;)
Thursday
Jan052023
January 6, 2023
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
The New York Times is liveblogging Republican House members' intranecine squabbles that for three days have prevented them from selecting a speaker. ~~~
~~~ Annie Karni & Catie Edmondson: "After a humiliating three-day stretch of 11 consecutive defeats in an election that is now the most protracted such contest since 1859, [Kevin] McCarthy briefed Republicans on a morning conference call on concessions he had made to the ultraconservative rebels, including agreeing to conditions he had previously refused to countenance. Mr. McCarthy told the group, 'we're in a good position,' but noted that there was no deal yet, according to a person on the private call...." ~~~
~~~ Luke Broadwater: "There is an increased security presence outside the Capitol on Friday, two years after the Jan. 6 attack on Congress. More officers are stopping visitors and checking IDs."
~~~ Emily Cochrane: "Democrats, along with families of officers who lost their lives because of the Jan. 6 riot, are holding a somber vigil on the steps of the Capitol.... Some Democrats are wiping away tears as they listen to the party's incoming and outgoing leadership, Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi. It is still difficult for many in this building to be in the House and Senate chambers and be reminded of what they experienced on Jan. 6. ~~~
~~~ Luke Broadwater: "The event is billed as bi-partisan, but almost all of the attendees are Democrats. There is at least one Republican: Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a former FBI agent." MB: Not surprisingly, there is no honor among insurrectionists. ~~~
~~~ ** Annie Karni: "It appears that on the 12th vote, McCarthy has for the first time received more votes for speaker than Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic nominee. He still does not have the required majority." ~~~
~~~ ** Marie: McCarthy flipped 14 anti-McCarthy votes. Final (but unofficial) total: McCarthy 213, Jeffries 211, Jordan 4, Hern 3. There are a couple of pro-McCarthy votes & one Jeffries voters who are "out of the office" today. Still, with 7 no votes, McCarthy does not have enough to gain the speakership. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Whatever his other faults, the guy who nominated My Kevin in Round 13 -- James Comer, who unfortunately will chair the Oversight Committee -- is remarkably stupid. Besides spouting some Covid conspiracy theories & knocking Dr. Fauci, he insists on a balanced federal budget & causing international economic chaos by not paying the debt. I don't think he can handle the job of oversight chairman of the dog poop bin at the local park. ~~~
~~~ Maggie Astor: "David Trone of Maryland, a Democrat, was back to vote for Hakeem Jeffries this round after missing the last one, and received raucous applause from his fellow Democrats. He returned to the Capitol in hospital socks and slippers after having surgery this morning." ~~~
~~~ ** Marie: Looks like the final tally of the 13th vote for speaker is McCarthy 214 (one Republican returned from wherever he was), Jeffries 212 & Jordan 6. Still not enough for My Kevin to grab the brass gavel (and as Akhilleus suggested the other day, pound the thumb of his free hand). ~~~
~~~ Marie: The House adjourned after the 13th roll call, to reconvene at 10 pm ET.
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of House proceedings Friday are here. NBC News updates are here.
~~~~~~~~~~
Some pretty late-posted links today.
Marie: As a second, slow-rolling insurrection unfurls in the House of Representatives, we remember the bloody insurrection of January 6, 2021, when the defeated sitting president* of the United States made a last-ditch effort to effect a coup that would prevent his elected successor from taking office. Many of the participants in the attempted coup of 2021, including the top candidate for speaker, are players in the current insurrection.
Michael Shear & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "President Biden on Friday will mark the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to a dozen people who resisted efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Biden will present the award, which is among the nation's highest civilian honors, at a ceremony at the White House, officials said. The award is given to people who have 'performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.' The group to be honored is a who's who of figures that defended the 2020 election results in the face of threats from Donald J. Trump and his most fervent supporters."
** Kyle Cheney & Nicholas Wu of Politico: "A handful of Republicans who remained in the Jan. 6 committee's sights throughout its investigation are now leading the effort to deny Kevin McCarthy the speakership -- using their power to bring the House to a standstill. During its last days of existence, the Capitol riot panel unleashed a massive trove of evidence with an unmistakable conclusion: At every stage of ... Donald Trump's bid to overturn the 2020 election results, a phalanx of hardline GOP lawmakers were egging him on. The committee's latest material, including 250 witness transcripts, often portrayed those House Republicans as drivers, enablers and even architects of Trump's Jan. 6 scheme. And several conservatives currently standing against Kevin McCarthy's bid for the top gavel, including House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), were among the handful of true believers in Trump's efforts."
