The Full Belmonte, 8/18/2023
Address, pictures, addresses of Georgia grand jurors circulate online after panel indicted Trump
“Names, pictures and even home addresses of Georgia grand jurors who indicted Donald Trump are circulating online as authorities are rushing to identify the origin of any credible threats against jurors. In one instance, an anonymous user called the list of jurors' names ‘a hit list,’ according to the group Media Matters for America. The Fulton County Sheriff's Office issued a statement saying it was working with local and federal authorities to identify the origin of threats against jurors. In contrast to anonymous federal grand jurors, Georgia includes the names of grand jurors with no other personal identifying information in its indictments. Read more at USA Today
Fulton County Sheriff deputies secure the entrance outside the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Aug. 16, 2023.
John David Mercer, USA TODAY
Trump wants years-long delay
Photo: Megan Varner/Getty Images
“Lawyers for former President Trump requested an April 2026 start date for his trial in D.C. on Jan. 6-related charges — formally opposing special counsel Jack Smith's proposal for a trial starting Jan. 2, 2024.
Trump's lawyers said they have to cope with prosecutors' ‘massive, 8.5-terabyte initial production, totaling over 11.5 million pages, together with native files, recordings, and other electronic data.’
In other Trump court news:
Authorities in Fulton County, Ga., are investigating threats targeting members of the grand jury that indicted Trump. Grand-juror names and other personal information have been posted online. Keep reading.
Trump canceled a Monday press conference, where he'd promised to present a report that would lead to his ‘complete EXONERATION’ in Georgia. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that his ‘lawyers would prefer putting this ... in formal Legal Filings.’ Lawyers!
The Fulton County jail, plagued with overcrowding, is where Trump is to be booked — meaning it could make history as the first location where any U.S. president, current or former, has a mugshot taken, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.” [Axios]
“A super PAC backing Ron DeSantis wants him to ‘take a sledgehammer’ at next week’s debate to Vivek Ramaswamy, who is rising in the polls.” [New York Times]
“Federal prosecutors recommended that two Proud Boys leaders should each be sentenced to 33 years in prison for their actions on Jan. 6.” [New York Times]
Middle-aged US adults binge drinking, using marijuana at record levels
“Binge drinking, vaping, marijuana use, and hallucinogen consumption reached an all-time high among U.S. adults in 2022, showing a significant upward trajectory in substance use in recent years, according to a study released Thursday. New research from the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future (MTF) panel revealed that middle-aged adults, between the ages of 35 and 50, in the United States are using marijuana and hallucinogens at record levels. Binge drinking had also spiked to the ‘highest prevalence... ever recorded for this age group,’ according to the panel study. Read more at USA Today
Child care rises at twice inflation rate
Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
“The national average price of daycare and preschool services rose 6% last month from a year before — nearly double the overall inflation rate of 3.2%, the Wall Street Journal reports.
What's next: ‘Parents could see their child-care bills climb higher this fall as providers boost tuition to cover rising costs and federal pandemic aid ceases,’ the Journal notes.” [Axios]
President Biden is hosting Japan’s and South Korea’s leaders today.
“The plan: They’re meeting at Camp David in Maryland. They’re expected to agree on ways for the U.S. and its two most important Asian allies to cooperate more on security.
Zooming out: This meeting is the first of its kind. It reflects rising threats from China and North Korea, which have recently established closer ties to Russia.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Entire city forced to evacuate as Canada's wildfires get worse
Smoke from wildfires will impact US air quality again.
"Unprecedented" wildfires closing in on the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories prompted citywide evacuations by land and sky Thursday, officials said. Authorities instructed residents of the highest-risk areas of Yellowknife to evacuate immediately, while others had until Friday afternoon to leave the city of about 20,000 people. Canada has been plagued by the worst wildfire season on record. The effects will be felt in the U.S., too: An air quality alert was issued across the entire state of Wisconsin, and central and northeastern Minnesota, from Thursday morning through Monday. Read more at USA Today
Maui emergency chief quits
Spotted Wednesday in Olowalu, Hawai'i. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
“The Maui Emergency Management Agency's administrator abruptly resigned after facing criticism over the response to catastrophic wildfires, which killed at least 111 people.
