The Full Belmonte, 4/18/2023
Debt ceiling
“House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday previewed what he hopes House Republicans can pass in the next few weeks to raise the debt ceiling during a speech at the New York Stock Exchange. ‘So here is our plan: In the coming weeks, the House will vote on the bill to lift the debt ceiling into the next year, save taxpayers trillions of dollars, make us less dependent on China, curb our inflation, all without touching social security and Medicare,’ he told a crowd of traders and analysts. While sounding optimistic, there is no bipartisan agreement in sight and Democrats continue to argue that the debt limit should be lifted without any conditions attached. The Republican bill would not be expected to pass in the Senate. After the speech, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said McCarthy ‘failed to clearly outline what House Republicans are proposing and will vote on,’ arguing McCarthy only ‘referenced a vague, extreme MAGA wish list.’” [CNN]
“Today, the Supreme Court hears arguments on how far employers must go to accommodate religious views. The court ruled 46 years ago that employers didn't have to accommodate employees who didn't want to work on the Sabbath if it would result in staff shortages or having to pay replacement workers premium wages. Now, religious groups are urging Justices to modify the ruling.
On Morning Edition, NPR's Nina Totenberg says today's case goes before a court that's ‘dramatically different’ from the one that originally made the ruling. While 46 years ago, the court ‘sought to balance burdens,’ today's Justices have ‘consistently and explicitly shifted the balance to favor religiously observant groups.’” [NPR]
“After a one-day delay, Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit against Fox News goes to trial today. In addition to the $1.6 billion in damages Fox might have to pay, the case could also have long-term implications for U.S. media's First Amendment rights.
First Amendment attorney Martin Garbus tells A Martinez on Morning Edition that he's ‘astonished’ the case hasn't been settled, and that there's never been a case with ‘this much evidence of falsity.’ He says if Fox loses, it wouldn't ‘jeopardize the media,’ but democracy would be jeopardized if Fox wins.” [NPR]
FBI
“The FBI has arrested two alleged Chinese agents and federal prosecutors have charged dozens of others with working to silence and harass dissidents within the US — with some even operating an ‘undeclared police station’ in New York City. The two men, both US citizens, allegedly operated the police station in the city's Chinatown. It has been shut down since a search warrant was executed at the location last fall, according to a spokesman for the US Attorney in the Eastern District of New York. The two men have been charged with conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government and obstructing justice, officials said. Federal prosecutors have also charged dozens of officers of the national police of the People's Republic of China with harassing Chinese nationals in the US critical of the Chinese government.” [CNN]
Three boys from Guatemala who work full time in construction.Kirsten Luce for The New York Times
“The Biden administration ignored warnings that migrant children were being forced into work, a Times investigation found.” [New York Times]
“Representative George Santos, the New York Republican who fabricated much of his biography, says he will run for re-election in 2024.” [New York Times]
“Twitter has reversed course on another controversial decision, this time causing many in the weather community to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Earlier this year, the company said it would limit the number of tweets that can be sent from automated accounts unless they pay extra. That change would have a huge impact on the National Weather Service and other weather entities that use automated tweets to send crucial weather alerts, like tornado warnings. However, Twitter surprisingly announced over the weekend that an exception will be made for the National Weather Service, allowing its accounts to send alerts without limits. ‘Without this automated process, it would take minutes for forecasters to manually prepare warning information into a tweet. For every warning issued, seconds could make the difference between life and death,’ NOAA said in a statement to CNN.” [CNN]
‘Racial component’ in shooting of Ralph Yarl who went to wrong house, prosecutor says
By MARGARET STAFFORD and JIM SALTER
Protestors march Sunday, April 16, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo., to bring attention to the shooting of Ralph Yarl, 16, who was shot when he went to the wrong Kansas City house to pick up his brothers. (Susan Pfannmuller/The Kansas City Star via AP)
“KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An 84-year-old white man in Kansas City, Missouri, was charged Monday with first-degree assault for shooting a Black teen who mistakenly went to the man’s home to pick up his younger brothers.
Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said at a news conference that there was a ‘racial component’ Thursday night when Andrew Lester twice shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who is recovering at home after being released from the hospital. But nothing in the charging documents says the shooting was racially motivated, Thompson clarified.
‘We understand how frustrating this has been but I can assure you the criminal justice system is working and will continue to work,’ Thompson said.
The shooting outraged many in Kansas City and across the country. Civic and political leaders — including President Joe Biden — demanded justice. Some, including lawyers for Yarl, pressed the racial dimension of the case.
Yarl, an honor student and all-state band member, was supposed to pick up his two younger brothers when he approached the wrong house at roughly 10 p.m. Lester came to the door and shot Yarl in the forehead — then shot him again, in the right forearm.
No words were exchanged before the shooting, the probable cause statement said. But afterward, as Yarl got up to run, he heard Lester yell, ‘Don’t come around here,’ the statement said.
Yarl ran to ‘multiple’ homes asking for help before finding someone who would call the police, the statement said.
Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, called the shooting a ‘heinous and hate-filled crime.’ Vice President Kamala Harris wrote on Twitter that ‘No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell.’ The Missouri Senate held a moment of silence for Yarl on Monday….” Read more at AP News
NY woman driven to wrong address fatally shot by homeowner
“HEBRON, N.Y. (AP) — A woman looking for a friend’s house in upstate New York was shot to death after the car she was riding in mistakenly went to the wrong address and was met with gunfire in the driveway, authorities said Monday.
Kaylin Gillis, 20, was traveling through the rural town of Hebron with three other people Saturday night when the group made a wrong turn onto the property.
They were trying to turn the car around when the homeowner, Kevin Monahan, 65, came out onto his porch and fired two shots, according to Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy.
One round hit Gillis.
The group drove to the neighboring town of Salem, northeast of Albany near the Vermont state line, and called 911, said Murphy, who noted the shooting took place in an area with limited cell phone service. Emergency crews arrived and performed CPR on Gillis but couldn’t save her.
When officers arrived at Monahan’s house to investigate the shooting, he refused to come out, Murphy said. Authorities spoke with him through a 911 dispatcher and in person for about an hour before he was taken into custody, according to the sheriff.
Monahan was booked into the Warren County jail on a charge of second-degree murder. It wasn’t clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf….” Read more at AP News
The officers who fatally shot a Black man in Ohio won’t face charges.
“The background: Jayland Walker, 25, was shot dozens of times after a car chase in Akron last June. The case caused outrage across the country.
Yesterday’s ruling: A grand jury said the eight officers were justified in their use of force, meaning they won’t face state criminal charges. Walker’s family is planning to file a lawsuit.” [Washington Post]
Alabama birthday girl begged dying brother to ‘stay with me’
By KIM CHANDLER and JEFF AMY
“DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Alexis Dowdell’s Sweet 16 birthday party ended with her kneeling beside her fatally wounded brother on the blood-slicked floor of a dance studio in small-town Alabama, the bodies of other wounded teens scattered around them.
Dowdell told the story of Saturday’s terror in Dadeville to The Associated Press on Monday surrounded by family. The shooting left her 18-year-old brother, Philstavious ‘Phil’ Dowdell, and three others dead, along with another 32 injured, some critically.
‘I got on my knees and he was laying face down. And that’s when I grabbed him. I turned him over, I was holding him,’ Alexis Dowdell said, recalling the moment she found her brother with the life ebbing out of him.
She tapped her brother’s face, begging him to, ‘stay with me.’ ‘I wasn’t crying at the moment because I was trying to be strong instead of panicking. And so I said, ’You’re going to be all right. You’re a fighter, you’re strong,’ she recalled.
As of Monday evening, state officials had yet to release much information about their investigation. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said only that shell casings from handguns had been found, noting that there was no evidence a high-powered rifle was used. Investigators continued to appeal for information from the public, including videos.
