The Full Belmonte, 1/31/2024
House Republicans are closing in on impeaching Alejandro Mayorkas
“House Republicans voted along party lines after midnight Wednesday to move toward impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The GOP-led House Homeland Security Committee in a fiery hearing on Tuesday approved two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas. They accuse him of a ‘willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law’ and a ‘breach of public trust’ over his handling of the the nation's southern border. Mayorkas argues Republicans should instead be working to secure a border deal. But why exactly do Republicans want to impeach the homeland security secretary?
•Democrats lashed out at GOP lawmakers as they pushed to impeach Mayorkas.
•Why is the president moving to the right on immigration?” [USA Today]
Biden says he has decided on response after U.S. soldiers killed in Jordan
“President Joe Biden said today he has made a decision on how to respond to the drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers at a base in northeast Jordan.
The U.S. has blamed the attack on an Iran-backed militia, and Biden said he holds Iran ‘responsible’ for supplying the weapons, but added that he doesn’t want to further escalate tensions in the region.
‘I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That’s not what I’m looking for,’ Biden told reporters at the White House, as he left for a campaign trip to Florida.
The Pentagon on Monday identified the three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers, all from Georgia, who were killed in Sunday’s attack as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23.
Biden spoke with family members of the slain soldiers this morning, and will attend the dignified transfer of their remains at Dover Air Force Base on Friday, the White House said.” [NBC News]
“The Federal Reserve has spent much of the last two years raising interest rates to fight inflation — and so far it’s worked. So when will it be time to start cutting interest rates? We could get some clues when Fed officials wrap up a two-day meeting this afternoon. NPR’s Scott Horsley tells Up First that while the Fed is likely to hold rates steady, ‘The big question is what kind of smoke signals do we get about possible rate cuts in the future?’
Horsley describes the situation as a balancing act: The Fed doesn’t want to cut rates too soon and risk rekindling inflation, or wait too long and potentially slow the economy. Fed watchers will be looking to see how much Fed Chairman Jerome Powell emphasizes the recent drop in inflation versus economic growth.
If inflation continues its downward trend, it’s possible that the Fed could cut rates at its next meeting in March. The January jobs report, due Friday, is one piece of data that could inform that decision, according to Horsley.” [NPR]
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Image
A courtroom sketch shows former President Donald Trump being questioned by Judge Arthur Engoron during the Trump Organization civil fraud trial.
Trump trial
“New York state Judge Arthur Engoron is poised to soon rule how much money former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants owe for alleged fraud as well as whether Trump can still do business in the state. Engoron has already ruled that Trump engaged in fraud and said he aiming to issue a decision on Trump's business empire by today. The trial goes to the heart of Trump's image as a successful billionaire and includes accusations of fraud regarding his Trump Tower apartment, Mar-a-Lago estate and several golf courses, among other assets. The civil lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, is seeking $370 million from Trump and the other defendants in ill-gotten gains. Engoron's ruling will also address six additional claims including conspiracy and falsifying business records.” [NPR]
Georgia prosecutor in Trump case settles divorce ahead of hearing where he probably would have been asked about alleged misconduct
“The lead prosecutor in the election interference case against former president Donald Trump and his allies settled a contentious divorce dispute Tuesday, avoiding a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning that could have included testimony about allegations of an improper relationship between him and Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis.”
Read the story at Washington Post
Trump stays on Illinois’ ballot as the election board says it lacks power to remove him over Jan. 6
“The eight-member board, composed of four Democrats and four Republicans, agreed with a recommendation from its lawyer to let Donald Trump remain on the ballot by determining it didn’t have the authority to determine whether he violated the U.S Constitution.” Read More at AP News
Mapped: Anti-DEI bills surge
Data: National Conference of State Legislatures. Map: Axios Visuals
“Proposals aimed at dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses have surged since 2021, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.
Bills have been introduced in 21 states since 2021. Nine have approved such laws.
Why it matters: The wave of anti-DEI bills in state legislatures has come amid an ongoing conservative backlash against initiatives aimed at fighting systemic racism.
