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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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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Apr272023

April 28, 2023

Afternoon Update:

MTG Explains Motherhood. Althea Legaspi of Rolling Stone, republished by Yahoo! News: "Mother's Day is just around the corner, and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) would like stepmoms to know that, no, that doesn't count as motherhood. In a hearing for the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Select Coronavirus Crisis on school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Georgia congresswoman attacked the American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten for not being 'a biological mother.' 'Are you a mother?' Greene asked. Weingarten responded that she is a 'mother by marriage.' Weingarten is married to Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, and a stepmother to Kleinbaum's children from her previous marriage. 'I see,' Greene responded. She's 'not a medical doctor, not a biological mother, and really not a teacher either,' Greene went on to say. 'People like you need to admit that you're just a political activist, not a teacher, not a mother, and not a medical doctor,' Greene added." ~~~

     I will never leave that woman. I will always take care of her. -- Kevin McCarthy, speaking of MTG in January 2023

Trump Embraces Woman Who Wants Mike Pence, MOCs Executed. Ryan Reilly & Olympia Sonnier of NBC News: "... Donald Trump embraced a Jan. 6 defendant at a [Manchester, N.H.] diner during a campaign stop Thursday night, calling the woman, who served prison time for her actions during the Capitol attack and wants former Vice President Mike Pence executed for treason, 'terrific.'... Micki Larson-Olson ... was convicted last year of unlawful entry on Capitol grounds.... On Jan. 6, Larson-Olson climbed the scaffolding set up for Joe Biden's inauguration and held on when police tried to remove her; she later bragged on social media and in an interview that it took six officers to remove her.... Larson-Olson said she believes that the members of Congress who voted to certify Biden's presidential election should be executed.... Larson-Olson added that she 'would like a front seat of Mike Pence being executed' and that he should be the 'No. 1' person on her list of those who committed treason....

"Larson-Olson was introduced to Trump as a 'Jan. 6er,' and he signed the backpack that she said she was carrying with her that day and waived [waved!] her past security so he could embrace her. 'Listen, you just hang in there,' Trump said, calling her a 'terrific woman' and kissing her on the cheek. Trump said it was 'so bad' what has been done to Jan. 6 'patriots.'... The meeting comes as Trump has said he may pardon those charged in the Capitol attack and just a month after he opened a campaign rally with a song performed by the 'J6 choir' made up of Jan. 6 defendants who are incarcerated awaiting trial." A related WashPo story was linked earlier today, but it lacked the details of Larson-Olson's views & actions. I've skipped some stuff the reporters cover, so it's worth your reading their story.

