;)
February 8, 2022
Afternoon Update:
Dan Lamothe & Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "Senior White House and State Department officials failed to grasp the Taliban's steady advance on Afghanistan's capital and resisted efforts by U.S. military leaders to prepare the evacuation of embassy personnel and Afghan allies weeks before Kabul's fall, placing American troops ordered to carry out the withdrawal in greater danger, according to sworn testimony from multiple commanders involved in the operation. An Army investigative report, numbering 2,000 pages and released to The Washington Post through a Freedom of Information Act request, details the life-or-death decisions made daily by U.S. soldiers and Marines sent to secure Hamid Karzai International Airport as thousands converged on the airfield in a frantic bid to escape.... Military personnel would have been 'much better prepared to conduct a more orderly' evacuation, Navy Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, the top U.S. commander on the ground during the operation, told Army investigators, 'if policymakers had paid attention to the indicators of what was happening on the ground.'"
Kyle Blaine, et al., of CNN: "Second gentleman Doug Emhoff is safe after being ushered out of a room at a Washington, DC, high school by the Secret Service after a bomb threat to the building, his spokesperson said. '"U.S. Secret Service was made aware of a security threat at a school where the @SecondGentleman was meeting with students and faculty. Mr. Emhoff is safe and the school has been evacuated. We are grateful to Secret Service and D.C. Police for their work,' Emhoff's spokesperson Katie Peters wrote on Twitter.... District of Columbia Public Schools press secretary Enrique Gutierrez told reporters at the event that a bomb threat had been called into Dunbar High School in Northwest Washington, where Emhoff was holding an event."
Sahil Kapur of NBC News: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell disagreed Tuesday with the Republican National Committee's recent censure of two GOP lawmakers, as well as its characterization of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. 'We all were here. We saw what happened. It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election, from one administration to the next. That's what it was,' McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters at his weekly news conference. His remarks followed an outcry from Democrats and some Republicans after the RNC approved a resolution Friday accusing Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., of 'participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse,' a reference to the Jan. 6 committee." A New York Times report is here.
Adela Suliman of the Washington Post: "A judge in San Antonio has ordered the United States Air Force to pay more than $230 million in damages to the survivors and families of victims of a Texas church shooting in 2017, where 26 people were killed and 22 injured by a former airman. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez described in his judgment how, in a span of seven minutes and 24 seconds, the gunman, Devin Patrick Kelley, fired 450 rounds using an AR-556 rifle. Worshipers at the small First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Tex., scrambled to take cover under pews during the routine Sunday service, and the massacre left children among the dead and multigenerational gaps in some families."
God Forgives Me. Chicago Harlan of the Washington Post: "Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Tuesday expressed his 'profound shame' to the victims of clerical abuse, and he said he was pained by 'errors' that occurred in various places across his career in the church. But he stopped short of acknowledging any specific personal responsibility after a church-commissioned German report accused him of mishandling four cases during his time running the archdiocese of Munich between 1977 and 1982. 'However great my fault may be today, the Lord forgives me, if I sincerely allow myself to be examined by him, and am really prepared to change,' the 94-year-old retired pope wrote."
Amanda Coletta, et al., of the Washington Post: "The busiest crossing on the U.S.-Canada land border was obstructed on Tuesday as demonstrations against vaccine mandates and other coronavirus public health measures that have paralyzed Canada's capital spread to a crucial trade artery. The Canada Border Services Agency said Tuesday that the Ambassador Bridge, which links Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, was 'temporarily closed' for passengers and commercial traffic. The Michigan Department of Transportation also said the border was closed. Windsor Police said 'limited traffic' was being allowed into the United States."
Butt Out, Trump, et al. Amy Cheng of the Washington Post: "Senior Canadian officials hit back Monday at high-profile U.S. Republicans who have voiced support for the self-described 'Freedom Convoy,' as the group continued to block traffic in downtown Ottawa in protest of vaccine rules for cross-border truckers."
Maryland Senate Race. Steve Peoples & Brian Witte of the AP: "Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday that he will not run for the U.S. Senate, rebuffing an aggressive recruitment push from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans who saw the term-limited governor as the GOP's best chance to win in the deep-blue state. Hogan announced his decision during an unrelated afternoon press conference in the state Capitol, explaining that he could not finish his term as governor effectively and run for the Senate at the same time."
