The Commentariat -- March 16, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "Speaking outside El Paso on Monday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said border agents he had met earlier that day issued dire warnings that suspected terrorists are trying to cross into the United States via Mexico.... McCarthy's claims, which were echoed by another Republican congressman, were among the most alarming raised by a GOP delegation that aimed to highlight a growing crisis for the Biden administration amid a surge of migrants. But some Democrats from border states pushed back late on Monday and demanded evidence to back up McCarthy's assertions. 'Weird as the Chairman of the subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations and a border state member of Congress haven't heard anything about this,' tweeted Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat who represents the Phoenix area. 'Gonna ask for a briefing. Pretty sure he is either wrong or lying.'... McCarthy's claims echo repeated assertions by ... Donald Trump and members of his administration that terrorists were using the southern border to sneak into the United States, a line Trump often used to justify his attempts to build a wall and tighten immigration rules. But those claims withered under scrutiny."

Paul Sonne, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Army initially pushed to reject the D.C. government's request for a modest National Guard presence ahead of the Jan. 6 rally that led to the Capitol riot, underscoring the deep reluctance of some higher-ups at the Pentagon to involve the military in security arrangements that day. In an internal draft memo obtained by The Washington Post, the Army said the U.S. military shouldn't be needed to help police with traffic and crowd management, as city officials had requested, unless more than 100,000 demonstrators were expected. The draft memo also said the request should be denied because a federal agency hadn't been identified to run the preparations and on-the-day operations; the resources of other federal agencies hadn't been exhausted; and law enforcement was 'far better suited' for the task.... The Army ultimately relented after facing pressure from acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley...."

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "... on Monday, in response to a question about whether it would help to have [Donald Trump] promote vaccination, [President] Biden ... explain[ed] why Trump is irrelevant. '... I discussed it with my team, and they say the thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is what the local doctor, what the local preachers, what the local people in the community would say.' He added, 'So I urge all local docs and ministers and priests to talk about why, why it's important to get that vaccine, and even after that, until everyone is in fact vaccinated, to wear this mask,' before putting on his own mask. Biden's marketing idea is almost certainly correct.... So when it comes to the major issues facing our country, especially fighting covid-19, there really is no need to pay attention to the pandemic deniers who got us in this fix in the first place. Does it hurt when ignorant, reckless politicians such as Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) falsely say that those who had covid-19 do not need the shot? Perhaps...."

Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the Guardian: "The FBI is facing new scrutiny for its 2018 background check of Brett Kavanaugh, the supreme court justice, after a lawmaker suggested that the investigation may have been 'fake'. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic senator and former prosecutor who serves on the judiciary committee, is calling on the newly-confirmed attorney general, Merrick Garland, to help facilitate 'proper oversight' by the Senate into questions about how thoroughly the FBI investigated Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.... Among the concerns listed in Whitehouse's letter to Garland are allegations that some witnesses who wanted to share their accounts with the FBI could not find anyone at the bureau who would accept their testimony and that it had not assigned any individual to accept or gather evidence."

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Jim Tankersley & Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "President Biden said on Monday that his administration was on pace to achieve two key goals by March 25: 100 million shots of Covid-19 vaccines since his inauguration and 100 million direct payments under his economic relief bill.... ]Shots in arms and money in pockets. That's important,' Mr. Biden said in a brief address from the White House. 'The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do: make a difference in people's everyday lives.'... With so much money at stake and Republicans criticizing the package as wasteful, Mr. Biden vowed to bring 'fastidious oversight' to the relief bill in order to ensure that it is distributed quickly and equitably.... 'We have to prove to the American people that their government can deliver for them, and do it without waste or fraud,' Mr. Biden said." ~~~

~~~ Laura Barron-Lopez & Ben White of Politico: "President Joe Biden is appointing Gene Sperling to a role overseeing the implementation of the administration's coronavirus relief plan, a White House official confirmed on Monday. The announcement could come as early as Monday, sources familiar with the plans told Politico.... Sperling, who served on the economic teams in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, was under consideration to serve as Biden's director of the Office of Management and Budget after the presidents first pick, Neera Tanden, failed to secure enough support in the Senate. Instead of that post, he is being tapped for a position within the White House where he will be tasked with overseeing the enactment of the recently-signed $1.9 trillion Covid-relief bill." (Also linked yesterday.)

Darryl Fears of the Washington Post: "As thousands of Native Americans watched online, Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) was confirmed as secretary of the Interior Department by a 51 to 40 vote in the Senate, making her the first American Indian to lead an agency that manages a vast portfolio of federal land and the oil and mineral wealth that lies beneath it. Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico and whose family ties in the country can be traced back 35 generations, will take control of a department that also oversees Indian Country, 574 federally recognized Native American and Alaskan Native communities. Four Republicans crossed party lines to vote for Haaland. The close vote reflected broad support from Democrats and overwhelming opposition from Republicans.... ~~~

"Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) recalled how Republicans called Haaland's views on managing public land extreme and radical during her committee confirmation hearing. Meanwhile, Smith said, some of those same senators posed little opposition to Tom Vilsack's nomination to run the Agriculture Department, although many of his views are similar to Haaland's. 'I just find it difficult to take these Republican attacks at face value,' Smith said. 'Once again a woman, and a woman of color, is being held to a different standard and we need to call it.'" Politico's story is here.

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is working with her counterparts worldwide to forge an agreement on a global minimum tax on multinational corporations.... The effort, which would involve a fraught and challenging global negotiation of tax laws, could prove one of Yellen's biggest policy legacies if it succeeds. It also could prove central to Biden's presidency. The $1.9 trillion stimulus legislation signed into law last week was financed completely by additional federal borrowing. But the administration is expected to raise taxes at least partly to pay for its other big-ticket spending priorities, such as the massive infrastructure and jobs package being discussed by White House officials and congressional Democrats. A key source of new revenue probably will be corporate taxes, which ... Donald Trump sharply cut in 2017."

Meagan Flynn of the Washington Post: "U.S. Capitol Police will reduce the security perimeter erected after the breach of the Capitol, having determined that 'there does not exist a known, credible threat against Congress,' according to a security memo sent to U.S. lawmakers on Monday. Over the course of this week, acting House sergeant-at-arms Timothy Blodgett said, security officials will begin 'repositioning' inner-perimeter fencing closer to the Capitol to allow some pedestrian access to the grounds. The complex has been surrounded by the seven-foot black metal fences topped with razor wire since just after the Jan. 6 riot...."

Spencer Hsu & Peter Hermann of the Washington Post: "Federal authorities have arrested and charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot but have not determined whether the exposure caused his death. Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania and George Pierre Tanios, 39 of Morgantown, W.Va., were arrested Sunday and are expected to appear in federal court Monday.... Khater and Tanios are charged with nine counts, including assaulting Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol Police officer identified as C. Edwards and a D.C. police officer identified as B. Chapman with a deadly weapon. They are also charged with civil disorder and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors filed charges after tipsters contacted the FBI allegedly identifying Khater and Tanios from wanted images released by the bureau from surveillance video and officer-worn body camera footage, the complaint said. It said the men grew up together in New Jersey...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Mike DeBonis & Tyler Pager of the Washington Post: "U.S. Capitol Police suspended an officer Monday after a copy of an infamous antisemitic tract was found near a Capitol Hill security post Sunday, alarming a congressional aide who viewed the document in plain sight at the checkpoint. Photographs provided to The Washington Post show a printed copy of the Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion on a table inside an entrance to the Longworth House Office Building. The Post provided the photographs to the Capitol Police on Monday morning and requested comment. The department said Monday evening that acting chief Yogananda D. Pittman had suspended an officer pending an investigation 'after anti-Semitic reading material was discovered near his work area on Sunday.'" MB: I hope the Capitol Police conduct their "investigation" swiftly. There are innocent reasons a Capitol Police officer might be reading the "literature" favored by people who attacked him/her. I have not read this particular piece of crap, but I have definitely read crap, knowing full-well the disgusting gist of the crap.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: Sen. Ron Johnson (RQ-Wis.) got on right-wing radio Monday to white-splain his racist remarks last week about how he wasn't afraid of citizens "who would never do anything to break the law, but who just happened to violently invade the Capitol & the police who tried to defend it. On the other hand, Black Lives Matter protesters are scary. Johnson set up a number of straw men to make his argument and said he couldn't be a racist because a lot of BLM protesters pictured on Tucker Carlson's show were white. MB: Okay then. BTW, here's something I had not read about the January 6 insurrection: "And among the broader group of protesters, D.C. police officer Daniel Hodges told The Washington Post they 'had been seizing guns all day.'" That is, insurrections showed up armed and planned to bring firearms into the Capitol, but the police confiscated the weapons first. ~~~

