The Full Belmonte, 1/6/2024
THE LATEST NEWS
President Biden spoke in Blue Bell, Pa., yesterday. Pete Marovich for The New York Times
“‘Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time,’ President Biden said in a speech marking the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, harshly criticizing Donald Trump.
The Supreme Court will rule on whether Trump is eligible to appear on Colorado’s primary ballot. The case will be argued in early February, and the court is likely to decide it quickly.
The Supreme Court also temporarily revived Idaho’s near-total ban on abortions and agreed to review a Biden administration challenge to the law.
Alaska Airlines grounded its Boeing 737 Max 9 fleet for inspections after a midair problem that passengers said opened a hole in a plane’s fuselage.
Wayne LaPierre, who led the National Rifle Association for more than three decades, announced his resignation ahead of a corruption trial.
The U.S. economy added 216,000 jobs last month, a sign that growth remains strong.
Israel’s defense minister floated a plan in which a ‘multinational task force’ would help Gaza rebuild after the war. A far-right minister criticized it, exposing divisions in the country’s government.
A strong winter storm will drop the first significant snow of the season across parts of the Northeast this weekend.” [New York Times]
Supreme Court will take up Trump’s eligibility to hold office
“Stepping into a political minefield, the Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether states have the power to knock Donald Trump off the ballot in the looming presidential contest over his role in stoking the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and trying to upend the 2020 election results.
In a brief order Friday, the high court indicated it will review a Colorado Supreme Court decision that concluded Trump is ineligible to run under a provision of the 14th Amendment that strips insurrectionists of the ability to hold U.S. government posts.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Supreme Court to decide if federal law requires ER doctors to provide some abortions, even in states that ban the procedure
“The Supreme Court said Friday it will review a case challenging Idaho’s strict abortion ban, which the Biden administration says conflicts with federal law requiring emergency room doctors to perform the procedure under certain circumstances when the mother's life may be endangered.”
Read the story at Washington Post
Jan. 6 anniversary falls as experts sound alarm over risks to American democracy
“The third anniversary of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol comes as experts are sounding the alarm over the state of American democracy as the country enters an election year divided over the significance of the day.
The violent rampage led to multiple deaths, the ransacking of the Capitol, the prosecution of former President Trump and a wave of shock as the public watched the images emerging from the building.”
Read the full story here at The Hill
Biden gives full-throated attack on Trump over Jan. 6
“President Biden on Friday gave his first major general election speech — one that delivered a furious attack on his likely GOP opponent, former President Trump, and a stark warning that Trump’s reelection would post a threat to American democracy.
Biden, speaking near Valley Forge, Pa., a significant symbol of the American Revolution, zeroed in on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol to drive home his argument that Trump and his Republican supporters have embraced the kind of extremism that was on display that day three years ago.”
Read the full story here at The Hill
Trump accuses Biden of ‘fearmongering’ with Jan. 6 speech
“Former President Trump on Friday accused President Biden of ‘fearmongering’ with a speech earlier in the day in which Biden described Trump as a clear threat to democracy who could not be trusted with a second term.
Trump, in remarks to supporters in Sioux Center, Iowa, called Biden’s speech in Valley Forge, Pa., a ‘pathetic fearmongering campaign event’ and suggested Biden was only attacking him on the issue of democracy because he could not run on other issues.”
Read the full story here at The Hill
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a town hall on Dec. 19, 2023 in Bedford, New Hampshire. | Sophie Park/Getty Images
“TICK, TOCK — Chris Christie has a dilemma. And less than 20 days to figure it out.
The New Hampshire primary is just weeks away, leaving the low-polling New Jerseyan with just 18 days to make a tough decision: end his presidential bid and boost Nikki Haley’s effort to defeat Donald Trump, or stay in the race and risk splintering the vote against the former president he says is a threat to democracy.
The former New Jersey governor has anchored his campaign around ‘telling the truth’ and attacking Trump. And he’s bet everything on a strong showing in New Hampshire.
But, truth be told, Christie remains stuck in low digits in most New Hampshire polls. He simply hasn’t moved the dial. Haley, meanwhile, is the only candidate within striking distance of Trump. Her support in the state continues to grow and she is propelled by the endorsement of New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu.
Christie, the most vocal anti-Trump candidate in the race and the one who has most aggressively prosecuted the case against renominating him, now stands as the biggest obstacle to the consolidation of the vote against the former president.
