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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."

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Publisher & Editor: Marie Burns


Saturday
Feb032024

The Conversation -- February 3, 2024

South Carolina Democrats are holding their presidential primary election today.

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Tara Copp & Lolita Baldor of the AP: "The United States and Britain struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday in a second wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have relentlessly attacked American and international interests in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. But Washington once more did not directly target Iran as it tries to find a balance between a forceful response and intensifying the conflict.... The Houthi targets were in 13 different locations and were struck by U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, by British Typhoon FGR4 fighter aircraft and by the Navy destroyers USS Gravely and the USS Carney firing Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea, according to U.S. officials and the U.K. Defense Ministry."

Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "House Republicans are planning to vote on a bill next week that would give billions in military assistance to Israel and U.S. forces in the region, a measure that is destined to come to a head with a Senate proposal expected to package funding for border security with aiding foreign democracies.... The move comes as the Senate is expected to unveil and vote on a supplemental package this week that would fund new measures to control the historic flow of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, while fulfilling President Biden's $106 billion request to also aid Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region. House Republicans' surprise announcement to send the Senate a standalone Israel funding bill sets up dueling votes in both chambers...." The NBC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I think Donald Trump has been a Russian asset for years; now I'm wondering if Mike Johnson and his anti-Ukraine, pro-Russian pals in the House are, too.

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times channels Donald Trump's brainfarts about Taylor Swift. Amusing but way too literate and intelligible. Full sentences, no misspellings, more-or-less connected thoughts. Dowd writes like an adult; Trump's style is more that of an 11-year-old bully with attention deficit disorder and below-grade-level vocabulary.

~~~~~~~~~~

Missy Ryan, et al., of the Washington Post: "U.S. forces launched a broad attack against Iran's powerful military wing and affiliated militias in Iraq and Syria on Friday, delivering a blow to armed groups that Washington has blamed for killing American troops in Jordan and a surge of violence across the Middle East. U.S. Central Command said that American forces, using B-1 bombers flown from the United States and other aircraft, hit more than 85 targets affiliated with the Quds Force, a unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC), and local militias that it supports. Among the locations hit at four sites in Syria and three sites in Iraq were command and control posts, intelligence centers and drone storage facilities, officials said. The operation marked the opening of what officials say will be a multiday campaign aimed at various targets close to Iran, which the Biden administration has blamed for the spiraling bloodshed that has erupted since the start of Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, including a drone attack Sunday that killed three U.S. service members and injured dozens more at a remote outpost in Jordan." An NBC News story is here. ~~~

~~~ Natasha Bertrand, et al., of CNN: "The US has begun conducting airstrikes on targets in Iraq and Syria, the start of what will likely be a series of larger-scale US strikes on Iranian-backed militias who have carried out attacks on US troops in the Middle East, according to two US officials. The retaliatory strikes came in response to a drone strike by Iran-backed militants on a US military outpost in Jordan on Sunday, which killed three US service members and wounded more than 40 others. They came not long after President Joe Biden attended a dignified transfer and met family members of the soldiers killed in Jordan. Officials have signaled the strikes are likely to be more significant than previous attacks on Iranian-backed militias over the last several weeks, which have primarily focused on weapons storage or training facilities." (From a liveblog, also linked yesterday.)

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Saturday in the Iraq/Hamas war are here: "The United States will strike additional targets at 'times and places of our choosing,' President Biden said in a statement, after the latest U.S. attacks on militia groups backed by Iran.... At least 18 militants were killed in the U.S. strikes, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights."

Eileen Sullivan & David Sanger of the New York Times: "In the hours before the United States carried out strikes against Iran-backed militants on Friday, Washington hit Tehran with more familiar weapons: sanctions and criminal charges. The Biden administration imposed sanctions on officers and officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iran's premier military force, for threatening the integrity of water utilities and for helping manufacture Iranian drones. And it unsealed charges against nine people for selling oil to finance the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah. The timing seemed designed to pressure the Revolutionary Guards and its most elite unit, the Quds Force, at a moment of extraordinary tension in the Middle East."

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden honored three Army reservists killed in the Middle East as their bodies were returned to the United States on Friday in a silent, somber ceremony marking the first deaths under fire in a proxy war with Iranian-backed militias since Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Mr. Biden attended a short event known as a 'dignified transfer' at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware along with his wife, Jill Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No speeches were given but the president and others stood solemnly in a cold wind as the flag-draped cases were carried across the tarmac." (Also linked yesterday.) The Hill's story is here. ~~~

(~~~ From the Archives. S.V. Date of the Huffington Post (Sept. 2020): "In the world of ... Donald Trump, he has paid his respects to 'many, many' returning soldiers killed in the line of duty.... In the real world, Trump has traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware exactly four times ― fewer than half as many times as his vice president ― and avoided going at all for nearly two years after getting berated for his incompetence by the father of a slain Navy SEAL, according to a former White House aide who spoke on condition of anonymity. Bill Owens, the father of William 'Ryan' Owens, refused to shake Trump's hand at that Feb. 1, 2017, encounter, the aide said, and then told Trump that he was responsible for his son's death for approving the disastrous raid in Yemen without bothering to understand the risks." [Also linked yesterday.])


Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "A duo of House Oversight and Accountability Democrats are asking the Government Accountability Office to review Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Ala.) 10-month blockade of military promotions.... The letter from ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) ... asks for a review of the 'unprecedented blockade of military promotions, including the short- and long-term detrimental effects on [the Defense Department] and our broader national security.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

The Trials of Trump and the Trump Gang

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The federal judge overseeing ... Donald J. Trump's prosecution on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election issued an order on Friday scrapping the March 4 trial date for the case. The order by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan was a formal confirmation of what had seemed fairly obvious for weeks. It came after she had made a series of hints that she was going to delay the trial as Mr. Trump pursues an effort to have the underlying charges tossed out with an argument that he enjoys complete immunity from prosecution. In her order, Judge Chutkan said that she would set a new date for the proceeding in Federal District Court in Washington 'if and when' Mr. Trump's immunity claims are resolved." Politico's story is here. MB: "If and when"? Looks like the kind of understatment meant to convey Judge Chutkan's frustration with the Appeals Court's delay. ~~~

~~~ Devlin Barrett, et al., of the Washington Post: "Of the four criminal cases ... Donald Trump is facing, charges filed in New York over 2016 hush money payments have long been considered by legal experts to be the weakest of the bunch. But it is increasingly likely that case will be his first to go to trial, perhaps as soon as next month.... So instead of hearing evidence about efforts to block a U.S. election or improperly keep highly classified U.S. secrets, the first jury to weigh alleged crimes by Trump as he again runs for president could be focused on sordid allegations of a long-ago sexual encounter with an adult-film star.... Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records, a felony in New York where there is an intent to defraud that includes intent to 'commit another crime or to aid or conceal' a crime. In announcing the charges, [Manhattan D.A. Alvin] Bragg said the goal of Trump's scheme was to cover up violations of New York election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to illegally promote a candidate. Bragg also said the $130,000 payment exceeded the federal campaign contribution cap." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Let me say this about that. Barrett and many other journalists have characterized this as a "hush money" case, so fairly inconsequential in the grand scheme of the Trump record of (alleged!) criminal activity. But Andrew Weissmann said on MSNBC recently that the heart of the case is about election interference. Had Trump not illegally conspired with former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker to squelch a story about Trump's relationship with Stormy Daniels right before the 2016 election, Trump might not have been elected and the world might have been spared the epoch of Trump. The hush money Trump paid Daniels is incidental to the larger scheme of election tampering. Weissmann said that Alvin Bragg has always characterized the case as one involving election interference; it's the media who have labeled it a hush-money case. BTW, if you believe Trump paid off Daniels to spare his wife Melanie the embarrassment of a public airing of his infidelity, then let me assure you that Trump hired bodyman Walt Nauta because Trump and Nauta are confirmed feminists (Nauta story linked below.)

Jack Smith Brief: Trump Is a Lying POS, a Thief & a Reckless Bozo. Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Special counsel Jack Smith used a routine legal filing Friday to offer a forceful public rebuttal against Donald Trump's claims that his criminal prosecution for allegedly hoarding classified documents has been infected by politics and legal impropriety.... 'The government will clear the air on those issues ... because the defendants' misstatements, if unanswered, leave a highly misleading impression.' What followed was a lengthy recitation of the events that led prosecutors to suspect Trump had been squirreling reams of classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate.... A running theme throughout the prosecutors' filing: Where Trump spoke in ominous terms about a monolithic 'Biden administration' acting against him, the reality was that career officials from multiple agencies, acting on their discrete responsibilities, took standard and even 'innocuous' actions to fulfill their duties.... The brief is also peppered with factual claims that make Trump's behavior sound more ... egregious." ~~~

     ~~~ The filing is here, via Politico.

Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "Fani T. Willis, the district attorney prosecuting the Georgia election interference case against ... Donald J. Trump, acknowledged [in a court] on Friday a 'personal relationship' with a prosecutor she hired to manage the case but argued that it was not a reason to disqualify her or her office from it.... Ms. Willis's filing includes an affidavit from [prosecutor Nathan] Wade asserting that the personal relationship started only after Mr. Wade had been hired. The original motion containing the accusations, filed by Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign official, alleged that Ms. Willis had hired her 'boyfriend' as a special prosecutor, granting him lucrative contracts even though he was underqualified, and then benefited from going on vacations that Mr. Wade paid for. But Ms. Willis said in her filing that 'financial responsibility for personal travel taken is divided roughly evenly' and Mr. Wade echoed that language in his affidavit, adding that Ms. Willis 'received no funds or personal financial gain from my position as Special Prosecutor.'" Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Willis' court filing is here, via Politico. ~~~

