May 14, 2022

Afternoon Update

Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Senator Mitch McConnell f Kentucky, the minority leader, visited Ukraine on Saturday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, leading the latest delegation of American lawmakers to the country as the United States deepens its commitment to Kyiv's fight against the Russian invasion. The surprise visit by Mr. McConnell, who was accompanied by three other Republican senators, comes as the Senate is working to pass a $40 billion emergency military and humanitarian aid package for Ukraine.... The trip, a rare international visit for Mr. McConnell, highlights the widespread bipartisan support for Ukraine in Washington...."

Paul Kane of the Washington Post: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) "is the only member of the House to hold a perfect 16-for-16 record opposing legislation to support Ukraine and oppose Russia, according to House records and a Democratic analysis provided to The Washington Post.... Little by little, however, with each proposal [to aid Ukraine], a few more Republicans would sign up [to oppose the legislation & resolutions]: eight Republicans opposed suspending trade privileges for Russia in mid-March; 17 Republicans opposed a resolution supporting Moldova, whose leaders fear their Ukraine-bordering nation could be Putin's next target; 19 opposed a similar resolution in support fo Georgia.... [Massie's] views remain a minority, but his allies in this cause include some of the closest allies to Trump, who ... has espoused his own fondness for Putin." On Monday Trump, who once called him a 'third-rate grandstander,' endorsed Massie in the GOP primary.”

Ellie Silverman & Kyle Swenson of the Washington Post: "Protesters gathered in Washington and at hundreds of events across the country on Saturday, including in New York City, San Antonio and Los Angeles, to rally for abortion rights.... The liberal groups that organized Saturday's protests designed the events as a resounding message to leaders that the majority of Americans support upholding Roe. In Washington, generations -- from babies and children to mothers and grandmothers who say they've been protesting for the right to an abortion for far too long -- gathered on the National Mall to send it. They voiced anger over the wave of abortion bans and restrictions taking hold in states across the country."

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times takes on the Washington Post editors: "Having captured the court for their own ends, conservative legal elites have not been shy about their efforts to pressure the court to rule in their favor. Which is to say that in evaluating the recent protests, we have one important question to answer: Who has the right to speak directly to the Supreme Court? The elites who shape the court or the people who must live under it?"

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "There is an astonishing preponderance of Catholics on the Supreme Court -- six out of the nine justices, and a seventh, Neil Gorsuch, was raised as a Catholic and went to the same Jesuit boys' high school in a Maryland suburb that Brett Kavanaugh ... did, Georgetown Prep.... This Catholic feels an intense disquiet that Catholic doctrine may be shaping (or misshaping) the freedom and the future of millions of women, and men. There is a corona of religious fervor around the court, a churchly ethos that threatens to turn our whole country upside down.... Last year, at Thomas Aquinas College in California, Justice Samuel Alito fretted that there was growing cultural hostility toward Christianity and Catholicism. 'There is a real movement to suppress the expression of anything that opposes the secular orthodoxy,' he said. During her Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Amy Coney Barrett tried to reassure Democrats who were leery of her role as a 'handmaid' in a Christian group.... The group has a male-dominated hierarchy and a rigid view of sexuality reflecting conservative gender norms and rejecting openly gay men and women. Men, the group's decision makers, 'headed' their wives."

