April 25, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Lorenzo Tondo & Pjotr Sauer of the Guardian & Agencies: "Five railway stations in central and western Ukraine were hit by Russian airstrikes in the space of one hour on Monday, as the war grinds on relentlessly in the south and east of the country. Oleksander Kamyshin, the head of Ukrainian Railways, said five train stations came under fire causing an unspecified number of casualties, as most of Ukraine was placed under an unusually long air raid warning for two hours on Monday morning." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you were trying to take over somebody else's country, it would make sense to blow up railway tracks that would be used to carry the country's defensive tools. It would make sense to strike a train that was carrying munitions. But it's just mass murder to strike train stations where civilians are waiting for trains. It's another war crime.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "When it comes to whether the proceedings of the Jan. 6 committee will lead tocriminal charges, there are two vital questions. Can it be proved that those involved in plotting to overturn the 2020 election: 1. Knew that their actions were illegal, and ... 2. Pressed forward with a plan to interfere with Congress's actions that day?... On the first count, [Mark Meadows' aide Cassidy] Hutchinson confirmed that the White House Counsel's Office repeatedly told those plotting to overturn the election that their plan to use alternate slates of electors -- or go even further -- was not legally sound. Despite this, Meadows and others pressed forward with their attempts to overturn the election and with the Jan. 6 rally. On the second count ... Hutchinson said Meadows was directly warned about the prospect of violence that day. She said Anthony Ornato, a senior Secret Service agent and political adviser to the White House, discussed the subject with him in early January."

Margie Can't Recall Much about Martial Law, Including How to Spell It. Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in January 2021 that some members of Congress were calling for Donald Trump to impose martial law to remain president, according to text messages Meadows recently provided to the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.... According to CNN, Greene raised the topic in a text to Meadows on Jan. 17, 2021.... 'In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall law,' Greene texted Meadows, misspelling the word 'martial.' 'I don't know on those things. I just wanted you to tell him. They stole this election. We all know. They will destroy our country next. Please tell him to declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else!'... Greene testified in a separate case that she could not recall whether she had advocated for martial law at the time." ~~~

     ~~~ ** Jamie Gangel, et al., of CNN: "CNN has obtained 2,319 text messages that ... Donald Trump's White House chief of staff Mark Meadows sent and received between Election Day 2020 and President Joe Biden's January 20, 2021 inauguration. The vast trove of texts offers the most revealing picture to date of how Trump's inner circle, supporters and Republican lawmakers worked behind the scenes to try to overturn the election results and then reacted to the violence that effort unleashed at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The logs, which Meadows selectively provided to the House committee investigating the January 6 attack, show how the former chief of staff was at the nexus of sprawling conspiracy theories baselessly claiming the election had been stolen. They also demonstrate how he played a key role in the attempts to stop Biden's certification on January 6." ~~~

Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol Please tell the President to calm people This isn't the way to solve anything. -- Marjorie Taylor Greene (GQP-Ga.), in a text sent January 6, 2021. @2:28 pm ET, begging Trump & Meadows to save her life

No reply from Trump or Meadows. -- Marie

     ~~~ If you have a lot of free time, you can read all 2,300 text messages here, via CNN. They're arranged in chronological order.

So Unfaaaair! Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "A New York judge on Monday held Donald J. Trump in contempt of court for failing to turn over documents to the state's attorney general, an extraordinary rebuke of the former president. The judge, Arthur F. Engoron, ordered Mr. Trump to comply with a subpoena seeking records and assessed a fine of $10,000 per day until he satisfied the court's requirements. In essence, the judge concluded that Mr. Trump had failed to cooperate with the attorney general, Letitia James, and follow the court's orders.... One of Mr. Trump's lawyers ... said she intended to appeal the ruling." The AP's report is here. See also Bobby Lee's comment in today's thread.

Bianca Quintanlan & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "The Supreme Court appears poised to rule in favor of a high school football coach fired for his on-field prayers following games. But the justices left doubt Monday about whether they will issue a sweeping ruling backing the religious-freedom rights of school employees or a more narrow decision confined to the unusual facts of the case from Washington state. The religious liberty case argued at the high court Monday stems from a suit filed by Joseph Kennedy, a high school assistant football coach who was fired by Bremerton [Washington State] School District in 2015 after refusing to stop kneeling to pray audibly at the 50-yard after his team's games. While Kennedy and religious freedom advocates contend he was simply exercising his right to express his devotion to God, the school district maintains that his actions were coercive and that players' parents complained that their children on the team felt compelled to participate."

Joe Hernandez of NPR: "The National Labor Relations Board has sued the coffee shop chain Starbucks for allegedly retaliating against three employees who were involved in organizing a union. One worker was disciplined, suspended and discharged; another was 'constructively discharged' and a third was put on unpaid leave after the company revoked 'recently granted accommodations,' the NLRB said in a press release. Cornele Overstreet, director of the NLRB region based in Phoenix, asked the U.S. District Court in a filing on Friday to immediately reinstate the employees with their usual schedules and accommodations, among other requests."

The New York Times, believe it or not, is live-updating developments in the negotiations between Twitter & Elon Musk. ~~~

     ~~~ NYT Update: A Done Deal: "Elon Musk struck a deal on Monday to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion, in a victory by the worlds richest man to take over the influential social network frequented by world leaders, celebrities and cultural trendsetters. The AP's report is here.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here.

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Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

We want to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country able to protect its sovereign territory. We want to see Russia weakened to the point where it can't do things like invade Ukraine. -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, at a press briefing on the Ukraine-Poland border Sunday

The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "In a risky and secret visit to Ukraine, the United States' top diplomat and defense officials arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, with announcements of sweeping diplomatic changes and new military aid for the embattled country. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.... In a move of symbolic and practical significance, the delegation told the Ukrainian president that the United States would move to reopen its embassy in Kyiv, and for the first time since 2019, nominate an American official to lead it. President Biden is set to announce the nomination of Bridget Brink, the current U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, as ambassador to Ukraine in Washington on Monday morning, according to a senior State Department official.... In the latest of a series of increasing military aid announcements, Mr. Biden is expected to commit $713 million in new military financing for Ukraine and 15 other nations in Eastern Europe, the State Department official said, raising the United States' total military aid to Kyiv to $3.7 billion since Feb. 24." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates are here. The Guardian's "full report" is here.

