May 31, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Ha! Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Michael Sussmann, a prominent cybersecurity lawyer with ties to Democrats, was acquitted on Tuesday of a felony charge that he lied to the F.B.I. about having no client in 2016 when he shared a tip about possible connections between Donald J. Trump and Russia. The verdict was a blow to the special counsel, John H. Durham, who was appointed by the Trump administration three years ago to scour the Trump-Russia investigation for any wrongdoing. The case centered on odd internet data that cybersecurity researchers discovered in 2016 after it became public that Russia had hacked Democrats and Mr. Trump had encouraged the country to target Hillary Clinton's emails. The researchers said the data might reflect a covert communications channel using servers for the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank, a Kremlin-linked bank. The F.B.I. briefly looked at the suspicions and dismissed them.... ~~~

~~~ "Mr. Durham [whom AG Bill Barr appointed] used the case to put forward a larger conspiracy: that there was a joint enterprise to essentially frame Mr. Trump for collusion with Russia by getting the F.B.I. to investigate the suspicions so reporters would write about it -- a scheme involving the Clinton campaign; its opposition research firm, Fusion GPS; Mr. Sussmann; and a cybersecurity expert who brought the odd data and analysis to him. That insinuation thrilled supporters of Mr. Trump who share his view that the Russia investigation was a 'hoax,' and have sought to conflate the actual inquiry with sometimes thin or dubious allegations developed by private citizens. In reality, the Alfa Bank matter was a sideshow and tangent...." The AP report is here.

Zeke Miller, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden is set to meet with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as soaring inflation takes a bite out of Americans' pocketbooks and the president's public approval. Tuesday's meeting is the first since Powell was renominated in November by Biden to lead the central bank and comes two weeks after his confirmation for a second term by the Senate. It also represents something of a reversal by Biden as inflation has evolved as a threat. The president asserted in April 2021 that he was 'very fastidious about not talking' with the independent Fed and wanted to avoid being seen as 'telling them what they should and shouldn't do.' The White House, along with the Fed, initially portrayed the inflation surge as a temporary side effect caused by supply chain issues as the U.S. emerged from the pandemic.... Inflation has shown signs of moderating but is likely to remain far above the Fed's 2% target through the end of this year."

Virginia. Steve Descano, Fairfax County prosecutor, in a New York Times op-ed: "Almost two and a half years ago, I took my oath of office as prosecutor, and swore to protect my community from those who broke the law. The real threat, I now realize, may stem from those who write the law. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the rights of thousands of Virginian women will be thrown into question.... Our governor has said that he is 'staunchly, unabashedly' against abortion and fully committed to 'going on the offense' against abortion rights in our legislature.... So when the court's draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked earlier this month, I committed to never prosecute a woman for making her own health care decisions. That means that no matter what the law in Virginia says, I will not prosecute a woman for having an abortion, or for being suspected of inducing one.... I hope prosecutors across the country will join me in choosing to lead on behalf of the women we represent."

Benjamin Mueller & Eleanor Lutz of the New York Times: "Despite strong levels of vaccination among older people, Covid killed them at vastly higher rates during this winter's Omicron wave than it did last year, preying on long delays since their last shots and the variant's ability to skirt immune defenses. This winter's wave of deaths in older people belied the Omicron variant's relative mildness. Almost as many Americans 65 and older died in four months of the Omicron surge as did in six months of the Delta wave, even though the Delta variant, for any one person, tended to cause more severe illness. While overall per capita Covid death rates have fallen, older people still account for an overwhelming share of them."

Viktor Vlad. Victoria Kim of the New York Times: "The European Union's long-delayed deal to embargo Russian oil, finalized late Monday, effectively exempts Hungary from the costly step the rest of the bloc is taking to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. While Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, has cast his weekslong opposition to the deal as purely about shielding his country's economy, it was also the latest step in what has been a decade-long turn of Hungary's leadership toward closer alignment with Russia, at times at the expense of relations with its fellow members of the European Union and NATO. The pivot has occurred despite deep-seated suspicion in Hungary of Russian power and influence based on the history of Russian and Soviet troops brutally cracking down on Hungarian uprisings in 1848-49 and in 1956."

