struggle underscored how difficult it would be for him to corral his narrow majority, and in the hours before the vote on Monday, he was already confronting his first challenge, uncertain whether he would have the votes even to approve the rules that would allow the House to begin legislative business.
In the end, a handful of holdouts dropped their opposition and supported the measure, putting aside reservations about Mr. McCarthy’s concessions, including some that they worried could lead to deep cuts in military spending.
The package passed on Monday evening in a mostly party-line vote of 220-213, with just one Republican voting ‘no.’ It includes the so-called Holman rule, which allows lawmakers to use spending bills to defund specific programs and fire federal officials or reduce their pay; makes it harder for lawmakers to raise the debt limit; and paves the way for the creation of a new select subcommittee under the Judiciary Committee focused on the ‘weaponization’ of the federal government.
Taken together, the rules increase transparency around how legislation is put together. But they could also make it difficult for the House to carry out even its most basic duties in the next two years, such as funding the government, including the military, or avoiding a catastrophic federal debt default.
‘Bills appear by dark of night; bills that nobody’s read that are thousands of pages long,’ said Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the majority leader. ‘Today starts that process — of fixing what’s broken in Washington so that Washington can finally start working for the people of this country who are struggling.’
Even as Republicans praised the legislation, the full extent of concessions Mr. McCarthy had made to appease the hard-right rebels was not yet fully known. Details were trickling out in the hours before the scheduled vote, and some lawmakers expressed doubt that they would ever know the entirety of what the speaker had privately promised.
Many of the concessions — such as allowing the party’s right wing a critical bloc of seats on the panel that decides which bills can be considered on the House floor and which amendments may be offered — were not included in the package that passed on Monday, but instead were approved in closed-door negotiations with a handshake agreement….” Read more at New York Times
Justice Department Probes to Come Under Congressional Investigation
New House subcommittee expected to put inquiries into Donald Trump under scrutiny
Rep. Jim Jordan is expected to lead the subcommittee while also serving as chair of the Judiciary Committee itself. PHOTO: ALEX BRANDON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“WASHINGTON—House Republicans are preparing for an expansive investigation into federal law enforcement, setting the stage for standoffs with the Biden administration over access to information about some of the Justice Department’s continuing criminal inquiries, including its scrutiny of former President Donald Trump.
Days after ending a drawn-out speaker election, House lawmakers are expected to vote as soon as Tuesday on a resolution creating a panel within the Judiciary Committee focused on what Republicans have termed the ‘weaponization of the federal government.’ Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican and close ally of Mr. Trump, is expected to lead the subcommittee while also serving as chair of the Judiciary Committee itself.
In anticipation of the House Republicans’ investigations, the Justice Department in recent weeks has hired at least three former Democratic staff members from the House and Senate who have oversight experience.
House Republicans have indicated that their planned investigation could examine investigations into Mr. Trump, who is facing a special counsel inquiry into his handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
The text of the resolution appears to authorize the subcommittee to subpoena the Justice Department for information about the open tax investigation into President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and perhaps other politically charged inquiries.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) previewed investigations in a victory speech early Saturday, after making concessions to a far-right bloc of his party that had opposed his leadership bid.
Mr. McCarthy signaled that the House would file subpoenas and wield its appropriations power as part of its investigations.
‘Now speaking of committees, we will hold the swamp accountable, from the withdrawal of Afghanistan to the origins of Covid to the weaponization of the FBI,’ he said. ‘Let me be very clear: We will use the power of the purse and the power of subpoena to get the job done.’
The text of the House resolution creating the committee calls for giving the panel sweeping authority to investigate how any part of the federal government collects and analyzes information about Americans, along with civil-rights issues and ‘ongoing criminal investigations.’
Any pursuit of details about a current criminal investigation is likely to face stiff pushback from the Justice Department, which has customarily resisted making such information available to Congress. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment.
Stanley Brand, who served from 1976 to 1983 as House general counsel, said House Republicans’ investigations are almost certain to lead to clashes with the Justice Department and broader Biden administration.
‘They’re going to come to blows almost immediately,’ he said.
The resolution would also grant the panel access to the same highly sensitive information that intelligence agencies make available to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which traditionally includes lawmakers that congressional leaders consider particularly trustworthy.
‘That’s a quantum expansion of the people who are going to have access to that information,’ Mr. Brand said….” Read more at Wall Street Journal
"Most potent" storm yet
Satellite image showing a powerful atmospheric river hitting California today. Image: NOAA
“Another ‘atmospheric river’ is barreling through California — bringing widespread flash flooding, river flooding, mudslides and staggeringly high mountain snowfall totals.
