The Commentariat -- July 30, 2021

Afternoon Update:

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

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.

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."

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.'"

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."

** Devlin Barrett & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "President Trump pressed senior Justice Department officials in late 2020 to declare the election corrupt even as those officials pushed back, warning the president that many of the claims he was hearing about voter fraud were false, according to notes taken by an aide who participated in the discussions. The 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. ~~~

     ~~~ Katie Benner of the New York Times: “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.

~~~~~~~~~~

Nicholas Fandos & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "President Biden and the top Democrats in Congress are expected to meet at the White House on Friday to discuss their party's faltering efforts to pass major voting rights legislation, according to two congressional aides familiar with the plans. Mr. Biden's meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York comes at a crucial moment, as activists are pushing the president to use his power and Democrats' control of Congress to protect voting rights while they have the chance.... In June, [Senate] Republicans successfully stalled Democrat' marquee elections legislation, called the For the People Act, by filibustering> it."

Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "President Biden's success at propelling an infrastructure deal past its first major hurdle this week was a vindication of his faith in bipartisanship and a repudiation of the slash-and-burn politics of ... Donald J. Trump, who tried and failed to block it. Having campaigned as the anti-Trump -- an insider who regarded compromise as a virtue, rather than a missed opportunity to crush a rival -- Mr. Biden has held up the promise of a broad infrastructure accord not just as a policy priority but as a test of the fundamental rationale for his presidency. His success or failure at keeping the bill on track will go a long way to determining his legacy, and it could be the president's best chance to deliver on his bet that he can unite lawmakers across the political aisle to solve big problems, even at a time of intense polarization.... The measure still has several hurdles to clear, including anger from progressives in the House who are upset at the concessions Mr. Biden made to court Republicans, and skepticism from G.O.P. lawmakers who could still balk at a bill Mr. Trump has repeatedly panned." ~~~

~~~ But Biden Can Be Convinced There Are Limits to Bipartisanship. Rebecca Beitsch & Rafael Bernal of the Hill: "President Biden on Thursday unequivocally backed Democratic efforts to include immigration in the budget as a way to navigate narrow margins in the Senate. 'I think we should include in the reconciliation bill the immigration proposal,' Biden told reporters as he left the White House to accompany first lady Jill Biden to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The statement came immediately after a meeting with Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) legislators and others who have worked on immigration reform. The meeting was originally set up to discuss the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Earlier this week, Biden said 'it remains to be seen' whether immigration could be included as part of a reconciliation bill, though lawmakers on Thursday said the president in their meeting voiced his strong backing for efforts to include it."

Jada Yuan of the Washington Post: "For the second time this year, President Biden has cleared his schedule to accompany his wife, Jill Biden, to a medical procedure. The first lady was walking along the ocean on Oahu, Hawaii, near Honolulu, last weekend when she 'stepped on an object on the beach which became lodged in her left foot,' her spokesman Michael LaRosa said in a statement. White House officials haven't specified what the object is -- A shell? A piece of broken glass? -- but the condition has become serious enough to require a trip to the hospital.... The first lady was in Hawaii to tour a pop-up coronavirus vaccination clinic at a high school in Waipahu and to attend a barbecue with 75 service members at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. It was the final stretch of her five-day trip to cheer on Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics -- a trip that started with vaccination-related events in Anchorage.... In April, President Biden accompanied the first lady to an outpatient center near George Washington University, where she underwent what the White House said was 'a common medical procedure.'"

Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Congress on Thursday rapidly cleared a $2.1 billion emergency spending package that will avert a Capitol Police funding crisis sparked by the Jan. 6 riot and also provide urgent funds to evacuate and resettle Afghans who aided U.S. forces during the 20-year war in their homeland. Leaders of the Capitol Police and National Guard units warned of imminent cuts if Congress did not act to backfill expenditures made in the wake of the Capitol attack, and lawmakers responded swiftly by congressional standards, delivering a bipartisan package that advanced to the Senate floor with relatively little drama. The Senate voted 98-0, and the House followed suit hours later, 416-11. The White House released a statement Thursday supporting the bill, indicating President Biden will sign it."

Marianne Levine of Politico: "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that all 50 Democrats will vote to move forward on the party's $3.5 trillion social spending proposal.... The New York Democrat has long insisted that the Senate will pass both the bipartisan bill and a budget blueprint for the multitrillion-dollar legislative package before the chamber leaves for the August recess.... The final price tag on the bill is not yet clear. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) said Wednesday that while she will vote to move forward, she does not support legislation that costs $3.5 trillion, angering progressives in her party. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), another moderate Democrat, said last week that while he was committed to advancing the bill, he reserved the right to do 'whatever the hell I want' on final passage. Senate Republicans, meanwhile, are already waging a messaging war against the social spending bill."

Vanessa Williams of the Washington Post: "Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) became the third member of Congress to be arrested during nonviolent protests [at the Hart Senate Office Building] aimed at rallying support for federal voting legislation that activists say are necessary to push back against new restrictive state laws.... Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) was arrested at the Hart Senate Office Building last week. The week before, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, was cuffed with zip ties and briefly detained.

Eric Schmitt & Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "The first group of Afghans promised refuge by the Biden administration for helping the United States during the 20-year war in Afghanistan landed on American soil early Friday, starting a new life chapter after years of waiting. About 250 Afghan interpreters, drivers and others who worked with the U.S. military, as well as their family members, arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington after traveling more than 30 hours from Kabul, the Afghan capital, officials said. From Dulles, they were bused to Fort Lee, Va., south of Richmond, where they will stay at a hotel on the base for about a week to complete their processing before being resettled in the United States permanently, officials said. The late-night arrival marked the vanguard of an initial group of about 2,500 Afghans being evacuated under threat of Taliban reprisals in an effort the White House calls Operation Allies Refuge." The Hill's story is here.

Ben Casselman of the New York Times: "The U.S. economy grew 1.6 percent in the second quarter, returning to prepandemic size.... That is a remarkable achievement, exactly a year after the economy's worst quarterly contraction on record. After the last recession ended in 2009, G.D.P. took two years to rebound fully.... Vaccinations and federal aid helped lift the U.S. economy out of its pandemic-induced hole this spring. The next test will be whether that momentum can continue as coronavirus cases rise, masks return and government help wanes.... Other economic measures remain deeply depressed, particularly for certain groups: The United States still has nearly seven million fewer jobs than before the pandemic. The unemployment rate for Black workers in June was 9.2 percent." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Rachel Siegel & Andrew Van Dam of the Washington Post: "The U.S. economy was officially back and fully recovered from the coronavirus pandemic as of June, although a recent surge in cases could bring new uncertainty. The economy grew at an annual rate of 6.5 percent in the quarter ending in June, below forecasts of at least 8 percent, as coronavirus vaccinations and unleashed consumer spending added momentum to the recovery. The lower-than-expected figures reflect an economy struggling with supply-chain backlogs that have hamstrung business productivity by lowering inventories of basic goods and materials and pushing prices higher, economists say." (Also linked yesterday.)

** Jason DeParle of the New York Times: "The huge increase in government aid prompted by the coronavirus pandemic will cut poverty nearly in half this year from prepandemic levels and push the share of Americans in poverty to the lowest level on record, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of a vast but temporary expansion of the safety net. The number of poor Americans is expected to fall by nearly 20 million from 2018 levels, a decline of almost 45 percent. The country has never cut poverty so much in such a short period of time, and the development is especially notable since it defies economic headwinds -- the economy has nearly seven million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic. The extraordinary reduction in poverty has come at extraordinary cost, with annual spending on major programs projected to rise fourfold to more than $1 trillion. Yet without further expensive new measures, millions of families may find the escape from poverty brief. The three programs that cut poverty most -- stimulus checks, increased food stamps and expanded unemployment insurance -- have ended or are scheduled to soon revert to their prepandemic size."

