The Commentariat -- January 26, 2016

Afternoon Update:

American Hero. Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: Marc Edwards, the Virginia Tech professor who found & exposed high lead levels in Flint, Michigan's water, has been this route before. "It was Edwards, 51, who more than a decade earlier discovered corrosion in the nation's capital's pipes that caused lead to seep into the water supply and pass through kitchen faucets and shower heads. After exposing that water crisis in 2004, he spent six years challenging the Centers for Disease Control to admit they weren't being honest about the extent of the damage the lead had on children." Edwards has largely self-funded both efforts.

Bad News for the Tailgunner. Eliza Collins of Politico: "Jerry Falwell Jr., the evangelical leader of Liberty University, has endorsed Donald Trump for president."

For those of you who have been missing Li'l Randy, Politico reports, "Sen. Rand Paul is poised to make his return to the main-stage Republican presidential debate on Thursday."

Gail Collins has a new conservative Brooks partner for "The Conversation": Arthur Brooks, president of the right-wing American Enterprise Institute. Arthur is as annoying & smug as David (No Relation) Brooks.

Ian Millhiser of Think Progress: "The state of Kentucky must give millions of dollars in tax subsidies to a Noah's Ark theme park owned by a creationist ministry, even though that ministry refuses to comply with the state's request not to engage in hiring discrimination, according to an opinion by a George W. Bush appointee to the federal bench. Under Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove's opinion, the creationist group Answers in Genesis (AiG) stands to gain up to $18 million.... AiG is probably best known for its Creation Museum, a Kentucky attraction.... Judge Van Tatenhove's opinion ... rests on the extraordinary proposition that the state of Kentucky is required to subsidize discrimination. That is not what the [U.S.] Constitution provides."

Paul LePage Is Still the Governor of Maine. AP: "In a radio interview expressing his support for the death penalty, Maine Gov. Paul LePage said with a laugh that he wants to use the guillotine to execute drug traffickers.... During the interview, LePage laughed when he talked about using the guillotine to chop off the heads of drug dealers at public executions.... LePage in the past has voiced his support for the death penalty for drug dealers. The Legislature, however, has a long history of rejecting capital punishment, which was abolished in 1887 in response to a botched hanging." ...

... Eliza Collins of Politico: LePage "said he was 'appalled' at critics, such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, who are angry over his comments, saying they are protecting drug traffickers. 'What we ought to do is bring the guillotine back,' he said, interrupting the hosts. 'We could have public executions and we could even have which hole it falls in.'" CW: Anyway, nice to see him show some real appreciation for his French heritage.

*****

** Thank You, Houston! Manny Fernandez of the New York Times: "A county grand jury [in Houston, Harris County, Texas,] that was investigating allegations of misconduct against Planned Parenthood has instead indicted two anti-abortion activists who made videos of the organization. In a statement, the Harris County district attorney, Devon Anderson, said Monday that the director of the Center for Medical Progress, David Daleiden, had been indicted on a felony charge of tampering with a governmental record and a misdemeanor count related to purchasing human organs. Another center employee, Sandra Merritt, was indicted on a charge of tampering with a governmental record.... Ms. Anderson said in the statement that grand jurors had cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing.... The case started in August, when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican and an outspoken opponent of abortion and Planned Parenthood, asked the Harris County district attorney to open a criminal investigation into the organization." ...

... The Houston Chronicle story, by Brian Rosenthal & Brian Rogers, is here. ...

... CW: The angels of irony have been working overtime. They have both a sense of justice AND a sense of humor. Moreover, they work in Texas, on a grand jury led by a Republican D.A. who was appointed by Rick Perry & whose successors charged her with investigating Planned Parenthood on the basis of "evidence" contained in videos which the grand jury used instead as evidence against the videographers. These charges don't condemn only the named perps; they condemn every activist & official who excoriated Planned Parenthood because of them. I'm talking to you, GOP Congressmembers & presidential candidates. Did I mention that Carly Fiorina was born in nearby Austin? ...

     ... That Houston D.A. is a Republican, but it seems she might be a woman first. I would love to know the dynamics of how this grand jury investigation unfolded. If Planned Parenthood is a ham sandwich, how did this switcheroo happen? Did Anderson lead the jurors or did the jurors revolt?

Peter Schroeder of the Hill: "President Obama wants to make it easier for Americans to save for retirement, and plans to push a host of ideas on that front in his upcoming budget. Citing rapid technological growth and fundamental changes in how the workforce operates, administration officials argued policymakers need to take steps to ensure as many Americans as possible are able to save for their retirement.... The initiatives will be detailed further in Obama's fiscal 2017 budget, due out on Feb. 9."

Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: "President Obama on Monday announced a ban on solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in the federal prison system, saying the practice is overused and has the potential for devastating psychological consequences. In an op-ed that appears in Tuesday editions of The Washington Post, the president outlines a series of executive actions that also prohibit federal corrections officials from punishing prisoners who commit 'low-level infractions' with solitary confinement. The new rules also call for expanding treatment for mentally ill prisoners. While the president's reforms apply broadly to the roughly 10,000 federal inmates serving time in solitary confinement, there are only a handful of juvenile offenders placed in restrictive housing each year."

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court ruled Monday that those sentenced as teenagers to mandatory life imprisonment for murder must have a chance to argue that they should be released from prison. The ruling expanded the court's 2012 decision that struck down mandatory life terms without parole for juveniles and said it must be applied retroactively to what juvenile advocates estimate are 1,200 to 1,500 cases. More than 1,100 inmates are concentrated in three states -- Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Michigan -- where officials had decided the 2012 ruling was not retroactive. They should have a chance to be resentenced or argue for parole, said Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who wrote the new 6-to-3 decision."

Timothy Cama of the Hill: "A federal appeals court upheld the government's new coal dust exposure rule for coal miners Monday, rejecting industry challenges to it. The Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit [Alabama, Florida & Georgia] said the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) followed the relevant laws in writing the 2014 rule to limit coal dust exposure, which causes black lung disease."

