The Full Belmonte, 1/4/2023
McCarthy mutiny
Rep. Kevin McCarthy watches representatives vote for House speaker today. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
“House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy lost his bid for the speakership on the first round of voting today — and shortly thereafter, he lost a second ballot.
Ballots will continue until someone gets a majority of votes — but it's unclear how long that will take. The House can't start regular business until a speaker is elected.
Members of the 118th Congress can't be sworn in, the House can't set rules to govern itself, and it can't consider legislation or create committee assignments, Axios' Erin Doherty reports.
Flashback: It took two months — and 133 ballots — for the House to elect its speaker in 1856.
The last time the House needed more than one ballot to confirm a speaker was 1923.
On both ballots today, the same 19 Republicans blocked McCarthy by voting for other candidates. On the second ballot, they all voted for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
All Democrats voted for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) — the first Black person nominated to lead either chamber of Congress.
Public attention leading up to the vote had largely focused on five ‘Never Kevin’ Republicans.
The fact that 14 other Republicans emerged as ‘no’ votes — and none of them moved McCarthy's way on the second vote — underscores his profound weakness, Axios' Alayna Treene writes.” [Axios]
Impossible job of GOP leader
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) tallies votes in the House chamber yesterday. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“Here's what senior House GOP lawmakers and aides tell us behind the scenes: It's amazing anyone wants to be their leader in this era.
Why it matters: Top Republicans tell us they're stuck with four parties under one leaky roof — MAGA, ultra-MAGA, establishment, moderates — leaving them at a loss for how to organize, let alone govern. The GOP won midterms — and, with no one able to clinch the speakership, can't govern yet.
What we're hearing: The complexities of modern conservatives — and the waning power the gavel holds over members — make it a very tough time to be a Republican leader, at any level.
You need to navigate the tricky politics and touchy temperament of former President Trump.
You need to understand and speak the language of the post-Trump MAGA crowd, which is more about style than policy substance.
You need some fluency in establishment Republicanism and electability — but not so much that it anchors you to a dead past.
You need to thread the needle of old-line Fox News pugilism and the rising podcast + Twitter punchiness.
The House has 1 vacancy. Data: Axios Research; Chart: Axios Visuals
What's happening: The House staggered to adjournment last evening after House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy lost a humiliating three votes for speaker.
It's the first time in a century that no one won the speakership on the first ballot. The havoc left the House without officially sworn-in members, and with no official rules or committees.
State of play: McCarthy last night told reporters he won't drop out. Some of his strategists tell me it won't be pretty, but he'll fight to a win.
But some allies say that's become hard to see. ‘After the third ballot, the lights went out,’ said an aide who has spent months telling me McCarthy would win.
Possible alternatives: Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, Jim Jordan of Ohio or Elise Stefanik of New York.
But in this crazy chaos, it could be a reluctant or low-profile member no one's talking about.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy entertains Julianna, daughter of Rep.-elect Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), during a break in speaker votes. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Between the lines: Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell holds power — but is unpopular as hell with his own party, and an enemy of Trump and his forces.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) — who was sworn in for a second term yesterday, and has begun eclipsing Trump in 2024 primary polls — has shown the formula for navigating this mess.
It requires sky-high popularity, fundraising dominance, a winning record — and a natural feel for picking the right cultural scabs at the right moment.