Zach Montellaro, et al., of Politico: "Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano on Saturday landed the coveted endorsement of ... Donald Trump with days to go before the gubernatorial primary. The prospect of Trump's endorsement of Mastriano, a leading voice in the movement to overturn the 2020 election results and who was present at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, had alarmed local and national Republicans concerned about his ability to win a general election.... Mastriano -- who also has ties to the QAnon conspiracy theory -- was already leading in the polls in the fractured primary, despite being well outspent on TV by candidates like former U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain and businessman David White.... Trump had been skeptical of Mastriano, according to another person familiar, but was impressed by his lead in the polls and focus on the 2020 election."

~~~~~~~~~~

Scott Wong of NBC News: "The House Judiciary Committee plans to hold a hearing next week on the 'implications' of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler confirmed to NBC News on Friday.... The hearing [-- scheduled for Wednesday at 10 am ET --] will 'expose the extremism of this leaked opinion -- it is literally undoing 50 years of precedent and signaling that they will go after other privacy rights. Nobody is safe,' Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., a Judiciary member and co-chair of the bipartisan Women's Caucus, said in an interview."

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: Politicians' and the media's "small-bore response [to the leaked draft opinion] misses the radical change to society that Justice Samuel Alito and his co-conspirators are poised to ram down the throats of Americans. Their stunning action ... is upending who we are as a people.... Overturning Roe would be a shock to our way of life.... It took years (and a stolen seat or two) to build this destructive Supreme Court. The building backlash will have to be just as sustained."

Kate Riga of TPM: "At a Thursday night event at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, ['Justice' Samuel Alito] had harsh words for the two conservative justices who joined the majority in Bostock v. Clayton County. The 2020 opinion said that the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex-based discrimination, extends to gay and transgender workers. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion, in which he was joined by the liberals and Chief Justice John Roberts. Speaking via a video feed Thursday, Alito called Gorsuch a 'colleague and friend,' but said that grounding the decision in the text of the 1964 law was 'in my view indefensible,' according to the Washington Post." Thanks to Forrest M. for the link. MB: Presumably, an attempt to overturn Bostock would fail, but that would depend upon Gorsuch, Roberts & the three justices appointed by Democrats sticking together. And nothing is certain now over there at Crazy Court.

In the Weird World of Clarence Thomas. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The leak of a draft opinion has done irreparable damage to the Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas said at a conference in Dallas on Friday night, adding that it had destroyed trust among the members of the court.... Justice Thomas said the left has adopted tactics that conservatives would not employ. 'You would never visit Supreme Court justices' houses when things didn't go our way,' he said. 'We didn't throw temper tantrums....' He added that conservatives have 'never trashed a Supreme Court nominee.'" Politico's report is here. MB: When things didn't go your way, Clarence, your wife went out to overturn a presidential election & foment an insurrection. And you might want to ask Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan & accused pedophile-enabler Ketanji Brown Jackson if "conservatives" had trashed them. And, gosh, I hope it doesn't upset you too much if we find out the leak was from your office.

Casey Parks of the Washington Post: "As the Supreme Court moves closer to potentially overturning Roe v. Wade, Democratic-led states have begun allocating money to increase access to abortion -- both for their own constituents and for people traveling from states where the procedure may soon become illegal. But critics say the efforts lack transparency. The problem, critics say, is no one knows exactly how Oregon[, for instance,] will spend the money."

What we are calling for is a total ban, no exceptions. We don't think abortion is ever necessary to save the life of the mother. -- Mark Sande of Pro-Life Wisconsin ~~~

How exactly is it "pro-life," Mark, to stand around and watch women die? -- Confused in New England ~~~

~~~ Looking for New Battles After the War Is Won. Ariana Cha & Emily Wax-Thibodeaux of the Washington Post: "Terminating a pregnancy to save a mother's life has long been accepted as a moral imperative by those on both sides of the abortion debate.... But now, with the U.S. Supreme Court potentially moving to overturn Roe..., emboldened conservatives in some states are pushing to narrow and in some cases eliminate such exceptions, arguing that they create loopholes that are easily exploited." MB: People like Mark there have made careers of advocating against abortion, and now they're at sixes & sevens to find new "causes." When your job and/or your favorite thing to do is on the line, a relatively small number of unnecessary deaths of women is a price well worth paying. It's hard to exaggerate what hateful, twisted reprobates these people are.

Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Friday, writing for The Atlantic, Canadian author Margaret Atwood -- author of the patriarchal dystopia 'The Handmaid's Tale' == said that the Supreme Court's impending decision to strike down Roe v. Wade creates the nightmarish world she was depicting.... Atwood ... [wrote] that she actually stopped writing the novel multiple times because she considered its premise to be too extreme to be taken seriously. 'Silly me,' she commented.... You can read more here. (Firewalled.) MB: The Handmaid's Tale was published in 1985. That, of course, was before any of the imbeciles who intend to vote to overturn Roe were on the Court. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The New York Times' live updates of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "The foreign ministers of Finland and Sweden were scheduled to meet ... for an informal working dinner ... with their NATO counterparts in Germany on Saturday as both countries move toward joining the alliance and Western allies redouble their efforts to solidify their unity against Russia.... At the same time, Western nations' efforts to exact economic punishment on Russia's elite were closing in on those closest to President Vladimir V. Putin. Britain placed sanctions on his cousins, ex-wife and a former Olympic gymnast rumored to be his romantic partner.... Ukrainian forces further pushed the Russians away from the city of Kharkiv in the northeast on Friday. They appeared to win the battle there by waging a counteroffensive rivaling their earlier success in the capital, Kyiv, analysts said.... The Pentagon said that U.S. Army troops would be rotated in to replace the 10,500 additional forces the United States has sent to Europe to bolster NATO's eastern flank and the Baltics, a sign that the troop buildup could become permanent." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Saturday are here: "'Very difficult negotiations' are ongoing for the 'next stage' of evacuations from the Azovstal steel plant and Mariupol, focused on medics and the seriously wounded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday. Ukrainian forces have been holed up there for more than two months."

Eleanor Watson of CBS News: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Friday for the first time since Russia initiated its invasion of Ukraine. According to a readout from the Pentagon, during the conversation with Shoigu, Austin 'urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication.'... A U.S. senior defense said the call lasted about an hour and confirmed that Austin had requested the call. Since mid-February, the Pentagon has consistently been reaching out for calls with Russian counterparts, but the Russians had previously shown no interest. It's unclear now why Shoigu agreed to Friday's call."

John Henley & Ruth Michaelson of the Guardian: "The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has cast doubt on Finnish and Swedish membership of Nato, saying he does not have a positive opinion of the two Nordic nations joining the military alliance after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.... Membership of Nato would require ratification by all existing members.... The comments appeared directed at the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey regards as a terrorist organisation, although they appeared to encompass the communities of Kurdish origin in Scandinavia as a whole.... Sweden has a large Kurdish diaspora, and prominent Swedish citizens of Kurdish origin currently include six members of parliament." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

AP: "WNBA star Brittney Griner had her pre-trial detention in Russia extended by one month Friday, her lawyer said. Alexander Boykov told The Associated Press he thinks the relatively short extension indicated that Griner's case would go to trial soon. The 31-year-old American basketball player has been in custody for nearly three months." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Psaki Has Left the Building. Brian Stelter of CNN: "Jen Psaki held her 224th and final briefing as White House press secretary on Friday afternoon.... Psaki's successor, Karine Jean-Pierre, confirmed on Friday that she will continue to hold regular briefings. Embedded in their remarks on Friday is a stark difference between presidents and parties. In about 16 months working on behalf of President Joe Biden, Psaki held a greater number of briefings than all of ... Donald Trump's press secretaries combined. The Trump-era total was 205...."

David McCabe & Cecilia Kang of the New York Times: "The confirmation of a third Democrat to the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday broke a partisan deadlock at the agency.... With the F.T.C.'s new Democratic majority -- which came with the confirmation of Alvaro Bedoya, who becomes the fifth commissioner, in a slot that had been vacant since October -- [FTC chairwoman Lina] Khan's [D] allies and critics are watching to see if she pushes forward plans to address corporate power. That could include filing an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, setting online privacy rules and tapping little-used agency powers to clip the wings of companies like Meta, Apple and Google."

