The Full Belmonte, 3/15/2024
Judge rejects Trump’s bid to disqualify Georgia prosecutor
“A judge in Atlanta has rejected a bid to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants for trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.
Instead, Judge Scott McAfee ruled that either Willis and her entire office, or another top prosecutor in the case, Nathan Wade, must step aside to prevent an ‘appearance of conflict’ over potential financial improprieties caused by their romantic relationship.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Nathan Wade resigns as lead prosecutor in Trump Ga. case
Nathan Wade in January. (AP)
Read more at Washington Post
Supreme Court rules public officials can sometimes be sued for blocking critics on social media
“A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Friday that public officials can sometimes be sued for blocking their critics on social media, an issue that first arose for the high court in a case involving then-President Donald Trump.” Read More at AP News
A judge delayed Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial until at least mid-April.
“A New York judge postponed the only one of Mr. Trump’s four criminal cases that appeared set to begin.”
Read more at New York Times
Prosecutors suggested a 30-day delay in Donald Trump’s hush money trial.
“Why? To give Trump’s lawyers more time to review evidence. The trial, which centers on payments to adult-film star Stormy Daniels, is scheduled to start March 25.
Why it matters: This is the only one of Trump’s four criminal trials with a concrete start date. If it moves, it could disrupt other cases — and his presidential campaign.
What else to know: A decision is expected today on whether prosecutor Fani Willis should be removed from Trump’s election interference case in Georgia.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for the end of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“The highest ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S. government wants new elections, saying that Netanyahu ‘has lost his way’ and Israel ‘cannot hope to succeed as a pariah.’ The New York Democrat’s speech on the Senate floor was an example of the pressure on Israel to permit more humanitarian aid into Gaza and rethink its plans for Hamas, the U.S.-designated terror group whose Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked the war. The unusually direct criticism of a close ally’s democratically elected leader sparked sharp pushback from congressional Republicans and Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Meanwhile, Palestinians are draining their savings and struggling to get cash to pay for the limited food and essentials available.” [Wall Street Journal]
Realtor settlement on commission-fixing could create seismic changes in how Americans buy homes
“The 6% commission, a standard in home purchase transactions, is no more.
In a sweeping move expected to reduce the cost of buying and selling a home, the National Association of Realtors announced Friday a settlement of landmark antitrust lawsuits by agreeing to pay $418 million in damages and eliminating rules on commissions.”
Read More at CNN
New real estate frenzy
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
“The real estate industry may have just turned itself upside down. The National Association of Realtors announced a legal settlement today that would eliminate agents' standard 6% commission.
Why it matters: ‘It will absolutely transform the real estate industry,’ Max Besbris, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told the N.Y. Times.
✄ What's next: If the settlement wins final approval, real estate agents would be able to compete for business by taking smaller commissions — leaving more money in sellers' pockets and boosting online brokerages in the process.
Lower commissions could lead to lower prices — good news for buyers.
The other side: There may be a catch for buyers on a tight budget.
Right now, sellers' agents split their 6% commission with buyers' agents — buyers basically get an agent for free. But as commissions fall, more buyers will have to pay out-of-pocket for someone to help them find a home, Charlotte real estate agent Jeff Clay told Axios' Brianna Crane.” [Axios]
Father of Michigan school shooter found guilty of manslaughter weeks after mother’s conviction
“James Crumbley, the father of the teenager who killed four students at a Michigan high school in 2021, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in a trial that comes a month after the shooter’s mother was convicted of the same charges.”
