The Commentariat -- February 12, 2021

Afternoon Update:

The Senate impeachment trial went into Q&A session at about 3:55 pm ET.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Whatever you think about Trump's culpability for the Capitol riot, the Trump team's presentation early on was overwhelmingly focused on things that didn't involve him. It was almost 100 percent whataboutism.... To rebut the argument from impeachment manager Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.) that Trump had laid a predicate for what became the Jan. 6 riot by predicting a stolen election, Trump's legal team played videos that showed Democrats ... not doing that.... We knew based upon briefs filed by that Trump team that it would lean on the free speech argument, but we didn't know just how absolute it would assert that right is -- especially given that there are well-established limits on such rights in public discourse, including defamation and incitement." MB: If you have a WashPo subscription, definitely read the part about cavalry/calvary. It's a hilarious argument, boiling down to, "No, no, no, she really meant she was bringing a holy mountain."

It Was Just a Field Trip to an Historic Site. Or Something. Kyle Cheney & Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "Donald Trump's lead impeachment attorney on Friday denied that the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 amounted to an insurrection, a novel claim that contradicts the Justice Department and the broadly accepted version of events. 'Clearly, there was no insurrection,' Bruce Castor told senators as the former president's legal team mounted their first and only day of arguments in the Senate's impeachment trial. Federal indictments against those who participated in the violence at the Capitol referred to the events as an 'insurrection,' and Republican congressional leaders have echoed that characterization."

Haley Bets Against the Hawley/Cruz Horse. Celine Castronuovo of the Hill: "Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley issued stunning remarks breaking with former President Trump, telling Politico in an interview published Friday that she believes he 'let us down.... He went down a path he shouldn't have, and we shouldn't have followed him, and we shouldn't have listened to him. And we can't let that ever happen again.' Haley's remarks are her strongest yet against the former president in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and come as Trump's legal team is set to present its defense of Trump on Friday in his second Senate impeachment trial." The interview, which is long & rambling, is by Tim Alberta & is published in Politico Magazine. As Alberta points out near the top, "Haley had navigated the Trump era with a singular shrewdness, messaging and maneuvering in ways that kept her in solid standing both with the GOP donor class as well as with the president and his base."

Melanie Is at the Spa Griping about Dr. Jill. Kate Bennett of CNN: "While ... Donald Trump watches his second impeachment trial unfold, Melania Trump spends most of her time post-White House relaxing at the spa and staying out of the fray.... Yet there have been moments of bitterness and regret, say several people with knowledge of Trump's conversations of late, most notably since Joe Biden's inauguration and with respect to the activities of her successor, Jill Biden." Although Melania Trump refused to sit for interviews with popular magazines, she is apparently upset that Jill Biden is getting so much press attention, uh, because she's will to sit for interviews. Also, too, Melania is upset Jill is getting attention for the work she is doing, even though Melania spent the first five months of Donald's presidency in New York. "... the former first lady is not blaming herself in hindsight, she's blaming others -- former staff members, magazine editors, and corporations and foundations...."

Matt Spetelnick, et al., of Reuters: "President Joe Biden's aides have launched a formal review of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, reviving the Obama-era goal of closing the controversial facility with the aim of doing so before he leaves office, the White House said on Friday. Aides involved in internal discussions are considering an executive action to be signed by Biden in coming weeks or months, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, signaling a new effort to remove what human rights advocates have called a stain on America's global image."

Alexandra Jaffe of the AP: "White House deputy press secretary T.J. Ducklo has been suspended for a week without pay after he reportedly issued a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that Ducklo's conduct was 'completely unacceptable.' Psaki said while she had not spoken about the incident with President Joe Biden, Ducklo and aides 'at the highest levels' of the White House's communications team had apologized for the incident.... Psaki said in a statement earlier Friday that Ducklo had been suspended without pay with the approval of White House chief of staff Ron Klain. She said Ducklo 'is the first to acknowledge this is not the standard of behavior set out' by Biden, and that Ducklo had sent the reporter in question 'a personal note professing his profound regret.'... On Friday, Vanity Fair published a report citing two unnamed sources that Ducklo had threatened the Politico reporter to try to suppress the story, telling her 'I will destroy you.'" MB: Assuming the Vanity Fair story is true, I would have fired Ducklo.

Jesse McKinley & Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the New York Times: "Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his top aides were facing new allegations on Friday that they covered up the scope of the death toll in the state's nursing homes from the coronavirus, after admissions that they withheld data in an effort to forestall potential investigations into state misconduct. The latest revelations came in the wake of private remarks by the governor's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, and a cascading series of reports and court orders that have nearly doubled the state's official toll of nursing home deaths in the last two weeks. The disclosures have left Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, scrambling to contain the political fallout, as lawmakers of both parties call for censure, including stripping the governor of his emergency powers during the pandemic, federal and state investigations and resignations of Ms. DeRosa and other top officials. In a conversation first reported on by the New York Post, Ms. DeRosa told a group of top lawmakers on Wednesday during a call to address the nursing home situation that 'basically, we froze,' after being asked last summer for information by the Trump administration's Department of Justice."

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Marie: It's 2/12 and the 212th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, deemed by many to be the U.S.'s "best" president, an apt day for lawyers to try to mount a defense of the worst president. The defense, sadly, will succeed, no matter if they do nothing but find and old phone book & read it, because the ladies & gentlemen sworn to be "impartial jurors" are more aligned with Jeff Davis than with Abe Lincoln. Happy Birthday, Abe!

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Eric Tucker, et al., of the AP: "After a prosecution case rooted in emotive, violent images from the Capitol siege, Donald Trump's impeachment trial shifts on Friday to defense lawyers prepared to make a fundamental concession: The violence was every bit as traumatic, unacceptable and illegal as Democrats say. But, they will say, Trump had nothing to do with it." MB: This is the "People don't kill people; guns kill people" argument. ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' story is here.

"Impartial Jurors" Meet with Trump Lawyers. Manu Raju & Alex Rogers of CNN: "A trio of Republican senators allied with ... Donald Trump met with his defense team Thursday evening, in the middle of an impeachment trial in which they will vote on whether to convict Trump and potentially bar him from holding public office again. Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah were spotted going into a room in the US Capitol that Trump's lawyers were using to prepare for their arguments. Trump lawyer David Schoen said that the senators were 'very friendly guys' who just wanted to make sure they were 'familiar with procedure' on the eve of their rebuttal to the House impeachment managers' presentation.... Cruz said the meeting with the Trump defense team was an opportunity for 'sharing our thoughts' about their legal strategy." ~~~

~~~ "Impartial Jurors" Sit Out Trial. David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement: "Fifteen of the 50 Republican Senators refused to show up for at least 'the first few hours' of Thursday's arguments by the Democratic managers in the Senate impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump, CNN's Manu Raju and Forbes report. That's 30 percent of the Republican caucus in the Senate, or nearly one-third of the GOP members. 'Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) were both away from their desks, for instance, while Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) was in the basement on his phone, CNN's Manu Raju reported,' Forbes adds. 'Many within the chamber were preoccupied with other activities: Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) were reading papers, while, according to CNN's Jeremy Herb, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) 'had a blank map of Asia on his desk and was writing on it like he was filling in the names of the countries.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I would not have been as nice to the "jurors" as the impeachment managers were. I would have told Hawley to get his feet off the furniture. I would have grabbed the map out of Rick Scott's hands & asked him how he could get Cambodia & Laos mixed up. I would have taken Burr's snacks away from him; "Just because I showed a video clip doesn't mean you're at the Bijou, buddy."  ~~~

~~~ The "Impartial Jurors" Are the Accomplices, (And They're About to Drive the Getaway Car). Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "The most powerful moments of their presentation were the temporal juxtapositions, like Trump tweeting, 'Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,' even as cable news showed the MAGA horde hunting him. (One insurrectionist read Trump's tweet through a bullhorn.) It was both gutting and more riveting than I would have expected, an indelible documentary of Trump's culminating crime against the Republic. Yet in one regard, the story the House managers told was a distortion.... Many Republicans were not Trump's victims, but his enablers. Indeed, one of the most perverse things about this impeachment is that the jury is stacked with the defendant's accomplices. Several Republican senators were eager participants in Trump's big lie.... They're being given a chance to rewrite the shameful history of how the Republican Party has behaved for the last four years.They will almost certainly not take it."

