The Conversation -- February 16, 2024

** Marie: Via MSNBC on-air, Judge Arthur Engoron's decision in the Trump Organization civil fraud case has just been posted. The penalty is more than $364 million in the aggregate. Donald Trump and the Trump Organization can't operate in New York for three years; Eric & Donald Jr. can't operate in new York for two years. They can't apply for loans in New York, either. it's a 92-page ruling. And don't forget he has a total of about $88 million in judgments against him in the E. Jean Carroll cases. The penalties are $355MM for Donald Trump, $4 each for Don Jr. & Eric, and $1MM for Allen Weisselberg. Including penalty an interest, that $355MM figure for Donald Trump's has been pushed up to $453MM+. ~~~

     ~~~ Jonah Bromwich & Ben Protess of the New York Times: "A New York judge on Friday handed Donald J. Trump a crushing defeat in his civil fraud case, finding the former president liable for conspiring to manipulate his net worth and ordering him to pay a penalty of nearly $355 million plus interest that could wipe out his entire stockpile of cash. The decision by Justice Arthur F. Engoron caps a chaotic, yearslong case in which New York's attorney general put Mr. Trump's fantastical claims of wealth on trial. With no jury, the power was in Justice Engoron's hands alone...: The judge delivered a sweeping array of punishments that threatens the former president's business empire as he simultaneously contends with four criminal prosecutions and seeks to regain the White House. Justice Engoron barred Mr. Trump for three years from serving in top roles at any New York company, including portions of his own Trump Organization. He also imposed a two-year ban on the former president's adult sons and ordered that they pay more than $4 million each. One of them, Eric Trump, is the company's de facto chief executive, and the ruling throws into doubt whether any member of the family can run the business in the near term. The judge also ordered that they pay substantial interest, pushing the penalty for the former president to $450 million, according to the attorney general, Letitia James." This is an update of an early story.~~~

     ~~~ The AP story, by Michael Sisak, is here. The AP also cites the $364MM figure. CNN has a liveblog on developments. ~~~

~~~ Marie: Trump said on the teevee that people will be moving out of New York because they're so upset by this verdict, and "There won't be a New York anymore." He's shocked, shocked he should be given a massive fine when he's "done a perfect job." In his ruling, Engoron wrote that a major reason for the penalty and requirement that the Trump Organization continue under "babysitters" after Trump is allowed to work in New York again was because Trump and the Trump children refused to acknowledge there bad acts & were unremorseful about them.

Richard Fausset, et al., of the New York Times: "Defense lawyers for Donald J. Trump and his co-defendants in Georgia found themselves frustrated in efforts to extract damaging information from a key witness [Terrence Bradley] on Friday, as they sought to disqualify the lead prosecutors in the election interference case.... Once he took the stand in the afternoon, he continued to assert attorney-client privilege over many matters.... After adjourning, Judge [Scott] McAfee said he would meet in private with Mr. Bradley and his attorney to discuss questions regarding attorney-client privilege and an accusation of sexual assault against Mr. Bradley while he worked with Mr. Wade. Mr. Bradley emphatically denied the allegation, and the judge did not allow further testimony about it from other witnesses.... The judge said he would then determine a date for lawyers to make their closing arguments on the conflict-of-interest question. It could happen late next week, or the following week, he said...." This is the pinned item in a liveblog. ~~~

Fausset: "Terrence Bradley, who the judge has called the star witness in this case, is still not here. Instead, we have another star of sorts: Former Gov. Roy Barnes of Georgia. Mr. Barnes is a moderate Democrat who served one term.... Barnes acknowledges publicly that Fani Willis ... approached him about prosecuting the Trump case.... The point of bringing Roy Barnes to the stand is to establish that Nathan Wade was not the first choice of Fani Willis ... to run the Trump prosecution. Barnes, a former governor of Georgia, testified that he met with Willis for an hour about taking on the case, but declined."

Fausset: "The judge notes that Terrence Bradley, one of the key witnesses subpoenaed by the defense, is now technically in violation of his subpoena for ghosting this hearing. His lawyer says he is at a medical appointment."

Fausset: "Fani Willis's father, John Floyd, is taking the stand. He was originally supposed to dial in via videoconference but is here in person."

Danny Hakim: "Floyd described his daughter's house getting doxed, with people showing up outside at 5:30 a.m. 'cursing and yelling' the 'b-word' and the 'n-word.'... Floyd says, 'I've always told my daughter, you keep six months worth of cash, always.' And he says he gave his daughter her first cash box."

Fausset: "Keeping large amounts of cash around is 'a Black thing,' Fani Willis's father, John Floyd, says. Willis, the district attorney, has said that she paid Nathan Wade back for trips that they took together in cash."

Hakim: "Under questioning from Donald Trump's lawyer, Steve Sadow, Fani Willis's father says, 'I just found out when other folks found out' that his daughter had dated the special prosecutor, Nathan Wade."

Fausset: "The judge says that the crime-fraud exception does not apply, and now we're back to questioning of Terrence Bradley about what he knows regarding the relationship between his former client and partner, Natha Wade, and ... Fani Willis."

Hakim: "Terrence Bradley has been on the stand for some time now, but thus far the defense has not been able to draw anything out of him undercutting the assertions of Fani Willis and Nathan Wade about the timeline of their relationship."

Fausset: "Much of today's drama, such as it is, will occur off-camera. The judge has said he is going to review two text messages from Terrence Bradley, the witness currently on the stand, to determine whether the texts [between defense lawyer Ashleigh Merchant & him] should remain under wraps due to attorney-client privilege."

Fausset: "Anna Cross with the district attorney's office establishes that Terrence Bradley left Nathan Wade's firm after an accusation that Bradley committed a sexual assault. Bradley emphatically denies the allegation.... The prosecution establishing that Bradley had been the subject of a sexual assault allegation at his former law firm is an effort to raise questions about why he might reveal information damaging to Nathan Wade, his former partner."

Edward-Isaac Dovere of CNN: "West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced Friday that he will not mount a 2024 campaign for president.... Manchin has been on a national listening tour as he weighed jumping in as a third-party presidential candidate, potentially on the No Labels ticket. He has criticized President Joe Biden for being too liberal but also said that he would refuse to be part of any effort that would help Donald Trump return to the White House."

Anton Troianovski & Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden said that there was 'no doubt' that President Vladimir V. Putin's government was behind the death of Aleksei A. Navalny, the outspoken dissident who Russian authorities said had died at a remote Arctic prison on Friday.... President Biden praised Mr. Navalny's activism and his courage in returning to Russia after being poisoned in 2020. 'Even in prison, he was a powerful voice for the truth,' Mr. Biden said. He also repeated denunciations of ... Donald J. Trump, who said recently that he would 'encourage' Russia to attack NATO allies that do not spend enough on their militaries, calling Mr. Trump's comments 'dangerous' and 'outrageous.'" This is the pinned item in a liveblog about Navalny's apparent death. ~~~

~~~ ** Andrew Kramer & Valerie Hopkins of the New York Times: "Aleksei A. Navalny, an anticorruption activist who for more than a decade led the political opposition in President Vladimir V. Putin's Russia, died Friday in a prison inside the Arctic Circle, according to Russian authorities. His death was announced by Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service, which said that Mr. Navalny, 47, lost consciousness on Friday after taking a walk in the prison where he was moved late last year. He was last seen on Thursday, when he had appeared in a court hearing via video link, smiling behind the bars of a cell and making jokes. Leonid Volkov, Navalny's longtime chief of staff, said he was not yet ready to accept the news that Mr. Navalny was dead. 'We have no reason to believe state propaganda,' Volkov wrote on the social platform X. 'If this is true, then it's not "Navalny died," but "Putin killed Navalny," and only that. But I don't trust them one penny.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Shall we ask reprehensible Tucker Carlson how nice Russian prisons are? Now that Putin has murdered Russia's leading dissident, I do wonder if TuKKKer will be floating any more videos about how much better Russia is than the U.S. Marveling over the low prices in a fake Moscow grocery store (story linked below), TuKKKer said, "... you start to realize that ideology maybe doesn't matter as much as you thought, corruption." "Ideolology" tends to matter quite a lot, TuKKKums, when it permits the state to murder you for protesting and other exercises of free speech.

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Marie: I will be away almost all morning. The Georgia hearing on the Willis-Wade affair continues at 9:00 am ET. The hearing was aired live yesterday on both CNN & MSNBC, so I imagine it will air today, too. Also Justice Arthur Engoron is expected to release his verdict on any penalties he will require the Trump Organization to pay as a result of the fraud finding against the Trump company.

