The Full Belmonte, 4/18/2024
12 jurors have been picked for Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Selection of alternates ongoing
“The rapid progress Thursday afternoon propelled the case closer to opening statements and weeks of testimony in a case charging the Republican ex-president with falsifying business records to suppress stories about his sex life in the final days of the 2016 election.” Read More at AP News
Jurors under MAGA microscope
Former President Trump and his attorney Todd Blanche at Manhattan Criminal Court today in New York City. Photo: Brendan McDermid/Pool/Getty Images
“One of the first jurors seated in former President Trump's historic criminal trial was dismissed today after expressing concerns about being publicly identified.
Why it matters: With the People of New York v. Trump set to be one of the most high-profile and politically charged cases in U.S. history, the conditions for keeping 18 jurors anonymous — and safe — could not be more challenging, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.
State of play: Court reporters have been live-blogging the profiles of prospective jurors all week, including broad physical descriptions, recent employment, where they get their news and where in Manhattan they live.
Juror No. 2, who was dismissed Thursday, said she was already facing questions from friends and family after basic details — including her work as an oncology nurse and residence on the Upper East Side — circulated online.
Zoom in: Trump's constant posting about the case, as well as targeted campaigns by his allies online and in conservative media, has raised significant security concerns.
Between the lines: The simple fact of Trump's presence during jury selection has also had an impact on some jurors.
‘One potential People v. Trump juror became so anxious after laying eyes on Trump this afternoon she started chewing on the corner of her jury service card,’ a pool report revealed yesterday.” [Axios]
Israel carries out airstrike on Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s drone and missile attack, Israeli official says
“The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discus sensitive military matters, said it was intended as a message to Iran that Israel had the ability to strike inside the country.”
Read more at Washington Post
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been staunchly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.
PHOTO: ILIA YEFIMOVICH/ZUMA PRESS
The White House is pushing for a long-shot deal that presses Israel to accept a new commitment to Palestinian statehood in exchange for diplomatic recognition by Riyadh, U.S. and Saudi officials said.
“The Biden administration is offering Riyadh a more formal defense relationship, help acquiring civil nuclear power and a renewed push for a Palestinian state—a package that U.S. officials say is in the final stages of negotiations. Israel has long sought normalized relations with Saudi Arabia, its most powerful Arab neighbor. The deal could mean a diplomatic breakthrough for President Biden amid his re-election campaign. Meanwhile, more aid is getting into Gaza, but not enough to avert a looming famine. Separately, Iran could work on building nuclear weapons if Israel attacks its nuclear facilities in retaliation for Tehran’s Saturday assault, a senior Iranian official warned.” [Wall Street Journal]
House Speaker Mike Johnson is risking his job for the Ukraine aid he once opposed.
“The approximately $60 billion for Kyiv is part of a broader package including aid to Israel and Taiwan, as well as a TikTok crackdown, that is set for a final vote on Saturday. With a 218-213 margin in the House, Johnson will likely have to rely heavily on Democratic votes. The Senate could take up the measure next week. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.) last month filed a motion to force Johnson out of the speakership but didn’t force a vote. Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), joined the effort this week and said the speaker should step down. Johnson has said he’s not resigning.” [Wall Street Journal]
Speaker skips nuclear option to protect job
Speaker Mike Johnson. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
“Speaker Mike Johnson has opted not to attempt to change the rules on removing people from the House speaker job, he said this afternoon.
Why it matters: The decision comes as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) threaten to pull the trigger on a resolution to oust him amid conservative outrage over the speaker pushing Ukraine aid without border language attached, Axios' Juliegrace Brufke reports.
Zoom in: Johnson had been urged by some members to restore the threshold for introducing a motion to vacate that was lowered by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy to a single member.
‘While I understand the importance of that idea, any rule change requires a majority of the full House, which we do not have,’ Johnson said today.
The bottom line: The speaker will now push forward on the foreign aid package, knowing he'll likely face an ouster attempt in the coming days.” [Axios]
NYPD Arrests Over 100 Pro-Palestinian Protesters at Columbia University
University officials asked police to clear encampment a day after congressional hearing about antisemitism on campus
“NEW YORK—Police arrested 108 people at Columbia University who were protesting the Israel-Hamas war, one day after the university’s president testified before Congress.
