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.”

Help!

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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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Sunday
Jan102021

The Commentariat -- January 11, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

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. ~~~

     ~~~ 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.

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.

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 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."

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?

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.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~

Matthew Lee of the AP: "President-elect Joe Biden announced Monday he has chosen veteran diplomat William Burns to be his CIA director. A former ambassador to Russia and Jordan, Burns, 64, had a 33-year career at the State Department under both Republican and Democratic presidents. He rose through the ranks of the diplomatic corps to become deputy secretary of state before retiring in 2014 to run the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace. Amid tumult in the State Department after Donald Trump took office in 2017, Burns held his tongue until last year when he began writing highly critical pieces of the Trump administration's policies in Foreign Affairs and other publications."

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Nicholas Fandos, et al., of the New York Times: "The House moved on two fronts on Sunday to try to force President Trump from office, escalating pressure on the vice president to strip him of power and committing to quickly begin impeachment proceedings against him for inciting a mob that violently attacked the seat of American government. In a letter to colleagues, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said the House would move forward on Monday with a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, and wrest the powers of the presidency. She called on Mr. Pence to respond 'within 24 hours' and indicated she expected a Tuesday vote on the resolution. Next, she said, the House would bring an impeachment case to the floor. Though she did not specify how quickly it would move, leading Democrats have suggested they could press forward on a remarkably quick timetable, charging Mr. Trump by midweek with 'high crimes and misdemeanors.'" The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's Pelosi's "Dear Democratic Colleague" letter, via her office.

Felicia Sonmez, et al., of the Washington Post: "House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Sunday that the House plans to vote this week to impeach President Trump -- but that the chamber may wait a few months to submit the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Clyburn's comments come amid tensions in the Democratic Party on whether to press ahead with action to hold Trump accountable for last week's deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol or whether to prioritize the agenda of President-elect Joe Biden, who will be inaugurated Jan. 20.... Democrats are weighing whether to wait until after the Biden administration's first 100 days to send articles of impeachment to the Senate, to allow the new president to install key members of his team." A CNN story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Kelsey Tamborrino of Politico: "'I don't think there's any doubt at all, there's none in my mind, that the president's behavior after the election was wildly different than his behavior before,' said [Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)] on CNN's 'State of the Union' on Sunday. 'He descended into a level of madness and engaged in activity that was absolutely unthinkable and unforgivable.'... The senator described the events of last week as 'orders of magnitude more egregious than anything we have ever seen from Donald Trump before.'... He reiterated that Trump should resign -- echoing his Republican colleague, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski." MB: Another way to put: All the scary things he's done before were to other people, but this time he frightened me. Since Trump has been so successful at threatening & belittling individual Members of Congress into submission, it seems not to have occurred to him that siccing a mob of terrorists on all of them at once might be a bridge too far. (Also linked yesterday.)

David Edwards of the Raw Story: "Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), a gun-toting supporter of the QAnon movement, is facing backlash after she was accused of live-tweeting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) location during the attack on Capitol Hill last week. Boebert shared the tweet soon after ... Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol with deadly results.... 'Today is 1776,' she declared in another tweet.... Twitter users responded by calling for the freshman representative to be jailed and removed from Congress."

Sarah Mimms of BuzzFeed News: "Republicans in Congress are demanding 'unity' after 147 of them voted to try to overturn the election, propping up the very lies that led a mob of ... Donald Trump's supporters to violently attack the US Capitol on Wednesday. The calls for unity came not in the immediate aftermath of the storming of the Capitol..., [but] as Democrats began to consider imposing consequences." MB: There is nothing that beats attack dog Jim Jordan's calling for "unity & healing." I hope every time Jordan makes a speech on the floor of the House or speaks up during a committee hearing, a Democrat will ask him what happened to his call for "unity & healing." (Also linked yesterday.)

Matthew Lee of the AP: "In a highly unusual move, American diplomats have drafted two cables condemning ... Donald Trump's incitement of the deadly assault on the Capitol and calling for administration officials to possibly support invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. Using what is known as the State Department's 'dissent channel,' career foreign and civil service officers said they fear last Wednesday's siege may badly undermine U.S. credibility to promote and defend democrati values abroad. 'Failing to publicly hold the president to account would further damage our democracy and our ability to effectively accomplish our foreign polic goals abroad,' according to the second of the two cables, which were circulated among diplomats late last week and then sent to State Department leadership. The cable called on [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo to support any lawful effort by Vice President Mike Pence and other Cabinet members to protect the country including through 'the possible implementation of the procedures provided for in Article 4 of the 25th Amendment, if appropriate.'"

