The Full Belmonte, 8/30/2023
Idalia now a Category 4 hurricane as it closes in on Florida
“Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a dangerous Category 4 storm Wednesday morning as it steams toward Florida’s Big Bend region and threatens to unleash life-threatening storm surges and rainfall.
Authorities are warning of a ‘catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds’ when the storm hits.
•What is rapid intensification? This is a process in which a storm undergoes accelerated growth. Forecasters predict this sudden strengthening for Idalia, fueled by the very warm waters of the northwest Caribbean.
•Some kind of evacuation order is in place in 30 of Florida’s 67 counties, but many residents, citing previous encounters with hurricanes, say they want to stay and protect their homes and belongings. (If you or someone you know are getting out, here's what to pack in a hurricane grab bag).
•Another danger is tornadoes, which typically are one of the dangers that develop as hurricanes make landfall. Idalia is no exception.
Keep reading: What is a storm surge and what are the risks? [USA Today]
(from left) Chris Laite, Clay Brooks and Jordan Keeton, owner of the restaurant ’83 West’ board up the building before the storm on Aug. 29, 2023.
Megan Smith, USA TODAY
The U.S. named 10 drugs that will face Medicare price negotiations.
“What that means: The Biden administration plans to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies to lower costs for older and disabled Americans.
The drugs: The list, announced yesterday, includes blood thinnersand medications that treat diabetes, heart failure and cancer.
Why it matters: It’s an unprecedented step in a long political war over the nation’s sky-high drug costs. But the plan faces legal challenges.”
Read this story at Washington Post
As Trump and Republicans target Georgia’s Fani Willis for retribution, the state’s governor opts out
“Some Republicans in Washington and Georgia began attacking Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis immediately after she announced the Aug. 14 indictment of former President Donald Trump for conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. But others, including Gov. Brian Kemp, have been conspicuous for their unwillingness to pile on. Read more.
Why this matters:
The indictment of former President Donald Trump by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has sparked varied political reactions among Georgia Republicans. Some, like Kemp, have declined to comment on the indictment. Other Republicans, however, did not hesitate to assail Willis, with some joining Trump in the call to impeach or remove the Atlanta-based prosecutor.
Some Georgia Republicans are coalescing around a plan to seek Willis’ removal by a new oversight commission that begins work on Oct. 1. The Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission was created with the aim of disciplining or removing wayward prosecutors.” [AP News]
Grad student charged with murder in shooting of University of North Carolina faculty member
“A graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was charged Tuesday in the murder of a faculty member who was shot and killed on campus Monday, causing an hourslong lockdown and panic. Tailei Qi, 34, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and having a gun on an educational property, according to county jail records. The victim of the shooting was identified by campus police as Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the department of applied physical sciences. Police have not yet determined the motive of the shooting and are looking for further information.” Read more at USA Today
Flowers lay under a boarded up window at Caudill Labs on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus in Chapel Hill, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023, after a graduate student fatally shot his faculty adviser.
Hannah Schoenbaum, AP
Hate crimes surge in big cities
Data: Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Chart: Axios Visuals
“Most of the nation's 10 largest cities had significant jumps in hate crimes last year, Axios' Russell Contreras writes from a new report.
Why it matters: It was the second straight year of increases in big cities' overall average number of hate crimes — typically defined as violence stemming from victims' race, color, sexuality, religion or national origin.
The unpublished report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, reflects a 22-year trend of increasing hate crimes nationwide — amid a rise in white nationalism and soaring numbers of attacks on Asian Americans during the pandemic.
L.A., the nation's second-largest city, had the most reported hate crimes — a record 609, with 195 of those classified as anti-Black, 98 as anti-gay (male), 91 as anti-Jewish and 88 anti-Latino.
Chicago, the third-largest city, had the biggest increase — 84.6%, followed by Austin, Texas, at 58.6%.
