The Ledes

Saturday, March 8, 2025

New York Times: “Officials said [actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa] died of natural causes, he of heart disease and she of a rare viral infection. But it was Ms. Arakawa — the caregiver, lover, protector — who died first, perhaps on Feb. 11, leaving Mr. Hackman, 95 years old with advanced Alzheimer’s, alone in the house for days. He is believed to have died a week later, on Feb. 18. Their decomposing bodies were not discovered for yet another eight days, when a maintenance worker called a security guard to the house after no one came to the door.... Ms. Arakawa died of hantarivus, which is contracted through exposure to excrement from rodents, often the deer mouse in New Mexico.”

The Wires
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The Ledes

Friday, March 7, 2025

CNBC: “Job growth was weaker than expected in February as the Trump administration began to slash the federal workforce. Nonfarm payrolls increased by a seasonally adjusted 151,000 on the month, better than the downwardly revised 125,000 in January but less than the 170,000 consensus forecast from Dow Jones, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The unemployment rate edged higher to 4.1%.”

Help!

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

Link Code:   <a href="URL">text</a>

OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, then Akhilleus found one, but it too bit the dust. He found yet another, which I've linked here, and as of September 23, 2024, it's working.

OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.

Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.

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

Marie: Sorry, my countdown clock was unreliable; then it became completely unreliable. I can't keep up with it. Maybe I'll try another one later.

 

Public Service Announcement

Zoë Schlanger in the Atlantic: "Throw out your black plastic spatula. In a world of plastic consumer goods, avoiding the material entirely requires the fervor of a religious conversion. But getting rid of black plastic kitchen utensils is a low-stakes move, and worth it. Cooking with any plastic is a dubious enterprise, because heat encourages potentially harmful plastic compounds to migrate out of the polymers and potentially into the food. But, as Andrew Turner, a biochemist at the University of Plymouth recently told me, black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid." This is a gift link from laura h.

Mashable: "Following the 2024 presidential election results and [Elon] Musk's support for ... Donald Trump, users have been deactivating en masse. And this time, it appears most everyone has settled on one particular X alternative: Bluesky.... Bluesky has gained more than 100,000 new sign ups per day since the U.S. election on Nov. 5. It now has over 15 million users. It's enjoyed a prolonged stay on the very top of Apple's App Store charts as well. Ready to join? Here's how to get started on Bluesky[.]"

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Democrats' Weekly Address

Marie (Feb 23): As far as I can tell, there isn't any. I hope I'm wrong, but it looks like Democrats are so screwed up, they can't even put together a couple of minutes of video to tell us how screwed we are.

Back when the Washington Post had an owner/publisher who dared to stand up to a president:

Prime video is carrying the documentary. If you watch it, I suggest watching the Spielberg film "The Post" afterwards. There is currently a free copy (type "the post full movie" in the YouTube search box) on YouTube (or you can rent it on YouTube, on Prime & [I think] on Hulu). Near the end, Daniel Ellsberg (played by Matthew Rhys), says "I was struck in fact by the way President Johnson's reaction to these revelations was [that they were] 'close to treason,' because it reflected to me the sense that what was damaging to the reputation of a particular administration or a particular individual was in itself treason, which is very close to saying, 'I am the state.'" Sound familiar?

Out with the Black. In with the White. New York Times: “Lester Holt, the veteran NBC newscaster and anchor of the 'NBC Nightly News' over the last decade, announced on Monday that he will step down from the flagship evening newscast in the coming months. Mr. Holt told colleagues that he would remain at NBC, expanding his duties at 'Dateline,' where he serves as the show’s anchor.... He said that he would continue anchoring the evening news until 'the start of summer.' The network did not immediately name a successor.” ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “MSNBC said on Monday that Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary who has become one of the most prominent hosts at the network, would anchor a nightly weekday show in prime time. Ms. Psaki, 46, will host a show at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, replacing Alex Wagner, a longtime political journalist who has anchored that hour since 2022, according to a memo to staff from Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president. Ms. Wagner will remain at MSNBC as an on-air correspondent. Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s biggest star, has been anchoring the 9 p.m. hour on weeknights for the early days of ... [Donald] Trump’s administration but will return to hosting one night a week at the end of April.”

New York Times: “Joy Reid’s evening news show on MSNBC is being canceled, part of a far-reaching programming overhaul orchestrated by Rebecca Kutler, the network’s new president, two people familiar with the changes said. The final episode of Ms. Reid’s 7 p.m. show, 'The ReidOut,' is planned for sometime this week, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The show, which features in-depth interviews with politicians and other newsmakers, has been a fixture of MSNBC’s lineup for the past five years. MSNBC is planning to replace Ms. Reid’s program with a show led by a trio of anchors: Symone Sanders Townsend, a political commentator and former Democratic strategist; Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Alicia Menendez, the TV journalist, the people said. They currently co-host 'The Weekend,' which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings.” MB: In case you've never seen “The Weekend,” let me assure you it's pretty awful. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: "Joy Reid is leaving MSNBC, the network’s new president announced in a memo to staff on Monday, marking an end to the political analyst and anchor’s prime time news show."

