The Conversation -- December 31, 2024

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Former President Jimmy Carter's state funeral at Washington National Cathedral will be held on Jan. 9, featuring a eulogy by President Biden and culminating more than a week of ceremonies and honors, organizers said on Monday. Mr. Biden also ordered the federal government to close on Jan. 9 and declared it a national day of mourning. Because of the New Year's holiday, the eight-day plan that organizers had long envisioned for Mr. Carter's memorial services will not kick off until later this week. The former president will be brought to Atlanta by motorcade and lie in repose on Saturday and Sunday at the Carter Center, which was the home of his post-presidential humanitarian work.... Mr. Carter ... will then be flown on Monday, Jan. 6, to Washington. He will lie in state at the Capitol." The NBC News report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ Marie: It may not be a fortunate accident that President Carter died just before Donald Trump assumed the presidency*.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale thought he would still be around to speak at the funeral for Jimmy Carter, who was a little more than three years his senior. But even though Mr. Mondale died first, in 2021, he left behind the eulogy he planned to deliver, which will be read at Mr. Carters memorial service at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 9 by his son Ted Mondale. Former President Gerald R. Ford, who died in 2006, likewise left a eulogy that will be read by his son, Steven Ford. In the tribute he left behind, Mr. Mondale hailed Mr. Carter especially for making human rights the centerpiece of his foreign policy, for promoting environmental measures long before the term climate change became widely known and for placing more women in high office than any of his predecessors -- including an appeals court judge named Ruth Bader Ginsburg." (Also linked yesterday.)

