June 1, 2023

Afternoon Update:

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "Debate on a bipartisan bill to suspend the debt limit and impose spending caps moved on Thursday to the Senate, where leaders of both parties were racing to shut down efforts to derail it in time to clear it for President Biden's signature before a potential government default on Monday. The morning after the House overwhelmingly passed legislation, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said the Senate would remain in session until it approved the package. He warned lawmakers against engaging in brinkmanship before the so-called X-date, when Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen has said the government will run out of cash to pay its bills."

Summer Concepcion of NBC News: "The Senate voted largely along party lines Thursday on legislation to block President Joe Biden's student debt relief program after the measure cleared a key procedural hurdle in the chamber. The 52-46 vote to pass the legislation comes a day after senators took a similarly close vote to proceed to the measure, which would repeal Biden's debt relief program and end the administration's pause on federal student loan payments. A few moderate senators -- Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana and independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona -- voted with Republicans on the final passage vote as well as the motion to take up the measure. Just a simple majority of senators were needed to pass the legislation and send it to Biden's desk. But the White House warned in a Statement of Administration Policy last month that Biden would veto the resolution.... The House passed the measure last week in a 218-203 vote, largely along party lines.... The biggest test for Biden's student loan relief plan, however, could still be ahead. The U.S. Supreme Court, with its conservative majority, is expected to rule on two cases on Biden's debt relief plan this month."

Christopher Wiggins of the Advocate: "On the last day of May, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation Wednesday from the White House declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month. It comes amid a wave of conservative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. 'During Pride Month, we honor a movement that has grown stronger, more vibrant, and more inclusive with every passing year,' the proclamation read. 'Pride is a celebration of generations of LGBTQI+ people who have fought bravely to live openly and authentically. And it is a reminder that we still have generational work to do to ensure that everyone enjoys the full promise of equity, dignity, protection, and freedom.'"

Noam Scheiber of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that federal labor law did not protect a union from liability for damage that arose during a strike, and that a state court should resolve questions of liability. The majority found that actions during a strike by a local Teamsters union were not even arguably protected by federal law because the union took 'affirmative steps to endanger' the employer's property 'rather than reasonable precautions to mitigate that risk.' The opinion, written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Brett M. Kavanaugh. Three conservative justices backed more sweeping concurring opinions. A single justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented."

Florida. Greg Sargent & Paul Waldman of the Washington Post: In "conservative" Hernando County, Florida, parents push back against right-wing attacks on teachers. At a raucous school board meeting Tuesday night, "again and again, parents and students forcefully defended teachers. They cast the right's attacks, the censoring of educators and the removal of books as the real threats to education.... Things like this are happening all over. As Sarah Jones of New York magazine reports, liberal parents in states as far-flung as New York, North Carolina and Montana are organizing local groups, pressuring school boards and running for office to challenge the right's education takeover.... Nine Democratic governors representing nearly 9 million students have sent a letter to leading textbook companies decrying 'the negative impact that censorship and book-banning has on this nation's students.'"

Italy. Spy Boat. Elisabetta Povoledo & Ronen Bergman of the New York Times: "A weather warning ... had not foreseen the violence of the storm that burst over [Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy], with winds so extreme they sank a boat, killing four of its 23 passengers.... In subsequent days, the story took off in the Italian media when it emerged that 21 people on the boat were spies, or former spies -- including 13 from the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, and eight Italian ones.... Two of those who died belonged to Italy's intelligence service, according to a note issued by Italian intelligence, while Israel said that another victim had been a retired Mossad operative. The fourth victim, a Russian woman, had been married to the boat's skipper.... Adding to the intrigue, the surviving passengers appeared to have been spirited away from the lake within hours of the accident. The Mossad sent an aircraft to return the Israeli survivors home, and tried to prevent publication of details about the incident in Israel, according to two Israeli defense officials.... None of the survivors had identification documents with them when they gave statements about the accident to Italian military police officers on Sunday night. They said they had lost them when the boat capsized, prosecutors said."

~~~~~~~~~~

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed legislation negotiated by President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend the debt ceiling and set federal spending limits, as a broad bipartisan coalition lined up to cast a critical vote to pull the nation back from the brink of economic catastrophe. The bill would defer the federal debt limit for two years -- allowing the government to borrow unlimited sums as necessary to pay its obligations -- while imposing two years of spending caps and a string of policy changes that Republicans demanded in exchange for allowing the country to avoid a disastrous default. The 314-to-117 vote came days before the nation was set to exhaust its borrowing limit, and days after a marathon set of talks between White House negotiators and top House Republicans yielded a breakthrough agreement.... On the final vote, 149 Republicans and 165 Democrats backed the measure, while 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats opposed it." CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement is here.

     ~~~ Marianna Sotomayor, et al., of the Washington Post: The "bill ... now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers will rush to enact the legislation before Monday -- when the United States will no longer be able to pay its bills." ~~~

     ~~~ Li'l Randy to Force Dickensian Vote. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Conservative Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says he will force the Senate to vote this week on cutting total federal spending by 5 percent in each of the next two years, a proposal that could put popular programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act under scrutiny. Paul told reporters Tuesday that he would insist on a vote on his amendment in exchange for yielding back time on the Senate floor and giving leaders a chance to pass the debt-limit bill before the nation faces default next week."

