April 25, 2023

Morning/Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' snark team came out this afternoon to liveblog President Biden's speech.

Peter Keepnews of the New York Times: "Harry Belafonte, who stormed the pop charts and smashed racial barriers in the 1950s with his highly personal brand of folk music, and who went on to become a major force in the civil rights movement, died on Tuesday at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was 96."

Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Daniel Ellsberg, the person responsible for perhaps the biggest leak in U.S. government history -- the Pentagon Papers -- said the latest disclosures of classified information show that the world still faces some of the same dangers that spurred him to act more than 50 years ago. Ellsberg, who is 92 and dying of pancreatic cancer, said he is struck by the similarities between the Vietnam War and the current war in Ukraine -- two conflicts in which a superpower, he argued, could be tempted to use nuclear weapons."

Tuck & Don Lawyer Up. Ron Dicker of the Huffington Post: "Ousted Fox News host Tucker Carlson and CNN anchor Don Lemon ... reportedly just hired the same lawyer to navigate their departures. Multiple outlets say Los Angeles attorney Bryan Freedman is representing both.... The 'famously aggressive litigator' continues to represent Chris Cuomo in his wrongful termination suit against CNN, The Daily Beast noted." MB: "... to navigate their departures"?? Uh, TucK & Don got their cardboard boxes stuffed with fake awards & certificates and a company coffee mug, and they're out. No sextants needed. Thanks to Akhilleus for the heads-up. ~~~

     ~~~ Elahe Izadi of the Washington Post on how CNN & Fox "News" did the on-air honors of announcing the not-so-dearly-departed had unwillingly departed.

Karla Adam of the Washington Post: "Prince William was paid a 'very large sum' by Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group to settle phone-hacking claims, according to court documents submitted Tuesday by the legal team of his younger brother, Prince Harry. Harry is suing Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN) at the High Court in London for unlawful acts -- including hacking his voice mails -- that he alleges were committed on behalf of the Sun and the now-defunct News of the World tabloids from 1994 until 2016. The hearing is to determine whether the case should go to trial. In documents submitted to the court, Harry's legal team alleged there was a secret payment from Murdoch's company to William."

~~~~~~~~~~~

** Presidential Race 2024. Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden announced his bid for a second four-year term in a video posted online Tuesday morning, urging voters to let him 'finish this job' and setting in motion the possibility of a rematch with ... Donald J. Trump. In the three-minute, four-second video, Mr. Biden says he has spent his first years in office fighting for democracy and freedom. And he warns that 'MAGA extremists' around the country -- using Mr. Trump's 'Make America Great Again' slogan -- threaten those freedoms.&" This is the pinned item in a liveblog. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Here's the New York Times' main story, by Peter Baker.

Maybe you missed this, because it's a "parting of the ways" that -- at least in theory -- matters: ~~~

~~~ Kierra Frazier, et al., of Politico: "Domestic policy adviser Susan Rice is stepping down from her post. Rice, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, helped the Biden administration with expanding the Affordable Care Act, getting his Inflation Reduction Act into law, and passing gun control legislation. The move comes as the White House is facing controversy over its handling of migrant children who crossed the Southern border.... Rice's departure leaves a major hole within the top ranks of the White House right as it gears up for a likely re-election campaign and as it faces a stare down with congressional Republicans over raising the debt limit. Among those being eyed as a replacement for her include Neera Tanden, Biden's staff secretary and a senior adviser, four people with knowledge of the deliberations told Politico. Separately, a top White House official said no replacement had been identified yet. One former administration official said White House aides were talking openly about Tanden's consideration for Rice's job over the weekend, calling her potential appointment 'pretty damn firm.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Spencer Hsu, et al., of the Washinton Post: "The far-right Proud Boys believed they were soldiers waging war under the direction of ... Donald Trump when they violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors said in closing arguments at the seditious conspiracy trial of five group leaders.... In wrapping up the 14-week trial, both the government and the defense framed the jury's deliberations as an existential test for U.S. democracy. Mulroe called the court proceeding 'every bit as solemn and important as the one these defendants sought to disrupt.' Nicholas Smith, representing one of the Proud Boys, said guilty verdicts would criminalize political protests." MB: Yes, because there's something in the First Amendment that says you can storm the capitol, injure a lot of police, lead to the deaths of others, spread feces around the marbled halls & stop Congress from doing its business. It's in the very fine print that only the very fine people have read.

Shayna Jacobs & Mark Berman of the Washington Post: "Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday in a civil lawsuit by E. Jean Carroll, a writer who has accused Donald Trump of raping her years before he became president. Carroll says Trump assaulted her in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s, allegations she made public while he was in the White House. Trump, in turn, called her a liar and said an attack never happened. Carroll filed a lawsuit against Trump last year in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York accusing him of battery as well as defaming her with his denials, setting the stage for a high-profile trial in Lower Manhattan."

Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "The prosecutor leading the investigation of ... Donald J. Trump and his allies in Georgia said on Monday that she is aiming to announce any indictments by mid-July at the earliest, according to a letter she sent to a top local law enforcement official. In her letter, Fani T. Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., said that any charges would come during the court term that runs from July 11 to Sept. 1. In January, Ms. Willis said that charging decisions in the investigation were 'imminent.' But her timetable has been delayed, in part because a number of witnesses have sought to cooperate as the investigation has neared an end. Local law enforcement also needs time to prepare for potential security threats, a point that Ms. Willis emphasized in the letter." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Show Me the Money. Dan Mangan of CNBC: "Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Monday asked GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for a complete list of gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and evidence that the billionaire real estate developer complied with federal tax law in connection with the long-undisclosed largesse to Thomas.... The letter asks for a list of all flights Thomas took on any of Crow's jets, as well as details of those trips. Wyden requested similar details about the justice's trips on the Michaela Rose and information about the Georgia property purchases. He concluded by writing, 'Please list any additional gifts or payments with a value in excess of $1,000 made to Justice Thomas or members of his family since he was sworn into the Supreme Court that would not be captured by' the prior questions." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

~~~ Elizabeth Preza of AlterNet: "Harlan Crow, the Texas billionaire who showered U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas with lavish gifts and even purchased the justice's elderly mother's home in 2014, had at least one case before the Supreme Court, Bloomberg reports. According to Bloomberg, in January 2005, the Crow family had a 'non-controlling interest' in a commercial real estate development company that was sued by an architecture firm for more than $25 million 'for allegedly misusing copyrighted building designs.' The Court declined to hear an appeal from that architecture firm -- a decision Thomas did not recuse himself from.... As Bloomberg reports, Trammell Crow Residential, the commercial real estate development company that was sued by the architecture firm, was founded by Crow's father in 1977.... In 2005, when the case reached the Supreme Court, 'Harlan Crow was Crow Holdings' chief executive officer and chair of its board, a position he still holds,' Bloomberg reports." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: At first blush, I was thinking, "Well, it's possible Thomas wouldn't know that some obscure Texas real estate company would have anything to do with one of his wonderful BFFs." Then I got to the part where I find out the company was founded by and named after Harlan's daddy. Then I got to the part where Harlan was CEO & chairman of the board of the company. Clarence, you lying turd, Get Out!!

When is a "disclosure" not a disclosure? When you leave out the single element that would reveal a glaring conflict of interest. ~~~

~~~ ** Heidi Przybyla of Politico: "For nearly two years beginning in 2015, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch sought a buyer for a 40-acre tract of property he co-owned in rural Granby, Colo. Nine days after he was confirmed by the Senate for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court, the then-circuit court judge got one: The chief executive of Greenberg Traurig, one of the nation's biggest law firms with a robust practice before the high court.... On April 16 of 2017, Greenberg's Brian Duffy put under contract the 3,000-square foot log home on the Colorado River and nestled in the mountains northwest of Denver, according to real estate records. He and his wife closed on the house a month later, paying $1.825 million, according to a deed in the county's record system. Gorsuch, who held a 20 percent stake, reported making between $250,001 and $500,000 from the sale on his federal disclosure forms. Gorsuch did not disclose the identity of the purchaser. That box was left blank [on the 'disclosure' form]. Since then, Greenberg Traurig has been involved in at least 22 cases before or presented to the court...."

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha
It's Cable News Clean Out the Anchor Desks Day

We'll be back on Monday. -- Tucker Carlson, his last words on Fox "News," Friday evening

** So Long, TuKKKums! Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "Fox News said Monday that it was parting ways with Tucker Carlson, its most popular prime time host who was also the source of repeated controversies and headaches for the network because of his statements on everything from race relations to L.G.B.T.Q. rights. The network made the announcement less than a week after it agreed to pay $787.5 million in a defamation lawsuit in which Mr. Carlson's show, one of the highest rated on Fox, figured prominently for its role in spreading misinformation after the 2020 election. In making its announcement, Fox offered a terse statement of gratitude. 'Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,' it said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: "In a shocking announcement, Fox News announced Monday that prime-time host Tucker Carlson is leaving the network.... His Fox News colleagues were stunned by the departure, which seemed out of the blue." CNN's story, by Oliver Darcy & Marshall Cohen is here. MB: Gosh, TuKKKer, I was going to write you a nice farewell poem like that beautiful one by W. H. Auden. But I couldn't think of a single, solitary word that rhymed with "Tucker." (Well, okay, maybe I thought of two, but then you couldn't read the poem to your children.) (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: The similarity of Carlson and Trump's sensibilities might derive from the similarity of their resentments. Both were children of privilege -- Carlson was kicked out of a Swiss boarding school -- who sought the respect of the establishment but never got it. It's worth noting, given his loathing of the putative deep state, that Carlson tried to join the C.I.A. but was rejected. He shifted his ambitions to cable news, but before landing at Fox News, he struggled to fit in.... Like Trump, he would find success by catering to people who despised the world that had spurned him. He made revenge into a career.... Carlson has achieved the rare cable news trifecta of flaming out at CNN, MSNBC and Fox.&" ~~~

