The Full Belmonte, 9/7/2022
Trump trove included foreign nuke secrets
Photo: Jon Elswick/AP
“A document describing a foreign government's military defenses, including its nuclear capabilities, was found at Mar-a-Lago by FBI agents, The Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: This detail helps explain why officials were so insistent on getting the documents back — and makes it harder for former President Trump to explain why he had them.
‘Some of the seized documents detail top-secret U.S. operations so closely guarded that many senior national security officials are kept in the dark about them,’ per The Post.
Only the president and a few top officials could authorize other government officials to know about these special-access programs.” Read more at Axios
“When US District Judge Aileen Cannon, 41, was up for Senate confirmation in 2020, she was asked whether she’d had discussions about loyalty to then-President Donald Trump. “No,” Cannon responded under oath. Now, however, suspicions of Trump loyalty have exploded aroundCannon, who on Monday issued a sweeping decision granting Trump’s request to appoint a special master to assess documents seized by the FBI in its Aug. 8 search of his Florida home. Beyond a typical review for material covered by attorney-client privilege, Cannon made the unprecedented judgment that executive privilege may be considered, too. This despite broad consensus among legal experts that the only executive who can assert that privilege right now is President Joe Biden—not Trump.
Aileen Cannon speaks virtually during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in 2020. Source: Bloomberg
Cannon, who has said she is a member of the right-wing Federalist Society, also ordered the Justice Department to temporarily stop using the documents, including highly classified files, in its criminal investigation of Trump. Both moves elicited howls as almost entirely unmoored from law or precedent: Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, who was a senior member of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team during the probe of alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, called Cannon’s ruling ‘nutty’ and ‘lawless.’ New York University law professor Chris Sprigman said it was ‘partisan hack judging,’ while prominent lawyer Ted Boutrous derided Cannon’s order as ‘the opposite of judicial restraint.’ Cannon, who took the unorthodox step of announcing her intent well before hearing both sides, agreed with Trump’s lawyers that the investigation of the former president needed additional ‘safeguards’ unavailable to ordinary citizens. Trump appeared to praise Cannon on Monday, saying ‘it takes courage and ‘guts’ to fight a totally corrupt Department of ‘Justice’ and the FBI.’” —Natasha Solo-Lyons and David E. Rovella Read more at Bloomberg
Barr's latest anti-Trump broadside raises political stakes of Mar-a-Lago search drama
(CNN)Ex-Attorney General William Barr's scathing critique of a major court victory for Donald Trump in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents drama is escalating the scrutiny of the judge who put the brakes on the investigation.
Barr was once seen as a facilitator of the then-President's penchant for tearing at the limits of presidential power. But since Trump's refusal to accept his defeat to President Joe Biden in 2020, Barr has emerged as one of his most acerbic and significant critics. He, for instance, infuriated Trump by publicly declaring there was no significant electoral fraud. And his video testimony has emerged as one of the key weapons in the televised hearings run by the House select committee investigating the US Capitol insurrection.
On Tuesday, Barr took aim at a decision by Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon to grant Trump's request for a ‘special master’ to vet for executive and legal privilege issues the material taken from his home in last month's FBI search.
‘The opinion, I think, was wrong, and I think the government should appeal it. It's deeply flawed in a number of ways,’ Barr said on Fox on Tuesday.
It was the second time in just a few days that the former attorney general had taken to the network favored by conservatives to hammer Trump on the controversy. And his statements are adding to the swirl of outside interest in the next critical stages of this high-stakes legal process -- the search for a third-party official to serve as a ‘special master’ and the Justice Department's decision on whether to appeal Cannon's ruling, which would come at the risk of further delays for the probe.
Barr's outspokenness will have three main consequences. First, such comments by a longtime political and legal conservative will add credibility to growing questions not just about Cannon's legal reasoning but also whether Monday's ruling, which delivered several big wins to Trump, was motivated by loyalty to the president who appointed her.
Second, his comments will renew intrigue over his personal transformation -- from the attorney general who shielded Trump from the full blast of the Mueller report into his 2016 campaign's links with Russia into one of the ex-President's most fervent critics. Whether Barr is being driven by an effort to rehabilitate his reputation as a legal straight shooter, a desire to defend the Justice Department against Trump's attacks or, is simply right on the facts, is open for debate.