Sarah Ferris of the Hill: "ObamaCare will enroll significantly fewer people than expected in 2016, ending the year with about 13 million customers, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said Monday. The figure, which was included in an expansive budget report, is a decline of about 40 percent from last year's enrollment prediction of about 20 million people. The latest projections confirm the Obama administration's previous assessment that fewer people are signing up as the marketplace closes in on its third enrollment season -- the final one under President Obama."

** Dana Milbank: "... the Flint disaster, three years in the making, is not a failure of government generally. It's the failure of a specific governing philosophy: [Gov. Rick] Snyder's belief that government works better if run more like a business.... 'You cannot separate what happened in Flint from the state's extreme emergency-management law,' said Curt Guyette, who, working for the ACLU of Michigan, uncovered much of the scandal in Flint. 'The bottom line is making sure the banks and bond holders get paid at all costs, even if the kids are poisoned with foul river water.'... Snyder undertook an arrogant public-policy experiment, underpinned by the ideological assumption that the 'experience set' of corporate-style managers was superior to the checks and balances of democracy." Also, Jeb! is a scoundrel.

Adam Goldman of the Washington Post: How David Petraeus beat a felony rap. CW: Not mentioned: excellent lawyer, friends in the highest places.

Presidential Race

The Rube Goldberg Version of "Democracy." Ian Millhiser of Think Progress: "The Iowa caucuses make voting needlessly difficult, effectively disenfranchising large segments of the electorate. They also take place in a state that enjoys special first-in-the-nation status, despite the fact that it contains no major cities and hardly any people of color.... Unlike a primary election, where the polls typically stay open for most of a day to allow people to vote at their leisure, caucus participants typically must present themselves at 7pm if they wish to be able to vote.... The caucus itself is actually only the first order of business in a long process that includes several layers of delegates and conventions.... Giving Iowa and New Hampshire most-favored-state status, in other words, encourages candidates to pay less attention to issues that are especially relevant to voters of color."

** Jonathan Chait points out that in 2008, candidate Obama did not propose the soaring changes Bernie Sanders proposes. "Obama in 2008 benefited from the lowered ideological expectations that come with two terms out of power under a disastrous opposition president.... Here is the future president speaking in the aftermath of his shockingly large victory in Iowa: 'When we've made the changes we believe in, when more families can afford to see a doctor, when our children -- when Malia and Sasha and your children inherit a planet that's a little cleaner and safer, when the world sees America differently, and America sees itself as a nation less divided and more united, you'll be able to look back with pride and say that this was the moment when it all began.' Even in this moment of giddiness, Obama was promising gradations of progress: More families can afford to see a doctor; a little cleaner and safer planet; a nation less divided." ...

... Charles Pierce highly recommends you listen to Glenn Thrush's interview of President Obama. See yesterday's Commentariat for audio. CW: I recommend it, too. ...

John Wagner & Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post: "The two leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday offered contrasting views of what matters most in the Oval Office -- with former secretary of state Hillary Clinton citing her experience, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders saying that his judgment has proven superior to hers." ...

... The New York Times story, by Alan Rappeport, is here. ...

... Margaret Hartmann of New York: "... on Monday night, Iowans got to compare the three Democratic candidates one last time. CNN only announced that it would televise the town hall at Drake University in Des Moines a week ago.... There were no moments that will drastically change the political landscape heading into Iowa; Bernie Sanders mainly discussed income inequality, Hillary Clinton emphasized her experience, and Martin O'Malley turned in a solid performance that will be completely overlooked." ...

... Steve M.: "I agree with James Poniewozick [of the New York Times] that overuse by the right has blunted the impact of the word 'socialist' [by constantly calling President Obama a socialist], except among people who'd never vote for a Democrat anyway.... The most striking thing about the answer Sanders gave last night was its sense of decency. I think that blunts the line of attack quite a bit.... Republicans who try to attack Sanders as a socialist may find that the word has lost its impact. 'Taxes'? That's an evergreen. That's a line of attack that never goes out of fashion."

Amy Chozick of the New York Times: In response to a question during a town-hall-style meeting in Iowa, Hillary Clinton talked about her religious faith.

Yamiche Alcindor of the New York Times: "The lawyer for the family of Walter L. Scott, who was fatally shot by a police officer in South Carolina, is withdrawing his support from Hillary Clinton and endorsing Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Monday afternoon. The lawyer, State Representative Justin T. Bamberg of South Carolina, said he is switching sides because he believes Mrs. Clinton embodies establishment politics, while Mr. Sanders offers a bolder platform that will improve the lives of people in the South and across the country. The endorsement could help Mr. Sanders as he tries to win more support from black voters -- especially in South Carolina -- in the series of southern states that hold contests after Iowa and New Hampshire, where he is well positioned." ...

... MEANWHILE. Ben Kamisar of the Hill: "Bernie Sanders is launching television ads in South Carolina, looking ahead to a state that many believe is Hillary Clinton's firewall. Chris Covert, Sanders's South Carolina director, told reporters Monday that the ad campaign will cover all major media markets in the state. He said the campaign has already knocked on over 200,000 doors and made over 750,000 voter contacts to build momentum in the state." ...

... Mark Hensch of the Hill: "Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen announced Monday he has created a new flavor celebrating Bernie Sanders's White House run.... The new flavor isn't an official Ben and Jerry's ice cream. 'Jerry and I have been constituents of Bernie Sanders for the last 30 years,' Cohen said of the longtime Vermont senator.... 'We've seen him and we believe him,' he continued.... Cohen's website describes 'Bernie's Yearning' as plain mint ice cream beneath a solid layer of chocolate on top. 'The chocolate disc represents the huge majority of economic gains that gone to the top 1 percent since the end of the recession,' the flavor's packaging states. ;Beneath it, the rest of us.' Eating instructions include taking a spoon and whacking the chocolate disc 'into lots of pieces'; mixing the chocolate pieces around; and sharing the result with 'your fellow Americans.'"

Nick Gass of Politico: "The only person who attended a late December campaign event for Martin O'Malley hampered by Iowa's harsh winter weather has decided to caucus for him. But Hillary Clinton is his second choice and likely the candidate he will eventually end up supporting in the caucus, he admitted."

