The Full Belmonte, 9/9/2022
Monarch for the ages
The Union flag is lowered on Windsor Castle. Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
“For the first time in more than 70 years, the British royal anthem will no longer include the words ‘God Save the Queen.’
The big picture: Queen Elizabeth II, who died today at 96, was the country's longest-serving monarch.
More than 80% of living U.K. citizens were born during her rule, and 15 prime ministers served at her blessing, starting with Winston Churchill and ending with Liz Truss.
A promise fulfilled: ‘My whole life,’ she said in a Cape Town speech in 1947, ‘whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.’
Left: Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace after her coronation on June 2, 1953. Photo: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images; Right: Queen Elizabeth II on Dec. 11, 2019. Photo: Victoria Jones/WPA Pool/Getty Images
Royal correspondent Jonny Dymond noted in the BBC's obituary that the Queen never gave an interview:
‘Once or twice she would be filmed 'in conversation' with a trusted friend, talking amicably about something uncontroversial’ — the royal jewelry collection, for instance.
Today's news moved fast: The royal social-media accounts carried a statement this morning saying doctors were concerned for her health.
Her family gathered at Balmoral Castle, the Queen's Scotland estate.
The official Royal announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on the gates of Buckingham Palace. Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage
What's next: Don't expect a quick coronation for King Charles III.
More than a year passed between Queen Elizabeth II's succession to the throne and her coronation at Westminster Abbey, the site of coronations for more than 900 years.
Go deeper: Her life in pictures ... BBC obituary ... World leaders react
Data: Axios research; Map: Thomas Oide/Axios
King Charles III will take over a dramatically different United Kingdom than the one his mother ruled at the start of her reign.” Read more at Axios
The 14 other countries where Charles will be head of state, per the BBC:
Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada
Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu
After a lifetime of preparation, Charles takes the throne
By DANICA KIRKA
“LONDON (AP) — Prince Charles has been preparing for the crown his entire life. Now, at age 73, that moment has finally arrived.
Charles, the oldest person to ever assume the British throne, became King Charles III on Thursday following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. No date has been set for his coronation.
After an apprenticeship that began as a child, Charles embodies the modernization of the British monarchy. He was the first heir not educated at home, the first to earn a university degree and the first to grow up in the ever-intensifying glare of the media as deference to royalty faded.
He also alienated many with his messy divorce from the much-loved Princess Diana, and by straining the rules that prohibit royals from intervening in public affairs, wading into debates on issues such as environmental protection and architectural preservation,
‘He now finds himself in, if you like, the autumn of his life, having to think carefully about how he projects his image as a public figure,’ said historian Ed Owens. ‘He’s nowhere near as popular as his mother.’” Read more at AP News
“The Justice Department is seeking to overturn a federal judge’s ruling that blocked investigators from reviewing a range of highly-sensitive documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Prosecutors said in a new court filing that temporarily halting the federal criminal probe into the ex-president’s handling and storage of classified materials would result in ‘irreparable harm’ to the government and the public. They also said that U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon’s attempt to enjoin the investigation while permitting a parallel national security review of the seized documents was unworkable.
DOJ also contended that it's urgent the FBI be permitted to help investigate dozens of empty folders found at Mar-a-Lago with classification markings to determine what they once held and whether their contents ‘may have been lost or compromised.’
In its filing, the Justice Department asks Cannon to exclude all documents with classification markings from any special master review while the government appealed her ruling to the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.” Read more at POLITICO
“Two tropical storms are moving toward the East and West Coasts of the US today, with each packing forceful winds that could create a slew of different challenges for millions of people. In California, residents are bracing for Tropical Storm Kay, which could bring a year's worth of rain in the coming hours. This has triggered flood concerns in parts of southern California where damaging winds are already threatening to extend a brutal heat wave that's fueled raging wildfires. On the East Coast, dangerous rip currents are expected at beaches this weekend as Hurricane Earl churns in the Atlantic near Bermuda. Forecasts from the National Hurricane Center show Earl has already whipped up sustained winds close to 90 mph with even higher gusts.” Read more at CNN
“The mayor of Washington, DC, declared a public health emergency on Thursday in response to the thousands of migrants arriving in the nation's capital by bus from Texas and Arizona. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott started busing migrants to Washington in April to protest the Biden administration's immigration policies. Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, another Republican, so far have sent hundreds of buses to DC, and neither has expressed any intention of stopping. Texas has sent more than 7,900 migrants to DC and more than 2,200 migrants to New York City. Arizona, which is only sending buses to DC, has sent 1,677 migrants.” Read more at CNN
Trump’s Save America PAC finds itself in DOJ’s crosshairs
The department has issued subpoenas seeking information on the former president’s major fundraising arm.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a rally to support local candidates on September 3, 2022 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images
“The Justice Department is eyeing Donald Trump’s Save America PAC, a key fundraising arm for the former president, according to a person familiar with the matter.
