The Ledes

Thursday, September 26, 2024

The New York Times:' live updates of Hurricane Helene developments today are here. “Hurricane Helene was barreling through the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday en route to Florida, where residents were bracing for extreme rain, destructive winds and deadly storm surge ahead of the storm’s expected landfall. The storm could intensify to a Category 4, if not higher, before making landfall late Thursday, and forecasters warned Helene’s anticipated large size could make its impacts felt across an extensive area. Areas as distant as Atlanta and the Appalachians are at risk for heavy rains.... Many forecast models show the storm making landfall late Thursday near Florida’s Big Bend Coast, a sparsely populated stretch....” ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post has forecasts for some cites in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina & Tennessee that are in or near the probable path of Helene. ~~~

     ~~~ This morning, an MSNBC weatherperson said Tallahassee (which is inland) would experience wind gusts of up to 120 m.p.h. and that the National Weather Service said expected 20-foot storm surges near the coast would be “unsurvivable.”

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The Ledes

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

The New York Times is live-updating developments in the progress of Hurricane Helene. “Helene continued to power north in the Caribbean Sea, strengthening into a hurricane Wednesday morning, on a path that forecasters expect will bring heavy amounts of rain to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and western Cuba before it begins to move toward Florida’s Gulf Coast.” ~~~

~~~ CNN: “Helene rapidly intensified into a hurricane Wednesday as it plows toward a Florida landfall as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States in over a year. The storm will also grow into a massive, sprawling monster as it continues to intensify, one that won’t just slam Florida, but also much of the Southeast.... Thousands of Florida residents have already been forced to evacuate and nearly the entire state is under alerts as the storm threatens to unleash flooding rainfall, damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge.... The hurricane unleashed its fury on parts of Mexico’s Yucátan Peninsula and Cuba Wednesday.“

Help!

To keep the Conversation going, please help me by linking news articles, opinion pieces and other political content in today's Comments section.

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Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

Washington Post: “An early Titian masterpiece — once looted by Napolean’s troops and a part of royal collections for centuries — caused a stir when it was stolen from the home of a British marquess in 1995. Seven years later, it was found inside an unassuming white and blue plastic bag at a bus stop in southwest London by an art detective, and returned. This week, the oil painting 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' sold for more than $22 million at Christie’s. It was a record for the Renaissance artist, whom museums describe as the greatest painter of 16th-century Venice. Ahead of the sale in April, the auction house billed it as 'the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market in more than a generation.'”

Washington Post: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare material, has undergone a major renovation. "The change to the building is pervasive, both subtle and transformational."

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Sunday
Jul162023

July 16, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Jasmine Wright of CNN: "The US will allow European countries to train Ukrainians on F-16 fighter jets, a top Biden administration official confirmed Sunday, a potential boon for Ukraine's efforts to counter Russia's air superiority. 'The president has given a green light and we will allow, permit, support, facilitate and in fact provide the necessary tools for Ukrainians to begin being trained on F-16s, as soon as the Europeans are prepared,' national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN's Jake Tapper on 'State of the Union.' The decision cements a stark turnaround for President Joe Biden, who said earlier this year that he did not believe that Ukraine needed the F-16s. One of the main issues Kyiv's ground forces have faced as their counteroffensive gets underway is Russian air power holding them back."

Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Since his indictment last month on charges of withholding classified documents..., Donald Trump has publicly called special counsel Jack Smith 'deranged' and a 'psycho' and said he 'looks like a crackhead.' In response, Smith and the federal judge overseeing his pending criminal trial have said ... nothing.... Trump's broadsides on social media against the Justice Department, the FBI, and Smith in particular have not gone unnoticed. The government spent $1.9 million for U.S. Marshals to provide security to Smith and other officials between November 2022 and March, according to officials.... 'Trump has bought for himself more latitude than other litigants would have. He's campaigning for office, and the scope of things that are said in campaigns are often far out and unsupported,' [attorney Bruce] Rogow said.... 'These are the kind of comments that might provoke some judges to issue a gag order,' said Ken White, a former federal prosecutor.... Stephen Gillers, a professor of legal ethics at New York University, said that the calculus for a gag order could change if Trump starts talking about witnesses or evidence...." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Former President Trump praised the judge overseeing his classified documents case as his legal team seeks a postponement of his trial in Florida.... 'I know it's a very highly respected judge. A very smart judge, and a very strong judge,' Trump said. When host [Fox 'News host] Maria Bartiromo noted that Trump appointed the judge in the case, Trump said, 'I did, and I'm very proud to have appointed her.'... We need judges that love our country so they do the right thing.'" MB: I'm just overwhelmed by Trump's sincerity.

New York. Hurubie Meko & Erin Nolan of the New York Times: In 2011, profilers compiled lists of the characteristics they expected the Gisco Beach serial killer had. There are similarities between the profiles and the suspect arrested late last week for three of the murders.

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race 2024

What to do when you're a lousy, obnoxious, losing candidate? Blame your staff: ~~~

Maggie Haberman & Rebecca O'Brien of the New York Times:"Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has started cutting campaign staff just months into his presidential bid, as he has struggled to gain traction in the Republican primary and lost ground in some public polls to ... Donald J. Trump. The exact number of people let go by the DeSantis team was unclear, but one campaign aide said it was fewer than 10. The development was earlier reported by Politico." But Ronnie the Also-Ran has more problems at home; see link under "Beyond the Beltway."

