;)
July 6, 2022
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Mark Landler & Stephen Castle of the New York Times: "His support crumbling, his government in disarray, his alibis exhausted, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain tried frantically on Wednesday to salvage his position, even as a delegation of cabinet colleagues traveled to Downing Street to plead with their scandal-scarred leader to step down. More than 30 government ministers or aides quit, multiple Conservative Party lawmakers urged Mr. Johnson to resign, and he got a withering reception in Parliament, where backbenchers jeered, 'Bye, Boris!' as he left by a side door after a merciless grilling over his handling of the party's latest sex-and-bullying scandal.... Mr. Johnson vowed to fight on, insisting he had a mandate from voters to steer Britain into its post-Brexit future...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: BTW, if you think you may recognize a former American president* in Boris, the NYT report closes with this: "'Unlike most leaders, he doesn't care how much damage he does on his way out the door,' said Jonathan Powell, who served as chief of staff to a former prime minister, Tony Blair. 'There isn't anyone in our history who's had this kind of nature. Our system is not built for something like this.'"
An A-mazing Coincidence. Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: James Comey, "the former F.B.I. director, and his deputy [Andrew McCabe], both of whom ... Donald J. Trump wanted prosecuted, were selected for a rare audit program that the [I.R.S.] says is random.... The minuscule chances of the two highest-ranking F.B.I. officials ... being randomly subjected to a detailed scrub of their tax returns a few years after leaving their posts presents extraordinary questions.... The I.R.S. commissioner, Charles P. Rettig, who was appointed to the post by Mr. Trump in 2018, declined to be interviewed about the audits.... Unlike a typical audit that asks individuals to explain a specific part of their taxes, these audits comb through the full return, forcing taxpayers in some cases to go to great lengths to essentially recreate their finances for the year in question.: MB: This would be a good time to fire Rettig, so no more of these a-mazing coincidences occur. Like next up: Liz Cheney or Nancy Pelosi.
Mike Smith & Robert Chiarito of the New York Times: "An Illinois man charged in the killing of seven people at a Fourth of July parade was ordered held in jail without bond on Wednesday, as questions continued to mount about why he was allowed to buy guns despite alarming police encounters.... In court, Ben Dillon, a prosecutor, described in the fullest detail yet how officials say the attack unfolded on Monday.... Mr. Dillon said that [the suspect] confessed to the shooting after his arrest on Monday evening.... Investigators believed that [the suspect] fled to Madison, Wis., after the attack, but then returned to Illinois, where he was arrested. [Deputy] Chief [Christopher] Covelli [of the Lake County sheriff's office] said the police believed [the suspect] saw a holiday celebration in Madison and considered using a second rifle that he had with him in the car to carry out another shooting there, but decided against it.
Maggie Haberman & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Pat A. Cipollone, the White House counsel to ... Donald J. Trump who repeatedly fought back against Mr. Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, has reached a deal to testify by Friday before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, according to people familiar with the inquiry. The agreement was a breakthrough for the panel, which has pressed for weeks for Mr. Cipollone to cooperate -- and issued a subpoena to him last week.... Mr. Cipollone was a witness to pivotal moments in Mr. Trump's push to invalidate the election results, including discussions about seizing voting machines and sending false letters to state officials about election fraud. He was also present in the West Wing on Jan. 6, 2021, as Mr. Trump reacted to the violence at the Capitol when his supporters attacked the building in his name.... Mr. Cipollone will sit for a transcribed interview, according to a person familiar with the discussions. He is not expected to testify publicly." The AP's story is here.
Ashley Parker & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "In the view of many distraught Democrats, the country is facing a full-blown crisis on a range of fronts, and [President] Biden seems unable or unwilling to respond with appropriate force. Democracy is under direct attack, they say, as Republicans change election rules and the Supreme Court rapidly rewrites American law. Shootings are routine, abortion rights have ended and Democrats could suffer big losses in the next election. Biden's response is often a mix of scolding Republicans, urging Americans to vote Democratic and voicing broad optimism about the country. For some Democrats, that risks a dangerous failure to meet the moment.... [Illinois Gov. J.B.] Pritzker mocked the notion that 'you have a constitutional right to an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine' -- something Biden has done previously -- and California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been displaying a notably pugnacious spirit." Newsom is running an anti-DeSantis ad -- in Florida. A related Politico story is here.
