The Conversation -- December 25, 2024

The Best U.S. President Ever ... was of course fictitious:

In anticipation of our own bleak midwinter, an English classic, lyrics by Christina Rossetti:

The guys remind us we mustn't forget Hanukkah, which begins today: ~~~

~~~ Here's another version of that popular modern Christmas song:

Marie: Thanks to Akhilleus for the link to the video that follows. And I do promise to try, I really do, but don't count on me: ~~~

~~~ Because I just can't stop myself from bitching about the Worst Christmas Song Ever, although it is much improved by James Corden, Lady Gaga & others: ~~~

~~~ And it turns out the biggest problem really is Mariah Carey, because ~~~

Finally, speaking of your classical pieces, even the Silent Monks cannot resist Handel's "Messiah":

The Conversation -- December 24, 2024

Natalia Vasilyeva of the New York Times: "A Russian court sentenced a U.S. citizen on Tuesday to 15 years in a high-security prison for espionage, state media outlets reported, prompting speculation that the Kremlin might seek to use him as leverage in negotiations for a future prisoner swap. The man, Eugene Spector, was already serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for a 2021 bribery conviction when he was charged with spying. On Tuesday, the Moscow City Court convicted him of espionage and sentenced him to an additional 13 years, for a total of 15 years, at the end of a closed-door trial, according to Russian state news agencies."

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It Ain't Funny, McGee. David Sanger & Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "Over the past two days..., Donald J. Trump has made clear that he has designs for American territorial expansion, declaring that the United States has both security concerns and commercial interests that can best be addressed by bringing the Panama Canal and Greenland under American control or outright ownership. Mr. Trump's tone has had none of the trolling jocularity that surrounded his repeated suggestions in recent weeks that Canada should become America's '51st state.'... Instead, while naming a new ambassador to Denmark -- which controls Greenland's foreign and defense affairs -- Mr. Trump made clear on Sunday that his first-term offer to buy the landmass could, in the coming term, become a deal the Danes cannot refuse. He appears to covet Greenland both for its strategic location at a time when the melting of Arctic ice is opening new commercial and naval competition and for its reserves of rare earth minerals needed for advanced technology.... On Saturday evening, he had accused Panama of price-gouging American ships traversing the canal, and suggested that unless that changed, he would abandon the Jimmy Carter-era treaty that returned all control of the canal zone to Panama....

~[Mr. Trump's] statements -- and the not-so-subtle threats behind them — were another reminder that his version of 'America First' is not an isolationist creed. His aggressive interpretation of the phrase evokes the expansionism, or colonialism, of President Theodore Roosevelt, who cemented control of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. And it reflects the instincts of a real estate developer who suddenly has the power of the world's largest military to back up his negotiating strategy.... Arctic experts did not dismiss Mr. Trump's Greenland bid as a joke." ~~~

     ~~~ Will Weissert, et al., of the AP: "Trump has long threatened allies with punitive action in hopes of winning concessions. But experts in both countries are clear: Unless he goes to war with Panama, Trump can't reassert control over a canal the U.S. agreed to cede in the 1970s." The reporters then write a brief history of the canal. ~~~

     ~~~ Maria Paul of the Washington Post also writes a brief history of the Panama Canal.

     ~~~ AND Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) seems to think Trump has a voter "mandate" to do what he wants with the Panama Canal & Greenland. Michael Luciano of Mediaite reports. MB: So the whole world has to abide by MAGA wants & wishes. It doesn't matter that the people of, say, Panama and Greenland, would vehemently oppose ceding their lands to the U.S. I know Marsha is not going to win the Stupidest Senator contest, but Lordy, she's tryin'.

Frances Robles of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump signaled a return to his first term's maximum-pressure policies against left-wing regimes on Sunday when he named a longtime foreign policy hawk known for hard-line positions on Cuba to be the special envoy for Latin America. His choice, Mauricio Claver-Carone, 49, is a lawyer, blogger, lobbyist and former Treasury Department official. Mr. Claver-Carone served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council during Mr. Trump's first term."

Marie: I had thought of the anti-woke movement as just racist whining & propaganda. It is that, but it's also a massive, childish temper tantrum: ~~~

