February 8, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Dan Lamothe & Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "Senior White House and State Department officials failed to grasp the Taliban's steady advance on Afghanistan's capital and resisted efforts by U.S. military leaders to prepare the evacuation of embassy personnel and Afghan allies weeks before Kabul's fall, placing American troops ordered to carry out the withdrawal in greater danger, according to sworn testimony from multiple commanders involved in the operation. An Army investigative report, numbering 2,000 pages and released to The Washington Post through a Freedom of Information Act request, details the life-or-death decisions made daily by U.S. soldiers and Marines sent to secure Hamid Karzai International Airport as thousands converged on the airfield in a frantic bid to escape.... Military personnel would have been 'much better prepared to conduct a more orderly' evacuation, Navy Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, the top U.S. commander on the ground during the operation, told Army investigators, 'if policymakers had paid attention to the indicators of what was happening on the ground.'"

Kyle Blaine, et al., of CNN: "Second gentleman Doug Emhoff is safe after being ushered out of a room at a Washington, DC, high school by the Secret Service after a bomb threat to the building, his spokesperson said. '"U.S. Secret Service was made aware of a security threat at a school where the @SecondGentleman was meeting with students and faculty. Mr. Emhoff is safe and the school has been evacuated. We are grateful to Secret Service and D.C. Police for their work,' Emhoff's spokesperson Katie Peters wrote on Twitter.... District of Columbia Public Schools press secretary Enrique Gutierrez told reporters at the event that a bomb threat had been called into Dunbar High School in Northwest Washington, where Emhoff was holding an event."

Sahil Kapur of NBC News: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell disagreed Tuesday with the Republican National Committee's recent censure of two GOP lawmakers, as well as its characterization of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. 'We all were here. We saw what happened. It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election, from one administration to the next. That's what it was,' McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters at his weekly news conference. His remarks followed an outcry from Democrats and some Republicans after the RNC approved a resolution Friday accusing Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., of 'participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse,' a reference to the Jan. 6 committee." A New York Times report is here.

Adela Suliman of the Washington Post: "A judge in San Antonio has ordered the United States Air Force to pay more than $230 million in damages to the survivors and families of victims of a Texas church shooting in 2017, where 26 people were killed and 22 injured by a former airman. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez described in his judgment how, in a span of seven minutes and 24 seconds, the gunman, Devin Patrick Kelley, fired 450 rounds using an AR-556 rifle. Worshipers at the small First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Tex., scrambled to take cover under pews during the routine Sunday service, and the massacre left children among the dead and multigenerational gaps in some families."

God Forgives Me. Chicago Harlan of the Washington Post: "Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Tuesday expressed his 'profound shame' to the victims of clerical abuse, and he said he was pained by 'errors' that occurred in various places across his career in the church. But he stopped short of acknowledging any specific personal responsibility after a church-commissioned German report accused him of mishandling four cases during his time running the archdiocese of Munich between 1977 and 1982. 'However great my fault may be today, the Lord forgives me, if I sincerely allow myself to be examined by him, and am really prepared to change,' the 94-year-old retired pope wrote."

Amanda Coletta, et al., of the Washington Post: "The busiest crossing on the U.S.-Canada land border was obstructed on Tuesday as demonstrations against vaccine mandates and other coronavirus public health measures that have paralyzed Canada's capital spread to a crucial trade artery. The Canada Border Services Agency said Tuesday that the Ambassador Bridge, which links Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, was 'temporarily closed' for passengers and commercial traffic. The Michigan Department of Transportation also said the border was closed. Windsor Police said 'limited traffic' was being allowed into the United States."

Butt Out, Trump, et al. Amy Cheng of the Washington Post: "Senior Canadian officials hit back Monday at high-profile U.S. Republicans who have voiced support for the self-described 'Freedom Convoy,' as the group continued to block traffic in downtown Ottawa in protest of vaccine rules for cross-border truckers."

Maryland Senate Race. Steve Peoples & Brian Witte of the AP: "Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday that he will not run for the U.S. Senate, rebuffing an aggressive recruitment push from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans who saw the term-limited governor as the GOP's best chance to win in the deep-blue state. Hogan announced his decision during an unrelated afternoon press conference in the state Capitol, explaining that he could not finish his term as governor effectively and run for the Senate at the same time."

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Missy Ryan, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden vowed Monday that a major European energy pipeline would be abandoned if Russia sends forces into Ukraine, intensifying pressure on the Kremlin as Western leaders attempt to stave off a renewed assault on the continent's eastern edge. Biden issued the threat after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose recently formed government has pledged to take part in Western retaliation should Russia seize more Ukrainian territory, as it did in the 2014 annexation of Crimea. But Germany has stopped short of explicitly promising to halt the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 project, which would bring Russian gas to energy-hungry European consumers. On Monday, Scholz said only that his country was 'absolutely united' with the United States and other NATO allies, 'and we will not be taking different steps.'"

Sylvie Corbet & Dasha Litvinova of the AP: "Diplomatic efforts to defuse the tensions around Ukraine continued on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron arriving in Kyiv the day after hours of talks with the Russian leader in Moscow yielded no apparent breakthroughs. Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as fears of a possible Russian invasion mount."

Anton Troianovski, et al., of the New York Times: "President Vladimir V. Putin said he was prepared to keep negotiating over Russia's security demands in Eastern Europe but offered a stark warning over the possibility of a full-scale war between Russia and the West -- using a five-hour meeting with his French counterpart on Monday to keep the world guessing about his intentions. Mr. Putin said that proposals made by President Emmanuel Macron of France in their one-on-one meeting at the Kremlin were 'too early to speak about' but could create 'a foundation for our further steps.' Mr. Macron, in a joint news conference with Mr. Putin after their hastily scheduled meeting, described the coming days as potentially decisive in heading off what the West fears could be a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Rachel Pannett, et al., of the Washington Post: "French President Emmanuel Macron called for a de-escalation of tensions over Ukraine on Monday, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as part of an attempt by Western nations to stave off a Russian invasion of its neighbor. The French leader, speaking alongside Putin at the opening of their talks, said dialogue with Russia was necessary because it 'makes it possible to build real security and stability' in Europe. 'I believe that our continent is today in an eminently critical situation, which requires us all to be extremely responsible,' he said." MB: IOW, no great diplomatic breakthrough. (Also linked yesterday.)

