The Commentariat -- July 27, 2021

Afternoon Update:

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

Eli Rosenberg of the Washington Post: "President Biden said that the federal government was considering making vaccines mandatory for its workforce -- what would be a significant escalation in push to expand vaccine coverage as the coronavirus surge from the Delta variant sends shockwaves through the country. 'That's under consideration right now,' he said in response to a reporter's question at an appearance Tuesday. 'If you're not vaccinated, you're not nearly as smart as I thought you were.' There are at least 4 million federal employees, a figure that includes civilian workers, members of the military, and members of the U.S. Postal Service, according to recent estimates, making the government the country's largest employer. It could not be learned if the discussions about vaccine requirements would also apply to members of the military."

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."

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."

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." ~~~

~~~ 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."

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." ~~~

     ~~~ 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."

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.

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."

~~~~~~~~~~~

The Washington Post is liveblogging developments in the House select committee on the January 6 insurrection. The first hearing is scheduled to begin today at 9:30 am ET. ~~~

~~~ Jeremy Herb, et al., of CNN: "In its opening act, the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol holds its first high-profile hearing Tuesday with testimony from four officers who will give firsthand accounts of the horrors they witnessed and endured as rioters stormed the building. The officers are expected to recount the harrowing attacks they faced on January 6, including being beaten with a flagpole, getting crushed in a doorway, being the target of racial slurs and facing rioters who tased them. The committee also is expected to show never-before-seen videos depicting the violence from that day, just as House impeachment managers did during the impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump." ~~~