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Missy Ryan, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden vowed Monday that a major European energy pipeline would be abandoned if Russia sends forces into Ukraine, intensifying pressure on the Kremlin as Western leaders attempt to stave off a renewed assault on the continent's eastern edge. Biden issued the threat after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose recently formed government has pledged to take part in Western retaliation should Russia seize more Ukrainian territory, as it did in the 2014 annexation of Crimea. But Germany has stopped short of explicitly promising to halt the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 project, which would bring Russian gas to energy-hungry European consumers. On Monday, Scholz said only that his country was 'absolutely united' with the United States and other NATO allies, 'and we will not be taking different steps.'"
Sylvie Corbet & Dasha Litvinova of the AP: "Diplomatic efforts to defuse the tensions around Ukraine continued on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron arriving in Kyiv the day after hours of talks with the Russian leader in Moscow yielded no apparent breakthroughs. Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as fears of a possible Russian invasion mount."
Anton Troianovski, et al., of the New York Times: "President Vladimir V. Putin said he was prepared to keep negotiating over Russia's security demands in Eastern Europe but offered a stark warning over the possibility of a full-scale war between Russia and the West -- using a five-hour meeting with his French counterpart on Monday to keep the world guessing about his intentions. Mr. Putin said that proposals made by President Emmanuel Macron of France in their one-on-one meeting at the Kremlin were 'too early to speak about' but could create 'a foundation for our further steps.' Mr. Macron, in a joint news conference with Mr. Putin after their hastily scheduled meeting, described the coming days as potentially decisive in heading off what the West fears could be a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Rachel Pannett, et al., of the Washington Post: "French President Emmanuel Macron called for a de-escalation of tensions over Ukraine on Monday, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as part of an attempt by Western nations to stave off a Russian invasion of its neighbor. The French leader, speaking alongside Putin at the opening of their talks, said dialogue with Russia was necessary because it 'makes it possible to build real security and stability' in Europe. 'I believe that our continent is today in an eminently critical situation, which requires us all to be extremely responsible,' he said." MB: IOW, no great diplomatic breakthrough. (Also linked yesterday.)
Scientist Studies Office Bullying. Alex Thompson of Politico: "President Joe Biden's top science adviser, Eric Lander, bullied and demeaned his subordinates and violated the White House's workplace policy, an internal White House investigation recently concluded, according to interviews and an audio recording obtained by Politico. The two-month investigation found 'credible evidence' that Lander -- a Cabinet member and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy who the White House touts as a key player in the pandemic response -- was 'bullying' toward his then-general counsel, Rachel Wallace, according to a recorded January briefing on the investigation's findings.... There was also 'credible evidence' that Lander had spoken 'harshly and disrespectfully to colleagues in front of other colleagues,' [deputy personnel manager Christian] Peele said, according to the recording. 'The investigation found credible evidence of instances of multiple women having complained to other staff about negative interactions with Dr. Lander, where he spoke to them in a demeaning or abrasive way in front of other staff,' Peele said in the recording.... Soon after his top aides became aware of the extent of Politico's investigation, Lander sent an email late Friday to all OSTP staff apologizing for his behavior." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ ** Update. Scientist Discovers You Can Lose Your Job for Bullying Subordinates. Tyler Pager of the Washington Post: "Eric Lander, President Biden's top science adviser, resigned Monday night after he acknowledged mistreating his subordinates and apologized for demeaning them, a pattern of behavior that put him at odds with one of Biden's earliest promises -- to run an administration marked by respect and professionalism.... Lander's resignation came after the White House struggled throughout the day to explain why he had not quit or been fired, and how that squared with a pledge Biden made on his first day in office. On that day, he told staffers at swearing-in ceremony, 'If you are ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot. On the spot -- no if, ands or buts.'" Politico's report is here.
Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: "The Internal Revenue Service has abandoned its plan to require millions of Americans to submit to a facial recognition check through a private company to access their online tax accounts following a firestorm of criticism from privacy advocates and members of Congress. The IRS said Monday it would 'transition away' from using a face-scanning service offered by the company ID.me in the coming weeks and would develop an additional authentication process that does not involve facial recognition.... Lawmakers and advocates slammed the idea of mandating the technology's use nationwide, saying it would unfairly burden Americans without smartphones or computer cameras, would make sensitive data vulnerable to hackers and would subject people of color to a system known to work less accurately on darker skin." The Guardian's story is here.
Some GOP Senators Are Not Amused by RNC. Burgess Everett, et al., of Politico: "In interviews on Monday evening, GOP senators lashed out at their own national party's overwhelming vote to censure Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.).... Both Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) were in communication with RNC chair Ronna [Romney] McDaniel about the censure, with Graham calling her and Romney texting his niece. 'A very unfortunate decision by the RNC and a very unfortunate statement put out as well. Nothing could be further from the truth than to consider the attack on the seat of democracy as legitimate political discourse,' Romney said in an interview.... [Mitch] McConnell, who has defended Cheney in the past, said he would address the matter on Tuesday at his usual press conference. Several members of his leadership team expressed their concern about GOP infighting."