Scientist Studies Office Bullying. Alex Thompson of Politico: "President Joe Biden's top science adviser, Eric Lander, bullied and demeaned his subordinates and violated the White House's workplace policy, an internal White House investigation recently concluded, according to interviews and an audio recording obtained by Politico. The two-month investigation found 'credible evidence' that Lander -- a Cabinet member and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy who the White House touts as a key player in the pandemic response -- was 'bullying' toward his then-general counsel, Rachel Wallace, according to a recorded January briefing on the investigation's findings.... There was also 'credible evidence' that Lander had spoken 'harshly and disrespectfully to colleagues in front of other colleagues,' [deputy personnel manager Christian] Peele said, according to the recording. 'The investigation found credible evidence of instances of multiple women having complained to other staff about negative interactions with Dr. Lander, where he spoke to them in a demeaning or abrasive way in front of other staff,' Peele said in the recording.... Soon after his top aides became aware of the extent of Politico's investigation, Lander sent an email late Friday to all OSTP staff apologizing for his behavior." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ ** Update. Scientist Discovers You Can Lose Your Job for Bullying Subordinates. Tyler Pager of the Washington Post: "Eric Lander, President Biden's top science adviser, resigned Monday night after he acknowledged mistreating his subordinates and apologized for demeaning them, a pattern of behavior that put him at odds with one of Biden's earliest promises -- to run an administration marked by respect and professionalism.... Lander's resignation came after the White House struggled throughout the day to explain why he had not quit or been fired, and how that squared with a pledge Biden made on his first day in office. On that day, he told staffers at swearing-in ceremony, 'If you are ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot. On the spot -- no if, ands or buts.'" Politico's report is here.

Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: "The Internal Revenue Service has abandoned its plan to require millions of Americans to submit to a facial recognition check through a private company to access their online tax accounts following a firestorm of criticism from privacy advocates and members of Congress. The IRS said Monday it would 'transition away' from using a face-scanning service offered by the company ID.me in the coming weeks and would develop an additional authentication process that does not involve facial recognition.... Lawmakers and advocates slammed the idea of mandating the technology's use nationwide, saying it would unfairly burden Americans without smartphones or computer cameras, would make sensitive data vulnerable to hackers and would subject people of color to a system known to work less accurately on darker skin." The Guardian's story is here.

Some GOP Senators Are Not Amused by RNC. Burgess Everett, et al., of Politico: "In interviews on Monday evening, GOP senators lashed out at their own national party's overwhelming vote to censure Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.).... Both Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) were in communication with RNC chair Ronna [Romney] McDaniel about the censure, with Graham calling her and Romney texting his niece. 'A very unfortunate decision by the RNC and a very unfortunate statement put out as well. Nothing could be further from the truth than to consider the attack on the seat of democracy as legitimate political discourse,' Romney said in an interview.... [Mitch] McConnell, who has defended Cheney in the past, said he would address the matter on Tuesday at his usual press conference. Several members of his leadership team expressed their concern about GOP infighting."

It's an official document. You're not allowed. It's illegal what she did. She broke the law. -- Donald Trump, after Nancy Pelosi tore up a copy of his SOTU address, February 2020

