The Commentariat -- June 24, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "President Biden announced a bipartisan infrastructure agreement Thursday after meeting with Democratic and GOP senators at the White House, marking a victory in his quest to work across the aisle with Republicans who oppose most of his agenda. 'We have a deal,' Biden said Thursday alongside the 10 senators, who agreed on a package featuring hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending on the nation's roads, bridges and other infrastructure." MB: Not sure what this means. Last night, Elizabeth Warren was on Rachel Maddow's show, and I got the impression she wasn't going along with any such deal. We'll see. ~~~

     ~~~ Oh, President Biden doesn't know, either. ~~~

     ~~~ Morgan Chalfant & Alex Gangitano of the Hill: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that the House would not vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill until the Senate passes a larger set of Democratic priorities through budget reconciliation. Biden said following the meeting with senators, 'We'll see what happens in the reconciliation bill and the budget process,' adding that the legislation will move in a 'dual track' with this infrastructure bill." ~~~

We Have Met the Enemy, and He Is Us. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times: "... it's great that we again have a president respected by the world. But we are not 'back,' and we must face the reality that our greatest vulnerability is not what other countries do to us but what we have done to ourselves.... In terms of our well-being at home and competitiveness abroad, the blunt truth is that America is lagging. In some respects, we are sliding toward mediocrity.... The latest Social Progress Index, a measure of health, safety and well-being around the world, ranked the United States No. 28. Even worse, the United States was one of only three countries, out of 163, that went backward in well-being over the last decade.... [President] Biden's proposals for a refundable child credit, for national pre-K, for affordable child care and for greater internet access would help address America's strategic weaknesses. They would do more to strengthen our country than the $1.2 trillion plan pursued by American officials to modernize our nuclear arsenal. Our greatest threats today are ones we can't nuke.... To truly bring America back, we should worry less about what others do and more about what we do to ourselves."

Jeff Schogul of Task & Purpose: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put his foot down when asked by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Wednesday what the military and critical race theory -- a loosely defined term used by many conservatives to claim that liberals espouse the belief that America is fundamentally racist. 'We do not teach critical race theory,' Austin said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing about the Defense Department's proposed budget. 'We don't embrace critical race theory and I think that's a spurious conversation.'" An enjoyable read. Austin let Gaetz have it. ~~~

~~~ James Clark of Task & Purpose: "During Wednesday's House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Defense Department's proposed budget, an angrier-than-usual-looking Gen. Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded to questions from two Republican lawmakers about the teaching of critical race theory at West Point, the United States Military Academy.... Milley seemed to be particularly ticked off at the notion that you can't read a book without suddenly becoming indoctrinated by the ideas contained in said text. (For anyone who needs this spelled out for them: That is not how books work, as the Navy's top officer recently pointed out during another Congressional hearing that played out much the same way.) 'I've read Mao Zedong, I've read Karl Marx, I've read Lenin. That doesn't make me a communist,' Milley said." ~~~

Felicia Sonmez & Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Thursday that House Democrats will form a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, one month after Senate Republicans blocked an effort to form an independent, bipartisan commission.... About 10,000 people laid siege to the Capitol on Jan. 6, and nearly 800 of them broke into the Capitol building.... The select committee -- which will require a majority vote in the Democratic-led House to be formed -- is a signal that Pelosi wants to centralize [committee] investigations in one body that will be equipped with subpoena power and tasked with publishing its findings." Politico's story is here.

** Nicole Hong & Ben Protess of the New York Times: "A New York appellate court suspended Rudolph W. Giuliani's law license on Thursday after a disciplinary panel found that he made 'demonstrably false and misleading' statements about the 2020 election as Donald J. Trump's personal lawyer. The court wrote in a 33-page decision that Mr. Giuliani's conduct threatened 'the public interest and warrants interim suspension from the practice of law.'... Mr. Giuliani now faces disciplinary proceedings and can fight the suspension. But the court said in its decision that Mr. Giuliani's actions had posed 'an immediate threat' to the public and that it was likely he would face 'permanent sanctions' after the proceedings conclude." A CNN story is here.

Laura Reiley of the Washington Post: "Black and other minority farmers were dealt a new legal blow on Wednesday when a Florida federal court issued a preliminary injunction halting a key part of the Biden administration's federal stimulus relief package that forgave agricultural debts to farmers of color. U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard halted loan forgiveness payments and debt relief for disadvantaged farmers anywhere in the United States, according to the Middle District Court of Florida ruling. The lawsuit was filed by White farmer Scott Wynn of Jennings, Fla., who also has farm loans and has faced financial hardship during the pandemic. He said the debt relief program discriminates against him by race.... The program was already temporarily on hold, due to a separate restraining order in a case by a White farmer in Wisconsin.... The Florida case is considered the first nationwide preliminary injunction, said lawyers for the group Pacific Legal Foundation, which filed the lawsuit in May." MB: George W. Bush appointed Howard to the federal bench.

Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "As Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin scrambled to save faltering markets at the start of the pandemic last year, America's top economic officials were in near-constant contact with a Wall Street executive whose firm stood to benefit financially from the rescue. Laurence D. Fink, the chief executive of BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, was in frequent touch with Mr. Mnuchin and Mr. Powell in the days before and after many of the Fed's emergency rescue programs were announced in late March. Emails obtained by The New York Times through a records request, along with public releases, underscore the extent to which Mr. Fink planned alongside the government for parts of a financial rescue that his firm referred to in one message as 'the project' that he and the Fed were 'working on together.'... BlackRock's ability to directly profit from its regular contact with the government during rescue planning was limited.... But how the Fed and Treasury devised their rescue package mattered to BlackRock."

The Big Lie Won't Die. Rosalind Helderman, et al., of the Washington Post: Wealthy right-wing Trump supporters continue to pour millions of dollars into propaganda on various platforms promoting the false claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. "The baseless assertion ... is reverberating across this alternative media ecosphere five months after Trump and many of his backers were pushed off Facebook and Twitter for spreading disinformation that inspired a mob to attack the U.S. Capitol.... These falsehoods are now seeping into civic life, spurring citizens in multiple states to demand that local officials review the 2020 results.... The constant stream of purported evidence being cited by pro-Trump allies helps keep true believers engaged...." MB: This is a long piece, filled with familiar characters, but worth a read, or at least a skim.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday approved a one-month extension of the national moratorium on evictions, scheduled to expire on June 30, but administration officials said this will be the final time they push back the deadline." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Thursday are here.

Damian Paletta & Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post in an adapted excerpt from their book on how the Trump administration dealt with the pandemic: "A five-day stretch in October 2020 — from the moment White House officials began an extraordinary effort to get Trump lifesaving drugs to the day the president returned to the White House from the hospital -- marked a dramatic turning point in the nation's flailing coronavirus response. Trump's brush with severe illness and the prospect of death caught the White House so unprepared that they had not even briefed Vice President Mike Pence's team on a plan to swear him in if Trump became incapacitated. For months, the president had taunted and dodged the virus, flouting safety protocols by holding big rallies and packing the White House with maskless guests. But just one month before the election, the virus that had already killed more than 200,000 Americans had sickened ... [him]. Trump's medical advisers hoped his bout with the coronavirus, which was far more serious than acknowledged at the time, would inspire him to take the virus seriously.... Instead, Trump emerged from the experience triumphant and ever more defiant."

Canada. Amanda Coletta & Michael Miller of the Washington Post: "A First Nation in Canada says it has found 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in the prairie province of Saskatchewan, at least the second such discovery here in less than a month as the country again confronts one of the darkest chapters of its history. The Cowessess First Nation made the 'horrific and shocking discovery' at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in the southeastern part of the province, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan."

