June 18, 2022

Late Morning Update:

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times compares Donald Trump's January 6, 2:24 pm tweet further inciting the insurrectionists to "hang Mike Pence" to Henry II's rhetorical question -- "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" -- prompting his knights to murder Archbishop Thomas Becket.

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times is firmly in the Mike-Pence-Is-No-Hero camp: "Far from resolute against the president's scheme to overturn the election, Pence was originally inclined to help. He even contacted one of his predecessors, Dan Quayle, for advice on what to do.... Here's how [Bob Woodward & Robert Costa ]describe the conversation: 'Over and over, Pence asked if there was anything he could do. "Mike, you have no flexibility on this. None. Zero. Forget it. Put it away," Quayle told him. Pence pressed again. "You don't know the position I'm in," he said. "I do know the position you're in," Quayle responded. "I also know what the law is. You listen to the parliamentarian. That's all you do. You have no power."'... It sounds like a man who did the right thing only after he couldn't find a legal rationale to do the wrong one."

Mike McIntire, et al., of the New York Times: "Gun companies have spent the last two decades scrutinizing their market and refocusing their message away from hunting toward selling handguns for personal safety, as well as military-style weapons attractive to mostly young men. The sales pitch -- rooted in self-defense, machismo and an overarching sense of fear -- has been remarkably successful.... The number of guns is outpacing the population. Women, spurred by appeals that play on fears of crime and being caught unprepared, are the fastest-growing segment of buyers.... Working together, gun makers, advocates and elected officials have convinced a large swath of Americans that they should have a firearm, and eased the legal path for them to do so.... The recurrence of mass shootings has provided reliable opportunities for the industry and its allies."

David Goodman of the New York Times: "A city police officer armed with an AR-15-style rifle hesitated when he had a brief chance to shoot the gunman approaching a school in Uvalde, Texas, because he did not want to hit children, according to a senior sheriff's deputy who spoke to the officer. The fateful decision, which has not been previously reported, represented the second missed opportunity for officers arriving at Robb Elementary School to prevent a massacre by intervening while the gunman was still outside the school."

Julian Kim of NPR: "Mark Shields, the longtime PBS News commentator known for his weekly political analysis, has died Saturday morning at the age of 85, PBS NewsHour confirmed."

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** You Can't Keep a Bad Man Down. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "A day after the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault illustrated the serious danger that rioters posed to Mike Pence..., Donald J. Trump unleashed a new attack on the man who had served him as vice president, criticizing him for refusing to interfere with the Electoral College certification of the 2020 presidential contest. Speaking on Friday afternoon before a faith-based group, Mr. Trump said that 'Mike did not have the courage to act' in trying to unilaterally reject the Electoral College votes that were being cast for Joseph R. Biden Jr.... Mr. Trump has grown angry watching the hearings, knowing that he lacks a bully pulpit from which to respond, according to his advisers. He used much of his Friday address to repeat his false election claims and to denigrate Mr. Pence." ~~~

     ~~~ Annie Linskey, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump used an evangelical conference [in Nashville, Tenn.,] to ridicule former vice president Mike Pence for upholding the Constitution on Jan. 6, 2021, choosing an audience that represents Pence's political base as a venue to attempt to undermine him.... Pence -- along with other possible presidential contenders -- chose not to attend [the conference]. Aside from Trump, no other speaker mentioned the Jan. 6 proceedings during the conference's initial days.... Pence was invited to address the convention as well, but chose not to, said Ralph Reed, the organization's founder.... Reed said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) was also invited but did not attend." A Guardian report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ See also Akhilleus' comment below, which captures the essense of these particular Christianists. ~~~

     ~~~ Trump Looks Forward to Corrupt Second Administration. Caroline Vakil of the Hill: "Former President Trump said on Friday that he would look 'very, very seriously' at pardoning those charged in connection with storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, if he ran for and became president again. Speaking during a Faith and Freedom event in Nashville, Tenn., Trump said the defendants charged in the Capitol riot were 'having their lives totally destroyed and being treated worse than terrorists and murderers,' claiming that most had been 'charged with parading through the Capitol.'" MB: Maybe that's because they were terrorists & murderers, and they would have murdered more people had their plans worked out.

Glenn Thrush & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack could start sharing some transcripts of witness interviews with federal prosecutors as early as next month as Justice Department officials ratchet up public pressure on the panel to turn over the documents. Negotiations between Justice Department officials and Timothy J. Heaphy, the lead investigator for the House panel and a former federal prosecutor, have intensified in recent days, as the two sides wrangle over the timing and content of the material to be turned over, according to several people familiar with the talks but not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.... 'The select committee is engaged in a cooperative process to address the needs of the Department of Justice,' said a spokesman for the committee, Tim Mulvey. 'We are not inclined to share the details of that publicly....'" (Also linked yesterday.)

** The New York Times reconstructs how the Proud Boys white nationalist group planned, organized and led the January 6 attack on the Capitol:

     ~~~ The code for this video failed quite a few times. If it fails again, you can find the video on this NYT page. It's very much worth watching.

I've decided that I should be on the pardon list. -- John Eastman, email to Rudy Giuliani, January 11, 2021 ~~~

~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "The way [John] Eastman made the request [for a pardon] ... was crucial: ... he indicated in the email to fellow Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that there was a known 'pardon list' circulating. That suggests that the plotters weighed the possible need for pardons in some considerable measure -- that those who led the effort to overturn the election believed they might have enough legal liability that they floated the extraordinary step of obtaining rare, preemptive presidential pardons.... And while by itself it doesn't constitute an admission of guilt, it fills out a fast-crystallizing picture that those involved in the plot knew that what they were doing was, at the very least, potentially illegal. And in the case of Eastman, there is significant evidence that he knew his plot was indeed illegal."

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "Former Trump White House trade adviser Peter Navarro pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol." The AP's report is here.

Holmes Lybrand, et al., of CNN: "Couy Griffin, a New Mexico county commissioner, ardent election-fraud conspiracy theorist and founder of Cowboys for Trump, avoided more jail time on Friday for his role in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack. He was sentenced to 14 days with time served, fined $3,000 and given one year supervised release with the requirement that he complete 60 hours of community service.... Griffin, an Otero county commissioner, is still relentlessly pushing claims of election fraud, going as far as refusing to certify the recent primary results in his county, which the Justice Department cited to bolster its argument that Griffin should spend several months in jail.... Friday evening, the Otero County Commission voted 2-1 to certify the results, with Griffin voting 'no.'... Griffin told his colleagues on the county commission that he would return for Joe Biden's inauguration with his revolver and rifle."

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Simone Gold, the founder of the anti-vaccine group America's Frontline Doctors, to 60 days in prison for trespassing in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, blasting her for using her legal woes to raise $430,000 for herself and her organization. U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper said that Gold, who pleaded guilty in March, failed to show remorse or accept responsibility for her actions during the riot. He noted she had claimed in an interview with The Washington Post that 'where I was was incredibly peaceful,' when video showed that the emergency room physician and Stanford-trained attorney did nothing as a mob she was with dragged a police officer to the ground." Worth reading. Cooper cuts through Gold's lies, hypocrisy & corruption.

