The Full Belmonte, 7/15/2022
Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images
“Ivana Trump, the first wife of Donald Trump and the mother of his three eldest children, died at the age of 73 on Thursday, according to a statementfrom the former president.
‘I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City,’ Trump posted on Truth Social. ‘She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her. Rest In Peace, Ivana!’
WABC reported that police responded to a call of cardiac arrest at her Upper East Side townhouse on Thursday afternoon, and officials say she appeared to have died of natural causes.
Born Ivana Zelníčková in 1949 in what was then Czechoslovakia, she became a prominent skier, joining the country’s national team, and married an Austrian instructor in 1971. They moved to Canada and divorced a year later. She transitioned into modeling and met Trump at a party on the Upper East Side in 1976. The two married a year later.
Over their 15-year marriage, she worked alongside her husband at the Trump Organization and one of his three Atlantic City casinos. ‘Donald calls me his twin as a woman,’ she told Vanity Fair in 1988. They were most prominent as a couple, though, thanks to their sensational divorce in the early 1990s when Trump was revealed to have cheated on her with Marla Maples, whom he subsequently married and divorced.
During the divorce, Ivana cited cruel and inhuman treatment from her husband as the grounds for splitting, once claiming that he violently assaulted her. When the story resurfaced during his 2015 campaign for president, she said her prior claim was ‘totally without merit’ and the alleged assault did not take place in a ‘criminal sense.’
The former couple were on good terms in recent years. In 2017, Ivana wrote a book in which she said they spoke once a week.” Read more at NY Mag
The Secret Service patrolled the White House roof as then-President Donald Trump spoke to supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, before they attacked the U.S. Capitol.PHOTO: MANDEL NGAN/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
“WASHINGTON—The Secret Service erased many text messages from the day of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and the previous day after the inspector general for the DHS requested them, the watchdog said, an accusation the Secret Service denied.
Joseph Cuffari, inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security, informed lawmakers about the records dispute in a letter.
‘The Department notified us that many U.S. Secret Service (USSS) text messages, from January 5 and 6, 2021, were erased as part of a device-replacement program. The USSS erased those text messages after OIG requested records of electronic communications from USSS, as part of our evaluation of events at the Capitol on January 6,’ the letter said, emphasizing the word ‘after’ with italics, according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The Secret Service rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing.
‘The insinuation that the Secret Service maliciously deleted text messages following a request is false,’ Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“Emotion fueled a debate on the Senate floor on Thursday as Republicans objected to taking up a Democratic bill that would guarantee a woman's constitutional right to travel across state lines to receive abortion care. The Democratic bill, called the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022, would additionally protect providers in states that support abortion rights from lawsuits for helping women from other states. Meanwhile, Indiana asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to speed up the process of officially transmitting its opinion overturning Roe v. Wade so the state can put its strict abortion law into effect. The request comes as more than half of the states in the US are expected to bar or severely restrict abortion.” Read more at CNN
“Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country earlier this week, has formally resigned, the parliamentary speaker confirmed earlier today -- capping off a chaotic 72 hours in the crisis-hit nation that saw protesters storm the capital. Rajapaksa's departure from office marks a major victory for the protesters, who for months have demanded the removal of both the President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Many in Sri Lanka blame Rajapaksa for the country's worsening situation, with runaway inflation and shortages of fuel and food impacting everyday life. But while Rajapaksa is now out of the picture, his close political ally Wickremesinghe remains firmly in place -- and was sworn in as Acting President today.” Read more at CNN
“COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s interim president Friday until Parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned after mass protests over the country’s economic collapse forced him from office.
The speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament said lawmakers will convene Saturday to choose a new leader after Rajapaksa resigned effective Thursday. Their choice would serve out the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term ending in 2024, said Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana.
He promised a swift and transparent process that should be done within a week.
The new president could appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by Parliament. With Rajapaksa out, pressure on Wickremesinghe was rising.” Read more at AP News
“VINNYTSIA, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles struck a city in central Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100 others far from the front lines, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukraine’s president accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians in locations without military value.
Officials said Kalibr cruise missiles fired from a Russian ship in the Black Sea damaged a medical clinic, offices, stores and residential buildings in Vinnytsia, a city 268 kilometers (167 miles) southwest of the capital, Kyiv. Vinnytsia region Gov. Serhiy Borzov said Ukrainian air defenses downed two of the four incoming Russian missiles.
