The Full Belmonte, 9/6/2023
Federal Court Again Strikes Down Alabama’s Congressional Map
Republicans failed to comply with a court order to create a second majority Black district or something “close to it,” the judicial panel said.
“A panel of federal judges rejected Alabama’s latest congressional map on Tuesday, ruling that a new map needed to be drawn because Republican lawmakers had failed to comply with orders to create a second majority Black district or something ‘close to it.’
In a sharp rebuke, the judges ordered that the new map be independently drawn, taking the responsibility away from the Republican-controlled Legislature while chastising state officials who ‘ultimately did not even nurture the ambition to provide the required remedy.’
The Legislature had hastily pushed through a revised map in July after a surprise Supreme Court ruling found that Alabama’s existing map violated a landmark civil rights law by undercutting the power of the state’s Black voters. The revised map, approved over the objections of Democrats, increased the percentage of Black voters in one of the state’s six majority white congressional districts to about 40 percent, from about 30 percent.
In its new ruling, the three-judge panel in Alabama found that the Legislature had flouted its mandate under the court’s ruling….” Read more at New York Times
Sen. McConnell’s health episodes show no evidence of stroke or seizure disorder but questions linger
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s health episodes show ‘no evidence’ of a stroke or seizure disorder, the Capitol physician said Tuesday, but his statement still left questions about the apparent freeze-ups that have drawn concerns about the 81-year-old’s situation.
McConnell returned to work at the Capitol after the summer recess, and his office released a letter from attending physician Brian P. Monahan concerning the long-serving Republican leader’s health. The GOP leader froze up last week during a press conference in Kentucky, unable to respond to a question in the second such episode in a month.
Walking into the Senate on Tuesday, McConnell answered no questions as he smiled at reporters. He made only passing reference to the incident during a speech in the chamber, his voice somewhat muffled.
‘One particular moment of my time back home has received its fair share of attention,’ McConnell said. ‘But I assure you August was a busy and productive month for me.’
Asked later in the evening if he would holding his regular weekly press conference Wednesday, McConnell simply replied, ‘Yep.’
The episodes have fueled quiet concern and intense speculation about McConnell’s ability to remain the GOP leader. He suffered a concussion earlier this year when he fell and hit his head at a dinner in Washington. It has left him visibly slower in his speech and stride, and he appeared slimmer Tuesday. The letter was the second from the Capitol physician, who cleared McConnell to continue with his planned schedule after last week’s incident.
‘There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease,’ Monahan wrote, using the acronym for a transient ischemic attack, a brief stroke.
But there was no elaboration as to what did cause the episodes. The doctor said the assessments entailed several medical evaluations including a brain MRI scan and “consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment.”
‘There are no changes recommended in treatment protocols as you continue recovery from your March 2023 fall,’ the doctor said….” Read more at AP News
Proud Boys’ Enrique Tarrio gets record 22 years in prison for Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced Tuesday to 22 years in prison for orchestrating a failed plot to keep Donald Trump in power after the Republican lost the 2020 election, capping the case with the stiffest punishment that has been handed down yet for the U.S. Capitol attack.
Tarrio, 39, pleaded for leniency before the judge imposed the prison term topping the 18-year sentences given to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and one-time Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean for seditious conspiracy and other convictions stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
Tarrio, who led the neofacist group as it became a force in mainstream Republican circles, lowered his head after the sentence was imposed, then squared his shoulders. He raised his hand and made a “V” gesture with his fingers as he was led out of the courtroom in orange jail garb.
His sentencing comes as the Justice Department prepares to put Trump on trial at the same courthouse in Washington on charges that the then-president illegally schemed to cling to power that he knew had been stripped away by voters.
Rising to speak before the sentence was handed down, Tarrio called Jan. 6 a ‘national embarrassment,’ and apologized to the police officers who defended the Capitol and the lawmakers who fled in fear. His voice cracked as he said he let down his family and vowed that he is done with politics.
‘I am not a political zealot. Inflicting harm or changing the results of the election was not my goal,’ Tarrio said. ‘Please show me mercy,’ he said, adding, ‘I ask you that you not take my 40s from me.’