Luke Broadwater & Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "The decision by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol to issue subpoenas to five Republican members of Congress, including Representative Kevin McCarthy..., has sent a shock wave through Capitol Hill, heightening tensions in an already hostile environment and raising questions about the future of the inquiry and the institution itself.... In the House, subpoenas are almost never issued outside of the Ethics Committee, which is charged with investigating allegations of misconduct by members. But it is also exceedingly rare for lawmakers to refuse outright to cooperate with an investigation.... Mr. McCarthy has made no secret of his plans to retaliate against Democrats if Republicans win control of the House. He has named Representative Adam B. Schiff, a member of the committee, and Representative Eric Swalwell, both California Democrats, as potential targets."

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post runs down what some Trump aides -- Mike Esper, Bill Barr, John Bolton & Stephanie Grisham -- said before & after they quit/were fired from their jobs, and they fakey explanations of why they stayed silent till their books came out. Why, it's almost as if they did an awful lot of dissembling.

Alyssa Rosenberg of the Washington Post: "In the debate over how to address the widespread shortage of infant formula in the United States, some Republicans have advanced a novel -- and ugly -- idea: Take food from migrant babies in federal detention and give it to American children. Such a 'solution' is not only legally forbidden, it's morally reprehensible.... The implied proposal to starve some children to punish their parents should leave all decent people aghast.... It was bad enough when [Texas Gov. Greg] Abbott wanted to deny immigrant children schooling. This new statement is an implied endorsement of politically motivated starvation." MB: According to Chris Hayes of MSNBC, there are a few hundred babies in U.S. custody at the border, and three or four million U.S. babies who use formula. Starving a few hundred immigrant babies is not going to feed millions of American babies. The GOP/Fox "News" proposal is not just immoral and illegal; it is stupid. Oh, and a crime against humanity.

Michael Scherer & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "From Nebraska and Idaho to Pennsylvania and Georgia, Republicans have been actively campaigning -- or quietly maneuvering -- against [Donald] Trump's picks in a way that could undermine his sway over the party. One prominent example came Tuesday when Trump's endorsed candidate for Nebraska governor, Charles Herbster, lost in the GOP primary after significant opposition from Gov. Pete Ricketts (R).... In Pennsylvania, former Trump secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), a strong Trump ally, are stumping for Senate candidate David McCormick ... -- even though Trump is backing candidate and television personality Mehmet Oz.... In his sharpest political challenge yet to Trump..., former vice president Mike Pence announced Friday that he would campaign for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who is seeking reelection over Trump endorsee David Perdue. ~~~

     ~~~ Trumparithmetic. From the Scherer-Dawsey story: “'President Trump is already 58-1 this election season, and the power of his endorsement continues to propel candidates across the nation in a way no endorsement has before,' said Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich, referring to a win-loss record pushed by Trump that contains numerous unopposed candidates.... Trump has long been obsessed with his own endorsement win-loss record, often combining risk-taking endorsements with safer picks so that his percentage stays high." MB: If you run unopposed, do you throw yourself a victory party? Who concedes?

Kelvin Chan & Tom Krisher of the AP: "Elon Musk said Friday that his plan to buy Twitter is 'temporarily on hold,' raising fresh doubts about whether he'll proceed with the $44 billion acquisition. Musk tweeted that he wanted to pinpoint the number of spam and fake accounts on the social media platform. Musk has been vocal about his desire to clean up Twitter's problem with 'spam bots' that mimic real people and appeared to question whether the company was underreporting them. But Twitter has disclosed in regulatory filings that its bot estimates might be low for at least two years, leading some analysts to believe that Musk could be raising the issue as a reason to back out of the deal." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Adam Satariano & Lauren Hirsch of the New York Times: "First, in a pre-dawn tweet, Mr. Musk said the deal was on hold. He said he wanted more details about the volume of spam and fake accounts on the platform. Then, about two hours later, Mr. Musk tweeted again. He was 'still committed' to the acquisition, he said, without providing any more details." MB: The richest man in the world thinks it's ever so much fun to mess with people. Especially when it puts him back on the front page. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Grio: "'It is with great pleasure that I write to announce my appointment of Jelani Cobb as the next Dean of Columbia Journalism School,' Columbia University president Lee C. Bollinger said in an announcement released today. The appointment is effective Aug. 1. Cobb joined the faculty in 2016 as the Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism and Director of the Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights. He previously served as an Associate Professor of History and Director of the Africana Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut. Since 2012, Cobb has worked as a contributor and a staff writer for The New Yorker."

