The Full Belmonte, 3/25/2023
Trump rallying supporters in Waco ahead of possible charges
By JILL COLVIN
FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event Monday, March 13, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Trump is holding the first rally of his 2024 campaign in Waco, Texas, as he faces the prospect of a possible indictment. Trump is gathering with supporters Saturday in a city made famous by deadly resistance against law enforcement ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Waco massacre. (AP Photo/Ron Johnson, File)
“WACO, Texas (AP) — Staring down a possible indictment, a defiant Donald Trump is hoping to put on a show of force Saturday as he holds the first rally of his 2024 presidential campaign in a city made famous by deadly resistance against law enforcement.
The former president will gather with supporters at an airport in Waco, which will mark the 30th anniversary of the Waco massacre next month. In 1993, an attempted raid by law enforcement of a compound belonging to the Branch Davidians, a religious cult, resulted in a shootout that led to a 51-day siege, ending in a blaze that left dozens dead.
The rally comes as Trump has berated prosecutors, encouraged protests and raised the prospect of possible violence should he become the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges. Some of his recent rhetoric has echoed language he used before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters seeking to stop the transfer of power….” Read more at AP News
Trump lawyer in court after being forced before grand jury
By ERIC TUCKER
M. Evan Corcoran, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, arrives at federal court in Washington, Friday, March 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer for Donald Trump was back in court Friday after being ordered to answer questions before a grand jury investigating the possible mishandling of classified documents at the former president’s Florida estate.
M. Evan Corcoran entered federal court in the District of Columbia early Friday morning, one week after a federal judge ruled in favor of the Justice Department in forcing Corcoran to answer additional questions before a grand jury that has been hearing testimony for months. He did not make any comments as he arrived at the building, and left several hours later without saying anything.
The interest by prosecutors in Corcoran’s testimony reinforces the legal dangers confronting Trump, making clear the department’s continued focus on whether the ex-president or any of his representatives obstructed government efforts to recover hundreds of classified documents taken from the White House to Mar-a-Lago at the end of his term. A search warrant affidavit released last August showed that investigators were examining potential violations of multiple crimes, including obstruction and the willful retention of national defense information.
Corcoran is relevant to the investigation because he drafted a letter that was given to the department last June asserting that a ‘diligent search’ for classified documents had been done in response to a subpoena and that all records responsive to that subpoena were being provided. The letter was accompanied by the return of roughly three dozen documents with classified markings….” Read more at AP News
Greene’s DC jail visit pulls GOP closer to Jan. 6 rioters
By LISA MASCARO
FILE - Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., joined at left by Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks at a news conference about the treatment of people being held in the District of Columbia jail who are charged with crimes in the Jan. 6 insurrection, at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene swept into the District of Columbia jail to check on conditions for the Jan. 6 defendants, with Republican lawmakers handshaking and high-fiving the prisoners, who chanted ‘Let’s Go Brandon!’ — a coded vulgarity against President Joe Biden — as the group left.
A day earlier Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with the mother of slain rioter Ashli Babbitt, a Navy veteran who was shot and killed by police as she tried to climb through a broken window during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
And the House Republican leader recently gave Fox News’ Tucker Carlson exclusive access to a trove of Jan. 6 surveillance tapes despite the conservative commentator’s airing of conspiracy theories about the Capitol attack.
Taken together, the House Republicans can be seen as working steadily but intently to distort the facts of the deadly riot, which played out for the world to see when Donald Trump’s supporters laid siege to the Capitol, and in the process downplay the risk of domestic extremism in the U.S.
In actions and legislation, the Republicans are seeking to portray perpetrators of the Capitol riot as victims of zealous federal prosecutors, despite many being convicted of serious crimes. As Trump calls for the Jan. 6 defendants to be pardoned, some House Republicans are attempting to rebrand those who stormed the Capitol as ‘political prisoners.’
The result is alarming to those who recognize a dangerously Orwellian attempt to whitewash recent history.
‘There’s no question Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Republicans are attempting to rewrite history,’ said Heidi Beirich, the co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. ‘They’re making light of what was a serious attack on our democracy.’
The tour Greene led at the local jail Friday comes as nearly 1,000 people have been charged by the Justice Department in the attack on the Capitol — leaders of the extremist Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy. The 20 or so defendants being held at the jail, many in pretrial detention on serious federal charges, are among those who battled police at the Capitol, officials said, in what at times was a gruesome bloody scene of violence and mayhem….” Read more at AP News
At Least 23 Killed as Deadly Tornado Tears Through Mississippi
Dozens more were injured after a deadly tornado ripped through a rural area. The death toll is expected to rise.
