;)
November 1, 2022
Morning/Afternoon Update:
Well I Swanee! Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block a Georgia grand jury subpoena seeking testimony from Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, about his activities in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. The court's order was a paragraph long and did not note any dissents. It said that Mr. Graham had been afforded substantial protections by lower courts, which had ruled that he did not have to testify on subjects related to his official duties."
Rehearsal for an Insurrection. Alan Feuer & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump and other top Republicans were stoking claims that the election had been stolen, and their supporters were protesting in the streets. Members of the far-right group the Proud Boys and people close to Roger J. Stone Jr., including Representative Matt Gaetz, took part in the action as the crowd was chanting 'Stop the Steal.' The time was 2018, the setting was southern Florida, and the election in question was for governor and a hotly contested race that would help determine who controlled the United States Senate. Now, four years later, the Justice Department is examining whether the tactics used then served as a model for the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In recent months, prosecutors overseeing the seditious conspiracy case of five members of the Proud Boys have expanded their investigation to examine the role that Jacob Engels -- a Florida Proud Boy who accompanied Mr. Stone to Washington for Jan. 6 -- played in the 2018 protests...."
Brazil. Jack Nicas & André Spigariol of the New York Times: "Two days after losing Brazil's presidential election, President Jair Bolsonaro agreed to a transition of power on Tuesday, easing fears that the far-right leader would contest the results after warning for months that the only way he would lose would be if the vote was stolen. In a two-minute speech, Mr. Bolsonaro thanked his supporters, encouraged protesters to be peaceful, celebrated his accomplishments, criticized the left and said he has always followed the constitution. What was absent was any acknowledgment that he had lost the vote or that the election had been free and fair." MB: So Brazil's despot isn't as bad as our despot.
Supreme CJ Gives Trump Another Delay/Break. John Kruzel of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily halted a House panel from accessing the financial records of former President Trump ahead of their expected release. The move, which comes in response to an emergency request Trump filed on Monday, was ordered by Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles emergency matters arising in the District of Columbia." Update: A Washington Post story is here.
David Corn of Mother Jones: "If you want to see just how crazy the GOP has become, you need only watch the video recording of a conference on 'election integrity' held in Florida on Saturday by a group of 2020 election denialists. In attendance, either virtually or in person, were the Republican candidates running for secretary of state -- the guardians of election integrity -- in the crucial swing states of Arizona, Nevada, and Michigan, respectively, Mark Finchem, Jim Marchant, and Kristina Karamo. Each has already demonstrated their own devotion to extremism by associating with QAnoners and championing Donald Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. But they further signaled their loyalty to the politics of paranoia and conspiracism by hobnobbing with conference participants who have promoted some of the looniest conspiracy theories." Read on.
Pennsylvania Senate. Travel Tip: Visit Pennsylvania's Beautiful Oceanfront Resorts! Kipp Jones of Mediate: "Mehmet Oz declared the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to be an Atlantic-bordering region on Monday, apparently unaware the Keystone State is hopelessly landlocked.... Throughout his campaign, the former TV doctor has defended himself against accusations he is a carpetbagger from New Jersey who only registered to vote in the state in 2020.... Oz told [Sean] Hannity: 'Pennsylvania is too important. This is important, we do not have a Republican senator north of North Carolina on the Atlantic coast until you get to Maine if I don't hold this seat....'" Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See his commentary below. ~~~
~~~ Marie: See, Republicans? Oz's remarkable unfamiliarity with the state he thinks he is qualified to "represent" is the kind of thing you joke about. Not a life-threateningl attack on the elderly husband of a top Democrat. ~~~
~~~ Lenny Bernstein & Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "In May 2003, Mehmet Oz was the senior author on a study that ... was scheduled to lead off the scientific session of the 83rd annual American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) conference.... But Oz was forced to withdraw his work and was banned from presenting research to the organization for the next two years.... He was also prohibited from publishing his work in the society's medical journal for the same period of time.... At issue were questions about the strength of the data used by Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, to reach an important medical conclusion.... The penalty he experienced in 2003 was a significant one, according to an expert who was not involved in the dispute.... Oz, who has published hundreds of peer-reviewed research papers, is back in the good graces of the AATS.... Oz has made his career in medicine a central feature of his campaign" for U.S. Senate.
