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.

Link Code:   <a href="URL">text</a>

OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, then Akhilleus found one, but it too bit the dust. He found yet another, which I've linked here, and as of September 23, 2024, it's working.

OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.

Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.

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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Friday
Jun092023

June 9, 2023

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

** The indictments of Donald Trump and Walt Nauta have been unsealed. Special counsel Jack Smith is to make a statement at 3:00 pm ET today. ~~~

     ~~~ ** You can read the indictment on CNN's liveblog. (At 1:45 pm ET, it's at the top of the page.) Wow, Wow and Wow! BTW, there are not seven counts against Trump; there are thirty-seven counts against him. ~~~

     ~~~ The indictment includes a number of photos of piles of boxes of documents Trump & Nauta had stashed in various places around Mar-a-Lago, including, you know, the ballroom. Trump's staff, including Nauta, took the pictures. The photos are difficult to see in the indictment itself, but NBC5-Dallas has reproduced color versions of the photos here.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in the Trump stolen documents case is here.

The Washington Post has a developing story, by Devlin Barrett & others, covering some of the documents case developments reported in stories linked here.

Evan Perez, et al., of CNN: "An aide to ... Donald Trump has been indicted in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the mishandling of classified documents from the Trump White House, two sources familiar with the indictment tell CNN. Walt Nauta's indictment is the second in the special counsel's investigation after Trump was indicted on seven counts on Thursday.... Nauta was with Trump at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club this week.... Trump responded to Nauta's indictment on his social media Friday, writing, 'They are trying to destroy his life, like the lives of so many others, hoping that he will say bad things about "Trump." He is strong, brave, and a Great Patriot. The FBI and DOJ are CORRUPT!'"

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Two of Donald Trump's top lawyers abruptly resigned from his defense team on Friday, just hours after news broke that he and a close aide were indicted on charges related to their handling of classified documents. Jim Trusty and John Rowley, who helmed Trump's Washington, D.C.-based legal team for months and were seen frequently at the federal courthouse, indicated they would no longer represent Trump in matters being investigated and prosecuted by special counsel Jack Smith.... In their place, Trump indicated that Todd Blanche -- an attorney he recently retained to help fight unrelated felony charges brought by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg in April -- would lead his legal team, along with a firm to be named later."

OMG! Katherine Faulders, et al., of ABC News: "The summons sent to ... Donald Trump and his legal team late Thursday indicates that U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon will be assigned to oversee his case, at least initially, according to sources briefed on the matter.... The 42-year-old judge [-- a Trump appointee --] was appointed last year as a 'special master' to review those materials seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Legal experts accused Cannon of handing Trump a series of head-scratching victories over the course of those proceedings.... In one instance..., Cannon's order was ultimately thrown out in its entirety by an 11th Circuit Court of appeals panel, which found she overstepped in exercising her jurisdiction in the probe. In addition to Cannon, Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart's name also appeared on the summons sent to Trump on Thursday, the sources said. Reinhart ... is also familiar with the proceedings against Trump: he signed off on the initial search warrant of Mar-a-Lago last year and later ruled to unseal the search affidavit -- decisions that made him the target of antisemitic jabs on the internet." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Judge Aileen will throw out the whole case with prejudice without even batting an eye. If this woman is assigned to the Trump case, there will not be a Trump case. The government can't appeal every one of her decisions. Can it? ~~~

     ~~~ Update: In case you think I'm exaggerating, Katy Tur of MSNBC asked Andrew Weissmann what the vulnerabilities of the government's case against Trump were. Instead of talking about some possible weakness in the evidence, Weissmann said, "The judge."

Ed Mazza of the Huffington Post: "People Sure Think Marjorie Taylor Greene Just Admitted To A Crime On Live TV.... Greene said she read a document inside a SCIF ― a sensitive compartmented information facility ― related to bribery allegations Republicans have made against President Joe Biden but have yet to provide evidence for. Then, she described that document while speaking to Laura Ingraham on Fox News[.]... Greene said the document was 'unclassified,' but a SCIF is typically used only for very sensitive information. Lawmakers generally must check all electronic devices before entering, and cannot take notes while inside. And usually, information revealed in the SCIF can't be repeated outside of it. But Greene ... said she copied as much as she could once she left the SCIF.... 'I wrote down everything that I had just read so that I could come out and tell the American people what I read,' she said." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his commentary below. Update: Scroll on down to see also Patrick's commentary re: the "Law Enforcement Sensitive" doc Miss Margie shared with Laura & the Foxbots. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Originally (though after extended negotiations) FBI Director Chris Wray allowed the committee chairman Jim Comer (R) & ranking member Jamie Raskin (D) to read the document but not the committee members. For Wray's refusing access to members, Comer drew up a resolution to hold Wray in contempt of Congress. With that, Wray relented (or "caved," as Comer put it), and Comer withdrew his contempt resolution. It took about 24 hours for MTG to prove that Wray was right to withhold the document from a careless, loose-lipped committee member.

