February 18, 2022
President Biden will address the nation at 4 pm ET on the crisis in Ukraine.
To the privileged, equality feels like oppression. -- Origin various, via Aliza Worthington of Crooks & Liars
The New York Times' live updates of developments in the Ukraine crisis Friday are here. The Washington Post's live updates Friday are here.
Andrew E. Kramer & Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "... exchanges of artillery fire with Russian-backed separatists reached their most intense level in months [Thursday], an ominous development amid Western fears that Russia might use the fighting as a pretext to invade Ukraine. As the United States and Russia traded conflicting accounts over whether Russian forces were really pulling back from the Ukrainian border, as Moscow has insisted, the separatists claimed they had come under fire from the Ukrainians. That is precisely the sort of incident Western officials have warned Russia might try to use to justify military action. At the White House, President Biden said 'every indication we have is they're prepared to go into Ukraine, attack Ukraine.' He said the United States had 'reason to believe' that Russia was 'engaged in a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in.' Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken made an unscheduled trip to New York, where he told the United Nations Security Council that American intelligence 'indicates clearly' that Russian forces surrounding the country from three sides 'are preparing to launch an attack against Ukraine in the coming days.'" ~~~
~~~ Nahal Toosi & Mackenzie Wilkes of Politico: "In a surprise appearance at the United Nations, Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out the potential, 'theatrical' steps American officials expect the Kremlin to take. Blinken and his Russian counterpart are expected to meet next week as the U.S. keeps urging a diplomatic solution.... American national security officials held multiple meetings overnight and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield asked Blinken to speak at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday on his way to the Munich Security Conference.... Blinken went step-by-step to predict how Moscow would approach the situation, all part of an ongoing effort by the Biden administration to counter Russi's disinformation and propaganda in as close to real time as possible." The report lays out Blinken's suppositions. ~~~
~~~ Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "U.S. officials have obtained intelligence that Russia's announced military pullback from Ukraine's border was a deliberate ruse to mislead the United States and other world powers, four officials said Thursday, as President Biden offered a bleak warning that the Kremlin will launch an attack 'in the next several days.'"
Lisa Mascaro of the AP: "The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to show unwavering support for an independent Ukraine and 'condemn' Russian military aggression toward its neighbor as fresh fears emerged of a possible invasion that could spiral toward a European war.... The resolution from the senators does not carry the force of law but puts the U.S. legislative body on record with 'unwavering United States support for a secure, democratic, and independent Ukraine' and 'denounces the Russian military buildup' on Ukraine's border. The vote was unanimous, without objection or the formal roll call." ~~~
~~~ BUT Earlier That Same Day. Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) warned on Thursday that he will block quick passage of a symbolic resolution supporting Ukraine and sending a warning to Russia unless it incorporates changes he wants.... Because the bipartisan group is trying to pass the resolution by unanimous consent, they need buy-in from every senator to allow the resolution to pass quickly. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said that he was in talks with Paul. 'We're working through it,' Portman said." Evidently they did. MB: Everything is all about Randy, isn't it? Ever the whiney little prick.
Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "Russia expelled a senior U.S. diplomat last week, the State Department said on Thursday.... A State Department spokesperson confirmed the expulsion of Deputy Chief of Mission Bart Gorman, the No. 2 diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, and described it as 'unprovoked.' But while news of his expulsion broke on Thursday, the spokesperson said that Gorman departed from his position in Moscow last week. Russian state media was the first to report on Gorman's expulsion. Russia did not offer a reason for the decision to expel Gorman. The State Department said he had a valid visa and that his tour had not ended." (Also linked yesterday.)
Haley Ott & Tucker Reals of CBS News: "Ukraine's military and the Russian-backed separatists it has battled for eight years in the country's eastern Donbas region both accused the other side of opening fire on Thursday in violation of ceasefire agreements that have been shaky, at best, since they were signed seven years ago.... America and its allies have also warned for weeks that Russia could try to stage a 'false-flag' incident -- including a faked attack by Ukrainian forces on the rebels in Donbas -- to use as a pretext to invade Ukraine. On Thursday, amid the claims of shelling from both sides, NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was 'concerned' that Russia was trying to do just that." (Also linked yesterday.)
** David Rothkopf in Haaretz: "A repulsive and depraved trio, Josh Hawley, Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump, are active partners in Putin's efforts to gaslight the West on Ukraine -- and to undermine the United States itself[.]
