The Commentariat -- January 23, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

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

The Rapid Evolution of a Dumb Trumpist:

(1) Amanda Terkel of the Huffington Post: "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) attracted attention [link fixed] last week when he said in a floor speech that ... Donald Trump 'bears responsibility' for the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.... On Thursday, he told reporters that he didn't actually believe Trump had 'provoked' the mob of his supporters.... He stood by his assertion that Trump does bear some responsibility for what happened. But, he added, so does every other person around the country. 'I also think everybody across this country has some responsibility,' he said. McCarthy then started pointing to Democrats who opposed Trump, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), people who are rude on social media and law enforcement authorities who didn't prepare for the attack as some of the people who were somehow responsible." MB: Yes, I personally blame Maxine Waters, Akhilleus, and myself.

(2) Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he has 'concerns' over Rep. Liz Cheney's (R-Wyo.) vote to impeach former President Trump, his sternest comments yet on the controversial vote. McCarthy, in an interview with Greta Van Susteren airing Sunday, maintained that he supports keeping Cheney in her role as the No. 3 Republican in the House but said she did not inform him of her decision to impeach Trump before she cast her vote. 'Look, I support her, but I also have concerns. She took a position as a No. 3 member in conference. She never told me ahead of time. One thing about leadership, if we're going to work together, we should understand. We know that this is going to become a difficulty,' he said.... McCarthy has said in the past that he supports Cheney staying in her role as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, but her vote has led to broad pushback from conservative members of Congress." MB Translation: I am more askeert now of losing my top job than I am of violent, radical revolutionaries taking over the government, threatening the lives of my colleagues & forcing me to hide in lockdown.

Mike Schneider of the AP: "The U.S. Census Bureau is suspending efforts to create neighborhood-level statistics on the citizenship and age of residents, using 2020 census data, in the latest rollback of Trump administration census-related initiatives that critics feared would be used to favor Republicans and whites during the drawing of state and local districts. As part of an order President Joe Biden signed Wednesday on the 2020 census, the Census Bureau said Friday that it would discontinue efforts to create citizenship tabulations at the city-block level using 2020 census data combined with administrative records. Among his first acts as president, Biden's order revoked two Trump directives related to the 2020 census. The first attempted to discern the citizenship status of every U.S. resident through administrative records, and the second sought to exclude people in the U.S. illegally from the numbers used for apportioning congressional seats among the states."

Marshall Cohen of CNN: "The Justice Department revealed new charges against a Texas man who allegedly participated in the Capitol attack and posted online death threats against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a US Capitol Police officer. Garret Miller of Texas faces five criminal charges stemming from the Capitol insurrection, including trespassing offenses and making death threats. Miller allegedly tweeted, 'assassinate AOC,' according to court documents. He also said the police officer who fatally shot a Trump supporter during the attack 'deserves to die' and won't 'survive long' because it's 'huntin[g] season.' Prosecutors said in newly released court documents that Miller posted extensively on social media before and during the attack, saying a 'civil war could start' and 'next time we bring the guns.'"

Colin Kalmbacher of Law & Crime: "Without comment, the [Texas supreme court] found that America's foremost conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, and his flagship media outlet, InfoWars, are subject to liability in four separate defamation lawsuits filed over the past two-plus years. Those lawsuits were filed by parents of children who were killed during the Sandy Hook massacre and by a man Jones and his network falsely identified as the perpetrator of the Parkland massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School."

Robyn Dixon & Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "Protesters took to the streets Saturday in nearly 70 cities and towns across Russia calling for the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny -- a massive show of defiance against President Vladimir Putin and his widening crackdowns against challenges to his power. More than 1,850 people were detained, including Navalny's wife, Yulia. The rallies -- from Russia's Far East to central Moscow -- came less than a week after Navalny returned from Germany, where he recovered from a nerve agent poisoning in August during a trip to Siberia. Navalny was arrested shortly after stepping off the plane. Some 40,000 people participated in the Moscow protest, the Reuters news agency reported, while police said 4,000 people took part." An AP story is here. ~~~

~~~ The New York Times is live-updating developments in the Navalny protests.

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Julian Barnes & Hailey Fuchs of the New York Times: "President Biden on Friday ordered the director of national intelligence to work with the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the threat from domestic violent extremism, a sign of how seriously the new administration is taking the issue in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The request comes only days after Avril D. Haines, the newly installed director of national intelligence, pledged to members of Congress during her confirmation hearing that she would help with just such an assessment.... The domestic terrorism order is the second assignment in two days for Ms. Haines, who was confirmed by the Senate Wednesday evening. On Thursday, the White House ordered a new intelligence assessment of Russia and its role in a broad hacking of government computers."

Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "The Kremlin on Friday welcomed the Biden administration's offer to extend a nuclear disarmament treaty that is set to expire next month, signaling, as had been expected, that Russia intends to cooperate with the United States on nuclear security despit President Biden's pledges to otherwise pursue a harder line with Moscow than his predecessor.The agreement was last updated in 2010 and puts a cap on the number of strategic nuclear warheads both sides can deploy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "Retired four-star Army general Lloyd Austin became the first African American defense secretary on Friday, after the Senate confirmed him as President Biden's nominee in a 93-2 vote. His confirmation to the post breaks down a racial barrier for the military and makes Austin one of the most powerful members of President Biden's Cabinet, which is far more diverse than that of his predecessor..., Donald Trump.... Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) were the lawmakers in the chamber to vote against Austin's nomination." The New York Times story is here. An NBC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Victoria Guida of Politico: "The Senate Finance Committee on Friday unanimously approved Janet Yellen's nomination for Treasury secretary, sending her candidacy to the full Senate for a vote that could come as early as today. The overwhelming support for Yellen suggests that she will have no problem clearing the final hurdle to confirmation, after which she will begin working with Congress to advance President Joe Biden's plan for an additional $1.9 trillion stimulus package." (Also linked yesterday.)

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden on Friday called the chief of the National Guard Bureau to apologize after troops who had been brought in to protect his inauguration were ordered to sleep in an unheated parking garage after they were booted from the Capitol on Thursday, administration officials said.... Several governors and members of Congress have criticized the move, even as the reasons for the troops' relocation remain murky. In the telephone call with Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the head of the National Guard Bureau, Mr. Biden apologized and asked what he could do, the officials said. Jill Biden ... visited some of the troops stationed outside of the Capitol on Friday afternoon, thanking them for their work and handing out chocolate chip cookies. 'The National Guard will always hold a special place in the hearts of all the Bidens,' she said, noting that their son Beau, who died in 2015, was a member of the Delaware Army National Guard."

Diet Coke Button Removed from Resolute Desk. Erin Carson of CNet: "The Biden administration is making plenty of changes in the wake of the Trump presidency.... President Joe Biden has reportedly nixed Trump's Diet Coke button. The button, according to a 2018 report from the Associated Press, sat on ... Donald Trump's desk in the Oval Office. Whenever he pushed it, 'a White House butler walked in with a single glass of Diet Coke on a silver tray for the commander in chief,' the AP's Julie Pace said, having watched the button deployed." MB: Akhilleus made me do this.

The New York Times is concerned Joe Biden wears a Rolex and a couple of other high-end, and high-priced, watches.

Republicans Still Control the Senate. Lauren Fox of CNN: "The talks of bipartisanship are quickly getting ensnared by must-move Senate business, not the least of which is getting an agreement on how the Senate will be run over the next two years.... The Senate is operating on the organizing resolution from the last Congress, when the GOP was in the majority. Because of that, for instance, confirmation hearings for President Joe Biden's Cabinet picks this week are being chaired by Republicans.... The fight over the organizing resolution, which appeared to be a temporary disagreement on Wednesday, has reared its head as a full-out legislative crisis that could threaten to stall committee business, cast a shadow over talks about when to start the impeachment trial and constrain the first days of Chuck Schumer's role as majority leader.... Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is making a play to exert as much power over the Senate in his new role as possible and Schumer is going to have to make some impossible choices about how to go forward. Schumer's announcement Friday that the impeachment article will be delivered to the Senate on Monday puts a new deadline for the Senate leaders to reach an agreement -- the impeachment logistics are part of a broader negotiation over the Senate's power-sharing agreement that remains stalled over a fight about the filibuster." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Spencer Hsu, et al., of the Washington Post: "Federal law enforcement agents across the country detailed on Friday the weapons they say rioters wielded against police during the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, arguing for some men to be jailed until trial while arresting others for the first time. Among those deemed too dangerous for release were a recently homeless D.C. resident with a history of mental health issues and a New York geophysicist who prosecutors say tried to flee to Switzerland. Both are accused of assaulting officers."

How Not to Visit Historic Sites. Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "When federal agents asked Houston police officer Tam Dinh Pham why he was in Washington during the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, he said he had traveled there on business and then attended the president's rally on a whim. But most importantly, Pham told the agents, he did not go inside the Capitol during the attempted insurrection. That's when an FBI agent showed him his own deleted images and videos from inside the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, according to court documents. Faced with the photo evidence, Pham then allegedly admitted to climbing over torn-down fences to get inside. But still, he insisted his reasons were benign: He just wanted the rare opportunity to view 'historical art,' investigators said. Pham, 48, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of unlawful entry of the Capitol and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Roger Sollenberger of Salon: "In his first run for Congress, [Sen. Tom] Cotton [R-Arkansas] leaned heavily on his military service, claiming to have been 'a U.S. Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan,' and, in a campaign ad, to have 'volunteered to be an Army Ranger.' In reality, Cotton was never part of the 75th Ranger Regiment, the elite unit that plans and conducts joint special military operations as part of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Rather, Cotton attended the Ranger School, a two-month-long, small-unit tactical infantry course that literally anyone in the military is eligible attend. Soldiers who complete the course earn the right to wear the Ranger tab -- a small arch that reads 'Ranger' -- but in the eyes of the military, that does not make them an actual Army Ranger.... Reached for comment, Cotton spokesperson Caroline Tabler told Salon in an email, 'Senator Cotton graduated from Ranger school and is more of a Ranger than a Salon reporter like you will ever be.'" MB: As far as I know, Sollenberger has not claimed to be a Ranger, so I don't see where Tabler's remark is relevant. Sollenberger does list other instances in which Cotton made the claim.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Michael Birnbaum & Martin Sorensen of the Washington Post: "Like a speeding car whose brake lines have been cut, the coronavirus variant first spotted in Britain is spreading at an alarming rate and isn't responding to established ways of slowing the pandemic, according to Danish scientists who have one of the world's best views into the new, more contagious strain. Cases involving the variant are increasing 70 percent a week in Denmark, despite a strict lockdown, according to Denmark's State Serum Institute, a government agency that tracks diseases and advises health policy. 'We're losing some of the tools that we have to control the epidemic,' said Tyra Grove Krause, scientific director of the institute, which this past week began sequencing every positive coronavirus test to check for mutations.... British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday suggested for the first time that the variant may be more deadly than the original virus.

The Kaiser Will Always Be with Us

** Flashback to Bizarro World. Katie Benner of the New York Times: "The Justice Department's top leaders listened in stunned silence this month: One of their peers, they were told, had devised a plan with ... Donald J. Trump to oust Jeffrey A. Rosen as acting attorney general and wield the department's power to force Georgia state lawmakers to overturn its presidential election results. The unassuming lawyer who worked on the plan, Jeffrey Clark, had been devising ways to cast doubt on the election results and to bolster Mr. Trump's continuing legal battles and the pressure on Georgia politicians. Because Mr. Rosen had refused the president's entreaties to carry out those plans, Mr. Trump was about to decide whether to fire Mr. Rosen and replace him with Mr. Clark. The department officials, convened on a conference call, then ... unanimous[ly agreed] they would resign. Their informal pact ultimately helped persuade Mr. Trump to keep Mr. Rosen in place, calculating that a furor over mass resignations at the top of the Justice Department would eclipse any attention on his baseless accusations of voter fraud. Mr. Trump's decision came only after Mr. Rosen and Mr. Clark made their competing cases to him in a bizarre White House meeting that two officials compared with an episode of ... 'The Apprentice.'... After nearly three hours, Mr. Trump ultimately decided that Mr. Clark's plan would fail, and he allowed Mr. Rosen to stay." If you don't have a NYT subscription, this article is worth using one of your freebies on. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Matt Zapotosky, et al., of the Washington Post have the story now: At the meeting among Trump, Clark, Rosen, "along with Richard Donoghue, the acting deputy attorney general; Steven A. Engel, the head of the department's Office of Legal Counsel; and Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel, Cipollone ... pushed hard against a letter Clark wanted to send to Georgia state legislators, which wrongly asserted the department was investigating accusations of fraud in their state and Biden's win should be voided.... 'Pat pretty much saved Rosen's job that day,' said one senior Trump White House official." ~~~