~~~ Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of the committee, in a Washington Post op-ed: "Many of the Jan. 6 rioters have stated in their court pleadings that they stormed the Capitol believing they were acting on behalf of, or even at the behest of, then-President Donald Trump. The protection of our democracy demands that we comprehensively investigate what drove Americans to riot and violently assault Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police and other law enforcement officers to access the inner sanctum of Congress and private offices of top congressional leaders, including the speaker of the House.... The committee will provide the definitive accounting of one of the darkest days in our history." ~~~

~~~ Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "Democrats are seeking to elevate the role of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on the committee examining the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, scheduling her to deliver one of the two opening statements at the panel's first public hearing Tuesday, according to two people familiar with the decision. The move is intended to present the committee as a bipartisan effort following Republican leadership's decision not to participate in the panel.... During a closed-door meeting last week, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) proposed to [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and Cheney that having the Wyoming congresswoman speak after Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) would present a 'strong visual' for the committee's goals and intentions as it embarks on a months-long process to investigate the insurrection, according to a person familiar with the conversation, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Pundits have been talking about Nancy Pelosi's outsmarting Kevin McCarthy. Looks as though Liz Cheney outsmarted McCarthy, too -- not that outsmarting Kevin is all that difficult.

Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Monday announced that the United States will end its combat mission in Iraq by year's end, his latest effort to push American diplomacy past a post-9/11 worldview and shift its focus away from terrorism and the Middle East and toward threats like China and cyberwarfare. Welcoming Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to the Oval Office, Biden promised ongoing support for democracy in Iraq, including elections this fall, but he said the military mission there will change.... The Iraq announcement came three months after Biden announced the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and just one week after he started transferring prisoners from Guantánamo Bay in hopes of eventually shutting down the prison. Taken together, the moves represent what has become a pillar of Biden's foreign policy: ending two decades of what he sees as an outdated reaction to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and focusing on an increasingly aggressive China, which he sees as the biggest threat to American security." (This is an update of a story linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nomaan Merchant of the AP: "President Joe Biden is making his first visit to an agency of the U.S. intelligence community, looking to emphasize his confidence in national security leaders after his predecessor's incendiary battles against what he often derided as the 'deep state.' Biden is scheduled Tuesday afternoon to visit the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the 17 U.S. intelligence organizations. The White House said in a statement that Biden intends to express 'admiration for their work and underscore the importance for our national security of intelligence collection and analysis free from political interference.'... Donald Trump visited the Central Intelligence Agency on his first full day in office, praising the agencies but also airing personal grievances. Standing in front of CIA's memorial wall with stars marking each of the officers who have died while serving, Trump settled scores with the media and repeated false claims about the size of his inauguration crowd.... Trump would go through four permanent or acting directors of national intelligence in four years and engaged in near-constant fights with the intelligence community."

Arsenic & Old Lead. Dino Grandoni of the Washington Post: "The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday it will set stricter requirements for how coal-fired power plants dispose of wastewater full of arsenic, lead and mercury -- a major source of toxic water pollution in rivers, lakes and streams near electric generators across the country, from Wyoming to Pennsylvania. In a new rulemaking process that kicked off Monday, President Biden's team is aiming to undo one of the Trump administration's major regulatory rollbacks. Last year, the Trump EPA weakened rules forcing many coal plants to treat wastewater with modern filtration methods and other technology before it reached waterways that provide drinking water for thousands of Americans.... It is ... an example of how the Biden administration is grappling with decades of neglect on water issues under Democratic and Republican presidents as it pushes for billions of dollars from Congress to replace lead pipes and fix aging sewage systems."

Lisa Mascaro, et al., of the AP: "Senators and the White House are locked in intense negotiations to salvage a bipartisan infrastructure deal, with pressure mounting on all sides to wrap up talks and show progress on President Joe Biden's top priority. Despite weeks of closed-door discussions, senators from the bipartisan group blew past a Monday deadline set for agreement on the nearly $1 trillion package. Instead they hit serious roadblocks over how much would be spent on public transit and water infrastructure and whether the new spending on roads, bridges, broadband and other projects would be required to meet federal wage requirements for workers. They're also at odds over drawing on COVID-19 funds to help pay for it. Republican negotiator Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who took the lead in key talks with a top White House aide, insisted the bipartisan group was 'making progress.'"

** The Right's Moral Bankruptcy. Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "... J.D. Vance, the author of 'Hillbilly Elegy,' who is now a Republican Senate candidate in Ohio..., noted that some prominent Democrats don't have children, and he lashed out at the 'childless left.' He also praised the policies of Viktor Orban, the leader of Hungary, whose government is subsidizing couples who have children, and asked, 'Why can't we do that here?' As The Washington Post's Dave Weigel, who was there, pointed out, it was odd that Vance didn't mention Joe Biden's newly instituted child tax credit, which will make an enormous difference to many poorer families with children. It was also interesting that he praised Hungary rather than other European nations with strong pronatalist policies [such as France].... So why did Vance single out for praise a repressive, autocratic government with a strong white nationalist bent? That was a rhetorical question.... When politicians rant about values, or attack other people's personal choices, it's usually a sign that they're unable or unwilling to propose policies that would actually improve American lives."

Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "Thomas J. Barrack, a wealthy investor and ex-adviser to ... Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty to charges related to foreign lobbying at his first court appearance in New York since his arrest in California last week. Barrack, 74, and his co-defendant Matthew Grimes, 27, were arraigned Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, where they are charged with failing to register as agents of a foreign government while covertly working on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. Barrack, who is also accused of lying to the FBI, is free on a $250 million bond." MB: Though not explicited stated in the story, it appears Grimes also pleaded not guilty.

