March 30, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Kevin Liptak & Jeremy Diamond of CNN: "President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for nearly an hour Wednesday as airstrikes near Kyiv seemed to bear out Western skepticism that peace talks could ease Russia's assault on Ukraine. Biden told his counterpart the US would provide Ukraine another $500 million in 'direct budgetary aid,' the White House said afterward, and discussed 'how the United States is working around the clock to fulfill the main security assistance requests by Ukraine.'... A day after Russia claimed it was scaling back its military operation near the Ukrainian capital, strikes continued in the suburbs of Kyiv as well as in Chernihiv, whose mayor said the city was under 'colossal attack.'"

Paul Murphy, et al., of CNN: "The Red Cross warehouse in central Mariupol was hit by at least two military strikes, new satellite images from Maxar Technologies confirm. 'Under international humanitarian law, objects used for humanitarian relief operations must be respected and protected at all times,' [Red Cross spokesperson Jason] Straziuso said.... No Red Cross staff have been at the warehouse since March 15.... Straziuso said that intense fighting has prevented the Red Cross from bringing any humanitarian aid to the city.... Liudmyla Denisova, the Ukrainian Parliament commissioner for human rights, called for the 'world community to condemn' the shelling of the building. 'This is another war crime of the Russian army in accordance with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and a gross violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions,' she said."

Woo-Hoo! Jackson Overcomes Collins' "Concerns." Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "Senator Susan Collins of Maine plans to vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, ensuring that President Biden's nominee and the first Black woman to be put forward for the post will receive at least one Republican backer. After a second personal meeting with the judge on Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Collins said Judge Jackson had alleviated some concerns that surfaced after last week's contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, when Republicans attacked the nominee for her record and grilled her on a host of divisive issues." An ABC News report is here.

Matt Viser, et al., of the Washington Post: "Over the course of 14 months, the Chinese energy conglomerate and its executives paid $4.8 million to entities controlled by Hunter Biden and his uncle, according to government records, court documents and newly disclosed bank statements, as well as emails contained on a copy of a laptop hard drive that purportedly once belonged to Hunter Biden. The Post did not find evidence that Joe Biden personally benefited from or knew details about the transactions with CEFC, which took place after he had left the vice presidency and before he announced his intentions to run for the White House in 2020. But the new documents -- which include a signed copy of a $1 million legal retainer, emails related to the wire transfers, and $3.8 million in consulting fees that are confirmed in new bank records and agreements signed by Hunter Biden -- illustrate the ways in which his family profited from relationships built over Joe Biden's decades in public service."

Taylor Lorenz & Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: "Facebook parent company Meta is paying one of the biggest Republican consulting firms in the country to orchestrate a nationwide campaign seeking to turn the public against TikTok.The campaign includes placing op-eds and letters to the editor in major regional news outlets, promoting dubious stories about alleged TikTok trends that actually originated on Facebook, and pushing to draw political reporters and local politicians into helping take down its biggest competitor.... Employees with the firm, Targeted Victory, worked to undermine TikTok through a nationwide media and lobbying campaign portraying the fast-growing app, owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance, as a danger to American children and society, according to internal emails shared with The Washington Post."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here: "President Biden will step up the pressure on Congress to approve billions of dollars in emergency coronavirus relief aid, using a speech at the White House on Wednesday to deliver what an official described as an urgent and direct message that will warn that U.S. progress against Covid-19 would be at severe risk if Congress fails to act. Mr. Biden will also spotlight a new one-stop-shopping coronavirus website, aimed at helping Americans navigate access to testing, treatment, vaccines and masks, and to assess the risk of Covid-19 in their neighborhoods, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the president's remarks. The site went live Wednesday morning."

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post is extremely skeptical that Donald Trump doesn't know what a burner phone is. MB: It does seem possible to me that Trump wasn't familiar with the term "burner phone." I think I've known of it for a long time because I watch a lot of police procedurals. Trump might have called burner phones "disposable phones" or something like that. But whether or not he is familiar with the term "burner phone" has nothing to do with the fact that 7-1/2 hours of the White House call logs on January 6 are missing. When he was president*, he was required under the law to make sure records of his phone calls were preserved. But, hey, maybe Trump thought it was okay to rely on Russian & Chinese hackers to keep track of his calls. And they probably have, as contributor Patrick suggested Tuesday. But the House committee won't have much luck subpoenaing foreign hackers' records.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Worse Than Watergate," Ctd.

Say, remember that infamous 18.5-minute gap in the Nixon tapes? Trump beat that by more than seven hours! ~~~

~~~ Bob Woodward of the Washington Post & Robert Costa of CBS News in the Washington Post: "Internal White House records from the day of the attack on the U.S. Capitol that were turned over to the House select committee show a gap in ... Donald Trump's phone logs of seven hours and 37 minutes, including the period when the building was being violently assaulted.... The lack of an official White House notation of any calls placed to or by Trump for 457 minutes on Jan. 6, 2021 -- from 11:17 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. -- means the committee has no record of his phone conversations as his supporters descended on the Capitol, battled overwhelmed police and forcibly entered the building, prompting lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence to flee for safety.... The seven-hour gap ... stands in stark contrast to the extensive public reporting about phone conversations he had with allies during the attack, such as a call Trump made to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) -- seeking to talk to Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) -- and a phone conversation he had with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The House panel is now investigating whether Trump communicated that day through backchannels, phones of aides or ... 'burner phones.'... One lawmaker on the panel said the committee is investigating a 'possible coverup' of the official White House record from that day." CBS News has an abbreviated version of the report here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Several funny comments on this at the end of yesterday's thread.

The Washington Post has published the White House call logs for January 6, 2021 here. The Post also publishes the "The Daily Diary of President Donald J. Trump" here. It turns out Trump did absolutely nothing between 1:21 pm ET when he met with his valet and 4:03 pm ET when he went to the Rose Garden. ~~~

     ~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "The gap somehow neatly breaks down with the last recorded call -- with [then Sen. David] Perdue [R-Ga.] at 11:04 a.m. -- at end of a page, and the next one -- the request for [Trump aide Dan] Scavino at 6:54 p.m. -- at the top of the next page. We don't yet know if this gap is truly Nixonian. But it certainly raises all kinds of questions about whether people deliberately shielded Trump's actions on Jan. 6."

BUT. Trump couldn't possibly have done anything wrong because ~~~

~~~ Dylan Stableford of Yahoo! News: "'I have no idea what a burner phone is, to the best of my knowledge I have never even heard the term,' Trump said in a statement after the report was published by CBS News and the Washington Post. A spokeswoman for the former president added that Trump had nothing to do with the records and had assumed any and all of his phone calls were recorded and preserved. [BUT!] Contradicting that statement, Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, said Tuesday that he had heard the former president discuss burner phones. [According to tweets from Robert Costa, Bolton said] 'that he recalls Trump using the term "burner phones" in several discussions and that Trump was aware of its meaning.... Bolton also said he and Trump have spoken about how people have used "burner phones" to avoid having their calls scrutinized.'" Update: Here's a CBS News article by Costa on Bolton's remarks.

Dennis Aftergut in Slate: "The gap's importance is difficult to exaggerate.... If, as some analysts have hypothesized, Trump is so detached from the factual world that he actually believed his own Big Lie that the 2020 election was marred by fraud, that would make conviction for trying to steal the election difficult. Under this analysis, he would not have thought he was acting 'wrongfully,' a necessary element for conviction on the charges to which he is most vulnerable. Hiding one's calls and conduct on Jan. 6, 2021, as it appears Trump did, rebuts his potential defense that he thought he was acting righteously. People who believe that their behavior is law-abiding do not cover it up in this way.... One of my favorite jury instructions ... covered consciousness of guilt: 'If you believe that [the defendant sought to conceal evidence], then you may consider this conduct, along with all the other evidence, in deciding whether ... [he/she] thought [he/she] was guilty of the crime charged and was trying to avoid punishment.'... Tellingly..., there is no report that Trump denied using others' phones." Firewalled.

Luke Broadwater & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "As part of his frenzied attempt to cling to power..., Donald J. Trump reached out repeatedly to members of Congress on Jan. 6 both before and during the siege of the Capitol, according to White House call logs and evidence gathered by the House committee investigating the attack. The logs, reported earlier by The Washington Post and CBS and authenticated by The New York Times, indicated that Mr. Trump had called Republican members of Congress, including Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri and Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, as he sought to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to reject electoral votes from several states.... [Despite the long gap in record-keeping,] the call logs ... show how personally involved Mr. Trump was in his last-ditch attempt to stay in office."

