;)
Inauguration Day 2021
President Joe Biden
Poet Amanda Gorman reads "The Hill We Climb":
~~~ Ben Leonard of Politico: "Amanda Gorman became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history on Wednesday at President Joe Biden's swearing-in, using the historic moment to call for unity and to ask 'where can we find light in this never-ending shade.'" Gorman, 22, is the country's first National Youth Poet Laureate. Here's the full text of the poem (via the Hill).
President Biden delivers his inaugural address:
~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, taking office at a moment of profound economic, health and political crises with a promise to seek unity after a tumultuous four years that tore at the fabric of American society. With his hand on a five-inch-thick Bible that has been in his family for 128 years, Mr. Biden recited the 35-word oath of office swearing to'preserve, protect and defend the Constitution' in a ceremony administered by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., completing the process at 11:49 a.m., 11 minutes before the authority of the presidency formally changes hands. The ritual transfer of power came shortly after Kamala Devi Harris was sworn in as vice president by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, her hand on a Bible that once belonged to Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights icon and Supreme Court justice. Ms. Harris's ascension made her the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States and the first Black American and first person of South Asian descent to hold the nation's second highest office. In his Inaugural Address, Mr. Biden declared that 'democracy has prevailed' after a test of the system by a defeated president, Donald J. Trump, who sought to overturn the results of an election and then encouraged a mob that stormed the Capitol two weeks ago to block the final count." ~~~
~~~ Here's the full transcript of President Biden's inaugural speech (via Yahoo! News).
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swears in President Joe Biden:
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor swears in Vice President Kamala Harris:
Lady Gaga sings the national anthem wearing a dress that looks just like what I usually wear around the house:
Jonathan Lemire of the AP: "Joe Biden swears the oath of office at noon Wednesday to become the 46th president of the United States, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors.... The Democrat takes office with the bonds of the republic strained and the nation reeling from challenges that rival those faced by Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt."
Dareh Gregorian of NBC News reports on "what to expect on Inauguration Day -- and night." NBC New's liveblog of inaugural events is here. The New York Times is live-updating inaugural proceedings. CNN's live updates are here. ~~~
~~~ NEW. Here is another New York Times liveblog of events surrounding the inauguration. MB: The best read, IMO, was the item about the meager turnout of protesters at state capitols. But those who did show up are real idiots.
NEW. Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Eugene Goodman, a Capitol Police officer who was captured on video facing down members of the mob that breached the Capitol on Jan. 6 and diverting them from entering the Senate chamber and potentially saving lives, has been elevated to serve as the No. 2 security official in the Senate for the inaugural events on Wednesday. As the acting deputy Senate sergeant-at-arms, Officer Goodman, a Black man who fended off a mostly white throng, is part of the official escort accompanying Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to the platform outside the Capitol where she will be sworn into the nation's second-highest office."
Matt Viser & Annie Linskey of the Washington Post: "President-elect Joe Biden opened his inaugural commemorations Tuesday evening by honoring the 400,000 Americans who have died in the coronavirus pandemic, marking the final hours before his swearing-in with a somber reminder of the struggles facing the nation he will lead tomorrow. Biden presided over the first national mourning event amid the pandemic, and it set the tone for an inauguration that will be marked with more solemnity than jubilation. Lights surrounding the Reflecting Pool next to the Lincoln Memorial shone to represent the dead, and buildings across the nation lit in a united effort to honor those lost. As the sun set, Biden called on Americans to remember them.... Biden's appearance at the Reflecting Pool came hours after he offered an emotional farewell to his home state, weeping openly several times as he spoke in front of a bank of Delaware flags before boarding a flight to Washington for his swearing-in as president at noon Wednesday."
Four hundreds lights lining the Reflecting Pool, remember the 400,000 Americans who died of Covid-19:
Michael Ruane of the Washington Post: "The Marine Band has played for incoming presidents since Thomas Jefferson, according to its website.... On Wednesday, in locked-down Washington, the Marine Band [will play again] ... for a nation shaken by mob violence and a global pandemic.... The band's usual 80-member inauguration complement will be fewer than 60 this year. The musicians will be spread over a larger, 90-foot platform and separated from each other by clear protective shields."
Alayna Treene of Axios: "Congressional leaders, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will skip President Trump's departure ceremony in Maryland tomorrow morning in favor of attending mass with incoming President Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration, congressional sources familiar with their plans tell Axios.... The Catholic service will take place at St. Matthew's Cathedral in downtown Washington, D.C., about 10 blocks from the White House. It is expected to begin at 8:45am...." Vice President pence also will be a no-show at Trump's ceremony "because of logistical issues." The "logical issue" is that pence will be busy attending Biden's inauguration.
Marie: Joe Biden has run -- and won -- on three presidential tickets. He was the only white guy on any of them.
Field of Flags. Dominick Mastrangelo of the Hill: "Nearly 200,000 flags have been placed on the National Mall ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, signifying the tens of thousands of people who won't be able to attend this year's ceremony. The Presidential Inaugural Committee first announced plans to install the public art display, which has flags representing all the U.S. states and territories, on Jan. 11. The display was lit up Sunday evening. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
200k flags have been placed on the #NationalMall representing people from around the world who would gather for the #Inauguration of President Biden & VP Harris.
