The Commentariat -- April 23, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Marie: I do apologize for forgetting earlier to wish you all a Happy First Bleach Day! As Meredith McGraw & Sam Stein of Politico remind us, "One year ago today..., Donald Trump took to the White House briefing room and encouraged his top health officials to study the injection of bleach into the human body as a means of fighting Covid." I'm celebrating with a white rum cocktail and a slice of iced white cake with one powerful laser light-beam candle.

Lena Sun & Carolyn Johnson of the Washington Post: "Breaking: A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee recommended Friday that inoculations with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine resume. The vaccine would carry a warning about a rare risk of blood clots in recipients. The director of the CDC has the final call on whether vaccinations should restart." Emphasis original. ~~~

~~~ Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: "The nationwide pause on the use of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine should be lifted, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory committee recommended Friday. The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 10-4 with one abstention, that the vaccine's benefits outweigh the risks, and that it will save lives. The panel did not specifically ask for a warning label, but recommended the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) add a label intended to make providers aware of the risk of a rare complication involving blood clots in women under the age of 50."

Stupidest Senator Has Another Horribly Stupid Idea. Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) cast dark suspicions on the 'big push' to vaccinate American adults against the deadly coronavirus. The Wisconsin Republican, who's one of the Senate's most notorious sources of disinformation, told radio host and vaccine skeptic Vicki McKenna that the inoculations aren't necessary, reported Forbes. '[There's] no reason to be pushing vaccines on people,' Johnson said, adding that doses should be 'limited' only to those most vulnerable. 'If you have a vaccine, quite honestly, what do you care if your neighbor has one or not?... I'm getting highly suspicious [of the] big push to make sure everybody gets the vaccine.'..."

Evan Perez, et al., of CNN: "Federal authorities are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told CNN. Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section are examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said.... Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug.... A number of his close associates have ties to the industry, including Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group and has in past news coverage in Florida been described as a "marijuana investor." According to reports, Pirozzolo accompanied Gaetz on the 2018 trip to the Bahamas that investigators are scrutinizing."

Denise Lu of the New York Times: "The U.S. death rate in 2020 was the highest above normal ever recorded in the country -- even surpassing the calamity of the 1918 flu pandemic.... Since the 1918 pandemic, the country's death rate has fallen steadily. But last year, the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted that trend, in spite of a century of improvements in medicine and public health."

A Florida Man Will Summer in Rural New Jersey. Leia Idliby of Mediaite: "Donald Trump is reportedly planning to move his post-presidency operation from Mar-a-Lago to New Jersey, according to Business Insider.... Trump and his aides are planning to temporarily relocate to Bedminster, New Jersey, where he owns a golf club...."

The New York Times has live updates of President Biden's virtual climate summit, Day 2, here. The Washington Post's live updates are here.

Christine Hauser of the New York Times: "An Iowa woman who tried to kill two children in 2019 by hitting them with her car because she thought they were of Middle Eastern, African or Mexican descent has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and hate crime charges, the authorities said. The woman, Nicole Poole Franklin, 43, made the admission to two counts of hate crime charges on Wednesday, according to federal prosecutors. She faces life imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 for each of the charges, the Justice Department said in a statement on Thursday." These were two separate incidents. MB: I suppose it's appropriate that this horrible woman attempted to murder two (possibly) ethnic-minority children by Jeep Cherokee, a vehicle whose name has been criticized by some Native Americans, including the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Zahra Ullah of CNN: "Jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny said on Friday that he is ending his weekslong hunger strike. The announcement comes days after the Russian opposition leader was transferred to a prison hospital due to his deteriorating health." Breaking at 9:45 am ET.

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Yes, We Can, Biden-Style. Lisa Friedman, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden on Thursday moved to put four years of official climate denial behind the United States, declaring that America would cut its global warming emissions at least in half by the end of the decade. Addressing 40 world leaders at the start of a two-day summit about the U.S. return to the Paris climate agreement, Mr. Biden sought to galvanize other countries to take more aggressive steps. He cast the challenge of avoiding catastrophic warming as an economic opportunity for America and the world, a striking contrast to his predecessor who had abandoned the agreement. 'This is a moral imperative, an economic imperative,' Mr. Biden said. 'A moment of peril, but also a moment of extraordinary possibilities.'" ~~~

~~~ Both the New York Times, here, and the Washington Post, here, have liveblogged President Biden's global climate summit. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Celine Castronuovo of the Hill: "Climate activists gathered in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to dump wheelbarrows full of cow poop near the White House in protest of President Biden's climate plan, which they say is 'bullshit' and does not go far enough to protect the environment. Videos posted on Twitter from the Earth Day demonstration featured a group of at least a dozen demonstrators pushing pink wheelbarrows downtown toward the White House, where Biden is hosting a two-day virtual climate summit with dozens of world leaders. The demonstrators then dumped the manure onto the street, along with signs and banners reading, 'Stop the bullshit,' and 'Declare climate emergency now!'" Article includes some tweeted videos. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: These "activists" seem more like show-off troublemakers than real environmentalists. That cow manure is valuable mulch (just ask Forrest M.!), but it won't be used to grow sweet peas on a D.C. street.

Biden to Congress: Tax the Rich. Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "The next phase of President Biden's $4 trillion push to overhaul the American economy will seek to raise taxes on millionaire investors to fund education and other spending plans, but it will not take steps to expand health coverage or reduce prescription drug prices, according to people familiar with the proposal.... The president is set to outline his so-called American Family Plan, which includes measures aimed at helping Americans gain skills throughout life and have more flexibility in the work force, before his first address to a joint session of Congress next week." ~~~

     ~~~ Dan Primack of Axios: "Stocks fell Thursday following media reports that President Biden wants to nearly double the capital gains tax paid by wealthy Americans.... Biden reportedly is considering a proposal of a 39.6% top rate on long-term capital gains, up from the current 20% rate. He also is expected to maintain an ACA-related investment tax, bringing the total federal rate to as high as 43.4%.... The S&P closed down 0.92%[.] The Dow fell 321 points or 0.94%[.]"

Jordain Carney of the Hill: "The Senate on Thursday passed legislation aimed at combating a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic in a 94-1 vote, with GOP Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) the only 'no' vote. The bill now goes to the House, where Democrats are expected to soon take up their version of the legislation.... A California State University, San Bernardino study that looked at 16 cities found a 149 percent increase in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in 2020." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times' story is here. MB: Maybe the headline should be, "Hawley only Senator to favor discriminating against Asians."