It's an official document. You're not allowed. It's illegal what she did. She broke the law. -- Donald Trump, after Nancy Pelosi tore up a copy of his SOTU address, February 2020
No, it's not against the law to tear up a photocopy of a speech (or copies of most other government documents). But the fact that Trump knew that destroying real presidential papers was a crime sure argues against the possibility that he "innocently" tore up & tossed thousands of presidential papers. -- Marie ~~~
~~~ Michael Schmidt & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump last month handed over to the National Archives 15 boxes of documents, letters, gifts and mementos that he had taken with him when leaving office but that he had been legally required to leave in the custody of the federal government, officials said on Monday. The materials included the original versions of a letter that former President Barack Obama had left for Mr. Trump when he was first sworn in, as well as correspondence from the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. The items also included a map Mr. Trump famously drew on with a black Sharpie marker to demonstrate the track of Hurricane Dorian heading toward Alabama in 2019 to back up a declaration he had made on Twitter that contradicted weather forecasts." ~~~
~~~ We now pause for a dog-ate-my-homework excuse that could become a classic: "The boxes contained items taken from the White House's residence during a hasty exit after Mr. Trump had spent the bulk of the presidential transition trying to find ways to stay in power.... At the time, Mr. Trump's aides were either preoccupied with helping him overturn the election, trying to stop him or avoiding him."
The Insurrection Thrilled Donald Trump. In a story on why January 6 committee investigators want to talk to Ivanka Trump, Farnoush Amiri of the AP reports, on January 6, "... as staffers watched in shock at what was unfolding down Pennsylvania Avenue on television screens positioned throughout the West Wing, [Donald] Trump's attention was so rapt that he hit rewind and watched certain moments again, according to Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary. 'Look at all of the people fighting for me,' Trump said, according to Grisham.... At one point, the president was confused why staffers weren't as excited as he was watching the unrest unfold." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Axios: "Former President Trump incited the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 'to intimidate' former Vice President Mike Pence into overturning the 2020 election, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday." MB: This jibes with details in the AP report above. (Also linked yesterday.)
Mark Mazzetti & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "... a group of ultraconservative Republicans employed spycraft to try to manipulate the American political landscape. [Erik] Prince -- a former C.I.A. contractor who is best known as the founder of the private military firm Blackwater and whose sister, Betsy DeVos, was Mr. Trump's education secretary -- has drawn scrutiny over the years for Blackwater's record of violence around the world and his subsequent ventures training and arming foreign forces. His [participation in the domestic operation] is fresh evidence of his engagement in political espionage projects at home during a period when he was an informal adviser to Trump administration officials.... The goal of the private spying operation was to gather dirt both on Democrats and 'RINOs.'..."
Tom Hays of the AP: "A Chicago banker was sentenced on Monday to a year in prison for his conviction in a scheme to make $16 million in loans to Paul Manafort to gain influence in the Trump administration.... The banker, Stephen Calk, was convicted last year on financial institution bribery and conspiracy charges in Manhattan federal court."
Garrett Epps in the Washington Monthly: By sharing the list of white people who were his only potential Supreme Court nominees, Donald Trump promised not to nominate a Black woman. He later altered the list to include "one Black man, one Latino man, and one Indian American man. There was also one (and only one) woman, who was white. There was no Black woman." Some Republicans & "conservatives" are aghast that President Biden would promise to nominate a Black woman. BUT "Excluding Black women from power — acting as if they literally do not exist -- is simply normal behavior in many settings, not even worthy of remark.... Is Biden's pledge also blameworthy?... A promise to include a group hitherto excluded is, morally and politically, nothing like a promise to continue centuries of exclusion."
Welcome Back, Jim Crow! Supreme Court Confederates Back Alabama Confederates. Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday put on hold a lower court's order that Alabama must create a second congressional district favorable to Black voters, over the objections of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and the court's three liberals. The court's most consistently conservative justices put on hold a decision of a special panel of three federal judges that threw out Alabama's new congressional map Jan. 24. That map had continued to draw only one of the state's seven congressional districts to have a majority of Black voters. Dissenting Justice Elena Kagan called the court's order 'a disservice to Black Alabamians who under [Supreme Court] precedent have had their electoral power diminished -- in violation of a law this Court once knew to buttress all of American democracy.'" (Also linked yesterday.) The Guardian's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "In a 5-4 decision -- with Roberts dissenting, effectively arguing that the Court should wait until after the 2022 midterms to do its dirty work -- the Court has stayed a District Court opinion, ensuring that the coming elections will take place with a map that is, as Roberts concedes, unquestionably illegal under controlling precedent[.]" Lemieux goes on to tear down the majority opinion, which he calls "appalling on every level."