By Mike Ives, Euan Ward, Victoria Kim and Emily Cochrane
“At least 23 people were killed and dozens more injured after a deadly tornado ripped through rural Mississippi on Friday night, leveling homes and sending emergency services scrambling to rescue people trapped in the destruction.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said that in addition to the 23 dead, dozens of people were injured and at least four people were also missing.
‘We have numerous local and state search and rescue teams that continue to work this morning,’ the agency said in an update posted to Twitter. ‘Unfortunately, these numbers are expected to change,’ the agency added.
As dawn broke, emergency workers were only just beginning to survey the damage. More than 100,000 electricity customers in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee had no power, with some of the worst-hit counties nearly completely knocked out, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us….” Read more at New York Times
Michigan 1st state in decades to repeal ‘right-to-work’ law
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI
FILE - Union members, supporters and others put their hats back on after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, Tuesday morning, March 14, 2023. Michigan, long known as a mainstay of organized labor, became the first state in decades to repeal a union-restricting law known as ‘right-to-work’ that was passed over a decade ago by a Republican-controlled Legislature. (Todd McInturf/Detroit News via AP)
“LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan, long known as a mainstay of organized labor, on Friday became the first state in decades to repeal a union-restricting law known as ‘right-to-work’ that was passed over a decade ago by a Republican-controlled Legislature.
The state’s ‘right-to-work’ law had allowed those in unionized workplaces to opt out of paying union dues and fees. Its repeal is seen as a major victory for organized labor with union membership reaching an all-time low last year.
‘Today, we are coming together to restore workers’ rights, protect Michiganders on the job, and grow Michigan’s middle class,’ Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement Friday after signing the legislation.
The second-term governor also signed legislation restoring a prevailing wage law that had been repealed by Republicans in 2018. It requires contractors hired for state projects to pay union-level wages….” Read more at AP News
Pennsylvania chocolate plant blast kills 2, leaves 9 missing
In this screen grab from video provided by WPVI-TV/6ABC, smoke rises from an explosion at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant in West Reading, Pa., Friday, March 24, 2023. (WPVI-TV/6ABC via AP)
“WEST READING, Pa. (AP) — An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania Friday killed two people and left nine people missing, authorities said.
Several other people were injured by the explosion at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant, said West Reading Borough Police Department Chief of Police Wayne Holben, who did not confirm the exact number of injured.
The explosion just before 5 p.m. sent a plume of black smoke into the air, destroying one building and damaging a neighboring building that included apartments.
‘It’s pretty leveled,’ West Reading Borough Mayor Samantha Kaag said of the explosion site. ‘The building in the front, with the church and the apartments, the explosion was so big that it moved that building four feet forward.’
The cause of the blast in the community about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia was under investigation, Holden told reporters.
Eight people were taken to Reading Hospital Friday evening, Tower Health spokeswoman Jessica Bezler said….” Read more at AP News
Florida Bill Would Shield DeSantis’s Travel Records
A bill advanced by state legislators would exempt the governor, as well as other officials, their families and staff members, from having records of their trips released to the public.
March 24, 2023
“Members of the Florida Legislature moved this week to shield Gov. Ron DeSantis’s travel records from the public, proposing to change the state’s public information laws just as the governor ramps up what is expected to be a 2024 presidential campaign.
The bill, which was advanced by state senators in both parties, includes a sweeping retroactive clause that would block the release of many records of trips already taken by Mr. DeSantis and other officials, as well as their families and staff members. The sealed information would include who accompanied officials like Mr. DeSantis on trips within Florida and around the country. In recent months, he has traveled widely as he promotes a new book and moves toward a White House bid.
Florida has long had expansive public information laws, known as sunshine laws, codified in the State Constitution. They allow the public to gain access to a variety of government records, including criminal files, tax documents and travel logs. These laws have exposed abuses of state resources by Florida officials: In 2003, for example, Jim King, the president of the State Senate, was found to have used a state plane to fly home on the weekends.
On Wednesday, Republicans and Democrats unanimously passed the new bill out of the State Senate’s committee on governmental oversight and accountability. A similar bill moving through the House is currently before the subcommittee on ethics, elections and open government. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature….” Read more at New York Times
Tennessee’s Rejection of $8.8 Million in Federal Funding Alarms H.I.V. Prevention Groups
The state plans to use state funds, which a spokeswoman for Gov. Bill Lee said would be more efficient than receiving federal dollars. Some organizations are concerned they will be cut off if they don’t align with his conservative politics.
By Ava Sasani
March 24, 2023
“NASHVILLE — After offering free H.I.V. testing at a drive-through event last year, staff members at Nashville CARES, a nonprofit sexual health clinic, made an alarming discovery: a cluster of positive tests from a single neighborhood.
‘There was one person who had unknowingly passed it to multiple partners, and we were able to intervene quickly before it became a full-blown outbreak,’ said Lisa Binkley, who leads the clinic’s H.I.V. prevention team.
