June 6, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Alan Feuer & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "Enrique Tarrio, the former chairman of the Proud Boys, and four other members of the far-right group were indicted on Monday for seditious conspiracy in connection with the storming of the Capitol last January, the most serious criminal charges to be brought in the Justice Department's sprawling investigation of the assault. The sedition charges against Mr. Tarrio and his co-defendants -- Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola -- came in an amended indictment that was unsealed in Federal District Court in Washington. The men had already been charged in an earlier indictment filed in March with conspiring to obstruct the certification of the 2020 presidential election, which took place during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.... A charge of seditious conspiracy requires prosecutors to prove that force was used either to overthrow the government or to interfere with the execution of federal law." NPR's report is here.

Ready for Prime Time: Mike Allen of Axios: "The House's Jan. 6 committee has turned to a renowned former network news executive to hone a mountain of explosive material into a captivating multimedia presentation for a prime-time hearing Thursday. James Goldston -- former president of ABC News, and a master documentary storyteller who ran 'Good Morning America' and 'Nightline' -- has joined the committee as an unannounced adviser, Axios has learned.... I'm told Goldston is busily producing Thursday's 8 p.m. ET hearing as if it were a blockbuster investigative special."

Emily Brooks of the Hill: "Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos is working as an unpaid intern in the congressional office of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).... Yiannopoulos, who formerly worked at Breitbart, rose to prominence in the mid-2010s for his incendiary stances on feminism, Islam and other hot-button issues but fell out of public conversation after intense backlash. He was disinvited from the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2017 after a video circulated in which Yiannopoulos appeared to defend pedophilia. He was banned from Twitter in 2016 and from Facebook in 2019. Australia banned Yiannopoulos from entering the country in 2019 following comments he made about the Christchurch mass shooting at a New Zealand mosque. Last year, he announced that he is 'ex-gay.'" Yiannopoulos is a Brit, not an American citizen. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This could be a good thing. In December 2020, Yiannopoulos reportedly said he would devote "the rest of my life to the destruction of the Republican Party."

John Kruzel of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Monday turned away an appeal by a St. Louis couple whose law licenses were sanctioned after they pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters near their home in the summer of 2020.... The couple -- Mark and Patricia McCloskey -- brandishing an assault-style rifle and pistol became a potent symbol of America's culture war, drawing widespread condemnation, as well as praise from President Trump and Republican lawmakers.... The court's denial of the McCloskeys' petition for appeal Monday came in an unsigned order without noted comment or dissent. The move leaves intact the disciplinary sanctions against the McCloskeys, which includes the possible indefinite suspension of their law licenses if they commit any violations over a one-year probationary period that began last February." MB: Trump liked them so much, he gave them a speaking spot, via video, at the 2020 Republican convention.

Oliver Darcy of CNN: "The Washington Post has suspended reporter David Weigel for one month without pay for retweeting a sexist joke, two people familiar with the matter told CNN on Monday.... Weigel apologized publicly last week for the retweet, saying he 'did not mean to cause any harm.'... Weigel's retweet was spotlighted publicly by his colleague, Felicia Sonmez, who recently had a discrimination lawsuit against the paper dismissed, a decision her attorney has said she plans to appeal. Sonmez sarcastically wrote on Twitter on Friday that it is 'fantastic to work at a news outlet where retweets like this are allowed.' She attached a screen grab showing Weigel's retweet, which was of a tweet from YouTuber Cam Harless, who joked, 'Every girl is bi. You just have to figure out if it's polar or sexual.'" MB: Uh, not even funny. Did the Post suspend Weigel because his retweet was "inappropriate" or because the suspension would make them look better if Sonmez appeals the decision in her lawsuit? Newsrooms, in my experience, are hotbeds of sexism.

Arizona. Julian Mark of the Washington Post: "Sean Bickings pleaded for help as he struggled to stay afloat in a reservoir in Tempe, Ariz., late last month. But Tempe police officers watched without intervening as Bickings went underwater and did not come back up, according to city officials and a transcript of body-camera footage. 'I'm going to drown. I'm going to drown,' said Bickings, 34, according to a transcript of video from the May 28 incident released by city officials. 'Okay, I'm not jumping in after you,' an officer, identified as Officer 1 in the transcript, said moments later, after directing Bickings to grab onto a bridge.... Now, three Tempe police officers have been put on 'non-disciplinary paid administrative leave' as the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Scottsdale Police Department investigate the officers' response at the city of Tempe's request, city officials said."