No, it's not against the law to tear up a photocopy of a speech (or copies of most other government documents). But the fact that Trump knew that destroying real presidential papers was a crime sure argues against the possibility that he "innocently" tore up & tossed thousands of presidential papers. -- Marie ~~~

~~~ Michael Schmidt & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump last month handed over to the National Archives 15 boxes of documents, letters, gifts and mementos that he had taken with him when leaving office but that he had been legally required to leave in the custody of the federal government, officials said on Monday. The materials included the original versions of a letter that former President Barack Obama had left for Mr. Trump when he was first sworn in, as well as correspondence from the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. The items also included a map Mr. Trump famously drew on with a black Sharpie marker to demonstrate the track of Hurricane Dorian heading toward Alabama in 2019 to back up a declaration he had made on Twitter that contradicted weather forecasts." ~~~

      ~~~ We now pause for a dog-ate-my-homework excuse that could become a classic: "The boxes contained items taken from the White House's residence during a hasty exit after Mr. Trump had spent the bulk of the presidential transition trying to find ways to stay in power.... At the time, Mr. Trump's aides were either preoccupied with helping him overturn the election, trying to stop him or avoiding him."

The Insurrection Thrilled Donald Trump. In a story on why January 6 committee investigators want to talk to Ivanka Trump, Farnoush Amiri of the AP reports, on January 6, "... as staffers watched in shock at what was unfolding down Pennsylvania Avenue on television screens positioned throughout the West Wing, [Donald] Trump's attention was so rapt that he hit rewind and watched certain moments again, according to Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary. 'Look at all of the people fighting for me,' Trump said, according to Grisham.... At one point, the president was confused why staffers weren't as excited as he was watching the unrest unfold." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Axios: "Former President Trump incited the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 'to intimidate' former Vice President Mike Pence into overturning the 2020 election, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday." MB: This jibes with details in the AP report above. (Also linked yesterday.)

Mark Mazzetti & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "... a group of ultraconservative Republicans employed spycraft to try to manipulate the American political landscape. [Erik] Prince -- a former C.I.A. contractor who is best known as the founder of the private military firm Blackwater and whose sister, Betsy DeVos, was Mr. Trump's education secretary -- has drawn scrutiny over the years for Blackwater's record of violence around the world and his subsequent ventures training and arming foreign forces. His [participation in the domestic operation] is fresh evidence of his engagement in political espionage projects at home during a period when he was an informal adviser to Trump administration officials.... The goal of the private spying operation was to gather dirt both on Democrats and 'RINOs.'..."

Tom Hays of the AP: "A Chicago banker was sentenced on Monday to a year in prison for his conviction in a scheme to make $16 million in loans to Paul Manafort to gain influence in the Trump administration.... The banker, Stephen Calk, was convicted last year on financial institution bribery and conspiracy charges in Manhattan federal court."

Garrett Epps in the Washington Monthly: By sharing the list of white people who were his only potential Supreme Court nominees, Donald Trump promised not to nominate a Black woman. He later altered the list to include "one Black man, one Latino man, and one Indian American man. There was also one (and only one) woman, who was white. There was no Black woman." Some Republicans & "conservatives" are aghast that President Biden would promise to nominate a Black woman. BUT "Excluding Black women from power — acting as if they literally do not exist -- is simply normal behavior in many settings, not even worthy of remark.... Is Biden's pledge also blameworthy?... A promise to include a group hitherto excluded is, morally and politically, nothing like a promise to continue centuries of exclusion."

Welcome Back, Jim Crow! Supreme Court Confederates Back Alabama Confederates. Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday put on hold a lower court's order that Alabama must create a second congressional district favorable to Black voters, over the objections of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and the court's three liberals. The court's most consistently conservative justices put on hold a decision of a special panel of three federal judges that threw out Alabama's new congressional map Jan. 24. That map had continued to draw only one of the state's seven congressional districts to have a majority of Black voters. Dissenting Justice Elena Kagan called the court's order 'a disservice to Black Alabamians who under [Supreme Court] precedent have had their electoral power diminished -- in violation of a law this Court once knew to buttress all of American democracy.'" (Also linked yesterday.) The Guardian's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "In a 5-4 decision -- with Roberts dissenting, effectively arguing that the Court should wait until after the 2022 midterms to do its dirty work -- the Court has stayed a District Court opinion, ensuring that the coming elections will take place with a map that is, as Roberts concedes, unquestionably illegal under controlling precedent[.]" Lemieux goes on to tear down the majority opinion, which he calls "appalling on every level."

Ryan Mac & Mike Isaac of the New York Times: "Peter Thiel, one of the longest-serving board members of Meta, the parent of Facebook, plans to step down, the company said on Monday. Mr. Thiel, 54, wants to focus on influencing November's midterm elections, said a person with knowledge of Mr. Thiel's thinking who declined to be identified. Mr. Thiel sees the midterms as crucial to changing the direction of the country, this person said, and he is backing candidates who support the agenda of ... Donald J. Trump."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Tuesday are here.

Mike Catalini of the AP: "The governors of four states announced plans Monday to lift statewide mask requirements in schools by the end of February or March, citing the rapid easing of COVID-19′s omicron surge. The decisions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Oregon were announced as state and local governments grapple with which virus restrictions to jettison and which ones to keep in place. The changes also come amid a growing sense that the virus is never going to go away and Americans need to find a way to coexist with it." ~~~

~~~ California. Victoria Colliver & Susannah Luthi of Politico: "Gov. Gavin Newsom is poised to ease statewide restrictions on mass gatherings and indoor masking as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to recede. The plan, confirmed by an administration official, would be the first step in Newsom's exit strategy for the Covid-19 pandemic -- a major shift for a state that has preserved some of the nation's strictest and longest-lasting restrictions. Officials said the state would unveil more details next week."

Michigan. Ed White of the AP: "A man charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has agreed to plead guilty, according to documents filed Monday, giving prosecutors another insider who could be a key witness at a March trial. Kaleb Franks said he would join Ty Garbin as the second person to admit guilt in a scheme to snatch the Democratic governor before FBI agents arrested them in October 2020. The decision leaves four other men to face trial. The government said the group wanted to kidnap Whitmer because of disgust over her COVID-19 restrictions."

New Jersey. Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, a Democrat who has imposed some of the nation's most stringent pandemic-related mandates, will no longer require students and school employees to wear masks, signaling a deliberate shift toward treating the coronavirus as a part of daily life. 'This is not a declaration of victory as much as an acknowledgment that we can responsibly live with this thing,' Mr. Murphy, the vice chairman of the National Governors Association, said Monday in announcing the elimination of the mandate." (This is an update of a story linked yesterday.)

Canada. Jennifer Hassan & Amanda Coletta of the Washington Post: "Police are clamping down on self-described 'Freedom Convoy' anti-vaccine-mandate demonstrations in Canada's capital, making multiple arrests, issuing hundreds of tickets, and seizing vehicles and fuel as Ottawa's mayor declared a state of emergency. The emergency declaration was designed to give officers more 'flexibility' to respond to the hundreds and sometimes thousands of truckers and their supporters who are gathered in the streets to denounce coronavirus measures, Mayor Jim Watson said Sunday. And, he said, the declaration reflects the 'serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents.' Fireworks were shot off, drivers blared their horns and streets remained blocked for the second weekend in a row, and Watson admitted Sunday that authorities were 'outnumbered' and 'losing this battle' against groups who were 'calling the shots.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Paulina Villegas & Reis Thebault of the Washington Post: "After being denied several million dollars raised on GoFundMe, organizers of a trucker-led protest disrupting life in Canada's capital have found a new platform: a Christian crowdfunding site where they raised more than $3.5 million in two days to demonstrate against the country's vaccine mandate. The new fundraiser hosted by GiveSendGo, which describes itself as the '#1 free Christian crowdfunding site,' reported Sunday that the 'Freedom Convoy' campaign had raised several million dollars two days after GoFundMe announced that it was freezing more than $8 million in donations to the cause, a move that led Republican officials in the United States to announce investigations." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Justin Ling of the Guardian: "The brazen occupation of Ottawa came as a result of unprecedented coordination between various anti-vaccine and anti-government organizations and activists, and has been seized on by similar groups around the world.... The so-called 'freedom convoy' -- which departed for Ottawa on 23 January -- was the brainchild of James Bauder, an admitted conspiracy theorist who has endorsed the QAnon movement and called Covid-19 'the biggest political scam in history'. Bauder's group, Canada Unity, contends that vaccine mandates and passports are illegal under Canada's constitution, the Nuremberg Code and a host of other international conventions."