The weekend was marked by a series of high-profile shootings in the U.S. One left two people dead and four wounded Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky; another resulted in four men being shot — one fatally — in Los Angeles; and a third left two women wounded at Lincoln University in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Saturday night in Dadeville, about an hour’s drive northeast of Montgomery, began as it should have, with ‘everybody dancing, vibing to the music,’ Alexis Dowdell said. Keenan Cooper, the DJ at the party, told WBMA-TV the event was stopped briefly when partygoers heard someone had a gun. He said people with weapons were asked to leave, but no one did.
Soon after, the shooting started.
Dowdell said she dove to the floor near the DJ as the dozens of revelers ran. She ‘didn’t know where to run,’ in part because shots seemed to come from multiple directions.
When there was a break in gunfire, she bolted for the front door. But someone pushed her. It was her brother, trying to protect her.
‘I guess he tried to push me out the door as fast as he could, but I ended up slipping on blood, because it was a whole bunch of blood on the floor,’ she said…..” Read more at AP News
Oklahoma officials captured on audio making racist comments, plans to kill journalists
By SEAN MURPHY
In this photo provided by the Southwest Ledger, people from Idabel, Okla., call for the resignation of several McCurtain County officials at a county commissioners meeting early Monday, April 17, 2023, after tapes with the officials' racist comments surfaced over the weekend. (Christopher Bryan/Southwest Ledger via AP)
“OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s governor is seeking the resignation of four county officials after a newspaper’s audio recording apparently captured some of them complaining about two of the paper’s journalists and knowing hit men and where two holes are dug.
A portion of the recording was released by the paper, and it also appears to capture one of the four making racist comments about Black people.
Gov. Kevin Stitt said Sunday he was seeking the resignations of McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy and three other county officials: sheriff’s Capt. Alicia Manning, District 2 Commissioner Mark Jennings and Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix.
‘I am both appalled and disheartened to hear of the horrid comments made by officials in McCurtain County,’ Stitt said in a statement. ‘There is simply no place for such hateful rhetoric in the state of Oklahoma, especially by those that serve to represent the community through their respective office.’
The McCurtain Gazette-News released portions of an audio recording following a March 6 county commission meeting in which Clardy, Manning and Jennings appear to discuss reporters Bruce and Chris Willingham. Jennings tells Clardy and Manning ‘I know where two deep holes are dug if you ever need them,’ and the sheriff responded, ‘I’ve got an excavator.’
Jennings also said he’s known ‘two or three hit men’ in Louisiana, adding ‘they’re very quiet guys.’
In the recording, Jennings also appears to complain about not being able to hang Black people, saying: ‘They got more rights than we got.’
The Associated Press could not immediately verify the authenticity of the recording. None of the four returned telephone calls or emails from The Associated Press on Monday seeking comment.
A spokeswoman for the FBI’s office in Oklahoma City said the agency’s policy is not to confirm or deny any ongoing investigation. Phil Bacharach, a spokesman for Attorney General Gentner Drummond, said the agency had received an audio recording and is investigating the incident, but declined to comment further.
More than 100 people gathered outside the McCurtain County Courthouse in Idabel on Monday, with many of them calling for the sheriff and other county officials to resign….” Read more at AP News
Odd spiral appears amid northern lights in Alaska night sky
By MARK THIESSEN
In this photo provided by Christopher Hayden, a light baby blue spiral resembling a galaxy appears amid the aurora for a few minutes in the Alaska skies near Fairbanks, Saturday, April 15, 2023. The spiral was formed when excess fuel that had been released from a SpaceX rocket that launched from California about three hours earlier turned to ice, and then the water vapor reflected the sunlight in the upper atmosphere. (Christopher Hayden via AP)
“ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Northern light enthusiasts got a surprise mixed in with the green bands of light dancing in the Alaska skies: A light baby blue spiral resembling a galaxy appeared amid the aurora for a few minutes.
The cause early Saturday morning was a little more mundane than an alien invasion or the appearance of a portal to the far reaches of the universe. It was simply excess fuel that had been released from a SpaceX rocket that launched from California about three hours before the spiral appeared.
Sometimes rockets have fuel that needs to be jettisoned, said space physicist Don Hampton, a research associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.