Stephen Collinson of CNN: "... Donald Trump's attempt to steal the 2020 election is being revealed week-by-week to be deeper and broader than it initially appeared, sharpening the national dilemma of if and how he could ever be held to account. Even as a federal judge commented Monday that Trump 'more likely than not' sought to commit a crime to stay in office last year, the ex-President's attacks on democracy are intensifying. They were on display as recently as Saturday night in a lie-filled rally that underscored how his conspiracy to overturn the election -- whether it is criminal or not -- remains viscerally alive and able to damage future elections.... It's extraordinary that, more than 14 months on, new details of efforts by Trump and those around him to subvert President Joe Biden's victory are still emerging. It's also ironic that this threat to American democracy is being further exposed while Washington leads an international effort to save freedom in Ukraine, which is under much greater assault from Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Trump still seems to hero worship." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Marie: Of the many qualities Trump admires in Vladimir Putin, one must be Putin's apparent ability to multi-task. Because, while the Butcher of Moscow is engaged in bombing Ukraine & slaughtering Ukrainians daily ~~~

~~~ Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump in a new interview called on ... Vladimir Putin to release information regarding alleged dealings between Eastern European oligarchs and Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son. Trump's remarks, in an interview with discredited far-right journalist John Solomon, were published Tuesday by the 'Just the News' television show on the Real America's Voice network."

Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "A group of House and Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Supreme Court on Monday requesting that Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself from any future cases involving the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol or efforts to overturn the 2020 election, along with a 'written explanation for his failure to recuse himself' in previous cases on those subjects. The letter, spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), follows The Washington Post's reporting on repeated efforts by conservative activist Virginia 'Ginni' Thomas, the Supreme Court justice's wife, to pressure White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to pursue various avenues to overturn the 2020 election." (Also linked yesterday.)

Dan Mangan of CNBC: "The New York Attorney General's Office has 'uncovered significant evidence' suggesting that financial statements by the Trump Organization relied on misleading valuations of its real estate assets for more than a decade, the office said in a court filing Tuesday. Those potentially misleading valuations 'and other misrepresentations' were used by the company owned by ... Donald Trump 'to secure economic benefits -- including loans, insurance coverage, and tax deductions -- on terms more favorable than the true facts warranted,' the filing alleged. The claims by Attorney General Letitia James were made in response to an appeal by the Trump Organization and Donald Trump of last month's order by a Manhattan state court judge directing Trump and two of his adult children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump to submit to interviews by James' investigators." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "The first signs of significant progress emerged as Russia and Ukraine held three hours of peace talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, but Russia appeared determined to capture more territory in eastern Ukraine and officials predicted that weeks of further negotiation were needed." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here: "Russia pledged during Tuesday's peace talks in Turkey that it would 'drastically reduce' attacks near two Ukrainian cities as a confidence-building gesture. But Ukrainian military leaders said Russia was probably using the maneuvers to 'mislead' and was merely rotating its troops. Western leaders also expressed skepticism, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Kremlin should be judged by 'their actions, not their words.' It was not immediately clear whether the negotiations in Istanbul would continue for a second day. Ukrainian assertions that it was pushing back Russian forces near Kyiv -- where Moscow said it would scale back its assault -- generally appear to be true, according to a Washington Post reporter on the ground. But heavy shelling continues elsewhere, and new satellite images of the bombed-out southern port city of Mariupol document severe damage to civilian infrastructure.... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video address released late Tuesday, said Moscow's assurances 'do not silence the explosion of Russian shells.'"

De=Escalation Is Another Word for Retreat. Steven Erlanger of the New York Times: "As envoys made progress in peace talks on Tuesday, Russia offered concessions that signaled a more realistic course for the war in Ukraine, while indicating it is also in no hurry to end the conflict, according to diplomats and analysts.... But the Russian advance in the north had already stalled, with troops around Kyiv taking up defensive positions in the face of Ukrainian counterattacks, both there and near Sumy, where Russia has been having trouble encircling the main Ukrainian army east of the Dnieper River. 'De-escalation is a euphemism for retreat,' said Lawrence Freedman, emeritus professor of War Studies at King's College London. 'Russia is adjusting its goals to reality, because war is quite empirical,' he said. 'It's not a ruse to say that they are concentrating on the Donbas, because in reality that's all they can do.' But retreat is hardly surrender, and others cautioned that the progress made Tuesday doesn't mean that Russia is ready for serious discussions on ending the war. That would require a better outcome for ... Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to sell at home as a victory."

The Man Who Came to Istanbul. Valerie Hopkins of the New York Times: Russian oligarch "Roman Abramovich, the 55-year-old owner of Britain's storied Chelsea Football Club soccer team, [mysteriously showed up at the talks in Istabul. He] is not a member of the Russian side of the talks. He has been sanctioned by the British government -- but, curiously, not the United States -- for ties with ... Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who started the war.... Ukraine's ambassador to Britain, Vadym Prystaiko, told the BBC that he had 'no idea what Mr. Abramovich is claiming or doing' at the talks. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, would not specify what Mr. Abramovich was doing but said Moscow had 'approved' his participation to coordinate between both sides.... The oligarch, who did not comment on why he was attending the talks, appeared to be trying to present himself to the world as an earnest and trusted conduit between Kyiv and Moscow. Critics of Mr. Abramovich suggested he was grandstanding for publicity, part of an effort to save his empire."

Jim Sciutto of CNN: "Russia is beginning to withdraw some forces from the area around the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv in what the US assesses as a 'major' strategy shift by Moscow, two senior US officials tell CNN. The Russian forces now pulling back in some areas of the north will focus on gains in the south and east. The US is already observing these movements underway, including Russian Battalion Tactical Groups leaving the surrounding areas around Kyiv. The Russian Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that it has decided to 'drastically reduce hostilities' in the Kyiv and Chernigov directions, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said according to state media RIA." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Emma Bubola of the New York Times: "On Tuesday, the [Phi, a $50 million 192-foot] Russian-owned [superyacht], which is docked at London's Canary Wharf, was ... detained by the British authorities. The Phi is the first such vessel to be detained in British waters in what the government said was a warning to ... Vladimir V. Putin and his associates that Britain was going after those benefiting from their links to the Kremlin. Britain's National Crime Agency said the yacht was owned by a Russian businessman, whom it did not identify.... The [British National Crime A]gency said the ownership of the yacht had been deliberately well hidden...."

Greg Walters of Vice: "... Partying can be dangerous in the age of Instagram. Ask any oligarch. Their decades of fancy living at the highest possible level of luxury have turned out to be enormously useful for investigators tracking down the assets of Russia's sanctioned elite. That's because, in multiple cases, a few careless Instagram posts have blown up the best defense for their secret empires: Anonymity. Oligarchs themselves rarely use Instagram to accidentally crack open a window into their high living. Rather, it's the people partying with them...." Walters cites some examples.

Kate Sullivan & Maegan Vazquez of CNN: "President Joe Biden signed a bill into law on Tuesday that makes lynching a federal hate crime, acknowledging how racial violence has left a lasting scar on the nation and asserting that these crimes are not a relic of a bygone era. At a White House Rose Garden signing ceremony, the President ... said, 'Lynching was pure terror to enforce the lie that not everyone ... belongs in America, not everyone is created equal. Terror, to systematically undermine hard-fought civil rights. Terror, not just in the dark of the night but in broad daylight. Innocent men, women and children hung by nooses in trees, bodies burned and drowned and castrated.'" This is an update of a story linked yesterday. The New York Times' story is here.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday is set to sign into law a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime after Congress approved the legislation earlier this month with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2022 is named after a 14-year-old Black boy from Mississippi who was brutally murdered by a group of White men for allegedly whistling at a White woman in 1955. His murder sparked national outraged and was a catalyst for the emerging civil rights movement. The legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois and only three Republicans -- Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Chip Roy of Texas -- voted against the bill. The legislation then passed the Senate by unanimous consent." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Joe Realizes His Friends Are Rude SOBs. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said the way Republican senators treated Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson at last week's hearings was 'disgraceful' and 'embarrassing' after they repeatedly brought up her record of sentencing child pornography offenders. Manchin said the behavior of GOP colleagues who repeatedly cut off Jackson while she tried to answer their questions about her sentencing decision crossed the line to become inappropriate. 'It was disgraceful, it really was, what I saw. And I met with her and I read all the transcripts. I listened to basically the hearings and it just was embarrassing,' he told reporters Tuesday morning. 'It's not who we are. It's not what we were sent here to do, to attack other people and just try to tear them down. I won't be part of that. I think she's extremely well qualified and I think she'll be an exemplary judge,' he added." (Also linked yesterday.)

Let's All Go to an Orgy. Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "Controversial Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) ... told host John Lovell on the Warrior Poet Society podcast last week that Washington, D.C. is rife with 'sexual perversion' and drug use.... 'The sexual perversion that goes on in Washington, I mean, being kind of a young guy in Washington, the average age is probably 60 or 70,' Cawthorn said, adding, 'I look at a lot of these people, a lot of them that I've looked up to through my life -- I've always paid attention to politics -- then all of a sudden you get invited to, "Oh hey we're going to have a sexual get together at one of our homes, you should come." "What did you just ask me to come to?" And then you realize they're asking you to come to an orgy,' Cawthorn continued." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Who is it exactly who invited Madison to an orgy? Nancy Pelosi? Steny Hoyer? Nah, must have been a Republican. Mitch McConnell? Oh, I know: Chuck Grassley. ~~~