U.K. Jill Lawless of the AP: "British Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a no-confidence vote on Monday, securing enough support from his Conservative Party to remain in office despite a rebellion that leaves him a weakened leader with an uncertain future. Known for his ability to shrug off scandals, the charismatic leader has struggled to turn the page on revelations that he and his staff repeatedly held boozy parties that flouted the COVID-19 restrictions they imposed on others. Support among his fellow Conservative lawmakers has weakened as some see the leader, renowned for his ability to connect with voters, increasingly as a liability rather than an asset in elections. Johnson won the backing of 211 out of 359 Conservative lawmakers, more than the simple majority needed to remain in power, but still a significant rebellion of 148 MPs. With no clear front-runner to succeed him, most political observers had predicted he would defeat the challenge."

~~~~~~~~~~

Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Key senators said Sunday there is growing momentum to forge a bipartisan congressional response to recent mass shootings that could toughen federal gun laws for the first time in a generation. But a deal is not yet in hand, they warned, and the delicate talks are expected to continue for several more days as negotiators seek to garner enough Republican support to get a compromise bill through the Senate. Should an agreement come together, it is certain to fall well short of the parameters that President Biden laid out in a White House address on Thursday, when he called for renewing the federal assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, as well as significantly expanding federal background checks for gun buyers and removing the firearms industry's immunity from lawsuits." MB: Yes, because one must treat Republicans "delicately." A related CNN story is here.

Ivana Saric of Axios: "... at least seven [mass shootings] have occurred over the weekend, resulting in the deaths of 11 people and injuries to 54 others." Saric runs down the incidents.

Arizona. Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "One of ... Donald Trump's hand-picked candidates is blaming mass shootings on Black people.... Blake Masters, a tech-bro and protégé to PayPal founder Peter Thiel, is taking a different turn to fix mass shootings. It's 'Black people, frankly,' the senate hopeful explained. He thinks that mass shootings are happening more frequently due to gang violence, which he associates with Black people. He told the Jeff Oravits Show that 'we do have a gun violence problem in this country, and it's gang violence.... It's people in Chicago, St. Louis shooting each other. Very often, you know, Black people, frankly,' Masters explained. 'And the Democrats don't want to do anything about that.'"

CBS News: Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) told CBS News' Robert Costa that the impetus for the Jan. 6 insurrection remains "a continuing threat." "'You know, we are not in a situation where former President Trump has expressed any sense of remorse about what happened,' Cheney said. 'We are in fact in a situation where he continues to use even more extreme language, frankly, than the language that caused the attack. And so, people must pay attention. People must watch, and they must understand how easily our democratic system can unravel if we don't defend it.'" She said the insurrection was part of a conspiracy: "It is extremely broad. It's extremely well-organized. It's really chilling."

** Along Came Trump. Bob Woodward & Carl Berstein in the Washington Post's Outlook: "As reporters, we had studied Nixon and written about him for nearly half a century, during which we believed with great conviction that never again would America have a president who would trample the national interest and undermine democracy through the audacious pursuit of personal and political self-interest. And then along came Trump.... In a deception that exceeded even Nixon's imagination, Trump and a group of lawyers, loyalists and White House aides devised a strategy to bombard the country with false assertions that the 2020 election was rigged and that Trump had really won. They zeroed in on the Jan. 6 session as the opportunity to overturn the election's result. Leading up to that crucial date, Trump's lawyers circulated memos with manufactured claims of voter fraud.... By legal definition [Trump's actions] is clearly sedition -- conduct, speech or organizing that incites people to rebel against the governing authority of the state. Thus, Trump became the first seditious president in our history." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

So Unfa-a-a-air! Taiyler Mitchell of Business Insider, via Yahoo! News: "Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert, of Texas, said Friday that the Peter Navarro indictment points to 'a two-tiered justice system.' 'If you're a Republican, you can't even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or they're coming after you,' Gohmert said during a Newsmax appearance.... 'They're gonna bury you. They're gonna put you in the DC jail and terrorize you and torture you,' the Texas official went on." Thanks to Patrick for the link. MB: I'm pretty much anti-torture, but if it's gotta happen, it couldn't happen to a more deserving person that Navarro. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Russia's bid to capture the key eastern city of Sievierodonetsk is faltering against a fierce Ukrainian counteroffensive that has reclaimed significant sections of the city.... Ukraine now controls 'large' parts of the city, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War reported.... If Sievierodonetsk falls, Russia and its local separatist allies would then capture all of Luhansk, one of two provinces in the industrial Donbas region. The other province, Donetsk, is already largely under Russian control.... Vladimir V. Putin maintained a confrontational stance on Sunday, issuing a thinly veiled threat that Russia would 'strike targets we haven't hit before' if the West were to continue supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here: "Britain said on Monday it will send Ukraine multiple-launch rocket systems that can strike targets up to 50 miles away, despite a threat from ... Vladimir Putin that Moscow would attack unspecified new targets if Ukraine was given longer-range weapons. The United States said last week it will send Ukraine rocket systems with a slightly shorter range than the systems to be sent by Britain.... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops on the front lines in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, including in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk, where officials accused Russia of shelling a humanitarian aid facility.... Rockets struck Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, for the first time in a month on Sunday. Russia claimed its missiles destroyed tanks and other armored vehicles sent to Ukraine by Eastern European allies, while Ukraine said the target was a railway repair facility. Ukraine's national soccer team lost an emotional game on Sunday, ending its World Cup dream after a dramatic war-delayed run that saw the country and its diaspora rally in support of the squad." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Monday are here.