Matthew Lee of the AP: U.S. Secretary of State Antony “Blinken said their meeting with the Ukrainians lasted for three hours for wide ranging talks, including what help the country needs in the weeks ahead. 'The strategy that we put in place, massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts is having real results,' Blinken said. 'When it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding. Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed.'"

Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on the heels of a trip to Kyiv, pledged ongoing American support to Ukraine as it faces the prospect of a protracted war against Russia.... The U.S. officials, in talks during a stay of several hours, said they had informed Zelensky of new military aid and the administration's intent to resume diplomatic operations in Ukraine this week, marking the return of U.S. diplomats for the first time since Russia's invasion began in February. Diplomats will return to the western city of Lviv, where Ukrainians and foreigners have sought shelter from the violence raging elsewhere in the country, a first step to reopening the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine's capital.... 'This will underscore our commitment, and it will make clear that we'll seek to have our diplomats return to our embassy in Kyiv as soon as possible,' a senior State Department official.... While other nations, including Britain, have announced a resumption of embassy operations in Kyiv, the United States has not yet taken that step."

Anushka Patil & Edward Wong of the New York Times: "President Biden nominated Bridget Brink as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine on Monday.... The Ukraine ambassadorship has lacked a full-time occupant since 2019, when ... Donald J. Trump unceremoniously removed Marie L. Yovanovitch. Shortly after, William B. Taylor Jr., a retired veteran diplomat, stepped in on a temporary basis until early 2020. The post has remained empty during the Biden administration even as dire warnings were issued last year that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine.... The U.S. mission in Ukraine has been managed by the chargé d'affaires, Kristina A. Kvien, a respected diplomat."

Theodoric Meyer & Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "Lawmakers return to Washington this week after a two-week recess, with Democrats preparing for a major push in the coming months to move legislation before the midterms consume Congress' attention starting in August. With Democrats' control of both chambers at risk, lawmakers are rushing to pass bills that they can run on in November, and Democratic senators working to confirm President Biden's nominees while their fragile majority holds."

James Downie of the Washington Post: Kevin McCarthy plans to do a political stunt today: a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border. "It's a transparent attempt to distract from newly released tapes recorded just after the Jan. 6 insurrection.... [AND] Because ... it fires up the GOP base.... McCarthy..., whether [he admits] it or not, recognize that the easiest way to protect their standing in the Republican Party is to embrace the hate and stoke the same bigoted fury that led a man to open fire in [an El Paso] store," killing 23 people. MB: In fairness to McCarthy, he's quite an experienced stuntman. Just watch him jump through hoops for Donald Trump.

Hope Yen of the AP: "Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is slamming Rep. Kevin McCarthy as a 'liar and a traitor' over recordings that show the House Republican leader -- despite his denials -- placing responsibility on ... Donald Trump for the Capitol riot and suggesting Trump should resign. It's unusually strong language to use against the House Republican leader, who is in line to become speaker -- second in presidential succession -- if Republicans win control of the House in the November elections. But Warren's statement reflects a swell of Democratic criticism against McCarthy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Charles Homans of the New York Times: "Evangelical churches have long been powerful vehicles for grass-roots activism and influence on the American right, mobilized around issues like abortion and gay marriage. Now, some of those churches have embraced a new cause: promoting Donald J. Trump's false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.... Trump's narrative of the 2020 election has become a prominent strain in an apocalyptic vision of the left running amok.... [Some evangelical figures] embraced Mr. Trump's claims or argued for the preservation of his rule in spite of his loss. Shortly after the election was called for Mr. Biden, Paula White, a Florida televangelist who served as the White House faith adviser during Mr. Trump's presidency, led a prayer service in which she and others called upon God to overturn the election.... Michael Flynn...."

Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "A two-star general in the U.S. Air Force was found guilty Saturday of sexual assault, marking the first court-martial and conviction of a general officer in the military branch's 74-year history. Maj. Gen. William T. Cooley faces up to seven years in prison and dismissal from the Air Force for forcibly kissing a woman after a barbecue in Albuquerque in 2018. Cooley will be sentenced in proceedings that begin Monday by Col. Christina M. Jimenez, the senior military judge who presided over the case at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.... Cooley's conviction comes months after President Biden signed the latest defense spending bill, which included changes to the military's handling of sexual-assault-related prosecutions after years of mounting pressure from Congress."

When You Lose, Oil & Gas Execs Win. Iffah Kitchlew of the Guardian: "CEOs from the largest oil and gas companies received nearly $45m more in combined total compensation in 2021 as compared to 2020 amid the steep rise in gasoline prices across the US over the last year, a new report states. Twenty-eight major oil and gas companies, such as Shell, Exxon, BP and Marathon Petroleum, gave out $394m in total to their CEOs in 2021, according to an exclusive analysis provided to The Guardian.... These figures reflect the companies' massive earnings, brought about largely by the boost in gas prices in the last year. Gas prices experienced a 50% rise in 2021, reaching the highest they have been since 2014."

Lauren Hirsch & Mike Isaac of the New York Times: "Twitter is nearing a deal to sell itself to Elon Musk, two people with knowledge of the situation said.... Twitter's board was negotiating with Mr. Musk into the early hours of Monday over his unsolicited bid to buy the company, after he began lining up $46.5 billion in financing for the offer last week, said the people.... Obtaining commitments for the financing was a turning point for how the board viewed Mr. Musk's bid of $54.20 a share, enabling the company's 11 board members to seriously consider his offer, the people said."

