The Full Belmonte, 8/22/2022
Federal Appeals Court Halts Graham Testimony Before Atlanta Grand Jury
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit temporarily blocked Senator Lindsey Graham from testifying before a special grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
“ATLANTA — A federal appeals court temporarily blocked Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, on Sunday from testifying in the investigation into efforts by President Donald J. Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. The appeals court instructed a lower court to determine whether Mr. Graham should be exempt from answering certain kinds of questions, given his status as a federal lawmaker.
The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit gives a temporary reprieve to Mr. Graham, who has been fighting prosecutors’ efforts to bring him before a special grand jury. After a protracted bout of legal sparring, Mr. Graham, at the end of last week, appeared to have failed in his efforts to remain above the matter and had been expected to testify behind closed doors on Tuesday in a downtown Atlanta courthouse.
Mr. Graham has argued, among other things, that he should be exempt from testifying under the U.S. Constitution’s speech and debate clause, which prohibits asking lawmakers about their legitimate legislative functions. The appeals court laid out further steps on Sunday that must be taken before Mr. Graham gives any testimony.” Read more at New York Times
Screenshot: ABC News
“Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the House's Jan. 6 committee, told Jonathan Karl on ABC's ‘This Week’ that former Vice President Pence has an ‘obligation’ to testify before the panel, which resumes hearings next month.
‘We've been in discussions with his counsel,’ she said.
Why it matters: Pence said in New Hampshire this week that he'd ‘consider’ testifying. Cheney's comments show the committee plans to press that opening — which would make for a blockbuster hearing.
Karl — interviewing Cheney on Friday in the Cannon Caucus Room, where the 1/6 hearings are held — asked: ‘So you think we'll see him here in September in this room?’
‘[W]hen the country has been through something as grave as this was,’ she replied, ‘everyone who has information has an obligation to step forward. So I would hope that he will do that.’
‘I would hope that he will understand how important it is for the American people to know every aspect of the truth about what happened that day,’ she added.
Cheney hinted at the idea of calling former President Trump:
‘I don't want to get in front of committee deliberations about that. I do think it's very important... his interactions with our committee will be under oath.’” Read more at Axios
Photo: Jim Bourg/Reuters
“National Archives officials — who reached out to former Trump aides in early 2021, after realizing significant material hadn’t been left behind — were ‘particularly insistent’ about retrieving these two omissions, the N.Y. Times reports (subscription):
Missing ‘love letters’ from North Korea's Kim Jong-un ... and a letter left on the Resolute Desk for incoming President Trump by outgoing President Obama — "both of significant historical value."
When President Biden arrived in the Oval Office on inauguration afternoon, he found a letter from Trump waiting in a drawer, The Times reports:
‘It was two large pages, with Mr. Trump’s distinctive handwriting visible to an aide watching Mr. Biden read it.’
Biden remarked that Trump ‘had been more gracious in the letter than he had anticipated.’” Read more at Axios
Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Oliver Contreras/Pool/Getty Images
“Early data show the Mar-a-Lago search may have bolstered former President Trump's strength in a potential 2024 GOP primary, even though his fight with the FBI could mean vast new legal jeopardy.
Why it matters: An NBC News poll out yesterday shows Trump tightening his hold on Republicans. Several polls show him rising against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had been surging in key states.
What we're hearing: Several anti-Trump GOP strategists say they're worried the FBI search put wind in Trump’s sails, Axios' Jonathan Swan and Josh Kraushaar report.
A source close to Trump says the fundraising effect has been ‘yuge,’ reengaging donors in the biggest way since he left office.
To juice the base, Trump's fundraising texts and emails accuse the FBI of "breaking into my home," even though agents had a search warrant.
What's happening: When Trump was fading from the news cycle, Republicans were able to focus on criticisms of the left — COVID regulations, educational practices, accusations of media bias.
Those played to DeSantis' strengths, and even allowed him to get to Trump's right on some issues.
Since the search, Trump is once again at the center of attention. He has once again been able to align his own personal grievances with the Republican base — that a ‘Deep State’ bureaucracy is out to get him.
The intrigue: Many Republicans fighting November's battle for the House and Senate are nervous are having midterms become more about Trump — when they want the conversation to be all about inflation.
Having Trump back at the center of the Republican Party conversation, they fear, means the party is looking backward — a tough way to win an election.
Reality check: FBI property receipts say agents carted away boxes of top-secret and other classified documents. And the search warrant says he was being investigated for potential Espionage Act violations. So Trump's legal peril could make any political dividends moot.
