December 29, 2021

Evening Update:

Tom Hays & Larry Neumeister of the AP: "The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted Wednesday of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by the American millionaire Jeffrey Epstein. The verdict capped a monthlong trial featuring sordid accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 14, told by four women who described being abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein's palatial homes in Florida, New York and New Mexico."

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** Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Harry M. Reid, the Democrat who rose from childhood poverty in the rural Nevada desert to the heights of power in Washington, where he steered the Affordable Care Act to passage as Senate majority leader, died on Tuesday in Henderson, Nev. He was 82. ~~~

     ~~~ The Nevada Independent's obituary, by Megan Messerly, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement is here. The AP reports partial statements from other leaders, including Presidents Obama & Clinton.

Maria Sacchetti & Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations say they have been kicked out of joint drug operations, shunned by local police departments and heckled at campus career fairs. Their parent agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, carries a stigma that is undermining their investigative work across the country, the agents said in an internal report. The agents say they face a backlash in liberal 'sanctuary' jurisdictions where authorities strictly limit contact with ICE but also in some Republican-led states where oliticians are vocal in their support for the agency. And the toll on HSI agents is 'getting worse,' according to the report that was prepared by a working group of agents formed by HSI to consider changes to the agency's place within the Department of Homeland Security. The HSI agents assembled dozens of these examples to convince DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that they should leave ICE. They say their affiliation with ICE's immigration enforcement role is endangering their personal safety, stifling their partnerships with other agencies and scaring away crime victims...."

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has agreed to delay or withdraw demands for hundreds of Trump White House records at the request of the Biden administration, out of concern that releasing some of the documents could compromise national security. The deal, made public on Tuesday, does not represent a major policy shift for the administration: President Biden still rejects ... Donald J. Trump's claim that all internal White House documents pertaining to the riot be withheld on the grounds of executive privilege. The White House counsel, Dana A. Remus, has been negotiating in recent weeks with the House committee to set aside requests for all or part of 511 documents her staff has deemed sensitive, unrelated to the probe or potentially compromising to the long-term prerogatives of the presidency." An AP story is here.

You Do Not Have a First Amendment Right to Violent Insurrection. Duh. Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "A federal judge is allowing a major January 6 conspiracy case against four Proud Boys leaders to move forward, rejecting their bid to throw out the charges. Judge Timothy Kelly, in a 43-page opinion issued Tuesday, sided with the Justice Department on several key legal questions, giving momentum to prosecutors as they prepare for the first wave of US Capitol riot-related trials beginning in February. Kelly greenlit prosecutors' use of a felony obstruction charge, among several other charges, against Proud Boys leaders Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Charles Donohoe and Zachary Rehl. (They have all pleaded not guilty.) The judge also rejected the defendants' claims that the riot could have been a protected First Amendment demonstration."

Alaska Senate, Gubernatorial Races. A Bizarre "Endorsement." Max Greenwood of the Hill: "Former President Trump on Tuesday endorsed Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy's (R) reelection bid, but only on the condition that Dunleavy doesn't back Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in 2022. 'Alaska needs Mike Dunleavy as Governor now more than ever,' Trump said in a statement. 'He has my Complete and Total Endorsement but, this endorsement is subject to his non-endorsement of Senator Lisa Murkowski who has been very bad for Alaska.... In other words, if Mike endorses her, which is his prerogative, my endorsement of him is null and void, and of no further force or effect!'... Of the seven Republican senators who voted to convict the former president, Murkowski is the only one facing reelection in 2022.

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "... while the White evangelical political movement has done immeasurable damage to our democracy, its descent into MAGA politics, conspiratorial thinking and cult worship has had catastrophic results for the religious values evangelicals once held dear.... [As Peter Wehner wrote in the Atlantic,] '... If the ethic of Jesus encourages sensibilities that might cause people in politics to act a little less brutally, a bit more civilly, with a touch more grace? Then it needs to go. Decency is for suckers.' Understanding this phenomenon goes a long way toward explaining the MAGA crowd's very unreligious cruelty toward immigrants, its selfish refusal to vaccinate to protect the most vulnerable and its veneration of a vulgar, misogynistic cult leader. If you wonder how so many 'people of faith' can behave in such ways, understand that their 'faith' has become hostile to traditional religious values such as kindness, empathy, self-restraint, grace, honesty and humility.... As self-identified evangelicals reject small inconveniences and show disdain for others' lives, [Robert P.] Jones [Public Religion Research Institute] observes, 'there is no hint of awareness that their actions are a mockery of the central biblical injunction to care for the orphan, the widow, the stranger, and the vulnerable among us.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm not sure how true this is. I'm familiar with Southern white Christians. They've never been all that generous to people who aren't, well, just like them. The orphan & the widow had better be white Southerners. Trump is simply exposing ugly truths to people who weren't paying attention.

