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Thursday

Nov042021

November 4, 2021

Elections 2021

** New Jersey. Brent Johnson. of NJ.com: "Phil Murphy, a Democrat who has pushed New Jersey in a more progressive direction and overseen the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic, won a second term as the Garden State's governor Wednesday night, narrowly defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli in a bitter and closer-than-expected race that was too close to call for nearly 24 hours. The race was called by The Associated Press early Wednesday evening.... As of just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Murphy's margin over Ciattarelli was less than a percentage point -- 50% to 49.2%. It's a difference of 19,440 votes out of 2.4 million cast, which if it holds up would make it among the closest governor's race New Jersey has ever had.... The Ciattarelli campaign criticized the call by the AP. 'With the candidates separated by a fraction of a percent out of 2.4 million ballots cast, it's irresponsible of the media to make this call when the New Jersey Secretary of State doesn't even know how many ballots are left to be counted,' Ciattarelli spokeswoman Stami Williams said in a statement. It's possible the race could still be contested. Mail-in and provisional ballots may be counted through Monday, and Ciattarelli could petition the state courts for a recount." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here.

New York. Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "In a sharp reversal of political fortune, Mayor Byron W. Brown of Buffalo has seemingly triumphed in a write-in campaign for a new term, besting India Walton, a democratic socialist who had stunned Mr. Brown in a primary in June and had drawn national attention as a champion of progressive values. Ms. Walton -- a first-time candidate -- said on Wednesday afternoon that she likely would not be able to translate the energy of her surprising primary victory into a general election win. 'It seems unlikely that we will end up with enough votes to inaugurate a Walton administration in January,' she wrote on Twitter."

Christopher Mathias of the Huffington Post: "At least seven Republicans who attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., that turned into a deadly insurrection were elected to office Tuesday. Three were elected to state legislatures, and four won positions at the local level.... Among the Jan. 6 attendees who won office on Tuesday were two Republicans reelected to the Virginia House of Delegates: Dave LaRock and John McGuire. Earlier this year LaRock, responding to criticism from a Black elected official about his role in the insurrection, said the official should focus on 'the needs of the colored community.'" The story has been updated to report that at least eight GOP January 6 attendees have been elected, five of them to local offices. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A Washington Post story, which still has the number of January 6 rally-goers/election victors at seven, is here.

Tory Gavito & Adam Jettleson in a New York Times op-ed: "The Virginia election results should shock Democrats into confronting the powerful role that racially coded attacks play in American politics.... Crucially, the Republican [gubernatorial] nominee, Glenn Youngkin, was able to use racially coded attacks to motivate sky-high white turnout without paying a penalty among minority voters.... It will not work to ignore race and talk about popular issues instead.... The past half-century of American political history shows that racially coded attacks are how Republicans have been winning elections for decades, from Richard Nixon's 'law and order' campaign to Ronald Reagan's 'welfare queens' and George H.W. Bush's Willie Horton ad.... As Mr. Trump showed -- and Mr. Youngkin confirmed -- racially coded attacks do not necessarily repel Latino voters.... Democrats must confront it and explain that powerful elites and special interests use race as a tool of division to distract hard-working people of all races while they get robbed blind.... Forced to confront [race], [Barack] Obama offered Americans a vision that mobilized a broad, diverse coalition -- while also persuading white voters."

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Some Democrats, such as Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.) and Martin Heinrich (N.M.), are saying that the slow pace of progress on the Build Back Better Act, which has in turn delayed passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, hurt Democrats in Virginia."MB: Hey, let's ask Joe Manchin what he thinks about that! "... Manchin (D-W.Va.), who has slowed down negotiations on a massive $1.75 trillion reconciliation package, says the 'unbelievable' Republican victories in Virginia's statewide races Tuesday validate his concerns about inflation and moving the Build Back Better Act too quickly through Congress.... 'I've been saying this for many, many months, people have concerns, people are concerned,' he said...." MB: If "people have concerns," Joe, it's because you & your Republican friends have been raising those :concerns." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Marie: Anyhow, Joe, let's put this "unbelievable" setback in perspective. (1) Despite all the "Democrats are doomed" stories prominently featured by nearly every major media outlet Wednesday (almost all of which I chose not to link), Rachel Maddow pointed out that since the bygone days of Bush the Elder, the party in the White House has always lost the next year's gubernatorial races in both Virginia and New Jersey. That is, every president, in his first term, was zero for two. President Biden, on the other hand, is one for two. He beat out all recent presidents when Democrat Phil Murphy prevailed in New Jersey. (2) I watched a Nova show tonight about galaxies merging and so forth, and really, none of this matters in the grand scheme of things, does it?

Maine Ballot Measure. Taylor Telford of the Washington Post: "Maine voters approved an amendment Tuesday that enshrines the 'right to food' -- the first of its kind in the United States. The amendment to the state's constitution declares that all people have a 'natural, inherent and unalienable right' to grow, raise, produce and consume food of their own choosing as long as they do so within legal parameters. It was approved on Tuesday by 60 percent of voters based on unofficial results, according to Ballotpedia. The measure had been approved by the state legislature in May.... Maine state Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, a Republican legislator who sponsored the legislation, has called it the 'Second Amendment of food.'... But opponents contend the amendment is vague and could open the state to a range of food safety, legal and environmental challenges.... Animal welfare and farming groups say, for example, it could weaken animal cruelty protections or allow amateur farmers to unwittingly unleash invasive species."

Even stories that are not about Tuesday's election are about Tuesday's election: ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Weisman & Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Smarting from an off-year electoral rebuke, congressional Democrats pushed forward on Wednesday toward House votes as soon as Thursday on nearly $3 trillion worth of social policy, infrastructure and climate change programs -- but with a deep new worry: Would a legislative victory help or hurt their bruised political standing? The day after a defeat in the Virginia governor's race and an unexpectedly close race in the Democratic stronghold of New Jersey, the Democrats in Congress toiled to keep recriminations to a minimum. But centrists grumbled that the party's left flank had held back final passage of what they considered the most popular part of the agenda, a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill, while liberals blamed poor campaigns and ineffectual candidates."

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked legislation to restore parts of the landmark Voting Rights Act weakened by Supreme Court rulings, making it the second major voting bill to be derailed by a G.O.P. filibuster in the past two weeks. Despite receiving majority support, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, named for the civil rights activist and congressman who died last year, fell nine votes short of the 60 required to advance over Republican opposition.... just one Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined all 50 Democrats in voting to open debate on a compromise measure that also has the support of Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, who helped negotiate the new version.... In the aftermath of the defeat, Senate Democrats said they would intensify internal discussions about altering filibuster rules or making other changes to allow them to move forward on voting rights legislation despite deep resistance by Republicans, who have now thwarted four efforts to take up such measures."

