The Wires
powered by Surfing Waves
Help!

To keep the Conversation going, please help me by linking news articles, opinion pieces and other political content in today's Comments section.

Link Code:   <a href="URL">text</a>

OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, but Akhilleus found this new one that he says is easy to use.

OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.

Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.

Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

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.”

Washington Post: “An early Titian masterpiece — once looted by Napolean’s troops and a part of royal collections for centuries — caused a stir when it was stolen from the home of a British marquess in 1995. Seven years later, it was found inside an unassuming white and blue plastic bag at a bus stop in southwest London by an art detective, and returned. This week, the oil painting 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' sold for more than $22 million at Christie’s. It was a record for the Renaissance artist, whom museums describe as the greatest painter of 16th-century Venice. Ahead of the sale in April, the auction house billed it as 'the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market in more than a generation.'”

Washington Post: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare material, has undergone a major renovation. "The change to the building is pervasive, both subtle and transformational."

Contact Marie

Click on this link to e-mail Marie.

Page Links

Constant Comments

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves. -- Edward R. Murrow

Publisher & Editor: Marie Burns


Saturday
Feb172024

The Conversation -- February 17, 2024

Ryan Lizza in Politico Magazine talks to Rep. Jim Himes (D-Ct.) about the day "all hell broke loose"; that is, the day Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), the loose-lipped chair of the House Intelligence Committee sent a "Dear Colleague" letter announcing "a serious [but unspecified] national security threat." "In [a committee] meeting, I objected to communicating this," Himes said. At the same time, the committee was dealing with renewal of a foreign intelligence-gathering program, and some members of Congress wanted to make significant changes to it, changes that top national security officials believed would cripple the program.

Dr. Lawrence Altman, in STAT, who has reported on the health of every president since Ronald Reagan, on what age is too old to be president: :... there is no direct correlation between a leader'shealth and performance in office."

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "Just as Trump has remade the Republican Party in his own nasty and selfish image, he wants to remake America in his own nasty and selfish image. Trump doesn't seem to subscribe to any of the verities about this country. He doesn't believe America is exceptional. He only believes that Trump is exceptional -- an exception to all the rules that the rest of us live by. If American laws get in his way -- like counting votes to choose a president -- he tries to smash them.... If American values get in his way -- like our distaste for authoritarians like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban -- he mocks those values."

