The Full Belmonte, 9/9/2023
Hurricane Lee, now Category 4, to affect ‘most of the U.S. East Coast’
“Hurricane Lee is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through early next week, and will affect ‘most of the U.S. East Coast’ beginning this weekend, the National Hurricane Center said.
Lee is now a major Category 4 storm, downgraded slightly after becoming the season’s first Category 5 hurricane overnight.
Lee is currently located about 565 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, and moving west-northwest at 13 mph, according to the latest NHC update.
The hurricane is not expected to make landfall, but it will bring ocean swells to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and rip currents to the East Coast this weekend, the NHC said.
‘Dangerous surf and rip currents are expected to begin along most of the U.S. East Coast beginning Sunday,’ according to the NHC. Click here for Al Roker’sforecast.” [NBC News]
Body cam shows prolific federal drug prosecutor offering cops business card in DUI crash arrest
“Body-camera video obtained by AP shows one of the nation’s most prolific federal drug prosecutors offering police his business card in an apparent attempt to blunt fallout from a July 4 crash in which he was accused of being drunk and fleeing the scene.” Read More at AP News
The IRS plans to crack down on 1,600 millionaires to collect millions of dollars in back taxes
“The IRS announced on Friday it is launching an effort to aggressively pursue 1,600 millionaires and 75 large business partnerships that owe hundreds of millions of dollars in past due taxes.” Read More at AP News
Philadelphia officer charged with murder, bodycam released
“The Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver sitting in his car last month has been charged with murder and other counts, the district attorney announced, and bodycam video (warning: graphic) contradicting the initial police report has been released.
Officer Mark Dial turned himself in this morning to face charges in the death of Eddie Irizarry, the district attorney said.
Police initially said Irizarry was shot outside his car after lunging at officers with a knife. But the bodycam video shows Dial exiting his cruiser, demanding to see Irizarry’s hands, then firing six shots as Irizarry was still sitting in his car, all within a matter of seconds.
Two days after the shooting, Philadelphia police changed their story about what happened. Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the bodycam footage ‘made it very clear what we initially reported was not actually what happened.’
In their revised account, police said that two knives ‘were observed inside the vehicle.’ An attorney for Irizarry’s family has said it appears from the footage that he’s trying to put a knife away as he’s approached by police.
Dial’s attorney said in a statement that the ‘the facts will unmistakably show’ that Dial ‘was legally justified in discharging his weapon while fearing for his life.’
Dial has been suspended from the force with the intention that he be terminated after 30 days, Outlaw said last month.” [NBC News]
Georgia grand jury recommended charging Lindsey Graham, two former senators
“The special grand jury investigating alleged efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia recommended charges against 39 people, compared to the 19 who were ultimately indicted, according to a report released today.
Among those recommended for charges but not indicted were Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, and former Georgia Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, and Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn.
It’s unclear from the report why the charges were recommended, or why Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis decided not to pursue them for Graham and the others.
Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has said he felt Graham had pressured him during a phone call to toss out certain absentee ballots.
Graham has denied that, and said today that he merely had questions about the mail-in ballot process.
‘I didn’t find any evidence of mass voter fraud, but I did have concerns about the mail-in ballot systems in Georgia and other places,’ Graham said. ‘This is troubling for the country, we can’t criminalize senators doing their job when they have a Constitutional requirement to fulfill.’” [NBC News]
Guard fired after convicted killer escaped from Pennsylvania prison
“The prison guard on duty at the time a convicted killer escaped from prison has been fired, a Chester County spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.
The officer was an 18-year veteran of the force and was terminated yesterday. County officials are not naming the corrections officer at this time.
Authorities are focusing their search for Danelo Cavalcante on the area surrounding a popular botanical garden, as the manhunt enters its ninth day.
Another potential sighting of Cavalcante was reported Thursday at Longwood Gardens, where he had previously been seen on a trail cam on Monday.
Longwood Gardens evacuated guests and closed early to allow police to search the grounds, but their efforts came up empty once again.” [NBC News]
“Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 83, will run for re-election to her San Francisco-based House seat, she announced today.” [NBC News]
Judge rejects Meadows effort to move election case from Georgia to federal court in big win for Willis
BY ZACH SCHONFELD AND REBECCA BEITSCH
“A federal judge has rejected former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’s attempt to move his charges in the Georgia election interference case to federal court.
