The Conversation -- April 12, 2024

Marie: Circumstances forced me to listen to a few minutes of a Trump presser. where he informed me that there would have been peace and prosperity, health and happiness throughout the world if he had been president* these last several years. So why this? ~~~

~~~ Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago? Top News in the NYT, April 12, 2020: "Behind Trump's Failure on the Virus: ... Throughout January, as Mr. Trump repeatedly played down the seriousness of the virus and focused on other issues, an array of figures inside his government -- from top White House advisers to experts deep in the cabinet departments and intelligence agencies -- identified the threat, sounded alarms and made clear the need for aggressive action. The president, though, was slow to absorb the scale of the risk and to act accordingly, focusing instead on controlling the message, protecting gains in the economy and batting away warnings from senior officials. It was a problem, he said, that had come out of nowhere and could not have been foreseen."

Priscilla Alvarez & Michael Williams of CNN: "Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday called the Arizona Supreme Court ruling that banned abortions in almost all cases an 'inflection point' in the fight over abortion rights and pointed the blame at Donald Trump. Harris headed to Arizona to mobilize voters who see November's election as a referendum on women's rights, one of the Biden campaign's key issues in the upcoming election. The vice president has become a go-to voice for the campaign on abortion rights and quickly announced a trip to Tucson after Tuesday's ruling."

Zach Montague of the New York Times: "President Biden canceled $7.4 billion in student loan debt on Friday as he tries to shore up support with young voters who are disproportionately affected by soaring education costs, but who may be drifting away over his policy on Israel and the war in Gaza. The latest round of relief is part of a strategy by the White House to take smaller, targeted actions for certain subsets of borrowers after the Supreme Court struck down a far more ambitious plan to wipe out $400 billion in debt last year. Mr. Biden said this week that he would make another attempt at large-scale debt forgiveness for about 30 million people, despite Republican opposition and legal challenges. But in the meantime, he has been chipping away at student debt by fixing and streamlining existing programs that have been plagued by bureaucratic and other problems for years." CNN's report is here.

Luke Broadwater & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The House took a critical first step on Friday toward reauthorizing a law extending an expiring warrantless surveillance law that national security officials say is crucial to fighting terrorism, voting to take it up two days after a previous attempt to pass it collapsed. Grasping to salvage the measure before the law expires next week, Speaker Mike Johnson put forward a shorter extension -- two years instead of five -- in a move that appeared to win over hard-right Republicans who blocked the bill earlier this week. On a party-line vote of 213 to 208, the House agreed to take up the new version of the legislation, which would extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702. That cleared the way for a debate Friday on proposed changes to the bill before a final vote on passage. The preliminary vote on Friday suggested that the measure was back on track after ... Donald J. Trump implored lawmakers this week to 'kill' FISA, complaining that government officials had used it to spy on him. Should it pass the House, the Senate would still have to clear it, sending it to President Biden for his signature." ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated: "In a major turnaround, the House on Friday passed a two-year reauthorization of an expiring warrantless surveillance law that had stalled this week amid G.O.P. resistance stoked by ... Donald J. Trump. The bill would extend a provision known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, that is set to lapse next Friday.... The final vote was 273 to 147, with both parties split. One hundred and twenty-six Republicans joined 147 Democrats in favor, while 88 Republicans and 59 Democrats were opposed.... This week [Trump] directed lawmakers ... to 'KILL FISA,' asserting that it had been used to illegally spy on his 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Trump's contention was incoherent as a matter of law and policy because there are two types of FISA surveillance and the type that is expiring -- Section 702 -- has nothing to do with the type the F.B.I. used in its investigation into the links between his campaign and Russia amid Moscow's covert efforts to help him win the 2016 election." Politico's report is here.

Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: "Donald Trump on Friday urged his followers to support his social media app Truth Social, as its parent company's stock continues to sink lower. Trump in a post on that app said he believes Truth Social embodies the political 'movement' behind his 'Make America Great Again' presidential campaign slogan, adding that 'it shows the Spirit and Love of our Country.'... Trump Media's share price on Friday morning dipped below $30, a decline of more than $40 from its roaring start. It ended the trading day up 0.6%, but failed to offset an almost 20% decline on the week. Shares are down nearly 50% so far in April. Trump is nevertheless poised to reap a financial windfall from the company."

"MAGA Mike." Alex Gangitano of the Hill: "President Biden's reelection campaign unveiled a video Friday linking former President Trump with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in an attempt to highlight their views on reproductive rights issues. In the video 'MAGA Mike,' first shared with The Hill, the Biden campaign complied remarks from both Republicans about reproductive rights.... The video was released days after Trump said he would not sign a national abortion ban if reelected and such a bill passed Congress, a comment that the Biden campaign quickly dismissed as a lie, citing his record on the issue." ~~~

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Richard Luscombe of the Guardian: "The sale of firearms on the internet and at gun shows in the US will in future be subject to mandatory background checks, the justice department said on Thursday as it announced a 'historic' new action to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals. The closing of the so-called gun show loophole, which exempts private transactions from restrictions that apply to licensed dealers, has long been a goal of the Biden administration.... The White House estimates that 22% of guns owned by Americans were acquired without a background check and that about 23,000 more individuals will be required to be licensed as a dealer after the rule's implementation.... [Attorney General Merrick] Garland presented the rule as a hardening of the 2022 bipartisan Safer Communities Act.... 'The regulation expands the definition of who must obtain a license and conduct a background check before selling guns,' Garland said. 'It will close the gun show loophole, and it closes the fire-sale loophole by clarifying how firearms dealers who go out of business must go about liquidating their inventory.'... The new rule is the latest in a series of unilateral steps the Biden administration has taken to tighten gun laws, while at the same time highlighting the difficulty of getting legislation through Congress." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This seems like a pretty big deal to me, and I'm not sure why it hasn't received more media attention.