Jesse Drucker & Maureen Farrell of the New York Times: Silicon Valley investors are taking advantage of a "tax break ... known as the Qualified Small Business Stock, or Q.S.B.S., exemption. It allows early investors in companies in many industries to avoid taxes on at least $10 million in profits.... Thanks to the ingenuity of the tax-avoidance industry, investors in hot tech companies are exponentially enlarging the tax break. The trick is to give shares in those companies to friends or relatives. Even though these recipients didn't put their money into the companies, they nonetheless inherit the tax break, and a further $10 million or more in profits becomes tax-free. The savings for the richest American families -- who would otherwise face a 23.8 percent capital gains tax -- can quickly swell into the tens of millions. The maneuver, which is legal, is known as 'stacking,' because the tax breaks are piled on top of one another.... 'Q.S.B.S. is an example of a provision that is on its face already outrageous,' said Daniel Hemel, a tax law professor at the University of Chicago. 'But when you get smart tax lawyers in the room, the provision becomes, in practice, preposterous.'"

Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "A New York State appeals court on Tuesday temporarily lifted a judicial order requiring The New York Times to turn over or destroy copies of legal memos prepared for the conservative group Project Veritas, in a case that has drawn the focus of First Amendment and journalism advocates. The stay, issued by the Appellate Division of New York State Supreme Court, followed objections by The Times to an order issued late last week in an escalating legal dispute between the newspaper and Project Veritas, which is suing The Times for defamation. But one major component of that order, issued by a trial judge, Justice Charles D. Wood of State Supreme Court in Westchester County, will stay in place: The Times remains temporarily barred from publishing the Project Veritas documents." Politico's story is here.

BBC News: "Amazon has updated its Alexa voice assistant after it 'challenged' a 10-year-old girl to touch a coin to the prongs of a half-inserted plug. The suggestion came after the girl asked Alexa for a 'challenge to do'. 'Plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs,' the smart speaker said. Amazon said it fixed the error as soon as the company became aware of it.... The Echo speaker suggested partaking in the challenge that it had 'found on the web'. The dangerous activity, known as 'the penny challenge', began circulating on TikTok and other social media websites about a year ago." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Fortunately, the child's mother was supervising Alexa's "challenges" to her daughter. If I lived in a home with minors, including teenagers, or with adults with limited cognitive abilities, I would think twice about buying an Alexa device, or of keeping it if I already owned one. Alexa obviously is programmed to get some of its "advice" from idiots on the Web.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Wednesday are here: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says omicron is now the dominant variant nationwide -- making up an estimated 59 percent of infections for the week ending Dec. 25. However, it also revised down the estimated proportion of omicron cases for the week before that -- a change that suggests the delta variant was in fact responsible for many more recent infections than previously expected. The latest CDC data suggests omicron was responsible for 23 percent of cases in the week ending Dec. 18, a significant drop from its earlier estimate of 73 percent. Also on Tuesday, the CDC released the findings of an investigation into one of the earliest omicron clusters in the United States that indicates the variant could have a shorter incubation period, of about three days, than previous versions of the virus."

Benjamin Mueller of the New York Times: "The decision by federal health officials to shorten isolation periods for Americans infected with the coronavirus drew both tempered support and intense opposition from scientists on Tuesday, particularly over the absence of a testing requirement and fears that the omission could hasten the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.... Letting hundreds of thousands of infected people forgo those tests -- even if, crucially, their symptoms were not entirely gone -- risks seeding new cases and heaping even more pressure on already overburdened health systems, experts said in interviews on Tuesday."

Ben Leonard of Politico: "The U.S. logged its highest single-day total of new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, with 441,278 infections surpassing the previous daily record by close to 150,000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's tally represents a grim new milestone in the coronavirus pandemic and comes as the Omicron strain has quickly taken hold throughout the U.S., leading to long lines at testing sites and sold-out rapid tests at many stores."

Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post: "Healthy individuals who have been vaccinated, and especially those who have been boosted, appear unlikely to develop severe infections from the omicron variant that would land them in the hospital, say medical experts who have monitored the effects of the newest coronavirus variant since it was identified over four weeks ago.... Factors that might lead to greater risk include an individual's age, the type of vaccine or booster they received, and whether they have underlying health problems, such as heart disease or obesity, said Michael Osterholm..., a member of President Biden's covid-19 transition task force."

Andrew Jacobs of the New York Times: "The latest coronavirus surge sweeping the United States, much of it driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, has produced a worrisome rise in hospitalizations among children ... nationwide.... But even as experts expressed concern about a marked jump in hospitalizations -- an increase more than double that among adults [[ doctors and researchers said they were not seeing evidence that Omicron was more threatening to children. In fact, preliminary data suggests that compared with the Delta variant, Omicron appears to be causing milder illness in children, similar to early findings for adults.... Much of the rise in pediatric admissions results from the sheer number of children who are becoming infected with both Delta and the more contagious Omicron variant..., experts said, as well as low vaccination rates among children over age 5."

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan. Beth LeBlanc of the Detroit News: "Michigan's Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission adopted three plans Tuesday for the voting districts that will govern Michigan's 13 congressional districts, 38 state Senate seats and 110 state House seat for the next decade.... The commission mustered a nine-member coalition supporting the 'Linden' Senate map, 11 members supporting the 'Hickory' House map and an eight-member group supporting the 'Chestnut' congressional map. Each vote by the 13-member panel included the constitutionally required '2-2-2' majority, or support from two Democratic members, two Republicans and two Independents. No plan required more than one vote to reach a majority. Tuesday's vote marks the commission's first adoption of maps since it was created via a ballot initiative in 2018. Prior to that, the maps were drawn by the political party in power.... Several U.S. House, state Senate and state House candidates and incumbents began announcing where they would run immediately after the adoption of the maps Tuesday. But commissioners are expecting to encounter legal challenges to the maps in the coming weeks."

New York, Where It's Still Legal to Kiss Women Without Their Consent. Dana Rubinstein of the New York Times: "A second New York prosecutor has decided not to pursue criminal charges against former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over sexual harassment allegations that helped prompt his resignation. Miriam E. Rocah, the Westchester County district attorney, said on Tuesday that her office had investigated accusations of unwanted kisses that two women -- one a state trooper -- made against Mr. Cuomo. The women said the episodes had occurred within her jurisdiction. The women's allegations were 'credible' and Mr. Cuomo's conduct was 'concerning,' but his conduct was not criminal under state law, Ms. Rocah said in a statement. The announcement came five days after Joyce Smith, the acting district attorney in Nassau County, on Long Island, reached a similar conclusion after investigating a separate allegation made by the trooper involving an incident at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, N.Y." Politico's story is here.

Virginia. Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: "Now we know the mundane truth of what literally lay at the root of [Richmond]'s grandiose monument to Gen. Robert E. Lee: Confederate pride, local commerce and a whole lot of Masonic tradition. That was the preliminary message of dozens of items recovered Tuesday from a copper time capsule that had been buried at the monument site in 1887. Chamber of Commerce yearbooks, Masonic bylaws, artifacts from the Civil War, a brochure from a local real estate office (complete with a telephone number: 114) -- all jam-packed into a copper box that did a surprisingly good job of weathering 134 years. The big payoff hinted at in news coverage of the time -- a 'picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin' -- turned out not to be an ultrarare photograph. Instead, an engraved double-page spread from Harper';s Weekly of 1865 depicting a woman mourning at Lincoln's casket had been folded up and entombed beneath the Confederacy's beloved Lee." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So I was right yesterday when I let on that what was of great moment to 19th-century Confederates probably would be of little interest to me.

Way Beyond

China-Hong Kong. Coming Soon to the USA? Vivian Wang of the New York Times: "Hundreds of Hong Kong police officers arrested six current or former senior staff members of an outspoken pro-democracy news website and raided the site's headquarters on Wednesday, in yet another crackdown by the government on the city's once-vibrant independent press. The six were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to publish seditious material, according to a statement from the police, which did not specify the news outlet. But Stand News, a seven-year-old online publication, posted brief video footage on Facebook showing police officers at the doors of one of its deputy editors, Ronson Chan, about 6 a.m. Officers then asked Mr. Chan to stop filming, claiming he was interfering with their work." The Guardian's report is here.