In today's world, some may look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era -- with honesty and character, faith and humility.... But I don't believe it's a bygone era. I see a man not only of our times, but for all times. Someone who embodies the most fundamental human values we can never let slip away.... We may never see his like again. But we would all do well to try to be a little more like Jimmy Carter. -- President Biden, to reporters in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. ~~~

~~~ Matt Viser & Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post: "It was half a century ago when Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter met in Atlanta.... Biden was in town to deliver a speech, and Carter -- then the governor of Georgia -- invited Biden to stay at his home.... '... He actually asked my advice about running a long-shot campaign [for president]. Biden would ultimately be the first sitting U.S. senator to endorse Carter, quickly becoming perhaps his most important political ally at a time when many saw Carter's presidential ambitions as a joke. The young senator was the first major political figure outside of Georgia to back Carter, and he would campaign for him in 30 states during the 1976 election. It was the start of a decades-long friendship and political partnership, in which the two men clearly saw something of themselves in each other." (Also linked yesterday.)

Joseph Gedeon of the Guardian: "Joe Biden said Donald Trump should learn 'decency' from Jimmy Carter's legacy, in remarks delivered hours after the former president's death on Sunday.... Speaking to reporters during a family vacation in the US Virgin Islands, the outgoing US president drew sharp contrasts between Carter's character and that of his predecessor Trump, who is set to begin a second term in January. When asked if there was anything Trump could learn from Carter, Biden replied: 'Decency. Decency. Decency.'... The outgoing president spoke for nine minutes about Carter, describing him as a humanitarian, a personal friend and a 'remarkable leader'. He emphasized how Carter's values reflected on America's global standing, noting that 'the rest of the world looks to us. And he was worth looking to.'" You can hear President Biden's remarks in this YouTube video.

Paul Krugman on President Carter's bad luck. Also see Ken W.'s commentary, about the 8th post in today's thread. (Also linked yesterday.)

AP: "President Joe Biden's administration said Monday it is taking steps to bar oil, gas and geothermal development for 20 years in northeastern Nevada's Ruby Mountains. The administration said it has submitted an application to withdraw about 264,000 acres (107,000 hectares) of federal lands in the area from such leasing. That starts a 90-day public comment period on the 20-year prohibition and prevents oil, gas and geothermal development for two years during the process. The lands would remain open to mining."

Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "The United States is sending nearly $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, as the Biden administration continues to rush military aid to Kyiv in the weeks before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office. The aid will include air defense, artillery and other critical weapons systems, President Biden said in a statement on Monday morning." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ana Swanson & David Sanger of the New York Times: "One of China's intelligence agencies hacked the U.S. Treasury Department, gaining access to the workstations of government employees and unclassified documents, the Biden administration said on Monday, the latest in a series of embarrassing surveillance operations against major American institutions.... Senior officials with access to the intelligence on the breach said that it appeared to be entirely an espionage operation and not part of other Chinese efforts to insert malicious computer code into utility grids and water supply systems.... Top Chinese officials have a deep interest in the activities of the Treasury Department, which oversees sensitive data about global financial systems ==-- and estimates of China's own troubled economy. The department also implements sanctions against Chinese firms, including, in recent times, those aiding Russia in the war against Ukraine." CNN's report is here.

House Guest or Tenant? Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "For most of the time since Election Day..., [Elon] Musk has been using one of the cottages available for rent on Mr. Trump's property at Mar-a-Lago.... Staying right on the grounds has helped provide Mr. Musk with easy access to Mr. Trump.... The cottage ... historically has rented for at least $2,000 a night.... Mr. Musk's employees from his various businesses have also been integrally involved in the transition, vetting prospective candidates for senior administration jobs, in interviews at the Trump transition headquarters in West Palm Beach." It isn't known whether or not Trump will charge Musk rent.

Digby in Salon: "Elon Musk [has been winning] internecine GOP brawl[s] and proved that he has the next president of the United States firmly under his thumb. Trump seems to be dazzled by him and his tech-bro billionaire buds in the same way he's dazzled by Vladimir Putin. Having the richest man in the world be his friend is more meaningful to him than being president again. I think we've all been thinking that Trump was going to get jealous and kick Musk to the curb sooner rather than later. But that's no sure thing. He's lost more than a step. He's four years older than when he left the White House and he's bored with the details of the presidency. From what we're seeing, he's ready to let his bff do whatever he wants and it's becoming clear to the MAGA activists who've worshipped him that it's not going to be Musk who's kicked to the curb -- it's going to be them." A fun read. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There's a good chance Digby is right. After all, Trump has more in common with billionaires than he does with MAGA believers. It's true he shares the hoi polloi's ignorance, discontent, and lifetime of failure & disappointment. But because of luck, he shares economic interests with billionaires. Since he doesn't have to worry about re-election (unless he decides to run again), the mob has lost much of its utility. It's true that the madding crowd could still help Trump maintain some control over Congress, but billionaires and their campaign contributions are mighty good at that, too. AND, despite Trump's fundraising talents, it seems more likely that he himself will benefit financially far more from alliances with billionaires than from the loyalty of MAGA adherent. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, and here's something I learned from Digby. I thought it was odd that in his pining tweet to Musk, Trump wrote, "We miss you and x!" Trump has his very own failing social media platform (which ripped off Twitter); why would he miss "x"? Turns out Musk has a child named X (full given name, "X Æ A-Xii"), and the child has been visiting Mar-a-Lardo with Elon. ~~~