Abrams Owns Sen. Foghorn Leghorn. Laura Bassett of MSNBC: "Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, went viral on Wednesday for embarrassing himself during a Tuesday hearing with Stacey Abrams about Georgia's new voter suppression law. What the senator had hoped would be a triumphant 'gotcha' grilling backfired.... Kennedy attempted to stump Abrams by asking her to list the specific provisions of the bill she finds racist and objectionable. Abrams, a Yale-educated attorney and one of the nation's foremost voting rights experts, proceeded to list from memory and in detail the many, many provisions that are designed to make it harder for Black people to vote. She didn't once glance down at any notes.... The remarkable confrontation ... epitomized a dynamic all too familiar for women and especially women of color. Kennedy didn't anticipate that Abrams ... would show up to a Senate hearing on the issue overprepared, quite possibly because that level of preparation has never been required of him. In fact, Kennedy has been known to downplay his background as an Oxford-educated lawyer. His Southern drawl seems designed to help him appear more folksy and relatable to his constituents. A former classmate of his from New Orleans described Kennedy's 'Southern-cornpone accent' and country-bumpkin persona as an 'affectation,' pure 'political theater' and 'about as authentic as a cow in a camel costume.'" ~~~

~~~ Matt Egan of CNN: "Progressive activists are calling on Ford, Target, Google, Bank of America and other major companies that have pledged to support voting rights to cut ties with the US Chamber of Commerce.... At issue is the Chamber of Commerce's fierce opposition to the Democrats' sweeping voting bill known as the For the People Act, which advocates say would counter efforts by Georgia and other states to impose new voting restrictions. The Chamber of Commerce has slammed the legislation, which last month was approved by the US House of Representatives..., in part because of new curbs on political advocacy by companies and associations. Accountable.US, a progressive watchdog group, sent letters Wednesday to 25 companies that have a relationship with the Chamber of Commerce even though they signed last week's statement in the New York Times vowing to oppose discriminatory voting legislation. The campaign from activists underscores the enormous pressure companies are under to follow up their verbal support for voting rights with concrete action."

Meagan Flynn of the Washington Post: "For the second time in history, the House passed legislation Thursday to make the District of Columbia the nation's 51st state, bolstering momentum for a once-illusory goal that has become a pivotal tenet of the Democratic Party's voting rights platform. Democrats unanimously approved Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton's Washington, D.C. Admission Act , describing it as a bid to restore equal citizenship to the residents of the nation's capital and rectify a historic injustice.... The bill, symbolically titled H.R. 51, now heads to the Senate, where proponents hope to break new ground -- including a first-ever hearing in that chamber. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer pledged Tuesday that 'we will try to work a path to get [statehood] done,' and the White House asked Congress in a policy statement to pass the legislation as swiftly as possible." A CNN story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Mary Jalonick of the AP: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is renewing her push for a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, floating a new proposal to Republicans that would evenly split the panel's membership between the two parties. Pelosi first proposed a commission in February that would have had four Republicans and seven Democrats to 'conduct an investigation of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol.' Republicans rejected it as inadequate.... It's unclear if the two sides will ever agree. Some Republicans allied with Trump have downplayed the severity of the insurrection.... The Republicans said the investigation should focus not just on what led to the Jan. 6 insurrection but also on violence in the summer of 2020 during protests over police brutality -- a touchstone among GOP voters and an idea that Democrats say is a distraction from the real causes of the violent attack. On Tuesday, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he'd had no discussions with Pelosi."

Tracy Jan & Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration put up bureaucratic obstacles that stalled approximately $20 billion in hurricane relief for Puerto Rico and then obstructed an investigation into the holdup, according to an inspector general report obtained by The Washington Post. Congress requested the investigation into the delays to recovery aid for Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 left residents of the U.S. territory without power and clean water for months. But, the report said, former Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson and another former HUD official declined to be interviewed by investigators during the course of the examination that began in 2019. Access to HUD information was delayed or denied on several occasions.... Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis, appointed by Trump as top HUD watchdog, found unprecedented procedural hurdles set by the White House budget office -- in addition to an extended partial federal government shutdown that also produced delays." (Also linked yesterday.)

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Thursday reversed a recent trend of leniency for minors convicted of serious crimes and said judges need not specifically find 'permanent incorrigibility' before sentencing juvenile murderers to life in prison without the possibility of parole.... Donald Trump's three Supreme Court nominees were key to the 6-to-3 ruling, which was written by one of them, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.... The court upheld the life-without-parole sentence a Mississippi court imposed on a 15-year-old who stabbed his grandfather to death in a dispute over the boy's girlfriend." MB: That's odd, because Bart I-Like-Beer O'Kavanaugh sure granted himself leniency for his "youthful indiscretions," which allegedly included sexual abuse & attempted rape. Update: I see where Rachel Maddow agrees with me on this a hunnert percent. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times report, by Adam Liptak, is here.

David Brooks of the New York Times: "Those of us who had hoped America would calm down when we no longer had Donald Trump spewing poison from the Oval Office have been sadly disabused. There are increasing signs that the Trumpian base is radicalizing.... Since the election, large swathes of the Trumpian right have decided America is facing a crisis like never before and they are the small army of warriors fighting with Alamo-level desperation to ensure the survival of the country as they conceive it.... With this view, the Jan. 6 insurrection was not a shocking descent into lawlessness but practice for the war ahead.... With their deep pessimism, the hyperpopulist wing of the G.O.P. seems to be crashing through the floor of philosophic liberalism into an abyss of authoritarian impulsiveness. Many of these folks are no longer even operating in the political realm.... Apocalyptic pessimism has a tendency to deteriorate into nihilism, and people eventually turn to the strong man to salve the darkness and chaos inside themselves." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It is worth remembering that Our Mr. Brooks was an acolyte of William F. Buckley, a right-wing "philosopher" who had no problem saying the quiet part out loud, justifying suppression of Black voters, for instance, as a necessity to sustain "civilized standards."

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Tucker Carlson is worse than you thought:

Perhaps this is the story that @TuckerCarlson was trying to get ahead of. In his college yearbook, he listed himself as a member of the "Dan White Society."

Dan White was the man who murdered Harvey Milk. pic.twitter.com/TYklyfC8tS

— Travis Akers (@travisakers) April 21, 2021

     ~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "Tucker's homophobia is well-documented, but openly celebrating the man who cold-bloodedly assassinated the most prominent GLBTQ public official in America ... certainly draws a line under that. And there's no reason to think anything about his worldview has fundamentally changed."

Paul Farhi & Sarah Ellison of the Washington Post: "A nonpartisan political organization is facing blowback from its employees after hiring journalist Mark Halperin, whose career as a prominent TV pundit hit a wall after he faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment. Junior staffers at No Labels objected this week when the organization hired Halperin.... The internal dissension grew so heated that two employees who complained were granted paid leave -- to consider whether they want to stay, the organization said -- and a third is considering resigning over it.... Halperin's career as a political analyst collapsed at the start of the MeToo era in 2017 after at least a dozen women, including former colleagues, came forward with allegations against him ranging from unwanted touching to sexual assault." A Raw Story summary report is here.

Marcia Dunn of the AP: "SpaceX launched four astronauts into orbit Friday using a recycled rocket and capsule, the third crew flight in less than a year for Elon Musk's rapidly expanding company. The astronauts from the U.S., Japan and France should reach the International Space Station early Saturday morning, following a 23-hour ride in the same Dragon capsule used by SpaceX's debut crew last May. They'll spend six months at the orbiting lab. It was the first time SpaceX reused a capsule and rocket to launch astronauts for NASA, after years of proving the capability on station supply runs. The rocket was used last November on the company's second astronaut flight." ~~~

~~~ The New York Times is liveblogging the flight of SpaceX's "Crew Dragon."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Matthew Perrone & Carla Johnson of the AP: "COVID-19 hospitalizations among older Americans have plunged more than 70% since the start of the year, and deaths among them appear to have tumbled as well, dramatic evidence the vaccination campaign is working. Now the trick is to get more of the nation's younger people to roll up their sleeves. The drop-off in severe cases among Americans 65 and older is especially encouraging because senior citizens have accounted for about 8 out of 10 deaths from the virus since it hit the U.S., where the toll stands at about 570,000[.] COVID-19 deaths among people of all ages in the U.S. have plummeted to about 700 per day on average, compared with a peak of over 3,400 in mid-January."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Thursday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Brazil. A Tragedy of Authoritarianism. Ernesto Londoño & Flávia Milhorance of the New York Times: "Rail-thin teenagers hold placards at traffic stops with the word for hunger -- fome -- in large print. Children, many of whom have been out of school for over a year, beg for food outside supermarkets and restaurants. Entire families huddle in flimsy encampments on sidewalks, asking for baby formula, crackers, anything. A year into the pandemic, millions of Brazilians are going hungry. The scenes, which have proliferated in the last months on Brazil's streets, are stark evidence that President Jair Bolsonaro's bet that he could protect the country's economy by resisting public health policies intended to curb the virus has failed." MB: This is a tragedy in the classical sense: Brazilians elected this guy.

