The Full Belmonte, 4/26/2025
Mastermind behind deadly bombing killed by Taliban
“The Taliban has killed the Islamic State terrorist who plotted the deadly attack at Kabul's airport during the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021, an assault that fatally wounded more than 170 people and 13 U.S. troops, according to a U.S official.
A suicide bomber killed Afghans who had clustered near one of the entrances to Hamid Karzai International Airport and the U.S. troops screening them. The attack on Aug. 26 was one of America's deadliest days in the nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan and came days before President Joe Biden's Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawing troops.” Read more at USA Today
This image from a video released by the Department of Defense shows U.S. Marines at Abbey Gate before a suicide bomber struck outside Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021, in Kabul Afghanistan.
Head of a Major Law Firm Bought Real Estate From Gorsuch
Experts said that the justice’s disclosure of the sale, which came right after the justice’s appointment, did not violate the law but underscored the need for ethics reforms.
April 25, 2023
“WASHINGTON — One month after Neil M. Gorsuch was appointed to the Supreme Court in April 2017, he and two partners finally sold a vacation property they had been trying to offload for nearly two years. But when he reported the sale the next year, he left blank a field asking the identity of the buyer.
County real estate records in Colorado show that Brian L. Duffy, the chief executive of Greenberg Traurig, a sprawling law firm that frequently has business before the court, and his wife, Kari Duffy, bought the property.
The buyer’s identity — and Justice Gorsuch’s decision not to disclose it — was reported earlier on Tuesday by Politico. Although experts said that the omission did not violate the law, they added that it underscored the need for ethics reforms given the intensifying scrutiny on financial entanglements at the Supreme Court and renewed calls by Democratic lawmakers for tightened rules.
ProPublica reported this month that Justice Clarence Thomas had not disclosed that he had repeatedly received free travel for lavish vacations and other purposes from a Republican megadonor, Harlan Crow, and that he had sold properties to Mr. Crow in Georgia….” Read more at New York Times
Senators to Introduce Bipartisan Bill Mandating Code of Ethics for Supreme Court
Angus King and Lisa Murkowski co-sponsor legislation following media reports on two justices’ finances
Sens. Angus King and Lisa Murkowski say their bipartisan bill might have a greater chance of passage in a divided Congress than Democrats’ proposals. PHOTO: BILL CLARK/CQ ROLL CALL/ZUMA PRESS; KEVIN DIETSCH/GETTY IMAGES
“WASHINGTON—Sens. Angus King (I., Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) will introduce a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would require the U.S. Supreme Court to create its own code of conduct within a year, following media reports that raise questions about whether Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuchproperly disclosed their financial activities.
‘It’s pitiful that we’re having to introduce this bill—it’s pathetic that the Supreme Court hasn’t done this itself,’ Mr. King said…” Read more at Wall Street Journal
The College Board Will Change Its A.P. African American Studies Course
The course had run into criticism from scholars, who accused the board of omitting key concepts and bending to political pressure from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
By Dana Goldstein and Stephanie Saul
“The College Board said on Monday that it would revise its Advanced Placement African American studies course, less than three months after releasing it to a barrage of criticism from scholars, who accused the board of omitting key concepts and bending to political pressure from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had said he would not approve the curriculum for use in Florida.
While written in couched terms, the College Board’s statement appeared to acknowledge that in its quest to offer the course to as many students as possible — including those in conservative states — it watered down key concepts.
‘In embarking on this effort, access was our driving principle — both access to a discipline that has not been widely available to high school students, and access for as many of those students as possible,’ the College Board wrote on its website. ‘Regrettably, along the way those dual access goals have come into conflict.’
The board, which did not respond immediately to an interview request, said on its website that a course development committee and experts within the Advanced Placement staff would determine the changes ‘over the next few months.’….” Read more at New York Times
Inside Biden's strategy to repair Harris' image
Screenshot from Biden's '24 announcement video yesterday.
“Top White House officials are rushing to the aid of Vice President Kamala Harris to try to shore up her underwhelming poll numbers heading into 2024, Alex. Thompson writes in his debut piece for Axios.
Why it matters: Harris' numbers are even worse than President Biden's (approval in the high 30%s v. low 40%s). Officials believe that could make her a drag on the ticket.
What's happening: There's zero chance Biden will replace her on the ticket — doing so would be an admission that he botched the most important decision he made as a candidate. So the White House and campaign team are working to give Harris a boost — which her allies feel is long overdue.