** North Carolina. Back to GOP Gerrymandering! Michael Wines of the New York Times: "Barely a year after Democratic justices on the North Carolina Supreme Court said new maps of the state's legislative and congressional districts were partisan gerrymanders that violated the State Constitution, a newly elected Republican majority on the court reversed course on Friday and said the court had no authority to overturn those maps. The practical effect is to enable the Republican-controlled State Legislature to scrap the court-ordered State Senate and congressional district boundaries that were used in elections last November, and draw new maps skewed in their favor for elections in 2024. Overturning such a recent ruling by the court was a highly unusual move, particularly on a pivotal constitutional issue in which none of the facts had changed." Politico's story is here. Voters in North Carolina are about evenly divided between Republicans & Democrats, but the gerrymandered districts that the state legislature will likely return to likely would give Republicans 10 of the 14 U.S. House seats. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's notable that when Democrats controlled the court, a court-appointed special master divided the districts fairly, and North Carolina sent seven Congressmembers from each party to Washington, D.C. That is, Democrats don't take advantage; they play fair.

~~~~~~~~~~

** Dan Froomkin of Press Watch: "House Republicans are refusing to let the government keep paying its bills unless the Biden administration rolls back some of its signature achievements. It's a demand that neither the Senate nor Biden will ever agree to.... Explaining it that way is simply good journalism. But as usual..., [the media treat] what is essentially a hostage crisis created exclusively by one side as a normal, two-sided partisan squabble. Indeed, our top political reporters now insist that the onus is on Biden to solve the problem." Froomkin cites articles by Jim Tankersley of the New York Times & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post. "And it's not just them. The notion that this is a problem that both sides needed to solve has been endemic to corporate political reporting for months now." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: When I saw the headlines of Tankersley's & Stein's stories, I just ignored the stories altogether. I should have flagged them as Froomkin did. Froomkin writes that Tankersley & Stein are "highly competent at times" and suggests they must be under some pressure from editors to write GOP propaganda. I don't know anything about Stein, but I know that Tankersley, who used to write for the WashPo, has been writing up GOP talking points for years and turning them in as "reporting." I vet what he writes before I link it.

Paul Blumenthal of the Huffington Post: "Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter Thursday to Chief Justice John Roberts asking him to answer questions related to the Supreme Court's ethics policies. The letter, signed by all 11 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, comes on the heels of Roberts' rejection of Durbin's request that the chief justice appear, or designate another justice to appear, before the committee for a hearing about how the court polices conflicts of interest and other ethics issues.... In rejecting the committee's request to appear or to send a justice to appear for a hearing, Roberts attached a 'Statement of Ethics Principles and Practices to which all of the current Members of the Supreme Court subscribe.' 'The statement of principles raises more questions than it resolves, and we request that you respond to several key questions,' according to the response from Durbin and the Judiciary Committee Democrats." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm happy to see that committee Democrats are not letting Durbin get away with ignoring Roberts' rebuff. But how come committee Republicans are not even giving lip service to caring about Supreme Court ethics? Why should Supreme Court Ethics be a partisan issue? Shouldn't every member of congress want the justices to have to adhere to ethics standards as high as the ones members of Congress are supposed to follow? We know that in reality most Republicans treat ethics as a joke, but when did they decide they weren't even going to pretend they cared? I suppose it's yet another Trump effect: it's impossible to support Trump and even pretend you believe federal officials should follow high ethical standards. ~~~

     ~~~ Here are Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Ted Lieu, expressing outrage at the Supremes' "stink of corruption." So then there's this:

     ~~~ David Moye of the Huffington Post: "A National Review writer who defended Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for not disclosing his lavish vacations with billionaire Harlan Crow ... failed to mention [in his defense of Thomas] that he had gone on many of the same excursions that have led to the scandal over Thomas' failure to disclose the trips ... and his possible conflicts of interest. Mark Paoletta posted the piece Thursday on the conservative National Review's website under the headline 'Justice Thomas Acted Properly and Was Not Required to Disclose His Trips.' In the article, Paoletta, who was general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget during the Trump administration, claims that Thomas did everything properly when it comes to disclosure...."Don't stop reading here. Moye publishes a number of excellent tweeted comments. ~~~

