The Full Belmonte, 6/23/2023
Missing Titanic submersible: Debris found is from Titan; no survivors
“The debris found Thursday near the Titanic wreckage site is from the outside of the submersible that has been missing for four days, the Coast Guard said in a news briefing, making it clear the five people on board have perished.
‘The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,’ said Rear Adm. John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District. He said the debris was found at the bottom of the sea floor and the families of the victims have been notified.
OceanGate, the company that operates the missing vessel – and whose CEO, Stockton Rush, was on the trip – issued a statement saying, ‘We grieve the loss of life’’ of those aboard.
Search and rescue crews remotely operating an underwater vehicle discovered the debris near the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said earlier Thursday, the day the small vessel was expected to run out of oxygen.
‘A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic. Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information,’ the Coast Guard wrote on Twitter.
The debris was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) associated with the Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic that reached the sea floor and began searching for the submersible early Thursday, according to the branch.
The complex search and rescue mission has attracted international attention and involved personnel from the U.S., Canada, France and the United Kingdom.Another ROV, associated with the French vessel L'Atalante, also deployed Thursday, the Coast Guard said….” Read more at USA Today
Supreme Court rules against a man who was given 27 years in prison for having a gun
FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on April 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a man whose conviction on gun charges was called into question by a recent high court decision is out of luck.
The court’s conservatives were in the 6-3 majority against the man, Marcus DeAngelo Jones, who was given a 27-year prison sentence for violating a federal law meant to keep guns out of the hands of people with previous criminal convictions.
Jones had argued that he should be allowed another chance to get his conviction thrown out following a 2019 court decision. In that case, the justices ruled prosecutors must prove that people charged with violating federal gun laws knew they were not allowed to have a weapon.
Jones tried to reopen his case following the 2019 decision, but a federal appeals court ruled against him. The issue in the case is technical, though important, and involves when defendants can make their claims in court, not the facts of Jones’ case….” Read more at AP News
The Supreme Court blocks Navajo Nation water rights
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
“In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against the Navajo Nation in a dispute over dwindling Colorado River water resources.” [Vox] [The Hill]
“The Navajo Nation argued that an 1868 treaty which established the land for its reservation also made the US responsible for allocating water supply.” [Vox] [CNN / Ariane de Vogue]
“However, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the majority, said the Navajo were asking the federal government to secure water access, which isn’t required by the treaty.” [Vox] [Associated Press / Jessica Gresko]
“Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch said the tribe had only asked for the government to identify its water rights in a dissenting opinion joined by the court’s three liberal justices.” [Vox] [New York Times / Adam Liptak]
“A third of the 175,000 people on the reservation — which spans parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico — do not have access to running water.” [Vox] [Guardian]
House punts on GOP hardliners’ Biden impeachment push — for now
The move appeases those who had agitated for more action. But conservatives who drove a wedge within their party by forcing the issue may soon try again.
The House punted impeachment articles against President Joe Biden to two committees that are already investigating his administration. | Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images
By SARAH FERRIS, NICHOLAS WU and JORDAIN CARNEY
“A band of conservative hardliners on Thursday forced their House GOP colleagues into a divisive debate on whether to impeach President Joe Biden. And it won’t be the last time they do it.
This first push — led by firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), against the wishes of Speaker Kevin McCarthy — fizzled out almost as quickly as it accelerated. All Republicans, including Boebert herself, voted to refer Biden impeachment back to GOP-led committees that are already investigating the president….” Read more at POLITICO
Ex-Texas congressman Will Hurd calls Trump a ‘failed politician’ as he launches GOP presidential run
By WILL WEISSERT
FILE - Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd speaks during the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Spring Kick-Off Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Clive, Iowa. Hurd, a onetime CIA officer and fierce critic of Donald Trump, announced on Thursday that he's running for president, hoping to build momentum as a more moderate alternative to the Republican primary field's early front-runner. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Texas congressman Will Hurd, a onetime CIA officer and fierce critic of Donald Trump, announced Thursday that he’s running for president, hoping to build momentum as a more moderate alternative to the Republican front-runner.
Hurd, 45, served three terms in the House through January 2021, becoming the chamber’s only Black Republican during his final two years in office.
‘We need common sense,’ said Hurd, who made the announcement on “CBS Mornings,” adding, ‘I believe the Republican Party can be the party of the future, not the past.’
In a campaign video, the former congressman said that the ‘soul of our country is under attack,’ reminiscent of Democrat Joe Biden’s slogan about the 2020 race being a ‘battle for the soul of the nation.’
