The Full Belmonte, 7/14/2023
A milestone for reproductive rights
Valentine Chapuis/AFP via Getty Images
“On Thursday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first birth control pill for sale without a prescription.” [Vox / Dylan Scott]
“The landmark decision is likely to improve reproductive health for millions as several states move to restrict abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.” [Vox] [NPR / Bill Chappell]
“If taken correctly, Opill — a progestin-only pill that works by disrupting ovarian function — is 93 percent effective at preventing pregnancy, according to the CDC.” [Vox] [Politico / Katherine Ellen Foley and Alice Miranda Ollstein]
“Opill will be available in drugstores and online without age restrictions in early 2024. Advocates said the price, which the drug maker will release later, must be affordable.”[Vox] [NBC News / Berkeley Lovelace Jr.]
“The Affordable Care Act doesn’t cover over-the-counter contraception, but Democrats have introduced legislation to require that be changed, which would expand access to those in need.”[Vox] [New York Times / Pam Belluck]
Post-Roe "game changer"
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
“The most commonly prescribed contraceptive in America is getting easier to access — if you can afford it and you live in the right state, Axios' April Rubin and Oriana González write.
The FDA this morning approved the first daily birth control pill to be sold without a prescription, a move expected to reduce barriers to accessing contraceptives.
How it works: Opill will be available in early 2024 for purchase at drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and online. Its cost hasn't been announced.
Opill uses only a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone. Most prescribed birth control pills also include estrogen.
Increased susceptibility to blood clots with estrogen for a small percentage of people makes Opill a more widely usable option.
The big picture: The FDA's approval is ‘a game changer in terms of access’ after the end of Roe v. Wade, NewYork-Presbyterian's Dr. Julia Cron told Axios.
With the decision, the U.S. will join more than 100 countries that allow the sale of contraceptive pills without a prescription.
By the numbers: Individual packs of birth control pills typically cost between $20 and $50 without insurance. Annual costs can reach up to $600, per the National Women's Health Network.
Under federal law, health plans are encouraged, but not required, to cover over-the-counter birth control without cost-sharing.
At least 13 states require insurers to cover all over-the-counter contraceptive methods.
What we're watching: Opill was the first birth control pill to be considered by the FDA as an over-the-counter option — and its approval could pave the way for more.
Share this story.” [Axios]
“The US Federal Trade Commission is said to have opened an investigation into OpenAI, questioning whether its popular ChatGPT conversational AI bot puts consumers’ reputations and data at risk. The probe into the Microsoft-backed startup marks the first official inquiry into a technology that has the potential to, among other things, change almost every aspect of daily life, trigger the loss of millions of jobs and, according to a not-insignificant number of industry observers, pave the way to oblivion. FTC Chair Lina Khan, who testified before Congress Thursday, has raised concerns about AI before, saying enforcers ‘need to be vigilant early’ with transformative tools like artificial intelligence.” —David E. Rovella [Bloomberg]
Hollywood actors will go on strike tomorrow after their union failed to reach a new labor contract with studios.
“They’ll join already-striking writers in a standoff likely to grind the entertainment industry to a halt. A prolonged double-pronged strike could mean no new scripted broadcast and cable TV episodes are ready for the early fall. Streamers and movie studios that tend to produce programming far in advance might not feel the pinch until late 2024 at the earliest. Issues that have led writers and actors to this point include compensation, royalties and AI use.” [Wall Street Journal]
Dangerous heat wave continues as New England faces new flood risk
“There is no end in sight to the prolonged heat wave stretching across the southern part of the country.
84 million people were under heat alerts today from California to southern Florida, with temperatures and heat index values (heat and humidity) once again in the triple digits.
Records could be broken in Arizona, Texas and southern Florida today, and the heat will continue through the weekend, with the worst of it expected tomorrow through Sunday in the West and Southwest.
The National Weather Service confirmed that several tornadoes touched down in the suburbs of Chicago late yesterday, including one near O’Hare International Airport. Damage to buildings was reported, and hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed.
In New England, meanwhile, there is more rain in the forecast from today through Sunday, prompting new concern after this week’s devastating floods.
Thunderstorms could cause new flash flooding in Vermont and upstate New York, where the ground is saturated from this week’s floods. Flash flood watches were in effect in much of upstate New York, Vermont and parts of New Hampshire.” [NBC News]
Biden, in Finland, reaffirms support of Ukraine
President Joe Biden attends a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Wednesday.
“As President Joe Biden met with the president of Finland, the two leaders reaffirmed ‘their unwavering commitment to support Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression,’ according to the White House.