Herman Andaya cited ‘health reasons’ as he resigned, effective immediately, Axios' Rebecca Falconer writes from a Maui County statement.
Andaya had defended his agency's decision not to sound warning sirens.
He said they're primarily used for tsunamis — and said residents are ‘trained to seek higher ground’ when they hear the sirens, which could have put them in more danger.
Aerial images east of Lahaina, Maui, showed homes and businesses in ruins yesterday. Photo: Robert Gauthier/L.A. Times via Getty Images
Hundreds of people remain missing from the fires, which swept through the islands of Maui, Big Island and Oahu.” [Axios]
A satellite image taken Thursday of Hurricane Hilary off the Pacific coast of Mexico.
Hurricane Hilary
“Hurricane Hilary has intensified into a Category 4 storm as it approaches Mexico's Baja California peninsula. The system is expected to weaken over the weekend as it brings rain and the threat of flooding to parts of California and the Southwest US. The latest forecasts show Hilary's center is rapidly intensifying near Baja California Sur, prompting Mexican officials to issue a hurricane watch and tropical storm warnings. Heavy rainfall is also expected to begin impacting the Southwest today and through early next week, with the most intense downpours likely on Sunday and Monday. Still, there remains a wide range of outcomes as small deviations in the hurricane's track could change the forecast for the most intense rain and wind.” [CNN]
August 18, 2023
By Lauren Jackson and Ian Prasad Philbrick
The port of Odesa on the Black Sea last year.Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times
Striking from afar
“Ukrainian forces have been fighting a brutal counteroffensive for the past two months, struggling to break through on land. Yet they have made progress on another front: the Black Sea, a vital shipping route for both sides of the war.
Last month, Russia withdrew from a deal that had allowed ships to safely export grain from Ukraine across the Black Sea. Within days, Moscow bombarded Ukrainian ports and threatened foreign cargo ships.
Ukraine responded by sending a new class of sea drones to attack Russian ships and infrastructure hundreds of miles away. Ukraine is hoping the drones will keep Russia from controlling the sea and, ultimately, allow shipments to resume. Yesterday, a civilian cargo ship sailed safely through Ukrainian watersin the Black Sea for the first time since the deal collapsed.
‘The counteroffensive is often thought of too linearly as progress reclaiming territory,’ said our colleague Marc Santora, who covers the war from Ukraine. ‘Just as important to the counteroffensive is Ukraine’s ability to cut Russia’s supply chain and attack Russia in deep positions. And that’s what is happening in the Black Sea.’
Today’s newsletter explains how the Black Sea became a hot spot and what it means for Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
A battleground, again
Even before invading, Russia sought to be the dominant force in the Black Sea, which is bordered primarily by Russia, Ukraine and three NATO countries. Upon invading, Russia decimated Ukraine’s much smaller navy and blockaded its ports.
While Ukraine fought back with missiles, sinking a major Russian ship, Moscow’s warships were mostly able to sail with impunity, launching missiles at Ukrainian towns and cities.
After both sides agreed to keep shipping routes across the water open in an international deal, an uneasy status quo held for nearly a year. Ukraine was able to export grain, propping up its economy and the global food supply, and Russia mostly refrained from attacking ports.
But the deal was shaky. Russia complained that the terms favored Ukraine — which had kept launching small-scale attacks against the Russian-held Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea — while international sanctions hurt the Russian economy. After repeated threats, Russia quit the agreement last month. The deal’s collapse drove up global grain prices and reopened the Black Sea as a major battleground.
‘During the period when the corridor was opened for grain, the Black Sea faded a bit from international attention,’ Marc said. ‘The closing of that corridor not only threatens global food supplies but ushered in a new, turbulent phase in the battle at sea.’
A video image of a sea drone approaching a Russian tanker on the Black Sea.Validated UGC, via Associated Press
Explosive speedboats
Russia has made it clear it wants to keep its economic stranglehold on Ukrainian exports. But unlike in the beginning of the war, Kyiv now has an agile weapon to fight back: an expanded fleet of sea drones.
