January 20, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "President Biden insisted Thursday that the United States would not accept even a 'minor incursion' of Ukraine by Russia, as the White House continued efforts to clarify Biden's remarks Wednesday suggesting that it might. 'I've been absolutely clear with President [Vladimir] Putin. He has no misunderstanding: Any, any assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border, that is an invasion,' Biden told reporters Thursday at the start of a White House event on infrastructure. Such an invasion would be met with a 'severe and coordinated economic response,' Biden added, noting that those consequences have been 'laid out very clearly for President Putin.... Let there be no doubt at all: If Putin makes this choice, Russia will pay a heavy price,' Biden said. In the second news conference of his presidency Wednesday, Biden said..., 'It's one thing if it's a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do, et cetera.... But if they actually do what they're capable of doing with the force they've massed on the border, it is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further invade Ukraine.' Biden was swiftly criticized for appearing to give a green light to Russia to attack Ukraine as long as it didn't amount to a full-scale invasion. Soon after, the White House issued a statement seeking to clarify Biden's comments...."

In today's Comments, contributor Jeanne has a good summary of how President Biden's press conference went Wednesday. I concur with her impressions.

Lots of bad news for Trump this afternoon.

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol sent a letter on Thursday to Ivanka Trump ... seeking her cooperation with its inquiry. The letter to Ms. Trump, who served as one of the president's senior advisers, comes after Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and the vice chairwoman of the Jan. 6 select committee, said the panel had gathered evidence that Ms. Trump had implored her father to call off the violence as a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol. 'We know his daughter -- we have firsthand testimony -- that his daughter Ivanka went in at least twice to ask him to please stop this violence,' Ms. Cheney said in an interview on ABC News this month. The letter to Ivanka, linked above, is worth reading. CNN's story is here.

Beth Reinhard, et al., of the Washington Post: "On Dec. 14, 2020, the day of the electoral college vote, Republican electors convened in the capitals of five states that Joe Biden had won. They declared themselves 'duly elected and qualified' and sent signed certificates to Washington purporting to affirm Donald Trump as the actual victor. At the time, the gatherings in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin -- all states that had officially approved Biden electors -- were widely derided as political stunts.... Understanding the origins of the rival slates has now become a focus of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.... Internally, [Rudy] Giuliani oversaw the effort.... One of the people familiar with the plan said Giuliani was assisted at times by an anchor from the right-wing network One America News. The extent and particulars of the behind-the-scenes coordination -- and the refusal by some Trump electors to go along with the plan -- have not been previously reported. The campaign scrambled to help electors gain access to Capitol buildings, as is required in some states, and to distribute draft language for the certificates.... The campaign also worked to find replacements for the electors who were unable to participate, or unwilling.... The rival slates were leveraged as evidence in last-ditch efforts to give Vice President Mike Pence the ability to reject Biden's victory when he presided over the electoral vote count....&"

Zachary Cohen & Jason Morris of CNN: "A district attorney in Georgia investigating ... Donald Trump's effort to overturn election results in the state is requesting a special grand jury in an effort to gather information relevant to the probe, according to a letter sent to the court. This story is breaking and will be updated." MB: According to CNN on-air reports, the special grand jury is necessary to issue subpoenas to compel testimony & obtain documents. A critical witness, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, reportedly told the DA he would only testify under subpoena. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. John Wagner of the Washington Post: "In a letter Thursday, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) told the chief judge of Fulton County's Superior Court that the move was needed because a 'significant number of witnesses and prospective witnesses have refused to cooperate with the investigation absent a subpoena requiring their testimony.' Willis cited Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) as an example. Fani has previously confirmed that part of her probe centers on the Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Raffensperger in which Trump asked Raffensperger to 'find' enough votes to overturn Joe Biden's win in the state's presidential election."

Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "A federal court in Boston on Thursday dismissed charges against a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor accused of failing to disclose research ties to China, after the government acknowledged it could 'no longer meet its burden of proof' at trial. The dropping of the case against Gang Chen, a Chinese American nanoscientist, is a major public relations blow to a Justice Department program aimed at curbing economic espionage. The program, dubbed the China Initiative, has drawn complaints that it amounts to ethnic profiling and is under department review. U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris's order dismissing Chen's case came shortly after federal prosecutors requested that action on Thursday morning."

New York. Adela Suliman of the Washington Post: "A statue of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was removed overnight Wednesday from its spot outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The towering bronze statue depicts Roosevelt riding a horse, as two nameless African and Native American men flank him on foot. It has provoked strong debate in the city, as many criticized the apparent subservience of the pair to the White man in the center -- calling the scene a symbol of racism and colonialism. 'The statue was meant to celebrate Theodore Roosevelt ... as a devoted naturalist and author of works on natural history,' the museum website has said about the removal. 'At the same time, the statue itself communicates a racial hierarchy that the Museum and members of the public have long found disturbing.'"

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Annie Linskey, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden escalated his partisan rhetoric Wednesday during his first news conference in 10 months, laying the blame for his stalled agenda at the feet of Republicans and suggesting on the eve of his one-year anniversary that he has been surprised by their intransigence.... In what appeared to be a carefully calculated message he repeatedly excoriated Republicans for having no goal except opposing him, no leader except Trump and no agenda at all.... 'I honest to God don't know what they're for,' Biden said at one point during his nearly two-hour exchange with reporters.... He said the GOP is thoroughly cowed by former president Donald Trump. 'Did you ever think that one man out of office could intimidate an 'entire party where they're unwilling to take any vote?' Biden asked.... The president also made news by confirming rumors that he plans to break up his roughly $2 trillion social welfare and climate legislation, called the 'Build Back Better' package, into smaller bills.... Biden telegraphed that he will spend more time traveling the country and talking to voters, and less time embroiled in prolonged negotiations with Congress.... 'I have not been out in the community nearly enough,' Biden said." ~~~

~~~ Zeke Miller & Josh Boak of the AP: "President Joe Biden acknowledged Wednesday that the pandemic has left Americans exhausted and demoralized but insisted at a news conference marking his first year in office that he has 'outperformed' expectations in dealing with it. Facing sagging poll numbers and a stalled legislative agenda, Biden ... promised to further attack inflation and the pandemic and blamed Republicans for uniting in opposition to his proposals rather than offering ideas of their own." ~~~

~~~ David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Biden said on Wednesday that he now expected President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia would order an invasion of Ukraine, delivering a grim assessment that the diplomacy and threat of sanctions issued by the United States and its European allies were unlikely to stop the Russian leader from sending troops across the border. 'Do I think he'll test the West, test the United States and NATO, as significantly as he can? Yes, I think he will,' Mr. Biden told reporters during a nearly two-hour-long news conference in the East Room of the White House. He added, almost with an air of fatalism: 'But I think he will pay a serious and dear price for it that he doesn't think now will cost him what it's going to cost him. And I think he will regret having done it.' Asked to clarify whether he was accepting that an invasion was coming, Mr. Biden said: 'My guess is he will move in. He has to do something.'" CNN's story is here.