On his meeting in Lithuania yesterday with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden called it a ‘very, very, very, very good, long meeting with Zelenskyy who ended up being very happy.’ Biden and other NATO leaders voice strong new support for Ukraine and possible future NATO membership.
At a news conference today in Helsinki, Biden said there is ‘no possibility’ of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin winning the war in Ukraine. ‘He has already lost the war,’ Biden said.
The president said he hopes that Putin will see Ukraine making significant progress in its current offensive in Ukraine, and that this will push him to negotiate an end to the conflict. He said he doesn’t think there’s any real prospect that Putin will use nuclear weapons.” [NBC News]
House Votes to Limit Abortion Access in the Military, Bowing to the Right
G.O.P. leaders acceded to the demands of ultraconservatives to use the annual defense policy bill to lodge cultural grievances and protest continued U.S. support for Ukraine. Now its fate is in doubt.
Reporting from Washington
July 13, 2023
“A divided House voted on Thursday to restrict abortion access, bar transgender health services and limit diversity training for military personnel, potentially imperiling passage of the annual defense bill as Republicans, goaded by their right flank, loaded the measure with conservative policy dictates.
The House voted 221 to 213 to overturn a Pentagon policy guaranteeing abortion access to service members regardless of where they are stationed, with Republicans propelling it to passage over near-unanimous Democratic opposition.
By a vote of 222 to 211, the House also adopted a measure to bar the military’s health plan from covering gender-transition surgeries — which currently can be covered only with a waiver — and gender-affirming hormone therapy. And the chamber voted 214 to 213 to eliminate the Pentagon’s offices of diversity, equity and inclusion, along with all of their personnel.
Taken together, the series of changes — which hard-right lawmakers had demanded be put on the floor as a condition for allowing the legislation to move forward — threatened to sap critical Democratic support for the annual defense policy measure, an $886 billion bill that would grant a 5.2 percent pay raise to military personnel, counter aggressive moves by China and Russia, and establish a special inspector general to oversee U.S. aid to Ukraine….” Read more at New York Times
Synagogue shooter
“A jury has found that the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooter is eligible to face the death penalty. The 50-year-old gunman was found guilty on June 16 of all 63 charges against him for killing 11 worshippers and wounding six others at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, the deadliest attack on Jewish people in the US. Twenty-two of those counts were capital offenses. This week, the shooter's defense team said his mental illnesses and delusions "took over his thinking." The prosecution called in their doctors who disputed the gunman's diagnoses. In the next phase of the trial, the jury will hear from survivors and loved ones of the victims, who will speak to the lasting impact of the shooting. Then, next week, the jury will move into the final phase to decide whether to recommend death for the capital offenses.” [CNN]
Target
“Republicans are escalating their legal threats against retailer Target, pressuring the company to remove merchandise for transgender customers and backtrack on its diversity initiatives. Last week, Republican attorneys general in seven states wrote to Target warning that merchandise in its Pride month product collection could violate their states' child protection laws. The letter followed an anti-LGBTQ campaign against Target that went viral on social media. A separate letter was sent to Target last week by Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, who said the company's diversity pledge in 2020 to increase Black employees by 20% and invest more than $2 billion in Black-owned businesses was racially discriminatory. Target did not respond to comment on Sen. Cotton or the attorneys general letter.” [CNN]
Politics
“Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, is pushing legislation to declassify government documents about U.F.O.s. The measure has bipartisan support.” [New York Times]
“Democrats in Congress are again trying to make the Equal Rights Amendment part of the Constitution as a way to guarantee sex equalityand protect reproductive rights.” [New York Times]
“A super PAC aligned with Donald Trump made a $155,000 payment to Melania Trump in 2021. It’s listed as pay for a speaking engagement.” [New York Times]
“Federal prosecutors asked Jared Kushner if Donald Trump privately conceded in the days after the election that he had lost the 2020 race.” [New York Times]
No fingerprints, DNA sample or leads from cocaine found at the White House, the Secret Service says
The Secret Service says no fingerprints or DNA turned up on the baggie of cocaine found in the West Wing lobby last week despite a sophisticated FBI crime lab analysis, and surveillance footage of the area didn’t identify a suspect. (July 13)
BY COLLEEN LONG AND MICHAEL BALSAMO
“WASHINGTON (AP) — No fingerprints or DNA turned up on the baggie of cocaine found in a lobby at the White House last week despite a sophisticated FBI crime lab analysis, and surveillance footage of the area didn’t identify a suspect, according to a summary of the Secret Service investigation obtained by The Associated Press. There are no leads on who brought the drugs into the building.