~~~ Earlier That Same Day. Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The House was heading toward a final vote Wednesday night on a bipartisan plan that would suspend the nation's debt ceiling for two years, after the package cleared a major procedural hurdle as lawmakers raced to act before a looming June 5 default. With Republicans in revolt over the measure, it fell to Democrats to help clear the way for the legislation, in a 241-187 vote that reflected a bitter G.O.P. split over the compromise between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden.... In the end, 29 Republicans opposed the measure while 52 Democrats crossed party lines to support it." This is the top pinned item in a liveblog. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ella Nilsen of CNN: "Sen. Joe Manchin's monthslong effort to greenlight the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline -- a project that will pipe methane gas across parts of West Virginia and Virginia -- is likely to prevail in the bipartisan debt ceiling deal, angering environmental groups and some Democratic lawmakers. Manchin helped secure a provision in the deal that would compel federal agencies to approve all remaining permits for the approximately 300-mile natural gas pipeline, as well as shield the project from further litigation. The conservative Democrat from West Virginia, who has been critical of the Biden administration's environmental goals, praised the White House and congressional Republicans this week.... A White House official said the debt limit provision makes good on a compromise that the White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer struck with Manchin last year to secure his vote for the Inflation Reduction Act.... As recently as last month, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit had struck down permits for the project on the grounds that they violate the Clean Water Act."

** Wow! Katelyn Polantz, et al., of CNN: "Federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which ... Donald Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran, multiple sources told CNN, undercutting his argument that he declassified everything. The recording indicates Trump understood he retained classified material after leaving the White House, according to multiple sources.... On the recording, Trump's comments suggest he would like to share the information but he's aware of limitations on his ability post-presidency to declassify records, two of the sources said.... The July 2021 meeting was held at Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with two people working on the autobiography of Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows as well as aides employed by the former president, including communications specialist Margo Martin. The attendees, sources said, did not have security clearances that would allow them access to classified information." The document Trump was discussing in the meeting was apparently "a four-page report typed up by (Trump's former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) Mark Milley himself." He was showing it off waving it around (-- rustling papers can be heard on the tape) to try to contradict a story by Susan Glasser of the New Yorker. Read the whole story. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times story, by Maggie Haberman & others, is here. According to the Times, Ms. Martin "routinely taped the interviews he gave for books being written about him that year.... Ms. Martin was asked about the recording during a grand jury appearance.... Investigators have several if not all of the recordings of book interviews that Mr. Trump gave, according to two of the people familiar with the events. In one interview, Mr. Trump said he had taken 'nothing of great urgency' when asked if he had anything in his possession.... According to a person familiar with the document in question, the report was not written by General Milley and appears to date to an earlier period in the Trump administration, when Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...." The Guardian report, by Hugo Lowell, is here, and is quite carefully-reported, IMO. ~~~