~~~~~~~~~~

Annie Linskey of the Washington Post: "Responding to a spike in homicides across the country, President Biden on Wednesday laid out an anti-crime strategy from the White House that cracks down on gun stores that don't follow federal rules, steps up programs for recently released convicts and provides more support for police departments across the country. The speech is an attempt by the White House to show it is being proactive on an issue that historically has been politically difficult for Democrats and to refocus attention on its efforts to beef up gun regulations. It comes as local officials and experts fear the problem will only worsen over the coming months." ~~~

     ~~~ See also the BuzzFeed News story, linked under "Beyond the Beltway -- Nevada."

Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "The Biden administration is forcing out the chief of the United States Border Patrol, Rodney S. Scott, who took over the agency during the final year of the Trump administration, a Department of Homeland Security official said on Wednesday. The move comes as Vice President Kamala Harris plans to visit the southwest border on Friday for the first time since President Biden asked her to lead the administration's efforts to deter migration from Central America.... Mr. Scott, a 29-year veteran of the Border Patrol..., was a supporter of ... Donald J. Trump's signature border policy, a plan to complete a wall between the United States and Mexico." ~~~

     ~~~ Put Another Way.... Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration has forced out the head of the U.S. Border Patrol, Rodney Scott, clearing a path for a leadership overhaul at an agency strained by a 20-year high in illegal border crossings, and whose top officials were broadly sympathetic to ... Donald Trump." ~~~

~~~ Tyler Pager & Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: "Vice President Harris will travel to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, amid mounting criticism that neither she nor President Biden has traveled to the place where the country's immigration problems are most acute. Harris will travel with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to El Paso.... Harris's trip will come just two days before ... Donald Trump will join Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) at the border." Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Damned If You Do.... Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "Republican officials and right-wing media stars have lobbed withering and unrelenting criticism at Vice President Kamala Harris for not visiting the southern U.S. border after President Joe Biden tapped her to lead up the administration's response to the migrant crisis. However, now that she announced that she plans to go to the border on Friday, many of those same conservatives are angry over her visit, calling it a 'complete mistake' and complaining that she is not going to where they believe the 'height of the problem' exists." Among the critics: Sens. Tom Cotton & Ted Cruz, Fox "News" hosts John Roberts & Joe Concha, and the Former Guy. Firewalled.

** Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "The New York Times reports: 'Answering questions from reporters at the Justice Department on Tuesday, [AG Merrick] Garland said that reviewing the previous administration's actions was 'a complicated question.... I don't want the department's career people to think that a new group comes in and immediately applies a political lens,' Mr. Garland said." Afraid of being accused of partisanship, he chooses not to do his job.... In allowing miscreants to escape accountability (unless Horowitz snares them in his inquiries), Garland has effectively told his department that there are no consequences for unethical or even illegal conduct. Moreover, in refusing to examine what occurred in the last administration, he is not protecting career attorneys; he is protecting former attorney general William P. Barr and his political hacks.... In a sense, Garland is also sheltering ... Donald Trump..., since the only way to understand the extent of his effort to subvert the election is to examine in minute detail his interactions with the Justice Department.... It seems Garland is not the right person for his job, which requires determination to clean house and reestablish the highest standards for the department." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The only place I would disagree with Rubin is where she asserts that Garland is not protecting career attorneys. Career attorneys have political preferences, too, and some of them certainly allowed those preferences to cause them to act unethically during Trump's tenure.

Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "A bipartisan group of senators tentatively reached an agreement with White House officials Wednesday on hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending for the nation's infrastructure system, giving a significant boost toward one of President Biden's biggest domestic policy ambitions. Multiple senators leaving an evening negotiating session at the Capitol said the group -- which included five Democrats, five Republicans and top White House officials -- had reached a framework of a deal. They said senators would go to the White House on Thursday to brief Biden personally on the details. 'There's a framework of agreement on a bipartisan infrastructure package,' Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said, exiting the meeting. 'There's still details to be worked out.'&" A Politico story is here.

Ted Nesi of WPRI Providence, R.I. "The leaders of the private beach club tied to U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse broke their silence Wednesday after getting pummeled for days by national news reports suggesting the establishment limits its membership to white people. Whitehouse's family has belonged to Bailey's Beach Club for years, a byproduct of his status as a wealthy blue-blood Yankee.... The current controversy exploded after a local website asked Friday whether the 'all-white' membership at Bailey's had become more diverse. 'I think the people who are running the place are still working on that, and I'm sorry it hasn't happened yet,' he replied. After days of controversy, the third-term Democrat issued a lengthy statement Wednesday afternoon saying he 'wasn't prepared for the question' from the website, GoLocalProv, and 'made the mistake of accepting her premise.'... 'Recent characterizations in the press and in other commentary about Baileys Beach Club are inaccurate and false,' the club told 12 News in a statement issued Wednesday. 'Over many years, Club members and their families have included people of many racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds from around the world who come to Newport every summer,' the statement continued. 'We welcome the diversity of view and background they bring to our community.' The club provided no statistics or other data showing the number of non-white members who belong." MB: So maybe a dark-complexioned sheik or two.

F-Bombs for Sale in the "Marketplace of Ideas." Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a Pennsylvania school district had violated the First Amendment by punishing a student for a vulgar social-media message sent away from school grounds. Justice Stephen G. Breyer, writing for an eight-member majority, said part of what schools must teach students is the value of free speech. 'America's public schools are the nurseries of democracy,' he wrote. 'Our representative democracy only works if we protect the "marketplace of ideas."'... The case concerned Brandi Levy, a Pennsylvania high school student who had expressed her dismay over not making the varsity cheerleading squad by sending a colorful Snapchat message to about 250 people.... It included an image of Ms. Levy and a friend with their middle fingers raised, along with a string of words expressing the same sentiment. Using a swear word four times, Ms. Levy objected to 'school,' 'softball,' 'cheer' and 'everything.'" Justice Clarence Thomas dissented. Vox's report, by Ian Millhiser, is here. MB: Wonder if Ms. Levy with write "Fuck school" again, because that's pretty much what the Supremes said. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Breyer's opinion, via the Court, is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nina Totenberg of NPR: "The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that police cannot always enter a home without a warrant when pursuing someone for a minor crime. The court sent the case back to the lower court to decide if the police violated the rights of a California man [Arthur Lange] by pursuing him into his garage for allegedly playing loud music while driving down a deserted two-lane highway late at night. Writing for the unanimous court, Justice Elena Kagan said police had right to enter the man's home without a warrant for such a trivial offense.... [A California highway patrol] officer, in 'hot pursuit,' got out of his car and put his foot under the closing garage door sensor to force the door open again. He had no warrant to enter the home, but once inside, he said, he smelled liquor on Lange's breath and arrested him, not only for the noise violation, but also for driving under the influence." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm not sure why playing loud music in a deserted area is even a violation of the law. What about that "if a tree falls in a forest..." thing?

Confederate Supremes Rule Against a Union. Again. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a California regulation allowing union organizers to recruit agricultural workers at their workplaces violated the constitutional rights of their employers. The vote was 6 to 3, with the court's three liberal members in dissent. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, said that 'the access regulation grants labor organizations a right to invade the growers' property.' That meant, he wrote, that it was a taking of private property without just compensation." Roberts' opinion, via the Court, is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The first person to be sentenced in connection with the riot at the Capitol -- a 49-year-old woman from Indiana -- will serve no time in prison after reaching an agreement with the government and pleading guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. At an unusual hearing where she admitted guilt and was immediately sentenced by a judge, the woman, Anna Morgan-Lloyd, expressed remorse for her role in the attack of Jan. 6. She apologized to the court, her family and the 'American people,' saying it was wrong to have entered the Capitol even though she hurt no one, broke nothing and was inside for only about 10 minutes.... ~~~

"At the hearing, the presiding judge, Royce C. Lamberth, made scathing remarks from the bench attacking the handful of Republican politicians who have labeled the assault on the Capitol the work of mere tourists, calling that position 'utter nonsense.' 'I don't know what planet they're on,' Judge Lamberth said. 'Millions of people saw Jan. 6.'" MB: Lambeth is a Reagan appointee. CNN's story is here.

