REALITYCHEX.COM - South Carolina

The Ledes

Monday, February 24, 2025

New York Times: “Pope Francis is suffering from 'initial, mild kidney failure' in addition to the serious respiratory illness that has left the 88-year-old pontiff in critical condition in a Rome hospital, the Vatican said on Sunday.

Describing a “complex” clinical picture, the Vatican said that the kidney ailment was 'at present under control,' and that there had been no repeat of the respiratory crisis that the pope had experienced on Saturday. The pope was 'alert and well oriented,' the Vatican said, and he attended Mass in his suite along with the medical staff caring for him.”

The Wires

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Public Service Announcement

Zoë Schlanger in the Atlantic: "Throw out your black plastic spatula. In a world of plastic consumer goods, avoiding the material entirely requires the fervor of a religious conversion. But getting rid of black plastic kitchen utensils is a low-stakes move, and worth it. Cooking with any plastic is a dubious enterprise, because heat encourages potentially harmful plastic compounds to migrate out of the polymers and potentially into the food. But, as Andrew Turner, a biochemist at the University of Plymouth recently told me, black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid." This is a gift link from laura h.

Mashable: "Following the 2024 presidential election results and [Elon] Musk's support for ... Donald Trump, users have been deactivating en masse. And this time, it appears most everyone has settled on one particular X alternative: Bluesky.... Bluesky has gained more than 100,000 new sign ups per day since the U.S. election on Nov. 5. It now has over 15 million users. It's enjoyed a prolonged stay on the very top of Apple's App Store charts as well. Ready to join? Here's how to get started on Bluesky[.]"

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

New York Times: “Joy Reid’s evening news show on MSNBC is being canceled, part of a far-reaching programming overhaul orchestrated by Rebecca Kutler, the network’s new president, two people familiar with the changes said. The final episode of Ms. Reid’s 7 p.m. show, 'The ReidOut,' is planned for sometime this week, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The show, which features in-depth interviews with politicians and other newsmakers, has been a fixture of MSNBC’s lineup for the past five years. MSNBC is planning to replace Ms. Reid’s program with a show led by a trio of anchors: Symone Sanders Townsend, a political commentator and former Democratic strategist; Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Alicia Menendez, the TV journalist, the people said. They currently co-host 'The Weekend,' which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings.” MB: In case you've never seen “The Weekend,” let me assure you it's pretty awful.

Y! Entertainment: "Meanwhile, [Alex] Wagner will also be removed from her 9 pm weeknight slot. Wagner has already been working as a correspondent after Rachel Maddow took over hosting duties during ... Trump’s first 100 days in office. It’s now expected that Wagner will not return as host, but is expected to stay on as a contributor. Jen Psaki, President Biden’s former White House press secretary, is a likely replacement for Wagner, though a decision has not been finalized." MB: In fairness to Psaki, she is really too boring to watch. On the other hand, she is White. ~~~

~~~ RAS: "So MSNBC is getting rid of both of their minority evening hosts. Both women of color who are not afraid to call out the truth. Outspoken minorities don't have a long shelf life in the world of our corporate news media."

New York Times: “Chuck Todd, the former 'Meet the Press' moderator and a longtime fixture of NBC’s political coverage, told colleagues on Friday that he was leaving the network. A nearly two-decade veteran of NBC, Mr. Todd said that Friday would be his last day at NBC.... Mr. Todd, 52, is the latest TV news star to step aside at a moment when salaries are being scrutinized — and slashed — by major media companies. Hoda Kotb exited NBC’s 'Today' show this month, and Neil Cavuto of Fox News and CNN’s Chris Wallace departed their cable news homes late last year.”

CNBC: “ CNN plans to lay off hundreds of employees Thursday [Jan. 23] as it refocuses the business around a global digital audience.... The layoffs come as CNN is rearranging its linear TV lineup and building out digital subscription products. The cuts will help CNN lower production costs and consolidate teams, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes. Certain shows that are produced in New York or Washington may move to Atlanta, where production can be done more cheaply, said the people. For the most part, the job cuts won’t affect CNN’s most recognizable names, who are under contract, said the people. CNN has about 3,500 employees worldwide.... NBC News is also planning cuts later this week, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes. While the exact number couldn’t be determined, the job losses will be well under 50....”

New York Times: “The president of MSNBC, Rashida Jones, is stepping down from that position, the company said on Tuesday, a major change at the news network just days before ... Donald J. Trump takes office. Rebecca Kutler, senior vice president for content strategy at MSNBC, will succeed Ms. Jones as interim president, effective immediately. Ms. Jones will stay on in an advisory role through March.... MSNBC is among a bundle of cable channels that its parent company, Comcast, is planning to spin out later this year into a new company.” ~~~

