COVID hospitalizations rise again: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-hospitalizations-rise-fourth-week-eg-5-variant/ . We must point out, once again, that COVID has not settled into a seasonal pattern. The new COVID vaccines are rolling out at the end of September on the assumption of a permanent seasonal pattern, and there is no evidence of that.
Dengue fever spreads in Florida: https://www.foxnews.com/health/dengue-virus-spreads-florida-counties-health-officials .
Texas sues to recoup Medicaid payments from Planned Parenthood: https://apnews.com/article/planned-parenthood-texas-medicaid-6c016b80c0cf76e3b8f9577ad6ea8e69 . This is another Texas political stunt, filed in Amarillo because the only judge there is a religious extremist.
WSJ: UK inflation remains high: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-k-inflation-slows-in-july-but-still-a-worry-eec05817 .
WSJ: China data concerns grow as youth unemployment data dropped: https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-turns-to-well-honed-playbook-cut-rates-hide-data-bcfdd02 . As the article notes, youth unemployment was over 20% in June. Apparently the data is now too embarrassing to show.
And now, today’s edition of the long-running GOP show, Meet the Co-conspirators: https://www.aol.com/mark-meadows-trevian-kutti-meet-163613763.html . So is all publicity good publicity? Not when you’re named in an indictment …
The complexity of the Georgia case: https://apnews.com/article/georgia-indictment-donald-trump-fani-willis-racketeering-299d9e597b0dffbd7636d3e798128a3e . These issues were covered in yesterday’s summary. Bottom line, this case will not get resolved before the election, which is not that bad. This is the one case Orange Julius cannot pardon his way out off if re-elected, which I think won’t happen. Once OJ doesn’t get re-elected, both sides will be amenable to having this case wipe him off the political map. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-indicted-georgia-election-interference-case-64deb461 . Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-georgia-indictment-what-happens-next-ed410bb6 . Also: https://www.wsj.com/articles/georgia-case-presents-unique-challenges-for-trumpand-prosecutors-4dd6ee37 .
WSJ: The simplicity of the Georgia case: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-georgia-indictment-phone-calls-d559c13a . This is hard and irrefutable evidence of criminal conduct. Why does the Journal have a hard time saying that?
Georgia’s RICO law is essentially pardon-proof: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/georgia-pardon-process-works-light-trumps-latest-indictment/story?id=102289957 . This issue was also covered yesterday, but there is an important addition here. While Governor Kemp has pardon power, he can grant pardons only after the end of the mandatory prison term. If any of these defendants receive a prison sentence, they will serve time.
In another ring of the circus, Orange Julius will present a report on election fraud in Georgia on Monday: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4153153-trump-claims-report-will-result-in-complete-exoneration-in-georgia/ . On the one hand, this construct could suggest OJ has a “true belief” that he won the election. On the other hand, this is (no surprise) the exact opposite of shut the hell up. This is fraught with peril for OJ (that’s fine, it’s his choice), because Rule No. 1 is at play with 4 separate judges! Also, this is strengthening Jack Smith’s hand for a January 2 trial date (taint of the jury pool, as Smith is not conducting the case in the media). (RN1, 4/11/23)
Meanwhile, in the third ring, Mark Meadows tries to move the case to federal court: https://abcnews.go.com/US/meadows-seeks-move-fulton-county-election-case-federal/story?id=102295084 . It is conceivable this case could move to federal court, but in my view not likely. George Terwilliger is a well-known lawyer, but that does not make him a good one. The problem with this argument is that no official duty of a federal official or anyone else involves overthrow of valid election results. The argument that none of Meadows’ actions were crimes is irrelevant under the Georgia RICO statute – what is relevant is whether or not the actions furthered an illegal conspiracy.
OJ’s Fulton County judge: https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-handle-trump-case/story?id=102278055 .
WSJ: Rudy does RICO: https://www.wsj.com/articles/rudy-giuliani-indicted-racketeering-trump-rico-e2339c94 .
WSJ: A summary of OJ’s legal problems: https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-guide-to-donald-trumps-legal-perils-b9b64891 .
Alabama tries to defend its gerrymander in federal court: https://apnews.com/article/alabama-redistricting-voting-rights-act-7e7d8ca2fac4063f91311bd363515304 . Every party is entitled to legal representation in court. Here, the attorney representing Alabama told the federal court that to follow their prior order (affirmed by the US Supreme Court) would violate the Constitution. Does that sound like a winning argument? Or would you say that it’s a clear violation of Rule No. 1? When all three judges ask if Alabama “deliberately disregarded” the court’s instruction, you know you’ve blown Rule No. 1. The opinion should be “interesting” to read. I wonder if they will appoint a special master to redraw the Alabama districts? If I were on the panel, I would.
Maui death toll at 99: https://www.wsj.com/articles/maui-fire-death-toll-lahaina-hawaii-f43c36bc . As noted yesterday, the death toll may well exceed 1,000. UPDATE: WSJ: Death toll at 106: https://www.wsj.com/articles/maui-lahaina-hawaii-wildfire-76ecdbb7 . Children will apparently constitute a significant percentage of the final death toll .
Murdaugh associate gets almost 4 years in prison: https://apnews.com/article/alex-murdaugh-cory-fleming-steal-maid-sentence-009eb28e4df9c4905c5a10e6248afe34 .
Waco’s two-headed snake: https://www.aol.com/rare-two-headed-snake-back-152608298.html . No, not Ted Cruz, at least not this time. I understand that the right head is dominant, but why did they name it Pancho? It seems demeaning to all lefties to call the non-dominant head Lefty. And Pancho seems a bit racist. However, I would think Pancho and Cisco would have been a better choice, in which case the head would have been Cisco: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cisco_Kid_(TV_series) . You’d think they would know this in Waco …
WSJ: Women’s World Cup: Spain through to the final: https://www.wsj.com/sports/soccer/spain-sweden-womens-world-cup-semifinal-fifa-6411b6e2 .
Darren Kent from Game of Thrones passes at 39: https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/15/entertainment/darren-kent-death/index.html . Kent was also an award-winning director: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2023/08/15/game-of-thrones-darren-kent-obituary/70596713007/ .