The Ledes

Thursday, September 19, 2024

New York Times: “A body believed to be of the suspect in a Kentucky highway shooting that left five people seriously injured this month was found on Wednesday, the authorities said, ending a manhunt that stretched into a second week and set the local community on edge. The Kentucky State Police commissioner, Phillip Burnett Jr., said in a Wednesday night news conference that at approximately 3:30 p.m., two troopers and two civilians found an unidentified body in the brush behind the highway exit where the shooting occurred.... The police have identified the suspect of the shooting as Joseph A. Couch, 32. They said that on Sept. 7, Mr. Couch perched on a cliff overlooking Interstate 75 about eight miles north of London, Ky., and opened fire. One of the wounded was shot in the face, and another was shot in the chest. A dozen vehicles were riddled with gunfire.”

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The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

Washington Post: “An early Titian masterpiece — once looted by Napolean’s troops and a part of royal collections for centuries — caused a stir when it was stolen from the home of a British marquess in 1995. Seven years later, it was found inside an unassuming white and blue plastic bag at a bus stop in southwest London by an art detective, and returned. This week, the oil painting 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' sold for more than $22 million at Christie’s. It was a record for the Renaissance artist, whom museums describe as the greatest painter of 16th-century Venice. Ahead of the sale in April, the auction house billed it as 'the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market in more than a generation.'”

Washington Post: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare material, has undergone a major renovation. "The change to the building is pervasive, both subtle and transformational."

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The Conversation -- September 20, 2024

Presidential Race

Erica Green of the New York Times: “Vice President Kamala Harris harnessed the star power of one of her most powerful surrogates — and one of America’s foremost interviewers — to lay out a powerful pitch for her campaign on Thursday, as she passionately confronted pressing issues during a livestream forum with Oprah Winfrey. The event, 'Unite for America,' was hosted by Ms. Winfrey and drew hundreds of thousands of viewers.... The event brought together members of over 100 online groups that have coalesced around Ms. Harris since she became the Democratic nominee, including White Dudes for Harris, Cat Ladies for Kamala and Latinas for Harris. Also joining virtually were celebrities that included Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Jennifer Lopez, Tracee Ellis Ross and Meryl Streep.... Here [Ms. Harris] addressed questions from the audience and Ms. Winfrey about issues like immigration and gun violence, and what would happen if her opponent..., Donald J. Trump, didn’t accept the results of the election should he lose a second time.”

Lauren Gurley of the Washington Post: “A wave of local and regional Teamsters union branches in battleground states rushed to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris after the national Teamsters union declared that it would not endorse a presidential candidate for the first time in nearly three decades. Teamsters regional councils — representing hundreds of thousands of members and retirees — in Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and western Pennsylvania — endorsed Harris hours after Teamsters President Sean O’Brien revealed Wednesday that the union would withhold its endorsement.... Separately, powerful local Teamsters unions in Philadelphia; New York City; Long Beach, Calif.; and Miami — as well as the union’s National Black Caucus and a group of retirees — have endorsed Harris and urged members to vote for her.”

Donald Trump and NC GOP leaders embraced Mark Robinson for years knowing who he was and what he stood for including disrespect for women and inciting violence. They reap what they sow. -- North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper ~~~

~~~ Stephen Collinson of CNN: “An already fiercely fought presidential contest in the critical swing state [of North Carolina] was thrown into greater turmoil Thursday by a stunning CNN investigation [story linked below] revealing a porn-site scandal surrounding Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson.... [Robinson's] proximity to [Donald] Trump, who dubbed him 'Martin Luther King on steroids' and had him on stage at a recent rally, jolted the White House race. Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign swiftly highlighted the scandal’s national implications and tried to equate Trump with Robinson as it argues that the ex-president is anti-woman, immoral, extreme and unfit to serve.... Robinson is the latest in a string of outlandish and often vulnerable candidates who rose because they flattered Trump.... It would be an ironic historical coda if Trump becomes collateral damage to a Republican who would have been anathema to the old GOP but who thrived in the smash mouth political era the ex-president nurtured.... As mayhem envelops Trump, Harris has been doing the grunt work of a traditional campaign as she tries to inch toward the White House.” The New York Times story is here.

Donald Trump has used a speech about antisemitism as an opportunity to embrace antisemitic tropes and attack the American Jewish community. -- Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs ~~~

~~~ Scapegoating: “The act of blaming a group for something bad that has happened or that someone else has done.” The most antisemitic of antisemitic tropes is to scapegoat Jews. So here's what Donald Trump said at one campaign event designed, supposedly, to denounce antisemitism and at an event for Israeli Americans: ~~~