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The House Democrats prosecuting ... Donald J. Trump rested their case on Thursday, branding him a clear and present danger to United States democracy who could sow new violence like the deadly assault on the Capitol last month if he was not barred from holding office again. Calling on senators to render 'impartial justice' and embrace the 'common sense' of the country's founders, the nine impeachment managers closed their case by laying out the grave damage the Jan. 6 riot had caused not just to lawmakers or police officers at the Capitol, but to the democratic system and America's standing around the world. None of it, they argued, would have happened without Mr. Trump.... 'I'm not afraid of Donald Trump running again in four years,' said Representative Ted Lieu of California. 'I'm afraid he's going to run again and lose, because he can do this again.'... [Lead House manager Jamie] Raskin [D-Md.] said the evidence that Mr. Trump cultivated, incited and then showed no remorse for the attack warranted making him the first impeached president ever to be convicted and the first former president to be disqualified from holding future office." ~~~

~~~ Mike DeBonis & Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "House Democrats closed their impeachment case against Donald Trump on Thursday by linking his history of incendiary rhetoric and months-long campaign to undermine the November election to the statements of insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 -- and raising the prospect of future violence without a conviction.... Trump's defense will begin at noon Friday. Although his lawyers are entitled to 16 hours of argument over two days, a spokesman said Thursday that they expect to rest their case in one day.... A short defense presentation could put the Senate on track to vote on Trump's conviction as soon as Saturday, particularly after key Democratic senators said they believed that the managers had proved their case against Trump and saw no need for testimony from additional witnesses."

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post provides a fairly good summary of Day 3 of the Trump Impeachment Trial 2.0 when he outlines key takeaways. MB: A few of the details embedded in the takeaways I didn't know before today, like this one: "Trump also endorsed a clip from a supporter saying 'the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat' -- before that supporter was arrested for his part in the Capitol riot." Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times outlines some takeaways here.

Preview of the Insurrection. An example of the case against Trump. House manager Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) lays out how the violent attacks on the Michigan state house & the plot to kidnap & execute Gov. Gretchen Whitmer presaged the January 6 attack on the Capitol: ~~~

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "With conviction in a polarized Senate seemingly out of reach, the House managers ... are aiming their arguments at two other audiences beyond the chamber: the American people whose decision to deny Mr. Trump a second term was put at risk and the historians who will one day render their own judgments about the former president and his time in power. Through the expansive use of unsettling video footage showing both Mr. Trump's words and the brutal rampage that followed, the managers are using their moment in the national spotlight to make the searing images of havoc the inexpungible legacy of the Trump presidency. Rather than let the outrage subside, the managers are seeking to ensure that Mr. Trump is held accountable even if he is acquitted in the Senate."

The New York Times' live updates of the impeachment trial Thursday are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Washington Post's live updates are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Chilling new details emerged on Thursday about the plot by the Oath Keepers militia group to attack the Capitol as prosecutors said that members discussed a brazen plan to ferry 'heavy weapons' in a boat across the Potomac River into Washington and began training sessions 'for urban warfare, riot control and rescue operations' well before Election Day. The new accounts about the Oath Keepers' role in the Capitol assault came on the third day of ... Donald J. Trump's impeachment trial and included allegations that a member of the militia group was 'awaiting direction' from Mr. Trump about how to handle the results of the vote in the days that followed the election.... The Justice Department has brought charges against more than 200 people in the attack on the Capitol last month, but the case against [Jessica] Watkins and her two co-defendants, Thomas E. Caldwell and Donovan Crowl, is among the most serious to have emerged from the vast investigation." ~~~

     ~~~ Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "The Justice Department is now making clear that a leader among the Oath Keepers paramilitary group -- who planned and led others in the US Capitol siege to attempt to stop the Biden presidency -- believed she was responding to the call from ... Donald Trump himself. 'As the inauguration grew nearer, [Jessica] Watkins indicated that she was awaiting direction from President Trump,' prosecutors wrote in a filing Thursday morning. This is the most direct language yet from federal prosecutors linking Trump's requests for support in Washington, DC, to the most militant aspects of the insurrection.... 'Her concern about taking action without his backing was evident in a November 9, 2020, text in which she stated, "I am concerned this is an elaborate trap. Unless the POTUS himself activates us, it's not legit. The POTUS has the right to activate units too. If Trump asks me to come, I will. Otherwise, I can't trust it." Watkins had perceived her desired signal by the end of December.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Rachel Weiner & Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A former U.S. Navy intelligence officer and FBI official from Virginia has emerged as a key figure in the federal investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, as U.S. prosecutors alleged Thursday that he organized a group of trained fighters and was in contact with self-styled militia groups including the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters. In asking a federal judge to detain Thomas Edward Caldwell, 66, pending trial, prosecutors revealed some of the most explicit evidence to date of discussions allegedly indicating coordination and planning among groups under scrutiny for the assault on Congress that left one police officer and four others dead, delayed the confirmation of President Biden's victory.... Prosecutors allege Caldwell used his military and law enforcement background to plan violence -- including possible snipers and weapons stashed on a boat along the Potomac River -- weeks ahead of the Capitol insurrection."

Spencer Hsu & Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "Five people worked with Proud Boys from Kansas City and other unnamed individuals to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, U.S. prosecutors alleged, unsealing charges Thursday in one of the largest co-defendant cases yet brought in an investigation in which more than 200 have been charged. The defendants, wearing helmets, vests and tactical gear marked with fluorescent orange tape, 'appeared to gesture and communicate to one another' to coordinate efforts during and after forcing entry to the Capitol, the FBI alleged. Surveillance footage showed at least four taking actions to prevent police from deploying descending metal barriers to seal off underground access to the Capitol, allowing the invading crowd to surge forward, the FBI said in a 28-page affidavit dated Wednesday. The arrests of William Chrestman, Christopher Kuehne, Louis Enrique Colon, all of Kansas City, and siblings Felicia and Cory Konold bring the number of those affiliated with the Proud Boys to nearly 18 among those charged with battling law enforcement and obstructing the electoral vote confirmation of President Biden's victory." ~~~

~~~ Marie: It's worth remembering that members of both the Proud Boys & the Oath Keepers served as "bodyguards" for Roger Stone, the criminal dirty-trickster & friend of Trump whom Trump pardoned in December. While I have no idea what Stone & the gang discussed, it doesn't seem likely they just chatted about car engines, great Midwest bars & muscle shirts. I'm not saying there was a Jan. 6 conspiracy in which Trump was directly involved via Stone, but -- given what we know about Trump & his mob-boss methods -- it doesn't seem nuts to think there well might have been.

Barbara Starr & Caroline Kelly of CNN: "Military officials overseeing the authorization process to launch nuclear weapons were unaware on January 6 that then-Vice President Mike Pence's military aide carrying the 'nuclear football' was potentially in danger as rioters got close during the violent Capitol insurrection, according to a defense official. The vice president is always accompanied by a backup of the 'football,' which contains the equipment to carry out orders to launch a nuclear strike. It must be ready at all times and is identical to what the president carries, in case he becomes incapacitated. US Strategic Command became aware of the gravity of the incident after seeing a video played at the Senate impeachment trial Wednesday showing Pence, his Secret Service agents and a military officer carrying the briefcase with classified nuclear launch information running down a flight of stairs inside the Capitol to get to safety, the official said."

Michael Schmidt & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "A little more than a month after the Capitol siege, a fuller picture of the injuries sustained by the police has emerged from court documents, footage revealed at ... Donald J. Trump's impeachment trial, accounts provided by officers and interviews with law enforcement officials and experts. The Capitol assault resulted in one of the worst days of injuries for law enforcement in the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At least 138 officers -- 73 from the Capitol Police and 65 from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington -- were injured, the departments have said. They ranged from bruises and lacerations to more serious damage such as concussions, rib fractures, burns and even a mild heart attack.... The number of those injured does not account for the dozens, if not hundreds, of officers whom law enforcement officials estimate will suffer in years to come with post-traumatic stress disorder and the dozens who most likely contracted the coronavirus from unmasked Trump supporters who overran the Capitol, the experts and officials said."

Michigan. WXYZ Detroit: "Mike Shirkey, the Republican majority leader of the Michigan state senate, was caught on a hot mic Wednesday seemingly walking back an apology he made earlier this week for calling the riots at the U.S. Capitol a 'hoax.' Earlier this week, a video of Shirkey's meeting with Republican leaders from Hillsdale County leaked in which Shirkey referred to the Jan. 6 riots as a 'hoax,' and placed blame on Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, claiming he 'wanted to have a mess.' On Tuesday, Shirkey apologized for those comments, saying that he 'regrets the words that I chose and I apologize for my insensitive comments'. But on Wednesday while on the Senate floor, Shirkey was caught on a hot mic appearing to completely walk back the apology he made the day before. 'Frankly, I don't take back any of the points I was trying to make,' Shirkey said during a conversation with Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist, a Democrat." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In the context of this NYT story, linked here a few days ago, Shirkey's walk-back of a walk-back are especially frightening.

Trump Has Taught Nutjobs that "Free Speech" Includes Making Death Threats. Tina Burnside & Hollie Silverman of CNN: "A North Carolina man has been charged with making threats to kill President Joe Biden, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed in court Thursday. David Kyle Reeves, 27, of Gastonia, North Carolina, was arrested February 5 for knowingly and willfully making threats to take the life of and inflict bodily harm upon the President, according to newly unsealed court documents. Prosecutors allege that between January 28 and February 1, Reeves contacted the White House switchboard multiple times by phone and made threats against President Biden and others.... Reeves called [a Secret Service] agent several times ... making threats against the President, the agent and others. Reeves told the Secret Service agent 'that he had free speech and did nothing wrong,' according to an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint."