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. Jane Timm of NBC News: "A bill that would stop some voters from getting a ballot automatically mailed to them each election failed unexpectedly in Arizona's state Senate Thursday after a single Republican joined Democrats in voting against the legislation. GOP state Sen. Kelly Townsend explained her surprise 'no' vote on the state Senate floor amid a tense episode that saw the senator get into a heated confrontation with the bill's sponsor and the pair attempt to silence each other with parliamentary rules. 'I am for this bill, but I am not voting for it until after the audit,' she said, referring to an audit orchestrated by Senate Republicans of the 2020 election results in Maricopa County reportedly set to get underway this week. President Joe Biden narrowly won the state. Townsend added that other election-related bills had not been advanced. 'We have no business fast tracking everything and going home.'... The legislation, which passed the House earlier this week, had come under fire from Democrats, voting rights groups and business leaders in the state." MB: Sounds as if the bill will pass.

California. Derrick Taylor & Christine Hauser of the New York Times: "Felony charges were announced Wednesday against a Bay Area police officer who fatally shot a man more than two years ago, officials said. The same officer was placed on administrative leave last month after he shot a man who later died. The officer, Andrew Hall, of the Danville Police Department in California, was charged with felony voluntary manslaughter and felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm in the shooting death of Laudemer Arboleda in 2018, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office said in a news release. Officer Hall is a deputy with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and was assigned to the Police Department in Danville, whose police services have been provided through the sheriff's office...."

Minnesota. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "Two days after the streets of Minneapolis were filled with people celebrating the conviction of a police officer for the murder of George Floyd, the city returned to a period of mourning on Thursday for another Black man killed by a police officer. Packed into a church for the funeral of Daunte Wright were politicians, faith leaders and relatives of other people killed by the police, including the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor and the families of Philando Castile and Oscar Grant. Many had come from across the country to pay respects to Mr. Wright, the 20-year-old man who was fatally shot by an officer in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center last week during a traffic stop.... On Thursday, the Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy for Mr. Wright to a grieving family and city." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Sorry, but I think Sharpton is a charlatan, a "religious" ambulance-chaser of sorts, who preys on families in pain to raise his own profile. And I'm not sure why he calls himself "The Rev" inasmuch as I don't know that he ever was ordained a minister of any church or pastored a church. Perhaps I'm being unfair or am just totally wrong, so feel free to argue with me.

New York City Mayoral Race. Dana Rubinstein & Katie Glueck of the New York Times: New York City's "gay community" was not impressed with mayor candidate Andrew Yang's interview with members of the Stonewall Democratic Club. "'He kept calling us "Your community," like we were aliens,' [one member] said.... To some Stonewall attendees, Mr. Yang's appearance only fueled concerns about whether he can discuss the problems at hand with sufficient depth and seriousness. More broadly, the reaction speaks to how polarizing Mr. Yang's personality can be -- eliciting sincere enthusiasm and disdain in seemingly equal measure." Politico's story is here.

North Carolina. Nick Valencia, et al., of CNN: "Neighbors on Thursday described a chaotic scene of North Carolina deputies trying to serve a warrant, a car pulling away and shots fired -- leaving one man dead. The shooting took place Wednesday morning in a working-class neighborhood of Elizabeth City in the northeastern corner of the state. The Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office said Thursday in a video statement that its special operations and tactical team was attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Andrew Brown Jr. when the shooting occurred.... Chief Deputy Daniel Fogg said the arrest warrant was for felony drug charges and Brown had a history of resisting arrest. CNN could not immediately verify any previous resisting arrest charges against Brown.... Neighbors told CNN that deputies opened fire on the vehicle that Brown was driving, though it was unclear if the deputies started to fire before or after the car was in motion."

Ohio. John Futty of the Columbus Dispatch: "An Ohio criminal-justice professor who studies the fatal use of force by law-enforcement officers didn't hesitate to render an opinion after watching body-camera video of a Columbus police officer fatally shooting a 16-year-old girl Tuesday afternoon on the city's Southeast Side. 'My first impression is that the officer was legally justified in using deadly force,' said Philip Stinson, a Bowling Green State University professor.... '... from looking at the video, it appears to me that a reasonable police officer would have had a reasonable apprehension of an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death being imposed against an officer or someone else. That's the legal standard.'"

South Dakota Woke. Emily Wax-Thibodeaux of the Washington Post: "In the tiny South Dakotan town called Faith, the high school Rodeo Club planned to hold its annual fundraising event next Monday night at the Legion Hall, complete with a pancake supper, bidding on pies and a 'Slave/Branding Auction.' For decades, Rodeo Club members offered a few days of their labor to a rancher in exchange for a donation -- and although there have long been calls for clubs across the state to stop labeling this slavery, the name in Faith has stuck. But this year, as a poster circulated on Facebook, Legion Hall host Glenda McGinnis said she received dozens of calls from people around the country wanting to know 'how such a racist and hurtful name could be used in 2021.'... McGinnis said the Rodeo Club's adviser called her Wednesday afternoon to cancel the event." MB: If you get a chance, read the story; they don't get out much in South Dakota.

