The Ledes

Monday, September 30, 2024

New York Times: “Kris Kristofferson, the singer and songwriter whose literary yet plain-spoken compositions infused country music with rarely heard candor and depth, and who later had a successful second career in movies, died at his home on Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday. He was 88.”

~~~ The New York Times highlights “twelve essential Kristofferson songs.”

The Wires
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The Ledes

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Washington Post: “Towns throughout western North Carolina ... were transformed overnight by ... [Hurricane Helene]. Muddy floodwaters lifted homes from their foundations. Landslides and overflowing rivers severed the only way in and out of small mountain communities. Rescuers said they were struggling to respond to the high number of emergency calls.... The death toll grew throughout the Southeast as the scope of Helene’s devastation came into clearer view. At least 49 people had been killed in five states — Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. By early counts, South Carolina suffered the greatest loss of life, registering at least 19 deaths.”

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Washington Post: “First came the surprising discovery that Earth’s atmosphere is leaking. But for roughly 60 years, the reason remained a mystery. Since the late 1960s, satellites over the poles detected an extremely fast flow of particles escaping into space — at speeds of 20 kilometers per second. Scientists suspected that gravity and the magnetic field alone could not fully explain the stream. There had to be another source creating this leaky faucet. It turns out the mysterious force is a previously undiscovered global electric field, a recent study found. The field is only about the strength of a watch battery — but it’s enough to thrust lighter ions from our atmosphere into space. It’s also generated unlike other electric fields on Earth. This newly discovered aspect of our planet provides clues about the evolution of our atmosphere, perhaps explaining why Earth is habitable. The electric field is 'an agent of chaos,' said Glyn Collinson, a NASA rocket scientist and lead author of the study. 'It undoes gravity.... Without it, Earth would be very different.'”

The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

Washington Post: “An early Titian masterpiece — once looted by Napolean’s troops and a part of royal collections for centuries — caused a stir when it was stolen from the home of a British marquess in 1995. Seven years later, it was found inside an unassuming white and blue plastic bag at a bus stop in southwest London by an art detective, and returned. This week, the oil painting 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' sold for more than $22 million at Christie’s. It was a record for the Renaissance artist, whom museums describe as the greatest painter of 16th-century Venice. Ahead of the sale in April, the auction house billed it as 'the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market in more than a generation.'”

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Tuesday
Nov152022

November 16, 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

** Mary Jalonick of the AP: "Legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriages crossed a major Senate hurdle Wednesday, putting Congress on track to take the historic step of ensuring that such unions are enshrined in federal law. Twelve Republicans voted with all Democrats to move forward on the legislation, meaning a final vote could come as soon as this week, or later this month. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the bill ensuring the unions are legally recognized under the law is chance for the Senate to 'live up to its highest ideals' and protect marriage equality for all people. 'It will make our country a better, fairer place to live,' Schumer said, noting that his own daughter and her wife are expecting a baby next year.... Three Republicans said early on that they would support the legislation and have lobbied their GOP colleagues to support it: Maine Sen. Susan Collins, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.... The other Republicans who voted for the legislation were Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Todd Young of Indiana, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Mitt Romney of Utah, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska."

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was re-elected overwhelmingly as his party's Senate leader on Wednesday, holding off Senator Rick Scott of Florida in the first challenge Mr. McConnell has faced since assuming the post in 2007.... Meeting behind closed doors for more than three hours, Republican senators sat at desks in the Old Senate Chamber ... to hash out their differences and vote. In a final tally of 37-10, with one person voting present, Mr. McConnell easily defeated Mr. Scott. The rest of the Republican leadership has been set with little fanfare or competition: Senator John Thune of South Dakota will remain as the No. 2 position, the minority whip, and Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming will remain as the conference chair, the No. 3 position." ~~~

~~~ Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "The GOP's post-election finger-pointing intensified Tuesday, with two senators calling for an audit of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. During a tense, three-hour-long meeting of the Senate GOP Conference, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said there should be an independent review of how the party's campaign arm spent its resources before falling short of its goal of winning the majority.... To move forward, Blackburn said, the party needed to determine what mistakes were made.... Over the past week, the political operations aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and NRSC Chair Rick Scott (Fla.) have clashed openly, blaming the other for the disappointing outcome -- even before Scott launched a long-shot leadership challenge to McConnell."

