The Ledes

Thursday, October 10, 2024

The New York Times' live updates of Hurrucane Milton consequences Thursday is here: “Milton was still producing damaging hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall to parts of East and Central Florida, forecasters said early Thursday, even as the powerful storm roared away from the Atlantic coast and left deaths and widespread damage across the state. Cities along Florida’s east coast are now facing flash flooding, damaging winds and storm surges. Some had already been battered by powerful tornadoes spun out by the storm before it made landfall on the Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane. In [St. Lucie] county [Fort Pierce], several people in a retirement community were killed by a tornado, the police said.... More than three million customers were without power in Florida as of early Thursday.” ~~~

     ~~~ Here are the Weater Channel's live updates.

CNN: “The 2024 Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to Han Kang, a South Korean author, for her 'intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.' Han, 53, began her career with a group of poems in a South Korean magazine, before making her prose debut in 1995 with a short story collection. She later began writing longer prose works, most notably 'The Vegetarian,' one of her first books to be translated into English. The novel, which won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016, charts a young woman’s attempt to live a more 'plant-like' existence after suffering macabre nightmares about human cruelty. Han is the first South Korean author to win the literature prize, and just the 18th woman out of the 117 prizes awarded since 1901.”

The Wires
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The Ledes

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Washington Post: “Hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, a spate of unusually strong and long-lived tornadoes touched down across the state, flipping tractor-trailers and ripping off roofs. The twisters surprised anxious residents, even as the storm’s eye still loomed. Authorities said there had been 'multiple' deaths after the intense and destructive tornadoes.” MB: I'm still on Florida's emergency-call list, and I received several calls from Lee County, urging me to shelter in place.

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

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates are here: “Milton carved a path of destruction after crashing ashore Wednesday evening on Florida’s Gulf Coast, making landfall near Sarasota as the second powerful hurricane to pound the region in less than two weeks. The storm battered the state for much of the day, with heavy winds, pelting rain and a spate of tornadoes.... By around midnight, the storm had destroyed more than 100 homes, killed several people in a retirement community and ripped the roof off Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.”

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

Sorry, forgot this yesterday: ~~~

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

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Public Service Announcement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click on photo to enlarge.

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

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

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

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Publisher & Editor: Marie Burns


Wednesday
Jan132021

The Commentariat -- January 14, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Emily Davies & Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post: "The National Mall will be closed for Inauguration Day, only accessible by media and security personnel, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues. The extraordinary closure is the latest in a series of security measures to harden the city against the type of violence that rocked the Capitol on Jan. 6."

Paul Sonne, et al., of the Washington Post: "The three top federal agencies responsible for protecting the nation -- the Departments of Justice, Defense and Homeland Security -- are all being run by acting officials, as the United States endures one of its most sensitive national security crises. The leadership vacuum is the product of President Trump's tempestuous relationships with his Cabinet secretaries and tendency to replace them for long periods of time with acting officials who lack Senate confirmation -- a pattern that has led to turmoil atop critical federal agencies for much of his presidency.... The makeshift leadership at the three agencies comes as Biden risks starting his presidency without any of his Cabinet nominees confirmed. In the recent past, the Senate has tried to confirm at least a few critical nominees immediately.... The Biden transition team said in a statement Wednesday that the confirmation hearing for Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's choice to run the Department of Homeland Security, had been moved up in the aftermath of the riot.... The confirmation hearing for Mayorkas was moved up to Jan. 19 after four former homeland security secretaries ... wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post saying the country couldn't afford one more day without a confirmed DHS secretary."

Trump's Terrorist Base. Devlin Barrett, et al., of the Washington Post: "Dozens of people on a terrorist watch list were in Washington for pro-Trump events Jan. 6.... The majority of the watch-listed individuals in Washington that day are suspected white supremacists whose past conduct so alarmed investigators that their names had been previously entered into the national Terrorist Screening Database, or TSDB, a massive set of names flagged as potential security risks, these people said. The watch list is larger and separate from the 'no-fly' list the government maintains.... The presence of so many watch-listed individuals in one place -- without more robust security measures to protect the public -- is another example of the intelligence failures preceding last week's fatal assault that sent lawmakers running for their lives, some current and former law enforcement officials argued.... Several law enforcement officials said they are shocked by the backgrounds of some individuals under investigation in connection with the Capitol riot, a pool of suspects that includes current and former law enforcement and military personnel as well as senior business executives and middle-aged business owners."

Alan Feuer & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "One week after an angry mob stormed the Capitol..., lawmakers called for new investigations and federal authorities fanned out across the country, taking into custody several more suspects, including two police officers from Virginia and a firefighter from Florida.... Federal law enforcement officials continued to examine whether the assault on the Capitol included coordinated efforts by small groups of extremists and was not merely a mass protest that spiraled out of control.... The inspector general's office of the Capitol Police said it was opening a potentially wide-ranging inquiry into security breaches connected to the siege. The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan federal watchdog agency, signaled that it would look into what role, if any, members of Congress may have played in inciting the mob of Trump supporters.... The Houston police chief, Art Acevedo, said in an interview on Wednesday that one of his officers, an 18-year veteran of the force, was also under investigation in connection to the Capitol attack and was likely to face charges.... Federal agents made more arrests on Wednesday in New York, Maryland, Texas and Florida, among them a firefighter from the town of Sanford, near Orlando. The firefighter, Andrew Williams, was charged with unlawful entry and disorderly conduct.... A group of Arizona state lawmakers released a letter on Wednesday that they had sent a day earlier to [acting AG Jeffrey] Rosen and [FBI Director Christopher] Wray, calling for an investigation into two of their own colleagues, Mark Finchem and Anthony Kern, who, according to social media posts, were at the riot at the Capitol."

Giulia Nieto del Rio, et al., of the New York Times: 'A man who was photographed holding a Confederate battle flag inside the U.S. Capitol last week during the riot was arrested Thursday in Delaware, two law enforcement officials said. The man, Kevin Seefried, was wanted by the F.B.I., which had sought help from the public to identify him and had widely circulated a dispatch plastered with images of him.... According to court documents, Mr. Seefried and his son, Hunter Seefried, were identified after the F.B.I. received a report from a co-worker of Hunter Seefried that said that the man had bragged about being in the Capitol with his father on January 6. Mr. Seefried's son was also charged.... A retired firefighter from Chester, Pa., [Robert Sanford,] was also arrested on Thursday after he was identified as the man seen in a video throwing a fire extinguisher at police officers during the riot.... Mr. Sanford went to the Capitol following 'the president's instructions,' a complaining witness told the F.B.I."

Lisa Lerer & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. plans to name Jaime Harrison as his pick to lead the Democratic National Committee, part of an effort to bolster the committee ahead of what are already expected to be challenging midterm elections for the party, according to two people with knowledge of the selection. A former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, Mr. Harrison became a national political star last year as he shattered fund-raising records in his race against Senator Lindsey Graham, who was up for re-election. While Mr. Harrison lost in November, drawing 44 percent of the vote to Mr. Graham's 55 percent, he developed a broad bench of support across the party." Politico's story is here.

Adolfo Flores & Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News: "Top Justice Department officials under ... Donald Trump pushed to separate immigrant families at the border despite knowing how difficult it would be to reunite them, according to a government watchdog report released Thursday. In spring 2018, the Trump administration announced the 'zero tolerance' policy, which called for prosecuting everyone who was caught crossing the border illegally. In practice, from May 5 to June 20 that year, the policy resulted in the separation of more than 3,000 children from their parents, prompting widespread backlash and confusion. Lawyers working to reunite immigrant families separated at the border said Wednesday that they still can't find the parents of 611 children. In its report, the Department of Justice's inspector general found that Jeff Sessions, who was attorney general at the time, and other leaders at the department did not effectively coordinate with government agencies that would ultimately be involved in prosecuting the parents and caring for the children. 'We concluded that the Department's single-minded focus on increasing immigration prosecutions came at the expense of careful and appropriate consideration of the impact of family unit prosecutions and child separations,' the report states. During a call with five US attorneys along the southern border who expressed concern about the separations, Sessions said ... 'We need to take away children,'... according to notes taken by one of the attorneys during the meeting.... 'If care about kids, don't bring them in; won't give amnesty; to people with kids.' The report also documented how planning between the departments of Justice and Homeland Security -- and within the agency itself -- had broken down throughout the process." ~~~

~~~ Julia Ainsley & Jacob Soboroff of NBC News: "After a scathing new report from the Justice Department's watchdog blamed top department officials for being the 'driving force' behind the Trump administration's 2018 migrant family separation policy, former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein issued a statement of regret Thursday and current DOJ official Gene Hamilton blamed the president for the policy. In interviews with the DOJ Office of Inspector General in the lead-up to the report, Gene Hamilton, known as a close ally of White House adviser Stephen Miller, said the decision to separate families, a policy known as 'zero tolerance' that lasted two months in 2018 before it was terminated by executive order, ultimately rested with ... Donald Trump and then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.... [Former AG Jeff] Sessions refused to be interviewed by the Inspector General.... The report could provide a road map for the incoming Biden administration to investigate those responsible for a policy President-elect Joe Biden has called criminal."

~~~~~~~~~~

Missy Ryan, et al., of the Washington Post: "National Guard forces from a growing list of states moved into positions across Washington[,D.C.,] on Wednesday as authorities scrambled to understand the extent of threats surrounding President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration and prevent a repeat of last week's deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. City and federal officials conducted tabletop exercises to rehearse inauguration security and strengthen coordination among a massive patchwork of police, National Guard troops and federal personnel that is expected to fan out ahead of protests this weekend and the Jan. 20 transfer of power. By next week, the D.C. police chief said, upward of 20,000 guardsmen were expected to be in place to guard against violence.... Officials and analysts monitoring online posts and message threads said some far-right groups appeared to be backing down from plans to come to Washington in coming days, at least in part owing to the National Guard and law enforcement presence."

Alexandra Jaffe & Zeke Miller of the AP: "President-elect Joe Biden will no longer be taking an Amtrak train to Washington for his inauguration because of security concerns, a person briefed on the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The president-elect's decision reflects growing worries over potential threats in the Capitol and across the U.S. in the lead-up to Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration."

Trump Impeached Again

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump on Wednesday became the first American president to be impeached twice, as 10 members of his party joined with Democrats in the House to charge him with 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in egging on a violent mob that stormed the Capitol last week. Reconvening in a building now heavily militarized against threats from pro-Trump activists and adorned with bunting for the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., lawmakers voted 232 to 197 to approve a single impeachment article. It accused Mr. Trump of 'inciting violence against the government of the United States' in his quest to overturn the election results, and called for him to be removed and disqualified from ever holding public office again. The vote left another indelible stain on Mr. Trump's presidency just a week before he is slated to leave office and laid bare the cracks running through the Republican Party. More members of his party voted to charge the president than in any other impeachment."

Philip Rucker, et al., of the Washington Post: "When Donald Trump on Wednesday became the first president ever impeached twice, he did so as a leader increasingly isolated, sullen and vengeful. With less than seven days remaining in his presidency, Trump's inner circle is shrinking, offices in his White House are emptying, and the president is lashing out at some of those who remain. He is angry that his allies have not mounted a more forceful defense of his incitement of the mob that stormed the Capitol last week, advisers and associates said. Though Trump has been exceptionally furious with Vice President Pence, his relationship with lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, one of his most steadfast defenders, is also fracturing.... Trump has instructed aides not to pay Giuliani's legal fees, two officials said, and has demanded that he personally approve any reimbursements for the expenses Giuliani incurred while traveling on the president's behalf to challenge election results in key states. They said Trump ... did not appreciate a demand from Giuliani for $20,000 a day in fees for his work attempting to overturn the election....

"... the White House did not mount a vigorous defense Wednesday as House members debated his fitness for office and, ultimately, voted to impeach him. This is both because there was no organized campaign to block impeachment and because many of his aides believe Trump's incitement of the riot was too odious to defend. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, who was central to the president's defense in his first impeachment a year ago, told other staffers to make sure word got out that he was not involved in defending Trump this time...." ~~~

~~~ Shannon Pettypiece, et al., of NBC News: "... Trump continues to cling to his false assertion that he won the election and is refusing pleas that he leave office days before his term expires because of his role in the deadly attack. Trump ... remains both defiant and sullen, said one former White House official.... Trump monitored the impeachment proceedings Wednesday mostly from the Oval Office, according to an administration official.... Stripped of the ability to fire off real-time responses, Trump must rely on a White House staff that has largely been replaced with moving boxes as aides head for the exits and allies fail to offer a defense of him in public.... The staff in White House normally thins in the final days of an administration as people secure new jobs, but Trump's West Wing has become a ghost town after resignations following last week's riot."

Alan Fram & Andrew Taylor of the AP: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday blocked a quick Senate impeachment trial for ... Donald Trump but did not rule out that he might eventually vote to convict the now twice-impeached president. Minutes after the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump, McConnell suggested in a statement that Trump's Senate trial will not start before Jan. 19, the chamber's next scheduled business day.... 'I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,' McConnell wrote [in a letter to GOP senators]." (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This, of course, is Mitch's attempt to have it both ways: (1) he's not down with Trump & His Insurrectionists, and (2) he supports Trump & Freedumb. At the same time, McConnell's move may be his way of controlling Trump, someone who has made Mitch's life more miserable than any Democrat has. As long as Mitch holds what looks like a real threat of impeachment over Trump's head -- in this case, for the rest of Trump's term -- Trump is incentivized to try to behave himself. Ergo, yesterday's hostage video.

From the Washington Post's live updates: "The House on Wednesday voted to impeach Trump on a charge of 'inciting violence' against the U.S. government, making him the first president in U.S. history to have been impeached twice. The final vote count was 232 in favor and 197 opposed. Ten Republicans joined all Democrats present in voting to impeach Trump.... The 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Peter Meijer (Mich.), Dan Newhouse (Wash.), Tom Rice (S.C.), Fred Upton (Mich.) and David Valadao (Calif.).... Trump now faces a Senate trial after his term ends, when the chamber could vote on barring him from future elective office if he is convicted." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ More from the Washington Post's updates: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) opened a two-hour debate Tuesday on Trump's impeachment by calling him 'a clear and present danger' and saying 'he must go.' The House is poised to impeach Trump on a single article charging him with 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in last week's takeover of the Capitol by a violent pro-Trump mob. ~~~

~~~ "As Wednesday's floor debate was underway, Trump issued a statement calling for there to be no violence at any of the protests that are expected to take place during the week of Biden's inauguration. 'In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,' Trump said in the statement, which was first reported by Fox News. 'That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.' According to Fox News, the White House will 'attempt to post the statement to all of Trump's official social media accounts.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

From the New York Times live updates: "The House had enough votes on Wednesday to impeach President Trump for inciting a violent insurrection against the United States government, as more than a half-dozen members of the president's party joined Democrats to charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors for an unprecedented second time." (Also linked yesterday.)