U.S. Secret Service agents found the white powder during a routine White House sweep on July 2, in a heavily trafficked West Wing lobby where staff go in and out, and tour groups gather to drop their phones and other belongings.
‘Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered,’ Secret Service officials said in the summary….” Read more at AP News
Kevin Spacey fights back tears as he testifies how sex abuse allegations ‘exploded’ his career
BY BRIAN MELLEY
“LONDON (AP) — Kevin Spacey fought back tears and dabbed his eyes with a tissue Thursday as he told jurors in a London court how sexual misconduct allegations six years ago had destroyed his career.
‘My world exploded,’ Spacey said at his sexual assault trial. ‘There was a rush to judgment and before the first question was asked or answered I lost my job, I lost my reputation, I lost everything in a matter of days.’
The emotional testimony came toward the end of his nearly three hours in the witness box, in what could be the most consequential speaking part of his life. He denied sexually assaulting three men and chalked up crotch-grabbing allegations by a fourth as having been a ‘clumsy pass.’….” Read more at AP News
Arizona escalates probe into alleged efforts to swing election for Trump
“PHOENIX — Arizona’s top prosecutor is ramping up a criminal investigation into alleged attempts by Republicans to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state by signing and transmitting paperwork falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner, according to two people familiar with the investigation.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) assigned a team of prosecutors to the case in May, and investigators have contacted many of the pro-Trump electors and their lawyers, according to the two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly describe the probe. Investigators have requested records and other information from local officials who administered the 2020 election, the two people said, and a prosecutor has inquired about evidence collected by the Justice Department and an Atlanta-area prosecutor for similar probes.
It is unclear if the investigation will broaden into other attempts to undermine President Biden’s victory in the state, including a pressure campaign by Trump and his allies to thwart the will of voters and remain in office….” Read more at Washington Post
“When Thailand’s royalist military staged a coup in 2014, the generals wrote a constitution that ensured it would be hard for elected politicians to take power. Those efforts paid off this week.
Although his party won the most seats in a May 14 election, and he commands the support of a comfortable majority of elected lawmakers, 42-year-old Pita Limjaroenrat saw his bid to become prime minister blocked yesterday by a military-appointed Senate, which serves as a sort of insurance card for the establishment.
While Pita can keep trying to form a government, the likely outcome is one that Thailand has seen many times before: Some sort of compromise that ensures nothing threatens the interests of an entrenched royalist elite.
Indeed, stocks linked to major Thai tycoons rallied today after the setback for Pita, who had pledged to break up business monopolies.
The majority of the nation’s 70 million people, meanwhile, will continue to see their living standards stagnate compared with their neighbors.
Over the past decade, Thailand has attracted less foreign direct investment than regional competitors Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, and last year it posted the slowest economic growth among Southeast Asia’s major economies. Thailand’s benchmark stock index is Asia’s worst performer this year.
Over the long haul, however, pro-democracy forces have reason for hope.
The election outcome showed Thais are clamoring for change, as they have for years, including the ability to speak more freely about the nation’s powerful — and extremely wealthy — monarchy. Past confrontations have been violent and produced vicious crackdowns.
If they can’t get what they want at the ballot box, many will conclude they have little choice but to fight back again on the streets.” —Daniel Ten Kate [Bloomberg]
Pita gestures during a rally in Bangkok on Sunday. Photographer: Valeria Mongelli/Bloomberg
“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised the issue of hacking with China’s top foreign policy official Wang Yi yesterday on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Jakarta. And back in June, on the day Blinken was set to fly to Beijing, the State Department reported anomalous activity to Microsoft that the tech firm later blamed on China-based hackers. Yet as Iain Marlow reports, Washington is staying the course on its strategy of engagement regardless.” [Bloomberg]
“An effort by far-right Republicans to cut off security assistance to Ukraine was defeated in the US House of Congress, cementing — for now — a wall of bipartisan support for Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s invasion as isolationist members of the GOP ratcheted up calls to reduce or end aid. Ukraine faced another drone attack overnight with 16 out of 17 drones intercepted, its Air Defense said.” [Bloomberg]
“Dozens of cases of rape by soldiers have been documented by aid workers as fighting rages in Sudan between the army and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. The number is probably far higher because many assaults go unreported. In normal times, doctors and health workers would help victims of sexual violence but their numbers are dwindling, many of them victims of gunfire or shelling.” [Bloomberg]
Southern Khartoum on June 7. Photographer: AFP/Getty Images
Torrential rains flood New Delhi
Wading through the flooded waters of Yamuna River in India.Arun Sankar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
“India’s capital, New Delhi, on Thursday shuttered schools and recommended working from home through the weekend after flooding left much of the city underwater.” [Vox] [Reuters]