Beyond the Beltway

Tennessee. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "A Black woman who was sentenced last week to six years and one day in prison for trying to register to vote in 2019 despite having a felony conviction says she was the victim of complicated voting laws in Tennessee that appeared to confuse even election officials. Prosecutors in Memphis said that accidentally or not, the woman, Pamela Moses, 44, broke the law. But Ms. Moses, a Black Lives Matter activist, and her lawyer say election officials gave her advice that they later corrected while she was seeking to have her voting rights restored." MB: This is a complicated case; I've avoided linking previous reports because I wasn't (and still am not) sure how much culpability Moses has here.

Virginia. Laura Vozzella & Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: "... Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) distanced himself Monday from a tweet mocking a teenager that his campaign account posted Saturday, calling it 'unauthorized,' but the teen and his mother said they would like an apology after enduring two days of 'bullying' on social media. Democrats piled on, accusing the governor of violating his pledges to seek unity and lower the temperature of political disagreements."

News Ledes

CNN's liveblog of developments & results in the Olympics is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times live updates for Tuesday, which include updates dated Wednesday, are here.

February 7, 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Welcome Back, Jim Crow! Supreme Court Confederates Back Alabama Confederates. Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday put on hold a lower court's order that Alabama must create a second congressional district favorable to Black voters, over the objections of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and the court's three liberals. The court's most consistently conservative justices put on hold a decision of a special panel of three federal judges that threw out Alabama's new congressional map Jan. 24. That map had continued to draw only one of the state's seven congressional districts to have a majority of Black voters. Dissenting Justice Elena Kagan called the court's order 'a disservice to Black Alabamians who under [Supreme Court] precedent have had their electoral power diminished -- in violation of a law this Court once knew to buttress all of American democracy.'"

Rachel Pannett, et al., of the Washington Post: "French President Emmanuel Macron called for a de-escalation of tensions over Ukraine on Monday, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as part of an attempt by Western nations to stave off a Russian invasion of its neighbor. The French leader, speaking alongside Putin at the opening of their talks, said dialogue with Russia was necessary because it 'makes it possible to build real security and stability' in Europe. 'I believe that our continent is today in an eminently critical situation, which requires us all to be extremely responsible,' he said." MB: IOW, no great diplomatic breakthrough.

Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, a Democrat who has imposed some of the nation's most stringent pandemic-related mandates, will no longer require students and school employees to wear masks, signaling a deliberate shift toward treating the coronavirus as a part of daily life. 'This is not a declaration of victory as much as an acknowledgment that we can responsibly live with this thing,' Mr. Murphy, the vice chairman of the National Governors Association, said Monday in announcing the elimination of the mandate." This is an update of a story linked earlier today.

Jennifer Hassan & Amanda Coletta of the Washington Post: "Police are clamping down on self-described 'Freedom Convoy' anti-vaccine-mandate demonstrations in Canada's capital, making multiple arrests, issuing hundreds of tickets, and seizing vehicles and fuel as Ottawa's mayor declared a state of emergency. The emergency declaration was designed to give officers more 'flexibility' to respond to the hundreds and sometimes thousands of truckers and their supporters who are gathered in the streets to denounce coronavirus measures, Mayor Jim Watson said Sunday. And, he said, the declaration reflects the 'serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents.' Fireworks were shot off, drivers blared their horns and streets remained blocked for the second weekend in a row, and Watson admitted Sunday that authorities were 'outnumbered' and 'losing this battle' against groups who were 'calling the shots.'" ~~~

~~~ Paulina Villegas & Reis Thebault of the Washington Post: "After being denied several million dollars raised on GoFundMe, organizers of a trucker-led protest disrupting life in Canada's capital have found a new platform: a Christian crowdfunding site where they raised more than $3.5 million in two days to demonstrate against the country's vaccine mandate. The new fundraiser hosted by GiveSendGo, which describes itself as the '#1 free Christian crowdfunding site,' reported Sunday that the 'Freedom Convoy' campaign had raised several million dollars two days after GoFundMe announced that it was freezing more than $8 million in donations to the cause, a move that led Republican officials in the United States to announce investigations."

Alex Thompson of Politico: "President Joe Biden's top science adviser, Eric Lander, bullied and demeaned his subordinates and violated the White House's workplace policy, an internal White House investigation recently concluded, according to interviews and an audio recording obtained by Politico. The two-month investigation found 'credible evidence' that Lander -- a Cabinet member and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy who the White House touts as a key player in the pandemic response -- was 'bullying' toward his then-general counsel, Rachel Wallace, according to a recorded January briefing on the investigation's findings.... There was also 'credible evidence' that Lander had spoken 'harshly and disrespectfully to colleagues in front of other colleagues,' [deputy personnel manager Christian] Peele said, according to the recording. 'The investigation found credible evidence of instances of multiple women having complained to other staff about negative interactions with Dr. Lander, where he spoke to them in a demeaning or abrasive way in front of other staff,' Peele said in the recording.... Soon after his top aides became aware of the extent of Politico's investigation, Lander sent an email late Friday to all OSTP staff apologizing for his behavior."

The Insurrection Thrilled Donald Trump. In a story on why January 6 committee investigators want to talk to Ivanka Trump, Farnoush Amiri of the AP reports, on January 6, "... as staffers watched in shock at what was unfolding down Pennsylvania Avenue on television screens positioned throughout the West Wing, [Donald] Trump's attention was so rapt that he hit rewind and watched certain moments again, according to Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary. 'Look at all of the people fighting for me,' Trump said, according to Grisham.... At one point, the president was confused why staffers weren't as excited as he was watching the unrest unfold." ~~~

~~~ Axios: "Former President Trump incited the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 'to intimidate' former Vice President Mike Pence into overturning the 2020 election, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday." MB: This jibes with details in the AP report above.

