The Full Belmonte, 6/24/2022
“The Jan. 6 committee on Thursday held its fifth major hearing, this one focused on President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on the Justice Department to help him overturn the election.
The plot was spearheaded within the department by an official named Jeffrey Clark, whose home federal agents searched Wednesday in a significant development that reflects the increasing legal jeopardy faced by Trump’s allies and perhaps Trump himself. Trump at one point considered installing Clark as acting attorney general to further the plot — which prompted mass resignation threats.
Timeline: Trump's pressure on the Justice Department to overturn the election
Below, some takeaways from the hearing.
Five Republicans asked Trump for pardons over Jan. 6
The committee has repeatedly previewed evidence that certain key players in Trump’s plot sought pardons. Last week, one of them was revealed to be Trump lawyer John Eastman, who asked to be put on ‘the pardon list.’ The implication from that email was that there was indeed a list that seemingly might have other names.
The committee built out its own list Thursday, adding several House Republicans to it. Here are the names and the evidence:
Reps. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) — In a Jan. 11 email from Brooks, he said he and Gaetz were suggesting pardons for everyone who objected to the election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. White House lawyer Eric Herschmann also said he believed that Gaetz had requested a pardon. White House aide John McEntee said Gaetz told him he asked for one from White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Meadows, also testified to the effort by Brooks and Gaetz, saying that Gaetz had been seeking a pardon ‘since early December’ and that he reached out to her personally.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) — Hutchinson testified that he requested a pardon.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) — Hutchinson testified that he requested a pardon.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — Hutchinson said that she had heard that Greene had asked the White House counsel’s office for a pardon from deputy counsel Pat Philbin but that Greene hadn’t asked her personally.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) — Hutchinson testified that he requested a pardon.
Perry has flatly denied seeking a pardon, calling it ‘a shameless, soulless lie,’ but Hutchinson said he talked to her directly about it.
Hutchinson also said that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), whom House Republicans tried to put on the committee before Democrats objected, talked with the White House about congressional pardons but that she was unaware of him asking for one.
Asking for a pardon doesn’t equal admitting guilt, and Eastman in particular argued that his request was meant as a precaution. But given how far-fetched this plot was and how often those involved were told their plot was illegal, that fact that people were trying to cover their backsides on the way out is important.
And crucially, some of these requests came even before the plot failed on Jan. 6.
2. A new link between Trump and Justice Dept. plotters?
At another point, the committee indicated for apparently the first time that there might have been coordination in the plotting between Trump’s legal team and certain members of the Justice Department.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) shared a Dec. 28 email from longtime Ohio Republican Party politician Ken Blackwell recommending a briefing for Vice President Mike Pence from Eastman and former Trump aide Kenneth Klukowski, who had recently joined the Justice Department. The email added that ‘we want to make sure we don’t overexpose Ken, given his new position.’
Klukowski has already been implicated in helping draft Clark’s draft letter seeking to have the Justice Department legitimize Trump’s false voter-fraud claims. This would indicate more of a link between that Justice Department effort and the Trump legal team.
‘This email suggests that Mr. Klukowski was simultaneously working with Jeffrey Clark to draft the proposed letter to Georgia officials to overturn their certified election and working with Dr. Eastman to help pressure the vice president to overturn the election,’ Cheney said.
The Jan. 6 committee connects two strands of Trump’s effort to retain power
We know elements of Trump’s legal team and the Justice Department plotted in different ways. But this suggests there might have been more coordination in the entire plot than we know. That’s particularly remarkable, given how much this effort within the Justice Department wasn’t sanctioned by superiors and how it would amount to government lawyers working with political aides to subvert democracy.
Stay tuned to this space.
3. Clark was warned about illegality, too
Yet again, we have been presented with evidence that those involved in this plot were told they would be breaking the law — and by no less than their own colleagues and allies.
This time, it was Clark.
Early in the hearing, the committee again played video of Herschmann’s testimony. In the clip, Herschmann said he offered a vulgar response when Clark laid out his plan to have the Justice Department intervene in the election dispute.
‘When he finished discussing what he planned on doing, I said: … ‘Congratulations, you’ve just admitted your first step you’d take as attorney general would be committing a felony and violating Rule 6(e). You’re clearly the right candidate for this job.’