~~~ Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis finally admitted on Friday that she was romantically involved with one of her special prosecutors, Nathan Wade -- but the details she and Wade have now revealed destroy any real chance ... Donald Trump can use it to get her thrown off the election racketeering case against him, argued Georgia State law professor Anthony Michael Kreis.... 'The chances of a successful disqualification went from 5% to .05%,' wrote Kreis, noting that according to Wade's affidavit, 'The relationship with Fani Willis started after his appointment as special prosecutor, the two have never cohabitated, and travel expenses have been split between them.' The existence of a relationship between Willis and Wade, in and of itself, would not pose any legal conflict of interest, because the two of them are on the same prosecutorial team and their professional interests are aligned regardless."

Katherine Doyle of NBC News: "House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has subpoenaed District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County, Georgia, demanding documents from her office following allegations that Willis fired a whistleblower who tried to stop a top campaign aide from misusing federal funds. The subpoena ... is part of a broader probe by Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Republicans into whether Willis used federal funds in conducting her more-than-two-year investigation into ... Donald Trump.... In a letter Friday, Jordan says Willis has failed to comply with two earlier requests for documents.... The subpoena calls on the district attorney's office to provide documents and communications 'referring or relating to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office's receipt and use of federal funds' and 'referring or relating to any allegations of the misuse of federal funds.' Willis' office has condemned Jordan's requests, writing last year in a letter to him that there is 'no justification in the Constitution for Congress to interfere with a state criminal matter.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Ah, the Gracious Host. Kaanita Iyer & Jamie Gangel of CNN: "Attorney Roberta Kaplan ... Donald Trump threw papers across a table and stormed off during a deposition at Mar-a-Lago after learning that his legal team had agreed to provide her lunch." Worth reading the free-lunch anecdote and the one that follows.

** M.L. Nestel of the Raw Story: "Donald Trump's valet, who's been indicted as a central player in Trump's hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, became his hired hand after being removed from the White House once multiple sexual harassment claims came to light, The Daily Beast reports. Before landing a full-time position at the former president's Palm Beach palatial estate, Walt Nauta was a Navy enlistee who had been posted in the White House Presidential Support Detail since 2012. That ended, according to sources who spoke to the Daily Beast, when accusations materialized accusing Nauta of fraternization, adultery, harassment and circulating 'revenge porn,' among other sexual misconduct. He was escorted off White House grounds by the Navy and stripped of his White House security clearance, the report said. Three female service members accused Nauta of inappropriate behavior which spanned years, according to The Beast.... Two other women raised complaints accusing Nauta, who ultimately admitted to the relationships when confronted about them during a White House interview." (Also linked yesterday.)

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A Pennsylvania barber whose violent attacks on the police on Jan. 6, 2021, were widely seen as the tipping point in the storming of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob was convicted [in a bench trial] on Friday of federal assault charges. The barber, Ryan Samsel, was one of the first people to confront the police on Jan. 6 and push through barricades at what is known as the Peace Circle, allowing hundreds of others behind him to breach the grounds of the Capitol and ultimately the building itself. Prosecutors at a trial for Mr. Samsel and four co-defendants, who were also convicted of assault and other charges, said that the men's actions 'ignited a fire that burned for over four hours at the Capitol.'" Politico's report is here.

Americans Are More Ignorant Than You Thought. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "There is an assumption, probably particularly among those who cover the news and those who read it, that Donald Trump's legal travails are common knowledge.... As it turns out..., new polling conducted by YouGov shows that only a bit over half of the country on average is aware of the various legal challenges Trump faces. And among those Republicans on whose political support he depends? Consistently, only a minority say they are aware of his lawsuits and charges."

Presidential Race

Adam Cancryn & Meredith McGraw of Politico: "A remarkable run of good economic news has tripped up the Trump campaign's initial plans to paint President Joe Biden as a disaster on the economy. Now, the GOP frontrunner is grasping for new ways to attack the administration's increasingly robust record.... Trump has responded [to the positive economic news] by throwing out a series of counterarguments downplaying Biden's role in the economic upswing, including suggesting that the stock markets' gains are actually his doing. On Monday, he claimed on Truth Social that voters were already enjoying a 'TRUMP STOCK MARKET' because the economy was anticipating his eventual victory.... But economists quickly dismissed the claim, and the theory that Trump should get credit for an economy overseen by Biden has proved too far of a stretch for many Republicans as well.... A recent poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 65 percent of Americans overall view the economy as 'poor.'" ~~~

~~~ Another Insane Trump Conspiracy Theory. Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump on Friday accused Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, who he nominated, as wanting to bring down inflation and interest rates in order to help President Joe Biden get reelected. 'Well, I think he's going to do something to probably help the Democrats, you know. I think if he lowers interest rates. But you have the potential of having massive inflation again, because the Middle East could drive up the price of energy,' Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo.... '... I think he's political,' [said] .. Trump.... Trump nominated Powell in 2017, saying, 'He's strong, he's committed, he's smart.'" MB: Trump seems unaware that it is the Fed's job to try to keep the U.S. economy on an even keel.

South Carolina. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "On the final day before South Carolina's primary election officially kicks off the Democratic presidential nominating contest, Vice President Kamala Harris urged supporters not to ignore a contest that is widely expected to be uncompetitive but where she and President Biden are hoping for a morale-lifting rout.... The rally was Ms. Harris's ninth trip to South Carolina as vice president and was already her third of the year, an indication of the importance she and Mr. Biden's campaign have placed on a dominant performance to begin their party's presidential nominating season. Standing before two banners bearing the slogan 'First in the Nation' -- with the word 'First' underlined -- Ms. Harris highlighted the Biden administration's achievements, including expanding high-speed internet access, increasing federal funding for historically Black colleges and universities, and reducing prescription drug costs."

Wisconsin. Maegan Vazquez & Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips’s name will appear on the state's April 2 primary ballot, after he claimed he was unlawfully excluded. Acting on the recommendation of the state Democratic Party leaders, the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the Wisconsin Presidential Preference Selection Committee had previously listed President Biden as the only Democratic candidate for the state's primary. Phillips, a Democratic congressman representing Minnesota, had accused the state party of forcing him to spend about $300,000 to collect signatures through a separate process to acquire ballot access. In his complaint last week asking the state Supreme Court to overrule his exclusion, he cited a provision of state election law that allows ballot access for candidates who are found to have been recognized as serious contenders by the news media. He argued in his brief that the state elections board failed to make any determination of whether Phillips met this test, despite significant news coverage of his candidacy." The court agreed with Phillips, with no dissents noted.


Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court declined on Friday to temporarily block race-conscious admissions at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, clearing the way for the school to continue considering race as a factor in selecting the class that will enroll in the fall. The court's order rejected a request for emergency relief from Students for Fair Admissions, a conservative group that has repeatedly challenged the consideration of race in higher education, as a lawsuit moves forward. It had asked the justices to act swiftly because West Point was poised to stop accepting applications on Wednesday. In its order, the court said that the record was 'underdeveloped.' Its denial 'should not be construed as expressing any view on the merits of the constitutional question,' it added, signaling that the justices could consider the issue in the future. There were no noted dissents." Politico's report is here.

Another Insane Musk Conspiracy Theory. Charlie Nash of Mediaite: "Billionaire X/Twitter owner Elon Musk claimed on Friday that President Joe Biden is trying to 'get as many illegals in the country as possible' so he can create a 'one-party state.'... In another post, Musk -- who voted for Biden in 2020 -- claimed Biden's supposed strategy 'explains why there are so few deportations, as every deportation is a lost vote.'" MB: Musk, who is a U.S. immigrant himself, may not be aware that immigrants -- legal or not -- who are not U.S. citizens cannot vote in federal elections or in the vast majority of other elections.

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Texas. Arelis Hernandez & Hannah Allam of the Washington Post: "A motley crew is gathering [in Eagle Pass, Texas,] this weekend: militia-style groups invoking 1776 and the Civil War. Christian nationalists praying for the chance to confront evil. Racists stoking fear about the 'replacement' of White people. Election deniers, anti-vaccination crusaders, conspiracy theorists.... Right-wing extremists are dusting off the blueprint for the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol and using it to rally support for their cause du jour: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's showdown with the federal government over border enforcement. Monitoring groups warn that Abbott's posturing, like Trump's 'Stop the Steal' effort, heightens the risk of political violence as supporters converge on Eagle Pass, a frontier outpost of 28,000. Summed up by one observer as 'slow-motion secession,' the unrest in Texas is a case study in how once-fringe ideologies have been laundered into mainstream Republican politics." ~~~