‘Chris has an opportunity to be the hero here,’ Sununu said on CNN on Wednesday. ‘Help deliver Trump that loss in New Hampshire that we all know is very possible.’
He added, ‘We just don’t want his five or six percent, which isn’t really going to go much higher than that, to be the difference maker [that stops Haley from winning].’
During town halls before the holidays, voters called on Christie to drop out of the race. But he hasn’t shown any signs he’s willing to do that. He recently said anyone who thinks he would exit the race is ‘crazy.’
The Christie conundrum loomed over his town hall in Hollis, New Hampshire, on Thursday night. The event had a large turnout of 250-300 people, a considerable bump up from the typical 100-200 number. But the evening before, Haley spoke to 700 attendees in the same region.
And with Haley surging, the jabs that Christie had previously aimed towards Trump were now directed toward the former U.N. ambassador. He highlighted how Haley said she would pardon Trump, and how she hasn’t ruled out accepting an offer to become Trump’s vice president.
Christie closed out his town hall by cautioning that polls can’t always be trusted. ‘Even if the polls right now are accurate,’ he added, ‘it doesn’t mean they’re gonna be accurate on January 23.’
He’s not wrong. And it’s not unreasonable to want to remain in the race in the only state he’s concentrated on. Haley herself hasn’t helped her own cause recently with several high-profile gaffes.
But he’s hurtling toward a moment of reckoning, a point-of-no-return in which he must make a decision that could very well determine the fate of the nomination fight.
‘I don’t want Trump to be the candidate,’ said Reva Beste, an undeclared voter from Nashua who said she is now weighing between Christie and Haley. ‘I would like New Hampshire to come through and show that there are other candidates out there that would be better.’
Christie has argued that his voters won’t go to Haley if he drops out of the race, but polls suggest otherwise. A CBS survey last month found that 75 percent of Christie supporters were also considering Haley, while only 9 percent were considering Trump.
One of Christie’s voters is Gretchen Uhas of Lyndeborough, who changed her registration from Democrat to undeclared to vote for Christie in the GOP primary. But if Christie were to drop, she said she would vote for Haley if it meant helping her beat Trump in the primary.
‘But only if Christie dropped out,’ Uhas said. ‘And I don’t think he’s gonna drop out.’” [POLITICO]
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since Jan. 1, the Pentagon disclosed late Friday
“The Pentagon, which had withheld the information for days, did not specify why he was receiving medical care. Officials said the secretary remained at Walter Reed National Medical Center, but was ‘recovering well’ and had fully resumed his duties.”
Read the story at Washington Post
Cheney pleads with New Hampshire voters to fight GOP’s ‘plague of cowardice’
“Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) made a plea to New Hampshire voters to take a stand against what she calls ‘cowardice’ in the Republican party when they head to the polls later this month.
Cheney slammed the faction of her party that has devoted itself to former President Trump in remarks made at Dartmouth College on Friday, the eve of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.”
Read the full story here at The Hill
NRA chief Wayne LaPierre says he's resigning days before trial scrutinizing his leadership, spending
“The longtime head of the National Rifle Association is resigning, just days before the start of a New York civil trial that’s poised to scrutinize his leadership of the powerful gun rights organization.” Read More at AP News
New York attorney general seeks $370 million from Trump in civil fraud trial
“The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James has asked the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial to penalize the former president and his company $370 million, a court filing shows.
The amount is well above the $250 million James had initially requested when she filed the suit in 2022, but the revised total comes after new evidence emerged of ‘ill-gotten gains,’ she wrote in the new filing.
Trump responded by writing on his social media site, in all caps, ‘Now the corrupt A.G. wants $370,000,000 as businesses flee New York. They should pay me. This is prosecutorial misconduct—a DOJ witch hunt!’
The judge has already found that Trump is liable for committing repeated acts of fraud for years. Closing arguments in the case are set for next week.” [NBC News]
Iowa principal tried to “distract” shooter so students could flee, daughter says
“The Iowa high school principal who was among six people shot on campus Thursday tried to calm the 17-year-old gunman down and ‘distract him’ so students could flee, according to his daughter.
Perry High School principal Dan Marburger is in stable condition after undergoing lengthy surgery, his daughter Claire Marburger wrote on Facebook.
‘It is absolutely zero surprise to hear he tried to approach and talk Dylan down and distract him long enough for some students to get out of the cafeteria,’ she wrote. ‘That’s just Dad.’