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: The "Founding Fathers"' "fears and apprehensions are the subject of a recent book by Dennis C. Rasmussen, a political scientist at Syracuse University. In 'Fears of a Setting Sun...', Rasmussen walks readers through the later-in-life correspondence of Jefferson, Washington, Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, each of whom feared for the fate of the American republic following their service in the government they created. And for good reason.... '...the founders' correspondence was "littered with predictions of imminent collapse.'... Adams wrote ... to [his son] John Quincy that, 'If there is any Thing Serious in this World, the Selfishness of our Countrymen is not only Serious but melancholy, foreboding ravages of Ambition and Avarice which never were exceeded on this Selfish Globe.'... To Rufus King, Hamilton wrote that 'the prospects of our Country are not brilliant. The mass is far from sound.'... 'The source of Jefferson's frustration and despondency,' Rasmussen writes, 'was not the continued failure of the South to finally put slavery on the road to extinction, but rather the North's opposition to its expansion.'"

Jacey Fortin of the New York Times: "Michael B. Enzi, a long-serving United States senator from Wyoming who had a reputation as a low-key, consensus-seeking conservative and who led the Senate Budget Committee for several years before he retired in January, died on Monday, days after a bicycle accident. He was 77." The Guardian's obituary is here.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Biden said Monday that long-term symptoms of covid-19 could be considered a disability under federal civil rights laws, an announcement timed to coincide with the 31st anniversary of the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act. 'Many Americans seemingly recovered from the virus still face lingering challenges like breathing problems, brain fog, chronic pain and fatigue,' Biden said during a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House, where he signed a proclamation commemorating the 1990 law that passed with bipartisan support. 'These conditions can sometimes rise to the level of a disability,' Biden said."

Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "The Department of Veterans Affairs, which runs one of the nation's largest health systems, announced Monday it would mandate coronavirus vaccines for its front-line workers, becoming the first federal agency to do so and signaling what some experts said could be a national pivot to such requirements. Faced with the explosive growth of a new virus variant, the state of California and the city of New York gave workers a choice: Get vaccinated or face weekly testing. And an array of hospitals from coast to coast, including the prestigious Mayo Clinic, declared they would require staff to get vaccinated, following a joint plea from the nation's major medical groups. Health-care leaders say the moves represent an escalation of the nation's fight against the coronavirus -- the first concerted effort to mandate that tens of millions of Americans get vaccinated, more than seven months after regulators authorized the shots and as new cases rip through the nation." The article is free to nonsubscribers.

Jeremy Diamond & Kate Sullivan of CNN: "The White House has decided to maintain existing coronavirus travel restrictions amid surging cases triggered by the Delta variant, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.... The Biden administration has been under growing pressure from the travel industry and US allies to lift pandemic-era restrictions limiting who can travel to the US."

An Unvaccinated Nitwit.Roni Rabin of the New York Times: "... many inoculated Americans are losing patience with vaccine holdouts who, they say, are neglecting a civic duty or clinging to conspiracy theories and misinformation.... The country seemed to be exiting the pandemic; barely a month ago, a sense of celebration was palpable. Now many of the vaccinated fear for their unvaccinated children and worry that they are at risk themselves for breakthrough infections. Rising case rates are upending plans for school and workplace reopenings, and threatening another wave of infections that may overwhelm hospitals in many communities.... Some vaccinated people believe the federal government should start using sticks rather than carrots, like lottery tickets." MB: Count me among those who are "losing patience" with the nitwits. Some of the vaccinated people interviewed suggested sticks to use against the unvaccinated. I think it would be appropriate to require them all to wear tinfoil dunce caps when they go out in public.

Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "Congressional investigators expanded their inquiry Monday of political interference at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under ... Donald Trump, citing newly obtained documents and additional reports of the administration's meddling in government scientists' work. The expanded investigation centers on efforts to blunt the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs), which offer public updates on scientists' findings. The reports had been considered sacrosanct for decades and untouchable by political appointees in the past, but Trump appointees pushed last year to edit the findings, worried that they undermined Trump's more optimistic spin on the coronavirus pandemic.... The subcommittee is requesting interviews with Anne Schuchat, a former CDC deputy director; Nancy Messonnier, a former senior official who held a variety of leadership roles at the CDC during the pandemic; and six current career staff members at the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services. The subcommittee also is requesting interviews with former Trump appointees Kyle McGowan, Amanda Campbell and Nina Witkofsky, who served as top political appointees at the CDC last year." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "Representative Clay Higgins, Republican of Louisiana and an outspoken coronavirus skeptic who has drafted legislation to make vaccine mandates a federal crime, announced this weekend that he, his wife and his son have Covid-19. The announcement on Facebook, which did not provide details on symptoms, raised many questions. Mr. Higgins said he and his wife had previously been infected with the coronavirus in January 2020, at the dawn of the pandemic.... He did not say whether he had gotten an antibody test to confirm a previous infection, nor has he said whether he has been vaccinated against the coronavirus.... Mr. Higgins also asserted, without proof, that the Chinese Communist Party created the novel coronavirus as a biological warfare agent, calling it 'weaponized.' Republicans have increasingly stated, with no evidence, that the coronavirus is human-made and leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China -- some say intentionally. Although President Biden has ordered an intelligence assessment of the theory, most scientists continue to believe that the virus emerged naturally from animals. A senior virologist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology has strenuously denied the virus was created or leaked from her lab." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Tajikstan. Robyn Dixon of the Washington Post: "After the president of Tajikstan's sister died in the hospital reportedly of covid-19, her three sons attacked and beat up the country's health minister and a senior doctor, according to local media. The reports, widespread in Tajik media, cast a rare spotlight on the sudden surge of covid-19 cases in this Central Asian country that for a time denied it had any infections. In a change, the latest surge seems to be hitting right at the top levels of the nation's leadership. The incident came just weeks after the death of President Emomali Rahmon's mother-in-law, also reportedly of covid-19. The government has faced criticism over its denials and inaction after covid-19 spread in the country last year, and its failure to stem a disastrous new wave of infections. The latest spike in cases, initially denied by authorities, has hit wealthy and influential families in Tajikistan." MB: Seems a little like Tennessee.

Beyond the Beltway

California. Quint Forgey of Politico: "California voters most likely to participate in the September recall election are virtually split over whether to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, according to a survey released Tuesday. The poll -- conducted by University of California, Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies and cosponsored by the Los Angeles Times -- showed that 47 percent of likely voters support recalling the Democratic governor, while 50 percent oppose the effort. That difference falls within the poll's margin of error."

