;)
March 5, 2023
Late Afternoon Update:
Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Biden came to [Selma, Alabama, a] seminal site of the civil rights movement -- one that lead to the signing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 -- to try to inject urgency into changing the country's voting rights laws once more.Standing near the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where on March 7, 1965, marchers advocating for voting rights were attacked by police in a day that has become known as 'Bloody Sunday,' Biden said that the right to vote 'was under assault' by a conservative Supreme Court, a host of state legislatures and those who continue to deny the 2020 presidential election results.... Biden is attempting to elevate an issue that he unsuccessfully fought for since the start of his presidency, channeling evocative images to urge Congress to pass voting rights changes despite hardened political divisions on Capitol Hill." MB: I'll post a video of President Biden's speech when one becomes available.
Presidential Race 2024. Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday that he will not seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024, worried that his candidacy in a crowded primary could help ... Donald Trump clear the GOP field and win the nomination.... After leaving office in January, Hogan said that he was seriously considering running for president. But on Sunday, the longtime Trump critic said that 'the stakes are too high for me to risk being part of another multicar pileup that could potentially help Mr. Trump recapture the nomination.'"
Mirna Alsharif of NBC News & the AP: "There were no hazardous materials on board the 28 cars of a Norfolk Southern train that derailed in Springfield, Ohio on Saturday evening, officials said in a news briefing. This is the second derailment of the company's trains in Ohio in a matter of weeks, after a train carrying dangerous chemicals derailed in East Palestine on Feb. 3. Multiple agencies responded to the train derailment in Clark County, located about 38 minutes from Columbus, at around 5 p.m. The 212-car train was headed to Birmingham, Alabama from Bellevue, Ohio, said Norfolk Southern General Manager of Operations Kraig Barner. 'None of those derailed cars were carrying hazardous material, and there were no injuries reported to the public or the two man crew operating the train,' Barner said." ~~~
~~~ Marie's Update: However, CNN is reporting on-air that some of the train's cars that did not derail did contain hazardous materials.
"Fox & Friends" finally publicly addresses the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox "News":
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Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has filed a motion asking a federal judge to prevent his former vice president, Mike Pence, from testifying to a grand jury about specific issues that Mr. Trump is claiming are protected by executive privilege.... The sealed filing was made on Friday, according to the person briefed on the matter.... Mr. Pence has said he will try to fight the subpoena, but has indicated it will be under the 'speech or debate' clause of the Constitution, which applies to legislators." CNN's report is here.
Marie: I don't feel quite as sleazy linking a New York Post Page Six article (as I did yesterday) about George & Kellyanne Conway's planned divorce inasmuch as both the New York Times and Washington Post also covered it a day later. But I confess I still think it was cheesy of me and none of my business.
Peter Baker of the New York Times reports on a recording of a Fox "News" Zoom conference call among some executives and anchors that shows how they panicked after Fox called Arizona for Joe Biden & Fox viewers turned off the network. The execs soon decided that the way to "handle" the correct call was to fire the guys who made it. Oh, and not surprisingly, some Fox honchos are into paranoid conspiracy theories: "Tom Lowell, the managing editor for news, said Fox had been left 'as the canary in this nasty coal mine,' suggesting other networks had deliberately delayed calls out of malice. 'I think some outlets willfully held back calls that they probably could have made to watch us twist in the wind,' he said."
They Aren't Merely Fascists. They're Also Despicable Deplorables. Christopher Mathias of the Huffington Post: "... it ... became clear at CPAC that the Republican campaign against trans kids isn't just a mere ploy to energize its base -- it could also be the beginning of an insurgent fascist campaign to erase trans people from public life altogether. [After Sebastian Gorka & Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke against transgender medical treatment,] Michael Knowles, the host of 'The Michael Knowles Show' on The Daily Wire, gave a speech at CPAC that, at moments, sounded genocidal.... 'If [transgenderism] is false [as Knowles falsely claims it is], then for the good of society ... transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely,' he said. Eradicated. The crowd roared again." And there was more.