All His Children: Synopsis of Today's Trumpy Soaper. STUF, Pops! Kate Bennett & Gabby Orr of CNN: "With each passing day away from Washington..., Donald Trump's grievances continue unabated. And those complaints appear to be driving away two of the people who were closest to him during his White House tenure: his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.... The gap between Trump and his daughter and son-in-law grows wider by the week, according to 12 [sources].... The former President has also started to question the role that Kushner -- one of the few people who were able to stay close to Trump throughout his two presidential campaigns and White House tenure -- has played in his presidential legacy. Ivanka Trump has also struggled to undo the entanglements caused by the years at her father's side in the White House, as she seeks a less complicated life for her family, according to two acquaintances. They described her as having to walk a fine line between embracing her father and distancing herself from his election lies." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Mike Allen of Axios: "'Nightmare Scenario,' a book out next week on President Trump's handling of COVID, reports that he said he hoped it would take out his former national security adviser, John Bolton, who had just written an explosive tell-all about his time in the White House." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

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. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ariana Cha, et al., of the Washington Post: "The rapid spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus is poised to divide the United States again, with highly vaccinated areas continuing toward post-pandemic freedom and poorly vaccinated regions threatened by greater caseloads and hospitalizations, health officials warned this week. The highly transmissible strain is taxing hospitals in a rural, lightly vaccinated part of Missouri and caseloads and hospitalizations are on the rise in states such as Arkansas, Nevada and Utah, where fewer than 50 percent of the eligible population has received at least one dose of vaccine, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. One influential model, produced by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, predicts a modest overall surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths this fall." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

California. Gubernatorial Recall Election Is On. Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "California's secretary of state confirmed on Wednesday that the effort aimed at recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has enough signatures to trigger an election. The confirmation from the secretary of state's office comes after it announced in April that the recall effort had enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. In accordance with California election law, however, voters were given 30 business days to request that their signature be removed from the petition if they wished. That period lasted from April 26 to June 8. Only 43 signatures were withdrawn from the recall petition, according to the secretary of state's office, bringing the total number of verified signatures to 1,719,900, which 'still meet[s] the threshold to initiate a recall election.'"

Florida. DeSantis Goes Full Fascist. Ana Cebalos of the Tampa Bay Times: "In his continued push against the 'indoctrination' of students, Gov. Ron DeSantis [Rrrr] on Tuesday signed legislation that will require public universities and colleges to survey students, faculty and staff about their beliefs and viewpoints to support 'intellectual diversity.' The survey will discern 'the extent to which competing ideas and perspectives are presented' in public universities and colleges, and seeks to find whether students, faculty and staff 'feel free to express beliefs and viewpoints on campus and in the classroom,' according to the bill. The measure, which goes into effect July 1, does not specify what will be done with the survey results. But DeSantis and Sen. Ray Rodrigues, the sponsor of the bill, suggested on Tuesday that budget cuts could be looming if universities and colleges are found to be 'indoctrinating' students.... DeSantis ... said the intent of the measure is to prevent public universities and colleges from becoming 'hotbeds for stale ideology.'" Firewalled. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, I'm not the only person who's appalled. Travis Gettys of the Raw Story rounds up some responses to Ron's New Rule, including one that describes DeSantis as going "full fascist." Being a confederate means going apoplectic when someone uses his First Amendment freedoms to criticize you, using the levers of government to shut down those First Amendment freedoms AND invoking your own First Amendment rights when you slander or libel others. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** Michigan. GOP State Senator Calls Foul on Trump & Team. Jonathan Oosting of Bridge Michigan: "A months-long Republican investigation into Michigan's 2020 election uncovered no evidence of widespread fraud and concluded Wednesday with a recommendation the attorney general investigate those who made false claims for 'personal gain.' The 35-page report prepared by Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, dives deep to debunk conspiracy theories perpetuated by former President Donald Trump and some of his supporters in the wake of the Michigan election, which Democratic President Joe Biden won by 154,188 votes.... The report, which was released Wednesday, concludes there is no proof of dead voters or 'fractional voting,' no evidence of a fraudulent 'ballot dump' in Detroit and no proof any Michigan precincts had more than 100 percent voter turnout." The Detroit Free Press story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) AND the New York Times' story is here.

Nevada. Amber Jamieson of BuzzFeed News: "In a speech to the James Madison Academy 2021 graduating class, David Keene, a former NRA president and current board member of the gun rights group, called on the teens to fight those looking to implement tighter gun restrictions.... 'My advice to you is simple enough: follow your dream and make it a reality,' [Keene said.] Except, they can't. The students aren't real. James Madison Academy doesn't exist. Without realizing it, Keene was actually addressing his comments to thousands of empty chairs set up to represent the estimated 3,044 kids who should have graduated high school this year and instead were killed by gun violence. Change the Ref, an organization founded by Manuel and Patricia Oliver, whose son Joaquin 'Guac' was killed in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, held a fake high school graduation for what they call 'The Lost Class' of students. They invited Keene and John Lott, an author and gun rights activist, to give remarks to a high school graduating class and filmed what they were told was a rehearsal in a stadium of empty chairs." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Perhaps the most disturbing video I've ever seen.

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the New York Times: "A progressive challenger running her first campaign beat Buffalo's four-term Democratic mayor in a primary upset on Tuesday that could upend the political landscape in New York's second-biggest city and signal the strength of the party's left wing. The challenger, India B. Walton, is a nurse and community activist who ran with the support of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party. When The Associated Press called the race Wednesday morning, Ms. Walton was leading Byron Brown, a longtime member of the Democratic establishment, by 7 percentage points, or about 1,500 votes, with all of the in-person ballots counted. Should Ms. Walton, 38, triumph in the general election November -- a likely result in heavily Democratic Buffalo -- she would be the first socialist mayor of a major American city since 1960, when Frank P. Zeidler stepped down as Milwaukee's mayor. She would also be the first female mayor in Buffalo's history." A CBS News story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

New York. Laura Zornosa of the New York Times: "After more than a year of talk..., the Theodore Roosevelt statue in front of the American Museum of Natural History [in Manhattan] is coming down. The New York City Public Design Commission voted unanimously at a public meeting on Monday to relocate the statue by long-term loan to a cultural institution dedicated to the life and legacy of the former president. (No institution has been designated yet, and discussions about its ultimate destination are ongoing.) The vote follows years of protest and adverse public reaction over the statue as a symbol of colonialism, largely because of the Native American and African men who are depicted flanking Roosevelt on a horse.... At Monday's meeting, made public as a YouTube video, Sam Biederman of the New York City Parks Department said that although the statue 'was not erected with malice of intent,' its composition 'supports a thematic framework of colonization and racism.'"

Pennsylvania. Election Officials Uncover More 2020 Voter Fraud. Corky Siemaszko of NBC News: &"Republican lawmakers in Ohio pushing for more 'safety and security' at the ballot box can now point to a clear example of voter fraud in the November 2020 presidential election. Edward Snodgrass, [a Republican] ... Porter Township trustee, has admitted to forging his dead father's signature on an absentee ballot and then voting again as himself, court records and other sources revealed. Snodgrass was busted after a Delaware County election worker questioned the signature on his father's ballot. A subsequent investigation revealed the ballot had been mailed to H. Edward Snodgrass on Oct. 6 -- a day after the 78-year-old retired businessman died." The younger Snodgrass claimed he made an honest mistake on account of sleep deprivation caused by caring for his dying father. MB: The one teensy problem with that excuse is that the fraudster filled out the absentee ballot after his father died. I'm not suggesting there isn't plenty of paperwork to deal with after a person dies. There is. But 98 percent of it isn't so time-sensitive that you have to lose sleep over it.

News Ledes

Miami Herald: "A 12-story oceanfront condo tower partially collapsed early Thursday morning in the town of Surfside, [Florida,] spurring a massive search-and-rescue effort with dozens of rescue crews from across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The ocean-facing portion of Champlain Towers South Condo, completed in 1981 with more than 100 units at 8777 Collins Ave., collapsed around 2 a.m., leaving a heap of rubble. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett confirmed that 10 people were treated for injuries on the site, two were taken to the hospital, and at least one person has died. Authorities anticipate more fatalities.... Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer ... said the building was beginning its 40-year recertification, and the building's roof was being redone, but it is unknown if any construction activity contributed to the disaster." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times is live-updating developments. ~~~