~~~ Marie: RonAnon Johnson, who because he is a doofus U.S. senator has one of the biggest megaphones in the U.S., has written an op-ed headlined "I Won't be Silenced by the Left." Oh, darn, the piece is published in the Wall Street Journal, so I can't link it.

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

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

CDC Cleans Up Trump's Act. Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "Federal health officials have identified several controversial pandemic recommendations released during the Donald Trump administration that they say were 'not primarily authored' by staff and don't reflect the best scientific evidence, based on a review ordered by its new director [Rochelle Walensky]. The review identified three documents that had already been removed from the agency's website: One, released in July, delivered a strong argument for school reopenings and downplayed health risks. A second set of guidelines about the country's reopening was released in April by the White House and was far less detailed than what had been drafted by the CDC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A third guidance issued in August discouraged the testing of people without covid-19 symptoms even when they had contact with infected individuals. That was replaced in September after experts inside and outside the agency raised alarms."

Nomaan Merchant & Jake Bleiberg of the AP: "The U.S. government plans to house up to 3,000 immigrant teenagers at a convention center in downtown Dallas as it struggles to find space for a surge of migrant children at the border who have strained the immigration system just two months into the Biden administration.... The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will be used for up to 90 days beginning as early as this week.... The Health and Human Services Department is rushing to open facilities across the country to house immigrant children who are otherwise being held by the Border Patrol, which is generally supposed to detain children for no more than three days. The Border Patrol is holding children longer because there is next to no space in the HHS system, similar to the last major increase in migration two years ago."

Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the upper chamber, torched the legislative filibuster on Monday, arguing that it is undermining democracy. 'The filibuster is still making a mockery of American democracy. The filibuster is still being misused by some senators to block legislation urgently needed and supported by a strong majority of the American people,' Durbin said during a floor speech. He added, 'This is what hitting legislative rock bottom looks like.'"

Paul Campos in a New York Times op-ed: Justice Stephen Breyer "should announce his retirement immediately, effective upon the confirmation of his successor. For him to continue to make the same gamble that Justice Ginsburg made and lost runs the risk of tainting his legacy as a justice and has the potential to be an anti-democratic disaster for the nation as a whole." MB: No kidding. As much as I scoff at delusional Republicans, there seems to be a particular delusion among justices appointed by Democrats that (1) they will live forever, or (2) justice is blind & it doesn't matter the party of the president. Republican justices hold no such illusions. In recent years, Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, David Souter & Anthony Kennedy -- all Republican appointees -- retired when it suited their political aims.

Jan Hoffman & Mary Walsh of the New York Times: "In a filing that signifies the beginning of the end of the country's most notorious manufacturer of prescription opioids, Purdue Pharma submitted its bankruptcy restructuring plan just before midnight on Monday. The blueprint requires members of the billionaire Sackler family to relinquish control of the company and transforms it into a new corporation with revenue directed exclusively toward abating the addiction epidemic that its signature painkiller, OxyContin, helped create. The plan, more than 300 pages long, is the company's formal bid to end thousands of lawsuits and includes a pledge from the Sacklers to pay $4.275 billion from their personal fortune -- $1.3 billion more than their original offer -- to reimburse states, municipalities, tribes and other plaintiffs for costs associated with the epidemic." The AP's story is here.

Daniel Lippman of Politico: "Army Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman is set to be promoted to full colonel, despite attempts by loyalists to ... Donald Trump to derail his career following his bit role in the president's first impeachment, according to two people familiar with the matter. Vindman's twin brother, Alex Vindman, was a star witness in Trump's impeachment trial and accused the president of pressuring the Ukrainian president to dig up dirt on then-candidate Joe Biden. Alex Vindman chose to retire from the military last July as a lieutenant colonel after what he called 'a campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation' and is now writing a memoir and getting a doctorate."

