The Commentariat -- August 2, 2021

Afternoon Update:

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

Lateshia Beachum of the Washington Post: "Former presiden Barack Obama will join the sexagenarian club with an outdoor birthday bash on Martha's Vineyard this weekend as the delta variant spreads among the nation's unvaccinated, leading to the renewal of coronavirus safety protocols. The Obamas are asking that guests be vaccinated and get coronavirus tests, news reports say. The birthday party comes shortly after Massachusetts tweaked its face-covering guidelines for indoor settings per federal recommendations and after a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study showed that three-quarters of people infected during a coronavirus outbreak in Provincetown, Mass., charged by the delta variant were fully vaccinated." An Independent story, republished in Yahoo! News, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Alex Gangitano of the Hill: "President Biden will not be attending former President Obama's 60th birthday party on Martha's Vineyard, a White House official confirmed."

Elinor Aspegren & Steven Vargas of USA Today: "Florida on Sunday \broke its record for coronavirus hospitalizations a day after the state recorded the most daily COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic in early 2020. More than 10,200 people in Florida are hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to data reported to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The previous record of 10,170 hospitalizations was from July 23, 2020, more than a half-year before vaccinations started becoming widespread, according to the Florida Hospital Association. Florida leads the nation in per capita hospitalizations for COVID-19." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This sort of makes sense. At a time of year when people in more northerly climes are going outside for their recreational activities, Floridians tend to stay inside more during the hottest, most humid months of the year.

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "When legal gurus and former prosecutors discuss a potential criminal investigation and indictment of ... Donald Trump concerning efforts to stage an insurrection, the biggest hurdle they cite is 'intent.'... Former House Intelligence Committee counsel Dan Goldman tells me, 'Trump's statements to [then-acting AG Jeffrey] Rosen, [his deputy Richard] Donoghue -- and likely others -- demonstrate that he knew he did not have true concerns about the legitimacy of the election but he simply wanted to corruptly overturn it without any factual basis.' Goldman explains, 'By asking DOJ to lie so he and the Republican congressmen can use the lie to reverse the outcome of the election, Trump plainly intended to corruptly overturn the election....'... Through his admission in his conversation with the Justice Department attorneys 'that he's very familiar with what is on the Internet, Trump helps prosecutors show that he knew of [the insurrections'] plans when he incited the crowd to 'fight' and go to the Capitol on January 6....'... As constitutional scholar Laurence H. Tribe tells me, 'Everything he said and did after that Dec. 27 conversation [with Rosen], including strong-arming [Georgia Secretary of State Brad] Raffensperger and pressuring [Vice President Mike] Pence, appears in a different and more damning light.'"

Rick Hasen says that Jane Mayer's New Yorker article on "The Big Money Behind the Big Lie" is a must-read. Marie: I can't access it, but Hasen has the link.