Felicia Sonmez & John Hudson of the Washington Post: "The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday approved President Biden's nomination of former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel as U.S. ambassador to Japan, even as two Democrats on the panel voted in opposition. The nomination now advances to the full Senate. Emanuel has faced sharp criticism for his handling of police misconduct, including the 2014 police shooting of Laquan McDonald, a Black Chicago teenager. The two Democrats opposing Emanuel during Wednesday's voice vote were Sens. Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Edward J. Markey (Mass.). In a statement Wednesday morning, Merkley said he had reached his decision after carefully considering Emanuel's record and 'the input of civil rights leaders, criminal justice experts, and local elected officials who have reached out to the Senate to weigh in.'... It is rare for a senator to issue a statement opposing a nominee chosen by a president of their own party." Merkley's statement is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "President Biden on Wednesday said migrants separated from family members at the border would not receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for the damage inflicted by the Trump-era policy, rejecting an option for monetary compensation that had been floated in negotiations with lawyers representing the families. Representatives of the migrant families and government officials had discussed giving families $450,000 for each member affected by ... Donald J. Trump's 'zero tolerance' policy, which led to the separation of about 5,500 children from their parents.... But when asked on Wednesday about compensating the migrants, Mr. Biden denied the option was on the table. '$450,000 per person? Is that what you're saying?' Mr. Biden said when asked by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy about the payments. 'That's not going to happen.'" ~~~

~~~ Marie: Of course there is a no-cost way to "give" most of the family members $450K each: give them permanent residence status. Almost all of the young people will earn (and pay taxes on) at least $450K during their lifetimes.

Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post: "The Federal Reserve will start easing its vast support for financial markets this month, marking a highly anticipated policy change as central bank leaders grapple with major price increases in some parts of the economy but plenty of room to grow in the labor market. The Fed's announcement, made after its two-day policy meeting concluded Wednesday, comes as the economy continues to shift more than 18 months after the pandemic first hammered U.S. labor and financial markets. The S&P 500 and other stock indexes closed at record highs Wednesday amid fresh optimism about the economy's direction, but other concerns persist, including inflation, supply chain issues and a disconnect between many unfilled jobs and unemployed workers." A New York Times report is here. CNBC's report is here.

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "A New York law that imposes strict limits on carrying guns outside the home seemed unlikely to survive its encounter with the Supreme Court, based on questioning from the justice on Wednesday during two hours of arguments. Several members of the court seemed to be searching for a way to rule narrowly in the case, which could involve deciding that local officials have too much power to deny licenses to people seeking to carry guns in public for self-defense while affirming the state's right to exclude guns from sensitive places." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Marie: What's most "unlikely to survive" is public safety. I don't think the Supremes have any idea how stupid many gun-toting Americans are. I recently heard a person say a ~~premedicated~~ premeditated (thanks, Forrest!) murder (by gun) was justified because a teenager had told the shooter that the guy he shot had sexually abused her. IOW, it's okay to shoot people dead if you hear a rumor they might have committed a terrible (but non-capital) crime. Apparently the justices couldn't get past the Second Amendment to the Fifth & Fourteenth, which feature due-process clauses.

Trump's Campaign Paid for Insurrection Planning. Jacqueline Alemany, et al., of the Washington Post: The Trump campaign made "more than $225,000 in campaign payments to firms owned by [Bernard] Kerik and [Rudy] Giuliani -- including more than $50,000 for rooms and suites at the posh Willard hotel in Washington that served as a 'command center' for efforts to deny Biden the presidency in the days leading up to the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6. The fact that campaign funds were used to finance efforts to subvert Biden's victory could complicate the former president's ongoing attempt to use claims of executive privilege to shield documents and testimony from the congressional committee investigating Jan. 6, according to some legal scholars.... 'Executive privilege is typically limited to the protection of communications involving a president's official duties -- not to those relating to personal or political campaign matters,' [former Watergate prosecutor Richard] Ben-Veniste said." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. ~~~

~~~ John Wright of the Raw Story: "A new legal fund has been established to support organizers of ... Donald Trump's 'Stop the Steal' rally on Jan. 6 who've been subpoenaed by the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol insurrection. And money raised through the fund will pay for counsel from the law firm of Trump's former acting attorney general, Matt Whitaker, according to Rolling Stone.... The magazine notes that the fund, which reportedly was set up by Matt and Mercedes Schlapp, 'will not help the hundreds of Trump supporters who have been charged with storming the building.'"

Murray Waas in the Guardian: "The high-profile federal criminal investigation of Rudy Giuliani in recent days has zeroed in on evidence that in the spring of 2019 three Ukrainian government prosecutors agreed to award contracts, valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, to Giuliani and two other American attorneys as a way to gain political and personal influence with the Trump administration. Federal investigators believe Giuliani and two attorneys who worked closely with him, Victoria Toensing and Joe DiGenova, probably violated federal transparency laws that require Americans working for foreign governments or interests to register as foreign agents.... Federal prosecutors in the southern district in New York have compiled a list of more than two dozen specific acts by Giuliani, Toesning and DiGenova as to how to advance the personal and political interests of a group of Ukrainian prosecutors and political factions in Ukraine with which they were aligned...."

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.

Fenit Nirappil & Lindsey Bever of the Washington Post: "Almost a year after their parents and grandparents became eligible, young U.S. children are now lining up for vaccines to protect them from the virus that upended their childhoods, in many cases keeping them away from schools, playdates and vacations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off late Tuesday night on smaller doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Soon after, doctors and nurses began administering the first shots, and parents started scrambling to book appointments, many hoping their children could be partially vaccinated before Thanksgiving. White House officials have cautioned pediatric vaccinations won't start in earnest until next week after initial shipments of 15 million doses arrive, medical professionals undergo training on administering the shots, and doctors and hospitals plan clinics."

Maegan Vazquez of CNN: "President Joe Biden called the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's authorization of the Covid-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 'a giant step forward to further accelerate our path out of this pandemic,'" saying Wednesday that it's 'a day of relief and celebration' for parents around the country. 'The bottom line is: We've been planning and preparing for months to vaccinate our children. Our program will be ramping up this week and more doses (will be) shipped out each day so that we have it fully up and running by next week,' Biden said during remarks at the White House Wednesday afternoon." ~~~

~~~ The President's full remarks, as delivered, are here. Via the White House.

U.K. Ellen Francis & Claire Parker of the Washington Post: "Regulators in Britain granted approval to the experimental drug molnupiravir from U.S. pharmaceutical giant Merck on Thursday, marking the first authorization from a public health body for an oral antiviral treatment for covid-19 in adults. Experts say that if widely authorized, the medicine could have huge potential to help fight the coronavirus pandemic: Pills are easier to take, manufacture and store, making them particularly useful in lower- to middle-income countries with weaker infrastructure and limited vaccine supplies.... A global clinical trial showed the pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by nearly half among higher-risk adult coronavirus patients diagnosed with mild to moderate illness, Merck -- which worked on the drug with partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics -- said last month."

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Gary Fineout of Politico: "Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed on Wednesday to create a fully-staffed statewide law enforcement office whose sole job would be to crack down on election crimes, despite previously praising Florida's smooth 2020 elections and rebuffing calls by members of his own party for an audit. DeSantis, who is running for reelection and is considered a potential 2024 presidential contender, is also pressing state lawmakers to increase the criminal penalty for violating new restrictions on collecting mail-in ballots. He also wants to enact a tight new 100-day deadline on when local election officials must scrub their voter rolls for those who died, moved or been convicted of a felony." ~~~

~~~ Marie: Just last night, Rachel Maddow was mocking Delaware Sen. Chris Coons' 2020 GOP opponent for wanting the cops to go after Coons for stealing the election from her (by 100K+ votes) and install her in the Senate or something. Now we find out a sitting governor is proposing a crime-busters force to maybe sorta do the same thing. Life imitates comedy.