~~~ AND Adam Lashinsky in a Washington Post op-ed: "... the fight over the visas is the shape of scrapes to come. Trump's new tech backers harbor decidedly different -- and much more establishment-minded -- instincts about trade, tariffs and foreign policy than the folks between the coasts who gave Trump his start. The fissure between these two branches of Trump's coalition is only likely to grow. But there is little doubt about which side will win.... Self-interest is a foundational ethos in Silicon Valley, a place where boys who read science fiction in their bedrooms and then Ayn Rand in their college dorms grew up to be today's Masters of the Universe. For years, the tech crowd tried its best to ignore Washington, barely acknowledging that their industry was built on government contracts...." Lashinsky seems to believe that the tech bros will be the winners (although he really does not make this clear, IMO). ~~~

~~~ BUT. Andrew Prokop of Vox writes that the real feud between Elon Musk & MAGA over H-1B visa is between Musk & "someone with far more power, influence, and bureaucratic savvy: Stephen Miller.... And the biggest problem for Musk and his tech allies is that, if they want H-1B expansion, they'd have to go through Miller, a formidable opponent.... Trump may say things, but it's Miller who turns those things into policy, and who knows how to slow-walk or squelch proposals he dislikes.... Finally, there's yet another twist to this messy saga -- shortly before this dispute began last week, Trump announced he'd chosen a new appointee to join Musk and Ramaswamy at DOGE. Her name? Katie Miller -- Stephen's wife. 'Congratulations to Stephen and Katie!' Trump posted."

Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump endorsed Mike Johnson for another term as House speaker on Monday, roughly two weeks after Mr. Trump helped put Mr. Johnson&'s chances in jeopardy by sinking a bipartisan spending bill that the speaker had negotiated to avert a government shutdown. The announcement from Mr. Trump on his website, Truth Social, ended days of private discussions by the president-elect and his allies about whether to try to save Mr. Johnson or find another option, as some conservatives have been agitating for. The House is set to choose a speaker on Friday, just three days before Mr. Trump's Electoral College victory is certified by a joint session of Congress, and Mr. Johnson needs to cobble together a majority to keep the job." The AP story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Hailey Fuchs of Politico: "The House Ethics Committee closed investigations into at least four members Monday for violating campaign finance rules. The investigations involved Reps. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), Wesley Hunt (R-Tex.), Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.), Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) and 'other confidential matters that have been under review.' The committee declined to disclose further details on those cases."

Perry Stein & Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "A federal appeals court Monday upheld a $5 million New York civil trial jury verdict that found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in Manhattan said that Trump did not demonstrate that the district court 'erred in any of the challenged rulings.'... In response to the appeals court's ruling, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement that the decision would be appealed and that the case should be dismissed." The AP report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "Matthew M. Graves, the top federal prosecutor for the District [of Columbia], announced Monday that he was resigning his post as U.S. attorney days before ... Donald Trump takes office. Graves led what the Justice Department has called the largest investigation it has ever conducted: prosecuting those who participated in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But Trump has promised to pardon many of the rioters, undoing much of Graves's work.... Nearly 1,600 people have been charged in the Capitol riot, and more than 1,250 have been convicted.... More than 170 Jan. 6 defendants took their cases to trial, and federal prosecutors have won 99 percent of those."

A Story to Frighten Urban Americans. Geoffrey Fowler of the Washington Post: "Living in [San Francisco]..., I have lately found myself in a game of chicken with cars driven by nothing but artificial intelligence. Waymo robot taxis, owned by the same company as Google, are everywhere in San Francisco -- and they will soon be driving themselves in six U.S. cities. During rush hour each weekday, easily two or three dozen of the white SUVs, loaded up with cameras and spinning sensors, pass by a street near my house.... When I try to cross my street at a marked crosswalk, the Waymo robotaxis often wouldn't yield to me.... Using my phone..., I documented more than a dozen Waymo cars failing to yield in the span of a week.... At my crosswalk, which is not protected by a stop sign, the Waymo would yield for me about 3 out of 10 times."

