;)
Monday
Jan302023
January 31, 2023
Late Morning Update:
Meryl Kornfield, et al., of the Washington Post: "Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) told House Republicans on Tuesday that he will step down temporarily from his committee assignments amid multiple investigations into his campaign finances after he lied about key aspects of his biography. Santos ... said in a closed-door meeting of House Republicans that he would remove himself from his assignments on the House Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. Santos told the meeting he will step down because 'he's a distraction,' according to a Republican lawmaker who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. The conversation comes one day after Santos met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)."~~~
~~~ Marie: But totally Santos' magnanimous idea, and I'm sure it had nothing to do with this:
~~~ Olivia Beavers & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "... even those lower-profile Santos assignments quickly became a political liability for Speaker Kevin McCarthy's conference, particularly as Republicans scrape for the votes they need to yank Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the Foreign Affairs Committee."
~~~~~~~~~~
William Booth & Shira Rubin of the Washington Post: "On one topic, Israelis and Palestinians appear to agree: Both are deeply skeptical, even scornful, of renewed calls being made by the Biden administration for a two-state solution here. Many called the gesture -- at this moment of violence and radicalism -- feeble, even farcical. On his first trip to the region after the return of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken promoted the long-held dream of two states side by side -- one Israeli, one Palestinian -- as the best guarantor of peace. In a joint news conference with Netanyahu on Monday, after days of escalating bloodshed, Blinken said that maintaining the 'vision' of a two-state solution was 'the only way forward.' Blinken did not call for a new round of talks. He called for calm.... On Tuesday, Blinken met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, now in his late 80s and struggling for relevance. Blinken was expected to appeal to Abbas to condemn violence." ~~~
~~~ Marie: If Israel & Palestine are skeptical of the possibility or wisdom of a two-state solution, they need only look to our own history: Americans did not accept a two-state solution in the 19th century, and that has left us a country so divided that even a president* instigated a revolution. Some people just can't get along.
~~~ Michael Crowley of the New York Times:"As Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken stood beside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Monday in Jerusalem, the two men spoke of an enduring bond between their countries -- even as deepening differences on a series of fundamental issues are placing that unity under enormous stress. In the context of a relationship troubled by Israel's political lurch rightward and escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence, along with disagreements on matters including Iran's nuclear program and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the familiar affirmations of a vital alliance almost seemed defensive, as if the two men recognized how difficult sustaining that bond has become. Mr. Blinken pleaded with Israelis and Palestinians to prevent a cycle of retribution...."
Ellen Nakashima & Rebecca Tan of the Washington Post: "The U.S. military is poised to secure expanded access to key bases in the Philippines on the heels of a significant revamp of U.S. force posture in Japan -- developments that reflect the allies' concern with an increasingly fraught security environment in the region and a desire to deepen alliances with the United States, according to U.S. and Philippine >officials. While negotiations are still ongoing, an announcement is expected as soon as this week when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets in Manila with his counterpart and then with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr."
Adam Entous & Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times: "The Justice Department has informed John R. Allen, a retired four-star Marine general, that federal prosecutors have closed an investigation into whether he secretly lobbied for the government of Qatar and that no criminal charges will be brought against him in the case, according to a statement by General Allen's lawyer. The investigation of General Allen became public in June, when an F.B.I. agent's application to search his electronic communications was unsealed, possibly by accident. Days after the revelations, General Allen resigned as president of the Brookings Institution, a left-leaning think tank in Washington."