Emily Czachor of CBS News: "Gun violence spiked over Fourth of July weekend, with shootings reported in nearly every U.S. state that killed a total of at least 220 people and wounded close to 570 others, according to the Gun Violence Archive.... Of all gun violence incidents accounted for during the holiday weekend, at least 11 were classified as mass shootings by the Gun Violence Archive. Any situation where four or more people, excluding the shooter, are killed or wounded by gunshots is considered a mass shooting."
Marie: This morning I was wondering why the family of the Highland Park shooter didn't raise a stink when he started buying guns. Here's the answer, and it isn't a good one: ~~~
The Irresponsible Parent. Russ Thebault & Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "The Illinois State Police confirmed on Tuesday that the father of the Highland Park parade shooting suspect sponsored his son's application for a gun permit months after relatives reported that Robert E. Crimo III had threatened to 'kill everyone,' and that authorities had 'insufficient basis' to deny the application.... Because Crimo was under 21 at the time [he wished to purchased a gun -- December 2019 --], state law required him to have the consent of a parent or guardian before he could own a firearm or ammunition.... State police had received a 'clear and present danger report' on Crimo after the September [2019] incident, but because at the time he did not have a pending application or an active permit, known as a FOID card, the agency ruled there was no action it could take. When reviewing Crimo's application less than six months later, state police officials once again decided there was nothing they could do -- this time, the agency said, because Crimo had a sponsor." ~~~
~~~ According to the report, the knives the police confiscated from the young man were returned when the father claimed the knives belonged to him. So Dad is just an all-around ass. I doubt he can be held responsible for aiding & abetting, but that's what he did.
~~~~~~~~~~
Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden on Tuesday honored four Vietnam-era soldiers for what he called 'acts of incredible heroism,' bestowing on them the Medal of Honor, America's highest military honor, nearly half a century after the end of the conflict in Southeast Asia. At a somber ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Mr. Biden recounted the acts of bravery of the four men, one of whom was killed in action in Vietnam just three months after he helped evacuate his platoon from a village while under heavy enemy fire." Video of the ceremony is here.
Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Democrats are sleep-walking into a disaster by failing to keep pace with the number of judges who are retiring. President Joe Biden's staff boasted at the end of last year that he had nominated and confirmed a historic number of judges to start off his term, but the president and Senate Democrats could leave more than 60 judicial vacancies at the end of this year -- and they may not have a chance to fill them once a new Congress is sworn in, argued legal expert Christopher Kang in a new column for Slate." MB: Yeah, well, let's hope Biden doesn't nominate any of Mitch's faves. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Nick Corasaniti & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The Justice Department sued Arizona on Tuesday over a new state law requiring proof of citizenship to vote in a presidential election, saying the Republican-imposed restrictions are a 'textbook violation' of federal law. It is the third time the department under Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has challenged a state's voting law and comes as Democratic leaders and voting rights groups have pressed Mr. Garland to act more decisively against measures that limit access to the ballot."
Return of the Spotted Owl. Matthew Daly of the AP: "A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a host of actions by the Trump administration to roll back protections for endangered or threatened species, a year after the Biden administration said it was moving to strengthen such species protections. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in Northern California eliminated the Trump-era rules even as two wildlife agencies under President Joe Biden are reviewing or rescinding the regulations. The decision restores a range of protections under the Endangered Species Act -- including some that date to the 1970s -- while the reviews are completed. Environmental groups hailed the decision, which they said sped up needed protections and critical habitat designations for threatened species, including salmon in the Pacific Northwest."
"Stand Back and Stand By." Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol plans to hold a hearing next Tuesday to reveal its findings about the connections between ... Donald J. Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election and the domestic violent extremist groups that helped to organize the siege on Congress. The panel announced that the session would take place on July 12 at 10 a.m. It is expected to be led by Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, and Representative Stephanie Murphy, Democrat of Florida, who plan to chart the rise of the right-wing domestic violent extremist groups that attacked the Capitol and how Mr. Trump amassed and inspired the mob. The panel also plans to detail known links and conversations between political actors close to Mr. Trump and extremists."
