February 14, 2024

Wednesday, February 14, 2024. Annette’s News Roundup,

I think the Roundup makes people feel not so alone.

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Joe is always busy.

Foreign Policy is now an issue in the 2024 Election.

Biden Denounces Trump’s Support for Russian Attack on Allies as ‘Un-American’

The president cited the former president’s comments in seeking to increase pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson to allow a floor vote on a $95 billion package of security aid for Ukraine and Israel approved by the Senate.

President Biden denounced former President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday for encouraging Russia to attack some NATO allies, calling the comments “dumb,” “shameful,” “dangerous” and “un-American” 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 passed earlier in the day on a bipartisan vote in the Senate 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 he deemed “delinquent.”

“Can you imagine?” Mr. Biden told reporters at the White House. “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.”

Mr. Trump, who has long expressed admiration for Mr. Putin and derision for NATO and Ukraine, boasted at a campaign rally over the weekend that he had warned NATO allies that did not spend enough on their own militaries that he would not come to their defense if Russia attacked them, despite Article 5 of the alliance charter requiring members to aid one another in event of an outside attack. Not only would he not help them, Mr. Trump said, he would “encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” against them.

Mr. Biden’s statement on Tuesday came hours after the Senate passed the security aid legislation on a 70-to-29 vote, with 22 Republicans joining nearly all Democrats in supporting the financing. The package includes $60.1 billion for Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel and $9.2 billion for humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, Ukraine and other conflict zones.(New York Times).

President Biden forcefully demanded Speaker Johnson bring the Foreign Aid package to the House floor.

“I urge Speaker Johnson to bring it to the floor immediately. Immediately. There's no question that a Senate bill put on the floor in the House of Representatives would pass. It would pass. The Speaker knows that.”

“For Republicans in Congress who think they can oppose funding for Ukraine and not be held accountable, history is watching. History is watching. History is watching. Failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten.”

Democratic Majority Leader Schumer underscored this same truth - “If Speaker Johnson brings this national security bill to the floor, it'll pass with bipartisan support.”

Axios reports - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said he hopes Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) won't block the just-passed foreign aid bill from consideration in the House.

Why it matters: "I hope the speaker will find a way to allow the House to work its will on the issue of Ukraine aid and the other parts of the bill as well," McConnell told Politico, adding that he doesn't "have any advice" on how Johnson does it.

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Maybe there is some life left in the Republican Party yet?

I doubt it and I don’t have my hopes up but this vote was good.

The 22 Republicans who joined Democrats in voting for aid for Ukraine and Israel early Tuesday:

• Senator John Boozman of Arkansas

• Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia

• Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana

• Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota

• Senator Michael D. Crapo of Idaho

• Senator Susan Collins of Maine

• Senator John Cornyn of Texas

• Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa

• Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa

• Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota

• Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana

• Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky

• Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas

• Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska

• Senator Jim Risch of Idaho

• Senator Mitt Romney of Utah

• Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota

• Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska

• Senator John Thune of South Dakota

• Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina

• Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi

• Senator Todd Young of Indiana

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The Mayorkas Impeachment. Joe’s response.

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 where even some Republicans have called the effort dead on arrival. The House is expected to deliver the impeachment articles to the Senate in the last week of February, according to the office of Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, and senators would be sworn in as jurors the next day. (New York Times).

Statement from President Joe Biden on House GOP’s Baseless Impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas | 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. Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, a Cuban immigrant who came to the United States with his family as political refugees, has spent more than two decades serving America with integrity in a decorated career in law enforcement and public service.  From his time in the Justice Department as a U.S. Attorney to his service as Deputy Secretary and now Secretary of Homeland Security, he has upheld the rule of law faithfully and has demonstrated a deep commitment to the values that make our nation great. 

This impeachment already failed once on a bipartisan vote. Instead of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security. Sadly, the same Republicans pushing this baseless impeachment are rejecting bipartisan plans Secretary Mayorkas and others in my administration have worked hard on to strengthen border security at this very moment — reversing from years of their own demands to pass stronger border bills. Giving up on real solutions right when they are needed most in order to play politics is not what the American people expect from their leaders. Congress needs to act to give me, Secretary Mayorkas, and my administration the tools and resources needed to address the situation at the border. The House also needs to pass the Senate’s national security supplemental right away. We will continue pursuing real solutions to the challenges Americans face, and House Republicans have to decide whether to join us to solve the problem or keep playing politics with the border.

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Kamala is always busy.