‘When they do that at high altitudes, that fuel turns into ice,’ he said. ‘And if it happens to be in the sunlight, when you’re in the darkness on the ground, you can see it as a sort of big cloud, and sometimes it’s swirly.’….” Read more at AP News
Liz Cheney memoir carries ‘urgent warning’
Then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) poses for a photo before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a joint session of Congress, in the House chamber on Dec. 21. Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP
“Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) — vice chair, and key driving force, of the House's Jan. 6 committee — will be out Nov. 14 with ‘Oath and Honor,’ which publisher Little, Brown calls a memoir, a call to action and ‘urgent warning.’
‘The last two years have shown us once again that our constitutional republic is not self-sustaining,’ Cheney, who calls herself a ‘constitutional conservative,’ said in a statement.
‘It survives only because of the courage and honor of individual Americans. When history looks back on this time, each elected official will have to answer the questions: Did we do our duty? Were we faithful to our oath of office?’
Why it matters: Cheney, daughter of the former vice president, became a household name during the Jan. 6 hearings last summer — and wants to be sure the issues of principal/duty/obligation stay in the national debate.
Cheney's book ‘will take readers inside the rooms where congressional leaders grappled with the threat posed by Trump's efforts to overturn the election,’ the announcement says. ‘She will detail lessons learned — stories of leadership, of cowardice, and of courage.’
‘Cheney will explain why she decided to stand almost alone against her party; why she risked her career, her seat, and her position in leadership to do what she knew was right.’
What's next: Cheney, 56, often mentioned as a future national candidate, has spoken at a handful of universities since leaving office, and periodically weighs in on major news on Twitter.
In March, she was named a professor of practice at the University of Virginia Center for Politics — running through the end of the 2023 fall semester, with an option to renew.” [Axios]
“Nearly 14 months after Russia invaded Ukraine, Chinese President Xi Jinping has yet to pick up the phone to call President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
There was talk of a potential chat soon after Xi visited Moscow last month to meet with Vladimir Putin. Zelenskiy has said he’s ready to host Xi in person.
And yet ... nothing.
It’s not from a lack of interest in Kyiv, even as Ukraine is dubious about Xi’s fuzzy blueprint for talks on the war. Xi appears to be drawing closer to Putin, with his defense minister going so far as to praise the Russian president — wanted for war crimes — for ‘promoting world peace.’
It’s somewhat puzzling given Xi is keen to portray himself as a statesman, and China as an alternate power center to the US. He’s recently hosted a clutch of senior European officials — including French President Emmanuel Macron — plus leaders from Africa and Latin America. He helped bring Saudi Arabia and Iran to the table.
Macron is eager to enlist China in a group push on a potential framework for talks between Russia and Ukraine — even as Kyiv gears up for a fresh offensive on the ground.
But Xi can’t really play a leading role without speaking with Zelenskiy. So what is holding him back?
It might be Xi feels he gets enough upside from circulating his blueprint, versus signing up to be an actual party to peace talks. By stepping in directly he’d be on the hook, risking getting his hands burned by failure.
In some ways the conflict may also suit Xi even if he has not directly endorsed Putin for his war. He has used it to drive a wedge between Ukraine’s vocal supporters among Group of Seven nations and those in Africa, Asia and Latin America who have taken a more ambiguous stance.
The call may yet come. But it’s telling that Xi has been so reluctant to make it. — Rosalind Mathieson [Bloomberg]
Zelenskiy attends the funeral of a fallen military commander in Kyiv on March 10. Photographer: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg
“Putin visited Russian troops in two occupied regions of Ukraine, according to video released today by the Kremlin. His appearance in the Luhansk and Kherson regions, where he was briefed by army commanders, comes as Ukrainian forces prepare to mount a counteroffensive that Kyiv hopes will provide a decisive breakthrough.” [Bloomberg]
WATCH: Putin visiting occupied Ukraine. Source: Russian Pool/Bloomberg
“Sudan’s army rejected the declaration of a 24-hour humanitarian truce by a paramilitary group that it’s been battling for control over the North Africa nation. Several days of fighting have killed more than 180 people and sparked intense diplomatic efforts to prevent a full-blown civil war.