David Brand of the Queens Daily Eagle: "A Queens-born real estate developer made history Wednesday when he became the first U.S. president ever impeached twice by the House of Representatives. Donald Trump, a 74-year-old lame duck Republican, is accused of inciting a lethal mob of far-right supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol in order to prevent Congress from certifying the results of his resounding loss in the November 2020 election. President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, recorded 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232. With Trump's encouragement, Confederate-flag bearing white supremacists and fascist agitators besieged the Capitol, threatening to kill Vice President Mike Pence, breaking into lawmakers' offices, stealing public property and smearing feces on the wall.... Ten Republican members of Congress joined the Democratic majority in voting to impeach the Jamaica Estates native for the second time. In December 2019, Trump became the third president impeached by Congress -- and the first from Queens."

Kaitlan Collins & Kevin Liptak of CNN: "On the day he will be impeached for a history-making second time..., Donald Trump lacks a comprehensive legal strategy, has nothing on his public schedule and is without his preferred social media methods of responding -- in part because his son-in-law put a stop to efforts establishing his presence on fringe platforms after he was banned from Twitter. It amounts to near-invisibility for the President at the most perilous moment of his presidency, which is ending in tumult and dramatic rebuke from members of his own party.... Jared Kushner intervened when other officials tried restoring the President's social media presence on sites that are often havens for extremists, such as Gab, following an unprecedented ban from several major platforms. According to an outside adviser and an administration official, Kushner and deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino blocked efforts by other aides, including personnel chief Johnny McEntee, to get the President on fringe social media platforms after he was suspended in some fashion from almost every major one, including Twitter, Facebook and, now, YouTube." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Update: "After the House voted 232 to 197 to impeach him ... Trump released a video statement that did not mention the historic development that had occurred a few hours earlier. Instead, he delivered a call for calm as the threat of new riots -- which Trump said he'd been briefed on by the Secret Service -- casts a pall over Washington. That briefing took place on Monday and played a role in the President's decision to record the video, an official told CNN. 'No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement or our great American flag,' he said from behind the Resolute Desk in the Ova Office.... At the end of the spot, which was recorded by the White House and not independent television cameras, Trump decried what he called the 'unprecedented assault on free speech we have seen in recent days.... Efforts to censor, cancel and blacklist our fellow citizens are wrong and they are dangerous,' he said." ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Haberman & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: “Under heavy pressure from his advisers, President Trump on Wednesday released a five-minute video recorded in the Oval Office condemning last week's mob violence at the Capitol and urging his supporters to stand down from further rioting next week. The video was released on a White House Twitter account. The president offered no note of humility, regret or self-reflection about his two months of false claims that the election was stolen from him.... Mr. Trump did not mention the name of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., he did not concede the election and he did not talk about Mr. Biden's inauguration, which is to take place next week under extraordinary security because of the threats inspired by the Capitol breach. He also made no mention of the impeachment vote.... But it was also a broader condemnation of the violence than he has offered so far.... [The purpose of cutting the video:] The president's aides have warned him that he faces potential legal exposure for the riot...

"Advisers said that Mr. Trump had to be dissuaded from going to the House floor to try to defend himself during Wednesday's impeachment proceedings, something he wanted to do during his first impeachment in December 2019, advisers said." Emphasis added. MB: Oh, if only. That would have been a spectacle to behold: Trump, the self-acclaimed great dealmaker, wheeling & cajoling, whining & berating members of Congress. And perhaps finally descending into a hot rage."

Emma Fitzsimmons of the New York Times: "... on Wednesday, [New York City] announced it would terminate its contracts with the Trump Organization after the riot at the U.S. Capitol. The decision by Mayor Bill de Blasio was another blow to Mr. Trump's prestige in New York, and hammered home the depths to which the president -- once viewed as a mischievous real estate celebrity -- has become a political and social pariah in his hometown.... The city is moving to cancel contracts at two ice-skating rinks at Central Park, the Central Park Carousel and the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, a city-owned golf course in the Bronx. The Trump Organization has had profits of about $17 million a year from the contracts, Mr. de Blasio said." A CNN story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Martyn McLaughlin of The Scotsman: "[G]olf's governing body finally gave voice to what many long suspected -- for as long as the historic Ayrshire property is besmirched by Mr Trump's ownership, it will not host the sport's oldest, and arguably most prestigious, tournament.... If the ... announcement is a bitter disappointment for Turnberry and Scotland, then it is nothing short of a catastrophe for the outgoing US president and his family firm.... The decision confirms the failure of Mr Trump's annexation of elite golf.... The Trump family preside over heavily indebted, loss-making properties in Scotland that will never host golf's biggest tournaments, and in the midst of a ruinous pandemic, they must now contend with the dire economic consequences of its patriarch's autocratic tendencies." --s

National Security Officials M.I.A. Katie Benner, et al., of the New York Times: "Amid the sea of troubling facts, arrests and iconic images that have emerged in the days since the assault on the Capitol, one element remains largely absent: reassurances from some of the nation's top national security officials. Neither the acting attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, nor the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, has appeared at the type of high-profile news conference that typically marks a major criminal investigation, instead issuing news releases. Mr. Rosen also called for calm and vowed to fully investigate the violence, but the comments came in a video posted by the Justice Department on YouTube around midnight. Chad F. Wolf, the departing acting secretary of homeland security, was in the Middle East during the siege and did not return until later in the week. He also issued a news release that week calling the riot 'tragic and sickening.' For the most part, officials have not addressed that President Trump himself incited the attack by his supporters on Congress's certification of the Electoral College results." ~~~

~~~ John Eligon, et al., of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. on Wednesday urged police chiefs across the country to be on high alert for extremist activity and to share intelligence on any threats they encounter, as the U.S. government issued a dire intelligence bulletin warning of potential violence ahead of the inauguration. In the call with police chiefs, Christopher Wray, the F.B.I. director, and Kenneth Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, warned about potential attacks on state capitols, federal buildings, the homes of congressional members and businesses, according to one of the chiefs on the call." ~~~

~~~ Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "The deadly breach at the Capitol last week will be a 'significant driver of violence' for armed militia groups and racist extremists who are targeting the presidential inauguration next week, according to a joint intelligence bulletin issued by federal authorities. The 'boogaloo,' a movement that seeks to start a second civil war, and extremists aiming to trigger a race war 'may exploit the aftermath of the Capitol breach by conducting attacks to destabilize and force a climactic conflict in the United States,' according to the bulletin issued by the National Counterterrorism Center and the Justice and Homeland Security Departments, which was disseminated widely to law enforcement agencies across the country.... Antigovernment militias and racists extremists 'very likely pose the greatest domestic terrorism threats in 2021,' the agencies said."

Evan Perez of CNN: "Evidence uncovered so far, including weapons and tactics seen on surveillance video, suggests a level of planning that has led investigators to believe the attack on the US Capitol was not just a protest that spiraled out of control, a federal law enforcement official says. Among the evidence the FBI is examining are indications that some participants at the Trump rally at the Ellipse, outside the White House, left the event early, perhaps to retrieve items to be used in the assault on the Capitol. A team of investigators and prosecutors are also focused on the command and control aspect of the attack, looking at travel and communications records to determine if they can build a case that is similar to a counterterrorism investigation, the official said."

Michael Kranish, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the days since the Jan. 6 attack..., a number of Democrats have pointed to speeches, tweets and videos that they have said raised questions about whether the attackers may have been inspired or helped by Republican members of Congress.... Democrats sent a letter Wednesday asking congressional security officials to investigate what they called 'suspicious behavior and access given to visitors' the day before the attack. The letter said that Democratic lawmakers and staffers 'witnessed an extremely high number of outside groups' visiting the Capitol, which was unusual because the building has restricted public access since March, when pandemic protocols were enacted. Since then, tourists can enter the Capitol only when brought in by a member of Congress. Among the visitors, according to the Democrats' letter, were some who 'appeared to be associated with the rally.'... Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said in an interview that 'I do know that, yes, there were members that gave tours to individuals who participated in the riot.'" Politico's story is here.

Sarah Mimms of BuzzFeed News: "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live on Tuesday night that she had a 'very close encounter' on Jan. 6, the day of the violent insurrection at the US Capitol, and that she thought she 'was going to die.' Ocasio-Cortez did not provide many details about what happened to her on Jan. 6, saying she was not certain if she could 'disclose the full details' given security issues. But she called the encounter 'traumatizing,' saying, 'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.'" Update: the Washington Post report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Rebecca Tan of the Washington Post: Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman single-handedly held off -- and well, conned -- a mob of insurrectionists, leading them to a place where several armed officers stood in wait. Includes video. (Also linked yesterday.)

Meet the Trumpist. Evan Perez of CNN: "A rioter who stormed the US Capitol last week wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase 'Camp Auschwitz' was arrested Wednesday morning in Virginia, according to a law enforcement official.... The man in the sweatshirt was identified as Robert Keith Packer of Virginia. A law enforcement official told CNN that Packer was picked up in Newport News, Virginia.... Packer has a criminal history including three convictions for driving under the influence and a felony conviction for forging public records, according to Virginia court records." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post: "Federal authorities have arrested and charged two Virginia police officers who took a selfie during the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.... Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker, two members of the Rocky Mount Police Department in Virginia, took a selfie in front of a statute of John Stark, a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Robertson and Fracker are charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Vincent Veloz, a special agent with the U.S. Capitol Police, wrote in a statement of facts that Robertson posted on social media that 'we actually attacked the government,' and wrote that they 'took the fucking U.S. Capitol' in one day. He also wrote that he was proud to have 'put skin in the game.... If you are too much of a coward to risk arrest, being fired, and actual gunfire to secure your rights., you have no words to speak I value,' Robertson wrote in a message. Fracker, on Facebook, wrote that he didn't think he'd done anything wrong."

Paul Newberry of the AP: "Five-time Olympic swimming medalist Klete Keller was charged Wednesday with participating in a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol after video emerged that appeared to show him among those storming the building last week. An FBI complaint, citing screenshots from the video, asked that a warrant be issued charging Keller with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority and attempting to impede an official government function." MB: Sorry, but in the the accompanying photo, Keller looks like a member of the Nazi youth. (Also linked yesterday.)

Facebook Gives New Meaning to Targeted Advertising. Ryan Mac & Craig Silverman of BuzzFeed News: "Facebook has been running ads for body armor, gun holsters, and other military equipment next to content promoting election misinformation and news about the attempted coup at the US Capitol, despite internal warnings from concerned employees. In the aftermath of an attempted insurrection by ... Donald Trump's supporters last week at the US Capitol building, Facebook has served up ads for defense products to accounts that follow extremist content, according to the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit watchdog group.... Beginning last summer, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company banned pages, groups, and accounts belonging to US-based militant groups, 'boogaloo' extremists, and those associated with the QAnon mass delusion. But members of those movements quickly found ways around the company's policies by renaming their pages or using code names. They continue to proliferate, organize, and advertise on the social network. These ads for tactical gear, which were flagged internally by employees as potentially problematic, show Facebook has been profiting from content that amplifies political and cultural discord in the US."


Everything Is Still Going Very Smoothly. Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News: "The acting leader of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement abruptly resigned on Wednesday, just two weeks into the job after the agency's previous director also stepped down unexpectedly in December, according to a source.... The departure of Jonathan Fahey is the latest in a long line of resignations at ICE during the Trump administration.... [Fahey's] deputy, Tae Johnson, will now serve as acting director. The agency, which has come under mounting public scrutiny for controversial policies and operations throughout Trump's term, has now seen six leaders come and go since 2017. None of the directors of the agency during Trump's term were [was!] ever confirmed in the US Senate."

I will always take care of our wonderful senior citizens. -- Donald Trump, falsely promising seniors would receive $200 medical discount cards, Sept. 24, 2020 ~~~

~~~ Dan Diamond of Politico: "The White House will not be able to make good on ... Donald Trump's campaign promise to give older Americans discount cards to use for medicine, said four officials with knowledge of the deliberations, citing time pressures and still-unfinished planning. 'It would take days to get all the sign-offs we still need, plus the time to print the letters and make the cards,' said one official involved in the process, who ... noted that Inauguration Day is now three business days away. 'We ran out of time.'... Health department officials said that the timeline was never realistic, given the sheer number of unresolved issues.... Several Trump appointees involved in steering the project, including former White House economic official Theo Merkel..., also have departed the administration since December, further slowing the effort.... Trump announced on Sept. 24 that Medicare recipients would receive 'incredible' $200 cards in the 'coming weeks,' blindsiding his own aides and sparking a hasty attempt to rush announcement letters and cards to 39 million Medicare beneficiaries before Election Day."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Marie: Once I got through fuming at the House Freedumb Caucus who think they have a Constitutional right to make Democrats sick with Covid-19, I thought of this: ~~~

~~~ Ben Guarino of the Washington Post: "Three members of Congress may have contracted the coronavirus while sheltering in a crowded room as a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, testing positive shortly after getting a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Those positive tests do not mean the vaccines were faulty, experts said, noting that immune protection takes more than a week to kick in. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that are available to Americans require two doses for full protection; a single dose is not as effective as both. 'Early protection against covid-19 may occur from about 12 days after dose one,' said Naor Bar-Zeev, an infectious diseases physician and epidemiologists.... People 'should not really consider themselves protected really until after a week or two following dose two.'"