Nobody's ever seen a number like this! -- Donald Trump, on the GDP, at a rally in October 2020 ~~~

~~~ John Wright of the Raw Story: "Across Trump's four years in office, the nation recorded its lowest overall rate of GDP growth -- at 1.6 percent -- since President Herbert Hoover's administration during the Great Depression, according to a new report from Bloomberg.... Noting that the comparison may seem unfair due to the COVID-19 pandemic, [Bloomberg writer Justin] Fox tried adjusting the GDP numbers backward and forward by one quarter. He also averaged them with another key indicator -- gross domestic income -- and corrected them for population growth, but things didn't get much better for Trump, who remained at or near the bottom of the pack."

Haiti. Anatoly Kurmanaev of the New York Times: "A judge and two court clerks who collected evidence for the investigation into the killing of President Jovenel Moïse said in interviews and in formal complaints to the prosecutors' office that unknown callers and visitors had pressured them to modify witnesses' sworn statements. If they failed to comply, they were told, they could 'expect a bullet in your head.' Their requests for help from the authorities were ignored, said the clerks, Marcelin Valentin and Waky Philostène; and the justice of the peace, Carl Henry Destin, leaving their lives at risk. The threats also further jeopardized an investigation that experts claim had been marred from the start by irregularities -- and which many Haitians fear will not reveal the truth about the killing, despite vows by the country's current leaders to enact swift justice."

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Matthew Lee of the AP: "The Biden administration on Monday expanded its efforts to evacuate at-risk Afghan citizens from Afghanistan as Taliban violence increases ahead there of the U.S. military pullout at the end of the month. The State Department said it is widening the scope of Afghans eligible for refugee status in United States to include current and former employees of U.S.-based news organizations, U.S.-based aid and development agencies and other relief groups that receive U.S. funding. Current and former employees of the U.S. government and the NATO military operation who don't meet the criteria for a dedicated program for such workers are also covered. The State Department said the move will mean that 'many thousands' of Afghans and their immediate families will now have the opportunity to be permanently resettled in the U.S. as refugees."

Myah Ward of Politico (July 30): "The Biden administration on Friday resumed fast-track deportation flights to Central America following another spike in families crossing the border into the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The administration announced plans to resume the expedited removals on Monday, responding to building pressure on the White House to increase enforcement at the Southern border as the Covid Delta variant spreads in Texas and across the U.S. 'Families apprehended by Customs and Border Protection were removed via U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Air Operations to their home countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras,' a statement from the Department of Homeland Security said. 'The expedited removal process is a lawful means to securely manage our border, and it is a step toward our broader aim to realize safe and orderly immigration processing.'"

Carol Davenport, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's battle against climate science -- his appointees undermined federal studies, fired scientists and drove many experts to quit or retire continues to reverberate six months into the Biden administration. From the Agriculture Department to the Pentagon to the National Park Service, hundreds of jobs in climate and environmental science across the federal government remain vacant. Scientists and climate policy experts who quit have not returned. Recruitment is suffering, according to federal employees, as government science jobs are no longer viewed as insulated from politics. And money from Congress to replenish the ranks could be years away. The result is that President Biden's ambitious plans to confront climate change are hampered by a brain drain."

Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats and Republicans unveiled on Sunday a roughly $1 trillion proposal to improve the country's roads, bridges, pipes, ports and Internet connections, setting in motion a long-awaited debate in the chamber to enact one of President Biden's economic policy priorities. The package arrives after weeks of haggling among a bipartisan bloc of lawmakers, who muscled through late-night fights and near-collapses to transform their initial blueprint into a roughly 2,700-page piece of legislation. The fate of their labors now rests in the Senate, where proponents of infrastructure reform have little margin for error as they race to adopt the sort of bill that has eluded them for years. Virtually no part of the U.S. economy is untouched by the plan chiefly put together by Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). Roughly half of its $1 trillion overall price tag constitutes new federal spending, with the rest coming from existing, planned investments in the country's roads, highways and bridges, according to details released in recent days by lawmakers and the White House, which supports the proposal." The AP's report is here.

Julia Cherner & Davone Morales of ABC News: "Rep. Adam Kinzinger [R] said Sunday he supports issuing subpoenas to anyone who has information about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and what action ... Donald Trump took -- even members of his own party, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. 'I would support subpoenas to anybody that can shed light on that, if that's the leader that's the leader,' Kinzinger told ABC 'This Week' co-anchor Jonathan Karl. 'Anybody with parts of that information, with inside knowledge, can probably expect to be talking to the committee.' 'I would expect to see a significant number of subpoenas for a lot of people, Kinzinger added."

Moron Thinks Battering Elderly Grandma with Oversized Wooden Hammer Is Funny. Dominick Mastrangelo of the Hill: :House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) joked over the weekend that it would be hard for him not to hit Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.) with a gavel if the GOP wins control of the lower chamber in next year's midterm elections. At a dinner on Saturday evening, members of Tennessee's Republican congressional delegation gave McCarthy an oversized gavel with the words 'Fire Pelosi' on it." ~~~

     ~~~ Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Several Democrats are calling on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to apologize or resign after he said it would 'be hard not to hit' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) with the gavel if he becomes speaker.... Democrats immediately denounced McCarthy's remarks as misogynistic,' 'disgraceful' and 'no laughing matter,' especially given that Pelosi was a target of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Several Democrats demanded that McCarthy apologize, while others -- including Reps. Eric Swalwell and Ted Lieu of California -- said McCarthy should resign, linking such rhetoric to the political violence that was on display Jan. 6." ~~~

     ~~~ McCarthy Promotes Violence Against Women. Dean Obeidallah in a CNN opinion piece: "Nothing like joking about wanting to hit a woman to get some GOP donors laughing. After all, this is the same GOP that mostly still loves Trump -- a man who himself has been accused of abuse of women (he calls his accusers 'liars') and who has defended other men accused of abusive behavior. McCarthy joking about hitting a woman is even more despicable given that he did not vote in March with his 29 fellow House Republicans to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act designed to protect women from domestic violence. McCarthy's message seems to be that it's OK to vote against laws to protect women from violence and then joke about hitting them.... In Tennessee, where McCarthy spoke Saturday night, shockingly nearly 40% of women 'experience intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner rape and/or intimate partner stalking in their lifetimes.'"