This is predicted to be the ‘most potent system’ yet in the parade of storms that began pummeling the state late last month.
There is no end in sight to these storms through the end of the month.
Cars are submerged in floodwater after heavy rain moved through Windsor, Calif., today. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Some mountain locations will see 6 feet of snow — and with it, an increased chance of avalanches.
An estimated 115,000 customers were without power as of this afternoon.” [Axios]
GOP House Takes First Swipe at IRS Money
First legislation from new Republican majority would rescind billions in funding for tax agency
Republicans’ House majority will give them more leverage and oversight over the Internal Revenue Service, located in Washington.PHOTO: ERIC LEE FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
“WASHINGTON—The new Republican-controlled House voted Monday to repeal tens of billions of dollars in Internal Revenue Service funding, advancing a bill that is unlikely to become law but that previews coming battles with Democrats over the tax agency’s expansion.
The bill—the first legislation advanced by the Republican majority that took over the House this past week—aims to erase a key policy priority of the Democrats, who used their control of the government to enact it last year.
Democrats, who still hold the Senate and White House, vowed Monday to block the legislation. Doing so would let the IRS keep the full $80 billion Congress gave the agency last year for a decade-long expansion focused on boosting tax enforcement.
But Republicans’ emphasis on clawing back IRS funding marks it as a top concern and demand for the House majority, one that could re-emerge when lawmakers turn to raising the debt ceiling or passing annual spending bills later this year.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith (R., Neb.), would rescind almost all of the $80 billion in IRS funding that Congress approved in August in the climate, health and tax law known as the Inflation Reduction Act.
Mr. Smith’s bill passed the House on a 221-210 vote along party lines.
Even if, as expected, the GOP bill doesn’t become law, the IRS will be under the microscope during congressional hearings. President Biden’s pick to run the agency, Danny Werfel, will soon have a confirmation hearing in the Senate. And the IRS is scheduled to release an implementation plan for the $80 billion as early as next month.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) promised during the midterm election campaign that rescinding those funds would be the party’s first agenda item in 2023, and GOP candidates ran on their opposition to a larger, more empowered IRS.
‘Our very first bill will repeal the funding for 87,000 new IRS agents,’ Mr. McCarthy said after being chosen as speaker after a 15-ballot election that was the longest since the Civil War. ‘You see, we believe government should be to help you, not go after you.’
Mr. Smith’s bill, passed after the House adopted a set of chamber rules for this Congress, would rescind all unspent money from the $80 billion with two exceptions.
A bill sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith (R., Neb.) would rescind almost all of the $80 billion in IRS funding that Congress approved in August in the Inflation Reduction Act.PHOTO: BILL CLARK/ZUMA PRESS
The IRS would keep $3.2 billion for taxpayer services, which it started using to hire thousands of customer-service representatives to answer phone calls during the coming tax-filing season. In fiscal year 2022, the agency’s level of service—a measurement of how often phones are answered—was 17.4%, below its 30% target for that year, its 75.9% level from 2018 and the 85% target for this year.
The IRS would also keep $4.8 billion for systems modernization, which the agency plans to use to update aging technology.
But tens of billions designated for enforcement, operations, the inspector general’s office, the U.S. Tax Court and the Treasury Department would be rescinded.
Nina Olson, who was the longtime national taxpayer advocate, running an independent taxpayer-service operation inside the IRS, said more money for enforcement could make audits less burdensome by ensuring that auditors have better training, technology and understanding of tax issues….” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Special Grand Jury in Georgia Trump Inquiry Concludes Its Investigation
A hearing will be held to determine whether the report will be made public. Any criminal charges would have to be brought by a regular grand jury.
By Richard Fausset and Danny Hakim
Jan. 9, 2023
“ATLANTA — Eight weeks into Donald J. Trump’s latest run for president, a special grand jury investigating Mr. Trump and his allies for possible election interference in 2020 concluded its work on Monday. But the panel’s findings remain private for now, including whether it recommended criminal charges against the former president.
The special grand jury was dissolved days after producing a report that was reviewed by the 20 judges on the Superior Court of Fulton County, which encompasses most of Atlanta. Its members were sworn in last May.
‘The court thanks the grand jurors for their dedication, professionalism and significant commitment of time and attention to this important matter,’ Judge Robert McBurney, who oversaw the panel, wrote in an order dissolving it.
