The Commentariat -- December 27, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Christina Maxouris, et al., of CNN: "Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake named Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, of Antioch, Tennessee, as a key person in the investigation into the explosion of a recreational vehicle in Nashville early Christmas morning. 'That is a person of interest -- still there could be several more,' Drake said. Authorities believe Warner's remains were found at the blast site, according to several law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity."

     ~~~ Marie: In a news conference held at 5 pm ET, authorities confirmed that they had been able to match DNA samples from Warner's home to DNA in tissue found at the scene.

~~~ Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs & Giulia Nieto del Rio of the New York Times: "Federal agents said on Saturday that they did not yet know who carried out the Christmas Day explosion that ripped through the city's downtown, mangling storefronts, injuring three people and leaving the city mystified as to the motive. Investigators were tracking down more than 500 leads, working to piece together what happened before an R.V. -- apparently rigged with explosives and parked on a street in the tourist district -- detonated in the early hours of Christmas. The blast devastated the neighborhood, which regularly draws thousands of people each night, and officials said the city was lucky no one was killed. Douglas Korneski, the F.B.I. special agent in charge of the Memphis office, said at a news conference that more than 250 F.B.I. employees were working the case, but that they still had many unanswered questions.... Mr. Korneski and other officials indicated at the news conference that it was still unclear how many people were involved in the crime." ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated with a new byline & new lede: "Preliminary tests conducted on human remains found in the wreckage of the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville match a 63-year-old man who had been identified as a person of interest in the investigation, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with the investigation."

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A Slow Gnus Day

Evan Semones of Politico: "President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday took ... Donald Trump to task over his refusal so far to sign a coronavirus stimulus package with unemployment benefits for millions set to expire and government funding in limbo. In a statement, Biden slammed Trump for holding up the roughly $900 billion in aid for Americans suffering from economic damage caused by the pandemic, calling the delay an 'abdication of responsibility' on the president's part. 'It is the day after Christmas, and millions of families don't know if they'll be able to make ends meet because of President Donald Trump's refusal to sign an economic relief bill approved by Congress with an overwhelming and bipartisan majority,' Biden said. 'This bill is critical. It needs to be signed into law now.'" ~~~