— Brandon Chaderton (@Bran_InTheArena) January 19, 2021
The #fieldofflags is illuminated by 56 pillars of light representing America’s states & territories. @BidenInaugural pic.twitter.com/ZJdxh8J1w7
Dan Lamothe, et al., of the Washington Post: "A dozen members of the National Guard have been removed from inauguration duty as the federal government screens troops involved for security concerns, senior U.S. defense officials said Tuesday, one day before President-elect Joe Biden is set to take over as commander in chief. The troops include at least two with possible sympathies for anti-government groups, said two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Ten were removed for reasons that defense officials declined to detail but said did not involve extremism.... Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, declined to provide specifics about the troops alleged to have expressed common cause with anti-government groups but said they had made 'inappropriate comments.' One of them was flagged because of concern within his unit, while the other was reported anonymously, defense officials said. The other 10 guardsmen were identified by the FBI, Hokanson said." The AP's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Eric Schmitt & Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "Two of the members were removed over texts and social media posts that made threatening comments toward political officials, Pentagon officials said. They declined to specify the exact nature of the threats.... Two officials described the texts as broad in nature -- not directed specifically at Mr. Biden or Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, but rather at lawmakers as a whole. One of the service members removed, the officials said, made a point of expressing support for President Trump in addition to making menacing comments."
The Washington Post live-updated Tuesday's Senate confirmation hearings: "Senate confirmation hearings are being held for five of Biden's Cabinet nominees throughout the day on a heavily fortified Capitol Hill, where preparations also continue for Biden's swearing-in at noon on Wednesday." (Also linked yesterday.) NPR's report is here. ~~~
~~~ ** Update. Snotty Seditionist Punk Puts Hold on DHS Nominee. Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: “Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced on Tuesday he would place a hold on Alejandro Mayorkas<, President-elect Joe Biden's choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Hawley, who has come under fire recently amid allegations that he played a role in the Capitol riot early this month, made the announcement just hours after the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs wrapped its hearing with Mayorkas. The move delays the nomination of a post Democrats have argued is critical to fill immediately to protect national security.... Defeating the hold will require a 50 vote threshold cloture vote and eats up days of floor time, complicating the process. 'Mr. Mayorkas has not adequately explained how he will enforce federal law and secure the southern border given President-elect Biden's promise to roll back major enforcement and security measures,' Hawley said in a statement.... Hawley's opposition stems from an exchange where the lawmaker asked Mayorkas if he would obligate $1.4 billion in funds set aside for Trump's border wall." MB: On Friday night, the Senate's most conservative Democrat, Joe Manchin (W.Va.), said the Senate should consider removing Hawley (R-Mo.) via the 14th Amendment because of his actions during the insurrection. Seems like an excellent idea. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Nick Miroff & Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: "A spokesman for Mayorkas, Sean Savett, called Hawley's move 'dangerous, especially in this time of overlapping crises when there is not a moment to waste.' And Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee responded bitterly, tweeting, 'His games are, AGAIN, putting our national security at risk.'"
Secretary of State Nominee Demonstrates that Diplomacy Works. Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee to become secretary of state, deftly sidestepped Democratic invitations to sharply criticize the Trump administration, and Republican efforts to lure him into controversy, in a confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Amid repeated promises to work closely with Congress, Blinken parried potentially hostile questions with invitations to dialogue and mild restatements of Biden pledges to rewrite Trump foreign policy on issues ranging from Iran to Cuba.... There was every indication that Blinken would be confirmed with a strong bipartisan vote, although Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the incoming chairman, said earlier in the day that a panel vote was unlikely until at least Monday. After that, floor votes will have to vie for Senate time with President Trump's impeachment trial."
Samantha Schmidt, et al., of the Washington Post: "President-elect Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he will nominate Pennsylvania's top health official, Rachel Levine, to be his assistant secretary of health. Levine, a pediatrician, would become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate." An AP story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
NEW. Yet Another Trumpian National Security Risk. Lara Seligman & Bryan Bender of Politico: "The Pentagon blocked members of President Joe Biden's incoming administration from gaining access to critical information about current operations, including the troop drawdown in Afghanistan, upcoming special operations missions in Africa and the Covid-19 vaccine distribution program, according to new details provided by transition and defense officials. The effort to obstruct the Biden team, led by senior White House appointees at the Pentagon, is unprecedented in modern presidential transitions and will hobble the new administration on key national security matters as it takes over positions in the Defense Department on Wednesday, the officials said.... People involved with the transition, both on the Biden team and the Pentagon side, [told] Politico ... briefings on pressing defense matters never happened, were delayed to the last minute, or were controlled by overbearing minders from the Trump administration's side."
Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) failed to reach a deal on Tuesday on organizing a 50-50 Senate as a fight over the filibuster threatens to drag out the talks for days. The two Senate leaders met to discuss how to share power in an evenly split Senate. According to Schumer, they talked about 'a whole lot of issues' but didn't reach an agreement."