~~~ Oops! Paul Waldman & Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "It takes a lot to get Republican members of Congress angry at one of their own. But Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) managed to do it, not just by being a uniquely repugnant figure, but also by claiming to reveal the dark underbelly of official Washington in a way that Republicans apparently found offensive.... Cawthorn told a podcast host that the 'sexual perversion' in Washington is so rampant that even Republicans are involved. His fellow Republicans are aghast, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has vowed to discipline him.... While we can't prove Cawthorn made this up, let's just say the idea that he's being invited to orgies by lawmakers in their 60s and 70s strains credulity. And Cawthorn's long history of making up stories is precisely what turned him into a right-wing superstar.... As this latest episode shows, these tendencies can boomerang: The lure of depicting Washington as a kind of bottomless cesspool of degeneracy -- a guaranteed right-wing applause line -- led Cawthorn to accidentally hit his own colleagues with friendly fire...." ~~~

~~~ Olivia Beavers of Politico: "Kevin McCarthy isn't the only senior Republican who wants to have a talk with Rep. Madison Cawthorn about his claim that some of his colleagues invited him to orgies and used cocaine. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), who chairs the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus to which Cawthorn belongs, said he plans to speak to the North Carolina Republican one-on-one about the incendiary comment. Perry further indicated that Cawthorn should identify the individuals he alleges engaged in that behavior.... Cawthorn's claims caused an internal uproar at Tuesday's [House GOP] conference meeting. But as aggravated as Cawthorn's colleagues may be by his salacious tales, they also know that digging more deeply into his stories may cause them more political problems."

Ellen Gabler of the New York Times: Real estate companies are protecting their assets from liability for lead-paint poisoning "in a tangle of limited liability companies, and the property insurer[s are excluding] lead from [their] coverage. These practices are now the norm across the United States, The New York Times has found, part of a decades-long campaign by the real estate and insurance industries to shield themselves from liability in lead-poisoning cases. The effort has helped allow what is often considered a problem of the past to remain a silent epidemic today.... Not only is the illness a scourge in many of the country's poorer ZIP codes, but families ... have less recourse than ever.... With little public attention and the approval of state officials, insurance companies across the country [are] declining to pay out when children were poisoned on properties they covered.... The move also eased pressure on landlords to fix up their rentals."

Evan Perez & Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "A Justice Department investigation into Hunter Biden's business activities has gained steam in recent months, with a flurry of witnesses providing testimony to federal investigators and more expected to provide interviews in the coming weeks, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The probe, led by the US Attorney in Wilmington, Delaware, began as early as 2018 and concerns multiple financial and business activities in foreign countries dating to when Biden's father was vice president. Investigators have examined whether Hunter Biden and some of his associates violated money laundering, tax and foreign lobbying laws, as well as firearm and other regulations, multiple sources said. To do so, law enforcement has gathered information from lobbyists connected to Hunter Biden, from his business partners, and from others who've observed his financial engagements, including a woman with whom he had a child."

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Aidan McLaughlin of Mediaite: "CBS News is under fire for hiring Mick Mulvaney, the former congressman, and Trump administration official, as a contributor.... The hire quickly drew outrage from journalists and pundits. Many pointed out Mulvaney's role in downplaying the Covid-19 pandemic, his defending ... Donald Trump's attempt to withhold military aid from Ukraine in exchange for dirt on the Biden family, and his bold claim in an op-ed before the 2020 election that Trump would gracefully concede if he lost." Includes numerous tweets by horrified commentators.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Carolyn Johnson of the Washington Post: "The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized a second booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines for people 50 and older, a decision intended to help shore up protection against severe illness. The shots, which can be given at least four months after a first booster dose, are not a permanent solution to the pandemic. But with a still-more-transmissible version of the omicron coronavirus variant becoming dominant in the United States, even a short-term immunity boost among those at risk of severe illness could provide a valuable layer of protection." The article is free to nonsubscribers. (Also linked yesterday.)

Lori Aratani of the Washington Post: "Twenty-one states filed suit Tuesday seeking an immediate end to a federal mandate that requires people to wear masks when traveling on airplanes, buses, subways and other modes of public transportation. The effort in mostly Republican-led states is the latest effort seeking to abolish the mandate, put into place in February 2021, shortly after President Biden took office. The mandate was extended this month through April 18."

Way Beyond the Beltway

U.K. He Was Always My Favorite! Mark Landler of the New York Times: "Six weeks ago, Prince Andrew agreed to a multi-million-dollar legal settlement with a woman who accused him of raping her when she was a teenager. On Tuesday, he escorted his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to a memorial service at Westminster Abbey to celebrate the life of her late husband, Prince Philip. The prince's very conspicuous public appearance on the queen's arm, his first since Philip's funeral last April, sent an unmistakable message of support by a 95-year-old mother for her disgraced son. But it struck some royal watchers as incongruous, given that she stripped Andrew of his military titles and all but banished him from public life after he was engulfed in the sexual abuse lawsuit. Andrew's sudden re-emergence came days after a trouble-prone tour of the Caribbean by Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, during which the couple confronted a backlash over issues of racial justice and rising sentiment to cast off the queen as head of state in Jamaica and other former colonies."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Six people were killed and two dozen others were injured in an 80-vehicle pileup on an interstate highway in Pennsylvania this week that began when a snow squall blinded drivers, the authorities said on Wednesday. The chain reaction started just after 10:30 a.m. Monday on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County, about 50 miles northeast of Harrisburg, Pa., where an early spring burst of wintry weather overwhelmed drivers in the northbound lanes, who struggled to see past the wind-driven snow and fog in their path. The Pennsylvania State Police did not release details about the victims when it issued an update on deaths and injuries on Wednesday."

New York Times: Joan "Joyce, who died on Saturday in Boca Raton, Fla., at 81, was ... widely regarded as the most dominant player in the history of women's fast-pitch softball.... But softball was not the only arena in which Joyce excelled. As a rangy 5-foot-9 forward (some sources say 5 foot 10), she took multiple all-American honors in basketball playing for Connecticut teams in the Women's Basketball Association and the Amateur Athletic Union.... She was also a standout volleyball player.... And at 35, an age when many athletes are retiring, she tried her hand at golf.... Inducted into as many as 19 Halls of Fame, Joyce was frequently compared to Babe Didrikson Zaharias...." Joyce struck out legends Ted Williams & Henry Aaron in exhibition games. Williams once said she was the toughest pitcher he ever faced. Read on.

March 29, 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Say, remember that infamous 18-minute gap in the Nixon tapes? Trump beat that by hours! ~~~

~~~ Bob Woodward of the Washington Post & Robert Costa of CBS News in the Washington Post: "Internal White House records from the day of the attack on the U.S. Capitol that were turned over to the House select committee show a gap in ... Donald Trump's phone logs of seven hours and 37 minutes, including the period when the building was being violently assaulted.... The lack of an official White House notation of any calls placed to or by Trump for 457 minutes on Jan. 6, 2021 -- from 11:17 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. -- means the committee has no record of his phone conversations as his supporters descended on the Capitol, battled overwhelmed police and forcibly entered the building, prompting lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence to flee for safety.... The seven-hour gap ... stands in stark contrast to the extensive public reporting about phone conversations he had with allies during the attack, such as a call Trump made to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) -- seeking to talk to Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) -- and a phone conversation he had with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The House panel is now investigating whether Trump communicated that day through backchannels, phones of aides or ... 'burner phones.'... One lawmaker on the panel said the committee is investigating a 'possible coverup' of the official White House record from that day." CBS News has an abbreviated version of the report here.

Stephen Collinson of CNN: "... Donald Trump's attempt to steal the 2020 election is being revealed week-by-week to be deeper and broader than it initially appeared, sharpening the national dilemma of if and how he could ever be held to account. Even as a federal judge commented Monday that Trump 'more likely than not' sought to commit a crime to stay in office last year, the ex-President's attacks on democracy are intensifying. They were on display as recently as Saturday night in a lie-filled rally that underscored how his conspiracy to overturn the election -- whether it is criminal or not -- remains viscerally alive and able to damage future elections.... It's extraordinary that, more than 14 months on, new details of efforts by Trump and those around him to subvert President Joe Biden's victory are still emerging. It's also ironic that this threat to American democracy is being further exposed while Washington leads an international effort to save freedom in Ukraine, which is under much greater assault from Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Trump still seems to hero worship."

Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "A group of House and Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Supreme Court on Monday requesting that Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself from any future cases involving the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol or efforts to overturn the 2020 election, along with a 'written explanation for his failure to recuse himself' in previous cases on those subjects. The letter, spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), follows The Washington Post's reporting on repeated efforts by conservative activist Virginia 'Ginni' Thomas, the Supreme Court justice's wife, to pressure White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to pursue various avenues to overturn the 2020 election."

Dan Mangan of CNBC: "The New York Attorney General's Office has 'uncovered significant evidence' suggesting that financial statements by the Trump Organization relied on misleading valuations of its real estate assets for more than a decade, the office said in a court filing Tuesday. Those potentially misleading valuations 'and other misrepresentations' were used by the company owned by ... Donald Trump 'to secure economic benefits -- including loans, insurance coverage, and tax deductions -- on terms more favorable than the true facts warranted,' the filing alleged. The claims by Attorney General Letitia James were made in response to an appeal by the Trump Organization and Donald Trump of last month's order by a Manhattan state court judge directing Trump and two of his adult children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump to submit to interviews by James' investigators."

Kate Sullivan of CNN: "President Joe Biden on Tuesday is set to sign into law a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime after Congress approved the legislation earlier this month with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2022 is named after a 14-year-old Black boy from Mississippi who was brutally murdered by a group of White men for allegedly whistling at a White woman in 1955. His murder sparked national outraged and was a catalyst for the emerging civil rights movement. The legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois and only three Republicans -- Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Chip Roy of Texas -- voted against the bill. The legislation then passed the Senate by unanimous consent."

Joe Realizes His Friends Are Rude SOBs. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: “Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said the way Republican senators treated Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson at last week's hearings was 'disgraceful' and 'embarrassing' after they repeatedly brought up her record of sentencing child pornography offenders. Manchin said the behavior of GOP colleagues who repeatedly cut off Jackson while she tried to answer their questions about her sentencing decision crossed the line to become inappropriate. 'It was disgraceful, it really was, what I saw. And I met with her and I read all the transcripts. I listened to basically the hearings and it just was embarrassing,' he told reporters Tuesday morning. 'It's not who we are. It's not what we were sent here to do, to attack other people and just try to tear them down. I won't be part of that. I think she's extremely well qualified and I think she'll be an exemplary judge,' he added."

Let's All Go to an Orgy. Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "Controversial Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) ... told host John Lovell on the Warrior Poet Society podcast last week that Washington, D.C. is rife with 'sexual perversion' and drug use.... 'The sexual perversion that goes on in Washington, I mean, being kind of a young guy in Washington, the average age is probably 60 or 70,' Cawthorn said, adding, 'I look at a lot of these people, a lot of them that I've looked up to through my life -- I've always paid attention to politics --then all of a sudden you get invited to, "Oh hey we're going to have a sexual get together at one of our homes, you should come." "What did you just ask me to come to?" And then you realize they're asking you to come to an orgy,' Cawthorn continued.' ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Who is it exactly who invited Madison to an orgy? Nancy Pelosi? Steny Hoyer? Mitch McConnell? Oh, I know: Chuck Grassley.

Jim Sciutto of CNN: "Russia is beginning to withdraw some forces from the area around the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv in what the US assesses as a 'major' strategy shift by Moscow, two senior US officials tell CNN. The Russian forces now pulling back in some areas of the north will focus on gains in the south and east. The US is already observing these movements underway, including Russian Battalion Tactical Groups leaving the surrounding areas around Kyiv. The Russian Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that it has decided to 'drastically reduce hostilities' in the Kyiv and Chernigov directions, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said according to state media RIA."

Carolyn Johnson of the Washington Post: "The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized a second booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines for people 50 and older, a decision intended to help shore up protection against severe illness. The shots, which can be given at least four months after a first booster dose, are not a permanent solution to the pandemic. But with a still-more-transmissible version of the omicron coronavirus variant becoming dominant in the United States, even a short-term immunity boost among those at risk of severe illness could provide a valuable layer of protection." The article is free to nonsubscribers.

~~~~~~~~~~

Putin's War Crimes, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Diplomats from Ukraine and Russia are meeting in Turkey on Tuesday for their first face-to-face talks in more than two weeks, an effort that comes as a Ukrainian counteroffensive pushed back Russian forces in a hard-fought area near Kyiv, the capital.... Despite Ukrainian success in driving Russian troops from the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, Moscow's forces continue to try to cut off eastern Ukraine and are exacerbating a humanitarian disaster with attacks against critical infrastructure across the country.... President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine told journalists over the weekend that his country was ready to discuss some measures to placate Moscow, including lifting restrictions on the Russian language and adopting a neutral geopolitical status." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Tuesday are here.

Andrew Kramer & Steven Erlanger of the New York Times: "Ukrainians on Monday reported that they had pushed back invading Russian forces in fierce fighting around Kyiv and in northeastern Ukraine, while the Russians moved to encircle and cut off Ukrainian forces in the east, making a diplomatic resolution to the war seem as far away as ever. Ukrainian counterattacks around Kyiv reportedly retook more ground, with the mayor of Irpin, a fiercely contested suburb on the northwestern edge of the capital, saying that most Russian troops had retreated, though fighting continued in some districts. If Ukrainian soldiers can maintain control of Irpin, it would be strategically important to keeping their hold on Kyiv.... The Ukrainians also reported important progress in the Sumy region, northwest of Kharkiv, near the border with Russia. Dmytro Zhyvytsky, head of regional military administration, said that the Ukrainians had recaptured the towns of Trostyanets and Boromlya. A Pentagon official confirmed the recapture of Trostyanets.... A spokesman for Mariupol's mayor, Vadym Boichenko, said on Monday that almost 5,000 people, including about 210 children, have been killed there."

Speaking of War Crimes. Joyce Lee, et al., of the Washington Post: A video appearing to show Ukrainian soldiers shooting the legs of captured Russian soldiers, "the content of which Ukrainian authorities say they cannot confirm but will investigate, began circulating on pro-Russian media channels and on social media Sunday. It was filmed near a dairy plant in the village of Malaya Rohan, in the Kharkiv region, according to geolocation by The Washington Post. It first appeared online on Sunday, two days after Ukrainian forces announced on Telegram that they had retaken the village.... Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said in a YouTube video on Sunday that Ukraine would punish those responsible if an investigation found the video credible.... The mistreatment of prisoners of war is forbidden under the Geneva Conventions. Some Ukrainian officials dismissed the clip as Russian propaganda, without citing evidence."

"I'm Not Walking Anything Back." Lauren Gamino & Joanna Walters of the Guardian: "Joe Biden on Monday defended the unscripted remarks he made at the end of an important speech in Poland at the weekend, in which he said that Russian president Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power', which had prompted hurried efforts by other senior figures in the administration to play down the comment in the face of international criticism. The US president, when questioned on Sunday after attending church following his return to the White House, denied that he was seeking 'regime change' as a new policy. On Monday, at an event at the White House with director of the Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, to present the 2023 budget proposals, Biden said of his remarks in Poland: 'I'm not walking anything back.'... 'I was expressing the moral outrage I felt ... I had just come from being with those families. But I want to be clear that I wasn't then, nor am I now, articulating a policy change,' he said. 'I make no apologies for it,' he added, of his remarks on Saturday." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here. ~~~

~~~ Alexander Ward & Paul McLeary of Politico: "President Joe Biden appeared to reveal that the U.S. is training Ukrainian forces in Poland.... On March 22, [National Security Advisor] Jake Sullivan denied that Americans were 'currently' training Ukrainians.... After delivering remarks about the White House's new budget request [Monday], Biden answered a reporter's question about comments he made when meeting the 82nd Airborne in Poland, in which he implied American forces would be going to Ukraine. Biden denied thats what he meant, adding: 'We're talking about helping train the Ukrainian troops that are in Poland.'... 'There are Ukrainian soldiers in Poland interacting on a regular basis with U.S. troops, and that's what the President was referring to,' said a White House official." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This doesn't seem like an amazing revelation. As the reporters acknowledge, "The U.S. and U.K.-led training effort in Ukraine from 2015 to 2022 took place inside Ukraine, but Ukrainian troops regularly attended NATO exercises throughout the continent all the way up to Russia's February invasion.... [In addition,] the Ukrainians might need training on some weapons like Stinger ground-to-air missiles, which they didn't have before the invasion...."

