The Ledes

Friday, September 27, 2024

New York Times: “Maggie Smith, one of the finest British stage and screen actors of her generation, whose award-winning roles ranged from a freethinking Scottish schoolteacher in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' to the acid-tongued dowager countess on 'Downton Abbey,' died on Friday in London. She was 89.”

The Washington Post's live updates of developments related to Hurricane Helene are here: “Hurricane Helene left one person dead in Florida and two in Georgia as it sped north. One of the biggest storms on record to hit the Gulf Coast, Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend area on Thursday night as a Category 4 colossus with winds of up to 140 mph before weakening to Category 1. Catastrophic winds and torrential rain from the storm — which the National Hurricane Center forecast would eventually slow over the Tennessee Valley — were expected to continue Friday across the Southeast and southern Appalachians.” ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates are here.

Mediaite: “Fox Weather’s Bob Van Dillen was reporting live on Fox & Friends about flooding in Atlanta from Hurricane Helene when he was interrupted by the screams of a woman trapped in her car. During the 7 a.m. hour, Van Dillen was filing a live report on the massive flooding in the area. Fox News viewers could clearly hear the urgent screams for help emerging from a car stuck on a flooded road in the background of the live shot. Van Dillen ... told Fox & Friends that 911 had been called and that the local Fire Department was on its way. But as he continued to file the report, the screams did not stop, so Van Dillen cut the live shot short.... Some 10 minutes later, Fox & Friends aired live footage of Van Dillen carrying the woman to safety, waking through chest-deep water while the flooding engulfed her car in the background[.]”

The Wires
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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.”

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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Tuesday
Jun062023

June 6, 2023

Late Afternoon Update:

More Bad News for Trump. Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "Mark Meadows, the final White House chief of staff under ... Donald J. Trump and a potentially key figure in inquiries related to Mr. Trump, has testified before a federal grand jury hearing evidence in the investigations being led by the special counsel's office, according to two people.... Mr. Meadows is a figure in both of the two distinct lines of inquiry being pursued by the special counsel appointed to oversee the Justice Department's scrutiny of Mr. Trump, Jack Smith. One inquiry is focused on Mr. Trump's efforts to cling to power after losing the 2020 election culminating in the attack by a pro-Trump mob on the Capitol.... The other is an investigation into Mr. Trump's handling of hundreds of classified documents after he left office and whether he obstructed efforts to retrieve them. It is not clear precisely when Mr. Meadows testified or if investigators questioned him about one or both of the cases." ~~~

~~~ Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "The latest twist in the inquiry into ... Donald J. Trump's handling of classified documents is the surprise revelation that a previously unknown federal grand jury in Florida has recently started hearing testimony in the case. The grand jury in Florida is separate from the one that has been sitting for months in Washington.... Among those who have appeared before the Washington grand jury in the past few months or have been subpoenaed by it ... are more than 20 members of Mr. Trump's Secret Service security detail.... It is an open question why prosecutors impaneled the Florida grand jury -- which is sitting in Federal District Court in Miami -- and whether it is now the only one hearing testimony.... Legal experts and people familiar with the inquiry suggested that there could be a number of reasons Mr. Smith may have chosen to use a grand jury in Florida for at least some elements of the case....

"A Florida jury might prove to be more sympathetic to Mr. Trump than a Washington jury. And the judges in the Southern District of Florida -- among them Aileen M. Cannon, who made an unusual decision to pause the investigation in its early stages to have an outside arbiter review the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago -- might be more inclined to rule in Mr. Trump's favor than those in Washington."

Presidential Race 2024. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey who was eclipsed by Donald J. Trump in the 2016 presidential primaries, filed paperwork on Tuesday saying that he would seek the 2024 Republican nomination, setting up a rematch with the former president and expanding the field of G.O.P. candidates. In making a second run for the presidency, Mr. Christie, 60, has positioned himself as the person most willing to attack both Mr. Trump, his former friend turned adversary, and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who has been in second place in nearly every public Republican primary poll for months.... Mr. Christie, who is set to announce his run at a town-hall-style event in New Hampshire Tuesday evening, has already begun laying out an aggressive case against Mr. Trump...."

Marie's Sports Report. Rick Maese & Matt Bonesteel of the Washington Post: "After months of acrimony that stretched from tee boxes to court rooms, the PGA Tour and its deep-pocketed Saudi-funded rival, LIV Golf, announced Tuesday they are merging operations, bringing an end to a bitter feud that divided the golf world and revamped the economics underpinning the sport. The stunning announcement came after months of pointed rhetoric and heated debate about the human rights record of the breakaway tour's Saudi backers. It also came amid ongoing litigation between LIV and the PGA Tour.... The two sides have agreed to mutually end 'all pending litigation between the participating parties,' the organizations said in a Tuesday morning statement announcing the agreement, which also includes the DP World Tour, a Europe-based league. The three organizations will combine to create a new for-profit commercial entity...." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times is liveblogging developments here. Andrew Das wrote in an item, "A group of relatives of people killed on Sept. 11 issued a blistering criticism of the planned merger between the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series and the PGA Tour, calling the tour and its commissioner 'paid Saudi shills' for agreeing to it.... Critics of Saudi Arabia frequently deride its investments in teams and leagues as 'sportswashing' and say it is a thinly veiled effort to rehabilitate the kingdom's reputation amid accusations that it has financed terrorism and murdered a Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. [9/11 Families United chair Terry] Strada criticized [PGA Commissioner Jay] Monahan for 'co-opting' the 9/11 community last year in the PGA Tour's initial and strident opposition to the Saudi-backed golf tour, only to cut a merger deal this week. 'Mr. Monahan talked last summer about knowing people who lost loved ones on 9/11, then wondered aloud on national television whether LIV golfers ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour,' Strade wrote. 'They do now -- as does he. PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Like all professional sports organizations, the PGA is a for-profit corporation. Corporations may be people, my friend, but like many people, they only pretend there's such a thing as "corporate morality," and it exists, in the most malleable of forms, only insofar as it's convenient. If you encourage your children or others to participate in or "root for" a sports team, you are encouraging them to fail -- to fall for a careless, avaricious gang whose corporate model is designed to betray them.

