The Full Belmonte, 7/15/2023
House Narrowly Passes Defense Bill, Setting Up Showdown Over Social Issues
Republicans loaded the measure with a raft of social policy provisions — including limits on abortions, gender transition procedures and diversity training — that have little chance of surviving in the Senate.
Reporting from the Capitol
July 14, 2023
“Republicans on Friday rammed through the House a deeply partisan defense bill that would limit abortion access, transgender care and diversity training for military personnel, setting up a showdown with the Senate. The coming fight could imperil the crucial annual measure to provide a pay raise for troops, set defense policy to counter U.S. adversaries and sustain Pentagon programs at a time of rising threats.
The House passed the measure on a vote of 219 to 210 with nearly unanimous Republican support, a significant victory for the far-right faction that forced a reluctant Speaker Kevin McCarthy to open the bill to an array of social policy prescriptions by threatening to block it if they did not get their way. But the move left the fate of the measure deeply in doubt, advancing a bill that has little chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate and raising questions about whether a compromise can be reached that could be enacted into law this fall.
And the outcome suggested even more intense battles ahead on Capitol Hill to avert a government shutdown. Mr. McCarthy’s capitulation to the right, despite knowing it could cost him critical Democratic support for the must-pass bill, was a gamble that could become a playbook for the coming fight over federal spending, where hard-liners are pressing to impose similar socially conservative policies governmentwide.
Some Republicans, particularly those in competitive districts, could also pay a political price for embracing legislation that would restrict the rights of women and transgender people and downplay problems of racism in the military. Democrats were already attacking them for having done so, highlighting the measure as a prime example of their argument that the Republican Party is extreme and out of step with the values of mainstream voters….” Read more at New York Times
Brutal coast-to-coast heat wave intensifies
“A weeks-long heat wave will continue through the weekend, with 84 million people under heat alerts today from the Pacific Northwest to South Florida.
Parts of the Southwest will see record heat again today, and there will be even more of it tomorrow. Some areas will see temperatures between 105 and 115 tomorrow, and desert areas in California, Nevada and Arizona could see highs above 120. Phoenix is expected to reach a record 117 tomorrow and Las Vegas could see a record of 115.
Extremely hot and steamy weather will be felt in Texas, the Lower Mississippi Valley and Florida, with heat index values (heat plus humidity) from 100 to 115. Similar heat indices are expected tomorrow.
Elsewhere, there were flood watches again today in parts of the Northeast, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida panhandle.
In the Northeast, rain today and tonight and again on Sunday could cause flooding in Hartford, Worcester, Mass., Manchester and Concord, N.H., and Portland, Maine.
And as Vermont recovers from this week’s historic flooding there, officials said a man drowned in his home in Barre, Vt., on Wednesday. Earlier, a woman was swept away and died in New York’s Hudson Valley while trying to reach higher ground.” [NBC News]
Actors strike begins, shutting down TV and film productions
“Film and television performers are on strike today.
Thousands of actors represented by SAG-AFTRA started to walk picket lines after the union authorized a strike against Hollywood production studios.
‘What's happening to us is happening across all fields of labor, when employers make Wall Street and greed their priority and they forget about the essential contributors that make the machine run,’ said SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher.
It was the first time both actors and writers were on strike since 1960. The main issues were wages, health and pension benefits and concerns about the use of artificial intelligence.
For its part, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said it presented a deal ‘that offered historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, and a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses for SAG-AFTRA members.”
It added, ‘The Union has regrettably chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry.’” [NBC News]
Jesse Jackson to step down as head of civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH
BY GARY FIELDS, CLAIRE SAVAGE AND TERESA CRAWFORD
“CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson plans to step down from leading the Chicago civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH Coalition he founded in 1971, the organization announced Friday.
‘Reverend Jesse Jackson is officially pivoting from his role as president of Rainbow PUSH Coalition. His commitment is unwavering, and he will elevate his life’s work by teaching ministers how to fight for social justice and continue the freedom movement,’ the organization said in a statement. ‘Rev. Jackson’s global impact and civil rights career will be celebrated this weekend at the 57th annual Rainbow PUSH Coalition convention, where his successor will be introduced.’
The Rev. Janette Wilson, a senior adviser to Jackson and longtime staff member of the organization, told The Associated Press that the civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate will address members Saturday about his decision.
Jackson, who will turn 82 in October, has remained active in civil rights in recent years despite health setbacks.