     ~~~ Juan Cole of Informed Comment: "Trump, typically befuddled, misremembered the document as having been authored by Milley. Trump's incorrect impression that the plan was Milley's led Meadows to write in his memoir that Milley on several occasions urged war on Iran, which is certainly incorrect.... Trump's remarks on the tape create extreme legal jeopardy for him, since they reveal that he was aware that he possessed classified documents, and that he was not actually able any longer to declassify them. Moreover, the 'Secret' classification is a sweet spot for espionage prosecutions, [Hugo] Lowell [of the Guardian] points out, since a mere 'Confidential' classification is considered too trivial to bring charges over, while possession of a 'Top Secret' document might not be prosecuted for fear that the document itself would be exposed to the light of day." ~~~

     ~~~ "Lordy, There Are Tapes!" (And Witnesses!) Marcy Wheeler : "... this is the kind of document that the Saudis would pay billions of dollars for.... No matter what reason Trump originally stole this document, this incident shows how Trump was exploiting it: To prove a critic [-- in this case, Susan Glasser --] wrong.... And Trump had it, at least in part, to avenge what he perceived as a slight by Milley." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: An aside to the main story, which Andrew Weissmann said on MSNBC is a "game-over" moment if true, is the audience for Trump's undoing: they are two people who are working on Mark Meadows' "autobiography." Although Meadows himself was not in the meeting, he appears to have included the meeting in his "autobiography" as if he had been there. IOW, the "autobiographers" seem to have been sort of alter-egos, and Meadows has produced an "autobiography" he did not write, but in which he was where he wasn't. People quip that autobiography is the sincerest form of fiction; looks as Meadows set out to prove that. See also comments at the end of yesterday's thread. Here's a related segment featuring Weissmann:

Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "... recently, investigators ... appear to be pursuing a [question related to obstruction]: whether Mr. Trump and some of his aides sought to interfere with the government's attempt to obtain security camera footage from Mar-a-Lago that could shed light on how those documents were stored and who had access to them.... Investigators ... [have posed] questions to an expanding cast of low-level workers at the [Mar-a-Lago] compound.... Two weeks ago, the latest of these employees, an information technology worker named Yuscil Taveras, appeared before a grand jury in Washington.... Mr. Taveras was asked questions about his dealings with two other Trump employees: Walt Nauta, a longtime aide to Mr. Trump who served as one of his valets in the White House, and Carlos Deoliveira, described by one person familiar with the events as the head of maintenance at Mar-a-Lago.... Lawyer[s] representing Mr. Nauta and Mr. Taveras ... are being paid by Mr. Trump's political action committee, Save America, which itself has been under scrutiny by Mr. Smith's team."

William Rashbaum & Ben Protess of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump is asking the judge overseeing his criminal case in Manhattan to step aside, citing ties between the judge's family and Democratic causes, Mr. Trump's lawyers said in a statement Wednesday. The motion for recusal, which has not yet been filed publicly, represents the latest effort by Mr. Trump's lawyers to move his case away from the judge, Juan M. Merchan of State Supreme Court in Manhattan. The Trump legal team also recently sought to shift the case, brought by the Manhattan district attorney, to federal court. On Tuesday, the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, filed court papers opposing that effort, and he is expected to oppose the effort to get Justice Merchan to recuse himself." (Also linked yesterday.)

Oren Liebermann of CNN: "The Pentagon forced an Air Force base in Nevada to cancel a drag show at the start of Pride Month that had already been approved, according to three officials.... The drag show at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada was scheduled for June 1 and recognizes the importance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members and civilian personnel. According to a military official, it would have been the third annual drag show held at Nellis..., the Air Force's center for advanced fighter training.... Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken in support Pride Month in the military, saying in 2021 that 'LGBTQ+ citizens have fought to defend our rights and freedoms from the founding of our nation to the Civil War' and beyond. But he has drawn a line at allowing drag events or shows to be hosted at military bases, one of the officials said, making clear that DoD funds cannot be appropriated for such events."

