The Full Belmonte, 2/29/2024
“The Supreme Court will hear arguments in April over whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for actions taken while in office. Their ruling — and how soon it comes — will determine whether Trump will stand trial in Washington, D.C., before this year's presidential election. Trump faces four felony charges related to his efforts to cling to power after the 2020 election.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
‘This is another big victory for Trump,’ NPR's Carrie Johnson tells Up First. He's been trying to delay his trial until after the November election and has made it clear he could tell the Justice Department to drop the case or pardon himself if elected president. If the justices decide the case by June with no questions for the lower court, Trump could face a D.C. jury by September. But Johnson says, ‘The timeline is very tight, and the clock is ticking.’
Trump is facing several legal battles on the state and federal level. Here's where they stand now.” [NPR]
At least 104 people killed and hundreds injured in Gaza while waiting for food, Palestinian officials say
Palestinians walk past buildings destroyed during Israeli strikes in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza. (AFP/Getty Images)
“At least 104 people died and 760 were injured in a chaotic incident where IDF troops opened fire as hungry Palestinian civilians were gathering around food aid trucks, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. CNN is unable to independently confirm these numbers.
Civilians had swarmed around newly arrived aid trucks in the hope to get food, when Israeli tanks and drones started shooting at the people in Haroun Al Rasheed Street in western Gaza City, in the Sheikh Ajleen area.
An Israeli official told CNN IDF troops did use live fire on people surrounding aid truck as ‘the crowd approached the forces in a manner that posed a threat to the troops, who responded to the threat with live fire. The incident is under review.’
The aid trucks tried to escape the area, accidentally ramming others and causing further deaths and injuries, eyewitnesses tell CNN.” [CNN]
McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November after a record run in the job
“Mitch McConnell's decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump.” Read More at AP News
Race to replace McConnell
From left: Sens. John Cornyn, John Thune, John Barrasso. Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Anna Moneymaker, Drew Angerer, Kevin Dietsch and Aaron P. Bernstein via Getty Images
“Three Johns — Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and John Barrasso of Wyoming — are the leading contenders to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as the Senate's GOP leader.
Just after noon, McConnell, 82, made the surprise announcement on the Senate floor that he'll step down as leader in November, after the election.
The big picture: Whoever replaces McConnell will inherit a conference divided between its old guard and a newer, emboldened right flank of Trump allies, Axios' Stef Kight notes.
Where it stands: Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, is an excellent fundraiser and has plenty of experience navigating the complexities of his caucus — all the traditional hallmarks of a front-runner.
But he's not popular with Trump loyalists, which may be enough to keep him out of the top job.
Barrasso is relatively popular with the right flank of the conference. He was quick to endorse Trump and has backed several Trump-aligned Senate candidates, including Kari Lake in Arizona.
Cornyn no longer has a leadership role — which could play to his benefit in a leadership race because of conservative discontent with the recent border deal and foreign aid package.” [Axios]
N.Y. judge won’t delay Trump’s $454 million penalty in civil fraud case but lets his sons temporarily continue to lead the company
“A New York judge rejected a request from former president Donald Trump to delay enforcement of a judgment totaling more than $450 million, but did allow his adult sons to remain in leadership positions atop the Trump Organization. The decision came from one judge, with a full panel expected to review and possibly modify the ruling next month.”