Holmes Lybrand of CNN: "A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who stored files with classified information at his Florida home is set to plead guilty in February to one count of unlawful retention of national defense information, according to court documents. The defendant, Robert Birchum, served in the Air Force for more than 30 years and previously held top secret clearance. According to his plea agreement, he stored hundreds of files that contained information marked as top secret, secret or confidential classified outside of authorized locations. In 2017, investigators found a thumb drive, two hard drives and paper documents containing classified information in Birchum's possession, including at his home, court documents state. Two of the files on the thumb drive at Birchum's home contained information on the National Security Agency's 'methods of collection, and identify targets' vulnerabilities,' according to the plea.... Separately, in a temporary residence overseas..., investigators say they found another hard drive containing 117 files with classified national defense information." ~~~
~~~ Marie: So it took something like six years to resolve this case against a mere colonel. This does not bode well for a timely resolution of the big Trump docs case. ~~~
Kaitlan Collins & Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "Two people who found two classified documents in a Florida storage facility for Donald Trump have testified before a federal grand jury in Washington that's looking at the former president's handling of national security records at his Mar-a-Lago residence, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The two individuals who were hired to search four of Trump's properties last fall were each interviewed for about three hours in separate appearances last week.... The development comes at the same time federal prosecutors are pushing to look at files on a laptop of at least one staff member around Trump at Mar-a-Lago, according to multiple sources.... Special counsel Jack Smith and prosecutors who now work for him have used the federal grand jury nearly weekly to question witnesses in the Mar-a-Lago investigation." ~~~
~~~ Michael Shear of the New York Times on how the White House handles classified documents: "Current and former officials who have been part of that process, under Democratic and Republican presidents alike, described an elaborate National Security Council tracking system for highly sensitive documents like the P.D.B. but a more casual dissemination of the churn of classified documents that are used every day by officials from the president to junior national security aides.... The rules governing the handling of classified documents have been in place at the White House for decades, according to people familiar with them, though how strictly to follow them is up to each president and his aides." Shear goes through the nitty-gritty of how the tracking process works -- and how slip-ups are bound to occur. ~~~
~~~ See also Patrick's comment near the end of yesterday's thread for why the FBI isn't just passing out classified docs as favors to Senators, even to those on the Intel Committee. Patrick's explanation is quite helpful.
MEANWHILE. William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "The Manhattan district attorney's office on Monday began presenting evidence to a grand jury about Donald J. Trump's role in paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign, laying the groundwork for potential criminal charges against the former president in the coming months, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The grand jury was recently impaneled, and the beginning of witness testimony represents a clear signal that the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, is nearing a decision about whether to charge Mr. Trump.... The developments compound Mr. Trump's legal woes in the early days of his third presidential campaign." NPR's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Sky Palma of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump sent a barrage of Freedom of Information Act requests to the IRS in an attempt to get a behind-the-scenes look at the agency's preparations to turn his tax records over to Congress, Bloomberg reports." MB: Bloomberg's lede is, "Donald Trump demanded reams of information from the Internal Revenue Service as it was preparing to turn over his personal tax returns to a congressional committee, papering the agency with a deluge of [FOIA requests]." The Bloomberg story is firewalled.
AND Trump Still Loves Putin. Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "In a post on his Truth Social account..., [Donald Trump] attacked former officials at the FBI and CIA whom he accused of trying to undermine his presidency.... 'Remember in Helsinki when a 3rd rate reporter asked me, essentially, who I trusted more, President Putin of Russia, or our "Intelligence' lowlifes,"' he wrote. 'My instinct at the time was that we had really bad people in the form of James Comey, McCabe (whose wife was being helped out by Crooked Hillary while Crooked was under investigation!), Brennan, Peter Strzok (whose wife is at the SEC) & his lover, Lisa Page. Now add McGonigal & other slime to the list. Who would you choose, Putin or these Misfits?" MB: Had a few more Americans in a few battleground states voted for Trump, Ukraine would be under Russian control today.
Olivia Olander of Politico: "... Donald Trump sued journalist Bob Woodward on Monday, alleging that an audiobook published using interview tapes from their conversations violated his rights and copyright interests. The lawsuit accuses Woodward of 'systematic usurpation, manipulation, and exploitation of audio,' by publishing 'The Trump Tapes,' Woodward's 2022 audio compilation of his conversations with Trump.... The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Florida. It also named as defendants Simon & Schuster -- the audiobook's publisher -- and Paramount, Simon & Schuster's parent company. Woodward and Simon & Schuster said in a joint statement on Monday evening that the lawsuit was 'without merit,' since the interviews were recorded on the record with Trump's consent." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The suit argues that Woodward "repeatedly informed [Trump] that such interviews were for the sole purpose of a book." But, uh, The Trump Tapes is a book, albeit an audio book. Did Woodward promise Trump he would release only one book? I doubt it. So it appears Trump has not given up on his longstanding practice of bringing frivolous lawsuits.
Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats, prepare to investigate the investigations of the investigators.... The New York Times disclosed extraordinary new revelations this past week about prosecutor John Durham's years-long quest to delegitimize the FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. In 2019, this obsession of ... Donald Trump was initiated by his attorney general, William P. Barr, but as the Times found, Durham's effort was itself profoundly tainted.... In an emailed statement, [Senate Judiciary Committee chair Richard] Durbin [D-Ill.] said that reports of Durham's 'abuses' are 'outrageous,' and 'one of many instances' in which Trump and Barr 'weaponized the Justice Department.'... We also need to know how Attorney General Merrick Garland approached the situation and how much he knew about it. That could be very awkward for Democrats.... It's already clear [the House's 'weaponization of government committee' will be pursuing the same phantoms Durham chased." ~~~
~~~ Marie: If you didn't read the Times report, linked in Sargent's post, try to find the time to do it if you have a NYT subscription. ~~~
~~~ David Firestone of the New York Times: "Former Attorney General William Barr has spent the last year in a desperate salvage operation for what's left of his legal and ethical reputation. During his 22 months in office, he allowed his Justice Department to become a personal protection racket for his boss, Donald Trump, and left prosecutors, the F.B.I. and other law enforcement officials subject to the worst impulses of the president. But then, in his 2022 memoir, Mr. Barr did an about-face, bashing Mr. Trump for lacking a presidential temperament and singling out his 'self-indulgence and lack of self-control.'... The hollow and self-serving nature of this turnabout was always apparent.... [And last week's Times] reporting demonstrated a staggering abuse of the special counsel system and the attorney general's office, all in a failed attempt by Mr. Barr to rewrite the sour truths of Mr. Trump's history.... His efforts came to naught, and so will his campaign to be remembered as a defender of the Constitution." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "This squalid episode is a note-perfect example of how Republican scandal-mongering operates. The right ascribes to its adversaries, whether in the Democratic Party or the putative deep state, monstrous corruption and elaborate conspiracies. Then, in the name of fighting back, it mimics the tactics it has accused its foes of using.... [Speaker Kevin] McCarthy has stacked the Oversight Committee, central to the House's investigative apparatus, with flame-throwing fantasists, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar and Lauren Boebert. Further, as Politico reported in a 'field guide' to the coming Republican inquiries, McCarthy has urged Republicans to treat every committee like the Oversight Committee, meaning all investigations, all the time.... These ['investigations'] all promise to be congressional equivalents of the Durham inquiry.... It remains to be seen whether our political media is up for the task of making ... distinctions [between investigating a political matter based on reality and one] ... meant to troll for dirt and reify Fox News phantasms."
Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal appeals court panel has put a secret hold on the Justice Department's effort to access the phone of Rep. Scott Perry as part of a broader probe of efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to subvert the 2020 election. In a sealed order issued earlier this month, the three-judge panel temporarily blocked a lower-court ruling that granted prosecutors access to Perry's communications. The Dec. 28 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell was the product of a secret, monthslong legal battle by prosecutors who have been fighting the Pennsylvania Republican's attorneys on the matter since August.... The fight has intensified in recent weeks and drawn the House, newly led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, into the fray.... The House's decision to intervene in legal cases is governed by the 'Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group,' a five-member panel that includes [Speaker Kevin] McCarthy, his Democratic counterpart Hakeem Jeffries, and other members of House leadership. The panel voted unanimously to support the House;s intervention in the matter, seeking to protect the chamber's [Article I] prerogatives....:
The Pandemic, Ctd. Tyler Pager & Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "President Biden told Congress on Monday that he will end the national emergencies to combat the coronavirus outbreak on May 11, a move that will restructure the federal government's response to the pandemic nearly three years after the virus first arrived in the United States. The declaration came as Biden announced his opposition to House Republicans' efforts to end the emergency declarations immediately, a move the White House argued would cause chaos and disrupt efforts at an orderly winding down of the emergency status.... Still, an average of more than 500 Americans are dying every day from the virus." The AP's report is here.