~~~~~~~~~~

Luke Broadwater & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "House Republicans said on Monday that they would move this week to hold the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, in contempt of Congress, escalating their attacks on the federal law enforcement agency as they grasp for evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden. Representative James R. Comer, the Kentucky Republican who is chairman of the Oversight Committee, made the announcement after summoning F.B.I. officials to Capitol Hill for a closed-door briefing on a document containing an unverified allegation of bribery against Mr. Biden when he was vice president. The Trump Justice Department investigated the allegation, which involved his son Hunter Biden's dealings in Ukraine, in 2020, but prosecutors could not substantiate the claims, according to two people familiar with the matter.... On Monday, [Mr. Comer] asserted that the allegation 'has never been disproven.' At the chairman's insistence, Mr. Wray's team brought the document to a secure area of the Capitol on Monday and briefed Mr. Comer and Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the committee's top Democrat, on it for about 90 minutes. But Mr. Comer complained afterward that the agency, citing concern about protecting the identity of the informant, declined to allow other members of the committee to view it." Politico has a story here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Gosh darn, the FBI failed to prove a negative. Contemptuous! I like the way Comer doggedly insists upon proving and proving again that he's a dimwit. ~~~

     ~~~ Perry Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "The FBI and Justice Department under then-Attorney General William P. Barr reviewed allegations from a confidential informant about Joe Biden and his family, and they determined there were no grounds for further investigative steps, according to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and other people familiar with the investigation. Raskin revealed the information about the investigation after he and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Monday reviewed a document containing details of the allegation. That document has been at the center of a weeks-long back and forth between the FBI and Comer, who last month sought to force the agency to produce the document via a subpoena.... The allegation contained in the document was reviewed by the FBI at the time and was found to not be supported by facts, and the investigation was subsequently dropped with the Trump Justice Department's sign-off.... After the two lawmakers reviewed the document in a secure area on Capitol Hill on Monday, Comer announced that House Republicans would still pursue holding FBI Director Christopher A. Wray in contempt of Congress." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: "Not supported by the facts"? Facts, scmacks, sez Comer. Contemptuous!

