January 9, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Marie: I gather the House will meet tonight to vote tonight on establishing rules for this Congress.

Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "A special grand jury investigating ... Donald J. Trump and his allies for possible election interference in Georgia after the 2020 contest has concluded its work, according to Judge Robert McBurney of the Superior Court of Fulton County, who oversaw the grand jury.... The report has not been publicly released, so it is not clear what the grand jury recommended [or].... A hearing will be held on Jan. 24 to determine whether the report will be made public, as the grand jury is recommending, according to the judge's order. Any criminal charges would have to be sought from one of the regular grand juries that consider criminal matters in the county." CNN's story is here.

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Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Sunday made his first trip to the southern border since his election two years ago, seeking to blunt criticism that his immigration policies have been ineffective and increasingly less humane than he promised.... On Sunday, Biden toured enforcement operations and spoke with border patrol agents at [El Paso's] busiest crossing. He walked along a border fence and then met with local officials, faith leaders and aid groups at a migrant services center. Asked what he's learned during the trip, he said: 'They need a lot of resources. We're going to get it for them.' The president traveled with several members of Congress and a coterie of local and federal law enforcement officers." The Guardian's story is here.

Hope Yen & Lisa Mascaro of the AP: "After an epic 15-ballot election to become House speaker, Republican Kevin McCarthy faces his next big test in governing a fractious, slim majority: passing a rules package to govern the House. The drafting and approval of a set of rules is normally a fairly routine legislative affair, but in these times, it's the next showdown for the embattled McCarthy.... Promises [McCarthy made to far-right extremists] -- or at least some of them -- are being put into writing to be voted on when lawmakers return this week for their first votes as the majority party. On Sunday, at least two moderate Republicans expressed their reservations about supporting the rules package, citing what they described as secret deals and the disproportionate power potentially being handed out to a group of 20 conservatives.... Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., a strong McCarthy supporter, said she currently is 'on the fence' about the proposed rules.... Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, was an outright 'no' against the rules package...." A related New York Times story is here.

Let the "Investigations" Begin. Charlie Savage & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: &"Newly empowered House Republicans are preparing a wide-ranging investigation into law enforcement and national security agencies, raising the prospect of politically charged fights with the Biden administration over access to sensitive information like highly classified intelligence and the details of continuing criminal inquiries by the Justice Department. The House plans to vote this week on a resolution to create a special Judiciary subcommittee on what it calls the 'weaponization of the federal government,' a topic that Republicans have signaled could include reviewing investigations into ... Donald J. Trump. The panel would be overseen by Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, who is also poised to become the Judiciary Committee’s chairman."

As If Wells Fargo Weren't Bad Enough. Bryan Pietsch & Karishma Mehrotra of the Washington Post: "An executive at Wells Fargo's operations in India was fired and is being held following allegations that he urinated on an elderly woman during a flight from New York to New Delhi. The man, Shankar Mishra, was arrested in Bangalore by New Delhi police on Saturday, said Suman Nalwa, a police spokeswoman. A judge in New Delhi ordered him to be held in prison for 14 days because he was considered a flight risk, Nalwa said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This story was linked in a number of places on the WashPo's front page Sunday. One was in the Travel section. I guess it's sort of a Tips for Travelers thing. Not sure if the message is (a) don't piss on your seatmate; you could get fired from your job; or (b) bring an extra outfit in your carry-on in case your seatmate pisses on you. Good advice in either case.

The Pandemic, Ctd. Fenit Nirappil & Laura WeberWashington Post: "Three years after the novel >coronavirus emerged, a new variant, XBB.1.5, is quickly becoming the dominant strain in parts of the United States because of a potent mix of mutations that makes it easier to spread broadly, including among those who have been previously infected or vaccinated. XBB.1.5, pegged by the World Health Organization as 'the most transmissible' descendant yet of the omicron variant, rose from barely 2 percent of U.S. cases at the start of December to more than 27 percent the first week of January, according to new estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 70 percent of cases in the Northeast are believed to be XBB.1.5." This article is free to nonsubscribers.

Beyond the Beltway

Colorado. Lauren Sforza of the Hill: "Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) announced Sunday that his state will stop sending migrants to New York City and Chicago after those cities' Democratic mayors told Polis they were becoming overwhelmed with the number of people arriving in their jurisdictions.... Polis' office said he had 'productive' conversations with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and informed them that no more chartered migrant buses would be heading from Denver to Chicago or New York after tomorrow. Adams and Lightfoot wrote to Polis the day before asking him to halt busing migrants to their respective cities because they are 'over capacity,' Politico reported."

Florida. Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post: "Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday moved to turn the state's progressive public liberal arts honors college into a bastion of far-right conservatism like Hillsdale College in Michigan, a small but influential Christian school whose leader is aligned with ... Donald Trump. Three days after declaring that Florida is 'No. 1 in public higher education,' DeSantis appointed six new members to the board of the New College of Florida in Sarasota -- which is ranked fifth in 'top public schools' by U.S. News & World Report and which prides itself on educating 'free thinkers.' Its website says that the school community 'celebrates diversity, encourages individual expression, and values openness, kindness and mutual respect' and that the private college that was its predecessor was 'founded on principles of equality and inclusion.' That doesn't seem to be what DeSantis has in mind.... Christopher Rufo, one of the six appointments, tweeted on Jan. 4: 'Gov. DeSantis is going to lay siege to university "diversity, equity and inclusion' programs.'" MB: Nice.