"Disappearing" the Insurrection. Joe Heim of the Washington Post (Jan. 4): "Visitors on official guided tours of the U.S. Capitol are peppered with facts about its rich history.... But unless visitors ask, they probably won't hear a word from the red-coat-wearing guides about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by supporters of ... Donald Trump who were seeking to stop the certification of Joe Biden's electoral win. The attack is not mentioned in the Capitol Visitor Center's newly renovated exhibition hall, which provides a robust history of the building. Nor is it discussed in the seven-minute introductory film that visitors watch before the tour commences.... [Guides] have been told to only refer to Jan. 6 if questioned on a tour...." Democratic Representatives Madeleine Dean (Pa.) & Jamie Raskin (Md.) both oppose hiding this recent history. "... 'Don't say Jan. 6,' and that suppression of memory is the very opposite of neutral and objective.' Raskin said. Dean said some of the damage the insurrections did should have been left intact as a reminder of the coup attempt.
More Fake History, Bought & Paid-for. And Some Grifting, Too! Annie Gowan of the Washington Post: "Right-wing supporters of the 'Jan. Sixers' have formed prayer chains, instigated letter writing campaigns, organized vigils and raised millions for their legal defense -- all with the aim of supporting the 932 federally charged defendants they see as valiant patriots, prisoners of conscience persecuted for engaging in their First Amendment rights. They have persevered despite powerful evidence to the contrary -- including judges uniformly excoriating defendants, ongoing guilty pleas and investigations, as well as a recent congressional report showing the extremity of the violence, the detail of the planning and the failure of Trump and other White House officials to quell the riot. Since 2021, Jan. 6 defendants have raised more than $3.7 million on the Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo.... 'It normalizes violence as an acceptable method for political disagreement. In effect, it endorses domestic terrorism. Not to mention that January 6th is a case study in radicalization and actions based completely on fantasy,' [says former GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman].... Much of the money flowing to the Jan. Sixers has been ostensibly to support [the insurrectionists'] families.... [But concerns were raised by] a recent NPR investigation into how one of the biggest nonprofits, the Patriot Freedom Project, was administered."
Katelyn Polantz & Tierney Sneed of CNN: "The estate of Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who died after responding to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, is suing two rioters involved in the attack and ... Donald Trump for his alleged role in egging it on.... Trump is already a defendant in several other civil January 6-related civil lawsuits, where he is arguing his presidency makes him immune from liability. The lawsuit from Sicknick's estate was filed the day before the Capitol attack's two-year anniversary.... Julian Khater and George Tanios, the two Capitol rioters named in the suit, pleaded guilty last summer to crimes related to the breach."
Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: Caleb "Berry, 21, testified in federal court in D.C. against four fellow members of the Oath Keepers facing charges of seditious conspiracy -- the second such group to go on trial. Going further than other cooperators, Berry testified this week that the extremists hatched an explicit plan to enter the Capitol and stop the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory -- which could be a boon to prosecutors case. But he also acknowledged he was not always truthful with investigators, as defense attorneys highlighted inconsistencies in his testimony. Those on trial have argued that there was no plan or conspiracy, only a spontaneous decision to follow the crowd into the building.... On [January 6, 2021, on] the east side of the building, Berry testified, [Kelly] Meggs [-- head of the Florida Oath Keepers --] led a huddle of Oath Keepers and told them that the election had been 'illegitimate and unconstitutional' and that 'we were going to try to stop the vote count.'" Meggs was convicted of seditious conspiracy in November 2022.
Lauren Burke & Victoria Bekiempis of the Guardian: "Two years after the January 6 insurrection, fresh fears are being raised over safety for lawmakers and staff at the US Capitol, especially as Republicans have stripped away some of the security measures installed in the wake of the deadly attack on Congress. House Republicans ... removed the metal detectors outside the House chamber ready for the first day of business of the 118th Congress on Tuesday, 3 January.... Metal detectors remain at the entrance of Congress for visitors and members of the public.... US Capitol Police reported 9,625 threats and directions of interest, which means actions or statements that cause concern, against members of Congress in 2021, compared with 3,939 in 2017."
Nixon Had an 18-Minute Gap; Trump's Is Eight Hours. Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "On Monday the now-shuttered House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection released more documents to the Depart[ment] of Justice and the public and now new questions are being raised about Donald Trump's activities on that day. As the Daily Beast's Jose Pagliery wrote, a renewed focus is taking place on the 8-hour gap when the former president's phone calls were not logged -- which could lead to a DOJ inquiry involving phone records people known to have been in contact with him based on their own testimony. As American University professor Chris Edelson, put it: 'The first thing one thinks of is the [Richard] Nixon tapes, the missing 18 minutes. It's never been resolved,' with regard to the Watergate scandal that brought his presidency down.... 'All you're left to surmise is that, for nefarious reasons, this particular president didn't want any record kept,' [Barbara Ann Perry of the University of Virginia said].... You can read more [at the Daily Beast]." Firewalled.