For this work and other efforts to try to curb the spread of H.I.V. in the Nashville region, Ms. Binkley and her colleagues have relied heavily on federal grant money. So they were stunned when Tennessee’s health commissioner announced earlier this year that the state would no longer accept $8.8 million in federal grant money, which for more than a decade has been distributed among nonprofit groups, county health departments and health care organizations.
Tennessee is the only state to have rejected the funding; Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, instead plans to allocate $9 million in new state funding for H.I.V. prevention and monitoring in July. The governor said the move would offer the state greater independence in its decision-making. But some organizations say they are concerned that the state will not offer them funding if they do not align with the governor’s conservative positions on issues like transgender rights, and his opposition to abortion access….” Read more at New York Times
Chris Rufo is the latest iteration of a certain sort of person in the DeSantis operation — sicced at the governor’s behest to pick a point-scoring fight that generates headlines and left-of-center outrage. | Jenny Riffle for POLITICO
“Not even three years ago, Chris Rufo was a short-lived Seattle city council candidate and more or less middling documentary filmmaker. Now, he’s a lieutenant in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ culture war. More than anyone else, he’s the reason ‘critical race theory’ — the phrase, if not the actual legal concept — has become a fault line in the discourse. To critics he’s ‘a right-wing propagandist,’ ‘a hired gun for the information wars.’ And as of January, he’s leading DeSantis’ takeover of New College of Florida, remaking it in the presumptive 2024 presidential candidate’s ‘anti-woke’ image — a linchpin in DeSantis’ everything-but-announced 2024 presidential campaign. It took one meeting of the new board of trustees to fire the university’s president. It took two to end the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts entirely. Outside, parents of students dressed in the red robes of The Handmaid’s Tale. Someone had chalked ‘FUCK RUFO’ on the sidewalk. Inside, Rufo smiled — or perhaps it was a smirk. ‘But what might make Rufo matter most at this moment in American politics is what he says about DeSantis — as a governor, and as a potential president,’ writes Michael Kruse in this fascinating deep-dive profile of the 38-year-old seeking to reshape education in Florida — and beyond. Drawing from interviews with former DeSantis aides, members of Congress, academics, Rufo himself and others, Kruse draws an intimate portrait of the man who has called CRT ‘more dangerous’ than ‘nuclear weapons,’ from the lie he told a Clinton-connected filmmaker to launch his career to his travels to Hungary, where he hopes to learn a thing or two from Viktor Orban’s administration.
Does Rufo have higher aspirations? Should we expect to see him at the White House in coming years?
‘I mean,’ he says, ‘depends who’s there.’”
Read the story. [POLITICO]
House GOP passes parents’ rights bill in clash over schools
By STEPHEN R. GROVES
FILE - Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, of Calif., right, speaks about the proposed legislation dubbed the ‘Parents Bill of Rights,’ Wednesday, March 1, 2023, next to Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Friday narrowly passed legislation that would fulfill a campaign promise to give parents a role in what’s taught in public schools. It has little chance in the Democrat-run Senate and critics said it would propel a far-right movement that has led to book bans, restrictions aimed at transgender students and raucous school board meetings across the country.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. who made the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act a priority during the early weeks of his tenure, said Republicans were ‘keeping our promise, our commitment to America, that parents will have a say in their kids’ education.’ The bill passed 213-208, with five Republicans — mostly members of the House Freedom Caucus — voting against it.
It would require schools to publish course studies and a list of books kept in libraries, as well as affirm parents’ ability to meet with educators, speak at school board meetings and examine school budgets.
In the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., promised that the legislation would face a ‘dead end.’ He said it was further evidence that the House GOP had been overtaken by ‘hard right MAGA ideologues’ — referencing former President Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign slogan….” Read more at AP News
‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero’s Prison Sentence Is Commuted
Paul Rusesabagina, a critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, was convicted of terrorism-related charges in 2021
Paul Rusesabagina’s detention had been condemned by the U.S. State Department. PHOTO: NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
“Rwanda’s justice minister on Friday commuted the 25-year prison sentence of Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the movie ‘Hotel Rwanda’ about the 1994 genocide and later used his Hollywood fame to criticize President Paul Kagame.
A Belgian citizen and U.S. green-card holder, Mr. Rusesabagina was convicted by a Rwandan court in 2021 on a string of charges including terrorism, the financing and founding of armed groups, murder, arson and conspiracy to involve children in militancy. Rwandan authorities say Mr. Rusesabagina for years funded the National Liberation Front, the alleged armed wing of his opposition group, the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change.
Rwandan Justice Minister Emmanuel Ugirashebuja said in a statement that he had commuted the sentences of Mr. Rusesabagina and 19 others who had been convicted on terrorism-related charges alongside him. The statement said that despite their early release, the convictions of Mr. Rusesabagina and the others would remain in place and that they would have to serve the remainder of their sentences should they be convicted in the future on similar charges.