~~~ ** Jill Wine-Banks in an MSNBC opinion piece: "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's actions at the southern border and his reaction to the Supreme Court's decision in favor of the federal government make me fear for the continued existence of the United States of America. So does his signing of an expansive new law that gives the state's law enforcement powers over immigration that rightly belong to the federal government, not to Texas or any other state. In fact, should the Supreme Court rule against the Biden administration's challenge to that law, that would have consequences for every federal policy, not just immigration policy.... Dozens of governors from red states, many with no international borders with Mexico, signed a statement supporting Abbott. A compact between any of those states and Texas without congressional approval would directly violate Article I of the Constitution." Read on. The former prosecutor makes her case.

News Ledes

New York Times: "Carl Weathers, who went from doling out bone-crunching hits as a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders to delivering knockout punches on the big screen as Apollo Creed, the nemesis of Sylvester Stallone's lovable-lug prizefighter in 'Rocky,' helping to spark one of Hollywood's most successful franchises, died on Thursday. He was 76."

New York Times: "Joe Madison, an influential talk radio host with a rumbling musical baritone, who interviewed President Barack Obama in the Oval Office and numerous other political leaders in his Washington, D.C., studio, urging them to take action on civil and human rights issues, has died at his home in Washington. He was 74."

Comments Off
Friday
Feb022024

The Conversation -- February 2, 2024

Natasha Bertrand, et al., of CNN: "The US has begun conducting airstrikes on targets in Iraq and Syria, the start of what will likely be a series of larger-scale US strikes on Iranian-backed militias who have carried out attacks on US troops in the Middle East, according to two US officials. The retaliatory strikes came in response to a drone strike by Iran-backed militants on a US military outpost in Jordan on Sunday, which killed three US service members and wounded more than 40 others. They came not long after President Joe Biden attended a dignified transfer and met family members of the soldiers killed in Jordan. Officials have signaled the strikes are likely to be more significant than previous attacks on Iranian-backed militias over the last several weeks, which have primarily focused on weapons storage or training facilities." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There's reporting on MSNBC that the strikes have hit at least 85 targets, using 125 precision missile munitions. The targets include Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden honored three Army reservists killed in the Middle East as their bodies were returned to the United States on Friday in a silent, somber ceremony marking the first deaths under fire in a proxy war with Iranian-backed militias since Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Mr. Biden attended a short event known as a 'dignified transfer' at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware along with his wife, Jill Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No speeches were given but the president and others stood solemnly in a cold wind as the flag-draped cases were carried across the tarmac." ~~~

(~~~ From the Archives. S.V. Date of the Huffington Post (Sept. 2020): "In the world of ... Donald Trump, he has paid his respects to 'many, many' returning soldiers killed in the line of duty.... In the real world, Trump has traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware exactly four times ― fewer than half as many times as his vice president ― and avoided going at all for nearly two years after getting berated for his incompetence by the father of a slain Navy SEAL, according to a former White House aide who spoke on condition of anonymity. Bill Owens, the father of William 'Ryan' Owens, refused to shake Trump's hand at that Feb. 1, 2017, encounter, the aide said, and then told Trump that he was responsible for his son's death for approving the disastrous raid in Yemen without bothering to understand the risks."

Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "A duo of House Oversight and Accountability Democrats are asking the Government Accountability Office to review Sen. Tommy Tuberville's R-Ala.) 10-month blockade of military promotions.... The letter from ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) ... asks for a review of the 'unprecedented blockade of military promotions, including the short- and long-term detrimental effects on [the Defense Department] and our broader national security.'"

Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "Fani T. Willis, the district attorney prosecuting the Georgia election interference case against ... Donald J. Trump, acknowledged [in a court] on Friday a 'personal relationship' with a prosecutor she hired to manage the case but argued that it was not a reason to disqualify her or her office from it.... Ms. Willis's filing includes an affidavit from [prosecutor Nathan] Wade asserting that the personal relationship started only after Mr. Wade had been hired. The original motion containing the accusations, filed by Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign official, alleged that Ms. Willis had hired her 'boyfriend' as a special prosecutor, granting him lucrative contracts even though he was underqualified, and then benefited from going on vacations that Mr. Wade paid for. But Ms. Willis said in her filing that 'financial responsibility for personal travel taken is divided roughly evenly' and Mr. Wade echoed that language in his affidavit, adding that Ms. Willis 'received no funds or personal financial gain from my position as Special Prosecutor.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~

~~~ Katherine Doyle of NBC News: "House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has subpoenaed District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County, Georgia, demanding documents from her office following allegations that Willis fired a whistleblower who tried to stop a top campaign aide from misusing federal funds. The subpoena ... is part of a broader probe by Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Republicans into whether Willis used federal funds in conducting her more-than-two-year investigation into ... Donald Trump.... In a letter Friday, Jordan says Willis has failed to comply with two earlier requests for documents.... The subpoena calls on the district attorney's office to provide documents and communications 'referring or relating to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office's receipt and use of federal funds' and 'referring or relating to any allegations of the misuse of federal funds.' Willis' office has condemned Jordan's requests, writing last year in a letter to him that there is 'no justification in the Constitution for Congress to interfere with a state criminal matter.'"

** M.L. Nestel of the Raw Story: "Donald Trump's valet, who's been indicted as a central player in Trump's hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, became his hired hand after being removed from the White House once multiple sexual harassment claims came to light, The Daily Beast reports. Before landing a full-time position at the former president's Palm Beach palatial estate, Walt Nauta was a Navy enlistee who had been posted in the White House Presidential Support Detail since 2012. That ended, according to sources who spoke to the Daily Beast, when accusations materialized accusing Nauta of fraternization, adultery, harassment and circulating 'revenge porn,' among other sexual misconduct. He was escorted off White House grounds by the Navy and stripped of his White House security clearance, the report said. Three female service members accused Nauta of inappropriate behavior which spanned years, according to The Beast.... Two other women raised complaints accusing Nauta, who ultimately admitted to the relationships when confronted about them during a White House interview."

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Kasha Patel of the Washington Post: "Since 1887, [Punxsutawney] Phil forecast accurately about 40 percent of the time -- that's worse than flipping a dime. Eighty-five percent of his predictions call for an extended cold moment.... According to the Weather Service, the northern United States will probably see temperatures above average degrees.... The mid- to low latitudes have equal chances of above-, near- or below-average temperatures.... Winter is the fastest warming season in the United States because of climate change.... Punxsutawney Phil probably hasn't accounted for climate change or the current El Niño pattern in his recent weather prognosis." MB: I wish a more reliable forecaster would predict that the Giant Orange Rodent will wind up in the slammer. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. ABC 6 Philadelphia: "Punxsutawney Phil has made his prediction for 2024 Groundhog Day. The honorary groundhog did not see his shadow Friday morning, predicting that there will be an early spring. The day marks the 21st time Phil has not seen his shadow during the 138-year-old tradition."

Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "President Biden, whose approval rating has suffered amid high inflation, is beginning to pressure large grocery chains to slash food prices for American consumers, accusing the stores of reaping excess profits and ripping off shoppers. 'There are still too many corporations in America ripping people off: price gouging, junk fees, greedflation, shrinkflation,' Mr. Biden said last week in South Carolina. Aides say those comments are a preview of more pressure to come against grocery chains and other companies that are maintaining higher-than-usual profit margins after a period of rapid price growth.... Economic research suggests the cost of eggs, milk and other staples -- which consumers buy far more frequently than big-ticket items like furniture or electronics -- play an outsized role in shaping Americans' views of inflation. Those prices jumped by more than 11 percent in 2022 and by 5 percent last year, amid a post-pandemic inflation surge that was the nation's fastest burst of price increases in four decades. The rate of increase is slowing rapidly...."

Missy Ryan & Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that his recent cancer diagnosis was a 'gut punch' that left him shaken, disclosing new details about his ensuing medical crisis and asserting that he did not direct his staff to withhold the situation from the White House.... 'I want to be crystal clear: We did not handle this right. I did not handle this right,' Austin said. 'I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have also told my team and the American public, and I take full responsibility. I apologize to my teammates and the American people.'... Austin, 70, was noticeably thinner than before the health crisis, which put him in an intensive care unit for days. He walked gingerly to and from the podium in the Pentagon briefing room, and acknowledged using a golf cart in the building to help him get around. [His] news conference spanned nearly 40 minutes." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC pointed out, neither Donald Trump nor any of his subordinates ever made a classy apology like Austin's. As anyone who has ever made a serious apology knows, it ain't easy. Making a public apology -- and taking questions -- can't be much fun. It takes character and fortitude, traits markedly absent in the Trumpy milieu.

Maxine Joselow of the Washington Post: "The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Joseph Goffman to lead the Environmental Protection Agency's air office, which is racing to finalize some of President Biden's most consequential climate rules before the end of his first term. Biden first tapped Goffman for the role in March 2022. But all Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III (W.Va.) have held up his nomination for nearly two years in protest of the administration's climate policies. Goffman, a veteran of the EPA under President Barack Obama, has been leading the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation on an acting basis since January 2021.... With a 50-49 vote, all Republicans joined Manchin in opposing Goffman's nomination."

Steve Benen of MSNBC: On Wednesday, "... a $78 billion tax package that includes an expansion of the child tax credit ... cleared the lower chamber with bipartisan support, but Democratic votes outnumbered Republican votes, despite the fact that there's a GOP majority in the House, and despite the fact that the bill enjoyed the support of Republican leaders. The fact that the Democratic minority did the legislative heavy lifting was not unusual. On the contrary, this keeps happening. As 2023 came to an end..., Axios highlighted an underappreciated pattern: 'Republicans may hold the House majority, but Democratic yeas outnumbered GOP votes on every major bill that landed on President Biden's desk this year.' One month into 2024, the pattern remains intact. Two weeks ago, a bill to prevent a partial government shutdown cleared the House with 314 votes, but most of those votes -- 207 -- came from the House Democratic minority. Or put another way, GOP leaders, eager to avoid a crisis of their own making, relied on Democrats to govern."

The Trials of Trump and the Trump Gang

Daniel Boffrey of the Guardian: "Donald Trump's data protection claim for damages over allegations in the 'Steele dossier' that he took part in 'perverted' sex acts and gave bribes to Russian officials has been dismissed by a high court judge in London. Mrs Justice Steyn agreed with Orbis Business Intelligence, the company founded by the former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who compiled the contentious material, that the case should not go to trial. The ruling issued on Thursday said the court did not 'consider or determine the accuracy or inaccuracy of the memoranda' but found that Trump's claim for damages had been made outside the six-year period of 'limitations'. The court ruled that Trump 'has no reasonable grounds for bringing a claim for compensation or damages, and no real prospect of successfully obtaining such a remedy'." MB: One would think Trump's crack London lawyers would know what the statue of limitations was and would have advised him not to bring suit. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Where Did It All Go, Donald? David Edwards of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump appears to have spent $250,000 of donor money while losing a lawsuit against Christopher Steele in London.... MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin gathered Wednesday's financial filings from Trump's Save America leadership PAC. The document indicated Trump had spent hundreds of thousands on legal fees in the U.K. The firm Level Law is on record representing Trump in the London case. Save America PAC made multiple payments to Level Law throughout August, September, and October 2023, totaling over $270,000." (Also linked yesterday.)

Spencer Hsu & Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's March 4 trial date on charges of plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election has been dropped from the public calendar of the federal court in Washington, a sign of what has long been anticipated -- that his claim of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution would delay his trial while it remains on appeal.... A delay in the D.C. case makes it increasingly likely that the first of Trump's four criminal trials could be held this spring in Manhattan on New York state charges of business fraud in connection with hush money payments during the 2016 election. That trial has nominally been set for March 25, but the court in that case has signaled deference to Trump's federal election subversion case. New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has scheduled a pretrial hearing in two weeks -- Feb. 15 -- and is expected to decide after that if the trial will go forward as planned."

Marie: I had a house in Florida. It is quite a large house, built in 1925, during prohibition. The builder was one of Al Capone's lawyers. Not surprisingly, tucked under the stairs and behind a bookcase that swung on hidden hinges is what was called a "prohibition closet." Back in the day, secret closets were not limited to the homes of gangsters. They were quite common. At the same time my house was built, at the other end of the long road that passed my house and on the other side of the state, Marjorie Merriweather Post was building Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Don't you suppose she would have installed a prohibition closet there, too? ~~~