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Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "President Biden will meet with Olaf Scholz, the new chancellor of Germany, at the White House on Monday, a visit designed to publicly shore up a key link in the Western alliance amid concerns that Germany has not been a forceful enough partner in calming tensions between Russia and Ukraine.... In a call with reporters on Sunday, administration officials said that Mr. Biden would be looking to discuss a package of 'swift and severe' sanctions against Russia if its president, Vladimir V. Putin, decides to invade Ukraine.... Mr. Biden and Mr. Scholz are also likely to discuss the contentious $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a natural gas conduit being built between Germany and Russia."

Aamer Madhani of the AP: "White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine 'any day,' launching a conflict that would come at an 'enormous human cost.' The senior adviser to President Joe Biden offered another stark warning the day after U.S. officials confirmed that Russia has assembled at least 70% of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine."

La Paix à Notre Époque? Roger Cohen & Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "The standoff with Russia over Ukraine enters a critical phase this week. The United States has snapped NATO to attention and moved forces east. Moscow has readied still more forces on the Ukraine border. But beneath those tensions, diplomatic avenues are being feverishly explored and the outlines of potential solutions, still amorphous, may be taking form.... President Emmanuel Macron of France ... will visit his Russian counterpart, Vladimir V. Putin, in Moscow before traveling to Kyiv. With the Biden administration staking out a hard line, Germany lying low and Mr. Putin seemingly determined to force a solution to Russia's security grievances, it is Mr. Macron who has positioned himself at the center of the diplomacy in Europe.... For Mr. Macron the chance to lead the effort to create a new European security architecture has placed him front and center on perhaps the biggest stage of his presidency, just two months before elections." ~~~

     ~~~ Lauri Kayali of Politico: "French President Emmanuel Macron is optimistic he can secure a de-escalation over Ukraine when he travels to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday, but hinted that Western countries could have to make concessions to the Kremlin.... In an interview with the weekly Journal du Dimanche before his departure, Macron not only downplayed fears that Putin's real strategic ambition was to occupy Ukraine but also extended an olive branch to Russia by saying he understood Moscow's need to defend its security interests." MB: As I wrote, "Peace for Our Time."

Nick Miroff & Arelis Hernández of the Washington Post: "President Biden halted the [Trump administration's 'remain in Mexico' program] when he took office, but in September a U.S. District Court ordered his administration to reinstate the program, formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols. After months of negotiations with Mexico, the Biden administration relaunched MPP in early December, starting in El Paso. Immigration advocates were furious, blaming Biden for not pushing back harder. But two months after its restart, the new version of MPP bears little resemblance to ... Donald Trump's. The Biden administration has re-implemented the program with a narrow scope and none of the zeal demonstrated by Trump officials.... So far the Department of Homeland Security has sent back about 410 MPP enrollees, according to the latest U.N. figures, equivalent to about seven asylum seekers per day borderwide, compared with 300 to 400 returned daily in summer 2019."

