The Full Belmonte, 9/10/2022
Ukraine stuns Russia
Data: Institute for the Study of War and AEI's Critical Threats Project. Map: Axios Visuals
“Ukraine appears to have caught Russia off guard with a surprise second front in its long-awaited offensive, Axios World author Dave Lawler reports.
Ukraine started to push on Kherson in southern Ukraine last week, before following up with an advance near Kharkiv in the northeast that seems to have caught Vladimir Putin's troops by surprise.
They've advanced 31 miles in three days of fighting in the country's northeast, a Ukrainian general claimed.
How it happened: The rapid advance was possible because Russian positions in the area were ‘lightly manned or perhaps not manned at all, and the Russian military was caught by surprise,’ says Michael Kofman, a top expert on Russia's military at CNA.
That's partly because Russia redeployed tens of thousands of troops from the east to the south ahead of the expected Ukrainian offensive there.” Read more at Axios
King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, arrive at Buckingham Palace today. Photo: Neil P. Mockford via Getty Images
“One of King Charles III's first official acts was naming Prince William the Prince of Wales (Welsh: Tywysog Cymru).
In pre-taped remarks delivered from Buckingham Palace, where he arrived today with Queen Consort Camila, Charles expressed his love ‘for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.’
Photo: Chris Jackson via Getty Images
Charles harkened back to a promise made by his ‘darling Mama,’ Queen Elizabeth II, when she was just 21.
‘I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation,’ he said.
‘Wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavor to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life.’” Read more at Axios
Photo: Yui Mok/Pool via AP
US, Trump team propose names for arbiter in Mar-a-Lago probe
By ERIC TUCKER and NOMAAN MERCHANT
“WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department and Donald Trump’s legal team each proposed candidates Friday for the role of an independent arbiter in the investigation into top-secret documents found at the former president’s Florida home, but the two sides differed on the scope of duties the person would have.
Lawyers for Trump said they believe the so-called special master should review all documents seized by the FBI during its search last month of Mar-a-Lago, including records with classification markings, and filter out any that may be protected by claims of executive privilege.
The Justice Department, by contrast, said it does not believe the arbiter should be permitted to inspect classified records or resolve potential claims of executive privilege.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had given both sides until Friday to submit potential candidates for the role of a special master, as well as proposals for the scope of the person’s duties and the schedule for his or her work.
The Justice Department submitted the names of two retired judges — Barbara Jones, who served on the federal bench in Manhattan and has performed the same role in prior high-profile investigations, and Thomas Griffith, a former federal appeals court jurist in the District of Columbia.
The Trump team proposed one retired judge, Raymond Dearie — also the former top federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York — and a prominent Florida lawyer, Paul Huck, Jr.
The back-and-forth over the special master is playing out amid an FBI investigation into the retention of several hundred classified documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago within the past year. Though the legal wrangling is unlikely to have major long-term effects on the investigation or knock it significantly off course, it will almost certainly delay the probe by potentially months and has already caused the intelligence community to temporarily pause a separate risk assessment.
The Justice Department proposed an Oct. 17 deadline for the special master to complete the review process, while the Trump team said the work could take as long as three months.
Though both sides met Cannon’s deadline to provide potential candidates, their filings made clear that they have core disagreements about the job of special master. That’s not surprising given that the Justice Department had strenuously objected to the Trump team’s desire for such an arbiter, and gave notice Thursday that it would appeal the judge’s decision to grant the ex-president’s request.” Read more at AP News
Report on Supreme Court abortion leak could come soon, Gorsuch says
“Justice Neil M. Gorsuch said Thursday that it was ‘terribly important’ to identify the source of a leaked opinion that foretold the Supreme Court’s overruling of Roe v. Wade and said the court’s investigation could be completed soon.
‘Improper efforts to influence judicial decision-making, from whatever side, from whomever, are a threat to the judicial decision-making process and inhibit our capacity to communicate with one another,’ Gorsuch said at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit’s semiannual Bench & Bar Conference in Colorado. The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg Law had reporters at the event.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. announced an investigation into the May leak to Politico, and Gorsuch said an internal committee was appointed. ‘That committee has been busy and we’re looking forward to their report, I hope soon.’
