The Full Belmonte, 5/10/22
“ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces pounded away at the vital port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday, as part of an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines and weapons shipments. On the other end of the southern coast, they hammered a steel plant where Ukrainian fighters are denying Moscow full control of another critical port.
Days after the dramatic rescue of what some officials said were the last civilians trapped at the plant in Mariupol, authorities said about 100 were still believed to be in the network of underground tunnels under bombardment. The strikes come as the grisly toll of the war continued to take shape, with the Ukrainians saying they found the bodies of 44 civilians in the rubble of a building in the northeast that was destroyed weeks ago.
The Ukrainian military said Tuesday that Russian forces fired seven missiles a day earlier from the air at the crucial Black Sea port of Odesa, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse. One person was killed and five were wounded, the military said.” Read more at AP News
“President Biden signed a bill today reviving FDR's lend-lease program, allowing the U.S. to supply weapons to Ukraine more quickly.” Read more at Axios
“The corrections officer who escaped with an inmate from an Alabama prison and evaded authorities for over a week died Monday after the fugitives were taken into custody, officials said . Ex-corrections officer Vicky White, 56, and inmate Casey White, 38, were arrested after a police chase and subsequent car wreck in Evansville, Indiana, Lauderdale County, Alabama, Sheriff Rick Singleton said. Casey White was injured, and Vicky White later died at an Indiana hospital. The Vanderburgh County, Indiana, Coroner's office didn't release a cause of death, but police said Vicky White shot herself after U.S. Marshals stopped the Whites' car after a short chase and suffered serious injuries. According to local reports, Indiana coroners will perform Vicky White's autopsy Tuesday. Authorities also will provide more information at a Tuesday news conference. The Whites, who aren't related, disappeared April 29 and authorities have since said the couple had a ‘jailhouse romance’ and were planning their escape.” Read more at USA Today
“US stocks fell sharply yesterday, pushing the S&P 500 below the 4,000 mark for the first time in more than a year as traders anticipate a new load of bad news on inflation and earnings. The Dow fell about 654 points, or nearly 2%. The S&P 500 dropped 3.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite lost about 4.3%. The moves follow an incredibly volatile week on Wall Street and marks the fifth straight week of losses for all three major US stock indexes.” Read more at CNN
Threatening graffiti is seen on the exterior of Wisconsin Family Action offices in Madison, Wis., on Sunday, May 8, 2022.Alex Shur, AP
“Madison police said Monday that investigators are still searching for video footage from Sunday morning , when two Molotov cocktails were thrown into the offices of prominent anti-abortion group Wisconsin Family Action. The firebombs did not ignite, but a separate fire was lit in their place. The threat ‘'If abortions aren't safe then you aren't either’ was written in black spray paint outside of the building. The arson comes just days after a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion suggesting the court's landmark ruling legalizing abortion will be overturned, spurring extreme reactions from supporters and opponents of the controversial issue. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a tweet Monday that President Joe Biden supports the right to protest peacefully and denounced the attack.” Read more at USA Today
“Protesters gathered outside the home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, a week after his leaked draft opinion indicated the court is prepared to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.” Read more at Bloomberg
“A bill to grant security for the families of U.S. Supreme Court justices unanimously passed the Senate Monday. The Republican-written legislation comes amid outcry by abortion-rights supporters to a leaked draft opinion that suggests the court will soon overturn Roe v. Wade.” Read more at NPR
“The House of Representatives will vote on sending billions more in aid to Ukraine Tuesday, the day after President Joe Biden conceded he would separate his $33 billion emergency request for Ukraine from the billions he's seeking in pandemic funding. Congressional Democrats are pushing to boost Biden's requested $33 billion in aid to almost $40 billion. There has been historic bipartisan support for helping Ukraine, but Republicans have complained Biden is seeking too much additional pandemic funding. In the other chamber, Bridget Brink is scheduled to go before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday for a confirmation hearing to be the next U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Lawmakers are likely to use the session to grill Brink – not just about her credentials and plans for reopening the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv but also about the Biden administration's broader effort to assist Ukraine. Senate Democrats are likely to push for her quick confirmation, saying she is highly qualified and desperately needed.” Read more at USA Today
“In one of just five U.S. races pitting two incumbents against each other, a pair of Republican congressmen in West Virginia will face off in the same district Tuesday after population loss caused the state to lose one of its three House seats. How Reps. David McKinley and Alex Mooney voted on last year's bipartisan infrastructure bill could keep one of them in Washington and send the other home. Infrastructure may not seem like a top issue when inflation is squeezing American families and a leaked Supreme Court opinion on abortion has inflamed public debate. But it matters in a state that ranks among the worst for its roads and bridges. It's also the first real test of the infrastructure bill's political weight, serving as a proxy fight to measure ex-President Donald Trump's political power in a primary. In Nebraska, voters will pick nominees for the 2nd Congressional District. Rep. Don Bacon faces a long-shot challenge from Steve Kuehl, who got a shoutout from Trump when he visited earlier this month.