Beyond the Beltway
Arizona. Yvonne Sanchez of the Washington Post: "Arizona's top election official has asked the [state] attorney general to investigate Kari Lake, the Republican candidate who lost her bid for governor in 2022, over potential campaign violations involving the disclosure of voter signatures. The complaint could set up a legal showdown in the battleground state between a prominent conservative election denier backed by Donald Trump and two newly elected Democrats who campaigned with messages of strengthening public trust in elections. The referral from Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) to Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) comes as Lake has doubled down on her unproven claims that administration of the state's midterm elections resulted in her loss.... [In a grievance tweet, Lake] included a graphic containing images of 16 voter signatures.... In his letter, Fontes pointed to state law ... that .. says records containing voter signatures 'shall not be accessible or reproduced by any person other than the voter.' Violation of that law, he wrote, is a felony."
California. Lisa Bonos & Joyce Lau of the Washington Post: "More details have emerged about the workplace dispute that led Zhao Chunli, 66, to allegedly kill seven people and attempt to kill another at two mushroom farms in Northern California a week ago. Zhao told investigators that his Half Moon Bay shooting was sparked after his boss asked him to pay a $100 repair bill for damage that had been done to heavy construction equipment, according to local news reports confirmed by San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. After confronting his supervisor and a co-worker, whom Zhao thought were responsible for the collision between his forklift and a bulldozer, he allegedly shot them, according to reports confirmed by Wagstaffe." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Florida. Matt Dixon of Politico: "Florida is set to become the 26th state to allow citizens to carry firearms without a permit under legislation outlined Monday by Republican House Speaker Paul Renner. Conservatives and gun rights groups in Florida have long pushed to give Florida residents to ability to carry firearms with a permit, known by supporters as 'constitutional carry,' but past legislation has routinely gotten bogged down. This year's efforts are bolstered by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has repeatedly said he would sign a permitless carry bill if lawmakers sent it to his desk.... The state also won't mandate other provisions, including a training requirement needed to get a permit. Permits would still be an option for gun owners who want to get them, something needed to be able to legally carry a gun in states that do not have permitless carry. The proposal does not address whether people will be allowed to openly carry firearms in public."
Florida. Javier Manjarres of the Floridian: "A Leon County[, Florida,] circuit judge has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the Florida Department of Transportation and a contractor did not fully comply with public-records requests about controversial state-funded flights of illegal migrants to Martha's Vinyard in Massachusetts. Judge Angela Dempsey last week issued two similar decisions rejecting the lawsuit that the non-profit Florida Center for Government Accountability filed in October against the Department of Transportation and Vertol Systems Company, Inc. The center contended that the department and the contractor violated the state's public-records law by not fully providing requested documents about the September flights of about 50 migrants from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha's Vineyard. The flights, engineered by Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration, have drawn national scrutiny. Dempsey concluded that the center did not prove the department and Vertol had withheld documents."