Marie Fazio of the New York Times: "Here are a few of the people who face charges [for their participation in the terrorist seige on the Capitol]." ~~~

~~~ Spencer Hsu, et al., of the Washington Post: "U.S. counterterrorism prosecutors are investigating two men who allegedly wore tactical gear and held plastic restraints or zip ties in the U.S. Senate during the breach of the U.S. Capitol last week, the Justice Department announced. The men were arrested Sunday. Larry Rendell Brock, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, was arrested in Texas and charged with one count of knowingly entering a restricted building and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct, prosecutors said. Brock identified himself to the New Yorker last week as the man photographed in the well of the Senate chamber ... holding a white flex cuff.... Eric Gavelek Munchel, arrested in Tennessee, was charged with the same counts, prosecutors said, after being allegedly photographed climbing over a railing in the Senate gallery carrying plastic restraints, a holstered object on his right hip and a cellphone mounted on his chest."

Ken Dilanian, et al., of NBC News: "The FBI and the New York Police Department passed information [in the form of a report] to the Capitol Police about the possibility of violence during the Jan. 6 protests against certification of the presidential election, and the FBI even visited more than a dozen extremists already under investigation to urge them not to travel to Washington, senior law enforcement officials told NBC News. Those previously unreported details undercut the assertion by a top FBI official this week that officials had n indication violence was a possibility, and add to questions of what intelligence authorities had reviewed prior to the Capitol riot.... 'Prior to this event, the FBI obtained credible and actionable information about individuals who were planning on traveling to the protests whoexpressed a desire to engage in violence,' the senior FBI official told NBC News. 'The FBI was able to discourage those individuals from traveling to D.C.'... The FBI official said that by dissuading some extremists from traveling to Washington, the bureau may have prevented an even more violent situation." (Also linked yesterday.)

"I Don't Like the Visuals." Carol Leonnig, et al., of the Washington Post: "Two days before Congress was set to formalize President-elect Joe Biden's victory, Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund ... asked House and Senate security officials for permission to request that the D.C. National Guard be placed on standby in case he needed quick backup. But, Sund said Sunday, they turned him down.... It was the first of six times Sund's request for help was rejected or delayed, he said. Two days later on Wednesday afternoon, his forces already in the midst of crisis, Sund said he pleaded for help five more times as a scene far more dire than he had ever imagined unfolded on the historic Capitol grounds.... At 2:26 p.m., [after some of the mob had entered the Capitol building], Sund said, he joined a conference call to the Pentagon to plead for additional backup.... The D.C. contingent [on the phone call] was flabbergasted to hear a top Army official say that he could not recommend that his boss, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, approve the request. 'I don't like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background,' the official said.... Despite Sund's pleas, the first National Guard personnel didn't arrive at the Capitol until 5:40 p.m. -- after four people had died and the worst was long over." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I wonder how that "top Army official" liked the "visuals" that did come out of the Capitol. S/he should be demoted & sent to Somalia or some other place where there might not be "visuals" to worry about.

Jay Reeves, et al., of the AP: "Under battle flags bearing Donald Trump's name, the Capitol's attackers pinned a bloodied police officer in a doorway.... They mortally wounded another officer with a blunt weapon and body-slammed a third over a railing into the crowd. 'Hang Mike Pence!' the insurrectionists chanted as they pressed inside, beating police with pipes. They demanded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's whereabouts, too. They hunted any and all lawmakers: 'Where are they?' Outside, makeshift gallows stood, complete with sturdy wooden steps and the noose. Guns and pipe bombs had been stashed in the vicinity.... The sinister nature of the assault has become evident, betraying the crowd as a force determined to occupy the inner sanctums of Congress and run down leaders.... This was not just a collection of Trump supporters with MAGA bling caught up in a wave.... 'What I saw in front of me,' [Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.)] said, 'was basically home-grown fascism, out of control.'"...

The mob got explicit marching orders from Trump and still more encouragement from the president's men. 'Fight like hell,' Trump exhorted his partisans at the staging rally. 'Let's have trial by combat,' implored his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, whose attempt to throw out election results in trial by courtroom failed. It's time to 'start taking down names and kicking ass,' said Republican Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama. Criminals pardoned by Trump, among them Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, came forward at rallies on the eve of the attack to tell the crowds they were fighting a battle between good and evil and they were on the side of good. On Capitol Hill, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri gave a clenched-fist salute to the hordes outside the Capitol as he pulled up to press his challenge of the election results."

Amy Brittain, et al., of the Washington Post: "Those who made their way to the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday hail from at least 36 states, along with the District of Columbia and Canada.... Their paths to the nation's capital were largely fueled by long-standing grievances and distrust.... Several who traveled to Washington to support the 'Stop the Steal' rally told The Post they were driven by two primary grievances: their opposition to the election results and the restrictions in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.... Others squarely cited their fealty to the president as the force that pulled them to the nation's capital.... Most who were interviewed by Post reporters remained resolute.... 'We were invited by the president' to Washington, said [58-year-old Glynnda] White, who says she stood outside the Capitol but did not enter the building. 'And we went.'" MB: One of the "grievances" made me laugh. If you read the article, search for "Saccone", and read all 9 grafs.

The New York Times' presidential transition live updates Sunday are here: "While sheltering in a secure location as a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, House lawmakers may have been exposed to someone who was infected with the coronavirus.... In an email sent to lawmakers, Dr. Brian P. Monahan ... said that ... 'individuals may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.'... Dozens of lawmakers, staff members and reporters took shelter in the secure room on Wednesday, but a handful of Republicans refused to wear masks, one person there said, even as Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, Democrat of Delaware, tried to pass out masks.... Representative Jake LaTurner of Kansas, received positive test results after voting on the House floor to overturn Arizona's results and did not return for a second vote early Thursday. It was unclear where Mr. LaTurner was sheltering in place...." Thanks to RAS for the lead. An AP story on Monahan's warning is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

David Sanger of the New York Times: "The speech that President Trump delivered to his supporters just before they attacked the Capitol last week is a central focus as House Democrats prepare an article of impeachment against him for inciting the deadly riot. Mr. Trump had urged supporters to come to Washington for a 'Save America March' on Wednesday, when Congress would ceremonially count President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s win, telling them to 'be there, will be wild!' At a rally just before the violence, he repeated many of his falsehoods about how the election was stolen, then dispatched the marchers to the Capitol as those proceedings were about to start. Here are some notable excerpts from Mr. Trump's remarks, with analysis.... The president's speech was riddled with violent imagery and calls to fight harder than before.... Whipping up anger against Republicans who were not going along with his plan for subverting the election, like Vice President Mike Pence, Mr. Trump told the crowd that '[very] different rules' now applied.... Mr. Trump repeatedly told his followers that they could still stop Mr. Biden from becoming president if they 'fight like hell,' a formulation that suggested they act and change things, not merely raise their voices in protest.... As he sicced his supporters on Congress, Mr. Trump assured them that he would personally accompany them to the Capitol."

Arnold Goes There, and He Should Know. Kat Lonsdorf of NPR: "Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a heartfelt video to Twitter on Sunday, recounting his childhood in Austria after World War II and denouncing the violent mob that overtook the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The video, nearly eight minutes long and set to swelling music, starts by recalling Kristallnacht -- or the Night of Broken Glass.... 'Wednesday was the day of broken glass right here in the United States,' Schwarzenegger says in the video, which by Sunday afternoon had been viewed nearly 12 million times.... Schwarzenegger's father was a member of the Nazi party -- something Schwarzenegger himself didn't know until decades later -- and in the video, he talks openly about his father's anger and the abuse he inflicted on the family after the war." (Also linked yesterday.)

Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "Whether President Trump is forced from office or serves out the remaining days of his term, he is now destined to slink out of the White House considerably diminished from the strapping, fearsome force he and his advisers imagined he would be in his post-presidency. In the wake of the mob attack on the Capitol that Trump incited, some allies have abandoned him, many in the business community have shunned him and Twitter took away his social media megaphone.... Trump had planned to retreat from Washington to plot a comeback that could return him to the White House in four years, but now he will have to contend with a possible second impeachment or perhaps even criminal charges." (Also linked yesterday.)

Kevin Manahan of NJ.com: "The PGA of America will strip Donald Trump of the 2022 PGA Championship, which is scheduled to be held at Trump National Bedminster golf club in New Jersey. In a blistering column that says the golf world must sever all ties with Trump, Golfweek's Eamon Lynch said the PGA has been debating for two years the need to move the major championship and, once Trump is out of office, will announce the tournament will be played elsewhere[.]" (Also linked yesterday.) A Washington Post story is here. An ABC News story is here.

Justine Coleman of the Hill: "Payment processing company Stripe cut ties with President Trump's campaign after his supporters rioted at the Capitol last week.... Stripe, a San Francisco-based company that manages online card payments for several businesses, will stop processing payments to the campaign, saying the campaign violated its policies against encouraging violence after a pro-Trump mob stormed and vandalized the Capitol. The company requests that users not collect payments for 'high risk' activities, including for any business or organization that 'engages in, encourages, promotes or celebrates unlawful violence or physical harm to persons or property,' according to its website."

Scotland. Martyn McLaughlin of The Scotsman: "At least four MSPs across three parties have now supported an outright ban on the outgoing US president from flying into the country, intensifying the pressure on home secretary Priti Patel to stop Mr Trump from travelling here. The warnings are especially acute during the coronavirus pandemic, with one MSP warning that Mr Trump would be putting rural communities at risk were he to visit in coming weeks. Others, however, said once the pandemic is over, it should remain Mr Trump's right to visit his Scottish properties, despite the fact he is a 'dangerous man'. Scotland's health secretary Jeane Freeman said that if Mr Trump ignored the warnings to stay away, the Scottish Government 'would use every power available to it to protect the health of its citizens'." --s

Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "After months of stoking anger about alleged election fraud..., Cumulus Media, which employs some of the most popular right-leaning talk-radio hosts in the United States, has told its on-air personalities to stop suggesting that the election was stolen from President Trump -- or else face termination. A Cumulus executive issued the directive on Wednesday, just as Congress met to certify Joe Biden's election victory and an angry mob of Trump supporters marched on the Capitol.... 'We need to help induce national calm NOW,' Brian Philips, executive vice president of content for Cumulus, wrote in an internal memo.... Cumulus and its program syndication arm, Westwood One, 'will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has been resolved and there are no alternate acceptable "paths."'"

Josh & Ted's Excellent Adventure May Cost Them. David Shepardson, et al., of Reuters: "Marriott International Inc, the world's largest hotel company, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) said Sunday they will suspend donations to U.S. lawmakers who voted last week against certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory. 'We have taken the destructive events at the Capitol to undermine a legitimate and fair election into consideration and will be pausing political giving from our Political Action Committee to those who voted against certification of the election,' Marriott spokeswoman Connie Kim said, confirming a report in Popular Information, a political newsletter. BCBSA, the federation of 36 independent companies that provide health care coverage for one in three Americans, said 'in light of this week's violent, shocking assault on the United States Capitol, and the votes of some members of Congress to subvert the results of November's election by challenging Electoral College results, BCSBA will suspend contributions to those lawmakers who voted to undermine our democracy.'"


Democrats Try to Prevent Another Trump. Elizabeth Williamson of the New York Times: "As House Democrats move toward punishing President Trump with a history-making second impeachment, they are also pressing ahead with a parallel effort to try to ensure that Mr. Trump's four-year record of violating democratic and constitutional norms cannot be repeated. Mr. Trump's term has revealed enormous gaps between the ideals of American democracy and the reality. Even before he incited a mob to attack the Capitol and the legislative branch of government, he ignored watchdog rulings and constitutional safeguards, pressed to overturn the outcome of an election, and pardoned those who covered for him, all while funneling taxpayer dollars to his family business. In response, lawmakers and pressure groups are pushing for a wide-ranging overhaul of ethics laws..., hoping to reconstruct and strengthen the guardrails that Mr. Trump plowed through. Among the changes embraced by House Democratic leaders are limits on the president's pardon powers, mandated release of a president's tax returns, new enforcement powers for independent agencies and Congress, and firmer prohibitions against financial conflicts of interest in the White House." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Nothing in the story says the proposed legislation includes means to enforce Congressional subpoenas. I think that should be a priority.

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

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

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

Florida. Patricia Mazzei, et al., of the New York Times: Florida's "well-intended effort to throw open the doors of the vaccine program to everyone 65 and older has led to long lines, confusion and disappointment.... With states and counties left to largely sort out logistics by themselves, the rollout has gone anything but smoothly.... In a state with about 4.4 million people 65 and older, more than 402,000 doses had been administered as of Friday, according to federal data, the fourth-highest total in the nation. But Florida has used only about 30 percent of the vaccine doses it has received, behind 29 other states.... Dr. Perri Young, an internist in Miami, said that the distribution process has been shambolic and ineffective. Even as a doctor, she said, her access to information is minimal. 'It's crazy here,' she said. 'It became sort of lawless.'"

Comments Off
Saturday
Jan092021

The Commentariat -- January 10, 2021

This is Sunday. I'm supposed to be taking the day off. But that damned SOB Trump once again won't let me. -- Marie

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

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

Felicia Sonmez, et al., of the Washington Post: "House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Sunday that the House plans to vote this week to impeach President Trump -- but that the chamber may wait a few months to submit the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Clyburn's comments come amid tensions in the Democratic Party on whether to press ahead with action to hold Trump accountable for last week's deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol or whether to prioritize the agenda of President-elect Joe Biden, who will be inaugurated Jan. 20.... Democrats are weighing whether to wait until after the Biden administration's first 100 days to send articles of impeachment to the Senate, to allow the new president to install key members of his team." A CNN story is here.

Ken Dilanian, et al., of NBC News: "The FBI and the New York Police Department passed information [in the form of a report] to the Capitol Police about the possibility of violence during the Jan. 6 protests against certification of the presidential election, and the FBI even visited more than a dozen extremists already under investigation to urge them not to travel to Washington, senior law enforcement officials told NBC News. Those previously unreported details undercut the assertion by a top FBI official this week that officials had no indication violence was a possibility, and add to questions of what intelligence authorities had reviewed prior to the Capitol riot.... 'Prior to this event, the FBI obtained credible and actionable information about individuals who were planning on traveling to the protests who expressed a desire to engage in violence,' the senior FBI official told NBC News. 'The FBI was able to discourage those individuals from traveling to D.C.'... The FBI official said that by dissuading some extremists from traveling to Washington, the bureau may have prevented an even more violent situation."

Arnold Goes There, and He Should Know. Kat Lonsdorf of NPR: "Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a heartfelt video to Twitter on Sunday, recounting his childhood in Austria after World War II and denouncing the violent mob that overtook the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The video, nearly eight minutes long and set to swelling music, starts by recalling Kristallnacht -- or the Night of Broken Glass.... 'Wednesday was the day of broken glass right here in the United States,' Schwarzenegger says in the video, which by Sunday afternoon had been viewed nearly 12 million times.... Schwarzenegger's father was a member of the Nazi party -- something Schwarzenegger himself didn't know until decades later -- and in the video, he talks openly about his father's anger and the abuse he inflicted on the family after the war."

The New York Times' presidential transition live updates Sunday are here: "While sheltering in a secure location as a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, House lawmakers may have been exposed to someone who was infected with the coronavirus.... In an email sent to lawmakers, Dr. Brian P. Monahan ... said that ... 'individuals may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.'... Dozens of lawmakers, staff members and reporters took shelter in the secure room on Wednesday, but a handful of Republicans refused to wear masks, one person there said, even as Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, Democrat of Delaware, tried to pass out masks.... Representative Jake LaTurner of Kansas, received positive test results after voting on the House floor to overturn Arizona's results and did not return for a second vote early Thursday. It was unclear where Mr. LaTurner was sheltering in place...." Thanks to RAS for the lead. An AP story on Monahan's warning is here.

Kevin Manahan of NJ.com: "The PGA of America will strip Donald Trump of the 2022 PGA Championship, which is scheduled to be held at Trump National Bedminster golf club in New Jersey. In a blistering column that says the golf world must sever all ties with Trump, Golfweek's Eamon Lynch said the PGA has been debating for two years the need to move the major championship and, once Trump is out of office, will announce the tournament will be played elsewhere[.]"

Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "Whether President Trump is forced from office or serves out the remaining days of his term, he is now destined to slink out of the White House considerably diminished from the strapping, fearsome force he and his advisers imagined he would be in his post-presidency. In the wake of the mob attack on the Capitol that Trump incited, some allies have abandoned him, many in the business community have shunned him and Twitter took away his social media megaphone.... Trump had planned to retreat from Washington to plot a comeback that could return him to the White House in four years, but now he will have to contend with a possible second impeachment or perhaps even criminal charges."

Sarah Mimms of BuzzFeed News: "Republicans in Congress are demanding 'unity' after 147 of them voted to try to overturn the election, propping up the very lies that led a mob of ... Donald Trump's supporters to violently attack the US Capitol on Wednesday. The calls for unity came not in the immediate aftermath of the storming of the Capitol..., [but] as Democrats began to consider imposing consequences." MB: There is nothing that beats attack dog Jim Jordan's calling for "unity & healing." I hope every time Jordan makes a speech on the floor of the House or speaks up during a committee hearing, a Democrat will ask him what happened to his call for "unity & healing."

Kelsey Tamborrino of Politico: "'I don't think there's any doubt at all, there's none in my mind, that the president's behavior after the election was wildly different than his behavior before,' said [Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)] on CNN's 'State of the Union' on Sunday. 'He descended into a level of madness and engaged in activity that was absolutely unthinkable and unforgivable.'... The senator described the events of last week as 'orders of magnitude more egregious than anything we have ever seen from Donald Trump before.'... He reiterated that Trump should resign -- echoing his Republican colleague, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski." MB: IOW: All the scary things he's done before were to other people, but this time he scared me. Since Trump has been so successful at threatening & belittling individual Members of Congress into submission, it hasn't occurred to him that siccing a mob of terrorists on all of them at once might be a bridge too far.

