The Commentariat -- May 14, 2021

Afternoon Update:

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

Because Republicans Cheat. Ivana Saric of Axios: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told CNN Thursday that members will still be required to wear masks on the House floor, despite new CDC guidance allowing fully vaccinated people to remove their masks indoors.... Pelosi's spokesperson cited the lack of clarity about which House members and their staffs are fully vaccinated, per Bloomberg."

Nicholas Wu & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "House Democrats on Friday announced plans to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, though it doesn't yet have the backing of the chamber's top Republican. Gridlock over the bill's provisions and partisan sniping had stalled progress on the commission for months after the attack. And while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Friday he hadn't formally signed off on the agreement, the deal announced Friday by House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and ranking member John Katko (R-N.Y.) does include some key concessions to Republicans. The bill could come to the floor 'as soon as next week,' Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Friday, noting that the panel is modeled after a bipartisan study of events leading up to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. That floor vote will likely be followed by a long-awaited emergency funding bill to address security flaws within the Capitol that the siege exposed."

Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "House Republicans chose Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on Friday to fill the leadership post recently occupied by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), replacing a harsh critic of ... Donald Trump with a lawmaker who has become one of his staunchest defenders. She received 134 votes while Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) received 46, according to GOP aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the closed meeting. Nine members voted present and three wrote in a person who was not running." An AP story is here.

Liz Unbound. Clara Hill of Yahoo! News: "Representative Liz Cheney ... has called for a criminal investigation into ... Donald Trump for inciting the deadly Capitol insurrection on 6 January. In an interview with Savannah Guthrie on NBC's Today Show on Thursday, Ms Cheney said she was not 'surprised' by her removal as the chair of the Republican conference. She added that the GOP now finds itself in a 'moment where we have to decide whether we as a party whether we are going to embrace the truth.' She described the grip that Mr Trump had on the Republican party as 'dangerous' and 'a cult of personality,' saying it was a 'betrayal' to see him try to burn down the party and American democracy in an attempt to regain power."

Em Steck & Andrew Kaczynski of CNN: "During a February 2019 visit to congressional offices at the US Capitol [-- and before she was a MOC --] with associates who include a man who would later enter the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection, [Marjorie Taylor] Greene ... can be seen [in a video] taunting [Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez's staff outside the congresswoman's locked office by talking through a mailbox slot urging her to come out. In the video, from a since-deleted Facebook Live of Greene's that was saved by CNN's KFile, Greene tells Ocasio-Cortez to 'get rid of your diaper,' referring to the congresswoman's office as a 'day care.' Greene repeatedly indicates throughout her stream that security has been called on them. 'We're going to go see, we're going to visit, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Crazy eyes. Crazy eyes. Nutty. Cortez,' Greene says to the camera on the way to the congresswoman's office, mispronouncing 'Ocasio.'" MB: And you wonder why AOC is concerned for her safety as MTG continues to stalk her.

Yo, Donald, We've Found Some Extreme Voter Fraud. KDVR Fox 31 (Denver): "Prosecutors have filed new charges against Barry Morphew, alleging the man accused of murdering his missing wife submitted a presidential ballot in her name. Morphew was recently arrested on charges of murdering his wife, Suzanne, after she disappeared a year ago. She still has yet to be found.... The ballot didn't contain Suzanne's signature, but it did list Barry as the witness.... On April 22, Barry was asked by FBI agents why he submitted a ballot for Suzanne. 'Just because I wanted Trump to win ... I know she (Suzanne) was going to vote for Trump anyways,' he told investigators. He also said he thought the 'other guys' were cheating so he would 'give him (former president Trump) another vote.'" MB: Trump voters are the best people. This guy allegedly kills his wife, then votes for Trump on her ballot. You can't make up this stuff.

The New York Times' live updates of the armed conflict in Israel are here.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Maskless Joe. Zeke Miller & Michael Balsamo of the AP: "'Today is a great day for America,' President Joe Biden said during a Rose Garden address heralding the new guidance, an event where he and his staff went without masks. Hours earlier in the Oval Office, where Biden was meeting with vaccinated Republican lawmakers, he led the group in removing their masks when the guidance was announced. 'If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask,' he said, summarizing the new guidance and encouraging more Americans to roll up their sleeves. 'Get vaccinated -- or wear a mask until you do.'... The guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools and other venues -- even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated." The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

** Yasmeen Abutaleb & Laurie McGinley of the Washington Post: "Americans who are fully vaccinated can go without masks or physical distancing in most cases, even when they are indoors or in large groups, federal officials said Thursday, paving the way for a full reopening of society. The change represents a huge shift symbolically and practically for pandemic-weary Americans.... More than 117 million Americans are now fully vaccinated, or about 35 percent of the population.... The relaxation of restrictions does not apply to airplanes or health-care settings. Officials also noted that some occupational settings may still require masks. They urged those who are immune-compromised to speak with their doctors before giving up their masks.... Officials cautioned the guidelines could change again if the pandemic should worsen." The story is free to nonsubscribers. (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here, and this morning it gets the banner headline it deserves. ~~~

~~~ Planes, Trains & Buses. Ian Duncan of the Washington Post: "Fully vaccinated people traveling in buses, trains and airplanes must continue to wear a mask, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, even as it said they could go without one in most other indoor settings. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the agency is continuing to review its travel policies, but she did not explain the reasoning during a briefing Thursday on the new recommendations."

William Wan of the Washington Post: "The White House announced Thursday that it is investing $7.4 billion to hire more public health workers to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and future health crises. The money will come from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which Congress passed in March. The funds could give a much-needed boost to America's crumbling public health infrastructure. After decades of chronic underfunding, U.S. public health departments last year showed how ill-equipped they are to carry out basic functions, let alone serve as the last line of defense against the most acute threat to the nation's health in generations."

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

Tony Romm & Eli Rosenberg of the Washington Post: "More than 1.9 million Americans in Alabama, Mississippi and 14 other Republican-led states are set to have their unemployment checks slashed significantly starting in June, as GOP governors seek to restrict jobless assistance in an effort to force more people to return to work. The cuts are likely to fall hardest on roughly 1.4 million people who benefit from stimulus programs that Congress adopted at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, including one targeting those who either are self-employed or work on behalf of gig-economy companies such as Uber. Beginning next month, many of these workers are likely to receive no aid at all. The looming cliff reflects an emerging campaign on the part of GOP leaders to combat what they consider a national worker shortage.... The reality is more complicated, labor experts say. The slowdown in hiring may instead reflect workers' concern about their safety and difficulty obtaining child care, or their trouble finding suitable positions in hard-hit industries such as tourism on top of mounting frustration about wages they consider too low." ~~~

~~~ Ooh! Ooh! Look What Happens When Businesses Can't Staff Up. Christopher Rugaber of the AP: "U.S. restaurants and stores are rapidly raising pay in an urgent effort to attract more applicants and keep up with a flood of customers as the pandemic eases. McDonald's, Sheetz and Chipotle are just some of the latest companies to follow Amazon, Walmart and Costco in boosting wages, in some cases to $15 an hour or higher.... Restaurants, bars, hotels and stores remain the lowest-paying industries, and many of their workers ran the risk of contracting COVID-19 on the job over the past year while white-collar employees were able to work from home." MB: This, of course, is what Republican governors seek to curb: businesses having to pay workers fair wages.

The Case of the Boy in the Basement. Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A former aide accused U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) of allowing his son to live in a storage space in the basement of the U.S. Capitol for several weeks and recklessly exposing staffers to the novel coronavirus, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday. Former aide Brandon L. Pope accused Lamborn, 66, of Colorado Springs, of consistently disregarding 'ethical rules and guidelines' for lawmakers, including taking a 'reckless' approach to the pandemic and retaliating against Pope when he raised objections. Pope ... asked a federal judge to find that the eight-term member of Congress violated workplace rights under the Congressional Accountability Act and to award compensatory and punitive damages.... Lamborn's office announced Nov. 18 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus." Read on for details of Pope's claims. The New York Times story is here. NBC News has a story here.

Seung Min Kim & Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "President Biden, Democratic lawmakers and congressional Republicans all say they want to do something -- anything -- to upgrade the nation's infrastructure. But they don't yet agree on much else, including what 'infrastructure' actually means. The lingering schisms surfaced anew as Biden hosted Senate Republicans at a closely watched Oval Office meeting on Thursday. Even as both sides stressed their commitment to a bipartisan deal, they acknowledged afterward that they're still haggling over what it should include -- and haven't even touched the fierce debate over how to pay for it. The latest round of infrastructure talks came as the White House inched closer to its self-imposed Memorial Day deadline, a date by which it says it expects progress on advancing Biden's jobs and infrastructure plan." A Politico story is here.

Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Thursday urged motorists not to panic over a severe gasoline shortage in the Southeast and emphasized that a major pipeline would be restoring operations in coming days, part of an effort to quell Republican criticism on an issue long fraught with political peril for the party that controls the White House. After his administration struggled to contain an escalating problem for several days, Biden said Colonial Pipeline was poised to operate normally in affected areas 'beginning this weekend and continuing into next week.' In the meantime, drivers should not hoard fuel, he warned, and should understand that restarting is 'not like flicking on a light switch.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~

~~~ William Watts of MarketWatch: "Colonial Pipeline paid Eastern European hackers nearly $5 million in an untraceable cryptocurrency last week in response to a ransomware attack, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the transaction." (Also linked yesterday.) A New York Times story, by Nicole Perlroth, is much more extensive than the MarketWatch item: "A spokeswoman for Colonial declined to confirm or deny that the company had paid a ransom."

Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "The Biden administration on Thursday moved to repeal a Trump-era regulation that it said weakened the government's ability to curb air pollution that threatens public health and is driving climate change. Critics said the regulation distorted the costs of reducing air pollution while diminishing the associated benefits. It is one of several Trump administration policies that have been reversed by Michael S. Regan since he became the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in March. Finalized at the end of the Trump administration, the so-called cost-benefit rule was designed to change how the E.P.A. calculated the economic costs and benefits of new clean-air and climate-change rules.... Experts said [the Trump rule] appeared designed to give industries a way to legally block the E.P.A. over future air pollution rules." (Also linked yesterday.)

Dino Grandoni & Brady Dennis of the Washington Post (May 12): "For years..., Donald Trump and his deputies played down the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels and delayed the release of an Environmental Protection Agency report detailing climate-related damage. But on Wednesday, the EPA released a detailed and disturbing account of the startling changes that Earth's warming had on parts of the United States during Trump's presidency. The destruction of year-round permafrost in Alaska, loss of winter ice on the Great Lakes and spike in summer heat waves in U.S. cities all signal that climate change is intensifying, the EPA said in its report. The assessment, which languished under the Trump administration for three years, marks the first time the agency has said such changes are being driven at least in part by human-caused global warming.... EPA Administrator Michael Regan said he wants to make clear to the entire country the dangers of rising temperatures in the United States." Thanks to RAS for the link.

Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "Mysterious episodes that caused brain injuries in spies, diplomats, soldiers and other U.S. personnel overseas starting five years ago now number more than 130 people, far more than previously known, according to current and former officials. The number of cases within the C.I.A., the State Department, the Defense Department and elsewhere spurred broad concern in the Biden administration. The initial publicly confirmed cases were concentrated in China and Cuba and numbered about 60, not including a group of injured C.I.A. officers whose total is not public. The new total adds cases from Europe and elsewhere in Asia and reflects efforts by the administration to more thoroughly review other incidents amid concern over a spate of them in recent months.... The Biden administration has not determined who or what is responsible for the episodes or whether they constitute attacks.... 'As of now, we have no definitive information about the cause of these incidents, and it is premature and irresponsible to speculate,' said Amanda J. Schoch, the spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence." (Also linked yesterday.)

Daniella Diaz & Annie Grayer of CNN: "The vote to oust Liz Cheney took only 16 minutes. Here's what happened." (Also linked yesterday.)

** Spies Among Us. Adam Goldman & Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times: "A network of conservative activists, aided by a British former spy, mounted a campaign during the Trump administration to discredit perceived enemies of President Trump inside the government, according to documents and people involved in the operations. The campaign included a planned sting operation against Mr. Trump's national security adviser at the time, H.R. McMaster, and secret surveillance operations against F.B.I. employees, aimed at exposing anti-Trump sentiment in the bureau's ranks. The operations against the F.B.I., run by the conservative group Project Veritas, were conducted from a large home in the Georgetown section of Washington that rented for $10,000 per month. Female undercover operatives arranged dates with the F.B.I. employees with the aim of secretly recording them making disparaging comments about Mr. Trump.... Central to the effort, according to interviews, was Richard Seddon, a former undercover British spy who was recruited in 2016 by the security contractor Erik Prince to train Project Veritas operatives to infiltrate trade unions, Democratic congressional campaigns and other targets. He ran field operations for Project Veritas until mid-2018." ~~~

     ~~~ digby, who republishes a good portion of the report, points out that the wife of a Supreme Court justice is thick with these nuts. I'll leave you to guess which justice, which wife.

I don't think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election. I think that is all over with. We're sitting here with the president today, so, from that point of view, I don&'t think that's a problem. -- House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Wednesday ~~~

~~~ "A Refresher for Kevin McCarthy." Salvador Rizzo of the Washington Post: "When a reporter asked a thorny question about the baseless claim, promoted by many Republicans and right-wing media personalities, that Donald Trump really won the 2020 election rather than Biden, McCarthy described it as a thing of the past. It's more like an ongoing dumpster fire.... The claim is incredible, so here's a (non-exhaustive) list of those who are still hawking the idea that the election was tainted by irregularities." In his non-exhaustive list, Rizzo names Trump, "Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)..., Arizona Republicans..., more than 100 retired generals..., large segments of the right-wing media..., Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)..., Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)..., Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Az.)...," and more.

Mary Jalonick of the AP: "Flouting all evidence and their own first-hand experience, a small but growing number of Republican lawmakers are propagating a false portrayal of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, brazenly arguing that the rioters who used flagpoles as weapons, brutally beat police officers and chanted that they wanted to hang Vice President Mike Pence were somehow acting peacefully in their violent bid to overturn Joe Biden's election. One Republican at a hearing Wednesday called the rioters a 'mob of misfits.' Another compared them to tourists. And a third suggested the sweeping federal investigation into the riot -- which has yielded more than 400 arrests and counting -- amounts to a national campaign of harassment. It's a turn of events that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another target of the rioters, called 'appalling' and 'sick,' and it raises the possibility that the public's understanding of the worst domestic attack on Congress in 200 years -- an attack that was captured extensively on video -- could become distorted by the same kinds of disinformation that fueled ... Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election. It was the lie about the election that motivated the rioters in the first place."

** Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "Surrounded by rioters who had dragged him down the U.S. Capitol steps, beaten him and Tasered him, D.C. police officer Michael Fanone screamed in pain. 'I got one!' one of the rioters yelled triumphantly. As the crowd pushed in, grabbing at his head, Fanone screamed again and then pleaded for help. 'I got kids!' he yelled.The intense scene plays out in body-camera footage of the attack broadcast by CNN on Wednesday evening, casting new light on Fanone's struggle to escape a clash he later described as 'the most brutal, savage hand-to-hand combat of my entire life.' Fanone suffered a mild heart attack and a concussion in the melee. The vivid violence in the clip stands in stark contrast to claims by some Republicans on Wednesday, who sought to downplay the severity of the deadly insurrection -- with one GOP lawmaker even describing the attack as a 'normal tourist visit.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Alex Horton & Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A Marine Corps officer was arrested Thursday for alleged crimes during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, becoming the first known active-duty service member charged in the violent attempt to thwart the certification of Joe Biden's election as president. Maj. Christopher Warnagiris, 40, stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, was charged with five counts, including assaulting and obstructing police during a civil disorder and obstructing an official proceeding of Congress, federal prosecutors said.... His current assignment includes training to 'improve the warfighting skills' of senior commanders." The AP's story is here.

Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "A Florida politician who is central to the investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz for possible sex trafficking of a minor signaled Thursday that he will plead guilty in his own federal case, a court entry shows, a troubling development for the congressman as it suggests prosecutors have secured a potentially important witness against him. Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector for Seminole County, Fla., had since last year been outlining to prosecutors how he and Gaetz (R-Fla.) would pay women for sex using cash or gifts as he tried to negotiate a plea deal to resolve his own legal woes, according to a person familiar with the matter. Gaetz has adamantly denied paying for sex. On Thursday, a federal court in Orlando scheduled a 'change of plea hearing' in Greenberg's case for Monday, indicating he has reached such a deal." Politico's story is here.

Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "State prosecutors in Manhattan investigating ... Donald J. Trump and his family business are examining the extent to which Mr. Trump handed out valuable benefits to some of his executives [like paying private-school tuition for a grandchild of longtime Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg] and whether taxes were paid on those perks, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The scrutiny of how the Trump organization handled what are known as fringe benefits is a growing aspect of the broader investigation." ~~~

~~~ Joseph Choi of the Hill: "Officials in Palm Beach, Fla., are reportedly considering a course of action should former President Trump be indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. while he is staying at Mar-a-Lago. According to Politico, law enforcement officials in the town have discussed how to handle a possible extradition if Trump is indicted by authorities investigating whether he committed banking and tax fraud. The news outlet notes Trump's location would affect potential extradition proceedings, as Florida's extradition statute gives Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) the ability to intervene and determine whether someone should be surrendered to out-of-state law enforcement. 'The statute leaves room for interpretation that the governor has the power to order a review and potentially not comply with the extradition notice,' Joseph Abruzzo, circuit court clerk of Palm Beach County, told Politico." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Rachel Maddow imagined Trump's building a moat around his Mar-a-Lago "castle" & holing up there in a stand-off against the authorities. But, um, Trump's Palm Beach abode is already on an island. ("Mar-a-Lago" means "sea-to-lake.") I thought there was a helipad on the grounds, so the sheriff could swoop in on a chopper, but the helipad was demolished in February. So if DeSantis' state police fill in as sort of Praetorian Guard, maybe the Caesar can hold out!

Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "The son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani went on Russian TV to push conspiracy theories about the federal investigation of his father. Andrew Giuliani accused the American government of hacking his father's iCloud account (the feds reportedly gained access via a warrant). '... [People] don't want to live in a country where you're going to have a Justice Department that is going to politicize something to the point where a former president's personal counsel is going actually be spied on by the Justice Department,' he claimed." MB: You do have to wonder why kind of country Andy thinks Russia is. ~~~

~~~ C'mon, Andy, it's a great country. Look what Daddy's friend Sidney can do in the U.S.A. Michael Kunzelman of the AP: "Former Trump attorney ... Sidney Powell has told prospective donors that her group, Defending the Republic, is a legal defense fund to protect the integrity of U.S. elections. But the company suing Powell over her baseless claims of a rigged presidential election says the true beneficiary of her social welfare organization is Powell herself. Dominion Voting Systems claims Powell has raided Defending the Republic's coffers to pay for personal legal expenses, citing her own remarks from a radio interview.... The dispute shines a light on how Trump allies continue to support, spread and allegedly profit from lies about fraud in the 2020 election. Although the election is settled, and all major court challenges have been dismissed, Powell's legal defense fund continues to raise money, with help from conspiracy-minded supporters like QAnon adherents."

Voter Suppression with a "Grassroots Vibe." Ari Berman & Nick Surgey of Mother Jones: "In a private meeting last month with big-money donors, the head of a top conservative group boasted that her outfit had crafted the new voter suppression law in Georgia and was doing the same with similar bills for Republican state legislators across the country. 'In some cases, we actually draft them for them,' she said, 'or we have a sentinel on our behalf give them the model legislation so it has that grassroots, from-the-bottom-up type of vibe.' The Georgia law had 'eight key provisions that Heritage recommended,' Jessica Anderson, the executive director of Heritage Action for America, a sister organization of the Heritage Foundation, told the foundation's donors at an April 22 gathering in Tucson.... Those included policies severely restricting mail ballot drop boxes, preventing election officials from sending absentee ballot request forms to voters, making it easier for partisan workers to monitor the polls, preventing the collection of mail ballots, and restricting the ability of counties to accept donations from nonprofit groups seeking to aid in election administration. All of these recommendations came straight from Heritage's list of 'best practices' drafted in February."

** Michael Harriot of the Root: "... when Mitch McConnell and 38 Republican senators sent a letter to the secretary of education decrying the ghastly prospect of white students having to learn actual facts about slavery, it was not unexpected. For centuries, this country's schools have perpetuated a whitewashed version of history that either erases or reduces the story of Black America.... The Root decided to see what some of the signatories to Mitch McConnell's Strawberry Letter knew about slavery and Black history. We dug through state curriculum standards, yearbooks and spoke with teachers to see which interpretation of history the white tears-spewing politicians learned when they were in elementary and high school." MB: This is fascinating reading. (You have to click on the "Continue reading" bubble for the details.) Although Harriot concentrates on the Senators' objections to the 1619 project, their school "learning" sheds light on their white-worldview of race and the Confederacy. As Harriot points out, the "history" outlined in the textbooks required the approval of groups like the Daughters of the Confederacy & education departments under the thumbs of racists governors like segregationist Dixiecrat Ross Barnett of Mississippi. Thanks to Anonymous for the link.

Beyond the Beltway

Minnesota. Matt Furber of the New York Times: "The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd has been delayed several months to allow for a federal case against them to move forward. The decision was announced Thursday by Judge Peter A. Cahill during a pretrial hearing for the three former officers, and comes weeks after another former officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of two counts of murder and one of manslaughter for kneeling on Mr. Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes. The three other former officers, who were scheduled to face trial on Aug. 23, will now be tried in March, Judge Cahill said. They face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter."

South Carolina. Christina Morales of the New York Times reports that Robert Caslen, a retired Army lieutenant general (& former West Point president) has resigned as president of the University of South Carolina after delivering a commencement speech last week in which he plagiarized a commencement speech given by retired Admiral William McRaven at UT-Austin a few years back. Caslen also inexplicably congratulated the kids for being "the newest alumni from the University of California." MB: What gets me about Caslen's plagiarism, is that he stole a passage that is not particularly outstanding. Rather, it's boiler-plate "uplifting" pablum that we routinely hear at such events:

Know that life is not fair, and if you're like me, you'll fail often. But if you take some risks, step up when times are toughest, face down the cowardly bullies and lift up the downtrodden, and never, never give up -- if you do those things, the next generation and the generations to follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today. And what started here, today, will indeed change the world for the better.

When I plagiarize, I steal from the best, like Abe Lincoln & MLK, Jr.

Way Beyond

Israel. Josef Federman & Fares Akram of the AP: "Israel on Thursday said it was massing troops along the Gaza frontier and calling up 9,000 reservists ahead of a possible ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory, as the two bitter enemies plunged closer to all-out war. Egyptian mediators rushed to Israel for cease-fire efforts but showed no signs of progress. The stepped-up fighting came as communal violence in Israel erupted for a fourth night, with Jewish and Arab mobs clashing in the flashpoint town of Lod. The fighting took place despite a bolstered police presence ordered by the nation's leaders." ~~~

~~~ Steve Hendrix, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Israeli military escalated its campaign against the Hamas militant group in Gaza late Thursday as artillery, tanks and war planes combined in a withering assault on the Palestinian enclave, and the Israeli military readied at least three brigades of troops for action, raising the prospect of a ground invasion. Just after midnight, the Israeli military announced that air and ground forces were attacking in the Gaza Strip, but the extent of the operation remained unclear. A military spokesperson initially said that ground troops were inside Gaza, but another spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces later clarified that statement, saying, 'There are currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip.'Residents of Gaza City said intense, almost continuous airstrikes began to pound the northern Gaza Strip around midnight in the most intense attacks over four nights of aerial bombardments and lasted for about half an hour." ~~~

~~~ Update. Declan Walsh of the New York Times: "Israeli ground forces carried out attacks on the Gaza Strip early Friday in an escalation of a conflict with Palestinian militants that had been waged by airstrikes from Israel and rockets from Gaza. It was not immediately clear if the attack was the prelude to a ground invasion against Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza."

