February 23, 2022
Afternoon Update:
Tasnim Ahmed & Aya Elamroussi of CNN: "Firearm deaths have overtaken car crashes are [as] the leading cause of death by trauma in the US, according to a new study. In 2017, there were 1.44 million years of potential life lost due to firearm deaths, edging out that of motor vehicle crashes (1.37 million years), according to the study published Tuesday in the journal Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open. And that trend continued in 2018. Those numbers are based on data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2009 and 2018, the most recent year for which data was [were!] available.
Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "... American Republicans view [Vladimir Putin] slightly more positively than they do leading Democratic officials. Between Putin and President Biden, it's a toss-up that leans in Putin's favor.... [Among Republicans,] Putin is viewed far less positively than is Trump -- but more positively than sitting Democratic leaders. Interestingly, only [President] Obama matches Putin's favorability among Republicans, certainly in part a function of his being out of office." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Here's a poll for you: Most Republicans are (a) reasonably intelligent; (b) somewhat stupid; (c) stupid; (d) very stupid; (e) extraordinarily stupid. Generally speaking, there can be no wrong answer in an opinion poll. This poll is the exception.
William Saletan, now of the Bulwark: "Eighty years ago, when a dictator rose to power in Europe and invaded his neighbors, he found an ally in the United States. The dictator was Adolf Hitler, and his ally was Charles Coughlin, a popular radio host. Coughlin belittled democracy, defended the Nazis, and opposed America's entry into the war, arguing that the movement to enlist the United States was a conspiracy on behalf of a sinister minority: Jews. Today, a new demagogue has taken up Coughlin's mantle: Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Like Coughlin, Carlson has spewed venom for years. And, like Coughlin, he has gradually made his treachery, nihilism, and bigotry unmistakable. To begin with, Carlson mocked the idea that rolling tanks into another country was wrong.... Carlson downplayed the putative moral differences between Russia, Ukraine, Canada, and the United States." MB: Yeah, TuKKKer, I'm now convinced the U.S. military should annex Ottawa, Toronto & Montreal.
The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here.
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The North Carolina attorney general's office says a constitutional prohibition on insurrectionists seeking federal office could be applied to GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn if a state board determines he aided or encouraged the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. In a late Monday court filing, state attorneys said a provision of the 14th Amendment -- disqualifying insurrectionists from holding federal office -- is not a defunct Civil War-era relic meant to apply only to former Confederates but a guard against future acts of insurrection. As a result, Cawthorn, who is fighting a challenge to his eligibility to run, could face that prohibition if the North Carolina State Board of Elections determines he meets the criteria, the state attorneys said." ~~~
~~~ Marie: If it works in North Carolina -- and it probably won't -- it could work elsewhere. Buh-bye, Jungle Gym Jordan.
Giulia Heyward & Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "The only trial to emerge from the nighttime police raid that killed Breonna Taylor began on Wednesday, but the case centers not on an officer who shot her, but rather on a former police detective accused of recklessly endangering her neighbors by firing into their apartment in Louisville, Ky. Brett Hankison, who was fired several months after the March 2020 raid, is facing three charges of wanton endangerment after firing 10 shots during the operation. The former chief of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department said that Mr. Hankison had fired 'blindly,' and that several bullets entered a neighbor's apartment, endangering the three people who were sleeping there: a pregnant woman, her husband and their 5-year-old child."
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The New York Times' live updates of developments in the Ukraine/Russia crisis are here. The Washington Post's live updates are here. The Guardian's live updates are here.
Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "The United States and its allies on Tuesday swiftly imposed economic sanctions on Russia for what President Biden denounced as the beginning of an 'invasion of Ukraine,' unveiling a set of coordinated punishments as Western officials confirmed that Russian forces had begun crossing the Ukrainian border. Speaking from the White House, Mr. Biden condemned President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and said the immediate consequences for his aggression against Ukraine included the loss of a key natural gas pipeline and cutting off global financing to two Russian banks and a handful of the country's elites. 'Who in the Lords name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belonged to his neighbors?' Mr. Biden said on Tuesday afternoon, joining a cascade of criticism from global leaders earlier in the day. 'This is a flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community.'" ~~~
~~~ Vladimir Isachenkov, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden announced the U.S. was ordering heavy financial sanctions against Russian banks and oligarchs on Tuesday, declaring that Moscow had flagrantly violated international law in what he called the 'beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.' 'None of us will be fooled' by Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims about Ukraine, the U.S. President said. And he said more sanctions could be on the way if Putin proceeds further." (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's report is here.
~~~ A transcript of the as-delivered speech, provided by the White House, is here.
Jeremy Herb, et al., of CNN: "US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva this week, he announced Tuesday, in the latest sign that diplomatic avenues with Russia over Ukraine are quickly closing. 'Now that we see the invasion is beginning and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go forward with that meeting at this time,' Blinken said at the State Department on Tuesday. 'I consulted with our allies and partners -- all agree.'"
The Resistance. Emma Graham-Harrison of the Guardian: "If Russian forces try to take new territory in Ukraine, they will face an army that is far smaller and less well equipped than their own but hardened by eight years of fighting. Nearly a decade of war has also left Ukraine with nearly half a million combat-experienced veterans, many now preparing to fight again, officially or unofficially. That combination, and the sheer size of Ukrainian territory, means that even if Russia can outgun Ukrainian forces on a conventional battlefield, any military clash could lead to a protracted and bloody partisan conflict."
Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "President Biden has interviewed at least three candidates for his Supreme Court nomination, a signal that he intends to fulfill his promise that he would choose a nominee by the end of the month.... The interviews began late last week, according to several people familiar with the process.... The White House emphasized on Tuesday that Mr. Biden had not made a decision but remained on track to make one before month's end." The three candidates whom the President interviewed were D.C. Appeals Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California State Supreme Court Justice Leondra R. Kruger, and federal District court Judge J. Michelle Childs.
John Wagner & Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "President Biden hosted a virtual event Tuesday with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), among others, to announce new domestic investments in minerals key to production of goods such as computers and household appliances. The afternoon event marked Biden's latest attempt to show his administration is addressing supply chain challenges that became more prevalent during the coronavirus pandemic and that Biden has blamed for inflation woes dogging his presidency -- a claim disputed by some economists.... Tuesday's event included multiple announcements...."
Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration on Tuesday said it found 'significant deficiencies' in a Trump-era environmental analysis of a controversial mining road that would cut through wilderness and Indigenous territory in northwest Alaska. The construction of Ambler Road is one of the most high-profile environmental issues in Alaska, as it would bring 211 miles of new road through one of the largest roadless areas in the country. The Interior Department said in a statement that the road proposal -- which includes about 50 miles of Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service land -- would cross the traditional homelands of Alaska Native communities including the Koyukon, Tanana Athabascans and Iñupiat peoples. In a federal court filing Tuesday, the administration asked the U.S. District Court for Alaska to send the permit approval back to the department so it can conduct a new environmental analysis. Interior said that it would suspend the right of way for the road while it carried out the new assessment 'to ensure that no ground-disturbing activity takes place that could potentially impact the resources in question.'"
Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday addressed for the first time the discovery of classified material in boxes of documents taken to ... Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, confirming the Justice Department has been in discussions with the National Archives about the matter but stopping short of promising a full investigation. Asked if the department would investigate how the boxes got to Mar-a-Lago, Garland said: 'As the archivist said in a letter that was sent to the Congress, the National Archives has informed the Justice Department of this and communicated with it. And we will do what we always do under these circumstances -- look at the facts and the law and take it from there.'"
