Wednesday was one of those days when, after it ended, you could be forgiven for thinking that, whatever the explanation – or series of explanations – that subsequently emerged, it would never be quite enough.
As the world becomes more connected, such events expose serious risks for countries, companies and individuals who depend heavily on fragile technology — often a mash-up of older and cutting-edge systems. Electricity grids, credit cards, social media, email, public transportation and GPS all have become indispensable to everyday modern life.
* Watch the full debate on C-SPAN here including a remarkable, moving piece of oratory by Republican Rep Jenny Anderson Horne, a descendant of Jefferson Davis.
The call … underscores the extent to which Trump has gone from an embarrassment to a cause for serious alarm among top Republicans in Washington and nationwide.
But there is little they can do about the mogul and reality-television star, who draws sustenance from controversy and attention. And some fear that, with assistance from Democrats, Trump could become the face of the GOP.
But for whatever reason, the RNC’s call for restraint isn’t a universal message among his fellow Republican candidates, and certainly, as the North Carolina poll shows, among conservative Republican voters.
They rehearsed their personal tales of how they met Hillary Rodham Clinton and why they support her for president. They sharpened their defenses of her record as secretary of state. They scripted their arguments for why the Democratic front-runner has been “a lifetime champion of income opportunity.” And they polished their on-camera presentations in a series of mock interviews.
The objective of the sessions: to nurture a seemingly grass-roots echo chamber of Clinton supporters reading from the same script across the communities that dot New Hampshire, a critical state that holds the nation’s first presidential primary.
An online petition had circulated for months calling for the removal of the Cosby bust, which was one of many at Disney’s Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza. Cosby was represented along with celebrities such as Lucille Ball and Oprah Winfrey who have been inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
The Greek leadership exasperated EU leaders by failing to present new bailout proposals on Tuesday. It is to present a formal application on Wednesday for a new rescue package from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the eurozone’s permanent bailout fund. If Berlin, Paris, Brussels and other key creditor capitals can agree the terms and timings with Athens, Greece would be offered a stay of execution in the euro. Sunday’s summit would then be of the 19 eurozone leaders.
If not, the summit of all 28 leaders, including David Cameron and heads of government of other non-euro countries, would instead convene to deal with the consequences of a Greece cut loose from the eurozone financial system.
So on Sunday, at last, it's a real historic decision, on whether the euro is forever, & whether Greece stays or goes http://t.co/8koBG4Ud4e
“The time is now, it’s a window that we are using at the maximum, but we are not closing the window and then opening another window at another time we are using the time now.”
“More generally, the sheikhs complain that the Americans are asking the tribes to fight Isis while only paying lip service to taking on the Assad regime. They maintain this is because Barack Obama needs the Iranians, President Assad’s main backers, to help fight Isis in Iraq, and is also seeking to make nuclear agreement with Tehran.”
Meanwhile, a Washington Post editorial following Tuesday’s hearings by the Senate Armed Service Committee, talks of America’s ‘latest failure in Syria.’
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter reported the pitiful result of the training program: After a year, he told the Senate Armed Services Committee, just 60 Syrians were enlisted. Meanwhile, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified that Israel and Jordan “very much believe [in] the possibility” that the Assad regime could soon collapse, touching off “a foot race” of al-Qaeda and Islamic State forces “converging on Damascus.”
An additional 17,000 Army civilian employees would be laid off under the plan officials intend to announce this week. Under the plan, the Army would have 450,000 soldiers by Sept. 30, 2017, the end of the 2017 budget year. The reduction in troops and civilians is due to budget constraints, the document says.
Blair thus expressly denies that the July 7 bombing in London was largely motivated by his war in Iraq even though his own government’s secret report reached exactly that conclusion; a Pentagon-commissioned report years ago acknowledged the same causal motive for “terrorism” generally. They’re desperate to deny this causation because to recognize it is necessarily to acknowledge that their professed moral superiority is the ultimate delusion, that they in fact are the embodiment of what they love to hear themselves condemning.
China’s stock markets had previously been among the top-performing in the world, and had hit a seven-year peak in the middle of June. The Shanghai stock market had surged more than 150% in 12 months, but it has fallen 30% over the past three weeks – including a plunge of 12% last week.
The nation’s largest bank has been accused of relying on robo-signing and other discredited methods of going after consumers for debts they may not have owed and for providing inaccurate information to debt buyers. Robo-signing refers to signing documents in mass quantities without reviewing records.
The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday releases minutes from its June meeting. Here are five things to watch for, via the Wall Street Journal.
Opposition to the measure is likely in the House, and representatives are expected to offer at least two dozen amendments to the bill in an effort to thwart its chances of becoming law.