‘Our enemies plot, create chaos, and threaten the American Dream. At home, illegal immigration and fentanyl stream into our country. Inflation, still out of control. Crime and homelessness growing in our cities,’ Hurd says in the video. ‘President Biden can’t solve these problems — or won’t. And if we nominate a lawless, selfish, failed politician like Donald Trump — who lost the House, the Senate, and the White House — we all know Joe Biden will win again.’…” Read more at AP News
”The father of embattled Congressman George Santos, Gercino Dos Santos, and his aunt, Elma Santos Preven, guaranteed his $500,000 bond when he was charged last month with 13 federal counts, including wire fraud and money laundering, according to a document released by a federal court in New York. Santos pleaded not guilty to all counts during his arraignment.” [NBC News]
Americans are pushing 40
Data: Census Bureau. Map: Alice Feng/Axios
“The median age in the U.S. hit a record high last year, rising to 38.9 years — and it's likely only going up from here, according to census data out today.
Put another way: The baby boomers and their kids — the millennials or echo boomers — are aging the country.
Why it matters: Decades of lower birth rates and increasing (until recently) life expectancy means older folks make up an ever larger share of the population.
That has all kinds of implications for the economy — particularly in the workforce, where the aging population is keeping the labor market tight.
The aging workforce could drive worker shortages for years to come — especially in health care, which will become even more crucial as we gray.” [Axios]
Report Cites More Than 350 Anti-L.G.B.T.Q. Incidents Over 11 Months
The incidents included online harassment, gatherings of armed protesters outside drag shows, and bomb threats against hospitals that provide gender transition care.
By Maggie Astor
June 22, 2023
“There were more than 350 incidents of anti-L.G.B.T.Q. harassment, vandalism or assault in the United States from June 2022 through April 2023, according to a new report, reflecting a climate in which bias against gay and especially transgender people has become widespread.
The incidents, which were reported in 46 states and the District of Columbia, included online harassment, gatherings of armed protesters outside drag shows, and bomb threats against hospitals that provide gender transition care. They also included the mass shooting in November at an L.G.B.T.Q. nightclub in Colorado.
The report was produced by the Anti-Defamation League and the L.G.B.T.Q. advocacy group GLAAD, which collected data from news coverage as well as direct reports from victims. As with other attempts to quantify attacks on marginalized groups, the numbers in the report are certain to be undercounts, because many people don’t report their experiences.
By far the most frequent targets noted in the report were drag shows and drag performers, who were the victims in 138 incidents. Other common targets were schools and educators, health care facilities and providers, and government buildings and officials. California, Florida, New York and Texas had the most incidents, but they are also the most populous states….” Read more at New York Times
India will buy state-of-the-art U.S. drones and jointly produce jet-fighter engines in a multibillion-dollar deal.
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, center, and US President Joe Biden at an arrival ceremony during a state visit on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg
“The agreement is designed to wean New Delhi off arms purchases from Russia. Washington was reluctant until now to share such sensitive technology because India bought and continues to purchase military gear from Moscow. India’s strategic importance in the U.S.’s attempts to counter China and stifle Russian influence in developing nations prompted the stronger relationship. Despite U.S. pressure, India has remained neutral over the Ukraine war, refraining from UN votes to condemn Russia’s action and declining to join sanctions. Separately, the U.S. sharply increased howitzer shell production to supply Ukraine and replenish its own stockpiles, according to the Army.” [Wall Street Journal]
Dangerous Escalation
An explosive charge left by Palestinians detonates by an Israeli armored vehicle during an Israeli army raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on June 19.Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images
“The Israeli-occupied West Bank has been rocked by a disturbing escalation in violence by Israeli forces, settlers, and Palestinian militants in the past week that has many worried the conflict is moving into a new phase. This included two Israeli settler attacks on West Bank villages on Thursday that injured at least six Palestinians and set fire to a Palestinian school.
Attacks and operations on all sides are becoming bigger, more militarized, and deadlier, with the type of weaponry being deployed now not seen since the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. This week alone, at least 10 Palestinians and four Israelis were killed—bringing the total number of people killed this year to at least 155 Palestinians and 23 Israelis. ‘The current situation is unprecedented,’ Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf during her visit to the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday, ‘and we will not remain silent amid the Israeli escalation.’
Fighting first erupted on Monday when an Israeli raid aimed at arresting two suspected Palestinian militants turned deadly in the West Bank city of Jenin, which has long been a central flash point of tensions. The raid quickly spiraled into one of the most intense rounds of fighting in years: Reports indicate Palestinian militants set off a roadside bomb to push back Israeli forces. Under fire, Israel then deployed Apache combat helicopters to open fire and extricate troops, an extremely rare move. Israeli forces killed six Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, and injured more than 90 others. Eight Israeli troops were also injured in the clash.