Dear Purists, Your Hero Has Forsaken You. Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "Noam Chomsky would 'absolutely' choose Hillary Clinton over the Republican nominee if he lived in a swing state, but her primary challenger, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 'doesn't have much of a chance,' the MIT professor and intellectual said in a recent interview. Chomsky, who lives in the blue state of Massachusetts, said he would vote for Clinton if he lived in a swing state such as Ohio.... Chomsky cited 'enormous differences' between the two major political parties.... 'I frankly think that in our system of mainly bought elections [Sanders] doesn't have much of a chance, but if he were elected I think he would -- of the current candidates -- I think he'd be the one who would have, from my point of view, the best policies.'"

"Circular Firing Squad." Jonathan Martin & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Republican leaders are growing alarmed by the ferocious ways the party's mainstream candidates for president are attacking one another, and they fear that time is running out for any of them to emerge as a credible alternative to Donald J. Trump or Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.... The establishment candidates and their allies have spent approximately $35 million attacking one another, and there is no sign that they plan to relent anytime soon.... Many in the party say they believe the assault by Mr. Bush against Mr. Rubio has been particularly damaging." CW: Hilarious.

Boston Globe Editors: "New Hampshire Republicans can do their party a critical service on Feb. 9 by voting for an experienced political figure with a record of results, and thus dealing a blow to the divisive, demagogic candidates running on nativism and other political simplicities. The Globe urges them to support John Kasich, whose record as governor of Ohio shows him to be a pragmatic, fiscally responsible executive, but one who is also concerned with helping the poor." ...

... Daniel Strauss of Politico: "... the Globe's smaller, more conservative rival, the Boston Herald, endorsed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie." ...

... Concord Monitor Editors: "For months, each Republican candidate for president has told New Hampshire voters why he or she belongs in the White House. The one with the best record to support his case is John Kasich."

Michael Finnegan of the Los Angeles Times: "With the next Republican presidential debate three days away, Donald Trump threatened Monday to boycott, saying moderator Megyn Kelly of Fox News was biased against him." ...

     ... Nick Gass: "Hours after indicating that he could boycott Thursday's Republican debate on Fox News based on his objections over Megyn Kelly co-moderating the event, Donald Trump signaled Tuesday that it's 'probably' safe to assume he will be in attendance." ...

... The Voices of "Real" America. Nicolle Wallace, who was Sarah Palin's "handler" in the 2008 presidential campaign, in a New York Times op-ed: "With his call to deport illegal immigrants, especially because Mexico sends us its 'bad ones,' his proposal to bar Muslims from entering the country, his emphasis on the threats to lawful gun ownership and his promise to protect American goods and workers from China, Mr. Trump is riding the wave of anxiety that Ms. Palin first gave voice to as Senator John McCain's running mate. Mr. Trump has now usurped and vastly expanded upon Ms. Palin's constituency, but the connection between the two movements is undeniable." ...

He's a liar," Trump said of Cruz, adding, "that's why nobody likes him, that's why his Senate people won't endorse him, that's why he stands in the middle of the Senate floor and can't make a deal with anybody."

He looks like a jerk, he's standing all by himself. And you know, there's something to say about having a little bit of ability to get other people to do things. You can't be a lone wolf and stand there. That's sort of what we have right now as a president.... I think actually, Ted is more strident than Obama, if you want to know the truth. Nobody gets along with Ted. At least some people like Obama. Nobody likes Ted. I don't find anybody that likes him. You talk to senators, I talk to senators who frankly want to come out and endorse me. -- Donald Trump, on Ted Cruz, speaking on "Morning Joe" today

Philip Rucker & Robert Costa of the Washington Post: "Ted Cruz, who established himself as Iowa's prohibitive favorite in early January with an intimidating show of force, is suddenly under siege one week before the caucuses as rival Republicans pummel him and as opposition to his presidential candidacy from the state’s political and business elite hardens." ...

... In Iowa, Ted Cruz's closing argument against Drumpfkovitch:

And as you know, Hugh, after Australia did that [gun buyback program], the rate of sexual assaults, the rate of rapes, went up significantly, because women were unable to defend themselves. -- Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show, January 12

The rate of sexual assaults in Australia has increased slightly between 1996 and 2014, but there was no significant spike or drop after the 1996 legislative changes or buyback program.... There's no evidence that changes to gun laws in Australia affected sexual assault rates or jeopardized the ability of women to protect themselves. -- Michelle Lee of the Washington Post

... Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed: Radio caller asked Heidi Cruz if she was sleeping with an immigrant.

Kyle Cheney & Daniel Strauss of Politico: "Chris Christie is touting his handling of this weekend's historic blizzard as another show of his prowess as a crisis manager and reason to make him the Republican nominee. But the New Jersey governor's political rivals are telling a different story, one of Christie's hasty return to the stump in New Hampshire while his administration is still determining the extent of storm damage back home.... The griping was aided by residents and business owners in southern New Jersey, where flooding damaged homes and businesses, who contended that Christie had downplayed the storm's impact when he said New Jersey had 'dodged a bullet' and saw little lingering flood damage." ...

... Tom Moran of the [New Jersey] Star-Ledger: "Gov. Chris Christie decreed on national TV [Monday] morning that the flood damage in South Jersey is a mirage.... As the governor spoke, the mayor of North Wildwood, Patrick Rosenello, was rushing around town Monday morning trying to clean up the mess that doesn't exist.... The governor seems to be losing his mind. He acts as if reality doesn't matter any more. In the last few weeks alone, he claimed that he abolished Common Core in New Jersey, that he never supported the nomination of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, that he never suggesting taking in any Syrian refugees. All of that is provably untrue. He also denied giving money to Planned Parenthood, and that's probably another lie. But we can't be sure because the claim comes from an unreliable source -- Christie himself, in a 1994 interview with the Star-Ledger."

Congressional Race

Brendan O'Connor of Gawker: "On Monday, Zephyr Teachout, the anti-corruption activist who threatened Andrew Cuomo from the left in the 2014 gubernatorial Democratic primary, announced her candidacy for New York's 19th Congressional District." CW: A Republican, Chris Gibson, currently represents the district.