Third, Barr's latest criticism of his former boss -- including that he was wrong to have classified information at Mar-a-Lago -- will likely earn him a fresh broadside from the ex-President and his acolytes. Not that Barr cares, since he chuckled when he told Fox that Trump's definition of a RINO (Republican in name only) is anyone who doesn't believe the election was stolen.” Read more at CNN
Worst in 1,200 years
Map: Weatherbell.com
“No one alive in California has seen a September heat wave quite like this one:
The Golden State is breaking monthly and all-time records — and could tie a global record this week, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes.
California ISO, the state grid operator, is predicting an all-time record demand for power today, with a danger of blackouts.
Why it matters: This is a local manifestation of a cooking planet. Climate change is making heat waves hotter, more frequent and longer-lasting.
Zoom out: A drought enveloping the Southwest since 2000 is the region's driest ‘megadrought’ — a drought lasting two decades or longer — since at least the year 800, a UCLA-led study found in February.
The drought is worsening the heat wave, which further intensifies the drought in a feedback loop.
Zoom in: It's the combination of the magnitude and duration of this event that makes it so noteworthy and dangerous.
Some areas are seeing records that are set one day, only to be broken the next — then tied or broken again. It's relentless.
Most importantly from a public health perspective, overnight lows are smashing records, with temperatures not dropping below 80° in entire swaths of Central and Southern California.
So people without air conditioning will get little to no overnight relief. Studies show sharp increases in heat illnesses during heat waves if the overnight lows remain above 78°.
The bottom line: We're seeing extreme heat events that, studies show, would be virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.” Read more at Axios
Trump-backed Geoff Diehl will take on Democrat Maura Healey in Massachusetts governor's race, CNN projects
Geoff Diehl, left, and Maura Healey will face off in November.
“(CNN)Geoff Diehl, a former state lawmaker endorsed by ex-President Donald Trump, will win the Republican nomination for Massachusetts governor, CNN projects, setting up a showdown with Democratic state Attorney General Maura Healey.
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's decision not to seek reelection this year upended the Bay State political world, setting off a scramble among ambitious members of both parties as the top job -- which Baker had won twice -- suddenly came open and set off a domino effect down the ballot.
Despite its liberal reputation, Massachusetts has a long habit of electing Republican governors -- Deval Patrick, who served two terms, is the only Democrat to hold the corner office on Beacon Hill since Michael Dukakis left it in 1991 -- and Baker, even in this era of sharp partisan divisions.
His departure, in the face of intraparty opposition to his criticism of Trump and the prospect of a primary challenge, paved the way for Diehl to claim front-runner status for the GOP nomination. Diehl will defeat businessman Chris Doughty, who, despite being complimentary of the former President, had argued that his political brand is toxic in Massachusetts and a statewide candidate like Diehl would be doomed to defeat in the general election.” Read more at CNN
Senate plans fall vote on marriage
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks last month before President Biden signs the climate bill. Photo: Susan Walsh/AP
“Senate Democrats plan a pre-midterm push to codify the right to same-sex marriage into federal law, Axios' Alayna Treene reports.
Why it matters: It's a bid to preempt challenges to that right in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe.
State of play: The bill received wide GOP support in the House, with 47 Republicans voting in favor of the legislation.
Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.) have been leading talks with Republicans.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he's committed to holding a vote on antitrust legislation led by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). But that could get pushed aside.
Schumer also promised to hold a vote this fall on legislation capping the price of insulin at $35, after that policy was stripped from the Inflation Reduction Act by the Senate parliamentarian.
The intrigue: It's not yet clear whether the Senate will take up the Electoral Count Act — which would clarify the role of vice presidents in certifying presidential elections — before the election, or wait for the lame-duck session at the end of the year.” Read more at Axios
New Covid-19 vaccine booster shots targeting Omicron subvariants have been authorized for use in the U.S.
PHOTO: AMIR HAMJA FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The U.S. plans to shift to annual Covid-19 shots as new boosters roll out.
“After updating recommendations for extra doses every several months earlier in the pandemic, health authorities want Americans to get boosted on a cadence similar to flu shots, though the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may need more frequent jabs. The change comes after many in the U.S. have ignored calls to get a first or second booster, partly due to fatigue with repeat inoculations.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“Juul has settled one of its major legal threats, agreeing to a $438.5 million deal over its sales and marketing practices related to teen vaping.
The agreement is with 33 states and Puerto Rico, and it pays out over a 6- to 10-year period, Axios' Jacob Knutson reports.
Why it matters: The company became notorious before the pandemic for the popularity of its e-cigarettes among teens, especially with flavors such as mint and mango.