Way Beyond

Israel. Joseph Krauss of the AP: "Israeli police say 44 people were arrested and 20 officers were wounded in a night of chaos in Jerusalem, where security forces separately clashed with Palestinians angry about Ramadan restrictions and Jewish extremists who held an anti-Arab march nearby. Tensions have spiked in recent days in Jerusalem, which has long been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and is home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Residents braced for possible further unrest ahead of Muslim Friday prayers as police stepped up security and the U.S. Embassy appealed for calm. Palestinians have clashed with Israeli police on a nightly basis since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The tensions began when police placed barricades outside the Old City's Damascus Gate, where Muslims traditionally gather to enjoy the evening after the daytime fast." ~~~

~~~ Joseph Krauss of the AP: "Hours after Israeli soldiers shot and killed Osama Mansour [on April 6] at a temporary checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, the military announced that it had thwarted a car-ramming attack -- but the facts didn't seem to add up. By all accounts, Mansour had initially stopped his car when ordered to do so. His wife ... was sitting in the passenger seat. And after the soldiers sprayed the vehicle with gunfire killing him and wounding her, they declined to arrest her as an accomplice. Witnesses say the soldiers killed Mansour for no apparent reason, part of what rights groups say is a pattern of fatal shootings of Palestinians by Israeli forces under questionable circumstances."

Russia. Andrew Kramer & Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "Russia's Defense Ministry ordered a partial pullback of troops from the border with Ukraine on Thursday, signaling a possible de-escalation in a military standoff that had raised alarm that a new war in Europe could be looming. The order came a day after President Vladimir V. Putin, in an annual state of the nation address, rattled off a list of grievances against Western nations, including threats of new sanctions." A BBC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Vladimir Isachenov of the AP: "Russian troops began pulling back to their permanent bases Friday after a massive buildup that caused Ukrainian and Western concerns.... The concentration of Russian troops amid increasing violations of a cease-fire in the conflict in eastern Ukraine raised concerns in the West, which urged the Kremlin to pull its forces back.... Moscow has rejected Ukrainian and Western concerns about the troop buildup, arguing that it's free to deploy its forces anywhere on Russian territory. But the Kremlin also sternly warned Ukrainian authorities against trying to use force to retake control of the rebel east, saying it could intervene to protect civilians there. More than 14,000 people have been killed in seven years of fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists in Donbas."

The Commentariat -- April 22, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Both the New York Times, here, and the Washington Post, here, have liveblogged President Biden's global climate summit.

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

Jordain Carney of the Hill: "The Senate on Thursday passed legislation aimed at combating a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic in a 94-1 vote, with GOP Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) the only 'no' vote. The bill now goes to the House, where Democrats are expected to soon take up their version of the legislation.... A California State University, San Bernardino study that looked at 16 cities found a 149 percent increase in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in 2020."

Meagan Flynn of the Washington Post: "For the second time in history, the House passed legislation Thursday to make the District of Columbia the nation's 51st state, bolstering momentum for a once-illusory goal that has become a pivotal tenet of the Democratic Party's voting rights platform. Democrats unanimously approved Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton's Washington, D.C. Admission Act, describing it as a bid to restore equal citizenship to the residents of the nation's capital and rectify a historic injustice.... The bill, symbolically titled H.R. 51, now heads to the Senate, where proponents hope to break new ground -- including a first-ever hearing in that chamber. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer pledged Tuesday that 'we will try to work a path to get [statehood] done,' and the White House asked Congress in a policy statement to pass the legislation as swiftly as possible." A CNN story is here.

Tracy Jan & Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration put up bureaucratic obstacles that stalled approximately $20 billion in hurricane relief for Puerto Rico and then obstructed an investigation into the holdup, according to an inspector general report obtained by The Washington Post. Congress requested the investigation into the delays to recovery aid for Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 left residents of the U.S. territory without power and clean water for months. But, the report said, former Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson and another former HUD official declined to be interviewed by investigators during the course of the examination that began in 2019. Access to HUD information was delayed or denied on several occasions.... Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis, appointed by Trump as top HUD watchdog, found unprecedented procedural hurdles set by the White House budget office -- in addition to an extended partial federal government shutdown that also produced delays."

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Thursday reversed a recent trend of leniency for minors convicted of serious crimes and said judges need not specifically find 'permanent incorrigibility' before sentencing juvenile murderers to life in prison without the possibility of parole.... Donald Trump's three Supreme Court nominees were key to the 6-to-3 ruling, which was written by one of them, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.... The court upheld the life-without-parole sentence a Mississippi court imposed on a 15-year-old who stabbed his grandfather to death in a dispute over the boy's girlfriend." MB: Hmm, that's odd, because Bart I-Like-Beer O'Kavanaugh sure granted himself leniency for his "youthful indiscretions," which allegedly included sexual abuse & attempted rape.

Russia. Andrew Kramer & Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "Russia's Defense Ministry ordered a partial pullback of troops from the border with Ukraine on Thursday, signaling a possible de-escalation in a military standoff that had raised alarm that a new war in Europe could be looming. The order came a day after President Vladimir V. Putin, in an annual state of the nation address, rattled off a list of grievances against Western nations, including threats of new sanctions." A BBC News story is here.

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Ellen Knickmeyer & Christina Larson of the AP: "President Joe Biden is convening a coalition of the willing, the unwilling, the desperate-for-help and the avid-for-money for a global summit Thursday aimed at rallying the world's worst polluters to move faster against climate change. The president's first task: Convincing the world that the politically fractured United States isn't just willing when it comes to Biden’s new ambitious emissions-cutting pledges, but also able. Success for Biden in the virtual summit of 40 leaders will be making his expected promises -- halving coal and petroleum emissions at home and financing climate efforts abroad -- believable enough to persuade other powers to make big changes of their own." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The goal seems impossible to reach, but how much more possible would it be if the U.S. had been a consistent environmental leader over the last decades -- and not Donald Trump? ~~~

~~~ Stephanie Ebbs of ABC News: "Using Earth Day to relaunch the U.S. as a leader in the global effort to combat climate change, President Joe Biden is set to host world leaders for a virtual climate summit this week and is expected to announce a new goal for the U.S. to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions -- reportedly by perhaps as much as 50% by 2030.... Biden and his special envoy for climate John Kerry have been working to push other major polluters like China, India, and members of the European Union to set similarly ambitious goals, many of which will be represented at the summit." ~~~

~~~ Peter Fairley of the AP: “New research shows that renewable electricity can move Washington, Oregon and British Columbia off of fossil fuels, do so at an affordable price, and create jobs along the way. After decades of disinformation from fossil fuel producers and utilities, this may sound like a wishful vision. But building a cleaner and more equitable economy — and doing so in just a few decades to head off the worst effects of climate change — is backed by a growing body of regional and international studies. Innovation and mass production have made wind and solar power installations cheaper than most fossil-fueled power plants. The key to moving Cascadia’s economies away from fossil fuels is to make renewable electricity the region’s go-to 'fuel.' The new research highlights three mutually supporting strategies that squeeze out fossil fuels: increasing energy efficiency to trim the amount of power we need, boosting renewable energy to make it possible to turn off climate-wrecking fossil-fuel plants, and plugging as much stuff as possible into the electrical grid.”

Katie Benner of the New York Times: "Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced on Wednesday a sweeping investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, signaling that the Biden administration will seek to combat police abuses around the country and apply stricter federal oversight to local forces.The Justice Department will examine whether the Minneapolis police routinely use excessive force or treat minorities unfairly. The inquiry will also scrutinize police training and accountability practices, among other issues.... The Minneapolis police have long faced accusations of racism.... Black people, who account for 20 percent of the city’s population, made up more than 60 percent of the victims in city police shootings from late 2009 through May 2019, police data shows. The police force pledged to cooperate with the federal inquiry.... President Biden had vowed as a candidate to fight excessive force by the police, and he called on lawmakers on Tuesday to resurrect the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a measure by Democrats aimed at curbing police misconduct and racial discrimination. Lawmakers in both parties said on Wednesday that they hoped Mr. Chauvin’s conviction could help revive the bill...." ~~~