Jonathan Edwards of the Washington Post: When Merriam-Webster's "online dictionary added a new meaning: 'a person whose gender identity is female,' [Jeremy David Hanson wrote in the word's comments,] 'The moron who created this fake definition should be hunted down and shot.... I am sick and tired of these cultural Marxists denying science and destroying the English Language. Merriam-Webster headquarters should be shot up and bombed. Boys aren't girls.' The Massachusetts-based publisher closed its offices for a week as a result. Hanson, 34, was arrested last week and charged with threatening to injure someone using interstate communication. Authorities have accused him of sending 'despicable' anti-LGBTQ threats for years to organizations across the country, including Disney, Land O'Lakes, Hasbro and DC Comics, all to 'evoke fear and division,' according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office in Massachusetts."

Beyond the Beltway

California. The Misadventures of the "People's Convoy." Mary Papenfuss of the Huffington Post: "A 'People's Convoy' of truckers eventually took the speedy way out of town after Oakland residents pelted the trucks with eggs in a scrambled [MB: ha ha] confrontation captured on video.... According to the California Highway Patrol, the convoy -- which involved about 20 semis, pickup trucks and vans -- initially rolled into the Bay Area last week to plant American flags on the lawn of the San Francisco residence of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). But they couldn't decide which house was hers, according to Daily Beast journalist Zachary Petrizzo. Then the convoy took off Friday for Oakland to protest outside the home of California Assembly member Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) over an abortion-protection bill and a second bill that would have mandated COVID vaccines for private business employees (which she had already put on hold last month), The San Francisco Chronicle reported. As the convoy jammed the streets outside a Safeway grocery store on the way to Wicks' place, residents and stuck drivers reportedly took the opportunity to buy lots of eggs."

California. Even Kevin Wouldn't Pull a Stunt This Stupid. Julian Mark of the Washington Post: "Trevor Jacob's small airplane soared over California's Los Padres National Forest in November when, all of a sudden, the propeller stopped.... Jacob, who was filming himself in the cockpit, cursed repeatedly.... Seconds later, he jumped out of the plane, using a selfie stick to film his descent before deploying a parachute and landing in the wilderness. The episode was captured in a video Jacob later posted to YouTube titled 'I Crashed My Plane,' which also shows the aircraft barreling into the mountainous landscape via cameras affixed to its body. The rest of the video, which has received more than 2.2 million views since being posted in December, features Jacob narrating his trek out of the forest and his eventual rescue.... Now, following a Federal Aviation Administration probe, the agency has revoked his pilot's license, concluding that Jacob crashed the plane as a stunt."