Ryan Mac & Mike Isaac of the New York Times: "Peter Thiel, one of the longest-serving board members of Meta, the parent of Facebook, plans to step down, the company said on Monday. Mr. Thiel, 54, wants to focus on influencing November's midterm elections, said a person with knowledge of Mr. Thiel's thinking who declined to be identified. Mr. Thiel sees the midterms as crucial to changing the direction of the country, this person said, and he is backing candidates who support the agenda of ... Donald J. Trump."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Tuesday are here.
Mike Catalini of the AP: "The governors of four states announced plans Monday to lift statewide mask requirements in schools by the end of February or March, citing the rapid easing of COVID-19′s omicron surge. The decisions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Oregon were announced as state and local governments grapple with which virus restrictions to jettison and which ones to keep in place. The changes also come amid a growing sense that the virus is never going to go away and Americans need to find a way to coexist with it." ~~~
~~~ California. Victoria Colliver & Susannah Luthi of Politico: "Gov. Gavin Newsom is poised to ease statewide restrictions on mass gatherings and indoor masking as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to recede. The plan, confirmed by an administration official, would be the first step in Newsom's exit strategy for the Covid-19 pandemic -- a major shift for a state that has preserved some of the nation's strictest and longest-lasting restrictions. Officials said the state would unveil more details next week."
Michigan. Ed White of the AP: "A man charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has agreed to plead guilty, according to documents filed Monday, giving prosecutors another insider who could be a key witness at a March trial. Kaleb Franks said he would join Ty Garbin as the second person to admit guilt in a scheme to snatch the Democratic governor before FBI agents arrested them in October 2020. The decision leaves four other men to face trial. The government said the group wanted to kidnap Whitmer because of disgust over her COVID-19 restrictions."
New Jersey. Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, a Democrat who has imposed some of the nation's most stringent pandemic-related mandates, will no longer require students and school employees to wear masks, signaling a deliberate shift toward treating the coronavirus as a part of daily life. 'This is not a declaration of victory as much as an acknowledgment that we can responsibly live with this thing,' Mr. Murphy, the vice chairman of the National Governors Association, said Monday in announcing the elimination of the mandate." (This is an update of a story linked yesterday.)
Canada. Jennifer Hassan & Amanda Coletta of the Washington Post: "Police are clamping down on self-described 'Freedom Convoy' anti-vaccine-mandate demonstrations in Canada's capital, making multiple arrests, issuing hundreds of tickets, and seizing vehicles and fuel as Ottawa's mayor declared a state of emergency. The emergency declaration was designed to give officers more 'flexibility' to respond to the hundreds and sometimes thousands of truckers and their supporters who are gathered in the streets to denounce coronavirus measures, Mayor Jim Watson said Sunday. And, he said, the declaration reflects the 'serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents.' Fireworks were shot off, drivers blared their horns and streets remained blocked for the second weekend in a row, and Watson admitted Sunday that authorities were 'outnumbered' and 'losing this battle' against groups who were 'calling the shots.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Paulina Villegas & Reis Thebault of the Washington Post: "After being denied several million dollars raised on GoFundMe, organizers of a trucker-led protest disrupting life in Canada's capital have found a new platform: a Christian crowdfunding site where they raised more than $3.5 million in two days to demonstrate against the country's vaccine mandate. The new fundraiser hosted by GiveSendGo, which describes itself as the '#1 free Christian crowdfunding site,' reported Sunday that the 'Freedom Convoy' campaign had raised several million dollars two days after GoFundMe announced that it was freezing more than $8 million in donations to the cause, a move that led Republican officials in the United States to announce investigations." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Justin Ling of the Guardian: "The brazen occupation of Ottawa came as a result of unprecedented coordination between various anti-vaccine and anti-government organizations and activists, and has been seized on by similar groups around the world.... The so-called 'freedom convoy' -- which departed for Ottawa on 23 January -- was the brainchild of James Bauder, an admitted conspiracy theorist who has endorsed the QAnon movement and called Covid-19 'the biggest political scam in history'. Bauder's group, Canada Unity, contends that vaccine mandates and passports are illegal under Canada's constitution, the Nuremberg Code and a host of other international conventions."
