The Full Belmonte, 7/14/2022
As California suffers through another intense coronavirus wave, some commuters chose to wear masks at Union Station in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
“Nearly two-and-a-half years since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the most infectious and transmissible variant yet has arrived. The latest version of the shape-shifting BA.5 variant, an offshoot of Omicron, is fueling a global surge in cases -- illustrating how the virus has evolved and can evade immunity provided by previous Covid-19 vaccines. In the US, BA.5 accounted for 65% of new infections last week, according to the CDC. The variant is also on the march in China, raising the fear that major cities there may soon reinstate strict lockdown measures that were recently lifted. As for how to manage the new wave, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House's Covid-19 response coordinator, urged Americans aged 50 and older to get second booster shots. US health officials are urgently working on a plan to allow second Covid-19 boosters for all adults, a senior White House official confirmed to CNN on Monday.” Read more at CNN
Why everything is still expensive
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
“In June, US consumers spent more on virtually everything amid persistent inflation, according to data the Bureau of Labor and Statistics released on Wednesday.” [Vox] Read more at CNBC / Jeff Cox
“The consumer price index rose higher than expected to 9.1 percent compared to a year ago, putting pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to reduce demand. A 0.75 percent hike is likely.” [Vox] Read more at Reuters / Lucia Mutikani
“Gasoline accounted for much of the increase, reaching $5 per gallon nationwide in June. Gas prices are about 60 percent higher than this time last year.” [Vox] Read more at CNN / Lucy Bayly and Alicia Wallace
“Prices across the economy are up year-on-year for commodities like airfare, groceries, and used cars.” [Vox] Read more at Associated Press / Christopher Rugaber
“Higher interest rates have weakened demand for homes, which could bring down prices in other areas. Consumer spending and job growth have been consistent, which could mean the economy isn’t headed for a recession.” [Vox] Read more at Washington Post / Rachel Siegel
Data: BLS. Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios
“Food prices helped drive the Consumer Price Index up 9.1% in the past year — the biggest annual increase since November 1981 (41 years).
Food rose 10.4% in the past year, the fastest pace since February 1981.
Energy prices were responsible for more than half of the monthly gains in headline inflation, with gas prices rising over 11% last month, Axios' Neil Irwin and Courtenay Brown report.
Heather Boushey, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, tells Axios: ‘While ... this is hard on American families, it is backward-looking, and we have seen some pretty important declines in energy prices over the past few weeks.’
The average price of regular-grade gas fell 19¢ over the past two weeks. Today it's at $4.61 nationally.” Read more at Axios
“Republicans are taking a renewed post-Roe interest in paid family leave — traditionally a Democratic priority, Axios' Sophia Cai and Emily Peck report.
Why it matters: Republicans urgently want to establish themselves as pro-woman and pro-family, as critics accuse the party of caring about children only before they're born.
Three key GOP senators made the point in conversations with Axios:
Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.): ‘We're going to have to step up and do more. And I think that people are prepared to do that.’
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa): ‘We have to start thinking in terms of some of these things — now that Roe has been overturned, to be more supportive of families and mothers.’
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.): ‘We should at least be providing as much help to women who decide to keep their child as those who decide to terminate the pregnancy.’
How it works: Democratic proposals are typically structured as tax-funded payments straight to workers. But the GOP has long opposed this framework.
Rubio's ‘Pro-Family Framework’ features an expansion of the child-care tax credit to include ‘unborn children,’ and a paid family leave proposal he floated back in 2018 with Ivanka Trump.