Biden's campaign announcement video featured shot after shot of the president and Harris together, as well as her meeting solo with voters.
She's also front and center with Biden on the homepage of Biden's revamped website.
Anita Dunn, one of the most powerful West Wing officials, recently directed the White House political and engagement teams to help schedule events with Harris promoting popular Democratic causes such as infrastructure spending and abortion rights.
The backstory: This is a huge shift from much of Biden's first two years, when there was mutual distrust and anonymous sniping between the vice president’s team and the West Wing.
Between the lines: Harris, initially saddled by Biden with no-win issues such as immigration and a stalled voting-rights bill, has frustrated many of his top aides. She has suffered frequent staff turnover, and rarely has been entrusted with high-profile assignments.
Harris' allies point out she has faced sexism and racism, and argue that the White House has not helped her enough. But detractors say her approval ratings are self-inflicted, and include some missteps in high-profile interviews.
What we're hearing: Biden would be 82 at the start of a second term. Republicans plan to argue that re-electing him could mean a Harris presidency. If former President Trump, 76, is the GOP nominee, look for him to spend lots of time running against Harris, 58.
The intrigue: Last year's book by Jonathan Marin and Alex Burns, ‘This Will Not Pass,’ reported that then-White House communications director Kate Bedingfield had privately criticized Harris. Bedingfield publicly denied the story — but walked over to the vice president’s offices and asked to see Harris so she could apologize, according to people familiar with the event.
Much of Harris' team didn't believe Bedingfield’s denial, and told her the vice president was unavailable.
Harris' aides made Bedingfield wait roughly two weeks until they granted her a meeting with the vice president. Harris’ aides insisted the meeting be 15 minutes, max.
The meeting did soothe tensions. About a week later, when Bedingfield had COVID, Harris personally called to see how she was doing and offered tips for feeling better. Bedingfield declined to comment.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Axios that ‘after winning the most votes of any ticket’ in 2020, ‘you’ve seen the results of the strong, consistent partnership between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and their teams.’
Harris spokeswoman Kirsten Allen said: ‘[O]ur teams have been focused on lifting up the priorities of President Biden and Vice President Harris as they build a future where every person in our nation can thrive, and will continue to remain focused on this work together.’
What we're watching: Some White House and administration officials say the vice president’s team has started to steady because of chief of staff Lorraine Voles, who took over the post a year ago.
Voles, trying to improve the office's culture, had everyone take the Myers-Briggs personality test, then compare their personality profiles, according to two people familiar with the moves.
Some in the office rolled their eyes at Voles' efforts. But others liked it, with one person comparing her to the gushy Ted Lasso character.
Harris hasn't had a communications director since Jamal Simmons left in December. Her office pitched veteran Democratic strategist Jennifer Palmieri about the post, but she demurred. Palmieri declined to comment.” [Axios]
Renewed search for long COVID treatment
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“FDA officials are turning to long-COVID patients who've experimented with unproven treatments for clues about how to manage the condition and design clinical trials, Axios' Sabrina Moreno reports.
Why it matters: Three years into the pandemic, there's still no standard protocol for diagnosing or treating the neurological issues, cognitive difficulties and breathing problems that plague millions post-COVID.
What's happening: The FDA hopes ‘patient-focused drug development’ can deliver feedback on drug development and evaluation — an approach it also took to chronic fatigue syndrome, which similarly has no cure.” [Axios]
“After falling ill during a live television interview last night, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled three campaign speeches and will rest at home on the advice of his doctors.
While aides to Erdogan, 69, dismissed the health issue as minor, the incident comes comes ahead of an election when even his most ardent loyalists are contemplating a future without him for the first time in 20 years.
Under his leadership, the Islamist-leaning AKP won big in elections in the aftermath of a devastating 2001 earthquake and economic crisis. The former Istanbul mayor was credited with getting Turkey back on its feet and transforming it into an economic power with a mix of cheap loans and business-friendly investment.
Two decades later, as he contests another presidential vote due on May 14, he’s the one accused of mounting a lackluster response to this year’s twin earthquakes in the southeast, a conservative, rural region that was once a bedrock of AKP support.
Erdogan’s obsession with low borrowing rates has been failing for years. Foreign investors have fled, the currency has seen precipitous drops in value and inflation has been at 20-year highs for months — hitting the AKP’s working-class electoral base the hardest.