~~~ MSNBC: “On Monday, Jan. 20, MSNBC will present wall-to-wall coverage of the inauguration of ... Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance and will kick off special programming for the first 100 days of the new Trump administration.... On the heels of her field reporting during the last 100 days of the 2024 presidential campaign, Alex Wagner will travel the country to follow the biggest stories as they develop in real-time during Trump’s first 100 days in office, reporting on the impact of his early promises and policies on the electorate for 'Trumpland: The First 100 Days.'... During the first 100 days, Rachel Maddow will bring her signature voice and distinct perspective to the anchor desk every weeknight at 9 p.m. ET, offering viewers in-depth analysis of the key issues facing the country at the outset of Trump’s second term. After April 30, 'The Rachel Maddow Show' will return to its regular schedule of Mondays at 9 p.m. ET and Wagner will return to anchoring 'Alex Wagner Tonight' Tuesday through Friday.”

Page Links

South Carolina

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NBC News projects that South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley will win the gubernatorial race. The State story here.

NBC News projects Republican Sen. Jim DeMint will win re-election to the South Carolina Senate seat. 7:02 pm ET. The State report here.

WCSC-TV, Charleston, October 21: some Republicans want sworn assurances from their gubernatorial nominee Nikki Haley that she's not a philandering tax cheat.

Hey, South Carolina, there is a sensible Senate candidate you can vote for in November: Green party candidate Tom Clements:

... Here is activist Tom Turnipseed on Clements. See what you think.

Oh, What Next? AP: "Police say longshot Democratic Senate candidate Alvin Greene was kicked out of a South Carolina restaurant after his companion got into a fight with people eating there." A woman with Greene apparently got into an argument with Oconee County Democratic Party officials. The police asked Greene & the companson to leave but did not arrest anyone.

The State via the AP: "South Carolina Democrats called on Alvin Greene to end his bid for U.S. Senate after his legal troubles got more serious Friday, but there is not much hope among party leaders that Greene will abandon his long-shot campaign."

Washington Post, August 13: "Longshot Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alvin Greene was indicted Friday on two charges, including a felony charge of showing pornography to a teenage student in a South Carolina college computer lab."

AP: "Surprise U.S. Senate nominee Alvin Greene frequently mentions his 13 years of military service, but records obtained Thursday by The Associated Press show that the veteran who has called himself an 'American hero' was considered a lackluster service member at best." ...

... On the other hand, he has the best damned campaign video in South Carolina:

Lawrence O'Donnell thinks Alvin Greene sounds like a better candidate than his opponent Sen. Jim DeMint:

Katharine O. Seelye of the New York Times profiles Alvin Greene. He is upset that the Army didn't promote him but the did make Nidal Hasan, the alleged Fort Hood mass murderer, a major.

The State, July 10: "Alvin Greene, the obscure jobless man whose come-from-nowhere victory in the June Democratic primary for U.S. Senate created a national furor, had legitimate sources of income to pay his $10,400 primary entry fee, law enforcement sources said Friday."