Someone shot at a US diplomatic convoy in Sudan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, but everyone in the group was safe.
Foreign power brokers are jostling for position in Sudan. Read about who’s doing what here.” [Bloomberg]
Ukraine’s crop exports are under threat again after Kyiv said Russia blocked vessel inspections under a key Black Sea safe-passage deal for a second day. At the same time, neighboring Poland, Hungary and Slovakia banned imports of Ukrainian grain over concerns the supplies are hurting their domestic markets.
“Same-sex marriage is the focus of landmark hearings that began in India’s top court today to decide the fate of marital and allied rights for lesbian and gay couples in the 1.4 billion-strong South Asian nation. The proceedings will be closely watched, particularly in Asia, where Taiwan is the only place to recognize same-sex marriages.” [Bloomberg]
Russian Court Upholds WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich’s Detention
“A Russian court upheld the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich at Moscow's Lefortovo prison….” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Greenpeace accused the European Union of applying a ‘fake’ green label to gas and nuclear power as part of the bloc’s plan to become climate neutral by 2050. The environmental group said it will file a case at the EU’s General Court today, challenging its decision to include some gas and nuclear power stations in its so-called taxonomy aimed at encouraging sustainable financing.” [Bloomberg]
“Racism and a lack of funding are major reasons why Black women are four times more likely to die in childbirth than their White counterparts in the UK, a new report found.” [Bloomberg]
Italian police scoop up 2 tons of cocaine bobbing in sea
Boxes containing cocaine float in the Sicilian Strait off Catania in this picture made available by the Italian Financial Police on Monday, April 17, 2023. Some two thousand kilograms of cocaine, left afloat in open waters with a tracking device attached, were sized by the Italian Financial Police on Monday. (Italian Financial Police via AP)
“ROME (AP) — Italian police scooped up two tons of cocaine, wrapped in protective plastic and bobbing in the sea off eastern Sicily, authorities said Monday.
The financial police squad estimated that the recent ‘catch’ would have fetched about 400 million euros (nearly $450 million) in street sales.
The packages of cocaine were strung together with netting, police said in a statement. There was just enough plastic wrapping to keep the cocaine from getting wet without weighing it down and possibly sinking it.
Investigators hypothesized that a cargo ship left it in the sea as part of a scheme for another vessel to come along and eventually bring it to land. Police aircraft flew over the area of sea as a precaution to spot any other cocaine bundles that might have separated from the netting.
In all, police scooped up more than 1,600 packets of cocaine held in 70 bobbing bundles, the statement said….” Read more at AP News
“Soaring prices and shortages of food in Liberia are stoking anger that is posing a threat to President George Weah, who is losing support ahead of his bid for reelection later this year.” [Bloomberg]
“France’s rigid labor laws are next on Macron’s agenda, but he said he wants to work with unions to change them after he pushed through a controversial pension reform that undercut his popularity.” [Bloomberg]
Putin critic Kara-Murza sentenced to 25 years in prison
“Russia's campaign of quashing dissent against the war in Ukraine took another harsh turn Monday when prominent opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was convicted of treason and sentenced to 25 years in prison. This was a particularly severe penalty for the crime of denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin's ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Putin made his second visit to Ukraine in the last two months on Tuesday to the areas Russia occupies. Read more at USA Today
Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Monday, April 17, 2023.
AP
“Students around the globe are increasingly questioning the economic return from education, but as Bibhudatta Pradhan and Vrishti Beniwal report, nowhere is the problem more complex than India. Young people are paying for two or three degrees in the hope of landing a job, yet half of graduates are unemployable because thousands of small private colleges employ teachers with little training, use outdated curriculums, and offer no practical experience or job placements.” [Bloomberg]
Signage for RKDF University in Bhopal. Photographer: Anindito Mukherjee/Bloomberg
April 18, 2023
Good morning. There are more revelations about Clarence Thomas’s finances. We explain.
The U.S. Supreme Court.Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Undisclosed money
“Americans have long viewed the Supreme Court as more trustworthy and less nakedly political than other parts of the government. Or at least Americans used to feel that way.