Charlie Savage, et al., of the New York Times: "Newly declassified surveillance footage provides additional insights about the final minutes and aftermath of a botched U.S. drone strike last year in Kabul, Afghanistan, showing how the military made a life-or-death decision based on imagery that was fuzzy, hard to interpret in real time and prone to confirmation bias. The strike on Aug. 29 killed 10 innocent people -- including seven children -- in a tragic blunder that punctuated the end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan. The disclosure of the videos was a rare step by the U.S. military in any case of an airstrike that caused civilian casualties, and is the first time any footage from the Kabul strike has been seen publicly. The videos encompass about 25 minutes of silent footage from two drones -- a military official said both were MQ-9 Reapers -- showing the minutes before, during and after the strike." Includes a portion of the video.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Shane Harris of the Washington Post: "The Central Intelligence Agency has determined that a foreign country is probably not mounting a global attack aimed at U.S. personnel who have reported painful and sometimes debilitating physical symptoms, a significant finding that could undermine some officials' suspicion that Russia is to blame for a years-long series of mysterious illnesses.... [But the agency left] open the possibility that a foreign power could be responsible for cases that cannot be attributed to medical conditions or other factors, the official said.... 'Our work is continuing, and we are not done yet, [an official said]." A CNN report is here.

Jim Crow Caucus Wins Expected Victory. Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "The year-long Democratic push for federal voting rights legislation died in the Senate on Wednesday night, after Republicans blocked an elections bill for the fifth time in six months and Democrats failed to unite their caucus behind a plan to rewrite the Senate's rules and pass it anyway. The final clash, which has been brewing since Democrats won congressional majorities a year ago as Republican legislatures in 19 states embarked on a campaign to roll back election access, began with an evening vote to close debate on a sprawling voting rights bill. That vote, at the Senate's traditional 60-vote margin for legislation, failed on party lines. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) then moved to reconsider the legislation to propose a rules change allowing for the bill's advancement with a simple majority of 51 votes. The Senate rejected that maneuver 52 to 48, with two Democrats, Joe Manchin III (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), joining all 50 Republicans in opposition." The Guardian's report is here. ~~~

New York Times staff live-updated Wednesday's Senate proceedings. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "Republican opposition to updating the Voting Rights Act in response to recent Supreme Court rulings underscores how far the party has moved against providing a significant role for the federal government in elections, even in states with a history of discriminating against Black voters.... Seventeen [Senate] Republicans who in 2006 supported the reauthorization of the 1965 law, including [Mitch] McConnell, now oppose the legislation that attempts to address issues the court raised in 2013 and 2021 when striking down provisions that gave the Justice Department more authority over state voting laws." MB: Susan Collins, who was a co-sponsor of the 2006 reauthorization bill, is not even "concerned" now.

** Supremes Laugh Trump Out of Court. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused a request from ... Donald J. Trump to block the release of White House records concerning the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, effectively rejecting Mr. Trump's claim of executive privilege and handing a major victory to the special House committee investigating the riot. The court, with only Justice Clarence Thomas noting a dissent, let stand an appeals court ruling that Mr. Trump's desire to maintain the confidentiality of internal White House communications was outweighed by the need for a full accounting of the attack and the disruption of the certification of the 2020 electoral count. The ruling means that there is no legal obstacle to prevent the National Archives from providing hundreds of pages of White House records to the committee.... 'Because the court of appeals concluded that President Trump's claims would have failed even if he were the incumbent, his status as a former president necessarily made no difference to the court's decision,' the [unsigned] order said." MB: IOW, Trump didn't have a pudgy leg to stand on. The AP report is here. Politico's report is here.

Luke Broadwater & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol issued two subpoenas on Wednesday for the leaders of a white nationalist movement that helped bring a crowd to Washington ahead of the riot. The committee issued subpoenas to Nicholas J. Fuentes and Patrick Casey, whom the panel described as leaders of the 'America First' or 'Groyper' movement and who were on the Capitol grounds last Jan. 6. Mr. Fuentes, a white nationalist, online provocateur and activist, has allied with Representative Paul Gosar, a far-right Republican from Arizona who helped lead objections in Congress to the certification of President Biden's victory."