In today's news, we feature right-wing dudes trying to deflect responsibility for their fake crusades: Rep. Jim Comer (R-Ky.) blaming the FBI for his fake Biden impeachment inquiry; violent insurrectionists blaming that nice Donald Trump for calling them to Washington to stop the Electoral College count; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blaming "bad actors" for the book ban he championed.

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The White House clashed with the Justice Department in the run-up to the release of a special counsel report last week about President Biden's handling of classified information, previously undisclosed correspondence shows. The letters, obtained by The New York Times, show that a top Justice Department official rejected complaints from Mr. Biden's lawyers about disparaging comments in the report regarding the president. The lawyers wrote to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland the day before he released the report by the special counsel, Robert K. Hur. They raised objections to passages in the report in which Mr. Hur suggested that Mr. Biden's memory was failing and questioned some of his actions, even though the special counsel had found no basis to prosecute the president. The lawyers said Mr. Hur's comments 'openly, obviously and blatantly violate department policy and practice,' the letters show.... Bradley Weinsheimer -- the department's senior career official, or nonpolitical appointee, who deals with ethics complaints or appeals of department decisions -- wrote back rejecting their criticism. He insisted that the comments in the report 'fall well within the department's standards for public release.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I watched a good deal of Fani Willis' testimony yesterday. She seems like an intelligent, 50-ish woman in full possesion of her mental faculties. Even though she no doubt had studied the charges against her in a case where dates of events are crucial, there were a whole lotta recent dates and events she could not recall. I don't think she was lying or covering up; it appeared she just didn't know. A lot of people -- myself included -- do not track events by dates. You probably remember the year you were graduated from high school, but that's because you have long identified yourself with the "Class of '85" or whatever. But you may not remember what year you took a cruise, even if it was only five years ago. I also hear sharp TV personalities constantly misspeaking; one referred the other day to "Jack Trump" when she meant "Jack Smith." The speaker wasn't confused or forgetful; she's human. Robert Hur, no doubt having watched way too much Fox Teevee, had a preconceived notion that Joe Biden was an old man with no idea of what was going on around him; every time Biden misspoke or forgot a date confirmed Hur's bias.

** Jim Comer's Impeachment Dreams Blow Up. Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The special counsel investigating Hunter Biden has charged a former F.B.I. informant with fabricating claims that President Biden and his son each sought $5 million bribes from a Ukrainian company -- a stinging setback for Republicans who cited the allegations in their push to impeach the president. The longtime informant, Alexander Smirnov, 43, is accused of falsely telling the F.B.I. that Hunter Biden, then a paid board member of the energy giant Burisma, demanded the money to protect the company from an investigation by the country's prosecutor general at the time. The explosive story, which seemed to back up unsubstantiated Republican claims of a 'Biden crime family,' turned out to be a brazen lie, according to a 37-page indictment unsealed late Thursday in a California federal court, brought by the special counsel, David C. Weiss....

"In May last year, Representative James R. Comer of Kentucky, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, threatened to hold the bureau&'s director, Christopher A. Wray, in contempt if he did not disclose some details [of Smirnov's tall tale]. Mr. Comer, in a statement released after the charges against Mr. Smirnov became public, took no responsibility for spreading a claim that prosecutors suggested was a smear intended to hurt Mr. Biden politically. Instead, he blamed bureau officials for privately telling the committee their 'source was credible and trusted, had worked with the F.B.I. for over a decade and had been paid six figures.' But F.B.I. officials did not seem to think much of Mr. Smirnov's allegations from the start.... In 2020, they concluded that his claims did not merit continued investigation, and told senior Trump administration officials in the Justice Department of that decision, prosecutors wrote." The AP's story is here. CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Chris Hayes said on MSNBC last night that Sean Hannity featured Smirnov's story on his little teevee show at Fox 85 times, often in long monologues implicating "the Bidens." ~~~

~~~ "A Tissue of Lies Built on Conspiracy Theories." Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is calling on House Republicans to end their impeachment inquiry into President Biden following the indictment of the FBI informant at the center of the conference's allegations that the president accepted a bribe. The statement from Raskin -- the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee --came shortly after the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against Alexander Smirnov, 43, based on accusations that he made up claims regarding Biden. 'In a detailed indictment, Special Counsel David Weiss -- who was appointed by former President Donald Trump -- has demonstrated how key evidence at the heart of House Republicans' impeachment inquiry is based on a lie,' Raskin said. 'Special Counsel Weiss's investigation is just the most recent to debunk the Ukraine-Burisma conspiracy theory at the heart of this fraudulent impeachment inquiry.... It is an undeniable fact that Republicans' allegations against President Biden have always been a tissue of lies built on conspiracy theories, and I formally call on Speaker Johnson, Chairman Comer, and House Republicans to stop promoting this nonsense and end their doomed impeachment inquiry.'..."

Abigail Hauslohner & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "Ukraine's supporters on both sides of the fractured House are exploring how they could force a vote to unlock billions of dollars in aid for Kyiv, potentially by sidestepping Republican leaders who have refused to act on a measure that funds several national security imperatives.... [House Speaker Mike] Johnson (R-La.) has rejected the Senate bill outright but to date has offered little clarity on the path forward."

MTG Misbehaves in Another House Hearing. Zachary Leeman of Mediaite: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) declared at a House hearing on Covid vaccines that she has a 'PhD in recognizing bullshit' in a rant that included no questions for the witness to whom it was directed. Greene honed [homed!] in on Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the Food and Drug Administration, and his support of vaccines, especially for young children.... Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) immediately apologized to the room over Greene's lengthy comments and vaccine criticisms."

The Trials of Trump & the Trump Gang

Danny Hakim, et al., of the New York Times: "A case charging ... Donald J. Trump and his allies with trying to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia took a detour on Thursday into the details of the prosecutors' romantic and financial lives -- their sleeping arrangements, vacations and private bank accounts -- in an unusual and highly contentious hearing. Lawyers for Mr. Trump and his co-defendants have argued that the Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, and the special prosecutor she hired to manage the case, Nathan J. Wade, should be disqualified from the case because their romantic and financial entanglements had created a conflict of interest. Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade forcefully rejected those accusations in testimony on Thursday, with Ms. Willis accusing the defense lawyers of spreading 'lies.'... Ms. Willis took the stand after her former friend, Robin Bryant-Yeartie, testified that Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade began a romantic relationship in 2019, before Ms. Willis hired him in November 2021. Ms. Bryant-Yeartie said that it was still going on when she and Ms. Willis last spoke in 2022, just before they had a falling out.... But Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade both testified that their romance began in early 2022, after Ms. Willis had hired him as a special prosecutor, and well after they had first met, at a judicial conference in 2019." More details in yesterday's Conversation. Politico's account is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marshall Cohen & others at CNN discuss some "takeaways from the hearing that was at times jaw-dropping, awkward and strikingly personal."

Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "Two presidential campaigns ago, Donald J. Trump faced a brewing sex scandal that threatened to derail his bid for the White House. On Thursday, a New York judge ensured that the very same scandal will loom over Mr. Trump's latest run for president, scheduling for March 25 a trial that could jeopardize his campaign -- and his freedom. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, rejected Mr. Trump's bid to throw out the Manhattan district attorney's criminal charges against him that stem from a hush-money payment to a porn star in 2016. By setting a trial date for next month, Justice Merchan cleared the way for the first prosecution of a former American president in the nation's history, ensuring that Mr. Trump will face at least one jury before Election Day. The ruling is a crucial victory for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg." More details in yesterday's Conversation.

Ellie Houghtaling of the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: "Judge Aileen Cannon isn't buying Donald Trump's newest delay tactic in the classified documents case. On Thursday, Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge, shot down the GOP front-runner's latest effort to postpone pretrial deadlines, instead opting to keep that date set on February 22. But the ruling comes with an exception -- noting that she'll still consider measures filed at the eleventh hour if the legal teams can prove they're necessary."

Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Donald Trump is passing up the chance to add a fourth case to a trio of Trump-related appeals already stacked up at the Supreme Court. Trump elected not to ask the justices to reverse a federal appeals court ruling issued in December rejectin his claim that presidents have absolute immunity from being sued for actions taken while they are in office.... For now, that means a Washington, D.C., appeals court ruling that found Trump could be sued for his role in stoking the violence on Jan. 6 will stand. The unanimous ruling of the three-judge panel, which included a Trump-nominated judge, concluded that Trump's remarks to supporters on Jan. 6 appeared to be delivered in his capacity as a candidate for reelection -- not in his official capacity as president."

The President* Made Me Do It. Brandi Buchman of Law & Crime: "A new assessment of public records by a federal watchdog group [-- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington --] has found that approximately 210 defendants charged with crimes connected to Jan. 6 directly expressed that they only came to Washington, D.C., or joined in on the violence at the U.S. Capitol because they were incited by ... Donald Trump and heeding his call."

Christine Hauser of the New York Times: "A Massachusetts man has been arrested and charged with participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, after investigators said he had recorded a video on his way there, predicting 'mayhem, chaos and pandemonium' in order to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The man, Thomas J. Method, 57, of Framingham, Mass., has been charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, which is a felony, according to federal prosecutors. He also faces misdemeanor charges.... Mr. Method was arrested on Wednesday in Framingham.... The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is prosecuting the case."

Jesse McKinley & Liset Cruz of the New York Times: "Lawyers for New York State concluded their case against the National Rifle Association on Thursday, bringing an end to a closely watched civil showdown that accused leaders of the nation's most prominent gun rights group of financial misconduct and corruption. Over the last six weeks, lawyers for New York's attorney general, Letitia James, have outlined a case that paints the N.R.A. as a mismanaged organization.... Monica Connell, representing the attorney general's office, began her closing arguments on Thursday by comparing the defendants to children who grabbed cookies from a jar and were 'caught with crumbs on their face and on their shirt.' Central to the case has been the state's depiction of the group's former longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, as a lavish spender who used N.R.A. funds to pay for private jets, luxury vacations, and the occasional spin on a superyacht."

Declan Hardy of Politico: "The Securities and Exchange Commission has signed off on one of the last outstanding hurdles to a more than two-year-old planned merger to take [Donald Trump's] media venture public, according to the companies behind the deal, Trump Media & Technology Group and Digital World Acquisition Corp.... The deal could inject some $300 million into the company, which operates Trump's social media bullhorn, Truth Social. And Trump himself will gain a major stake in the company.... Shares in Digital World Acquisition Corp., or DWAC, skyrocketed more than 25 percent on the news Thursday. Since the beginning, the planned union has been mired in regulatory issues, market volatility and looming deadlines that have posed existential threats to the deal."

Marie: Oh Noes! Elon Musk & Matt Taibbi broke up nearly a year ago, and I'm just finding out. Charlie Nash of Mediaite reports. over the cheap prices in a fake Moscow grocery store (story linked below), TuKKKer

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Charlie Nash of Mediaite: "Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) condemned Tucker Carlson on Thursday for making a video gushing over a Russian grocery store, remarking, 'The Soviets had a term for people like Tucker: useful idiots.' During his controversial trip to Moscow to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin, Carlson filmed a short video at a Russian grocery store, where he praised the prices and quality of produce. After walking through the store and highlighting the products, Carlson revealed that a weekly shop with similar products in the U.S. would cost around $300 more." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Is TuKKKer really so naive as not to realize that Putin's handlers took him to a few nice places set up to impress visiting VIPs, or does he know the score and is making these videos about Marvelous Moscow to fool Americans?

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Florida. About Those Book Bans -- Not My Fault. Sky Palma of the Raw Story: "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says bad faith actors are politicizing the state law that monitors what type of content is appropriate in school books -- and he wants to limit the ability of the public to challenge the literature, the Herald-Tribune reported. DeSantis said some schools are misinterpreting state laws and he is directing state education officials to 'prohibit bad actors in school leadership positions from intentionally depriving students of an education by politicizing the book review process.'" ~~~