I can honestly say, President Biden, you have done more good works to benefit this region already and into the future with the passage of the Rescue and Infrastructure and Jobs acts than any other president whom I have walked alongside as a member of Congress. -- Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who has served in Congress since 1983, in remarks Thursday ~~~
~~~ John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Biden visited Ohio on Thursday to tout $1 billion in funding from the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last year that will be used to clean and restore environmentally degraded sites around the Great Lakes, a major source of drinking water in the region." ~~~
~~~ Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "... if [President] Biden emphasizes the [good news about the U.S. economy,] he will have reality on his side. I've been arguing for a while that the economy is doing much better than either consumer surveys or polling suggest. And two important new studies reinforce that case.... Americans aren't suffering big declines in real wages, and they see inflation as temporary, not a runaway phenomenon. Why, then, hasn't the good economic news on other fronts made them more upbeat? Maybe because, for whatever reason, they haven't heard that good news. There are many indicators of a large divergence between what people say about their own situation -- which they rate as pretty good, financially and otherwise -- and what they say about what's happening to the nation as a whole.... [Biden] should tout the good things that have happened on his watch. After all, if he won't, who will? A good economy won't sell itself."
Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "John H. Durham, the Trump-era special counsel scrutinizing the investigation into Russia's 2016 election interference, distanced himself on Thursday from false reports by right-wing news outlets that a motion he recently filed said Hillary Clinton's campaign had paid to spy on Trump White House servers. Citing a barrage of such reports on Fox News and elsewhere based on the prosecutor's Feb. 11 filing, defense lawyers for a Democratic-linked cybersecurity lawyer, Michael Sussmann, have accused the special counsel of including unnecessary and misleading information in filings 'plainly intended to politicize this case, inflame media coverage and taint the jury pool.' In a filing on Thursday, Mr. Durham defended himself, saying those accusations about his intentions were 'simply not true.'" A related UPI story is here.
Can Kicked. Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Congress gave final approval on Thursday to a bill to fund the government through March 11, averting a shutdown this week and giving lawmakers more time to cement a deal on spending for the remainder of the fiscal year. Passage of the short-term measure in the Senate came less than 48 hours before government funding was sent to lapse, as lawmakers rushed to leave Washington for a weeklong recess. It passed 65 to 27, just over a week after the House approved it. The legislation, which will keep the government funded through March 11, now heads to President Biden's desk. He is expected to sign it."
Wherein Dick Durbin Gets the Best of Tom Cottonhead. Aliza Worthington of Crooks & Liars: During a Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Bonehead, Ark.) berated judicial nominee Nina Morrison for freeing convicts to roam among us. That's because Morrison "spent years as an attorney for The Innocence Project, helping to free 30 innocent people from prison and death row." That's right; as far as Cotton is concerned, once you're convicted (especially if you're Black!), innocence is no excuse. Cotton then went on to complain about the bipartisan prison reform bill: "'It's your party that voted in lockstep for the First Step Act. That let thousands of violent felons back on the street, who have now committed innumerable violent crimes,' whined Cotton. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) ... jumped in, 'First Step Act? The Democrats did the First Step Act? The Republicans were in the majority. It was a bill sponsored by Senator Grassley, Durbin, Lee, and many others, and who signed it into law? Donald Trump signed it into law, this so-called Democratic measure.'" Emphasis original. MB: As I recall, Young Jared pushed the First Step Act, no doubt because he anticipated his friends would be going to jail (see related story linked yesterday) just as his father did. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Akhilleus asks, in yesterday's Comments, "What do these fuckers do all day long? Do any of them even bother to pay attention? Or is it all just coming up with new outrages with which to pad Faux's nightly litany of horrors against Trump World denizens?" Alas, Akhilleus's questions are rhetorical, and we all know the answers.
** No Lease, No Deal. Kara Scannell & Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "The House Oversight Committee is asking the General Services Administration to consider terminating the lease for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, before the former president's business can sell it, in light of allegations that the Trump Organization submitted false financial statements to the federal government. The Democratic-led committee said false statements or certifications may constitute a breach of the lease of the Old Post Office, the historic, government-owned building the Trump Hotel occupies. The committee request comes as the Trump Organization stands to make a profit of $100 million from the sale of the hotel lease to a Miami-based investment group for $370 million, according to a letter from the panel to the GSA. The agency is reviewing that pending deal.... A spokesperson from the GSA said in response to the House Oversight request on Thursday that the agency will have a thorough 'and appropriate' review of the lease transfer for the downtown Washington building." ~~~
~~~ A Washington Post story, which covers the letter to the GSA as well as the judicial ruling on the Trump family depositions in the New York case, is here. The bad news: "If recent history is any guide, there is little reason to expect the [GSA] will take action in response to the letter...."
