January 13, 2023

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Friday invited President Biden to deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 7." MB: It was sort of a fuck-you letter, IMO: "The American people sent us to Washington to deliver a new direction for the country, to find common ground, and to debate their priorities.... Your remarks will inform our efforts to address the priorities of the American people." Biden wrote back a nice letter accepting the fuck-you invitation.

There has been a question about where a classified document President Biden's lawyers found this past Wednesday was located. Dareh Gregorian & Michael Kosnar of NBC News sort of clear that up: "In brief remarks to reporters Thursday, the president said the documents were found in 'storage areas and file cabinets in my home, in my personal library.'... A source familiar with the ongoing review later told NBC News that Biden's lawyers searched his personal library at the Wilmington residence, and no classified documents were found there. The library is not the room adjacent to the garage where one classified document was found among stored materials.... It's unclear why Biden's homes were just being searched now."

Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's family real estate business was ordered on Friday to pay a $1.6 million criminal penalty for its conviction on felony tax fraud and other charges, a stinging rebuke and the maximum possible punishment. The sentence, handed down by a judge in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, caps a lengthy legal ordeal for Mr. Trump's company, the Trump Organization, which was convicted in December of doling out off-the-books perks to some of its top executives.... The financial penalty is a pittance to the company, and the former president, who collected hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year while in office. But the verdict branded the company a lawbreaker, exposed a culture that nurtured illegality for years and handed political ammunition to Mr. Trump's opponents. Prosecutors also continue to press a criminal investigation against the man himself.... The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, called in a statement for the state to change the law 'so that we can impose more significant penalties and sanctions on corporations that commit crimes in New York.'" CNN's report is here.

GOP Extremists Say They Ignored Trump. Will Steakin, et al., of ABC News: "Moments after clinching the House speakership, Kevin McCarthy headed to the cameras to 'especially thank' one person he said helped him get the gig: Donald Trump.... The former president ... was also quick to take credit for McCarthy's eventual victory after publicly and privately pressuring members to back him. 'The Fake News Media was, believe it or not, very gracious in their reporting that I greatly helped Kevin McCarthy attain the position of Speaker of the House. Thank you, I did our Country a big favor!' Trump wrote on his social media platform. However, some of the Republican holdouts ... told ABC News that their decision to back down had nothing to do with Trump. 'President Trump had no influence on the votes, myself or any of my colleagues,' Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., one of the initial five so-called 'Never Kevins' who pushed for major changes to how the House functioned, told ABC News when asked what influenced his decision.... GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana[, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) & Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.)] ... also told ABC News that the former president had nothing to do with [their] speaker vote[s]." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Are the worms turning? Not only do these ultra-wingers dare to disagree with the Orange Jesus, some of them sort of belittle him. Publicly.

Half of New UFOs Are Still U. Dan DeLuce of NBC News: "The Defense Department has received 366 new reports of UFOs or 'unidentified aerial phenomena' since March 2021, and about half of them appear to be balloons or drones, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.... About half of the new cases could not be explained and 'appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis,' it said.... But the report also noted that an 'initial characterization does not mean positively resolved or unidentified.'... A classified version of the report was submitted to lawmakers, as mandated by a defense spending bill passed by the last Congress." ~~~

~~~ Remy Tumin of the New York Times: "An amendment tucked into this year's $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act, which funds the Defense Department's annual operating budget, requires the department to review historical documents related to unidentified aerial phenomena -- government lingo for U.F.O.s -- dating to 1945. That is the year that, according to one account, a large, avocado-shaped object struck a communication tower in a patch of New Mexico desert now known as the Trinity Site, where the world's first atomic bomb was detonated that July. Experts said the bill, which President Biden signed into law in December, could be a game changer for studying unidentified phenomena."