The ruling was a broad rejection of arguments from Meadows that his case should be heard in federal court because he was acting in his capacity as chief of staff at the time.
It marks a major victory for Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (D), who has pushed back on the attempt by Meadows and multiple other defendants to move their charges out of state court.”
Read the full story here at The Hill
”Trump hosts a $100,000-per-person fundraiser to help Giuliani pay legal bills
Former President Donald Trump hosted a $100,000-a-plate fundraiser for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club as Giuliani struggles to pay his mounting legal bills.” Read More at AP News
Not Real News: A look at what didn't happen this week
“A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. Here are the facts.” Read More at AP News
“Leaders of the Group of 20 nations are meeting this weekend in New Delhi, and they’re set to issue a communique telling the world that economic uncertainty remains high—thanks in part to ‘cascading crises’ that have presented obstacles to long-term growth. More darkly, the group will warn that the balance of risks to the global outlook is tilted to the downside. The International Monetary Fund warned in April that its outlook for global growth over the next five years was the weakest in more than three decades, and urged nations to avoid economic fragmentation caused by geopolitical tension. It seems the G-20 may be similarly pessimistic. —David E. Rovella [Bloomberg]
“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed disappointment the leaders of China and Russia opted to skip the G-20 leaders’ summit during a private meeting with President Joe Biden, US officials said Friday. ‘For our Indian partners, there is substantial disappointment that they’re not here and gratitude that we are,’ said Kurt Campbell, Indo-Pacific coordinator on the White House National Security Council. Russian leader Vladimir Putin isn’t attending for the second straight year following his invasion of Ukraine, while Chinese leader Xi Jinping didn’t travel to India amid growing tensions between Beijing and New Delhi.” [Bloomberg]
President Joe Biden arrives in New Delhi for the G-20 summit on Friday. Biden may seek to make inroads with nations that China and Russia have been courting. Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP
“India is studying possible responses to any potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan following discreet inquiries from the US on how it could contribute in the event of a war. About six weeks ago, Defense Chief General Anil Chauhan—India’s top military commander—commissioned a study to examine the wider impact of any war over the island democracy that also involves the US and its allies, and what action India could take in response.” [Bloomberg]
Indian Army soldiers near the Line of Actual Control neighboring China, in India’s Arunachal Pradesh state. Photographer: Monry Sharma/AFP
Rubiales’s Red Card
A protester holds a sign reading ‘With you Jenni’ during a demonstration called by feminist associations in support of Spanish athlete Jenni Hermoso in Madrid on Aug. 28.Oscar del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images
“Spanish state prosecutors filed charges against Luis Rubiales, the now-suspended president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, for sexual assault on Friday. Rubiales is accused of kissing forward Jenni Hermoso on the mouth without her consent after Spain beat England in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney on Aug. 20. If convicted, the former soccer chief could face one to four years in prison.
Among the charges, Rubiales has also been accused of coercion for pressuring Hermoso to speak out in his defense when the scandal first erupted. Hermoso has since denounced his behavior, saying she felt like a ‘victim of an aggression’ and was ‘not respected.’ Prosecutors presented their case to Spain’s National Court in Madrid just two days after Hermoso formally accused Rubiales of sexual assault.
Friday’s charges are just the latest action taken against Rubiales. On Aug. 27, FIFA announced Rubiales’s 90-day suspension, one day after the soccer head refused to step down from his post, calling the accusations against him a ‘witch hunt’ by ‘false feminists.’
Despite Rubiales apologizing for his wording, acting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez publicly condemned his behavior. ‘What we saw was an unacceptable gesture,’ Sánchez said, referring to both Rubiales’s nonconsensual kiss as well as a lewd gesture he made following Spain’s victory. ‘The apologies he has given are not enough. I believe they are not adequate.’
The Spanish government has since also launched an investigation into Rubiales’s potential abuse of power. The 46-year-old has been at the federation’s helm since 2018. If found unfit to hold the body’s presidency, he could be removed from office for up to two years.
The sexual assault charges came the same day that Spain’s women’s soccer league kicked off a strike to secure better wages and working conditions. Among their primary concerns, union members are calling for Spain’s league to increase the minimum salary for women players. Female athletes’ salaries start at roughly $17,000; however, male athletes start at around $192,000. League administrators argue that the federation cannot afford to increase earnings because the women’s league makes only $8.6 million versus the men’s $98.5 million projections.