Read the story at Washington Post
Hackers to Leak Trump Trial Docs if They Aren’t Paid: Report
“A ransomware crew that claims to have obtained a trove of court documents related to Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Fulton County, Georgia, is threatening to dump it all online unless officials agree to buy its silence, according to a new report from former Washington Post reporter Brian Krebs. In a recent blog post, Krebs reported that the Russian-based LockBit hacker collective has warned it will publish the stolen documents on Saturday. It was not immediately clear how much money LockBit, which has published proof of the hack, has demanded. The threat surfaced after the FBI seized the gang’s servers last week, briefly taking them offline before the hackers were able to mount a comeback on the dark web. ‘The FBI decided to hack now for one reason only, because they didn’t want to leak information fultoncountyga.gov,’ the group’s leader, LockBitSupp, reportedly wrote in a rambling Feb. 24 letter. ‘The stolen documents contain a lot of interesting things and Donald Trump’s court cases that could affect the upcoming US election.’ Business Insider reported on Wednesday that the hive had since moved the deadline up to Thursday.” [Daily Beast]
Read it at Krebs on Security
Biden and Trump 325 miles apart
Dueling border visits as 2024 campaigns focus on immigration
The border is the backdrop for President Joe Biden who will visit Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday to meet with Border Patrol agents, law enforcement officials and local leaders. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, the front-runner to win the Republican nomination, had already scheduled a visit Thursday to Eagle Pass, Texas, about 325 miles away from Brownsville. In a major political shift, Biden has embraced tougher rhetoric on the border and blamed congressional Republicans for inaction after they killed legislation this month − at Trump's urging − that would have created some of the most aggressive border restrictions in years. It's an attempt to flip the script ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
•Border cities are waiting for an immigration solution no president has brought yet.
•NYC Mayor Eric Adams wants changes to sanctuary city laws and increased cooperation with ICE.
•The death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley has become a flashpoint for a partisan debate over U.S. immigration policies.” [USA Today]
Students arrive at a vigil for Laken Riley who was murdered on campus on Feb. 22, and Wyatt Banks, a UGA freshman who died by suicide on campus on Feb. 21., at the UGA Tate plaza on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024.
Joshua L. Jones, Athens Banner-Herald USA TODAY NETWORK
Texas wildfires
“A sudden shift of wind direction in the Texas Panhandle this week contributed to the explosion in size of the Smokehouse Creek wildfire, which has burned at least 850,000 acres in Texas and another 31,000 acres in Oklahoma. It is now the second-largest fire in Texas state history, exceeding the size of Rhode Island. The blaze has burned dozens of structures and killed at least one person since igniting on Monday. It is still just 3% contained, according to state forest services. Calmer winds helped firefighters' efforts on Wednesday, but forecasts show poor weather conditions could ramp up Friday and fan the flames again over the weekend.” [CNN]
GOP Senator Derails Bill to Protect Access to IVF
“Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith stymied passage of a bill to protect IVF on Wednesday—saying it was full of ‘poison pills.’ Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, put the legislation forth in the wake of an Alabama court ruling that declared embryos are babies, prompting at least three fertility clinics to halt treatments. In seeking to pass the bill, which would create federal protections for IVF, Duckworth used a procedure known as unanimous consent, which allows a single senator to derail it. Hyde-Smith claimed the measure went too far. ‘The bill before us today is a vast overreach that is full of poison pills that go way too far—far beyond ensuring legal access to I.V.F.,’ the Mississippi lawmaker said. The Alabama court decision has put some Republicans in a difficult position because they say they support IVF but have also backed anti-abortion legislation that says life begins at the moment of conception. ‘This is really to call out my Republican colleagues,’ Duckworth, who had two children through IVF, told The New York Times.” [Daily Beast]
Read it at The New York Times
Illinois judge rules Donald Trump is disqualified from the state's 2024 election ballot
“An Illinois judge has barred former President Donald Trump from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot on over his alleged role in the Capitol riot.
The background: Advocates in Illinois – and across the country – have argued that Trump engaged in the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. They say that bars him from serving as president again because a section of the 14th Amendment, enacted after the Civil War, blocks people from office who engaged in an insurrection after previously promising to support the Constitution.
•What Trump says: Trump argues the amendment does not apply to former presidents. And even if it does, he did not ‘engage in insurrection.’
•He's still allowed to be on Illinois' ballot in November: A state election board in Illinois last month said Trump could run in Illinois' presidential primary.” [USA Today]
Leaders in Congress agree to funding deal that would prevent a government shutdown this weekend
“A deal announced Wednesday afternoon would give lawmakers more time to pass spending legislation before the federal government runs out of money. The new deadlines would be March 8 and March 22. Votes are expected this week.”