Made in China. Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "In his more than two years as secretary of state, Mike Pompeo pulled no punches against China, regularly criticizing it for human rights abuses, military aggressions and the spread of the coronavirus. But when it came to passing out party favors, Mr. Pompeo relied on the country to help produce the perfect pen. Documents released on Thursday show that Mr. Pompeo used taxpayer funds to buy 400 specially embossed pens, worth more than $10,000 in total, for guests who attended private dinners at the State Department as he mulled his political future."

If you would like to think about Rep. Marjorie Greene (Q-Ga.) having extramarital sex, then this Daily Mail story is for you. MB: Even though I didn't actually read the story, I, for one, am glad to see the Mail getting back to its regular beat. For some reason I thought the Mail had become a Murdoch enterprise, but I was wrong. The controlling shareholder is Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere. It is nice to know what it means to be upper-crust in the U.K.

Meanwhile ~~~

Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "The Biden administration on Friday rolled out its plans for addressing tens of thousands of migrants camped out at the southern border as it seeks to replace the Trump administration's 'remain in Mexico' policy. President Trump's policy, rolled out in 2019, blocked migrants at the Mexican border from entering the U.S. to apply for asylum, leaving what the Biden administration estimates is now around 25,000 people awaiting their fate in Mexico. In what the administration deemed as Phase 1 of their plan, the U.S. will begin processing as many as 300 people per day at three different undisclosed ports of entry starting Feb. 19.... The U.S. will begin by processing those who have already enrolled in Trump's Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program who must then coordinate with a forthcoming international organization who will help coordinate housing and test migrants for Covid-19. Only those with a negative test will be permitted to enter. Administration officials said they would 'start small' in an effort to ensure the system is working and that migrants can 'be processed in a timely fashion with due regard for public health in the middle of a pandemic.'"

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "America's federal debt is set to exceed the size of the entire U.S. economy this year for only the second time since the end of World War II, a reflection of the extraordinary emergency measures approved by Congress in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Thursday.... It's the second time it's happened, in two years. Democratic lawmakers and many economists say another spending blitz is necessary to stabilize an economy that has stalled out and a job market that faces the prospect of permanent scarring. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell said the unemployment rate for January should be considered closer to 10 percent, rather than the official number of 6.3 percent, due to misclassification errors and workers permanently leaving the labor force.... The CBOs debt estimates are based on current policy and do not account for the $1.9 trillion stimulus package Democrats are expected to pass in a matter of weeks."

Stacey Abrams & Lauren Groh-Wargo in a New York Times op-ed on "how to turn a red state blue" (or purple): "The steps toward victory are straightforward: understand your weaknesses, organize with your allies, shore up your political infrastructure and focus on the long game. Georgia's transformation is worth celebrating, and how it came to be is a long and complicated story, which required more than simply energizing a new coterie of voters. What Georgia Democrats and progressives accomplished here -- and what is happening in Arizona and North Carolina -- can be exported to the rest of the Sun Belt and the Midwest, but only if we understand how we got here."

Anna Kambhampaty of Politico: "The conservative activist organization Project Veritas was suspended from Twitter on Thursday for violating platform rules. The account was 'permanently suspended for repeated violations of Twitter's private information policy,' a Twitter spokesperson said. The group's founder, James O'Keefe, had his account temporarily locked, also for violation of the private information policy. 'The account owner is required to delete the violative Tweet to regain access to their account,' the spokesperson said."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

** Isaac Stanley-Becker, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden said Thursday his administration had finalized deals for another 200 million doses of the two coronavirus vaccines authorized in the United States, securing sufficient shots to cover everyone currently eligible for inoculation by the end of July. In remarks capping an afternoon tour of the National Institutes of Health, Biden said the federal government had purchased 100 million more doses from Pfizer and German company BioNTech, as well as 100 million more from Moderna, using options built into existing contracts with those companies. The announcement was the centerpiece of an emotional address from Biden, who made a point of speaking through his mask as he called it a 'patriotic responsibility' to wear one." ~~~

     ~~~ Katie Rogers & Noah Weiland of the New York Times: “... but President Biden warned that logistical hurdles would most likely mean that many Americans will still not have been vaccinated by the end of the summer.... Both vaccines are two-dose regimens, spaced three and four weeks apart. Mr. Biden lamented the 'gigantic' logistical challenge he faces during an appearance at the National Institutes of Health. He also expressed open frustration with the previous administration. 'It's one thing to have the vaccine,' Mr. Biden said. 'It's another thing to have vaccinators.'... Dr. Anthony S. Fauci predicted on Thursday morning that as early as April, any American could begin seeking a vaccine in an 'open season' that would extend availability beyond priority categories."

Amanda Holpuch of the Guardian: "The US could have averted 40% of the deaths from Covid-19, had the country's death rates corresponded with the rates in other high-income G7 countries, according to a Lancet commission tasked with assessing Donald Trump's health policy record. Almost 470,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus so far, with the number widely expected to go above half a million in the next few weeks. At the same time some 27 million people in the US have been infected. Both figures are by far the highest in the world. In seeking to respond to the pandemic, Trump has been widely condemned for not taking the pandemic seriously enough soon enough, spreading conspiracy theories, not encouraging mask wearing and undermining scientists and others seeking to combat the virus's spread." Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: I have been wondering what sort of number could be attached to Trump's Covid-19 failures. This scientific effort is useful. (Also linked yesterday.)

Noah Weiland, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump was sicker with Covid-19 in October than publicly acknowledged at the time, with extremely depressed blood oxygen levels at one point and a lung problem associated with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to four people familiar with his condition. His prognosis became so worrisome before he was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator, two of the people familiar with his condition said.... The new details about his condition and about the effort inside the White House to get him special access to an unapproved drug to fight the virus help to flesh out one of the most dire episodes of Mr. Trump's presidency. The new revelations about Mr. Trump's struggle with the virus also underscore the limited and sometimes misleading nature of the information disclosed at the time about his condition.... Mr. Trump's physician, Dr. Sean P. Conley, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump's condition during his illness." A CNN story is here.

New York. Bernard Condon & Jennifer Peltz of the AP: "More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients in New York state were released from hospitals into nursing homes early in the pandemic under a controversial directive that was scrapped amid criticism it accelerated outbreaks, according to new records obtained by The Associated Press. The new number of 9,056 recovering patients sent to hundreds of nursing homes is more than 40% higher than what the state health department previously released. And it raises new questions as to whether a March 25 directive from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration helped spread sickness and death among residents, a charge the state disputes.... The new figures come as the Cuomo administration has been forced in recent weeks to acknowledge it has been underreporting the overall number of COVID-19 deaths among long-term care residents. It is now nearly 15,000 up from the 8,500 previously disclosed."

Beyond the Beltway

New York. Savador Hernandez of BuzzFeed News: "Felony charges were dropped Thursday against two police officers in Buffalo, New York, who violently shoved a 75-year-old protester, causing him to fall, hit his head on the sidewalk, and bleed from his ear, officials said. Graphic video of the incident captured by local NPR station WBFO showed the moment officers shoved the peace activist during a Black Lives Matter protest in June, and quickly went viral. The footage shows the man, Martin Gugino, walking up to police officers as they begin to yell 'Move!' and 'Push him back!' while enforcing a city curfew.... Police had initially told reporters Gugino 'tripped and fell,' without making any mention of the officers' role.... Two of the officers seen in the video, Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe, had faced second-degree assault charges, but a grand jury that reviewed the cases voted to dismiss them, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said at a news conference Thursday."

Texas. Alex Samuels & Kate McGee of the Texas Tribune: "Late last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fired multiple senior aides who accused him of accepting a bribe. A court filing obtained by The Texas Tribune reveals for the first time what four of those aides believe Paxton received in exchange for helping a donor with his business affairs. An updated version of a lawsuit filed by the four whistleblowers claims that Austin real estate developer Nate Paul helped Paxton remodel his house and gave a job to a woman with whom Paxton allegedly had an affair. In return, the aides allege, Paxton used his office to help Paul's business interests, investigate Paul's adversaries and help settle a lawsuit. The claims in the filing provide even more details about what the former aides believe Paxton's motivations were in what they describe as a 'bizarre, obsessive use of power.'"

The Commentariat -- February 11, 2021

Late Morning Update:

Amanda Holpuch of the Guardian: "The US could have averted 40% of the deaths from Covid-19, had the country's death rates corresponded with the rates in other high-income G7 countries, according to a Lancet commission tasked with assessing Donald Trump's health policy record. Almost 470,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus so far, with the number widely expected to go above half a million in the next few weeks. At the same time some 27 million people in the US have been infected. Both figures are by far the highest in the world. In seeking to respond to the pandemic, Trump has been widely condemned for not taking the pandemic seriously enough soon enough, spreading conspiracy theories, not encouraging mask wearing and undermining scientists and others seeking to combat the virus's spread." Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: I have been wondering what sort of number could be attached to Trump's Covid-19 failures. This scientific effort is useful.

Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "The Justice Department is now making clear that a leader among the Oath Keepers paramilitary group -- who planned and led others in the US Capitol siege to attempt to stop the Biden presidency -- believed she was responding to the call from ... Donald Trump himself. 'As the inauguration grew nearer, [Jessica] Watkins indicated that she was awaiting direction from President Trump,' prosecutors wrote in a filing Thursday morning. This is the most direct language yet from federal prosecutors linking Trump's requests for support in Washington, DC, to the most militant aspects of the insurrection.... 'Her concern about taking action without his backing was evident in a November 9, 2020, text in which she stated, "I am concerned this is an elaborate trap. Unless the POTUS himself activates us, it's not legit. The POTUS has the right to activate units too. If Trump asks me to come, I will. Otherwise, I can't trust it." Watkins had perceived her desired signal by the end of December.'"

WXYZ Detroit: "Mike Shirkey, the Republican majority leader of the Michigan state senate, was caught on a hot mic Wednesday seemingly walking back an apology he made earlier this week for calling the riots at the U.S. Capitol a 'hoax.' Earlier this week, a video of Shirkey's meeting with Republican leaders from Hillsdale County leaked in which Shirkey referred to the Jan. 6 riots as a 'hoax,' and placed blame on Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, claiming he 'wanted to have a mess.' On Tuesday, Shirkey apologized for those comments, saying that he 'regrets the words that I chose and I apologize for my insensitive comments'. But on Wednesday while on the Senate floor, Shirkey was caught on a hot mic appearing to completely walk back the apology he made the day before. 'Frankly, I don't take back any of the points I was trying to make,' Shirkey said during a conversation with Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist, a Democrat." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In the context of this NYT story, linked here a few days ago, Shirkey's walk-back of a walk-back are especially frightening.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of the impeachment trial Thursday are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Washington Post's live updates are here.

Trump Incites Mob to Attack, Kidnap and/or Murder Pence. Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The House impeachment managers opened their prosecution of Donald J. Trump on Wednesday with a meticulous account of his campaign to overturn the election and goad supporters to join him, bringing its most violent spasms to life with never-before-seen security footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Filling the Senate chamber with the profane screams of the attackers, images of police officers being brutalized, and near-miss moments in which Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers came steps away from confronting a mob hunting them down, the prosecutors made an emotional case that Mr. Trump's election lies had directly endangered the heart of American democracy. They played frantic police radio calls warning that 'we've lost the line,' body camera footage showing an officer pummeled with poles and fists on the West Front of the Capitol, and silent security tape from inside showing Mr. Pence, his family and members of the House and Senate racing to evacuate as the mob closed in, chanting: 'Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!'" ~~~

~~~ Lauren Gambino & Sam Levine of the Guardian: "Democrats revealed disturbing new recordings of the mob attack on the US Capitol last month as they presented their case on Wednesday in the historic second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. House impeachment managers constructed a timeline which they said showed that the former president was 'singularly responsible' for the deadly assault, which brought a violent mob within footsteps of the nation's political leaders." ~~~

~~~ James Poniewozik of the New York Times: "... the proceeding against ... Donald J. Trump was likely the first to include a parental advisory for graphic violence. Beginning Wednesday's presentation, which included never-before-seen video of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, Representative Jamie Raskin, the lead House impeachment manager, began with a warning: 'We do urge parents and teachers to exercise close review of what young people are watching here, and please watch along with them if you're allowing them to watch.' The chilling footage wasn't much easier for adults -- for anyone, really, who wants to believe that America is a secure, stable democracy. It was horrible, but it was also horribly necessary. In a brutal and deftly edited presentation, the managers presented the attack on the election's certification as a found-footage horror movie." A Washington Post story is here.

Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "The chilling, unseen footage of a riotous mob storming through the U.S. Capitol intent on killing Vice President Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was presented to senators by a nonvoting member of Congress from the Virgin Islands. Del. Stacey Plaskett, a former prosecutor in the Bronx couldn't even vote on the article of impeachment against Trump, but in her role as impeachment manager, she has emerged in the Senate trial as a commanding presence entrusted with the grave task of showing how dangerously close the rioters came to lawmakers and staff members on Jan. 6."

The Washington Post's live updates of the second day of the second Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump are here: "House managers are scheduled Wednesday to begin laying out their case that Donald Trump incited the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, as the historic second impeachment trial of the former president enters its second day in the Senate. The trial could wrap up as early as the weekend." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates of Wednesday's impeachment trial are here. The Guardian's live updates of the second day of the trial are here. The Senate will convene at noon ET for the trial. (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: This, for me, was a stomach-churning day. I had no intention of watching the entire presentation, but it was so stunning, I found it difficult to look away.

Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "House impeachment managers built their case against ... Donald J. Trump on Wednesday, methodically using video and audio clips to argue that Mr. Trump was responsible for the deadly assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6. Throughout much of the day, the managers let Mr. Trump and his supporters do the talking, showing videos of Mr. Trump's speeches, his Twitter posts and footage of his supporters answering his rallying cries that began months before the attack. Here are some takeaways from the second day of the trial."

** Trump Lashed Out at Pence on Twitter Right After He Found Out Pence Was in Danger. S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "Donald Trump posted a tweet attacking his own vice president for lacking 'the courage' to overturn the election for him ― enraging his Jan. 6 mob even further ― just minutes after learning that Mike Pence had been removed from the Senate chamber for his own safety.... Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told reporters Wednesday night, following the second day of the former president's impeachment trial, that Trump had called for his help in delaying election certification the afternoon of the U.S. Capitol attack but he had told Trump that Pence had just been taken from the Senate and he couldn't talk just then. 'He didn't get a chance to say a whole lot because I said, "Mr. President, they just took the vice president out. I've got to go,"' Tuberville said. According to video footage from that day, Pence was removed from the Senate at 2:14 p.m. after rioters had broken into the Capitol, meaning that when Trump lashed out at Pence at 2:24 p.m., he already knew Pence's life was in danger. 'Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,' Trump wrote in his tweet." MB: Thanks for clearing that up, Mr. Potato Head. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: According to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tuberville was using Lee's cellphone to speak to Trump. The reason Tuberville cut the call short was that Lee told him security was evacuating the Senate, & Lee wanted his phone back. It seems likely that Tuberville would have related this emergency evacuation to Trump, too; IOW, yet another signal to Trump that the situation was dire.

A Jury of Co-conspirators. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Trump had a lot of assistance in pushing [his fake election fraud] case, including from the conservative media and his campaign team. But he was also assisted by a large segment of the Republican Senate caucus, the group that is currently being asked to see his behavior after the election as part of an effort to overthrow the results of the presidential election. Nearly half of the Republican caucus ... is being asked to judge that the falsehood they helped propel was an instrumental part of an attempted insurrection against the U.S. government." Bump reprises some of the support GOP senators gave Trump's false claims. ~~~

     ~~~ For Instance, There's This Juror. Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told reporters after viewing the explicit videos of the attack on the Capitol the Senate trial is a 'complete waste of time.'... Asked if he thinks Trump bears any responsibility for the attack, Scott said, 'Look, I've been clear that that I wish the president had said something faster when they broke into it, but, you know, I've watched what he said. He's never said when somebody should break in -- [he] actually said that people should do this peacefully.'" ~~~

     ~~~ AND This Insolent Punk. Samson Amore of the Wrap: "Republican Sen. Josh Hawley's conduct during Trump's second impeachment trial enraged viewers [Wednesday] afternoon after he was seen kicking back with his feet up and ignoring the proceedings -- even though he's a juror on the case. Reporters covering the trial spotted Hawley sitting in the gallery of the Senate chamber instead of on the floor. NBC News' Garrett Haake tweeted that he saw the Missouri senator 'sitting up in the gallery with his feet up on the seat in front of him, reviewing paperwork, throughout the trial.' 'Not once has he paid attention to the impeachment trial,' reporter Hugo Lowell noted." MB: The studio photo of Hawley that accompanies the story makes me think of an insolent punk I used to know; these little fools have no idea they're not the cool dudes they play on teevee. ~~~

     ~~~ AND This One, Who Wants to Have It Both Ways. John McCormack of the National Review: "Texas senator Ted Cruz was one of the 44 Republicans who voted that ... Donald Trump is not 'subject to a court of impeachment for acts committed while president,' but in an article on Fox News, Cruz argues that, in fact, the Constitution does give Congress the authority to impeach and convict a former president. Cruz writes: 'I believe that the better constitutional argument is that a former president can be impeached and tried -- that is, that the Senate has jurisdiction to hold a trial. However, nothing in the text of the Constitution requires the Senate to choose to exercise jurisdiction. In these particular circumstances, I believe the Senate should decline to exercise jurisdiction -- and so I voted to dismiss this impeachment on jurisdictional grounds.'" MB Translation: So let's impeach President Obama.