Georgia. Richard Fausset & Giulia Heyward of the New York Times: “... a jury was selected on Wednesday in the trial of the three white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old Black man who was chased through a suburban Georgia neighborhood before being fatally shot by one of his pursuers in February 2020. The jury, which is made up of residents from Glynn County, where more than a quarter of the population is Black, includes 11 white people and one Black person. Anxiety over what the jury's racial makeup ... had been palpable among observers and participants in recent days.... [Overruling a prosecution argument,] the judge ruled that for each of the [defense's] eight stricken [Black] jurors, the defense had provided a 'legitimate, nondiscriminatory, clear, reasonably specific and related reason' as to why the potential juror should not be seated." ~~~

~~~ Marie: Now here's a case where lawyers likely will argue against due process: "The men's lawyers are expected to argue that their clients, who told the authorities that they suspected Mr. Arbery of a series of break-ins in their neighborhood, were carrying out a legal citizen's arrest under a state statute that has since been largely repealed." That is, it's okay to shoot a Black man dead if you think he looks like a criminal.

Nevada. Matt Bonesteel & Des Beiler of the Washington Post: "Prosecutors in Nevada said Wednesday that former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III reached a speed of 156 mph and had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit before the early-morning crash Tuesday that killed a 23-year-old woman and her dog. Eric Bauman, chief deputy district attorney for Clark County, Nev., said Ruggs's Chevrolet Corvette was traveling at 156 mph about two seconds before he crashed into the back of a Toyota Rav4 driven by Tina Tintor on Rainbow Boulevard near Spring Valley Parkway in Las Vegas. When Ruggs's air bags deployed, his car was traveling at 127 mph, Bauman said.... Police also found a loaded gun in the passenger-side floorboard of Ruggs's car.... The Raiders released Ruggs, the No. 12 pick of the 2020 NFL draft, late Tuesday." ~~~

~~~ Marie: There are a number of reasons not to describe professional athletes as "heroes." Here are two: (1) There's nothing vaguely heroic about playing sports for money. (2) If you repeatedly tell some nitwit he's heroic, he'll think he's (a) heroic, (b) invincible and (c) too good to be concerned about other people.

New York. Brian Rosenthal of the New York Times: "New York officials said Wednesday they had struck a deal with the largest holder of taxi loans in the city to help rescue thousands of cabbies who have been crushed under paralyzing debt after years of exploitative practices in the industry. The move was a major win for drivers: As part of the deal, officials agreed to significantly expand a financial relief program that they had announced earlier this year that many drivers had criticized as insufficient. In all, the city could spend $100 million or more in a bid to potentially eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars in debt owed by the drivers. The final cost has not yet been determined. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the deal with Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, whose father-in-law once drove a cab in New York City.... In recent weeks, the Taxi Workers Alliance staged a hunger strike to urge city officials to agree to the guarantee, which was not part of the city's earlier relief program. The new plan has not yet been adopted by other lenders in the taxi industry, who carry about 60 percent of the loans taken out by drivers to buy medallions, the tin plates bolted onto the hoods of yellow taxis that allow them to pick up street hails."

Virginia. Christopher Miller of BuzzFeed News: "Neo-Nazis Christopher Cantwell and Matthew Heimbach on Wednesday ... were in a court.... 'What's your favorite Holocaust joke?' Cantwell, who is representing himself..., asked Heimbach, who was called to the stand by the plaintiffs as a witness, during cross-examination.... Attorneys for the plaintiffs interjected before any jokes were uttered. But Cantwell ... and Heimbach spent nearly an hour talking about their adoration for Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, the dictator's book Mein Kampf, and their belief that the Holocaust was a hoax. Hitler, Heimbach testified, 'did nothing wrong' in murdering some 6 million Jews. The exchange between the two neo-Nazis contrasted sharply with the testimony by Deborah Lipstadt, an acclaimed Holocaust scholar.... Lipstadt said that much of the messaging between some of the 24 defendants in the case constituted 'Jew hatred.'... Lipstadt also testified about the 'great replacement theory,' a topic that has been pushed by Republicans, as well as media outlets and figures loyal to that party's extremist right, such as Tucker Carlson of Fox News." ~~~

~~~ Marie: ... Which makes this Jewish News Syndicate report hard to fathom: "An exit poll conducted by the American Jewish Congress found a 10 percent decline among Jewish voters in Virginia in support of Democrats following the 2020 election."

Way Beyond

Afghanistan, Where It's Always Wartime. Victor Blue, et al., of the New York Times: "In the two months since the Taliban took control of the country, the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan -- known as Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K -- has stepped up attacks across the country, straining the new and untested government and raising alarm bells in the West about the potential resurgence of a group that could eventually pose an international threat.... After spending 20 years fighting as an insurgency, the [Taliban] finds itself wrestling with providing security and delivering on its hallmark commitment of law and order."

News Lede

CNBC: "The U.S. unemployment picture improved again last week, with initial filings for unemployment insurance falling to another pandemic-era low. First-time claims dropped to 269,000 for the week ended Oct. 30, down 14,000 from the previous period and better than the Dow Jones estimate for 275,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday."

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Wednesday

Nov032021

November 3, 2021

Afternoon Update:

New Jersey. Brent Johnson of NJ.com: "Phil Murphy, a Democrat who has pushed New Jersey in a more progressive direction and overseen the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic, won a second term as the Garden State's governor Wednesday night, narrowly defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli in a bitter and closer-than-expected race that was too close to call for nearly 24 hours. The race was called by The Associated Press early Wednesday evening.... As of just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Murphy's margin over Ciattarelli was less than a percentage point -- 50% to 49.2%. It's a difference of 19,440 votes out of 2.4 million cast, which if it holds up would make it among the closest governor's race New Jersey has ever had.... The Ciattarelli campaign criticized the call by the AP. 'With the candidates separated by a fraction of a percent out of 2.4 million ballots cast, it's irresponsible of the media to make this call when the New Jersey Secretary of State doesn't even know how many ballots are left to be counted,' Ciattarelli spokeswoman Stami Williams said in a statement. It's possible the race could still be contested. Mail-in and provisional ballots may be counted through Monday, and Ciattarelli could petition the state courts for a recount."

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Some Democrats, such as Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.) and Martin Heinrich (N.M.), are saying that the slow pace of progress on the Build Back Better Act, which has in turn delayed passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, hurt Democrats in Virginia." MB: Hey, let's ask Joe Manchin what he thinks about that! "... Manchin (D-W.Va.), who has slowed down negotiations on a massive $1.75 trillion reconciliation package, says the 'unbelievable' Republican victories in Virginia's statewide races Tuesday validate his concerns about inflation and moving the Build Back Better Act too quickly through Congress.... 'I've been saying this for many, many months, people have concerns, people are concerned,' he said...." MB: If "people have concerns," Joe, it's because you & your Republican friends have been raising those "concerns."

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "A New York law that imposes strict limits on carrying guns outside the home seemed unlikely to survive its encounter with the Supreme Court, based on questioning from the justices on Wednesday during two hours of arguments. Several members of the court seemed to be searching for a way to rule narrowly in the case, which could involve deciding that local officials have too much power to deny licenses to people seeking to carry guns in public for self-defense while affirming the state's right to exclude guns from sensitive places." ~~~

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Elections 2021

Massachusetts. Boston. Ellen Berry of the New York Times: "Michelle Wu, who entered public service out of frustration with the obstacles that her immigrant family faced, will be the next mayor of Boston, pledging to make the city a proving ground for progressive policy. Buoyed by support from the city's young, left-leaning voters and by Black, Asian and Latino residents, Ms. Wu, 36, soundly defeated City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George. Ms. Essaibi George, who ran as a pragmatic centrist in the style of former Mayor Martin J. Walsh, had the backing of the city's traditional power centers, like its police, its trade unions and its working-class Irish American neighborhoods."

Minneapolis. Gregory Krieg, et al., of CNN: "Voters in the city rejected a ballot measure to overhaul policing drafted amid the national fury over George Floyd's murder by a police officer but that went to voters as rising concerns about gun violence drained energy from the protest movement that had launched it. CNN on Tuesday projected that Minneapolis Question 2 had failed, effectively ending a push to give the city council oversight of a new Department of Public Safety and done away with a requirement to employ a minimum number of police officers tied to the city's population. The status quo-affirming result is a setback to both citywide and national efforts to fundamentally reduce or eliminate the role of police in America."

New Jersey. At 3 am ET Wednesday, the gubernatorial race is still too close to call. At 4 am, Gov. Murphy (D) was trailing Jack Ciattarelli (R) by only 60 votes, according to CNN. Update: As of 9:30 am, according to CNN, Murphy leads by 5,700 votes, and the only two counties with still-uncounted votes lean Democratic. So that's a wee bit of good news. The race has not been called.

New York City. Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "Eric Leroy Adams, a former was elected on Tuesday as the 110th mayor of New York and the second Black mayor in the city's history." The ABC News report is here. ~~~