Hugh Lowell of the Guardian: "The House select committee investigating the Capitol attack is considering issuing a subpoena to Ivanka Trump to force her cooperation with the inquiry into Donald Trump's efforts to return himself to power on 6 January, according to a source familiar with the matter.... Members on the select committee are not confident that Ivanka Trump would appear on her own volition, the source said, and the discussion about a subpoena reflected how important they consider her insight into whether Trump oversaw a criminal conspiracy on 6 January." (Also linked yesterday.)
Peter Hermann & Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "A D.C. police lieutenant in the intelligence branch has been put on leave amid an investigation into alleged improper contacts with a prominent member of the extremist group Proud Boys, according to four law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case. The officials identified the officer as Shane Lamond, a 22-year veteran. Law enforcement officials said there is evidence suggesting communications between Lamond and Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, who described himself as the former chairman of the group." (Also linked yesterday.)
Ryan Lizza of Politico interviewed super-conservative retired Judge Michael Luttig who appears to have been instrumental in thwarting Donald Trump's attempt to roll over Mike Pence in the Big Coup Plot. The story is rather clumsily told, interview-style, but it's still an interesting footnote to history. The old guy had to learn to tweet, & he didn't get much help, in his telling.
** Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "The New York attorney general can interview Donald J. Trump and two of his adult children under oath as part of a civil inquiry into his business practices, a judge ruled on Thursday, rejecting the former president's effort to block the questioning. The inquiry by the attorney general, Letitia James, and a parallel criminal investigation led by the Manhattan district attorney are examining whether Mr. Trump improperly inflated the value of his assets to receive favorable loans. Lawyers for the Trump family had sought to prohibit Ms. James, a Democrat, from interviewing Mr. Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump. They had argued that she was politically biased against Mr. Trump and was inappropriately using her civil inquiry to aid the district attorney's criminal investigation, which she is also participating in. But the judge, Arthur F. Engoron, ruled in favor of Ms. James's lawyers...." An AP report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
Can't they just refuse to answer? Isn't that what Eric Trump did 500 times? -- Justice Arthur Engoron, to an attorney for Ivanka Trump & Donald Junior, during a hearing Thursday ~~~
~~~ Adam Klasfeld of Law & Crime: "... Donald Trump's attorney argued in court on Thursday that New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is going after her client 'probably because he can win again in '24.' Throughout the attorney general's probe, Trump and his family have claimed that they are being targeted for political prosecution based on James's remarks on the campaign trail. James boasted about her record for suing Trump and called him an 'illegitimate president.' Trump attorney Alina Habba said that James rhetorically convicted Trump of a crime for which he had never been charged when she said on the campaign trail: 'We need to find out where he's laundered money.'... Habba cast her client Trump as ... a man being persecuted because of his 'protected class,' a phrase that legally refers to such categories as race, sex, religion, and color. [Justice Arthur] Engoron noted that that does not describe Trump...."
Thanks, Republicans, Joe Manchin. Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "The number of American children in poverty spiked dramatically in January after the expiration of President Biden's expanded child benefit at the end of last year, according to new research released on Thursday. The Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University said that the child poverty rate rose from 12 percent in December 2021 to 17 percent last month, an approximately 41 percent increase. The study found that an additional 3.7 million children are now in poverty relative to the end of December, with Black and Latino children seeing the biggest percentage point increases.... The White House was unable to secure an extension of the program amid a disagreement over its broader economic proposal with Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who raised multiple objections to the child benefit.... Virtually all Republicans have also opposed Biden's expanded Child Tax Credit...." ~~~
~~~ Our Twisted Values, Ctd. Katherine Rosman, et al., of the New York Times: "In May 2020, after an intense courtship, Spotify announced a licensing agreement to host [Joe] Rogan's show exclusively. Although reported then to be worth more than $100 million, the true value of the deal that was negotiated at the time, which covered three and a half years, was at least $200 million, with the possibility of more, according to two people familiar with the details...." ~~~
~~~ Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post: "It is not really surprising that the three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man whose fatal mistake was jogging through a White neighborhood, would share a racist worldview. But the casual virulence of their racism -- revealed in a Georgia courtroom this week -- is truly shocking.... [Robinson cites a number of the racist comments prosecutors found on social media & text messages.] I'm highlighting the vile words of Arbery's killers for the elucidation of anyone who might believe that this kind of raw, unapologetic racism is a thing of the past.... The recent controversy over richer-than-Croesus podcaster Joe Rogan, who used the n-word repeatedly, missed the point. It's not that he spewed racism.... It's that there is an audience of millions of listeners who can't wait to lap that stuff up." ~~~
~~~ And Another Thing. Marie: As far as I can tell, Arbery's assassins are not poor whites who foolishly & falsely believe Black people are somehow the cause of their economic woes. Rather, they are middle-class whites who hate Black people for the sake of hate itself. Hate to the point of murder.