Justin Rohrlich of the Daily Beast: "About four weeks before Donald Trump vacated the White House..., presidential adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner jetted off on his last official trip to Israel -- and U.S. taxpayers are on the hook for $24,335 in room and board.... A week later, Kushner's family real estate business filed papers with Israeli regulators indicating it planned to raise some $100 million in capital by selling bonds on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.... While all the Trumps had a taste for travel, some of the biggest bills were run up by former First Lady Melania Trump -- who billed herself as running a 'lean' East Wing operation. On a 2018 swing through Africa, she spent the day in Cairo and ran up a hotel bill of more than $90,000 without even staying the night. A year earlier, the first lady managed to spend $174,000 on hotels during a day trip to Toronto."

Philip Pullella of Reuters: "Steve Bannon, the former adviser to ... Donald Trump, has lost a legal battle to set up a right-wing Catholic political academy in an abbey in Italy. The Council of State on Monday ruled against the Dignitatis Humanae Institute (DHI), backed by Bannon, which wanted to start the school in an 800-year-old monastery south of Rome. The case has been in the Italian court system for years...."

Arizona GOP Ordered to Pay for Frivolous Lawsuit. Jacques Billeaud of the AP: "The Arizona Republican Party and its lawyers must pay $18,000 in attorneys' fees that taxpayers were forced to pick up late last year to defend government officials against one of the party's failed lawsuits challenging President Joe Biden's victory in the state, a judge has ruled. In a decision Friday, Judge John Hannah concluded the state GOP brought a groundless legal claim to court, filed its case for political reasons while claiming it was trying to protect election integrity, and failed to acknowledge it sued the wrong government officials."

Rachel Swarns of the New York Times: "In one of the largest efforts by an institution to atone for slavery, a prominent order of Catholic priests has vowed to raise $100 million to benefit the descendants of the enslaved people it once owned and to promote racial reconciliation initiatives across the United States. The move by the leaders of the Jesuit conference of priests represents the largest effort by the Roman Catholic Church to make amends for the buying, selling and enslavement of Black people, church officials and historians said.... The money raised by the Jesuits will flow into a new foundation established in partnership with a group of descendants, who pressed for negotiations with the Jesuits after learning from a series of articles in The New York Times that their ancestors had been sold in 1838. The order relied on slave labor and slave sales for more than a century to sustain the clergy and to help finance the construction and the day-to-day operations of churches and schools, including the nation's first Catholic institution of higher learning..., now known as Georgetown University."

Beyond the Beltway

Minnesota. Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "The attorney for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd's death, asked the judge overseeing the case to delay the trial and reconsider a change-of-venue motion, saying he was 'gravely concerned the $27 million civil settlement announced last week between the city of Minneapolis and the Floyd family has tainted the jury pool. Eric Nelson, Chauvin's defense attorney, questioned the 'suspicious timing' of the settlement and argued it was 'highly prejudicial' against his client. He called on Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter A. Cahill to 'at least' call back the jurors already seated in the case to question them to see if they had read the news of the settlement and if they could continue to be impartial in the case. Eight jurors have been seated." (Also linked yesterday.)

Way Beyond

Russia. Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "The Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny greeted his supporters via Instagram on Monday from the prison where he is likely to spend the next two years, referring to his new confines as 'our friendly concentration camp.' Mr. Navalny, whose whereabouts had been unknown for days, said in a message posted on his Instagram page that he had been transferred to Penal Colony No. 2 in the Vladimir Region east of Moscow. Mr. Navalny had passed the message along to his lawyers, who were able to visit him at the penal colony earlier in the day for the first time."

Vatican. Nicole Winfield of the AP: "The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church won't bless same-sex unions since God 'cannot bless sin.' The Vatican's orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions. The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was 'negative.' The note distinguished between the church's welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions. It argued that such unions are not part of God's plan and that any such sacramental recognition could be confused with marriage." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ides of March 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Laura Barron-Lopez & Ben White of Politico: "President Joe Biden is appointing Gene Sperling to a role overseeing the implementation of the administration's coronavirus relief plan, a White House official confirmed on Monday. The announcement could come as early as Monday, sources familiar with the plans told Politico.... Sperling, who served on the economic teams in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, was under consideration to serve as Biden's director of the Office of Management and Budget after the president's first pick, Neera Tanden, failed to secure enough support in the Senate. Instead of that post, he is being tapped for a position within the White House where he will be tasked with overseeing the enactment of the recently-signed $1.9 trillion Covid-relief bill."

Spencer Hsu & Peter Hermann of the Washington Post: "Federal authorities have arrested and charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot but have not determined whether the exposure caused his death. Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania and George Pierre Tanios, 39 of Morgantown, W.Va., were arrested Sunday and are expected to appear in federal court Monday.... Khater and Tanios are charged with nine counts, including assaulting Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol Police officer identified as C. Edwards and a D.C. police officer identified as B. Chapman with a deadly weapon. They are also charged with civil disorder and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors filed charges after tipsters contacted the FBI allegedly identifying Khater and Tanios from wanted images released by the bureau from surveillance video and officer-worn body camera footage, the complaint said. It said the men grew up together in New Jersey...."

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

Minnesota. Holly Bailey of the Washington Post:"The attorney for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd's death, asked the judge overseeing the case to delay the trial and reconsider a change-of-venue motion, saying he was 'gravely concerned the $27 million civil settlement announced last week between the city of Minneapolis and the Floyd family has tainted the jury pool. Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s defense attorney, questioned the 'suspicious timing' of the settlement and argued it was 'highly prejudicial' against his client. He called on Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter A. Cahill to 'at least' call back the jurors already seated in the case to question them to see if they had read the news of the settlement and if they could continue to be impartial in the case. Eight jurors have been seated."

Nicole Winfield of the AP: "The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church won't bless same-sex unions since God 'cannot bless sin.' The Vatican's orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions. The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was 'negative.' The note distinguished between the church's welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions. It argued that such unions are not part of God's plan and that any such sacramental recognition could be confused with marriage."

