The Conversation -- April 9, 2024

Arizona. 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 stat's constitution." ~~~

     ~~~ President Joe Biden's statement on the Arizona ruling, via the White House. ~~~

~~~ 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." ~~~

~~~ 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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden on Monday announced a large-scale effort to help pay off federal student loans for tens of millions of American borrowers, seeking an election-year boost by returning to a 2020 campaign promise that was blocked by the Supreme Court last year. Mr. Biden's new plan would reduce the amount that 25 million borrowers still owe on their undergraduate and graduate loans. It would wipe away the entire amount for more than four million Americans. Altogether, White House officials said, 10 million borrowers would see debt relief of $5,000 or more.... Mr. Biden announced the plan in Madison, Wis., the capital of a critical swing state and a college town that symbolizes the president's promise to make higher-education affordability a cornerstone of his economic agenda. But it is a promise he has so far failed to achieve, largely because of legal challenges from Republicans and other critics." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Post-grads left in limbo should keep in mind that it is Republicans who are actively working to make sure they are saddled with crushing debt during what should be among their most productive work years and when they most need money to establish their families and homes. If they're really concerned -- as they purport to be -- that President Biden is overstepping his executive authority by forgiving these debts, Republicans should be sponsoring & passing Congressional bills to eliminate or reduce these student-loan debts. They are not. Republicans have chosen instead to side with the banks to make sure young people pay lucrative interest rates.

Caitlin Yilek of CBS News: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday endorsed a bill that could lead to a ban of TikTok in the U.S. after its momentum slowed in the Senate following its whirlwind passage in the House last month. 'This is the matter that deserves Congress' urgent attention, and I'll support common sense bipartisan steps to take one of Beijing's favorite tools of coercion and espionage off the table,' the Kentucky Republican said on the Senate floor, describing the platform as 'a tool of surveillance and of propaganda.' The legislation seeks to force its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months to maintain access to U.S. web-hosting services and app stores.... Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has been noncommittal about bringing it up for a vote, though he included TikTok legislation among his top priorities in a letter to Democrats last week."

Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Justice Department officials told House Republicans they don't intend to provide audio recordings of President Biden's interviews with the special counsel who investigated his handling of classified documents -- suggesting that since lawmakers already have the transcripts of those interviews, the request was more about scoring political points than seeking information.... Their demand for the recordings, after already having the transcripts, 'indicates that the Committees' interest may not be in receiving information in service of legitimate oversight or investigatory functions, but to serve political purposes that should have no role in the treatment of law enforcement files,' [senior DOJ official Carlos] Uriarte wrote in the letter sent on Monday [to committee chairs James Comer & Jim Jordan].... Jordan and Comer have threatened to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt if the department doesn't turn over the audio recordings...."

The Trials of Trump, Ctd.