Similar to unstaffed aerial drones, the small vessels, often no longer than 18 feet, can travel hundreds of miles to strike or surveil targets. They are fast and stealthy and do not require Ukrainian sailors to risk their lives. ‘The most common ones are sort of like unmanned speedboats that are packed with explosives,’ Marc said.
Ukraine first used sea drones in a large-scale attack in October, striking Russia’s naval base in Sevastopol. (These graphics from Reuters explain the attack). After, Ukraine developed its fleet of more sophisticated craft — drones that could carry more explosives on board. This month, Ukrainian sea drones struck both a Russian warship near a naval port and a Russian oil tanker.
Each drone costs only about $250,000 and can damage or destroy multimillion-dollar Russian ships. Because the drones are relatively new, they are now forcing Russia to develop sophisticated defenses against them. It may have to devote more resources to protecting ships, ports and bridges from attacks that threaten its economy and its ability to resupply troops.
‘We’re now in a place where Ukraine can increasingly fight back at sea,’ Marc said.
A shifting strategy
The sea drones are an example of how Ukraine has gotten creative to outsmart a more powerful, better-armed opponent.
Wars often inspire naval innovations. The American Civil War saw the first clash between ironclad warships. World War I introduced widespread submarine warfare. World War II showed the superiority of aircraft carriers over battleships.
Even if it fails to turn the tide of the war, Ukraine’s pioneering use of sea drones may have a similar effect. It is the first country to use sea drones at large scale in war, and both sides have deployed large numbers of aerial drones to target artillery, drop bombs and attack cities. Ukraine’s attack on Sevastopol was the first in history to use both sea and aerial drones. ‘Every military expert I’ve spoken to said that moment is going to be studied for years to come as a moment where naval warfare globally shifted,’ Marc said.
More Ukraine news
This morning, Russia said it intercepted a drone in Moscow and that it stopped a sea drone attack in the Black Sea.
Ship operators are nervous of sailing near Ukraine after a Russian patrol ship fired warning shots at a cargo ship and Russian forces temporarily boarded it.
The U.S. will allow allies to send American-made F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv once Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly them.” [New York Times]
Ready the Troops
Ghanaian Chief of Defense Staff Vice Adm. Seth Amoama welcomes Ivorian Chief of Defense Staff Lt. Gen. Lassina Doumbia during the extraordinary meeting of the Economic Community of West African States in Accra, Ghana, on Aug. 17.Gerard Nartey/AFP via Getty Images
“Members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gathered in Accra, Ghana, on Thursday for a two-day summit to discuss and finalize plans to deploy troops to Niger as part of a military intervention to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. Senior ECOWAS leaders said the 15-nation bloc is ready to forcibly intervene should diplomatic efforts to reverse the nation’s coup fail.
‘By all means available, constitutional order will be restored in the country,’ said Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security. Musah pointed to past ECOWAS interventions in Gambia and Liberia as evidence of the body’s experience and readiness. However, ECOWAS deploying a military ‘standby force’ would be an unprecedented move, as past ECOWAS interventions have only involved peacekeeping missions.
But not all member states are ready to support a military initiative. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea all stated that they will side with Niger’s junta leaders if the West African bloc deploys forces to the country. All three nations are run by military governments that seized power in coups. Cape Verde also refused to assist a standby force. Ghana officials, meanwhile, have expressed hesitancy over invading a bordering nation, and the African Union is reportedly divided on whether to support ECOWAS’s proposed intervention.
Niger remains of strategic importance for ensuring stability in the region and abroad, and Western nations have used the West African state as a hub for foreign troops to fight Islamist extremism in the Sahel. Reports indicate that the U.S. Defense Department is continuing to look for ways to maintain intelligence-gathering forces in Niamey if the U.S. State Department officially defines Niger’s military takeover as a coup. So far, ECOWAS, France, and the European Union have all deemed the junta a coup d’état, but Washington has hesitated to make that final leap, knowing that legal determination would strip the U.S. military of certain functions and funding in the area.