Beyond the Beltway

Alan Blinder & Ken Otterbourg of the New York Times: "The bitter dispute about North Carolina's elections laws returned to a federal courtroom [in Winston-Salem, N.C.,] on Monday as the state's voter identification requirement went on trial. The week's proceedings will affect election practices in North Carolina, a state that has been closely contested in recent years and where voting rules could play a part in deciding tight elections, from local races to the 15 electoral votes for president. Court rulings here could also provide an early glimpse at how the federal courts might examine balloting laws in the wake of the United States Supreme Court decision that, in 2013, upended a significant component of the Voting Rights Act."

Luke Hammill of the Oregonian: "The Burns Paiute Tribe has added its name to the chorus of voices growing impatient with the federal government's low-profile response to the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. In a letter dated Friday to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the tribe demanded that law enforcement officials stop allowing Arizona businessman Ammon Bundy and his supporters free passage to and from the federal bird sanctuary." The tribe is concerned about, among other things, the possibility of theft of tribal artifacts housed at the refuge." ...

... Jamie Williams of the Wilderness Society, in a Washington Post op-ed: "The extremists occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge may have thought they were 'taking back' seized land on behalf of local ranchers. In reality, these gun-toting intruders are attempting to seize land that belongs to all of us. Their actions are nothing less than an attack on the property and the rights of the American people.... A well-funded campaign to seize and sell or lease our national public lands is alive and well in many western state legislatures, where studies are being funded with taxpayer money to try to legitimize this idea. Extremists in legislatures in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, a href="http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/13%20regular/bills/house/HB0292.PDF">New Mexico, Oregon and Wyoming, for example, have pushed bills that would severely restrict or deny public access and recreation in our national lands. The effort to privatize our public lands is being driven in part by the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization that relies heavily on financing by the Koch brothers and revenue from the extractive industries. Now the idea has attracted new supporters in Congress...."

Richard Winton & James Queally of the Los Angeles Times: "The escape from Orange County's largest jail probably took only a few minutes. But it took 16 hours for jailers to realize that three dangerous inmates had broken out of the Santa Ana lockup. This gap gave the men a huge head start on their pursuers, who on Monday continued a sweeping but unsuccessful dragnet."

Monica Davey & Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "A man who was fatally shot by the police in December as he emerged from a home with a baseball bat had called 911 seeking help from the police three times in the minutes before the shooting, but was met with curt dispatchers, according to audio of the calls made public on Monday. One of the dispatchers hung up on him when he was unwilling to elaborate on what was wrong.... [Quintonio] LeGrier ... was shot six times after the police pulled up outside his father's home a few minutes after the calls. Bettie Jones, a neighbor who had gone to answer a shared front door of the home, was also shot and killed. Ms. Jones was shot once in the chest, and the police have apologized for her death and said it was an accident."

One More Sarah Palin Thing. Jackie Kucinich of the Daily Beast: "According to Federal Election Commission reports, in the first six months of last year, Sarah PAC -- Palin's organization that purports to be dedicated 'to help[ing] elect principled, conservative leaders' spent $16,062 on a private charter in Jackson, Wyoming, $3,855 on a 'car and driver' in Long Island City, New York, and a total of $4,364 at La Playa Hotel in Naples, Florida. So as much as Palin rages against the Washington political machine, the consultant class and all the 'elites,' the spending by Sarah PAC shows that it remains the same lifestyle-fundin', consultant-payin' organization it has been since she launched it in 2009."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Abe Vigoda, the sad-faced actor who emerged from a workmanlike stage career to find belated fame in the 1970s as the earnest mobster Tessio in 'The Godfather' and the dyspeptic Detective Phil Fish on the hit sitcom 'Barney Miller,' died on Tuesday morning in Woodland Park, N.J. He was 94, having outlived by about 34 years an erroneous report of his death that made him a cult figure."

Washington Post: "Concepcion Picciotto, the protester who maintained a peace vigil outside the White House for more than three decades, a demonstration widely considered to be the longest-running act of political protest in U.S. history, died Jan. 25 at a housing facility operated by N Street Village, a nonprofit that supports homeless women in Washington. She was believed to be 80."

The Commentariat -- January 25, 2016

Sorry for the delay in posting today. Comcast decided I needed a three-month vacation, so it cut off my phone, my teevee & my Internet service. I do need a vacation, but I wasn't planning on taking one. It took three hours to convince Comcast to reinstate by service. So I'm ba-a-a-ck. -- Constant Weader

Caitlin Yilek of the Hill: "Federal government offices in the Washington, D.C. area will be closed Monday due to the winter storm that hit the East Coast over the weekend." ...

... Bradford Richardson of the Hill: "The House will be out of session this week due to 'the severity of the winter storm in the D.C. area,' according to an email sent to lawmakers on Sunday.... The Senate will return for votes at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday." CW: Looks as if Speaker Ryan caught a few minutes of the view from his office's Webcam & decided to take the week off.'

Keith Laing of the Hill: "President Obama said in an interview broadcast Sunday morning that his inability to reduce polarization between the political parties in Washington 'gnaws' on him as he settles into his final year in office."

** Sarah Ferris of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that North Dakota officials cannot enforce a controversial 'fetal heartbeat' law that would have banned abortions as early as six weeks. The justices upheld a lower court's ruling from July 2015, which struck down the measure. North Dakota's sole abortion clinic filed the lawsuit challenging the measure shortly after the law was approved in 2013. North Dakota's law -- one of the strictest in the country -- has been closely watched in the courts as many other GOP-led states look to tighten their abortion standards."

Amy Goodnough, et al., of the New York Times: "... interviews, documents and emails show that as every major decision was made [about Flint, Michigan's contaminated drinking water] over more than a year, officials at all levels of government acted in ways that contributed to the public health emergency and allowed it to persist for months. The government continued on its harmful course even after lead levels were found to be rising, and after pointed, detailed warnings came from a federal water expert, a Virginia Tech researcher and others." ...

... ** Paul Krugman: "... the nightmare in Flint reflects the resurgence in American politics of exactly the same [conservative] attitudes that led to London's Great Stink more than a century and a half ago.... What we see in Flint is an all too typically American situation of (literally) poisonous interaction between ideology and race, in which small-government extremists are empowered by the sense of too many voters that good government is simply a giveaway to Those People.... You can't understand what happened in Flint, and what will happen in many other places if current trends continue, without understanding the ideology that made the disaster possible."

