The Full Belmonte, 8/16/2023
Appeals court upholds some limits on abortion pill mifepristone, setting up high-stakes Supreme Court review
“A three-judge panel of the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit said the Food and Drug Administration should not have allowed the drug mifepristone, which is used in more than half of U.S. abortions, to be sent directly to patients by mail or be prescribed by a medical professional other than a doctor. For now, access to the drug will not change; the Supreme Court this spring said any new restrictions would be on hold while litigation continues.” [Washington Post]
Santos Aide Who Impersonated McCarthy Staff Member Faces Federal Charges
The aide, Samuel Miele, impersonated Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s chief of staff in fund-raising appeals and was charged with wire fraud and identity theft.
By Michael Gold and Grace Ashford
“A campaign associate of Representative George Santos who impersonated Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s former chief of staff was charged with wire fraud and identity theft in a federal indictment unsealed on Wednesday.
The aide, Samuel Miele, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Brooklyn federal court and released on $150,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty.
He was accused by federal prosecutors of sending ‘fraudulent fund-raising’ emails to more than a dozen potential contributors to an unnamed candidate.
In those messages, he claimed to be a ‘high-ranking aide to a member of the House with leadership responsibilities,’ the indictment said. When Mr. Miele successfully solicited campaign contributions, he received a 15 percent commission, according to the indictment.
The indictment, which was filed on Tuesday, does not name Mr. Santos, a first-term Republican representing parts of Long Island and Queens. Nor does it provide more details about the House aide Mr. Miele is said to have impersonated or the member with whom he is associated.
But The New York Times and other news outlets have previously reported that Mr. Miele impersonated Mr. McCarthy’s chief of staff in a bid to solicit funds for Mr. Santos’s campaign. Mr. McCarthy later confirmed those reports and said that Mr. Miele was fired after Mr. Santos learned of his actions.
Mr. Miele was charged with four counts of wire fraud in connection with specific emails he sent between August and October 2021. He was also charged with aggravated identity theft.
The case against Mr. Miele was filed by the same prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York who are prosecuting Mr. Santos in a separate case involving wire fraud. In a letter filed on Wednesday, prosecutors advised the court that the cases should be considered related.
Mr. Santos has been charged with 13 counts of money laundering, wire fraud, theft of public funds and false statements following an investigation into his finances. He has pleaded not guilty….” Read more at New York Times
Governor Brian Kemp tells Trump Georgia’s 2020 election ‘was not stolen’
Republican says no one has produced evidence of fraud in court of law despite ex-president’s vow to present ‘irrefutable’ proof
“Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, insisted on Tuesday that the 2020 presidential election in his state ‘was not stolen’ in an apparent defense of the latest criminal indictment of Donald Trump.
Kemp, who has clashed frequently with the former president over his false claim the election was rigged, responded on Twitter to an earlier post on Truth Social from Trump announcing a press conference next week at which he promised to present ‘irrefutable’ evidence of fraud.
‘The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen. For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward – under oath – and prove anything in a court of law,’ Kemp wrote in his tweet.
‘Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor. The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus.’
Kemp’s message was immediately endorsed by Chris Christie, the Republican former governor of New Jersey who is challenging Trump for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
‘This is a strong leader telling the truth. Others should try it,’ Christie wrote on Twitter, taking his own dig at Trump’s honesty.
Trump has previously railed against Kemp and Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, the recipient of his infamous phone call demanding officials ‘find’ enough votes to nullify Joe Biden’s win.
That January 2021 conversation is believed to have been a central component of the investigation by the Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, that led to Trump’s Monday night indictment on charges including forgery and racketeering.
Kemp’s tweet referred to numerous failed efforts by Trump’s legal team in Georgia to overturn the result following Biden’s victory there by fewer than 12,000 votes. A judge dismissed one lawsuit alleging that 147,000 illegitimate ballots were wrongly counted, and the state’s supreme court refused to hear an appeal.
That lawsuit was supported by David Perdue, a Trump ally and former senator who challenged Kemp for their party’s gubernatorial nomination in 2022. Perdue’s defeat was widely regarded as a significant blow to Trump’s ongoing campaign to reverse his own loss.