~~~ Carrie Johnson of NPR: "One day after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on murder charges, the U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation into possible patterns of discrimination and excessive force among the police department there. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the new civil inquiry on Wednesday, the first such 'pattern or practice' investigation in the Biden administration, which has pledged to build trust between police and communities." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)  ~~~

~~~ Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs & Tim Arango of the New York Times: "Derek Chauvin is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day in Minnesota’s only maximum-security prison.... He has been placed in an isolated wing of the prison [in Oak Park Heights, near St. Paul] because of fears for his safety, said Sarah Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the state prison system.... Though prison officials say Mr. Chauvin is being isolated for his own safety, prisoners are often sent to the wing, known as the Administrative Control Unit, as a punishment. The cells are small and contain nothing more than a bench with a mattress pad, a combination toilet and sink, and a tiny shower. Prisoners are allowed to bring in necessities like clothing, toothpaste and soap, as well as a pen and paper. In some cases, they may also receive books, magazines or newspapers, but only if prison officials approve. The cells are monitored by cameras, and guards are expected to look in on prisoners every 30 minutes...."

Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "More than a century after the Ottoman Empire’s killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenian civilians, President Biden is preparing to declare that the atrocities were an act of genocide, according to officials familiar with the internal debate. The action would signal that the American commitment to human rights outweighs the risk of further fraying the U.S. alliance with Turkey[.] Mr. Biden is expected to announce the symbolic designation on Saturday, the 106th anniversary of the beginning of what historians call a yearslong and systematic death march that the predecessors of modern Turkey started during World War I. He would be the first sitting American president to do so.... At least 29 other countries have taken similar steps — mostly in Europe and the Americas, but also Russia and Syria, Turkey’s political adversaries." A Guardian story is here.

Jeremy Herb of CNN: "The Senate narrowly voted to advance the nomination of President Joe Biden's nominee to be associate attorney general, Vanita Gupta, setting up a final vote expected later Wednesday despite fierce opposition from most Republican senators. Vice President Kamala Harris was on hand in case she was needed for a possible 50-50 tie on the procedural vote for Gupta's nomination Wednesday, but Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a moderate Republican from Alaska, broke with her Republican colleagues and joined all Democratic senators to advance the nomination 51-49." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated. New lede: "The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Vanita Gupta to be associate attorney general in a narrow 51-49 vote after Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined with Democrats in support of President Joe Biden's Justice Department nominee." MB: One does have to wonder why 49 Republican senators are afraid of an effective attorney who happens to be a woman and an ethnic minority.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A Capitol Police official radioed units outside of the building on the morning of Jan. 6 and told them only to scout for anti-Trump troublemakers — not pro-Trump protesters, according to Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who described what she said were details of an internal investigation conducted in the aftermath of the mob attack. Lofgren (D-Calif.) revealed the finding while she questioned Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton, who appeared before the House Administration Committee Wednesday to testify about security failures that precipitated the Jan. 6 attack.... Although the details are still disputed, Lofgren's comments are the first insight into specific concerns about the conduct of Capitol Police on the day of the insurrection."

Uh-oh. A $5,000 Pee? Olivia Beavers & Rachel Bade of Politico: "House Majority Whip James Clyburn is facing a possible $5,000 fine for evading the metal detectors off the House floor, which are part of the security protocols House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enacted after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. The South Carolina Democrat was caught going around the detectors after he used the bathroom during a vote on Tuesday. If found guilty of violating the House's security rules, Clyburn ... would be the first Democrat to be fined under the new metal detector protocols.... Clyburn’s office denied the way a police referral described the incident. It's unclear exactly what the police referral account said.... Multiple House Republicans have faced the $5,000 fine, including one GOP member who similarly exited the chamber to use the same nearby bathroom."

Trump's “Eighth Wonder of the World” Collapses. Reuters, via CNBC: “Taiwan electronics manufacturer Foxconn is drastically scaling back a planned $10 billion factory in Wisconsin, confirming its retreat from a project that former U.S. President Donald Trump once called 'the eighth wonder of the world.' Under a deal with the state of Wisconsin announced on Tuesday, Foxconn will reduce its planned investment to $672 million from $10 billion and cut the number of new jobs to 1,454 from 13,000. The Foxconn-Wisconsin deal was first announced to great fanfare at the White House in July 2017, with Trump boasting of it as an example of how his 'America First' agenda could revive U.S. tech manufacturing.... Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronic devices, proposed a 20-million-square-foot manufacturing campus in Wisconsin that would have been the largest investment in U.S. history for a new location by a foreign-based company.”

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Shannon Pettypiece & Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "President Joe Biden announced a new tax credit Wednesday to reimburse small businesses that give workers paid time off to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as he touted reaching his goal of 200 million shots administered in his first 100 days. The tax credit, which will be funded by the Covid-19 relief bill passed last month, will be available to businesses with fewer than 500 employees, allowing up to $511 a day for each employee. Biden called on all companies, regardless of size, to offer paid time off, and offer other incentives, such as gift cards or bonuses, to encourage employees to get vaccinated. As the United States this week reached Biden’s goal of 200 million shots administered, vaccine supply is starting to outstrip demand in some areas." ~~~

     ~~~ Video of the full speech is here. ~~~

~~~ Dan Keating, et al., of the Washington Post: "Daily coronavirus vaccinations have slowed significantly for the first time since February, a sign that demand is slipping even though every American adult is now eligible for the shots. About 3 million Americans are getting vaccinated daily, an 11 percent decrease in the seven-day average of daily shots administered over the past week. The unprecedented drop is rivaled only by a brief falloff that occurred in February, when winter storms forced the closure of vaccination sites and delayed shipments nationwide.... Officials say they need to ramp up efforts to vaccinate hard-to-reach groups such as rural residents and homebound seniors, answer pointed questions from people leery of side effects and convince young people who don’t fear the virus that they, too, benefit from getting vaccinated...."

Sharon LaFraniere, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal regulators have found serious flaws at the Baltimore plant that had to throw out up to 15 million possibly contaminated doses of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine — casting doubt on further production in the United States of a vaccine that the government once viewed as essential in fighting the pandemic. The regulators for the Food and Drug Administration said that the company manufacturing the vaccine, Emergent BioSolutions, may have contaminated additional doses at the plant. They said the company failed to fully investigate the contamination, while also finding fault with the plant’s disinfection practices, size and design, handling of raw materials and training of workers."