Neil Lewis of the New York Times: "Robert C. McFarlane, a former decorated Marine officer who rose in civilian life to be President Ronald Reagan's national security adviser and then fell from grace in the Iran-contra scandal, died on Thursday in Lansing, Mich. He was 84."

Adam Cancryn of Politico: "A painful and foreboding reality is setting in for the White House as it enters a potentially dangerous stretch of the Covid fight: It may soon need to run its sprawling pandemic response on a shoestring budget. Just two months after the administration unveiled a nearly 100-page roadmap out of the crisis, doubts are growing about Congress' willingness to fund the nation's fight. It has forced Biden officials to debate deep cuts to their Covid operation and game out ways to keep the federal effort afloat on a month-by-month basis. Among the sacrifices being weighed are limiting access to its next generation of vaccines to only the highest-risk Americans...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I was trying to decide when to get my second booster: now, or in the fall, when the risk of contracting the virus is supposed to rise sharply. I guess I'll get it now.

Beyond the Beltway

Alabama. Rick Rojas of the New York Times: "A federal judge late Friday blocked portions of an Alabama law that prevent medical professionals from providing care that helps transgender children and teenagers transition, making it a felony offense that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The severity of the punishment == which also includes threats of criminal prosecution for parents and educators who support a child in transitioning -- has stood out even amid a wave of legislation [across the country].... In an order issued late Friday night, Judge Liles C. Burke of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama temporarily halted the state from enforcing parts of the law that make it a felony to prescribe hormones or puberty-blocking medication while the court challenge continued.... Medical professionals are still forbidden to perform gender-affirming surgical procedures on children."

Florida. Renzo Downey of Florida Politics: "Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Rep. Cord Byrd to be Florida's next Secretary of State. Byrd, a three-term Neptune Beach Republican, was rumored to be on the shortlist to replace outgoing Secretary of State Laurel Lee, who announced she would leave the administration Monday amid talk she would run for Congress.... When Byrd steps into his new office in the Department of State, he will inherit a legal challenge to Florida's congressional maps, which were drawn by DeSantis' office and passed by the Legislature during a Special Session. Byrd will also oversee the Primary Election on Aug. 23 and the General Election on Nov. 8, and the Department will implement the Office of Election Crimes and Security under his watch.... Byrd's appointment followed DeSantis' appointment of his wife, Esther Byrd, to the Board of Education in March.... She is known as a staunch supporter of ... Donald Trump who has made comments supportive of QAnon. After the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots, Esther Byrd offered a defense of those 'peacefully protesting' certification of the 2020 Presidential Election while alluding to 'coming civil wars.'"

Georgia. Emma Brown & Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "A former elections supervisor in rural Coffee County, Ga., has told The Washington Post that she opened her offices to a businessman active in the election-denier movement to help investigate results she did not trust in the weeks after ... Donald Trump's 2020 defeat. Trump had carried the conservative county by 40 points, but elections supervisor Misty Hampton said she remained suspicious of Joe Biden's win in Georgia. Hampton made a video that went viral soon after the election, claiming to show that Dominion Voting System machines, the ones used in her county, could be manipulated.... [When asked about the movements and activities of those she invited into her offices,] 'I'm not a babysitter,' she told The Post.... [The businessman, Scott Hall, brought a team of 'investigators' into the elections facility. According to an audio recording of a telephone conversation, he said the team] 'went in there and imaged every hard drive of every piece of equipment' and scanned ballots.... In the year and a half since the 2020 election, there has been steady drumbeat of revelations about alleged security breaches in local elections offices -- and a growing concern among experts that officials who are sympathetic to claims of vote-rigging might be persuaded to undermine election security in the name of protecting it."

