SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 7.26.2024

I’m Shocked. Hah Hah!!! It’s political payoffs and nepotism in San Francisco, again. Now it’s in the District Attorney’s office.

To be sure the mainstream media will give this story the obligatory 24 hour buzz and then move onto the next dance party at the Embarcadero.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who called herself a “volunteer” while earning 150K from MAGA moneybags for her role in the political lynching of her one time boss Chesa Boudin in 2022, shows herself, once again, to be nothing more than a shameful grifter.

The DA feels so smug and confident in this election year that she feels it’s acceptable to violate all ethical norms. Never mind Jenkins is the chief law enforcement officer in San Francisco.

Brooke Jenkins grift now extends to her cronies.

According to the San Francisco Standard, “Nursing professor Monifa Willis took on the $300K (chief of staff) role in March and continues to pull in a six-figure salary at UCSF.

Further Excerpts from SF Standard 7.26.2024

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins in March quietly promoted nursing professor Monifa Willis with no legal license — who is a longtime friend — to run the office as chief of staff, with an annual salary of nearly $300,000. 

Willis has known Jenkins since they were on the same high school track-and-field team in Union City, according to a 2022 Mission Local story about the appointment. 

The District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that the hiring of Willis as chief of staff did not present a conflict of interest for Jenkins. It said Willis was hired for her experience within and outside of the office.

Ryan Khojasteh, who is running against Jenkins for DA, said the decision to hire Willis shows bad judgment and special treatment of a friend. Ryan Khojasteh worked as an assistant DA during the Boudin administration. He was fired without cause by Jenkins. She cleaned house of Boudin staffers after being named DA by Mayor Breed following Chesa’s Recall in June 2022.

“Nepotism erodes public trust,” he wrote in an email to The Standard. “As San Franciscans, we deserve better from our District Attorney’s Office. My administration will not tolerate such abuses of office — assignments will be based on merit, experience and competence.”

DA Jenkins and Willis spent time together socially before Willis’ appointment to the Victim Services Division. According to their public Venmo accounts going back to 2021, the pair have gone to dinner, rented a car, attended a football game and visited a waxing salon together.

That relationship must be disclosed, according to city ethics rules, but was not.

Jenkins’ office said in a statement that the specific ethics rule around such disclosures does not apply to this hire. 

Monifa Willis, who still earns more than $100,000 a year for her part-time work at UCSF, was initially hired in 2022 to run the District Attorney’s Office’s Victim Services Division. She was also the CEO of a marijuana dispensary called New Life CA, which is now closed.

While city ethics rules require disclosing close relationships — and bar the hiring of direct family members — the appointment raises questions about the DA’s appointment of a friend who has few of the typical qualifications for the chief-of-staff position and holds down a lucrative second job.

“She was given this position because she knew the DA,” a former Victim Services employee who worked under Willis told The Standard. The former employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional backlash, said Willis had little knowledge of the law around victims’ rights.

In Contra Costa County, the job requires not only a law license but 10 years of professional legal experience. San Francisco’s position does not require a license to practice law but does require four years of managerial experience in a legal, legislative or clinical social environment. 

Top photo: DA Brooke Jenkins and her high school buddy Monifa Willis, the newly minted chief of staff

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 7.23.2024

I listened to the FRESH AIR interview with Anne Applebaum. An insightful political journalist whose no nonsense commentary and writing needs a wider audience.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Applebaum

Anne is definitely well known amongst the political intelligentsia. Her work is respected.

In this time of coarse political discourse it’s a pleasure to realize there is someone out there whose knowledge is far above the American. norm.

The tape and transcript of the entire interview is attached.

While Donald Trump is discussed briefly I thought what Anne has to say about Trump, given her knowledge of authoritarian leaders, needs special mention. See the excerpt herein.

TONYA MOSLEY, HOST FRESH AIR:

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5049021

TONYA MOSLEY: In the case of Donald Trump, he set the narrative by dominating the conversation on social media

ANNE APPLEBAUM: Yeah.

MOSLEY: In 2016.

APPLEBAUM: Yeah. And the constant stream of lies, even incredible, unbelievable ones – I mean, actually, Trump began his presidency with a lie about how many people had appeared on the National Mall for his inauguration. I don’t know if your memory stretches back that far.

MOSLEY: Yeah.