Flashback: Paid leave was one of the first items to fall out of Biden's Build Back Better bill.” Read more at Axios
“President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday for the start of his four-day visit to the Middle East. It is his first visit to the region since being elected president. Biden was met at the airport by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whom he will hold meetings with today. In the lead-up to the trip, US officials have been working to deepen Israeli-Arab security coordination and broker agreements that will inch Israel and Saudi Arabia -- which do not have diplomatic relations -- closer to normalization. Meanwhile, many Palestinians are pessimistic about the President's visit because of the perceived unwillingness to pressure Israel over the continued expansion of West Bank settlements and other key issues.” Read more at CNN
“Former President Donald Trump tried to call a witness who was talking to the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, two sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. The witness, a White House support staffer, was not someone who routinely communicated with the former President and ‘declined to answer or respond’ to his call and instead alerted their lawyer. ‘We will take any effort to influence witness testimony very seriously,’ Vice Chair Liz Cheney said during the committee's hearing on Tuesday, adding that the information has been supplied to the Department of Justice. This is not the first time the committee has raised concerns about a pattern of potential witness tampering and witness intimidation from Trump and other allies in his camp.” Read more at CNN
“Search efforts will continue today for more than 40 people who remain unaccounted after severe flooding inundated a rural Virginia county, tearing homes from their foundations and damaging roads and bridges across the region. Buchanan County in the western part of Virginia was soaked with more than 6 inches of water in just a matter of hours Wednesday, causing widespread road closures. To aid in the response, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency. The storm was part of several that lingered over the county as well as the surrounding region -- including Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia -- on Tuesday night.” Read more at CNN
Troops rush to an anti-government protest at the prime minister’s office yesterday. Photographer: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Bloomberg
“Sri Lanka has plunged into chaos and its President has fled to Singapore as anger grows in his home country over his refusal to formally resign. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had been in Maldives after fleeing Sri Lanka Wednesday -- the same day he had said he would resign. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed acting President during his absence. But by today, no formal resignation letter had been received by the Sri Lankan parliament's speaker, raising questions about the intentions of the apparently self-exiled leader. Last weekend's protests were among the most dramatic seen so far, with people setting fire to Wickremesinghe's residence, and swimming in Rajapaksa’s private pool. Many protesters have vowed to continue to demonstrate until both men step down.” Read more at CNN
“IRS chief Charles Rettig will be questioned by lawmakers today in relation to a New York Times report revealing that two former top FBI officials who were critical of Trump were audited in 2017 and 2019. Sen. Ron Wyden said the revelations ‘raised serious concerns’ that Trump encouraged the IRS to investigate his enemies.” Read more at NPR
A pharmaceutical company in Paris is seeking approval from the FDA to provide the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the U.S. Nearly 30% of people of childbearing age have issues obtaining prescriptions or refills, and an over-the-counter option would be groundbreaking. A decision is expected in 2023.” Read more at NPR
“American basketball star Brittney Griner, 31, is due back in a Russian court Thursday to resume a trial that was jolted last week when she abruptly pleaded guilty to drug possession charges. With the U.S. government under pressure at home to do more to secure her freedom, the guilty plea could be an effort to expedite the court proceedings so any negotiations could move forward. The plea may also have been part of a strategy to get a more lenient sentence, an expert on the Russian legal system told USA TODAY Sports. A senior Russian diplomat has said no action could be taken by Moscow until the trial was over.” Read more at USA Today
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted to a courtroom outside Moscow on July 7, 2022.Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
“The U.S. child care system is broken. The Treasury Department has deemed it a market failure, and a shortage of providers is keeping parents from returning to the workforce. Dozens of states have gotten creative as they try to fix the system.” Read more at NPR
“The Indianapolis Star's story about an anonymous child rape victim from Ohio who crossed state lines to get an abortion became a political lightning rod. Now a man has been arraigned for the rape.” Read more at NPR
“Shifts in the demographics of the two parties' supporters — taking place before our eyes — are arguably the biggest political story of our time, Axios' Josh Kraushaar reports.
Republicans are becoming more working class and a little more multiracial.
Democrats are becoming more elite and a little more white.
Why it matters: Democrats' hopes for retaining power rest on nonwhite voters remaining a reliable part of the party's coalition. Their theory of the case collapses if Republicans make even incremental gains with those voters.
What the data show: Democrats are statistically tied with Republicans among Hispanics on the generic congressional ballot, according to a New York Times-Siena College poll out this week. Dems held a 47-point edge with Hispanics during the 2018 midterms.
An NBC News poll in April found Democrats held a 38-point lead among women with college degrees — up 10 points from 2010. Democrats lost ground in nearly every other demographic.
Nearly every House pickup in the 2020 election came from a woman or nonwhite challenger.
What's happening: Democratic strategists say the party's biggest vulnerability is assuming that the priorities of progressive activists are the same as those of working-class voters.
Progressive activists led the push to cut police budgets. Communities of color have borne the brunt of higher crime.
Hispanics living on the U.S.-Mexico border are more likely to favor the tougher border security measures championed by Republicans.
The recall of liberal school board members and a district attorney in San Francisco was fueled by disillusioned Asian-American Democrats.