Recorded before My Kevin lost the 11th round of votes for speaker. But just as funny with 10 defeats:
Marie: This week's antics cause me to wonder if it would be better to dispense altogether with a House dominated by Miss Margie, Lorena Bobbitt & Frat Brat Gaetz than to seat this gang of anarchists, insurrectionists & misfits. Let every session begin with a prayer, a pledge, & a failed vote for speaker, followed by an adjournment.
Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "After a humiliating three-day stretch of 11 consecutive defeats in an election that is now the most protracted such contest since 1859, [Kevin] McCarthy dispatched his emissaries to hammer out a deal with the ultraconservative rebels, including agreeing to conditions he had previously refused to countenance in a last-ditch effort to sway a critical mass of defectors. They included allowing a single lawmaker to force a snap vote at any time to oust the speaker, a rule that would effectively codify a standing threat that Mr. McCarthy would be at the mercy of the right wing at all times, and could be removed instantly if he crossed them.... Some of the changes left little doubt that the House would struggle to carry out even its most basic duties in the coming two years.... A House committee confirmed that, if no resolution were reached by next week, congressional aides working for committees could not be paid, since the House would lack authority to process payroll on Jan. 13, the next payroll deadline." ~~~
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall lose his own soul, and still not gain enough votes to become speaker of the House? -- Paul Krugman, in today's NYT column, linked below
~~~ Ransom for the Hostage-Takers. Marianna Sotomayor, et al., of the Washington Post: "... in a sign of progress, some Republicans are approaching a deal that could help Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) get closer to clinching the necessary 218 votes to take the gavel.... According to three sources familiar with the deal, several holdouts are on the verge of agreeing to it and will vote in favor for McCarthy, though when that might happen remained unclear. The expectation is that though McCarthy will not get all the votes necessary to become speaker, it will show considerable momentum for him." Politico's report is here. A related report by Andrew Prokop of Vox is here.
House Terrorists Cash in on Their Antics. Lachlan Markey of Axios: "House Republicans leading the fight against Rep. Kevin McCarthy's speaker bid are using the push to help finance their campaigns.... Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-Fla.) campaign asked potential donors to 'support our fight with critical reinforcements' and in one email dubbed McCarthy 'Kiev Kevin.' Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) asked donors 'to turbocharge our emergency efforts to break the Establishment.' His campaign emails link to a payment processing page that claims 'every dollar helps secure the Speaker position.' An email from Rep. Bob Good's (R-Va.) campaign Thursday claimed that McCarthy 'spent millions of dollars trying to defeat conservatives in Republican primaries' and closed with a donation plea."
But Wait! Kevin Has a Helper! Maggie Haberman & Michael Bender of the New York Times: Donald "Trump has backed [Kevin] McCarthy's effort for weeks and held separate rounds of calls to holdouts who have adamantly opposed the move. The former president appeared surprised that some of his loyal lieutenants in the House were not responsive to him, according to two people familiar with the calls.... Mr. Trump, who often tries to avoid limiting any options for himself, stopped making aggressive calls after that. But he was forced to be more public in his support than aides had planned when he picked up his ringing cellphone on Tuesday and gave a muted comment to a reporter from NBC News [Garrett Haake], prompting questions about whether he still backed Mr. McCarthy. So he made a public declaration on Wednesday morning. But even that failed to move the roughly 20 House members who have dug in against Mr. McCarthy.... The weapon that Mr. Trump used to dominate his party for seven years -- fear of him -- has diminished."
Santos de Cartier. Sarah Rumpf of Mediaite: "... the C-SPAN cameras covering the unfolding drama on the House floor have frequently shown [Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.)], usually seated in the back of the chamber. As reported by Forbes staff writer Zach Everson, eagle-eyed observers identified Santos' watch as made by luxury retailer Cartier -- to be specific, a model from the 'Santos de Cartier' collection that currently retails for $7,800. This watch model includes two interchangeable straps, one in stainless steel and one in blue rubber, and photos from this week show Santos wearing the steel one Tuesday and the blue one Wednesday. 'The Santos watch was conceived by Louis Cartier in 1904 to help aviators tell time mid-flight,' the Cartier website proudly touts.... Counterfeit Cartiers of this style can be found for about $150.... Whether Santos watch is the real deal or a 'Canal Street Cartier' remains to be seen, but, as Everson concluded his article, '[e]ither way, the clock is likely ticking on his career in Congress.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yes, yes, Trump & Santos are disgusting, despicable scammers, but you'll have to admit they are also, in their oafish shambling, sources of great amusement. More on the Boy from Brazil linked under "Beyond the Beltway" below.
The Omen. Marie: The last time it took more ballots to elect a speaker was 1859, the year before the Civil War began.