Farnoush Amiri of the AP: "The chairman of the House Oversight Committee said Tuesday he is moving forward with holding FBI Director Chris Wray in contempt of Congress because the department has not turned over a bureau record that purports to relate to President Joe Biden and his family. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., criticized the federal law enforcement agency after he said his committee was told it would not gain access to an unclassified for that describes 'an alleged criminal scheme' involving the president and a foreign national.... The FBI said it offered to give the Oversight committee 'access to information responsive to the Committee's subpoena in a format and setting that maintains confidentiality and protects important security interests and the integrity of FBI investigations.' The bureau called that offer 'an extraordinary accommodation.'... 'This subpoenaed document, by definition, reveals nothing more than an unverified and unsubstantiated tip made to Donald Trump's Justice Department, which presumably led to no evidence of criminal wrongdoing,' Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the committee, said in a statement late Tuesday." (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's story is here.

Little Spud Quits. John Wagner of the Washington Post: "The national security adviser to Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has resigned after The Washington Post disclosed in a story that he presented Tuberville with the highly controversial strategy of stalling scores of senior military nominations in an attempt to stop a new Defense Department policy that helps ensure access to abortions for service members. In an email to colleagues Tuesday night obtained by The Post, Morgan Murphy shared that it was his last day working for Tuberville. 'Today is my last day with Coach, the best boss I've ever had,' Murphy wrote...." Politico's report, which broke the story, is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Turns out Little Spud was highly qualified to advise Sen. Potato Head, what with a career path that "included a stint at Vanity Fair, a tour in Afghanistan and multiple appearances on the home-shopping network QVC." Although his interests were eclectic, he often worked as a food critic. Uh, who somehow got a job at the Pentagon running social media accounts & soon became "the de facto press secretary" to the Secretary of Defense. Ben Terris of the Washington Post reports. ~~~

     ~~~ William Thornton of AL.com: "The brother of U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville is speaking out on social media, saying he is 'compelled to distance' himself from some of the lawmaker's recent statements. 'Due to recent statements by him promoting racial stereotypes, white nationalism and other various controversial topics, I feel compelled to distance myself from his ignorant, hateful rants,' Charles Tuberville stated in a Facebook post.... According to his website, Charles Tuberville is a singer/songwriter/guitar player based in Tulsa, Okla. who has been part of its music scene since the 1970s. Over his career, he's played with Leon Russell, Freddie King, Bobby Keys, Johnny Winter, Delbert McClinton, Jimmy Vivino, Kenny Neal, B.B. King and others."

But He Seems Like Such a Lovely Fellow. Will Sommer of the Washington Post: "In February, conservative undercover-video activist James O'Keefe left the nonprofit he founded, Project Veritas, amid a dispute with his board over his spending and treatment of employees.... Then ... O'Keefe told Donald Trump adviser turned podcaster Stephen K. Bannon that he had been 'removed,' and announced on radio host Mark Levin's show that he had been 'ousted.'... Project Veritas insists that its founder remained an employee until barely two weeks ago -- even as he set up a rival organization. Now Project Veritas is alleging [in a lawsuit] that O'Keefe broke a nondisparagement clause and other parts of his employment contract during his messy exit from the organization.... The board investigated allegations that O'Keefe screamed at his subordinates during meetings and used employees for personal errands, such as cleaning his boat, among other claims."

Alexa, Get Me $25MM. Natasha Singer of the New York Times: "Amazon agreed on Wednesday to pay a civil penalty of $25 million to settle federal charges that it kept sensitive information collected from children for years, including their precise locations and voice recordings, in violation of a children's online privacy law. It was the latest legal action in an intensifying regulatory effort to require some of the world's largest tech platforms to better safeguard their younger users. The case, brought by the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department, centers on Amazon's handling of the personal details it collected from children who conversed with Alexa, the company's voice-activated virtual assistant." MB: Seems like a fairly puny fine.

Presidential Race 2024

Jill Colvin of the AP: "Former Vice President Mike Pence will officially launch his widely expected campaign for the Republican nomination for president in Iowa next week.... Pence will hold a kickoff event in Des Moines on June 7, the date of his 64th birthday, according to two people familiar with his plans.... He is also expected to release a video message as part of the launch." MB: To celebrate, I plan to go out in the front yard & wave a couple of those teeny American flags people put on July 4th cakes. (Also linked yesterday.)

Jill Colvin of the AP: "Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to launch a Republican presidential campaign next week in New Hampshire. Christie, who also ran in 2016, is planning to make the announcement at a town hall Tuesday evening at Saint Anselm College's New Hampshire Institute of Politics, according to a person familiar with his thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm Christie's plans." MB: I see by the Googles that St. Anselm's is 23 minutes from my house. I should drive right over there & cheer on Chrisco. (Also linked yesterday.)

