memeorandum: Calls for US to issue visa bans for UK lawyers enabling Russian oligarchs (The Guardian)

4:45 PM ET, April 16, 2022

Top Items:

In Bucha, the story of one man's body left on a Russian killing field — BUCHA, Ukraine — Police found the body in an abandoned Russian military camp where occupying soldiers had sat around drinking wine, their laughter so loud that neighbors seethed as it echoed down Yablunska Street.

CNN:

Rotting fruit, spoiled vegetables: How Texas just made the supply chain even worse — San Francisco (CNN)A weeklong protest by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott against President Biden's recent immigration policy reached a resolution on Friday, but the gridlock it created has resulted in hundreds …

Discussion: Insider and Raw Story

Jane Mayer / New Yorker:

The Slime Machine Targeting Dozens of Biden Nominees — In an escalation of partisan warfare, a little-known dark-money group is trying to thwart the President's entire slate. — During the autos-da-fé that now pass for Supreme Court confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

David Siders / Politico:

‘I Just Think Sarah These Days Is Not a Person to Be Taken Seriously’ — WASILLA, Alaska — About 70 miles up the road from Sarah Palin's home on Lake Lucille, there's a propane, gift and souvenir store set behind a snowbank where Mike Carpenter, the owner, will turn on Newsmax …

Discussion: Raw Story

Libby Casey / Washington Post:
Sarah Palin is running for Congress. Many Alaskans are skeptical of her.

Discussion: Raw Story

Techno Fog / The Reactionary:

CIA Bombshell: The Sussmann data was “user created” — My late Friday night involved hitting refresh on PACER every so often, incurring the $0.10 charge for each search result as I waited on Special Counsel John Durham's latest filing in the Michael Sussmann case. (Exciting, I know.)

Discussion: The Last Refuge

Michael Kruse / Politico:

The One Way History Shows Trump's Personality Cult Will End — In the summer of 2020, Ruth Ben-Ghiat was putting the final touches on her history of modern autocracy. She had to do it, though, without the benefit of knowing whether one of her most important subjects would remain in power come November.

Discussion: Raw Story

The Guardian:

Calls for US to issue visa bans for UK lawyers enabling Russian oligarchs — Anti-corruption campaigner Bill Browder said ‘whole class of British lawyers’ making money out of ‘lawsuits against journalists, dissidents and whistleblowers’ — The anti-corruption campaigner Bill Browder …

Discussion: New York Post

Peter Hermann / Washington Post:

Prosecutors don't pursue stolen property charges in case involving dog — Federal prosecutors said Saturday that they did not pursue criminal charges filed by D.C. police against four men who were arrested at a residence where authorities found Pablo, a puppy that had been taken from his owner at gunpoint.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:

Russian Soldier And Wife Discussing Rape Of Ukrainian Women Identified By RFE/RL — The identities of a Russian soldier and his wife who discussed the rape of Ukrainian women in a phone call have been revealed following an investigation by RFE/RL. — The investigation found that Roman Bykovsky …

Discussion: UPI and The Sun

Yoruk Isik / Reuters:

Russian oligarch Deripaska's yacht arrives in Turkish waters — A yacht linked to Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska arrived in a bay near the southwestern Turkish resort of Gocek on Saturday, as more Russian billionaires head for Turkey to flee Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Washington Post:

'I'm a gambler': Trump plunges into GOP primaries with risky picks — If his chosen candidates don't win, the former president's desired image as a kingmaker will be put in doubt — On a recent Wednesday afternoon at his Mar-a-Lago Club, former president Donald Trump bragged about a guest dining …

Discussion: Mediaite, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Guardian and Raw Story

Lolita C. Baldor / Associated Press:

US Army using lessons from Ukraine war to aid own training — U.S. Army trainers are using lessons learned from the Russian war against Ukraine as they prepare soldiers for future fights against a major adversary such as Russia or China — FORT IRWIN, Calif. — In the dusty California desert …

Discussion: Insider

New York Times:

Trump's Focus on 2020 Election Splits Michigan Republicans — The former president is trying to reshape the battleground state in his image. But his false claims about the 2020 election are driving a wedge between loyalists and those who are eager to move on. — Give this article- - - Read in app

Discussion: Raw Story

Oriana Gonzalez / Axios:

Abortion bans that have been enacted — Florida: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law a 15-week abortion ban which has no exceptions for rape or incest. It only allows for abortions to be performed past the 15 weeks if there's a medical emergency or a “fatal fetal abnormality.”

Discussion: The Hill

Michael Wines / New York Times:

Wisconsin Supreme Court Approves Republican-Drawn Legislative Maps — The court had approved state maps drawn by the Democratic governor, but the U.S. Supreme Court struck down that decision, citing the federal Voting Rights Act. — Give this article- - - Read in app

Discussion: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Althouse, Wisconsin Examiner and Election Law Blog