The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Republican House members' efforts to select a speaker are here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: The vote in Round 7 is essentially the same as it was in the previous two rounds: 212 votes for Jeffries, 201 for McCarthy, 19 for Donalds & 1 "present." Oh, and Gaetz voted for Trump. Gaetz should nominate Trump in the next round, and -- as Trump likes to say, "we'll see what happens." ~~~
~~~ Catie Edmondson & Annie Karni: "Representative Kevin McCarthy of California on Thursday lost a seventh vote for the speakership.... After losing a half-dozen consecutive votes in two humiliating days, Mr. McCarthy by Thursday had privately agreed to more demands from the right-wing dissidents, embracing measures that would weaken the speakership considerably and that he had previously refused to countenance. One would allow a single lawmaker to force a snap vote to oust the speaker...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The House held its 8th vote for speaker Thursday afternoon, and the results were essentially the same: 212 for Jeffries, 201 for McCarthy, 17 for Donalds, 2 for Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, 1 for Donald Trump, and 1 "present." The House is moving into the 9th round of votes. This has gone from ridiculous to borrrr-ing. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Okey-doke. The House held its 9th vote, and the results were Jeffries 212, McCarthy 200, Donalds 17, Hern 3, and 1 "present." One member has left for the day, so My Kevin came up one short of his results in the last several tries. We are now moving into Vote No. 10, apparently because My Kevin does not have the votes to adjourn. ~~~
~~~ Marie: The House was not supposed to be in session Friday, so members from both parties have, you know, other plans. But it looks as if the votes will go on Friday. So we'll see how these anticipated absentees affect the outcomes. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Oh, here's a surprise: the totals on the 10th roll call were Jeffries 212; McCarthy 200, Donalds 13, Hern 7, & 1 voting "present." Apparently My Kevin & his crew are continuing to negotiate with the terrorists. ~~~
~~~ Marie: CNN invited Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) on to talk about the House fiasco, and he addressed Erin Burnett as "young lady." (She's about 8 years younger that Troy.) When Burnett jovially replied that she would take the "young lady" remark as a compliment, Troy said, "Of course it was. This is my first time on the Clinton News Network." I've found a new person to despise. ~~~
~~~ The vote on the 11th roll call was Jeffries 212, McCarthy 200, Donalds 12, Hern 7, Trump 1, and 1 "present." The House adjourned till noon tomorrow, the second anniversary of Insurrection Day, a day that will live in infamy and one that My Kevin & so many other House members caused. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday in the House of Representatives are here. NBC News live updates of House proceedings are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
The Party of Nothing. Lisa Lerer & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "After two days of chaos and confusion on the House floor, Republicans have made it abundantly clear who is leading their party: absolutely no one.... With no unified legislative agenda, clear leadership or shared vision for the country, Republicans find themselves mired in intraparty warfare, defined by a fringe element that seems more eager to tear down the House than to rebuild the foundation of a political party that has faced disappointment in the past three national elections. Even as Donald J. Trump rarely leaves his Florida home in what so far appears to be little more than a Potemkin presidential campaign, Republicans have failed to quell the anti-establishment fervor that accompanied his rise to power. Instead, those tumultuous political forces now threaten to devour the entire party." (Also linked yesterday.)
Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "... MAGAfreude is a real thing, and I'm feeling a bit of it myself. But liberals have never seemed remotely as interested in humiliating conservatives as conservatives are in humiliating liberals. And a substantial part of what has been going on in the House seems to be that some Republicans who expected to own the libs after a red wave election have acted out their disappointment by owning Kevin McCarthy instead.... One thing is sure, however: America is already less great than it was when Nancy Pelosi ran the House, and it's shrinking by the day."
** Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden on Thursday announced a far-reaching crackdown on people who seek refuge at the border with Mexico, dramatically expanding restrictions on asylum in the most aggressive effort of his administration to discourage migrants from crossing into the United States. In remarks at the White House that drew immediate condemnation from human rights organizations, Mr. Biden said his administration would deny people from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti the chance to apply for asylum if they cross the Mexican border without authorization between official ports of entry. He said people from those countries, who are among the many tens of thousands of migrants who try to cross the border every month, would be swiftly returned to Mexico instead.... Mr. Biden said that as many as 30,000 people per month from the four countries would be given the chance to migrate legally to the United States if they have the means to afford a plane ticket, get a sponsor, download an app, pass a background check and meet other requirements." ~~~
~~~ If only Joe had had the foresight to build a Great Wall.... ~~~
~~~ The Great Wall May Take a Great Fall. David Goodman of the New York Times: "Along a bend in the Rio Grande ... looms an 18-foot fence of galvanized steel a few feet from the muddy water's edge. The fence, constructed three years ago with private funds, was once at the center of a bitter national debate over border security, its builder touted by ... Donald J. Trump and promoted in a fraudulent scheme by Steve Bannon known as 'We Build the Wall' that resulted in criminal indictments and convictions. Now, the three-mile-long barrier is essentially orphaned, functionally useless -- because of a federally constructed border barrier a short distance behind it -- and, according to an engineering report commissioned by the Justice Department, at risk of falling over in a major flood and floating away. And because of its location and construction along the water's edge, federal officials worry that the fence could end up redirecting the Rio Grande in such a way that the land it sits on would end up as part of Mexico." ~~~
~~~ Marie: In the short run, people must be protected from injury by the falling wall. In the long run, after it falls, it must be transported to a park across the street from the Trump Presidential* Library (wherever that may be) & displayed -- roughly in the configuration in which it landed -- as a cautionary public exhibit. Too bad pieces of the wreckage of the Capitol building were not preserved, as Rep. Dean wanted, as they could be preserved in a building near the wall wreckage as another vivid example of the Trump legacy.