A Golden Girls Moment/the White Man's Bond: Thank You for Being a Friend. Mitch, I don't want to hurt your reputation, but we really are friends. And that is not an epiphany we're having here at the moment. We've always -- you've always done exactly what you've said. You're a man of ... your word, and you're a man of honor. Thank you for being my friend. -- Joe Biden, National Prayer Breakfast last Thursday ~~~

~~~ Biden's declaration drove Charles Blow of the New York Times up the wall. "It seems that Biden suffers from the same blind spot as other white liberal leaders throughout history: looking past the oppressive impulses of other white men to see kinship and commonality.... These bonds across bigotry ... smack of a privilege of which only white men can boast, because the threat is almost always aimed away for them and at others." MB: I stand with Charles.

Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "One Navy SEAL candidate died and another was hospitalized after completing several days of excruciating training known as 'Hell Week' in Coronado, Calif., Navy officials said on Saturday. Both candidates, who were assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command, were transported for medical treatment 'several hours' after their basic underwater demolition SEAL class 'successfully completed Hell Week,' the Naval Special Warfare Command said in a statement.... The cause of Seaman [Kyle] Mullen's death was unknown and an investigation was underway, according to the earlier statement."

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Two senators working on an overhaul of the little-known law that ... Donald J. Trump and his allies tried to use to overturn the 2020 election pledged on Sunday that their legislation would pass the Senate, saying that recent revelations about the plot made their work even more important. In a joint interview on CNN's 'State of the Union,' Senators Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, and Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, said their efforts to rewrite the Electoral Count Act of 1887 were gaining broader support in the Senate, with as many as 20 senators taking part in the discussions. 'Absolutely, it will pass,' Mr. Manchin said of an overhaul of the law, which dictates how Congress formalizes elections. He said efforts by Mr. Trump and his allies to exploit 'ambiguity' in the law were 'what caused the insurrection' -- the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol." A CNN report is here.

Reid Epstein & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "The number of competitive congressional districts is on track to dive near -- and possibly below -- the lowest level in at least three decades, as Republicans and Democrats draw new political maps designed to ensure that the vast majority of House races are over before the general election starts. With two-thirds of the new boundaries set, mapmakers are on pace to draw fewer than 40 seats -- out of 435 -- that are considered competitive based on the 2020 presidential election results, according to a New York Times analysis of election data. Ten years ago that number was 73.... The sharp decline of competition for House seats is the latest worrying sign of dysfunction in the American political system, which is already struggling with a scourge of misinformation and rising distrust in elections. Lack of competition in general elections can widen the ideological gulf between the parties, leading to hardened stalemates on legislation and voters' alienation from the political process."

In his NYT conversation with Gail Collins, Bret Stephens said this: "Trying to rescue the Republican Party from the moral pit into which it has thrown itself is like trying to revive a corpse by blowing tobacco smoke up its bottom." So Gail said, "Ew." Upon which Bret explained, "Apparently it was a thing in the 18th century. Think of it as the hydroxychloroquine of its day." MB: Still, that's way closer to "legitimate political discourse" than is storming the Capitol & hanging the veep & sundry Congressional leaders, the better to install a fat pretender to the presidency*.

Stephen Collinson of CNN: "The Republican Party is ever closer to the destination to which it has long been headed under ... Donald Trump -- the legitimization of violence as a form of political expression. The Republican National Committee's censure of GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for probing the "legitimate political discourse" of the January 6 insurrection enshrined that principle in the party's policy dogma. The move on Friday underscored the untethered extremism of large sections of one of America's great political parties and the still malignant, dominant influence of the ex-President, who is ready for action with a $122 million war chest. The RNC's declaration coincided with the release of new video by the Department of Justice showing the horrific truth of the insurrection -- a Trump mob, high on his election lies, beating up police officers and vowing to drag lawmakers through the streets."

Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: "Holding court at a political rally in Texas last week..., Donald Trump implied that he -- a wealthy White man who was elected to an office almost exclusively held by White men -- was a victim of racism. His claim referenced what he said were three 'radical vicious, racist prosecutors' -- ... and all of them Black -- who are investigating his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection and examining his business organization's finances. But his comments made him the latest in a line of conservatives claiming, loudly and frequently, that White men are victims of racism.... Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), for example..., complained that President Biden's decision to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court was 'offensive' and excludes most Americans. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said that limiting the pool to Black women is 'affirmative racial discrimination.'... Of the 115 Supreme Court justices appointed since it was created in 1789, all but seven have been White men. None has been a Black woman." ~~~

     ~~~ Bobby Calvan of the AP: "'These prosecutors are vicious, horrible people. They're racists and they're very sick, they're mentally sick,' Trump said, before warning his [mostly white] audience: 'In reality, they're not after me. They're after you.'... His diatribe left the clear impression that Trump, who rode the politics of white grievance into the White House, thinks he can't possibly be treated fairly by Black officials. The comments carry the echoes of racist messages that have proliferated in recent years -- that Black people and other minorities are taking power, and that they will exact revenge on white people.... That's among the fears stoking the white supremacy movement, the so-called 'white replacement theory' that people of color will supplant whites in the country's power dynamics and social structure."

Myah Ward of Politico: "... Donald Trump received bad legal advice from advisers who 'were basically snake oil salesmen,' leading him to false conclusions about the power Mike Pence had to overturn the 2020 election results, the former chief of staff to the vice president, Marc Short, said Sunday.... Short said he wasn't sure if Trump's beliefs could be fully attributed to bad advisers or if the president was seeking the bad advice to produce the result he wanted.... Short said he believed President Joe Biden was duly elected, but made sure to include that he feels there are 'significant concerns' about the electoral process during the pandemic." MB: A Florida snake will need a good snake oil.

Thief-in-Chief. Jacqueline Alemany, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump improperly removed multiple boxes from the White House that were retrieved by the National Archives and Records Administration last month from his Mar-a-Lago residence because they contained documents and other items that should have been turned over to the agency, according to three people familiar with the visit.... The Presidential Records Act, which requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to a president's official duties.... [This] is just the latest example of what records personnel described as chronic difficulties in preserving records in the Trump era -- the most challenging since Richard Nixon sought to block disclosure of official records, including White House tapes." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Where "improperly removed" is a euphemism for "stole" & "raises new concerns" substitutes for "flagrantly broke the law," you know WashPo lawyers were so closely involved in the writing of this report that the lawyers should have shared the byline.

Jessica Lipscomb of the Washington Post: "One day after Joe Rogan apologized for previously using the n-word on his podcast, Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek told employees that, despite mounting controversies, pulling 'The Joe Rogan Experience' from the streaming platform would be a mistake. 'I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,' Ek wrote Sunday in an internal memo shared with The Washington Post. 'We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.'" The AP's report is here. MB: That must be some ironclad contract Rogan's lawyers negotiated with Spotify.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Jess McHugh of the Washington Post: "As the coronavirus pandemic creeps into its third year, and the death toll in the United States reaches 900,000, the 1918 influenza pandemic can offer some insight into how this chapter of history might draw to a close. But an 'ending,' when it comes to viruses such as these, is a misleading word. Eventually, experts say, the novel coronavirus is likely to transition from a deadly and disruptive pathogen to a milder, more seasonal nuisance. In the meantime, though, the country's experience a century ago suggests that we could be in for a lot more pain -- especially if we let our guard down."

New Jersey. Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, a Democrat who has imposed some of the nation's most stringent pandemic-related mandates, will no longer require students and school employees to wear masks, signaling a deliberate shift toward treating the coronavirus as a part of daily life. Mr. Murphy, the vice chairman of the National Governors Association, said on Sunday that he would officially announce the elimination of the mandate on Monday afternoon. The new policy will take effect the second week of March, two years after New York and New Jersey became early epicenters of [the] virus...."

Trump Forces Invade Canada. Rob Gillies of the AP: "The mayor of Canada's capital [Ottawa] declared a state of emergency Sunday and a former U.S. ambassador to Canada said groups in the U.S. must stop interfering in the domestic affairs of America's neighbor as protesters opposed to COVID-19 restrictions continued to paralyze Ottawa's downtown.... Thousands of protesters descended in Ottawa again on the weekend, joining a hundred who remained since last weekend.... The 'freedom truck convoy' has attracted support from many U.S. Republicans including ... Donald Trump, who called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a 'far left lunatic' who has 'destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates.'" A Washington Post story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump's army, defeated after a long battle with U.S. Capitol police & other forces, have moved on to the Canadian capital. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a native of Canada, who once called the rag-tag army "domestic terrorists," said Sunday they were "foreign terrorists now." Sen. Cruz will appear on Tucker Carlson's show Monday to disavow his own remarks.

Beyond the Beltway

Alaska Senate Race. Alison Main of CNN: "Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Sunday they would endorse one another in upcoming elections during a rare bipartisan interview on CNN. "I'm endorsing my dear friend Lisa Murkowski. Alaska could only be so lucky to have her continue to serve them," Manchin told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union," reiterating his previous endorsement of his Republican colleague in her upcoming Alaska Senate race.... Murkowski is in a potentially tough fight, facing a primary challenge this year from Republican Kelly Tshibaka, a former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner who has been endorsed by ... Donald Trump.... Murkowski also said she would endorse Manchin if he chose to run for re-election in 2024."

Colorado. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "The Douglas County, Colo., school board voted 4 to 3 in a special meeting Friday night to fire [district superintendent] Corey Wise without cause, dismissing the superintendent with two years left in his contract. Wise, voted in by the board last April, supported policies on in-school masking and equity that were overturned in the months since by four conservatives who campaigned against critical race theory and other diversity initiatives and were elected to the board.... The vote followed allegations from the board's liberal minority that the conservative members made an ultimatum in secret to Wise for him to resign or be fired through a vote -- actions that would violate Colorado's open-meeting laws. The allegations sparked outrage in the community and resulted in one of the Denver area's largest school systems to close Thursday as 1,000 teachers, district staffers and parents protested the board in support of Wise."

Minnesota. Jay Senter, et al., of the New York Times: "Chanting the name of Amir Locke, a large crowd of protesters marched in frigid weather in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday to voice exasperation and anger over the conduct of law enforcement officers, nearly two years after the murder of George Floyd. Mr. Locke, 22, was fatally shot in an early morning raid at an apartment complex on Wednesday when a SWAT team for the Minneapolis Police Department carried out a search warrant involving a homicide for the police in nearby St. Paul. Mr. Locke was not named as a suspect in the warrant, according to authorities."

Virginia, Where the Governor Is a Bully. Laura Vozzella of the Washington Post: "Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's campaign lashed out at a high school student as well as Democrat Ralph Northam on Twitter this weekend, tweeting out the teen's name and photo after the boy shared a news story about part of the Executive Mansion where enslaved workers once lived. On Saturday afternoon, Ethan Lynne, 17, retweeted a report from the Richmond public radio station VPM suggesting that Youngkin (R) might be scrapping efforts pursued under two previous governors, Northam and Democrat Terry McAuliffe, to highlight the history of enslaved people at the mansion. The report contained an error, which Lynne noted on Twitter hours later, when VPM issued a correction. But by then, 'Team Youngkin' -- the official Twitter account for Youngkin's campaign -- had attacked Lynne, posting a photo of the teen with Northam taken at a Democratic fundraiser in October.... Team Youngkin removed the tweet late Sunday morning but offered no apology.... Youngkin ran for office as a sunny, basketball-loving dad-next-door figure...." A Youngkin campaign spokesman identified Lynne, who says he has volunteered for various Democratic candidates since he was 10 years old, as a "Democrat Party official." A Politico story is here.~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Assuming the revised VPM report was accurate, looks like Youngkin views the efforts to educate the public about slaves working at the mansion as verboten critical race theory stuff that might cause "discomfort" to nice white Virginians.

News Ledes

CNN's live updates of Olympics results & events are here. The New York Times' live updates are here.

February 6, 2022

Helene Cooper & David Sanger of the New York Times: "Senior Biden administration officials told lawmakers this past week that they believed the Russian military had assembled 70 percent of the forces it would need to mount a full invasion of Ukraine, painting the most ominous picture yet of the options that Russia's president, Vladimir V. Putin, has created for himself in recent weeks. During six hours of closed meetings with House and Senate lawmakers on Thursday, the officials warned that if Mr. Putin chose the most aggressive of his options, he could quickly surround or capture Kyiv, the capital, and remove the country's democratically elected president, Volodymyr Zelensky. They also warned that the invasion could prompt an enormous refugee crisis on the European continent, sending millions fleeing." ~~~

