;)
January 1, 2023
Bobby Calvan of the AP: "The new year began in the tiny atoll nation of Kiribati in the central Pacific, then moved across Russia and New Zealand before heading deeper, time zone by time zone, through Asia and Europe and into the Americas.... A man wielding a machete attacked three police officers near the [Times Square] celebration, authorities said, striking two of them in the head before an officer shot the man in the shoulder about eight blocks from Times Square, just outside the high-security zone.... In a sign of that hope, children met St. Nicholas in a crowded metro station in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Yet Russian attacks continued New Year's Eve. At midnight, the streets of the capital, Kyiv, were desolate. The only sign of a new year came from local residents shouting from their balconies, 'Happy New Year!' and 'Glory to Ukraine!' And only half an hour into 2023, air raid sirens rang across Ukraine's capital, followed by the sound of explosions."
Marie: Perhaps we should pause to remember that January 1 doesn't really signify anything. It's a marker of the new year first imposed by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE, and it did fall on the winter solstice. That is, January 1 meant something. In 1582, Pope Gregory's incorporated January 1 as the first day of the in his "new" or "Gregorian" calendar, which we use today. Although Caesar's calendar was meant to follow the solar year, the miscalculation of Sosigenes, Caesar's Alexandrian astronomer, meant the date gradually migrated days away from the winter solstice -- ten days away by the time Gregory imposed the calendar calculated by Jesuit astronomer Christopher Clavius. I'm not sure why Gregory & Clavius decided to stick with the old, adrift new year's day. I'd have told them to go back to using the winter solstice -- or some natural phenomenon -- to mark the first day of the year. But, hey, I'm just a girl.
News You Can Use. Shanon Osaka of the Washington Post: "Earlier this year, Congress passed the biggest climate bill in history -- cloaked under the name the 'Inflation Reduction Act.'... It could do one important thing for a country trying to move away from fossil fuels: Spur millions of households across America to switch over to cleaner energy sources with free money. Starting in the new year, the bill will offer households thousands of dollars to transition over from fossil-fuel burning heaters, stoves and cars to cleaner versions. On Jan. 1, middle-income households will be able to access over a half-dozen tax credits for electric stoves, cars, rooftop solar and more. And starting sometime in mid-2023, lower-income households will be able to get upfront discounts on some of those same appliances -- without having to wait to file their taxes to get the cash back. This handy online tool shows what you might be eligible for, depending on your Zip code and income."
The Party of Fakes
"The Invention of Elise Stefanik." Nicholas Confessori of the New York Times: "For years, [Elise] Stefanik had crafted her brand as a model moderate millennial.... But as her third term unfolded [in 2018], according to current or former friends and advisers, it was becoming painfully clear that she was the future of a Republican Party that no longer existed.... [So] she embarked on one of the most brazen political transformations of the Trump era. With breathtaking speed and alacrity, Ms. Stefanik remade herself into a fervent Trump apologist, adopted his over-torqued style on Twitter and embraced the conspiracy theories that animate his base, amplifying debunked allegations of dead voters casting ballots in Atlanta and unspecified 'irregularities' involving voting-machine software in 2020 swing states.... Ms. Stefanik's reinvention has made her a case study in the collapse of the old Republican establishment and its willing absorption into the new, Trump-dominated one.... Eager to advance..., she has spent years embedding herself wherever the action seems to be at the time."
"The Talented Mr. Santos." Azi Paybarah & Camila DeChalus of the Washington Post: "The Republican who won a congressional seat on Long Island before his claims of being a wealthy, biracial, Ukrainian descendant of Holocaust survivors were debunked had, for a while, been generally consistent about two details in his improbable life: He has long said his first name is George and his last name is Santos. But not always. Before George Santos, 34, made a name for himself in politics, he had insisted on being called Anthony -- one of his middle names -- and often used his mother's maiden name, Devolder, eventually incorporating a company in Florida with that name.... He said he is part Black. He said he is the grandson of Holocaust survivors. He claimed he helped develop 'carbon capture technology.'... Santos has already spawned new proposed legislation in Congress. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said he will introduce legislation requiring that when candidates for federal office provide details of their education, employment and military history, they do so under oath. Torres calls the bill the Stop Another Non-Truthful Office Seeker (SANTOS) Act.