Marie: Mitch McConnell complained again Tuesday that Republicans' poor "candidate quality" was the reason for some Senate losses. He might have looked at some down-ballot races, too: ~~~

~~~ South Dakota. Sky Palma of the Raw Story: "A South Dakota House candidate who lost his race appeared in court this Tuesday on a charge of second-degree rape, KOTA reports. A South Dakota House candidate who lost his race appeared in court this Tuesday on a charge of second-degree rape, KOTA reports. Bud Marty May, 37, faces 50 years in prison over the Class 1 felony charge. According to the victim, May forced himself on her in a bathroom stall at a bar, telling her, 'I am 6′8, white, it is all consensual.' May then fled the scene but was later detained by police. The Republican candidate initially denied involvement, but then claimed, 'it was simply a hug.'" One of the two winners in May's district was Elizabeth May, Bud's mother.

Vasilisa Stepanenko of the AP: "NATO member Poland and the head of the military alliance both said Wednesday a missile strike in Polish farmland that killed two people did not appear to be an intentional attack, and that air defenses in neighboring Ukraine likely launched the Soviet-era projectile against a Russian bombardment that savaged the Ukrainian power grid. 'Ukraine's defense was launching their missiles in various directions and it is highly probable that one of these missiles unfortunately fell on Polish territory,' said Polish President Andrzej Duda. 'There is nothing, absolutely nothing, to suggest that it was an intentional attack on Poland.' NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, at a meeting of the 30-nation military alliance in Brussels, echoed the preliminary Polish findings, saying: 'We have no indication that this was the result of a deliberate attack.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

** John Leicester & James LaPorta of the AP: "Russia pounded Ukraine's energy facilities Tuesday with its biggest barrage of missiles yet, striking targets across the country and causing widespread blackouts. A senior U.S. intelligence official said missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, where two people were killed. A second person confirmed to The Associated Press that apparent Russian missiles struck a site in Poland about 15 miles from the Ukrainian border.... A NATO official ... said the alliance was looking into reports of a strike in Poland. The U.S. National Security Council said it was also looking into the reports. Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller did not immediately confirm the information from the U.S. intelligence official.... But Mueller said top leaders were holding an emergency meeting due to a 'crisis situation.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Seung Min Kim & Zeke Miller of the AP: "President Joe Biden convened an 'emergency' meeting of the Group of Seven and NATO leaders in Indonesia Wednesday morning for consultations after NATO-ally Poland said a 'Russian-made' missile killed two people in the eastern part of its country near the Ukraine border. Biden, who was awakened overnight by staff with the news of the missile explosion while in Indonesia for the Group of 20 summit, called Polish President Andrzej Duda early Wednesday to express his 'deep condolences' for the loss of life. Biden promised on Twitter 'full U.S support for and assistance with Poland's investigation,' and 'reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to NATO.' Meeting at a large round table in a ballroom in his hotel, the U.S. president hosted the leaders of the G-7, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union, along with the president of the European Council and the prime ministers of NATO allies Spain and the Netherlands."

Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "The White House on Tuesday asked Congress to approve $47.7 billion in new emergency aid to combat the coronavirus [-- $9.25BB --] and augment Ukraine's defenses [$37.7BB], hoping to overcome the staunch Republican resistance that has scuttled such requests in the past. The official request comes as Democrats and Republicans toiled behind the scenes in the hopes of striking a broader spending deal before Dec. 16, the date at which federal funds are set to run dry -- triggering a government shutdown.... In a letter to Congress which accompanied the formal request, the Biden administration also urged lawmakers to approve new funds to help Florida, Puerto Rico and other parts of the country decimated by recent natural disasters." MB: Yes, I realize the numbers don't add up, but I know only what I read in the papers. Besides, the ask will probably rise when the White House figures out how much is needed to help recover from the natural disasters. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Politico's story, by Caitlin Emma, fills in the missing number: "About $750 million would be spent on efforts to control the spread of monkeypox, hepatitis C and HIV." ~~~

     ~~~ More related to Russia's war on Ukraine is linked below under "Way Beyond the Beltway."

