Plea deal or no deal?

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Jul 26, 2023 View in browser   By Bethany Irvine Presented by President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden arrives for a court appearance, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) | AP In an unexpected twist in the HUNTER BIDEN saga, the proposed plea deal between the president’s son and the DOJ fell apart in the courtroom this afternoon.AP: “President JOE BIDEN’s son Hunter pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two tax crimes after a plea deal with federal prosecutors unraveled during a court hearing following the judge’s concerns over the agreement. “Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor tax crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and he had made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation. That deal is now on hold.” NYT: “Under the terms of the [earlier] proposed agreement, Hunter Biden would not serve time in prison. But the judge who must approve the deal, MARYELLEN NOREIKA, questioned whether it meant that Mr. Biden would be immune from prosecution for other possible crimes — including violations related to representing foreign governments — in perpetuity.” When a top prosecutor said that preexisting deal would not immunize Biden from further prosecution, it prompted a sharp reply from Biden’s team … WSJ: “In response, Hunter Biden’s lawyer, CHRIS CLARK, said he disagreed with that interpretation, believed the agreement foreclosed the possibility of additional charges, and said: ‘As far as I’m concerned, the plea agreement is null and void.’ Mr. Clark then asked for a recess to try to hash out a compromise to salvage the deal, and the parties began furiously negotiating.” Judge Noreika: “I think having you guys talk more makes sense.” USA Today: “[Noreika’s] suggestion came after Rep. JASON SMITH, R-Mo., the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, urged Noreika to reject the plea deal based on the allegations from two Internal Revenue Service investigators of political favoritism in the case.” Yesterday, the Ways and Means Republicans filed a last-minute effort with the court, insisting Noreika consider the IRS investigators’ testimony alleging DOJ impropriety. AP: “Shortly after their motion was filed, a court clerk received a call requesting that ‘sensitive grand jury, taxpayer and Social Security information’ be kept under seal, according to an oral order from the judge. The clerk said the lawyer gave her name and said she worked with an attorney from the Ways and Means Committee but was in fact a lawyer with the defense team. “Noreika demanded the defense team show why she should not consider sanctioning them for ‘misrepresentations to the court.’ Defense attorneys responded that their lawyer had represented herself truthfully from the start and called the matter a misunderstanding.” More on that from Josh Gerstein MEANWHILE, ON CAPITOL HILL — “Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY raised impeachment during a closed-door GOP meeting on Wednesday, cautioning his members that Republicans would launch a probe [of President JOE BIDEN] only when — and if — they secured the evidence to justify one, according to three lawmakers in the room,” report Sarah Ferris, Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney. “At the moment, McCarthy said, Republicans have not amassed enough evidence to start an impeachment inquiry, those three lawmakers said. The speaker further warned members not to overstate what they’ve uncovered so far against the president.” The speaker also promised to “follow the investigation wherever it goes,” Rep. KEVIN HERN (R-Okla.) tells CNN’s Manu Raju. “And if it warrants, high crimes and misdemeanors … then we move to impeachment at that point.” BRUTAL STORY FOR DeSANTIS — “RON DeSANTIS scrapped two Hamptons fundraisers last weekend due to a lack of interest,” NY Post’s Lydia Moynihan reports. “As On The Money previously reported, DeSantis had cut in half — from $6,600 per person to $3,300 — the price to attend the July 20 fundraiser in Southampton. … [T]he campaign canceled plans for two other events because ‘they couldn’t find hosts,’ a source with knowledge told On The Money. ‘The DeSantis experiment is dead,’ one source said. ‘Donors aren’t coming to his events because they don’t see any return on investment.’” Thought bubble: It seems especially notable that this piece was reported by the NY Post. Could it be another sign that RUPERT MURDOCH is cooling on the Florida governor? FED UP — Federal Reserve officials are expected to resume their aggressive interest rate hikes today in an ongoing attempt to curb inflation. Economists predict the increase would boost the current rate by a quarter of a percentage point, marking the highest rate hike in 22 years and the 11th rate increase over the past year and a half. Fed Chair JEROME POWELL is expected to hold a press conference following the group’s policy meeting. More from Reuters STAFFING UP — Meanwhile, President Biden announced his nominee to lead the Social Security Administration: former Maryland Governor and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate MARTIN O’MALLEY, WaPo’s Jeff Stein and Erin Cox report. Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: birvine@politico.com.   A message from Meta: Augmented reality will help neighborhoods recover from power outages. Augmented reality will help electrical lineworkers spot and repair problems in the power grid more quickly, helping communities get their lights back on faster after power outages. The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real. Explore more possibilities with the metaverse.   