Some of the amendments are likely to be similar to those that were offered — and rejected — in the Senate, including one that would have allowed the battle flag to fly outside the State House each year, for Confederate Memorial Day. A long list of amendments would slow the process: One being circulated, for example, calls for the American flag atop the State House to be flown upside down.
But in case you thought “the south” stopped at the Mason-Dixon line, Pennsylvania was among states to also get an ‘F’. Here’s a reminder of what PA House speaker Mike Turzai said in June 2012.
* CULTURE * Interesting piece by Eugene Volokh at the Washington Post on the legal implications of the latest Bill Cosby developments, and how the comedian had “thrown himself into the vortex” by expounding on public issues.
Judge Robreno is thus borrowing some (but not all) aspects of libel law here: If you are a public official or a limited purpose public figure, you have less protection for your reputation under libel law. Likewise, you have less protection for your privacy when it comes to keeping depositions sealed. The way you can become a limited purpose public figure is by speaking out on controversial topics. And “the stark contrast between Bill Cosby, the public moralist and Bill Cosby, the subject of serious allegations concerning improper (and perhaps criminal) conduct, is a matter as to which the AP — and by extension the public — has a significant interest.”
So it turns out that Harry Shearer isn’t leaving The Simpsons after all.
The CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament is under way, with hosts the US beating Honduras 2-1 in the opening game in Texas. Clint Dempsey scored both US goals.
“The threat is greater than 10 years ago because it is more diverse,” [RUSI’s Margaret Gilmore] told The Independent. “Solitary Islamic extremists, urged on through the rhetoric of terrorist groups abroad and published on the internet, have become increasingly confident in carrying out acts of violence in their home countries with very little support or financial back-up.”
For another RUSI fellow, Dr Afzal Ashraf,
“..the changes since 7/7 mean “there’s no doubt that our security services and our police are very much better prepared than they were 10 years ago”.
“But the security services also understand this threat a great deal more than they did in the past. They have better early-warning mechanisms and much more sound responses, and there has been a deliberate attempt to understand, evaluate and prepare for [potential attacks] through training.”
The Obama administration should make clear that it is prepared to conclude a deal at any time, provided it is fully consistent with the framework understanding from April; anything less, and there will be no deal. If the Iranians insist on trying to walk back or redefine the framework understanding, they will not only stretch out the negotiations but will lead us to harden our own position and impose new conditions.
..the situation was complicated by the European Central Bank’s refusal late Monday to increase assistance for Greek banks desperately needing cash and facing imminent collapse unless a rescue deal is reached.
Earlier on Monday, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis quit and rode off into the sunset.
All good theater, but HSBC’s Chief Global Economist Stephen King – in classic horror tale mode – writes at the FT that, whatever happens at Tuesday’s summit and beyond, the key question is who picks up the bill?
If a deal is not immediately forthcoming, a lot will depend on the stability or otherwise of a Greek economy facing a self-imposed blockade thanks to capital controls and bank holidays. The risk is that Greece runs out of euros, forcing the introduction of a new currency that might initially be called simply an IOU but might eventually become known as a “new drachma”.
The introduction of a new currency, alongside the euro, could prove hugely problematic – with obvious risks of hyperinflation – but, if handled with restraint, might allow liquidity to flow to a degree consistent with stabilisation of Greek output. That stabilisation, in turn, might allow the government to deliver structural reforms consistent with an eventual return to the euro, with all sins forgiven.
Yet the terms of any subsequent return to the euro fold would be controversial.
* POLITICS * Lawmakers in South Carolina’s Senate voted overwhelmingly to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state capitol building in Columbia. The measure now faces another vote on Tuesday before being sent to the House. The AP reports:
If the House passes the same measure, the flag and flagpole could be removed as soon as Gov. Nikki Haley signs the papers. The flag would be lowered for the last time and shipped off to the state’s Confederate Relic Room, near where the last Confederate flag to fly over the Statehouse dome is stored.
South Carolina Senate votes to remove the Confederate flag from the pole on Statehouse grounds http://t.co/AfnPR3feeh
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande will meet in Paris on Monday to discuss a response to the vote and how best to preserve the continent’s single currency. An extraordinary EU summit has been called for Tuesday. The European Central Bank will also meet on Monday, as Greece’s banks remain closed.
So in Berlin they had this amazing strategy: Wait until the referendum, Greeks say yes, Tsipras steps down. Worked out just fine. #Greece
Contempt for democracy and economic illiteracy are not merely tactical errors. Those two “qualities” are now the remaining ideological planks of what is left of the European project. Greece is a reminder that the European monetary union, as it is constructed, is fundamentally unsustainable. This means it will need to be fixed, or it will end at some point.