     ~~~ Washington Post: "A large condo building along the beachfront in Surfside, Fla., partially collapsed early Thursday morning, killing at least one person, injuring at least 10 and prompting a mass search-and-rescue response as 51 people remain unaccounted for." ~~~

          ~~~ Update: "By early Thursday evening, 102 residents had been located, but 99 people were still unaccounted for, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. It's possible some among them were not in the building when it fell, officials said. But they think the death toll will probably rise."

The Commentariat -- June 23, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Tyler Pager & Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: "Vice President Harris will travel to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, amid mounting criticism that neither she nor President Biden has traveled to the place where the country's immigration problems are most acute. Harris will travel with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to El Paso.... Harris's trip will come just two days before ... Donald Trump will join Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) at the border." Politico's story is here.

F-Bombs for Sale in the "Marketplace of Ideas." Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a Pennsylvania school district had violated the First Amendment by punishing a student for a vulgar social-media message sent away from school grounds. Justice Stephen G. Breyer, writing for an eight-member majority, said part of what schools must teach students is the value of free speech. 'America's public schools are the nurseries of democracy,' he wrote. 'Our representative democracy only works if we protect the "marketplace of ideas."'... The case concerned Brandi Levy, a Pennsylvania high school student who had expressed her dismay over not making the varsity cheerleading squad by sending a colorful Snapchat message to about 250 people.... It included an image of Ms. Levy and a friend with their middle fingers raised, along with a string of words expressing the same sentiment. Using a swear word four times, Ms. Levy objected to 'school,' 'softball,' 'cheer' and 'everything.'" Justice Clarence Thomas dissented. Vox's report, by Ian Millhiser, is here. MB: Wonder if Ms. Levy with write "Fuck school" again, because that's pretty much what the Supremes said. ~~~

     ~~~ Breyer's opinion, via the Court, is here.

Confederate Supremes Rule Against a Union. Again. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Courtruled on Wednesday that a California regulation allowing union organizers to recruit agricultural workers at their workplaces violated the constitutional rights of their employers. The vote was 6 to 3, with the court's three liberal members in dissent. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, said that 'the access regulation grants labor organizations a right to invade the growers' property.' That meant, he wrote, that it was a taking of private property without just compensation." Roberts' opinion, via the Court, is here.

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.

Ariana Cha, et al., of the Washington Post: "The rapid spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus is poised to divide the United States again, with highly vaccinated areas continuing toward post-pandemic freedom and poorly vaccinated regions threatened by greater caseloads and hospitalizations, health officials warned this week. The highly transmissible strain is taxing hospitals in a rural, lightly vaccinated part of Missouri and caseloads and hospitalizations are on the rise in states such as Arkansas, Nevada and Utah, where fewer than 50 percent of the eligible population has received at least one dose of vaccine, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. One influential model, produced by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, predicts a modest overall surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths this fall."

Florida. DeSantis Goes Full Fascist. Ana Cebalos of the Tampa Bay Times: “In his continued push against the 'indoctrination' of students, Gov. Ron DeSantis [Rrrr] on Tuesday signed legislation that will require public universities and colleges to survey students, faculty and staff about their beliefs and viewpoints to support 'intellectual diversity.' The survey will discern 'the extent to which competing ideas and perspectives are presented' in public universities and colleges, and seeks to find whether students, faculty and staff 'feel free to express beliefs and viewpoints on campus and in the classroom,' according to the bill. The measure, which goes into effect July 1, does not specify what will be done with the survey results. But DeSantis and Sen. Ray Rodrigues, the sponsor of the bill, suggested on Tuesday that budget cuts could be looming if universities and colleges are found to be 'indoctrinating' students.... DeSantis ... said the intent of the measure is to prevent public universities and colleges from becoming 'hotbeds for stale ideology.'" Firewalled. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, I'm not the only person who's appalled. Travis Gettys of the Raw Story rounds up some responses to Ron's New Rule, including one that describes DeSantis as going "full fascist." Being a confederate means going apoplectic when someone uses his First Amendment freedoms to criticize you, using the levers of government to shut down those First Amendment freedoms AND invoking your own First Amendment rights when you slander or libel others.

Michigan. GOP State Senator Calls Foul on Trump & Team. Jonathan Oosting of Bridge Michigan: "A months-long Republican investigation into Michigan's 2020 election uncovered no evidence of widespread fraud and concluded Wednesday with a recommendation the attorney general investigate those who made false claims for 'personal gain.' The 35-page report prepared by Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, dives deep to debunk conspiracy theories perpetuated by former President Donald Trump and some of his supporters in the wake of the Michigan election, which Democratic President Joe Biden won by 154,188 votes.... The report, which was released Wednesday, concludes there is no proof of dead voters or 'fractional voting,' no evidence of a fraudulent 'ballot dump' in Detroit and no proof any Michigan precincts had more than 100 percent voter turnout." The Detroit Free Press story is here.

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the New York Times: "A progressive challenger running her first campaign beat Buffalo's four-term Democratic mayor in a primary upset on Tuesday that could upend the political landscape in New York's second-biggest city and signal the strength of the party's left wing. The challenger, India B. Walton, is a nurse and community activist who ran with the support of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party. When The Associated Press called the race Wednesday morning, Ms. Walton was leading Byron Brown, a longtime member of the Democratic establishment, by 7 percentage points, or about 1,500 votes, with all of the in-person ballots counted. Should Ms. Walton, 38, triumph in the general election November -- a likely result in heavily Democratic Buffalo -- she would be the first socialist mayor of a major American city since 1960, when Frank P. Zeidler stepped down as Milwaukee's mayor. She would also be the first female mayor in Buffalo's history." A CBS News story is here.

All His Children: Synopsis of Today's Trumpy Soaper. STUF, Pops! Kate Bennett & Gabby Orr of CNN: "With each passing day away from Washington..., Donald Trump's grievances continue unabated. And those complaints appear to be driving away two of the people who were closest to him during his White House tenure: his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.... The gap between Trump and his daughter and son-in-law grows wider by the week, according to 12 [sources].... The former President has also started to question the role that Kushner -- one of the few people who were able to stay close to Trump throughout his two presidential campaigns and White House tenure -- has played in his presidential legacy. Ivanka Trump has also struggled to undo the entanglements caused by the years at her father's side in the White House, as she seeks a less complicated life for her family, according to two acquaintances. They described her as having to walk a fine line between embracing her father and distancing herself from his election lies."

Mike Allen of Axios: "'Nightmare Scenario,' a book out next week on President Trump's handling of COVID, reports that he said he hoped it would take out his former national security adviser, John Bolton, who had just written an explosive tell-all about his time in the White House."

~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, Akhilleus, here's Senator Testudines popping his head up to speak on the curia floor: "The best form of government is a Republic," says he, "if I can keep it the way I want it."

Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Senate Republicans banded together Tuesday to block a sweeping Democratic bill that would revamp the architecture of American democracy, dealing a grave blow to efforts to federally override dozens of GOP-passed state voting laws. The test vote, which would have cleared the way to start debate on voting legislation, failed 50-50 on straight party lines -- 10 votes short of the supermajority needed to advance legislation in the Senate.... While many Democrats and liberal activists insist the fight is not over -- pledging to launch a final, furious push over the coming weeks to change the Senate's rules to pass the bill -- they face long odds as key lawmakers have insisted they are not willing to eliminate the chamber's supermajority rule to override Republican opposition." Politico's story is here.

Lisa Rein & Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "President Biden's choice to be the federal government's chief personnel officer secured Senate confirmation by a single vote Tuesday after Republicans tried to sink her nomination for her past embrace of the theory of systemic racism known as critical race theory. After the evenly divided chamber tied along party lines, Vice President Harris cast a tiebreaking vote to confirm Kiran Ahuja, the first of Biden's nominees for which the vice president had to break an impasse. The relatively obscure Office of Personnel Management, which Ahuja will now lead, is likely to remain at the center of a political war over Biden's whole-of-government approach to promoting racial equity. Ahuja's nomination would normally have received a quick confirmation vote common for candidates for relatively low-profile posts. But Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) objected to an up-or-down vote this past spring, forcing Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to go through procedural hurdles in the Senate." ~~~