Alexandra Hutzler, et al., of ABC News: "Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday addressed a joint meeting of Congress, where he praised U.S. leadership on the world stage as 'indispensable.' Kishida is in Washington this week as the U.S. looks to strengthen relationships with allies in the Indo-Pacific amid the mutual threat from China, North Korea and Russia. During his speech to lawmakers, Kishida warned..., 'Without U.S. support, how long before the hopes of Ukraine would collapse under the onslaught from Moscow?... Without the presence of the United States, how long before the Indo-Pacific would face even harsher realities?'... Kishida's remarks toward Ukraine skeptics come as U.S. aid to the war-torn ally as it fights Russia's invasion is stalled in a political fight on Capitol Hill."

Besties! Clare Foran, et al., of CNN: "Speaker Mike Johnson is making an effort to emphasize close ties to ... Donald Trump as the Louisiana Republican faces the threat of a vote to strip him of the speaker's gavel. Johnson and Trump are set to appear together at Mar-a-Lago on Friday to deliver joint remarks and make an announcement on 'election integrity.' The event, which sources say was the speaker's idea, comes as ... GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia dangles the possibility of forcing a vote to oust him from the top leadership post."

Benjamin Weiser & Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and his wife, Nadine Menendez, will be tried separately in a federal bribery case, a Manhattan judge ruled on Thursday. The trial of Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, will go forward as scheduled on May 6, but Ms. Menendez's case will be delayed until the summer. The judge, Sidney H. Stein, issued his ruling after Ms. Menendez's lawyers told him that she had a 'serious medical condition' that would require surgery and a potentially extended period of treatment and recovery."

Tobi Raji of the Washington Post: "The Senate Judiciary Committee sent a subpoena Thursday to conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo as part of a months-long inquiry into undisclosed gifts to Supreme Court justices and he promptly rejected it, calling the move 'politically motivated.' 'I am not capitulating to his lawless support of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and the left's dark money effort to silence and cancel political opposition,' Leo said of Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the committee's chairman, in a statement to The Washington Post.... With Leo's refusal, Democrats would be forced to hold a Senate vote if they wanted to seek enforcement of the subpoena in court -- a nearly impossible task in a narrowly split chamber with 60 votes needed to break a filibuster." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. CNN's report is here.

Alan Feuer & Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "... Trump's two co-defendants [in the documents case], Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira..., [will try on Friday] to have the charges they are facing dismissed.... In written filings, [their lawyers] have already told Judge Aileen M. Cannon ... that even though their clients may have been following orders from Mr. Trump, they could not have joined him in a plot to hide classified materials they knew nothing about or in obstructing an investigation they never knew existed.... Prosecutors have argued that motions to dismiss, like those to be discussed on Friday, are meant to raise legal issues, not to question the sufficiency of the evidence in an indictment. They have suggested that the arguments advanced by Mr. Nauta and Mr. De Oliveira are better handled as disputes at trial." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: IOW, this appears to be another matter where Judge Aileen either doesn't know what she is doing or is pretending she doesn't know what she is doing, because -- as the prosecution argues -- the matters are of an evidentiary nature and should be decided by a jury, not by the judge in a pretrial ruling. Joyce Vance said on MSNBC this morning that it was "remarkable" that Cannon was holding a hearing on the motions, which should have been dismissed out of hand. ~~~

     ~~~ Tierney Sneed & Holmes Lybrand of CNN: "The transcript of an FBI interview made public late Thursday details how [Walt Nauta,] an aide to ... Donald Trump, characterized the boxes of sensitive documents that are now at the center of the special counsel's case into the mishandling of classified documents from the Trump White House.... [In the interview,] the former president's valet repeatedly claims that he believed Trump stored news clippings, hairspray, shampoo, picture frames and other miscellaneous materials in the boxes.... US District Judge Aileen Cannon granted Nauta permission to file a version of the transcript with minor redactions ahead of a hearing Friday where he will argue that special counsel Jack Smith's charges against him should be thrown out." Includes interview transcript.

Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "Evan Corcoran, an attorney for Donald Trump who became a critical witness in the classified documents case against the former president, no longer represents him.... According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Corcoran left Trump's legal team in recent months, a notable departure as the criminal case remains in limbo in south Florida. Corcoran's quiet exit from Trump's orbit could pose a significant issue for the former president, with the potential for prosecutors to call him as a key witness if the case goes to trial."

Calling a Crook a Crook. Filip Timotija of the Hill: "Former Obama deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner engaged in a 'level of corruption that we've just never seen' when talking about [Kushner's] firm's recent investments overseas.... The New York Times's [recently reported] that ... 99 percent of his investment fund's money came from foreign sources.... 'This is a guy, Jared Kushner, who had no expertise, no qualification whatsoever to be in the White House while he was there. He made it his account to work in the Gulf Arab states. He basically helped lead the cover-up for [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud]. Get him in from the cold after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.' Rhodes said Kushner securing a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia six months after leaving the White House is a way for Salman to exert influence on U.S. foreign policy if Trump returns to the Oval Office after the November election.... 'He chose to work on issues in the Middle East, and he chose to work with the Gulf Arab states, knowing that the payout would be on the back end,' Rhodes said...."

Presidential Race

No, Republicans Do Not Play Fair. Ever. Patrick Svitek of the Washington Post: "Democratic officials are looking at their options after Republican secretaries of state in Ohio and Alabama warned them that President Biden might not appear on their ballots in November because of the timing of his expected nomination at the Democratic National Convention..... The situation has created new headaches for Democrats and stoked distrust with election officials over what has long been considered an apolitical process. The chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, Randy Kelley, this week accused the GOP secretary of state, Wes Allen, of 'partisan gamesmanship,' noting that accommodations had been made for Republicans in the past when their national conventions were later in the summer.... The Biden campaign has said a possible solution is 'provisional' certification.... But Allen has rebuffed that idea, and Democrats are also exploring legislative remedies. On Thursday, a Democratic state senator in Alabama, Merika Coleman, introduced a bill that would move that state's deadline back to Aug. 23, the Friday after the Democratic National Convention ends [and would leave the decision to the whims of the GOP-controlled legislature]." ~~~

