The Full Belmonte, 6/21/2023
In this photo released by Action Aviation, the submersible Titan is prepared for a dive into a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean on an expedition to the Titanic on Sunday, June 18, 2023.(Action Aviation via AP)
SEARCH AND RESCUE
Underwater noises heard in search for missing submersible near the Titanic
“A Canadian military surveillance aircraft detected underwater noises as a massive search continued early Wednesday in a remote part of the North Atlantic for a submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. Read more.
Why this matters:
A statement from the U.S. Coast Guard did not elaborate on what rescuers believed the noises could be, though it offered a glimmer of hope for those lost aboard the Titan as estimates suggest as little as a day’s worth of oxygen could be left if the vessel is still functioning.
Newly uncovered allegations also suggest there had been significant warnings made about vessel safety during its development.” [AP News]
CLIMATE CHANGE
Young climate activists take Montana to court over global warming
Whether a constitutional right to a healthy, liveable climate is protected by Montana state law is at the center of an ongoing lawsuit filed by 16 young plaintiffs, ranging in age from 5 to 22 years old. Read more.
Why this matters:
The plaintiffs say they’re being harmed by wildfire smoke, excessive heat and other effects of climate change. They’re asking a judge to declare unconstitutional a state law that prevents agencies from considering the impacts of greenhouse gases when issuing permits for fossil fuel development.
A decision against the state could establish legal precedent and add to the small number of rulings that have established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change. However, only a handful of states – including Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts — have similar environmental protections in their constitutions.
Montana officials have downplayed the first-of-its-kind trial, saying that even if the young plaintiffs prevail climate impacts from emissions still would not disqualify fossil fuels projects from approval.” [AP News]
Hunter's next worry
Hunter Biden at the White House last year. Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP
“Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to not paying taxes in 2017 and 2018, and he'll enter into a probation agreement on a charge of illegally owning a gun while being a drug user, according to a court filing by the U.S. attorney in Delaware.
The big picture: Hunter’s plea deal is not the end, Axios' Alex Thompson writes.
Congressional Republicans will continue to investigate him. And he'll only avoid prosecution for his gun felony if he stays drug-free for a set period of time, something he has struggled with in the past.
Former President Trump has said he will appoint a special counsel to ‘go after’ the Biden family if he wins the next election, and several other Republicans running for the nomination criticized the plea deal.
If a Republican wins the presidency in 2024, Hunter could be investigated again.
Catch up quick: The Justice Department charged that Hunter possessed a Colt Cobra revolver in Delaware in October 2018 while ‘knowing that he was an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance.’
The maximum penalty for the gun charge is 10 years in jail and a fine of $250,000.
Hunter was also charged with failure to timely file and pay taxes in 2017 and 2018 when, by his own admission, he was in the throes of an addiction to crack cocaine.
What to watch: Hunter is set to appear and be arraigned in a federal court in Delaware in the coming week where he will enter his guilty plea.” [Axios]
10,000-square-mile search zone
The submersible Titan as it prepared to dive into the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday. Photo: Action Aviation via AP
“An international team of rescuers has scoured an area roughly the size of Vermont in the remote Atlantic Ocean, looking for a lost submersible that was on an expedition to the Titanic's wreckage.
U.S. Coast Guard officials said this afternoon that the search continues and has not yet yielded any results.
Rescuers are racing against the clock as the oxygen supply on board the sub is expected to run out by Thursday morning.
The people on board, via AP:
Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, the company leading the expedition.
Hamish Harding, a British businessman and billionaire adventurer who holds three Guinness World Records.
Father-and-son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, members of one of Pakistan’s most prominent families.
Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a former French navy officer and Titanic expert.” [Axios]
Middle-school score plummet
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“The decline in U.S. 13-year-olds' math scores last year was the biggest in 50 years, Axios' April Rubin writes from federal data out today.
Why it matters: Declines in middle-school math and reading scores — echoing elementary-school results out earlier — continue a decadelong freefall, and show far-reaching effects of school changes during COVID.
By the numbers: The average math score for 13-year-olds on "The Nation's Report Card" fell 9 points between the 2019-20 and 2022-23 school years.
The average reading score for 13-year-olds dropped 4 points.
Scores declined among all racial and ethnic groups ... among male and female students ... and across urban, suburban and rural areas.
The lowest-performing students scored at levels last recorded in the 1970s, when testing began.
Math and reading scores began declining in 2012.
What's happening: Enrollment in algebra dropped from 34% of 13-year-olds in 2012 to 24% in 2023.
Fewer students said they frequently read for fun, which is associated with higher achievement.” [Axios]
Judge in Trump Documents Case Sets Tentative Trial Date as Soon as August
The judge, Aileen M. Cannon, set an aggressive schedule for moving the case forward, though the proceedings are likely to be delayed by pretrial clashes.