~~~~~~~~~~

Perry Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to investigate the handling of classified documents found at a former office and the Delaware home of President Biden -- ratcheting up the stakes and potential consequences surrounding the national security cases that have now ensnared both the current president and his predecessor. Garland made the announcement Thursday at the Justice Department, tapping Robert K. Hur, a former U.S. Attorney in Maryland who also served as a senior Justice Department official during the Trump administration. The attorney general also offered the most detailed timeline to date of how the investigation has progressed, noting that on Jan. 5, the first prosecutor assigned by Garland to review the matter [-- U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John R. Lausch Jr., a Trump appointee ---] recommended that a special counsel take up the case. The new investigation will examine whether 'any person or entity violated the law in connection with this matter,' Garland said." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times' main story is here. The AP's report is here.

Adam Goldman, in the New York Times liveblog, also linked below: "In selecting Hur, Garland continued his pattern of using current and former Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys to handle politically sensitive investigations -- like the Hunter Biden inquiry -- to allay concerns about political bias. That's a shift from his predecessor, William P. Barr, who repeatedly used fellow Trump appointees to run politically charged investigations." ~~~

     ~~~ AND this post by Ben Shpigel in the NYT liveblog gives a very helpful timeline of the Biden docs case.

Carol Lee & Mike Memoli of NBC News: "Multiple aides who worked for President Joe Biden in the final days of the Obama administration have been interviewed by federal law enforcement officials reviewing how classified documents ended up in his Delaware residence and a Washington office, according to two people familiar with the matter. Kathy Chung, who was Biden's executive assistant while he was vice president and helped pack up his vice presidential office in January 2017, is among those who have been interviewed.... Chung currently serves as deputy director of protocol for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.... One of the sources familiar with the interviews that have already taken place said those whom law enforcement officials asked to be interviewed complied 'quickly.' 'The people who were boxing [up the vice presidential office] had no idea that there was anything in there that shouldn't leave the White House,' the source said. 'There was no decision made to take certain documents that should have been presidential records or classified.'... The timeline for packing up Biden's vice presidential office was highly constrained by the fact that he was engaged in his duties until his final hours." Biden was in Kiev & Davos a few days before the end of Barack Obama's presidency. ~~~

     ~~~ Kevin Liptak, et al., of CNN: In January 2017, then Vice President "Biden thrust himself into work in a final sprint to mark what then appeared to be the end of a four-decade run at the highest levels of government.... [Meanwile,] aides scrambled to pack up his workspaces in the West Wing, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and at his official residence, the Naval Observatory. Those competing objectives -- to use his office until the final minutes even as it was obliged to shut down -- made for a muddled and hurried process that left aides packing boxes of documents and papers late into the night, even as more material kept arriving.... At a minimum, however, the placement of the secret documents alongside 'personal and political papers' reveals a records retention process gone awry.... The packing was carried out by members of Biden's staff, including lower-level aides and assistants who were provided boxes to store the vice president's things." This article provides quite a good explanation of how & why things "went awry."

CNN's liveblog is here. From the liveblog: "Richard Sauber, special counsel to President Biden, issued a statement following the appointment of a special counsel Rob Hur. 'We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced, and the President and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake,' he said.... Robert Hur issued a statement following his appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland as special counsel in the Biden documents probe. 'I will conduct the assigned investigation with fair, impartial, and dispassionate judgment. I intend to follow the facts swiftly and thoroughly, without fear or favor, and will honor the trust placed in me to perform this service,' he said.... Some context: The special counsel announcement significantly escalates the existing inquiry, which started as a review handled by the US attorney in Chicago. This also increases the potential legal exposure for Biden, his aides and lawyers who handled sensitive government materials from his time as vice president." (Also linked yesterday.)