On the Trumpwatch. Jacqueline Alemany, et al., of the Washington Post: "Attorneys for Donald Trump went to the Justice Department on Monday morning to make their case that the government should not charge the former president in connection with his possession of classified documents after leaving office, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump lawyers Lindsey Halligan, John Rowley and James Trusty spent about two hours at the Justice Department and left without speaking to reporters. They met with Justice Department personnel including special counsel Jack Smith and a senior career official, but not Attorney General Merrick Garland or Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, said people familiar with the matter.... While it is not uncommon in high-profile cases for defense lawyers to get such a meeting with Justice Department officials toward the end of an investigation, current and former officials say such presentations rarely change prosecutors' minds. Two Trump advisers ... said they are preparing for a potential indictment of the former president, and the meeting did not change their expectations." The CBS News report, which broke the story, is here. (Also linked yesterday evening.) ~~~

     ~~~ Devlin Barrett, one of the reporters on the above-linked story, said on MSNBC Monday night that it was his understanding that "the meeting did not go particularly well" for Trump's lawyers. Meanwhile, Andrew Weissmann, also appearing on MSNBC, said he expects an indictment in the documents case this week. Since it's likely that Weissmann, a former top federal prosecutor, has sources inside DOJ, so his opinion could be more than an educated guess.

Plan C: Let's Drain the Pool & Flood the Servers! Katelyn Polantz, et al., of CNN: "An employee at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence drained the resort's swimming pool last October and ended up flooding a room where computer servers containing surveillance video logs were kept, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. While it's unclear if the room was intentionally flooded or if it happened by mistake, the incident occurred amid a series of events that federal prosecutors found suspicious. At least one witness has been asked by prosecutors about the flooded server room as part of the federal investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents, according to one of the sources.... Prosecutors have heard testimony that the IT equipment in the room was not damaged in the flood, according to one source. Yet the flooded room as well as conversations and actions by Trump's employees while the criminal investigation bore down on the club has caught the attention of prosecutors. The circumstances may factor into a possible obstruction conspiracy case, multiple sources tell CNN...." MB Advice to Criminals: These people are not Ocean's 11. Do not bring in Team Trump to advise you on your next caper. (Also linked yesterday evening.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: No, no, it was an accident! Many competent conspiracy theorists are quite reasonably positing that flooding the service room was an attempt to destroy incriminating surveillance tapes. But what about this? The water was looking murky, see, so the maintenance worker tried to drain the pool so staff could give it a good scrubbing. BUT what the worker didn't know was that Trump had tried to stuff incriminating documents down the pool's drain. The papers of course clogged the drain and the pool water just happened to run into the room where the surveillance videos were stored.

Jaclyn Peiser & Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: Customers harass employees of Target and other retailers who have expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community. "At [a] Target in South Florida, shoppers have called employees 'child groomers' ... and accused them of 'shoving your woke agenda down our throats,' according to the manager who spoke to The Washington Post. When he donned a bright safety vest over his company-issued Pride-themed T-shirt to help a customer carry goods to his car, the shopper looked at him and said, 'Oh, is that so I could shoot you easier?'" MB: And you can't even have the pleasure of telling these people what ridiculous bigots they are because they really might shoot you.

Presidential Race 2024

Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: “Former Vice President Mike Pence filed paperwork on Monday declaring his presidential candidacy, embarking on a long-shot campaign against the former president he served under, Donald J. Trump. Mr. Pence, who filed the necessary papers to run with the Federal Election Commission, has polled in the single digits in every public survey taken so far, well behind Mr. Trump...." The Guardian's report is here. ~~~

Paul Waldman of the Washington Post: "Having spent the past 2½ years being booed by Republican audiences and mocked on social media, Mike Pence has decided that the American people are finally ready for him. So, with the obligatory period of prayer and contemplation out of the way, the former vice president has officially filed the paperwork to run for president. There's no mystery about whether Pence could overcome ... Donald Trump and seize the leadership of his party. The mystery is why he thinks he has any chance at all. Pence is a photo negative image of contemporary political attractiveness, simultaneously repelling Republicans, Democrats and independents.... There is almost no significant group of voters who does not already dislike Pence for one reason or another.... In his bewildering belief that he might become president, he demonstrates the power of ambition to cloud the mind of even the most experienced politician."