~~~ In That Same Presser. Christopher Wiggins of the Advocate: "A moment of levity, albeit revealing, occurred when DeSantis was questioned about his appearance: 'Governor DeSantis, you have spoken out against the "woke" agenda of gender fluidity and also come out against gender-affirming care. So I was hoping you could square your opposition to [gender affirming care] and people choosing their own gender identity with your frequent wearing of lifts and you hoping to choose your own height identity,' a reporter asked. The question, met with laughter, was briskly dismissed by DeSantis, who replied, 'Nice try, next!' while awkwardly moving his head in a way that critics have pointed out appears to be a bobble he does when he's uncomfortable."

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Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected international pressure on a peace plan and underlined his opposition to a Palestinian state, a key part of the long-term plan being worked on by the United States and its Middle East partners. The U.N. Human Rights Office criticized what it said appeared to be 'a pattern of attacks' by Israel against hospitals in Gaza after Israeli forces raided Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.... At Nasser Hospital, four patients in intensive care died from lack of oxygen during a total power outage Thursday, the Gaza Health Ministry said, a day after the Israel Defense Forces' raid. Hazem Bahlool, a doctor at the hospital, said at 7 a.m. local time that the facility had been without water or electricity for more than three hours. Footage and satellite imagery obtained by The Post show that Egypt is clearing off and building a wall around a plot of land along its border with the Gaza Strip, amid fears of an Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. That plan is straining Israel's most important alliances, including its 40-year peace accord with Egypt." ~~~

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

News Lede

CNN: "Two teenagers in custody in connection with the deadly shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally were charged Thursday, according to Missouri court officials. The Office of the Juvenile Officer said the juveniles face gun-related and resisting arrest charges. They added that they are currently detained in secure detention at the Juvenile Detention Center. 'It is anticipated that additional charges are expected in the future as the investigation by the Kansas City Police Department continues,' the Office of the Juvenile Officer said in a statement."

The Conversation -- February 15, 2024

Richard Fausset, et al., of the New York Times: "A hearing that could put Donald J. Trump's election interference case in Georgia in limbo began with a witness testifying that the top prosecutors were in a romantic relationship earlier than they have acknowledged. The defense sees the detail as crucial for arguing that the lead prosecutor and her office should be disqualified from the case.... A friend of [Fulton County District Attorney Fani] Willis, Robin Bryant-Yeartie, testified Thursday morning that she had 'no doubt' that the romance began before Ms. Willis hired [attorney Nathan] Wade for the case. That would contradict the timeline presented by the prosecutors, who said it began in early 2022 -- after Mr. Wade was hired in November 2021. Mr. Wade stuck by his timeline on the witness stand." This is the pinned item in a liveblog. ~~~

Fausset & Danny Hakim: "If Judge Scott McAfee determines that Ms. Willis has a conflict of interest because of her romantic relationship with the prosecutor she hired to manage the case, and that it merits disqualification, his decision would, by extension, disqualify her entire office. The case would then be reassigned to another Georgia prosecutor, who would have the ability to continue with the case exactly as it is, make major changes -- such as adding or dropping charges or defendants -- or to even drop the case altogether. The latter decision would end the prosecution of Mr. Trump and his allies for their actions in Georgia after the 2020 election, when the former president sought to overturn his loss in the state."

Anna Betts: "Ashleigh Merchant is a lawyer representing Michael Roman, a former campaign official for ... Donald J. Trump and a co-defendant facing criminal charges in the Georgia election interference case. Ms. Merchant, who was recently elected president of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, owns a private practice with her husband." Betts is arguing that the prosecutors should be disqualified.

Hakim: Merchant "is probing for discrepancies between filings Wade made in his divorce case and his filings in the Trump case."

Fausset: "Nathan Wade is sticking to his contention that his romantic relationship with Fani Willis began in 2022, after he started working for the district attorney's office in November 2021."

Hakim: "Wade says that Willis typically reimbursed him in cash for their joint travel, so there aren't credit card receipts available to show that."

Hakim: "Over a long series of questions about who paid for their joint travel, Nathan Wade is insistent that he and Fani Willis split costs, calling the district attorney an 'independent strong woman' who insisted that 'she is going to pay her own way.' Regarding a trip to California, she [MB: should be 'he,' I think] said, 'Everything we did when we got into Napa, she paid for.'"

Luke Broadwater: "In Washington, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee has been posting about the proceedings on social media, mocking the Atlanta prosecutors and suggesting they misused taxpayer money."

Hakim: "Under questioning from Steve Sadow, former President Trump's lawyer, Nathan Wade says his romantic relationship with Fani Willis ended in the summer of 2023. But they remain close friends -- 'closer than ever because of these attacks,' he says."

Fausset: "Judge McAfee has now issued a warning to Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, saying he will strike her testimony if she does not directly answer the questions put to her by the defense lawyers seeking to disqualify her from the Trump case. McAfee formerly worked under Wade in the district attorney's office."