AP: "Three new Democratic senators are set to be sworn into office after President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday. The arrival of Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Alex Padilla of California will give Democrats a working majority in the Senate -- split 50-50, with the new vice president, Kamala Harris, as the tie-breaking vote.... Harris is set to deliver the oath of office to the three Democrats after she is sworn in during the inauguration as vice president." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Amy Gardner & Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "Georgia election officials on Tuesday certified the victories of two Democrats who won in the state's hard-fought U.S. Senate runoff elections earlier this month, paving the way for them to take office as early as Wednesday. Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock narrowly defeated Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in the Jan. 5. runoffs, a stunning and unexpected boon for President-elect Joe Biden. Shortly before Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified the results Tuesday, election officials in Fulton County grappled with discrepancies between the unofficial vote totals reported and the final tallies. In the end, those discrepancies gave Perdue and Loeffler a few hundred additional votes -- not enough to alter the outcome, officials said."
Yellin Says "Act Big"; Curmudgeon Scolds Her. Erica Werner & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "Janet Yellen, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for treasury secretary, urged lawmakers Tuesday to 'act big' on economic relief for the coronavirus pandemic as she appeared before a Senate committee for her confirmation hearing. 'I think there is a consensus now: Without further action, we risk a longer, more painful recession now -- and long-term scarring of the economy later,' Yellen said in written testimony submitted to the Senate Finance Committee ahead of the hearing. She faced immediate pushback from Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who used his opening statement to slam the Biden relief plan as a 'laundry list of liberal structural economic reforms' that would not be appropriate to enact." (Also linked yesterday.)
The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ctd.
Lateshia Beachum & Reis Thebault of the Washington Post: "Covid-19 has now killed more than 400,000 Americans. The country reached that devastating milestone Tuesday, the eve of the first anniversary of the first confirmed U.S. case and the final full day of Donald Trump's presidency, which historians say will be defined by his bungling of the public health crisis. 'To heal, we must remember,' President-elect Joe Biden said in a Tuesday evening vigil for coronavirus victims at the Lincoln Memorial. 'And it's hard sometimes to remember. But that's how we heal. It's important to do that as a nation. That's why we're here today.' The somber event offered a striking contrast to Trump's near-constant downplaying of the virus, and served as the new administration's signal that it would take seriously the dangerous pandemic." This is part of the WashPo's Covid-19 updates Tuesday & is free to nonsubscribers. ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
J.M. Rieger of the Washington Post: "... despite the Trump administration's repeated promises to deliver tens or even hundreds of millions of coronavirus vaccine doses by the new year, President Trump is set to leave office Wednesday having delivered only a fraction of the doses his administration pledged. The unprecedented rapid development of two highly effective vaccines remains a remarkable accomplishment, and the nation's vaccine deployment is more or less on par with other economically developed countries. But the failure to more quickly administer the vaccine has compounded the broader failure of the United States to contain a pandemic that has killed 100,000 Americans over the past five weeks alone. As of Monday, [Jan. 18,] just over 31 million coronavirus vaccine doses had been delivered nationwide. Fewer than half of those have been administered."
The Last Half-Day of the Mad Kaiser ~~~
~~~ And let's face it: every day was, at best, a half-day.
NEW. Forrest M. kindly watched Trump's going-away speech for us, and he has provided a complete report in today's Comments of everything you need to know. It's a short report. Akhilleus offers critical analysis of Trump's Last Word.
Trump Rides Out on a Wave of Sleaze. Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump used his final hours in office to wipe away convictions and prison sentences for a roster of corrupt politicians and business executives and bestow pardons on allies like Stephen K. Bannon, his former chief strategist, and Elliott Broidy, one of his top fund-raisers in 2016. The wave of clemency grants, hours before Mr. Trump's departure from the White House, underscored how many of his close associates and supporters became ensnared in corruption cases and other legal troubles, and highlighted again his willingness to use his power to help them and others with connections to him.... The latest round of pardons and commutations -- 143 in total -- followed dozens last month...." Read on. Trump never stops being sickening. Politico's story is here. The AP's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Of Course It's All About Trump. From CNN's liveblog of what are supposed to be inaugural events, also linked above: "Trump had spent the past days deliberating over a pardon for [Steve Bannon,] the man who helped him win the presidency in 2016 and followed him to the White House. A senior Trump adviser said part of the motivation for the President to issue a pardon for Bannon is that he believes his former chief strategist can help lead a political comeback for President Trump.... Trump also saw Bannon as one of the few remaining high profile conservatives to back the president all the way to the bitter end. As for their relationship, once fractured after Bannon was fired following Charlottesville, the adviser said, 'they made up.'" ~~~
~~~ New York Times reporters also filled a rogues' gallery with tiny portraits of miscreants whom Trump has pardoned.
Trump Replenishes Swamp. Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "President Trump rescinded an executive order early Wednesday morning that had limited federal administration officials from lobbying the government or working for foreign countries after they leave their posts, undoing one of the few measures he had instituted to fulfill his 2016 campaign promise to 'drain the swamp.' Trump had signed the now-reversed executive order with much fanfare in an Oval Office ceremony in January 2017. No explanation was given for why Trump chose to rescind the order. The White House released the directive at 1:08 a.m. on the day he will leave office. It had been signed Tuesday." Politico's story is here.