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan. David Eggert & Ed White of the AP: "Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder [R] was charged Wednesday with willful neglect of duty after an investigation of ruinous decisions that left Flint with lead-contaminated water and a regional outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. The charges, revealed in an online court record, are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.... No governor or former governor in Michigan's 184-year history had been charged with crimes related to their time in that office, according to the state archivist."

Wisconsin. CBS Chicago: "Prosecutors in Kenosha County, Wisconsin said in a filing Wednesday that Kyle Rittenhouse flashed white power hand gestures and had the Proud Boys' anthem sung to him in a Wisconsin bar last week. Rittenhouse is accused of shooting and killing two people and wounding a third during civil unrest in Kenosha days after the shooting of Jacob Blake by police there. He was spotted at Pudgy's Pub in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin on Tuesday, Jan. 5, the same day he was pleaded not guilty to charges of shooting and killing two people and injuring a third during violent protests in Kenosha this summer.... Another filing asked to have the conditions of Rittenhouse's bond modified so that he would be prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol or being inside an establishment where alcohol is served. Prosecutors also asked that conditions also be added to Rittenhouse's bond that would forbid him from making any white power or white supremacy signs or hand gestures, and that would prohibit him from having contact with 'any known militia members or known members of any violent white power/white supremacist groups or organizations, including but not limited to the group identified as the "Proud Boys."'"

News Lede

New York Times: "Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, who for a time was ... Donald J. Trump's personal physician and who had attested that Mr. Trump would be 'the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency,' died on Friday. He was 73. His death was announced on Thursday in a paid notice in The New York Times. The notice did not give a cause or say where he died."

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Tuesday
Jan122021

The Commentariat -- January 13, 2021

Impeachment 2.0 Afternoon Update:

Alan Fram & Andrew Taylor of the AP: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday blocked a quick Senate impeachment trial for ... Donald Trump but did not rule out that he might eventually vote to convict the now twice-impeached president. Minutes after the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump, McConnell suggested in a statement that Trump's Senate trial will not start before Jan. 19, the chamber's next scheduled business day.... 'I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,' McConnell wrote [in a letter to GOP senators]."

The Washington Post online has a two-line banner headline: "TRUMP IMPEACHED AGAIN": From the Post's live updates (also lined below): "The House on Wednesday voted to impeach Trump on a charge of 'inciting violence' against the U.S. government, making him the first president in U.S. history to have been impeached twice. The final vote count was 232 in favor and 197 opposed. Ten Republicans joined all Democrats present in voting to impeach Trump.... The 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinge (Ill.), Peter Meijer (Mich.), Dan Newhouse (Wash.), Tom Rice (S.C.), Fred Upton (Mich.) and David Valadao (Calif.).... Trump now faces a Senate trial after his term ends, when the chamber could vote on barring him from future elective office if he is convicted." The AP's story is here.

Oh, BTW, at 5:00 pm ET, no reaction from the Giant Orange Double-Impeached Latte.

From the New York Times live updates (also linked below): "The House had enough votes on Wednesday to impeach President Trump for inciting a violent insurrection against the United States government, as more than a half-dozen members of the president's party joined Democrats to charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors for an unprecedented second time."

The Washington Post's impeachment updates are here: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) opened a two-hour debate Tuesday on Trump's impeachment by calling him 'a clear and present danger' and saying 'he must go.' The House is poised to impeach Trump on a single article charging him with 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in last week's takeover of the Capitol by a violent pro-Trump mob. ~~~

~~~ "As Wednesday's floor debate was underway, Trump issued a statement calling for there to be no violence at any of the protests that are expected to take place during the week of Biden's inauguration. 'In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,' Trump said in the statement, which was first reported by Fox News. 'That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.' According to Fox News, the White House will 'attempt to post the statement to all of Trump's official social media accounts.'"

The New York Times' impeachment updates are here.

Emma Fitzsimmons of the New York Times: "... on Wednesday, [New York City] announced it would terminate its contracts with the Trump Organization after the riot at the U.S. Capitol. The decision by Mayor Bill de Blasio was another blow to Mr. Trump's prestige in New York, and hammered home the depths to which the president -- once viewed as a mischievous real estate celebrity -- has become a political and social pariah in his hometown.... The city is moving to cancel contracts at two ice-skating rinks at Central Park, the Central Park Carousel and the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, a city-owned golf course in the Bronx. The Trump Organization has had profits of about $17 million a year from the contracts, Mr. de Blasio said." A CNN story is here.

Kaitlan Collins & Kevin Liptak of CNN: "On the day he will be impeached for a history-making second time..., Donald Trump lacks a comprehensive legal strategy, has nothing on his public schedule and is without his preferred social media methods of responding -- in part because his son-in-law put a stop to efforts establishing his presence on fringe platforms after he was banned from Twitter. It amounts to near-invisibility for the President at the most perilous moment of his presidency, which is ending in tumult and dramatic rebuke from members of his own party.... Jared Kushner intervened when other officials tried restoring the President's social media presence on sites that are often havens for extremists, such as Gab, following an unprecedented ban from several major platforms. According to an outside adviser and an administration official, Kushner and deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino blocked efforts by other aides, including personnel chief Johnny McEntee, to get the President on fringe social media platforms after he was suspended in some fashion from almost every major one, including Twitter, Facebook and, now, YouTube." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In theory -- though not in fact -- Trump's impeachment trial could start this week -- and he doesn't seem to have a legal team to defend him. What? Is he going to send Rudy up to the Hill to spit & fart his way through a "defense" as hair dye drips down his face?

Sarah Mimms of BuzzFeed News: "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live on Tuesday night that she had a 'very close encounter' on Jan. 6, the day of the violent insurrection at the US Capitol, and that she thought she 'was going to die.' Ocasio-Cortez did not provide many details about what happened to her on Jan. 6, saying she was not certain if she could 'disclose the full details' given security issues. But she called the encounter 'traumatizing,' saying, 'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.'" Update: the Washington Post report is here.

Rebecca Tan of the Washington Post: Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman single-handedly held off -- and well, conned -- a mob of insurrectionists, leading them to a place where several armed officers stood in wait. Includes video.

Meet the Trumpist. Evan Perez of CNN: "A rioter who stormed the US Capitol last week wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase 'Camp Auschwitz' was arrested Wednesday morning in Virginia, according to a law enforcement official.... The man in the sweatshirt was identified as Robert Keith Packer of Virginia. A law enforcement official told CNN that Packer was picked up in Newport News, Virginia.... Packer has a criminal history including three convictions for driving under the influence and a felony conviction for forging public records, according to Virginia court records."

Paul Newberry of the AP: "Five-time Olympic swimming medalist Klete Keller was charged Wednesday with participating in a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol after video emerged that appeared to show him among those storming the building last week. An FBI complaint, citing screenshots from the video, asked that a warrant be issued charging Keller with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority and attempting to impede an official government function." MB: Sorry, but in the the accompanying photo, Keller looks like a member of the Nazi youth.

Kaitlan Collins & Kevin Liptak of CNN: "On the day he will be impeached for a history-making second time..., Donald Trump lacks a comprehensive legal strategy, has nothing on his public schedule and is without his preferred social media methods of responding -- in part because his son-in-law put a stop to efforts establishing his presence on fringe platforms after he was banned from Twitter. It amounts to near-invisibility for the President at the most perilous moment of his presidency, which is ending in tumult and dramatic rebuke from members of his own party.... Jared Kushner intervened when other officials tried restoring the President's social media presence on sites that are often havens for extremists, such as Gab, following an unprecedented ban from several major platforms. According to an outside adviser and an administration official, Kushner and deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino blocked efforts by other aides, including personnel chief Johnny McEntee, to get the President on fringe social media platforms after he was suspended in some fashion from almost every major one, including Twitter, Facebook and, now, YouTube." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In theory -- though not in fact -- Trump's impeachment trial could start this week -- and he doesn't seem to have a legal team to defend him. What? Is he going to send Rudy up to the Hill to spit & fart his way through a "defense" as hair dye drips down his face?

~~~~~~~~~~

Carol Leonnig, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Secret Service and federal law enforcement agencies are spending the final days of the Trump administration bracing for a possible violent assault against the Jan. 20 inauguration, launching a security mobilization that will be unlike any in modern U.S. history. On Wednesday, the Secret Service will take command of security preparations at the U.S. Capitol and other federal buildings, backed by as many as 15,000 National Guard troops, thousands of police and tactical officers, and layers of eight-foot steel fencing. The high-alert security posture is starting six days earlier than planned to coordinate roles for the FBI, National Guard, U.S. Marshals Service and a host of other federal agencies that will fall under Secret Service command.... The accelerated timetable has also allowed authorities to fortify the city and deploy officers in anticipation of potential violence on Sunday, when pro-Trump groups are calling for armed marches in Washington and the 50 state capitals.... House Democrats were briefed by the new Capitol Police leadership Monday night about threats to the inauguration from groups supporting President Trump, and the new security measures they are putting in place to avoid a repeat of last Wednesday's riot. According to members who were on the briefing call, the threats included promises to execute members of Congress, with the most dangerous coming from a handful of extremist groups."

Anna Schecter of NBC News: "Right-wing extremists are using channels on the encrypted communication app Telegram to call for violence against government officials on Jan. 20, the day President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated, with some extremists sharing knowledge of how to make, conceal and use homemade guns and bombs. The messages are being posted in Telegram chatrooms where white supremacist content has been freely shared for months, but chatter on the channels has increased since extremists have been forced off other platforms in the wake of the siege of the U.S. Capitol last week by pro-Trump rioters. Telegram is a Dubai-based messaging service that does little moderation of its content and has a sizable international user base, particularly in eastern Europe and the Middle East."

Andrea Mitchell of NBC News: "Signaling a dramatic new direction for U.S. foreign assistance, President-elect Joe Biden is expected to announce Wednesday that he will nominate former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power to head the U.S. Agency for International Development.... Biden is also expected to enhance Power's role by elevating the position to membership on the National Security Council. In a prepared statement..., Biden called Power 'a world-renowned voice of conscience and moral clarity.'... If she is confirmed by the Senate, Power will have a great deal of rebuilding to do. Under ... Donald Trump, the agency's budget has been slashed and career development experts have been replaced by political appointees with little experience in the field."

"McConnell Is Already Sabotaging Biden's Presidency." Ian Millhiser of Vox: "... so far, no hearings have been held on President-elect Joe Biden's nominees -- meaning Biden could face a serious delay in getting his administration ready to begin governing.... As CNN's Kylie Atwood notes, this is the first time in at least 10 presidential transitions where the incoming president's nominee to be secretary of state won't even have a confirmation hearing before that president's Inauguration Day. And it's unclear whether any hearings will be held before the Senate is scheduled to reconvene on January 19."

Impeachment Day 2.0

Mary Jalonick of the AP explains how the impeachment process is likely to play out. Chris Hayes of Politico's Playbook, has a more precise tick-tock of what should happen today.

Jacob Knutson of Axios: "House Speaker Nancy [Pelosi] on Tuesday named Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and eight other representatives as managers of the impeachment trial of President Trump.... They will present the House's case for impeachment ... during his Senate trial if the House votes to impeach him on Wednesday." ~~~

     ~~~ ** Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, lost his 25-year-old son to suicide on New Year's Eve. Then he survived the mob attack on the Capitol. Now, he leads the impeachment effort."

Marianne Levine of Politico: "Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Tuesday to move forward on coronavirus relief and confirming President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees, even as the chamber is expected to soon face an impeachment trial.... Schumer is calling on the Senate to return immediately after the House sends over the article of impeachment, citing the use of emergency authorities granted to Senate leaders in 2004. But that would require buy-in from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who has told his caucus the trial wouldn't begin until Jan. 19 at the earliest absent a unanimous consent agreement." MB: I watched the part of Schumer's press conference that was televised. He said McConnell's assertion that convening the Senate this week required unanimous consent was not true. Schumer also said he wanted everyone who breached the Capitol building to be placed on the no-fly list. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     (~~~ AND now for some important news from TMZ on Schumer's press briefing: "Senator Chuck Schumer just said Donald Trump sounds exactly like a dictator, but his words were drowned out by a crazy protester who threatened that Trumpers are going to his home and [Nancy] Pelosi's to take care of business. The woman was off the rails, screaming she and her flock would descend on Pelosi's home to destroy her vineyards. She compared Schumer to Hitler, ranting as she said she fully supports the insurrectionists. She says she was 'sexually excited' to see Schumer and other Democrats flee from the riot." MB: I should just get all my news from TMZ & quit messing with these other media outfits like the NYT & WashPo. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~)

~~~ ** So Then There's This. Jonathan Martin & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: “Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, has told associates that he believes President Trump committed impeachable offenses and that he is pleased that Democrats are moving to impeach him, believing that it will make it easier to purge him from the party.... At the same time, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader and one of Mr. Trump's most steadfast allies in Congress, has asked other Republicans whether he should call on Mr. Trump to resign.... While Mr. McCarthy has said he is personally opposed to impeachment, he and other party leaders have decided not to formally lobby Republicans to vote 'no.' [on the article of impeachment]... On Monday, [President-elect] Biden telephoned Mr. McConnell to ask whether it was possible to set up a dual track that would allow the Senate to confirm Mr. Biden's cabinet nominees and hold a Senate trial at the same time.... Far from avoiding the topic of impeaching Mr. Trump, Mr. McConnell said it was a question for the Senate parliamentarian, and promised Mr. Biden a quick answer." (Also linked yesterday.) Update: A CNN report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mike Allen of Axios: "There's a better than 50-50 chance that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would vote to convict President Trump in an impeachment trial, sources tell Axios.... 'The Senate institutional loyalists are fomenting a counterrevolution' to Trump, said a top Republican close to McConnell."

The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution. -- Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.), in a statement ~~~

~~~ Mike DeBonis, et al., of the Washington Post: "The push for an unprecedented second impeachment of President Trump took a dramatic bipartisan turn Tuesday, as several senior House Republicans joined the Democratic effort to remove Trump for his role in inciting an angry mob to storm the Capitol last week and the White House braced for more defections. Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the third-ranking House Republican, and Rep. John Katko (N.Y.), the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, both publicly held Trump responsible for last Wednesday's violence. They were joined by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a frequent Trump critic.... A senior administration official said the White House expects at least a dozen Republicans to support impeachment in the likely House vote Wednesday. The White House is rudderless, unwilling or unable to mount any defense other than saying that Trump will already be leaving next week, two administration officials said.... Trump, banned from Twitter, for the first time lacks the ability to aim angry tweets at those who oppose him.... The Republican statements supporting impeachment -- which came after Trump delivered remarks earlier Tuesday expressing no regret for his actions -- represented a watershed moment." Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Aris Folley of the Hill: "Longtime Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) has joined a growing number of House Republicans in saying he plans to vote to impeach President Trump on Wednesday...."