     ~~~ Ben Kamisar, et al., of NBC News: "It's not the first time a convention has been held in late August -- but it would be a first if any related ballot access questions weren't solved easily, without fanfare or much controversy.... The Biden campaign is resolute: It believes he'll be on every state's presidential ballot no matter what, pointing to a long history of similar issues getting solved without any fight -- including in 2020, in Alabama, Oklahoma, Illinois, Washington and Montana.... [But] John Wahl, [Alabama's] Republican Party chair, gave no indication he'd suggest Republicans work to help the Democrats. Instead, he released a statement attacking Democrats for holding their convention outside of the deadline, claiming it showed 'shocking disregard for Alabama's electoral process.'"

Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "The Republican National Committee sent out a scripted robocall on behalf of its new co-chair Lara Trump, falsely claiming Democrats were guilty of 'massive fraud' in the 2020 election.... 'No photo IDs, unsecured ballot drop boxes, mass mailing of ballots and voter rolls chock full of deceased people and non-citizens are just a few examples of the massive fraud that took place. If Democrats have their way, your vote could be canceled out by someone who isn't even an American citizen.'"

Aaron Pellish of CNN: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign manager said on Wednesday that New York campaign staff member Rita Palma was fired after she told GOP voters in a meeting last week that preventing President Joe Biden's victory was her 'number one priority' and encouraged them to volunteer for ... Donald Trump in Pennsylvania."

Marie: I had the teevee news on during the day yesterday, and it was pretty much all-O.J. all the time. Yet it was not until mid-afternoon that a reporter who originally covered parts of the story -- Marika Gerrard -- mentioned what I thought was a central element of the double-murder story: that it was the ultimate result of continual spousal abuse: "According to Lenore Walker, the Simpson-Brown marriage was a 'textbook example of domestic abuse.'... [Nicole] Brown described an incident in which Simpson broke her arm during a fight.... She wrote about him beating her in public, during sex, and even in front of family and friends.... Of the 62 incidents of abuse, the police were notified eight times, and Simpson was arrested once." It is not likely an accident that abuse by Black men -- Clarence Thomas, Simpson & Bill Cosby -- has done so much to advance the rights of women. The Great White Majority is still more afraid of Black men than of equally-abusive White men. Yet they don't seem to think abuse-less-than-murder is a worthy subject for teevee discussion. But the thrill of the slo-mo Bronco chase? Absolutely!

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Colorado. Oops! Left My Loaded Glock in the Bathroom. Lauren Irwin of the Hill: "A Colorado Republican state representative issued an apology after he left his loaded gun in a bathroom in the state's Capitol building. State Rep. Don Wilson (R) posted a statement dated Wednesday on the social platform X, apologizing for 'briefly' leaving his firearm unattended after the building was closed to the public.... Police said they reviewed surveillance footage of the building and saw Wilson exiting the restroom about half an hour before the gun was found [by a janitor].... Members of the public may have been in the building during the [time the gun was in the restroom].... The Colorado state Legislature is debating Senate Bill 131, which would expand the list of places prohibiting people from carrying a firearm, both concealed and open carry, to include the Capitol building. The bill was passed in the state Senate last week."

Maine. Summer Conception of NBC News: "Two Maine lawmakers are facing possible censure after one said the deadliest mass shooting in the state, in Lewiston in October, was a sign of retribution from God over the passage of a law expanding abortion access by the Democratic-led state Legislature and other 'immoral laws.'... [The] remarks drew condemnation from state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.... The Maine House is set to hold a vote on censuring [Michael] Lemelin and [Shelley] Rudnicki for their comments." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As usual, I don't think much of a screwed-up god who would murder innocent people because of the separate and supposedly immoral acts of others.

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Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin complained directly to his Israeli counterpart that Israel did not notify the United States before conducting a strike on an Iranian site in Syria this month, which the Pentagon sees as increasing risks to American forces in the Middle East, U.S. officials ... told The Washington Post. A U.N. team visiting Khan Younis following the withdrawal of Israeli troops reported destruction 'disproportionate to anything one can imagine,' World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.... Gen. Michael 'Erik' Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, was in Israel on Thursday, a Pentagon spokesperson said, as the allies coordinate on preparing for Iran's threatened retaliation."

Russia. Alexandra Alter of the New York Times: "During the years leading up to his death in a Russian prison, Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, was writing a memoir about his life and work as a pro-democracy activist. Titled 'Patriot,' the memoir will be published in the United States by Knopf on Oct. 22, with a first printing of half a million copies, and a simultaneous release in multiple countries."

The Conversation -- April 11, 2024

Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "The substance of the state visit of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was focused on finding ways to counter China, but the style of the dinner was all about highlighting a capital city that owes its springtime resplendence, in large part, to the diplomatic overtures of the Japanese [the 3,000 cherry trees Japan gave to the U.S. in 2012]." Includes some great photos. ~~~

     ~~~ Aishvarya Kavi of the New York Times: "Japan is giving the United States 250 cherry trees to replace more than 100 that will be torn up during construction around the Tidal Basin in Washington, the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said on Wednesday. The gift honors the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which the United States will celebrate in 2026, Mr. Kishida said at a White House ceremony welcoming him for a state visit."

To the Moon, Fumio! Peter Baker & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan announced a range of moves on Wednesday to further enhance military, economic and other cooperation between the two longtime allies as part of the president's efforts to counter China's aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region. During a pomp-filled state visit honoring the visiting Japanese prime minister, the president said the United States and Japan would create an expanded defense architecture with Australia, participate in three-way military exercises with Britain and explore ways for Japan to join a U.S.-led coalition with Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Biden also announced that the United States would take a Japanese astronaut to the moon as part of NASA's Artemis program, which would be the first time a non-American has set foot on the moon." (Also linked yesterday.)

No, Mike, Donald Trump is not your friend. He is not anybody's friend. ~~~