Julia Jacobs of the New York Times: "The actor Kevin Spacey said on Tuesday that he will voluntarily travel to Britain to face criminal sexual assault charges, allowing the authorities there to formally charge him without having to pursue extradition proceedings. Last week, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service announced that law enforcement had authorized the charges, of four counts of sexual assault against three men, as well as one charge of 'causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.' But Mr. Spacey, 62, cannot be formally charged unless he enters England or Wales."

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** Murder Capital of the World. Annabelle Timsit of the Washington Post: “At least 14 mass shootings have taken place across the United States since Tuesday, from California to Arizona to Tennessee. This Memorial Day weekend alone -- spanning Saturday, Sunday and the federal holiday on Monday -- there have been at least 11 mass shootings.These incidents, gleaned from local news reports and police statements, meet the threshold for mass shootings as defined by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research organization. GVA defines a mass shooting as one in which 'four or more people are shot or killed, not including the shooter.' Several of those shootings occurred at parties, and one at a Memorial Day event." See also commentary in yesterday's thread. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated: Make that "at least 15 mass shootings ... since Tuesday," not 14, and 12 mass shootings, not 11, over the holiday.

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "President Biden said Monday that it's up to Congress to outlaw assault weapons and strengthen background checks for gun sales, telling reporters: 'I can't dictate this stuff.... I can do the things I've done and any executive action I can take, I'll continue to take. But I can't outlaw a weapon. I can't change a background check. I can't do that,' Biden said after stepping off Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House.... The president has made clear in recent days that Senate Democrats led by Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.) will handle the negotiations on Capitol Hill over gun control." ~~~

     ~~~ Myah Ward of Politico: "President Joe Biden on Monday said he believes there's a 'realization' among 'rational Republicans' that the nation 'can't continue like this,' after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas. Biden, speaking to reporters after his return to the White House, was asked if he believes talks between Republicans and Democrats could produce bipartisan gun legislation after the latest tragedy. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tapped Texas Sen. John Cornyn to work with Democrats on the legislation. 'I don't know, but I think there's a realization on the part of rational Republicans -- and I consider Sen. McConnell a rational Republican, and Cornyn is as well,' Biden said. 'I think there's a recognition on their part ... that we can't continue like this....'"

White House: "President Biden, the First Lady, the Vice President, the Second Gentleman, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff participate[d] in a Wreath-Laying Ceremony" yesterday at Arlington National Cemetery. Video.

Carol Lee, et al., of NBC News: "... Faced with a worsening political predicament, President Joe Biden is pressing aides for a more compelling message and a sharper strategy while bristling at how they've tried to stifle the plain-speaking persona that has long been one of his most potent assets. Biden is rattled by his sinking approval ratings and is looking to regain voters' confidence that he can provide the sure-handed leadership he promised during the campaign, people close to the president say. Crises have piled up in ways that have at times made the Biden White House look flat-footed: record inflation, high gas prices, a rise in Covid case numbers -- and now a Texas school massacre that is one more horrific reminder that he has been unable to get Congress to pass legislation to curb gun violence. Democratic leaders are at a loss about how he can revive his prospects by November, when midterm elections may cost his party control of Congress." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oddly, the reporters don't mention the Afghanistan fiasco. But Simon Tisdall of the Guardian is on that case: ~~~

~~~ Simon Tisdall of the Guardian: “Even by Donald Trump's chaotic standards, the 'comprehensive peace agreement' for Afghanistan signed by the US in Doha in February 2020 was a huge own goal.... This was not peacemaking. This was capitulation. The Taliban could hardly believe their luck.... Despite being hobbled by official secrecy, two damning reports this month, one by a US public watchdog, the other by the UK parliament's foreign affairs committee (FAC), lay bare the almost unbelievable incompetence of the two governments. Boris Johnson and the then British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, failed to effectively challenge the Doha pact, then failed adequately to prepare for the 2021 withdrawal, the FAC report said.... The report of the US special inspector general (Sigar) blamed the calamity on Trump as well as his successor, Joe Biden, and the then Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani. Biden was certainly at fault. He should have insisted on renegotiating Doha and kept some US forces at Bagram base.... European Nato allies should have voiced their misgivings more forcibly. But responsibility lies primarily with the man who set this lethal geopolitical car crash in motion. While boasting of his prowess as a dealmaker, Trump caved to a gang of feudal warlords, who promptly defaulted to tyranny."