Poland. Andrew Higgins of the New York Times: "Wary of jeopardizing Poland's relations with the United States, its closest ally and military protector, the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, on Monday announced that he would veto a contentious media bill that could have led to an American-owned television station [-- TVN, majority-owned by the Discovery network --] losing its license. The veto frustrated a yearslong effort by more hard-line elements in Poland's nationalist governing party to restrict foreign influence and shrink the country's media space to outlets that share the party's deeply conservative and sometimes xenophobic views. Mr. Duda last year won a second term with support from the governing party, Law and Justice. His veto is likely to strain an already fractious coalition government bitterly divided over how far to push a conservative agenda rooted in fealty to the Catholic Church and the belief that Polish sovereignty trumps commitments to partners in the European Union and NATO, which Poland joined in 1999." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Vanessa Gera of the AP: "Poland's president on Monday vetoed a media bill that would have forced U.S. company Discovery to give up its controlling share in Polish television network TVN." (Also linked yesterday.)

Russia. Coming Soon to the USA? Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: "Russia's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the liquidation of Memorial International, one of the nation's oldest and most revered human rights organizations, which chronicled political repression and became a symbol of the country's democratization that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. The decision comes after a year of broad crackdown on opposition in Russia and more than three decades after Memorial was founded by a group of Soviet dissidents who believed that the country needed to reconcile with its traumatic past to move forward. In particular, the group dedicated itself to preserving the memory of the many thousands of Russians who died or were persecuted in forced labor camps during the Stalin era. Over the past year, the Kremlin has moved aggressively to stifle dissent in the news media, in religious groups, on social networks and especially among activists and political opponents, hundreds of whom have been harassed, jailed or forced into exile." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

December 28, 2021

Late Morning Update:

Poland. Andrew Higgins of the New York Times: "Wary of jeopardizing Poland's relations with the United States, its closest ally and military protector, the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, on Monday announced that he would veto a contentious media bill that could have led to an American-owned television station [-- TVN, majority-owned by the Discovery network --] losing its license. The veto frustrated a yearslong effort by more hard-line elements in Poland's nationalist governing party to restrict foreign influence and shrink the country's media space to outlets that share the party's deeply conservative and sometimes xenophobic views. Mr. Duda last year won a second term with support from the governing party, Law and Justice. His veto is likely to strain an already fractious coalition government bitterly divided over how far to push a conservative agenda rooted in fealty to the Catholic Church and the belief that Polish sovereignty trumps commitments to partners in the European Union and NATO, which Poland joined in 1999." ~~~

     ~~~ Vanessa Gera of the AP: "Poland’s president on Monday vetoed a media bill that would have forced U.S. company Discovery to give up its controlling share in Polish television network TVN."

Russia. Soon Coming to the USA? Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: "Russia's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the liquidation of Memorial International, one of the nation's oldest and most revered human rights organizations, which chronicled political repression and became a symbol of the country's democratization that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. The decision comes after a year of broad crackdown on opposition in Russia and more than three decades after Memorial was founded by a group of Soviet dissidents who believed that the country needed to reconcile with its traumatic past to move forward. In particular, the group dedicated itself to preserving the memory of the many thousands of Russians who died or were persecuted in forced labor camps during the Stalin era. Over the past year, the Kremlin has moved aggressively to stifle dissent in the news media, in religious groups, on social networks and especially among activists and political opponents, hundreds of whom have been harassed, jailed or forced into exile." The AP's report is here.

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Connor O'Brien of Politico: "President Joe Biden signed a $768 billion defense policy bill on Monday, after Democrats and Republicans rejected his initial Pentagon plans and endorsed a major boost to military spending.... The bill rejects Biden's $715 billion Pentagon budget request and instead calls for $740 billion for the Defense Department." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

AND in yesterday's Comments, unwashed put two and two together and came up with billions of dollars to pay for Covid-19 vaccinations for the whole world. No magical thinking required; just arithmetic.