     ~~~ Chris Cameron & Michael Gold of the New York Times: “... Donald J. Trump, speaking on Thursday at a campaign event in Washington centered on denouncing antisemitism in America, said that 'if I don’t win this election,' then 'the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss.' Mr. Trump repeated that assertion at a second event, this one focused on Israeli Americans, where he blamed Jews whom he described as 'voting for the enemy,' for the hypothetical destruction of Israel that he insisted would happen if he lost in November. Mr. Trump on Thursday offered an extended airing of grievances against Jewish Americans who have not voted for him. He repeated his denunciation of Jews who vote for Democrats before suggesting that the Democratic Party had a 'hold, or curse,' on Jewish Americans and that he should be getting '100 percent' of Jewish votes because of his policies on Israel.” ~~~

⭐ Thom Hartmann in a Substack essay, on how Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are plotting to disenfranchise millions of women. “Trump, on his failing, Nazi-infested social media site, ranted Tuesday that Republicans must get 'every ounce' of the SAVE Act [Safeguard American Eligibility Act] passed or shut down the government 'in any way, shape, or form.'... Lacking a passport or other proof of citizenship with their married names, they must produce both a birth certificate (with the seal of the state where it was issued; no copies allowed) and a current form of identification — both with the exact same name on them. That could instantly disqualify about 90 percent of all married women without passports or other proof that matches their birth certificates or proof of a legal name change.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Doesn't sound Constitutional, does it? Now, picture the Supreme Six Super-Suppression Specialists. Okay then.

Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times: Donald Trump got irritated when George “Clooney wrote a guest essay for The New York Times in July imploring President Biden to drop out of the race. Mr. Clooney had just hosted a fund-raiser for the president and observed him up close. So he had a certain credibility, and his article made an impact.... Mr. Trump ... [wrote,] 'So now fake movie actor George Clooney, who never came close to making a great movie, is getting into the act. He’s turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are....' He concluded that, 'Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television. Movies never really worked for him!!!!' On [Jimmy] Kimmel’s program Tuesday night, Mr. Clooney swiped back: 'I will if he does. That’s a trade-off I’d do.' Ordinarily none of this would matter — and who is to say it really does? — but for the fact that Mr. Trump, formerly the star of 'The Apprentice,' clearly craves the approval of fellow stars.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: It's pitchfork time! Trump says he's going to show up in Springfield within the next two weeks. If I were a city authority, I'd tell Trump (and/or JayDee) not to come and that if he does come, I'd tell him that law enforcement will stop him at the town line. I'm serious.

I Can Be Cruel & Defame Innocent, Defenseless People Because I'm a Belligerent, Ignorant White Bully. Maggie Astor of the New York Times: “Senator JD Vance of Ohio ... said on Wednesday that he would continue to describe Haitian residents in Springfield, Ohio, as 'illegal aliens' even though most of them are in the country legally.... 'If Kamala Harris waves the wand illegally and says these people are now here legally, I’m still going to call them an illegal alien,' he said in response to a reporter’s question after a rally in Raleigh, N.C. 'An illegal action from Kamala Harris does not make an alien legal.' [MB: Of course Harris did not wave a magic wand; she did not do anything, legal or illegal, to allow Haitian refugees into the country.] Congress created the temporary protected status program in 1990 and presidents from both major parties have used it in response to wars, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises in various countries. The program allows people from countries designated by the Department of Homeland Security to live and work legally in the United States for 18 months, a period that the department can renew indefinitely.... Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio ... and the mayor of Springfield, Rob Rue, both Republicans, have denounced the false claims from Mr. Vance and Mr. Trump.” (Also linked yesterday.)

OMG! Katie Robertson of the New York Times: “A star New York Magazine political reporter has been placed on leave after disclosing a personal relationship with the former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In a statement posted online on Thursday night, New York Magazine said that its Washington correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi, had recently acknowledged to the magazine’s editors that she had engaged in a relationship 'with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign.' The outlet said the relationship was 'a violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures.' A person familiar with the matter confirmed that the relationship was with Mr. Kennedy.... Ms. Nuzzi, in a statement to The New York Times on Thursday, said..., 'The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.' A representative for Mr. Kennedy said, 'Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.'” Oliver Darcy, now of Status, broke the news.


