The Ledes

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

The Washington Post's live updates of Hurricane Milton developments are here: “Hurricane Milton, which has strengthened to a 'catastrophic' Category 5 storm, is closing in on Florida’s west coast and is expected to make landfall Wednesday night or early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said. The hurricane, which could bring maximum sustained winds of nearly 160 mph with bigger gusts, poses a dire threat to the densely populated zone that includes Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers. As well as 'damaging hurricane-force winds,' coastal communities face a “life-threatening” storm surge, the center said.” ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates are here.

Washington Post: “The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to David Baker at the University of Washington and Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper of Google DeepMind.... The prize was awarded to scientists who cracked the code of proteins. Hassabis and Jumper used artificial intelligence to predict the structure of proteins, one of the toughest problems in biology. Baker created computational tools to design novel proteins with shapes and functions that can be used in drugs, vaccines and sensors.”

Sorry, forgot this yesterday: ~~~

Reuters: “U.S. scientist John Hopfield and British-Canadian Geoffrey Hinton won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for discoveries and inventions in machine learning that paved the way for the artificial intelligence boom. Heralded for its revolutionary potential in areas ranging from cutting-edge scientific discovery to more efficient admin, the emerging technology on which the duo worked has also raised fears humankind may soon be outsmarted and outcompeted by its own creation.”

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The Ledes

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

The New York Times is live-updating developments Tuesday as powerful Hurricane Milton moves through the Gulf of Mexico toward Central Florida.

New York Times: “Cissy Houston, a Grammy Award-winning soul and gospel star who helped shepherd her daughter Whitney Houston to superstardom, died on Monday at her home in Newark. She was 91.”

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Public Service Announcement

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Washington Post: “Comedy news outlet the Onion — reinvigorated by new ownership over this year — is bringing back its once-popular video parodies of cable news. But this time, there’s someone with real news anchor experience in the chair. When the first episodes appear online Monday, former WAMU and MSNBC host Joshua Johnson will be the face of the resurrected 'Onion News Network.' Playing an ONN anchor character named Dwight Richmond, Johnson says he’s bringing a real anchor’s sense of clarity — and self-importance — to the job. 'If ONN is anything, it’s a news organization that is so unaware of its own ridiculousness that it has the confidence of a serial killer,' says Johnson, 44.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'll be darned if I can figured out how to watch ONN. If anybody knows, do tell. Thanks.

Washington Post: “First came the surprising discovery that Earth’s atmosphere is leaking. But for roughly 60 years, the reason remained a mystery. Since the late 1960s, satellites over the poles detected an extremely fast flow of particles escaping into space — at speeds of 20 kilometers per second. Scientists suspected that gravity and the magnetic field alone could not fully explain the stream. There had to be another source creating this leaky faucet. It turns out the mysterious force is a previously undiscovered global electric field, a recent study found. The field is only about the strength of a watch battery — but it’s enough to thrust lighter ions from our atmosphere into space. It’s also generated unlike other electric fields on Earth. This newly discovered aspect of our planet provides clues about the evolution of our atmosphere, perhaps explaining why Earth is habitable. The electric field is 'an agent of chaos,' said Glyn Collinson, a NASA rocket scientist and lead author of the study. 'It undoes gravity.... Without it, Earth would be very different.'”

The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

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Publisher & Editor: Marie Burns


Tuesday
Mar092021

The Commentariat -- March 10, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Jordain Carney & Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Merrick Garland to be President Biden's attorney general, a u-turn from a 2016 stalemate that kept him stuck in Senate limbo. Senators voted 70-30 on Garland's nomination to lead the Justice Department, easily topping the 50 votes needed. The vote comes just days before the five-year anniversary from when then-President Obama nominated Garland to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Republicans, who then controlled the Senate, refused to give Garland a hearing or a vote."

A Big Fucking Deal. Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Congress approved a sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Wednesday, authorizing a flurry of new federal spending and a temporary yet dramatic increase in anti-poverty programs to help millions of families still struggling amid the pandemic. The 220-211 vote in the House of Representatives almost entirely along party lines now sends to Biden's desk one of the largest economic rescue packages in U.S. history, which Democrats had promised to pass as one of their first acts of governance after securing narrow but potent majorities in Washington after the 2020 presidential election.... The bill now heads to Biden, who is expected to sign it Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. The signing comes a day after the president is set to deliver his first prime-time television address on the country's response to the coronavirus." The AP's story is here.

Geoff Bennett & Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News: "President Joe Biden will announce plans Wednesday to purchase an additional 100 million doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, giving the U.S. more than enough supply to vaccinate the entire U.S. population. Biden will announce that he is directing his Health and Human Services team to procure the additional doses during a meeting with executives from J&J and Merck, according to two administration officials."

Ari Berman of Mother Jones: "As Republicans in the Georgia state legislature passed a series of voting restrictions over the past 10 days, Stacey Abrams, the state's leading voting rights activist, saw an ever more pressing need to reform the filibuster in the US Senate. And she has a plan for how to do it.... 'The judicial appointment exception, the Cabinet appointment exception, the budget reconciliation exception, are all grounded in this idea that these are constitutionally prescribed responsibilities that should not be thwarted by minority imposition,' she says. 'And we should add to it the right to protect democracy. It is a foundational principle in our country. And it is an explicit role and responsibility accorded only to Congress in the elections clause in the Constitution.'"

Caroline Davies of the Guardian: "The Queen missed a crucial opportunity to publicly acknowledge and condemn racism in her response to the allegations made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, equality campaigners have said. Casting the issue as a 'private' family matter meant there was 'no public accountability' from a public institution and the head of state and Commonwealth, they said." MB: Elizabeth has plenty of advisors, and evidently they, or she, decided to miss the opportunity.

~~~~~~~~~~

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

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "The White House said Tuesday that President Biden’s name would not appear on the $1,400 stimulus payments set to be sent out to millions of American families as part of the administration's relief package.... White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday that the payments approved under Biden would instead by signed by a career official at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, an office within the Department of Treasury.... The decision marks a reversal from the Trump administration. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin included Trump's signature on the memo line of the payments approved in March last year, as well as a gushing letter signed by Trump taking credit for the benefit."

Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "The House is poised to approve a sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill Wednesday and send it to President Biden to sign, a major early legislative victory for the new president and the Democrats who control Congress. Despite united GOP opposition and a narrow Democratic majority, House Democratic leaders expressed confidence Tuesday that they will have votes to spare."

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

Alaska. Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "Alaska became the first state in the nation Tuesday to lift all eligibility requirements for adults to get a coronavirus vaccine. Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) announced Tuesday that all individuals who live or work in Alaska and are age 16 and older can get a shot. The vaccine from Pfizer is available to individuals who are 16 years old and up, while the vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and Moderna are available to those who are at least 18 years old.... Alaska has had one of the lowest death tolls in the nation at 305 and recorded just 91 new cases Monday, according to state data."


Rebecca Kheel of the Hill: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved keeping nearly 2,300 National Guardsmen at the U.S. Capitol through May 23, the Pentagon said Tuesday evening. The move extends the Guard's deployment more than two months past when it was supposed to end this week. The number of approved troops is about half of the 5,100 currently stationed at the Capitol. 'This decision was made after a thorough review of the request and after close consideration of its potential impact on readiness,' Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement."

Spencer Hsu & Aaron Davis of the Washington Post: "U.S. prosecutors alleged Monday that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was in direct contact before, during and immediately after the Jan. 6 Capitol breach with members since charged with plotting to prevent Congress from confirming the results of the 2020 presidential election. In a late-night court filing, prosecutors alleged that Rhodes directed the right-wing, anti-government group to rally during the riot to the southeast steps of the Capitol, after which several members forcibly entered the east side of the building.... Prosecutors said they found 'no discussion of forcibly entering the Capitol until January 6.' But they said the chat messages, combined with Rhodes's previous statements, 'all show that the co-conspirators joined together to stop Congress's certification of the Electoral College vote, and they were prepared to use violence, if necessary, to effect this purpose....'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Now put that together with this, also from the Hsu/David report: "Separately Monday, prosecutors arrested Roberto Minuta, 36, who prosecutors alleged was an Oath Keepers associate who illegally entered the Capitol after appearing to provide security for Republican strategist Roger Stone outside a Washington hotel on the morning of Jan. 6." We're getting mighty close to Trump here. ~~~