~~~ Michael Gold & Karen Zraick of the New York Times: "In New York City, a global beacon that draws a diverse population from all over the world, the City Council has never had a person of South Asian descent -- or a Muslim woman -- among its membership. That changed on Tuesday, when Shahana Hanif, a former City Council employee, won her election in a Brooklyn district that covers Park Slope, Kensington and parts of central Brooklyn." ~~~

~~~ Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "Alvin Bragg was elected Manhattan district attorney on Tuesday and will become the first Black person to lead the influential office, which handles tens of thousands of cases a year and is conducting a high-profile investigation into ... Donald J. Trump and his family business. Mr. Bragg, 48, a former federal prosecutor who campaigned on a pledge to balance public safety with fairness for all defendants, beat out seven other Democrats for the nomination earlier this year and will succeed Cyrus R. Vance Jr., a Democrat who did not seek re-election."

Ohio Congressional Race. Jennifer Medina & Mary Astor of the New York Times: "Shontel Brown, a Democrat, won a House seat in a special election in Cleveland on Tuesday, defeating her Republican opponent, Laverne Gore. Ms. Brown had narrowly won the Democratic primary for the seat earlier this year, after its previous occupant, Marcia L. Fudge, was appointed by President Biden as the secretary of housing and urban development. Ms. Brown defeated Nina Turner, a former state senator and a top surrogate for Bernie Sanders when he ran for president, in that primary, which attracted big Democratic names and millions of dollars. The district, Ohio's 11th Congressional District, encompasses most of Cleveland and much of Akron and is heavily Democratic." ~~~

~~~ Cincinnati, Ohio. Henry Gomez of NBC News: "Aftab Pureval won Cincinnati's race for mayor on Tuesday, according to unofficial results, making the 39-year-old lawyer the first Asian American elected to lead the city. Pureval defeated David Mann, a city councilor and fellow Democrat who previously served as mayor and in Congress, 66 percent to 34 percent with all precincts counted, according to unofficial results from the Hamilton County Board of Elections. Pureval will succeed term-limited Mayor John Cranley, who is seeking Ohio's Democratic nomination for governor in 2022."

Virginia. Gregory Schneider & Laura Vozzella of the Washington Post: "Virginia voters chose Republican Glenn Youngkin as their next governor, according to several projections -- a dramatic reversal for a state that had appeared solidly Democratic in recent years and a significant loss for President Biden and the party's establishment. Former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe came up short in his bid to become only the second Virginia governor since the Civil War to win a second term, with key suburban districts joining rural parts of the state in favoring Youngkin by a narrow margin. Republicans appeared to sweep the other statewide races, with Winsome Sears projected to win lieutenant governor and Del. Jason Miyares (Virginia Beach) declaring a win for attorney general. Sears is the first Black woman elected statewide in Virginia and Miyares would be the first Latino. A red wave also washed through the House of Delegates, turning a 55-45 Democratic majority into what could become a 51-49 Republican majority. The victories, projected by the Associated Press and Edison Research, come only a year after Biden carried Virginia over Donald Trump by 10 points, a wild swing that casts doubt on Democrats' agenda in Richmond and Washington alike." The AP's story is here. ~~~

~~~ Michael Scherer & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post analyze Youngkin's successful dancing-with-Trump strategy. MB: Like so many "both-sides" journalists, Scherer & Dawsey are unwilling even to mention Youngkin's late-campaign racist theme opposing the teaching of critical race theory, an approach to scholarship that would be discussed only at the university level and not explained to, say, eight-year-olds. If the implications were not so diabolical, it would have been amusing to listen to reporters interviewing "ordinary voters" (white people) about their opposition to critical race theory. The gist of their responses, even when pressed, was, "I don't know what it is, but I don't like it." What these "ordinary voters" do seem to know is that it's not about glorifying Robert E. Lee and fondly recalling genteel life on the old plantation. The lessons of Virginia, IMO, are two: (1) Democrats must find more attractive, inspiring candidates -- McAuliffe is a crass political operative; and (2) many Republicans and so-called Independents don't care for in-your-face racist appeals, as they don't like to think of themselves as racist, but they are favorably drawn to less overt "pro-white" messages. Youngkin was lucky that (1) his opponent was McAuliffe, but he was smart to exploit Number (2). In addition, ~~~

~~~ Dana Milbank of the Washington Post is right: "Democrats in Congress had months to prove that they could legislate, to demonstrate that a government of the people, by the people and for the people could still function despite the creeping authoritarianism, the daily assaults on truth and the conspiracy-minded paranoia. They let President Biden down. They let the country down. And on Tuesday night, Terry McAuliffe paid the price.... Glenn Youngkin ... ran a Trump-inspired campaign of disinformation, conspiracy theories and race-baiting. It wasn't terribly close.... The Manchins and the Sinemas and the Jayapals, by making the perfect the enemy of the (very) good, have handed an advantage to an illiberal faction that is stoking White nationalism.... Had congressional Democrats moved three months ago to enact Biden's infrastructure legislation and Build Back Better agenda, the huge stimulus within those bills would already be boosting the economy and creating jobs.... Youngkin's victory confirms a depressing reality: Trumpism succeeds as a tactic even in the absence of Trump. Though Youngkin nominally distanced himself from Trump..., he ran a classic MAGA campaign, raising racial fear and animus among White voters by scaring them about crime and the phantom menace of critical race theory." ~~~

~~~ The AP's analysis, by Sara Burnett & Hannah Fingerhut, does address Youngkin's racist appeal.

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Elizabeth Harris, et al., of the New York Times: "The Biden administration on Tuesday sued to stop Penguin Random House, the largest publisher in the United States, from acquiring its rival Simon & Schuster, a major antitrust lawsuit and a sign of a different view of corporate consolidation than the one that has prevailed for decades in Washington.... Earlier this year, President Biden signed an executive order focused on spurring competition across the economy. He has appointed skeptics of corporate concentration to the Federal Trade Commission and his economic policy team. His nominee to lead the Justice Department's antitrust division, Jonathan Kanter, is a lawyer who represented critics of the tech giants. And the federal government has gone to court to block a series of corporate deals this year...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jonathan Weisman & Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Democrats reached a deal on Tuesday to add a measure to control prescription drug costs to President Biden's social safety net plan, agreeing to allow the government to negotiate prices for medications covered by Medicare, as the House moved closer to a vote on the sprawling bill. The prescription drug deal is limited. Starting in 2023, negotiations could begin on what Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon called the most expensive drugs -- treatments for cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as anticoagulants. Most drugs would still be granted patent exclusivity for five years before negotiations could start, and more advanced drugs, called biologics, would be protected for 12 years. But for the first time, Medicare would be able to step in after those periods, even if drug companies secure patent extensions or otherwise game the patent system." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "Sen. Josh Hawley on Tuesday blocked swift confirmation of several State Department nominees, in a continuation of the unprecedented GOP-led campaign to slow-walk most of President Joe Biden's picks for top foreign policy posts. The Missouri Republican, who has previously said he would hold up Biden's national security nominees over his misgivings about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, objected to eight of the nine nominations that Democrats sought to unanimously approve on Tuesday, saying he was doing so on behalf of himself as well as some of his GOP colleagues who had separate objections.... Hawley and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have dramatically slowed down the process of installing those individuals in their positions, drawing ire from Democrats, Biden's State Department, European allies and even some Republicans.... A visibly angry [Bob] Menendez [(D-N.J.), chair of the Foreign Relations Committee,] and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted Hawley during floor speeches on Tuesday evening as Hawley was running down the list and objecting to the nominees one by one.... Hawley did, however, allow one nominee to be confirmed unanimously -- David Cohen, Biden's pick to be ambassador to Canada." ~~~ MB: I'm going to guess than Hawley found Cohen to be the only nominee among the nine to be manly enough for the job. ~~~

Can we be surprised that after years of being told that they are the problem, that their manhood is the problem, more and more men are withdrawing into the enclave of idleness and pornography and video games? While the left may celebrate this decline of men, I for one cannot join them. -- Josh Hawley, in a speech ~~~