Elon Musk's X Is Largely Fake. Matt Binder of Mashable: X "published [a] press release, lauding Super Bowl LVIII as one of the biggest events ever on the social media platform with more than 10 billion impressions and over 1 billion video views. However, it appears that a significant portion of that traffic on X could be fake, according to data provided to Mashable by CHEQ, a leading cybersecurity firm that tracks bots and fake users. According to CHEQ, a whopping 75.85 percent of traffic from X to its advertising clients' websites during the weekend of the Super Bowl was fake. 'I've never seen anything even remotely close to 50 percent, not to mention 76 percent,' CHEQ founder and CEO Guy Tytunovich told Mashable regarding X's fake traffic data. 'I'm amazed ... I've never, ever, ever, ever seen anything even remotely close.'... [By comparison, o]ut of more than 40 million visits from TikTok, only 2.56 percent were determined to be fake. Facebook sent 8.1 million visits and 2.01 percent of the monitored visits were classified as inauthentic. And over on Instagram, only 0.73 percent of the 68,700 visits from the platform were fake."

~~~~~~~~~~

** Andrew Kramer & Valerie Hopkins of the New York Times: "Aleksei A. Navalny, an anticorruption activist who for more than a decade led the political opposition in President Vladimir V. Putin's Russia, died Friday in a prison inside the Arctic Circle, according to Russian authorities. His death was announced by Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service, which said that Mr. Navalny, 47, lost consciousness on Friday after taking a walk in the prison where he was moved late last year. He was last seen on Thursday, when he had appeared in a court hearing via video link, smiling behind the bars of a cell and making jokes. Leonid Volkov, Navalny's longtime chief of staff, said he was not yet ready to accept the news that Mr. Navalny was dead. 'We have no reason to believe state propaganda,' Volkov wrote on the social platform X. 'If this is true, then it's not "Navalny died," but "Putin killed Navalny," and only that. But I don't trust them one penny.'" Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Jonathan Lemire & Alexander Ward of Politico: "The shock waves of Alexei Navalny's death rippled across the Atlantic. In Washington, President Joe Biden blamed Vladimir Putin for the dissident's shock demise. Hours earlier, Vice President Kamala Harris did the same in Munich. On Capitol Hill and in the halls of a swank hotel in the Bavarian capital, lawmakers in both parties called for punishing Russia and further arming Ukraine. And in the electoral arena, both the Biden campaign and Nikki Haley, the last major Republican challenger to Donald Trump, assailed the former president for his past praise of Putin.... 'Putin did this. The same Putin who Donald Trump praises and defends,' Haley said in a social media post. 'The same Trump who said: "In all fairness to Putin, you're saying he killed people. I haven't seen that."'... Even Speaker Mike Johnson, who has long hinted he wouldn't bring the $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine and other hot spots to the floor, hinted at a change of heart. 'In the coming days, as international leaders are meeting in Munich, we must be clear that Putin will be met with united opposition,' he said in a fiery statement."

     ~~~ Marie: "Hinted" Johnson wouldn't bring the aid bill to the floor? How about "quashed" the bill? Also, not sure how "fiery" Johnson's statement is. Johnson is a Putin's puppet's puppet, a puppet by proxy. Finally, what would be way more effective that releasing "fiery" (or not) statements, Mikey, would be to push through the Ukraine aid bill, you sniveling little weasel.

Anton Troianovski & Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden said that there was 'no doubt' that President Vladimir V. Putin's government was behind the death of Aleksei A. Navalny, the outspoken dissident who Russian authorities said had died at a remote Arctic prison on Friday.... President Biden praised Mr. Navalny's activism and his courage in returning to Russia after being poisoned in 2020. 'Even in prison, he was a powerful voice for the truth,' Mr. Biden said. He also repeated denunciations of ... Donald J. Trump, who said recently that he would 'encourage' Russia to attack NATO allies that do not spend enough on their militaries, calling Mr. Trump's comments 'dangerous' and 'outrageous.'" This is the pinned item in a liveblog about Navalny's apparent death. (Also linked yesterday.)

Connor O'Brien & Lara Seligman of Politico: "The Biden administration and leaders on Capitol Hill used the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to inject fresh urgency into approving funding for Ukraine on Friday, saying now is the moment to break the legislative stalemate and strike a blow against Vladimir Putin. 'This tragedy reminds us of the stakes of the moment,' President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House. 'History is watching the House of Representatives. The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten.'... A bipartisan group of House lawmakers unveiled a new emergency spending bill that would grant over $47 billion to assist Ukraine, placing renewed pressure on Republican leaders to finally hold a vote on an aid package.... Despite a big bipartisan vote [for aid to Ukraine, Israel & Taiwan in the Senate], the bill has hit a roadblock in the House as Speaker Mike Johnson has quashed a vote on the measure."

"Brainwashed." Laura Kelly of the Hill: "The GOP chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee was bullish Friday on the chamber delivering U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, despite the 'brainwashing' of some within his caucus who oppose foreign spending because of the crisis at the southern border. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was committed to eventually moving President Biden's national security supplemental request, though the pathway remains unclear amid fierce pushback from the far right of the GOP. Speaking during a discussion hosted by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington, D.C., McCaul said Johnson faces two challenging options: bring the supplemental to the floor and face a potential move to oust him from the far right, or let Ukraine backers in the party force the vote and undermine his power."

Marie: In the short run, Navalny's martyrdom may not save Russia from Putin, but it could save Ukraine from Putin & the U.S. (and other democracies) from Trump.

Marie: Shall we ask Tucker Carlson how nice Russian prisons are? Now that Putin has murdered Russia's leading dissident, I do wonder if TuKKKer will be floating any more videos about how much better Russia is than the U.S. Marveling over the low prices in a fake Moscow grocery store (story linked yesterday), TuKKKer said, "... you start to realize that ideology maybe doesn't matter as much as you thought, corruption." "Ideolology" tends to matter quite a lot, TuKKKums, when it permits the state to murder you for protesting and other exercises of free speech. Oh, looky here.... ~~~

     ~~~ Jim Rutenberg & Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "'This is what Putin's Russia is, @TuckerCarlson,' Liz Cheney, the former Republican congresswoman from Wyoming, wrote on X after the news of Mr. Navalny's death broke on Friday. 'And you are Putin's useful idiot.' Naomi Biden, President Biden's granddaughter, also weighed in, pointing to a video that Mr. Carlson had recently posted in which he contrasted the supposed splendors of Russia under Mr. Putin's leadership with the 'filth and crime' of the United States. 'Has anything aged so poorly, so quickly before?' Ms. Biden wrote on X.... Earlier this week, [Mr. Carlson] appeared to offer a blasé opinion regarding Russia's treatment of Mr. Navalny.... Asked at a conference in Dubai on Monday why he had not questioned Mr. Putin about Russia's free speech crackdown, Mr. Navalny's jailing or suspected political assassinations, Mr. Carlson said those were 'the things that every other American media outlet talks about.' (Mr. Carlson was, in fact, the first Western media figure to interview Mr. Putin in more than two years.) But, Mr. Carlson said then, 'leadership requires killing people -- sorry, that's why I wouldn't want to be a leader' -- comments that came under still more criticism after Mr. Navalny's death....

"Speaking with a state television host, Mr. Putin said he was disappointed that Mr. Carlson had not asked 'so-called sharp questions' because he wanted the opportunity to 'respond sharply' in his own answers.... Mr. Putin's mockery of Mr. Carlson came as the former Fox host was basking in the aftermath of his interview by offering a steady stream of praise for Russia and Mr. Putin, whose leadership he has extolled as superior to Mr. Biden's."

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times: "Navalny's strength, resilience and courage contrast with the fecklessness of so many Americans dealing with Putin. From Donald Trump to Tucker Carlson, a remarkable number of American leaders and their mouthpieces roll over before the Russian president.... The most fundamental test of our fortitude is simple: Will the United States continue to support Ukraine as it tries to fight off Russian invaders? I hope Navalny's sacrifice helps us find the will to stand up to Putin.... So many brave Russians -- journalists, lawyers, political figures -- have died after challenging the authorities. It's baffling how many Americans have responded in the opposite way, by acting as Putin's poodles.... It is profoundly troubling when American sycophants seem eager to whitewash Putin's brutality, largely ignore his victims and score political points at home in ways that burnish Russian dictatorship and diminish American democracy.... May Navalny's heroic sacrifice wake them up." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Nothing will wake up Donald Trump. Nothing. He dreams of being able to murder his opponents. And he admits to that when he says he aspires to a second presidential* term of "retribution."

The Trials of Trump & the Trump Gang

The Biggest Loser. Jonah Bromwich & Ben Protess of the New York Times: "A New York judge on Friday handed Donald J. Trump a crushing defeat in his civil fraud case, finding the former president liable for conspiring to manipulate his net worth and ordering him to pay a penalty of nearly $355 million plus interest that could wipe out his entire stockpile of cash. The decision by Justice Arthur F. Engoron caps a chaotic, yearslong case in which New York's attorney general put Mr. Trump's fantastical claims of wealth on trial. With no jury, the power was in Justice Engoron's hands alone...: The judge delivered a sweeping array of punishments that threatens the former president's business empire as he simultaneously contends with four criminal prosecutions and seeks to regain the White House.

"Justice Engoron barred Mr. Trump for three years from serving in top roles at any New York company, including portions of his own Trump Organization. He also imposed a two-year ban on the former president's adult sons and ordered that they pay more than $4 million each. One of them, Eric Trump, is the company's de facto chief executive, and the ruling throws into doubt whether any member of the family can run the business s in the near term. The judge also ordered that they pay substantial interest, pushing the penalty for the former president to $450 million, according to the attorney general, Letitia James. In his unconventional style, Justice Engoron criticized Mr. Trump and the other defendants for refusing to admit wrongdoing for years. 'Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological,' he said." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Paul Campos in LG&$: "... there's nothing 'unconventional' about a judge excoriating defendants for being sociopaths. This is just another elite media attempt to bothsides the unbothsideable. Also, Joe Biden is old." ~~~

     ~~~ Lauren Aratani of the Guardian: "'Overall, Donald Trump rarely responded to the questions asked and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial. His refusal to answer the questions directly, or in some cases, at all, severely compromised his credibility,' Engoron wrote. In his decision Engoron said the defendants' 'fact and expert witnesses simply denied reality, and defendants failed to accept responsibility or to impose internal controls to prevent future recurrences'... In Friday's verdict, Engoron overturned his initial ruling, saying that 'the cancellation of the business licenses is no longer necessary' as he is ordering the appointment of two court monitors to oversee 'major activities that could lead to fraud'." ~~~

     ~~~ The AP story, by Michael Sisak, is here. CNN has a liveblog on developments. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Marie: Trump said on the teevee that people will be moving out of New York because they're so upset by this verdict, and "There won't be a New York anymore." Right. He's shocked, shocked he should be given a massive fine when he's "done a perfect job."

Richard Fausset, et al., of the New York Times: "Defense lawyers for Donald J. Trump and his co-defendants in Georgia found themselves frustrated in efforts to extract damaging information from a key witness [Terrence Bradley] on Friday, as they sought to disqualify the lead prosecutors in the election interference case.... Once he took the stand in the afternoon, he continued to assert attorney-client privilege over many matters.... After adjourning, Judge [Scott] McAfee said he would meet in private with Mr. Bradley and his attorney to discuss questions regarding attorney-client privilege and an accusation of sexual assault against Mr. Bradley while he worked with Mr. Wade. Mr. Bradley emphatically denied the allegation, and the judge did not allow further testimony about it from other witnesses.... The judge said he would then determine a date for lawyers to make their closing arguments on the conflict-of-interest question. It could happen late next week, or the following week, he said...." This is the pinned item in a liveblog. For more details, see the liveblog. Some items from the liveblog are republished in yesterday's Conversation.

Presidential Race

Edward-Isaac Dovere of CNN: "West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced Friday that he will not mount a 2024 campaign for president.... Manchin has been on a national listening tour as he weighed jumping in as a third-party presidential candidate, potentially on the No Labels ticket. He has criticized President Joe Biden for being too liberal but also said that he would refuse to be part of any effort that would help Donald Trump return to the White House."

Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has told advisers and allies that he likes the idea of a 16-week national abortion ban with three exceptions, in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother, according to two people with direct knowledge.... So far in this Republican nominating contest, in which primary voters generally reward candidates for opposing abortion rights, Mr. Trump has avoided answering the question of whether he'd support a national ban. Instead, he talks about abortion as if it's a real-estate transaction. He has taken credit for giving 'great negotiating power' to anti-abortion activists." ~~~

     ~~~ Natasha Korecki, et al., of NBC News: "President Joe Biden's campaign and abortion rights advocates ripped into ... Donald Trump on abortion Friday following a [New York Times] report that he has given private signals in favor of a national ban on abortions after 16 weeks of pregnancy that would include exceptions in cases of rape, incest and when the woman's life is in danger.... The Trump campaign in a statement blasted [the] reporting ... as 'fake news.'... Biden himself released a lengthy statement laying out the impact of Roe v. Wade's reversal, including the passage of stringent anti-abortion laws in conservative states.... 'The choice is very simple. Kamala and I will restore Roe v. Wade and make it once again the law of the land. Donald Trump will ban abortion nationwide.'" ~~~

~~~ Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "... Donald Trump appointed the three justices who proved pivotal to the outcome in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned the Supreme Court's 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade.... Dobbs, he pointed out in a statement, was 'the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation' and was 'only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court.' It was, he continued, 'my great honor to do so!'... But ... many Americans don't seem to blame the former president for the actions of the Supreme Court majority he assembled during his term.... Trump, somehow, gets a mulligan." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Bouie ruminates on why Trump fans give Trump that mulligan, and he puts it down to Trump's celebrity status. But the fact is that most voters are adult enough to realize that political candidates seldom if ever agree with all of their own policy preferences, so voters usually must give passes to their own preferred candidates. I recall when Barack Obama continued to oppose gay marriage; I thought that was stupid, mean and shortsighted, but I came up with rationalizations to give him a pass. It took Obama's vice president Joe Biden -- a deeply-religious Roman Catholic -- to get out over his skis & force Obama to advocate same-sex marriage.


Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "The FBI's former top spy hunter in New York was sentenced in Washington on Friday to 28 months in prison for concealing at least $225,000 in payments he received from a former Albanian intelligence official while working for the bureau. Charles McGonigal will serve his punishment on top of a 50-month prison term he received separately in New York last year for illegally conspiring with a Russian oligarch who wanted to be removed from a U.S. sanctions list. McGonigal, 55, is one of the highest-ranking FBI agents ever convicted of criminal charges, and federal prosecutors on Friday urged U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to stack the sentences after the 22-year veteran of the bureau admitted to committing the very violations he was sworn to investigate.... McGonigal now has been sentenced to a combined 6½ years behind bars for ... two offenses...."

Another Impeachment in Search of a Crime. Steve Benen of MSNBC: "After a year of obsessive investigations, GOP officials simply haven't uncovered any incriminating evidence against [President Joe Biden].... Some Republicans, frustrated by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer's lack of progress, have begun describing the crusade with words and phrases such as 'clueless,' 'disaster,' and 'parade of embarrassments.'" So when the FBI arrested Alexander Smirnov, the parade's grand marshal, for 'provid[ing] false derogatory information to the FBI' about Joe and Hunter Biden, Comer's investigation collapsed. "I have no doubt that the House Republicans' crusade against Biden will continue, even after their star witness was charged with lying to the FBI, and their entire case against the president has unraveled in humiliating fashion." ~~~

~~~ Marcy Wheeler: "On the day that Bill Barr aggressively intervened in the parallel impeachment inquiry and Hunter Biden prosecutions last summer [-- June 7, 2023 --] David Weiss' office sent out a final deal that would resolve Hunter's case with no jail time and no further investigation. Within weeks, amid an uproar about claims in an FD-1023 that David Weiss now says were false, Weiss reneged on that deal. With the indictment yesterday of Alexander Smirnov, the source of those false claims, Weiss confesses he is a direct witness in an attempt to frame Joe Biden, even as he attempts to bury it.... If Merrick Garland is going to appoint Special Counsels for these kinds of things, one should be appointed here.... But David Weiss can't lead that investigation. He's a witness to that investigation." MB: As usual, Wheeler provides a lengthy proof, which lost me. But I suppose we are assured that Merrick the Unready is unready to address Barr, Weiss and others' participation in a frame-up of the POTUS. Also Joe Biden is old.

Comments Off
Friday
Feb162024

The Conversation -- February 16, 2024

** Marie: Via MSNBC on-air, Judge Arthur Engoron's decision in the Trump Organization civil fraud case has just been posted. The penalty is more than $364 million in the aggregate. Donald Trump and the Trump Organization can't operate in New York for three years; Eric & Donald Jr. can't operate in new York for two years. They can't apply for loans in New York, either. it's a 92-page ruling. And don't forget he has a total of about $88 million in judgments against him in the E. Jean Carroll cases. The penalties are $355MM for Donald Trump, $4 each for Don Jr. & Eric, and $1MM for Allen Weisselberg. Including penalty an interest, that $355MM figure for Donald Trump's has been pushed up to $453MM+. ~~~

     ~~~ Jonah Bromwich & Ben Protess of the New York Times: "A New York judge on Friday handed Donald J. Trump a crushing defeat in his civil fraud case, finding the former president liable for conspiring to manipulate his net worth and ordering him to pay a penalty of nearly $355 million plus interest that could wipe out his entire stockpile of cash. The decision by Justice Arthur F. Engoron caps a chaotic, yearslong case in which New York's attorney general put Mr. Trump's fantastical claims of wealth on trial. With no jury, the power was in Justice Engoron's hands alone...: The judge delivered a sweeping array of punishments that threatens the former president's business empire as he simultaneously contends with four criminal prosecutions and seeks to regain the White House. Justice Engoron barred Mr. Trump for three years from serving in top roles at any New York company, including portions of his own Trump Organization. He also imposed a two-year ban on the former president's adult sons and ordered that they pay more than $4 million each. One of them, Eric Trump, is the company's de facto chief executive, and the ruling throws into doubt whether any member of the family can run the business in the near term. The judge also ordered that they pay substantial interest, pushing the penalty for the former president to $450 million, according to the attorney general, Letitia James." This is an update of an early story.~~~

     ~~~ The AP story, by Michael Sisak, is here. The AP also cites the $364MM figure. CNN has a liveblog on developments. ~~~

~~~ Marie: Trump said on the teevee that people will be moving out of New York because they're so upset by this verdict, and "There won't be a New York anymore." He's shocked, shocked he should be given a massive fine when he's "done a perfect job." In his ruling, Engoron wrote that a major reason for the penalty and requirement that the Trump Organization continue under "babysitters" after Trump is allowed to work in New York again was because Trump and the Trump children refused to acknowledge there bad acts & were unremorseful about them.

Richard Fausset, et al., of the New York Times: "Defense lawyers for Donald J. Trump and his co-defendants in Georgia found themselves frustrated in efforts to extract damaging information from a key witness [Terrence Bradley] on Friday, as they sought to disqualify the lead prosecutors in the election interference case.... Once he took the stand in the afternoon, he continued to assert attorney-client privilege over many matters.... After adjourning, Judge [Scott] McAfee said he would meet in private with Mr. Bradley and his attorney to discuss questions regarding attorney-client privilege and an accusation of sexual assault against Mr. Bradley while he worked with Mr. Wade. Mr. Bradley emphatically denied the allegation, and the judge did not allow further testimony about it from other witnesses.... The judge said he would then determine a date for lawyers to make their closing arguments on the conflict-of-interest question. It could happen late next week, or the following week, he said...." This is the pinned item in a liveblog. ~~~

Fausset: "Terrence Bradley, who the judge has called the star witness in this case, is still not here. Instead, we have another star of sorts: Former Gov. Roy Barnes of Georgia. Mr. Barnes is a moderate Democrat who served one term.... Barnes acknowledges publicly that Fani Willis ... approached him about prosecuting the Trump case.... The point of bringing Roy Barnes to the stand is to establish that Nathan Wade was not the first choice of Fani Willis ... to run the Trump prosecution. Barnes, a former governor of Georgia, testified that he met with Willis for an hour about taking on the case, but declined."

Fausset: "The judge notes that Terrence Bradley, one of the key witnesses subpoenaed by the defense, is now technically in violation of his subpoena for ghosting this hearing. His lawyer says he is at a medical appointment."

Fausset: "Fani Willis's father, John Floyd, is taking the stand. He was originally supposed to dial in via videoconference but is here in person."

Danny Hakim: "Floyd described his daughter's house getting doxed, with people showing up outside at 5:30 a.m. 'cursing and yelling' the 'b-word' and the 'n-word.'... Floyd says, 'I've always told my daughter, you keep six months worth of cash, always.' And he says he gave his daughter her first cash box."

Fausset: "Keeping large amounts of cash around is 'a Black thing,' Fani Willis's father, John Floyd, says. Willis, the district attorney, has said that she paid Nathan Wade back for trips that they took together in cash."

Hakim: "Under questioning from Donald Trump's lawyer, Steve Sadow, Fani Willis's father says, 'I just found out when other folks found out' that his daughter had dated the special prosecutor, Nathan Wade."

Fausset: "The judge says that the crime-fraud exception does not apply, and now we're back to questioning of Terrence Bradley about what he knows regarding the relationship between his former client and partner, Natha Wade, and ... Fani Willis."

Hakim: "Terrence Bradley has been on the stand for some time now, but thus far the defense has not been able to draw anything out of him undercutting the assertions of Fani Willis and Nathan Wade about the timeline of their relationship."