Why? Why? Why? Oh how could this happen to TuKKKer? ~~~

     ~~~ From Michelle Goldberg: "[Tucker's ousting] suggests that Dominion was responsible for shaking loose the information that brought Carlson down.... The Los Angeles Times reported that Carlson was defenestrated by Rupert Murdoch himself, and that his exit was related to the discrimination lawsuit filed by Carlson's former head of booking Abby Grossberg." ~~~

     ~~~ From Jeremy Barr: "It was Carlson's comments about Fox management, as revealed in the Dominion case, that played a role in his departure from Fox, a person familiar with the company's thinking told The Post." (Yeah, Eric Wemple of the WashPo asks, "Who at Fox News ever -- ever -- would have supposed that the guy willing to smear others willy-nilly would similarly bash his colleagues?") ~~~

~~~ And the folks at the Lincoln Project are going to miss TuKKKer's insightful segments:

SO THEN. Doha Madani of NBC News: "Don Lemon was terminated from his anchor role at CNN, he announced Monday. The news comes after Variety published a story earlier this month on allegations that he mistreated his female colleagues over the course of his career there. And earlier this year, he faced backlash over widely criticized comments he made on-air. Lemon announced the news on Twitter, saying he was informed by his agent that he was being terminated. 'I am stunned,' Lemon wrote. 'After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.' CNN CEO Chris Licht said that the network and Lemon have 'parted ways,' according to a memo provided to NBC News Monday." The New York Times story, by Michael Grynbaum & others, is here. MB: Perfect timing. People will be so thrilled to see the back side of TuKKKer, they'll hardly notice that CNN's Mr. Misogynist has left the building. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

AND THIS. Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: "Jeff Shell was fired as NBCUniversal/s chief executive after an anchor at one of the company's news networks lodged a sexual harassment complaint against him, a lawyer for the anchor said on Monday. The lawyer, Suzanne McKie, said her client, Hadley Gamble, a senior international correspondent at CNBC, had given investigators at NBCUniversal messages that documented instances of harassment by Mr. Shell." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you're seeing a theme here, there is one, if it is rather obscured by the differences in networks, situations & personalities. In each of these dismissals -- at Fox, CNN & NBC -- the firing is alleged to have been, at least in part, because the big stars done women wrong. Grossberg's allegations of a disgusting, sexist work environment -- which again may end in a signficant financial settlement -- may have been the last straw for Rupert. It isn't likely, after all, that Rupert fired TuKKKer because TuKKKer wasn't a good enough fact-checker or even that white nationalism & Putin adoration were too radical. Don Lemon was unceremonious dispatched with after his comments about women past age 40 (that is, CNN's morning audience) being "past their prime." And Shell, allegedly, got the boot, at least in part because he harassed a female anchor. It's possible that in any or all of these cases, firing a guy because he disrespected women is an excuse for something else -- lawsuits, lower ratings, whatever -- it's also possible that finally, some corporations have figured out that misusing or abusing women is not good for the brand. If only GOP politicians (see North Dakota story linked below) could figure this out, too. Oh, and Happy Rape Trial Day to Donald Trump.

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Arek Sarkissian of Politico: "Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo personally altered a state-driven study about Covid-19 vaccines last year to suggest that some doses pose a significantly higher health risk for young men than had been established by the broader medical community, according to a newly obtained document. Ladapo's changes, released as part of a public records request, presented the risks of cardiac death to be more severe than previous versions of the study. He later used the final document in October to bolster disputed claims that Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were dangerous to young men. The surgeon general, a well-known Covid-19 vaccine skeptic, faced a backlash from the medical community after he made the assertions, which go against guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and American Academy of Pediatrics. But Ladapo's statements aligned well with Gov. Ron DeSantis' stance against mandatory Covid-19 vaccination." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't see what the problem is. Sure, young Floridian men may have died because they believed Ladapo's warning & chose not to be vaccinated. But everyone knows Republicans -- including Republicans who work in science-based professions -- are not bound by the boring factual world and can change "inconvenient facts" to "alternate facts" when it suits them.

North Dakota. Ava Sasani of the New York Times: "North Dakota became the latest state on Monday to enact a near-total ban on abortion, just one month after the State Supreme Court temporarily blocked a similar ban from taking effect. Under the new law, an abortion in the case of rape or incest would be permissible only in the first six weeks of pregnancy, a time when most women have not yet realized they are pregnant. Abortion is permitted without gestational limits if terminating a pregnancy can 'prevent the death or a serious health risk' of the mother. Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, signed the bill into law on Monday.... The new law, which takes immediate effect, is a dramatic shift for the state, where abortions had been legal up until 22 weeks of pregnancy." The AP's story is here.

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the U.S. and its allies of bringing the world to a 'dangerous threshold.' In a speech Monday at the U.N. Security Council in New York, Lavrov said the United States and the 'collective West' were undermining global multilateralism by unilaterally imposing their own rules on the rest of the world.... Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the U.N. Charter and international law, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said, speaking at the same forum as Lavrov.... If Russia wins and Ukraine falls, central Europe 'may well be next,' wrote the leaders of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic [in a letter published in Foreign Affairs].... At U.S. behest, Ukraine held off anniversary attacks on Russia..., Shane Harris and Isabelle Khurshudyan report."

Steven Erlanger of the New York Times: "China moved quickly on Monday to limit damage to its relations with Europe, repudiating the comments of Beijing's ambassador in Paris who had questioned the sovereignty of post-Soviet nations like Ukraine in a televised interview. The comments by Lu Shaye on Friday caused a diplomatic firestorm over the weekend among European foreign ministers and parliamentarians, with several countries summoning China's envoys for explanations. His remarks threatened to throw a wrench in China's ongoing efforts to balance courting European leaders with trade while supporting Russia, with which it has declared a 'no limits' partnership.... [Friday, Mr. Lu] said that Crimea was Russian historically and had been handed over to Ukraine, then added: 'Even these countries of the former Soviet Union do not have an effective status in international law, since there is no international agreement that would specify their status as sovereign countries.'... China's Foreign Ministry ... on Monday insist[ed] that it recognized the sovereignty of all the former Soviet republics that have declared independence, including Ukraine." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

April 24, 2023

Afternoon/Evening Update:

Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "The prosecutor leading the investigation of ... Donald J. Trump and his allies in Georgia said on Monday that she is aiming to announce any indictments by mid-July at the earliest, according to a letter she sent to a top local law enforcement official. In her letter, Fani T. Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., said that any charges would come during the court term that runs from July 11 to Sept. 1. In January, Ms. Willis said that charging decisions in the investigation were 'imminent.' But her timetable has been delayed, in part because a number of witnesses have sought to cooperate as the investigation has neared an end. Local law enforcement also needs time to prepare for potential security threats, a point that Ms. Willis emphasized in the letter."

It's Cable News Clean Out the Anchor Desks Day.

** So Long, TuKKKums! Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "Fox News said Monday that it was parting ways with Tucker Carlson, its most popular prime time host who was also the source of repeated controversies and headaches for the network because of his statements on everything from race relations to L.G.B.T.Q. rights. The network made the announcement less than a week after it agreed to pay $787.5 million in a defamation lawsuit in which Mr. Carlson's show, one of the highest rated on Fox, figured prominently for its role in spreading misinformation after the 2020 election. In making its announcement, Fox offered a terse statement of gratitude. 'Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,' it said." ~~~

     ~~~ Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: “In a shocking announcement, Fox News announced Monday that prime-time host Tucker Carlson is leaving the network.... It was Carlson's comments about Fox management, as revealed in the Dominion case, that played a role in his departure from Fox, a person familiar with the company's thinking told The Post.... His Fox News colleagues were stunned by the departure, which seemed out of the blue." CNN's story, by Oliver Darcy & Marshall Cohen is here. MB: I was going to write TuKKKer a nice farewell poem like that beautiful one by W. H. Auden. But I couldn't think of a single word that rhymed with "Tucker." (Well, maybe I thought of two, but then you couldn't read the poem to your children.) ~~~

