The Full Belmonte, 8/17/2023
Texas woman charged with threatening to kill judge on Trump election case
“A Texas woman has been arrested on charges that she threatened to kill Tanya S. Chutkan, the Washington federal judge tasked with overseeing the prosecution of former president Donald Trump on allegations that he tried to overturn the 2020 election.
Abigail Jo Shry, 43, of Alvin, Tex., left an Aug. 5 voice mail at Chutkan’s chambers in which she called her a racial slur and threatened her, saying, ‘If Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly, b----,’ according to criminal complaint documents filed Friday.
Shry also threatened to kill Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.), as well as all Washington Democrats and members of the LGBTQ community broadly, the criminal complaint stated. She left the voice mail two days after Trump was arraigned on charges of election interference.
On Aug. 8, Shry told agents from the Department of Homeland Security that she left the voice mail and that she had no plans to visit D.C. or carry out an attack. However, she told the agents there would be reason to worry if Jackson Lee traveled to Alvin.
Chutkan, 61, was one of the first federal judges in D.C. to reject Trump’s claim that executive privilege should allow him to withhold White House communications from investigators of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. A former public defender, she was randomly assigned to Trump’s 2020 election case.
At a hearing last week, the judge warned the former president to refrain from making statements that could intimidate witnesses or prejudice potential jurors, after Trump had posted on Truth Social: ‘IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!’…” Read more at Washington Post
Donald Trump could face trial in Georgia on March 4.
“The latest: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis proposed the date yesterday. The final date will have to avoid a clash with Trump’s three other criminal cases.
The case: The former president and 18 others were charged this week in connection with efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
In related news: A Texas woman was charged with threatening to kill the judge overseeing Trump’s federal 2020 election case.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Pig kidney works in a donated body for over a month, a step toward animal-human transplants
“NEW YORK (AP) — Surgeons transplanted a pig’s kidney into a brain-dead man and for over a month it’s worked normally — a critical step toward an operation the New York team hopes to eventually try in living patients.
Scientists around the country are racing to learn how to use animal organs to save human lives, and bodies donated for research offer a remarkable rehearsal.
The latest experiment announced Wednesday by NYU Langone Health marks the longest a pig kidney has functioned in a person, albeit a deceased one -– and it’s not over. Researchers are set to track the kidney’s performance for a second month….” Read more at AP News
“News: The State Department has turned over 300 pages of Afghanistan withdrawal documents to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a breakthrough in the simmering dispute between the House GOP and the Biden administration.
The latest document production followed a call this week between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas). Blinken promised to turn over more information to the panel in order to comply with McCaul’s subpoena, according to a source familiar with the call.
This is the latest example of McCaul working with Blinken to receive more information on the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan in 2021. The withdrawal culminated in chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport and a devastating suicide bombing that killed 13 American servicemembers. Among both parties in Washington, McCaul’s probe is seen as less overtly political than other House investigations yet just as damaging to the White House.
Many of the documents produced this week were situation report memos from the Biden administration’s Afghanistan task force during the key months leading up to and during the military pullout. The information mainly details the U.S.-led evacuation efforts and how many individuals left Afghanistan each day.
‘I appreciate the secretary’s commitment to me to provide more regular document production going forward and hope he is true to his word on that,’ McCaul said in a statement. ‘Time is of the essence and we owe our veterans and our Gold Star families answers.’
McCaul issued a subpoena in July for the underlying documents that State used to compile its after-action review of the U.S. withdrawal. McCaul had been unhappy with State’s response, writing to Blinken last week that the current pace of the production was ‘meager.’
We’re told that the latest document production doesn’t include any of the eight specific documents flagged by McCaul in that Aug. 9 letter. But the GOP Foreign Affairs Committee team is confident Blinken will hand over more documents.
‘The Department continues to have productive conversations with Chairman McCaul and make responsive documents available to the Committee in addition to the thousands of pages that have already been provided,’ State spokesperson Vedant Patel told us.