Fausset: "Much of today's drama, such as it is, will occur off-camera. The judge has said he is going to review two text messages from Terrence Bradley, the witness currently on the stand, to determine whether the texts [between defense lawyer Ashleigh Merchant & him] should remain under wraps due to attorney-client privilege."

Fausset: "Anna Cross with the district attorney's office establishes that Terrence Bradley left Nathan Wade's firm after an accusation that Bradley committed a sexual assault. Bradley emphatically denies the allegation.... The prosecution establishing that Bradley had been the subject of a sexual assault allegation at his former law firm is an effort to raise questions about why he might reveal information damaging to Nathan Wade, his former partner."

Edward-Isaac Dovere of CNN: "West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced Friday that he will not mount a 2024 campaign for president.... Manchin has been on a national listening tour as he weighed jumping in as a third-party presidential candidate, potentially on the No Labels ticket. He has criticized President Joe Biden for being too liberal but also said that he would refuse to be part of any effort that would help Donald Trump return to the White House."

Anton Troianovski & Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden said that there was 'no doubt' that President Vladimir V. Putin's government was behind the death of Aleksei A. Navalny, the outspoken dissident who Russian authorities said had died at a remote Arctic prison on Friday.... President Biden praised Mr. Navalny's activism and his courage in returning to Russia after being poisoned in 2020. 'Even in prison, he was a powerful voice for the truth,' Mr. Biden said. He also repeated denunciations of ... Donald J. Trump, who said recently that he would 'encourage' Russia to attack NATO allies that do not spend enough on their militaries, calling Mr. Trump's comments 'dangerous' and 'outrageous.'" This is the pinned item in a liveblog about Navalny's apparent death. ~~~

~~~ ** Andrew Kramer & Valerie Hopkins of the New York Times: "Aleksei A. Navalny, an anticorruption activist who for more than a decade led the political opposition in President Vladimir V. Putin's Russia, died Friday in a prison inside the Arctic Circle, according to Russian authorities. His death was announced by Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service, which said that Mr. Navalny, 47, lost consciousness on Friday after taking a walk in the prison where he was moved late last year. He was last seen on Thursday, when he had appeared in a court hearing via video link, smiling behind the bars of a cell and making jokes. Leonid Volkov, Navalny's longtime chief of staff, said he was not yet ready to accept the news that Mr. Navalny was dead. 'We have no reason to believe state propaganda,' Volkov wrote on the social platform X. 'If this is true, then it's not "Navalny died," but "Putin killed Navalny," and only that. But I don't trust them one penny.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Shall we ask reprehensible Tucker Carlson how nice Russian prisons are? Now that Putin has murdered Russia's leading dissident, I do wonder if TuKKKer will be floating any more videos about how much better Russia is than the U.S. Marveling over the low prices in a fake Moscow grocery store (story linked below), TuKKKer said, "... you start to realize that ideology maybe doesn't matter as much as you thought, corruption." "Ideolology" tends to matter quite a lot, TuKKKums, when it permits the state to murder you for protesting and other exercises of free speech.

~~~~~~~~~~

Marie: I will be away almost all morning. The Georgia hearing on the Willis-Wade affair continues at 9:00 am ET. The hearing was aired live yesterday on both CNN & MSNBC, so I imagine it will air today, too. Also Justice Arthur Engoron is expected to release his verdict on any penalties he will require the Trump Organization to pay as a result of the fraud finding against the Trump company.

In today's news, we feature right-wing dudes trying to deflect responsibility for their fake crusades: Rep. Jim Comer (R-Ky.) blaming the FBI for his fake Biden impeachment inquiry; violent insurrectionists blaming that nice Donald Trump for calling them to Washington to stop the Electoral College count; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blaming "bad actors" for the book ban he championed.

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The White House clashed with the Justice Department in the run-up to the release of a special counsel report last week about President Biden's handling of classified information, previously undisclosed correspondence shows. The letters, obtained by The New York Times, show that a top Justice Department official rejected complaints from Mr. Biden's lawyers about disparaging comments in the report regarding the president. The lawyers wrote to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland the day before he released the report by the special counsel, Robert K. Hur. They raised objections to passages in the report in which Mr. Hur suggested that Mr. Biden's memory was failing and questioned some of his actions, even though the special counsel had found no basis to prosecute the president. The lawyers said Mr. Hur's comments 'openly, obviously and blatantly violate department policy and practice,' the letters show.... Bradley Weinsheimer -- the department's senior career official, or nonpolitical appointee, who deals with ethics complaints or appeals of department decisions -- wrote back rejecting their criticism. He insisted that the comments in the report 'fall well within the department's standards for public release.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I watched a good deal of Fani Willis' testimony yesterday. She seems like an intelligent, 50-ish woman in full possesion of her mental faculties. Even though she no doubt had studied the charges against her in a case where dates of events are crucial, there were a whole lotta recent dates and events she could not recall. I don't think she was lying or covering up; it appeared she just didn't know. A lot of people -- myself included -- do not track events by dates. You probably remember the year you were graduated from high school, but that's because you have long identified yourself with the "Class of '85" or whatever. But you may not remember what year you took a cruise, even if it was only five years ago. I also hear sharp TV personalities constantly misspeaking; one referred the other day to "Jack Trump" when she meant "Jack Smith." The speaker wasn't confused or forgetful; she's human. Robert Hur, no doubt having watched way too much Fox Teevee, had a preconceived notion that Joe Biden was an old man with no idea of what was going on around him; every time Biden misspoke or forgot a date confirmed Hur's bias.

** Jim Comer's Impeachment Dreams Blow Up. Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The special counsel investigating Hunter Biden has charged a former F.B.I. informant with fabricating claims that President Biden and his son each sought $5 million bribes from a Ukrainian company -- a stinging setback for Republicans who cited the allegations in their push to impeach the president. The longtime informant, Alexander Smirnov, 43, is accused of falsely telling the F.B.I. that Hunter Biden, then a paid board member of the energy giant Burisma, demanded the money to protect the company from an investigation by the country's prosecutor general at the time. The explosive story, which seemed to back up unsubstantiated Republican claims of a 'Biden crime family,' turned out to be a brazen lie, according to a 37-page indictment unsealed late Thursday in a California federal court, brought by the special counsel, David C. Weiss....