Vaping's rapid adoption reversed decades of declining tobacco use, Axios' Arielle Dreher reported in May.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said, Juul ‘relentlessly marketed vaping products to underage youth, manipulated their chemical composition to be palatable to inexperienced users, employed an inadequate age verification process, and misled consumers about the nicotine content and addictiveness of its products.’
Juul denies any wrongdoing and says it already changed its marketing practices in 2019.
The settlement states that Juul will ‘severely’ reform its marketing and sales practices.
That means no free samples and no depictions of people under age 35 in marketing.
Zoom out: Juul faces a more existential threat from the FDA, which wants to ban the company from selling e-cigarettes, even to adults.
The bottom line: Teens have moved on.
E-cigarette brand Puff Bar eclipsed Juul among teens last year, WSJ reports.” Read more at Axios
Elon Musk’s and Twitter’s lawyers traded barbs in court over his stalled $44 billion takeover bid.
“At a hearing today in Delaware Chancery Court, they discussed the pace and substance of the discovery process and the timing of the trial. The two sides are expected to argue over whether the Tesla chief executive can bolster his counterclaims with allegations made by a whistleblower, Twitter’s former head of security, that the company failed to protect user data. The social-media platform sued Musk after he tried to walk away from their merger agreement; he countersued, accusing Twitter of misrepresenting the condition of its business and key user metrics.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Politico owner praised Trump
Kara Swisher interviews Mathias Döpfner yesterday. Photo: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Vox Media
“Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner, the new owner of Politico, defended a message to colleagues, revealed by The Washington Post, urging prayer for President Trump's re-election.
Why it matters: Axel Springer is trying to position itself as a centrist publisher. But the company's history and recent headlines suggest a culture gap between the German publishing giant and U.S. media, Axios Media Trends author Sara Fischer reports.
Döpfner has ‘never tried to influence journalists’ who work for him, he told Kara Swisher onstage at Vox Media's annual Code Conference, in Beverly Hills.
Döpfner said he sent the message in response to news that the Trump administration was suing Google, a move he supported.
Swisher said: ‘I've gotten at least a dozen emails from your employees today.’
The Post's Sarah Ellison cited a message sent by Döpfner to colleagues saying: ‘Do we all want to get together for an hour in the morning on November 3 and pray that Donald Trump will again become President of the United States of America?’
Ellison said Döpfner initially responded with a forceful denial. 'That's intrinsically false,’ he said. ‘That doesn't exist. It has never been sent and has never been even imagined.’
‘When shown a printout of the text,’ Ellison continued, ‘Döpfner allowed a glimmer of recognition. It's possible, he said, that he may have sent the [message] 'as an ironic, provocative statement in the circle of people that hate Donald Trump.’
‘Döpfner went on to argue that Trump had made the right moves on five of what he deemed the six most important issues of the last half century — 'defending the free democracies' against Russia and China, pushing NATO allies to up their contributions, 'tax reforms,' and Middle East peace efforts, as well as challenging tech monopolies — if falling short, he implied, on climate change,’ The Post added.
Also at Code, Döpfner said: ‘TikTok should be banned in every democracy.’
‘It's just insane not to do that,’ he continued, noting that Western companies aren't allowed to enter China without adhering to strict censorship laws.” Read more at Axios
“‘Cowboys for Trump’ founder Couy Griffin has been removed from his county commissioner role and banned from public office because of his role on Jan. 6. The last time a public official faced similar removal based on the 14th Amendment was in 1869, said Noah Bookbinder, the president of CREW, which was part of the lawsuit against Griffin.” Read more at Axios
Bannon to surrender
Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
“Steve Bannon plans to surrender tomorrow to state authorities in New York City on a sealed indictment likely related to a We Build the Wall fundraiser for the border, The Washington Post reports.
Bannon said: ‘I have not yet begun to fight. They will have to kill me first.’
The big picture: Former President Trump pardoned Bannon during his final moments in office, but that doesn't prevent state prosecutions.
The expected indictment comes weeks after Bannon, 68, was convicted of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House's Jan. 6 committee, Axios' Rebecca Falconer writes.” Read more at Axios
Cameras, Plexiglass, Fireproofing: Election Officials Beef Up Security
Election workers at the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office in Phoenix in August. The county has built up its election security measures since 2020.Credit...Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times
“In Wisconsin, one of the nation’s key swing states, cameras and plexiglass now fortify the reception area of a county election office in Madison, the capital, after a man wearing camouflage and a mask tried to open locked doors during an election in April.
In another bellwether area, Maricopa County, Ariz., where beleaguered election workers had to be escorted through a scrum of election deniers to reach their cars in 2020, a security fence was added to protect the perimeter of a vote tabulation center.