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Jack Smith, the special counsel prosecuting ... Donald J. Trump on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, urged the Supreme Court on Monday to reject Mr. Trump's claim that he is immune from prosecution. 'The president's constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed does not entail a general right to violate them,' Mr. Smith wrote. The filing was Mr. Smith's main submission in the case, which will be argued on April 25.... 'The absence of any prosecutions of former presidents until this case does not reflect the understanding that presidents are immune from criminal liability,' Mr. Smith wrote. 'It instead underscores the unprecedented nature of petitioner's alleged conduct.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Smith's brief, via the Court, is here. ~~~

~~~ Gary Warner of Stars & Stripes: "Nineteen retired generals, admirals and former top civilian defense officials have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court opposing ... Donald Trump's bid for immunity from prosecution. 'We risk jeopardizing America's standing as a guardian of democracy in the world and further feeding the spread of authoritarianism, thereby threatening the national security of the United States and democracies around the world,' the group wrote. The 38-page amicus brief includes officials from Democratic and Republican administrations dating back to former President John F. Kennedy, as well as four-star generals from the Army, Air Force and Marines, and Navy and Coast Guard admirals.... The amicus brief ... argues that without rapid action to negate the claims of immunity, the cases could become moot since they would not be heard prior to the November presidential election. Trump is the expected Republican nominee against Biden. If elected, Trump could use his presidential authority in a bid to pardon himself from prosecution."

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump, a week away from standing trial in Manhattan on criminal charges that he falsified records to cover up a sex scandal, has indicated he plans to file a lawsuit against the judge overseeing the case. Court records showed on Monday that Mr. Trump was filing an action against the judge, Juan M. Merchan, though the papers were not immediately made public. An online court docket where Mr. Trump is expected to file the so-called Article 78 action -- a special proceeding that can be used to challenge New York state government agencies and judges -- showed that the related paperwork was sealed. Two people with knowledge of the matter said that Mr. Trump's lawyers on Monday planned to file the action calling on an appeals court to delay the trial and to challenge a gag order that Justice Merchan recently imposed on the former president.... Mr. Trump's unorthodox move -- essentially an appeal in the form of a lawsuit -- is unlikely to succeed, particularly so close to trial." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Well, that was yesterday. The article has been updated. New Lede: "One week before Donald J. Trump is set to face a criminal trial in Manhattan, an appeals court judge on Monday rejected his effort to pause the case and move it to a different location. The judge, Lizbeth Gonzalez, issued the decision Monday afternoon after hearing arguments from Mr. Trump's lawyers and lawyers from the Manhattan district attorney's office.... In a separate proceeding, he indicated that he planned to file an unusual type of lawsuit against the judge overseeing the case, Juan M. Merchan.... Court records showed on Monday that Mr. Trump had begun the process of filing the action against Justice Merchan, though the papers were not immediately made public." An AP story is here. A Law & Crime story on the bid to remove Justice Merchan is here.

Aaron Katersky & Peter Charalambous of ABC News: "As Donald Trump's lawyers on Monday afternoon attempted to convince an appellate judge that a fair jury selection could not happen in a Manhattan courtroom, the judge overseeing the former president's criminal trial, Judge Juan Merchan, released the questionnaire he plans to use to oversee jury selection for the trial, which is scheduled to begin on April 15. Prospecutive jurors will be asked if they have ever attended one of Trump's rallies, if they belong to groups like the Proud Boys or Antifa, or if they volunteered with a political entity associated with the former president. 'Do you have any strong opinions or firmly held beliefs about whether a former president may be criminally charged in a state court?' one question asks. 'Do you have any feelings about how Mr. Trump is being treated in this case?'... [And so forth.] Merchan also included the summary he intends to read to the prospective jurors next week, offering them a glimpse of the months-long trial."

Rachel Maddow's long opening segment last night featured the crooked business practices of Don Hankey, the usurious car-loan billionaire whose various enterprises cheated mostly low-income Americans of billions, but had somehow found his "generous" side in rescuing -- for a "low fee" -- Donald Trump and Jared Kushner (Kushner, while Trump was president*). Here's a part of that segment:

     ~~~ Hankey's bond to cover Trump in the New York fraud case is in some trouble inasmuch as Hankey, et al., are not registered to make bond in New York. Then there's this: ~~~

     ~~~ Paul Campos in LG&$ republishes part of a Daily Beast report: "'The little-known insurance company that rescued Donald Trump by providing a last-minute $175 million bank fraud bond isn't just unlicensed in New York; it hasn't even been vetted by a voluntary state entity that would verify it meets minimum 'eligibility standards' to prove financial stability. Perhaps even more troubling, the legal document from Knight Specialty Insurance Company [that's a Hankey-controlled company] doesn't actually promise it will pay the money if the former president loses his $464 million bank fraud case on appeal. Instead, it says Trump will pay, negating the whole point of an insurance company guarantee, according to three legal and bond experts who reviewed the contract for The Daily Beast.'... It looks more like a piece of paper that says Donald Trump is going to pay you and if he doesn't we don't promise to do anything about that! HOW IS THIS A BOND EXACTLY?" Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is Donald Trump's playing "catch me if you can" with New York State. So far, Trump is winning the game, even if it doesn't necessarily look that way on paper. Judge Arthur Engoron will hear arguments April 22 on whether or not the bond is sufficient.

Presidential Race

A Method to His Lies. Angelo Fichera of the New York Times: "In the week starting with Mr. Trump's victory speech in Iowa through his win in the New Hampshire primary -- the contests that put him on the path to becoming his party's nominee for the third consecutive time -- The New York Times analyzed all of his public statements, including speeches, interviews and social media posts. His words focused heavily on attacking his political rivals, self-aggrandizing and stoking fear to make his case for 2024. In doing so, Mr. Trump often relied on repeated falsehoods and half-truths. He has yet to deviate from this approach in the general election....

"He grossly distorts his opponents' records and proposals to make them sound unreasonable.... He exaggerates and twists the facts to make his record sound better than it is.... He relies on both well-worn and fresh claims of election rigging to suggest he can lose only if his opponents cheat.... He has turned his criminal cases into a rallying cry, baselessly asserting that he is being persecuted by his successor.... He makes unverifiable claims about what the world would have been like had he secured a second term.... He describes the United States as a nation in ruins." (Also linked yesterday.)

Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump said in a video statement on Monday that abortion rights should be left up to the states, remarks that came after months of mixed signals on an issue that he and his advisers have worried could cost him dearly in the election. Mr. Trump said his view was that the states should decide through legislation, and that 'whatever they decide must be the law of the land, and in this case, the law of the state.' But he added that he was 'strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.'... Mr. Trump appeared to be trying to move past the issue of abortion rights as quickly as possible without discussing a federal ban, which would face steep odds in the House and Senate. He has privately discussed supporting such a ban. But politically, Mr. Trump's announcement that abortion should be left to the states will allow Democrats to tag him with some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, including a six-week ban in Florida that he has said was a 'terrible mistake.'... In the video, Mr. Trump said he was 'proudly the person responsible' for overturning Roe and eliminating the constitutional right to abortion after almost 50 years. Mr. Trump falsely claimed that 'all legal scholars, both sides, wanted and in fact demanded' that Roe should be ended. He then falsely claimed that Democrats wanted babies 'executed after birth.'" CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: "President Biden slammed former President Trump on Monday for saying he thinks abortion policies are best left to the states, and for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee's role in overturning Roe v. Wade. 'Donald Trump made it clear once again today that he is -- more than anyone in America -- the person responsible for ending Roe v. Wade,' Biden said in a statement. 'Let there be no illusion. If Donald Trump is elected and the MAGA Republicans in Congress put a national abortion ban on the Resolute Desk, Trump will sign it into law.'... 'Trump is scrambling. He's worried that since he's the one responsible for overturning Roe the voters will hold him accountable in 2024,' Biden said. 'Well, I have news for Donald. They will. America was built on personal freedom and liberty. So, there is nothing more un-American than having our personal freedoms taken away. And that is what Donald Trump has done.'"