Precisely which portion of Clark’s plan this referred to or why Herschmann thought it would break the law wasn’t clear, which is relevant. (Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) prohibits a government attorney from disclosing matters occurring before a grand jury.)
But yet again, we know of people who might otherwise be sympathetic to Trump telling those involved in the plot that what they were advocating was illegal.
Herschmann previously said Rudy Giuliani admitted that their plan probably wouldn’t hold up in court. And Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R) testified that he told Giuliani that Giuliani was asking him to violate the law by overturning Arizona’s results. There is also a volume of evidence that Eastman also knew what he was advocating was illegal, including by his own admission.
All of this plays into efforts to argue that this plot was ‘corrupt,’ which is a key element of the law the Jan. 6 committee has focused on.
4. Another Justice Dept. official testified he debunked fraud claims to Trump
The other key element that the committee has keyed on while trying to prove corruption is how much Trump was told his voter-fraud claims were false. The committee has shown extensive evidence that Attorney General William P. Barr and Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue told him that — both broadly and when it came to multiple specific claims Trump made.
On Thursday, Barr’s successor as acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, said he told Trump much the same thing on his first day on the job in late December 2020.
‘He thought the election had been stolen or was corrupt and that there was widespread fraud,’ Rosen said. ‘And I had told him that our reviews had not shown that to be the case.’
Donoghue, who testified in person, also said Clark was told that his allegations — specifically, on foreign interference — were baseless and that he was briefed on that by the director of national intelligence.
But he said Clark pressed ahead with trying to get the draft letter sent anyway.
‘We thought perhaps once it was explained to him that there was no basis for that part of his concern, that he would retreat,’ Donoghue said. ‘But instead he doubled down and said: ‘Well, okay, so there’s no foreign interference. I still think there are enough allegations out there that we should go ahead and send this letter.’ Which shocked me even more than the initial one, because you would think after a couple of days of looking at this, he like we would have come to the same conclusion that it was completely unfounded.’
Donoghue has said he repeatedly told Clark that what he was doing was tantamount to having the Justice Department meddle in the presidential election. Donoghue said Clark responded, “I think a lot of people meddled in this election.”
Again, all of this comes back to corrupt intent — that those involved knew what they were saying was false and even illegal, and pressed forward anyway.
5. Everyone hates Jeff Clark
It’s already been a bad week for Clark, and it got no better Thursday. In addition to having his role in the plot detailed so extensively and having his home searched, it became clear how little regard his fellow government lawyers had for him.
Herschmann said in a video clip: ‘I thought Jeff’s proposal was nuts. I said, at a certain point, ‘Listen, the best I can tell is the only thing you know about environmental and elections challenges is they both start with E. And based on your answers tonight, I’m not even sure if you know that.’
Donoghue recalled a meeting that involved both Trump and Clark:
And so I said, ‘Mr. President, you’re talking about putting a man in that seat who has never tried a criminal case, who’s never conducted a criminal investigation. He’s telling you that he’s going to take charge of the department — 115,000 employees, including the entire FBI, and turn the place on a dime and conduct a nationwide criminal investigations that will produce results in a matter of days? It’s impossible. It’s absurd. It’s not going to happen. It’s going to fail. He has never been in front of a trial jury, a grand jury. He’s never even been to [FBI Director Christopher] Wray’s office.’ … ‘It’s not going to happen. He’s not competent.’
Donoghue was asked whether anyone in the room thought Clark had the appropriate background or supported Clark as acting attorney general. He responded: ‘No one.’
The picture painted was of a dilettante being completely out of his depth and striving for power by any means necessary.” Read more at Washington Post
The Supreme Court expands gun rights
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
“The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to carry firearms in public for self-defense. The justices also created a new, convoluted test for evaluating the constitutionality of gun laws.” [Vox] Read more at Washington Post / Robert Barnes and Ann E. Marimow
“The case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, challenged a New York state law requiring gun owners to demonstrate a need to obtain a permit for carrying a concealed weapon outside the home.” [Vox] Read more at BBC / Anthony Zurcher, Bernd Debusmann Jr, and Boer Deng
“In a 6-3 ruling, the Court’s conservative justices said the New York law violated the right to keep and bear arms.” [Vox] Read more at Associated Press / Jessica Gresko
“In a dissenting opinion, the liberal justices referenced recent mass shootings and said the Court was responsible for considering gun violence in gun control decisions.” [Vox] Read more at NBC News / Pete Williams
“The Court once refused to take up Second Amendment cases; however, it seems more willing to do so now that conservatives dominate the Court.” [Vox] Read more at New York Times / Adam Liptak
“The decision’s new constitutionality test means many gun laws are likely to face legal challenges.” [Vox] Read more at ABC News / Meredith Deliso
In the widest expansion of gun rights in a decade, the ruling puts in question similar concealed-weapons laws in at least eight other states and the District of Columbia.