Ukraine, et al. Aamer Madhani of the AP: "Iran is providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant east of Moscow as the Kremlin looks to lock in a steady supply of weaponry for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to a U.S. intelligence finding released by the White House on Friday. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that U.S. intelligence officials believe a plant in Russia's Alabuga special economic zone could be operational early next year. The White House also released satellite imagery taken in April of the industrial location, several hundred miles east of Moscow, where it believes the plant 'will probably be built.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

** Devlin Barrett, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump said Thursday night that he's been charged by the Justice Department in connection with the discovery that hundreds of classified documents were taken to his Mar-a-Lago home after he left the White House -- a seismic event in the nation's political and legal history. A seven-count indictment has been filed in federal court naming the former president as a criminal defendant, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a case that has yet to be unsealed. The charges include willful retention of national defense secrets, obstruction of justice and conspiracy, which carry the potential of years in prison if Trump is found guilty." (This is an update of a story linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post is running a liveblog today. ~~~

     ~~~ Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump is expected to surrender to the authorities on Tuesday, according to a person close to him and his own post on his social media platform, Truth Social.... The former president added that he was scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Miami at 3 p.m. on Tuesday." Both the NYT & Wash Po stories garnered banner headlines on their main online pages. ~~~

~~~ ** Yesterday, the New York Times liveblogged developments here. MB: I'm leaving up the link, which I posted last evening a few minutes after the Times put up the page, as some of the remarks by reporters are interesting. ~~~

"The indictment, filed in Federal District Court in Miami, is the first time in American history a former president has faced federal charges. It puts the nation in an extraordinary position, given Mr. Trump's status not only as a onetime chief executive but also as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination to face President Biden, whose administration will now be seeking to convict his potential rival. It was not immediately known what specific charges Mr. Trump is facing." ~~~

~~~ Maggie Haberman: "Our understanding from two sources is that the seven counts against Trump include conspiracy to obstruct and willful retention of documents." ~~~

~~~ Shane Goldmacher: "In a video filmed in his Bedminster office that Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Thursday evening, he declared: 'I'm an innocent man. I'm an innocent person.'" ~~~

~~~ Maggie Haberman: "A third charge is false statements, according to sources familiar with the indictment." ~~~

~~~ Luke Broadwater: "Speaker Kevin McCarthy pledged on Twitter that House Republicans would 'hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.' He falsely claimed that Trump had been indicted by President Biden rather than a grand jury made up of American citizens...."