National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko said only six bodies had been identified so far, while 39 people were still missing. Three children younger than 10 where among the dead. Of the 66 people hospitalized, five remained in critical condition while 34 sustained severe injuries, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.” Read more at AP News
Joe Manchin pulled the plug on negotiations.Kenny Holston for The New York Times
“Senator Joe Manchin won’t support climate funding or tax increases in a slimmed down spending bill, likely dooming much of President Biden’s domestic agenda.” Read more at New York Times
Alex Murdaugh appeared at a bond hearing last year in Varnville, S.C.PHOTO: MIC SMITH/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh was charged with murder Thursday in the deaths of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul.
Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were found fatally shot on June 7, 2021, near the dog kennels on the family’s hunting estate, known as “Moselle.”
Paul, 22 years old, had been shot in the chest and head, according to his death certificate. He was shot at close range with a shotgun, according to Thursday’s indictment. Maggie, 52, was found facedown and was shot multiple times in the chest and back, including twice at close range while lying on the ground, according to a person familiar with the investigation. She was shot with a rifle, according to the indictment.
In a statement, Mr. Murdaugh’s lawyers denied guilt. ‘Alex wants his family, friends and everyone to know that he did not have anything to do with the murders of Maggie and Paul. He loved them more than anything in the world,’ read the statement. ‘But we know that Alex did not have any motive whatsoever to murder them.’ They asked for a trial to begin as soon as this fall, an unusually quick timeline.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“As a global outbreak of monkeypox continues to grow, public health officials are stressing the importance of education in fighting the virus. ‘I am concerned by the scale and spread of the virus,’ World Health Organization Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week. Monkeypox spreads through close contact, causing pimple- or blister-like lesions and flu-like symptoms such as fever, according to the CDC. There have been previously documented cases in the US, including two in 2021, but nothing on the scale of this current outbreak, which has exceeded 1,000 documented cases, according to the CDC.” Read more at CNN
Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
“A 48-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of committing a hate crime last weekend after wielding a handgun and allegedly yelling racist threats outside the Seattle home of Representative Pramila Jayapal.
According to a probable-cause statement, police officers arrived and found the man, whose name was redacted, outside the prominent congresswoman’s house on Saturday, ‘standing in the middle of the street’ with a Glock pistol in a holster on his waist. A neighbor told officers that he was yelling ‘I’m going to kill you’ and ‘Go back to India’ at the home of the first Indian American woman elected to the House. Jayapal had called 911 to report that someone was using obscene language outside her house and that they may have fired a pellet gun. When the man was arrested late on Saturday night, officers claim he told them he ‘knew who lived at the residence and wanted to pitch a tent on their property.’” Read more at NY Mag
Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger will be leading some of the questioning at a Jan. 6 committee hearing on July 21.
PHOTO: JACQUELYN MARTIN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Jan. 6 House committee is considering seeking testimony from Donald Trump and Mike Pence
“Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.), who will be leading some of the questioning at a prime-time hearing set for July 21, said the panel could request a written interview from Pence or issue him a subpoena. Earlier this year, the panel’s chairman said it was unly they would call Trump to testify. The former president’s and the former VP’s camps didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) sued the Biden administration over federal rules that require abortions be provided in medical emergencies to save the life of the mother, even in states with near-total bans.
‘The Biden Administration seeks to transform every emergency room in the country into a walk-in abortion clinic,’ Paxton said in a statement announcing the lawsuit on Thursday.
The suit follows new guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services that asserted federal law requiring emergency medical treatment supersedes any state restrictions on abortion in cases where the pregnant patient’s life or health is at risk.
Earlier this week, the Biden administration sent a memo to state officials reminding them of an existing law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which ‘requires that all patients receive an appropriate medical screening examination, stabilizing treatment, and transfer, if necessary,’ according to the HHS guidance. That requirement exists ‘irrespective of any state laws or mandates that apply to specific procedures,’ the memo said.” Read more at Washington Post
Data: NOAA. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals
“NOAA's latest monthly report finds a 99% chance that 2022 will rank among the 10-warmest in records dating back to the late 1800s, Ben Geman writes in Axios Generate.