~~~ Rayne of Emptywheel: "Overturning Georgia's results and fraudulently awarding the stat's electoral votes to Trump wouldn't have been enough to give Trump the election. But the same powers might have been used to pressure other states or to provide cover for states with GOP elected officials or legislature which favored Trump. We really need to know if Trump made calls to other states like the one he made to Georgia's secretary of state to lean on him for 11,780 votes."

Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "The impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump will begin Feb. 9 under a deal reached Friday by top Senate leaders -- delaying by two weeks the high-stakes proceedings over whether Trump incited the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The agreement was made by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) following a standoff over the timing of the trial, which could permanently bar Trump from holding public office.... Had no accord been reached, the trial would have started Tuesday and run uninterrupted by other Senate business until the Senate rendered its verdict. The agreement does not resolve another brewing conflict between Schumer and McConnell: over how the Senate will handle a 50-50 partisan split, with Vice President Harris breaking ties in Democrats' favor." Politico's story is here. ~~~

~~~ Marianne Levine & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "House Democrats will deliver an impeachment charge against ... Donald Trump to the Senate on Monday, triggering the start of a second trial in the coming days. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer first announced the move on Friday morning, effectively rejecting a request from Senate Republicans to delay the start of the proceedings for two weeks so that Trump can formulate a legal defense. In a statement later on Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed the plan and dismissed concerns by Republicans that Trump's legal team wouldn't have adequate time. 'The former president will have had the same amount of time to prepare for trial as our Managers,' Pelosi said.... Democrats have not yet offered details on when the trial will begin, but Pelosi's decision to formally deliver the article of impeachment on Monday means that the Senate trial will likely begin early next week, absent a consent agreement between Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Under Senate rules, an impeachment trial must begin within one day after the House sends its article if the chamber is in session, unless Schumer and McConnell agree to a different timetable." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Michael Warren & Jamie Gangel of CNN: "As the House prepares to send articles of impeachment to the Senate on Monday, CNN has learned that dozens of influential Republicans around Washington -- including former top Trump administration officials -- have been quietly lobbying GOP members of Congress to impeach and convict Donald Trump. The effort is not coordinated but reflects a wider battle inside the GOP between those loyal to Trump and those who want to sever ties and ensure he can never run for President again. The lobbying started in the House after the January 6 attack on the Capitol and in the days leading up to impeachment. But it's now more focused on Sen. Mitch McConnell, the powerful minority leader who has signaled he may support convicting Trump. 'Mitch said to me he wants Trump gone,' one Republican member of Congress told CNN. 'It is in his political interest to have him gone. It is in the GOP interest to have him gone. The question is, do we get there?'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Republicans say the chances that former President Trump will be convicted in an impeachment trial are plummeting, despite lingering anger among some Republicans over his actions. Only five or six Republican senators at the most seem likely to vote for impeachment, far fewer than the number needed, GOP sources say. A two-thirds majority vote would be necessary for a conviction, something that would require at least 17 GOP votes if every Democrat votes to convict Trump." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "House Democrats have renewed their long-stalled demand for Donald Trump's federal tax records, but the Biden administration has not decided whether it will drop its predecessor's objections and release the Treasury Department records to investigators, Justice Department attorneys told a federal judge Friday. U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden declined Friday to lift a stay on a pending House lawsuit. Instead, the judge agreed to give Treasury and Justice Department officials two weeks to report back to him, acknowledging that President Biden's team was just settling in after the inauguration this week. McFadden also kept in place an order requiring the government to give the former president's lawyers 72 hours' notice before releasing his tax return information to allow them to file a request to block the release." McFadden is Trump appointee. A Politico story is here.

Marie: So it was not Dr. Jill who fired the chief usher of the White House. And the whole story now makes sense. ~~~

~~~ "So Petty." Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "President Joe Biden was blamed for firing the White House chief usher on his first day on the job, but his predecessor actually did the deed -- apparently to spite the incoming first family. Donald and Melania Trump sent White House ushers home early on Inauguration Day in one of their last acts in a tense presidential transition, a well-placed official not associated with the Biden team told the National Journal. 'The Trumps sent the butlers home when they left so there would be no one to help the Bidens when they arrived,' the official said. 'So petty.' Other knowledgable sources confirmed to the Journal that chief usher Timothy Harleth, a former executive of Trump Hotels hired by Melania Trump, was summarily fired by the outgoing president and first lady -- and not by the Bidens, as was widely reported afterward." Update: During her briefing & in response to a reporter's question, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki just confirmed that Harleth was fired before President Biden took office. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "On the evening before the violent insurrection by his supporters, Trump reportedly warned Pentagon officials they would need 10,000 troops. [Adam Ciralsky of Vanity Fair reported, 'On the evening of January 5 -- the night before a white supremacist mob stormed Capitol Hill ... -- the acting secretary of defense, Christopher Miller, was at the White House with his chief of staff, Kash Patel.... They were meeting with President Trump on 'an Iran issue,' Miller told me. But then the ... president, Miller recalled, asked how many troops the Pentagon planned to turn out the following day. We're like, "We're going to provide any National Guard support that the District requests,"' Miller responded. 'And [Trump] goes, "You're going to need 10,000 people." No, I'm not talking bullsh*t.... That's what he said. Swear to God."'" MB: This may sound exculpatory at first blush; i.e., he tried to warn the Pentagon to be at the ready. But it demonstrates Trump's awareness that he had an impending revolt to tamp down, a revolt which he instead encouraged.