Florida. Giulia Heyward, et al., of the New York Times: "More than a month after the terrifying collapse of a condominium tower in Surfside, Fla., the last victim's remains were identified on Monday, bringing the final death toll to 98 and capping a tedious, painstaking effort to account for every resident who had been killed.... The disaster is now officially one of the deadliest structural building failures in American history.... While the search for bodies at the collapse site concluded on Friday, teams of police officers continued to search off-site through millions of pounds of debris for evidence, victims' remains and personal items belonging to residents."

Texas. Eva Moravec & Elise Viebeck of the Washington Post: "Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) has signed a warrant for the arrest of a Democratic legislator -- the first one he has signed since dozens of Democrats fled the state earlier this month in a bid to prevent Republicans from passing new voting restrictions. Phelan signed the warrant Sunday, directing law enforcement to take Rep. Philip Cortez into custody and bring him to the House after Cortez returned to Austin to negotiate with Republicans, then abruptly went back to D.C. Although the warrant is unlikely to be carried out now, as it is not enforceable outside Texas, the move escalates the showdown between Texas Republicans and Democrats over voting access less than two weeks before the House's special legislative session is scheduled to end."

Texas. A Crook After His Own Heart. Myah Ward of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Monday night endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for reelection, even as the incumbent faces a criminal indictment on fraud charges and a separate FBI corruption investigation.... [Trump passed over] George P. Bush -- grandson and nephew of two former presidents, and the last remaining member of the political dynasty in public office -- [who] made the trek to Florida to ask for Trump's endorsement for attorney general a couple of weeks ago, tweeting that he appreciated Trump's 'friendship & kind words as we work together to Keep America Great.'"

Texas. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Santos and David Rodriguez were handcuffed in a Dallas police car when an officer began to play Russian roulette with the hope of getting them to confess to stealing $8 from a gas station vending machine. Santos, 12, and David, 13, had been pulled from their beds by Dallas police officer Darrell Cain in the early-morning hours of July 24, 1973. The White officer had already once pulled the trigger of his .357 Magnum revolver during his interrogation of the Mexican American boys, who said they did not commit the petty theft.... The second time the officer fired his gun, he shot Santos in the head. The killing of the 12-year-old rocked Dallas and the nation, and resulted in Cain being convicted of murder.... Cain, who died in 2019 at 75, was sentenced to five years in prison, but ended up serving only half of his sentence for a murder described by one critic as 'one of the worst cases of racism with impunity.'... Nearly 50 years later, Dallas police have apologized to Bessie Rodriguez, the mother of Santos and David...." MB: A horrifying story.

Way Beyond

Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "A billionaire telecoms tycoon, Najib Mikati, was appointed Monday to form Lebanon's next government, handing him the challenge of trying to pull the small Mediterranean country out of a downward economic spiral. Mr. Mikati, 65, is the third politician delegated by the Parliament to form a government since the huge explosion nearly a year ago in the port of Beirut that killed more than 200 people and led to the cabinet in charge at the time resigning. Since the August blast, the country has continued to sink, with frequent protests against the political elite, chronic traffic jams, and the currency losing 90 percent of its value, leading to acute shortages of fuel, medicine and electricity."

The Commentariat -- July 26, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "President Biden has announced the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He has started transferring prisoners from Guantánamo Bay in hopes of eventually shutting down the prison. And on Monday, he will welcome Iraq's prime minister to the White House for an expected announcement that U.S. combat forces will leave that country within months. The moves reflect what is emerging as an unmistakable pillar of Biden's foreign policy: seeking to push America past the post-9/11 phase of its history, ending 20 years of relentless focus on the Middle East and terrorism rather than threats like China and cyberattacks. The United States needs to 'fight the battles for the next 20 years, not the last 20,' Biden has said."

Mariana Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "Democrats are seeking to elevate the role of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on the committee examining the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, scheduling her to deliver one of the two opening statements at the panel's first public hearing Tuesday, according to two people familiar with the decision. The move is intended to present the committee as a bipartisan effort following Republican leadership's decision not to participate in the panel.... During a closed-door meeting last week, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) proposed to [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and Cheney that having the Wyoming congresswoman speak after Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) would present a 'strong visual' for the committee's goals and intentions as it embarks on a months-long process to investigate the insurrection, according to a person familiar with the conversation, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Pundits have been talking about Nancy Pelosi's outsmarting Kevin McCarthy. Looks as though Liz Cheney outsmarted McCarthy, too -- not that outsmarting Kevin is all that difficult.

Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "Congressional investigators expanded their inquiry Monday of political interference at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under ... Donald Trump, citing newly obtained documents and additional reports of the administration's meddling in government scientists' work. The expanded investigation centers on efforts to blunt the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs), which offer public updates on scientists' findings. The reports had been considered sacrosanct for decades and untouchable by political appointees in the past, but Trump appointees pushed last year to edit the findings, worried that they undermined Trump's more optimistic spin on the coronavirus pandemic.... The subcommittee is requesting interviews with Anne Schuchat, a former CDC deputy director; Nancy Messonnier, a former senior official who held a variety of leadership roles at the CDC during the pandemic; and six current career staff members at the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services. The subcommittee also is requesting interviews with former Trump appointees Kyle McGowan, Amanda Campbell and Nina Witkofsky, who served as top political appointees at the CDC last year.

Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "Representative Clay Higgins, Republican of Louisiana and an outspoken coronavirus skeptic who has drafted legislation to make vaccine mandates a federal crime, announced this weekend that he, his wife and his son have Covid-19. The announcement on Facebook, which did not provide details on symptoms, raised many questions. Mr. Higgins said he and his wife had previously been infected with the coronavirus in January 2020, at the dawn of the pandemic.... He did not say whether he had gotten an antibody test to confirm a previous infection, nor has he said whether he has been vaccinated against the coronavirus.... Mr. Higgins also asserted, without proof, that the Chinese Communist Party created the novel coronavirus as a biological warfare agent, calling it 'weaponized.' Republicans have increasingly stated, with no evidence, that the coronavirus is human-made and leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China -- some say intentionally. Although President Biden has ordered an intelligence assessment of the theory, most scientists continue to believe that the virus emerged naturally from animals. A senior virologist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology has strenuously denied the virus was created or leaked from her lab."