~~~ And a Little Nitwit Shall Lead Them. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "It was a good day for the insurrectionists. Senate Republicans voted in lockstep on Tuesday to block the landmark voting rights bill, in effect embracing the disenfranchisement of non-White voters under the 'big lie' justification that widespread voter fraud denied Donald Trump reelection. Even as they did so, Senate Republicans also embraced the latest Fox-News-generated conspiracy theory: that a shadowy network of America haters -- suspiciously similar to antifa, BLM and the deep state -- had taken over the Biden administration with a nefarious ideology known as critical race theory, or 'critical theory.'" Milbank goes on to cite Sen. Josh Hawley's (RWinger-Mo.) remarkable claims about how President Biden & Democrats intend to undermine the Greatest Country on Earth. "Hawley offered zero evidence for his claims, beyond Biden reinstating racial sensitivity training and his nomination of an Indian American woman, Kiran Ahuja, to run the Office of Personnel Management.... But Republicans rallied behind Hawley's demagoguery anyway."

Evan Perez & Sharif Paget of CNN: "The United States government has seized dozens of US website domains connected to Iran, linked to what the US says are disinformation efforts, a US national security official told CNN. Some users are not able to access sites like Presstv.com, which is an Iranian state run English language news outlet.... Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency on Tuesday reported the US has blocked the websites of several news agencies including Iranian state-run Press TV."

Mark Mazzetti, et al., of the New York Times: "Four Saudis who participated in the 2018 killing of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi received paramilitary training in the United States the previous year under a contract approved by the State Department, according to documents and people familiar with the arrangement. The instruction occurred as the secret unit responsible for Mr. Khashoggi's killing was beginning an extensive campaign of kidnapping, detention and torture of Saudi citizens ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler.... The training was provided by the Arkansas-based security company Tier 1 Group, which is owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management.... There is no evidence that the American officials who approved the training or Tier 1 Group executives knew that the Saudis were involved in the crackdown inside Saudi Arabia. But the [facts show] ... how intensely intertwined the United States has become with an autocratic nation even as its agents carried out horrific human rights abuses.... The State Department initially granted a license for the paramilitary training of the Saudi Royal Guard to Tier 1 Group starting in 2014, during the Obama administration. The training continued during at least the first year of ... Donald J. Trump's term."

Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has blocked a federal judge's ruling overturning California’s longtime ban on assault weapons, in which he likened an AR-15 to a Swiss Army knife. On Monday, in a one-page order, a three-judge panel issued a stay of the June 4 order from U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez of the Southern District of California, in which the judge ruled that sections of the state ban in place since 1989 regarding military-style rifles are unconstitutional." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "The White House publicly acknowledged on Tuesday that President Biden did not expect to meet his goal of having 70 percent of adults at least partly vaccinated by July 4 and instead would reach that milestone only with people older than 26.... It If the rate of adult vaccinations continues on the current seven-day average, the country will come in just shy of his target, with about 67 percent of adults having at least one shot by July 4, according to a New York Times analysis.... Data released by the administration this week shows that young adults are most reluctant to get vaccinated."

Jordan Libowitz of CREW: "Nearly 900 Secret Service employees tested positive for COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 and March 9, 2021, according to government records obtained by CREW. The vast majority served in protection jobs.... Throughout the pandemic, then-President and Vice President Trump and Pence held large-scale rallies against public health guidelines, and Trump and his family made repeated protected trips to Trump-branded properties.... While there have been reports of Trump's Secret Service with coronavirus cases, the number is far greater than had previously been known."

Texas. Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "More than 150 health-care workers who did not comply with a Houston-based hospital system's vaccine mandate have been fired or resigned, more than a week after a federal judge upheld the policy. Houston Methodist -- one of the first health systems to require the coronavirus shots -- terminated or accepted the resignations of 153 workers Tuesday, spokeswoman Gale Smith said. Smith declined to specify how many were in each category.... Earlier this month, a federal district court judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by one of those employees, Jennifer Bridges, a former nurse who alleged the policy was unlawful and forced staffers to be 'guinea pigs' for vaccines that had not gone through the full Food and Drug Administration approval process."