PHOTO: CALLAGHAN O'HARE/REUTERS
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, left, has praised the bipartisan gun safety legislation that Sen. John Cornyn and three other senators formed as one that “would make our country safer without making it less free.” | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
The Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan gun safety legislation, Congress’ most significant response to mass shootings in nearly 30 years.
In a 65-33 vote, 15 Republicans joined all Senate Democrats in passing the legislation. The bill now heads to the House, where it’s expected to pass as soon as Friday.
The package, negotiated by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), comes about one month after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. The Texas school shooting occurred roughly one week after a racist mass shooter killed 10 people at a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y.
‘Many have come to doubt whether we’re capable of making our institutions work, including the world’s greatest deliberative body,’ Cornyn said. ‘And we proved that we can when sufficiently inspired … to come together and find common ground that will help keep our communities safer, protect our children and save lives.’
The gun safety package came to fruition after weeks of talks between Murphy, Cornyn, Sinema, and Tillis. While the final package defied political odds, the bipartisan talks had early endorsements from Majority Leader Chuck Schumerand Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. And the path to passage looked increasingly likely after 10 Republicans backed the quartet’s initial framework.
Schumer and Murphy made the decision early on not to hold a political vote on guns, despite initial pressure from progressives to do so, and instead opted for trying to reach a deal with the GOP.
‘I had talked to a few Republicans and there seemed to be a different mood, they understood how serious this was and how getting something done was important,’ Schumer said in an interview. ‘This is the first time in 28 years that the tight grip that the [National Rifle Association] has had over Congress has been broken.’
While the NRA opposed the bill, McConnell and Cornyn both spoke to the group about the legislation — discussions that McConnell called ‘fruitful.’ Though the two top Republicans’ yes votes Thursday could cause them some problems with conservative voters, McConnell said he sees the effort as both good policy and good politics for a party that’s lost ground with some swing constituencies.” Read more at POLITICO
“The mayor of Uvalde, Texas, said Robb Elementary School will be demolished after 19 children and two teachers were killed in the May 24 massacre.” Read more at USA Today
Photo: Yuri Gripas-Pool/Getty Images
“Federal authorities searched the home of Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official in the Trump administration who played a key role in the former president’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
ABC News and other outlets reported that agents searched Clark’s home in Lorton, Virginia, on Wednesday morning. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Washington, D.C., confirmed to ABC that ‘law-enforcement activity’ had taken place in the area but would not confirm details about what had occurred or who was involved.
Clark first headed the Justice Department’s environmental and natural-resources division and later became acting attorney general for the civil division. In the days after the 2020 election, he emerged as a staunch ally to Donald Trump, promoting fraudulent concerns about voter fraud. After William Barr quit as attorney general over his unwillingness to back up such claims, Clark allegedly tried to oust Jeffrey Rosen, Barr’s replacement, so Trump could appoint him to the role instead. Recent reporting detailed the Oval Office meeting in which both Rosen and Richard Donoghue, then the acting deputy attorney general, informed the president that mass resignations would occur at the DOJ were he to elevate Clark to attorney general. Trump ultimately decided against the move.” Read more at NY Magazine
“BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union agreed Thursday to put Ukraine on a path toward EU membership, acting with uncharacteristic speed and unity to pull the embattled country further away from Russia’s influence and bind it more closely to the West.
Meeting at a summit in Brussels, leaders of the EU’s 27 nations mustered the required unanimous approval to grant Ukraine candidate status. That sets in motion a membership process that could take years or even decades.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted his gratitude and declared: “Ukraine’s future is within the EU.”
‘It’s a victory. We have been waiting for 120 days and 30 years,’ he said on Instagram, referring to the duration of the war and the decades since Ukraine became independent upon the breakup of the Soviet Union. ‘And now we will defeat the enemy.’