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North Dakota. Alexandra Petri of the New York Times: "The son of Senator Kevin Cramer, Republican of North Dakota, was sentenced to 28 years in prison on Monday in connection with a high-speed car chase that ended with a crash that killed a sheriff's deputy last year. Ian Cramer, 43, led the police on a highway pursuit on Dec. 6, 2023, after speeding away from a hospital in Bismarck, N.D., where his mother had tried to take him that day because he was experiencing a mental health crisis, the authorities said. The authorities were able to locate Ian Cramer in Hazen, N.D., roughly 70 miles away in Mercer County and pursued him for about five miles until he crashed into an unoccupied sheriff's patrol car that was parked on the side of a highway. The impact killed Paul Martin, 53, a Mercer County sheriff's deputy who was standing behind the car when it was struck."

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South Korea. Qasim Nauman & Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times: "A court in South Korea cleared the way for officials to detain President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning on Tuesday, as the authorities investigated whether his declaration of martial law this month, which plunged the country into political crisis, amounted to an insurrection. The court order stops short of a formal arrest warrant. The warrant issued on Tuesday only allowed investigators to detain him for questioning for a limited period of time; they need a separate warrant from a court to formally arrest him.... Mr. Yoon planned to ask the Constitutional Court, which is hearing his impeachment trial, to reject the validity of the detention warrant and would seek an injunction against it, said his lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Linda Lavin, the Tony Award-winning Broadway actress who was best known for starring as a waitress and single mom on the long-running sitcom 'Alice,' died on Sunday in Los Angeles. She was 87."

Washington Post: "Charles Dolan, a soft-spoken media mogul who founded HBO and amassed a multibillion-dollar fortune through Cablevision, the small suburban cable company that he grew into a colossus of New York sports and entertainment, died Dec. 28. He was 98."

The Conversation -- December 30, 2024

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Former President Jimmy Carter's state funeral at Washington National Cathedral will be held on Jan. 9, featuring a eulogy by President Biden and culminating more than a week of ceremonies and honors, organizers said on Monday. Mr. Biden also ordered the federal government to close on Jan. 9 and declared it a national day of mourning. Because of the New Year's holiday, the eight-day plan that organizers had long envisioned for Mr. Carter's memorial services will not kick off until later this week. The former president will be brought to Atlanta by motorcade and lie in repose on Saturday and Sunday at the Carter Center, which was the home of his post-presidential humanitarian work.... Mr. Carter ... will then be flown on Monday, Jan. 6, to Washington. He will lie in state at the Capitol." The NBC News report is here.

     ~~~ Marie: It may not be a fortunate accident that President Carter died just before Donald Trump assumed the presidency*.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale thought he would still be around to speak at the funeral for Jimmy Carter, who was a little more than three years his senior. But even though Mr. Mondale died first, in 2021, he left behind the eulogy he planned to deliver, which will be read at Mr. Carter's memorial service at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 9 by his son Ted Mondale. Former President Gerald R. Ford, who died in 2006, likewise left a eulogy that will be read by his son, Steven Ford. In the tribute he left behind, Mr. Mondale hailed Mr. Carter especially for making human rights the centerpiece of his foreign policy, for promoting environmental measures long before the term climate change became widely known and for placing more women in high office than any of his predecessors -- including an appeals court judge named Ruth Bader Ginsburg."

In today's world, some may look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era -- with honesty and character, faith and humility.... But I don't believe it's a bygone era. I see a man not only of our times, but for all times. Someone who embodies the most fundamental human values we can never let slip away.... We may never see his like again. But we would all do well to try to be a little more like Jimmy Carter. -- President Biden, to reporters in St. Croix, Virgin Islands ~~~