"The offices of New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly (R) and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz (D) each said they are examining whether Santos broke any laws in their jurisdiction. ABC News reported that the U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of New York, which covers Long Island, was also examining Santos's activities.... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters on Wednesday that Santos is now 'tattooed' on Republicans in Congress." MB: As I said yesterday, he lied about even his name.
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "At the end of a wrenching year at the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. devoted his annual report on the state of the federal judiciary to threats to judges' physical safety.... Some observers had hoped that the chief justice would use his year-end report for an update on the investigation announced in May into the leak of a draft opinion eliminating the constitutional right to abortion. Others had wished that he would announce revisions to judicial ethics rules in the wake of revelations about the efforts of Virginia Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, to overturn the results of the 2020 election." MB: But no. He smoothed an errant strand of his hair-helmet and marched on, chin-up, defiantly blind to the harm he has wreaked upon the nation. An AP report is here.
Beyond the Beltway
New York. Shelter from the Storm. Andrea Salcedo of the Washington Post: Jay Withey of Buffalo spent the night of December 23 in his truck with two strangers he had taken in to save them from the storm & subfreezing temperatures. But his truck was running out of fuel, and he could not find help. So he broke into the Cheektowaga high school. "Once both strangers had settled inside, Withey walked up to other cars stranded nearby, offering their occupants a place to spend the night.... By the end of the weekend, Withey had offered shelter to about two dozen strangers, including children and two dogs.... Once inside, Withey managed to open the cafeteria and found cereal, juice, water and coffee for the group. He cooked pizza for lunch and meatballs for dinner.... He left behind a handwritten note explaining the break-in. It read: 'To whoever it may concern, I am terribly sorry about breaking the school window and for breaking in the kitchen. Got stuck at 8 p.m. Friday and slept in my truck with two strangers just trying not to die. There were 7 elderly also stuck and out of fuel. I had to do it to save everyone and get them shelter, food and a bathroom. Merry Christmas -- Jay.'... Before the last person left on Christmas Day, the crew of strangers ... cleaned the school, washed the dishes and took out the trash before parting ways."
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al. The Guardian's live updates of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.
David Stern & Francesca Ebel of the Washington Post: "As Moscow launched a fresh barrage of strikes against Ukraine on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an unusually aggressive prerecorded address, which was broadcast as Russians in the Far East began their New Year's celebrations.... In the address, which was broadcast at midnight on Russian state television in line with the country's 11 different time zones, Putin said Russia was fighting in Ukraine to protect its 'motherland' and called 2022 'a year of hard, necessary decisions' and 'fateful events' that had laid the foundation of Russia's future and independence.... As the first footage of the speech was broadcast, dozens of missiles rained down on Kyiv and other regions in Ukraine."
North Korea. Hyung-Jin Kim of the AP: "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the 'exponential' expansion of his country's nuclear arsenal, the development of a more powerful intercontinental ballistic missile and the launch of its first spy satellite, state media reported Sunday, after he entered 2023 with another weapons firing following a record number of testing activities last year."
News Ledes
New York Times: "The police shot a machete-wielding man who attacked three officers on Saturday night near Times Square, injuring him and creating a chaotic scene just hours before the ball dropped to mark New Year's Day in New York City, the authorities said."