A Stunt that Failed. Meagan Flynn of the Washington Post: "D.C. jail officials turned away GOP members of Congress who showed up Thursday at the jail, saying they intended to inspect the treatment of suspects detained in the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol. Trailed by cameras from right-wing news organizations, Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Paul A. Gosar (Ariz.) and Louie Gohmert (Tex.) crowded into the lobby of the D.C. detention facility demanding to be let inside as members of Congress. A D.C. jail official told them they were 'obstructing entrance into this facility' and appeared to accuse the members of trespassing. 'We're the people that vote on whether or not to fund you, at what level, and we're trespassing?' Gohmert responded. The D.C. detention center is not a federal facility and is fully funded by D.C. taxpayers -- but Congress has oversight over D.C.'s budget. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District's nonvoting representative in Congress, said their 'attempt to basically try to break into the D.C. jail is an abuse of their authority over the District.'"

Here's more on that New York state senate candidate/Capitol insurrectionist (a Hill story was linked yesterday): ~~~

~~~ Andrea Salcedo of the Washington Post: "Moments after Daniel Christmann climbed through an open window to get into the Capitol on Jan. 6, the former New York state senate candidate took out his phone to record the insurrection for his Instagram followers, prosecutors said. That afternoon, Christmann walked around the building taking videos he posted to his @dannyforsenate account, according to a 19-page criminal complaint that was unsealed Wednesday. In the following days, private messages obtained by federal authorities show Christmann bragged about participating in the riot, explaining to those messaging him on Instagram how he reached unauthorized areas. When Christmann later became aware that authorities arrested two people he knew who were inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, he began reaching out to Facebook friends to ask them to delete any videos showing him on the grounds that day, prosecutors said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Steve M. reviews the right's new excuse for the January 6 "unpleasantness": it "was ... not a serious problem because the insurrectionists had no real plan for seizing control of the government -- [a] ... talking point, intended to be widely distributed to serious-minded, well-informed citizens who presumably aren't buying talk of bamboo in the ballots and satellite vote switching from Italy." MB: I did timely read Christopher Caldwell's NYT op-ed, which Steve reviewed, & decided not to link it, even as an example of stupid, because his thesis was so worthless. Let me just add that the January 6 insurrection, unlike the occasional bombings & bank robberies by 1960s leftists (which Steve also mentions) differ drastically from the January 6 insurrection in that no prominent politicians supported the '60s radicals, while the then-POTUS* and many Congressional Repubicans support the January 6 "tourists" and "protesters." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BTW, essmeier, commenting on Steve M.'s post, refutes the right's argument that the insurrectionists were not dangerous because they did not have a plan. essmeier lays out the plan:

"1. Break into the Capitol
"2. Kill Pence and Pelosi
"3. ???
"4. Win!"

Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "Donald Trump is lashing out at Capitol Police officers who survived the January 6th insurrection, according to a new report in The Daily Beast. 'In his retelling, Ashli Babbitt -- who was shot and killed trying to enter the House chamber on Jan. 6 -- wasn't so much a rioter as she was an 'innocent, wonderful, incredible woman.' And, in Trump's mind, some of the police officers who defended the Capitol that day aren't the real heroes, calling them liberal "p*ssies" who loathe MAGA, and outliers within a broadly pro-Trump law enforcement community,' The Beast reported." MB: Who's a pussy? The so-called "pussies" withstood hours of unrelenting physical & verbal assaults by Trump's supporters; Trump ducked when one man rushed the stage at one of his 2016 rallies and hid behind Secret Service agents, some of whom subdued the man. And where was Braveheart McDonald -- who promised to lead his troops to the Capitol insurrection -- during the melee? Why he was home in his plush public housing watching the teevee as his followers beat up the "pussies."

Laurence Tribe, in a Washington Post op-ed, explains why the DOJ's decision not to defend Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) in a lawsuit re: Brooks' actions on January 6, filed by Eric Swallwell (D-Calif.), is bad news for Donald Trump.

Zachary Petrizzo of Salon: "MyPillow CEO and fervent Donald Trump supporter Mike Lindell says he's pulling all of his advertisements from Fox News after the network refused to run a spot for his 'cyber symposium,' which he claims will provide enough proof of industrial-scale election fraud to propel the former president back into office.... 'I am pulling everything!' Lindell said. 'Fox [News] denied the [cyber symposium] ad, and they based it on "pending litigation."' The pillow maven told Salon exclusively last week that he planned to get back at the conservative network for their failure to promote -- or cover, or even mention, for that matter -- the 'cyber symposium,' which is set to overtake Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Aug. 10-12. Fox spurning the event apparently launched the idea for Lindell to run custom ads geared towards drumming up support among conservatives ahead of the gathering.... MyPillow commercials have been a staple on Fox News for years -- indeed, the company was one of the network's largest sponsors last year, according to advertising data from market research firm iSpot.tv." ~~~

~~~ Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "Trump-loving MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has been the most fervent promote[r] of election conspiracy theories, and journalist Anne Applebaum has grown so alarmed that she's deemed him 'a clear threat to the nation.' In a new piece for The Atlantic [firewalled], Applebaum ... writes that he's spending a fortune ... in his quest to undermine the 2020 election and reinstall ... Donald Trump to the White House. 'Along with Bannon, Giuliani, and the rest of the conspiracy posse, he is helping create profound distrust in the American electoral system, in the American political system, in the American public-health system, and ultimately in American democracy,' she writes. 'The eventual consequences of their actions may well be a genuinely stolen or disputed election in 2024, and political violence on a scale the U.S. hasn't seen in decades.'"

Michael Brown of the Washington Post: "Carl Levin, a six-term Democratic senator from Michigan who was an influential leader on national security and whose intellect and integrity made him one of the most widely respected lawmakers of recent times, died July 29 at a hospital in Detroit. He was 87.... A Harvard-trained lawyer who wore reading glasses perched on the end of his nose, Mr. Levin was known for scholarly analysis of issues, sound-bite-free discourse and a collaborative approach to legislating that earned him the trust of colleagues who did not share his liberal political philosophy.... His brother Sander M. Levin, older by three years, was a Democratic congressman from the Detroit area, and the two served simultaneously for more than three decades." Update: Carl Levin's New York Times obituary is here. An AP obituary is here.

Sarah Bailey of the Washington Post: "Defrocked Catholic cardinal Theodore McCarrick was criminally charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy during a wedding reception at Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1974, according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post. The charges make McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington, D.C., the highest-ranking Catholic official in the country to face criminal charges for alleged sex abuse. McCarrick, 91, was for years one of the country's most connected and influential Catholic leaders before allegations of his behavior were made public in 2018, and he was later expelled from the priesthood."

Valeriya Safronova of the New York Times: "For a certain subset of Britney Spears fans, who call themselves her 'Army,' there is no cause greater than emancipating Ms. Spears from the conservatorship that controls her life and finances. Thirteen years into the legal arrangement, which Ms. Spears recently described as 'abusive,' her devotees are watching a movement that was once on the fringes of pop culture turn into one of the year's biggest news stories. Even politicians are paying attention: 'I am squarely and unequivocally in the camp of FreeBritney,' Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, said on his podcast this month. The growing support for Ms. Spears speaks to the power of fan devotion, unleashed in the modern age through social media. The celebrity may be the famous one, but her followers, or stans (see: Nicki Minaj's Barbz, Beyoncé’s BeyHive, Rihanna's Navy), have the power to mobilize thousands of people online to support a cause." MB: This appears to be one of those rare instances in which a silly fan group does something useful. So good for these fans.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden on Thursday sought to revive the nation's stalled push to vaccinate Americans against the surging Delta variant of the coronavirus, announcing new requirements for federal workers to be vaccinated and urging local and state governments to offer $100 to anyone willing to get a shot voluntarily. His announcement included only federal civilian employees, but hours later the Pentagon said members of the military would also be subject to the same rules: Get vaccinated or face regular testing, social distancing, mask wearing and limits on official travel. Although those steps fall short of a mandate, Mr. Biden also ordered the Defense Department to move rapidly toward one for all members of the military, a step that would affect almost 1.5 million troops, many of whom have resisted taking a shot that is highly effective against a disease that has claimed the lives of more than 600,000 Americans." ~~~

** Yasmeen Abutaleb, et al., of the Washington Post: "The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal federal health document that argues officials must 'acknowledge the war has changed.' The document is an internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention slide presentation, shared within the CDC and obtained by The Washington Post. It captures the struggle of the nation's top public health agency to persuade the public to embrace vaccination and prevention measures, including mask-wearing, as cases surge across the United States and new research suggests vaccinated people can spread the virus. The document strikes an urgent note, revealing the ... [need for a better] defense against a variant so contagious that it acts almost like a different novel virus, leaping from target to target more swiftly than Ebola or the

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Thursday called on Congress to act 'without delay' to extend a national eviction moratorium that is set to expire Saturday. The White House said Biden is not able to act on his own because of a Supreme Court ruling. In a statement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would have 'strongly supported' a move by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to again extend a moratorium that began nearly 11 months ago in response to the pandemic, particularly given the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus." The AP's story is here. And here is Psaki's statement. (Also linked yesterday.)