A grand jury has issued subpoenas seeking information about the group, that person told POLITICO. The subpoenas were first reported by ABC News.
The move comes as the Justice Department increases its scrutiny of Trump and his allies. Earlier this summer, the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at his Mar-a-Lago estate sent shockwaves through the political world. And now, news that a grand jury is demanding information about the fundraising behemoth shows that Trump’s legal issues continue to grow.
Save America is a leadership PAC that was set up shortly after President Joe Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election. It has raised tens of millions of dollars, including in the aftermath of Trump’s defeat, during which it asked for money to support efforts to challenge those results.
Leadership PACs have enormous latitude to spend donor money. The Washington Post calculated that as of June of this year, half the money given to Save America came from retirees.” Read more at POLITICO
After a Legal Fight, Oberlin Says It Will Pay $36.59 Million to a Local Bakery
Gibson’s Bakery said the liberal arts college had falsely accused it of racism after a Black student was caught shoplifting.
“Oberlin College, known as a bastion of progressive politics, said on Thursday that it would pay $36.59 million to a local bakery that said it had been defamed and falsely accused of racism after a worker caught a Black student shoplifting.
That 2016 dispute with Gibson’s Bakery resulted in a yearslong legal fight and resonated beyond the small college town in Ohio, turning into a bitter national debate over criminal justice, race, free speech and whether the college had failed to hold students to account.
The decision by the college’s board of trustees, announced Thursday, came nine days after the Ohio Supreme Court had declined to hear the college’s appeal of a lower-court ruling.” Read more at New York Times
Doug Mastriano appears with former President Trump in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., last Saturday. Photo: Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“Some GOP candidates are softening their rhetoric and scrubbing their campaign websites of hardline positions as the midterms get closer.
But Doug Mastriano is doing the opposite in the Pennsylvania governor's race, one of the nation's most important contests, Axios' Jonathan Swan, Josh Kraushaar and Lachlan Markay report.
The Trump-endorsed state senator has doubled down on false claims about the 2020 election. He's ghosting the mainstream media — and spending nothing on TV advertising, relying instead on Facebook livestreams and far-right media.
He has a small staff largely unknown to Pennsylvania politicos. And he may tap a woman who has described QAnon as a ‘very valuable resource’ to be the state's top election official.
Why it matters: Mastriano, who was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is a new model of ultra-MAGA candidate.
If Mastriano achieves an unlikely victory in November, he would control election machinery of a key battleground state in 2024.
Mastriano completely avoids the mainstream media. He rarely appears even on Fox News.
When Mastriano does do interviews, it's almost entirely with far-right personalities like Steve Bannon. Until recently, Mastriano refused to even allow mainstream news reporters into his events.
Mastriano appears to have very little money:
His opponent, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, has already committed around $35 million to TV advertising, including $16.9 million for the fall. Mastriano has so far reserved zero dollars in fall advertising spending, according to a Pennsylvania operative closely monitoring campaign advertising data.
Instead, Mastriano has built an organic grassroots following through Facebook.
The MAGA base loves Mastriano. At Saturday night's Trump rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Mastriano connected powerfully. His speech was frequently interrupted by roars from the crowd.
Mastriano has made no apparent effort to pivot to the center — a common tactic for candidates as they end their primaries and face a broader electorate.
Mastriano expanded his website's section on ‘election integrity’ after winning his primary. He has also talked about how the election is crucial because the winner will choose the secretary of state, who'll oversee Pennsylvania elections in 2024.
Mastriano has said he's already chosen this person, and let slip that it's a "her." Pennsylvania operatives following the race closely speculate he'll pick Toni Shuppe, co-founder and CEO of Audit the Vote PA, who claims the 2020 election was stolen from former President Trump.” Read more at Axios
“Some companies are rolling back mandates for employee COVID vaccination — but few are making official public statements about it, Emily Peck reports for Axios Markets.