It is the second time in five days that Kemp has tweeted a message directed at Trump, having accused him last week of putting himself ‘ahead of the future of our country’ by declining to pledge support to the eventual 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Trump has been equally critical of Kemp, the two having feuded since Trump blamed his 2020 humiliation in Georgia on the governor.
Kemp is among a number of senior Republicans, including Christie and Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, who have urged the party to move on from Trump, the leading candidate for its 2024 presidential nomination.
Analysts say Kemp’s style of conservative leadership offers a blueprint for the future if Trump’s grip on the party should loosen.” [The Guardian]
Members of FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams Washington Task Force 1 and Nevada Task Force 1 search through destroyed neighborhoods in Lahaina.
Maui wildfires
“The death toll from the Maui wildfires has climbed to 106 as Hawaii's governor warns identifying all the victims will be difficult. Identification is challenging and will likely take weeks because the remains are largely unrecognizable and fingerprints are rarely being found, Gov. Josh Green said Tuesday. So far, family members of missing people have provided 41 DNA samples, trying to see whether their loved ones are among the dead, county officials said. As the search expands for more unaccounted people, President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he will travel to Maui soon to visit the devastation. ‘I want to go and make sure we got everything they need,’ Biden said, adding he wants to make sure his possible presidential visit wouldn't impede recovery efforts.” [CNN]
This combination of images from video made by neighbors Shane Treu, left, and Robert Arconado on Aug. 8, 2023 shows fires outside their homes on the Hawaiian island of Maui. (Shane Treu, Robert Arconado via AP)
U.S. NEWS
Videos put scrutiny on downed power lines as possible cause of deadly Maui wildfires
“Videos captured of the early moments of what would become the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century has emerged as key evidence pointing to fallen utility lines as the possible cause. Hawaiian Electric Co. faces criticism for not shutting off the power amid high wind warnings and keeping it on even as dozens of poles began to topple. Read more.
Why this matters:
A class-action lawsuit has already been filed seeking to hold Hawaiian Electric Co. responsible for the deaths of more than 100 people. Hawaiian Electric declined to comment on the accusations in the lawsuit or whether it has ever shut down power before due to high winds. But President and CEO Shelee Kimura noted at a news conference Monday that many factors go into that decision, including the possible effect on specialized medical equipment and firefighters who need power to pump water.
Satellite imagery reviewed by the AP shows that starting about 500 yards downwind from where the videos were filmed, whole neighborhoods were reduced to ash. Though experts say the early evidence suggests multiple blazes may have been ignited in and around Lahaina on Aug. 8, there were no recorded lightning strikes or other apparent natural causes for the fires.” [AP News]
Trump arrest
“Former President Donald Trump and his allies charged on Monday in the Georgia 2020 election subversion case have until the end of next week to surrender for arrest. Trump is expected to surrender at the Fulton County jail, the local sheriff said Tuesday, though it remains unclear exactly when that will occur. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat previously suggested he wants to treat the defendants charged in the election subversion case the same as any other defendant would be treated. ‘Unless someone tells me differently we will be following normal practices. It doesn't matter your status we will have mug shots ready for you,’ Labat told CNN earlier this month. The sheriff will now have to negotiate with the Secret Service and Trump's attorneys about the logistics of Trump's surrender as the leading 2024 GOP presidential candidate continues to juggle time between courtrooms and the campaign trail.” [CNN]
Trump's collision
Photo: Jon Elswick/AP
“The extraordinary collision course between former President Trump's 2024 campaign and his legal morass will be on stark display the next two weeks, Axios' Erin Doherty reports.
Why it matters: Trump's two-week schedule features nearly half a dozen court hearings and campaign-related events — previewing what's to come over the next 15 months.
Trump won't have to attend every court hearing. But his attempt to run a national campaign while fighting 91 criminal counts in four jurisdictions will be a high-stress logistical challenge.
‘It's a legal defense wrapped in a campaign and Trump clearly intends to conflate the two for the foreseeable future,’ Republican strategist Ken Spain told Axios.
Here's what's coming:
Next Monday, Aug. 21: Trump plans to hold a ‘major News Conference’ at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., where he claims he'll release new evidence of 2020 election fraud in Georgia.
Aug. 23: The first Republican debate will be in Milwaukee, Wis. Trump hasn't said whether he'll participate — only that he won't sign a pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee in order to take the debate stage.