~~~ Charlie Savage: "On CNN, Trump's lawyer Jim Trusty said that Trump's legal team had not been shown the indictment itself, but that the summons commanding Trump to appear in court had 'some language in it that suggests what the seven charges would be.' He mentioned the Espionage Act, multiple false-statement charges and 'several obstruction-based type charges.' Specifically, he mentioned Section 1519 (which relates to obstructing an official effort and was widely expected because it was listed on the F.B.I. search warrant affidavit), but also a new one: Section 1512, which criminalizes witness tampering or other means of obstructing an official proceeding." ~~~

~~~ CNN's liveblog is here. It's a continuation of yesterday's liveblog. (Also linked yesterday.)

** Paula Reid & Jeremy Herb of CNN: "... Donald Trump acknowledged on tape in a 2021 meeting that he had retained 'secret' military information that he had not declassified, according to a transcript of the audio recording obtained by CNN. 'As president, I could have declassified, but now I can't,' Trump says, according to the transcript. CNN obtained the transcript of a portion of the meeting where Trump is discussing a classified Pentagon document about attacking Iran. In the audio recording, which CNN previously reported was obtained by prosecutors, Trump says that he did not declassify the document he's referencing, according to the transcript.... The transcript of the audio recording suggests that Trump is showing the document he's discussing to those in the room. Several sources have told CNN the recording captures the sound of paper rustling.... 'Secret. This is secret information. Look, look at this,' Trump says at one point, according to the transcript. 'This was done by the military and given to me.'... Trump continues: 'All sorts of stuff -- pages long, look. Wait a minute, let's see here. I just found, isn't that amazing? This totally wins my case, you know. Except it is like, highly confidential. Secret. This is secret information. Look, look at this.'"

Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: "Republican officials are rallying around former President Trump in the moments after he claimed that he has been indicted by the Justice Department (DOJ) in the classified documents probe." Includes remarks from the usual suspects and others. MB: Official support for a person who (allegedly!) has endangered national security, obstructed justice & violated the Espionage Act is mind-boggling. This is not an impeachment, which is a political process, but a supposedly-politically-neutral indictment for violating U.S. criminal law. Yes, innocent till proved guilty, yada yada, but cheering on possible multiple felonies? Denegrating the U.S. system of justice and undermining national security? That's something else. These Republicans are endorsing the equivalents of acts of treason.

Marie: Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC reported on air that Merrick Garland had nothing to do with the decision to indict Donald Trump. According to NBC News, the DOJ person who "reviewed" Jack Smith's charging decisions was the highest-level career person (i.e., not a political appointee) in the Justice Department. So it turns out all we've said about Merrick the Unready was correct. For instance, earlier on Indictment Day, Akhilleus was wondering where Merrick was: "Where is he? He's what? At home watching a marathon of 'Be Careful! Be Very Careful' horror movies on Netflix? And he's not answering the phone?" Assuming the NBC reporting is correct, Akhilleus was right. (Also linked yesterday.)

Scott Lemiuex of LG&$: "To be Scrupulously Fair, here's a very compelling defense of Trump by someone with a law degree: 'Ben Shapiro says Trump mishandled classified documents "not for any nefarious purpose, but because Trump likes things and so he takes them"' [-- Jason Campbell].... 'Your honor, I didn't steal my neighbor's Porsche for any nefarious purposes, I just like driving nice cars.' Well, OK then!"

Marie: Akhilleus, who was traveling and didn't hear the news, brought a stack of 45s to our abbreviated Indictment Watch Party. An excellent selection:

I Fought the Law (and the law won): Bobby Fuller Four
Chain Gang: Sam Cooke
Jailhouse Rock: Elvis
Back on the Chain Gang: Pretenders
Fish in the Jailhouse: Tom Waits
Folsom Prison Blues: Johnny Cash
Johnny 99: Bruce Springsteen
Crime in the City: Neil Young
Riot in Cell Block #9: the Robins
Police Dog Blues: Blind Blake

Lawyer for Walt Nauta Accuses DOJ of Prosecutorial Misconduct. Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "The lawyer for Donald Trump's valet, under scrutiny in the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation, has submitted court papers describing a meeting at which a top federal prosecutor brought up his application to be a judge when they tried to gain the valet's cooperation last year." Lawyer Stanley Woodward & his client, Trump valet Walt Nauta, were meeting last year with prosecutors, including chief of the counterintelligence section, Jay Bratt. While urging Nauta to cooperate, according to Woodward's complaint, Bratt turned to Woodward and said "he knew Woodward had submitted an application to be a judge at the superior court in Washington DC that was currently pending.... The allegation, in essence, is that Bratt suggested Woodward's judicial application might be considered more favorably if he and his client cooperated against Trump.... 'Even if it's true, it would not rise to the level of prosecutorial misconduct,' former US attorney Joyce Vance said. 'Prosecutors don't have any influence over judicial applications and all the parties to the conversation would have known that.'"

Sara Murray of CNN: "Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich testified Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating January 6, 2021, according to a person familiar with the matter. This story is breaking [@ 6:45 pm ET Thursday] and will be updated." MB: Everybody Donald Trump knows is creepy. (Also linked yesterday.)

Zachary Cohen & Paula Reid of CNN: "A key former White House official was interviewed earlier this year by special counsel prosecutors investigating the handling of classified materials by both ... Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.... The former career official, who was in charge of advising the Trump and Obama administrations on the declassification process, is the only known witness to be interviewed by both teams of prosecutors investigating Trump and Biden. During those voluntary interviews, the former official told CNN there was a distinct difference in the line of questioning from prosecutors in the two probes. While prosecutors in the Trump case aggressively focused on any first-hand interactions with the former president, including conversations about how to properly declassify documents, prosecutors in the Biden case were more concerned with the mechanics of packing and moving boxes.... The former official said he told federal prosecutors that Trump knew the proper process for declassifying documents and followed it correctly at times while in office.... The former official provided names of former Trump officials who spoke directly to the former president about the declassification process while in office. That includes [National Security lawyer John] Eisenberg, former White House counsel Don McGahn and former White House chief of staff John Kelly." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I suppose it's not too likely these top officials told Trump he could declassify documents with his mind and not tell anybody else about it, because that's what the Presidential Records Act says. Nevertheless, that's exactly what Trump has been claiming.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A federal judge has cleared the way for District of Columbia Bar authorities to resume long-stalled disciplinary proceedings against Jeffrey Clark, a top ally in Donald Trump's bid to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election. Clark, an assistant attorney general in Trump's Justice Department ... had tied up those proceedings for nearly eight months as he sought to transfer the battle to federal court. But U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras rejected Clark's effort on Thursday, issuing a 36-page opinion concluding that federal courts have no jurisdiction over disciplinary proceedings meant to be managed by the D.C. Bar and local courts. D.C. Bar authorities charged Clark in July 2022 with engaging in 'dishonest' conduct and seeking to 'seriously interfere with the administration of justice' when he embarked on a weekslong effort to help Trump sow doubt about the results of the 2020 election."

In Other News:

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Biden forcefully pushed back Thursday against a rash of 'cruel' state laws curtailing the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, including transgender youths, saying the measures are being adopted by 'prejudiced people' and pledging that his administration will stand up for those being targeted.... Biden made his comments during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Earlier in the day, the White House unveiled several new initiatives aimed at bolstering the LGBTQ+ community."

John Hudson of the Washington Post: "Last fall, President Biden vowed to impose 'consequences' on Saudi Arabia for its decision to slash oil production amid high energy prices and fast-approaching elections in the United States. In public, the Saudi government defended its actions politely via diplomatic statements. But in private, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman threatened to fundamentally alter the decades-old U.S.-Saudi relationship and impose significant economic costs on the United States if it retaliated against the oil cuts, according to a classified document obtained by The Washington Post. The crown prince claimed 'he will not deal with the U.S. administration anymore,' the document says, promising 'major economic consequences for Washington.' Eight months later, Biden has yet to impose consequences on the Arab country and Mohammed has continued to engage with top U.S. officials...."

Ryan Nobles of NBC News: "Garret O'Boyle, an FBI agent who was presented in a public hearing by House Republicans as a whistleblower, was suspended by the bureau because internal investigators had concluded that he leaked sensitive investigative information to the right-wing group Project Veritas, according to a bureau official. House Democrats now accuse O'Boyle of lying to the committee and are referring the matter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, according to a letter obtained by NBC News. Lawmakers learned about the reason for O'Boyle's suspension, which was previously unreported, in testimony that Jennifer Moore, the FBI's executive assistant director for human resources, provided to the House Judiciary Committee's Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.... In the letter [to Garland], Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, detail several instances when O'Boyle, in interviews with committee staff and in the panel's public hearing, denied that he had leaked FBI information to the media." MB: Gee, Gym Jordan's "whistleblower" turns out to be nothing but a right-wing, disgruntled, disgraced, suspended FBI agent.

Jacqueline Sweet & David Corn of Mother Jones: "George Santos, the lying and indicted GOP congressman from Queens, New York, has steadfastly refused to say where he was on January 6, 2021, while pro-Trump rioters were attacking the US Capitol to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's electoral victory. He was filmed that day in the VIP section for the Donald Trump rally at the Ellipse that preceded the assault, but his post-rally whereabouts remain a mystery. Yet newly uncovered photos and video footage of January 6 show that his attorney, Joseph Murray, was in the angry pro-Trump mob that trespassed on Capitol grounds. Archived footage obtained by Mother Jones ... traces the movements of Murray and Angela Ng, who is identified on the website of Murray's law firm as its office manager, as they marched from the Ellipse to the Capitol. Both Murray and Ng are retired New York police officers. Ng is also currently listed as working for Santos in his Queens district office as a constituent services representative.... Murray has represented Santos, ever since Santos' surprise election to Congress last year triggered an avalanche of controversies and probes."

Too Obviously Racist for Even John Roberts. Sam Levine of the Guardian: "Alabama discriminated against Black voters when it drew its seven congressional districts last year, the supreme court has ruled, a decision that is a major victory for the Voting Rights Act. The decision in the case, Allen v Milligan, means that Alabama will have to draw its congressional map to include a second majority-Black district. Black voters currently comprise a majority of the voting age population in just one district, despite making up a quarter of the state's population. Alabama could have easily drawn a second majority-Black district, the challengers in the case argued. They offered several sample maps with possible configurations of how to do so. Last year, a three-judge panel unanimously agreed with that argument and ordered the state to do so. The panel, which included two judges appointed by Donald Trump, said the question of whether the state had violated the law was 'not a close one.'" MB: The article doesn't say how each justice ruled, but the decision just came down, so we should learn that later. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court, in a surprise decision, ruled that Alabama had diluted the power of Black voters by drawing a congressional voting map with a single district in which they made up a majority. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the majority opinion in the 5-to-4 ruling. He was joined by Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and the court's three liberal members, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson." MB: But not too obviously racist for Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch & Barrett. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Nick Corasaniti & Rick Rojas of the New York Times: "When the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Alabama's congressional map had diluted the power of Black voters, it was a long-sought victory for voting rights activists, who had grown increasingly alarmed at the court's previous decisions that have hollowed out the Voting Rights Act. The decision also is likely to reverberate across the South, and could force multiple states with pending Voting Rights Act challenges to redraw their own maps.... In Louisiana, where Black voters make up one-third of the population, a case before the Supreme Court had been put on hold pending the Alabama decision. Now a second majority-Black district could be drawn.... The Supreme Court decision is also expected to send legislators in Georgia back to the drawing board for their congressional maps. On Thursday, a federal judge in a pending Georgia case asked both parties to provide supplemental materials in light of the new ruling. And in Texas, where Republicans drew an aggressive gerrymander that could lock in power for a decade, nine cases in the federal court system could be affected by Thursday's decision, according to a tracker kept by the Brennan Center for Justice, a think tank."

Impeach Justice Jackson! Mark Sherman & Jessica Gresko of the AP: "Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson disclosed Wednesday that she received a $1,200 congratulatory floral display from Oprah Winfrey and $6,580 in designer clothing for a magazine photo shoot in her first months as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. The details of gifts given to Jackson were among the reports provided by most members of the court in their annual filings, which give a partial window onto their finances. The reports were released Wednesday.... Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she received nearly $150,000 in royalties for two children's books last year and another $12,000 in payments for possible stage and video versions of 'Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You.' The book, intended for kids age 4 to 8, introduces readers to children who face what Sotomayor, who was diagnosed with diabetes as a child, calls 'life challenges.'" MB: It's clear Oprah is trying to take over the Justice System, and I expect Gym Jordan to haul her before Congress and grill her during the Jackson impeachment proceedings. P.S. That must have been some floral arrangement. (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race 2024. Nicholas Nehamas of the New York Times: "As Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida begins to aggressively attack ... Donald J. Trump, his campaign has spread three images of the former president embracing Dr. Anthony S. Fauci that forensic experts say are almost certainly realistic-looking 'deepfakes' generated by artificial intelligence. The images -- which at first glance appear genuine and are interspersed with real photographs in a campaign video -- show Mr. Trump hugging and kissing Dr. Fauci.... A Twitter account run by Mr. DeSantis's campaign posted the images, part of a video attacking Mr. Trump, on Monday. The news agency Agence France-Presse first reported that they appeared fake on Wednesday." An NPR story is here. MB: What? DeSantis is an underhanded slimeball? Who could have guessed? Anyhow, could not have turned on a more deserving person. ~~~