~~~ SO THEN. Doha Madani of NBC News: "Don Lemon was terminated from his anchor role at CNN, he announced Monday. The news comes after Variety published a story earlier this month on allegations that he mistreated his female colleagues over the course of his career there. And earlier this year, he faced backlash over widely criticized comments he made on-air. Lemon announced the news on Twitter, saying he was informed by his agent that he was being terminated. 'I am stunned,' Lemon wrote. 'After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.' CNN CEO Chris Licht said that the network and Lemon have 'parted ways,' according to a memo provided to NBC News Monday." The New York Times story, by Michael Grynbaum & others, is here. MB: Perfect timing. People will be so thrilled to see the back side of TuKKKer, they'll hardly notice that CNN's Mr. Misogynist has left the building. ~~~

~~~ Theoretically, More Important. Kierra Frazier, et al., of Politico: "Domestic policy adviser Susan Rice is stepping down from her post. Rice, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, helped the Biden administration with expanding the Affordable Care Act, getting his Inflation Reduction Act into law, and passing gun control legislation. The move comes as the White House is facing controversy over its handling of migrant children who crossed the Southern border.... Rice's departure leaves a major hole within the top ranks of the White House right as it gears up for a likely re-election campaign and as it faces a stare down with congressional Republicans over raising the debt limit. Among those being eyed as a replacement for her include Neera Tanden, Biden's staff secretary and a senior adviser, four people with knowledge of the deliberations told Politico. Separately, a top White House official said no replacement had been identified yet. One former administration official said White House aides were talking openly about Tanden's consideration for Rice's job over the weekend, calling her potential appointment 'pretty damn firm.'" ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement is here.

Show Me the Money. Dan Mangan of CNBC: "Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Monday asked GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for a complete list of gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and evidence that the billionaire real estate developer complied with federal tax law in connection with the long-undisclosed largesse to Thomas.... The letter asks for a list of all flights Thomas took on any of Crow's jets, as well as details of those trips. Wyden requested similar details about the justice's trips on the Michaela Rose and information about the Georgia property purchases. He concluded by writing, 'Please list any additional gifts or payments with a value in excess of $1,000 made to Justice Thomas or members of his family since he was sworn into the Supreme Court that would not be captured by' the prior questions."

Steven Erlanger of the New York Times: "China moved quickly on Monday to limit damage to its relations with Europe, repudiating the comments of Beijing's ambassador in Paris who had questioned the sovereignty of post-Soviet nations like Ukraine in a televised interview. The comments by Lu Shaye on Friday caused a diplomatic firestorm over the weekend among European foreign ministers and parliamentarians, with several countries summoning China's envoys for explanations. His remarks threatened to throw a wrench in China's ongoing efforts to balance courting European leaders with trade while supporting Russia, with which it has declared a 'no limits' partnership.... [Friday, Mr. Lu] said that Crimea was Russian historically and had been handed over to Ukraine, then added: 'Even these countries of the former Soviet Union do not have an effective status in international law, since there is no international agreement that would specify their status as sovereign countries.'... China's Foreign Ministry ... on Monday insist[ed] that it recognized the sovereignty of all the former Soviet republics that have declared independence, including Ukraine."