~~~ Luke Broadwater & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Right-wing House Republicans on Wednesday blocked legislation to extend an expiring warrantless surveillance law that national security officials call crucial to gathering intelligence and fighting terrorism, dealing Speaker Mike Johnson a stinging defeat after ... Donald J. Trump urged lawmakers to kill the bill. In an upset on the House floor, the measure, which would extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702, failed what is normally a routine procedural test. On a vote of 228 to 193, 19 House Republicans, most aligned with the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, joined Democrats in opposing its consideration. Such defections were once considered unthinkable but have become increasingly common as the hard right has rebelled against G.O.P. leaders. It was unclear how Republicans would attempt to move forward.... Complicating matters, Republicans had bundled a procedural measure to open debate on the bill with an unrelated resolution condemning President Biden's border policies, all but ensuring that no Democrats would vote to advance the package." (Also linked yesterday.)

** Kayla Guo of the New York Times: "... roughly 6 million women ... went to work during World War II, memorialized by the now iconic recruitment poster depicting Rosie the Riveter, her hair tied back in a kerchief, rolling up the sleeve of her denim shirt and flexing a muscle beneath the slogan, 'We can do it!' More than eight decades later..., around two dozen other so-called Rosies -- many of them white-haired and most wearing the red with white polka dots made famous by the poster -- ... gathered at the Capitol ... to receive the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of their efforts.... During the war, women were desperately needed to fill jobs vacated by men who had left to serve in the armed forces.... 'These enterprising and patriotic women answered the call to serve on the home front during World War II, and forever changed the role of women in the work force,' Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine and a lead sponsor of the legislation [which passed in 2020], said during Wednesday's ceremony."

The Trials of Trump & the Trump Gang, Ctd.

Desperate Measures. Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "Lawyers for Donald J. Trump have spent this week seeking to stave off the former president's trial on charges that he covered up a sex scandal. They tried again Wednesday. Again, they failed. In Mr. Trump's latest last-minute bid to delay a trial that starts Monday, he filed a civil action in an appeals court against the judge in the case, Juan M. Merchan. It sought to delay the trial while the appeals court reconsidered several of the judge's rulings. A single appellate court judge, Ellen Gesmer, promptly rejected Mr. Trump's request. Mr. Trump can now have his action heard by a full panel of five appellate court judges, but it would be nearly impossible for the court to act before the trial begins. The episode underscored Mr. Trump's increasing desperation to delay the trial, and his scattershot approach to doing so." A Reuters story is here.

Brennan Center for Justice (April 5): "A group of 15 founding era historians ... have filed a brief [with the Supreme Court] challenging Trump's claim of immunity.... The historians' brief argues that Trump's claim of criminal immunity would transform the presidency into a monarchy -- exactly what the Framers of the Constitution sought to avoid.... The Framers instead understood presidents to be accountable to the people and to the laws, and explicitly recognized that criminal prosecution would be one way among several to hold them accountable. The brief also rebuts Trump's assertion that a president can be prosecuted only after being impeached. That assertion, the historians explain, is inconsistent with the historical understanding of impeachment as a political remedy completely separate from the criminal remedy of prosecution. It is also inconsistent with the long record of prosecutions or threats of prosecutions of officers who were not impeached -- including President Nixon, who accepted a pardon to avoid prosecution despite having resigned before impeachment could proceed. Finally, the brief notes that even if there is some immunity which may attach to the president for certain 'official' acts, the Framers never contemplated that immunity would attach for the acts President Trump stands accused of: the attempted overthrow of the 2020 election. If presidents were granted such immunity, then incumbents could interfere in the transfer of power. And the Framers gave the incumbent president no role ... in the election of the next president, in order to guard elections against executive meddling." ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the brief, via the Court.

No, Mike Allen, Donald Trump is not your friend. He is not anybody's friend. ~~~

Because Trump, Weisselberg Is Back at Rikers. Kate Christobek, et al., of the New York Times: "Allen H. Weisselberg, Donald J. Trump's longtime financial lieutenant, was sentenced Wednesday to five months in the Rikers Island jail complex for perjury, capping a legal saga that has now landed him behind bars twice. The sentence, handed down by a state court judge in Manhattan, came just five days before Mr. Trump is to go on trial in the same courthouse on accusations that he covered up a sex scandal. Mr. Weisselberg was not charged in the same case as Mr. Trump, but he would not be headed to jail if not for his former boss's own troubles: Prosecutors set their sights on Mr. Weisselberg after he refused to turn on Mr. Trump." The AP story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump has to be in Manhattan next week to sit for his first criminal trial. Do you suppose he will take the bus to Rikers to visit his loyal factotum? Yeah, I didn't think so, either.

Presidential Race

Steve Contorno & Kate Sullivan of CNN: "Donald Trump said Wednesday he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected president, reversing a promise the former president made as a candidate in 2016 and stood by during his first term in the White House. His latest shift on abortion is a remarkable position for a Republican presidential nominee and it is illustrative of Trump's desire to make one of his greatest political liabilities disappear. It follows a lengthy statement released Monday in which Trump expressed states and voters should decide how and when to restrict abortion but left unclear how far he would take that approach. Appearing on a tarmac in Atlanta ... [and] asked if he would sign a national abortion ban if it passed Congress, Trump shook his head. 'No.'... 'Donald Trump owns the suffering and chaos happening right now, including in Arizona, because he proudly overturned Roe -- something he called "an incredible thing" and "pretty amazing" just today,' Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said. 'Trump lies constantly -- about everything == but has one track record: banning abortion every chance he gets.'" MB: You just gotta trust in Trump. (Also linked yesterday.)

Trump Is Still the King of Chaos. Stephen Collinson of CNN: "After storming to the Republican nomination, Trump is again the epicenter of controversy ... as he blazes a trail of disruption through Congress, immigration and national security policy, reproductive health care and the nation's top courts.... His volatile personality, loyalty tests, rampant falsehoods, thirst to serve his political self-interest and the aftershocks of his first term are compromising attempts to govern the country." With examples.

Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago? Top News in the NYT, April 11, 2020: "As he grapples simultaneously with the most devastating public health and economic crises of a lifetime, President Trump finds himself pulled in opposite directions on what to do next. The bankers, corporate executives and industrialists plead with him to reopen the country as soon as possible, while the medical experts beg for more time to curb the coronavirus."

Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "George Riley Jr., a Republican Party of Florida executive director, issued an apology this week after it was revealed that he trashed a hotel room after an employee there observed him 'under the influence.' The Tampa Bay Times revealed that Riley Jr. last week was reported missing by his family after he had seemingly disappeared without notice. It turns out that Riley was staying at the Hampton Inn in Kissimmee, Florida, where he would be kicked out of his room for 'excessive drinking and damage caused to the room' during his stay. In particular, employees said they found the room in total disrepair upon inspecting it as Riley had 'urinated and vomited throughout,' which required the hotel to pay for a deep cleaning.... After being ousted from the hotel, Riley went missing for another two days before he was finally picked up this past Friday by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ We Have a Tie! S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "One of Donald Trump's county campaign chairs in New Hampshire lost his job as a police officer [in about 2006] after threatening to kill his colleagues in a shooting spree, murder the department chief and rape the chief's wife in retaliation for his suspension over his relationship with a high school girl, according to a newly released report from an internal affairs investigation. Jonathan Stone, who is currently a second-term state representative, was announced as Trump's Sullivan County chair by his campaign on June 27, 2023. The coup-attempting former president first came to know Stone during Trump's 2016 run, when Stone gave him an inscribed AR-15 assault rifle at a campaign stop.... Stone ... opened a gun shop after losing his job as a police officer...." The state supreme court released investigative records last week as a result of a press lawsuit.