Jim Acosta & Pamela Brown of CNN: "Advisers to ... Donald Trump say he still has not expressed remorse for the siege at the US Capitol, which could end up being important for Senate jurors to consider after House impeachment managers on Wednesday released new video of the violent mob's assault on January 6. One of the new clips show then-Vice President Mike Pence and his family being hustled away by Secret Service as the siege was under way.... Pence, who plans to keep laying low during the impeachment trial, has not quite patched up his relationship with Trump after what happened, according to a source familiar with the situation." MB: So it's been more than a month since Trump (1) directed a mob to lynch mike pence &, (2) Trump feels no remorse about it. Yet pence hasn't "quite patched up his relationship with Trump"? As for me, I would never "patch up my relationship with" someone who sicced a murderous mob on me. The other cheek I'd turn is on my backside.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "One of the Proud Boys arrested for participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol told a court Wednesday that he was duped by ... Donald Trump's 'deception' and 'acted out of the delusional belief' that he was responding patriotically to the commander in chief. Dominic Pezzola, who was indicted last month and charged with conspiracy, urged a federal court to grant his release pending trial, emphasizing that his involvement in the Proud Boys was recent and minimal and that he has no other criminal history. But the most notable part of Pezzola's 15-page motion for leniency was his thorough repudiation of Trump. '[D]efendant acted out of the delusional belief that he was a "patriot" protecting his country ... He was responding to the entreaties of the-then commander in chief, President Trump,' Pezzola's lawyer argued in the filing. 'The President maintained that the election had been stolen and it was the duty of loyal citizens to "stop the steal." Admittedly there was no rational basis for the claim, but it is apparent defendant was one of millions of Americans who were misled by the President's deception.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Anna Massoglia of Open Secrets: "Newly identified payments in recent Federal Election Commission filings show people involved in organizing the protests on Jan. 6 received even larger sums from Trump's 2020 campaign than previously known. OpenSecrets unearthed more than $3.5 million in direct payments from Trump;s 2020 campaign, along with its joint fundraising committees, to people and firms involved in the Washington, D.C. demonstration before a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. Recent FEC filings show at least three individuals listed on permit records for the Washington, D.C. demonstration were on the Trump campaign's payroll through Nov. 30, 2020. The Trump campaign paid Event Strategies Inc., a firm named in a permit for the rally that also employed two individuals involved in the demonstration, as recently as Dec. 15, just three weeks before the attacks on the U.S. Capitol. That's according to the most recent FEC filings covering spending through the end of 2020.... But the American public may never know the full extent of the Trump campaign's payments to organizers involved in the protests. That's because the campaign used an opaque payment scheme that concealed details of hundreds of millions of dollars in spending by routing payments through shell companies where the ultimate payee is hidden." (Also linked yesterday.)

Michigan. Caroline Kelly of CNN: "Michigan state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey apologized Tuesday for calling the US Capitol riot a hoax and espousing several conspiracy theories implicating political leadership in a video recorded and posted to YouTube.... In a statement Tuesday, Shirkey acknowledged the video tape was legitimate and apologized for his comments. 'I said some things in a videoed conversation that are not fitting for the role I am privileged to serve,' he said. 'I own that. I have many flaws. Being passionate coupled with an occasional lapse in restraint of tongue are at least two of them.... 'I regret the words I chose, and I apologize for my insensitive comments.'... 'That wasn't Trump people,' Shirkey said of the January 6 riots in a video taken in a restaurant. 'That's been a hoax from day one, that was all pre-arranged,' Shirkey said, asserting that rioters 'went in on separate buses, that was all arranged by somebody that was funding everyone.... Why wasn't there more security? It was ridiculous, it was all staged,' he continued, before pointing to conspiracy theories that Republican leadership -- including Senate Minority Mitch McConnell -- were somehow involved, and questioning how and why some casualties occurred or were recorded." (Also linked yesterday.)

** Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "Prosecutors in Fulton County have initiated a criminal investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's attempts to overturn Georgia's election results, including a phone call he made to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Mr. Trump pressured him to 'find' enough votes to help him reverse his loss. On Wednesday, Fani Willis, the recently elected Democratic prosecutor in Fulton County, sent a letter to numerous officials in state government, including Mr. Raffensperger, requesting that they preserve documents related to Mr. Trump's call, according to a state official with knowledge of the letter. The letter explicitly stated that the request was part of a criminal investigation, said the official...." A CNBC story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Haley Messenger of NBC News: "Twitter will uphold its ban on ... Donald Trump, even if he were to run for office again, according to the company's chief financial officer. 'When you're removed from the platform, you're removed from the platform,' Twitter CFO Ned Segal told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday morning. 'Our policies are designed to make sure that people are not inciting violence,' Segal said. 'He was removed when he was president and there'd be no difference for anybody who's a public official once they've been removed from the service.'" Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ben Protess & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "In the final months of the Trump administration, senior Justice Department officials repeatedly sought to block federal prosecutors in Manhattan from taking a crucial step in their investigation into Rudolph W. Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine, delaying a search warrant for some of Mr. Giuliani's electronic records.... The actions by political appointees at the Justice Department in Washington effectively slowed the investigation.... Last summer, prosecutors and F.B.I. agents in Manhattan were preparing to seek the search warrant.... But first, the investigators in Manhattan had to notify Justice Department officials in Washington, who must be consulted about search warrants involving lawyers.... While career Justice Department officials in Washington largely supported the search warrant, senior officials raised concerns that the warrant would be issued too close to the election [even though Manhattan agents were seeking the warrants more than 60 days before the election].... But even [after the election], political appointees in Mr. Trump's Justice Department, including officials in the deputy attorney general's office at the time, did not approve...."

Meanwhile ~~~

Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "President Biden and Vice President Harris paid tribute to the contributions of Black service members, acknowledging the barriers they have faced in uniform, on Wednesday during their first official visit to the Pentagon. Speaking to reporters, Biden referred to the service of African Americans from the Revolutionary War to the conflicts of the modern era, even though their actions, as Biden put it, 'were not always recognized or honored appropriately.' The president noted that more than 40 percent of active-duty troops are people of color, a share that remains underrepresented at the military's highest levels.... Biden and Harris later visited an area of the Pentagon that honors pioneering African American troops, including the Tuskegee Airmen, a mostly Black aviator unit that flew sorties during World War II, when the military was still segregated."

Natasha Bertrand of Politico: "President Joe Biden held his first official phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday night, marking an end to weeks of conspicuous silence between the leaders. During the call, Biden confronted Xi about China's 'coercive and unfair economic practices, crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan,' according to a readout of the call. They also discussed the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, among other issues." The New York Times' story is here.

David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Biden announced on Wednesday that he was imposing sanctions that would prevent the generals who engineered a coup in Myanmar from gaining access to $1 billion in funds their government keeps in the United States, and said he would announce additional actions against the military leaders and their families. It was the first concrete step the U.S. government has taken since Mr. Biden demanded that the generals restore democracy and release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the nation's civilian leader. Noting that protests were growing, Mr. Biden warned that 'violence against those asserting their democratic rights is unacceptable' and that 'the world is watching.'"

Susannah Luthi of Politico: "The Biden administration is withdrawing the federal government's support for a challenge to Obamacare, telling the Supreme Court that the law should remain on the books.... The move will likely have little impact on the outcome of the case, which the justices heard one week after Election Day and could decide on soon."

Sarah Dadouch & Kareem Fahim of the Washington Post: "Saudi Arabia released Loujain al-Hathloul, one of the country's most prominent women's rights activists, from prison on Wednesday in the clearest sign yet that the kingdom's leaders were taking steps to assuage President Biden's complaints about human rights violations. Hathloul, 31, has been among the most visible faces of an unrelenting Saudi crackdown on human rights advocates, dissidents and civil society activists. Her imprisonment, which lasted 1,001 days, and her allegations that she had been tortured, sparked an international outcry. Her release from prison comes at a time when Saudi Arabia faces increased skepticism, if not hostility, in Washington after the election of a new president and after the Democrats won control of the Senate." ~~~

     ~~~ Martin Chulov of the Guardian: "Following a concerted campaign by her relatives and global rights groups, [Loujain al-]Hathloul was granted probation by a judge in Riyadh and released to her family on Wednesday afternoon.... Hathloul became a cause célèbre for leading Democrats in the US during her imprisonment and her case had been championed by Joe Biden during his presidential election campaign. The release of the activist is thought to at least in part be connected to Biden's election win."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Jennifer Jett of the New York Times: "Instagram took down the account of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the political scion and prominent anti-vaccine activist, on Wednesday over false information related to the coronavirus. 'We removed this account for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines,' Facebook, which owns Instagram, said in a statement. Mr. Kennedy, the son of the former senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, worked for decades as an environmental lawyer but is now better known as an anti-vaccine crusader. A 2019 study found that two groups including his nonprofit, now called Children's Health Defense, had funded more than half of Facebook advertisements spreading misinformation about vaccines." MB: Good. I hope this means that anti-vaxxers will soon find their dangerous message barred from all social media.