A hearing will be held on Jan. 24 to determine whether the report will be made public, as the special grand jury is recommending, according to the judge’s order. Special grand juries cannot issue indictments, so any criminal charges would have to be sought from one of the regular grand juries that consider criminal matters in the county….” Read more at New York Times
Giuliani Receives Grand Jury Subpoena for Records Related to Trump
The subpoena to Rudolph W. Giuliani in November came as prosecutors have been examining the workings of former President Donald J. Trump’s fund-raising vehicle.
By Alan Feuer
“WASHINGTON — Rudolph W. Giuliani, the lawyer who oversaw former President Donald J. Trump’s legal challenges to the 2020 election, has received a grand jury subpoena for records related to his representation of Mr. Trump, including those that detailed any payments he received, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The subpoena, which was sent in November, bore the name of a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington. It predated the appointment of Jack Smith, the special counsel chosen to take over the Justice Department’s investigation of the roles that Mr. Trump and several of his aides and lawyers played in seeking to overturn the results of the election. It remained unclear, however, if Mr. Smith and his team have assumed control of the part of the inquiry related to Mr. Giuliani.
As part of its investigation, the special counsel’s office has been examining, among other things, the inner workings of Mr. Trump’s fund-raising vehicle, Save America PAC. The records subpoenaed from Mr. Giuliani could include some related to payments made by the PAC, according to the person familiar with the matter.
Several subpoenas issued in the past several months have asked for records concerning Save America PAC. The House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol also looked into Mr. Trump’s fund-raising operation during its own separate inquiry, and raised questions about whether it had duped donors through misleading appeals about election fraud….” Read more at New York Times
DOJ reviewing potentially classified docs at Biden center
By ZEKE MILLER
FILE - President Joe Biden waves before boarding Air Force One at El Paso International Airport in El Paso, Texas, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, to travel to Mexico City, Mexico. The Justice Department is reviewing a batch of potentially classified documents found in the Washington office space of President Joe Biden's former institute, the White House said Monday, Jan. 9. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is reviewing a batch of potentially classified documents found in the Washington office space of President Joe Biden’s former institute, the White House said Monday.
Special counsel to the president Richard Sauber said ‘a small number of documents with classified markings’ were discovered as Biden’s personal attorneys were clearing out the offices of the Penn Biden Center, where the president kept an office after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his 2020 presidential campaign in 2019. The documents were found on Nov. 2, 2022, in a ‘locked closet’ in the office, Sauber said.
Sauber said the attorneys immediately alerted the White House Counsel’s office, who notified the National Archives and Records Administration — which took custody of the documents the next day.
‘Since that discovery, the President’s personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in a process to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are appropriately in the possession of the Archives,’ Sauber said….” Read more at AP News
Suspect in Shootings at Homes and Offices of New Mexico Democrats Is in Custody
The authorities say that a man is being held on unrelated charges, and that a gun tied to at least one of the episodes has been recovered.
By Jesus Jiménez and April Rubin
Jan. 9, 2023
“The authorities in Albuquerque announced Monday that a suspect in the recent shootings at the homes or offices of a half-dozen Democratic elected officials was in custody on unrelated charges and that they had recovered a gun used in at least one of the shootings.
Officials did not release information on the suspect other than to say that he is a man under 50; nor would they say what the unrelated charges were.
‘We are still trying to link and see which cases are related and which cases are not related,’ Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said at a news conference on Monday afternoon.
Officials have ideas about a possible motive, Chief Medina said, but will not release details for fear of compromising the investigation.
The authorities have not definitively tied the shootings to politics or ideology.
Police officials asked the courts to seal all paperwork related to the case, Chief Medina said. He said that the authorities had numerous search warrants and were waiting for additional evidence.
No one was hurt in the shootings, four of which happened in December and two that took place this month. The shootings involved four homes, a workplace and a campaign office associated with two county commissioners, two state senators and New Mexico’s newly elected attorney general.
The police had provided details last week on five of the shootings. On Monday, they said that they were also investigating a shooting that occurred in early December and caused damage to the home of Javier Martínez, a New Mexico state representative set to become the State Legislature’s next speaker of the House.
Mr. Martínez said he had heard the gunfire in December, and recently discovered the damage after he heard of the attacks related to the other elected officials. He decided to inspect the outside of his home, KOB reported.