Way Beyond

Brazil

Anthony Faiola & Mariana Dias of the Washington Post: "Thousands of radical backers of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro breached and vandalized Brazil's presidential office building, congress and supreme court Sunday in scenes that hauntingly evoked the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of ... Donald Trump. The attack -- the most significant threat to democracy in Latin America's largest nation since the 1964 military coup -- came a week after the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to succeed Bolsonaro. It suggested a spreading plague of far-right disrupters in Western democracies, as hard-liners radicalized by incendiary political rhetoric refuse to accept election losses, cling to unfounded claims of fraud and undermine the rule of law.... Images broadcast by Globo TV showed smashed glass and protesters roaming the halls of the Planalto Palace, the office of the president. In an echo of the behavior of the U.S. insurrectionists, videos shared on social media showed bolsonaristas taking trophies." The AP's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's liveblog of developments Sunday is here. The Post's liveblog for Monday is here. ~~~

~~~ Tom Phillips & Andrew Downie of the Guardian: "Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has toured the wreckage of his presidential palace after an extraordinary day of political violence in the capital, Brasília, saw thousands of far-right extremists run riot through the country's democratic institutions in a failed attempt to overthrow his week-old government.... Lula was not in Brasília at the time of the attack but he gave an angry speech blaming Bolsonaro for the chaos and promising that 'anyone involved will be punished'. Calling those who took part in the attacks 'vandals, neo-fascists and fanatics', Lula ordered a federal intervention in the capital, bringing policing under the control of the central government." ~~~