AND Congrats All Around for The Judiciary Committee's Tough O'Kavanaugh "Investigation." Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the Guardian: "A 2018 Senate investigation that found there was 'no evidence' to substantiate any of the claims of sexual assault against the US supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh contained serious omissions, according to new information obtained by the Guardian. The 28-page report was released by the Republican senator Chuck Grassley, the then chairman of the Senate judiciary committee. It prominently included an unfounded and unverified claim that one of Kavanaugh's accusers -- a fellow Yale graduate named Deborah Ramirez -- was 'likely' mistaken when she alleged that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a dormitory party because another Yale student was allegedly known for such acts." An attorney named Joseph C Smith Jr., who was a friend of the Judiciary Committee's lead counsel and a member of the Federalist Society, claimed that the person who exposed himself to Ramirez was not Kavanaugh but a classmate of his named Jack Maxey. "The allegation that Ramirez was likely mistaken was included in the Senate committee's final report even though Maxey -- who was described but not named -- was not attending Yale at the time of the alleged incident.... Maxey adamantly denied any allegation that he exposed himself to Ramirez at any time.... The committee's final report claimed there was 'no verifiable evidence to support' Ramirez's claim." Maxey is a GOP activist who is shopping around what is supposed to be Hunter Biden's laptop. "... another Yale graduate, Max Stier, describing a separate alleged incident in which he said he witnessed Kavanaugh expose himself at a party at Yale." GOP "investigators" declined to hear Stier's testimony.

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. Pence testified for more than five hours, a source familiar with the matter told CNN...." 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. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Generalissimo Trumpo Salutes the Troops. Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump on Thursday praised and embraced a woman convicted of defying police orders on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. 'Listen, you just hang in there,' Trump told the woman, Micki Larson-Olson, who was found guilty on a misdemeanor charge of resisting police efforts to clear the grounds after the insurrection by a pro-Trump mob. 'You guys are gonna be okay.' Trump, who was campaigning ... in New Hampshire, then agreed to sign the backpack she said she carried to the Capitol complex on the day of the [insurrection].... Trump, the polling leader in the GOP presidential race, finished by taking a picture with her, hugging her, and giving her the personalized marker he used for his autograph.... Trump has steadily escalated his advocacy for people charged in the Capitol riot, including by pledging to pardon them if he returns to the White House, praising them as patriots, participating in a recording with Jan. 6 prisoners singing the national anthem, and playing it at his first rally of the 2024 campaign last month. 'I think it's so terrible,' Trump said Thursday about the prosecution of Jan. 6 defendants." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Let us assume that Jack Smith is writing this down.

Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Former president Trump's campaign quietly commissioned a second firm to study election fraud claims in the weeks after the 2020 election, and the founder of the firm was recently questioned by the Justice Department about his work disproving the claims. Ken Block, founder of the firm Simpatico Software Systems, studied more than a dozen voter fraud theories and allegations for Trump's campaign in late 2020 and found they were 'all false,' he said in an interview with The Washington Post.... Block said he recently received a subpoena from special counsel Jack Smith's office and met with federal prosecutors in Washington, but he declined to discuss his interactions with them. Block said he contemporaneously sent his findings disputing fraud claims in writing to the Trump campaign in late 2020.... Separately, prosecutors have interviewed multiple employees from the Berkeley Research Group in recent weeks, another Trump-paid firm that produced a 29-page report ultimately undermining many of Trump's fraud claims, according to three people familiar with the matter.... The firm's work was given to a number of top Trump aides [including Mark Meadows], and that Trump was briefed on the research himself by Berkeley employees, people familiar with the project said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: We know Jack Smith is writing all this down.

Benjamin Weiser, et al., of the New York Times: E. Jean "Carroll underwent hours of cross-examination by [Donald Trump's lawyer Joe] Tacopina, who made it clear he was seeking to undermine her testimony about what she says was a vicious attack by Mr. Trump after they ran into each other at the Bergdorf Goodman store on Fifth Avenue in the mid-1990s.... The lawyer pressed Ms. Carroll repeatedly about basic facts, probing for inconsistencies and asking about her inability to remember precisely when in 1995 or 1996 the encounter occurred.... At times during the cross-examination, Mr. Tacopina's approach led to admonishments from the judge, Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court.... Campaigning in New Hampshire on Thursday, Mr. Trump ... avoided specifically mentioning the trial in Manhattan and Ms. Carroll's accusations." ~~~