And he has alienated colleagues who helped craft those early economic successes by concentrating power in the presidency. That creeping authoritarianism has raised alarms among critics who say it has undermined Turkey’s democratic foundations.
His foreign policy zigzags, including closer military ties with Russia, have created rifts with the West. Yet, a NATO member and — at least on paper — European Union aspirant, Turkey wields enormous influence because of its position as a bridge between Europe and Asia.
Though his popularity has been declining for years, Erdogan has clung on in part because the opposition was weak and divided, and no clear alternative emerged.
This time, opposition parties have rallied around a joint challenger for the presidency, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. That’s left voters, including longtime Erdogan supporters made homeless by the earthquakes, pondering if it’s time to move on.” — Lin Noueihed [Bloomberg]
“South African President Cyril Ramaphosa walked back an earlier statement that the country plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, as authorities grapple with how to handle a potential visit by Russian leader Vladimir Putin for a BRICS group summit in August. The government is taking legal advice on dealing with an ICC arrest warrant for Putin and is considering various options to sidestep its obligation to detain him, if he were to come.” [Bloomberg]
“Colombian President Gustavo Petro is signaling a surprise cabinet shakeup to try and kick start his reform agenda after a rocky few months in office. Colombia’s first leftist president is attempting to overhaul the nation’s conservative economic model by boosting worker rights and increasing the state’s role in health care and providing prensions, but he’s faced stiff opposition in congress and even from among his cabinet.” [Bloomberg]
“In a rural part of Denmark, a cavernous warehouse holds vats of bacteria that a transatlantic corporate partnership is hoping will be the solution to the cement industry’s huge emissions problem. Willem Marx explains that specific types of bacteria, in the right environment, can mimic the crucial properties of Portland cement, drawing in carbon dioxide, then converting it into calcium carbonate.” [Bloomberg]
A technician measures newly pressed bricks.
Remembering Harry Belafonte, one of the last civil rights era performers
Harry Belafonte (left) with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Paris in 1966. Photo: Ullstein Bild via Getty Images
“Harry Belafonte, who died yesterday of congestive heart failure at 96, broke racial barriers in the 1950s as a musician and actor. He also was one of the last surviving performers of the Civil Rights Movement who put careers in jeopardy to march and protest.
Why it matters: Belafonte's activism was a shift from many Black performers before him, like Nat King Cole, who avoided discussing racism, Axios race and justice reporter Russell Contreras writes.
The Harlem-born son of Jamaican immigrants rose to fame with chart-topping Caribbean tunes right before Elvis hit the mainstream.
His ascension as a sex symbol came as the nation still dealt with racial segregation as the Civil Rights Movement picked up steam.
Belafonte would soon join other actors, musicians and performers in actively participating in marches and speaking out, even when faced with the threat of violence and damage to their livelihood.” [Axios]
Harry Belafonte's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Photo: Damian Dovarganes/AP
During the March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.gave his "I Have a Dream Speech," Belafonte sat under the shadows of the Lincoln Memorial with fellow actors, Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster and Sidney Poitier.
Belafonte lent his image and fame to other marches against discrimination to draw attention to those causes. He supported the Freedom Rides and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee financially.
Belafonte would later join forces with future-South African President Nelson Mandela to fight apartheid.
Mattel introduces first Barbie with Down syndrome
By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
This image provided by Mattel, Inc., Tuesday, April 25, 2023, shows its first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome. Mattel collaborated with the National Down Syndrome Society to create the Barbie and "ensure the doll accurately represents a person with Down syndrome," the company said. (Mattel, Inc. via AP)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Toy company Mattel revealed its first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome on Tuesday.
Mattel collaborated with the National Down Syndrome Society to create the Barbie and ‘ensure the doll accurately represents a person with Down syndrome,’ the company said.
Design features of the new Barbie were made under guidance from NDSS, Mattel said. In addition to portraying some physical characteristics of a person with Down syndrome, the Barbie’s clothing and accessories carry special meaning.
The blue and yellow on the doll’s dress, accompanied by butterflies, represent symbols and colors associated with Down syndrome awareness. And the three chevrons on the Barbie’s necklace represent how people with Down syndrome have three copies of their 21st chromosome, Mattel said.
In addition, the Barbie wears ankle foot orthotics, which some children with Down syndrome use….” Read more at AP News