Between the lines: Add the reality of growing inflation and worries of recession, and you see why Democrats are losing ground with a core part of their coalition.
This week's Times/Siena poll found affluent voters care about gun control and abortion rights. Working-class voters are squarely focused on the economy.
Reality check: Suburban districts still make up the majority of congressional battlegrounds, and the GOP's Trumpified brand remains a threat to limit their gains.
Since the abortion ruling, Democrats have made small gains in national polls.
The bottom line: The GOP is trading soccer moms for Walmart dads.
First look: The Republican Party is launching a program to help immigrants — and prospective voters — prepare for the civics portion of the naturalization test, Axios' Sophia Cai reports. Keep reading.” Read more at Axios
“LGBTQ people say they don't feel safe or welcomed on social media, according to a new GLAAD study. A survey revealed 84% of LGBTQ adults feel social media companies don't do enough to protect them from harassment.” Read more at NPR
U.S. President Joe Biden continues his visit to Israel today, as he seeks to put a new gloss on America’s presence in the Middle East by championing regional cooperation as a remedy for U.S. withdrawal.
The problem with that approach is U.S. military force is still very much alive in the region—Biden himself told Israeli media on Wednesday that he was ready to use it as a ‘last resort’ to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
As Fiona Harrigan wrote in Reason on Monday, Biden’s claim in a Washington Post op-ed to be the ‘the first president to visit the Middle East since 9/11 without U.S. troops engaged in a combat mission there’ doesn’t quite hold up.
On Tuesday, a U.S. drone strike killed a senior Islamic State leader in Syria. As the New York Times reports, the raid comes amid an uptick in U.S. special forces operations on the ground in Syria. A U.S. commando raid to seize an Islamic State bombmaker last month echoes similar boots-on-the-ground operations, such as the one that killed Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the group’s leader, in February.
Biden himself appears to be at odds with his own proclamations. On June 8, Biden sent a letter to Congress on U.S. troop deployments and listed U.S. personnel engaged in combat operations in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Significant numbers of U.S. troops are still stationed in the region: 2,833 U.S. service members are deployed in Jordan, while around 2,733 are in Saudi Arabia.
Although muddled messaging on U.S. military adventures abroad is not new for U.S. presidents, it comes at a time when U.S. operations are no longer confined to the Middle East.
Recently, the clandestine fights have broadened in geographic scope, and increasingly involve missions in African nations. It’s part of a concept Katherine Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program described as ‘light footprint warfare,’ and it’s not strictly off the books.
Under a program known as 127e (or 127-echo), U.S. special forces are authorized to essentially train up proxy forces to carry out U.S. missions abroad. An investigation by the The Intercept found at least a dozen countries have played host to 127e operations from 2017-2020. Some environments are well-known, like Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, while others in Tunisia, Cameroon, and Libya are less known.
The 127e missions are covered under a Congressional war authorization, approved in 2001, which allows U.S. forces to target Al Qaeda or an ‘associate force.’ That legal wiggle room—in place for over two decades—has often been criticized but attempts to repeal it have been unsuccessful.
Ebright, the author of a forthcoming report on the legal methods used to pursue U.S. military operations abroad, told Foreign Policy such a broad interpretation risks undermining U.S. democratic accountability: ‘We go to the ballot box, and we don’t know: Where are we fighting? Who are we fighting? What are the costs of us fighting both in terms of U.S. dollars and U.S. lives—as well as civilian lives abroad?’
If the United Arab Emirates has its way—the U.S. may be making a more transparent commitment of forces in the near future. Recent reports indicate that the United States may soon enter a formal defense agreement with the UAE, complete with security guarantees, an arrangement not even enjoyed by Israel.
Jon Hoffman, writing in Foreign Policy on Monday, has cautioned against the approach, arguing that such a move is bound to fail—investing U.S. resources and credibility into regimes that are inherently fragile.
‘From a strategic perspective, the move risks cementing Washington’s commitment to the primary underlying structural problem in the Middle East—the authoritarian status quo—while yielding virtually zero benefits for the United States, particularly as it pertains to high oil prices,’ Hoffman writes.” Read more at Foreign Policy
Image caption, Ukraine fears a big harvest shortfall if its stockpiles cannot be shipped abroad
“Talks aimed at resuming Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Russia in the Black Sea have produced a deal, Turkey said.
It raises hopes for an end to the standoff, which left millions at increased risk of starvation.