~~~ Matt Viser & Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post: "It was half a century ago when Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter met in Atlanta.... Biden was in town to deliver a speech, and Carter -- then the governor of Georgia -- invited Biden to stay at his home.... '... He actually asked my advice about running a long-shot campaign [for president]. Biden would ultimately be the first sitting U.S. senator to endorse Carter, quickly becoming perhaps his most important political ally at a time when many saw Carter's presidential ambitions as a joke. The young senator was the first major political figure outside of Georgia to back Carter, and he would campaign for him in 30 states during the 1976 election. It was the start of a decades-long friendship and political partnership, in which the two men clearly saw something of themselves in each other."

Paul Krugman on President Carter's bad luck. Also see Ken W.'s commentary, about the 8th post in today's thread.

Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "The United States is sending nearly $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, as the Biden administration continues to rush military aid to Kyiv in the weeks before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office. The aid will include air defense, artillery and other critical weapons systems, President Biden said in a statement on Monday morning."

Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump endorsed Mike Johnson for another term as House speaker on Monday, roughly two weeks after Mr. Trump helped put Mr. Johnson's chances in jeopardy by sinking a bipartisan spending bill that the speaker had negotiated to avert a government shutdown. The announcement from Mr. Trump on his website, Truth Social, ended days of private discussions by the president-elect and his allies about whether to try to save Mr. Johnson or find another option, as some conservatives have been agitating for. The House is set to choose a speaker on Friday, just three days before Mr. Trump's Electoral College victory is certified by a joint session of Congress, and Mr. Johnson needs to cobble together a majority to keep the job." The AP story is here.

Perry Stein & Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "A federal appeals court Monday upheld a $5 million New York civil trial jury verdict that found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in Manhattan said that Trump did not demonstrate that the district court 'erred in any of the challenged rulings.'... In response to the appeals court's ruling, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement that the decision would be appealed and that the case should be dismissed." The AP report is here.

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President Jimmy Carter Dies at 100

Washington Post: "Jimmy Carter, a no-frills and steel-willed Southern governor who was elected president in 1976, was rejected by disillusioned voters after a single term and went on to an extraordinary post-presidential life that included winning the Nobel Peace Prize, died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia, according to his son James E. Carter III, known as Chip. He was 100 and the oldest living U.S. president of all time." (Also linked yesterday.) The AP report is here.

President Carter's New York Times obituary is here.

The New York Times is live-updating news related to President Carter's life & death. (Also linked yesterday.)

The Carter Center's announcement of President Carter's death is here.

Kyle Melnick of the Washington Post: "Former president Jimmy Carter's death Sunday prompted condolences and praise from current and former leaders in the United States and across the world. Many of them complimented Carter's human rights activism, conflict-resolution work and kindness from his presidency and the following decades." An ABC News story is here.

President Biden made a proclamation announcing the death of President Carter and ordering federal government officials to pay tribute & honor to him by flying the American flag at half-staff over their facilities for 30 days. He also proclaimed January 9 as a National Day of Mourning.

Here is the statement by President Joe Biden & Dr. Jill Biden on President Carter's passing. Via the White House.

Here is the statement from Vice President Kamala Harris regarding President Carter's passing, via the White House.

President Barack Obama's statement is here.

Elvia Limon of the Hill cites Donald Trump's remarks. Most of it isn't even embarrassing; well, there is that part where Trump writes, 'Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History.' MB: Obviously, many people who have never been president are aware of "the enormous responsibility" of the presidency. Some, like spouses & staff, have intimate knowledge of what those responsibilities entail. Sadly, Trump is not one of those who is aware, or if he is aware, he decided to shirk those responsibilities.

Samantha Power, in a New York Times op-ed: "Jimmy Carter's elevation of human rights in U.S. foreign policy offers many urgent lessons for today. Whatever challenges he faced consistently applying the principles he championed as the 39th president, he made a radical break with decades of foreign policy tradition, changed the world's understanding of America's aspirations, showed deep empathy for individuals who had suffered human rights abuse and in so doing, made a lasting impact on both the United States and the world.... In doing something so radical for his time -- elevating attention to the plight and dignity of individuals in U.S. foreign policy and then living those values until his final days -- he changed our world for good."

Dan Rather on Substack: "Carter was far ahead of his time on many issues, especially the environment. He was an early advocate for green energy and energy conservation, famously installing solar panels on the White House. Imagine where the world would be today if it had followed his lead instead of mocking him.... He was an early ally to what was then called the gay rights movement. Trained as a naval engineer on nuclear submarines, he realized that technology could transform our military and set out to do it. He recognized that America could be a leader for human rights around the world. He championed consumer protection and created the Department of Education to expand federal support for schools. He helped broker peace between Israel and Egypt. "