Some big cities got good news: Phoenix, San Diego and San Antonio had significant declines in hate crimes last year.” [Axios]
Gas prices
“The storm that's threatening to cause widespread flooding in Florida and up the East Coast may also cause a spike in gas prices nationwide. Idalia's impact could take gasoline refinery facilities offline and may limit some Gulf oil production and supplies, experts say. Plus, demand for gas is expected to surge as residents of the impacted areas evacuate. Many drivers in other parts of the country are also filling up their vehicles ahead of Labor Day weekend, pushing demand for gas even higher. The average national price is already at $3.82 a gallon but analysts say the extreme weather conditions and a jump in summer travel could mean gas prices remain elevated well into the fall.” [CNN]
Human smugglers
“The FBI is investigating more than a dozen migrants from Uzbekistan and other countries allowed into the US after they sought asylum at the US-Mexico border earlier this year. US intelligence officials found that the migrants traveled with the help of a smuggler with ties to ISIS, according to multiple officials, raising alarm bells across the government. No specific ISIS plot has been identified, the FBI said, but officials are assessing all of the individuals as possible criminal threats. For some counterterrorism officials, it shows that the US is deeply vulnerable to the possibility that terrorists could sneak across the southern border by hiding amid the surge of migrants entering the country in search of asylum.” [CNN]
Job market
“The number of available jobs in the US dropped below 9 million for the first time since March 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job openings decreased across most major industries, but picked up in areas such as information and transportation, warehousing and utilities. A smaller number of workers quit their jobs, businesses hired fewer employees and layoffs nudged higher as the US job market settles into a calmer, more balanced state. Layoffs are now 17% below what they were before the Covid-19 pandemic, data shows. Analysts say this means that the job market and the broader economy are edging toward a ‘soft landing,’ when inflation can be reined in without triggering mass layoffs and a recession.” [CNN]
•”Former Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday for orchestrating the far-right extremist group’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.” [USA Today]
“Francis Suarez, the Republican mayor of Miami, suspended his presidential campaign. He’s the first 2024 candidate to drop out.” [New York Times]
•”House Majority Leader Steve Scalise says he has been diagnosed with ''treatable'' blood cancer.” [USA Today]
•”A wildfire in Tiger Island, Louisiana, burns on after leveling 30,000 acres of land.” [USA Today]
Air attack kills 2 in Kyiv while Russia accuses Ukraine of biggest drone attack of the war
“Russian officials are accusing Ukraine of launching what appears to be the biggest nighttime drone attack on Russian soil since the war began 18 months ago. On the same night, the Kremlin’s forces hit Kyiv with what Ukrainian officials called a ‘massive, combined attack’ that killed two people. Drones hit an airport in Russia’s western Pskov region near the border with Estonia and Latvia early Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Biden administration on Tuesday announced a $250 million military aid package for Ukraine that includes equipment to clear Russian minefields that have stalled Ukraine’s counteroffensive.” Read more at USA Today
Local residents pass by debris that fell down from their damaged house after a Russian rocket attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
Efrem Lukatsky, AP
Wagner chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin was buried in a secret ceremony.
“What to know: Yesterday’s event in St. Petersburg was closed to outsiders. Hearses and funeral corteges had laid false trails at local cemeteries and other locations.
Why it matters: It underscores Russia’s fears of unrest after the mercenary leader’s death in a plane crash last week. He led a short-lived mutiny against the Kremlin in June.”
Read this story at Washington Post
“Soldiers seized power in OPEC-member Gabon shortly after President Ali Bongo was declared as the winner of a disputed election. Army officers appeared on state television to announce that they’d canceled the Aug. 26 vote and dissolved the country’s institutions, the BBC reported, marking the ninth military takeover in sub-Saharan Africa in the past three years. Bongo had sought to extend his family’s 56-year hold on power.” [Bloomberg]
“Uganda charged a 20-year-old man with ‘aggravated homosexuality’ under its antigay law, a crime punishable by death.” [New York Times]
“Australians will vote on Oct. 14 to decide whether to incorporate into their constitution an advisory body to parliament on matters affecting Indigenous people, who make up 3% of the population and have an average life expectancy 10 years shorter than the rest of the nation’s citizens. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made the “Voice to Parliament” a major focus of his first term in office, investing a significant amount of political capital in its success.” [Bloomberg]
Just When I Thought I Was Out…
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party activists and supporters protest against the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Karachi, Pakistan, on Aug. 27.Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images
“Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan secured a legal win on Tuesday when an appeals court suspended his three-year prison sentence over accusations that Khan never had the opportunity to properly defend himself. Now, the nation’s Supreme Court must decide if Khan’s conviction should also be overturned.