Turkey's defence minister, Hulusi Akar, said both sides had agreed on ways to ensure the safety of shipping routes for grain ships.
He said the agreement would be signed next week, when more talks are set to be held in Turkey.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called Wednesday's progress a ‘critical step forward’.
He said more work was needed to finalise the deal, which would require ‘a lot of goodwill and commitments by all parties’.” Read more at BBC
“Divided coalition | Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who has led Italy’s technocratic government since early 2021, may resign if the Five Star Movement goes ahead with its plan to refuse to back the government today by boycotting a confidence vote over an aid package. The move by Five Star — the ruling coalition’s second-biggest party — could lead to an early election.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Next round | Conservative MPs vote again today in the contest to elect their new leader and the UK’s next prime minister, after former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt emerged as front-runners in the first ballot that reduced the field to six. The candidate with least support and any challenger getting fewer than 30 votes will be eliminated this time.
The first $386 in cost-of-living aid will start hitting bank accounts today as the government steps ups efforts to help households cope with soaring energy bills.” Read more at Bloomberg
“An American tourist who fell into the crater of Italy’s Mount Vesuviuswhile attempting to retrieve his phone has survived with only minor injuries. Though the fall did not cost him his life, it may still cost him. Police issued a citation because he and his family had walked an unauthorized trail to the dormant volcano’s edge—allegedly to take a selfie.” Read more at Foreign Policy
Heat waves scorch China
“Hot weather led dozens of cities in China to issue red alerts Tuesday, with temperatures expected to top 104 F over the next 24 hours.” [Vox] Read more at Reuters
“Officials in Shanghai have warned people of the risk of heatstroke. Temperatures are typically high there this time of year, but this year’s heat has been exceptional.” [Vox] Read more at Al Jazeera
“Excessive heat exacerbated by climate change is becoming more common in China and worldwide. Northern parts of the country saw weeks of heat waves last month.” [Vox] Read more at New York Times / Tiffany May and Joy Dong
“The scorching heat comes as China’s economy is trying to rebound from Covid-19 lockdowns. Higher temperatures threaten agricultural production, which could increase inflation.” [Vox] Read more at CNN / Laura He
Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“The U.S. is suffering from a massive shortage of homes, both for rent and to buy. Strong demand and low supply have driven up costs: home prices are up more than 30% and rents have spiked dramatically, too.” Read more at NPR
Photo: Canoo
“Canoo's stock spiked after the electric-vehicle startup announced a deal to sell 4,500 delivery vans to Walmart, Nathan Bomey writes in Axios Closer.
Canoo last year said it was moving its HQ from Texas to Bentonville, Ark., making it corporate neighbors with Walmart.
Canoo warned investors just two months ago of ‘substantial doubt’ about its ability to stay afloat.
Why it matters: The vans, which hit the road next year, help Walmart bolster its delivery and supply-chain infrastructure.
It also injects life into the ailing community of EV startups, several of which have been teetering amid doubts about competing with established automakers.
Walmart bought the Lifestyle Delivery Vehicles (LDV) with the option to purchase up to 10,000.
Canoo said it'll make the van in Pryor, Okla., ‘further establishing an EV ecosystem in the heartland.’
Walmart S.V.P. of innovation and automation David Guggina said the deal will ‘expand our last mile delivery fleet in a sustainable way,’ widening ‘same-day deliveries while keeping costs low.’” Read more at Axios
“On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law allowing gun violence victims to sue manufacturers.” [Vox] Read more at CNN / Cheri Mossburg
“Actor Kevin Spacey has pleaded not guilty to four charges of sexually assaulting three men, in his first appearance at London's Old Bailey.
The 62-year-old also pleaded not guilty to a fifth charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Mr Spacey, wearing a light blue suit, replied ‘not guilty’ when each of the charges were read out to him.
A three to four week trial has been set to start from 6 June next year.
A further hearing will take place earlier in 2023 and the judge granted Mr Spacey unconditional bail.
The charges follow a review of evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police.
Mr Spacey has been charged with two counts of sexual assault on a man, now in his 40s, in London in March 2005.
He has also been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent on a man, now in his 30s, in August 2008 in London.