~~~ Michael Shear & Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "President Biden's re-election campaign on Monday released a searing campaign ad blaming ... Donald J. Trump for the near-death of a Texas woman who suffered infections after she was denied an abortion following a miscarriage. The ad, in which the woman, Amanda Zurawski, sobs about the loss of the baby she and her husband had wanted to name Willow, describes the infection that nearly killed her because of the Texas law that prohibits abortions even when they are medically necessary. Viewers then see a black screen with a single phrase: 'Donald Trump did this.'" ~~~

Marie: Closer readings of Trump's cop-out reveal that the situation is considerably worse than President Biden and his campaign suggest. Read on. ~~~

~~~ Don't Believe What You Read in the MSM. Amanda Marcotte of Salon: "On Monday, with great fanfare, Donald Trump released his 'plan' on abortion in a video posted to Truth Social. As with most things Trump says, the short statement was an avalanche of lies. He claims overturning Roe v. Wade was 'about will of the people.' In reality, strong majorities of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court's actions. He claims 'all legal scholars' on 'both sides' wanted to repeal Roe, another lie.... He claimed, as he does routinely now, that Democrats want abortion 'after birth,' a vile lie that has become normalized through brute repetition. But the most consequential deceit is from Trump implying -- but notably never actually saying -- he's on the 'leave it to the states' bandwagon.... [Trump said,] 'The states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land.' As sharp observers noticed (which most mainstream media missed), Trump's language here is descriptive of the current state of play and avoids committing to any future action or inaction.... Matt Gertz of Media Matters correctly criticized the press for leaving 'pro-choice swing voters with the false impression that he is more moderate than he actually is.' As he points out, Trump sidestepped the question of what he plans to do if he's in the White House. That's because he plans to ban abortion nationwide." ~~~

~~~ See also Akhilleus' commentary in today's thread. ~~~

~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "... the most misleading part of [Trump's] spiel was the way he implied that in a second Trump administration, abortion law will be left entirely up to the states.... Should Trump return to power, he plans to surround himself with die-hard MAGA activists, not the establishment types he blames for undermining him during his first term. And many of these activists have plans to restrict abortion nationally without passing any new laws at all.... [The 19th-century anti-vice Comstack Act] was never actually repealed, and now that Trump's justices have scrapped Roe, his allies believe they can use Comstock to go after abortion nationwide.... A resurrected Comstock Act wouldn't just stop women from ordering abortion pills through the mail. It could also prevent doctors and pharmacies from dispensing them, since neither the Postal Service nor express carriers like UPS and FedEx would be allowed to ship them in the first place. And it would give the Justice Department a rationale for cracking down on the networks that help provide pills to women in states with abortion bans." ~~~

~~~ Law Dork Chris Geidner: "While once again taking credit for the end of Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion, Donald Trump nonetheless tried to distance himself on Monday from the most extreme anti-abortion positions of his party in an explicit effort to 'win elections.' The purported abortion position Trump peddled in a video posted Monday on Truth Social -- after avoiding laying out his position throughout the primary -- is unrealistic, unworkable, and unpopular. Don't fall for it.... Right now, a majority of Republicans in Congress support an argument that could lead to an effective nationwide abortion ban without the passage of any new legislation.... In a brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year, 145 Republicans expressed the view that the Comstock Act -- an 1873 law -- criminalizes any mailing of abortion drugs, contrary to the views of courts that have interpreted it and the Biden administration.... Although he is not on the brief, House Speaker Mike Johnson had joined an earlier and even more extreme letter led by Sen. James Lankford in January 2023 challenging the administration's position.... It is important to consider, in detail, just how far removed Trump's claimed position on Monday is from Republican reality."

~~~ Lisa Lerer & Elizabeth Dias of the New York Times: "... on Monday, [anti-abortionists'] biggest champion, the man whom they call the 'most pro-life president in history,' chose politics over their principles -- and launched a series of vitriolic attacks on some of their top leaders.... His remarks [about abortion] were low on specifics.... Mr. Trump reacted to the criticism with a series of scathing attacks on ... Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the leading anti-abortion group..., and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who also questioned the former president's commitment to the anti-abortion movement on Monday. Mr. Trump took full credit for the decision to overturn Roe, disregarding the decades of work by activists and lawyers to build a conservative movement to undercut Roe. 'Lindsey, Marjorie, and others fought for years, unsuccessfully, until I came along and got the job done,' he posted on his social media site...." ~~~