Columbia president Minouche Shafik asked the New York City Police Department Thursday to remove the students, saying the protesters’ encampment posed a ‘clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University.’ The encampment began early Wednesday morning and included over 100 students, the university said.
‘I took this extraordinary step because these are extraordinary circumstances,’ Shafik said in a statement to the university community. ‘The individuals who established the encampment violated a long list of rules and policies.’
The arrests were made without incident, Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference with the NYPD late Thursday. The protesters were issued summonses for trespassing, and two of them were also given desk appearance tickets for obstruction of governmental administration, police said.
The protesters surrendered to officers without resistance, the NYPD said. But other students, who appeared on the quad as the arrests began, verbally harassed the police, officials said.
‘It’s very troubling. When you are protesting for peace, you should not use inflammatory comments like we saw. It was very vile, some of the comments that were made,’ Adams said.
The protest was organized by a coalition of student groups demanding the university divest from financial interests from corporations with ties to Israel. The coalition members said in a statement Thursday before police started detaining protesters that they would remain in the encampment until Columbia complied with their demands or removed them by force.
An encampment began on Columbia’s campus on Wednesday morning and included over 100 students. PHOTO: LAURA BRETT/ZUMA PRESS
The war in Gaza has split college campuses across the U.S. as universities have struggled to balance free-speech rights with shielding students from harassment and threats of violence. Columbia, like many other top universities, has faced pressure from some students and alumni who say the school needs to do better protecting Jewish students from antisemitism.
Palestinian advocates have said Columbia has treated them unfairly, including suspending pro-Palestinian student groups. Advocates for Palestinians say universities are suppressing their speech rights for expressing their anger over Israel’s actions in Gaza….” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Maryland student arrested for school shooting threat, police say
“An 18-year-old student in Maryland has been charged with threatening to commit a shooting at a Montgomery County school, after police were notified about the suspect’s 129-page ‘manifesto,’ authorities said.
In the document, the suspect writes about strategizing and committing a school shooting, contemplates targeting an elementary school, and expresses a desire to be famous, Montgomery County police said.
Authorities said the suspect showed a friend his writings, claiming they were a work of fiction. That friend then called police, believing a school shooting was ‘imminent,’ according to court documents.
The suspect was arrested and charged with threats of mass violence, and is currently being held pending a bond hearing.” [NBC News]
U.S. vetoes U.N. resolution that would grant full member status to Palestinian state
“The United States voted against a U.N. Security Council resolution that aimed to extend full member status to a Palestinian state. Robert Wood, the alternate American representative to the United Nations, said afterward that Washington ‘continues to strongly support a two-state solution.’”
Read more at Washington Post
United Arab Emirates struggles to recover after heaviest recorded rainfall ever hits desert nation
“The United Arab Emirates tried to wring itself out Thursday after its heaviest recorded rainfall ever, with its main airport allowing more flights even as floodwater still covered portions of major highways and communities.” Read More at AP News
Poland arrests man suspected of spying for Russia to aid Zelenskyy assassination plot
“A Polish man has been arrested on allegations of being ready to spy on behalf of Russia’s military intelligence in an alleged plot to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Polish prosecutors said Thursday.” Read More at AP News
‘The Middle East Is on a Precipice’
A Palestinian boy enters a building destroyed by Israeli bombardments in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on April 17.Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images
“Senior U.S. and Israeli officials held virtual talks on Thursday to discuss a possible Israeli ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The Biden administration has expressed worry about a high civilian casualty count if the assault occurs, and it denied reports that the White House gave Israel the green light to attack Rafah if it does not retaliate against Iran for Tehran’s strikes last Saturday.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan led the U.S. delegation, and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi led the Israeli team. This was the two nations’ second such meeting since April 1; in-person talks scheduled for this week were postponed due to Iran’s attack.
A U.S. official told Axios that Israel is considering a gradual operation in specific Rafah neighborhoods that would be evacuated in advance rather than an all-out assault on the city. In the interim, Israel continues to launch aerial attacks on Rafah, including an overnight strike on Thursday that killed 10 members of a single family, five of whom were children between the ages of 3 and 16, a local hospital reported.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi called for an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Gaza during a bilateral summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday. They advocated for a two-state solution, with Marsudi saying both nations ‘would also fully support Palestine’s membership’ in the United Nations. The State of Palestine currently holds observer status at the multilateral body but is seeking full membership. A U.N. Security Council vote on the matter is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday. It is not expected to pass, as the United States—a veto-wielding member—opposes the move.