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, said Tarrio was motivated by ‘revolutionary zeal’ to lead the conspiracy that resulted in ‘200 men, amped up for battle, encircling the Capitol.’ Noting that Tarrio had not previously shown any remorse publicly for his crimes, the judge said a stiff punishment was necessary to deter future political violence.
‘It can’t happen again. It can’t happen again,’ the judge repeated….” Read more at AP News
61 indicted in Georgia on racketeering charges connected to ‘Stop Cop City’ movement
“ATLANTA (AP) — Sixty-one people have been indicted in Georgia on racketeering charges following a long-running state investigation into protests against a planned police and firefighter training facility in the Atlanta area that critics call ‘Cop City.’
In the sweeping indictment released Tuesday, Republican Attorney General Chris Carr alleged the defendants are ‘militant anarchists’ who supported a violent movement that prosecutors trace to the widespread 2020 racial justice protests.
The Aug. 29 indictment is the latest application of the state’s anti-racketeering law, also known as a RICO law, and comes just weeks after the Fulton County prosecutor used the statute to charge former President Donald Trump and 18 other defendants….” Read more at AP News
“In the emerging post-pandemic era—one in which Covid-19 nevertheless remains a potent threat—many aspects of life have otherwise returned to normal. Following three catastrophic years during which millions perished and millions more lost loved ones, moviegoers are now flocking to cinemas, vacationers are jamming airports and kids are filling up classrooms. But one aspect of daily existence that has yet to fully revert is the world of work. Companies, employees and governments are still figuring out how to adapt to lasting changes to corporate life and the reluctance of workers to come back to the office. Some differences have emerged across continents and cultures, with Asian and European workers largely returning to their cubicles at a faster pace than their counterparts in the Americas.” —Natasha Solo-Lyons [Bloomberg]
“Gasoline prices are now at the highest seasonal level in more than a decade even though the US summer driving season is technically over. The national average for regular gasoline stands at $3.81 a gallon, topping this time last year and marking the second-highest level in records going back to 1994.” [Bloomberg]
For conspicuous gallantry
Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
“President Biden awarded the Medal of Honor today to Capt. Larry Taylor, a veteran pilot of the Vietnam War.
Taylor risked his life ‘under heavy enemy fire and with complete disregard for his personal safety’ to save four soldiers with his two-seat Cobra helicopter in 1968.” [Axios]
“Military leaders called on Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville to drop his blockade of senior armed services promotions, a stand they say is increasingly damaging US national security. Tuberville has blocked an unprecedented number of military promotions over the past six months, insisting the Pentagon cease policies enabling personnel to travel for reproductive healthcare when stationed where such medical services aren’t available.” [Bloomberg]
Tommy Tuberville. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg
Burning Man’s climate chaos, briefly explained
Jordan England-Nelson/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
“The annual bacchanal in the desert was especially tumultuous this time around. Here’s what you need to know:
Burning Man is an artsy, quasi-countercultural festival that converts Nevada’s Black Rock Desert into a makeshift city that houses nearly 80,000 people for a week every year.
The festival started in 1986 as a small gathering in San Francisco, but now is a destination for influencers, celebrities, and tech giants alike. General admission tickets start at $575, which doesn’t include a $150 vehicle pass. [NPR]
Because of the remote location, hosting Burning Man requires thousands of generators, car travel, and plane trips. As such, each Burning Man produces more than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide. [Burning Man Environmental Sustainability Report]
That led to climate protesters blocking the main road in and out with a 28-foot trailer ahead of this year’s event. Traffic was stalled for hours, and one protester was hurt. [Vox]
Then, storms and mudslides trapped the revelers and forced them to shelter in place over the weekend. One person was reported dead. Now, travelers are stuck in an 8-hour-long traffic jam out of the muddy desert.” [NBC] [Vox]
ASEAN Fights for Relevance
From left, top officials from the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, and East Timor pose for a family photo during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept. 5.Adi Weda/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
“Indonesia is hosting the three-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit this week. On Tuesday, leaders and officials from 10 countries convened in Jakarta to discuss regional security, territorial sovereignty, and growing animosity between the world’s two largest superpowers: the United States and China. ASEAN—whose members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—represents around 650 million people and more than $2.9 trillion in GDP.