(Tomorrow’s Papers Today)
4PM ET : Early signs point to heavy ‘no’ vote in Greece
* WORLD * A nuclear agreement with Iran remains stubbornly close, according to negotiators, but US Secretary of State John Kerry said “difficult issues” remain and the talks “could go either way” ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
..The 40-year-old left-wing leader told Greeks to “turn your backs on those who terrorize you daily”.
“On Sunday, we are not just deciding that we are staying in Europe, but that we are deciding to live with dignity in Europe,” he told the crowd of at least 50,000.
The founders of democracy come out to fight for it
One does not put an overweight patient on a starvation diet just after a heart attack. Greece needs growth. Indeed, the economic collapse explains why its public debt has exploded relative to GDP. The programme should have eliminated further austerity until growth was established, focused on growth-promoting reforms, and promised debt relief on completion.
Here’s the latest dispatch from the streets via Vice News.
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* WORLD * A nuclear deal between Iran and western powers is understood to be close. The BBC reports that “Russia’s chief negotiator Sergei Ryabkov said the text of the agreement was more than 90% complete. Some of the major sticking points have included the timing of sanctions relief and the question of access for UN nuclear inspectors.”
U.S. officials have publicized the new bomb partly to rattle the Iranians. Some Pentagon officials warned not to underestimate U.S. military capabilities even if the bunker-busters can’t eliminate Iran’s nuclear program.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, suggested at the same Pentagon news conference Thursday that airstrikes might be ordered multiple times if Iran tries to build a bomb.
At a time when America’s political class is catering to ever-narrower slices of the electorate, Fortune 500 corporations are trying to appeal to (or at least avoid offending) the widest possible swath of Americans. “Inclusiveness” may not be good politics in this day of polarization and micro-targeting, but it seems to be good business. And that is making the business community the sort of “big tent” political force that neither major political party can claim to be.
* CULTURE * This weekend sees the Grateful Dead’s final “Fare Thee Well” shows at Soldier Field in Chicago. One local man thought their career deserved recognition.
Was it a deliberate hoax? (police say no). A tactical distraction? (they likely wouldn’t say if they thought so). Or just a case where confusion is amplified through an overactive media?
Police later said the incident began when an employee “called from inside a Navy Yard building to report that she might have heard sounds of gunshots.” The Washington Post‘s Erik Wemple tries to look at the source of some of the early confusion as it was relayed via television.
“Breaking news now on a story we’re frankly still trying to figure out. Washington Navy Yard had been on lockdown early reports of an active shooter now there are reports that perhaps this was nothing, but we wait for the moment. A huge police presence flooding that scene, a scene where a massacre took place nearly two years ago so be patient with us as we work this out,” he said.
Facts are often the first casualty when news breaks. The confusion and speed of onrushing events can crimp the accuracy of the who, what and when of a story. But some news reports of a shooting at Washington’s Navy Yard on Thursday didn’t just blow the details. In a few cases, reporters got the whole story wrong.
Federal authorities have warned local law enforcement officials across the country about a heightened concern involving possible terror attacks targeting the July 4th holiday, a U.S. law enforcement official said.
It’s not clear what Webb’s ultimate goal is, assuming he is realistic about his chances of getting onto the Democratic ticket. He could be angling to be Hillary’s VP pick as a moderate whose military service could help her win over less-liberal swing voters, or hoping to bring attention to the veterans’ issues he cares about, especially PTSD treatment. Webb’s never seemed like an enthusiastic participant in D.C. politics, having left the Senate after only one term.
Confederate flag loving Democrats who don't want to do anything about climate change just got a candidate: Jim Webb announces he's in.
Likening Mr. Walker and the “bus full” of Republican candidates to an “Uncle Harry” at Thanksgiving dinner who says something that makes no sense.
“You still love him,” the president said. “He’s still a member of your family. Right? But you’ve got to correct him. You don’t want to put him in charge of stuff.”
BP has other troubles, however, that are only partly the result of the tragedy and its aftermath. The company has slimmed down since the spill, selling assets worth over $40 billion. But now it faces a sustained period of low oil prices and the possible unwanted attentions of firms that might see BP as an even more alluring takeover target, now that it is smaller, weaker and has dealt with most of its spill claims.
* WORLD * As Greece prepares for its referendum on Sunday over whether to accept the Eurozone creditors’ bailout plan, the Wall Street Journal reports that the IMF had “raised the stakes” by warning that
Greece’s economic situation has considerably worsened thanks to the escalating conflict with its creditors, and any new rescue deal that involves the IMF would require greater financial generosity from Europe than eurozone leaders have been willing to countenance so far.
Look beyond Greece, and the threat of further conflict within the euro is all but inevitable. Although Greece’s departure would prove the euro is not irrevocable, nobody would know what rule-breaking would lead to expulsion. Nor would it resolve the inevitable polarisation of debtor and creditor governments in bail-outs. If the single currency does not face up to the need for reform, then this crisis or the next will witness more Greeces, more blunders and more dismal weeks. In time, that will wreck the euro and the EU itself.