~~~~~~~~~~

Emily Davies & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "Joe Biden still plans to be sworn in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol ... exactly two weeks after a pro-Trump mob with rioters wielding Confederate flags stormed the building to attack the very nation Biden was elected to lead.... The event was already scaled down and subdued by the coronavirus pandemic. And now, the Biden administration has the added weight of showing strength and stability to the rest of the world, which watched in horror as American democracy wavered from the exact place where he is to take the oath of office.... Plans were in progress Thursday to continue with the inauguration and swearing in of Biden on the west front of the U.S. Capitol.... Some involved in the inauguration planning ... noted that the security footprint for the event will be much larger than it was Wednesday at the Capitol. The inauguration is deemed a National Special Security Event (NSSE), which brings in a wide range of federal agencies and law enforcement officials that create a wide security perimeter, with road closures and barriers around the Capitol. The Secret Service, the agency responsible for designing and implementing a security operation plan for such events, released a statement Thursday night stressing its readiness for Inauguration Day." ~~~

~~~ The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Anna Schecter of NBC News: "In the wake of Wednesday's riot at the Capitol, Trump supporters with extremist views feel emboldened and are vowing to return to Washington for the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, using online platforms to rally each other. 'Many of Us will return on January 19, 2021, carrying Our weapons, in support of Our nation's resolve, towhich [sic] the world will never forget!!! We will come in numbers that no standing army or police agency can match,' wrote a popular Parler user who frequently posts about QAnon, and is being tracked by the Anti-Defamation League.... 'Round 2 on January 20th. This time no mercy. I don't even care about keeping Trump in power. I care about war,' an anonymous person posted on the platform TheDonald.win, which is filled with comments posted by people who lauded those who rioted Wednesday as 'heroes.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In answer to a reporter's question Friday, Biden said he was not concerned about safety at his inaugural event because (a) event security will be managed by an entirely different entity: the Secret Service (as opposed to the Capitol Police), and (b) the event is classified a "special security event" which Trump's January 6 insurrection was not.

Trip Gabriel of the New York Times: "The sight of a violent mob inspired by President Trump smashing its way into the Capitol ... highlighted one of the most dangerous parts of Mr. Trump's legacy: the disbelief in democracy that has metastasized among many of his supporters.... In lengthy interviews with some of them this week, they expressed sympathy with what they said were the motives of the mob -- to stop the counting of Electoral College results in Congress, under the false premise that widespread fraud had deprived the president of re-election. The adherence of Mr. Trump's base to his groundless claims of a 'sacred landslide' victory, and their rejection of a routine Constitutional process -- a position abetted by 147 Congressional Republicans who objected to certifying Mr. Biden's election -- suggests that a core part of the Republican Party, both voters and some officials, is dead-set on rejecting the legitimacy of any politics or party but their own."

When you have a president pushing them to descend on state capitols and take them over with few consequences, the next logical step is to move from states' to the nation's capital. -- Bruce Hoffman, terrorism expert ~~~

~~~ Greg Miller, et al., of the Washington Post: "The problem with devotion to a prophet of falsehoods is that reality eventually intrudes. By mid-December, President Trump's fraudulent claims of a rigged election were failing in humiliating fashion. Lawsuits were being laughed out of courts. State officials, including Republicans, were refusing to bend to his will and alter the vote. And in a seemingly decisive blow on Dec. 14, the electoral college certified the win for Joe Biden. It was a disorienting sequence for legions of supporters who believed Trump's lies that the election had been stolen from him but that he would prevail and reclaim it -- especially those who had already descended into deeper, more disturbing conspiracies.... As it became clear that Pence would refuse [to alter the Electoral College results,] with the backing of most Senate Republicans, Trump's most ardent abettors began planning the siege of the Capitol.... The temporary seizure of a global seat of power was, at its core, an outgrowth of delusional and destructive forces cultivated online and unleashed by the president.... The conspiracy theories that [Trump] put forward, echoed by allies and prominent Republican lawmakers, morphed for thousands of followers into a call for action. By early January, raiding Congress had emerged as a clear objective in dozens of far-right forums." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: For those who would argue that Trump could not have anticipated how his incitement of violence would play out, I would remind them that the insurrectionists plans should have been better-known to him than to almost all of us. First, it's clear from his now-defunct Twitter feed that Trump followed these groups. He often retweeted their nonsense. Second, Trump has better access than any of us to national security briefings, and briefers would have warned him of the looming dangers. If Trump refused to listen to or accept the advice of these briefings, that is his fault; wilful ignorance is no excuse.

Rachel Weiner, et al., of the Washington Post: "Two men seen in some of the most memorable images of Wednesday's assault on the Capitol have been charged and arrested, as federal prosecutors in the District of Columbia target high-profile figures from the pro-Trump riot. Jacob Anthony Chansley of Arizona, who also goes by Jake Angeli, [the horned guy pictured here last week,] is accused of trespassing on Capitol grounds, entering violently and committing disorderly conduct while there. Adam Johnson, 36, of Bradenton, Fla., faces the same charges as well as theft of government property in connection with [carrying off [Nancy Pelosi's] lectern. Prosecutors also detailed charges against a man [Cleveland Meredith] accused of threatening to kill Pelosi (D-Calif.) and against a West Virginia state lawmaker [-- Derrick Evans (R) --] who resigned his office Saturday.... While prosecutors do not allege that Meredith ever got near Pelosi, they say he was carrying a 9mm Glock 19 pistol, an Israeli army standard-issue Tavor X95 assault rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.... He texted a friend to say he was 'Thinking about heading over to Pelosi ... speech and putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV.'..." The Guardian's story is here.

Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "Police officers and at least one police chief from departments across the United States are facing termination, suspension or other discipline for their proximity to or alleged involvement in a chaotic gathering in Washington on Wednesday that ended in a riot at the U.S. Capitol.... Departments in California, Washington state, and Texas are among those that have announced investigations into their officers based on tips, social media posts and other evidence...." ~~~

~~~ NBC News 4 New York City: "The New York City Fire Department has turned over information to the FBI on multiple members who were allegedly at the U.S. Capitol when rioters charged the building. A spokesperson for the FDNY confirmed that a number of its members reportedly identified as being at Wednesday's riot.... 'The Department received anonymous allegations that active or retired members were present at the events at the United States Capitol on January 6 and, as required, has provided that information to the FBI,' Frank Dwyer, a spokesperson for the FDNY, said."

Brian Stelter of CNN: "News outlets are publishing more and more videos, photos and testimonials from Wednesday's pro-Trump riot on Capitol Hill. And it's becoming clear that as heinous as the attack looked in real time, on live TV and in our social feeds, it was even worse than we knew then. It was even more violent. It was even more treacherous. And Trump's behavior was even more disturbing.... There are all sorts of practical reasons why these scenes weren't shown live on Wednesday. Inside the Capitol, many correspondents were locked down and shepherded to secure locations along with lawmakers.... On the outside, some reporters had a hard time getting news out because wireless towers were overwhelmed. Additionally, some news crews were threatened by groups of Trump supporters, making the working conditions even more difficult. Some of the TV live shots on Wednesday afternoon were from a distance, by necessity, and the most important live cameras of all -- inside the House and Senate chambers -- were turned off by the respective legislative bodies.... Only later did it become clear that lawmakers feared for their lives; that some of the attackers were hunting for congressional leaders; that there could have been a massacre."

Dan Barry, et al., of the New York Times: "... the insurrection ... had been the culmination of a sustained assault by the president and his enablers on fact-based reality, one that began long before the November election but took on a fevered urgency as the certainty of Mr. Trump's defeat solidified. For years, he had demonized political opponents and the media and egged on thuggish behavior at his rallies. Since losing to Joseph R. Biden Jr., he had mounted a campaign of lies that the presidency was being stolen from him, and that marching on the Capitol was the last chance to stop it.... Some of his supporters heard ... a battle cry. Now, dozens of them have been arrested -- including an armed Alabama man who had Molotov cocktails in his car and a West Virginia lawmaker ... -- and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for help in identifying those who 'actively instigated violence.' Many participants in the march are frantically working to erase digital evidence of their presence for fear of losing a job or being harassed online." The story goes on to describe the moods & remarks of some of the terrorists, like this: "Couy Griffin, 47, a Republican county commissioner from New Mexico, spoke of organizing another Capitol rally soon -- one that could result in 'blood running out of that building' -- in a video he later posted to the Facebook page of his group, Cowboys for Trump." MB: The photos accompanying the story remind us that the siege on the Capitol was, among its other atrocities, a Covid-19 superspreader event.

Cori Bush, in a Washington Post op-ed: "My skin burned for 22 hours after I was pepper-sprayed [in July 2020]. The memory of that burn stung with a new kind of pain on Wednesday as I, now a newly sworn-in member of Congress, watched in horror and disbelief as an insurrectionist mob overran the Capitol. Back in July, we had been protesting at the police station in Florissant, Mo., where a police officer had recently run over a Black man with his car. The police had been beating protesters for weeks. They tear-gassed us to the point of suffocation for painting 'Black Lives Matter' on a road, arrested us for putting our fists in the air and beat those who they'd taken into custody.... Watching [the Jan. 6 terrorist attack] on TV [from my House office], we saw white supremacists stroll past Capitol Police, untouched and unscathed.... It's clear to me that top law enforcement leaders on Capitol Hill had little interest in preventing this attempted insurrection.... This is the America that Black people know.... Justice starts at removing each and every representative who incited this insurrection. I've unveiled my first piece of legislation that would do just that." ~~~

~~~ Rebecca Traister of New York interviews Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal: "We could hear the insurrectionists coming in. Then we saw the Speaker and the leadership being taken off the floor; there was a brief suspension of proceedings, but by then we were seeing all the social-media posts of what was happening outside.... Before we knew it, everyone on the floor below us had been removed, and ... we were still there. And it didn't look like anyone was coming to get us.... I don't know how long it was, maybe an hour and a half, until we were finally ushered out and taken down the stairs to a secure location.... I'm quarantining now because I am convinced that where we ended up, in the secured room -- where there were over 100 people and many were Republicans not wearing masks -- was a superspreader event.... The lack of security at the Capitol is not an accident. It is very clear to me that there were breaches of our law-enforcement agencies. The fact that there were no barriers, that they were essentially allowed in." --s MB: Emphasis added. Firewalled. (Also linked yesterday.)

Haley Talbot of NBC News reports on what happened inside the House chamber as the terrorists overtook the building: "I was sure we would proceed with the floor debate and continue with the certification until an announcement was made that rioters had breached the Capitol.... An announcement was made that there was tear gas in the Rotunda. 'Grab the gas masks under your seats and be ready to put them on.' That is when the panic was really palpable. Everyone was shuffling, yelling, no one knew what to do or where to go.... I kept thinking that even though we were all sheltering under our chairs, we weren't under any real threat. And then the glass shattered.... [Eventually, we were evacuated, but didn't know where we were going.] When we finally made it to our secure location..., I tried to walk in [and] was told 'members only' by an officer guarding the entrance. [Rep. Abigail] Spanberger [D-Va.] refused to go in the hearing room until she knew [members of the press] were safe.... As the confrontation with the guard ensued, Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., [took] us down the hall to his office."

"Don't Tread on Me". Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "A woman who was reportedly trampled to death [link fixed] during a riot inside the U.S. Capitol was reportedly obsessed with the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to her friends and family. A photo shows that she carried a Gadsden 'don't tread on me' flag at a protest before the violent siege.... Rosanne Boyland, 34, was among four of ... Donald Trump's supporters who died Wednesday inside the Capitol" --s (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Hmm. Ever since Wednesday night, news reports have cited three of the deaths that occurred during the Capitol insurrection as the results of "medical emergencies." I would not describe "trampled to death" as a "medical emergency" situation. Rather, I'd call it a homicide. BTW, I was going to get after safari for mocking the circumstances of the woman's death with that "Don't Tread on Me" headline -- till I read the second sentence he excerpted. Her death, it seems was both tragically & comically ironic.

Brian Schwartz of CNBC: "A web of pro-Trump dark money groups helped organize the rally that led to a deadly riot on Capitol Hill.... The rally, officially known as the 'March to Save America,' was largely organized by a 501(c)(4) group known as Women for America First.... Women for America First is chaired by Amy Kremer, a longtime political operative that was once the head of the Tea Party Express, an organization that was created to support the conservative Tea Party movement. Kylie Jane Kremer, the executive director of Women for Trump [MB: and Women for America First], is named on the rally's permit as the person in charge.... Women for America First's Facebook pages show they were calling on supporters to be part of what they described as a 'caravan' to Washington for the event.... Women for America First's executive director [Kylie Jane] promoted the rally through a Twitter post that has been retweeted over 16,000 times and, she notes that it was shared by the president himself.... Women for Trump were involved with setting up a backstage area [which Trump's family & staff used]." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The message Kylie Jane wrote in her tweet promoting the rally, which Trump retweeted, was, "The calvary is coming, Mr. President!" Inasmuch as it's nearly as difficult to move hills as it is mountains, I think Kylie Jane means "cavalry," don't you? And that description of rally-goers as members of powerful military fighting units makes her tweet -- and Trump's retweet -- explicitly violent.

~~~ Laura Strickler & Lisa Cavazuti of NBC: "An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob. 'At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,' said the voice on the recording, which was obtained by NBC News." --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times remembers when her father, "Captain Mike" Dowd led the Senate's security team: "At least Trump put my conservative siblings and me on the same page for once. We agreed -- seeing the mob crash in; seeing lawmakers fearing for their lives, crouching and hiding and making calls to plead for the cavalry to come from any of the myriad federal and local police forces here, as Confederate flags waved -- that this was a heartbreaking disgrace. It would have enraged my father." (Also linked yesterday.)

David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement: "Barely hours after Twitter permanently banned ... Donald Trump's @realDonaldTrump account, Trump accessed a U.S. government account, posted tweets attacking the social media company, and threatened to create a start-up competitor platform. 'As I have been saying for a long time, Twitter has gone further and further in banning free speech, and tonight, Twitter employees have coordinated with the Democrats and Radical Left in removing my account from their platform, to silence me,' Trump tweeted from the @POTUS account, which some might say is an unlawful use of government resources and assets.... 'We will not be SILENCED!' Trump threatened." Twitter immediately deleted the tweets. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ MEANWHILE. Adolfo Flores & John Paczkowski of BuzzFeed News: "Apple on Saturday expelled Parler, the social network favored by conservatives and right-wing extremists, from the App Store after it failed to implement a full moderation plan following criticism that the platform was used to plan the riot at the US Capitol. 'Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people's safety,' Apple said in a statement. 'We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues.'"

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who has played a leading role in opposing efforts to throw out the results of the 2020 election, on Saturday said President Trump has 'committed impeachable offenses.'... Toomey ... plans to retire from Congress at the end of 2022 to return to the private sector. Toomey said [in a Fox 'News' interview] he did not know whether the Senate would act on any articles of impeachment passed by the House during the final 11 days of Trump's term in office and voiced concern that Democrats may try to 'politicize' the process."

Melanie Zanona & Olivia Beavers of Politico: "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise are facing backlash from their Republican colleagues for standing by ... Donald Trump after he incited a violent mob to storm the Capitol this week, fueling a bitter divide in the GOP conference at a perilous moment for the party.... A cohort of House Republicans ... say McCarthy and Scalise failed to show leadership in a time of crisis and should have done more to call out Trump for his role in the riots that left five people dead.... Some lawmakers were also upset that McCarthy and Scalise -- along with over 120 House Republicans, easily a majority of the conference -- still supported objecting to the electors from several states after the riots ensued.... McCarthy appeared to do some damage control on Friday, putting out a statement acknowledging Joe Biden as the president-elect for the first time and saying he had reached out to Biden.... Scalise, meanwhile, acknowledged Friday night on Fox News that Trump's words 'didn't help and in fact caused a lot of real division.' He also said the president's initial response 'should have been an unequivocal, just complete, unequivocal calling out of what was going on at the time when people were storming the Capitol.'"

BUT. Anne Gearan, et al., of the Washington Post: "Three days after a mob attack on the U.S. Capitol carried out in President Trump's name, Republican leaders have yet to outline plans to hold anyone accountable or to alter a platform and priorities lashed to the outgoing Republican president. Trump and some congressional Republicans, meanwhile, stepped up their efforts Saturday to head off Democratic efforts to impeach Trump.... Behind closed doors, Trump and ... Jared Kushner have encouraged allies to fight against a potential impeachment by issuing statements on social media or elsewhere that discourage or condemn the move, people familiar with the calls said.... [But] Republican allies of the president were mainly muted Saturday, as pressure continued to mount among Democrats to try to force Trump from office before his term expires Jan. 20....

"Trump spent much of the day Saturday railing about Twitter taking his account, according to two officials. The president has not said anything about the five people who died in the attack.... He ... complained to advisers that he is being treated unfairly.... Trump has not spoken to Pence since before the assault, when he urged Pence to try to block congressional certification of Biden's victory.... Trump remains angry at Pence for refusing to do as Trump wished." MB: According to an on-air CNN report, pence & his family could hear Trump-inspired terrorists inside the Capitol building calling for pence's head; yet Trump is mad at pence.

** Jim Acosta of CNN: "Vice President Mike Pence has not ruled out an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment and wants to preserve the option in case ... Donald Trump becomes more unstable, a source close to the vice president says. The source said there is some concern inside Pence's team that there are risks to invoking the 25th Amendment or even to an impeachment process, as Trump could take some sort of rash action putting the nation at risk.... The source cautioned, it has become clear this week that it is necessary to keep the 25th Amendment option on the table based on Trump's actions." This is a breaking story. MB: This is a clever move on pence's part, as it may work to enforce a sort of "pocket removal" of Trump; that is, it could cause Trump to decide against doing crazy things for fear his own Veep & Cabinet would remove him for pulling or attempting to pull such stunts. ~~~