~~~~~~~~~~

Maybe the Republicans can't handle the truth, but we have a responsibility to seek it, to find it and in a way that maintains the confidence of the American people. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to George Stephanopolous, Sunday ~~~

~~~ Jessie Naranjo & Olivia Beavers of Politico: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally tapped Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois -- a rare Donald Trump antagonist in his party -- to the select panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection as part of a boosted Republican presence." The New York Times story is here. ~~~

~~~ Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "The House select committee envisioned to be the ultimate arbiter of what led ... Donald Trump's supporters to invade the U.S. Capitol in January is scheduled to begin its work this week under a cloud of controversy that threatens to compromise the investigation from the outset.... Nevertheless, on Tuesday, four police officers -- two from the Capitol's protection squad and two from D.C. police -- are set to provide the first public testimony before the select committee. They are expected to testify about their experiences of both physical and verbal abuse on Jan. 6, as they tried to protect the Capitol from a swelling horde of demonstrators determined to stop Congress's efforts to certify the 2020 electoral college results and declare Joe Biden the next president.... Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), said in an interview that the officers' testimony was 'a really important perspective to begin with ... to put to rest this fictional revisionist history,' a reference to efforts by Trump and other Republicans to characterize the Capitol riot as a 'normal tourist visit' from a 'loving crowd.'"

Trump Associates Spawned a Seedy Disinformation Industry. Max Fisher of the New York Times: There is now "a secretive industry that security analysts and American officials say is exploding in scale: disinformation for hire. Private firms, straddling traditional marketing and the shadow world of geopolitical influence operations, are selling services once conducted principally by intelligence agencies. They sow discord, meddle in elections, seed false narratives and push viral conspiracies, mostly on social media. And they offer clients ... deniability.... Most [disinformation social media posts] trace to back-alley firms whose legitimate services resemble those of a bottom-rate marketer or email spammer.... For-hire disinformation, though only sometimes effective, is growing more sophisticated as practitioners iterate and learn.... The [Cambridge Analytica scandal, tied to Trump's 2016 campaign,] ... taught a generation of consultants and opportunists that there was big money in social media marketing for political causes, all disguised as organic activity."