In a Washington Post op-ed, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) explains why he is not running for president: "I believe I can have more influence on the future of the Republican Party and the 2024 nominating process not as a candidate but as the governor of the first-in-the-nation primary state.... If [Donald Trump] is the nominee, Republicans will lose again.... The microphone afforded to the governor of New Hampshire plays a critical role in an early nominating state. I plan to endorse, campaign and support the candidate I believe has the best chance of winning in November 2024." A CNN story is here. (Also linked yesterday evening.)

How are we supposed to get our girls used to the fact that biological boys are in their locker rooms? And then we wonder why a third of our teenage girls seriously contemplated suicide last year. -- Nikki Haley, GOP presidential candidate, during a televised CNN town hall

There's no data to support this claim. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that she cited made no such connection.... Many other factors -- such as a lack of mental health resources during the pandemic and the rise of social media -- appear to play a role in the increase in suicidal thoughts [among girls].... Very few student-athletes are transgender. -- Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post

Quack, Quack, Quack. Another Loser Turns to Elon. Reid Epstein, et al., of the New York Times: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ... on Monday dived into the full embrace of a host of conservative figures who eagerly promoted his long-shot primary challenge to President Biden. For more than two hours, Mr. Kennedy participated in an online audio chat on Twitter with the platform's increasingly rightward-leaning chief executive, Elon Musk. They engaged in a friendly back-and-forth with the likes of Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman turned right-wing commentator; a top donor to Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida; and a professional surfer who became a prominent voice casting doubt on coronavirus vaccines. Mr. Kennedy, who announced his 2024 presidential campaign in April, is himself a leading vaccine skeptic, and has promoted other conspiracy theories. Yet he has consistently hovered around 20 percent in polling of the Democratic primary, which the party has otherwise ceded to Mr. Biden. On Monday, he sounded like a candidate far more at ease in the mushrooming Republican presidential contest." ~~~

~~~ Twitter Was Always Stupid. Lauren Sforza of the Hill: "Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey appeared to endorse anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the Democratic presidential nomination over the weekend. Dorsey retweeted a video of Kennedy saying he could beat former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who announced his bid for the White House on Twitter last month. Dorsey captioned the video with, 'He can and will.'" MB: It is not surprising that there's no transfer from technical acumen to political or philosophical intelligence, but many of these tech wizards seem to demonstrate that technical competence and critical thinking are mutually incompatible. (Also linked yesterday evening.)


Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. John Koblin & Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: "CNN has had a tumultuous first year under Chris Licht, who took over as the network's chief executive last spring.... Ratings have plummeted. Profits have shrunk. A top star has been pushed out.... And then on Friday, a 15,000-word profile of Mr. Licht in The Atlantic cast new doubts about his leadership and future at the company.... Fueling speculation [that Licht's tenure at CNN may be shortlived] was a decision last week to appoint David Leavy -- a trusted associate of David Zaslav, the chief executive of CNN's parent -- to a top leadership role at the network, a sign that Mr. Zaslav thinks CNN needs urgent management help. Mr. Licht addressed the tumult on an editorial call Monday, saying he will 'fight like hell' to win back the trust of CNN's staff."

Sylvie Corbet & Tara Copp of the AP: "An overwhelming sound of gunfire and men's screams. That's how World War II veteran Marie Scott described D-Day, as Tuesday's ceremonies got underway in honor of those who fought for freedom in the largest naval, air and land operation in history. This year's tribute to the young soldiers who died in Normandy also reminds veterans, officials and visitors what Ukraine faces today. On Tuesday, the whistling sound of the wind accompanied many reenactors who came to Omaha Beach at dawn to mark the 79th anniversary of the assault that led to the liberation of France and Western Europe from Nazi control. Some brought bunches of flowers; others waved American flags."

Sarah Brumfield & Michael Balsamo of the AP: "The pilot of a business jet that flew over Washington and crashed in a remote part of Virginia appeared to be slumped over and unresponsive, three U.S. officials said Monday, recounting observations by fighter pilots who intercepted the wayward flight. The revelations came as federal investigators trudged through rugged terrain to reach the site where the plane slammed into a mountain Sunday, killing four people." (Also linked yesterday evening.) A New York Times story is here.

Caitlin Yilek, et al., of CBS News: "Robert Hanssen, a former FBI agent who was one of the most damaging spies in American history, was found dead in his prison cell Monday morning, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Hanssen, 79, was arrested in 2001 and pleaded guilty to selling highly classified material to the Soviet Union and later Russia. He was serving a life sentence at the federal penitentiary in Florence, Colorado.... Hanssen appears to have died of natural causes, according to two sources briefed on the matter." (Also linked yesterday evening.) The New York Times report, by Peter Baker, is here.

Beyond the Beltway

California, Florida. Shawn Hubler, et al., of the New York Times: "A group of [20] Latin American migrants aboard a chartered private plane landed at a small airport in Sacramento on Monday, the second such planeload in three days to arrive in California's capital city from an airfield in New Mexico.... One of the migrants, David Mata, 28..., said that he did not know who had orchestrated his trip to Sacramento, but that whoever did had paid for it in its entirety. Another group of migrants arrived on Friday at a different Sacramento airport aboard the same private plane. The authorities in California said those migrants carried papers indicating that their travel had been 'administered by the Florida Division of Emergency Management' and its contractor, Vertol Systems Company, which is based in Florida. It was not immediately clear whether the group that arrived on Monday carried similar papers, but a state Justice Department official said it appeared that the same company, and the state of Florida, was involved." ~~~

     ~~~ Jeremy White of Politico: "In a Monday tweet, [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom [D] called DeSantis a 'small, pathetic man' and asked 'kidnapping charges?' while citing California criminal code that states anyone who transports someone 'by force or fraud' is guilty of kidnapping." ~~~