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pronounced it a ‘good day for Europe.’” Read more at AP News
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm urged oil companies to address high gas prices.
“In an hour-long meeting with executives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron and others, administration officials discussed waiving limitations on domestic shipping, accelerating permits for offshore energy production and suspending the production of more expensive premium fuels, among other ideas. Industry officials expect little to come from what amounted to a brainstorming session.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
CDC advisers backed the use of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine in children ages 6 to 17.
“The endorsement follows the FDA’s authorization last week. It’s one of the last steps before the shot would be more broadly available in doctors’ offices, pharmacies and clinics. Children in the age group already have access to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered Juul to stop selling e-cigarettes on the U.S. market, a profoundly damaging blow to a once-popular company whose brand was blamed for the teenage vaping crisis.
The order affects all of Juul’s products on the U.S. market, the overwhelming source of the company’s sales. Juul’s sleek vaping cartridges and sweet-flavored pods helped usher in an era of alternative nicotine products that were exceptionally attractive to young people. The company’s initial dominance invited intense scrutiny from antismoking groups and regulators who feared the products would do more harm to young people than good to cigarette smokers trying to quit.
Although teenage vaping rates have declined during the coronavirus pandemic, public health experts and lawmakers continue to express concerns about the additive nicotine in some e-cigarettes that remain on the market, including brands like Puff Bar, whose fruity flavors appeal to young people.” Read more at New York Times
“Washington (CNN) The Biden administration has agreed to cancel an estimated $6 billion in federal student loan debt for about 200,000 borrowers who have claimed they were defrauded by their college.
The administration had previously approved $25 billion in loan forgiveness for 1.3 million borrowers. Around 43 million Americans have federal student loan debt.
Many of the borrowers affected by the new agreement have been waiting years for the Department of Education to process their claims under a rule known as borrower defense to repayment. It allows borrowers who believe they were misled by their college, often over inflated job placement rates or the ability to transfer credits, to request federal student loan relief.” Read more at CNN
“Title IX, the landmark legislation that barred sex discrimination in education and paved the way for a decadeslong women's sports boom, turns 50 today, Axios' Kendall Baker and TuAnh Dam report.
Why it matters: Before Title IX, 294,000 girls were participating in high school sports nationwide. Just 15% of NCAA athletes were women. Those numbers today: 3.4 million ... and 44%.
Between the lines: That profound shift has contributed to the dominance of U.S. women at the Olympics: In Tokyo, American women would have finished fourth in the medal standings (66) if they were a country.
Women's soccer has been one of Title IX's biggest success stories, with participation growth fueling the rise of the U.S. Women's National Team and altering the sport's landscape.
Zoom out: Title IX's impact has been felt far beyond sports, from hiring and admissions to cases of sexual assault.
The Biden administration has also extended its protections to transgender students.
Reality check: There are still significant gaps, especially when it comes to hiring more female coaches and increasing recruiting budgets. There are also compliance concerns:
A report from the Women's Sports Foundation found that 86% of colleges are offering a disproportionate number of athletic opportunities to men compared to their enrollment.
Dozens of schools are taking advantage of a loophole that allows them to count male practice players as female participants when reporting their numbers to the Department of Education.
What's next: A half-century after Title IX granted women equal access to sports, the opportunity for them to profit off their name, image and likeness could spark another revolutionary leap forward.
The NIL era allows athletes to monetize their audiences directly. But disparities in media coverage still limit women's visibility and earning potential.” Read more at Axios
“The rights of LGBTQ students would become enshrined in federal law and victims of campus sexual assault would gain new protections under rules proposed by the Biden administration on Thursday.
The proposal, announced on the 50th anniversary of the Title IX women’s rights law, is intended to replace a set of controversial rules issued during the Trump administration by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
President Joe Biden’s education secretary, Miguel Cardona, said that even though there have been significant strides toward gender equality, discrimination and sexual violence persist.
‘Even as we celebrate all the progress we’ve achieved, standing up for equal access and inclusion is as important as ever before,’ he said.
The proposal is almost certain to be challenged by conservatives, and it is expected to lead to new legal battles over the rights of transgender students in schools, especially in sports. It now faces a public feedback period before the administration can finalize any changes, meaning the earliest the policy is likely to take effect is next year.” Read more at AP News
“(CNN)Aid groups scrambled on Thursday to reach victims of a powerful earthquake that rocked eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,000 people in an area blighted by poor infrastructure, as the country faces dire economic and hunger crises.