     ~~~ Marie: Of course McAfee will be the judge, but so far (end of morning session), it doesn't look good for Willis. Yeartie did testify she had witnessed Willis and Wade "hugging & kissing" (but not co-habiting) prior to Willis' hiring Wade. It is odd, though, that Merchant did not ask Yeartie to elaborate. At all. Yeartie also has a credibility problem in that she and Willis were good friends until Willis told her to quit or be fired from her job in Willis' office. So the facts that Yeartie (1) offered little in the way of specifics about the Willis-Wade relationship and (2) may bear a grudge make her a fairly weak witness, IMO. Wade's testimony, however, was problematic. He did a lot of equivocating on the stand that I did not find vaguely convincing -- just the kind of bullshit excuses you'd expect to hear from a cheating husband. Merchant had the receipts (literally) to refute some of his sworn answers on interrogatories from his divorce case. And his answers to Merchant on when his relationship with Willis began were, well, tortured, IMO. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Merchant questioned Willis, and Willis made a formidable witness. McAfee was not necessarily going to require her to testify, but she waived her objection to her subpoena. It was the right move, because she helped herself more than hurt. Fulton County indicated they would call witnesses Wednesday to impeach Yeartie.

Jonah Bromich, et al., of the New York Times: "A New York judge on Thursday rejected Donald J. Trump's bid to throw out criminal charges against him stemming from a hush-money payment to a porn star, setting a trial date for next month and clearing the way for the first prosecution of a former American president. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, announced the decision at a hearing in a Lower Manhattan courtroom as Mr. Trump looked on from the defense table. The former president's lawyers objected to the judge's decision for jury selection to begin on March 25, noting that the six-week trial would conflict with Mr. Trump's presidential campaign. One of the former president's lawyers, Todd Blanche, called the schedule 'unfathomable,' arguing that, 'We are in the middle of primary season,' and claiming that the trial would overlap with dozens of Republican primaries and caucuses. But Justice Merchan summarily dismissed arguments from Mr. Trump's lawyers, who had derided the case as 'a discombobulated package of politically motivated charges.' The judge also bristled at the pushback from Mr. Blanche, at one point instructing him to 'stop interrupting me, please.'" This is the pinned item in a liveblog. ~~~

Kate Christobek: "Addressing the cameras in the hallway, Trump says this case is about something that is not a crime. He calls the prosecution election interference that is being brought by 'Joe Biden's White House,' though the case was actually brought by Manhattan's district attorney."

Alan Feuer: "The Manhattan district attorney's office is totally separate from the Justice Department."

Christobek: "The most surprising moment of Trump's hallway comments was how candidly he spoke about his strategy today, saying: 'We want delays, obviously. I'm running for election again.'"

Bromwich: "Merchan says he expects the trial to last about six weeks. He is not humoring [Trump attorney Todd] Blanche, and Blanche is struggling to balance his client's wishes against the judge's impatience."

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Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "The United States has informed Congress and its allies in Europe about Russian advances on a new, space-based nuclear weapon designed to threaten America's extensive satellite network, according to current and former officials briefed on the matter. Such a satellite-killing weapon, if deployed, could destroy civilian communications, surveillance from space and military command-and control operations by the United States and its allies. At the moment, the United States does not have the ability to counter such a weapon and defend its satellites, a former official said. Officials said that the new intelligence, which they did not describe in detail, raised serious questions about whether Russia was preparing to abandon the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which bans all orbital nuclear weapons....

"The intelligence was made public, in part, in a cryptic announcement on Wednesday by Representative Michael R. Turner, Republican of Ohio and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He called on the Biden administration to declassify the information without saying specifically what it was.... Mr. Turner's statement ... infuriated White House officials, who feared the loss of important sources of information on Russia.... His committee took the unorthodox move of voting on Monday to make the information available to all members of Congress -- a step that alarmed some officials.... Other officials said Mr. Turner was making more of the new intelligence than would ordinarily have been expected, perhaps to create pressure to prod the House to take up the supplemental funding request for Ukraine that the Senate passed this week.... Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, and Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, said in a joint statement ... that releasing information about the intelligence could expose the methods of collection." CNN's report is here.

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "Senate leaders plan to move quickly this month to reject the articles of impeachment against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, setting up a speedy trial in hopes of preventing House Republicans from turning the chamber into a political spectacle. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, has not yet determined exactly how to go about truncating the proceedings, according to people familiar with the continuing discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe plans that were still under development. But he is aiming for quick action, beginning on Feb. 28, the day the House is expected to deliver the charges, that could be over in just a couple of days.... Senate leaders are betting that there is enough Democratic anger and Republican exasperation at the precedent-breaking nature of the charges -- and with the way Mr. Mayorkas's impeachment was handled -- to swiftly exonerate him, either by throwing out the charges entirely or by moving to bring the proceedings to an early close."

Marie: Say, what will the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee do now that he has shoved through the first impeachment of a sitting Cabinet member? The impeachment of the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, of which the chairman seems to be right proud, unfortunately is fake, since Republicans couldn't find any real "high crimes and misdemeanors" to charge against Mayorkas. Alas, having settled on a punishment, the search for a crime must have tuckered out Chairman Mark Green: ~~~

     ~~~ Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: "Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, announced Wednesday that he plans to retire at the end of his term, joining a growing list of Republican committee leaders who say they won't seek reelection." CNN's story is here.

Scott Wong & Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., announced Wednesday that he's stepping down from his Democratic leadership position in the House, while a protégé signaled a desire to succeed him. 'I have informed Leader Hakeem Jeffries of my intention to step down as Assistant Democratic Leader of the House Democratic Caucus,' Clyburn, 83, said in a statement.... Rep. Joe Neguse, 39, D-Colo., who's considered a rising star in the party, will run for Clyburn's leadership post, a House Democratic leadership aide told NBC News."

House Pines for My Kevin. Rachel Bade of Politico: "... in his fourth month in alleged power, Speaker Mike Johnson has accomplished what once seemed unthinkable: making [former speaker Kevin] McCarthy seem like a skilled strategist and master of the House. Interviews with multiple Republicans over the last few days across multiple House factions -- people who consider themselves on Johnson's team, as well as those who were never enthusiastic about his rise -- describe a speaker who seems to be winging it on major questions of strategy, messaging and basic vote-counting.... 'Kevin would have a strategy, he'd shop it around, then he'd make a play call,' a senior Republican lawmaker said. 'The more I'm around Johnson, the more it's clear to me he doesn't have a plan.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Lindsey's Surrender Is Complete. Liz Goodwin & Leigh Ann Caldwell of the Washington Post: "Last May, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, warmly embracing the embattled leader and later urging President Biden to 'do more' to help the nation as it fights off Russia's invasion. But this week, Graham voted repeatedly against sending $60 billion in aid to that nation as well as against other military funds for Israel and U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific.... 'I talked to President Trump today and he's dead set against this package,' Graham said on the Senate floor on Sunday.... 'He thinks that we should make packages like this a loan, not a gift,' Graham said.... The episode has also eroded Graham's credibility among colleagues who worked closely with him to shape a bipartisan package of border policy reforms that Republicans demanded be attached to the foreign aid in exchange for their votes -- only to backtrack and help kill it in the end." (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: In yesterday's Comments, Patrick was wondering if Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) had displaced Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) as the Stupidest Senator. Naturally, I was concerned, and I'm here to report that Johnson is holding his own: ~~~

     ~~~ Steve Benen of MSNBC: During an interview conducted over the weekend, "Johnson conceded that the Russian leader is a 'war criminal,' before saying, 'But an awful lot of what Vladimir Putin said was right.' [Johnson then] criticized U.S. sanctions before concluding, 'A lot of the points that Vladimir Putin made are accurate. They're obvious.'" Benen also cited some Politico reporting that suggests Johnson voted against aid to Ukraine as a way of "helping" Ukraine, because letting Russia win will mean the war will end faster. (Also linked yesterday.)

Will Steakin of ABC News: "Congressional House Ethics investigators have obtained text messages allegedly showing that a few months after first joining Congress, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz asked a young woman, who at the time had received payments for sex from Gaetz's then-close friend Joel Greenberg, to join him and others on a three-day trip to the Florida Keys in May 2017, multiple sources tell ABC News.... [The woman] was older than 21 at the time.... According to bank and Venmo records reviewed by ABC News, the woman had previously received multiple payments from Greenberg, which multiple sources tell ABC News were for the woman to have sex at parties with Greenberg's friends.... It's unknown if Gaetz knew that Greenberg had allegedly been paying the woman in such a manner."

