;)
August 4, 2022
Afternoon Update:
Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that the Senate will begin consideration of a $740 billion budget reconciliation package that would reform the tax code and tackle climate change on Saturday afternoon, setting up a weekend of around-the-clock votes.... If a majority of senators vote to proceed to the legislation, they will then debate for up to 20 hours before holding an open-ended series of votes, known as a vote-a-rama, before a final up-or-down vote, which is now expected Sunday or perhaps early Monday morning. The announcement signals that Schumer expects maverick Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) to vote with all 49 other members of the Senate Democratic caucus to proceed to the legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, which would spend $369 billion on an energy and climate program and spend more than $300 billion to reduce the deficit."
Kentucky. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "Federal officials on Thursday charged four current and former police officers in Louisville, Ky., who were involved in a fatal raid on the apartment of Breonna Taylor, accusing them of several crimes.... The charges stem from a nighttime raid of Ms. Taylor's apartment in March 2020, during which officers knocked down Ms. Taylor's door and fired a volley of gunshots after her boyfriend shot an officer in the leg, believing that intruders had burst into the home. Two officers shot Ms. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Merrick Garland, the attorney general, said at a news conference that members of an investigative unit within the Louisville Metro Police Department had included false information in an affidavit that was then used to obtain a warrant to search Ms. Taylor's home." At 12:15 pm ET, this is a developing story. MB: Huh. I wonder why these officers weren't charged with Trump's DOJ was running this.
Robyn Dixon & Mary Ilyushina of the Washington Post: "A Russian judge on Thursday handed down a harsh, 9½-year prison sentence for WNBA star Brittney Griner, rejecting the player's plea for leniency and her apology for 'an honest mistake' in bringing less than a gram of cannabis oil into the country in February.... Her fate is now in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will make the final decision on any prisoner swap. She also was fined 1 million rubles ($16,590)." MB: Of course this is an "offense" that is not illegal in many U.S. states & probably would not be prosecuted where it may be illegal, especially with a doctor's note saying she needed the cannibis for pain control.
Perry Stein of the Washington Post: "Federal law enforcement agents on Thursday arrested former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced, charging her in a bribery scheme that was allegedly aimed at financing her failed 2020 gubernatorial campaign, the Justice Department said.... Officials said that said that while Vázquez Garced was governor in 2019 and 2020, she allegedly took campaign donations from a banker, Julio Martin Herrera Velutini, and a former FBI agent, Mark Rossini, who was consulting for the bank. Herrera Velutini's bank was under investigation by the regulatory agency that oversees Puerto Rico's financial institutions. He and Rossini allegedly paid more than $300,000 to consultants who supported Vázquez Garced's campaign. In exchange for the campaign donations, the governor allegedly said she would appoint a new commissioner to the regulatory agency of Herrera Velutini's choosing. In February 2020, Vázquez Garced demanded the resignation of agency head. She appointed a new director a few months later, according to the federal indictment. Vazquez Garced, Herrera Velutini and Rossini are each charged with conspiracy, federal programs bribery and wire fraud." ~~~
~~~ Marie: "... to the regulatory agency of Herrera Velutini's choosing." Well, that's confusing. From the wording, I thought HV got to pick which regulatory agency for which he wanted VG to appoint a new commissioner. But reading the whole graf (more than once), I think VG promised HV he could pick whoever he wanted to head up the regulatory agency that oversees the banks.
Abbott, Ducey Stunts Stress East-Coast Cities. Miriam Jordan of the New York Times: "A political tactic by the governors of Texas and Arizona to offload the problems caused by record levels of migration at the border is beginning to hit home in Washington, [D.C.,] as hundreds of undocumented migrants arriving on the governors' free bus rides each week increasingly tax the capital's ability to provide emergency food and housing. With no money and no family to receive them, the migrants are overwhelming immigrant nonprofits and other volunteer groups, with many ending up in homeless shelters or on park benches. Five buses arrived on a recent day, spilling young men and families with nowhere to go into the streets near the Capitol. Since April, Texas has delivered more than 6,200 migrants to the nation's capital, with Arizona dispatching an additional 1,000 since May. The influx has prompted Muriel E. Bowser, Washington's Democratic mayor, to ask the Defense Department to send the National Guard in.... A vast majority of recent bus riders are Venezuelans fleeing their crisis-ridden country, and many have also been arriving in New York, often via Washington. Eric Adams, mayor of New York City, announced emergency measures on Monday to enable the city to quickly build additional shelter capacity.... Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas and Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona, both Republicans, blame President Biden for record numbers of migrants crossing the southern border."
Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration plans to declare the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency as soon as Thursday in an effort to galvanize awareness and unlock additional flexibility and funding to fight the virus' spread. The declaration would come from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who is expected to discuss the plan at an afternoon briefing.... The health secretary is planning a second declaration empowering federal officials to expedite medical countermeasures, such as potential treatments and vaccines, without going through full-fledged federal reviews." MB: For contrast, read Florida news, linked below, about What Gov. Ron DeSantis had to say about monkeypox. Becerra's plan should cause DeSantolini to go batshit crazy and start screaming from the balcony. ~~~
~~~ More on DeSantoni. (OR Moron DeSantolini. Florida Politics: "Gov. Ron DeSantis is suspending State Attorney Andrew Warren of the 13th Judicial Circuit [Hillsborough County], replacing the progressive prosecutor with County Judge Susan Lopez [whom DeSantis appoint to her judgeship].... 'Andrew Warren has put himself publicly above the law,' DeSantis said. 'The Constitution of Florida has vested the veto power in the Governor, not an individual State Attorney.' In announcing Warren's suspension, the Governor cited Warren's refusal to enforce bans on abortion and gender-affirming surgery. Most recently, Warren pledged he would not enforce Florida's new law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. 'It's been a very, very troubling record,' DeSantis said. 'They're literally chopping off the private parts of kids.' Warren, who was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020, has pushed for justice reform throughout his tenure. Under the state constitution, a Governor has the power to suspend a local official for 'misfeasance, malfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, or commission of a felony.' The suspension, though, is not a permanent removal from office. Warren can dispute the suspension and a trial in the Senate could be held to reinstate him or uphold DeSantis' suspension and remove him from office."
~~~ Marie: It's worth noting that Warren, contrary to DeSantis's claims is not exercising "veto power." Rather, he is excercising prosecutorial discretion, which is SOP. More important, Warren is an elected official, not an appointee. That is to say, DeSantolini is unilaterally overruling the voters, who elected Warren twice. On the other hand, it's nice to see that Ron has such a grasp of (and such fluency in) medical procedures.
Hannah Natanson of the Washington Post: "Rural school districts in Texas are switching to four-day weeks this fall due to lack of staff. Florida is asking veterans with no teaching background to enter classrooms. Arizona is allowing college students to step in and instruct children. The teacher shortage in America has hit crisis levels -- and school officials everywhere are scrambling to ensure that, as students return to classrooms, someone will be there to educate them.... Experts point to a confluence of factors including pandemic-induced teacher exhaustion, low pay and some educators' sense that politicians and parents -- and sometimes their own school board members -- have little respect for their profession amid an escalating educational culture war that has seen many districts and states pass policies and laws restricting what teachers can say about U.S. history, race, racism, gender and sexual orientation, as well as LGBTQ issues." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Who wants to be a teacher if you have to pretend there's no such thing as sex and that slavery made for a safe and comfy "lifestyle," you have to fend off threats from angry parents, and if you're gay or non-Christian, you pretty much have to go back in the closet?
~~~~~~~~~~
Tyler Pager of the Washington Post: "President Biden signed an executive order Wednesday directing his health secretary to consider actions to assist patients traveling out of state for abortions. The travel-related provision in the order calls on Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to consider inviting states to apply for Medicaid waivers when treating patients who cross state lines for reproductive health services. The executive order, the second Biden has signed on reproductive health since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, follows the administration's call for the Department of Health and Human Services to explore all options to support Americans who live in states that have severely limited abortion access. The president's actions came a day after Kansas voters rejected an effort to strip away their state's abortion protections." A CNN report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Mitch Smith, et al., of the New York Times: "The sweeping victory for abortion rights in Kansas on Tuesday -- the country's first post-Roe vote on the issue -- relied on a broad coalition of voters who turned out in huge numbers and crashed through party and geographic lines to maintain abortion access in the state. The result was an election with a stunning 18-point margin that is shaking up national politics ahead of the midterm elections. Abortion rights supporters used conservative-sounding language about government mandates and personal freedom in their pitch to voters, and made a point of reaching out to independents, Libertarians and moderate Republicans.... Going into Tuesday, there were many reasons to doubt that supporters of abortion rights could fend off a well-financed effort in a reliably conservative state to open the door for lawmakers to ban or severely restrict the procedure. Republicans in the state hold commanding legislative majorities and have long campaigned on restricting abortion. The Roman Catholic Church donated millions of dollars to the effort to pass the amendment. And the issue was strategically placed on the August primary ballot, a time of year when Kansas Republicans usually have competitive races, but when Democrats and political independents often have little to draw them to the polls." ~~~
~~~ A related and worthwhile story by Annie Gowen of the Washington Post is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Gosh, that pesky Nineteenth Amendment is a thorny problem for Arrogant Sam & the Supremes. Will they figure out how to deprive women of the vote? ~~~
~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "The Kansas referendum demonstrated that democracy in America can still work, and why the forces of religious authoritarianism are so set on destroying it."