Jacqueline Alemany & Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol plans to begin holding public hearings in the new year to tell the story of the insurrection from start to finish while crafting an ample interim report on its findings by summer, as it shifts into a more public phase of its work. The panel will continue to collect information and seek testimony from willing witnesses and those who have been reluctant -- a group that now includes Republican members of Congress. It is examining whether to recommend that the Justice Department pursue charges against anyone, including ... Donald Trump, and whether legislative proposals are needed to help prevent valid election results from being overturned in the future.... The panel is expected to recommend legislative and administrative changes.... Also on the agenda is whether the panel will refer to the Justice Department crimes they believe may have been committed by Trump and his aides."

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "The Guardian reported last month that [Donald] Trump, according to multiple sources, called lieutenants based at the Willard hotel in Washington DC from the White House in the late hours of 5 January and sought ways to stop [Joe] Biden's certification from taking place on 6 January.... Congressman Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack, has said the panel will open an inquiry into ... [that] phone call.... Trump first told the lieutenants his vice-president, Mike Pence, was reluctant to go along with the plan to commandeer his ceremonial role at the joint session of Congress in a way that would allow Trump to retain the presidency for a second term, the sources said.... But as Trump relayed to them the situation with Pence, the sources said, on at least one call, he pressed his lieutenants about how to stop Biden's certification from taking place on 6 January in a scheme to get alternate slates of electors for Trump sent to Congress. The former president's remarks came as part of wider discussions he had with the lieutenants at the Willard -- a team led by Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn and Trump strategist Steve Bannon -- about delaying the certification, the sources said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

A Nonviolent Plan to Steal the Election. Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "The Daily Beast revealed Monday that [Trump trade director Peter] Navarro's book cites Steve Bannon as a cohort in a 'hail Mary' attempt to stop the election certification. Further, Navarro confessed that he coordinated with Republican members of Congress to do it.... The co-conspirators even named the mission, calling it 'the Green Bay Sweep.' When discussing it in an interview with the Beast, he named Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) as officials who helped spearhead the effort. [The idea was to run out the clock.] 'We spent a lot of time lining up over 100 congressmen, including some senators. It started out perfectly...,' Navarro told the Beast. 'It was a perfect plan. And it all predicated on peace and calm on Capitol Hill....'... Read the full interview and excerpts from Navarro's book at the Daily Beast [firewalled]."

Trump: Okay to Yell 'Fire' at a Crowded Rally. Sky Palma of Raw Story: "In his effort to have a lawsuit accusing him of sparking the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol dismissed..., Donald Trump is arguing he's not responsible for the violent actions his supporters took, Bloomberg reports. 'Speakers at political rallies do not owe a duty of care to members of Congress or Capitol Police Officers not at the rally,' Trump's lawyer Jesse Binnall said in the Dec. 24 court filing. Trump's team argued that his words on Jan. 6 were in line with a president's right to 'take advantage of the bully pulpit.'" The Bloomberg story, which Palma linked, is firewalled.

OMG! Boy Voted "Most Popular" Is John Roberts. Lydia Saad of Gallup: "Chief Justice John Roberts earns the highest job approval rating of 11 U.S. leaders rated in a Dec. 1-16 Gallup poll with 60% approving of how he is handling his role. Only two other leaders on the list are reviewed positively by majorities of Americans -- Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (53%) and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr. Anthony Fauci (52%)." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Pandemic, Ctd., Brought to You by the Unvaccinated

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.

Kevin Liptak of CNN: "President Joe Biden, speaking to the nation's governors, conceded Monday the steps he took earlier this year to scale up testing capacity for Covid-19 weren't enough to meet demand as a wave driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant crashes across the country. 'It's not enough.... If we'd have known, we'd have gone harder, quicker if we could have,' he said while joining a weekly virtual meeting between state leaders and members of his Covid-19 response team. He said long testing lines over the Christmas weekend 'shows that we have more work to do.'"

Benjamin Mueller & Isabella Paz of the New York Times: "As daily coronavirus cases in the United States soared to near record levels, federal health officials on Monday shortened by half the recommended isolation period for many infected Americans, hoping to minimize rising disruptions to the economy and everyday life. Virus-related staff shortages have upended holiday travel, leading to the cancellation of thousands of flights, and now threaten industries as diverse as health care, restaurants and retail. Yet health experts warn the country is only in the early stages of a fast-moving surge.... The [CDC] had previously recommended that infected patients isolate for 10 days from when they were tested for the virus. But on Monday, it slashed that period to five days for those without symptoms, or those without fevers whose other symptoms were resolving. Americans leaving isolation should wear masks around others for an additional five days after their isolation periods have ended, officials said. The updated guidance comes amid a rising tide of infections that threatens to swamp the U.S. health care system, particularly given that tens of millions remain unvaccinated." The Washington Post story, which is free to nonsubscribers, is here. The AP's report is here.