Tennessee. Jessica Jaglois of the New York Times: "The Memphis Police Department confirmed on Monday that a sixth officer had been taken off duty in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols. Five officers were fired by the department earlier this month, soon after being placed on leave, and charged last week with second-degree murder in connection with Mr. Nichols's death. The sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, has been placed on administrative leave; it is not clear exactly what role he played in the encounter." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Adrian Sainz has the AP story. In an update, Sainz writes, "Also Monday, Fire Department officials announced the firing of emergency medical technicians Robert Long and JaMicheal Sandridge and fire[person?] Lt. Michelle Whitaker in connection with Nichols' death. Fire Chief Gina Sweat said in a statement that the department received a call from police to respond to a report of a person who had been pepper-sprayed.... Long and Sandridge, based on the nature of the call and information they were told by police, 'failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr. Nichols,' the statement said Whitaker and the driver remained in the engine. An investigation determined that all three violated 'multiple' policies and protocols, the statement said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Update: Maham Javaid, et al., of the Washington Post: "A seventh Memphis police officer has been 'relieved of duty' during the investigation of Tyre Nichols's death after a beating by police. The Memphis Police Department said in a statement Monday evening that the 'actions and inactions' of Officer Preston Hemphill and another officer, whom the department did not name, were the subject of an administrative investigation."
~~~ Marie: Am I alone in wondering if there was some other, perhaps personal, motivation here? All of these perps knew what happened to the killers of George Floyd. Why would they risk the same fate? This looks like a conspiracy among at least nine ten city officers to beat one man to death and/or to facilitate the murder. It's hard to believe the only reason is a shared general assumption they could get away with it. Update: Akhilleus gives us what might be the answer at the end of yesterday's Comments. ~~~
~~~ Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "American police officers have extraordinary power to work their will as they see fit.... The police have no obligation to either protect or assist you, even in the face of a credible threat to your life, and they are virtually immune to legal consequences for their actions under the doctrine of 'qualified immunity,' with so few exceptions ... that it essentially proves the rule. What little accountability exists for American police is easily subverted. Internal-affairs departments are often more interested in exonerating colleagues than investigating misconduct, and police unions do everything they can to shield bad actors.... To give power and authority without responsibility or accountability -- to give an institution and its agents the right and the ability to do violence without restraint or consequence -- is to cultivate the worst qualities imaginable, among them arrogance, sadism and contempt for the lives of others."
Way Beyond
Eshe Nelson of the New York Times: "After a succession of crises, investors, economists and policymakers have begun grasping onto the brighter spots in Europe's economy: a few weeks of warmer winter weather, lower natural gas prices, and an upturn in German investor sentiment. Just a few months ago, governments were planning for power outages and gas rationing as the continent faced winter without Russian gas. Now, the headline rate of inflation appears to be at or past its peak and consumers have been surprisingly resilient to the economic turmoil.... For now, the imminent risk of recession has been forestalled. The eurozone economy grew 0.1 percent in the last quarter of 2022.... It was another small piece of good economic news to add to a modest pile." ~~~
~~~ Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "The International Monetary Fund said on Monday that it expected the global economy to slow this year as central banks continued to raise interest rates to tame inflation, but it also suggested that output would be more resilient than previously anticipated and that a global recession would probably be avoided. The I.M.F. upgraded its economic growth projections for 2023 and 2024 in its closely watched World Economic Outlook report, pointing to resilient consumers and the reopening of China's economy as among the reasons for a more optimistic outlook. The fund warned, however, that the fight against inflation was not over and urged central banks to avoid the temptation to change course. 'The fight against inflation is starting to pay off, but central banks must continue their efforts,' Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, the I.M.F.'s chief economist, said in an essay that accompanied the report."