Just two states — Washington and New Mexico — have passed bills since 2022 requiring higher education institutions to offer training in DEI or antiracism.” [Axios]
America's fallen
From left: Sgt. William Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Sanders and Spc. Breonna Moffett. Photos: Reuters and AP
“Three Army reservists — all from Georgia — were identified as the soldiers who died in a weekend drone strike on a base in Jordan that also wounded more than 40 others:
Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46.
Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24.
Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23.
What we're learning: U.S. forces may have mistaken an enemy drone for an American one and let it pass unchallenged onto the base — known as Tower 22, AP's Lolita Baldor, Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller write.
One of the trailers where troops slept sustained the brunt of the strike. Surrounding trailers received limited damage from the blast and flying debris.
President Biden receives the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Situation Room yesterday. Photo: Adam Schultz/The White House
What we're watching: The attack has Congress clashing fiercely over the degree of American involvement in a growing conflict in the Middle East, Axios' Andrew Solender writes.
The Biden administration has said a response is coming — and lawmakers are trying to shape what it looks like and whether it draws the U.S. fully into a regional war.” [Axios]
Behind the Curtain: A new political force
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“A new, powerful, well-funded political movement is rising fast in America: the techno-optimists, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write.
Why it matters: This group — mostly rich, white, middle-aged men with tech jobs, companies or investment funds — is building impressive, if unorganized, political muscle through social media, podcasts, new journalism projects, and political donations and activism.
Between the lines: Techno-optimism is an imperfect name for the movement. But it captures an animating spirit of an emerging ideology.
It's a general philosophy, not a political party — though some of the billionaire tech investors funding and fueling it talk privately of one day soon starting one.
An actual political party is probably fantasy: The egos are enormous, interests diverse and attention spans short.
What's happening: For now, think of it as a loose affiliation of very powerful people with big followings who share platforms, ideas, styles and beliefs.
These moguls have a social media platform: Elon Musk's X. The site has shifted from a hotbed for mainstream media groupthink in 2020, to a hotbed of tech/anti-establishment groupthink for this election. They high-five each other with retweets and X-only interviews.
They have a fairly common ideology: unfettered free speech, pro-artificial intelligence, anti-mainstream media, and deep skepticism of DEI, political correctness and elite consensus.
They have provocative philosophical manifestos, most notably investor Marc Andreessen's "The Techno-Optimist Manifesto," which declares: ‘Technology is the glory of human ambition and achievement, the spearhead of progress, and the realization of our potential.’
They have a growing media ecosystem that operates online and gets heavy engagement on X. These writers — including Matt Taibbi, Bari Weiss and Glenn Greenwald — often promote each other and get boosts on big-audience podcasts such as Joe Rogan's.
The Free Press founder Bari Weiss in L.A. last year. Photo: Francine Orr/L.A. Times via Getty Images
Weiss, founder of The Free Press, told us this ecosystem is growing by treating listeners, viewers and readers ‘like adults who can handle complexity,’ and by taking a posture on tech that's ‘more curiosity than knee-jerk criticism.’
‘We articulate the things that people talk about in private but are hesitant to openly discuss or debate in public,’ said Weiss, who's based in California.
‘We give people language to describe things that they are noticing and are maybe wary of, but don't yet have the vocabulary to explain or articulate.’
Kara Swisher — who'll be out Feb. 27 with "Burn Book," a memoir that's tough on Silicon Valley — is critical of this crowd and their taunting tactics. She chalks it up to billionaire boredom and the need to be relevant:
‘It's a false dichotomy — an if-you-are-not-with-us-you-are-against-us argument by someone who cannot think clearly anymore. You can be bullish on many new innovations and still be worried about its implications.’
But the tech bros' combined influence on politics is real — and growing.
You saw it when Ron DeSantis chose to announce his campaign not on Fox News, but on X (where he suffered a glitch-tastrophe). And he did it in an interview with David Sacks, a tech investor and co-star of the widely downloaded "All-In Podcast." Sacks has grown increasingly political on X and his podcast.
He's far from alone. Musk, Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Bill Ackman and many other techno-optimist allies are inserting themselves into the politics of everything.
Horowitz, co-founder and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, announced in a December blog post that partners at the venture capital firm will for the first time give money to support candidates who ‘align with our vision and values specifically for technology.’