In addition to the Albuquerque Police Department, the New Mexico State Police and Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the shootings….” Read more at New York Times
“Jair Bolsonaro has reportedly been admitted to a US hospital with abdominal pain a day after followers of the far-right former president stormed Brazil’s capital. They demanded the military overthrow the democratic election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Now 1,500 of them have been detained.” [Bloomberg]
Security forces confront followers of Jair Bolsonaro at Brazil’s presidential palace in Brasilia on Jan. 8. Photographer: Ton Molina/AFP
“COVID-19 infections in Henan. Almost 90 percent of people in central Henan province, the third most populous province in China, have been infected with COVID-19, according to a local official. That suggests over 88 million people in Henan have been infected. However, visits to fever clinics peaked in the middle of last month, “after which it showed a continuous downward trend,” said Kan Quancheng, director of the health commission for the province.
Elsewhere in China, celebrity deaths with no stated cause have caused anger and satellite photos and video footage showed increased traffic and crowds at funeral homes, according to a Washington Postanalysis. The news comes as China reopens its borders—and as COVID-19 cases in the country surge and are expected to continue to rise as people travel to celebrate the lunar new year later this month.
Official data released last week told a different story. The Chinese government claimed that just 120,000 people have been infected and only 30 had died since China relaxed pandemic restrictions in early December.” [Foreign Policy]
Czech Court Clears Ex-Prime Minister of Fraud in E.U. Funds Case
Andrej Babis, a billionaire agriculturalist, had been accused of illegally obtaining farm subsidies for one of his properties.
By Emma Bubola and Barbora Petrova
“A Czech court on Monday cleared Andrej Babis, the billionaire former prime minister of the Czech Republic who became a symbol of how the E.U. farm subsidy program enriched the well-connected and powerful, of fraud charges in a case regarding one of his properties.
The court on Monday cleared Mr. Babis of fraudulently obtaining E.U. subsidies for the property, citing lack of evidence, just days before the first round of a presidential election in the Czech Republic in which Mr. Babis is considered a front-runner.
‘NOT GUILTY!’ Mr. Babis said on Twitter on Monday. ‘I am very happy that we have an independent judiciary and the court has confirmed what I have argued from the beginning. That I am innocent and have done nothing illegal.’
The case revolved around Mr. Babis’s use of the E.U. farm subsidy program, a pot of money worth dozens of billions that is handed out every year.
A 2019 New York Times investigation found that politicians used the money to enrich themselves and their political patrons. That did not necessarily mean they broke the law. The investigation found that Mr. Babis’s companies received $79 million in subsidies.
In the case resolved on Monday, Mr. Babis was accused of fraudulently transferring a company to his wife and children as a way of receiving subsidies.
The case is separate from an audit by the European Commission that found that as prime minister, Mr. Babis breached conflict of interest rules and influenced the allocation of E.U. subsidies to the business conglomerate he built. Mr. Babis has said that the audit was flawed.
For a decade, Mr. Babis was dogged by scandals related to Agrofert, the conglomerate he built out of companies in a range of sectors including food and agriculture. It is one of the country’s largest employers.
The case resolved Monday involved a farm in the Czech Republic known as the Stork’s Nest, which received about $2.2 million in E.U. subsidies after its ownership was transferred from Agrofert to Mr. Babis’s wife and children.
The prosecutor had said that in 2007 and 2008 Mr. Babis removed the Stork’s Nest from Agrofert to allow it to qualify for E.U. funding as a small- to medium-size business, and accused him of fraud. In 2018 the funds the company received were returned to the European Union.
The judge, Jan Sott, said on Monday that the prosecutor did not provide relevant evidence proving that Mr. Babis held shares of the Stork’s Nest. He also said “it was not proved that the acts as described by the prosecutor were criminal.” The decision can still be appealed.
In 2017, Mr. Babis placed his businesses into a trust amid accusations of conflicts of interest. The farm is now part of that trust, according to Agrofert’s website.
Mr. Babis has also been accused of purchasing a villa and other properties on the French Riviera worth more than $20 million through offshore shell companies. According to French media, he is facing an investigation in France into money laundering. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Mr. Babis, who was the finance minister between 2014 and 2017 and prime minister between 2017 and 2021, had not entered politics when he bought the French properties.
In 2019, Czechs organized large demonstrations calling for Mr. Babis’s resignation. In 2021, he was defeated in parliamentary elections.
In the presidential election set to take place on Friday and Saturday, Mr. Babis is running against Gen. Petr Pavel, a former NATO official, and Danuse Nerudova, a university professor and economist, both of whom are supported by the political coalition of Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
On Monday, Mr. Fiala said on Facebook that the court’s verdict needed to be respected.