Anita Kumar & Daniel Lippman of Politico: "... Donald Trump is not expected to mount a forceful White House defense against charges he incited last week's deadly riots inside the U.S. Capitol, according to a White House official. Trump knows he's unlikely to be removed from office with Republicans controlling the Senate until next week and only a few days left of his term. The president has also grown increasingly isolated, distrusting the same aides and advisers he had relied on during prior crises in his presidency, including White House Counsel Pat Cipollone.... Since Dec. 23, the schedule has included 15 variations of the language: 'President Trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings.' A former White House official said the language was inserted at Trump's directive in order to give off the appearance of him being busy." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. -- Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, Section 3 ~~~

~~~ If the Senate Fails to Convict. John Nichols of the Nation outlines how Congressional Democrats can apply the 14th Amendment to keep Trump from ever holding elected office again. Firewalled. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Deepak Gupta and Brian Beutler, in a New York Times op-ed, agree: "The 14th Amendment gives Congress the power to enforce Section 3 through legislation. So Congress can immediately pass a law declaring that any person who has ever sworn to defend the Constitution -- from Mr. Trump to others -- and who incited, directed, or participated in the Jan. 6 assault 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion' and is therefore constitutionally disqualified from holding office in the future.... And Congress can do this by a simple majority -- far less of a hurdle than the two-thirds majority in the Senate that removing the president requires.... This option also has power that the impeachment process lacks. As we learn more in the coming months about who is culpable for the siege, the ranks of those disqualified from office will likely swell.... Make no mistake: This was an insurrection. The 14th Amendment disqualifies its instigators from public office, whether the president is convicted in a Senate trial or not." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ That Could Include These Guys. Ryan Grim & Aída Chávez of the Intercept: "The head of the House Freedom Caucus, Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, helped plan the January 6 event that culminated in a storming of the Capitol, according to Ali Alexander, a lead organizer of the gathering. Alexander, a pro-Trump personality, was an early founder of the 'Stop the Steal' movement, and helped bring together various right-wing factions around a mass event on January 6, aimed to coincide with objections to the counting of Electoral College votes. Alexander made his claim in three separate livestreams in late December, adding that Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama were also involved. 'We're the four guys who came up with a January 6 event,' Alexander said." MB: Of course, planning a protest march & planning an insurrection are two different things; the question is, did the Congressmen & Alexander cross the coup line? (Also linked yesterday.)

Juliegrace Brufke & Mike Lillis of the Hill: "The House on Tuesday passed legislation calling on Vice President Pence to tap his constitutional authority to remove President Trump from office in response to the president's role in the deadly mob attack on the Capitol last week. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) led the resolution, which calls on Pence, joined by other members of the Cabinet, to oust Trump by activating the 25th Amendment, which allows for the president's removal if he's deemed 'unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.'... The bill passed 223-205. One GOP lawmaker, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), joined with every voting Democrat in approving the measure." ~~~

~~~ Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Vice President Pence on Tuesday rebuffed calls from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office. 'I do not believe such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution,' Pence wrote in a letter to Pelosi released Tuesday night." Pence's letter is here, via the Hill. MB: Pence released the letter prior to the House's voting on a resolution asking him to invoke the 15th Amendment.

Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "As the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol last week, House members and some staff sheltered in a cramped, windowless room with no more than an arm's length of distance between them.... Several Republican members hunkered down, maskless, refusing to use the face coverings that their Democratic colleagues and staffers were begging them to wear ... in such low-ventilation indoor environments. One Democrat, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), grew so angry that she left the secure room, concluding, according to an aide, that 'we're not going to survive a terrorist attack to be exposed to a deadly virus.'... Nearly a week after the riot, three Democratic lawmakers who had sheltered in that room ... have tested positive for the coronavirus.... The outbreak -- dubbed a 'superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack' by Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, one of the Democratic lawmakers who tested positive -- led House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to impose stiff fines on members who don't wear masks.... Anyone not wearing a mask on the House floor will be fined $500 for their offense and $2,500 for their second.... [Rep.] Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.) ... on Tuesday..., announced he had tested positive."

Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "Tensions flared Tuesday evening between a handful of House Republicans and the Capitol Police over new metal detectors that were placed outside the House chamber in the wake of the attack on the Capitol. The lawmakers were heard by reporters complaining about the detectors and railing against Democrats as they tried to enter the House chamber to vote.... Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) yelled at the police ... to 'get back' and 'don't touch me.' Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who has touted her desire to carry her Glock pistol in the Capitol, was also seen by a reporter setting off a detector and refusing to turn her bag over to the police for inspection.... Boebert later tweeted ... that the detectors are 'just another political stunt by Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi' that wouldn't have prevented last week's riots. A Democratic lawmaker ... [told] The Hill the detectors were not intended to stop a riot and are instead meant to block lawmakers from bringing firearms into the House chamber - something Boebert has said she could do. The detectors are 'to keep the jackasses from carrying guns into the chamber,' said the Democratic lawmaker."

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) said Tuesday that she witnessed colleagues escorting people through the Capitol on Jan. 5 for what she described as 'reconnaissance' ahead of the next day's violent insurrection that left five dead. In a 13-minute Facebook video billed as an address to her constituents about the House's efforts to hold ... Donald Trump accountable for inciting the riot, Sherrill included the allegation as part of a call to hold Trump's allies in Congress accountable as well. 'I also intend to see that those members of Congress who abetted him -- those members of Congress who had groups coming through the capitol that I saw on Jan. 5 for reconnaissance for the next day -- those members of Congress who incited the violent crowd, those members of Congress that attempted to help our president undermine our democracy, I'm going see that they're held accountable,' Sherrill said. Sherrill did not identify the lawmakers she was referring to, how she was able to describe their activities as 'reconnaissance' and how she knew they were connected to the riots that consumed the Capitol the following day." MB: Those are pretty startling allegations. The FBI should pay Rep. Sherrill a call.

David Siders of Politico: "As the Republican Party begins to reckon with the fallout from the deadly insurrection, it's being forced to confront a disquieting truth: the lie that ultimately led to the violence -- that the election was stolen from ... Donald Trump -- drew far-reaching support from the partys governing class at every level, extending far beyond Congress and reaching deep into America's statehouses.... And in the days since the insurrection, these Republicans continued to question the election while giving air to debunked claims that antifa or other leftist agitators -- not pro-Trump rioters -- were primarily responsible for the destruction that followed."

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Even if Trump were removed in his final week..., the punishment would be inadequate, because it lets his co-conspirators off the hook. The attack on the Capitol was not a protest but a crime. The many people complicit in encouraging, planning, financing or condoning it need to be held to account: Members of Congress, state legislators and attorneys general, and the Internet platforms, businesses, advertisers and political action committees that aid them, must be prosecuted, hit with civil litigation or defunded." Milbank recounts Rep. Jim McGovern's (D-Mass.) extended effort to get Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to admit that "this election was not stolen." Jordan repeatedly refused.

Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "A top Republican congressional aide is resigning over his party's support for ... Donald Trump's bid to overturn the 2020 election after it fueled deadly riots at the Capitol. In a scathing resignation letter..., Jason Schmid, a longtime senior House Armed Services Committee staffer, slammed the GOP members of the panel who objected to ... Joe Biden's Electoral College win, particularly after a mob incited by Trump stormed the Capitol last Wednesday and left five people dead. 'Anyone who watched those horrible hours unfold should have been galvanized to rebuke these insurrectionists in the strongest terms,' Schmid wrote in a letter addressed to the committee's top Republican. 'Instead, some members whom I believed to be leaders in the defense of the nation chose to put political theater ahead of the defense of the Constitution and the republic.'"

"Totally Appropriate." Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Tuesday defended as 'totally appropriate' the speech he made at a rally last week that was followed by his supporters launching a deadly siege of the Capitol. In his first live remarks since the violence last Wednesday, Trump deflected blame and sought to highlight other politicians' comments last summer about protests against racial injustice and police brutality. 'If you read my speech..., it's been analyzed, and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate,' Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, en route to Alamo, Texas. 'And if you look at what other people have said -- politicians at a high level -- about the riots during the summer, the horrible riots in Portland and Seattle and various other places, that was a real problem, what they said,' Trump continued. 'But they've analyzed my speech and my words and my final paragraph, my final sentence, and everybody -- to the tee -- thought it was totally appropriate.'... Speaking outside the White House earlier Tuesday, Trump condemned House Democrats' efforts to impeach him a second time, saying it was a 'continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics.... I think it's causing tremendous anger.'..." MB: Wherein "totally appropriate" is analagous to "a perfect call." (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

~~~ The New York Times posts a banner headline over live updates of impeachment developments on the main page of its online edition that reads, "Trump Shows No Contrition for Inciting Mob, Calling Remarks 'Appropriate'." From the current top story in the updates (12 noon ET), "Mr. Trump's defiance came despite near universal condemnation of his role in stoking the assault on the Capitol, including from within his own administration and some of his closest allies on Capitol Hill. Earlier, he asserted that it was the impeachment charge, not the violence and ransacking of the Capitol, that was 'causing tremendous anger.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ MSNBC is refusing to play video Trump's remarks so as not to inspire more violence. ~~~

~~~ Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "President Trump lashed out at Silicon Valley on Tuesday in his first public comments since Twitter banned him from the site, stressing the industry had done a 'horrible thing for our country and to our country.' The president told reporters that the social-media sites had made a 'catastrophic mistake' and acted in a politically 'divisive' manner after punishing the president for comments last week the companies said threatened to incite violence.... Trump renewed attacks come as House Democrats plan to ramp up their scrutiny of Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Party lawmakers in recent days have faulted tech giants for acting too slowly to stop Trump&'s online rhetoric from precipitating real-world chaos." (Also linked yesterday.)

Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "The Joint Chiefs of Staff, the group of the most senior uniformed leaders at the Pentagon, issued a force-wide statement Tuesday condemning the riot at the Capitol as a 'direct assault' on Congress and the constitutional process and affirming President-elect Joe Biden will become the nation's 46th commander in chief on Jan 20. The memo represented a rare step for a U.S. military leadership that has sought to keep the American armed forces out of the nation's rancorous partisan politics in recent years. It came after a number of the rioters, who stormed the Capitol last week falsely claiming last year's presidential election had been stolen from President Trump, turned out to be veterans of the U.S. military.... The Joint Chiefs said that they witnessed actions inside the Capitol that were inconsistent with the rule of law and that the rights to freedom of speech and assembly 'do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection.' The top uniformed officers broadly affirmed that the military would continue to obey lawful orders from civilian leadership and protect the U.S. Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic, while supporting civil authorities to protect lives and property and helping ensure public safety in accordance with the law." ~~~

~~~ Nicole Gaouette, et al., of CNN: "America's most senior military leaders condemned the violent invasion of the US Capitol last week and reminded service members of their obligation to support and defend the Constitution and reject extremism in a statement that underscored the unprecedented challenges facing the country in the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection attempt by ... Donald Trump's supporters."

Devlin Barrett & Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "A day before rioters stormed Congress, an FBI office in Virginia issued an explicit internal warning that extremists were preparing to travel to Washington to commit violence and 'war,' according to an internal document reviewed by The Washington Post that contradicts a senior official's declaration the bureau had no intelligence indicating anyone at last week's pro-Trump protest planned to do harm. A situational information report approved for release the day before the U.S. Capitol riot painted a dire portrait of dangerous plans, including individuals sharing a map of the complex's tunnels, and possible rally points for would-be conspirators to meet up in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and South Carolina and head in groups to Washington.... It was not immediately clear how many law enforcement agencies outside the FBI were told, but the information was briefed to FBI officials at the bureau's Washington field office the day before the attack, this official said.... On Friday, the head of the FBI's Washington Field Office, Steven D'Antuono, told reporters 'there was no indication' of anything planned for the day of Trump's rally 'other than First Amendment-protected activity.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Biden has indicated he intends to keep Chris Wray -- a Trump appointee -- on as FBI director. Wray has some explaining to do as to why D'Antuono lied to the public and what actions he took or will take regarding the FBI's failures surrounding the attack on the Capitol. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Harper Neidig of the Hill: "The Department of Justice is working to build sedition and conspiracy charges against some of the rioters who stormed the Capitol last week, the top federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C., said Tuesday. Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for D.C., said in a press conference that he has assembled a team of national security attorneys to explore some of the harshest charges his office could pursue in the wake of the riot that overran the Capitol.... 'Their only marching orders from me are to build seditious and conspiracy charges related to the most heinous acts that occurred in the Capitol.' Sedition charges can carry prison sentences of up to 20 years. Sherwin said Tuesday that prosecutors have now charged more than 70 cases following the riot and the FBI has opened investigations into more than 170 people.... At the press conference, Steven D'Antuono, the head of the FBI's Washington field office, defended the bureau's actions during the lead-up to the riot.... '... the FBI cannot open an investigation without a threat of violence or alleged criminal activity,' D'Antuono said. '... And in this case, we had no indication, information was linked to any specific person, but that this is a matter of an online discussion.... This information was immediately disseminated through a written product, and briefed to our command post operations to all levels of law enforcement.'..." MB: D'Antuono's attempt to excuse his previous remarks was a complete flop, IMO. When a reporter directly asked him why he had said earlier that there was no indication before Jan. 6 of any planned violence, he just reiterated the crux of the intelligence from the Norfolk FBI office & said the info was shared with appropriate officials. So a non-answer. (Also linked yesterday.)

Donald Trump Did This. Peter Hermann & Julie Zauzmer of the Washington Post: "More than 58 D.C. police officers and an unknown number of U.S. Capitol Police officers were injured in the hours-long riot and assault on Wednesday as lawmakers were formalizing the election victory for Joe Biden as president.... The number of injuries suffered by police as they attempted to fend off supporters of President Trump who seized the U.S. Capitol last week runs long. They include swollen ankles and wrists, bruised arms and legs, concussions and irritated lungs.... An officer was hit with a bat. Another was struck with a flagpole. A third was pinned against a statue. A fourth was clobbered with a wrench. One became stuck between two doors amid a frenzied mob. Many were hit with bear spray.... One Capitol Police officer died in circumstances that remain unclear.... D.C. police said Monday that one District officer remained hospitalized. They described many of the injuries as sprains and bruised arms and legs, but many others appear far more serious and caused by repeated blows from sticks, poles and clubs and laser pointers shined into officers' eyes. The Capitol Police, which had 1,400 officers at the building, also have members who suffered injuries.... Eva M. Malecki, a spokeswoman for the agency, said injuries ranged from concussions to scrapes and bruises. She said no Capitol Police officers remain hospitalized."

Yes, That Was an Attempted Coup. Fiona Hill in Politico Magazine: "Trump disguised what he was doing by operating in plain sight, talking openly about his intent. He normalized his actions so people would accept them. I've been studying authoritarian regimes for three decades, and I know the signs of a coup when I see them. Technically, what Trump attempted is what's known as a 'self-coup' and Trump isn't the first leader to try it.... The storming of the Capitol building on January 6 was the culmination of a series of actions and events taken or instigated by Trump so he could retain the presidency that together amount to an attempt at a self-coup. This was not a one-off or brief episode. Trump declared 'election fraud' immediately on November 4 even while the votes were still being counted. He sought to recount and rerun the election so that he, not Joe Biden, was the winner." Hill runs through "a standard coup 'checklist' analysts use to evaluate coups." MB: I hope impeachment managers run through Hill's explanation & the facts she includes to back up her assertion. They form a convincing argument of Trump's malevolent intent & actions. Thanks to unwashed for the link; I did intend to get to linking this earlier yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.)

** Josh Marshall of TPM: "There is a simple chain of events that even news outlets doing the best work are still tiptoeing around.... As members of Congress were besieged [inside the Capitol building] and then retreated to a secure undisclosed location, Trump received numerous pleas from members of Congress to send reinforcements or call on his supporters to disperse. He refused because he liked what he was seeing.... The point is ... that ... the President willfully refused to provide the relief only he could provide. This would have been a clear order for his insurrectionist supporters to stand down and clear the building, which only he could give, and military and law enforcement assistance that only he as Command-in-Chief could authorize. In many ways this is the more grievous and impeachable act -- much more clear cut and culpable than the initial speech. But it has remained muddled and occluded in so much reporting."

Yeganeh Torbati of the Washington Post: "A departing Trump administration political appointee at the nation's leading foreign aid agency told staff on Tuesday that the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol was the work of 'a few violent people,' and added 'several million' others there were protesting peacefully for electoral reform, according to audio recordings of a staff meeting obtained by The Washington Post. Tim Meisburger is a Trump appointee and a departing deputy assistant administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development.... Meisburger made the comments on a video call with about 70 to 80 USAID workers.... When The Post reached Meisburger by phone for comment, Meisburger declined to comment, then hung up, and did not respond to subsequent text messages. There were not several million people protesting at the Capitol last Wednesday.... Organizers had expected up to 30,000 people to attend the rally.... Multiple videos of the incident contradict the description Meisburger gave of the riots...." MB: I wonder if Meisburger is stupid or a pathological liar or a stupid, pathological liar.

Daisuke Wakabayashi of the New York Times: "YouTube said on Tuesday that it had suspended President Trump's channel over concern about 'ongoing potential for violence,' the latest move by one of the large technology companies to limit the president online. In a post on YouTube's official Twitter account, the Google-owned video site said it had suspended Mr. Trump's account after one of his recent videos violated its policy for inciting violence.... YouTube also said it was disabling all comments on his channel indefinitely." A CNN story is here.

Donald Trump, Failed Businessmen, Is Failing Faster. Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: "By refusing to acknowledge that he would be returning to private life, Trump appears to have sabotaged what could have been his best chance at success in that realm -- a rebound of the battered Trump brand. Now, through his encouragement of rioters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol, Trump has made his company a pariah and driven away allies who could have brought it revenue and post-politics credibility.... The first backlash fell upon, of all things, the Trump website that sells candles and T-shirts. TrumpStore.com had been hosted by the e-commerce website Shopify -- until last week. 'Shopify does not tolerate actions that incite violence,' the company said. As of Tuesday evening, the site was still down. Then Trump lost the real estate broker working to sell his D.C. hotel. He lost the PGA Championship.... In Britain, Trump's hopes of landing another major golf tournament -- the British Open -- were dashed, as the organizers said they would not use Trump's Turnberry club in Scotland.... This week, Trump lost his accounts at New York's Signature Bank, which gave back the money and put out a statement telling him to resign. New York City said it was 'reviewing whether legal grounds exist' to terminate Trump's contracts for ice rinks, the [Central Park] carousel and the city-owned golf course. Also Tuesday, Professional Bank -- a Florida entity ... -- said it would no longer do business with Trump.... Some experts think the Biden administration may have grounds simply to revoke the lease [on Trump's troubled Washington, D.C., hotel]...."

Alex Gangitano of the Hill: "A growing list of companies are cutting off donations to politicians who opposed the Electoral College results, targeting the 147 Republican members of the House and the Senate who voted against affirming President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Republican lawmakers attempted to challenge the results of Arizona and Pennsylvania, two swing states Biden won, during and after a violent and deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.... Here are the companies that have temporarily stopped giving to members who opposed the election results[.]" (Also linked yesterday.)

Nihal Krishan of the Washington Examiner: "A handful of Big Tech companies moved to take down social media platform Parler over the weekend, but it appears to have found a new company to help try to keep its website running. On Monday, Parler registered its domain and server to be hosted by Epik, an internet webhosting company known for working with right-leaning websites. Gab, another social media platform popular with conservatives, also uses Epik. A web domain search shows that Parler is now registered with Epik. Epik put out a statement on Monday claiming it had no discussion of providing future services to Parler. Epik did acknowledge, however, that Parler was 'working on satisfying the requested terms placed upon them.' Epik also defended Parler and said that it was being unfairly treated in comparison to its larger competitors Twitter and Facebook, which create an 'undeniable double standard' when it comes to their policing and enforcement of content." (Also linked yesterday.)

Amy Gardner & Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The acting U.S. attorney [Bobby Christine] for the Northern District of Georgia, whose predecessor abruptly resigned one week ago after President Trump complained officials were not doing enough to find election fraud in the state, declared on a call with his staff Monday that 'there's just nothing to' the few claims of fraud the office was examining, according to an audio recording obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution." Christine brought in three federal prosecutors specializing in election fraud & corruption, and was surprised to find there was nothing to investigate.

Some in Trump Base Disapprove of Violent Overthrow of the Government. Steven Shepard of Politico: "Tarnished by last week's riot at the Capitol, Donald Trump is ending his presidency with his lowest-ever poll numbers. A new Politico/Morning Consult poll pegs Trump's approval at just 34 percent, the lowest in four years of tracking opinions of the president's job performance. More than six in 10 voters -- 63 percent -- disapprove."


Mike Who? Robin Emmott & Humeyra Pamuk of Reuters: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled his Europe trip at the last minute on Tuesday after Luxembourg's foreign minister and top European Union officials declined to meet with him, European and U.S. diplomats familiar with the matter said. [It was] The extraordinary snub of the top U.S. diplomat....

Hailey Fuchs of the New York Times: "The Trump administration early Wednesday morning executed Lisa M. Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row, whose death marked the first federal execution of a woman in nearly 70 years. Ms. Montgomery, 52, was sentenced to death for murdering a pregnant woman in 2004 and abducting the unborn child, whom she claimed as her own.... The last women to be executed by the federal government were Bonnie Brown Heady for kidnapping and murder and Ethel Rosenberg for espionage, both in 1953." An AP story is here.

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "In the Supreme Court's first ruling on abortion since the arrival of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the court on Tuesday reinstated a federal requirement that women seeking to end their pregnancies using medications pick up a pill in person from a hospital or medical office. The court's brief order was unsigned, and the three more liberal justices dissented. The only member of the majority to offer an explanation was Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who said the ruling was a limited one that deferred to the views of experts. The question, he wrote, was not whether the requirement imposed 'an undue burden on a woman's right to an abortion as a general matter.... My view is that courts owe significant deference to the politically accountable entities with the "background, competence and expertise to assess public health."'" An AP story is here.

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

** The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here: "As America slogs through this grimmest of winters, there is no relief in the daily tabulations of Covid-19 deaths: More than 4,400 were reported across the United States on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database, a number once unimaginable. Yet even as the disease touches thousands of families, the nation is distracted by the political crisis gripping Washington in the last days of the Trump administration. Tuesday's death count, which set another daily record, represented at least 1,597 more people than those killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The U.S. death toll, already the world's highest by a wide margin, is now about 20,000 shy of 400,000 -- only a month after the country crossed the 300,000 threshold, a figure greater than the number of Americans who died fighting in World War II."

Lori Aratani of the Washington Post: "Federal officials will require all international travelers flying to the United States to show proof they have tested negative for the coronavirus, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials announced Tuesday. The order, set to go into effect Jan. 26, would greatly expand a requirement put into place last month that mandated testing for American citizens and others flying to the U.S. from the United Kingdom."

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. CBS-4 Miami: "Federal wildlife authorities in Florida are looking for the person or persons who mutilated a manatee by carving the word 'Trump' onto its back. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the manatee was discovere Sunday in the headwaters of the Homosassa River in Citrus County, about 75 miles north of the Tampa Bay area.... Manatees are protected by the Endangered Species Act and it is a federal criminal offense to harass the gentle sea cows punishable by a $50,000 fine and up to one year in prison." (Also linked yesterday.)

Comments Off
Monday
Jan112021

The Commentariat -- January 12, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Marianne Levine of Politico: "Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Tuesday to move forward on coronavirus relief and confirming President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees, even as the chamber is expected to soon face an impeachment trial.... Schumer is calling on the Senate to return immediately after the House sends over the article of impeachment, citing the use of emergency authorities granted to Senate leaders in 2004. But that would require buy-in from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who has told his caucus the trial wouldn't begin until Jan. 19 at the earliest absent a unanimous consent agreement." MB: I watched the part of Schumer's press conference that was televised. He said McConnell's assertion that convening the Senate this week required unanimous consent was not true. Schumer also said he wanted everyone who breached the Capitol building to be placed on the no-fly list. ~~~

     ~~~ AND now for some important news from TMZ on Schumer's press briefing: "Senator Chuck Schumer just said Donald Trump sounds exactly like a dictator, but his words were drowned out by a crazy protester who threatened that Trumpers are going to his home and [Nancy] Pelosi's to take care of business. The woman was off the rails, screaming she and her flock would descend on Pelosi's home to destroy her vineyards. She compared Schumer to Hitler, ranting as she said she fully supports the insurrectionists. She says she was 'sexually excited' to see Schumer and other Democrats flee from the riot." MB: I should just get all my news from TMZ & quit messing with these other media outfits like the NYT & WashPo. ~~~

~~~ So Then There's This. Jonathan Martin & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, has told associates that he believes President Trump committed impeachable offenses and that he is pleased that Democrats are moving to impeach him, believing that it will make it easier to purge him from the party.... At the same time, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader and one of Mr. Trump's most steadfast allies in Congress, has asked other Republicans whether he should call on Mr. Trump to resign.... While Mr. McCarthy has said he is personally opposed to impeachment, he and other party leaders have decided not to formally lobby Republicans to vote 'no.' [on the article of impeachment]... On Monday, [President-elect] Biden telephoned Mr. McConnell to ask whether it was possible to set up a dual track that would allow the Senate to confirm Mr. Biden's cabinet nominees and hold a Senate trial at the same time.... Far from avoiding the topic of impeaching Mr. Trump, Mr. McConnell said it was a question for the Senate parliamentarian, and promised Mr. Biden a quick answer."