Why it matters: The moves signal that we’ve shifted into a new chapter of the pandemic — and that employers are desperate to get people back to the office.
What's happening: Employers are trying to reduce any barriers to entry for new hires, says Erin Grau, co-founder of Charter, a media and services company focused on the future of work.
The requirements are also expensive and time-consuming for employers — another reason to stop, she adds.
Zoom out: The White House yesterday called on businesses to take certain actions to protect employees and customers from COVID-19 this fall. Mandates weren't on the list.
Instead, the administration says employers should be ‘helping their employees access updated COVID-19 vaccines.’
Not all companies are giving up on mandates. Many hospitals and other health care providers do require vaccination.
Boeing, Google, Edelman and Meta told Axios Seattle reporter Melissa Santos that employees who enter the office must be vaccinated.” Read more at Axios
Michigan abortion ballot measure will be put to voters in November
“The Michigan Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of adding a proposal to the November ballot enshrining the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution, ending a partisan feud that unexpectedly erupted when a state board refused to approve the question last week.
The decision from the state’s highest court came after a four-member Michigan elections board deadlocked over whether to allow the initiative. Two Republican members on the Board of State Canvassers declined to certify the question, which required three votes, citing objections to the spacing and readability of the proposal text.
The Reproductive Freedom for All campaign, which led the signature drive behind the ballot question, petitioned the court to ‘honor the will of the people’ and let voters decide. RFFA asked justices to expedite a decision before a Sept. 9 deadline when wording for constitutional amendments and legislative referendums must be finalized for the November ballot. Final ballots are mailed to overseas and military voters starting Sept. 24.” Read more at Washington Post
“The U.S. plans to send $675 million in new military assistance to Ukraine and $2 billion in additional funding for that country and others in the region.
The aid package will include rockets for multiple-launch systems, howitzers, missiles, antitank mines, Humvees, ammunition, armored medical-treatment vehicles, night-vision equipment, small arms and grenade launchers, a State Department spokesman said. The aid brings total U.S. military assistance for Ukraine to more than $15 billion under the Biden administration, with most provided since Russia’s invasion in February.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“The Pentagon has sent Ukraine its most accurate artillery shell, the GPS-guided Excalibur, according to budget documents that confirm the previously unannounced addition to the arsenal assembled to combat the Russian invasion.” Read more at Bloomberg
An M982A1 Excalibur round being loaded into a howitzer during US Army training in 2020. Photographer: Staff Sgt. Ashley Morris/US Army
World Leaders Pay Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
“Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died on Thursday after ruling for 70 years. She was 96 years old.
News of her death sparked a cascade of grief around the world, although perhaps nowhere as intensely as in England, where thousands of tearful mourners congregated outside of Buckingham Palace to pay their respects. British Prime Minister Liz Truss, whom the queen had met just days earlier, called her ‘the rock on which modern Britain was built.’
Elizabeth II ‘may be best remembered as a leader who provided a model of constancy in a rapidly shifting world,’ Robin Oakley wrote in an obituary for Foreign Policy. ‘She was admired by monarchists and republicans alike for her unswerving devotion to duty and her refusal to bend to the faddish expectations of critics.’
From Europe to Asia, world leaders paid tribute to her legacy and expressed their condolences. U.S. President Joe Biden said the queen ‘defined an era,’ while French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that she ‘embodied the British nation’s continuity and unity.’ ‘I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century,’ he added.
These sentiments were echoed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who eulogized Elizabeth II as ‘a stalwart of our times,’ and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who said her passing was a blow to the international community. Even Russian President Vladimir Putin weighed in, wishing King Charles III ‘courage and perseverance in the face of this heavy, irreparable loss.’
Kenyan President-elect William Ruto praised her leadership in the Commonwealth. ‘She steered the institution’s evolution into a forum for effective multilateral engagement whose potential to drive tremendous socioeconomic progress remain incontestable and redounds to the Queen’s historic legacy,’ he tweeted.
But as monarch—and through the Commonwealth—Elizabeth II also presided over an institution with a dark legacy of colonialism and subjugation that has profoundly shaped the world today.