Lena Sun & Fenit Nirappil of the Washington Post: "Federal health officials Wednesday urged Americans to consider wearing two masks as one of several strategies to better protect themselves against the threat of more contagious variants of the coronavirus. Two methods substantially boost fit and protection, according to a CDC report and updated guidance on its website. One is wearing a cloth mask over a disposable surgical mask. The second is improving the fit of a single surgical mask by knotting the ear loops and tucking in the sides close to the face to prevent air from leaking out around the edges and to form a closer fit. Both of those methods reduced exposure to potentially infectious aerosols by more than 95 percent in a laboratory experiment using dummies, the report said." The article is free to nonsubscribers.

Beth Reinhard of the Washington Post: "Former Washington Football Team cheerleaders who appeared in lewd videos that team employees secretly produced from outtakes of 2008 and 2010 swimsuit calendar shoots have reached confidential settlements with the team.... An August report in The Washington Post [revealed that] about two 10-minute videos set to classic rock hits they said were made without their knowledge. In the videos, some of the cheerleaders' nipples are exposed as they shifted positions and adjusted props, and two cheerleaders' pubic areas are obscured only partly by body paint."

Apparently Reality Chex commentators who periodically complain about right-wing bias on NPR just have not been making compelling criticisms. You all should have asked about dinosaurs. ~~~

~~~ "Newsy Things Considered." Mary Kelly of NPR: "An 8-year-old from Minneapolis recently pointed out a big problem with NPR's oldest news show, All Things Considered. Leo Shidla wrote to his local NPR station: 'My name is Leo and I am 8 years old. I listen to All Things Considered in the car with mom. I listen a lot. I never hear much about nature or dinosaurs or things like that. Maybe you should call your show Newsy things Considered, since I don't get to hear about all the things. Or please talk more about dinosaurs and cool things....' Leo has a point. All Things Considered is about to turn 50 years old. NPR's archivists found the word 'dinosaur' appearing in stories 294 times in the show's history. By comparison, 'senator' has appeared 20,447 times. To remedy the situation, All Things Considered invited Leo to ask some questions about dinosaurs to Ashley Poust, a research associate at the San Diego Natural History Museum." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Lede

CNBC: "First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 793,000 last week as declining Covid-19 cases provided little relief for the jobs market. The total for the week ended Feb. 6 was above the 760,000 forecast from economists surveyed by Dow Jones but a slight decrease from the previous week's upwardly revised total of 812,000."

The Commentariat -- February 10, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

** Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "Prosecutors in Fulton County have initiated a criminal investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's attempts to overturn Georgia's election results, including a phone call he made to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Mr. Trump pressured him to 'find' enough votes to help him reverse his loss. On Wednesday, Fani Willis, the recently elected Democratic prosecutor in Fulton County, sent a letter to numerous officials in state government, including Mr. Raffensperger, requesting that they preserve documents related to Mr. Trump's call, according to a state official.... The letter explicitly stated that the request was part of a criminal investigation, said the official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal matters." A CNBC story is here.

Anna Massoglia of Open Secrets: "Newly identified payments in recent Federal Election Commission filings show people involved in organizing the protests on Jan. 6 received even larger sums from Trump's 2020 campaign than previously known. OpenSecrets unearthed more than $3.5 million in direct payments from Trump's 2020 campaign, along with its joint fundraising committees, to people and firms involved in the Washington, D.C. demonstration before a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. Recent FEC filings show at least three individuals listed on permit records for the Washington, D.C. demonstration were on the Trump campaign's payroll through Nov. 30, 2020. The Trump campaign paid Event Strategies Inc., a firm named in a permit for the rally that also employed two individuals involved in the demonstration, as recently as Dec. 15, just three weeks before the attacks on the U.S. Capitol. That's according to the most recent FEC filings covering spending through the end of 2020.... But the American public may never know the full extent of the Trump campaign's payments to organizers involved in the protests. That's because the campaign used an opaque payment scheme that concealed details of hundreds of millions of dollars in spending by routing payments through shell companies where the ultimate payee is hidden."

Haley Messenger of NBC News: "Twitter will uphold its ban on ... Donald Trump, even if he were to run for office again, according to the company's chief financial officer. 'When you're removed from the platform, you're removed from the platform,' Twitter CFO Ned Segal told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday morning. 'Our policies are designed to make sure that people are not inciting violence,' Segal said. 'He was removed when he was president and there'd be no difference for anybody who's a public official once they've been removed from the service.'" Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "One of the Proud Boys arrested for participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol told a court Wednesday that he was duped by ... Donald Trump's 'deception' and 'acted out of the delusional belief' that he was responding patriotically to the commander in chief. Dominic Pezzola, who was indicted last month and charged with conspiracy, urged a federal court to grant his release pending trial, emphasizing that his involvement in the Proud Boys was recent and minimal and that he has no other criminal history. But the most notable part of Pezzola's 15-page motion for leniency was his thorough repudiation of Trump. '[D]efendant acted out of the delusional belief that he was a "patriot" protecting his country ... He was responding to the entreaties of the-then commander in chief, President Trump,' Pezzola's lawyer argued in the filing. 'The President maintained that the election had been stolen and it was the duty of loyal citizens to "stop the steal." Admittedly there was no rational basis for the claim, but it is apparent defendant was one of millions of Americans who were misled by the President's deception.'"

Michigan. Caroline Kelly of CNN: "Michigan state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey apologized Tuesday for calling the US Capitol riot a hoax and espousing several conspiracy theories implicating political leadership in a video recorded and posted to YouTube.... In a statement Tuesday, Shirkey acknowledged the video tape was legitimate and apologized for his comments. 'I said some things in a videoed conversation that are not fitting for the role I am privileged to serve,' he said. 'I own that. I have many flaws. Being passionate coupled with an occasional lapse in restraint of tongue are at least two of them.... 'I regret the words I chose, and I apologize for my insensitive comments.'... 'That wasn't Trump people,' Shirkey said of the January 6 riots in a video taken in a restaurant. 'That's been a hoax from day one, that was all pre-arranged,' Shirkey said, asserting that rioters 'went in on separate buses, that was all arranged by somebody that was funding everyone.... Why wasn't there more security? It was ridiculous, it was all staged,' he continued, before pointing to conspiracy theories that Republican leadership -- including Senate Minority Mitch McConnell -- were somehow involved, and questioning how and why some casualties occurred or were recorded."

Apparently Reality Chex commentators who periodically complain about right-wing bias on NPR just have not been making compelling criticisms. You all should have asked about dinosaurs. ~~~

~~~ "Newsy Things Considered." Mary Kelly of NPR: "An 8-year-old from Minneapolis recently pointed out a big problem with NPR's oldest news show, All Things Considered. Leo Shidla wrote to his local NPR station: 'My name is Leo and I am 8 years old. I listen to All Things Considered in the car with mom. I listen a lot. I never hear much about nature or dinosaurs or things like that. Maybe you should call your show Newsy things Considered, since I don't get to hear about all the things. Or please talk more about dinosaurs and cool things....' Leo has a point. All Things Considered is about to turn 50 years old. NPR's archivists found the word 'dinosaur' appearing in stories 294 times in the show's history. By comparison, 'senator' has appeared 20,447 times. To remedy the situation, All Things Considered invited Leo to ask some questions about dinosaurs to Ashley Poust, a research associate at the San Diego Natural History Museum."

~~~~~~~~~~

The Washington Post's live updates of the second day of the second Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump are here: "House managers are scheduled Wednesday to begin laying out their case that Donald Trump incited the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, as the historic second impeachment trial of the former president enters its second day in the Senate. The trial could wrap up as early as the weekend." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates of Wednesday's impeachment trial are here. The Guardian's live updates of the second day of the trial are here. The Senate will convene at noon ET for the trial.

"Lie After Lie." Larry Buchanan, et al., of the New York Times: "In hundreds of public statements from Nov. 4, 2020, to Jan. 6, 2021, Mr. Trump repeatedly used phrases like 'we won the election' and 'won it by a landslide,' and he said that the election was 'rigged' and 'stolen' by the Democrats. Such assertions have been proven false by the courts and elections officials across the country. Mr. Trump's language later signaled to his supporters that they needed to 'fight' because 'you'll never take back our country with weakness.'... Autocratic movements throughout history have been distinguished by leaders repeating lies and suggestions that whip up anger among supporters, [Yale professor] Dr. [Timothy] Snyder said. 'That is exactly what Trump did.'... Dozens of constitutional scholars from across the political spectrum have said the First Amendment claim is 'legally frivolous' and should not stop the Senate from convicting Mr. Trump.... The Times reviewed hundreds of hours of footage from Jan. 6 of protesters, including the rioters that stormed the Capitol, and found evidence of how they mimicked -- and amplified -- Mr. Trump's words." Includes a 38-minute video of Trump's lies about the election results.