Alex Griffing of Mediaite: After U.K. Foreign Minister David Cameron (the former Prime Minister) urged Congress to vote for funding Ukraine, Marjorie Taylor Greene told a Sky News reporter, "... David Cameron needs to worry about his own country, and frankly, he can kiss my ass." Oh, and she seemed to confuse one-time British PM Neville Chamberlain with Hitler. MB: But that's a mistake anyone can make. They both had funny little mustaches. The only way I can tell the difference is that Chamberlain wore a bowler hat & Hitler wore a visor cap. Anyhow, the dignified Miss Margie is definitely diplomat material.

Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Disgraced former Congressman George Santos trolled his Republican ex-colleagues after a Democratic candidate won back his vacated House seat in a special election.... 'I hope you guys are happy with this dismal performance and the 10 million dollars your futile Bull S--t cost the party,' read one message. 'I look very much forward to seeing most of you lose due to your absolute hate filled campaign to remove me from Congress arbitrarily. Now go tell the Republicans Base what you f---ing idiots did and good luck raising money next quarter.' Only one member appeared to reply to Santos. 'Sorry, new phone, who dis?' texted Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY)." MB: Almost seems as if Georgy Anthony is not too remorseful or self-reflective.

The Trials of Trump

Perry Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump is expected at the defendant's table in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday for a conference that could confirm he'll be tried next month for allegedly falsifying hush money repayment records -- the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. At the same hour in Atlanta, a team of Trump's lawyers will appear with some of his co-defendants for a hearing in a separate indictment, in which Trump and others are accused of a vast scheme to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. That hearing will focus on alleged misconduct by the prosecutor. The dual court sessions could help crystallize the timing and viability of two of Trump's four criminal cases, with additional clarity coming after a hearing in Florida on March 1." CNN's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A few days ago, the story was that Trump would attend the Georgia hearing, but he seems to have changed his mind. Amy Gardner of the WashPo writes, "It's not known what scuttled the idea -- nor why Trump wanted to attend the Georgia hearing." Also, Rachel Maddow said Monday that that if the judge disqualified the Georgia prosecutor, the case itself was toast. However, former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance, speaking on MSNBC, laid out a more complicated list of possible consequences, suggesting to me that Maddow's premise was not correct. Let's hope Willis understands the possible outcomes and acts prudently, prudence obviously not being her strong suit. ~~~

     ~~~ Jonah Bromich and others at the New York Times on the Manhattan district attorney's criminal case against Donald Trump: "The judge, Juan M. Merchan, will convene a hearing at 9:30 a.m. to address Mr. Trump's long-shot request that he throw out the charges, which stem from a hush-money payment to a porn star. If Justice Merchan rejects Mr. Trump's request -- as is expected -- then the judge will most likely set a firm date for the trial, which had been tentatively scheduled for March 25"

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 Wednesday to reject a request from Mr. Trump to put the case on hold while he pursues appeals. 'Delay in the resolution of these charges threatens to frustrate the public interest in a speedy and fair verdict -- a compelling interest in every criminal case and one that has unique national importance here, as it involves federal criminal charges against a former president for alleged criminal efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election, including through the use of official power,' Mr. Smith wrote." Politico's report is here.

Adam Reiss & Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "State Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over the $370 million civil fraud case in New York against ... Donald Trump and his company, is expected to issue his verdict in the trial by the end of the week, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told NBC News. 'It is currently anticipated the Engoron decision will be released on Friday, barring unforeseen circumstances,' the person said Tuesday." (Also linked yesterday.)

True the Vote Forced to Admit to Telling the Big Lie. Russ Bynum of the AP: "A conservative group has told a Georgia judge that it doesn't have evidence to support its claims of illegal ballot stuffing during the the 2020 general election and a runoff two months later. Texas-based True the Vote filed complaints with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in 2021, including one in which it said it had obtained 'a detailed account of coordinated efforts to collect and deposit ballots in drop boxes across metro Atlanta' during the November 2020 election and a January 2021 runoff. A Fulton County Superior Court judge in Atlanta signed an order last year requiring True the Vote to provide evidence it had collected, including the names of people who were sources of information.... In their written response, attorneys for True the Vote said the group had no names or other documentary evidence to share."

Presidential Race

Marianne Levine of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump escalated his calls for Congress to impeach President Biden, just one day after House Republicans voted to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. At a rally Wednesday evening in North Charleston, S.C., Trump said..., 'Congress ought to impeach crooked Joe Biden for attacking his political opponent by weaponizing the DOJ, the FBI, and even the local DAs and attorney generals against his political opponent.'... Trump's remarks in North Charleston came after making similar allegations against Biden on Truth Social.' THE HUR REPORT SHOWS THAT PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING JOE BIDEN SAID WAS A LIE. ADDITIONALLY, HE HAS ILLEGALLY WEAPONIZED THE DOJ & FBI, TOGETHER WITH LOCAL D.A.'S & ATTORNEY GENERALS, AGAINST HIS POLITICAL OPPONENT, ME!' Trump posted. 'NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED IN THE USA BEFORE, AND FOR THIS HE SHOULD BE IMPEACHED!'" ~~~

     ~~~ At the rally, Trump again insisted that he never made gaffes. He claimed that when he mixes up people, places, dates and events, he does so purposely to be "sarcastic." Right. And when I was fighting in World War II against George Washington, I saw a whale in South Dakota and it reminded me of Nancy Pelosi.

Miranda Nazzarro of the Hill: "... just days after [Donald Trump] threw his support behind his daughter-in-law [Lara Trump] to serve as co-chair of the RNC[, she told Newsmax,] 'Every single penny will go to the No. 1 and the only job of the RNC -- that is elected Donald J. Trump as president of the United States and saving this country.'" MB: The RNC's mandate is to aid all GOP candidates, not only its presidential* candidate. (Also linked yesterday.)

Natalie Allison, et al., of Politico: "Several senior Republican officials are concerned that Donald Trump's expected takeover of the RNC will ultimately pave the way for the committee to once again cover his legal bills.... Henry Barbour, a Mississippi committeeman, said he believed 'most RNC members will go along" with Trump's vision for the committee, "unless there is a play to use RNC funds for President Trump's legal bills.'... 'I don't think it's appropriate for the committee to pay the legal bills for things done outside the work of the committee,' [Tennessee committee member Oscar] Brock said." ~~~

     ~~~ Jack Birle of the right-wing Washington Examiner: "A report from Bloomberg suggests the former president is likely to drain his war chest paying for legal fees by the summer, meaning the RNC could be back on the hook if they return to supporting him financially.... During Trump's presidency and up until he announced his current run for president in 2022, the RNC covered some of his legal fees. The committee could start picking up the tab for his legal fees again if they choose to."

Oh Noes! Biden Get's Putin's Vote. Joe Stanley-Smith of Politico: "Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday Joe Biden would be better for Russia as president than Donald Trump, ahead of a potential rematch between the two in this year's U.S. election. '[Biden] is a more experienced, predictable person. He is a politician of the old school. But we will work with any leader of the United States, who is trusted by the American people,' Putin said in an interview on broadcaster Rossiya 1 TV when asked to choose between the two.... Putin used Wednesday's interview to downplay speculation about Biden's cognitive health, recalling when the two met in Switzerland in June 2021, less than a year before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 'When I met with Biden in Switzerland..., even then there were talks about him being incompetent. I saw nothing of the sort. Yes, he glanced at his notes. Honestly, I glanced at mine too,' Putin said. 'There's nothing to it.'"

Just the Sweetest Valentine's Day Message Ever. Miranda Nazzarro of the Hill: Donald "Trump wished former first lady Melania Trump a Happy Valentine's Day on Wednesday by thanking her for her support throughout his various criminal cases. In a campaign email sent Wednesday morning, Trump offered a 'letter' with the subject line, 'I love you, Melania!' 'Dear Melania, I LOVE YOU. Even after every single INDICTMENT, ARREST, and WITCH HUNT, you never left my side... You've always supported me through everything. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without your guidance, kindness, and warmth.... You will always mean the world to me, Melania! From your husband with love, Donald J. Trump.'... Readers were then directed to a website where they could leave their own Valentine's Day message or donate to his reelection campaign." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Isn't it sweet, too, that Trump is thoughtful enough to realizes his wife may not remember who he is, so he identifies himself as her husband and includes his full name? Okay, it is rather unkind of him to blame her for making him the man he is. Still, it almost makes you feel like making a large campaign contribution -- though maybe not to Trump.