Ashraf Khalil & and Lolita Baldor of the AP: "The Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 unarmed National Guard troops to the nation's capital as it prepares for trucker convoys that are planning protests against pandemic restrictions beginning next week. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the request Tuesday from the District of Columbia government and the U.S. Capitol Police, the Pentagon said in a statement Tuesday night. The troops would be used to assist with traffic control during demonstrations expected in the city in the coming days, the Pentagon said. Four hundred Guard members from the District of Columbia Guard will be joined by 300 Guard members from other states, according to the statement. Guard members will not carry firearms or take part in law enforcement or domestic-surveillance activities, the Pentagon said."
Senate Races. Rick Scott's Bright Idea: New Taxes for Poor People. Michael Rainey of Yahoo! Finance: "Senate Republican leaders have made it clear that they aren't interested in detailing their plans if they win control of Congress in the midterms elections.... Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, apparently has a different view. Scott has released an 11-point, 31-page plan laying out the conservative agenda.... The plan is heavy on culture war controversies and traditional right-wing talking points.... But Scott also proposes dramatic cuts to the federal government and calls for cutting the government workforce by 25% in five years.... Scott pairs his call for smaller government with a call for tax increases on millions of lower-income Americans.... 'Taken as a whole,' [the Washington Post's Jennifer] Rubin says, 'the agenda ... is ... a frightful expression of White grievance and contempt for the intelligence of voters. And it confirms what we have long suspected: Republicans don't lack an agenda; they're just shy about revealing how unpopular it is.'"
Many Americans may have shuddered & asked themselves in recent weeks, "What would Donald do?" about Russia's aggressive military threats to Ukraine. Well, the former American Traitor-in-Chief revealed his own aberrant thoughts Tuesday on Vlad the Invader's actions against Ukraine's eastern regions: ~~~
~~~ "This Is Genius." Ben Adler of Yahoo! News: "... Donald Trump on Tuesday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send Russian troops into Ukraine to support Russian-backed separatists in the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces. In an appearance on the right-wing talk radio program 'The Buck Sexton Show,' ... 'This is genius,' [Trump] said.... 'So Putin is now saying it's independent -- a large section of Ukraine. I said, how smart is that? And he's gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. We could use that on our southern border. That's the strongest peace force I've ever seen. There were more army tanks than I've ever seen. They're gonna keep peace, all right.'" MB: IOW, had he still been president*, Donald Trump's response to the Ukraine crisis would have been completely contrary to the best interests of the U.S., of Ukraine, of Europe and of Western liberal democracy. ~~~
~~~ AND Let's Ask Mikey. Michael Wilner of the Kansas City Star: "Of all the former secretaries of state under Democratic and Republican presidents, only one is taking to cable news and social media during a moment of peril in Europe to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin and chastise the Biden administration. Mike Pompeo has lauded the Russian strongman over the past month as a 'talented,' 'savvy,' 'capable statesman,' offering his praise during a slew of interviews after his political action committee spent $30,000 on improving his performance in media appearances. 'He is a very talented statesman. He has lots of gifts,' Pompeo told Fox News in January. 'He was a KGB agent, for goodness sakes. He knows how to use power. We should respect that.'... Pompeo has been visiting key primary states ahead of a potential run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024." Firewalled. ~~~
~~~ AND This Punk. Jake Thomas of Newsweek: "The Kansas City Star is accusing Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley of being a 'disgraceful voice of appeasement' in the run-up to Russia's invasion of eastern Ukraine. The Missouri-based regional newspaper on Tuesday published a withering editorial that placed Hawley among other conservative media and political figures who 'have demonstrated unseemly fealty' to Russia's autocratic president, Vladimir Putin. The editorial added, 'Few, though, have been as enthusiastic as our junior senator.'... 'His public two-step about the Russian threat -- amplified by countless tweets and television appearances -- has clearly provided aid and comfort to Putin and hard-liners in Russia,' reads the editorial." Both the Newsweek story & the KCS editorial are firewalled.