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Darlene Superville of the AP: "President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are opening an ambitious, cross-country tour this week to highlight the benefits of his $1.9 trillion plan to defeat the coronavirus and boost the economy."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Elizabeth Dwoskin of the Washington Post: "Facebook is conducting a vast behind-the-scenes study of doubts expressed by U.S. users about vaccines, a major project that attempts to probe and teach software to identify the medical attitudes of millions of Americans, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. The research is a large-scale attempt to understand the spread of ideas that contribute to vaccine hesitancy.... Some of the early findings are notable: Just 10 out of the 638 population segments contained 50 percent of all vaccine hesitancy content on the platform. And in the population segment with the most vaccine hesitancy, just 111 users contributed half of all vaccine hesitant content.... The research effort also discovered early evidence of significant overlap between communities that are skeptical of vaccines and those affiliated with QAnon.... Facebook has also banned a wide range of baseless or misleading claims about vaccines and covid...." ~~~

~~~ Who Needs a Vaccine When Kris Kobach Has a Magic Ozone Cure? Jeremy Fassler & Nia Yancopoulos of the Kansas Reflector: "In early October, Kris Kobach, Kansas' former Secretary of State, and Daniel Drake, a Wichita-based venture capitalist-turned-CEO, made a sales pitch to Kansas legislators. The duo wheeled in ... a shiny metal box Drake called a 'revolutionary' device that would 'kill COVID' and bring 'several hundred jobs back to Wichita.'... Drake explained that his company, MoJack Distributors, had developed a line called 'Scent Crusher' that uses aerosolized ozone, a tri-oxygen molecule, to sanitize hunting and sports products, 'only to realize that [the product also kills] COVID.' He told lawmakers the sample product next to him was part of a new line called 'Sarus Systems.'... There is no evidence Sarus Systems has made material steps toward rehoming hundreds of jobs to Kansas, and shipping records show products are currently being manufactured in China. There is also scant evidence their machines, or ozone in general, can safely eliminate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. And while the pair have hyped the products' popularity, claiming a three-month backlog and international interest, we were unable to verify any purchases -- from the state of Kansas or otherwise." ~~~

~~~ Allan Smith & Alex Seitz-Wald of NBC News on "How Biden, Republicans and public health leaders are trying to persuade GOP skeptics to get their Covid vaccinations." Marie: Unfortunately, there's not much there there. "The [Biden] administration is having ongoing conversations with conservative, evangelical and rural leaders. And, in addition to running ads on conservative media, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins appeared on the Christian Broadcasting Network and The 700 Club, and White House Covid-19 adviser Andy Slavitt appeared on conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt's show.... Veteran GOP pollster Frank Luntz ... is working with the de Beaumont Foundation to study and create pro-vaccine messaging aimed at conservatives[.]" Here's an example of what Republicans are doing to "help": "'Sen. [Ted] Cruz has received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and encourages people to do the same,' his spokesperson, Jessica Skaggs, said. 'If anyone has concerns, the senator recommends people consult their doctor.'" IOW, Ted offers a caveat to accommodate skeptics. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I do think if I were Joe Biden, I would call the heads of right-wing media into the Oval Office & nicely explain, with a little help from Walensky & Fauci maybe, to get with the program. If the CEOs don't want to edit their on-air oafs, then they should run network-produced PSAs promoting the vaccines, every time the on-air oafs deliver their disinformation. I think there's a solitary clip out there in which former President* FUBAR says, "Get your vaccination." The clip should feature prominently in the promos.

~~~ Nicole Lewis of the Marshall Project & Michael Sisak of the AP: "As states have begun COVID-19 inoculations at prisons across the country, corrections employees are refusing vaccines at alarming rates.... Infection rates in prisons are more than three times as high as in the general public. Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying people's symptoms, and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread.... Some correctional officers are refusing the vaccine because they fear both short- and long-term side effects of the immunizations. Others have embraced conspiracy theories about the vaccine. Distrust of the prison administration and its handling of the virus has also discouraged officers from being immunized. In some instances, correctional officers said they would rather be fired than be vaccinated.... [Also,] health care workers, caretakers in nursing homes and police officers -- who have witnessed the worst effects of the pandemic -- have declined to be vaccinated at unexpectedly high rates." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The short-term solution seems obvious: a shot in the arm or a pink slip. Of course these nitwits are in the general population, too, so that's not a long-term solution. But there doesn't seem to be an education program that will help them as long as they're getting their "education" from right-wing media outlets, as the reporters note, they're beyond hope.

~~~ Fauci Urges Trump to Push Vaccination. Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Anthony S. Fauci ... said in interviews Sunday that ... Donald Trump should be enlisted to encourage his supporters to get a coronavirus vaccine, after recent polling showed Republican men and Trump supporters have the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy. An NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll released last week showed that nearly half of Republican men and 47 percent of those who supported Trump in the 2020 election said they would not choose to be vaccinated, even if the coronavirus vaccines were made available to them. By contrast, only 10 percent of supporters of President Biden said they would not choose to be vaccinated if offered one, the poll found.... Earlier this month, Trump's office revealed that the former president had received a vaccine in January before leaving the White House but did not publicize it.... Trump did not participate in a recent public service announcement by the Ad Council that featured all of the other living former presidents encouraging Americans to get vaccinated, an omission Fauci said was 'puzzling.'" The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trying to get Trump to do the right thing is probably a fool's errand. Let's see what happens. But history, and the following Politico report, do not offer encouraging signs. ~~~

~~~ Nowhere Man. Gabby Orr & Meredith McGraw of Politico: "... Donald Trump finds himself adrift while in political exile. And Republicans, and even some allies, say he is disorganized, torn between playing the role of antagonist and party leader.... He backed away from creating a third party and has soured on the costly prospect of launching his own TV empire or social media startup. His vow to target disloyal Republicans with personally-recruited primary challengers has taken a backseat to conventional endorsements of senators who refused to indulge his quest to overturn the 2020 election. And though he was supposed to build a massive political apparatus to keep his MAGA movement afloat, it's unclear to Republicans what his PAC is actually doing, beyond entangling itself in disputes with Republican icons and the party's fundraising arms." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm sure we're not surprised. The only things Donald Trump has ever done in the last 40 years is collect money from suckers and tell lies about himself & people he doesn't like. He's just keeping up the tradition. ~~~

~~~ Trump Is Not the Only Scammer Trading on His Name. Theodoric Meyer of Politico: &"Over the past few weeks, Politico has received a number of robocalls from generically named political groups asking for cash in order to help in very Trump-specific missions. A donation of $100, for example, would help return Trump to Twitter. Or, for a similar amount, a potential donor can 'stop Kamala Harris and socialism,' the calls claim. Other calls ask for money to ensure that congressional Democrats don't dismantle the wall Trump started building along the U.S.-Mexico border. One of the telemarketers behind the calls, who spoke to a Politico reporter on Wednesday, promised that '100 percent of the contributions go directly to President Trump.' But the calls aren't being made by Trump's Save America political action committee. In fact, it's not entirely clear who's behind them." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Looks like "socialism" is a right-wing code word for "people of color."