In 2002, 50 percent of adults said that they had a lot of confidence in the court, according to Gallup’s annual polls on major institutions. Last year, in the most recent version of the poll, only 25 percent gave that answer. Other institutions have also become less trusted over the past two decades, but the court’s decline has been especially acute.
The Supreme Court is now less trusted than organized religion, organized labor or public schools, as this chart from my colleague Ashley Wu shows:
Source: Gallup | By The New York Times
The debate over Justice Clarence Thomas’s acceptance of gifts from a wealthy Republican donor — and Thomas’s failure to disclose them — is in some ways a political Rorschach test. Many liberals who already disliked Thomas are angry. Many conservatives who consider Thomas to be a great justice think the controversy is overblown. And given that justices have lifetime tenure, that the Supreme Court has a habit of protecting its own, and that Congress (which has the power to remove justices) is gridlocked, I don’t expect that this episode will lead to any direct consequences for Thomas.
But it may have larger political consequences.
Thomas has engaged in a yearslong pattern of behaving in ways that other justices, and many elected politicians, do not. He has misled the public multiple times about his finances (accidentally, he has said). His wife, Virginia, a conservative activist, has also acted in ways that affect the court’s credibility. She attended the Jan. 6 rally protesting the 2020 election result and has repeated Donald Trump’s false claims about that election.
Outside legal experts aren’t the only ones worried about the court’s reputation these days. The justices are, too.
John Roberts, the chief justice, has publicly argued that the court is not part of the country’s ‘polarized political environment.’ Amy Coney Barrett gave a speech in which she said that she and her colleagues were not ‘a bunch of partisan hacks.’ Thomas himself has said that the justices don’t decide cases based on ‘personal preference.’
Thomas’s own behavior, however, has made it harder for the court to argue that it follows a loftier standard than either Congress or the executive branch does. Many officials in those branches probably would have suffered damage to their careers if they had repeatedly covered up — or failed to disclose — payments they had received.
You have to wonder how Thomas’s colleagues, including his fellow conservatives, feel about the continuing revelations.
In the rest of today’s newsletter, my colleague Lauren Jackson explains the situation, including the latest developments and less recent details.
Yacht trips
ProPublica has reported this month on two aspects of Thomas’s relationship with a real estate scion from Dallas named Harlan Crow, who has spent millions of dollars on Republican causes, including efforts to move the judiciary to the right. (Here is a Times profile of Crow, including details about an art collection that includes statues of dictators.)
For more than 20 years, Thomas has accepted luxury gifts and trips from Crow. The Los Angeles Times reported on the gifts in 2004. After that story, Thomas continued to accept gifts but stopped disclosing them in the public forms that Supreme Court justices file annually. More recent gifts remained unknown until ProPublica’s reporting.
Among them: Thomas has flown on Crow’s private jet and toured a volcanic Indonesian archipelago on his superyacht. Crow commissioned a portrait of himself and Thomas smoking cigars in Adirondack chairs. Crow also helped finance a documentary about Thomas and donated half a million dollars to Liberty Central, an advocacy group Virginia Thomas founded.
Thomas has responded by saying that Crow is one of his ‘dearest friends.’ He has also said he was following colleagues’ advice when he declined to disclose the gifts.
Crow called the ProPublica report a ‘political hit job’ by a group ‘funded by leftists.’
Missing transaction
The second set of revelations involve real estate that Crow bought from Thomas’s family. In 2014, Crow purchased the home where Thomas’s mother lives as well as two nearby vacant lots in Savannah, Ga., for $133,363. Thomas’s mother lives rent-free but is responsible for paying property taxes and insurance, CNN reported yesterday.
In a statement, Crow said he purchased the house, where Thomas spent part of his childhood, to preserve it for a future museum.
Thomas intends to amend his financial disclosure forms to reflect the 2014 deal.
It joins a list of other transactions that he failed to disclose or that remain mysterious:
Thomas failed to report $686,589 in income that his wife earned over five years from the Heritage Foundation as well as two years of her income from Hillsdale College, a Christian school in Michigan. Thomas acknowledged the error when he amended his filings in 2011.