Stephen Collinson of CNN: Donald Trump's "huge war chest, nearly all amassed within six months of leaving office, was built on his ravenous calls for cash from supporters bought into his delusional lie that the 2020 election was stolen. It is the latest sign, along with trips to win his favor by GOP candidates and his party's incessant efforts to wipe the history of his crimes against the Constitution, that Trump's threat to basic political freedoms is far from over.... He has made acceptance of his massive election confidence trick the entry point for many Republican candidates seeking his valuable endorsement in the midterm elections next year. The House Republican Party has become a vassal for his extremism, including with its absurd, whitewashing claim that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, rather than Trump, was responsible for the worst attack on the US Capitol in 200 years.... If anything, the peril [Trump] poses to democracy has grown in the last six months, as much of the Republican Party itself has turned against cherished bedrock political values."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Oklahoma. Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "On Friday, John Bennett, the chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, posted on the group's Facebook page and made a striking comparison: Private companies requiring employees to get the vaccine, he said, are just as bad as the Nazis forcing Jews to sew the yellow Star of David onto their clothes. 'Those who don't KNOW history, are DOOMED to repeat it,' read the caption, below an image of the Star of David patch with 'Unvaccinated' written across the top.... The post triggered swift condemnations from top state Republicans and Jewish organizations in Oklahoma. But on Sunday, Bennett doubled down on his comments in a nearly seven-minute video he shared to the party's Facebook page.... [Bennett, formerly a state legislator,] has a history of making hateful comments, specifically about Muslims, according to the Oklahoman."

Tennessee. Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "A Tennessee legislator who went from unmasked gatherings with fellow legislators to being placed on ventilator days later has emerged with a message for constituents after a harrowing eight-month experience with long-haul covid-19: Take the coronavirus seriously....State Rep. David Byrd (R)..., 63, described an ordeal that included 55 days on a ventilator in which covid-19 ravaged his memory, his muscles and his organs -- it led to him having a liver transplant in June; his condition was so grave that his family at least once began planning for his funeral. Stressing that covid-19 is real and 'very dangerous,' Byrd encouraged people to get vaccinated.... Before Byrd became ill around Thanksgiving, his attitude about the novel coronavirus, which can cause the disease covid-19, included a June 2020 vote for a resolution that accused the 'mainstream media' of sensationalizing pandemic coverage." This story is free to nonsubscribers. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Once again, a Republican has to be directly affected by a well-publicized condition before he notices it's real. Had Bryd had a mild case, he would be pooh-poohing the virus. He's just another Anecdotal Man, a lunkhead who can't see beyond the nose on his face.

Australia. Rachel Pannett of the Washington Post: "Rupert Murdoch's Sky News Australia has been banned from posting new videos and live-streaming on YouTube for a week after violating the platform's policies by sharing clips that allegedly spread misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic. The ban comes amid growing concern among some Australian political and media commentators about the way in which the once-niche pay TV station, which some have called the 'Fox News of Australia,' has expanded its reach on social media by adopting methods that have helped make the Murdoch-controlled Fox News successful in the United States. These include featuring some right-wing personalities that discourage viewers from taking the coronavirus threat seriously."

Canada. Andrea Salcedo of the Washington Post: "Before two passengers flew from the United States to Toronto last month, they submitted required copies of their vaccination cards and negative coronavirus test results to a portal reviewed by Canadian authorities. But it wasn't until they arrived in Canada the week of July 18 that officials discovered the documents the pair presented were fraudulent.... Now, each passenger must pay fines totaling nearly $16,000 (about $20,000 Canadian) for submitting 'false documentation' and failing to comply with quarantine and testing requirements.... Both travelers were Canadian citizens, the country's health agency told Newsweek in an email."

Beyond the Beltway

California. Carol Pogash of the New York Times (July 29): "A California court this week ruled that Works Progress Administration frescoes depicting the life of George Washington cannot be removed from a local high school without an environmental review, thwarting the San Francisco Board of Education's plans to cover up the hotly debated artwork. Painted in the 1930s by Victor Arnautoff, a onetime assistant to Diego Rivera, the 'Life of Washington' murals dominate the entryway to the school and have been the subject of debate for years. Critics, including parents and students, have said that high school students should not be forced to see the racism in the murals' portrayal of enslaved African Americans and Native Americans. They wanted the frescoes painted over. Mural supporters, who included art historians, said that destroying them would be equivalent to book burning." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: To me, there's an easy solution. Since the work is a fresco, it can't be removed easily from the school & put someplace else. But art is art, and it's a reflection of cultural history, whether good, bad or indifferent. So if this work of art is sufficiently offensive to those who have no choice but to view it regularly, cover it up and allow viewings once or several times a year during non-school hours. Is that so difficult? BTW, this weekend, the WashPo ran a story on the enduring popularity of Bob Ross, the PBS "artist" who died in 1995. I find his "teaching" offensive because it's such awful stuff and completely misleads viewers about what art is and about how to paint landscapes. My local station still carries his shows. If PBS, to whom I very occasionally make generous contributons, ever asks me about Bob -- and the network has not -- I'll tell them what I think. In the meantime, the solution to my "problem" is to not watch the shows.

Way Beyond

Germany. Andrew Jeong of the Washington Post: "A 100-year-old man who allegedly served as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp during World War II will stand trial in October for alleged complicity in the murder of over 3,500 people during the conflict, German media reported Sunday. German prosecutors in February charged the man. who hasn't been identified by authorities due to the country's privacy laws, for being an accessory to murder. He is accused of working at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, located roughly 20 miles north of Berlin, from 1942 to 1945, according to the Welt Am Sonntag newspaper. (The camp held 11,000 Jewish prisoners in 1945.)"

Japan. The New York Times' live Olympics games updates Sunday are here. ~~~