APPLEBAUM: It feels like so many things have happened since then. But it was a very stupid lie. I mean, who cares how many people were on the National Mall? But he wanted the U.S. Park Service to lie about it, and he wanted his press spokesman to lie about it. And again, that was partly to show – who’s in control here? – I’m in control, and I get to decide what the truth is. And it’s also to confuse people and alienate them from politics. I mean, during the Trump administration, we spent a lot of time arguing about what was true and what wasn’t.

And for some people, they hear that conversation and they say, right, this is – how do I know what’s true? I’m just checking out, you know? So constant lies also create this kind of cynicism and apathy. It’s a way of keeping people out of politics and preventing civic engagement.

I mean, a lot of these authoritarian states know that their biggest enemy, their biggest threat to their power, is their own people. And so their goal is to prevent people from ever organizing, from ever being engaged, from ever caring at all. And one of the ways they do that is through this constant stream of lies that make people feel like they’re simply unable to know any more what’s true and what’s not.

I’m Tonya Mosley. And my guest today is Anne Applebaum, who’s been writing for years about the rise in authoritarianism around the world and the erosion of democracy. Her latest book, “Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want To Run The World,” is a potent read on how today’s autocracies are not just ruled by one powerful leader, but are instead a sophisticated interconnected network. She reveals how they collaborate and support each other through financial systems, technology, and propaganda that spans well beyond their borders. This loose network, which includes nations like Russia, China, and North Korea, isn’t an alliance. They don’t share an ideology, but they do have one thing in common. They don’t like us, and they’re growing more powerful in the fight against democracy. Applebaum says, in order to fight this threat, democracies like the U.S. have to fundamentally reorient their policies.

Anne Applebaum is the author of several books, including “Gulag: A History,” which won the Pulitzer Prize, “Iron Curtain: The Crushing Of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956,” and the best-selling “Twilight Of Democracy: The Seductive Lure Of Authoritarianism.” She’s a columnist for the Atlantic and a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University. Anne Applebaum, welcome back to FRESH AIR.

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 7.22.2024

It was 10:57am when I got the first message on my App via The Guardian (of London) that President Biden is dropping out of the presidential race. 

“EARTHQUAKE” is what the media calls it. It’s not so shocking. 

It was not even unexpected.

The fact that the abdication finally happened after Biden told an interviewer only “God Almighty” could drive him from the race is the “EARTHQUAKE.”

I suppose the fact Biden tested positive for Covid last week and has been home in Delaware recovering is the reason he finally abdicated.

Now Biden is being lionized for the step politicians are loath to take. I replied to a friend after he wrote that he “feels bad for Biden” and posted it on ‘X’.  Here it is for posterity. @JOE BIDEN CAN ENJOY HIS FINAL 6 MONTHS IN OFFICE…HAVE A NICE RETIREMENT.  BE THOUGHT OF IN HISTORY BOOKS AS THE “STATESMAN” WHO GAVE UP THE PRESIDENCY FOR THE WELL BEING OF AMERICA.” THE STUFF WHICH HOLLYWOOD LOVES. GEORGE CLOONEY CAN DIRECT AND STAR IN THE BIOPIC. 818 PEOPLE HAVE ‘VIEWED’ IT SINCE 1:20PM (Sunday). I included a screen shot from the New York Post with its headline, “IT’S JOE-VER.”

Of course the beneficiary of all this is the American people.

Kamala Harris will now in all likelihood be the candidate. It’s disappointing to read that many people think Kamala won’t win because she’s a black woman and America is not ready. That is totally absurd and obscene.

Never mind that Kamala was has been San Francisco District Attorney, California Attorney General, Senator and Vice President nearly four years.  America is just totally fucked up. I know Kamala will run a very aggressive campaign.

The MAGA Republicans are quietly freaking out while Trump is already attacking her. It is going to be a brutal 107 days until November.

SAN FRANCISCO – OUTER RICHMOND DISTRICT

Liz and Lee Heidhues – 7.20.2024

It’s another day on the campaign trail close by the Pacific Ocean in the quietly Progressive outer Richmond District. Going door to door on the steep hills for Aaron Peskin where we have lived for most of the last 55 years.

This is definitely potential Peskin territory. The Richmond District has elected quasi progressive Supervisors for the past 24 years. Things were different in the days of our Ancestors over a half century ago.

Lee canvassed the outer Richmond in 1972 during George McGovern’s ill fated presidential run against Richard Nixon. He talked with voters who described themselves as “Democrats for Nixon.”