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Arizona GOP State Legislators Block Bills to Repeal Abortion Ban. Jack Healy of the New York Times: "Democrats, who have criticized the decision resurrecting a 160-year-old abortion ban that has no exceptions for rape or incest, quickly tried to push bills through the Republican-controlled state Legislature that would repeal the ban.... But Republican leaders in the Senate removed one bill from the day's agenda on Wednesday.... In the other chamber, a Republican House member who has done a political about-face and called for striking down the law made a motion to vote on a Democratic repeal bill that has sat stalled for months. But Republican leaders quickly put the House into recess before any vote could be held. Democrats on the Senate floor jeered as their Republican colleagues filed out of the chamber." (Also linked yesterday.) An ABC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Watch what they do, not what they say. ~~~

Steve M. has the background on how the Arizona supreme court got packed with "justices" who are so fond of the territorial code against women. The New York Times story is here.

~~~ Arizona Senate Race. Kari Finds Her Inner Emily Litella. Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "Kari Lake, the leading Republican candidate for Senate in Arizona, was quick to denounce the state Supreme Court's ruling upholding an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions in the state. The law is 'out of step with Arizonans,' she said in a statement. She called on state lawmakers to 'come up' with a 'solution that Arizonans can support.' But Ms. Lake, an ally of ... Donald J. Trump and a 2020 election denier, had voiced enthusiastic support for the law less than two years ago, when she was in the midst of a scorched-earth campaign for the Republican nomination for governor. Asked then what she thought of the ban, she said she was thrilled it existed and called a 'great law.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Virginia. Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post: "A 6-year-old boy who shot and wounded a teacher at Virginia's Richneck Elementary School last year should have been unenrolled after choking a different teacher, but basic lapses by administrators allowed him back, according to a special grand jury report released Wednesday. The breakdown was one in a long line of failures by school administrators to act on warnings about the boy before he sneaked a gun into the Newport News school and opened fire on Abigail Zwerner, a first-grade teacher, the special grand jury wrote.... The panel found a school so poorly protected that it was vulnerable to a 'probable massacre' in an active shooter situation, officials who kept secrets from parents and a lack of help for the young shooter.... The 11-member panel also recommended a criminal probe of a high-ranking member of Newport News Public Schools for allegedly obstructing the investigation into the shooting, after key pieces of evidence -- the boy's disciplinary files -- went missing. The special grand jury reserved its harshest judgments for Richneck's former assistant principal, Ebony Parker, who it found was warned three times on the day of the shooting that the boy had a weapon but failed to do anything. It indicted her on eight charges of child abuse, possibly the first time an administrator has been charged in connection with the handling of a school shooting, experts said."

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Israel/Palestine, et al. CNN's live updates of developments Thursday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "The Israeli military said it killed three sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an airstrike in Gaza, describing them as military wing operatives. The killings threaten to complicate negotiations aiming to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal. Hamas has told negotiators it is unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages matching the criteria needed for a ceasefire deal, according to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the discussions, raising fears that more hostages may be dead than are publicly known. A day after criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct of the war in Gaza, US President Joe Biden touted an 'ironclad' commitment to Israel's security in the face of Iranian threats. UNICEF said one of its vehicles was hit by 'live ammunition' while waiting to enter northern Gaza from the south. The incident came as Israel's defense minister said his government planned to 'flood Gaza with aid,' and that US pressure played a role in the decision." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Thursday are here.

Ukraine, et al. Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "The top American military commander in Europe warned on Wednesday that Ukraine could lose the war with Russia if the United States did not send more ammunition to Ukrainian forces, and fast.... Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the head of the Pentagon's European Command, told the House Armed Services Committee..., who is also NATO's top military commander, said Ukraine's allies had provided much of the equipment and arms that Kyiv needed to combat the larger Russian military, including all donated fuel and 90 percent of its tanks. But the United States gives Ukraine most of the two critical munitions that are in shortest supply: artillery shells and air-defense interceptors. 'If we do not continue to support Ukraine, Ukraine will run out of artillery shells and will run out of air defense interceptors in fairly short order,' General Cavoli said. 'Based on my experience in 37-plus years in the U.S. military, if one side can shoot and the other side can't shoot back, the side that can't shoot back loses.'"

News Lede

New York Times: "O.J. Simpson, who ran to fame on the football field, made fortunes as a Black all-American in movies, advertising and television, and was acquitted of killing his former wife and her friend in a 1995 trial in Los Angeles that mesmerized the nation, died on Wednesday. He was 76. The cause was cancer, his family announced on social media."

The Conversation -- April 10, 2024

To the Moon, Fumio! Peter Baker & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan announced a range of moves on Wednesday to further enhance military, economic and other cooperation between the two longtime allies as part of the president's efforts to counter China's aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region. During a pomp-filled state visit honoring the visiting Japanese prime minister, the president said the United States and Japan would create an expanded defense architecture with Australia, participate in three-way military exercises with Britain and explore ways for Japan to join a U.S.-led coalition with Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Biden also announced that the United States would take a Japanese astronaut to the moon as part of NASA's Artemis program, which would be the first time a non-American has set foot on the moon."

No, Mike, Donald Trump is not your friend. He is not anybody's friend. ~~~

~~~ Luke Broadwater & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: “Right-wing House Republicans on Wednesday blocked legislation to extend an expiring warrantless surveillance law that national security officials call crucial to gathering intelligence and fighting terrorism, dealing Speaker Mike Johnson a stinging defeat after ... Donald J. Trump urged lawmakers to kill the bill. In an upset on the House floor, the measure, which would extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702, failed what is normally a routine procedural test. On a vote of 228 to 193, 19 House Republicans, most aligned with the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, joined Democrats in opposing its consideration. Such defections were once considered unthinkable but have become increasingly common as the hard right has rebelled against G.O.P. leaders. It was unclear how Republicans would attempt to move forward.... Complicating matters, Republicans had bundled a procedural measure to open debate on the bill with an unrelated resolution condemning President Biden's border policies, all but ensuring that no Democrats would vote to advance the package."