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. How NBC Handled the Valieva Meltdown. Badly. Cindy Boren of the Washington Post: "One of the most stunning moments in the history of Olympic defeats unfolded Thursday after Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skater largely expected to waltz to a gold medal, fell twice during her free skate to finish in fourth place. Centered around a youngster who had been under intense scrutiny after she was allowed to compete despite testing positive for a banned substance, the scene on NBC's broadcast on the USA Network was excruciating to watch and quickly devolved into teary disbelief and chaos that was unlike anything in recent Olympic memory." ~~~
The adults in the room left her alone. Portrayed by some this week as the villain, by others as the victim, she is, in fact, the victim of the villains. The coaches and National Olympic Committee surrounding Kamila Valieva, whether they orchestrated, prescribed or enabled all of this is unclear, but what is certain: They failed to protect her. -- Mike Tirico of NBC
~~~ Better. Emily Giambalvo of the Washington Post: "NBC Olympics host Mike Tirico called on the International Olympic Committee to take action after Russian figure skating coaches 'failed to protect' Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old star at the center of a doping scandal that dominated the second half of the Beijing Games. Valieva's free skate was marred by the raw, stunning collapse of the teenage gold medal favorite, who has been heavily scrutinized for the last week and a half after the results of drug test in December revealed a prohibited substance in her system."
Cat Zakrzewski of the Washington Post: "A pair of whistleblower complaints filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission this month allege Facebook misled investors about its efforts to combat climate change and covid-19 misinformation, according to redacted copies of the documents viewed by The Washington Post. Filed by Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit representing former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, the complaints allege that the company made 'material misrepresentations and omissions in statements to investors' about its efforts to combat misinformation. The complaints, which have not been previously reported, build on Haugen's congressional testimony and filings her lawyers submitted to the financial regulator last year, and they draw from thousands of internal documents that she took before leaving the company in May."
Google Makes Millions on Fake Ads for Fake Government Handouts. Jesselyn Cook of the Huffington Post: "Behind [a] Google ad [for a fake 'Senior Booster Program'], and hundreds of others like it, is 1111 LLC, a little-known affiliate marketing company run by a former pro MMA fighter from the Canadian prairies. The firm, which also operates a network of pro-Trump news sites and MAGA merch e-shops, has quietly erupted into one of Google's top-performing and highest-spending political advertisers. 1111 LLC has pumped out a deluge of slickly produced videos via Google ads in recent months that promote entirely fabricated government handouts.... Many of these ads are designed to look like news segments, with miscontextualized footage of President Joe Biden at his desk appearing to sign documents related to the bogus payouts. Some ads even display falsified CNBC articles with headlines restating the ads' hoaxes.... 1111 LLC's ads are part of a sprawling scheme to drive web traffic and harvest people's personal details, including their phone numbers and emails.... Google and other online intermediaries are shielded from legal responsibility for user-generated content, including ads, by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Cook doesn't say so, but it is obvious that many of the people who fall for the false promise of big government handouts will have even less confidence in a government that never puts the checks in the mail. I've never seen these ads, but they come up right in the top row of recommended videos when I call up the YouTube page, as I do every day.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here.
David Leonhardt of the New York Times: "The large number of unvaccinated residents in Ocean County[, New Jersey,] has led to a horrific amount of Covid illness and death. Nearly one out of every 200 residents has died from the virus.... What explains the vaccine skepticism in Ocean County? Politics, above all. The county is heavily Republican.... Only after the vaccines became widely available, in early 2021 -- and liberals were much more willing to get shots than conservatives -- did Covid become a disproportionately Republican illness. By the summer of 2021, the gap was soaring.... A new study by four Harvard epidemiologists estimates that 135,000 unvaccinated Americans died unnecessarily in the last six months of last year.... There is one big new development. One, the availability of highly effective post-infection treatments ... has been expanding.... Two, red America has probably built up more natural immunity to Covid -- from prior infections -- than blue America.... Sure enough, the partisan gap in Covid deaths is no longer growing as fast it had been.... [But] the gap ... is still growing." Emphasis added.
