The Full Belmonte, 7/28/2023
Donald Trump visits Café du Monde in New Orleans, accompanied by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, right. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Donald Trump faces new charges in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.
“New charges of obstruction, willful retention of national defense information and a new defendant have been added to the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. In the updated indictment handed down Thursday, prosecutors allege that Trump asked a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida estate in an effort to obstruct the federal investigation into his possession of classified documents. Read more.
Why this matters:
The decision to charge Trump with willful retention of a defense document is notable because it marks a shift in the prosecution’s approach, with the Justice Department charging him with holding onto a document they say he knew was highly sensitive after he left office but returned to the government before the FBI opened its criminal investigation in March 2022. The charges Trump was already facing stemmed from documents prosecutors say Trump was illegally hoarding at Mar-a-Lago after the federal grand jury investigation began.
Adding a third defendant - a Mar-a-Lago property manager - could further push back the trial date, which is already a point of contention in the case. Trump’s lawyers have claimed that he can’t get a fair trial before the 2024 election, while prosecutors wanted a December trial date. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon settled on a May date, pushing it deep into the presidential nominating calendar, but before the official Republican nominee is confirmed. Trump will likely use the new charges in a renewed effort to delay the trial.” [AP News]
The new charges were filed as Trump is bracing for the prospect of an additional indictment related to his efforts to undo the 2020 election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The federal investigations, however, are far from Trump’s only legal worries. The former president is still facing a potential indictment in Georgia for election meddling, a civil trial in New York for alleged asset value misrepresentation, and a hush money case trial for falsifying business records.” [AP News]
Trump's packed docket
Data: Axios research; Timeline: Jacque Schrag/Axios
“Former President Trump and his legal team are staring down the prospect of three civil and two criminal trials before Election Day 2024, Axios' Erin Doherty reports.
Why it matters: If Trump's two current criminal trial dates hold, he could largely clinch the GOP presidential nomination before voters learn whether he has been convicted on any charges.
In special counsel Jack Smith's Jan. 6 and 2020 election probe, Trump's lawyers met with prosecutors today about another possible indictment.
The big picture: Trump's first criminal trial in a hush-money case is scheduled to start on March 25, 2024, less than three weeks after Super Tuesday, when more than a dozen states will vote.
His trial date in the federal classified documents case is May 20, 2024 — toward the end of the GOP primary season.
Legal peril is already a centerpiece of Trump's campaign, a strategy that would likely intensify if he is the Republican nominee.” [Axios]
Nearly 200 million people in US are under heat or flood advisories
People seeking shelter from the heat rest at the First Church UCC cooling center amid the city's worst heat wave on record on July 25, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Mario Tama, Getty Images
“Nearly 60% of the U.S. population, equivalent to 200 million people, are under a heat advisory or flood warnings as high temperatures spread and new areas are told to expect severe storms. Read more.
Why this matters:
The National Weather Service said a ‘dangerous’ heat wave began to scorch the Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Thursday and will continue into the weekend. Severe thunderstorms and flash floods are possible for parts of the Northeast and South, New England and South Florida. Meanwhile, the string of record-breaking temperatures will persist for the Southwest and Midwest.
Scientists have long warned that climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, will lead to more and prolonged bouts of extreme weather. The prediction for continued excessive heat comes a day after the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service declared July 2023 the hottest month on record.