This legacy is especially clear in the Caribbean, where several nations that still retained her as head of state, also called Commonwealth realms, are now pushing to leave the monarchy behind, as Mary Yang reported for Foreign Policy. The countries want ‘the ability to elect their own head of state, independent of an external body, to oversee domestic and foreign affairs,’ Yang wrote.
‘But the issue goes beyond a formality,’ she added. ‘It would be a symbolic move for formerly colonized countries to unlink themselves from the former empire that enslaved and brutalized their ancestors.’
Elizabeth’s son, King Charles III, ascends the throne as Britain grapples with a spiraling economic crisis under a new prime minister.
‘Perhaps Elizabeth’s greatest achievement was her skill at bending to the forces of modernity without breaking,’ Owen Matthews wrote in an obituary for Foreign Policy. ‘Her successor will have to do likewise by embracing not only the office but also the magic.’” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Solomon Islands controversy. The Solomon Islands’ parliament has decided to postpone elections until 2024, alarming the opposition and stoking fears of a potential power grab. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, who has deepened the country’s ties with China, insisted that the decision was rooted in resource constraints.
‘The reasons are simple and we have consistently said this since day one, we cannot successfully host the national general election and the Pacific Games in the same year while our economy is still recovering from the impacts of Covid-19 and the damage caused by public unrest,’ he said.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Warming world. Europe’s scorching summer of heat waves and drought, worsened by climate change, was its hottest summer ever recorded, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The previous record had been set last year.
It’s not only Europe. According to a new report published in the Review of Geophysics, countries in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean are now heating up nearly twice as quickly as other regions.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“New U.N. rights official. Volker Türk, an Austrian diplomat, was appointed the United Nations’ new top human rights official on Thursday. He follows Michelle Bachelet, who ended her tenure last week.
‘Deeply honoured to be appointed U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights,’ he tweeted. ‘I feel a deep sense of responsibility & will give it my all to advance the promises of Universal Declaration of Human Rights for everyone, everywhere.’” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Korean family reunions. In an unexpected offer, South Korea has proposed talks with North Korea over reuniting family members split up by the Korean War.
‘We hope that responsible officials of the two sides will meet in person as soon as possible for a candid discussion on humanitarian matters including the issue of separated families,’ said South Korea’s Unification Minister Kwon Young-se.” Read more at Foreign Policy
Bernard Shaw, unflappable founding anchor at CNN, dies at 82
A stalwart presence on the 24-hour news network for two decades, he helped elevate CNN to global prominence with his riveting coverage from Baghdad during the Persian Gulf War
“Bernard Shaw, a journalist who left network TV in 1980 for the uncertainty of anchoring at the first 24-hour cable news network — CNN — and whose steady-under-missile-fire coverage from Baghdad during the Persian Gulf War helped elevate the outlet to global prominence, died Sept. 7 at a Washington-area hospital. He was 82.
The cause was pneumonia, his family said in a statement.
With his unflappable demeanor and somber intonation — his heroes were broadcasters Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite — Mr. Shaw was credited with bringing professional polish to an experiment initially laughed off as the ‘Chicken Noodle Network’ for challenging the Big Three networks for news dominance.
A onetime Marine who got his professional start in Chicago news radio, he joined CNN after covering Washington for CBS and reporting for ABC from Latin America, where he was one of the first journalists on the ground following the 1978 Jonestown massacre in Guyana.” Read more at Washington Post
Swiatek, Jabeur will meet in 1st US Open final for both
By HOWARD FENDRICH
“NEW YORK (AP) — Getting to a Grand Slam final is no longer new to Ons Jabeur. She figures it’s time to add a major trophy to her list of groundbreaking accomplishments.
And she’s sure she is more ready to do it at the U.S. Open than she was at Wimbledon two months ago.
Jabeur reached a second consecutive Slam title match without needing to produce her best tennis Thursday night, taking full advantage of a shaky showing by Caroline Garcia to win their semifinal at Flushing Meadows 6-1, 6-3.
‘Feels more real, to be honest with you, just to be in the final again. At Wimbledon, I was kind of just living the dream, and I couldn’t believe it,’ Jabeur said after ending No. 17 Garcia’s 13-match winning streak, which included a victory over Coco Gauff. ‘Now maybe I know what to do.’
On Saturday, with a championship on the line, Jabeur will go up against No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek, who grabbed the last four games, and 16 of the last 20 points, to come back and beat No. 6 Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.” Read more at AP News