AP: Bryan Kohberger, the "suspect arrested in connection with the slayings of four University of Idaho students plans to waive an extradition hearing so he can be quickly brought to Idaho to face murder charges, his defense attorney said Saturday." ~~~
~~~ CNN: "Authorities tracked the man charged in the killings of four Idaho college students all the way to Pennsylvania and surveilled him for several days before finally arresting him on Friday, sources told CNN. Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested in his home state of Pennsylvania and charged with four counts of murder in the first degree, as well as felony burglary in connection with the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students in November, according to Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson. Still, investigators have not publicly confirmed the suspect's motive or whether he knew the victims. The murder weapon has also not been located, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Friday.... Investigators honed in on Kohberger as the suspect through DNA evidence and by confirming his ownership of a white Hyundai Elantra seen near the crime scene.... The DNA was run through a public database to find potential family member matches.... Kohberger, who authorities say lived just minutes from the scene of the killings, is a PhD student in Washington State University's Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, the school confirmed."
Guardian: "Thirteen bison have died as a result of a road crash in the dark on a Montana highway near Yellowstone national park, authorities have announced. In a statement released on Facebook, the West Yellowstone police department announced that around 6.30pm on Wednesday 'multiple bison were struck by a semi-truck near mile marker 4 on Highway 191', referring to a highway north of the town of West Yellowstone. According to the police, thirteen bison were killed after the truck smashed into a herd, with some of the bison needing to be euthanized 'due to severe injuries'."
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Reader Comments (9)
This Santos character or Devolder or Shithead Sam, whatever his name is, is more than just a serial liar and fraud, he’s being welcomed in to the ranks of traitors and in a few days will be seated in Congress setting national policy and making laws.
He’ll get committee assignments and, crooked, untrustworthy opportunist that he clearly is, he might be able to weasel his way onto something far more powerful and juicy than the Sidewalk Safety Committee, by dangling his vote in front of My Kevin (another untrustworthy, lying opportunistic prick).
He’ll have security clearance and be privy to national intelligence secrets. Given his shady past, his weird finances, and his obvious fraudulent and self-serving nature (a mini Trump), who’s to say he wouldn’t offer information to the highest bidder?
And that aside, do we really want this little asshole setting national policy? I mean, yeah, we have Gohmert and Jordan and a rogues gallery of incompetent, sketchy fraudsters already in Congress, but this guy makes even those idiots look respectable (well, maybe not respectable, but quite not so much like the hate filled, cheap chiselers they are).
But the specter of this mendacious little weasel getting his hands on national intelligence is uber concerning. And not Susan Collins Concerned™, real concern.
Another R asshole to worry about.
@Akhilleus: I checked out the standing House committees, and there are quite a few Tony DeLiar would be suitable for:
Appropriations: because he's appropriated a whole persona.
Education & Labor: because he invented his own high school & college education & every aspect of his work career.
Ethics: so he can give himself a pass. And, let's face it, he's as ethical as a whole lot of his fellow GOP congressmen.
Financial Services: because he made up a career in financial services.
Foreign Affairs: because he comes from Brazil & the Netherlands & many other places around the world depending upon his mood.
Homeland Security: because we can trust him to keep us safe.
Judiciary: because he suddenly has a very big interest in the judicial system.
Oversight & Reform: because he's the kind of guy who looks into things, including his own life, and instantly makes them way better.
Rules: because he doesn't have any.
Small Business: because he ran his own small business where he made a bajillion dollars in one year.
Ways & Means: because he's got lots of them.
I do hope the House will set up a Select Committee on Prison Reforms this year because, whoever George or Anthony is, he has a vested interested in making federal prisons very nice places. (One good thing: he'll get a prison number fixed in stone.) Even though he'll only be a freshman, he should chair the committee.
https://democraticunderground.com/100217510329
Mayor Pete for President. He's already being torn apart by republicans
over the Southwest Airlines fiasco.
Seems to me that they will be after him repeatedly out of fear.
Another sermon that germinated here (but RC is in no way responsible for the contents of this message).
A thought experiment that intrigues me? Or just a radical way of wishing everyone a Happy New Year?
"The House report on the Jan. 6 insurrection tells us little that we didn’t already know.
We knew Republicans mounted a multi-pronged effort to overturn the 2020 election, and while the committee report lays much of the blame on the former president, Mr. Trump had a lot of help. That help was not limited to the rioters who stormed the Capitol. Most of the 147 Republican Congressmen (vox.com) who cynically voted to object to the electoral count have remained unapologetic and apparently unashamed.