Holmes Lybrand & Avery Lotz of CNN: "A January 6, 2021, rioter pleaded guilty Friday to carrying a loaded firearm on US Capitol grounds and assaulting police officers with one of their own batons during the insurrection. Mark Mazza, who told federal investigators he regretted not seeing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the riot and that they would 'be here for another reason' if he had, faces a maximum of 20 years for assaulting officers with a dangerous weapon. According to the plea agreement, Mazza, 57, carried a revolver loaded with shotgun and hollow-point rounds in a holster under his shirt during the "Stop the Steal" rally and on Capitol grounds that day. Republican lawmakers and conservative allies have often falsely claimed that no weapons were brought to the Capitol to argue the attack was not the violent insurrection that it was. Mazza lost the weapon on Capitol grounds sometime before walking to the Lower West Terrace tunnel where rioters were battling police officers, according to the plea."

** The Party of Liars. Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "The first three hearings of the House Jan. 6 committee have deeply undercut, if not demolished, the postelection myths repeated incessantly by ... Donald J. Trump and his supporters and embraced and amplified by Republicans in Congress.... Yet the most striking revelation so far may be how deeply Mr. Trump's disregard for the truth and the rule of law have penetrated into the Republican Party, taking root in the fertile soil of a right-wing electorate stewing in conspiracy theories and well tended by their media of choice. The Republican response to the hearings -- a combination of indifference, diversion and doubling down -- reflects how central the lie of a stolen election has become to the party's identity. In Washington, Republicans in Congress have neither broken with Mr. Trump nor expended much energy trying to rebut the investigation's findings. And from Nevada's secretary of state race to Michigan's contest for governor, Republican candidates have embraced the fictional conspiracy in their 2022 campaigns." ~~~

~~~ Thomas Zimmer in the Guardian: "The [January 6] committee's core task is to investigate the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and what led to it, of course. But everyone who believes in democracy needs to recognize that, in a very concrete sense, there is a continuing insurrection that far surpasses Trump. The committee's strategy ... runs the risk of letting too many people besides Trump off the hook.... The group of people who were deeply complicit in Trump's machinations is a lot bigger than Team Crazy.... If anything, Republicans have actually rallied around Team Trump."

Vimal Patel & Mike Ives of the New York Times: "The police at the United States Capitol have arrested members of a production team for the CBS show 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' who were filming a segment featuring a salty canine puppet [-- Triumph the Insult Comic Dog --] voiced by the comedian Robert Smigel. The Capitol Police said on Friday that they had arrested seven people in a hallway of the Capitol Building on Thursday night, at a time when the building was closed to visitors. The people had been told to leave the building earlier in the day, the police said.... At the time of the arrest, the team had finished prearranged interviews with members of Congress and were filming 'final comedy elements' in the building's hallways for an upcoming segment on 'The Late Show.' The seven people were later charged with unlawful entry...." Politico's story is here. ~~~

Hannah Allam of the Washington Post: "The surge in right-wing hate-mongering against LGBTQ people is spilling into violence, with high-profile attacks this month casting fear over Pride celebrations throughout the country.... The attacks have intensified this month during the first big Pride events since pandemic restrictions were lifted.... In recent days, right-wing politicians and preachers have openly called for killing LGBTQ people. On a conservative talk show, Mark Burns, a Donald Trump-allied congressional candidate from South Carolina, called 'LGBT, transgender grooming' a national security threat and proposed using treason laws as the basis for 'executing' parents and teaches who advocate for LGBTQ rights. In Texas last Sunday, a pastor railed against Pride month and said LGBTQ people 'should be lined up against the wall and shot in the back of the head.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: That's not "free speech." It's incitment to murder. Authorities should arrest & charge Burns & that "pastor."

Melina Delkic, et al., of the New York Times: "A tumultuous week on Wall Street, which began with stocks plunging into a bear market for the second time during the pandemic, ended with a small gain on Friday. That was little comfort after a brutal period for investors, who have seen the value of their portfolios and retirement funds lurch downward. The S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent on Friday but finished the week with a loss of 5.8 percent, its 10th decline in the past 11 weeks and its worst weekly performance since March 2020 -- when stocks crashed as the coronavirus spread around the world and investors feared for the global economy. This time the selling was fueled by persistently high inflation, which erodes people's spending power and puts a dent in corporate profits, and the growing sense that the Federal Reserve's efforts to beat it back with higher interest rates will choke growth."

Matthew Daly of the AP: "A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a Trump administration finding that the active ingredient in the weed killer Roundup does not pose a serious health risk and is 'not likely' to cause cancer in humans. The California-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reexamine its 2020 finding that glyphosate did not pose a health risk for people exposed to it by any means -- on farms, yards or roadsides or as residue left on food crops. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the world. Pharmaceutical giant Bayer, which acquired the herbicide's original producer Monsanto in 2018, is facing thousands of claims from people who say Roundup exposure caused their cancer."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Lauren Gardner & Katherine Foley of Politico: "The FDA on Friday authorized two Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use in babies, toddlers and preschool-age children, setting the stage for the country's youngest kids to begin receiving shots as soon as next week. The agency's action came two days after its independent advisory panel on vaccines unanimously voted to recommend EUAs for Moderna's and Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccines, which can be administered to children as young as six months." (Also linked yesterday.)

Florida. Ron DeSantis Makes Sure You Know He's Still an Irresponsible Jerk. Renzo Downey of Florida Politics: McClatchy News & the White House indicated the DeSantis administration had changed course & now -- like every other state -- was allowing doctors to order vaccines for the youngest children. "Despite federal officials detailing that Florida providers can now accept orders during the standard ordering phase, DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw told Florida Politics Florida did not change course. 'The White House (Press Secretary) and (McClatchyDC) are both spreading disinformation. NOTHING has "reversed" or changed. The State of Florida is not placing any orders of (COVID-19) shots for 0-5 year old babies and kids,' Pushaw tweeted. Florida Department of Health (DOH) Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern similarly told Florida Politics the story is false and that nothing has changed.... Although individual providers can order vaccines, Florida is not directing state and public health departments to administer vaccines to children. 'This will specifically leave the most vulnerable underserved children of Florida behind,' [White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Ashish] Jha said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan Gubernatorial Race. Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: The Republican primary race for governor is a "circus." "One of the Republican candidates, Ryan Kelley, was charged with four misdemeanors related to the Jan. 6 attack on the same day that the House committee investigating the attack opened a landmark series of public hearings. He became the first person running for election in a major state or federal race to be charged in connection with the attack.... Mr. Kelley, a real estate broker who made headlines in 2020 for organizing an armed protest against pandemic lockdown measures at the Michigan Statehouse, said that since the arrest..., he was 'pretty sure' the arrest 'just won me the primary.' Mr. Kelley had edged out a lead over the five candidates who remain on the ballot, according to the Detroit Free Press/EPIC-MRA poll, though not a substantial one.... The best-known candidates ... were among ... five candidates ... dropped from the Aug. 2 ballot because of forged signatures on their nominating petitions." Politico's story is here.

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "The United States hopes the West's upcoming surge of military assistance to Ukraine -- along with Russia's increasing isolation on the world stage -- will drain ... Vladimir Putin's will to fight. The danger of Russia swallowing its neighbor and pursuing other revanchist ambitions is so high that Biden administration officials said they are willing to risk the global economic turmoil that could accompany a protracted war. In the devastated eastern city of Severodonetsk, street fighting continued Saturday, along with Russian airstrikes targeting bridges, Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai said. A complete cease-fire is needed to facilitate the evacuation of 568 people trapped in a chemical plant there, regional authorities said.... A former U.S. soldier who disappeared in Ukraine is alive, according to his family members, who have seen a video of him taken after he was believed to have been captured by Russian forces."~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Saturday are here.

June 17, 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Glenn Thrush & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack could start sharing some transcripts of witness interviews with federal prosecutors as early as next month as Justice Department officials ratchet up public pressure on the panel to turn over the documents. Negotiations between Justice Department officials and Timothy J. Heaphy, the lead investigator for the House panel and a former federal prosecutor, have intensified in recent days, as the two sides wrangle over the timing and content of the material to be turned over, according to several people familiar with the talks but not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.... 'The select committee is engaged in a cooperative process to address the needs of the Department of Justice,' said a spokesman for the committee, Tim Mulvey. 'We are not inclined to share the details of that publicly....'"