Mr. Rusesabagina, his supporters and international human rights groups have said that his conviction was part of the Rwandan government’s efforts to muzzle dissent in a country where Mr. Kagame won the most recent election with 99% of the vote….” [Wall Street Journal]
“Traditionally called the ‘world’s largest democracy,’ India is at risk of losing that label—at least according to the country’s opposition party. Its members contend that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the title is no longer appropriate and that events like those of the past two days illustrate their point. On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi, the senior leader of India’s main opposition Congress party and Modi’s arch-rival, was convicted by a court in Modi’s home state of defaming Modi. Gandhi was sentenced to two years in prison. Under Indian law, a lawmaker convicted and sentenced to two or more years can be disqualified from parliament and barred from running for office. The Indian Parliament, controlled by Modi’s party, disqualified Gandhi on Friday. Elections are to be held next year.” [Bloomberg]
Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, center, arrives to address a rally against inflation in New Delhi last September. Photographer: Sajjad Hussain/AFP
Bolsonaro’s legal woes deepen with undeclared diamond gifts
By ELÉONORE HUGHES and MAURICIO SAVARESE
This photo provided by Brazil’s Federal Revenue Department shows jewelry seized by customs authorities at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the week of March 24, 2023. The jewelry is part of an investigation into gifts received by former Brazilian President Jail Bolsonaro during his presidency. (Brazil's Federal Revenue Department via AP)
“RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Undeclared diamond jewelry brought into Brazil from Saudi Arabia has deepened the legal jeopardy of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. An investigation into two sets of jewels reportedly worth millions is only the latest scandal threatening the far-right politician. But an extensive paper trail and even videos could make the case particularly daunting for Bolsonaro.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE DIAMONDS?
Federal police and prosecutors are investigating whether Bolsonaro tried to sneak two sets of expensive diamond jewelry into Brazil without paying taxes — and whether he improperly sought to prevent the items from being incorporated into the presidency’s public collection. Authorities are also looking into whether he enlisted public officials to try to bypass customs.
The first set of jewels, composed of earrings, a necklace, a ring and a watch by Swiss brand Chopard, arrived in Brazil in October 2021 through Sao Paulo’s international airport with an adviser to the then minister for mines and energy, Bento Albuquerque, according to the newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo, which first reported the case in early March.
Customs authorities seized the jewels, which are reportedly worth $3 million. A video released by television network Globo shows Albuquerque at customs later the same day stating that the jewels were for Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle.
A second set of jewels, also made by Chopard and including a watch, a pen, a ring, cuff links and a piece resembling a rosary, slipped past authorities and ended up in Bolsonaro’s possession. The watch is worth about $150,000, the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported.
A government watchdog on March 22 ordered Bolsonaro to turn the jewelry over to the state-owned Caixa Economica Federal bank, as well as firearms he received as a gift from authorities in the United Arab Emirates. Bolsonaro’s representatives did so on Friday.
Brazil requires its citizens arriving by plane from abroad to declare goods worth more than $1,000 and, for any amount above that exemption, pay a tax equal to 50% of their value. The two sets of jewelry would have been exempt from tax had they been a gift from the state of Saudi Arabia to the nation of Brazil, but would not have been Bolsonaro’s to keep….” Read more at AP News
“The Biden administration has been accelerating its campaign to rebuild American influence in Africa, where its lost ground to soft influence via Chinese investment and hard influence via Russian mercenaries. Vice President Kamala Harris next week becomes the latest top official to visit, with stops scheduled in Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. She’s following Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. At a December summit with the continent’s leaders, Biden pledged a $55 billion support package for Africa. But that’s a drop in the bucket.” [Bloomberg]
“With its troops, freed convicts and mercenaries being killed by the hundreds daily according to Ukraine, Russia may be retreating from its attempt to gain ground on the eastern front. At the same time, Kyiv has alluded to its long-expected spring offensive starting soon. But Vladimir Putin isn’t giving up: the Kremlin is said to be planning to assemble another 400,000 contract soldiers in its so-far failed effort to subdue its neighbor. Last year, Russia said it completed the activation of several hundred thousand reservists and conscripts.” [Bloomberg]
Taking climate change to court
Vanuatu coastline in 2019. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
“The small Pacific island country of Vanuatu is poised to gain UN approval to seek an unprecedented legal opinion on what obligation countries have to combat climate change.
Why it matters: Vanuatu's resolution would give the International Court of Justice in The Hague a chance to weigh in on potential consequences for nations that have caused much of global warming to date, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.