~~~ AND Now This. Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A second member of the Oath Keeper militia who provided security to longtime Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone has been charged with storming and breaching the Capitol. Joshua James, who has been seen in photos flanking Stone ahead of the Jan. 6 riot, was later seen on camera inside the building amid a crush of rioters who overran police. Court records show James, 33, was arrested in his home state of Alabama on Tuesday and appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Birmingham. Prosecutors there asked that he be detained pending trial. A bail hearing was set for Thursday. The arrest -- made public a day after prosecutors revealed they had charged fellow Oath Keeper and Stone security guard Roberto Minuta for entering the Capitol -- is the latest evidence that prosecutors are homing in on the extremist group with key ties to organizers of pro-Trump 'Stop the Steal' events."

Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "A former State Department staffer with a top-secret security clearance betrayed his oath of office when he joined the Capitol mob that attempted to subvert the electoral process on Jan. 6, a federal magistrate judge said Tuesday. Quoting that oath, which requires federal workers and appointees to 'defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,' Judge Zia M. Faruqui said that on Jan. 6, domestic enemies were striking 'directly at the heart of our democracy' and Federico Klein 'switched sides.' Faruqui ordered Klein, 42, detained until his trial on charges of assaulting police, trespassing and obstructing Congress. Klein worked on Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and then served under him as a political appointee; he resigned the day before President Biden took office."

Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The FBI on Tuesday released new video footage of a person suspected of placing pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees the night before the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, asking for the public's help in identifying the elusive figure." And ABC News story is here. ~~~

Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "Jacob Anthony Chansley, often referred to as the 'QAnon Shaman' who donned horns and red-white-and-blue face paint to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, has spent nearly two months pleading with a judge -- and with the public in high-profile interviews -- to let him go free.... U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth was not impressed. On Monday, Lamberth denied Chansley's motion for release in a scathing memorandum that rejected his arguments as 'meritless,' 'mistaken' and 'so frivolous as to insult the Court's intelligence.' The judge said that Chansley was too dangerous to release and continues to pose a threat to the public." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Eleanor Mueller & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "The House passed Democrats' wide-ranging overhaul of labor laws Tuesday, inching President Joe Biden closer to fulfilling a campaign promise and coinciding with Amazon workers' ongoing push to unionize an Alabama warehouse.... Just five Republicans voted for the measure.... But the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which advanced mostly along party lines, is unlikely to win the 60 votes needed for passage in the narrowly controlled Senate. And already, some union leaders -- who hold outsize sway in the Biden administration -- are amping up pressure on Democrats to eliminate the filibuster so they can see one of their top priorities enacted.... The executive board of the AFL-CIO -- the nation's largest federation of unions -- plans to meet Wednesday to discuss its position on eliminating the filibuster, likely the only path forward for seeing the PRO Act enacted.... Businesses, fiercely opposed to the PRO Act, spent the days leading up to passage lobbying against it." ~~~

~~~ Josephine Harvey of the Huffington Post: "Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) erupted Tuesday on the House floor, imploring his Republican colleagues to stop their obsession with stoking culture wars and shift focus to helping Democrats pass legislation to aid Americans struggling through the coronavirus pandemic. 'Stop talking about Dr. Seuss and start working with us on behalf of the American workers!' he shouted...." ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Lemire & Jill Colvin of the AP: "President Joe Biden and the Democrats were on the brink of pushing through sprawling legislation with an eyepopping, $1.9 trillion price tag. But many Republican politicians and conservative commentators had other priorities in recent days. A passionate defense of Dr. Seuss. Serious questions about the future of Mr. Potato Head. Intense scrutiny of Meghan Markle. The conservatives' relentless focus on culture wars rather than the new president highlights both their strategy for regaining power in Washington and their challenge in doing so. Unlike previous Democratic leaders, Biden himself simply isn't proving to be an easy target or animating figure for the GOP base, prompting Republicans to turn to the kind of cultural issues the party has used to cast Democrats as elitist and out of touch with average Americans." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Brian Williams mentioned in an aside that Fox "News" was busy knocking Meghan Markle. Why would that be? Oh, she's black. Be assured that the United States has a staunchly racist cable "news" network.

The Chief Stands Alone. Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday revived a former student's lawsuit against the college that blocked his evangelizing on campus, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. -- apparently for the first time in his 16-year tenure -- casting a lone dissenting vote. The issue was not the conduct of Georgia Gwinnett College, which kept student Chike Uzuegbunam from spreading the Gospel on campus. The issue was whether Uzuegbunam's demand the college pay him a nominal amount of money in damages -- which could be as little as $1 -- kept his civil rights case alive or whether it was moot once the university agreed to his complaint and ended its offending speech policy. Justice Clarence Thomas said the request for nominal damages was enough to keep the suit alive, in an 8-to-1 opinion." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Moldy Leftovers

Trump Attempts Hostile Takeover of GOP. Aaron Rupar of Vox: "... Monday night [Donald Trump made a] a tweet-like statement asking supporters to give to him instead of to the party.... 'Send your donation to Save America PAC at DonaldJTrump.com. We will bring it all back stronger than ever before!'... Save America PAC is Trump's 'leadership PAC': a type of political committee formed by current or former elected officials that has relatively few restrictions on what it can do with donations. And, as a result, Trump may have more than just political revenge on his mind in asking supporters to give to him instead of to the Republican Party. 'If you're going to direct a lot of money from a political committee to yourself, this is the way to do it,' Jordan Libowitz ... of CREW told me in an interview.... '... It was a little naive to ever believe he'd become a team player when there were tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars on the table.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times story, by Annie Karni & Maggie Haberman, is here.

Marc Tracy of the New York Times: "A New York State court on Tuesday dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by the re-election campaign of Donald J. Trump against The New York Times Company, ruling that an opinion essay that argued there had been a 'quid pro quo' between the candidate and Russian officials before the 2016 presidential election was protected speech. The Times published the Op-Ed, written by Max Frankel, a former executive editor of The Times who was not named as a defendant in the suit, in March 2019 under the headline 'The Real Trump-Russia Quid Pro Quo.' Mr. Frankel made the case that in 'an overarching deal' before the 2016 election, Russian officials would help Mr. Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in exchange for his taking U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Russia direction."

Note to Unwashed. Chris Sommerfeldt of the New York Daily News, republished by Yahoo! News: "Donald Trump is in New York City this week to get up to speed about the ins-and-outs of his embattled namesake company, a person close to him said Monday, as the former president and his business associates remain in the cross-hairs of multiple state prosecutors. The Queens-born ex-president, who was spotted arriving at his Trump Tower apartment in Midtown on Sunday night, has recently expressed interest in re-engaging with the Trump Organization, and 'a major part' of his Big Apple trip is about that, said the source...." MB: That's his excuse, anyway.


Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Katie Robertson of the New York Times: "When >BuzzFeed announced last year that it would buy HuffPost, it was expected that cost-cutting would follow the completion of the deal. On Tuesday, less than a month after the acquisition went through, BuzzFeed laid off 47 workers at HuffPost and closed the publication's Canadian edition. At a virtual company meeting, BuzzFeed's chief executive, Jonah Peretti, said the layoffs were meant to stem losses at HuffPost. HuffPost, which was previously owned by Verizon Media, lost more than $20 million last year and was on track to lose the same amount this year, Mr. Peretti told the staff according to an account of the meeting provided by BuzzFeed.... The HuffPost Union, which is affiliated with the Writers Guild of America East, said in a statement that the layoffs had affected 33 of its members, nearly a third of the local union." The Defector story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Peretti's method of notifying employees they were being laid off was, ah, insensitive, to say the least. In the Defector photo, he looks as if he's having a good time ruining other people's lives.

Beyond the Beltway

Alabama. Bill Baxley in a Washington Post op-ed: "As the attorney general of Alabama in the 1970s [and] as a lifelong defender of the death penalty, I do not lightly say what follows: An innocent man is trapped on Alabama's death row. His name is Toforest Johnson, and Alabama must not execute him. Johnson's murder trial was so deeply flawed, the evidence presented against him so thin, that no Alabamian should tolerate his incarceration, let alone his execution. This is why I have joined eight former Alabama prosecutors and two former chief justices of Alabama in calling for Johnson's conviction to be set aside.... The facts point to the outright innocence of the defendant, Johnson. No physical evidence links him to the crime. Multiple alibi witnesses place him across town at the time of Hardy's death. The only witness against him was paid $5,000 for her testimony (which was that, while eavesdropping, she overheard someone she thought was Johnson admitting to the crime)."

Arkansas. AP: "Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday signed into law legislation banning nearly all abortions in the state, a sweeping measure that supporters hope will force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its landmark Roe v. Wade decision but opponents vow to block before it takes effect later this year. The Republican governor had expressed reservations about the bill, which only allows the procedure to save the life of the mother and does not provide exceptions for those impregnated in an act of rape or incest."

Georgia. Abigail Weinberg of Mother Jones: "Former President Jimmy Carter issued a statement on Tuesday condemning Georgia Republicans' efforts to 'turn back the clock' and make it harder for people to vote. Ca[r]ter spoke out after Georgia Republicans passed some of the most restrictive voting laws since Jim Crow. The state Senate passed a bill that would end no-excuse absentee voting." President Carter's statement is here.

Iowa. Ryan Foley of the AP: "An Iowa journalist recounted getting pepper-sprayed and arrested while covering a protest for racial justice last year, testifying in her own defense Tuesday at her trial on charges stemming from the incident. Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri told jurors she was running away from a scene where riot police had shot tear gas and were advancing to disperse protesters outside a mall in Des Moines, Iowa. She said that after she rounded the corner of a Verizon store, she saw an officer charging at her and put her hands up. 'I wasn't doing anything wrong,' Sahouri said. "I said, "I'm press, I'm press, I'm press." He grabbed me, pepper-sprayed me and as he was doing so said, "That's not what I asked".'... Body camera video played for jurors before Sahouri's testimony backed up her account, showing that she was temporarily blinded and hurting from pepper spray and repeatedly told police she was a reporter.... Sahouri's testimony came on the second day of a trial in which Sahouri and her former boyfriend, Spenser Robnett, are charged with failure to disperse and interference with official acts."

Minnesota. Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "The arduous task of seating a jury in the trial of the former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd's death began in earnest on Tuesday, as prosecution and defense attorneys began questioning the first of a large pool of potential jurors even as ongoing appeals over charges in the case threaten to delay the proceedings. Three jurors were selected and six others dismissed after hours of slow and sometimes intense questioning in which nearly all of those questioned admitted to holding 'very negative views' of Derek Chauvin, the White officer filmed with his knee on Floyd's neck who is facing second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the Black man's death."