Declan Walsh & Valerie Hopkins of the New York Times: "Russia has bombed, blockaded and plundered the grain production capacity of Ukraine, which accounts for one-tenth of global wheat exports, resulting in dire forecasts of increased hunger and of spiking food prices around the world. Now, the United States has warned that the Kremlin is trying to profit from that plunder by selling stolen wheat to drought-stricken countries in Africa, some facing possible famine. In mid-May, the United States sent an alert to 14 countries, mostly in Africa, that Russian cargo vessels were leaving ports near Ukraine laden with what a State Department cable described as 'stolen Ukrainian grain.' The cable identified by name three Russian cargo vessels it said were suspected of transporting it."

Jules Darmann of Politico: "Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Serbia Monday has been canceled, Russia's state-run Interfaxpress agency reported Sunday, after neighboring countries reportedly closed their airspace to his plane. Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro had all banned Lavrov's plane from their airspace, Serbian newspaper Danas reported.... The three countries banned Russian flights from their airspace as the results of sanctions against Moscow, which has waged war on Ukraine."

Koreas, U.S. Kim Tong-Hyung of the AP: "The U.S. and South Korean militaries launched eight ballistic missiles into the sea Monday in a show of force matching a North Korean missile display a day earlier that extended a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations. The allies' live-fire exercise involved eight Army Tactical Missile System missiles -- one American and seven South Korean -- that were fired into South Korea's eastern waters across 10 minutes following notifications for air and maritime safety, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Forces Korea."

Nigeria. Chinedu Asadu of the AP: "Gunmen opened fire on worshippers and detonated explosives at a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria on Sunday, leaving dozens feared dead, state lawmakers said. The attackers targeted the St. Francis Catholic Church in Ondo state just as the worshippers gathered on Pentecost Sunday, legislator Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole said. Among the dead were many children, he said. The presiding priest was abducted as well, said Adelegbe Timileyin, who represents the Owo area in Nigeria's lower legislative chamber."

** U.K. The Party's Over. New York Times: "Conservative lawmakers dealt Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain a potentially lethal blow to his leadership on Monday when they triggered a no-confidence vote that could force him from power a little more than two years after his landslide election victory. The move, announced by Graham Brady, who heads a committee of Conservative lawmakers, followed several months of crisis and comes amid claims that Mr. Johnson misled Parliament about lockdown-breaking parties held at Downing Street at the height of a coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this year Mr. Johnson became the first serving prime minister to be fined by the police for breaking the law for attending a gathering to celebrate his birthday. And last month a report by the senior civil servant, Sue Gray, painted a lurid picture of lawbreaking parties in Downing Street where staff members drank into the early hours, damaged property and on occasion fought with each other." This is a liveblog. ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's story is here. The Guardian's liveblog is here.

U.K. Karla Adam of the Washington Post: "Queen Elizabeth II delighted crowds on Sunday with a surprise appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, closing out the celebrations on the final day of her jubilee. Wearing a bright green outfit, the queen smiled and waved at the crowds below. She stepped out alongside Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Prince William and his wife Kate, and their children George, Charlotte and Louis.... The queen was last seen in public on Thursday, the first day of celebrations during her record-breaking platinum jubilee.... The queen's Sunday appearance wasn't scheduled.... She still managed to be the star of a concert at the palace on Saturday night, where she featured in a filmed sketch with Paddington Bear." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ At long last, we find out why Queen Elizabeth carries a purse wherever she goes: ~~~

Comments

[P.D. Pepe]

ONCE MORE ABOUT "THE WIRE":

After 20 years this series based on the idea that institutions don't change, is fitting.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/arts/television/the-wire-20th-anniversary.html

"It may be a bleak view, but it's hard to say two decades of history have proven it wrong. Local news outlets are on life support, or worse, American democracy is in danger of becoming optional. the financial crisis and the pandemic [and I would add the rash of shootings and the demise of the GOP] showed the atrophy of our systems of protection and trust."