"In May last year, Representative James R. Comer of Kentucky, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, threatened to hold the bureau&'s director, Christopher A. Wray, in contempt if he did not disclose some details [of Smirnov's tall tale]. Mr. Comer, in a statement released after the charges against Mr. Smirnov became public, took no responsibility for spreading a claim that prosecutors suggested was a smear intended to hurt Mr. Biden politically. Instead, he blamed bureau officials for privately telling the committee their 'source was credible and trusted, had worked with the F.B.I. for over a decade and had been paid six figures.' But F.B.I. officials did not seem to think much of Mr. Smirnov's allegations from the start.... In 2020, they concluded that his claims did not merit continued investigation, and told senior Trump administration officials in the Justice Department of that decision, prosecutors wrote." The AP's story is here. CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Chris Hayes said on MSNBC last night that Sean Hannity featured Smirnov's story on his little teevee show at Fox 85 times, often in long monologues implicating "the Bidens." ~~~

~~~ "A Tissue of Lies Built on Conspiracy Theories." Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is calling on House Republicans to end their impeachment inquiry into President Biden following the indictment of the FBI informant at the center of the conference's allegations that the president accepted a bribe. The statement from Raskin -- the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee --came shortly after the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against Alexander Smirnov, 43, based on accusations that he made up claims regarding Biden. 'In a detailed indictment, Special Counsel David Weiss -- who was appointed by former President Donald Trump -- has demonstrated how key evidence at the heart of House Republicans' impeachment inquiry is based on a lie,' Raskin said. 'Special Counsel Weiss's investigation is just the most recent to debunk the Ukraine-Burisma conspiracy theory at the heart of this fraudulent impeachment inquiry.... It is an undeniable fact that Republicans' allegations against President Biden have always been a tissue of lies built on conspiracy theories, and I formally call on Speaker Johnson, Chairman Comer, and House Republicans to stop promoting this nonsense and end their doomed impeachment inquiry.'..."

Abigail Hauslohner & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "Ukraine's supporters on both sides of the fractured House are exploring how they could force a vote to unlock billions of dollars in aid for Kyiv, potentially by sidestepping Republican leaders who have refused to act on a measure that funds several national security imperatives.... [House Speaker Mike] Johnson (R-La.) has rejected the Senate bill outright but to date has offered little clarity on the path forward."

MTG Misbehaves in Another House Hearing. Zachary Leeman of Mediaite: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) declared at a House hearing on Covid vaccines that she has a 'PhD in recognizing bullshit' in a rant that included no questions for the witness to whom it was directed. Greene honed [homed!] in on Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the Food and Drug Administration, and his support of vaccines, especially for young children.... Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) immediately apologized to the room over Greene's lengthy comments and vaccine criticisms."

The Trials of Trump & the Trump Gang

Danny Hakim, et al., of the New York Times: "A case charging ... Donald J. Trump and his allies with trying to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia took a detour on Thursday into the details of the prosecutors' romantic and financial lives -- their sleeping arrangements, vacations and private bank accounts -- in an unusual and highly contentious hearing. Lawyers for Mr. Trump and his co-defendants have argued that the Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, and the special prosecutor she hired to manage the case, Nathan J. Wade, should be disqualified from the case because their romantic and financial entanglements had created a conflict of interest. Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade forcefully rejected those accusations in testimony on Thursday, with Ms. Willis accusing the defense lawyers of spreading 'lies.'... Ms. Willis took the stand after her former friend, Robin Bryant-Yeartie, testified that Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade began a romantic relationship in 2019, before Ms. Willis hired him in November 2021. Ms. Bryant-Yeartie said that it was still going on when she and Ms. Willis last spoke in 2022, just before they had a falling out.... But Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade both testified that their romance began in early 2022, after Ms. Willis had hired him as a special prosecutor, and well after they had first met, at a judicial conference in 2019." More details in yesterday's Conversation. Politico's account is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marshall Cohen & others at CNN discuss some "takeaways from the hearing that was at times jaw-dropping, awkward and strikingly personal."

Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "Two presidential campaigns ago, Donald J. Trump faced a brewing sex scandal that threatened to derail his bid for the White House. On Thursday, a New York judge ensured that the very same scandal will loom over Mr. Trump's latest run for president, scheduling for March 25 a trial that could jeopardize his campaign -- and his freedom. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, rejected Mr. Trump's bid to throw out the Manhattan district attorney's criminal charges against him that stem from a hush-money payment to a porn star in 2016. By setting a trial date for next month, Justice Merchan cleared the way for the first prosecution of a former American president in the nation's history, ensuring that Mr. Trump will face at least one jury before Election Day. The ruling is a crucial victory for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg." More details in yesterday's Conversation.

Ellie Houghtaling of the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: "Judge Aileen Cannon isn't buying Donald Trump's newest delay tactic in the classified documents case. On Thursday, Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge, shot down the GOP front-runner's latest effort to postpone pretrial deadlines, instead opting to keep that date set on February 22. But the ruling comes with an exception -- noting that she'll still consider measures filed at the eleventh hour if the legal teams can prove they're necessary."

Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Donald Trump is passing up the chance to add a fourth case to a trio of Trump-related appeals already stacked up at the Supreme Court. Trump elected not to ask the justices to reverse a federal appeals court ruling issued in December rejectin his claim that presidents have absolute immunity from being sued for actions taken while they are in office.... For now, that means a Washington, D.C., appeals court ruling that found Trump could be sued for his role in stoking the violence on Jan. 6 will stand. The unanimous ruling of the three-judge panel, which included a Trump-nominated judge, concluded that Trump's remarks to supporters on Jan. 6 appeared to be delivered in his capacity as a candidate for reelection -- not in his official capacity as president."

The President* Made Me Do It. Brandi Buchman of Law & Crime: "A new assessment of public records by a federal watchdog group [-- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington --] has found that approximately 210 defendants charged with crimes connected to Jan. 6 directly expressed that they only came to Washington, D.C., or joined in on the violence at the U.S. Capitol because they were incited by ... Donald Trump and heeding his call."

Christine Hauser of the New York Times: "A Massachusetts man has been arrested and charged with participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, after investigators said he had recorded a video on his way there, predicting 'mayhem, chaos and pandemonium' in order to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The man, Thomas J. Method, 57, of Framingham, Mass., has been charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, which is a felony, according to federal prosecutors. He also faces misdemeanor charges.... Mr. Method was arrested on Wednesday in Framingham.... The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is prosecuting the case."


Jesse McKinley & Liset Cruz of the New York Times: "Lawyers for New York State concluded their case against the National Rifle Association on Thursday, bringing an end to a closely watched civil showdown that accused leaders of the nation's most prominent gun rights group of financial misconduct and corruption. Over the last six weeks, lawyers for New York's attorney general, Letitia James, have outlined a case that paints the N.R.A. as a mismanaged organization.... Monica Connell, representing the attorney general's office, began her closing arguments on Thursday by comparing the defendants to children who grabbed cookies from a jar and were 'caught with crumbs on their face and on their shirt.' Central to the case has been the state's depiction of the group's former longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, as a lavish spender who used N.R.A. funds to pay for private jets, luxury vacations, and the occasional spin on a superyacht."

Declan Hardy of Politico: "The Securities and Exchange Commission has signed off on one of the last outstanding hurdles to a more than two-year-old planned merger to take [Donald Trump's] media venture public, according to the companies behind the deal, Trump Media & Technology Group and Digital World Acquisition Corp.... The deal could inject some $300 million into the company, which operates Trump's social media bullhorn, Truth Social. And Trump himself will gain a major stake in the company.... Shares in Digital World Acquisition Corp., or DWAC, skyrocketed more than 25 percent on the news Thursday. Since the beginning, the planned union has been mired in regulatory issues, market volatility and looming deadlines that have posed existential threats to the deal."

Marie: Oh Noes! Elon Musk & Matt Taibbi broke up nearly a year ago, and I'm just finding out. Charlie Nash of Mediaite reports. over the cheap prices in a fake Moscow grocery store (story linked below), TuKKKer

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Charlie Nash of Mediaite: "Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) condemned Tucker Carlson on Thursday for making a video gushing over a Russian grocery store, remarking, 'The Soviets had a term for people like Tucker: useful idiots.' During his controversial trip to Moscow to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin, Carlson filmed a short video at a Russian grocery store, where he praised the prices and quality of produce. After walking through the store and highlighting the products, Carlson revealed that a weekly shop with similar products in the U.S. would cost around $300 more." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Is TuKKKer really so naive as not to realize that Putin's handlers took him to a few nice places set up to impress visiting VIPs, or does he know the score and is making these videos about Marvelous Moscow to fool Americans?