~~~ Guardian & Agencies: "The Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya has called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to intercede after claiming her criticisms of the national team's coaches have led to her being dropped from the team and taken, against her wishes, to Tokyo airport. Tsimanouskaya, who was due to compete in the women's 200m on Monday, told Reuters she did not plan to return to her country, adding that she had sought the protection of Japanese police at Haneda airport on Sunday so that she would not have to board the flight. 'I will not return to Belarus,' the 24-year-old athlete told Reuters in a message over Telegram.... She also asked the IOC to step in, saying she was in danger of being bundled out of Japan." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Graham Dunbar of the AP: "A Belarusian Olympic sprinter plans to seek asylum in Poland after alleging that officials tried to force her home, where she feared for her safety, an activist group said Monday. Athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is applying for a visa at the Polish embassy in Tokyo, according to Vadim Krivosheyev, of the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation. He told The Associated Press that the group has bought her a plane ticket to Warsaw for Aug. 4.... Many critics of Belarus' government have fled to Poland. Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said on Twitter that Tsimanouskaya has been offered a 'humanitarian visa and is free to pursue her sporting career in Poland if she so chooses.'"

The Commentariat -- August 1, 2021

Karen DeYoung & Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration announced Friday that it will impose further sanctions on elements of the Cuban government over the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations earlier this month, as President Biden sought ways to help activists communicate freely and receive financial help from abroad. The Treasury Department announced penalties on two security officials and a police unit that the Biden administration blames for attempts to harm or silence protesters." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Sophie Kasakove of the New York Times: "For almost a year, a federal moratorium on evictions allowed tenants who suffered economic losses from the coronavirus pandemic to stay in their homes. Now, the moratorium's scheduled expiration at midnight on Saturday has left renters around the country packing their belongings and facing an uncertain future as they search for housing options. Already, homeless shelters have been adding beds in preparation for an influx of people in need of a safe place to live.... The protections were extended several times but also had a catch: Rent payments were delayed, not forgiven..... Through June, however, local governments had distributed just $3 billion of the nearly $47 billion in rental assistance that Congress made available, according to the Treasury Department." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Through a Glass Darkly. Lisa Lerer & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "In the hours and days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, rattled Republican lawmakers knew exactly who was to blame: Donald J. Trump.... By spring, however, after nearly 200 congressional Republicans had voted to clear Mr. Trump during a second impeachment proceeding, the conservative fringes of the party had already begun to rewrite history, describing the Capitol riot as a peaceful protest and comparing the invading mob to a 'normal tourist visit,' as one congressman put it. This past week, amid the emotional testimony of police officers at the first hearing of a House select committee, Republicans completed their journey through the looking-glass, spinning a new counternarrative of that deadly day. No longer content to absolve Mr. Trump, they concocted a version of events in which those accused of rioting were patriotic political prisoners and Speaker Nancy Pelosi was to blame for the violence.... Even with Mr. Trump gone from the White House, many Republicans have little intention of abandoning the prevarication that was a hallmark of his presidency."

Trump Uses Big Lie to Excuse Plot to Overturn Election. Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Donald Trump insisted on Saturday that when he told senior justice department officials to 'Just say that the election was corrupt [and] leave the rest to me', he was not attempting to subvert US democracy, but to 'uphold the integrity and honesty of elections and the sanctity of our vote'.... The documents released, he claimed, 'were meant to uphold the integrity and honesty of elections and the sanctity of our vote --- it is time for Congress and others to investigate how such corruption was allowed to take place rather than investigating those that are exposing this massive fraud on the American people'."

In the Words of an Aspiring Dictator. On behalf of the millions of men and women who share my outrage and want me to continue to fight for the truth, I am grateful for your support. -- Donald Trump, in a statement ~~~

~~~ The Big Grifter Keeps on Griftin'. Alex Isenstadt & Meridith McGraw of Politico: "... Donald Trump's political committees raised $82 million during the first half of 2021 and have $102 million in the bank, according to federal filings to be made public Saturday evening." The story goes on to explain how Trump separates the marks from their money. A New York Times story is here. ~~~

~~~ How the Big Grifter Self-Deals. Isaac Stanley-Becker & David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: Donald Trump's Save America PAC "sent at least $68,000 to the Trump Hotel Collection, showing how the real estate mogul -- long after ending his presidential campaign and leaving office -- continues to use donor money at his own properties. Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, separately spent $2,200 at Trump properties so far this year, according to a filing by the committee. And a Trump-backed PAC overseen by Corey Lewandowski, his 2016 campaign manager, paid $21,810 to rent space at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, according to that group's filing. These are small sums compared to the kind of spending Trump did at his properties on the campaign trail and in the Oval Office. But they stand out because of the relatively little spending Trump has done from his post-presidency war chest. Since Trump entered the presidential race in June 2015, he has used his political campaigns and associated committees to pump more than $19 million into his own businesses, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal campaign-finance records."

~~~ Here's Dolly Parton explaining what inspired her to write "I Will Always Love You," and then singing the song. ~~~

~~~ Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "In a catalogue that runs deep with hits, 'I Will Always Love You' stands as one of Dolly Parton's most successful songwriting credits, a tune that became a global phenomenon when it was covered by Whitney Houston for the 1992 film 'The Bodyguard.' Parton, who is estimated to have earned millions of dollars in royalties for writing the song in 1973, revealed this week how she spent her money from the songwriting credit for Houston, who died in 2012: She invested in a building located in a historically Black Nashville neighborhood. 'I bought my big office complex down in Nashville, and so I thought, "Well, this is a wonderful place to be,"' Parton said Thursday during a wide-ranging interview on Bravo's 'Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.'... She added, 'I love the fact that I spent that money on a complex and I think, "This is the house that Whitney built."'"