The nonbinding advisory opinion could be cited by U.S. courts and used in legal proceedings around the world.” [Axios]
Hit "print" for dinner
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“3D-printing technology is making its way into kitchens. The results don't look super appetizing — but a lot more 3D-printed food could be in our future, Axios' Ayurella Horn-Muller reports.
Several European restaurants and butchers are offering 3D-printed "meat" cuts made from soy protein and chickpeas. They're manufactured by the startup Redefine Meat.
An L.A.-based digital bakery 3D prints candy. A Columbia University lab just revealed a seven-ingredient 3D-printed slice of cheesecake.
The Pentagon is exploring 3D-printed meal bars that enhance soldiers' performance.
3D-printed cheesecake. Photo: Jonathan Blutinger/Columbia Engineering
How it works: 3D-printed food is made through an additive manufacturing process similar to standard 3D printing — except it's done using edible materials.
Food paste is forced out of a syringe nozzle.
The likely timeline for mass adoption of 3D food printing is at least several years away.
‘Software is starting to invade our kitchens,’ said Jonathan Blutinger, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University who co-authored a paper on 3D cooking released this week. ‘And once software touches an industry, we don't tend to look back.’
What's next: 3D-printed food could help alleviate food insecurity by supplying essential nutrients to those without access to fresh, whole food.” [Axios]
Sweet 16 men's winners, losers: See ya, top seeds. Hello, Elite Eight variety pack!
There were highs and lows from Friday's Sweet 16 matchups with upsets and the end of the last two No. 1 seeds. A look at the winners and losers.
“The NCAA men’s basketball tournament settled the Elite Eight field with another four games Friday, including matchups featuring the highest seeds still alive in No. 1 Alabama and No. 1 Houston.
Fitting this wild and unpredictable tournament, both top seeds failed to advance to the regional semifinals.
Alabama fell 71-64 to No. 5 San Diego State, victimized by what is annually one of the top defenses in college basketball.
The Cougars lost 89-75 to No. 5 Miami as the Hurricanes booked an Elite Eight berth for the second year in a row.
Later Friday evening, No. 2 Texas blitzed No. 3 Xavier 83-71 and No. 6 Creighton ran away from No. 15 Princeton in the second half to win 86-75.
Follow the madness: Latest Men's NCAA Tournament College Basketball Scores and Schedules
San Diego State, Creighton and Alabama top the winners and losers from Friday’s action:
Winners
San Diego State
As a program, SDSU has been knocking on the door of the Elite Eight and Final Four since the late 2000s, when the Aztecs began to flourish under former coach Steve Fisher. Now coached by longtime Fisher deputy Brian Dutcher, this year’s team is the first in program history to reach the regional semifinals thanks to a suffocating defense that put the clamps on Alabama forward Brandon Miller. With Miller missing everything in sight, the Aztecs held Alabama to 32.4% from the field and the Tide’s third-lowest scoring total on the season.
Miami and Jim Larrañaga
Reaching another Elite Eight lifts Miami into a new stratosphere of Division I programs. If once is a fluke, twice represents a trend that could continue under coach Jim Larrañaga, especially given the Hurricanes’ recruiting success during the new era of name, image and likeness. Transfers outplayed the Cougars’ talented backcourt and lifted Miami past Houston: Isaiah Wong scored 20 points, Nijel Pack had a game-high 26 and Jordan Miller added 13 points as all five Miami starters scored in double figures.
Rodney Terry
Terry continues to operate as the interim coach at Texas despite the work he’s done piloting the Longhorns through the dismissal of former coach Chris Beard in January and into the Elite Eight for the first time since 2008. At some point, you have to ask: Just what, exactly, is the school waiting for? The former Fresno State and UTEP coach is now 22-7 since replacing Beard and has the Longhorns rolling into the Midwest final after the 12-point win against Xavier. While Texas may feel the need to roll out a national search for the full-time coach, Terry has earned the opportunity.
The Big East and Big 12
The Elite Eight is composed of teams representing six conferences. Two will have multiple representatives: the Big East, with No. 4 Connecticut and Creighton, and the Big 12, with Texas and No. 3 Kansas State. Looking ahead to the Final Four, the national semifinals have featured two teams from the same conference five times since 2010, most recently last season, when the ACC sent North Carolina and Duke. It also happened every year from 2013-16, by the Big East (2013), SEC (2014), Big Ten (2015) and ACC (2016).
Elite Eight (and maybe Final Four) new blood
Three members of the Elite Eight lineup are in new territory: San Diego State and Florida Atlantic had never advanced past the Sweet 16 — the Owls had never even won a tournament game before this month, in fact — and Creighton hasn't advanced to this point since 1941, when the tournament had just eight teams (making it a little easier to reach the round of eight). A fourth member, Miami, has never made the Final Four. Kansas State hasn't reached the Final Four in 60 years and Texas has been there just once since the tournament expanded in 1951. That leaves Connecticut and Gonzaga as the Elite Eight's established heavyweights; the Huskies have won four national championships since 1999 and the Bulldogs have played for it all twice since 2017.
