The Full Belmonte, 8/3/2022
A primary watch party in Overland Park, Kan., as the measure goes down. Photo: Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star via AP
“Voters in Kansas, one of the nation's most conservative states, voted resoundingly to protect abortion rights. They rejected an amendment that would have stripped abortion protections from the state's constitution, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez reports.
Why it matters: It's the first time since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade that U.S. voters have cast ballots on abortion.
Between the lines: The decisive margin — 18 points (59% to 41%) — came as a surprise, the N.Y. Times notes, and reflects voter backlash to the ruling.
‘What was striking ... was the degree to which the picture was similar everywhere,’ The Times writes. ‘From the bluest counties to the reddest ones, abortion rights performed better than Mr. Biden, and opposition to abortion performed worse than Mr. Trump.’
The heavy turnout in the August primary approached what's typical for a fall election for governor.
President Biden said in a statement that the ‘vote makes clear what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion.’” Read more at Axios
Related news: “The Biden administration sued the state of Idaho to invalidate the state's restrictive abortion law in a first-of-its-kind challenge since the fall of Roe.” Read more at USA Today
“The Defense Department wiped the phones of top departing DOD and Army officials at the end of the Trump administration, deleting any texts from key witnesses to events surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, according to court filings. The revelation further obscures attempts to bring more transparency to the context and events of the insurrection. The Department of Homeland Security is also under fire for the apparent loss of messages from the Secret Service that day. American Oversight, the watchdog agency that filed the lawsuit that unearthed the deletions, is now calling for a ‘cross-agency investigation’ by the Justice Department to look into the destruction of the materials.” Read more at CNN
Blake Masters celebrates with his wife, Catherine, at an election-night party in Chandler, Ariz. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
“Republican voters in five states largely sided with former President Trump in yesterday's primary races.
Why it matters: The backing of Trump's picks — over Republican lawmakers who challenged him — signals GOP voters' continued allegiance to the former president.
In Michigan, first-term Rep. Peter Meijer lost to John Gibbs, a Trump-endorsed political newcomer.
Meijer was one of 10 Republicans to vote to impeach Trump after Jan. 6, and acknowledged it may have been ‘political suicide.’
The race was one of several in which Democrats meddled on behalf of far-right candidates, believing Gibbs to be a more beatable opponent in November.
Trump's picks in Arizona also won:
Blake Masters, another political newcomer backed by Trump, won the Republican primary for Senate.
Trump-endorsed Mark Finchem, an unrelenting supporter of 2020 election conspiracy theories, will be the Republican nominee for secretary of state, Arizona's top election official.
Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers lost the Republican primary for an open state Senate seat to a Trump-endorsed opponent.
He rose to prominence after testifying in front of the Jan. 6 committee about Trump's attempts to pressure him into overturning his state's vote for President Biden.
In Arizona's gubernatorial race, Trump-backed Kari Lake took a slight lead over Karrin Taylor Robson, who was endorsed by former Vice President Pence. The race remains too close to call.
In Missouri, attorney general Eric Schmitt won the state's GOP Senate primary, edging out a 21-candidate field that included former Gov. Eric Greitens.
Trump endorsed ‘Eric’ in a primary field that includes three candidates named "Eric." Both Schmitt and Greitens claimed his backing.” Read more at Axios
Speaker Pelosi speaks during a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (right) in Taipei today. Photo: Taiwan Presidential Office via AP
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen in Taipei today: ‘Now more than ever, America's solidarity with Taiwan is crucial.’
Pelosi, a longtime China hawk, said the U.S. has made ‘a bedrock promise to always stand with Taiwan.’
Why it matters: The meeting will further infuriate Beijing, which claims Taiwan and rejects any suggestion that the self-governing island as its own country, Axios World author Dave Lawler writes.
Breaking: This morning ET, Pelosi and five other House members left Taiwan and headed to South Korea — the next stop on an Asia tour that also includes Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
Beijing responded to Pelosi's visit by warning airlines to avoid airspace near Taiwan ahead of live-fire military drills this week — causing officials in Taipei and Tokyo to express alarm.
A Taiwanese official said the planned exercises amounted to ‘a sea and air blockade.’
Pelosi told Tsai: ‘We are so proud of your leadership — a woman president in one of the freest societies in the world.’
Between the lines: It's significant that video of the Pelosi-Tsai meeting is being published around the world.” Read more at Axios
“China’s announcement of military drills around Taiwan — one of the world’s busiest waterways — is creating ripple effects across global supply chains, prompting detours and delaying energy shipments. Gas suppliers are rerouting or reducing speed on some liquefied natural gas vessels en route to North Asia, sources say, and shipments to Taiwan and Japan this weekend will be affected.” Read more at Bloomberg
Polygons show military drill areas. The colored dots represent vessel positions as of today.
“Two Arizona Republicans recruited by allies of former President Donald J. Trump to join an effort to keep him in office after he lost the 2020 election grew so concerned about the plan that they told lawyers working on it that they feared their actions could be seen as treason, according to emails reviewed by The New York Times.
