Friday, July 7, 2023

ANOTHER LAWSUIT! Judge denies DOJ request to block Trump deposition in ex-FBI officials' lawsuits

A federal judge has denied a Department of Justice request to prevent former President Trump from sitting for a deposition in lawsuits brought by Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, both former FBI officials. NBC News' Ryan Reilly reports.

Florida suffers consequences of DeSantis political games with public health

Alex Wagner shares exclusive NBC News reporting on the resignation of two key Florida state health officials who have yet to be replaced as the state is facing the first instances of native malaria transmission in decades and DeSantis has installed a scientifically dubious state surgeon general in a bid to curry favor with the anti-vaccine radicals he hopes will support him over Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary.

Judge Cannon Issues SURPRISING NEW RULING Before Upcoming Hearing

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on a new order by Judge Aileen Cannon in the criminal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith against Donald Trump and Walt Nauta.

SOUTH MEMPHIS: He was left behind the warehouse with bite marks all over his body but now lives like a King!

THANK YOU TO THE HEROES!

He was left behind the warehouse with bite marks all over his body but now lives like a King! This evening, we were made aware of this sweet boy needing our help. He was living behind a warehouse in South Memphis and in need of medical attention. Unfortunately, based on his condition and injuries, we suspect he was a bait dog. His left eye is shut, his tail is possibly broken, he has bite marks all over his body and on his face. As you can see from the videos, his spirit is broken. Lucky for him, we are all about lovin' on some pups and showing them the good life. We've named him Liam, which means warrior.

Special thanks to: Streetdog Foundation Please support at: www.streetdogfoundation.com/donate.

Raskin calls for investigation into Kushner’s $2 billion Saudi deal

Rep. Jamie Raskin is calling for a congressional investigation into the $2 billion Saudi investment in Jared Kushner’s private equity fund. "He has been completely dodging our effort to get at the truth of it," says Raskin. PLEASE DON'T IGNORE THE QATAR BAILOUT OF 666 FIFTH AVENUE!

Top senator seeks answers over Qatar link to $1.2bn Kushner property rescue

This article is more than 8 months old

Senate finance panel chair sends detailed questions to financial firm on deal for property owned by then White House aide’s family

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/13/jared-kushner-qatar-property-deal-ron-wyden-senate

I'm writing today to ask you to please read my op-ed in today's Guardian about the need for bold, immediate action to address climate change. This is important. Thanks. - B

Please read my op-ed in today's Guardian about the need for bold, immediate action to address climate change. Because if we do not, the quality of life we are leaving our kids is very much in question. - Bernie

This year is set to be the hottest in history. Congress must act now.
If there is not bold, immediate action to address the climate crisis, the quality of life that we are leaving our kids is very much in question

Bernie Sanders
Fri 7 July 2023

The last eight years have been the eight hottest on record. This year is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history, and this Fourth of July might have been the hottest day in the past 125,000 years.

Climate change is ravaging the planet. We are now seeing floods, droughts, extreme weather disturbances and wild fires causing unprecedented damage. If there is not bold, immediate and united action by governments throughout the world, the quality of life that we are leaving our kids and future generations is very much in question.

In the short term, we will be looking at more melting of the Arctic ice caps, rising sea levels and increased flooding. We will experience more drought and a decrease in food production. We will see major damage caused by intense storms, tornadoes and other extreme weather disturbances. We will see a decline in economic activity and the migration of millions of people as a result of water shortages. We will see a major disruption in all forms of marine life as a result of warming sea water and the acidification of the oceans.

Over last few weeks we’ve gotten a glimpse of what this dystopian future could look like. The unprecedented forest fires in Quebec, preceded by massive fires in Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Alberta, have resulted in dangerously unhealthy air all across the United States. New York, Washington DC, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee and other cities have reported some of their worst air quality levels ever as people with chronic illness have been forced to remain indoors. Meanwhile, during this same period, Texas has experienced a record-breaking heat wave. In Corpus Christi the heat index, a measure of temperature combined with humidity, reached 125F – close to the level at which humans are able to survive.

As a result of long-standing drought six western states that rely on water from the Colorado River have recently agreed to dramatically cut their water use. That river, which provides water for 40 million people and a $5 trillion-a-year agricultural industry, is drying up. The state of Arizona recently restricted future home-building in the Phoenix area due to a lack of groundwater, based on projections showing that wells will run dry under existing conditions.