~~~ Reuters (which now seems to be subscriber-firewalled), via the Guardian: "... Donald Trump has said he will rename Denali, Alaska natives' name for North America's tallest mountain, after William McKinley, the 25th US president who was assassinated in 1901. Democratic former president Barack Obama in 2015 officially renamed the mountain as Denali, siding with the state of Alaska and ending a decades-long naming battle. The peak had been officially called Mount McKinley since 1917.... The mountain ... was named Mount McKinley in 1896 after a gold prospector exploring the region heard that McKinley, a champion of the gold standard, had won the Republican nomination for president.... The US department of the interior, in the 2015 order that was signed by Obama changing the name to Denali, noted that McKinley had never visited the mountain and had no 'significant historical connection to the mountain or to Alaska.' Denali, the local Athabascan name, meaning 'the High One,' was officially designated as the peak's name in 1975 by the state of Alaska, which then pressed the federal government to also adopt the name." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Brian Stelter of CNN: "The incoming chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is sending a stern message to the owners of television stations and networks. And he is using ABC's recent settlement with ... Donald Trump as a news peg of sorts. Brendan Carr, a Trump-appointed commissioner who will become chairman next month, wrote to Disney CEO Bob Iger over the weekend about the Disney-owned ABC network's negotiations with its affiliated stations across the United States. Carr used that narrow issue to advance some broad points about the state of the industry and to signal that he intends to wield a heavy hand in the top FCC role -- taking a very different approach than his predecessors.... [In his letter to Iger,] Carr cites polling data and says, 'ABC's own conduct has certainly contributed to [an] erosion in public trust. For instance, ABC News recently agreed to pay $15 million to President Trump's future presidential foundation and museum and an additional $1 million in attorney fees to settle a defamation case.' Carr then delineates between national networks and loal stations (which are licensed by the FCC), saying, 'Americans largely hold positive views of their local media outlets.'... In effect, he is positioning himself as a friend to local media -- and an antagonist to corporate owners." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The national networks, as I recall, are each limited to owning no more than seven local affiliates (the O&Os). The FCC does not license the networks, but, as Stelter writes, it does license all affiliates and other local stations. In his letter to Iger, Carr seems to be threatening not to license ABC's O&Os.

Isaac Schorr of Mediaite: "Elon Musk ... is a paid subscriber to a virulently racist X account. Musk not only follows an account called 'Boer' (@twatterbaas) but is one of two accounts to pay it for 'bonus content and extra perks.'... The account has touted rape rates in 'Black ruled countries, used pictures to suggest that the country was better off under racial apartheid, asked 'why do blacks like to destroy and break what white man made?' and urged 'these racist blacks of #SouthAfrica to stop being selfish and transfer the strategical jobs and planning to us whites of this country.'" MB: For some reason, I'm not surprised.

Whoops! They Did It Again. Lisa Friedman & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The initial [continuing resolution to keep the federal government open] included a provision that would have ensured care through about 2040 for victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, as well as the police officers, nurses, firefighters and volunteers who inhaled toxic fumes, dust and smoke at ground zero. [After Elon Musk & Donald Trump objected to the bill,] the House on Friday passed a measure that ... did not include ... the formula to ensure long-term funding for the Sept. 11 health program. Democrats said they put the blame for its elimination squarely on Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump. A spokesman for [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer said that he and Democrats pushed to include the health fund in the final package, but that Republicans rejected it.... Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, said that without the new funding formula, the World Trade Center fund was likely to go into deficit in 2027. He said time was running out to ensure funding."

A Christmas Story. As predicted, your happy holidays report is about to drop. From the New York Times' livebog of Trump transition developments: "The House Ethics Committee is expected to accuse former Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, President-elect Donald J. Trump's former pick for attorney general, of regularly paying for sex, possessing illegal drugs and having sexual relations with an underage girl, according to a draft of the panel's report. The report, which is expected to be released in final form on Monday, found that from at least 2017 to 2020, Mr. Gaetz 'regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him'; and, in 2017, 'engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl,' the draft said. The Ethics Committee found that from 2017 to 2019, Mr. Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy 'on multiple occasions,' and accepted lavish gifts, including transportation to and lodging in the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts. 'Representative Gaetz has acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House,' the draft report stated." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Olivia Beavers of Politico: "Gaetz has repeatedly denied that he broke any laws. 'These claims would be destroyed in court -- which is why they were never made in any court against me,' he told POLITICO Friday morning. But the committee's 37-page report, which it decided to release in a secret vote earlier this month, alleges several instances of illegal conduct by ... Donald Trump's one-time pick to serve as attorney general. Gaetz withdrew from consideration as Trump's AG last month as the potential public release of the investigation weighed on his chances of Senate confirmation. 'The Committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress,' the ethics panel said in its report, adding that he 'knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct' the investigation." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Schmidt of the New York Times lists some takeaways from the committee report. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the Ethics Committee report, via the House. ~~~

     ~~~ Andrew Solender of Axios: "The House Ethics Committee's report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) had been poised to stay officially buried -- until two centrist Republicans on the panel unexpectedly voted to release it.... Reps. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) and Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) sided with the committee's five Democrats in voting to release the report, two sources familiar with the matter told Axios.... The vote, which took place quietly earlier this month, defied House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) urging that the report stay under wraps. Gaetz, who has denied any wrongdoing, filed an 11th-hour lawsuit Monday morning seeking to block the report's publication, alleging it 'contains untruthful and defamatory information.' The effort failed...." ~~~

     ~~~ Josh Gerstein, et al., of Politico: "The House Ethics Committee report about former Rep. Matt Gaetz offers some hints about why the Justice Department decided not to prosecute the former Florida congressman after a wide-ranging federal investigation into whether he committed sex trafficking. The decision likely stemmed from concerns about the strength of the evidence and the department's history of applying sex-trafficking laws narrowly, former prosecutors said Monday.... A law enforcement official said all DOJ decisions about Gaetz were made by career prosecutors." The reporters delve into like DOJ considerations re: existing law. ~~~

     ~~~ David Firestone of the New York Times: "There is so much repellently sleazy behavior documented in the House Ethics Committee report about Matt Gaetz that a reader has to stop every few pages to look away and focus on what still seems astounding: This is the man that Donald Trump wanted to be the attorney general of the United States, the highest-ranking law enforcement official in the land, the leader of the Department of Justice. Trump wanted to give that position to a man who paid at least half a dozen women for sex, according to the report.... 'Representative Gaetz took advantage of the economic vulnerability of young women to lure them into sexual activity for which they received an average of a few hundred dollars after each encounter.'

"Trump wanted to give the Justice Department to a man the committee says committed the statutory rape of a 17-year-old girl. A man who is accused of setting up a phony email account at his office in the House to buy illegal drugs and who then used the drugs to facilitate sexual misconduct. A man who accepted impermissible gifts and plane trips, according to the report, and who used the power of his office to help a woman with whom he was having sex.... When you read through the details, you can see the commonality between the two men, and the reasons Trump held Gaetz in high esteem. It's not just the contempt for women as disposable commodities for hire or plunder; it's the contempt for the law." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Just as an aside, I can't help but notice that Mike Johnson has unusual ideas about sex. He encourages his son to monitor his own viewing of online (and presumably legal) porn, but he worked to hide allegations that a Congressman engaged in unlawful sex with young women (which involved the use of a Congressional office to obtain illegal drugs). And Bible Mike opposes family decisions to assist young people in lawful transgender medical treatments. I can't even find a pattern here. Is Mike for illegal sexploitation and against legal sex-related activities and procedures? Even that's not clear.

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "Just a few years ago, Representative Kay Granger of Texas made history when she became the first Republican woman to lead the powerful House Appropriations Committee. But her ascent on Capitol Hill reached a coda over the weekend when a conservative outlet in Texas revealed that Ms. Granger had not voted in the House since July and has been living in an independent living facility -- an arrangement her office had not disclosed. Ms. Granger, 81, stepped down as the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee in March and said she would not seek re-election, but she continued to serve out the rest of her term.... A person familiar with the situation .... [said ] that the Texas Republican had been in touch with the party's leaders and would have returned to Washington if she was needed for a vote.... Beyond raising questions about whether Ms. Granger and her team had misled constituents about her fitness to serve, the episode brought renewed attention to how Capitol Hill is powered by a crop of septuagenarians and octogenarians, including some who refuse to relinquish power even far past their primes."

Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "Shane Lamond, the former head of the Metropolitan Police intelligence unit in Washington who was indicted last year for feeding information to a Proud Boys leader, was found guilty on Monday. Proud Boys chief Enrique Tarrio is serving 22 years after being convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. U.S. Judge Amy Berman Jackson returned the verdict on Monday finding Lamond guilty of four counts, including obstruction of justice and three counts of lying to investigators, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The verdict followed a bench trial which featured contentious testimony from Tarrio, who insisted that he'd been contemporaneously lying to his fellow Proud Boys about receiving information from a source in the Metropolitan Police Department." The Washington Post's report is here.