Y! Entertainment: "Meanwhile, [Alex] Wagner will also be removed from her 9 pm weeknight slot. Wagner has already been working as a correspondent after Rachel Maddow took over hosting duties during ... Trump’s first 100 days in office. It’s now expected that Wagner will not return as host, but is expected to stay on as a contributor. Jen Psaki, President Biden’s former White House press secretary, is a likely replacement for Wagner, though a decision has not been finalized." MB: In fairness to Psaki, she is really too boring to watch. On the other hand, she is White. ~~~

     ~~~ RAS: "So MSNBC is getting rid of both of their minority evening hosts. Both women of color who are not afraid to call out the truth. Outspoken minorities don't have a long shelf life in the world of our corporate news media."

As we watch in horror the rapid destruction of our democratic form of government, it is comforting to remember there is life outside politics. I took a break a while ago to enjoy a brief lesson in the history of the moonwalk: ~~~

But it may go back even further:

And this chronological account is helpful:

CNBC: “ CNN plans to lay off hundreds of employees Thursday [Jan. 23] as it refocuses the business around a global digital audience.... The layoffs come as CNN is rearranging its linear TV lineup and building out digital subscription products. The cuts will help CNN lower production costs and consolidate teams, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes. Certain shows that are produced in New York or Washington may move to Atlanta, where production can be done more cheaply, said the people. For the most part, the job cuts won’t affect CNN’s most recognizable names, who are under contract, said the people. CNN has about 3,500 employees worldwide.... NBC News is also planning cuts later this week, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes. While the exact number couldn’t be determined, the job losses will be well under 50....”

 

Contact Marie

Email Marie at constantweader@gmail.com

Page Links
Tuesday
Nov022010

Election Returns

MSNBC's "Decision 2010" page.

Politico's "2010" page.  

The Washington Post has two 2010 pages: here and here.

Starting at about 6:00 pm ET, the New York Times will have mapped results & related live video on its front page. Michael Shear is liveblogging the results. Nate Silver is liveblogging the numbers. Plus, Tobin Harshaw's Opinionator blog, which he's updating, adds some perspective from around the blogosphere.

This loon won.It's Worse than You Think. With the notable exception of California, Republicans won the major races nearly everywhere they fielded credible candidates. Democrats should take no solace in winning races against the likes of Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell, Linda McMahon & Carl Paladino. -- Constant Weader

See the Alaska page here or under Campaign 2010/Alaska on the navigation bar for developments in the vote count for the Alaska Senate race.

ABC News, November 5: "Unofficial results from Tuesday's gubernatorial race between Democrat and former Sen. Mark Dayton and Republican businessman Tom Emmer give Dayton a 8,781-vote lead, or less than one half of one percent of the vote. If the slim margin holds after election officials finalize the tally and no candidate concedes..., it would trigger an automatic statewide recount of all ballots."

Hartford Courant: "Official numbers released by the Secretary of the State Friday evening show that Democrat Dannel Malloy will be Connecticut's next governor. But Republican Tom Foley still wouldn't concede defeat in the state's closest gubernatorial election in half a century, and didn't rule out the possibility of a lawsuit to force a statewide recount."

Chicago Tribune: "Republican challenger Bill Brady this afternoon conceded defeat to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn...."

Chicago Sun-Times: "Gov. Quinn said Thursday he had built up an 'insurmountable' lead of 'way more than 19,000 votes' in his bid for governor. Hours later, the Associated Press reported that its analysis showed that Quinn was the winner."

The Seattle Times projects that Democratic Sen. Patty Murray has won re-election to a 4th term. "Sen. Patty Murray has won a fourth term, riding a wave of strong Democratic support in King County to defeat Republican challenger Dino Rossi. As of Thursday evening, Murray was leading Rossi by more than 45,000 votes, taking 51 percent to Rossi's 49 percent. That's up from a 14,000-vote lead on Election Day. According to a Seattle Times analysis, Rossi would need to get about 54 percent of the estimated 591,000 uncounted ballots statewide to overcome Murray's lead."

New York Times: in Connecticut, both the Democratic & Republican gubernatorial candidates are mobilizing their transition team, because they both think they won.

Somebody in Connecticut can't count, so the outcome of the governor's race remains up in the air.

Really Stupid Voters. Bill Rigby of Reuters: "Washington [state] voters knocked down plans for a state income tax on the wealthy intended to fund education and health spending, ending a fight pitting Bill Gates against other Seattle tech billionaires...."