Kimmy Yam of NBC News: "A new law signed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday will help memorialize the history of the U.S. government's incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. The legislation, spearheaded by Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, would reauthorize funds that help preserve the sites in which tens of thousands of Japanese Americans were detained, including Manzanar in California and Rohwer in Arkansas."
Noam Scheiber of the New York Times: "In a far-reaching move that could raise wages and increase competition among businesses, the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday unveiled a rule that would block companies from limiting their employees' ability to work for a rival. The proposed rule would ban provisions of labor contracts known as noncompete agreements, which prevent workers from leaving for a competitor or starting a competing business for months or years after their employment, often within a certain geographic area. The agreements have applied to workers as varied as sandwich makers, hair stylists, doctors and software engineers." (Also linked yesterday.)
Azmat Kahn of the New York Times: "In the chaotic final days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, U.S. military analysts observed a white Toyota Corolla stop at what they believed was an Islamic State compound.... They tracked the car around Kabul for the next several hours. After it pulled into a gated courtyard near the airport, they authorized a drone strike. Hours later, U.S. officials announced they had successfully thwarted an attack. As reports of civilian deaths surfaced later that day, they issued statements saying they had 'no indications' but would assess the claims and were investigating whether a secondary explosion may have killed civilians. But portions of a U.S. Central Command investigation obtained by The New York Times [through an FOIA lawsuit] show that military analysts reported within minutes of the strike that civilians may have been killed, and within three hours had assessed that at least three children were killed. The documents also provide detailed examples of how assumptions and biases led to the deadly blunder.... Hina Shamsi, an [ACLU] lawyer representing families of victims, said the investigation 'makes clear that military personnel saw what they wanted to see and not reality, which was an Afghan aid worker going about his daily life.'"
Another Courtroom Loss for the Trumpster. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal judge has ordered lawyers for ... Donald J. Trump to give the government the names of the private investigators who searched Mr. Trump's properties late last year for any remaining classified documents, part of what appeared to be a step by the Justice Department toward questioning the investigators about their efforts, two people familiar with the matter said. The order, issued on Wednesday by Beryl A. Howell, the chief judge of the Federal District Court in Washington, was the latest twist in a monthslong dispute between prosecutors and Mr. Trump's lawyers about how forthcoming the former president has been in returning classified material that he removed from the White House after he left office." CNN's report is here.
No, That's Not Sen. Markey. Geoffrey Fowler of the Washington Post: "Elon Musk said he would fix Twitter's problem with impostors. The blue check mark on my fake U.S. senator suggests he still has a long way to go. On Tuesday, @SenatorEdMarkey briefly went viral on Twitter.... The problem is, @SenatorEdMarkey is actually me, not the real Sen. Edward J. Markey. It's a test of Twitter's $7.99 per month Blue 'verification' service I made with the permission of the real Democrat fro Massachusetts. I wouldn't blame anyone for being confused: My test account has the senator's name and photo and a blue check mark that says it is 'verified.' But Twitter, it seems, isn't verifying much of anything. This is the second time I've been able to impersonate the senator.... Under Musk's leadership, Twitter users face a greater risk of seeing something fake and thinking it is real."
Of Climate Change & Kidneys. Gerry Shih of the Washington Post: "In recent years, scientists and groups including the International Labor Organization have increasingly warned about the deadly, yet often overlooked, link between exposure to extreme heat and chronic kidney disease. Exactly how heat scars and cripples the microscopic tubes in the organs is still debated, researchers say, but the correlation is clear. That link has been observed among workers toiling in rice fields in Sri Lanka and steamy factories in Malaysia, from Central America to the Persian Gulf. As the world grows hotter and climate change ushers in more frequent and extreme heat waves, public health experts fear kidney disease cases will soar among laborers who have no choice but to work outdoors."