Justice for Ruby Freeman? Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "... prosecutors [say three people] participated in a bizarre plot to pressure a Fulton County, Ga., election worker to falsely admit that she committed fraud on Election Day in 2020. The three -- Trevian Kutti, [a] publicist; Stephen C. Lee, [a] pastor; and Willie Lewis Floyd III, [a] polo fan -- have all been ordered to appear before a special grand jury in Atlanta, with a hearing for Mr. Lee scheduled for Tuesday morning at a courthouse near his home in Kendall County, Ill.... The decision to seek their testimony suggests that prosecutors in Fulton County are increasingly interested in the story of how the part-time, rank-and-file election worker, Ruby Freeman, 63, was confronted by allies of [Donald] Trump at her home in the Atlanta suburbs in the weeks after he was defeated by President Biden.... Mr. Trump helped spread the fiction that Ms. Freeman & her daughter entered fake votes for Mr. Biden.
Denmark. Isabella Kwai & Jasmina Nielsen of the New York Times: "Denmark started voting on Tuesday in a general election precipitated by anger over a government-mandated mink cull during the pandemic that embroiled top officials and led to accusations against the prime minister of misleading the public. A wealthy Scandinavian kingdom that includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Denmark is known for its relatively stable, consensus-seeking political culture and its ranking as one of the happiest nations in the world. But in a crowded field of more than a dozen parties -- including some newcomers -- analysts said that the election could throw up some surprises. As late as Monday, there was no clear indication about who was most likely to form the next government." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Of course the real scandal is PM Mette Frederiksen's refusal to entertain Donald Trump's generous offer to buy Greenland.
Israel. The New York Times is live-updating developments in today's elections. Turnout is high.
South Korea. Michelle Lee of the Washington Post: "Transcripts of about 11 emergency call logs released Tuesday show mounting desperation and repeated warnings from partygoers [at Seoul's deadly Halloween street party] for at least four hours before the crush turned deadly. They pleaded for emergency personnel to intervene and control the crowd.... At least 156 people died and at least 157 were injured in the country's deadliest incident in years.... The transcripts reflect the chaos of that scene and corroborate some witness accounts that the area was worryingly crowded from early on in the evening. Many partygoers and members of the public have criticized the lack of police presence in the area."
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Peter Baker & Clifford Krauss of the New York Times: "President Biden threatened on Monday to seek a new windfall profits tax on major oil and gas companies unless they ramp up production to curb the price of gasoline at the pump, an escalation of his battle with the energy industry just a week before the midterm elections. The president lashed out against the giant firms as several of them reported the latest surge in profits, which he called an 'outrageous' bonanza stemming from Russia's war on Ukraine. He warned them to use the money to expand oil supplies or return it to consumers in the form of price reductions.... But it was more of a way to pressure the oil firms than a realistic policy prescription for the short term given that Congress ... would be even less likely to approve such a measure if Republicans capture one or both houses in next week's election....
"Mr. Biden's statement came just days after the oil giants reported another three months of flush coffers. Exxon Mobil brought in a record of nearly $20 billion in profits for the third quarter of the year, 10 percent higher than the previous quarter and its fourth consecutive quarter of robust earnings. Chevron reported $11.2 billion in profits, just below the record it set the quarter before. The European-based Shell and Total Energies companies similarly reported that profits more than doubled from the same period a year ago." MB: President Biden called the O&G companies "war profiteers." ~~~
Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors charged the man accused of breaking into the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with attempting to kidnap Ms. Pelosi and with assaulting a relative of \a federal official, according to charging documents filed on Monday.... [David] DePape ... was carrying 'a roll of tape, white rope, a second hammer, a pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and zip ties,' according to the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of California, which filed the charges. The swift action by the Justice Department in bringing federal charges -- on the same day the San Francisco District Attorney's Office was expected to file its own charges against Mr. DePape -- reflects the Biden administration's urgency in addressing what it sees as a politically motivated crime shortly before the 2022 midterm elections.... [Paul] Pelosi remains in the intensive care unit of a San Francisco hospital...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon. The story has been updated.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: According to MSNBC, Paul Pelosi has spoken with investigators.