He announced in 2017 that he had begun outpatient care for Parkinson’s disease two years earlier. In early 2021, he had gallbladder surgery and later that year was treated for COVID-19 including a stint at a physical therapy-focused facility. He was hospitalized again in November 2021 for a fall that caused a head injury….” Read more at AP News
Suspect arrested in Long Island serial murder case
"An enduring serial murder mystery may have been solved. A suspect has been arrested in the so-called Gilgo Beach murders, a series of killings on New York’s Long Island more than a decade ago.
Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Rex Heuermann, an architect from Massapequa Park in Nassau County, Long Island. At his arraignment this afternoon, Heuermann pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder. He was ordered held without bail.
Sherre Gilbert, whose sister Shanna was the first of the victims found killed, said she was "relieved that they finally caught him."
"It’s been a long time coming & I never gave up hope that one day justice would be served," Gilbert said in an email to NBC News. ‘I’m just happy it happened sooner rather than later. The suspect ... deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life.’” [NBC News]
“As Donald Trump tries to forestall possible state and federal charges over the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, an alleged nationwide conspiracy to block the incoming administration and his purported role in both, new documents reveal just how far his followers may be willing to go. His two pending indictments in New York and Miami sparked a barrage of threats from his extremist supporters, including bomb threats and other forms of violence.” [Bloomberg]
Republican problems on race add up
BY MIKE LILLIS
© Greg Nash
“Republican efforts to enhance their appeal with minority voters suffered a series of setbacks this week when a pair of GOP lawmakers made racially explosive comments, stirring immediate condemnation from civil rights groups and threatening to muddy the party’s message of big-tent inclusivity.
House Republican leaders have spent much of the year highlighting the party’s advances in recruiting women and minorities, linking a diverse slate of candidates to their success in flipping control of the lower chamber last year. And they retain high hopes of expanding on those gains in the 2024 elections.”
Read the full story here [The Hill]
How McCarthy powered through a chaotic conference — again
BY EMILY BROOKS
“Nearly every week features a familiar plotline for the House Republican conference: Right-flank pressure spurs last-minute scrambles that appear to put Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) and GOP leaders in peril – before they squeak out a compromise or victory.
In the latest episode, the House Freedom Caucus’s push to add culture war amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) tanked Democratic support for the normally bipartisan bill — but won over enough hardline conservatives that Republicans passed it without needing Democratic help.”
Read the full story here [The Hill]
These lawmakers bucked their party on an unusually partisan defense bill
BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL
“The House passed its version of the annual defense policy bill on Friday, with four Democrats and four Republicans bucking their parties on the high-profile vote.
The chamber approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in a large party-line 219-210 vote, an unusual outcome for the must-pass measure that typically receives bipartisan support.”
Read the full story here [The Hill]
White House says Republicans have turned defense bill into ‘rightwing wishlist’
BY BRETT SAMUELS
“The White House on Friday slammed congressional Republicans for ‘hijacking’ the annual defense policy bill and loading it up with conservative amendments related to abortion, transgender rights and other issues, arguing it will undermine national security.
‘Holding America’s military readiness – as well as service members and their families – hostage to an extreme, divisive political agenda undermines our national security and disrespects the sacrifices that those who wear the uniform,’ deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement.”
Read the full story here [The Hill]
Judicial panel issues pause on ruling limiting Biden communications with social media firms
BY ZACH SCHONFELD AND ELLA LEE
“A three-judge appeals court panel on Friday issued a brief pause of a lower court ruling that limited the Biden administration’s communication with social media companies over free speech concerns.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel issued an administrative stay that takes effect until further notice.
A separate panel will later consider the Justice Department’s motion to issue a longer pause that would run through the administration’s appeal.”
Read the full story here [The Hill]
Iowa 6-week abortion ban signed into law
BY NATHANIEL WEIXEL
“Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) on Friday signed Iowa’s new abortion ban into law, effectively outlawing most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.
The ban will take effect immediately, further eroding abortion access across the Midwest, where it is already extremely limited.”
Read the full story here [The Hill]
DeSantis on 6-week abortion ban: ‘I had a lot of supporters who were averse to me on this’
BY CAROLINE VAKIL
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) acknowledged on Friday that he ‘had a lot of supporters who were averse to me’ on the six-week abortion ban he signed into law earlier this year.
‘As President, I will be somebody who will use the bully pulpit to support governors like [Iowa Gov.] Kim Reynolds when she’s got a bill, other states as they advance the cause of life. It is a critical issue, and it’s one I’m happy to have done,’ DeSantis told former Fox New host Tucker Carlson during the Family Leadership Summit event in Iowa, referring to Reynolds' recently signed a six-week abortion ban.”