~~~ ** The Hidden Room, the Locked Closet. Katherine Faulders, et al., of ABC News: "Special counsel Jack Smith's team has questioned several witnesses about a closet and a so-called 'hidden room' inside ... Donald Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago that the FBI didn't check while searching the estate in August 2022.... As described to ABC News, the line of questioning in several interviews ahead of Trump's indictment last year on classified document charges suggests that -- long after the FBI seized dozens of boxes and more than 100 documents marked classified from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate -- Smith's team was trying to determine if there might still be more classified documents there.... As investigators would later learn, Trump allegedly had the closet's lock changed while his attorney was in Mar-a-Lago's basement, searching for classified documents in a storage room that he was told would have all such documents.... For years, the lock on the closet was managed by the Secret Service, but on June 2, 2022, Trump had it changed and wanted the key..., sources said.... [FBI agents conducting the search of Mar-a-Lago] decided not to break ... open [the locked closet], sources said.... In addition to the closet, the FBI also didn't search what authorities have called a 'hidden room' connected to Trump's bedroom, sources said.... [Access to the room was] a small door in one of the walls..., concealed behind a large dresser and a big TV, sources said."

Ella Lee of the Hill: "A New York judge is expected to issue an 'early to mid-February' ruling in the $370 million civil fraud case brought against former President Trump by the New York attorney general's office, a court spokesperson said Thursday. Judge Arthur Engoron previously said he would aim to issue a decision by the end of January but emphasized that the deadline was not firm. The new mid-February deadline is a 'rough estimate' and is 'subject to modifications,' according to the court spokesperson."

Ankush Kardori interviews attorney Roberta Kaplan for Politico Magazine: Kaplan, on why the jury found for E. Jean Carroll: Donald Trump's "misbehavior at the deposition in Carroll ... combined with how he acted in the trial -- which was speaking under his breath, shaking his head, getting up ... about eight or nine minutes into my closing argument.... The single most important thing that convicted Donald Trump -- both from his deposition and from the trial -- is Donald Trump's own behavior.... He basically said about the Access Hollywood tape, 'Unfortunately, or fortunately, stars have been able to get away with that for millions of years.'... When he left during [my closing] -- I didn't see it happen because I was facing the other way -- but when Judge Kaplan announced that he'd left the courtroom, I thought to myself, 'Okay, that's another $10 million.'... That Trump was misbehaving throughout the trial, like an 8-year-old having a temper tantrum, was a very important thing for people to understand." (Also linked yesterday.)

Zachary Cohen of CNN: "Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has no plans to step down from the Georgia election subversion case over allegations she's having an affair with her lead prosecutor, a decision driven in part over concern that her departure would effectively end the case against Donald Trump and his multiple defendants, sources familiar with the thinking inside the DA's office told CNN." MB: Of course she might not have a choice. "Judge Scott McAfee has scheduled a February 15 hearing for both sides to present evidence related to the allegations.... [And] last week, Georgia lawmakers voted to form a special committee to investigate Willis.... The committee will have subpoena power, giving it teeth, but it cannot disqualify Willis or bring an end to the case and can only write a report."

William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "Allen H. Weisselberg, a longtime lieutenant to Donald J. Trump, is negotiating a deal with Manhattan prosecutors that would require him to plead guilty to perjury, people with knowledge of the matter said. As part of the potential agreement with the Manhattan district attorney's office, Mr. Weisselberg would have to admit that he lied on the witness stand in Mr. Trump's recent civil fraud trial, the people said. Mr. Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer at Mr. Trump's family business, also would have to say that he lied under oath during in an interview with the New York attorney general's office, which brought the civil fraud case. The situation springs from a web of criminal and civil cases brought by the two agencies and would culminate a lengthy pressure campaign by the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, whose prosecutors had sought Mr. Weisselberg's cooperation as they investigated whether Mr. Trump committed electoral and financial crimes....