~~~ The DOJ's press release is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The federal charging documents are here, via Politico. The Affidavit includes details of the attack & remarks the assailant made to officials after the attack. ~~~
~~~ Jeff Pegues & Gina Martinez of CBS News: "The suspect in the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi had a list of people he wanted to target, law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation confirmed...." The story does not specify who may have been on the attacker's list. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Lisa Mascaro, et al., of the AP: "'This house and the speaker herself were specifically targets,' San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said at a Monday evening news conference announcing state charges against [David] DePape, including attempted murder.... The stark narrative laid out by state and federal prosecutors stands in contrast to the mocking jokes and conspiracy theories circulated by far-right figures and even some leading Republicans just a week before midterm elections. A record number of security threats are being reported against lawmakers and election officials. At a campaign event Monday in Arizona, Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for governor, drew hearty laughs as she joked about security at the Pelosi home.... Donald Trump Jr., was among those making light of the attack on Paul Pelosi, tweeting crude jokes about it." ~~~
~~~ Marie: It was not only the audience that laughed at Kari Lake's funny joke about hammering the skull of an 82-year-old man. The networks played video clips of the incident, & the moderator of whatever the event was was absolutely wracked with giggles. His body shook, he had to cover his face, and yet he still could not stop smiling ear-to-ear. You can put the entire GOP in the Hannibal Lecter/psychopath column. Remember, this is how they behave in public; imagine what they're saying in private. ~~~
~~~ More from Brian Bennett of Time. ~~~
~~~ Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "... Donald Trump Jr posted online a crude meme featuring a hammer, the weapon used to attack the husband of the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, on Friday. 'OMG,' the former president's son wrote next to the picture, which also had the caption 'Got my Paul Pelosi Halloween costume ready'. The internet backlash was swift but Trump Jr, a full-time provocateur and surrogate for his father, doubled down equally swiftly -- posting another, this time clearly homophobic, meme which appears to reference a baseless conspiracy theory about the assault." ~~~
~~~ Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Former President Trump in an interview Sunday called the attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) husband in their San Francisco home a 'terrible thing' as he railed against crime in Democrat-led cities. 'With Paul Pelosi, that's a terrible thing, with all of them it's a 'terrible thing,' Trump said in an interview with Americano Media, a conservative Spanish language outlet. 'Look at what's happened to San Francisco generally. Look at what's happening in Chicago. It was far worse than Afghanistan.... We have to give the police back their dignity, their respect. They can solve the problem. But today if a police officer says something that's slightly out of line it's like the end of his life, the end of his pension, the end of his family.... We have to give the police back their authority and their power and their respect. Because this country is out of control.' Trump remained silent on the attack on Paul Pelosi over the weekend, as others in the GOP sent mixed messages about it. Many Democrats, including President Biden, called for members of both parties to unequivocally condemn the attack as they worried about a rise in political violence." ~~~
~~~ Steven Myers & Stuart Thompson of the New York Times: "In the days since Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked by an intruder asking, 'Where is Nancy?', a litany of Republicans and conservatives have spread baseless conspiracy theories about the assault and its motives.... While many Republican officials have denounced the violence, others have at the very least tolerated, and in some cases cheered, a violent assault on the spouse of a political rival.... No top Republican lawmakers joined in peddling unfounded claims about the attack, but few denounced them, either.... The conspiracy theories found receptive audiences, receiving tens of thousands of engagements on numerous platforms like Facebook and Twitter.... Fox News ... coverage of the attack on Mr. Pelosi began with fairly straightforward coverage of the crime, before portraying it as a consequence of Democratic 'soft-on-crime' policies and, finally, as a mystery with darker undercurrents that could not yet be known. 'Look for what's missing and what doesn't add up,' David Webb, a Fox News contributor, said during 'The Big Sunday Show.'"
New York Times: "The trial of Donald J. Trump's family business opened on Monday, with prosecutors accusing the company of running a 15-year scheme to help its executives evade taxes by compensating them with lavish off-the-books perks.... 'This case is about greed and cheating,' a prosecutor told jurors as the tax fraud trial of two of the former president's companies started in Manhattan." This is a liveblog. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Running-Out-the-Calendar Ploy May Work for Trump Again. Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump asked the Supreme Court on Monday to intervene in the long-running dispute over whether a House committee can obtain access to his tax returns. In a 31-page filing, lawyers for Mr. Trump asked Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to freeze matters while they prepare a formal appeal of a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which held that the House Ways and Means Committee had a right to see his returns.... Whether the Supreme Court decides to extend a judicial order that has blocked the Treasury Department from complying with the request while the matter was litigated before the appeals court could effectively decide whether the House committee obtains the documents, which it has sought since 2019. That is because if Republicans retake control of the House in the midterm elections next week, as polls indicate is likely, they are almost certain to drop the request when the new Congress is seated in January." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by Mark Meadows, the final chief of staff for ... Donald J. Trump, that sought to block two subpoenas from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, including one to Verizon for Mr. Meadows's phone and text data. In throwing out the suit, Judge Carl J. Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found that the committee's subpoenas were covered under the Constitution's speech or debate clause, which he said protected them from civil suits as legislative actions. The decision is the latest chapter in a nearly yearlong legal battle between Mr. Meadows and the committee, but it is unlikely to be the final one that delivers investigators what they have been seeking. Mr. Meadows can appeal.... And with the committee almost certain to shut down if Republicans win control of the House, as expected, in next week's elections, the panel is most likely running out of time."