Read More at CNN
Pence won’t endorse Trump
“Mike Pence said on Friday that he would not endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024, breaking with the man who tapped him as vice president only to make him the target of an angry mob for his refusal to help with efforts to overturn the 2020 election.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Extreme weather
“A powerful storm dumped nearly 4 feet of snow in parts of Colorado on Thursday, prompting widespread disruptions and closures. Commuters in the state were unable to access over 50 miles of I-70 as over a half a foot of snow fell in Denver. The same system fired up severe thunderstorms from Oklahoma and Kansas to Illinois earlier this week. Meanwhile, tornadoes in Indiana and Ohio left at least two people dead on Thursday, officials said. The storms have destroyed parts of towns and knocked out power for thousands. The severe weather threat will shift to the US Southeast today, where more than 30 million people from Texas to South Carolina could see severe storms that include large hail, damaging wind gusts, heavy rainfall and tornadoes.” [CNN]
Tornadoes leave a trail of destruction in central US and kill at least 3 in Ohio
“Thursday night’s storms left trails of destruction across parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas. About 40 people were injured and dozens of homes damaged in one Indiana community. Tornadoes were also suspected in Illinois and Missouri. The Indian Lake area in Ohio’s Logan County appeared to be the hardest hit.” Read More at AP News
Predetermined Outcome
A Russian rescuer speaks on his mobile phone next to a wall bearing an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s Kremlin at a polling station during local elections organized by the Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on Sept. 8, 2023. Stringer/AFP via Getty Images
“Some 24 years after he first entered power, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to further extend his reign with another six-year term as voting in the country’s presidential election kicks off on Friday.
For all of the Kremlin’s claims that it is a democracy, experts say the vote has effectively been engineered to tighten Putin’s grip on power. Opposition leaders who could challenge Putin’s rule have suspiciously died, been forced into exile, or been barred from running in the election. The three remaining candidates—the Communist Party’s Nikolai Kharitonov, the Liberal Democratic Party’s Leonid Slutsky, and the New People Party’s Vladislav Davankov—do not pose a threat to Putin’s position.
Putin has held power as either president or prime minister since 1999, when former President Boris Yeltsin resigned and made Putin acting president. In the decades since, he has systematically cracked down on political opposition, independent media, and civil society; presided over constitutional changes that allowed him to disregard term limits; and launched invasions in Georgia and Ukraine.
In the run-up to the vote, Putin has focused on issuing stark threats against Western powers, warning that Russia was ready to deploy nuclear weapons if its ‘sovereignty and independence’ came under attack. But he also appeared eager to project a sense of stability and security, adding that he did not think Washington and Moscow were ‘rushing head-on’ toward nuclear war.
The election will take place over three days, from March 15 to 17. And this year, Putin has extended voting to include the Russian-occupied parts of four Ukrainian regions—Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk—where residents are being coerced through a variety of means to vote. Early voting in the occupied territories, as well as in remote parts of Russia, has already begun. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday called Russia’s staging of elections in these territories illegal and void and encouraged Ukrainians living there not to participate.
Results are expected to be released Sunday night, after which the Russian leader may choose to unveil politically unpopular policies. ‘Russia’s presidential election is not so important as what will come after. Putin has often postponed unpopular moves until after elections,’ Bryn Rosenfeld, a professor at Cornell University, said.
This could perhaps include a general mobilization to bolster Russia’s armed forces—a policy the Kremlin has so far sought to avoid. ‘Right now, mobilization is the most unpopular policy on the horizon,’ she said. ‘The Kremlin’s last partial mobilization in September 2022 sent shock waves through Russian society. Mobilization is the one thing that has shaken Russians’ support for the war.’” [Foreign Policy]
“LGBTQ+ rights in Japan. A Japanese high court ruled on Thursday that the country’s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional. The ruling is in line with shifting social sentiments in Japan, where some 70 percent of the public is in favor of same-sex unions, according to polling. However, the country’s conservative government opposes it. The case, which does not impact current legislation, will now head to the Supreme Court.
The ruling was celebrated by Japan’s LGBTQ+ community, which hailed the decision as a sign of changing perceptions. ‘It was a long-awaited, delightful ruling which makes me cry,’ one plaintiff, Eri Nakaya, told reporters afterward.” [Foreign Policy]
“Nigeria’s missing schoolchildren. The kidnappers of nearly 300 Nigerian schoolchildren and school staff have asked for 1 billion naira, or $620,432, in ransom, Reuters reported. If the sum is not paid within 20 days of the abduction—which occurred on March 7—the gunmen threatened to kill the hostages, according to Jubril Aminu, a spokesperson for their families who was called by the kidnappers.