The Commentariat -- May 13, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

~~~ ** Yasmeen Abutaleb & Laurie McGinley of the Washington Post: "Americans who are fully vaccinated can go without masks or physical distancing in most cases, even when they are indoors or in large groups, federal officials said Thursday, paving the way for a full reopening of society. The change represents a huge shift symbolically and practically for pandemic-weary Americans.... More than 117 million Americans are now fully vaccinated, or about 35 percent of the population.... The relaxation of restrictions does not apply to airplanes or health-care settings. Officials also noted that some occupational settings may still require masks. They urged those who are immune-compromised to speak with their doctors before giving up their masks.... Officials cautioned the guidelines could change again if the pandemic should worsen." The story is free to nonsubscribers.

** Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "Surrounded by rioters who had dragged him down the U.S. Capitol steps, beaten him and Tasered him, D.C. police officer Michael Fanone screamed in pain. 'I got one!' one of the rioters yelled triumphantly. As the crowd pushed in, grabbing at his head, Fanone screamed again and then pleaded for help. 'I got kids!' he yelled. The intense scene plays out in body-camera footage of the attack broadcast by CNN on Wednesday evening, casting new light on Fanone's struggle to escape a clash he later described as 'the most brutal, savage hand-to-hand combat of my entire life.' Fanone suffered a mild heart attack and a concussion in the melee. The vivid violence in the clip stands in stark contrast to claims by some Republicans on Wednesday, who sought to downplay the severity of the deadly insurrection -- with one GOP lawmaker even describing the attack as a 'normal tourist visit.'"

William Watts of MarketWatch: "Colonial Pipeline paid Eastern European hackers nearly $5 million in an untraceable cryptocurrency last week in response to a ransomware attack, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the transaction."

Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "Mysterious episodes that caused brain injuries in spies, diplomats, soldiers and other U.S. personnel overseas starting five years ago now number more than 130 people, far more than previously known, according to current and former officials. The number of cases within the C.I.A., the State Department, the Defense Department and elsewhere spurred broad concern in the Biden administration. The initial publicly confirmed cases were concentrated in China and Cuba and numbered about 60, not including a group of injured C.I.A. officers whose total is not public. The new total adds cases from Europe and elsewhere in Asia and reflects efforts by the administration to more thoroughly review other incidents amid concern over a spate of them in recent months.... The Biden administration has not determined who or what is responsible for the episodes or whether they constitute attacks.... 'As of now, we have no definitive information about the cause of these incidents, and it is premature and irresponsible to speculate,' said Amanda J. Schoch, the spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence."

Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "The Biden administration on Thursday moved to repeal a Trump-era regulation that it said weakened the government's ability to curb air pollution that threatens public health and is driving climate change. Critics said the regulation distorted the costs of reducing air pollution while diminishing the associated benefits. It is one of several Trump administration policies that have been reversed by Michael S. Regan since he became the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in March. Finalized at the end of the Trump administration, the so-called cost-benefit rule was designed to change how the E.P.A. calculated the economic costs and benefits of new clean-air and climate-change rules.... Experts said [the Trump rule] appeared designed to give industries a way to legally block the E.P.A. over future air pollution rules."

Daniella Diaz & Annie Grayer of CNN: "The vote to oust Liz Cheney took only 16 minutes. Here's what happened."

~~~~~~~~~~

Josh Boak of the AP: "The Biden administration swung aggressively into action after a primary gasoline pipeline fell prey to a cyberattack -- understanding that the situation posed a possible series of political and economic risks. The pipeline shutdown was an all-hands-on-deck situation for a young presidency that has also had to deal with a pandemic, a recession, an influx of unaccompanied children at the southern border, a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and high-stakes showdowns globally that carry the specter of war.... Hours before the Colonial Pipeline was restarted, President Joe Biden signaled Wednesday that there were reasons for optimism. 'We have been in very, very close contact with Colonial Pipeline,' Biden said. 'I think you're going to hear some good news in the next 24 hours and I think we'll be getting that under control.' The president followed up later Wednesday with an executive order to improve cybersecurity. Biden's team seized on the shutdown as an argument for approving the president's $2.3 trillion infrastructure package. Keeping up Biden's focus, the White House said the president would deliver remarks on the pipeline incident Thursday morning." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If the Former Guy hadn't lost his job, you can bet the whole episode would have been dismissed with a bombastic tweet blaming ... somebody ... and threatening ... somebody. ~~~

~~~ David Sanger & Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "As the East Coast suffered from the effects of a ransomware attack on a major petroleum pipeline, President Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday that placed strict new standards on the cybersecurity of any software sold to the federal government. The move is part of a broad effort to strengthen the United States' defenses by encouraging private companies to practice better cybersecurity or risk being locked out of federal contracts. But the bigger effect may arise from what could, over time, become akin to a government rating of the security of software products, much the way automobiles get a safety rating or restaurants in New York get a health safety grade. The order comes amid a wave of new cyberattacks, more sophisticated and far-reaching than ever before. Over the past year, roughly 2,400 ransomware attacks have hit corporate, local and federal offices in extortion plots that lock up victims' data -- or publish it -- unless they pay a ransom. The most urgent fear is an attack on critical infrastructure, a point made clear this week to Americans, who were panic-buying gasoline." ~~~

~~~ Hordes of Hoarders. Clifford Krauss & David Sanger of the New York Times: "Anxious drivers circled from one filling station to another, gasoline prices rose and thousands of stations were out of fuel in the Southeast on Wednesday as a ransomware attack continued to cripple a vital fuel pipeline. There was a sign of relief late Wednesday when the operator of the pipeline, which transports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from Texas to New Jersey, said it had 'initiated the restart' of operations. But the company, Colonial Pipeline, said supplies would take several days to return to normal. Since the pipeline was shut down on Friday, the uncertainty about supplies has prompted a growing frenzy among motorists determined to fill up." The article also describes some of the ways the Biden administration is addressing (or not addressing) the shortage. MB: In keeping with unwashed's note at the end of yesterday's thread, I would add that if reporters were more thorough, they would have checked the trunks of vehicles in the gas lines to see if they were full of year-old-plus toilet paper.

Morgan Chalfant & Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Biden hosted the 'Big Four' congressional leaders for the first time at the White House on Wednesday in hopes of finding areas of common agreement amid high partisan tensions in Washington." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Michael Shear & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "To hear the participants tell it, President Biden's first-ever meeting with Republican and Democratic leaders from both houses of Congress was 90 minutes of productive conversation. It was cordial. There were no explosions of anger. But the agreeable tenor could barely mask the legislative reality: The two parties remain deeply divided over the president's proposal for $2.3 trillion in spending to upgrade the nation's crumbling infrastructure.... 'It was different than other meetings,' marveled Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader and a veteran of chaotic White House meetings with President Donald J. Trump. 'Everybody was pleasant.'" MB: So apparently even Kevin was able to behave himself. ~~~

~~~ But of course telling the truth remains beyond Kevin: "Asked afterward about the election, Mr. McCarthy ... [said,] 'I don't think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election.'... 'I think that is all over with.' That is not true. Mr. Trump continues on a near daily basis to insist, contrary to fact, that the election was corrupt and stolen from him. And only hours before the discussion at the White House on Wednesday, Mr. McCarthy himself led the charge to oust Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming from her position as the No. 3 Republican in House leadership because she refused to drop her public criticisms of the former president and her party for the election falsehoods."

Harper Neidig & Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "The Biden administration's top law enforcement officials on Wednesday pledged to dedicate their resources to combat domestic violent extremists amid questions over whether the agencies are equipped to monitor such threats in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee for a hearing on domestic extremism as Congress ramped up its scrutiny this week of the circumstances around the attack on the Capitol. Both Garland and Mayorkas testified that white supremacist groups pose the most serious domestic national security threat in the U.S., reinforcing what analysts have long concluded about far-right organizations.... Garland dismissed concern from Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) who asked whether the Justice Department was investigating with 'equal vigor' protests in Portland, Ore., and other cities that were often a focus of former President Trump. 'We don't care what the ideology is, violations of law are pursued and are prosecuted. I think it's fair to say that in my career as a judge, and in law enforcement, I have not seen a more dangerous threat to democracy than the invasion of the Capitol,' Garland said."

Mike Lillis & Scott Wong of the Hill: "In an extraordinary bow to former President Trump, House Republicans voted Wednesday to purge GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney from her leadership post, punishing the conservative Wyoming Republican for daring to refute Trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen. The closed-door, secret-ballot vote to oust Cheney represented a remarkable shift from a similar challenge to her leadership status in February, when she won handily. And it marked the first time in recent memory that a congressional GOP leader was toppled by rank-and-file Republicans in the middle of their term through a formal vote." MB: According to CNN, there was a quick voice vote, & Minority "Leader" Kevin McCarthy announced Cheney was out. After the vote & out in the hall, Cheney told the press she would do everything she could to make sure Donald Trump never gets near the Oval Office again. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update: The Washington Post story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Karoun Demirjian & Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Christopher C. Miller, the former senior Trump administration official who presided over the Pentagon's Capitol-riot response, told lawmakers Wednesday that he believed 'an organized conspiracy with assault elements in place' orchestrated the Jan. 6 insurrection. The assessment -- a departure from Miller's previous public statements about what led to the assault on Congress -- set off a political mudfight, as Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee accused the former acting defense secretary of 'incompetence,' and being 'AWOL' and 'disloyal to the country,' while Republicans accused their counterparts of harassing the hearing's witnesses to further what they characterized as a partisan investigation.... Miller offered defiance in the face of Democrats' questions, refusing to share fault for the failures that transpired -- and blaming officials on Capitol Hill for never sending the Pentagon a 'valid request.'... Miller's timeline differs from the Pentagon's official rundown of events. He conceded, under questioning from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), that he did not give approval to the final mobilization plans until 4:32 p.m. -- after speaking with Pence, and nearly three hours after [D.C. Mayor Muriel] Bowser first called him, requesting additional forces be sent to the Capitol to quell the swelling crowds.' An AP report is here. ~~~