~~~ NEVERTHELESS. Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: Donald Trump is "determined to remain in office and make himself look good -- body count aside. According to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, the president at one point in the White House on Friday 'literally yelled' the words, 'I'M NOT GOING TO RESIGN,' before launching into a tirade about how Democratic lawmakers will regret their push to impeach him a second time, and that they are hurting 'the country' by doing so.... According to two sources..., the president and several close advisers are now discussing the possibility of Trump sitting for multiple media interviews in the coming days, in an attempt to boast about his time in office...."

Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "President Trump urged Georgia's lead elections investigator to 'find the fraud' in a lengthy December phone call, saying the official would be a 'national hero,' according to an individual familiar with the call.... Trump placed the call to the investigations chief for the Georgia secretary of state's office shortly before Christmas -- while the individual was leading an inquiry into allegations of ballot fraud in Cobb County.... In late December, [Trump's chief-of-staff Mark] Meadows traveled to Cobb County to see for himself how the ballot-signature audit was proceeding.... Meadows was not allowed in the room where the audit was occurring..., but he was able to peer through the window of the door. Trump called the chief investigator the following day." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Reuters: "The White House pushed the top federal prosecutor in Atlanta to resign before Georgia's U.S. Senate runoff because ... Donald Trump was unhappy that he wasn't doing enough to investigate Trump's unfounded claims of election fraud, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. The Justice Department on Tuesday tapped a new federal prosecutor to lead the Atlanta office, a day after the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Byung J. 'BJay' Pak, abruptly resigned.... The Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said that at the behest of the White House, a senior Justice Department official called and told Pak he needed to step down because he was not pursuing the voter-fraud allegations to Trump's satisfaction.... [In his phone call to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger], Trump appeared to complain during the call about Pak without naming him, saying there was a 'Never Trumper U.S. attorney' in Georgia." MB: We thought Pak's sudden resignation smelled fishy, and it was. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here's something I still don't get. Why was Trump devoting so much attention to Georgia's election results when overturning that state's results alone would not give him nearly enough Electoral College votes to overtake Biden's advantage?

Emily Jane Fox of Vanity Fair: "Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, have spent the past five years performing a mincing dance around reality, spinning their own parallel universe instead.... The weight of Wednesday's insurrection ... stopped that dance cold.... Wednesday's depravity and the couple's role in it officially made them radioactive.... Having any association with them suddenly became the more difficult option. 'People used to fear Trump's wrath,' another former friend of Ivanka's told me. 'Now they fear his affiliation. The stink of his family is nearly impossible to get off. How do you associate yourself with the worst, most toxic people in U.S. history?'" --s  Firewalled. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Molly Jong-Fast writes a column in the Daily Beast titled, "The One Good Thing the MAGA Mobs Smashed? The Trump Kids' Futures." It's a members-only feature, so if you happen to be a "member," you can read more than the first two grafs. (Also linked yesterday.)

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times reports Little Lord FloutTheLaw Josh Hawley's response to becoming the Most Unpopular Senator (R-Kansas). "His fellow Republicans in the Senate lined up to blame Mr. Hawley for the riot. The editorial boards of major newspapers in Missouri accused him of having 'blood on his hands' and called on him to resign. His publisher canceled his book deal and his erstwhile mentor [-- former GOP Sen. John Danforth --] called his efforts to get Mr. Hawley elected to the Senate 'the biggest mistake I've ever made.'" My favorite part of Hawley's response: "The publisher Simon & Schuster said it was canceling publication of his book 'The Tyranny of Big Tech,' citing 'his role in what became a dangerous threat." Mr. Hawley responded with an angry statement that called his former publisher a 'woke mob' and described their decision as 'a direct assault on the First Amendment.'" Hawley has a law degree from Yale & was secretary of the state of Kansas. He knows damned well that a private publishing company cannot "assault the First Amendment." (Also linked yesterday.)

Henry Farrell & Elizabeth Saunders in a Washington Post op-ed: "Washington generally shrugs at cynical theatrical gestures like the GOP Senate effort, led by Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Ted Cruz (Tex.), to object to the election results.... But this time, the prop revolvers were loaded with live bullets, and half the audience thought the drama was real.... The two main protagonists knew they were playacting. Hawley and Cruz graduated from top universities and law schools and clerkships. They know what the Constitution says and how elections work. Even before Wednesday, they understood that their maneuvers wouldn't actually overturn the 2020 results, so there would be no real consequences.... Democracy is built upon the notion that politicians who lose elections will admit defeat and move on. By challenging this idea -- however insincerely -- Hawley and Cruz are helping unravel the core political bargains of American politics."

Norman Eisen, in a Washington Post op-ed: "There was a terrible paradox in the images of Republican members of Congress driven into safe rooms by insurrectionists whom President Trump had whipped into a frenzy. As a lawyer for the Democratic House managers at Trump's impeachment and trial, I [watched] ... as these same lawmakers refused to hold him accountable, knowingly unleashing the storm ... on Wednesday. Impeachment manager Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) ... had warned them: 'President Trump has made clear in word and deed that he will persist in such conduct if he is not removed from power. He poses a continuing threat to our nation, to the integrity of our elections and to our democratic order. He must not remain in power one moment longer.' This last week's events -- and indeed all the president's abuses during this election cycle and the last year -- are a consequence of their refusal to convict him in his impeachment trial.... [After Trump, in one high crime, failed to coerce Georgia secretary of state Brad] Raffensperger ... [to 'find' just enough votes to give him a victory in the state], Trump turned to his last refuge and his latest high crime and misdemeanor: inciting his mob. They were his hardest-core supporters, urged by his Twitter feed to come to Washington. He urged them, 'Be there, will be wild!' And when they gathered, he exhorted them to march on the Capitol and said, 'If you don't fight like hell you're not going to have a country anymore.'"


David Folkenflik of NPR: "Fresh crises and fresh challenges confront the Trump-appointed CEO of the parent of Voice of America, even with less than two weeks left of the Trump presidency. To start, the Attorney General of the District of Columbia this week accused U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack of illegally funneling more than $4 million to his private documentary company through a not-for-profit that he also controls. Then, five recent chiefs of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - appointed under Democratic and Republican administrations - jointly warned President-elect Joe Biden that Pack poses 'a long-term threat to the credibility and professionalism of the five networks' he oversees. And now Pack is now being accused of trying to propagandize the Voice of America by a group of whistleblowers.... [MB: worst sentence ever published on NPR site] [Pack] has sought to outlast his time in office by burrowing himself and conservative allies into boards[.]" --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Oregon. Sarah Polus of The Hill: "A video surfaced Friday night of Republican Oregon Rep. Mike Nearman pushing a door open as he exited the state Capitol, allowing protesters to enter the building as a legislative session was underway.... A stream of protesters are then seen entering the building before State Police force them out, resulting in a scuffle.... At the time of the breach, a coronavirus special session was underway inside the Capitol. Those who entered the building illegally, some carrying rifles, had been protesting the state's COVID-19 restrictions outside at the time[.]" --s (Also linked yesterday.)