‘It’s like the grayest of the gray areas you could think of,’ said Alan Van Saun, a former U.S. Army special forces officer who worked with Brig. Gen. Moussa Barmou, Niger’s junta-proclaimed defense chief. U.S. officials ‘absolutely have a national interest in that area staying secure. But we also have an international interest in promoting democratic processes and due process.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Quran burnings. Swedish officials raised the country’s terror threat level from three to four on a five-point scale on Thursday following a series of high-profile Quran burnings. The most recent occurred on Monday, when two men set fire to the Islamic holy book outside of Stockholm’s Royal Palace. Their demonstration protested recent Swedish efforts to crack down on Quran burnings despite the Nordic nation’s robust free speech laws. Over the last few months, Sweden and its neighbor Denmark have been the epicenter of a global debate surrounding Islamophobia and free speech.
But Stockholm isn’t the only nation grappling with Quran burnings this week. On Thursday, Pakistani police arrested more than 100 rioters in the city of Jaranwala after they burned down numerous churches and vandalized homes in response to allegations that a local Christian family had burned a copy of the Quran. Whether such an incident took place is still unclear, especially since Pakistan has a history of people falsely accusing religious minorities of blasphemy. Blasphemy is technically punishable by death in the country. Public gatherings in the district have been suspended for seven days as regional officials work to subdue the violence.” [Foreign Policy]
“Wildfires ravage Canada. Local rescuers worked to evacuate nearly 20,000 residents of Yellowknife, Canada, on Thursday to prepare for an incoming wildfire. The blaze is set to hit the Northwest Territories capital by the weekend, with the region’s lack of rain potentially accelerating that timeline.
Almost 33 million acres of Canadian land have been scorched by wildfires this season, with hundreds of blazes still burning across the country. Devastating droughts, intense heat waves, and other effects of climate change are worsening Ottawa’s crisis, and the Northwest Territories remains one of the worst-hit provinces.” [Foreign Policy]
“Hunger strike. Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was admitted to an intensive care unit at a Dakar hospital late Wednesday, local authorities announced on Thursday. Sonko has been on hunger strike for the past 18 days to protest allegations that he plotted an insurrection against the ruling Alliance for the Republic party. He is currently serving a two-year prison sentence for allegedly committing sexual assault, something Sonko continues to deny. Opposition party officials have refused to comment on the status of Sonko’s health.” [Foreign Policy]
“Italian cheesemakers are adding an extra crunch to their parmesan. To keep the competition from claiming off-brand Parmigiano-Reggiano is the real deal, producers of the delicious pasta topping are inserting edible microchips into their cheese wheels. When scanned, the block’s authenticity will be confirmed via a unique serial number. Bon appétit!” [Foreign Policy]
New fears about U.S. grid
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
“The U.S. power grid is outdated and overtaxed — and it's only growing more vulnerable under the pressures of soaring demand, extreme weather and climate change, Axios managing editor Javier E. David writes.
Video evidence points to fallen power lines as a possible cause of Maui's wildfires — the deadliest in the U.S. in 105 years. The cause is still being investigated. But Hawaiian Electric faces criticism for not shutting off power amid high-wind warnings.
One surveillance video showed a cable dangling in a charred patch of grass, surrounded by flames, in the early moments of the wildfire.
Why it matters: A 2021 report by the National Conference of State Legislatures estimates that at least $1.5 trillion would be needed through 2030 ‘to modernize the grid just to maintain reliability.’
University of Texas at Austin grid expert Joshua Rhodes told Axios Closer that the U.S. is ‘under-invested by probably a few trillions of dollars.’
What's happening: Wildfires, hurricanes and other calamities are heaping pressure on an electric infrastructure that's ‘aging, and ... being pushed to do more than it was originally designed to do,’ the Energy Department says.
President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which this week turned 1 year old, dedicated billions to utilities and clean energy.
But that barely scratches the surface of what's needed.” [Axios]
Weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, which can curb your craving for another danish, are boosting the Danish economy.
“Denmark-based pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has generated billions of dollars of revenue from selling the drugs, supercharging the company’s market capitalization. That has led to lower interest rates in the country, according to a bank report and economists. Denmark’s central bank declined to comment. Having a company in a small country play such a disproportionate role in the economy comes with risks, too.” [Wall Street Journal]
Mortgage rates rose above 7% for the first time since last fall, according to Freddie Mac.