     ~~~ Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "'I blame myself for Lindsey Graham, because the only reason he won in the Great State of South Carolina is because I Endorsed him!' Trump said in one of several posts shared on Truth Social, his social media site, in which he targeted one of his top allies in Congress.... Throughout Monday afternoon, Trump raged at Graham in post after post on the social media platform after Graham said he 'respectfully' disagreed with Trump's conclusions about abortion policy." MB: Lindsey, Lindsey, no matter how many times you pucker up to Trump's backside, you can never disagree with him, "respectfully" or otherwise. You must treat him as the infallible god he thinks he is, even when he makes contradictory assertions within the same fake tweet. When will you ever learn? ~~~

~~~ Let's Ask Mikey! Anjali Huynh of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Mike Pence delivered a scathing rebuke to ... Donald J. Trump's announcement on Monday that he thought abortion rights should be left to the states, calling Mr. Trump's video statement a 'slap in the face' to the anti-abortion voters who supported him in 2016 and 2020. In a statement on social media, he described Mr. Trump as retreating on the issue and indicated that his discontent was centered on Mr. Trump's lack of endorsement, or any mention at all, of a federal ban." Politico's story is here.

Eric Lipton, et al., of the New York Times: "Jared Kushner's investment fund ... is bringing with it ethical issues that would only grow if his father-in-law, Donald J. Trump, should win another term as president. His $3 billion fund is financed almost entirely from overseas investors with whom he worked when he served as a senior adviser in the Trump White House. He has taken money from government wealth funds in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as well as from Terry Gou, a founder of Foxconn, the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer, whose role in Mr. Kushner's firm has not been previously disclosed. In total, 99 percent of the money placed with him by investors has come from foreign sources, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in late March." Oh, read on.

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Haiti. Widlore Merancourt & Amanda Coletta of the Washington Post: "Heavily armed gangs control 80 percent of Port-au-Prince, [Haiti,] the United Nations has estimated, where they rape, kidnap and kill with impunity. Haiti doesn't manufacture firearms, and the United Nations prohibits importing them, but that's no problem for the criminals. When they go shopping, the United States is their gun store. The semiautomatic rifles that have wrought human carnage from an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., to a Walmart in El Paso are also being used to menace the Haitian government and terrorize the population ... owing to access in the United States, corruption in Haiti and insufficient screening in both countries.... The influx of U.S. guns to criminals is a growing problem across the Caribbean.... Exasperated Caribbean leaders last year declared the flood of U.S. weapons 'a direct threat to our democracy' and urged Washington to join their 'war on guns.'... U.S. officials say they're trying to disrupt what they describe as a relatively new flow."

Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Tuesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Hamas is reviewing the latest cease-fire proposal presented by mediators, according to a statement released Tuesday, after negotiators left Cairo and a senior official said talks were 'on hold.' Hamas criticized the proposal for not meeting Palestinian demands, but said it would nonetheless study it and respond. Israel's foreign minister said Monday that the talks were at a 'critical point,' and 'if matters work out, a large number of hostages will return home and, in stages, everyone.'... Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date had been set for Israel's planned ground offensive in the Rafah but he did not specify when. Displaced Palestinians have evacuated to the southern city, where the population has swelled to about 1.4 million. The leaders of Egypt, Jordan and France called for a permanent cease-fire and a two-state solution in an opinion piece in The Washington Post on Monday. They also demanded the immediate release of all hostages." ~~~

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

The Conversation -- April 8, 2024

A Method to His Lies. Angelo Fichera of the New York Times: "In the week starting with Mr. Trump's victory speech in Iowa through his win in the New Hampshire primary -- the contests that put him on the path to becoming his party's nominee for the third consecutive time -- The New York Times analyzed all of his public statements, including speeches, interviews and social media posts. His words focused heavily on attacking his political rivals, self-aggrandizing and stoking fear to make his case for 2024. In doing so, Mr. Trump often relied on repeated falsehoods and half-truths. He has yet to deviate from this approach in the general election....

"He grossly distorts his opponents' records and proposals to make them sound unreasonable.... He exaggerates and twists the facts to make his record sound better than it is.... He relies on both well-worn and fresh claims of election rigging to suggest he can lose only if his opponents cheat.... He has turned his criminal cases into a rallying cry, baselessly asserting that he is being persecuted by his successor.... He makes unverifiable claims about what the world would have been like had he secured a second term.... He describes the United States as a nation in ruins."

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump, a week away from standing trial in Manhattan on criminal charges that he falsified records to cover up a sex scandal, has indicated he plans to file a lawsuit against the judge overseeing the case. Court records showed on Monday that Mr. Trump was filing an action against the judge, Juan M. Merchan, though the papers were not immediately made public. An online court docket where Mr. Trump is expected to file the so-called Article 78 action -- a special proceeding that can be used to challenge New York state government agencies and judges -- showed that the related paperwork was sealed. Two people with knowledge of the matter said that Mr. Trump's lawyers on Monday planned to file the action calling on an appeals court to delay the trial and to challenge a gag order that Justice Merchan recently imposed on the former president.... Mr. Trump's unorthodox move -- essentially an appeal in the form of a lawsuit -- is unlikely to succeed, particularly so close to trial."

Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump said in a video statement on Monday that abortion rights should be left up to the states, remarks that came after months of mixed signals on an issue that he and his advisers have worried could cost him dearly in the election. Mr. Trump said his view was that the states should decide through legislation, and that 'whatever they decide must be the law of the land, and in this case, the law of the state.' But he added that he was 'strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.'... Mr. Trump appeared to be trying to move past the issue of abortion rights as quickly as possible without discussing a federal ban, which would face steep odds in the House and Senate. He has privately discussed supporting such a ban. But politically, Mr. Trump's announcement that abortion should be left to the states will allow Democrats to tag him with some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, including a six-week ban in Florida that he has said was a 'terrible mistake.'... In the video, Mr. Trump said he was 'proudly the person responsible' for overturning Roe and eliminating the constitutional right to abortion after almost 50 years. Mr. Trump falsely claimed that 'all legal scholars, both sides, wanted and in fact demanded' that Roe should be ended. He then falsely claimed that Democrats wanted babies 'executed after birth.'" CNN's report is here.

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CNN is live-updating the total eclipse of the sun here: "The eclipse will be visible to 32 million people in the US who live along the path of totality, where the moon will appear to entirely block the sun. And a whopping 99% of people in the US will be able to glimpse at least a partial solar eclipse when the moon covers part of the sun. Enter your address to find out what you can expect to see in a city near you." ~~~