CONGRESS  MAYORKAS ON THE HILL — Homeland Security Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS repeatedly defended the Biden administration’s immigration policy during his testimony this morning before the House Judiciary Committee, arguing that “even within our fundamentally broken immigration system,” the current approach “is working." Mayorkas’ testimony comes as Republicans call for his impeachment, with Judiciary Chair JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) accusing Mayorkas of “disastrous mismanagement of our border.” Still, JERRY NADLER (D-N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, characterized that effort as “completely baseless.” “Nobody believes that Secretary Mayorkas knowingly and willfully misled Congress during last year's testimony,” Nadler said. Notable moment: Rep. TED LIEU (D-Calif.) quizzed the secretary on presidential trivia. SEIZING THE DAY — “California Democrats ramp up pressure on Hollywood studios over actors’ strike,” by LA Times’ Erin Logan 2024 WATCH  EYEBROW RAISE — GOP presidential candidate VIVEK RAMASWAMY walked back his prior claims that he hadn’t voted for president until casting a ballot for DONALD TRUMP in 2020, The Washington Examiner’s Gabe Kaminsky scoops. After Kaminsky asked the business mogul about a record showing he voted in 2004 for Libertarian candidate MICHAEL BADNARIK, Ramaswamy noted “he purportedly forgot" about casting a ballot, calling it a “throwaway vote in that I knew it was a candidate who was not going to win."   ATTENTION PLAYBOOKERS! You need to keep up with the latest political news and nuggets, so here’s a juicy tip: You need to add California Playbook to your daily reading. We have a new team at the helm who are eager to take you inside the political arena in California, from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley and throughout the Golden State! Get the latest exclusive news and buzzy scoops from the fourth largest economy in the world sent straight to your inbox. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.     MORE POLITICS GONE TO CAROLINA IN HIS MIND — Rep. DAN BISHOP (R-N.C.) “is accelerating plans to run for attorney general in 2024 and could announce a statewide bid as soon as August,” per The Dispatch’s David M. Drucker, Audrey Fahlberg and Thomas Dorsey. “Two North Carolina House Republicans also confirmed Bishop has approached them about a potential run.” “A statewide run from Bishop would … open the floodgates to a competitive GOP primary race for Bishop’s deep-red congressional seat that stretches from Charlotte to the Piedmont Triad. And it would add another wrinkle to an already jampacked electoral news cycle in North Carolina, where Republicans are gearing up to redraw the congressional and state legislative maps in their favor this fall.” TRUMP CARDS  GIULIANI FESSES UP — Former Trump lawyer RUDY GIULIANI has admitted he made “false” and “actionable” claims that two Georgia election workers mishandled ballots in 2020 in new court filings, NYT’s Alan Feuer reports. Guiliani’s admission was a part of a defamation lawsuit brought against him by Fulton County Board of Elections workers RUBY FREEMAN and SHAYE MOSS. “In a two-page declaration, Mr. Giuliani acknowledged that he had in fact made the statements about Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss that led to the filing of the suit and that the remarks ‘carry meaning that is defamatory per se.’” But but but: “He also refused to acknowledge that his statements had caused the women any damage — a key element required to collect a judgment in a defamation case.” SWITCHING IT UP — Trump may be moving away from his previous stance against early voting, expressing his support for the RNC’s Bank Your Vote initiative for 2024 in a video posted today. “While Republicans have worked to share our beautiful values with voters, Democrats and dangerous groups funded by the far left have simply focused on collecting ballots,” Trump said, “But you know what? It turned out to be not such a bad idea.” More from the Washington Examiner   HITTING YOUR INBOX AUGUST 14—CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes.     POLICY CORNER WHAT THEY’RE READING IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY — “Biden’s ‘Made in America’ Pledge Collides With His Climate Goals,” by WSJ’s Andrew Duehren. What exactly does it mean when we say something is “made in America”? The debate over how to define that term has spurred a fierce lobbying battle — one pitting “some U.S. manufacturers and lawmakers, who want to strictly enforce the law’s requirements that many parts and materials come from the U.S., against automakers and foreign allies who warn that could make it more expensive to deploy technology lowering carbon emissions,” Duehren writes. “In the latest salvo, a group of the largest steelmakers in the U.S., as well as the United Steelworkers union, criticized the Treasury Department’s proposed approach to a bonus tax credit for clean-energy projects that rely largely on U.S.