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Oath Keepers planning to violently subvert the 2020 election stockpiled 30 days of supplies and a cache of rifles and ammunition just outside of Washington, D.C., prosecutors alleged in a late-night court filing. In a memo seeking the pretrial detention of Oath Keeper Ed Vallejo -- one of 11 members of the group charged last week with seditious conspiracy to violently prevent Joe Biden from taking office -- prosecutors provided new details about the weapons stockpile Oath Keepers had assembled at a Comfort Inn in nearby Arlington, Va.... Prosecutors say Vallejo is too dangerous to be released pending trial, noting that he continued to profess support for the violent attack on the Capitol even last month, just days before his arrest." Read on. These nitwits are as scary-crazy as you thought they were. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Marie: The public first learned about plans to submit fake Electoral College slates showing Trump as the winner in five states in which Joe Biden won on the day the real Electors voted: December 14, 2020. Andrew Prokop of Vox noted at the time, "White House senior adviser Stephen Miller said on Fox Monday [Dec. 14] that Trump's team planned to support an 'alternate' set of electors in key states Biden won.... 'As we speak, today, an alternate slate of electors in the contested states is going to vote and we're going to send those results up to Congress,' Miller said. 'This will ensure that all of our legal remedies remain open.'" At the time, and for a year, I regarded these fake slates as part of the Trump sideshow. Lately, Rachel Maddow has made a big deal of them, describing the fake slates as "forgeries," noting that mike pence crafted special language, adding a clause to in the standard script veeps follow in the Congressional certification ritual to explain why he was ignoring the fake slates, revealing that the Michigan AG had referred the state's fake slate stunt to the DOJ, and speculating -- based on similarities among the various states' filings -- that the fake slates were part of a coordinated effort. (Well, yeah, they were; the odious Stephen Miller pretty much copped to that on Trump State Teevee.) So now there's this: ~~~

~~~ Philip Rotner in the Bulwark: "... an offense committed by relatively unknown people acting at the state level could grow into 'Trump's Watergate.'... If state and federal law enforcement authorities convene grand juries to investigate the low-level GOP officials who signed and submitted phony electoral certificates in the 2020 election, the entire conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election could unravel.... Law enforcement officials investigating the phony documents, as distinguished from a broader conspiracy, would not have to search for a crime -- they already have the smoking guns, documents that are fraudulent on their face.... This open-and-shut election fraud is a gift to [AG Merrick] Garland and his federal prosecutors.... Historian Heather Cox Richardson, writing in her January 17 newsletter, lays it all out in detail, leading to the inescapable conclusion that the scheme 'appears to have been a coordinated attempt by members of the Trump administration and sympathizers around the country to overturn our government by committing election fraud.'"

Coup Cabinet Met in White House Residence. Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "The former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack that Donald Trump hosted secret meetings in the White House residence in days before 6 January, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The former senior Trump aide also told House investigators that the details of whether Trump actually intended to march to the Capitol after his speech at the Ellipse rally would be memorialized in documents provided to the US Secret Service, the sources said. The select committee's interview with Grisham, who was Melania Trump's chief of staff when she resigned on 6 January, was more significant than expected, the sources said, giving the panel new details about the Trump White House and what the former US president was doing before the Capitol attack.... Grisham recounted that [the secret meetings] were mostly scheduled by Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and that the former chief usher, Timothy Harleth [-- previously a Trump Hotels employee --] would wave participants upstairs, the sources said."

Josephine Harvey of the Huffington Post: "Eric Trump and Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg [each] invoked their Fifth Amendment rights more than 500 times when questioned by the New York attorney general's office for its investigation into the company's finances, according to a Tuesday court filing." Their invocation of the Fifth Amendment was revealed in a motion to compel Donald Trump, Donald Junior & Ivanka Trump to testify under oath in civil matters concerning possible wrongdoing by the Trump Organization. See also Akhilleus' commentary below. MB: Akhilleus doesn't seem to understand that when Trump's adversaries invoke the Fifth, it "proves they're guilty"; when Trump, et al., invoke, it proves they're victims of a witch hunt.

Blake Hounshell & Leah Askarinam of the New York Times: "An obscure 19th-century provision of the U.S. Constitution that barred members of the Confederacy from holding political office is back in the national conversation -- and some are hoping it can keep Donald J. Trump and his allies off the ballot.... Fearing that the grandees of the Old South would slink back to power, [Congress] crafted Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, known as the Disqualification Clause. The provision applied to anyone who had previously taken an oath to support the Constitution and then either 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion' against the United States or gave 'aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.'... Last week..., lawyers representing a group of North Carolina voters filed a novel legal challenge[, invoking the Disqualification Clause,] seeking to keep Representative Madison Cawthorn off the ballot this year." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: One big hiccup: before Trump's second impeachment trial, Democratic lawyers "determined that the Disqualification Clause was not 'self-executing' -- that is, Congress would need to pass a law or resolution to use it and clarify how it applies today."

They Walked Out on the Streets of Laredo. Abby Livingston & Brooke Park of the Texas Tribune: "The FBI was on the scene Wednesday near the Laredo home of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar [D] for what authorities described as a court-authorized ongoing investigation. FBI spokesperson Rosanne Hughes confirmed law enforcement's presence in the area but did not clarify what authorities were investigating. Hughes said in a statement that the FBI was present on two streets around Cuellar's house in Laredo 'conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity.'... Agents were seen taking cases and other items from the congressman's home, according to MyRGVNews. FBI officials were also present at a downtown building owned by Cuellar that reportedly houses his campaign office as well as other private businesses, according to KGNS News."

Cancun Ted Seems to Sway ConservoSupremes to Make Campaign Financing Even Dirtier. Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "In the final days of the 2018 election, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) loaned his campaign $260,000, specifically so he could challenge an obscure campaign finance restriction that only $250,000 in personal loans can be repaid with money raised after an election. Oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated Cruz is in position to collect on his investment. Only the court's three liberal justices seemed receptive to the Justice Department's argument that the restriction was a legitimate way to keep politics just a little bit cleaner that meets constitutional muster."

The Tree Line Is Moving On Up. Ben Rawlence in the Guardian: "As the planet warms, the Arctic treeline is accelerating towards the pole, turning the white landscape to green. The trees used to creep forward a few centimetres every year; now they are leaping north at a rate of 40 to 50 metres a year. In the European Arctic, the birch is the leader of the pack. Downy birch is one of few broadleaved deciduous trees in the Arctic and it is hardier even than most conifers.... And now reindeer herding, a way of life [for the Sami people] that has survived intact for 10,000 years, is under threat. This time it is not the Norwegian government that poses the greatest danger, but the climate. Warmer winters are deadly for the reindeer in two ways: one is short and sharp, leading to a quick death -- ice; the other is slow but sure -- too many trees."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nina Totenberg of NPR: "Three Supreme Court justices issued statements Wednesday addressing an NPR story about relations among the justices. On Tuesday, NPR reported that Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a longtime diabetic, had indicated to Chief Justice John Roberts that because of the omicron surge, she did not feel safe being in a room with people who are unmasked, and that the chief justice 'in some form asked the other justices to mask up.' On Wednesday, Sotomayor and [Justice Neil] Gorsuch issued a statement saying that she did not ask him to wear a mask. NPR's report did not say that she did. Then, the chief justice issued a statement saying he 'did not request Justice Gorsuch or any other justice to wear a mask on the bench.' The NPR report said the chief justice's ask to the justices had come 'in some form.' NPR stands by its reporting."

Texas. James Barragan of the Texas Tribune: "Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said Wednesday.... Paxton, a second-term Republican, has challenged attempts by President Joe Biden to mandate vaccines for health care employees at facilities that receive funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and troops serving in the Texas National Guard. He has also fought attempts by the Biden administration to require staff and volunteers at Head Start programs to be vaccinated and for all parents, staff, volunteers and children over the age of 2 to wear a mask while at schools."

U.K. The Virus That Ate Boris Johnson. Karla Adam of the Washington Post: "Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced an easing of coronavirus restrictions in England amid growing calls from outside -- and inside -- his party for him to resign over repeated revelations of rule-flouting parties held at his residence and office. The scandal-hit British leader told Parliament that starting next Thursday, the 'Plan B' restrictions that were introduced in England to stem the rise of the omicron wave, including more mask-wearing, guidance to work from home and covid passports, would end.:

Beyond the Beltway

Kentucky. Derrick Taylor & Christine Hauser of the New York Times: "A Kentucky man who was pardoned by the state's former governor in 2019 was sentenced to 42 years in prison this week on federal charges for the same murder, the Justice Department said. Federal officials were able to put the man, Patrick Baker, 43, on trial for a second time under the dual sovereignty doctrine, which allows defendants to be prosecuted for the same crime in both federal and state court. The case came under scrutiny after The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., reported that Mr. Baker's brother had hosted a fund-raiser at his home for the governor, Matt Bevin [R].... Posing as a United States marshal, Mr. Baker killed Donald L. Mills Jr. during a home invasion in May 2014, the U.S. attorney's office said. Mr. Mills's wife and children were held at gunpoint while Mr. Baker ransacked the home for oxycodone pills, the [U.S. attorney's] office said.... The [Louisville] Courier-Journal ... won a Pulitzer Prize in 2020 for its reporting on [Bevin's] pardons."

Michigan. Alan Blinder of the New York Times: "The University of Michigan said Wednesday that it had agreed to pay $490 million to more than 1,000 people who had accused a doctor who worked with football players and other students of sexual abuse. The agreement, among the largest ever by an American university to settle allegations of sexual abuse, was reached this week and made public on Wednesday morning, more than three years after a former student wrote to Michigan's athletic director and reported misconduct that dated to the 1970s. That former student, and, eventually, scores of others, said that Dr. Robert E. Anderson had molested them during physical examinations, many of which were required to participate in athletic programs at Michigan." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Texas/U.K. Jessica Murray of the Guardian: "Two men have been arrested in Birmingham and Manchester as part of the investigation into the Texas synagogue attack by the British hostage-taker Malik Faisal Akram. The men, whose ages have not been released, were 'in custody for questioning', Greater Manchester police said, and were held on Thursday morning as part of an 'ongoing investigation'."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "Humanitarian aid reached disaster-struck Tonga for the first time Thursday after residents of the Pacific island nation swept volcanic ash off the main airport by hand. A Royal Australian Air Force cargo plane bearing bottled water and other supplies landed on Tonga's main island, five days after a powerful undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami rocked the archipelago.... Tongans cleared part of the runway by hand because equipment was destroyed or inaccessible, according to New Zealand's defense minister, Peeni Henare.... Henare told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. late Wednesday, adding that there were reports the ash was up to a meter (3.3 feet) deep in places."

CNBC: "Jobless claims took an unexpected turn higher last week in a potential sign that the wintertime omicron surge was hitting the employment picture. Initial filings for the week ended Jan. 15 totaled 286,000, well above the Dow Jones estimate of 225,000 and a substantial gain from the previous week's 231,000. The total was the highest since the week of Oct. 16, 2021 and marks a reversal after claims just a few weeks ago had hit their lowest level in more than 50 years."

January 19, 2022

Afternoon Update:

New York Times staff are live-updating Wednesday's Senate proceedings.

President Biden will hold a press conference, scheduled for 4:00 pm ET, marking the end of his first year in office.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Oath Keepers planning to violently subvert the 2020 election stockpiled 30 days of supplies and a cache of rifles and ammunition just outside of Washington, D.C., prosecutors alleged in a late-night court filing. In a memo seeking the pretrial detention of Oath Keeper Ed Vallejo -- one of 11 members of the group charged last week with seditious conspiracy to violently prevent Joe Biden from taking office -- prosecutors provided new details about the weapons stockpile Oath Keepers had assembled at a Comfort Inn in nearby Arlington, Va.... Prosecutors say Vallejo is too dangerous to be released pending trial, noting that he continued to profess support for the violent attack on the Capitol even last month, just days before his arrest." Read on. These nitwits are as scary-crazy as you thought they were.

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here.

Michigan. Alan Blinder of the New York Times: "The University of Michigan said Wednesday that it had agreed to pay $490 million to more than 1,000 people who had accused a doctor who worked with football players and other students of sexual abuse. The agreement, among the largest ever by an American university to settle allegations of sexual abuse, was reached this week and made public on Wednesday morning, more than three years after a former student wrote to Michigan's athletic director and reported misconduct that dated to the 1970s. That former student, and, eventually, scores of others, said that Dr. Robert E. Anderson had molested them during physical examinations, many of which were required to participate in athletic programs at Michigan."

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Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News: "The White House believes Russia could launch an invasion of Ukraine at any moment, press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday, warning that an 'extremely dangerous situation' is building along the Ukrainian border. 'We believe we're now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine. I would say that's more stark than we have been,' Psaki said during her daily press briefing." ~~~