~~~ Alexandra Olson & Jill Colvin of the AP: "Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet lapsed overnight as ... Donald Trump refused to signed an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections. The fate of the bipartisan package remained in limbo Sunday as Trump continued to demand larger COVID relief checks and complained about 'pork' spending. Without the widespread funding provided by the massive measure, a government shutdown would occur when money runs out at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday."

~~~ Peter Wade of Rolling Stone: "Trump's attempt to upend the bipartisan compromise by leadership in the House and Senate, insisting on $2,000 stimulus checks instead of the current $600 in the bill, is as fraudulent as his rigged election claims. It's important to remember that although Trump is now saying, 'Give our people the money!' his administration was involved in the negotiations, and it's his party that is insisting on keeping payments to Americans low."

David Ignatius of the Washington Post: "... the United States will be in the danger zone until the formal certification of Joe Biden's election victory on Jan. 6, because potential domestic and foreign turmoil could give President Trump an excuse to cling to power. This threat, while unlikely to materialize, is concerning senior officials, including Republicans who have supported Trump in the past but believe he is now threatening to overstep the constitutional limits on his power. They described a multifaceted campaign by die-hard Trump supporters to use disruptions at home and perhaps threats abroad to advance his interests." Ignatius goes on to describe a number of possible scenarios Trump might be planning. MB: They sound far-fetched. But it's Trump. Besides, I don't see January 6 as the fail-safe day. Until Trump is actually out the door (whether of his own volition or in a manner depicted in the video in the upper-right column), he remains a clear & present danger.

Zachary Petrizzo of Mediaite: "Roger Stone said he plans to file a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and former Attorney General William Barr, following his presidential pardon from ... Donald Trump. The longtime informal adviser to Trump listed a number of figures he said would be targets of his suit in a post on Parler. The terms of my pardon allow me to sue the Department of Justice, Robert Mueller, James Comey, John Brennan, Rod Rosenstein, Josnathan Kravis (sic), Aaron "Fat Ass" Zelinsky, Jeanie Rhee (sic), and Michael Morando," Stone said on the social media platform Thursday."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

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

Nicole Winfield & Vanessa Gera of the AP: "Doctors, nurses and the elderly rolled up their sleeves across the European Union to receive the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine Sunday in a symbolic show of unity and moment of hope for a continent confronting its worse health care crisis in a century. Even though a few countries started giving doses a day early, the coordinated rollout for the 27-nation bloc was aimed at projecting a unified message that the vaccine was safe and Europe's best chance to emerge from the pandemic and the economic devastation caused by months of lockdown. For health care workers who have been battling the virus with only masks and shields to protect themselves, the vaccines represented an emotional relief as well as a public chance to urge Europe's 450 million people to get the shots for their own health and that of others."

Miriam Berger of the Washington Post: "The highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus first detected in England had by Saturday been documented in several European countries, as well as Canada, Japan, Australia and Lebanon, despite efforts to curb its spread through massive global disruptions in travel and movement.... Scientists do not think the British variant is more deadly or resistant to the current coronavirus vaccines. The variant has also been detected in France, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy."

Beyond the Beltway

Tennessee. Kimberlee Kruesi, et al., of the AP: "Federal agents converged Saturday on the home of a possible person of interest in the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville as investigators scoured hundreds of tips and leads in the blast that damaged dozens of buildings on Christmas morning. More than 24 hours after the explosion, a motive remained elusive as investigators worked round-the-clock to resolve unanswered questions about a recreational vehicle that blew up on a mostly deserted street on a sleepy holiday morning and was prefaced by a recorded warning advising those nearby to evacuate. The attack, which damaged an AT&T building, continued to wreak havoc Saturday on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states."

The Commentariat -- December 26, 2020

A Very Old-fashioned Snowball Fight. Sam Anderson in the New York Times Magazine: "The footage [above] was captured in Lyon, [France,] in 1897, by the Lumière brothers, who were among the world's first filmmakers. It was originally black and white, of course, and herky-jerky because of the low frame rate. But this snowball fight has recently been colorized and smoothed, and the result is shockingly modern":

President-elect Joe Biden & Dr. Jill Biden share a Christmas message:

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas Message:

Elisabetta Povoledo & Marc Santoro of the New York Times: "Pope Francis on Friday called on world leaders, businesses and international organizations to help ensure that the most vulnerable and needy have access to newly developed coronavirus vaccines. Instead of speaking to the tens of thousands usually gathered on St. Peter's Square, Francis made his annual Christmas address from a grandiose hall inside the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican. In a year in which the pandemic plunged the world into economic and social uncertainty, the pope was only one of many Christian leaders and pastors around the globe who issued big, weighty messages to small, in-person audiences. Francis used his traditional Christmas address to argue that widespread suffering should compel people to reflect on their common humanity, and apply those principles to how vaccine rollouts are handled." See also Peter Goodman's NYT story, linked under "TheTrumpidemic," on international inequality worsened by Covid-19.

A Christmas Eve Message from Donald Trump. Jeffrey Martin of Newsweek: "... Donald Trump lashed out at some Republican lawmakers Thursday on social media for not embracing his baseless allegations of election fraud.... 'I saved at least 8 Republican Senators, including Mitch, from losing in the last Rigged (for President) Election,' Trump tweeted Thursday. 'Now they (almost all) sit back and watch me fight against a crooked and vicious foe, the Radical Left Democrats. I will NEVER FORGET!'" ~~~

~~~ John Amato of Crooks & Liars publishes more Christmas Eve messages from Trump in the same vein.

Upon Leaving the Country Mired in Chaos, Illness & Death, Trump Goes Golfing. AP: "After tossing a grenade that threatens to blow up a massive Covid relief and government funding bill and force a government shutdown in the midst of a pandemic, Donald Trump was golfing on Christmas for a second straight day. Failure to agree on the bill could deny checks to millions of Americans on the brink. Trump had no events on his public schedule on the first day of his winter vacation on Thursday, but travelled to his Palm Beach golf club, where he was spotted by CNN cameras on the links. Reporters were given no details of his schedule for the day, but told that, 'As the Holiday season approaches, President Trump will continue to work tirelessly for the American People. His schedule includes many meetings and calls.'"