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "It's time for [President]Biden to strongly attack the White-grievance industry. On Saturday -- the day before he departed for Uvalde, Tex. -- President Biden told University of Delaware graduates: 'In the face of such destructive forces, we have to stand stronger. We cannot outlaw tragedy, I know, but we can make America safer.' He also warned of the 'oldest and darkest forces in America' preaching hate and 'preying on hopelessness and despair.'... 'Forces' are not the problem; one political movement encased within the Republican Party is.... It's not the plague of 'polarization' or 'distrust' ... that has darkened our society. Bluntly put, we are in deep trouble because a major party rationalizes both intense selfishness ... and deprivation of others' rights (to vote, to make intimate decisions about reproduction, to be treated with respect)." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "The decision of the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, to try for a negotiated compromise on new gun laws in the wake of the latest pair of mass shootings may prove to be a high-stakes bet on representative democracy itself, made at a time when faith in Congress -- and the Senate in particular -- is in tatters in both parties.... By raising expectations that a bipartisan deal on gun safety, mental health and school security is even possible, Mr. Schumer is intensifying the spotlight -- not only on Republicans and whether they will come to the table in good faith, but also on the institution of the Senate and its ability to grapple with a pressing national issue like gun violence, so searing in its trauma and obvious in its impact."

Luke Broadwater & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Peter Navarro, who as a White House adviser to ... Donald J. Trump worked to keep Mr. Trump in office after his defeat in the 2020 election, disclosed on Monday that he has been summoned to testify on Thursday to a federal grand jury and to provide prosecutors with any records he has related to the attack on the Capitol last year, including 'any communications' with Mr. Trump. The subpoena to Mr. Navarro -- which he said the F.B.I. served at his house last week -- seeks his testimony about materials related to the buildup to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and signals that the Justice Department investigation may be progressing to include activities of people in the White House. Mr. Navarro revealed the existence of the subpoena in a draft of a lawsuit he said he is preparing to file against the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Matthew M. Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia." Politico's story is here.

Alexandra Berzon of the New York Times: "In the days after the 2020 election, [Cleta] Mitchell was among a cadre of Republican lawyers who frantically compiled unsubstantiated accusations, debunked claims and an array of confusing and inconclusive eyewitness reports to build the case that the election was marred by fraud.... Now Ms. Mitchell is prepping for the next election. Working with a well-funded network of organizations on the right, including the Republican National Committee, she is recruiting election conspiracists into an organized cavalry of activists monitoring elections. In seminars around the country, Ms. Mitchell is marshaling volunteers to stake out election offices, file information requests, monitor voting, work at polling places and keep detailed records of their work. She has tapped into a network of grass-root groups that promote misinformation and espouse wild theories about the 2020 election...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Josephine Harvey of the Huffington Post: "An Oklahoma man was arrested last week for his alleged role in the U.S. Capitol riot after one of his college fraternity brothers tipped off the FBI. Levi Roy Gable, 36, was arrested in Tulsa Thursday and charged with four misdemeanor counts of illegally entering the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and engaging in disruptive conduct. According to an FBI affidavit, in the days after the riot, Gable's fraternity brother from roughly 15 years ago notified the FBI. He said he'd seen a series of videos posted on Gable's Facebook account that appeared to have been filmed from inside the Capitol."

