The Full Belmonte, 4/12/2024
Longest-serving liberal on Wisconsin Supreme Court won’t run again, potentially upending swing-state court after $50 million race
“Justice Ann Walsh Bradley’s retirement gives conservatives their last chance in the coming years to win a majority after losing last year’s race, the most expensive judicial contest in U.S. history. The court with 4-3 votes upheld Joe Biden’s win and ended a GOP gerrymander. It could soon decide whether abortion remains legal.”
Read more ∫at Washington Post
O.J. Simpson dies at 76. His murder trial led the former NFL star to become a symbol of domestic violence and racial division.
“Simpson died of cancer on Wednesday, his family announced on X. In a trial that riveted the nation, Simpson was found not guilty in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife and her friend, though he was later found liable in a civil judgment. He spent years in jail on unrelated charges — a stunning downfall for a man who had risen from a San Francisco slum to become one of the greatest running backs in football history, an actor in more than 20 movies, a corporate pitchman and a TV sports commentator.”
Read more at Washington Post
Trump tests limits of gag order with post insulting 2 likely witnesses in criminal trial
“Days after a New York judge expanded a gag order on Donald Trump to curtail ‘inflammatory’ speech, the former president tested its limits by disparaging two key witnesses in his upcoming criminal hush money trial as liars.” Read More at AP News
Tennessee GOP senators OK criminalizing adults who help minors get transgender care
“Tennessee lawmakers are considering criminalizing adults who help minors receive gender-affirming care without parental consent, a proposal advancing in one of the most eager states to enact policies aimed at the LGBTQ+ community. The bill mirrors almost the same language from a so-called ‘anti-abortion trafficking’ proposal that the Senate approved just a day prior.” Read More at AP News
Trump lashes out at Jewish voters who back Biden, saying they 'should have their head examined'
“The former president in his comments Wednesday also framed this year’s election as a referendum on the strength of Christianity in the U.S. in an appeal to evangelical conservatives. Read more.
Why this matters:
The Gaza conflict has sandwiched Biden between conservatives – both Christian and Jewish – who want staunch support for Netanyahu’s government, and progressives. The matter is important to conservative Christians, among Trump’s most supportive constituencies, who see the political state of Israel as the modern manifestation of God’s chosen people.
In Georgia, Trump stoked his Christian base anew by putting the Election Day stakes in religious terms. ‘November 5th is the most important day in the history of our country, and it’s going to be Christian Visibility Day,’ Trump said, nodding to conservative Christian anger over the International Transgender Day of Visibility.
Notably, Trump on Wednesday also emphasized his stance on abortion, insisting that the matter should be left to state governments and that Republicans should not pursue absolute bans. On that matter, however, Trump did not invoke religious doctrines and loyalties.” [AP News]
The Justice Department finalized rules for selling firearms at gun shows and online.
“What to know: The move, announced this morning, will close a legal loophole that allowed people to sell guns in informal venues without carrying out background checks.
It’s a big deal: This is the most significant increase in U.S. gun regulation in decades, Biden administration officials said. The rules are expected to take effect in 30 days.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Johnson and Trump to propose bill to prevent non-citizens from voting
READ FULL STORY→ USA Today
A member of the Siberian Battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' International Legion, formed mostly of volunteer Russian citizens. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine’s parliament passes a controversial law to boost conscripts and fill army ranks
“The law, passed on Thursday, will govern how the country recruits new conscripts, following months of delay and after thousands of amendments were submitted to water down the initial draft. Read more.
Why this matters:
Exhausted soldiers, on the frontlines since the start of the invasion, have had no means to rotate out for rest, while many thousands of Ukrainian men continue to evade the draft. Ukraine’s growing shortages of infantry and ammunition have helped give Russia the battlefield upper hand, while Russia’s own problems with manpower and planning have so far prevented it from taking full advantage of its edge.
The law is expected to be unpopular. Lawmakers dragged their feet for months over the law, which was spurred by a request from the military command. Former army Commander Valerii Zaluzhny had said Ukraine needed up to 500,000 new recruits to boost army ranks.