A sixth grader was killed, and four other students were wounded when the shooter, a student at the school, opened fire, police said. An improvised explosive device was also found at the scene. The shooter is believed to have taken his own life, according to police.” [NBC News]
Florida is the first state allowed to import prescription drugs from Canada where they often cost less.
“The FDA’s decision could change the way Americans obtain these medications after decades of using retail and mail-order pharmacies. The Sunshine State’s plan will likely face drugmaker lawsuits and Canadian opposition. The FDA has also raised safety concerns about importing meds if it can’t vouch for their quality. Florida said it intends to import drugs for chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and mental illness for people with disabilities, prisoners and others cared for by state agencies. Later, the two-year program will expand to Medicaid recipients. Gov. Ron DeSantis estimated $150 million in savings the first year. Other states have filed similar requests with the FDA. Health Canada did not respond immediately to a request for comment.” [USA Today]
Haley doesn’t rule out considering DeSantis for running mate
“Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley didn’t close the door to joining forces with rival Ron DeSantis in 2024, but said it was her sole mission to defeat the current GOP front-runner, former President Trump.
Asked in an interview if she would consider the Florida governor as a running mate, she said ‘maybe.’”
Read the full story here at The Hill
Alaska Airlines grounds all Boeing 737-9 Max planes after window appears to blow off in flight, forcing emergency landing
“Alaska Airlines has temporarily grounded its fleet of Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft after one of its planes made an emergency landing in Oregon Friday, officials said – an incident that a passenger says involved a panel and window blowing out in flight.
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which was headed from Portland to Ontario, Califorina, returned safely to Portland International Airport around 5 p.m. PT after ‘the crew reported a pressurization issue,’ the Federal Aviation Administration said.”
Read More at CNN
New York AG asks judge to force Trump to pay $370M in fraud case
“Former President Trump, his business and several top executives — including his adult sons — used ‘myriad deceptive schemes’ to falsely inflate his net worth by billions, the New York attorney general’s office argued Friday in court filings ahead of closing remarks in his fraud trial next week.
‘The conclusion that defendants intended to defraud when preparing and certifying Trump’s (statements of financial condition) is inescapable,’ reads the state’s post-trial brief.”
Read the full story here at The Hill
The Day After
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (right) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands prior to a meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Nov. 30, 2023.Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP
“Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant outlined the next stage of Israel’s war against Hamas during a security cabinet meeting on Thursday, including what the ‘day after’ or future governance of the Gaza Strip might look like. The announcement comes as Israel withdraws thousands of troops from Gaza to begin less intense combat operations there and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in the Middle East for the new year’s first round of shuttle diplomacy—his fourth such trip since war broke out on Oct. 7.
Israeli troops will execute a more targeted military strategy in northern Gaza through raids, tunnel demolitions, air and ground strikes, and special forces operations. In the south, where most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have evacuated to, Israel will continue its pursuit of Hamas leaders as well as focus on hostage rescue efforts. Hamas is believed to still have more than 100 Israelis in captivity.
Although rights actors, including the United Nations, continue to push for an immediate cease-fire, Israel’s Defense Ministry said the war will continue ‘for as long as is deemed necessary,’ with one Israeli official suggesting that fighting will extend for ‘six months at least.’
As for future control of Gaza, under Gallant’s proposal, Israel will allow local Palestinian actors not affiliated with Hamas to govern the enclave. ‘Gaza residents are Palestinian. Therefore, Palestinian bodies will be in charge, with the condition that there will be no hostile actions or threats against the State of Israel,’ Gallant said.
This appeases Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who previously opposed the Palestinian Authority returning to the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority is the governing coalition that oversees the West Bank and is the international community’s favored ruling body for Palestinians. U.S. President Joe Biden has argued that allowing the Palestinian Authority to take control of Gaza will carve a path forward for a two-state solution.
Israel will maintain operational freedom of action in Gaza and will continue to inspect goods entering the region for security purposes. Gallant said Israeli settlements will not return to Gaza. But far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged ‘voluntary emigration’ for Palestinians in the area, a suggestion that Washington accused of being ‘inflammatory and irresponsible.’
The proposal also calls for a multinational task force led by the United States in coordination with the European Union and regional partners, including Egypt, to oversee rehabilitation of the territory, including postwar construction and economic development. Egypt has served as a primary mediator for conflict negotiations and is home to Gaza’s only foreign border crossing not controlled by Israel, in Rafah.