Brittany Shammas of the Washington Post: "... Anthony S. Fauci said Monday the United States should consider a vaccination requirement for domestic air travel amid a surge in coronavirus cases that has contributed to days of disruptions for airlines that are missing crew members. While noting that there were pros and cons to such a move, Fauci said it was 'just another one of the requirements that I think is reasonable to consider,' along with similar requirements at some universities and workplaces." An AP story is here.

Tali Arbel of the AP: "Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel, stretched into Monday as airlines called off more than 1,000 U.S. flights because crews were sick with COVID-19 during one of the year's busiest travel periods, and storm fronts added to the havoc. Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been common this year. Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020, when air travel collapsed, and carriers have struggled to make up ground this year, when air travel rebounded faster than almost anyone had expected. The arrival of the omicron variant only exacerbated the problem."

Five States Paying People to Spread Covid. Aaron Gregg of the Washington Post: "At least five Republican-led states have extended unemployment benefits to people who've lost jobs over vaccine mandates -- and a smattering of others may soon follow. Workers who quit or are fired for cause -- including for defying company policy -- are generally ineligible for jobless benefits. But Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Tennessee have carved out exceptions for those who won't submit to the multi-shot coronavirus vaccine regimens that many companies now require. Similar ideas have been floated in Wyoming, Wisconsin and Missouri.... It wasn't long ago, [observers] note, that two dozen Republican-led states moved to restrict unemployment aid to compel residents to return to the workforce and ease labor shortages."

Beyond the Beltway

California. Jil Cowan & Christine Chung of the New York Times: "Body camera and surveillance footage shows a man attacking holiday shoppers [in a Los Angeles clothing store] before police officers opened fire, killing him and a 14-year-old girl who was in a dressing room.... The scene unfolded in chaotic detail on Monday in newly released footage from surveillance and police body cameras of the episode on Thursday.... The 35-minute compilation shed new light on the city's latest high-profile police shooting, which has reignited an intense debate in Los Angeles over the role police should play in keeping communities safe." The Guardian's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm sure there are good LAPD officers, but in my experience, they're a bunch of thugs.

Virginia. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "Crews removing the pedestal of a Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Va., on Monday found what appeared to be an elusive time capsule that may contain rare Confederate memorabilia, including a photo of Abraham Lincoln in his coffin. The discovery stoked excitement among historians and officials, including Gov. Ralph Northam, who declared on Twitter: 'They found it! This is likely the time capsule everyone was looking for.'... Last week, a separate time capsule was found near the base of the same statue and opened. The items inside that one, however, puzzled conservators, who theorized that that one might have been left behind by the workers who built the statue. Inside was an 1875 almanac, a waterlogged book of fiction, a British coin, a catalog, one letter and a photograph of James Netherwood, a master stonemason who worked on the Robert E. Lee pedestal." An ABC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Sorry, Ralph, I can't get all excited by what a bunch of admirers of Robert E. Lee thought was "valuable."

News Ledes

AP: "John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, the league said. He was 85."

Washington Post: "Four people were killed and three injured, including a police officer, in a series of shootings that authorities described as a 'killing spree' in the Denver and Lakewood, Colo., area. The suspected shooter was also killed, while an officer of the Lakewood Police Department was undergoing surgery late Monday, Lakewood police spokesman John Romero said at a news conference. Law enforcement officials stressed that the investigation was ongoing and details were limited, but that they believed the shootings were the work of one person and the community faced no further threats."

December 27, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Connor O'Brien of Politico: "President Joe Biden signed a $768 billion defense policy bill on Monday, after Democrats and Republicans rejected his initial Pentagon plans and endorsed a major boost to military spending.... The bill rejects Biden's $715 billion Pentagon budget request and instead calls for $740 billion for the Defense Department."

AND in today's Comments, unwashed puts two and two together and comes up with billions of dollars to pay for Covid-19 vaccinations for the whole world. No magical thinking required; just arithmetic.