"It is also unclear which of Mr. Weisselberg's statements in the civil fraud case caught prosecutors' attention -- but trial transcripts offer hints.... While testifying, Mr. Weisselberg claimed that he 'never focused' on ... Mr. Trump's triplex apartment in Trump Tower, which is 10,996 square feet, but had been listed for years on his annual financial statements as measuring 30,000 square feet.... Shortly thereafter, Forbes magazine published an article contending that Mr. Weisselberg had lied under oath. The article cited emails and notes between [Mr. Weisselberg] and the magazine, which compiles a list of America's richest people, showed that Mr. Weisselberg 'played a key role in trying to convince Forbes over the course of several years' of the apartment's value. After that article was published, Mr. Weisselberg abruptly stopped testifying." (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race

Michael Shear of the New York Times: Sanctions President Biden imposed on four West Bank Israelis "sent a message to Arab Americans, a key part of the political coalition he needs to be re-elected, that he is serious about using the power of the United States on behalf of the Palestinians. The White House announced the sanctions just hours before Mr. Biden held a campaign event in Michigan, a critical battleground state that has a large Arab American population and has been the site of numerous protests over the war in Gaza.... Before leaving for Michigan, Mr. Biden spoke about what he called 'the trauma, the death and destruction in Israel and Gaza.' Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, he pledged to work for the release of hostages held by Hamas and the lives of Palestinians. 'Not only do we pray for peace, we are actively working for peace, security, dignity for the Israeli people and the Palestinian people,' he told the group of lawmakers and religious leaders at the event....

"On Thursday, the president [also] stopped by a Black-owned restaurant outside Detroit and met with about 100 members of the United Auto Workers, the union that had recently endorsed him. Against a backdrop with posters like 'UAW 4 JOE' and 'Unions heart Joe,' the president credited the labor movement for having the 'strongest economy in the whole damn world,' and dismissed skeptics who had predicted that 'China's going to eat our lunch. Well guess what, man? We don't taste that good.'"

Maya King of the New York Times: "South Carolina Democrats, working to turn out a show of force for President Biden in their party's primary on Saturday, would like to remind their voters that Nikki Haley is not the moderate Republican that some may believe her to be.... Palmetto State Democratic leaders have sought to paint Ms. Haley as a politician whose national ambitions led her to push for some of the most conservative policies in state history, pointing specifically to her signing a 20-week abortion ban while governor in 2016 and refusing to expand Medicaid.... For any Democrat thinking about skipping Saturday's primary and participating instead in the Republican contest three weeks later, the party's message is very clear: Don't.... The warning by Democrats is the latest sign of how the parties' divergent primary election dates have scrambled politics in the key early voting state. South Carolina's open primary system allows voters of any party to participate in either of the two primary elections."

Jonathan Lemire, et al., of Politico: "President JOE BIDEN has a reputation for salty language behind closed doors. But it nearly slipped out in public during his speech at Valley Forge last month to mark the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Animated and angry, he derided DONALD TRUMP and his followers for drawing glee from political violence. 'At his rally, he jokes about an intruder, whipped up by the Big Trump Lie, taking a hammer to Paul Pelosi's skull,' Biden said. 'And he thinks that's funny,' the president continued. 'He laughed about it. What a sick ...'... In private, he doesn't stop short. The president has described Trump to longtime friends and close aides as a 'sick fuck' who delights in others' misfortunes, according to three people.... According to one of the people who has spoken with the president, Biden recently said of Trump: 'What a fucking asshole the guy is.' The White House declined to comment."

Marie: Yesterday, I accidentally heard about 30 seconds of President Biden's speaking at the annual White House prayer breakfast. What struck me was how comfortable, gracious and generous he was in greeting various people in the room. Two Corinthians reminded me that the Orange Jesus could never be so comfortable, gracious and generous in a similar setting.

Frank Bruni of the New York Times makes the case for Trump-critic-turned-bootlicker/conspiracy-theorist Vivek Ramaswamy as Donald Trump's running mate. Not a serious column (few Bruni columns are serious), but amusing enough.


Frances Vinall of the Washington Post: "Joshua Schulte, the former Central Intelligence Agency employee who leaked a trove of classified information to WikiLeaks, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. The cache of information published by WikiLeaks, dubbed Vault 7, went online in several batches across 2017. It laid out many of the CIA's cyber capabilities and methods. The leak was the largest data breach in the history of the CIA and among the largest leaks of classified information in U.S. history, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said Thursday in a statement announcing the sentencing. It 'profoundly damaged the CIA's ability to collect foreign intelligence against America's adversaries,' put operatives in danger, damaged national security and cost the agency hundreds of millions of dollars, the prosecutors said." A CBS News story is here.

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Oregon. Claire Rush of the AP: "The Oregon Supreme Court said Thursday that 10 Republican state senators who staged a record-long walkout last year to stall bills on abortion, transgender health care and gun rights cannot run for reelection. The decision upholds the secretary of state's decision to disqualify the senators from the ballot under a voter-approved measure aimed at stopping such boycotts. Measure 113, passed by voters in 2022, amended the state constitution to bar lawmakers from reelection if they have more than 10 unexcused absences. Last year's boycott lasted six weeks -- the longest in state history -- and paralyzed the legislative session, stalling hundreds of bills." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As I've written before, there are all kinds of reasons people are barred from running for office. So I don't find barring the leader of a violent insurrection from running for president* to be out-of-line.

Texas, Florida. DeSantis Issues a States' Rights Manifesto & Sends the Guard to Texas. Lauren Sforza of the Hill: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Thursday he will be deploying members of the National Guard to 'assist' Texas at the southern border, where Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has declared an invasion amid a surge in migrant border crossings. DeSantis said he will be sending members of the Florida National Guard and members of the Florida State Guard to help Texas 'in its efforts to stop the invasion at the southern border.' The announcement stated that Florida has offered up to 1,000 of its National Guard members 'based on Texas's needs.' 'States have every right to defend their sovereignty and we are pleased to increase our support to Texas as the Lone Star State works to stop the invasion across the border,' DeSantis said in a statement. 'Our reinforcements will help Texas to add additional barriers, including razor wire along the border. We don't have a country if we don't have a border.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Texas. Stephen Vladeck in a New York Times op-ed: "... what's really happening in Texas isn't a constitutional crisis. It's a stress test for a potential constitutional crisis -- and we're all failing miserably.... Congress has been unable to pass meaningful immigration reforms for decades -- leaving the balance striking to the discretion of successive presidents. Legally, the constitutional law is quite clear: The federal government gets to set nationwide immigration policies and choose how to enforce them.... There is no serious argument that states have the authority to impede or supplant federal enforcement efforts. Federal supremacy is hard-wired into the Constitution.... All that the Supreme Court did last week was to wipe away, with no explanation, a lower-court injunction that was effectively barring federal officials from removing the razor wire that Texas had placed along the border. Nothing in the ruling stopped Texas from doing anything, so there was no way in which [Texas Gov. Greg] Abbott could 'defy' the court, even if he wanted to.... And although some prominent Democrats have urged President Biden to federalize the Texas National Guard in response, such a move would be legally dubious on its own and would serve only to escalate the political conflict." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I disagree with Vladeck, but he's an expert, and I'm not. The principal reasons for my disagreement are wingers' actions and rhetoric, which Vladeck briefly outlines.

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Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said on Thursday that he would set up a test vote next week on a measure pairing an immigration crackdown with tens of billions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine and Israel, but the package is facing a rough road with Republican resistance in both chambers. Mr. Schumer's promise came as a small group of Republican and Democratic senators rushed to finalize a plan to clamp down on migration across the U.S. border with Mexico, which Republicans had demanded be paired with any further aid to Kyiv for its war against Russian aggression. Senate leaders in both parties have called the emerging border agreement the best chance in decades to address the intractable issue of immigration, and President Biden has endorsed it. But right-wing Republicans, egged on by ... Donald J. Trump, have denounced it as too weak, prompting Speaker Mike Johnson to call it dead on arrival in the House and indicating that it may have no path through Congress. And since negotiators have yet to release the text of their agreement, it is not yet clear whether Senate Republicans will embrace or reject it. Mr. Schumer said the finished product would be public 'no later than Sunday,' to give senators enough time to examine it before an initial vote expected by Wednesday."