Georgia. DWB, Ctd. Char Adams of NBC News: "Newly released body camera footage of Georgia sheriff's deputies stopping a majority-Black lacrosse team's bus shows the officers rifling through the players' personal items -- after the sheriff asserted the deputies did no such thing. Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman said in a statement Tuesday that deputies weren't racially profiling the women's lacrosse team for Delaware State University, a historically Black university, when they stopped the team's bus on April 20. He also said that 'no personal items on the bus or any person were searched.'... Footage obtained by the Delaware News Journal shows deputies going through several bags, digging through makeup, inspecting medicine, and even opening a wrapped gift.... University president Tony Allen wrote in a statement on Monday that he is 'incensed' by the incident and noted that 'nothing illegal was discovered in this search.'"

Montana ... or Maybe California??? Ben Lefebvre & Daniel Lippman of Politico: "Ryan Zinke, the former Trump Interior secretary now running for Congress again in Montana, has long faced questions about whether he lives in the state or in California. Now, new tax records uncovered by Politico show that Zinke's wife has designated the home she inherited years ago from her parents in Santa Barbara as her primary residence[, qualifying her for a $7,000 homeowner's tax exemption].... When Zinke filed his candidacy papers with the Federal Election Commission, he listed his family house in Whitefish, Montana, as his place of residence. But he and his wife have used Lola Zinke's home in Santa Barbara as a mailing address for fundraising invitations, Lola's own campaign contributions and a business contract his consulting firm filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.... There's nothing illegal about a candidate having a primary residence in one state and running for office in another."

Pennsylvania Primary Races. Timothy Evans of the Raw Story: "The Philadelphia Inquirer, perhaps the most influential and well-respected newspaper in Pennsylvania, says that after an in-depth look at Republican primary candidates for statewide office, it cannot endorse any one of them. The newspaper's editorial board wrote on Friday, 'With Pennsylvania voters headed to the polls Tuesday to choose the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor and U.S. Senate, it's as if the primaries are occurring on two different planets.' As evidence, the Inquirer cited responses to questionnaires it sent to GOP candidates asking the simple question 'who won the 2020 presidential election?... Only one candidate -- Jeff Bartos -- agreed to acknowledge reality,' it reports."

Texas. David Goodman of the New York Times: "The Texas Supreme Court ruled on Friday that investigations of parents with transgender children for possible child abuse could continue, after an emergency appeal by state officials including Gov. Greg Abbott. The ruling reversed an appeals court decision that had temporarily halted the inquiries statewide. But the court said that officials could not resume the investigation into the plaintiffs that had brought the lawsuit, a family and a doctor, acknowledging that the inquiry would cause 'irreparable harm' and leaving in place the injunction as their case proceeds to trial. In its 12-page opinion, the court found that the appeals court had 'abused its discretion' in issuing a statewide order at this point in the legal process." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Way Beyond