Beyond the Beltway

New York City Mayoral Race. Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "Eric Adams, who ran for mayor of New York City on a message intensely focused on issues of public safety, emerged on Tuesday with a substantial lead in the Democratic primary, but fell well short of outright victory in a race that will now usher in a new period of uncertainty. With 82 percent of the results in, Mr. Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, was the first choice of 31.6 percent of those who voted in person on Tuesday or during the early voting period.... Maya Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, was in second with 22.3 percent; Kathryn Garcia, a former sanitation commissioner, was in third with 19.7 percent.... The winner of the Democratic nomination will face Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, who handily defeated Fernando Mateo, a restaurateur, in the Republican primary. The Associated Press declared Mr. Sliwa the winner on Tuesday." The AP's story is here. ~~~

~~~ New York City Council Primaries. Michael Gold of the New York Times: "When New York City's mayor leaves office at the end of the year, more than half the members of the City Council will follow him out the door, leaving a city still finding its footing after the pandemic in the untested hands of a freshly elected mayor and a legislative body packed with newcomers. It was largely unclear which newcomers those would be when the polls closed on Tuesday: The outcome of many races in Tuesday's primary was still unknown, though a number of incumbents seeking re-election coasted to an easy victory, with others poised to follow suit.... But the Council is guaranteed to have an impending overhaul after November's general election, with all 51 seats on the ballot, and a new officeholder guaranteed in 32 of them."

~~~ Manhattan D.A. Primary. Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "Alvin Bragg was leading in the Democratic primary for Manhattan district attorney as returns came in Tuesday night, maintaining a steady margin of about four percentage points over Tali Farhadian Weinstein in a race likely to determine who heads the most prominent local prosecutor's office in the country. The winner of the primary will be heavily favored to win the general election in November and would lead an office that prosecutes tens of thousands of cases a year and is running a high-profile inquiry into ... Donald J. Trump and his family business."

     ~~~ New York City's latest primary election results, via the New York Times, are here. Politico has NYC mayoral primary results here.

Texas. Nick Corasaniti & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Tuesday called a special session of the Texas Legislature that will begin on July 8, a move that revives Republicans' effort to enact what are expected to be some of the most far-reaching voting restrictions in the country. Mr. Abbott, a Republican, had pledged to call for a special session after Democratic lawmakers staged an eleventh-hour walkout last month that temporarily foiled the Republican effort to overhaul the state's election systems and delayed other G.O.P. legislative priorities. Now the new session restarts the clock."

Way Beyond

Hong Kong/China. Austin Ramzy & Tiffany May of the New York Times: "Apple Daily, a defiantly pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, said on Wednesday that it would cease operations, as the authorities ramped up pressure on the publication in a campaign that has raised concerns over the state of media freedoms in the city. The newspaper said it would stop publishing in print and online by Thursday, after the police last week froze its accounts and arrested top editors and executives. The closure will silence one of the biggest and most aggressive media outlets in the city, highlighting the vast reach of the security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing last year. Apple Daily has been a thorn in the side of the Communist Party of China for decades, and Beijing has long targeted its founder, Jimmy Lai, for his criticism of Chinese and Hong Kong authorities."

Russia. Isaac Schultz of Gizmodo: "Newly published satellite imagery shows the ground temperature in at least one location in Siberia topped 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) going into the year's longest day. It's hot Siberia Earth summer, and it certainly won't be the last.... The 118-degree-Fahrenheit temperature was measured on the ground in Verkhojansk, in Yakutia, Eastern Siberia, by the European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel satellites."

News Lede

New York Times: "John David McAfee, the founder of the antivirus software maker bearing his name, died in a prison in Spain on Wednesday, after a Spanish court said he could be extradited to the United States on tax-evasion charges.... He was 75.... The justice department for the Catalan region of Spain said that, pending an investigation, it was treating his death as a probable suicide."

The Commentariat -- June 22, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has blocked a federal judge's ruling overturning California's longtime ban on assault weapons, in which he likened an AR-15 to a Swiss Army knife. On Monday, in a one-page order, a three-judge panel issued a stay of the June 4 order from U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez of the Southern District of California, in which the judge ruled that sections of the state ban in place since 1989 regarding military-style rifles are unconstitutional."

~~~~~~~~~~

New York City's mayoral (and other city) primary elections are today. Katie Glueck the New York Times: "No Democratic [mayoral] candidate is expected to reach the threshold needed to win outright under the city's new ranked-choice voting system, and it may be weeks before a Democratic primary victor -- who would become an overwhelming favorite to win the general election in November -- is officially declared. New Yorkers on Tuesday will also render judgments on other vital positions in primary races that will test the power of the left in the nation's largest city. The city comptroller's race, the Manhattan district attorney's race and a slew of City Council primaries, among other contests, will offer imperfect but important windows into Democratic attitudes and engagement levels as the nation emerges from the pandemic in the post-Trump era.... If no single candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote on the first tally, the eventual nominee will be determined by rounds of ranked-choice voting, through which New Yorkers could rank up to five candidates in order of preference." An ABC News story is here. ~~~

~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "On the cusp of an election that will determine the future of post-Covid New York, it feels as if we're staggering toward catastrophe. Both of the male front-runners are, for different reasons, unsuited to the office. New York cannot afford a leader who doesn't know how to do the job [Andrew Yang]. It can't afford a mayor who has, as The Times reported, repeatedly pushed 'the boundaries of campaign-finance and ethics laws,' and could spend four years mired in scandal, using race to deflect every criticism [Eric Adams]. Among the leading candidates, our only hope lies with the women, [Kathryn ]Garcia and Maya Wiley."

Bye-Bye, Miss American Pie. Marie: It is not possible to name with certainty the day democracy died. You could go back to some time in Richard Nixon's tenure, or to some moment Ronald Reagan was a has-been actor reading the morning newspaper, or to January 20, 2009, when Mitch & Newt & the gang vowed to make Barack Obama a one-term president, or to January 6, 2021, when Donald Trump tried to start an insurrection. If one of those moments or some other moment is where you plant your flag, I won't argue with you. But the day I pick is the day Scalia died. When Mitch McConnell & Chuck Grassley decided not to allow President Obama any Supreme Court appointment, they put down an anti-democratic marker that Democrats scarcely even tried to knock down, one that stands firm today. AND that marker stands not just because of Republican audacity but because of Democratic weakness.

Democrats Plan to Cave Again Today. Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "A push by Democrats to enact the most expansive voting rights legislation in generations is set to collapse in the Senate on Tuesday, when Republicans are expected to use a filibuster to block a measure that President Biden and his allies in Congress have called a vital step to protect democracy. Despite solid Republican opposition, Democrats plan to bring the voting rights fight to a head on the Senate floor, by calling a test vote to try to advance the broad federal elections overhaul, known as the For the People Act. As Republican-led states rush to enact restrictive new voting laws, Democrats have presented the legislation as the party's best chance to undo them, expand ballot access from coast to coast and limit the effect of special interests on the political process.... In the hours before the vote, Democrats conceded they were facing defeat -- at least for now.... With the path forward so murky, top Democrats began framing Tuesday's vote as a moral victory, and potentially a crucial step in building consensus around eventually blowing up the filibuster." ~~~

The Senate Democratic Caucus has to have a hard conversation with each other and ask, 'Are we going to allow an obscure legislative procedure that's really just an accident of history to prevent us from accomplishing what we ran on and enacting the kind of changes that are needed to secure the American people's right to vote?" -- Leah Greenberg of the Indivisible Project ~~~