Azu Paybarah of the Washington Post: "The leaders of True the Vote -- founder Catherine Engelbrecht and former board member Gregg Phillips --] an organization that has spread unfounded claims questioning the results of the 2020 election, were taken into custody Monday morning after a federal judge in Texas ruled them in contempt of court.... The order marked the latest twist in a defamation case brought last month by Konnech, an election software company that True the Vote claimed allowed the Chinese government to have access to a server in China that held the personal information of nearly 2 million U.S. election workers. Konnech has vigorously disputed the claim. The judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt, had ordered Engelbrecht and Phillips to reveal the name of a person who allegedly helped True the Vote access Konnech's computer systems. When they declined to meet the court's 9 a.m. deadline, the judge found them in contempt. The pair have claimed, without evidence, that the person who helped them was a confidential FBI informant.... Phillips and Engelbrecht are prominent and long-standing members of the election denier movement." ~~~
~~~ A Votebeat Texas story is here. Marie: I'm not familiar with Votebeat Texas, but -- based on the WashPo story -- their reporting appears to be accurate.
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Monday appeared ready to rule that the race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina were unlawful, based on questioning over five hours of vigorous and sometimes testy arguments, a move that would overrule decades of precedents. Such a decision would jeopardize affirmative action at colleges and universities around the nation, particularly elite institutions, decreasing the representation of Black and Latino students and bolstering the number of white and Asian ones.... In general, two themes ran through questions from the court's conservatives: that educational diversity can be achieved without directly taking account of race and that there must come a time when colleges and universities stop making such distinctions." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The winger justices took the I'm-an-Ignoramus approach: Clarence Thomas pretended he didn't know what "diversity" meant. And Sam Alito said he didn't understand the meaning of "underrepresented minority." ~~~
~~~ Washington Post: "Conservative Supreme Court justices on Monday seemed open to ending decades of precedent allowing race-conscious admission decisions at colleges and universities, expressing doubt that the institutions would ever concede an 'endpoint' in their use of race to build diverse student bodies. After nearly five hours of oral argument, the programs at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seemed in doubt. The question is how broad such a decision by the court's conservative majority might be, and what it would mean for other institutions of higher education. Overturning the court's precedents that race can be one factor of many in making admission decisions would have 'profound consequences' for 'the nation that we are and the nation that we aspire to be,' Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar told the justices during arguments in the Harvard case." This is a liveblog. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post: "... Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, got to the heart of the matter in Monday's oral arguments over affirmative action in college admissions:" whether or not legacy admissions (i.e., where applicants whose forebears were alumni) deserved more consideration than affirmative action admissions. The attorney for the plaintiffs, who are challenging the universities' affirmative action policies, said, well yeah. And you can bet the majority of the Supremes will agree with the plaintiffs. MB: And of course admissions panels should give their own kiddies a leg up.
Matt O'Brien & Barbara Ortutay of the AP: Elon Musk "fired [Twitter]'s board of directors and made himself the board's sole member, according to a company filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Musk later said on Twitter that the new board setup is 'temporary,' but he didn't provide any details. He's also testing the waters on asking users to pay for verification. A venture capitalist working with Musk tweeted a poll asking how much users would be willing to pay for the blue check mark that Twitter has historically used to verify higher-profile accounts so other users know it's really them.... On Friday, meanwhile, billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said he and his Kingdom Holding Company rolled over a combined $1.89 billion in existing Twitter shares, making them the company's largest shareholder after Musk. The news raised concerns among some lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut. Murphy tweeted that he is requesting the Committee on Foreign Investment -- which reviews acquisitions of U.S. businesses by foreign buyers -- to investigate the national security implications of the kingdom's investment in Twitter[.]"
Alexandra Alter & Elizabeth Harris of the New York Times: "A federal judge blocked on Monday a bid by Penguin Random House, the biggest book publisher in the United States, to buy one of its main rivals, Simon & Schuster, in a significant victory for the Biden administration, which is trying to expand the boundaries of antitrust enforcement. The judge, Florence Y. Pan, who heard the case in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, said in an order that the Justice Department had demonstrated that the merger might 'substantially' harm competition in the market for U.S. publishing rights to anticipated top-selling books."