That Took A While. Andrew Jeong of the Washington Post: "Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley will become the first Black four-star general in the Marines' 246-year history, after the Senate confirmed his promotion this week, the Marine Corps said Tuesday. Langley will formally attain his new rank at a ceremony in D.C. this weekend, the Marines said. He will then become the new head of U.S. Africa Command at its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. There, he will oversee about 6,000 troops. President Biden nominated him in June." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a treaty that would expand NATO to include Finland and Sweden, with Republicans and Democrats linking arms to pave the way for one of the most significant expansions of the alliance in decades amid Russia's continued assault on Ukraine. The vote was 95 to 1, with only Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, opposing the move. The lopsided tally, far surpassing the two-thirds support necessary to approve a treaty, underscored the bipartisan appetite for a more muscular Western military alliance even amid threats from Russian officials that Sweden and Finland would face retaliation should they join NATO.... All 30 current members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization must ratify the accession of the two countries.... The approval of the United States is a crucial step, and the vote was a triumph for President Biden." The AP report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Cheese Stands Alone. John Amato of Crooks & Liars: "Sen. Tom Cotton, another loathsome creature actually pushed back against 'Run-Away-Josh' [Hawley]. Via Raw Story: '"It would be strange indeed for any senator who voted to allow Montenegro or North Macedonia into NATO to turn around and deny membership to Finland and Sweden," [Cotton] remarked. "I would love to hear the defense of such a curious vote," Cotton added, his voice dripping with sarcasm.'"
Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "Determined to prevent a repeat of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, backers of an overhaul of the federal law governing the count of presidential electoral ballots pressed lawmakers on Wednesday to repair the flaws that ... Donald J. Trump and his allies tried to exploit to reverse the 2020 results. 'There is nothing more essential to the orderly transfer of power than clear rules for effecting it,' Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine and one of the lead authors of a bill to update the 135-year-old Electoral Count Act, said Wednesday as the Senate Rules Committee began its review of the legislation.... Backers of the legislation, which has significant bipartisan support in the Senate, believe that a Republican takeover of the House in November and the beginning of the 2024 presidential election cycle could make it impossible to make major election law changes in the next Congress.... Some critics of the [Senate] bill argued that more changes were needed to protect the integrity of the electoral count.... House officials expect to make their proposal public within weeks."