Needless to say, climate change is not just an American issue. Despite the frightening impact of climate change on the United States, highly populated Asian countries are facing even worse challenges. Sea levels on China’s coastline have hit their highest on record for the second year in a row, rising more quickly than the global average. China’s coastal areas are home to approximately 45% of the country’s population of about 1.4 billion people, and contribute to over half of the country’s economic output. Major cities like Shanghai, Tianjin and Shenzhen are all located along the Chinese coast and could face catastrophic flooding in years to come – creating havoc with the entire Chinese economy.

Last year, India experienced a searing heat wave, during which parts of the country reached more than 120F. In 2022, India experienced its hottest April in 122 years and its hottest March on record. It experienced extreme weather on 242 out of 273 days between January and October 2022. Long-term projections indicate that Indian heat waves could cross the survivability limit for a healthy human resting in the shade by 2050. The impact of these continued heat waves will not only result in more deaths and disease in India but will increase poverty as a result of reduced economic output.

From June to October 2022, heavy rainfall in Pakistan caused flooding and landslides at a rate nearly 10 times the national 30-year average. The floods affected nearly 33 million people, damaged 4.4 million acres of agricultural land and killed 800,000 livestock. In the aftermath, rising food prices exacerbated already stressed levels of hunger and malnutrition in the country. The number of people experiencing severe hunger has more than doubled since the floods hit in June: today, 14.6 million people are experiencing severe hunger in Pakistan and the malnutrition rates are dire.

Climate change is taking a major human, economic, and environmental toll in Europe, the fastest warming continent of the world. The year 2022 was marked by extreme heat, drought, and wildfires. Based on country data submitted so far, it is estimated that at least 15,000 people died in Western Europe alone specifically due to the heat in 2022. Among those, more than 4,600 deaths in Spain, more than 1,000 in Portugal, more than 3,200 in the United Kingdom, and around 4,500 people died in Germany as a result of extreme heat.

As devastating as climate change has been for the United States, Europe, China and other developed countries, its impact is even worse for the poorest countries on earth who lack the resources to protect their inhabitants from the growing hunger, disease and migrations that droughts and floods are causing. Here are a few examples as reported by the UN World Food Program:

South Sudan’s temperatures are increasing at two and half times the global average. This has resulted in extreme weather events including four consecutive years of flooding that have left half the country underwater. The unprecedented flooding has swallowed large swathes of the country while other parts are grappling with devastating drought. Today, some 64% of the country’s population (7.7 million people out of 12 million total) are experiencing severe hunger.

In February of 2022, Madagascar was hit with four tropical cyclones. These storms destroyed infrastructure, decimated rice crops and left over 270,000 people in urgent need of food. Today, nearly 2 million people in Madagascar are experiencing hunger and are in need of humanitarian assistance

In Somalia, there is no end in sight to the drought in that extremely poor country. Somalia has experienced five failed rainy seasons, drying up crops and killing livestock. This has resulted in 6.5 million people facing crisis levels of hunger.

It is no great secret that human beings are not particularly anxious to address painful realities – especially when it requires taking on powerful special interests like the fossil fuel industry. This time we must.

Our Earth is warming rapidly. We see this every day in every part of the world.

Drought, floods, forest fires and extreme weather disturbances are increasing. We see this every day in every part of the world.

Hunger, disease and human migrations are increasing. We see this every day in every part of the world.

Instead of denying this obvious reality, instead of doing the bidding of oil and coal companies, instead of fomenting a new cold war with China, members of Congress must develop an unprecedented sense of urgency about this global crisis. We must bring the world together NOW to address this existential threat. Failure to act will doom future generations to a very uncertain future. For the sake of our common humanity we cannot allow that to happen.

Before you go...

I think we all understand that if Republicans have control of the White House, the House or the Senate after this election, the chances of accomplishing anything significant with respect to climate, or anything else, becomes virtually non-existent.

Our work rallying and organizing progressives across the country takes resources, but it is important work that must be done. So please:

Can you please make a contribution of $27 — or whatever you can afford — to help our movement elect progressives all across this country who are prepared to treat climate change as the existential threat we know it to be.

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POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: DiZoglio leans in

BY LISA KASHINSKY AND KELLY GARRITY

SEE YOU IN COURT, MAYBE — Diana DiZoglio is inching toward the nuclear option in her quest to audit the Legislature.

The auditor told Playbook her staff is consulting with the attorney general’s office on legal options for compelling lawmakers to comply with her review — including by suing them.