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Friday
Jan082021

The Commentariat -- January 9, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "President Trump urged Georgia's lead elections investigator to 'find the fraud' in a lengthy December phone call, saying the official would be a 'national hero,' according to an individual familiar with the call.... Trump placed the call to the investigations chief for the Georgia secretary of state's office shortly before Christmas -- while the individual was leading an inquiry into allegations of ballot fraud in Cobb County.... In late December, [Trump's chief-of-staff Mark] Meadows traveled to Cobb County to see for himself how the ballot-signature audit was proceeding.... Meadows was not allowed in the room where the audit was occurring..., but he was able to peer through the window of the door. Trump called the chief investigator the following day."

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times remembers when her father, "Captain Mike" Dowd led the Senate's security team: "At least Trump put my conservative siblings and me on the same page for once. We agreed -- seeing the mob crash in; seeing lawmakers fearing for their lives, crouching and hiding and making calls to plead for the cavalry to come from any of the myriad federal and local police forces here, as Confederate flags waved -- that this was a heartbreaking disgrace. It would have enraged my father."

Anna Schecter of NBC News: "In the wake of Wednesday's riot at the Capitol, Trump supporters with extremist views feel emboldened and are vowing to return to Washington for the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, using online platforms to rally each other. 'Many of Us will return on January 19, 2021, carrying Our weapons, in support of Our nation's resolve, towhich [sic] the world will never forget!!! We will come in numbers that no standing army or police agency can match,' wrote a popular Parler user who frequently posts about QAnon, and is being tracked by the Anti-Defamation League.... 'Round 2 on January 20th. This time no mercy. I don't even care about keeping Trump in power. I care about war,' an anonymous person posted on the platform TheDonald.win, which is filled with comments posted by people who lauded those who rioted Wednesday as 'heroes.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In answer to a reporter's question yesterday, Biden said he was not concerned about safety at his inauguration because (a) security will be managed by an entirely different entity: the Secret Service (as opposed to the Capitol Police), and (b) the event is classified a "special security event" which Trump's January 6 insurrection was not.

David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement: "Barely hours after Twitter permanently banned President Donald Trump's @realDonaldTrump account, Trump accessed a U.S. government account, posted tweets attacking the social media company, and threatened to create a start-up competitor platform. 'As I have been saying for a long time, Twitter has gone further and further in banning free speech, and tonight, Twitter employees have coordinated with the Democrats and Radical Left in removing my account from their platform, to silence me,' Trump tweeted from the @POTUS account, which some might say is an unlawful use of government resources and assets.... 'We will not be SILENCED!' Trump threatened." Twitter immediately deleted the tweets.

Rebecca Traister of New York interviews Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal: "We could hear the insurrectionists coming in. Then we saw the Speaker and the leadership being taken off the floor; there was a brief suspension of proceedings, but by then we were seeing all the social-media posts of what was happening outside.... Before we knew it, everyone on the floor below us had been removed, and ... we were still there. And it didn't look like anyone was coming to get us.... I don't know how long it was, maybe an hour and a half, until we were finally ushered out and taken down the stairs to a secure location.... I'm quarantining now because I am convinced that where we ended up, in the secured room -- where there were over 100 people and many were Republicans not wearing masks -- was a superspreader event.... The lack of security at the Capitol is not an accident. It is very clear to me that there were breaches of our law-enforcement agencies. The fact that there were no barriers, that they were essentially allowed in." --s MB: emphasis added. Firewalled (New York).

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times reports Little Lord FloutTheLaw Josh Hawley's response to becoming the Most Unpopular Senator (R-Kansas). "His fellow Republicans in the Senate lined up to blame Mr. Hawley for the riot. The editorial boards of major newspapers in Missouri accused him of having 'blood on his hands' and called on him to resign. His publisher canceled his book deal and his erstwhile mentor [-- former GOP Sen. John Danforth --] called his efforts to get Mr. Hawley elected to the Senate 'the biggest mistake I've ever made.'" My favorite part of Hawley's response: "The publisher Simon & Schuster said it was canceling publication of his book 'The Tyranny of Big Tech,' citing 'his role in what became a dangerous threat." Mr. Hawley responded with an angry statement that called his former publisher a 'woke mob' and described their decision as 'a direct assault on the First Amendment.'" Hawley has a law degree from Yale & was secretary of the state of Kansas. He knows damned well that a private publishing company cannot "assault the First Amendment."

"Don't Tread on Me". Travis Gettys of RawStory: "A woman who was reportedly trampled to death [link fixed] during a riot inside the U.S. Capitol was reportedly obsessed with the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to her friends and family. A photo shows that she carried a Gadsden 'don't tread on me' flag at a protest before the violent siege.... Rosanne Boyland, 34, was among four of ... Donald Trump's supporters who died Wednesday inside the Capitol" --s ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Hmm. Ever since Wednesday night, news reports have cited three of the deaths that occurred during the Capitol insurrection as the results of "medical emergencies." I would not describe "trampled to death" as a "medical emergency" situation. Rather, I'd call it a homicide. BTW, I was going to get after safari for mocking the circumstances of the woman's death with that "Don't Tread on Me" headline -- till I read the second sentence he excerpted. Her death, it seems was both tragically & comically ironic.

Laura Strickler & Lisa Cavazuti of NBC: "An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob. 'At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,' said the voice on the recording, which was obtained by NBC News." --s

Emily Jane Fox of Vanity Fair: "Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, have spent the past five years performing a mincing dance around reality, spinning their own parallel universe instead.... The weight of Wednesday's insurrection ... stopped that dance cold.... Wednesday's depravity and the couple's role in it officially made them radioactive.... Having any association with them suddenly became the more difficult option. 'People used to fear Trump's wrath,' another former friend of Ivanka's told me. 'Now they fear his affiliation. The stink of his family is nearly impossible to get off. How do you associate yourself with the worst, most toxic people in U.S. history?'" --s  Firewalled. ~~~

     ~~~ Molly Jong-Fast writes a column in the Daily Beast titled, "The One Good Thing the MAGA Mobs Smashed? The Trump Kids" Futures." It's a members-only feature, so if you happen to be a "member," you can read more than the first two grafs.

David Folkenflik of NPR: "Fresh crises and fresh challenges confront the Trump-appointed CEO of the parent of Voice of America, even with less than two weeks left of the Trump presidency. To start, the Attorney General of the District of Columbia this week accused U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack of illegally funneling more than $4 million to his private documentary company through a not-for-profit that he also controls. Then, five recent chiefs of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - appointed under Democratic and Republican administrations - jointly warned President-elect Joe Biden that Pack poses 'a long-term threat to the credibility and professionalism of the five networks' he oversees. And now Pack is now being accused of trying to propagandize the Voice of America by a group of whistleblowers.... [MB: worst sentence ever published on NPR site] [Pack] has sought to outlast his time in office by burrowing himself and conservative allies into boards[.]" --s

Oregon. Sarah Polus of The Hill: "A video surfaced Friday night of Republican Oregon Rep. Mike Nearman pushing a door open as he exited the state Capitol, allowing protesters to enter the building as a legislative session was underway.... A stream of protesters are then seen entering the building before State Police force them out, resulting in a scuffle.... At the time of the breach, a coronavirus special session was underway inside the Capitol. Those who entered the building illegally, some carrying rifles, had been protesting the state's COVID-19 restrictions outside at the time[.]" --s

~~~~~~~~~~

Annie Linskey of the Washington Post: "President-elect Joe Biden, who campaigned on a promise to reach out to Republicans and unite the country, found himself Friday leading a party angrily bent on impeaching President Trump, forcing the resignation of GOP senators and making Republicans pay for their baseless challenge to the election results. Biden, speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Del., essentially offered a divided response, calling some Republicans 'shameful' and praising others for their 'enormous integrity.' He said his goal of bipartisanship is, if anything, more achievable after Wednesday's assault on the Capitol, citing Republicans like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who he said has talked to him in disgust about the rioters.... He sidestepped questions about a growing drive by House Democrats to impeach Trump, but he strongly suggested that Congress's time would be better spent tackling his agenda. 'What the Congress decides to do is for them to decide," Biden said. 'But they're going to have to be ready to hit the ground running.'" A Hill story is here.

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Nicholas Fandos, et al., of New York Times: "Democrats laid the groundwork on Friday for impeaching President Trump a second time, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California threatened to bring him up on formal charges if he did not resign 'immediately' over his role in inciting a violent mob attack on the Capitol this week. The threat was part of an all-out effort by furious Democrats, backed by a handful of Republicans, to pressure Mr. Trump to leave office in disgrace after the hourslong siege by his supporters on Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Although he has only 12 days left in the White House, they argued he was a direct danger to the nation. Ms. Pelosi and other top Democratic leaders continued to press Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to wrest power from Mr. Trump, though Mr. Pence was said to be against it. The speaker urged Republican lawmakers to pressure the president to resign immediately. And she took the unusual step of calling Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss how to limit Mr. Trump's access to the nation's nuclear codes and then publicized it.... Behind closed doors, [Mr. Trump] made clear that he would not resign and expressed regret about releasing a video on Thursday committing to a peaceful transition of power and condemning the violence at the Capitol that he had egged on a day before." ~~~