~~~ Adam Gabbatt of the Guardian: "The effort to combat toxic masculinity in the US has led men to consume more pornography and play more video games, the Missouri senator Josh Hawley claimed in a speech to a group of Republicans. Speaking at the National Conservatism Conference in Orlando, Florida, Hawley addressed the issue of 'manhood', which he said was under attack, and called for men to return to traditional masculine roles.... [Hawley,] who notoriously raised a fist in support of a mob outside the US Capitol on 6 January appeared to echo talking points made by the likes of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that opposes feminism and believes men are under attack from liberal elites." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court, which has not issued a major Second Amendment decision in more than a decade, will hear arguments on Wednesday on a New York law that imposes strict limits on carrying guns outside the home. The question of how the Second Amendment applies to carrying guns in public is an open one. When the Supreme Court established an individual right to own guns in 2008 by a 5-to-4 vote in District of Columbia v. Heller, it addressed only the right to keep firearms in the home for self-defense. At the same time, it indicated that many kinds of gun regulations are permissible."

Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "Elon Musk doesn't think visionaries like him should pay taxes the way little people do. After all, why hand over his money to dull bureaucrats? They'll just squander it on pedestrian schemes like ... bailing out Tesla at a crucial point in its development. Musk has his sights set on more important things, like getting humanity to Mars to 'preserve the light of consciousness.'... There's an enduring claim on the right that taxing billionaires will discourage them from doing all the wonderful things they do.... [However, the evidence from the days when taxes were highly progressive and corporate taxes were twice what they are now demonstrates that] the superrich won't go on strike if forced to pay some taxes.... What I suspect, although I can't prove it, is that what really drives someone like Musk is an insecure ego.... The important point, however, is that the pettiness of billionaires comes along with vast power. And the result is that all of us end up paying a steep price for their insecurity." ~~~

~~~ Marie: In fact, most of us think we have very good reasons that taxes should be lowered on people under our particular circumstances. While I don't actually think my taxes are too high, here are some "reasons" I might claim unfair or excessive taxation: 1. People whose incomes are far higher than mine -- like, say, Elon Musk & Donald Trump -- are taxed at a much lower rate than am I. 2. I'm retired. 3. Much of my income comes from investments my husband and I bought with income that already was taxed once; so taxes on my current income amount to double taxation! 4. Even my Social Security income is taxed. Clearly, I've already paid taxes on that income, too, plus I paid more into Social Security than I'll get out of it. 5. My investments contribute a lot to the economy! 6. I live in a high-property-tax state, and my local property taxes are no longer all tax-deductible from my federal taxes (as they were pre-Trump). 7. My local school taxes are astronomical, and I'll never be sending any more kids to school. 8. I don't travel much, so I "underuse" expensive public infrastructure. 9. In fact, other than Medicare (for which I still pay!), I don't use public services much at all. Think about it. I'm sure you too can drum up reasons and "reasons" that someone (or a family) in your situation should pay lower taxes.

Kashmir Hill & Ryan Mac of the New York Times: "Facebook plans to shut down its decade-old facial recognition system this month, deleting the face scan data of more than one billion users and effectively eliminating a feature that has fueled privacy concerns, government investigations, a class-action lawsuit and regulatory woes.... Facial-recognition technology, which has advanced in accuracy and power in recent years, has increasingly been the focus of debate because of how it can be misused by governments, law enforcement and companies." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race 2024 -- or 2020 -- or Who Knows? Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "QAnon supporters gathered in Dallas [at the site where President Kennedy was assassinated] on Tuesday in the hopes that John F. Kennedy, Jr. would make major revelations. 'QAnon supporters are gathering for an event in Texas on Tuesday at which they falsely believe JFK junior will reveal he is not dead and announce a 2024 presidential run with Donald Trump, the former president,; the Independent reports. The son of America's 35th president died in 1999. Journalist Steven Monacelli posted a video of members of the crowd chanting a euphemism for 'f*ck Joe Biden' while holding a Trump-Kennedy QAnon banner.... The banner is from 2020, showing yet another 'prophecy' that did not occur." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Update. Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "At the site overlooking where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated nearly six decades ago, scores of QAnon believers outfitted with 'Trump-Kennedy 2024' shirts, flags and other merchandise gathered. They forecast the president's son John F. Kennedy Jr., who has been dead for over 20 years, would appear at that spot, emerging from anonymity to become Donald Trump's vice president when the former president is reinstated."

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: "President Biden said Tuesday the United States has 'reached a turning point in our battle against Covid-19,' following a green light from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for 5-to-11-year-olds, clearing the way for millions of children to get immunized against the virus."

Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday formally endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children aged 5 through 11, a move that will buttress defenses against a possible surge as winter arrives and ease the worries of tens of millions of pandemic-weary parents. At a meeting earlier in the day, a panel of scientific advisers had unanimously recommended that the vaccine be given to these children. Inoculations could begin as soon as this week. 'Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation's fight against the virus that causes Covid-19,' Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the C.D.C., said in a statement Tuesday night." The AP report, an update of a report linked yesterday afternoon, is here.

Aw, That Wasn't So Hard, Was It? Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "Two months after the Pentagon began requiring all troops to get the coronavirus vaccine or face dismissal, the vast majority have now had shots, in part because none received a religious exemption, military officials said. While vaccine exemptions are often broadly worded, requests based on religious beliefs are coming under close scrutiny in the military and at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the first federal agency to impose a mandate. They will likely be followed by the rest of the federal government, where most workers are required to be vaccinated by the end of this month. The Biden administration will release a federal vaccine requirement for private companies with 100 or more employees 'in coming days,' a representative for the Department of Labor said this week."

Beyond the Beltway

I don't think it is hyperbole when I say this is how totalitarian regimes unfold. If you deny science and you deny the universities the critical role they play in American society, then you truncate free speech, academic freedom and the dissemination of information. -- Prof. Jeffrey Goldhagen, University of Florida ~~~