On Aug. 5, Khan was found guilty of concealing assets obtained from selling state gifts given to him by foreign leaders while in office. Pakistan’s Election Commission proceeded to disqualify Khan from seeking office for five years because, under Pakistani law, no convicted person is eligible to lead a party, run in elections, or hold public office. That meant Khan could not run in Pakistan’s upcoming parliamentary elections, which were set to take place later this year but are now likely to be delayed.
If Pakistan’s Supreme Court follows Tuesday’s appellate court ruling and throws out his conviction, then Khan will be eligible to run for reelection. However, despite the Supreme Court having not decided anything yet, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party deemed the suspension of his sentencing a win for democracy.
But Khan is not out of legal hot water yet. The former leader faces more than 100 cases against him, including charges of abetment to murder, orchestrating violent protests, and leaking state secrets. The Islamabad High Court granted Khan bail on Tuesday—but instead of releasing him, the court ordered jail authorities to keep him locked up so that on Wednesday, Khan can face charges on a completely different case.
In this one, authorities allege Khan publicized the contents of a confidential cable sent by Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States as a means to try to prove that Washington was behind his ouster. Islamabad’s Parliament ousted Khan in April 2022 via a no-confidence vote, something Khan has gone on to accuse the United States and the Pakistani military of orchestrating. Both have denied these allegations. If Khan is convicted of leaking classified documents later this week, it doesn’t matter what the country’s Supreme Court decides in the first case; Khan will still not be eligible to run for office.
‘[A]rresting him in any other case will cause further damage to our national integrity and repute of judicial system,’ Zulfi Bukhari, Khan’s former aide, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. ‘Let the innocent be free!’
With Khan hardly an advocate for democracy and his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, accusing the country’s judicial system of favoring Khan, Pakistan now finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place. ‘Khan seems to present a choice to his political opponents,’ argued Husain Haqqani, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, in Foreign Policy. ‘[A]ccept him as their leader, paving the way for one-party leadership, or join with the military to keep Khan out of power, thus perpetuating civil-military authoritarianism.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Aiming for peace? Sudan’s military leader visited Egypt on Tuesday in his first foreign trip since Khartoum plunged into civil war in April. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to discuss the latter’s offer to mediate an end to the conflict between the country’s military forces, which Burhan heads, and the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemeti).
Egypt has maintained close ties with Sudan’s military, despite Khartoum’s periods of political upheaval. In July, Cairo hosted a regional summit with Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, the Central African Republic, and Libya to broker a cease-fire. Part of that agreement aimed at establishing humanitarian corridors for aid deliveries. More than 4.5 million people in Sudan have been displaced since the eruption of fighting.
A statement from the Egyptian presidency on Tuesday said Burhan welcomed Sisi’s initiative. However, just the day before, the Sudanese leader gave a speech promising a decisive victory over the RSF, declaring, ‘We do not make deals with traitors.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Record-breaking blaze. Greece is battling ‘the largest wildfire ever recorded’ in the European Union since the bloc began keeping data in 2000, according to the European Forest Fire Information System on Tuesday. Eleven planes and one helicopter—nearly half of the EU’s firefighting air wing—have been dispatched to a forest north of Alexandroupoli, Greece, where the blaze has already burned an area larger than New York City.
Since beginning on Aug. 19, the wildfire has killed at least 20 people, many of them migrants or refugees crossing the Greek-Turkish border. According to the fire service, the blaze remains ‘out of control.’ This year has seen record-breaking heat waves and other climate disasters across the continent. At the height of the 2023 summer, more than 100 wildfires stretched across Southern Europe.” [Foreign Policy]
“Austria is offering citizens free public transportation—with a catch. For one year, Austrians can ride the country’s railways and buses for free if they get “KlimaTicket,” the name of Austria’s eco-friendly public transport pass, tattooed on their body. Six people have participated thus far. However, the climate minister herself appeared to only don a fake tattoo to support the cause.” [Foreign Policy]
”Meta, Facebook's parent company, says it disrupted a wide-ranging online influence operation linked to Chinese law enforcement. Meta took down over 8,000 accounts, pages and groups posting political messages. The cross-platform activity used in the operation is called "Spamouflage" because users would intersperse the political posts with random videos and images.” [NPR]
“Poor Americans are increasingly skipping meals and falling behind on their rent in a sign of worsening hardship. Among households using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s boosted pandemic benefits, 42% skipped meals in August and 55% ate less because they couldn’t afford food, more than double last year’s share, benefits software developer, Propel, said in a report today.” [Bloomberg]
CNN's new boss
Mark Thompson in 2019. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“Warner Bros. Discovery plans to announce that Mark Thompson, 66 — a London native who led the BBC and helped modernize the New York Times Co. — will be CNN's new CEO, sources tell Axios' Sara Fischer.