“Republicans are deeply split on their abortion strategy, with top officials pushing restraint, even silence, while activist GOP candidates demand an all-out campaign for a national ban and harsher penalties.
Why it matters: Republicans' confidence in landslide victories this fall was shaken by the leaked abortion ruling — in part, because they know the topic invigorates their base, while rattling many swing voters.
A top adviser to House Republican leaders tells me their polling shows that in races that matter, voters aren't ‘hip to this kind of seismic change.’
The adviser said lawmakers are asking for guidance on how to talk about issues like abortion in cases of rape or incest — knowing a hardline view is wildly unpopular.
The GOP establishment's initial marching orders, in an NRSC memo leaked to Axios' Alayna Treene, counseled caution and even silence.
But activist candidates and voters couldn't care less what the establishment wants — and see this as the moment to fulfill their lifelong dream of strict abortion bans, with few exceptions, and penalties for those carrying out abortions.
What we're hearing: Tony Perkins — president of the Family Research Council, who's been fighting on the issue for 30 years — told me in a phone interview that there's ‘some caution about overreach’ among GOP leaders.
But they're privately promising to help push America to be a ‘predominantly pro-life nation,’ Perkins said.
What to watch: Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman points to swing state Nevada, which has toss-up Senate and governor's races. The GOP needs suburban voters in the Silver State — but the party's base is pushing hard for more abortion restrictions.
The takeaway ... One thing is certain about modern politics: Rarely does moderation or restraint prevail — especially on cultural, religious or identity issues. In fact, one truism of modern conservatism is: The more the establishment pushes something, the more the base recoils.” Read more at Axios
“After a weekend of angry tweeting, Steve Schmidt launched a new Substack yesterday by asserting that the late Sen. John McCain lied to him, to The New York Times and to America about his longtime relationship with a female lobbyist.
Schmidt, the top strategist on McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, wrote: ‘John McCain told me the truth backstage at an event in Ohio ... Understandably, he was very concerned about this potentially campaign-ending issue. He kept saying, 'The campaign is over.'
Earlier, Schmidt writes, McCain denied it ‘dozens of times to my face.’
Schmidt's post followed a weekend-long Twitter diatribe directed primarily at Meghan McCain, the senator's daughter.
A source close to Meghan McCain told Axios the two haven't spoken since 2008.
Schmidt — now a consultant, and a co-founder of the Lincoln Project — says he's taken too much blame for his role in choosing Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate, which has brought him 14 years of agony.
During a 40-minute phone interview, I asked Schmidt if he worries about appearing unhinged.
‘There is some soft consensus that has emerged, mostly from soft people,’ he replied, ‘that responding to smears and slurs and insanity is some combination of unhinged or giving attention. This is as profoundly wrong a sensibility as there could conceivably be.’
‘I just completely reject the idea at every conceivable level — in part informed by 14 years of pain and abuse — that carrying a secret ... is healthy,’ he added. ‘It's not.’
‘I will sleep softly tonight — unburdened and much lighter than I was yesterday morning.’
The McCain Institute for International Leadership, a nonprofit affiliated with the McCain family, didn't respond to a request for comment.
A New York Times story during the campaign (Feb. 2008) reported McCain's ‘close bond with a lobbyist whose clients often had business’ before the Senate Commerce Committee, which McCain chaired.
Following the story's publication, Schmidt writes, McCain ‘lied to the American people at a news conference’ for which Schmidt helped him prep.
I asked Schmidt if he has qualms about attacking a man who can't defend himself. ‘It's the truth,’ Schmidt said. ‘It's history. John McCain does not exist in a protected space.’
I asked Schmidt if he had proof. ‘What will happen next is a number of people will go out and try to debunk what I said, maybe,’ he said. ‘And if they do, the conclusions of that effort will be solidifying the proof of what I said.’” Read more at Axios
“‘Highly deplorable’: Protesters splatter Russian ambassador to Poland with red paint at memorial.” Read more at USA Today
Protesters threw red paint on the Russian Ambassador to Poland, Ambassador Sergey Andreev, as he arrived at a cemetery in Warsaw to pay respects to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.Maciek Luczniewski, AP
“MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The namesake son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos appeared to have been elected Philippine president by a landslide in an astonishing reversal of the 1986 ‘People Power’ pro-democracy revolt that ousted his father.
Marcos Jr. had more than 30.8 million votes in the unofficial results with more than 97% of the votes tabulated as of Tuesday afternoon. His nearest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, a champion of human rights, had 14.7 million votes in Monday’s election, and boxing great Manny Pacquiao appeared to have the third highest total with 3.5 million.
His running mate, Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing leader and mayor of southern Davao city, had a formidable lead in the separate vice presidential race.