~~~ Florida. Monique Beals of the Hill: "A fourth University of Florida professor claims the school rejected his request to testify against state leaders and provide his expertise on the impact of COVID-19 on children even though he said he would not have been compensated for the testimony. Jeffrey L. Goldhagen, a University of Florida professor and pediatrician, was asked to testify against Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida commissioner of education, the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Board of Education for a case in which Florida parents and children sought to overturn the state's ban on mask mandates in schools, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education." MB: To read the Chronicle story, you have to sign up. ~~~

~~~ Ana Ceballos & Mary Klas of the Miami Herald: "Last year, four University of Florida law professors who wanted to sign a 'friend of the court' brief in a lawsuit challenging a new felons voting law were told that they could not identify themselves as university faculty members in the filing because it involved 'an action against the state.' In August, university officials told a UF professor of pediatrics that he couldn't work on two cases challenging the state's ban on mask mandates because participating in lawsuits against Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration would 'create a conflict' for the university. And on Monday, UF announced that three political science professors can be allowed to provide expert testimony in a voting access case against the state only if they do it without pay.... For the faculty at the state's flagship university, the episode has Orwellian overtones." MB: Who knew that a teaching post at a state university came with a lip-zipper?

Way Beyond

Ethiopia. Declan Walsh & Simon Marks of the New York Times: "Ethiopia declared a state of emergency on Tuesday and called on its citizens to pick up arms and prepare to defend the capital as rebel forces from the northern region of Tigray pressed south toward the city following the capture of two key towns. The Tigrayans, who have been fighting the government for the past year, have joined forces with another rebel group as they advance on the capital, Addis Ababa. Foreign officials monitoring the fighting said there were signs that several Ethiopian Army units had collapsed or retreated. The state of emergency reflected the rapidly changing tide in a metastasizing war that threatens to tear apart Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous country. It also marked another dismal turn in the fortunes of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize winner whose international reputation has been battered by a war that has led to reports of human rights violations, massacres and famine."

France/Australia. Frances Vinall of the Washington Post: "France on Wednesday doubled down on its anger with Australia for tearing up a $67 billion submarine deal, with Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thébault accusing the nation of intentionally deceiving Paris and of worsening the diplomatic rift with 'low' tactics. In remarks to Australia's National Press Club in Canberra, Thébault said Australia's decision to cancel the contract for diesel-powered boats in favor of a nuclear-submarine alliance with the United States and Britain was 'treason in the making' and a 'stab in the back.' His scathing comments followed the leak of a text message from President Emmanuel Macron to Prime Minister Scott Morrison that appeared in a Sydney newspaper on Tuesday, in which the French leader had asked, 'Should I expect good or bad news for our joint submarines ambitions?' The leak -- intended to show that Paris knew the submarine contract could be canceled -- came after Macron accused Morrison of lying to him about Australia's plans." MB: Can't see where there's any treason here. By definition, you can't commit treason against another country.

News Lede

CBS News: "The Atlanta Braves are World Series champions for the first time since 1995. The Braves won the 2021 World Series on Tuesday, defeating the Houston Astros 7-0 (box score) in Game 6 to take the series, 4-2. The Braves, who won the title at Houston's Minute Maid Park, were paced by an offensive onslaught and a gem from left-hander Max Fried in the title-clinching win."

Australia. "My Name Is Cleo." New York Times: "A 4-year-old girl who vanished in the dead of night while camping with her family in a remote area of Western Australia was found 'alive and well' 18 days later in a locked house, the authorities said on Wednesday. The girl, Cleo Smith, was freed after the police broke into the empty house in Carnarvon, the same town where she and her family lived. Detectives openly wept upon finding her. The police later detained a 36-year-old man and said he had no known connection to the family. 'One of the officers picked her up into his arms and asked her "What's your name?"' Col Blanch, Western Australia's deputy police commissioner, said in a statement. The AP's story is here.

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Monday

Nov012021

November 2, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Lauren Neergaard & Mike Stobbe of the AP: "An influential advisory panel [to the CDC] voted Tuesday that all children ages 5 to 11 should get Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 shots, putting the U.S. on the brink of a major expansion of vaccinations -- and a final decision is expected within hours.... If the CDC's director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, signs off, it will mark the first opportunity for Americans under 12 to get the powerful protection of any COVID-19 vaccine. Shots into little arms could begin this week, as Pfizer already is packing and shipping the first orders, millions of doses, to states and pharmacies to be ready."

The New York Times is live-updating developments today in state-wide races in New Jersey & Virginia as well as other local races. The Times is updating developments in New York City's mayoral & other key city races here.

I almost didn't link the following story because it's so sick. For those who are offended, I don't blame you. ~~~

Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "QAnon supporters gathered in Dallas [at the site where President Kennedy was assassinated] on Tuesday in the hopes that John F. Kennedy, Jr. would make major revelations. 'QAnon supporters are gathering for an event in Texas on Tuesday at which they falsely believe JFK junior will reveal he is not dead and announce a 2024 presidential run with Donald Trump, the former president,; the Independent reports. The son of America's 35th president died in 1999. Journalist Steven Monacelli posted a video of members of the crowd chanting a euphemism for 'f*ck Joe Biden' while holding a Trump-Kennedy QAnon banner.... The banner is from 2020, showing yet another 'prophecy' that did not occur." ~~~

~~~ Of course, this is just as sick. ~~~

Can we be surprised that after years of being told that they are the problem, that their manhood is the problem, more and more men are withdrawing into the enclave of idleness and pornography and video games? While the left may celebrate this decline of men, I for one cannot join them. -- Josh Hawley, in a speech ~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of developments at the COP26 climate meeting are here. The Washington Post's live updates are here.

Tik Root & Maxine Joselow of the Washington Post: "More than 100 world leaders representing over 85 percent of the world's forests pledged to halt deforestation over the next decade Tuesday at COP26, the United Nations climate summit underway in Glasgow, Scotland. The announcement included Brazil, which is home to the Amazon rainforest, as well as Canada, Russia, Norway, Colombia and Indonesia. The United States also signed onto the agreement, which was backed by $12 billion in public funds and $7.2 billion in private money. The destruction of forests is a major factor driving up global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, with about 23 percent of total emissions stemming from agriculture, forestry and other land uses." The AP's report is here.

Seth Borenstein of the AP: "World leaders turned up the heat and resorted to end-of-the-world rhetoric Monday in an attempt to bring new urgency to sputtering international climate negotiations. The metaphors were dramatic and mixed at the start of the talks, known as COP26. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described global warming as 'a doomsday device' strapped to humanity. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told his colleagues that humans are 'digging our own graves.' And Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, speaking for vulnerable island nations, added moral thunder, warning leaders not to 'allow the path of greed and selfishness to sow the seeds of our common destruction.'... Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel avoided soaring rhetoric and delved into policy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here.

Ellen Francis of the Washington Post: "Rising sea levels could sink buildings and flood much of the Marshall Islands, but the country's climate envoy refuses to accept the scenario experts describe as a looming reality: She wants world leaders to step up.... Like many of the countries hit hardest by climate change, the Marshall Islands needs help and money.... 'We're on the front lines,' the Marshall Islands envoy said. 'We are the most vulnerable and if you protect the most vulnerable you protect yourself.'"