By the numbers: Several new polls show a rally effect for Trump.
A poll released last week by Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire shows Trump once again in a commanding primary position over DeSantis, 50%-29%. In June, a University of New Hampshire poll was the first in a wave of surveys to show DeSantis with momentum against Trump. DeSantis and Trump were statistically tied.
Yesterday's NBC News poll asked GOP voters whether they’re more of a supporter of Trump, or of the Republican Party. Trump support spiked: 41% said they support Trump more than the party — up 7 points this summer. In May, 58% of Republicans said they identified more with the party, 34% with Trump.
The bottom line: These polls reflect the Republican mindset of "the more 'they' hate him, the more I love him" — an effect Trump instinctively recognizes and exploits.” Read more at Axios
A panic-alert button at Olathe South High School in Olathe, Kan. Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP
“Multiple states now mandate or encourage panic buttons in public schools — and a growing number of districts are shelling out tens of thousands of dollars per school for them, AP reports.
Why it matters: The alert systems are part of a post-Uvalde scramble to beef up school security.
How it works: The technology, featuring wearable panic buttons or mobile phone apps, enables teachers to notify each other and police in the event of an emergency.
Zoom out: Schools' security spending spree includes metal detectors, security cameras, vehicle barriers, alarm systems, clear backpacks, bullet-resistant glass and door-locking systems.” Read more at Axios
Minneapolis teacher contract race language ignites firestorm
“MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Minneapolis teachers settled a 14-day strike in March, they celebrated a groundbreaking provision in their new contract that was meant to shield teachers of color from seniority-based layoffs and help ensure that students from racial minorities have teachers who look like them.
Months later, conservative media outlets have erupted with denunciations of the policy as racist and unconstitutional discrimination against white educators. One legal group is looking to recruit teachers and taxpayers willing to sue to throw out the language. The teachers union paints the dispute as a ginned-up controversy when there’s no imminent danger of anyone losing their job. Meanwhile, the feud is unfolding just months ahead of arguments in a pair of U.S. Supreme Court cases that could reshape affirmative action.
‘The same people who want to take down teachers unions and blame seniority are now defending it for white people, s’aid Greta Callahan, president of the teachers unit at the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers. ‘This is all made up by the right wing now. And we could not be more proud of this language.’” Read more at AP News
“ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani police have filed terrorism charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, authorities said Monday, escalating political tensions in the country as the ousted premier holds mass rallies seeking to return to office.
The terrorism charges come over a speech Khan gave in Islamabad on Saturday in which he vowed to sue police officers and a female judge and alleged that a close aide had been tortured after his arrest.
Khan himself appeared to still be free and had not immediately addressed the police charge sheet being lodged against him. Khan’s political party — Tehreek-e-Insaf, now in the opposition — published online videos showing supporters surrounding his home to potentially stop police from reaching it.
Hundreds remained there early Monday. Tehreek-e-Insaf warned that it will hold nationwide rallies if Khan is arrested.
Under Pakistan’s legal system, police file what is known as a first information report about charges against an accused person to a magistrate judge, who allows the investigation to move forward. Typically, police then arrest and question the accused.” Read more at AP News
US, S. Korea open biggest drills in years amid North threats
“SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States and South Korea began their biggest combined military training in years Monday as they heighten their defense posture against the growing North Korean nuclear threat.
The drills could draw an angry response from North Korea, which has dialed up its weapons testing activity to a record pace this year while repeatedly threatening conflicts with Seoul and Washington amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises will continue through Sept. 1 in South Korea and include field exercises involving aircraft, warships, tanks and potentially tens of thousands of troops.
While Washington and Seoul describe their exercises as defensive, North Korea portrays them as invasion rehearsals and has used them to justify its nuclear weapons and missiles development.
Ulchi Freedom Shield, which started along with a four-day South Korean civil defense training program led by government employees, will reportedly include exercises simulating joint attacks, front-line reinforcements of arms and fuel, and removals of weapons of mass destruction.” Read more at AP News
Singapore Sex-Ban Repeal Comes With Big Hurdle for Gay Marriage
“Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the government will repeal a colonial-era law that criminalizes sex between men, but will look to bolster rules preventing same-sex marriages by amending the nation’s Constitution.
Removing the legal ban on sex between men, known as Section 377A of the Penal Code was ‘the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept,’ Lee said in his National Day Rally address on Sunday.
While the long-awaited change was welcomed by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, Lee said the city-state would alter the Constitution to protect the definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman, in a compromise with conservative and religious groups.