PHOTO: MADDIE MCGARVEY FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The average rate on the standard 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 7.09%.
“That’s the highest level in more than 20 years, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac. Potential buyers and sellers are staying put; the former can’t find homes they can afford and the latter are reluctant to give up their low-rate loans. With refinancing slowed, mortgage lenders have laid off tens of thousands of people. Mortgage rates tend to move loosely with the 10-year Treasury yield—which today hit its highest level since 2007 (more on that below)—and some analysts anticipate they’ll continue climbing. When the Fed’s interest rate hikes began, high borrowing costs to buy a home were expected to be temporary, but they have persisted.” [Wall Street Journal]
Young adults sour on booze
Data: Gallup. Graphic: Rahul Mukherjee/Axios
“More than half of U.S. young adults see even moderate drinking — one or two drinks a day — as unhealthy, Axios' April Rubin writes from Gallup polling out today.
Why it matters: Views on alcohol and drugs are shifting rapidly, especially among millennials and Gen Z. Americans overall now see booze as more harmful than marijuana.
By the numbers: A record-high 39% of Americans believe moderate drinking is detrimental to health, up 11 points since 2018.
Among 18- to 34-year-olds, there was an 18-point jump — the biggest among any age group.
Between the lines: Women were more likely than men to perceive moderate drinking as unhealthy.
Nonreligious people (47%) were more likely than Christians (35%) to say it's harmful.
Zoom out: Consumer behavior is changing too, with more interest in mocktails and bars appealing to sober-curious patrons.
The growth of nonalcoholic beverages — while still a small sector — is being driven by Gen Z and millennials.” [Axios]
SPORTS NEWS
“Wish granted: The Tuohy family said it was ending its conservatorship over Michael Oher. Their family is the subject of the movie “The Blind Side.”
Taking a break: The Blackhawks legend Jonathan Toews said he would step away from hockey for the 2023-24 season, but emphasized he is not retiring.
Open the calendar: The N.B.A. has released its full regular-season schedule for the upcoming season. Here are the best matchups.” [New York Times]
World chess organization FIDE issues ban on transgender women competing in women’s events
USA TODAY
“A Switzerland-based chess organization has ruled that transgender women cannot compete in women’s events until they have completed a gender assessment with competition officials.
The ruling was announced Monday on the International Chess Federation’s website, or FIDE.
‘In the event that the (individual transitioned) from a male to a female the player has no right to participate in official FIDE events for women until further FIDE’s decision is made,’ the organization wrote in its online handbook.
According to the FIDE, the organization often receives requests from transgender players who want their genders recognized. The chess organization said it is fine recognizing players’ gender identity as long as it has been legally confirmed by national authorities.
FIDE added that decisions will be based on ‘further analysis’ by the sports organization within two years of the transition.
According to FIDE, all players are assigned an ID number. However, if an individual transitions, they aren’t guaranteed a new ID number. FIDE’s Qualification Commission determines whether a player gets a new ID number and decisions can be appealed.
FIDE has both gendered titles and general ones, including:
Grandmaster (GM)
International Master (IM)
FIDE Master (FM)
Candidate Master (CM)
Woman Grandmaster (WGM)
Woman International Master (WIM)
Woman FIDE Master (WFM)
Woman Candidate Master (WCM)
The handbook says players who hold women's titles but transition to male will have their female titles nixed. The titles can be renewed if the player transitions back to a woman….” [USA Today]
Bradley Cooper’s fake nose in a Leonard Bernstein movie is being criticized.
“What to know: A new Netflix biopic of the Jewish composer drew accusations of antisemitism. A trailer released this week showed Cooper with a large prosthetic nose.
The reaction: Bernstein’s family and the Anti-Defamation League defended Cooper. But other groups criticized the decision not to cast a Jewish actor.”
Read this story at Washington Post
”Lives Lived: Jerry Moss co-founded A&M Records in a garage in 1962. It became a major force in pop music, with a roster that included the Police, the Carpenters and Peter Frampton. Moss died at 88.” [New York Times]