Amanda Marcotte, in Salon, picks up on a theme we discussed here this past weekend: "Republicans like to think of themselves as the party of 'personal responsibility.'... But what's become quite clear in recent months is that, for conservatives, 'personal responsibility' is for other people. Conservatives love shaming genuinely responsible Americans because they occasionally need some help in hard times, but when asked to take responsibility for stuff that is actually their responsibility to take, conservatives will, more often than not, scream bloody murder."

Mark Mazzetti & Map Apuzzo of the New York Times: "... support for the Syrian rebels is only the latest chapter in the decadeslong relationship between the spy services of Saudi Arabia and the United States, an alliance that has endured through the Iran-contra scandal, support for the mujahedeen against the Soviets in Afghanistan and proxy fights in Africa.... The old ties of cheap oil and geopolitics that have long bound the countries together have loosened as America's dependence on foreign oil declines and the Obama administration tiptoes toward a diplomatic rapprochement with Iran.And yet the alliance persists, kept afloat on a sea of Saudi money and a recognition of mutual self-interest.... The long intelligence relationship helps explain why the United States has been reluctant to openly criticize Saudi Arabia for its human rights abuses, its treatment of women and its support for the extreme strain of Islam, Wahhabism, that has inspired many of the very terrorist groups the United States is fighting."

Charles Pierce (Jan. 22) on Debbie Wasserman Schultz & that guy at the National Review who thinks admirers of President Obama are just like Adolf Hitler & Juan Peron fans.

Presidential Race

Glenn Thrush of Politico interviewed President Obama about the 2016 presidential race: "Obama didn't utter an unkind word about Sanders, who has been respectfully critical of his administration's reluctance to prosecute Wall Street executives and his decision to abandon a single-payer health care system as politically impractical. But he was kinder to Clinton. When I asked Obama whether he thought Sanders needed to expand his horizons, if the Vermont senator was too much a one-issue candidate too narrowly focused on income inequality, the presidente didn't dispute the assertion." The transcript is here; audio below:

... Greg Sargent: "What this really represents, I think, is Obama essentially taking sides in one of the fundamental underlying arguments of the 2016 Democratic primary: the battle between Clinton's and Sanders' theories of change.... Obama is basically trying to pour cold water on the loftiness of Sanders' argument, by nodding to the 'appeal' of promising another transformative moment, while suggesting that Clinton's more constrained view of what can be 'delivered' is more realistic, and that this is actually an attribute that recommends her for the presidency." ...

... CW: The trouble with the theory of competence is that the most competent administrators among a field of candidates seldom are the ones voters choose. Obama is the exception, not the rule -- someone who has Sanders' ability to inspire & Clinton's ability -- with the help of Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid -- to get stuff done. Mario Cuomo famously said, "You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose." But most candidates are better at one than the other. Certainly John Kasich, and even Jeb! (not to mention also-ran Scott Walker, now consigned to skillfully ruining Wisconsin) are better bureaucrats than Donald Trump & Ted Cruz. But check those poll numbers. Bernie Sanders has been in Congress for a quarter of a century. He knows how it works. Will he ram thru universal health care & Wall Street reform in his first 100 days? Nah. ...

... E.J. Dionne: "It's the Obama Paradox. The president has a 91 percent favorable rating among Iowa Democrats (which is why Clinton is hugging him so closely). But many Democrats who admire him still wish he had been more aggressive in sticking it to the GOP. They identify with the Sanders who told me (and anyone else who'd listen) back in 2010: 'While Obama and the Democrats have a large number of achievements, it was not enough. We needed to be bolder.' Most Democrats want to be bolder now." ...

... Steve M.: "... maybe raising unrealistic expectations is just how successful politicians motivate voters nowadays."

CW: If you're feeling upbeat about a Democratic blowout in November, read Alexrod & Blow. They will ruin your day. ...

... Why Trump? David Axelrod, in a New York Times op-ed: "It's far too early to picture the iconic Trump logo affixed to the White House portico. But as the most ardent and conspicuous counterpoint to the man in the White House today, the irrepressible Mr. Trump already has defied all expectations." ...

... Charles Blow: "If [Hillary] Clinton can't find a positive, energetic message to project, and soon, she is going to be swept away by [Bernie] Sanders. Some part of Sanders's proposals and even his vision for this country may indeed be a fairy tale. But in the 2008 race, Bill Clinton criticized Obama and his position on the Iraq war as a 'fairy tale.' Well fairy tales sometimes come true, particularly when Hillary Clinton stumbles." ...

AND now, for a couple of asides:

(1) Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "The dead people of America really don't want Hillary Clinton to be president.... [A] trend of telling the world how to vote after you are dead appears to be fairly recent in provenance, but maybe it's just that the internet allows all of us to pass these things around more easily." Bump cites numerous obituaries that contained advice to voters.

(2) Annie Laurie of Balloon Juice has had enough of the First-in-the-Nation State of New Hampshire: "... it would be a net positive if a Trump win in the NH primary were to destroy the enfeebled 'tradition' where a small non-representative very-white state full of angry old tourist-milkers, Free State glibertarians, and social parasites commuting across the border every workday to use Massachusetts resources while avoiding Massachusetts taxes has entirely too much power to winnow presidential choices for the rest of us."

Boston Globe Editors: "This is Clinton's time, and the Globe enthusiastically endorses her in the Feb. 9 Democratic primary in New Hampshire." ...

... Concord Monitor Editors: "Only one Democratic candidate for president is truly qualified to hold the job: Hillary Clinton."

John Wagner & Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "... with an upset over Hillary Clinton in next Monday's Iowa caucuses potentially within his grasp, [Bernie] Sanders has emerged as a more combative -- and in some ways, more conventionally political -- candidate.... He ... is attacking Clinton more directly..., demonstrating that he has both the stomach and the punch for a political brawl.... Over the course of The Post interview, Sanders said Clinton was running a 'desperate' campaign incapable of generating the kind of excitement his has. He raised questions about her motives and character. He said he expects Clinton and her campaign to 'throw the kitchen sink' at him in the coming week in what he described as a craven attempt to avoid an embarrassing loss in Iowa."