~~~ Texas, Florida. Ben Brasch of the Washington Post: "A Texas sheriff's office has recommended that a San Antonio-area district attorney file criminal charges following an investigation into the transportation in the fall of 49 asylum seekers from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, allegedly on direction from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). It is not clear whom the charges would be filed against, but the case would include both felony and misdemeanor charges of unlawful restraint, according to the sheriff's office. 'At this time, the case is being reviewed by the DA's office. Once an update is available, it will be provided to the public,' said ... a [sheriff's] department spokesman. 'We're not naming the suspect at this time or the amount of charges that are being filed.'" The Hill's story is here. MB: Now I suppose I'll have to take bets on who will go to jail: Rhonda Santis or the Trumpster. And, no, there's nothing in the Constitution that says a president* can't run the country from a jail cell. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Florida. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "Florida Republicans on Monday met with migrants to urge them not to leave the state in the wake of a new anti-immigration law that is sparking boycotts of the state.... On Monday, state Reps. Alina Garcia (R) and Rick Roth (R) spoke at an event advising migrants of the impacts of SB1718." Their remarks were sometimes untrue and often contradictory. But mainly they're worried about the Rhonda Santis Labor Shortage. Read the commentary in the embedded tweets.

Missouri. Julie Bosman of the New York Times: "Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri [R] said on Monday that he would not intervene to stop the execution of Michael Tisius, a 42-year-old who murdered two jail guards in 2000. In a clemency petition sent to Mr. Parson last month, several jurors who had voted to sentence Mr. Tisius to death said they now believe life imprisonment was appropriate. Mr. Tisius's lawyers had also argued that another juror from the sentencing trial was unable to read, a requirement under Missouri law for jury service.... On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay of execution for Mr. Tisius, rejecting his lawyers' argument that his age at the time of the crime, 19, should spare him from the death penalty. Mr. Tisius's legal appeals have been exhausted."

Oklahoma. Sarah Mervosh of the New York Times: "Oklahoma approved what would be the nation's first religious charter school on Monday, handing a victory to Christian conservatives but opening the door to a constitutional battle over whether taxpayer dollars can directly fund religious schools. The online school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, is to be run by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa, with religious teachings embedded in the curriculum. But as a charter school -- a type of public school that is independently managed -- it would be funded by taxpayer dollars. After a nearly three-hour meeting, and despite concerns raised by its legal counsel, the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved the school in a 3-to-2 vote, including a yes vote from a member who was appointed on Friday. The relatively obscure board is made up of appointees by Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who supports religious charter schools, and leaders of the Republican-controlled State Legislature." A Politico story is here.

Way Beyond

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

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here.