"Totally Appropriate." Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Tuesday defended as 'totally appropriate' the speech he made at a rally last week that was followed by his supporters launching a deadly siege of the Capitol. In his first live remarks since the violence last Wednesday, Trump deflected blame and sought to highlight other politicians' comments last summer about protests against racial injustice and police brutality. 'If you read my speech..., it's been analyzed, and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate,' Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, en route to Alamo, Texas. 'And if you look at what other people have said -- politicians at a high level &-- about the riots during the summer, the horrible riots in Portland and Seattle and various other places, that was a real problem, what they said,' Trump continued. 'But they've analyzed my speech and my words and my final paragraph, my final sentence, and everybody -- to the tee -- thought it was totally appropriate.'... Speaking outside the White House earlier Tuesday, Trump condemned Hous Democrats' efforts to impeach him a second time, saying it was a 'continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics.... I think it's causing tremendous anger.'..." MB: Wherein "totally appropriate" is analagous to "a perfect call." ~~~

~~~ The New York Times posts a banner headline over live updates of impeachment developments on the main page of its online edition that reads, "Trump Shows No Contrition for Inciting Mob, Calling Remarks 'Appropriate'." From the current top story in the updates (12 noon ET), "Mr. Trump's defiance came despite near universal condemnation of his role in stoking the assault on the Capitol, including from within his own administration and some of his closest allies on Capitol Hill. Earlier, he asserted that it was the impeachment charge, not the violence and ransacking of the Capitol, that was 'causing tremendous anger.'" ~~~

<>~~~ MSNBC is refusing to play video Trump's remarks so as not to inspire more violence. ~~~

~~~ Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "President Trump lashed out at Silicon Valley on Tuesday in his first public comments since Twitter banned him from the site, stressing the industry had done a 'horrible thing for our country and to our country.' The president told reporters that the social-media sites had made a 'catastrophic mistake' and acted in a politically 'divisive' manner after punishing the president for comments last week the companies said threatened to incite violence.... Trump renewed attacks come as House Democrats plan to ramp up their scrutiny of Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Party lawmakers in recent days have faulted tech giants for acting too slowly to stop Trump's online rhetoric from precipitating real-world chaos."

Devlin Barrett & Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "A day before rioters stormed Congress, an FBI office in Virginia issued an explicit internal warning that extremists were preparing to travel to Washington to commit violence and 'war,' according to an internal document reviewed by The Washington Post that contradicts a senior official's declaration the bureau had no intelligence indicating anyone at last week's pro-Trump protest planned to do harm. A situational information report approved for release the day before the U.S. Capitol riot painted a dire portrait of dangerous plans, including individuals sharing a map of the complex's tunnels, and possible rally points for would-be conspirators to meet up in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and South Carolina and head in groups to Washington.... It was not immediately clear how many law enforcement agencies outside the FBI were told, but the information was briefed to FBI officials at the bureau's Washington field office the day before the attack, this official said.... On Friday, the head of the FBI's Washington Field Office, Steven D'Antuono, told reporters 'there was no indication' of anything planned for the day of Trump's rally 'other than First Amendment-protected activity.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Biden has indicated he intends to keep Chris Wray -- a Trump appointee -- on as FBI director. Wray has some explaining to do as to why D'Antuono lied to the public and what actions he took or will take regarding the FBI's failures surrounding the attack on the Capitol. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Marie: Steven D'Antuono of the FBI & Michael Sherwin of the DOJ gave a briefing Tuesday afternoon about the Capitol insurrection. There aren't any stories up on it yet (4:20 pm ET). When a reporter asked D'Antuono why he had said earlier that there was no indication before Jan. 6 of any planned violence, he just reiterated the crux of the intelligence from the Norfolk FBI office & said the info was shared with appropriate officials. So a non-answer. I'll get up a news story ASAP. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Harper Neidig of the Hill: "The Department of Justice is working to build sedition and conspiracy charges against some of the rioters who stormed the Capitol last week, the top federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C., said Tuesday. Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for D.C., said in a press conference that he has assembled a team of national security attorneys to explore some of the harshest charges his office could pursue in the wake of the riot that overran the Capitol.... 'Their only marching orders from me are to build seditious and conspiracy charges related to the most heinous acts that occurred in the Capitol.' Sedition charges can carry prison sentences of up to 20 years. Sherwin said Tuesday that prosecutors have now charged more than 70 cases following the riot and the FBI has opened investigations into more than 170 people.... At the press conference, Steven D'Antuono, the head of the FBI's Washington field office, defended the bureau's actions during the lead-up to the riot.... '... the FBI cannot open an investigation without a threat of violence or alleged criminal activity,' D'Antuono said. '... And in this case, we had no indication, information was linked to any specific person, but that this is a matter of an online discussion.... This information was immediately disseminated through a written product, and briefed to our command post operations to all levels of law enforcement.'..."

Alex Gangitano of the Hill: "A growing list of companies are cutting off donations to politicians who opposed the Electoral College results, targeting the 147 Republican members of the House and the Senate who voted against affirming President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Republican lawmakers attempted to challenge the results of Arizona and Pennsylvania, two swing states Biden won, during and after a violent and deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.... Here are the companies that have temporarily stopped giving to members who opposed the election results[.]"

Anita Kumar & Daniel Lippman of Politico: "... Donald Trump is not expected to mount a forceful White House defense against charges he incited last week's deadly riots inside the U.S. Capitol, according to a White House official. Trump knows he;s unlikely to be removed from office with Republicans controlling the Senate until next week and only a few days left of his term. The president has also grown increasingly isolated, distrusting the same aides and advisers he had relied on during prior crises in his presidency, including White House Counsel Pat Cipollone.... Since Dec. 23, the schedule has included 15 variations of the language: 'President Trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings.' A former White House official said the language was inserted at Trump's directive in order to give off the appearance of him being busy." ~~~

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. -- Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, Section 3 ~~~

~~~ If the Senate Fails to Convict. John Nichols of the Nation outlines how Congressional Democrats can apply the 14th Amendment to keep Trump from ever holding elected office again. Firewalled. ~~~

~~~ ~~~Deepak Gupta and Brian Beutler, in a New York Times op-ed, agree: "The 14th Amendment gives Congress the power to enforce Section 3 through legislation. So Congress can immediately pass a law declaring that any person who has ever sworn to defend the Constitution -- from Mr. Trump to others -- and who incited, directed, or participated in the Jan. 6 assault 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion' and is therefore constitutionally disqualified from holding office in the future.... And Congress can do this by a simple majority -- far less of a hurdle than the two-thirds majority in the Senate that removing the president requires.... This option also has power that the impeachment process lacks. As we learn more in the coming months about who is culpable for the siege, the ranks of those disqualified from office will likely swell.... Make no mistake: This was an insurrection. The 14th Amendment disqualifies its instigators from public office, whether the president is convicted in a Senate trial or not." ~~~

~~~ That Could Include These Guys. Ryan Grim & Aída Chávez of the Intercept: "The head of the House Freedom Caucus, Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, helped plan the January 6 event that culminated in a storming of the Capitol, according to Ali Alexander, a lead organizer of the gathering. Alexander, a pro-Trump personality, was an early founder of the 'Stop the Steal' movement, and helped bring together various right-wing factions around a mass event on January 6, aimed to coincide with objections to the counting of Electoral College votes. Alexander made his claim in three separate livestreams in late December, adding that Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama were also involved. 'We're the four guys who came up with a January 6 event,' Alexander said." MB: Planning a protest march & planning an insurrection are two different things; the question is, did the Congressmen & Alexander cross the coup line?

Donald Trump Did This. Peter Hermann & Julie Zauzmer of the Washington Post: "More than 58 D.C. police officers and an unknown number of U.S. Capitol Police officers were injured in the hours-long riot and assault on Wednesday as lawmakers were formalizing the election victory for Joe Biden as president.... The number of injuries suffered by police as they attempted to fend off supporters of President Trump who seized the U.S. Capitol last week runs long. They include swollen ankles and wrists, bruised arms and legs, concussions and irritated lungs.... An officer was hit with a bat. Another was struck with a flagpole. A third was pinned against a statue. A fourth was clobbered with a wrench. One became stuck between two doors amid a frenzied mob. Many were hit with bear spray.... One Capitol Police officer died in circumstances that remain unclear.... D.C. police said Monday that one District officer remained hospitalized. They described many of the injuries as sprains and bruised arms and legs, but many others appear far more serious and caused by repeated blows from sticks, poles and clubs and laser pointers shined into officers' eyes. The Capitol Police, which had 1,400 officers at the building, also have members who suffered injuries.... Eva M. Malecki, a spokeswoman for the agency, said injuries ranged from concussions to scrapes and bruises. She said no Capitol Police officers remain hospitalized."

Yes, That Was an Attempted Coup. Fiona Hill in Politico Magazine: "Trump disguised what he was doing by operating in plain sight, talking openly about his intent. He normalized his actions so people would accept them. I've been studying authoritarian regimes for three decades, and I know the signs of a coup when I see them. Technically, what Trump attempted is what's known as a 'self-coup' and Trump isn't the first leader to try it.... The storming of the Capitol building on January 6 was the culmination of a series of actions and events taken or instigated by Trump so he could retain the presidency that together amount to an attempt at a self-coup. This was not a one-off or brief episode. Trump declared 'election fraud' immediately on November 4 even while the votes were still being counted. He sought to recount and rerun the election so that he, not Joe Biden, was the winner." Hill runs through "a standard coup 'checklist' analysts use to evaluate coups" MB: I hope impeachment managers run through Hill's explanation & the facts she includes to back up her assertion. They form a convincing argument of Trump's malevolent intent & actions. Thanks to unwashed for the link; I did intend to get to linking this earlier yesterday.

Nihal Krishan of the Washington Examiner: "A handful of Big Tech companies moved to take down social media platform Parler over the weekend, but it appears to have found a new company to help try to keep its website running. On Monday, Parler registered its domain and server to be hosted by Epik, an internet webhosting company known for working with right-leaning websites. Gab, another social media platform popular with conservatives, also uses Epik. A web domain search shows that Parler is now registered with Epik. Epik put out a statement on Monday claiming it had no discussion of providing future services to Parler. Epik did acknowledge, however, that Parler was 'working on satisfying the requested terms placed upon them.' Epik also defended Parler and said that it was being unfairly treated in comparison to its larger competitors Twitter and Facebook, which create an 'undeniable double standard' when it comes to their policing and enforcement of content."

Florida. CBS-4 Miami: "Federal wildlife authorities in Florida are looking for the person or persons who mutilated a manatee by carving the word 'Trump' onto its back. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the manatee was discovered Sunday in the headwaters of the Homosassa River in Citrus County, about 75 miles north of the Tampa Bay area.... Manatees are protected by the Endangered Species Act and it is a federal criminal offense to harass the gentle sea cows punishable by a $50,000 fine and up to one year in prison."

~~~~~~~~~~

We're at ones & twos today: 1/12/21. Marie: Got kind of a late start this morning, with some links posted after 9 am ET. I'll post more at about 10:30 am ET.

Natasha Korecki of Politico: "President-elect Joe Biden's transition team is expected to make a major push on Tuesday that calls on Republicans to swiftly confirm the president-elect's national security picks so they're in place when the Democrat takes office next week. Amid fallout from the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol, Biden officials and congressional allies will begin making the case Tuesday that there is a unique urgency in getting the positions filled as soon as possible so there is no gap in national security during a presidential transfer of power...." See related story, linked below, by Seung Min Kim of the WashPo.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "Law enforcement authorities, responding to threats of violence ahead of the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration, will deploy up to 15,000 National Guard troops to the nation's capital and set up checkpoints in the city to avoid the botched response helped rioters overrun the Capitol last week.... About 6,000 National Guard troops from six states have already arrived in Washington, Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, said Monday; by this weekend, that number is expected to have grown to 10,000.... Beyond the Capitol, the Secret Service is establishing a 'healthy, layered buffer' with vehicle checkpoints, metal detectors and additional security screenings to prevent another deadly siege.... With coronavirus cases soaring and the deadly siege of the Capitol still fresh, the leaders of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia issued a joint statement asking Americans to stay away from the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden Jr. and instead tune in virtually. The F.B.I. has notified local law enforcement of the potential for armed protests in all 50 state capitals, which are being organized and promoted by far-right extremist groups.... Sixteen groups -- some of them armed and most of them hard-line supporters of President Trump -- have registered to stage protests in Washington, prompting deep concern among federal officials about an event that has historically been a packed celebration of American democracy.&"

Matt Fuller of the Huffington Post: "Capitol Police briefed Democrats on Monday night about three more potentially gruesome demonstrations planned in the coming days.... The first is a demonstration billed as the 'largest armed protest ever to take place on American soil.' Another is a protest in honor of [MAGA cultist who got shot] Ashli Babbitt.... And another demonstration ... would involve insurrectionists forming a perimeter around the Capitol, the White House and the Supreme Court, and then blocking Democrats from entering the Capitol ― perhaps even killing them ― so that Republicans could take control of the government.... One topic of discussion was the need to put every member of Congress through a metal detector before the inauguration. A member on the call told HuffPost that there was an 'eyes-wide-open realization' that Capitol Police needed to take precautions against 'all these members who were in league with the insurrectionists who love to carry their guns.'" --s

Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: "Sheldon Adelson, the multibillionaire casino mogul and Republican Party megadonor, died Monday at age 87. This is breaking news." --s  Update: The New York Times' obituary is here.