Senate Prima Donna #2 Takes an Extended Curtain Call. Alex Rogers & Manu Raju of CNN: "Republican senators and the business community are mounting a full-court press on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to sink -- or substantially change -- the Democrats' economic package, arguing in private conversations that the new tax increases would hurt companies in her home state of Arizona. And in a private call with business groups on Tuesday, Sinema asked a question about the bill's proposed 15% minimum tax on corporations that gave them some hope for optimism. 'Is this written in a way that's bad?' Sinema asked, according to Danny Seiden, president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, who relayed the call to CNN.... As she's been in talks with Democrats who have touted the bill's benefits, Republicans like Senate Minority Whip John Thune have expressed concerns to her about the taxes on companies and the proposal to hire new IRS agents to bolster tax enforcement." ~~~
~~~ Alayna Treene of Axios: "Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) is eyeing changes to Democrats' $740 billion reconciliation bill -- specifically increasing climate funding and restructuring the tax provisions -- as the Senate moves rapidly toward final passage before the August recess, Axios has learned.... Sinema is the one senator potentially standing in the way of Democrats clinching President Biden's longtime goal of passing an ambitious package tackling climate change, health care and taxes -- renamed the 'Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Stupidest Senator Doesn't Want You to Get What You Paid For for Decades. Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has suggested that Social Security and Medicare be eliminated as federal entitlement programs, and that they should instead become programs approved by Congress on an annual basis as discretionary spending. Those who work in the United States pay Social Security and Medicare taxes that go into federal trust funds. Upon retirement, based on a person's lifetime earnings and other factors, a retiree is eligible to receive monthly Social Security payments. Similarly, Medicare is the federal health insurance program that kicks in for people 65 and older, or for others who have disabilities. In an interview that aired Tuesday on 'The Regular Joe Show' podcast, Johnson, who is seeking a third term in the Senate, lamented that the Social Security and Medicare programs automatically grant benefits to those who meet the qualifications -- that is, to those who had been paying into the system over their working life.... Johnson's comments prompted criticism from the White House and from Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who said Democrats would fight any attempt by Republicans to 'pull the rug out from under our seniors.'" Emphasis added. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Thanks, Ms. Wang for explaining Social Security & Medicare to the Stupidest Senator. But one reason Ron thinks he can get away with eliminating the programs is that reporters keep calling them "entitlement programs."
Perry Stein & Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department has reviewed more than 1,000 hostile threats against election workers over the past year, leading to federal charges in five cases and one conviction, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Polite, who heads the department's criminal division, described an increasingly rampant problem across the country, detailing for lawmakers repeated and often graphically violent threats that have targeted election officials in Nevada, Michigan, Arizona and other states. The hearing focused on the findings of a Justice Department task force that convened last summer to examine threats against election workers, which officials say increased sharply after ... Donald Trump and his supporters falsely claimed that the results of the 2020 election were tainted." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Oh, here's my favorite graf from the report: “But Republican senators on the committee asked the witnesses few questions about election workers and instead cited rising violent crime rates in the country, questioning why the Justice Department isn't focused more on that issue. Multiple senators also asked Polite why the federal officials were not more aggressively trying to prosecute protesters who have been rallying in front of the suburban Maryland homes of Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade." This is the oft-repeated GOP deflection for all bad things for which they are responsible. It's the equivalent of a driver being stopped for a bona fide traffic violation and angrily asking the officer, "Why aren't you out chasing the real criminals?"
Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "The news that the Justice Department has subpoenaed former White House counsel Pat Cipollone suggests new perils for Trump.... [According to the New York Times,] 'Mr. Cipollone's appearance has been requested at a time when federal prosecutors are sharpening their focus on the conduct of Mr. Trump, and not simply the people who were advising him....'... Cipollone did testify before the committee, and it was explosive.... A Justice Department investigation would likely be able to prevail on Cipollone to disclose ... communications [for which Cipollone claimed executive privilege], says New York University law professor Ryan Goodman, who closely tracks the Jan. 6 saga at Just Security.... Cipollone perhaps can testify to just how extensively Trump was informed that his schemes might be illegal.... The Justice Department 'will insist there is no shield to his testimony, and if necessary will go to court to force his hand,' [former federal prosecutor Harry] Litman told me...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Katelyn Polantz & Pamela Brown of CNN: "The former deputy counsel to ... Donald Trump has been subpoenaed in the federal criminal probe of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, two sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. Patrick Philbin was subpoenaed for testimony and documents, according to one of the sources. Philbin worked in the White House counsel's office under Pat Cipollone, who also was also subpoenaed for documents and testimony, according to sources." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
The Cover-up, Ctd. Nicholas Wu of Politico: "The Justice Department on Wednesday sued former Donald Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro in an effort to force him to turn over emails from his tenure in the White House. Navarro ... had used 'at least one non-official email account ... to send and receive messages constituting Presidential records,' the Justice Department said in a court filing. Attorneys also accused him of 'wrongfully retaining them' in violation of federal record-keeping laws, as Navarro did not copy the messages into an official government account, nor did he respond to the National Archivist's initial request for the emails. The Justice Department approached Navarro about producing the missing emails, but he refused to return records 'absent a grant of immunity for the act of returning such documents,' the department said." The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: IOW, that prick Navarro is attempting to use his own illegal actions as leverage against the government to avoid prosecution for some of his other illegal actions. Now that's chutzpah.