RELATED COVERAGE ➤
Ukraine will be outgunned by Russia 10 to 1 in weeks without US help, top Europe general says
Ukraine lowers its conscription age to 25 to replenish its beleaguered troops
Switzerland will host a Ukraine peace conference in June and hopes Russia can join one day [AP News]
What to know about Truong My Lan, the real estate tycoon sentenced to death in Vietnam’s largest fraud case
A Vietnamese real estate tycoon was sentenced to death Thursday in the country’s biggest ever financial fraud case, a shocking development in an intensifying anti-corruption drive in the southeast Asian nation. Here is a look at the key details of the case.” Read More at AP News
Iran’s Looming Threat
A banner displaying pictures of Israeli army officials with their faces encircled by a red crosshair icon hangs in Tehran on April 2.Atta Kenare/AFP
“The Middle East is on high alert for a ‘significant’ Iranian attack against Israel in the coming days. Tensions skyrocketed last Monday when Israel bombed an Iranian consular building in Syria, killing 12 people, including seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Among those killed was Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who led the IRGC’s Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria—making him the most senior IRGC officer killed since the United States assassinated Maj. Gen. Qassem Suleimani in January 2020.
When Israel ‘attacked our consulate area, it was like they attacked our territory,’ Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday. ‘The evil regime must be punished, and it will be punished.’ Israel has not taken formal responsibility for last week’s bombing, but U.S. officials said Israel ordered the strike.
Officials fear that Iran may launch a direct missile strike at Israel from its soil rather than through a proxy force, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. Should that occur, it risks sparking a wider war. ‘If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack in Iran,’ Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed similar sentiments on Thursday, telling Israeli Air Force personnel, ‘We have determined a simple rule: Whoever harms us, we will harm them.’ He said Israel is preparing for ‘scenarios involving challenges’ in locations apart from Gaza.
U.S. President Joe Biden vowed on Wednesday to defend Israel against an imminent Iranian attack, adding that Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security is ‘ironclad.”’On Thursday, Gen. Erik Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, visited Israel to discuss coordinating with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. U.S. Middle East envoy Brett McGurk asked the foreign ministers of Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday to urge Iran to lower tensions.
Israel continued its war against Hamas on Thursday, announcing it had carried out a precise operation to kill militants in Gaza. The announcement came just one day after an Israeli airstrike reportedly killed three sons of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political wing. It is unclear if the Thursday announcement was related to the strike on Wednesday. Haniyeh’s sons were active in Hamas’s military, with one serving as a cell commander and the other two being lower-level operatives. One brother was also allegedly involved in holding Israeli hostages. Hamas said four of Haniyeh’s grandchildren were also killed, though Israel did not confirm these deaths, and Haniyeh denied that his sons were fighters for the group.
Analysts said the sons’ killings aimed to threaten Hamas’s leadership amid ongoing cease-fire negotiations rather than hinder the group’s operational capabilities. Yet Haniyeh said the airstrike will not deter Hamas. ‘The enemy will be delusional if it thinks that targeting my sons, at the climax of the negotiations and before the movement sends its response, will push Hamas to change its position,’ he added.
Hamas told mediators on Wednesday that it does not have 40 living hostages that match Israel’s criteria in the latest proposed cease-fire, which states that during the first six-week pause, Hamas would release 40 hostages—including all women as well as sick and older men—in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. In response, Israeli officials pushed Hamas to free younger male captives, including soldiers, during the initial release.” {Foreign Policy]
“Barred political events. Mali banned all activities by political parties and ‘associations of a political nature’ on Wednesday until further notice, citing the need to maintain public order. The announcement came amid calls for the West African nation to hold elections, which the ruling junta indefinitely postponed last September. A vote was originally scheduled for February, and the deadline to install a civilian-led government expired in March.
Mali’s military took control in August 2020—the first of eight coups in West and Central Africa. A second junta-led coup seized power in May 2021. Since then, Mali has found itself in various crises, as mercenary forces from Russia’s Wagner Group along with Malian troops committed atrocities against mostly unarmed civilians, jihadis targeted Malian ethnic groups, and Mali’s junta backed similar coup efforts across the region.” {Foreign Policy]
“Cows and chickens in France are now legally free to moo and cluck as loudly as they please after French lawmakers enshrined a new law on Monday that protects countryside sounds and smells from complaints by annoyed neighbors. ‘Activities that existed before the complainant moved in [cannot be classified as] abnormal neighborhood disturbances,’ French Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti said. Whether that be a cockerel’s crow or the stench of manure, Dupond-Moretti said all sounds and smells are part of France’s heritage—and courts shouldn’t have to deal with ‘useless cases’ against farmers just trying to do their jobs.” {Foreign Policy]
“When the world’s largest exercise in democracy gets underway next week, there is increasingly little doubt about the outcome.