~~~~~~~~~~

Florida. About Those Book Bans -- Not My Fault. Sky Palma of the Raw Story: "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says bad faith actors are politicizing the state law that monitors what type of content is appropriate in school books -- and he wants to limit the ability of the public to challenge the literature, the Herald-Tribune reported. DeSantis said some schools are misinterpreting state laws and he is directing state education officials to 'prohibit bad actors in school leadership positions from intentionally depriving students of an education by politicizing the book review process.'" ~~~

~~~ In That Same Presser. Christopher Wiggins of the Advocate: "A moment of levity, albeit revealing, occurred when DeSantis was questioned about his appearance: 'Governor DeSantis, you have spoken out against the "woke" agenda of gender fluidity and also come out against gender-affirming care. So I was hoping you could square your opposition to [gender affirming care] and people choosing their own gender identity with your frequent wearing of lifts and you hoping to choose your own height identity,' a reporter asked. The question, met with laughter, was briskly dismissed by DeSantis, who replied, 'Nice try, next!' while awkwardly moving his head in a way that critics have pointed out appears to be a bobble he does when he's uncomfortable."

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected international pressure on a peace plan and underlined his opposition to a Palestinian state, a key part of the long-term plan being worked on by the United States and its Middle East partners. The U.N. Human Rights Office criticized what it said appeared to be 'a pattern of attacks' by Israel against hospitals in Gaza after Israeli forces raided Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.... At Nasser Hospital, four patients in intensive care died from lack of oxygen during a total power outage Thursday, the Gaza Health Ministry said, a day after the Israel Defense Forces' raid. Hazem Bahlool, a doctor at the hospital, said at 7 a.m. local time that the facility had been without water or electricity for more than three hours. Footage and satellite imagery obtained by The Post show that Egypt is clearing off and building a wall around a plot of land along its border with the Gaza Strip, amid fears of an Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. That plan is straining Israel's most important alliances, including its 40-year peace accord with Egypt." ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's live updates for Friday are here. The New York Times' live updates are here.

News Lede

CNN: "Two teenagers in custody in connection with the deadly shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally were charged Thursday, according to Missouri court officials. The Office of the Juvenile Officer said the juveniles face gun-related and resisting arrest charges. They added that they are currently detained in secure detention at the Juvenile Detention Center. 'It is anticipated that additional charges are expected in the future as the investigation by the Kansas City Police Department continues,' the Office of the Juvenile Officer said in a statement."

Comments Off
Wednesday
Feb142024

The Conversation -- February 15, 2024

Richard Fausset, et al., of the New York Times: "A hearing that could put Donald J. Trump's election interference case in Georgia in limbo began with a witness testifying that the top prosecutors were in a romantic relationship earlier than they have acknowledged. The defense sees the detail as crucial for arguing that the lead prosecutor and her office should be disqualified from the case.... A friend of [Fulton County District Attorney Fani] Willis, Robin Bryant-Yeartie, testified Thursday morning that she had 'no doubt' that the romance began before Ms. Willis hired [attorney Nathan] Wade for the case. That would contradict the timeline presented by the prosecutors, who said it began in early 2022 -- after Mr. Wade was hired in November 2021. Mr. Wade stuck by his timeline on the witness stand." This is the pinned item in a liveblog. ~~~

Fausset & Danny Hakim: "If Judge Scott McAfee determines that Ms. Willis has a conflict of interest because of her romantic relationship with the prosecutor she hired to manage the case, and that it merits disqualification, his decision would, by extension, disqualify her entire office. The case would then be reassigned to another Georgia prosecutor, who would have the ability to continue with the case exactly as it is, make major changes -- such as adding or dropping charges or defendants -- or to even drop the case altogether. The latter decision would end the prosecution of Mr. Trump and his allies for their actions in Georgia after the 2020 election, when the former president sought to overturn his loss in the state."

Anna Betts: "Ashleigh Merchant is a lawyer representing Michael Roman, a former campaign official for ... Donald J. Trump and a co-defendant facing criminal charges in the Georgia election interference case. Ms. Merchant, who was recently elected president of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, owns a private practice with her husband." Betts is arguing that the prosecutors should be disqualified.

Hakim: Merchant "is probing for discrepancies between filings Wade made in his divorce case and his filings in the Trump case."

Fausset: "Nathan Wade is sticking to his contention that his romantic relationship with Fani Willis began in 2022, after he started working for the district attorney's office in November 2021."

Hakim: "Wade says that Willis typically reimbursed him in cash for their joint travel, so there aren't credit card receipts available to show that."

Hakim: "Over a long series of questions about who paid for their joint travel, Nathan Wade is insistent that he and Fani Willis split costs, calling the district attorney an 'independent strong woman' who insisted that 'she is going to pay her own way.' Regarding a trip to California, she [MB: should be 'he,' I think] said, 'Everything we did when we got into Napa, she paid for.'"

Luke Broadwater: "In Washington, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee has been posting about the proceedings on social media, mocking the Atlanta prosecutors and suggesting they misused taxpayer money."

Hakim: "Under questioning from Steve Sadow, former President Trump's lawyer, Nathan Wade says his romantic relationship with Fani Willis ended in the summer of 2023. But they remain close friends -- 'closer than ever because of these attacks,' he says."

Fausset: "Judge McAfee has now issued a warning to Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, saying he will strike her testimony if she does not directly answer the questions put to her by the defense lawyers seeking to disqualify her from the Trump case. McAfee formerly worked under Wade in the district attorney's office."

     ~~~ Marie: Of course McAfee will be the judge, but so far (end of morning session), it doesn't look good for Willis. Yeartie did testify she had witnessed Willis and Wade "hugging & kissing" (but not co-habiting) prior to Willis' hiring Wade. It is odd, though, that Merchant did not ask Yeartie to elaborate. At all. Yeartie also has a credibility problem in that she and Willis were good friends until Willis told her to quit or be fired from her job in Willis' office. So the facts that Yeartie (1) offered little in the way of specifics about the Willis-Wade relationship and (2) may bear a grudge make her a fairly weak witness, IMO. Wade's testimony, however, was problematic. He did a lot of equivocating on the stand that I did not find vaguely convincing -- just the kind of bullshit excuses you'd expect to hear from a cheating husband. Merchant had the receipts (literally) to refute some of his sworn answers on interrogatories from his divorce case. And his answers to Merchant on when his relationship with Willis began were, well, tortured, IMO. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Merchant questioned Willis, and Willis made a formidable witness. McAfee was not necessarily going to require her to testify, but she waived her objection to her subpoena. It was the right move, because she helped herself more than hurt. Fulton County indicated they would call witnesses Wednesday to impeach Yeartie.

Jonah Bromich, et al., of the New York Times: "A New York judge on Thursday rejected Donald J. Trump's bid to throw out criminal charges against him stemming from a hush-money payment to a porn star, setting a trial date for next month and clearing the way for the first prosecution of a former American president. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, announced the decision at a hearing in a Lower Manhattan courtroom as Mr. Trump looked on from the defense table. The former president's lawyers objected to the judge's decision for jury selection to begin on March 25, noting that the six-week trial would conflict with Mr. Trump's presidential campaign. One of the former president's lawyers, Todd Blanche, called the schedule 'unfathomable,' arguing that, 'We are in the middle of primary season,' and claiming that the trial would overlap with dozens of Republican primaries and caucuses. But Justice Merchan summarily dismissed arguments from Mr. Trump's lawyers, who had derided the case as 'a discombobulated package of politically motivated charges.' The judge also bristled at the pushback from Mr. Blanche, at one point instructing him to 'stop interrupting me, please.'" This is the pinned item in a liveblog. ~~~

Kate Christobek: "Addressing the cameras in the hallway, Trump says this case is about something that is not a crime. He calls the prosecution election interference that is being brought by 'Joe Biden's White House,' though the case was actually brought by Manhattan's district attorney."

Alan Feuer: "The Manhattan district attorney's office is totally separate from the Justice Department."

Christobek: "The most surprising moment of Trump's hallway comments was how candidly he spoke about his strategy today, saying: 'We want delays, obviously. I'm running for election again.'"

Bromwich: "Merchan says he expects the trial to last about six weeks. He is not humoring [Trump attorney Todd] Blanche, and Blanche is struggling to balance his client's wishes against the judge's impatience."

~~~~~~~~~~

Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "The United States has informed Congress and its allies in Europe about Russian advances on a new, space-based nuclear weapon designed to threaten America's extensive satellite network, according to current and former officials briefed on the matter. Such a satellite-killing weapon, if deployed, could destroy civilian communications, surveillance from space and military command-and control operations by the United States and its allies. At the moment, the United States does not have the ability to counter such a weapon and defend its satellites, a former official said. Officials said that the new intelligence, which they did not describe in detail, raised serious questions about whether Russia was preparing to abandon the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which bans all orbital nuclear weapons....

"The intelligence was made public, in part, in a cryptic announcement on Wednesday by Representative Michael R. Turner, Republican of Ohio and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He called on the Biden administration to declassify the information without saying specifically what it was.... Mr. Turner's statement ... infuriated White House officials, who feared the loss of important sources of information on Russia.... His committee took the unorthodox move of voting on Monday to make the information available to all members of Congress -- a step that alarmed some officials.... Other officials said Mr. Turner was making more of the new intelligence than would ordinarily have been expected, perhaps to create pressure to prod the House to take up the supplemental funding request for Ukraine that the Senate passed this week.... Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, and Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, said in a joint statement ... that releasing information about the intelligence could expose the methods of collection." CNN's report is here.