Thinking out of the Box. Ed Pilkington of The Guardian profiles Alvin Greene & reveals part of Greene's "big idea" jobs creation plan:

Another thing we can do for jobs is make toys of me, especially for the holidays. Little dolls. Me. Like maybe little action dolls. Me in an army uniform, air force uniform, and me in my suit. They can make toys of me and my vehicle, especially for the holidays and Christmas for the kids. That's something that would create jobs. So you see I think out of the box like that. It's not something a typical person would bring up. That's something that could happen, that makes sense. It's not a joke. -- Alvin Greene

Jeffrey Collins & Meg Kinnard of the AP, July 6, find some conflicting characterizations of the mysterious Alvin Greene.

The State, June 28: "SLED and the 5th Circuit solicitor’s office are investigating the finances of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alvin Greene to see whether any laws have been broken in the way he has been representing his financial situation to the state court system. SLED will use a new state law that allows the agency to issue an administrative subpoena to financial institutions...."

AP, June 22: "In a clear sign of racial progress in the South, Republicans overwhelmingly chose Nikki Haley, an Indian-American woman, to run for governor in South Carolina and nominated Tim Scott, who would be the Confederate state's first black congressman in more than a century."

AP, June 22: "State Rep. Tim Scott defeated Paul Thurmond, an attorney who is son of the one-time segregationist U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond. Scott, who won the runoff with 69 percent of the vote, is now poised to become the nation's first black GOP congressman since 2003."

USA Today, June 22: "Prosecutor Trey Gowdy has just made six-term incumbent Rep. Bob Inglis the fifth congressional incumbent to fall prey to this year's anti-incumbent tide."

AP on the primary runoff.

Bloomberg News on Republican Rep. Bob Inglis' fight to keep his seat.

Michael Scherer of Time tries, but fails, to shed light on Alvin Greene's mysterious "involuntary" military discharges.

The State, June 21: turnout for Tuesday's primary runoffs is expected to be low.

Washington Post, June 21: "the political smear tactics that this state made famous don't seem to be working this time around."

CNN Political Ticker: an engineering firm paid Nikki Haley to give them insider information & "access" while she was in the state legislature.

CW: this is so predictable, I predicted it. Will Folks, the guy who presented evidence that he at least had "a close personal relationship: with Nikki Haley, has endorsed her candidacy for governor.

I am the best candidate for the United States Senate in South Carolina. And I am also the best person to be Time magazine's Man of the Year. -- Alvin Greene

CNN: Meanwhile, "as Democrats in South Carolina face the uncomfortable prospect of having unemployed political novice Alvin Greene as their Senate nominee in November, some in the party have launched an effort to put a more polished candidate on the ballot as an independent."

June 17: Michael Scherer of Time visits Alvin Greene at home.

WLTX-TV, Columbia: "The South Carolina Democratic Party's Executive Committee Thursday rejected a protest of the June 8 primary for U.S. Senate, in which Alvin Greene defeated Vic Rawl.... The committee felt there was not sufficient evidence to overturn the results, a move which, had it been approved, would have required a new primary."

The State, June 15: "The executive committee of the S.C. Democratic Party will meet Thursday to consider a protest Vic Rawl filed Monday after his surprise thrashing at the hands of a political unknown who is facing a felony obscenity charge."

I saved the money from the Army. Army, Army, Army, Army money. My personal Army money.... Can I get paid for this interview?
-- Alvin Greene, on the source of his $10,400 filing fee payment

Washington Post: speculation abounds as to how Alvin Greene won the primary race, but most agree there was more than one factor that led to his victory.

Low-grade fraud and back-stabbing is well within the standard deviation of the mean in South Carolina politics.
-- Prof. Scott Huffmon

Suzy Khimm of Mother Jones, June 14: Alvin Greene expects the Democratic party to fully support him, but he hung up on Khimm when she asked him about Vic Rawl's election challenge.

New York Daily News: "Vic Rawl, a former state Representative, filed a formal protest on Monday contesting the shocking primary 'win' of Alvin Greene.