Katelyn Polantz & Ryan Nobles of CNN: "Sarah Matthews, who served as deputy press secretary in the Trump White House until resigning shortly after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, has been subpoenaed by the House select committee investigating the insurrection and has agreed to testify at an upcoming hearing, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation. Matthews has been subpoenaed to testify at a public hearing as early as next week, sources tell CNN. Matthews resigned the night of January 6, 2021, saying in a statement that she was honored to serve in Donald Trump's administration but 'was deeply disturbed by what I saw.'"
Eugene Scott of the Washington Post: "Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Tuesday shared profanity-filled threats and other obscenities that his office has received during the hearings by the House select committee into the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump supporters.... Kinzinger tweeted some of the recordings compiled by high school and college students interning for him this summer and invited readers to listen to the attacks. One caller said he hopes Kinzinger dies quickly, while another called him a lying backstabber for his participation on the committee. Callers left racist comments and disputed the facts of the investigation while wishing harm on the lawmaker's family."
Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "A Georgia grand jury has subpoenaed Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and members of Donald Trump's campaign legal team. In addition to the South Carolina Republican, the Fulton County special grand jury investigating Trump's efforts to overturn his loss has issued subpoenas to Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Cleta Mitchell, Kenneth Chesbro and Jenna Ellis, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The subpoenas were filed Tuesday and signed off by Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who is overseeing the grand jury and must approve summons for individuals who live out of state." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here.
Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Tuesday, Business Insider reported that ... Donald Trump is trying to sue a pair of former FBI officials who have been at the center of a number of right-wing conspiracy theories about the Russia investigation -- but that he has failed half a dozen times to locate them for service of the lawsuit. '... Donald Trump has been trying since March to serve former FBI officials Lisa Page and Peter Strzok with a 108-page lawsuit -- but hasn't been able to find either of them, according to new court papers,' reported Laura Italiano. 'Trump "has attempted service unsuccessfully six (6) times"' on both Page and Strzok, with the most recent attempts failing on June 30, his lawyers told a federal judge in Florida." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I don't know about Lisa Page, but it's odd that process servers can't find Strzok. He's a regular MSNBC contributor, and appeared just yesterday. I didn't see the TV at the time he was speaking (I was installing a stair rail), so I don't know if he was in-studio or phoning in from an "undisclosed location" (likely his living room), but, either way, he's not exactly elusive.
Beyond the Beltway
Illinois. Robert Klemko, et al., of the Washington Post: "The 21-year-old accused of opening fire on a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb [-- Highland Park --] planned the attack for weeks and used a legally purchased military-style weapon to kill seven and injure more than 30 people, police said, in the latest mass shooting to shake a traumatized nation. Authorities charged Robert E. Crimo III with seven counts of first-degree murder Tuesday but said there was no definitive motive for the rampage, which left this tranquil city of 30,000 reeling as it mourned the dead.... At a news conference near the parade route, Eric Rinehart, the Lake County state's attorney, pledged to pursue justice for the victims and called for a ban on assault-style weapons.... President Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at public buildings and military posts in the wake of the shooting as 'a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of gun violence perpetrated on our Independence Day.'" ~~~
~~~ Kim Bellware, et al., of the Washington Post: "The 21-year-old charged with opening fire at an Independence Day parade here had so alarmed his family with violent threats in 2019 that they summoned police, who confiscated more than a dozen knives and other sharp weapons from his home, authorities said Tuesday. Police were contacted in September 2019 by a relative who reported that Robert Crimo III had a collection of knives and 'said he was going to kill everyone,' said Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force. Police took the weapons but did not seek criminal charges.... Officers had also been called to the home earlier that year because of a reported suicide attempt by Crimo, Covelli said.... In the months after the two police visits, the suspected attacker acquired five firearms, including the powerful rifle police say he fired dozens of times into a crowd during Monday's holiday parade in this suburb of Chicago." An NBC News story is here. MB: So after you threaten to "kill everyone," it's legal to purchase guns & ammo. And wasn't his family the least bit alarmed that the kid kept buying guns? ~~~
~~~ Ken Tenbarge & Ben Collins of NBC News: "A YouTube channel with numerous videos featuring the suspect in Monday's Highland Park shooting posted clips that telegraphed violence, including one that appears to show the parade route that was targeted and another showing an animated shooting.... The most recent video on the 'zerotwo' channel, uploaded eight months ago, included a cartoon figure shooting people and a voice-over that implied violence. One of those videos, titled 'Robert Crimo Archive Footage: File XM058,' appears to show the site of the parade route that became the location of the deadly shooting...."