All He's Got Is Spite. Paul Waldman of the Washington Post: Donald "Trump's political project can now be described in a single word: spite. His personal animosities and resentments always played a key role in his political decisions, but what's different today is how little anything else seems to animate him. It's why he went to Wyoming to campaign for Harriet Hageman -- and why Hageman herself was an afterthought. All that matters is that she's primarying [Liz] Cheney, whose criticism of Trump has been unrelenting.... What kind of case can a politician so consumed with spite make to the general electorate?... If and when Trump runs again, his bid will have all the anger and hate of his past two campaigns, but none of the optimism he had in 2016. He has been distilled to his bitter, resentful core." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Oren Liebermann of CNN: "The US is set to bring home and identify the remains of unknown World War II soldiers from the only American cemetery in Africa, the US Embassy in Tunisia said on Monday, Memorial Day. The announcement comes after the US and Tunisia signed a memorandum of understanding that will allow the US to exhume the remains of unknown soldiers from the North African American Cemetery and repatriate them for identification and reunification with family members.... The cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia, near the Mediterranean Sea is the burial site for 2,841 US service members from the North African campaign. The Wall of the Missing, a memorial wall bordering the cemetery, lists the names of 3,724 service members who went missing in action and have never been found."

Joan Biskupic of CNN: "Supreme Court officials are escalating their search for the source of the leaked draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, taking steps to require law clerks to provide cell phone records and sign affidavits, three sources with knowledge of the efforts have told CNN. Some clerks are apparently so alarmed over the moves, particularly the sudden requests for private cell data, that they have begun exploring whether to hire outside counsel. The court's moves are unprecedented and the most striking development to date in the investigation into who might have provided Politico with the draft opinion it published on May 2. The probe has intensified the already high tensions at the Supreme Court, where the conservative majority is poised to roll back a half-century of abortion rights and privacy protections. Chief Justice John Roberts met with law clerks as a group after the breach...."

Elizabeth Dias of the New York Times: "The United States is a nation that has learned to live with mass shooting after mass shooting.... More than one million people have died from Covid, a once unimaginable figure.... An increase in drug deaths, combined with Covid, has led overall life expectancy in America to decline.... Police killings of unarmed Black men continue long past vows for reform.... Has our tolerance as a country for such horror grown, dusting off after one event before moving on to the next? How much value do we place in a single human life?"

Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "In March and April of 2020, as the coronavirus spread and people isolated in their homes, a doctor in San Diego boasted that he had his hands on a 'miracle cure,' according to prosecutors -- hydroxychloroquine. In mass-marketing emails from his business, Skinny Beach Med Spa, Jennings Ryan Staley said the drug was included in his coronavirus 'treatment kits,' despite the medication becoming increasingly scarce. But Staley had a way of getting it, he later told an undercover federal agent. He planned to smuggle in a barrel of hydroxychloroquine powder with the help of a Chinese supplier, prosecutors said. Staley was sentenced last week to 30 days in prison and a year of home confinement for the scheme. He pleaded guilty last year."

Beyond the Beltway

Missouri. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "A Black pregnant woman was shot five times by Kansas City police despite having her hands up, according to a witness. KCTV first reported that Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred on Friday. Highway Patrol said that officers in the Kansas Police Department spotted a vehicle at a Family Dollar that was suspected of being stolen. A witness named Shédanja later told The Kansas City Star that she had seen the shooting and recorded a video of the aftermath." According to KCTV, the woman was taken to the hospital & is in stable condition. MB: With video that I can't stand to watch. Maybe this woman was a shoplifter. Maybe she wasn't. I have no idea. But I do know you don't shoot somebody for stealing a couple of cans of Spaghettios. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

New York. Bryan Pietsch of the Washington Post: "A tabernacle worth $2 million was stolen from a Catholic church in Brooklyn [-- St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church in Park Slope --], New York City police said Monday, in what church officials described as a 'brazen crime of disrespect and hate.' The bejeweled tabernacle -- a container that houses the Eucharist used in the rite of Communion -- is 'irreplaceable due to its historical and artistic value,' the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn said in a statement." The Guardian's story is here.