Marie: How the GOP continues to thrive baffles me. They don't just oppose Democrats; they're against most Americans: racial, ethnic & religious minorities, women of child-bearing age, the elderly, people who get sick, adults and young people who are not 100% straight, members of the news media, doctors, scientists, college professors, teachers & all government employees, including volunteers on local boards, Republican "freaks" like Jeb Bush (see Trump remark below below). And more! Odds are that you belong to at least one group Republicans mock, deride and try to "eradicate" or at least subdue.
Presidential Race 2024
Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, [Donald] Trump reveled in his strong showing in the annual confab's 2024 presidential straw poll, winning 62 percent of the vote among the attendees.... The former president spent his wide-ranging, nearly two-hour remarks rehashing the 'America First' agenda that has played well with his base.... 'In 2016, I declared I am your voice,' he said. 'Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution.'... This year's confab was particularly dominated by conservatives backing Trump, or trying to appeal to his supporters.... Before Trump's speech, Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, a right-wing leader who was dubbed the Tropical Trump, roused crowds in the afternoon in a wide-ranging speech that touched on his efforts to expand gun rights in the country and to protect the freedom to refuse vaccinations." Politico's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Jill Colvin, et al., of the AP: "... Donald Trump cast himself Saturday as the only Republican candidate who can build on his White House legacy but shied away from directly critiquing his potential rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.... 'We had a Republican Party that was ruled by freaks, neo-cons, globalists, open borders zealots and fools. But we are never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove and Jeb Bush,' he said."
Michael Bender, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump said on Saturday that he would not drop out of the 2024 presidential race if he was indicted in one of several investigations he is facing.... 'Oh absolutely. I wouldn't even think about leaving,' he said, adding that he believed an indictment would increase his poll numbers.... Mr. Trump made the comments to a group of conservative media before his speech to the Conservative Political Action Coalition conference in National Harbor, Md.... In his remarks on Saturday, Mr. Trump repeatedly cast the prosecutors as corrupt and politically motivated, citing no evidence. As he has for years, he cast the investigations not as result of his own actions, but as an effort to silence the voices of his supporters. 'I didn't know the word "subpoena,"' said Mr. Trump, who has sued and been sued hundreds and hundreds of times in civil courts and was first investigated by federal officials in the 1970s in Brooklyn."
Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "On Saturday [Marianne Williamson] announced herself as the first Democratic challenger to President Biden -- who hasn't said himself that he's running again. In her campaign kickoff speech, Ms. Williamson, 70..., sounded ... like a Bernie Sanders-style liberal, focused on economic justice, corporate power and what she called the intentional blindness of powerful federal government officials to poverty in America.... Few in Democratic politics are taking her entry into the race seriously."
Beyond the Beltway
Florida, the Fascist State. New York Times Editors: "... a bill that is moving through the Florida House and is based on longstanding goals of Gov. Ron DeSantis..., represents a dangerous threat to free expression in the United States." The editors go into some of the provisions of the bills, and they're no different from what you'd expect in any repressive regime like Russia or China. "A sledgehammer bill like the one in Florida, however, wielded for transparent political reasons, would create enormous damage on the way to the high court, particularly if other states decide to copy its language." MB: The problem, as I see it, is not so much the damage the bill would cause "on the way to the high court," but the damage it would cause after "the high court" approved all or some of its provisions. You won't be able to make fun of Sam Alito any more.
Nevada. Natasha Korecki of NBC News: "Nevada Democrats have ousted a slate of democratic socialists who took over the state party two years ago, ending a troubled reign marked by divisions and infighting. Judith Whitmer was booted from her position as chair in a Saturday vote, with a new slate headed by Nevada Assemblywoman Daniele Munroe-Moreno assuming control of the party. Munroe-Moreno, who is the first Black woman elected to lead Nevada Democrats, was backed by a slew of elected officials as well as the so-called Reid Machine, the powerful organization first brought together by the late Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. The results come after a tumultuous term under Whitmer, who repeatedly clashed with key figures in the party. Establishment Democrats charged that she had at times undermined her own party, including Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who was in a close re-election race last cycle."