Meredith McGraw of Politico: "In 2026, the U.S. will celebrate the semiquincentennial: the quarter millennial since its declaration of independence. To commemorate the anniversary, [Donald] Trump is proposing a blowout, 12-month-long 'Salute to America 250' celebration. In a new policy video, Trump calls for a 'Great American State Fair,' featuring pavilions from all 50 states, nationwide high school sporting contests, and the building of Trump's 'National Garden of American Heroes' with statues of important figures in American history like Frederick Douglass and Amelia Earhart.... The biggest part of Trump's yearlong party plans is a massive fair -- like a modern world's fair -- showcasing each state. Trump suggests the event 'could be' held at the Iowa state fairgrounds, a conspicuous suggestion that seems designed to appeal to voters in the first caucus state."

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. Morgan Lee of the AP: "A failed political candidate has been indicted on federal charges including election interference in connection with a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque, according to a grand jury indictment that was unsealed Wednesday. The indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque takes aim at former Republican candidate Solomon Peña and two alleged accomplices with additional conspiracy and weapons-related charges in connection with the shootings in December 2022 and January of this year on the homes of four Democratic officials, including the current state House speaker. The attacks came amid a surge of threats and acts of intimidation against election workers and public officials across the country after ... Donald Trump and his allies spread false claims about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election."

Oklahoma. Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down two of the state's abortion bans enacted last year and, in a 6-3 decision, affirmed the right to terminate a pregnancy in life-threatening situations. Abortion remains largely inaccessible in the state despite Wednesday's decision, due to a 1910 ban that makes exceptions for the life of the pregnant person. The high court's ruling affects a pair of laws passed in 2022 that were modeled on a novel legal strategy from Texas that created a civil enforcement mechanism -- decried by abortion rights advocates as a 'bounty' system. The system enabled private citizens to sue for up to $10,000 in damages any individual who performed or enabled an abortion."

Texas. David Montgomery of the New York Times: "Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Wednesday named John Scott, a longtime ally and a former Texas secretary of state, to serve as an interim replacement for the suspended attorney general, Ken Paxton, while Mr. Paxton faces trial in the State Senate. Mr. Paxton was impeached by the state House of Representatives on Saturday over charges that he had used his elected position to benefit himself and a campaign donor. Mr. Abbott, in a statement announcing his decision, said he chose Mr. Scott to 'step in as a short-term' replacement while Mr. Paxton battles 20 articles of impeachment in a Senate trial expected to start late this summer."

Way Beyond

Latvia. Rachel Pannett of the Washington Post: "Lawmakers in Latvia have chosen Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics as the country's new president, making him the first openly gay head of state in the European Union. The 49-year-old's election -- which was finalized as the Latvian capital of Riga was kicking off Pride celebrations -- was celebrated by gay rights activists across Europe. It also highlights the widening gulf between Latvia, which was occupied by the Soviet Union for about a half-century, and Russia. The war in Ukraine has brought increasingly harsh tactics against gay Russians at home. The Kremlin has tightened restrictions on LGBTQ 'propaganda,' an Russian lawmakers are considering legislation that would ban gender-reassignment surgery."

Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Thursday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Thursday is here: "An early-morning airstrike on Ukraine's capital killed three people, including a child, on International Children's Day, officials said. Preliminary information suggests that cruise and ballistic missiles were used in the attack, authorities said, and there was little time for citizens to seek shelter after the air raid alarm sounded. At least one of the victims died after finding the nearest bomb shelter locked. The governor of Russia's Belgorod region reported fresh strikes in the area overnight and blamed Ukraine's armed forces.... The United States does not support or encourage attacks inside Russia, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday, a day after a drone attack in a civilian area of Moscow. In contrast, German and British officials have indicated support for Ukraine's right to self-defense, though Ukrainian officials have denied responsibility for the Moscow drone attack.... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Moldova for a summit of 47 heads of state and government, including those from the European Union and its allies."