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times (Dec. 24): "Until Tuesday, the American system worked to give [the families of the Blackwater massacre victims] a modicum of justice. Blackwater settled.... The guards were prosecuted criminally. The process was torturous..., but powerful figures in the United States were determined to see it through. After a judge dismissed the charges on procedural grounds, Vice President Joe Biden promised ... that there would be an appeal.... Eventually three of the Blackwater guards, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard, were convicted of voluntary manslaughter and other charges. A fourth, Nicholas Slatten, was convicted of murder and last year war crimes is well known, and last year he pardoned three men accused or convicted of them. Because of Biden's words in 2010, some conservatives called the perpetrators of the Nisour Square massacre the 'Biden four,' giving Trump an extra incentive to let them go. Erik Prince, who founded Blackwater, is a close Trump ally and the brother of his education secretary, Betsy DeVos."

Joe Walsh of Forbes: “A federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit against the Washington Post from Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) on Thursday, the latest development in a string of legal battles waged by Nunes against mainstream media outlets.... Nunes filed the suit in March, claiming a story by the Post mischaracterized a supposed conversation between Nunes and Trump about Joseph Maguire, a former acting director of national intelligence who later fell out of favor with the president. But on Thursday, D.C. District Court judge Amit Mehta ruled Nunes couldn't demonstrate the Post acted with 'actual malice,' or reckless disregard for the truth, a high standard for defamation cases waged by public figures in the United States."

Michael Balsamo of the AP: "A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row, potentially setting up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after president-elect Joe Biden takes office. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss also vacated an order from the director of the Bureau of Prisons that had set Lisa Montgomery's execution date for Jan. 12. Montgomery had previously been scheduled to be put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, this month, but Moss delayed the execution after her attorneys contracted coronavirus visiting their client and asked him to extend the amount of time to file a clemency petition. Moss prohibited the Bureau of Prisons from carrying out Lisa Montgomery's execution before the end of the year and officials rescheduled her execution date for Jan. 12. But Moss ruled on Wednesday that the agency was also prohibited from rescheduling the date while a stay was in place."

Thanks, Trump! Larry Elliott of the Guardian: "China will overtake the US as the world's biggest economy before the end of the decade after outperforming its rival during the global Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report. The Centre for Economics and Business Research said that it now expected the value of China's economy when measured in dollars to exceed that of the US by 2028, half a decade sooner than it expected a year ago. In its annual league table of the growth prospects of 193 countries, the UK-based consultancy group said China had bounced back quickly from the effects of Covid-19 and would grow by 2% in 2020, as the one major global economy to expand." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump thinks Covid-19 is a Chinese plot against him. (On Christmas Day, Trump again blamed China for the virus -- see Alan Rappeport's NYT story, linked below.) If so, the plot went something like this: let's eradicate the virus in China with strict lockdown measures and just wait for Trump to screw up the virus response in the U.S., sickening huge numbers of Americans & crippling the U.S. economy. Well, that did work like a dream, albeit a very predictable one.

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "Expanded unemployment benefits were set to lapse for millions of struggling Americans on Saturday, a day after President Trump expressed more criticism of a $900 billion pandemic relief bill that was awaiting his signature and would extend them. The sprawling economic relief package that Congress passed with overwhelming bipartisan support would extend the amount of time that people can collect unemployment benefits until March and revive supplemental unemployment benefits for millions of Americans at $300 a week on top of the usual state benefit.... 'Why would politicians not want to give people $2000, rather than only $600?' he said on Twitter Friday afternoon], possibly referring to his own party's move on Thursday to block a House Democratic bill that would have increased the size of direct payments to $2,000. 'It wasn't their fault, it was China. Give our people the money!'" The Hill's story is here.

Jaclyn Diaz of NPR: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that all travelers coming from the United Kingdom must present a negative coronavirus test no more than 72 hours before taking a flight to the U.S. The new mandate comes after a new variant of the coronavirus spread across England. So far, the new variant, which contains 17 mutations, appears more transmissible and harder to control. England reported a new record of confirmed COVID-19 cases, now reaching more than 2.1 million cases on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University."