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Scott Wong & Mike Lillis of the Hill: "A trio of House Democrats close to leadership on Monday introduced a single article of impeachment against President Trump, charging him with inciting a mob of his supporters to carry out a violent attack on the Capitol in a bid to overturn Joe Biden's election victory. The article, co-authored by Reps. David Cicilline (R-I.), Ted Lieu (Calif.) and Jamie Raskin (Md.), states that Trump engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors by 'willfully inciting violence against the Government of the United States.'... Upping the pressure on [Vice President] Pence and the Republicans, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) during Monday's brief pro-forma session requested that a Raskin's 25th Amendment resolution be passed by unanimous consent. That resolution calls on Pence to 'convene and mobilize' the Cabinet and vote to strip Trump of his powers. But Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), a Trump ally, objected. After the exchange, Hoyer told reporters that the full House will stage a vote on the Raskin resolution on Tuesday. The impeachment vote could come as early as Wednesday, he said, but that timeline could slip later in the week." ~~~

     ~~~ Brian Naylor of NPR: "'Donald John Trump engaged in high Crimes and Misdemeanors by inciting violence against the Government of the United States,' the resolution argues, citing his false claims of election fraud in the months leading up to the riot -- which he repeated on Jan. 6 -- and a phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger where Trump urged him to 'find' votes to overturn the results there. The impeachment article says that during an address to supporters on Wednesday, Trump 'willfully made statements that, in context, encouraged -- and foreseeably resulted in -- lawless action at the Capitol, such as: "if you don't fight like hell you're not going to have a county anymore."'" The article includes the full text of the proposed resolution. ~~~

~~~ Seung Min Kim, et al., of the Washington Post: "The House on Monday barreled toward impeaching President Trump, while President-elect Joe Biden, scrambling to ensure the effort does not bog down the start of his tenure, pressed the Senate on whether it could simultaneously hold a trial of the president and pass urgently needed bills.... That rapid pace in the House prompted Biden to ask Senate officials whether the chamber could 'bifurcate' its schedule, so that his agenda and impeachment could be considered at the same time, while incoming majority leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) explored other, little-used ways of speeding up Senate action.... Biden has been particularly concerned about Senate confirmation for his Cabinet nominees, and he signaled Monday he was looking for a way around the traditional pace of an impeachment trial. 'Can we go half-day on dealing with the impeachment and half-day getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate?' [Biden asked]." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'd like Mitch to explain why, when the Senate hasn;t confirmed a single one of Biden's Cabinet nominees, thought it would be a good idea to schedule a Senate recess the week before the inauguration. In the past, top Cabinet officials have been in place on Day 1. Mitch seems to think "Senator" is a taxpayer-funded sinecure for the privileged few to spend most of their time on vacation.

It's 10 pm ET Monday, and we have not heard from the Mad Kaiser since Friday.

Kevin Liptak & Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "On Monday, after an extended period of silence, Trump and Pence spoke for the first time after a deadly riot of Trump supporters broke out at the US Capitol with Pence inside, according to two administration officials.... Trump had spent the weekend largely in isolation, as aides either distanced themselves from him or limited their time in his presence. Trump canceled a planned trip to Camp David, where his closest aides were hoping he would get into a good mindset ahead of his final stretch in office. Instead, he spent the weekend stewing to his deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, and entered his final full week angrier than ever. The attempted insurrection that Trump incited at the US Capitol last week prompted the permanent suspension of his Twitter account, a looming second impeachment and a wave of administration resignations. But among the more significant repercussions had been the apparent collapse of Trump's relationship with Pence. Penc finally got 'a glimpse of POTUS' vindictiveness.'..." ~~~

~~~ ** Josh Dawsey & Ashley Parker of the Washington Post: "Vice President Pence was in hiding from a violent mob of Trump supporters in the Capitol last Wednesday when the presidential tweet attacking him posted. 'Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!' President Trump wrote at 2:24 p.m. Trump never called him that day or in the days following to make sure Pence was okay -- or to discuss a governmental response to the deadly riots president incited. The remarkable break between the two men -- played out over a tense few days as the country convulsed from a riot spurred on by the president -- is a startling capstone to a relationship long defined by Pence's loyalty and subservience. The vice president who once spent hours a day with Trump, defended some of his most incendiary comments and was careful to not speak ill of him -- even to his own closest advisers -- now seems to be largely estranged from him.... Pence was subjected to repeated phone calls from Trump, including one as late as last Wednesday morning -- and to implicit threats from the president that he would attack him if he didn't object to Biden's victory, officials said."

** Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "... as senators and House members trapped inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday begged for immediate help during the siege, they struggled to get through to the president, who -- safely ensconced in the West Wing -- was too busy watching fiery TV images of the crisis unfolding around them to act or even bother to hear their pleas.... The six hours between when the Capitol was breached shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon and when it was finally declared secure around 8 p.m. that evening reveal a president paralyzed -- more passive viewer than resolute leader, repeatedly failing to perform even the basic duties of his job.... The president ... was busy enjoying the spectacle. Trump watched with interest, buoyed to see that his supporters were fighting so hard on his behalf, one close adviser said.... At one point, Trump worried that the unruly group was frightening GOP lawmakers from doing his bidding and objecting to the election results.... This portrait of the president as the Capitol was under attack on Jan. 6 is the result of interviews with 15 Trump advisers, members of Congress, GOP officials and other Trump confidants...." If you have a subscription, read the whole report. The Raw Story has a summary report here. ~~~

~~~ Erin Banco & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "... while Trump is increasingly isolated — and some aides hope, distracted -- some of the most important members of his administration are cleaning up loose ends, pursuing their personal agendas, and trying to keep Trump from sparking yet another crisis. One senior Trump administration official described the activity around the outgoing president as a prolonged act of 'babysitting' a 'violent toddler' that aides and chief advisers hope to get through in the next week without Trump triggering any more history-making disasters. Four other senior administration officials familiar with their conversations said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, and Vice President Mike Pence have discussed continuity of government in recent days, including potential risks that face the country following the violence last week.... Those conversations have focused primarily on needing to continue operating as usual -- with one important distinction: The idea now is to do it with as little communication with the Oval Office as possible, those officials said."

Melanie Bids Us Farewell. Now Quit Picking on Her. Jamie Ross of the Daily Beast: "First Lady Melania Trump has identified the worst thing about the entire horrific [Trump-motivated Capitol insurrection] spectacle -- people saying mean things about her online. In a deeply weird and jarring farewell statement posted by the White House early Monday morning, Melania first paid tribute to those who lost their lives in last week's violence carried out in support of her husband, before going on to settle some scores against unspecified people who she claims have 'attacked' her over the past few days since the riots.... 'I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me -- from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda....'... She also seems to praise Trump's supporters.... 'It is inspiring to see that so many have found a passion and enthusiasm in participating in an election, but we must not allow that passion to turn to violence,' she wrote." MB: Could it be that Melanie's whole anti-bullying campaign was about not bullying her?

Rat ... Sinking Ship. ... Heat ... Kitchen. Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "Acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf abruptly resigned Monday, nine days before a presidential inauguration whose jittery security preparations are unfolding amid fears of worsening political violence following last week's mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.... 'Unfortunately, this action is warranted by recent events, including the ongoing and meritless court rulings regarding the validity of my authority as Acting Secretary,' Wolf's statement read. 'These events and concerns increasingly serve to divert attention and resources away from the important work of the Department in this critical time of a transition of power.' Peter Gaynor, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will take over as acting DHS secretary, Wolf said. Gaynor will be the agency's sixth chief under President Trump, twice the number to serve under any previous administration. Established in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the department was intended to reassure a nervous public by projecting stability and command. Several lawmakers have called for hearings to question why Wolf and DHS failed to anticipate threats posed by Trump's followers to Congress's electoral college certification on Jan. 6." An NBC News story is here.

Darryl Coote of UPI: "Rep. Pramila Jayapal said she has tested positive for COVID-19 after sheltering in a secured room of the U.S. Capitol with other lawmakers as supporters of ... Donald Trump sieged the building. The Washington [State] Democrat announced her diagnosis late Monday in a statement while chastising her Republican colleagues who 'recklessly refused to wear masks' as they sought refugee from the attack on the Capitol building on Wednesday.... 'Only hours after President Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, our country and our democracy, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic.' She said their actions created 'a super-spreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack.'... Other lawmakers have tested positive following the siege, including Republican Reps. Jake LaTurner of Kansas on Thursday and Rep. Charles J. 'Chuck' Fleischmann of Tennessee on Sunday." ~~~

       ~~~Marie: Looks like Jake there is the superspreader guy. Besides infecting his fellow legislators with Covid, Jake voted with the insurrections against accepting Arizona's Electoral College slate (but not Pennsylvania's, according to the WashPo). Chuck there voted against accepting both Arizona's & Pennysylvania's results. ~~~

~~~ Clare Foran & Daniella Diaz of CNN: "Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a New Jersey Democrat, said Monday that she has tested positive for Covid-19, and she blamed fellow members of Congress who sheltered in place without masks during the violent attack on the US Capitol last week. 'Following the events of Wednesday, including sheltering with several colleagues who refused to wear masks, I decided to take a Covid test. I have tested positive,'" the congresswoman tweeted. A statement from her office said that the congresswoman 'believes she was exposed during protective isolation in the US Capitol building as a result of insurrectionist riots. As reported by multiple news outlets, a number of members within the space ignored instructions to wear masks.'... Six House Republicans were captured on video refusing masks offered by a colleague during the US Capitol insurrection." The Washington Post's story is here. MB: The House should censure all of the Congressmembers refusing masks. Coleman, BTW, is 75 years old & has at least one health risk condition. ~~~

     ~~~ Kerri Enriquez of CNN (Jan. 9): "Six House Republicans were captured on video refusing masks offered by a colleague during the US Capitol insurrection on Wednesday. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Delaware Democrat, was shown approaching the group of colleagues and offering blue surgical masks. The video, shot from inside a safe room where the lawmakers gathered during the chaos, was published on Twitter by Punchbowl News. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene [QAnon], Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, Texas Rep. Michael Cloud and California Rep. Doug LaMalfa were captured unmasked and gathered closely together. They all refused the masks." The video is included with the story. CNN's Manu Raju reports in commentary on the video that members of Congress are required to wear masks while in the Capitol building. One of the men refusing a mask can be seen smirking at Rochester, & several are smiling. They are sitting close together in a space where it appears from the video that it would be impossible for members to maintain social distance.

Even Kevin Gets (a Little) Religion. Juliegrace Brufke of The Hill: "House Minority Leader >Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told members of his GOP conference on a call Monday that the riot at the Capitol was not caused by antifa, urging lawmakers not to further spread misinformation about the pro-Trump mob that stormed the House and Senate last week.... The FBI said on Friday that it determined that no members of the left-wing movement antifa were involved in the storming of the Capitol." --s ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Jonathan Swan of Axios has the backstory: "President Trump on Monday privately -- and falsely -- blamed 'Antifa people' for storming the Capitol, even though clear video and documentary evidence exists showing the rioters were overwhelmingly Trump supporters.... McCarthy ... [told] the president: 'It's not Antifa, it's MAGA. I know. I was there,' according to a White House official and another source familiar with the call. The White House official said the call was tense and aggressive at times, with Trump ranting about election fraud and an exasperated McCarthy cutting in to say, 'Stop it. It's over. The election is over.' McCarthy, who is facing major blowback for his role in encouraging dissent over the election outcome, went further: He told Trump he should call Joe Biden, meet with the president-elect and follow tradition and leave a welcome letter in the Resolute Desk for his successor."

Behind the scenes: In a tense, 30-minute-plus phone call this morning with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Trump trotted out the Antifa line.