~~~ The Futility of Umbrage & High Dudgeon. Mike DeBonis & Elise Viebeck of the Washington Post: "Liberal activists and Democratic lawmakers are angling to use a planned Senate vote Tuesday on broad legislation to overhaul election access, campaign finance and government ethics -- which is expected to fail because of solid Republican opposition -- as an inflection point in a major last-ditch push to change Senate rules and pass voting rights legislation before the end of the summer.... In a fiery floor speech Monday that served, in part, as a veiled appeal to members of his own caucus, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) hammered the point that Republicans were threatening to block even a discussion of voting rights." MB: Oh, a "fiery floor speech"? Whoopty-doo. Oh, a "moral victory"? Yippee! ~~~

He lied over and over and over again ... poisoning our democracy, lighting a fire between Republican state legislatures who immediately launched the most sweeping voter suppression effort in at least 80 years. Just a note, how despicable a man is Donald Trump? -- Chuck Schumer, in "fiery floor speech" ~~~

     ~~~ MEANWHILE, that dope Kyrsten Sinema (DINO-Az.) writes a Washington Post op-ed pledging allegiance to the filibuster. ~~~

~~~ Dan Merica of CNN: "Former President Barack Obama on Monday invoked the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol to advocate for a sweeping voting rights bill set to be considered by the Senate, arguing the uprising proved Americans cannot 'take our democracy for granted.'... During a grassroots conference call for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, the former President also argued that America's 'own history' makes clear the importance for fighting for democracy and warned that 'we are going to have to be vigilant in fighting back attempts by the few to silence the many.... In the aftermath of an insurrection, with our democracy on the line..., many ... Republican senators [are] going along with the notion that somehow there were irregulates and problems with legitimately in our most recent election. They are suddenly afraid to even talk about these issues and figures out solutions on the floor of the Senate. They don't even want to talk about voting. And that is not acceptable.'" ~~~

~~~ Paul Blumenthal of the Huffington Post: "Democrats plan to introduce legislation in the House and Senate on Tuesday to combat new laws in Republican-run states that could lead to the subversion of fair elections by partisan officials. The new bills come in response to measures passed by Republican-majority state legislatures and signed into law by Republican governors that make it easier for partisan legislatures to purge state election boards and local election supervisors and replace them without cause with partisan officials. These state laws follow ... Donald Trump's pressure campaign against state and local election officials to overturn his 2020 reelection loss based on false claims of widespread voter fraud." MB: And this bill is going to clear a GOP filibuster because ... what? Hey, look at me! I can flail my arms & sputter, too! Yeesh!

~~~ Marie: Rachel Maddow devoted her opening segment to that lady who pretended she owned & lived in a Virginia mansion (WashPo link) & managed to get Mark Meadows to send her fantastical "Italygate" conspiracy theory to the acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen to investigate. Maddow's point was that Republicans' stated objections to voting rights all rested on a "plinth" of far-fetched, fake "concerns." ~~~

~~~ Washington Post Editors: "... the argument Republicans most often make against proposals such as [Joe] Manchin's is not that early voting and voter notifications are bad ideas, but that setting election rules is the states' job, not the federal government's. They are wrong, according to the plain text of the Constitution, which expressly gives Congress power over federal elections. But the consequence of congressional inaction is to enable Republican state leaders to continue stacking election rules against Democrats, limiting access to the ballot box and manipulating voting maps to obtain illegitimate partisan advantage.... Mr. Manchin's [voting] reforms deserve a full hearing and an up-or-down vote. If his proposal does not get its due, Democrats should consider reforming the filibuster. There is no shortage of ideas about how to adjust the procedural maneuver without abolishing it, such as demanding that minority senators show up to sustain their filibusters; requiring three-fifths of present and voting senators to end a filibuster, rather than three-fifths of all senators; or reducing the number of votes needed to overcome filibusters." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's obvious from the arcane rules that be that the Senate recognized that at least one thing was too important to be held hostage by the filibuster: keeping the government running. But that, when you think about it, has a self-serving, process purpose. It applies to the duties described in the body of the Constitution, not to rights granted in the Amendments. And aren't human & civil rights -- that is, the rights the government grants to its citizens -- just as important as the Congress's duties? We the people, from whom all blessings flow, think so.

~~~ Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post: "The media seems [seem!] to have missed it, but last week [Joe Manchin] got Republicans to admit to the 'big lie.'... Manchin's [proposed] compromise [voting rights bill] completely undercuts Republicans' case for blocking reform. It does this by including new requirements to safeguard election security, which is -- or was -- the top priority of Republicans concerned by 'questions' the 2020 election supposedly raised.... Manchin also conspicuously omitted Democratic initiatives that Republicans claim (without evidence) lead to voter fraud.... Republicans ... rejected the framework. Immediately, forcefully, unambiguously.... [Mitch] McConnell comically accused Manchin's framework of supercharging 'cancel culture,' that all-purpose GOP boogeyman. Even more tellingly, McConnell and other colleagues such as Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) suggested that a tentative endorsement by a prominent Black voting rights activist had magically transformed Manchin's proposal into the 'Stacey Abrams substitute, not the Joe Manchin substitute.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: We mustn't let voters ever forget that by labeling a compromise bill "the Stacey Abrams substitute," Roy Blunt, who is part of the GOP Senate leadership, turned immediately to misogyny & racism as a means of curbing voting rights for all Americans.

Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Three months into his new job, judge-turned-attorney general Merrick Garland, who inherited a demoralized and politicized Justice Department, is facing criticism from some Democrats that he is not doing enough to quickly expunge Trump-era policies and practices.... How he charts his way through the current controversies and still-unresolved politically sensitive cases is likely to determine how much of a long-term impact the Trump presidency has on the Justice Department.... Twenty-two House Democrats, led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold E. Nadler (N.Y.), recently wrote that Garland's department made a 'profoundly misguided' decision 'with deeply problematic implications' when it continued to defend Trump in a defamation lawsuit, and they urged the attorney general to reconsider."

Ken Dilanian of NBC News: "The FBI director and other senior officials have consistently downplayed the intelligence value of social media posts by Trump supporters prior to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, suggesting the bureau had no 'actionable' warning that the Capitol would be targeted by a mob. But according to a document entered into court records last week, an FBI agent acknowledged in a February investigative report that angry Trump supporters were talking openly in the days before the riot about bringing guns to the Capitol to start a 'revolution.'... The FBI document doesn't say whether the FBI's review of social media posts was conducted before or after Jan. 6." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The report Dilanian cites was written by a female agent. I suspect women are overrepresented in the minions at the FBI who collect & report on written sources. And I also suspect that the male higher-ups are inclined to ignore those women's reports. So if mid-level managers received intelligence about the January 6 insurrection before the 6th, they very well could have dismissed the intelligence as "women's work." I could be wrong, but I'm not kidding.

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Monday that the N.C.A.A. cannot bar relatively modest payments to student-athletes in the name of amateurism. The decision, based on antitrust law, came as the business model of college sports is under increasing pressure. Last year, a federal appeals court ruled that the N.C.A.A. was not free to limit benefits tied to education for Division I football and basketball players. The decision allowed payments for things like musical instruments, scientific equipment, postgraduate scholarships, tutoring, study abroad, academic awards and internships. It did not permit the outright payment of salaries. The court rejected the N.C.A.A.'s argument that compensating athletes would alienate sports fans who prize students' amateur status." The AP's report is here. The ruling, written by Neil Gorsuch, is here.

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed most claims filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of D.C., Black Lives Matter and others who in lawsuits accused the Trump administration of authorizing an unprovoked attack on demonstrators in Lafayette Square last year. The plaintiffs asserted the government used unnecessary force to enable a photo op of Trump holding a Bible outside of the historical St. John's Church. But U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of Washington called allegations that federal officials conspired to make way for the photo too speculative. The judge's decision came in a 51-page opinion after the Justice Department requested she toss four overlapping lawsuits naming dozens of federal individual and agency defendants, as well as D.C. and Arlington police, in the June 2020 incident. Friedrich also ruled that federal defendants such as then-attorney general William P. Barr and then-acting Park Police chief Gregory T. Monahan are immune from civil suits and could not be sued for damages, and that Black Lives Matter as a group could not show it was directly injured by actions against individual demonstrators. The judge did allow litigation to go forward challenging federal restrictions on protests and other First Amendment activity at Lafayette Square across from the White House, and against local D.C. and Arlington County police agencies who supported the operation." MB: Friedrich is a Trump appointee. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, in New York City ~~~