Mississippi. Ashton Pittman of the Mississippi Free Press: "Wednesday will be the last day the Jackson Women's Health Organization can provide abortions after a state court declined to block a near-total abortion ban from going into effect on Thursday, July 7. In court Tuesday morning, attorneys for the clinic asked the judge, Special Chancellor Debbra K. Halford, to block the state's 2007 trigger law from taking effect Thursday, July 7. When it does, the ban will 'prohibit abortions in the state of Mississippi' at any stage 'except in cases where necessary for the preservation of the mother's life or where the pregnancy was caused by rape.'"
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates Wednesday on developments in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "After sweeping through Luhansk, Russian forces are now gaining ground in the neighboring Donetsk region. Both are part of the prized industrial Donbas heartland of eastern Ukraine that Moscow is seeking to control. On Wednesday Donetsk's regional governor urged the area's 350,000 residents to evacuate as Russia intensifies its bombardment campaign.... [U.S.] Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Indonesia for a gathering of Group of 20 foreign ministers this week that will focus on food and energy security. A traditional one-on-one meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is not on the agenda, the State Department has said.... President Biden has read a letter written by WNBA star Brittney Griner, who said she fears indefinite detention in Russia." ~~~
~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Wednesday are here. The Guardian's summary of developments is here.
Palestine. Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "Palestinians expressed disappointment and anger at the United States on Tuesday, after Washington said it had concluded that Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist killed while reporting in the occupied West Bank, was likely shot unintentionally by a bullet fired from Israeli military lines. The American conclusion renewed Palestinian claims that the United States does not act as a fair broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, days ahead of a visit to the region by President Biden, who has not reversed several Trump administration moves that Palestinians deemed harmful to their hopes of independence.... By asserting that she was shot by accident, and that the fatal bullet was too damaged to match it with a specific rifle, the United States also signaled that it did not expect Israel to pursue criminal charges against any particular soldier." ~~~
~~~ Marie: How can you assign motive when you don't know who the shooter was?
U.K. Bye-Bye, Boris. Karla Adam & William Booth of the Washington Post: "Two of Boris Johnson's most senior cabinet ministers resigned on Tuesday, raising serious questions about Johnson's leadership and how long the British leader might cling to power. Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Sajid Javid, the health secretary, announced their departures within minutes of each other, making it clear they had lost confidence in Johnson's leadership." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The Guardian is live-updates developments here. It's not looking good for Boris.
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Reader Comments (14)
Where’s Randy?
You know he’s working hard; feverishly, no doubt, as is his wont. Or should that be want? Because his wont/want is the usual: “What about meeeeee?!”
Yes, it’s the littlest, douchiest, diver in the publicity dumpsters, Li’l Randy.
It’s been far too long between sightings of the self-certified eye poker. What with all the “good news” about women’s rights being stolen away by theocratic traitors, environmental protection being hollowed out, a giant orange baby shouting about how armed thugs are not here to hurt him, price gouging by oil companies, confederate plans to steal every election from now until Rapture, and Putin’s War, surely there must be something he can whine about or take undeserved credit for.
Can’t one of his neighbors pleeeeease attack him? Again?
How can a narcissistic little do-nothing shithead survive if the spotlight doesn’t illuminate his scowling greatness on a regular basis?
Just a reminder that while most of the GOP is involved in unconstitutional demolition of the country, the rest of them don’t do a bloody fucking thing except beat their chests and whine about made up bullshit.
But bad pennies and little randies always turn up eventually. Sorry to say.