~~~ Jack Nicas & Ana Ionova of the New York Times: "The Brazilian authorities are investigating one of the worst attacks on the country's democracy in the 38 years since the end of the military dictatorship, after thousands of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's far-right former president, stormed government buildings in the capital, Brasília, on Sunday to protest what they falsely claim was a stolen election. Brazil was also bracing for the possibility of further unrest on Monday as the authorities started to dismantle tent cities outside military headquarters, where Bolsonaro supporters have been camping out since October's election." This is part of a liveblog posted Monday. ~~~

~~~ Jack Nicas & André Spigariol of the New York Times: "Thousands of supporters of Brazil's ousted former president, Jair Bolsonaro, stormed Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court and presidential offices on Sunday to protest what they falsely claim was a stolen election, the violent culmination of years of conspiracy theories advanced by Mr. Bolsonaro and his right-wing allies.... For years, Mr. Bolsonaro had asserted, without any proof, that Brazil's election systems were rife with fraud and that the nation's elites were conspiring to remove him from power. [Brazil's President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva] said Sunday that those false claims had fueled the attack on the plaza...." This is part of a liveblog posted Sunday. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As much as Brazilian wingers may have hoped to emulate Wingnuts of the U.S.A., one major difference between the two insurrection attempts is that the Brazilian institutions were not open for business on the day of their insurrection.

Olivia Olander & Nahal Toosi of Politico: "The Biden administration on Sunday condemned the attacks by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil on the country's congress, supreme court and presidential palace. 'I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil,' President Joe Biden tweeted Sunday evening after a visit to El Paso, Texas. 'Brazils democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined.'"

Lauren Sforza of the Hill: "Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) called on the Biden administration and local authorities in Florida on Sunday to send back to Brazil its former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters stormed the country's Congress and Supreme Court. '[Bolsonaro] should be extradited to Brazil,' Castro said to CNN's Jim Acosta. 'In fact, it was reported that he was under investigation for corruption and fled Brazil to the United States. He's a dangerous man, they should send him back to his home country, Brazil[.]' Bolsonaro flew to Florida in late December as he faced multiple investigations from his time in office, according to the New York Times."

Blame It on the Bosso Viejo. Mike Wendling of the BBC: "The scenes in Brasilia looked eerily similar to events at the US Capitol on 6 January two years ago - and there are deeper connections as well.... The [Brazilian presidential] race was heading towards a run-off and the final result was not even close to being known. Yet [Steve] Bannon, as he had been doing for weeks, spread baseless rumours about election fraud. Across several episodes of his podcast and in social media posts, he and his guests stoked up allegations of a 'stolen election' and shadowy forces. He promoted the hashtag #BrazilianSpring, and continued to encourage opposition even after Mr Bolsonaro himself appeared to accept the results. Mr Bannon ... was just one of several key allies of Donald Trump who followed the same strategy used to cast doubt on the results of the 2020 US presidential election.... The links between Mr Bolsonaro and the Trump movement were highlighted by a meeting in November between the former president and Mr Bolsonaro's son at Mr Trump's Florida resort.... A number of prominent Brazilian Twitter accounts which spread election denial rumours were reinstated after the election and acquisition of the company by Elon Musk, according to a BBC analysis."

Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Monday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Monday is here: "Russian forces struck a market in a village southeast of Kharkiv, killing two women, regional governor Oleh Synyehubov reported on Telegram Monday morning. At least four more people, including a child, were injured, Synyehubov and the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office said. Images on social media appeared to show a building on fire and emergency workers sifting through rubble.... The fiercely contested eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is holding out 'against all odds,' President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address, despite conflicting claims about the pace of Russian gains in the area, on the front lines of the 10-month-old conflict.... Russia deployed 'the most professional Wagner units' in its efforts to capture Soledar, [Ukrainian Col. Gen. Oleksandr] Syrsky said while visiting troops defending the area, according to the Ukrainian Military Media Center Telegram channel."

U.K. Marie: There have been many, many stories about an HBO special featuring Price Harry & his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, any many, many more stories about leaked copies of a book by Harry titled Spare, and about his book tour interviews -- like this one. In most of these stories, we find out Harry, or Harry & Meghan, have dished on the other British royals: Prince William physically attacked Harry, King Charles was jealous of the attention Harry & Meghan received, & Queen Camilla leaks negative stories about the young couple. And so forth. Sorry, but you're on your own on these. I'm not saying the stories aren't newsworthy, but unless they particular hit on politics, I don't think they're particularly relevant here.

January 8, 2023

Late Morning Update:

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "As President Biden heads [to El Paso, Texas,] on Sunday to tour an American border city swamped by migrants, he has found himself under siege from all sides. Democrats and human rights activists condemned his new enforcement plan as a 'humanitarian disgrace.' Republicans blasted his two-year delay in coming to a border they say is 'wide open' to undocumented immigrants. And Mexican officials -- who are preparing to welcome him to a summit of North American leaders on Monday -- warned that his proposals would cross a 'red line' for them."

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Democrat                                                     Republicans     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the lead.

Melanie Zanona, et al., of CNN write a good summary of how (and, to an extent, why) Kevin McCarthy "won" the speakership on the 15th round of votes. For instance, we learned from Matt Gaetz that his principled reason for changing his vote from "Anyone But Kevin" to "present" was, "I ran out of things I could even imagine to ask for." If you have been busy with your real life, this article will catch you up.

Arianna Coghill of Mother Jones borrows from CNN to summarize what concessions the extremists wrenched from McCarthy. MB: These concessions presumably will be incorporated into House rules. The rules would normally be adopted just after the speaker & the members are sworn in, but that didn't happen Saturday morning, either because McCarthy didn't have them written up yet or because he didn't have the votes to pass them. In any event, the concessions will not just weaken McCarthy to nothing more than a puppet of the extremists, they will also render the House unable to perform its fundamental duties to legislate.