He has reported between $50,000 and $100,000 in annual income from a real estate company and for years referred to it by an outdated name on disclosure forms, as The Washington Post reported this weekend.
Thomas did not report reimbursement for teaching at the University of Kansas and the University of Georgia several years ago. After an outside group, Fix the Court, pointed out the lack of disclosure, Thomas amended his filing.
From 1998 through 2003, Thomas accepted $42,200 in gifts, making him the top gift recipient on the court at the time. The justice who accepted the next-highest amount was Sandra Day O’Connor, who received $5,825 in gifts.
The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to hold a hearing about ethical standards on the Supreme Court.” [New York Times]
Bud Light: Microcosm of America, 2023
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“Few events capture so perfectly the cultural, political and social toxicity of America as the Great Bud Light Debacle of 2023.
Why it matters: One transgender social-media influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, radically changed beer sales and stock prices — literally overnight — after a conservative backlash spread, bar to bar.
Catch up quick: On April 1, Bud Light sent Mulvaney an influencer package — a glorified swag bag — to celebrate the one-year mark of her coming out as trans.
The package featured bespoke Bud Light cans with illustrations of Mulvaney's face, which she showed off in an Instagram video.
That set conservative, anti-trans pockets of social media on fire — and left Republicans scrambling to protect a big donor from attacks by the right, Mike Allen and Eleanor Hawkins report.
5,600 news articles were published about the controversy in two weeks. The news received over 6 million social interactions (likes, shares, comments), according to NewsWhip data.
The most-shared articles came from right-wing publications, including The Blaze, The Daily Wire and Rare.us. Ben Shapiro (5.5 million Twitter followers) and Kid Rock — who fired a rifle at cases of Bud Light — called for boycotts.
The fallout: Anheuser-Busch InBev shares momentarily dropped by 5%, leading to a loss of over $6 billion in market value.
A week into the inferno, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a vague statement — ‘Our Responsibility to America’ — that danced around the backlash, further alienating the hard right and left.
But the statement seemed to appease shareholders. The company's stock began to rise after some conservative voices, including Donald Trump Jr. (9.8 million Twitter followers) called for the boycott to end.
What this captures:
The inflamed politics around transgender rights.
The lack of perspective or grace from vocal transgender opponents.
The speed of viral vitriol.
The speed of efforts to capitalize off viral vitriol.
The unpreparedness of companies to respond to social-media uprisings.
Context: Anheuser-Busch and its employees overwhelmingly support Republicans through donations.
Yet the company also maintains a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, which measures inclusivity in the workplace.
An Anheuser-Busch executive didn't immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
Between the lines: Remember the power imbalance. Trans issues are talked about a lot now. But trans people remain a small, largely marginalized group.
The big picture: For trans people, political issues are a matter of life and death. Across the country, bills are being debated and passed that take away their rights to access health care.
For the right, it’s a wedge issue. A front-page New York Times story on Sunday reported that after the Supreme Court in 2015 declared a right to same-sex marriage, the religious right needed a new issue to ‘galvanize rank-and-file supporters and big donors.’” [Axios]
The U.S. released an updated list of electric cars eligible for tax credits.
“What tax credits? They were created by last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. The goal is to make EVs more affordable, but under tougher rules that go into effect today, only 16 models qualify.
The specifics: Ten models qualify for a $7,500 credit and six others qualify for $3,750. Your must have an income below a certain threshold to be eligible. See the list here.” [Washington Post]
Musk blitz to win back Twitter ads
Tucker Carlson's two-part interview with Elon Musk began airing last night and concludes tonight. Photo: Fox News
“Elon Musk is on a reputation-mending media tour as Twitter faces business challenges and advertiser skepticism tied to his erratic and controversial product and policy changes, Axios' Eleanor Hawkins and Sara Fischer report.
Why it matters: Musk claimed in an interview with BBC last week that most of Twitter's advertisers have returned. But analysts suggest Twitter's ad revenue is rapidly declining.