Israel/Palestine. New York Times: "Israeli police officers on Friday assaulted mourners at the funeral procession of a prominent Palestinian American journalist killed this week in the occupied West Bank, forcing pallbearers to nearly drop the coffin. Video showed police officers in Jerusalem beating and kicking pallbearers carrying the coffin that contained the body of the journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, striking other mourners with batons, and forcing one man to the ground. During the commotion, the pallbearers were pushed backward, causing them to briefly lose control of one end of the coffin.... The incident at the funeral procession lasted for roughly a minute, and followed a tense standoff between paramilitary police and mourners in which at least one empty plastic bottle was thrown in the direction of the police." The article is part of a liveblog. The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Ramon Vargas of the Guardian: "Joe Biden’s secretary of state has issued a statement condemning Israeli forces for their attack hours earlier on the funeral procession in Jerusalem of a Palestinian American journalist who was shot and killed this week. 'We are deeply troubled by the images of Israeli police intruding into the funeral procession of Palestinian American Shireen Abu Aqleh,' Antony Blinken's statement on his official Twitter account read. 'Every family deserves to lay their loved ones to rest in a dignified and unimpeded manner.'... When [the funeral procession] began walking toward the gates of St Joseph's Hospital, Israeli police officers, in an apparent bid to stop them proceeding by foot rather than taking the coffin by car, burst through the courtyard gates and charged at the crowd. Some beat pallbearers with batons and kicked them." ~~~

     ~~~ Robert Mackey of the Intercept has more details about the murder of Abu Aqleh and Israel's response.

Philippines. Rebecca Ratcliffe of the Guardian: "The glimpse of a possible Picasso in the home of Imelda Marcos seen during a visit by her son, Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr, after his election win has set off a flurry of speculation in the Philippines, where the family that once plundered billions is set to return to power. Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the late dictator, won a landslide victory in Monday's presidential election, an outcome that has appalled those who survived his father's regime. Images released by the family showed Marcos Jr visiting the home of his mother, Imelda, who had displayed Picasso's Femme Couche VI (Reclining Woman VI), or a replica, above the sofa. It is unclear if the painting, one of eight targeted for seizure by anti-corruption authorities in 2014, is genuine, but the unexpected appearance of the nude in blues and greens ... has added to fears the family will use its now-increased power to brazenly further stifle efforts to recover ill-gotten wealth."