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "Fox News hosts on Sunday promoted the idea that 'childless' Americans should not be allowed to participate in society by voting. The idea was recently floated by Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance." The hosts seemed to agree that the proposal wasn't "feasible" but that it was morally correct because only people with children are "optimistic" & have a stake in the future of the country. MB: Here's hoping even some elderly Foxbots find this thesis massively offensive.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Madeline Holcombe of CNN: "Less than half of the US population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 -- and with cases on the rise, experts are urging a return to precautions reminiscent of the earlier days of the pandemic. 'What I would say bluntly is: If you are not vaccinated right now in the United States, you should not go into a bar, you should probably not eat at a restaurant. You are at great risk of becoming infected,' CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield. In 48 states, the rate of new Covid-19 cases in the past week jumped by at least 10% compared to the previous week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In 34 of those states, the rate of new cases increased by more than 50%."

Connor O'Brien of Politico: "Anthony Fauci ... on Sunday said more leaders in areas that are lagging in vaccination against the coronavirus should 'speak out' to persuade people to get inoculated as the Delta variant surges."

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

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan. AP: “Elected officials in a conservative Michigan county who gave themselves bonuses of $65,000 with federal COVID-19 relief aid said they will return the money following days of criticism. Shiawassee County commissioners acted after the prosecutor said the payments were illegal, The Argus-Press reported.... The commissioners, all Republicans, voted on July 15 to award themselves $65,000 as part of a plan to give $557,000 to 250 county employees as 'hazard pay' for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.... The commissioners awarded money to other elected officials, including the prosecutor, the sheriff and the county clerk, all Republicans. They, too, said they would give it back."; MB: It's nice to see that it isn't only bigwig Republicans who are corrupt. Right down to rural county commissioners, Republican officials are horrified that the feds might give "those people" financial help but they're perfectly willing to put your tax dollars in their own pockets.

Way Beyond

Afghanistan. Susannah George of the Washington Post: "Civilian casualties in Afghanistan have hit record highs as U.S. forces are withdrawing from the country, a U.N. mission reported Monday. The mission warned the conflict is likely to become more deadly as fighting draws closer to urban areas. Nearly 800 civilians were killed and more than 1,600 wounded between May and June, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said. The figures are the highest recorded during those two months since the mission began keeping track in 2009."

Tunisia. Claire Parker of the Washington Post: "Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed the country's prime minister and froze parliament for 30 days on Sunday, posing a major test to the young democracy and escalating a political crisis that has built for months. Opponents condemned the move as an attempted coup. Saied announced that he was firing Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and that he and a new prime minister, to be named in the coming hours, would take up executive authority. Under Tunisia's 2014 constitution, executive power is shared by the president, prime minister and the parliament. Saied also suspended lawmakers' parliamentary immunity." The Guardian's story is here.

Japan. The New York Times' live updates of Olympics events Sunday are here. The Washington Post's live updates Sunday are here. The AP's main page has a section on the Olympics.

The Commentariat -- July 25, 2021

David Montgomery in the Washington Post Magazine: "Progressives want a dramatic de-Trumpification of the Justice Department. But the attorney general [Merrick Garland] has a different theory of how to heal America.... He stands as a kind of radical institutionalist, a stickler for regular order, a true believer in the norms and processes put in place after Watergate that weathered nearly every storm until Trump.... He is leaving it to existing departmental structures -- mainly the inspector general's office -- to address problems on a case-by-case basis.... In [his] critics' view, the previous Justice Department wasn't normal, so deference to its debatable decisions amounts to a perversion of justice masquerading as institutionalism." MB: Quite a long piece & worth reading -- or at least scanning -- if you have a WashPo subscription.

Brianna Crummy of Politico: "Speaking in Phoenix [Saturday] at a Turning Point USA gathering, [Donald] Trump hailed what he called Arizona Senate Republicans' 'full forensic audit' of results in Maricopa County, while continuing to promulgate baseless conspiracy theories about the election he lost to Joe Biden.... 'This is only the beginning of the irregularities,' he insisted, reeling off a litany of polling grievances, none of which his team of lawyers was able to substantiate in court after the election.... At one point Trump falsely intimated he could return as president before the next presidential election. In lengthy diatribes on his loss, he blamed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, former Vice President Mike Pence and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, while defending the actions of his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. 'Like it or not we are becoming a Communist county,' he said...."