Kate Conger of the New York Times: "X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, is potentially violating U.S. sanctions by accepting payments for subscription accounts from terrorist organizations and other groups barred from doing business in the country, according to a new report. The report, by the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit focused on accountability for large technology companies, shows that X ... has taken payments from accounts that include Hezbollah leaders, Houthi groups, and state-run media outlets in Iran and Russia. The subscriptions, which cost $8 a month, offer users a blue check mark -- once limited to verified users like celebrities -- and better promotion by X's algorithm, among other perks.... 'It's yet another sign that X has lost control of its platform,' [said Katie Paul, the director of the Tech Transparency Project.]" (Also linked yesterday.) The Verge has a story here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Arizona. GOP Plans to Rig Election. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that would seek to declare ... Donald Trump the winner of the 2024 presidential election -- regardless of what the voters decide, reported KPNX's Brahm Resnik. The resolution would not carry any force of law because it is not a bill, noted Resnik.... According to Resnik, the resolution advocates 'to change the manner of the presidential election by appointing the eleven presidential electors to the republican primary winner to offset the removal of a republican candidate in Colorado and Maine,' and "that Governor Hobbs sign the election reform measures listed below, and if not, the presidential electors be appointed to protect the 2024 presidential election from another maladministered and illegally run election.' There is no evidence that the 2020 presidential election in Arizona was rigged or otherwise 'illegally run.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The GOP could show how fiscally-responsible the party is by pre-determining the results of every election, thereby precluding the necessity of actually running costly elections. Already I'm seeing the advantages of a Trumpy dictatorship.

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israeli forces raided Nasser Hospital, the main hospital in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, on Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces said it was conducting an operation to recover the bodies of hostages, while the Gaza Health Ministry accused the IDF of storming the complex 'after demolishing the southern wall' and said an Israeli drone had fired at a doctors room, injuring one of the emergency doctors. At least 10 people were killed in Lebanon and at least one in Israel after an exchange of strikes Wednesday that marked Israel's most forceful attack on its northern neighbor since the start of the war in Gaza....

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that the military would carry out a 'powerful' offensive in Rafah 'after we allow the civilian population to leave the battle zones.' On Thursday, the leaders of Canada, Australia and New Zealand warned that a ground offensive in Rafah would be 'catastrophic,' with 'simply nowhere else for civilians to go.' Negotiations in Egypt to pause the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages appeared to stall as Netanyahu accused Hamas of making 'delusional demands.' Officials involved said the two sides were no closer on key details, and Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had ordered negotiators not to return to Cairo." ~~~

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

News Ledes

Washington Post:"The deadly shooting that turned a celebration for the Kansas City Chiefs into tragedy on Wednesday appeared to stem from a dispute among three people and had 'no nexus to terrorism,' officials said Thursday morning. Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a briefing that two of the individuals involved are juveniles.... One woman was killed and 22 people injured in a matter of minutes. The victims' ages range from 8 to 47, Graves said, and half are younger than 16."

Washington Post: The woman who was murdered was Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a local radio DJ "The station where Lopez-Galvan worked, KKFI, announced her death 'with sincere sadness and an extremely heavy and broken heart.'..."

The Conversation -- February 14, 2024

Just the Sweetest Valentine's Day Message Ever. Miranda Nazzarro of the Hill: Donald "Trump wished former first lady Melania Trump a Happy Valentine's Day on Wednesday by thanking her for her support throughout his various criminal cases. In a campaign email sent Wednesday morning, Trump offered a 'letter' with the subject line, 'I love you, Melania!' 'Dear Melania, I LOVE YOU. Even after every single INDICTMENT, ARREST, and WITCH HUNT, you never left my side... You've always supported me through everything. I wouldn't be the man I am today without your guidance, kindness, and warmth.... You will always mean the world to me, Melania! From your husband with love, Donald J. Trump.'... Readers were then directed to a website where they could leave their own Valentine's Day message or donate to his reelection campaign." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Isn't it sweet, too, that Trump is thoughtful enough to realizes his wife may not remember who he is, so he identifies himself as her husband and includes his full name? Okay, it is rather unkind of him to blame her for making him the man he is. Still, it almost makes you feel like making a large campaign contribution -- though maybe not to Trump.

House Pines for My Kevin. Rachel Bade of Politico: "... in his fourth month in alleged power, Speaker Mike Johnson has accomplished what once seemed unthinkable: making [former speaker Kevin] McCarthy seem like a skilled strategist and master of the House. Interviews with multiple Republicans over the last few days across multiple House factions -- people who consider themselves on Johnson's team, as well as those who were never enthusiastic about his rise -- describe a speaker who seems to be winging it on major questions of strategy, messaging and basic vote-counting.... 'Kevin would have a strategy, he'd shop it around, then he'd make a play call,' a senior Republican lawmaker said. 'The more I'm around Johnson, the more it's clear to me he doesn't have a plan.'"

Lindsey's Surrender Is Complete. Liz Goodwin & Leigh Ann Caldwell of the Washington Post: "Last May, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, warmly embracing the embattled leader and later urging President Biden to 'do more' to help the nation as it fights off Russia's invasion. But this week, Graham voted repeatedly against sending $60 billion in aid to that nation as well as against other military funds for Israel and U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific.... 'I talked to President Trump today and he's dead set against this package,' Graham said on the Senate floor on Sunday.... 'He thinks that we should make packages like this a loan, not a gift,' Graham said.... The episode has also eroded Graham's credibility among colleagues who worked closely with him to shape a bipartisan package of border policy reforms that Republicans demanded be attached to the foreign aid in exchange for their votes -- only to backtrack and help kill it in the end."

Marie: In today's Comments, Patrick wondered if Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) had displaced Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) as the Stupidest Senator. I too was concerned, and I'm here to report that Johnson is holding his own: ~~~

     ~~~ Steve Benen of MSNBC: During an interview conducted over the weekend, "Johnson conceded that the Russian leader is a 'war criminal,' before saying, 'But an awful lot of what Vladimir Putin said was right.' [Johnson then] criticized U.S. sanctions before concluding, 'A lot of the points that Vladimir Putin made are accurate. They're obvious.'" Benen also cited Politico reporting that suggests Johnson voted against aid to Ukraine as a way of "helping" Ukraine, because letting Russia win will end the war faster.

Miranda Nazzarro of the Hill: "... just days after [Donald Trump] threw his support behind his daughter-in-law [Lara Trump] to serve as co-chair of the RNC[, she told Newsmax,] 'Every single penny will go to the No. 1 and the only job of the RNC --that is elected Donald J. Trump as president of the United States and saving this country.'" MB: The RNC's mandate is to aid all GOP candidates, not only its presidential* candidate.

Adam Reiss & Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "State Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over the $370 million civil fraud case in New York against ... Donald Trump and his company, is expected to issue his verdict in the trial by the end of the week, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told NBC News. 'It is currently anticipated the Engoron decision will be released on Friday, barring unforeseen circumstances,' the person said Tuesday."

Kate Conger of the New York Times: "X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, is potentially violating U.S. sanctions by accepting payments for subscription accounts from terrorist organizations and other groups barred from doing business in the country, according to a new report. The report, by the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit focused on accountability for large technology companies, shows that X ... has taken payments from accounts that include Hezbollah leaders, Houthi groups, and state-run media outlets in Iran and Russia. The subscriptions, which cost $8 a month, offer users a blue check mark -- once limited to verified users like celebrities -- and better promotion by X's algorithm, among other perks.... 'It's yet another sign that X has lost control of its platform,' [said Katie Paul, the director of the Tech Transparency Project.]"

~~~~~~~~~~

** Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Tom Suozzi, a former Democratic congressman, won a closely watched special House election in New York on Tuesday, narrowing the Republican majority in Washington and offering his party a potential playbook to run in key suburban swing areas in November. His victory in the Queens and Long Island district avenged a year of humiliation unleashed by the seat's former occupant, George Santos, and stanched a trend that had seen Republicans capture nearly every major election on Long Island since 2021. Mr. Suozzi, 61, fended off the Republican nominee, Mazi Pilip, in a race that became an expensive preview of many of the fights expected to dominate November's general election, especially over the influx of migrants at the border and in New York City." The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: With 93% of the voted counted, Suozzi was leading Pilip 53.9% to 46.1%. This was pretty much a blowout in a race that showed the candidates in close to a statistical tie. ~~~

~~~ Nicholas Fandos & Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "... Mr. Suozzi's campaign ... provided ... a playbook for candidates across the country competing on turf where President Biden and his party remain deeply unpopular. The strategy went something like this: Challenge Republicans on issues that they usually monopolize, like crime, taxes and, above all, immigration. Flash an independent streak. And fire up the Democratic base with attacks -- in this case, nearly $10 million in ads -- on the abortion issue and ... Donald J. Trump.... In both [this race & the race for a Pennsylvania state house seat (story linked below)], the Biden campaign released statements casting the Democratic victories as defeats of Trumpism.... Mr. Trump, for his part, distanced himself from Ms. Pilip, a registered Democrat who never fully embraced him as a candidate, deriding her as a 'very foolish woman' [because she wasn't MAGA enough]."