Such Principled Tough Guys. Scott Wong of the Hill: "Nearly 40 maskless House Republican lawmakers walked across the Capitol and onto the Senate floor in protest of the Capitol physician's decision to reinstate a mask mandate in the lower chamber but not in the upper chamber. Republicans complained that the policy, backed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats, is inconsistent, infringes on personal liberty, and is based on politics, not science. However, the body of the 100-member Senate is less than a quarter of the size of the 435-member House, and all but a handful of senators are vaccinated while dozens of House Republicans have refused to say whether they got the vaccine.... The GOP lawmakers, who have Senate floor privileges as members of the House, tried to time their protest with a speech by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on individual freedom." ~~~

~~~ Mike Lillis of the Hill: "Congressional aides and visitors to the House side of the Capitol will face arrest if they're not wearing masks, the head of the U.S. Capitol Police announced this week. In a Wednesday letter to his officer corps, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger ordered that they enforce the new mask guidelines across the Capitol complex. Those new rules, installed by the Capitol physician earlier in the week, include a mask mandate on the House side of the Capitol and all House office buildings.... Although the same mask mandate applies to members of Congress, the same strict enforcement will not. Rather, Capitol Police are asked to report recalcitrant lawmakers to supervising officers 'who will, in turn, refer the matter to the House Sergeant at Arms,' wrote Manger, who took over as head of the Capitol Police just a week ago."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here: "The 27 member states of the European Union altogether have now administered more coronavirus vaccine doses per 100 people than the United States, in another sign that inoculations across the bloc have maintained some speed throughout the summer, while they have stagnated for weeks in the United States." MB: Thanks, Freedumb Fighters! You're killing us. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

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

~~~ Case in Point. Isaac Stanley-Becker of the Washington Post: "... the communications by Turning Point USA and its affiliate, Turning Point Action, reflect the increasingly hard line [against Covid vaccinations] taken by the group, which describes itself as the 'largest and fastest-growing youth organization in America' and claims a presence on more than 2,500 college and high school campuses. Its dire warnings about a government-backed inoculation program -- now a major theme of its Facebook ads, which have been viewed millions of times -- illustrate how the Trump-allied group is capitalizing on the stark polarization around vaccine policy. Experts say the messages, many of which steer online audiences to donation pages, threaten to undermine vaccine confidence among young people, who have already proved particularly reluctant to roll up their sleeves." MB: It's true that death is a rather drastic "Turning Point," so the name is appropriate for the kids and those whom they may infect. (Also linked yesterday.)

Carolyn Johnson & Shira Rubin of the Washington Post: "Executives of the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer predicted Wednesday that vaccine boosters would soon be needed, a declaration that came on the same day the company published data showing that its coronavirus shots remained robustly protective six months after vaccination, providing nearly complete protection against severe disease. Hours later, Israeli health officials moved toward making boosters available for older residents. Pfizer's paper, which has not yet undergone peer review, showed a slight drop in efficacy against any symptomatic cases of covid-19..., from 96 percent protection in the first two months after vaccination to 84 percent after four months."

Missouri. Gina Harkins of the Washington Post: "When Faisal Khan left the St. Louis County council meeting Tuesday after promoting a new mask mandate, he said he was shoulder-bumped and pushed by people in the aisle. When he made it through the door, the St. Louis County Department of Health's acting director ... was surrounded by an 'angry mob,' he said, and called an expletive and a brown b-----d. Others mocked his accent.... St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones (D) and County Executive Sam Page had announced on Monday a new face mask requirement for indoor public places and transportation. Covid-19 rates in the region have crept up to levels not seen since February, and Khan said during Tuesday&'s council meeting that infections from the new delta variant have reached an all-time high.... Khan said when he walked into the crowded St. Louis County council meeting to find so many people packed into the chamber without face masks, he immediately feared it would become a superspreader event.... Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R) also filed a lawsuit on Monday to stop the newly imposed mandate," and some council members said only they had the authority to impose a mandate. Or not.

Wisconsin. Scott Bauer of the AP: "A Republican-controlled committee plans to block the University of Wisconsin from instituting COVID-19 testing, masking and vaccination protocols on campuses across the state, a move that comes as health officials sound warnings about the rapidly spreading, highly contagious delta variant. [Committee chair] State Sen. Steve Nass said Wednesday that he will be moving to require the university to get approval from the Legislature before enacting any virus-related regulations.... UW System interim President Tommy Thompson, a former Republican governor and U.S. Department of Health Services secretary, reacted to the proposal by saying 'the biggest threat to in-person classes this fall would be actions that strip the UW System of the tools it has so successfully utilized to date to address outbreaks and reduce the spread of COVID-19.'"

Marie: I wonder if the people who are incensed that the CDC is recommending mask-wearing again because of an increase in the number & severity of Covid cases have trouble with "regulators" like traffic lights. Do they sit at the intersection shouting, "What? What? A minute ago I could drive right ahead and now you're telling me I have to sit here & let these people going a whole 'nother way zip past right in front of me."? And how do they handle situations where there is no clear regulation. Do they walk out in front of an oncoming vehicle because a minute ago the roadway was clear?

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "The Arizona Senate returned nearly 2.1 million ballots to the control of the state's largest county Thursday as the GOP-led recount of votes cast in the 2020 presidential election drew to a rocky close, marked by upheaval that is likely to further undermine public confidence in its conclusions, set to be announced next month.... Meanwhile, Twitter on Tuesday suspended a string of accounts that had been promoting the ballot review, including one that had been billed as the audit's official handle, saying that they violated company policies on 'platform manipulation and spam.' Also this week, a previously supportive Republican state senator announced that she believed the audit has been 'botched' -- the third member of a 16-member caucus to express reservations over a process that was ordered up by the chamber's GOP leadership." ~~~

~~~ Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "A private contractor [Cyber Ninjas] conducting a Republican-commissioned review of 2020 presidential ballots in Arizona's largest county announced late Wednesday that it has collected more than $5.7 million in private donations to fund the process. The controversial ballot review, which included a hand recount of Maricopa County's nearly 2.1 million ballots and a review of ballot tabulating machines, has been underway since April. It was ordered by the state's Republican-led Senate, which agreed to spend $150,000 in taxpayer money to fund the audit. But the Senate allowed Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based firm hired to lead the process, to collect donations as well." (Also linked yesterday.)

Way Beyond

Haiti. Frances Robles of the New York Times: Haiti's former first lady Martine Moïse speaks about the night her husband was assassinated & she was left for dead. "... she needed to speak, she said, because she did not believe that the investigation into his death had answered the central question tormenting her and countless Haitians: Who ordered and paid for the assassination of her husband?"

Japan. The New York Times' live updates of the Tokyo Olympics Thursday are here. (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's liveblog of Olympics highlights Thursday is here.

The Commentariat -- July 29, 2021

Late Morning Update:

Ben Casselman of the New York Times: "The U.S. economy grew 1.6 percent in the second quarter, returning to prepandemic size.... That is a remarkable achievement, exactly a year after the economy's worst quarterly contraction on record. After the last recession ended in 2009, G.D.P. took two years to rebound fully.... Vaccinations and federal aid helped lift the U.S. economy out of its pandemic-induced hole this spring. The next test will be whether that momentum can continue as coronavirus cases rise, masks return and government help wanes.... Other economic measures remain deeply depressed, particularly for certain groups: The United States still has nearly seven million fewer jobs than before the pandemic. The unemployment rate for Black workers in June was 9.2 percent." ~~~

~~~ Rachel Siegel & Andrew Van Dam of the Washington Post: "The U.S. economy was officially back and fully recovered from the coronavirus pandemic as of June, although a recent surge in cases could bring new uncertainty. The economy grew at an annual rate of 6.5 percent in the quarter ending in June, below forecasts of at least 8 percent, as coronavirus vaccinations and unleashed consumer spending added momentum to the recovery. The lower-than-expected figures reflect an economy struggling with supply-chain backlogs that have hamstrung business productivity by lowering inventories of basic goods and materials and pushing prices higher, economists say."