Dino Grandoni & Steven Mufson of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration unveiled a sweeping set of policies Tuesday to cut emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from oil and gas operations across the country. The proposals, announced at the U.N. climate summit known as COP26, represent one of the president's most consequential efforts so far to combat climate change. Proposed rules from the Environmental Protection Agency could establish standards for old wells, impose more frequent and stringent leak monitoring, and require the capture of natural gas found alongside oil that is often released into the atmosphere. They mark the first time the federal government has moved to comprehensively tackle the seepage of methane across U.S. oil and gas infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration will finalize a rule Tuesday extending federal pipeline safety standards to more than 400,000 miles of currently unregulated onshore gathering lines." An AP report is here.

Kelsey Ables of the Washington Post: The Washington Post's "former publisher, the late Katharine Graham, is being honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a new stamp. On Monday, the USPS announced several stamps it will debut in 2022 including a commemorative stamp for the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX as well as stamps featuring the sculptor Edmonia Lewis, folk musician Pete Seeger, marine biologist Eugenie Clark and Native American Modernist painter George Morrison. Graham, who took over as chairman and chief executive of The Washington Post Co. after her husband's death in 1963, is honored as a part of the 'Distinguished Americans; series. Graham led The Post through the 1971 publishing of the Pentagon Papers, which told the history of the Vietnam War through secret government documents, and coverage of the Watergate scandal. In 1998, she won a Pulitzer Prize for her memoir 'Personal History.'"

Emily Cochrane, et al., of the New York Times: "Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia raised new doubts on Monday about an emerging compromise on a $1.85 trillion climate change and social safety net bill, warning that he had serious reservations about the plan and criticizing liberals in his party for what he called an 'all or nothing' stance on it. Mr. Manchin's broadside, delivered during an appearance in the Capitol, threatened to upend the Democratic Party's ambitions to vote this week on President Biden's top two legislative priorities, even as lawmakers were gathering for what was supposed to be a momentous week for the president's ambitious domestic agenda.... White House officials and leading Democrats rushed to downplay Mr. Manchin's remarks, insisting that the package was still on track. They worked quickly to refute his fiscal concerns, issuing statements that described how the legislation was written to be fully financed and would help create jobs. They cited a letter from 17 Nobel Prize-winning economists who predicted that the plan would ease inflationary pressures in the long term." CNN's report is here. Thanks to Ken W. for the link. ~~~

~~~ Marie: Shocking as it seems, it is apparent that Manchin has chosen not to believe 17 Nobel Prize-winning economists or even me, Marie Burns. He's either a dimwit or a con artist. Oh, and Joe's timing makes it appear he wants Terry McAuliffe (D) to lose the Virginia gubernatorial race. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Rachel Roubein, et al., of the Washington Post: "Congressional Democrats are scrambling to work out a drug-price compromise that would cap seniors' out-of-pocket costs for medicine and lower the price of insulin, with negotiators working through the weekend and Monday to convince key holdouts like Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). The compromise, which would allow Medicare to negotiate some prescription drug prices but significantly scale back Democrats' earlier ambitions, comes after the White House abandoned a drug-pricing initiative in its social-spending package after acknowledging it lacked the votes. That decision last week prompted a barrage of complaints from patient advocates and liberal Democrats, who argued the party was ditching a key promise to voters and setting itself up for disaster in next year's midterm elections." A Politico story is here.

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "After almost three hours of lively arguments, a majority of the justices seemed inclined to allow abortion providers -- but perhaps not the Biden administration -- to pursue a challenge to a Texas law that has sharply curtailed abortions in the state. That would represent an important shift from a 5-to-4 ruling in September that allowed the law to go into effect. Justices Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, who were in the majority in that ruling, asked questions suggesting that they thought the novel structure of the Texas law justified allowing the providers to challenge it." The AP's report, also linked yesterday afternoon, is here. ~~~

~~~ Ian Millhiser of Vox: "All four of the dissenters from the September order appear likely to rule against Texas.... It also appears likely that Justices Brett Kavanaugh or Amy Coney Barrett will switch sides and provide the fifth (and maybe a sixth) vote against Texas.... Kavanaugh pointed to a brief filed by the Firearms Policy Coalition, which argued that, if SB 8 is allowed to stand, 'it will undoubtedly serve as a model for deterring and suppressing the exercise of numerous constitutional rights' -- including the Second Amendment. Kavanaugh appeared to view such an outcome as untenable, and that's bad news for SB 8. That said, even if the Court does rule against Texas in Whole Woman's Health, there's no guarantee that such a decision will do much to help abortion providers in Texas. The narrow question currently before the Supreme Court in Whole Woman's Health -- and in United States v. Texas, a similar challenge to SB 8 brought by the Justice Department that is also before the justices -- is ... whether anyone is allowed to sue to block the law. The reason there's any uncertainty about how to answer this question is that SB 8 was drafted for the very purpose of evading judicial review." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Also, too, Chief Justice John Roberts "seemed to grow increasingly annoyed with Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone." MB: I guess nobody told Judd it's a bad idea to smart off to the CJ during arguments. If this were a novel, and not real life, a character named Judd Stone would be decidedly dense & rough around the edges.

Robert Barnes & Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday declined to decide whether the public has at least a limited right to review the decisions of a largely secret federal surveillance court whose influence has been growing. The justices turned down a request from the American Civil Liberties Union and others to review a ruling that denied access to decisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). That court said it lacked authority even to consider a public claim under the First Amendment to its secret decision-making. Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor said the case should have been reviewed.... Privacy advocates have criticized the court as a rubber stamp, because judges hear only the government's request. Most subjects never know they are targets or what the government told the judge. In 2019, for instance, judges approved 952 applications in whole or with modifications, while denying 58 in whole or in part."

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court turned down the chance to consider whether a Catholic hospital can be sued over refusing a transgender patient treatment the hospital says would violate its core religious beliefs. A California court said Evan Minton could pursue his lawsuit after a hospital canceled a scheduled hysterectomy after learning days before that he was transgender. The operation was part of his treatment for gender dysphoria, a condition in which an individual's gender identity does not conform to the sex they were assigned at birth. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch said they would have accepted the case. (Also linked yesterday.)

Contributor Patrick says a letter, also linked yesterday, from WashPo Executive Editor Sally Buzbee reminded him of the final scene of "Deadline-USA." Say, Patrick, is that Buzbee giving the high sign to the Bogart character? (Or is it legendary publisher Katharine Graham?) See Patrick's commentary in today's thread. We are all shocked, shocked (oh, Bogie, you are everywhere!), of course, that Patrick would seem to compare Trump to a gangster/murderer. ~~~

Mark Thompson of CNN: "The American chief executive of Barclays (BCS), Jes Staley, is stepping down with immediate effect following an investigation by British regulators into his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, the bank said on Monday. The investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) was disclosed by Barclays in early 2020 and focused on how Staley had characterized the relationship to his employer. Barclays and Staley were made aware on Friday evening by the FCA and the PRA of the preliminary conclusions of their investigation.... Staley had been running Barclays since late 2015. Prior to that he worked for more than 30 years at JPMorgan (JPM), where he served as head of its investment banking division. His relationship with Epstein dated back to 2000, when he became head of JPMorgan's private bank.... Staley had told the Barclays board that he had no contact with Epstein since becoming Barclays CEO in December 2015." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

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.: "Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are meeting Tuesday to discuss giving the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to children ages 5 to 11 and are expected to recommend moving forward. The Food and Drug Administration has already authorized the two-shot regimen, in which each vaccine dose is one-third of that used for adolescents and adults. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off later Tuesday on the recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, allowing clinicians, pharmacies and other health-care providers to start giving the shots as early as Wednesday."