Brazil. Fiddling While Brasília Burns. Meg Kelly & Imogen Piper of the Washington Post: "A Post examination of more than 150 videos and images from Jan. 8 -- including CCTV and body-camera footage -- reveals that rank-and-file members of PMDF [Polícia Militar do Distrito Federal], tasked with securing the streets surrounding governmen buildings, did little to stop the initial assault. The visuals, chronologically synchronized by The Post, while not comprehensive, show few, if any, rank-and-file members supported other security forces in the first hours of their efforts to re-secure the government complex.... Multiple analysts who reviewed footage at The Post's request questioned the PMDF's preparation, noting that the initial rank-and-file officers did not appear to be prepared for crowd control, as they were not wearing riot gear and appeared to have erected only a small number of physical barriers. They said the PMDF are often better prepared and implement greater crowd control measures at soccer games." ~~~
~~~ David Biller of the AP: "Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has filed a request for a six-month visitor visa to stay in the U.S., indicating he may have no immediate intention of returning home, where legal issues await.... Bolsonaro is being
Pakistan. Riaz Khan of the AP: "The death toll from the previous day's suicide bombing at a mosque in northwestern Pakistani rose to 83 on Tuesday, officials said. The assault on a Sunni mosque inside a major police facility was one of the deadliest attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent years. More than 300 worshippers were praying in the mosque in the city of Peshawar, with more approaching, when the bomber set off his explosives vest on Monday morning. The blast ripped through the mosque, killing and injuring scores and also blew off a part of the roof." ~~~
~~~ Update: Haq Khan & Pamela Constable of the Washington Post: "After frantically combing through the debris of the devastated mosque throughout the night and Tuesday morning, police called off the search for survivors of a terrorist suicide bombing in the highly guarded site where several hundred police and army men had gathered for afternoon prayers. The acting chief minister of this northwestern province, Muhammad Azam Khan, announced that 95 people were killed and 221 injured, making it one of the deadliest attacks ever carried out against Pakistan's security forces. The blast Monday signaled the brazen revival of violent tactics by the extremist Pakistani Taliban group, which had once been quelled by a military crackdown and until recently was in peace talks with the government."
Ukraine, et al.
The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "President Biden said the United States will not send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, rejecting renewed calls by Kyiv officials for these advanced weapons to turn the tide of the conflict and boost Ukraine's command of its own airspace. Buoyed by long-sought commitments last week from the United States and Germany to send tanks, a Ukrainian official described fighter jets as Kyiv's 'next big hurdle.'... France has not ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine but would do so only under certain criteria, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday, including a condition that would bar Kyiv from using the aircraft to attack Russian territory.... The Pentagon announced Monday the first shipment of Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. More than 60 Bradleys departed from North Charleston, S.C., last week, the U.S. Transportation Command said in a statement.... Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence boss, was one of the only top Ukrainian officials who correctly warned that Russia would invade the country.... In an interview with [the WashPo's] Ukraine bureau chief Isabelle Khurshudyan, Budanov predicted that annexed Crimea would be returned to Ukraine and that Russia would not use nuclear weapons to fight for the land. 'It all started in Crimea in 2014, and it will all end there,' he said."
Former British PM Boris Johnson, in a Washington Post op-ed: “The result [of failing to invite Ukraine to join NATO] is the worst war in Europe for 80 years. Russian President Vladimir Putin has destroyed countless lives, homes, hopes and dreams. He has also destroyed the slightest reason to sympathize with him or to humor him in his paranoia. Along the way, he has vaporized the case against Ukrainian membership of NATO.... People used to argue that the prospect of Ukrainian membership in NATO was 'provocative' to Putin and to Russia. In truth, we should never have accepted this argument.... I admit that for a time I accepted it.... We should have insisted on the reality -- that the Kremlin had nothing to fear from NATO because it is a defensive alliance."
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Reader Comments (21)
NPR ran a segment on hot-spot policing last night, as I was driving East. In final portion of the segment, they discussed policing in high-crime neighborhoods, and how a study has shown that kinder, empathetic policing programs are better received and produce lower crime rates than tough-guy policing in similar neighborhoods.
They went on to say that one problem with implementing kinder, empathetic policing programs is the cost (!!!???!!!), because it requires more training.
What kind of cost are we talking about here, wonder I?
They said it was four or five days of extra training, during which other officers have to cover for them out on the streets.
I cannot believe that four or five days of overtime for some personnel can come anywhere close to the legal bills and liability payouts involved in a wrongful arrest, let alone wrongful death, situation like we read about in Memphis or Minneapolis.
https://www.npr.org/2023/01/30/1152627747/how-special-police-units-like-scorpion-work
@Nisky Guy: But the insurance pays for wrongful police actions!