Marie: I don't watch many TV ads, but whenever I happen to see one that features minorities, mixed-race families or gay couples, I'm pleased. At the same time, I sometimes wonder if these ads don't aggravate the bigots. Turns out they do! ~~~

~~~ Michigan. Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "According to a report from the Detroit News, a far-right conservative radio host who is running for a seat in the state Senate as a Democrat, recently told listeners that he thinks families should be all white. Last week 'Trucker Randy' Bishop, who previously chaired the Antrim County Republican Party filed to run for a seat representing the 37th state Senate District as a Democrat.... According to the report, Bishop told his followers, 'Can't even watch a college basketball tournament without commercials telling me I have to feel guilty because I think a family should be a White mom, a White dad and White kids. They want us to die and go away....'... You can read more here -- subscription is required."

Way Beyond

** France. Roger Cohen of the New York Times: "Emmanuel Macron won a second term as president of France, triumphing on Sunday over Marine Le Pen, his far-right challenger, after a campaign where his promise of stability prevailed over the temptation of an extremist lurch. Projections at the close of voting, which are generally reliable, showed Mr. Macron, a centrist, gaining 58.5 percent of the vote to Ms. Le Pen's 41.5 percent.... Speaking to a crowd massed on the Champ de Mars in front of a twinkling Eiffel Tower, a solemn Mr. Macron said his was a victory for 'a more independent France and a stronger Europe.'... Ms. Le Pen conceded defeat in her third attempt to become president, but bitterly criticized the 'brutal and violent methods' of Mr. Macron, without explaining what she meant. She vowed to fight on to secure a large number of representatives in legislative elections in June...."

Slovenia. Andrew Higgins of the New York Times: "Europe's once surging movement of nationalist populists suffered a significant setback in Slovenia on Sunday, in the formerly communist east.... In parliamentary elections in Slovenia, a noteworthy test for the appeal of right-wing populism, preliminary results indicated that the prime minister, Janez Jansa, an ardent admirer of ... Donald J. Trump, lost to centrist rivals.... With 95 percent of the vote counted in an election that the opposition called a 'referendum on democracy,' results indicated that Mr. Jansa's Slovenian Democratic Party, competing against 19 rival parties, had won around 24 percent of the vote. That is far behind the 34 percent of its main rival, the centrist Freedom Movement, meaning that Mr. Jansa is highly unlikely to keep his post as prime minister. The results, showing that no single party won a clear majority, presage a period of political haggling as rival groups try to stitch together a stable coalition in parliament."

News Ledes

New York Times': "Ursula Bellugi, a pioneer in the study of the biological foundations of language who was among the first to demonstrate that sign language was just as complex, abstract and systematic as spoken language, died on Sunday in San Diego. She was 91."

New York Times': "... wildfires this past week that have collectively scorched more than 150,000 acres [in Arizona, Nebraska and New Mexico] and forced the evacuations of at least 4,000 homes, officials said. The fires, which have been blamed for at least one death, are part of an early and active season across the country, as wildfires have also plagued California, Colorado and Texas."

April 24, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Youpi! New York Times live updates: "Emmanuel Macron won a second term as president of France, triumphing on Sunday over Marine Le Pen, his far-right challenger, after a campaign where his promise of stability prevailed over the strong temptation of an extremist lurch. Early projections at the close of voting, which are generally reliable, showed Mr. Macron, a centrist, gaining 58.2 percent of the vote to Ms. Le Pen's 41.8 percent. His victory was much narrower than in 2017, when the margin was 66.1 percent to 33.9 percent for Ms. Le Pen, but wider than appeared likely two weeks ago. The French do not generally love their presidents, and none had succeeded in being re-elected since 2002." The AP's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ NYT Update: "Ms. Le Pen conceded to Mr. Macron not long after the polls closed." MB: Apparently, she didn't learn a thing from her friend Donald "I Won" Trump.

Hope Yen of the AP: "Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is slamming Rep. Kevin McCarthy as a 'liar and a traitor' over recordings that show the House Republican leader -- despite his denials -- placing responsibility on ... Donald Trump for the Capitol riot and suggesting Trump should resign. It's unusually strong language to use against the House Republican leader, who is in line to become speaker -- second in presidential succession -- if Republicans win control of the House in the November elections. But Warren's statement reflects a swell of Democratic criticism against McCarthy."

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Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine sounded a note of optimism before the expected arrival of an American delegation in the capital on Sunday, saying his country had begun to receive the sort of heavy weaponry it needs and could eventually defeat the invading Russian forces. 'It is only a matter of time before all Russian murderers feel what a fair response to their crimes is,' Mr. Zelensky said in his evening address on Saturday. 'It is only a matter of time before all our people all over Ukraine feel what a strong peace is.' Mr. Zelensky said he would meet in Kyiv, the capital, with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, the highest-level American officials to visit since the start of the war, to discuss the delivery of more weapons. Neither the State Department nor the Defense Department have publicly confirmed the visit. The two officials are expected to arrive on Sunday, Mr. Zelensky said, as Ukraine's Eastern Orthodox majority marks Easter." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Sunday are here: "Missile strikes killed at least eight people in the southern port city of Odessa, Ukrainian officials said, as many residents were preparing to celebrate Orthodox Easter on Sunday.... In Mariupol, Ukrainian authorities accused Russian forces of striking the Azovstal steel plant, where many of the city's remaining defenders are holed up.... Vladimir Putin publicly ordered his forces last week not to storm the site but to seal it off." ~~~

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

Cara Anna & Inna Varenytsia of the AP: "The sun came out as Ukrainians marked Orthodox Easter in the capital, Kyiv, on Sunday with prayers for those fighting on the front lines and others trapped beyond them in places like Mariupol. St. Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv was ringed by hundreds of worshipers with baskets to be blessed.... President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a service elsewhere in Kyiv urged Ukrainians not to let anger at the war overwhelm them."

Unsung Heroes: the Belarusian Railroad Saboteurs. Liz Sly of the Washington Post: "Starting in the earliest days of [Russia's] invasion [of Ukraine] in February, a clandestine network of railway workers, hackers and dissident security forces went into action to disable or disrupt the railway links connecting Russia to Ukraine through Belarus, wreaking havoc on Russian supply lines.... The Belarus railway saboteurs can at least claim a role in fueling the logistical chaos that quickly engulfed the Russians, leaving troops stranded on the front lines without food, fuel and ammunition within days of the invasion. Alexander Kamyshin, head of Ukrainian railways, expressed Ukraine's gratitude to the Belarusian saboteurs. 'They are brave and honest people who have helped us,' he said. The attacks were simple but effective, targeting the signal control cabinets essential to the functioning of the railways, members of the activist network said. For days on end, the movement of trains was paralyzed, forcing the Russians to attempt to resupply their troops by road and contributing to the snarl-up that stalled the infamous 40-mile military convoy north of Kyiv."