Traditionally, the bloc had preached a policy of nonalignment due to strained loyalties between its biggest security partner, the United States, and its biggest economic partner, China. But recent foreign-policy challenges have tested that practice.
At the top of ASEAN’s agenda this week is the security crisis that has engulfed Myanmar since 2021, when its military overthrew the country’s quasi-democratic government and imprisoned many top leaders, including former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as thousands of other critics. On Tuesday, reports emerged that the ruling junta had denied Aung San Suu Kyi’s request to see an outside physician for her ailing health. The military-led government was set to chair ASEAN in 2026, but the bloc announced on Tuesday that the Philippines would lead the grouping instead. Since the coup, ASEAN has pushed for a five-point peace plan that would end violence in Myanmar, catalyze peace talks between the junta and its opponents, and deliver humanitarian aid.
However, junta-attended dialogues hosted by Thailand and Cambodia have divided the bloc’s approach to the nation’s conflict. Specifically, Thailand and Cambodia, alongside China, have embraced the junta rather than calling for its ouster—while the rest of the bloc suspended Myanmar’s top generals from participating in this week’s ASEAN meetings.
Myanmar isn’t the only regional crisis limiting ASEAN’s effectiveness. Internal disagreements over China have curtailed the bloc’s ability to assert its power. Last week, Beijing released a new map that defined almost all of the South China Sea as under its sovereignty. Numerous ASEAN members—including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam—denounced China’s actions. However, growing Chinese investment in the region, specifically through its Belt and Road Initiative, has hindered the bloc’s willingness to collectively counter rising Chinese aggression.
The bloc’s inability to agree on foreign-policy next steps has damaged its international reputation. Most significantly, major leaders such as U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping chose not to attend this year’s summit. Instead, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will take their places. ‘We can complain all we want about other countries not respecting us or not coming to our summits,’ former Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said. ‘But ultimately, it is actually a point of reflection.’
Biden’s decision to skip this week’s summit was particularly humiliating for ASEAN because the U.S. president will be in the region later this week. On Thursday, Biden heads to India for the G-20 summit; he will then visit rising economic power Vietnam on Sunday. Despite its seeming deprioritization of ASEAN, the White House has been quick to reaffirm Washington’s interests in Southeast Asia, pointing to Biden’s creation of the first U.S.-hosted summit with ASEAN leaders last year. ‘It’s just impossible to look at the record that this administration has put forward and say that we are somehow walking away’ from the region, White House spokesperson John Kirby said.” [Foreign Policy]
“Renewing friendships. Russian President Vladimir Putin is apparently looking to shore up his alliances. On Monday, U.S. officials announced that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would travel to Russia to attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Sept. 10-13. The Kremlin has not confirmed the trip’s schedule or attendance list. While there, Putin is expected to discuss North Korean weaponry shipments to help Moscow in its war against Ukraine, and Kim would seek advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines. This would be Kim’s second time visiting Russia, the first occurring in 2019.
Russia’s other negotiations with friends have proved less fruitful. Turkish attempts to negotiate a Russian return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed for the safe transportation of Russian and Ukrainian grain out of both countries amid their ongoing war, failed on Monday, with Putin saying he will not rejoin the deal unless restrictions on Russia’s exports are lifted. Moscow left the pact on July 17. Since then, Russian air attacks on Ukrainian ports have destroyed thousands of tons of grain, leaving millions of people around the world in need of food aid.” [Foreign Policy]
“Africa’s climate advancements. The first-ever Africa Climate Summit commenced in Nairobi on Monday. For four days, African leaders will discuss renewable energy, conservation efforts, sustainable infrastructure, and the rising threat of environmental disasters. This year alone, North Africa faced extreme heat waves, the Horn of Africa its worst drought in 40 years, and the Sahel intense flooding from a record-breaking monsoon season. ‘Africa is responsible for less than 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions,’ World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said. ‘But it is the continent which is the least able to cope with the negative impacts of climate change.’