This Is Genius. Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump, a longtime critic of how Democrats debuted Healthcare.gov, is facing a bungled website launch of his own. His long-promised social network, Truth Social, has been almost entirely inaccessible in the first days of its grand debut because of technical glitches, a 13-hour outage and a 300,000-person waitlist.... The site had been heralded for months as the crown jewel of Trump's post-presidential business ambitions, with allies pledging it would revolutionize social media and take down the mainstream social networks where Trump is banned.... The site's early struggles also have fueled doubts that Trump's company will be able to handle tougher long-term challenges, such as policing for dangerous content and guarding against cyberattacks.... The site's problems extend beyond its waitlist: Its logo -- a broken capital 'T' with a period -- is identical to the logo of Trailar, a British seller of truck solar panels." ~~~
~~~ Marie: For someone with a Very Good Brain, it's odd that everything he touches turns to crap.
Fuhgeddaboudit. John Kruzel of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away an appeal by former President Trump in his dispute with congressional investigators who have sought access to Trump-era records as part of a House panel's investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The court's move, which came in a brief unsigned order issued without comment, comes after the justices denied Trump's emergency request to block the transfer of his White House records from the National Archives to the House select committee, a process that began last month. Tuesday's development formally ends Trump's legal effort to stymie lawmakers' efforts to obtain a batch of schedules, call logs, emails and other requested documents that the committee says could illuminate key circumstances surrounding the deadly Capitol riot." (Also linked yesterday.)
Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Donald Trump's former attorney Rudy Giuliani is expected to cooperate with the House select committee investigating January 6, and potentially reveal his contacts with Republican members of Congress involved in the former president's effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The move by Giuliani to appear before the panel -- in a cooperation deal that could be agreed within weeks, according to two sources briefed on negotiations -- could mark a breakthrough moment for the inquiry.... Broadly, Giuliani has indicated through his lawyer to the select committee that he will produce documents and answer questions about Trump's schemes to return himself to office on 6 January that House investigators had outlined in a subpoena issued to him last month." ~~~
~~~ Rudy's Last Hurrah? Marie: I'd guess that Rudy, who never saw a mic that didn't attract him (even if it was in a landscaping company parking lot), is missing all the attention he got while perpetuating the Big Lie and wants to star in anticipated public hearings.
Ian Millhiser of Vox: :In the past few years, the Supreme Court danced around the question of whether religious conservatives have a constitutional right to violate anti-discrimination laws -- and specifically laws prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ people. Now, it appears ready to come out and say that at least some businesses have a constitutional right to discriminate. On Tuesday, the Court announced that it will hear 303 Creative v. Elenis, a case that is likely to give at least some businesses a right to openly refuse services to LGBTQ customers.... 303 Creative ... involves a web design company owned by a woman named Lorie Smith, who refuses to create websites celebrating same-sex weddings. She claims that 'doing that would compromise my Christian witness and tell a story about marriage that contradicts God's true story of marriage.'... She wants the Supreme Court to give her license to design wedding websites for opposite-sex couples -- and only for opposite-sex couples.... At the very least, 303 Creative could give people in creative professions a sweeping new right to discriminate."
Danny Hakim & Jo Becker in the New York Times Magazine on how Ginni & Clarence Thomas are working to turn the country to the far-right. "Ginni Thomas insists ... that she and her husband operate in 'separate professional lanes,' but those lanes in fact merge with notable frequency. For the three decades he has sat on the Supreme Court, they have worked in tandem from the bench and the political trenches to take aim at targets like Roe v. Wade and affirmative action. Together they believe that 'America is in a vicious battle for its founding principles,' as Ginni Thomas has put it. Her views, once seen as on the fringe, have come to dominate the Republican Party."
Andrew Das of the New York Times: "A six-year fight over equal pay that had pitted key members of the World Cup-winning United States women's soccer team against their sport's national governing body ended on Tuesday morning with a settlement that included a multimillion-dollar payment to the players and a promise by their federation to equalize pay between the men's and women's national teams. Under the terms of the agreement, the athletes -- a group consisting of several dozen current and former women's national team players -- will share $24 million in payments from the federation, U.S. Soccer. The bulk of that figure is back pay, a tacit admission that compensation for the men's and women's teams had been unequal for years." (Also linked yesterday.)