~~~ Michael Crowley & Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "Seeking to head off a potential assault on Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will meet with Russia's foreign minister on Friday as the two sides explore whether there is still a diplomatic path to avoiding a conflict in Eastern Europe. The talks will try to break a deadlock that was thrown into sharp relief last week when a series of three negotiating sessions between Russia and the West ended in an impasse. The thorniest issue was Russia's demand that NATO pledge not to expand eastward, a condition that the United States and Western Europe have rejected. The White House said on Tuesday that Mr. Blinken would 'urge Russia to take immediate steps to de-escalate.'" ~~~

~~~ Vladimir Isachenkov of the AP: "Russia is a sending an unspecified number of troops from the country's far east to Belarus for major war games, officials said Tuesday, a deployment that will further beef up Russian military presence near Ukraine amid Western fears of a planned invasion."

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "... on Tuesday, for the first time, evidence emerged in court papers that prosecutors have posed questions to at least one Jan. 6 defendant that were 'focused on establishing an organized conspiracy' involving [Donald] Trump and his allies to 'disrupt' the work of Congress. The papers were filed by a defense lawyer in the case of Brandon Straka, a former hair stylist who founded a group called the Walk Away Foundation, which seeks to persuade Democratic voters to leave the party. On the day before the Capitol was stormed, Mr. Straka spoke at a pro-Trump rally in Washington with prominent right-wing figures like the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Mr. Straka was also at the Capitol on Jan. 6. In October, he pleaded guilty to charges of disorderly conduct, admitting, among other things, that he had urged a crowd outside the building to wrest a riot shield away from a police officer.... Mr. Straka had met with prosecutors earlier this month as part of his plea agreement and had been 'cooperative' in answering their questions.... Straka's lawyer, Bilal Essayli..., said [in his own sentencing memo to the court] that during Mr. Straka's interview with prosecutors, 'the government was focused on establishing an organized conspiracy between defendant, President Donald J. Trump, and allies of the former president to disrupt the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.' Mr. Straka 'answered all questions truthfully and denied the existence of any such plot,' Mr. Essayli's memo said."

Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "The Jan. 6 select committee is on the verge of obtaining several pages of Donald Trump's White House records that the former president has tried to shield from congressional investigators. In a new court filing, the Justice Department said the National Archives -- which houses Trump's White House files -- planned to release four pages of records to the House on Wednesday evening despite Trump's pending request at the Supreme Court to block the handover of those and other records." The four pages are not specifically covered by any court orders.

** Luke Broadwater & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol on Tuesday subpoenaed Rudolph W. Giuliani and other members of the legal team that pursued a set of conspiracy-filled lawsuits on behalf of ... Donald J. Trump in which they made unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. In addition to Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Trump's personal lawyer and a ringleader of the group, the panel subpoenaed three others who played central roles in his effort to use the courts, state legislatures and Congress to try to overturn his defeat. Jenna Ellis drafted a memo on how Mr. Trump could invalidate the election results by exploiting an obscure law. Sidney Powell, a lawyer who worked on many of the lawsuits with Mr. Giuliani, ran an organization that raised millions of dollars based on false claims that election machines were rigged. Boris Epshteyn pursued allegations of election fraud in Nevada and Arizona and is said to have participated in a call with Mr. Trump on the morning of Jan. 6, 'during which options were discussed to delay the certification of election results,' the committee said." ~~~

~~~ CNN's story is here: "'The four individuals we've subpoenaed today advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former President about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes,' Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who chairs the committee, said in a statement Tuesday." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ The Committee's press release is here. The page includes links to the letters the Committee wrote to Giuliani & the other individuals subpoenaed Tuesday. MB: I'm hoping the parking lot in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping will be available on a hot day in July to serve as the venue for Giuliani's public testimony before the committee. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Jamie Gangel, et al., of CNN: "The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol has subpoenaed and obtained records of phone numbers associated with one of ... Donald Trump's children, Eric Trump, as well as Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is engaged to Donald Trump Jr., sources tell CNN. It appears to be the first time the select committee has issued a subpoena that targeted a member of the Trump family, in what marks a significant escalation of the investigation into Trump's role in the January 6 insurrection. The decision to subpoena communication records involving the Trump family underscores the aggressive tack the committee is taking as it races to complete its investigation while battling Trump in court over access to documents from his administration.... These records provide the committee with logs that show incoming and outgoing calls, including the date, time and length of calls. The records also show a log of text messages, but not the substance or content of the messages."