New York. AP: "Another woman is accusing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of workplace misconduct, a newspaper reported Tuesday. The details of the allegations weren't immediately clear, but the Times Union of Albany reported Tuesday that the woman said Cuomo inappropriately touched her late last year at the governor's mansion, where she had been summoned to work. The newspaper didn't reveal her identity or detail what type of touching was alleged to have taken place. It did not speak to the woman. The paper cited 'an official close to the matter' as confirming the existence of the complaint."

North Carolina. A Very Unhappy Ending. Maria Cramer of the New York Times: "In 2017, Kathy Gillcrist, newly retired from her job as a high school teacher ... took a DNA test, the first step of a genealogical journey that led her to a stunning discovery: Her father was most likely William Bradford Bishop Jr., who vanished in 1976 after bludgeoning his family to death with a sledgehammer, law enforcement officials believe.... The search has also resurrected public interest in a horrifying case that the authorities have been unable to solve." MB: The story provides a broad description of the murders, too grisly for me even to read.

Way Beyond

U.K. We Are Not Amused. Isabella Kwai of the New York Times: "Buckingham Palace broke nearly 48 hours of silence Tuesday about a bombshell interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, saying 'the whole royal family is saddened' and expressing concern about the issue of racism the couple had raised.... In a brief statement, Buckingham Palace said that the issues raised by the couple in the interview, 'particularly that of race,' were concerning.... On Tuesday, Piers Morgan, the co-host of 'Good Morning Britain' on ITV news, who came under attack for saying he 'didn't believe a word' of the interview, resigned, the network said. Britain's communications regulator received more than 41,000 complaints about his comment, it said." MB: The Palace has expressed so much "concern," you'd think they had hired Sen. Susan Collins as their PR manager. And of course it's teddibly, teddibly sad Piers lost his job. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

News Lede

New York Times: "Allan J. McDonald, an engineer who on a chilly January morning in 1986 tried to stop the launch of the Challenger space shuttle, citing the possible effect of the cold on its booster rockets, and who, after it broke apart on liftoff, blew the whistle when government officials tried to cover up his dissent, died on Saturday in Ogden, Utah. He was 83."

Comments Off
Monday
Mar082021

The Commentariat -- March 9, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Spencer Hsu & Aaron Davis of the Washington Post: "U.S. prosecutors alleged Monday that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was in direct contact before, during and immediately after the Jan. 6 Capitol breach with members since charged with plotting to prevent Congress from confirming the results of the 2020 presidential election. In a late-night court filing, prosecutors alleged that Rhodes directed the right-wing, anti-government group to rally during the riot to the southeast steps of the Capitol, after which several members forcibly entered the east side of the building.... Prosecutors said they found 'no discussion of forcibly entering the Capitol until January 6.' But they said the chat messages, combined with Rhodes's previous statements, 'all show that the co-conspirators joined together to stop Congress's certification of the Electoral College vote, and they were prepared to use violence, if necessary, to effect this purpose....'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Now put that together with this, also from the Hsu/David report: "Separately Monday, prosecutors arrested Roberto Minuta, 36, who prosecutors alleged was an Oath Keepers associate who illegally entered the Capitol after appearing to provide security for Republican strategist Roger Stone outside a Washington hotel on the morning of Jan. 6." We're getting mighty close to Trump here.

Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "Jacob Anthony Chansley, often referred to as the 'QAnon Shaman' who donned horns and red-white-and-blue face paint to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, has spent nearly two months pleading with a judge -- and with the public in high-profile interviews -- to let him go free.... U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth was not impressed. On Monday, Lamberth denied Chansley's motion for release in a scathing memorandum that rejected his arguments as 'meritless,' 'mistaken' and 'so frivolous as to insult the Court's intelligence.' The judge said that Chansley was too dangerous to release and continues to pose a threat to the public."

The Chief Stands Alone. Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday revived a former student's lawsuit against the college that blocked his evangelizing on campus, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. -- apparently for the first time in his 16-year tenure -- casting a lone dissenting vote. The issue was not the conduct of Georgia Gwinnett College, which kept student Chike Uzuegbunam from spreading the Gospel on campus. The issue was whether Uzuegbunam's demand the college pay him a nominal amount of money in damages -- which could be as little as $1 -- kept his civil rights case alive or whether it was moot once the university agreed to his complaint and ended its offending speech policy. Justice Clarence Thomas said the request for nominal damages was enough to keep the suit alive, in an 8-to-1 opinion."

Isabella Kwai of the New York Times: "Buckingham Palace broke nearly 48 hours of silence Tuesday about a bombshell interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, saying 'the whole royal family is saddened' and expressing concern about the issue of racism the couple had raised.... In a brief statement, Buckingham Palace said that the issues raised by the couple in the interview, 'particularly that of race,' were concerning.... On Tuesday, Piers Morgan, the co-host of 'Good Morning Britain' on ITV news, who came under attack for saying he 'didn't believe a word' of the interview, resigned, the network said. Britain's communications regulator received more than 41,000 complaints about his comment, it said." MB: The Palace has expressed so much "concern," you'd think they had hired Sen. Susan Collins as their PR manager. And of course it's teddibly, teddibly sad Piers lost his job.

Ken W. sent me the "1956" video below. He checked around, though, and quickly learned the video was a hoax. It's such a good hoax, I thought I'd share it. And many thanks to Ken, for doing the checking himself: ~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Jason Horowitz & Barbara Starr of CNN: "President Joe Biden on Monday announced he has nominated two female generals to positions as 4-star combatant commanders after their promotions had been delayed under the Trump administration. The nominations of Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost of the Air Force to commander of United States Transportation Command and Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson of the Army to commander of United States Southern Command would make them the second and third woman to lead a Combatant Command if confirmed by the Senate. Biden, during remarks on International Women's Day at the White House on Monday, called Van Ovost and Richardson 'two outstanding and eminently qualified warriors and patriots.'... Biden noted that Van Ovost, a first generation American, flew Air Force Two when he served as vice president during the Obama administration, as well as highlighted Richardson's work as commanding general of US Army North, coordinating the military's medical personal deployed to help with the coronavirus response." ~~~

Katie Rogers & Erica Green of the New York Times: "President Biden on Monday directed the Education Department to conduct an expansive review of all policies on sex and gender discrimination and violence in schools, effectively beginning his promised effort to dismantle Trump-era rules on sexual misconduct that afforded greater protections to students accused of assault. With two executive orders -- one ordering the new education secretary to review those policies, and the other establishing a gender-focused White House policy council -- Mr. Biden, an author of the Violence Against Women Act, waded into an area that has been important to him but has been politically charged for more than a decade." The AP's story is here.

Lara Jakes & Anatoly Kurmanaev of the New York Times: "As many as 320,000 Venezuelans living in the United States were given an 18-month reprieve on Monday from the threat of being deported, as the Biden administration sought to highlight how dangerous that country has become under President Nicolás Maduro. The immigrants also will be allowed to work legally in the United States as part of the temporary protective status the administration issued as it considers the next steps in a yearslong American pressure campaign to force Mr. Maduro from power.... Though the Trump administration had resisted issuing the same protections -- despite intense lobbying from Mr. Maduro's opponents -- ... Donald J. Trump delayed deportations for many Venezuelans in the United States on his last day in office. Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela expert at Washington Office on Latin America..., said the legal protective status was generally more durable than a presidential order...." An AP report is here.

Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "The Biden administration moved on Monday to reimpose financial sanctions on an Israeli mining executive who had turned to a team of lobbyists to have the measures eased during ... Donald J. Trump's final days in office. The reversal came after a chorus of complaints from human rights advocates, members of Congress and activists in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the businessman, Dan Gertler, secured access to mining rights for decades through what the Treasury Department during the Trump administration called a series of corrupt deals that had shortchanged Congo of more than $1.3 billion in revenue from the sale of minerals."

Dino Grandoni & Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration took a crucial step Monday toward approving the nation's first large-scale offshore wind farm about 12 nautical miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Mass., a project that officials say will launch a massive clean-power expansion in the fight against climate change. In completing a final environmental review of Vineyard Wind, the Interior Department endorsed an idea that had been conceived two decades ago but had run into a well-funded and organized opposition from waterfront property owners near the tony island, including then-Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D), who died in 2009, and the billionaire industrialist William I. Koch. The $2.8 billion project is set to be built several miles south of the original plan fought by the Kennedy family and will be out of sight from the family's Hyannis compound.... Vineyard Wind awaits a final greenlight from several federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which could come as soon as next month." MB: Remember that Trump said the noise from the turbines cause cancer & also causes you to miss your favorite teevee show when the wind dies down. ~~~

     ~~~ This, however, is true: "A Stanford University researcher concluded that wind farms kill birds at a rate of 0.28 bird deaths per gigawatt-hour (GWh) of energy produced -- lower than nuclear power stations (0.41) but higher than fossil fuel generators (0.17). Researchers noted those rates do not take the impact climate change has on bird habitats into account. Information on mortality rates with offshore turbines is incomplete." So maybe concerns about bird mortality are what inspired the following: ~~~