Why it matters: 2022's heat reflects the wider and dangerous global warming.
The globe's 10 hottest Junes have all occurred since 2010.
This was the sixth hottest June in the 143-year record, back to 1879.” Read more at Axios
“Rescue crews located all 40 people missing after six inches of rain caused extensive flooding in rural Virginia.” [Vox] Read more at CNN / Aya Elamroussi, Michelle Watson, and Alaa Elassar
“House Republicans are working on legislation that would rescind rights for trans people if they win control of Congress.” [Vox] Read more at Reuters / Moira Warburton and Rose Horowitch
“Thursday, a mile-long convoy of 52 school buses with thousands of empty seats representing child victims of gun violence visited Sen. Ted Cruz’s home.” [Vox] Read more at BuzzFeed News / Steffi Cao
“John Fetterman, the Democratic Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, enlisted the reality star Snooki to troll his Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz.” Read more at New York Times
Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Congress gave its ultimate final salute to Hershel W. ‘Woody’ Williams, a 5-foot-6 "force of nature" in the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, and the last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from World War II.
77 years after his wartime heroism, Williams, who died last month at 98, lay in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, a tribute reserved for the nation's most distinguished private citizens, AP reports.
Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Only six others have received the honor: civil rights icon Rosa Parks, the Rev. Billy Graham and four Capitol police officers.
Italy's prime minister tries to resign
“Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced his resignation late Thursday after the 5-Star party — a key member of his coalition government — refused to back him over a government relief bill.” [Vox] Read more at Associated Press / Frances D’Emilio
“Senators in the 5-Star party abstained from a vote of confidence, due to dissatisfaction with Draghi’s bill; specifically, the party has environmental concerns about a new garbage incinerator outside Rome.” [Vox] Read more at Washington Post / Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli
“President Sergio Mattarella refused to accept Draghi’s resignation, and asked him first to address parliament to evaluate the political situation.” [Vox] Read more at CNN / Livia Borghese and Sharon Braithwaite
“Draghi is expected to go to parliament Wednesday. If he fails to gain enough support, his government could collapse, triggering elections just as lawmakers planned to begin work on the 2023 budget.” [Vox] Read more at BBC / Davide Ghiglione and Paul Kirby
“U.S. President Joe Biden leaves Israel today for the final leg of his Middle East tour, stopping in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah for talks with Gulf leaders followed by separate meetings with Saudi King Salman and his heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Similar to Biden’s optimistic early domestic agenda, Biden’s approach to Saudi Arabia has been forced to evolve, as the fallout from war in Ukraine and a sluggish recovery from the coronavirus pandemic make Riyadh’s oil wealth more important for Washington.
Biden famously pledged to make Saudi Arabia ‘a pariah’ during a campaign debate, and took some of that energy into office: He declassified a U.S. intelligence report linking Mohammed bin Salman to the killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, froze U.S. offensive arms sales to the kingdom (for now), declared an end to U.S. support for Saudi operations in the war in Yemen and—much to the crown prince’s annoyance—has only dealt with King Salman, the current head of state if only in name.
Mohammed bin Salman for his part has not tried too hard to cozy up to a man he seems to have wished had lost the 2020 election. He has reportedly snubbed Biden’s calls, shouted at U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and (so far) refused Biden’s pleas to pump more oil to help bring down prices. He’s also more than hedged his bets on U.S. politics: The fund he oversees has invested $2 billion in a company run by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
So if there is no love lost between the two men, today will show how much the crown prince wants to invest in the relationship. Although the two are expected to meet later today, we should see a declaration of intent the moment Biden steps off Air Force One.
It’s not yet known who is due to greet Biden off the plane, but such matters of protocol carry significance: in 2016, when then-President Barack Obama was welcomed on the tarmac by the governor of Riyadh, it was considered a major snub. Donald Trump, by contrast, was received by King Salman himself on his 2017 presidential visit.
For Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, Biden’s controversial visit is just the price of being a superpower, and the Saudis are too powerful to freeze out. Writing in Foreign Policy earlier this week, Maksad explored what Biden can gain from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations—including helping push back Chinese influence and cajole them into investing some of their oil profits in the United States.