Whatever Became of Gerhard Schröder? Katrin Bennhold of the New York Times: Former German Chancellor "Gerhard Schröder, who is paid almost $1 million a year by Russian-controlled energy companies, has become a pariah. But he is also a symbol of Germany's Russia policy.... All of Germany is reconsidering the ties with Russia that -- despite years of warnings from the United States and Eastern European allies -- have left Germany deeply reliant on Russian gas, giving Mr. Putin coercive leverage over Europe while filling the Kremlin's war chest. That dependency grew out of a German belief -- embraced by a long succession of chancellors, industry leaders, journalists and the public -- that a Russia bound in trade would have too much to risk in conflict with Europe, making Germany more secure while also profiting its economy. Mr. Schröder ... has become the most prominent face of that long era of miscalculation, not only because he expresses no regret, but because he has also profited handsomely from it, earning millions while promoting Russian energy interests."

A Party Without Principles. Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "There was a time in the nation's capital when lines mattered, and when they were crossed, the consequences were swift and severe.... Yet when the House Republican leader, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, was shown to have lied about his response to the deadliest assault on the Capitol in centuries and ... Donald J. Trump's culpability for it, there was little expectation that the consequences would be swift or severe -- or that there would be any at all.... It was Mr. Trump himself who showed just how few consequences there could be for transgressions that once seemed beyond the pale for the nation's leaders in 2016, when he survived the release of leaked audio in which he boasted of sexually assaulting women -- then went on to win the presidency.... Tribalism and party loyalty now outweigh any notion of integrity, or even steadfast policy beliefs."

Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "In his ceaseless drive to become the next speaker of the House, [Kevin McCarthy] has demonstrated weakness, hypocrisy and a willingness to lie to save his skin.... McCarthy has ... been craven in bowing to Trump's wishes, fearing that crossing the former president could compromise both his party's hopes of capturing the majority in November's midterm elections and his own desire to lead a Republican-controlled House next year as speaker. He also has been weak in the face of calls to discipline the most extreme members of the House GOP conference -- those who have been the most loyal to Trump and his conspiracy theories, including the false claim that he won the 2020 election.... Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has played a different game but one that also reveals his shared fear of going into open warfare with Trump...."

Ha Ha. Speaking of Blind Ambition. Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "According to recordings released to New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns, [Kevin] McCarthy was pushing Donald Trump to resign, while also making it clear to the caucus that he opposed Trump's behavior. McCarthy previously said reports about his comments were false -- until the authors released the tapes. Speaking to Joy Reid on MSNBC Friday, Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson said that from what he understands the anti-McCarthy attacks are secretly coming from Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY). '... Today, the buzz in D.C. is all about Elise Stefanik, that she's the one who is behind some of this and she's putting the knife into this guy.... I think Kevin should get a food taster at this point.'" Includes video of the segment. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I speculated the other day that the source of the recordings was Liz Cheney or her staff. But it would be so much better if Stefanik -- who replaced Cheney in the House GOP hierarchy, with Kevin's blessing -- was the culprit.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is unlikely to be disqualified from the 2022 ballot, and a hearing on that subject Friday probably didn't change this. But the hearing did afford the public our first sworn testimony from a member of Congress about Jan. 6, 2021. Regrettably, the testimony did not shed much light. Greene was combative, evasive and ... repeatedly responded to questions by saying she didn't recall. But a few answers stand out, either because Greene's responses didn't make much sense, or because they're likely to be revisited in the future." Blake runs down four questions along with Greene's phony answers.

** The Conspirators Plot the Insurrection. Luke Broadwater & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Trump White House officials and members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus strategized about a plan to direct thousands of angry marchers to the building, according to newly released testimony obtained by the House committee investigating the riot and ... Donald J. Trump's efforts to overturn the election. On a planning call that included Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff; Rudolph W. Giuliani...; Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio; and other Freedom Caucus members, the group discussed the idea of encouraging supporters to march to the Capitol, according to one witness's account. The idea was endorsed by Representative Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania, who now leads the Freedom Caucus, according to testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Mr. Meadows, and no one on the call spoke out against the idea.... [The filing] disclosed testimony that Mr. Meadows was told that plans to try to overturn the 2020 election using so-called alternate electors were not 'legally sound' and that the events of Jan. 6 could turn violent." Read on. Politico's story, also linked yesterday, is here.

Robert McFadden of the New York Times: "Senator Orrin G. Hatch, the Utah Republican who crusaded for conservative causes and outlasted six presidents in a seven-term Senate career that corresponded to the rise of a right-wing movement in America, died on Saturday in Salt Lake City. He was 88." The AP's obituary is here.

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan Republicans Choose Election Deniers. Miles Parks of NPR: "Michigan Republicans picked two candidates -- who deny the 2020 election results and have been endorsed by former President Trump -- to serve as the state's next top elections officer and top law enforcement official. Kristina Karamo, a community college professor who rose to prominence after claiming she saw election fraud in Detroit in the last presidential race, won the three-person race for secretary of state with about 67% of the vote at Saturday's GOP endorsement convention in Grand Rapids. On the November ballot, her opponent will be incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson. Matt DePerno, an attorney who has pushed Trump's false claims of election fraud, won the party's endorsement for attorney general. In a runoff race, DePerno took 54% of the vote to defeat former state House speaker Tom Leonard, who was seen as the more establishment Republican candidate. DePerno is now running against incumbent Democrat Dana Nessel.... At this weekend's GOP convention, the party voted resoundingly to support ... Trump's false claims about the 2020 election."

North Carolina. Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "'A local Republican Party leader in North Carolina threatened to get a county elections director fired or have her pay cut unless she helped him gain illegal access to voting equipment, the state elections board told Reuters. The party official, William Keith Senter, sought evidence to support false conspiracy theories alleging the 2020 election was rigged against ... Donald Trump,' the wire service reported Saturday. Reuters identified Senter as chair of the Surry County Republican Party. His threats were directed at the county's selections director, Michella Huff. 'Senter was "aggressive, threatening, and hostile," in two meetings with Huff, the state elections board said, citing witness accounts,' Reuters reported. 'Huff, who refused Senter's demands, was disturbed by the incident of political intimidation.'"