Well, This Is Not Good. Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The second set of classified documents from President Biden's time as vice president were discovered at a storage space in the garage of his home in Wilmington, Del., a top White House lawyer said on Thursday. The Times reported on Wednesday that this second set of documents had been found at a location 'associated' with Mr. Biden. On Thursday the White House statement offered more detail by specifying that the location was his private residence, where he often spends weekends. The White House statement, by Richard Sauber, a special counsel to Mr. Biden, did not answer fundamental questions about the contents of the documents, who packed them and whether anyone had gained access to them after he left office. It also did not say when the second batch had been found.... Mr. Sauber said Mr. Biden's team had also searched a house the president owned in Rehoboth Beach, Del., but found no documents stored there." This page has become a liveblog. MB: So, like, the classified docs were in a cardboard box right next to the motor oil & socket wrenches? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Nah. The Docs Were Here, There & Everywhere. Zeke Miller & Michael Balsamo of the AP: "President Joe Biden acknowledged on Thursday that a document with classified markings from his time as vice president was found in his 'personal library' at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, along with other documents found in his garage.... Biden did not say when the latest series of documents were found, only that his lawyers' review of potential storage locations was completed Wednesday night." At 11:30 am ET, this is a breaking news story. An update of the story says that Merrick Garland will make a statement later today. (According to the Times blog linked above Garland will speak at 1:15 pm ET.) MB: I hope Hunter didn't rummage through the place at Christmas time & put snapshots of the classified docs on Instagram next to his dick pix, imagery that reminds me that now this is a real cock-up. (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Garland may have appointed a right-wing special counsel to look into President Biden's hoarding of a few classified documents, but that's not going to be good enough for Donald Trump:

The Special 'Prosecutor' assigned to the 'get Trump case,' Jack Smith(?), is a Trump Hating THUG whose wife is a serial and open Trump Hater, whose friends & other family members are even worse, and as a prosecutor in Europe, according to Ric Grenell, put a high government official in prison because he was a Trump positive person. Smith is known as 'an unfair Savage,' & is best friends with the craziest Trump haters.... [Smith] very well may be a criminal. -- Donald Trump, in Liars Social blasts ~~~

~~~ Steve Benen of MSNBC: "I was ... struck by the suggestion that Smith prosecuted 'a high government official' because 'he was a Trump positive person' -- an apparent reference to a suspected war criminal in Kosovo."

Kevin McCarthy Meets Joe McCarthy. Carl Hulse & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other Republican backers of the new [Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government] portray their effort as akin to the Senate's famed Church Committee, a highly regarded bipartisan inquiry in the mid-1970s ... [that] uncovered serious wrongdoing at the C.I.A., the F.B.I. and the N.S.A., among other entities, leading to heralded civil liberties protections and much more aggressive congressional oversight of the intelligence community.... Democrats and historians see darker historical parallels. They liken the Republican zeal to pursue nebulous allegations of deep-state conspiracies to the 'red scare' days of a McCarthy from an earlier era: Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, Republican of Wisconsin.... Democratic skepticism has been fueled by the fact that the new panel -- and granting it authority to look into continuing criminal investigations -- was among a host of demands that far-right Republicans made of Mr. McCarthy in exchange for their eventual votes for him in a historically drawn-out election for the speakership."

Annie Karni & Michael Gold of the New York Times: "New York Republicans are ready to rid themselves of Representative George Santos, the newly elected congressman from Long Island who has admitted to fabricating parts of his résumé and is under multiple local and federal investigations into his yearslong pattern of political deception." Besides Republican leaders in Nassau County and New York State, six New York freshman members of the House now have called for Santos to resign. BUT Mr. Santos still has the backing of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other House Republican leaders. In a news conference at the Capitol on Thursday, Mr. McCarthy made it clear that he had no intention of barring Mr. Santos from congressional committees or otherwise penalizing him for winning election under false pretenses.... He added that Mr. Santos would face the House Ethics Committee, which considers allegations of misconduct by members.... Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 4 Republican who endorsed Mr. Santos during his campaign, notably sided with her fellow party leaders rather than her state's congressional delegation, defending her new colleague."

Gosh, Could Santos Have Been Running a "Scam PAC"? Alexander Berzon & Grace Ashford of the New York Times: "A month before George Santos was elected to Congress, one of his large donors received a call asking him to consider making another sizable contribution. The request came from a Republican loyalist calling on behalf of RedStone Strategies.... Days later, on Oct. 21, [the donor] sent $25,000 to a Wells Fargo Bank account belonging to RedStone Strategies.... The Federal Election Commission said it had no evidence that RedStone Strategies was registered as a political group, and there do not appear to be any records documenting its donors, contributions or spending. Mr. Santos and his lawyer refused to answer questions about RedStone.... But the firm listed the Devolder Organization, a company owned by Mr. Santos, as one of its managing officers.... RedStone may have skirted the law.... The donor ... [said] he was told by the Queens Republican operative that the $25,000 that he gave to RedStone ... would be used as part of a large ad buy for Mr. Santos. But ... a review of spending ... does not show the group making any ad buys on Mr. Santos's behalf, nor did it show any spending for Mr. Santos from other independent groups in the months leading up to Election Day. If a group raised money under false political pretense, that activity could lead federal election officials to regard it as what is commonly known as a 'scam PAC.'..." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Azi Paybarah of the Washington Post: "Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who fabricated much of his biography, said Thursday he 'lived an honest life' and indicated he would seek reelection in 2024 as New York Republicans and four [MB: now six] GOP colleagues called for his resignation. 'Look, I've worked my entire life,' Santos said. 'I've lived an honest life. I've never been accused of, of any bad doings so, you know, it's my, it's the equity of my hard working self, and I've invested inside of me.' Santos appeared on Stephen K. Bannon's far-right podcast and responded to a sympathetic questioner -- Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). The freshman congressman struck a defiant tone and cast himself as an underdog locked in a battle with establishment forces that do not serve the public. He dismissed criticisms he's received, saying that it would be up to the voters to decide his fate 'in two years.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: That's funny, because a couple of weeks ago, WABC News (New York) reported that Santos had told local GOP officials that he would not run for re-election. It's almost as if you can't believe anything Santos says.

Stephanie Lai & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "A little-noticed rule change made quietly by Democrats in the final days of their majority last year could give House members a long-delayed increase in compensation, allowing them to be reimbursed for the cost of lodging, food and travel while they are on official business in Washington. For the past dozen years, House members have declined to take a cost-of-living increase in the annual spending bills, fearful of a political backlash if they were seen to give themselves a raise. But the provision, tucked into internal rules that typically receive little attention from the public and without any open debate on Capitol Hill, could amount to a subsidy of about $34,000 per member this year. That would be a substantial increase for lawmakers who spend weeks on end in the nation's capital, where living costs are among the highest in the United States. The new rule, proposed by Democrats on the House Administration Committee, was approved with no objection in December, but rank-and-file members were not informed widely about it until Tuesday.

Mark Walker of the New York Times: "A group of Democratic senators are seeking an explanation from Southwest Airlines for its operational meltdown last month, another sign of the mounting frustration on Capitol Hill over the recent chaos in the nation's air travel system. In a letter sent on Wednesday to Southwest's chief executive, Bob Jordan, the lawmakers posed dozens of questions to the airline, addressing topics like its flight-crew scheduling system, ticket refunds and executive compensation. The letter was signed by 13 members of the Senate Democratic caucus, including Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, who spearheaded it."