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My Governor Went on National Teevee & Made a Fool of Himself. Michael Mechanic of Mother Jones: "A news clip making the rounds Sunday morning had CNN's Dana Bash talking with Chris Sununu, New Hampshire's Republican governor, about Elon Musk's potential conflicts of interest. Here, after all, we have a hecto-billionaire with massive federal contracts via SpaceX -- and whose carmaker, Tesla, likely wouldn't have survived without generous state and federal subsidies -- serving as an advisor to an incoming president on how the government should be spending its money, or not. Sununu told Bash he liked that Musk is an 'outsider' -- an interesting choice of words -- who is 'not looking for anything.' When she challenged that notion, he responded, 'The guy is worth $450 billion' and therefore is 'so rich he's removed from the potential financial influence.... I don't think he's doing it for the money,' Sununu said. 'He's doing it for the bigger project and the bigger vision of America.'... Musk's wealth, at least on paper, on a very steep upward trajectory.... One month prior to the election, Elon Musk's estimated net worth was about $263 billion. Now, at year's end, it is $437 billion.... So Sununu can spare us the 'greater project' nonsense."

Andrew Solender of Axios: "If measured by the number of bills signed into law, the 118th Congress was by far the most unproductive since at least the 1980s, according to data from public affairs firm Quorum.... The 118th Congress passed just under 150 bills over the last two years, according to the Quorum data provided to Axios. That's down from more than 350 passed in the previous Congress -- in which Democrats held control of both chambers and the White House. The 17 Congresses since the start of George H.W. Bush's presidency in 1989 have passed an average of more than 380 laws.... Every fiscal deadline [the 118th Congress faced] led to brinksmanship between the Republican House and the Democratic Senate and White House. House Republicans were also beset by infighting and palace intrigue, most notably the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Throughout the disarray, trust between House Democrats and Republicans reached a low ebb -- making bipartisan compromise rare." (MB Note: Yesterday, Axios tried to get me to sign in in order to read a post; today, I accessed this post without any impediment.)

News Lede

New York Times: "Olivia Hussey, whose performance as the female lead in a 1968 film adaptation of 'Romeo and Juliet' became its own Shakespearean tale, encompassing glory improbably achieved, helplessness with newfound power, memories that darkened over the years, yet also love of the vicissitudes of fate, died on Friday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 73."

The Conversation -- December 29, 2024

President Jimmy Carter Dies at 100

Washington Post: "Jimmy Carter, a no-frills and steel-willed Southern governor who was elected president in 1976, was rejected by disillusioned voters after a single term and went on to an extraordinary post-presidential life that included winning the Nobel Peace Prize, died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia, according to his son James E. Carter III, known as Chip. He was 100 and the oldest living U.S. president of all time." ~~~

~~~ The New York Times is live-updating news related to President Carter's life & death. ~~~

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Tyler Pager of the Washington Post writes about Joe Biden's presidency. Read it, & you may be more convinced than ever that Biden should never have put himself up for re-election. ~~~

~~~ Nicholas Wu of Politico: "Dean Phillips has some regrets. Not about his decision to launch a quixotic primary challenge to President Joe Biden. He stands by that move, which alienated him from his party even as it proved prescient after Biden's disastrous debate with Donald Trump. But in an exit interview with Politico Magazine, the retiring Minnesota Democrat said he wished he had been more successful at fixing what he says is a deeply broken Congress and that he could have delivered more for his constituents. And he made clear he was leaving Capitol Hill extraordinarily frustrated with his party. 'We are totally devoid of leadership. We are rudderless,' he said."

Ken Bensinger of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump appeared to weigh in on Saturday on a heated debate among his supporters over the role of skilled immigrant workers in the U.S. economy, saying he had frequently used the visas for those workers and backed the program. 'I have many H-1B visas on my properties,' he told The New York Post. 'I've been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It's a great program.' But his comments -- which were enthusiastically embraced by the technology industry as an endorsement -- may muddy the waters because Mr. Trump appears to have only sparingly used the H-1B visa program, which allows skilled workers like software engineers to work in the United States for up to three years and can be extended to six years.