California. Catherine Garcia of the Week: "After a tough fall and winter, with record numbers of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in intensive care units and a high death toll, California now has the lowest coronavirus case rate in the continental United States. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows California's seven-day rate of new cases is 40.3 per 100,000 people, compared to the nationwide rate of 135.3 per 100,000 people." ~~~

~~~ BUT. AP: "Oregon health officials reported 989 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday — the state’s highest daily case count since mid-January. The spike follows Oregon’s fourth consecutive week of surging daily cases and increasing hospitalizations. According to most recent data from the state health authority, last week there was a 27% increase in cases. The state’s positivity rate is 5.3%."

Beyond the Beltway

Reid Epstein & Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: "Republican legislators in Oklahoma and Iowa have passed bills granting immunity to drivers whose vehicles strike and injure protesters in public streets. A Republican proposal in Indiana would bar anyone convicted of unlawful assembly from holding state employment, including elected office. A Minnesota bill would prohibit those convicted of unlawful protesting from receiving student loans, unemployment benefits or housing assistance. And in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed sweeping legislation this week that toughened existing laws governing public disorder and created a harsh new level of infractions.... The measures are part of a wave of new anti-protest legislation, sponsored and supported by Republicans, in the 11 months since Black Lives Matter protests swept the country following the death of George Floyd.... G.O.P. lawmakers in 34 states have introduced 81 anti-protest bills during the 2021 legislative session — more than twice as many proposals as in any other year...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) 

Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "... G.O.P. resistance to certain [voter suppression] legislation reflects an awkward and delicate dance within the party: As state lawmakers loyal to ... Donald J. Trump try to please him and his supporters by enacting new voting limits across the country, they are facing pockets of opposition from other Republicans who argue that some of the bills go too far or would hurt their own voters. These Republicans see themselves as moderating forces on bad bills. And they are instead proposing less stringent measures that they say will improve the efficiency and security of early voting now that so many more people are using it because of changes brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. The number of Republicans willing to speak out is modest compared with the many Trump-friendly lawmakers in G.O.P.-controlled state capitols...."

Arizona. Bryan Pietsch of the New York Times: “Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have imposed some of the country’s most restrictive rules regarding L.G.B.T.Q. education, calling the bill 'overly broad and vague.' The bill, which was sponsored by eight Republicans and passed the Arizona Senate on a party-line vote, would prohibit schools from teaching about sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and L.G.B.T.Q. history unless a student received 'signed, written consent' from a parent or guardian opting them in to the lessons. Students would also be unable to receive lessons about H.I.V./AIDS unless they were opted in to them. Parts of the bill 'could lead to serious consequences,' Mr. Ducey, a Republican, said in a letter explaining his veto.” The Hill's story is here.

Florida. Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: “The superintendent of the public school district in Broward County, Fla., was arrested on Wednesday as part of a wide-ranging criminal investigation that began in the tumultuous months after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland. Robert W. Runcie, the superintendent, was charged with perjury, a felony, for lying to a grand jury that was impaneled to investigate 'possible failures in following school-related safety laws and mismanaging funds solicited for school safety initiatives,' according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The authorities also arrested Barbara J. Myrick, the district’s general counsel. She was charged with unlawful disclosure of statewide grand jury proceedings, which is also a felony.”

Way Beyond

Russia. Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: President Vladimir Putin “warned ominously of 'red lines' in Russia’s security that, if crossed, would bring a powerful 'asymmetric' response. He reminded Western leaders once again of the fearsomeness of his country’s modernized nuclear arsenal. And he boasted of Russia’s moral superiority over the West. Yet even as [he] lashed out at foreign enemies real or perceived in a state-of-the-nation speech on Wednesday, tens of thousands of Russians defied a heavy police presence to pour into the streets to challenge his rule. In Moscow, some gathered across the street from the Kremlin to chant, 'Go Away!'... Faulted for a lagging response to the coronavirus and with his popularity ratings declining, though still high, the Russian leader used the address to outline a vision for Russia as it emerges from the pandemic, one that promised numerous new economic subsidies but was silent about political rights.” A CBS News story is here.

Minnesota. In case you were wondering about the fate of the other Minnepolis officers involved in George Floyd's murder.... Denny Spewak of KARE TV (Minneapolis): "The fate of former Minneapolis Police officers J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane depended largely on the outcome of Derek Chauvin’s trial. After a jury found him guilty Tuesday of three felony counts, the three other officers must now put together their own defense strategies for a joint trial that begins August 23. All of them face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. The State Attorney General’s Office also confirmed that it will argue next month in the Court of Appeals to add a third-degree murder charge against them. Michael Bryant, a KARE 11 legal expert..., said he expects any negotiations about possible plea deals – if they happen at all – to occur after Chauvin’s sentencing. He also said that he would expect a similar, though not identical, trial compared to Chauvin’s."

News Lede

CNBC: “The U.S. jobs market recovery accelerated its pace last week as fewer Americans headed to the unemployment line, the Labor Department reported Thursday.First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 547,000, well below the Dow Jones estimate for 603,000 and a new low for the Covid-19 pandemic era.”

The Commentariat -- April 21, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Carrie Johnson of NPR: "One day after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on murder charges, the U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation into possible patterns of discrimination and excessive force among the police department there. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the new civil inquiry on Wednesday, the first such 'pattern or practice' investigation in the Biden administration, which has pledged to build trust between police and communities."

Jeremy Herb of CNN: "The Senate narrowly voted to advance the nomination of President Joe Biden's nominee to be associate attorney general, Vanita Gupta, setting up a final vote expected later Wednesday despite fierce opposition from most Republican senators. Vice President Kamala Harris was on hand in case she was needed for a possible 50-50 tie on the procedural vote for Gupta's nomination Wednesday, but Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a moderate Republican from Alaska, broke with her Republican colleagues and joined all Democratic senators to advance the nomination 51-49."

Reid Epstein & Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: "Republican legislators in Oklahoma and Iowa have passed bills granting immunity to drivers whose vehicles strike and injure protesters in public streets. A Republican proposal in Indiana would bar anyone convicted of unlawful assembly from holding state employment, including elected office. A Minnesota bill would prohibit those convicted of unlawful protesting from receiving student loans, unemployment benefits or housing assistance. And in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed sweeping legislation this week that toughened existing laws governing public disorder and created a harsh new level of infractions.... The measures are part of a wave of new anti-protest legislation, sponsored and supported by Republicans, in the 11 months since Black Lives Matter protests swept the country following the death of George Floyd.... G.O.P. lawmakers in 34 states have introduced 81 anti-protest bills during the 2021 legislative session -- more than twice as many proposals as in any other year...."

~~~~~~~~~~

The Verdict

Amy Forliti, et al., of the AP: "Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter for pinning George Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man's neck in a case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S. Chauvin, 45, was immediately led away with his hands cuffed behind his back and could be sent to prison for decades." The New York Times report is here. ~~~

Jonathan Lemire, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden said Tuesday the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd 'can be a giant step forward' for the nation in the fight against systemic racism. But he declared that 'it's not enough.' Biden spoke from the White House hours after the verdict alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, with the pair saying the country's work is far from finished with the verdict. 'We can't stop here,' Biden declared." The Washington Post's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's a transcript of remarks by President Biden & Vice President Harris, via the New York Times. ~~~

~~~ AP: "Before Tuesday's guilty verdicts were read out [MB: and after the jury was sequestered, President] Biden said he was praying for 'the right verdict.' Telephoning [George] Floyd's family later, he said of himself and [Vice President] Harris: 'We're all so relieved.'... Biden said he hoped the verdict would give momentum to congressional police reform efforts. Floyd family attorney Ben Crump posted video on Twitter of a phone call from Biden and Harris to the family. Asked by a family member how he was doing, Biden said, 'Feeling better now. Nothing is going to make it all better, but at least now there is some justice.' 'This is a day of justice,' Harris told the family after joining Biden to watch the verdict in the private dining room off the Oval Office." ~~~

     ~~~ MEANWHILE. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday blasted President Joe Biden for speaking out about the Derek Chauvin trial even though her former boss, Donald Trump, often expressed his opinion on similar events.... '... I think it's the role of the president of the United States to stay back, to not inflame the tensions,' she [said]. 'I think he should have just reserved comment and said he's praying for the family as we all are.'... After Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with homicide for shootings that left two protesters in Wisconsin dead last August, Trump offered a defense of the suspect. 'He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like,' Trump opined at the time. 'I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed.'"

From the New York Times' liveblog of the trial: "Derek Chauvin was found guilty of two counts of murder on Tuesday in the death of George Floyd, whose final breaths last May under the knee of Mr. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, were captured on video, setting off months of protests against the police abuse of Black people. After deliberating for about 10 hours over two days following an emotional trial that lasted three weeks, the jury found Mr. Chauvin, who is white, guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter for the killing of Mr. Floyd, a Black man, on a street corner last year on Memorial Day." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Marty Johnson of the Hill: "Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all charges in the murder trial of George Floyd, whose death led to months of demonstrations against police brutality last summer." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Marie: Chauvin Trial Verdicts. Count 1, unintentional 2nd-degree murder: guilty. Count 2, 3rd-degree murder, guilty. Count 3, 2nd-degree manslaugter, guilty. The judge polled the jury and sent them out; he will consult with them. Bail is revoked & defendant is remanded. Court adjourned.

Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post: "After so many previous instances in which police officers were acquitted of what looked to many people like murder, this time was different. And it was different, in some significant portion, because of a teenager's sense of right and wrong.... On May 25, [2020,] while taking her younger cousin on a stroll to get a snack..., [17-year-old Darnella Frazier] observed a struggle between a Black man and White police officer. After ushering the child into the convenience store, Cup Foods, Frazier stayed on the sidewalk and started recording.... Later, she posted a video clip of about 10 minutes to Facebook. That video clip, now seen millions of times around the world, was a powerful, irrefutable act of bearing witness.... 'The world needed to see what I was seeing,' she [told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune last year]." MB: If not for Frazier, ~~~

