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‘Win-win’: Washington is just fine with the China-brokered Saudi-Iran deal

‘Win-win’: Washington is just fine with the China-brokered Saudi-Iran deal

Politico reports: As Washington denizens look toward the Middle East and see China brokering diplomatic deals between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the surprising general response has been: One less thing for us to worry about. Top diplomats for Saudi Arabia and Iran were in Beijing on Thursday to finalize a deal that would reopen embassies, resume direct flights between their two nations and restart security and trade agreements. It’s the latest sign that Beijing is not content with being solely…

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‘Headed off the charts’: World’s ocean surface temperature hits record high

‘Headed off the charts’: World’s ocean surface temperature hits record high

The Guardian reports: The temperature of the world’s ocean surface has hit an all-time high since satellite records began, leading to marine heatwaves around the globe, according to US government data. Climate scientists said preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) showed the average temperature at the ocean’s surface has been at 21.1C since the start of April – beating the previous high of 21C set in 2016. “The current trajectory looks like it’s headed off the…

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Leaked documents reveal depth of U.S. spy efforts and Russia’s military struggles

Leaked documents reveal depth of U.S. spy efforts and Russia’s military struggles

The New York Times reports: A trove of leaked Pentagon documents reveals how deeply Russia’s security and intelligence services have been penetrated by the United States, demonstrating Washington’s ability to warn Ukraine about planned strikes and providing an assessment of the strength of Moscow’s war machine. The documents portray a battered Russian military that is struggling in its war in Ukraine and a military apparatus that is deeply compromised. They contain daily real-time warnings to American intelligence agencies on the…

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Russia likely behind U.S. military document leak, U.S. officials say

Russia likely behind U.S. military document leak, U.S. officials say

Reuters reports: Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind the leak of several classified U.S. military documents posted on social media that offer a partial, month-old snapshot of the war in Ukraine, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, while the Justice Department said separately it was probing the leak. The documents appear to have been altered to lower the number of casualties suffered by Russian forces, the U.S. officials said, adding their assessments were informal and separate from the…

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Israeli spy chiefs led secret revolt against Netanyahu overhaul plans, leaked documents say

Israeli spy chiefs led secret revolt against Netanyahu overhaul plans, leaked documents say

The Washington Post reports: As the Biden administration races to investigate a leak of classified U.S. documents, Washington and Jerusalem are remaining silent about a particularly sensitive disclosure within the trove of files: an alleged revolt by Israel’s top spy service against the judicial overhaul proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The leaked document labeled top secret says that in February, senior leaders of the Mossad spy service “advocated for Mossad officials and Israeli citizens to protest the new Israeli…

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The lawless ruling against the abortion pill has already prompted a constitutional crisis

The lawless ruling against the abortion pill has already prompted a constitutional crisis

Mark Joseph Stern writes: On Friday evening, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas issued an unprecedented decision withdrawing the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, the first drug used in medication abortion, 23 years after it was first approved. His order, which applies nationwide, marks the first time in history that a court has claimed the authority to single-handedly pull a drug from the market, a power that courts do not, in fact, have. Kacsmaryk’s ruling is indefensible from top to bottom and will…

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Clarence Thomas’s billionaire benefactor, Harlan Crow, collects Hitler artifacts

Clarence Thomas’s billionaire benefactor, Harlan Crow, collects Hitler artifacts

Washingtonian reports: When Republican megadonor Harlan Crow isn’t lavishing Justice Clarence Thomas with free trips on his private plane and yacht (in possible violation of Supreme Court ethics rules), he lives a quiet life in Dallas among his historical collections. These collections include Hitler artifacts—two of his paintings of European cityscapes, a signed copy of Mein Kampf, and assorted Nazi memorabilia—plus a garden full of statues of the 20th century’s worst despots. Crow, the billionaire heir to a real estate…

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Clarence Thomas defends undisclosed ‘family trips’ with GOP megadonor. Here are the facts