Though the attempted coup failed, its fallout continues. Special Prosecutor Jack Smith will be investigating and prosecuting some of the perpetrators for at least another year, but the plot’s outlines are already clear: People who wished to maintain their power were willing to sacrifice democracy on the altar of their selfish desire.
It occurs to me that considerations of selfishness and shame also apply to last Sunday paper’s op-ed objecting to the release of Trump’s taxes. Reading it, I wondered why our tax returns are secret. What are we hiding?
Is it our nation’s embarrassingly uneven distribution of wealth that bothers us, or is it something more personal? If others see we have little money, will they think us failures? If wealthy, how we acquired and use our money will become public. People will know if we’re charitable or miserly and if we pay taxes in proportion to our wealth. Keeping tax returns secret protects individuals and corporations from having to share such potentially uncomfortable knowledge with others.
And just as their protected status has allowed Republican Representatives to ignore the Jan. 6th Committee’s subpoenas (nytimes.com) and other witnesses have cowered behind the Fifth, the secrecy surrounding tax returns can hide lying and other abysmal behaviors (equitablegrowth.org).
We all know bad behavior frequently flourishes in the dark"
Wait. Don't all government employees have to pass a security background check? It looks like Santos couldn't pass even a level 1 screen (whatever that is). How could Kevin the Aspirational Stupid Speaker (ASS) allow this?
On Roberts annual report:
This one should allay any doubts that Roberts is not a Republican, myopic to a fault, displaying for all to see his party's practiced expertise in using words to miss the point.
@Victoria: No, members of Congress do not have to pass security checks. "House members, beginning with the 104th Congress, do have to take a secrecy oath. Members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence – the committee with oversight over intelligence agencies including the CIA and NSA – have a separate oath, commensurate with their unique access to sensitive information."
You can see where this makes some sense. If elected officials had to pass a security clearance, an administration could use those clearances to capriciously unseat members of the opposition party (or just some member the prez or some clearance official didn't like). It's not at all hard to imagine Trump kicking out dozens of Democratic House members, including Nancy Pelosi, on Trumped-up "national security" grounds.
Moreover, I heard on the teevee the other day that the Supreme Court ruled that the House must seat members as long as they meet the Constitutional requirements of office: U.S. citizen for at least seven years, at least 25 years of age, & living in the state they represent. (I checked this out on Adam Clayton Powell's Wikipage, and it's correct.) Once a representative has been seated, the House can expel her with a two-thirds vote.
Marie: I want to thank you for giving us that history of the making of the new year; I sent it to a few correspondents and one replied that so few people know the origins of what we now take for granted and started grumbling about " the Catholic church’s many absurd misogynist rulings. Don’t get me started.” and I replied:
For me all religions get me started–-but here in God’s country when the president of that country says, “God bless America and God bless our troops” I cringe. Why on earth can’t we say–-if indeed there is that something called separation between church and state––“Good fortune to all.” A couple of weeks ago we watched “Jesus Camp,” a documentary on recruiting young children to do “God’s work”––-it made me sick.
And thanks for clearing up that security check business. We could call you our "security check historical honoree but some would dismiss you cuz, after all, "you are only a girl."
Well, I appreciate you all on this first day of another year in this country. I feel so pessimistic when I think of the Supreme Court and the House of Representatives, with a small frisson of hope reserved for the presidency and the Senate. I do not plan to let this frisson spill over into the congress as a whole, nor do I think we are not in for a turbulent year. The idea that a total conman (yes, yet another--) has lied his way into the House is pretty much par for the course. But we do so have to think that there might be some Democrats who are honorable and true and competent, and they might be able to overcome the craptastic people (or "people") and actually do some things that won't make us all nauseous on a daily basis. Maybe we can really wish together that the country won't collapse under its own weight, and that the offending "people" all collapse instead. Hope hope hope, but the cynic in me says "fat chance..." Happy 2023, all you great people.