News Ledes

American Weekend. AP: "A gunman sporting a rifle and body armor opened fire in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing at least 10 people before being taken into custody Saturday afternoon, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. Details on the number of additional people shot at the Tops Friendly Market and their conditions weren't immediately available.... Investigators believe the man may have been livestreaming the shooting and were looking into whether he had posted a manifesto online, the official said. The official cautioned the investigation was in its preliminary stages and that authorities hadn't yet discerned a clear motive, but were investigating whether the shooting was racially motivated." ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated. New Lede: "A white 18-year-old wearing military gear and livestreaming with a helmet camera opened fire with a rifle at a supermarket in Buffalo, killing 10 people and wounding three others Saturday in what authorities described as 'racially motivateed violent extremism.' The gunman wore body armor and military-style clothing during the attack on mostly Black shoppers and workers at Tops Friendly Market. For at least two minutes, he broadcast the shooting live on the streaming platform Twitch before the service ended his transmission." ~~~

~~~ New York Times: "At least 17 people were wounded in a shooting in downtown Milwaukee on Friday night, blocks from the arena where an N.B.A. playoff game ended hours earlier, the police said. The Milwaukee Police Department said that there were no fatalities in the shooting, which happened around 11:09 p.m. in a popular nightlife area. The victims were between 15 and 47 years old and were all expected to survive, the police said."

Comments

[Bobby Lee]

In articles on the infant formula shortage I never notice any mention of the recall of three major brands of formula over contamination issues. It seems to me that just might be relevant to the shortage.

[Marie Burns]

@Bobby Lee: The contamination issue has been mentioned as the primary cause of the shortage (followed by supply chain problems & other issues) in a couple of stories I've linked. This Vox story by Dylan Scott, cites the "contamination problem at an Abbott factory that produces much of the Similac formula, as well as several other brands, for the US market." The factory has been shut down since February, and Scott writes, "it’s not exactly clear why Abbott and the FDA have failed to come to an agreement that would allow the plant to resume producing formula and help alleviate the shortage."

[Forrest Morris]

talkingpointsmemo.com/news/alito-lgbtq-decision-gorsuch-indefensible

Alito calls landmark supreme court decision expanding LGBTQ
worker rights 'indefensible.'

The 2020 opinion said that the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which
prohibits sex-based discrimination, extends to gay and transgender
workers.

Justice Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion, joined by the liberals
and Chief Justice Roberts.

Chipping away at human rights one little chip at a time. Don't think
I'll like living in the 1750's. The 2020's are bad enough.

[Bobby Lee]

Glad to read an article that does go into depth on the infant food crisis. The average print story down here is "I went to Walmart and they didn't have any" while the TV news shows sparse or empty shelves with the same moan and groan. Naturally you know who gets the blame.

[P.D. Pepe]

ALITO'S AMELIA BEDELIA:

When my grandchildren were wee one of the books they loved and laughed at were the Peggy Parish series about Amelia Bedelia, a housekeeper hired by a rich couple who gives her instructions like "dust the furniture, draw the drapes, put out the lights." She pours dust on the furniture, draws a picture of the drapes and puts all the lights outside. Manuel B. Ceneta (New Yorker) begins his essay with exactly this same little lady that his own children got such a kick out of and he ties it to Originalism and Alito's screed.

"Like Amelia Bedelia, [Alito] latches onto a specific, fixed meaning within the Constitution, and refuses to consider any broader possible meaning."
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/amelia-bedelia-meet-samuel-alito

A good read and a critical nod to Scalia, whose fealty to Originalism was front and center and by the way––was vigorously opposed by RBG––-no wonder they bonded by their love of opera––-singing out of that tune presented problems friendship wise.

[Ken Winkes]

In the Department of Idle Speculation:

The behind the scenes scurrying of Republican vermin over who has, who wants, who benefits, who doesn't from the Pretender Seal of Approval reminded me of the long standing American tradition of selling endorsements.

Knew something about the Underwriter Laboratory Seal, but always wondered how one qualified for a "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval," so looked it up.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/food/1989/08/30/whats-the-price-of-approval-companies-hesitate-over-cost-of-heartguide-seal/b461352e-acf2-4ee2-9b7c-27d1e664cba1/

Some interesting history here that fills in some of the background of how here in the land of the free most everything is somehow for sale.

Made me wonder, too, if the Pretender is agains engaged in his customary business practice of extortion. Just how much might a Pretender endorsement run?

Is its value rising or declining? Is there a chart somewhere in the financial pages that I've somehow missed?

And as he loses his grip on the party of imbeciles, how much he might charge to endorse the other guy?

[RAS]

Just how is Trump being undermined by the local Republicans wanting their own (and owned) pieces of shit in the seat of power? They are not going to stand in the way of any grifts that Trump wants to do. They are going to echo the same BS and attack the same enemies that Trump's pick would have done. And if Trump comes calling they will be laying their lips on his orange behind just like everyone else does. Trump wins either way.

[Akhilleus]

Not paying attention…

Some not very swift political writer wannabe on the deadline.com site posted a real knee slapper of a story with the headline “White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki And Fox News’ Peter Doocy Lay Down Their Weapons”.

Hold on…hahahahahahaha…

Yeah, okay. Lay down their weapons. So Jen set down her sledgehammer and Petey dropped his rubber chicken. The piece goes on to depict Psaki and Doocy as worthy opponents, offering as “proof”, I suppose, a silly quote from terminal twit and self promoting asshole Piers Morgan who opined that they both did their jobs “superbly well”. I guess so, if Psaki’s job was to be a smart, informed, articulate press secretary for a real president and Doocy’s was to be a stuttering simpleton for a fake news organization.

In another stunning bit of journalistic triteness, the writer, oops, I mean “writer”, depicted Doocy as a “thorn in [Psaki’s] side. More like an annoying 5 year old who responds “why?” to everything.

So either this “writer” hasn’t been paying attention (even the president referred to Doocy as a stupid son of a bitch!) or he owes Doocy money.