Today, nearly 52 years later, it was hot and dry as we climbed the hills with our sack full of literature in Chinese and English. Lee didn’t bring any water and made a detour to Walgreens.

Liz took the blowback quietly she received from an occasional white voter; quick to be rid of her, “Naw, you can keep that (literature). Aaron is the last person I would vote for.” Liz took the slight with aplomb. Knowing she would soon catch up with Asian neighbors who made sure to thank her for giving them election material. In their mother tongue there seemed a stark difference in the standoffish reception Liz received from her white neighbors. No warmth or graciousness.

There were many steep hills. Liz climbed many flights of stairs to distribute Aaron Peskin literature. Armed with a precinct map Liz made sure to correctly distribute the literature in either Chinese or English in this predominantly Chinese speaking neighborhood.

During our campaign walk we took a break and met a friendly dog named Koji or “Ocean” who is half poodle and half labrador.

There were so many flights of stairs for Liz to climb and so many steep hills to challenge our endurance, we called it quits after 3 1/2 hours on the campaign trail.

Liz said, “Let’s go home and finish tomorrow.”

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 7.19.2024

THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS OBSCENE PROSECUTION EXCEPT TO QUOTE THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, “JOURNALISM IS NOT A CRIME.”

Evan Gershkovich’s former colleague at The Moscow Times, Pjtor Sauer, who currently reports for The Guardian, reacted to the sentencing on Friday by writing on X (formerly Twitter): “I have no words to describe this farce. Let’s get Evan out of there.”

Excerpted from The Moscow Times 7.19.2024

A judge in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region on Friday sentenced Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison on spying charges, a forgone conclusion in a closed trial that has been condemned as a sham by Washington and the journalist’s employer.

The Wall Street Journal slammed the verdict against Gershkovich after it was announced on Friday.

“This disgraceful, sham conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days in prison, wrongfully detained, away from his family and friends, prevented from reporting, all for doing his job as a journalist,” Almar Latour, the chief executive of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker said in a statement.

“We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family,” the two said. “Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s released. This must end now.”

“The court finds Evan Gershkovich guilty of committing the crime [of espionage]… and sentences him to 16 years imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony,” the judge said, delivering the verdict as the U.S. reporter listened from inside a glass defendant’s cage in the courtroom.

The judge added that the nearly 500 days Gershkovich spent in pre-trial detention would count toward his prison sentence, which the reporter’s defense team can appeal in the coming days, though it was not immediately clear if they plan to do so.

“Gershkovich, do you understand the sentence?” the judge asked, in response to which the American journalist nodded. After that, the judge adjourned the court and Gershkovich was removed by law enforcement officers.

State prosecutors had asked the judge to impose an 18-year sentence for Gershkovich on the spying charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The U.S. reporter, who was arrested while on a reporting trip in March 2023, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

On Friday, the Sverdlovsk Regional Court heard closing arguments in the brief trial after resuming hearings the previous day following a request from Gershkovich’s defense team to move the hearing date — originally set for Aug. 13. The trial, which has been closed to the media, began in late June, some 15 months after the reporter’s detention.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/07/19/russia-sentences-evan-gershkovich-to-16-years-in-prison-on-spying-charges-a85762

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 7.18.2024

Tonight Donald Trump, convicted felon; insurrectionist who tried to overthrow the 2020 election; abuser of women; master mind behind the draconian Project 2025 was anointed by the shameless craven Republicans as candidate for President a third time.

As a reminder of that Fascism is a constant in American life and part of what Donald Trump promotes, I reprise the blog post of February 2019. ‘A Night at the Garden’. The American Nazi rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1939.

A Night at the Garden. American Nazi Rally. February 20, 1939

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 7.17.2024

Last Saturday I walked to the neighborhood Anza Branch library to check out the dystopian film ‘Civil War’ with its not so subtle reincarnated President Donald Trump storyline.

‘Civil War’- Fiction became a harsh reality in 2024 presidential politics. Eight minutes after I checked out the film, America was upended.

Four days following an attempt on the life of Donald Trump the world knows the perpetrator was 20 year old registered Pennsylvania Republican Thomas Crooks. Chilling reality to realize that a young Republican turned on its leader with nearly lethal results for the ex President.

Top photo – Insert of Thomas Crooks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Matthew_Crooks

Just eight Minutes after borrowing ‘Civil War’ – the following headlines showed up on my App at 3:57PM San Francisco time.