~~~ Oh. He's Long Been an Underhanded Slimeball. Matt Dixon of NBC News: "Gov. Ron DeSantis' chief of staff was among the biggest political fundraisers helping launch DeSantis' presidential campaign, an unusual instance of a highly influential taxpayer-funded aide's doubling as a top political bundler. And part of the way he raised that money was by having other government officials help him solicit cash from lobbyists. The move, besides being out of the ordinary, raises ethical questions, and it shocked many of those Republican lobbyists here in Florida's capital who felt pressured to donate because they have business before the administration. It also underscores the extent to which DeSantis has used the state government to further his ambitions."


Robert McFadden of the New York Times: "James G. Watt, who as President Ronald Reagan's first Interior secretary tilted environmental policies sharply toward commercial exploitation, touching off a national debate over the development or preservation of America's public lands and resources, died on May 27 in Arizona. He was 85."

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Curt Anderson of the AP: "A white Florida woman accused of shooting and killing her Black neighbor told investigators she had been threatened by the victim for months leading up to the slaying, according an arrest report.... The report from the Marion County Sheriff's Office came out shortly before Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, made her initial appearance in court Thursday by video. She has been charged with the first-degree felony of manslaughter with a firearm, as well as culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault Sheriff Billy Woods said in a statement.... The day of the shooting, Lorincz told investigators she had a headache and that 'neighbors were outside screaming and yelling, kids were running around' in a grassy area separating two apartment quadruplex buildings, including hers. One child told deputies that the night of the shooting, Lorincz 'came out of her house and gave the children the middle finger' and also said this: 'Get away from my house, you Black slave,' according to the report. Lorincz admitted to detectives that she called the children 'the n-word.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Texas. David Goodman & Edgar Sandoval of the New York Times: "The state of Texas will place a 1,000-foot floating barrier in the middle of the Rio Grande to prevent migrants from entering the United States, Gov. Greg Abbott said on Thursday, the latest in a series of escalating maneuvers by state leaders to address illegal crossings. Mr. Abbott said the barrier, a floating border wall made up of four-foot-wide buoys, would be first placed in the water off the city of Eagle Pass, an already heavily fortified section of the border.... Though the floating barrier would cover only a small section of the 1,254-mile border in Texas, Mr. Abbott said the buoys could be moved to other hot spots and expanded in the future.... Immigration advocates in Texas said Gov. Abbott's plans to add a barrier in the middle of the Rio Grande amounted to another political stunt at the expense of desperate people."