November Elections
Hannah Knowles, et al., of the Washington Post: "Jewish leaders raised alarms Monday about antisemitism they say is increasingly normalized in American politics after a series of bigoted comments from associates or supporters of GOP candidates and growing calls for them to firmly reject such rhetoric.... Jack Rosen, president of the advocacy group American Jewish Congress, said..., 'on the right ... we don't see the kind of leadership it's going to take to stop the growth of this kind of antisemitic hatred.'... In Arizona, the GOP candidate in a marquee House race, Eli Crane, urged the audience to look up an antisemitic sermon at a recent campaign stop. Speaking last month in Casa Grande, Crane said ... that he was most concerned about 'Cultural Marxism,' which the Southern Poverty Law Center has described as an antisemitic conspiracy theory gaining traction on the American right.... In Georgia, Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker did not publicly reject a show of support from Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who has made a slew of comments attacking Jewish people in recent weeks...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: In fairness to Walker, I don't think he's smart enough to understand there's anything wrong with antisemitism.
Arizona. Ken Bensinger of the New York Times: "The Justice Department has weighed in on the debate over election activists who have been stationing themselves -- at times with guns -- near ballot boxes in Arizona, saying that their activity may not be constitutionally protected if it has the potential to intimidate voters. 'The First Amendment does not protect individuals' right to assemble to engage in voter intimidation or coercion,' Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, wrote in a brief filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in Phoenix.... The filing was made in a case that the League of Women Voters of Arizona brought last week against two groups that have been organizing ballot box monitoring, the Lions of Liberty and Clean Elections USA, as well as some of their principals.
"On Friday, the plaintiff asked the court for an injunction against those groups to stop the activity. That petition is still pending. The judge overseeing the case, Michael T. Liburdi, on Friday refused to issue an injunction in a parallel lawsuit against Clean Elections USA, claiming that the Constitution protected the activities of citizens who wish to gather near ballot boxes. The Justice Department's intervention represents a rebuke to that ruling by Judge Liburdi, a longtime member of the Federalist Society who was appointed in 2019 by ... Donald J. Trump. The Justice Department's brief addresses numerous points made by the judge...."
Georgia Senate. Marie: I get a kick out of this remark President Obama made Friday:
Texas. Molly Hennessey-Fiske & Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "... a showdown is emerging between state and local leaders [in Harris County (Houston)] over how to protect the security of the vote without intimidating voters and election workers.... State and local Republicans are deploying monitors to oversee the handling of ballots in the Democratic enclave. Local Democratic officials have said the move is an effort to intimidate voters -- and asked the Justice Department to send federal observers in response.... GOP officials and conservative poll watchers say heightened scrutiny is necessary to prevent election fraud and mismanagement. Voting-rights advocates and local leaders, meanwhile, say the GOP is scaring voters and election workers alike -- and undermining faith in the results for a county that Republicans are pushing hard to win control of on Nov. 8."
Texas House. Andrew Lapin of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: "The Republican nominee for Congress in Texas' 7th district is a self-proclaimed history buff, but his take on Anne Frank is not one that most historians would endorse. Johnny Teague, an evangelical pastor and business owner who won the district's primary in March, in 2020 published 'The Lost Diary of Anne Frank,' a novel imagining the famous Jewish Holocaust victim's final days in the Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps as she might have written them in her diary. The kicker: In Teague's telling, Frank seems to embrace Christianity just before she is murdered by the Nazis." MB: Good grief! Do you get points for finding a "novel" way to express antisemitism? ~~~
~~~ Steve M. has more. Teague is apparently a QAnon enthusiast, so Steve sez, "Well, at least he didn't write a novel in which Anne Frank finds Q."
Beyond the Beltway
New York. Marisa Iati of the Washington Post: "A man exonerated in the assassination of civil rights leader Malcolm X and the estate of another man whose conviction was thrown out will receive $36 million to settle lawsuits filed on their behalf after prosecutors said the men had not received a fair trial. New York City will pay $26 million to Muhammad A. Aziz and the estate of Khalil Islam to compensate them for their wrongful murder convictions in 1966, according to the city's legal office and an attorney for the men. The sum will be divided equally between Aziz and Islam's estate, said the lawyer, David Shanies. New York state also has agreed to pay $5 million to Aziz and the same sum to Islam's estate, according to Shanies and court records.... Stefan Mooklal, deputy chief of staff for New York City's law department, said his office agreed with former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.'s conclusion that Aziz and Islam had been wrongfully convicted.... A Netflix documentary released in 2020 publicized new evidence casting doubt on Aziz and Islam's involvement, prompting Vance to launch a two-year review of their first-degree murder convictions."
Way Beyond
Brazil. Jack Nicas, et al., of the New York Times: "For months, President Jair Bolsonaro claimed the only way he would lose Brazil's presidential election was if it was rigged. On Monday, a day after he lost, he declined to immediately concede to his leftist challenger, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, leaving Latin America's largest democracy on edge over whether there would be a peaceful transition of power. Mr. Bolsonaro spent much of Monday holed up at the presidential offices, meeting with top advisers and Brazil's minister of defense. At least some of the advisers urged the president to concede, but it was not clear if he had yet reached a decision on what to do...."
Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefings of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to continue exporting grain from the country's Black Sea ports, and accused Russia of exacerbating a global food crisis by suspending a United Nations-brokered shipping deal and threatening to block grain vessels. In a late-night speech, Zelensky said he was grateful for the U.N. and world leaders who were trying to preserve the grain export initiative and prevent the 'spread of large-scale famine in some regions of the world.' Moscow's U.N. representative, Vasily Nebenzya, earlier on Monday accused Kyiv of using the grain corridor for 'military and sabotage purposes,' and said drones had been used to attack Russian ships over the weekend 'under the cover' of the deal. He did not provide evidence for the claim that Ukraine was responsible for the attack.... Russia unleashed a fresh wave of infrastructure attacks across Ukraine on Monday...."
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Reader Comments (20)
Why bother?
I swear, I don’t know why the traitor-run Supreme Court bothers with hearings anymore. They know what they’re going to do. No presentation of a case or answering of questions is going to have the slightest effect on the predetermined outcomes. This year it’s affirmative action: gone. Democracy: finished. Vacation: here we go.
What they’re saying, about affirmative action in college admissions calculations, is that colleges no longer have the right to choose the kind of student body they feel will best offer a chance for students to learn something about other groups and cultures, a form of education unavailable through books alone. That shit is right out.
The only group and culture they care about is white. Those poor white kids who never get any breaks. Why pretend differently? Why bother with the kabuki and pretending not to know anything about concepts most fifth graders understand. No one is fooled. Except maybe dumb as rocks Fox viewers.
Why not put everything on the shadow docket? Hand down decisions on every case before court in three or four days, then hit the lecture circuit and make a packet yukking it up with groups and corporations whose cases will be coming up for the Supreme rubber stamp next year.
Control of the courts is a big step on the way to authoritarianism. We’re pretty much there, at least on the high (as in drunk with power) court.
Haven't read the Justice Dept. (so nice to type the name of that government office without cringing) brief yet but wonder if it mentions the slight contrast between states that will not allow "observers" to supply water to thirsty folks waiting in long lines for hours to vote and states that apparently think masked men armed with automatic weapons staring down voters are as 'merican as apple pie.
I find it interesting that we are now getting articles along the lines of "Democrats say oil and gas companies made huge profits." The biggest splash of earnings reports I heard in October were the tech companies that took a hit.
Doing a bit of research, I see that oil and gas companies only released earnings a few days ago. The NYTimes had an article in the Energy and Envrionment section (not on the front page that I know). The first sentence contains the eraser word "but": "The good times are back for the oil companies, but with the global economy on edge, there is more caution than celebration among executives."
Their earnings, even inflation-adjusted (and the gas prices are a significant driver of inflation), are huge. We're getting fleeced, but it's all the fault of Democrat policies according to the news and the ads.
Hold on! What happened to New York and New Jersey!?!?
Snake oil selling, puppy killing Oprah spawn, Mehmet Oz, goes on Fox to announce that Pennsylvania is on the Atlantic Ocean. Where did New York and New Jersey go? I’m confused.
I realize that R’s believe that when they speak, they make their own reality, but can they remake geography? That snake oil is powerful stuff! Send that guy to the senate. Maybe he can get some taxpayer money to build ports on the newly minted PA coastline. And just think of all those real estate properties that suddenly have “beachfront” as part of their descriptions.
Maybe Herschel Walker can send Oz a few thousand little toy badges so’s he can hand them out to PA’s new Coast Guard guys.
But sure, put this fucking guy in office.
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/whoops-pennsylvania-senate-candidate-oz-tells-hannity-the-state-borders-the-atlantic-ocean-it-doesnt/
Have always been partial to Occam's Razor.
But don't much like the way the R's employ it. For them it takes the shape of denial. Climate change? No problem. It doesn't exist.
The multitude of issues surrounding child-bearing? The SCOTUS approach? Poof. Just wave your hands and they disappear...
Race issues? Ask the SCOTUS. None, they said when it comes to voting rights. Nor will there be in college admissions.
Simple really. Blame it on Occam.
In oral arguments on Monday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked why Harvard doesn’t ask applicants about other forms of diversity, such as religion, which might help the school admit more evangelical Christians or Catholics, for example. Meanwhile, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito questioned how meaningful terms like “diversity” and “underrepresented minority” are.