~~~ Rebecca Kheel of the Hill: "Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller clashed with Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) on Wednesday over former President Trump's culpability in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack after the ex-Pentagon chief appeared to walk back previous comments blaming Trump. At a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing, Lynch asked Miller whether the attack would have happened without Trump's speech at a rally that preceded the breach, noting comments Miller made to Vice in March blaming Trump. 'I think I'd like to modify my original assessment,' Miller said. 'Why am I not surprised,' Lynch interjected, laughing. Arguing that 'we are getting more information by the day, by the minute, about what happened,' Miller said it now 'seems clear that there was some sort of conspiracy where there were organized assault elements that intended to assault the Capitol that day.' Later in the exchange, when Lynch accused Miller of reversing his stance, Miller replied, 'that's ridiculous.' 'You're ridiculous,' Lynch shot back."(Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's clear from reports that Miller repeatedly contradicted himself. this is not, IMO, simply revisionist history (tho it's that, too); it's the hallmark of a cover-up. ~~~

~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "... a funny thing happened when Miller testified: He seemed to back away from his comments laying this at Trump's feet. Miller's opening statement was previewed Tuesday evening. In it, he stated that although he couldn't offer an official conclusion about Trump's culpability, 'I stand by my prior observation that I personally believe his comments encouraged the protestors that day.'... Miller, notably, did not include that particular statement in his oral opening remarks.... As [the hearing] progressed, that seemed less like a coincidence.... 'I would like to offer -- I've reassessed. It's not the unitary factor [-- that is, Trump's incitement --] at all. It seems clear there was an organized conspiracy with assault elements in place.' [Miller testified.] This set [Rep. Stephen] Lynch [D-Mass.] off. He accused Miller of walking back his written testimony that Trump had encouraged the protesters that day." ~~~

~~~ Jan Wolfe of Reuters: "... Donald Trump wanted National Guard troops in Washington to protect his supporters at a Jan. 6 rally that ended with them attacking the U.S. Capitol, leaving five dead, Trump's former Pentagon chief testified on Wednesday. Former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller told a House of Representatives panel that he spoke with Trump on Jan. 3, three days before the now-former president's fiery speech that preceded the violence and led to his second impeachment. According to Miller's testimony, Trump asked during that meeting whether the District of Columbia's mayor had requested National Guard troops for Jan. 6, the day Congress was to ratify Joe Biden's presidential election victory. Trump told Miller to "fill" the request, the former defense secretary testified. Miller said Trump told him: 'Do whatever is necessary to protect demonstrators that were executing their constitutionally protected rights.'" MB: IOW, Trump was not concerned about protecting the Capitol & members of Congress & their staffs; his concern was for his backers. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I read a while back that Reuters would firewall its reports. I was able to read this report with no problem, but if you can't, the Raw Story has a brief report.

~~~ Adam Edelman & Garrett Haake of NBC News: "Multiple Republican members of Congress on Wednesday offered a false retelling of the devastating events that occurred during the Capitol riot, with one calling the entire event a 'bold faced lie' that more closely resembled a 'normal tourist visit' than a deadly attack. During a House Oversight Committee hearing on the Jan. 6 riot, Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., said the House floor was not breached and that the supporters of ... Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol behaved 'in an orderly fashion.'... Meanwhile, other Republicans during the hearing Wednesday falsely painted the riot as an event that saw Trump supporters needlessly harassed by law enforcement authorities. 'It was Trump supporters who lost their lives that day, not Trump supporters who were taking the lives of others,' Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., said. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., claimed that law enforcement officials were 'harassing peaceful patriots.'"

Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "Gary Wickersham of West Chester, Pa., ... was arrested Tuesday and faces a charge of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and one for unlawful entry into a restricted area.... Wickersham ... offered federal investigators a bizarre narrative of debunked conspiracy theories and contradictory statements surrounding the attack, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court this week. The 80-year-old told investigators in January that the insurrection was a 'staged' act and that many of the people he saw 'cursing, screaming, knocking cops away, breaking windows and doors, and entering the Capitol' were 'members of antifa.' According to the complaint, Wickersham also believed his 20 minutes inside the Capitol were authorized 'because he pays his taxes.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If Wickersham's claims about antifa sound crazy, he is not alone. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) at Wednesday's hearing of the House Oversight Committee said pretty much the same when he complained that the media were constantly referring to the insurrectionists as "Trump supporters" when there was no indication that was the case. Nobody took a poll, he said.

Misbehavin'. Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene aggressively confronted Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday and falsely accused her of supporting 'terrorists,' leading the New York congresswoman's office to call on leadership to ensure that Congress remains 'a safe, civil place for all Members and staff.' Two Washington Post reporters witnessed Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) exit the House chamber late Wednesday afternoon ahead of Greene (Ga.), who shouted 'Hey Alexandria' twice in an effort to get her attention. When Ocasio-Cortez did not stop walking, Greene picked up her pace and began shouting at her and asking why she supports antifa, a loosely knit group of far-left activists, and Black Lives Matter, falsely labeling them 'terrorist' groups. Greene also shouted that Ocasio-Cortez was failing to defend her 'radical socialist' beliefs by declining to publicly debate the freshman from Georgia."

Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe told a female Environmental Protection Agency nominee on Wednesday that if she did not 'behave,' then 'I'm going to talk to your daddy.' The awkward exchange was during Radhika Fox's confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to be the assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Water. Fox currently serves in the role on an acting basis and is the Office of Water's principal deputy assistant administrator." MB: Fox is a person of color; Inhofe is not.

The Representatives of the People. Marshall Cohen & Jeremy Herb of CNN present an overview of what happened in Congress Wednesday. Devastating.

Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: "Former Trump White House counsel Donald McGahn is expected to answer questions 'as soon as possible' in a closed session with House lawmakers about former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation, according to an agreement outlined in court filings Wednesday. McGahn will appear before the House Judiciary Committee, the court filing states, after House Democrats sued to enforce a subpoena for his testimony about whether ... Donald Trump obstructed justice in Mueller's Russia investigation. A transcript of the interview, which will be closed to the public and the media, will be 'promptly provided to all involved parties' for review before it is released publicly, according to the court filing. The agreement was negotiated by President Biden's Justice Department and House lawyers to end the long-running litigation over McGahn's testimony that the Trump administration had blocked." A CNN story is here.

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "Inflation in April accelerated at its fastest pace in more than 12 years as the U.S. economic recovery kicked into gear and energy prices jumped higher, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The Consumer Price Index, which measures a basket of goods as well as energy and housing costs, rose 4.2% from a year earlier. A Dow Jones survey had expected a 3.6% increase. The month-to-month gain was 0.8%, against the expected 0.2%." (Also linked yesterday.)

Retired Top Brass Are Bat-shit Crazy. Bryan Bender of Politico: "A day after 124 retired generals and admirals released a letter spreading the lie that President Joe Biden stole the election, current and former military officers are speaking out, calling the missive a dangerous new sign of the military being dragged into the trenches of partisan warfare. The open letter on Monday from a group calling itself Flag Officers 4 America advanced the false conspiracy theory that the presidential vote was rigged in Biden's favor and warned that the nation is 'in deep peril' from 'a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights.' 'Under a Democrat Congress and the Current Administration,' they wrote, 'our Country has taken a hard left turn toward Socialism and a Marxist form of tyrannical government which must be countered now by electing congressional and presidential candidates who will always act to defend our Constitutional Republic.' The broadside also raises questions about 'the mental and physical condition of the Commander in Chief' and sounds the alarm about a host of hot-button issues, such as the border wall. It goes on to accuse congressional leaders of 'using the U.S. military as political pawns with thousands of troops deployed around the U.S. Capitol Building.'... [The letter's] fiery, even angry, language and conspiracy-mongering struck multiple long-time observers as particularly out of bounds and dangerous." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ digby: "... their hysteria over America turning Marxist because Joe Biden wants to provide elder care and fix the falling infrastructure is a bit much. It's not like Biden incited his followers to storm the capitol and hang his own VP or anything. That really would be alarming."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Wednesday that the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine be used in children as young as 12, expanding access to adolescents in an important next phase to end the pandemic. The vote was 14 in favor with one recusal. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off within hours, giving the green light for the two-dose vaccine to be used in 12- to 15-year-olds. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the vaccine for emergency use in that age group Monday, saying it was safe and effective at the same dose being given to those 16 and older." The article is free to nonsubscribers. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ohio "Vax-a-Million." Neil Vigdor & Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "To the many propositions that governments have used to try to bolster slumping demand for the coronavirus vaccine, Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio raised the ante considerably on Wednesday, announcing that the state would give five people $1 million each in return for having been vaccinated as part of a weekly lottery program. The lottery, whose legality could raise questions, will be paid for by federal coronavirus relief funds, Mr. DeWine, a Republican, said during a statewide televised address. The first of five weekly drawings will be held on May 26, according to Mr. DeWine, who said that Ohio Lottery would conduct them." MB: IOW, if you pay federal taxes, no matter where you live, you're paying Ohio's lottery winners. Normally, lotteries are revenue enhancing; this one comes out of your pocket.