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

Florida. Ron DeSantis Makes Sure You Know He's Still an Irresponsible Jerk. Renzo Downey of Florida Politics: McClatchy News & the White House indicated the DeSantis administration had changed course & now -- like every other state -- was allowing doctors to order vaccines for the youngest children. "Despite federal officials detailing that Florida providers can now accept orders during the standard ordering phase, DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw told Florida Politics Florida did not change course. 'The White House (Press Secretary) and (McClatchyDC) are both spreading disinformation. NOTHING has "reversed" or changed. The State of Florida is not placing any orders of (COVID-19) shots for 0-5 year old babies and kids,' Pushaw tweeted. Florida Department of Health (DOH) Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern similarly told Florida Politics the story is false and that nothing has changed.... Although individual providers can order vaccines, Florida is not directing state and public health departments to administer vaccines to children. 'This will specifically leave the most vulnerable underserved children of Florida behind,' [White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Ashish] Jha said."

Lauren Gardner & Katherine Foley of Politico: "The FDA on Friday authorized two Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use in babies, toddlers and preschool-age children, setting the stage for the country's youngest kids to begin receiving shots as soon as next week. The agency's action came two days after its independent advisory panel on vaccines unanimously voted to recommend EUAs for Moderna's and Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccines, which can be administered to children as young as six months."

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** Trump Sicced Mob on Pence. Luke Broadwater & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump continued pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to go along with a plan to unilaterally overturn his election defeat even after he was told it was illegal, according to testimony laid out in extensive detail on Thursday by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. The committee showed how Mr. Trump's pressure campaign -- aided by a little-known conservative lawyer, John Eastman -- led his supporters to storm the Capitol, sending Mr. Pence fleeing for his life as rioters demanded his execution. In the third public hearing this month..., the panel recounted how Mr. Trump's actions brought the nation to the brink of a constitutional crisis, and raised fresh questions about whether they were also criminal. It played videotaped testimony in which Mr. Pence's top White House lawyer, Greg Jacob, said Mr. Eastman had admitted in front of Mr. Trump two days before the riot that his plan to have Mr. Pence obstruct the electoral certification violated the law. Following the riot, Mr. Eastman sought a pardon after being informed by one of Mr. Trump's top White House lawyers that he had criminal exposure for hatching the scheme, according to an email displayed by the committee.... Knowing his supporters were attacking the Capitol with the vice president inside, [Trump] tweeted a public condemnation of him, further whipping up a crowd chanting 'Hang Mike Pence!'" Emphasis added. An AP report is here. The Guardian's story is here.

Annie Karni & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "An angry mob with baseball bats and pepper spray chanting 'hang Mike Pence' came within 40 feet of the vice president. Mr. Pence's Secret Service detail had to hustle him to safety and hold him for nearly five hours in the bowels of the Capitol. Mr. Trump called Mr. Pence a 'wimp' and worse [MB: 'worse' being 'pussy'] in a coarse and abusive call that morning from the Oval Office, Mr. Trump's daughter and former White House aides testified. And a confidential witness who traveled to Washington with the Proud Boys, the most prominent of the far-right groups that helped lead the assault on the Capitol, later told investigators the group would have killed Mr. Pence -- and Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- if they got the chance."~~~

     ~~~ A Vox report, by Li Zhou, elaborates on the Trump's "pussy" phone call to pence, which took place the morning of January 6.

NPR has a full transcript of the hearing. You can watch the full hearing on the committee's website.

Marie: All of the fact witnesses so far have been Republicans, and the vast majority of them are or were Trumpists from Trump World's inner sanctum. Their sworn testimony often tends to play down Trump's bad acts. So the hearings are by no means a product of a bunch of rabid, partisan Democrats making false charges about a wonderful, wonderful president*. When it comes to Trumpbots, however, it remains to be seen if the truth will set them free. I suppose many who bother to watch the hearings are doing so to make their lists of "RINO traitors."

Violence Was of the Essence of the Scheme. Marie: Here's a nugget from [Broadwater & Schmidt's] report, linked above: "'You're going to cause riots in the streets [if your plan succeeds],' Eric Herschmann, a White House counsel, testified that he told Mr. Eastman. In videotaped testimony, he said Mr. Eastman had responded: 'There's been violence in the history of our country to protect the democracy or protect the Republic.'" That is, Eastman admitted that mass violence was an expected and acceptable result of the plan. So we should hardly be surprised that violence also was acceptable to his co-conspirator Donald Trump, and if that violence led to the assassination of his own vice president, well, pence "deserved it." A president's main job is to defend the nation. The gangster/sociopath-in-chief did the opposite. ~~~

     ~~~ Ned Foley in Election Law Blog: "It is simply astonishing how far removed from any sense of principle, legitimacy, or moral compass Eastman became. Was the worst moment when Eastman was told that his plan would cause violence in the streets and he was still undeterred?"

Matt Shuham of TPM: "In Thursday's Jan. 6 Committee hearing, former Vice President Mike Pence's chief counsel Greg Jacob recalled the moment when Donald Trump's top election theft advisor, John Eastman, admitted that even he didn't believe his plot to steal Trump a second term was legitimate.... Eastman had in fact doubted the plan for months, the committee revealed. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) ... pulled up a draft letter to Trump from October 2020, in which someone had proposed the idea that Pence could determine which electors to count at the joint session of Congress. Eastman had written a comment on that letter ... saying of the Twelfth Amendment, 'Nowhere does it suggest that the president of the Senate gets to make the determination on his own.' That's not all: In a meeting that included both Trump and Pence on Jan. 4, Jacob recalled Eastman acknowledging that his proposals violated the Electoral Count Act. 'But he thought that we could do so because, in his view, the Electoral Count Act was unconstitutional,' Jacob recalled. 'When I raised concerns that that position would likely lose in court, his view was that the courts simply wouldn't get involved. They would invoke the political question doctrine, and therefore we could have some comfort proceeding with that path.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The twisted "logic" here is impressive. Trump & Eastman plan to overturn the election by relying on a law they concurrently plan to break because Eastman thinks the law is unconstitutional.

Let's Ask Mikey! Tim Miller of the Bulwark: "Now don't get me wrong, [Mike Pence] does deserve recognition for his actions on January 6. He should definitely be awarded a very special cookie or be given a gold star for carrying out the bare minimum constitutional requirement of his office at a time when his boss and his supporters were pressuring him to shirk that responsibility. He also deserves credit for being stalwart in the face of legitimate physical danger.... But ... amidst all of this lavish praise of Pence [at Thursday's hearing], and the compelling, if fawning, testimony from his own counsel, Greg Jacob, the proceedings felt like they had a phantom limb.... Shouldn't [Mike Pence] testify, under oath, about the events of January 6? Don't we deserve to hear from Pence what his conversations with Trump were like in the lead-up to that day? Shouldn't he tell us the ways in which the president abdicated his responsibility to help protect the Capitol and everyone within it as the mob descended?"

The New York Times live-updated developments related to Thursday's January 6 committee hearing: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol plans on Thursday to present new details of the intense pressure campaign ... Donald J. Trump and the conservative lawyer John Eastman waged against Vice President Mike Pence to try to get him to overturn the election, which the panel says directly contributed to the violent siege of Congress." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jamie Gangel, et al., of CNN: "Thursday's January 6 committee hearing will begin at 1pm ET.... Retired federal judge J. Michael Luttig, a Republican who is testifying at Thursday's January 6 committee hearing, will provide a sharp condemnation of ... Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election, saying Trump and his allies 'instigated' a war on democracy 'so that he could cling to power,' according to a written statement he intends to submit for the committee's record obtained exclusively by CNN. Luttig outlined in his statement how close he believed democracy came to the brink." A printout of Luttig's prepared statement, via CNN, is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Tensions between the US justice department and the House of Representatives January 6 select committee have escalated after federal prosecutors complained that their inability to access witness transcripts was hampering criminal investigations into rioters who stormed the Capitol.... 'The select committee's failure to grant the department access to these transcripts complicates the department's ability to investigate and prosecute those who engaged in criminal conduct in relation to the January 6 attack on the Capitol', [wrote the US attorney for Washington Matthew Graves]."

Robert Barnes & Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: "Each day seems to bring a new controversy for the [Supreme Court], and Thursday's was additional revelations about Virginia 'Ginni' Thomas, the wife of the court's longest-serving member, Justice Clarence Thomas.... Ginni Thomas indicated to a conservative media outlet Thursday she would comply with the [January 6] committee's request for information. 'I can't wait to clear up misconceptions. I look forward to talking to them,' Thomas told the Daily Caller.... The outcry over the court comes at the precise moment it wants to project a unified, or at least collegial, front. Instead, the court appears 'deeply unsettled,' in the words of Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe.... [Justice Sonia] Sotomayor said [in an interview] the court had the chance to lead the way to 'regain public confidence' in institutions. She went out of her way to praise her relationship with Thomas." ~~~