Read the full story here [The Hill]
”President Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised more than $72 million from April through June, far more than any Republican candidate.” [New York Times]
Prisoners now have access to Pell Grant educations — but face a tough road to get them
BY LEXI LONAS
“While Pell Grants will soon give access to free college for more than 760,000 inmates under an expansion announced this month, experts warn of inequities and difficulties that will plague incarcerated individuals looking for a degree.
Prison education programs are shown to lower recidivism and boost employment opportunities, and, for the first time since 1994, incarcerated Americans are now eligible for Pell Grants while they serve their time if their facility has access to education programs and they get chosen in the highly competitive process.”
Read the full story here [The Hill]
Republican presidential hopefuls appear at Iowa evangelical meeting
“Six Republican presidential candidates will appear at the Family Leadership Summit, an important gathering of Christian conservatives in Iowa that began today.
The meeting comes just six months before the 2024 Iowa caucuses. The GOP candidates who will appear at the event are former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Sen. Tim Scott and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. They will be interviewed by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Former President Donald Trump was invited to attend the meeting but declined. He holds a commanding lead in polls of Iowa voters. The influential head of the group holding the meeting, Bob Vander Plaats, is supporting DeSantis.
Iowa’s Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, who has remained neutral on her support and who was attacked by Trump this week, will also attend the summit. This afternoon, Reynolds plans to sign Iowa’s just-passed bill six-week abortion ban at the conference.” [NBC News]
“The Biden administration said it would forgive $39 billion in student loan debt for more than 800,000 borrowers. The move is the result of fixes to income-based repayment plans that didn’t account for some payments borrowers made.” [NBC News]
U.S. Cluster Munitions Arrive in Ukraine, but Impact on Battlefield Remains Unclear
U.S. officials and military analysts say the weapons, which are banned by many countries, will ease Ukraine’s artillery ammunition shortage but may not have an immediate impact in the war.
By Eric Schmitt
July 14, 2023
“U.S. officials and military analysts warn that American-made cluster munitions probably will not immediately help Ukraine in its flagging counteroffensive against Russian defenses as hundreds of thousands of the weapons arrived in the country from U.S. military depots in Europe, according to Pentagon officials.
‘The scale of effect will be modest,’ said Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, who has made several trips to Ukraine. ‘It will make the Ukrainian artillery a little more lethal. The real impact will be felt later in the year when Ukraine has significantly more ammo than would otherwise have been the case.’
Colin H. Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, acknowledged last week that ‘no one capability is a silver bullet,’ but said the cluster munitions would allow Ukraine ‘to sustain the artillery fight for the foreseeable future.’
President Biden had wrestled with a decision for months. Cluster munitions, which have been outlawed by many of America’s closest allies, scatter tiny bomblets across the battlefield that can cause grievous injuries even decades after the fighting ends when civilians pick up duds that did not explode….” Read more at New York Times
“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi as the two countries look to maintain dialogue after ties were roiled anew by allegations Chinese hackers breached US officials’ email accounts. It was Blinken’s second meeting with Chinese officials in recent months and came less than a week after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Beijing, saying relations were on a “surer footing.” Meantime, China is facing pressure on trade as foreign shipments drop and domestic demand remains weak.” [Bloomberg]
“NATO members scrambled after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said it was ‘absurd’ that Ukraine wasn’t given a clear timetable for membership in the alliance during a summit in Lithuania. But Turkey dropped its opposition to Sweden’s membership and US President Joe Biden seemed optimistic after the meeting in Vilnius. He said Russia can’t sustain the economic and political cost of its war. As reports emerged that Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin met with Vladimir Putin in the days after the former’s failed mutiny, Biden offered some advice to the mercenary chief: ‘I’d be careful what I ate.’” [Bloomberg]
Yevgeny Prigozhin Source: Anadolu Agency
“Remote work risks wiping $800 billion from the value of office buildings in major cities, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. But office demand in the US is starting to show early signs of stabilizing. Manhattan residential rents eased from record highs in June, but that relief may be short lived: Late summer is traditionally peak rental season.” [Bloomberg]
It’s Getting Hot in Here
People wade through a flooded street after Yamuna River overflowed due to monsoon rains in New Delhi on July 14.Arun Sankar/AFP
“The deadly impact of climate change continues to rear its ugly head as countries around the world faced devastating environmental crises this week.