Nick Gass of Politico: "'It's time for Ted Cruz to either settle his problem with the FACT that he was born in Canada and was a citizen of Canada, or get out of race,' [Donald] Trump tweeted Monday morning, on the heels of Fox News polls released over the weekend that showed him with double-digit leads over Cruz in both Iowa and New Hampshire." ...

... Maggie Haberman & Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "... on Sunday, [Donald Trump] went to church in eastern Iowa, where he studied 'humility,' he later told attendees at a rally.... 'We talked about humility in church today,' Mr. Trump told the crowd. 'I don't know if that was aimed at me, perhaps,' he joked.... Backstage, he told a handful of reporters that he enjoyed the service. 'I have more humility than people think,' he said." ...

... Maggie Haberman: "Donald J. Trump spent the last seven months saying he wanted to win. Now he is really acting like it.... On Friday night, the candidate who almost always flies home in his private Boeing 757 to Trump Tower in New York or to his palatial Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., instead slept in a Holiday Inn Express in Sioux City, Iowa. ('Good mattress,' he said afterward. 'Clean.') And on Sunday, no doubt mindful that Mr. Cruz is counting on conservative Christians to carry him to victory in this state's caucuses, Mr. Trump showed up for church here in eastern Iowa, with photographers trailing, sat quietly through the 60-minute service, left two crisp $50 bills in the collection plate and shook hands all around, before resuming his attack on Mr. Cruz at a news conference and rally nearby." ...

... Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "With a week left until the Iowa caucuses, Trump is seeking to close the deal by portraying himself as a great uniter who can bring Washington together, healing ideological rifts with the sheer force of his personality. It's a branding effort that seems at odds with the often-angry tone of Trump's campaign, whose critics frequently carry signs that read, 'A vote for Trump is a vote for hate.'" ...

... Eric Levitz of New York: "Aside From Threatening to Shoot People and Mocking Minorities, Trump Is Now Acting Like Normal Candidate.... Granted, he has a little ways to go on the normalcy front: At a rally Sunday night, he mocked a protester in a turban for 'wearing a funny hat.' And he also boasted over the weekend that his supporters would stand by him even if he shot someone to death on Fifth Avenue." ...

... Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker contrasts the campaign styles & objectives of Donald Trump & Ted Cruz. "I had never previously been to a political event at which people cheered for the murder of women and children." CW: Entertaining, if you like scary movies. ...

... He's a Tenther! Katie Glueck of Politico: "Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is endorsing Ted Cruz in the Republican presidential primary, Perry told Politico in an interview Sunday night. Perry, who also sought the GOP nomination before dropping out in September, said he now sees the race as one that is between Cruz, a fellow Texan, and Donald Trump.... Perry said he found the senator to be a good listener who respects the Tenth Amendment, 'knows what he does not know' and is more conservative than Trump. 'Of those individuals who have a chance to win the Republican primary, at this juncture, from my perspective, Ted Cruz is by far the most consistent conservative in that crowd,' Perry said. 'And that appears to be down to two people.'" ...

... The Empty Cassock. Benjamin Wallace-Wells of the New Yorker: "The Cruz campaign has some of the tone of a social movement, and at times the paraphernalia.... And yet it is a very strange social movement, because it is so narrow: Morning in Washington, with almost no mention of America.... For Cruz, the fight for power in Washington is not only the orienting fight in American life but the only one.... Cruz has the partisan ferocity of the culture warrior -- the purist politics, the overriding will to power -- but he is a warrior without a war."

Nick Gass: "New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie strongly contested the notion that his state sustained residual flooding damage from the winter storm that slammed the East Coast over the weekend, accusing one reporter of 'making it up.' During an interview with MSNBC's 'Morning Joe,' senior Huffington Post politics editor Sam Stein asked the governor about 'critics in your state and elsewhere who do wonder why you're back up in New Hampshire so early.'... 'Oh yeah?' asked a resident of Cape May County, New Jersey, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's report published Sunday evening. 'Gov. Christie should come down here and get in his fishing waders and live my life.' According to the same report, in which residents, local officials and business owners called the flooding worse than Sandy in 2012, Christie characterized coastal flooding as minor to moderate, and remarked at a Sunday news conference that there was no significant property damage." ...

... From Reuters, via the Washington Post. See the WashPo story, also linked in yesterday's News Ledes. The story includes photos residents took of severe flooding in Atlantic City, Ocean Beach & Wildwood, New Jersey. CW: I guess Christie figures this is some awesome Photoshopping -- New Jerseyites are really good at "making it up," too.

Michael Barbaro of the New York Times: "Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey angrily scolded Senator Marco Rubio of Florida on Sunday for his sarcastic remark about the blizzard that crippled much of the Northeast this weekend.... Mr. Rubio, campaigning in New Hampshire on Friday, joked that the storm is 'probably one of the best things to happen to the republic in quite a while' because it temporarily prevented the federal government from issuing new regulations and President Obama from signing executive orders. The remark left Mr. Christie furious on Sunday as he confronted dangerous coastal flooding across his home state of New Jersey. 'That's a difference,' Mr. Christie said on CNN, 'between a United States senator who has never been responsible for anything and a governor who is responsible for everything that goes on in your state.'"

Mary Jordan of the Washington Post: "At a time when most Americans support a landmark shift in U.S. policy on Cuba, [Marco] Rubio has positioned himself as that move's biggest foe. He champions a Cold War approach that many think is outdated, even as it runs counter to his image as the youthful leader of a new generation...." Meanwhile, he is enjoying his Senate power to hold hostage President Obama's nominees to Latin American diplomats, including the position of ambassador to Mexico. CW: Let's let Marco be President of the 1960s.

Tone Deaf. Bradford Richardson: "... Jeb Bush on Sunday praised Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) for the way he has handled the fallout from the water contamination crisis in the city of Flint. 'I admire Rick Snyder for stepping up right now. He's going to the challenge, and he's fired people and accepted responsibility to fix this,' Bush ... said on CNN's 'State of the Union.' Bush elaborated that he has been critical of Snyder for his negligence leading up to the crisis, but applauded the governor for the way he has taken responsibility to fix the problem." ...