Beyond the Beltway
Connecticut. Susan Haign & Dave Collins of the AP: "A Connecticut state representative, considered a rising political star, was killed when a wrong-way driver crashed head-on into his vehicle early Thursday morning as he returned home from the governor's inauguration ball, state police said. The other driver also died. Quentin Williams, a 39-year-old Democrat from Middletown, died in the crash that also happened just hours after he was sworn-in for a third term."
New York. Gwynne Hogan & Jon Campbell of Gothamist: "A dozen Democratic protesters gathered Thursday outside a small congressional office in Douglaston, Queens, calling on embattled Rep.-elect George Santos to step aside or -- at the very least face his constituents. Holding signs calling Santos a liar, and a miniature Pinocchio doll, the protesters met near a green awning above the office's entrance that once belonged to his predecessor, Rep. Tom Suozzi. The fact that the new representative had not set up his own district office they said was yet another sign that Santos was unresponsive to voters."
** South Carolina, et al. Kate Zernicke of the New York Times: "The South Carolina Constitution provides a right to privacy that includes the right to abortion, the state's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, saying 'the decision to terminate a pregnancy rests upon the utmost personal and private considerations imaginable.' The decision overturns the state's law banning abortions after roughly the sixth week of pregnancy. More broadly, it is a victory for abortion rights in the South, where states have severely restricted access. It is the first final ruling by a state Supreme Court on the state constitutionality of abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, which ended the right to abortion under the federal constitution that had been in force for half a century, and left the matter to the states. Abortion rights groups responded to that decision by filing suits in 19 states...."
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Friday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Friday is here: "All eyes are on the unilateral cease-fire ordere by Russian President Vladimir Putin for Orthodox Christmas, which got underway on Friday, a temporary truce that was dismissed by Ukraine, the United States and Germany as a possible ploy for Russia to regroup and move more troops and equipment to the battlefield.... In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a real cease-fire would come only when Russian troops withdraw from the country.... President Biden said he thinks Putin is 'trying to find some oxygen' after 10 months of war and tens of thousands of casualties on the Russian side.... The United States and Germany will supply Ukraine with armored combat vehicles, including Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday in a joint statement, marking a significant policy shift after months of resisting Kyiv's pleas for tanks. A French official also confirmed that France would send AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine.... Russia and Belarus are building up a regional military force with plans to hold joint drills and combat aircraft exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Thursday."
Mexico. Natalie Kitroeff & Steve Fisher of the New York Times: "The Mexican authorities announced on Thursday that they had captured a son of the drug lord El Chapo in an early morning operation in Culiacán, a northwestern city that has long been the home base of the Sinaloa cartel. Security forces arrested Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the infamous crime lord known as El Chapo, and transferred him to a special prosecutor's office in Mexico City.... The capture of El Chapo's son, himself a prominent cartel leader, allows the government to claim a victory in its halting efforts to combat violence during one of the deadliest periods in Mexico's recent history."
Vatican. Jason Horowitz of the New York Times: "The Roman Catholic Church on Thursday laid to rest Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in front of a fog-shrouded St. Peter's Basilica with an extraordinary funeral presided over by his own successor, Francis, a final peculiarity to end a strange era in the modern church in which two popes, one resigned and one in power, one conservative and one liberal, coexisted in the tiny confines of the Vatican."
News Ledes
CNBC: "Payroll growth decelerated in December but was still better than expected, a sign that the labor market remains strong even as the Federal Reserve tries to slow economic growth. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 223,000 for the month, above the Dow Jones estimate for 200,000, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, 0.2 percentage point below the expectation. The job growth marked a small decrease from the 256,000 gain in November, which was revised down 7,000 from the initial estimate.... The relative strength in job growth comes despite repeated efforts by the Fed to slow the economy, the labor market in particular." MB: According to a banner on CNBC's main page, Dow futures gained 150 points on news of lower wages. Nice.
New York Times: "A powerful winter storm system moving across California on Thursday sent trees crashing into homes, knocked out electricity for tens of thousands of people and churned up dangerous surf along the coast as it brought more rain, wind and snow to the already saturated state. The storm, one of several that is expected to pound the West Coast this month, poured water into swollen rivers and dumped fresh snow on the Sierra Nevada. Further rounds of heavy precipitation were expected in California on Saturday, and again on Monday."
Share Article
Comments for this entry have been disabled. Additional comments may not be added to this entry at this time.
Reader Comments (23)
If he had any guts and any self-respect, or at least respect for the body he seeks to lead, My Kevin should tell these terrorist assholes who hold the entire nation hostage until they get their way to fuck off and remove his name from consideration. At the same time he should call a press conference and tear these insurrectionists a new asshole.
Denying them their favorite punching bag would, of course, plunge the House into even further chaos, but then McCarthy, along with a handful of reps he trusts, should vote for Jeffries and leave those assholes twisting in the wind.
Sure, his career as a Republican would be over, but he would go from being a weak-kneed caver-into thugs who seek to destroy the government, to an historic figure who saved the nation from the clutches of dangerous ignoramuses.