Georgia Senate Race, 2021. Beating a Dead Horse. Maggie Haberman & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "John Eastman, the conservative lawyer whose plan to block congressional certification of the 2020 election failed in spectacular fashion on Jan. 6, 2021, sent an email two weeks later arguing that pro-Trump forces should sue to keep searching for the supposed election fraud he acknowledged they had failed to find. On Jan. 20, 2021, hours after President Biden's inauguration, Mr. Eastman emailed Rudolph W. Giuliani ... proposing that they challenge the outcome of the runoff elections in Georgia for two Senate seats that had been won on Jan. 5 by Democrats.... 'If we get proof of fraud on Jan. 5, it will likely also demonstrate the fraud on Nov. 3, thereby vindicating President Trump's claims and serving as a strong bulwark against Senate impeachment trial.' The email ... is the latest evidence that even some of Mr. Trump's most fervent supporters knew they had not proven their baseless claims of widespread voting fraud -- but wanted to continue their efforts to delegitimize the outcome even after Mr. Biden had taken office. Mr. Eastman's message also underscored that he had not taken on the work of keeping Mr. Trump in office just out of conviction: He asked for Mr. Giuliani's help in collecting on a $270,000 invoice he had sent the Trump campaign the previous day for his legal services."
The Cover-up, Ctd. Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The No. 2 Senate Democrat on Wednesday called for an inspector general investigation into missing text messages from top Defense Department officials in the Trump administration related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he was sending a letter to Sean O'Donnell, the Defense Department's inspector general, seeking an investigation into the disappearance of text messages from the phones of at least five former Trump administration officials, including Christopher C. Miller, the acting defense secretary; Kash Patel, the Pentagon's chief of staff; and Ryan D. McCarthy, the Army secretary. The officials were involved in discussions about sending the National Guard to the Capitol during the mob violence."
All the Best People -- Your Typical Trump Appointee. Lisa Rein, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Homeland Security watchdog now under scrutiny for his handling of deleted Secret Service text messages from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol previously was accused of misleading federal investigators and running 'afoul' of ethics regulations while he was in charge of a Justice Department inspector general field office in Tucson, according to a newly disclosed government report. In the 2013 report from the Justice Department's inspector general, which was never publicly released, investigators said they did 'not believe' Joseph V. Cuffari's explanation for why he failed to inform his supervisors -- against federal rules -- about his testimony in a lawsuit brought by a federal prisoner. Separately, they found that Cuffari broke ethics rules by referring law firms to the prisoner's family, including firms where some of his close friends worked.... The new details in the report ... raise questions about how thoroughly Cuffari was vetted for one of the most important oversight jobs in government, experts said.... Cuffari' three years as Homeland Security's inspector general have been marked by numerous allegations of partisan decision-making and investigative failures...."
Republicans Still in Thrall of Trump. Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "Primary victories in Arizona and Michigan for allies of Donald J. Trump on Tuesday reaffirmed his continued influence over the Republican Party, as the former president has sought to cleanse the party of his critics, install loyalists in key swing-state offices and scare off potential 2024 rivals with a show of brute political force." MB: But will they all get together & hold candlelight vigils outside the federal pen where Donald winds up? (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: I looked up "in thrall" to make sure I was using it correctly as I don't think I've ever written it before. Here's Google's example of how to use "in thrall" in a sentence: "... she is still totally brainwashed and in thrall of the control-freakery madman." "Control-freakery madman"? Seems to apply to the subject of Goldmacher's story, dunnit?
Homina, Homina. Elizabeth Williamson of the New York Times: "In a brutal cross-examination on Wednesday in the trial of the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, a lawyer for Sandy Hook parents produced text messages from Mr. Jones's cellphone showing that he had withheld key evidence in defamation lawsuits brought by the families for lies he had spread about the 2012 school shooting. The messages were apparently sent in error to the familie' lawyers by Mr. Jones&'s legal team.... The text messages were significant because Mr. Jones had claimed for years that he had searched his phone for texts about the Sandy Hook cases and found none.... The disclosure of the texts provided a striking capstone to the final day of testimony in a trial to determine how much Mr. Jones must pay the parents of a child who died in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., for broadcasting conspiracy theories that the shooting was a hoax and that the families were 'actors.' The jury began deliberating late Wednesday.... The judge admonished Mr. Jones and his lawyer, F. Andino Reynal, after the Infowars fabulist lied about the matter under oath on Tuesday. The judge also chastised Mr. Jones for telling the jury that he was bankrupt when his bankruptcy filing last week has yet to be adjudicated; the families' lawyers say it is his latest attempt to delay the upcoming damages trials....