~~~ How much of the April 8 eclipse will be visible at your house? And when? Check out the answer here (by Zip Code). ~~~

~~~ The New York Times has cloud cover forecasts for 3 pm ET today. You can check by city. ~~~

~~~ NASA's solar eclipse page is here. PBS is covering the eclipse here. NBC News will cover it here.

"Yellen in China" Will Not Be an Opera. Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "Four days of top-level economic meetings between the United States and China concluded in Beijing on Monday with no major breakthroughs, but the world's two largest economies agreed to hold more discussions to address rising friction over trade, investment and national security. The conversation is poised to become even more difficult, however, as hopes of greater economic cooperation collide with a harsh political reality: It is an election year in the United States, and antipathy toward China is running high. At the same time, Chinese officials appeared unmoved by Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen's urging that China scale back its recent surge of green energy technology exports, which could threaten American jobs."

Turner Admits House Republicans Are Putin Puppets. Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: "House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) stressed the expansive reach of Russian propaganda and said Sunday it has even presented itself on the floor of the U.S. Congress. In an interview on CNN's 'State of the Union' with Jake Tapper, Turner said he agreed with Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who singled out conservative news outlets and said, 'Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it's infected a good chunk of my party's base.... There are members of Congress today, who still incorrectly say that this conflict between Russia and Ukraine is over NATO, which of course it is not,' Turner said. '[Russian President] Vladimir Putin having made it very clear, both publicly and to his own population, that his view is that this is a conflict of a much broader claim of Russia, to Eastern Europe, and including claiming all of Ukraine territory as Russia's.' Turner said the propaganda has made it increasingly more difficult to pass Ukraine aid and to present a clear picture of a battle between democracy and authoritarianism." (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's report is here.

Ed Scarce of Crooks & Liars notes that Donald's handpicked RNC chair Michael Whatley lumped Ukraine in with China & Iran as the U.S.'s "aggressive" enemies who will meddle in U.S. elections. See also Comrade Trump's plan, linked under "Ukraine, et al." below.

Presidential Race

Maham Javaid & Kyle Melnick of the Washington Post: "Democrats may miss a deadline to get President Biden on the general election ballot in Ohio, according to the state's election management office. In a letter seen by The Washington Post, the Ohio secretary of state's office told Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters that the Democratic National Committee's nominating convention is scheduled too late for Biden to make the Ohio ballot because a state law requires nominees to be certified at least 90 days before the general election. The letter, citing Ohio's presidential ballot laws, said the deadline to certify a presidential candidate in Ohio is 90 days before the general election. The election is Nov. 5 this year, putting the Ohio deadline at Aug. 7 -- but the Democratic National Convention, which is expected to nominate Biden for a rematch against Donald Trump, isn't scheduled to convene until Aug. 19. The letter from Paul Disantis, chief legal counsel for Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R), asked Democratic state legislative leaders for clarification to assure the party's 'timely compliance with Ohio law.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Whaddaya bet the Supremes would think keeping a Democrat off the ballot was just fine even as they could hardly wait to make sure a Republican insurrectionist could remain on every state ballot?

Maggie Haberman & Michael Gold of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump, speaking at a multimillion-dollar fund-raiser on Saturday night, lamented that people were not immigrating to the United States from 'nice' countries 'like Denmark' and suggested that his well-heeled dinner companions were temporarily safe from undocumented immigrants nearby, according to an attendee.... Mr. Trump also lamented the surge of migrants, particularly from Latin America.... 'In fact, I don't think they're on this island [Palm Beach], but I know they're on that island right there. That's West Palm,' Mr. Trump said, gesturing across the [Intercoast Waterway].... 'Congratulations over there. But they'll be here. Eventually, they'll be here.'... Dozens of wealthy donors helped write checks that the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee claim totaled more than $50 million, an amount that would set a record but had not been verified." MB: West Palm Beach, BTW, is not an island. It's on the Florida mainland. According to the reporters, "... nearly a third of residents [of WPB] are Black and a quarter are Hispanic." ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Allen, et al., of NBC News: "... Donald Trump emphasized the importance of extending his signature tax cuts to some of the nation's wealthiest political donors, according to a readout of his private remarks Saturday night provided by a Trump campaign official. 'Trump spoke on the need to win back the White House so we can turn our country around, focusing on key issues including unleashing energy production, securing our southern border, reducing inflation, extending the Trump Tax Cuts, eliminating Joe Biden's insane [electric vehicle] mandate, protecting Israel, and avoiding global war,' the campaign official said of a roughly 45-minute speech to donors in Palm Beach, Florida." MB: Okay, the tax-cut-for-billionaires thing is totally believable. The rest, maybe not so much. But the speech proves Trump can tell the truth sometimes. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, over at "Fox & Friends" weekend, the hosts can't figure out how much of that $50MM haul will go to Trump's legal fees, and they think it's very unfair that Biden gets to spend all of his campaign cash for, you know, his campaign, while Trump is "fighting with one hand behind his back" because Biden's "election interference" is forcing Trump to shell out so much to lawyers. (Also linked yesterday.)