     ~~~ Ellen Francis, et al., of the Washington Post: "A major dam and hydroelectric power plant in southern Ukraine have been destroyed, unleashing flooding in the region near the front lines on Tuesday. As water levels rose, officials in areas controlled by Ukrainian and Russian forces have ordered residents to evacuate. It was not immediately clear who was responsible. Ukraine's military intelligence agency accused Russian forces of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper river, threatening the safety of the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia.... Aerial video on social media showed heavy damage to the dam. Sections measuring hundreds of feet appeared to be missing.... Ukraine's foreign minister said thousands of people were at risk, and the interior minister said the torrent of water washed away some roads, complicating evacuation efforts. A local Russia-appointed official blamed Ukrainian strikes for damaging the dam, according to Russian news agencies." This is part of the liveblog linked above. The Guardian's main story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Also incorporated into the liveblog: Samantha Schmidt, et al.: "Ukraine's military made gains against Russian forces in multiple locations along the eastern front, the country's deputy defense minister said Monday, as an increasing cadence in combat operations raised speculation that the much anticipated counteroffensive was finally imminent."

Andrew Kramer, et al., of the New York Times: "Ukrainian forces have stepped up artillery strikes and ground assaults in a flurry of military activity that American officials suggested on Monday could signal that Kyiv's long-planned counteroffensive against Russia had begun. The fighting, which began on Sunday, was raging along several points on the front line, but farther to the east of where many analysts had expected Ukraine's counteroffensive to launch."

Paul Sonne of the New York Times: "A faked declaration of martial law and military mobilization by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia aired Monday on a number of Russian radio and television networks, an incident that the Kremlin described as a 'hack.' The bogus speech, which was broadcast on the Mir radio station and television networks, said Ukraine had invaded three border regions and urged their residents to evacuate to the Russian heartland. The clip also depicted Mr. Putin declaring a general mobilization, saying all the power of the country needed to be harnessed to defeat a 'dangerous and insidious enemy.' The press service of Mir, a Russian public broadcaster, said in a statement released to the state news agency Tass that its radio and television channels had been illegally interrupted for a little more than a half-hour before being restored."


Austria. Oops! Kelsey Ables of the Washington Post: "At a convention on Saturday, Austria's Social Democrats (SPÖ) declared that Hans Peter Doskozil, governor of the eastern Burgenland province, was the new leader of the center-left party. But on Monday, the party said Andreas Babler, a small-town mayor and lesser-known figure, had actually won, with about 52 percent of the votes.... Someone had messed up an Excel spreadsheet.... [One observer] posted what appears to be an Amazon order confirmation for the book 'Excel for Dummies' -- to be shipped to the SPÖ office."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "Two people were killed and several people were injured in a shooting near a park following a high school graduation in Richmond on Tuesday, police said. One of the victims was 18 and had just participated in Huguenot High School's graduation ceremony at the Altria Theater, which concluded about 5:15 p.m., police said. The other victim was 36 and 'was here for the graduation,' said Interim Police Chief Rick Edwards. He did not detail the relationship between the two." An ABC News story is here.

New York Times: "Françoise Gilot, an accomplished painter whose art was eclipsed by her long and stormy romantic relationship with a much older Pablo Picasso, and who alone among his many mistresses walked out on him, died on Tuesday at a hospital in Manhattan. She was 101."

New York Times: "The police in Davenport, Iowa, said on Monday that they had found the bodies of all three men who had been missing since a section of a downtown apartment building collapsed last week. City officials said on Sunday that one of the men, Branden Colvin Sr., a resident who had returned home shortly before the building fell on May 28, had been found dead. On Monday, they said the bodies of the remaining two -- Ryan Hitchcock and Daniel Prien -- had also been found in the rubble. No one else is known to have died in the incident, and the authorities said on Monday that they were not aware of any other people who were still unaccounted for.... The city initially moved rapidly toward demolishing the stricken building.... But protesters gathered at the site calling for a delay, and raising concern that some people might remain trapped. One woman was found and pulled out of the building alive, and officials announced that others were still missing."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (13)

Looks to me like Governor Sununu is hoping to thread a needle with no eye...

If the culture war is a loser and if culture wars are the only winning path to primary victories in the Republican Party, what path to sanity does he see for the party as a whole?

Clearly his party has long abandoned the small government, fiscal responsibility touchstones. All it has left are issues that can only be described as ignorant and nasty.

And does he think that by not talking about abortion, the issue will just go away?

I just don't get it.