The countdown is on…
And speaking of neighbors: I stopped to chat with one of mine yesterday––we hadn't seen each other for months and he asked how I was doing and I answered besides being sick and furious about the state of the states and the world's ills I was functioning.
"Oh my––you can't let the world's ills or anything else that's happening effect you like that! We have to get on with our own lives, don't you know" he replied.
Knowing he was once in love with Trump, I hesitated in getting into any kind of discourse so I said, "Looks like you are in fine spirits–-and I see you have another new dog."
As I continued on my walk I thought how much I wanted to wrestle him down on the ground and make him yell, "Uncle" but I refrained myself (unlike Randy's neigbor) and once again marveled how some really do live in a bubble that even if you poke it, it doesn't pop.
I concur about Orange Garbage Scow's inability to find Peter and Lisa-- I haven't seen Lisa in a long time, but Peter is apparently living in a penthouse on top of MSNBC and appears frequently...stupid people and ONLY stupid people work for Garbage Scow, so maybe they are looking behind houses and on desert islands...The stupid is breathtaking. However, they make up for it by whining and lying, 100% nonstop. Looking at you, Moscow Mitch... (And the Dems, except for the J6 committee, continue world-class Ostrichness.)
Maybe all these corrupt politicians on the right who are not able to distinguish between right and wrong (looking at you, crazy candidates in the west--) will fall off the edge of the flat earth... As Joe Scarborough says, all creeps and crackpots.
@Akhilleus: I too have been wondering what happened to Li'l Randy. I checked his O-fficial Website, and he hasn't been doing anything for a while except occasionally naming the small business of the week (last week or so it was Simon's Shoes of Henderson -- congratulations, Simon!). I think he must be taking some well-earned time off to go to the Aqua Buddha retreat or ready the compleat John Birch papers -- something like that.
Since the onset of Covid, I have learned to be a homebody. I don't mind it, but the fact is that, like everyone, I do have to leave the house from time to time.
This morning I went to the dentist, to the grocery store & to a couple of other businesses. As I got in my car to leave for the dentist, I wondered, "Is this the day some wacko will shoot me?" The thought of being a parent of young children in America the Unfsafe is sort of horrifying. What are you supposed to do? Keep your children in a windowless basement while you lie in wait on the first floor with your own AR-15? This, needless to say, is not a sustainable lifestyle.
On a brighter note, as I was driving home, I saw a yard sign for "Burns for Congress." "Burns" turns out to be some fat-fuck Trump loyalist, but I might confiscate one of his yard signs & frame it. Vandalism in the defense of vanity is no vice.
Nothing will be done about guns and mass shootings until one of the
supremes (and I don't mean the singers) gets shot at or shot.
And even then it will probably depend on which one got shot at.
Why do they think they need special protection from demonstrators?
The six of them should move to Marred-A-Lago and let big, brave
trump protect them
Do I sound negative? You betcha.
So Graham is going to fight the Georgia subpoena. I imagine it's those two words "under oath" that has caused the objection.
https://democraticunderground.com/100216892140
DeSantis signs bill requiring professors and students at public
universities to state their politics, or political thinking. If he
doesn't like the results, funding will be dropped.
Are we in Russia now? or China?
@Forrest Morris My question is what happens to a student who either refuses the questionaire or who writes "shove this crap". Will he be expelled?
It appears that DeSantolini never heard of Florida University, aka FU.
@Bobby Lee: I would assume that any students or faculty would
be clever enough to cross their fingers and swear that they're
DeFacistSantos supporters.
The whole information on the law isn't spelled out, which is the
Facist way.
All the Florida professors will probably just answer "the fifth". All the liberal teachers because they are worried about ending up on some right-wing list in the governor's mansion and all the winger professors will answer the same because they are paranoid that the Feds are already coming after them for the messed up thoughts in their heads.
Just to shine a light on whats ahead for Florida, the states largest teachers union says Florida has approximately 9000 vacant positions to fill with less than two months until classes start.
Low pay, expensive state, official harassment: What's not to like?
FL's teaching plan, absent 9000 teachers: videos.
First up: "The Story Of Noah".