Losers
Brandon Miller
The possible future first-round draft pick had a miserable tournament after putting together one of the top rookie seasons by a player in SEC history. He battled foul trouble and was held scoreless in the first round against No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He scored 19 points on 5-of-17 shooting in the second round against No. 8 Maryland. Miller then had nine points on 3 of 19 shooting against SDSU, including just one make in 10 attempts from deep.
Houston
Everything was lining up perfectly: Houston had a dominant regular season, spending seven weeks at No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll; had one of the best rosters in the country, led by All-America guard Marcus Sasser; was ready to break through after reaching the Elite Eight last season and the Final Four in 2021; and, perhaps most of all, was set to play the Final Four at home at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
It’s worth asking if this is the best shot the Cougars and coach Kelvin Sampson will have at capturing the first national championship in program history. This was a season when everything seemed to come together — if not this year, then when for Houston?
No. 1 seeds
For the first time in tournament history, the Elite Eight will feature zero No. 1 seeds. Houston and Alabama lost Friday. Purdue lost in the opening round to Fairleigh Dickinson to become the second No. 1 to lose to a No. 16 seed. Playing without coach Bill Self, Kansas won in the first round but lost 72-71 to No. 8 Arkansas in the second.” [USA Today]
NCAA women's tournament winners, losers: Miami stuns again; Kim Mulkey, crazy outfit still standing
“How far can a superstar carry her team?
That was our question the other day about Maddy Siegrist. The supernova for fourth-seeded Villanova, the nation’s leading scorer, was trying to channel Jackie Stiles circa 2001 and deliver her squad to the Final Four.
But the question is better asked about Caitlin Clark.
As a junior, Clark is already a household name, praised by NBA All-Stars and talked about constantly on ESPN. (Sometimes to the point it bugs other women’s basketball coaches, who feel their players should be getting a little more love.) She’s a terrific scorer, and a better passer.
Clark didn’t have a great first half Friday against Colorado, scoring just 12 points and shooting 4-of-11. But she exploded in the second half, finishing with 31 points and shooting 7-of-11 after the break. Clark has talked about improving her ability to reset, particularly when she’s shooting poorly.
Follow the madness: Latest Women's NCAA Tournament College Basketball Scores and Schedules
WOMEN'S RECAP:LSU, Miami, Iowa, Louisville advance to Elite 8
‘It's something I've been working on, especially this year,’ Clark said. ‘I knew if we wanted to go far, I can't get too hung up on other plays, I can't get hung up on turnovers, missed shots.’
"Being mentally tough (is) understanding everything's not going to go your way. You're not going to shoot incredible for four games (to get to Dallas). That's unrealistic ... I think buying into the four people who are on the court with me, knowing they have my back has been really good for me."
That type of maturity and perspective go a long way, especially in the postseason. They make you a winner. And on Sunday, we'll find out how far this winner can carry her team.
Here are the other winners and losers from the first batch of women's Sweet 16 games.
WINNERS
Women
Twelve women head coaches advanced to the Sweet 16, the most since 2015, when 13 women head coaches took their teams that deep (three of them are the same: South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, Maryland’s Brenda Freese and Iowa’s Lisa Bluder). Only once in tournament history have all 16 teams been coached by women — the first year, in 1982.
Three of the 12 are Black women — Staley, Ole Miss’ Yolette McPhee-McCuin and Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey — a number that resonates in a sport with 44% Black athletes.
‘It’s important just because I have aspirations of wanting to coach,’ said Tennessee’s Jordan Walker, a senior guard. ‘To be able to see Dawn Staley and Coach Yo in those positions it’s just like, wow, little Black girls, they can do it, too. It’s really inspiring. It makes you want to push harder, because the foot is in the doo. With three (Black women) in the Sweet 16 right now, what can it be later down the line?’
Destiny Harden
Four days after hitting the game-winner to knock off No. 1 Indiana on the Hoosiers’ home court, the 6-foot senior forward hit a crucial 3 with 5:03 to play that helped the Hurricanes hold off a feisty Villanova team, winning 70-65 and advancing to the program’s first-ever Sweet 16. Harden finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists.
Asked afterward what it’s like to be riding such a remarkable wave of momentum — Miami lost four of its last seven games before the NCAA Tournament tipped off, and barely survived its first round game — Harden said she’s just trying to ‘enjoy these moments because this is my last year with this team and this group of ladies.’
Miami was led by Jasmyne Roberts (26 points, 9 rebounds), but it was the play of Harden that helped Miami regroup after Villanova went on a 23-2 run in the second half to pull ahead.