Texas. James Barragan, et al., of the Texas Tribune: "Nate Paul, the Austin real estate developer central to allegations of illegal conduct by Ken Paxton, Texas' now-suspended attorney general, was arrested by the FBI on Thursday. Paul was booked into the Travis County Jail at 4:25 p.m. on a federal warrant, said Kristen Dark, a spokesperson for the Travis County Sheriff's Office. The nature of the charges against him have not been publicly disclosed."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Friday is here: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 'very tough battles' were occurring in the eastern Donetsk region. 'But there is a result, and I am grateful to everyone who ensures this result!' he said in the address released early Friday, without elaborating. 'Bakhmut -- well done. Step by step,' he added, referring to the embattled city that has been a focus for Ukrainian and Russian forces for months.... The offensive is expected to unfold over months and serve as a test of a U.S.-led strategy to prepare Ukrainian forces with increasingly advanced weapons and tactics.... The situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remains 'precarious,' according to Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency.... At least one woman was killed while 17 other people were injured by shells in the flooded town of Kherson, said Oleksandr Prokudin, Ukraine's governor of the area. The injured included two workers from Ukraine's state emergency services.... Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, expressed 'profound concerns' about reports that Russia has been shelling Kherson, as people there flee flooding. The statement was delivered on behalf of the United States and 13 other delegations."

Eric Schmidt & Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "Ukrainian forces mounted a major attack in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia on Thursday, taking the offensive against the invading Russians in multiple places in the east and south, but there was no indication of a breakthrough in an operation that carries high stakes for Kyiv and its Western allies. Three senior U.S. officials, as well as military analysts, said that a long-awaited major Ukrainian counteroffensive appeared to be underway, after months spent mobilizing and training new units, and arming them with advanced Western weapons. A strong indication, they said, was the Ukrainians' use in combat on Thursday of German Leopard tanks and American Bradley fighting vehicles."

China/Cuba. Karoun Demirjian & Edward Wong of the New York Times: "China is planning to build a facility in Cuba that U.S. officials are concerned could be capable of spying on the United States by intercepting electronic signals from nearby U.S. military and commercial facilities, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the agreement.Beijing has built listening outposts elsewhere and has a military presence in Cuba, but an eavesdropping station could give China a foothold about 100 miles from the Florida coastline...."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Dr. Harald zur Hausen, a German virologist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2008 for his discovery that the seemingly benign human papillomavirus, known for causing warts, also caused cervical cancer, died on May 29 at his home in Heidelberg, Germany. He was 87."

New York Times: "Canada on Friday was once again threatened by relentless and potentially lethal wildfires that for weeks have convulsed the country, displaced tens of thousands of people and stoked alarm over the perils of climate change as hazardous smoke billowed into the United States. The fires, which have stretched from British Columbia in the west to Nova Scotia in the east, have destroyed homes and livelihoods, diminished air quality and, at times, transformed part of the skies over Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto into a smoggy haze. As the smoke poured into the United States, disrupting life around the Northeast, both countries were reminded that no border can stop a spreading environmental threat. The haze began to lift around the Mid-Atlantic on Thursday, bringing relief to millions who had breathed dangerously polluted air for two days. But the plume was still spreading, threatening cities to the south and west." This is a liveblog.

CNN: "Joran van der Sloot will be asked Friday to enter a plea in US federal court where he is accused of extorting tens of thousands of dollars from the mother of Natalee Holloway, whose disappearance while on a trip celebrating her high school graduation in 2005 became an international mystery. Van der Sloot, who was one of the last people seen with the 18-year-old Holloway before she vanished, never to be found, was transferred Thursday from Peru to Birmingham, Alabama, in the company of a team of FBI special agents. The Dutch national is set to be represented by a federal public defender at his arraignment at 11 a.m. CT (noon ET)."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (18)

In Other Presidential* Firsts…

Not to be dismayed by the phalanx of indictments and likely lead pipe cinch convictions (“making false statements”? That’s not a charge, that’s what physicists call a function of state) marching toward Marred a Lago like a legal Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane (Not sure if Lady Melanie is prowling the halls shouting “Out damned spot”—ketchup stain on her “I don’t care” jacket—but McTrump must be pooping his tighty-whities), the Fat Fascist has not forgotten the serious business of a presidential campaign, and the level of sobriety and gravity one needs bring to the table in such an earnest quest.

Thus…

Dick jokes…

I am not even kidding:

“Now, some of Trump’s longtime advisers are even urging him to continuously make reference to the size of DeSantis’ penis*, telling him such insults could stick with GOP primary voters and mess with his rival’s head, two sources with knowledge of the matter tell Rolling Stone. Trump’s team discussed having Trump refer to the Florida governor as ‘Tiny D,’ Bloomberg reported in March. While some understood it as a shot at DeSantis’ height, the sobriquet was specifically intended to suggest diminutive genitalia, four people familiar with the topic say.

‘He’s also short but … yes of course it’s about his penis, that’s why we’re doing it,’ says a source involved in the effort to get the former president to use the line of attack against DeSantis.”

This from Mr. Tiny Hands. I guess Fatty has first hand (first small hand?) experience in this realm.

So…dick measuring is now an essential aspect of running for president. President of the Sixth Grade.

More Fatty firsts.