~~~ The New York Times liveblogged developments Thursday in the rape & defamation suit E. Jean Carroll has brought against Donald Trump. The Washington Post had a liveblog, too. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)


The Washington Post publishes 23 photos of the 900 it obtained through an FOIA request to the Obama Presidential Library. The photos all were taken on May 1, 2011, the day of the raid on Osama bin Ladin's Pakistan compound.

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." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Presidential Race 2024. Nikki Haley Predicts Biden Will Die Soon. Summer Concepcion of NBC News: "Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Wednesday that President Joe Biden, 80, will likely die within five years and that his supporters would have to count on Vice President Kamala Harris if he were to win re-election next year. 'He announced that he's running again in 2024, and I think that we can all be very clear and say with a matter of fact that if you vote for Joe Biden you really are counting on a President Harris, because the idea that he would make it until 86 years old is not something that I think is likely,' Haley, 51, said in an interview on Fox News." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Actuarially, Joe Biden is past the life expectancy of a White American male (77.8 years). But his father lived to the age of 87, and his mother lived to be 93. Plus, Joe Biden has the best medical care money can't buy. So Haley's ghoulish prophecy may be a bit premature.

MEANWHILE, Ronnie Goes to Israel, as Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times reports. I tried to read the article without prejudice. Couldn't do it. DeSantis is such a phony. For instance, Kingsley writes, "At his news briefing, Mr. DeSantis mainly took questions from reporters for right-wing outlets including the American outlet Newsmax; Israel Hayom, a right-wing free sheet published by [Miriam] Adelson[, Sheldon's widow]; and Channel 14, a private pro-Netanyahu television channel in Israel." DeSantis is pretending the global excursion is a Florida trade mission (certainly so Florida taxpayers will foot the substantial travel bill).

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Tierney Sneed of CNN: "A federal appeals court has upheld several provisions of a restrictive election law in Florida that was passed by the GOP-controlled legislature in 2021. A divided panel of the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed most of a ruling by a trial judge last year that said the provisions in question violated the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act by intentionally targeting Black voters. US District Judge Mark Walker's ruling, the appeals court said Thursday, was legally and factually flawed. The 11th Circuit also reversed a holding by Walker that would have required Florida to seek federal approval for any future election rule changes that are similar to the provisions he had struck down." The chief judge of the 11th Circuit, who wrote the opinion, is a Bush II appointed; a Trump appointee joined his opinion. An Obama appointee dissented. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: And that's the way it goes. Every day Dick Durbin & Chuck Schumer coddle Dianne Feinstein, another American (or 100s of Americans) loses the franchise. Inaction has consequences. ~~~

     ~~~ Not Only That, Ron & the Florida Fascists Are Fixing to Make Things Worse. Get Lost, GOTV. Sam Levine of the Guardian: "Florida Republicans are on the verge of passing new restrictions on groups that register voters, a move voting rights groups and experts say will make it harder for non-white Floridians to get on the rolls. The restrictions are part of a sweeping 96-page election bill the legislature is likely to send to Governor Ron DeSantis's desk soon. The measure increases fines for third-party voter registration groups. It also shortens the amount of time the groups have to turn in any voter registration applications they collect from 14 days to 10. The bill makes it illegal for non-citizens and people convicted of certain felonies to 'collect or handle' voter registration applications on behalf of third-party groups."

Kansas. John Hanna of the AP: "The Republican-controlled state Senate voted 29-11 along party lines to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of the medication abortion 'reversal' measure. The GOP-controlled House overrode the veto Wednesday on an 84-40 vote and the new law takes effect July 1. [Providers consider the drug regimen, which the legislature is now forcing them to recommend, to be "ineffective and potentially dangerous."]... Kelly vetoed more than a dozen bills restricting abortion providers, rolling back transgender rights or enacting other conservative policies that have been pursued by Republicans across the U.S. While top GOP lawmakers prevailed on a majority of the Kansas measures, Kelly had some key victories." ~~~

     ~~~ Ben Brasch & Maham Javaid of the Washington Post: "Kansas lawmakers on Thursday passed what critics call one of the most sweeping anti-trans bathroom bills in the nation, overriding Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto as conservative state lawmakers are increasingly embracing culture war policies. The new law defines a man and a woman by their sex organs at birth and divides the two groups in their use of bathrooms in athletic settings, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, jails and prisons, while also leaving open its application in other areas." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I get that it would deprive Republicans of the fun and profit in bullying trans people, but states could just pass laws approving unisex public restrooms and forget about the whole thing. ~~~

~~~ Montana. Jim Robbins, et al., of the New York Times: "As Montana lawmakers entered the critical final days of their legislative session on Thursday, one of the state's only transgender lawmakers, Zooey Zephyr, was left exiled from the House chamber, monitoring the debate and casting votes on a laptop as she sat on a hallway bench near a bustling snack stand. Even as her Republican peers sought to isolate her in the wake of her impassioned comments against a proposed ban on what doctors call gender-affirming medical care for children, Ms. Zephyr said she would not remain idle. She spent much of the day on the bench, working with headphones in her ears to block the sound of chattering lobbyists, the hiss of a milk foamer and the voices of lawmakers ordering coffee." ~~~

     ~~~ Eduardo Medina & Jacey Fortin of the New York Times: "As debates over transgender issues embroil Montana's legislature, the governor has faced lobbying from someone close to him: his son, who identifies as nonbinary and has pleaded with his father to reject what he called 'immoral, unjust' bills backed by Republicans. In an interview with The Montana Free Press published Wednesday, David Gianforte, who uses he and they pronouns, said he had sat down with his father, Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, last month with a prepared statement in hand to read aloud. David Gianforte, 32, told The Montana Free Press, a nonprofit news outlet, that he had written down why he believed bills that were gaining traction in the State Senate and House would be harmful to the L.G.B.T.Q. community, to which he belongs." MB: It's hard to believe David thinks Goliath is persuadable.

Nebraska. Grace Moon of the Washington Post: "A Nebraska state lawmaker and mother to a trans child is being formally investigated over a potential conflict of interest for opposing restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, a move that several senators from both parties were quick to denounce. The complaint, filed by Omaha lawyer David Begley, alleges that Sen. Megan Hunt (D) has a financial stake in the Let Them Grow Act -- which would prohibit puberty blockers, hormone therapies and genital or non-genital surgeries before the age of 19 -- because she has a son who is transgender and could receive a financial benefit.... Sen. Wendy DeBoer (D) ... [said,. 'Every time we have a tax bill, I'm a taxpayer. So I may be involved in that every time.... We have a bill that involves families, well, I have a family.'" MB: Begley is apparently not too bright.

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní & Grace Ashford of the New York Times: "Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced that she and state lawmakers had reached an agreement on a roughly $229 billion state budget that would change the state's bail laws, increase the minimum wage and provide urgently needed funding for New York City's transit system. The deal capped weeks of contentious negotiations that divided the governor and the Democrat-led State Legislature, delaying its expected passage by almost a month...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't know if you've noticed, but the stories I link about liberal-state news are usually about something like police differences, not unimportant, but pretty much what you'd expect. The stories I link about GOP-dominated states, however, are often about "the most restrictive abortion bill ever!" or "the most permissive gun law ever!" or "Education Department bans books" or "Anti-trans law passes on straight-line party votes." But oh lordie, lookie here: ~~~

~~~ South Carolina & Nebraska. Brittany Shammas, et al., of the Washington Post: "Strict new abortion restrictions failed to advance in two conservative-dominated legislatures on Thursday, signaling a mounting fear among some Republicans that abortion bans could lead to political backlash. A near-total ban on abortion failed in South Carolina, just hours before a six-week ban fizzled in Nebraska. Abortion remains legal in both states until 22 weeks of pregnancy. In lengthy and often impassioned speeches on the South Carolina Senate floor, the state's five female senators -- three Republicans and two Democrats -- decried what would have been a near-total ban on abortion.... In Nebraska..., 80-year-old ... Sen. Merv Riepe, a longtime Republican who would have been the decisive vote to advance the bill to a final round of voting, abstained over his concern that the six-week ban might not give women enough time to know they are pregnant."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "Russian attacks hit cities around Ukraine, killing at least 17 people, officials said early Friday. In Kyiv, authorities said the capital came under the first missile attack since early March.... The Biden administration imposed sanctions on Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and other entities for their role in the 'wrongful detention' of Americans.... WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was released from detention in Russia, said she has no plans to play overseas again, unless she does so as a member of Team USA in the Olympics.... Senior American lawmakers expressed frustration at the slow pace of tank deliveries to Ukraine, Dan Lamothe reports. 'This counteroffensive that everybody is talking about,' Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, 'it's the longest windup for a punch in the history of the world.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Friday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.

U.K. A Bad Day for the Telly. Mark Landler of the New York Times: "The chairman of BBC's board, Richard Sharp, resigned on Friday after an investigation concluded that he failed to disclose his involvement in arranging a nearly $1 million loan for the former prime minister, Boris Johnson. Mr. Sharp said in a statement, shortly before the report was released, that the omission was 'inadvertent and not material' but that he had decided to step down from the broadcaster's board to 'prioritize the interests of the BBC.' His departure deepens the turmoil that has enveloped Britain's public broadcaster in recent months over accusations of political bias and questions about its close ties to Britain's Conservative government. The BBC's role has come under relentless fire in an era of polarized politics and freewheeling social media."

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Reader Comments (13)

I will be beyond outraged if the strategy being used by Rape Boy’s attorney, that Ms. Carroll cannot remember the exact date and time of the assault, persuades the jury that it’s all a lie.

I was chatting with an old friend a few weeks ago about a mutual friend who died many years ago after falling out a window during a party. He was clowning around with another kid and he just went over. It was a pretty emotional event for all of us. We recalled some of the stories told by his brother at the funeral but neither of us could remember the exact year. We had it down to ‘77 or ‘78 but that’s as close as we could get.

And that event, as bad as it was, wasn’t nearly as traumatic as being raped. Trauma is well known to trigger serious gaps in memory, sometimes to the point of not being able to remember the event at all. I don’t know if Carroll’s attorney summoned testimony from trauma experts on this score but that would have been a good idea.

But if we’re going to start using memory as an arbiter of trustworthiness, how about starting with the Fat Rapist? He once thought Frederick Douglass was still alive.

I still can’t get over Ms. Carroll’s testimony about how Trump’s vicious attack, which he now blithely blows off, changed her entire life, to the point of not ever again being able to establish an intimate relationship with another human being.

That, more than exactitude of memory, should be the benchmark of whether or not this horrible rape occurred, and which story should be believed, Carroll’s, whose story has never changed, or Trump’s (who couldn’t be bothered to show up) who has four or five different tales. One of which was that she enjoyed it because “rape is sexy”!!!! In the next breath, however, he never met her and has no idea who she is.

If this were anyone other than this fat pig, this would be open and shut. Because remember, this is a civil case. Preponderance of evidence is all that matters, not guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Marie points out, correctly, that Party of Traitors elected officials (I’m tempted to put “elected” in quotes…it’s hard to believe that actual democracy has anything to do with the extreme gerrymandering currently used by POT candidates to guarantee success at the polls. I heard yesterday that last year in Georgia, out of something like 256 positions for elected office, only five were considered up for grabs) don’t even care to pretend to be concerned about piddling stuff like ethics, at least when it comes to their own justices.

In fact, they gave up pretending about most everything years ago: rule of law? Meh. Precedence? Whazat? Constitutional concerns? 2nd and 10th and that’s it. Democracy? hahahahaha…Treason? zzzzzzz…

But had this Supreme Court crisis been triggered by a liberal justice, say Kagan had been receiving gifts and going on half million dollar vacations with George Soros, and had her picture painted sitting around with Soros, Abbie Hoffman and Jesse Jackson, the screaming would shatter sonar equipment on Mars. She’d be subpoenaed by every committee in Congress, impeachment proceedings would already be in full swing and meantime, she’d need written authorization from John Marshall and a note from her mother to even listen in on SCOTUS proceedings.

But for one of their guys?

Ethics, schmethics. Big deal.

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

BOUIE BUTTS IN:

Jamelle Bouie takes on the S.C.'s John Robert's refusal to engage.
"Roberts did not write an aggressive or confrontational letter. And yet, he is quietly making an aggressive and confrontational claim about his own power and authority and that of the court’s. “Separation of powers,” in Roberts’s view, means the court is outside the system of checks and balances that governs the other branches of government. “Judicial independence,” likewise, means neither he nor any other member of the court has any obligation to speak to Congress about their behavior. The court checks, according to Roberts, but cannot be checked."

Bouie reminds us that the framers trusted congress with far more authority than it did the President or the S.C.

"The key reality of American politics in this moment: that our S.C. does not exist in the constitutional order as much as it looms over it:
A robed tribunal of self-styled philosopher kings, accountable to no one but themselves."

Now it's up to Congress to fix this but their hands are tied because the Judiciary Committee is missing a vote–--guess whose.

Just a thought: when Fatty bragged about his ability to snatch females by their "pussy" and then used this very word again when admonishing Pence, could we conclude that this word has a negative connotation for this dim witted wuss?

Another thought.. Given that Jean had a dress on along with tights and panties, can you imagine the sheer brute force it took to remove said items, along with removing HIS items, pin her against the wall and rape her?

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

AK: Concerning memory: As I have mentioned before I have kept journals over many years but even with those I cannot fathom how I got from one place to another–-plane? Train? Car? And sometimes even trying to figure out what year this or that happened is a puzzle but WHAT took place is crystal clear.

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

Travels with Ronito

DeSantolini is on a world tour…on Florida business? Hey, all you Brits and Israelis, come visit Florida! Oh, but don’t go to Disneyworld…

Right.

Despite being roundly despised by many, DeSantolini is no doubt playing the odds here that one or more of Fatty’s legal troubles will short circuit his campaign. Should that happen, he wants to make sure the MAGA droolers run to him next.

So he plays the game. Junkets off to foreign countries like a visiting monarch, and refrains from attacking the Orange Monster outright, so as not to offend the Trumpen proletariat.

Were Trump somehow counted out in 2024, I’m pretty sure that plenty of MAGA morons would vote for Ronito. I mean, that ain’t voting for Biden. Or Nikki Haley.

The problem now is whether or not the both-sides media will provide an accurate and honest presentation of the facts, alerting voters as to what this country could look like with a thin-skinned fascist schemer like Ronito in charge. We’ve already had one thin-skinned fascist schemer, so it shouldn’t be hard. But it’s the media, right? The supposedly liberal NY Times is still publishing amazing bits of fetid folderol by idiots like Blow Up Doll Boy Douthat, who earlier in the week declared that TuKKKer KKKarlson was actually a far-left liberal.

Last year, the New Yorker published a lengthy piece of biological waste about what a great guy DeSantolini is, how smart he is, how dedicated to freedom, and how he’s been unfairly treated by the media. The fucking New Yorker!!

So Ronito’s travels, and his ever expanding litany of fascist moves may pay off yet.

We may see epaulettes on those shoulders after all.

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

PD,

Regarding the monarchical Supremes, it’s instructive to recall that de Tocqueville, in “Democracy in America” indicated a great admiration for the US Constitution and the process of judicial review as ramparts defending the nascent democratic nation from European style tyranny.

He did, however, consider the possibility that the courts themselves could become advocates of tyranny were trust in the democratic experiment to fade and were faith in civic institutions and citizen support of the experiment to succumb to venal self interest. This is exactly what’s happening in our Supreme Court right now. Money talks, Democracy takes a walk.

That painting of Clarence Thomas yukking it up with far-right political operatives and a filthy rich donor with ideological goals and financial requirements to maintain his wealth and power isn’t just a memento of past good times hanging with the homes. It’s a perfect encapsulation of what the Supreme Court is about these days. Push far-right and theocratic ideology and help the rich. No accountability. No concern for ethical considerations. Not even caring to pretend it’s a disinterested umpire.

John Roberts lied about just calling balls and strikes. His Court isn’t just an umpire, they are the coach, part owner, and number one fan of one team only. If strikes are called, they’re called most often against the other side, and called especially if it seems like their opponents look like they might win.

Just before the Civil War, de Tocqueville wrote that the United States surely wasn’t stupid enough to go to war over an institution (slavery) that he believed to be on the way out.

Too bad, Alexis. Actual slavery isn’t with us anymore, but the ghosts of racial hatred walk the land with impunity. He also believed that democracy was a tenuous thing and that the American Experiment could be ended quite quickly under the right conditions. He was correct. He was just off by about 150 years, but he was right.

John Roberts and his Party of Traitors are showing how it could be done.

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@P.D.Pepe: I was attacked much in the way Carroll was, by someone I knew, and perhaps more-or-less in the same time-period, so I have an understanding of what her reactions might have been. I cannot know, of course, what her reactions were, because she and I are different people. In the short run, the attack did "ruin my life," but in the longer run, I got over it (as far as I can tell).

And let me assure you that what happened to me and to Carroll were common. I don't know how often it may have happened to women living quiet lives in the hinterlands (although a religious guy tried to rape me while I was in the goatshed milking a goat; my first reaction was outrage and my second was to LOL), but I can tell you that nearly every youngish, at least vaguely-attractive working woman during a certain period in our history was violently attacked, often by a seemingly mild-mannered colleague. That's just the way it was. We could have a little club called "Remember That Time You Were Raped?" and most women of a certain age would qualify for membership. So is it likely that Carroll is telling the truth? Yes, it is. By a preponderance of the evidence. And that's all that's required in a civil case.

You don't forget these crimes against you, crimes men were able to laugh off back in the day. But you do forget some of the details, as Carroll has. Although I don't know what year I was attacked, I think I could reconstruct it, if I had to, with "outside" clues -- that is, by pinpointing the dates of other events that took place at about the same time. I think I could get within a week or so of the actual date of the attempted rape. I'm sort of surprised Carroll hasn't been able to do that, too. She would have to put a caveat on her recollection and admit it might be off my a few weeks or a month or whatever, but I would think she could get close.

April 28, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Make America Glam Again

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

On thinking about it, if Carroll was as shocked as she says, it would have been nothing to simply slam her against a wall and hold her there with his body, pull DOWN all the barriers on her body, not OFF, and for him, a quick unzip would be enough. Rapes occur in any sort of place, and obviously he was determined enough to do the "bare minimum" to reduce or rip off all barriers. We all know about bodice rippers, and female undergarments are notoriously flimsy. Wham bam thank you ma'am. The guy questioning her is a scumbucket.

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

By the way, don't read any of the comments to Biden's posting of the children posing as SS agents for Take Your Kids (used to be Daughters) To Work Day. I mistakenly clicked on the tweets and read about five and about lost my breakfast. The hate directed toward Biden is unbelievable. I am not on Twitter so only see it when there is something posted included in other blogs that focuses on replies which you click on... Total revulsion follows. I would be even crazier if I were on Twitter as a participant.

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

Jeanne and PD,

The other thing about Trump’s attack on Carroll that one might presume, is that it certainly seems, given the speed and apparent efficiency of the assault, not to mention its ruthlessness, that not only was it planned, him coming into the dressing room with her (by planned, I don’t necessarily mean something he thought our far in advance; it seems that most of his sexual assaults were/are somewhat spur of the moment, opportunities he took immediate advantage of, but it could have been something he hatched while walking around with her), but something he had done before. It doesn’t sound like there was any hesitation or any indecision in how to go about quickly and efficiently cornering a woman, pulling her clothes down and taking what he wanted.

The guy clearly considers this sort of thing his droit de seigneur, a standing grant, a blanket permission allowing him to take what he wants whenever he wants. Just recall his never ending surprise, and fuming annoyance when, as president*, he was told “No. You can’t do that”, whatever that might have been. In his mind, he’d always been able to do whatever he wanted.

As usual, Trump let this slip when he opined that Carroll “enjoyed” the rape, and that “rape is sexy”. Yeah. For him, maybe. The Hollywood Access tape shows what glee he took in these assaults, convincing himself, in his narcissism, that because he’s TRUMP and he’s rich and famous, “You can do whatever you want” because in his mind, the women he attacks want it, and who is going to tell him “no”?

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Just a kind of literary aside…

Dunno if any of you guys have caught any of the Bosch seasons on Prime, but once we started them, we blasted through all of them. They’re crazy good, the writing is sharp and surprising, like the best detective fiction should be, and the acting and direction (art direction, cinematography, music, everything) are outstanding. And forget trying to figure out the endings.

The cases are most all based on the books by Michael Connelly, formerly a reporter on the cop beat in LA, and they all have the feel of gritty authenticity.

Anyway, after watching the shows, I thought I’d check out the books. I’ve always loved detective, mystery writing since my first Sherlock Holmes book in the sixth grade: Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, Patricia Highsmith, Thomas Harris, Walter Moseley, I read ‘em all. These aren’t guilty pleasures, just pleasures.

Right now I’m on my fifth Bosch book in three weeks. And here’s something I just read that seems right on the money about some back and forth out here today. From “Trunk Music”:

“Rape victims were the people who evoked the most sadness in Bosch. He knew he wouldn’t be able to last a month on the rape squad. Every victim he had ever seen had that stare. It was a sign that all things in their lives were different. Now and forever. They would never get back to what they had had before.”

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

RAS,

Wow.

April 28, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus
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