~~~~~~~~~~

Most Senate Republicans Disavow Constitution, Rule of Law. Andrew Desiderio & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The Senate is constitutionally permitted to try Donald Trump on the House's charge that he incited the Jan. 6 insurrection, senators voted Tuesday, sidelining the former president's primary defense in the impeachment case against him. The 56-44 vote permits the impeachment trial to move ahead Wednesday, when the House will present its opening arguments in its uphill effort to win Trump's conviction -- which requires a two-thirds vote of the evenly divided Senate. Six Republicans voted with Democrats to support the ability to try a former president, a case that has won support from legal scholars of all ideologies but that Trump's team said was unconstitutional.... House Democrats opened their case Tuesday to convict Donald Trump of inciting an insurrection with a montage of harrowing scenes of violence wrought by the former president's supporters during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.... The shocking footage -- which included the shooting death of rioter Ashli Babbitt and the assault of numerous police officers -- forced senators to relive the moments when many of them fled the violence, fearing for their own safety." Update: The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

Barbara Sprunt of NPR: "The Republicans who voted for the trial's constitutionality were Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Cassidy's vote is notable because he was the only senator to switch sides from an early procedural vote on the trial's constitutionality." Cassidy explains his vote:

Alayna Treene & Glen Johnson of Axios: "The made-through-TV impeachment presentation delivered by House managers presented a gripping narrative for the public but the rambling, legalistic rebuttal Donald Trump's attorneys presented won Tuesday with the pivotal Senate jurors.... The House managers are playing the outside game; they know it's a long shot their prosecution will alter the final result, so they're trying to shift public opinion. Trump's defense is playing an inside game -- they're doing just enough to sustain the votes needed to acquit the former president.

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: Lead prosecutor Rep. Jamie "Raskin [D-Md.], who lost his son, Tommy, to suicide the week before the [January 6] rampage, brought the urgency of the matter home with chilling personal detail. Speaking through tears, Mr. Raskin narrated the events of Jan. 6 through his own eyes and those of his daughter and son-in-law, who had accompanied him to the Capitol that day ... and became trapped in an office off the House floor as the rioters flooded the building. He recalled the 'most haunting sound I ever heard' as members of the pro-Trump mob pounded 'like a battering ram' on the doors to the House chamber. 'All around me, people were calling their wives and their husbands, their loved ones to say goodbye,' Mr. Raskin recalled. 'Members of Congress, in the House anyway, were removing their congressional pins so they couldn't be identified by the mob as they tried to escape.' He recounted having apologized to his daughter afterward, saying her next trip to the Capitol would be better, and her reply that she never wanted to return to the building. 'Of all the terrible, brutal things I saw and heard on the day and since then, that one hit me the hardest,' he said. 'Senators, this cannot be our future. This cannot be the future of America. We cannot have presidents inciting and mobilizing mob violence against our government and our institutions because they refuse to accept the will of the people.'"

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "'Winning' the impeachment trial means removing any reasonable doubt in the minds of Americans that... Donald Trump incited a riot, that he let it continue in desperate attempt to keep power and that Republicans simply do not care. The House impeachment managers did a masterful job on all points in their opening arguments on Tuesday.... Let's not forget that the only reason the impeachment, which the House voted on before Trump left office, was not sent to trial immediately was because then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his fellow Republicans stalled. They break the hypocrisy meter by turning around and claiming that the Senate, therefore, cannot try Trump now.... It was obvious why Republican Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.), Rick Scott (Fla.), and Rand Paul (Ky.) cravenly averted their gaze [from the video presentation]: The scenes were so disturbing as to render their defense of the former president a moral abomination. The voices of rioters parroting Trump's incendiary words dismantle the notion that rioters were not motivated by Trump.

"... Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), took the Senate through an air-tight argument citing constitutional language, history, precedent and the views of renowned conservative legal scholars to demonstrate why the defense's argument is preposterous. Add in the bumbling, nearly incoherent presentation from the former president's lawyer, Bruce Castor, and the screeching, partisan harangue from his colleague David Schoen (who seemed to threaten violence if Trump is convicted when he said, 'This trial will tear this country apart, perhaps like we have only seen once before in our history'), and it is easy to see there is no real constitutional objection to trying the case."

~~~ Marie: The most infurating argument Castor made, IMO, was this one: "... the section [of the Constitution] I read..., the judgment, in cases of impeachment..., [is] 'shall not extend further than removal from office.' What is so hard about that? Which of those words are unclear?: 'Shall not extend further than removal from office?' President Trump no longer is in office. The object of the Constitution has been achieved. He was removed by the voters," Castor emphasized, as he read from notes. In fact, that is only half of what the Constitution says about "judgment" for impeachment. Section 3.7 of the Constitution reads, "Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States...." Emphasis added. Castor's central argument -- the one his reading of notes suggests he prepared for -- was a flat-out lie.

Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times outlines five takeaways from the trial's first day. They sound about right.

Reed Richardson of Mediaite: "The Senate's top Republican will not whip his caucus to vote against the conviction of ... Donald Trump for inciting the Capitol insurrection. That's according to Bloomberg, which reported late on Tuesday night that [Mitch] McConnell is signaling to Senate Republicans that he will not be holding them to uniform opposition of the incitement of insurrection charge against Trump. That would free GOP Senators to vote to convict...."

Eli Merritt in a New York Times op-ed: "If the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 were sitting today as jurors in the Senate impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump, one thing seems certain.... Acting with vigor and dispatch, they would cast two near unanimous votes: first, to convict the president of an impeachable offense, and second, to disqualify him from holding future federal office. They would vote in this way, unmoved by partisan passions or the defense's claim that the Senate lacks jurisdiction, because they believed as a matter of civic principle that ethical leadership is the glue that holds a constitutional republic together. It was a principle they lived by and one they infused into every aspect of the Constitution they debated that summer in Philadelphia nearly 234 years ago.... They wrote the language of the impeachment powers with a demagogue like Mr. Trump in mind."

Gabby Orr & Meredith McGraw of Politico: "Cocooned at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump watched as his defense attorneys responded to an emotional presentation by House impeachment managers with a series of dry, technical and at times meandering arguments about due process and the constitutionality of the proceedings. As they droned on, he grew increasingly frustrated with the sharp contrast between their muted response and the prosecution's opening salvo.... 'President Trump was not happy with the performance of his legal team in action,' said one of the people familiar with his thinking. It didn't help that his lead attorney..., Bruce Castor..., referred to Trump as the 'former president,' conceding that he had in fact lost the 2020 election when he was removed by 'smart' voters last November. Trump, according to those familiar with his thinking, saw his legal team's performance as a missed opportunity and also was annoyed by the public criticism of his attorneys." ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump ... was furious [with Bruce Castor's performance], people familiar with his reaction said. On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the angriest, Mr. Trump 'was an eight,' one person familiar with his reaction said. And while he was heartened that his other lawyer, [David] Schoen, gave a more spirited performance, Mr. Trump ended the day frustrated and irate, the people familiar with his reaction said." ~~~

     ~~~ Kaitlan Collins, et al., of CNN: "Trump was almost screaming as Castor struggled to get at the heart of his defense team's argument, which is supposed to be over the constitutionality of holding a trial for a president no longer in office. Given that the legal team was assembled a little over a week ago, it went as expected, one of the sources told CNN. Still, Trump's allies were flabbergasted when the attorneys switched speaking slots at the last minute."

~~~ AP: "Senate Republicans had sharp criticism for ... Donald Trump's lawyers after the opening of his second impeachment trial. Many said they didn't understand Trump's lawyers' arguments as they sought to persuade the Senate to dismiss the trial on constitutional grounds.... Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, one of Trump's staunchest allies, said he didn't think the lawyers did 'the most effective job,' while praising Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Democrats' lead prosecutor, as 'impressive.' Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said Castor 'just rambled on and on and on.' Both still voted to dismiss the trial, along with 42 other Republican senators." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A pundit appearing on MSNBC (I was only half-listening, so I don't know who it was) compared Trump's lawyers to mob lawyers who don't put in much of an effort at trial because they know they've already bought the jurors.

The New York Times is liveblogging the first day of Trump's second impeachment trial here. The Washington Post's live updates are here. The Guardian's liveblog, which also covers other topics, is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Rosalind Helderman & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump was 'horrified' when violence broke out at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, as a joint session of Congress convened to confirm that he lost the election, according to his defense attorneys.... But that revisionist history conflicts with the timeline of events on the day of the Capitol riot, as well as accounts of multiple people in contact with the president that day, who have said Trump was initially pleased to see a halt in the counting of the electoral college votes. Some former White House officials have acknowledged that he only belatedly and reluctantly issued calls for peace, after first ignoring public and private entreaties to do so." The report relies on anonymous White House sources, but also cites Sens. Lindsey Graham, Ben Sasse & Mike Lee contradicting assertions Trump was concerned about the violence. "By 1:49 p.m. -- nearly an hour after the Capitol Police chief had urgently requested backup from D.C. police -- Trump remained focused on his recently concluded speech. He tweeted a video of his own remarks, adding the caption, 'Our country has had enough, we will not take it anymore, and that's what this is all about.'... At 2:24 p.m., [13 minutes after his supporters breached the building,] Trump tweeted: 'Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution ... USA demands the truth.'... While Trump's defense attorneys claim he and the White House 'took immediate steps to coordinate with authorities,' the president played no known role in organizing reinforcements that day." (Also linked yesterday.)