Joby Warrick & Evan Hill of the Washington Post: "Iran is arming militants in Syria for a new phase of lethal attacks against U.S. troops in the country, while also working with Russia on a broader strategy to drive Americans from the region, intelligence officials and leaked classified documents say. Iran and its allies are building and training forces to use more powerful armor-piercing roadside bombs intended specifically to target U.S. military vehicles and kill U.S. personnel, according to classified intelligence reports obtained by The Washington Post. Such attacks would constitute an escalation of Iran's long-running campaign of using proxy militias to launch rocket and drone strikes on U.S. forces in Syria."

U.K. Larry Summers Disses Brexit. Joanna Partridge of the Guardian: "Brexit will be remembered as a 'historic economic error', which damaged the UK economy and has helped to drive inflation higher, according to the former US treasury secretary Larry Summers. Singling out Britain's departure from the EU as a factor for higher costs, Summers also criticised the UK's economic policy as 'substantially flawed for some years'. Brexit 'reduced the competitiveness of the UK economy, put downwards pressure on the pound and upwards pressure on prices, limited imports of goods and limited in some ways the supply of labour,' Summers told BBC Radio 4's Today programme." MB: Larry is always so diplomatic. Then again, he's most likely correct here.

Comments

[Marie Burns]

Recently, I watched a British teevee series that ran in the 1980s but depicted stories written (by a well-respected female writer) in the 1970s. In it, the husband in the family -- who was supposed to be a good family man -- would snap at his wife and belittle his young-adult daughters. In one scene, the husband is sitting reading the newspaper and the doorbell rings. He calls to the wife -- who apparently is working in the kitchen -- to get the door. And she does.

Then this morning, I came upon a magazine-type illustration of a family scene in which a worker is doing home improvements on the kitchen. The husband, who is wearing a suit & tie, presumably because he'll be going to his office job shortly -- is sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast and looking angrily at the newspaper, while the wife is standing nearby, dishing up his eggs at bacon, which she has cooked on a hot plate to keep out of the way of the home-improvement guy. The husband is seemingly oblivious to the chaos that is going on around him.

I suspect these scenes are not realizations of an ideal but a depiction of reality in those times. Even though my own father didn't snipe at my mother, belittle us children or scowl at the newspaper, I am wondering if that wasn't the norm -- the accepted norm. That is, I think life was tougher on the mothers of the day than I realized, even though I lived through and -- at least in part -- observed it.

So if you are wondering why there was a "sexual revolution" and why men even today can't accept their "fall" from being "kings of their own castles," these illustrations may be instructive.

[ForrestMorris]

https://democraticunderground.com/10143081024

AI industry and researchers warn of 'extinction' rise, or global
annihilation.

Isn't artificial intelligence better than no intelligence at all?

Methinks we might have a little bit of artificial intelligence in our
Congress, or maybe no intelligence at all.

Artificial Intelligence would only be what was programmed into it
by human beings. Hopefully the programmers won't be of the 'R'
persuasion.

[Ken Winkes]

Forrest,

Yup, except for AI's penchant for making stuff up (sooo Republican) intelligence of any kind couldn't hurt.

From a friend this AM:

AI Haiku

Amidst the stillness,
Tall trees whisper ancient tales,
Nature’s symphony.

This is probably the end of human haiku competitions.

Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.
---Socrates

[Marie Burns]

@Forrest Morris: If the AI programmers are incels, as the common stereotype would have it, we're all in trouble, especially female persons like me.

[Akhilleus]

Marie,

The scenes you describe are still what is considered the norm, or should be the norm, in Traitor Land. Just look at the abusive, misogynistic asshole they all revere.

I read a review of a “book” “written” by Josh (Feets don’t fail me now) Hawley. Can’t remember the name exactly, something like Real Men Have Big Balls or Masculine Men or some such. It apparently—and unsurprisingly—is a lengthy finger wagging pseudo-religious screed about how men are no longer MEN, as imagined by Little Josh when he was 8 and watching John Wayne movies where women were window dressing, there for cooking, cleaning, and sex, and the MEN, the Brave, Masculine Men saved the world.

Zzzzzzzzzz…

Little Josh admonishes men to grab their dicks and strut around like the Kings Jesus meant them to be.