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Killing Their Constituents to Thwart Biden. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Not only are Republicans resisting Mr. Biden's push to end the pandemic, some of them are actively hampering it. Republican governors slow-walked vaccination efforts and lifted mask mandates early. In Washington, G.O.P. leaders like Steve Scalise, the second-ranking House Republican -- who himself didn't get vaccinated until about two weeks ago -- mocked public health guidance that even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors as 'government control.' There's little Mr. Biden can do." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Chris Velazco & Geoffrey Fowler of the Washington Post: "Like it or not, there's a real chance that somewhere you want to go will ask to see proof of your shots.... There is a growing number of ways to store your vaccination record on your smartphone, though unfortunately no be-all-end-all app or system. We're here to make sense of how different options approach your privacy, ensure security and try to spot counterfeits."

Florida. Rich McKay of Reuters (republished in AOL): "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on Friday blocking mask mandates in the state's schools, saying parents had the right to decide if their children would wear face coverings. The move by DeSantis, a Republican who has opposed strict COVID-19 rules on residents and businesses, overrules a requirement by two Florida counties, Broward and Gadsen, that students cover their faces when they return to class next month. 'In Florida, there will be no lockdowns, there will be no school closures, there will be no restrictions and no mandates in the state of Florida,' DeSantis said in announcing his executive order during a speech in southwest Cape Coral." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ David Neal of the Miami Herald: "Saturday, the state of Florida reported more new COVID-19 cases to the Centers for Disease Control than any previous day in the coronavirus pandemic: 21,683. That's a 12.1% jump over the previous record, Jan. 7's 19,334 cases during the worst month of the pandemic. Daily case counts routinely surpassed 10,000 as the pandemic peaked a second time. In the succeeding months, daily case counts returned to 2,000 and 8,000. The last half of July looks like the start of Florida's third COVID-19 peak, as the case numbers reported Thursday (17,093), Friday (17,589) and Saturday mix in with Jan. 6-8 to comprise the top six individual case count days." The article is free to nonsubscribers.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Japan. The New York Times' Olympics updates for Saturday are here. The Washington Post's live Olympics updates for Saturday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Commentariat -- July 31, 2021

Late Morning Update:

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

Killing Their Constituents to Thwart Biden. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Not only are Republicans resisting Mr. Biden's push to end the pandemic, some of them are actively hampering it. Republican governors slow-walked vaccination efforts and lifted mask mandates early. In Washington, G.O.P. leaders like Steve Scalise, the second-ranking House Republican -- who himself didn't get vaccinated until about two weeks ago -- mocked public health guidance that even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors as 'government control.' There's little Mr. Biden can do."

Florida. Rich McKay of Reuters (republished in AOL): "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on Friday blocking mask mandates in the state's schools, saying parents had the right to decide if their children would wear face coverings. The move by DeSantis, a Republican who has opposed strict COVID-19 rules on residents and businesses, overrules a requirement by two Florida counties, Broward and Gadsen, that students cover their faces when they return to class next month. 'In Florida, there will be no lockdowns, there will be no school closures, there will be no restrictions and no mandates in the state of Florida,' DeSantis said in announcing his executive order during a speech in southwest Cape Coral."

Sophie Kasakove of the New York Times: "For almost a year, a federal moratorium on evictions allowed tenants who suffered economic losses from the coronavirus pandemic to stay in their homes. Now, the moratorium's scheduled expiration at midnight on Saturday has left renters around the country packing their belongings and facing an uncertain future as they search for housing options. Already, homeless shelters have been adding beds in preparation for an influx of people in need of a safe place to live.... The protections were extended several times but also had a catch: Rent payments were delayed, not forgiven..... Through June, however, local governments had distributed just $3 billion of the nearly $47 billion in rental assistance that Congress made available, according to the Treasury Department."

Karen DeYoung & Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration announced Friday that it will impose further sanctions on elements of the Cuban government over the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations earlier this month, as President Biden sought ways to help activists communicate freely and receive financial help from abroad. The Treasury Department announced penalties on two security officials and a police unit that the Biden administration blames for attempts to harm or silence protesters."

The New York Times' Olympics updates for Saturday are here. The Washington Post's live Olympics updates for Saturday are here.

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Maeve Sheehey of Politico: "Attorney General Merrick Garland urged Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to reverse his day-old executive order that aims to restrict migration at the border following a rise in Covid-19 cases. The attorney general called Abbott's order 'both dangerous and unlawful' in a Thursday letter to the governor. 'The Order violates federal law in numerous respects, and Texas cannot lawfully enforce the Executive Order against any federal official or private parties working with the United States,' Garland wrote.... Garland's letter also said Texas does not have authority to interfere with the federal government's 'broad, undoubted power over the subject of immigration.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Katie Benner of the New York Times: "The Justice Department sued Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Friday in an effort to block an executive order that severely limits the transportation of migrants in the state, calling the order unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed a day after Attorney General Merrick B. Garland sent a letter to Mr. Abbott telling him that he must rescind the executive order, which bars private transportation suppliers from providing ground transit to many migrants and makes it harder for them to reach their final destinations in the United States.... The department said that the order obstructed the federal government's ability to administer immigration law and asked the court to 'declare the executive order to be invalid and enjoin its enforcement.'... Mr. Abbott said in a statement that he had 'no intention' of abdicating 'the authority under long-established emergency response laws to control the movement of people to better contain the spread of a disaster, such as those known to have Covid-19.'" Politico's story, by Josh Gerstein, is here.