     ~~~ A Guardian story on Justice Sotomayor's remarks is here.

Andrew Solender of Axios: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack plans to seek testimony from conservative activist Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the panel's chair said Thursday.... 'We think it's time that we, at some point, invite her to come talk to the committee,' Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told reporters." See related NYT report by Broadwater & Haberman & WashPo report by Alemany, et al., both linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.)

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "The main effect of ... years of Republican scandal mongering was to produce a cloud of suspicion and mistrust that helped to undermine [President] Obama's preferred successor as president, as well as to shield Trump, as the 2016 Republican nominee, from the kind of scrutiny that might have made him more vulnerable.... It is with this knowledge in mind that Democrats in Washington should do something about Ginni Thomas.... 'Thomas's efforts to overturn the election were more extensive than previously known,' The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.... But if the first revelation, of Thomas's correspondence with [Mark] Meadows, was shocking, then these revelations of Thomas's contact with [John] Eastman are explosive. And it raises key questions, not just about what Ginni Thomas knew, but about what Clarence Thomas knew as well.... Democratic leaders in Congress should launch an investigation into Ginni Thomas's activities and announce that they intend to speak to her husband as well." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm not saying Bouie's advice is bad; in fact, it sounds good to me. Now just how do you spell "hi-teck linching"? I suspect those will be the first three words we hear from Clarence Thomas and I need to be ready.

David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "A Nebraska man pleaded guilty Thursday on charges that he threatened an election official over social media last year, marking the first conviction for a Justice Department task force charged with protecting poll workers. Federal authorities said Travis Ford, 42, of Lincoln, Neb., posted multiple hostile messages on an Instagram page associated with the official, who was not named in a Justice Department news release."

Zach Schonfeld of the Hill: “Walmart said it pulled MyPillow products from its stores as the pillow company's founder and CEO Mike Lindell continues to falsely claim the 2020 presidential election was rigged against former President Trump.... 'While we are no longer carrying them in stores, MyPillow products continue to be available on Walmart.com,' a Walmart spokesperson told The Hill." Lindall complained Walmart had "cancelled" him. Marie: Well, isn't that special? You no longer have to look at Mike's crap pillows when you walk into a store, but you can still buy them!

Today is the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in.

Washington Post Editors: "The scandal that ended in President Richard M. Nixon's resignation from office helped shape our modern politics, reforming the government, revitalizing the press and redefining the parties. Now, the country confronts another generation-defining crisis, and events half a century old feel as relevant as if they happened yesterday.... Yet most members of [today's] GOP appear afraid to utter a word against the ex-president, who continues to hold their party in his grip. Worse still, most refuse to engage at all in this truth-seeking effort, or even to put much stock in the concept of truth itself.... [Decades ago] enough people -- from those in the chambers of Congress to those in any spot in the country near a television set or a newsroom desk -- cared 50 years ago to make government work again when it appeared to have broken. The worst mistake anyone can make today is to give up on it because it has broken again."

Hannah Natanson & Moriah Balingit of the Washington Post: "... more than 160 educators ... were either fired or resigned their jobs in the past two academic years due to the culture wars that are roiling many of the nation's schools, according to a Washington Post analysis of news reports.... The teachers included in the analysis all lost their employment when hot-button cultural, racial, political or pandemic issues intersected with their ability to teach, either because the teacher sought to address controversial topics in the classroom or because administrators took issue with the teacher's views as expressed inside or outside the classroom.... Educators fear conditions will only worsen as lawmakers seek to regulate how teachers talk about any number of issues, including politics, race, history, gender identity and sexuality, creating a new basis to push teachers out. In some cases, the authors of education-related bills and laws have used vague, broad and unclear wording, leading to widespread concern that teachers may unintentionally run afoul of the law."

Jamie Grierson & Ben Quinn of the Guardian: Britain's home secretary "Priti Patel has approved the extradition of the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange to the US, a decision the organisation immediately said it would appeal against in the high court. The case passed to the home secretary last month after the supreme court ruled there were no legal questions over assurances given by US authorities over how Assange was likely to be treated.... The Australian is being held at Belmarsh prison in London after a lengthy battle to avoid being extradited."

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Benjamin Mullin & Katie Robertson of the New York Times: "USA Today said on Thursday that it had removed 23 articles from its website after an investigation into a reporter's work revealed sources that appeared to be fabricated. The internal investigation, which took place over a period of several weeks, began after USA Today received an inquiry related to the veracity of details in an article by Gabriela Miranda, who was a breaking news reporter at USA Today. Ms. Miranda resigned from USA Today recently, as the investigation progressed, according to a person briefed on the inquiry.... [According to a note posted on USA Today's website,] 'The audit revealed that some individuals quoted were not affiliated with the organizations claimed and appeared to be fabricated. The existence of other individuals quoted could not be independently verified. In addition, some stories included quotes that should hav been credited to others.'"

Peter Marks of the Washington Post: "The country is at long last training a spotlight on an unsung World War II unit of Black women, with Congress bestowing its highest honor on them -- and with a new musical on the way, too, to sing about their astonishing story. They were the 855 members of the Women's Army Corps' 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black, all-female battalion sent overseas during the war. A handful, ages 98 to 102, are still alive. And though none could make it to an emotional ceremony on Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery, dozens of their sons, daughters and grandchildren were on hand to celebrate their courage and reflect on their trailblazing achievements as women of color.... As the audience was told by Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis R. McDonough, it was a direct result of their success that President Harry S. Truman desegregated the military in 1948.... [At the ceremony,] actor Blair Underwood, executive producer of 'Six Triple Eight -- The Musical,' introduced the creative team before a video of a song from the show was played."

Ryan Mac of the New York Times: "SpaceX, the private rocket company, on Thursday fired employees who helped write and distribute an open letter criticizing the behavior of chief executive Elon Musk, said three employees with knowledge of the situation. Some SpaceX employees began circulating the letter, which denounced Mr. Musk's activity on Twitter, on Wednesday. The letter called the billionaire's public behavior and tweeting 'a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment' and asked the company to rein him in."

Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "A congressional deal for billions of dollars in additional coronavirus funding appeared all but dead Thursday after Senate Republicans accused the White House of being dishonest about the nation's pandemic funding needs. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who brought the Senate close to a bipartisan $10 billion covid funding deal in March, said the Biden administration had provided 'patently false' information about its inability to buy additional vaccines, treatments and supplies.... 'I hope that there's an appreciation that for the administration to say they could not purchase [anti-Covid supplies], and then after several months, divert some funds and then purchase them is unacceptable, and makes our ability to work together .. very much shaken to the core.' Biden officials said last week they had no choice but to repurpose about $10 billion from other covid priorities, such as testing, to purchase more coronavirus vaccines and treatments, since Congress had not been able to reach agreement. In interviews Thursday, three administration officials insisted that the White House had been transparent about their needs and spending, and that Republicans had continually found new reasons to object to the efforts to secure additional covid funds." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Biden officials are right. Republicans force the administration to rob Peter to pay Paul, then claim there was plenty of money all along. That's like your saying, correctly, "I can't pay the rent," then you do pay it instead of putting food on the table. Mitch proves his GOP creds by showing off his duplicity.

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Eliza Fawcett of the New York Times: "... a lawsuit filed last week by a South Florida synagogue challenges new legislation in the state banning most abortions after 15 weeks, saying it violates the State Constitution's right to privacy and freedom of religion. In Jewish law, the suit argues, 'abortion is required if necessary to protect the health, mental or physical well-being of the woman.' The lawsuit, filed by Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor, a progressive synagogue in Palm Beach County not affiliated with a broader denomination, may face an uphill climb in court. But it is a reminder that abortion poses religious issues beyond those of the Christian right. And it suggests potential legal issues that could surface at a time when Roe seems likely to be overturned, and the Supreme Court has been aggressively open to a wider role for religion in public and political life."