It won’t happen, because “brave”, “tough”, and “stand-up guy” have never described Kevin McCarthy, but it would be something to see if they did.
I gathered from this one that God is not on our side: I was disappointed.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/01/06/jan-6-prisoners-supporters/
https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2023/01/06/stabenow-retirement-political-earthquake-michigan
Maybe a good time, in light of the last two Michigan elections?
So the new concessions (whatever they are---allowing the disaffected to carry bazookas into the Capitol?) will build momentum for Kevin?
I do remember the all-powerful MO, that invisible force that when on one's side will vanquish all. But really, adding maybe two votes to Kevin's total?
Kinda like two inches and a cloud of dust.
Child molester Matt Gaetz threatens to resign unless the House elects a Nazi traitor like himself as speaker.
Can’t say I’ve ever thought of supporting My Kevin, but if his ascension gets Gaetz to take his ball and go home, I’m all for it. But we all know Gaetz is a chiseling liar. He’ll never leave congress. What would he do? He’s an unemployable creep. Besides, with all the concessions My Kevin is knuckling under to, he’ll probably be able to sex traffic young girls right from his desk in the Capitol.
The grifters goeth forth
Please to be explaining to me how sending money to pad the pockets of the 20 twits will help them get rid of My Kevin. “Send me money to help in the fight!!”
Is the idea that they’re going to bribe McCarthy to step aside? Hire a hit man? Or maybe, in Gaetz’s case, hit the strip clubs and forget about it altogether?
But if morons are stoopid enough to send in their hard earned doubloons to con artists and Nazi liars, what can you say? This is why grifters grift. Because imbeciles buy their bullshit.
Dear Traitors,
I realize you’re all busy taxing those tiny brains wondering what to do about this speaker thingie, and getting hopelessly bollixed up, because for years now, the best thing you all do is…nothing. You’re bigoted, ignorant, lazy know-nothings. You can’t govern, you can’t bother to read the Constitution, you got nothin’. As King Lear used to say, before the hurricane, the gouged out eyes, the dung heap, the strangled daughter, the fool, the conniving relatives (sounds like a weekend at CPAC), “Nothing comes from nothing!”
Well, do I have a day for you! In ten days there’s a celebration just for you guys: National Nothing Day! And yes, it’s a thing. Which is odd, when you think about it. Nothing is a thing. Sounds like one-a them Zeno’s paradoxes: no thing is a thing.
So ponder that apparent paradox while doing nothing and getting nowhere. (Another paradox! Can you go to a place that’s no where? Go to a place that’s not a place? But R’s do it all the time. I guess they’re good for something. But wait…aren’t they good for nothing?…oh, never mind.
It’s nothing.
As usual.
https://nationaltoday.com/national-nothing-day/
If you have already eaten breakfast you might be able to digest this exchange between Stephanie Ruhle and Lauren Boebert. What you will hear is Ruhle trying to question Boebert re: her stance on "never Kevin" and getting "cherry blossoms in the Spring" answers or if I may be so crude–--batshit babble blubber that has the sound of flapping wings in the face of destruction and I suspect somewhere in that body is a gun, neatly tucked away for good measure.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lauren-boebert-stephanie-ruhle-kevin-mccarthy-house-speaker-fight_n_63b77574e4b0fe267caf0480
@Akhilleus: Well, I'll disagree with you on Matt Gaetz's being unemployable. It might not be printed on his resume', but I'm pretty sure Gaetz is a graduate-in-good-standing of the GOP School of Grifters & Scam Artists. I'm sure he can just check his college notes (notes he probably got someone else to take for him) & proceed right into a lucrative binness.
In the meantime, I like to refer to Gaetz as "(alleged!) child molester," especially inasmuch as the WashPo ran an article a month or so ago about how the DOJ had decided not to prosecute him because the witnesses against him were as sketchy as is Gaetz himself. However, I don't think the charges against him have been dropped, because I have noticed lately that articles in legit outlets refer to him as "alleged sex offender" or something similar.
"This particular battle is one sign of the new world of political fragmentation now confronting nearly all democracies. Political fragmentation is the dispersion of political power into so many different hands and centers of power that governing effectively becomes far more difficult...
Economic and cultural conflicts drive this fragmentation, but it has been enabled by the communications revolution. In the proportional-representation systems of Western Europe, the traditionally dominant large political parties have splintered into a kaleidoscope of smaller parties. In the United States, the two major parties have been internally split, with leadership having less capacity to overcome those divisions." Richard Pildes NYT
Ak, your comment reminded me of the 1969 album by Firesign Theater, ,"How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All." It's still fun to listen to even after all these years.