~~~ For the Birds. Matthew Brown & John Flesher of the AP: "The Biden administration on Monday reversed a policy imposed under ... Donald Trump that drastically weakened the government's power to enforce a century-old law that protects most U.S. bird species. Trump ended criminal prosecutions against companies responsible for bird deaths that could have been prevented. The move halted enforcement practices under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in place for decades -- resulting most notably in a $100 million settlement by energy company BP after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill killed about 100,000 birds, according to federal data. Some scientists have said that number could be higher. A federal judge in New York in August struck down the Trump administration's legal rationale for changing how the bird treaty was enforced."

Dog Bites Man. Exiled to Delaware. Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "President Biden's two German shepherds have been moved to the family home in Delaware after one of the animals showed ongoing aggressive behavior to White House staff, according to a news report. A report published by CNN on Monday evening said that the dogs, Champ and Major, had been moved after Major had what one person described as a 'biting incident' with a member of the White House's security staff.... A person familiar with the dogs' whereabouts said that Champ and Major had been moved to the family home in Delaware, but added that it was typical for them to stay there when Jill Biden, the first lady, was traveling." CNN's story is here. MB: BTW, this is sort of a big story in Right Wing World. Maybe they'll try to conjure up a "mean dog" scandal.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here. They include news of the new CDC guidelines for vaccinated people. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here.

** Lena Sun & Lenny Bernstein of the Washington Post: "Federal health officials released guidance Monday that gives fully vaccinated Americans more freedom to socialize and pursue routine daily activities, providing a pandemic-weary nation a first glimpse of what a new normal may look like in coming months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who are two weeks past their final shot face little risk if they visit indoors with unvaccinated members of a single household at low risk of severe disease, without wearing masks or distancing. That would free many vaccinated grandparents who live near their unvaccinated children and grandchildren to gather for the first time in a year. Long-distance travel is still discouraged, however. The CDC also said fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with those who are also fully vaccinated. And they do not need to quarantine, or be tested after exposure to the coronavirus, if they have no symptoms." This article is free to nonsubscribers. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ The CDC's new guidelines for vaccinated people are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Tony Romm & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "House lawmakers are set to vote as soon as Tuesday on a roughly $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, putting President Biden on track to sign his first major legislative accomplishment into law by the end of the week. Democrats in the chamber are expected to approve the bill -- which includes a dramatic expansion of pandemic aid and federal safety net programs -- despite changes to critical elements of the stimulus adopted by the Senate over the weekend." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)


Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "A review of security at the U.S. Capitol commissioned after the deadly riot on Jan. 6 found that Capitol Police are too 'understaffed, insufficiently equipped, and inadequately trained' -- and woefully lacking in intelligence capabilities -- to protect Congress from a similar future attack. The 15-page draft report from retired Army Lt. Gen Russel Honoré, whom House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tasked last month with leading the security review, outlines recommendations to address the identified shortfalls in physical and operational security. But it is unclear whether a divided Congress will heed the guidance or whether the report ... will become the latest flash point in an increasingly partisan debate over how thoroughly lawmakers should enhance the Capitol's fortifications -- and how much money they should spend.... Honoré and his team spent Monday briefing rank-and-file House lawmakers about the report's contents. According to their findings, threats to lawmakers have increased fourfold since a year ago, both within D.C. and in members' home states."

Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "A Missouri man who prosecutors say threatened to lynch a Black congressman the day after the Jan. 6 siege at the U.S. Capitol and a Jewish congressman in 2019 was ordered by a federal judge on Monday to remain in custody. The man, Kenneth R. Hubert, made the menacing comments toward the two Democratic representatives, Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri and Steve Cohen of Tennessee, according to prosecutors, who contended that Mr. Hubert's release on bond would present a danger to the community."

Rachel Weiner, et al., of the Washington Post: "A man linked by prosecutors to the Oath Keepers and Republican strategist Roger Stone was arrested Monday in New York and charged with criminal involvement in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Roberto Minuta, 36, of Texas is accused of obstructing the formal counting of presidential election votes, trespassing and attempting to cover up his crimes. He was ordered released on a $125,000 bond over the objections of federal prosecutors.... [Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin] Gianforti said Minuta came to the Capitol dressed in gear identifying him as a member of the right-wing Oath Keepers group -- citing a video in which he appears with Stone that morning. Federal prosecutors have alleged that members of the Oath Keepers conspired to storm the Capitol to prevent President Biden from taking office. Minuta was carrying a firearm and pepper or bear spray on Jan. 6, according to prosecutors; he was also armed when he was arrested Saturday at his tattoo parlor in New York. Upon his arrest, he questioned why antifa and Black Lives Matter adherents were not being targeted instead, Gianforti said."

The Party of White Supremacists. Christopher Mathias of the Huffington Post: "Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) posted on Twitter the motto of a white nationalist group on Sunday, a little over a week after delivering the keynote address at the group's conference in Florida. '#AmericaFirst,' Gosar tweeted above a meme showing a cartoon of what appears to be a sex worker leaning into a man's car and saying, '$50 WHATEVER YOU WANT BABY.' The man sitting in the car replies: 'CAN YOU ... TELL EVERYONE AMERICA FIRST IS INEVITABLE.' 'America First is inevitable' is the motto of the 'America First' white nationalist movement headed by the racist and anti-Semitic podcaster Nick Fuentes." MB: Gosar's Congression colleagues don't seem a bit concerned about his extensive association with the white supremacist group, though they would like to get rid of members who voted to impeach terrorist-inciter Donald Trump.

Peniel Joseph, in a CNN opinion piece: "While Americans should rightfully applaud (and many are) the voter rights advocacy and organizing done by Stacey Abrams, the voter education campaign waged by the WNBA and LeBron James' continued investment in protecting the franchise for African Americans, the fact that they have to do such work almost 60 years after the Voting Rights Act is a national tragedy.... It is no accident that the White siege at the US Capitol building took place the day after Black voters in Georgia helped elect the first Black senator and gave Democrats a razor-thin Senate majority.... Contemporary voter suppression efforts are simply updated disenfranchisement techniques first institutionalized during the 19th century and now, through the assistance of the former president, the Republican Party and right-wing media outlets, buffed and polished to a high gloss that normalizes anti-Black racism through lies about voter fraud and cheating inevitably occurring wherever Black votes are cast." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Joe Biden isn't helping. In the past 24 hours, I have twice heard his press secretary Jen Psaki insist President Biden opposes eliminating the filibuster. Psaki doesn't hedge the way even Joe Manchin does; she flat-out says Biden is against dumping the filibuster and biparitisanship, blah-blah. The House's voting rights act will not pass in the Senate if at least ten Republican votes are required.

Senate Race 2022. Buh-bye: the Trump Effect. Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Roy Blunt of Missouri, the No. 4 Senate Republican, announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election in 2022, the latest in a string of party veterans who have opted to exit Congress as the G.O.P. remakes itself in the mold of ... Donald J. Trump. Mr. Blunt, a fixture of the Republican establishment, had told reporters in January that he was planning to run for a third term and had taken steps to avoid alienating the former president. But with his surprise announcement on Monday, he joined a growing group of institutionalists who have chosen to leave rather than potentially subject themselves to party primaries that promise to be contests of which candidate can tie himself more closely to Mr. Trump." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is hilarious. Republicans are so concerned that they might cross the former Lord High Executive* that they're quitting rather than risk Trump's humiliating them. As Brian Williams said, Blunt "became a full-on Trumper." But that's not enough. Mitch was worried Trump would hurt his attempts to become majority leader again? Ha ha. Trump is already doing it, discouraging even fullblown Trumpists from seeking re-election. In place of the old guard turned Trump apologists, Fandos writes, "... has emerged a crop of Trump acolytes who have mirrored the former president's combative style, shunned compromise with Democrats and so far been more willing to buck Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the long-serving top Republican leader with whom Mr. Blunt closely allied himself."