Georgia. Herschel Walker Has a Lot of Children. Caroline Vakil of the Hill: "Georgia Senate hopeful Herschel Walker (R) has confirmed that he has a third son and an adult daughter, a revelation that comes just a day after his campaign acknowledged he had a second son previously unknown to the public. In a statement from his campaign to The Hill, Walker acknowledged he had four children total: one son with his first wife, Cindy Deangelis Grossman, and three other children reportedly with other women, according to the Daily Beast. 'I have four children. Three sons and a daughter. They're not "undisclosed" -- they're my kids. I support them all and love them all,' he said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Michigan Gubernatorial Race. Paul Egan of the Detroit Free Press: "Republican candidate for governor Ryan Kelley will have to surrender his guns while awaiting trial on misdemeanor criminal charges related to the U.S. Capitol riot, a federal judge ruled Thursday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather made the ruling over objections from Kelley's attorney that Kelley needs to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense during campaign appearances around the state."

Montana. Governor MIA. Karin Brulliard of the Washington Post: "Montana National Guard soldiers are deployed around the Yellowstone region, where they say they have rescued dozens of people from this week's severe floods and ushered travelers along ravaged roads. The FEMA administrator is now in the state, surveying the destruction. Montana Red Cross officials are operating evacuation centers across the area. But one key figure is not on the ground at this historic disaster: Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R). Gianforte's office has said he left for a personal trip outside of the country with his wife before heavy rains deluged southwest Montana.... Gianforte's spokeswoman has declined to disclose his whereabouts or specify when the Republican will return.... Lt. Gov Kristen Juras, signed a statewide declaration of disaster, as well as a letter to the White House Wednesday requesting a presidential declaration of major disaster. That letter, which cites Montana's need for federal assistance for infrastructure repairs and other immediate needs, referred to Juras as 'acting governor.'... In a statement on Thursday, Gianforte announced that he had 'secured' a major disaster declaration from President Biden...." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Marie: Several fairly schlocky sources, like the Daily Mail, report that Greggers & Spouse are vacationing in Tuscany. In fairness to Greg, maybe he couldn't get home because he was drunk on a nice chianti. ~~~

New York Congressional Race. Andrew Kaczynski & Em Steck of CNN: "New York Republican congressional candidate Carl Paladino told a radio host in late 2016 that Black Americans were kept 'dumb and hungry' so they could be conditioned to only vote for the Democratic Party, saying, 'You can't teach them differently.' Paladino, then a Buffalo school board member, was defending himself against allegations that previous comments he made were racist and said he cared about Black people, but they had been conditioned to be a base for the Democrats." MB: Maybe Southerners will be happy to know that their neck of the woods doesn't have a corner on flagrant racism.

Texas AG: God Wanted a Maniac to Mow Down Your Children with an AR-15. David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement: "The Uvalde school shooting last month that cost 19 young children and two teachers their lives was God's plan, says Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. 'Life is short,' Paxton told radio host and pastor Trey Graham, who had asked the Attorney General what he would say to 'give a little comfort' to the parents of the elementary school students slaughtered by an 18-year-old with two AR-15 style assault weapons." MB: This is not even a Christian view. It's clear from the New Testament that God (and. by extension, Jesus) are in a constant battle with the devil. See, for instance, the Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-13). The Hebrew God is not as omnipotent as Kenny-Boy asserts. Sometimes the devil wins. Seems to me the devil has a pretty good hold of Ken.

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania for their Thursday visit to Kyiv -- the first trip to the capital by some of Europe's most influential politicians since the Russian invasion.... The leaders also offered coveted backing for Ukraine's candidacy to join the European Union. France pledged six additional howitzers -- key to the artillery battle against Russia in the east -- while Romania offered to facilitate the transport of Ukrainian goods such as grain through its territory. Conditions across the country remain bleak.... Amid the devastation, however, Britain's top uniformed officer told reporters Kyiv's forces had inflicted so much damage on the invader that Russia would 'never take control of Ukraine.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Friday are here: "The European Commission recommended on Friday that Ukraine be granted candidate status in the country's bid to become a member of the European Union, the first formal step in a process that normally lasts longer than a decade. It also recommended a similar status for Moldova -- which applied for membership to the bloc soon after Ukraine, spurred by concerns about Russia's threats in the region -- but not for neighboring Georgia, which was deemed not ready for E.U. candidacy." (Note: at 8:20 am ET, this is the top item on the liveblog. It will likely move down the page later in the day.)

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Friday are here.

Loveday Morris, et al., of the Washington Post: "The leaders of the European Union's three largest economies on Thursday said they were backing Ukraine's candidacy to join the 27-member bloc, a move that President Volodymyr Zelensky has fiercely advocated as his country loses ground in the face of Russia's invasion. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi pledged the backing after traveling by overnight train to Kyiv. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who is also visiting Kyiv to meet with Zelensky, accompanied them. 'We are at a turning point in our history' said Draghi, calling the visit 'an unequivocal confirmation of our support.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Katrin Bennhold & Melissa Eddy of the New York Times: "As the leaders of Europe's three biggest economies appeared in Kyiv on Thursday to send a message of support to Ukraine..., Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had his own message for them: Don't forget, your industries are at my mercy. With inflation already near a 40-year high, gas prices surged further as Russia cut flows to Europe's most important natural gas pipeline for the second day in a row on Thursday. Germany, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic all reported shortfalls. Gazprom, Russia's state-controlled gas giant, said repairs were to blame for the squeeze. But European officials openly accused Mr. Putin of using energy supplies as a weapon, burying any last shred of the notion that, on energy at least, Moscow was a reliable partner."

Iran. David Sanger, et al., of the New York Times: "Israeli and American intelligence officials have been watching each day as Iran digs a vast tunnel network just south of the Natanz nuclear production site, in what they believe is Tehran's biggest effort yet to construct new nuclear facilities so deep in the mountains that they can withstand bunker-busting bombs and cyberattacks. Though the construction is evident on satellite photographs and has been monitored by groups that track the proliferation of new nuclear facilities, Biden administration officials have never talked about it in public and Israel's defense minister has mentioned it just once, in a single sentence in a speech last month."

News Lede

New York Times: “An assailant opened fire at a church in Alabama on Thursday evening, killing two people and wounding one other, the authorities said. A suspect was in custody after the shooting, at Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, a city of around 34,000 people about six miles south of Birmingham, said Capt. Shane Ware of the Vestavia Hills Police Department." An NBC News story is here.

June 16, 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

The New York Times is live-updating developments related to Thursday's January 6 committee hearing: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol plans on Thursday to present new details of the intense pressure campaign ... Donald J. Trump and the conservative lawyer John Eastman waged against Vice President Mike Pence to try to get him to overturn the election, which the panel says directly contributed to the violent siege of Congress."

Jamie Gangel, et al., of CNN: "Thursday's January 6 committee hearing will begin at 1pm ET.... Retired federal judge J. Michael Luttig, a Republican who is testifying at Thursday's January 6 committee hearing, will provide a sharp condemnation of ... Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election, saying Trump and his allies 'instigated' a war on democracy 'so that he could cling to power,' according to a written statement he intends to submit for the committee's record obtained exclusively by CNN. Luttig outlined in his statement how close he believed democracy came to the brink." A printout of Luttig's prepared statement, via CNN, is here.

Andrew Solender of Axios: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack plans to seek testimony from conservative activist Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the panel's chair said Thursday.... 'We think it's time that we, at some point, invite her to come talk to the committee,' Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told reporters." See related NYT report by Broadwater & Haberman & WashPo report by Alemany, et al., both linked below.

Ukraine, et al. Loveday Morris, et al., of the Washington Post: "The leaders of the European Union's three largest economies on Thursday said they were backing Ukraine's candidacy to join the 27-member bloc, a move that President Volodymyr Zelensky has fiercely advocated as his country loses ground in the face of Russia's invasion. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi pledged the backing after traveling by overnight train to Kyiv. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who is also visiting Kyiv to meet with Zelensky, accompanied them. 'We are at a turning point in our history'" said Draghi, calling the visit 'an unequivocal confirmation of our support.'"

Georgia. Herschel Walker Has a Lot of Children. Caroline Vakil of the Hill: "Georgia Senate hopeful Herschel Walker (R) has confirmed that he has a third son and an adult daughter, a revelation that comes just a day after his campaign acknowledged he had a second son previously unknown to the public. In a statement from his campaign to The Hill, Walker acknowledged he had four children total: one son with his first wife, Cindy Deangelis Grossman, and three other children reportedly with other women, according to the Daily Beast. 'I have four children. Three sons and a daughter. They're not "undisclosed" -- they're my kids. I support them all and love them all,' he said."