DiZoglio has been threatening to take legislative leaders to court to get them to open up their books for an audit that spans everything from hiring and spending to rules procedures and committee appointments. With neither House Speaker Ron Mariano nor Senate President Karen Spilka cooperating — by claiming DiZoglio doesn’t have the authority for the audit — the auditor told Playbook that it’s “unfortunately likely we will need to pursue legal action sooner rather than later.”

That could put Andrea Campbell in the awkward position of having to publicly pick between DiZoglio and the legislative leaders who endorsed her bid for attorney general. The auditor would need authorization from the attorney general’s office to sue the Legislature — permission that’s rarely granted when one part of state government is being pitted against another. If a lawsuit was approved, the attorney general would then need to pick which side to represent and a special assistant attorney general would be called in for the other.

Campbell and other top Democrats including Gov. Maura Healey have so far avoided being dragged into the fight between DiZoglio and her former House and Senate colleagues. But DiZoglio could force Campbell’s hand if she tries to take legal action against the Legislature — which presumably won’t happen until after DiZoglio finds out whether lawmakers are going to shortchange her office’s budget.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tensions are also flaring between the House and Senate over the omnibus gun bill that state Rep. Michael Day filed last week.

The House quickly referred the legislation, a priority of Mariano’s, to the joint Judiciary Committee. But the Senate, despite holding three sessions since, has yet to agree to assign the bill to a committee so lawmakers can schedule a hearing for it — drawing public ire from its filer.

“It’s astounding to me that the Senate refuses to assign this bill to a committee. It’s usually a perfunctory exercise,” Day, who co-chairs the Judiciary Committee, told Playbook. “The longer we sit on this, the longer people succumb to gun violence in our neighborhoods .”

A Senate spokesperson responded to the House’s unusually public and sharp salvo by saying the “lengthy” bill “touches on a lot of important issues, and as with any bill referral, it is being reviewed to determine which committee to refer it to.”

One possible reason for the delay: Senators have already filed their own bills on gun safety — including on ghost gun regulations , a key piece of he House’s sweeping firearms bill and an increasing problem statewide — with a different committee and might not want to see their efforts stomped on by a House that seems to be looking to fast-track its own plan. Plus, there’s that ongoing power struggle between the House and Senate chairs of some joint committees that could affect what bills get to move forward.

TODAY — Healey and Acting Gov. Kim Driscoll have no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu visits the BCYF Curley Community Center at 10 a.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren tours 6K Inc. in North Andover at 11:15 a.m. and joins Rep. Jim McGovern for a Brownfields funding announcement at 2 p.m. in Worcester.

THIS WEEKEND — Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. Axios Boston’s Mike Deehan and I are on NBC10 Boston’s “@Issue” at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

Tips? Scoops? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .

JOIN 7/11 FOR A TALK ON THE FAA’S FUTURE: Congress is making moves to pass the FAA Reauthorization Act, laying the groundwork for the FAA’s long-term agenda to modernize the aviation sector to meet the challenges of today and innovate for tomorrow. Join POLITICO on July 11 to discuss what will make it into the final reauthorization bill and examine how reauthorization will reshape FAA’s priorities and authorities. REGISTER HERE .

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “State takeover floated as a potential solution for hospital closures,” by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “Massachusetts lawmakers are weighing a bill that would give the state the power to step in and temporarily take control of a hospital that wants to shut down essential services."

— “Berkshire County Probate and Family Court is busier than ever. Pending legislation could help relieve some of that burden,” by Amanda Burke, Berkshire Eagle: “Help could be on the way, thanks to legislation that is poised to expand by eight the number of probate judges sitting in the commonwealth for the first time since 1999. There are currently about 50. Both the House and the Senate have included proposals for funding to add the judges to the Family and Probate Court bench in their proposed spending plans for the fiscal year, meaning the provision is likely to be included in the final package sent to Gov. Maura Healey for final approval.”

— "‘We need to take care of it.’ State House’s landmark golden dome and cupola are discolored, decaying," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "The problems are clear, but how the state intends to address them are not. Officials have not committed to a timeframe for repairing the landmark or indicated how extensive any project could be."

FROM THE DELEGATION

— RUNNING ON A NEW PLATFORM: Twitter is dying … again … maybe. But luckily for the Very Online — and politicians who rely on social media to get their message out — Meta has a new app to woo Twitter users who have hit their limit (literally and figuratively).

Threads became the most rapidly downloaded app ever , with more than 30 million downloads in the first 16 hours after its launch. And many Massachusetts politicians have been quick to get on board the "Twitter killer."

Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have joined, as have Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Reps. Jake Auchincloss, Katherine Clark, Bill Keating, Seth Moulton and Ayanna Pressley .