Discussing Gallant’s proposal will be at the top of Blinken’s agenda this weekend as the United States’ top diplomat meets with officials in Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt. Blinken is also set to discuss increasing humanitarian aid for Gaza, protecting Palestinian civilians, returning Israeli hostages, preventing Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, reducing tensions in the West Bank, and preventing the war from spiraling into a wider regional conflagration, particularly in Lebanon.” [Foreign Policy]
“‘Military gangsters.’ North Korea fired more than 200 artillery rounds near a disputed maritime border with South Korea on Friday. No civilian or military infrastructure was destroyed, but residents of two remote South Korean islands were forced to seek shelter. Pyongyang accused South Korean ‘military gangsters’ of conducting drills in the region and threatened an ‘unprecedented strong response’ if Seoul continues these actions.
South Korea condemned the barrage, calling it an ‘act of provocation’ that threatens the peninsula’s security despite North Korea saying it was a ‘natural response’ to large-scale military drills. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced a change to Pyongyang’s South Korea policy, referring to Seoul as an enemy state and saying peaceful reunification is no longer possible.” [Foreign Policy]
“A denied appeal. Senegal’s Supreme Court ruled against an appeal on Friday to overturn opposition leader Ousmane Sonko’s defamation conviction. In July 2023, Sonko was denied the right to run in next month’s presidential election when he was charged with fomenting an insurrection after his supporters had protested 2021 rape allegations against Sonko, arguing that they were false and politically motivated. A court had ordered a reinstatement of Sonko’s electoral eligibility, but Friday’s ruling marks another blow to Sonko’s presidential ambitions.
Senegal was once one of West Africa’s most stable democracies. But violent transfers of power, a restrictive media environment, and Sonko’s latest scandal have soured the country’s reputation. Sonko placed third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election. He has since accused President Macky Sall of ‘crimes against humanity’ and promised to improve infrastructure and public sector wages.” [Foreign Policy]
“Headscarf crackdowns. The Taliban arrested dozens of women for wearing ‘bad hijab’ this week, Afghanistan’s Vice and Virtue Ministry announced on Thursday. It is unclear if the women will be released on bail or face other judicial consequences. In May 2022, the Taliban instituted a decree ordering all women to wear a full burqa; the ministry did not specify on Thursday what ‘bad hijab’ entails.
This is the first official confirmation of a nationwide crackdown against Afghan women not adhering to the country’s strict dress code, and it follows neighboring Iran’s policy of punishing women who do not comply with strict interpretations of proper Islamic dress. Under the Taliban, women and girls are banned from pursuing higher education, accessing public spaces, and seeking certain types of employment.” [Foreign Policy]
“Time to add record-breaking bird diversity on your list of reasons to visit Peru. Lima’s Bird Records Committee announced the discovery of 19 new species on Thursday, bringing its total to 1,879 avian types. Much of Peru’s growth in tourism is due to increased interest in bird watching, Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Juan Carlos Mathews Salazar said. Just be careful that you don’t get pooped on.” [Foreign Policy]
“US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made an unusual declaration after Friday’s positive job numbers. ‘What we’re seeing now I think we can describe as a soft landing,’ she said after December’s report showed a gain of 216,000 nonfarm jobs with wage gains exceeding expectations. The comment was a departure for the circumspect former Federal Reserve chair, who had earlier said she saw only ‘a path’ for a soft landing. (As a reminder, a soft landing is—loosely—when inflation recedes without an attendant recession.) Many investors took the good jobs news as a moment to ratchet back bets the Fed will start cutting interest rates as early as March. ‘May is more likely,’ former New York Fed President Bill Dudley said, while others have indicated it may take even longer. Bond traders, however, appear resolute about more imminent cuts.