LIZ HEIDHUES – EUROCUP 2024 WRAP UP – JULY 14, 2024

https://www.foxsports.com/watch/fmc-arstp1msiedlhxjy – Final agonizing 5 minutes of EuroCup 24 final in Berlin as Spain edges England 2-1

Is the Euro Cup beginning to look like Copa America that has just a few teams dominating the competition — as Spain makes history becoming the first team to win four European championships?

I really wanted England to win. England, birthplace of soccer, where my father’s family tree has deep roots.

The underdog of this championship duel, not having won a soccer trophy since 1966, when England won the World Cup.  When Cole Palmer scored the only goal for England, I forgot that I was on a lonely barstool in my kitchen watching the shootout match on a tiny TV a continent away, with no backs of fellow fans to pound on.

I listened as the British announcer on Fox TV Ian Darke exulted, “Pure bedlam among the tens of thousands of England’s fans who have made their way to Berlin!!”  I imagined I was back in Berlin.

Then I flashed back to my favorite movie of all time “Gladiator” when the announcer said, “There’s gonna be a lot of English kids pretending they’re Cole Palmer now.”  This evoked the scene in Gladiator where Lucillus’ son Lucius is sparring with the guards, feinting with his sword and Commodus assumes Lucius is playing a Roman soldier.  But the kid brags he’s a Gladiator, he’s Maximus. Arousing an ominous foreshadowing of what’s to befall his hero.

The announcer yelled dramatically, “That was out of nowhere…the foot stretching…” and I watched the ball hit the net over and over in a score of TV replays, believing this game would be concluded with England as the victors. It was not to be.

The sensation of the match, the teenager on the Spanish team, was everywhere.  Kicking balls like there was no such thing as fatigue on the 94 degree Pitch at the historic Berlin Olympic Stadium. Trying to whiz one past the English Jordan Pickford goalkeeper who did an amazing job of defense. “There’s another great save against the teenager,” the announcer intoned. 

“What kinda game is this?” I asked myself.  A teenager who turned 17 the day before the match beating up on a bunch of older, more experienced players?  Lamine Yamal, on the Spanish team, was indefatigable.

The announcer admitted, “The 17-year-old. He’s something we’ve never seen before”

In the end, England fell asleep at the switch.  Spain scored a goal that at first was discounted.  But announcer Ian Darke hollered, “The goal stands!!!” to my chagrin.  I had to agree with the announcer, even though I was crushed.  “They (Spain) have been the best team in the tournament.  They won it in style!” 

Berlin put on quite a show, too.  The fireworks and the blizzard of confetti were amazing in Berlin when the Spanish team hoisted the EuroCup2024 trophy high above their heads.  “Spain 4X Champion team:  1964, 2008, 2012, 2024.”

Top photo – English fans in despair as its team goes down to defeat.

Text and photos by Liz Heidhues with editorial assistance – Lee Heidhues

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 7.9.2024

The Orb is looking at you. https://worldcoin.org/find-orb

I was transfixed by this article in the Wall Street Journal.

The controversial world of cryptocurrency, digital identity and eye scans is reality for six million users in 160 countries. The company which developed this, some would say Orwellian technology, is called Tools for Humanity. https://www.toolsforhumanity.com/ Based in San Francisco.

Tools for Humanity. An Orwellian company title to be sure. For a 21st century venture which has developed invasive and impersonal technology.

Wall Street Journal 7.2.2024

Tools for Humanity named a former X executive as its first head of privacy as the tech startup founded by OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman faces growing regulatory scrutiny over its Worldcoin https://worldcoin.org/ venture that scans people’s eyes in exchange for cryptocurrency tokens.

The San Francisco-based company appointed Damien Kieran as chief privacy officer in a newly created position that brings together several privacy-focused roles across the organization under one function. Kieran spent seven years at what was formally Twitter, leaving his job as chief privacy officer there following Elon Musk’s takeover of the social-media platform.

Now, he faces the task of liaising with regulators globally and addressing their concerns over how Worldcoin handles biometric data.

“We’ll always look to work constructively with regulators in any country in which we operate,” Kieran said.

Worldcoin lets users download a wallet app that supports a digital identity known as World ID. To get their identity verified, users stand in front of a physical imaging device known as the orb that relies on sensors to scan their eyes “to verify humanness and uniqueness.” Worldcoin tokens are then distributed out to users in countries where they are legally available.