Texas. Nick Watt, et al., of CNN: "With the first funerals from last week's school shooting taking place this week in Uvalde, Texas, the city's mayor has postponed a city council meeting at which several new members were to be sworn in -- including school police chief, Pedro 'Pete' Arredondo, who had been elected to the council earlier this month.... 'Pete Arredondo was duly elected to the City Council,' the mayor's statement [said]. 'There is nothing in the City Charter, Election Code, or Texas Constitution that prohibits him from taking the oath of office. To our knowledge, we are currently not aware of any investigation of Mr. Arredondo.'... The Justice Department announced Sunday that it will conduct a review of the law enforcement response to the mass shooting."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "As Russian and Ukrainian forces traded blistering artillery barrages and engaged in fierce fighting across towns and villages in eastern Ukraine, European Union leaders gathered on Tuesday for the second day of a summit aimed at pressing efforts to punish Russia while bolstering the battered Ukrainian economy. After weeks of tough talks finally led to agreement on an embargo on billions of dollars' worth of Russian oil and a package of sanctions aimed at the Russian economy, European leaders are now wrestling with how to help Ukraine export millions of tons of grain despite an effective naval blockade from Russia that has kept ships stranded at port.... At the same time, European leaders are working on a broader economic relief package worth more than $9 billion to be delivered over the course of 2022. ~~~

~~~ "Fighting in eastern Ukraine has reached pitched levels this week, according to Ukrainian and Russian officials, as Russia directed the might of its artillery and missile systems on an already devastated 75-mile stretch of land straddling the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. For weeks, they have rained fire on the last Ukrainian-controlled city in the Luhansk region, Sievierodonetsk, forcing civilians unable to flee to cower in basements and bomb shelters.... President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine offered condolences in his nightly address to the family and colleagues of the French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, who was killed on Monday in eastern Ukraine. Kalush Orchestra, the Ukrainian band that won the Eurovision Song Contest, auctioned off its trophy and the lead singer's signature pink bucket hat to buy drones for the Ukrainian army." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Tuesday are here: "Russian forces now control 'around half' of Severodonetsk, one of the last major Ukrainian-held areas of the country's eastern Luhansk region, local officials said. Capturing the city would be a major symbolic victory for Russia.... A Ukrainian court found two Russian soldiers guilty of shelling civilian sites, including an educational institution, during fighting in Kharkiv and sentenced them Tuesday to 11 ½ years in prison.... [Ukraine's] chief prosecutor intends to try a Russian soldier for allegedly killing a civilian and raping his wife, which would be the first case of wartime rape to be heard in court -- although the accused is not in Ukrainian custody.... [President] Zelensky has denounced Russia's blockade on Ukrainian ports for halting the export of 22 million tons of grain. He accused the Kremlin of using African and Asian countries as 'bargaining chips.' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stressed the need to establish a safe passage for sea exports of grain." ~~~

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

Dan Sabbagh of the Guardian: "Joe Biden has said the US will not supply Ukraine with rockets that can reach into Russia, in an attempt to ease tensions with Moscow over the potential deployment of long-range missiles with a range of about 185 miles. The White House has been weighing up pleas from Ukraine -- which is losing ground in the battle for Donbas -- for multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) to offset Moscow's increasingly effective use of long-range artillery, amid Russian warnings that doing so would cross a red line. 'We are not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia,' Biden told reporters on Monday after arriving back at the White House after a weekend in Delaware."

Emily Rauhala & Quentin Ariès of the Washington Post: "European Union countries finally reached a deal to wean off Russian oil, their most significant effort yet to hit the Russian economy over the war in Ukraine, though the impact will be softened by an exemption for pipeline oil, a concession to landlocked holdouts, most notably Hungary. After weeks of negotiations, the 27 countries agreed on Monday to end seaborne deliveries of Russian oil. Pipeline deliveries will continue to flow. Several countries will also get extensions or exemptions, according to E.U. officials and diplomats. European Council President Charles Michel said the agreement would cover more than two-thirds of Russian oil imports, cutting off a 'a huge source of financing for its war machine.' E.U. officials and diplomats will still have to agree on technical details in the coming days and the sanctions must be formally adopted by all 27 nations." The Guardian's report is here.