Politico: "After dumping a massive trove of records on the public in the final days of December, the Jan. 6 select committee still hasn't disclosed 30 gigabytes'-worth of more evidence, prosecutors revealed in a Thursday court filing. The evidence was appended to the committee's 255 witness transcripts, Justice Department prosecutors wrote in the four-page filing, noting that while the transcripts have been publicly revealed, the accompanying exhibits 'do not appear to have been released publicly.'Those exhibits include 'voluminous' disclosures made by committee witnesses, DOJ noted. Prosecutors' review of the materials 'is ongoing,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy added."

Alan Feuer & Zach Montague of the New York Times: "In their opening statement at the seditious conspiracy trial of ... five Proud Boys, prosecutors sought not only to place the extremist group at the center of the riot at the Capitol, but also to tie it directly to [Donald] Trump -- a figure whom the organization has revered for years. During their 90-minute presentation in Federal District Court in Washington, the prosecutors told the jury how several members of the Proud Boys -- including their leader at the time, Enrique Tarrio -- were inspired by Mr. Trump's own words to descend on Washington on Jan. 6 for a 'wild' protest.... In their own opening statements, lawyers for Mr. Tarrio and the others ... [told] the jury that the Proud Boys had no plan in place on Jan. 6 to storm the Capitol."

Steve Neavling of the Detroit Metro News: "Three of [Michigan's] presidential electors who cast ballots for Joe Biden filed a lawsuit against the Republicans and are asking a judge to declare that the 'fake elector scheme was illegal under Michigan law.'... 'Plaintiffs suffered humiliation, mental anguish and stress as a result of being cast in the false light created by defendants' election fraud and lies,' the lawsuit states. The lawsuit further alleges that the GOP 'scheme attempted to subvert the sacred right of qualified voters in Michigan, enshrined in the state Constitution, to have their votes counted.'"

Danielle Dunn of Politico: "The [New York] state criminal trial against former Trump adviser Steve Bannon over his alleged involvement in charity fraud has been delayed by his refusal to speak to his team of attorneys. Bannon and his Florida-based nonprofit, We Build the Wall, is charged with defrauding donors who gave money to construct a barrier along the Mexico border. In September, Attorney General Tish James said Bannon raised more than $15 million through the scheme and used the proceeds to 'enrich himself and his friends.... During a Thursday appearance in Manhattan Supreme Court, Bannon's attorneys said they no longer communicate directly with their client due to 'irreconcilable differences' over how to approach the case. Bannon has reached out to at least seven law firms in the past several weeks to find new representation, according to his current counsel." Donald Trump pardoned Bannon of similar federal charges.

Brendan Fischer & Ed Pilkington of the Guardian: The advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation, the powerful conservative thinktank based in Washington, spent more than $5m on lobbying in 2021 as it worked to block federal voting rights legislation and advance an ambitious plan to spread its far-right agenda calling for aggressive voter suppression measures in battleground states.... The outlay comes on top of $560,000 the group invested in its own in-house federal lobbying efforts that year, as well as registered lobbying by Heritage Action staffers in at least 24 states.... The efforts help explain the unprecedented tidal wave of restrictive voting laws that spread across Republican-controlled states in the wake of the 2020 presidential election."

Ephrat Livni of the New York Times: "The Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday charged the cryptocurrency lender Genesis Global Capital and the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini Trust with offering unregistered securities through a program that promised investors high interest on deposits. The S.E.C. said that Genesis, a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, and Gemini, which is run by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, had raised billions of dollars of assets from hundreds of thousands of investors without registering the program, which was called Gemini Earn. By doing so, Genesis and Gemini bypassed 'disclosure requirements designed to protect investors,' Gary Gensler, the S.E.C. chair, said in a statement. He added that the charges should 'make clear to the marketplace and the investing public that crypto lending platforms and other intermediaries need to comply with our time-tested securities laws.'" A CNBC story is here.

Natasha Bertrand of CNN: "An American Navy veteran who has been detained in Russia for nearly a year was released from Russian custody on Thursday, his family's spokesperson told CNN, after months of negotiations spearheaded by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Taylor Dudley, 35, of Lansing, Michigan, was detained by Russian border patrol police in April 2022 after crossing from Poland into Kaliningrad, a Russia exclave which is territory governed by Moscow between Poland and Lithuania. He was in Poland attending a music festival, and it is not clear why he crossed the border. Dudley's detention -- which the US government had not deemed as 'wrongful,' or based on arbitrary and discriminatory motivations -- had not been widely publicized before Thursday because his family wanted the negotiations for his release to remain private." (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

California. David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department announced a $31 million settlement on Thursday with a Los Angeles-based bank over charges that it discriminated against Black and Hispanic residents by avoiding mortgage-lending services in specific neighborhoods, the largest-ever financial award in a redlining case, officials said. City National Bank agreed to the consent order, which is subject to court approval, after prosecutors alleged that the financial institution discouraged residents in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods of Los Angeles County from applying for loans from 2017-2020."

Iowa. Rodric Hurdle-Bradford of the Raw Story: "The wife of a 2020 Iowa Republican candidate for Congress has been arrested and accused of filing 23 fraudulent votes for her husband, reports Business Insider. Kim Phuong Taylor was arrested for trying to help her husband Jeremy Taylor win the Republican primary in 2020 for the Fourth Congressional District in Iowa. Taylor was trying to beat Steve King, a far right-wing incumbent congressman notorious for spouting racist rhetoric. The indictment alleges that Phuong Taylor, born in Vietnam, used her ties to Iowa's Vietnamese community in Woodbury County to go home-to-home to collect absentee ballots from people who were not home. Then she allegedly completed those ballots herself, filling in Jeremy Taylor's name for the residents who did not know the votes were cast in their name.... Taylor ended up third in the primary race...."

The caucus that lost their minds over the suggestion that they should wear masks during a pandemic to respect the safety of others is now spending its time focusing on the fine details of what women have to wear (and specifically how many layers must cover their arms) to show respect in this chamber. -- Missouri State Rep. Pete Meredith, in a tweet ~~~