Touch to see the Vice President and WNBA Star A’ja Wilson in action. 👇

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Monday, Trump appealed to the Supreme Court on his immunity claim.

Then this happened.

Chief Justice gives Jack Smith one week to respond to Trump’s bid to stave off trial.

Chief Justice John Roberts is giving prosecutors a week to respond to former President 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 4 p.m. to address the emergency applicationTrump’s lawyers filed at the high court Monday.

Last week, a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court in Washington unanimously rejected Trump’s sweeping immunity claim. However, the judges agreed not to return the case to a lower court for trial until the Supreme Court acts on Trump’s request for emergency relief.

Smith has already urged the courts to resolve the immunity dispute quickly so that Trump’s Washington, D.C. trial, originally set for March 4, can begin later this year.

In December, the special counsel asked the Supreme Court to take up the immunity issue even before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed it, in order to reach an expedited conclusion, but the justices denied the attempt.

“This Court’s immediate review of that question is the only way to achieve its timely and definitive resolution,” Smith wrote in the December filing. “The Nation has a compelling interest in a decision on [Trump’s] claim of immunity from these charges — and if they are to be tried, a resolution by conviction or acquittal, without undue delay.”

Smith is expected to oppose Trump’s request to keep the proceedings in the trial court on hold while Trump pursues further relief from both the Supreme Court and the full, 11-judge bench of the D.C. Circuit. He is hoping those courts rule that former presidents are immune from prosecution on conduct arguably related to the presidency unless they have been impeached and convicted by Congress.

Smith does not have to wait until next Tuesday to respond to Trump’s latest high court filing, which was widely anticipated and largely repeats arguments his attorneys have raised previously. (Politico)

What does this mean? Or better yet, what does it not mean?

Don’t be surprised if Jack Smith responds by Monday or earlier.

This does not mean that the Court will agree to hear the case.

If the Court refuses to hear the case, and many, many legal experts and pundits think the Court may well refuse, that would mean minimal delay for Judge Chutkan’s federal case on Trump’s election subversion. A trial would likely quickly begin.

Worse things can happen too. The Court can support Trump’s delay tactics by sending the case back to the whole appeals court to hear. The existing opinion was from a panel of 3.

The Court can also decide to hear the case itself. That is unlikely but it can cause me bad dreams. It would mean that the 2024 election might happen before Judge Chutkan and Jack Smith’s trial. As for you, pretend you never read this paragraph.

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As we await more arrests. . .

An arrest has been made in the theft of a Jackie Robinson statue later found dismantled and burned.

A 45-year-old man was arrested in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that was cut off at the ankles and found days later smoldering in a trash can in a city park in Kansas, police announced Tuesday.

Ricky Alderete was taken into custody earlier this month in a kidnapping case and charged Monday with four counts stemming from the theft and a 2022 case, records show. Wichita police Lt. Aaron Moses said there was no evidence it was a “hate-motivated crime” but rather the intent was to sell the metal for scrap.

Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan said it was “only the first arrest” and that there were more to come. He did not specify how police determined Alderete was a suspect in the theft.

“When you try to take something from this community, it won’t tolerate it,” he said, adding that he was eager to share more details about the investigation after more suspects are in custody.

Messages left with numbers believed to belong to his family members were not immediately returned. His attorney in the public defender’s office didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Thieves cut the bronze statue from its base last month at a park in Wichita, Kansas. Only the statue’s feet were left at McAdams Park, where about 600 children play in a youth baseball league called League 42. It is named after Robinson’ s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the major leagues’ color barrier in 1947.

Fire crews found burned remnants of the statue five days later while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles (11.27 kilometers) away. A truck believed to be used in the theft previously was found abandoned, and police said the theft of the statue was captured on surveillance video.

Alderete, who is jailed on $150,000 bond, faces charges of felony theft and aggravated criminal damage to property in the statue case. He also was charged Monday with identity theft and making false information in an October 2022 incident involving a pawn ticket, the complaint said.

Police provided no details about the case that led to his arrest. But online court records also show he also is charged with kidnapping and aggravated burglary. The criminal complaint said that he entered a Wichita home on Feb. 1 with the intent to kidnap someone as part of an effort to interfere with law enforcement.

Alderete also has a criminal record that includes burglary and theft, state correction department records show.

Asked how many others might face charges, Moses said three people were seen on the surveillance video. He also noted that the statue was taken to a location where others were present. He said he could offer no further details because it was an active investigation.