New York State Attorney General: "New York Attorney General Letitia James [Tuesday] took legal action to compel Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump to appear for sworn testimony as part of the office's ongoing civil investigation into the Trump Organization's financial dealings." This is the lede to a press release from James' office. The release spells out in some detail the Trump Organization's financial dealings which the AG is investigating. MB: I'll put up a news story when one becomes available. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As contributor Patrick pointed out months ago, no lending institution would grant a loan on the basis of the loan applicant's statement of valuation. The purpose of a civil lawsuit is to right or alleviate some harm caused by the defendant. So we were wondering what harm the Trump Crime Family caused here. The press release partially answers this question: "The evidence to date indicates that banks and other financial institutions relied on Mr. Trump's financial statements in considering whether to grant Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization access to credit and coverage ... and to comply with covenants on existing loans.... Evidence indicates that ... appraisal[s] commissioned by the Trump Organization and submitted to the IRS substantially overstated the value of ... land donation[s]... [The false appraisals] resulted in several million dollars of benefit to Mr. Trump." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "The New York State attorney general, Letitia James, accused Donald J. Trump's family business late Tuesday of repeatedly misrepresenting the value of its assets to bolster its bottom line, saying in court papers that the company had engaged in 'fraudulent or misleading' practices.... The filing marked the first time that the attorney general's office leveled such specific accusations against the former president's company.... The filing outlined what Ms. James's office termed misleading statements about the value of six Trump properties, as well as the 'Trump brand.'" The AP's story is here.

If the Senate cannot protect the right to vote, which is the cornerstone of our democracy, then the Senate rules must be reformed. -- Sen. Chuck Schumer, on the Senate floor Tuesday ~~~

~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "Democrats pushed forward on Tuesday with what appeared to be a futile bid to enact voting rights protections over Republican opposition, taking up legislation that they said was urgently needed to counter widespread balloting suppression efforts and laying out a plan to try to steer it around G.O.P. obstruction. Using a procedural shortcut, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, avoided a Republican blockade that has stalled the legislation for months to force it to the floor. But Democrats were far short of the votes needed to win its passage over Republican opposition, and lacked the votes needed in their own party to change Senate rules and enact it unilaterally." ~~~

     ~~~ Good for Emily's List. Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "One of the largest contributors to Senator Kyrsten Sinema's political rise announced on Tuesday that it would cut off its financial support if the senator continues to refuse to change the Senate's filibuster rules to allow for passage of far-reaching voting rights legislation. Emily's List, the largest funder of female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights, made the extraordinary announcement as the Senate barreled toward votes this week on a bill to reverse restrictions on voting passed by a number of Republican-led state legislatures." ~~~

     ~~~ Ellie Silverman of the Washington Post: "Twenty-eight people were arrested outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday as a group of college students, faith leaders and civil rights organizers on a hunger strike demanded that the Senate pass federal voting rights legislation."

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The City of Boston, which refused to let a private group raise a Christian flag in front of its City Hall, seemed to be headed for a loss after a Supreme Court argument on Tuesday. Justices across the ideological spectrum, noting that the city had approved many similar requests from organizations seeking to celebrate their backgrounds or to promote causes like gay pride, seemed ready to rule that the city had violated the free speech rights of Camp Constitution, which says it seeks 'to enhance understanding of our Judeo-Christian moral heritage.' The group's application said it sought to raise a 'Christian flag' for one hour at an event that would include 'short speeches by some local clergy focusing on Boston's history.' The flag bore the Latin cross.... Justice Elena Kagan said the city had made an understandable mistake in relying on the part of the First Amendment that prohibits government establishment of religion when it should have been focusing on its free speech clause. Putting a permanent cross on the roof of City Hall would violate the establishment clause, she said, but banning a religious group from conveying its message in a transient setting open to lots of speakers violates the amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech."

Presidential Election 2024. Jake Tapper of CNN: "Around three dozen former Trump administration officials, disillusioned with their former boss and concerned about his impact on the GOP and the nation, held a conference call last Monday to discuss efforts to fend off his efforts to, in their view, erode the democratic process, several participants told CNN. The only items the group seemed to agree upon in its first meeting, however, were that they're not sure what their way forward should be, and that they are way behind the efforts of ... Donald Trump and his allies to set the stage for 2022, 2024, and beyond. The highest-ranking participant was former White House chief of staff and retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, who told CNN that because of a prior commitment he was only able to 'monitor' about 10 minutes of the call, which lasted about an hour." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ian Duncan & Lori Aratani of the Washington Post: "Wireless companies AT&T and Verizon said Tuesday they would limit the rollout of new high-speed 5G networks near airports, a step the Federal Aviation Administration said should avert possible flight disruptions and much of the potential for interference with airplane safety technology. Airlines had begun preparing employees for a wave of disruptions tied to the rollout, while some international operators canceled flights to the United States. Tuesday's deal marked another temporary fix in a dispute that has put different parts of the federal government at loggerheads, while leaving two of the nation's major industries at odds. The White House helped broker the deal, which President Biden said would still enable 90 percent of new wireless towers to launch as planned."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here: "The Biden administration, facing calls from public health experts to distribute high-quality masks to the American public, will announce on Wednesday that it is making 400 million nonsurgical N95 masks available, free of charge, at community health centers and retail pharmacies across the United States. The move, which officials are calling the 'largest deployment of personal protective equipment in U.S. history,' comes just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask guidance to acknowledge that cloth masks do not offer as much protection as surgical masks or respirators.... According to the C.D.C.'s new description of masks, well-fitting respirators, including N95s, offer the highest level of protection. Wednesday was also the formal launch day for covidtests.gov, the administration's new website enabling Americans to order at-home coronavirus tests free of charge. The site was quietly rolled out on Tuesday."

Sheryl Stolberg & Lola Fadulu of the New York Times: "The Biden administration's new website allowing people to order up to four free at-home coronavirus tests quietly went live on Tuesday -- a day in advance of its formal launch -- and demand already appeared to be significant. A combined total of more than 1 million visitors were on the home page and the ordering page of covidtests.gov at one point Tuesday evening -- more than 40 times as many as were on the government site with the next highest traffic, the U.S. Postal Service's package-tracking page, according to analytics.usa.gov, which monitors traffic on participating federal websites. At a White House news conference on Tuesday, President Biden's press secretary, Jen Psaki, said the official launch would take place on Wednesday morning, but that the site had begun taking orders during what she described as a 'beta testing phase' conducted by the U.S. Digital Service, the government's technology support division." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Marie: I tried out covidtests.gov at 8:35 am ET. I've ordered zillions of things online. This was the easiest order I ever placed. The page came up right away (to my surprise), and I didn't have to enter much more than my name, mailing address & email address.