After a decade in office, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely expected to win a third term. With nearly 1 billion people eligible to vote, the process will stretch over six weeks starting April 19, with the results known only on June 4.
Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party is predicting an even bigger majority this time around. It’s buoyed by the fastest-growing big economy, and the fulfilment of populist, Hindu-nationalist promises, such as the inauguration this year of a contentious temple, where a centuries-old mosque once stood. Some 80% of India’s population are Hindus.
India — and by default, Modi — have been the beneficiaries of geopolitical tailwinds as US competition with China heats up. Apple, Boeing and Micron have all promised to set up shop in India as they aim to diversify from China. By some estimates, India may overtake China as the biggest driver of global growth by the end of the decade.
Investors, meanwhile, have been piling into the country’s booming stock market; for a brief period this year, India’s exchange overtook Hong Kong’s in size.
Modi, 73, has taken credit for all of this. He’s promising to keep the party going — pouring more money into the nation’s dilapidated infrastructure and pledging to turn the country into a developed economy by 2047.
So confident is he of victory in the election that he’s reportedly asked for a first 100-day plan from his government.
The opposition is on the backfoot, and increasingly crying foul.
The 20-party alliance trying to oust Modi appears to be cash strapped, and lacking a cohesive strategy.
They also allege that the government is trying to hobble them by arresting key opposition leaders and by weaponizing state investigative agencies against them. The US State Department has taken note, calling for a fair legal process, much to the government’s chagrin.
Led by the venerable Congress party, the opposition is hoping it will win over voters with its vision of a fairer, more equitable society with more wealth distribution, increased subsidies and programs for poor and lower castes, and less of the ‘crony capitalism’ that they accuse Modi’s government of.
Even as Modi seems set to extend his time in office, there’s a small chance that recent setbacks — including a Supreme Court ban on political funding through opaque instruments, called electoral bonds, championed by the BJP and criticized by the opposition — could still sway voters’ minds, and possibly even deny Modi the mammoth victory he’s anticipating.
But that’s the best-case scenario for the opposition. With two months to go before votes are counted, the biggest question isn’t whether Modi will win, but how many years he wants to stay in power. “— Nishant Dahiya [Bloomberg]
A BJP rally in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, on March 31. Photographer: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg
Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s former president. Gianluigi Guercia/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
“After 30 years of rule by the African National Congress, South Africa is ripe for political change in next month’s elections.
The party of Nelson Mandela that led the fight against apartheid made initial strides in dismantling racist laws, firing up the economy and increasing access to health and education.
But the ANC’s performance over the past decade has been dismal: The economy barely grew as power cuts and logistical snarlups stifled output; the unemployment rate stands at 32%; crime and corruption are endemic.
So it may seem counter-intuitive that the rand tanked when a shock poll showed ANC support falling to 37%, down some 20 percentage points from five years ago — itself the worst result since the end of White minority rule.
The poll’s methodology has been questioned, but most other surveys show the party losing its parliamentary majority on May 29, albeit by a smaller margin.
If these snapshots are accurate, then coalition government looms. That doesn’t bode well if the municipal experience is anything to go by, with several coalition-governed cities suffering halts to water delivery, refuse collection and other basic services as partners wrangle over power.
More worrying for investors is the prospect, however distant, of the ANC allying with the Economic Freedom Fighters party, which proposes nationalizing mines and placing all land in state custodianship. In an interview yesterday, EFF leader Julius Malema indicated that he’s open to joining a government including the ANC.
There are also concerns that the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe Party backed by discredited former President Jacob Zuma may join any coalition.
Zuma’s time in office was marred by the looting of billions of dollars of taxpayer funds and the systematic hollowing out of state institutions.
If political change is indeed coming for South Africa, then all those clamoring for it need to brace for the turbulence ahead.” —Mike Cohen and S’thembile Cele [Bloomberg]
WATCH: Malema discusses the EFF’s economic pledges.