Negotiations have been ongoing for 11 months, but recent allegations against Rubiales as well as the firing of Jorge Vilda, the women’s national soccer coach, on Tuesday for controlling behavior have pushed Spain’s soccer unions forward in their pursuit of stronger protections. The season was set to start on Friday, but the strike will postpone games scheduled for this weekend as well as next weekend.” [Foreign Policy]
“Pyongyang’s Hero submarine. North Korea expanded its maritime capabilities on Wednesday when it launched its first-ever tactical nuclear attack submarine. Named Hero Kim Kun Ok after a North Korean naval officer, the submarine is a modified Soviet-era vessel first acquired by China in the 1970s. It will patrol the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Although able to hold ballistic and cruise missiles, the vessel’s outdated, noisy design will likely not make it a valuable asset in a potential future war.
Despite these drawbacks, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un heralded the submarine’s launch as a monumental step forward for Pyongyang’s military prowess. Achieving rapid naval development ‘is a priority that cannot be delayed’ given ‘the enemies’ recent aggressive moves and military acts,’ Kim said in a speech directed at the United States and South Korea. The two powers held joint large-scale military drills last month to counter growing North Korean aggression.” [Foreign Policy]
“Flooding in Hong Kong. An umbrella won’t be enough to battle the intense rains hitting Hong Kong this week. Friday marked the city’s heaviest rainfall in 140 years of recorded history—hitting almost 8 inches. At least two people have been killed and more than 140 others injured as malls, metro stations, and local neighborhoods have been flooded by the region’s intense typhoon season. Hong Kong’s weather bureau issued a ‘black’ warning on Friday, its highest alert possible.
Hong Kong isn’t the only area fighting rising floodwaters. Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria are all struggling to conduct search and rescue operations as record-setting rainfall causes mudslides and flash floods. At least 15 people have been killed in the region as of Thursday. Scientists warn that excessive rainfall, extreme heat, and wildfires are all more likely to occur as climate change worsens.” [Foreign Policy]
“Elections amid war. Russian officials held elections in four occupied territories of Ukraine on Friday to choose regional legislatures that will go on to select regional governors. Elections in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia will conclude on Sunday. Kyiv and its Western allies denounced the Kremlin’s efforts to tighten its control on the illegally annexed areas, calling the elections ‘a flagrant violation of international law.’
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday his intention to hold presidential elections in the near future. Until now, it was unclear whether Zelensky would hold wartime elections.” [Foreign Policy]
“US household net worth jumped to a record in the second quarter as the value of real estate holdings and stocks rose. It increased $5.5 trillion, or 3.7%, in the April-June period to $154.3 trillion, a Fed report showed Friday. The value of equity holdings climbed about $2.6 trillion in the second quarter, while the value of real estate held by households rose $2.5 billion.” [Bloomberg]
“If you want to know how quickly electric vehicles might spread across the US, just look at California. In the past five years, EVs have gone from 2% of new-car sales in the state to 22%. The pace of adoption in California picked up significantly once EVs reached 5% of new-car sales, a threshold at which preferences start to flip for mainstream car buyers. California was one of the first major car markets to reach that tipping point, in 2018, and so far 23 countries have been added to the list.” [Bloomberg]
Scorching heat breaks U.S. Open players
Novak Djokovic tries to stay cool with ice bags between games on Tuesday. Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
“Brutal temperatures and stifling humidity at this year's U.S. Open have pushed some of the world's best tennis players to the brink.
Why it matters: New York's late-summer heat wave can get dangerous fast when you're chasing serves above 130 mph for hours in the sun.
High temperatures this week in New York have hovered in the 90s, with more than 50% humidity.
Players say conditions on the court have been excruciating.
‘One player [is] gonna die, and they're gonna see,’ Daniil Medvedev, the No. 3 men's player, said during a match on Wednesday.
Between the lines: Average highs during the Open and the three other majors have gotten higher and more dangerous in recent decades, according to an AP analysis.
Researchers found that hot temperatures increase errors and reduce players' win probabilities in subsequent matches, Axios Generate co-author Ben Geman writes.
The other side: Some players who train in Florida want to use the heat to their advantage.
‘The hotter the better,’ says Coco Gauff, who plays in her first U.S. Open final tomorrow.” [Axios]