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "The Guardian reported last month that [Donald] Trump, according to multiple sources, called lieutenants based at the Willard hotel in Washington DC from the White House in the late hours of 5 January and sought ways to stop [Joe] Biden's certification from taking place on 6 January.... Congressman Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack, has said the panel will open an inquiry into ... [that] phone call.... Trump first told the lieutenants his vice-president, Mike Pence, was reluctant to go along with the plan to commandeer his ceremonial role at the joint session of Congress in a way that would allow Trump to retain the presidency for a second term, the sources said.... But as Trump relayed to them the situation with Pence, the sources said, on at least one call, he pressed his lieutenants about how to stop Biden's certification from taking place on 6 January in a scheme to get alternate slates of electors for Trump sent to Congress. The former president's remarks came as part of wider discussions he had with the lieutenants at the Willard -- a team led by Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn and Trump strategist Steve Bannon -- about delaying the certification, the sources said."

OMG! Boy Voted "Most Popular" Is John Roberts. Lydia Saad of Gallup: "Chief Justice John Roberts earns the highest job approval rating of 11 U.S. leaders rated in a Dec. 1-16 Gallup poll with 60% approving of how he is handling his role. Only two other leaders on the list are reviewed positively by majorities of Americans -- Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (53%) and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr. Anthony Fauci (52%)."

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Biden's Booming Economy, Ctd. Justin Swanson of the New York Times: "Retail sales in the United States jumped nearly 11 percent this season compared with the holiday period in 2019, the year before the pandemic upended the global economy, according to a report Mastercard published on Sunday.... Despite early fears, holiday shoppers received their gifts mostly on time, with many shopping early and in person. Retailers, as well, placed merchandise orders early and tried to head off other bottlenecks. For their part, delivery companies ramped up hiring to handle the deluge of packages, which crushed the Postal Service last year. Nearly all packages delivered this year by UPS, FedEx and the Postal Service arrived on time or with minimal delays, according to ShipMatrix."

Ruth Marcus explains the First Amendment to a couple of schmucks, one of whom, unfortunately, is a judge. She describes the judge's recent opinion (and reaffirmation) as "The jaw-dropping in its constitutional illiteracy." MB: Sounds right to me. BTW, she skips the part when Schmuck 1 lays claim to his "God-given right" to free speech. God had nothing to do with it; the Constitution was written by men & upheld, more or less, by men & women.

A Christmas Message: The Gospel According to the Son of Donald. Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "In a very blunt column for the Atlantic, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan and both Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, laid waste to Donald Trump Jr. over his recent comments about biblical principles and called him out for being a callow opportunist taking advantage of the Trump name. Last week, the former president's namesake told young conservatives at a Turning Point USA get-together, 'We've turned the other cheek and I understand sort of the biblical reference, I understand the mentality but it's gotten us nothing. OK? It's gotten us nothing while we've ceded ground in every major institution.' That, in turn, set off Peter Wehner who has used his Christian faith to advocate for conservative policies while also turning on Donald Trump for being antithetical to his beliefs.... 'Throughout his speech Don Jr. painted a scenario in which Trump supporters -- Americans living in red America -- are under relentless attack from a wicked and brutal enemy. He portrayed it as an existential battle between good and evil. One side must prevail; the other must be crushed. This in turn justifies any necessary means to win. And the former president’s son has a message for the tens of millions of evangelicals who form the energized base of the GOP: the scriptures are essentially a manual for suckers,' [Wehner] charged.... You can read his whole piece here -- subscription required." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I have never understood why evangelicals don't consider Donald Trump to be an anti-Christ. Because he is. And so is his greedy son.

Home Alone. Jordan Fischer, et al., of WUSA: "A New York man asked a federal judge on Christmas to allow him to use dating apps while he awaits trial on multiple felony charges for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. The attorney for Thomas Sibick filed a motion on Saturday asking U.S. District Judge Amy B. Jackson to modify her release conditions for Sibick, who is currently on home incarceration at his parents' residence in Buffalo, New York. Sibick is one of multiple rioters now under indictment for the brutal assault on D.C. Police Officer Michael Fanone. While others were beating Fanone, repeatedly tasing him and threatening to kill him with his own gun, federal prosecutors say, Sibick took the opportunity to rob him of his badge and radio. Fanone's badge was later recovered from the spot in Sibick's back yard where he buried it after returning from D.C." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I leave it to you to write a dating app profile for this loser.