And in Colorado, the state’s top election official, Jena Griswold, the secretary of state and a Democrat, resorted to paying for private security out of her budget after a stream of threats.
As the nation hurtles closer to the midterm elections, those who will oversee them are taking a range of steps to beef up security for themselves, their employees, polling places and even drop boxes, tapping state and federal funding for a new set of defenses. The heightened vigilance comes as violent rhetoric from the right intensifies and as efforts to intimidate election officials by those who refuse to accept the results of the 2020 election become commonplace.” Read more at New York Times
“More than a third of Republican nominees for major state or federal offices this fall fully deny that President Biden won the 2020 election, according to FiveThirtyEight.” Read more at New York Times
“Stacey Abrams is trailing in polls of the Georgia governor’s race, worrying Democrats who hoped she would lead the state’s blue shift.” Read more at New York Times
Ten Victims Identified in Puget Sound Plane Crash
The U.S. Coast Guard issued the names of nine adults and one child who were aboard the seaplane when it crashed in the waters of Mutiny Bay north of Seattle.
“A day after the U.S. Coast Guard called off the search for survivors of a seaplane crash in Puget Sound, it released the names of 10 victims who perished on the flight.
The authorities identified nine adults, including the pilot, and one child who were aboard the commercial plane that crashed Sunday afternoon in Mutiny Bay, southwest of Whidbey Island and about 35 miles north of Seattle, the Coast Guard said Tuesday morning.
The Coast Guard identified the victims as Jason Winters, Patricia Hicks, Sandra Williams, Lauren Hilty, Remy Mickel, Ross Mickel, Luke Ludwig, Rebecca Ludwig, Joanne Mera and Gabrielle Hanna.
At least one family was on the flight: Mr. Mickel, the founder of Ross Andrew Winery; his wife, Ms. Hilty, who was pregnant and expected to give birth in October; and their 23-month-old son, Remy, a family member confirmed.” Read more at New York Times
Elected officials, police chiefs on leaked Oath Keepers list
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN51 minutes ago
“The names of hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the leaked membership rolls of a far-right extremist group that’s accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to a report released Wednesday.
The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism pored over more than 38,000 names on leaked Oath Keepers membership lists and identified more than 370 people it believes currently work in law enforcement agencies — including as police chiefs and sheriffs — and more than 100 people who are currently members of the military.
It also identified more than 80 people who were running for or served in public office as of early August. The membership information was compiled into a database published by the transparency collective Distributed Denial of Secrets.
The data raises fresh concerns about the presence of extremists in law enforcement and the military who are tasked with enforcing laws and protecting the U.S. It’s especially problematic for public servants to be associated with extremists at a time when lies about the 2020 election are fueling threats of violence against lawmakers and institutions.” Read more at AP News
Photo: Alberto Pezzali/AP
“Above: Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke outside Downing Street in London before heading to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where he announced his resignation to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
Below: The queen and Prime Minister-elect Liz Truss meet at Balmoral.” Read more at Axios
Photo: Jane Barlow/Pool via Getty Images
UK leader Truss holds 1st Cabinet meeting amid energy crisis
By JILL LAWLESS
“LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Liz Truss is holding her first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, after appointing a government diverse in race and gender and united in its support for the new leader’s staunchly free-market views.
Truss will also face her political opponents for the first time as leader during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons.
Truss, 47, was appointed prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday after winning an internal election to lead the governing Conservative Party.
She immediately put her stamp on the government, clearing out many ministers from the administration of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson — notably those who had backed her leadership rival, Rishi Sunak.
She made Kwasi Kwarteng her Treasury chief, a key role for a Cabinet whose inbox is dominated by the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which threatens to push energy bills to unaffordable levels, shuttering businesses and leaving the nation’s poorest people shivering at home this winter. Kwarteng is the first Black holder of the job, formally titled Chancellor of the Exchequer.” Read more at AP News
Suspect in deadly Canada stabbings has long criminal record
By ROB GILLIES and ROBERT BUMSTED
“JAMES SMITH CREE NATION, Saskatchewan (AP) — As a Canadian Indigenous community comes to grips with a deadly stabbing rampage by two of its own, many blamed rampant drug and alcohol use on the reserve that they linked to repeated failures by the government over many years.
One of the alleged attackers, Myles Sanderson, has 59 criminal convictions, according to parole documents. He’d been serving a sentence of four years and four months on charges that included assault with a weapon, assault on a peace officer and robbery when he was released.