The slow response, exacerbated by international sanctions and decades of mismanagement, concerns people working in the humanitarian space, like Obaidullah Baheer, lecturer in Transitional Justice at the American University of Afghanistan. "This is a very patchwork, band-aid solution for a problem that we need to start thinking (about) mid to long term... what do we do when (another disaster) hits?" he told CNN by phone.
The magnitude 5.9 quake struck during the early hours of Wednesday near the city of Khost by the Pakistan border and the death toll is expected to rise as many of the homes in the area were flimsily made out of wood, mud and other materials vulnerable to damage.
Humanitarian agencies are converging on the area, but its remote location has complicated rescue efforts.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has successfully dispatched humanitarian aid and assistance to families in Paktika and Khost provinces to cover the needs of about 4,000 people, a spokesperson for UN Secretary General António Guterres said during a Thursday press briefing.” Read more at CNN
“Oliver Dowden has resigned as Conservative chair after the party’s disastrous double byelection losses in Wakefield and in Tiverton and Honiton, saying someone ‘must take responsibility’ for a recent run of poor results.
The Tory MP’s resignation letter, also sent in a tweet, comes after the party lost two seats it had held in a single night. Labour took Wakefield and the Liberal Democrats overturned a 24,000-plus majority to snatch Tiverton and Honiton.
‘Yesterday’s parliamentary byelections are the latest in a run of very poor results for our party,’ Dowden wrote in a letter to Boris Johnson. ‘Our supporters are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share their feelings.’
‘We cannot carry on with business as usual. Somebody must take responsibility and I have concluded that, in these circumstances, it would not be right for me to remain in office.’
He added: ‘Finally, I want to emphasise that this is a deeply personal decision that I have taken alone.’
Dowden’s role as party chair was combined with a position as minister without portfolio, sitting in the cabinet. He had formerly been culture secretary under Johnson. He was co-chair alongside Ben Elliot, who focuses primarily on fundraising.” Read more at The Guardian
“SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon said Thursday it is providing $23 million to help minority-led organizations build or preserve more than 500 new affordable housing units in Seattle — the latest spending by a tech company to ease a severe housing crunch the industry has helped create.
The commitment comes from Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund, a $2 billion initiative launched in January 2021. The fund has so far invested more than $1.2 billion to create or preserve over 8,000 affordable homes across three regions where the company has offices: the Puget Sound in Washington state; Arlington, Virginia; and Nashville, Tennessee.
‘When our city’s businesses and private partners step up, like Amazon is doing through this significant investment, we can accelerate progress addressing difficult challenges like housing affordability,’ Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said in a news release announcing the investment.
The high salaries tech companies pay have helped drive up housing costs in the cities where they operate, pricing many people, including teachers, nurses, firefighters and restaurant employees, out of the communities where they work.” Read more at AP News
“House leaders will unveil a portrait of the late Rep. Patsy Mink today in the U.S. Capitol to honor her historic work fighting sexual discrimination in education and sports. The Democrat was the first woman of color in Congress and the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. She championed Title IX and is credited with advocating for women's rights and social justice issues. Mink served from 1965 to 1977 and again from 1989 until she died in September of 2002.” Read more at USA Today
Rep. Patsy Mink, D-Hawaii, meets reporters on Capitol Hill on Nov. 5, 1997, in Washington. She was born and raised on Maui, became the first Japanese American female attorney in Hawaii and served in the territorial and state legislatures beginning in 1956. In 1964 she became the first woman of color elected to Congress.Joe Marquette, AP
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says we shouldn't be ‘offended’ by the ads coming to the streaming platform.
‘My son ... grew up watching 30 seconds of advertising for a two-second video clip,’ Sarandos said today during the Cannes Lions advertising festival in France, Axios' Kerry Flynn, Sara Fischer and Hope King report.
What's happening: Sarandos confirmed today that Netflix is speaking to potential partners to help enter the advertising business.
Netflix's current lack of ads is considered one of its top user appeals, alongside binge-watching.
But cheaper, ad-free options are now commonplace among other streamers.