~~~~~~~~~~

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "The Federal Reserve on Wednesday launched its biggest broadside yet against inflation, raising benchmark interest rates three-quarters of a percentage point in a move that equates to the most aggressive hike since 1994. Ending weeks of speculation, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee took the level of its benchmark funds rate to a range of 1.5%-1.75%, the highest since just before the Covid pandemic began in March 2020. Additionally, members indicated a much stronger path of rate increases ahead to arrest inflation moving at its fastest pace going back to December 1981, according to one commonly cited measure." The Washington Post's story is here. The New York Times report, part of a liveblog, is here.

Pippa Stevens of CNBC: "President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on U.S. oil refining companies to produce more, saying they need to help alleviate the burden of high prices on consumers. 'At a time of war -- historically high refinery profit margins being passed directly onto American families are not acceptable,' the president said in a letter to oil companies including Exxon Mobil and Chevron. '[C]ompanies must take immediate actions to increase the supply of gasoline, diesel, and other refined product,' the letter added.... Refining capacity has dropped since the pandemic took hold, which is a factor in the rapid advance of fuel prices.... Loss of Russian refined products has exacerbated the imbalance, with Europe now looking elsewhere for fuel."

Lisa Mascaro & Mary Jalonick of the AP: "The 1/6 committee is set to plunge into Donald Trump's last-ditch effort to salvage the 2020 election by pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to reject the electoral count.... With two live witnesses Thursday, the House panel intends to show how Trump's false claims of a fraudulent election left him grasping for alternatives as courts turned back dozens of lawsuits challenging the vote.... The committee will hear from Greg Jacob, the vice president's counsel who fended off [attorney John] Eastman's ideas for Pence to carry out the plan; and retired federal judge Michael Luttig, who called the plan from Eastman, his former law clerk, 'incorrect at every turn.' Thursday's session is also expected to divulge new evidence about the danger Pence faced that day as the mob stormed the Capitol shouting 'hang Mike Pence!'..." ~~~

     ~~~ According to CBS News, the hearing is to begin at 1:00 pm ET Thursday.

Garrett Haake & Zoë Richards of NBC News: "... Donald Trump knew violence had taken hold at the Capitol on Jan. 6 when he tweeted that Mike Pence wasn't willing to overturn the election, according to a member of the House committee investigating the insurrection who told NBC News the panel will show the former vice president was in more physical danger than previously known. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif..., [said] that Pence was 'evacuated in just the nick of time' from the quickly advancing mob after a disparaging tweet from Trump. Aguilar said that just minutes after the doors to the Capitol had been breached, while Pence was in his ceremonial office, Trump tweeted that his second-in-command didn't have the courage to overturn the election results. Moments later Pence was whisked to an evacuation area by Secret Service agents, Aguilar said. 'We notice right away, you know, within 90 seconds, the vice president is being evacuated right after that Trump tweet,' Aguilar said in an interview...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: We know that Trump denies any hint of wrongdoing in anything, but he also seems to be quite aware of how to set up "plausible deniability." For instance, here's the text of the tweet he sent out as the danger to pence became imminent: "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!" He's not standing on the balcony haranguing "Hang Mike Pence!" but in a far more subtle way, he is urging his army to do just that.