*One wonders how these guys know the size of the DeSantolini member…up close and personal observation? Not a single adult left in that fucking party.

https://digbysblog.net/2023/06/08/welcome-to-the-wingnut-playground/

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

"Department’s notification of the indictment, Mr. Trump’s team pretaped a video of the former president reacting to the expected charges in a speech direct to the camera — and standing in front of what appeared to be a version of a painting of President Theodore Roosevelt and Kaiser Wilhelm II, Germany’s leader during World War I.
Half an hour after he announced his indictment, he posted the video on his social media website. In it, he bashes Democrats, portrays the indictment as evidence of “a nation in decline” and calls himself “an innocent man.”

Jack Sprat of nursery rhyme fame could not eat fat, but our Jack Smith gobbled up Fatty, digested him well and hung him out to dry. And lookie see how our idiot of the hour responded: Always the actor, always the one who is put upon, always the one who got away with everything, his tiny fat fingers into all those malicious pies. Perhaps he thinks his base will rally round and storm the justice dept. or better yet shoot Jack Smith---he forgets so many have been put behind bars.

Act II coming up–– keep that smile on your puss while we kick the can down the road.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterP.D.Pepe

@P.D.Pepe: Last night, I saw a clip of Trump standing in front of the painting. I didn't know who it represented (Trump was standing in front of Teddy), but I did know that as artwork, it was right up there with those paintings of dogs wearing suits and playing poker. And the frame was garish, too. Here's an image.

June 9, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

The Era of Hurt Feelings:

Have been trying to come up with an argument justifying/supporting any defense of the Pretender against yesterday's indictments and have sadly and utterly failed.

As predicted, the Right is already crying foul, saying this is just the latest and most egregious example of how the Left has pointed the justice system against them and pulled the trigger.

But what possible basis in fact and in law can they have for their complaints? Their guy done it, done it in public, and as usual, bragged about it.

It's not a question of any Deep State turned against him. It's all right on the surface.

The deep state at work here is not the bogeyman the Right points at. It is not the rational world of laws and regulations, of rules and requirements that the Right claims is killing freedom, but of their deep-seated feelings of anger, resentment, and paranoia, the psychically polluted wellsprings of their irrational, destructive behavior.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

I haven't felt quite as I do today since this happened. So, you know, every half-century or so.

Oh, and don't expect Trump ever to give a speech like that. "Putting the interests of the country first" is a notion that is totally foreign to him. He can't even imagine it.

June 9, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

@Ken Winkes: Don't feel bad about not being to come up with any excuse/defense for Trump's actions. His lawyers can't, either. And they're paid to make up something. I think the best they've come up with is that Trump stole only copies of classified docs, not the originals. Nobody ever argued that Edward Snowden was innocent because all he pilfered was a flashdrive or two. It's the content of the documents, not what photocopy machine or device that produced them.

June 9, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Marie,

A painting of dogs in suits playing poker? You mean a picture of the Trump cabinet? Oh, wait…maybe not…are the dogs clearly cheating? Sitting on aces, dealing from the bottom of the deck? No? Okay then. It’s just dogs.

As for a picture celebrating Teddy Roosevelt’s corollary to the Monroe Doctrine…? Ehhh…I dunno. I doubt Fatty knows anything about that. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know about the Monroe Doctrine itself, or even about James Monroe.

There’s a lot that could be made of the hypocrisy of that doctrine, guys mostly from Europe, move here, beat and murder the people who actually grew up here, then say “Anyone pulls the same shit with us, it’s war!”

Way too deep for a loud mouth know-nothing like Trump, never mind his base. Look at it this way. His advisors believe making fun of DeSantis’ dick will be a big hit with those people. People influenced by dick size aren’t prime candidates for obscure historical references.

I’m guessing Fatty thought it looked classy. I’m betting he was more impressed with the thick, gaudy, gilt frame than the actual picture. But that’s Trump all over. A thick, gaudy, fake gold plated frame. With nothing inside.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Just came across something interesting.

Since he’s Florida Man, Fatty will likely be arraigned in the 11th Circuit on federal charges. I mean, he’s not gonna be arraigned in the Apalachicola night court.

So if it is the 11th, he’s in luck. Guess who oversees the 11th circuit court?

Clarence (Grifter) Thomas.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

The traitors looooove to OWN THE LIBS. It’s fun for them, I guess.

How ‘bout a little empirical study.

The Head Traitor indicted and soon to be convicted.

MAGAts lose their little minds.

Ohhh so that’s what it’s like, OWNING THE MAGAts.

Yeah. Okay. It actually IS pretty fun. More of that, please.

(How about we arrange to have Trump arraigned by Judge Hunter Biden? He can even hold his laptop while asking Fatty how he pleads.)

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Maybe if DiJiT is nice to Billy Joel, he can swap out "YMCA" for this apt song at his rallies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVT3UPrUWQM

Also - DiJiT's pre-recorded "grito de inocencia" was sent out on his Twitter account. Maybe he realizes that Truth Social is not really picked up by the masses.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterPatrick

Keep calm and stay treasonous…

The Orange Monster is not the only one who apparently doesn’t understand the concepts of secret documents and, ya know, the law.