Beyond the Beltway

Minnesota. Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "Derek Chauvin abused his authority as a police officer when he pressed his knee into George Floyd's neck until he went limp and treated him with 'particular cruelty,' qualifying him for a longer prison sentence, a judge said. In a ruling made public Wednesday, Hennepin County District Judge Peter A. Cahill found state prosecutors had proved beyond a reasonable doubt four of five aggravating factors in Floyd's killing that they argued should result in a tougher prison sentence for the former Minneapolis police officer."

Way Beyond

Israel. Fares Akram & Joseph Krauss of the AP: "Israel killed a string of senior Hamas military figures Wednesday and pounded three multistory towers as it hammered the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and militants in the territory fired barrages of rockets. Dozens have died in the most severe outbreak of violence since a 2014 war, with no resolution in sight. The fighting has taken on many hallmarks of that devastating 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, but with a startling new factor: a burst of fury from Israel's Palestinian citizens in support of those living in the territories as well as counterviolence by Jewish Israelis." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~~

     ~~~ Update. Fares Akram & Joseph Krauss of the AP: "Weary Palestinians somberly marked the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Thursday, as Hamas and Israel traded more rockets and airstrikes and Jewish-Arab violence raged across Israel. The violence has reached deeper into Israel than at any time since the 2000 Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Arab and Jewish mobs have rampaged through the streets, savagely beating people and torching cars, and flights have been canceled or diverted away from the country's main airport."

News Lede

Politico: "The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 473,000, a new pandemic low and the latest evidence that fewer employers are cutting jobs as consumers ramp up spending and more businesses reopen. Thursday's report from the Labor Department showed that applications declined 34,000 from a revised 507,000 a week earlier. The number of weekly jobless claims == a rough measure of the pace of layoffs -- has fallen significantly from a peak of 900,000 in January. Instead of cutting jobs, many employers are struggling to attract enough applicants for open positions."

The Commentariat -- May 12, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Wednesday that the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine be used in children as young as 12, expanding access to adolescents in an important next phase to end the pandemic. The vote was 14 in favor with one recusal. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off within hours, giving the green light for the two-dose vaccine to be used in 12- to 15-year-olds. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the vaccine for emergency use in that age group Monday, saying it was safe and effective at the same dose being given to those 16 and older." Free to nonsubscribers.

Morgan Chalfant & Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Biden hosted the 'Big Four' congressional leaders for the first time at the White House on Wednesday in hopes of finding areas of common agreement amid high partisan tensions in Washington."

Food Fight. Rebecca Kheel of the Hill: "Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller clashed with Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) on Wednesday over former President Trump's culpability in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack after the ex-Pentagon chief appeared to walk back previous comments blaming Trump. At a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing, Lynch asked Miller whether the attack would have happened without Trump's speech at a rally that preceded the breach, noting comments Miller made to Vice in March blaming Trump. 'I think I'd like to modify my original assessment,' Miller said. 'Why am I not surprised,' Lynch interjected, laughing. Arguing that 'we are getting more information by the day, by the minute, about what happened,' Miller said it now 'seems clear that there was some sort of conspiracy where there were organized assault elements that intended to assault the Capitol that day.' Later in the exchange, when Lynch accused Miller of reversing his stance, Miller replied, 'that's ridiculous.' 'You're ridiculous,' Lynch shot back."

Retired Top Brass Are Bat-shit Crazy. Bryan Bender of Politico: "A day after 124 retired generals and admirals released a letter spreading the lie that President Joe Biden stole the election, current and former military officers are speaking out, calling the missive a dangerous new sign of the military being dragged into the trenches of partisan warfare. The open letter on Monday from a group calling itself Flag Officers 4 America advanced the false conspiracy theory that the presidential vote was rigged in Biden's favor and warned that the nation is 'in deep peril' from 'a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights.' 'Under a Democrat Congress and the Current Administration,' they wrote, 'our Country has taken a hard left turn toward Socialism and a Marxist form of tyrannical government which must be countered now by electing congressional and presidential candidates who will always act to defend our Constitutional Republic.' The broadside also raises questions about 'the mental and physical condition of the Commander in Chief' and sounds the alarm about a host of hot-button issues, such as the border wall. It goes on to accuse congressional leaders of 'using the U.S. military as political pawns with thousands of troops deployed around the U.S. Capitol Building.'... [The letter's] fiery, even angry, language and conspiracy-mongering struck multiple long-time observers as particularly out of bounds and dangerous."

Israel. Fares Akram & Joseph Krauss of the AP: "Israel killed a string of senior Hamas military figures Wednesday and pounded three multistory towers as it hammered the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and militants in the territory fired barrages of rockets. Dozens have died in the most severe outbreak of violence since a 2014 war, with no resolution in sight. The fighting has taken on many hallmarks of that devastating 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, but with a startling new factor: a burst of fury from Israel's Palestinian citizens in support of those living in the territories as well as counterviolence by Jewish Israelis."

Mike Lillis & Scott Wong of the Hill: "In an extraordinary bow to former President Trump, House Republicans voted Wednesday to purge GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney from her leadership post, punishing the conservative Wyoming Republican for daring to refute Trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen. The closed-door, secret-ballot vote to oust Cheney represented a remarkable shift from a similar challenge to her leadership status in February, when she won handily. And it marked the first time in recent memory that a congressional GOP leader was toppled by rank-and-file Republicans in the middle of their term through a formal vote." MB: According to CNN, there was a quick voice vote, & Minority "Leader" Kevin McCarthy announced Cheney was out. After the vote & out in the hall, Cheney told the press she would do everything she could to make sure Donald Trump never gets near the Oval Office again. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: The Washington Post story is here.

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "Inflation in April accelerated at its fastest pace in more than 12 years as the U.S. economic recovery kicked into gear and energy prices jumped higher, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The Consumer Price Index, which measures a basket of goods as well as energy and housing costs, rose 4.2% from a year earlier. A Dow Jones survey had expected a 3.6% increase. The month-to-month gain was 0.8%, against the expected 0.2%."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Lisa Friedman & Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "The Biden administration on Tuesday will announce its final approval of the nation's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, a major step toward President Biden's goal of expanding renewable energy production across the United States, according to two people familiar with the matter. The Vineyard Wind project calls for up to 84 turbines to be installed in the Atlantic Ocean about 12 nautical miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Together, they could generate about 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 400,000 homes. The $2.8 billion project is a joint venture of the energy firms Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners." (Also linked yesterday.)

Daniel Strauss of the Guardian: "Joe Biden has picked former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel to be his ambassador to Japan." MB: Oh, that's great. Rahm is so diplomatic. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: "The Biden Justice Department and lawyers for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have reached an agreement about how to handle a congressional subpoena for testimony from former Trump White House counsel Donald McGahn. The House Judiciary Committee and the Biden administration announced the deal Tuesday in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The parties told the court they have 'an agreement in principle on an accommodation.'... Donald Trump is 'not a party to the agreement,' the filing states. No additional details were provided about the negotiated settlement."

     ~~~ Bad News for a Bad Guy. Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Trump ... could try to take legal action to block any testimony from McGahn, but the filing from the House and the Justice Department -- now under the control of appointees of President Joe Biden -- seems to try to head off such a move by noting pointedly that Trump 'is not a party to this case.'"

Eric Tucker & Michael Balsamo of the AP: "Two senior Trump administration officials plan to defend their actions during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol when they appear before Congress, with former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller standing behind every decision he made that day. Miller will tell the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday that he was concerned before the insurrection that sending troops to the building could fan fears of a military coup and cause a repeat of the deadly Kent State shootings, according to a copy of prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press.... Miller will be joined by former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, who is also testifying for the first time about the Justice Department's role in the run-up to the riot."