The ransom demand comes as Nigerian security forces have intensified search efforts for the abducted schoolchildren in the last week, deploying soldiers and police to comb forests in northwestern Nigeria. While it remains unclear who the perpetrators are, the kidnappers said the abduction was ‘a way of getting back at the government and security agencies for killing their gang members,’ Aminu told CNN.” [Foreign Policy]
“Perilous journey. At least 60 migrants were killed after their dinghy stopped operating in the Mediterranean Sea, according to others who survived the journey after being rescued by the humanitarian group SOS Méditerranée and the Italian Coast Guard. The dinghy set sail from Libya, and women and at least one child were among the dead, the survivors said.
The tragedy comes as 2023 was the deadliest year ever recorded for migrants traversing global migration routes, the U.N. International Organization for Migration said last week. The group recorded at least 8,565 deaths in 2023, marking a 20 percent increase from the previous year.” [Foreign Policy]
“Vladimir Putin calls his war in Ukraine a ‘special military operation.’ Today, he begins a special electoral operation to hand himself a fifth term as Russia’s president.
It’s no cliffhanger — Putin will win by a landslide when voting concludes on Sunday. The Kremlin organized the election without even the semblance of a campaign or of a symbolic opposition on the ballot.
Instead, state media lavishly reported every Putin visit for weeks, casting him as the father of the nation defending Russia against the West while caring for everyone from pensioners and families to defense workers and soldiers. Three other candidates from parties loyal to the Kremlin barely earned a mention.
As our Big Take today shows, an emboldened Putin is determined to use his next term to forge a new global order upending decades of Western dominance.
WATCH: Bloomberg’s Max Ramsay looks back at Putin’s path to another term in power. Source: Bloomberg
With the war in Ukraine shifting in Russia’s favor, Putin’s preparing for a long confrontation with the US and Europe. He’s getting help from China to ease the blow from economic sanctions.
A divided West is struggling to meet the moment.
Political divisions between President Joe Biden and Republicans in Congress, urged on by Donald Trump as he bids to regain the White House in November’s election, continue to hold up $60 billion in vital US military aid to Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned the European Union faces an ‘existential’ threat if Putin isn’t defeated in Ukraine. ‘War is on European soil,’ he said on national television yesterday.
Putin has already put Russia’s economy on a war footing. Alexey Navalny’s death in an Arctic prison underlined how much the Kremlin has crushed dissent.
The election gives Putin another six years to achieve his ambitions.
The challenge facing the US and Europe is whether they can muster the same determination to stop him.” —Anthony Halpin [Bloomberg]
Mourners visit Navalny’s grave in Moscow on March 3. Photographer: Oolga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images
“A commercial ship was hit by a missile in the southern Red Sea, according to the UK Navy, in another suspected attack by Iran-backed Houthi militants based in Yemen. The Islamist group began targeting warships and merchant vessels in mid-November to pressure Israel to stop its war against Hamas in Gaza and has continued drone and missile strikes despite several rounds of US and UK assaults on its military infrastructure.” [Bloomberg]
“Pushback against Argentine President Javier Milei’s shock therapy gained momentum after the Senate defeated his sweeping executive decree in a 42-to-25 vote. The decree now goes to the lower house of Congress, where a simple majority can scrap the more than 300 measures aimed at deregulating Argentina’s economy.” [Bloomberg]
“Turkey and Iraq reached a landmark security deal to crack down on Kurdish militants holed up in the mountains of northern Iraq. Ankara wants to expand its military operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in Iraq, and the two countries are planning to build a major trade route and restart a key oil pipeline running from northern Iraq to Turkey’s coast.” [Bloomberg]
“The Senegalese authorities released opposition leader Ousmane Sonko from prison yesterday as the government sought to defuse political tensions that exploded after President Macky Sall postponed elections. Sonko was freed alongside Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the main challenger to Sall’s chosen successor, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, in this month’s vote.” [Bloomberg]
“Japan’s ruling parties agreed to allow exports of a next-generation fighter jet the country is developing with two European partners, a coalition lawmaker said, easing Tokyo’s restrictions on selling weapons abroad.” [Bloomberg]
“The Election Commission of India will announce the dates for national polls tomorrow, officially kicking off campaigning in the world’s biggest democracy.” [Bloomberg]
“South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s support fell in a weekly survey for the first time in about six weeks, a sign the prolonged walkout by doctors may be starting to hurt him politically.” [Bloomberg]
Steven Mnuchin said he is putting together a consortium to try to buy TikTok.