Republican MOC Claims Credit for Covid Relief Plan She Voted Against. Ed Scarce of Crooks & Liars: "Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Florida) tweeted 'So proud to announce that the Biden Administration has just implemented my bipartisan COVID relief bill as part of @SBAgov policy!' She voted against it anyway. They really are shameless, aren't they? Salazar is not the only example of this either. Several other Republicans have tried the same trick, because apparently people are stupid and they think they can get away with it. And because Salazar represents a swing district (FL-27), that's actually nominally Democratic, she uses the words 'bipartisan support' a lot in her tweets...." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link.

Camila Montoya-Gomez of CBS News: "As of Sunday morning, U.S. Border Patrol was holding more than 4,200 unaccompanied migrant children in short-term holding facilities, including jail-like stations unfit to house minors, according to government records reviewed by CBS News. Nearly 3,000 of the unaccompanied children in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody had been held longer than 72 hours. CBP is legally obligated to transfer most unaccompanied minors to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the agency which oversees shelters licensed to house children, within three days of taking them into custody. The number of unaccompanied children in CBP custody on Sunday represents a 31% increase from early last week.... [Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro] Mayorkas ... Saturday ... announc[ed] the deployment of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials to help process migrant minors.... Mayorkas said Saturday in a statement announcing the deployment of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials to help process migrant minors.... [Health & Human Service] has also placed staff at Border Patrol facilities to expedite the process of releasing minors and rescinded a Trump-era agreement with DHS that allowed some information on sponsors of children to be sent to immigration authorities -- a move designed to encourage undocumented families to sponsor children." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Worth noting: this ballooning problem is the result of four years of the Trump administration's cruel & unusual policies. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "Previous administrations have also dispatched FEMA to help process migrants during surges in border crossings. However, the Biden administration cannot use disaster aid funding to support the processing of migrants in Texas after they cross the border without the consent of Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. States must request the funding from the federal government. Renae Eze, a spokeswoman for Mr. Abbott, said the Biden administration proposal to leverage disaster aid for Texas ... 'forces Texas to use our resources for what is the federal government's job, border security.... The federal government alone has the responsibility to test, screen and quarantine illegal immigrants crossing our border who may have Covid.'... Mr. Abbott and other Republicans have... Mr. Biden's critics have moved quickly in recent days to blame him for the increase of arrivals...."

     ~~~ Marie: IOW, it sure sounds like Gov. Greg is going to make it as difficult as possible for the federal government to treat children humanely. Republicans are endowed with a stunning viciousness. I don't know if Abbott behaves as he does because he is a racist or because he's simply cruel by nature. Whatever, the effect is the same. ** See also Patrick's comment below.

Nancy Pelosi, Cocaine Dealer. Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott suggested on Sunday that H.R. 1, the sweeping election-reform bill recently passed by the House of Representatives, could eventually result in Democrats 'using cocaine to buy votes.'... [Abbott told Maria Bartiromo of Fox 'News' that then-President Obama] 'sent his U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas as well as the FBI to south Texas to arrest and to prosecute people who were involved in ballot harvesting that were using cocaine to buy votes through the ballot harvesting process....'" MB: I'm pretty sure that by "South Texas," Abbott means "Hispanic people." Anyhow, it's pretty upsetting to find out that the effect of federal voting rights legislation would be to turn Americans into cocaine-addicted Democrats.

A Texas Man. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A Texas man who joined a mob at the Capitol on Jan. 6 told two rioters he had set up a security company as a front to access law enforcement-grade weaponry that could be used to 'take back our country,' according to private, encrypted messages revealed Saturday by prosecutors. Guy Reffitt, who drove from Texas to Washington, D.C., also said in recorded conversations that he and others were carrying firearms during the siege of the Capitol. He also encouraged his two associates to join the 'Texas Three Percenters' militia, according to the messages posted to Telegram.... Prosecutors described the arrangement in an effort to persuade a judge that Reffitt is too dangerous to be released before his trial on charges related to the Capitol assault. Reffitt is a self-described Three Percenter, which prosecutors describe as an ideology rooted in the notion that the current government is the equivalent of British oppressors and can be overthrown by armed militias. They noted that Reffitt misled the FBI about his company -- TTP Security, LLC -- telling them it had no connection to the Texas Three Percenters. Rather, he said, it stood for 'Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Trump-Loving Nazi Terrorist.Your Typical Trump-Hitler Fan. Marshall Cohen of CNN: "An Army reservist charged with storming the US Capitol was a well-known White supremacist and Nazi sympathizer at the Navy base where he worked as a contractor, and was even rebuked for sporting a distinctive 'Hitler mustache,' prosecutors said in new court filings. Federal prosecutors revealed Friday that the Navy conducted its own internal investigation into Timothy Hale-Cusanelli that uncovered numerous incidents where he promoted racist and sexist views. The Naval Criminal Investigation Service interviewed 44 of his colleagues and 34 of them said he held 'extremist or radical views pertaining to the Jewish people, minorities and women.' Hale-Cusanelli, 30, was charged with seven criminal counts, including obstructing congressional proceedings, civil disorder and disorderly conduct in the Capitol.." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I linked a Politico story about this Hitler wannabe yesterday, but I didn't have this swell photo then. Trump has teased a run for president* in 2024 & has hinted mike pence wont' be his running mate. He should pick der Führer instead. And definitely go with that pic. This needs a little work, but it's a good start for "Trump/Hale-Hitler in 2024!" campaign lit. ~~~

At the Ghost Hotel. David Smith of the Guardian: "Clobbered first by the coronavirus pandemic, then by its owner's election defeat, the Trump International Hotel in Washington is reeling from a huge loss of income and prestige.... One recent afternoon it seemed more reminiscent of the haunted hotel in Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining.... A week [after President Biden's inauguration], the New York Times reported that the lobby was largely vacant and the waiters and staff members outnumbered the customers." See also Akhilleus' comment below on Trump's business acumen. MB: I'm thinking that a rude, nasty oaf is not well-suited to the hospitality business.