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Thursday called on Congress to act 'without delay' to extend a national eviction moratorium that is set to expire Saturday. The White House said Biden is not able to act on his own because of a Supreme Court ruling. In a statement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would have 'strongly supported' a move by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to again extend a moratorium that began nearly 11 months ago in response to the pandemic, particularly given the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus." The AP's story is here. And here is Psaki's statement.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here: "The 27 member states of the European Union altogether have now administered more coronavirus vaccine doses per 100 people than the United States, in another sign that inoculations across the bloc have maintained some speed throughout the summer, while they have stagnated for weeks in the United States."

Isaac Stanley-Becker of the Washington Post: "... the communications by Turning Point USA and its affiliate, Turning Point Action, reflect the increasingly hard line [against Covid vaccinations] taken by the group, which describes itself as the 'largest and fastest-growing youth organization in America' and claims a presence on more than 2,500 college and high school campuses. Its dire warnings about a government-backed inoculation program -- now a major theme of its Facebook ads, which have been viewed millions of times -- illustrate how the Trump-allied group is capitalizing on the stark polarization around vaccine policy. Experts say the messages, many of which steer online audiences to donation pages, threaten to undermine vaccine confidence among young people, who have already proved particularly reluctant to roll up their sleeves." MB: I suppose when a kid or someone he infects dies, that a "Turning Point."

Marie: How stupid are the pod people that they can't figure out that they & their GOP masters are drags on society, the economy, health & well-being, U.S. leadership & prestige, you-name-it?

Here's more on that New York state senate candidate/Capitol insurrectionist (a Hill story is linked below): ~~~

~~~ Andrea Salcedo of the Washington Post: "Moments after Daniel Christmann climbed through an open window to get into the Capitol on Jan. 6, the former New York state senate candidate took out his phone to record the insurrection for his Instagram followers, prosecutors said. That afternoon, Christmann walked around the building taking videos he posted to his @dannyforsenate account, according to a 19-page criminal complaint that was unsealed Wednesday. In the following days, private messages obtained by federal authorities show Christmann bragged about participating in the riot, explaining to those messaging him on Instagram how he reached unauthorized areas. When Christmann later became aware that authorities arrested two people he knew who were inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, he began reaching out to Facebook friends to ask them to delete any videos showing him on the grounds that day...."

The New York Times' live updates of the Tokyo Olympics are here.

Arizona. Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "A private contractor [Cyber Ninjas] conducting a Republican-commissioned review of 2020 presidential ballots in Arizona's largest county announced late Wednesday that it has collected more than $5.7 million in private donations to fund the process. The controversial ballot review, which included a hand recount of Maricopa County's nearly 2.1 million ballots and a review of ballot tabulating machines, has been underway since April. It was ordered by the state's Republican-led Senate, which agreed to spend $150,000 in taxpayer money to fund the audit. But the Senate allowed Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based firm hired to lead the process, to collect donations as well."

~~~~~~~~~~

** Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats and Republicans banded together on Wednesday to advance a roughly $1 trillion proposal to improve the country's aging infrastructure, overcoming months of political deadlock on one of President Biden's signature economic policy priorities. The day of breakthroughs began with news of a deal, as a bipartisan bloc of 10 negotiators coalesced around a package to upgrade the nation's roads, bridges, pipes, ports and Internet connections. The announcement from some of the group's leaders, including Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), capped off a series of frenetic talks that nearly collapsed amid behind-the-scenes battles about the new spending and how to pay for it. With that once-elusive agreement finally in hand, the Senate hours later then took its first formal legislative step. Lawmakers voted 67-32 to put themselves on track to begin debating infrastructure reform this week, clearing the first of many hurdles toward adopting a proposal that the White House has described as historic." ~~~

     ~~~ Emily Cochrane & Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "The 67-to-32 vote, which included 17 Republicans in favor, came just hours after centrist senators in bot parties and the White House reached a long-sought compromise on the bill, which would provide about $550 billion in new federal money for roads, bridges, rail, transit, water and other physical infrastructure programs. Among those in support of moving forward was Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader and a longtime foil of major legislation pushed by Democratic presidents. Mr. McConnell's backing signaled that his party was -- at least for now -- open to teaming with Democrats to enact the plan. The deal still faces several obstacles to becoming law, including being turned into formal legislative text and clearing final votes in the closely divided Senate and House. But the vote was a victory for a president who has long promised to break through the partisan gridlock...." ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's story is here. It is an update of a story linked yesterday. Politico's story is here. ~~~

Joe Biden is the President who showed the real art of making a deal. -- Cedric Richmond, advisor to Joe Biden, on MSNBC Wednesday night ....

     ~~~ AND the Vote Was a Big Defeat for the Marqués de Mar-a-Lardo. Olafimihan Oshin of the Hill: Donald "Trump lambasted Senate Republicans for reaching a deal with their Democratic counterparts on "major issues" involving an infrastructure proposal.... 'Hard to believe our Senate Republicans are dealing with the Radical Left Democrats in making a so-called bipartisan bill on "infrastructure," with our negotiators headed up by SUPER RINO [Republican in name only] Mitt Romney,' Trump said. Trump said any passage of such a measure would be a win for the Biden administration and Democrats, alluding to such a vote being 'heavily used in the 2022 election.' 'It is a loser for the USA, a terrible deal, and makes the Republicans look weak, foolish, and dumb. It shouldn't be done. It sets an easy glidepath for Dems to then get beyond what anyone thought was possible in future legislation,' the former president said." ~~~

     ~~~ Meredith McGraw of Politico: Donald Trump "encouraged GOP lawmakers to abandon the talks [on the infrastructure bill] and criticized Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for even entertaining them. Senate Republicans have said, in interviews, that they have directly asked the former president not just to tone down his criticism but to actually support the infrastructure deal.... The former president has threatened lawmakers who support the deal..., 'Republican voters will never forget their name, nor will the people of our Country.'... Trump's efforts to derail any infrastructure package have, so far, mostly been met with a shrug on Capitol Hill.... Trump tried and failed to pass an infrastructure bill so many times over the course of his presidency that his attempts were reduced to a punchline. Now out of office, Trump is trying to ensure that ... Joe Biden suffers the indignity of the 'infrastructure week' jokes as well.... The self described dealmaker came to realize the trickiness of negotiating a massive spending package in Washington, and he repeatedly sabotaged his own efforts to reach a deal by spinning off track with self-inflicted political controversies."

Katie Williams & Maegan Vazquez of CNN: President "Biden made his first formal remarks to staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday -- an address at a moment of quiet but profound change for a workforce that was buffeted by the fierce political winds of the Trump era. After four years of bitter criticism by ... Donald Trump, who accused the intelligence community of 'Nazi'-like practices and said top leaders should 'go back to school,' the intelligence community has sought to quietly return to business-as-usual under a decidedly more conventional president. And Biden, in turn, has vowed to never politicize the intelligence community's work, installing senior leaders who are seen as far less overtly partisan than either of Trump's final two national intelligence directors. 'You've served the American people no matter which political party holds power in Congress or the White House,' Biden told staff at the ODNI. 'It's so vital, so vital that you are and should be totally free of any political pressure or partisan interference. It's basic. And I want to be absolutely clear that my administration is getting us back to the basics.... I'll never politicize the work you do. You have my word on that,' he added." (Also linked yesterday.)

Josh Gerstein & Zach Montellaro of Politico: "The Justice Department on Wednesday issued another warning aimed at states conducting or considering audits of ballots tallied in last year's election, reminding election authorities that allowing ballots to be mishandled can violate federal law. While the Biden administration 'guidance' document carries no formal legal weight and may not strike fear into local officials, the Justice Department used the release of the legal analysis to press their campaign of saber-rattling against Republican-led audits of the 2020 vote in Arizona and other states, as well as voting changes many GOP-controlled states are pursuing as part of purported anti-fraud efforts. 'Jurisdictions have to be careful not to let those ballots be defaced or mutilated or lost or destroyed as part of an audit,' said a Justice Department official.... 'Election audits are exceedingly rare. But the Department is concerned that some jurisdictions conducting them may be using, or proposing to use, procedures that risk violating the Civil Rights Act,' the memo says. 'We are keeping a close eye on what's going on around the country,' the official said, alternately referring to the reviews as 'audits' or 'so-called audits.'" More on the Arizona fraudit linked under Beyond the Beltway.

Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "GOP Rep. Andrew Clyde (Ga.) defended his description of rioters walking through the Capitol on Jan. 6 appearing to look like a 'normal tourist visit' during a committee meeting on Tuesday. The heated exchange occurred hours after four police officers appeared before the select committee probing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.... Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a member of the select panel, confronted Clyde during a Rules Committee meeting about his previous comments regarding the insurrection, in which he said people 'would actually think it was a normal tourist visit' if they had not known the footage was from Jan. 6. 'Do you stand by your statement that they were tourists?' Raskin asked Clyde. The GOP lawmaker, however, refused to answer the question, claiming that Raskin had read an 'interpretation' of his statement.... [Raskin read back Clyde's original statement.] 'And I stand by that exact statement, as I said it,' Clyde responded." Includes video. MB: Photos taken January 6 show Clyde helping to barricade the House doors against the advancing horde normal tourists. (Also linked yesterday.)

Taegan Goddard of Political Wire: "Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) told Slate he had been wearing body armor at the 'Save America' rally before the Capitol attack on January 6.... Said Brooks: 'I was warned on Monday that there might be risks associated with the next few days. And as a consequence of those warnings, I did not go to my condo. Instead, I slept on the floor of my office. And when I gave my speech at the Ellipse, I was wearing body armor.'" OR, as Jim Newell of Slate, who interviewed Brooks, put it in a tweet, "... Mo Brooks was wearing body armor when giving his very peaceful Ellipse speech at the very peaceful 1/6 rally' Newell's interview, which is firewalled, is here.

** Josh Dawsey & Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump called his acting attorney general nearly every day at the end of last year to alert him to claims of voter fraud or alleged improper vote counts in the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the conversations. The personal pressure campaign, which has not been previously reported, involved repeated phone calls to acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen in which Trump raised various allegations he had heard about and asked what the Justice Department was doing about the issue.... Rosen told few people about the phone calls, even in his inner circle. But there are notes of some of the calls that were written by a top aide to Rosen, Richard Donoghue, who was present for some of the conversations..., people said. Donoghue's notes could be turned over to Congress in a matter of days, they added, if Trump does not file papers in court seeking to block such a handover. In addition, both Rosen and Donoghue could be questioned about the conversations by congressional committees examining Trump's actions in the days after the election.... ~~~

~~~ "The phone calls came in late 2020 and early 2021, when Trump and his supporters were furiously pressing for officials at all levels of the government to intercede in the usually routine process of certifying the election results -- asking them to either launch new investigations, support unverified allegations of fraud or manipulation of vote counts, or otherwise throw up roadblocks to Democrat Joe Biden becoming president." MB: At the same time, of course, Trump was also pressuring local elections officials, state legislators & Mike Pence to change or refuse to certify the official presidential election results. So after he failed in his attempts to manipulate the levers of the government he headed to flip the election results, Trump resorted to encouraging a popular insurrection to unlawfully install him for another term. I think Trump's "state of mind" and "intention" on January 6 are pretty clear.

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) acknowledged Wednesday that he spoke with ... Donald Trump on Jan. 6, increasing the likelihood that he will be called to testify before the House select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters. 'I spoke with him on Jan. 6,' Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, said during an interview with Spectrum News, in which he was asked to clarify previous comments about whether the two had communicated on the day of the attack."

Caroline Vakil of the Hill: "A former New York state Senate candidate is facing four charges in connection to his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riot, CNBC reported. Daniel Christmann was arrested on Wednesday in Brooklyn and faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or ground; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. According to a federal criminal complaint..., footage was found of Christmann entering the building through a window. The complaint also shows comments that Christmann made on his Instagram account where he confirmed that he had entered the Capitol."

Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "The Federal Reserve on Wednesday offered the most direct signal yet that it will begin to dial back its emergency support for the economy in the near future, as its chair, Jerome H. Powell, made it clear that policymakers will do so deliberatively and with plenty of warning. Fed officials voted to leave both of their key policy supports intact before wrapping up their two-day July meeting, holding interest rates near zero and continuing government-backed bond purchases unabated. Those two tools fuel economic demand by making money cheap to borrow and spend. But they spent the meeting debating when and how to slow the bond-buying program, which is expected to be the first step toward a more normal policy setting as the economy rebounds strongly from its pandemic stupor. A decision isn't imminent, but officials used their July policy statement to signal that one is coming."

Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Federal prison officials have allowed Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor accused of sexually abusing hundreds of girls and women, to avoid paying financial penalties that are part of his sentence -- even as he spent more than $10,000 from his Federal Bureau of Prisons account while behind bars, according to a new court filing. The spending details are contained in a prosecutor's motion Wednesday that seeks to force the Bureau of Prisons to turn over Nassar's current prison account balance to help cover a court-ordered payment of $5,300 to the federal Crime Victims Fund.... The Washington Post reported last month that the bureau allows inmates to keep unlimited amounts of money in their accounts and effectively shields much of that money from collection..., leaving the Justice Department in the odd position of having to file court cases to force one of its own agencies to turn over money owed to crime victims or for other debts."

Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield, in a New York Times op-ed, explain why they're proud that the company they founded -- Ben & Jerry's -- and which they no longer control, decided to end the sale of their ice cream in Palestine's occupied territories.

Annals of, uh, Journalism, Ctd. Their Goal Is Spit-Takes. Katie Robertson of the New York Times: "Gawker is back. Again. The website known for blunt, gossipy coverage of celebrities, tech entrepreneurs, media figures and anyone else with an inflated ego went live on Wednesday, two years after a failed reboot attempt. The editor in chief is Leah Finnegan, a former executive editor of The Outline, a news site that shut down last year. She has also worked as an editor at Gawker and The New York Times. 'The current laws of civility mean that no, it can't be exactly what it once was,' Ms. Finnegan wrote of Gawker in a note to readers published Wednesday, 'but we strive to honor the past and embrace the present. We are here to make you laugh, I hope, and think, and do a spit-take or furrow your brow,' she continued, asking readers to consider the site's new incarnation 'with an open mind and an open heart.'"

The Pandemic, Ctd.

It's Official. Kevin McCarthy Is a Moron. Marianna Sotomayor & John Wagner of the Washington Post: "House Republicans on Wednesday angrily criticized a new order from the Capitol Hill physician to wear masks inside the Capitol due to the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus, leading Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy a 'moron' over his argument that the decision was not based on science. Many House Republicans refused to wear masks on the House floor during a series of morning votes, before they called for the chamber to adjourn as GOP members rebuffed attempts by staff to get them to put on a mask.... '... The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state,' McCarthy tweeted shortly after [Capitol physician Brian] Monahan sent his email [outlining the new policy] Tuesday night. Asked Wednesday morning by NBC News about McCarthy's comment, Pelosi responded: 'He's such a moron.'... Many Republicans have declined to say whether they have been vaccinated, although they represent areas with the biggest spikes in infections."

Margaret Talev of Axios: "The most hardcore opponents of coronavirus vaccination -- the group who say they'll never get one -- tend to be older, whiter and more Republican than the unvaccinated Americans who are still persuadable, according to an analysis of our Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index." MB: Can't figure out why that is. ~~~

~~~ Oriana Gonzalez of Axios: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans to use money from his reelection campaign to run radio ads on over 100 Kentucky stations in the coming days to promote getting vaccinated for COVID-19, Reuters reports."

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

Marie: In Tuesday's thread, Akhilleus pointed out that Rep. Margie Greene (GQP-Ga.) is upset that some liberal-type establishments may start banning potential customers with "staff infections." I meant to point that out earlier Wednesday, but I guess I let myself accidentally forget because I recently wrote "phase" where I meant "faze." My excuse is I don't have a staph to correct my spelling errors.