International leaders also expressed concerns on Thursday about Israel conducting a retaliatory attack on Iran. ‘The Middle East is on a precipice,’ U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said. He warned of a ‘full-scale regional conflict’ spilling beyond Gaza’s borders and urged ‘maximum restraint.’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would ‘make its own decisions’ on how to defend itself.
Following up on promises to support Israel after the Iranian attack, the United States also announced new sanctions against Iran. On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department issued sanctions on 16 people and two entities connected to Tehran’s drone programs, including executives of the manufacturer that supplied the Shahed-131 drones used in last weekend’s attack, as well as companies associated with Iran’s steel and auto industries. ‘Our actions make it harder and costlier at every turn for Iran to continue its destabilizing behavior,’ Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
The United Kingdom and European Union followed suit with similar plans. On Thursday, London announced restrictions on six Iranian military entities and seven military officials. And on Wednesday, the EU said it will implement new sanctions on Iranian companies that produce drones and missiles. ‘We feel it’s very important to do everything to isolate Iran,’ European Council President Charles Michel said.” [Foreign Policy]
“Not enough reform. The United States announced on Wednesday that it would reimpose sanctions against Venezuelan oil, one day before the decision’s deadline was set to expire. First introduced under then-U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019, the restrictions were partially lifted in October 2023 after Caracas promised to implement election reforms. However, the Biden administration said this week that Venezuela has not done enough to achieve free and fair elections. Companies will now have 45 days to ‘wind down’ transactions with the Latin American country’s oil and gas sector.
Among the White House’s chief criticisms was a decision made by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to block leading opposition candidate María Corina Machado and her substitute, Corina Yoris, from running for president. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also accused Caracas of having ‘harassed and intimidated political opponents and unjustly detained numerous political actors and members of civil society.’
Experts predict fuel sales to decrease due to the ruling while U.S. oil companies scramble for special authorizations to remain in Venezuela. Maduro has previously warned that he would cancel repatriation flights to the United States if Washington continued what he called its ‘economic aggression.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Mass flooding. Dubai struggled to clear clogged streets on Thursday after experiencing its heaviest rainfall since records began 75 years ago. Nearly 4 inches fell on the desert city within 12 hours on Tuesday—around what Dubai receives in a year—and in less than 24 hours, some areas recorded around 10 inches of rain. Officials documented heavy traffic, destroyed homes, and delayed flights from the storm.
In neighboring Oman, more than 20 people, including 10 children, were killed in flooding on Monday. And torrential rains caused flash floods and landslides across Afghanistan and Pakistan this week, damaging or destroying more than 2,600 homes and killing more than 130 people. Pakistan issued another flood warning on Thursday for early next week.” [Foreign Policy]
“Tariffs against Beijing. U.S. President Joe Biden called for increased tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum products during a campaign event in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. The protectionist policy aims to safeguard U.S. jobs against what Biden called ‘unfair’ competition, with the White House accusing Beijing of cheaply selling excess steel and aluminum. Beijing has previously denied dumping allegations.
Biden also announced an investigation into China’s shipbuilding and logistics sectors, which the U.S. United Steelworkers union and others have accused of unfair trade practices. The Chinese Embassy in the United States condemned Biden’s decision. And the International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday that such actions could increase inflation and worsen already fraught bilateral relations.” [Foreign Policy]
“Amid seashells and skipping stones, scientists confirmed on Wednesday that a British girl and her father found a jawbone belonging to an ichthyosaur, a Triassic Period marine creature stretching between 72 and 85 feet long—making it one of the largest animals ever recorded. The fossil, found on a beach in Somerset, dates back 202 million years. Jurassic Park just got a whole lot tamer in comparison.” [Foreign Policy]
Google fires 28 workers in aftermath of protests over big tech deal with Israeli government
“The firings confirmed by Google late Wednesday came a day after nine employees were arrested during sit-in protests at offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, after the company called police.” Read More at AP News
Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
“Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” has died. He was 80.” Read More at AP News