Because Trump, Weisselberg Headed Back to Rikers. Kate Christobek, et al., of the New York Times: "Allen H. Weisselberg, Donald J. Trump's longtime financial lieutenant, was sentenced Wednesday to five months in the Rikers Island jail complex for perjury, capping a legal saga that has now landed him behind bars twice. The sentence, handed down by a state court judge in Manhattan, came just five days before Mr. Trump is to go on trial in the same courthouse on accusations that he covered up a sex scandal. Mr. Weisselberg was not charged in the same case as Mr. Trump, but he would not be headed to jail if not for his former boss's own troubles: Prosecutors set their sights on Mr. Weisselberg after he refused to turn on Mr. Trump." The AP story is here.

Steve Contorno & Kate Sullivan of CNN: "Donald Trump said Wednesday he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected president, reversing a promise the former president made as a candidate in 2016 and stood by during his first term in the White House. His latest shift on abortion is a remarkable position for a Republican presidential nominee and it is illustrative of Trump's desire to make one of his greatest political liabilities disappear. It follows a lengthy statement released Monday in which Trump expressed states and voters should decide how and when to restrict abortion but left unclear how far he would take that approach. Appearing on a tarmac in Atlanta ... [and] asked if he would sign a national abortion ban if it passed Congress, Trump shook his head. 'No.'... 'Donald Trump owns the suffering and chaos happening right now, including in Arizona, because he proudly overturned Roe -- something he called "an incredible thing" and "pretty amazing" just today,' Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said. 'Trump lies constantly -- about everything -- but has one track record: banning abortion every chance he gets.'" MB: You just gotta trust in Trump.

Arizona GOP State Legislators Block Bills to Repeal Abortion Ban. Jack Healy of the New York Times: "Democrats, who have criticized the decision resurrecting a 160-year-old abortion ban that has no exceptions for rape or incest, quickly tried to push bills through the Republican-controlled state Legislature that would repeal the ban.... But Republican leaders in the Senate removed one bill from the day's agenda on Wednesday.... In the other chamber, a Republican House member who has done a political about-face and called for striking down the law made a motion to vote on a Democratic repeal bill that has sat stalled for months. But Republican leaders quickly put the House into recess before any vote could be held. Democrats on the Senate floor jeered as their Republican colleagues filed out of the chamber." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Watch what they do, not what they say.

Arizona Senate Race. Another Say-Anything GOP Candidate. Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "Kari Lake, the leading Republican candidate for Senate in Arizona, was quick to denounce the state Supreme Court's ruling upholding an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions in the state. The law is 'out of step with Arizonans,' she said in a statement. She called on state lawmakers to 'come up' with a 'solution that Arizonans can support.' But Ms. Lake, an ally of ... Donald J. Trump and a 2020 election denier, had voiced enthusiastic support for the law less than two years ago, when she was in the midst of a scorched-earth campaign for the Republican nomination for governor. Asked then what she thought of the ban, she said she was thrilled it existed and called a 'great law.'"

Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "George Riley Jr., a Republican Party of Florida executive director, issued an apology this week after it was revealed that he trashed a hotel room after an employee there observed him 'under the influence.' The Tampa Bay Times revealed that Riley Jr. last week was reported missing by his family after he had seemingly disappeared without notice. It turns out that Riley was staying at the Hampton Inn in Kissimmee, Florida, where he would be kicked out of his room for 'excessive drinking and damage caused to the room' during his stay. In particular, employees said they found the room in total disrepair upon inspecting it as Riley had 'urinated and vomited throughout,' which required the hotel to pay for a deep cleaning.... After being ousted from the hotel, Riley went missing for another two days before he was finally picked up this past Friday by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office."

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Sam Fossum, et al., of CNN: "President Joe Biden hosts Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio for a state visit Wednesday, including a crucial Oval Office meeting, reinforcing his commitment to bolstering vital partnerships in the Indo-Pacific amid a militarily and economically resurgent China. Over 70 items covering a wide array of critical sectors are expected to be announced as part of the bilateral meeting between Biden and Kishida.... All of the deliverables on the agenda are part of a concerted military, diplomatic and strategic effort to try and 'flip the script' and counter Chinese efforts to isolate American allies like the Philippines and Japan, according to one senior administration official.... Later this week..., the first-ever leaders' summit between the US, Japan and the Philippines [will take place] with Biden working to draw Pacific allies and partners closer as the region grapples with China's aggression and nuclear provocations from North Korea."

Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "More than 200 chemical plants across the country will be required to curb the toxic pollutants they release into the air under a regulation announced by the Biden administration on Tuesday. The regulation is aimed at reducing the risk of cancer for people living near industrial sites. This is the first time in nearly two decades that the government has tightened limits on pollution from chemical plants. The new rule, from the Environmental Protection Agency, specifically targets ethylene oxide, which is used to sterilize medical devices, and chloroprene, which is used to make rubber in footwear. The E.P.A. has classified the two chemicals as likely carcinogens. They are considered a top health concern in an area of Louisiana so dense with petrochemical and refinery plants that it is known as Cancer Alley." (Also linked yesterday.)

Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "The Pentagon has provided Ukraine with thousands of Iranian-made weapons seized before they could reach Houthi militants in Yemen, U.S. officials said Tuesday. It's the Biden administration's latest infusion of emergency military support for Kyiv while a multibillion-dollar aid package remains stalled in the Republican-led House. The weapons include 5,000 Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, along with a half-million rounds of ammunition. They were seized from four 'stateless vessels' between 2021 and 2023 and made available for transfer to Ukraine through a Justice Department civil forfeiture program targeting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East." (Also linked yesterday.)

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has agreed to Senate conservatives' request that he delay sending two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas until next week. The House had been slated to send the articles to the Senate on Wednesday.... Senate Steering Committee Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah) told reporters Tuesday afternoon that he was 'very grateful to Speaker Johnson for his willingness to delay this.'... Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) responded to the revised timeline by announcing that Senate Democrats will move quickly to quash the impeachment charges whenever they arrive from the House."