Still, not everyone sees the jobs data as all rainbows and unicorns. Bloomberg Economics said the news ‘is permeated with evidence of a fast-cooling labor market,’ including drops in labor participation and household employment. Add to that Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Middle East conflict and related attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, and you get significant global insecurity. A disruptive US government shutdown isn’t out of the question, either. And of course in this presidential election year, it’s not just the numbers but perception. Will Americans after years of pandemic- and war-induced inflation stick with President Joe Biden or turn to Republicans? Despite a regular drumbeat of near-record employment and positive economic news, the White House has so far failed to glean any significant political benefit. Biden economic aide Jared Bernstein contends there’s ‘some promising evidence that folks are beginning to feel it,’ but whether he’s right or engaged in wishful thinking is too early to tell. In a speech on Friday near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, marking the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol, Biden warned that the choice in November could be between democracy and dictatorship.” [Bloomberg]
“Apple stock—not an investor favorite at the moment—was downgraded for a second time in a week over worries that a weak macro-environment in China will hurt iPhone sales. The company led a rout in tech stocks, a slump that erased $383 billion in market value among companies that lifted the broader market last year. Tesla, even while beating forecasts for vehicle deliveries in the fourth quarter, was overtaken by Chinese maker BYD as the world’s new No. 1 in EV sales (read more below). The shift comes as many buyers are having second thoughts about fully electric vehicles.” [Bloomberg]
“Where to go in what looks like a record year for travel? Bloomberg recommends the 24 most exciting places of 2024, from Boston to Busan. For help getting there, here’s a ranking of on-time airlines: the best remade itself after filing for bankruptcy in 2020. And here’s how billionaires are pricing out mere millionaires on an exclusive island off Miami.” [Bloomberg]
Coral Lagoon—also known as the Dragonara Cave—in Malta Source: Malta Tourism Authority
Crib videos offer clue to mysterious child deaths, showing seizures sometimes play a role
“Seizures during sleep are a potential cause of at least some cases of sudden unexplained death in childhood, or SUDC, researchers at NYU Langone Health reported Thursday after analyzing home monitoring video that captured the deaths of seven sleeping toddlers.” Read more at AP News
GAME OF THE WEEKEND
Michael Penix Jr. Chris Graythen/Getty Images
“Washington vs. Michigan, college football championship: Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. appeared unstoppable in his semifinal win over Texas, throwing into impossibly small openings and hitting receivers in stride deep down the field. In Michigan’s semifinal, its defensive front seemed to break through Alabama’s offensive line with ease, notching 10 tackles for losses, including six sacks. Michigan hasn’t faced a quarterback as good as Penix; Washington hasn’t faced a defense as good as Michigan’s.” Monday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN [New York Times]
ESPN issues apology for Aaron Rodgers' comments about Jimmy Kimmel on Pat McAfee Show
“ESPN issued an apology Friday afternoon for the false comments New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers made on "The Pat McAfee Show" earlier this week about late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
Through ESPN vice president of digital production Mike Foss, the network called the comments Rodgers made about Kimmel in relation to the release of the Jeffrey Epstein court documents ‘a dumb and factually inaccurate joke.’
‘It never should have happened,’ Foss said in a statement obtained by USA TODAY Sports. ‘We all realized that in the moment.’
Front Office Sports first reported the ESPN apology. McAfee said Friday that Rodgers will appear on the show next Tuesday….” Read more at USA Today
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Jodie Foster and Kali Reis star in the upcoming season of “True Detective.” Michele K. Short/HBO
“Jodie Foster will star in Season 4 of HBO’s “True Detective,” which premieres next Sunday. It has a new showrunner — and presents a decidedly more female perspective.
Taylor Swift has now spent 68 weeks atop the Billboard 200 album chart, surpassing Elvis Presley’s record for the most weeks at No. 1 as a solo artist.
Jelly Roll, the face-tattooed country singer who’s become known as much for emotional openness as for hit songs, talked about the Grammys and his rap past.
Ian Wardropper, the director of the Frick Collection, plans to retire after completing a controversial renovation of the museum’s Gilded Age mansion on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
The Detroit Opera has become a haven for ambitious and experimental art. That transformation would have been impossible without Wayne Brown, its longtime president, who retired at the end of last year.
Baldur’s Gate 3 was widely hailed as the best video game of the year. It has succeeded by creating a world, based on Dungeons & Dragons, that lets players do nearly anything they could imagine.
Jacob Elordi and Zachary Quinto star in a new thriller, “He Went That Way,” now in theaters. Our critic wasn’t impressed: “Few things in this laboriously quirky picture mesh at all,” Glenn Kenny writes.
A woman accused the rapper T.I. and his wife Tiny, also a musician, of drugging and raping her around 2005.
Joseph Lelyveld started at The Times as a copy boy and rose to become its executive editor, overseeing an era of growth and ushering in the digital age. He died at 86.” [New York Times]
Actor David Soul, one half of 'Starsky and Hutch,' dies at 80
“The actor who earned fame as blond half of crime-fighting duo “Starsky and Hutch” in a popular 1970s television series, has died. David Soul was 80.” Read More at AP News