Read the story at POLITICO
Idaho halts execution by lethal injection after 8 failed attempts to insert IV line
“Idaho on Wednesday halted the execution of serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech, one of the longest-serving death row inmates in the U.S., after a medical team repeatedly failed to find a vein where they could establish an intravenous line to carry out the lethal injection.” Read More at AP News
The death toll in the Gaza Strip passed 30,000 people today.
“The details: The Gaza Health Ministry’s figure doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. War and hunger are causing the ‘mass killing of children,’ an aid group said.
What else to know: 242 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the offensive in Gaza began, Israel says, and around 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
What’s next? Negotiators are discussing a weeks-long cease-fire to release hostages and allow in aid, but Israel and Hamas have downplayed any immediate progress.”
Read this story at Washington Post
“Ghana’s Parliament passed a bill that would jail people who identify as L.G.B.T.Q. or organize gay advocacy groups.” [New York Times]
Democracy’s appeal is slipping as nations across much of the world hold elections, a poll finds
“Representative democracy remains a favorite system of governance around the globe, but its appeal is slipping — and on the heels of several elections around the world, according to a new survey of 24 democratic countries by the Pew Research Center. Read more.
Why this matters:
People like representative democracy, but many are frustrated with how it’s performing. While a median of 77% surveyed thought representative democracy was a ‘good’ form of government, a median of 59% told Pew they were dissatisfied with how democracy was working in their own country.
Support for a ‘strong leader’ who can make decisions without court or legislative interference increased since 2017 in eight of the surveyed countries. These included Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Kenya and Argentina.
The poll comes as the world’s democracies prepare for a titanic year, with elections scheduled in more than 50 nations that represent half the world’s population, including India and the U.S.” [AP News]
Yellen is urging world leaders to ‘unlock’ frozen Russian assets and send them to Ukraine
“Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is offering her strongest public support yet for the idea of liquidating roughly $300 billion in frozen Russian Central Bank assets and using them for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction. Read more.
Why this matters:
Billions of dollars in Russian foreign holdings have been frozen by the United States and its allies in retaliation for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Those billions have been sitting untapped as the war grinds on, now in its third year, while officials from multiple countries have debated the legality of sending the money to Ukraine.
The idea of using Russia’s frozen assets has gained traction lately as funding for Ukraine becomes more uncertain and the U.S. Congress is in a stalemate over providing more support. But there are trade-offs as the weaponization of global finance could harm the U.S. dollar’s standing as the world’s dominant currency.” [AP News]
“Prime Minister Fumio Kishida spent large parts of today being grilled by a parliamentary ethics committee in Tokyo.
Yet for all the inherent political drama, the spectacle of a bland premier seeing his support slide due to a finance scandal rocking the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party is nothing new for Japan.
What is new is that the country’s main stock index is at lofty levels never seen before. Advanced semiconductor plants are opening, tourist arrivals are surging and there are more jobs available than applicants to fill them.
Japan is back, and enjoying a global moment.
After years of a stagnating economy and deflation, global funds are pouring into Japan, turning the nation’s shares into top performers over the past year, while the weak yen is offering a tailwind and boosting exporters.
The Nikkei hit a record last week, joining Wall Street in pushing into uncharted territory.
Even the Bank of Japan looks ready to make a change and is poised to raise interest rates in the coming months for the first time since 2007.
Chronic problems remain, notably massive government debt and the costs of supporting a rapidly aging population. Factory output fell the most in January since the height of the pandemic.
Kishida’s days as premier may be numbered ahead of a September election for leadership of the LDP, which despite regular scandals has ruled almost continuously since its founding in 1955.
Political turmoil hasn’t prevented Japan from betting big on a return to its high-tech heyday, especially in the key semiconductor sector. In contrast to its behind-schedule US operations, TSMC of Taiwan opened a new fab this month in Kumamoto, with another to come.