LaDazhia Williams
LSU forward Angel Reese typically owns the spotlight for the third-seeded Tigers. But in its Sweet 16 game against Utah, the best forward on the floor was Williams. The 6-foot-4 graduate transfer (from Missouri) scored 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting, grabbed 6 rebounds, blocked 2 shots and nabbed 2 steals, helping LSU to a 66-63 win.
LSU is the third stop for Williams, who played her freshman year at South Carolina before moving to Missouri. And on Friday, she made fans in Baton Rouge not just for her scoring, but her defense. Shutting down Utah forward Alissa Pili was a team effort, and Williams played a big role in that. She helped hold Pili to just 14 points — she took only eight shots — and forced her into six turnovers. She also helped Pili get in foul trouble; Pili played just 27 minutes before fouling out.
Depth
Let’s hear it for the subs.
Louisville handled upset-minded Ole Miss in the last game of the night Friday, stretching a five-point halftime lead to a 72-62 win. The Cardinals used a short rotation — just seven players got significant minutes — but their second string was terrific, outscoring the Rebels’ bench 27-6.
Production from the bench is critical this time of year, especially if you want to play in, say, Dallas. If the Cardinals keep this up, they could be headed to their second consecutive Final Four.
LOSERS
Flamingos
How many pretty pink birds had to die to make Kim Mulkey’s outfit?
The LSU coach is unmatched in her game ‘fits, though Friday might have been a new low.
The three-time national champion evoked Elton John in a wild, green-and-pink patterned blazer with a little extra embellishment. The jacket itself was a statement, but it was the pink feathers stitched onto the arm seams that really caught everyone’s eye — and generated some of the internet’s best commentary.
Mulkey is famously glib and surely doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her wardrobe. Besides, she has the best clapback. To paraphrase Elton, she and the Tigers are still standing.
Airballs
It’s rough to shoot poorly at a crucial moment. It's worse to have the ball hit nothing but air.
That’s exactly what happened when Utah’s Jenna Johnson stepped to the line with four seconds to play and the second-seeded Utes trailing 64-63 to third-seeded LSU: Johnson airballed her first attempt. Badly.
It was brutal moment on a huge stage. She missed the second, too, likely, because her confidence was so shaken. (She’s typically a 75% free throw shooter.) Utah went on to lose 66-63.” [USA Today]
Reese Witherspoon, Jim Toth announce 'difficult decision to divorce' days before 12th anniversary
Reese Witherspoon and her husband, talent agent Jim Toth, have decided to divorce.
The ‘Legally Blonde’ star, 47, shared the decision Friday in a joint statement posted to her Instagram account, saying that she and Toth, 52, have reached ‘the difficult decision to divorce’ with ‘a great deal of care and careful consideration.’
‘We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness, and mutual respect for everything we have created,’ the statement continued. ‘Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter.’
The former couple added: ‘These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone's respect for our family's privacy at this time.’
Witherspoon appears to have comments turned off on her Instagram post of the statement.
The couple's divorce announcement comes two days before their 12th wedding anniversary. They married on March 26, 2011, People reported at the time.
Witherspoon and Toth share a son Tennessee James Toth, whom they welcomed in 2012. Witherspoon was previously married to actor Ryan Phillippe, with whom she shares two kids: Ava, 23, and Deacon, 19….” Read more at USA Today
Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer asks about missing GoPro video
By SAM METZ
Gwyneth Paltrow sits in court during an objection by her attorney during her trial, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Park City, Utah, where she is accused in a lawsuit of crashing into a skier during a 2016 family ski vacation, leaving him with brain damage and four broken ribs. Terry Sanderson claims that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer was cruising down the slopes so recklessly that they violently collided, leaving him on the ground as she and her entourage continued their descent down Deer Valley Resort, a skiers-only mountain known for its groomed runs, après-ski champagne yurts and posh clientele. (AP Photo/Jeff Swinger, Pool)
“PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow’s attorneys asked the daughter of a man suing the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer over a 2016 ski collision about missing GoPro camera footage that they called ‘the most important piece of evidence’ at trial Thursday.
Steve Owens, Paltrow’s attorney, asked one of the man’s daughters, Polly Grasham, about emails exchanged with her father about the mysterious footage and the possibility that the lawsuit was filed against Paltrow because she was famous.
The GoPro footage has not been found or included as evidence for the trial.
‘I’m famous ... At what cost?’ Terry Sanderson, the 76-year-old retired optometrist suing Paltrow, wrote in the subject line of an email to his family after the crash.
Sanderson is suing Paltrow for more than $300,000 in damages, claiming that she skied recklessly into him on a beginner run at Deer Valley Resort seven years ago, breaking his ribs and leaving him with a concussion. Paltrow has claimed Sanderson caused the crash and countersued for $1 and attorney fees.