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "'On Putin, Biden expressed what billions around the world and millions inside Russia also believe. He did not say that the US should remove him from power,' tweeted Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia (and contributing columnist to The Post). 'There is a difference.' Precisely. Biden was not calling for assassination, invasion or foreign-directed regime change. Nevertheless, a panicked White House rushed forth to assure the world what Biden really meant: 'The president's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia or regime change.'... At a time when Biden was impressing European allies with his moral strength and diplomatic savvy, his own advisers marred an otherwise successful trip.... While Biden's staff plainly overreacted and undercut him, ultimately it is Biden's call what to say and how to say it." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and other Ukrainian peace negotiators reportedly suffered symptoms of a suspected poisoning earlier this month. Abramovich and other negotiators, including Crimean Tatar lawmaker Rustem Umerov, developed symptoms including red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands after a meeting in Kyiv, although they have since improved and their lives are not in danger, reported the Wall Street Journal." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Dan Bilefsky & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "Novaya Gazeta, the Russian newspaper that helped define fearless journalism in the post-Soviet era and whose editor shared the Nobel Peace Prize last year, suspended publication on Monday, leaving Russia without any major media outlets critical of the Kremlin as it wages war in Ukraine. The newspaper, led by Dmitri A. Muratov, said it would cease publishing in print and online until the end of the fighting — or what it called, in keeping with Russia's new wartime censorship law, 'the special operation on the territory of Ukraine.' Earlier in the day, the paper received a second warning from Russia's telecommunications regulator that threatened to shut it down or revoke its license, Mr. Muratov said."

Where Are They Now? A Former GOP Congressman Was in Belarus, Hoping to Lobby for the Country's U.S.-Sanctioned Potash Industry. Hailey Fuchs of Politico: Former Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.) was in Minsk, Belarus, when he learned from a lobbyist associate that Russia had invaded Ukraine. The two escaped by car. "They [were] jockeying to serve as middlemen between interests in Belarus -- a key Russian ally -- and the U.S. government.... Taylor insists that he is not working for an enemy so much as trying to create dialogue to end the conflict.... During the visit, he spoke with Viktor Lukashenko, the son of U.S. government-sanctioned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko...." Taylor lost re-election to a Democratic challenger in 2018 after his campaign staffers allegedly forged signatures to try to get a third-party spoiler on the ballot. Taylor's lobbyist friend, Robert Stryk, with whom Taylor was sharing an Airbnb in Minsk, "is an operative with a history of clients that he has admitted before that most others would not work with." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In fairness to Taylor, it's hard for a shady ex-Congressman to get work.

American Insurrection, Ctd.

Marie: In just one day of news reports, we can see that high-level players in each of the three branches of government -- Donald Trump, Ted Cruz & Clarence Thomas -- engaged in a "vast right-wing conspiracy" to overturn the election and overthrow the government.

** Luke Broadwater & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal judge ruled on Monday that ... Donald J. Trump and a lawyer who advised him on how to overturn the 2020 election most likely committed felonies, including obstructing the work of Congress and conspiring to defraud the United States.... 'The illegality of the plan was obvious,' wrote Judge David O. Carter of the Central District of California. 'Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomized by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections. Ignoring this history, President Trump vigorously campaigned for the vice president to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election.'... Judge Carter's comments came in an order for John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who wrote a memo that members of both parties have likened to a blueprint for a coup, to turn over more than 100 emails to the committee as it investigates Mr. Trump's efforts to hold onto power after his election loss.... The Justice Department ... has given no public indication that it is considering pursuing a criminal case against Mr. Trump." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Bottom Line: Yeah, he did it, and no, he won't pay. ~~~

     ~~~ ** Kyle Cheney, et al., of Politico: "The remarkable ruling may be the first in history in which a federal judge determined a president, while in office, appeared to commit a crime. The decision has no direct role in whether Trump will be charged criminally but could increase pressure on the Justice Department and its chief, Attorney General Merrick Garland, to conduct an aggressive investigation that could lead to such charges.... The decision also helps shore up a theory increasingly embraced by members of the Jan. 6 select committee: that Trump seized on legal strategies he knew were meritless in order to subvert the transfer of power to Joe Biden -- an effort that contributed to the violence that unfolded at the Capitol.... [John] Eastman could try to appeal the decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and, from there, to the Supreme Court." Judge Carter is a Clinton appointee. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Trump Summoned the Troops. Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: “Federal prosecutors and congressional investigators have gathered growing evidence of how a tweet by ... Donald J. Trump less than three weeks before Jan. 6, 2021, served as a crucial call to action for extremist groups that played a central role in storming the Capitol. Mr. Trump's Twitter post in the early hours of Dec. 19, 2020, was the first time he publicly urged supporters to come to Washington on the day Congress was scheduled to certify the Electoral College results showing Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the winner of the presidential vote. His message -- which concluded with, 'Be there, will be wild!' -- has long been seen as instrumental in drawing the crowds that attended a pro-Trump rally on the Ellipse on Jan. 6 and then marched to the Capitol.... Extremist groups almost immediately celebrated Mr. Trump's Twitter message, which they widely interpreted as an invitation to descend on the city in force.... Prosecutors have included examples in at least five criminal cases of extremists reacting within days -- often hours -- to Mr. Trump's post."

Jacqueline Alemany & Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol voted Monday night to hold two former Trump aides in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with the committee's subpoenas. The committee voted unanimously to recommend the charges against former trade and manufacturing director Peter Navarro and former communications chief Daniel Scavino Jr. The House will soon vote on whether to refer Navarro and Scavino to the Justice Department for prosecution.... Throughout the hearing, lawmakers on the panel lobbed criticisms at the Justice Department; Attorney General Merrick Garland has yet to announce whether he will pursue a prosecution in the contempt case against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows." An NBC News report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Accustomed as I am to the usual messy, grandstanding Congressional committee hearings, and I was surprised by how disciplined, well-coordinated and fast-paced last night's meeting was. ~~~

The Department of Justice has a duty to act on this referral and others that we have sent. Without enforcement of congressional subpoenas, there is no oversight, and without oversight, no accountability -- for the former president, or any other president, past, present, or future. Without enforcement of its lawful process, Congress ceases to be a co-equal branch of government. -- Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), at the committee meeting Monday

Attorney General Garland, do your job so we can do ours.-- Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) ~~~

~~~ Kyle Cheney, et al., of Politico: "The House's Jan. 6 select committee vented frustration with the Justice Department on Monday for not criminally charging former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows for contempt of Congress and not taking other steps to support their investigation."

I think that Senator Cruz is somebody who knows what the Constitution calls for, knows what his duties and obligations are, and was willing, frankly, to set that aside. -- Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) ~~~

~~~ ** Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "By [Ted] Cruz's own account, he was 'leading the charge' to prevent the certification of Joe Biden as president. An examination by The Washington Post ... shows just how deeply he was involved, working directly with Trump to concoct a plan that came closer than widely realized to keeping him in power. As Cruz went to extraordinary lengths to court Trump's base and lay the groundwork for his own potential 2024 presidential bid, he also alienated close allies and longtime friends who accused him of abandoning his principles. Now, Cruz's efforts are of interest to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, in particular whether Cruz was in contact with Trump lawyer John Eastman.... As Eastman outlined a scenario in which Vice President Mike Pence could deny certifying Biden's election, Cruz crafted a complementary plan in the Senate. He proposed objecting to the results in six swing states and delaying accepting the electoral college results on Jan. 6.... Ten other senators backed his proposal, which Cruz continued to advocate on the day rioters attacked the Capitol.... If Cruz's plan worked, it could have created enough chaos for Trump to remain in power." Emphasis added. Read on. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) Mother Jones summarizes part of Kranish's report here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: "Abandoning his principles"? Hahahahaha.