Daily Check-up: Is RFK, Jr. Still Crazy? Yes, Yes, He Is. Lucy Hodgman of Politico: "Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denied allegations of racism and anti-Semitism Saturday after he reportedly suggested Covid-19 could have been genetically engineered to reduce risks to Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people. Kennedy -- a longtime vaccine skeptic who is running a longshot primary campaign against President Joe Biden -- said during a Tuesday night press event that Covid-19 was 'targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people.' He went on to say that 'the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.' After a broad backlash to his comments, first reported by the New York Post, Kennedy took to Twitter to defend himself[:]... 'I have never, ever suggested that the Covid-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews.'..." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jonathan Weisman & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times write about the No Labels party. Blah-blah. Here's the punch line, buried way down the story: "'We like puppies and kittens and pie,' said Rick Wilson, a former Republican and a founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project. 'They think they can be tapioca vanilla pudding as long as possible, to keep up the message,"Hey, we're just centrist do-gooders. What could possibly go wrong?" And the thing that could go wrong is the election of Donald Trump.'"

Pence Shows What a Cruel, Careless SOB He Is. Nick Robertson of the Hill: "Former Vice President Mike Pence said abortions in the case of nonviable pregnancies should be banned, taking a hard stance on abortion policy, which has served as an emphasis of his campaign.... 'I just have heard so many stories over the years of courageous women and families who were told that their unborn child would not go to term or would not survive. And then they had a healthy pregnancy and a healthy delivery.'... Pence is the only GOP presidential candidate to publicly support a national abortion ban at six weeks." Pence's anecdotal "evidence" is pure conjecture.


Marie: If, like me, you blame Hitler & the Nazis for the Holocaust, this Washington Post report by Gordon Sander, may give you another think, because the U.S. and the rest of the world -- except the Dominican Republic -- effectively collaborated with the Nazis. And they did so, in great part, because our representatives -- and our people -- were antisemites.

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Frances Robles of the New York Times: "Early last summer, complaining that Washington had failed to provide adequate staffing for Florida's National Guard, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that for the first time in 75 years he was activating the State Guard, a force of volunteers that could respond to hurricanes and other public emergencies. But the deployment this spring has been mired in internal turmoil, with some recruits complaining that what was supposed to be a civilian disaster response organization had become heavily militarized, requiring volunteers to participate in marching drills and military-style training sessions on weapons and hand-to-hand combat. At least 20 percent of the 150 people initially accepted into the program dropped out or were dismissed, state officials acknowledged, including a retired Marine captain who filed a false imprisonment complaint against Guard sergeants with the local sheriff after he got into a dispute with instructors and was forcibly escorted off the site." The Guardian's story is here.

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.

News Ledes

New York Times: "Jane Birkin, who helped define chic female sexuality of the 1970s as an actress in arty and erotic European movies and in her relationship -- equal parts romantic and artistic -- with the singer Serge Gainsbourg, died on Sunday in Paris. Ms. Birkin, who later became known for inspiring one of the best known lines of luxury handbags, was 76."

Weekend in Guns America. New York Times: "At least four people were dead and three others remained missing on Sunday morning after severe floods on Saturday swept through areas of Pennsylvania. In a news conference Sunday morning, Tim Brewer, the fire chief of Upper Makefield in Bucks County, said that 11 vehicles were trapped by rising waters on the flooded Washington Crossing Road on Saturday afternoon. 'The flash flood occurred some time after that,' Mr. Brewer said. 'We believe approximately 11 cars were on the road. Three were confirmed swept away.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Washington Post Update: "A gunman who police said fatally shot four people in an Atlanta suburb Saturday before going on the run was killed Sunday afternoon in a police shootout that left two officers injured, authorities announced Sunday."

New York Times: "A 25-year-old woman in Alabama who was reported missing on Thursday night after telling a 911 dispatcher that she saw a toddler walking along the side of an interstate and would pull over to help was found late Saturday, according to the police. The woman, Carlee Russell, showed up at her family's front door on Saturday night, knocked and was greeted by her stunned relatives, said Nicholas Derzis, the police chief in Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham.... The case began on Thursday night when Ms. Russell told the dispatcher about the child around 9:35 p.m., called a family member to report the same details, and then pulled over on I-459 South near mile marker 11 to check on the toddler, the Hoover Police Department said.... The Hoover Police Department said it had not received any calls of someone missing a child."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (5)

Is RFK, Jr. still crazy?
Can a person be highly educated and still be crazy? Evidently so.
RFK, Jr's. education:
Harvard University (BA)
London School of Economics
University of Virginia (JD)
Pace University (LLM)
Before that, he was kicked out of various boarding schools for drug
use.
It would be interesting to read some of the many books he has
written but I don't have the time, and they were probably ghost
written anyway, like the Donald's.
He will probably be the first candidate to crash and burn.

July 16, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris

Not a Sunday Sermon.

A book review with an implied sermon instead.


https://www.populist.com/29.13.Winkes.html

July 16, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

It appears America has sprung another big leak.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/16/fondomonte-arizona-drought-saudi-farm-water/

Marc Reisner's "Cadillac Desert" comes to mind. Of course, the warnings go back to John Wesley Powell...

July 16, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Trump brays that we need judges who “love our country so they do the right thing”.

No.

It’s nice that a judge loves our country, but nationalistic fervor is not what makes a good judge, or prompts a judge to “do the right thing”. Those are qualifications for chauvinist and fascist judges.

Love of justice and rule of law are what directs judges to “do the right thing”.

Trump, however, equates himself with the country, which means “doing the right thing” is whatever’s good for him.

How such basic concepts are so easily warped and accepted as true by the MAGAts is yet another example of the perverting and iniquitous influence of the most corrupt politician in American history.

July 17, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

I seem to have lost the first comment, but I am so sorry you are not going to be doing this anymore!! It was always my first stop on the internet in the morning.
Enjoy your retirement. You have earned it.

July 17, 2023 | Unregistered Commenterpat
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