The Oregonian: "Democrat John Kitzhaber has taken the lead in the race against Republican Chris Dudley and will become Oregon's next governor."

Epoch Times: "Ben Quayle, the son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, won in Arizona’s 3rd congressional district on Tuesday."

The Illinois governor's race still has not been decided, but on Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reports, "Leading Republicans this afternoon are privately expressing doubts that Bill Brady can overcome Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn's narrow lead following Tuesday's election, and a Tribune survey of election officials likewise indicates there may not be enough ballots left uncounted to make a difference."

Politico: "Republican Brian Dubie concedes the Vermont governor's race to Democrat Peter Shumlin."

Firedoglake: "The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) won a hard-fought victory in Iowa today, getting three of the judges who ruled for marriage equality in Iowa booted from that state’s Supreme Court.

Miami Herald: "... with thousands of votes in Democrat-heavy South Florida uncounted, [Republican Rick] Scott couldn't declare an outright win late Tuesday over Democrat Alex Sink, Florida's chief financial officer. Sink held out hope that she could close the gap and at least trigger a recount as votes slowly broke her way." ...

     ... St. Pete Times Update: Sink concedes. CW: we now have a governor-elect who defrauded the taxpayers of at least $1.7 billion. He should be in jail, not in the statehouse.

Democratic Rep. Bill Owens, who won a special election in New York's 23rd, will pull off another win in this traditionally red district, thanks again to Conservative spoiler Doug Hoffman. Kate Pickert of Time has the story.

The Washington State Senate race remains too close to call. Seattle Times: "Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray held a lead Tuesday night over challenger Dino Rossi, raising hopes among her supporters that she would survive the national GOP wave." The count Wednesday at 10:00 am ET was Murray 722,396, Rossi 708,391 -- don't know what % of votes counted that is.

Hartford Courant: "The hotly contested governor's race was still too close to call Wednesday morning after results were delayed when a judge ordered a two-hour extension of voting at some sites in Bridgeport. As of 5:44 a.m. Wednesday, Republican Tom Foley was leading Democrat Dannel Malloy in unofficial results by 50 percent to 49 percent, with 90% of precincts reporting. The difference amounts to 11,083 votes."

Denver Post: "Incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet and Republican challenger Ken Buck remained locked in the country's closest U.S. Senate race as the vote tally stretched into the early morning." ...

     ... Update: "Appointed U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet will be elected to the U.S. Senate after pulling ahead of challenger Ken Buck this morning.... Returns from Denver and Boulder moved Bennet past Buck and into the lead, 47.5 percent to 47.1 percent."

** NBC News projects the Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives. New York Times story here. ...

     ... Firedoglake Update: the districts where there was a change of parties, with losers & winners. As of noon Wednesday, it looks like a 67-seat pick-up for House Republicans.

... Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's statement.

** NBC News projects that Nevada Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will win re-election. Las Vegas Sun story here.

In Alaska the write in candidate(s), whoever that may be, is ahead, but the state will not even open the write-in ballots for two weeks. Here's an early Anchorage Daily News story.

Anchorage Daily News: "With just over half of the vote counted, Republican incumbent Sean Parnell held a commanding lead over Democratic challenger Ethan Berkowitz in the contest for governor."

Unfuckingbelievable. Salon: "A ban on U.S. courts considering Sharia law passed overwhelmingly in Oklahoma today."

AP: "For the second time, Colorado voters have overwhelmingly rejected an anti-abortion proposal that would have given unborn fetuses human rights in the state constitution."

Boston Globe: "Barney Frank, the irascible powerbroker who has survived scandal, repeated redistricting, and the ups and downs of the Democratic Party, yesterday easily beat back his strongest challenge in years."

NBC News projects that Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer will retain her governorship.

NBC News projects that South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley will win the gubernatorial race. The State story here.

NBC News projects that Rhode Island Independent Lincoln Chafee, a former Senator, will win the governorship.

The Los Angeles Times projects that California Democrat AG Jerry Brown, the former governor, will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey will win the Senate seat.

NBC News projects that Republican John Kasich will win the Ohio gubernatorial race.

** NBC News projects that Republican Mark Kirk will win the Illinois Senate seat, the seat held by President Obama.

NBC News: it appears Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye will retain his Senate seat, denying Republicans a Senate majority. No link.

Los Angeles Times: "California voters appear to have rejected Prop. 19, an effort to legalize marijuana and allow local governments to tax the sale of the drug."

NBC News projects that Nevada Republican Brian Sandoval defeated Harry Reid's son Rory Reid for the governorship. Las Vegas Sun story here.

NBC News projects that California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer will retain her Senate seat.

NBC News projects that Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden will retain his Senate seat.

NBC News projects that Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo will retain his Senate seat.