RAS found this summary of some of our more recent presidents' goals. MB: I think maybe I'm seeing a pattern: ~~~

Aileen in Wonderland. Joyce Vance on Substack: Judge Aileen Cannon's court is "increasingly reminiscent of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,' where important matters are upside down.... Judge Cannon ordered Jack Smith to provide her with jury instructions on the application of the Presidential Records Act (PRA) long before the case could even conceivably be ready to go to trial -- jury instructions are typically filed shortly before trial begins. Judge Cannon hasn't even ruled definitively on the role the Presidential Records Act will play in permitting Trump to mount a defense (which, of course, it shouldn't do at all). Increasingly, the common theme seems to be that she finds disingenuous paths around rulings that would permit the Special Counsel to appeal her errors.... This case is very likely headed to the Eleventh Circuit before trial.... If Judge Cannon continues as she has, the outcome seems to be all but a foregone conclusion. And it's difficult to believe that, at this point, any panel of Eleventh Circuit judges wouldn't believe the Judge needs to step aside."

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. digby figures Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update (embedded yesterday) is about the only "news" outlet to properly cover some of Trump's latest rantings. MB: I remember first remarking on this back in (probably) late 2015 or early 2016, when I noticed that the media carefully "translated" Trump's garbled remarks into forms that sounded at least comprehensible. They got used to it, and as he got crazier -- as digby emphasizes -- they just skipped some of the nuttier lunacy and translated only the few remarks which they could couch as probable "policy" matters. (These admittedly are usually crazy, too: Trump will solve the U.S./Mexico border crisis by building a "beautiful" wall which Mexico will pay for.) Maybe every "real" news outlets should have a little box headlined, "Crazy Things Trump Said Today," and report it out. Raw.

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Vermont. Johnny Diaz of the New York Times: "The authorities in Vermont arrested a man they said used an accelerant and a lighter to start a fire on Friday outside of Senator Bernie Sanders's office in Burlington. The man, Shant Soghomonian (also known as Michael Soghomonian), 35, previously of Northridge, Calif., was arrested on Sunday on a charge of using fire to damage the building at One Church Street in Burlington, Vt., the U.S. Attorney's office for the district of Vermont said in a statement on Sunday. Prosecutors and the police did not identify a possible motive for the fire."

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Israel/Palestine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israel and Hamas sent delegations to Cairo for the latest round of cease-fire negotiations. CIA chief William J. Burns was in Cairo on Sunday for the talks, in a possible sign that diplomatic momentum is building after the sides couldn't reach an agreement before Ramadan."

Louisa Loveluck, et al., of the Washington Post: "Israel said on Sunday -- the six-month mark of the ruinous conflict in Gaza -- that it was withdrawing all but one brigade from the south of the enclave, describing the move as an opportunity for troops to rest and retool for the next chapter of the war. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that its 98th commando division, which consists of special ground forces, had 'concluded its mission' in the city of Khan Younis and left Gaza 'to recuperate and prepare for future operations.' The Nahal brigade, made up of ground troops stationed along a corridor that divides northern and southern Gaza, would continue to operate, the army said. The drawdown announcement Sunday seemed to mirror a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza City earlier this year, after the army said it had dismantled Hamas brigades in the north and was pivoting to more targeted operations."

Ukraine, et al. Who Would Have Guessed? Isaac Arnsdorf, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump has privately said he could end Russia's war in Ukraine by pressuring Ukraine to give up some territory, according to people familiar with the plan. Some foreign policy experts said Trump's idea would reward Russian President Vladimir Putin and condone the violation of internationally recognized borders by force. Trump's proposal consists of pushing Ukraine to cede Crimea and the Donbas border region to Russia.... That approach, which has not been previously reported, would dramatically reverse President Biden's policy, which has emphasized curtailing Russian aggression and providing military aid to Ukraine."

The Conversation -- April 7, 2024

Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: "House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) stressed the expansive reach of Russian propaganda and said Sunday it has even presented itself on the floor of the U.S. Congress. In an interview on CNN's 'State of the Union' with Jake Tapper, Turner said he agreed with Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who singled out conservative news outlets and said, 'Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it's infected a good chunk of my party's base.... There are members of Congress today, who still incorrectly say that this conflict between Russia and Ukraine is over NATO, which of course it is not,' Turner said. '[Russian President] Vladimir Putin having made it very clear, both publicly and to his own population, that his view is that this is a conflict of a much broader claim of Russia, to Eastern Europe, and including claiming all of Ukraine territory as Russia's.' Turner said the propaganda has made it increasingly more difficult to pass Ukraine aid and to present a clear picture of a battle between democracy and authoritarianism."