Maria Sacchetti, et al., of the Washington Post: “Acting Secret Service director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. is urging Congress to heavily invest in the protective agency after two apparent assassination attempts against ... Donald Trump, saying the service must confront its shortcomings and better position itself to handle a dangerous 'new reality.' Rowe, in a wide-ranging interview with The Post, said the guardians of U.S. presidents, former presidents and other top officials are desperate for more counter-snipers and investigators, upgraded armored limousines for motorcades, and a greater supply of ballistic glass. He said that the agency’s aging Maryland training center lacks studios to train agents for real-world attacks and that agents are working more hours in a state of hypervigilance than anyone should.”

Brian Mann of NPR: "For the first time in decades, public health data shows a sudden and hopeful drop in drug overdose deaths across the U.S.... National surveys compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already show an unprecedented decline in drug deaths of roughly 10.6 percent. That's a huge reversal from recent years when fatal overdoses regularly increased by double-digit percentages. Some researchers believe the data will show an even larger decline in drug deaths when federal surveys are updated to reflect improvements being seen at the state level, especially in the eastern U.S." Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Kentucky. Emmett Lindner & Orlando Mayorquín of the New York Times: “The sheriff of a rural eastern Kentucky county walked into a courthouse on Thursday afternoon and shot and killed a district judge in his chambers after an argument, the police said. Mickey Stines, 43, the sheriff in Letcher County, turned himself in after shooting Judge Kevin Mullins and was charged with first-degree murder, Trooper Matt Gayheart of the Kentucky State Police said at a news conference on Thursday evening. The shooting happened at about 2:55 p.m. inside the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, a city in southeastern Kentucky. The sheriff was taken to a local jail and had been cooperative with investigators, Trooper Gayheart said.... Mr. Stines ... was elected sheriff in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022.” CNN's story is here. MB: Bad choice, voters!

Mississippi. Jerry Mitchell, et al., of the New York Times: “The Justice Department announced Thursday that it had expanded its investigation into the suburban Mississippi sheriff’s department where a self-described 'Goon Squad' of deputies has been accused of torturing people for nearly two decades. Investigators will seek to determine if the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department engaged in a pattern of unconstitutional policing through widespread violence, illegal searches and arrests or other discriminatory practices. Rankin County came to national attention last year after deputies, some from the Goon Squad, tortured two Black men in their home and shot one of them, nearly killing him. Six officers pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison in March.”

⭐  North Carolina Gubernatorial Race. Andrew Kaczynski & Em Steck of CNN: “Mark Robinson, the controversial and socially conservative Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina, made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago, in which he referred to himself as a 'black NAZI!' and expressed support for reinstating slavery, a CNN KFile investigation found. Despite a recent history of anti-transgender rhetoric, Robinson said he enjoyed watching transgender pornography, a review of archived messages found in which he also referred to himself as a 'perv.' The comments, which Robinson denies making, predate his entry into politics and current stint as North Carolina’s lieutenant governor. They were made under a username that CNN was able to identify as Robinson by matching a litany of biographical details and a shared email address between the two. Many of Robinson’s comments were gratuitously sexual and lewd in nature. They were made between 2008 and 2012.... The comments were made under the username minisoldr, a moniker Robinson used frequently online.”

Pennsylvania Voter Suppression. Maggie Astor & Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: “The Republican National Committee and the Pennsylvania Republican Party are suing to try to stop election officials in the state from letting voters correct technical problems with their mail ballots. The Republican lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court against Secretary of State Al Schmidt and the state’s 67 county election boards, would also stop voters from being able to cast a provisional ballot if their mail ballot is rejected over a technical problem. The lawsuit argues that state law prohibits election officials from notifying voters of such errors and allowing them to be fixed in time to have their ballot counted, a process known as curing. More than half of states allow curing for some types of errors.... Donald J. Trump railed against the process as he falsely alleged election fraud in 2020 and tried to overturn his loss, and it has been a point of contention since then in Pennsylvania and in other states.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al.

Aaron Boxerman & Euan Ward of the New York Times: “The Israeli military carried out dozens of airstrikes against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Thursday, one of the most intense waves of bombardment this year. The strikes came hours after Hezbollah’s leader vowed that 'retribution will come' to Israel after audacious attacks on Hezbollah’s pagers and walkie-talkies. The device explosions killed at least 37 people and left many Israelis and Lebanese fearful of a worsening conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. In his first speech since the devices blew up on Tuesday and Wednesday, Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, conceded that his group had 'endured a severe and cruel blow.' He accused Israel of breaking 'all conventions and laws' and said that it would 'face just retribution and a bitter reckoning.'”

The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Israel's wars are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

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