"Elephant Dung"

I saw the patterns in this. I know a Democratic pattern and I know a Republican pattern, and I saw in the Democratic primary elephant dung all over the place. So I knew something was wrong in that primary. -- Rep. James Clyburn on the vote for Alvin Greene

CQ Politics: "White House adviser David Axelrod suggested Sunday that South Carolina Senate candidate Alvin Greene (D) was not a credible choice and gave a thinly veiled call for the nominee to withdraw."

Here are some words of hope for Alvin Greene from another Al Greene -- "Everything's Gonna Be All Right":

Fox "News": Judge Vic Rawl, the heavily-favored Democratic candidate for Senate, who lost to political unknown Alvin Greene, calls for an official investigation into election results "oddities."

CW: also see my blogpost on the Mysterious Green Plant Discovered in South Carolina.

Shep Smith of Fox "News" interviews the alleged victim, 19-year-old Camille McCoy, & her mother in the pending felony case against Alvin Greene:

The State: the South Carolina Democratic party, after urging Alvin Greene to drop out of the race, certified him as the party's official candidate Friday. The story contains other developments in this act of "South Carolina's theater of the politically absurd. CW: I think we're going to have to give Mr. Greene his own page.

Ravi Somaiya of Newsweek: "Jon Krosnick, a Stanford professor who is a leading expert on the psychology of political behavior, believes sabotage is the most likely explanation for Alvin Greene's win. ...

The State posts this fascinating interview of Alvin Greene. In it, Greene says he received an honorable dischange from the military but his separation was "involuntary":

... Oh, wait. He left both the Army AND the Air Force involuntarily, tho he was the recipient of several service medals. ...

... Keith Olbermann looks into the South Carolina Democratic primary for U.S. Senate & talks to winner Alvin Greene:

... Also, Frances Martel of Mediaite comments on Alvin Greene's interviews.

Alvin Greene. South Carolina Democratic party photo.

Sean Miller of The Hill: "Less than 24 hours after Alvin Greene’s surprise win in the South Carolina Democratic Senate primary, the state party has asked him to withdraw from the race because of a pending felony charge."

Michael O'Brien of The Hill: House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) called for in [sic.] South Carolina to investigate the circumstances that led to Alvin Greene winning the Democratic Senate primary in his state earlier this week. 'There were some real shenanigans going on in the South Carolina primary,' Clyburn said during an appearance on the liberal Bill Press radio show. 'I don't know if he was a Republican plant; he was someone's plant.'"

While No One Was Looking. AP: "An unemployed military veteran has stunned South Carolina Democratic Party leaders by winning the nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint. Thirty-two-year-old Alvin Greene of Manning defeated 64-year-old Vic Rawl of Charleston in Tuesday's primary. Rawl is a former judge and legislator, who had about $186,000 cash available and had already scheduled a fundraising event for Thursday." Or as Gawker puts it, "Alvin Green [sic.]: An inspiration to random unemployed dudes everywhere." (CW: forgive the misspelling. Who could know?)

... Mother Jones: Who Is Alvin Greene? Some are suggesting he might be a Republican plant! CW: which sounds possible -- see if you don't think he has something in common with Sarah Palin. Asked if his win surprised him, Greene said,

I wasn’t surprised, but not really. I mean, just a little, but not much. I knew I was on top of my campaign, and just stayed on top of everything, I just — I wasn't surprised that much, just a little. I knew that I worked hard and did.

... Oh, dear. AP: "South Carolina's surprise Democratic nominee to challenge U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint is facing a pending felony charge. Court records show 32-year-old Alvin Greene was arrested in November and charged with showing obscene Internet photos to a University of South Carolina student. The felony charge carries up to five years in prison."

... Update: Sean Miller of The Hill: "Less than 24 hours after Alvin Greene’s surprise win in the South Carolina Democratic Senate primary, the state party has asked him to withdraw from the race because of a pending felony charge."

... AND Update 2: Michael O'Brien of The Hill: House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) called for in [sic.] South Carolina to investigate the circumstances that led to Alvin Greene winning the Democratic Senate primary in his state earlier this week. 'There were some real shenanigans going on in the South Carolina primary,' Clyburn said during an appearance on the liberal Bill Press radio show. 'I don't know if he was a Republican plant; he was someone's plant.'"