John Kruzel of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request to block a federal mask mandate for air travel. The emergency application was filed by a father on behalf of himself and his 4-year-old autistic son, both of whom claim to be medically incapable of wearing masks for extended periods. Their request was filed to Justice Neil Gorsuch, who handles emergency applications arising in several Western states, and he referred the matter to the full court. The justices denied the request without comment or noted dissent." MB: Which goes to show that the conservoSupremes are reasonable people frequent flyers. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ GorSuch-a-Dick. Nina Totenberg of NPR: Supreme Court Justice Sonia "Sotomayor has diabetes, a condition that puts her at high risk for serious illness, or even death, from COVID-19. She has been the only justice to wear a mask on the bench since last fall when, amid a marked decline in COVID-19 cases, the justices resumed in-person arguments for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Now, though, the situation had changed with the omicron surge, and according to court sources, Sotomayor did not feel safe in close proximity to people who were unmasked. Chief Justice John Roberts, understanding that, in some form asked the other justices to mask up. They all did. Except [Neil] Gorsuch, who, as it happens, sits next to Sotomayor on the bench. His continued refusal since then has also meant that Sotomayor has not attended the justices' weekly conference in person, joining instead by telephone." Sotomayor is not the only justice who doesn't like Gorsuch.

Beyond the Beltway

Arkansas. Lawsuit: Detainees Treated for Covid-19 with Horse Dewormer. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "Detainees at an Arkansas jail who had Covid-19 were unknowingly treated by the detention center's doctor with ivermectin, a drug that health officials have continually said is dangerous and should not be used to treat or prevent a coronavirus infection, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of four detainees. The four men ... say in the lawsuit that after testing positive for the coronavirus in August, they were taken to the 'quarantine block' of the Washington County Detention Center and given a 'cocktail of drugs' twice a day by Dr. Robert Karas, who runs Karas Correctional Health, the jail's health provider. The complaint, filed this month in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, says that the men took the drugs -- which Dr. Karas told them consisted of vitamins, antibiotics and steroids -- unaware that they were actually ingesting ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug commonly used for livestock that the Food and Drug Administration has warned should not be taken for Covid-19." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Florida. Anthony Izaguirre of the AP: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has submitted a proposal to reshape the state's congressional map and carve up districts held by Black Democrats, as the Republican takes the unusual step of inserting himself into the redistricting process. The proposed congressional map, submitted Sunday on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, signaled the governor's priorities as the state moves to redraw political maps in the coming months. Governors typically do not submit map proposals but can veto district plans after they pass in the statehouse. DeSantis, who is running for reelection and is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has largely shaped the legislative agenda in the Republican-controlled statehouse this year.... 'From what I can tell, the governor rolled out his own maps, unrequested, on Martin Luther King Day that will probably end up leaving less African-American representation in Congress,' Democratic state Rep. Evan Jenne told reporters." MB: A guest on MSNBC said DeSantis had the gall to invoke Dr. King in his bid for a redistricting map that would cut the number of Black representatives. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ DeSantis Wants Brown Shirts to Control Elections. Lori Rozsa & Beth Reinhard of the Washington Post: "A plan by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would establish a special police force to oversee state elections -- the first of its kind in the nation -- and while his fellow Republicans have reacted tepidly, voting rights advocates fear that it will become law and be used to intimidate voters. The proposed Office of Election Crimes and Security would be part of the Department of State, which answers to the governor. DeSantis is asking the GOP-controlled legislature to allocate nearly $6 million to hire 52 people to 'investigate, detect, apprehend, and arrest anyone for an alleged violation' of election laws. They would be stationed at unspecified 'field offices throughout the state' and act on tips from 'government officials or any other person.'... Unlike many past elections, the 2020 general election in Florida had few problems. The governor touted it as 'the gold standard.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Sam Levine of the Guardian: "The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, has proposed the formation of a large and unprecedented state agency to investigate election crimes -- in a state where there is little evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election or otherwise." ~~~

~~~ Brendan Farrington of the AP: "A bill pushed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that would prohibit public schools and private businesses from making white people feel 'discomfort' when they teach students or train employees about discrimination in the nation's past received its first approval Tuesday. The Senate Education Committee approved the bill that takes aim at critical race theory -- though it doesn't mention it explicitly -- on party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. Democrats argued the bill isn't needed, would lead to frivolous lawsuits and said it would amount to censorship in schools. They asked, without success, for real-life examples of teachers or businesses telling students or employees that they are racist because of their race." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Aw, thanks for the memories, Ron, though they bring me such "discomfort." You remind me of those happy days when our plump, pink & jolly second-grade teacher Mrs. Woosley enthusiastically taught us white kiddies to sing "Swanee River," the racist state song, using (probably an imaginary) extra-racist Negro dialect, even though our school songbook contained standard English lyrics:

All de world am sad and dreary,
Eb-rywhere I roam;
Oh, darkeys, how my heart grows weary,
Far from de old folks at home!

Louisiana Senate Race. Dude! John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Gary Chambers, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate from Louisiana, unveiled a new ad Tuesday in which he is shown smoking marijuana." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Pennsylvania. Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "Three Pennsylvania police officers have been charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an 8-year-old girl outside a high school football game in August during which they fired a barrage of bullets after two teenagers began shooting, the authorities said. Officers Devon Smith, Sean Dolan and Brian Devaney of the Police Department in Sharon Hill, a Philadelphia suburb, were each charged with a total of 12 counts, including both voluntary and involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment, Jack Stollsteimer, the district attorney in Delaware County, said in a statement. 'We have now concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that it was, in fact, shots from the officers that struck and killed Fanta Bility and injured three others,' he said."

Puerto Rico. Patricia Mazzei, et al., of the New York Times: "Puerto Rico received approval from a federal judge on Tuesday to leave bankruptcy under the largest public-sector debt restructuring deal in the history of the United States, nearly five years after the financially strapped territory declared it could not repay its creditors. Since Puerto Rico entered bankruptcy, its economic crisis has only been further deepened by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, a series of earthquakes and the coronavirus pandemic. The restructuring plan will reduce the largest portion of the Puerto Rico government's debt -- some $33 billion -- by about 80 percent, to $7.4 billion. The deal will also save the government more than $50 billion in debt payments."

Texas/U.K. Dan Sabbagh of the Guardian: "The British man who took hostages at a Texas synagogue had been under investigation by MI5 as a possible Islamist terrorist threat as recently as 2020, Whitehall sources have acknowledged. British intelligence closed the investigation, however, after officers had concluded Malik Faisal Akram from Blackburn posed no threat, and as a result he was able to travel freely to the US and purchase a gun. It is understood the investigation was 'mid-level' and took place in the second half of 2020 -- but once it had ended Akram was left as a closed subject of interest on MI5's records, and no information of concern appears to have been passed to the US authorities before the synagogue attack."

January 18, 2022

Afternoon Update:

** Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "The House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani Tuesday, along with three other campaign attorneys linked with efforts to overturn the 2020 election results: Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and Boris Epshteyn." This is a breaking story. CNN's breaking story is here: "'The four individuals we've subpoenaed today advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former President about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes,' Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who chairs the committee, said in a statement Tuesday." ~~~

     ~~~ The Committee's press release is here. The page includes links to the letters the Committee wrote to Giuliani & the other individuals subpoenaed Tuesday. MB: I'm hoping the parking lot in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping will be available on a hot day in July to serve as the venue for Giuliani's public testimony before the committee.

Florida. Anthony Izaguirre of the AP: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has submitted a proposal to reshape the state's congressional map and carve up districts held by Black Democrats, as the Republican takes the unusual step of inserting himself into the redistricting process. The proposed congressional map, submitted Sunday on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, signaled the governor's priorities as the state moves to redraw political maps in the coming months. Governors typically do not submit map proposals but can veto district plans after they pass in the statehouse. DeSantis, who is running for reelection and is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has largely shaped the legislative agenda in the Republican-controlled statehouse this year.... 'From what I can tell, the governor rolled out his own maps, unrequested, on Martin Luther King Day that will probably end up leaving less African-American representation in Congress,' Democratic state Rep. Evan Jenne told reporters." MB: A guest on MSNBC said DeSantis invoked Dr. King in his bid for a redistricting map that would cut the number of Black representatives. ~~~