Before leaving for recess, McCaul had floated holding Blinken in contempt of Congress for failing to hand over Afghanistan documents. The latest development, however, suggests that the two have once again found common ground on Congress’ oversight of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Earlier this year, McCaul came close to marking up a contempt resolution targeting Blinken over a dispute about access to a dissent cable from Kabul Embassy staff. But McCaul called off the effort when Blinken allowed him and Ranking Member Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.) to view the dissent cable.” [Punchbowl News]
Ship Departs Odesa, Defies Russia
Bulk carriers are docked at the grain terminal of the port of Odesa, Ukraine, on April 10.Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
“Ukraine is tired of cowing to Russian maritime threats. The Hong Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte container ship left the port of Odesa, Ukraine, for Istanbul on Wednesday despite threats from Moscow to treat any vessels leaving the Black Sea as military targets. Vows to safeguard civilian shipping in the region ended on July 17, when Russia refused to renew its Black Sea Grain Initiative with Ukraine.
It is unclear whether Moscow will allow the Joseph Schulte to traverse the sea unharmed or risk intensifying the war. ‘If Russia began attacking vessels carrying Ukrainian grain, it could mark a sharp escalation in the conflict,’ FP’s Christina Lu and Amy Mackinnon wrote last month. ‘But even if Moscow does not immediately act on its threats, just the fear of an attack, or the presence of the embargo, is stirring enough uncertainty to spook insurers and international grain markets.’
The Joseph Schulte, which is carrying more than 30,000 metric tons of cargo, has been forced to wait at the Odesa port since the day before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Last week, Ukraine announced the creation of a ‘humanitarian corridor’ to allow shipping vessels stuck at the Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdenny ports since the start of the war to leave. Joseph Schulte will be the first cargo ship to use that passage.
Despite Ukraine establishing a supposed safe route, shipping and insurance companies remain wary of Russian attacks. Just last Sunday, Russian troops fired warning shots across the bow of the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan cargo ship as it made its way across the southwestern Black Sea toward the Ukrainian port of Izmail. The incident marked the first time Moscow explicitly targeted merchant shipping since abandoning the grain deal.
Some regional experts are urging shipping authorities to forgo traditional Black Sea routes and solely use the Sulina Channel, a 40-mile waterway connecting the sea to Moldovan, Romanian, and Ukrainian ports via the Danube Delta. Prior to Moscow’s invasion, Danube shipping carried around 100,000 tons of Ukrainian grain each month. Since then, that number has exceeded more than 20 million tons. According to U.S. sanctions coordinator James O’Brien, the amount of Ukrainian grain exported via this route “will more than double” in the near future.
Joseph Schulte’s departure came just hours after Russian drones targeted Ukrainian grain storage facilities in Reni, a Ukrainian city along the Danube River roughly 160 miles southwest of Odesa. Reports indicate that numerous silos and warehouses containing grain and sunflowers were damaged. Since the Black Sea grain deal expired, Russia has hit more than 26 Ukrainian port facilities and hundreds of thousands of tons of grain.” [Foreign Policy]
“Niger coup supporters seek recruits. Supporters of Niger’s junta announced the start of mass recruitment efforts this week to prepare for the potential deployment of regional forces to the West African nation. They aim to register tens of thousands of people across the country with the Volunteers for the Defense of Niger, which would assist the Nigerien military in fighting troops sent by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as well as provide engineering logistics, medical assistance, and other functions.
Recruitment will officially begin this Saturday in the capital and in border cities where ECOWAS forces may enter the country. Last week, the regional body announced the deployment of a ‘standby force’ into Niger in response to the junta leaders failing to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum by an Aug. 6 deadline. However, what that force could look like remains unclear. Junta leaders are aware of local recruitment efforts but are not organizing the drive themselves, according to local organizers.” [Foreign Policy]
“Say goodbye to Pita. Thailand’s Constitutional Court dismissed a petition to renominate Move Forward Party candidate Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister on a technicality on Wednesday, setting in motion next week’s vote to choose Bangkok’s next premier without him. Pita, whose party won May’s parliamentary elections, was suspended from his seat in July over allegations that his ownership of shares in a media company was prohibited under election rules; Pita’s shares have since been transferred, and the corporation was inactive when he ran for office.