The company would offer both ad-free and ad-supported tiers, as first signaled in April. Sarandos today said the company is in talks with partners to help it come to market quicker.
Between the lines: The tech giant resisted ads for years, arguing it would damage the consumer experience, but slowed subscriber growth has put pressure on the company.
Its stock price has fallen 70%+ this year.
The company just launched a second round of layoffs, according to Variety, with around 300 people expected to lose their jobs.” Read more at Axios
“Trumpworld tell-alls that promised bombshell accounts of life in the twice-impeached former president’s White House have been a flop with readers, a Politico report shows. Former chief of staff Mark Meadow’s book has only sold 21,569 books, according to research firm NPD Bookscan. The same can be said for COVID-19 response coordinator Deborah Birx, who sold fewer than 6,000 copies. Books from Kellyanne Conway, Stephanie Grisham, Ben Carson, and Mark Espers all failed to net more than 42,500 copies sold. ‘Since he left office, the Trump memoirs have not done great,’ a top publishing executive told Politico. ‘Each of the people who have written a book so far was telling stories that we pretty much already knew.’ Some have had much more success than others, though, with former FBI director James Comey’s book selling 626,810 copies and former national security adviser John Bolton’s book with 680,949.” [Daily Beast] Read more at POLITICO
“You're twice as likely to die in the next decade if you're currently unable to balance on one foot for 10 seconds, according to a peer-reviewed study conducted by Brazilian researchers, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Conversely, the study suggests that your ability to balance on one foot points to longer life expectancy. Read more at USA Today
“THE Ohio State University won its fight to trademark the word T’HE,’ Axios Columbus reports.
THE U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued the registration for use on clothing.
When Ohio State athletes make it to the pros, they emphasize ‘THE’ when naming their alma mater in TV intros.
The patent office initially denied the application, calling the word ‘merely decorative.’ THE university fought back and won after three years.
Ohio State's licensing and trademark program generates over $12.5 million in annual revenue, per a university statement.
Axios Columbus co-authors Tyler Buchanan and Alissa Widman Neese joke that this derails plans to call the newsletter T’HE Axios Columbus.’
Backstory from trademark attorney Josh Gerben.” Read more at Axios
“BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Andrea Fuentes prevented a tragedy at the swimming world championships with her quick reaction.
The United States coach knew something was wrong when she saw artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez sink motionless to the bottom of the pool during a solo free routine on Wednesday.
The fully clothed Fuentes dived in. She swam to the unresponsive Alvarez, put her arms around her, and lifted her to the water’s surface, where another person helped get her out of the pool.
Alvarez, a two-time Olympian, had fainted.
‘It was her best performance ever, she just pushed through her limits and she found them,’ Fuentes joked.
Alvarez, who was immediately given medical attention, was feeling much better on Thursday.
‘Anita has been evaluated by medical staff and will continue to be monitored. She is feeling much better and using today to rest,’ USA Artistic Swimming told The Associated Press in a statement.” Read more at AP News
“LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California judge has approved a request by Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s adult daughter to change her name and gender on her birth certificate.
Vivian Jenna Wilson filed the petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court the day after turning 18 in April.
She listed gender identity and an apparent dislike of her father, as the reason for the change.
‘I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form,’ she wrote on the petition.
Judge Rafael Ongkeko approved the petition Wednesday in the Santa Monica courthouse after no one objected to the change. A hearing that had been scheduled for Friday was canceled. The court order said a new birth certificate would be issued reflecting the change.
Vivian will now legally use the last name of her mother, Canadian author Justine Wilson, who was married to Musk from 2000 to 2008.
The couple had five children, the oldest of which died as an infant. Vivian has a twin brother.” Read more at AP News
Nearly 2,000 Cast Members practice sunrise yoga celebrating International Yoga Day in front of Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Tuesday, June 21, 2022, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.John Raoux, AP
Via Twitter. Used by permission
“Minnesota state Rep. Mike Freiberg tweeted this photo of an imitation crab meat sushi roll covered in Flamin' Hot Cheetos crumbs, available at Lunds & Byerlys markets in the Twin Cities.
Axios Twin Cities' Torey Van Oot asked the Golden Valley Democrat for his tasting notes:
The spiciness of the Flamin' Hot Cheetos accentuates the spice of the wasabi, and the combination of textures makes it fun to eat.” Read more at Axios