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The astonishing spectacle [of the floor fight between Kevin McCarthy & Matt Gaetz] that played out into the early hours of Saturday morning was a fitting coda to a week that spotlighted the deep divisions in the Republican Party, the power of an unyielding hard-right flank that revels in upending normal operations of government and a leader who has repeatedly capitulated to the right in his quest for power.... The dysfunction that left the House without a speaker for a week also allowed the indignities to become more public. Photographers and videographers, unfettered from the normal rules governing their conduct because there was no speaker to put any in place, allowed spectators the opportunity to parse rare footage live from the House floor....

"[Donald] Trump ...attributed [Mr. McCarthy's] success to his interventions in a post on his social media site on Saturday, claiming news coverage had shown he had 'greatly helped' Mr. McCarthy in winning the speaker post. 'Thank you, I did our Country a big favor!'... Mr. McCarthy made a point of lavishing praise on Mr. Trump during a news conference in the Statuary Hall after he was elected."

     ~~~ Marie: Another thing the absence of House rules allowed was cursing. I think it was Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) who said on MSNBC that he'd never heard so many F-bombs dropped anywhere.

Robert Draper of the New York Times: "... to both Democrats and Republicans, the jut-jawed intransigence of House Republicans opposing Representative Kevin McCarthy's ultimately successful bid to be speaker [began with Newt Gingrich].... Mr. Gingrich's triumph in 1994 in wresting the House from a Democratic majority for the first time since 1952 was the starting point for the zero-sum brand of politics that mutated into the Tea Party movement, the grievance-based populism of the Trump era, and what was garishly displayed on the House floor in a raucous four-day speaker battle.... Those mutations have culminated in a tissue-thin Republican majority, auguring legislative episodes likely long on melodrama and short on happy endings, thanks to cameo actors such as [Matt] Gaetz.... The bitterly partisan stalemates of the Gingrich era may well have metastasized into a state of governance by chaos."

E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post: "In creating a humiliating, days-long spectacle that delayed the election of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House until the early hours of Saturday morning on the 15th ballot, the far right of the Republican Party has won.... Most of the drama played out on Friday, as President Biden was honoring democracy's protectors at an event marking the anniversary of the 2021 attack on the Capitol. This only brought home that a majority of House Republicans, and not just McCarthy's foes, voted to reject the outcome of the 2020 election.... As a practical matter going forward, [Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.)] said, the concessions McCarthy made to the rebels, including expanding far-right membership on a Rules Committee that determines what gets to the House floor, will hollow out the speaker's power, enable a radical right agenda and make it far more difficult to get anything done in a politically divided federal government.... The result will be a new House majority that is not much of a majority at all."

AP: "A former U.S. defense intelligence analyst who was convicted of spying for Cuba more than 20 years ago has been released from a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas. Ana Belen Montes, 65, was released Friday, Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Scott Taylor said Saturday. Montes, an analyst for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, was arrested in September 2001 and charged with spying for Cuba. Montes pleaded guilty in 2002 to conspiring to commit espionage as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors and was sentenced to 25 years in prison." CNN has a bit more on Montes' life as a double agent, & how she was caught.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Iran. Farnaz Fassihi of the New York Times: "Iran on Saturday hanged two men, a 22-year-old national karate champion and a 39-year-old poultry worker, who participated in antigovernment demonstrations and whose executions were condemned as a ploy by the government to use violence and sow fear to crush the protests. The men, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, the karate champion, and Sayed Mohammad Hosseini, the factory worker, were hanged at dawn on Saturday in the city of Karaj near the capital, Tehran, after hasty trials on charges that they participated in the killing of a member of the Basij paramilitary group in November, according to the judiciary. Iran has deployed heavy-handed violence against protesters since mid-September, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police sparked a nationwide uprising to demand an end to theocratic rule in Iran. Rights groups say at least 500 people have been killed by security forces, including 50 children, and the United Nations says at least 14,000 have been arrested."

Ukraine, et al.

The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "Moscow's unilaterally declared cease-fire came to an end after no sign of a pause in fighting in the 36 hours that it was apparently in place. Both sides traded blame for the ongoing shelling, which continued early Sunday and threatened to mar Orthodox Christmas celebrations on both sides. Ukraine had not agreed to the supposed truce, viewing it as a ploy for Russian forces to regroup." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Sunday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.

Condoleezza Rice & Robert Gates, in a Washington Post op-ed: "When it comes to the war in Ukraine, about the only thing that's certain right now is that the fighting and destruction will continue. Vladimir Putin remains fully committed to bringing all of Ukraine back under Russian control or -- failing that -- destroying it as a viable country.... Both of us have dealt with Putin on a number of occasions, and we are convinced he believes time is on his side: that he can wear down the Ukrainians and that U.S. and European unity and support for Ukraine will eventually erode and fracture.... For Putin, defeat is not an option. He cannot cede to Ukraine the four eastern provinces he has declared part of Russia.... We agree with the Biden administration's determination to avoid direct confrontation with Russia. However, an emboldened Putin might not give us that choice. The way to avoid confrontation with Russia in the future is to help Ukraine push back the invader now."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "Bernard Kalb, a journalist and author who covered global affairs and later cast a critical eye on the media as a commentator for CNN, but who may be best remembered for his resignation in 1986 as State Department spokesman to protest a government disinformation campaign, died Jan. 8 at his home in North Bethesda, Md. He was 100."

New York Times: "Russell Banks, whose vivid portrayals of working-class Americans grappling with issues of poverty, race and class placed him among the first ranks of contemporary novelists, died on Sunday at his home in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He was 82."

January 7, 2023

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden on Friday honored 14 people who stood against election denialism in 2020 and fought the violent mob at the Capitol two years ago, telling them in a White House ceremony that history 'will remember your names, remember your courage, remember your bravery.' Speaking from the East Room, he awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to nine police officers -- three of whom died after protecting the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 -- and five local officials who were subjected to personal violence but resisted pressure to undermine the election in 2020. Together, Mr. Biden said, the individuals he honored represented the 'extraordinary Americans' whose service to the country helped thwart the efforts of ... Donald J. Trump and his allies as they sought to keep Mr. Trump in power." ~~~

     ~~~ An uplifting, emotionally-satisfying event, in contrast to ~~~