"Mr. Jones is also under scrutiny for his role in planning events around the attack on the Capitol, so the texts could be of interest to the House Jan. 6 committee. 'We fully intend on cooperating with law-enforcement and U.S. government officials interested in seeing these materials,' [the parents' lawyer Mark] Bankston said." ~~~
The Guardian's report is here.
~~~ Summer Concepcion of TPM: "The Jan. 6 Select Committee is now reportedly preparing to request those records from the attorneys representing the Sandy Hook victims for its investigation into the events surrounding the deadly Capitol insurrection, according to Rolling Stone. The internal deliberations among the committee regarding its planned request reportedly occurred within minutes of [attorney Mark] Bankston's revelation that was aired in the trial's livestream on Wednesday afternoon.... [Alex] Jones was initially subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 Select Committee in November. The panel requested Jones to turn over documents and participate in a deposition. A letter by the committee noted that the Trump White House told Jones on Jan. 3, 2021 to lead a march to the Capitol, where President Trump would meet with protesters."
Michael Isikoff of Yahoo! News: "Donald Trump's allies in Georgia are mounting a campaign to recall Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her investigation into the then president's attempts to overturn the results of the 202 election and are seeking to recruit high-dollar donors to fund it.... The organizers of the campaign concede that the obstacles to a successful recall in Georgia are high.... But a source involved in the effort told Yahoo News that the aim is to use the recall campaign as a way to politically damage the Democratic district attorney, portraying her as a partisan actor who is ignoring soaring crime rates in Atlanta in order to target high-profile Republicans. A side benefit of that game plan, another source familiar with the campaign said, is to potentially influence a jury pool down the road should a case against Trump go to trial."
Kara Scannell, et al., of CNN: "Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. sat for depositions as part of the New York attorney general's civil investigation into the Trump Organization's finances after months of fighting in court, people familiar with the matter told CNN. Ivanka Trump's behind-closed-doors deposition took place Wednesday and Trump Jr. had his deposition last Thursday, the people said.... Donald Trump is expected to testify later this month."
Eugene Scott of the Washington Post: "Rep. Jackie Walorski (R- Ind.) and three other people, including two members of her staff, were killed in a car crash Wednesday afternoon, according to the Elkhart County, Ind., Sheriff's Office.... Walorski, 58, was involved in a two-vehicle crash on Route 19 south of Route 119, according to the sheriff's office. The driver of a northbound vehicle traveled left of the centerline and collided head-on with the sport-utility vehicle carrying Walorski and staffers Zachery Potts, 27, and Emma Thomson, 28. All three occupants in the southbound vehicle died of their injuries. Edith Schmucker, 56, was the sole occupant of the other vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene." (This is an update of a report linked yesterday afternoon.) The NBC News report is here.
Beyond the Beltway
Jennifer Medina, et al., of the New York Times: "With Tuesday's primary victories in Arizona and Michigan added to those in Nevada and Pennsylvania, Republicans who have disputed the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election and who could affect the outcome of the next one are on a path toward winning decisive control over how elections are run in several battleground states.... These newly minted Republican nominees for secretary of state and governor have taken positions that could threaten the nation's traditions of nonpartisan elections administration, acceptance of election results and orderly transfers of power. Each has spread falsehoods about fraud and illegitimate ballots, endorsing the failed effort to override the 2020 results and keep ... Donald J. Trump in power. Their history of anti-democratic impulses has prompted Democrats, democracy experts and even some fellow Republicans to question whether these officials would oversee fair elections and certify winners they didn't support.... Several have proposed eliminating mail voting, ballot drop boxes and even the use of electronic voting machines, while empowering partisan election observers and expanding their roles."
California. Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: "Widening his attack on Republican states for their positions on guns, civil rights and abortion, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California on Wednesday called on Hollywood to 'walk the walk' on liberal values by bringing back their film and television productions from states such as Georgia and Oklahoma. Mr. Newsom issued the challenge through an ad in Variety that asked the state's left-leaning creative community to 'take stock of your values -- and those of your employees -- when doing business in those states.' The Democratic governor on Wednesday simultaneously endorsed a legislative proposal that would provide a $1.65 billion, five-year extension of California's film and television production tax credit program.... Entertainment companies have not yet announced major plans to cancel expansions or relocate offices.... Some of the entertainment industry's biggest companies are deeply invested in states with conservative leaders." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Not mentioned in Hubler's report, a big reason production companies find 'conservative' states so attractive: these states also tend to be non-union states, and that saves the companies a boatload of money -- by not having to pay union wages -- and trouble -- by not having to follow sometimes conflicting union scheduling rules during filming (which also adds to production costs).
Florida. Arek Sarkissian of Politico: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday attempted to downplay anxiety over monkeypox, saying that politicians and the media have overblown the severity of the disease and equated it to fears surrounding Covid-19. Florida had 525 monkeypox infections as of Tuesday, according to a state database, which is an increase from the roughly 350 infections from late last week. Florida had the fifth highest number of cases in the nation as of Monday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.... DeSantis also blasted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, for declaring a state of emergency over the outbreak, saying he was convinced it was a move to restrict people from freedom.... During the press conference, DeSantis also railed against gender affirming surgeries for children, saying that doctors who perform such procedures should be sued. His comments follow a request by the Florida Department of Health to the state medical board to ban transition-related medical care for children." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This is DeSantis wanting to make doubly sure Republican voters understand he doesn't care about gay people. He is such a horrible human being.
Way Beyond
China/Taiwan. Brad Lendon of CNN: "China fired multiple missiles toward waters near northeastern and southwestern Taiwan on Thursday, the island's Defense Ministry said, as Beijing makes good on its promise that Taipei will pay a price for hosting US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command said in a statement that multiple missiles had been fired into the sea off the eastern part of Taiwan. It said all the missiles hit their target accurately." The Washington Post's story is here.
Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefings for Thursday are here: "Olympian [Brittney] Griner will return to court in Moscow, with a verdict expected soon even as U.S. officials call for a prisoner swap.... The United Nations will investigate an attack on the Olenivka prison run by pro-Russian separatists, which killed at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war from the battle for Mariupol.... The first grain shipment from the Black Sea port of Odessa passed inspection in Turkish waters and headed to Lebanon under a deal to ease the world's food crisis.... The safety of Europe's largest nuclear power plant is at risk, the head of the U.N. atomic energy watchdog warned as he appealed for access to inspect Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia facility that was captured by Russian forces.... Amnesty International said Ukrainian forces have at times endangered civilians with military bases and weapons in residential areas, including schools and hospitals.... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to talk directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to help end the war, he told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post newspaper.... The U.N. chief condemned oil and gas companies for 'grotesque greed,' urging governments to tax 'excessive profits' from rising energy prices fueled by the conflict in Ukraine. Zelensky floated 'civil partnerships' as a potential answer to calls for legalizing same-sex marriage, which he said would not be possible during the war."
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The overwhelming defeat of the theocratic Supremes and their misogynistic, precedent shattering decision in Dobbs by Kansans was propelled by a tsunami of newly registered voters. Kansas saw a 1,000% increase in voter registration. Missouri saw similar numbers, an over 600% increase.
I don’t want to get too crazy about this but it looks like Democrats, if they play it right, could have a winning issue for the midterms. One political reporter in Kansas said, in an interview, that he has never seen anything like it in 40 years covering elections in that state. And this ain’t New York, this is fucking Kansas!
A serious rejection of AlitoCare. May it sweep the nation.
I’m happy the judge in the trial of walking, talking pile of pig shit, Alex Jones, admonished him and his numbnuts lawyer for their lies. Whatever else happens, that asshole needs to go to prison for perjury.
And not for nothin’, but how is it that so many wingnut lawyers are incompetent whack jobs? Pretty much every lawyer Trump has ever hired is insane, and deliriously deficient in understanding even the most basic premises of the law. It seems that in order to represent one of these lying traitors, your primary operating principle must be something like “We deserve to win, no matter what. Fuck the law.”
Last night's comment on the Goldberg column:
"Don't want to make the current political situation too simple. There are currents and cross-currents aplenty a-swirling.