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Tuesday authorized the declassification of a set of documents connected to the investigation of his 2016 campaign's contacts with Russia.... It's unclear which documents Trump has ordered declassified less than 24 hours before he leaves office.... Trump said he ... asked for the documents to be declassified to 'the maximum extent possible.' The FBI responded that it believed that all of the materials should remain classified, but that some were particularly crucial and should at least be redacted.... Trump's decision represents a sharp walkback from two previous assertions that he would declassify every document related to the probe, a longtime demand of his political allies, who have amplified his denigration of the investigation."
NEW. TMZ: "Donald Trump's pettiness apparently knows no bounds, because Joe Biden isn't getting what Trump himself got ... a government aircraft taking him to D.C. for his inauguration. Biden just boarded a private jet for the short flight to Washington. Protocol has been for the incoming President to get the courtesy of a military aircraft. Aside from the fact this tradition is rooted in the transfer of power, it's gotta be safer, with all the bells and whistles that come with it."
Ursula Perano of Axios: "President Trump gave a farewell video address on Tuesday, saying that his administration 'did what we came here to do -- and so much more.'"
Good News for Democrats. Joseph Choi of the Hill: "President Trump has reportedly floated the possibility of starting a new political party as he prepares to leave the White House amid internal struggles within the Republican Party. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Trump has discussed the matter with associates in the last week, suggesting he would call it the 'Patriot Party.' According to the Journal, it's unclear how serious the outgoing president is about starting a new party. The outlet noted that Trump's wide base of supporters was not heavily involved in the Republican Party before Trump became the party's 2016 presidential nominee."
Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast on "Trump's Pathetic Final Weekend in Office": "'Everyone knows I won.' That's a phrase that Donald Trump, the twice-impeached former game show host and soon-to-be former president, repeated to different advisers and confidants over the long MLK Day weekend.... Because of him and his party, the city and the federal government were forced to perform a simulacrum of a police state -- simply to ensure that the outgoing president's extremist supporters would allow a transition of government to occur without further bloodshed. To another president, this would bring a sense of deep shame and regret, or at least a moment of humility. But to Trump, it's still a matter of me, me, me." A fun read for the schadenfreude-inclined. (Also linked yesterday.)
Kaitlan Collins, et al., of CNN: "Huddled for a lengthy meeting with his legal advisers [this past Saturday night], Trump was warned the pardons he once hoped to bestow upon his family and even himself would place him in a legally perilous position, convey the appearance of guilt and potentially make him more vulnerable to reprisals.So, too, was Trump warned that pardons for Republican lawmakers who had sought them for their role in the Capitol insurrection would anger the very Senate Republicans who will determine his fate in an upcoming impeachment trial. White House counsel Pat Cipollone and another attorney who represented Trump in his first impeachment trial, Eric Herschmann, offered the grave warnings as Trump, his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner listened. Other lawyers joined by telephone. They all told Trump he should not pardon himself, his family or any GOP lawmakers in a prospective manner unless he was prepared to list specific crimes."
Russ Buettner & Susanne Craig of the New York Times: "Not long after he strides across the White House grounds Wednesday morning for the last time as president, Donald J. Trump will step into a financial minefield that appears to be unlike anything he has faced since his earlier brushes with collapse. The tax records that he has long fought to keep hidden, revealed in a New York Times investigation last September, detailed his financial challenges: Many of his resorts were losing millions of dollars a year even before the pandemic struck. Hundreds of millions of dollars in loans, which he personally guaranteed, must be repaid within a few years. He has burned through much of his cash and easy-to-sell assets. And a decade-old I.R.S. audit threatens to cost him more than $100 million to resolve.... That trend has only accelerated with his evidence-free campaign to subvert the outcome of the presidential election, which culminated in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.... 'Trump is so reputationally toxic that a lot of financial institutions won't want to do business with him,' said Adam J. Levitin, a law professor at Georgetown University...."
An Accessory Before the Fact. Evan Semones of Politico: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says ... Donald Trump could be an accessory to murder after this month's deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol. In an interview with MSNBC's Joy Reid that aired Tuesday night, Pelosi repeatedly decried Trump's role in inciting a violent insurrection on Jan. 6 that claimed the lives of five people, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer.... The speaker went a step further and said that if it were proven that some members of Congress collaborated with members of the group that attacked the Capitol, they -- as well as Trump -- would be accessories to crimes committed during the insurrection. 'And the crime, in some cases, was murder,' Pelosi said. 'And this president is an accessory to that crime because he instigated that insurrection that caused those deaths and this destruction.'"
Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday accused President Trump of provoking the violent crowd that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. 'The last time the Senate convened, we had just reclaimed the Capitol from violent criminals who tried to stop Congress from doing our duty. The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people,' McConnell said on the Senate floor, marking the first convening of the full Senate since the attack. McConnell's statements carry significance ahead of an anticipated Senate impeachment trial. The GOP leader has told colleagues he hasn't yet decided how he would vote on a House-passed article of impeachment against Trump." MB: No angry-bird response from Trump?... Oh, yeah. Tweetybird he dead. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Mr. McConnell's remarks ... were the clearest signal yet from the most powerful Republican left in Washington that after four years of excusing and enabling Mr. Trump, he has come to regard the departing president as a force who could drag down the party if he is not firmly excised by its leaders." ~~~
Remembering Melanie. Katie Rogers & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "When she leaves Washington on Inauguration Day, Mrs. Trump will be remembered as the first lady who arrived at the White House late and checked out early." MB: Best gossipy stories on Melania I've read, but I haven't read many. ~~~
~~~ Now picture the First Lady seated at a pretty little writing desk & diligently working her Cross pen on watermarked linen cards, her heart filled with gratitude for all the help her household staff have given her over the years. Oops, erase that picture from your mind: ~~~
~~~ Kate Bennett of CNN: "First lady Melania Trump did not write her own 'thank you' notes to the White House residence staff who have cared for her and her family for the last four years, according to two sources with knowledge of the notes and Trump's handling of them. The 80 or so staff who received the type written notes were under the assumption the first lady had written them herself. Instead, Trump tasked a lower-level East Wing staffer with writing them 'in her voice,' and she signed her name." MB: She probably didn't even know the names of the people who picked up after her. The addressee in a personal note in Melanie's "voice" might as well have been, "To Whom It May Concern."
Spencer Hsu, et al., of the Washington Post: "U.S. authorities have leveled the first conspiracy charge against an apparent leader of an extremist group in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, arresting an alleged Oath Keeper who is accused of plotting to disrupt the electoral vote confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden's victory and proposing further assaults on state capitols. Thomas Edward Caldwell, 66, of Clarke County, Va., was taken into custody before 7 a.m. on four federal counts, including conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States in the attack on the Capitol.... A charging affidavit says he helped organize a group of eight to 10 individuals, including self-styled Ohio militia members apprehended Sunday, who wore helmets and military-style gear and were seen moving purposefully toward the top of the Capitol steps and leading the move against police lines." The article reports more evidence against Caldwell cited in the charging affidavit. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update. The story has been substantially updated. New Lede: "Self-styled militia members from Virginia, Ohio and other states made plans to storm the U.S. Capitol days in advance of the Jan. 6 attack, and then communicated in real time as they breached the building on opposite sides and talked about hunting for lawmakers, according to new court documents filed Tuesday." A CBS News report is here.
Jordan Fischer of WUSA (Washington, D.C.): "A New York man [-- Thomas Fee --] has now been charged with participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection in D.C. after allegedly texting a picture and video of himself in the Capitol to his girlfriend’s brother -- a special agent with the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service. According to a probable cause affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the agent – who is a federal officer employed by the U.S. Department of State -- reported the photo and video to the Diplomatic Security Service, which then passed it along to the Joint Terrorism Task Force.... CNN reports Fee retired from the New York Fire Department in October after 22 years. He is at least the second retired firefighter to be charged in connection with the Capitol riot...." MB: These guys go out of their way to prove they're stupid.
Upscale Insurrectionists. CBS Los Angeles News: "Three people from Beverly Hills, including a salon owner, have been arrested in connection with the storming of the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Gina Bisignano, 52, was taken into custody by FBI agents at around 7 a.m. Tuesday at her apartment in the 300 block of North Palm Drive in Beverly Hills.... The FBI, with the help of Beverly Hills police, also arrested 37-year-old John Strand and 55-year-old Simone Gold on Monday.
How Not to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Michael Crowley of the New York Times: "The Trump White House on Monday released the report of the presidential '1776 Commission,' a sweeping attack on liberal thought and activism that calls for a 'patriotic education,' defends America's founding on the basis of slavery and likens progressivism to fascism. President Trump formed the commission in September, saying that American heritage was under assault by revolutionary fanatics and that the nation's schools required a new 'pro-American' curriculum. Its report, released on Martin Luther King's Birthday, denounces the charge that the American founders were hypocrites who preached equality even as they codified slavery in the Constitution and held slaves themselves. 'This charge is untrue, and has done enormous damage, especially in recent years, with a devastating effect on our civic unity and social fabric,' it says." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ CNN's report, by Maegan Vazquez, is here. Its headline: "Trump administration issues racist school curriculum report on MLK day". (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Michael Crowley & Jennifer Schussler of the New York Times: "President Trump formed the 18-member commission ... in the heat of his re-election campaign in September.... The commission formed part of Mr. Trump's larger response to the antiracism protests [last summer].... The report drew intense criticism from historians, some of whom noted that the commission, while stocked with conservative educators, did not include a single professional historian of the United States. James Grossman, the executive director of the American Historical Association, said the report was not a work of history, but 'cynical politics.'" MB: Let me just say that those who wrote, signed onto or believe this report are batshit crazy. Oh, and flaming racists. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ "Historical Whackamole." Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post: "Historians responded with dismay and anger Monday after the White House's '1776 Commission' released a report that it said would help Americans better understand the nation's history by 'restoring patriotic education. 'It's a hack job...," American Historical Association executive director James Grossman told The Washington Post.... The 45-page report is largely an attack on decades of historical scholarship, particularly when it comes to the nation's 400-year-old legacy of slavery.... 'This "report" lacks citations or any indication books were consulted, which explains why it's riddled in errors, distortions, and outright lies.' ... said public historian Alexis Coe." And so forth. ~~~
~~~ AND It's a Cheesy Cut-and-Paste Job. Tina Nguyen of Politico: "... Donald Trump's 1776 Commission ... has been mocked by historians as slapdash and slanted. And a good chunk appears lifted or recycled from other publications." Two pages were lifted by an opinion piece by one of the commission's members, Thomas Lindsay. Other parts came from previous works by Dr. Matthew Spalding, the director of the commission. "The sourcing of the report's material has come under scrutiny. Courtney Thompson, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University, ran the 1776 Report through TurnItIn, a plagiarism detection service..., and claimed that 26 percent of the content had been lifted in various ways from other sources without citing other sources.... Upon its publication, the report was criticized by historians for its lack of scholarship and factual accuracy." MB: The "report" is emblematic of the entire Trump presidency*: untrue, slanted, slapdash crap produced by amateurs & wingnuts.