"Instead, he has been a frequent and longtime user of the similarly named, but starkly different, H-2B visa program, which is for unskilled workers like gardeners and housekeepers, as well as the H-2A program, which is for agricultural workers. Those visas allow a worker to remain in the country for 10 months. Federal data show Mr. Trump's companies have received approval to employ over 1,000 workers through the two H-2 programs in the past 20 years.... While campaigning in 2016, Mr. Trump spoke out against the H-1B program, calling it 'very bad for workers' and stating that 'we should end it.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Megan Lebowitz of NBC News: "During his first term, the Trump administration implemented rules that would have cut the number of H-1B visas issued each year. The rules, however, were ultimately struck down in court." An AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you check yesterday's news, you'll learn that Donald has a tremendous -- but perhaps partially unrequited -- crush on Elon. So my guess is that Trump is siding with Musk, not because he has flip-flopped on H-1B visas, but because he hopes to lure Elon to return to him at Mar-a-Lardo. As for his misstatement about his frequent use of the H-1B program, my guess is that he's not lying this time; he just doesn't know the difference between a program for skilled workers and one for housemaids. Trump's confusion is understandable; he no doubt helped Melania obtain an "Einstein visa" (EB-1), a type of visa reserved for people who are "highly-acclaimed in their field." At the time, Miss Melanie's claim to fame, according to this BBC News report, was limited: "She appeared on the cover of British GQ on a fur rug in Mr Trump's private jet, and in the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated in the US. She was not a top international model." So you can see where he would confuse somebody who codes AI with somebody who mows his greens. ~~~

~~~ Tom Sullivan of Hullabaloo, citing an Axios post (Axios is now requiring sign-ins): "Just before midnight Friday, Musk once again defended the H-1B program in vulgar, all-caps terms, saying the program was the key to the success of his (and other big American) companies. 'Take a big step back and F--K YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend,' Musk wrote. In a separate post, he pledged to 'fight to my last drop of blood' to keep America a meritocracy". ~~~

~~~ In any event, it's easy to see why Trump has a crush on Musk. For instance: ~~~

Christopher Schuetze of the New York Times: "Elon Musk ... shocked many in Germany last week by endorsing its far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is under surveillance by domestic intelligence for being extremist. This week, Mr. Musk entangled himself even more in the country's snap election, explaining in a newspaper opinion essay why he believes the far-right party is the 'last spark of hope' for Germany. 'The traditional parties have failed in Germany,' Mr. Musk wrote in comments published online by the daily Welt on Saturday.... Mr. Musk's opinion piece comes as Germany girds itself for an intense winter election after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition collapsed in November. On Friday President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany officially announced the disbandment of Parliament and set Feb. 23 as the date for new elections....