Alan Suderman & Eric Tucker of the AP: "The Russian hackers behind the massive SolarWinds cyberespionage campaign broke into the email accounts of some of the most prominent federal prosecutors' offices around the country last year, the Justice Department said Friday. The department said 80% of Microsoft email accounts used by employees in the four U.S. attorney offices in New York were breached. All told, the Justice Department said 27 U.S. Attorney offices had at least one employee's email account compromised during the hacking campaign. The Justice Department said in a statement that it believes the accounts were compromised from May 7 to Dec. 27, 2020.... [The breach] was first discovered and publicized in mid-December.... Jennifer Rodgers, a lecturer at Columbia Law School, said office emails frequently contained all sorts of sensitive information, including case strategy discussions and names of confidential informants, when she was a federal prosecutor in New York."

Clare Foran, et al., of CNN: "The Senate took the next step on Friday to bring up a roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal that will fulfill key priorities in President Joe Biden's agenda. Senators voted 66-28 on a motion to proceed, a vote that will open up the legislative package to potential changes through the amendment process. It remains to be seen whether any amendments will be agreed to since they are expected to be subject to a 60-vote threshold. Bill text still has not yet been formally unveiled, and amendments are not expected to be considered until Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer offers up the finalized deal as a substitute amendment, which could happen at some point later Friday afternoon. The expectation is that there could be amendment votes over the weekend." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Wherein House Republicans Play a Part originally conceived & played by Boris Badenov: ~~~

~~~ Mariam Kahn, et al., of ABC News: "House Democrats' attempt to pass an extension of the eviction moratorium via unanimous consent request failed late Friday ahead of a six-week recess. The moratorium will end Saturday. The measure was objected to by Republicans, none of whom supported the bid."

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "After Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy this week decried the House's new face mask requirement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) replied with a considered response: 'He's such a moron.'... Such an incendiary charge by Pelosi demands a fact check: Is McCarthy, in fact, a moron? Let's weigh the evidence.... [After recounting quite a list of McCarthy's remarks, Milbank concludes] Pelosi's claim earns the rating 'mostly true.'"

Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton blew up at an alleged January 6 insurrectionist who refused to wear a mask & follow other conditions of his release pending trial. MB: I'm getting to like Judge Walton.

Donald's Very Bad Hair Day:

Lordy, Let There Be Leaks! Rebecca Beitsch & Naomi Jagoda of the Hill: "The Justice Department on Friday said the Treasury Department must turn over former President Trump's long-sought tax returns to the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee. In a Friday memo from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), acting Assistant Attorney General Dawn Johnsen said that the Treasury Department was required to defer to the congressional committee. 'The statute at issue here is unambiguous: "Upon written request" of the chairman of one of the three congressional tax committees, the Secretary "shall furnish" the requested tax information to the Committee,' Johnsen wrote in the 39-page memo." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Nicholas Fandos & Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "The 39-page opinion from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel dealt a sharp legal blow to a yearslong campaign by Mr. Trump to keep his tax information secret, reversing a Trump administration position that had shielded the documents from Congress. Rejecting that view, the Biden administration opinion said that a request for the tax information first lodged in 2019 by the House Ways and Means Committee was legitimate and that the Treasury Department had no valid grounds to refuse it.... A highly litigious and determined protector of his financial records, Mr. Trump could seek an injunction in the coming days to try to stop the transfer, setting off a new round of legal wrangling that could take weeks or longer to resolve. The Treasury Department notified a Federal District Court judge in Washington overseeing the dispute late Friday that it had reached an agreement with the House to hand over the documents, and both sides requested that the court give Mr. Trump until Tuesday to decide. Even if handed over to Congress, Mr. Trump's tax information may not become public immediately or at all."

** Katie Benner of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump pressed top Justice Department officials late last year to declare that the election was corrupt even though they had found no instances of widespread fraud, so he and his allies in Congress could use the assertion to try to overturn the results, according to new documents provided to lawmakers.... The exchange unfolded during a phone call on Dec. 27 in which Mr. Trump pressed the acting attorney general at the time, Jeffrey A. Rosen, and his deputy, Richard P. Donoghue, on voter fraud claims that the Justice Department had found no evidence for.... 'Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me' and to congressional allies, Mr. Donoghue wrote in summarizing Mr. Trump's [remarks]. Mr. Trump did not name the lawmakers [who would help him overturn the election], but at other points during the call, he mentioned Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, whom he described as a 'fighter'; Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who at the time promoted the idea that the election was stolen from Mr. Trump; and Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, whom Mr. Trump praised for 'getting to bottom of things.'" MB: Oh, you boys are gonna be subpoenaed.... ~~~

“In a moment of foreshadowing, Mr. Trump said, 'people tell me Jeff Clark is great, I should put him in,' referring to the acting chief of the Justice Department's civil division, who had also encouraged department officials to intervene in the election. 'People want me to replace D.O.J. leadership.' 'You should have the leadership you want,' Mr. Donoghue replied. But it would not change the department's position on a lack of widespread election fraud, he noted. Mr. Donoghue and Mr. Rosen did not know that Mr. Perry had introduced Mr. Clark to Mr. Trump. One week later, they would be forced to fight Mr. Clark for their jobs in an Oval Office showdown." Read the whole article. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Marie: David Corn of Mother Jones pointed out on MSNBC Friday that Trump was threatening Rosen & Donoghue in this part of the conversation; if they wouldn't play ball with him, he'd hand off the ball to somebody who would.