"The Plot Thickens." Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "... for the first time, we have real detail on what evidence the Jan. 6 committee ... [has on a 'reconnaissance' tours of the Capitol the day before the insurrection]. And while far from conclusive, it further calls into question the misleading denials and explanations offered by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.). The Jan. 6 committee on Wednesday morning released new details about the group Loudermilk led around the Capitol complex on Jan. 5.... According to surveillance footage, the letter says, Loudermilk led a tour of 'approximately ten individuals' through a trio of House office buildings and near entrances to the tunnels to the Capitol. The committee indicates participants acted in an unusual manner, taking photographs of areas 'not typically of interest to tourists, including hallways, staircases, and security checkpoints.' It says one of those people ... marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6. While near the Capitol, someone the committee identifies as the same man recorded a video with threatening words for Democratic members of Congress. 'There's no escape, Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler; we're coming for you,' the man says in footage provided by the committee." A Politico story is here. A CNN story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There's no publicly-released evidence that Barry was anything but a dupe in this guy's plan to assault Nancy Pelosi & others, but Barry's shifting stories make him seem, well, shifty. A normal person would cooperate with the committee to get to the bottom of this man's motives to go on a Capitol tour & take photos of areas that to you & me would be of no more interest than the stairwell in our local parking garage. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Rachel Maddow said twice that the "tour" went on for hours and that Loudermilk himself acted as tour guide. Unless these constituents were deep-pockets donors (and there was nothing about their appearance to suggest they might be), it is inconceivable to me that a Congressman would spend hours giving ordinary Americans a tour of the fairly unremarkable House office building. So I amend my remarks. The FBI should question Loudermilk and that guy taking photos of security checkpoints. ~~~

     ~~~ Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "In a statement Wednesday, Mr. Loudermilk said the committee was engaging in a smear campaign against him, causing his family and staff to receive death threats.... But the committee said that several people who participated in Mr. Loudermilk's tour attended President Donald J. Trump's rally on the Ellipse on the morning of Jan. 6."

Robert Legare of CBS News: "In the week leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol assault, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio received a nine-page memo titled '1776 Returns' that laid out detailed plans to occupy congressional office buildings to protest the counting of the Electoral College votes from the 2020 presidential election. The memo, which was filed in court as part of a recent motion made by one of Tarrio's co-defendants, outlined a goal to 'maintain control over as select few, but crucial buildings in the DC area for a set period of time, presenting our demands in unity.... We must show our politicians We the People are in charge,' the memo said. Targeted buildings allegedly included the three Senate and House office buildings, the Supreme Court of the United States, and CNN -- to 'at least egg doorway,' according to the filing." The person who sent the document is unknown." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Rachel Maddow linked Barry's Tours with the 1776 memo. I don't know that there's any direct connection between the two, but I do know that the 1776 memo makes a mockery of Barry's excuse that he couldn't be culpable of conducting -- or aiding & abetting -- reconnaissance because he never took his tourist group into the Capitol building proper. The 1766 memo talks about occupying other buildings, including the one Barry's tourists surveilled.

Michelle Cottle of the New York Times writes about something we discussed in Tuesday's thread: In snippits of an interview the January 6 committee released Monday, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said, "'I didn't mind being characterized as being part of Team Normal ... I've built up a pretty good -- I hope -- a good reputation for being honest and professional. I didn't think what was happening was necessarily honest or professional at that point in time. So that led to me stepping away.'... A more accurate, less self-aggrandizing way might be to say that he slunk away ... in the hopes that no one would notice him fleeing the spiraling freak show to which he had sold his services and his soul. And he has since taken pains to stay on Mr. Trump's good side: In the 17 months after the Jan. 6 insurrection, he has served as a consultant to the former president's Save America PAC and signed on to work with Trump-backed candidates who have peddled, or have at least flirted with, the election-fraud fiction.... He is apparently cool with Mr. Trump's basic plan to burn down the nation by advancing conspiracy theories about a rigged election.... This, apparently, is what constitutes 'normal' in today's Republican Party." Cottle gives props to Bill Barr, too, as the most craven representative of this bunch of reprobates. (Also linked yesterday.)

Luke Broadwater & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "A lawyer advising ... Donald J. Trump claimed in an email after Election Day 2020 to have insight into a 'heated fight' among the Supreme Court justices over whether to hear arguments about the president's efforts to overturn his defeat at the polls, two people briefed on the email said. The lawyer, John Eastman, made the statement in a Dec. 24, 2020, exchange with a pro-Trump lawyer and Trump campaign officials.... 'So the odds are not based on the legal merits but an assessment of the justices' spines, and I understand that there is a heated fight underway,' Mr. Eastman wrote.... The pro-Trump lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, replied that the 'odds of action before Jan. 6 will become more favorable if the justices start to fear that there will be "wild" chaos on Jan. 6 unless they rule by then, either way.'... Mr. Chesebro's comment ... was striking for its link to the potential for the kind of mob scene that materialized at the Capitol weeks later. And Mr. Eastman's email, if taken at face value, raised the question of how he would have known about internal tension among the justices about dealing with election cases. Mr. Eastman had been a clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas. The committee is also reviewing emails between Mr. Eastman and Virginia Thomas, the wife of Justice Thomas." ~~~

     ~~~ Jacqueline Alemany, et al., of the Washington Post: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol has obtained email correspondence between Virginia 'Ginni' Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and lawyer John Eastman, who played a key role in efforts to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to block the certification of Joe Biden's victory, according to three people involved in the committee's investigation. The emails show that Thomas's efforts to overturn the election were more extensive than previously known, two of the people said."

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Wednesday denied Stephen K. Bannon's motion to dismiss his criminal contempt case, rejecting arguments that he was legally protected from having to appear before a House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.... At a three-hour court hearing in Washington, [U.S. District Judge Carl J.] Nichols, a 2019 Trump appointee, repeatedly challenged Bannon's claims and ultimately decided in the Justice Department's favor."

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A Delaware man who flew a Confederate battle flag inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted with his son on Wednesday by a federal judge of the top count in their indictment: obstructing the certification of the 2020 presidential vote. The two men, Kevin and Hunter Seefried, were also found guilty at the bench trial by Judge Trevor N. McFadden of four misdemeanors, including disorderly conduct and illegally entering a restricted area.... A key witness at the trial was Officer Eugene Goodman, whose actions on the day of the attack were captured in a widely circulated video recorded by a reporter in the Capitol.... Officer Goodman ... testified that he had attempted to prevent Kevin Seefried from progressing toward the Senate chamber and that Mr. Seefried 'jabbed' at him three times with the Confederate flag." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So even Judge McFadden, a Trump appointee, figures that poking a Black man with a pole holding a Confederate flag is not standard behavior for "ordinary tourists."

Reid Epstein & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "The potential for far-right Republicans to reshape the election systems of major battleground states is growing much closer to reality. As the halfway point nears of a midterm year that is vastly friendlier to Republicans, the party's voters have nominated dozens of candidates for offices with power over the administration and certification of elections who have spread falsehoods about the 2020 presidential contest and sowed distrust in American democracy.... With Republicans widely predicted to make gains in November, it is possible that 2023 will bring newly installed far-right officials willing to wield their influence to affect election outcomes and a possible Supreme Court ruling that could give state legislatures unchecked power over federal elections."