Anna Massoglia of Open Secrets: "... Donald Trump's presidential campaign aides played key roles orchestrating a rally protesting certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election before hundreds of rioters breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. But the full extent of the Trump campaign's ties to the protests may not be not fully known due to its use of shell companies that hide details of its financial dealings and the central role 'dark money' played in the protests. Multiple individuals listed on the permit granted by the National Park Service worked for Trump's presidential campaign, as first reported by the Associated Press over the weekend.... Trump's campaign disclosed paying more than $2.7 million to the individuals and firms behind the Jan. 6 rally. But FEC disclosures do not necessarily provide a complete picture of the campaign's financial dealings since so much of its spending was routed through shell companies, making it difficult to know who the campaign paid and when." ~~~

~~~ Brian Schwartz of CNBC: "Senate Democrats plan to focus on the Internal Revenue Service as part of a larger probe into tax-exempt groups that helped organize the pro-Trump rally that preceded the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Democrats, led in part by lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee, have begun asking the IRS to review the tax-exempt status of the dark money groups that were involved with the rally’s planning.... Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the ranking member and expected chairman of the committee, recently sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig asking him to investigate any group involved in planning the rally and to look into revoking their tax-exempt status."

Justice Delayed ... But Possible. Andrew Weissmann in Just Security: "... Donald Trump issued numerous pardons and commutations to friends, family and associates, as well as felons who engaged in heinous crimes involving war crimes, murder, political corruption, and civil rights violations. He seemed to revel in absolving corrupt politicians, corrupt law enforcement officers, and of course, anyone prosecuted by Robert Mueller's Special Counsel Office. The latter served not just to reward those who refused to cooperate with this Special Counsel, but also undermined future Special Counsel investigations by setting a dangerous precedent for future efforts to conduct such independent investigations, and to hold a corrupt president to the rule of law.... But there is good news. If the Biden administration's Department of Justice wants to rectify some of Trump's abuse of the pardon power, there are now options at its disposal.... Many [of Trump's pardons] are narrowly drawn." Weissman cites, as an example, Paul Manafort's pardon which is "'for his conviction' on specific charges and not any other crimes (charged or uncharged)." Thanks to RAS for the link.

Fauci Admits Trump Killed Americans. Ben Leonard of Politico: "The Trump administration's lack of candor and habitual breaks with scientific guidance in its pandemic response 'very likely did' cost lives, Anthony Fauci said Friday morning. 'When you start talking about things that make no sense medically and no sense scientifically, that clearly is not helpful,' Fauci ... told CNN Friday. 'There's no secret, we've had a lot of divisiveness, we've had facts that were very, very clear, that were questioned,' Fauci said. 'People were not trusting what health officials were saying. There was great divisiveness, masking became a political issue.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

News Lede

New York Times: "Larry King, who shot the breeze with presidents and psychics, movie stars and malefactors -- anyone with a story to tell or a pitch to make -- in a half-century on radio and television, including 25 years as the host of CNN's globally popular 'Larry King Live,' died on Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 87.... [A] statement [confirming his death] did not specify a cause of death, but Mr. King had recently been treated for Covid-19."

The Commentariat -- January 22, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "The Kremlin on Friday welcomed the Biden administration's offer to extend a nuclear disarmament treaty that is set to expire next month, signaling, as had been expected, that Russia intends to cooperate with the United States on nuclear security despite President Biden's pledges to otherwise pursue a harder line with Moscow than his predecessor.The agreement was last updated in 2010 and puts a cap on the number of strategic nuclear warheads both sides can deploy."

Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "Retired four-star Army general Lloyd Austin became the first African American defense secretary on Friday, after the Senate confirmed him as President Biden's nominee in a 93-2 vote. His confirmation to the post breaks down a racial barrier for the military and makes Austin one of the most powerful members of President Biden's Cabinet, which is far more diverse than that of his predecessor..., Donald Trump.... Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) were the lawmakers in the chamber to vote against Austin’s nomination." The New York Times story is here. An NBC News story is here.

Marianne Levine & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "House Democrats will deliver an impeachment charge against ... Donald Trump to the Senate on Monday, triggering the start of a second trial in the coming days. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer first announced the move on Friday morning, effectively rejecting a request from Senate Republicans to delay the start of the proceedings for two weeks so that Trump can formulate a legal defense. In a statement later on Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed the plan and dismissed concerns by Republicans that Trump's legal team wouldn't have adequate time. 'The former president will have had the same amount of time to prepare for trial as our Managers,' Pelosi said.... Democrats have not yet offered details on when the trial will begin, but Pelosi's decision to formally deliver the article of impeachment on Monday means that the Senate trial will likely begin early next week, absent a consent agreement between Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Under Senate rules, an impeachment trial must begin within one day after the House sends its article if the chamber is in session, unless Schumer and McConnell agree to a different timetable." ~~~

~~~ Michael Warren & Jamie Gangel of CNN: "As the House prepares to send articles of impeachment to the Senate on Monday, CNN has learned that dozens of influential Republicans around Washington -- including former top Trump administration officials -- have been quietly lobbying GOP members of Congress to impeach and convict Donald Trump. The effort is not coordinated but reflects a wider battle inside the GOP between those loyal to Trump and those who want to sever ties and ensure he can never run for President again. The lobbying started in the House after the January 6 attack on the Capitol and in the days leading up to impeachment. But it's now more focused on Sen. Mitch McConnell, the powerful minority leader who has signaled he may support convicting Trump. 'Mitch said to me he wants Trump gone,' one Republican member of Congress told CNN. 'It is in his political interest to have him gone. It is in the GOP interest to have him gone. The question is, do we get there?'" ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Republicans say the chances that former President Trump will be convicted in an impeachment trial are plummeting, despite lingering anger among some Republicans over his actions. Only five or six Republican senators at the most seem likely to vote for impeachment, far fewer than the number needed, GOP sources say. A two-thirds majority vote would be necessary for a conviction, something that would require at least 17 GOP votes if every Democrat votes to convict Trump."

Victoria Guida of Politico: "The Senate Finance Committee on Friday unanimously approved Janet Yellen's nomination for Treasury secretary, sending her candidacy to the full Senate for a vote that could come as early as today. The overwhelming support for Yellen suggests that she will have no problem clearing the final hurdle to confirmation, after which she will begin working with Congress to advance President Joe Biden's plan for an additional $1.9 trillion stimulus package."

Republicans Still Control the Senate. Lauren Fox of CNN: "The talks of bipartisanship are quickly getting ensnared by must-move Senate business, not the least of which is getting an agreement on how the Senate will be run over the next two years.... The Senate is operating on the organizing resolution from the last Congress, when the GOP was in the majority. Because of that, for instance, confirmation hearings for President Joe Biden's Cabinet picks this week are being chaired by Republicans.... The fight over the organizing resolution, which appeared to be a temporary disagreement on Wednesday, has reared its head as a full-out legislative crisis that could threaten to stall committee business, cast a shadow over talks about when to start the impeachment trial and constrain the first days of Chuck Schumer's role as majority leader.... Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is making a play to exert as much power over the Senate in his new role as possible and Schumer is going to have to make some impossible choices about how to go forward. Schumer's announcement Friday that the impeachment article will be delivered to the Senate on Monday puts a new deadline for the Senate leaders to reach an agreement -- the impeachment logistics are part of a broader negotiation over the Senate's power-sharing agreement that remains stalled over a fight about the filibuster."

Fauci Admits Trump Killed Americans. Ben Leonard of Politico: "The Trump administration's lack of candor and habitual breaks with scientific guidance in its pandemic response 'very likely did' cost lives, Anthony Fauci said Friday morning. 'When you start talking about things that make no sense medically and no sense scientifically, that clearly is not helpful,' Fauci ... told CNN Friday. 'There's no secret, we've had a lot of divisiveness, we've had facts that were very, very clear, that were questioned,' Fauci said. 'People were not trusting what health officials were saying. There was great divisiveness, masking became a political issue.'"

Marie: So it was not Dr. Jill who fired the chief usher of the White House. And the whole story now makes sense. ~~~

~~~ "So Petty." Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "President Joe Biden was blamed for firing the White House chief usher on his first day on the job, but his predecessor actually did the deed -- apparently to spite the incoming first family. Donald and Melania Trump sent White House ushers home early on Inauguration Day in one of their last acts in a tense presidential transition, a well-placed official not associated with the Biden team told the National Journal. 'The Trumps sent the butlers home when they left so there would be no one to help the Bidens when they arrived,' the official said. 'So petty.' Other knowledgable sources confirmed to the Journal that chief usher Timothy Harleth, a former executive of Trump Hotels hired by Melania Trump, was summarily fired by the outgoing president and first lady -- and not by the Bidens, as was widely reported afterward." Update: During her briefing & in response to a reporter's question, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki just confirmed that Harleth was fired before President Biden took office.

How Not to Visit Historic Sites. Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "When federal agents asked Houston police officer Tam Dinh Pham why he was in Washington during the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, he said he had traveled there on business and then attended the president's rally on a whim. But most importantly, Pham told the agents, he did not go inside the Capitol during the attempted insurrection. That's when an FBI agent showed him his own deleted images and videos from inside the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, according to court documents. Faced with the photo evidence, Pham then allegedly admitted to climbing over torn-down fences to get inside. But still, he insisted his reasons were benign: He just wanted the rare opportunity to view 'historical art,' investigators said. Pham, 48, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of unlawful entry of the Capitol and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds."

~~~~~~~~~~

Niv Elis of the Hill: "President Biden on Friday is set to take steps to lay the groundwork to increase the minimum wage for federal employees and contractors to $15 per hour. The order directs the various agencies to review what workers earn less than $15 per hour, and prepare rules for contractors to ensure their workers are not paid less. Under the order, contractors would also have to provide emergency paid leave to their employees.... Biden's executive action will also restore certain collective bargaining provisions to federal workers and eliminate Schedule F, an employment classification former President Trump created in October that would strip most civil service protections and make it easier to fire them without cause.... The minimum wage of $7.25 has remained unchanged for those not employed by the federal government or subject to higher state and local ordinances. Biden's COVID-19 relief plan includes a plan to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15, but the plan faces Republican opposition and cannot be passed through budget reconciliation, a process that would allow Democrats to sidestep a GOP filibuster."