Jonathan Allen, et al., of NBC News: "... Donald Trump emphasized the importance of extending his signature tax cuts to some of the nation's wealthiest political donors, according to a readout of his private remarks Saturday night provided by a Trump campaign official. 'Trump spoke on the need to win back the White House so we can turn our country around, focusing on key issues including unleashing energy production, securing our southern border, reducing inflation, extending the Trump Tax Cuts, eliminating Joe Biden's insane [electric vehicle] mandate, protecting Israel, and avoiding gobal war,' the campaign official said of a roughly 45-minute speech to donors in Palm Beach, Florida." MB: Okay, the tax-cut-for-billionaires thing is totally believable. The rest, maybe not so much. But the speech proves Trump can tell the truth sometimes. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, over at "Fox & Friends" weekend, the hosts can't figure out how much of that $50MM haul will go to Trump's legal fees, and they think it's very unfair that Biden gets to spend all of his campaign cash for, you know, his campaign, while Trump is "fighting with one hand behind his back" because Biden's "election interference" is forcing Trump to shell out so much to lawyers.

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Presidential Race

Tamara Keith & Franco Ordoñez of NPR: "The Biden reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee significantly outraised ... Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the month of March, according to new fundraising numbers released by the Biden campaign on Saturday. The Biden campaign and DNC combined to raise $90 million in March, according to figures released by the campaign. [President] Biden's reelection effort ended the month with $192 million cash on hand, a significant war chest even as the campaign is spending millions on television ads and opening field offices in key states around the country. 'The money we are raising is historic,' said Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden-Harris 2024 campaign manager. 'It's a stark contrast to Trump's cash-strapped operation that is funneling the limited and billionaire-reliant funds it has to pay off his various legal fees.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Fredreka Schouten of CNN: "Donald Trump's campaign said it raised $50.5 million at a Saturday fundraiser in Florida, a staggering sum as the former president's political operation scrambles to close its big financial gap with President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. The haul announced by the campaign and top officials with the Republican National Committee far eclipses the $26 million that Biden reported collecting recently at a star-studded gathering in New York City that featured former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. The Trump total from the 'Inaugural Leadership Dinner' at the Palm Beach, Florida, home of billionaire investor John Paulson sets a record for a single fundraising event.... The price tag for the fundraiser ranged from $250,000 per person for those serving on the 'host committee' to $824,600 per person to serve as a 'chairman.' Perks for those contributing at the top level included dinner seating at Trump's table." MB: Of course this should make you feel sick.

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times on Donald Trump's obsession with bloodbaths & bloodlines. (Also linked yesterday.)

Rachel Leingang of the Guardian: "Donald Trump's speeches on the 2024 campaign trail so far have been focused on a laundry list of complaints, largely personal, and an increasingly menacing tone. He's on the campaign trail less these days than he was in previous cycles.... But when he has held rallies, he speaks in dark, dehumanizing terms about migrants, promising to vanquish people crossing the border. He rails about the legal battles he faces and how they're a sign he's winning, actually. He tells lies and invents fictions. He calls his opponent a threat to democracy and claims this election could be the last one.... He's also, quite frequently, rambling and incoherent, running off on tangents that would grab headlines for their oddness should any other candidate say them." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you wonder what ails Trump when he rambles on about irrelevant matters -- like Cary Grant in a bathing suit -- and jumps from topic to topic, it turns out "it's called intelligence." Let him explain:

The fake news will say, 'Oh, he goes from subject to subject.' No, you have to be very smart to do that. You got to be very smart. You know what it is? It's called spot-checking. You're thinking about something when you're talking about something else, and then you get back to the original. And they go, 'Holy shit. Did you see what he did?' It’s called intelligence.

Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "As ... Donald Trump escalated his attacks on President Biden's health and mental fitness last fall, Trump released the first updated report on his own condition in more than three years. This assessment, however, stood in stark contrast to the relatively detailed reports released by the White House during his term. Instead of specifics like blood pressure and medications, the letter had just three paragraphs without specific numbers proclaiming that Trump was in 'excellent health' and had 'exceptional' cognitive ability. It did not disclose Trump's weight.... [His doctor:] Bruce A. Aronwald, a 64-year-old osteopathic physician from New Jersey -- and a longtime member of Trump's Bedminster golf club.... Trump ... began his political career in 2015 by releasing a vague and hyperbolic medical report declaring that he'd be the healthiest president in history, which his physician at the time later said Trump had dictated to him. The new letter also provides none of the usual details for the public to examine, such as the precise extent to which Trump has continued to battle obesity and high cholesterol, as he did in office.... A Post review of Aronwald found him to be a well-respected local doctor who had found notable success with a 'concierge' medical service catering to well-off clientele like Trump; some patients say he has never been openly political."

RFK Jr. Is Still Crazy. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s approach to national politics is uncomplicated. Whatever the conventional wisdom -- however sound it might be and no matter the scale of the evidence supporting it -- he's against it.... On Thursday, his scattershot presidential bid was ruffled (to the extent that it can be) by an assertion that people in jail for having participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol had been 'stripped of their Constitutional liberties.' The campaign quickly asserted that this presentation, one that echoes the views of ... Donald Trump, was an error introduced by 'a new marketing contractor.' Kennedy subsequently decided to clarify his position on the Capitol riot. In a statement released on Friday afternoon, he affirmed that ... he broadly agreed with the position of ... Donald Trump." (Also linked yesterday.)

Daring the Judge. Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump said Saturday that it would be a 'great honor' to be jailed for violating a gag order, marking an escalation in attacks he's made against New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan and other court officials in a case about to go to trial.... Writing on the Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump dared Merchan to throw him in jail. He also compared himself again to Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner who became the first president of a post-apartheid South Africa."