~~~~~~~~~~

Hillary Clinton, in a New York Times op-ed: "Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is making a ransom demand. His hostage is the economy and America's credibility. Mr. McCarthy has threatened that House Republicans will refuse to raise the federal government's debt ceiling, potentially triggering a global financial crisis, unless President Biden agrees to deep cuts to education, health care, food assistance for poor children and other services. Mr. McCarthy repeatedly invoked the threat of Chinese competition as justification. The speaker is right that this debate has significant national security implications -- just not the way he says.... The world is looking to the United States for strong, steady leadership. Congressional brinkmanship on the debt ceiling sends the opposite message to our allies and our adversaries: that America is divided, distracted and can't be counted on." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Anyone who thinks Republicans are patriotic Americans who want to do what is in the national interest should remove their rose-colored glasses. The Republican party and its right-wing allies are the central challenge not just to democracy but to the general interests of the American people, national security, U.S. economy & U.S. corporations. Corporate bigwigs & wealthy private interests who think those Trumpy tax cuts were good for them are sadly mistaken; we would not have such a huge & threatening debt crisis if not for the free rides Republicans give to the "haves."

Bow Down, Bow Down, to the Lord High Supreme Chief! Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "During an appearance on MSNBC early Sunday morning, the former director of the United States Office of Government Ethics trashed Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for saying nothing and doing nothing about the cloud of scandals hovering over Justice Clarence Thomas. Speaking with host Katie Phang, attorney Walter Schaub expressed dismay with the chief justice, repeatedly saying, 'Shame on him.' With CNN reporting that Roberts is 'punting' on testifying before the Senate about Thomas and his relationship with a conservative billionaire who has been financing the lavish lifestyle the justice and his wife Ginni have been living, Shaub lashed out at Roberts. 'I think it would be positively disgraceful if he refuses to speak - testify in front of Congress,' he told the MSNBC host. 'It would be a real statement that the Supreme Court justices view themselves as rulers instead of public servants.'"

Benjamin Mullin, et al., of the New York Times: "Jeff Shell, the chief executive of NBCUniversal, is leaving the company after an investigation into a complaint about an inappropriate workplace relationship, the company's owner, Comcast, said in a statement on Sunday. In the statement, Mr. Shell said that Sunday would be his last day and that he had had 'an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company.' Comcast's terse statement did not say who would be replacing Mr. Shell at NBCUniversal, which he has led since 2020. But in a note to employees on Sunday, Comcast's chief executive, Brian Roberts, said that Mr. Shell's senior team would report to Michael Cavanagh, Comcast's president, putting Mr. Cavanagh in effective control of NBCUniversal.... [Shell] succeeded Ron Meyer, a longtime Universal executive, who left the company in 2020 after he said he was the victim of an attempt to 'extort' him that was related to a past extramarital affair." The AP's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In case you're feeling sorry for Shell, his annual salary was reportedly $21.5 million. Unless he has been spending imprudently -- and can he possibly be imprudent in more ways that one? -- he should have more than enough in savings & investments to retire on.

Jordyn Holman & Lauren Hirsch of the New York Times: "On Sunday, the 52-year-old retailer [Bed Bath & Beyond] said it was filing for bankruptcy protection in United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. It said it would start the process of closing the company's 360 Bed Bath & Beyond stores and 120 Buy Buy Baby locations on Wednesday and seek to sell parts of its business. In its Chapter 11 filing, the company said it expected all stores to close by June 30." CNBC's report is here.

Presidential Race 2024. Ed O'Keefe & Fin Gomez of CBS News: "President Biden is set to name Julie Chavez Rodriguez, a senior West Wing official and longtime Democratic Party activist, to manage his reelection campaign, three people familiar with the ongoing deliberations tell CBS News.... The president has been spending the weekend at Camp David with First Lady Jill Biden and other senior aides sorting out the finishing touches of the campaign."