“Officials evacuated thousands from low-lying areas as heavy rainfall in neighboring states and Delhi brought the city’s major river to dangerous levels.” [Vox] [NYT / Sameer Yasir and Hari Kumar]
“Flooding forced the closure of three water treatment plants, so a quarter of the city’s 30 million people could also soon face fresh water shortages.” [Vox] [CBS News / Arshad R. Zargar]
“While monsoons bring heavy rainfall that often causes catastrophic floods and landslides in India, climate change is making seasons stronger and more unpredictable.” [Vox] [Al Jazeera]
“Drought in Spain, which is going through yet another heat wave this year, is so extreme that virtually no aspect of daily life has been left untouched. Dishes are left unwashed overnight when water allowances run out. Cows raised for gourmet meat risk going thirsty. Tourists heading to a water sports destination are met with hard mud. These stark scenes present themselves as Europe endures its driest period in at least 500 years.” [Bloomberg]
“Surgical Campaign”
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington on Sept. 6, 2022.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“It’s time for U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to change her passwords. U.S. authorities announced on Wednesday that Chinese hackers infiltrated the email accounts of Raimondo and other top State and Commerce department officials in May. The breach, which U.S. officials say did not penetrate any classified email or cloud systems, came just weeks before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to travel to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In total, around 25 entities were targeted, including government agencies—though only a small handful were based in the United States. Rather than conducting a large-scale operation, as China and other countries such as Russia have attempted in the past, the hackers focused their efforts on a few key individuals within each organization. ‘This appears to have been a very targeted, surgical campaign,’ said one senior official with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on Wednesday.
Raimondo is believed to be the only cabinet-level official whose emails were accessed. The commerce secretary, who is expected to visit Beijing by the end of the summer, has been one of the Biden administration’s top critics of Xi. Throughout her tenure, Raimondo has tightened export controls on China as well as threatened to cut off China’s supply of U.S.-made semiconductor technology if Beijing continues to trade with Russia. Xi has fought back by barring some chips made by Micron, one of the United States’ biggest semiconductor firms. This is ‘plain and simple, economic coercion,’ Raimondo said in May. ‘We won’t tolerate it, nor do we think it will be successful.’
According to the State Department, the agency’s cybersecurity team discovered the hack on June 16 and disclosed it to Microsoft, which runs the email accounts, that same day. Top U.S. officials have hinted that the China-based hacking group, known as Storm-0558, is likely affiliated with Beijing’s military or spy services. Storm-0558 forged digital authentication tokens used to verify the person’s identity to access the email accounts in question. ‘It’s clear that [China] is steadily improving its cyber collection capabilities directed against the U.S. and our allies,’ said Sen. Mark Warner, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee.” [Foreign Policy]
“Not giving up. Thailand still does not have a new prime minister. Parliamentarians in the National Assembly rejected front-runner Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid during Thursday’s first round of voting. The progressive Move Forward Party candidate had won widespread public support for promises to uproot the status quo, much to the horror of the country’s ruling military junta. Yet despite being backed by an eight-party coalition in the House of Representatives, Pita only secured 13 votes of the 249 junta-appointed senators, failing to secure the majority required.
A second vote will be held next week, and Pita can run again. Following Thursday’s vote, Pita vowed not to give up, saying he ‘will use this time to garner more support.’ Yet the liberal candidate’s future is not looking optimistic. On Wednesday, the country’s electoral commission motioned for Pita to be barred from running, saying the fact that he owns shares in a media company violates Thailand’s election laws. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets to call for the nation’s Constitutional Court to uphold Pita’s eligibility.” [Foreign Policy]
“‘An unprecedented act.’ Several roadside bombs killed at least four security officials and two civilians in western Mexico on Tuesday. At least 12 others were wounded, including three children. Government officials accused an unnamed drug trafficking group in Jalisco state of deploying the devices as well as setting up the ambush with an anonymous call that lied about a discovered burial site. ‘This is an unprecedented act that shows what these drug cartels are capable of,’ Jalisco Gov. Enrique Alfaro wrote. ‘This attack also represents an open challenge to the Mexican government on all levels.’
Tuesday’s attack was the first time one of Mexico’s infamous cartels successfully targeted law enforcement with improvised explosive devices(IEDs), a worrying sign of just how serious a threat organized crime groups in Mexico are becoming. In the past, using IEDs was a tactic often seen in countries facing civil wars or violent insurgencies, such as Mali and Iraq.” [Foreign Policy]
“Financial relief. On Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund approved Islamabad’s long-awaited $3 billion bailout to assist the country’s slow climb out of debilitating debt. Funds will be released over a period of nine months to combat financial damage caused by last year’s devastating floods, growing inflation, and the rise in cost of living.