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

Peter Goodman of the New York Times: "As Covid vaccines enter the bloodstream, recovery has become reality. But the benefits will be far from equally apportioned. Wealthy nations in Europe and North America have secured the bulk of limited stocks of vaccines, positioning themselves for starkly improved economic fortunes. Developing countries -- home to most of humanity -- are left to secure their own doses. The lopsided distribution of vaccines appears certain to worsen a defining economic reality: The world that emerges from this terrifying chapter in history will be more unequal than ever. Poor countries will continue to be ravaged by the pandemic, forcing them to expend meager resources that are already stretched by growing debts to lenders in the United States, Europe and China." MB: As the CDC & state health agencies reckon with "fair" & sensible distribution of vaccines in the U.S., none has given consideration to fair world distribution.

Beyond the Beltway

Tennessee. Jamie McGee, et al., of the New York Times: "First came the warning, then came the blast, shattering the Christmas morning silence in the heart of [Nashville's] tourist district. Before dawn on Friday, Nashville police officers rushed to calls of gunfire on Second Avenue, a strip of honky tonks, restaurants and boot shops. Instead of gunfire, they found an R.V., blaring a strange and unsettling message: There was a bomb. It would detonate in 15 minutes. When it did, the explosion sent plumes of smoke billowing above the city, blew out windows in shops and offices for several blocks, left three people hospitalized -- and Nashville shaken. Police said the explosion was intentional. It was also deeply unsettling, coming in an area that draws thousands of people nightly. But who set it off and why remained unknown.... The police released a photo of the R.V. on Friday afternoon.... The R.V. was parked outside an AT&T transmission building.... It is still unclear if a person was inside the R.V. when it exploded, officials said.... The F.B.I. field office in Memphis was taking the lead in the investigation, working with state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives." The Washington Post's story is here.~~~

     ~~~ Kimberlee Kruesi, et al., of the AP: "A recreational vehicle parked in the deserted streets of downtown Nashville exploded early Christmas morning, causing widespread communications outages that took down police emergency systems and grounded holiday travel at the city's airport. Authorities said they believe the blast was intentional.... Human remains were found in the vicinity of the explosion, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. It was unclear how the remains were related to the explosion or whether they might belong to the person believed to be responsible or a victim."

Way Beyond

Rebecca Kheel of the Hill: "An Australian expeditioner has been successfully evacuated from Antarctica after a five-day operation that included U.S. and Chinese help, the Australian Antarctic Division said.... A Chinese icebreaker happened to already be in transit to a nearby station and deployed its helicopters to take a team of Australians from Davis to a site where they built a glacial runway to allow a U.S. aircraft to land, according to the release. Meanwhile, a U.S ski-equipped Basler aircraft flew from the U.S. McMurdo station to the Australian-operated Wilkins Aerodrome, a terminal for intercontinental air service, to pick up an Australian doctor, according to the release.... Citing medical confidentiality, the news release did not disclose the expeditioner's condition other than to say the emergency was not COVID-19 related."

News Lede

New York Times: "George Blake, a notorious British double agent who betrayed Cold War secrets and Western spies to the Soviet Union in the 1950s and, after being caught, staged a spectacular escape to live out his life as a K.G.B. colonel in Moscow, has died. He was 98.... 'Colonel Blake was a brilliant professional of a special kind and courage,' President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said in a statement. 'In the years of his difficult and intense service, he made a truly invaluable contribution to ensuring strategic parity and preserving peace on the planet.'"

December 25, 2020

Sign of the Times: Baltimore Choral Arts:

Miracle in Hialeah. One day when we were in the ninth grade, so 1959, we were shooting the breeze in Spanish class, and somehow it came up that Vi Rodriguez reckoned she was a singer. Vi was kind of a joker, so some of us, myself included, were not convinced. The teacher asked her to prove it. Vi stood up next to her desk & -- a cappella, of course -- sang the "Ave Maria" in a strong, clear contralto. It was, for me, a moment of wonderment -- and a realization of how foolish my assumptions were.

Everybody gets Beethoven:

Marie's Best & Worst Christmas popular song picks:

The Drifters & Joshua Held (animation) turned kind of a sappy song (a la Bing Crosby + some other famous singer) into a modern classic & perennial favorite:

I consider this one of the worst Christmas songs ever, and I cannot fathom why it so often ends up on "best Christmas songs" lists. Also, I think Mariah Carey & her ever-overexposed cleavage are ridiculous. Here James Corden & a carful of singers have the good sense to make the song funny: