The Ledes

Friday, September 27, 2024

New York Times: “Maggie Smith, one of the finest British stage and screen actors of her generation, whose award-winning roles ranged from a freethinking Scottish schoolteacher in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' to the acid-tongued dowager countess on 'Downton Abbey,' died on Friday in London. She was 89.”

The Washington Post's live updates of developments related to Hurricane Helene are here: “Hurricane Helene left one person dead in Florida and two in Georgia as it sped north. One of the biggest storms on record to hit the Gulf Coast, Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend area on Thursday night as a Category 4 colossus with winds of up to 140 mph before weakening to Category 1. Catastrophic winds and torrential rain from the storm — which the National Hurricane Center forecast would eventually slow over the Tennessee Valley — were expected to continue Friday across the Southeast and southern Appalachians.” ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates are here.

Mediaite: “Fox Weather’s Bob Van Dillen was reporting live on Fox & Friends about flooding in Atlanta from Hurricane Helene when he was interrupted by the screams of a woman trapped in her car. During the 7 a.m. hour, Van Dillen was filing a live report on the massive flooding in the area. Fox News viewers could clearly hear the urgent screams for help emerging from a car stuck on a flooded road in the background of the live shot. Van Dillen ... told Fox & Friends that 911 had been called and that the local Fire Department was on its way. But as he continued to file the report, the screams did not stop, so Van Dillen cut the live shot short.... Some 10 minutes later, Fox & Friends aired live footage of Van Dillen carrying the woman to safety, waking through chest-deep water while the flooding engulfed her car in the background[.]”

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The Ledes

Thursday, September 26, 2024

The New York Times:' live updates of Hurricane Helene developments today are here. “Hurricane Helene was barreling through the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday en route to Florida, where residents were bracing for extreme rain, destructive winds and deadly storm surge ahead of the storm’s expected landfall. The storm could intensify to a Category 4, if not higher, before making landfall late Thursday, and forecasters warned Helene’s anticipated large size could make its impacts felt across an extensive area. Areas as distant as Atlanta and the Appalachians are at risk for heavy rains.... Many forecast models show the storm making landfall late Thursday near Florida’s Big Bend Coast, a sparsely populated stretch....” ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post has forecasts for some cites in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina & Tennessee that are in or near the probable path of Helene. ~~~

     ~~~ This morning, an MSNBC weatherperson said Tallahassee (which is inland) would experience wind gusts of up to 120 m.p.h. and that the National Weather Service said expected 20-foot storm surges near the coast would be “unsurvivable.”

Help!

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

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

The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

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

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

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Apr262023

April 27, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "Former Vice President Mike Pence testified on Thursday to a federal grand jury investigating the aftermath of the 2020 election and the actions of ... Donald Trump and others, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The testimony marks a momentous juncture in the criminal investigation and the first time in modern history a vice president has been compelled to testify about the president he served beside." At 5:10 pm ET, this is a developing story. The New York Times story, by Maggie Haberman, is here. MB: Pence testified the day after A D.C. appellate panel ruled that Trump could not block Pence's testimony. According Garrett Haake of MSNBC (on-air), pence spent from about 9 am till 4:30 pm in the courthouse.

The New York Times is liveblogging developments in the rape & defamation suit E. Jean Carroll has brought against Donald Trump. The Washington Post has a liveblog, too.

Rob Copeland & Maureen Farrell of the New York Times: "First Republic Bank is sliding dangerously into a financial maelstrom, one from which an exit appears increasingly difficult. Hardly a household name until a few weeks ago, First Republic is now a top concern for investors and bankers on Wall Street and officials in Washington. The likeliest outcome for the bank, people close to the situation said, would need to involve the federal government, alone or in some combination with a private investor. While the bank, with 88 branches focused mostly on the coasts, is still open for business, no one connected to it, including its executives and some board members, would say how much longer it could exist in its current form."

~~~~~~~~~~

Aamer Madhani, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden and South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled a new plan Wednesday to counter North Korea's nuclear threat, with the U.S. leader issuing a blunt warning that such an attack would 'result in the end of whatever regime' took such action. The new nuclear deterrence effort calls for periodically docking U.S. nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea for the first time in decades, bolstering training between the two countries, and more. The declaration was unveiled as Biden hosted Yoon for a state visit at a moment of heightened anxiety over an increased pace of ballistic missile tests by North Korea. 'A nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies and partners is unacceptable, and will result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action,' Biden said during afternoon Rose Garden news conference with Yoon. Yoon said that the new commitment by the 'righteous alliance' includes plans for bilateral presidential consultations in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack, the establishment of a nuclear consultative group and improved sharing of information on nuclear and strategic weapons operation plans."

Yes, this really happened. That's South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol:

     (~~~ You'll find a slightly better rendition here.)

~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Throughout a long day of public appearances up to that point, Mr. Yoon had not uttered a word of English, speaking carefully through a translator, but he knew every word as he crooned about driving his Chevy to the levee on the day the music died. The rollicking finale to the second state dinner of the Biden era made for a more memorable evening than most at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.... It was all ... bonhomie as the two chummy leaders put on an elaborate show of friendship while ignoring the recent tension over revelations of American spying on South Korean officials. The first lady, Jill Biden, arranged for a classic American menu with a Korean flair."

Presidential Race 2024. Marie: This ad -- which is apparently the first of President Biden's 2024 campaign -- starts out all apple-pie positive, but I'm happy to say it doesn't take long to move into whacking right-wing extremists, including implicitly Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, mike pence & the majority of elected Republicans:

Tony Romm, et al., of the Washington Post: "House Republicans on Wednesday approved a bill that would raise the debt ceiling, slash federal spending and repeal President Biden's programs to combat climate change and reduce student debt, defying Democratic objections in a move that inched the United States closer to a fiscal crisis. Ignoring repeated warnings that the GOP's brinkmanship could unleash vast economic turmoil, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) muscled his narrow, quarrelsome majority toward a 217-215 vote, accelerating a high-stakes clash with the White House with as few as six weeks remaining before the government could default." This is an update of a story linked yesterday. CNN's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's remarkable that Kevin had so much trouble herding feral cats. This bill is less a real bill with viable provisions than it is a nasty gang's wish list of how badly they can bully all the town's widows & orphans. Like this: ~~~

     ~~~ Leah Douglas of Reuters: "Nearly one million Americans could find it harder to access federal food aid under a Republican proposal to expand the program's work requirements, according to the Biden administration, which has promised to veto the plan if it passes Congress." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Karen Dolan in a Hill opinion piece: "According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, McCarthy's 'Limit, Save, Grow Act' demands the following as ransom for the full faith and credit of the United States: Leaving many more veterans, families and elderly people homeless, hungry and unable to access health care or college. Eliminating tens of thousands of teachers and hundreds of thousands of Head Start and child care slots. Increasing interest on credit cards, car payments and mortgages, while preventing any student loan relief. Scaling back tax incentives for green energy and making it easier for oil and gas companies to pollute. Making it easier for rich folks to cheat on their taxes."

Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "Two senators introduced a bipartisan bill on Wednesday aimed at forcing the Supreme Court to establish an ethics code after recent revelations that some justices had not disclosed gifts, travel and property deals. Senators Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a centrist Republican, introduced the legislation, which would also require the court to appoint an official to examine potential conflicts and public complaints. 'We're trying to help the court help themselves,' Mr. King said.... Mr. King emphasized that the measure he and Ms. Murkowski were introducing sought to hold the justices to existing standards that apply to other federal judges. 'The problem we have now is that there's no standards,' he said. 'So a justice can say, "Well, I didn't violate anything here."'" ~~~

~~~ Justices Sign Declaration of Invulnerability. Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Chief Justice John Roberts' snub of Dick Durbin on Tuesday was accompanied by a less-noted rarity: a declaration signed by all nine justices on their ethics practices. The 'Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices' seemed designed to quell rising calls for ethics reform at the high court. But it didn't break much new ground, and it stopped well short of adopting an enforceable code of conduct that critics have been clamoring for.... The unusual statement -- the first of its kind in three decades -- showed a court ... banding together to present a united front in the wake of recent controversies surrounding some of its members. The justices' message is the same as it largely has been in the past: Trust us. '... The statement is a lot of handwaving,' said Kathleen Clark [of] Washington University in St. Louis. '... The problem is there's no accountability for violating the law. And there's nothing in this statement that suggests the court even understands what the problem is.'" MB: On the upside, the nine "justices" participated in a class on how to do that royal backhanded wave to the unwashed masses.

~~~ David Sirota, et al., of the Lever: "Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas voted to end federal tenant protections that his billionaire benefactor's company says threatened its real estate profit margins, according to corporate documents reviewed by The Lever. Thomas did not disclose his relationship with real estate billionaire Harlan Crow, nor did he recuse himself from the 2021 case, despite its potential impact on Crow Holdings. Now, rent control -- which Crow Holdings' documents also say threatens the company's business -- could come before Thomas, and there is no indication he would recuse himself if it does.... In August 2021, Thomas was one of the six justices who voted to strike down a federal administrative moratorium on evictions..., [part of the CDC's COVID-19 protocols]. In June, Thomas was one of four justices who voted to end the moratorium -- but the majority voted to leave it in place because it was set to expire the following month. In July, between the two rulings, Crow Holdings -- which owns apartment buildings, student housing, and manufactured housing nationwide -- was cited in congressional testimony for being one of the country's most frequent eviction filers, despite the moratorium." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Sirota occasionally can be an unreasonable leftie, IMO, but it appears he's on solid ground in his reporting here.

Benjamin Weiser, et al., of the New York Times: "The writer E. Jean Carroll on Wednesday told a Manhattan jury a harrowing story of being raped in the mid-1990s by Donald J. Trump in a department-store dressing room -- describing a brutal attack that she tried to fight off by stamping on his foot and that has left her traumatized for decades. Just before she began testifying in federal court, the former president infuriated the judge overseeing the case by railing against the proceeding on social media.... On Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump used Truth Social to call Ms. Carroll's case a 'made up SCAM' and a 'fraudulent & false story,' which led the judge, Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court, to suggest that the former president was trying to influence the jury. Speaking without the jury present, Judge Kaplan told Mr. Trump's lawyer Joseph Tacopina that Mr. Trump's statements seemed 'entirely inappropriate.'... Mr. Tacopina said he would talk with his client, but attacks continued, with Mr. Trump's son, Eric, posting later in the day on Twitter that a prominent backer of Ms. Carroll's case had been motivated by 'pure hatred, spite or fear of a formidable candidate.'" MB: The judge said there were actions he could take or set into motion, including jailing Trump for contempt and bringing criminal obstruction charges against him, according to experts. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't get why Trump is calling Carroll's suit a "made-up scam." He has publicly acknowledged that he sexually assaults women for fun. As I understand it, Carroll is suing not for damages from "rape" specifically but from civil "battery," which includes many types of unwelcome touching and force. That is, she does not have to prove that Trump raped her, only that he made unwelcome "gestures." Trump copped to sexually assaulting women all the time in the infamous "grab-'em-by-the-pussy" tapes. Now Trump seems to be claiming that Carroll wasn't attractive enough to assault. Yet during a deposition in the case, he couldn't even identify a picture of Carroll from around the time of the (alleged!) rape; he thought a photo of Carroll which defense lawyers showed him was a photo of his wife Marla Maples, clearly someone "attractive enough" for him to have sex with. So by statements Trump has made extemporaneously and in his own defense, he did it. Now it's only question of damages. ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times liveblogged developments yesterday in E. Jean Carroll's civil lawsuit against Donald Trump: (Also linked yesterday.)

Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump cannot block his former vice president from testifying before a grand jury investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The ruling helps clear the way for Mike Pence to speak under oath about the pressure Trump put him under to declare the 2020 election results invalid. While Trump could seek to further forestall that testimony by appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court, other people in the president's orbit have testified after similar losing battles in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The reasoning behind Wednesday's order remains under seal; the decision was issued by a panel that included two Obama appointees and one Trump appointee." CNN's story is here.

Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump's legal team on Wednesday offered its most detailed public defense yet of the former president's conduct in the classified documents case now being investigated by a special counsel.... The Justice Department, Trump's lawyers wrote in their letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio), 'should be ordered to stand down, and the intelligence community should instead conduct an appropriate investigation and provide a full report to this Committee, as well as your counterparts in the Senate.'... The unusual 10-page letter seeks to pull the legislative branch further into the classified documents case.... The letter is notable in two ways -- first, as a detailed argument for the case to be dropped, a request lodged not with the investigators but with elected officials. Second, it focuses mostly on Trump's alleged conduct before -- not after -- a May subpoena demanded he return classified documents kept after his presidency." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Thanks to Ken W. for the link. As Ken noted, this is a letter in lieu of a legal argument. Apparently the Trumpster is not satisfied with all the aid his friends in Congress are giving him: the Trash NYC field trip, the fake investigation into Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, the endless cover and excuses for everything from rape to the insurrection. So now that the DOJ is on the cusp of hanging Trump by his, er, thumbs, Trump's solution is to "Eliminate Justice." And here he means "justice" as well as "Justice." Federal prosecutors should not be allowed by law to touch him, and he wants his friends in Congress to codify that.

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of posting classified documents online, repeatedly tried to obstruct federal investigators and has a 'troubling' history of making racist and violent remarks, Justice Department lawyers said in a court filing late Wednesday. In an 18-page memo, released before a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday in a Massachusetts federal court, the department's lawyers argued that Airman Teixeira needed to be detained indefinitely because he posed a 'serious flight risk' and might still have information that would be of 'tremendous value to hostile nation states.' Airman Teixeira tapped into vast reservoirs of sensitive information, an amount that 'far exceeds what has been publicly disclosed' so far, they wrote.... [The] behavior [outlined in the filing & which manifested while he was still in high school] -- so disturbing it was flagged by local police when he applied for firearms identification card -- is certain to raise new questions about how Airman Teixeira obtained a top-secret security clearance that gave him access to some of the country's most sensitive intelligence reports." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'd like to know about the parents, who have been described in news accounts as loving and patriotic. So how is it that they failed to register any alarm when they noticed that Jack there "surrounded his bed at his parents' house with firearms and tactical gear."

Jake Offenhartz of the AP: "The co-founder of a fundraising group linked to Steve Bannon that promised to help Donald Trump construct a wall along the southern U.S. border was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors. Brian Kolfage, a decorated Air Force veteran who lost both of his legs and an arm in the Iraq War, previously pleaded guilty for his role in siphoning donations from the We Build the Wall campaign.... Kolfage and Badolato were also ordered to pay $25 million in restitution to the victims. Absent from the case was Bannon, Trump's former top political adviser. He was initially arrested aboard a luxury yacht and faced federal fraud charges along with the other men, but Trump pardoned him during his final hours in office."

Wherein TuKKKer has an epiphany and realizes all the things he said were "completely irrelevant" and "mean nothing." MB: The problem is, TuKKKles, some of your dimwitted listeners took seriously the irrelevant & meaningless stuff you said. So they went out & shot the neighbor kid who was trying to pick up his and they mowed down everyone in sight at the El Paso shopping center. ~~~

~~~ Marie: Every journalist & opinionator seems to have a pet theory as to why Fox tossed TuKKKer. Every one agrees TuKKKer's "extreme journalistic malpractice," "racism," and various "threats to democracy" are facts but not factors in his unceremonious ouster. Here's what the New York Times has come up with: ~~~

He Insulted Us. Jim Rutenberg, et al., of the New York Times: "The day before Dominion Voting Systems'defamation trial against Fox News was set to begin..., the Fox board of directors and top executives made a startling discovery that helped lead to the breaking point between the network and Tucker Carlson, one of its top stars. Private messages sent by Mr. Carlson that had been redacted in legal filings showed him making highly offensive and crude remarks that went beyond the inflammatory, often racist comments of his prime-time show and anything disclosed in the lead-up to the trial.... Over the past two years..., Mr. Carlson emerged as an almost unaccountable figure who drew new headaches with conspiracy theory programming.... Then, as the Dominion case headed to trial, he told his audience last month that the rioting was, in fact, a peaceful exercise, using security footage that the Republican Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, had given to Mr. Carlson exclusively." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Assuming the Times reporting is right (and it jibes with some other reporters I've heard and read), then the rule at Fox is, "Say what you want, no matter how untrue or damaging it is, as long as you don't slam the boss." On a personal level, that's understandable; as a business model, it's sort of indefensible. In the meantime, let us forget about TuKKKer unless some really juicy or newsworthy story pops up ... or you learn TuKKKer is selling MyPillows door-to-door in your neighborhood.

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Eric Bradner & Steve Cortorno of CNN: "Walt Disney Parks and Resorts on Wednesday sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his hand-picked oversight board, accusing the Republican 2024 presidential prospect of weaponizing his political power to punish the company for exercising its free speech rights. The lawsuit was filed in federal court minutes after the board appointed by DeSantis to oversee Disney's special taxing district sought to claw back its power from the entertainment giant, voting to invalidate an agreement struck between Disney and the previous board in February, just before that board's dissolution." The New York Times story is here. Thanks to Bobby Lee for the heads-up. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ AND it looks like DeSantolini is about to get his very own personal army, one where he would be commander-in-chief. What could possibly be wrong with that? Thanks to a friend for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Montana. Jim Robbins, et al., of the New York Times: "The Montana House of Representatives took the extraordinary step on Wednesday of blocking a transgender lawmaker from the House floor for the remainder of the legislative session after an escalating standoff over her remarks on transgender issues in House debate. The vote was 68 to 32 in the Republican-controlled chamber. The speaker adjourned the session immediately after the vote. The blocked lawmaker, Representative Zooey Zephyr, will still be allowed to cast votes during House proceedings for the remainder of the session, which concludes on May 5, but must do so remotely. The move is the culmination of a weeklong battle between House leadership and Ms. Zephyr, who was barred from participating in deliberations on the House floor after she made impassioned comments during debate over a bill that would prohibit hormone treatments and surgical care for transgender minors. The bill has since been sent to Gov. Greg Gianforte, who has indicated that he will sign it." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course Gianforte will sign the bill. He's the biggest bully in the state. The AP's story is here.

Texas. No Stone Unturned in the War on Personal Freedom. Jonathan Edwards of the Washington Post: From the state Agriculture Department's new dress code: "Employees are expected to comply with this dress code in a manner consistent with their biological gender." "The ACLU has since called the policy 'clearly unlawful,' tarring it as the most recent attempt by Texas state lawmakers to target transgender people as they go to school, play sports, receive medical care and simply live.... On Wednesday morning, [Secretary of Agriculture Sid] Miller ... describ[ed] himself as 'a low-regulation guy' who ... nevertheless needed to whip employees back into shape as they returned to the office after years of wearing 'pajamas on their couch' while working from home during the coronavirus pandemic.... 'We don't want a man come dressed in drag, or vice versa,' he said. 'It's very disruptive. It's not professional.'"

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here:"China will send a representative to Ukraine to hold talks with 'all parties,' in a bid to resolve the ongoing 'crisis,' Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, in their first phone call since the Russian invasion, according to a readout by China's Foreign Ministry. China will make efforts to facilitate peace talks, Xi said in the call.... The White House expressed cautious optimism over the call between Xi and Zelensky, saying it was glad to note the development.... Despite heavy and increasing sanctions, Russia will be able to finance its war effort in Ukraine for another year, according to U.S. military documents that were part of a trove leaked online and obtained by The Washington Post."

U.K. We Are Not Amused. David McCabe & Kellen Browning of the New York Times: &"British antitrust regulators on Wednesday dealt a major setback to Microsoft's plans to acquire the video game giant Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, blocking the proposed deal and handing a notable win to government enforcers around the world who want to rein in Big Tech. In deciding that Microsoft's proposals to ensure the acquisition did not harm competition 'failed to effectively address the concerns in the cloud gaming sector,' a nascent part of the gaming industry, the Competition and Markets Authority inflicted a possibly fatal blow to what would be the largest consumer tech acquisition since AOL bought Time Warner two decades ago." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Lede

TMZ: "Jerry Springer, one of the most influential and controversial figures in TV history, has died ... TMZ has confirmed. Jerry hosted the smash hit syndicated talk show 'The Jerry Springer Show' for 27 years ... and it was never a boring moment on the raucous and wild show -- which was known for its outrageous guests who usually got into crazy fights as the audience cheered, 'Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!'" Here is Springer's New York Times obituary. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Would there have been Glenn Beck & TuKKKer if there hadn't been Jerry? Not sure.

Comments Off

Reader Comments (24)

On bended knee?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/04/26/trump-letter-classified-documents*

What's next?

"Dear Joe,

You know I've always admired you. Please call off your dogs.

Sincerely,

TFG"

*. In lieu of a solid legal argument...

April 26, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Re: the proposed Microsoft deal, linked above.

“…the Competition and Markets Authority inflicted a possibly fatal blow to what would be the largest consumer tech acquisition since AOL bought Time Warner two decades ago.”

Yeah, because that AOL-Time Warner deal turned out so well. The year after that merger, the new company lost almost $100 billion. $20 billion here, $20 billion there, pretty soon we’re talking real money. That number, btw, is still a record for corporate losses in a single year*. Sometimes the smartest guys are the stupidest. Microsoft should maybe count its blessings.

*it almost sounds like a deal Trump or Jared Kushner would have made.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

I think we should all chip in and buy trump a set of books. He'll
need something to pass the time in the slammer. Oh! I forgot, he
can't read, and he'll probably get off scot free.
Anyway, some E. Jean Carroll books would be appropriate. One of
the latest is "Who Needs Men Anyway?".

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

President Soon did a creditable job with the opening of “American Pie”. In fact, his English is better than Trump’s.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Turns out that "American Pie" was something else I "knew" because it was a familiar part of my life but that I had only the vaguest real knowledge of.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pie_(song)

Makes me wonder how much of my life is no more than remembered hints of melody?

Quite a bit, I'd guess.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Forrest,

There are a number of book-like things credited to the Orange Monster. They could deliver those to his cell. He’s never read any of them, so it would be a first.

Then again, were he actually behind bars (be still, my heart), I’d opt for some rousing prison tales: Dostoyevsky’s “House of the Dead”
(Siberian prison camp), Solzhenitsyn’s “Gulag Archipelago” (since Fatty is such a Russophile), then a couple of French novels with great prison scenes, Hugo’s “Les Miserable” (not that this Fat Fuck would ever go out of his way to help anyone, à la Jean Valjean), and finally, one of my personal favorites, Dumas’ “Count of Monte Cristo”, which has a nice revenge component to it. I guess he’d prefer the bulleted version:

Edmond Dantès is screwed over by three assholes.

Off to the Chateau d’If prison for life.

Meets a guy, learns some cool stuff, escapes.

Finds a treasure.

Goes back for revenge.

Stuff, stuff, stuff, and more stuff.

Messes with everyone.

Additional stuff.

Has a change of heart, is a nice guy after all.

The End.

Too long for Fatty? I guess he wouldn’t be able to make it through the actual 900 page book.

Oh well, maybe he can get a tattoo and bribe the prison guards for porn.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Ken Winkes: My son was a toddler when "American Pie" was a popular radio hit. One day, I heard my son singing part of the song (off-key, like Yoon): "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee 'cause my horse was dead."

April 27, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Ken,

I remember when the song came out, people were trying to decode the symbolism, Jack Flash, the Sergeants, the girl who sang the blues, Helter Skelter, etc. I’m pretty sure there was an article in Time Magazine about it. All stemming from the day Don McLean, while delivering papers as a kid, read of the death of Buddy Holly.

Trivia question: Holly died along with Richie Valens, the Big Bopper, and the pilot in that plane crash. Another musician who went on to become famous missed the flight. Who was it?

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Forrest M & @Akhilleus: Such kindly suggestions. But it's true, as Forrest points out, that Trump can't read, but there are these new-fangled audio books. I know for a fact that President Obama narrates at least one of the books he wrote (no ghostwriter, as far as I know), so that would be a very thoughtful gift. And, following Akhilleus' jailbird suggestion, I've heard recordings of Maya Angelou reading "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." So inspirational, too.

Oh, there is a woke library out there waiting for Donald.

April 27, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

@Ak: Could it have been Waylon Jennings?

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

The rest of the story, including much that we don't know for sure...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died

Or, how legends are robbed together of many moving parts.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Ah, such a hoot to hear Yoon go over the moon with American Pie–-loved it! A bit of "togetherness" in these troubled times.

AK: I give up---can't remember who it was that missed the flight.

The fact that E. Jean Carroll has not had sex or been in a love/sexual relationship since having been raped by Trump is so pathetic–-so very sad–--the trauma of that assault has never left her and has left her reluctant to engage. How many lives has this despicable man ruined? I want him buried!!!!!!!

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

Should have been "cobbed," but "robbed" kinda works...

Otto may know best...

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

@P.D.
Every evening at dinner I light a votive for someone who has died
that day and is in the news. I think it started with Unwashed on RC.
Anyway, if no one died on any given day, I light one for trump in
hopes that I missed it in the news.
Is that unchristian of me?

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

Forrest wins Final Jeopardy (which I suppose is a reasonable description of flying in a small plane through a snow storm): It was Waylon Jennings.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

PD,

These days, not a lot surprises me, but when I heard on the radio about Ms. Carroll’s life since Trump’s vicious and vile attack, it stopped me cold.

And that asshole whines that she’s taking him to court for “status”. Yeah, a painful and loveless life really makes for some great status building steps.

It figures that a sociopathic, solipsistic narcissist can only see the world in his own terms. Why do anything if it doesn’t add to your personal fame and sense of self worth? But what kind of self sees rape, sexual predation, criminality, and treason as markers of worth?

A monster. A fucking monster.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Ken,

I dunno, I kinda liked “robbed”. Made me think about it for a minute. I thought maybe you was being all philosophical-like.

(Seriously, I did think about it…)

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Marie,

Your quip about Trump and a woke library gave me an idea for a perfect punishment for that anal cyst. All eternity in which he is surrounded by immigrant trans kids of all colors, singing songs of peace, love, modesty, and tolerance…in French.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

On the Disney lawsuit against DeSantis; I just saw a lede (firewalled)
in the Atlanta paper that the governor has denounced it as a "political stunt". As if that will make it go away.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterBobby Lee

@Akhilleus: Great idea! In a quick check, I didn't find any renditions in French, but this one in English is almost as insanity-inducing as the 1-877-kars4kids song.

(It seems I have been hearing that kars4kids ads for so long that the kids who lip-sync it would have grown up and now would be eligible for the death penalty. I was against the death penalty until these kids made me crazy. They must pay for what they've done.)

April 27, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Marie,

Yeah, that’s definitely “shoot me now” material, plus a rip off of the old “Bingo was his name” song. Not sure why so many people working up songs for kids think “soporific” and “insipid” point to success. I’m not saying songs for kids have to be like Schubert lieder, but geeez. Kids can handle quality. My kid is only 12 but he knows tons of Beatles songs, classic folk songs, My Fair Lady, Camelot, Cole Porter, Bob Marley, and BB King. Okay, when he was little he loved “Elmo has four ducks”, but so did we. Quack, quack!

https://youtu.be/zI-7jGudpRw

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

It was Lee Atwater who gave us Tucker Carlson, Newt Gingrich, Russ Limbaugh and their ilk!

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterBob Hosh

@Forrest. Thanks for your extremely kind gesture for my wife, someone that you didn't even know yet still show sympathy toward. I greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness. Your pie and beer is on me if you ever make it to the SW corner of Mass. when I'm at the local brewery making pizza with my BIL.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered Commenterunwashed

Forest: I join Unwashed in his appreciation re: the tribute to his wife–-by lighting a votive in remembrance.

Today I read that Carolyn Bryan Donham, who accused Emmett Till, has died at 88. You just might want to light a black candle for her.

April 27, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe
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