Yup! Brett baby, that's what we need in our schools of higher education––more Catholics and E.C. cuz they be all warm and fuzzy about diversity. As for Sammy and that Pin Point Georgia guy, meaningful words like "diversity" don't register in their pia mater and it has always been interesting to me that Thomas, given his struggle as a kid, presents as a white nationalist.
Nancy is a tough cookie but I wonder whether this horrific assault on her husband has done her in. If she loses the House she may just leave.
I'll bet it won't be long before the trump crime family starts collecting
funds from their witless supporters for the defense of that hammer
weilding nutjob.
Of course, just like all of their other fundraisers, we know exactly
where that money will go: to buy more gold leaf and gaudyness for
marred-a-lardo.
Recently I heard a guy who sets joists as a regular part of his job refer to the big ole boards as "joistes." And not for the first time, so it wasn't a simple word fart. He's at expert at installing joists, but he doesn't know the word for joists.
Then this morning, sorry to say, I had "Morning Joe" on, and as I was walking into the room where the teevee is, I heard a Democratic operative imply that a big reason Democrats couldn't get their message across is that they talk over the heads of ordinary Americans. For instance, he said, when President Biden talks about climate change as an "existential threat," ordinary voters don't know what he's talking about. You probably don't think of "Joe from Scranton" as a pedantic East-Coast elite, but "climate change is an existential threat" is probably Greek to a lot of Americans. I've long been kind of interested in words; yet I remember that I was already an adult when I had to look up the word "existential" to make sure I understood what it meant.
Meanwhile, the strategist pointed out, Republicans repeat ad nauseam, "Make America Great Again." Even a dope can conjure up a meaning -- possibly uniquely his own -- of what "MAGA" means.
So I think that strategist is right. In fact, a good example of that is the clip above of Obama explaining that Herschel Walker is unqualified to be a U.S. senator. Now, Obama made his point in an allegory, which is a fairly sophisticated form of discourse. BUT it was an allegory people could understand. And to make sure the audience got it, Obama explained what he meant. Democratic politicians/candidates must stop exclusively spouting statistics -- which admittedly are facts -- & find common-language ways to get the stats & facts across.
How does it always work like this?
This morning I heard some idiot on NPR reporting on the attack against the Pelosis. He said—claimed—that “leaders” from both parties expressed concern, or something equally anodyne. Then…he reported that fringe elements had been spreading stories that were “largely inaccurate”. Largely inaccurate? This is like saying that tornadoes ripping through residential areas are mostly bad.
Largely inaccurate means somewhat accurate. Which part? The part about Paul Pelosi being drunk or the part about him hiring a male prostitute?
And saying leaders of both parties, blah, blah, blah, is like saying Democrats as well as Republicans are concerned about climate change. Oh, you mean that single Republican who ran the zoning board in Pineapple, Pennsylvania and who was primaried by a dead guy and lost for even mentioning climate change? That guy?
Leaders of both parties have NOT expressed concern. The few R assholes who even mentioned the attack said it was all Biden’s fault. And THE leader of the Party of Traitors has said exactly nothing about it. And his punk kid is one of the worst offenders in spreading evil lies. He ain’t no “fringe” guy either. He’s the mooching, do nothing son of the leader of the party.
But still—STILL—these crooks and evil pig fuckers get the benefit of the doubt from the national media, too scared to tell the truth for pissing the traitors. So sick of this shit. These fuckers run someone over on purpose and the story is “Pedestrian causes fatal accident”.
Marie,
I think you’re right about the messaging. People don’t care about the facts. You can use them to bolster an argument but they shouldn’t be part of your headline.
The other day, listening the (fabulous) Sisters-in-Law podcast, the members of the panel were asked to recall lawyers they most admired. Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney, now a law professor at University of Michigan, mentioned a guy she often went up against when she was a prosecutor. She thought this guy was so effective because he never used legal terms, no Latin, never strayed from common sense presentation of his defense, and was terrifically successful at connecting with jurors because of that.
A brief personal anecdote along the same lines. Years ago I was standing before a City Council during a budget hearing requesting a specific piece of television equipment. I gave them the whole technical rundown on why it was a necessary part of the broadcast chain. Aaaaagh! Cue “wrong answer” buzzer sound. They said no, of course.
Later, complaining to my brother about this idiocy, he said, “No. you’re the idiot. They don’t care about all that technical crap, just tell them in six words or less, what it does”. The next year I came back with the same request. They asked what this piece of equipment does. “It makes you look good” I said. They said “Get two”. I called my brother up and said “Hey, I got two. And I only used five words.” He laughed. True story.