Digby in Salon: Republicans' "anti-government [message] worked well for the wealthy benefactors who paid these politicians handsomely to keep their taxes low and regulations scarce. They also used that message to persuade voters that the government was trying to oppress them with everything from creeping communism to affirmative action and women's rights.... Over time they were able to demagogue the issue so thoroughly that average Republicans routinely voted against their own interests.... Fast forward to 2020 and the first global pandemic in a hundred years with an incompetent narcissist in charge. Between his ineptitude and self-serving desire to pretend that the crisis didn't exist and the years of mistrust in the government, the U.S. ended up with an epic disaster and half the population refusing to acknowledge it existed.... The problem is that the virus is spreading, restrictions have been lifted and the Republican base is refusing to save itself. The anti-government chickens have finally come home to roost --and they're killing Republicans."

Andrew Singleton of McSweeney's gets hold of a speech by an unnamed medieval landholder who warns of impending social upheaval: "You see, my fellow land-owning gentry, it seems that the invention of mechanized industry, the rise of 'capitalism,' and the impact of the recent plague have brought upon us a wave of moral degradation and irredeemable sloth -- specifically, nobody wants to be a serf anymore." Thanks to RAS for the lead.

Sarah Kaplan & Brady Dennis of the Washington Post: "This disastrous summer [of fire & floods] is yet another portent of what humanity faces in coming decades if the world does not take dramatic steps to protect ecosystems and curb use of fossil fuels, scientists say.... Scientists have repeatedly warned that the planet remains on track to exceed a critical threshold for warming within a decade, a change that will accelerate the loss of sea ice, extinction of species and a dramatic escalation of weather extremes. Yet experts and activists believe this moment also offers a rare opportunity to change course -- possibly the last such opportunity before many effects of climate change become irreversible."

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times notices we are experiencing the apocalypse now.

A Montana Man Did What We All Want to Do. Sara Boboltz of the Huffington Post: "When a local fly fishing guide spotted noted vaccine skeptic Tucker Carlson at a sporting goods store in Livingston, Montana, he did not waste time. 'You are the worst human being known to mankind. I want you to know that,' Dan Bailey can be heard telling the Fox News host in a video posted to his Instagram page Friday night.... In his Instagram caption, Bailey wrote, 'This man has killed more people with vaccine misinformation, he has supported extreme racism, he is a fascist and does more to rip this country apart than anyone that calls themselves an American.'... [In the shaky video,] Carlson, in a plaid button-down and a gold watch, can be seen holding his hand up against Bailey's chest, making his trademark exaggerated facial expressions. He appears to grimace, and then, realizing he is being filmed, spreads his mouth into a grin and turns away." MB: Apparently a gold watch is part of a fly-fishing outfit.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here: "A conservative radio host in Tennessee who had expressed unwillingness to be vaccinated is now hospitalized with Covid pneumonia and urging his listeners to get the shots. Phil Valentine, 61, whose show airs on 99.7 WTN in Nashville, contracted the virus about a week ago, the station said in a statement on Friday." MB: Why do wingnuts have to get deathly ill before they become believers? Would they jump from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa before they believed in gravity?

Florida. Nada Hassanein of USA Today, republished in Yahoo! News: "Florida leads the nation in new [Covid-19] cases, recording more this week than California, Texas, New York and Illinois combined. And like elsewhere, the unvaccinated make up nearly all of the hospitalized and the dead." The story cites some Floridians' brilliant "reasons" for not getting vaccinated. The USA Today story is firewalled but is free on Yahoo! News.

Beyond the Beltway

Allan Smith & Jane Timm of NBC News: "Republicans seeking to change state voting laws in the face of opposition from Democratic governors or unwilling legislatures are zeroing in on another path -- enacting fresh restrictions via ballot initiatives. In Michigan and Pennsylvania, key battlegrounds that President Joe Biden flipped back blue in 2020, as well as in Massachusetts, Republicans are at the beginning stages of a lengthy process to put proposed limits directly to the voters. Voting rights advocates who connect the moves to the proliferation of restrictive voting laws advanced in states where the GOP enjoys total control say they fear those efforts will prove successful and spread to other states where such initiatives are legally possible."