Can you imagine? A former president of the United States saying that? The whole world heard it. And the worst thing is he means it. No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Let me say this as clearly as I can -- I never will. For God's sake, it's dumb, it's shameful, it's dangerous, it's un-American. -- President Joe Biden, Tuesday, on Donald Trump ~~~

~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden denounced ... Donald J. Trump on Tuesday for encouraging Russia to attack certain NATO allies ... as he implored House Republicans to defy their putative nominee and pass new security aid for Ukraine and Israel. In a televised statement, Mr. Biden said a $95 billion spending package that the Senate passed earlier in the day on a bipartisan vote was imperative to help defeat the 'vicious onslaught' of President Vladimir V. Putin's Russia against Ukraine. And he linked the legislative debate to Mr. Trump's campaign speech siding with Moscow over European allies that he deemed 'delinquent.'" More on the foreign aid package linked below. (Also linked yesterday.) An AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It is rare -- in fact, this may be the first time -- for President Biden to criticize Donald Trump from the White House. But this wasn't a political speech so much as it was outrage where outrage was due.

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "The United States House of Representatives voted narrowly on Tuesday to impeach Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, in a precedent-shattering vote that charged him with willfully refusing to enforce border laws and breaching the public trust. In a 214 to 213 vote, Republicans barreled past the solid opposition of Democrats and reservations in their own ranks to make Mr. Mayorkas the first sitting cabinet secretary in U.S. history to be impeached.... The charges against Mr. Mayorkas are expected to be rejected in the Democratic-led Senate, where conviction would require a two-thirds majority and even some Republicans have called the effort dead on arrival. It was not immediately clear whether senators would hold a trial to consider the articles, or vote to dismiss them.... The charges against him broke with history by failing to identify any such offense, instead effectively declaring the policy choices Mr. Mayorkas has carried out a constitutional crime." This is the pinned item in a liveblog. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "Breaking: House impeaches Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, succeeding on second try, in a rebuke of Biden's immigration policy. The resolution is non-binding, however, and may not go very far in the Senate because even some Republicans don't believe that Mayorkas's actions clear the bar for the high crimes and misdemeanors necessary for conviction. But Mayorkas is the first sitting Cabinet secretary to be impeached in 150 years. This story will be updated." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Lisa Mascaro of the AP: "The U.S. House voted Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with the Republican majority determined to punish the Biden administration over its handling of the U.S-Mexico border after failing last week in a politically embarrassing setback." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You should have seen the little satisfied smirk on Mike Johnson's face when he announced the impeachment vote. Manu Raju of CNN said the Senate, which is out of session for two weeks, probably would vote to dismiss the two impeachment charges without holding a trial. Viva Mayorkas! ~~~

~~~ President Biden's statement is here, via the White House: "History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games."

Liz Goodwin of the Washington Post: "The Senate passed a $95 billion national security package to aid Israel, Ukraine and other U.S. allies early Tuesday after a months-long debate that has deeply divided congressional Republicans. The bill passed 70-29, after 22 Republicans joined Democrats in approving the aid. But House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) preemptively rejected the legislation on Monday night, saying in a statement that the package's failure to address U.S. border security makes it a nonstarter in the House. 'In the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,' Johnson said in a statement. 'America deserves better than the Senate's status quo.'" Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

the speaker said he wouldn’t pass ukraine funding without a border deal and we got a deal and then he killed the deal because he said we didn’t need a deal and now he says he won’t pass our ukraine funding bill bc it doesn’t include a border deal

honestly

wtf https://t.co/MMkB45Yt6G

— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 13, 2024

Party of Putin, Ctd. Sky Palma of the Raw Story: "The House GOP's star witness in the Oversight Committee's investigation into Hunter Biden turns out to be connected to a Russian oligarch, The Daily Beast reported Tuesday. High-profile investor Tony Bobulinski has links to Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, a Ukrainian-born energy magnate who's been a longtime close ally of Vladimir Putin's, according to the report. 'In 2017, Vekselberg reportedly funneled $500,000 to an LLC run by Donald Trump's former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen, supposedly with the intention of influencing the new administration to let Russia illegally occupy parts of Eastern Ukraine,' The Beast's report stated. Vekselberg has been sanctioned more than once by U.S. law enforcement in regards to Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 election and the nation's aggression towards Ukraine, but Republicans are trying to ignore his links to Bobulinski. On Tuesday, Bobulinski will appear for a private interview with the House panel looking into impeaching President Joe Biden." (Also linked yesterday.)

Party of Putin, Ctd. Comrade Potatohead. Howard Koplowitz of Al.com: "Russian President Vladimir Putin is 'open to peace' but "D.C. warmongers' want to extend the conflict in Ukraine, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said in explaining why he opposes the $60 billion aid package for Ukraine. 'Vladimir Putin wants out of this -- you heard that on Tucker Carlson,' Tuberville told Fox Business' Larry Kudlow during an appearance on the network Monday to discuss the Senate bill that ties funding for Ukraine and Israel to border security provisions."

Annie Karni of the New York Times: "The racist discourse by Republican members of Congress, both in casual comments and in official statements, has become so commonplace that it now often slips by without any real condemnation from the G.O.P. Democrats frequently call for apologies but no longer expect any response, and those futile denunciations quickly disappear into a morass of polarized content on social media. The pattern is playing out as the Republican Party once again coalesces behind former President Donald J. Trump.... His approach has encouraged some Republicans to freely use rhetoric that denigrates people based on ethnicity, religion or nationality. 'The nature of Trumpism is to embolden extremism,' said Representative Ritchie Torres, a Black Democrat from New York.... Mr. Torres said the sad reality was that 'the extreme elements have concluded that racism might be bad morals but it's good politics.'" Read on. Karni provides sickening examples of what passes for GOP discourse." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Judy Kurtz of the Hill: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is blasting a politically charged episode of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' saying it 'lied' and painted conservatives in her state and supporters of former President Trump as 'racists and red necks.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Well, that's mighty peculiar, because here's part of what Annie Karni writes about Greene's Congressional performance (linked above): "When Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, stood on the House floor this month to announce her proposal to censure the only Somali-born member of Congress, she said she was seeking punishment for 'Representative Ilhan Omar of Somalia -- I mean Minnesota.'... Ms. Greene has been fund-raising off her proposed censure of Ms. Omar, which was written relying on a mistranslation of her remarks in Somali that spread virally on right-wing social media, and she has fed the loop by amplifying the hate and misinformation online."

A Valentine's Day Story for Our Time. Marie: Your intended give you a beautiful engagement ring. But he didn't buy it or inherit it. He acquired it as part of a bribe. Then he haggled over the value of the bribe. (Alledgedly!) ~~~

~~~ Tracey Tully & Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "A luxury Mercedes-Benz, gold bars, exercise equipment and stacks of cash featured prominently in a federal indictment that charged Senator Robert Menendez with accepting a sordid array of bribes. Now, prosecutors say a diamond engagement ring for the senator's future wife, Nadine Menendez, was also part of the elaborate bribery scheme -- and a source of infighting between co-defendants who are expected to stand trial together in May. Wael Hana, a longtime friend of Ms. Menendez's who is also charged in the alleged conspiracy, attempted to cheat her out of the full value of the ring, according to court documents filed late Monday by prosecutors in Manhattan.... [In the new filing,] there are snippets from secretly recorded conversations and details about where investigators found two bags filled with roughly $100,000 in cash each.... As part of the bribery plot, prosecutors said Mr. Hana arranged for carpet installation at Ms. Menendez's home." CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you read through the details of this report, you might be thinking Senator Bob is going to jail.

Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from his latest hospitalization Tuesday ... as he endures a difficult recovery from prostate cancer that included surgery in December and a lengthy stay in intensive care last month. Austin, 70, was discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland about 3:30 p.m., the Pentagon said in a statement. He resumed his duties as defense secretary about 5 p.m. and is expected to continue his recovery from home and participate remotely in meetings Wednesday. Austin's doctors, John Maddox and Gregory Chesnut, said in the statement that he developed a bladder problem 'related to his December 2023 prostate cancer surgery' and that his condition when he returned to the hospital again Sunday 'indicated a need for close monitoring by the critical care team and supportive care.'" The NBC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The DOD's statement is here.

Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Chief Justice John Roberts is giving prosecutors a week to respond to ... Donald Trump's request to keep his federal criminal election-subversion trial on hold while he tries to persuade the Supreme Court to scuttle it entirely on the grounds of presidential immunity. A brief docket entry from the court Tuesday morning said special counsel Jack Smith has until next Tuesday at 5 p.m. to address the emergency application Trump's lawyers filed at the high court Monday." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.

Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering loosening its recommendations regarding how long people should isolate after testing positive for the coronavirus, another reflection of changing attitudes and norms as the pandemic recedes. Under the proposed guidelines, Americans would no longer be advised to isolate for five days before returning to work or school. Instead, they might return to their routines if they have been fever free for at least 24 hours without medication, the same standard applied to the influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses. The proposal would align the C.D.C.'s advice with revised isolation recommendations in Oregon and California. The shift was reported earlier by The Washington Post, but it is still under consideration, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions." (Also linked yesterday.)

Trisha Thadani, et al., of the Washington Post: In 2022, a "Tesla Model 3 barreled into a tree and exploded in flames, killing [Hans] von Ohain, a Tesla employee and devoted fan of CEO Elon Musk. [Passenger Erk] Rossiter, who survived the crash, told emergency responders that von Ohain was using an 'auto-drive feature on the Tesla' that 'just ran straight off the road.'... In a recent interview, Rossiter said he believes that von Ohain was using Full Self-Driving, which -- if true -- would make his death the first known fatality involving Tesla's most advanced driver-assistance technology.... Since federal regulators began requiring automakers to report crashes involving driver-assistance systems in 2021, they have logged more than 900 in Teslas, including at least 40 that resulted in serious or fatal injuries, according to a Post analysis. Most involved Autopilot, which is designed for use on controlled-access highways. No fatal crash has been definitively linked to the more sophisticated Full Self-Driving, which is programmed to guide the car almost anywhere...." (Also linked yesterday.)

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Georgia. A Win for Democracy. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "In a defeat for MAGA election crusaders, Georgia's Republican-controlled State Board of Elections voted down a measure that would have limited the use of absentee voting. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the board considered an effort from Republican member Janice Johnston to limit no-excuse absentee voting, which became more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, on Tuesday a majority of the Board of Elections voted to uphold no-excuse absentee voting."

Kansas. Julie Bosman of the New York Times: "A 45-year-old Kansas man has been charged in the theft of a life-size bronze statue of the baseball legend Jackie Robinson from a park in Wichita, Kan. The police in Wichita said on Tuesday that the motive for the crime was probably to sell the statue for scrap metal. The man, Ricky Alderete, was charged on Monday with felony theft, aggravated criminal damage to property and making false information, the police said. Lt. Aaron Moses of the Wichita Police Department said that an investigation was continuing, but that concerns that the theft of the statue might have been racially motivated had been put to rest." The chief of the Wichita Police said the department expected it would be making more arrests in the case. So I'm still thinking racism was an underlying factor.

Michigan. Edward Helmore of the Guardian: "A Republican Michigan politician has been stripped of his office staff and committee assignments after sharing a social media post about the racist 'great replacement' theory about a coordinated effort to diminish the influence of white people through immigration and low birth rates. The Republican state representative Josh Schriver had his privileges removed by the Michigan house speaker, Joe Tate, but will still be able to vote on legislation. The decision came a week after Schriver, a first-term lawmaker, uploaded a picture that depicted Black figures covering most of a map of the world, with white figures in small areas of Australia, Canada, northern Europe and the northern US. The bottom of the graphic read 'The great replacement!' The picture was originally posted by Jack Posobiec, a far-right pundit, and reposted on X by Schriver."

Pennsylvania State House Race. Adam Edelman of NBC News: "Democrats won a state House special election in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, preserving the party's narrow majority in the closely watched battleground state, The Associated Press projected. In the race for the open seat in the 140th state House District, Democrat Jim Prokopiak, a school board member in Bucks County, defeated Republican Candace Cabanas. Prokopiak's victory gives Democrats a narrow 102-100 majority in the state House, preventing another tie in the chamber.... Republicans control the state Senate, while Democrats hold the governorship. The win in Bucks County -- a purple slice of the northern suburbs of Philadelphia -- was hailed as positive news by national Democrats...."

Texas. Natalie Contreras, a new U.S. citizen, writes in the Texas Tribune that even though she is an elections reporter, it took her three tries to get Texas to properly process her application: "... not everyone has the ability, the time, or the resources to ask questions, double-check their registration status, and make multiple attempts. Being able to participate in democracy should not be this hard."

Wisconsin. Wow! Another Win for Democracy. Alice Herman of the Guardian: "Wisconsin lawmakers voted on Tuesday to adopt legislative maps drawn by the Democratic governor, Tony Evers -- inching the state closer to undoing the extreme gerrymander that has ensured Republican control of the state for more than a decade. The pair of votes in the Republican-dominated state assembly and state senate are a sign that the years-long battle over Wisconsin's legislative maps may be finally drawing to a close, giving Democrats a chance to win control of the state legislature in upcoming elections for the first time since 2012. The vote is the result of a December ruling from the Wisconsin supreme court that the current state assembly and senate maps are unconstitutional, ordering the state to adopt new legislative maps before the 2024 election -- and setting a mid-March deadline. Republican and Democratic lawmakers, the governor and multiple third-party groups submitted revised maps to the court for consideration, and in a 1 February report, consultants hired by the court to review them said that the GOP-drawn maps maintained the partisan gerrymander and 'do not deserve further consideration'. The maps submitted by Democrats retained a Republican advantage, the consultants found, but to a much-reduced degree."

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Indonesia. Sui-Lee Wee & Muktita Suhartono New York Times: "Indonesia's defense minister, a feared former general who was removed from the army after he was found responsible for the kidnapping of political dissidents, appeared on track to winning the presidential election outright on Wednesday, casting doubts on the future of one of the world's most vibrant democracies. The candidate, Prabowo Subianto, had a commanding lead in the three-way race for president, with more than 58 percent of the vote, according to unofficial tallies that have a history of accurately predicting the final results."

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Wednesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants continued to exchange fire across the border with Lebanon. On Wednesday morning, Israel's ambulance service said one woman was killed by rocket fire in the country's north. On Tuesday, Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah targets after two people were reported to have been seriously injured by a Hezbollah rocket attack." ~~~

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

Vivian Yee, et al., of the New York Times: "Negotiators from multiple countries met in Cairo on Tuesday, struggling to reach an agreement to temporarily stop the war in the Gaza Strip, as international concern mounted over Israel's plan to press its ground offensive into the city of Rafah, where more than half of the territory's population has sought refuge. Talks involving lower-level officials will continue for another three days, according to an Egyptian and an American official briefed on the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. They described the negotiations on Tuesday as promising, but Israel and Hamas were still not close to a deal."

News Ledes

New York Times: "A shooting near Kansas City's Union Station on Wednesday left one person dead and at least 21 others [-- 9 of whom are children --] with gunshot wounds, turning a Super Bowl victory celebration into a scene of chaos as thousands of fans in red jerseys ran for safety. It was unclear who was responsible. Three people had been detained, the Kansas City police chief [Stacey Graves] said at a news conference. She did not name them and said that investigators had not identified a motive.... At least two of the people in custody had been armed, the police said, and a third person had also been detained, the chief said.... The chief asked the public to provide any video or other information that could help the authorities determine what had happened.... The celebration of the Chiefs' victory ended with a rally in front of Union Station, an Amtrak hub and tourist spot in downtown Kansas City, Mo. 'As soon as the rally concluded, there were shots fired on the west side of Union Station,' Chief Graves said, adding, 'I know one of the suspects was immediately pursued on foot.'" This is a liveblog. It is an update of a developing story linked earlier.

Washington Post: "Three D.C. police officers serving an arrest warrant related to animal cruelty were shot and wounded Wednesday morning near Benning Park in Southeast Washington, prompting a nearly 13-hour standoff that ended with police taking the suspect into custody, authorities said. The armed standoff in the 5000 block of Hanna Street SE finally ended just before 9 p.m., having disrupted schools and forced neighbors out of their homes along a street with small brick houses and plots of grass. A police spokesman confirmed Wednesday night the suspect was in custody. Authorities said the officers were not seriously injured."