The Full Belmonte, 5/23/2022
“Leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention on Sunday released a major third-party investigation that found that sex abuse survivors were often ignored, minimized and ‘even vilified’ by top clergy in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.
The findings of nearly 300 pages include shocking new details about specific abuse cases and shine a light on how denominational leaders for decades actively resisted calls for abuse prevention and reform. They also lied to Southern Baptists over whether they could maintain a database of offenders to prevent more abuse when top leaders were secretly keeping a private list for years.
The report — the first investigation of its kind in a massive Protestant denomination like the SBC — is expected to send shock waves into a conservative Christian community that has had intense internal battles over how to handle sex abuse. The 13 million-member denomination, along with other religious institutions in the United States, has struggled with declining membership for the past 15 years. Its leaders have long resisted comparisons between its sexual abuse crisis and that of the Catholic Church, saying the total number of abuse cases among Southern Bapitists was small.” Read more at Washington Post
“Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN)A 21-year-old Russian soldier was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for killing an unarmed man in Ukraine's first war crimes trial since Russia's invasion.
The soldier, Vadim Shishimarin, had pleaded guilty to shooting a 62-year-old civilian to death on the fourth day of the conflict in late February.” Read more at CNN
President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speak at a news conference in Tokyo.
“On his first trip to Asia since taking office, President Joe Biden said today that the United States would respond militarily if China tries to take Taiwan by force. ‘That's the commitment we made,’ he told reporters in Tokyo. The President’s statement caught several of his top administration officials off guard, CNN was told by multiple aides. However, this is not the first time Biden has gone further than longstanding US public policy toward the self-governing island. The US provides Taiwan defensive weapons, but has remained intentionally ambiguous on whether it would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack. Following Biden's remarks, the White House issued a statement that said the US' official position remained unchanged.” Read more at CNN
“Tomorrow marks three months since Russia launched its assault on Ukraine. Since then, a staggering 8 million people in the country have been displaced, the UN Refugee Agency said today. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a ‘historic’ joint customs control with Poland yesterday, stressing ‘unity of Ukrainians and Poles is a constant that no one will break.’ Zelensky also signed a decree introducing a new award to thank cities of partner countries that have helped Ukraine the most -- and the Polish city of Rzeszow became the first to be added to the list. On the ground, tensions remain high and Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Saturday he has ruled out a ceasefire with Russia, emphasizing Kyiv would not accept any deal with Moscow that involved ceding territory.” Read more at CNN
“A shipment of 35 tons of baby formula arrived yesterday in Indiana on a US military aircraft from Germany to address the nationwide shortage -- but none of it will land on store shelves in the US, a Biden administration official told CNN. The recent batch of formula is a specialized prescription and will be fed to babies intolerant of protein in cow milk, the official said. The shipment will provide enough formula for 9,000 babies and 18,000 toddlers for one week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. As for more upcoming shipments, the White House announced yesterday that additional flights to import formula from abroad will ‘take place in the coming days.’ Biden announced Operation Fly Formula last week. His administration said the total amount of formula in the first round equals up to 1.5 million doses of eight-ounce bottles.” Read more at CNN
“A 32-year-old runner died Saturday after finishing a half marathon in Brooklyn where 15 others were injured, officials said. The marathoner was found unconscious, lying on the pavement, having collapsed after crossing the finish line just before 9 a.m. in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach neighborhood, an NYPD detective said. An official cause and manner of death have not been released. The runner immediately received attention from on-site medical staff, but was pronounced dead at the hospital approximately 45 minutes later, officials said. Fifteen other individuals were transported to local hospitals from the race and at least four were in serious condition. During the marathon, temperatures ranged from the low 60s to the high 70s Fahrenheit and the relative humidity was between 96% and 97%, according to the National Weather Service.” Read more at CNN
“The White House is exploring the possibility of tapping into an emergency diesel reserve to ease the spike in gas prices, a senior White House official said. The emergency declaration under consideration would enable President Biden to release diesel from a rarely used stockpile, but the reserve is relatively small and will only serve as a temporary solution to buy time. The national average price for diesel stood at $5.56 a gallon as of yesterday, just shy of the record of $5.58 set last week, according to AAA. Diesel is a vital fuel for the US economy, powering not only farm and construction equipment but the trucks, trains and boats that move goods across the country. Skyrocketing diesel prices often get passed down to consumers.” Read more at CNN
“The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol is expected to stage six public hearings in June on how Donald Trump and some allies broke the law as they sought to overturn the 2020 election results, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.
The hearings are set to be a pivotal political moment for the country as the panel aims to publicly outline the potentially unlawful schemes that tried to keep the former president in office despite his defeat at the hands of Joe Biden.