~~~ Heather Caygle, et al., of Politico: "Pelosi has yet to make a final decision on how precisely Democrats will proceed, including whether to pursue a constitutional process that could remove Trump without impeachment. In a statement Friday evening, Pelosi again pressured Trump to resign his office but said Democrats would 'preserve every option' if he did not. 'I have instructed the Rules Committee to be prepared to move forward with Congressman Jamie Raskin's 25th Amendment legislation and a motion for impeachment,' Pelosi said. Top Democrats say privately there is broad consensus for impeachment next week in a caucus that remains deeply shaken, and House Democrats plan to introduce a formal resolution during Monday's pro forma session, though President-elect Joe Biden is less than enthusiastic about that specific option.... 'It's hard to exaggerate the culpability of this unhinged person,' Pelosi told Democrats on a private caucus call on Friday. 'We cannot empower him.'" ~~~

~~~ CNN: "House Democrats have circulated a draft of a new impeachment resolution against ... Donald Trump with one article of impeachment, 'incitement of insurrection.'" Contains reproduction of the draft resolution.

Kyle Cheney, et al., of Politico: "House Democrats are moving quickly toward impeaching ... Donald Trump as early next week, a reflection of the seething outrage that remains over his incitement of deadly riots inside the U.S. Capitol. Timing remains in flux and Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to make a decision on exactly how to proceed including whether to pursue a constitutional process that could remove Trump without impeachment. Top Democrats are still in talks with all their members and will hold a caucus-wide call at noon. But they are expected to decide today on their next steps, according to several lawmakers and aides." The Washington Post's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Lisa Mascaro, et al., of the AP: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she has spoken to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about preventing ... Donald Trump from initiating military actions or a nuclear strike. Pelosi said in a statement to colleagues that she spoke with Gen. Mark Milley 'to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike.' She said, the situation of 'this unhinged President could not be more dangerous.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is circulating a memo to Republican senators that outlines how a potential Senate trial would work for President Trump -- proceedings that would all but certainly occur after he leaves the White House. In the memo, obtained by The Washington Post, McConnell's office notes that the Senate will not reconvene for substantive business until Jan. 19, which means the earliest possible date that impeachment trial proceedings can begin in the Senate is the day before ... Joe Biden is inaugurated.... In effect, [procedural rules] make the matter of an impeachment trial an issue that will need to be taken up by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the incoming majority leader, in the first days of the Biden presidency -- a move that would almost certainly distract from the president-elect's immediate agenda...."

"On Jan. 19, the Senate would receive a message from the House that it has appointed impeachment managers, and that the Senate would be ready to receive it. On Jan. 19 or 20, the House impeachment managers would exhibit the articles. On Jan. 20 or 21, the Senate would proceed to consideration of the impeachment articles at 1 p.m., and officially begin the trial. McConnell';s memo noted that the 'Senate trial would therefore begin after President Trump's term has expired -- either one hour after its expiration on January 20, or twenty-five hours after its expiration on January 21." The Hill has a summary story here.

Murkowski: "I Want Him Out." James Brooks of the Anchorage Daily News: "U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday that Donald Trump should resign the presidency immediately and that if the Republican Party cannot separate itself from Trump, she isn't certain she has a future with the party. 'I want him to resign. I want him out. He has caused enough damage,' Murkowski, R-Alaska, said during an interview from her small Capitol office, step away from the Senate chambers that were invaded by pro-Trump rioters on Wednesday. 'I think he should leave. He said he's not going to show up. He's not going to appear at the inauguration. He hasn't been focused on what is going on with COVID. He's either been golfing or he's been inside the Oval Office fuming and throwing every single person who has been loyal and faithful to him under the bus, starting with the vice president. He doesn't want to stay there. He only wants to stay there for the title. He only wants to stay there for his ego. He needs to get out. He needs to do the good thing, but I don't think he's capable of doing a good thing,' she said. Murkowski said that while 'there may have been many, many, many, many good Americans who came to Washington, D.C., because they felt strongly in support of this president,' Trump incited them to storm the Capitol after a speech near the Washington Monument. Even before Election Day, the president refused to say whether he would accept the election results, Murkowski said, and then tried to overturn the results." ~~~

~~~ Michael Warren & Jamie Gangel of CNN: "A growing number of Republicans want ... Donald Trump to leave office before January 20, with some top lawmakers telling CNN they are considering supporting his impeachment. Two Republican members of Congress who are former Trump allies told CNN they would support impeachment against the President over his role in Wednesday's deadly attack on the US Capitol if the articles are reasonable.... One of the GOP lawmakers said the proceedings could be done quickly. 'We experienced the attack,' the member said. 'We don't need long hearings on what happened.'... Multiple Republican lawmakers on the Hill have told CNN they are done with Trump and hope he will leave office before the end of his term, either by his resignation, his removal via the 25th Amendment or by conviction in an impeachment trial."

** Death Knell for a Tyrant: Twitter Bans Trump. Forever. Cristiano Lima of Politico: "Twitter permanently suspended ... Donald Trump's account Friday, saying he had repeatedly violated its policies on glorification of violence. 'After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them -- specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter -- we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,' Twitter said in a statement Friday afternoon.... After his account was reactivated Thursday [following a temporary suspension], Trump tweeted out two messages saying his supporters 'will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form,' and announcing he would not attending President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Twitter cited those messages as motivating their decision to deactivate his account. 'These two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President's statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks,' the company said in its statement. It added the tweets violated its policy on glorification of violence." The Washington Post's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Gabby Orr, et al., of Politico: "The president is 'ballistic,' a senior administration official said after Twitter permanently took down his account, citing the possibility that it would be used in the final 12 days of Trump's presidency to incite violence. The official said Trump was 'scrambling to figure out what his options are.'... Trump entered office boasting of how he was the 'Hemingway of 140 characters' and crediting Twitter in particular for powering his political ascent. More than 56,000 tweets later, he leaves it amid a futile game of Whac-A-Mole with the tech moguls he despises, exiled to the outer provinces of the internet. If this is how Trump's presidency closes out, it will be a remarkable endnote." ~~~

     ~~~ Ben Collins & Brandy Zadrozny of NBC News: "Twitter on Friday removed the accounts of Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell and other high-profile supporters of ... Donald Trump who promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory. The permanent bans are among the highest profile that the company has instituted as part of its efforts to crack down on misinformation and calls for violence.... 'The accounts have been suspended in line with our policy on Coordinated Harmful Activity,' a Twitter spokesperson told NBC News." ~~~

     ~~~ Brian Fung of CNN: "Parler, the alternative social media platform popular with conservatives, has been banned from the Google Play Store, Google told CNN Business Friday evening. Google said its app store has long required that apps displaying user generated content have moderation policies in place to prevent the spread of violent rhetoric. 'We're aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the US,' a Google spokesperson said.... The decision marks a major blow to ... Donald Trump's supporters, many of whom have found a home on the Parler platform. But it does not completely deny them access to the app. Because Android allows for third-party app stores, Parler can still be hosted on app stores not operated by Google." ~~~

     ~~~ Ryan Mac & John Paczkowski of BuzzFeed News: "Apple has given Parler, the social network favored by conservatives and extremists, an ultimatum to implement a full moderation plan of its platform within the next 24 hours or face expulsion from the App store. In an email sent this morning and obtained by BuzzFeed News, Apple wrote to Parler's executives that there had been complaints that the service had been used to plan and coordinate the storming of the US Capitol by ... Donald Trump's supporters on Wednesday."

Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "A lawmaker from West Virginia [-- Derrick Evans --] and a man who broke into Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office and posed at her desk were among those arrested on charges related to the siege at the Capitol, federal law enforcement officials announced on Friday as they promised an exhaustive investigation into the violence. The authorities also found 11 Molotov cocktails and a semiautomatic rifle in the truck of a 70-year-old man from Alabama who was also arrested, according to prosecutors. He also had two handguns. Hundreds of prosecutors and F.B.I. agents have been assigned to work the investigation and were pursuing dozens of cases, Ken Kohl, a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, said in a briefing with reporters."

Online Detectives Out Terrorists. Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "While police and the FBI work to identify and arrest members of the mob, online detectives are also crowdsourcing information and doxing them -- exposing the rioters to criminal prosecution, but also more immediate action from their bosses. Since most of the rioters stormed the Capitol maskless, online detectives had a unique opportunity to easily identify them. And many made it even easier -- they live-streamed their participation and later bragged about their escapades."

Kyle Cheney, et al., of Politico: "A growing number of House Democrats say they're concerned that tactical decisions by some Capitol Police officers worsened Wednesday's riots and have raised the possibility that the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol might have had outside help.... On a 3.5-hour caucus call..., House Democrats on Friday demand[ed] an investigation not only into the decisions by the Capitol Police leadership but by some rank-and-file officers caught on camera. But the lawmakers also raised general concerns that the rioters had some sort of outside help not necessarily attributable to the Capitol's police corps. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) told his colleagues he thought the riots were 'an inside job,' according to two lawmakers on the call. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) mentioned that looters had found their way to his unmarked, third floor office and stole his iPad. He questioned how they could locate that office but not his clearly marked ceremonial office in Statuary Hall. Later, another Democrat on the call, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) specifically raised the question of possible collusion among some Capitol Police officers, according to several people listening. In that vein, House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) told a radio station that Democrats didn't know yet if the failures by Capitol Police were the result of 'poor planning or whether it was because there was certain kinds of infiltration.'"