~~~ DeSantis Wants Brown Shirts to Control Elections. Lori Rozsa & Beth Reinhard of the Washington Post: "A plan by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would establish a special police force to oversee state elections -- the first of its kind in the nation -- and while his fellow Republicans have reacted tepidly, voting rights advocates fear that it will become law and be used to intimidate voters. The proposed Office of Election Crimes and Security would be part of the Department of State, which answers to the governor. DeSantis is asking the GOP-controlled legislature to allocate nearly $6 million to hire 52 people to 'investigate, detect, apprehend, and arrest anyone for an alleged violation' of election laws. They would be stationed at unspecified 'field offices throughout the state' and act on tips from 'government officials or any other person.'... Unlike many past elections, the 2020 general election in Florida had few problems. The governor touted it as 'the gold standard.'"

John Kruzel of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request to block a federal mask mandate for air travel. The emergency application was filed by a father on behalf of himself and his 4-year-old autistic son, both of whom claim to be medically incapable of wearing masks for extended periods. Their request was filed to Justice Neil Gorsuch, who handles emergency applications arising in several Western states, and he referred the matter to the full court. The justices denied the request without comment or noted dissent." MB: Which goes to show that the conservoSupremes are reasonable people frequent flyers.

Jake Tapper of CNN: "Around three dozen former Trump administration officials, disillusioned with their former boss and concerned about his impact on the GOP and the nation, held a conference call last Monday to discuss efforts to fend off his efforts to, in their view, erode the democratic process, several participants told CNN. The only items the group seemed to agree upon in its first meeting, however, were that they're not sure what their way forward should be, and that they are way behind the efforts of ... Donald Trump and his allies to set the stage for 2022, 2024, and beyond. The highest-ranking participant was former White House chief of staff and retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, who told CNN that because of a prior commitment he was only able to 'monitor' about 10 minutes of the call, which lasted about an hour."

Arkansas. Lawsuit: Detainees Treated for Covid-19 with Horse Dewormer. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "Detainees at an Arkansas jail who had Covid-19 were unknowingly treated by the detention center's doctor with ivermectin, a drug that health officials have continually said is dangerous and should not be used to treat or prevent a coronavirus infection, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of four detainees. The four men ... say in the lawsuit that after testing positive for the coronavirus in August, they were taken to the 'quarantine block' of the Washington County Detention Center and given a 'cocktail of drugs' twice a day by Dr. Robert Karas, who runs Karas Correctional Health, the jail's health provider. The complaint, filed this month in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, says that the men took the drugs -- which Dr. Karas told them consisted of vitamins, antibiotics and steroids -- unaware that they were actually ingesting ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug commonly used for livestock that the Food and Drug Administration has warned should not be taken for Covid-19."

Louisiana Senate Race. Dude! John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Gary Chambers, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate from Louisiana, unveiled a new ad Tuesday in which he is shown smoking marijuana."

~~~~~~~~~~

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "Senate Democrats plan to press ahead this week with an effort to push new voting rights protections through Congress, in an all but doomed attempt to enact a key piece of President Biden's agenda that has been undercut by members of his own party. The Senate on Tuesday will begin to debate legislation that combines two separate bills already passed by the House -- the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act -- and folds them into an unrelated measure. The move would allow the Senate to bring the bill directly to the floor, avoiding an initial filibuster. But that strategy would still allow Republicans to block it from coming to a final vote, and Democrats lack the unanimous support needed in their party to change Senate rules to muscle through the legislation themselves. Still, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, said late last week that Democrats would forge ahead anyway, forcing Republicans to publicly declare their opposition to the bill." ~~~

~~~ Chris Cameron of the New York Times: This year, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday "came one day before the Senate returns to debate what is expected to be a doomed effort to pass the legislation. Despite the near certain defeat, voting rights activists, Democratic officials and relatives of Dr. King said they were not giving up.... Speakers at a news conference after the march [across the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C.,] sharply criticized members of the Senate and President Biden for their failure to enact voting reforms as they focused on other Democratic priorities -- and as voters' rights have eroded under Supreme Court rulings and laws passed by Republican state legislatures that make it harder for people of color to vote.... [Some speakers] had sharp words for two centrist Democrats, Senators Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.... 'History will not remember them kindly,' [Martin Luther King III] said, recounting his father's criticism of the 'white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice." An AP story is here.

What [Sen. Kyrsten Sinema] said is, 'I support voting rights, but not as much as I support the ability of someone to take those rights away.' The filibuster is a meaningless Senate rule. It's a remnant of slavery used to block civil rights for generations.... Senator Sinema says if the voting rights bill doesn't get bipartisan support, it shouldn't pass. Well, the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to slaves in 1868, that didn't have bipartisan support. Should formally enslaved people have been denied citizenship, Senator Sinema? The 15th Amendment that gave formerly enslaved people the right to vote in 1870, that didn't have bipartisan support. Should former slaves have been denied the right to vote, Senator Sinema? I'm just applying her logic here and showing that it's not logical at all. -- Martin Luther King III, in Phoenix, Jan. 15

Salvador Rizzo of the Washington Post: "A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is in Ukraine to show solidarity with the Eastern European country as it faces ongoing tension with Russia. The seven U.S. senators plan to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top officials on Monday, they announced. The visit comes amid a showdown between Russia and the West over Ukraine's territory and the threat of further Russian incursion." The seven senators are Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) More on the Russia/Ukraine crisis linked under Way Beyond the Beltway.