Seriously, your point is well-taken and once again demonstrates the quality of NPR analysis. First, even a rookie economist can tell you there are other, indirect costs of bad policing: the quality of life in the area/municipality declines, people who can get out do get out, businesses suffer and pull out, tax revenues decline.
And even if there were no cost benefit to better policing, it should be obvious to even the dumbest NPR reporter that the societal value of good policing far outweighs the quality-of-life costs resulting from bad policing practices. At least in democracies, the reason for having police and other law enforcement agencies is to protect the people. When these agencies cease to do that, even if the failures are sporadic, the entire purpose of "maintaining the peace" disappears. It's not easy to feel the freedom if you can't walk down the street without fear of being (legally) harassed by so-called law enforcement officers.
Update: See Jamelle Bouie's commentary under Beyond the Beltway -- Tennessee, which I just linked.
“Insurance pays for wrongful police actions!”
Quite. And just as with an individual car insurance policy, premiums skyrocket after you cause an accident or run a red light, hit a school bus and kill a couple of kids, or would if you weren’t in jail with your insurance being canceled.
But in the case of a corrupt police department, higher premiums are then covered by taxpayers. So the consequences of bad policing are compounded. The community suffers from the violence of thuggish policing, then pays extra for that privilege for years after, all the while getting no relief from criminals pulling you over for a beating or arresting you for some minor infraction.
Nonetheless, look for “law and order” types like Gym Jordan and TuKKKer KKKarlson to applaud such thuggery. As long as it’s white cops handing out the beatings.
Now that “weaponization of the Justice Department” has been proven, will the rest of the MSM focus on the obscenity that was the Trump-Barr DoJ, or will they be distracted by the shiny baubles rolled out by the traitors “investigating” Garland, Biden, Fauci, et al?
No need to respond. Purely rhetorical. We know the answer.
And this is why we can’t have nice things. Like a functioning democracy.
@Akhilleus: Michelle Goldberg (linked above) agrees with you.
My comment on Goldberg:
It's the constant whining that gets to me. The perpetual "wah, wah, wah" that emanates from the Right. Why, oh, why are they always picking on me?
Just maybe it's because you're up to no good.
You abused tax laws to fund your so-called non-political PACs, then cried foul when the IRS questioned the practice.
You threatened school board members with physical harm, then complained when authorities looked into the threats.
You behave badly, then complain when someone calls you out and go on to blame it on some mythical Deep State, which we all know is your name for the people hired to tell you how to behave, since you apparently haven't learned how on your own.
You are, shall we say, our Deeply Dishonorable State.
I used to tell kids who complained that others didn't like them to try being more likable. That advice usually worked--when they followed it.
Addendum to the above:
As I submitted the Goldberg comment I recalled the delightful Shirley Jackson story, "Charles" wherein a boy faithfully reports to his parents the escapades of a scandalously misbehaving boy he meets at school.
Turns out, though, Charles is a figment of his imagination, his own Deep State, he puts to use to cloak his own misbehavior.
No a perfect parallel, I know. For one thing, the real boy in the story is precocious...
@AK - It's not so much that Tucker et al. applaud when it's white cops doing the beatings. It's when it's black people - especially black men - who are the beaten.
Jamelle Bouie says it best:
"With great power should come greater responsibility and accountability. The more authority you hold in your hands, the tighter the restraints should be on your wrists. To give power and authority without responsibility or accountability — to give an institution and its agents the right and the ability to do violence without restraint or consequence — is to cultivate the worst qualities imaginable, among them arrogance, sadism and contempt for the lives of others."
And I was thinking as I read today's content about something Mel Brooks said about how ancient folks worshiped a guy named Phil. One day lightning struck Phil down and he died. Well, shucks, the people said, there must be someone higher than Phil and so they conjured up an invisible being that would protect them and with whom they could worship. When in our day those with the power to protect fail, what happens to our faith? The new House of Cards is on a path of showing us how that works.
My hopes for quick conclusions to investigations of Republican corruption and criminality are usually dashed. One of life's many disappointments I've come to expect.