Miriam Jordan & Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the government from continuing to use a Trump-era public health emergency measure to swiftly expel migrants who cross the southern border unlawfully, an order that could enable thousands of potential asylum seekers to enter the country. Judge Emmet Sullivan for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia concluded that the measure, known as Title 42, was 'arbitrary and capricious' and had been implemented in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. Originally invoked by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Title 42 has been used as a key enforcement tool at the border since the Trump administration first implemented it."

Hannah Allam of the Washington Post: "As bloody, hate-fueled attacks rose in 2019, Homeland Security officials pledged to step up their response to domestic terrorism, funding in-depth research that would help them understand the scale of the problem.... More than two years later, that data collection has not begun.... [A DHS] official said around 20 research projects funded by Homeland Security faced varying degrees of delays because of rulings by the DHS's Privacy Office that deemed them high-risk even after researchers repeatedly explained that the information they intended to use was widely available to the public."

To the Moon, Alice. Kenneth Chang of the New York Times: "NASA's majestic new rocket soared into space for the first time in the early hours of Wednesday, lighting up the night sky and accelerating on a journey that will take an astronaut-less capsule around the moon and back. This flight, evoking the bygone Apollo era, is a crucial test for NASA's Artemis program that aims to put astronauts, after five decades of loitering in low-Earth orbit, back on the moon." The is part of a liveblog. The item is pinned to the top of the page. The Guardian's report is here.

Republicans in Disarray

Melanie Zanona, et al., of CNN: "The House Republican conference voted for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to be its leader after an underwhelming midterm election performance launched a search among conservatives for a challenger. The vote puts McCarthy in line to be the next speaker of the House, presuming Republicans win at least three more seats of the 16 that have not yet been projected by CNN. McCarthy won 188-31 against Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, according to multiple sources in the room. It was a secret ballot, and McCarthy only needed to earn a simple majority of the conference.... In January, McCarthy must win 218 votes, a majority of the entire House, to wield the speaker's gavel.... The No. 2 House Republican, Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, won his election to serve as House majority leader without facing any opposition.... And Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, the National Republican Congressional Committee chair, defeated Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Drew Ferguson of Georgia to be the House majority whip." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Emily Brooks & Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "House Republicans have elected Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to another term as conference chair during a closed-door, secret-ballot election on Tuesday. Stefanik defeated a challenge from freshman Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), one of two Black Republicans currently serving in the House, in a 144-74." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Mike Lillis of the Hill: "Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas) on Tuesday revealed more details about the GOP effort to have him jump parties, saying a handful of Republicans -- including a sitting member of Congress -- were part of the pressure campaign to have him join the GOP following his easy victory in last week's midterm elections.... 'They just said, "Name your price,"' Cuellar told reporters in the Capitol. His response was simple. 'No, thank you,' he said.... The Republicans' campaign arm spent millions of dollars supporting his opponent, Republican Cassy Garcia, a former aide to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), only to see Cuellar prevail in a landslide."

Burgess Everett of Politico: "Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) announced a challenge to Mitch McConnell in a closed-door party lunch on Tuesday afternoon, the first such opposition that the Senate GOP leader is facing in 15 years at the helm.... Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee and got nudged to mount opposition to McConnell by ... Donald Trump, was at odds with the GOP leader over strategy and tactics for months before Election Day. McConnell says he already has the votes locked up to win a Wednesday leadership election, and Scott is not expected to garner enough support to come close to toppling the leader. But Scott is pressing forward anyway, as a band of conservatives pushes to delay leadership elections until all the Senate races are determined." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

This Washington Post story, by Liz Goodwin & others, covers the GOP infighting in both the House & Senate.