South Carolina. Southern Gothic, Ctd. Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post: Convicted murderer Alex "Murdaugh faces dozens of charges related to financial crimes, and documentaries have highlighted a number of additional deaths that are or could be connected to the family, including of a housekeeper and two classmates of Murdaugh's children. There's also a suicide-for-hire plot Murdaugh is alleged to have arranged, so that a hefty life insurance payout would go to his surviving son, nicknamed Buster. Incredibly, the suspicious 1940 death of Murdaugh's great-grandfather, Randolph Murdaugh Sr. -- who started the family's legendary law firm -- also led to a payout benefiting his son, who was likewise nicknamed Buster.... On his way home [from a visit to a friend who lived a few towns over], at about 1 a.m. on July 19, [1940,] his car somehow came to a stop at a railroad crossing. Moments later, a freight train slammed into the car, killing him instantly, the sheriff said. He was 59.... The train's engineer testified that as the train approached, Murdaugh Sr.'s car was stopped near the tracks, and Murdaugh Sr. raised his hand and seemed to wave at him, according to DeWitt. Moments before the train crossed, the engineer said, the car sped up and then stopped directly on the tracks."
Texas. Nicky Robertson of CNN: "Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas was censured Saturday by the state GOP for 'for lack of fidelity to Republican principles and priorities,' the party announced. The Texas Republican Party took issue with several House votes and stances by the second-term congressman, including his vote for the Respect for Marriage Act, his opposition to a GOP-led border security measure and the fact that he was the lone House Republican to vote against his conference's rules package earlier this year. Gonzales represents Texas' 23rd Congressional District, which stretches along the US-Mexico border between El Paso and San Antonio. The district is home to Uvalde, where a mass shooting at an elementary school last year killed 19 children and two teachers. After the shooting, Gonzales voted in favor of bipartisan gun-safety legislation -- another vote cited in the censure resolution."
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "A grueling seven-month battle for the front-line city of Bakhmut is coming down to street-by-street fighting and skirmishes on rural roads and settlements on its outskirts, where Ukrainian forces are digging narrow trenches into the muddy ground to fortify their positions. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have not seized full control of the city, whose capture would offer the Kremlin a symbolic victory after months of battleground setbacks and Ukrainian counteroffensives.... Ukrainian resupply routes out of Bakhmut are 'increasingly limited,' according to the British Defense Ministry."
Israel. Bar Peleg, et al., of Haaretz: "Despite the heightened police presence and the force used by officers against protesters earlier in the week, over 180,000 Israelis protested the government's planned judicial overhaul throughout the country on Saturday night, for the ninth week in a row. After the demonstration ended, protesters attempted to cross the barricade that blocked off the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv. Police tried to obstruct those who broke through, but several thousand people made their way onto the main road and began marching."
News Lede
Washington Post: "Storms have knocked out power for more than 1 million Americans and caused at least 10 deaths, after heavy winds and possible tornadoes pummeled Kentucky, Michigan and other parts of the South and Midwest.... Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Saturday that at least five Kentuckians had died as a result of the storm after the state had wind gusts of more than 70 mph and flash flooding. In Alabama, three people were killed by falling trees, and storm-related deaths were also reported in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, according to the Associated Press." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yeah, well, I have 14" of snow to shovel from yesterday's storm here in the Northeast, and it snowed a little last night, too.
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Reader Comments (11)
Marie: I was surprised that you thought the Conway divorce was none of your business. Since Kellyann was Trump's girl Friday and was front and center for many years touting his lies, married to George, a liberal, who was out and about saying the opposite, we wondered how in hell could that marriage work? I even speculated that Kellyann was a spy in the house of a lout. This divorce makes sense and for no other reason that's welcome news given how so much these days lack not only sense but troubling consequences. Go ahead---be a bit cheesy–-it's easy pickings these days.
I've tried and tried, using Marie's simple instructions on sending a
link, but it still doesn't work.
Anyway, the photo in this link says all we need to know about
Republican 'Family Values'. At least it's not a drag show.
https://democraticunderground.com/100217681763
P.D.
Marriages are often a mystery to outsiders and sometimes, as the years pass, even to the people once blissfully wedded.
I have no idea how the Conway marriage worked or why it eventually didn't but, no, Mr. Conway is not a liberal. Far from it. He just exhibited a little taste in his Republican politics and maybe that taste spilled over into his marriage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Conway
Marie has 14 inches of snow to shovel, and here in West Michigan
I'm sitting on the front porch in the warm sun eating lunch and
getting a tan.