But on the abortion front, the Right finally got what it wanted with the loony SCOTUS decision, and the easy virtue of the pro-life crowd now has a definite and visible cost attached and (no surprise considering the decades of polling on the issue) the majority of people don't like it.
The election mantra "Remember the Supremes" has been too often ignored in past elections.
It's not now."
With thanks and apologies to the RC commenter (Victoria?) for the Remember the Supremes line which I used without credit...felt kinda guilty tho' for swiping a line I knew was not mine...
@Ken, that line was a daily remark that should be attributed to former commentor Kate Madison before the 2016 election. It seems amazing that it was that long ago.
Akhilleus,
Yeah, it's quite a puzzle. Why do many lawyers serving so many high-profile clients seem so incompetent. I've wondered about that too.
A few thoughts on the matter.
Even for a good lawyer, it must be hard to mount a convincing, rational defense for the indefensible, when the defendant is obviously guilty or is him- or herself irrational.
The Pretender's election fraud nonsense, for instance, was so far removed from reality, it could never have sounded like anything but the nonsense it was and the introduction of dead Venezuelan presidents suggests no one was trying very hard to do so.
I also wonder how many good lawyers (who have also not sold their souls) just shy away from defending the obviously indefensible. There must be some lawyers who just don't like the stink.
There does seem, however, to be many who are willing to say or do anything for a buck. Their morals aside, maybe high-profile clients attract lawyers who simply wish to climb from under the rocks where they ply their anonymous trade and bask in the light of notoriety for a change.
Maybe more fundamental and frightening is my growing suspicion that the a lot of "law" is maybe not Dickens' ass but a sham, more show than substance, particularly for those who can afford the cost of long productions, that is, for the rich, for whom the "legal proceedings" never seem to end and seem able to forever avoid the serious reckoning we've been taught application of "the law" entails .
Anyone else miss "Night Court?"
@unwashed.
Thanks. Was certain of the gender but not the name. Wonder how Kate is...I hope doing well four years down the road.
Been thinkin' that it's not so much trump we should be worrying
about but those hundreds of trumpettes lurking in most every state,
just waiting to take over state, county, city government.
Of course their goal is gerrymandering, voter restrictions like no
mail in or absentee voting, removing vote boxes, taking over voting
machines, and on and on.
And what could be worse than a desantis-pence ticket. Not even
a trump ticket could be that bad. Or maybe it could. Not looking
forward to better times.
Going out to fry some eggs on the sidewalk. It's hotter than heck.
Ken,
Kate was indeed prescient in her admonition to remember the Supremes. Last time I contacted her, to see how she was, she was dealing with a family medical issue. Hope she’s doing okay. There have been a few regulars over the years who have passed away (Barbarossa, Dr. Marvin Schwalb, eg) or had to reduce or cut short their comments for one reason or another. I guess it says something about our particular demographic that most of us remember not only Watergate, but what we were doing and where we were when news of the JFK assassination changed our world. The thoughts and contributions to our little community of those former RC denizens are not forgotten.
Woof! Here’s something scary…Fatty without the usual pound of makeup and phony spray tan. Yikes! It’s like seeing Darth Vader without his helmet.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-makeup-photo-liv-gold-bedminster-1728985?amp=1
Yes, our contributors of yesteryear we remember with fondness, wish them well and those we lost, we morn. I recall Kate warning us about the supremes ––-said we should shout it out wherever we were and I said we needed a Tee with stencils of those on the court, otherwise people might think we were talking about the other Supremes that sang a whole different tune.
I'm curious: Josh Hawley's "No" vote on the Nato expansion to include Finland and Sweden is because????? And Cotton commented negatively? Brothers in arms coming apart?
And AK: When my grandson was a little squirt we used to play basketball together and when I got in a few baskets he said, "Wow, Gramma, you're pretty good even though you are old" and I said, "You bet your bippy, Bud, I'm older than dirt". When his father, my son, came home he ran to him and said, "Daddy, guess what! Gramma is older than mud." So yeah––-I remember squashing tin cans during WWII, ration books and seeing my first movie, "Dumbo" and thinking how lucky I was to be an American.
@Marie asks why weren't the Louisville officers charged on trump's
watch. Could be that sleeping while black was a crime back then.
Good thing Brittney Griner only had a gram of cannabis oil.
That's 1/28th of an ounce, barely visible.
If she would have had an ounce, the sentence would have been
266 years and the fine $464,520.00.