On Friday, more than 4,000 homes in South Korea lost power due to torrential rain, causing landslides that damaged residential areas, flooded parking lots, destroyed key infrastructure, and felled trees. More than 130 flights were canceled, and at least 136 people were forced to evacuate. Government officials issued a high-alert warning for more flooding to come this weekend as the Korean Peninsula battles the height of its monsoon season. For Saturday alone, weather experts predict as much as 100 millimeters of rain could fall.
In India, at least 100 people have died over the last two weeks due to severe monsoon weather. Himachal Pradesh state has been hit the hardest, with landslides forcing local officials to close schools. More than 1,000 streets across northern India remain closed due to power infrastructure damage blocking roadways. As many as 30,000 people have been evacuated to relief camps, and more than 60,000 tourists were rescued this week after being stranded in Himachal Pradesh, tweeted Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the state’s chief minister.
‘We are not going to escape from the imminent effects of climate change, regardless of our mitigation and adaptation efforts,’ said Abhiyant Tiwari, head of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s health and climate resilience programs in India.
Meanwhile, Southern Europe is set to record its hottest temperatures in history next week as a heat wave scorches the Mediterranean. Nicknamed Cerberus after the underworld’s three-headed dog in Greek mythology, Europe is breaking the three-digit mark in Fahrenheit, forcing ambulances to remain on standby at popular tourist destinations. Italian officials issued red-alert warnings for 10 major cities, Greek authorities suspended working hours from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. in high-risk areas to prevent medical crises, and firefighters in the Balkans are struggling to contain brush fires erupting near villages.
Environment experts worry this year’s heat wave death toll could surpass last year’s, when more than 61,600 people died in Europe due to extreme temperatures, according to a report published in Nature Medicine on Monday.” [Foreign Policy]
“Syria’s “sovereign decision.” Syrian officials announced on Thursday that they will continue to allow United Nations humanitarian aid to enter rebel-held northern areas of the country through the Bab al-Hawa crossing but with government oversight, thereby giving Syrian President Bashar al-Assad control over almost all aid deliveries in the north. This comes after the U.N. Security Council failed, thanks to a Russian veto, to extend a 2014 agreement on Thursday allowing international relief access to Syria’s rebel-held territory without Syrian government involvement.
Damascus’s announcement is a ‘sovereign decision,’ wrote Bassam Sabbagh, Syrian ambassador to the U.N., to assist the roughly 4.1 million people in northwest Syria dependent on these humanitarian supplies. Syria maintains that the U.N.’s aid mechanism violates Damascus’s sovereignty and that Assad’s regime should have control over how aid enters the country. However, some U.N. Security Council members were quick to denounce Syria’s decision, with British ambassador Barbara Woodward warning that ‘without U.N. monitoring, control of this critical lifeline has been handed to the man responsible for the Syrian people’s suffering.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Sudan’s tensions escalate. A communications blackout rocked Khartoum, Sudan, on Friday amid a surge of increased fighting between the country’s army and paramilitary forces. Residents reported losing mobile and internet power for several hours, causing panic as locals struggled to contact their loved ones. It is unclear as of now what caused the blackout; however, witnesses saw fighter jets and drones fly overhead as well as heard a variety of weapons being used near the army’s headquarters.
Fighting in Sudan broke out almost three months ago between Sudanese Armed Forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemeti” Dagalo, who heads the Rapid Support Forces. At least 3,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, and more than 1.7 million people have been forced to evacuate the capital. Millions more lack basic necessities, such as food and medical supplies. ‘Twenty years after the war in Darfur began, this new chapter of conflict is one of global consequence because of a potent cocktail of tribal alliances, ruthless warlords, international backers, and coveted minerals,’ argued researcher Justin Lynch in Foreign Policy.” [Foreign Policy]
“One giant leap for India. The race to space is back on the table for India, which launched a rocket to the moon on Friday. Mission Chandrayaan-3 is the country’s second attempt to reach Earth’s closest neighbor after a 2019 missile launch failed to put a robotic spacecraft on the moon’s surface. If Chandrayaan-3 succeeds, then India will become the second country this century, after China, to land a rover on the moon.