NBC News projects that South Dakota Republican Dennis Daugaard will win the gubernatorial race.

NBC News projects that Wisconsin Repubican Scott Walker will win the gubernatorial race. Wisconsin State Journal story here.

** NBC News projects that Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson will defeat Sen. Russ Feingold. AP story here. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here.

NBC News projects that Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley will retain his Senate seat.

NBC News projects that Colorado Democrat John Hickenlooper will win the governorship. Denver Post story here.

NBC News projects that Utah Republican Gary Herbert will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that New Mexico Republican Susana Martinez will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Wyoming Republican Matt Mead will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Nebraska Republican Dave Heineman will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Kansas Republican Sam Brownback will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Pennsylvania Republican Tom Corbett will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick will retain the governorship. Boston Globe story here.

NBC News projects that Maryland Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley will retain the governorship. Baltimore Sun story here.

NBC News projects that Oklahoma Republican Mary Fallin will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Alabama Republican Robert Bentley will win the gubernatorial race.

CBS News projects that Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain will retain his Senate seat.

NBC News projects that Michigan Republican Rick Snyder will win the race for governor. Detroit Free Press story here.

NBC News projects that Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry will retain the governorship.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Republican Nathan Deal claimed victory Tuesday night in Buckhead. He said he had spoken with Democrat Roy Barnes on the phone before making his speech at about 11:45 p.m."

NY1 projects that New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will retain the seat to which she was appointed in 2009 when Sen. Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State.

NBC News projects that New York AG Andrew Cuomo will win the gubernatorial race. New York Times story here.

NBC News projects that New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer will retain his seat.

NBC News projects that Missouri Republican Roy Blunt will win the Senate race.

NBC News projects that Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter will retain his seat.

CBS News projects that Robert Hurt will defeat Rep. Tom Perriello in Virginia's 5th District.

NBC News projects that Kansas Republican Rep. Jerry Moran will will the Senate race.

NBC News projects that South Dakoda Republican Sen. John Thune will retain his Senate seat.

NBC News projects North Dakoka Republican John Hoeven will win the Senate race.

NBC News projects Florida 8th District Republican Daniel Webster will win the House Seat held by Alan Grayson. Orlando Sentinel story here.

NBC News projects that Democratic Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe will retain his seat.

NBC News projects that Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin will win the Senate seat in West Virginia. Charleston Gazette story here.

NBC News projects that Republican Rep. John Boozman has defeated incumbent Democrat Sen. Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas. Arkansas Democrat Gazette story here.

NBC News projects that Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal will win the Senate seat in Connecticut. Hartford-Courant: "A judge has extended voting in Bridgeport by two hours [till 10:00 pm ET] after a lack of ballots created major problems as citizens were trying to vote in the hotly contested race between U.S. Rep. Jim Himes and Republican challenger Dan Debicella - as well as all other races on the ballot."

NBC News projects that North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr will win re-election.

NBC News projects Democrat Chris Coons will win the Senate seat in Delaware. 8:08 pm ET.

AP: "Former lieutenant governor John Carney has claimed Delaware's lone U.S. House seat for the Democrat." The seat is currently held by Republican Mike Castle who lost his primary bid to Christine O'Donnell, the loser in tonight's Delaware Senate race.

NBC News projects that New Hampshire Democratic Gov. John Lynch will retain his seat.

NBC News projects that Tennessee Republican Bill Haslam will win the gubernatorial race.

NBC News projects Demcratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski will win re-election to the Senate in Maryland. 8:08 pm ET.

NBC News projects Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson will win re-election to the Senate seat in Georgia. 8:08 pm ET.

NBC News projects Republican Marco Rubio will win the Senate seat in Florida. 8:01 pm ET. Miami Herald report here.

NBC News projects Republican Sen. Tom Coburn will win re-election to the Senate in Oklahoma. 8:01 pm ET.

NBC News projects Republican Kelly Ayotte will win the Senate seat in New Hampshire. 8:01 pm ET. Manchester Union Leader story here.

NBC News projects Republican Sen. Richard Shelby will win re-election to the Alabama Senate seat. 8:02 pm ET.

NBC News projects Republican Rob Portman will win the Senate seat in Ohio. 7:31 pm ET. Cleveland Plain Dealer story here.

NBC News projects Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy will win re-election to the Vermont Senate seat. 7:07 pm ET. AP report here.

NBC News projects Republican Rand Paul will win the Kentucky Senate seat. 7:02 pm ET. Lexington Herald-Leader report here.

NBC News projects Republican Dan Coats will win the Indiana Senate seat. 7:06 pm ET. Indianapolis Star report here.

NBC News projects Republican Sen. Jim DeMint will win re-election to the South Carolina Senate seat. 7:02 pm ET. The State report here.

CNN Exit Poll Results:

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