~~~ Rachel Pannett, et al., of the Washington Post: "Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations has dismissed new U.S. military and intelligence assessments on a potential Russian invasion as alarmist, likening the reports -- which estimated Russia could seize Kyiv in days and leave up to 50,000 civilians killed or wounded -- to Moscow foreshadowing an attack by Washington on London. 'Madness and scaremongering continues.... what if we would say that US could seize London in a week and cause 300K civilian deaths?' Dmitry Polyanskiy tweeted Sunday."

** The Great American Criminal Investigation. Michael Schmidt & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House select committee scrutinizing the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol is borrowing techniques from federal prosecutions, employing aggressive tactics typically used against mobsters and terrorists as it seeks to break through stonewalling from... Donald J. Trump and his allies and develop evidence that could prompt a criminal case. In what its members see as the best opportunity to hold Mr. Trump and his team accountable, the committee -- which has no authority to pursue criminal charges -- is using what powers it has in expansive ways in hopes of pressuring Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to use the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute them." Former federal prosecutors are running the investigation. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump tore up briefings and schedules, articles and letters, memos both sensitive and mundane.... Interviews with 11 former Trump staffers, associates, and others ... reveal that Trump's shredding of paper was far more widespread and indiscriminate than previously known and -- despite multiple admonishments -- extended throughout his presidency, resulting in special practices to deal with the torn fragments.... The ripping was so relentless that Trump's team implemented a set of protocols to try to ensure that Trump was abiding by the Presidential Records Act. Typically, aides ... would come in behind Trump to retrieve the piles of torn paper he left in his wake.... Then, staffers from the White House Office of Records Management were generally responsible for jigsawing the documents back together, using clear tape.... One senior Trump White House official said he and other White House staffers frequently put documents into 'burn bags' to be destroyed, rather than preserving them, and would decide themselves what should be saved and what should be burned."(Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