Gorsuch did not say whether the report would be made public, the Journal reported, and the conference organizers prohibited reporters from interviewing the justice or other judges in attendance.” Read more at Washington Post
Manchin’s big energy deal draws pushback from many Dems
By KEVIN FREKING
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats desperately needed the vote of Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to get their signature legislative priority across the finish. So they did what Washington does best: They cut a deal.
To help land his support for a bill hailed by advocacy groups as the biggest investment ever in curbing climate change, Manchin said he secured a commitment from President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders to move a permitting reform package for energy projects through Congress before Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.
Now the climate bill is law, and Manchin is ready to collect. But key Democratic constituency groups are lining up against the proposal, calling it bad for the country and the climate. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and dozens of House members agree.
The fissure could complicate the party’s efforts to keep the focus on this summer’s major legislative victories going into the November midterm elections, which will determine which party controls the House and Senate. More immediately, the divide is testing the ability of Schumer and Pelosi to keep enough Democrats in line to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the month.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is pushing ahead. He said this week that he would attach Manchin’s preferred measure to must-pass legislation that would keep the federal government running into mid-December.
To win over skeptics, some Democrats are stressing that Manchin’s proposal to streamline environmental reviews for energy infrastructure projects would be good for renewable energy, too.
A summary of the proposed legislation has been circulating among Senate Democrats in recent days and was obtained by The Associated Press. It states that the package being developed is key to meeting climate goals by developing interstate transmission lines that will transport electricity from Midwestern wind farms, for example, to major East Coast cities.” Read more at AP News
New York declares emergency after finding more poliovirus in wastewater, urges vaccinations
“ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday the state was stepping up its polio-fighting efforts after the virus was detected in the wastewater of yet another county in the New York City area.
Health officials began checking for signs of the virus in sewage water after the first case of polio in the United States in nearly a decade was identified in July in Rockland County, which is north of the city. The latest detection involved a wastewater sample collected last month in Nassau County on Long Island, directly east of the city.
The sample is genetically linked to the polio case from Rockland and provides further evidence of expanding community spread, state health officials said. The poliovirus had previously been detected in wastewater in New York City and three counties to its north: Rockland, Orange and Sullivan.” Read more at USA Today
A federal judge in Florida dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit alleging Hillary Clinton and other prominent Democrats illegally linked him to Russia in an effort to rig the 2016 presidential election.
“U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks called the former president’s complaint a ‘political manifesto’ rather than a viable lawsuit. A lawyer for Trump said an appeal would be immediately filed. The lawsuit sought compensatory and punitive damages of at least $24 million.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Navy Orders High-Level Outside Investigation of SEAL Course
The punishing selection course for the Navy’s most elite force has come under new scrutiny after a sailor’s death exposed illicit drug use and other problems.
Sept. 9, 2022
“The Navy has started an independent investigation of the brutal selection course for its elite SEALs after a sailor’s death this year revealed a tangle of physical abuse, poor medical oversight and use of performance-enhancing drugs in the course.
The order for the new investigation came from the highest levels of the Navy — the outgoing vice chief of naval operations, Adm. William K. Lescher. It was given to a rear admiral from outside the SEALs, signaling that the Navy had given it high priority and wanted it to be independent.
Admiral Lescher issued the order in a letter obtained by The New York Times. The letter is dated the day after The New York Times reported that the sailor’s death had exposed a number of problems at the harrowing selection course, known as Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALs, or BUD/S for short.
Among the problems were a damaging ethos of forced suffering that often dismissed serious injuries and illnesses as weakness and a growing subculture of students who saw illicit performance-enhancing drugs as the only way to get through the course.” Read more at New York Times
“The Crown” pauses
Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth in "The Crown." Photo: Alex Bailey/Netflix via AP
“‘The Crown,’ Netflix's acclaimed series about Queen Elizabeth II and her family, paused production today due to the monarch's death, and will do so again for her funeral, AP reports.
The show is in production on its sixth season.
The first two seasons starred Claire Foy as the young princess Elizabeth ascending to the throne and gradually growing into her role as monarch.
Seasons three and four featured Olivia Colman as a more mature queen. The show has gradually moved closer to current events.
The fifth season, with Imelda Staunton playing the queen, premieres in November.
Netflix recently revealed the casting of actors who are playing Prince William and Kate in Season 6.” Read more at Axios