Can’t dazzle them with your brilliance. Just tell them. Vote Republican, and they will kill you.
Ken,
Trying to come up with a snappy line about Republicans and Occam’s razor, but they were all too dull. (Ba-dum-bum).
I get what you mean, but to Occam’s mind, the point was that the simplest answer based in reality was probably correct.
Reality is never part of any R algorithm. They use malgorithms.
@Akhilleus: Sorry you had to wait a year to get funding for the equipment you needed, but "Get Two" is a funny -- and instructive -- story. Your brother, BTW, sounds like a very smart guy.
I am as fed up with the MSM as all of you. The little blonde ditz reporting for NBC and MSNBC cannot resist comments about how so many are so “concerned” about Fetterman’s health and whether he can do the job…etc etc and she was in Luzerne County, which trump won handily. The elusive independent/blue-collar vote is all that matters so she talks to mothers and other trumpie bigots about their “concerns.” Can’t hit mute fast enough.
About “Chief Justice” Roberts…no pretending anymore— he’s whack or a hack.
Jeanne,
Clearly, Ms. Ditz is not very concerned that the other guy doesn’t even know where Pennsylvania is on the map.
Supreme Court coming to the rescue of a traitor, con man, and criminal?
What else is new?
They’re there for a reason, right? And it’s certainly not for justice or the rule of law. It’s for complete control by them and their pals.
Larry Elder, fascist right wing radio screamer (there is no “far-right” anymore; they’re all far-right) haz a new idea. Term limits. Oh, not for politicians, and certainly not for R pols.
He wants term limits for voters. But only for registered Democrats. You vote twice for Democrats? That’s it. You can’t vote again. Ever.
The schemes to steal and retain total control get bigger by the day.
But here’s the thing. Cuckoo crap like this used to be laughable. Not anymore. This sort of thing is cheered wildly by the bigots, fascists, and supporters of treason (ie, Republicans).
If there were an actual liberal media, stuff like this would be nailed to the head of every R candidate. But there is no liberal media. Instead, we have pusillanimous wusses like Upchuck Todd who would listen to this crap, nod his head, and say, “Well, that’s certainly an interesting idea…” instead of “Are you fucking kidding me? Get the fuck off my show, you fascist prick!”
But that ain’t never happening. Of course, Democrats complaining that masked gunmen are intimidating voters are against the Constitution.
https://crooksandliars.com/2022/11/larry-elder-wants-term-limits-democratic
Washington State has mail-in ballots. Postage paid.
To return them, we either drop in the mail or in county-installed drop boxes situated around the county.
Today I did another stint observing ballot counting at the county courthouse, just as I did two years ago.
The process (which I judge to be a good one) hasn't changed. What has changed is the noticeable increase in the number of interested R observers (the number of R and D observers is kept even in the election office itself, so that some observers are exiled to the rotunda lobby to watch the operation on CCTV if they wish) and the increased level of paranoia in the R observers themselves.
Today I was one of the exiles, so I could overhear some of the R's conversation.
One youngish lady thought she detected a glitch in the system. A box of opened, inspected ballots, their numbers rectified, was carried into another room by one person, not followed every step of the way by the camera....It bothered the young lady, who by the way sported a rather severe look, so she asked the election director about what she considered to be the lapse. She was told there was not enough room to accommodate enough observers to allow every election worker's movements, in this case literally step by step. The young lady decided she'd have to talk to the county commissioners to request a larger office space...
The nuttiness is now deeply embedded. Can't wait until the R's demand observers in the PO. Or until they insist that election workers be closely followed from the drop boxes to the courthouse. Or eventually one observer/poll worker.
That oughta be fun.
As I was saying (yesterday):
https://news.stanford.edu/report/2022/10/12/email-text-task-force-report/
AK: please don't bother me with pesky details-- I gotta get to that Pennsylvania beach to watch the dolphins... (Yeah, it's pathetic how even people in my generation, or sorta, don't seem to know any history, geography or math.) We had classes for stuff like that-- no underwater basket weaving for us...(as the right likes to describe general education or nonspecialty degrees--) Anyhoo, I don't get what that cluck was talking about-- What difference does it make that there aren't R senators from the mid-Atlantic up? There are plenty to spare in the midwest-- he should count his blessings.
@Jeanne: Of course the other mistake Oz made is that there IS a Republican senator north of N.C. on the Atlantic coast: the infamous Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, which has 228 miles of Atlantic coastline, OR -- if you include the "tidal coastline"; i.e., the bays & inlets -- make that 3,478 miles of coastline. There will be even more if Republicans let the sea level rise a little more. So who's counting?
Anyhow, thanks again, Oprah!