According to the reviewer, Hawley mentions his wife only once or twice in the book, and then only in passing. She’s there to admire and serve, and keep her mouth closed.

As for bravery, we’re talking about a pusillanimous weasel who shows up at the J6 riot to give the white power salute, egging on the violence, then makes like Jesse Owens to run away as fast as possible when shit starts getting real.

It’s not just the misogyny that’s appalling, although it is, it’s the belief that Real Men should behave like one dimensional fantasy cartoon characters. This confusion about what makes a man and a woman, wrapped up in religious and mythological bullshit also plays a role in their fear and loathing of LGBTQ and trans people.

“He can’t be a she! If he becomes a she, does that mean I might be a she tooooo? Oh noooo!” And “This girl doesn’t like me? Me!? Who is such a manly man? She likes…GIRLS? Help me Jesus!”

The kind of manliness worshipped by such as Josh Hawley is based not in bravery and strength, but in fear and cowardice. Fear of something you don’t understand, fear that you might not measure up to John Wayne fantasy figures, and cowardice that prevents you from finding out, and maybe helping those who are vulnerable and could use some support. You know…like a real man.

But they don’t want to understand. Fear and cowardice point them in the only direction the fearful and the cowardly are likely to run. Beat these people into the ground, pass laws against them, attack them, deny them healthcare. I have no doubt that this incredibly toxic idea of masculinity plays a role in the plague of gun violence. “Shut up, bitch! See this? I got a gun. A big one! And lots of ‘em! Because I’m a MAAAAANNNN.”

Because it’s always so manly to beat on (and shoot) the vulnerable and the powerless.

The funny thing is, their hero (second behind Trump, that is) Jesus, said that these are the people who most need our help.

I’m sure they give themselves a pass on that. Besides, they don’t time for that peace, love, and understanding crap. It’s time to tan their testicles like that other Manly Man, TuKKKums instructed, so’s they can get themselves some submissive chick and start making lots of white babies.

The shadowy, warped, twisted mentalities that reign in the right would provide source material for decades of psychoanalytic research.

[Akhilleus]

“Senator” Potato Head’s brother is right to distance himself from that racist rant machine.

I had meant, last week, to call attention to comments Potato Head had made while swanning around with (*sniff* *snort*) Junior on the latter’s radio show, podcast, spittoon alert, or whatever medium he uses to spread his coke-fueled imprecations, but the the battalion of bounders on the right is littered with such a plethora of piñatas, just begging for the stick that this particular idiocy fell through the cracks.

On this day, Potato Head felt it was important to let his white supremacist KKK pals understand that he knows how stupid black people are and how they get everything handed to them. This from a guy who became wealthy by sending kids on a field to knock each other down. Clio, the Muse of History, has a special place in her heart for such extraordinary excellence in human achievement.

Anyway, while running down the usual tired traitor traducements, Potato Head hit on education, because, as we all know education—the very existence of education—is scary to the bigoted big mouths.

Referring to what he, in his esteemed intellectual wisdom, described as terrible teachers, Potato Head declared that “Most of them [are] in the inner city, I don’t know how they got degrees…”

And just in case Joe Bob Bentdick, the local Grand Wizard, didn’t get what he meant, PH helpfully added the following:

“I don’t know whether they can read and write. And they want a raise. They want less time to work, less time in school. It’s just, we’ve ruined work ethic in this country. We don’t work at it anymore. We push an easy life.”

Translation: them lazy darkies is stupid. Can’t read, can’t write, must’ve got degrees handed to them. And now they want more money and more time off to drive their Cadillacs and eat watermelon.

Yeah. We got it.

This opinion must come as a surprise (though probably not) to the hundreds of young black men that Potato Head used to make himself a multi-millionaire, the kids who put their bodies on the line as football cannon fodder to make him famous enough to slide, with zero qualifications, into a cushy, do nothing job in the senate. Talk about something for nothing. And how ‘bout that work ethic! It’s tough having to rant along with doucheclamps like Junior (in between snorts).

Naturally, later, he said his comments were “misunderstood”. Because of course they were. Either that or he was just joking, right? The two most popular phrases used by right-wing pricks to try to avoid All Star Asshole status.

Too late. Historic levels of Assholeism assured.