Christoper Cadelago, et al., of Politico: "Donald Trump ... is running for president again. The 45th president announced his bid for a second term during a primetime event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. He filed a statement of candidacy as well.... There are renewed fears [among Republicans] about a Trump candidacy following the party's poor showing in the 2022 midterm elections, when a number of candidates backed by the former president failed to win key state and federal offices." ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Bender & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "In his rambling hourlong address, Mr. Trump gave an exaggerated picture of his accomplishments before announcing his candidacy. He quickly fell back into his typical rally fare, full of false statements, inflammatory discussion of immigration and crime, and nods to right-wing culture-war issues.... And he repeatedly expressed grievance over the ongoing investigations into him and his family.... Mr. Trump's insistence on another campaign has set off a roiling debate among Republicans over whether the party can thrive with him as its leader -- and, if not, how it can effectuate a divorce.... Mr. Trump endorsed five candidates in the nation's most competitive House races, according to ratings by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. All five lost.... Every [Trumpy] election denier who sought to become the top election official in a battleground state was defeated.... He has virtually no campaign team in place." This is part of a liveblog, but it's pinned at the top & is as long as a stand-alone article.

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "Donald Trump is a petulant narcissist, so his feuds with Govs. Ron DeSantis and Glenn Youngkin are surely sincere, but they also show that Trump hasn't lost his feral instinct for media attention. In recent months, the former president has become increasingly boring, and after sabotaging Republican hopes for a red wave, his power is at a low ebb. By stoking a Republican Party civil war and announcing his run for president, he can perhaps rekindle interest in a new season of the Trump show. Trump has very little else to keep people watching. On Tuesday, he gave an extraordinarily tedious and droning address announcing his new presidential campaign."

An Upside for Donald. Donie O'Sullivan of CNN:"Facebook's fact-checkers will need to stop fact-checking ... Donald Trump following the announcement that he is running for president, according to a company memo obtained by CNN. While Trump is currently banned from Facebook, the fact-check ban applies to anything Trump says and false statements made by Trump can be posted to the platform by others. Despite Trump's ban, 'Team Trump,' a page run by Trump's political group, is still active and has 2.3 million followers." BUT ~~~

~~~ Uh, Spending More Time with the Family. Caroline Linton of CBS News: "Ivanka Trump ... said Tuesday night shortly after her father announced his 2024 campaign that she does 'not plan to be involved in politics' this time." ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Swan & Zachary Basu of Axios: "Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie received huge applause at an annual meeting of Republican governors Tuesday morning after blaming former President Trump for GOP failures in the last three elections, according to three sources in the room and a fourth person familiar with the speech.... Christie addressed a room full of hundreds of people -- Republican governors, high-level donors and consultants -- at a hotel in Orlando.... " ~~~

~~~ Mark Sweney of the Guardian: "Rupert Murdoch has reportedly warned Donald Trump his media empire will not back any attempt to return to the White House, as former supporters turn to the youthful Florida governor Ron DeSantis. After the Republican party's disappointing performance in the US midterm elections, in particular the poor showing by candidates backed by Trump, Murdoch's rightwing media empire appears to be seeking a clean break from the former president's damaged reputation and perceived waning political power." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)


Witness for the Prosecution. Jonah Bromwich & Ben Protess of the New York Times: "... Allen H. Weisselberg on Tuesday testified in the criminal tax-fraud trial of [Donald Trump]'s family business.... Mr. Weisselberg, the company's longtime chief financial officer, pleaded guilty this summer to the same crimes for which the company is now on trial in a Manhattan court. As part of his deal, which is expected to spare him a lengthy prison sentence, Mr. Weisselberg agreed to give evidence against the company, even as he remains on its payroll and has refused to implicate Mr. Trump. Mr. Weisselberg ... provided crucial facts to bolster the Manhattan district attorney's case, which centers on lucrative off-the-books perks that the company paid to Mr. Weisselberg and other executives.... In under two hours of testimony, Mr. Weisselberg admitted that he had received such perks, and that he knew he owed taxes on them that he had not paid. And when the lead prosecutor, Susan Hoffinger, asked him why he did not simply ask for a raise, he responded that a raise would have required the Trump Organization to pay more money to him and to the tax authorities. That roped the company into a scheme that its lawyers have tried to pin wholly on Mr. Weisselberg."

Rebecca O'Brien of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump won a legal battle against his niece Mary L. Trump this week, when a New York judge dismissed Ms. Trump's lawsuit claiming he and other relatives had cheated her out of tens of millions of dollars in inheritance.... In a decision signed Monday, the judge, Robert R. Reed, said Ms. Trump's claims were barred because of a settlement agreement she signed with her family in 2001. Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Ms. Trump, said she planned to file an expedited appeal of the ruling...."