By Alan Feuer, Maggie Haberman and Charlie Savage
June 20, 2023
“The federal judge presiding over the prosecution of former President Donald J. Trump in the classified documents case set an aggressive schedule on Tuesday, ordering a trial to begin as soon as Aug. 14.
The timeline set by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, is likely to be delayed by extensive pretrial litigation — including over how to handle classified material — and its brisk pace seems in keeping with a schedule set under the Speedy Trial Act. In each of four other criminal trials the judge has overseen that were identified in a New York Times review, she has initially set a relatively quick trial date and later pushed it back.
The early moves by Judge Cannon, a relatively inexperienced jurist who was appointed by Mr. Trump in 2020, are being particularly closely watched. She disrupted the documents investigation last year with several rulings favorable to the former president before a conservative appeals court overturned her, saying that she never had legitimate legal authority to intervene.
Brandon L. Van Grack, a former federal prosecutor who has worked on complex criminal matters involving national security, said the trial date was ‘unlikely to hold’ considering that the process of turning over classified evidence to the defense in discovery had not yet begun. Still, he said, Judge Cannon appeared to be showing that she intended to do what she could to push the case to trial quickly….” Read more at New York Times
Judge rules Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors violates US Constitution
By ANDREW DeMILLO
FILE - Dylan Brandt speaks at a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Little Rock, Ark., July 21, 2021. Brandt, a teenager, is among several transgender youth and families who are plaintiffs challenging a state law banning gender confirming care for trans minors. A federal judge struck down Arkansas' first-in-the-nation ban on gender-affirming care for children as unconstitutional Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo, File)
“LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge struck down Arkansas’ first-in-the-nation ban on gender-affirming care for children as unconstitutional Tuesday, the first ruling to overturn such a prohibition as a growing number of Republican-led states adopt similar restrictions.
U.S. District Judge Jay Moody issued a permanent injunction against the Arkansas law, which would have prohibited doctors from providing gender-affirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to anyone under 18.
Arkansas’ law, which Moody temporarily blocked in 2021, also would have prohibited doctors from referring patients elsewhere for such care. At least 19 other states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors following Arkansas’ law, and nearly all of them have been challenged in court.
In his order, Moody ruled that the prohibition violated the due process and equal protection rights of transgender youth and families. He said the law also violated the First Amendment rights of medical providers….” Read more at AP News
Charitable giving in 2022 drops for only the fourth time in 40 years: Giving USA report
By GLENN GAMBOA
Nicholas Loud, left, Sophie Thurschwell, center, and Peter Woll prepare lunch boxes at Community Help in Park Slope, a soup kitchen and food pantry better known as CHiPS, on Friday, June 16, 2023 in New York. Charitable giving in the United States declined in 2022. The downturn in giving has led to issues at CHiPS, as it has in many charities across the country. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)
“NEW YORK (AP) — Charitable giving in the United States declined in 2022 -- only the fourth time in four decades that donations did not increase year over year -- according to the Giving USA report released Tuesday.
Total giving fell 3.4% in 2022 to $499.3 billion in current dollars, a drop of 10.5% when adjusted for inflation. The decline comes at a time when many nonprofits, especially ones providing services to those in need, report an increase in requests for help.
However, Josh Birkholz, chairman of the Giving USA Foundation, which publishes the report and provides data and insights about donation trends, said the results are actually much better than they could have been considering the tough economic climate of late 2022.
‘I go back and forth on whether it’s encouraging or discouraging,’ Birkholz told The Associated Press in an interview. ‘There was a 20 to 25% decline in the stock market and an 8% inflation rate, but Americans still gave nearly a half trillion dollars.’…” Read more at AP News
A construction worker last week at the scene of a collapsed elevated section of I-95. Photo: Matt Rourke/AP
“Temporary lanes being built to replace the damaged section of I-95 in Philadelphia will be open this weekend, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said this afternoon. More from the Philadelphia Inquirer.” [Axios]
Social media star Andrew Tate charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania
“BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Andrew Tate, a social media personality known for expressing misogynistic views online, was charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Prosecutors also filed charges against Tate’s brother, Tristan, and two Romanian women in a court in Bucharest, Romania’s capital, the nation’s anti-organized crime agency said.
In a statement, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism alleged the four defendants formed a criminal group in 2021 ‘in order to commit the crime of human trafficking’ in Romania as well as the United States and Britain.
The agency alleged that seven female victims were misled and transported to Romania, where they were sexually exploited and subjected to physical violence by the gang. One defendant is accused of raping a woman twice in March 2022, according to the statement.
Tate, 36, has resided in Romania since 2017. The former professional kickboxer has repeatedly claimed Romanian prosecutors have no evidence and alleged the case is a political conspiracy designed to silence him.