Utah Senate Race. Lindsay Whitehurst of the AP: "Utah Democrats pulling hard to defeat Republican Sen. Mike Lee took the unusual step Saturday of spurning a party hopeful to instead get behind an independent, former presidential candidate Evan McMullin. Democrats were swayed by calls from prominent members who said McMullin, a conservative who captured a significant share of the vote in Utah in 2016, was the best chance to beat Lee in the deeply conservative state that hasn't elected a Democratic U.S. senator for more than 50 years."

Way Beyond

France. Rick Noack, et al., of the Washington Post: "Polls have opened in a French presidential election runoff that is being closely followed around the globe for its potential to redefine France's position in the Western world, the country's approach to immigration and Europe's relationship with Russia.... This election has already brought the far right closer to the French presidency than ever before." The AP's story is here. The Guardian's report is here.

April 23, 2022

Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Russian troops have captured a number of small towns in recent days but made no major territorial gains.... Ukrainians, Western allies and analysts were taking stock of a Russian commander's statement on Friday that Moscow intended to take 'full control' of southern Ukraine all the way to Moldova, Ukraine's southwestern neighbor.... His remarks hinted at ambitions reaching beyond Ukraine's borders, into a sliver of land in Moldova that is controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.... Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain said on Friday that his country was considering sending tanks to Poland so that Warsaw could then send its own tanks to Ukraine; the United States previously said it was coordinating a similar transfer." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Saturday are here: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of growing Russian irredentism late Friday, cautioning that the invasion of Ukraine was 'intended only as a beginning ... they want to capture other countries.' Zelensky's remarks came after a Russian commander said the Kremlin intends to establish a path through Ukraine to a breakaway territory in Moldova.... Evidence of widespread atrocities continues to emerge from the devastated southern port city of Mariupol.... A flurry of diplomatic endeavors to peacefully resolve the war continues, even as Russia claims that talks with Ukraine have stalled. U.N. Secretary General António Gutierrez heads to Moscow next Tuesday to meet with ... Vladimir Putin, before visiting Ukraine on Thursday for discussions with Zelensky. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has hosted a previous round of peace talks, plans on calling Putin and Zelensky in the coming days to push for a leaders' summit in Istanbul."

     ~~~ Marie: Okay, I hadda look up "irredentism." It means, "a policy of advocating the restoration to a country of any territory formerly belonging to it." And here I thought it must have something to do with aching teeth. ~~~

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

Kate Conger & David Sanger of the New York Times: "Hackers claim to have broken into dozens of Russian institutions over the past two months, including the Kremlin's internet censor and one of its primary intelligence services, leaking emails and internal documents to the public in an apparent hack-and-leak campaign that is remarkable in its scope. The hacking operation comes as the Ukrainian government appears to have begun a parallel effort to punish Russia by publishing the names of supposed Russian soldiers who operated in Bucha, the site of a massacre of civilians, and agents of the F.S.B., a major Russian intelligence agency, along with identifying information like dates of birth and passport numbers. It is unclear how the Ukrainian government obtained those names or whether they were part of the hacks."

Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "A Russian court on Friday charged dissident writer and Washington Post opinions contributor Vladimir Kara-Murza with spreading what it considers 'false' information about the nation's military after he called the government 'a regime of murderers' in an interview earlier this month. Kara-Murza was arrested outside his home in Moscow last week and is serving a 15-day detention for allegedly evading police. The more serious charge -- an alleged violation of a vaguely-defined law supported by ... Vladimir Putin and enacted by Russia's parliament just after the country's invasion of Ukraine -- was leveled Friday by a court in Moscow, according to a charging document posted on Facebook by his attorney, Vadim Prokhorov. Kara-Murza, 40, who lives with his family in Northern Virginia, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted."

Aaron Blake & Michael Birnbaum of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump on Thursday offered his most explicit statement to date that he threatened not to defend NATO allies from attacks by Russia. Appearing at an event held by the Heritage Foundation in Florida, Trump claimed that he told fellow NATO leaders that he might not abide by NATO's Article 5 collective-defense clause if those countries didn't pay more for the alliance. A fellow leader 'said, "Does that mean that you won't protect us in case -- if we don't pay, you won't protect us from Russia' -- was the Soviet Union, but now Russia,' Trump said. 'I said, "That's exactly what it means."' Trump implied that it was a negotiating tactic.... The comments ... don't fully jibe with how others described the conversations then, although they may still be an accurate window into how he felt. Leaders and others who were inside the room at that summit said ... Trump said that if countries did not live up to their spending targets by the end of 2018, he would 'do his own thing.'..." ~~~

     ~~~ digby republishes much of the WashPo report & writes, "There is little doubt that [Trump's] ill-conceived and ignorant posturing led to what's happening today in Ukraine as Putin thought the alliance was weak and it was time to make his move. There are a lot of reasons for that but Trump's sophomoric understanding of world affairs certainly made everything much, much worse."

At the Liars' Club, Ctd.

** Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, told G.O.P. lawmakers in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that ... Donald J. Trump acknowledged that he bore 'some responsibility' for what happened that day, new audio revealed. The audio obtained by The New York Times that emerged on Friday is part of a series of new revelations about Republican leaders' private condemnations of Mr. Trump in the days after his supporters stormed the Capitol as part of an effort to stop the certification of electoral votes for Joseph R. Biden Jr. 'Let me be very clear to all of you, and I have been very clear to the president: he bears responsibilities for his words and actions,' Mr. McCarthy said on the call, which took place on Jan. 11. 'No if, ands or buts.... I asked him personally today, does he hold responsibility for what happened?' Mr. McCarthy said. 'Does he feel bad about what happened? He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened and he'd need to acknowledge that.' Mr. McCarthy's assertion is at odds with the former president's refusal, then and now, to accept responsibility for the deadly attack." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been revised, with Jonathan Martin & Alexander Burns on the byline: "Mr. McCarthy's assertion would be the clearest indication yet that Mr. Trump may have admitted some measure of culpability for the deadly mob.... Mr. McCarthy on Thursday called the report [that he had suggested to Mr. Trump that he should resign] 'totally false and wrong,' but the claim was swiftly disproved when The Times published a recording of the call hours later. On Friday, he repeated the falsehood, telling reporters in Ridgecrest, Calif., 'I never thought that he should resign.' The exposure of Mr. McCarthy's dishonesty comes at a pivotal moment in the 57-year-old Republican leader's long-plotted rise to power.... In private, Mr. Trump enjoyed watching Mr. McCarthy's misfortune, according to four people who had spoken to him...." A CNN report is here. ~~~