Faiz Siddiqui & Jeremy Merrill of the Washington Post: "Elon Musk issued an ultimatum to Twitter employees Wednesday morning: Commit to a new 'hardcore' Twitter or leave the company with severance. Employees were told they had to a sign a pledge to stay on with the company. 'If you are sure that you want to be part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below,' read the email to all staff, which linked to an online form. Anyone who did not sign the pledge by 5 p.m. Eastern time Thursday was told they would receive three months of severance pay, the message said." MB: Hardcore employees must prick their pinkies & press a bloody pinkie-print into a box on the form above a pledge of allegiance to Elon forever. All very adultish. ~~~

     ~~~ Kate Conger, et al., of the New York Times: "Elon Musk continued cutting Twitter's work force in his third week of owning the social media company, firing employees who had criticized him and eliminating contractors."

Beyond the Beltway

Georgia. Ava Sasani of the New York Times: "A Georgia county judge on Tuesday blocked the state's ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, saying the law was unconstitutional when the state legislature approved it in 2019 -- more than three years before the U.S. Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to abortion. The county judge's ruling will allow the immediate legal resumption in the state of abortions performed after the sixth week of pregnancy -- a time when most women have not yet even realized they are pregnant. Judge Robert C.I. McBurney of the Fulton County Superior Court wrote in his order that the six-week ban was enacted when 'everywhere in America, including Georgia, it was unequivocally unconstitutional for governments -- federal, state, or local -- to ban abortions before viability.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: McBurney is the county judge who keeps ordering big shots like Mark Meadows & Rudy Giuliani to come on down to Georgia & testify before Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis's grand jury. I like him.

Georgia Senate Race. Matthew Brown of the Washington Post: "Democrats are suing to force Georgia election officials to allow early voting on a Saturday ahead of the Dec. 6 U.S. Senate runoff election. The suit comes in response to a determination by state officials that law forbids voting right after Thanksgiving and a state holiday that once honored Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.... Without action by the courts, the suit states, Georgia voters 'will be deprived of their right to vote during the advance voting period permitted by Georgia law.'... For many years, the Friday after Thanksgiving was recognized as 'Robert E. Lee's Birthday' in Georgia, even though the Confederate general's birthday was Jan. 19. In 2015, Gov. Nathan Deal (R) supported legislation that changed the name to 'State Holiday.'"

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Wednesday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here: "Investigations are continuing into the origins of a Russian-made missile that exploded in a Polish village on the border with Ukraine on Tuesday, killing two people and raising fears that the conflict in Ukraine could widen into NATO territory. Poland, a NATO member, said the missile was Russian-made, but officials have no 'clear evidence' of who fired it. President Biden said early indications suggested the missile was not fired from Russia, which has denied responsibility. Several countries -- including Ukraine -- use Soviet-era weapons...."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (17)

I listened to just under a minute of DJT's bs, and felt moved to SMS "go f yourself" to 88022. AFAIK, that's protected under article 1.

Matt

November 15, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterMonkius

(well, something 1, anyway)

November 15, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterMonkius

Now that he’s announced his run for another ass kicking, look for Fatty to declare (incorrectly, of course) that he is now immune from any and all prosecutions, investigations, grand jury deliberations, and demands that he return all the top secret stuff he stole.

November 15, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

So Rupert Murdoch has informed the Orange Monster that this time around he and his horde of media clowns and fake journalists won’t, as they always have, be backing his run for dictator. After the Party of Traitors’ miserable performance in the midterm elections, Murdoch was so pissed they didn’t steal more seats that he ordered his papers to point fingers at Trump alone, an unusual move.

The point here is that Murdoch is primarily concerned about the fate of the Republican Party. Had Trump delivered, Murdoch would have had no choice but to continue his media empire’s slavish fealty, but after that perceived debacle (the traitors still have the House with which to screw the country), he decided there’s no room in the Fox lifeboat for the tub from Lardo.