Horowitz told us AI will revolutionize warfare, financial systems and consumers' daily lives. So tech — beyond the behemoths of Microsoft, Google, et al. — needs clout.
But ‘nobody represents 'little tech,' he said: ‘[T]he regulation of things like AI and crypto may seem small, but getting them right is actually existential for our nation.’
What's next: If the techno-optimists have a presidential candidate, it's RFK Jr.. But if they decide a third-party candidate isn't viable, they seem much more likely to turn to former President Trump than President Biden.
They're universally proud free-market capitalists who find Biden, 81, too old and too approving of thought- and word-policing.
The bottom line: It's not clear how many votes they can move. But tens of millions of Americans — especially white men outside of big cities — listen to, read or follow them.” [Axios]
Abortion rights
“France is on track to become the first country in the world to include abortion rights in its constitution. The French National Assembly passed a historic bill on Tuesday — with 493 lawmakers in favor and 30 against — that moves toward enshrining the right into law. The next vote will take place in the Senate in February and later in the French Congress, a special body composed of both chambers of parliament. The bill's adoption relies on a three-fifths majority vote in the latter, which is expected to happen in time for International Women's Day on March 8. The bid for constitutionalization became a priority for the French government following the overturning by the US Supreme Court of Roe v. Wade in June 2022.” [CNN]
On the Negotiating Table
An Israeli battle tank is deployed to guard a position as displaced Palestinians flee from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza on Jan. 30.Mahmud Hams/AFP
“Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh announced on Tuesday that the militant group had received a proposal for a six-week cease-fire in the war with Israel. Top Israeli, Egyptian, Qatari, and U.S. officials, including senior intelligence chiefs, formed the deal’s outline during talks in Paris this weekend. Although Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said ‘good progress’ was made during the negotiations, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that ‘significant gaps’ remain, though it did not specify what those gaps were.
Under the proposed deal, Israel and Hamas would abide by a six-week suspension of fighting to allow for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners in a multiphase swap. During the first 30-day phase, Hamas would release the remaining women, older adults, children, and wounded captives it is still holding hostage in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. It is unclear how many Israeli hostages are still alive and how many Palestinian prisoners would be released.
Hamas continues to demand a permanent cease-fire from Israel and the complete withdrawal of all Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip. Its leaders have also called on Israel to lift its nearly 17-year blockade on fuel and humanitarian goods entering the region, as well as for the reconstruction of Gaza and the release of more Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu, however, reiterated on Tuesday that Israel would not withdraw its military or free the thousands of Palestinians behind bars. ‘We will not compromise on anything less than total victory,’ he said.
The proposal must still be presented to Hamas’s military leaders, which could take some time, as Hamas’s top military officials are believed to be hiding in underground tunnels across Gaza.
While international talks focus on Gaza, the West Bank continues to face deadly raids. Israeli soldiers disguised as civilians and medical workers killed three alleged Palestinian militants at Ibn Sina Hospital in the city of Jenin on Tuesday. Israeli forces accused the men of using the medical center as a hideout and said one of them was planning an attack ‘inspired by’ Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel; however, the Palestinian Health Ministry based in Ramallah condemned Israel’s decision to storm a civilian hospital. A hospital spokesperson said there was no exchange of gunfire reported, suggesting that Israel conducted a targeted raid.” [Foreign Policy]
Israeli undercover forces dressed as women and medics storm West Bank hospital, killing 3 militants
“Israeli forces disguised as civilian women and medics stormed a hospital Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, killing three Palestinian militants in a dramatic raid that underscored how deadly violence has spilled into the territory from the war in Gaza.” Read More at Washington Post
“Cypher conviction. A Pakistani court sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for releasing state secrets. Known as the “cypher case,” Khan was accused of leaking an encrypted diplomatic cable in March 2022 in an effort to prove that his parliament’s no-confidence vote against him was part of a conspiracy to remove him from office. All parties accused of fomenting Khan’s ouster, including the nation’s military and the United States, denied involvement. Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for the same charges.