Clarence Thomas defends undisclosed ‘family trips’ with GOP megadonor. Here are the facts

ProPublica reports: In a rare public statement, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas responded Friday to a ProPublica report that revealed that Thomas has, for decades, accepted luxury travel from billionaire Republican megadonor Harlan Crow and failed to disclose it. Thomas’ brief statement acknowledges joining Crow and his wife, who he described as among his “dearest friends,” on “a number of family trips” over the years. He also defended his failure to disclose them. “Early in my tenure at the Court,…

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The abortion ban backlash is starting to freak out Republicans

The abortion ban backlash is starting to freak out Republicans

Michelle Goldberg writes: After the Republican Party’s disappointing performance in the 2022 midterms, fueled in large part by a backlash to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Republican National Committee recommitted itself to anti-abortion maximalism. A resolution adopted at the R.N.C.’s winter meeting in January urges Republican lawmakers “to pass the strongest pro-life legislation possible.” Addressing their party’s poor showing in November, it said that Republicans hadn’t been aggressive enough in defending anti-abortion values, urging them to…

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Tennessee vote marks latest GOP move to stifle dissent, experts say

Tennessee vote marks latest GOP move to stifle dissent, experts say

The Washington Post reports: Tennessee Republicans’ dramatic expulsion of two Democrats who agitated for gun control in the state Capitol after a mass killing is the latest move by Republican state leaders around the country to stifle dissent and expand their power base, free speech experts say. In Montana, Texas, Florida, Virginia and elsewhere, Republicans have moved in other ways to silence opposition in recent months, actions that might ultimately erode the country’s democratic ideals, they said. “This Tennessee case…

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Clarence Thomas has reported receiving only two gifts since 2004

Clarence Thomas has reported receiving only two gifts since 2004

The Washington Post reports: “Justice Thomas Reports Wealth of Gifts” was the title of a December 2004 front-page story in the Los Angeles Times, detailing how Clarence Thomas had received gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars over the prior six years — far more than the other justices on the Supreme Court at the time. The story appears to have marked a turning point for Thomas and his public disclosures of gifts. Since the news account was published 18…

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Appeals court ruling puts hundreds of Jan. 6 felony cases in limbo

Appeals court ruling puts hundreds of Jan. 6 felony cases in limbo

Politico reports: Hundreds of Jan. 6 obstruction cases — one of the most commonly charged felonies against those who breached the Capitol or confronted police that day — are facing new uncertainty after a divided appeals court ruling Friday. The three-judge panel spared the Justice Department an immediate disaster by agreeing to permit three challenged Jan. 6 obstruction cases to continue. But the judges — one liberal and two conservatives — all raised serious questions about whether other Jan. 6…

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Mehdi Hasan dismantles the entire foundation of the Twitter Files as Matt Taibbi stumbles to defend it

Mehdi Hasan dismantles the entire foundation of the Twitter Files as Matt Taibbi stumbles to defend it

Mike Masnick writes: So here’s the deal. If you think the Twitter Files are still something legit or telling or powerful, watch this 30 minute interview that Mehdi Hasan did with Matt Taibbi (at Taibbi’s own demand):   Hasan came prepared with facts. Lots of them. Many of which debunked the core foundation on which Taibbi and his many fans have built the narrative regarding the Twitter Files. We’ve debunked many of Matt’s errors over the past few months, and…

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Video: Alexander Skarsgård, Partha Dasgupta and the answer to everything

Video: Alexander Skarsgård, Partha Dasgupta and the answer to everything

  Partha Dasgupta is a Cambridge University economist who in 2021 prepared a more than 600-page report for the British government about the financial value of nature. Not your average bedtime reading. But believe us when we say his report, the culmination of decades of scholarship, is incredibly important. Or at least believe the United Nations, which awarded him the title Champion of the Earth for his work. Or King Charles III, who this year made Mr. Dasgupta a Knight…

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