“The US and its allies believe major missile or drone strikes by Iran or its proxies against targets in Israel are imminent, sources say, in what would mark a significant widening of the six-month-old Middle East conflict. Iran has threatened retaliation for an attack on a diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital of Damascus last week that killed senior Iranian military officials.” [Bloomberg]
Smoke rises on the Lebanese side of the border between Israel and Lebanon after an Israeli strike yesterday. Photo: Ayal Margolin/Reuters
“The US and Japan unveiled plans to ‘enable seamless integration’ of military operations as President Joe Biden hosted Prime Minister Fumio Kishida yesterday in a visit that underscored the Asian nation’s importance as a key ally for Washington in countering China. The two leaders announced a list of initiatives aimed at boosting defense and intelligence cooperation, with projects ranging from missiles to moon landings.” [Bloomberg]
“Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates both want to become the regional AI superpower, and their budding rivalry has kicked off a race to build expensive desert data centers to support the technology. Countries want the facilities within their borders because being close to customers can smooth access to services and because the valuable data will be insulated from foreign meddling.” [Bloomberg]
Architectural impression of an Equinix IBX data center in Dubai called DX3.
“A stinging defeat in yesterday’s parliamentary election has derailed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative pro-business agenda and will make it harder to deal for the remaining three years of his term with a left-leaning bloc that strengthened its hold on the legislature. Analysts said the result could make it tougher for Yoon to push through initiatives to benefit investors, while likely sinking his flagship policy of boosting stock valuations.” [Bloomberg]
“Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government is facing its biggest test of unity yet as lawmakers begin a debate on relaxing Poland’s restrictive abortion law. The issue was polarizing enough to be excluded from the three-party coalition’s cooperation agreement after October’s election and has divided the alliance since.” [Bloomberg]
“Russia fired high-speed ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s capital and western region that borders Poland this morning in an attack that targeted the nation’s energy system.” [Bloomberg]
“Elon Musk is expected to visit India this month and meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sparking speculation about investment by Tesla in the South Asian nation just ahead of national elections.” [Bloomberg]
“Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese plans an Inflation Reduction Act-style program to stimulate green manufacturing and drive the economy beyond its traditional minerals extraction base.” [Bloomberg]
“Moldovan President Maia Sandu is facing rising domestic tensions ahead of key elections this year as protests in another Russia-friendly region — besides the breakaway Transnistria enclave — fuel concerns that Moscow is intensifying pressure to derail the nation’s pro-European path.” [Bloomberg]
“An unprecedented surge in the price of cocoa — the key ingredient in chocolate — is luring farmers in some parts of Africa back to the bean. The lag between the time it takes to plant and harvest a cocoa tree means the incipient trend won’t yield an instant fix for strained global supplies, but it could ease the squeeze down the line.” [Bloomberg]
A planter holds a cocoa pod at a field in Cameroon in 2022. Photographer: Kepseu/Xinhua/Zuma Press
Breathtaking new paintings found at Pompeii
Archaeologists say the frescos are among the finest to be found in the ruins of the ancient site. Credit: BBC
“A third of Pompeii, the Roman city that was buried in an eruption from Mount Vesuvius in AD79, remains to be cleared of volcanic debris. It's a laborious digging effort for archaeologists, but it recently bore fruit. The BBC was given access to a newly-discovered ‘black room’, likely used for reception in what one archaeologist described as a ‘posh house’. Two frescos stand out. In one, the god Apollo is seen trying to seduce the priestess Cassandra. Her rejection of him, according to legend, resulted in her prophecies being ignored. In the second painting, in which Prince Paris meets the beautiful Helen - a union Cassandra knows will doom them all. In a bakery nearby, there is actual tragedy - skeletons of two adults and a child crushed by falling stones. They might have been slaves, but it's only a guess. Now staff are quickly removing what they can to a storeroom. Frescos are maintained on the walls thanks to a plaster glue. Nothing new under the Neapolitan sun: when it was submerged by ashes, the house was already under renovation.
Pompeii's victims: DNA research shows that some people who didn't flee the eruption could have been prevented from running by diseases such as tuberculosis.
Old texts, new tech: Back in February, three students won a $700,000 prize after using AI to read a scroll burnt during the Mount Vesuvius eruption.
Britain's Pompeii: 3,000-year-old Must Farm quarry is slightly less spectacular than the Roman city, but no less interesting - archaeologists recently found a Bronze age ‘recycling bin’.” [BBC News]
“Lives Lived: Trina Robbins was a creator and historian of comics — a pioneering woman in a male-dominated field. She died at 84.” [New York Times]