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "Senate leaders plan to move quickly this month to reject the articles of impeachment against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, setting up a speedy trial in hopes of preventing House Republicans from turning the chamber into a political spectacle. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, has not yet determined exactly how to go about truncating the proceedings, according to people familiar with the continuing discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe plans that were still under development. But he is aiming for quick action, beginning on Feb. 28, the day the House is expected to deliver the charges, that could be over in just a couple of days.... Senate leaders are betting that there is enough Democratic anger and Republican exasperation at the precedent-breaking nature of the charges -- and with the way Mr. Mayorkas's impeachment was handled -- to swiftly exonerate him, either by throwing out the charges entirely or by moving to bring the proceedings to an early close."

Marie: Say, what will the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee do now that he has shoved through the first impeachment of a sitting Cabinet member? The impeachment of the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, of which the chairman seems to be right proud, unfortunately is fake, since Republicans couldn't find any real "high crimes and misdemeanors" to charge against Mayorkas. Alas, having settled on a punishment, the search for a crime must have tuckered out Chairman Mark Green: ~~~

     ~~~ Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: "Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, announced Wednesday that he plans to retire at the end of his term, joining a growing list of Republican committee leaders who say they won't seek reelection." CNN's story is here.

Scott Wong & Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., announced Wednesday that he's stepping down from his Democratic leadership position in the House, while a protégé signaled a desire to succeed him. 'I have informed Leader Hakeem Jeffries of my intention to step down as Assistant Democratic Leader of the House Democratic Caucus,' Clyburn, 83, said in a statement.... Rep. Joe Neguse, 39, D-Colo., who's considered a rising star in the party, will run for Clyburn's leadership post, a House Democratic leadership aide told NBC News."

House Pines for My Kevin. Rachel Bade of Politico: "... in his fourth month in alleged power, Speaker Mike Johnson has accomplished what once seemed unthinkable: making [former speaker Kevin] McCarthy seem like a skilled strategist and master of the House. Interviews with multiple Republicans over the last few days across multiple House factions -- people who consider themselves on Johnson's team, as well as those who were never enthusiastic about his rise -- describe a speaker who seems to be winging it on major questions of strategy, messaging and basic vote-counting.... 'Kevin would have a strategy, he'd shop it around, then he'd make a play call,' a senior Republican lawmaker said. 'The more I'm around Johnson, the more it's clear to me he doesn't have a plan.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Lindsey's Surrender Is Complete. Liz Goodwin & Leigh Ann Caldwell of the Washington Post: "Last May, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, warmly embracing the embattled leader and later urging President Biden to 'do more' to help the nation as it fights off Russia's invasion. But this week, Graham voted repeatedly against sending $60 billion in aid to that nation as well as against other military funds for Israel and U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific.... 'I talked to President Trump today and he's dead set against this package,' Graham said on the Senate floor on Sunday.... 'He thinks that we should make packages like this a loan, not a gift,' Graham said.... The episode has also eroded Graham's credibility among colleagues who worked closely with him to shape a bipartisan package of border policy reforms that Republicans demanded be attached to the foreign aid in exchange for their votes -- only to backtrack and help kill it in the end." (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: In yesterday's Comments, Patrick was wondering if Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) had displaced Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) as the Stupidest Senator. Naturally, I was concerned, and I'm here to report that Johnson is holding his own: ~~~

     ~~~ Steve Benen of MSNBC: During an interview conducted over the weekend, "Johnson conceded that the Russian leader is a 'war criminal,' before saying, 'But an awful lot of what Vladimir Putin said was right.' [Johnson then] criticized U.S. sanctions before concluding, 'A lot of the points that Vladimir Putin made are accurate. They're obvious.'" Benen also cited some Politico reporting that suggests Johnson voted against aid to Ukraine as a way of "helping" Ukraine, because letting Russia win will mean the war will end faster. (Also linked yesterday.)

Will Steakin of ABC News: "Congressional House Ethics investigators have obtained text messages allegedly showing that a few months after first joining Congress, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz asked a young woman, who at the time had received payments for sex from Gaetz's then-close friend Joel Greenberg, to join him and others on a three-day trip to the Florida Keys in May 2017, multiple sources tell ABC News.... [The woman] was older than 21 at the time.... According to bank and Venmo records reviewed by ABC News, the woman had previously received multiple payments from Greenberg, which multiple sources tell ABC News were for the woman to have sex at parties with Greenberg's friends.... It's unknown if Gaetz knew that Greenberg had allegedly been paying the woman in such a manner."

Alex Griffing of Mediaite: After U.K. Foreign Minister David Cameron (the former Prime Minister) urged Congress to vote for funding Ukraine, Marjorie Taylor Greene told a Sky News reporter, "... David Cameron needs to worry about his own country, and frankly, he can kiss my ass." Oh, and she seemed to confuse one-time British PM Neville Chamberlain with Hitler. MB: But that's a mistake anyone can make. They both had funny little mustaches. The only way I can tell the difference is that Chamberlain wore a bowler hat & Hitler wore a visor cap. Anyhow, the dignified Miss Margie is definitely diplomat material.

Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Disgraced former Congressman George Santos trolled his Republican ex-colleagues after a Democratic candidate won back his vacated House seat in a special election.... 'I hope you guys are happy with this dismal performance and the 10 million dollars your futile Bull S--t cost the party,' read one message. 'I look very much forward to seeing most of you lose due to your absolute hate filled campaign to remove me from Congress arbitrarily. Now go tell the Republicans Base what you f---ing idiots did and good luck raising money next quarter.' Only one member appeared to reply to Santos. 'Sorry, new phone, who dis?' texted Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY)." MB: Almost seems as if Georgy Anthony is not too remorseful or self-reflective.

The Trials of Trump

Perry Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump is expected at the defendant's table in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday for a conference that could confirm he'll be tried next month for allegedly falsifying hush money repayment records -- the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. At the same hour in Atlanta, a team of Trump's lawyers will appear with some of his co-defendants for a hearing in a separate indictment, in which Trump and others are accused of a vast scheme to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. That hearing will focus on alleged misconduct by the prosecutor. The dual court sessions could help crystallize the timing and viability of two of Trump's four criminal cases, with additional clarity coming after a hearing in Florida on March 1." CNN's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A few days ago, the story was that Trump would attend the Georgia hearing, but he seems to have changed his mind. Amy Gardner of the WashPo writes, "It's not known what scuttled the idea -- nor why Trump wanted to attend the Georgia hearing." Also, Rachel Maddow said Monday that that if the judge disqualified the Georgia prosecutor, the case itself was toast. However, former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance, speaking on MSNBC, laid out a more complicated list of possible consequences, suggesting to me that Maddow's premise was not correct. Let's hope Willis understands the possible outcomes and acts prudently, prudence obviously not being her strong suit. ~~~

     ~~~ Jonah Bromich and others at the New York Times on the Manhattan district attorney's criminal case against Donald Trump: "The judge, Juan M. Merchan, will convene a hearing at 9:30 a.m. to address Mr. Trump's long-shot request that he throw out the charges, which stem from a hush-money payment to a porn star. If Justice Merchan rejects Mr. Trump's request -- as is expected -- then the judge will most likely set a firm date for the trial, which had been tentatively scheduled for March 25"

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Jack Smith, the special counsel prosecuting ... Donald J. Trump on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, urged the Supreme Court on Wednesday to reject a request from Mr. Trump to put the case on hold while he pursues appeals. 'Delay in the resolution of these charges threatens to frustrate the public interest in a speedy and fair verdict -- a compelling interest in every criminal case and one that has unique national importance here, as it involves federal criminal charges against a former president for alleged criminal efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election, including through the use of official power,' Mr. Smith wrote." Politico's report is here.

Adam Reiss & Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "State Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over the $370 million civil fraud case in New York against ... Donald Trump and his company, is expected to issue his verdict in the trial by the end of the week, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told NBC News. 'It is currently anticipated the Engoron decision will be released on Friday, barring unforeseen circumstances,' the person said Tuesday." (Also linked yesterday.)