Linda Greenhouse of the New York Times: "Halfway through his pained dissent from the Supreme Court's decision blocking the Biden administration's workplace Covid vaccine rule, Justice Stephen Breyer made a glancing reference to a now-obscure case from 1981, American Textile Manufacturers Institute v. Donovan. It was one of the court's first efforts to interpret the 1970 law that created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.... But what jumped off the page to me was the contrast between how the court behaved in 1981 and what happened last Thursday in National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, when six justices yielded to politics to disable an agency from carrying out its statutory mission to protect the health and safety of the American work force. That is where we are now. That's how far the court has fallen." Thanks to P.D. Pepe for the link. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Marie: Yesterday I complained about newly-minted GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) lifting a portion of Dr. Martin Luther King's famous remark -- "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" -- to justify meddling in the state's education curricula. Well, Mehdi Hasan, on MSNBC, played clips of multiple Republicans using the last clause of that sentence to justify ignoring racism. Unbeknownst to me, it's a GOP go-to cop-out. And the way these Republicans twist Dr. King's words to the point of inverting his meaning is diabolical.

Trump Stokes Racism on MLK Weekend. The left is now rationing lifesaving therapeutics based on race, discriminating against and denigrating ... white people to determine who lives and who dies. If you're white you don't get the vaccine or if you're white you don't get therapeutics. ... In New York state, if you're white, you have to go to the back of the line to get medical health. -- Donald Trump, at his Arizona rally

No, white people are not being excluded from vaccines, of which there is a plentiful supply. And there is no evidence they being sent to the "back of the line" for COVID-19 care as a matter of public health policy. Trump distorted a New York policy that allows for race to be one consideration when dispensing oral antiviral treatments, which are in limited supply. The policy attempts to steer those treatments to people at the most risk of severe disease from the coronavirus. -- AP Fact-Check

Mike Pence to Be Replaced by Dead Man. Meredith McGraw of Politico: “Ray Kallatsa is a die-hard Trumper who [attended Trump's Tucson rally and] 'definitely' wants to see ... Donald Trump run for office again in 2024. [As to who should be Trump's running mate,] 'JFK Jr.,' he said, referencing the son of the 35th president who died in a plane crash in 1999.... 'I don't want to sound too much like a conspiracy theorist, but he's coming back,' he explained. 'He's supposed to reveal himself on the 17th if he's truly alive. I think we'll see him.'... [Kallatsa] was not alone among the crowd in believing that JFK Jr. is not only still alive but is also a secret Trump supporter embedded far in the 'deep state.'" ~~~

~~~ Wackadoo, Wackadoo, Wackadoo. David Gilbert of Vice: "Having spent the last two-and-a-half months holed up in Dallas awaiting the reappearance of John F. Kennedy and his son, a group of two dozen or so QAnon followers, led by an antisemitic guru called Michael Protzman, made the 1,000 mile trip to hear Trump speaking at his first major rally of 2022.... In an audio chat with his followers on Sunday, Protzman claimed that Kari Lake, the former TV anchor who is now running for Arizona governor, had just finished speaking but was brought back up on stage by Trump, in order to show people that Trump was in fact JFK in disguise. The basis for Protzman's unhinged claim? Trump appeared to be shorter than he should have been." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm confused. Protzman made his claim on Sunday, after the rally, during which the star of the show did not zip himself out of his Trump suit to reveal he was JFK. Anyhow, I guess it's safe to tell you now that I'm Marilyn Monroe.

Michael Kaplan of CBS News: "Prosecutors granted immunity to an ex-girlfriend of Representative Matt Gaetz before she testified last week in front of a federal grand jury hearing evidence in the investigation of the congressman, according to a source familiar with the matter. Gaetz has been under investigation to determine if he violated sex trafficking laws and obstructed justice in that probe.... [a source] said she has information related to the investigation of both the sex trafficking and obstruction allegations."

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.

China. Eva Dou & Pei Lin Wu of the Washington Post: "China has announced that tickets to the Winter Olympics will no longer be sold to the general public, as the country's capital recorded its first case of the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus. Last fall, Beijing had already limited tickets to the Games to domestic spectators. On Monday, Beijing's Winter Olympics Organizing Committee said this would be further restricted: Only certain approved groups will be allowed to watch the Olympics in person, after undergoing strict measures to prevent transmission of the virus."

Beyond the Beltway

Texas. Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: "The nation's most restrictive abortion law remains in effect in Texas after a federal appeals court on Monday rejected a request from abortion providers to immediately return their legal challenge to a trial court judge who had previously blocked the measure. In a 2-to-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit temporarily transferred the case to the Texas Supreme Court, a step requested by state officials that could leave the dispute in limbo for months." The Texas Tribune's report is here.

Texas. Staying Alive in America. Ruth Graham, et al., of the New York Times: The three hostages held for hours by a gunman in the synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, discreetly moved closer to an exit door before they made their dramatic escape. "In an interview, Rabbi [Charlie] Cytron-Walker said he had taken part in at least four separate [security] trainings in recent years, from the Colleyville Police Department, the F.B.I., the Anti-Defamation League and the Secure Community Network, a nonprofit group that provides security resources to Jewish institutions nationally.... 'This kind of instruction is necessary for all of us as a society,' [Rabbi Cytron-Walker] said. 'Whether it's synagogues or grocery stores or mosques or shopping malls, it can happen.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Nelson Oliveira of CBS News reports on the account of Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker on how he and two other hostages escaped the gunman in the Colleyville, Texas, synagogue. Includes video.

     ~~~ Caitlin Yilek of CBS News reports on the account of Jeffrey Cohen, another of the hostages in the synagogue attack. Includes video.

Way Beyond

Russia/Ukraine. Michael Schwirtz & David Sanger of the New York Times: "The week before intensive diplomatic meetings began over the buildup of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border..., Russia began emptying out its embassy in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. On Jan. 5, 18 people -- mostly the children and wives of Russian diplomats -- boarded buses and embarked on a 15-hour drive home to Moscow, according to a senior Ukrainian security official. About 30 more followed in the next few days, from Kyiv and a consulate in Lviv, in western Ukraine. Diplomats at two other Russian consulates have been told to prepare to leave Ukraine, the security official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.... How to interpret the evacuation has become part of the mystery of divining the next play by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Thinning out the Russian Embassy may be part propaganda, part preparation for a looming conflict or part feint, Ukrainian and U.S. officials say. It could be all three."

News Lede

The New York Times has published an obituary for "Charles E. McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-Black unit of the World War II Army Air Forces, who as a fighter pilot flew a remarkable total of 409 combat missions in that conflict and in the Korean and Vietnam Wars...."