In what seems to be almost a July 4th weekend tradition, German officials summoned the US ambassador to account for reports of US surveillance on top members of the government. The New York Times reports that this year’s situation “signaled another recent low in German-American relations. And it showed how difficult it has proved to be for the two close allies to shake off years of scandal over snooping.”
The seven will be heard by Zurich cantonal (State) police and granted a 14-day period to respond to federal officials about the extradition request, the Swiss justice ministry said.
Swiss justice officials will then rule “within a few weeks” on whether to extradite them. That ruling can be appealed to Switzerland’s top criminal court and supreme court.
Meanwhile, France24 reported that a former FIFA official had said that the organization “will be forced to make certain basic reforms or it will lose big sponsors.”
(Bernie 2016) — Introduction by John Nichols of The Nation at 41:56, Sanders speaks at 50:00
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Sanders told the crowd he sought a political revolution, committed to “doubling the minimum wage, providing a free college education to all Americans, establishing a universal health care system, expanding union rights and breaking up the largest banks in the country.”
“What this campaign is about is creating a political revolution in America — a revolution which takes on the greed of Wall Street and corporate America,” he told the crowd of thousands at the Alliant Energy Center.
“This is a rigged economy and, brothers and sisters, we are going to change that. … The greed of corporate America and the billionaire class has got to end, and we are going to end it for them.”
“The numbers are not yet final but Hillary for America has exceeded our expectations and is on track to raise more primary money than any candidate in history during their first quarter in the race,” the [campaign] official said Wednesday. “The previous record of primary money raised in a candidate’s first quarter was $41.9 million set by President Obama’s campaign in 2011.”
According to CNN, only 2% of Democratic voters think Sanders has the best chance of winning the general election. That number has proven to be a red flag for any candidate.
Studies have long shown that most voters desire to cast their vote for a winning candidate, and they’ll often vote for their second choice if they perceive the candidate to have a better chance of winning. As University of Maryland professor Eric Pacuit points out, many voters in 2000 who supported Green Party candidate Ralph Nader ended up voting for Democratic nominee Al Gore.
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* POLITICS * It shows how far we’ve already come – or fallen – in this election cycle that it’s refreshing to hear a politician say they’re not running for President. New York Congressman Peter King said on Wednesday he wouldn’t be seeking the nomination, telling CNN “he’s decided he can’t raise enough money or run effectively given his job in Congress.”
But the member of the House’s homeland security and intelligence panels had plenty to say on the possibility of a terror attack over the upcoming national holiday weekend.
In a new CNN poll, Christie is running well down a national GOP field where Donald Trump – despite his latest difficulties with Macy’s, former New York Gov George Pataki and professional golfers – appears to be consolidating recent numbers showing him in second or third place overall.
The expectation is that the Governor will address the issue of local resistance to same-sex marriage, following Wednesday’s decision by the 5th Circuit Court, covering Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, reinforcing the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the legality of same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
UPDATE: Wrong! The “major announcement” was to talk about the BP settlement offer (see Thursday’s Note for the full story)
THAT'S THREE: 5th Circuit rules in Mississippi case, against marriage ban: http://t.co/M8sTjVEJjD
— Chris “Law Dork” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) July 1, 2015
In resolutions adopted here at the denomination’s General Convention meeting in Salt Lake City this week, the bishops have endorsed new liturgies or services for same-sex couples wishing to marry in church. The bishops also approved changing the church’s canons, or rules, governing marriage, making them gender neutral by substituting the terms “man and woman” with “couple.” However, clergy were also given the right to refuse to perform a same-sex marriage, with the promise they would incur no penalty, while bishops were given the right to refuse to allow the services to take place in their diocese.
The compromise means that same-sex weddings may occur after Nov. 1, 2015, with the full blessing of the church in places like Washington, Los Angeles and New York, but likely won’t take place in more conservative parts of the church, like Dallas, Albany and Orlando.
* BUSINESS * The Department of Justice is investigating whether US airlines colluded over high flight prices.Reuters reports that “The top four U.S. carriers American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O), Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N), United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N) and Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) control some 80 percent of the domestic air travel market. The four confirmed receipt of the regulator’s letter and said they are cooperating fully with the investigation.”
* SPORTS * Sunday’s final of the Womens’ World Cup in Vancouver will be between the US and Japan – a rematch of the 2011 final, which Japan won on penalties – after Japan handed England a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in Wednesday night’s semi-final. The deciding goal, a minute from the end of stoppage time, was an own goal by England’s Laura Bassett.
The Overnight Note 