‘The actual political fights in democracy take place during elections,” he added. “Let’s come to the polls and let’s solve our future.’” [New York Times]
“The Australian Open gives green light to infected players. Players at the Australian Open will not need to take COVID-19 tests. If they are infected, they can still play. Last year, Novak Djokavic was controversially deported over his COVID-19 status; this year, ‘We just wanted to follow what’s currently in the community,’ said tournament director Craig Tiley. Tiley added that the Australian Open had recommended that anyone who was feeling unwell should stay home.” [Foreign Policy]
“After weeks of stories foretelling the cuts, Goldman Sachs is embarking on one of its biggest rounds of firings ever as it locks in on a plan to terminate about 3,200 positions this week, with the bank’s leadership going deeper than rivals to jettison employees.” [Bloomberg]
David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
Prince Harry’s Bridge-Burner of a Memoir Signals a Bigger Royal Rift
The self-exiled royal has given the world a warts-and-all look at his family — with an emphasis on the warts.
By Mark Landler
Jan. 9, 2023
“LONDON — King Charles III has long pushed the idea of slimming down the British royal family. If his younger son’s unsparing new book is any indication, he has achieved his goal, though not in the way he intended.
The publication of Prince Harry’s memoir on Tuesday — with its scorched-earth details about his rupture with his family — seems likely to dash any near-term prospects that Harry will return to the fold by reconciling with his father; with Camilla, the queen consort; or with his older brother, Prince William.
The book, titled ‘Spare,’ paints a portrait of a hopelessly divided House of Windsor. Far from the smooth-running operation known as The Firm, it comes across as a collection of warring fiefs, where family members jockey for advantage with a complicit tabloid press, trying to buff their images by dishing dirt on one another.
With Harry and his wife, Meghan, estranged and living in Southern California; the king’s disgraced younger brother, Andrew, in internal exile following his settlement of a sexual assault lawsuit; and the death of Queen Elizabeth II last September, the family’s senior ranks have dwindled to a handful of figures….” Read more at New York Times
No. 1 Georgia bullies TCU 65-7 to win 2nd consecutive title
By RALPH D. RUSSO
“INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Stetson Bennett flashed a wry grin as he walked off the field, stopping to hug coach Kirby Smart as the crowd roared.
It was all standing ovations and sideline snacks in the fourth quarter of college football’s most lopsided title game.
In emphatic and overwhelming fashion, Georgia became the first team to repeat as College Football Playoff national champions and left no doubt the ’Dawgs are the new bullies on the block.
Bennett threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores — in the first half — as No. 1 Georgia demolished No. 3 TCU 65-7 on Monday night….” Read more at AP News
Adam Rich, Child Star on ‘Eight Is Enough,’ Dies at 54
Mr. Rich played Nicholas Bradford, the youngest son who was known for his glossy pageboy haircut, in the hit television series ‘Eight Is Enough’ in the 1970s and ’80s.
Published Jan. 8, 2023
“Adam Rich, a former child actor who starred in the hit television series ‘Eight Is Enough,’ died on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 54.
Danny Deraney, Mr. Rich’s publicist, confirmed the death. On its website, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner did not immediately list a cause.
Mr. Deraney described Mr. Rich as ‘kind, generous and a warrior in the fight against mental illness.’
Mr. Rich starred in ‘Eight Is Enough’ from 1977 to 1981. The sitcom, a comforting show about a family of eight children, aired on ABC for five seasons. He played Nicholas Bradford, the youngest son, who was known for having a glossy pageboy haircut.
The show, set in Sacramento and based on a memoir by Tom Braden, dealt with family drama such as the death of a parent, remarriage and tensions among siblings.
Adam Rich was born on Oct. 12, 1968, in Brooklyn. He studied acting at Chatsworth High School in California’s San Fernando Valley.
Mr. Rich began acting as a child and appeared in 1976 in the TV drama “The Six Million Dollar Man.” He also appeared in “The Love Boat,” “Fantasy Island,” “CHiPs,” “St. Elsewhere” and “Silver Spoons,” and in the 1980s in “Code Red” and “Dungeons and Dragons.”
Mr. Rich had sought treatment for substance abuse in the past. In 1991, he was arrested on suspicion of burglarizing a California pharmacy; the actor Dick Van Patten, who played Mr. Rich’s father in “Eight Is Enough,” bailed him out of jail, The Orlando Sentinel reported.” [New York Times]