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israel's defense minister said the focus of its operation will turn to Rafah -- a city in the south of the Gaza that is now said to be home to almost half its population. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, renewed its plea for countries including the United States, Britain and Germany to reverse their decisions to suspend at least $440 million in funding, saying that nearly 2 million people depended on it 'for their sheer survival,' following Israeli accusations that staff members had participated in Hamas's Oct. 7 attacks.... U.S. Central Command said it had destroyed an aerial drone over the Gulf of Aden and an explosive USV, or uncrewed surface vehicle, launched by the Houthis in the Red Sea on Thursday. Earlier, the U.S. military said it destroyed Houthi targets in Yemen, including 10 drones and a 'UAV ground control center,' after identifying an 'imminent threat' against ships in the Red Sea." ~~~

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

Yasmeen Abutaleb & Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "President Biden signed an executive order on Thursday that imposes sanctions on four West Bank settlers who have committed violence against Palestinians. The order marks the most significant action Biden has taken against Israelis amid criticism over U.S. backing for Israel's war in Gaza. The executive order mirrors sanctions imposed on individuals designated as terrorists, two senior administration officials said.... It will block the settlers from accessing all U.S. property and assets or from engaging with the American financial system. The settlers will not be allowed to send money to the United States or have anyone act on their behalf, the officials said. The order also prevents any American from contributing money, goods or services to those sanctioned, the officials said.... Thursday's executive order marks the first significant action [Biden] has been willing to take against Israelis in the nearly four-month-old war." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Tucker Reals, et al., of CBS News: "... plans have been approved for a series of strikes over a number of days against targets -- including Iranian personnel and facilities -- inside Iraq and Syria. The strikes will come in response to drone and rocket attacks targeting U.S. forces in the region, including the drone attack on Sunday that killed three U.S. service members at the Tower 22 base inside Jordan, near the Syrian border.... There have been no new attacks on U.S. troop locations in the region since the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah announced Wednesday that it was suspending military operations against American forces. There was no indication from U.S. officials that the group's declared suspension was delaying the American military's retaliatory strikes.... [Defense Secretary Lloyd] Austin told reporters the U.S. was trying to 'hold the right people accountable' without escalating the conflict in the region. 'We will have a multitiered response, and ... we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on what the situation is,' Austin said."

Ukraine, et al.

Twisting Orban's Arm with Carrots and Sticks. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, et al., of the New York Times: "Some European leaders jested they'd send Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary their hotel bills for the extra nights they had to spend in Brussels to convince him to support funding for Ukraine. Others, less jokingly, relayed to him he was facing the risk of a legal suspension from E.U. proceedings. And a few offered a friendly, sympathetic ear over late-night drinks as he complained about what he sees as a European bureaucracy stacked against him out of ideological animus. By Thursday morning, just one hour into an emergency European Union summit meeting, this carefully coordinated, behind-the-scenes pressure had forced Mr. Orban to fold and agree to a landmark 50 billion euro ($54 billion) fund for Ukraine that will help the country stay afloat for the next four years, even as U.S. aid is stuck in Congress." A threat from European Council President Charles Michel & late-nite champagne with Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni figured into the offensive. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Andrew Higgins of the New York Times: "For Mr. Orban, whether to send billions of dollars to Ukraine has never been a question of immovable principle, and he folded Thursday when told that some member states were serious about isolating him, even stripping him of his vote, if he continued to block the aid. Rather, it is just one of many issues on which he has sought to establish himself as the leader of a pan-European movement in defense of national sovereignty and traditional values against what he scorns as out-of-touch urban elites." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Lede

CNBC: "Job growth posted a surprisingly strong increase in January, demonstrating again that the U.S. labor market is solid and poised to support broader economic growth. Nonfarm payrolls expanded by 353,000 for the month, much better than the Dow Jones estimate for 185,000, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The unemployment rate held at 3.7%, against the estimate for 3.8%. Wage growth also showed strength, as average hourly earnings increased 0.6%, double the monthly estimate. On a year-over-year basis, wages jumped 4.5%, well above the 4.1% forecast."

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Wednesday
Jan312024

The Conversation -- February 1, 2024

William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "Allen H. Weisselberg, a longtime lieutenant to Donald J. Trump, is negotiating a deal with Manhattan prosecutors that would require him to plead guilty to perjury, people with knowledge of the matter said. As part of the potential agreement with the Manhattan district attorney's office, Mr. Weisselberg would have to admit that he lied on the witness stand in Mr. Trump's recent civil fraud trial, the people said. Mr. Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer at Mr. Trump's family business, also would have to say that he lied under oath during in an interview with the New York attorney general's office, which brought the civil fraud case. The situation springs from a web of criminal and civil cases brought by the two agencies and would culminate a lengthy pressure campaign by the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, whose prosecutors had sought Mr. Weisselberg's cooperation as they investigated whether Mr. Trump committed electoral and financial crimes."

Daniel Boffrey of the Guardian: "Donald Trump's data protection claim for damages over allegations in the 'Steele dossier' that he took part in 'perverted' sex acts and gave bribes to Russian officials has been dismissed by a high court judge in London. Mrs Justice Steyn agreed with Orbis Business Intelligence, the company founded by the former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who compiled the contentious material, that the case should not go to trial. The ruling issued on Thursday said the court did not 'consider or determine the accuracy or inaccuracy of the memoranda' but found that Trump's claim for damages had been made outside the six-year period of 'limitations'. The court ruled that Trump 'has no reasonable grounds for bringing a claim for compensation or damages, and no real prospect of successfully obtaining such a remedy'." MB: So Trump's crack London lawyers don't know what the statue of limitations is? ~~~

     ~~~ Where Did It All Go, Donald? David Edwards of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump appears to have spent $250,000 of donor money while losing a lawsuit against Christopher Steele in London.... MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin gathered Wednesday's financial filings from Trump's Save America leadership PAC. The document indicated Trump had spent hundreds of thousands on legal fees in the U.K. The firm Level Law is on record representing Trump in the London case. Save America PAC made multiple payments to Level Law throughout August, September, and October 2023, totaling over $270,000."

Ankush Kardori interviews attorney Roberta Kaplan for Politico Magazine: Kaplan, on why the jury found for E. Jean Carroll: Donald Trump's "misbehavior at the deposition in Carroll ... combined with how he acted in the trial -- which was speaking under his breath, shaking his head, getting up ... about eight or nine minutes into my closing argument.... The single most important thing that convicted Donald Trump -- both from his deposition and from the trial --- is Donald Trump's own behavior.... He basically said about the Access Hollywood tape, 'Unfortunately, or fortunately, stars have been able to get away with that for millions of years.'... When he left during [my closing] -- I didn't see it happen because I was facing the other way -- but when Judge Kaplan announced that he'd left the courtroom, I thought to myself, 'Okay, that's another $10 million.'... That Trump was misbehaving throughout the trial, like an 8-year-old having a temper tantrum, was a very important thing for people to understand."

Oregon. Claire Rush of the AP: "The Oregon Supreme Court said Thursday that 10 Republican state senators who staged a record-long walkout last year to stall bills on abortion, transgender health care and gun rights cannot run for reelection. The decision upholds the secretary of state's decision to disqualify the senators from the ballot under a voter-approved measure aimed at stopping such boycotts. Measure 113, passed by voters in 2022, amended the state constitution to bar lawmakers from reelection if they have more than 10 unexcused absences. Last year's boycott lasted six weeks -- the longest in state history -- and paralyzed the legislative session, stalling hundreds of bills." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As I've written before, there are all kinds of reasons people are barred from running for office. So I don't find barring the leader of a violent insurrection from running for president* to be out-of-line.

DeSantis Issues a States' Rights Manifesto & Sends the Guard to Texas. Lauren Sforza of the Hill: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Thursday he will be deploying members of the National Guard to 'assist' Texas at the southern border, where Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has declared an invasion amid a surge in migrant border crossings. DeSantis said he will be sending members of the Florida National Guard and members of the Florida State Guard to help Texas 'in its efforts to stop the invasion at the southern border.' The announcement stated that Florida has offered up to 1,000 of its National Guard members 'based on Texas's needs.' 'States have every right to defend their sovereignty and we are pleased to increase our support to Texas as the Lone Star State works to stop the invasion across the border,' DeSantis said in a statement. 'Our reinforcements will help Texas to add additional barriers, including razor wire along the border. We don't have a country if we don't have a border.'"

Yasmeen Abutaleb & Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "President Biden signed an executive order on Thursday that imposes sanctions on four West Bank settlers who have committed violence against Palestinians. The order marks the most significant action Biden has taken against Israelis amid criticism over U.S. backing for Israel's war in Gaza. The executive order mirrors sanctions imposed on individuals designated as terrorists, two senior administration officials said on a call with reporters Thursday. It will block the settlers from accessing all U.S. property and assets or from engaging with the American financial system. The settlers will not be allowed to send money to the United States or have anyone act on their behalf, the officials said. The order also prevents any American from contributing money, goods or services to those sanctioned, the officials said.... Thursday's executive order marks the first significant action [Biden] has been willing to take against Israelis in the nearly four-month-old war." The AP's report is here.