~~~ ** Another Cop Would Have Got Away with Murder. Josh Marcus of Yahoo! News: "An early-stage police report describing George Floyd's death as a vague 'medical incident' went viral on Tuesday.... In the original police bulletin that went out to the public, here's how the Minneapolis police department categorised the gruesome murder millions of people would later see on social media video:

"'He was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers. Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance where he died a short time later.'...

"John Elder, the Minneapolis Police Department's director of public information, authored the bulletin. He told The Los AngelesTimes last summer he was working from information he got from officers on the ground, who didn't log any use of force initially." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Azi Paybarah of the New York Times reports on the contrast between the police narrative and fact. MB: I can see where people are going to start writing "police report"-style parodies on everything: describing football games, for instance, in terms reminiscent of society-page reports on afternoon tea parties.

Karen Attaih of the Washington Post: "At the heart of this story will always lie a criminally fatal encounter between two individuals. But its boundaries came to stretch far beyond two men. In a sense, by the time the verdict was read, White America itself was on trial for the violent subjugation of Black peoples -- the original sin it has escaped accountability for more than 400 years. Chauvin was found guilty, but that is a low bar in a minutely documented, open-and-shut case. The sobering truth is that instances of White accountability for Black bloodshed are all too rare in the United States.... A few arrests and convictions of officers do not add up to justice.... Full justice for George Floyd ... will only come when policing as we know it is done away with. In the meantime, those who imagine a better and safer America must keep speaking, writing and marching these dreams into existence."

Audra Burch, et al., of the New York Times: "The verdict brought some solace to activists for racial justice who had been riveted to the courtroom drama for the past several weeks. But for many Black Americans, real change feels elusive, particularly given how relentlessly the killing of Black men by the police has continued on.... In the months after Mr. Floyd's death, some change has been concrete. Scores of policing reform laws were introduced at the state level. Corporations pledged billions to racial equity causes, and the N.F.L. apologized for its failure to support protests against police violence by its Black players. Even the backlash was different. Racist statements by dozens of public officials, from mayors to fire chiefs, related to Mr. Floyd's death -- perhaps tolerated before -- cost them their jobs.... There are also signs of backlash: Legislation that would reduce voting access, protect the police and effectively criminalize public protests have sprung up in Republican-controlled state legislatures."

Let's Ask Tucker! Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: Fox "News" star Tucker "Carlson argued, the jurors were intimidated into the guilty verdict by the months of racial justice protests that followed [George] Floyd's death. 'The jurors in the Derek Chauvin trial came to a unanimous and unequivocal verdict this afternoon: "Please don't hurt us,"' Carlson said on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.' Carlson added, 'Everyone understood perfectly well the consequences of an acquittal in this case. After nearly a year of burning and looting and murder by BLM, that was never in doubt.' Carlson's show, which was devoted entirely to attacking the trial as unfair because of protests and statements by Democrats urging a guilty verdict, stood in stark contrast to several prominent colleagues on Fox News who celebrated the result." MB: How convenient to be able to get the white supremacist view, right on national TV. ~~~

.@tuckercarlson is in full cry tonight about Biden's comments today, asking: "When was the last time a sitting president weighed in on a jury decision before it was made? Never!" Really? https://t.co/QyjNEHNpgJ

— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) April 21, 2021

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "The nomination of Vanita Gupta, an exceptionally well-qualified nominee for the No. 3 spot at the Justice Department and the recipient of numerous endorsements from law enforcement, moved ahead by a 50-to-49 margin in the Senate on Monday despite the hysterical allegations from Republicans that she is 'radical,' 'extreme' or 'anti-police.' That move comes after Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee attacked Kristen Clarke, another immensely qualified civil rights lawyer who was nominated to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. Republicans' spurious claims against Clarke included that she is antisemitic (roundly rejected by Jewish organizations), that she supports defunding the police (she doesn't) and, again, that she is radical.... The Republican Party, as it morphs into a party of white supremacy and grievance (including embracing 'replacement' theory), is increasingly using women of color (e.g., Gupta, Clarke, Neera Tanden, California Rep. Maxine Waters) to frighten and anger its White, male base.... They remain emphatic that Whites are the real victims.... Republicans have endeavored for years to turn the meaning of 'civil rights' upside down and to dismantle the Justice Department's role in enforcing it.... An effective civil rights division would prosecute the White supremacist groups whom Republicans have increasingly attempted to normalize and defend...."

Jerry Nadler (N.Y.) tries to modulate a shouting match between Val Demings (Fla.) & Jim Jordan (Ohio):

     ~~~ Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) was midway through an impassioned speech on Tuesday accusing Republicans of using police officers as 'pawns' in their efforts to amend a hate-crime bill when Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) interrupted to object. 'I have the floor, Mr. Jordan,' Demings exclaimed, banging her open palm on the table. 'Did I strike a nerve?'... The exchange underscores the deep divisions in Congress over attempts to change policing in the wake of Floyd's death, with the Democrats facing a steep battle in the Senate to overcome GOP opposition to an expansive law enforcement overhaul package named for Floyd.... Demings took her Republican colleagues to task over a proposed amendment [to another bill (the Covid-19 Hate Crime Act)] that would prevent efforts to defund police.... Demings called the amendment 'completely irrelevant' because the bill makes no mention of defunding law enforcement."

Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "The House rejected a Republican attempt Tuesday to censure Rep. Maxine Waters for calling on protesters to 'get more active' and 'get more confrontational' if a jury voted to acquit former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd. House Democratic leaders quickly came to Waters's defense and denounced the resolution as a cynical political ploy to draw attention away from inflammatory and extremist remarks made by Republicans in recent months, including former president Donald Trump. They argued that Waters (D-Calif.) was calling for peaceful protests, not violence.... Democrats held firm in their support for Waters, with all party members voting to 'table,' or kill, the censure resolution introduced by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The resolution failed, 216 to 210. 'I'm not celebrating,' Waters said after the vote. 'I&'m relieved.'"

An Immigration Promise Broken. Tyler Page, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden overruled his top foreign policy and national security aides, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when he kept in place the Trump administration's record low cap on the number of refugees admitted to the United States, according to three people familiar with the matter, a decision that was reversed after a public outcry. Biden harbored concerns about what the sharp increase in migrants at the southern border meant for the government's capacity to handle an influx of refugees from elsewhere, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private deliberations. In the end, the president's own misgivings fueled the decision more than anything else, the people said." The New York Times story is here.