Beyond the Beltway
Tennessee. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "A Black woman who was sentenced last week to six years and one day in prison for trying to register to vote in 2019 despite having a felony conviction says she was the victim of complicated voting laws in Tennessee that appeared to confuse even election officials. Prosecutors in Memphis said that accidentally or not, the woman, Pamela Moses, 44, broke the law. But Ms. Moses, a Black Lives Matter activist, and her lawyer say election officials gave her advice that they later corrected while she was seeking to have her voting rights restored." MB: This is a complicated case; I've avoided linking previous reports because I wasn't (and still am not) sure how much culpability Moses has here.
Virginia. Laura Vozzella & Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: "... Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) distanced himself Monday from a tweet mocking a teenager that his campaign account posted Saturday, calling it 'unauthorized,' but the teen and his mother said they would like an apology after enduring two days of 'bullying' on social media. Democrats piled on, accusing the governor of violating his pledges to seek unity and lower the temperature of political disagreements."
News Ledes
CNN's liveblog of developments & results in the Olympics is here. ~~~
~~~ The New York Times live updates for Tuesday, which include updates dated Wednesday, are here.
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Reader Comments (8)
My wife theorizes that the boxes of documents and mementos that TFG absconded were another intended grift to be sold via auction as Melanie tried to do with her silly hat. Seems plausible.
Hard for me to figure Putin's game.
Why would Russia be worried about encroachment from the west, when the last "invasion" occurred seventy years ago and the political situation in Germany and Europe has changed radically since Hitler?
The urge to repatriate the Russian speaking population in what is now Ukraine might provide some rationale, but it seems that would require a hot war and I'm not seeing the benefit of that to Putin.
Could it be that the troop movements, the constant news coverage, and all the angst he's causing the western democracies is mostly intended for internal consumption?
Of course, Putin did get Macron to come to him on bended knee...and his vocal anti-democratic supporters in the West (Tucker) are actively widening the cracks in western democracies, both of which results are in Putin's favor and one of which has to look good on Russian TV.
'
Dolly Parton wrote a song about a former lover with whom the singer finally breaks away from but he keeps coming back into her life one way or the other––-"Here he comes again" just when she thinks she's finally rid of him. We can relate.
For so many, to "quit" Trump apparently is as hard as quitting an addiction. As we learn more and more about his nefarious ways––I especially am bowled over by his tearing up documents, notes, etc. –-and surprised that this method didn't get out until now? Wasn't there someone–-the person who had to paste those pieces back together, for instance–- who would have revealed this procedure to SOMEBODY?
How long do we have to wait until this sick, pathetic, piece of debris gets put away? Will that change the trajectory of the fealty or recharge the anger? The party of an animal whose memory is key may keep going full stream ahead with or without the master; it's who they are now–-and perhaps always were.
Watched a POV on PBS last night about "housing" and its discrimination policies in the U.S. I was wondering whether these school boards would scratch the history of the second great business figure (Henry Ford being the first), of the American Century, William J. Levitt who mass produced housing after WWII. Willy had a few caveats: NO BLACKS and NO UNIONS. Just one of the restrictions over the years to prevent Blacks from owning homes. I had to smile when the film featured presidents from Nixon onward invoking the importance of EVERY American owning a home. You betcha!
Thinking about little donnie trumpie’s daddy, Vladimir Putin, and he reminds me of someone. Let’s see…
Putin is:
An authoritarian
A bigot
A conniver
A spreader of disinformation
A homophobe
An Islamophobe
A bully
Prone to violence to get his way
Paranoid
Uses religion to help bolster his power
A liar
Someone who will invent bullshit to excuse his actions
Profoundly anti-democratic
Equally profoundly Anti-American
Hmmm…who does that remind me of?
Wait! I know. Republicans! No wonder they love him!
How many times can the Robert's Court tell the country that they don't care about Black people (and most other minority groups)?
Ever since Florida governor DeSantis weighed in on GoFundMe freezing funds I've wondered how long it would take for Canadians to tell U.S. politicians to butt out. Glad to see them doing so, as I can imagine the right wing rage if the Canadians were doing the same with us.
RAS,
I think you might have to edit your comment a bit.
The Supreme Court, in its current incarnation as the Court of Traitors and Racists, cares very much about black people. Their concern is to keep them as far as possible from the levers of power, to adopt the earlier calculus that held blacks to be only a fraction of a human being.
The traitors on the Court are little better than kangaroos who jump high when their party or their donors require it.
Bitcoin and its thieves unmasked.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/08/bitfinex-hack-bitcoin-arrests/?
That bitcoin sure seems secure, and the irony here (one of them) is that a ploy to fly under the government's radar had to rely on the government to catch the thieves.