Well MTG (gosh! Bet you never thought it would be her!) requested a peek at an FBI doc which had to be read in a SCIF, a sealed room used to review classified documents. They don’t allow cameras, recording equipment, or even notepads in a SCIF, the idea being it’s an eyes only read, the information stays on the page.

So what does this idiot do?

“As soon as I came out, I wrote it all down so I could tell it to the American people!”

And she made this admission of law breaking on TV!

These people have no concept of anything but their own greed and ambition.

https://news.yahoo.com/people-sure-think-marjorie-taylor-053253337.html

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

From the HuffPo article (above) on MTG's indiscretion:
"Greene said the document was 'unclassified,' but a SCIF is typically used only for very sensitive information."

An FBI tip sheet is not classified, because it does not contain national security information. But it IS what the FBI and other law enforcement agencies dub "LES" -- Law Enforcement Sensitive -- which requires protection for reasons not related to national security. E.g., as in this case, a "poison pen" letter which is designed to smear a person(s). The tipster is trying to use the FBI to rub dirt on President Biden. Reprehensible Green, by taking the contents of the tip public, is participating in the smear, and will use the phrase "this information came from the FBI!" to slather apparent legitimacy on the slander. This is how they roll.

LES is treated in similar ways as is classified material, but in some ways is even more controlled because it often involves individuals' rights and legal jeopardy. The FBI can charge her for misuse.

TMI: When agencies do share classified or LES material with congress (i.e., show them actual papers and not digests or summaries), they always strip off the names of the drafters, clearers and addressees, so the congresscritters see only "agency" and not individuals associated with the paper. This protects employees from being harassed for doing their jobs. Which happens often enough as it is.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterPatrick

RIP, Wade Goodwyn, longtime correspondent for NPR. I’d been wondering why I hadn’t heard him in a while. Always appreciated his way with a story and his obvious humanity, not to mention that voice. Great pipes, and a fine reporter.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Cannon fodder:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aileen_Cannon

Three comments.

First time around I remember wishing my son and Judge Cannon did not share the same law school pedigree, similarly to what many of us have felt about family members or fellow alumni we share pedigrees with.

But her Wikipedia page quotes her saying judges have a limited role, which is to say what the law is--not make it. Since Mr. Smith has, I'm sure, made very clear what the law is, I'll choose optimism for now.

And I'd like to think that the almost scornful reversal by the Court of Appeals of her special master decision would have warned her to follow her own advice and not to wander too far from what the law clearly says.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

MAGAts, Fox sycophants, and congressional traitors all make the mistake of equating Trump with a monarch or untouchable autocrat (Fatty I?).

Sorry, morons, plenty of leaders have been indicted and tried for crimes. Some (Charles I of England, Louis XVI) have even been executed (be still my heart). And while I’m not sure the Fat Fascist deserves beheading (even though treason is punishable by death), it’s patently ridiculous that because he’s a former guy he should be immune from legal jeopardy (even while they demand death for his supposed enemies).

And it’s not like people are making shit up (Witch Hunt! Aieeee!). According to Time Magazine, Trump has committed at least 56 documented crimes since slithering down the fake golden escalator thingy (I can’t escape the image of a department store escalator delivering a fat shoplifting grifter to the exit doors).

Not holding a leader, or even a “leader” accountable for crimes against the state and the people is, at its core, a thoroughly undemocratic impulse. Big surprise, right?

But because the MAGAts have bound themselves so firmly to this crook, they see his legal problems as an indictment of their own beliefs.

Guess what.

It is.

Fuck all of you. You sieg heil Trump, you get history’s scarlet letter.

Pigs.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Ken Winkes: Well, that's very optimistic of you, but the 11th Circuit Appeals Court overruled Cannon two times. After they first overruled her, instead of being careful in adjudicating further issues, Cannon issued an opinion that was so bonkers and so overreached, the three-judge panel (\two of whom were Trump appointees and one a Dubya appointee) kicked her off the case.

Aileen is not a person who learns from her mistakes.

June 9, 2023 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Marie wrote “Aileen is not a person who learns from her mistakes.”

Ignoring the law, precedence, justice, truth, and displaying a frighteningly obvious disdain for constitutional comportment is not a mistake. It’s what Trump hoped for from every judge he appointed, at least regarding himself and other right-wing lawbreakers and traitors.. If a Trump-appointed judge acts with discretion and legal propriety, THAT’S a mistake. See Court, Supreme.

Cannon is a hack who has no business sitting on a bench that doesn’t have a sign for bus times attached to it.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Marie,

Maybe I've re-seen "The Life of Brian" too recently.

Always looking on the bright side of life, I am.

June 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes
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