An appropriate send-off. Thanks to unwashed for the link:
Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down the Trump administration's plan to relax restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, paving the way for President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to enact new and stronger restrictions on power plants. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia called the Trump administration's Affordable Clean Energy rule a 'fundamental misconstruction' of the nation's environmental laws, devised through a 'tortured series of misreadings' of legal statute. On the last full day of the Trump presidency, it effectively ended the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to weaken and undermine climate change policies and capped a dismal string of failures in which courts threw out one deregulation after another. Experts have widely described the E.P.A.'s losing streak as one of the worst legal records of the agency in modern history.... 'The real win here is that the Trump administration failed to tie the Biden team's hands,' [environmental law professor Jody] Freeman said."
Stupidest Senator Loses Debate with Smart Editors. Ray Hartmann of the Raw Story: "In a rather extraordinary move, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel offered [Sen. Ron] Johnson [R-Wis.] space to respond to its editorial calling for his resignation, only to annotate his commentary with no less than 19 footnotes. Suffice it to say the fact-checking in response to his response was brutal. On January 7, the newspaper had editorialized that Johnson and Wisconsin Rep. Scott Fitzgerald and Tom Tiffany 'resign or be expelled for siding with Trump against our republic' in their attempts to support his attempted coup. Johnson wasn't even spared by his ultimate decision not to vote to overturn the election results[.]... [Johnson wrote,] 'Among its many baseless charges, it accuses me of "inciting violence and an act of domestic terrorism," being "a leading member of the Senate Sedition Caucus," "stoking an insurrection," "violating my solemn oaths," being a racist ... and "shilling for Trump."...' [In a footnote, the editors responded, in part,] 'Sen. Ron Johnson took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. In our system, the states certify Electoral College votes and Congress acknowledges the victor. Senators and representatives cannot overturn the will of citizen voters by rejecting a state's electoral votes.'... Johnson didn't fare all that much better in the other 18 footnotes he drew for his response to the editorial." Here's Johnson's op-ed, with Journal Sentinel footnotes.
Nicholas Fandos & Katie Benner of the New York Times: "The Justice Department informed Senator Richard M. Burr, Republican of North Carolina, on Tuesday that it would not pursue insider trading charges against him, quietly ending a monthslong investigation into his dumping of hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock in the turbulent early days of the coronavirus pandemic. The decision by the department effectively cleared a cloud of legal jeopardy that has loomed over Mr. Burr since the sales were first disclosed in March. At the crux of the case was whether Mr. Burr, then the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, had acted based on nonpublic information about the contagion that he received at senators-only briefings." Politico's story is here.
Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Fox "News" Decides to Go All-Faux. Diana Falcone & Lachlan Cartwright of the Daily Beast: "Fox News on Tuesday fired the political editor who was tasked with defending the network's election night decisions that especially angered ... Donald Trump and his allies. Politics editor Chris Stirewalt's exit from the network coincided with the sacking of at least 16 digital editorial staffers, including senior editors. People familiar with the situation said the layoffs -- a 'blood bath,' as multiple Fox News insiders described it -- were perpetrated by Porter Berry, the Sean Hannity crony now in charge of remaking Fox's digital properties in the image of its right-wing opinion programming.... 'There is a concerted effort to get rid of real journalists,' said one recently departed Fox staffer. 'They laid capable people off who were actual journalists and not blind followers.'"
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As Spooner might say, in so many ways the turn is worming.
It sure didn't take long. The worm hasn't even yet slunk out of town.
We haven't had one here in a long time, so "Callooh, callay!!"
I'm chortling in my joy. It has been a long time.
Trump, according to several sources, is even mulling whether to write a letter to Biden to leave for him in the Oval Office, a standard-bearing tradition.
I’m predicting he’ll write “Fuck You” with his own feces on the oval office carpet. I always knew trump was a shit throwing monkey.
I’m Dan Lowery and I approve this message.