Paul Sonne, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Defense Department is focusing on how to weed out possible extremists from the active-duty ranks in the wake of the Capitol riot, with a recent, military-wide 'stand down' for troops to discuss the issue ahead of policy decisions on the matter by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. But the arrest data from the riot shows that allegedly criminal participation in the insurrection on Jan. 6 was far more prevalent among veterans than active-duty forces, a more difficult problem for the U.S. government to address.... So far veterans do not appear to be getting much targeted attention. The Department of Veterans Affairs has no dedicated program to combat extremism among former members of the military and has resisted calls to address other factors that contribute to domestic radicalization, such as online disinformation that targets veterans to inflame political tensions.... The Department of Homeland Security is stepping up its efforts to prevent domestic extremism under the Biden administration but hasn't announced any initiatives specific to veterans." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The only way to guarantee that veterans will receive instruction on "how to tell fact from fiction" would be to condition veterans' benefits on taking the training. What chance do you think there is that Republicans would okay that?

Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post: "Federal authorities arrested a suspect in the U.S. Capitol riot in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, on Tuesday after they used facial recognition programs to find an image of him on his girlfriend's Instagram page. Stephen Chase Randolph, federal authorities say, knocked over a U.S. Capitol Police officer manning the barriers at the building, 'causing [Officer-1]'s head to hit the stairs behind her, resulting in a loss of consciousness.' He then 'continued to assault two other USCP officers by physically pushing, shoving, grabbing, and generally resisting the officers and interfering with their official duties,' the federal officials said. The FBI released images of Randolph in late January.... At some point, the FBI ran an image of Randolph through an 'open source facial comparison tool' that had been 'known to provide reliable results in the past.'... On April 13, the federal authorities said, two FBI special agents went undercover at Randolph's workplace and talked to him about the Capitol riot. Randolph, the feds said, said 'shit went crazy' at the Capitol and that 'it was fucking fun' to be a part of the mob.&" MB: You probably won't find the consequences "fucking fun," Steve-o.

** Thanks, Supremes! Battle of the Billionaires. Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "A dozen megadonors and their spouses contributed a combined $3.4 billion to federal candidates and political groups since 2009, accounting for nearly one out of every 13 dollars raised, according to a new report. The report, produced by Issue One, a nonpartisan group that seeks to reduce the influence of money in politics, shows the top 12 donors split equally between six Democrats and six Republicans. The list includes multiple Wall Street billionaires and investors, a Facebook co-founder, a shipping magnate and the heir to a family fortune dating back to the Gilded Age. The study quantifies the intensifying concentration and increasing role of the super rich in American politics following the loosening of restrictions on political spending by the U.S. Supreme Court more than a decade ago." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here: "New York City health officials estimate that nearly a quarter of adult New Yorkers were infected with the coronavirus during the catastrophic wave of last spring, and that the toll was even higher among Black and Hispanic residents. The estimates, based on antibody test results for more than 45,000 city residents last year, suggest that Black and Hispanic New Yorkers were twice as likely as white New Yorkers to have had antibodies to the coronavirus -- evidence of prior infection. Hispanic New Yorkers had the highest rate, with about 35 percent testing positive for antibodies...."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here: "The United States has come a long way since Covid-19 vaccines first arrived at hospitals and long-term care facilities in December. More than 209 million doses have been administered. But the next phase of the rollout will bring new challenges, and some scientists and health officials worry that some of the most vulnerable people -- including those 65 and older -- may have trouble competing for a shot now that all adults are eligible for inoculation.... As it stands, older adults are the most vaccinated age group in the country. Yet about a fifth of those 65 and older, a group that is particularly vulnerable to serious complications and death from the virus, have not received even one shot." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here: "The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to a 'dramatic deterioration' in people's access to information around the globe, helping governments block news coverage and criminalizing reports critical of authorities' response to the crisis, Reporters Without Borders said Tuesday.... Some of the most egregious moves to silence journalists reporting on the pandemic took place in Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Venezuela and Zimbabwe, the group said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Michael Birnbaum & Loveday Morris of the Washington Post: "European regulators on Tuesday said the coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson should carry a warning about rare blood clots, but they placed no restrictions on the use of the vaccine inside the European Union. The decision by the European Medicines Agency was based on the same U.S. data that led American regulators last week to pause the use of the vaccine inside the United States. Johnson & Johnson said after Tuesday's announcement that it would resume distribution in Europe. But the U.S. hold remains in place as American authorities make an independent evaluation. New guidance is expected as early as Friday, and top officials, including Anthony S. Fauci, say they expect the vaccine will also be given a green light."

DIY Covid Testing Now! Ken Alltucker of USA Today: "Consumers will be able to buy rapid coronavirus tests without a prescription this week at three national chain retailers, an expansion that comes as the nation's vaccination effort accelerates and states relax distancing requirements and mask mandates. Abbott Laboratories' BinaxNOW coronavirus self-test kits will be shipped to CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens and Walmart locations, and also will be sold online. The two-test kit, which last month received Food and Drug Administration emergency-use authorization for serial screening, will cost $23.99, the company said. Another rapid test made by Australia-based Ellume will be sold at CVS stores in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for $38.99. It also can be purchased online or at most CVS stores in other states by the end of May. These retail tests eliminate another barrier for people who want to test themselves without visiting a doctor or a telehealth provider. Both tests deliver results in about 15 minutes and don't require a lab." (Also linked yesterday.)

Joanne Kenen & Meredith McGraw of Politico: "... Trump supporters remain stubbornly resistant to vaccination -- and it's sparking a new round of questions over what role, if any, the former president could play to move those efforts along.... Donald Trump's unwillingness to pitch his voters on getting the jab has become the source of frustration for former aides, who lament the political benefits that would have come had he done so. It has also worried health officials from his own administration, who told Politico about a monthslong effort to get him to publicly take the lead; and medical experts, who say a full-throated endorsement could sway vaccine skeptics on the right and get the country closer to herd immunity." On Hannity's show Monday night, Trump scoffed at the idea of doing an ad promoting vaccinations.

Beyond the Beltway

MEANWHILE in Ohio. Blake Montgomery & Chris Bornea of the Daily Beast: "A Columbus police officer shot and killed a Black teenage girl on Tuesday afternoon just as a guilty verdict was being handed down in the Derek Chauvin murder case, a family member said. The shooting victim has not been officially identified, but was named as 15-year-old Makiyah Bryant by a relative early Tuesday evening. [Makiyah's aunt Hazel] Bryant said her niece has been living in a foster home on the east side of Columbus where the fatal shooting took place. She said several adult women had come to the foster home and started an altercation with the teenager, who called police and her biological father and grandmother for help. She grabbed a knife to defend herself, Bryant said. According to Bryant..., Makiyah was in front of the house fending off a physical assault when police arrived, and she had already dropped the knife in the yard. But police shot her four times without any warning, she said." MB: Bearing in mind that initial stories are not always accurate, the story still raises alarms. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Here's the New York Times account, which is markedly different from the Daily Beast report. The Times report relies heavily on police statements.

Virginia. Jonathan Edwards of the Virginian-Pilot: "The second in command of the Norfolk Police Department's internal affairs unit [-- Lt. William K. Kelly III --] has been fired after he made what the city manager called 'egregious' comments praising Kyle Rittenhouse, the white man accused of shooting and killing protestors last year. Those comments violated departmental policies and 'erode the trust between the Norfolk Police Department and those they are sworn to serve,' City Manager Chip Filer said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.... An anonymous donor in September gave $25 to the legal defense of Kyle Rittenhouse, but the donation came from Kelly's official email address, according to data from the Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo that was hacked." The Washington Post's report is here.