Catie Edmondson & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "... a handful of Mr. Trump's most loyal allies in the House ... urg[ed] their supporters to come to Washington on Jan. 6 to make a defiant last stand to keep him in power. They ... used inflammatory, bellicose language to describe the stakes. Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado [both QAnon gals]..., referred to the day as Republicans' '1776 moment.' Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona, who for weeks promoted the Jan. 6 protest and other 'Stop the Steal' events across the country more than a dozen times, repeatedly referred to Mr. Biden as an 'illegitimate usurper' and suggested that Mr. Trump was the victim of an attempted 'coup.'... [At 12:05 pm the day of the insurrection, Gosar posted a photo of the mob gathered at the ellipse & tweeted, 'Biden should concede. I want his concession on my desk tomorrow morning. Don't make me come over there.']... Their comments have raised questions about the degree to which Republicans may have coordinated with protest organizers. In a since-deleted tweet, Representative Pete Sessions, Republican of Texas, wrote that he 'had a great meeting today with the folks from Stop The Steal,' one of the leading groups that organized last week's rally." Other implicated Reps: Mo Brooks (Alabama) & Andy Biggs (Arizona). ~~~

~~~ WSFA Montgomery, Alabama: "A resolution has been filed in the U.S. House of Representatives that calls for the formal censure of Alabama U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Dist. 5, following the deadly Jan. 6 siege of the nation's Capitol. Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-NJ, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-FL, filed the resolution, pointing to excerpts of a speech Brooks gave to a crowd of protesters shortly before many of them marched on the Capitol.... During the censure process, the representative in question is required to stand on the House floor while the resolution is read aloud in a public rebuke of their statements or actions. A censure does not include removal from office."

Not a Parody. Susan Collins in the Bangor Daily News: "The proceedings began calmly enough ... when, all of a sudden, the Capitol Police and staff from the Sergeant at Arms burst into the chamber and removed Vice President Mike Pence who was presiding. Shortly thereafter, the two Senate leaders were also rushed away. My first thought was that the Iranians had followed through on their threat to strike the Capitol.... [W]e were informed that we would be put on buses, which, it seemed to me, would make us sitting ducks had it been carried out.... [W]e were ushered out of the chamber ... with the police urging us to 'hurry, hurry!' (Unfortunately, I had chosen to wear high heels that day so it was hard to run.)... We were brought some salads, sandwiches and water.... The rest of the night I spent at [Lisa] Murkowski's home because I was worried about finding a parking space that late and about the violent extremists knowing where I live.... [H]er husband had built us a nice fire and had glasses of wine awaiting us." --safari: This fascinating recollection must be archived in the Library of Congress for generations to come. So proud.

Understanding Josh. Katherine Stewart in a New York Times op-ed: "Mr. Hawley's idea of freedom is the freedom to conform to what he and his preferred religious authorities know to be right. Mr. Hawley is not shy about making the point explicit.... 'That is our charge. To take the Lordship of Christ, that message, into the public realm, and to seek the obedience of the nations. Of our nation!'... The line of thought here is starkly binary and nihilistic. It says that human existence in an inevitably pluralistic, modern society committed to equality is inherently worthless.... That this neo-medieval vision is incompatible with constitutional democracy is clear.... Mr. Hawley ... is a successful meritocrat of the Federalist Society variety. His greatest rival in that department is the Princeton debater Ted Cruz. They are résumé jockeys in a system that rewards those who do the best job of mobilizing fear and irrationalism. They are what happens when callow ambition meets the grotesque inequalities and injustices of our age." Thanks to Ken W. & P.D. Pepe for the link.

"Nationwide Manhunt." Katie Benner & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "The Justice Department and the F.B.I. have embarked on a nationwide manhunt to track down scores of people who attacked the Capitol last week, according to law enforcement officials, as they grapple with the fallout from the widespread government failure to protect the building. Investigators are pursuing more than 150 suspects for prosecution, a total that is almost certain to grow, an official said. Analysts are also scouring intelligence to identify any role that domestic terrorist organizations or foreign adversaries may have played in radicalizing Americans who were among the rioters, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigations.... Two Capitol Police officers have also been suspended, according to [Rep. Tim] Ryan [D-Ohio]]: one who was seen in photographs with rioters and another who walked among the crowds wearing a hat emblazoned with President Trump's 'Make America Great Again' campaign slogan. The Capitol Police have also opened internal inquiries into about 10 to 15 officers' actions during the violence...." A CNN story on officers suspended & under investigation is here.

Evan Hill, et al., of the New York Times: "The Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol building by a pro-Trump mob left a police officer and a rioter dead. More than 50 members of the U.S. Capitol Police were injured, including 15 who required hospitalization, most of them with head wounds, according to Representative Tim Ryan, Democrat of Ohio. Of all the scenes of violence, one of the most intense occurred during a struggle to breach a west-side door, during which multiple rioters dragged police officers out of a formation and assaulted them while they were trapped in the crowd.... Not long after the start of the struggle, rioters were captured on video pulling a Metropolitan Police officer down the stairs.... News photographers ... captured images of the officer caught in the crowd, which began chanting 'police stand down!'... At the front of the mob, they exchanged blows with the police and struck officers with hockey sticks, crutches and flags. Some rioters shouted 'Push! Push!' One of the attackers ... reached into the doorway, grabbed an officer and dragged him out, aided by [another] man.... As they pulled the officer down the stairs, face down, another rioter beat him with an American flag as the mob chanted 'USA! USA! USA!' Seconds later, two other men ... began yanking the legs of another officer who had fallen to the ground. With the aid of a third man in a gray jacket, they pulled the officer down the steps as well. One rioter appeared to punch him while he was on the ground." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The right-wing Website Red State has posted an article titled, "There Was No Riot, Insurrection or 'Storming!'" I won't read or link it.

Joseph Choi of the Hill: "The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) said Monday it was launching an inquiry into whether Rudy Giuliani should be removed from its organization. The group said it was looking at comments President Trump's personal attorney, who has been accused of helping to fuel the mob that attacked the Capitol last week with false conspiracy theories about the presidential election, made just before that incident. 'NYSBA has received hundreds of complaints in recent months about Mr. Giuliani and his baseless efforts on behalf of President Trump to cast doubt on the veracity of the 2020 presidential election and, after the votes were cast, to overturn its legitimate results,' the organization said in a statement.... The move would not disbar Giuliani, something the group does not have the power to do. '... Only the state court system can [disbar him] in New York State. He would still be able to practice law without NYSBA membership,' it said." ~~~

~~~ So. Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "The New York State Bar Association will consider expelling ... Rudolph W. Giuliani, and a state lawmaker is seeking his disbarment after inflammatory comments during a rally preceding last week's deadly riot inside the U.S. Capitol.... New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Democrat who represents parts of Manhattan, filed a formal complaint to an appellate court related to 'rampant and egregious violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct' and Giuliani's 'complicity' in inciting last week's violence, he said in a statement. Hoylman, who chairs the state Senate's Judiciary Committee, argued that Giuliani's advancement of election-related conspiracy theories 'appears to have contributed to bloodshed in furtherance of the overthrow of our federal government.' Appellate courts in New York field and review complaints against lawyers that can lead to punitive action."

The Return of Our Fascistic Oligarchs: The Mercers. Brian Schwartz of NBC: "A mysterious political action committee once funded by conservative millionaire Robert Mercer promoted both the rally featuring ... Donald Trump and the ensuing march on Capitol Hill that led to a deadly riot last week. The PAC, called the Black Conservatives Fund, promotes itself as 'committed to turning out the black vote and elect black conservatives at every level of government.'... The Mercer family has deep ties to Trump. Robert and his daughter Rebekah spent millions backing his first run for president. The two funded Cambridge Analytica, a now-defunct data gathering site that was used by Trump's 2016 campaign... Rebekah Mercer recently announced that she co-founded Parler[.]" --s

Why, We Had No Idea! Andrea Salcedo of the Washington Post: "The day before a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, an arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association sent out robocalls urging supporters to come to D.C. to 'fight' Congress over President Trump's baseless election fraud claims. 'At 1 p.m. we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,' said the message.... 'We're hoping patriots like you will join us to continue to fight to protect the integrity of our elections.' After the attempted insurrection on Wednesday..., several GOP attorneys general have distanced themselves from the robocalls, insisting they didn't know about the campaign. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, the chairman of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, the nonprofit that sent out the calls, blamed the group's staffers.... Those claims fell short for Marshall's Democratic counterparts, who pointed to the number of GOP officials who have repeated the president's unfounded election fraud claims." MB: We've linked a couple of stories on this before, but I'm glad to see major media picking up the thread. ~~~

~~~ Laura Strickler of NBC News: "The executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association has resigned amid backlash over a decision to send out robocalls urging people to march to the U.S. Capitol. Adam Piper stepped down from his post after spending four years with the organization, a national group that represents the top law enforcement officials in their states." MB: It isn't clear from the story that Piper had knowledge of or participated in the decision to make the robocalls, but the fact that he resigned suggests that he was at least aware of the calls. Alabama AG Steve Marshall blamed the calls on "staffers." You know, Steve, I would not call the executive director a "staffer."

Christopher Miller of BuzzFeed News: "A disgruntled employee at the State Department changed the biographies of ... Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to say their term was coming to an end on Monday...., two current-serving diplomats ... told BuzzFeed News.... The president's biography was changed to read, 'Donald J. Trump's term ended on 2021-01-11 19:49:00,' while the vice president's biography was edited to 'Michael R. Pence's term ended on 2021-01-11 19:44:22.' The time stamp on Trump's page changed multiple times, before both pages were removed around 3:50 p.m. and replaced with a 404 reading, 'We're sorry, this site is currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again in a few moments.' One of the diplomats said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has ordered an internal investigation into the matter...." MB: Gee, Mike, in a presidency* of horrors, a little levity is in order.

Tony Romm & Elizabeth Dwoskin of the Washington Post: "Twitter said late Monday it purged more than 70,000 accounts affiliated with conspiracy theory QAnon following the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol last week. Twitter said in a blog post that it removed the accounts 'to protect the conversation on our service from attempts to incite violence, organize attacks, and share deliberately misleading information about the election outcome.' The company said it began suspending the accounts on Friday afternoon, citing an increased risk of harm between online speech and real-world events."

Jessica Menton & Kelly Tyko of USA Today (Jan. 10): "Amazon struck another blow to the social media platform Parler -- its website is down for the count on Monday. On Saturday, Amazon Web Services suspended Parler from its web hosting services effective 11:59 p.m. PT Sunday, BuzzFeed reported late Saturday, citing a letter it had obtained that mentions 98 examples of Parler posts that 'encourage and incite violence.' Amazon declined to comment on the suspension. Far right-friendly Parler hit further headwinds over the weekend after the social networking service reportedly removed a post by pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood, where he threatened violence against ... Mike Pence. This comes as Parler will likely be knocked offline for a week after Google and Apple removed it from their app stores. These moves along with Amazon's suspension will severely limit Parler's reach to its more than 10 million users after the app was among those used to organize the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol." ~~~

~~~ Karen Weise & Nicole Perlroth of the New York Times: "Hours after it went offline on Monday, the social media start-up Parler filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing Amazon of violating antitrust law and asking for a temporary restraining order to prevent the tech giant from blocking access to cloud computing services. Amazon told Parler over the weekend that it would shut off service because 'a steady increase in violent content' on the site showed that the company did not have a reliable process to prevent it from violating Amazon's terms of service. Amazon said it would ensure Parler's data was preserved so that it could migrate to a new hosting provider."

Neil Vigdor & Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "A growing number of prominent institutions have taken actions against President Trump and his associates since the deadly rampage at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday by the president's supporters. Two universities stripped him of honorary degrees, major banks paused political contributions, and the P.G.A. of America said it would no longer hold the P.G.A. Championship at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.... Here is a list of entities that have severed ties with Mr. Trump or distanced themselves from the president and in some cases, Republican politicians who supported his efforts to overturn the election. Many were identified by the newsletter Popular Information." ~~~

     ~~~ Judd Legum & Tesnim Zekeria of Popular Information: "[T]hree major corporations [Blue Cross Blue Shield, Marriott, & Commerce Bancshares] tell Popular Information that they will stop contributing to Republican members of Congress who encouraged the rioters by objecting to the certification of the Electoral College vote... Popular Information contacted 144 corporations that, through their corporate PACs." --s ~~~

     ~~~ Sophie Alexander & Sonali Basak of Bloomberg: "Two of Donald Trump's favored banks are pulling away from the billionaire president in the wake of last week's deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. Deutsche Bank AG has decided to refrain from further business with Trump and his company.... Trump owes the Frankfurt-based lender more than $300 million. And Signature Bank, the New York lender that's long catered to his family, said it's cutting ties.... In 2011, the bank appointed Ivanka to its board, but she stepped down a couple of years later. The New York Times reported the cutting of ties earlier on Monday." Firewalled --safari: All going to plan for Putin.

Cindy Boren & Mark Maske of the Washington Post: "New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said Monday night he will not accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Trump. In a written statement, Belichick ... said that he had agreed to accept the honor before last week's violence at the Capitol.... 'Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award. Above all, I am an American citizen with great reverence for our nation's values, freedom and democracy.... I know I also represent my family and the New England Patriots team. One of the most rewarding things in my professional career took place in 2020 when, through the great leadership within our team, conversations about social justice, equality and human rights moved to the forefront and became actions. Continuing those efforts while remaining true to the people, team and country I love outweigh the benefits of any individual award.'... 'I would refuse it if I were Bill Belichick,' Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) ... told CNN before Belichick's announcement. 'This president has made a mockery of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Look at who he has given it to in the last weeks: people like [Republican congressmen] Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan.'" CNN's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Shakezula of LG&$: "Bonus points for using the term social justice, which will cause Republican Pats fans to set their jerseys on fire, while they're wearing them."

Malcom Turnbull, former Australian PM, in Crikey.: "True to their tradition of wielding power without responsibility, the Murdochs, pere et fils, have not commented on the sacking of the Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump supporters. Yet this catastrophe could not have occurred without the hatred, division and madness Murdoch's media have promoted for years within the United States and beyond.... Until a few weeks ago Fox News' relationship with Trump was like that of a state-owned broadcaster in a dictatorship: flattering the great leader, supporting his friends, denouncing his allies, covering up his failures. Fox News has promoted and exacerbated America's deep social and racial divisions, supporting Trump's exploitation of them at every turn.... The time has come to hold powerful people in the media responsible for the damage they have created or enabled.... Freedom of speech must never mean freedom from responsibility." Read the whole post --s

Neil MacFarquhar & Mike Baker of the New York Times: "State capitals across the country are bracing for a spillover from last week's violent assault on the U.S. Capitol, with state legislatures already becoming targets for protesters in the tense days around the inauguration of the incoming president, Joseph R. Biden Jr.... Dozens of state capitals will be on alert in the coming days, following calls among a mix of antigovernment organizations for actions in all 50 states on Jan. 17. Some of them come from far-right organizations that harbor a broad antigovernment agenda and have already been protesting state Covid-19 lockdowns since last spring. The F.B.I. this week sent a warning to local law enforcement agencies about the potential for armed protests in all 50 state capitals." An NBC News story is here. An ABC News story is here.


David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "President Trump's private business failed to pay a $49,000 hotel bill incurred during Trump;s 2017 inaugural -- and then, after the bill went to a collections agency, Trump's nonprofit inaugural committee agreed to pay the charge instead, according to a new filing from the D.C. Attorney General. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D) had already sued Trump's 2017 inaugural committee, alleging it had wasted donors' money on an overpriced, barely used ballroom at President Trump's own D.C. hotel. On Monday, Racine added a new allegation to that suit. He said that Trump's inaugural committee -- a tax-exempt charity -- had improperly paid a bill it did not owe, using nonprofit funds to pay a bill owed by a for-profit business. 'The Trump Organization was liable for the invoiced charges,' Racine's office said in the filing. 'The [Inaugural Committee's] payment of the invoice was unfair, unreasonable and unjustified and ultimately conferred improper private benefit to the Trump Organization.'" MB: We are so surprised.

Reuters via Arab News: "US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to use newly declassified US intelligence on Tuesday to publicly accuse Iran of ties to Al-Qaeda, two people familiar with the matter said, as part of his last-minute offensive against Tehran before handing over to the incoming Biden administration." --s

Way Beyond the Beltway

Justin McCurry of the Guardian: "A rare meeting of North Korea's ruling party has ended with a symbolically important new title for the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, speculation about the future of his influential sister, and a shot across the bow of the incoming US president.... Citing the justification the North has used to press ahead with its nuclear weapons programme, Kim labelled the US his country's 'biggest enemy'... Kim was anointed general secretary of the Workers' party, a post formerly held by his father and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung -- a highly symbolic move analysts said was intended to strengthen his grip on power." --s

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