True the Vote Forced to Admit to Telling the Big Lie. Russ Bynum of the AP: "A conservative group has told a Georgia judge that it doesn't have evidence to support its claims of illegal ballot stuffing during the the 2020 general election and a runoff two months later. Texas-based True the Vote filed complaints with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in 2021, including one in which it said it had obtained 'a detailed account of coordinated efforts to collect and deposit ballots in drop boxes across metro Atlanta' during the November 2020 election and a January 2021 runoff. A Fulton County Superior Court judge in Atlanta signed an order last year requiring True the Vote to provide evidence it had collected, including the names of people who were sources of information.... In their written response, attorneys for True the Vote said the group had no names or other documentary evidence to share."

Presidential Race

Marianne Levine of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump escalated his calls for Congress to impeach President Biden, just one day after House Republicans voted to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. At a rally Wednesday evening in North Charleston, S.C., Trump said..., 'Congress ought to impeach crooked Joe Biden for attacking his political opponent by weaponizing the DOJ, the FBI, and even the local DAs and attorney generals against his political opponent.'... Trump's remarks in North Charleston came after making similar allegations against Biden on Truth Social.' THE HUR REPORT SHOWS THAT PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING JOE BIDEN SAID WAS A LIE. ADDITIONALLY, HE HAS ILLEGALLY WEAPONIZED THE DOJ & FBI, TOGETHER WITH LOCAL D.A.'S & ATTORNEY GENERALS, AGAINST HIS POLITICAL OPPONENT, ME!' Trump posted. 'NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED IN THE USA BEFORE, AND FOR THIS HE SHOULD BE IMPEACHED!'" ~~~

     ~~~ At the rally, Trump again insisted that he never made gaffes. He claimed that when he mixes up people, places, dates and events, he does so purposely to be "sarcastic." Right. And when I was fighting in World War II against George Washington, I saw a whale in South Dakota and it reminded me of Nancy Pelosi.

Miranda Nazzarro of the Hill: "... just days after [Donald Trump] threw his support behind his daughter-in-law [Lara Trump] to serve as co-chair of the RNC[, she told Newsmax,] 'Every single penny will go to the No. 1 and the only job of the RNC -- that is elected Donald J. Trump as president of the United States and saving this country.'" MB: The RNC's mandate is to aid all GOP candidates, not only its presidential* candidate. (Also linked yesterday.)

Natalie Allison, et al., of Politico: "Several senior Republican officials are concerned that Donald Trump's expected takeover of the RNC will ultimately pave the way for the committee to once again cover his legal bills.... Henry Barbour, a Mississippi committeeman, said he believed 'most RNC members will go along" with Trump's vision for the committee, "unless there is a play to use RNC funds for President Trump's legal bills.'... 'I don't think it's appropriate for the committee to pay the legal bills for things done outside the work of the committee,' [Tennessee committee member Oscar] Brock said." ~~~

     ~~~ Jack Birle of the right-wing Washington Examiner: "A report from Bloomberg suggests the former president is likely to drain his war chest paying for legal fees by the summer, meaning the RNC could be back on the hook if they return to supporting him financially.... During Trump's presidency and up until he announced his current run for president in 2022, the RNC covered some of his legal fees. The committee could start picking up the tab for his legal fees again if they choose to."

Oh Noes! Biden Get's Putin's Vote. Joe Stanley-Smith of Politico: "Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday Joe Biden would be better for Russia as president than Donald Trump, ahead of a potential rematch between the two in this year's U.S. election. '[Biden] is a more experienced, predictable person. He is a politician of the old school. But we will work with any leader of the United States, who is trusted by the American people,' Putin said in an interview on broadcaster Rossiya 1 TV when asked to choose between the two.... Putin used Wednesday's interview to downplay speculation about Biden's cognitive health, recalling when the two met in Switzerland in June 2021, less than a year before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 'When I met with Biden in Switzerland..., even then there were talks about him being incompetent. I saw nothing of the sort. Yes, he glanced at his notes. Honestly, I glanced at mine too,' Putin said. 'There's nothing to it.'"

Just the Sweetest Valentine's Day Message Ever. Miranda Nazzarro of the Hill: Donald "Trump wished former first lady Melania Trump a Happy Valentine's Day on Wednesday by thanking her for her support throughout his various criminal cases. In a campaign email sent Wednesday morning, Trump offered a 'letter' with the subject line, 'I love you, Melania!' 'Dear Melania, I LOVE YOU. Even after every single INDICTMENT, ARREST, and WITCH HUNT, you never left my side... You've always supported me through everything. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without your guidance, kindness, and warmth.... You will always mean the world to me, Melania! From your husband with love, Donald J. Trump.'... Readers were then directed to a website where they could leave their own Valentine's Day message or donate to his reelection campaign." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Isn't it sweet, too, that Trump is thoughtful enough to realizes his wife may not remember who he is, so he identifies himself as her husband and includes his full name? Okay, it is rather unkind of him to blame her for making him the man he is. Still, it almost makes you feel like making a large campaign contribution -- though maybe not to Trump.


Kate Conger of the New York Times: "X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, is potentially violating U.S. sanctions by accepting payments for subscription accounts from terrorist organizations and other groups barred from doing business in the country, according to a new report. The report, by the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit focused on accountability for large technology companies, shows that X ... has taken payments from accounts that include Hezbollah leaders, Houthi groups, and state-run media outlets in Iran and Russia. The subscriptions, which cost $8 a month, offer users a blue check mark -- once limited to verified users like celebrities -- and better promotion by X's algorithm, among other perks.... 'It's yet another sign that X has lost control of its platform,' [said Katie Paul, the director of the Tech Transparency Project.]" (Also linked yesterday.) The Verge has a story here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Arizona. GOP Plans to Rig Election. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that would seek to declare ... Donald Trump the winner of the 2024 presidential election -- regardless of what the voters decide, reported KPNX's Brahm Resnik. The resolution would not carry any force of law because it is not a bill, noted Resnik.... According to Resnik, the resolution advocates 'to change the manner of the presidential election by appointing the eleven presidential electors to the republican primary winner to offset the removal of a republican candidate in Colorado and Maine,' and "that Governor Hobbs sign the election reform measures listed below, and if not, the presidential electors be appointed to protect the 2024 presidential election from another maladministered and illegally run election.' There is no evidence that the 2020 presidential election in Arizona was rigged or otherwise 'illegally run.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The GOP could show how fiscally-responsible the party is by pre-determining the results of every election, thereby precluding the necessity of actually running costly elections. Already I'm seeing the advantages of a Trumpy dictatorship.

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israeli forces raided Nasser Hospital, the main hospital in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, on Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces said it was conducting an operation to recover the bodies of hostages, while the Gaza Health Ministry accused the IDF of storming the complex 'after demolishing the southern wall' and said an Israeli drone had fired at a doctors room, injuring one of the emergency doctors. At least 10 people were killed in Lebanon and at least one in Israel after an exchange of strikes Wednesday that marked Israel's most forceful attack on its northern neighbor since the start of the war in Gaza....

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that the military would carry out a 'powerful' offensive in Rafah 'after we allow the civilian population to leave the battle zones.' On Thursday, the leaders of Canada, Australia and New Zealand warned that a ground offensive in Rafah would be 'catastrophic,' with 'simply nowhere else for civilians to go.' Negotiations in Egypt to pause the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages appeared to stall as Netanyahu accused Hamas of making 'delusional demands.' Officials involved said the two sides were no closer on key details, and Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had ordered negotiators not to return to Cairo." ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's live updates for Thursday are here. The New York Times' live updates are here.

News Ledes

Washington Post:"The deadly shooting that turned a celebration for the Kansas City Chiefs into tragedy on Wednesday appeared to stem from a dispute among three people and had 'no nexus to terrorism,' officials said Thursday morning. Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a briefing that two of the individuals involved are juveniles.... One woman was killed and 22 people injured in a matter of minutes. The victims' ages range from 8 to 47, Graves said, and half are younger than 16."

Washington Post: The woman who was murdered was Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a local radio DJ "The station where Lopez-Galvan worked, KKFI, announced her death 'with sincere sadness and an extremely heavy and broken heart.'..."

Comments Off
Page 1 ... 72 73 74 75 76 ... 1738 Next 3 Entries ยป