Kelli Ward, the chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, and Kelly Townsend, a state senator, were both said to have expressed concerns to Mr. Trump’s lawyers in December 2020 about participating in a plan to sign on to a slate of electors claiming that Mr. Trump had won Arizona, even though Joseph R. Biden Jr. had won the state.
The scheme was part of a broader bid — one of the longest running and most complicated that Mr. Trump undertook as he sought to cling to power after losing the 2020 presidential election — to falsely manufacture a victory for him by creating fake slates of electors in battleground states who would claim that he had been the true winner.” Read more at New York Times
“Public health leaders want the Biden administration to declare a public health emergency to better tackle rising monkeypox cases. The limited supply of monkeypox vaccines in the US has led to hours-long waits and created dangerous situations where infected people don’t have access to tests or treatment. A drug is available for monkeypox patients who have or who are at risk of severe disease, but doctors say they continue to face challenges getting access to it. Organizations responding to the crisis say they are frustrated by the Biden administration’s lack of urgency. California, Illinois and New York state have declared public health emergencies, as has the World Health Organization.” Read more at Axios
Sen. Joe Manchin speaks to reporters outside his office in the Hart Senate Office Building yesterday. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
“Five former Treasury secretaries — including Hank Paulson, who served under President George W. Bush — signed a statement strongly backing the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ brokered by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
The others who signed on are Robert Rubin and Larry Summers (President Clinton), Tim Geithner and Jacob Lew (President Obama).
Why it matters: The bipartisan support will help the White House and Democrats push back against the Republican contention that millions of Americans who make under $400,000 a year would see their taxes rise.
Senate votes are expected to begin later this week on the health, climate and tax plan.” Read more at Axios
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
“Several possible 2024 Republican presidential candidates tell Axios they support former President Trump's plan to make it easier for the president to purge federal workers, Axios' Alayna Treene reports.
Why it matters: Trump's plan to reimpose the executive order known as Schedule F, detailed in an Axios series by Jonathan Swan, could be carried out by the next GOP president — even if Trump doesn't run or win. It's a huge sign of how much he's changed the party.
What's happening: Democrats are sounding the alarm about the power — and willingness — of a Republican president to reshape government by replacing thousands of civil servants with White House loyalists.
Six Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), introduced legislation yesterday to ‘secure the civil service’ and protect career officials against future efforts to reimpose the controversial Trump order, which was rescinded by President Biden at the start of his term.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who chairs the subcommittee overseeing the civil service, last week published an op-ed in The Washington Post calling on Congress to act. He has sought to amend this year's defense bill to prevent a future president from resurrecting Schedule F.
The big picture: The moves follow publication last month of Swan's series detailing how allies of the former president are already plotting the return of Schedule F in 2025 if Trump is re-elected.
The Schedule F impact could go well beyond typical conservative targets — the EPA and IRS — and also touch the Justice Department, FBI, State Department and Pentagon.
Zoom in: Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told Axios they support using a measure like Schedule F to reform the federal bureaucracy.
Pompeo said: ‘Schedule F was a step in the right direction: We need to do more to hold the D.C. bureaucracy accountable. Great employees need to be rewarded and underperformers shown the door.’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wouldn't comment on Schedule F specifically. But they showed openness to the approach, and told Axios they think more needs to be done to hold career officials accountable.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) declined to comment.
A dissenting voice: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who has openly opposed another Trump term.
‘This is another unneeded distraction ahead of a critically important election,’ Hogan told Axios. ‘While Americans are hurting, Republicans should be talking about reducing the cost of living, ... not harkening back to the dark days of the end of 2020.’
Share this story ... Swan's "Inside Trump '25" series: Part 1 ... Part 2 ... Schedule F explainer.” Read more at Axios
“First Ukrainian ship carrying grain reaches Turkey, cleared to sail on to Lebanon
The first cargo ship to leave Ukraine in more than five months was preparing to cross through Istanbul’s Bosporus Strait and sail on to Lebanon Wednesday, Turkey’s defense ministry said. The ship carrying grain left the port of Odesa on Monday thanks to a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey. The agreement allows the country to export 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural goods that have been stuck in Black Sea ports for months because of a Russian blockade. Another 16 are waiting to follow, with more to come.” Read more Ukraine updates from our newsroom. Read more at USA Today
An inspection delegation boards the Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn from Ukraine, off the coast of north-west Istanbul, on August 3, 2022.OZAN KOSE, AFP via Getty Images
“Over 700 tourism workers in Indonesia will go on strike until the end of August to protest a price hike for those wishing to see the country’s Komodo dragons.