~~~ Devlin Barrett & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: Richard Donoghue's "notes were released to Congress this week and made public on Friday -- further evidence of the pressure Trump brought to bear as he sought to throw out President Biden's election victory. In one Dec. 27 conversation, according to the written account, acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen told Trump the Justice Department 'can't + won't snap its fingers + change the outcome of the election.' The president replied that he understood that, but wanted the agency to 'just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen,' according to notes of the conversation taken by another senior Justice Department official, Richard Donoghue.... Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said the notes 'show that President Trump directly instructed our nation's top law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency.'" CNN's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ David Graham of the Atlantic: "The violence of [January 6] has taken center stage, but these notes help put it in context: The angry crowd was just one part of ... Donald Trump's long-running effort to overturn the results of the election in the House of Representatives.... Trump's coup attempt started ... in the wee hours of November 4, when Trump said at the White House..., 'Frankly, we did win this election.'... In November and early December, the focus of Trump's efforts was pressuring state officials in places such as Arizona and Georgia to decline to certify results in favor of Biden, and pressing Attorney General William Barr to cast doubt on the results. But Barr [and pivotal state Republican officials declined.... Once Barr was pushed aside, The Washington Post reported this week, Trump began a daily campaign to pressure Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen into doing what Barr would not, trying to place new claims of fraud before the Justice Department. Unbeknownst to Rosen, Trump was also orchestrating a plan to topple him.... All Trump wanted was some semi-independent arbiter to declare the election fraudulent.... [So then Trump pressured pence to decertify the election results. ] If the election couldn't be decided based on the results, then it would go to the House of Representatives. Though Democrats held a majority there, the presidency would have been decided by state delegations, of which Republicans controlled more.” Firewalled, but hey, it's the end of the month. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Graham's post is of a piece with what I was thinking. But I see the January 6 insurrection not as the culmination of Trump's efforts to overturn the election, but as his Hail Mary pass, a last-ditch effort when all else had failed. BTW, among the unsung heroes who saved the Constitution, are these people: "Mr. Pence has spent hours with parliamentarians and lawyers in recent days. His allies said they expect him to carry out his constitutional duties on Wednesday." (From a January 5 NYT article.) If those unnamed "parliamentarians & lawyers" had advised pence differently, it's possible the election would have been thrown to the House to decide, where Jungle Gym Jordan, et al., would have tried to engineer the coup. ~~~

~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "It's long been tricky to determine if Trump actually believes the nonsensical, conflicting or obviously false claims he pushes forward; that he used his familiarity with them as something of a validator in his conversation with [Jeffrey] Rosen suggests that, to at least some extent, he does.... What [Richard] Donoghue's notes suggest is that Trump had fully bought into the effort that would eventually become his Alamo: having Republican legislators block the electoral-vote counting due to take place at the Capitol on Jan. 6.... That he mentioned ['R. Congressmen' to Rosen] at all does suggest more integration than had previously been indicated." It's up to the House select committee to try to figure out how far the R. Congressmen's assistance went.~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Melanie Zanona, then of Politico, reported on December 21, "... Donald Trump huddled with a group of congressional Republicans at the White House on Monday, where they strategized over a last-ditch effort to overturn the election results next month, according to several members who attended the meeting.... The group also met with Vice President Mike Pence, who will be presiding over the joint session of Congress..., as well as members of Trump's legal team. 'It was a back-and-forth concerning the planning and strategy for January the 6th,' [Rep. Mo] Brooks said in a phone interview." So this was a plan hatched before Christmas, & several members of Congress were part of it. BTW, it seems to be a good idea to call Mo Brooks to find out what's up, because he just might spill the beans without much prodding.

Mark Berman, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Washington Post began tracking fatal shootings by on-duty police officers in 2015, the year after a White officer in Ferguson, Mo., shot and killed a Black 18-year old.... Since Ferguson, departments across the country have taken steps toward reform, but these efforts have been inconsistent and incomplete.... After police kill someone, they also often shape what the public learns about the killing.... Despite a push since 2015 for police body cameras and the periodic emergence of surveillance footage or bystander cellphone video, more than 80 percent of fatal police shootings still were not filmed, according to The Post's database.... Since The Post began tracking cases, Black people have been shot and killed at higher rates than White people." This is a long report. BTW, if you're wondering why the Post is tracking these shootings, it's because the federal government isn't.