U.K. Karla Adam & William Booth of the Washington Post: "Coronavirus cases are plummeting in Britain. They were supposed to soar. Scientists aren't sure why they haven't.... The trajectory of the virus in Britain is something the world is watching closely and anxiously, as a test of how the delta variant behaves in a society with relatively high vaccination rates. And now people are asking if this could be the first real-world evidence that the pandemic in Britain is sputtering out -- after three national lockdowns and almost 130,000 deaths." The article includes several theses for the reason for the drop in cases -- including the possibility is that Brits just aren't getting tested.

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. Allan Smith & Jane Timm of NBC News: "The Republican serving as liaison between the Arizona state Senate and the private company conducting a partisan ballot review said Wednesday that he intended to resign, then walked it back. Ken Bennett, a former Arizona secretary of state, said he'd decided to resign when it became clear he would not regain access to the Phoenix fairgrounds where the private company, Cyber Ninjas, continues its examination of millions of ballots cast last November in Maricopa County.... Bennett ... was first barred from entering the audit site Friday after he shared some results with outside election experts, according to The Arizona Republic. Those experts told the paper that what they reviewed indicated the auditors' vote tally was in line with the results reported by the county.... Bennett's announcement comes as another public-facing element of the audit -- its Twitter account ... -- was permanently suspended by Twitter along with seven other pro-audit accounts that promoted ... Donald Trump's lies about last fall's vote. The suspensions were first reported by BuzzFeed News." MB: So everything is going very smoothly.

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "One of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's top lawyers, a central figure in the state attorney general's investigation of the governor, will resign from her post next week just as the sexual harassment inquiry may be nearing an end. Judith L. Mogul has served as special counsel to the governor since 2019 and was one of the senior Cuomo aides who handled a sexual harassment complaint lodged by Charlotte Bennett, a former executive assistant to Mr. Cuomo." Mogul was one of two staff to whom Bennett had related her allegations against Cuomo.

Way Beyond

Japan. The New York Times' live updates of the Olympics games Wednesday are here.

The Commentariat -- July 28, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Marie: According to CNN & MSNBC, President Biden has announced that Democrats, Republicans, & the White House have reached a bipartisan agreement on an infrastructure bill. I'll get up a link to a print story when one becomes available. ~~~

~~~ Ali Zaslav, et al., of CNN: "The senators negotiating an infrastructure deal announced they have an agreement on their major issues and hope to move forward with a procedural vote as soon as Wednesday evening, an optimistic sign for the group that has been seeking a deal for weeks though final bill text has yet to be released. The new bipartisan infrastructure bill will include $550 billion in new spending over the next five years, according to two sources familiar with the matter, rather than the $579 billion agreed to last month. The Republican senators made the announcement after a meeting in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office on Wednesday morning."

Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "GOP Rep. Andrew Clyde (Ga.) defended his description of rioters walking through the Capitol on Jan. 6 appearing to look like a 'normal tourist visit' during a committee meeting on Tuesday. The heated exchange occurred hours after four police officers appeared before the select committee probing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.... Rep. (D-Md.), a member of the select panel, confronted Clyde during a Rules Committee meeting about his previous comments regarding the insurrection, in which he said people 'would actually think it was a normal tourist visit' if they had not known the footage was from Jan. 6. 'Do you stand by your statement that they were tourists?' Raskin asked Clyde. The GOP lawmaker, however, refused to answer the question, claiming that Raskin had read an 'interpretation' of his statement.... [Raskin read back Clyde's original statement.] 'And I stand by that exact statement, as I said it,' Clyde responded." Includes video. MB: Photos taken January 6 show Clyde helping to barricade the House doors against the advancing horde normal tourists.

Marie: In yesterday's thread, Akhilleus pointed out that Rep. Margie Greene (GQP-Ga.) is upset that some liberal-type establishments may start banning potential customers with "staff infections." I meant to point that out earlier today, but I guess I let myself accidentally forget because I recently wrote "phase" where I meant "faze." My excuse is I don't have a staph to correct my spelling errors.

Katie Williams & Maegan Vazquez of CNN: President "Biden made his first formal remarks to staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday -- an address at a moment of quiet but profound change for a workforce that was buffeted by the fierce political winds of the Trump era. After four years of bitter criticism by ... Donald Trump, who accused the intelligence community of 'Nazi'-like practices and said top leaders should 'go back to school,' the intelligence community has sought to quietly return to business-as-usual under a decidedly more conventional president. And Biden, in turn, has vowed to never politicize the intelligence community's work, installing senior leaders who are seen as far less overtly partisan than either of Trump's final two national intelligence directors. 'You've served the American people no matter which political party holds power in Congress or the White House,' Biden told staff at the ODNI. 'It's so vital, so vital that you are and should be totally free of any political pressure or partisan interference. It's basic. And I want to be absolutely clear that my administration is getting us back to the basics.... I'll never politicize the work you do. You have my word on that,' he added."

~~~~~~~~~~

Marie: What most people, including many teevee pundits, don't seem to entirely grasp is that those defending the Capitol were defending it against a would-be fascist dictator (and his collaborators) who was at the time President* of the United States. This is, as said POTUS* would say, unpresidented.

Meet Your Trumpbot. Here's a voicemail D.C. MPD Officer Michael Fanone received while he was testifying at the hearing: ~~~

     ~~~ If CNN has this video removed, here's a tweet with an embedded video that includes the voicemail, which Fanone released to CNN's Don Lemon. Discussion of the voicemail begins at about 5:35 min. in, the voicemail at about 6 min. in.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Lee Moran of the Huffington Post: "Fox News' prime-time personalities Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson were slammed on Tuesday for their coverage of the first day of the House select committee's hearing on the U.S. Capitol riot. Ingraham responded to the harrowing testimony from officers who faced down the violent mob of ... Donald Trump's supporters on Jan. 6 with a spoof awards ceremony.... Ingraham said the hearing was akin to 'performance art.' Among the 'awards,' Ingraham gave 'best performance in an action role' to Washington Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who during his testimony recalled fearing he'd be shot with his own weapon.... Carlson, meanwhile, responded with a smirk to footage of Fanone telling the hearing he'd experienced post-traumatic stress disorder after the riot. Throughout his monologue, Carlson piled onto his previous claims about the violence just being a 'political protest that got out of hand.'" Thanks to P.D. Pepe for the link. See also her comment below.

** Karoun Demirjian, et al., of the Washington Post: "A House select committee examining the events of Jan. 6 opened its investigation Tuesday with vivid, visceral testimony from four law enforcement officers who were among those attacked as they defended the U.S. Capitol from armed supporters of ... Donald Trump, delivering an emotional portrait of the insurrection's lasting toll more than six months later.... The select committee's members believe the first-person accounts of such intensely traumatic experiences will resonate with the American public, cutting through the bitter political war in Congress over how the Capitol riot should be investigated -- and who bears responsibility for it." ~~~

Mary Jalonick of the AP: "'This is how I'm going to die, defending this entrance,' Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell recalled thinking, testifying Tuesday at the emotional opening hearing of the congressional panel investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Gonell told House investigators he could feel himself losing oxygen as he was crushed by rioters -- supporters of ... Donald Trump -- as he tried to hold them back and protect the Capitol and lawmakers. He and three other officers gave their accounts of the attack, sometimes wiping away tears, sometimes angrily rebuking Republicans who have resisted the probe and embraced Trump's downplaying of the day's violence. Six months after the insurrection, with no action yet taken to bolster Capitol security or provide a full accounting of what went wrong, the new panel launched its investigation by starting with the law enforcement officers who protected them. Along with graphic video of the hand-to-hand fighting, the officers described being beaten as they held off the mob that broke through windows and doors and interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's presidential win." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times report is here. ~~~

~~~ Chairman Bennie Thompson released this video of the insurrection before the officers' testimony began:

~~~ Video of the full hearing, via USA Today, is here. The testimony was remarkably compelling. ~~~

~~~ Jeremy Herb of CNN suggests five takeaways from the hearing.

Maeve Sheehey of Politico: "The two House Republicans participating in the Democratic-led investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol attack issued pointed rejoinders to their party's leadership, defending their own conservative credibility, during the select panel's first hearing on Tuesday. An emotional Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois spent much of his questioning time criticizing fellow Republicans who 'have treated this as just another partisan fight.' While he didn't mention House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy by name, the GOP leader has chastised Kinzinger and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming for serving on the panel, calling them 'Pelosi Republicans' in a bid to link them to the Democratic speaker who appointed them." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ ** Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "... Republican lawmakers took the occasion [of Tuesday's hearing] to demand justice -- for the terrorists who took up arms against the U.S. government on that terrible day. Six Republican members of the House, escorted by a man in a giant Trump costume bearing the message 'TRUMP WON,' marched on the Justice Department Tuesday afternoon to speak up for those they called 'political prisoners' awaiting trial for their roles in the insurrection. 'These are not unruly or dangerous, violent criminals,' Rep. Paul Gosar (Ariz.) proclaimed at a news conference outside DOJ headquarters. 'These are political prisoners who are now being persecuted and bearing the pain of unjust suffering.'... They distributed copies of a letter alleging the Jan. 6 defendants had been denied 'potentially exculpatory evidence' and subjected to 'cruel and unusual punishment.' Their supporters waved signs proclaiming 'Free the Jan. 6 Political Prisoners,' and 'Jan. 6 Was an Inside Job.'... The half-dozen lawmakers, including Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, made explicit what has become more obvious by the day: Republicans stand with those who attempted a violent coup on Jan. 6." ~~~

     ~~~ Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "A news conference held by a coalition of House GOP firebrands was cut short Tuesday after a group of counterprotesters gathered behind the lawmakers.... [The House members] were repeatedly interrupted and eventually ended the event after counterprotesters got too close to the speakers.... 'The left is interrupting the press conference, we need to end it,' [an unidentified] man announced, as protesters gathered behind the lawmakers with signs. As the Republicans left the microphones at the DOJ, the protesters followed them down the street." ~~~

     ~~~ Dana Milbank, in the column linked above, writes that "the unidentified man" was "a worried staffer" who said, "We got to get out." Milbank wonders, "What were they afraid of? These protesters were nonviolent -- unlike the Jan. 6 terrorists with whom Republicans now side."