Why it matters: Bringing in an experienced outsider will help WBD leaders distance themselves from CNN's day-to-day drama.
What we're hearing: Sources familiar with WBD's plans say Thompson will be encouraged to manage the network independently, which could include hiring his own team.
Catch up quick: Thompson began his career at the BBC in 1979 as a production trainee, and worked his way up to director-general in 2004.
He remained with the BBC until 2012, when he was named president and CEO of The New York Times Co.
Thompson is credited with transforming the Times from a print-first advertising business to a digital-first subscription business.” [Axios]
“A real Whopper? Burger King has been told it must defend a US lawsuit over claims its menus show a meatier patty and filling ‘overflowing the bun’, to make its Whopper burger look 35% larger than those served. The chain says the claims are false.” [Bloomberg]
A new rule could strip protections from more than half of U.S. wetlands.
“What to know: The EPA issued the rule yesterday, saying it had no choice after a Supreme Court decision from May weakened its power to protect wetlands.
The impact: Several types of waters will no longer be under federal protection, the EPA said. It’s a blow to the Biden administration’s ability to combat water pollution.”
Read this story at Washington Post
A live, wriggling worm was found in a woman’s brain.
The “Ophidascaris robertsi” roundworm found in the woman’s brain. (AAP Image/Emerging Infectious Diseases/Reuters)
The case: A woman in Australia went to doctors with symptoms that grew to include forgetfulness and depression. After 18 months, they found the cause — a roundworm in her brain.
It was a unique (and gross) discovery: The parasite had never been reported in a human brain, a new study said. The woman’s condition improved after it was removed.
Read this story at Washington Post
Tonight’s super blue moon won’t happen again for 14 years.
“What’s that? It’s when a second super moon rises in a single month. The last time a super blue moon appeared was in 2018, and the next won’t rise until 2037.
How to see it: The best time to view the super moon in all its glory is at moonrise — check here to see when that is where you live. Saturn may also be visible above the moon.”
Read this story at Washington Post
US Open second round features Tiafoe, Gauff and Djokovic on the court
“The second round of singles play and the opening round of men's, women's and mixed doubles arrives on a busy Wednesday at the U.S. Open. Look out for 19-year-old Coco Gauff. The No. 6 seed in singles, she faces 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the afternoon opener at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Following the Gauff-Andreeva match, Novak Djokovic is scheduled to face Bernabe Zapata Miralles. The evening session is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. as No. 10 seed Frances Tiafoe opens the Ashe portion against Sebastian Ofner, followed by a matchup of past Grand Slam champions, unusual at this stage of the tournament. No. 11 Petra Kvitova faces Caroline Wozniacki, who came out of retirement this summer.” Read more at USA Today
Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, in New York.
Manu Fernandez, AP
“Spain’s Aug. 20 victory at the Women’s World Cup was a momentous occasion for the soccer-crazed country, but the joy on and off the field was soon sullied by the leader of the country’s soccer federation when he planted an unwanted kiss on the lips of a star player during the medal ceremony. The incident is fueling nationwide soul-searching about sexism in sports, and in society at large.” Read more at USA Today
Demonstrators gather in the center of Madrid for an anti-Rubiales protest and to support Spain player Jenni Hermoso, on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. The kiss by Luis Rubiales has unleashed a storm of fury over gender equality that almost marred the unprecedented victory but now looks set to go down as a milestone in both Spanish soccer history but also in women's rights.
Andrea Comas, AP
”Lives Lived: In plays like “Coastal Disturbances” and “Painting Churches,” the writer Tina Howe zeroed in on her characters’ humor, heartache and solidity, particularly the women. She died at 85.” [New York Times]