Ted Comes to Tucker's Rescue. Under Biden, the military is launching political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson & other civilians who criticize their policy decisions. Officials in uniform are being used for the campaign. I've demanded a meeting with the Commandant of the USMC to put a stop to it. -- Sen. Ted Cruz, in a tweet

The tweet reproduces a copy of Ted's letter to Secretary of defense Lloyd Austin. It irks me that our tax dollars are being wasted on this farce. -- Marie

Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Marina Piofsky of the Hill: "MSNBC host Rachel Maddow won a Grammy Award on Sunday for the audiobook recording of her most recent book. The book, titled 'Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth,' was published in 2019. Maddow won the award in the Best Spoken Word Album category."

Beyond the Beltway

New York. Jesse McKinley & David Goodman of the New York Times: "At the height of the pandemic, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called upon some of his most trusted emissaries to return to the fold to help coordinate the state's coronavirus response, including Larry Schwartz, his former top aide who is now leading New York's vaccination efforts. But with Mr. Cuomo facing concurrent scandals and calls for his resignation, Mr. Schwartz has also assumed a more familiar role: as a political operative, asking state Democratic leaders to support the governor, a third-term Democrat, while continuing to discuss the urgent business of immunization. According to two Democratic county executives, Mr. Schwartz placed calls to them in recent weeks, inquiring about their loyalty to the governor.... [One county] executive's legal counsel filed a preliminary complaint on Friday with the state attorney general office's public integrity bureau, about a possible ethics violation by the governor's office, according to an official with direct knowledge of the complaint. Mr. Schwartz insisted in a statement on Sunday that he had never mixed Covid-response policy with political considerations...." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's story is here. An AP story, based on the NYT & WashPo reports, is here.

Way Beyond

** #MeToo Plus. Amanda Taub of the New York Times: "... the response [to the murder of Sarah Everard] from British women to reports that the police were going door to door telling women in the South London neighborhood where she disappeared to stay inside for their own safety became an outpouring of rage and frustration. It has set off a social movement that feels, somehow, different from those that have come before: women from all walks of life demanding safety from male violence -- and demanding that the police, the government and men collectively be the ones to bear the burden of ensuring it.... In the days after Ms. Everard's disappearance, a group calling itself Reclaim These Streets announced that a vigil would be held on Saturday night in a South London park. The event would be partly to mourn and partly to protest the police instructions to women to stay home for their own security and to demand safer streets instead.... Whatever the Met's internal reasoning, the message it sent to women across the country was that the police were doubling down on restricting women's freedom instead of men's violence." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is important. British women are demanding not just that men be prosecuted after the fact for sexual misconduct & violence but that society must prevent the misconduct & violence before it happens.

The Commentariat -- March 14, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

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

A Florida Man/Nowhere Man. Gabby Orr & Meredith McGraw of Politico: "... Donald Trump finds himself adrift while in political exile. And Republicans, and even some allies, say he is disorganized, torn between playing the role of antagonist and party leader.... He backed away from creating a third party and has soured on the costly prospect of launching his own TV empire or social media startup. His vow to target disloyal Republicans with personally-recruited primary challengers has taken a backseat to conventional endorsements of senators who refused to indulge his quest to overturn the 2020 election. And though he was supposed to build a massive political apparatus to keep his MAGA movement afloat, it's unclear to Republicans what his PAC is actually doing, beyond entangling itself in disputes with Republican icons and the party's fundraising arms." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm sure we're not surprised. The only things Donald Trump has ever done in the last 40 years is collect money from suckers and tell lies about himself & people he doesn't like. He's just keeping up the tradition.

A Texas Man. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A Texas man who joined a mob at the Capitol on Jan. 6 told two rioters he had set up a security company as a front to access law enforcement-grade weaponry that could be used to 'take back our country,' according to private, encrypted messages revealed Saturday by prosecutors. Guy Reffitt, who drove from Texas to Washington, D.C., also said in recorded conversations that he and others were carrying firearms during the siege of the Capitol. He also encouraged his two associates to join the 'Texas Three Percenters' militia, according to the messages posted to Telegram.... Prosecutors described the arrangement in an effort to persuade a judge that Reffitt is too dangerous to be released before his trial on charges related to the Capitol assault. Reffitt is a self-described Three Percenter, which prosecutors describe as an ideology rooted in the notion that the current government is the equivalent of British oppressors and can be overthrown by armed militias. They noted that Reffitt misled the FBI about his company -- TTP Security, LLC -- telling them it had no connection to the Texas Three Percenters. Rather, he said, it stood for 'Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures.'"

I forgot! It's National Pi(e) Day! ~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

An Awakening. Marie: What with most Americans losing an hour of sleep time last night (except those living in Arizona or Hawaii), and what with a discussion in yesterday's Comments thread about "Nessun Dorma" ("let no one sleep") AND about "reaction" videos, it seemed like a good time to publish this guy's reactions to what he calls "Nissan Dorma" (precisely what I told the Italian rental company when my hired car wouldn't start). You probably won't want to watch the whole thing, but the guy's reactions are priceless:

Griff Witte, et al., of the Washington Post: "Compared with its developed-world peers, America has always been a study in contrasts, a paradox of exceptional achievement and jaw-dropping deprivation. Rarely have the disparities been rendered as vividly as in recent weeks and months. Historic breakthroughs in science, medicine and technology coexist intimately -- and uneasily -- alongside monumental failures of infrastructure, public health and equitable access to basic human needs. America can put a rover on Mars, but it can't keep the lights on and water running in the city that birthed the modern space program. It can develop vaccines, in record time, to combat a world-altering illness, but suffers one of the developed world's highest death rates due to lack of prevention and care. It spins out endless entertainment to keep millions preoccupied during lockdown -- and keep tech shares riding high on Wall Street -- but leaves kids disconnected from the access they need to do their schoolwork."