Daniel Slotnik of the New York Times: "The coronavirus is responsible for more than five million confirmed deaths around the world as of Monday, according to data from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.... Experts say that five million is an undercount. Many countries are unable to accurately record the number of people who have died from Covid-19, like India and African nations; experts have questioned the veracity of data from other countries, like Russia."

Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "... the U.S. right is, in effect, trying to keep the pandemic going.... Fox News serves up anti-vaccine messages almost every day. Republican governors have tried to ban vaccine mandates not just by local governments and school districts but by private businesses. Multiple Republican attorneys general have filed suit to stop federal vaccine mandates.... A successful vaccination campaign could mean a successful Biden administration, and the right is determined to prevent that, no matter how many avoidable deaths result from vaccine sabotage.... Incidentally, the fact that breakthrough infections happen ... actually strengthens the case for mandates, because it means that even those who've gotten their shots face some danger from those who refuse to follow suit. And the harm done to others by rejecting vaccines goes beyond an increased risk of disease. The unvaccinated are far more likely than the vaccinated to require hospitalization, which means that they place stress on the health care system. They also impose financial costs on the general public, because given the prevalence of insurance both public and private, their hospital bills end up being largely covered by the rest of us."

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

Florida. Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "Last spring, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida took the reprehensible step of signing the state's new voter suppression law on Fox News.... Now this story has taken another ugly turn: The University of Florida has barred three professors from serving as expert witnesses in a lawsuit against the voter suppression measure.... The lawsuit argues that the voting law's provisions, such as the ones restricting drop boxes and making it harder to get absentee ballots in various ways, will impose disproportionate burdens on nonwhite voters. The professors -- Daniel A. Smith, Michael McDonald and Sharon Wright Austin -- were hired by the plaintiffs to testify to this and other matters.... DeSantis, it turns out, has top allies at the university.... It's not clear whether those allies -- or DeSantis himself -- are behind this decision.... Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) tells me she is circulating a letter among the Florida congressional delegation condemning the decision and asking for an accounting of how it was arrived at.... With conservatives regularly railing against allegedly rampant liberal censoriousness on college campuses, how Republicans and their media allies approach this should prove instructive." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

New York. From Monday's New York Times live updates of Covid-19 developments, also linked yesterday: "New York City started to enforce its Covid vaccine mandate for municipal workers on Monday, and about 9,000 workers who refused to get vaccinated were placed on unpaid leave.... The vaccine mandate has been especially contentious within the tight-knit Fire Department. More than 2,000 New York City firefighters -- out of a total uniformed force of about 11,000 -- have taken sick days over the past week in what city officials describe as a large-scale protest against the mandate. 'Irresponsible bogus sick leave by some of our members is creating a danger for New Yorkers and their fellow firefighters,' the fire commissioner, Daniel A. Nigro, said in a statement. He attributed the uptick in sick leave to 'anger at the vaccine mandate.'... 'Hundreds of guys are feeling flulike symptoms, because that's what the shot does to people,' [Andrew] Ansbro[, president of the Uniformed Firefights Association,] said." MB: Uh-huh: It's believable that a few firefighters would feel sick from the vaccine, but two thousand? I don't think so. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Gina Bellafante of the New York Times: "The mandates are partly about protecting the municipal workers and largely about protecting the collective good. The problem, of course, is a widespread disinclination to serve that good, whether it is fueled by selfishness and ignorance or the sense that one's contributions to the commonweal have not felt adequately reciprocal. In this case, refusal becomes primarily an assertion of power, a self-interested counterpunch -- the only means available to people who believe that their government has ignored them.... Among [NYC firefighters & police officers] there was still, after two decades, a lingering sense of betrayal around the safety conditions at the World Trade Center in the wake of Sept. 11, something that has played out as a blanket mistrust of public health edicts." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

New Jersey Elections. Matt Friedman of Politico: "New Jersey's state-level elections, held in the year after the presidential election and long rooted in local issues, have become increasingly nationalized as politicians in Washington look to New Jersey and Virginia -- the only two states with off-year gubernatorial races -- as bellwethers for the upcoming midterms. That's accelerated in New Jersey as ... Donald Trump's embrace of culture war politics and racial division have turned the state's once-reliably Republican suburbs Democratic.... For Democrats, the hope is that last year's suburban swing against Trump extends to the gubernatorial race. Republicans, meanwhile, are hoping Biden's sinking approval numbers will depress Democratic turnout in deep blue New Jersey and lure some voters back to the GOP. Those dynamics will help determine if [Gov. Phil] Murphy becomes the first New Jersey Democrat to win reelection to the governorship in four decades."

New York. Charles Bagli of the New York Times: "... decades after [Kathie Durst's] disappearance -- and just weeks after [Robert] Durst >was convicted of murder in another woman's death in Los Angeles -- prosecutors in Westchester, N.Y., say they can finally prove what many have long suspected. Mr. Durst, a one-time heir to a real estate empire whose towers are strung across Manhattan, was indicted in White Plains on Monday on a single count of second-degree murder that accuses him of killing Kathie Durst when she was 29 and months away from fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor."

Pennsylvania Senate Race. AP: "The estranged wife of Sean Parnell, the Republican endorsed by ... Donald Trump for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, testified under oath Monday that she endured years of rage and abuse from him, including being choked until she had to bite him, a newspaper reported. Laurie Parnell's testimony came during divorce and custody proceedings in Butler County court over the custody of their three school-age children, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. She testified that, once after a Thanksgiving trip, he forced her out of their vehicle and left her alongside the highway during an argument when he told her to 'go get an abortion.' Laurie Parnell also testified that Sean once slapped one of their children hard enough to leave welts through the back of the child's shirt. One time, he called her a 'whore' and other obscenities while pinning her down. 'It just got worse and worse' she testified.... Sean Parnell, a decorated former Army Ranger who led a platoon in Afghanistan, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, she testified. Parnell has been open about that diagnosis...." The Inquirer story is firewalled.

Virginia Election Day. Teo Armus of the Washington Post: "Glenn Youngkin (R) and Terry McAuliffe (D) crisscrossed Virginia on Monday in a final appeal to voters, seeking to energize their bases as the neck-and-neck race for governor draws to a close. Virginians will go to the polls Tuesday to choose the commonwealth's chief executive in a race that is drawing national attention for what it might reveal about party politics when ... Donald Trump is not on the ballot and in the first year of a Joe Biden presidency.... Recent polls suggest that the [gubernatorial] contest is a toss-up." ~~~

~~~ David Corn of Mother Jones: "This is how it's going to be forever: Republicans and conservatives will claim that any election they lose is fraudulent. Donald Trump established this as the playbook for his party-cum-cult. And the full embrace of this authoritarian and dangerous tactic has been evident in the much-watched and tight-as-a-tick governor's race in Virginia between Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe." Corn reports quite a few particulars. Here's another. ~~~

~~~ Media Matters: Newt Gingrich tells Sean Hannity on Hannity's Fox "News" show: "First of all if it's really tight they'll steal it, so you can't afford to have a really tight election. You have to win by a big enough margin that they can't steal it."

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