This is Khan’s harshest sentencing yet and comes just days before Pakistan holds general elections. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party called the trial a ‘sham’ and said it planned to appeal the decision. However, Khan is still barred from running in the Feb. 8 election regardless because in August 2023, he was convicted of corruption and sentenced to three years in jail.” [Foreign Policy]
“Targeting fentanyl. U.S. and Chinese officials convened in Beijing on Tuesday for their first joint working group on fentanyl trafficking and manufacturing. The potent opioid’s key ingredients are made in China, among other places, and addiction to it has devastated hundreds of thousands of people’s lives in the United States and elsewhere. More than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 80,000 of which involved opioids.
This week’s two-day talks are one of the first indications of bilateral cooperation between Beijing and Washington since Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to prioritize countering narcotrafficking during a November 2023 summit in San Francisco. The United States has accused China of being ‘the main source for all fentanyl-related substances trafficked into the United States’ and, through sanctions, has urged Chinese authorities to crack down on the production of the drug’s chemical precursors. Beijing denies any culpability in the United States’ drug crisis.” [Foreign Policy]
“Broken promises. The U.S. State Department announced on Tuesday that it will not renew some of its sanctions relief on Venezuela’s oil and gas sector unless the country adheres to previously agreed upon measures of ‘political progress.’ The warning was issued after Venezuela’s highest court upheld a decision last Friday barring opposition leader María Corina Machado from running for office for 15 years. The U.S. exemptions are set to expire on April 18.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s actions are ‘inconsistent’ with the reform package that Maduro and the U.S.-backed opposition Unity Platform signed in Barbados last October, Washington said. The United States had agreed to loosen its sanctions on Venezuela if Maduro adhered to the Barbados summit’s groundwork for a free and fair election. But the State Department said continued political arrests and legal action against opposition candidates violate that agreement. Venezuela is set to hold presidential elections this year.” [Foreign Policy]
“You won’t find Prince Charming in one of the 130 poisonous frogs discovered in a Brazilian woman’s luggage on Monday. Colombian police confiscated the dehydrated and stressed amphibians at a Bogotá airport and charged the traveler with wildlife trafficking. The suspect, however, claims the frogs were a gift from a southern Colombian community. According to Bogotá Environment Secretary Adriana Soto, possession of just one of these frogs could result in a $14,300 fine.” [Foreign Policy]
China's shadow diplomats
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
A shadowy and obscure bureau in the Chinese Communist Party is rapidly asserting dominance over China's foreign policy, Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian writes.
Why it matters: In the long run, it could reshape international relations to favor Beijing.
The office that manages relations with political parties in other countries — known as the International Department — is taking center stage. Its current chief, Liu Jianchao, is likely to become the country's next foreign minister.
Diplomacy led by the party — as opposed to the Foreign Ministry — gives Beijing a powerful and largely unscrutinized backchannel with political power brokers in other countries.
A judge ordered Tesla to undo Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package.
“Why? Because it was unfair, a Delaware court ruled yesterday. Shareholders sued Musk over the 2018 compensation plan, which helped make Musk the world’s richest person.
Zooming out: This comes at a tense time for the Tesla CEO, who sold billions’ worth of stock to fund his purchase of Twitter and is asking for more control of automaker Tesla.”
Read this story at Washington Post
An exploration company said it may have found Amelia Earhart’s plane.
A sonar image of the discovered plane. (Deep Sea Vision/AFP/Getty Images)
“A decades-old mystery: Earhart, a trailblazing pilot, disappeared during an attempt to fly around the world in 1937. Ever since, people have been searching for her plane.
What’s new? A plane similar in size to Earhart’s was found deep in the Pacific Ocean, the company said last week. But a lot more evidence is needed to confirm the discovery.”
Read this story at Washington Post
The spiral galaxy NGC 1512 is 30 million light-years away in the constellation Horologium, per NASA. Photo: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford) and the PHANGS team
“NASA and partner space agencies have released a ‘treasure trove’ of images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, featuring 19 nearby spiral galaxies.
Why it matters: Scientists are studying the images, and their analysis will ‘advance our understanding of star formation and the evolution of spiral galaxies,’ per a statement from the European Space Agency.” [Axios]
Webb Telescope's view face-on of spiral galaxy NGC 4254. Photo: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford) and the PHANGS team
The US hasn't seen syphilis numbers this high since 1950
“Infectious syphilis cases in the U.S. rose by 9% in 2022. That's according to a new federal government report on sexually transmitted diseases in adults.” Read More at AP News
The NFL concussion settlement promised payouts to ailing former players. Hundreds have been denied, including many with CTE.