-made metal and components.” AMERICA AND THE WORLD  FOR YOUR RADAR —  The Israeli Supreme Court set a September preliminary hearing date for a case challenging the constitutionality of PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU’s judicial overhaul bill that passed on Monday, WSJ’s Shayndi Raice reports from Tel Aviv. Should the court ignore the measure, it “could lead to a full-blown constitutional crisis.” What to expect: “Many legal scholars said the court is more likely to blunt the law’s impact without taking the drastic step of striking it down.” DEMOGRAPHIC DISASTER — As China’s urban youth unemployment rate hit “a record of 21.3% in June,” widespread economic frustrations pose “a new challenge to Xi and his vision for a more powerful China,” writes WSJ’s Brian Spegele. “For the estimated 11.6 million college graduates in 2023, having heeded calls by the state to study hard, the prospect of resorting to the physical labor that many of their parents performed is distinctly unappealing.”   A message from Meta:   PLAYBOOKERS  OUT AND ABOUT — The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies held its quarterly D.C. policymaker discussion series “The Voice at the Table” this morning, which featured guest speaker Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo, who spoke about keeping racial equity priorities centered in the work at the Treasury. SPOTTED: Jessica Fulton, Paul Thornell, Marcus Mason, Jesse Price, Debby Goldberg, Jonay Holkins, Dontai Smalls and Jasmine Thomas. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Michael Linden is now a senior policy fellow at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. He previously was executive associate director at the White House Office of Management and Budget. TRANSITIONS — Matthew Gallagher is now head of D.C. comms and public affairs at Invariant. He previously was an executive VP at BCW Global. … Michelle Atwood is now political director at LPAC, a national PAC focused on electing LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people to office. She was most recently political manager at the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. BONUS BIRTHDAY — Joe Jackson of Rep. Ken Buck’s (R-Colo.) office Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.   Sponsored Survey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Please take a 1-minute survey about one of our advertising partners     Follow us on Twitter Rachael Bade @rachaelmbade Eugene Daniels @EugeneDaniels2 Ryan Lizza @RyanLizza Eli Okun @eliokun Garrett Ross @garrett_ross   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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California Today: Batteries in e-bikes and other devices are sparking fires in San Francisco

Two people jumped out of an apartment window on Monday to escape what was the city's 24th fire this year linked to rechargeable batteries.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 26, 2023 By Soumya Karlamangla California Today, Writer It's Wednesday. Fires sparked by e-bike and e-scooter batteries are increasing in San Francisco. Plus, the Vallejo Police Department is running out of officers. Charred bicycles and scooters from a fire at an e-bike repair store last month in Manhattan.Amir Hamja/The New York Times Two people jumped out of an apartment complex window in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco to escape a fire that was spreading in their unit on Monday. One of them was seriously injured and taken to a hospital burn center, officials said. That terrifying blaze was probably caused by an overheated e-scooter battery that firefighters later spotted plugged in to a charger near the unit's front door, according to Capt. Jonathan Baxter, a spokesman for the San Francisco Fire Department. It was the 24th fire in San Francisco this year that has been linked to rechargeable batteries, he told me. The city isn't alone. Fires associated with rechargeable batteries have had a devastating effect in New York City, ripping through buildings including public housing complexes and luxury towers — and have killed more than 20 people there since 2021. "Fortunately, we're not seeing it to that same degree here in San Francisco," Baxter told me. "However, one fire is one too many." Battery-related fires have increased steadily in San Francisco as e-bikes and e-scooters have proliferated in recent years. According to the Fire Department, there have been 202 battery fires in the city since 2017, killing one person and injuring eight. Fifty-eight of them broke out last year, up from 13 in 2017, and this year is on a pace to equal or exceed 2022. The figures include fires linked to rechargeable batteries used in e-scooters and e-bikes (the most common culprits) as well as electric cars, motorcycles and skateboards. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT While dozens of structures have been damaged, a majority of the fires have erupted at homeless encampments, where, Baxter told me, people are probably tinkering with electric scooters and other vehicles in ways that make them more likely to burst into flames. As my colleagues in New York have reported, off-market, refurbished, damaged or improperly charged lithium-ion batteries can explode, igniting fast-moving fires that are difficult to extinguish. Lithium-ion batteries are also used in computers and cellphones, but so-called micro-mobility vehicle batteries are bigger and tend to be damaged by a lot of wear and tear, experts say. "All it takes is for one small battery cell to be defective, overcharged or damaged, and a tremendous amount of energy is released in the form of heat and toxic flammable gases all at once," Daniel Murray, the New York Fire Department's chief of hazmat operations, told The New York Times. E-bikes and e-scooters are less regulated than electric cars, which start fewer fires even though they require far more energy. Hoping to get ahead of the fire problem, New York will ban the sale of e-bikes and similar devices that do not meet recognized safety standards, starting in September; it's the first American city to do that. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Officials in San Francisco are warning residents not to charge e-bikes or e-scooters while they are asleep, or to use any charging device other than those made by the bike or scooter's manufacturer. And they say that if a battery fire does erupt in your home, don't try to put it out yourself — you probably can't. Instead, evacuate right away and call 911. Read more e-bike and e-scooter safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association. Enjoy all of The New York Times in one subscription — the original reporting and analysis, plus puzzles from Games, recipes from Cooking, product reviews from Wirecutter and sports journalism from The Athletic. Experience it all with a New York Times All Access subscription. Gov. Gavin Newsom announcing a solar-energy infrastructure project in May.John G Mabanglo/EPA, via Shutterstock The rest of the news Jamming the Legislature: Gov. Gavin Newsom's strategy in the State Capitol involves creating a sense of urgency around an issue and then giving lawmakers little time to act, The Los Angeles Times reports. Beaver preservation: California is hoping that beavers, long treated as nuisances, can help enhance groundwater supplies and buffer against the threat of wildfires, The Associated Press reports. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Remote auditions: As part of their strike against film and TV studios, actors are pushing for standardized rules for self-taped auditions, after an arms race developed among actors who feel pressure to use the highest-quality production equipment at home, The Los Angeles Times reports. CENTRAL CALIFORNIA Heat wave: Inmates at California's largest female prison say they have been left sweltering this month as the prison's cooling systems have failed, The Sacramento Bee reports. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Police shortage: The Vallejo Police Department is acutely short of officers, to the point that city officials are considering declaring a state of emergency, The Mercury News reports. Government gun backers: The Shasta County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday declaring that the county would "use all lawful means" to defend the Second Amendment, The Los Angeles Times reports. Teacher housing: Mayor London Breed announced that San Francisco would spend $32 million for two additional housing developments for schoolteachers working in the high-cost city, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. WHAT WE'RE EATING Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Paneer Chile Dry By Zainab Shah 30 minutes Makes 4 servings Outside the Amtrak station in San Juan Capistrano.Mario Tama/Getty Images Where we're traveling Today's tip comes from Luann Chou, who lives in Redondo Beach. Luann recommends San Juan Capistrano: "If you're adventurous, you can take the train in via the Pacific Surfliner (operated by Amtrak), which lands you right where you want to be, Los Rios Historical District, an easy walking area filled with shops, restaurants and even an adorable teahouse. My favorite spot is Five Vines Wine Bar, which is run by a family of five. You can create your own flights, and they have a wine club with wonderfully unique wines. They have an extensive food menu, too. On your way out, make sure you pick up some bread at FKN Bread." Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. Tell us What are the best books about California or the part of the state where you live? What fiction or nonfiction would you put on a Golden State reading list, and why? Email us at CAtoday@nytimes.com with your suggestions. Please include your name and the city where you live. The crowd at this month's Chaotic Singles Party.Jackie Molloy for The New York Times And before you go, some good news The name says it all. The Chaotic Singles Party is a monthly event where singles can meet other singles, but only if they bring a random Tinder match as their plus one. The concept was created by Cassidy Davis, who struggled with dating in Los Angeles during the pandemic. On Valentine's Day in 2022, she instructed her single female friends to invite random men from their dating apps to her house for a party. Then she decided to invite 65 men off Tinder. Davis uploaded videos of the party to TikTok, and they went viral. She has been throwing the events ever since. The parties offer relief from using dating apps — a kind of solace that more and more people are seeking. At one recent event in New York, romantic hopefuls wearing white name tags sipped drinks and almost screamed in conversation as pop music blared. Godfrey Butler, 26, an I.T. field technician, arrived alone after discovering the event on Eventbrite two days earlier. "I was trying to be a brave soldier," he said, adding that his dating life had been in a "rough patch." "I haven't used dating apps this year, but maybe I should join," he added. "I think it's better to meet people in person." Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword. Briana Scalia and Maia Coleman contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for California Today from The New York Times. To stop receiving California Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018