~~~ Flipping the Squid. Colin Kalmbacher of Law & Crime: "... Donald Trump's onetime bodyguard, who now serves as a key manager with the Trump family business, is reportedly being investigated by Manhattan prosecutors. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump Organization executive Matthew Calamari is being scrutinized by the New York City District Attorney's Office as part of their wide-ranging probe into whether the company and/or executives there committed fraud. Here, the apparent focus is on whether the Trump Organization and top brass skirted tax laws by providing employees with fringe benefits that were never accounted for in tax filings." The prosecutors' effort is an attempt to flip Calamari. ~~~

     ~~~ Probably Because This. Jonathan O'Connell, et al., of the Washington Post: "... officials involved in the ... investigation [of Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg] have grown frustrated about what they view as a lack of cooperation from Weisselberg and believe he continues to regularly speak with Trump, according to a person familiar with the inquiry.... 'Just to say "He's the money man' actually underestimates his role. He was more than that even. He was the whole enchilada,' said Tristan Snell, who headed the New York attorney general's investigation of Trump University, which led in 2016 to a $25 million settlement of fraud allegations. 'Allen Weisselberg really ran the whole company.'" ~~~

~~~ John Santucci & Aaron Katarsky of ABC News: "... Donald Trump's company sued New York City Monday for allegedly wrongfully terminating contracts the Trump Organization had to operate city facilities.... Mayor [Bill] de Blasio announced in January he was moving to terminate the contracts with the former president's company following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. 'The President incited a rebellion against the United States that killed five people and threatened to derail the constitutional transfer of power,' de Blasio said at the time. 'The City of New York will not be associated with those unforgivable acts in any shape, way or form, and we are immediately taking steps to terminate all Trump Organization contracts.'"

Trump Urged U.S. Government Agencies to Muzzle SNL, Others. Asawin Suebsaeng & Adam Rawnsley of the Daily Beast: "In March 2019..., [Donald Trump] had just watched an episode of ... [Saturday Night Live] (it wasn't even a new episode, it was a rerun), and grew immediately incensed that the show was gently mocking him. 'It's truly incredible that shows like Saturday Night Live, not funny/no talent, can spend all of their time knocking the same person (me), over & over, without so much of a mention of "the other side,"' Trump tweeted.... 'Like an advertisement without consequences. Same with Late Night Shows. Should Federal Election Commission and/or FCC look into this?' It was, on its face, a ridiculous question and threat, as SNL is obviously satire, and therefore a form of protected speech in America that pissed-off commanders-in-chief have no authority to directly subvert.... [But] according to two people familiar with the matter, Trump had asked advisers and lawyers in early 2019 about what the Federal Communications Commission, the courts systems, and ... the Department of Justice could do to probe or mitigate SNL, Jimmy Kimmel, and other late-night comedy mischief-makers."

Robert Klemko of the Washington Post: When left-wing activist outed Edward Dawson of Washington State for harassing two journalists in Washington, D.C., his boss fired him and his wife lost her job, too, possibly because of her online show of support for her violent, extremist husband. "The disclosure online of Dawson's personal information -- a phenomenon known as doxing -- is part of a growing effort by left-wing activists to punish members of far-right groups accused of violent behavior by exposing them to their employers, family and friends. The doxing of Dawson highlights the effect the tactic can have -- unemployment and personal upheaval followed by a new job that pays much less than his old one -- but also the limits of the technique: Dawson is unrepentant for his role in galvanizing a mob to harass [the journalists] and continues to espouse far-right views."

The Washington Post picked up the story of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's (D-R.I.) association with a possibly-all-white private club. We linked a local story about this Monday.

I'd Rather Sell Pot, Man. Abha Bhattarai of the Washington Post: "Retail workers, drained from the pandemic and empowered by a strengthening job market, are leaving jobs like never before. Americans are ditching their jobs by the millions, and retail is leading the way with the largest increase in resignations of any sector. Some 649,000 retail workers put in their notice in April, the industry's largest one-month exodus since the Labor Department began tracking such data more than 20 years ago. Some are finding less stressful positions at insurance agencies, marijuana dispensaries, banks and local governments, where their customer service skills are rewarded with higher wages and better benefits. Others are going back to school to learn new trades, or waiting until they are able to secure reliable child care."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

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

Jeanne Whalen of the Washington Post: "The transmission of the more contagious delta variant in the United States could spur a fall surge in coronavirus infections if only 75 percent of the country's eligible population is vaccinated, former Food and Drug Administration chief Scott Gottlieb said Sunday.... He said states with low vaccination rates already are showing a concerning rise in cases with the spreading of delta, which is up to 60 percent more contagious than earlier variants.... He urged a renewed vaccination push closer to the fall, as people prepare to return to school and work, when he said they may be more open to the shots." The article is free to nonsubscribers. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In regard to Covid-19, as in some other matters, you are safer if your neighbors aren't nitwits.

Beyond the Beltway

Missouri. Corbin Bolies of the Daily Beast: "Days after St. Louis gun fanatic Mark McCloskey was forced to give up the guns he waved at protestors last year..., [he] took to Twitter Saturday to brag about his new purchase -- an AR-15. 'Checking out my new AR!' he wrote. McCloskey and his wife, Patricia, pleaded guilty Thursday to numerous misdemeanors in connection with an incident last year, in which they brandished guns at protesters during the racial justice protests last year. The couple was required to pay thousands of dollars in fines and, as part of their deal, had to give up the guns they waved."