By R. Bolling. If you find the dialog balloons hard to read, you can click on the picture to increase the size. Thanks to PD Pepe for sending the cartoon my way.

Rosa Flores, et al., of CNN: "Children detained in an overcrowded government-run tent facility at the US-Mexico border say they haven't been able to shower for days or contact their parents, according to lawyers who interviewed them this week. Lawyers from the National Center for Youth Law spoke with about a dozen children in Donna, Texas, this week.... The children were terrified, crying and worried about not being able to speak with family members..., said [the director of the National Center for Youth Law].... The allegations ... come as concerns mount over the growing number of children in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody. Earlier this week, CNN reported that there were more than 3,700 unaccompanied migrant children in the agency's custody -- a record high. On Saturday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced he is directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support efforts for 90 days to shelter unaccompanied minors who have crossed the border." ~~~

~~~ Update. Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration is deploying the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Mexico border to help care for thousands of unaccompanied migrant teens and children who are arriving in overwhelming numbers and being packed into detention cells and tent shelters, the Department of Homeland Security said Saturday evening. The deployment marks another escalation in the administration's response to the growing crisis at the border. It is part of what DHS said would be a 90-day government-wide effort at the border, where an unprecedented number of minors are arriving without their parents each day and must be sheltered and cared for until they can be placed with a vetted sponsor, usually a parent or relative already living in the United States. About 8,500 teens and children are living in shelters run by Health and Human Services, and unaccompanied minors are arriving more quickly than HHS officials can place children with sponsors."

David Kirkpatrick & Allen Feuer of the New York Times: An examination of the histories of Proud Boys Joseph Biggs & Ethan Nordean "shows that local and federal law enforcement agencies passed up several opportunities to take action against them and their fellow Proud Boys long before they breached the Capitol.... Local police officers have appeared at times to side with the Proud Boys, especially when they have squared off against leftists openly critical of law enforcement.... The Proud Boys have made little effort to hide violent intentions.... Yet the Proud Boys' belligerence fit the definition of terrorism, other officials said: unlawful violence and intimidation for political aims. Members raised money to travel across state lines to dozens of rallies with the intent of street fighting, at least once explicitly targeting a Muslim community in upstate New York for harassment -- activities that could have justified the scrutiny of federal law enforcement." The details are disturbing. When these guys each attacked someone else, the victim was arrested, but the Proud Boys weren't. When police contacted Proud Boys in anticipation of expected violence, it was to help them out, not to warn them against attacking adversaries.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A U.S. Army reservist who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was widely known as a white supremacist and regularly discussed his hatred of Jews while working at a New Jersey-based naval facility, according to new evidence revealed by federal prosecutors late Friday. The reservist, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, who worked as a security contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle and held a secret-level security clearance, was arrested and charged Jan. 15 for allegedly breaching the Capitol. At the time, prosecutors described him as an 'avowed white supremacist' and Nazi sympathizer, a determination based in part on evidence provided by a confidential source to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and a YouTube channel in which Hale-Cusanelli expressed those views." MB: Or, as Sen. Ron Johnson would put it, a patriot "that loved this country." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Katie Lobosco & Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "Some Americans are already seeing the latest round of stimulus payments hit their bank accounts, as the first batch of funds is rolled out.... The White House on Thursday had announced that payments would go out as soon as this weekend for those who have their direct deposit information on hand at Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service. Processing of the first batch of stimulus payments began on Friday and more will roll out in the 'coming weeks,' an official with the Treasury Department told reporters on a Friday call. By Saturday morning, several people had posted on social media about seeing their stimulus payments pending in their bank accounts." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Mary Papenfuss of the Huffington Post: "Americans waiting to get their stimulus checks were growing increasingly frustrated Saturday after discovering some banks won't make checks available to them for days, even if they've already been deposited by the federal government. The official payment date for the 'Economic Impact Payments' is March 17, but millions of dollars in checks had already landed in countless bank accounts by Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported.... Chase, however, issued a statement that it will release the payments beginning March 17, apparently even if the money lands in accounts earlier. Wells Fargo said the same: that it will treat all checks as arriving March 17, whether they arrive earlier or not." MB: It's worth noting that big banks can make millions off use of the money for the days they hold these checks.

Amanda Burke of the Berkshire Eagle: "After Yo-Yo Ma received his second jab of a COVID-19 vaccine at Berkshire Community College Saturday, he transformed his 15-minute observation period into a concert for the newly inoculated. The world-famous cellist and part-time Berkshires resident completed his vaccination course at the field house clinic, and he 'wanted to give something back,' Richard Hall of the Berkshire COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative told The Eagle. Yo-Yo Ma took a seat along the wall of the observation area, masked and socially distanced away from the others. He went on to pass 15 minutes in observation playing cello for an applauding audience, in what Hall called a 'very special' concert that capped the day's vaccination event." ~~~

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

A Message from the Former Guy. I hope everyone remembers when they're getting the COVID-19 (often referred to as the China Virus) Vaccine, that if I wasn't President, you wouldn't be getting that beautiful 'shot' for 5 years, at best, and probably wouldn't be getting it at all. I hope everyone remembers! -- Donald Trump, in a racist statement released Wednesday ~~~

~~~ Conservative Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post has the correct response. Thanks to Ken. W. for the link. Also too, in today's Comments, Akhilleus gets it so right. Marie: I used to compare Trump to Nero's fiddling while Rome burned, but as Akhilleus's analogy makes clear, Trump is way worse than Nero. (Also linked yesterday.)