~~~ Chaos in the House

Lisa Mascaro & Fanoush Amiri of the AP: "Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected House speaker on a historic post-midnight 15th ballot early Saturday, overcoming holdouts from his own ranks and floor tensions that boiled over after a chaotic week that tested the new GOP majority's ability to govern.... Eager to confront President Joe Biden and the Democrats, he promised subpoenas and investigations. 'Now the hard work begins,' the California Republican declared. He credited ... Donald Trump for standing with him and for making late calls 'helping get those final votes.' Republicans roared in celebration when his victory was announced, chanting 'USA! USA!' Finally elected, McCarthy took the oath of office, and the House was finally able to swear in newly elected lawmakers who had been waiting all week for the chamber to formally open and the 2023-24 session to begin." The New York Times story, by Annie Karni, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Before McCarthy's swearing-in, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries introduced him. MB: A good speech:

     ~~~ Then Temp Speaker Kevin McCarthy addressed the House. MB: A good speech -- for an occasion in which you have eaten something poisonous & your doctor advises you to induce vomiting:

Paul Kane & Dylan Wells of the Washington Post: "In a scene seemingly more familiar to a developing world legislature, the House turned into a near-brawl late Friday after another failed vote to elect a speaker as Republicans held back one of their most senior members [Mike Rogers] from a potential clash with Matt Gaetz of Florida. Gaetz had just delivered the fatal last vote that left California's Kevin McCarthy one vote shy of the bare majority he needed to win the gavel, after the flamboyant Republican had spent the long roll call maneuvering to make himself the last vote that mattered.... Quickly the GOP leader and his closest allies ... homed in on Gaetz. Other Republicans came around as well, clearly trying to convince Gaetz to switch his vote [from 'present' to McCarthy] before the clerk and vote counters officially counted up the ballots and gaveled the vote shut.... Video and pictures from photographers show Rogers beginning to yell at Gaetz, when [Richard] Hudson [R-N.C.] grabbed Rogers, including across his mouth, and physically yanked him back and sent him away from the group." See video below. The story goes on to relate more of the various maneuvers. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Melanie Zanona of CNN reported on-air that Rogers told Gaetz, "You're finished." Ryan Nobles of NBC News said that earlier in the week Rogers had threatened to throw Gaetz off the Armed Services Committee, which Rogers will chair. ~~~

     ~~~ BTW, video of the set-top was available only because ... C-SPAN Unchained! Niall Stanage of the Hill (Jan. 5): "The failure to elect a Speaker so far in the House has one silver lining, at least for TV viewers. C-SPAN, the public service network that televises congressional proceedings and other matters, has full freedom to focus on whatever its camera operators find interesting -- for the moment. Under normal circumstances, the majority party imposes strictures on the kind of shots that can be filmed. The limits have held during periods of both Republican and Democratic control. But [this week], with everything in flux, C-SPAN camera operators have been able to pick up far more interesting details.... The new -- and presumably temporary -- freedom has been greeted with enthusiasm ... by a number of ... journalists and politics-watchers on Twitter[.]" ~~~

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times:"In yet another day of Representative Kevin McCarthy of California trying to become speaker of the House, this much was clear: The United States should brace for the likelihood of a Congress in perpetual disarray for the next two years. The recipe for the chaos already existed: A toxic combination of the Republicans' slim governing majority, an unyielding hard-right flank that disdains the normal operations of government and a candidate for speaker who has repeatedly bowed to that flank in his quest for power. But to see it play out repeatedly on the House floor this week has left little doubt that Congress as an entity would struggle to carry out even its most basic duties in the coming two years, such as funding the government, including the military, or avoiding a catastrophic federal debt default."