But who knows if that will translate outside of Florida.” [Axios]
Sam Bankman-Fried leaves federal court in Manhattan today. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
“Disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to fraud, conspiracy, campaign-finance violations and money laundering in federal court in Manhattan today, Axios' Kia Kokalitcheva and Crystal Kim report.” [Axios]
'Truly a brutal storm' heading for California
“A ‘brutal’ storm system building over the Pacific Ocean is poised to slam across Northern California on Wednesday, battering a region already struggling from a weekend of record rains and flooding. The storm could drop as much as 8 inches of rain in some areas, falling on already overflowing rivers and saturated ground, according to the National Weather Service in San Francisco, which provided an image of what's approaching. Experts say the impacts could bring widespread flooding and power outages, among other damage.” Read more at USA Today
San Francisco Department of Public Works workers load sandbags into a car on January 03, 2023 in San Francisco, California. San Franciscans are preparing for a huge wind and rain storm that is expected to hit the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Covid-19
“A new Covid-19 variant known as XBB.1.5 has become the dominant variant in the US, causing most new coronavirus cases, data from the CDC shows. For weeks, scientists have been monitoring a rise in several Omicron subvariants, but XBB.1.5 cases have shown the greatest spike, rising from about 4% to 41% of new infections over the month of December. Scientists say the variant has features that give it the potential to drive a new surge of Covid-19 cases in the US, although it's still unclear how large that wave will be and whether it could send more people to the hospital. Many experts in the medical community are also saying that XBB.1.5 has shifted far away from earlier Covid-19 strains, and therefore has the potential to escape the protections of vaccinations and antibodies developed from past infections.” [CNN]
Abortion
“The FDA announced it will allow pharmacies to dispense the abortion medication mifepristone to patients. Mifepristone can be used along with another medication, misoprostol, to end a pregnancy. As of Tuesday, the FDA said it would no longer enforce a rule requiring people to get the first of the two drugs in person at a clinic or hospital. Certified pharmacies can instead dispense the drugs directly to someone who has a prescription. The FDA's move comes days after a new Justice Department legal opinion declared that federal law allows the US Postal Service to deliver the abortion drugs -- a move the Biden administration believes could help protect access to abortion in states that have enacted bans following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.” [CNN]
Mifepristone on a shelf at the West Alabama Women's Center in Tuscaloosa last year. Photo: Allen G. Breed/AP
Suspect in Killing of 4 Idaho Undergrads Agrees to Be Extradited
The 28-year-old Ph.D. student accused in the killings will be taken to Idaho to face four counts of murder after making a brief appearance in a Pennsylvania courtroom.
“STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The graduate criminology student accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students agreed in his first public court appearance on Tuesday to be extradited from Pennsylvania to Idaho to face murder charges.
The student, Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested in Eastern Pennsylvania on Friday and charged in the overnight killings of four students at a home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13. Mr. Kohberger had entered a Ph.D. program in criminology and criminal justice at Washington State University last summer and moved to Pullman, Wash., a 20-minute drive across the border from the scene of a crime that horrified and confounded the region.
At a news conference on Tuesday, officials provided the first detailed account of the pre-dawn arrest of Mr. Kohberger at his parents’ home in suburban Monroe County, Pa., during which officers broke down the doors and shattered windows to take him into custody.
They said they had executed search warrants to obtain Mr. Kohberger’s D.N.A. as well as to search the home and a white Hyundai Elantra that matched the description of a vehicle seen near the crime scene on the night of the killings….” Read more at New York Times
Missouri puts Amber McLaughlin to death, the first openly transgender person executed in US
“A woman inmate in Missouri died by lethal injection Tuesday, becoming the first openly transgender person executed in the United States. Amber McLaughlin, 49, was convicted of killing 45-year-old Beverly Guenther on Nov. 20, 2003. Guenther, McLaughlin's former girlfriend, was raped and stabbed to death in St. Louis County. A judge sentenced McLaughlin to death for the murder in 2006 after a jury was deadlocked on her sentence. Her fate was sealed earlier Tuesday when Missouri Gov. Mike Parson declined a clemency request. There are no known previous cases in which an openly transgender person was executed, according to the anti-execution Death Penalty Information Center.” Read more at USA Today
McLaughlin was one of the few women who have been scheduled for execution since the practice was reinstated in the U.S. in the 1970s.