Jordan Liles of Snopes: "In the wake of the deadly and unprecedented riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, several photographs showed pro-Trump members of the insurrectionist mob in the Senate chamber ... with what appeared to be zip-tie handcuffs, also called zip cuffs, plastic handcuffs, or flex cuffs.... Jim Bourg, a Reuters news pictures editor who was at the Capitol that day, tweeted that he heard at least three rioters say they 'hoped to find Vice President Mike Pence and execute him by hanging him from a Capitol Hill tree as a traitor.'... Donald Trump had negatively tweeted about Pence just prior to the riots, saying he lacked the 'courage' to overturn the election" Includes photos. MB: Bourg appeared on CNN late Friday and said that one of his colleagues saw rioters break into a box in the Capitol & take the zip-ties from the box, so he is not sure if insurrectionists brought any of the cuffs into the building.

Kelsie Smith & Travis Caldwell of CNN: "A horrifying video from Wednesday's Capitol riots showed an officer crushed between waves of a pro-Trump mob and officers defending the building. During the confrontation, captured on video by investigative outlet Status Coup, one officer was pinned between a door and the masses of people. At least one individual attempted to rip away the officer's mask while he was wedged, as he screamed in agony. The video panned over to the rioters, who chanted, 'Heave, ho! Heave, ho!' while pushing further into the entryway." Includes video, and yes, it's horrifying. The perps are Trump's "American patriots." YouTube also has the Status Coup video here.

Maura Judkis & Ellen McCarthy of the Washington Post: "A lot of things were broken to pieces, or pilfered, or defaced. Windows and door frames. The placard above House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's door. Camera equipment owned by the Associated Press. A photo of the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis.... The office of the Senate parliamentarian was ransacked. A bust of President Zachary Taylor was smeared with what appeared to be blood. Missing: Laptops from the offices of Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Pelosi and others. Mail. Paperwork. Records that the Department of Justice.... Seven pieces of historically significant art were covered in 'corrosive gas agent residue,' according to a spokesperson for the Committee on House Administration.... 'On the West Front, the teams identified graffiti on the building near the Inaugural Stands and two broken Olmsted light fixtures,' said a spokeswoman for the Architect of the Capitol in an email. 'Statues, murals, historic benches and original shutters all suffered varying degrees of damage -- primarily from pepper spray accretions and residue from tear gas and fire extinguishers -- that will require cleaning and conservation.'" ~~~

~~~ Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "Congressional staffers were reportedly horrified to discover that supporters of ... Donald Trump defecated on the floors of the Capitol building and then tracked their feces around with them into offices. Sources within Sen. Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) office tell the New York Daily News that Trump fans who ransacked the Capitol on Wednesday 'smeared their extremist excrement around the building' and left behind brown 'footprints' that were later discovered by disgusted staffers."

Davey Alba of the New York Times: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Friday that there was no evidence that supporters of the antifa movement -- a loose collective of antifascist activists -- had participated in the pro-Trump mob that breached the Capitol building on Wednesday.... Since Wednesday, far-right activists and allies of the president have made the claim, often while presenting easily disproved evidence, that the rioters were made up of antifa supporters, not backers of President Trump. Among those pushing the falsehood were Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, who said while objecting to the electoral votes for Mr. Biden that people in the mob were 'in fact members of the violent terrorist group antifa.' Ken Paxton (ARRR), the attorney general of Texas, also said antifa was involved. But even President Trump acknowledged that the people who supported him -- not liberal activists -- had invaded the Capitol. At one point on Wednesday he told the mob, 'we love you.'"

Ben Collins & Brandy Zadrozny of NBC News: "A digital flyer made public on Instagram and Facebook in December made little secret of the ambitions of some of the people planning to visit Washington on Jan. 6: 'Operation Occupy the Capitol.' That call to arms is just one of the many warning signs on extremist sites and mainstream social media platforms that extremism experts say were easy to spot but ultimately disregarded by law enforcement in the runup to Wednesday's riot at the Capitol, which led to the deaths of five people, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, 42, who was reportedly hit with a fire extinguisher during the melee.... 'Everyone who was a law enforcement officer or a reporter knew exactly what these hate groups were planning,' [Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl] Racine said. 'They were planning to descend on Washington, D.C., ground center was the Capitol, and they were planning to charge and, as Rudy Giuliani indicated, to do combat justice at the Capitol[.]'"

Jack Date, et al., of ABC News: "A U.S. Capitol Police officer has died following injuries suffered in the violent siege on the building Wednesday, according to a press release from the department.... The officer, Brian D. Sicknick, died at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. Sicknick responded to the riots and 'was injured while physically engaging with protesters,' USCP said in a statement. 'He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.'... The U.S. attorney's office in D.C. has opened a federal murder investigation into Sicknick's death, three law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News. The investigation is being conducted jointly between the FBI and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, with cooperation from U.S. Capitol Police. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered the flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff in Sicknick's honor." The New York Times' story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "... we won't know for some time what the attack on the Capitol means for this country. Either it marked the beginning of the end of Trumpism, or another stage in the unraveling of American liberal democracy.... Trump's authority is ebbing before our eyes. Having helped deliver the Senate to Democrats, he's no longer much use to Republicans like Mitch McConnell. With two weeks left in the president's term, social media has invoked its own version of the 25th Amendment.... Yet the forces Trump has unleashed can't simply be stuffed back in the bottle. Most of the Republican House caucus still voted to challenge the legitimacy of Joe Biden's election. And the MAGA movement's terrorist fringe may be emboldened by Wednesday's incursion into the heart of American government."

Jonathan Lemire & Zeke Miller of the AP: "... Donald Trump said Friday he won't attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, undercutting his message a day earlier that he would work to ensure a 'smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power' to his successor. Trump offered no clues for how he would spend his final hours in office, and will be the first incumbent president since Andrew Johnson to skip his successor's swearing-in. Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the U.S. Capitol together for the ceremony, as a symbol of the nation's peaceful transition.... Vice President Mike Pence was expected to attend the inauguration.... By [Friday] morning..., Trump was back to his usual division. Instead of offering condolences to the police officer who died from injuries sustained during the riot, Trump took to twitter to commend the 'great American Patriots' who'd voted for him. 'They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!' he tweeted." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Also, I heard on the teevee that real Presidents Obama, Bush & Clinton will attend Biden's inauguration. I just don't think Trump belongs to this club.

Will Sommers & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "Shortly after his White House video -- in which a scripted President Trump acknowledged that a transition to a 'new' administration was underway, but stopped short of even admitting that he indeed lost fairly to his 2020 Democratic opponent -- posted online, Trump started having second thoughts. Throughout the evening..., [he] quizzed close advisers and White House officials about whether or not he did the right thing and if the reception from the public, the media, and his supporters was 'good.'... He asked if his supporters felt let down.... Donald Trump's most loyal supporters feel angry and betrayed over the Thursday video in which the president tried to distance himself from [the] ... riot in Congress.... Many of Trump's hardcore supporters were distraught to see Trump call for prosecution of the rioters['] 'heinous' actions, just a day after he urged them to go to the Capitol in a speech outside the White House.... Many promoted the idea that Trump had been forced to make the video against his will, or that the video itself was a high-tech fabrication."

Marianne Levine of Politico: "During a press conference in Delaware, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), told reporters that Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) 'should resign,' according to WBOC, one day after a group of Trump supporters staged a deadly insurrection in the U.S. Capitol.... Since the insurrection, Cruz and Hawley are facing a backlash from their colleagues, who are accusing them of inciting violence by casting doubt on the results of the 2020 election." (Also linked yesterday.)

Georgia Senate Race. Max Greenwood of the Hill: "Republican David Perdue conceded his loss in his Senate runoff election in Georgia on Friday, acknowledging Democrat Jon Ossoff as the winner."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here: "The United States on Friday surpassed 300,000 daily coronavirus cases, the second alarming record this week. The number, which roughly equates to the population of St. Louis, Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, comes about two months after the country reported 100,000 coronavirus cases a day for the first time, and one day after more than 4,000 people died from the virus, also a record. The United States has reported 21.8 million infections and 367,458 deaths."

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

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar & Zeke Miller of the AP: "President-elect Joe Biden will release most available COVID-19 vaccine doses to speed delivery to more people, a reversal of the Trump administration policy, his office said Friday. 'The president-elect believes we must accelerate distribution of the vaccine while continuing to ensure the Americans who need it most get it as soon as possible,' spokesman T.J. Ducklo said in a statement. Biden 'supports releasing available doses immediately, and believes the government should stop holding back vaccine supply so we can get more shots in Americans' arms now.' Under the Trump administration's approach, the government has been holding back a supply of vaccines to guarantee that people can get a second shot, which provides maximum protection against COVID-19. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require a second shot about three weeks after the first vaccination. One-shot vaccines are still undergoing testing." (Also linked yesterday.)

The New York Times' live business updates for Friday are here: "The already sputtering economic rebound went into reverse in December, as employers laid off workers amid rising coronavirus cases and waning government aid. U.S. employers cut 140,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department said Friday. It was the first net decline in payrolls since last spring's mass layoffs, and though the December loss was nowhere near that scale, it represented a discouraging reversal for the once-promising recovery. The U.S. economy still has about 10 million fewer jobs than before the pandemic began. The December losses were heavily concentrated in leisure and hospitality businesses, which have been hit especially hard by the pandemic." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Lede

New York Times: "A passenger jet carrying more than 60 people crashed into the Java Sea on Saturday, minutes after taking off from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, Indonesian officials said, bringing renewed attention to a nation long cursed by aviation disasters. The fate of the plane, a Boeing 737-500, also carried the potential to ensnare the troubled American aviation giant in more bad publicity, even though the cause of the crash had yet to be determined."

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