... Yeah, Right. Timothy Cama of the Hill (January 22): "Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) laid the blame for the Flint drinking water crisis on employees at the state's environmental agency. 'The department people, the heads, were not being given the right information by the quote-unquote experts,' Snyder told host Joe Scarborough [of MSNBC]."

Beyond the Beltway

Aamer Madhani of USA Today: "Mayor Rahm Emanuel has hired one of America's high-profile, big-city law enforcement officers to advise the embattled Chicago Police Department on civil rights issues. Emanuel said Sunday he picked Charles Ramsey, who recently retired as the Philadelphia Police Department commissioner and previously led the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department."

Regina Zilbermints of the (Biloxi) Sun Herald: "Authorities have released the names of all four people involved in a shooting at a Pearl River County[, Mississippi,] gun store that left two dead and two injured." The gun store owner & his son were killed. The parties were arguing over a $25 service fee.

Good Cops. Daniel Politi of Slate: A Gainsville policeman brings some back-up to a street basketball game. Watch the original video, too, of Officer White's response to a noise complaint, which is linked in the post.

Way Beyond

James Rothwell & Josie Ensor of the (U.K.) Telegraph: "The gunmen behind the Paris terror attacks have appeared in a newly released Isil video in which they behead several unidentified hostages. The footage was shot before the attacks took place in November 2015 but was published on Sunday evening. It is unclear when exactly the footage was filmed."

News Lede

New York: "British explorer Henry Worsley died this weekend, during his attempt to become the first person to ever cross Antarctica alone, only 30 miles from the end of his journey. He had already traveled more than 900 miles over 71 days. The 55-year-old died from 'complete organ failure' -- he appeared to have bacterial peritonitis, an infection on his abdomen, and was severely exhausted and dehydrated." Worsley's New York Times obituary is here.

The Commentariat -- January 24, 2016

Robert Burns of the AP: "In the spring of 2014, as a team of experts was examining what ailed the U.S. nuclear force, the Air Force withheld from them the fact that it was simultaneously investigating damage to a nuclear-armed missile in its launch silo caused by three airmen. The Air Force on Friday gave The Associated Press the first substantive description of the accident after being questioned about it by the AP for more than a year."

Maureen Dowd argues that Sarah Palin is boon to feminism because she proves "that a woman can stumble, babble incoherently on stage and spew snide garbage, and it isn't a blot on the female copybook."

Presidential Race

Des Moines Register Editors: "Democrats have one outstanding candidate deserving of their support: Hillary Clinton. No other candidate can match the depth or breadth of her knowledge and experience." ...

... Des Moines Register Editors: "Sen. Marco Rubio has the potential to chart a new direction for the party, and perhaps the nation, with his message of restoring the American dream. We endorse him because he represents his party's best hope." ...

... Amailie Nash of the Des Moines Register on how the paper went about evaluating the candidates. ...

... Harry Enten of 538 consults the historical record to examine the effects of Des Moines Register endorsements on the caucus results. "Even though Rubio probably won't receive enough of a boost to win the Republican caucuses in Iowa, the endorsement could help him finish higher there, in turn helping him in the fight to win the title of 'top establishment candidate' in the GOP race. Clinton could be put over the top...."

Oh, Great! Jonathan Lamire & Lisa Lerer of the AP: "Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is taking early steps toward launching an independent campaign for president, seeing a potential path to the White House amid the rise of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders. Bloomberg has retained advisers and plans to conduct a poll after the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary to assess the state of the race and judge whether there is an opening for him to mount an independent campaign...." ...

... The New York Times story, by Alexander Burns & Maggie Haberman is here. ...

... Steve M.: "That other egomaniac Manhattan billionaire with delusions of political grandeur, Mike Bloomberg, is talking seriously about running for president.... No, Bloomberg won't win. But he might gift-wrap the presidency for the GOP, with corporatist Democrats' help."

Ben Schreckinger of Politico: "As seven Republican candidates made their case at Saturday's First in the Nation Presidential Town Hall in Nashua, [New Hampshire,] much of the focus on stage and behind the scenes centered on the one who wasn't there. With 17 days until New Hampshire votes, Donald Trump skipped the state's final pre-primary cattle call to campaign in Iowa. But his rivals for the Republican nomination kept him in the spotlight, even as they ignored candidates closer at hand and in the polls."

Caitlin Yilek of the Hill: "Fox News is not bowing to ... Donald Trump's calls to remove Megyn Kelly as host of the next GOP debate. Trump tweeted Saturday that the Fox News host 'should not be allowed to be a moderator of the next debate' because of a 'conflict of interest.'... 'Megyn Kelly has no conflict of interest,' Fox said in the statement. 'Donald Trump is just trying to build up the audience for Thursday's debate, for which we thank him.'" ...

... Trump's Amateur Hour. Eliza Collins of Politico: "Donald Trump used footage of Russian soldiers in a video post on his Facebook page that was meant to convey his respect for America's veterans. The video -- which was later deleted -- contains images of soldiers with medals that have the hammer and sickle, the symbol for communism, and 'CCCP,' an abbreviation for the Soviet Union. The original footage is available on the stock footage site Shutterstock and is titled 'RUSSIA, TOGLIATTI, MAY 9, 2015, Victory Day: Veterans of World War II with red flowers in hand at the Military Parade, military medals.'" In Trump's video..., Trump speaks directly into the camera and says, 'Our great veterans are being treated terribly, the corruption in the Veterans Administration, the incompetence is beyond. We will stop them.'" CW: If not a clownish mistake, then Donald really, really identifies with his best bro Vladimir. ...