The Former Guy

The Grifter-in-Chief Demands: Send Me the Money. Jill Colvin of the AP: "The Republican National Committee is defending its right to use ... Donald Trump's name in fundraising appeals after he demanded they put an end to the practice. In a Monday letter to Trump attorney Alex Cannon, RNC chief counsel J. Justin Riemer said the committee 'has every right to refer to public figures as it engages in core, First Amendment-protected political speech' and said 'it will continue to do so in pursuit of these common goals.' But he maintained that Trump had also 'reaffirmed' to the chair of the RNC, Ronna McDaniel, over the weekend 'that he approves of the RNC's current use of his name in fundraising and other materials, including for our upcoming donor retreat event at Palm Beach at which we look forward to him participating.' Trump responded to the letter with a statement that put that agreement in doubt. 'No more money for RINOS'..., he stated. 'They do nothing but hurt the Republican Party and our great voting base -- they will never lead us to Greatness.' He instead again urged his supporters to send their contributions directly to his own Save America PAC by using his personal website, adding, 'We will bring it all back stronger than ever before!'" ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "The Republican National Committee is moving part of its spring donor retreat next month to Mar-a-Lago from a nearby hotel for a dinner speech that will be headlined by ... Donald Trump, according to Republicans involved in the planning of the event. The move, which highlights the former president's continued grip over the GOP, comes amid a spat over the use by RNC and other Republican organizations of Trump's likeness and image in fundraising, as well as anxiety about how Trump plans to use his influence in the 2022 midterms." The Raw Story has a summary report here. ~~~

Kara Scannell of CNN: "The Manhattan district attorney's office subpoenaed documents from an investment company that loaned the Trump Organization millions of dollars for its Chicago skyscraper in a sign that the investigation into the former president's finances continues to expand, according to people familiar with the investigation. Prosecutors issued the grand jury subpoena to Fortress Investment Management late last year, the people said, as part of their wide-ranging investigation into ... Donald Trump and his company. Investigators' interest in how Trump and his company treated the Chicago loan is an expansion of an inquiry that encompasses multiple aspects of the Trump business." ~~~

~~~ Marie: I did see a couple of media stories yesterday about how Trump is returning to New York City for a brief visit, for the first time since he left D.C. under duress. I ignored the stories, because I don't care, but at the end of yesterday's Comments thread, unwashed did speculate as to why Trump might visit the home town where he is so unwelcome. I endorse any & all of unwashed's best guesses.

Trump Requests Mail-in Ballot. Hannah Morse of the Palm Beach Post: "... Donald Trump is set to fulfill his civic duty as a private citizen and vote in the town of Palm Beach's municipal election. Despite his false claims about mail voting during the 2020 election cycle, Trump requested a mail ballot on Friday for the third time in his Palm Beach County voter history."

Beyond the Beltway

Georgia. Voter Suppression, Jim Crow-style. Ari Berman of Mother Jones: "Following unexpected Democratic victories in Georgia in November and January, Republicans in the state Senate voted Monday to significantly curtail the right to vote. On Monday afternoon, the legislators approved a bill repealing no-excuse absentee voting, which 1.3 million voters used to cast ballots by mail in 2020, including 450,000 Republicans. They were also set to consider a bill on Monday evening ending automatic voter registration, which 5 million of the state's 7.6 million voters used to register since it was implemented in 2016. The Senate bills follow the passage of a sweeping House bill last week that cuts weekend voting days -- including on Sundays, when Black churches hold 'Souls to the Polls' get-out-the-vote drives -- restricts the use of mail ballot drop boxes, prevents counties from accepting grants from nonprofits to improve their elections, adds new voter ID requirements for mail ballots, gives election official less time to send out mail ballots and voters less time to return them, and even makes it a crime to distribute food and water to voters waiting in line. Collectively, these bills represent the most sustained effort to roll back access to the ballot in Georgia since the Jim Crow era. The same is true nationally, where Republicans have introduced 253 bills in 43 states in the first two months of this year to make it harder to vote." ~~~

~~~ Iowa. Voter Suppression, Ignoramus-style. Stephen Gruber-Miller of the Des Moines Register: "Four months after Iowans voted in record numbers, Gov. Kim Reynolds [R] has signed legislation cutting the state's early voting period and closing the polls an hour earlier on Election Day. The Iowa Legislature approved the measure and sent it to Reynolds' desk late last month. Every Republican present for debate in the House and Senate voted for the legislation. Every Democrat voted against it. Reynolds, a Republican, signed the law Tuesday. Iowa is among a national wave of Republican-led states whose leaders have expressed concerns about the integrity of the 2020 elections, taking the lead from ... Donald Trump, who falsely claimed the election was stolen from him. States such as Florida and Georgia have undertaken high-profile efforts to limit absentee voting after the practice surged in 2020." MB: "Expressed concern," my ass. Please tell me how cutting voting hours shows concern for election integrity. C'mon, try.

Iowa. What First Amendment? Ryan Foley of the AP: "Advocates for journalism and human rights in the U.S. and abroad have pressed Iowa authorities to drop the charges [against Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri], arguing that Sahouri was simply doing her job by documenting the newsworthy event. Iowa Democrats have blasted one of their own, longtime Polk County Attorney John Sarcone, for pursuing the case. [Sahouri's then-boyfriend Spenser Robnett, who came to her rescue when Des Moine police officer Des Moines Officer Luke Wilson pepper-sprayed her. He is also on trial.]... Prosecutors pressed ahead with their case despite local, national and international pressure to drop the rare effort to punish a working reporter.... Wilson testified on the first day of trial for Sahouri and Robnett on misdemeanor charges of failure to disperse and interference with official acts." The Washington Post's story is here.