Tate’s spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, said Tuesday that the brothers were prepared to ‘demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation.’ The two men are expected to attend a hearing in Bucharest on Wednesday morning, she added….” Read more at AP News
Supreme Court turns away veterans who seek disability benefits over 1966 hydrogen bomb accident
FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on April 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal on behalf of some U.S. veterans who want disability benefits because they were exposed to radiation while responding to a Cold War-era hydrogen bomb accident in Spain.
The justices not did comment in turning away an appeal from Victor Skaar, an Air Force veteran in his mid-80s.
Skaar, of Nixa, Missouri, filed class-action claims seeking benefits for him and others who say they became ill from exposure to radiation during the recovery and cleanup of the undetonated bombs at the accident site in Palomares, a village in southern Spain, in 1966.
A federal appeals court rejected the class-action claims. The Supreme Court’s action leaves that ruling in place.
The Justice Department, arguing against high-court review, noted that Congress last year enacted legislation that expands eligibility for benefits for many Palomares veterans. But the department also acknowledged that Skaar is not covered by the legislation….” Read more at AP News
Paris 2024 Olympics HQ searched in third consecutive Summer Games scandal
By ANGELA CHARLTON and GRAHAM DUNBAR
FILE - The Olympic rings are set up in Paris, France, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017 at Trocadero plaza that overlooks the Eiffel Tower, a day after the official announcement that the 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be in the French capital. An IOC inspection team has given a resounding thumbs-up to Paris’ preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games. The IOC said Wednesday that Paris organizers are where they should be in their planning with 415 days to go before the opening ceremony. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
“PARIS (AP) — French police searched the Paris Olympic organizers’ headquarters on Tuesday as part of corruption investigations into contracts linked to the Games, according to prosecutors, the third straight time graft allegations have dogged a Summer Olympics.
The Paris organizing committee said in a statement that a search was carried out at its headquarters in the suburb of Saint-Denis and it was cooperating with investigators. It defended what it called ‘stringent procedures’ around several hundred contracts it has awarded for the Games.
Tuesday’s search and other related raids were linked to two preliminary investigations of the Paris Olympics, according to an official with the financial prosecutor’s office, who was not authorized to be publicly named according to office policy. One probe was opened in 2017 — the year Paris was picked by the International Olympic Committee as the 2024 host — and the other began last year….” Read more at AP News
Ukraine
“Ukrainian pilots are pleading for US-made F-16s as they struggle to contain Russia's fighter jets. During a recent operation, pilots in southern Ukraine were flying Soviet-era Su-25s, ancient aircraft first introduced in the 1980s that are no match for Russia's Su-35s and their advanced radar and long-range missiles. Russia still maintains air superiority, making it difficult for Ukraine's ground forces to advance. ‘We lose many aircraft to these interceptors,’ said one Su-25 pilot. Meanwhile, within the last day, the Ukrainian military reported 35 clashes with Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, according to an update from the Ukrainian armed forces. Russia continues to focus on the areas of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka in the Donetsk region, the update said.” [CNN]
On the Brink of Change
Election officials start to count the ballots in Mali’s referendum in Bamako, Mali, on June 18.Ousmane Makaveli/AFP via Getty Images
“Mali is teetering toward a fragile future. On Sunday, the West African nation held a constitutional referendum that the ruling military junta says is a critical step toward returning the country to civilian rule. However, the final results, expected to be announced Tuesday, were postponed until Wednesday—largely because of violence against electoral authorities. Reports indicate numerous polling stations were closed, with the entire northern region of Kidan forced to shutter voting booths, and electoral officials were abducted from their stations by armed men. The country has faced violence by militant groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as by Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group, which the Malian junta has repeatedly relied on for support.
Mali’s constitutional referendum—and its postponed results—highlights the unpredictable nature of the country’s next few years. Mali has been ruled by a military junta since a 2020 coup deposed then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. Nine months later, coup leader Col. Assimi Goïta declared himself interim president—and has steered the helm ever since. Under the new constitution, Goïta would have greater authority over the prime minister and cabinet while the military retains control over law enforcement and judicial proceedings. ‘I am convinced this referendum will pave the way for a new Mali, a strong Mali, an efficient Mali, a Mali in the service of the well-being of its population,’ Goïta said.
If passed, the proposed constitution would also establish a second parliamentary chamber to boost representation, create a separate court of auditors for state spending, and affirm Mali’s status as a secular society. However, of Mali’s 8 million eligible voters, only 27 percent showed up to the polls, according to the Malian Election Observation Mission. And opponents of the referendum continue to argue that the new draft would expand the president’s and military junta’s power at parliament’s expense.