It’s also, as FP columnist Steven Cook wrote last month, a lesson in the limits of U.S. policymaking. ‘Biden may have been sincere in his desire to incorporate values in his foreign policy,’ Cook writes, ‘but the bottom line is that there is little he can do to compel authoritarians bent on political control to respect human rights, and even less so when said authoritarians are sitting on top of a lot of oil.’
About that oil. Are Biden’s conversations in Jeddah going to bring down gas prices? Probably not. That’s not down to Biden’s powers of persuasion but due to the limits of Saudi Arabia’s oil production capacity. French President Emmanuel Macron let that fact slip on camera at last month’s G-7 summit, telling Biden that the United Arab Emirates was at ‘maximum’ production while the Saudis could only increase ‘a little more.’ In an ironic twist, the poor global economic outlook has helped U.S. gas prices plunge by almost 40 cents per gallon since a $5 a gallon average four weeks ago.
Time for a rethink? U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, writing in Foreign Policy on Wednesday, called for an updating of the Washington consensus that realpolitik should rein in the U.S.-Saudi relationship. ‘When the chips are down, the realists argue, we need Riyadh to pick us—and continue to supply oil at an affordable price for our economic well-being,’ Murphy writes.
‘Well, since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, the chips have been undoubtedly and firmly down. And not only has Saudi Arabia failed to deliver—for all intents and purposes, it has picked the other guys.’
Murphy argues for Biden not to shy away from the issue of human rights. He calls on Riyadh to release dissidents from prison and back down from pursuing them abroad, and to pursue peace, not just a cease-fire, in Yemen. ‘Because if nothing changes,’ Murphy writes, ‘we will continue to bear a significant moral and strategic cost for our close alliance with the kingdom while getting too little in return.’” Read more at Foreign Policy
“The fiancée of murdered Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi criticized President Biden's planned visit to Saudi Arabia in an interview with AP. ‘Biden will lose his moral authority by putting oil and expediency over principles and values,’ Hatice Cengiz said.” Read more at Axios
“Neom, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s $500 billion urban megaproject, is supposed to have a ski resort, swim lanes for commuters and ‘smart’ everything. Yet five years into its development, bringing the planned high-tech city-region the size of Belgium out of the realm of science fiction is proving a formidable challenge. The project has been plagued by setbacks, many stemming from the difficulty of implementing MBS’s grandiose, ever-changing ideas.” Read more at Bloomberg
A concept rendering of Wadi Hotel in a valley in Neom. Photographer: Iman Al-Dabbagh
“Stalled pledge | The European Union is falling behind on its high-profile promises to deliver a substantial aid package to Ukraine. Nearly two months after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed sending $9 billion in emergency loans to Kyiv, the bloc has only managed to agree on an initial $1 billion tranche.” Read more at Bloomberg
Reproduced from Gallup. Chart: Axios Visuals
“America's partisan split on public schools has reached an all-time high, Axios' Erin Doherty reports.
Why it matters: There was a brief COVID-era trust bump in 2020, with 41% of Americans telling Gallup they had a ‘great deal’ or ‘quite a lot of ‘confidence in public schools.
But schools were a political battleground during the pandemic, with intense debates over masking, school openings, race and gender identity.
Overall confidence is now at 28%, 2 points above the all-time low (26% in 2014).
The 14% among Republicans is by far the lowest on record.” Read more at Axios
Photo courtesy of Hasbro Gaming and New York Times Games
“Hasbro and New York Times Games announced that a Wordle: The Party Game will debut in October, featuring dry-erase boards and markers.
Why it matters: The digital version is a solo pursuit. The real-life game lets you compete with friends to solve a five-letter puzzle.
How it works: ‘In each round, a player designated as the Wordle Host, writes down a Secret Word. Just like the original Wordle game, players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word,’ the release says.
"The fewer tries a player needs, the fewer points they score. The player with the fewest points at the end of the game wins."
Teams can play against each other.
The New York Times Co. bought Wordle and its trademark in January. The puzzles had become an online sensation after Josh Wardle, a software engineer in Brooklyn, launched the game in October 2021.
Watch a video ... Read the release.” Read more at Axios
“Lives Lived: As a young chemist, John Froines was acquitted on charges of inciting a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. He later became an environmental justice advocate. He died at 83.” Read more at New York Times