Twisting Orban's Arm with Carrots and Sticks. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, et al., of the New York Times: “Some European leaders jested they’d send Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary their hotel bills for the extra nights they had to spend in Brussels to convince him to support funding for Ukraine. Others, less jokingly, relayed to him he was facing the risk of a legal suspension from E.U. proceedings. And a few offered a friendly, sympathetic ear over late-night drinks as he complained about what he sees as a European bureaucracy stacked against him out of ideological animus. By Thursday morning, just one hour into an emergency European Union summit meeting, this carefully coordinated, behind-the-scenes pressure had forced Mr. Orban to fold and agree to a landmark 50 billion euro ($54 billion) fund for Ukraine that will help the country stay afloat for the next four years, even as U.S. aid is stuck in Congress." A threat from European Council President Charles Michel & late-nite champagne with Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni figured into the offensive. ~~~

~~~ Andrew Higgins of the New York Times: "For Mr. Orban, whether to send billions of dollars to Ukraine has never been a question of immovable principle, and he folded Thursday when told that some member states were serious about isolating him, even stripping him of his vote, if he continued to block the aid. Rather, it is just one of many issues on which he has sought to establish himself as the leader of a pan-European movement in defense of national sovereignty and traditional values against what he scorns as out-of-touch urban elites."

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Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Federal Reserve officials held interest rates at their highest level in more than two decades at their first meeting of 2024 and hinted that their next move will be to lower borrowing costs.... Jerome H. Powell, the Fed's chair, said that the country had 'six good months' of moderating inflation, but officials wanted to see continued progress before lowering rates. 'We believe that our policy rate is likely at its peak for this tightening cycle, and that if the economy evolves broadly as expected, it will likely be appropriate to begin dialing back policy restraint at some point this year,' Mr. Powell said. He added that when it comes to gaining enough confidence to move borrowing costs lower, 'we want to see more good data.'" ~~~

~~~ Chris Hayes on the booming Biden economy:

Maxine Joselow of the Washington Post: "President Biden will tap senior adviser John D. Podesta to replace outgoing U.S. special climate envoy John F. Kerry once Kerry steps down this spring.... Podesta, now a senior adviser on clean energy and a veteran Democratic strategist, will remain at the White House rather than move to the State Department in his new role.... His new title will be senior adviser to the president for international climate policy. Podesta now oversees implementation of Biden's signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act." NPR's story is here.

Cate Cadell & Joseph Menn of the Washington Post: "FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said Wednesday that the bureau had disrupted a major Chinese government-backed effort to hack into U.S. water, communications, transportation and energy facilities that could enable it to shut down essential services and foment chaos in the event of a conflict. Wray testified in a House committee hearing that the FBI used court-authorized operations to wrest control of hundreds of routers that the Chinese group known as Volt Typhoon had been using as springboards to get inside sensitive infrastructure. Wray also urged lawmakers to support investments in U.S. cyberdefense, warning that China's hacking force far outnumbered America's." An AP story is here.

Kayla Guo of the New York Times: "The House gave broad bipartisan approval on Wednesday to a $78 billion bill that would expand the child tax credit and restore a set of corporate tax breaks, a rare feat in an election year by a Congress that has labored to legislate.... It would also bolster the low-income housing tax credit and extend tax benefits to disaster victims and Taiwanese companies and individuals.... The bill passed 357 to 70, with mainstream lawmakers in both parties driving the House's first major bipartisan bill of the year to passage. Forty-seven Republicans and 23 Democrats voted against the bill.... [The bill] faces resistance from Senate Republicans..., [who] previously voted in favor of the same provision in previous bills." Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Gosh, why would Senate Republicans oppose legislation they had previously supported? ~~~

     ~~~ Here's Why. Sahil Kapur & Megan Lebowitz of NBC News: "Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, cast doubt Wednesday on passing a bipartisan tax bill, saying it could make President Joe Biden 'look good' and improve Democrats' chances of holding the White House in the 2024 election.... 'Passing a tax bill that makes the president look good -- mailing out checks before the election -- means he could be re-elected, and then we won't extend the 2017 tax cuts,' Grassley told reporter. The bill does not include checks for Americans; what it includes is a tax credit."

Cecilia Kang & David McCabe of the New York Times: "Lawmakers on Wednesday denounced the chief executives of Meta, TikTok, X, Snap and Discord, accusing them of creating 'a crisis in America' by willfully ignoring the harmful content against children on their platforms, as concerns over the effect of technology on youths have mushroomed. In a highly charged 3.5-hour hearing, members of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee raised their voices and repeatedly castigated the five tech leaders -- who run online services that are very popular with teenagers and younger children -- for prioritizing profits over the well-being of youths.... The tech chiefs, some of whom showed up after being forced by subpoena, said they had invested billions to strengthen safety measures on their platforms.... The issue has united Republicans and Democrats, with lawmakers pushing for a crackdown on how Silicon Valley companies treat their youngest and most vulnerable users." ~~~

~~~ But You Look Chinese. AND Sen. Tom Cotton (R[acist]-Ark.) repeatedly embarrassed himself by asking "TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has ties to the Chinese Communist party, forcing Chew to remind Cotton over and over again that he's not Chinese.... 'Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party?' Cotton asked. A visibly frustrated Chew responded firmly: 'Senator, I'm Singaporean. No.'... 'Are you a citizen of any other nation?' Cotton asked. 'Have you ever applied for Chinese citizenship?' Chew once again replied no to both questions.... Cotton then repeatedly grilled Chew on Chinese geopolitics, including China's treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group and whether he thought Chinese President Xi Jinping was a dictator. Chew said he was there to talk about TikTok." MB: Singapore is an island nation. "Neither China nor Singapore allow dual citizenship." Cotton holds two Harvard degrees.

Presidential Race

Meredith McGraw & Jessica Piper of Politico: "Donald Trump's political operation spent millions more than it took in over the past year due, in part, to massive legal costs incurred by the former president.... The expenditures provide a stark illustration of how Trump's courtroom issues have not just defined his campaign but begun to overwhelm it. In total, the former president spent roughly $50 million in donor funds on legal expenses over the course of 2023. All told his web of committees, in aggregate, spent roughly $210 million during the 2023 calendar year while raising a bit shy of $200 million over the same period, a Politico analysis of campaign finance filings found. The political operation still entered 2024 with a surplus due to strong fundraising in prior years."

I'd vote for a cardboard cutout before I'd vote for Donald Trump.... He doesn't have a character flaw; he doesn't have a character at all. -- John Bolton, on MSNBC today ~~~

~~~ ** "The Room Where It Happened." Jamie Frevell of Mediaite: "During an appearance on CNN's The Source with Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday, John Bolton, who served as Trump's National Security Advisor from 2018 to 2019, told anchor Kaitlan Collins that while his former boss gloats about his personal relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, 'they think he's a laughing fool and they're fully prepared to take advantage of him' if he was elected to a second term." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. Worth reading the post in its entirety. You'll probably find yourself nodding along, as Akhilleus did: "Yeah, pretty much what we all thought." (Also linked yesterday.)

Fox Stars Warn Taylor Swift to Stay Out of Politics. Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "Taylor Swift has not uttered a word about the 2024 presidential election. But the mere prospect that the pop superstar could endorse President Biden has sent conservatives on Fox News into conniptions. 'Why would someone as popular as she is alienate your fans, the Swifties?' Jeanine Pirro said ... before addressing the singer directly. 'So don't get involved! Don't get involved in politics! We don't want to see you there!'... And Sean Hannity, using his prime time soapbox on Tuesday evening, suggested that Democrats were leading Ms. Swift astray. 'Does Taylor realize the guy that they want her to endorse is a kind of stumbling, bumbling mess?' he asked. 'Maybe,' Mr. Hannity added, 'she wants to think twice before making a decision about 2024.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You know, Pirro & Hannity sound a lot like goombahs. We'll see if Taylor Swift cowers under their threats.

Haley: States Have a Right to Secede. Nicholas Kerr, et al., of ABC News: "Texas has the right to secede from the U.S. if its citizens decide to do so, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley argued on Wednesday -- a controversial view that contradicts centuries of established history and precedent. Similar secession efforts infamously led to the Civil War. But 'if Texas decides they want to do that, they can do that,' Haley said in an interview with the radio show 'The Breakfast Club.' 'If that whole state says, "We don't want to be part of America anymore," I mean, that's their decision to make,' Haley said, though she also noted, 'Let's talk about what's reality. Texas isn't going to secede.' Asked if she still believes that states generally have the right to secede, a sentiment she expressed on camera during her initial run for governor of South Carolina, Haley said that 'states have the right to make the decisions that their people want to make.' 'I believe in state's rights, I believe that everything should be as close to the people to decide,' she said." MB: On the up side, under a Haley administration, secession would not lead to civil war.


Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump took questions from reporters on Wednesday ... in Washington, DC.... 'Do you plan to try to use campaign funds or PAC money to try to pay some of the penalties ... you incurred ... in the New York defamation and fraud cases?'... 'What penalties?' Trump asked. 'In the New York fraud case, the defamation case,' answered the reporter. 'I didn't do anything wrong. I mean, that's been proven as far as I'm concerned. And actually, we won in the Court of Appeals. You probably saw that that case has been largely won in the Court of Appeals. That was a political case coordinated with the White House by the attorney general, I assume is what you're talking about,' Trump said of his civil fraud case, where he has already been found liable. 'And we won that case largely in the Court of Appeals,' Trump added, despite the case awaiting a verdict. The reporter then pressed him to answer regarding the E. Jean Carroll defamation cases, in which separate juries have ordered him to pay Carroll $88.3 million. 'That's a ridiculous case,' Trump shot back." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump lives in his own little world, where he is always the winner. I think he's crazy. ~~~

~~~ Maggie Haberman of the New York Times tells CNN's Kaitlan Collins that Donald Trump will have to pay the $83 million judgment in favor of E. Jean Carroll out of his own pocket; i.e., he cannot use campaign funds to pay off Carroll in the defamation case.


Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "An anticipated hearing over allegations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) engaged in an improper personal relationship with the lead prosecutor [Nathan Wade] in the election-interference case against ... Donald Trump is beginning to take shape, with subpoenas issued seeking the sworn testimony of Willis and others in a proceeding that is likely to determine whether the case proceeds.... In addition to Willis and Wade, [Ashleigh Merchant, an attorney for defendant Mike Roman,] has issued subpoenas to several employees of the district attorney's office.... Other subpoenas were issued to Wade's current and former law partners ... and to ... a longtime Willis associate who previously worked at the district attorney's office." Merchant also has subpoenaed travel agency & financial records. An ABC News story is here. MB: And it's all going to be on the teevee!

Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: "A Queens man who tackled a police officer and pushed him over a ledge during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced this week to six and a half years in prison.... The man, Ralph Joseph Celentano III, 56, of Broad Channel, was sentenced on Tuesday, according to court records. A jury convicted him last June on two felony counts -- assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer, and interference with officers during a civil disorder -- and several misdemeanor counts, court records show."

Marie: Tuesday night, Alex Wagner said everybody loves football. She shoulda asked me: ~~~

~~~ Will Hobson of the Washington Post: "Finalized in 2015, the NFL concussion settlement resolved the most serious threat America's most popular and lucrative sports league has faced. While the NFL admitted no wrongdoing, it promised to pay every former player who developed dementia or several brain diseases linked to concussions.... In seven years since the settlement opened, the NFL has paid out nearly $1.2 billion to more than 1,600 former players and their families -- far more than experts predicted during settlement negotiations.... But ... the settlement routinely fails to deliver money and medical care to former players suffering from dementia and CTE, a Washington Post investigation found, saving the NFL hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more....

"The settlement's definition for dementia requires more impairment than the standard definition used in the United States.... At least 14 players have ... failed to qualify for settlement money or medical care and then died, only to have CTE confirmed via autopsy.... In more than 70 cases reviewed by The Post, players were diagnosed with dementia by board-certified doctors, only to see their claims denied by the administrative law firm that oversees the settlement.... In total, court records show, the settlement has approved about 900 dementia claims since it opened in 2017. It has denied nearly 1,100, including almost 300 involving players who were diagnosed by the settlement's own doctors." (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: This demented right-wing fellow murdered his father and cut off his head: ~~~

~~~ Claire Moses & Orlando Mayorquin of the New York Times: "A man who posted a graphic video on YouTube in which he claimed to be holding his father's severed head was charged with murder and abuse of a corpse early Wednesday after his father's body was found in a Pennsylvania home, the police said. Lt. Stephen Forman, a detective with the Middletown Township Police Department, said the man, Justin Mohn, was arrested Tuesday night. The police also confirmed that it was Mr. Mohn in the YouTube video, in which he promoted conspiratorial and anti-government views and briefly showed what he claimed was his father's head wrapped in plastic.

"The video, which has since been removed, appeared to have been filmed during the daytime and was online for about five hours, Lieutenant Forman said. He added that it had received just over 5,000 views.... On Wednesday morning, YouTube confirmed it had taken down the video because it violated the company's graphic violence policy. It also terminated Mr. Mohn's channel for violating its violent extremism policies. YouTube said it was monitoring for any re-uploads of the video to prevent it from resurfacing.... A YouTube spokeswoman did not answer questions about why it took that long for the video to be removed." (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

     ~~~ Zenebou Sylla, et al., of CNN: "During [his] online tirade, Mohn describes his father as a federal worker and rails against the Biden administration and the border crisis while declaring himself the new acting US president under martial law.... 'America is rotting from the inside out as far left, woke mobs rampage our once prosperous cities,' he says in the video.... 'Some of the things that he has said on the video -- allegedly referring to woke mobs and things like that -- that's not dissimilar from rhetoric that you hear from some politicians that we've heard recently in the primary season,' [former FBI Deputy Director Andrew] McCabe said. 'So this kind of language has an effect on the ... most vulnerable, most potentially dangerous part of our population. And I think it's something that most security officials are really concerned about.'... After fleeing the home, Mohn drove more than 100 miles, then broke into a Pennsylvania National Guard base with a gun, state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs spokesperson Angela Watson told CNN." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mack Lamoureux & Tess Owen of Vice: "Mohn, who appeared to be reading from a script, delivered a conspiracy-laden speech that would not be out of place on widely-watched, far-right broadcasts.... 'America is rotting from the inside, as far-left woke mobs ravage our once prosperous country.' He ranted about 'the globalist, communist takeover of America' and 'bribed members of the deep state.' He went on against 'fifth column' groups, which he said includes undocumented immigrants, the LGBTQ community, Black Lives Matter and antifa, who are working in concert with the 'traitorous' federal government to destroy the U.S."

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Florida. Zach Schonfeld & Jared Gans of the Hill: "A federal judge on Wednesday tossed Disney's lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) that accused him and other officials of unconstitutionally retaliating against the company for political reasons. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, an appointee of former President Trump, ruled Disney lacked legal standing to sue DeSantis and that the company's free speech claims also failed on the merits. The ruling hands a major win to DeSantis in his escalating legal fight with the entertainment conglomerate.... In the aftermath of Disney's criticism [of DeSantis' 'Don't Say Gay' bill], Florida legislators moved to revoke a special status that the company has had giving it some self-governing power for the 25,000-acre district surrounding its theme parks. DeSantis signed that legislation dissolving the district, known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, last February, creating a new board." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times report, by Brooks Barnes, is here: "Disney said it planned to appeal the ruling."

     ~~~ Marie: I'm wondering if Winsor is friends with Aileen Cannon. Saying Disney doesn't have standing to sue here is like saying that if a guy comes in and takes over your house, you don't have standing to sue him. There may be other aspects of the case that lack merit, but standing doesn't seem like one to me.

Texas. Marie: This Colbert monologue is a day old, but I thought it was too good not to share. If you don't have time to watch the whole thing, start at about 4:54 minutes in and stay tuned till 7:10 minutes in. BTW, I checked out the Andrew Jackson citation, and it's accurate (WashPo link). ~~~

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Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "The head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, said the country is 'not looking for war, but we are not afraid of it either,' after an attack by a militia supporting Iran killed three U.S. service members in Jordan. President Biden said Iran was responsible for supplying weapons for the attack, while Iran has denied involvement. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said a U.S. response 'won't just be a one-off.'... U.S. Central Command said it conducted strikes early Thursday against a Houthi drone station in Yemen and 10 drones. Centcom also said that a U.S. warship shot down a missile and three drones launched from rebel-controlled areas toward the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday night."

Ukraine, et al. Emily Rauhala of the Washington Post: "E.U. leaders on Thursday agreed to more than $50 billion in aid for Ukraine..., overcoming months of opposition from Hungary to secure critical funding as battlefield progress stalls and support from the United States looks uncertain. In emergency meetings in Brussels, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has spent months railing against the aid, finally agreed to sign on. The agreement is a win for E.U. leaders who have increasingly struggled to work with Orban on key issues, particularly Russia's war in Ukraine, and it is good news for Ukraine, which is running desperately short of both ammunition and cash." ~~~

~~~ Washington Post Editors: "... the E.U.'s consensus-based process enables Mr. Orban to serve Russian President Vladimir Putin, who would like nothing better than to paralyze the European Union as he seeks to destroy Ukraine.... After a landslide election victory in 2010, he neutered the constitutional court and drafted a new constitution that reflected a collectivist, nationalist worldview.... Mr. Orban nationalized much of the economy, undercut free and fair elections and human rights, and enabled allies to take over most of the national media. His rhetoric bristles with hostility to immigrants, LGBTQ+ people and the European Union. There is no E.U. mechanism to suspend or expel a member, but the bloc can withhold funds and suspend voting rights.... Continued financial pressure is critical to deliver the message that a member cannot corrode the bloc's values.... The E.U. [should make itself] less vulnerable to Orban-like manipulation, reforming voting rules so that fewer decisions require unanimity. Majority or supermajority rule would suit a bloc devoted to democracy and curb the likes of Mr. Orban from destroying from within one of the West's most successful institutions."

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