Benjamin Siegel, et al., of ABC News: "Jared Kushner, former President Trump's son-in-law who served as a senior West Wing aide during the Trump administration, is expected to appear voluntarily before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack as early as Thursday, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Let's Chat, Ginni. Jacqueline Alemany & Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection will seek an interview with Virginia Thomas.... In a series of text exchanges with [then-White House Chief of Staff Mark] Meadows, Thomas sought to influence Trump's strategy to overturn the election results and lobbied for lawyer Sidney Powell to be 'the lead and the face' of Trump's legal team." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Amanda Marcotte of Salon notices a similarity between Ginni Thomas & the goofballs in the People's Convoy, who, "after three weeks of ... pointlessly ... trolling the residents of Washington D.C. by driving around aimlessly..., are finally going home: they all appear "to be living entirely in a right-wing fantasy land constructed through QAnon postings and the ravings of professional conspiracy theorists.... Thomas appears to be so enmeshed in right-wing conspiracy theories and so allergic to reality-based sources of information that she broke her own brain.... As journalist Jared Holt explained on Twitter, an analysis of external links from People's Convoy chats shows that the participants have closed themselves off from fact-based media and appear to be entirely dependent on other conspiracy theorists for their 'information.'" See also, BTW, Nebraska news, linked below. ~~~

~~~ Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "... there's very little distance between the fringes of the modern Republican Party and the elites who lead it. Superficial differences of affect and emphasis mask shared views and ways of seeing. In fact, members of the Republican elite are very often the fringe figures in question. Take Virginia 'Ginni' Thomas.... She is ... something of a 'Q' believer.... Like Thomas, Attorney General William P. Barr is a mainstay of the Republican establishment in Washington.... What Barr describes [in a 2019 speech to the Federalist Society] isn't a president, but a king. It is a gussied-up version of Trump's belief that, under Article II of the Constitution, he had 'the right to do whatever I want as president.' It may not be QAnon, but it still belongs to the fringe.... [Barr himself, as well as] leading figures like Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia regularly give voice to conspiracy theories and other wild accusations.... And those Republicans who don't openly hold fringe views are more than willing to pander to them...."

Zolan Kanno-Youngs, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden on Monday proposed a $5.8 trillion budget that includes significant increases in funding for the military and police departments, along with higher taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans. The request to Congress for fiscal 2023 reflects growing security and economic concerns at home and overseas, with Mr. Biden proposing a 7 percent increase in domestic spending that includes priorities like anti-gun violence initiatives, affordable housing and manufacturing investments to address supply chain issues that have helped fuel rapid inflation. The White House also for the first time proposed a discrete stream of funding for Veterans Affairs medical care. The most notable spending increase was Mr. Biden's $773 billion military proposal, a 10 percent rise amid threats like Russia's invasion of Ukraine and concerns about China's ambitions.... The White House budget proposal put far less emphasis on the types of grand social, climate and economic policies that Mr. Biden announced last year but have since run into resistance from moderate Democrats." ~~~

~~~ Rachel Siegel & Alyssa Fowers of the Washington Post: "President Biden unveiled a nearly $6 trillion budget plan on Monday that seeks to slim future borrowing, increase spending for defense and other domestic programs, and change the tax code, possibly through a new minimum tax on billionaires. The framework tends to be overhauled by Congress before anything is enacted into law. But the wish list still offers a lens into the administration's focuses and priorities. Here are some key takeaways, plus more coverage here.... A major focus of Biden's budget is deficit reduction.... The Build Back Better agenda has disappeared from the accounting of this budget.... Biden's budget was built around some outdated [-- November 2021 --] ideas about inflation.... As Russia's war in Ukraine escalates, Biden's proposal requests $773 billion for the Defense Department, up $69 billion, or almost 10 percent, from the 2021 enacted level."

From the New York Times live updates: "At a groundbreaking summit in Israel on Monday, the top diplomats of Israel, the United States and four Arab countries discussed how to coordinate against Iran; the importance of Washington's remaining engaged in the region; and the need to maintain calm over the next weeks, when a convergence of religious holidays could raise tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Several of the Arab participants also publicly pressed Israel on the need to create a sovereign Palestinian state, signaling that while they had normalized ties with Israel, they had not abandoned the Palestinian cause. But if that created mild tension between Israel and its guests, they appeared united in their shared fears of Iran and its proxies at a news briefing at the summit's conclusion.... The summit brought together [Israeli Foreign Minister Yair] Lapid with the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, along with the U.S. secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken.... The foreign ministers met as American-backed efforts to secure a new nuclear deal with Iran reach a climax." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ John Hudson of the Washington Post: "The foreign ministers of the United States, Israel and four Arab governments committed to expand economic and diplomatic cooperation in an unprecedented meeting in Israel's southern Negev desert on Monday. The presence of top diplomats from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt on Israeli soil showed a new level of comfort between Israel and its Arab neighbors even though the parties did not sign any binding agreements or specific policies. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed the meeting as the latest indication of a realignment of Middle Eastern relations that could expand the potential for peace and conflict resolution across the region. 'Just a few years ago this gathering would be impossible to imagine,' Blinken said. Israel's foreign minister, Yair Lapid, said the countries would strive to make the summit a yearly event."

Some Urban Gender Parity. Aaron Gregg & Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: "Younger women have closed the pay gap or are outpacing their male counterparts in nearly two dozen U.S. metropolitan areas, according to research published Monday, as gains in higher education and more transparency about what people earn help defy entrenched disparities. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data, women younger than 30, on average, earn at least as much as or more than men in D.C., New York, Los Angeles and 19 other major metro areas ― places where strong job markets attract educated young people looking to build careers. Nationwide, women 30 and younger earn 93 cents for every dollar made by a comparable man. But when you include all women who works full time and year-round, that number drops to 82 cents, according to the research, which tracked data from 2015 to 2019. That marks a small but steady improvement from a decade earlier, when women were making 77 cents to the dollar."