... Jeremy Herb of Politico: "The Republican defense establishment is terrified Donald Trump will fail the 'commander in chief test' with voters should he continue to defy all predictions and become the GOP nominee.... Trump has made a long list of curious statements on foreign policy. In a recent debate, he didn't seem to know about the 'nuclear triad' -- the nuclear-armed bombers, land-based missiles and submarines that make up the U.S. atomic arsenal. He has confused the F-35 fighter jet with the Long-Range Strike Bomber, and the Kurds with Iran's Quds Force. He's said he gets military advice watching television, has praised U.S. foes like Russian President Vladimir Putin and has shown no apparent interest in seeking the counsel of the party's national security sages." CW: AND he can't tell the difference between U.S. & Russian soldiers. ...

... Yeah but WTF? Ben Kamisar of the Hill: "... Donald Trump thinks there's not much he could possibly do to erode his support. Lauding his fans' loyalty at a campaign event in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Saturday, Trump said ... 'I have the most loyal people, did you ever see that? I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot people and I wouldn't lose voters.'..." ...

... Donald Finds a Friendly Senator. Anna Palmer of Politico: "Sen. Chuck Grassley gave a rousing introduction speech at a Donald Trump rally, but he didn't go so far as to endorse the 2016 Republican candidate." Well, a fair-weather friend. Grassley "He is also slated to appear at Marco Rubio's event in Iowa next Saturday." ...

... CW: Ross Douthat seems to have more of a sense of realpolitik than does his colleague David Brooks. Brooks suggested a week or so ago that Republican leaders across the country form a "collective" to "organize ... a grass roots movement" to defeat Trump. (Apparently Brooks is confused about the meaning of "grass roots," but what with the "grass-roots" Tea party being a Koch enterprise, one can understand Brooks' mistake.) Douthat recommends that Trump's opponents run a different kind of attack campaign -- one that destroys Trump's "brand" and "persuade[s] people that he's a con artist, and they're his marks." Here's what Douthat has in mind:

... Ben Kamisar: "...Donald Trump says he may file a lawsuit over rival Ted Cruz's eligibility for the White House.... [At the Sioux City event, he said,] 'The Democrats are going to sue if he ever got the nomination within two days. There have already been two lawsuits filed, but they don't have standing. I have standing to sue. Can you imagine if I did it? Should I do it just for fun?' Trump added that he believes that he will defeat Cruz without the need of a legal challenge to his candidacy, which is why he probably will not sue."

Portrait of the Megalomaniac as a Young Man. Shane Goldmacher of Politico: "A new video of a teenaged Ted Cruz, posted Saturday on YouTube, shows a lankier and younger version of the future Republican presidential candidate sarcastically talking about his life's goals -- and they're far more ambitious than the mere presidency. 'Take over the world, world domination, you know, rule everything. Rich, powerful, that sort of stuff,' Cruz says":

Beyond the Beltway

Mary Walsh of the New York Times: "Negotiations to restructure roughly $9 billion of the debt of Puerto Rico's power company collapsed late Friday, raising the prospect of the biggest default yet in Puerto Rico's deepening debt crisis. The creditors blamed the utility, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or Prepa, for scuttling the talks, saying Prepa officials had decided to let a critical expiration date pass without taking action. But Prepa said it was the creditors' fault for trying to impose a requirement that Prepa had already rejected."

The Frivolous Poor. Amy Davidson of the New Yorker: "It was as if [Michigan] state officials thought [the poisonous water they pumped into Flint] was all a cultural problem, poor people being frivolous instead of drinking water that had long been, as one memo put it, 'perfectly fine.'"

Les Zaitz of the Oregonian: "Occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for three weeks have made sweeping demands that local and federal authorities say are both brazen and unrealistic.... A bedrock claim of the small group led by Arizona businessman Ammon Bundy is that the Constitution limits federal ownership of land.... But scholars say Bundy and his followers are misreading the Constitution" on accounta that missed this part: "Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 -- known as the 'Property Clause': 'The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States.'" Also missed: all the case law that interprets that clause. CW: That is, the "occupiers" are pretty much just selfish, whiney, gun-totin' ignoramuses. But we knew that.

News Ledes

AP: "Seven people were taken to hospital after an American Airlines plane from Miami to Milan made an emergency landing in Newfoundland after the jet briefly encountered severe turbulence."

Washington Post: "... the winter snowstorm ... thrust a hurricane-like surge of water into the [East C]oast, producing historic flooding. At Cape May, N.J., the water level surged to 8.98 feet Saturday morning -- the highest on record there, and major flood state. It broke the previous record of 8.9 feet set in Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The story was the same on the Delaware coast, where Lewes reached a new record water level of 9.27 feet, breaking the previous record of 9.20 feet set in 1962."

Los Angeles Times: "Sheriff's investigators Sunday were continuing to search for three dangerous prisoners who escaped from the Orange County Men's Central Jail by cutting through half-inch steel bars, making their way through plumbing tunnels and then rappelling from the roof using a makeshift rope."

AP: "A magnitude-7.1 earthquake knocked items off shelves and walls in south-central Alaska and jolted the nerves of residents in this earthquake-prone region on Saturday night. But there were no immediate reports of injuries. One home was extensively damaged and an entire neighborhood was evacuated after a gas leak was reported, Kenai police chief Gus Sandahl said on Sunday morning."

New York Times: "A massive snowstorm that blanketed the East Coast moved out to sea on Sunday, leaving 28 people dead, near-record snowfall in some major cities and heavy flooding along the coast. Residents emerged with snowplows and shovels, and tens of thousands of stranded travelers were scrambling to get to their destinations or find alternate arrangements." ...

     ... As of 6 pm ET, the Times is still liveblogging storm-related events. ...

... Weather Channel: "Millions of Americans were preparing to dig themselves out Sunday after crippling Winter Storm Jonas brought not just big snow, but ice, high winds and flooding. At least 14 people have died in the storm, a quarter of a million customers have lost power and hundreds of crashes have been reported." ...

... New York Times: "The day after a blizzard covered New York City with more than 30 inches of snow in some parts, grappling with its sheer volume was the next order of business." ...

... Washington Post: "The Washington region awoke Sunday, battered by one of the biggest storms in local history, to face a monumental dig out that is likely to hobble the area well into the workweek." ...

... Snapshots from Space. USA Today: "NASA astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted pictures of view of the epic storm from the International Space Station on Saturday morning." Includes two of Kelly's photos.