Public Safety Minister Mendicino said he’s been told by the parole board there will be an investigation into its assessment of Myles Sanderson.
‘I want the know the reasons behind the decision’ to release him, he said. ‘I’m extremely concerned with what occurred here.’
Many of his past crimes happened when he was intoxicated, and he told parole officials substance use made him out of his mind. He had been sought for a parole violation since May.” Read more at AP News
“The United Nations atomic watchdog agency called for the establishment of a security zone around a Kremlin-controlled nuclear plant in Ukraine after reporting damage at the facility, warning that fighting poses a ‘constant threat’ to safety.
Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
“Ukrainian President Zelensky spoke virtually to the New York Stock Exchange today while promoting Advantage Ukraine, an initiative seeking $400 billion in foreign investment to help rebuild Ukraine.” [Axios] — Reuters
Vladimir Putin, whose war on Ukraine has likely killed tens of thousands and has triggered war crimes probes, sought to position Russia as leading the defense of ‘traditional’ cultural values.” Read more at Bloomberg
Vladimir Putin. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg
Putin, Xi to meet in Uzbekistan next week, official says
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a plenary session at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (Vladimir Smirnov/TASS News Agency Host Pool Photo via AP)
“MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet next week at a summit in Uzbekistan, a Russian official said Wednesday.
The two leaders will meet at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, held in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on Sept. 15-16, Russian Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov told reporters.” Read more at AP News
“After Labor Day, it’s back to the office for Wall Street. Big banks including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are clearing the final hurdles for full-time, in-person work, and once again reminding employees that they’re wanted in the office. After a few false starts, there’s a sense that this time it’s for real.” Read more at Bloomberg
AP Top 25: Georgia moves up to No. 2, passing Ohio State
By RALPH D. RUSSO
“Georgia moved up to No. 2 in the first Associated Press college football poll of the regular season, passing Ohio State, after the defending national champions dominated their opener.
Alabama remained No. 1 in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank released Tuesday, receiving 44 of 63 first-place votes from the media panel and 1,552 points.
The Bulldogs narrowed the gap on the Crimson Tide after beating Oregon 49-3 on Saturday. Georgia received 17 first-place votes.
Ohio State slipped to No. 3 and received two first-place votes. Michigan moved up four spots to No. 4.
Clemson dropped a spot to No. 5.
Florida debuted at No. 12 after its thrilling victory at home against Utah on Saturday night. The Utes slipped six spots to No. 13 after the loss.
The rest of the top 10 was Texas A&M at No. 6, followed by Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Baylor and Southern California.
USC is in the top 10 for the first time since the final regular-season poll of 2017, when the Trojans were eighth.” Read more at AP News
Garcia, 28, tops Gauff, 18, at US Open for 1st Slam semi
By HOWARD FENDRICH
“NEW YORK (AP) — Caroline Garcia knows how it can feel to be a teen in tennis getting a ton of attention and outsized expectations, the way Coco Gauff does now.
One big difference: Garcia, now 28, became an overnight sensation more than a decade ago thanks to one particularly noteworthy performance on a big stage — and long before she achieved the sorts of things Gauff has at 18.
On Tuesday night at the U.S. Open, Garcia took charge and never really let Gauff — or the crowd — get fully involved. From the get-go, Garcia played high-stakes tennis and put strokes where she wanted, sometimes right at Gauff’s feet, sometimes well out of reach, and reached the first Grand Slam semifinal of her career with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium.” Read more at AP News
Retailers embrace ‘inclusive sizing’
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
“Inclusive sizing is one of the biggest trends in retail, leaving fashion brands scrambling to extend women's clothing lines well beyond traditional offerings, Jennifer A. Kingson writes for Axios What's Next.
The brass ring is to offer sizes 00-40 — not just ‘plus’ sizes 16-26 — in everything from jeans and lingerie to formalwear.
Why it matters: As the average American woman has become larger — and younger women embrace body positivity — the term ‘plus size’ is being banished.
The average U.S. woman wears size 16 or 18, according to a 2016 study still considered the industry benchmark.
But 42% of American adults ‘gained more weight than they intended’ during the pandemic, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association and the Harris Poll.
What's happening: Major retailers — including Nordstrom, Target, Kohl's and Anthropologie — have introduced inclusive sizing options.
Long relegated to stretchy ‘athleisure’ clothing, inclusive sizing is now ‘a big driver in intimates,’ says Juliana Prather, chief marketing officer at Edited, a retail data analytics company: ‘It's becoming something to talk about in luxury.’” Read more at Axios