Alex Traub of the New York Times: "Richard D. Lamm, who as a Colorado state legislator led fights to pass the nation's first abortion rights law in the years before Roe v. Wade and to block the 1976 Winter Olympics from being held in his state, and who went on to serve three terms as Colorado's governor, died on Thursday in Denver. He was 85."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Erin Banco & Adam Cancryn of Politico: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has collected data that suggest fully vaccinated Americans who contract the Delta variant can spread Covid-19 as easily as unvaccinated people infected with the variant. The hotly anticipated study helped convince the agency to revise its guidance on mask-wearing earlier this week, when it said vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in areas with high levels of Covid-19 transmission. But CDC had not made the data underlying its decision public until now." The New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Carolyn Johnson, et al., of the Washington Post: "A sobering scientific analysis published Friday found that three-quarters of the people infected during an explosive coronavirus outbreak fueled by the delta variant were fully vaccinated. The report on the Massachusetts cases, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers key evidence bolstering the hypothesis that vaccinated people can spread the more transmissible variant and may be a factor in the summer surge of infections. The data, detailed in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, helped persuade agency scientists to reverse recommendations on mask-wearing and advise that vaccinated individuals wear masks in indoor public settings in some circumstances.... The outbreak started in early July in Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod, a tourist destination known for its party scene. The July Fourth holiday atmosphere proved ideal for superspreader events." ~~~

~~~ Laura Strickler of NBC News: "At least 125,000 fully vaccinated Americans have tested positive for Covid and 1,400 of those have died, according to data collected by NBC News. The 125,682 'breakthrough' cases in 38 states found by NBC News represent less than .08 percent of the 164.2 million-plus people who have been fully vaccinated since January, or about one in every 1,300. The number of cases and deaths among the vaccinated is very small compared to the number among the unvaccinated. A former Biden adviser on Covid estimated that 98 to 99 percent of deaths are among the unvaccinated. But the total number of breakthrough cases is likely higher than 125,683, since nine states, including Pennsylvania and Missouri, did not provide any information, while 11, like Covid hotspot Florida, did not provide death and hospitalization totals. Four states gave death and hospitalization numbers, but not the full tally of cases."

Dave Philipps & Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "Late Thursday night, the Pentagon announced that all military and civilian employees would be asked to prove they were vaccinated or submit to mandatory masks, physically distancing and regular testing, as well as travel restrictions, just as President Biden demanded of the rest of federal civilian employees. The new requirements take the armed forces one step closer to a mandate. Compulsory shots are standard operating procedure for the military, which, starting in boot camp, requires troops to get vaccinated for at least a dozen diseases. For now, though, the military is trying to navigate how to get more troops to take the shot without simply issuing an order. Of the 1,336,000 active-duty members of the military, about 64 percent are fully vaccinated, above the 60 percent of Americans over 18 who are fully vaccinated. But for the military, that rate is unacceptably low, because it is difficult to deploy troops who have not been vaccinated to countries with stringent local restrictions, and because a surge of the virus among troops can cripple readiness."

Lauren Hirsch of the New York Times: "... facing renewed pandemic restrictions, and with encouragement from government leaders, a growing number of the country's biggest companies have been embracing [vaccine mandates]. On Friday, Walmart and the Walt Disney Company introduced new requirements that some employees be vaccinated. They followed similar announcements this week from Google, Facebook, Uber and others.... Even as the companies announced new requirements, large groups of workers were left out of the mandates.... The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission first issued guidance in December that employers could mandate vaccines -- and reiterated that message in June.... Recent court decisions have upheld employers" rights to require vaccinations...."

Beyond the Beltway

Wisconsin. And the Beat Goes On. Scott Bauer of the AP: "The highest ranking Republican in the Wisconsin Assembly said Friday that he was expanding a probe into the 2020 presidential election, saying it will take more investigators and time than originally planned. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos signed contracts in June with two retired police detectives and a former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice to handle the investigation. But those two investigators quit earlier this month, Vos confirmed for the first time Friday, leading him to 'take a different tack.' Vos has designated retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman as a 'special counsel' and empowered him to hire as many investigators as he wants, with the goal of completing the probe this fall."

Louisiana Swamp Story. Michael Levenson of the New York Times: "Lawrence Handley, 53, a business executive from Lafayette, La., pleaded guilty this week to three criminal charges after a plot to kidnap his estranged wife went badly awry. Schanda Handley was at home with her daughter and a neighbor when two men showed up at the door, dressed in ... blue uniforms. They had a carpet steamer and asked Ms. Handley if they could demonstrate it for her. When she said no, the men forced their way into her house at gunpoint, put a hood over her head and handcuffed her and her neighbor, she said. Then they pushed Ms. Handley into a van and drove off, leaving Ms. Handley's 14-year-old daughter and the neighbor behind. The kidnappers [-- Sylvester Bracey and Arsenio Haynes --] had been hired by Lawrence ... Handley, who was planning to have Ms. Handley driven to his camp near Woodville, Miss..., prosecutors said.... But as the men drove east on Interstate 10 on Aug. 6, 2017, with Ms. Handley handcuffed in the back, sheriff's deputies noticed the van was swerving and tried to stop it, prosecutors said. The men ... drove off the interstate, turned down a dead-end gravel road, and were penned in by the police.... Both men tried to escape by swimming through a canal, prosecutors said. They drowned.... Handley ... faces 15 to 35 years in prison." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Sounds borrowed from the plot of "Fargo," albeit with fewer twists & turns. A terrific Coen brothers film, BTW. Funny thing, Lawrence Handley is nearly a deadringer for actor William H. Macey, who played the kidnap schemer in the film. And yeah, I know the story has squat to do with politics, but I couldn't resist sharing it. If it weren't a true story, I would have filed it under "Infotainment."