Regional experts fear Thailand is facing a democratic decline, especially as the country’s parliament continues to thwart candidates that do not support the monarchy’s status quo. Pita was harassed over Move Forward’s efforts to amend a law that criminalizes anyone who criticizes the country’s ruling party. According to Freedom House, Thailand is ‘not free.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Mob attacks churches in Pakistan. Religious tensions rose in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday after a group of Islamists accused a Christian family of desecrating a copy of the Quran. Hundreds of Muslim men attacked the Christian community in Faisalabad in the wake of the accusation, setting fire to at least four churches, looting homes, and vandalizing a cemetery. Local police were deployed to quell the violence. Pakistan has a history of false accusations of blasphemy against religious minorities in the country, such as Christians.
Reports of Quran desecrations in Denmark and Sweden have recently drawn outrage in the global Muslim community. In June, an Iraqi man burned a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm. In protest, Iraqi demonstrators stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, expelled the ambassador, and torched the compound a month later. But the incidents haven’t stopped: Last Monday, two men burned a Quran outside of Sweden’s Royal Palace to discourage efforts to criminalize the destruction of religious iconography.” [Foreign Policy]
“U.S. Treasury announces new sanctions. On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions on three entities that support arms deals between Russia and North Korea. Verus, Defense Engineering, and Versor are accused of helping Moscow evade existing Western sanctions by connecting the Kremlin with North Korean military equipment. Slovakian national Ashot Mkrtychev, who holds leadership positions in all three companies, is alleged to have brokered negotiations to transfer more than two dozen armaments to Russia in exchange for raw materials and other commodities.” [Foreign Policy]
Cancer among younger Americans is on the rise.
The numbers: Early-onset cancer diagnoses rose by nearly 1% between 2010 and 2019, a new study found. In the 30-to-39 age group, cases increased by about 19%.
Why? There’s no clear explanation. Possible reasons include rising obesity rates, lifestyle factors like drinking and smoking, and exposure to pollutants and carcinogens.
Read this story at Washington Post
A new strain of E. coli is behind recent outbreaks traced to lettuce.
“The details: The strain emerged in late 2015, the CDC said yesterday. It’s responsible for multiple outbreaks, including ones related to romaine lettuce and other leafy greens.
Zooming out: The pace and severity of E. coli outbreaks have increased in recent years. This finding could help experts understand why and prevent future outbreaks.”
Read this story at Washington Post
The British Museum fired a worker after some items went missing.
What happened? Jewelry, gems and glass dating as far back as the 15th century B.C. were stolen from a storeroom, the museum said yesterday. It has launched a recovery effort.
It’s a little ironic: Many of the British Museum’s items were looted from other countries during Britain’s imperial past.
Author Michael Lewis says only Hollywood cashed in on ‘Blind Side’ success
“Author Michael Lewis responded Wednesday to accusations from former NFL lineman Michael Oher, a subject of Lewis’s best-selling book “The Blind Side,” that the wealthy family who took Oher in has hoarded profits from the award-winning film adaptation.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Lewis said that despite the movie’s success, no one involved in the book saw millions of dollars from the movie.
‘Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system,’ Lewis said. ‘Michael Oher should join the writers strike. It’s outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys’ pockets.’
Oher, who is Black, was growing up poor in Memphis when he was taken in by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, a wealthy White couple. Lewis, the author of “Moneyball,” “The Big Short” and other nonfiction bestsellers, heard the story from Sean Tuohy, a childhood friend, and turned it into the 2006 book that chronicled Oher’s rise to football acclaim and the booming market for NFL linemen capable of protecting quarterbacks’ backs — their ‘blind sides.’