According to a draft schedule reviewed by the Guardian, the select committee intends to hold six hearings, with the first and last in prime time, where its lawyers will run through how Trump’s schemes took shape before the election and culminated with the Capitol attack.” Read more at The Guardian
“The only House Democrat to oppose abortion faces a tight primary. Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar is on the ballot on Tuesday just as his party has made protection of abortion rights a central issue. His opponent, immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros, is trying to win by emphasizing her support for ‘unfettered access to abortion care.’” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“The Georgia governor race is a test for Trump. It isn't going well.Incumbent Brian Kemp is positioned to win Tuesday’s Republican primary and fend off a challenger backed by Donald Trump. Former Sen. David Perdue has centered his campaign on that endorsement and Trump's false claim that the 2020 election was stolen, which Kemp didn't go along with.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Supreme Court to issue at least one opinion Monday. From Roe v. Wade to gun rights and business law, the court has 35 cases from this term on which it still has to issue opinions—a process it normally concludes by early July. Here's a roundup of 10 of the most important ones.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Fraud trial of Theranos's Ramesh ‘Sunny’ Balwani enters a new phase. On Friday, prosecutors rested their case against the top deputy and confidant to the blood-testing startup's founder Elizabeth Holmes. Attorneys for Balwani began their defense and put the responsibility squarely on Holmes, saying she had spent six years building the company before Balwani joined.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Former Vice President Mike Pence will headline a rally for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday, the eve of the state's contested Republican primary. Pence's appearance puts him at odds with former President Donald Trump, who is fighting to defeat the GOP incumbent governor. Kemp infuriated the former president when he refused to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election result in favor of Trump.Trump endorsed Kemp's opponent, Republican Sen. David Perdue, in February. In April, Trump's Save America PAC gave $500,000 to a super PAC devoted to preventing Kemp's reelection, Politico reported.” Read more at USA Today
“The United Nations’ Aids agency has called some reporting on the monkeypox virus racist and homophobic, warning of exacerbating stigma and undermining the response to the growing outbreak.
UNAIDS said ‘a significant proportion’ of recent monkeypox cases have been identified among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
But transmission was most likely via close physical contact with a monkeypox sufferer and could affect anyone, it added, saying some portrayals of Africans and LGBTI people “reinforce homophobic and racist stereotypes and exacerbate stigma”.
As of 21 May, the World Health Organization received reports of 92 laboratory-confirmed monkeypox cases and 28 suspected cases from 12 countries where the disease is not endemic, including several European nations, the US, Australia and Canada.” Read more at The Guardian
“A rising cycling star who was visiting Texas for a competition was found shot dead in Austin this month, rattling the tight-knit community of off-road biking and racing.
Investigators began to piece together a narrative of that night with surveillance video, a remorseful interview with another professional cyclist she had been seeing, and eventually ballistics. Now, U.S. Marshals are helping the police look for a woman who has been identified as a suspect in the death of Anna Moriah Wilson, 25.
The suspect, Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 34, was dating Colin Strickland, 35, another star gravel cyclist, a discipline that blends mountain biking and road cycling. The police said Ms. Wilson had also been romantically involved with Mr. Strickland.” Read more at New York Times
The J.M. Smucker Company has recalled several Jif peanut butter products sold in the United States and Canada because of potential salmonella contamination that federal regulators said has been tied to 14 illnesses.
In a statement posted Friday on the federal Food and Drug Administration’s website, the company encouraged consumers who bought the potentially contaminated products to immediately dispose of them.
The products listed include several types of creamy, crunchy, reduced-fat and natural peanut butter products in various sizes, as well as a 40-ounce jar of natural honey.” Read more at New York Times
PHOTO: JAKUB SZYMCZUK/POLISH PRESIDENCY/REUTERS
“Poland’s president addressed Ukraine’s Parliament. On a surprise visit to Kyiv, Andrzej Duda said that only Ukraine should decide any terms upon which it pursues peace with Moscow and called for a complete removal of all Russian troops from the country.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Joining NATO poses a quandary for many Swedes. The Scandinavian country’s decision to seek membership challenges the notion of neutrality, for many years a pillar of Swedish national identity.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Russia permanently banned more than 900 American politicians, celebrities and executives from entering the country.” Read more at USA Today
Biden in Asia
“The politics of trade policy have become toxic in the U.S.
For decades, the mainstream of both the Democratic and Republican parties favored expanding trade between the U.S. and other countries. Greater globalization, these politicians promised, would increase economic growth — and with the bounty from that growth, the country could compensate any workers who suffered from increased trade. But it didn’t work out that way.
Instead, trade has contributed to the stagnation of living standards for millions of working-class Americans, by shrinking the number of good-paying, blue-collar jobs here. The incomes of workers without a bachelor’s degree have grown only slowly over the past few decades. Many measures of well-being — even life expectancy — have declined in recent years.
All along, many politicians and experts continued to insist that trade was expanding the economic pie. And they were often right. But struggling workers understandably viewed those claims as either false or irrelevant, and they refused to support further expansions of trade.