Although the deal will assist Pakistan in the short term, serious policy changes must be enacted to fight long-term economic instability and political corruption, FP columnist Lynne O’Donnell argued last August. ‘There will always be someone there to make sure there is no default,’ one Western diplomat told her. ‘And that just further entrenches the denial of the political class that they have to take responsibility.’” [Foreign Policy]
What WHO says about the health risks of Diet Coke
“After an extensive review of the data, the World Health Organization has concluded the sweetener aspartame can potentially cause liver cancer and maybe other health problems, but likely only when consumed in extremely high amounts. Companies that make aspartame-sweetened products hailed the WHO's decision not to change its recommendation after two independent WHO panels concluded evidence is lacking that the additive causes human disease. So for now, you're okay to keep sipping — in moderation.” Read more at USA Today
Hoard of 700 Civil War-era gold coins unearthed in Kentucky cornfield, collectors say
USA TODAY
“Coin collectors rejoiced after gold was struck in a Kentucky cornfield last month, literally.
More than 800 gold Civil War era coins were discovered after being buried more than 150 years ago.
Part of what makes this collection such a rare find is that there weren’t too many gold coins manufactured during the Civil War, Louisville Numismatic Exchange President Byrd Saylor told USA Today.
It wasn’t unusual for people to bury their money during times of war to keep it safe but what might make these coins sell for a premium is all the mystery surrounding their discovery, Saylor said….” Read more at USA Today
The longest Burmese python ever measured was caught in Florida this week: 'It was insane'
“FLORIDA — Hunters in south Florida caught the largest Burmese python ever measured, and the lengthy beast is currently being examined at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in Naples.
The 19-foot python was caught in the Big Cypress National Preserve in eastern Collier County early Monday morning by Naples hunter and Ohio State University student Jake Waleri, who said the catch was a dream come true.
‘I knew we were capable of it but I didn't know it would happen," Waleri said. "Last year my cousin and I caught a snake that was almost 18 feet long, and we realized we could handle a snake of that size.’
Capturing the 19-footer was ‘insane’ and ‘very chaotic,’ Waleri said, as is evident on the video of the encounter. After struggling to subdue the snake at first, Waleri jumped on it.
"At first I just held onto the tail for dear life. And then one of my friends took a net and tried to pin its head down, and we quickly realized that was not a winning strategy," said Waleri, who has been hunting snakes since 2020. "It's the only snake that's scared me so much that I didn't know what to do"
'Florida Python Challenge':See top photos of annual snake hunter 'removal competition'
When did pythons invade Florida?
Burmese pythons first appeared decades ago and have since established themselves as a permanent feature south of Lake Okeechobee. They've wreaked havoc on local wildlife, with scientists saying that most of the fur-bearing animals in the historic Everglades are gone.
South Florida has now produced the two longest Burmese pythons on record. The previous record was 18-feet, 10-inches long, and that snake was caught about 35 miles west of Miami in October of 2020.
‘It's concerning because these snakes are getting bigger every year,’ Waleri said. ‘We need to pull these big females out of the ecosystem before they lay eggs.’
'Snakes are getting bigger every year'
Conservancy of Southwest Florida biologist Ian Easterling said Wednesday the snake likely laid more than 100 eggs recently and was in search of its next meal.
‘They're getting huge while eating our native wildlife,’ Easterling said. ‘The bonus is that these guys that captured it, they brought it to us for the official measurements, so we'll be collecting the genetic information and the diet information and other data.’…” Read more at USA Today
Pickle pandemonium
A dill-flavored "Mexican frozen treat" (right) with sliced pickles inside. Photo: Minnesota State Fair
“Vendors at this year's Minnesota State Fair (Aug. 24–Labor Day) are hoping to strike it rich with pickles, Axios Twin Cities author Audrey Kennedy writes.
The food list includes mango punch-infused pickles, pickle cheese curd tacos, fries, lemonade, fudge and popsicles with dill pickle slices inside (above).
Pickle pizza was arguably the most talked about — and controversial — food in last year's lineup.
Full food list ... Get Axios Local, now in 29 cities.” [Axios]
A “limited-time offer.”USA Today
“A real cheeseburger? Burger King Thailand serves one sesame burger bun with 20 slices of American cheese. No pickles.” [New York Times]
”Lives Lived: Evelyn Witkin explored the ways in which radiation both damaged DNA and generated a repair mechanism. She died at 102.” [New York Times]