We’re down to counting the minutes. Less than 900 to go 😁
There are some obvious reasons Donald Trump lies all the time, but at the 11th hour I figured out one of them I hadn't realized: he lies to justify in his own mind all of his crimes & other bad acts.
The big lie -- "I won the election by a lot" -- doesn't seem to make much sense to anyone with normal information-processing abilities. It does of course make sense as a political calculation: an excuse for trying to overturn the election. And it makes sense as a face-saving measure.
But Trump reportedly tells the big lie in private conversations, too; that suggests he believes it, that it's a wish which has come true. And if, indeed, he has talked himself into believing the lie, then it has an important function: it allows him to justify his treasonous behavior to himself. No longer merely a crass calculation or a respect-garnering feint, believing the big lie allows him to look in the mirror & pretend all of his efforts to effect a violent insurrection against his own government is the just and righteous thing to do. He is, in that context, an extremely moral person: he goes to an insane, extreme length to twist fiction into fact so that he can do the "moral thing" and nobly right a great wrong.
It would be hard to behave as a mean, nasty, lying crook and yet hold dear the totally unrealistic expection that you are both loved and admired by all.
Something's gotta give.
And for the Pretender, over the last four years, Marie, I think you are right.
What gave was what remained of the Pretender's already questionable sanity.
I'm anticipating watching the countdown clock tick down to zero, and I'm hoping for a burst of fireworks when it does.
As for Trump, in the words of an old song "Thank God and Greyhound you're gone".
So, Marie, you think DiJiT is just more self-delusional than the rest of us, on a monumental scale? Like nobody's ever seen?
Yep, also known as insane.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/us/politics/trump-pardons.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage
By their pardons, ye shall know them. (Ken: 1:20)
Those wise people who. have said the presidency purifies are absolutely correct.
If you arrive corrupt and nuts in a position of unchecked power, you leave even more corrupt--certainly more brazen in your corruption-- and far nuttier.
@Patrick: Yeah but. Most people, I would guess, do not choose insanity. It chooses them, and it disorders their lives. Trump, on the other hand, seems to have chosen insanity (whether or not he realizes it), and he uses his insanity as a coping mechanism that allows him to assure himself he is a "good person" despite the horrible things he does. Insanity, in effect, "orders" his life.
I just finished watching the departure on CBS. His last big lie-a-thon as president*. I wasn't aware of all his great accomplishments. He made it sound like he personally went into Pfizer's labs and single handedly made a vaccine in record time.
It's the end of an era (make that end of an error).
Forrest,
Thanks for doing that for me. I didn't have the strength.
@Ken: I seem to remember Michelle Obama making a similar statement about the presidency, more or less as follows: "The presidency doesn't change who you are -- it reveals who you are." In Trump's case there was no "reveal": we already knew who he was.
Anyway, here's a little something for y'all to enjoy while you're waiting for the inaugural fireworks display:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzXBVkWASI4
And this from my daughter-in-law, a rabid Les Miz fan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1jDpKzyzr3g&feature=youtu.be
The Monster is gone.
Like Forrest, I watched his valedictory (more like a fail-a-dictory), and marveled at all the lies. He thanked his crime family for all their "hard work". I suppose grifting and thieving and non-stop lying takes some effort, but as with all things Trumpy, it was always all about what's best for them. How can they grab whatever's not nailed down. How can they take credit for the actual hard work of others. How can they best attack those who call them on their grifting and lying.
Speaking of which, Fatty did (as Forrest mentioned) seem to take personal credit for the Trump virus vaccine. He didn't, of course, take credit for the still rising death toll although he was far more responsible for that than for any vaccine. He did, however, sow the seeds for being able to take full credit for anything good that happens under Biden.
It's also useful to recall that four years ago, at his coronation, the Fat Traitor screeched about "American carnage" ending the second he sat his fat ass in an easy chair in the White House. Umm...yeah....that didn't happen. In fact, the Trump Carnage was just beginning, and it ended (at least for now) with his brownshirts storming the Capitol building. Death, destruction, bloodshed. Enough carnage for ya?
The "speech" such as it was, was a re-hash of his favorite note: Me-me-me-me-me. No mention of the hundreds of thousands of Americans now dead because of his narcissism. No mention of the 81 million Americans who voted him out. They don't count in his estimation. They're not "real 'mericans". They're not those good Nazis.
I really don't wonder if this monster is insane or not. He certainly acts like it. What I care about is the fact that the people who allowed him to spread his insanity, who catered to his anti-democratic, anti-American inclinations, who pushed for more and more carnage, who couldn't be bothered to try to temper his tantrums, and who are now attempting to cover themselves with risible pleas for comity and unity even as they prepare to attack Biden, are still in power.
McConnell, the worst of the snakes in the Trump shithole, is trying to weasel his way to maintaining as much power as he can. Schumer should tell him to fuck off. As Marie pointed out the other day, who could possibly believe that, if their positions were reversed, McConnell would ever consider a power sharing agreement. He would not. Never. Trump may have pointed the way to authoritarianism, hatred, and a warped, twisted ideology, but McConnell helped make it happen. We are stuck for a generation with the unqualified, drooling Nazi judges he has shoved onto the federal bench.