Several of them have already posted threads. Markey even held an AMA. We'll see if this one sticks as the Twitter alternative.

— “The new power couple taking on Wall Street: J.D. Vance and Elizabeth Warren,” by Eleanor Mueller, POLITICO: “Sen. J.D. Vance — the Trump-backing former venture capitalist — is trying to lead Republicans in a new cause: cracking down on big banks. Following a Senate campaign in which he pledged to prioritize rural America over titans of industry, the Ohio lawmaker is using a seat on the Banking Committee to flex his populist bona fides, teaming up with Democrats including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Dick Durbin of Illinois on bills that the industry’s biggest players despise — while championing legislation that protects smaller banks.”

DAY IN COURT

— “Wrongly convicted Boston man sues state for $1 million,” by Chris Burrell, GBH News: “Wrongly convicted of murder and imprisoned nearly four decades ago, 71-year-old Joseph Jabir Pope is suing the state of Massachusetts for $1 million in compensation. ... His lawsuit being filed in Suffolk Superior Court comes as lawmakers are weighing a bill that would remove the $1 million cap on compensation and offer immediate cash assistance to wrongly convicted people like Pope."

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— “Massachusetts has vast solar potential, according to new state report,” by Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe: “A new detailed analysis of available surfaces in Massachusetts concludes that the state has much more room to expand solar energy than previously believed, appearing to dispel long-held concerns that the state might be too densely developed to meet its solar energy commitments without major disturbances to forests, wetlands and other environmentally important resources.”

— “Boston wants to make EVs EZ,” by Paul Singer, GBH News: “At the end of June, Boston issued two requests seeking ideas from contractors about how to build a charging network — one for a system that would be owned and operated by the city, the other run by a private company. … The bids say the city wants the charging stations up and running within six months of signing a contract.”

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FROM THE 413

— “Mayor vetoes pregnancy center ordinance a day after council approves measure at a contentious meeting,” by Maddie Fabian, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “After a contentious public hearing Wednesday evening that ended in the City Council passing a pregnancy center ordinance, Mayor Nicole LaChapelle vetoed the measure Thursday afternoon. … The ordinance aims to protect the privacy of people seeking or accessing reproductive and gender-affirming services in the city. In a memo to City Council President Homar Gomez, the mayor wrote that the ordinance would not strengthen individual rights beyond what already exists in state law, and that despite legal merit, the ordinance would face legal challenges and add up to costly repercussions for the city.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Ethics Commission alleges Solomon violated laws,” by Will Broaddus, The Eagle-Tribune: “The State Ethics Commission has alleged that former Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon violated several laws prohibiting conflict of interest while he was serving as chief. The Commission found reasonable cause for its allegations on May 18 and, having reached no settlement with Solomon's attorney on these matters, filed an order to show cause on June 30 that initiates an adjudicatory proceeding within 90 days."

— “Brandeis University apologizes for ad that offended Orthodox Jewish student group,” by Ellie Wolfe, Boston Globe: “The ad ran in The New York Times Magazine on June 25 and included the statement ‘Brandeis was founded by Jews. But, it’s anything but Orthodox.’”

— “558 confirmed cases and 6 deaths in a week. See the latest COVID-19 data from Mass.,” by the Boston Globe.

THE NATIONAL TAKE

— “After secret documents leak, Pentagon plans tighter controls to protect classified information,” by Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp, The Associated Press: “The Pentagon on Wednesday announced plans to tighten protection for classified information following the explosive leaks of hundreds of intelligence documents that were accessed through security gaps at a Massachusetts Air National Guard base.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “New Hampshire bans boycotts of Israel in state procurement and investments,” by the Associated Press: “New Hampshire followed dozens of other states Thursday in prohibiting state contracts or investments involving companies that boycott Israel and its trade partners. The executive order signed by Gov. Chris Sununu makes New Hampshire the 37th state to enact such regulations, according to the Israeli-American Coalition for Action.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Elischia Fludd is the next executive director of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Bryan Bowman, Megan Wessenberg, Mike Rigas, Roselle Chartock, Melisse Morris, Vanessa Gatlin, Tim Murray and Northeastern’s Mike Ferrari , a Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill alum.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Samuel Weinstock, Andy Flick, William LaRose and Maddie James , who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Amy Sennett, Brittany Webb of state Sen. Cindy Creem’s office, Rachel Dec, Ryan Boehm , Boston Globe alum Wesley Lowery , George-Alexander Attia and MassGOP alum Madeleine Cammarano .

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .

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