A House Divided Cannot Stand. Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "In full view of the C-SPAN cameras, the [Republican] party has shown itself this week to still suffer from the incoherence and ungovernability that has been central to Republican politics, with rare exception, since 2013."

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "This is what happens when a political party, year after year, systematically destroys the norms and institutions of democracy. This is what happens when those expert at tearing things down are put in charge of governing. The dysfunction has been building over years of government shutdowns, debt-default showdowns and other fabricated crises, and now anti-government Republicans used their new majority to bring the House itself to a halt. This is insurrection by other means: Two years to the day since the Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol, Republicans are still attacking the functioning of government. McCarthy opened the door to the chaos by excusing Donald Trump's fomenting of the attack and welcoming a new class of election deniers to his caucus. Now he;s trying to save his own political ambitions by agreeing to institutionalize the chaos.... Finally, on the 15th ballot early Saturday morning, McCarthy's abject surrender secured him the speakership, at least temporarily. But it was the most pyrrhic of victories. To save himself, he sacrificed the Congress itself. The saboteurs won." ~~~

     ~~~ Thanks to Ken W. for the link. As Ken wrote, Milbank must have been reading Reality Chex.

Steve M. notes that the House Game Show is bad news for Fox "News": While Sean Hannity & Brian Kilmeade have supported Kevin McCarthy, Fox viewers are behind the flamethrowers. "They're told every day (on Fox and elsewhere) that the country is run by pedophile communists who want to turn all white people in America in second-class citizens, if not out-and-out slaves. No wonder they think blowing everything up seems like a neat idea.... But Rupert Murdoch wants a functional right-wing party that only embraces extremism in order to drive angry whites to vote for corporatist Republicans. It doesn't want insurrection or chaos or a government that literally ceases to function.... For years, Rupert Murdoch and other right-wing billionaires have assumed that they can tell rank-and-file right-leaning voters that they're living in one of the most brutally repressive societies in human history, and the voters will just ... vote for people whose main concern is cutting rich people's taxes. I suspect it won't work for much longer."

On Friday, the New York Times liveblogged Republican House members' intranecine squabbles that for three days have prevented them from selecting a speaker. (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

     ~~~ Annie Karni & Catie Edmondson: "After a humiliating three-day stretch of 11 consecutive defeats in an election that is now the most protracted such contest since 1859, [Kevin] McCarthy briefed Republicans on a morning conference call on concessions he had made to the ultraconservative rebels, including agreeing to conditions he had previously refused to countenance. Mr. McCarthy told the group, 'we're in a good position,' but noted that there was no deal yet, according to a person on the private call...." ~~~

     ~~~ Luke Broadwater: "There is an increased security presence outside the Capitol on Friday, two years after the Jan. 6 attack on Congress. More officers are stopping visitors and checking IDs."

     ~~~ Emily Cochrane: "Democrats, along with families of officers who lost their lives because of the Jan. 6 riot, are holding a somber vigil on the steps of the Capitol.... Some Democrats are wiping away tears as they listen to the party's incoming and outgoing leadership, Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi. It is still difficult for many in this building to be in the House and Senate chambers and be reminded of what they experienced on Jan. 6. ~~~

     ~~~ Luke Broadwater: "The event is billed as bi-partisan, but almost all of the attendees are Democrats. There is at least one Republican: Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a former FBI agent." MB: Not surprisingly, there is no honor among insurrectionists. ~~~

     ~~~ ** Annie Karni: "It appears that on the 12th vote, McCarthy has for the first time received more votes for speaker than Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic nominee. He still does not have the required majority." ~~~

     ~~~ ** Marie: McCarthy flipped 14 anti-McCarthy votes. Final (but unofficial) total: McCarthy 213, Jeffries 211, Jordan 4, Hern 3. There are a couple of pro-McCarthy votes & one Jeffries voter who are "out of the office" today. Still, with 7 no votes, McCarthy does not have enough to gain the speakership. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Whatever his other faults, the guy who nominated My Kevin in Round 13 -- James Comer, who unfortunately will chair the Oversight Committee -- is remarkably stupid. Besides spouting some Covid conspiracy theories & knocking Dr. Fauci, he insists on a balanced federal budget & causing international economic chaos by not paying the debt. I don't think he can handle the job of oversight chairman of the dog poop bin at the local park. ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Astor: "David Trone of Maryland, a Democrat, was back to vote for Hakeem Jeffries this round after missing the last one, and received raucous applause from his fellow Democrats. He returned to the Capitol in hospital socks and slippers after having surgery this morning." ~~~

     ~~~ ** Marie: Looks like the final tally of the 13th vote for speaker is McCarthy 214 (one Republican returned from wherever he was), Jeffries 212 & Jordan 6. Still not enough for My Kevin to grab the brass gavel (and as Akhilleus suggested the other day, pound the thumb of his free hand). ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The House adjourned after the 13th roll call, to reconvene at 10 pm ET. ~~~

     ~~~ Annie Karni & Catie Edmondson: "Representative Kevin McCarthy of California clawed his way closer to becoming House speaker on Friday, winning over a bloc of right-wing holdouts and pressing forward with a late-night vote that he hoped would allow him to finally clinch the post after a historic floor fight and 13 failed attempts. Lawmakers assembled at 10 p.m. to vote for a 14th time." ~~~