To combat this, Kenyan President William Ruto pledged to increase the continent’s carbon credit production nineteenfold by 2030. ‘We must see in green growth not just a climate imperative but also a fountain of multibillion-dollar economic opportunities that Africa and the world is primed to capitalize,’ Ruto said. Already, the United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday that it would invest $4.5 billion in clean energy projects for Africa.” [Foreign Policy]
“Kicked to the regional curb. The Economic Community of Central African States suspended Gabon’s membership on Tuesday after a coup last Wednesday ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba following his controversial reelection win. The regional body’s decision came a day after Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, the country’s junta leader, was sworn in as the nation’s transitional leader. Bongo remains under house arrest, and a timeline for new elections is still unknown.
Gabon’s coup was the latest in a string of military-led oustings to hit the continent since 2020, with the most recent in Niger on July 26. ‘Niger was seen as a port in the storm in a region beset by a growing surge in terrorism and an epidemic of coups that had toppled governments all around it,’ FP’s Robbie Gramer wrote.” [Foreign Policy]
“Prince Harry is saying no to royals and yes to rhinos. On Monday, the nonprofit organization African Parks, of which Harry serves as president, bought the world’s largest rhino farm. Platinum Rhino, based in South Africa, is home to 2,000 white rhinos and aims to protect the endangered species from illegal poaching. After no other buyers had stepped up to fund the philanthropic project, whose millionaire owner is struggling to keep the farm afloat, African Parks purchased it with support from the South African government and other conservation groups. The organization plans to reintroduce farmed rhinos into the wild over the next 10 years.” [Foreign Policy]
Deficit to double
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“The federal deficit is expected to nearly double this year, from about $1 trillion last year to $2 trillion for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the WashPost's Jeff Stein reports from a Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projection.
Why it matters: There's no precedent for deficits this large, as a share of the economy — outside war, deep recession or pandemic, Axios Macro author Neil Irwin tells me.
Such huge spending imbalances contribute to high interest rates for consumers — including mortgages — in the short run.
In the long run, it means interest costs will likely squeeze all other federal priorities.
What's happening: Bigger interest payments + lower tax receipts, despite strong economic growth.
‘A strong economy usually reduces the deficit. Not this time,’ Stein writes.
Reality check: The annual deficit was even higher — $2.8 trillion — in 2021, amid record COVID spending, according to the Congressional Budget Office.” [Axios]
Megatrends: Moon boom
Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photo: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images
“The Moon is in the midst of a renaissance defined by new science, more nations aiming for the lunar surface and a booming effort to establish industry beyond Earth, Axios space correspondent Miriam Kramer writes.
Why it matters: The Moon's unique scientific samples and possible resources are now a major focal point for exploration and industry.
Between the lines: By collecting the Moon's rocks, scientists can learn more about how our solar system formed and whether energy can be extracted from the lunar surface.
By mining its resources, companies can potentially create rocket fuel that will allow them to travel deeper into the solar system.
By sending missions and people to its surface, nations can show off their technical prowess to others on Earth.
What's happening: Last week, India's robotic Chandrayaan-3 mission made the nation only the fourth to ever touch down successfully on the Moon, just days after Russia's Luna-25 lander crashed into the lunar surface.
Japan is also planning to launch a robotic mission to the lunar surface.
The big picture: ‘We are living in a lunar renaissance,’ NASA Moon scientist Noah Petro tells Axios.
Moon science as a field is growing, he added: ‘When I started in this field, in grad school, there were maybe a dozen ... young lunar scientists. Now there are 30, 40, 50 — there's a plethora of talent.’
The growing field is bolstered by the promise of new samples expected to be returned to Earth from the lunar surface and decades of orbiting missions that have created detailed maps of the Moon to contextualize new findings.
NASA is taking samples brought back from Apollo that have yet to be analyzed out of storage to allow scientists to glean all they can from them ahead of future landings — and in anticipation of new samples.” [Axios]
”Gary Wright, the singer best known for his hit song “Dream Weaver” has died at 80 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia, his son said.” [NBC News]