Marie,
Yeah. I guess I was thinking of legitimate ways of making a living. I should have thought of lazy douchebags like Junior, who has never held a legitimate job, but lives high and mighty off the grift. Gaetz would likely find some sinecure, no show job in the right-wing fever swamps.
Methinks those Jewish Space Lasers have been aimed at the House
of Representatives for a while and have fried some brains, mostly
on one side of the aisle.
Maybe all government should be moved to Kansas. It doesn't seem
to be working in D.C.
Unwashed,
Man, I haven’t listened to Firesign in forever. Back in college we wore out their albums, especially “Don’t crush that dwarf, hand me the pliers” and “We’re all bozos on this bus”. They were staples, along with Cheech and Chong’s “Big Bambu” and every Monty Python album we could find. I recall one sketch in which a product called “Napalmolive” was hawked on a late night TV show. Wild and crazy stuff.
Ak: you did it again: used a word I haven't heard since my mother used it-- bollixed. Are you sure you aren't my mother, reimagined and transfigured? You have done this on many occasions. However, she was born in West Virginia and lived many years in Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and you live in Arkansas, I believe, so you are probably not her. But I eternally miss her, her ultra-liberal feminist views and her "wokeness" her whole life, and your words frequently make me think of her fondly.
Have not contributed much to the discussion this week because all of you are doing a better job than I could. Just thinking about the sacred January 6, long a holiday of sorts, Epiphany, or, time to cart the tree off to the recycling center, makes me crazy to see the insane circus on the House floor, so I mostly have rejected the thing. Yesterday my tv rejected it for most of the day, with the screen claiming to recognize nothing on the channel box...Seeing droolers like Gaetz standing up to whine in his plaid suit, and Bobobert attempting to sound legislator-y in the face of Stephanie the other night is ludicrous. I don't care if they never elect anyone, as the "plans" they have to disrupt anything and everything Democratic/democratic are silly, don't help anyone, and give me heartburn. And the idea that Gosar even exists at all is crazy...
Thinking of you all on this sacred day.
It IS a game show. Another smug prick just said "KEVIN...
Hern."
So the inexperienced Donalds from Florida and the "other" Kevin have been jettisoned. They were used, and now they have been disposed of.
@NiskyGuy: You are incredibly cynical. And, okay, yeah, 100 percent correct. But, hey, it's a game show, so of course there are losers. And when it's bullies running the game, of course the losers are the little guys.
While I sit on hold with GoDaddy (three hours & counting), I'm listening to President Biden honoring the heroes of the insurrection. The contrast could not be more stark between them and the farcical grifters, bullies & losers who are the GOP congressmen jockeying for the power to make mischief.
The Brats are now voting to adjourn until 10pm tonight, or put another way, 6am Saturday morning, Moscow time.
Emily Cochrane of the NYT writes: “Because it took this long, now we learned how to govern,” McCarthy says.
I think it's a reasonable bet that kevin couldn't learn to drive a stick shift in three days. And he thinks he has now learned how to govern the US House of Representatives in that time? He is dangerously clueless.
Jeanne,
I’m reasonably sure I’m not a reincarnation of your mother, but one never knows, do one?
But I’m certainly pleased to be compared positively to a person like your mum who, it sounds like, lived a decent, informed, woke life. The right loves to weaponize the word woke. It scares them, because to be woke means to be culturally and socially aware, and alive to social injustice. They, naturally, prefer the opposite of woke: asleep, comatose, ignorant. So when I hear totalitarian scum like DeSantolini screaming that his state is where “woke” goes to die, I know exactly what he means: a place where social injustice, ignorance, racism, and fascism are rewarded and those who think differently are outlawed.
Frightened fascists like this jamoke would not have liked your mother, I’m sure. A badge of honor.
Did My Kevin really say he’s learned how to govern in the last three days? Seriously? What the fuck has he been doing for the last 20 years!?
First, cadging votes, trading your soul to terrorists whose goal is to extirpate the government and impose their own fascist rules, has nothing to do with governing. To use Nisky Guy’s analogy, it’s like claiming that learning to drive a stick makes you a front runner to win the Indy 500. “I can cut up my own steak. I’m ready to perform open heart surgery!”
We’ve already got more idiots than we know what to do with…no wonder Trump likes this one.
I heard someone on tv yesterday that some of the Brats voted for Kevin Hern because they were annoyed at being called the never-kevins. So they showed everyone by voting for a Kevin, just not the California one. Priorities.
And if failure is how McCarthy learns he would be a lot smarter by now.
Good summary by Milbank (who's been reading RC?)--and another stupid question from Ken.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/06/mccarthy-house-speaker-vote-insurrection-by-other-means/
And--since Congress hasn't yet been seated, are they being paid?
Did their election alone "hire" them?
There's never been any requirement that they do actual work, but going the office and wrangling on your first and second and third and fourth days on your new job????