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: "Coronavirus cases are being reported at record levels across the world -- surpassing even last winter;s devastating peak in some places -- as officials grapple with a surge caused by the omicron variant. France recorded more than 104,000 new cases Saturday, reaching a six-figure daily tally for the first time. Britain, Italy, Ireland and the Australian state of New South Wales also reported record high levels of new cases over the weekend. In the United States, the seven-day average of new daily cases was more than 203,000 on Sunday, according to a Washington Post tally, a level not seen since Jan. 19 last year." MB: That should be "January 19 this year." There were no known cases of Covid-19 in the U.S. on January 19, 2020. (That changed January 21, 2020, when the first case was identified.)"

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments for Sunday are here: "Over 1,000 flights in the United States, and thousands more globally, were canceled Sunday as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus sidelined crews during one of the year's busiest weekends for travel. As of Sunday evening, more than 1,300 flights with at least one stop in the United States, and over two times as many around the world, had been canceled, according to FlightAware, which provides aviation data. Sunday's bleak track record followed thousands of global flight cancellations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."

Michael Kranish, et al., of the Washington Post: "The coronavirus pandemic continued to scramble Americans' plans on the day after Christmas, with more than 1,000 flights canceled and virus-related absences and soaring case rates leaving many gatherings and events in limbo.... The airlines said the cancellations were mainly prompted by employees who tested positive for coronavirus, requiring them to quarantine for 10 days. Airline officials have called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cut that time to five days, joining an array of industries expressing concern that the highly transmissible omicron variant of the virus has made it impossible to maintain needed staffing levels. Anthony S. Fauci ... said Sunday that he would welcome a requirement that airline passengers be vaccinated, while stressing that masks and air filtration has made it safe for people to be on airplanes."

Gabe Hiatt & Natalie Compton of the Washington Post: "The bad news is your flight has been canceled. The good news is the airline owes you a refund; Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations entitle you to one.... [Here] are a few things you can do to put yourself in a better position for this uncertain time of flying."

Marie: If, like me, you didn't understand how the Webb cam could take pictures of stuff that happened millions or billions of years ago, contributor Gloria, a physicist, gave us an excellent, easy-to-understand explanation in yesterday's Comments thread.

Way Beyond the Beltway

China. Vincent Ni of the Guardian: "China has replaced the Communist party official widely associated with a security crackdown targeting ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims in the far-west region of Xinjiang. The state-owned Xinhua news agency said in a brief announcement on Saturday that Ma Xingrui, the governor of the coastal economic powerhouse Guangdong province since 2017, had replaced Chen Quanguo as the Xinjiang party chief. Chen will move to another role. The change came amid a wider reshuffle ahead of next year's 20th party congress, scheduled for the autumn. It is not clear whether the move signals a rethink in China's overall approach to Xinjiang. Beijing would be sensitive to any interpretation that it was bowing to international pressure."

U.K. Karla Adam of the Washington Post: "The intruder who was arrested on Christmas morning on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth II is living, was carrying a crossbow, police said on Sunday. The man has been detained under the Mental Health Act, they said. Officers arrested the 19-year-old Southampton man shortly after he entered the castle grounds around 8.30 a.m. Saturday, police said. He did not enter any any buildings on the estate. The queen was home at the time." CNNs' report is here.

News Ledes

New York Times: "Edward O. Wilson, a biologist and author who conducted pioneering work on biodiversity, insects and human nature -- and won two Pulitzer Prizes along the way -- died on Sunday in Burlington, Mass. He was 92." See also commentary on Wilson in yesterday's Comments thread.

AP: "Sarah Weddington, a Texas lawyer who as a 26-year-old successfully argued the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade before the U.S. Supreme Court, died Sunday. She was 76.... Raised as a minister's daughter in the West Texas city of Abilene, Weddington attended law school at the University of Texas. A couple years after graduating, she and a former classmate, Linda Coffee, brought a class-action lawsuit on behalf of a pregnant woman challenging a state law that largely banned abortions. The case of 'Jane Roe,' whose real name was Norma McCorvey, was brought against Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade and eventually advanced to the Supreme Court." The Guardian's obituary is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Sarah Weddington's New York Times obituary is here.

AP: "A major Christmas weekend storm caused whiteout conditions and closed key highways amid blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days. Authorities near Reno said three people were injured in a 20-car pileup on Interstate 395, where drivers described limited visibility on Sunday. Further west, a 70-mile (112-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 80 was shut until at least Monday from Colfax, California, through the Lake Tahoe region to the Nevada state line."