If you'd like to see more of what the Republican party believes comprises "legitimate political discourse," CNN aired new LPD video which the House January 6 committee has just released. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Caroline Vakil of the Hill: "Former President Trump responded to former Vice President Mike Pence's remarks that he did not have the authority to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. 'Just saw Mike Pence's statement on the fact that he had no right to do anything with respect to the Electoral Vote Count, other than being an automatic conveyor belt for the Old Crow Mitch McConnell to get Biden elected' President as quickly as possible, Trump said in a statement through his Save America PAC late Friday night. 'Well, the Vice President's position is not an automatic conveyor if obvious signs of voter fraud or irregularities exist.'... Trump's remarks against Pence were uncharacteristically measured, avoiding a more harsh criticism of his former vice president." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Not Just a Covid Denier, But a Racist, Too. Ben Sisario of the New York Times: "As pressure has intensified on Spotify and its star podcaster Joe Rogan, listeners reported that the company had quietly removed dozens of episodes of his show, while Rogan apologized early Saturday for his use of a racial slur in past episodes. In an Instagram video, Rogan -- whose talk show, 'The Joe Rogan Experience,' is Spotify's most popular podcast, and has been available there exclusively for more than a year -- addressed what he called 'the most regretful and shameful thing that I've ever had to talk about publicly.' A compilation video showed Rogan using the slur numerous times in past episodes of his show...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ In case you were wondering just what "racial slur" Rogan used ~~~

     ~~~ Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Joe Rogan apologized Saturday for the many previous instances in which the host used the n-word on his Spotify podcast." Just to clarify, Rogan said "he never used the n-word 'to be racist because, I'm not racist.'" MB: Good to know, Joe. The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Heart of Darkness. Contributor RAS adds (in yesterday's Comments), "Rogan's apology might be more believable if it wasn't just a week ago he was telling people who is really Black and who is not. His criteria is that only people from the 'darkest place' in Africa are actually Black. Race doesn't exist, so he can't be racist." MB: I would add that Rogan's concept of what it means to be Black is even more restricted: "like 100% African from the darkest place where they are not wearing any clothes all day and they've developed all that melanin to protect them from the sun." (See link.) Maybe instead of dismissing Rogan as a "stupid racist," we should be a little more charitable & recognize that he is a racist because he is very, very stupid.

Andrew Jeong of the Washington Post: "Delta Air Lines has asked the Justice Department to help set up a national 'no-fly' list of unruly passengers that would bar them from boarding any commercial air carrier, amid a surge in 'air rage' incidents during the pandemic. In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday, the Atlanta-based company's chief executive, Edward H. Bastian, said such a list would reduce the number of future incidents involving disruptive passengers. It also would 'serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not complying with crew member instructions,' he wrote." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here: "A trucker-led protest against pandemic measures that has paralyzed Canada's capital for a week was expected to expand on Saturday with the arrival of hundreds more trucks in Ottawa. Police forces and officials in Toronto, Canada's largest city, and Quebec City, that province's capital, braced for similar demonstrations. What began as a convoy of trucks and cars that set out from the province of British Columbia to protest a vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers has grown into a general protest against pandemic restrictions and a range of other political causes, including opposition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau." (Also linked yesterday.)

Canada. Nick Boisvert of CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) News: "The crowdfunding platform GoFundMe says it will stop payments to the organizers of Freedom Convoy 2022 and refund donors directly because the protest violates its rules on violence and harassment. The company announced its decision in a blog post on Friday evening, just two days after it froze disbursements of the fund.... Participants in the demonstration have displayed symbols of hate, including the Confederate flag and swastikas, while protesting.... Organizers of the protest were dealt another blow on Friday evening in the form of a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Ottawa residents who live near the protest. The statement of claim accuses the organizers of the protest of causing significant harm to residents due to their use of loud truck horns for '12 to 16 hours' daily." ~~~

     ~~~ Famous U.S. Statesman Intervenes to Smoothe Things Over. Brooklyn Neustaeter of CTV News: "... Donald Trump has issued a statement criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over vaccine mandates and expressing support for the trucker convoy protests happening across Canada.... 'The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates,' Trump said.... 'Facebook is canceling the accounts of Freedom Convoy USA, and GoFundMe is denying access to funds that belong to the Freedom Convoy. This is unacceptable and extremely dangerous in any country that values free expression,' the statement read."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Morocco. Vivian Yee, et al., of the New York Times: "A Moroccan boy trapped in a well for four days did not survive, Moroccan state-run media reported after rescuers pulled out his body on Saturday. The reports carried a statement from the royal court which said the king of Morocco called the boy's parents to express his condolences." (Also linked yesterday.)

U.K. Queen Camilla. Caroline Davies of the Guardian: "The Queen has expressed her 'sincere wish' that the Duchess of Cornwall becomes Queen Consort when Charles becomes king. In a candid message marking the 70th anniversary of her accession, the monarch made clear her desire, unambiguously paving the way for Queen Camilla. When the duchess married the Prince of Wales in 2005, it was made clear by Clarence House that she would carry the title of HRH The Princess Consort. It has long been speculated that this was a title of convenience at a time when the duchess was seen to be less popular in the polls, due to her relationship with Charles when he was married to Diana, Princess of Wales. Charles is understood to have long harboured a firm desire his wife should carry the title of Queen Consort, and be thus crowned and anointed, when he becomes king. The Queen made clear she supported this in a written message released on Saturday before Sunday's Accession Day. In it, the Queen thanked the nation for the 'loyalty and affection' she had received over her long reign." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If photos accompanying stories about Elizabeth's Queen Consort decision (like this one in the New York Times) are any indication, the Queen made her decision based entirely on Camilla's willingness to wear hats as silly as Elizabeth's.

News Ledes

The New York Times' live updates of Olympics events are here. The Washington Post's highlights blog is here. CNN's live updates are here.