     ~~~ Emily Cochrane: "Part of the talks between Mr. McCarthy and his detractors have focused on curtailing government spending, though the details have yet to be made public. Here's a blistering statement, however, from Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee: 'This backroom deal not only contradicts Republican calls for transparency, but it also kills the 2024 government funding process before it has even started, all but guaranteeing a shutdown.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Luke Broadwater: "On Friday, the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack, many of the same hard-right lawmakers who served as top lieutenants to [Donald] Trump during the buildup to the assault spent the day blocking the bid of Representative Kevin McCarthy of California to be speaker and extracting major concessions from him." ~~~

     ~~~ Carl Hulse: "No alternative nominee for speaker from the Republicans, showing this is moving to a conclusion." ~~~

     ~~~ Annie Karni: "The House is back to the floor for its 14th vote for speaker, and the one that Representative Kevin McCarthy is saying will finally clinch the deal for him." ~~~

     ~~~ Emily Cochrane: "It's all down to [Matt Gaetz] now." ~~~

     ~~~ Catie Edmondson: "Gaetz votes present and gets a big round of applause, but it's not enough to get [McCarthy] to the speakership." ~~~

     ~~~ Ali Velshi of NBC News: Rep. Mike Rogers lunged at Gaetz. Another rep grabbed Rogers & held his shoulder & face to stop him from physically attacking Gaetz. ~~~

     ~~~ ** Marie: The clerk read the roll: McCarthy 216, Jeffries 212, Jordan 2, Biggs 2. Clerk Cheryl Johnson: "No member-elect has received the majority of the votes cast. A speaker has not been elected." A motion to adjourn till Monday followed. Voice vote: "In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it.... The yeas & nays are ordered." ~~~

     ~~~ Catie Edmondson: "Hard to overstate how devastating of a blow this is to McCarthy, who seemed sure he had the vote sewn up this time."

     ~~~ Stephanie Ruhle of NBC News: "If this is democracy in action...." ~~~

     ~~~ Ali Velshi: McCarthy talked to Gaetz & walked away looking glum. ~~~

     ~~~ Ali Vitali of NBC News: When Nancy Pelosi went to the floor, she always knew she had the votes -- unlike McCarthy. ~~~

     ~~~ Ali Velshi: The motion to adjourn passed 218 to 215; then McCarthy, after talking to Gaetz, raised his hand, holding a red card & changed his vote to nay. A number of Republicans followed, so the nays have it. ~~~

     ~~~ Stephanie Ruhle said she got a note from a Democrat on the floor: "I think they got Gaetz." Gaetz will change his vote from "present" to McCarthy, Ruhle hears from a Democrat. Update: Now she hears McCarthy got "more of them" to change their votes from Somebody Else to "present." ~~~

     ~~~ Trump Saves McCarthy! Maggie Haberman: "... Donald J. Trump made a crucially timed call to Rep. Matt Gaetz on Friday night after the Florida congressman voted 'present' and sunk Kevin McCarthy's 14th effort to be elected House speaker.... CNN reported that Mr. Trump also called Rep. Andy Biggs, who switched from voting against Mr. McCarthy to voting 'present' on the 15th round." MB: Gaetz voted present in the 15th round.

     ~~~ Marie: At about the stroke of midnight, and on the 15th ballot, Kevin McCarthy appears to have received enough "present" votes from the Crazy Caucus to win the speakership. He won't get 218 votes -- a majority of the House -- but he'll get a majority of those voting. Rolled by the wingnuts & not even getting all their votes, McCarthy will be, at least technically, the speaker. But he's got a host of "junior speakers" who will pull his strings till they push him out. Presumably, there will one day be a portrait of My Kevin hanging on a wall in the Capitol. So that's nice. ~~~

     ~~~ ** Marie: McCarthy gains the speakership with 216 votes, 212 for Jeffries & 6 Republicans voting "present." At 12:38 am ET the clerk announced McCarthy had won the speakership, "having received a majority of the votes cast." ~~~

     ~~~ Annie Karni: "Representative Kevin McCarthy of California won election early Saturday as House speaker in a historic five-day, 15-ballot floor fight, after giving major concessions to right-wing holdouts and weathering a dramatic late-night setback that underscored the limits of his power over the new Republican majority. Mr. McCarthy clawed his way to victory by cutting a deal that won over a sizable contingent of ultraconservative lawmakers on the 12th and 13th votes earlier in the day, and then wearing down the remaining holdouts in a tense session that dragged on past midnight, ultimately winning with a bare majority, after a spectacle of arm-twisting and rancor on the House floor." This item has been expanded into a full story, which is linked near the top of this page. ~~~

     ~~~ Okay, I'll give My Kevin Buck Owens, because he devoted most of his acceptance speech to promising to lead a gang who would ruin the country. As Phil Mattingly of CNN summarized the House's prospects, "Nobody thinks this is going to go well":