Georgia Senate Race. Brian Slodysko of the AP: "At first glance, Herschel Walker has a coveted political profile for a potential Senate candidate in Georgia. He was a football hero at the University of Georgia before his long NFL career. He's a business owner whose chicken products are distributed across the U.S. And he's a Black conservative with backing from ... Donald Trump, a longtime friend. But an Associated Press review of hundreds of pages of public records tied to Walker's business ventures and his divorce, including many not previously reported, sheds new light on a turbulent personal history that could dog his Senate bid. The documents detail accusations that Walker repeatedly threatened his ex-wife's life, exaggerated claims of financial success and alarmed business associates with unpredictable behavior."

Ohio Senate Race Brings Out the Stupid. Caroline Vakil of the Hill: "Venture capitalist and Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance spoke on Friday about the 'cultural wars' being waged by the left and took aim at politicians without children who 'don't have a personal indirect stake' in improving the country.... He noted that potential future presidential candidates in the Democratic Party, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), all do not have children." MB: Harris has children, altho she is not their birth mother; Buttigieg & his husband have said they plan to have children; Booker & Ocasio-Cortez are not married, but there's no reason they couldn't have children in the future (AOC is 31 years old). These kinds of meaningless personal attacks really irritate me. Vance is married with children; his wife was a law clerk for John Roberts & Bart O'Kavanaugh. Vance wrote the best-selling "white-trash 'splainer" Hillybilly Elegy.

Oklahoma. Annie Gowen & Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: When the Supreme Court decided last year "in McGirt v. Oklahoma ... that a large part of eastern Oklahoma is still Indian country..., [it also ruled that] prosecution of Native Americans for crimes in the expanded Indian country must be carried out in federal and tribal courts, rather than by state or local officials. It was celebrated across the country by Native Americans last July, who saw it as a historic affirmation of treaties signed with the U.S. government in the 1800s. But in the year since, the ruling has upended Oklahoma's criminal justice system, imperiled convictions in thousands of cases, sowed confusion for police and emergency responders and led to the direct release of more than 50 criminals convicted on charges including second-degree murder and child abuse.... And there may be wider impacts for the region, which covers 19 million acres in eastern Oklahoma, includes a portion of ... Tulsa, and is home to 1.8 million people.

Way Beyond

Hungary. Saskya Vandoorne, et al., of CNN: "Some 30,000 people have joined the annual Pride celebrations in Budapest on Saturday, organizers say, with attendees marching in colorful outfits across the Hungarian capital in support of inclusion and freedom. But this year, Pride is also a protest, as LGBTQ people and their allies rally against the country's increasingly hostile policy towards their communities -- punctuated by a new, homophobic law recently passed by Hungary's hardline government.... The new law, supported by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, bans all educational materials and programs for children that are considered to promote homosexuality and gender reassignment. Off the back of fierce international criticism, including a scolding assessment (and a push for its repeal) by the European Union, of which Hungary is a member, Orbán has proposed to hold a referendum that will ask the public if they support the 'promotion' of content related to sexual orientation to children."

Japan. The New York Times' live updates of the Olympic games Saturday are here. ~~~

~~~ Karen Mizoguchi of People: "For her first day of spectating at the pandemic-delayed Games, a mask-wearing Dr. [Jill] Biden, dressed in an official Team USA Ralph Lauren ensemble, cheered on the women's 3x3 basketball team for the sport's Olympic debut. The first lady, who was seated one row behind French President Emmanuel Macron, was seen jumping to her feet and clapping near the end of the game when Team USA defeated No. 1-ranked France 17-0.... Shortly after the conclusion of the game, Dr. Biden, who is on her first solo international outing, was seen at the aquatic center where she cheered on the U.S. swimmers during the evening preliminary heats and was seen waving and happily clapping as several Team USA athletes qualified."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Bob Moses, a soft-spoken pioneer of the civil rights movement who faced relentless intimidation and brutal violence to register Black voters in Mississippi in the 1960s, and who later started a national organization devoted to teaching math as a means to a more equal society, died on Sunday at his home in Hollywood, Fla. He was 86." Moses' AP obituary is here.

New York Times: "Jackie Mason, whose staccato, arm-waving delivery and thick Yiddish accent kept the borscht belt style of comedy alive long after the Catskills resorts had shut their doors, and whose career reached new heights in the 1980s with a series of one-man shows on Broadway, died on Saturday in Manhattan."