Sununu Trashes Trump. Lauren Sforza of the Hill: "'Republicans want someone who can win in November of '24. Donald Trump is a loser. He has not just lost once. He lost us .. our House seats in 2018,' [New Hampshire Gov. Chris] Sununu said [Sunday]. 'He lost everything and '20. We should have 54 U.S. senators right now and we don't because of his message. So, Donald Trump is positioning himself to be a four-time loser in 2024.'... Sununu said that Trump plays the 'victim card,' but Republicans want someone 'who's going to fight for them.' And the governor said the former president did not follow through on his campaign promises, like building a border wall and reforming health care." MB: Yeah, but Trump had a lot of Infrastructure Weeks. Oh, and he and your "fiscally-conservative" Congressional Republicans cut taxes on the wealthy & corporations to increase the debt by almost $7.8 trillion. That's "about $23,500 in new federal debt for every person in the country."

Beyond the Beltway

Iowa, et al. Child Abuse, Inc. Jacob Bogage & Maria Paúl of the Washington Post: "At 4:52 a.m., Tuesday, [Iowa's] Senate approved a bill to allow children as young as 14 to work night shifts and 15 year-olds on assembly lines. The measure, which still must pass the Iowa House, is among several the Foundation for Government Accountability is maneuvering through state legislatures. The Florida-based think tank and its lobbying arm, the Opportunity Solutions Project, have found remarkable success among Republicans to relax regulations that prevent children from working long hours in dangerous conditions. And they are gaining traction at a time the Biden administration is scrambling to enforce existing labor protections for children. The FGA achieved its biggest victory in March, playing a central role in designing a new Arkansas law to eliminate work permits and age verification for workers younger than 16.... In Missouri, where another child labor bill has gained significant GOP support, the FGA helped a lawmaker draft and revise the legislation, according to emails obtained by The Washington Post. The FGA for years has worked systematically to shape policy at the state level, fighting to advance conservative causes such as restricting access to anti-poverty programs and blocking Medicaid expansion."

Ohio, et al. Kate Zernicke & Michael Wines of the New York Times: "Voters pushed back decisively after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, approving ballot measures that established or upheld abortion rights in all six states where they appeared. Now, with abortion rights groups pushing for similar citizen-led ballot initiatives in at least six other states, Republican-controlled legislatures and anti-abortion groups are trying to stay one step ahead by making it harder to pass the measures -- or to get them on the ballot at all. The biggest and most immediate fight is in Ohio, where a coalition of abortion rights groups is collecting signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would prohibit the state from banning abortion before a fetus becomes viable outside the womb, at about 24 weeks of pregnancy[, which could pass with a simple majority]. That would essentially establish on the state level what Roe did nationwide for five decades.... But Republicans in the state legislature are advancing a ballot amendment of their own that would raise the percentage of votes required to pass future such measures to a 60 percent supermajority. The measure has passed the Ohio Senate and is expected to pass the House this week."

Idaho. Adam Gabbatt of the Guardian: "Republicans in Idaho have been criticized for 'glorifying political violence' after the party hosted Kyle Rittenhouse, the American who shot and killed two people at an anti-racism protest and injured another, as a celebrity guest at a fundraiser. The 20-year-old was the guest of honor at a Bonneville county Republican party event, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on 15 April, where an AR-15 style rifle signed by Rittenhouse was auctioned off as part of a fundraiser and people could buy tickets to 'Trigger time': a Rittenhouse-hosted shooting event at a gun range. The event, amid a prolonged spate of mass shootings -- many conducted with AR-15s -- suggests a further embrace by Republicans of the most extreme elements of the gun lobby in the US...." MB: So some people are saying that a homicidal maniac is not really a celebrity? Huh.

Kentucky. AP: "The former Louisville Metro Police officer who fatally shot Breonna Taylor has a new job in law enforcement. WHAS-TV [Louisville] reported that the Carroll County[, Kentucky,] Sheriff's Office confirmed Saturday the hiring of Myles Cosgrove who was fired from the police department in January 2021 for violating use-of-force procedures and failing to use a body camera during the raid on Taylor's apartment.... In November, the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council voted not to revoke Cosgrove's state peace officer certification. This meant he could apply for other law enforcement jobs in the state. A protest in Carroll County has already been planned on Monday in response to his hiring."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine here. The Guardian's live updates for Monday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Monday is here: "Global defense expenditure rose to an all-time high of $2.24 trillion in 2022, with Russia and Ukraine notably hiking their budgets. 'The continuous rise in global military expenditure in recent years is a sign that we are living in an increasingly insecure world,' SIPRI researcher Nan Tian said in a statement.... The Kremlin could end the Black Sea grain deal, which facilitates the export of Ukrainian grain, if the Group of Seven industrialized nations imposes a blanket ban on exports to Russia, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday on Telegram.... The Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group is making aggressive moves to bring together an anti-Western coalition of states in Africa, according to leaked U.S. government documents reviewed by The Washington Post."