Ashley Parker & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Biden raced Thursday to show he was addressing the array of crises awaiting him on his first day in office, issuing executive orders aimed at combating the coronavirus and preparing measures to take on the struggling economy and other problems. Biden and his team found themselves immediately on what the president called a 'wartime' footing, describing fighting the coronavirus as 'a national emergency.'... Biden criticized Trump's vaccine rollout as 'a dismal failure' and called his own goal of administering 100 million vaccine doses within 100 days 'one of the greatest operational challenges our nation has ever undertaken.'... On Friday, [Biden] will sign executive orders tackling the economy, which continues to struggle, with nearly 16 million people claiming benefits as of Jan. 2, the last week the information was available. And he plans to continue apace in the coming days, outlining a 'Buy American' action Monday, followed by a focus on racial equity Tuesday, climate change Wednesday, health care Thursday, and immigration Friday." More on President Biden's "war on coronavirus" linked under "Pandemic" below.) MB: In case you're trying really hard to forget President Whozit, remind yourself that the reason Biden has so many crises to address is President* Whozit. ~~~

     ~~~ Matt Egan of CNN: "Former Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett broadly supports President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion rescue package as a way to keep the coronavirus-ravaged economy afloat." ~~~

     ~~~ BUT. Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post: "Right on schedule, Republicans pretend to care about deficits again.... [During Janet Yellin's Senate confirmation hearing,] Republicans laid the groundwork for blocking the Biden administration's request for more covid-19 fiscal relief, on the grounds that further spending is not merely unnecessary but also irresponsible.... These foul-weather fiscal hawks neglect to mention, of course, that the GOP's prized 2017 tax cuts added nearly $2 trillion to deficits -- back when the economy was doing okay." That is, Republicans raise the deficit when they should be drawing it down, and refuse to spend when the economy needs the spending stimulus.

David Sanger & Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "President Biden ordered a sweeping review on Thursday of American intelligence about Russia's role in a highly sophisticated hacking of government and corporate computer networks, along with what his spokeswoman called Moscow's 'reckless and adversarial actions' globally and against dissidents inside the country. At the same time, White House officials said the president would seek a clean, five-year extension of the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the two countries, which expires in two weeks.... Taken together, the paired announcements make clear the complexity of Mr. Biden's two-step approach to contain the actions of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Mr. Biden's aides have said they have no interest in a 'reset' in relations of the kind that President Barack Obama and his secretary of state at the time, Hillary Clinton, tried a dozen years ago." MB: As Rachel Maddow noted, Trump didn't even bother to object to Russia's hacking ops.

Ben Leonard & Tyler Pager of Politico: "President Joe Biden will keep FBI Director Christopher Wray on in that role, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Thursday. Wray was named to head the bureau in 2017 by... Donald Trump...." MB: I'll say this: Wray did a masterful job of keeping Trump on his leash; again & again, Wray disputed Trump's outlandish tales, but he did so in a way, in a context, and/or at a time that made it impolitic for Trump to fire him. And now Wray gets to keep the job. Trump, however, does not. Pretty clever. (Also linked yesterday.)

Rebecca Rainey of Politico: "President Joe Biden is forcing out two Trump-era counsels from the National Labor Relations Board, the first time in more than 70 years a president has exercised that power over the agency. National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Peter Robb, a Trump appointee, was fired Wednesday after refusing a request from Biden to step down from his post. On Thursday, Biden asked for the resignation of Robb's replacement, Deputy General Counsel Alice Stock, by 5 p.m. or said she would be dismissed.... Robb promoted Stock to deputy general counsel in 2019. Before joining the NLRB, she was a management-side attorney representing businesses in collective bargaining disputes and unfair labor practice charges."

Matthew Lee of the AP: "The Biden administration has moved quickly to remove a number of senior officials aligned with ... Donald Trump from the Voice of America and the agency that oversees all U.S.-funded international broadcasting. The actions address fears that the U.S. Agency for Global Media was being turned into a pro-Trump propaganda outlet.... The moves come just a day after President Joe Biden was sworn in and demanded the resignation of Trump's hand-picked CEO of USAGM, Michael Pack. The agency said in a statement that VOA director Robert Reilly had been fired just weeks after having taken the job. He had been harshly criticized just last week for demoting a VOA White House correspondent who tried to ask former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a question after a town hall event. [More on this in next story.] Two agency officials familiar with the matter said Reilly and his deputy, Elizabeth Robbins, were escorted from VOA's headquarters by security guards.... In addition, Jeffrey Shapiro, who was just recently appointed to run Cuba-focused broadcasters Radio and TV Marti, resigned at the request of the new administration, they said. ~~~

     ~~~ David Folkenflik of NPR: "Some of [Michael] Pack's loyalists who were still at the agency were trying as late as Thursday afternoon to force out the executives and senior VOA staff that Pack targeted, according to four people with knowledge. 'The continuing, vindictive pettiness of these people still is amazing,' David Seide, an attorney who represented multiple VOA whistleblowers ... told NPR.... The new acting director of Voice of America is Yolanda Lopez, a veteran journalist who had led VOA's News Center until last week. On Jan. 12, Lopez was stripped of all editorial oversight of the English-language news hub after one of her White House reporters posed pointed questions to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about his remarks, made after the presidential election, about a second Trump administration. Reporter Patsy Widakuswara ... was demoted twice in 24 hours after the incident.... [Then-VOA Director Robert] Reilly barked at Widakuswara, 'You obviously don't know how to behave.'"

Elliot Spagat of the AP: President "Biden on Wednesday ordered a 'pause' on all [border] wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive orders issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration. The order leaves billions of dollars of work unfinished -- but still under contract -- after Trump worked feverishly last year to build more than 450 miles (720 kilometers), a goal he said he achieved eight days before leaving office.... Biden, seeking to fulfill a pledge not to build 'another foot,' gave his administration two months to determine how much it would cost to cancel contracts and whether money could be spent elsewhere. The Senate aide said fees would be negotiated with contractors and the administration would seek to spend whatever's left on related uses on the border, such as roads, lights, sensors and other technology." MB: The photo accompanying the story is mighty fine.

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, asked Democrats on Thursday to delay ... Donald J. Trump's impeachment trial until mid-February.... Mr. McConnell made the request on a day when Mr. Biden's call for unity was already running into partisan dysfunction in the Senate. Mr. McConnell and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, were locked in a separate stalemate over how they would share power and whether Democrats would promise to preserve Republicans' ability to filibuster legislation. The deadlock highlighted Mr. McConnell's determination to maintain his leverage to thwart Mr. Biden's priorities and the difficulty Democrats would have doing business with a one-vote majority. The result: On Mr. Biden's first full day in office and Democrats' first in total control of Congress, the Senate was in a state of suspended animation, unable to move forward with even the basic tasks of organizing committees or setting rules for getting virtually anything done." ~~~

     ~~~ Mike DeBonis & Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "Senate Republicans on Thursday pushed to delay the impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump for at least three weeks because he is struggling to recruit a legal team and assemble a defense against the accusation that he incited the deadly Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol.... The proposal came as a key Trump ally, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), disclosed that the former president had secured a lead defense counsel for the trial: Butch Bowers, a Columbia, S.C., attorney...." The Hill's story, on McConnell's proposal to delay Whozit's trial, is here. A related Politico story, about Trump's hiring of Bowers, is here.

Catie Edmondson & Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "The House and Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a special waiver to allow Lloyd J. Austin III, a retired four-star Army general, to serve as secretary of defense, eliminating a hurdle to confirmation for a crucial member of President Biden's national security team who is poised to become the first Black American to lead the Pentagon. In back-to-back votes, lawmakers in both parties approved the special dispensation for General Austin to hold the post, as required for any defense secretary who has been retired from active-duty military service for fewer than seven years. Leaders set a vote for Friday morning to confirm him. The flurry of activity on Capitol Hill -- and the pressure exerted by top Democrats to push his confirmation through -- reflected the sense of urgency in the Biden administration to rapidly install General Austin as the defense secretary, a step normally taken on a president's first day in office to signal the continuity of American power as the presidency changes hands." Politico's story is here.

Matt Fuller of the Huffington Post: "New security measures outside the U.S. House chamber prevented a Republican lawmaker from bringing a gun onto the House floor Thursday. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), who has repeatedly flouted the magnetometers that were installed near the House chamber after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, set off the metal detectors while trying to enter. When an officer with a metal detector wand scanned him, a firearm was detected on Harris's side, concealed by his suit coat. Police refused to let Harris in.... HuffPost watched Harris try to get another member to take the gun from him so he could go vote. The member, Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), told Harris he didn't have 'a license' and refused to hold the weapon for him."

Marianne Levine of Politico: "A group of Senate Democrats filed an ethics complaint Thursday against GOP Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, over their Jan. 6 efforts to object to the 2020 presidential electiom results. 'By proceeding with their objections to the electors after the violent attack, Senators Cruz and Hawley lent legitimacy to the mob's cause and made future violence more likely,' the senators wrote in a letter to incoming Senate Ethics panel Chair Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Vice Chair James Lankford (R-Okla.). The letter, led by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), requests that the panel investigate several issues, including whether Cruz (R-Texas) and Hawley (R-Mo) encouraged the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol; whether they coordinated with organizers of the pro-Trump rally immediately before the riot; whether they received donations from any organizations or donors that also funded the rally; and whether the senators 'engaged in criminal conduct or unethical or improper behavior.'"

Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "Scores of National Guard members were forced out of a U.S. Capitol cafeteria resting area and into a parking garage nearby, putting them in close quarters with moving cars, exhaust fumes and troops potentially infected with the coronavirus, two soldiers told The Washington Post. The abrupt transfer came Thursday afternoon with no explanation, the soldiers said. Images of National Guard members sleeping on concrete sparked outrage and an apparent reversal later Thursday night, as lawmakers said the service members would be moved back to the Capitol. The Guard members have hotel rooms to sleep in, officials said. But soldiers are on duty for a day or two, working shifts a few hours at a time and cannot easily return to their hotels, many of which are in Virginia and Maryland. So they nap wherever they can -- on concrete, indoor tennis courts, or if they are lucky, on carpet[ed] floors." A Politico story is here. MB: I realize the chief of the Capitol Police has just resigned, but it looks as if the remaining leadership team needs a serious attitude adjustment.

At Least Harris & Emhoff Have a Nice Place to Stay. Matthew Choi & Eugene Daniels of Politico: "Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will stay at Blair House while repairs at Naval Observatory are underway, Harris' adviser and spokesperson Symone Sanders told Politico Thursday. Harris' office had announced their move to the official vice presidential residence would be delayed Wednesday, citing household maintenance and repairs to the chimney. The office had previously declined to say where she would be staying in the mean time due to security concerns."

Marie: Based on news reports, I wrote yesterday that the White House's chief usher, Timothy Harleth, had greeted the Bidens as they entered the White House. That turns out not to be true: ~~~

~~~ Annie Karni & Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "It was the culminating moment of a transfer of power: President Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, walked up the driveway to their new home on Wednesday, ascended the steps to the North Portico, waved to the crowd as a military band played 'Hail to the Chief,' turned to head inside -- and came face-to-face with a closed door.... The awkward moment had lasted only ... about 10 [seconds]..., but it did not go unnoticed in Washington. Although it is unclear exactly what caused the delay with the doors -- which are normally opened by Marine guards -- the chief usher of the White House, who manages the residence, had been fired less than five hours earlier. Timothy Harleth, the Trumps' chief usher and a former rooms manager of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, was busy moving furniture on Inauguration Day when he was told at 11:30 a.m. that his services were no longer needed, people familiar with the process said." MB: Since Dr. Jill was otherwise occupied at the inauguration at 11:30 am, I guess it wasn't she who made the call from her cell to tell Harleth, "You're fired."

The New York Times has a "seating chart" interactive graphic of who-all attended President Biden's inauguration ceremony at the Capitol. Currently (2 pm ET Thursday), a version of the graphic also appears on the Times' front page, so nonsubscribers can see it. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Bernie's mittens get memed. WashPo link. Fun for subscribers.

Ha Ha. Joseph Choi of the Hill: "President Biden's inauguration garnered more viewers than that of his predecessor..., with nearly 40 million tuning in to see him sworn into office. Citing Nielsen ratings, Variety reported on Thursday that 39.9 million people across six major TV news channels watched Biden be sworn into office. When Trump was sworn into office in 2017, 38.35 million people watched, 4 percent less than that of Biden's inauguration numbers." MB: To be fair, if you estimate that as many as 500,000 people showed up for Trump's inauguration, that would mean those who watched reached just less than 39 million -- still fewer than those who watched Biden's.

Oren Liebermann, et al., of CNN: "The US Army has changed its account of a key phone call that took place on January 6 as rioters stormed the US Capitol.... They changed their explanation soon after the Department of Defense acknowledged that one of the generals who spoke to reporters, Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn -- the brother of ... former national security adviser Michael Flynn -- was in the room for one of the key January 6 phone calls. The shifting accounts are only likely to increase scrutiny on the Pentagon, which is already trying to rebut accusations that it denied or delayed the deployment of additional troops as the riot worsened on Capitol Hill, eventually leaving five dead, including a Capitol Police officer. A Washington, DC, official called the process of calling up more guardsmen 'long' and 'tortured.' Pentagon officials have repeatedly denied the accusations, insisting there were no intentional delays, though then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy on Monday told CNN the response was hampered by an 'archaic system.'" ~~~

~~~ Dan Lamothe & Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "Army Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, the brother of controversial former national security adviser Michael Flynn, on Thursday defended his actions in the U.S. military's deliberations over how to respond to the assault on the Capitol, saying he was on a key call for only four minutes and denying that he lied to staffers about it. Charles Flynn also rejected the notion that his relationship with his brother, a retired Army general who suggested that ... Donald Trump should 'rerun' the presidential election and could declare martial law, was a factor in his response.... The comments came after Flynn issued a statement to The Washington Post on Wednesday that stated he had been in the room during a tense call in which other agencies responding to the deadly riot on Jan. 6 pleaded for the National Guard to intervene immediately. The Army had denied for days that Flynn was involved in the meeting."

Tom Dreisbach & Meg Anderson of NPR: "... many of those who stormed the Capitol were military veterans..., who had once sworn to protect the Constitution. In fact, an NPR analysis has found that nearly 1 in 5 people charged over their alleged involvement in the attack ... appear to have a military history. NPR compiled a list of individuals facing federal or District of Columbia charges in connection with the events of Jan. 6. Of more than 140 charged so far, a review of military records, social media accounts, court documents and news reports indicate at least 27 of those charged, or nearly 20%, have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military. To put that number in perspective, only about 7% of all American adults are military veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau."

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A Florida [man] accused of taking part in the Capitol riot and then returning to Washington in advance of President Joe Biden's inauguration should be kept behind bars as he awaits trial, a federal magistrate ruled Thursday. Prosecutors say Samuel Camargo, 26, posted videos on Instagram showing him trying to force his way into the Capitol during the Jan. 6 assault and later displayed a piece of metal that he said came from the historic building. 'Got some memorobioia [sic], did it myself,' text on Camargo's feed said. After the chaotic and violent day at the Capitol, Camargo returned to his home in Deerfield Beach, according to an FBI affidavit. When an FBI agent reached out to him by phone, Camargo became uncooperative and questioned the agent's loyalty to the Constitution, the court filing says. Camargo later saw law enforcement officials at his home and took off, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Poulin said during a bail hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington.... Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said Camargo's actions created too much risk that he would not appear for trial. 'He was, at a minimum, trying to flee from prosecution. At worst, he could've been doing something worse than that,' Faruqui said....

"Meanwhile, a bail hearing expected Thursday for a New Mexico county commissioner charged in the Capitol riot was scuttled after he reportedly refused to take a coronavirus test. Couy Griffin, 47, the leader of Cowboys for Trump, was arrested Sunday in Washington after he returned to the city following the Jan. 6 unrest."

Amy Worden & Marisa Iati of the Washington Post: "A Pennsylvania woman accused of helping to steal a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington was ordered released from detention Thursday and placed in her mother's custody. Riley June Williams, 22, must stay in the home she shares with her mother and abide by other conditions of release, including avoiding contact with any witnesses or victims of the Jan. 6 Capitol storming. Federal Magistrate Judge Martin Carlson said he was releasing Williams in part because she had no prior criminal record, but he warned her that her mother, Wendy Williams, could be criminally charged if she fails to report to the court any violations of the conditions of release.... Before Williams was brought back to Dauphin County Prison to be processed for release, Carlson gave a pointed speech about the allegations that she had tried to interfere with Congress's constitutional obligation to certify the electoral college results. [He called] her alleged actions 'antithetical to these constitutional values.... Your freedom, conditioned as it is by the orders that I have entered, is the result of the prevailing of the Constitution,' Carlson said. 'The Constitution prevails here today. And the Constitution will always prevail in this country.'... [Riley] Williams faces two felony charges punishable by decades in prison, as well as two misdemeanors, according to charging documents." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: My guess: like most of her co-defendants around the country, Williams is too damned stupid to get the judge's point that she is benefiting from the Constitution she ignored in the commission of her (alleged) crimes. These people just are not very bright.

Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "The wave of pardons and commutations issued by Mr. Trump in his final months in office has drawn criticism from prosecutors and federal agents.... Most notably, his decision to pardon four Blackwater guards convicted in the killing of Iraqi civilians infuriated many involved in those complex, long-running and contentious prosecutions. But Mr. Trump]s willingness to grant clemency in a string of Medicare cases has elicited particular outrage in Florida, a hotbed of this type of case and a focus of Justice Department efforts to combat fraud....[One of those pardons went to] Philip Esformes, a former nursing home executive who orchestrated one of the biggest Medicare frauds in United States history.... [His clinics] collected an estimated $1.3 billion in fraudulent Medicare claims.... [A commutation went to] Judith Negron, 49, who had been convicted in a separate scheme to siphon off hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent Medicare payments.... Thanks to ... Mr. Trump, she had been released after serving eight years of a 35-year sentence and was relieved of any remaining obligation to pay her share of $87 million in court-ordered restitution.... Mr. Trump added to the anger on Tuesday, when he commuted what was left of the prison sentence for Dr. Salomon E. Melgen, 66 [-- a friend of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) --], who ran clinics in Florida that fraudulently diagnosed Medicare patients with eye diseases and then performed medically unnecessary tests and procedures, falsely billing the federal government at least $42 million, according to prosecutors." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: While all investigations & prosecutions are time-consuming, the cases referenced above were particularly difficult to prove. And Trump wiped them away for no good reason; he said Negron was a "wife and mother" who had used her prison time to "improv[e] her life and the lives of her fellow inmates."

Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department inspector general has begun examining the abrupt departure this month of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta after ... Donald Trump complained officials in Georgia were not doing enough to find election fraud, according to people familiar with the matter. The investigation into the sudden resignation of Byung J. 'BJay' Pak by Inspector General Michael Horowitz appears to be in its early stages. Investigators have not yet talked to Pak, and it is unclear how broad their inquiry will be, the people familiar with the matter said.... Pak unexpectedly announced Jan. 4 that he was stepping down that day as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, surprising many in his office. Trump then bypassed Pak's top deputy in selecting a temporary replacement, raising questions among legal observers about the possibility of political interference in law enforcement work." The Hill's story is here.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "President Biden, seeking to assert leadership over the coronavirus pandemic, signed a string of executive orders and presidential directives on Thursday aimed at creating the kind of centralized authority that the Trump administration had shied away from. The orders included new requirements for masks on interstate planes, trains and buses, the creation of a national testing board and mandatory quarantines for international travelers arriving in the United States. Mr. Biden predicted that the national death toll from Covid-19 would top 500,000 next month, refusing to play down the carnage that his predecessor was loath to acknowledge....

"The 'National Strategy for the Covid-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness' ... instructed federal agencies to invoke the Defense Production Act if necessary to expand supplies; created a 'pandemic testing board' to help expand access to testing; ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue guidelines to protect workers; called for new guidelines on reopening schools and businesses; and said the government would begin fully reimbursing states for the cost of using the National Guard to accelerate the pace of vaccinations. But the plan is in some respects overly optimistic and in others not ambitious enough, some experts say....

"Appearing in the White House briefing room for the first time since November, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci said powerful treatments using manufactured antibodies, which were used on ... Donald J. Trump, were not effective against more infectious variants of the virus circulating in South Africa and Brazil, which have not yet emerged in the United States. And while the current vaccines still work against the new variants, the immune response they induce might be slightly diminished, he said, adding even more urgency to quickly vaccinating people. The nation, he said, is 'still in a very serious situation.'" The AP's story on Biden's coronavirus orders is here. MB: The orders are necessary, of course, because of what Brian Williams of MSNBC called "a toxic year of malfeasance & malpractice."

The idea that you can get up here and talk about what you know, what the science is, and know that's it -- let the science speak -- it is somewhat of a liberating feeling. -- Dr. Anthony Fauci, speaking at Biden's press conference Thursday (WashPo link) ~~~

~~~ Sarah Owermohle of Politico: "One day into the Biden presidency..., [Dr. Anthony Fauci] described it as 'a refreshing experience.'... 'It's obviously a very different situation. It's complete transparency,' Fauci said in an interview Thursday. 'Nobody is telling you what to say, at all. They are just saying go out there and let the data guide you on what you are saying.'... 'There were things that were said, be it regarding things like hydroxychloroquine and other things like that, that really was an uncomfortable thing because they were not based on scientific fact,' Fauci said of the Trump administration. 'I can tell you, I take no pleasure at all being in a situation with contradicting the president.'"

Alexandra Jaffe & Zeke Miller of the AP: "The clearest sign that there's a new boss at the White House is the deference being paid to coronavirus public health guidlines. It's a striking contrast to Donald Trump's White House, which was the epicenter of no less than three separate outbreaks of COVID-19, their true scale not fully known because aides refused to discuss cases publicly. While the Trump administration was known for flouting safety recommendations, the Biden team has made a point of abiding by the same strict guidelines they're urging Americans to follow to stem the spread of the virus."

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

News Lede

New York Times: "Hank Aaron, who faced down racism as he eclipsed Babe Ruth as baseball's home run king, hitting 755 homers and holding the most celebrated record in sports for more than 30 years, has died. He was 86." MB: I did love Hank Aaron, or as my roommate from Milwaukee would say, "Henry Aaron. We knew him when he was Henry Aaron."

The Commentariat -- January 21, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Ben Leonard & Tyler Pager of Politico: "President Joe Biden will keep FBI Director Christopher Wray on in that role, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Thursday. Wray was named to head the bureau in 2017 by... Donald Trump...." MB: I'll say this: Wray did a masterful job of keeping Trump on his leash; again & again, Wray disputed Trump's outlandish tales, but he did so in a way, in a context, and/or at a time that made it impolitic for Trump to fire him. And now Wray gets to keep the job. Trump, however, does not. Pretty clever.

Hill: "Former South Bend, Ind., mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Thursday is set to face the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee as they consider his nomination to lead the Transportation Department. The confirmation hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m." Live video at the link.

The New York Times has a "seating chart" interactive graphic of who-all attended President Biden's inauguration ceremony at the Capitol. Currently (2 pm ET Thursday), a version of the graphic also appears on the Times' front page, so nonsubscribers can see it.

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

~~~~~~~~~~

President Biden on Day 1 signs executive orders in the Oval Office. New York Times photo.

Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News: "On his second day in office, President Joe Biden will sign 10 executive orders to ramp up Covid-19 vaccinations, expand testing and reopen schools as he outlines a detailed plan to tackle the pandemic. The new administration will increase the number of vaccination sites by creating federal community vaccination centers in stadiums, gymnasiums and conference centers staffed with thousands of additional workers, some of them from federal agencies and the military, as well as first responders. Biden's plan also looks for ways to speed vaccine production, including using the Defense Production Act, shoring up the supply chain and releasing more of the federal government's reserves. Biden will encourage all states to start vaccinating people 65 and older, along with certain essential workers, including teachers and grocery store employees." (See related CNN story linked under "Pandemic" below.)

Matthew Choi of Politico: "President Joe Biden swore in dozens of appointees and staffers on Wednesday evening, urging them to treat one another with respect or else 'I will fire you on the spot.... Everyone, every single person, regardless of their background, is entitled to be treated with dignity,' Biden said.... Though he did not mention former ... Donald Trump by name, his message of treating others with respect and addressing the pressing issues of racism, economic inequality and climate change came in stark contrast to the turbulence of the Trump White House. He added that their loyalties lay with the American people, not him.... The swearing-in took place over a video conference in the White House because of the coronavirus pandemic."

** Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden unleashed a full-scale assault on his predecessor's legacy on Wednesday, acting hours after taking the oath of office to sweep aside President Donald J. Trump's pandemic response, reverse his environmental agenda, tear down his anti-immigration policies, bolster the sluggish economic recovery and restore federal efforts aimed at promoting diversity. Moving with an urgency not seen from any other modern president, Mr. Biden signed 17 executive orders, memorandums and proclamations from the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon. Among the steps the president took were orders to rejoin the Paris climate accord and end Mr. Trump's travel ban on predominantly Muslim and African countries. Individually, the actions are targeted at what the president views as specific, egregious abuses by Mr. Trump during four tumultuous years. Collectively, Mr. Biden's assertive use of executive authority was intended to be a hefty and visible down payment on one of his primary goals: to, as his top advisers described it, 'reverse the gravest damages' done to the country by Mr. Trump." A CBS News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Erasing Whozit. Aishvarya Kavi of the New York Times: "... Mr. Biden's first actions as president are sharply aimed at sweeping aside ... Donald J. Trump's pandemic response, reversing his environmental agenda, tearing down his anti-immigration policies, bolstering the teetering economic recovery and restoring federal efforts to promote diversity. Here's a look at what the measures aim to accomplish." ~~~

     ~~~ Coral Davenport & Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Wednesday recommitted the United States to the Paris climate agreement, the international accord designed to avert catastrophic global warming, and ordered federal agencies to start reviewing and reinstating more than 100 environmental regulations that were weakened or rolled back by former President Donald J. Trump. The moves represent a first step in healing one of the deepest rifts between the United States and the rest of the world after Mr. Trump defiantly rejected the Paris pact and seemed to relish his administration's push to weaken or undo major domestic climate policies. Mr. Biden has elevated tackling the climate crisis among his highest priorities."

Savannah Behrmann of USA Today: "As President Joe Biden sat behind the Resolute Desk for the first time as president, some physical differences -- from the symbolic choices in decor to simply wearing a mask -- were stark compared to that of his predecessor.... A bronze bust of Mexican-American civil rights activist and labor leader César Chávez stood out from behind the Resolute Desk as Biden signed ... executive orders.... Biden selected Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Chavez's granddaughter who worked in the Obama administration and in Biden's campaign, as his director of the White House Office of Intergovernmenta Affairs. The Chavez bust is just one of several American leaders and icons that now fill the Oval Office. There are also busts of civil rights activists Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. A massive portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt also hangs across from the Resolute Desk. Gone is the controversial painting of President Andrew Jackson that Trump had hung in the Oval Office. Biden replaced it with a portrait of Benjamin Franklin 'to represent Biden's interest in following science,' according to the Washington Post." The Washington Post story includes lots of photos of the new decor.

Tim Perry of CBS News: "Vice President Kamala Harris won't immediately move into the vice president's residence at the Naval Observatory that is traditionally used by vice presidents, an aide for Harris told CBS News. The aide said that the delay is due to the need for some repairs to the home.... Chimney liners need to be replaced and other household maintenance will be performed.... Harris ... has a home in downtown, Washington, D.C."

Rebecca Falconer of Axios: "Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton wished President Biden well and spoke of coming together in a 'peaceful transition of power' in a video organized by the inaugural committee Wednesday." MB: The played during Wednesday evening's festivities. See also unwashed's comment in today's thread:

Matthew Choi of Politico: "White House press secretary Jen Psaki committed on Wednesday to 'bringing truth and transparency back to the briefing room,' in her first news briefing of Joe Biden's presidency.... Psaki said she would commit to 'sharing information even when it is hard to hear' -- a reflection of Biden's inauguration address, in which he raised the alarm about rampant misinformation in the country, and an indirect rebuke of the tumultuous relationship between ... Donald Trump's White House and the news media.... Psaki also said she would carry out daily news briefings -- a change from previous administration, which would often go weeks without addressing reporters. Former press secretary Stephanie Grisham did not have a single briefing during her time in the position.... Psaki's debut appearance was a diametric contrast to the first news briefing of the Trump presidency, where then-press secretary Sean Spicer insisted that Trump's inauguration crowd was the largest in U.S. history -- a claim that was quickly proved false with aerial photos of the event."

Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "The director of the National Security Agency, who was ordered over the weekend to install a former GOP political operative as the agency's top lawyer, on Wednesday placed that individual on administrative leave, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. The NSA director, Gen. Paul Nakasone, placed Michael Ellis, a former Trump White House official [MB: and Devin Nunes' protégé, on leave pending an inquiry by the Pentagon inspector general into the circumstances of his selection as NSA general counsel, said the official.... Nakasone was ordered on Saturday by then acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller to install Ellis by 6 p.m. Ellis officially started the job on Tuesday.... Miller's pressure on Nakasone just days before the Biden administration was to take over raised eyebrows and further alarmed critics who said Ellis's naming to the general counsel job represented the politicization of a career job at the helm of the nation's largest spy agency." A CNN story is here.

"You're Fired." Eli Rosenberg & Reis Thebault of the Washington Post: "A standoff between the Biden administration and the National Labor Relations Board's general counsel ended Wednesday evening in the top lawyer's firing, according to a White House official. The fracas over now-former general counsel Peter Robb's tenure unfolded just hours into Joe Biden's presidency. It began earlier Wednesday, when the Biden administration asked Robb to resign, the White House official said, a precedent-breaking move first reported by Bloomberg Law. But Robb, a Trump appointee with 10 months left in his Senate-confirmed role, refused.... Biden reportedly told Robb he should step down by 5 p.m. or he would be fired. By 8:45 p.m., the general counsel position on the NLRB's online organizational chart was listed as 'vacant.'... Labor groups celebrated Robb;s dismissal and hailed it as a welcome departure from Trump administration policies they deemed hostile toward workers and unions." MB: While it's unclear from the story whether or not Biden personally spoke to Robb, it does appear that he's better at firing undesirables than was that guy who starred in the "Apprentice" teevee show.

"You're Fired." Kate Bennett of CNN: "The Bidens moved quickly on Wednesday to fire White House chief usher Timothy Harleth, who was installed by the Trumps, two sources with knowledge have confirmed to CNN. Harleth was hired by Melania Trump in 2017 to fill the important role of chief usher. Harleth came to the White House from Trump International Hotel DC, where he was rooms manager. First lady Jill Biden's office did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment. Harleth took the place of Angella Reid, who was hired during the Obama administration. Reid made history when she took the job in 2011 as the first woman to serve in the position.... She was let go by the Trumps a few months after they took over the White House." MB: After the Trump flew the coop early Wednesday, it was left to Harlath to welcome the Bidens to the White House. Looks as if Dr. Jill doesn't have any trouble firing Trumpies, either.

Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "Michael Pack, a Trump appointee who sought to remake the Voice of America and other government-funded overseas news agencies, resigned on Wednesday, bringing an end to a short and tumultuous tenure. Pack quit a few hours after President Biden took office and less than eight months into his three-year term as chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The government agency oversees VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and other networks that produce and distribute news to millions of people in countries whose governments suppress independent reporting. He said that his resignation came at Biden's request."

Burgess Everett of Politico: "Senate Democrats are signaling they will reject an effort by Mitch McConnell to protect the legislative filibuster as part of a deal to run a 50-50 Senate, saying they have little interest in bowing to his demands just hours into their new Senate majority.... Many Democrats argue that having the threat of targeting the filibuster will be key to forcing compromise with reluctant Republicans. They also believe it would show weakness to accede to McConnell's demand as he's relegated to minority leader. 'Chuck Schumer is the majority leader and he should be treated like majority leader. We can get shit done around here and we ought to be focused on getting stuff done,' said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.)... The filibuster appears safe for the immediate future.... If Democrats were to change it, it would likely be in response to Republicans blocking their bills repeatedly.... Democrats could change the Senate rules to a simple majority with the support of all 50 Senate Democrats as well as Vice President Kamala Harris via the 'nuclear option,' or a unilateral rules change.... Changing the legislative filibuster would effectively make the Senate much more like the House, a majoritarian institution."

Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Democrats claimed control of the Senate by the thinnest possible margin Wednesday as Vice President Harris swore in three new Democratic senators, bringing Republicans and Democrats to an even 50-50 split in the chamber. Harris, appearing in her role as Senate president just hours after her inauguration as vice president, will serve as the tiebreaker, giving her party a one-vote majority -- and thus the power to set the agenda in Senate committees and on the Senate floor.... Rising for the first time as majority leader, [Chuck] Schumer [D-N.Y.] pledged to 'do business differently' and to take action to combat racial injustice, economic inequality and climate change.... After Schumer spoke, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) agreed to lift his objection to Avril Haines, Biden's choice to serve as director of national intelligence; the Senate voted to confirm Haines, on a vote of 84 to 10. However, four other nominees -- Janet Yellen for treasury secretary, Gen. Lloyd Austin for defense secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas for homeland security secretary and Antony Blinken for secretary of state -- were left waiting amid procedural hurdles and GOP objections." ~~~

~~~ Manu Raju, et al., of CNN: "The Senate confirmed President Joe Biden's first Cabinet nominee Wednesday evening, voting to approve his pick for director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, on his first day in office[.]... Haines will become the first woman to serve as director of national intelligence, taking over an intelligence community that was repeatedly disparaged and sidelined by Trump throughout his four years in office. The director of national intelligence is the president's top intelligence official and leads an agency that coordinates the entire intelligence community, a total of 17 agencies and organizations."

Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "With copies of the century-old manifests from his great-grandparents' journeys from Israel to Ellis Island in his suit pocket, Jon Ossoff on Wednesday clutched a Hebrew Bible that was equally steeped in history as he was sworn in as Georgia's first Jewish senator. It once belonged to Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, an ally of Martin Luther King Jr. and leader of Atlanta's Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple, the city's oldest synagogue and a home for civil rights activism that was bombed by white supremacists in the 1950s. More than just recognizing Ossoff's barrier-breaking win, his choice of a Hebrew Bible speaks to the crucial bounds [bonds??] between the Jewish and Black communities in Atlanta that made the moment possible."

Zach Montague of the New York Times: "In one of his first acts as president, buttressed by several of his predecessors, President Biden on Wednesday moved a ceremonial segment of his inauguration to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, paying his respects at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Reflecting upon the memorial on the first sunny Inauguration Day in 28 years, former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton stood by as Mr. Biden arrived with Vice President Kamala Harris to lay a wreath before the tomb, standing in silence for a long moment in a solemn display of solidarity."

     ~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, taking office at a moment of profound economic, health and political crises with a promise to seek unity after a tumultuous four years that tore at the fabric of American society. With his hand on a five-inch-thick Bible that has been in his family for 128 years, Mr. Biden recited the 35-word oath of office swearing to'preserve, protect and defend the Constitution' in a ceremony administered by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., completing the process at 11:49 a.m., 11 minutes before the authority of the presidency formally changes hands. The ritual transfer of power came shortly after Kamala Devi Harris was sworn in as vice president by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, her hand on a Bible that once belonged to Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights icon and Supreme Court justice. Ms. Harris's ascension made her the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States and the first Black American and first person of South Asian descent to hold the nation's second highest office. In his Inaugural Address, Mr. Biden declared that 'democracy has prevailed' after a test of the system by a defeated president, Donald J. Trump, who sought to overturn the results of an election and then encouraged a mob that stormed the Capitol two weeks ago to block the final count." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the full transcript of President Biden's inaugural speech (via Yahoo! News). (Also linked yesterday.)

Ben Leonard of Politico: "Amanda Gorman became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history on Wednesday at President Joe Biden's swearing-in, using the historic moment to call for unity and to ask 'where can we find light in this never-ending shade.'" Gorman, 22, is the country's first National Youth Poet Laureate. (Also linked yesterday.) You can view Gorman's reading at the inauguration here on YouTube or near the top of yesterday's Commentariat. Here's the full text of the poem (via the Hill, also linked yesterday). A New York Times story is here.

Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Eugene Goodman, a Capitol Police officer who was captured on video facing down members of the mob that breached the Capitol on Jan. 6 and diverting them from entering the Senate chamber and potentially saving lives, has been elevated to serve as the No. 2 security official in the Senate for the inaugural events on Wednesday. As the acting deputy Senate sergeant-at-arms, Officer Goodman, a Black man who fended off a mostly white throng, is part of the official escort accompanying Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to the platform outside the Capitol where she will be sworn into the nation's second-highest office." (Also linked yesterday.)

Meg Kinnard of the AP: "As they witnessed President Joe Biden take the oath of office on Wednesday, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said former Republican President George W. Bush lauded him as a 'savior' for helping get Biden elected. The South Carolina Democrat is largely credited with giving Biden the endorsement he needed to shoot to the top of 2020′s large Democratic field and win his party's nomination. Clyburn, on a call with reporters, said Bush told him, 'you know, you're the savior, because if you had not nominated Joe Biden, we would not be having this transfer of power today.' He said Bush added that Biden was the only Democratic candidate he felt could have defeated ... Donald Trump."

Forrest M. kindly watched Trump's going-away speech for us, and he has provided a complete report in yesterday's Comments of everything you need to know. It's a short report. Also in yesterday's Comments, Akhilleus offered critical analysis of Trump's Last Word. (Also entered yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Oh, okay, here are some excerpts from Maggie Haberman's New York Times report: "To the surprise of some of his own aides, [Donald Trump] left a note for Mr. Biden in the Oval Office, although its contents remained undisclosed.... It was the first time in two weeks that Mr. Trump had addressed the public in person.... His remarks were riddled with falsehoods and factual errors, boasts about his time in office and demands for credit... A large space was built for an audience that the White House had invited to see the president off. But for a man obsessed with crowd size, only about 300 people showed up, filling roughly a third of the standing area.... Some of his aides who had been with him the longest said they did not even watch the send-off on television.... [He issued a final pardon Wednesday morning] for Albert J. Pirro Jr., the former husband of an old friend, Jeanine Pirro, a Fox News host.... The route from the [West Palm Beach] airport to his private club, Mar-a-Lago, was lined with people waving flags, some weeping as he passed."

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "The inauguration of President Biden on Wednesday was more than a transfer of power. In ways symbolic and substantive, it was the redemption of a nation.... The defeated president departed in typically vulgar fashion: He granted late-night pardons to scores of crooks and cronies after some clemency-seeking felons paid Trump allies lavishly; and ordered a last-minute cancellation of his 'drain-the-swamp' ban on former aides becoming lobbyists or foreign agents. On Wednesday morning, Trump staged a campaign-style rally with a couple hundred supporters at Joint Base Andrews, where family and aides shunned face masks and a sound system played 'Macho Man.' Trump treated the crowd to his usual self-congratulation ('amazing by any standard,' '91 percent approval'), repeated oft-told falsehoods about his achievements, made a jingoistic reference to the 'China virus' and spoke in the past tense of the still-raging pandemic.... Biden's arrival was everything Trump's departure wasn't. The president-elect held a memorial for the 400,000 dead on Tuesday night ('to heal, we must remember') and devoted a moment of silence to them in his inaugural address. Later, he joined former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama at Arlington National Cemetery, where they heard a 21-gun salute and placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Trump, who famously skipped similar memorials when in office, honored himself with a 21-gun salute at his departure rally."

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Wednesday called for reforming the use of the president's pardon power after former President Trump granted clemency to 143 individuals as his final act of office, including Stephen Bannon, his former strategist, who was charged with defrauding donors. 'I can't imagine the founders in providing for pardon power for a president anticipated that presidents would use it to reward political friends, and as a result I would hope that we could develop a tradition of more narrowly providing pardons,' Romney said. Romney said there should be a tradition of 'not providing them to people who are cronies or political individuals.' Romney said he 'would love to see a constitutional remedy' even though he acknowledged 'it's unlikely that something like that can get passed just given the difficult process of passing a constitutional amendment.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: While it's true that any curbing of the president's pardon would require a Constitutional amendment, this seems like the kind of reform that would be noncontroversial enough to pass in Congress & the states. It would not be easy, but it's useful to remember than one guy on a mission was largely responsible for passage of the most recent Amendment, the 27th. It took a while. The amendment was originally proposed in 1789, and was finally ratified by the requisite number of states in ... 1992.

Trump Squeezes in One Last Grift. Carol Leonnig & Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "In the days before he left office..., Donald Trump instructed that his family get the best security available in the world for the next six months, at no cost -- the protection of the U.S. Secret Service. According to three people briefed on the plan, Trump issued a directive to extend post-presidency Secret Service protection to his four adult children and two of their spouses, who were not automatically entitled to receive it. Trump also directed that three key officials leaving government continue to receive the protection for six months: former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, former chief of staff Mark Meadows and former national security adviser Robert C. O'Brien, two people familiar with the arrangement said. Under federal law, Trump, his wife, Melania Trump, and their 14-year-old son are the only members of his immediate family entitled to Secret Service protection after they leave office. The couple will receive it for their lifetimes, and Barron is entitled to protection until he turns 16.... A president can order Secret Service protection for any person he chooses, but it is highly ­unusual for a departing president to provide 24-hour security to relatives who are adults.... It's unclear what precedent there is for a departing president to extend this same protection to aides after they have left his administration." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You can bet the Trumps are dining at Mar-a-Lardo off the best White House china & slurping their soup from Mamie Eisenhower's gold-plated soup spoons.

Violent Proud Boys Denounce Wussy Trump. Sheera Frenkel & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "After the presidential election last year, the Proud Boys, a far-right group, declared its undying loyalty to President Trump.... But by this week, the group's attitude toward Mr. Trump had changed. 'Trump will go down as a total failure,' the Proud Boys said in the ... Telegram channel on Monday. As Mr. Trump departed the White House on Wednesday, the Proud Boys, once among his staunchest supporters, have also started leaving his side. In dozens of conversations on social media sites like Gab and Telegram, members of the group have begun calling Mr. Trump a 'shill' and 'extraordinarily weak,' according to messages reviewed by The New York Times. They have also urged supporters to stop attending rallies and protests held for Mr. Trump or the Republican Party.... On social media, Proud Boys participants have complained about his willingness to leave office and said his disavowal of the Capitol rampage was an act of betrayal." MB: Just like one of those crime dramas where the wise guys turn on the capo who has gone soft. ~~~

     ~~~ Pilar Melendez of the Daily Beast: "A Proud Boys leader caught on camera storming the U.S. Capitol with a pro-Trump mob has been arrested and charged for participating in the deadly insurrection. Joseph Biggs, a top organizer with the white nationalist organization, has been slapped with three charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding, for his role in the Jan. 6 riots. Prosecutors say the 37-year-old Florida resident is a 'self-described organizer' of the Proud Boys.... Biggs can be seen in several videos and photos taken inside the Capitol building, including one where someone shouts out his name. In the video, Biggs pulls down his face mask and declares, 'This is awesome,' according to a criminal complaint." ~~~

~~~ Kevin Roose of the New York Times: "Followers of QAnon, the pro-Trump conspiracy theory, have spent weeks anticipating that Wednesday would be the 'Great Awakening' -- a day, long foretold in QAnon prophecy, when top Democrats would be arrested for running a global sex trafficking ring and President Trump would seize a second term in office. But as President Biden took office and Mr. Trump landed in Florida, with no mass arrests in sight, some believers struggled to harmonize the falsehoods with the inauguration on their TVs." An NBC News story is here.

TMZ: "Donald Trump's pettiness apparently knows no bounds, because Joe Biden isn't getting what Trump himself got ... a government aircraft taking him to D.C. for his inauguration. Biden just boarded a private jet for the short flight to Washington. Protocol has been for the incoming President to get the courtesy of a military aircraft. Aside from the fact this tradition is rooted in the transfer of power, it's gotta be safer, with all the bells and whistles that come with it." (Also linked yesterday.)

Hmm. Dan Lamothe, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Army falsely denied for days that Lt. Gen. Charles A. Flynn, the brother of disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn, was involved in a key meeting during its heavily scrutinized response to the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol. Charles Flynn confirmed in a statement issued to The Washington Post on Wednesday that he was in the room for a tense Jan. 6 phone call during which the Capitol Police and D.C. officials pleaded with the Pentagon to dispatch the National Guard urgently, but top Army officials expressed concern about having the Guard at the Capitol. Flynn left the room before the meeting was over, anticipating that then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, who was in another meeting, would soon take action to deploy more guard members, he said.... There is no indication that Charles Flynn shares his brother's extreme views [about declaring martial law to redo the election] or discharged his duties at the Pentagon on Jan. 6 in any manner that was influenced by his brother."

Yet Another Trumpian National Security Risk. Lara Seligman & Bryan Bender of Politico: "The Pentagon blocked members of President Joe Biden's incoming administration from gaining access to critical information about current operations, including the troop drawdown in Afghanistan, upcoming special operations missions in Africa and the Covid-19 vaccine distribution program, according to new details provided by transition and defense officials. The effort to obstruct the Biden team, led by senior White House appointees at the Pentagon, is unprecedented in modern presidential transitions and will hobble the new administration on key national security matters as it takes over positions in the Defense Departmenton Wednesday, the officials said.... People involved with the transition, both on the Biden team and the Pentagon side, [told] Politico ... briefings on pressing defense matters never happened, were delayed to the last minute, or were controlled by overbearing minders from the Trump administration's side." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

NBC News: "... inauguration day was the deadliest so far for the U.S. since the start of the pandemic: there were 4,131 deaths on Wednesday, according to an NBC News tally, beating the previous record set on Jan. 7.... Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading U.S. expert on infectious diseases, says the country is now committed to working with the World Health Organization under Biden, following years of harsh criticism and obstruction from ... Donald Trump's administration."

M.J. Lee of CNN: "Newly sworn in President Joe Biden and his advisers are inheriting no coronavirus vaccine distribution plan to speak of from the Trump administration, sources tell CNN, posing a significant challenge for the new White House.... 'There is nothing for us to rework. We are going to have to build everything from scratch,' one source said. Another source described the moment that it became clear the Biden administration would have to essentially start from 'square one' because there simply was no plan as: 'Wow, just further affirmation of complete incompetence.'"

News Lede

CNBC: "Americans continued to hit the unemployment line last week in large numbers as the ongoing surge of Covid cases added to America's unemployment problem. Jobless claims totaled 900,000 for the week ended Jan. 16, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That was slightly less than the Dow Jones estimate of 925,000 and below the previous week's downwardly revised total of 926,000."