~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of House proceedings Friday are here. NBC News updates for Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Among the representatives who were sworn in Saturday morning was George Santos (R-N.Y.). While My Kevin is issuing all those subpoenas he promised, he ought to slip in one for George: ~~~

~~~ David Wright of CNN: "The Federal Election Commission has flagged issues with contributions made to embattled Rep.-elect George Santos' campaign, according to a letter addressed to the New York Republican's fundraising committee this week. The commission has requested clarification and more information on certain donors and about apparent excessive contributions to Santos' winning 2022 campaign for his Long Island seat. The FEC letter informed Santos that the information listed for three of his listed donors -- 'Best Efforts/Best Efforts, 'NYCBS/MD' and 'NYCBS/Self Employed' -- is 'not acceptable' and that his campaign 'must provide the missing information.'... In addition, the FEC letter says that Santos' latest fundraising report 'discloses one or more contributions which appear to exceed' federal contribution limits, and it identifies three donors who each contributed at least $25,000 to his campaign. Candidates are allowed to receive a maximum of $5,800 from individuals during an election cycle. The FEC letter also notes that 'the amounts disclosed --- appear greater than the total amount the three (3) participant committees of the Joint Fundraising Committee can accept.'"

Oops! Aaron Schaffer & Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "When the House Jan. 6 committee wrapped up its work in recent weeks, it posted hundreds of records online, including interview transcripts, audio recordings and text messages. Also buried in the massive cache was a spreadsheet with nearly 2,000 Social Security numbers associated with visitors to the White House in December 2020, including at least three members of Trump's Cabinet, a few Republican governors and numerous Trump allies. While the spreadsheet with the numbers was taken down Wednesday, the high-profile nature of the people whose data was exposed probably puts them at an 'elevated risk.'... Exposed individuals don't appear to have been notified about the leak.... 'Any release of such information was inadvertent,' [a January 6 committee aide said]."

State AG to Pursue Michigan's Fake Electors. Ed White of the AP: "The Michigan attorney general said Friday there's 'clear evidence' to pursue charges against pro-Donald Trump Republicans who claimed they were the state's presidential electors in 2020, despite Democrat Joe Biden's 154,000-vote victory. Dana Nessel [D] referred the matter to federal prosecutors last year, but no public action has been taken. A year later, she said it's time for state authorities to step in.”

James Bromwich & Ben Protess of the New York Times: "A New York judge declined on Friday to throw out the state attorney general's civil fraud case against ... Donald J. Trump, increasing the likelihood that he will face a trial this fall. In a sharply worded order, the judge, Justice Arthur F. Engoron of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, denied Mr. Trump's motion to dismiss the case, granting the attorney general, Letitia James, another victory in the matter. In September, Ms. James filed a lawsuit accusing Mr. Trump, three of his adult children and their family business of overvaluing his assets by billions of dollars. In his written order, Justice Engoron said that some of the arguments repeatedly made by Mr. Trump's lawyers were 'frivolous,' and had been 'borderline frivolous even the first time defendants made them.' The judge also rejected a separate attempt by Mr. Trump's daughter Ivanka, who is named as a defendant in Ms. James's lawsuit, to dismiss the accusations against her."

Jonathan Allen of NBC News: "Matt Schlapp, one of the nation's most prominent conservative leaders and a top ally of ... Donald Trump, is being accused of sexually groping a male aide on Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker's campaign in October. 'He reached in between my legs and fondled me,' the former Walker staffer told NBC News in a telephone interview Thursday night. 'To my shame, I didn't say anything' to stop Schlapp. NBC News is withholding the staffer's name at his request.... A senior official on the Walker campaign confirmed that the aide shared the allegation with his supervisors at the time.... Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, is married to former Trump White House aide Mercedes Schlapp. His organization hosts [CPAC]...."

Kevin McGill of the AP: "A Trump administration ban on bump stocks -- devices that enable a shooter to rapidly fire multiple rounds from semi-automatic weapons after an initial trigger pull -- was struck down Friday by a federal appeals court in New Orleans. The ban was instituted after a gunman perched in a high-rise hotel using bump stock-equipped weapons massacred dozens of people in Las Vegas in 2017. Gun rights advocates have challenged it in multiple courts. The 13-3 ruling at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals is the latest on the issue, which is likely to be decided at the Supreme Court. The decision doesn't have an immediate effect on the ban though because the case now moves back to the lower court to decide how to proceed."

Hannah Rabinowitz of CNN: "A Connecticut judge suspended the law license of a lawyer for right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones after he allegedly improperly released court documents from the Sandy Hook defamation case. The files included two years of Jones' text messages, medical records from some of the Sandy Hook families and other confidential discovery items. 'At a basic level, attorneys must competently and appropriately handle the discovery of sensitive materials in civil cases,' Judge Barbara Bellis wrote in a court order that suspended attorney Norman Pattis' license for six months. 'Otherwise, our civil system, in which discovery of sensitive information is customary and routine, would simply collapse.' Bellis said she 'flatly rejected' Pattis' assertion that his release of the confidential records was an 'inadvertent mistake,' writing that Pattis 'failed to provide even the minimal amount of attention and care required when it came to handling the plaintiffs' sensitive discovery materials.'" MB: I'm all surprised that Alex Jones has a shoddy lawyer.

Pam Belluck of the New York Times: "The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new Alzheimer's drug that may modestly slow the pace of cognitive decline early in the disease, but also carries risks of swelling and bleeding in the brain. The approval of the drug, lecanemab, to be marketed as Leqembi, is likely to generate considerable interest from patients and physicians. Studies of the drug -- an intravenous infusion administered every two weeks -- suggest it is more promising than the scant number of other treatments available. Still, several Alzheimer's experts said it was unclear from the medical evidence whether Leqembi could slow cognitive decline enough to be noticeable to patients." The Guardian's story is here.

Beyond the Beltway

California. The Bigots of Bakersfield Are as Dumb as the Town's Favorite Son, My Kevin. Max Lamoureux of Vice: "Two men set themselves on fire after dumping an accelerant on a California immigration services building and setting it ablaze, video shows. On Monday night, a Ring surveillance camera captured two men dressed in black with masks covering their faces walking up to Servicio de Inmigracion in Bakersfield, California. The two men proceed to dump the accelerant over the side of the building and parking lot in front. As one of the men continued to spread the fuel, the second squatted over a puddle of the accelerant and tried to light it on fire, the video shows. The fire ignited violently ... and the man sprinted away with his leg on fire. The second man panicked and fell down twice, and like his comrade, sprinted away from the scene of the crime on fire. The man could be heard screaming as he ran into the night."

Idaho. Ava Sasani of the New York Times: "Idaho's Supreme Court upheld the state's prohibition on abortion in a ruling Thursday night that said the State Constitution does not include a right to the procedure. The decision means the state's three abortion bans -- including one that outlaws the procedure from conception -- can remain in effect. The ruling came just hours after South Carolina's State Supreme Court went the other direction and overturned an abortion ban there, saying the state's constitutional right to privacy includes the right to abortion." New State Motto: Idaho, a great place to live if there's no chance you can accidentally get pregnant or accidentally get someone pregnant. Young people, fertile people: be safe, beware.

New Mexico. Christine Hauser of the New York Times: "Federal and local authorities in New Mexico are investigating whether several shootings since early December at the offices or homes of five elected Democratic leaders were connected and possibly politically motivated, officials said. No one was injured in the shootings in Albuquerque involving three residences, a workplace and a campaign office associated with a pair of county commissioners, two state senators and New Mexico's newly elected attorney general. Three of the shootings took place in December and two this month, the latest of which was on Thursday, the authorities said. The Albuquerque police chief, Harold Medina, said at a news conference on Thursday that there could be a pattern to the shootings, possibly tied to political affiliation."

South Carolina. Gerrymandering Out Black Voters. Caitlin Byrd of the [Charleston] Post & Courier: "South Carolina lawmakers drew the coastal 1st Congressional District held by Republican Nancy Mace in a way that discriminates against Black voters and must be recrafted by the end of March, a [three-judge] panel of federal judges has concluded. Mace's hold on the office is not immediately affected by the decision issued Jan. 6 but it likely means a much different congressional map will be in place in 2024 for voters in Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper counties.... The General Assembly has until March 31 to present an alternate map for the court's consideration."

Virginia. Paul Duggan & Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post: "A 6-year-old boy shot and wounded an elementary school teacher Friday in Newport News, Va., in a classroom with other pupils present, authorities said. The female teacher, whose name was not disclosed, was shot with a handgun at about 2 p.m. at Richneck Elementary School, Newport News Police Chief Steve R. Drew said at a news briefing. He said the 6-year-old first-grader, who was taken into custody, had been involved in an altercation with the teacher. No students in the classroom were hurt. 'This was not an accidental shooting,' Drew said. Authorities said the teacher, a woman in her 30s, was hospitalized at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News and described her wounds as life-threatening." Neither this story nor the NYT story on the shooting recounts how staff found out about the shooting. The AP's story is here; no help on how the kid's apprehension went down.

Way Beyond

Kenya. AFP: "Police investigating the death of an LGBTQ+ rights campaigner whose body was discovered stuffed in a metal trunk have arrested a suspect, they said. Edwin Chiloba, a 25-year-old fashion designer and model, was found dead by the roadside earlier this week about 40km (25 miles) outside the Rift Valley town of Eldoret, media reports said.... [Peter] Kimulwo [of the directorate of criminal investigations] said the suspect was believed to have been a longtime friend of the victim, adding that police were also looking for people seen loading a metal container into a car at Chiloba's home."

Mexico. Richard Pérez-Peña of the New York Times: "Ten soldiers and 19 drug cartel members were killed and dozens of people were wounded in a series of gun battles surrounding the capture of the son of the notorious drug kingpin known as El Chapo, Mexican officials said on Friday. Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, who is said to be a leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel that his father once headed, was arrested on Thursday in what the government described as a major blow to one of the country's most notorious criminal organizations. But the scale and high cost of the operation were not made public until a day later, at a news conference led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador."

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces carried on despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's unilateral declaration of a 36-hour cease-fire that started at noon Friday to mark the Orthodox Christmas holiday. Moscow and Kyiv [and Washington] blamed each other for the continued shelling.... One of the most fiercely contested sectors during the Orthodox Christmas period was around the Ukrainian town of Kreminna, located about 30 miles north of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, the British Defense Ministry said Saturday.... The Biden administration announced Friday a $2.85 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the largest drawdown from U.S. defense stockpiles to date. Officials said the package will include additional howitzers and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. In his nightly address, [President] Zelensky praised the aid package and said the armored vehicles -- which Kyiv had long called for -- were 'exactly what [Ukraine] needed.' Russia is seeking to mobilize 500,000 additional troops, a senior Ukrainian military intelligence official said, according to the Guardian.... U.S. instructors will later this month start training Ukrainian troops to use Patriot missiles, the anti-air systems that the United States and Germany have pledged to supply to Ukraine." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Saturday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.

News Lede

New York Times: "After weeks of unease over the murders of four University of Idaho students in a house near campus, the authorities this week released their most detailed account yet of the investigation that led them to arrest a criminology student from a nearby university. The documents detail an array of evidence about the suspect, Bryan Kohberger, 28, a graduate student at Washington State University, who said through a lawyer that he looks forward to being exonerated. The records also provided jarring new details about the night the four students were murdered, while raising fresh questions about a mystifying case in which authorities have not explained a possible motive. Here are 10 key revelations made public on Thursday."