~~~ Supplicant McCarthy Seeks Absolution from the Lord High Executioner. Jacqueline Alemany, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) spoke on the phone Thursday night about a newly released audio of McCarthy telling Republican leaders that Trump should resign in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to two people familiar with the conversation. The audio contradicted McCarthy's claim that he didn't push for Trump to resign after the deadly insurrection by a pro-Trump mob. On Friday, more audio clips surfaced in which McCarthy says, 'I've had it with this guy,' and blamed Trump for the storming of the Capitol. McCarthy called Trump after the audio was released. The former president was not upset about McCarthy's remarks and was glad the Republican leader didn't follow through, which Trump saw as a sign of his continued grip on the Republican Party, according to the three people...." (Also linked yesterday.) The transcript of an NPR report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. "It's Not Like He Really Trusts Him." Peter Nicholas & Scott Wong of NBC News: "... in an interview Friday with The Wall Street Journal, Trump indicated there was no ill-will between him and McCarthy, even after the recordings surfaced. 'He made a call. I heard the call. I didn't like the call,' Trump said, before quickly adding that McCarthy flew down to Florida to meet him just a few weeks later that January to show his support. 'The support was very strong,' he added. When asked if he still backs McCarthy for speaker if Republicans win the majority in November, Trump ... [said,] 'Well, I don't know of anybody else that's running, and I think that I've had actually a very good relationship with him,' Trump said. 'I like him. And other than that brief period of time, I suspect he likes me quite a bit.' One person close to Trump told NBC News that McCarthy called the former president and apologized for his leaked remarks to Cheney. 'He said he was placating Liz and he was paying her lip service,' said the person, who spoke with Trump about the call. 'Trump isn't really mad. He's got other things on his mind. He accepts Kevin for who he is. It's not like he really trusts him.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Two things struck me. (1) Trump sounds even more simple-minded than usual. "He made a call. I heard the call. I didn't like the call." Trump speaks like a first-grade or Dr. Seuss primer. (2) The way liars interact. First, they assume the other person is lying because they all lie all the time. Then, they use the lies in the way they consider to be most advantageous to themselves. In the here and now only, Trump wants it known that McCarthy came groveling, and that McCarthy will have to keep groveling. He wants it known that McCarthy is a liar -- he lied to Liz Cheney, too -- and that McCarthy is untrustworthy. He has set McCarthy up for a fall. ~~~