After President Barack Obama negotiated a major new trade deal — the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or T.P.P. — members of both parties criticized it, and the Senate declined to ratify it. Donald Trump then won the presidency partly on an antitrade platform, and he formally withdrew the U.S. from the T.P.P.
This morning, President Biden, on his first trip to Asia since taking office, has announced an agreement that he hopes represents the future of trade policy. It’s known as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and includes India, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Australia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and a handful of other countries.
Anti-neoliberalism
This framework is much less ambitious than Obama’s T.P.P. But the T.P.P. never became law in the U.S., so it is in some ways a meaningless comparison. Biden’s goal is to manage trade policy in a way that is both less bombastic and isolationist than Trump’s approach but also less dismissive of voters’ concerns than both parties tended to be before Trump’s presidency.
As one Biden adviser told me, the new framework is central to the Biden administration’s ‘post-neoliberal foreign policy.’
The crucial distinction between Biden’s framework and past trade deals is that this deal does not involve what economists call ‘market access’ — the opening of one country’s markets to other countries’ goods, through reduced tariffs and regulations. The framework instead revolves around increased cooperation on areas like clean energy and internet policy. As a result, the deal does not require Senate ratification.
A tangible example is the global supply chain. As part of the framework, the 13 countries agree to identify supply-chain problems early and solve them. If a Covid outbreak in one country forces a certain kind of factory to close, a backup factory in another country can quickly increase production and minimize shortages around the world.
A factory in China’s Anhui province in March.AFP/Getty Images
The China factor
Officials in much of Asia remain disappointed that the U.S. abandoned the T.P.P. They rightly note that Biden’s framework is much narrower and will do less to help Asian economies increase their exports to the U.S. ‘You can sense the frustration for developing, trade-reliant countries,’ Calvin Cheng, a senior analyst at Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies, told Al Jazeera.
Still, the Biden administration persuaded virtually every country that it wanted to join the framework to do so. Officials in these countries recognize that Biden is trying to re-engage with Asian allies, in contrast to Trump’s ‘America first’ approach, and many badly want the U.S. to play an active role in the Pacific. Otherwise, they fear, China may dominate the region.
U.S. officials have the same concern, and the new framework — vague as parts of it may be — offers a structure for economic cooperation that bypasses China. If the U.S. and other major Asian economies can agree to standards on the supply chain, internet policy, energy and more, China will be left to choose between playing by those rules or missing out on new trade opportunities.
Katherine Tai, the top U.S. trade official, who has joined Biden on his trip, told The Associated Press that the U.S. was ‘very, very focused on our competition with China.’ The new framework, she added, is intended to counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific region.” Read more at New York Times
“New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ruled out the possibility of running a DJ set with Australia’s new leader Anthony Albanese. The two music enthusiasts are both amateur DJs and have played highly-publicized sets during their political careers. Albanese played a charity event in Melbourne ahead of Australia’s 2016 elections, ending with a sing-along to Iggy Pop’s The Passenger, and Ardern was a headliner at Auckland’s popular Laneway Festival in 2014.” Read more at Bloomberg
Ardern at the Laneway Festival in 2014.
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
“It feels like Justin Thomas has won more than two majors. The 29-year-old star has embedded himself within the sport of golf over the last six years with boundless talent and charisma. Both traits were on display Sunday as Thomas won a wild PGA Championship in comeback fashion.
A few stats on Thomas’ historic final round:
Thomas entered Sunday seven strokes back, making his win the largest comeback in a major since Paul Lawrie came back from 10 shots down in the 1999 Open Championship.
Thomas also tied the PGA Championship record for largest comeback after 54 holes.
Thomas only made a playoff with Will Zalatoris after Mito Pereira, the unheralded Chilean who led entering Sunday, double-bogeyed the 18th hole with a one-shot lead. He’s only the third player over the last 20 years to double the 72nd hole of a major and finish one shot out of a playoff.
It might be just Thomas’ second major, but it’s also his 15th career PGA tournament win — he’s the fifth to do that since World War II before the age of 30, joining Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Pretty good company.” Read more at The Athletic
“‘Top Gun: Maverick’ makes its debut. The movie represents a major bet by Paramount and theater chains on a sequel that comes 36 years after the original, whose core audience is now over 50. It also might be one of the most delayed movies of the pandemic era, having seen its release date move four times since April 2020.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Erin Wilson
“Talk about a good girl! Eva the dog went head-to-head with a mountain lion — and almost lost her life — to protect her owner from an attack.” Read more at NPR
“Colin Cantwell, the artist who designed many of the spacecraft in the Star Wars films, has died at the age of 90.
Cantwell's first credit came on Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Star Wars creator George Lucas then asked him to design and make prototypes for the Death Star, X-Wing, TIE fighter and Imperial Star Destroyer.” Read more at BBC
“Lives Lived: Bob Neuwirth was a talented singer and songwriter, and he was perhaps best known for the roles he played in the careers of Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin. Neuwirth died at 82.” Read more at New York Times