~~~ Missouri's GOP Legislators Quickly Address Important Matter of State. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "The Republican-controlled Missouri House of Representatives used its session's opening day Wednesday to tighten the dress code for female legislators, while leaving the men's dress code alone. The changes were spearheaded by state Rep. Ann Kelley (R), a co-sponsor who was among the Republicans seeking to require women to wear a blazer when in the chamber. She was met by swift opposition from Democrats who called it 'ridiculous.' The state House eventually approved a modified version of Kelley's proposal, which allows for cardigans as well as jackets, but still requires women's arms to be concealed."

Way Beyond

Brazil. Samantha Schmidt, et al., of the Washington Post: "Authorities in Brazil asked a federal court on Thursday to block $1.3 million in assets belonging to 52 people and seven companies alleged to have helped fund the buses that carried supporters of defeated former president Jair Bolsonaro to the riot in the capital on Sunday.... The blocked assets would be used to compensate the government for the massive damage caused by rioters who stormed, occupied and vandalized Brazil's Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court, the solicitor general's office said in a court filing." MB: Why didn't our Congress think of that? The financiers of Stop the Steal & Trump's Insurrection Extravaganza at the Ellipse should have paid for repairs to the damage their soldiers did to the Capitol.

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "The nearly 600 civilians trapped in Soledar, as reported by Ukrainian media, are trying to survive a 'bloodbath' as Russian forces pummel the eastern salt mining town, an official said Thursday. Russian forces 'are burning everything on their way,' the Kyiv-appointed governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said in televised remarks. He said Ukrainian forces could not evacuate the civilians amid the heavy fighting. The battle for the town -- just a short distance from Bakhmut -- has intensified in recent days as Russian soldiers and Wagner Group mercenaries attempt to encircle Ukrainian units there." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Friday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.

News Ledes

Washington Post: "A large tornado killed at least six in Alabama, tearing a sudden path across the central part of the state Thursday afternoon as it ripped apart buildings, felled trees and left hundreds of thousands without power. The storm flipped mobile homes, tore away roofs and downed power lines. It knocked out cell towers in the city of Selma, leaving the towers running on backup battery as workers rushed to repair them, and pushed some people into emergency shelters." The AP's report is here; it says at least seven people died.

New York Times: "Lisa Marie Presley, the singer-songwriter and only child of Elvis Presley, died on Thursday after a medical emergency and a brief hospitalization. She was 54."