What's happening? I guess we're not allowed to say 'climate change'
according to republicans, but that seems like what it might be.
And Sacramento had lots of snow. I was stationed there for almost
2 years in the military. The only snow I ever saw in the area was
driving through the mountains on the way to Reno for R an R.
Thanks Ken for clearing away the Liberal label for Old George but he certainly fooled me; when he was on MSNBC he continued to rant and rave about Trump and as he once coined the GOP––-"A bunch of nutcrackers" although that wouldn't make him a liberal. As far as marriages go––-I, for one. cannot fathom living with someone as antithetical as these two Conways, although one of my sons married a devout Christian while he himself is an atheist–––their love seems to override that although he tells me how it drives him crazy sometimes.
I also think the Conway marriage split is of limited interest, as Kellyanne had a lot of influence on the ex-prez Orange Judas, and George frequently was in the news with deliberate tweets that disagreed with her. I don't give a rat's patootie that their marriage has splintered, because neither of them are good people. I hope Kellyanne is lonely the rest of her wretched life and I don't care if George is or isn't.
I just returned from our Walgreens, the only one in the county now. I spoke with a manager who passed the buck to the pharmacist. I waited to talk to him and he refused to talk with me. Instead he picked up a clipboard and read me a prepared statement that those meds for the prescription abortion will not be in ANY Walgreens store ever, and if I wanted more info, I had to call their info line or email customer service. Abortion is still legal in PA. I wanted it clarified that they had knuckled under as a company to that TX judge in preparation for his ruling. I told both the manager and the parmacist that they would no longer have our business, and neither cared. But I am determined, even if it is ever a hardship. No Walgreens-- done. I should parade around in front of the door with a sign, but I rather value my life here in Lancaster County and wouldn't put it past someone to just shoot me.
Happy Sunday, such as it is...
@Forrest Morris: You do have to follow my instructions EGGSactly, or the link won't work. So no extra spaces, no "curlicue" quotation marks. Basically, embedding links into highlighted text requires a total lack of originality.
The method you used -- copying & pasting the URL, as you did -- works just fine, though. In the meantime, consider yourself a creative genius!
@ Jeanne: You are a true American hero. There is no excuse for Walgreens in Pennsylvania to stop carrying the most effective abortion medication. As you know, Democrats control the governorship & one house of the state legislature. Gov. Shapiro has repeatedly stated his support for abortion rights. There is no danger that in the next couple of years, Pennsylvania will pass a no-medical-abortions bill into law or that law enforcement will cite Walgreens for breaking a Pennsylvania law that doesn't and won't exist.
And that Texas Trumpy judge can go fuck himself because nobody else will.
Jeanne: I join Marie in praising your moxie in confronting the Walgreen manager. We, on occasion, frequent our Walgreens here in Wallingford, but no more and intend to tell them why. Let's hope more customers do the same but I doubt it.
Marie wondered why people still vote for Republicans when the party seems to have it out for nearly everyone. Me too. I know a couple, in their late 20s, who have been together for several years. She is politically moderate, leaning liberal; a music teacher; bisexual; and self-employed. He is conservative and also self-employed. They intend to have children. So, right there, in that brief description, there are risks. A bisexual teacher? If the state they live in passes a Don't Say Gay law similar to Florida's, that could be difficult for her. Children? Pregnancies go awry, sometimes in terrible ways. Would she be able to get an abortion if she needed one? Self-employed? Thank you Obama et al. for the ACA--which Republicans keep wanting to get rid of. And yes, the male in this couple continues to vote Republican, straight down the ticket. (I think he did not vote for Trump in 2020; probably he didn't vote for anyone for president because he thinks Biden is an idiot.) Oh, and they have college debt. They are willing to keep paying it off, but obviously, life would be easier for them if they got a little relief.
I have no answer for his support of Republicans, except his belief that the Democrats are weak, will destroy the economy, etc. etc.
@Elizabeth: I expect you hit on a big part of the answer in your last brief paragraph: Republicanism is a "belief," not a rational choice.