GOP Mobilizes Vast Voter Intimidation Squad Made Up of Election Deniers. Isaac Arnsdorf & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "The Republican National Committee is spending millions this year in 16 critical states on an unprecedented push to recruit thousands of poll workers and watchers, adding firepower to a growing effort on the right to find election irregularities that could be used to challenge results. The RNC was until recently barred from bringing its substantial resources to bear on field operations at polling sites because of a decades-old court order.... The RNC has so far signed up more than 14,000 poll workers and 10,000 poll watchers nationwide, and political director Elliott Echols said the party plans to have more than 5,000 in each state for the November midterms.... While Democrats have set up legal hotlines and mobilized volunteers by stressing a need to help those denied a chance to vote, the Republican operation is centered on challenging ballots, spotting potential fraud -- and for poll watchers, reporting those concerns directly to party attorneys on Election Day, according to the RNC." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Marie: I still think the day the floodgates opened and we began to become not-a-democracy was the day Antonin Scalia dropped dead, and Mitch McConnell & Chuck Grassley decided not to fill his seat with an Obama nominee. With Trump's election (by a minority of voters), the process escalated, and now we seem to be at a point of no return. The decline & fall of the American experiment seems almost inevitable.

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal from several states led by Republicans that had sought to step in to defend a Trump-era immigration policy that the Biden administration has abandoned. The court's decision was one sentence long and said only that the states' petition seeking review was 'dismissed as improvidently granted.' In a concurring opinion, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said the case had presented 'a host of important questions.' But he added that a 'mare's nest' of procedural issues stood in the way of a clean resolution of those questions. Chief Justice Roberts stressed that the dismissal 'should not be taken as reflective of a view' on how the questions should be answered, and he suggested that the court may resolve them in another context.... The Trump-era policy at issue in the case revised the 'public charge' rule, which allows officials to deny permanent legal status, also known as a green card, to immigrants who are likely to need public assistance." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Pam Belluck of the New York Times: "The number of abortions in the United States has increased, reversing what had been a three-decade decline, according to a new report. The uptick began in 2017 and, as of 2020, one in five pregnancies, or 20.6 percent, ended in abortion, according to the report by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. In 2017, 18.4 percent of pregnancies ended in abortion." An AP report is here.

Lindsey Tanner & Mike Stobbe of the AP: "The Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisers gave a thumbs-up to vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for the littlest kids. The outside experts voted unanimously that the benefits of the shots outweigh any risks for children under 5 -- that's roughly 18 million youngsters. They are the last age group in the U.S. without access to COVID-19 vaccines and many parents have been anxious to protect their little children. If all the regulatory steps are cleared, shots should be available next week." ~~~

~~~ Florida. Michael Wilner of McClatchy D.C.: "Every state has placed an order with the federal government to ensure coronavirus vaccines for young children are delivered as soon as regulators authorize their use -- except for one. Florida missed a Tuesday deadline to request delivery of COVID-19 pediatric vaccines for children under 5, guaranteeing a delay in access for parents across the state, according to two U.S. government sources.... Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for the Florida Department of Health, confirmed the department 'chose not to participate' in the vaccination program because the state health department is not following federal public health recommendations.... Florida's surgeon general and secretary of the state department of health, Joseph Ladapo, has long criticized vaccination requirements for adults. In March, he recommended against vaccinating healthy kids, and the News Service of Florida reported Wednesday that Ladapo would not support inoculating the state's youngest children either -- frustrating pediatricians who say the need for COVID vaccines is clear."

Mark Osborne of ABC News: "Dr. Anthony Fauci, a senior adviser to the president on the pandemic, has tested positive for COVID-19.... Fauci, who has mild symptoms, tested positive via a rapid antigen test, according to the NIAID.... He's fully vaccinated and received two boosters, the NIAID said in a statement. Fauci's office told ABC News that he's taking Pfizer's antiviral treatment Paxlovid."

Beyond the Beltway

New Mexico. The Ghost in the Machine Was Hugo Chavez. Or Something. Morgan Lee of the AP: "New Mexico's secretary of state on Tuesday asked the state Supreme Court to order the Republican-led commission of rural Otero County to certify primary election results after it refused to do so over distrust of Dominion vote-tallying machines. Democratic Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Olive's request came a day after the three-member Otero County commission, in its role as a county canvassing board, voted unanimously against certifying the results of the June 7 primary without raising specific concerns about discrepancies. The commission's members include Cowboys for Trump co-founder Couy Griffin, who ascribes to unsubstantiated claims that ... Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Griffin was convicted of illegally entering restricted U.S. Capitol grounds ... amid the riots on Jan. 6, 2021, and is scheduled for sentencing later this month." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Annie Gowan of the Washington Post: "New Mexico’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the county commissioners in rural Otero County to do their jobs and certify election results, two days after they refused, citing unsubstantiated concerns about fraud. The court granted the emergency motion by New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, who earlier this week asked the court to intervene and compel the three-member board to approve vote totals from a June 7 primary. The commission had voted on Monday not to do so." An NBC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Ja'han Jones of MSNBC espies a preview of things to come: "A New Mexico county run by Donald Trump loyalists is putting the disgraced former president's fascist election-undermining schemes to the test." MB: Otero County is leans hard Republican. So I'm not sure all those nice white MAGA people will be pleased if turns out that many of the votes their "leaders" throw out are their own. Had Cowboy Couy & his dimwitted co-commissioners prevailed, that's exactly what would have happened.

New York. Carolyn Thompson of the AP: "The white gunman who killed 10 Black people in a racist attack at a Buffalo supermarket was charged Wednesday with federal hate crimes and could face the death penalty if convicted. The criminal complaint filed Wednesday against Payton Gendron coincided with a visit to Buffalo by Attorney General Merrick Garland. He met with the families of the people who were killed and placed a bouquet of white flowers tied with a yellow ribbon at a memorial outside the store, which has been closed since the attack." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Thursday are here: "In a diplomatic show of support for Ukraine, the leaders of France, Italy and Germany -- all members of the European Union -- arrived in Kyiv on Thursday morning.... French President Emmanuel Macron said the leaders brought a 'message of unity.' Ukraine has pressed for E.U. membership, which is seen by some European leaders as a somewhat lofty goal and one that cannot be realized in the near term.... President Biden on Wednesday responded to calls from Ukraine for more weapons as he announced another $1 billion in security assistance to the country, which is struggling to hold back intense attacks.... The United States said Chinese President Xi Jinping risked being 'on the wrong side of history' after he declared his support for Moscow's 'sovereignty and security' during a call with ... Vladimir Putin. Two U.S. military veterans have gone missing in Ukraine, and it is feared they have been captured by Russia, family members of the missing Americans said."

News Lede

AP: "A fisherman confessed to killing a British journalist and an Indigenous expert in Brazil's remote Amazon and took police to a site where human remains were recovered, a federal investigator said, closing out 10 days of suspense as teams searched for the missing pair. Authorities said Wednesday night without giving any details that they expected more arrests would be made soon in the case of freelance reporter Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira of Brazil, who disappeared June 5."