The alliance of the scions of two authoritarian leaders combined the voting power of their families’ political strongholds in the north and south but compounded worries of human rights activists.” Read more at AP News
Sri Lanka's prime minister resigns amid economic turmoil
“Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday, bowing to months of pressure amid the worst economic crisis in the country’s history.” [Vox] Read more at Reuters
“Sri Lankans have been calling for Rajapaksa to step down after struggling for months with rising fuel, food, and medicine costs; the government is also struggling to pay its bills.” [Vox] Read more at CNN / Iqbal Athas
“Rajapaksa’s exit came just hours after a bus of his supporters clashed with anti-government protesters outside his residence in the capital, Colombo. At least 150 people were injured.” [Vox] Read more at Washington Post / Niha Masih and Gerry Shih
“It’s unclear if the prime minister’s resignation will be enough to calm the unrest. The public also wants his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to step down.” [Vox] Read more at NYT / Skandha Gunasekara and Mujib Mashal
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is inaugurated today. Photo: Jeon Heon-Kyun/Pool via Reuters
“Yoon Suk Yeol, 61, a conservative political neophyte, was sworn in today as South Korea's new president with a vow to pursue a negotiated settlement of North Korea's threatening nuclear program.
Why it matters: The former prosecutor-general offered ‘an audacious plan’ to improve Pyongyang’s economy if Kim Jong-un abandons nuclear weapons.” Read more at Axios
“STOCKHOLM (AP) — To join or not to join? The NATO question is coming to a head this week in Finland and Sweden where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shattered the long-held belief that remaining outside the military alliance was the best way to avoid trouble with their giant neighbor.
If Finland’s president and the governing Social Democrats in both countries come out in favor of accession in the next few days, NATO could soon add two members right on Russia’s doorstep.
That would be a historic development for the two Nordic countries: Sweden has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, while Finland adopted neutrality after being defeated by the Soviet Union in World War II.
NATO membership was never seriously considered in Stockholm and Helsinki until Russian forces attacked Ukraine on Feb. 24. Virtually overnight, the conversation in both capitals shifted from ‘Why should we join?’ to ‘How long does it take?’” Read more at AP News
“Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party said it won’t join a new government with Sinn Fein nationalists until the U.K. and the EU make changes to trading arrangements in their Brexit deal.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Queen Elizabeth II’s absence today from the state opening of Parliament for only the third time casts a shadow over Boris Johnson’s attempt to reboot his flagging U.K. premiership.” Read more at Bloomberg
“As work starts on the largest U.S. consulate in the world in Lagos, Nigeria, ethics groups aren’t pleased, Neil Munshi and William Clowes write. By placing the $537 million complex on billionaire Gilbert Chagoury’s Eko Atlantic development, the American government is becoming the anchor tenant for a project run by a man once convicted of laundering money for a Nigerian dictator and who’s admitted to making illegal U.S. campaign contributions.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Patron, a bomb-sniffing dog, was honored by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for finding more than 200 explosive devices.” Read more at USA Today
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored his smallest soldier Sunday – the Jack Russell terrier Patron, who has detected more than 200 explosive devices.Efrem Lukatsky/AP
“LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas is being flooded with lore about organized crime after a second set of human remains emerged within a week from the depths of a drought-stricken Colorado River reservoir just a 30-minute drive from the notoriously mob-founded Strip.” Read more at AP News
“Maybe the image is not racy like the one of Marilyn Monroe with her dress flying up in the movie ‘The Seven Year Itch,’ but on Monday night it became the priciest.
In under four minutes of bidding, Andy Warhol’s 1964 silk-screen of just her face, ‘Shot Sage Blue Marilyn,’ sold for about $195 million at Christie’s in New York, making it the highest price achieved for any American work of art at auction.
The 40-inch-by-40-inch painting, a trophy given its vibrant colors and glamorous subject matter, eclipsed the previous high price of $110.5 million for a Basquiat skull painting at Sotheby’s in 2017 as well as Warhol’s auction high for a car crash painting that sold for $105.4 million in 2013.” Read more at New York Times
“Rappers Young Thug was indicted Monday in Georgia on RICO act and street gang charges. The rapper was arrested at his home in Atlanta.” Read more at NPR
“There were no signs of trauma found on any of the three American tourists who died in the Bahamas last week, according to police, though two ‘showed signs of convulsions.’ Autopsies for the tourists, who were from Tennessee and Florida, were scheduled for Monday.” Read more at NPR
“Mario Batali's sexual misconduct trial began Monday. His accuser says the famous chef aggressively kissed and groped her at a Boston bar five years ago.” Read more at NPR
“Never mind that noise you heard. Heavy metal band Metallica may find its way into more maternity wards after a fan in Brazil delivered her baby boy at the band’s concert in Curitiba moments before the show was about to end. Joice Figueiró said she went into labor while the band still had three songs to play, and delivered with the help of emergency medical personnel during the band’s rendition of ‘Enter Sandman.’ Despite the auspicious arrival, Figueiró has settled for a more traditional name: Luan.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Lives Lived: Midge Decter, an architect of neoconservatism, abandoned liberal politics, challenged the women’s movement and championed the Reagan Republican agenda. She died at 94.” Read more at New York Times