New York. Jesse McKinley & Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the New York Times: "The New York State attorney general has named Joon H. Kim, a former acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Anne L. Clark, an employment discrimination lawyer, to lead the investigation into sexual harassment accusations made against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. The selection of the lawyers, who will be armed with subpoena power, clears the way for investigators to begin looking into Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat who has seen his political fortunes hammered in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment and other questionable behavior toward young women." ~~~

~~~ David Goodman & Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "The publisher of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's book on his leadership during the pandemic said it had stopped promoting the title because of an inquiry into the withholding of data on the deaths of nursing home residents. Sales of the book, 'American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic,' had already slowed severely as the governor found himself embroiled in overlapping crises of his own making, including a drumbeat of accusations about his inappropriate behavior toward younger women and his aides' manipulation of nursing home data." A Mediaite summary story is here.

Way Beyond

U.K. The Melancholy Wives of Windsor. Sarah Lyall of the New York Times: "While the British tabloids like to cast Meghan in the villainous role of the Duchess of Windsor -- the American divorcée who lured away their king in 1936 and lived with him in bitter exile, causing an irreparable family rift -- Harry and Meghan seem determined to position her instead as a latter-day Diana, a woman mistreated by her in-laws, more sinned against than sinning.... [Harry] raised the subject again on Sunday, drawing parallels between the experiences of his mother and his wife and saying, of Diana, that he has 'felt her presence through this whole process.'... 'What I was seeing was history repeating itself,' he said, though he described the treatment of Meghan as 'far more dangerous' because of the ubiquity of social media and the corrosive element of racism.... It felt Shakespearean, the sense of history repeating itself through the immutable structure of a royal lineage and an ancient institution.... Meghan's discussion in the interview of her mental health struggles as a royal wife, of loneliness and desolation and thoughts of suicide, was reminiscent of Diana's account of the bulimia and depression that consumed her during her own marriage. Both women said they had desperately sought help from the family, only to be ignored and rebuffed." ~~~

     ~~~ The British Tabloids Are Not Amused. Piers Morgan, for instance, writes in the Daily Mail that the interview was nauseating. Other adjectives that comprised his "initial thoughts": "Sickening. Shameful. Self-pitying. Salacious. Scandalous. Sanctimonious. Spectacularly self-serving." Okay, thanks, Piers.

News Lede

New York Times: "Roger Mudd, the anchorman who delivered the news and narrated documentaries with an urbane edge for three decades on CBS, NBC and PBS and conducted a 1979 interview that undermined the presidential hopes of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, died on Tuesday at his home in McLean, Va. He was 93."

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Sunday
Mar072021

The Commentariat -- March 8, 2021

Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here. They include news of the new CDC guidelines for vaccinated people.

** Lena Sun & Lenny Bernstein of the Washington Post: "Federal health officials released guidance Monday that gives fully vaccinated Americans more freedom to socialize and pursue routine daily activities, providing a pandemic-weary nation a first glimpse of what a new normal may look like in coming months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who are two weeks past their final shot face little risk if they visit indoors with unvaccinated members of a single household at low risk of severe disease, without wearing masks or distancing. That would free many vaccinated grandparents who live near their unvaccinated children and grandchildren to gather for the first time in a year. Long-distance travel is still discouraged, however. The CDC also said fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with those who are also fully vaccinated. And they do not need to quarantine, or be tested after exposure to the coronavirus, if they have no symptoms." This article is free to nonsubscribers. ~~~

     ~~~ The CDC's new guidelines for vaccinated people are here.

Tony Romm & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "House lawmakers are set to vote as soon as Tuesday on a roughly $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, putting President Biden on track to sign his first major legislative accomplishment into law by the end of the week. Democrats in the chamber are expected to approve the bill -- which includes a dramatic expansion of pandemic aid and federal safety net programs -- despite changes to critical elements of the stimulus adopted by the Senate over the weekend."

~~~~~~~~~~

Aamer Madhani of the AP: "A new executive order from President Joe Biden directs federal agencies to take a series of steps to promote voting access, a move that comes as congressional Democrats press for a sweeping voting and elections bill to counter efforts to restrict voting access. His plan was announced during a recorded address on the 56th commemoration of 'Bloody Sunday,' the 1965 incident in which some 600 civil rights activists were viciously beaten by state troopers as they tried to march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. 'Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have it counted,' Biden said in his remarks to Sunday's Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast before signing the order. 'If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote.'" The text of President Biden's order is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "Worried that Afghan peace talks are going nowhere, and facing a May 1 deadline for the possible withdrawal of all U.S. troops, the Biden administration has proposed sweeping plans for an interim power-sharing government between the Taliban and Afghan leaders, and stepped-up involvement by Afghanistan's neighbors -- including Iran -- in the peace process. Along with the proposal, shared with both sides over the past week by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that a U.S. departure remains under active consideration and could lead to 'rapid territorial gains' by the Taliban." An AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Whatever you may think of the plan, it's impossible not to notice we have a real President now, one who does not send his callow, dimwitted son-and-law out with a young sidekick to negotiate a so-called "Middle-East Peace Plan," then whine about not getting the Nobel Peace Prize for the effort.

Justine Coleman of the Hill: "President Biden nominated two female generals for promotions on Saturday, months after former President Trump's Pentagon officials reportedly delayed recommending they be promoted out of a concern the former president would reject them because they are women. The Pentagon issued two announcements declaring that Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost and Army Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson will take on new assignments to four-star commands if approved by the Senate as expected."

Manchin Okay with Forcing "Talking Filibuster." Nick Niedzwiadek of Politico: "Sen. Joe Manchin said Sunday he is open to altering the Senate filibuster to make it more 'painful' for the minority party to wield, while reiterating his opposition to ending the procedural hurdle altogether. 'The filibuster should be painful, it really should be painful and we've made it more comfortable over the years,' he said on 'Fox News Sunday.'... Manchin (D-W.Va.) has previously supported efforts to require senators to filibuster by talking on the chamber floor in order to hold up a bill, an idea he raised on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'If you want to make it a little bit more painful, make him stand there and talk,' Manchin said. 'I'm willing to look at any way we can, but I'm not willing to take away the involvement of the minority.'... Manchin did not rule out using the budget reconciliation process to pass a voting rights bill with a simple majority, keeping the door open to a potential workaround for Democrats to push through a voting overhaul while preserving the filibuster." (Also linked yesterday.)

Barrasso Sticks His Neck Out. A Little. John Bowden of the Hill: "A GOP senator who opposed both impeachments of former President Trump said Sunday that he believes impeachment-supporting Republicans such as Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) still have a place in the party. In an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) pushed back against Trump's call this week for Republicans to replace both Cheney and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the latter of whom the former president vowed to personally campaign against, while not addressing Trump's criticism. 'I want to always make sure we nominate somebody who can win in November. Lisa Murkowski knows Alaska better than anybody, and she's an incredible fighter for American energy. She hasn't made an announcement if she's even going to run again. If she does, I'm going to support her,' Barrasso said. 'With regard to Liz Cheney in Wyoming, we work closely together fighting the Biden administration,' he added...."

Eric Dolan of the Raw Story: Apparently to demonstrate his outrage at Dr. Seuss Enterprises for ending the publication of six Dr. Seuss children's books deemed racist, "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) ... posted a video of himself reading 'Green Eggs and Ham.'... 'It's such bad faith behavior from an already bad faith party," MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan said Sunday. 'Key fact, [there are] six books being withdrawn for racist anti-Chinese and anti-African imagery from the past -- not "Green Eggs and Ham." What's so fascinating is Fox News and Republicans have been obsessing about this for a week now while many Americans are hurting needing a COVID relief bill and they aren't even upset about it.'"