Jeremy S. Weis, AP
“Russia raised the death toll in a Ukrainian rocket attack on New Year’s Day to 89, the largest such loss it’s acknowledged. It blamed soldiers’ mobile-phone use for exposing their location.” [Bloomberg]
Brazil charges George Santos
“Brazilian authorities are reopening fraud charges against newly sworn-in Rep. George Santos (R-NY).” [Vox] [New York Times / Grace Ashford and André Spigariol]
“Prosecutors say Santos used a stolen checkbook and a fake name to make purchases at a clothing store outside Rio in 2008.” [Vox] [CNN / Jack Forrest]
“Authorities attempted to charge Santos but were unable to locate him because he had moved to the US. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine if convicted in Brazil.” [Vox] [Guardian / Victoria Bekiempis]
“The latest report comes amid state and federal investigations into Santos and his finances after he admitted to making up much of his résumé.” [Vox] [The Hill / Jared Gans]
“Santos has denied any criminal wrongdoing in Brazil or elsewhere.” [Vox] [Washington Post / Gabriela Sá Pessoa, Niha Masih, and Claire Parker]
Congressman-elect George Santos of New York, looking to the side, attended the opening session of the 118th Congress in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.PHOTO: JIM LO SCALZO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Japan
“Japan is offering to pay families to move out of its overcrowded capital. Starting in April, the incentive -- equivalent to about $7,700 per child -- will be issued to families if they move from Tokyo to less-populated countryside towns, a spokesperson from the central government said. Tokyo is the country's most populous city, with roughly 37 million residents. For decades, people across Japan have migrated to its urban centers seeking job opportunities. With little space, prices have skyrocketed, while rural towns have been left with fewer residents -- as well as millions of unoccupied homes. This is not the first time the government has tried to use financial incentives to encourage people to leave, but the new plan is more generous at three times the amount currently offered.” [CNN]
US reopening visa and consular services at embassy in Cuba
By MEGAN JANETSKY
FILE - A classic American convertible car passes beside the United States embassy as Cuban flags fly at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune, a massive stage on the Malecon seaside promenade in Havana, Cuba, July 26, 2015. The United States Embassy in Cuba is opening visa and consular services on Wednesday, Jan 4, 2023. It was the first time since a spate of unexplained health incidents among diplomatic staff in 2017 slashed American presence in Havana(AP Photo/Desmond Boylan, File)
“HAVANA (AP) — The United States Embassy in Cuba is reopening visa and consular services Wednesday, the first time it has done so since a spate of unexplained health incidents among diplomatic staff in 2017 slashed the American presence in Havana.
The Embassy confirmed this week it will begin processing immigrant visas, with a priority placed on permits to reunite Cubans with family in the U.S., and others like the diversity visa lottery.
The resumption comes amid the greatest migratory flight from Cuba in decades, which has placed pressure on the Biden administration to open more legal pathways to Cubans and start a dialogue with the Cuban government, despite a historically tense relationship.
They are anticipated to give out at least 20,000 visas a year, though it’s just a drop in the bucket of the migratory tide, which is fueled by intensifying economic and political crises on the island….” Read more at AP News
“During its more than three-decade boom in Russia, McDonald’s navigated economic crises, anti-US nationalism, kleptocratic officials and international sanctions by going as native as possible. As Clint Rainey reports, that ended when Putin’s invasion of Ukraine prompted the fast-food giant to exit the market, taking with it a taste of America many Russians had yearned for since before the collapse of the Soviet Union.” [Bloomberg]
At the Moscow McDonald’s in 1991. Photographer: Chris Steele-Perkins/Magnum Photos
“Political ads | Twitter said it will relax a three-year ban on political advertising to ‘facilitate public conversation around important topics.’ In a sign of its ongoing policy shift after the takeover by Elon Musk, Twitter said it will expand the ads it permits in coming weeks and align its advertising policy with those of TV and other media outlets.” [Bloomberg]
Microsoft's Google killer
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
“Microsoft is working to incorporate OpenAI's ChatGPT technology in its Bing search engine, The Information reports.
Why it matters: Bing has been a distant second to Google for years. The hot new AI-driven chatbot could give people a fresh reason to try out the Microsoft-owned search service, Axios' Ina Fried writes.
Microsoft has already poured $1 billion into OpenAI, and has a business arrangement that gives it dibs on commercial use of various technologies.
Last year, Microsoft added image generator Dall-E 2 (another OpenAI product) to a new Designer app as well as to Bing's Image Creator tool.
Microsoft has been reselling GPT and other OpenAI technologies to large businesses.
The big picture: Industry watchers have speculated that the rise of large language models — the branch of AI that powers ChatGPT — could reshape the search industry, now dominated by Google.
Instead of providing lists of links, a ChatGPT-style search engine would answer questions directly.
That could be a boon for users — but could also undermine the business of selling paid search results.
Google has been working on similar technology, but has been slow to make it publicly available.