So long as any group is denied the fullest privilege of a citizen to share both the making and the execution of the law which shapes its destiny -- so long as any group does not enjoy every right and every privilege that belongs to every American citizen without regard to race, creed or color, the task for which the immortal Lincoln gave the last full measure of devotion -- that task is still unfinished. -- Principal Robert Russa Moton of the Tuskegee Institute, dedication of the Lincoln Memorial, May 1922, excised from his speech

~~~ John Kelly of the Washington Post: At the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial on May 30, 1922, only one African-American received an invitation of speak: Robert Russa Moton, the principal of the Tuskegee Institute, whom the white organizers thought was a "safe choice." "For an event supposedly celebrating the man who freed enslaved people -- Moton was himself the son of a man born into slavery -- Black people were treated abysmally at the ceremony. The seating was segregated.... And Moton was told by the event's White organizers [-- including former President & then-Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft --] that the first draft of his speech was too confrontational." Ed Epstein, secretary of the Lincoln Group, which is organizing the Lincoln Memorial's centenniel, said Moton's descendants -- if he can find them -- will get places of honor at the event.

Marie: You may recall listening to CBS News war correspondent Lara Logan during the U.S. war on Iraq. Since then, Logan has gone increasingly loco. Now there's this. Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "Former Fox Nation host Lara Logan claimed the theory of evolution was bankrolled by the wealthy Rothschild family in the mid 19th century.... Beyond telling listeners to 'look it up,' Logan did not offer any sources for her claim, which appears to be untrue.... The Rothschilds are a wealthy family whose banking business dates back to the 18th century. Its members are Jewish and have frequently been the targets of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about the consolidation of world power under a global Zionist agenda." So let's see: if not for Jews, good Christians would still believe in the the Biblical stories of Adam & Eve, which are, whoops, ancient Jewish myths. It's not easy being nuts.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here: "Fewer than 800 coronavirus deaths are being reported each day in the United States, the lowest daily average since before the Omicron variant took hold late last fall. The last time the rate was this low was in mid-August, according to a New York Times database."

Priscilla Alvarez of CNN: "The Biden administration will offer Covid-19 vaccines to migrants taken into custody at the US-Mexico border, according to two sources familiar with the planning, and confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security, as officials prepare for an influx of migrants. The plan, which had earlier been a source of tension at the White House, could extend to thousands of migrants encountered at the US southern border. The Department of Homeland Security will be able to initially provide up to 2,700 vaccines per day, it said in a notice to Congress obtained by CNN, increasing to 6,000 daily by the end of May.... Last year, top White House officials rejected a proposal to vaccinate migrants -- a plan that had been intended to address public health concerns -- because they thought it would encourage more people to come to the US, sources told CNN. Now, the administration is moving ahead."

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Devan Cole & Tina Burnside of CNN: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed legislation banning certain instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom, approving the controversial measure that opponents have dubbed the 'Don't Say Gay' law." (Also linked yesterday.)

Georgia. Maya King & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "A bipartisan coalition of county-level election administrators ... is speaking out against the latest Republican measure [to restrict voting]. At a [state Senate] legislative hearing on Monday, they warned that the proposal would create additional burdens on a dwindling force of election workers and that the provisions could lead to more voter intimidation.... Among other provisions, the bill would expand the reach of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation over election crimes; limit private funding of elections; empower partisan poll watchers; and establish new requirements for tracking absentee ballots as they are verified and counted. The bill passed the Georgia House this month, roughly two weeks after it was first introduced.... County-level election officials [also have] worked behind the scenes, in letters and phone calls to legislators, expressing their concerns about the bill and dissatisfaction that they had not been consulted in the drafting process."

Nebraska. What Happens When You Get Your "Facts" from Right-Wing Social Media. Grant Schulte of the AP: "A Nebraska state lawmaker apologized on Monday after he publicly cited a persistent but debunked rumor alleging that schools are placing litter boxes in school bathrooms to accommodate children who self-identify as cats. Sen. Bruce Bostelman, a conservative Republican, repeated the false claim during a public, televised debate on a bill intended to help school children who have behavioral problems. His comments quickly went viral, with one Twitter video garnering more than 300,000 views as of Monday afternoon, and drew an onslaught of online criticism and ridicule." MB: From this line of bullshit, can we assume Bostelman (Bossyman??) identifies as bovine?

South Dakota. Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "A panel refused to refer South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg for impeachment, the Daily Beast reported Monday evening. The panel of eight state House officials voted 6-2 to save Ravnsborg after he hit a man with his car after driving home from a fundraiser and then fled the scene. Six of those who acquitted Ravnsborg were Republicans. Committee chair Spencer Gosch refused to cast a vote, however. The GOP-led House will vote on April 12 on whether to 'accept' the report. There are only eight Democrats and 62 Republicans. It means that Ravnsborg likely won't face any consequences for running down the man he left to die in the ditch."

March 28, 2022

Afternoon Update:

:I'm Not Walking Anything Back." Lauren Gamino & Joanna Walters of the Guardian: "Joe Biden on Monday defended the unscripted remarks he made at the end of an important speech in Poland at the weekend, in which he said that Russian president Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power', which had prompted hurried efforts by other senior figures in the administration to play down the comment in the face of international criticism. The US president, when questioned on Sunday after attending church following his return to the White House, denied that he was seeking 'regime change' as a new policy. On Monday, at an event at the White House with director of the Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, to present the 2023 budget proposals, Biden said of his remarks in Poland: 'I'm not walking anything back.'... 'I was expressing the moral outrage I felt ... I had just come from being with those families. But I want to be clear that I wasn't then, nor am I now, articulating a policy change,' he said. 'I make no apologies for it,' he added, of his remarks on Saturday."

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "'On Putin, Biden expressed what billions around the world and millions inside Russia also believe. He did not say that the US should remove him from power,' tweeted Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia (and contributing columnist to The Post). 'There is a difference.' Precisely. Biden was not calling for assassination, invasion or foreign-directed regime change. Nevertheless, a panicked White House rushed forth to assure the world what Biden really meant: 'The president's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia or regime change.'... At a time when Biden was impressing European allies with his moral strength and diplomatic savvy, his own advisers marred an otherwise successful trip.... While Biden's staff plainly overreacted and undercut him, ultimately it is Biden's call what to say and how to say it."

Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and other Ukrainian peace negotiators reportedly suffered symptoms of a suspected poisoning earlier this month. Abramovich and other negotiators, including Crimean Tatar lawmaker Rustem Umerov, developed symptoms including red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands after a meeting in Kyiv, although they have since improved and their lives are not in danger, reported the Wall Street Journal."

Marie: This is astounding. In just one day of news reports, we can see high-level players in each of the three branches of government -- Donald Trump, Ted Cruz & Clarence Thomas -- engaged in a "vast right-wing conspiracy" to overturn the election and overthrow the government.

** Luke Broadwater & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal judge ruled on Monday that ... Donald J. Trump and a lawyer who advised him on how to overturn the 2020 election most likely committed felonies, including obstructing the work of Congress and conspiring to defraud the United States.... 'The illegality of the plan was obvious,' wrote Judge David O. Carter of the Central District of California. 'Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomized by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections. Ignoring this history, President Trump vigorously campaigned for the vice president to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election.'... Judge Carter's comments came in an order for John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who wrote a memo that members of both parties have likened to a blueprint for a coup, to turn over more than 100 emails to the committee as it investigates Mr. Trump's efforts to hold onto power after his election loss.... The Justice Department ... has given no public indication that it is considering pursuing a criminal case against Mr. Trump.: ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Bottom Line: Yeah, he did it, and no, he won't pay. ~~~

     ~~~ ** Kyle Cheney, et al., of Politico: "The remarkable ruling may be the first in history in which a federal judge determined a president, while in office, appeared to commit a crime. The decision has no direct role in whether Trump will be charged criminally but could increase pressure on the Justice Department and its chief, Attorney General Merrick Garland, to conduct an aggressive investigation that could lead to such charges.... The decision also helps shore up a theory increasingly embraced by members of the Jan. 6 select committee: that Trump seized on legal strategies he knew were meritless in order to subvert the transfer of power to Joe Biden -- an effort that contributed to the violence that unfolded at the Capitol.... [John] Eastman could try to appeal the decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and, from there, to the Supreme Court." Judge Carter is a Clinton appointee.

I think that Senator Cruz is somebody who knows what the Constitution calls for, knows what his duties and obligations are, and was willing, frankly, to set that aside. -- Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) ~~~

~~~ ** Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "By [Ted] Cruz's own account, he was 'leading the charge' to prevent the certification of Joe Biden as president. An examination by The Washington Post ... shows just how deeply he was involved, working directly with Trump to concoct a plan that came closer than widely realized to keeping him in power. As Cruz went to extraordinary lengths to court Trump's base and lay the groundwork for his own potential 2024 presidential bid, he also alienated close allies and longtime friends who accused him of abandoning his principles. Now, Cruz's efforts are of interest to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, in particular whether Cruz was in contact with Trump lawyer John Eastman.... As Eastman outlined a scenario in which Vice President Mike Pence could deny certifying Biden's election, Cruz crafted a complementary plan in the Senate. He proposed objecting to the results in six swing states and delaying accepting the electoral college results on Jan. 6.... Ten other senators backed his proposal, which Cruz continued to advocate on the day rioters attacked the Capitol.... If Cruz's plan worked, it could have created enough chaos for Trump to remain in power." Emphasis added. Read on. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: "Abandoning his principles"? Hahahahaha.

Benjamin Siegel, et al., of ABC News: "Jared Kushner, former President Trump's son-in-law who served as a senior West Wing aide during the Trump administration, is expected to appear voluntarily before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack as early as Thursday, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans."

Let's Chat, Ginni. Jacqueline Alemany & Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection will seek an interview with Virginia Thomas.... In a series of text exchanges with [then-White House Chief of Staff Mark] Meadows, Thomas sought to influence Trump's strategy to overturn the election results and lobbied for lawyer Sidney Powell to be 'the lead and the face' of Trump's legal team." CNN's report is here.

New York Times live updates: "At a groundbreaking summit in Israel on Monday, the top diplomats of Israel the United States and four Arab countries discussed how to coordinate against Iran; the importance of Washington's remaining engaged in the region; and the need to maintain calm over the next weeks, when a convergence of religious holidays could raise tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Several of the Arab participants also publicly pressed Israel on the need to create a sovereign Palestinian state, signaling that while they had normalized ties with Israel, they had not abandoned the Palestinian cause. But if that created mild tension between Israel and its guests, they appeared united in their shared fears of Iran and its proxies at a news briefing at the summit's conclusion.... The summit brought together [Israeli Foeign Minister Yair] Lapid with the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, along with the U.S. secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken.... The foreign ministers met as American-backed efforts to secure a new nuclear deal with Iran reach a climax."

Florida. Devan Cole & Tina Burnside of CNN: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed legislation banning certain instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom, approving the controversial measure that opponents have dubbed the 'Don't Say Gay' law."

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Russia appears to be shifting its focus to securing control of eastern Ukraine after efforts to take the capital, Kyiv, and other major cities stalled in the face of stiff resistance. Ukrainian officials said that they are worried that Russia may try to split the country between regions it controls and those it does not, a division that recalled the fate of Germany and Korea after World War II." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: That may be the plan, but I hope Ukraine & Western nations do not reward Putin with anything for his unprovoked destruction of a sovereign nation. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here: "Ukrainian and Russian delegations are arriving in Istanbul for another round of in-person talks -- putting NATO member Turkey, which has ties to both Kyiv and Moscow, in the spotlight as an intermediary in the deadly conflict grinding into its second month. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed his desire for a cease-fire in a phone call Sunday with ... Vladimir Putin, state media reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to offer a diplomatic opening Sunday, saying that Kyiv could declare its 'neutrality' and effectively renounce its ambitions to join NATO in a potential peace deal with Moscow, but stressed that Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are 'beyond doubt' and any deal must be voted on by a national referendum held without Russian troops in Ukraine. Zelensky made these remarks during an interview with a Russian outlet, which the Kremlin's Internet censor then banned Russian media outlets from publishing."

Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "President Biden's declaration that Russian leader Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power' threatens to push deeply strained U.S.-Russia relations closer to collapse, former officials and analysts said, with potentially serious implications for Washington's ability to help steer the war in Ukraine to an end and avoid a wider conflict. The remark -- an off-the-cuff coda to an address in Poland this weekend -- injects a stark new element of personal animus into the standoff between the world's biggest nuclear powers. It capped earlier statements in which Biden has gone well beyond official formulations -- calling Putin a 'killer,' 'butcher' and 'war criminal.': MB: Yes, because it's terrible to call out a killer, a butcher, and a war criminal & to question his suitability to lead a major power. ~~~

~~~ Max Boot of the Washington Post: "Biden's words give hope not only to Ukrainians but also to Russian dissidents fighting to build a freer country, and it is hard to see how they could make Putin fight any harder than he already is. I would rather have a president who is fearless in calling out Putin;s war crimes than one who toadies to the Russian tyrant." Read the whole column, in which Boot contrasts Biden's & Trump's attitudes toward Putin. ~~~

~~~ ** David Rothkopf of the Daily Beast: "While America's media is embroiled in another confected controversy, this one about whether Joe Biden hurt Vladimir Putin's feelings by speaking the truth, it is missing two far bigger stories. One of those stories is the historical shift signaled by Biden's Warsaw speech. While some compared it to Kennedy's 'Ich bin ein berliner' speech or Reagan;s 'Mr. Gorbachev tear down that wall' address, Biden's was more like the speech given by Winston Churchill ['s 'Iron Curtain' speech] in Fulton Missouri on March 5, 1946.... While Biden's speech was significant because it addressed a geopolitical shift with long-term consequences for the world -- and while it clarified the starkness of the divide in America between Biden's party and his opponents who have defended Putin and attacked democracy themselves -- it also underscored the president's deep sense of urgency concerning the crisis in Ukraine.... More broadly, [Biden] defined the struggle of the moment as 'a new great battle for freedom: a battle between democracy and autocracy, between liberty and repression, between rules-based order and one governed by brute force.'" Firewalled.

Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is demanding that the United States and its allies send more weapons and ratchet up sanctions, portraying some leaders as timid in the face of Russian aggression. His escalation of criticism comes one day after President Biden extemporaneously declared that ... Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power.'... In a[n] ... interview with the Economist, Zelensky asserted that some countries had drawn a red line at sending more offensive weapons to Ukraine 'because they are afraid of Russia. And that's it. And those who say it first are the first to be afraid.'... He called for a full embargo on Russian oil and gas exports rather than what he called 'incomplete' sanctions. 'We are not guinea pigs to be experimented on.'" An AP story is here.

Andrew Kramer of the New York Times on how the Motion Picture Academy handled Russia's war on Ukraine. For one thing, they denied President Volodymyr Zelensky, a former entertainer, an opportunity to speak. The show did call on views to contribute to humanitarian efforts. MB: All in all, a failure, IMO, on the part of an organization representing an industry infamous for glorifying war & violence. Not that Will Smith's slapping & cursing Chris Rock wasn't more fun than giving Zelensky a platform for peace. (See also Infotainment.)

Anton Troianovski & Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: "President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine gave a 90-minute-long Zoom interview on Sunday to four prominent journalists from Russia.... Hours later, the Kremlin ... notified the Russian news media 'of the necessity to refrain from publishing this interview.' Journalists based outside Russia published it anyway. Those still inside Russia did not. The episode laid bare the extraordinary, and partly successful, efforts at censorship being undertaken in Russia by ... Vladimir V. Putin's government as his bloody invasion of Ukraine enters its second month, along with Mr. Zelensky's attempts to circumvent that censorship and reach the public directly."

Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post: "Russia effectively shut down the Russian-language Radio Free Europe by imposing huge fines & initiating bankruptcy proceedings against the service. BUT. "In the first three weeks after the invasion, page views from Russia to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sites skyrocketed to 26 million, more than 50 percent more than an earlier corresponding period. Video views from Russia to their YouTube channels more than tripled to 237 million. And this was happening despite sites being blocked within Russia.... Many listeners and viewers are getting around Russia's media barricades through the use of VPNs (virtual private networks) and 'mirror sites' that duplicate content but use a different URL."

Trump Still Admires Dictators. Nina Golgowski of the Huffington Post: "... Donald Trump doubled down on his past praise of Vladimir Putin on Saturday, calling the Russian president 'smart' but describing his invasion of Ukraine as 'a big mistake.' 'They ask me if Putin was smart. Yes, Putin was smart,' Trump said at a rally in Commerce, Georgia, before adding that he was surprised by Putin's decision to start a war.... Trump on Saturday also called Chinese leader Xi Jinping 'smart.' 'He runs 1.5 billion people with an iron fist. Yeah, I think he's pretty smart.'..."

E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post: "By offering [Judge Ketanji Brown] Jackson at least a respectful hearing, Republican senators could have taken a step toward easing the legitimacy crisis the Supreme Court confronts because of the GOP's relentless packing of the nation's highest judicial body.... And by avoiding the racial tropes they trotted out ... the Republicans could have shown they mean what they say about judging people by 'the content of their character.'... What conservatives don't want to acknowledge is how much damage they have already done by taking control of the court through the raw exercise of political power. Beginning with the blockade of Merrick Garland;s nomination in 2016 and culminating in the rushed confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett just days before the 2020 election, Republicans have sent the message that ... partisan manipulation is at the heart of the court's decision-making. The court's conservative justices have reinforced this view with rulings on voting rights, gerrymanders and campaign finance that are tilted to the benefit of Republicans, moneyed interests and voter suppression."

Christopher Falvelle & Julie Tate of the New York Times: Sen. Joe Manchin (DINO-Coal) "is now the single most important figure shaping the nation's energy and climate policy.... An examination by The New York Times offers a ... detailed portrait of the degree to which Mr. Manchin's business has been interwoven with his official actions. He created his business while a state lawmaker in anticipation of the Grant Town [power] plant, [which Manchin helped develop, and] which has been the sole customer for his gob [-- a low-grade coal --] for the past 20 years.... At key moments over the years, Mr. Manchin used his political influence to benefit the plant [including facilitating rate increases for his constituents].... Several energy companies have held ownership stakes in the power plant, major corporations with interests far beyond West Virginia. At various points, those corporations have sought to influence the Senate, including legislation before committees on which Mr. Manchin sat, creating what ethics experts describe as a conflict of interest. As the pivotal vote in an evenly split Senate, Mr. Manchin has blocked legislation that would speed the country's transition to wind, solar and other clean energy and away from coal, oil and gas, the burning of which is dangerously heating the planet."

And They're Such Fine Fellows. Luke Broadwater & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol released a report on Sunday laying out reasons to charge two allies of ... Donald J. Trump with criminal contempt of Congress for their participation in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and their subsequent refusal to comply with the panel's subpoenas. In a 34-page report, the panel argued that the allies -- Peter Navarro, a former White House adviser, and Dan Scavino Jr., a former deputy chief of staff -- were closely involved in efforts to keep Mr. Trump in power even after he lost decisively at the polls. The committee is set to hold a public vote on whether to recommend the charges on Monday. A contempt of Congress charge carries a penalty of up to a year in jail. A recommendation from the panel would send the matter to the full House, which would then have to vote to refer the charge to the Justice Department." A CBS News report is here.

Why Would Anyone Quit Fox "News"? Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "'I'm fine with opinion: conservative opinion, liberal opinion,' [former 'Fox News Sunday' host Chris] Wallace said in his first extensive interview about his decision to leave. 'But when people start to question the truth -- Who won the 2020 election? Was Jan. 6 an insurrection? -- I found that unsustainable.'... Mr. Wallace also acknowledged that he felt a shift at Fox News in the months after Donald J. Trump's defeat in 2020 -- a period when the channel ended its 7 p.m. newscast, fired the political editor who helped project a Trump loss in Arizona on election night and promoted hosts like [Tucker] Carlson who downplayed the Jan. 6 riot. He confirmed reports that he was so alarmed by Mr. Carlson's documentary 'Patriot Purge' -- which falsely suggested the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a 'false flag' operation intended to demonize conservatives -- that he complained directly to Fox News management."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here: "As the White House pleads with Republicans in Congress for emergency aid to fight the coronavirus, the federal government said that a fund established to reimburse doctors for care for uninsured Covid patients was no longer accepting claims for testing and treatment 'due to lack of sufficient funds.' Some U.S. health care providers are informing uninsured people they can no longer be tested for the virus free of charge, and will have to pay for the service."

Beyond the Beltway

Nicholas Fandos & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors and the F.B.I. are investigating whether Lt. Gov. Brian A. Benjamin of New York played a role in an effort to funnel fraudulent contributions to his unsuccessful 2021 campaign for New York City comptroller, and have issued subpoenas to his campaign advisers and the State Senate. The inquiry stems from a federal indictment filed late last year charging a Harlem real estate investor, Gerald Migdol, with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and other crimes. Mr. Migdol, a longtime supporter of Mr. Benjamin's, was accused of orchestrating a plan to misrepresent or conceal dozens of illegal contributions to Mr. Benjamin's campaign. Mr. Benjamin has not been accused of wrongdoing, and he was not named in the indictment. But prosecutors from the Southern District of New York subsequently issued several grand jury subpoenas late last year seeking records from Mr. Benjamin's campaign committee, some of its paid staffers and firms consulting for the campaign...."