In a legal filing this week, Oher alleged the Tuohy family used a conservatorship to keep profits from the movie, which the court filing argued paid the Tuohys and their two birth children $225,000 each, plus 2.5 percent of the film’s “defined net proceeds.” The movie was a hit, earning more than $300 million in theaters, according to Oher’s lawsuit.
According to Lewis, Twentieth Century Fox, as it was then known, paid $250,000 for the option to make “The Blind Side” a movie, which he split 50-50 with the Tuohy family. The Tuohys have said they split their share evenly, including with Oher. After taxes and agent fees, Lewis said, his half was around $70,000.
Fox, however, never made the movie. (According to Lewis, the studio had thought Julia Roberts would be interested in the film, but she wasn’t.) Instead, Lewis said, Alcon, a small production company backed by Tuohy’s neighbor, FedEx CEO Fred Smith, stepped in. Instead of paying the actors large salaries, Lewis said, they were offered a share of the profits. Lewis said his deal provided him a share of the movie’s net profits, too. Warner Bros. distributed the movie.
According to Lewis, the film made around half a billion dollars, but the equity stake in the movie was not as lucrative as it would appear. In fact, he said, he had called his own representatives at Creative Artists Agency over the years, following the movie’s success, asking about his share of the profits.
Lewis said that ultimately after agent fees and taxes, he and the Tuohy family received around $350,000 each from the profits of the movie. Lewis said the Tuohys planned to share the royalties among the family members, including Oher, but Oher began declining his royalty checks, Lewis said. Lewis said he believed the Tuohy family had deposited Oher’s share in a trust fund for Oher’s son.
Additionally, Lewis said that two years ago Oher called him to ask about a speaking tour to make money discussing the book. Lewis raised the idea to his agent, but nothing came of it.
Oher’s attorneys did not reply to a request for comment.
‘What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close,’ Lewis said. ‘They showered him with resources and love. That he’s suspicious of them is breathtaking. The state of mind one has to be in to do that — I feel sad for him.’
“The Blind Side” was a cultural phenomenon, earning Sandra Bullock an Academy Award for best actress, and is one of several best-selling books by Lewis that has been turned into a movie, including “Moneyball” and “The Big Short.” Oher went on to a successful career as an offensive lineman in the NFL from 2009 to 2016.
But the nature of the relationship between Oher and the Tuohy family — highlighted by questions of paternalism, racial dynamics and who profits off someone’s life story — was thrust back into the spotlight this week by Oher’s legal filing.
The nature of the conservatorship that Oher was placed under is not clear and somewhat unusual. Tennessee law reserves conservatorships for people with mental or physical disabilities who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves, said Barbara Moss, an attorney in the state who is experienced in conservatorships.
‘You have to have a doctor say you have a mental or physical disability in whole or in part,’ Moss said. From an outside legal perspective, she said, the arrangement with Oher and the Tuohys was “bizarre.” ‘I’ve never seen something like that happen,’ she said. ‘From what I know of Michael Oher … he wouldn’t have qualified.’
Lewis said he believed the Tuohy family chose a conservatorship for Oher because the process was quicker than traditional adoption. And they were concerned about the NCAA investigating Oher’s choice to attend the University of Mississippi, where the Tuohys were boosters.
In the lawsuit, Oher claims he was told the papers were ‘a necessary legal step in the adoption process’ and that he learned only in February of this year that the papers ‘were not adoption papers or the equivalent of adoption papers.’
In his 2011 memoir, “I Beat The Odds,” Oher wrote the Tuohys were ‘named as my ‘legal conservators’ ‘ in the summer after he finished high school, describing a scene where he went to the courthouse with the couple to “celebrate.” He wrote that the Tuohy family “explained to me that it means pretty much the same thing as ‘adoptive parents,’ but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account.” [Washington Post]