~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Representative Kevin McCarthy's denial of disparaging comments he made about ... Donald J. Trump after the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, exposed a widely known but seldom seen phenomenon in Washington: the hypocrisy of Republicans who have privately scorned Mr. Trump while publicly defending him.... In the Republican Party, which has coalesced around Mr. Trump's claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him, falsehoods have become routine and even accepted.... 'I think it's all a big compliment, frankly,' Mr. Trump told The [Wall Street] Journal, referring to Mr. McCarthy and other Republicans who criticized him immediately after the Capitol attack but then relented. 'They realized they were wrong and supported me.'"

Luke Broadwater & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Mark Meadows, the final chief of staff for ... Donald J. Trump, was told that plans to try to overturn the 2020 election using so-called alternate electors were not 'legally sound' and that the events of Jan. 6 could turn violent, but he pushed forward with a rally anyway, the House committee investigating the Capitol attack alleged in a Friday night court filing. In the 248-page filing, lawyers for the committee highlighted the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, a White House aide in Mr. Meadows's office, who revealed new details about the events that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress.... Ms. Hutchinson -- who testified twice before the panel in closed-door interviews in February and March -- said Anthony M. Ornato, the former White House chief of operations, told Mr. Meadows that 'we had intel reports saying that there could potentially be violence on the 6th. And Mr. Meadows said: All right. Let's talk about it.'... The committee put forward the evidence Friday to try to persuade a federal judge in Washington to throw out Mr. Meadows's suit against the panel." The Hill's report is here. An AP report is here. ~~~

~~~ Kyle Cheney & Nicholas Wu of Politico: "Republican members of Congress were heavily involved in calls and meetings with ... Donald Trump and his top aides as they devised a strategy to overturn the election in December 2020, according to new evidence filed in federal court late Friday. Deposition excerpts filed by the Jan 6. select committee -- part of an effort to force former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to appear for an interview -- suggest that some of Trump's top allies in Congress were frequently present in meetings where a handful of strategies to prevent Joe Biden from taking office were discussed, including efforts to replace the leadership of the Justice Department with figures who would sow doubts about the legitimacy of the election. Lawmakers who attended meetings, in person or by phone, included Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and numerous members of the House Freedom Caucus, according to Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Meadows who provided key testimony about the conversations and meetings Meadows had in December 2020.... Members traded theories about ways to push then-Vice President Mike Pence to single-handedly stop Biden's election, they parried with the White House Counsel's Office on the boundaries of the law regarding presidential electors, and they met directly with Pence's staff to encourage him to take direct action on Jan. 6, when Congress convened to count electoral votes."

Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "A man who joked about storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with a can of beer in his hand said Friday that he regretted his actions. They were 'stupid posts that were never meant to be taken seriously,' Thomas Paul Conover, 53, of Keller, Tex., said in federal court in Washington, D.C., before being sentenced for illegally demonstrating in the Capitol.... 'I now realize it was extremely inappropriate.'... Conover recorded himself throughout the riot and posed for photographs inside with a can of beer. Outside, he announced on video, 'I don't always storm the Capitol of the United States of America, but when I do, I prefer Coors Light.'... Judge Florence Y. Pan ordered Conover to spend 30 days in a halfway house, 36 months on probation, perform 60 hours of community service and pay a $2,500 fine.... He said he was 'ashamed' to be 'forever entwined' with the violence of the day -- 'it's not who I am.'" MB: Tom, that's exactly who you are: a flaming nitwit who thinks an insurrection against your own country is funny.

Life & Death in Second-Amendment America. Abené Clayton of the Guardian: "Gun violence overtook car accidents as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the US in 2020, according to a report from the University of Michigan. The finding was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday as part of longer term research effort from the university's Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention (IFIP).... These deaths include incidents of suicide, accidental shootings and homicides, with homicides outpacing the other two categories.... The rise in shooting deaths among the nation's youngest is part of a larger increase in homicides in that same time period." MB: You can thank Republicans in general & the confederate Supremes in particular for this.

Coral Marcos of the New York Times: "Stocks slid on Friday, with the S&P 500 capping a third consecutive weekly decline as Wall Street quickly changed its expectation for how aggressively the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates. The S&P 500 fell 2.8 percent, its worst day since early March. The index is down 5.7 percent for April so far, and more than 10 percent for the year. The latest swing lower for stocks began on Thursday, after the Fed chair, Jerome H. Powell, sealed expectations that the central bank would raise interest rates by half a percentage point when it meets next month."

Adam Satariano in the New York Times: "The European Union reached a deal on Saturday on landmark legislation that would force Facebook, YouTube and other internet services to combat misinformation, disclose how their services amplify divisive content and stop targeting online ads based on a person's ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. The law, called the Digital Services Act, is intended to address social media's societal harms by requiring companies to more aggressively police their platforms for illicit content or risk billions of dollars in fines."

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Katie Glueck & Frances Robles of the New York Times: "Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday revoked Disney's special tax and self-governing privileges in Florida, culminating an extraordinary clash between one of the Republican Party's leading figures and a powerful company with deep historical ties to his state. The move, which reverses a 55-year arrangement effectively allowing the company to self-govern its theme park complex, came after a weekslong battle with Disney that became a symbol of the country's broader cultural fights over education, sexuality and identity.... Widely seen as retaliation, Mr. DeSantis's move illustrated just how drastically the G.O.P. has transformed from the days when its leaders often moved in lock step with the nation's largest businesses. The episode also showed how major companies have felt rising pressure to take a stand on heated political issues." An AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The move is "widely seen as retaliation" because DeSantis said it was: "'I'm just not comfortable having that type of agenda get special treatment in my state,' Mr. DeSantis said on Friday, denouncing how Disney had responded to the ['Don't Say Gay'] legislation...." And as Mother Jones reported (linked next), "DeSantis said Disney's opposition to the bill 'crossed a line.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Pema Levy of Mother Jones: "'It is a violation of the First Amendment for the government to punish a corporation because of the company's expressed viewpoints on political issues,' says Adam Winkler, a constitutional law specialist at UCLA School of Law.... 'I think that we will see legal challenges to this. And I think there will be constitutional challenges to it.'... Under Supreme Court precedent from 1972, the government cannot rescind a privilege once granted for improper reasons such as retaliation for political speech. And Disney's actions -- both its statements and its decision to pause its donations [to Florida politicians] -- are protected First Amendment activity. Over the last century, the Supreme Court has extended civil rights to corporations, insulating them from government reprisal for exercising those rights. It wasn't long ago that Republicans were cheering this trend."

Florida. Dana Goldstein & Stephanie Saul of the New York Times on Florida's rejection of math textbooks: "The New York Times was able to review 21 of the rejected books and see what may have led the state to reject them. Because Florida has released so few details about its textbook review process, it is unknown whether these examples led to the rejections. But they do illustrate the way in which these concepts appear -- and don't appear -- in curriculum materials." This is a much more comprehensive report on the rejected textbooks than the WashPo story linked earlier today. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Judd Legum & others at Popular Information also looked at eight of the rejected textbooks and found that the very worst thing they did was to encourage young children to work together. One textbook, oh horrors, featured a couple of Black mathematicians. You knew that would be a problem. Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Georgia Congressional Race. Jonathan Weisman & Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, on Friday repeated false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election as she defended her actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, in an extraordinary hearing that asked whether she should be labeled an 'insurrectionist' and barred from office under the Constitution. While under oath at an administrative law hearing in Atlanta, Ms. Greene insisted that 'a tremendous amount of fraudulent activity' had robbed ... Donald J. Trump of his re-election, an assertion that has been soundly refuted by multiple courts, Republican-led recounts and Mr. Trump's own attorney general, William P. Barr. But despite her exhortations on social media to '#FightForTrump,' she said she had possessed no knowledge that protesters intended to invade the Capitol on Jan. 6, or disrupt the congressional joint session called to count the electoral votes and confirm Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s victory. She said she did not recall meeting with any of the instigators.... The legal case appeared to be on shaky ground as the administrative law judge, Charles R. Beaudrot, repeatedly sided with Ms. Greene's lawyer, the prominent conservative election attorney James Bopp Jr.... The final decision [on whether or not Greene can remain on the ballot] will fall to Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger [R]...." Read on. Greene repeatedly could not recall saying things that have been reported or that she posted on Twitter. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Matthew Brown & Feliciz Sonmez of the Washington Post: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, testifying Friday about her alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as part of a case seeking to disqualify her from seeking reelection, said she could not remember whether she urged ... Donald Trump to impose martial law as a way to remain in power....[An] exchange [between Greene & an attorney for the plaintiff] was one of dozens of times during Friday's hearing that Greene said she could not recall her tweets or statements related to the attack." (Also linked yesterday.) A CNN report is here. Neal Katyal, appearing on MSNBC, said Greene's testimony demonstrated that her memory was worse than Harold & Kumar's when they were high on dope.

North Carolina House Race. Michael Kruse of Politico: "Photographs obtained by Politico appear to show Madison Cawthorn, the embattled Republican congressman from North Carolina who recently accused his GOP colleagues of inviting him to orgies, wearing lingerie in what appears to be a party setting. Cawthorn, 26, was raised in a conservative Baptist community in Henderson County, North Carolina, and has staked his political persona on arch-traditional Christian principles and the insistence of the importance of a kind of hypermasculinity. His comments about 'the sexual perversion' in Washington made on a podcast, which he later admitted were exaggerated, drew the public disapproval and disavowal of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy as well as other Republican leaders including those in his North Carolina congressional caucus.... The primary in North Carolina is May 17. Cawthorn has seven Republican opponents...." ~~~

     ~~~ Yeah But. Steve M. argues, "This isn't drag drag! This is normal-people drag!... Maybe the drag pictures will hurt him, but I don't see it.... I credit Kevin McCarthy with this leak."

Tennessee. Sam Levine of the Guardian: "A Memphis prosecutor has dropped all criminal charges against Pamela Moses, the Memphis woman who was sentenced to six years in prison for trying to register to vote. Moses was convicted last year and sentenced in January. She was granted a new trial in February after the Guardian published a document ... that had not been given to her defense ahead of the trial.... The case stirred national outrage because it underscored disparities in the way Black people are punished for voting errors. Several white defendants elsewhere have been sentenced to probation for impersonating family members and voting on their behalf.... Amy Weirich, the Shelby county district attorney, who prosecuted the case..., noted that Moses is permanently barred from voting in Tennessee.... Tennessee has some of the harshest policies regarding the restoration of voting rights in the US."

News Lede

Washington Post: "A man who police believe indiscriminately shot at people from an apartment Friday, wounding three adults and a child and spreading fear in the Van Ness area of Northwest Washington, apparently took his own life as tactical officers breached his door. D.C. police Chief Robert J. Contee III said officers found six firearms, including long guns, hand guns and ammunition, along with a tripod used to mount rifles in the apartment where the man was found dead.... The chief described a 'sniper-like setup' in the a fifth-floor apartment that overlooked the shooting scene outside the Edmund Burke School." A Reuters story, republished in the Guardian, is here.