The following day, Hamas militants killed four Israelis at a restaurant in the West Bank settlement of Eli in response to Monday’s raid. Four other Israelis were injured in the attack. In response, around 400 armed Israeli settlers led a deadly rampage through the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya on Wednesday, killing one Palestinian and injuring 12 others. That same day, Israeli military forces killed three people in a rare drone strike near Jenin while targeting a ‘terrorist cell’ inside a suspicious vehicle. It was the first such drone strike in the West Bank since 2006, another sign that Israeli military maneuvers are intensifying.
This all comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government is taking steps likely to further inflame the situation. On Sunday, the Israeli cabinet approved a resolution expediting the process for approving West Bank settlement construction despite the fact that these settlements are illegal under international law. And on Wednesday, Netanyahu announced a move to fast-track the establishment of 1,000 new Israeli housing units in Eli, just 24 hours after Hamas militants killed four Israelis there. ‘Our answer to terrorism is to strike at it forcefully and build up our country,’ Netanyahu said in a statement with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.” [Foreign Policy]
“Gavel him in. Queue the Law and Order theme song, because the former leader of Latin America’s largest democracy began a long-awaited trial on Thursday. Ex-Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stands accused of making false election claims after insisting to dozens of foreign diplomats that Brazil’s electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud. Seven judges will determine the legality of Bolsonaro’s actions, with deliberations expected to take days or even months. If found guilty, the far-right leader could be barred from running for public office for eight years.
This case is the first of 16 electoral charges filed against Bolsonaro, which also include leaning on the federal police to protect his sons, spreading disinformation from the presidential office, and inciting a Jan. 8 riot in Brasília, the capital.” [Foreign Policy]
“It’s getting hot in here. Chinese residents are rushing to raise the air conditioning. Beijing on Thursday recorded its hottest June day since record-keeping began in 1961. With thermometers hitting almost 108 degrees Fahrenheit, authorities are worried China’s heat wave will only get worse.
Extreme temperatures are nothing new for China; beginning in April, a record-breaking heat wave spread across the country. But climate change has only exacerbated their deadliness. Last month, a World Weather Attribution study found that climate change made heat waves 30 times more likely in Asia. And earlier on Thursday, Chinese officials issued an orange alert, the second-most severe weather warning, until Saturday in anticipation of more 100+-degree weather.” [Foreign Policy]
“US President Joe Biden’s deep-pocketed program designed to finance futuristic energy businesses is issuing a conditional $9.2 billion loan to Ford Motor Co. for the construction of three battery factories. The enormous loan marks a watershed moment for the Democrat’s aggressive industrial policy aimed at helping American manufacturers catch up to China in green technologies. The new factories that will eventually supply Ford’s expansion into electric vehicles are already under construction in Kentucky and Tennessee through a joint venture called BlueOval SK, owned by the Michigan automaker and South Korean battery giant SK On Co. Ford plans to make as many as 2 million EVs by 2026, a massive increase from the roughly 132,000 it produced last year. The rush of incentives, government lending and private-sector investment has led to a manufacturing boom in the wake of the IRA. More than 100 battery and electric-vehicle production projects have been announced or are already under construction in the US, representing about $200 billion in total investments. Gary Silberg, KPMG’s global automotive sector leader, remarked that ‘not since the advent of the auto industry 100 years ago have we seen an investment like that.’”—David E. Rovella [Bloomberg]
Victor Wembanyama Drafted No. 1 Overall by San Antonio Spurs
Wembanyama, the 19-year-old French basketball star, had been perhaps the most-hyped prospect since LeBron James.
“Victor Wembanyama had grown up in the suburbs of Paris dreaming about this moment since he was 12 years old. He had long felt as though he was different from everyone else, as though he could be great — and not just in basketball.
He’d spent the past several months, and even the last few days, exuding cool calm about his future. But when his moment finally arrived, he couldn’t help but cry.
The San Antonio Spurs selected Wembanyama No. 1 overall in Thursday’s N.B.A. draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In doing so, they officially started the N.B.A. career of one of the most highly anticipated prospects in league history.
‘One of the best feelings of my life,’ Wembanyama, 19, said. ‘Probably the best night of my life. I’ve been dreaming about this for so long. It’s a dream come true. It’s incredible.’…” Read more at New York Times