“The former Treasury secretary’s enthusiasm shows that interest would likely be high if Congress succeeds in passing legislation to force a sale of the Chinese-owned social-media platform, which has 170 million-plus U.S. users. The House yesterday approved a bill that would ban TikTok if parent company ByteDance doesn’t sell it. TikTok has said that separating the U.S. portion would be impractical and undercut the app’s appeal as a global product. Some officials fear the app gives Beijing a way to collect data on Americans and influence public opinion. TikTok and ByteDance didn’t respond to requests for comment today. The latter has said that it wouldn’t comply with any Chinese government demand for data and that it never had such a request. Former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has expressed interest in owning TikTok, and Microsoft, Oracle and other tech heavyweights tried to buy the app when the Trump administration pushed for a ban.” [Wall Street Journal]
Third Starship test far more successful than the first two in 2023
“SpaceX's uncrewed Starship was on its way to a powered splashdown in the Indian Ocean about an hour after launch when signals were lost at an altitude of about 40 miles. That indicated the uncrewed craft broke up before hitting the ocean. Nevertheless, the upper stage of the spacecraft soared into space after separating from its first stage. This test went much better than two previous ones, and SpaceX has implemented a number of fixes since then. During the test, multiple first-stage engines failed and the rocket began to tumble. Engineers activated a self-destruct mechanism while the ship was in mid-air.” Read more at USA Today
People gather to watch SpaceX's mega rocket Starship launch it's third test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 14, 2024.
Eric Gay, AP
Flight Attendant’s Blunder Likely Caused Plane Plunge
“A flight attendant accidentally hitting a cockpit switch is the likely explanation of how a Boeing 787 Dreamliner went into a terrifying mid-flight dive this week, according to a report. About 50 people were injured Monday when the LATAM Airlines flight between Australia and New Zealand suddenly dropped, throwing passengers and crew into the cabin’s ceiling. U.S. industry officials briefed on a preliminary investigation into the incident told The Wall Street Journal that the plunge may have been caused by a flight attendant hitting a switch on the pilot’s seat while serving a meal, inadvertently activating a motorized feature and pushing the pilot forward into the controls. The switch, which has a cover, is not supposed to be used when the pilot is sitting at the controls. A spokesperson for Chile’s LATAM Airlines initially said the jet suffered a ‘technical event during the flight which led to a strong movement.’ The airline declined to comment further until the investigation into the incident is completed.” [Daily Beast]
Read it at The Wall Street Journal
Lyft, Uber to Leave Minneapolis After Minimum Wage Hike
“Ride-share apps Lyft and Uber have said they will cut off service in Minneapolis by May 1, the same day that a new law passed Thursday is set to take effect requiring the companies to increase driver wages to meet the local minimum wage of $15 an hour. In a statement to several news outlets, Lyft said that it was not opposed to an increase in wages for drivers—but that the ordinance was ‘deeply flawed’ and makes the company’s ‘operations unsustainable.’ It continued: ‘As a result, we are shutting down operations in Minneapolis when the law takes effect on May 1.’ The bill passed the Minneapolis City Council last week, but was immediately vetoed by Mayor Jacob Frey. Thursday’s vote was to override the mayor’s veto, something that Jamal Osman, one of the members who co-authored the policy, said was necessary to protect drivers and give them a “dignified” minimum wage. ‘Today’s vote showed Uber, Lyft, and the Mayor that the Minneapolis City Council will not allow the East African community, or any community, to be exploited for cheap labor,’ Osman added. ‘The Council chooses workers over corporate greed.’” [Daily Beast]
Read it at The Star Tribune
Rams legend and all-time NFL great Aaron Donald retires at 32
READ FULL STORY→ USA Today
A cross-country effort to capture firsthand memories of Woodstock before they fade away
“Woodstock attendees have done hundreds of interviews through the decades, particularly on major festival anniversaries. But the Bethel Woods museum is plunging deeper with a project that began in 2020, relying on techniques similar to those of the late historian Studs Terkel, who produced hundreds of oral histories about what it was like to live through the Great Depression and World War II.” Read More at AP News