Brooks Barnes of the New York Times: "After much internal discussion, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has come to an agreement on coronavirus safety measures for attendees of the 94th Oscars, which will be held on March 27 in Los Angeles: The audience of 2,500 invited guests -- including all nominees -- will be required to show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus and at least two negative P.C.R. tests. Performers and presenters also must undergo rigorous testing -- but those people will not need to show proof of vaccination, a decision that an academy spokeswoman said on Thursday was in keeping with virus safety protocols on some television sets and return-to-work standards set by Los Angeles County."
Canada. Rob Gillies of the AP: Ottawa "Police began arresting protesters Friday in a bid to break the three-week, traffic-snarling siege of Canada's capital by hundreds of truckers angry over the country's COVID-19 restrictions. Officers, some carrying automatic weapons and wearing tactical unit uniforms, were seen going door to door along a line of trucks, campers and other vehicles parked on Ottawa's snow-covered streets. Some protesters surrendered and were taken into custody, police said. Some were seen being led away in handcuffs.... The capital represented the movement's last stronghold after three weeks of demonstrations and blockades that shut down border crossings into the U.S., caused economic damage to both countries and created a political crisis for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau." ~~~
~~~ Amanda Coletta, et al., of the Washington Post: Ottawa "Police began arresting organizers of the self-styled 'Freedom Convoy' demonstrations Thursday night, according to a spokesperson for one group involved in arranging the protests, hours after law enforcement pledged to to bring an 'imminent' end to the demonstrations that have have paralyzed Canada's capital for weeks.... Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said police were hardening the perimeter around the city and had designated a large area as a secure zone where access would be limited to residents, workers and police officers." A CTV (Canada) News report is here. ~~~
~~~ From the You-Can't-Make-This-Up Department. Cristina Cabrera of TPM: "After Canadian authorities blocked [MyPillow Guy Mike] Lindell's truck delivery at the border on Tuesday because he was unvaccinated and didn't have proof of a negative COVID-19 test, the pillow tycoon told the Daily Beast on Wednesday that he had a new strategy: Fly a helicopter over Canada to airdrop the pillows attached to 'little parachutes.' Lindell insisted that the Daily Beast made sure to mention the little parachutes. '[M]ake sure you put that part in, or it could be dangerous,' he said.... He claimed that he had 'confirmed' with an unnamed helicopter company a plan to deliver them at 11 a.m. local time on Thursday." Apparently the MyPillow Guy has seen that "WKRP" Thanksgiving turkey drop episode I embedded a short while back. (Also linked yesterday.)
See Victoria's commentary in yesterday's thread on "those cognitive/emotional changes due to covid."
Beyond the Beltway
Florida. Caroline Kitchener of the Washington Post: "Florida's House of Representatives early Thursday approved a Republican bill to ban abortion after 15 weeks, as the Supreme Court weighs whether to roll back or overturn the landmark decision that established a woman's right to an abortion. The measure heads to a Florida Senate committee meeting on Monday and could be passed by both chambers as early as next week. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signaled his support for the legislation and is widely expected to sign the bill into law. The bill mirrors the Mississippi law currently before the U.S. Supreme Court that bans almost all abortions after 15 weeks. It is the most direct challenge to abortion rights in decades."
Kentucky. Eugene Scott of the Washington Post: "Louisville mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg said Thursday that he and his family have been further traumatized after the activist charged with his attempted murder was released on bail just days after the shooting.... Quintez Brown, 21, was released Wednesday with the help of the Louisville Community Bail Fund, a group co-founded by Black Lives Matter Louisville organizer Chanelle Helm, put up the $100,000 bail. Brown faces a charge of attempted murder and four counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. Brown pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Tuesday.... Greenberg said Thursday that mental health issues are not a valid reason to release a murder suspect from jail.... In remarks on the Senate floor Thursday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) assailed Black Lives Matter for helping bail out Brown." A Louisville Courier Journal report is here.~~~
~~~ Marie: Shame on Black Lives Matter Louisville for making me agree, in part, with Mitch McConnell. If Louisville can't keep Brown in jail, it should move immediately to effect his extended involuntary commitment to a mental institution.