Comments

[Akhilleus]

Wow! Can Rip van Garland move!

It took him months to do anything about Trump’s purloined documents, but hours after additional documents were—not discovered by investigators, but—reported by Biden staffers, he’s Johnny on the spot with a special counsel.

See that? And here I thought he was in a coma. Nice to see how quickly Justice can go after a Democrat.

[Akhilleus]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot… and the special counsel Garland has chosen to get after Biden is a Trump guy! I’m sure “impartial” is his middle name.

[Akhilleus]

Nice to see the traitors in Missouri get right on the real important stuff.

What’s next? Female legislators told to hold an aspirin between their legs? All required to pass a home ec test? Instructed that the Bible says they be subservient to men?

These people get paid for this shit?

[Bobby Lee]

@AK: What's next for Missouri? Will it be hijabs or will they go the full route and require burquas?

[Marie Burns]

@Akhilleus: The weird thing is that Missouri Republicans are so offended by women's arms that a female legislator can't just cover her arms with a long-sleeved blouse or pullover sweater. No, indeed, she has to cover her arms with two layers of clothing: a blouse and a jacket (or, in a concession, a cardigan sweater).

Now that U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has become an "independent," it seems like she would be a very good person to try to broker a compromise.

[Ken Winkes]

If I may be permitted (probably not, but will anyway), some idle speculation about Missouri women legislators' arms.

What's really at issue here?

Are all Missouri women legislators' arms so distractingly attractive to their male counterparts that they risk interfering with the serious work of legislation?

Or is the problem that only Dem women's arms allure, giving them an unfair advantage in the legislative pits? Are we hearing the voice of jealousy?

Or is it the R women who fear their arms would display such an advantage that in the interests of fairness they wish only to even the surface of the legislative arm-wrestling mat?

I need more detail. Pictures would help.

[Akhilleus]

Marie,

I’m betting that this whole “no bare arms” thing is a swipe at Michelle Obama who outraged wingers by going sleeveless on occasion. There was quite an obsession with how both Obamas dressed and acted (the tan suit crisis?), that in no way could have been racially motivated. Right? A Virginia winger put it like this on NPR:

“I just -- I don't like him. Can't stand to look at him. I don't like his wife. She's far from the first lady. It's about time we get a first lady in there that acts like a first lady, and looks like a first lady.”

She means like WHITE “Fuck Christmas” Melanie, I guess.

I don’t recall any outrage on the right at all the soft core porn pictures of Melanie, who bared way more than just arms.

You may also recall tub of lard James Sensenbrenner who once declared that the First Lady had a fat ass. Pure racial animosity.

But it wasn’t just Republicans who were outraged by and/or obsessed with Obama’s choice of dress. Style writers and fashion mavens were agog at the sleeveless look. Headlines like “The Right to Bare Arms” were de rigueur. More of the same crap about how women look as opposed to what they say or do or stand for. The Former Guy once absolved himself of a rape charge by announcing that he wouldn’t have raped that woman because she’s “not my type”. The first president* in history to announce that he has a preferred type for raping.

This Missouri bullshit comes directly from the still boiling Obama hatred. Pure racism.

But isn’t it funny how these traitors are all up in arms about etiquette and “proper dress” but are perfectly fine with Trump thugs dressed like marauding barbarians while storming the Capitol for the purposes of stealing an election and leaving death and destruction in their wake.

I guess as long as they had a pinky properly extended while they were macing a cop it was all okay. Doesn’t Emily Post have a chapter on that?

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michelle-obama-look-like-a-first-lady-bobbie-lussier_n_1922236/amp

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/GMA/story?id=6986019&page=1

[Forrest Morris]

This just in: Republicans are demanding new garb for the Statue
of Liberty. Those French got away with a partially nude statue.
Heavens, what heathens!!!!

And I still think the documents were planted. Great timing too.