Hayley Miller of the Huffington Post: "... Donald Trump falsely claimed more than 100 times that Democrats had 'rigged' or 'stolen' the 2020 election ahead of January's deadly insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol, a HuffPost analysis found.... He made claims of voter fraud and ballot-counting irregularities more than 250 times, specifically making baseless claims that voting machines tossed or changed votes at least 45 times.... Trump falsely declared victory at least 40 times, often claiming he won in a "landslide." He peddled these nuggets of disinformation during press conferences and rallies watched by millions of people, or on Twitter to his more than 88 million followers." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Ambulance-Chaser -- The Crazy Eddie of Philly. Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "Last year, Philadelphia lawyer Michael T. van der Veen filed a lawsuit against ... Donald Trump accusing him of making 'repeated claims' that mail voting is ripe with fraud 'despite having no evidence in support of these claims.' This week, van der Veen is adopting a different posture as part of the team of attorneys defending Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in his Senate impeachment trial. How a longtime personal-injury lawyer found himself at the center of that trial, which opened Tuesday, may say more about his client than his own legal career. Trump struggled to find lawyers to take on his case, parting ways with several who were unwilling to claim that the 2020 election was stolen, as the president is said to have wanted them to do.... In Philadelphia, van der Veen is best-known for his law firm's ubiquitous ads on local news radio station KYW-AM, which are reminiscent of East Coast electronics chain Crazy Eddie's high-octane TV pitches from the 1980s." ~~~

He [Michael van der Veen] also defended a college student who was prosecuted for trying to hack into an IRS database to obtain Trump's tax records. That student saying Mr. van der Veen described Trump to him as a quote, 'f---ing crook,' but he didn't just say 'F', apparently, he said it for real. And now, that man represents Donald Trump in his impeachment trial. -- Rachel Maddow, Tuesday evening

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "A big difference between the second and first impeachment trials of Donald J. Trump is the sound of (relative) silence. The former president is muzzled on social media, and his allies were putting up a scattered defense of him on Tuesday. Even those willing to step forward have, for the most part, abandoned his false claim that the election was stolen, and were defending him on narrow legal or constitutional grounds.... His biggest booster Tuesday morning was ... Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.... 'The Capitol attack was planned and organized, NOT incited in the moment by President Trump, and NO Republican Member was involved," Ms. Greene, who described Jan. 6 as '1776 Day' before the riot, wrote on Twitter. 'We were ALL victims that day. And once again, Trump is the victim of the never ending hate fueled witch hunt.'" ~~~

~~~ Yeah, Well, There's This Guy. Steve Neavling of the Detroit Metro Times: "Michigan state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey suggested the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was a 'hoax' perpetuated by opponents of ... Donald Trump. The state Senate's top Republican made the bizarre and unfounded claim in a video-recorded meeting at a diner last week with leaders of the Hillsdale County Republican Party, who were discussing censuring him for not taking a bold enough stand against Democrats. 'That wasn't Trump's people. That's been a hoax from day one. That was all prearranged,' Shirkey, a Clarklake Republican, said of the riot. 'It was arranged by somebody who was funding it. ... It was all staged.' There's no evidence that anyone but Trump supporters were behind the riot."

Antonia Farzan of the Washington Post: As Trump's impeachment trial got underway, Palm Beach's town council members debated whether or not Trump could legally take up permanent residence at Mar-a-Lardo. The argument seemed to go in his favor as the town attorney John 'Skip' Randolph submitted a memo opining that Trump's final agreement with the town "did not incorporate a direct prohibition on former President Trump residing at the Club." The council did not make a final decision.

Simon Shuster of Time: "'Let these investigations go forward,' Rudy Giuliani told the presidential headquarters in Kyiv, Ukraine, his voice turning impatient. 'Get someone to investigate this.' On the other end of the line, hunched over a speakerphone, two Ukrainian officials listened in disbelief as Giuliani demanded probes that could help his client... Donald Trump, win another term in office. The 40-minute call, a transcript of which was obtained by Time, provides the clearest picture yet of Giuliani's attempts to pressure the Ukrainians on Trump's behalf.... [Giuliani] toggled between veiled threats -- 'Be careful,' he warned repeatedly -- and promises to help improve Ukraine's relations with Trump.... For a year and half, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his aides said little about their interactions with Giuliani, not wanting to anger an emissary of the U.S. President. But now..., the Ukrainians have begun to speak up about the circumstances that led to [Trump's] first [impeachment]. They are also taking steps that could imperil Giuliani and his Ukrainian allies."

Kristen Holmes of CNN: "Embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has told those close to him he wants to stay in his role under the new president, two sources tell CNN, despite his troubled tenure at the helm of the US Postal Service and his background as a supporter and donor to ... Donald Trump. President Joe Biden faces mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to remove DeJoy, however, amid months of complaints over mail delivery delays -- including prescription drugs.... The President does not have the power to remove the Postmaster General. Only the Postal Service Board of Governors -- which is comprised of members nominated by the President and confirmed in the Senate -- has the power to do so, and DeJoy continues to have the support of the Trump-appointed board. But Biden has the power to nominate members of the board and to send them to the Senate -- now led by Democrats -- for confirmation. Some lawmakers want Biden to go beyond filling empty seats, and take drastic action by firing the entire board." (Also linked yesterday.)

Meanwhile, Back at the White House

Jim Tankersley, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden on Tuesday pressed business leaders to back his $1.9 trillion economic aid package, but received no public declarations of support for a $15 minimum wage that is part of the legislation and that the president has said is vital to providing relief for struggling Americans. Mr. Biden hosted a group including the top executives of Walmart, Gap Inc. and JPMorgan Chase in the Oval Office as part of his push to rally support for his American Rescue Plan, which the House Education and Labor Committee began debating on Tuesday. But some of the attendees, including Doug McMillon of Walmart and the chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue, have said they oppose Mr. Biden's proposal to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour from $7.25. The president acknowledged some disagreements, telling reporters before the meeting that 'we're approaching this issue to see if we can find some common ground.'"

Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman of Politico: President Biden & his national security staff now have access to Donald Trump's secret phone calls with Vladimir Putin. "'It is a national security priority to find out what Trump said to Putin' over his four years in office, said one former national security official who is close to the new president. 'Some things, like what happened in some face-to-face meetings where no American translator or note-taker was present, may never be fully known. But I would be very surprised if the new national security team were not trying to access' the call records."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. The New York Times' live updates for Tuesday are here: "A team of World Health Organization scientists said on Tuesday in China that the coronavirus had probably first spread to humans through an animal and was 'extremely unlikely' to have been the result of a lab accident. The findings, delivered after 12 days of field work by the team visiting Wuhan, China, were the first step in a painstaking process to trace the pandemic's origins, a question that is critical to helping prevent a recurrence." (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

Ian Duncan of the Washington Post: "The pilot carrying NBA star Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter and six other people didn't follow his training after flying into clouds and likely became disoriented, federal safety investigators said Tuesday. Pilot Ara Zobayan should have steadied the helicopter, climbed slowly and declared an emergency to get help from air traffic controllers, National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Tuesday. But the investigation into the crash found that he didn't take those steps. Once he was in the clouds, the investigators said Zobayan likely became disoriented as he lost visual references, thinking he was climbing when, in fact, the helicopter was plunging toward a hillside. Federal safety investigators were meeting Tuesday to determine the likely reason a helicopter carrying Bryant plunged into a Los Angeles County hillside last year." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Minnesota. Mohamed Ibrahim & Gretchen Ehlke of the AP: "A 67-year-old man whom authorities said was unhappy with the health care he'd received opened fire at a clinic Tuesday and injured five people, and bomb technicians were investigating a suspicious device left there and others at a motel where he was staying. All five victims were rushed to the hospital. Three remained in stable but critical condition on Tuesday evening, and a fourth had been discharged. The condition of the fifth victim was not immediately known. The attack happened Tuesday morning at an Allina clinic in Buffalo, a community of about 15,000 people roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis. Authorities said Gregory Paul Ulrich, of Buffalo, opened fire at the facility and was arrested before noon." ~~~

     ~~~ New Lede: "A 67-year-old man unhappy with the health care he'd received opened fire at a clinic Tuesday, killing one person and wounding four others, and bomb technicians were investigating a suspicious device left there and others at a motel where he was staying, authorities said."

News Lede

Huffington Post: "Larry Flynt, the founder of Hustler magazine who oversaw a massive porn empire, died Wednesday, according to several media reports. He was 78."