Time to mash this potato.

https://www.al.com/news/2023/05/tuberville-on-inner-city-teachers-i-dont-know-whether-they-can-read-and-write.html?outputType=amp

[Marie Burns]

@Akhilleus: Yes, I have often wondered at the shear dissonance that must run through the addled minds of Republican women, particularly those who have used liberal notions of equality to achieve high public office in one way or another. They must have to endure the worst sort of discriminatory remarks from their own voters and their fellow (and I mean "fellow") legislators. "Well, Little Lady, senator is no job for a woman, but I voted for you anyways because you're a damned sight better than that nancy-boy Demycrat what ran against you." And you just have to grin & thank him for his vote, while wondering in the back of your mind if maybe that ole boy is right. You should be down on the farm slopping the hogs & stirring up pork chops for the menfolks. They'll always be second-class citizens.

If I were a Democratic legislator, I would be constantly goading and prodding -- subtly, of course -- the female Republicans every time a Republican man says something sexist -- which is often.

[Akhilleus]

“If I were a Democratic legislator, I would be constantly goading and prodding -- subtly, of course -- the female Republicans every time a Republican man says something sexist -- which is often.”

Quite.

But most won’t do it.

And fuggedabout the MSM pointing this out. For every hundred cases of right-wing misogyny, they’ll call upon the magic get out of jail free card: Bill Clinton.

Yeah, Clinton was a cheating asshole, but what he did was not the same as rape, which they excuse. Not to mention child marriage.

[Akhilleus]

“Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said the Senate would remain in session until it approved the package. He warned lawmakers against engaging in brinkmanship.”

I’m hoping Chuck is a nice guy because he’s a terrible judge of character and apparently not very observant. He’s like the lookout on the Titanic:

“Any problems ahead?”

“Nope. A little ice maybe, but we’re good.”

In most circumstances I’d say warning the Traitors not to play games is like instructing the tide not go in and out (Bill O’Reilly still doesn’t know how that works).

But I’m guessing that the Party of Traitors’ masters, corporate chieftains and billionaires like Clarence Thomas’s owner Harlan Crow, let it be known that defaulting on the debt would cost them money. A shitload of money. So “Fuck off with that default business.”

The deal probably went along these lines: “Okay, you can let your Freedom Cock-up bomb throwers vote no so they can brag to their imbecile constituents that they stood up to Demycrap spending for minorities, heathens, and immigrants, but we need enough votes to pass this thing, or else.”

I’m sure traitors in the senate got the same memo.

Schumer (not to mention Feinstein) is a perfectly competent pol for a pre-2000 Congress. We need 21st C pols who appreciate the danger that treason, idiocy, misogyny, racism, white supremacy, hatred, violence, and Trumpism inflict on the nation. In other words, we don’t need a guy with a push mower. We need someone with a bush hog* and industrial strength weed killer.

*If you don’t know what a bush hog is, don’t feel bad. I didn’t either until I moved down south. It’s like when I first got here, I’d drive by bars that had signs out front advertising “Cornhole Tonight”. I’d think, WTF kind place is this? In a bar?

[Akhilleus]

To continue on with the quotidian misogyny on the right, I refer to the recent documentary about Clarence and GinniThomas on Frontline.

It seems that pert way through his ascension to political-judicial sainthood, his SCOTUS nomination hearings, the accusations about sexual abuse leveled by law professor Anita Hill (and other women who were never allowed to speak…sound familiar, Bart?) shook Thomas. His firmer boss, Sen. John Danforth, found Thomas curled up in a fetal position.

The problem was the disconnect between what he had done and the actual result of what he had done. Despite denying every reference to Long Dong Silver and takes of finding a pubic hair on a Coke can, as well as abuse and harassment directed at Professor Hill, Thomas maintained, much like Trump still does, that he did nothing wrong. He believed that asking a woman her bra size and taking about big dick porn stars was a perfectly okay thing to do. I mean, what’s the problem here?

So many men seem to unequivocally support the idea that sexual harassment is no big deal, it’s no wonder a guy of Clarence’s age would never want to discuss this topic or give it oxygen, thereby forcing this outcome onto Democratic cowardice, holding fast to Republican Party taking points, lies.

Jesus. All the lies make you didnt