Darlene Superville of the AP: "President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families. Biden said his administration strongly opposes the provision because it targets a group based on gender identity and 'interferes with parents' roles to determine the best care for their children.' He said it also undermines the all-volunteer military's ability to recruit and retain talent.... The Senate forwarded the bill to Biden after passing it last week by a vote of 85-14. In the House, a majority of Democrats voted against the bill after House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted on adding the provision to ban transgender medical care for children. The legislation easily passed by a vote of 281-140." ~~~

     ~~~ Here's President Biden's statement on the bill, via the White House.

Anthony Adragna of Politico: "President Joe Biden has vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have added dozens of new federal judge positions in the coming years. The president had threatened to veto the bill because he didn't want to give the president-elect new appointment opportunities, according to one of the outgoing president's closest allies."

Ah, a Real Christimas Story. Sara Ruberg of the New York Times: "About one million taxpayers who were eligible for a pandemic-era tax credit in 2021 but did not claim it can expect a lump sum from the Internal Revenue Service in the coming weeks. The I.R.S. announced on Friday that it would start sending automatic payments of up to $1,400 to those who qualified for the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit but did not properly claim it on their tax return. The agency estimates it will send about $2.4 billion out to taxpayers by the end of January. Danny Werfel, the I.R.S. commissioner, said the payments came after the agency reviewed its internal data and noticed that about a million taxpayers overlooked the 'complex credit' when filing in 2021. He said in a statement that taxpayers would not be required to amend their filings and would receive their payments automatically. Here's what you need to know."

David Lynch & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "A high-level government review board has told the White House it is unable to reach a consensus on the national security risks involved in Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel, likely setting the stage for President Joe Biden to kill the deal. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) ... said Monday that allowing the Japanese industrial giant to purchase the once-iconic U.S. company could lead to a reduction in domestic steel output, which would represent 'a national security risk.' Nippon Steel said it could eliminate that risk by appointing U.S. citizens to top management and board of director positions at U.S. Steel. But the committee was divided in its view of whether those remedies would be sufficient. With the Treasury-led panel deadlocked, the final decision now falls to the president, who is legally require to act within 15 days. Biden has publicly opposed the transaction since March, saying it was 'vital' that U.S. Steel, the nation's third-ranked steel producer, remained American-owned." The AP's report is here.

Lola Fadulu of the New York Times: "Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man charged with murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's chief executive, pleaded not guilty on Monday as he was arraigned in New York State Supreme Court. The Manhattan district attorney's office has charged Mr. Mangione with first-degree murder, a terrorism-related offense, as well as two variations of second-degree murder and weapons charges. He faces the possibility of life in prison without parole." (Also linked yesterday.)

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Arkansas. AP: "A federal judge on Monday struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing 'harmful' materials to minors. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks found that elements of the law are unconstitutional. 'I respect the court's ruling and will appeal,' Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement to The Associated Press. The law would have created a new process to challenge library materials and request that they be relocated to areas not accessible to children. The measure was signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2023, but an earlier ruling had temporarily blocked it from taking effect while it was being challenged in court. 'The law deputizes librarians and booksellers as the agents of censorship; when motivated by the fear of jail time, it is likely they will shelve only books fit for young children and segregate or discard the rest,' Brooks wrote in his ruling." MB: Brooks is an Obama appointee.

New York. Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: "Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York has ordered that 13 corrections officers and a prison nurse be fired after the fatal beating of an inmate in an attack that their union called 'incomprehensible. 'Officials have released few details about the assault that led to the death on Dec. 10 of the inmate, Robert L. Brooks, beyond that it had occurred the day before at the Marcy Correctional Facility in central New York and had been at least partly captured on video. The state's corrections commissioner, Daniel F. Martuscello III, announced the death of an unnamed inmate on Dec. 15, saying it had occurred after a 'use of force' by Marcy prison staff members. Mr. Brooks, 43, was identified as the victim on Dec. 16. He had been serving a 12-year sentence after pleading guilty in Monroe County in 2017 to first-degree assault in the stabbing of a former girlfriend, according to state prison records and local news reports. The Oneida County medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of Mr. Brooks's death, officials said."

News Lede

Washington Post: "Former president Bill Clinton was hospitalized Monday afternoon in Washington 'for testing and observation after developing a fever,' a Clinton spokesman said. Clinton was admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Angel Ureña, deputy chief of staff for Clinton, wrote on X." The NBC News report is here.

The Conversation -- December 23, 2024

Marie: I had thought of the anti-woke movement as just racist whining & propaganda. It is that, but it's also a massive, childish temper tantrum: ~~~

~~~ Reuters (which now seems to be subscriber-firewalled), via the Guardian: "... Donald Trump has said he will rename Denali, Alaska natives' name for North America's tallest mountain, after William McKinley, the 25th US president who was assassinated in 1901. Democratic former president Barack Obama in 2015 officially renamed the mountain as Denali, siding with the state of Alaska and ending a decades-long naming battle. The peak had been officially called Mount McKinley since 1917.... The mountain ... was named Mount McKinley in 1896 after a gold prospector exploring the region heard that McKinley, a champion of the gold standard, had won the Republican nomination for president.... The US department of the interior, in the 2015 order that was signed by Obama changing the name to Denali, noted that McKinley had never visited the mountain and had no 'significant historical connection to the mountain or to Alaska.' Denali, the local Athabascan name, meaning 'the High One,' was officially designated as the peak's name in 1975 by the state of Alaska, which then pressed the federal government to also adopt the name." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

Season's Greetings. As predicted, your happy holidays report is about to drop. From the New York Times' liveblog of Trump transition developments: "The House Ethics Committee is expected to accuse former Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, President-elect Donald J. Trump's former pick for attorney general, of regularly paying for sex, possessing illegal drugs and having sexual relations with an underage girl, according to a draft of the panel's report. The report, which is expected to be released in final form on Monday, found that from at least 2017 to 2020, Mr. Gaetz 'regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him'; and, in 2017, 'engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl,' the draft said. The Ethics Committee found that from 2017 to 2019, Mr. Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy 'on multiple occasions,' and accepted lavish gifts, including transportation to and lodging in the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts. 'Representative Gaetz has acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House,' the draft report stated." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Olivia Beavers of Politico: "Gaetz has repeatedly denied that he broke any laws. "These claims would be destroyed in court -- which is why they were never made in any court against me," he told POLITICO Friday morning. But the committee's 37-page report, which it decided to release in a secret vote earlier this month, alleges several instances of illegal conduct by ... Donald Trump's one-time pick to serve as attorney general. Gaetz withdrew from consideration as Trump's AG last month as the potential public release of the investigation weighed on his chances of Senate confirmation. 'The Committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress,' the ethics panel said in its report, adding that he 'knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct' the investigation." CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Schmidt of the New York Times lists some takeaways from the committee report. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the Ethics Committee report, via the New York Times. I'm looking for a "free" copy. Here's a Document Cloud doc., via CNN; clunky but free. There are a few ways to make the text more readable. I found the best way was to click on "Share," then copy the URL, & use of the options in the lower left-hand corner of the page that comes up. OR ... this is the URL, so you can just click on it & skip those first few steps.

Lola Fadulu of the New York Times: "Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man charged with murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's chief executive, pleaded not guilty on Monday as he was arraigned in New York State Supreme Court. The Manhattan district attorney's office has charged Mr. Mangione with first-degree murder, a terrorism-related offense, as well as two variations of second-degree murder and weapons charges. He faces the possibility of life in prison without parole."

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Marie: Minus One Two Three Degrees here in lovely New Hampshire. I shall not be going to the grocery store today. Therefore, I shall not be having Christmas dinner on December 25. The Christmas goose and paper hats (okay, I've never indulged in either) have received a reprieve of indeterminate duration.

⭐Mark Berman & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden on Monday is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row to life without parole, taking the unprecedented step ahead of the inauguration of ... Donald Trump, whose incoming administration was widely expected to restart executions.... Those he did not spare are: Dylann Roof, the white supremacist convicted of killing nine Black parishioners at a South Carolina church in 2015; Robert Bowers, who carried out the country's deadliest antisemitic attack when he killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber. 'Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,' Biden said in a statement explaining his decision. 'But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President, and now President, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level,' he added. 'In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.'" ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement, via the White House, is here.

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump delivered a sprawling address on Sunday that he called a 'small preview of the common-sense revolution' his administration will bring, pledging to slam shut the nation's borders, end federal regulations, lower taxes, prosecute his rivals, 'stop woke' and 'end the transgender lunacy.' In a 90-minute speech at a conservative conference in Phoenix, Mr. Trump offered a triumphant view of his election victory in which he described his liberal adversaries as 'befuddled' and promised that a new 'golden age in America' had begun.... [Trump's] speech was a familiar mash-up of false assertions, self-praise, fierce attacks on his adversaries and promises about how his return to power would change the country for the better."

Well, we sure don't need to worry the military will be woke, do we? ~~~

~~~ John Ismay of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump named Stephen A. Feinberg as his choice for deputy secretary of defense, Elbridge Colby to be under secretary for policy, Michael Duffey for under secretary for acquisitions and sustainment and Emil Michael as under secretary for research and engineering. All should face Senate confirmation hearings. Mr. Feinberg, the billionaire co-founder of the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, was a major funder of Mr. Trump's presidential campaigns and was considered for a top intelligence post in the first Trump administration. A firearms enthusiast, he invested in businesses that were in bad shape financially, including Cerberus's 2007 acquisition of the gun maker Remington, which declared bankruptcy in 2018 and again in 2020. Mr. Colby, whose grandfather William Colby served as C.I.A. director under Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford, served in the Pentagon during the first Trump administration.... It was Mr. Duffey who asked the Pentagon to freeze $250 million in scheduled military aid to Kyiv after a phone call between Mr. Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in which Mr. Trump asked Mr. Zelensky to investigate his political rival Joseph R. Biden Jr.... Mr. Michael served as an executive at the ride-sharing company Uber, where he supported hiring investigators to pursue journalists who wrote articles critical of the company. He left Uber in 2017 after a report that he had visited an escort bar in South Korea as part of a business trip, which made some co-workers uncomfortable and led to a complaint to the company's human resources department."

Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump said on Sunday that he intended to nominate Callista Gingrich, who served as his ambassador to the Vatican during his first term, as ambassador to Switzerland.... Mr. Trump also picked Ken Howery, one of the founders of PayPal, to be the next ambassador to Denmark. Mr. Howery served as the ambassador to Sweden during Mr. Trump's first administration. As part of the announcement of Mr. Howery, Mr. Trump revived the idea, floated during his first term, of buying Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. 'For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,' he wrote on social media." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So we have left behind the impossible task of freeing the world for democracy and are now becoming imperialists. First Canada. Then Panama. Now Greenland. What next? Mexico? Denmark itself? Trump's megalomania is not only domestic; it is international. We have met the enemy and he is us. If I were King Frederik, I would not accept Howery's credentials. ~~~

     ~~~ Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: "Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino shot back Sunday after ... Trump suggested the Panama Canal return to U.S. control. 'As president, I want to express clearly that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama, and will continue to do so,' Mulino said in video statement, according to an English translation. 'The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.... The canal is not under direct or indirect control, neither by China, nor by the European community, nor by the United States, nor by any other power.... I strongly reject any manifestation that distorts this reality.... Panama respects other nations and demands respect.'" ~~~

     ~~~ If you were wondering what caused Trump to suddenly announce the U.S. should take over the Panama Canal, contributor Patrick wrote yesterday, " I suspect that DiJiT's threat about the Panama Canal is just revenge for being stripped of his hotel there back in 2018, which probably bruised his ego and may have deprived him of a money laundering outlet."

Yeganeh Torbati of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would nominate Stephen Miran, who previously worked in the Treasury Department, to be chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, which helps to formulate U.S. economic policy. Miran served as an economic policy adviser at the Treasury Department in the final year of the first Trump presidency.... In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Miran defended Trump's tariff plans, saying that he expected the fees would be implemented gradually and thus limit stock market shocks." MB: So neither peace nor prosperity.

Priscilla Alvarez & Tierney Sneed of CNN: "... Donald Trump's team is assessing multiple options to fulfill his long-promised pledge to end birthright citizenship, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, teeing up a legal fight with the expectation that the Supreme Court would ultimately have to rule on the matter. Trump has railed against birthright citizenship, which is protected by the 14th Amendment, for years and suggested he'd use executive action to ban it.... [Trump's] allies have been crafting strategies to do that, including directing the State Department to not issue passports to children with undocumented parents and tighten requirements for tourist visas to crack down on 'birth tourism,' according to two sources familiar with the planning. Multiple options are being kicked among Trump allies to tighten the interpretation [of the 14th Amendment??], keenly aware that any action would likely get legally challenged and eventually land before the Supreme Court.... Trump allies argue that the 14th Amendment has been misinterpreted and doesn't apply to children born in the United States to undocumented parents." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Isn't it something that in the season of joy and merriment and Santy Claus, Trump's "team" of super-Grinches is hunkered down trying to figure out new ways to persecute little kids?

Sarah Ellison & Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: "... Trump's recent settlement with ABC News and a cascade of lawsuits and other complaints against media entities from him and his allies signal a ramped-up campaign [against the press] from the president-elect. Together, the action has spurred concerns that his efforts could drastically undermine the institutions tasked with reporting on his coming administration, which Trump has promised will take revenge on those he perceives as having wronged him.... According to three people familiar with the company's internal deliberations..., ABC and Disney executives decided to settle not only because of the legal risks in the case but also because of Trump’s promises to take retribution against his enemies."

Ellis Kim, et al., of CBS News: "The congressional office of Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas denied she is in memory care after a report in the Dallas Express said she has not been in Washington in months and that she had been found at Tradition-Clearfork in Fort Worth, which offers assisted living and memory care, in addition to independent living for seniors.... Granger's son confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that she was a resident. However, he said that she's in the independent living wing, not the memory care wing of the facility. He also acknowledged that his mother was 'having some dementia issues late in the year.'... On Sunday, her office released a statement saying, 'Kay Granger is not in Memory Care,' and issued a statement from the congresswoman, who said, 'As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year.'... [Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said on 'Face the Nation' Sunday,] 'I'm not too sure what leadership knew on it or didn't know on it,' he continued. 'I think this goes ... gets back to the root of it. Congress should do its job, and if you can't do your job, maybe you shouldn't be there.'"

Kaanita Iyer of CNN: "Joe Manchin torches Democrats on the way out the door." MB: I'm not going to repeat Joe's remarks, though I will speculate that he's been watching way too much Fox "News."

Ben Brasch & Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "A Navy fighter pilot and a weapons system officer ejected over the Red Sea after friendly fire from a warship early Sunday, according to the U.S. military. Both survived after ejecting from their F/A-18 Hornet, according to U.S. Central Command (Centcom). Each sustained minor injuries, according to a military official.... Sunday's friendly fire happened when the USS Gettysburg 'mistakenly fired on and hit' the Hornet while the aircraft was flying from the USS Harry S. Truman, according to Centcom.... The U.S. military is patrolling the Red Sea to protect one of the world's busiest commercial waterways from Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have been attacking vessels in the area for months."

Dana Hedgpeth, et al., of the Washington Post: "A year-long investigation by The Washington Post has documented that 3,104 students died at [the federal government's so-called Indian] boarding schools between 1828 and 1970, three times as many deaths as reported by the U.S. Interior Department earlier this year. The Post found that more than 800 of those students are buried in cemeteries at or near the schools they attended, underscoring how, in many cases, children's bodies were never sent home to their families or tribes.... 'These were not schools,' said Judi Gaiashkibos, executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, whose relatives were sent to Indian boarding schools. 'They were prison camps. They were work camps.' The causes of death included infectious diseases, malnutrition and accidents, records show. Dozens died in suspicious circumstances, and in some instances the records provide indications of abuse or mistreatment that likely resulted in children"s deaths."

River Davis of the New York Times: "Honda Motor and Nissan Motor are exploring a merger to create one of the world's largest auto groups as they seek to better position themselves for the expensive technological transition reshaping the automotive industry. On Monday, Honda and Nissan signed a memorandum of understanding to formally begin talks aimed at deepening a partnership that began earlier this year. Over the next six months, the companies will discuss combining their operations under a holding company, with a plan to complete the merger in August 2026. With their plans for a merger, Japan's second- and third-largest automakers join a growing number of legacy auto giants, including General Motors and Volkswagen, that are deepening ties to share the financial burden of developing next-generation vehicles. The deal is seen as a lifeline in particular for Nissan, which has been slashing jobs and production amid faltering sales."

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Oregon. The Trump Effect. Hank Sanders of the New York Times: "A letter circulating in a coastal county in rural Oregon encourages community members to track and report people of color who may be undocumented immigrants, according to the sheriff's office, which discouraged residents from heeding the call. In a news release on Thursday, the sheriff's office for Lincoln County, Ore., condemned the letter and advised residents against 'collecting or sharing information about individuals based on their demographic or perceived immigration status.' The letter told people to write down the license plate numbers of cars driven by people of color in order to identify people who might not have permanent legal status. It told people to send the information to the Department of Homeland Security shortly after Jan. 21 so that the department could 'round up' undocumented immigrants."