New Jersey. Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "... when the police arrived [at New Jersey's Bridgewater Commons mall on Saturday] and pulled ... apart [two scuffling teenagers], one teenager, who is Black, was placed in handcuffs. The other one, who is white, was allowed to sit unrestrained on a couch. The fight ... was captured in a video that has been viewed more than 1.8 million times on Twitter. 'The appearance of what is racially disparate treatment,' Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey said at a news conference on Wednesday, 'is deeply, deeply disturbing.' On Monday, the Bridgewater Police Department wrote on Facebook, 'We recognize that this video has made members of our community upset and are calling for an internal affairs investigation.' In a letter to residents on Tuesday, the mayor of Bridgewater said that the township's police chief had asked the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office to look into the matter." In the video, it appears the white kid started the fight.
New York. Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: "A female state trooper who says former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo touched her inappropriately when she was a member of his protective detail sued him, his longtime top aide and the New York State Police on Thursday, accusing them of discrimination and retaliation. The filing of the lawsuit ... was a reminder that he still faces potential legal jeopardy over the events that hastened his resignation last August. The trooper appears to be the first of 11 women who have accused Mr. Cuomo of sexual misconduct to sue him." The AP's report is here.
Oregon Gubernatorial Race. Mike Baker of the New York Times: "Nicholas Kristof, a former New York Times columnist who left the newspaper to run for governor of Oregon, does not qualify to appear on the ballot this year, the state's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. Justices said that while Mr. Kristof had extensive ties to the state, including a farm that he operates outside of Portland, elections officials were within their right to determine that he did not meet the state's three-year residency requirement, ruling that he had maintained his New York connections until December 2020. 'He remained registered to vote in New York and retained a New York driver's license until late 2020, actions that are at odds with an intent to change his domicile to Oregon a year or more earlier,' the justices wrote." (Also linked yesterday.) The Oregonian's story is here.
Texas. Alexa Ura of the Texas Tribune: "Thousands of applications for mail-in ballots submitted by Texas voters have been delayed -- and some voters may ultimately not receive ballots -- because Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's campaign instructed eligible voters to send requests for absentee ballots to the Texas secretary of state's office instead of their local elections offices. A mass mailing by Patrick went out to Republican voters across the state in January, ahead of the March primary, and included a two-page letter emblazoned with the seal of his office.... The lieutenant governor's campaign said it used the secretary of state's address because 'many Republican voters are rightly suspicious of Blue County election officials.'... The delayed delivery could put voters' requests for mail-in ballots at risk as counties continue to see higher-than-normal rejection rates of applications under new ID requirements enacted by Republicans last year. Any issues with defective applications must be resolved by Friday so voters can receive a mail-in ballot." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Shall we stipulate that if a Democratic candidate for re-election had pulled a stunt like this, Republican screams of voter suppression would be deafening.
Texas Congressional Races. John Wright of the Raw Story: "Only 13 of 143 GOP congressional candidates in Texas -- or fewer than 10 percent -- have said the results of the 2020 presidential election were legitimate, according to a new report from the Houston Chronicle." (Also linked yesterday.) So ~~~
~~~ The Cult of Trump. Or Not. David Siders of Politico: "... fractious [Republican] primaries will unfold across the electoral map in the coming months, cementing a more populist orientation for the GOP and Donald Trump's status as the party's lodestar, or setting a more traditionally conservative course. These aren't simple match-ups between Trump and anti-Trump forces, or isolated intraparty feuds. Safely ensconced Republican officeholders are being bombarded by challengers from coast to coast, in many cases spurred on by Trump directly. Redistricting and retirements have further scrambled the established order in many places, opening up seats and drawing fields filled with combative candidates eager to move the party in a different direction. Combine that with high levels of energy -- and anger -- in the party base, and it's a recipe to remake the party from the ground up." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: This is a battle for the heart & soul of the Republican cult that has neither heart nor soul. So an impossible task.
Wyoming Congressional Race. The Kevin Kave, Ctd. Annie Karni of the New York Times: "... Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, on Thursday endorsed Representative Liz Cheney's G.O.P. rival for Wyoming's sole congressional seat, taking the unusual step of intervening in a party primary to oust a onetime ally who has become the prime political target of ... Donald J. Trump. Mr. McCarthy said he was backing Harriet Hageman, a pro-Trump candidate who has repeated the former president's false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, in a race that has become a prominent test for the Republican Party." A Politico report is here.
News Ledes
CNN's live updates of the Winter Olympics are here. The AP's live updates are here.
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