~~~ Luke Broadwater & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "One officer described how rioters attempted to gouge out his eye and called him a traitor as they sought to invade the Capitol. Another told of being smashed in a doorway and nearly crushed amid a 'medieval' battle with a pro-Trump mob as he heard guttural screams of pain from fellow officers. A third said he was beaten unconscious and stunned repeatedly with a Taser as he pleaded with his assailants, 'I have kids.' A fourth relayed how he was called a racist slur over and over again by intruders wearing 'Make America Great Again' garb.... The two top congressional Republicans [McConnell & McCarthy] later said they had been too busy with other work to watch.... Ignoring those who organized, encouraged and carried out the attack, [House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy] and other Republicans faulted Ms. Pelosi, who on Jan. 6 was forced to flee the Capitol as armed members of the mob roamed the corridors calling out, 'Where are you, Nancy?'... Congressional leaders hire the law enforcement personnel responsible for Capitol security, but are typically not involved in day-to-day decisions about security protocols." ~~~

~~~ It's All Nancy's Fault. Mike Lillis of the Hill: "House GOP leaders teed off on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Tuesday morning, accusing her of neglecting her duty to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6 and demanding answers about her role in the violent attack that injured more than 140 police officers.... They also did not answer reporters' questions about why Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who was Senate majority leader on Jan. 6, should not bear the same responsibility they say Pelosi does for the security lapses.... Pelosi's office quickly issued a statement pushing back against the charges. The statement noted that congressional leaders do not oversee the everyday decisions surrounding Capitol security -- a responsibility of the Capitol Police Board -- while asserting that the Speaker never denied a request to active the National Guard." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jill Colvin of the AP: "The Republican Party's self-portrayal as champions of law and order collided with searing testimony Tuesday from police officers themselves. Officers described in vivid, personal terms the terror of defending the U.S. Capitol from violent Trump-inspired insurrectionists on Jan. 6.... It highlighted the GOP's effort to brush past the violence unleashed by a mob of ... Donald Trump's supporters that endangered hundreds of officers."

Bad News for Der Furor. Katie Benner of the New York Times: "The Justice Department notified former officials this week that they could testify to the various committees investigating the Trump administration's efforts to subvert the results of the presidential election and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times. Witnesses can give 'unrestricted testimony' to the House Oversight and Reform Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, the department said. Both panels are scrutinizing the bid by officials in the Trump White House to force the Justice Department to undermine President Biden's victory, as well as the events leading up to the Capitol riot, as Congress convened to formally tally the electoral results.&" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Evan Perez of CNN: "The Justice Department formally declined to assert executive privilege for potential testimony of at least some witnesses related to the January 6 Capitol attack.... The decision paves the way for some former Justice Department officials to testify on what they witnessed in the chaotic days between ... Donald Trump's November election loss and early January when he tried to use the Justice Department and other means to advance false claims that he won." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Devlin Barrett & Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "A Republican congressman's Jan. 6 speech at a rally ahead of the riot at the U.S. Capitol is not covered by protections for members of Congress and federal employees, the Justice Department said in a court filing Tuesday -- drawing a legal line over attempts to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) had argued that he is effectively immune from a lawsuit filed by his colleague Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) that accused Brooks..., Donald Trump, and others of fomenting the failed attack on Congress.... The agency 'cannot conclude that Brooks was acting within the scope of his office or employment as a Member of Congress at the time of the incident out of which the claims in this case arose,' the court filing said. 'Inciting or conspiring to foment a violent attack on the United States Congress is not within the scope of employment of a Representative -- or any federal employee.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Katie Benner of the New York Times: "The Justice Department's decision shows it is likely to also decline to provide legal protection for Mr. Trump in the lawsuit.... Lawyers for the House also said on Tuesday that they declined to defend Mr. Brooks in the lawsuit."

White, Christian, heterosexual males are 25 percent of the population, and they are not satisfied to hold only 85 percent of the power. -- Matthew Dowd, a white, Christian, heterosexual male, on the teevee Tuesday

Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "A one-of-a-kind album recorded by the Wu-Tang Clan and sold at auction to the disgraced pharmaceutical executive and hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli has been purchased by an anonymous buyer for an undisclosed sum of money, the federal prosecutors who seized the album three years ago said. Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, the acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sale of the one known copy of the album, 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,' in a news release on Tuesday.... The sale satisfied the balance that Mr. Shkreli had owed the government, according to the news release. The buyer was a group of people or a company, rather than an individual, according to a person with knowledge of the sale."

Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "A former intelligence contractor who disclosed details of the American drone warfare program to a reporter [at the Intercept] was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly four years in prison. The former official, Daniel E. Hale, 33, was working as a contract employee with a security clearance at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency when he provided documents to a reporter for The Intercept, a news site that specializes in intelligence matters. He was originally charged in 2019 with various counts including disclosing intelligence information and theft of government property. In March, Mr. Hale pleaded guilty to retaining and transmitting national defense information. On Tuesday, Judge Liam O'Grady of U.S. District Court sentenced Mr. Hale to 45 months in prison." MB: But, who will take care of Hale's cat?

Abha Bhattarai of the Washington Post: "Walmart will begin offering free college tuition and books to its 1.5 million U.S. employees, the latest effort by the country's largest private employer to attract and retain workers in a tight labor market. The retail giant said Tuesday that it will invest nearly $1 billion over the next five years in career training and development programs for workers who want to pursue majors in high-demand fields, such as business administration, supply chain and cybersecurity. The company had previously required its Walmart and Sam's Club workforce to pay $1 a day to participate in the program.... Walmart's Live Better U education program, which will be free beginning Aug. 16, was created three years ago to help employees advance within the company.... More than 52,000 employees have participated and 8,000 have graduated since 2018." MB: Walmart just made itself an attractive employer for young people and anyone who wants to work toward a college degree. I never thought I'd say, "Good for Walmart." I'm saying it now. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Tyler Pager & Eli Rosenberg of the Washington Post: "President Biden will announce Thursday that all federal employees will be required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or face repeated testing mandates, a White House official said, a dramatic escalation of the administration's effort to combat the spread of the delta variant. The new rules will closely align with policies recently put in place for government officials in California and New York City, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.... The White House is not planning on firing government employees who aren't vaccinated but will impose a number of restrictions on them as a way to encourage them to receive one of the vaccines that have received emergency-use authorization. Another official cautioned that nothing is final until Biden announces it and the plan could change, adding that a policy review is underway." (This is a substantial update of a story linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here. CNN's story is here.

Annie Karni of the New York Times: "The White House is masking up again, just over two months after President Biden and senior government officials shed their face coverings in the biggest sign to date that the country was moving toward normalcy. The shift came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that people vaccinated against the coronavirus should resume wearing masks in public indoor spaces in parts of the country where the virus is surging, amid growing reports of breakthrough infections of the more contagious Delta variant among people who are fully immunized."

Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "Masks will once again be universally required on the House side of the Capitol amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant, the Capitol physician announced late Tuesday night. The resumption of the House mask mandate -- just over a month after it was lifted -- comes after new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier Tuesday recommending that vaccinated people should wear masks in high-risk areas.... The Capitol physician, Brian Monahan..., said that masks are justified given that members of Congress hail from all over the country, where some areas -- primarily conservative-leaning -- are seeing a surge in COVID-19 amid low vaccination rates.... The mask requirement will not apply to the Senate. But it's a different COVID-19 risk environment in the Senate, where all but four senators have confirmed publicly that they are vaccinated in a recent CNN survey."

Yasmeen Abutaleb, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors in certain circumstances -- the latest step in the nation's escalating fight against the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus. The agency advised that vaccinated people who live in high-transmission places wear masks in indoor public spaces, according to three people familiar with the guidance. It also recommended that vaccinated people with vulnerable household members, including young children and those who are immunocompromised, wear masks indoors in public spaces." The article is free to nonsubscribers. CNN's report is here.

Paul Waldman of the Washington Post: "... in the world's richest country we have more vaccine doses than we know what to do with, and we're terribly worried about not hurting the delicate feelings of those who insist on putting everyone else at risk... Being nice to those who refuse to be vaccinated is getting awfully tiresome.... After a year and a half of this pandemic, and so much suffering and death, it's hard to care about their feelings.... At the very least, we should start taking every step possible to prevent those actively refusing to participate in our mutual effort to prevent each other from getting sick and dying from doing more harm.... There's no perfect answer to how far ... restrictions should go, but at a minimum we ought to say that if you want the freedom not to be vaccinated, a business or organization should have the freedom to tell you to stay away until either you're vaccinated or the pandemic is over." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jordan Frieman of CBS News: "The Department of Justice on Tuesday ordered the forfeiture of a tablet containing a portion of the 'Epic of Gilgamesh,' one of the oldest known works of literature. The forfeiture is part of an ongoing process to return thousands ;of clay tablets and bullae that were illegally smuggled out of Iraq and purchased by Hobby Lobby.... Hobby Lobby purchased the tablet and thousands of others like it with the intent of displaying some of them in the Museum of the Bible, which is funded by the family of the arts and crafts chain's founder, David Green. The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet was seized by law enforcement officers in 2019, according to the DOJ, and Hobby Lobby agreed to its forfeiture." MB: Green, an evangelical Christian, fought -- and won in the Supreme Court -- the Obamacare mandate that required large companies like Hobby Lobby to pay for birth control. Most of Hobby Lobby's employees are women. Green laid off a big percentage of those women in March 2020 because his wife had a vision from God. MB: Too bad God didn't tell the lovely Mrs. that all those artifacts they bought were stolen.

Beyond the Beltway

California. Do as I Say, Not as I Do. Kathleen Ronayne of the AP: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said Tuesday he pulled his children out of a summer day camp that did not require kids to wear masks, a violation of state policy that Newsom's spokeswoman said he and his wife missed when reviewing communication from the camp.... Two of Newsom's four children, ages 10 and 11, attended the day camp, [the spokeswoman] said. Reopen California Schools, a group that promotes full school reopening without masks, tweeted Monday it had obtained photos of one of Newsom's sons at the camp. The group cast it as another example of Newsom saying one thing and doing another, something that could further frustrate his critics and other voters as his Sept. 14 recall election looms. Signatures in support of the recall spiked last November after he was caught dining maskless at the expensive French Laundry restaurant while telling Californians to avoid gatherings of more than three households."

California. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "An attacker robbed former senator Barbara Boxer near her home in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, shoving the longtime lawmaker and snatching her cellphone before fleeing by car.... 'I said, "How can you do this to a grandmother?"' said Boxer, who served as a Democratic senator from California.... The attack on 80-year-old Boxer follows the Oakland City Council's decision last month to cut the police department's budget by about $18 million in favor of funding social services and violence-prevention programs." (Also linked yesterday.)

California. Stephanie Dazio of the AP: "A federal jury on Tuesday convicted a wealthy California political donor on charges he injected gay men with methamphetamine in exchange for sex, leading to two deaths and other overdoses. Ed Buck, 66, was found guilty of all nine felony counts in federal court, which could lead to a life sentence. The verdict came exactly four years after one of the victims, 26-year-old Gemmel Moore, was found dead of an overdose in Buck's West Hollywood apartment.... Prosecutors said Buck paid men and provided drugs in return for sex acts. Buck had pleaded not guilty."

Oregon. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Tuesday, The Daily Beast reported that former Oregon state Rep. Mike Nearman has been banned from setting foot on the state capitol grounds for 18 months as part of a guilty plea deal to official misconduct relating to his participation in a violent right-wing riot. 'Last December, when the Capitol was closed due to the pandemic, Nearman opened a side door to allow a group of violent protestors inside,' the publication writes. 'It led to a clash with police near the entrance. While explaining his actions to Marion County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Pellegrini, Nearman claimed he didn't support what the group did upon entering but eventually admitted that he opened the door so he could "appear favorable to certain citizen groups."'... Nearman was expelled from the Oregon House of Representatives in a bipartisan 59 to 1 vote in June -- the first time any lawmaker was removed this way in the history of the state." MB: As the linked WashPo story reports, "Nearman himself cast the sole no in the 59-to-1 tally." The Daily Beast report, which is firewalled, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ BUT. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "Despite pleading guilty to knowingly committing official misconduct after holding open a door to allow right-wing demonstrators into the Oregon Capitol building in December, former Republican lawmaker Mike Nearman denied wrongdoing in a radio interview after his sentencing. 'I don't think I committed a crime, and I don't think I did anything wrong,' Nearman, 57, told conservative talk-show host Lars Larson on Tuesday.... 'The legal bills were stacking up,' he told Larson. 'It made more sense to pay and do a little community service rather than pay twenty or thirty thousand more to attorneys.'"

New Jersey. Ed Shanahan & Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "A New Jersey woman can leave up several banners that use what local officials called an obscenity to express her hostility toward President Biden, a state court ruled on Tuesday. The ruling came after the woman, Andrea Dick of Roselle Park, enlisted the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey to fight a municipal judge's order that she take the banners off a fence outside the house where she lives with mother or face $250 a day in fines. After the civil liberties group joined the case, Roselle Park officials backpedaled on their earlier demand that Ms. Dick take down the banners and effectively dropped the matter.... [Some of Dick's large banners] included a crude word [-- fuck --] whose use the Supreme Court long ago ruled could not be restricted simply to protect those it offends."

Texas Congressional Election. Ally Mutnick of Politico: "Voters in North Texas delivered an upset Tuesday, picking GOP state Rep. Jake Ellzey to fill a vacant House seat over a candidate endorsed by ... Donald Trump. Ellzey beat fellow Republican Susan Wright, the widow of former Rep. Ron Wright, 53 percent to 47 percent, when the Associated Press called the low-turnout, Republican-vs.-Republican runoff. Though Ellzey was better funded, Wright leaned heavily on her backing from the former president.... [Trump] held two tele-town halls for [Susan Wright] and taped a robocall for her, making the loss more painful.... It's possible Ellzey benefited from Democratic voters who participated in the runoff to rebuff Trump. Though the runoff was between tw Republican candidates, it was a special election open to all voters in the district."

Way Beyond

Japan. The New York Times' live updates of Olympics games developments Tuesday are here: Simone "Biles, the most decorated gymnast in the world, walked off the mat and left the competition, saying she was not mentally prepared to continue. She said later that she was not certain she would compete again at the Tokyo Games. In her absence, the Russian team surged to the gold medal. The Americans held on for silver."