Donations poured in after the theft, approaching $300,000, said Bob Lutz, executive director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture.

“The power of Jackie Robinson is extremely strong in 2024 and that’s testament to what he stood for,” Lutz said. (Associated Press).

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Putin. Master of Dirty Tricks.

Keep in mind that the dictator of Russia consistently interferes with the politics of other countries. Take heed.

Russia puts leader of NATO member Estonia on a wanted list over removal of Soviet-era monuments.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Estonia’s prime minister has been put on a wanted list in Russia because of her efforts to remove Soviet-era World War II monuments in the Baltic nation, officials said Tuesday as tensions between Russia and the West soar amid the war in Ukraine.

The name of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas appeared on the Russian Interior Ministry’s list of people wanted on unspecified criminal charges. While independent Russian news outlet Mediazona first reported Tuesday that Kallas was on the list, it said she has been on it for months. The list includes scores of officials and lawmakers from other Baltic nations.

Russian officials said that Kallas had been put on the list because of her efforts to remove World War II monuments.

Kallas dismissed it as Moscow’s “familiar scare tactic.”

“Russia may believe that issuing a fictitious arrest warrant will silence Estonia,” she said. “I refuse to be silenced -– I will continue to vocally support Ukraine and advocate for the strengthening of European defenses.” (Associated Press).

Reuters reports - “Russia is preparing for a military confrontation with the West within the next decade and could be deterred by a counter build-up of armed forces,” Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service said

France accuses Russia of a disinformation campaign in a key election year.

PARIS (AP) — France condemned “hostile” disinformation maneuvers after the country’s authorities on Monday accused Russia of operating a long-running online manipulation campaign against Ukraine’s Western backers, in the lead up to the second anniversary of Moscow’s military invasion of its neighbor.

The French foreign ministry said in a statement “no manipulation attempt will distract France from its support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression.”

Earlier Monday, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said that a network of “at least 193” websites had been set up with the aim “to spread Russian disinformation,”speaking alongside his German and Polish counterparts after a meeting near Paris involving Ukraine-related talks and other issues.

Séjourné said “Russia seeks to destroy Europe’s unity and even worse, wants to make our democracies exhausted … by blurring the limit between real and fake (news), by manipulating information.”

The French agency responsible for fighting foreign digital interference, Viginum, released a report describing the network codenamed “Portal Kombat” that it analyzed between September and December in 2023.

Viginum said it involves websites using the name “pravda” targeting countries including France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States. “Very ideologically oriented, this content repeatedly presents inaccurate or misleading narratives,” the report said.

It said the network also involves social media, including Telegram, through “massive content sharing automation.”

French foreign ministry officials said in a media briefing that Russia has stepped up efforts to manipulate information and spread deception, targeting Kyiv’s allies in the West. They referred to messages on social media platforms such as X, formerly Twitter, and websites like Sputnik as “massive in scope” and “complex in structure.”

The aim of Russia’s disinformation campaign remains the same, officials said: To amplify Russia’s success in the Ukraine war, justify its invasion, discredit and diminish Ukraine’s military resistance and undermine civilians’ resilience in the face of daily attacks on cities and towns, and fracture Western support for Ukraine’s military and slow if not stop supply with weapons Kyiv.

Officials say Russia’s disinformation campaign goes beyond the war in Ukraine. In a year of high-stake elections in the U.K., the European Union and the United States, French officials say Russia is working to confuse and scare voters, discredit some candidates and support others, and disrupt mega sporting events such as the Paris Olympics and the European soccer championship in Germany.

The ministry also accused Russia of being behind the stenciling of Jewish stars last November on walls in Paris and its suburbs, causing alarm about the safety of France’s Jewish community, the largest in Europe.

Last month, French defense officials said France, a staunch ally of Ukraine, had been a target of a Russian disinformation campaign following President Emmanuel Macron’s reaffirmation of support for Kyiv.

Last year, Viginum said it has monitored the alleged operation since soon after Russia invaded its neighbor and that France was one of several European countries targeted. It said it traced the campaign to Russian individuals, companies and “state entities or entities affiliated to the Russian state.”

The agency detected a mirror website mimicking the French Foreign Ministry’s and intervened with “protective and preventive measures,” Viginum said in a report last year. (Associated Press).

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Big Win in Congressional District 3 NYS.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays Democrats in 2024.

Another big win in Pennsylvania last night too.

Blue now controls the State House by one vote.

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