But the Monster is gone. I wish I could say good riddance, but I'm too exhausted.
And as usual, Democrats now have to clean up another Republican mess. And man, this one is a doozy.
Trump may be out of the center ring but his lackeys are still on stage. Senator Hawley for example.
Here in Florida Gov DeSantis has called Bidens virus plan an error and unnecessary and doesn't want any fed help as deaths mount and cases soar,
Akhilleus,
As we've been entertaining ourselves speculating about how nuts the Pretender really is (I have been anyway), I have thought of one place where the issue of his sanity might really matter.
In court, in a plea.
And, yes, I do think he'd have a good case.
THE ART OF THE DEAL:
In his book of the same name he brags about the lies he tells and how gullible people are who believe him––"even the press–-they print my lies." (chuckle, chuckle) I would guess he has spent most of his life living those lies. Perhaps the difference here between a Shaman who actually believes in his cures and this man who knows he's lying, gets used to getting away with them, will eventually become comfortable continuing with this M.O. ––that and the "loser" noose that he has carried most of his life.
The DEAL is now dead. He departs not with head held low but with a farewell speech of more artful pats on the back for doing such a splendid job. He knows it's bullshit but it's the only way he can operate.
There is something eerily macabre about someone who is hated and vilified as much as this man has been and can still maintains his right to operate as an upstanding president of the people.
Another man, the one who persevered as a young boy to conquer a serious stutter, who made all sorts of mistakes along the way in his political climb, who suffered great personal loss, who never gave up his dream of one day becoming president will today become president. It's a great American story. The next four years will test his mettle like nothing else has but his history of never giving up––like some of our greatest presidents-–- bodes well.
And as he often says, "Here's the deal"
I know that there have been several comments here that have compared Drumpf to a number of Shakespeare characters. Jesse Green in his NYT piece thinks a little differently:
"...Shakespeare’s characters are much richer and more readable than someone as unforthcoming as Trump. At the same time, we’d be lucky if he were merely Shakespearean; no made-up villain, even Iago, is as alarming as someone for whom all the world is truly a stage.
Still, there’s something to be said for the Iago comparison. His final line, as he is dragged off to justice, is “From this time forth I never will speak word” — a consummation devoutly to be wished."
Even with the covid protocols Biden was still able show out better than Trump's inauguration crowd.
Trump vows to return "in some form". My curse of visual thinking immediately supplied an image of Joe Biden checking the sole of his shoe to see what he just stepped in.
Unwashed, as despicable as Iago is, at least he wasn't all about himself. He was driven by hatred, not narcissism. Plus, he has a creed (listen to what Verdi did with that...wow). Trump believes in nothing but himself. Plus, Iago is a better dresser. And he doesn't fall all over himself trying to spit out a few words.
Well kids, you can remove the "elect" from one, and add "ex" to the other.
With any luck, if he lives long enough, Trump might be another "ex".
Ex-convict.
Go Joe!
(btw, Lady Gaga killed)
Loved the fireworks.
Anyone know?
Did the Pretender keep the plane as a souvenir?
@Ken Winkes: Probably not. More importantly, the feds deactivated his nuclear football at noon.
Ken,
I’m guessing that, even though he won’t be able to keep the plane, (awwww), he probably left a big turd in the presidential toilet. And I’m not being entirely metaphorical. It’s his style.
By the by, did you guys hear Kamala Harris’ secret service agnomen?
Pioneer. Perfect, isn’t it? I’m guessing that this appellation was not thought up by the Obama haters in the service. Their choice probably would have been “Darkie Bitch”. Those are the ones detailed to the Fat Fascist.
They’ll be spending lots of time in taxpayer rented golf carts.
Two more observations. Lady Gaga wasn’t the only one who killed today. Amanda Gorman! Whoa.
J-Lo sang Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”, which he wrote as a commentary on the uncritical “God Bless America”. Good Choice. I was wishing that the accompaniment was not a military band, but a simple guitar. Especially Guthrie’s guitar that had a sign taped on the spruce top warning that “This machine kills fascists”. Lookout, Fatty.
Finally, Marie’s declaration that she wears a Lady Gaga style dress around the house. Girl, you must have some wiiiide doorways. Sheesh.
What Ak said about Lady Gaga +1. She sang it straight and true and operatic, in a way that told the glorious story; not at all about the singer's chops like we get at most sporting events. Choked me up for sure. My first impression of the dress was that she looked like a fungal fruiting body emerging from the top of an orange pumpkin. Sort of fitting when you think about it - rotting orange things and all. Well, at least it wasn't a meat dress.
Amanda Gorman's poem was amazing. Thanks for linking the written word.
@Marie, that dress must save you a lot of time vacuuming and mopping. No need for a Roomba either, I guess.
About the dress: Al Sharpton told the MSNBC crew that since Rachel was such a "fash-a-nista"she should get a dress like the one Lady G. had on; everyone exploded in laughter. They then decided that Joy Reid would do it proud. Rachel, always a good sport was still laughing.