Tom Boggiani of the Raw Story: "By his words and by his actions, Donald Trump is making it difficult for Judge Aileen Cannon to put her thumb on the scale in his favor as she issues rulings that appear to be designed to derail his obstruction of government trial.... As [Greg Sargent of the New Republic] explained, Cannon's latest ruling, 'actually made it easier for herself to kill the case later, or to steer a jury toward an acquittal,' however Trump couldn't leave well enough alone by pointing out, 'He [Trump] doesn't bother hiding his expectation that Cannon ... will put a heavy thumb on the scale in his favor. That complicates Cannon's efforts to maintain that objective legal aura she's striving for.... At issue is Trump's assertion that Smith must be 'sanctioned or censured for the way he is attacking a highly respected Judge, Aileen Cannon.'... [Sargent writes,] 'Trump [is] openly telling the world exactly what he expects her to do for him. We can only hope Trump has left her no option but to prove him wrong.'"

Saving Trump Media. Matthew Goldstein & Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "Marty Davis, the wealthy Minnesota head of a kitchen countertop manufacturing company..., contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to help elect Mr. Trump in 2020, and encouraged him to fight to overturn the 2020 election results. Shortly after Mr. Trump's social media company said in October 2021 that it planned to go public by merging with a cash-rich shell company, Mr. Davis was one of the first to lend the fledgling business millions so that it could stay afloat.... Other early backers include two Texas billionaires, a Florida hedge fund manager, and a trust with ties to a Russian American owner of an offshore bank who is the nephew of a former high-ranking Russian government official.... It's not uncommon for start-ups to seek out wealthy investors for financing, but the stock holdings raise questions about the potential for conflicts of interest and undue influence over Mr. Trump should he return to the White House.... Mr. Trump, who owns 57 percent of Trump Media, did not personally put a significant amount of money into getting the company off the ground."

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Colorado. Freedom of the Press? Not So Much. Jennifer Brown of the Colorado Sun: "Colorado Sun politics reporter was escorted out of the state GOP assembly by a sheriff's deputy Saturday after being told that party Chairman Dave Williams found her 'current reporting to be very unfair.' Reporter Sandra Fish, who has covered politics since 1982, received a text at 3:45 a.m. Saturday from a Colorado Republican Party event organizer saying that she was no longer allowed to attend. Fish went anyway to the assembly at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo, where she checked in at the door and received a press credential to enter. About an hour later, she was told to leave. Fish initially refused, but was later escorted out by a law enforcement officer, who told her, 'You have to be invited here. They don't want you here. We have to get you out of here,' according to video of the scene taken by other journalists.... Several Republican leaders criticized the ousting of a reporter from the state assembly, one of the most important events of the year as the party chooses its candidates for the November election."

Montana Senate Race. Meet Yer GOP Candidate. Liz Goodwin of the Washington Post: "Tim Sheehy, a charismatic former Navy SEAL who is the Republican candidate in a U.S. Senate race in Montana..., has cited a gunshot wound he received in combat that he said left a bullet in his right arm as evidence of his toughness. '... I have a bullet stuck in this arm still from Afghanistan,' Sheehy said in a video of a December campaign event posted on social media, pointing to his right forearm. It was one of several inconsistent accounts Sheehy has shared about being shot while deployed. And in October 2015, more than a year after he left active duty, he told a different story. After a family visit to Montana's Glacier National Park, he told a National Park Service ranger that he accidentally shot himself in the right arm that day.... Asked this week about the citation [he received] ... for illegally discharging his weapon in a national park..., Sheehy told The Washington Post that the statement he gave the ranger was a lie. He said he made up the story about the gun going off to protect himself and his former platoonmates from facing a potential military investigation into an old bullet wound that he said he got in Afghanistan in 2012." Read on if you'd like to know Sheehy's many tall tales about when and where and how many times he was shot. (Also linked yesterday.)

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Israel/Palestine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Sunday in the Israel/Hamas war are here.

Kareem Fahim, et al., of the Washington Post: "Israel's military said Friday that a deadly attack on a World Central Kitchen humanitarian convoy that killed seven of the organization's members was a 'serious violation' of its policies after the airstrikes prompted global outrage and a rare rebuke from the Biden administration. The findings of the Israel Defense Forces' own investigation, presented in a seven-paragraph statement, were unusual for the speed with which they were released: four days after an IDF drone repeatedly struck the three-car convoy on a coastal road in Gaza used as a humanitarian corridor, and two days after President Biden said he was 'outraged and heartbroken' over the deaths and that the investigation should be 'swift.' The statement said the attack was the result of 'errors' and was 'contrary' to military procedures. It added that two officers would be dismissed and commanders reprimanded but made no mention of legal actions like prosecutions."

CNN's live updates of developments Saturday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "The US is preparing for a significant Iranian attack on US or Israeli assets in the region as soon as next week, a US official told CNN, after an Israeli strike in Syria killed Iranian commanders. Israel's ongoing conflicts with Iran and its proxy groups have intensified since October 7. There were large protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Israeli cities once again on Saturday. Protesters called for Israeli hostages to be freed and slammed Netanyahu's handling of the war after six months in Gaza. World Central Kitchen and some Western leaders are calling for an independent investigation into an Israeli strike that killed seven of the group's aid workers in Gaza, after Israel said its forces made a 'grave mistake' in its preliminary report. Dozens of Democrats -- including former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- called for the US to halt arms sales to Israel until a full investigation into the strike is completed." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Saturday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)