The Trials of Trump, Ctd.

Kara Scannell, et al., of CNN: "An appeals court judge has denied ... Donald Trump's request to delay the start of his New York hush money trial so he can challenge the gag order imposed by Judge Juan Merchan. New York Associate Justice Cynthia Kern denied the application for an interim stay just minutes after hearing arguments on the matter Tuesday. A full appeals court panel will still consider Trump's petition, though it will not delay the start of the trial. Motions are due on Monday, the day the jury selection is scheduled to start. The panel of judges will rule on whether to stay the trial after they receive briefs that day, and will decide about the gag order after April 29, when submissions are due. The panel will rule on the written papers; there will be no oral arguments." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Granting a request by federal prosecutors, the judge overseeing ... Donald J. Trump's classified documents case ordered his lawyers on Tuesday to redact the names of about two dozen government witnesses from a public version of one of their court filings to protect them against potential threats or harassment. In a 24-page ruling, the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, told Mr. Trump's lawyers to refer to the witnesses in their filing with a pseudonym or a categorical description -- say, John Smith or F.B.I. Agent 1 -- rather than identifying them by name. The special counsel, Jack Smith, had expressed a deep concern over witness safety, an issue that has touched on several of Mr. Trump's criminal cases. Among the people prosecutors were seeking to protect were 'career civil servants and former close advisers' to Mr. Trump, including one who had told them that he was so concerned about potential threats from 'Trump world' that he refused to permit investigators to record an interview with him." ~~~

     ~~~ Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Special counsel Jack Smith has been arguing since January to keep the names of government agents redacted ahead of trial[.... Judge Aileen Cannon's] order was the second time this month she has criticized Justice Department lawyers while ruling mostly in their favor.... Initially, Cannon ruled against Smith, but on Tuesday she relented, saying she would agree to keeping the names and identifying information under seal. It was not a total victory for Smith, however, because the judge also ruled that the substance of the witness statements can be made public in filings, so long as the material did not identify the witnesses or other people who are mentioned.... The judge ... chided Smith for what she said were poorly made legal arguments in the early stages of the discussion. She said his later efforts offered better reasons to keep the names out of the public eye." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Cannon, of all people, has a lot of chutzpah to complain about poorly made legal arguments. She's 0 for 2 with the 11th Circuit in her legal reasoning vs. Smith's.

Rob Wile of NBC News: "Shares of Trump Media have erased all their gains since they began trading under the ticker DJT last month. The stock closed down more than 8% Monday at $37.17 after falling about 11% earlier in the day. It had traded above $79 a share on March 26, the day of its debut. But experts say it's hard to draw any firm conclusions about what the stock price's movement means. That's because so many available shares -- about 12%, one of the highest ratios of any active stock listing -- reflect traders' bets that the stock will fall, said Ihor Dusaniwsky, managing director at S3 Partners, a data and predictive analytics company." (Also linked yesterday.)

Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Two right-wing political operatives must pay up to $1.25 million in fines after they were found liable for launching a robocall campaign designed to keep Black New Yorkers from voting in the 2020 election, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday. Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, who have a history of concocting conspiracy theories to try to smear Democrats, were found liable last March of orchestrating a robocall campaign that reached about 5,500 predominantly Black New Yorkers in the summer of 2020. Targeted voters received automated calls -- purportedly from a 'civil rights organization' founded by Wohl and Burkman called 'Project 1599' -- that sought to dissuade them from mail-in voting. The messages included false warnings that mail-in voting would cause their personal information to be given to police departments and credit card companies." The AP's story is here.

Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "A federal judge in Manhattan sentenced a Florida woman on Tuesday to one month behind bars for her role in a brazen scheme to steal the diary of President Biden's daughter and sell it to a right-wing group in the hope of disrupting the 2020 election. The conduct of the woman, Aimee Harris, 'was despicable and consequently very serious,' Judge Laura Taylor Swain of Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York said before handing down a punishment. Ms. Harris, 41, tested the patience of prosecutors and the judge overseeing the case, missing repeated sentencing dates and jeopardizing what otherwise appeared to be a likely path to probation. In August 2022, she pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport the stolen diary to New York, where she met with employees of the group, Project Veritas, and sold it for $40,000 just weeks before the election. The judge also sentenced her to three years' probation, along with three months of home confinement, and ordered her to pay back the money she earned from the sale." A CNBC story is here.

Presidential Race

Zachary Leeman of Mediaite: "President Joe Biden named former President Donald Trump as the 'primary threat' to 'freedom and democracy' in the United States. Biden sat down with the Spanish language Univision channel for an interview that will air in full on Tuesday evening. In one clip from the show, he's asked about threats to the United States 'at home' and he's quick to go after his likely competition in November's presidential race." More on the interview linked under Israel/Palestine.

Mike Cason of AL.com: "Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen has notified the state and national Democratic parties that the scheduled date of the Democratic National Convention is a few days after the deadline for the party to put its nominees for president and vice president on the ballot for the general election in November. Allen, who is a Republican, said state law requires parties to provide a certification of nomination for president and vice president no later than Aug. 15.... Alabama code section 17-14-31(b) says parties must certify their candidates 'no later than the 82nd day preceding the day fixed for the election.' With this year's election on Nov. 5, that makes Aug. 15 the 82nd preceding day, Allen said in [a] letter ... to Randy Kelley, Chair of the Alabama Democratic Party.... Four years ago, when Republicans held their convention Aug. 24-27, the Legislature passed a bill to make a one-time change in the deadlines and accommodate the GOP." ~~~

     ~~~ The same deadline dilemma is taking place in Ohio, where a Republican secretary of state also runs elections.

Frances Langum of Crooks & Liars: "Continuing our series regarding 'are you better off today than you were four years ago,['] here's the Velveeta Vulgarian recommending zinc as a Covid remedy. John Amato wrote the post ... [on] April 9, 2020: 'Trump stunned the medical community yesterday when he claimed they are saying "to add zinc" as a coronavirus treatment.'"

Rachel Sharp of the Independent: "Seven years on from the notorious moment where he stared directly at the sun during the last solar eclipse over the US, [Donald Trump] is jumping on the sungazing bandwagon yet again. On Sunday night, Mr Trump posted a bizarre campaign ad on Truth Social where his own head takes on the role of the moon -- blocking out the sun and plunging America into total darkness." (Also linked yesterday.)

Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford, Mich., school shooter, were sentenced Tuesday to 10 to 15 years each after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter in separate trials.... Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald had sought a total of 10 to 15 years for each parent in a sentencing memo last week that detailed the trauma, terror and devastation caused by what she said was the Crumbleys' gross negligence that resulted in their son Ethan Crumbley killing Hana St. Juliana, 14; Tate Myre, 16; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; and Justin Shilling, 17, while wounding others at Oxford High School." (Also linked yesterday.)

Edward Moreno of the New York Times: "Norfolk Southern announced on Tuesday that it agreed to pay $600 million to settle a class-action lawsuit stemming from a February 2023 derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio. The settlement, which must be approved by U.S. District Judge Benita Y. Pearson, includes payments to residents and businesses within 20 miles of the derailment. It also resolves personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius of the derailment." (Also linked yesterday.)

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Arizona. It was 1864. Arizona would not become a state for more than half a century. Phoenix had fewer than 250 residents. Abe Lincoln was president. The Civil War was raging. Slavery was legal. The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was decades away. Women could not vote and would have no say in governance for 54 years. And a guy named William Thompson Howell would travel to the newly-created Arizona Territory where he found "two out of every three people in the area were barefooted" and he was obliged to write the territory's first legal code. The code included a ban on abortion:

[E]very person who shall administer or cause to be administered or taken, any medicinal substances, or shall use or cause to be used any instruments whatever, with the intention to procure the miscarriage of any woman then being with child, and shall be thereof duly convicted, shall be punished by imprisonment in the Territorial prison for a term not less than two years nor more than five years: Provided, that no physician shall be affected by the last clause of this section, who in the discharge of his professional duties, deems it necessary to produce the miscarriage of any woman in order to save her life. ~~~

~~~ How "Leave It to the States" Works. Cindy Von Quednow of CNN: "In a historic decision Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled the state must adhere to a 123-year-old penal code barring all abortions except in cases when 'it is necessary to save' a pregnant person's life. The law, which can be traced to as early as 1864, also carried a prison sentence of two to five years for abortion providers.... Last week, Arizona for Abortion Access, a group of abortion rights organizations, announced it had gathered enough signatures for a November 2024 ballot measure that would ask voters to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ President Joe Biden's statement on the Arizona ruling, via the White House. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Eugene Daniels of Politico: "Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Tucson, Arizona on Friday just days after the state's Supreme Court upheld one of the nation's most far-reaching abortion bans.... The campaign trip, which was already in the works prior to the court decision, will likely take on a heightened focus on abortion rights and access." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Biden campaign aides and allies on Tuesday wasted little time tying an Arizona court ruling effectively outlawing abortion in the state directly to former President Trump and his call for abortion policy to be decided by the states. 'This is what leaving it to the states looks like,' Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa wrote on the social platform X. 'This is what Donald Trump endorsed yesterday,' Kate Bedingfield, a former top aide on the Biden 2020 campaign and in the Biden White House, posted on X. 'An abortion ban from 1864... that's what Trump supports,' wrote Kevin Munoz, another Biden campaign aide.... The ruling came one day after Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for November's presidential contest, issued a video statement in which he said states will be allowed to determine abortion law either by legislation or by vote.... In the same statement, Trump said he was 'proudly' responsible for bringing about the end of Roe v. Wade through the appointment of three conservative justices." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "It took little more than a day for Donald Trump's political gambit on abortion to come undone.... Trump had said let the states handle the issue. The Arizona court showed the full implications of that states' rights strategy.... All abortion politics are national, not local. Abortion developments -- new laws, new restrictions, new stories of women caught up in heart-wrenching and sometimes life-threatening decisions -- are no longer confined to the geography where they take place. They are instantly part of the larger debate.... There is no safe harbor for Trump and the Republicans at this point."

Michigan Senate Race. Carl Gibson of Alternet, republished by the Raw Story: "Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) is running in the Republican U.S. Senate primary on his local roots.... In a tweet, Rogers -- who represented Michigan's 8th Congressional District between 2001 and 2015 -- wrote, 'I'm proud to be born and raised right here in Michigan. And I will be proud to serve my home in the U.S. Senate.' This prompted Austin Cook, the communications director for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), to tweet a screenshot of Rogers' voter registration record that shows a Florida ZIP code and a voter status of 'active.'... A 4,751 square-foot five-bedroom, four-bathroom house in Cape Coral[, Florida] valued on Zillow at nearly $1.7 million matches the address shown on Rogers' voter registration in Florida. And according to Lee County, Florida property assessment records, that home is in the name of Rogers, his wife and their family trust." As long as Rogers moves back to Michigan by election day, he can legally run for the state's Senate seat. ~~~

     (~~~ Last August we learned that Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville's main residence is in Florida, and he does not own a home in Alabama. Now that is illegal, but apparently Alabama doesn't care.)

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Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Wednesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "President Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approach in Gaza a 'mistake,' and reiterated the U.S. call for a cease-fire for at least six weeks to allow for the delivery of food and medicine to Palestinians. Biden's sharp criticism, in an interview recorded earlier with Univision that aired Tuesday night, comes at a time of growing global pressure on Israel following the deaths of seven aid workers in a strike by its military and over severe delays in the delivery of aid to the besieged enclave.... Vice President Harris on Tuesday met with family members of American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and underscored that the Biden administration was prioritizing the hostages] release and the return of the remains of those confirmed killed, according to the White House.... The World Health Organization and U.N. partners supported the Gaza Health Ministry in organizing burials of unidentified bodies found at al-Shifa Hospital, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday. The hospital was the site of a days-long raid by Israeli forces, which left it in ruins." ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's live updates for Wednesday are here. The New York Times' live updates are here.

News Lede

CNBC: "The consumer price index accelerated at a faster-than-expected pace in March, pushing inflation higher and likely dashing hopes that the Federal Reserve will be able to cut interest rates anytime soon. The CPI, a broad measure of goods and services costs across the economy, rose 0.4% for the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 3.5%, or 0.3 percentage point higher than in February, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a 0.3% gain and a 3.4% year-over-year level."