“The decade-old settlement resolved hundreds of lawsuits accusing the league of deceiving players about the dangers of football. But strict guidelines, aggressive reviews and a languishing doctors network have led to denials for hundreds of former players diagnosed with dementia, including many who died with CTE, The Washington Post found.”
Read more at Washington Post
SPORTS
“College football: The N.C.A.A. is investigating the University of Tennessee over claims of recruiting violations, including whether boosters funded a private jet flight.” [New York Times]
“M.L.B.: The Angelos family agreed to sell the Baltimore Orioles to two private equity billionaires, pending the league’s approval, a source told The Athletic.” [New York Times]
US rightwing conspiracy theory touts Taylor Swift as ‘Pentagon asset’
Far-right influencers make absurd claim singer an ‘election psyop’ to ‘manipulate’ voters after ‘rigged’ Super Bowl favors Chiefs
“Taylor Swift is a ‘Pentagon asset,’ an ‘election interference psyop’ who, with unnamed left-leaning forces, has conspired to ‘rig’ the Super Bowl and then endorse Joe Biden in the presidential election.
That’s according to a raft of influential rightwing figures, who have begun to spread a conspiracy theory that Swift, a pop star, is part of a nefarious plot ahead of November’s presidential election.
Swift has found herself at the center of the rightwing commentariat’s attention in recent weeks after intense media focus on her relationship with Travis Kelce, a star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs football team.
She has been in the crowd as the Chiefs have progressed through the NFL playoffs: on Sunday, the team won the AFC Championship game, and will play in the Super Bowl on 11 February. The attention their romance has received has led to a number conspiracy theories.
‘I think – and I’ve said this, I’ve taken a lot of crap for this online – I think they’re using Taylor Swift right now,” Jack Posobiec, an influential rightwing conspiracy theorist, said in a video posted on Truth Social on Monday.
‘They’re gearing up for an operation to use Taylor Swift in the election against everything: against Trump, for Biden, they’re gonna get her and all you know they call them the Swifties they’re going to turn those into voters, you watch.’
Posobiec did not elaborate on who ‘they’ are, but Roseanne Barr, the rightwing former actor who, for unexplained reasons, was also in the video, agreed.
‘I think that’s what they’re doing too, she’s definitely somebody who’s consented to speak the way the establishment wants to be spoken of,’ Barr said.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a failed Republican presidential candidate and keen spreader of misinformation, had added his thoughts on Sunday.
‘I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month,’ Ramaswamy posted on X, in a reply to a post from Posobiec, who a Southern Poverty Law Center investigation found had ‘collaborated with white supremacists, neo-fascists and antisemites for years.’
Ramaswamy added: ‘And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall. Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months.’
Early in her career, Swift, 34, avoided discussing Democrats or Republicans, but she has become more political in recent years. In 2018, she supported Democratic candidates in Tennessee, where she spent some of her childhood. In the 2020 election, she endorsed Joe Biden and vowed to then president Donald Trump on X that ‘we will vote you out.’ Her fame and influence has only grown in the past four years, which appears to have the rightwing worried ahead of what is expected to be a close Biden-Trump contest….” Read more at The Guardian
Chita Rivera, the singer and actress who leapt to stardom in Broadway’s production of “West Side Story,” has died at 91.
Chita Rivera, left, and Gwen Verdon in the musical “Chicago” in 1975. (AP)
“Appearing in scores of stage productions, she dazzled audiences for nearly six decades, most memorably starring as Anita in “West Side Story” and Velma Kelly in “Chicago.””
Read more at New York Times
N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer Prize winner and giant of Native American literature, dead at 89
“N. Scott Momaday, a Pulitzer Prize-winning storyteller, poet, educator and folklorist whose debut novel “House Made of Dawn” is widely credited as the starting point for contemporary Native American literature, has died.” Read More at AP News
“Jean Carnahan, who in 2001 became the first woman to represent Missouri in the Senate, died at 90.” [New York Times]