"Mr. Musk's commentary was printed in the Sunday edition of the Welt, a conservative daily owned by the Axel Springer media group, which also owns Politico in the United States. Many of the paper's journalists protested the printing of the commentary, according to reports. Eva Marie Kogel, who had been the paper's head of opinion, resigned from her post after the printing, she confirmed on X.... The AfD ... [is] considered so far right as to be anti-democratic. All other political parties in Germany have precluded working with the AfD." MB: Similarly, no real U.S. president or pro-democracy American political party would have anything to do with Musk. The Guardian's story is here.

~~~ Marie: Krugman is as upset as I am about the MAGA feud: ~~~

     ~~~ ⭐Paul Krugman in a Substack essay titled, "MAGA is already eating its own. Pass the popcorn": "Every political movement is a coalition made up of factions with different goals and priorities.... What's different about MAGA is that I'm pretty sure that almost all of the movement's activists (as opposed to the low-information voters who put Trump over the top) knew that he was a con man, without even concepts of a plan to reduce prices. But each faction believed that he was their con man, putting something over on everyone else. But now the two most important factions -- what we might call original MAGA, motivated largely by hostility to immigrants, and tech bro MAGA, seeking a free hand for scams low taxes and deregulation -- have gone to war, each apparently fearing that they may themselves have been marks rather than in on the con." Read on. MB: Krugman gets everything right. (He's so smart, I'm going to check to see if he was born & reared in India.)

Azi Paybarah of the Washington Post (Dec. 27): "A bipartisan Senate report released Friday faulted the CIA's response to the mysterious ailment known as 'Havana syndrome,' saying many employees 'faced obstacles to timely and sufficient care' after experiencing symptoms. The report from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence did not shed new light on what may be behind the mysterious ailment -- formally known as Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs) -- which was first reported by CIA employees in late 2016. But it did say the lack of a clear definition of this affliction, its cause and the 'CIA's evolving organizational position have greatly complicated CIA's ability to consistently and transparently facilitate medical care, provide compensation and other benefits' to those affected." ~~~

     ~~~ You can read the report here, via the Senate.

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New York. Daniel Wu of the Washington Post: "New York corrections officers pummeled a shackled inmate in a state prison hours before he died in early December, according to body-camera footage released Friday by the New York Attorney General's office.... Robert Brooks died Dec. 10, a day after he was transferred to Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James. The night he arrived, video shows corrections officers took Brooks to a medical examination room and struck him repeatedly. In the video, Brooks appears limp and bloodied." The article is topped with a still photograph. Even that is too difficult for me to look at. ~~~

     ~~~ Jan Ransom of the New York Times: "At least three of the New York prison guards implicated in the savage beating death of a handcuffed man had been accused of participating in similar attacks on prisoners across the state. Two of the corrections officers and a sergeant accused in the death of Robert Brooks, an inmate at the Marcy Correctional Facility in central New York, were previously named in federal lawsuits filed by prisoners accusing them of brutal attacks that left one man disfigured and another in a wheelchair."

Geoff Mulvihill & Kevin Vinys of the AP: "Abortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states...." The article includes summaries of many statistics on changing practices re: abortion. MB: This is not surprising. Women who can afford to travel or use other extraordinary means to get safe abortions may be inclined to do so because of the very difficulties being imposed upon them. Some women who might have decided a few weeks later in their pregnancies to carry to term may have "rushed into" abortions, knowing their choices would be limited later. Furthermore, I suspect all of the discussion surrounding Dobbs and its consequences have made abortion more acceptable to the public rather than less so (I'm basing this on a gut feeling). *

     * Update. Marie: Oh, looky here. The Pew Research Center says my gut was right.

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Russia/Azerbaijan/Kazakhstan. Anatoly Kurmanaev of the New York Times: "President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Saturday apologized for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane this past week, breaking the Kremlin's three-day silence on the accident that killed 38 people. He did not explicitly acknowledge Russia's responsibility for the crash. Mr. Putin 'offered his apologies' for the crash in a phone call to his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, the Kremlin said in a statement. Mr. Putin initiated the phone call, according to the statement, and told Mr. Aliyev 'that the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace.' Mr. Putin said that as the plane approached its scheduled destination of Grozny, in southern Russia, Russian air defenses had begun to repulse an attack by Ukrainian drones on the Grozny airport and others nearby, according to the Kremlin....

"The Kremlin statement stopped short of attributing the crash to a Russian missile, but in its own statement acknowledging the apology, Azerbaijan's presidential office suggested that was indeed the cause.... Mr. Aliyev called for a thorough investigation and for 'ensuring those responsible are held accountable.'... Mr. Aliyev's more accusatory, strongly worded statement on Saturday presents the first challenge from Russia's allies to Moscow's attempts to control the narrative.... The Kremlin's apology without accepting responsibility complicates [Azerbaijan's & KKazakhstan's] efforts to maintain friendly relations with Russia without appearing weak to their citizens and the world, analysts said." CNN's report is here.

News Lede

New York Times: "A passenger plane carrying 181 people crashed while landing at an airport in southwestern South Korea on Sunday. Officials said most of the people on board were presumed dead, even as two survivors were found and search efforts continued. The plane, operated by South Korea's Jeju Air, had taken off from Bangkok and was landing at Muan International Airport when it crashed, local fire department officials said. Footage of the accident shows a white-and-orange plane speeding down a runway on its belly until it overshoots the runway, hitting a barrier and exploding into an orange fireball.Officials were investigating what caused the plane, a Boeing 737-800, to crash land, including why the landing gear malfunctioned, whether the plane had been struck by birds, or if it had been experiencing bad weather." This is a liveblog.