But CEO Sundar Pichai has personally intervened, viewing ChatGPT as a "code red" moment for the company, the N.Y. Times reports.” [Axios]
Damar Hamlin
“Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field during Monday night's game. ‘His heart had went out so they had to resuscitate him twice,’ his uncle Dorrian Glenn told CNN on Tuesday. ‘They resuscitated him on the field before they brought him to the hospital and then they resuscitated him a second time when they got him to the hospital,’ he explained. Medical experts say the next step is to get Hamlin, who is still sedated and on a ventilator, to breathe on his own. As for the Buffalo Bills team, players and coaches are emotionally distraught as they anxiously await an update on Hamlin's condition, sources say. Meanwhile, the NFL has not made any changes to this upcoming weekend's schedule, with the Bills set to host the New England Patriots on Sunday.” [CNN]
Damar Hamlin is honored in his Pittsburgh hometown last night at a Pitt-UVA basketball game. Photo: Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports via Reuters
“Cardiologists are hesitant to speculate about what happened to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. But many experts say he likely experienced commotio cordis, a rare event caused by a blow to the chest wall.
Fewer than 30 cases are reported every year, Axios Sports editor Kendall Baker writes.
If the impact happens during a ‘brief, vulnerable moment in the heart cycle, it can cause the heart to go out of rhythm and basically stop,’ Dr. Scott Jerome, a cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, says.
Most sports-related cases involve objects like baseballs and pucks, according to Jerome.
Hamlin's uncle told NFL Network last night he was still on a ventilator, but that he'd improved to 50% oxygen after needing 100%. He remains sedated and in critical condition.” [Axios]
Romeo and Juliet: Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting sue over 1968 film's 'sexual abuse'
Image caption, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey were aged 16 and 15 at the time Romeo and Juliet was filmed
By Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter
“The stars of the Oscar-winning 1968 film Romeo and Juliet are suing Paramount Pictures for sexual abuse over a nude scene they appeared in.
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey were teenagers when they made the movie.
In a new legal case, the English actors, now in their 70s, claim director Franco Zeffirelli encouraged them to do nude scenes despite previous assurances that they would not have to.
Paramount has not yet publicly responded to the claim.
The two actors are seeking damages of more than $500m (£417m), based on suffering they say they have experienced and the revenue brought in by the film since its release.
They claim Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, initially told them they would wear flesh-coloured underwear in the bedroom scene.
But on the morning of the shoot, they allege the director told them they would wear only body make-up, while assuring them the camera would be positioned to not show nudity.
Image caption, Whiting and Hussey are now aged 72 and 71 respectively
In the final film, Whiting's bare buttocks and Hussey's bare breasts were briefly shown during the scene.
Zeffirelli told them they must act in the nude "or the picture would fail" and their careers would be hurt, the pair claim in the lawsuit. The actors "believed they had no choice but to act in the nude in body makeup as demanded".
Whiting was then aged 16 and is now 72, while Hussey was 15 when the film was shot and is now 71.
The pair are suing Paramount for sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud.
The lawsuit accuses the Hollywood studio of sexually exploiting the two young actors and distributing nude images of adolescent children.
The court filing says Whiting and Hussey have suffered emotional damage and mental anguish for decades as a result of the way they were treated.
The film was a huge success at the time, and has been shown to generations of students studying the Shakespeare play since.
It was nominated for four Oscars, including best director and best picture, and won two - for cinematography and costume design.
The lawsuit was filed on Friday in Santa Monica Superior Court under a California law that has temporarily suspended the statute of limitations - which means action cannot normally be taken once a certain time has elapsed - for child sex abuse.
The suspension has led to a host of new lawsuits and the revival of many others that were previously dismissed….” Read more at BBC
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to $940M after no winner
“DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot increased to an estimated $940 million after another drawing resulted in plenty of losers but not a single grand prize winner.
The numbers drawn late Tuesday were: 25, 29, 33, 41, 44 and gold Mega Ball 18.
The next drawing is scheduled to be held Friday night.
The new $940 million jackpot is for a winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity over 29 years. Nearly all winners opt for a cash payout, which for Friday night’s drawing would be an estimated $483.5 million.
In Tuesday’s drawing, there were more than 2.9 million winning tickets of various amounts including three $4 million tickets sold in Arizona, Mississippi and South Dakota, Mega Millions said in a statement.
The lack of a winner of an estimated $785 million jackpot Tuesday means there have been 23 straight drawings without anyone taking the top prize.
The new jackpot will remain the sixth-largest jackpot in U.S. history….” Read more at AP News
“Lives Lived: The drummer Fred White was the ‘brick wall’ of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, his half brother once wrote, providing the beat on hits like ‘September’ and ‘Boogie Wonderland.’ White died at 67.” Read more at New York Times