Nearly 6 million users across more than 160 countries signed up for World ID, with orb verifications taking place in 39 countries, according to Worldcoin’s website.

Tools for Humanity oversaw Worldcoin’s launch last year, promising to create a public financial network and tools that would help distinguish humans from artificial intelligence online while preserving their privacy.

“Worldcoin enables people to prove humanness at scale, which is becoming increasingly important in the age of AI. The technology ensures individuals cannot be identified personally based on any information used to create their World ID,” Kieran said.

However, the processing of biometric data raised eyebrows in countries such as Spain and Germany, where Tools for Humanity has a subsidiary. The Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision last year launched a review of Worldcoin, citing the high sensitivity of the biometric data it processes.

Earlier this year, Worldcoin said it would give users the option to have their biometric data deleted permanently after Spain’s data-protection watchdog temporarily banned Worldcoin from operating in the country, citing the need to safeguard the right to the protection of personal data and prevent possible data transfers to third parties.

Tools for Humanity is a separate entity from OpenAI, which has a content-licensing partnership with Wall Street Journal owner News Corp.

https://www.wsj.com/tech/sam-altmans-startup-names-former-x-executive-as-first-head-of-privacy-1d2dbfd8?st=mj8phc2crb02jo7&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

BERLIN OLYMPIC STADIUM via SAN FRANCISCO

Text, transcriptions and photos – Liz Heidhues – 7.6.2024

Liz sat transfixed watching the EuroCup match at the historic Berlin Olympic Stadium 5000 miles from San Francisco. Turkey and Holland battled to the final moment as the huge Turkish contingent cheered on its guys until the end. There are nearly 3 million people of Turkish descent living in Germany.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_national_football_team

During our trips to Berlin we stay in Moabit, the largely Turkish neighborhood. It is a very welcoming and friendly place. The local residents are in mourning tonight as the Dutch team destroyed their hopes of moving on in EuroCup 2024.

Following is Liz comment about the Turkey v Holland match. The Dutch prevailed 2-1.

The din in the Olympic Stadium was coming from the supporters of Turkey.

It was a violent game, leave no doubt.

The announcer said, “It makes me tired just watching it.”

https://www.foxsports.com/watch/fmc-set81dr4jzmka32l – Turkey scores to take 1-0 lead

FOX SPORTS running commentary transcribed by Liz.

Turkey has set up its own version of the Berlin Wall. Let’s see if you can get through it.

They do it their way and when the chances come, they take them. Ferdi Kadioglu. He’s brilliant. Abdul Kerim Bardakci, too.

They’re really a very old school team (Turkey), aren’t they?

There’s really only one ball, you’ve got to defend it.

If you can rattle Virgil VanDijk (Dutch centre-back and team captain), you know you’ve done something right. The big Dutch captain got rattled!

This is where the Turks can be dangerous. Turkey so close to its second goal.

It’s not the kind of night where you can leave anything to chance. What a header! No chance for the defender’ (Stefan de Vris header header giving Holland its first goal in the 70th minute).

Just like that, the Turks have fallen silent. Turkey has gotten a taste of its own medicine.

https://www.foxsports.com/watch/fmc-jtraw9vv8u4dkdrw – Netherlands score to take 2-1 lead

England waits for the winners!

Berlin has gone ORANGE !!

Dutch goalie blocks Turkey’s goal. Let’s see what Turkey is made of.

It’s gone from Turkish Delight to Dutch Delight inside this stadium with 10 minutes to go.

They (Turkey) need a big finish! They just can’t continue to bleed.

There’s a real spring in the Dutch stride.

This has been a total turn around.

The Turk is only 19 (Arda Guler attacking midfielder).

I’ve really enjoyed this game. There’s only 70,000 fans inside this stadium in Berlin.

The Turks played so well. If they just had a little more firepower.

The players have given so much. The fans have given so much.

Some very brilliant goal keepers here in Germany.

It must have felt like Christmas when Turkey scored in the first half, but it was double Dutch at the end when The Netherlands scored two goals.

Editorial assistance: Lee Heidhues

DEDICATED TO OUR DEAR SWISS-ITALIAN FRIEND ED BEYELER WHO, 30 YEARS AGO, INTRODUCED US TO THE JOY AND EXCITEMENT OF FOOTBALL