Meryl Kornfield & Tara Bahrampour of the Washington Post: "A French photojournalist covering evacuation efforts in eastern Ukraine was killed during a Russian strike that hit the humanitarian truck he was in, officials say. Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, who was carrying press credentials, was fatally wounded after shrapnel pierced the armored evacuation truck that was about to pick up refugees near Severodonetsk, a focal point of the ongoing battle, according to Ukrainian officials. The shrapnel struck his neck." Politico's report is here.

Canada, Our More Civilized Neighbor. Ian Austen & Vjosa Isai of the New York Times: "Most owners of what Canada calls 'military-style assault weapons' would be required to turn over their firearms to a government buyback program under legislation introduced on Monday, which would tighten the country's already stringent control of firearms. The Canadian government also announced new regulations that will ban the sale, purchase, importation or transfer of handguns. 'We are capping the number of handguns in this country,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday. The handgun sales ban and the proposed assault weapons law are the latest in a series of steps Mr. Trudeau has taken to restrict firearms since 22 people were killed in rural Nova Scotia by a gunman in 2020, in the deadliest rampage in the country's history. The legislation, which could apply to tens of thousands of firearms, is expected to pass." A CNN story is here.

Colombia. Julie Turkewitz of the New York Times: "The Colombian establishment is lining up behind Rodolfo Hernández, a populist businessman with an incendiary streak, to defeat the leftist former rebel Gustavo Petro.... Hernández [is] a former mayor and wealthy businessman with a populist, anti-corruption platform whose outsider status, incendiary statements and single-issue approach to politics have earned him comparisons to Donald Trump.... Mr. Hernández once called himself a follower of Adolf Hitler, has suggested combining major ministries to save money, and says that as president he plans to declare a state of emergency to deal with corruption, leading to fears that he could shut down Congress or suspend mayors."

France. Through It All, She Kept on Smiling. Daniel Victor & Maria Cramer of the New York Times: A "protester, whom officials have not named, faked a disability to get close to the Mona Lisa, according to the Louvre.... [He sprang from his wheelchair and pounded] on the glass that shields the painting. Then ... the man smeared what appeared to be cake all over the glass protecting [Leonardo's painting].... After the man smeared the glass, he was tackled by security guards.... Videos on social media showed that the man, speaking in French, yelled that there were .people who were destroying the planet' and 'that's why I did it.'"

France. Oh, L'Horreur! AFP: "French officials on Monday continued their centuries-long battle to preserve the purity of the language, overhauling the rules on using English video game jargon. While some expressions find obvious translations -- 'pro-gamer' becomes 'joueur professionnel' -- others seem a more strained, as 'streamer' is transformed into 'joueur-animateur en direct'. The culture ministry, which is involved in the process, told AFP the video game sector was rife with anglicisms that could act as 'a barrier to understanding' for non-gamers. France regularly issues dire warnings of the debasement of its language from across the Channel, or more recently the Atlantic."

News Lede

New York Times: "Agatha, the year's first named storm in the eastern Pacific region, was moving across southern Mexico on Tuesday morning as a tropical storm, a day after making landfall as a Category 2 hurricane. Agatha came ashore on Monday afternoon just west of Puerto Angel, a fishing town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, with heavy rains and winds of nearly 105 miles per hour -- strong enough to uproot trees, cause major power losses and rip roofs off well-built homes. It was downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday night. As of 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Agatha was moving northeast at nearly eight miles per hour, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. Parts of Oaxaca state could receive as much as 16 inches of rain later in the day, with isolated amounts of 20 inches, the center said."

Comments

[Ken Winkes]

Glad I don't have to make decisions about which weaponry to supply Ukraine.

No rockets that reach into Russia?

Launched from the right place, a rocket's range would have to be all of one inch...

[Akhilleus]

Smearing cake on the Mona Lisa? To protest environmental disaster? I don’t get it. Maybe if the guy thought La Giaconda was actually Marie Antoinette, the cake connection might at least be somewhat humorous, in a nerdy undergrad sort of way, “Here’s some cake for you to eat, queenie!”

But… and then the roses? Maybe some recondite Renaissance symbolism?

Yeah. Still don’t get it.

Hey, at least he didn’t hit it with a hammer like that nut who attacked the Pietà years ago.