The Indonesian government increased the price of admission to Komodo National Park from 200,000 rupiah ($13.40) to 3,750,000 rupiah ($251) to visit the main islands in Komodo National Park, a price workers say will drive most tourists away. Officials say the move is necessary to protect the giant lizards and is seen as a compromise from previous plans to ban tourists entirely.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Fellow travelers | Former US President Donald Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban his friend as he welcomed him to one of his luxury golf resorts barely a week after remarks by the Central European leader about a “flood” of migrants drew comparisons to Nazi rhetoric. Both men are due to speak to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Texas.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Northern California wildfire has burned more than 88 square miles
The McKinney Fire in Northern California, the largest blaze in the state this year, continues to burn in the region. Two more bodies were found within the burn zone, raising the death toll to four. More than 100 homes, sheds and other buildings have been damaged since the fire erupted Friday. The Northern California wildfire has burned more than 88 square miles, and is the largest of several wildfires burning in the Klamath National Forest.” Read more at USA Today
Angela Crawford watches as a wildfire called the McKinney fire burns a hillside above her home in Klamath National Forest, Calif., on Saturday, July 30, 2022. Crawford and her husband stayed, as other residents evacuated, to defend their home from the fire. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)Noah Berger, AP
Data: Federal Reserve Bank of New York/Equifax. Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios
“Early in the pandemic, consumers — flush with cash from various COVID stimulus programs — rapidly paid down credit card debt. Now balances are rising quickly, but remain below the all-time high of $930 billion, hit at the end of 2019, Axios' Courtenay Brown writes.
Why it matters: Balances are growing at the quickest pace in decades, reflecting higher prices and more open accounts than ever before.” Read more at Axios
Cover: Fortune
“Out this morning ... The Fortune Global 500 — the world's largest corporations, ranked by total revenue for fiscal 2021:
Walmart (U.S. ... No. 1 for ninth straight year)
Amazon (U.S.)
State Grid (China)
China National Petroleum (China)
Sinopec (China)
Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia)
Apple (U.S.)
Volkswagen (Germany)
China State Construction Engineering (China)
CVS Health (U.S.)
Saudi Aramco (No. 6) was the world's most profitable company, with $105 billion in earnings.
For the first time, revenues from Global 500 companies from China (including Taiwan) exceeded revenues from U.S. companies, accounting for 31% of the total, Fortune reports.
China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) has the most companies on the list — 145 — followed by the U.S., with 124. Japan (47) is third.” Read more at Axios
“We all want to go to the moon. The first launch of NASA's moon-focused Space Launch System rocket, Artemis I, is slated for Aug. 29. Florida's Space Coast officials are expecting at least 100,000 visitors for the launch's first window.” Read more at USA Today
NASA’s massive Space Launch System rocket Artemis I roll out from the Vehicle Assembly Building Thursday March 17, 2022.Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODA
“In one of the biggest deadline trades in baseball history, outfielder Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals is headed to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster deal that was announced by both teams ahead of the 6 p.m. trade deadline on Tuesday.
The trade, which had been held up earlier in the day because first baseman Eric Hosmer invoked the limited no-trade clause in his contract, sends Soto and first baseman Josh Bell to the Padres in exchange for an impressive haul of prospects: shortstop CJ Abrams, outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood, the left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore and the right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana.
First baseman Luke Voit was added to the deal with the Nationals later on Tuesday to replace Hosmer, who was subsequently traded to the Boston Red Sox.” Read more at New York Times
“The N.F.L. has suspended the Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross and taken away two draft picks after an investigator found the team violated the league’s anti-tampering policy by trying to lure quarterback Tom Brady and the coach Sean Payton to Miami.
At the same time, the investigator, the former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White, found no evidence that Ross had ordered the team’s former coach, Brian Flores, to deliberately lose games to improve its standing in the college draft, a claim Flores made in a federal lawsuit in February, a month after the Dolphins fired him.
White determined that Ross’s offer to pay Flores $100,000 for each game the Dolphins lost — one of the most inflammatory claims in his lawsuit — ‘was not intended or taken to be a serious offer, nor was the subject pursued in any respect by Mr. Ross or anyone else at the club.’” Read more at New York Times
“LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, whose dulcet tones provided the soundtrack of summer while entertaining and informing Dodgers fans in Brooklyn and Los Angeles for 67 years, died Tuesday night. He was 94.
Scully died at his home in the Hidden Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to the team after being informed by family members. No cause of death was provided.
‘He was the best there ever was,’ pitcher Clayton Kershaw said after the Dodgers game in San Francisco. ‘Just such a special man. I’m grateful and thankful I got to know him as well as I did.’
As the longest tenured broadcaster with a single team in pro sports history, Scully saw it all and called it all. He began in the 1950s era of Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson, on to the 1960s with Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax, into the 1970s with Steve Garvey and Don Sutton, and through the 1980s with Orel Hershiser and Fernando Valenzuela. In the 1990s, it was Mike Piazza and Hideo Nomo, followed by Kershaw, Manny Ramirez and Yasiel Puig in the 21st century.” Read more at AP News
Image caption, Dev Patel has starred in Slumdog Millionaire, The Green Knight and Lion, for which he received an Oscar nomination
“Dev Patel successfully broke up a knife fight in Adelaide earlier this week, his representatives have confirmed.
The actor, who has starred in Slumdog Millionaire, witnessed the fight in Adelaide on Monday (1 August).
A man and a woman were reportedly fighting in the street and in a convenience store when the man was stabbed in the chest.
Patel's spokesman said the star ‘acted on his natural instinct’. The man who was stabbed is expected to survive.” Read more at BBC