Bill Pennington of the New York Times: "Phil Mickelson on Tuesday said he regretted his recent comments in support of a breakaway golf tour backed by Saudi Arabia and suggested he might take a leave from the golf course.... In an interview for an unauthorized biography to be released in May, Mickelson told the journalist Alan Shipnuck, the book's author, that he knew of the kingdom's 'horrible record on human rights,' but said he was willing to help the new league because it was a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' to dramatically increase the income of PGA Tour players. In a story posted last week on The Firepit Collective, a golf website, Shipnuck quoted Mickelson, a six-time major golf champion, as saying the Saudi authorities were 'scary' and using a profanity to describe them.... Mickelson's comments spurred a vociferous backlash from the highest-ranking players on the PGA Tour, almost all of whom have publicly rebuffed the new, alternative league." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Pro golfers may have realized that working for a murderous kingdom was beneath them. But that has not occurred to well-known scumbag entrepreneur Donald J. Trump (WashPo link).
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments are here.
The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times' live Covid-19 updates for Tuesday are here.
New Zealand. Pete McKenzie of the New York Times: "Hundreds of demonstrators opposed to New Zealand's Covid-19 vaccine mandate are in their third week of encampment in Wellington[, the capital], erecting tents, illegally parking vehicles and establishing communal kitchens and toilets in a deliberate echo of the Canadian siege. Initially, the New Zealand occupation had a carnival atmosphere, with a popcorn stand and a doughnut truck and a number of children brought in by their parents. New Zealanders joked that it was the country's only Omicron-era music festival.... In recent days, however, after the police moved to evict some protesters, the demonstration has grown more violent. On Monday, protesters threw feces at the police. On Tuesday, a driver tried to ram a car into a large group of officers, and three other members of the force required medical attention after protesters sprayed them with what a police statement called a 'stinging substance.'"
Beyond the Beltway
Georgia. Russ Bynum of the AP: "The three men convicted of murder in Ahmaud Arbery's fatal shooting were found guilty of federal hate crimes Tuesday for violating Arbery's civil rights and targeting him because he was Black. The jury reached its decision after several hours of deliberation on the charges against father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and neighbor William 'Roddie' Bryan. During the trial, prosecutors showed roughly two dozen text messages and social media posts in which Travis McMichael and Bryan used racist slurs and made derogatory comments about Black people. The FBI wasn't able to access Greg McMichael's phone because it was encrypted. The McMichaels grabbed guns and jumped in a pickup truck to pursue Arbery after seeing him running in their neighborhood outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick in February 2020. Bryan joined the pursuit in his own pickup and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael fatally shooting Arbery." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times report is here.
Kentucky. Joe Drape of the New York Times: "Medina Spirit is no longer the winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The colt, who died unexpectedly in December, was officially disqualified by Kentucky racing officials on Monday for failing a drug test after winning the race.... The ruling also erased the Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's seventh Kentucky Derby victory, which had been a record. In addition, Baffert was suspended for 90 days beginning March 8 and fined $7,500." (Also linked yesterday.)
Michigan/Wisconsin. Adam Zagoria of the New York Times: "After slapping an assistant coach for the Wisconsin men's basketball team in the head in the handshake line after his team's loss on Sunday, Michigan Coach Juwan Howard was suspended for five games -- the remainder of the regular season -- and fined $40,000, the Big Ten Conference announced on Monday. He will be eligible to return for the conference tournament. In a statement on Monday, Howard apologized for the first time. 'After taking time to reflect on all that happened, I realize how unacceptable both my actions and words were, and how they affected so many,' Howard said in the statement. 'I am truly sorry.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Minnesota. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "... jurors on Wednesday will begin deliberating whether any of the three officers [involved in the murder of George Floyd] -- Tou Thao, 36; J. Alexander Kueng, 28; and Thomas Lane, 38 -- are guilty of violating Mr. Floyd's civil rights."