But in Santos' case I'd like to see the investigation slow-walked, with a new revelation leaked or reported just often to remind us he's still there, staining the House escutcheon.
The longer he's in the limelight the better, I'm thinking.
Some numbers on policing
Interesting portrait of a prominent conservative judge who has (finally) come down on the right side of history.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/01/31/michael-luttig-judge-jan-6-trump-pence/?utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere_trending_now&utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&location=alert
Found this quote from the article explained a lot about conservative thinking.
"Luttig can think of only one reason he would have been wrested out of quiet semiretirement for this mission (testifying at length before the House Committee investigation the the Jan 6 insurrection).
It was, he’s concluded, nothing less than 'divine intervention.'”
Seems that when you get down to it, no matter how smart and accomplished they might be, conservatives alway believe in tooth fairies.
RockyGirl,
Exactly. The racism is overt and violent.
Reagan made it okay to be racist. Trump and the modern Party of White Supremacy made it necessary, if you want to hang with the GQP Aryan Brotherhood, that is.
For assholes like DeSantolini, racism is the natural opposite of woke. So racism it is.
@Ken Winkes: Right you are. And isn't it lovely that Luttig can afford to live in a beautiful mansion in pricey Vail (see photo accompanying story)?
Ken,
I remember that story! The son comes home everyday from school regaling the parents with all the mean and nasty stuff “Charles” does, only to find out from the teacher that there is no Charles. The perpetrator is their own kid. A great O. Henry type ending.
Santos’ former(?) positions on committees dedicated to science and small business shows you what My Kevin thinks of those subjects. Sure, Rs despise science, but aren’t they supposed to be the friend to small businesses? Ha! So let’s appoint a scandal plagued fraudster, crook, and Ponzi schemer to that committee. Might as well make a thug, a crook, a scofflaw, and a traitor head of the Judiciary Committee.
Oh, wait…
The mob: uneasy over.
In a quiet little town in Connecticut, a woman opens a breakfast place, and the Party of Traitors mob goes after her.
Why?
Two reasons, I’m guessing. First, she’s a Mexican immigrant. Been in this country for 17 years. Prob’ly stole a lot of jobs from decent white ‘mericans over that period. But worse, she had the temerity to name her little restaurant “Woke”.
They went after her. How dare she! The idea, that she tries to use a word the mob saves for themselves when attacking any person, thought, or action doesn’t go along with white supremacy.
But guess what? It’s a FUCKING BREAKFAST PLACE, you idiots. A place where you can go when you “woke” up. The logo even has a fried egg in the place of the O in woke. It’s cute.
The mob doesn’t do cute. They don’t do clever. They do hatred.
Their stock in trade.
By the way, the town is Coventry, birthplace of Nathan Hale who gave his life for the idea of America. Now the mob goes after anyone with that idea.
https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/30/woke-restaurant-conservative-backlash-connecticut
She should have named that little breakfast place in Coventry
'Despierto'.
They never would have figured out that it means Woke.
@Akhilleus: Obviously, My Kevin figured out that it isn't small business that makes the big campaign contributions. So, what the hell, fuck 'em.
Also, too, the WashPo ran a story on the Woke Cafe, and the best part was that the name, albeit unintentionally, worked. Locals were so offended by those who were so offended, that besides noticing the Woke Cafe, they started getting their breakfasts there. The town council supported her, too, and they're Republicans. Evidently, there is still such a thing as a New England Republican, it turns out. And they're not all lamebrains & bigots.
I missed that story about the "Woke" breakfast restaurant in my state of Ct. What a kick! Good we had some sane Republicans on the side of sanity.
Ken: That story that you told about "Charles" is a book I read to my yougest years ago because he was displaying some of that behavior at home. Can't recall the name of the book but it made an impact.
PD,
As Ken mentioned, “Charles” is a Shirley Jackson short story. Likely you had a collection of her stories. Here’s hoping you skipped “The Lottery” as bed time reading for the kiddies. 😬 Ha!