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Jason DeParle of the New York Times: "Obscured by other parts of President Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package, which won Senate approval on Saturday, the child benefit has the makings of a policy revolution. Though framed in technocratic terms as an expansion of an existing tax credit, it is essentially a guaranteed income for families with children, akin to children's allowances that are common in other rich countries. The plan establishes the benefit for a single year. But if it becomes permanent, as Democrats intend, it will greatly enlarge the safety net for the poor and the middle class at a time when the volatile modern economy often leaves families moving between those groups. More than 93 percent of children -- 69 million -- would receive benefits under the plan, at a one-year cost of more than $100 billion. The bill, which is likely to pass the House and be signed by Mr. Biden this week, raises the maximum benefit most families will receive by up to 80 percent per child and extends it to millions of families whose earnings are too low to fully qualify under existing law. Currently, a quarter of children get a partial benefit, and the poorest 10 percent get nothing." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: DeParle does mention Mitt Romney's "proposed a child benefit that is even larger, though it would be financed through other safety net cuts." But what DeParle doesn't tell us is that child welfare benefits are very much favored by the Ross Douthat brand of conservatism, which makes it all the more surprising that Biden's stimulus bill didn't get a single GOP Congressional vote.

Dying for Donald. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "The 100 U.S. counties with the highest death rates from COVID-19 voted for ... Donald Trump by 18 points, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.... Read the entire report here."

Idaho Potato Heads. Teach Your Children Well. Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "Cheering parents watched as children tossed surgical masks into a fire outside the Idaho Capitol in Boise on Saturday as more than 100 people gathered to protest mask mandates as an affront to their civil liberties. The rally was one of several held statewide in opposition to the coronavirus-related requirements, which health experts have said remain crucial even as vaccines are distributed and the number of new reported cases has dropped. Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) has never implemented a statewide mask requirement, though nearly a dozen areas of the state have local restrictions, including Boise. For months, Little has been at odds with Lt. Gov Janice McGeachin (R) over pandemic restrictions (in Idaho, the governor and lieutenant governor run on separate tickets). McGeachin vehemently opposes any mask mandates. McGeachin, who appeared in a video last fall that suggested the pandemic 'may or may not be occurring,' was photographed speaking at the Boise protest Saturday.... Idaho has tallied more than 173,000 cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and at least 1,800 deaths." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

     ~~~ Marie: I suppose it should be noted that the individuals tossing the masks -- children -- have few civil liberties. So making children burn masks as an affront to civil liberties doesn't make a lot of sense. The next time any of those kids gets in trouble for staying out past dinnertime or whatever, maybe he'll tell Mom & Dad their punishment is an affront to his civil liberties. See how far that gets you, Kid.

Texas Boneheads. Customers Punish Restaurateurs for Trying to Save Their Lives. Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "This week, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott R) said Tuesday that he would rescind the statewide mask mandate while the vast majority of residents remain unvaccinated, the tough choice to enforce public health guidance fell to business owners, and Picos [-- a Mexican restaurant in Houston --] announced it would continue requiring masks. But ... co-owner Monica Richards said: Several people sent hateful messages through social media and called the restaurant, threatening to report staffers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

Colorado. Life in a Lovely College Town. Matthew Brown of the AP: "Authorities promised Sunday to pursue criminal charges after a massive party near the University of Colorado in Boulder devolved into a violent confrontation with police that left three officers injured. Hundreds of people flooded the streets in an area known as the Hill on Saturday night and when told to leave threw bottles, rocks and other objects at police and firefighters, police said. At least one car was damaged when the mob flipped it over, and police brought in a SWAT team and used tear gas to break up the crowd that numbered 500 to 800 people at its peak, said Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold."

New York. "There Is No Way I Resign." -- Cuomo. Jesse McKinley & David Goodman of the New York Times: "In a potentially crippling defection in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's efforts to maintain power amid a sexual harassment scandal, the leader of the New York State Senate declared on Sunday that the governor should resign 'for the good of the state.' The leader of the Senate, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat from Westchester County, said that New York was facing multiple challenges -- including the ongoing pandemic -- and had been buffeted by allegations about Mr. Cuomo's behavior, his administration's 'toxic work environment,' and handling of the state's nursing homes.... Carl E. Heastie of the Bronx, [a Democrat & the Assembly's leader,] issued a statement shortly after his Senate counterpart on Sunday that expressed concerns about 'the governor's ability to continue to lead this state.... I think it is time for the governor to seriously consider whether he can effectively meet the needs of the people of New York,' Mr. Heastie said in a statement. The legislative leaders' remarks came just moments after Mr. Cuomo [said] ... in a conference call with reporters..., that he would not be distracted by the accusations, arguing that he was elected by the people, not 'by politicians.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Cuomo is apparently unaware that impeachment & conviction are political actions, and that he, too, is a "politician."

North Carolina. Methodists Accidentally Sell Their Church to the Devil. Billy Ball of the Washington Post: "Parkers Grove United Methodist Church has stood for a century along the road into tiny Linden.... The church's wood exterior is cracked, its steeple weathered, its sign broken. Its congregation, which had struggled to fill the 18 pews, held the final service several years ago. Parkers Grove was sold in early 2020.... The buyer was the Asatru Folk Assembly, an obscure white supremacist group. 'It's appalling,' Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, who leads the United Methodist Church in North Carolina, said recently. 'But we have no control over it. It's a reminder that hate groups are closer at hand than we think.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Way Beyond

AP: "Pope Francis urged Iraq's Christians on Sunday to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the community's historic heartland, which was nearly erased by the Islamic State group's horrific reign." ~~~

~~~ Jason Horowitz & Jane Arraf of the New York Times: "In an extraordinary moment on the last full day of the first papal trip to Iraq, [Pope] Francis went to the wounded heart of the country, [Mosul,] directly addressing the suffering, persecution and sectarian conflict that have torn the nation apart.... In [visiting Iraq], he has sought to protect an ancient but battered and shrunken Christian community, build relations with the Muslim world and reassert himself on the global stage after being grounded for more than a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Following a prayer in Mosul for the dead, Francis went to the northern towns where many Christians now live, visiting a church packed with jubilant -- and often unmasked -- faithful in Qaraqosh, home of the country's largest Christian population. He crossed into Iraqi Kurdistan in a long and heavily armed convoy protected by helicopters. It raced past sprawling refugee camps toward Erbil, where he ended the day celebrating a Mass for thousands in a stadium. There too, the flouting of social distancing restrictions raised concerns that the pope's efforts to be close to his flock might endanger them." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

U.K. (Sort of). Fairytale Revisited. Mark Landler of the New York Times: "A year after Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in a fairy-tale wedding, she said in an extraordinary interview broadcast on Sunday night, her life as a member of the British royal family had become so emotionally desolate that she contemplated suicide. At another point, members of the family told Harry and Meghan, a biracial former actress from the United States, that they did not want the couple's unborn child, Archie, to be a prince or princess, and expressed concerns about how dark the color of the baby's skin would be.... Meghan, 39, made the disclosures in an eagerly anticipated, and at times incendiary, interview on CBS with Oprah Winfrey that aired in the United States in prime time. In describing a royal life that began as a fairy tale but quickly turned cruel, her blunt answers raised the combustible issues of race and privilege in the most rarefied echelon of British society." A Washington Post story is here. The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Here are what the AP calls "memorable quotes" from the interview.


Marie: For a lively discussion of nothing of consequence (for the most part; exceptions noted), I recommend yesterday's short Comments thread.

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