The referendum comes at the encouragement of the United Nations and regional bodies, such as the Economic Community of West African States and the West African Economic and Monetary Union. But that’s where the junta’s alignment with U.N. desires seems to end. On Friday, Mali’s military demanded that the U.N. peacekeeping mission leave the country. This comes after the U.N. body released a report last month detailing the deaths of hundreds of people last year by Malian troops and their allies, the ‘most damning’ such document against the junta since it took power. Now, Mali experts fear the U.N.’s withdrawal could spark chaos, including greater violence by Islamist insurgent groups.” [Foreign Policy]
“High Seas Treaty. After nearly 20 years, the United Nations adopted the world’s first treaty protecting the high seas and marine diversity in international waters on Monday. More than 100 countries signed the High Seas Treaty, which establishes a framework to assess environmental damage, creates standards to counter biodiversity loss, and requires governments to share marine technology. The treaty has ‘pumped new life and hope to give the ocean a fighting chance,’ said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
At least 60 U.N. member states must ratify the treaty before it can go into effect. However, major global actors may hamper a quick rubber stamp. China, specifically, challenges prevailing maritime laws by monopolizing ocean resources, hindering freedom of navigation, and undermining defined coastal zones, international law professor Peter A. Dutton discussed in Foreign Policy. And with China producing a third of the world’s fish, the country may be hesitant to enact rules that curb overfishing and strengthen bilateral maritime cooperation.” [Foreign Policy]
“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to Washington, and the US capital couldn’t be more pleased.
President Joe Biden’s administration views India as a crucial economic and strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific, a lynchpin of democracy in Asia, and a massive potential counterweight to China. It also sees India as a huge, largely untapped market for American businesses — including defense firms — and a key actor on global issues such as climate change.
Biden’s offer of a state dinner, as well as the US Congress’s invitation for Modi to address a joint session of the legislature this week, reflect that.
Modi is not just the leader of the world’s most populous country and the biggest democracy. He projects power and authority in a sometimes chaotic country, is a persuasive orator, and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign machinery is hard to match.
He’ll be tough to beat in federal elections in 2024, so countries around the world will likely be dealing with a Modi-led India possibly until 2029. His entrenched position as India’s leader for what could be a 15-year stretch has made any criticism of him and his policies awkward for countries that need Modi — and thus New Delhi — onside.
Critics of Modi — who was denied a US visa over his alleged role in deadly anti-Muslim riots in 2002 when he led the state of Gujarat, accusations he has disputed — say he’s presiding over democratic backsliding in India.
Human rights and press freedom organizations allege he’s cracked down on critical civil society organizations, journalists and the political opposition. His party has also been accused of fanning religious intolerance against minorities, including the 200 million-strong Muslim community.
Then there’s India’s reluctance to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations.
Some of those tensions may emerge during Modi’s visit. But given the importance of India to US interests in Asia, there is likely to be much more bonhomie than friction. — Iain Marlow [Bloomberg]
Modi with Elon Musk in New York yesterday. Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India
“A ‘public political provocation’ was how China described Biden’s reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a dictator, as fresh tensions emerged in bilateral ties days after the two sides held meetings to stabilize relations. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called the remarks by the US president at a donors’ meeting yesterday ‘absurd and extremely irresponsible.’
Biden claimed that Xi was unaware the alleged spy balloon that floated over the continental US had blown off course until the matter became an international incident.” [Bloomberg]
“The Ukraine Recovery Conference opened today in London where UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the creation of a framework for war-risk insurance backed by the Group of Seven and designed to encourage private investors to help rebuild the country. Blinken pledged an additional $1.3 billion in assistance, mostly aimed at restoring Ukraine’s battered energy grid and critical infrastructure.
The European Union has assessed that it can’t legally confiscate outright frozen Russian assets and instead is focusing on using those assets temporarily, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg.
The Pentagon said it will be able to spend $6 billion more than originally expected on arms for Ukraine thanks to what it called accounting errors.” [Bloomberg]
“Just in the past week, Intel has announced more than $50 billion in new semiconductor plants in Germany, Poland and Israel, spurred on by vast government incentives. As Debby Wu and Jillian Deutsch write, the global race to build domestic factories and sever dependency on overseas suppliers for critical components is spurring a spending boom, and the biggest beneficiaries so far look to be the chipmakers.
Read how Intel’s announcement of a $4.6 billion chip plant in Poland shows the country’s attraction for US tech firms, despite the fact it’s on the edge of a war zone.” [Bloomberg]
US Abrams tanks during a training exercise in Nowa Deba, Poland. Photographer: Omar Marques/Getty Images
“A coalition of pro-democracy parties that swept Thailand’s general election last month said it’s close to securing enough support from the nation’s pro-establishment Senate to form a government led by Pita Limjaroenrat. Rising support for the Move Forward party leader may help quell investor anxiety over a prolonged political impasse that’s spurred foreign funds to dump the nation’s stocks and bonds since the election.” [Bloomberg]
“Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will set up a task force to tackle blunders in the introduction of a national ID card that have damaged support for his government.” [Bloomberg]