AP: "Russia said Sunday that the United States has denied visas to journalists who wanted to cover Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's trip to New York, and Lavrov suggested that Moscow would take strong retaliatory measures. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. State Department about the claim of refused visas. The journalists aimed to cover Lavrov's appearance at the United Nations to mark Russia's chairmanship of the Security Council.... The dispute comes in the wake of high tensions with Washington over the arrest last month of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, whom Russia accuses of espionage. The United States has declared him to be 'wrongfully detained.'" MB: Besides, they're not journalists, Vlad; they're state-controlled scribes.

April 23, 2023

Coral Davenport & Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "President Biden's administration is poised to announce limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that could compel them to capture the pollution from their smokestacks, technology now used by fewer than 20 of the nation's 3,400 coal and gas-fired plants, according to three people who were briefed on the rule. If implemented, the proposed regulation would be the first time the federal government has restricted carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, which generate about 25 percent of the planet-warming pollution produced by the United States. It would also apply to future plants.... The proposed rule is sure to face opposition from the fossil fuel industry, power plant operators and their allies in Congress. It is likely to draw an immediate legal challenge from a group of Republican attorneys general that has already sued the Biden administration to stop other climate policies. A future administration could also weaken the regulation." MB: Because of course what the world needs is assurance that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions continue apace.

Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "The silencing of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) after she called Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a liar in a hearing has led to a pledge for a more civil House Homeland Security Committee going forward -- a standard lawmakers may struggle to meet as they gear up for the secretary's impeachment.... Greene called the decision to silence her for the rest of the hearing unfair, noting that numerous Republican speakers before her accused Mayorkas of lying to Congress, even if they did not label him as a liar directly... '... I think most Republicans were calling [the] secretary names, belittling him and not allowing him to speak, insinuating that he was lying -- all things which are false,' [Rep. Robert] Garcia [D-Calif.] told The Hill.... Several Democrats, meanwhile, have sought to dismiss the budding impeachment argument from the GOP. 'They can disagree with [Mayorkas] on policy, but that is not a high crime and misdemeanor, nor does it in any way violate the Constitution and has no grounds for impeachment,' Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.) said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm sorry, but people like Miss Margie have never learned to have any self-control. I believe she would tell the Pope to his face he was an asshole if she disagreed with him about something. And if chastised, she would defend her remark because these people also have no inclination toward self-reflection. They suffer from extreme arrested development; they got stuck in their terrible twos and they can't get out.

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "... the Supreme Court's order on Friday night maintaining the availability of a commonly used abortion pill nonetheless sent a powerful message from a chastened court. 'Legal sanity prevailed, proving that, at least for now, disrupting the national market for an F.D.A.-approved drug is a bridge too far, even for this court,' said David S. Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University.... In his concurrence in Dobbs, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said the majority had abandoned 'principles of judicial restraint' at the cost of 'a serious jolt to the legal system.' Friday's order avoided a second jolt.... Notwithstanding his pledges that the court was getting out of the abortion business, [Justice Samuel Alito] issued a dissent that packed a lot of grievance into its roughly three pages.... He devoted much of it to accusing the Biden administration of acting in bad faith.... 'Justice Alito, who wrote so passionately [in Dobbs] about returning abortion to the states to be decided by their elected representatives, would have allowed an order to take effect that made abortion less accessible only in states where abortion remained legal,' [University of Pittsburgh law professor Greer Donley said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Note that if "legal sanity prevailed," as Prof. Cohen says, then it follows that Alito's and Thomas's dissents are exercises in "legal insanity." I'll go along with that. ~~~

     ~~~ Alito's Opinion "Reads Like a Fox News Grandpa's Rant." Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post:"In the rush to celebrate the failure of medical zealots (this time) to dredge up an antiabortion activist in robes to countermand the FDA, Alito's dissent shouldn't be ignored, for it perfectly encapsulates the degree to which he's become 'unmoored from reason,' as legal scholar Norman Eisen tells me.... Supreme Court advocates and constitutional experts with whom I spoke ... cite a batch of objectionable arguments and remarks in his dissent.... Alito's dissent begins with an extended, bitter and unnecessary rant about the shadow docket.... It's entirely irrelevant to the matter at hand and, as with so much of Alito's writing, utterly intemperate.... [His] unprecedented attack on the government's obedience to court rulings -- based on nothing -- is out of order.... Moreover, Alito's dissent demonstrates that he does not care one whit about the women affected if the drug were suddenly made unavailable. (At least he's consistent; he also utterly ignored the interests of women in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, giving them no weight in contrast to the seemingly inviolate interest of states in commandeering women's reproductive choices.)" Read the whole column. ~~~

     ~~~ Linda Greenhouse of the New York Times argues that the mifepristone case & several others cases before the courts demonstrate how religious (MB: I would say "Christian fundamentalist") beliefs have informed judicial decisions.