The fourth charge of sexual assault is on another man, who is also now in his 30s, in April 2013 in Gloucestershire.” Read more at BBC
“A Florida man who aspires to be a commercial pilot showed his skills in an emergency when he landed a single-engine aircraft on a four-lane North Carolina road, missing cars and power lines as he touched down.” Read more at USA Today
A new pilot who aspires to be a commercial airlines pilot showed his skills when he landed a single-engine plane on a North Carolina highway, narrowly missing cars and power lines.AP
“A previously unknown self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh has been discovered hidden on the back of another painting.
Experts at the National Galleries of Scotland made the find when the canvas was X-rayed before an exhibition.
The hidden self-portrait was covered by layers of glue and cardboard on the back of an earlier work called Head of a Peasant Woman.
The gallery's senior conservator Lesley Stevenson said she felt "shock" to find the artist "looking out at us".
She said: ‘When we saw the X-ray for the first time, of course we were hugely excited.
This is a significant discovery because it adds to what we already know about Van Gogh's life.’
The Dutch artist often re-used canvases to save money, turning them over and then working on the other side.
Image caption, Senior curator Frances Fowle with Head of a Peasant Woman
His work did not sell during his lifetime and his fame came only after his death in 1890, at the age of 37.
Van Gogh became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history.” Read more at BBC
“Lives Lived: Spider Webb helped bring serious art credentials to tattooing, promoting it as a form of artistic expression. He died at 78.” Read more at New York Times
FILE - Director Roman Polanski appears at an international film festival, where he promoted his film, "Based on a True Story," in Krakow, Poland on May 2, 2018. A California appeals court on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, ordered the unsealing of some documents in the criminal case against Polanski, who's been a fugitive since pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl decades ago. (AP Photo/File)
“LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California appeals court on Wednesday ordered the unsealing of some documents in the criminal case against renowned director Roman Polanski, who has been a fugitive since pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl decades ago, a California prosecutor announced.
The court ordered the unsealing of the conditional deposition transcript of Roger Gunson, who was the original prosecutor in the Los Angeles County case, the county district attorney’s office said.
There was no immediate word, however, on when the documents would be made public.
A call seeking comment from Polanski’s agent in Los Angeles, Jeff Berg, wasn’t picked up Wednesday night.
But Harland Braun, Polanski’s attorney, told the Los Angeles Times that his client was “ecstatic” over the order by the 2nd District Court of Appeal.
Polanski, 88, who won a best director Oscar for “The Pianist” in 2003, remains a fugitive after pleading guilty in 1977 to unlawful sex with a minor and fleeing the United States for France on the eve of sentencing the following year.” Read more at AP News
Photo: Jacquelyn Martin
“The first state-commissioned statue of a Black woman is now in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, honoring Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune of Florida, a trailblazing educator and civil rights champion.” Read more at Axios
Above: Evelyn Bethune (left, in yellow), a granddaughter of Mary McLeod Bethune, speaks with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) as members of the Congressional Black Caucus gather around the unveiled statue. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) is at front right.
“An M.L.B. roster decimated by vaccination requirements: The Kansas City Royals are without 40 percent of their roster as they head on a trip to Toronto while dealing with Canada’s Covid vaccination requirements. Those requirements have altered the M.L.B. landscape.” Read more at New York Times
Photo: Alex Broadway/Getty Images
“The Tour de France peloton climbs Les Lacets (shoelaces) de Montvernier in the French Alps during Stage 11 yesterday.” Read more at Axios
Photo: Alex Broadway/Getty Images
“NHL free agency wasted no time getting hectic, with several top players joining new teams on the first day. We'll start with Johnny Gaudreau, the top available player, who reportedly signed a 7-year deal worth $68.25 million with the Blue Jackets.
Gaudreau, 28, is a five-time All-Star and has finished top-four in Hart Trophy voting (given to the league's most valuable player) in two of the last four seasons.
He's coming off a career-high 115 points (40 goals, 75 assists); only Oilers star Connor McDavid had more last season.
Gaudreau ranks fifth in Flames history in points, assists and game-winning goals.
That was far from the only notable move, though. Here were some other big ones that moved:
The Stanley Cup-champion Avalanche lost goaltender Darcy Kuemper to the Capitals and winger Andre Burakovsky to the Kraken but brought back winger Arturri Lehkonen.
Vincent Trochek is headed to the Rangers.
Claude Giroux is joining the Senators.
The Golden Knights sent Max Pacioretty and Dylan Coghlanto the Hurricanes as Las Vegas faced salary cap issues.
You can follow our free agency tracker here.” Read more at The Athletic