Jeremy Herb & Annie Grayer of CNN: "Rep. Liz Cheney vowed Tuesday evening not to remain silent as ... Donald Trump continues to spread lies that the election was stolen from him, striking a defiant tone ahead of an expected vote to remove her from House Republican leadership on Wednesday. The Wyoming Republican struck a defiant tone on Tuesday evening ahead of the vote, which is all but assured to end in her removal as GOP conference chair after her continued criticisms of Trump. She declared that she would not join with other leaders who ignore Trump's lies, emboldening him and threatening democracy.... '... Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar,' Cheney said. 'I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former President's crusade to undermine our democracy.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Video of Cheney's House floor speech Tuesday night is here. The Hill has the transcript here. It was a pretty good speech, an excellent one if you happen to share all of Liz's views. ~~~

~~~ Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "On the precipice of what looks to be an almost certain ouster, rather than barreling through her Rolodex of lawmakers or rallying her extensive network of backers off Capitol Hill to try to cling to her job, [Rep. Liz] Cheney [R-Wyo.] has defiantly embraced her downfall, offering herself as a cautionary tale in what she is portraying as a battle for the soul of the G.O.P.... Her defiant exit illustrates Ms. Cheney's determination to continue her blunt condemnation of Mr. Trump and her party's role in spreading the false election claims that inspired the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol." ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated. New Lede: "In the hours before facing a vote that will almost certainly purge her from House Republican leadership, Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming remained unrepentant on Tuesday, framing her expulsion as a turning point for her party and declaring in an extraordinary speech that she would not sit quietly by as Republicans abandoned the rule of law." And this: "Ms. Cheney's remorseless last stand -- and the chilly reception it received from House Republicans, who cleared from the chamber as she began her remarks -- also highlighted how Republican leaders, even in their eagerness to rebuild their party after the riot and Mr. Trump's stormy departure from the White House, have tethered themselves to his election lies as a matter of survival." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Funny thing is, these Republican "leaders" "have tethered themselves" to a falling star: Michael Scherer, et al., of the Washington Post (May 8): "When staff from the National Republican Congressional Committee rose to explain the party's latest polling in core battleground districts, they left out a key finding about Trump's weakness, declining to divulge the information even when directly questioned about Trump's support by a member of Congress, according to two people familiar with what transpired. Trump's unfavorable ratings were 15 points higher than his favorable ones in the core districts, according to the full polling results, which were later obtained by The Washington Post. Nearly twice as many voters had a strongly unfavorable view of the former president as had a strongly favorable one. [Liz] Cheney was alarmed, she later told others, in part because Republican campaign officials had also left out bad Trump polling news at a March retreat for ranking committee chairs. Both instances, she concluded, demonstrated that party leadership was willing to hide information from their own members to avoid the truth about Trump and the possible damage he could do to Republican House members...." ~~~

     ~~~ AND. Brandy Zadrozny of NBC News: "Four months after ... Donald Trump was banished from most mainstream social media platforms, he returned to the web last Tuesday with 'From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,' essentially a blog for his musings. A week since the unveiling, social media data suggests things are not going well.... Trump's new blog has attracted a little over 212,000 engagements, defined as backlinks and social interactions -- including likes, shares and comments -- received across Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Reddit.... Users can't comment or engage with the actual posts beyond sharing them to other platforms, an action few people do, according to the data.... Before the ban, a single Trump tweet was typically liked and retweeted hundreds of thousands of times.... rump's bans cost him the ability to communicate with millions of people: 88 million followers on Twitter, 32 million on Facebook, and 24 million on Instagram. Trump had just around 3 million YouTube subscribers, but his videos regularly racked up millions of views."

Marianne Levine & Zach Montellaro of Politico: "The typically staid Senate Rules Committee hosted a rare dramatic showdown on Tuesday: the majority leader versus the minority leader, sparring over Democrats' expansive election and ethics bill. In dueling remarks, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell each accused the other's party of trying to weaponize voting laws to expand its political power.... Tuesday's markup lasted hours as Republicans sought to offer more than 100 amendments. While Schumer has vowed to take the bill to the Senate floor, its ultimate fate remains uncertain at best. The Senate Rules Committee tied on whether to advance it out of committee, which means Schumer will need to discharge it.... [Joe] Manchin remains the only Senate Democrat to not publicly sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill. But even if he does eventually get on board, the elections measure is still short of the 10 GOP votes necessary to overcome a filibuster. Privately, Senate Democrats and senior aides have agonized over the bill, with no clear path for it to become law."

Zach Montague of the New York Times: "More than 100 Republicans, including some former elected officials, are preparing to release a letter this week threatening to form a third party if the Republican Party does not make certain changes, according to an organizer of the effort. The statement is expected to take aim at ... Donald J. Trump's stranglehold on Republicans, which signatories to the document have deemed unconscionable.... The list of people signing the statement includes former officials at both the state and national level who once were governors, members of Congress, ambassadors, cabinet secretaries, state legislators and Republican Party chairmen, [and organizer, Miles] Taylor said."

Bad News for a Bad Guy. Paula Reid, et al., of CNN: "Federal investigators scrutinizing Rep. Matt Gaetz are seeking the cooperation of a former Capitol Hill intern who was once a girlfriend of the Florida Republican, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. Investigators could also soon gain the formal cooperation of a second key witness, former Florida county tax collector Joel Greenberg, who is approaching a deadline this week to strike a plea agreement with the government on more than two dozen charges he's facing. The pursuit of the cooperation comes as investigators are nearly finished collecting evidence, one source said. The probe, which is examining whether Gaetz broke federal sex trafficking, prostitution and public corruption laws and whether he had sex with a minor, has been ongoing for months." (Also linked yesterday.)

Bad News for a Bad Guy. Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "The National Rifle Association's attempt to evade a legal challenge from New York regulators was tossed out by a federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday, in a ruling that cast further doubt on whether the group's embattled chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, would remain at the helm after three decades in power. The ruling was a victory for Letitia James, the New York attorney general, whose office is seeking to remove Mr. LaPierre and shut down the gun rights group amid a long-running corruption investigation. Mr. LaPierre, the face of the American gun lobby, now battered by the N.R.A.'s internecine warfare and revelations of luxuriant personal spending, had sought to end-run Ms. James by relocating to Texas and filing for bankruptcy there. But the gambit instead proved a strategic blunder: The testimony over a 12-day trial only buttressed Ms. James's contentions of corruption, and led the judge, Harlin D. Hale, to declare, 'The N.R.A. is using this bankruptcy case to address a regulatory enforcement problem, not a financial one.'" CNN's story is here.

Bad News for a Bad Guy. The Littlest Grifter. Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "The baby-faced Students for Trump founder was denounced as a 'cold-blooded fraudster' by a judge before he was sentenced for posing as a lawyer. John Lambert was sentenced to 13 months in prison for the scam targeting individuals with little experience seeking legal advice, for which he was paid at least $46,654 while delivering little of value to his victims, reported the New York Daily News. 'Mr. Lambert took his money and did nothing,' said District Court Judge Valerie Caproni about one victim, who expected help with a credit problem.... The 25-year-old Lambert posed as Eric Pope, of the Manhattan-based firm Pope & Dunn, and falsely claimed to be a graduate of the New York University School of Law with a finance degree from the University of Pennsylvania, with 15 years of experience in corporate and patent law."

Marie: Remember how the Big Grifter took the unusual step of extending Secret Service protection to his adult children for six months after he was forced out of Washington? And how the extraordinary detail is costing taxpayers $140,000 a month? Well, it turns out that $140K is totally worth it, because it includes a dating service! With "tall, dark and handsome" choices! ~~~

~~~ Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Two Trump family members got 'inappropriately -- and perhaps dangerously -- close' to agents protecting them while Donald Trump was president, according to a new book on the US Secret Service.... [The book's author, Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post,] won a Pulitzer prize in 2015, for her reporting on security failures at the Secret Service.... In her new book, she writes that Secret Service agents reported that Vanessa Trump, the wife of the president's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr, 'started dating one of the agents who had been assigned to her family'. Vanessa Trump filed for an uncontested divorce in March 2018.... Leonnig also writes that Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump's daughter with his second wife, Marla Maples, broke up with a boyfriend and 'began spending an unusual amount of time alone with a Secret Service agent on her detail'. Secret Service leaders, the book says, 'became concerned at how close Tiffany appeared to be getting to the tall, dark and handsome agent'.... The agent was subsequently reassigned."