Friday’s launch was just the latest in a long string of efforts to expand New Delhi’s space program. In June, India and the United States agreed to send a joint mission to the International Space Station next year. This comes as the Indian Space Research Organization is developing a program to send its own cadre of astronauts into orbit.” [Foreign Policy]
AI Is Making Politics Easier, Cheaper and a Lot More Dangerous
”Artificial intelligence is poised to boost the productivity of political workers and probably eliminate more than a few of their jobs. But, as Emily Birnbaum and Laura Davison explain, AI can also supercharge the dissemination of misinformation in campaigns through “deep fakes,” bogus pictures and videos that will soon be indistinguishable from real ones, enabling bad actors to literally put words in their opponents’ mouths.” [Bloomberg]
‘Heart-stopping’: censored pages of history of Elizabeth I reappear after 400 years
British Library uses new technique to uncover passages of Camden’s Annals, the first official account of Elizabeth’s reign
“It was the first official account of Elizabeth I’s reign, one of the most valuable sources on early modern Britain, commissioned by her successor, King James I. But, for 400 years, no one has been able to read passages on hundreds of pages of this manuscript because they had been so heavily revised and self-censored by their 17th-century author, apparently to avoid punishment for offending his patron.
Now state-of-the-art imaging technology has enabled the British Library to read hidden pages of William Camden’s Annals for the first time, ‘a significant finding in early modern historical scholarship’.
Those pages had been either over-written or concealed beneath pieces of paper stuck down so tightly that attempting to lift them would have ripped the pages and destroyed evidence.
Enhanced imaging technology, involving transmitted light, has revealed those texts, offering new insights into the queen and the political machinations of her court, to the excitement of scholars.
It casts new light on significant historical episodes such as Elizabeth’s excommunication by Pope Pius V and her nomination of James as her successor.
Julian Harrison, the British Library’s lead curator of medieval historical and literary manuscripts, told the Guardian that seeing unknown passages emerge for the first time was ‘heart-stopping’. He said: ‘It’s really one of those moments where ‘now you can’t see anything, now you can’, the absolute reversal of ‘now you see it, now you don’t’. The imaging is revolutionary. We’ve never done anything quite like this before. It’s just incredible.’
Written in Latin, the Annals were based on first-hand evidence such as witness reports and official parliamentary records, collected by Camden, who died in 1623….” Read more at The Guardian
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
“Succession.”Claudette Barius/HBO
“The Emmy nominations were announced this week. “Succession” led the pack, as expected, but there were surprises.” [New York Times]
“Nominees weighed in: Daniel Radcliffe for his role in “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story," Janelle James for “Abbott Elementary” and J. Smith-Cameron for “Succession.”” [New York Times]
“Hollywood actors joined the writers on strike, effectively shutting down the industry. (It’s not clear when or whether the Emmy awards show will happen.)” [New York Times]
“During the strike, actors won’t appear at premieres or other promotional events like Comic-Con next week.” [New York Times]
“Milan Kundera, who died this week at 94, wrote novels charged with a distrust of authority. They retain their sweep and power today, Dwight Garner writes.” [New York Times]
“Elina Svitolina, the Ukrainian tennis star, became the ‘uncrowned sentimental champion of Wimbledon’ before losing in a semifinal.” [New York Times]
“At the couture shows in Paris, the street style rivaled the clothes on the runway.” [New York Times]
“A Taylor Swift ticket sale again broke Ticketmaster, this time for shows in France.” [New York Times]
““Sound of Freedom,” a thriller about child trafficking championed by the political right, is not far behind this summer’s blockbusters at the box office.” [New York Times]
“Minnie Bruce Pratt, a celebrated poet of lesbian life, died at 76. Her collection “Crime Against Nature” recounts her losing custody of her children after she came out.” [New York Times]
“Ten years ago, the B-movie silliness of “Sharknado” helped Twitter become the place to talk about TV. That era has ended, James Poniewozik writes.” [New York Times]
“A fallen tree trapped people for hours at the former holiday home of Agatha Christie in Britain.” [New York Times]
André Watts, Pioneering Piano Virtuoso, Dies at 77
One of the first Black superstars in classical music, he awed audiences with his charisma and his technical powers.
July 14, 2023
“André Watts, a pianist whose mighty technique and magnetic charm awed audiences and made him one of the first Black superstars in classical music, died on Wednesday at his home in Bloomington, Ind. He was 77.
The cause was prostate cancer, said his wife, Joan Brand Watts.
Mr. Watts was an old-world virtuoso — his idol was the composer and showman Franz Liszt — with a knack for electricity and emotion. He sometimes hummed, stomped his feet and bobbed his head while he played, and some critics faulted him for excess. But his charisma and his technical powers were unquestioned, which helped fuel his rise to the world’s top concert halls….” Read more at New York Times