Roberts Punts Again. Ariane de Vogue of CNN: "Chief Justice John Roberts has declined to directly respond [link fixed] to a congressional request to investigate Justice Clarence Thomas' alleged ethical lapses. Roberts instead referred the request from Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin to the Judicial Conference, which serves as the policy-making body of the federal courts. The Illinois Democrat had penned a letter urging Roberts to investigate Thomas after a ProPublica report that found that Thomas had gone on several luxury trips at the invitation of a GOP megadonor. The trips were not disclosed on Thomas' public financial filings.... Durbin has also sent a separate letter to Roberts asking him to testify in an upcoming hearing regarding Supreme Court ethics. Roberts has yet to respond to that letter. The senator said in a statement Saturday, 'It is clear that such an appearance by the Chief Justice may be the only way for the Court to set out with clarity and meaningful and credible reform.' He added that if the "Court does not address shortcomings in its ethical standards," then Congress must. Durbin's statement included a letter from Judge Roslynn R. Mauskopf, the secretary of the Judicial Conference, that said, 'I write in response to the letter of April 10, 2023, from you and other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to the Chief Justice of the United States, which has been referred to me.' Mauskopf added that she would send the matter to the conference's Committee on Financial Disclosure." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The headline of de Vogue's article describes Roberts as "punting" Durbin's request. Roberts punts a lot. He wanted to punt on Dobbs, for instance, but he couldn't control the Court's zealots. He did manage to punt on the mifepristone case. In his confirmation hearings, Roberts famously claimed, "My job is to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat. I have no agenda." That baseball analogy of course turned out to be a "misdirection," as Roberts led the Court's sharp right turn. The football analogy is a better fit.

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "Anyone expecting that Fox's $787.5 million settlement with Dominion this week would make the network any humbler or gentler is likely to be disappointed. And there probably won't be much of a shift in the way the network favorably covers [Donald] Trump and the issues that resonate with his followers.... After a hiatus from the network that lasted much of 2022, Mr. Trump is back on Fox News.... In Mr. Trump's recent interview with the Fox host Tucker Carlson, he implied that there was good reason to doubt the legitimacy of President Biden's victory, saying, 'People could say he won an election.' Mr. Carlson, for his part, has also dipped back into election denialism recently. 'Jan. 6, I think, is probably second only to the 2020 election as the biggest scam of my lifetime,' he said on the air on March 14.... In the immediate term, [Rupert] Murdoch seems unlikely to make any major changes at any of his Fox properties."

Presidential Race 2024. Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "Even in a world made crueler by social media and Donald Trump, [Ron] DeSantis seems mean, punching out at Mickey Mouse, imigrants, gays and women; pushing through an expansion of his proposal to ban school discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity to include all grades, as well as a draconian ban on abortion after six weeks. He even admonished some high school kids during the pandemic for wearing masks. On Thursday, DeSantis signed a bill cutting the number of jurors needed to give a defendant the death sentence from 12 to 8."

Beyond the Beltway

Alaska. Sean McGuire of the Anchorage Daily News, via Yahoo! News: "In a landmark decision, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday that partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional under the Alaska Constitution's equal protection doctrine. The decision follows a contentious recent reapportionment cycle: The Alaska Redistricting Board was twice found by the state's highest court of having unconstitutionally gerrymandered the state's political maps by attempting to give solidly Republican Eagle River more political representation with two Senate seats. Following a court order, the board approved an interim map last year for November's general election that kept Eagle River intact in one Senate district. The court ruled Friday that the redistricting board would have 90 days to appear before a Superior Court judge and show cause why the interim political map should not be used until the 2032 general election." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If all state supreme courts would recognize the right to equal representation, we would have a different House of Representatives, most likely one with a Democratic majority. (Of course, a few states have only one House member, so on the federal level, there would be no change. But in state houses, forbidding gerrymandering -- as a few states already do -- would make quite a difference.)

Way Beyond

Sudan. The New York Times is live-updating developments in the crisis in Sudan: "The United States military airlifted embassy officials out of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, amid continuing violence as rival military leaders battled for control of Africa's third-largest country, President Biden said late on Saturday. In a briefing for reporters, officials said that just over 100 special operations troops were involved in evacuating under 100 people -- mostly U.S. Embassy employees -- using helicopters that flew in from the nation of Djibouti, about 800 miles away." ~~~

     ~~~ John Hudson of the Washington Post: "The U.S. military completed the evacuation of all American embassy personnel and family members from Sudan early Sunday local time, President Biden said, as rival military factions battled for control of the country amid a sharp uptick in casualties in Africa's third-largest nation. 'I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety,' Biden said in a statement that also thanked the governments of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia for help." CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement, via the White House, is here.

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "The Kremlin will expel more than 20 German diplomats from Russia, state media reported, in a move characterized by Moscow as retaliation for a similar move by Berlin. The German Foreign Ministry acknowledged that it had kicked out Russian diplomats as part of an attempt to decrease the number of intelligence agents in the country.... Russia told its citizens to avoid travel to Canada due to alleged incidents of discrimination and physical attacks. It did not substantiate the accusations.... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced new measures targeting 322 companies and numerous other entities. The blacklist includes Russian weapons manufacturers and those who help Russia circumvent punitive measures.