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Will this online Catholic school in Oklahoma supported by taxpayer money also include virtual sexual abuse? Who says the Church is mired in the Middle Ages? And now it will be paid for by the public! Brilliant.

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

So the Florida Republicans are telling the immigrant communities to stay and not worry about the police showing up mob handed at their door. I'm sure they could reassure them that the police are mostly busy arresting former convicts that were told they could legally vote. Plus their next big election is a little ways away so they don't need the PR arrests right this minute. But sacrifices will be needed in the run up to the next election, any volunteers would be appreciated.

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

When Trump accused Hillary of bleaching her emails did he think she tossed literal buckets of bleach on the servers? I can see the cheap ass telling his minions to throw the chlorinated pool water on the servers to do the same thing.

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

@RAS: Clearly, you have figured out who is the "brains" behind the Great Swimming Pool Caper.

June 6, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Ken: Threading a needle without an eye caught my eye as such a perfect way of describing not only Sununu but the whole bunch of thems that keep trying to sew up their mishaps––perhaps.

"We are closed in, and the key is turned/ on our uncertainty" Yeats

As we wait for the criminal to be charged.

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

I'm confused. If someone bribes me with 5 million dollars, wouldn't
there be a record of it, like with a bank, or an investment firm?
Or look under my mattress Mr. FBI agent. Nothing there but dust.

And as VP, Biden wouldn't have much sway as far as passing bills is
concerned, unless it's to vote on a tiebreaker, which isn't very often.

Learned a new word this morning while visiting my friend Judy's
garden (Ted Turner's first wife). Her son says she is no longer a
horticulturist, she a hoardiculturist. Trying to have every plant know
to mankind in her backyard garden. It's almost working.

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris

P. D.

Thanks, but maybe "an eyeless needle" would have been better.

..... says the second thoughts editor...

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

I see that Chris Christie will be announcing his run (waddle?) for president in NH. Marie, you need to round up a bunch of fellow Democrats and shut down the main road into town before the event. See if Chris thinks it’s funny (even better if it’s a bridge).

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Akhilleus: Thanks for the advice. St. Anselm's is not directly on a river, but to get to the college from the main city in the area (Manchester) and its airport, you have to cross the mighty Merrimack. (There's also the less mighty Piscataquog, but it's possible to avoid the Piscataquog on the way to St. Anselm's.)

As you would expect, there are several bridges that cross the Merrimack, so don't bother me for a while. I'm wearing my orange safety vest & am racing from bridge to bridge with my stack of orange cones. It's rush hour here. And it's time for some traffic problems.

June 6, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

With Chris Christie back in the national spotlight, I simply had to revisit a classic burn--Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen mocking Bridgegate with a new version of "Born to Run." Unfortunately, the full video seems to be no longer available, but even cut short, it's still a great jab at Christie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXpDtbb_5B4

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterElizabeth

Marie,

St. Anselm’s, after the Trump-Chris Licht-CNN “town hall” debacle, released some namby-pamby bullshit about listening to “both sides” and blah, blah, blah. St. Anselm himself would strongly disagree. As one of the seminal philosophers of Scholasticism, Anselm rejected obvious self serving lies as incompatible with reason. He would have seen Trump as the scheming dissembler he is. Too bad those running the college named for him don’t agree.

And despite his Christian credentials, like all Scholastics (especially Aquinas), Anselm felt that faith wasn’t everything, that reason must play a big role in our understanding of the universe and our place in it. He rejected (unlike current Christian Nationalist extremists) the uncontested words of scripture and the Bible as arbiters of human existence.

They would HATE Anselm today. Luckily, for them, the school named in his honor does too.

Oh, and thinking about Anselm brings me back around to my contention that to have any sway in medieval philosophy, your name had to begin with A:

Aristotle (recently unearthed)
Augustine (teachings renaissanced in the Middle Ages…)
Alcuin
Anselm
Aquinas
Abelard
Avicenna
Averroes
Albertus Magnus
Abbo of Fleury
Albert of Saxony

There was a bunch.

And because they were sentient beings, they’d all hate Fatty, his lies, his misanthropy, and dullard narcissism.

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

The Pretender's dirty fingerprints are all over the LIV-PGA deal.

Of course, morality, never money, plays a large part in all TFG's decisions.

I blame it, as I do so much, on the Electoral College.

June 6, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes
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