The trial took on an increasingly personal note on the third day of proceedings when Sanderson’s daughter and a neuropsychologist testified about his declining health….” Read more at AP News
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
The TikTok creator Janette Ok in Washington.Shuran Huang for The New York Times
“TikTok paid for influencers to travel to Washington and lobby against a proposed ban of the app. They danced on a rooftop.
Gwyneth Paltrow is on trial for her role in a ski accident. She showed up to the courtroom with a green juice, The Cut reports.
Jeremy Scott stepped down as the creative director of the Italian designer label Moschino.
Rupert Murdoch, 92, announced in his own tabloid that he was engaged.
Adam Sandler was recognized for three decades of writing, acting and directing with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
The music duo Everything but the Girl is re-emerging after 24 years of silence.
Guest hosts filling in for Trevor Noah on ‘The Daily Show’ have shown how exciting the lack of a permanent replacement could be, Jason Zinoman writes.
A $90 million renovation project transformed the Hammer Museum.
‘Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ opened on Broadway with Hillary Clinton in attendance.
Jesuit astronomers from the Vatican’s observatory are writing their names in the heavens.
‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ just premiered. Keanu Reeves is again playing the franchise’s hero — surrounded by famous friends.
A former publishing employee accused of stealing more than 1,000 manuscripts avoided prison but was ordered to be deported.” [New York Times]
March 25, 2023
“The newest list of the world's happiest countries is out, and Finland has extended its streak at the head of the pack. Following Finland is Denmark at #2, and Iceland at #3. I was just in Iceland last week and can confirm they certainly know a thing or two about good living. At first glance, it seems like it would be a struggle -- after all, their isolated homeland is a frigid, cracking chunk of rock dotted with boiling geothermal cauldrons and looming volcanoes. All in all, a bit intimidating! But the Icelanders I met said their emphasis on simple living, and the simple pleasures therein, help them keep perspective. One man reminisced about his grandmother and grandfather, who lived in the seemingly barren wilds north of Reykjavik. In their time, a cow was a luxury, and the advent of indoor plumbing and electricity was so novel it was nearly amusing. And yet, he said, they knew what was important. Family. Nature. Community. Providing for themselves and others. Of course, there are many social and economic factors that affect happiness, many of which are far out of a single person's control. But it seems, at the heart of it, the basics of happiness are the same no matter where you go.” [CNN]
Keeping the faith
”It's Ramadan, the holy Muslim season of fasting and prayer. Observers time their fasts with the sun, which brings up an interesting question: What do you do if you're in space? As an Emirati astronaut on the International Space Station, Sultan Alneyadi sees 16 sunsets a day as the orbiting laboratory whips around the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour. Alneyadi explains that he and other Muslim astronauts are exempt from traditional Ramadan rhythms since they are technically ‘travelers’ (the ultimate kind of traveler, one could argue). The customs of Ramadan, as in other religious holidays of fasting, can be accommodated if someone is not well or is, say, occupied on a six-month mission in space. This article has a lot of interesting insights about religion in space. And, if you want to know more about how to support Muslim friends and neighbors during Ramadan, here's a great etiquette guide.” [CNN]
Gordon Moore, Intel Co-Founder and Author of Moore’s Law, Dies at 94
Moore’s Law proved a remarkably accurate observation about how quickly engineers would create advances in digital technology
Intel co-founder Gordon Moore at a company event in 2007. PAUL SAKUMA/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Gordon Moore, the electronics pioneer who co-founded Intel Corp. and whose groundbreaking theories defined the tempo of innovation in semiconductors, has died at the age of 94.
A 1965 article by Mr. Moore published in the trade journal Electronics predicted the pace of miniaturization in computer chips and anticipated the development of home computers, smart wristwatches, automatic controls for cars and other inventions as electronic components etched on squares of silicon become smaller, faster and cheaper. Moore’s Law, as his prediction became known, proved a remarkably accurate observation about how quickly engineers would create advances in digital technology that have led to countless fixtures of modern life.
The soft-spoken engineer and his colleagues at Fairchild Semiconductor and later Intel also inspired many other engineers to form tech spinoffs and startups, setting a pattern that would enrich many entrepreneurs and investors. Mr. Moore also encouraged philanthropy, using his Intel shares to endow a foundation that managed more than $9 billion in assets and had disbursed more than $5 billion since its founding.
A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Technology, Mr. Moore was the last survivor of a leadership troika at Intel, which remains the dominant supplier of calculating engines for computers. Where Intel co-founder Robert Noycebecame an industry statesman and Andy Grove a management guru, the unassuming Mr. Moore seemed less concerned with business leadership than with creating a company culture that exalted engineers and innovation….” Read more at Wall Street Journal