AP: "On the busiest night of the primary year, tea party activists flexed their muscle in South Carolina, pushing state Rep. Nikki Haley ahead of three rivals in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Shy of a majority, she will face Rep. Gresham Barrett in a June 22 runoff."

CW: to South Carolina Republican Sen. Jake Knotts, racial epithets still count as "humor," but -- under pressure from fellow Republicans -- he makes a half-apology for his comment about Nikki Haley & President Obama: "I apologize. I still believe Ms. Haley is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I apologize to both for an unintended slur.” CW: sorry, I'm have trouble figuring out how using a racial epithet is "unintended."

AP: Larry Merchant, "a South Carolina lobbyist resigned from a rival political campaign [of Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer] on Wednesday and then became the second man to claim he had a tryst with [state Rep. Nikki Haley] Republican lawmaker trying to become the state's first female governor.... Marchant admitted he had no proof to back up his allegation of a one-night stand with...Haley in 2008 and her campaign vehemently denied the allegation." ...

... CW: here was backstory I missed from the Charleston Post & Courier: "Republican gubernatorial hopeful Andre Bauer said today he has asked for and received the resignation of a political consultant for “inappropriate conduct” but would say little more." In other words, Bauer "took the high ground" (hah!) even as he arranged for Merchant to "confess" to his alleged affair withHaley.

South Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley counters blogger's assertion he had an affair with her in this campaign ad (& the cynical Constant Weader still thinks there's a good possibility blogger Will Folks' charges were a smokescreen to get Haley more, ah, exposure):

Charleston Post & Courier: Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley has refused to release her phone & e-mail records for the period a blogger claims to have had an affair with her. "Haley has made transparency in government one of the foundations of her campaign."

South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley meets the press. She can field rapid-fire, pointed questions & answer in complete, coherent sentences, unlike her famous endorser Sarah Palin. CW: this "scandal" might be one big publicity stunt to get Haley name recognition. If Folks suddenly admits he was lying about two days before the primary, you can be sure that's what the deal was:

Charleston, South Carolina Post & Courier: "In 2007, the year political blogger Will Folks claims he had an affair with state Rep. Nikki Haley, the two spoke by phone at least 600 times. Some of those calls came late at night, lasted for hours -- and one did not end until nearly 5 a.m. At the time, Folks was a part-time consultant for Haley."

John Cook of Yahoo News, May 27: "Another day, another titillating tidbit in the kiss-and-blog saga enveloping South Carolina's Republican gubernatorial primary. Will Folks, the conservative blogger and political operative who claims he had an affair with GOP candidate Nikki Haley, says: There are pictures!" Here's the FitsNews post Cook refers to.

Talking Points Memo: "South Carolina blogger and political consultant Will Folks has released a series of what he claims are text messages between himself, an AP reporter, another GOP political operative, and the campaign manager for gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley -- with whom Folks claims he had an inappropriate physical relationship." Here's the FitsNews blogpost....

WIS-TV: Will Folks, "the blogger who rocked the state's political scene Monday by claiming to have had an 'inappropriate physical relationship' with gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley says he was pressured to disclose the affair by the campaign of fellow candidate Gresham Barrett." ...

... Meanwhile, some other person writing on Folks' site claims there is "a flood of phone records, text messages, emails, voicemails and other data exchanges between the two protagonists" -- CW: which we readers are meant to infer prove the relationship with Folks & Haley was "inappropriate." ...

... The State has more on the Haley-Folks story, which has thrown the race into "turmoil.

WIS-TV (Columbia, South Carolina): Will Folks, "a political blogger and former aide to Gov. Mark Sanford. claims to have had a past romantic relationship with Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley. Haley, who is married and has two children, 'emphatically' denied the claim Monday morning.... The Columbia Free Times has 'been investigating a story involving an alleged affair between Haley and Folks for several weeks.'" Here's Will Folks' post. The AP story focuses on Haley's denial.