On Aug. 25 — the arraignment deadline for Trump and his 18 co-defendants in Atlanta — federal judge Aileen Cannon has scheduled a hearing in Florida in the classified documents case. The hearing involves prosecutors' request for a protective order to prevent Trump's team from releasing court materials to those not involved with his defense.
Aug. 28: In D.C., Judge Tanya Chutkan plans to hold a hearing in the federal case involving Trump's alleged efforts to subvert 2020 election results.
A spokesperson for Trump's campaign wrote in a text to Axios that the former president ‘continues to be stronger every single day.’” [Axios]
Water shortage
“Federal officials are easing water restrictions on the Colorado River next year after a blockbuster winter helped shore up water levels amid crucial shortages. The US Bureau of Reclamation on Tuesday announced that Lake Mead and the Lower Colorado River will operate in a Tier 1 water shortage in 2024, easing water restrictions in Arizona, Nevada and Mexico. That will give back billions of gallons of Colorado River water to those states and allow them to pad their water savings accounts instead of relying heavily on other states. This comes after last year's winter brought a series of atmospheric rivers to drought-parched states in the West and reversed the freefall at Lakes Mead and Powell — the nation's two largest reservoirs. Lake Mead, for example, is around 20 feet higher now than it was in August 2022.” [CNN]
“Even the US government thinks ICE detentions are ‘barbaric’ and ‘negligent,’ according to an internal report commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security. There are 1,600 pages depicting the cruel, inhumane ways the US treats non-citizens. [NPR]
“Noticed a credit card surcharge on your dinner out at a restaurant? As inflation and high credit card fees continue to hurt restaurants’ bottom lines, they’ve started charging customers more.” [New York Times]
“Extreme water stress is faced by 25 countries, which are home to a quarter of the world’s population. A lack of water could affect food production, economic growth, and health.” [The Guardian]
Water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico reached a record high.
“How hot? The average over the entire body of water topped 88 degrees this week. That’s 2.6 degrees above average and more than a degree above the previous record.
The impact: The warm waters are tied to a run of record heat and humidity along the Gulf Coast. They could also fuel the hurricane season as its peak approaches.
What else to know: Last month has been confirmed as Earth’s hottest on record.”
Read this story at Washington Post
North Korea
“North Korea confirmed publicly today for the first time that US Army Pvt. Travis King crossed into its territory. King's story garnered international attention last month after he became the first US soldier to cross into North Korea since 1982. US defense officials said King ‘willfully and without authorization’ ran into North Korea while taking a civilian tour inside the demilitarized zone. State-run Korean media issued a statement today that claimed King had expressed ‘his willingness to seek refugee’ in North Korea or a third country. It also claimed King confessed that he had decided to enter North Korea as ‘he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.’ The announcement has prompted an appeal from his family to treat him humanely as questions remain about why he entered one of the most hostile countries on Earth.” [CNN]
“The tentative deal between the US and Iran to release prisoners and unfreeze assets isn’t even finalized yet, but the two sides are already dropping hints at broader diplomacy.
This week Tehran made its first explicit link between the prisoner deal and the nuclear talks, suggesting progress in one area could ease tensions in others. Meanwhile, Washington reportedly asked Iran to stop selling armed drones to Russia.
The gestures indicate a willingness to keep talking despite the lack of trust in Iran’s sequencing of the deal – money first, prisoners later – and heightened US and UK fears of attacks on commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf.
If they can pull off the agreement without surprises, that could build valuable goodwill that’s been lacking in Tehran since former US President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal, and lay the ground for further discussion.
Iran is also sending positive signals to the European Union — another key stakeholder in the nuclear talks and one that’s secured the release of six of its own citizens from Tehran since May.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell yesterday that a return by all parties to their commitments ‘is not far from reach,’ and said any misunderstandings between his country and the bloc could be resolved through dialog.
The incentives are clear. Iran is getting back its cash and boosting oil exports. The US and Europe, besides bringing their people home, have a chance to curb Iran’s atomic work and potentially disrupt a key supplier to Russia’s military.”— Patrick Sykes [Axios]
A giant billboard of the ‘Fattah’ hypersonic missile in Tehran on July 7. Photographer: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
“China described Taiwan’s vice president and election frontrunner as a ‘troublemaker’ whose views risk sparking a conflict, in a sign that Lai Ching-te will likely have testy relations with Beijing if he becomes the leader of the democratically run island that China regards as part of its territory. It called a recent pledge Lai made in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek that he would maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait ‘a complete lie.’