‘We need to find the right way to reconcile and accommodate both the traditional mores of our society, and the aspiration of gay Singaporeans to be respected and accepted,’ Lee said.” Read more at Bloomberg
Abolishing 377A may help Singapore become more welcoming for gay tourists and companies that actively support LGBTQ causes, but the limit on marriage equality will continue to complicate matters for firms seeking to obtain visas for same-sex partners. Singapore has previously handled such requests on a case-by-case basis.
Photo: Andrew Kravchenko/AP
“Ukrainians snap photos yesterday on a boulevard in Kyiv that's lined with burned-out and captured Russian tanks and infantry carriers.” [Axios]
Photo: Thomas Peter/Reuters
“Plunging water levels have revealed long-buried artifacts in Asia, Europe and North America this summer.
Why it matters: From Alaskan tundra fires ... to Alpine glaciers vanishing at a record rate ... to unprecedented heat threatening African migratory birds ... long-predicted effects of climate change are ever more visible.
In China, a drought and heat wave surfaced a trio of Buddhist statues believed to be 600 years old (photo above), Reuters reports:
One of the statues depicts a monk sitting on a lotus pedestal.
Rainfall in the Yangtze basin has been 45% lower than normal since July.
High temperatures are likely to persist for at least another week, official forecasts said.
As many as 66 rivers across Chongqing, in China's southwest, have dried up, state broadcaster CCTV said Friday.
Photo: Flavio lo Scalzo/Reuters
Weeks of baking drought across Europe have also revealed long-submerged treasures, per Reuters.
Above, a World War II bomb was removed on Aug. 7 after being discovered in Italy's dried-up Po River, currently suffering the worst drought in 70 years.
In Spain, archaeologists have been delighted by the emergence of a prehistoric stone circle dubbed the ‘Spanish Stonehenge.’
Another of Europe's mighty rivers, the Danube, has fallen to one of its lowest levels in almost a century, exposing the hulks of more than 20 German warships sunk during World War II, near Serbia's river port town of Prahovo.
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
In Nevada, this sunken World War II-Era Higgins landing craft emerged last month from what used to be 185 feet of water in Lake Mead, which had dropped to 27% of capacity.
Lake Mead's water levels last month were their lowest since April 1937, when the reservoir was originally filled. (NASA)
Some of the steepest cliffs bordering the lake now show 170 feet of white-mineral ‘bathtub ring.’ Keep reading.
What's next: Record-shattering high temperatures are forecast to persist for at least the next week in the U.S., Europe and Asia.” Read more at Axios
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
“U.S. women's sports — especially soccer and basketball — have become hot tickets for networks, Axios Media Trends author Sara Fischer reports.
Why it matters: For decades, women's sports were largely neglected by the media. Now they're drawing bigger audiences — and generating bigger rights and ad packages.
ESPN says this was a record season for women's sports: Hoops, gymnastics and volleyball each scored their biggest audiences in over a decade.
Record-breaking attendance (87,192) last month at the UEFA European Women's Soccer Championship set an attendance record for a women's championship event, with over 500,000 tickets sold.
Bigger audience numbers are attracting record ad dollars:
The women's March Madness tournament this year pulled its highest ratings since 2004. That helped Disney, which airs the championship series across its ESPN networks, sell out of ads.
Reality check: A historic equal pay milestone for the U.S. women's national soccer team in May has triggered a broader conversation about the value women's sports bring to the overall media landscape.
A report out last year found that the NCAA has undervalued women's basketball by over $100 million.” Read more at Axios
Photos: Monica Eng/Axios, Iowa State Fair, Audrey Kennedy/Axios
Axios Local correspondents bring us these tastes of summer's finale (photos from left):
“At the Illinois State Fair in Springfield (ends today), $9 gets you this horseshoe sandwich — ground beef or chicken, crispy fries and house beer-cheese sauce, wrapped in a flour tortilla, and deep-fried with a bonus flourish of cheese sauce. Dig in with Axios Chicago's Monica Eng.
At the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines (ends today), The Finisher is a russet potato covered in chopped brisket, pulled pork, mac and cheese, BBQ sauce, sour cream and garlic butter — all for $10. Dig in with Axios Des Moines' Jason Clayworth and Linh Ta.
At the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul (ends Labor Day), you can top it all off with this $9 ice-cream sandwich on top of a waffle, drizzled with chocolate and topped with kettle corn. Axios Twin Cities' Audrey Kennedy says it's ... a little hard to eat. But ... you won't have to eat for two days after. Dig in.” Read more at Axios