Clifford Krauss, et al., of the New York Times: "Panicked drivers scrambled to fuel their vehicles across the Southeast on Tuesday, leaving thousands of stations without gasoline as a vital fuel pipeline remained largely shut down after a ransomware attack. The disruption to the Colonial Pipeline, which stretches 5,500 miles from Texas to New Jersey, also left airlines vulnerable, with several saying they would send jet fuel to the region by air to ensure that service would not be disrupted.... Southern stations were selling two to three times their normal amount of gasoline on Tuesday, according to the Oil Price Information Service.... Nearly 8 percent of Virginia stations were without gasoline, more a result of panic buying than of shortage, Gas Buddy, a service that tracks gas prices, reported.... The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline rose 2 cents on Tuesday, with higher prices reported in the Southeast, according to the AAA motor club."

Nick Anderson of the Washington Post: "At Johns Hopkins University, the number of domestic students in certain PhD programs who are Black or Hispanic can be counted on one hand.... Because of a $150 million gift from Mike Bloomberg announced Tuesday the private research university based in Baltimore plans to expand access to PhD programs in science, technology, engineering and math. The money will fund a recruiting and talent-development initiative targeting students in the STEM fields from historically Black colleges and other minority-serving institutions. The gift is the latest from Bloomberg to Hopkins, raising to $3.55 billion the record-shattering lifetime total the billionaire business executive and former New York mayor has given to his alma mater. No philanthropist, according to experts in these matters, has given more to any U.S. university. In 2018, Bloomberg gave Hopkins $1.8 billion for student financial aid." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I realize that Hopkins is a private university so has no obligation to favor local residents, and that a university of its calibre attracts an international pool of applicants. Still, one would think that an educational institution situated in a state where nearly half of the residents are non-White, Johns Hopkins could do a better job of finding minority grad students.

Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "The Washington Post has named longtime journalist Sally Buzbee of the Associated Press as its executive editor, marking the first time a woman has been appointed to lead the 143-year-old news organization. Buzbee, AP's executive editor and senior vice president, will take over leadership of The Post's nearly 1,000-person newsroom next month, said publisher Fred Ryan, who made the announcement to the newspaper's staff on Tuesday."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Prize for Tuesday's Best Sentence Uttered in a Capitol Hill Hearing: Sen. Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely, entirely and completely incorrect. -- Anthony Fauci ~~~

~~~ Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: "Anthony Fauci on Tuesday clashed with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) over the role of the Wuhan, China, virology lab in the origins of COVID-19. During a Senate hearing on the pandemic response, Paul alleged that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had been sending funding to the Wuhan lab, which then 'juiced up' a virus that was originally found in bats to create a supervirus that can infect human cells. Paul pressed Fauci on the theory that the novel coronavirus was created in the Wuhan lab, and then somehow escaped, either because of an accident or because it was deliberately released. 'Sen. Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely, entirely and completely incorrect,' Fauci said. 'The NIH has not ever, and does not now, fund 'gain of function research' in the Wuhan Institute.' Paul continued to argue with Fauci.... The false link between Fauci, the NIH and the Wuhan lab has been circulating among right-wing media and politicians like Paul and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) for months." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A pundit speaking about the exchange on CNN -- I think she was a medical doctor -- said she had a hard time believing Li'l Randy has a medical degree.

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. Republicans Approve Another Voter Suppression Law. Jennifer Medina of the New York Times: "Arizona Republicans passed a law on Tuesday that will sharply limit the distribution of mail ballots through a widely popular early voting list, the latest measure in a conservative push to restrict voting across the country. The legislation will remove voters from the state's Permanent Early Voting List, which automatically sends some people ballots for each election, if they do not cast a ballot at least once every two years. The vote-by-mail system is widely popular in Arizona, used by Republicans, Democrats and independents. The overwhelming majority of voters in the state cast their ballots by mail, with nearly 90 percent doing so last year amid the coronavirus pandemic, and nearly 75 percent of all voters are on the early voting list. Under the new law, the list will be called the Active Early Voting List. The State Senate voted along party lines to approve the bill, and Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, surprised many observers by signing the legislation just hours later." The CBS News story is here. MB: "Laboratories of democracy," my ass.

Arizona Carnival News. Sunday was the last day the Crazy Times Carnival was running outside the Veterans Coliseum where Cyber Ninjas were counting votes and training space lasers on ballots in search of nonexistent watermarks & bamboo splinters. The crazy times carnival inside the coliseum will continue for a few more days until they break for high school graduations. These are not late-nite jokes; this is an accurate account of what's been happening in Phoenix.

California. Carla Marinucci of Politico: "Republican gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner told CNN this week that she never voted for president in the November 2020 election and opted to golf instead because she 'couldn't get excited' about the dozen measures on the California ballot. For someone seeking support in the upcoming recall, it was a head-turning statement. Then came the head-scratcher: Los Angeles County records show she actually did cast a ballot last fall.... 'I didn't even vote,' Jenner told [CNN's Dana] Bash in a wide-ranging interview at her home in Malibu. 'Out here in California, it's like, why vote for a Republican president? It's just not going to work. I mean, it's overwhelming.' But Jenner didn't stop there. Asked further if she voted on downticket races, she said she did not...."

Georgia. Kate Brumback of the AP: "A man accused of killing eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage businesses was indicted Tuesday on murder charges by two separate grand juries, and one prosecutor filed notice that she'll also seek hate crime charges and the death penalty. A Fulton County grand jury indicted Robert Aaron Long, 22, in the March 16 slayings of Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63. A separate grand jury in Cherokee County indicted Long for a separate shooting there that resulted in the killings of Xiaojie 'Emily' Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Yaun, 33; and Paul Michels, 54. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis also filed notice that she intends to seek a hate crime sentence enhancement and the death penalty against Long, who is white."

Georgia. Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "Family members of Andrew Brown Jr., the Black man fatally shot last month by North Carolina sheriff's deputies, on Tuesday were given a second opportunity to view body and dash camera footage of his killing. After viewing a redacted but more extensive chunk of the recordings, they and their legal team came to the same conclusion they had before: The footage, they said, did not show Mr. Brown threatening, or even making contact with, law enforcement officers as he tried to flee in his car as deputies attempted to detain him."

Michigan. GOP State Legislators Fight Facts, First Amendment. Beth LeBlanc & Craig Mauger of the Detroit News: "A Michigan lawmaker who's been at the center of efforts to question the 2020 election introduced a bill Tuesday that would require 'fact checkers' to register with the state. Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, wrote the legislation, which was co-sponsored by eight other Republican House members, about five months after Maddock floated the idea of licensing fact checkers on Twitter. The 'Fact Checker Registration Act' defines a fact checker as someone who publishes in print or online in Michigan, is paid by a fact-checking organization and is a member of the International Fact Check Network. The network is a reference to the Poynter Institute's International Fact-Checking Network, a unit launched by the journalism group in 2015 to train and develop best practices in fact checking, Maddock said. The bill requires qualifying fact checkers to file proof of a $1 million fidelity bond with the Secretary of State's office.... The bond could be forfeited at the discretion of the judge for 'demonstrable harm' stemming from something a fact checker wrote, Maddock wrote." The bill has several GOP co-sponsors. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BTW, a person cannot just "file a bond." According to the top of the Googles, "Surety bond premiums usually range from 1-15% of the total bond amount." So up to $150,000. A year, I guess. And, arguably, an accurate fact-check could "demonstrably harm" a legislator; for instance, s/he could lose an election because a fact-checker's published reports showed voters s/he was a big fat liar. So $1,000,000. Luckily, under the First Amendment, the bill is bull. "Laboratories of democracy," my ass. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's story, by Katie Shepherd, is here. Lede: "Michigan state Rep. Matt Maddock and his wife, Michigan Republican Party co-chair Meshawn Maddock, have repeatedly been called out by fact-checking journalists for promoting baseless claims of widespread voter fraud and falsely suggesting that covid-19 is comparable to the flu."

Way Beyond

Israel. Patrick Kingsley & Isabel Kershner of the New York Times: "The worst fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in seven years intensified on Tuesday night, as Israeli airstrikes began targeting Hamas offices in Gaza City and militants in Gaza fired rockets at the metropolis of Tel Aviv, the southern city of Ashkelon and Israel's main airport. In Gaza, at least 35 Palestinians, including 10 children, had been killed by Tuesday night, and 203 others were wounded, according to health officials. In Israel, five people were killed in strikes on Tel Aviv, Ashkelon and Lod, and at least 100 were wounded, according to medical officials. Away from the military conflict, a wave of civil unrest spread across Arab neighborhoods as Palestinian citizens of Israel expressed fury at the killings in Gaza and longstanding complaints of discrimination inside Israel itself." The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times is liveblogging developments here.