With confidence in China’s financial markets worsening by the day, the central bank injected the largest amount of short-term cash since February one day after it slashed interest rates on a slew of monetary tools.” [AP News]
Global household wealth fell last year for the first time since the financial crisis in 2008, as inflation and the appreciation of the US dollar wiped some $11.3 trillion off assets. Total net private wealth across the world decreased by $454.4 trillion, according to Credit Suisse’s annual global wealth report. The bulk of the decline was felt in North American and European households. [Bloomberg]
“A Russian attack on a Ukrainian port on the Danube River pushed up wheat prices in a further escalation that has drawn international condemnation for endangering the food supply of developing nations dependent on Ukrainian exports. Russia hit storage sites and silos last night, Ukrainian officials said, targeting river channels that have become an increasingly important avenue to circumvent Moscow’s blockade of transporting grain via the Black Sea.” [Bloomberg]
Damaged grain stores following the Russian attack in the Odesa region. Source: Ukraine's South Command
“Iowa is using ChatGPT to decide which books to ban. A local school district compiled a master booklist and is asking AI whether a book contains a ‘description or depiction of a sex act.’” [Popular Science]
Charted: Cutting the cord
Data: Nielsen. Chart: Axios Visuals
“Broadcast and cable fell below 50% of total TV usage in the U.S. last month for the first time ever, Axios' Sara Fischer writes from Nielsen's latest viewership data.
The lack of major sporting events in July took a toll on traditional TV networks, which still hold the majority of major sports broadcast rights.
The one exception was the Women's World Cup, which saw record viewership numbers before the U.S. Women's National Team was eliminated.
Streaming garnered a record 38.7% of total TV usage in July.
What's next: Entertainment giants now need to wrestle with what to do with their broadcast and cable TV assets, given the increasing pace of cord-cutting in the U.S.
Disney CEO Bob Iger made it clear to investors last week that Disney is seriously rethinking its commitment to the traditional TV business — and is considering selling its flagship networks, like ABC, FX and National Geographic.
Other media firms, including Warner Bros. Discovery, are committed to their cable networks as a profit-driver for now — but they're taking steps to bolster their streaming products for the future.” [Axios]
Elon Musk’s X has been throttling traffic to websites he dislikes.
“How? The site formerly known as Twitter added a five-second delay when users clicked on links to the New York Times, Facebook and other sites Musk has attacked.
Why it matters: Delays like this can cause traffic to plunge as users grow impatient. After The Post published this story yesterday, X began removing the delays on some sites.”
Read this story at Washington Post
“The Orlando Museum of Art filed a lawsuit accusing its former director of seeking to profit from a scheme to pass off paintings as Basquiats.” [New York Times]
England vs. Australia live updates: Lionesses win, advance to final
READ FULL STORY→ at USA Today
Breanna Stewart recorded her third 40-point game of the season on Sunday.Ron Hoskins/NBAE, via Getty Images
“High scoring: Once rare, 40-point games are surging in the W.N.B.A.” [New York Times]
“Dominance: The New York Liberty claimed the Commissioner’s Cup with a blowout win over the Las Vegas Aces.” [New York Times]
“A new star? The Colts named the rookie Anthony Richardson as their starting quarterback yesterday, increasing the pressure on a player already under intense scrutiny.” [New York Times]
“Alex Collins: The 28-year-old former N.F.L. running back was killed in a motorcycle crash in Florida.” [New York Times]
A pair of traveling sharks is baffling scientists.
Jekyll is one of the sharks that scientists have tracked over recent months. (Chris Ross/OCEARCH)
“An unlikely duo: Great white sharks usually travel solo. But scientists are tracking two males, named Jekyll and Simon, who appear to have migrated 4,000 miles together.
Why? They might be siblings, which could mean that sharks are closer to their families than previously thought. They were most recently spotted off Canada’s eastern coast.”
Read this story at Washington Post
”Lives Lived: Joann Meyer spent nearly 60 years at The Marion County Record in Kansas. On Friday, the police searched its offices and her home. She died a day later — while she was asking how such a thing could have happened, her son said. She was 98.” [New York Times]