Due to the extreme heat, two of the nation’s largest power grids are under stress, which could affect Americans' ability to cool off. PJM Interconnection declared a level one energy emergency alert for its 13-state grid on Wednesday, meaning the company is concerned about its ability to provide enough electricity. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which mostly covers states in the Midwest and Northern Plains, issued a similar alert on Thursday.” [AP News]
Politics
“The Senate passed bipartisan military policy legislation, setting up a clash with the House, which added conservative mandates on abortion and gender to its version of the bill.” [New York Times]
“After budget troubles and staff layoffs, Ron DeSantis began a slimmed-down reboot of his presidential campaign in Iowa.” [New York Times]
“Mitch McConnell’s apparent medical episode has stirred talk about who could succeed him as the Senate Republican leader.” [New York Times]
“Kimberly Mata-Rubio, mother of a Uvalde school shooting victim,announced her run for city mayor.” [USA Today]
Tough debate in Congress on gender affirming care for minors
“A debate on Capitol Hill Thursday drew attention as families across the nation navigate how to move around state laws banning or limiting transgender healthcare. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government's hearing ‘Dangers and Due Process Violations of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ for Children’ came at a time when several states are passing legislation to inhibit the rights of transgender youth. At the hearing Committee Chairman and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) repeatedly attacked the safety and merits of gender-affirming care while Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pennsylvania) argued his remarks were ‘a cynical and dangerous political attack on transgender children and their families.’ Read more at USA Today
Chloe Cole testifies during the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution and Limited Government holds a hearing on gender affirming care for children.
Jasper Colt, Jasper Colt-USA TODAY
“President Vladimir Putin will discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine with African leaders at a summit in St. Petersburg today. That’s as Ukraine’s long-awaited assault against Russian troops in the occupied south kicks off a new stage in the conflict, while Moscow steps up a long-range missile campaign. Read here about one company the US accused of seeking to evade sanctions and smuggle in vital microchips for Russian weapons.” [Bloomberg]
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during the plenary session of the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 27.Pavel Bednyakov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Cheap Ukrainian drones are taking out Russian tanks that cost more than $1 million.
“The $400 first-person-view drones are executing kamikaze-style attacks on large-scale weapons and troop positions as Kyiv strives to operate efficiently and become less dependent on Western countries in its defense against Moscow. Meanwhile, U.S. officials say Russian attacks on American drones is a concerted effort to pressure the military to pull back from Syria.” [AP News]
Nicaragua lost press freedom. Other countries are too.
“Today, Nicaraguan journalists-in-exile cover their home country from outside, often from across the border in Costa Rica. They've watched media repression increase in several Central American nations, which experts say reflects the region’s continuing slide toward authoritarianism. A USA TODAY investigation found that a slide of press freedoms in the region echoes a growing global concern as autocratic leaders increasingly label the press an “enemy” and embrace repressive laws that criminalize publishing what is deemed as “fake news.” In addition, journalists say, pro-government misinformation floods social media and state-controlled news outlets, leaving some unsure what to trust.” Read more at USA Today
Newspaper founder and editor Jose Ruben Zamora is escorted by police before a hearing at a court in Guatemala City, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. A tribunal has convicted Zamora and sentenced him to six years in prison in a money laundering case.
Santiago Billy, AP
“First came the hottest June in recorded history, now the hottest-ever July. This year is already highly likely to replace 2016 atop the heat ranking, and scientists suspect the past several years have been warmer than any point in more than 125,000 years. As Eric Roston and John Ainger report, the problem is clear: Climate change triggered by burning fossil fuels is visibly outrunning our efforts to stem global warming.
Europe’s wildfire threat is spreading to the French Riviera, while firefighters in Greece battle more than 100 blazes.” [Bloomberg]
“Investigators in India will probe a horrifying incident of two women being paraded naked and allegedly raped in violence-torn Manipur state, an event that triggered a backlash against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. Footage of the assault sparked public anger over sexual crimes in the world’s largest democracy, where women and girls often fear retribution if they report attacks. It also pushed Modi to make his first public comments regarding the violence in Manipur that has killed more than 150 people.” [Bloomberg]
Church sex abuse is the elephant in the room as Pope Francis visits scandal-hit Portugal
“Pope Francis is making a five-day visit to Portugal, where a scandal that erupted earlier this year over Catholic Church sex abuse is still simmering. A panel of experts reported in February that at least 4,815 Portuguese boys and girls had been abused since 1950. The scandal is unfinished business in Portugal, after church officials have hesitated over reparations for the victims and whether to suspend active members of the clergy named in the report. Read more.
Why this matters:
Portugal is the latest country to confront decades of abuse by priests and cover-ups by bishops and religious superiors. Yet Portuguese church leaders seem to have learned little from their fellow bishops in the U.S., Europe and Latin America who faced similar crises. They lost even more credibility with a response so clumsy and hesitant that victims were inspired to form Portugal’s first survivor advocacy group to press for compensation.
Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S. group that maintains an online archive on abuse in the Catholic Church say the problem extends far beyond Portugal: ‘In other words, and sadly, the Portuguese hierarchy is not an outlier; it’s representative,’ she said.” [AP News]
“India and Brazil are pushing back against a Chinese bid to rapidly expand the BRICS group of emerging market nations to grow its political clout and counter the US, sources say. The countries have raised objections in preparatory talks for a summit in Johannesburg next month where Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will discuss potentially expanding the group to include Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.” [Bloomberg]
“The Hong Kong government lost its bid in the High Court to ban a controversial protest song from its Internet in a rare victory for free speech in the financial hub. The authorities had sought to make it illegal for anyone with criminal intent to perform or broadcast Glory to Hong Kong, including the lyrics and melody, on grounds of national security.
Hong Kong urged Washington to let its leader, John Lee, attend a major economic summit in the US in November, after a report that the Biden administration plans to bar the sanctioned official.” [Bloomberg]
The music score for Glory to Hong Kong. Photographer: Justin Chin/Bloomberg
“Kim Jong Un was joined by high-level delegations from Russia and China at a military parade in Pyongyang where North Korea showed off its newest missile designed to deliver a nuclear warhead to the US.” [Bloomberg]
“Japan expressed serious concern over joint exercises between China and Russia in its annual defense report, calling the military drills by its nuclear-armed neighbors clear and deliberate provocations.” [Bloomberg]
“Three top officials from China’s rocket force unit, which manages the nation’s nuclear arsenal, are being probed, the South China Morning Post reported today, citing sources.” [Bloomberg]
“The US House budget process ground to a halt yesterday amid simmering conflicts over spending levels and controversial social issues, raising the risk of a government shutdown ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline.” [Bloomberg]
“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revamped his economic teamby installing three new central bankers who include a former adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.” [Bloomberg]
“Wanted: A central bank governor to help reset Lebanon’s financial system that collapsed under decades of corruption and mismanagement, in a country whose currency is almost worthless and where the banking sector faces losses nearly three times the size of the economy. And with just four days to go before incumbent Riad Salameh — blamed by some for the chaos and the subject of an Interpol Red Notice over money laundering allegations in Germany and France — steps down, there is no successor in place.” [Bloomberg]
The aftermath of the explosion at the port of Beirut in August 2020, which put further strain on Lebanon’s struggling economy. Photographer: Hasan Shaaban/Bloomberg
“The U.S. economy expanded at an unexpected 2.4% annual rate in the second quarter — showing striking resilience. A range of indicators raise hopes that a potential recession remains far from reality.” Go deeper. [Axios]
“Bud Light brewer Anheuser-Busch is laying off around 350 employees. While it's less than 2% of its U.S. staff, the company has struggled to win back customers in the fallout of a controversial ad campaign. Go deeper.” [Axios]
The EU has opened an antitrust investigation into Microsoft’s bundling of its Teams videoconferencing app with its Office software.
“The bloc’s first formal probe of the software giant in more than a decade is examining whether Microsoft is giving Teams an unfair advantage by not allowing customers to choose to access the product, as well as whether the company limited interoperability between its products and competitors’. The EU's executive body could file formal charges if it finds evidence of wrongdoing, or it can drop the case. Microsoft said, ‘We will continue to cooperate with the commission and remain committed to finding solutions that will address its concerns.’” [Wall Street Journal]
“Home safe: Bronny James, LeBron James’s son, was discharged from the hospital after a cardiac arrest during a practice.” [New York Times]
“Lives Lived: Julian Barry’s scripts for a Broadway play and Hollywood movie about Lenny Bruce became definitive portraits of the comedian as a truth teller who drove himself mad in a righteous struggle against hypocrisy. Barry died at 92.” [New York Times]
Enormous Lebanon bologna sandwich unveiled at Pennsylvania community fair
“An enormous Lebanon bologna sandwich billed as one of the world’s largest has been unveiled at a fair in central Pennsylvania.” Read More at AP News