But if I’m Greenpeace or some environmental conservationist type, I’m pissed. “They already think we’re weird. Now they think we’re all loony.”

Next time just tie yourself to a tree in Central Park. Jeez.

[P.D. Pepe]

The column above by Joan Biskuple re: the Super Supreme's search for the rat inside the scuzzy sacred court hole knows no bounds. These poor law clerks have to empty their pockets of private even down to what's hidden in their kitchen cabinets. But my guess is, just like Anonymous a few years ago, they might come forth after he/she bids the court bye, bye. And I would think, whoever leaked the draft, would have made certain to cover ALL the tracks that need to be covered.

AK: I once had the lead in a play called "The Giaconda Smile"written by a literature professor ––whom I was lucky enough to study under–- but all I remember is that it was like a murder mystery–using Mona as some kind of metaphor. The director at the time was George C. Scott who left in the middle after being accused of allegedly getting one the girls (Stephens College) pregnant. Time marches on and now poor Mona gets cake smeared on her face by some looney.

[Marie Burns]

@P.D. Pepe: Wait, wait! You starred in a play that George C. Scott directed? Uh, wow!

[RAS]

The sacred institution is leaking once again, how precedented. If I was a clerk I'd be worried about who could have access to my phone and what they might do with it. Anything juicy might be used as a distraction a la the Strzok booty call texts Trump based his one man plays on for so many years. How many leak investigations will Judge John need to be conducting at this point? I'm sure they will eventually find a scapegoat to throw under the bus to protect the institution's fabled reputation.

[P.D. Pepe]

Oh, Marie, don't get too excited–––at the time George wasn't THE George C. Scott plus word had it that he had a drinking problem. My guess is Colleen Dewhurst turned him around. One of the few encounters I remember having with him is he yelled at me for mispronouncing "Jewelry" –––"You might very well pronounce it that way in Wisconsin but NOT in this play."

[Ken Winkes]

No joy in Marred-a-Lago today?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/05/31/sussmann-not-guilty-lying-fbi-hillary-clinton/?

[Akhilleus]

PD,

Soooo…,George C. Scott, eh? AND you as La Giaconda. It has the makings of a very interesting short story, or, if you decided to include the tale of your impregnated classmate, a steamy novella, at least.

It didn’t take him long to become THE George C. Scott. He was spectacular as the soulless bookie in Robert Rossen’s “The Hustler”, and not long thereafter, he won stardom as the libidinous, protector of The Big Board, General Buck Turgidson (is that a great name, or what?), perhaps indicative of his interest in nubile young women.

As a resident of Connecticut, and a Republican, he was a supporter of Lowell Weicker. Weicker would never be allowed in the Party of Traitors, today. And Scott, described as a moderate Republican, would be left grasping at straws these days. There are about as many moderate Republicans today as Cro-Magnons.

But while we’re on a semi-literary bent, I wanted to say thank you for turning me on to Hillary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy. I finished the third installment recently. And, also recently, finished up Josephine Tey’s historical-detective novel “The Daughter of Time” in which a Scotland Yard detective takes on the job of renovating the reputation of Richard III. Most of us know Richard as the evil murderer of the princes in the tower, Shakespeare’s deformed “glorious son of York”.

Tey, makes an astonishingly strong case that Richard was not the evil hunchback sumabitch portrayed by the Bard. And guess where Will got his info on ol’ Dickie?

One of the most prominent villains in Mantel’s books, Thomas More. Tey’s detective describes More as a purveyor of seedy back-stairs gossip and refers to him disparagingly as “the sainted More”.

Ha!

I had really never thought of More as a self-serving prick, but Mantel puts him in the box. And Tey agrees.

Anyway, thought you’d like to know that.

By the way, one of George C’s early big roles was as Richard III in one of Joseph Papp’s Shakespeare in the Park productions in the late 50’s.

History is a weird thing. And unfortunately for us, clouds still lour upon our house, as much as we would wish for the treasonous pricks whose villainous actions billow those clouds to lie “in the deep bosom of the ocean buried”.