S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "A dog rescue charity with links to Lara Trump has spent as much as $1.9 million at ... Donald Trump's properties over the last seven years and will drop an additional quarter-million at his Mar-a-Lago country club this weekend. According to a permit filed with the town of Palm Beach, Florida, Big Dog Ranch Rescue estimates it will spend $225,000 at the club where Donald Trump has taken up full-time residence since leaving the White House. All the profit from that spending winds up in his pocket. Internal Revenue Service filings show that the group has spent as much as $1,883,160 on fundraising costs at Mar-a-Lago and Trump's golf course 18 miles north in Jupiter starting in 2014. Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, started being listed as a chairwoman for charity events in 2018, and the group's president, Lauren Simmons, visited the White House in 2019 for the signing of a bill addressing animal cruelty." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ See also Akhilleus' comment below. I'll have Akhilleus know, however, that according to a report I didn't read & won't link, Donald made a "surprise appearance" at Lara's Mar-a-Lardo doggie scamapalooza.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. How Fox "News" Could Kill You. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Republican men are a central part of coronavirus vaccine resistance," and Republican men are the group most likely to get their "news" from Fox "News," which often features anti-vaxxers & other vaccine skeptics. For instance, right after Fox aired President Biden's address to the nation Thursday in Tucker Carlson's time slot (the TuckerCam incident!), Carlson interviewed vaccine skeptic Alex Berenson. The message: "the oppressive government was mandating that you do this scary thing [-- get vaccinated --], because this is what leftist government does." Coincidence or cause-and-effect??? ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: While it's acceptable, if stupid, to oppose the stimulus because the deficit! or lazy, mooching poor people! But it's unacceptable to oppose life-saving healthcare initiatives because Joe Biden. Fox "News" doesn't know the difference. BTW, even if the so-called "fairness doctrine" (-- which required broadcast networks to air opposing views --) were re-imposed, I don't think it would apply to Fox "News," which is a cable, not a broadcast, network. The basis for the fairness doctrine was the broadcast networks were granted rights to use "public" airwaves; cable networks use privately-owned cables to air their content. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I would like to ask Tucker Carlson who he thinks is the better citizen, he or Yo Yo Ma.

Beyond the Beltway

Kentucky. Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The boyfriend of Breonna Taylor on Friday filed a federal lawsuit against the Louisville government and the police officers involved in the botched raid in which his girlfriend was killed, alleging law enforcement made false claims to get a warrant to search Taylor's apartment and violated his constitutional rights. The 38-page lawsuit by Kenneth Walker casts Taylor's death as preventable and alleges broad, problematic practices of the Louisville Metro Police Department: nighttime raids and a failure by officers to clearly identify themselves."

New York. Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: The popularity Gov. Andrew Cuomo garnered from his daily coronavirus briefings represented "the apex of an Icarus-like arc for a leader convinced of his own hype and indestructibility. Less than a year later, Mr. Cuomo's governorship is imperiled, as he faces allegations of groping, sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior made by six women; an independent investigation into those accusations; an impeachment inquiry by state legislators; a federal investigation into his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic; and collapsing support from leaders in his own party.... [In] his self-regard, his disdain for fellow Democrats [and] his imperious demeanor, Mr. Cuomo alienated allies and enemies alike on his way up in politics, and [he] now finds himself sliding from hero-level worship to pariah-like status with the kind of astonishing speed that only the friendless suffer." ~~~

~~~ Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "A former Albany reporter on Friday became the seventh woman to accuse Andrew Cuomo (D) of sexual harassment, adding to a growing pile of allegations against the embattled New York governor. Jessica Bakeman, who worked as a statehouse reporter, detailed a number of instances in New York Magazine in which she says Cuomo harassed her. Bakeman prefaced her accounts by saying that Cuomo had put his hands 'on my arms, my shoulders, the small of my back, my waist' throughout her time as a reporter in the capital.... She [said] that she did not believe Cuomo was interested in her sexually but was asserting his power as governor." MB: Read the accounts Axelrod repeats & you're apt to agree with Bakeman's assessment. (Also linked yesterday.)

West Virginia. Ken Ward of the Mountain State Spotlight, published by ProPublica: "The federal government is seeking to collect nearly $3.2 million in fines from coal companies owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice after the firms violated the terms of a major water pollution settlement, according to documents filed Thursday in federal court. U.S. Department of Justice attorneys said in their filing that Southern Coal Corp. and two related companies failed to renew required water pollution permits, leading to unauthorized discharges at three mining sites in Tennessee and one in Alabama. Those permits are required so regulators can limit the runoff of everything from mud to toxic metals from coal operations. The companies' actions triggered fines under the terms of a 2016 settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency.... Justice, a billionaire listed by Forbes as the richest person in the state, owns a vast empire of businesses, including coal mines, resort hotels and agricultural interests, many of them regulated by the state agencies that report to him. While Justice's adult children have day-to-day control over the family's business operations, the governor has continued to guide the empire." Justice was a Democrat. In 2017, he became a Republican. MB: I'm sure that has nothing to do with how mean the EPA is under Democratic presidents. (Also linked yesterday.)

Way Beyond

U.K. Laura Smith-Spark, et al., of CNN: "A London Metropolitan Police officer has been charged with the kidnap and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, whose disappearance on a walk home has reignited a national debate in Britain on women's safety and sexual assault. Wayne Couzens, 48, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday for his first hearing. He has been remanded in custody and will next appear in court at the Old Bailey in London on March 16, according to Met Police. Everard disappeared on March 3 while walking in Clapham, south London, prompting an extensive police search in the area." ~~~

~~~ David Milliken & Natalie Thomas of Reuters: "Police in London clashed with mourners and protesters on Saturday after more than a thousand people gathered to mark the killing of a 33-year-old woman, hours after the police officer charged with her murder appeared in court.... Early on Saturday an impromptu memorial with flowers and candles sprang up around the bandstand on Clapham Common in southwest London, near where Everard was last seen alive. Kate, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, was among those who paid their respects.... By late Saturday around a thousand people - mostly women - gathered at the site to pay their respects and protest at the lack of security they felt when out alone. Some chanted 'shame on you' at police who were present. Campaign groups had wanted to organise a formal vigil, but London's Metropolitan Police said people should not gather due to coronavirus restrictions. The head of the force, Cressida Dick, said any vigil 'would be unlawful and would be unsafe'. As tensions mounted, Reuters witnesses saw police drag several women away from the gathering on Clapham Common."

U.K. If you wonder why Harry & Meghan's son is not a prince, it isn't because the royals are racists; it's because the current palace rules, adopted in 1917, limit the number of princes & princesses. Queen Elizabeth can change the rules, and in fact she did, to grant princely titles to Prince William's younger children, who didn't qualify under George V's 1917 rules.