[P.D. Pepe]

Trying this––am having trouble posting,

[P.D. Pepe]

BACK TO CHURCH:

"Gary Hart, the former Democratic senator from Colorado, still vividly remembers the first meeting of the Church committee, a landmark Senate investigative panel created in 1975 to examine abuses committed by the F.B.I., the C.I.A., and other intelligence agencies. Hart had just been elected to his first term—he was only thirty-eight—but he had been chosen to be one of the eight members of the bipartisan committee. He listened carefully as the chair, Frank Church, a Democrat from Idaho, asked each senator for suggestions regarding how they could penetrate the seemingly impenetrable secrecy that, for decades, had enveloped the agencies. When Church asked Hart for his thoughts, the freshman proposed something provocative. As he recalled in an interview this week, Hart said, “Why don’t each of us begin by requesting from the F.B.I. and the agency our own personal files.” He was suggesting, in essence, that the senators ask the two agencies what dirt they had collected on them. “The room got deathly silent,” Hart recalled. “The members stared at the ceilings and then at their shoes.” Finally, an outspoken, arch-conservative Republican from Arizona admitted the truth: “Barry Goldwater said, ‘I don’t want to know what they’ve got on me.’ ” From the New Yorker

AK: I get the feeling you're not a fan of Garland? That fair and balanced thingy is paramount to his taking this route with Biden. He's no Barr, for sure, but I understand your frustration.

From what I understand re: all those "purloined" documents is when a president and vice are closing up shop there is complete chaos during the last days. My guess is that the people in charge of packing up wanted to hurry home and put their feet up therefore packing those boxes hurriedly and sloppily. The truth will out soon enough; meanwhile we watch the Little Foxes and Jimmy Jordon pursue this to the hilt.

Re: women covering up. I remember when, I think it was Barbara Boxer, who first started wearing pants–––OH NOS! womens in pants? My guess is that all those bare arms are a distraction when discussing whether citizens should bare arms willy nilly on the streets of our cities–-- we need to quell all those shootings. But I agree with Ken––pictures would help.

[Ken Winkes]

This fashion discussion is such a relief from the incessant news about classified, secret documents.

Or so I thought until it occurred to me that covering women's arms may be the anatomical equivalent of hiding all those temptingly dangerous things which should not be seen by the wrong eyes.

How long until we revive the Victorian movement to cover those too- attractive piano legs?

Can't be soon enough, I say.

[Marie Burns]

@Ken Winkes: In my grandmother's house, one referred to a particular part of a chicken as the "second joint." Grandmama thought"thigh" was an inappropriate word to utter at the dinner table. Raunchy!

[Akhilleus]

Marie,

I guess “breast” was right out. Also “loins”.

[Akhilleus]

PD,

I get what Garland is doing and why. I guess I wish he would be as much a stickler for going hard after the bad guys as he is with appearances of propriety.

I like that he recognizes that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. I just wish there was as much doing as recognizing.

[Marie Burns]

@Akhilleus: Can't remember ever hearing the word "loin" even as half a term, like "pork loin." "Breast," definitely out. We called it "white meat."

[Jeanne]

Sorry, St. Louis-- you are now persona non grata as a city to visit, since your manly state legislators are terrified of women's bare arms. Of course, BEAR arms is a whole 'nother thing... It's barbaric and smells of winger religious bigotry. I do not think I can stand another blown-up piece of crap. This whole document thing is just what the doctor ordered for a political party with no morals or ethics to speak of. How do they do it? We never get a break-- win two elections and the spurned lovers (said political maelstrom/party) go into overdrive and wreck everything around it. Sanctimonious Kevin blurps out how disappointed he is by Biden's horribleness and treachery. Media discusses everything at top volume and with stupid headlines, including explaining to us dummies that these two incidences of purloined documents are not really alike, but in whispers and hidden paragraphs. This is exhausting. And having to listen to Biden explain that his Corvette is in a locked garage is not helpful.

Is 1pm too early to drink heavily?

[Akhilleus]

Agree on all counts.

Tipple away, girl.