And our mother country's Queen is seen having tea with a much beloved bear––both fancying Marmalade sandwiches and polite conversation. You just gotta love the Brit's way with pomp and circumstance no matter what is going on. At least in their country they can pretend so very well.

[Patrick]

Thoughts about gas pricing:

Last week I bought two separate petroleum products -- a five quart container of synthetic motor oil, and a 20-pound tank of propane for the grill.

The prices of those items were about the same as they were a year ago. With motor oil it is hard to gauge, because the prices are all over the map all the time. But "premium, branded, synthetic, 5W30 in a five quart container" is pretty much commodity priced. A 20 lb container of propane IS commodity priced, around this area.

So, if these products' prices are not hyperinflated like the price of gasoline, it appears that producers' costs are not driving price increases for petroleum products. Why are gasoline and diesel so high?

Maybe:
-- Like Marie says, the gasoline/diesel people are evil
-- Gasoline is like any addiction -- you need it when you need it and you will pay to get it, before you pay for baby shoes and car insurance
-- People want to travel more now that Covid is "gone" (hahahahah), another jones which requires gas, diesel or JP5 to stick in your (metaphorical) arm
-- If refiners see that "the future is electric", they will be less willing to invest in new capacity or maintenance of old. Supply remains tight and prices remain high.
-- You don't need to change the oil on your car right now -- let it ride. If the motor oil people jacked up the price like gas, they would sell much less oil.
-- Ditto grill propane. Unlike heating energy, if the price soared you would just forego that grill frisson.

All of which has to do with the price inelasticity of different sectors of the petroleum market.

But ... also ... becaue they're evil ... there seems to be a ratchet pattern to gas pricing, where the sellers hike the price to the moon for (reasons) and then drop it back to (more than it was before) and everyone feels better because the price went from criminally astronomical back down to (I guess I can live with this) which becomes the new standard. So people don't really change their driving habits. And they get used to paying more.

And pretty soon their engines seize because they never changed the oil.

(FWIW, Americans have always enjoyed lower gas prices and food prices, both absolute and relative to claims on income, than the rest of the developed world. But we don't "feel" that the global economy is now catching us up ... we "feel" like we are being screwed."

[Forrest Morris]

Price gouging isn't just petroleum products anymore. One example
is heavy whipping cream (I make my own ice cream).
It wasn't available in this area for 2 to 3 months; finally was able
to get it in May.
The price almost doubled from what it was last year. Were the cows
on strike and got higher wages?
Can't be long distance shipping. We live in dairyland, upper midwest.
The only thing that hasn't gone up would be investments.

[Bobby Lee]

@Patrick: Run of the mill 10W-30 is unchanged down here. BBQ grill gas likewise. We do a lot of grilling and then keep a tank for our hurricane season so I've been watching the price. I reckon there's not enough demand to make the hikes worthwhile.

[Akhilleus]

Gasoline price hikes are almost always a scam. A storm in the Gulf that shuts down a few rigs for 24 hours? Within minutes, gas prices in Massachusetts and Tennessee go up 10%. Oh, we had a problem with our production line! What? Production was paused on a few rigs for a matter of hours but that’s excuse enough to gouge the public for an extra half a billion dollars. Gotta pay for that fourth vacation mansion somehow.

[NiskyGuy]

The quarterly "earnings" reports of the petrol companies should be the first part of any gasoline price story. Start by showing where the money is going.

[RAS]

This morning I came across this "What Do Cops Do?" piece. Explains the Tempe Police, Uvalde Police and so many other police encounters pretty succinctly.
"Lots of very smart (and even more not-so-smart) people have tried, over the years, to answer the question of what cops are for—whether they exist to keep us safe, to fight crime, to protect property, to enforce racial hierarchies, etc. I pose a simpler question: What do cops do?

Having spent many years observing cop behavior, reading news about cops, and occasionally even asking them for help, I have come to a pretty simple but comprehensive answer: They do what is easy, and avoid what is difficult. Seen through that rubric, much cop behavior suddenly becomes much more explicable."

[Marie Burns]

@Nisky Guy: Excellent idea. And publish the annual incomes of some of the CEOs. They're obscene.