Its politics can’t mask the fact that things are looking up for Japan.” — Jon Herskovitz [Bloomberg]
“Ukrainian officials are concerned Russian advances could gain significant momentum by the summer unless their allies can increase the supply of ammunition, a source says. Kyiv’s internal assessments of the battlefield situation are growing increasingly bleak as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold off Russian attacks while rationing the number of shells they can fire.” [Bloomberg]
“Vladimir Putin warned of the potential for a nuclear confrontation with the West over his war in Ukraine. The Russian president said Kyiv’s US and European allies ‘have to understand that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory,’ in an address today to lawmakers and top officials in Moscow.” [Bloomberg]
“Iran’s parliamentary elections tomorrow are being watched at home and abroad as a test of public support for the government’s handling of protests and role in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Turnout in the Islamic Republic is set to be a more important metric than the results themselves due to the sidelining of moderate factions and absence of conventional political parties.” [Bloomberg]
Campaign placards yesterday in Tehran. Photographer: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu/Getty Images
“Venezuela set new conditions for elections this year, flouting a US-brokered agreement and potentially triggering tougher sanctions by Washington. The move comes amid increased repression of the opposition, which has included banning their leading candidate María Corina Machado from taking part in the election and the arrest of activist and defense lawyer Rocío San Miguel.” [Bloomberg]
Why we need Leap Day
Data: Axios research, beda.cz. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals
“Tomorrow is Leap Day — a very important day.
Why it matters: Without a leap day every four years, ‘the days of our years would start slipping. … Our winters would become summers and our summers would become winters and everything would get messed up,’ planetary geologist Bob Craddock told Axios' Carly Mallenbaum and Erin Davis.
How it works: It doesn't take exactly 365 days for the Earth to complete an orbit — it takes about six hours more than that.
We have leap years, with an extra day added to the end of February, to ‘catch up’ to the length of time the Earth takes to orbit the sun, Craddock said.” [Axios]
Boiling drinking water can remove most microplastics.
“The details: You can get rid of nearly 90% of the tiny plastic particles by boiling and then filtering the water, a new study found. But that may vary depending on where you live.
Is it worth doing? The health impact of drinking these plastics isn’t fully understood. But the boiling strategy is easy to do and could have other benefits, like killing germs.
What else to know: PFAS chemicals are being phased out of food packaging.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Wendy's says it has no plans to raise prices during the busiest times at its restaurants
“The burger chain clarified its stance on how it will approach pricing after media picked up on comments by CEO Kirk Tanner that the company would test features like dynamic pricing at restaurants.” Read More at AP News
From left: LG Electronics CEO William Cho, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and LG COO Kwon Bong-seok after their meeting in Seoul, South Korea, today. Photo: LG Electronics/AP
“Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with executives from LG today in South Korea, where they discussed partnering on new extended-reality devices. Details.” [Axios]
“Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers are asking for a prison sentence of just five to seven years — roughly 100 years less than the maximum — saying his autism would put him in danger in prison. Go deeper.” [Axios]
“Bumble is slashing its workforce and relaunching its app. The company has struggled to attract younger users, many of whom dislike dating apps. Go deeper.” [Axios]
Caitlin Clark breaks Lynette Woodard's women's scoring record
“Caitlin Clark and No. 6 Iowa traveled to face Minnesota in a Big Ten showdown Wednesday night, and earned a 108-60 blowout victory for the Hawkeyes. It was another record-setting night for Clark. And it wasn't just about her padding her points total, but rather how she did it. (See: A LOT of 3s.) With a 3 with 4:29 to play, Clark surpassed Lynette Woodward, the longtime scoring leader in major college women’s basketball. Clark now needs just 51 points to pass Pete Maravich's record.
•These graphics show how close Clark is to scoring Maravich's record.” [USA Today]
Caitlin Clark reacts to hitting a three-point basket against Minnesota.
Matt Krohn, USA TODAY Sports
Humorously morose comedian Richard Lewis, who recently starred on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' dies at 76
“Richard Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname “The Prince of Pain,” has died.” Read More at AP News
“Lives Lived: The outsider artist Melvin Way began his career in the basement of a notorious and violent New York City homeless shelter. Some of his drawings are now in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He died at 70.” [New York Times]