By the numbers: A March forecast from Insider Intelligence suggests Twitter will bring in roughly $2.9 billion in ad revenue for 2023, after initially forecasting in October that it would earn $4.74 billion.
An estimate from Sensor Tower suggests that Twitter's top 50 advertisers have slowed spending in the first two months of this year by nearly $20 million collectively, compared to the same time period in 2022.
Other data from Sensor Tower suggests Musk's attempt to charge users for verification hasn't led to huge revenue gains so far on mobile.
In an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson that began airing last night, Musk discussed everything from his plans to build a ‘truth-seeking’ AI tool to his spat with The New York Times.
‘[C]ertainly a path to A.I. dystopia is to train A.I. to be deceptive,’ Musk said. ‘I'm going to start something which you call TruthGPT — or a maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe.’ (Go deeper.)
Data: Insider Intelligence. Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios
Musk told Tucker Carlson that he got Twitter ‘for at least twice as much as it should have been bought for.’
‘But some things are priceless,’ he added. ‘And so whether I lose money or not, that is a secondary issue compared to ensuring the strength of democracy. And free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy.’”
SpaceX's Starship changes space industry
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
“If SpaceX's Starship program succeeds, it could revolutionize the space industry by dramatically lowering the cost of launching people and payloads to orbit and beyond, Axios Space author Miriam Kramer writes.
Why it matters: SpaceX and other companies want to make space travel more akin to air travel, with launches happening every day.
What's happening: In order to make that future a reality, launch costs need to get cheaper. That's where Starship comes in.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said a Starship launch could eventually cost just $10 million or less. By comparison, the company's Falcon 9 costs about $62 million today and has far less carrying capacity than Starship.
SpaceX was planning its first launch of the Starship with its Super Heavy booster yesterday. But liftoff was scuttled after a technical issue popped up deep into the countdown.
Musk says the company will reset and try to launch again in the next few days.” [Axios]
“More than one quarter of Americans have no money saved for retirement, according to a new survey. Almost one in five people age 59 and older said they didn’t have a retirement account, which compared to a quarter of Generation X respondents. And for those aging Americans who do have money socked away, inflation has thwarted their plans, worsening the $7 trillion retirement-savings shortfall.” —Natasha Solo-Lyons [Bloomberg]
TV and film writers authorize strike over pay, other issues
FILE - Striking film and television writers picket outside Paramount Studios on Jan. 23, 2008, in Los Angeles. In an email to members Monday, April 17, 2023, leaders of the Writers Guild of America said nearly 98% of voters said yes to a strike authorization if a new contract agreement is not reached with producers. The guild last went on strike in 2007. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)
“LOS ANGELES (AP) — Unionized film and television writers have voted overwhelmingly to give their leaders the authority to call a strike if they’re unable to reach an agreement on a new contract.
In an email to members Monday, the negotiating committee of the Writers Guild of America said nearly 98% of the 9,218 votes were cast to authorize the strike, with nearly 79% of guild members voting. The guild is currently negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a deal aimed at addressing pay and other changes brought on by the dominance of streaming services.
‘Our membership has spoken,’ the email said. ‘You have expressed your collective strength, solidarity, and the demand for meaningful change in overwhelming numbers.’
The writers’ three-year contract expires May 1, and leaders could call for a walkout the following day, but could extend the deadline if the two sides are close to a deal…..” Read more at AP News
Disney
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis floated the idea of building a state prison or a competing theme park next to Disney World in Orlando as revenge for the company resisting a state takeover of its special taxing district. Laying out his plan to exact retribution against the House of Mouse, the Florida Republican said the GOP-controlled state legislature will take steps to ‘formally nullify’ Disney's attempts to maintain control of the district through last-minute maneuvering. The clash between Florida and its largest employer started last year when the state passed a new law that limited classroom instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity. Disney objected to the bill and vowed to help get it repealed. DeSantis responded by targeting the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the special taxing district that for half a century gave Disney control over the land around its Central Florida theme parks.” [CNN]
“Lives Lived: Robert Trotman trained thousands of Black and Hispanic youths in competitive swimming in urban areas not known for the sport. He died at 82.” [New York Times]