I’m gonna go waaay out on a limb here and ask how this mortal concern for the Party of Traitors squares with that whole fair and balanced thingy. Not so quiet part out loud, I guess. Fox is not, never has been, and never will be a serious news organization. I know this is a surprise, but just imagine the screams of outrage across the scorched and barren plains of right-wing world had the presidents of NBC, CBS, CNN, etc., come out publicly expressing such obvious concern for the fate of the Democratic Party after such a sad electoral showing.

There is no such thing as a “liberal media”, but a media empire dedicated solely to a win at all costs support for traitors is as real as the global warming they pretend doesn’t exist. And the horrid state this country is now in is, in too many ways to count, the responsibility of greedy, power mad pigs like Rupert Murdoch.

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

If Rupert Murdoch is done with Fatty (at least until if and when he kicks DeSantis’ wannabe dictator ass), Mark Zuckerberg is all in on another run for the dead roses.

Facebook, or Meta, or whatever the fuck they’re calling it now, has ordered it’s minions directly to not fact check any of Trump’s lies. Whatever he says that gets reposted by treason loving Facebook users is A-OK with Mark.

Don’t want to piss off the traitors by taking a stand for democracy now, do we?

https://www.mediaite.com/tech/facebook-tells-its-fact-checkers-to-lay-off-trump-if-he-runs-for-president/

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

There must be something about physically unattractive men that the lumpenproletariat find appealing. When you think about the leading fascists around the world, quite a number of them are pretty ugly. I guess I can understand how a good-looking person with a smooth message might attract certain dimwits -- like teenaged girls screaming & fainting at Beatles concerts -- but I just don't get how anyone could believe Trump was the Second Coming. Most artists paint Jesus as a good-looking man within the context of their own cultures, but nobody ever depicted Jesus as looking like Trump. Or Hitler.

And the thing is, the Beatles had talent. Trump doesn't have talent; who wants to listen to a flabby old guy complaining about everybody being unfa-a-a-air to him? Ugh. He's like the cousin from hell who ruins the Thanksgiving dinner. Repulsive.

November 16, 2022 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Out with the old, in with the new (logo). MAGA has been
replaced with MAGAGA.
I'll bet he did that thinking all those MAGAts will now have to buy
a new hat and I'll make another fortune.
Lots of comments on the inter-tubes, like, make all gag again;
is that Lady Gagas' mama?
Sorry, no links. My linker isn't working.

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

Forgot to spell it out: Make America Great And Glorious Again.

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

Marie,

Good point. Good looks aren’t a requirement for dictatorship, although Stalin was a pretty good looking guy when he was younger. I guess he had a kind of Dorian Gray thing going on. But then you look at Kim Jong Un. His head looks like a bowling ball with hair. Putin is right out of central casting as “Evil Russian creep”. Bashar al-Asad looks like an accountant whose hobby is boiling live cats. Mussolini? If you’re into bald fat guys in jodhpurs and permanently jutting chin. Khomeini? Yikes! He’d win the casting call for Middle Eastern Rasputin. Mao? Dude, what’s with the hair? Looks like he was wearing melted down Mickey Mouse ears. And Trump? Fat, orange-faced, fly-away fake hair, in poorly fitting boxy suit, sporting a perpetual, jowly scowl.

But hey, no lie! I figgered out why Fatty wants to run again. He’s hoping he can be impeached a third time! No president (or president*) in the future would ever catch him.

Finally, he’d be the best at something!

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Marie

Precisely. That he presents no challenge to any of his acolytes is one of the Pretender's main attractions.

He's not smarter. He's not nicer. He's no less angry, jealous, vain, dishonest or resentful. He channels all their failings and inadequacies.

And because his garish wealth signifies all the worldly success they desire and think they, too, deserve, they believe society has also placed its seal of approval on their own miserable selves as it has on his.

It is only those others, the immigrants, the Blacks, the educated, the elites, the election stealers, the FBI, all those Others who are keeping them down.

For them, the Pretender is just like them, as I said yesterday, only richer.

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

In his salad days the Donald WAS attractive but became lumpy and lost a lot of that "come hither faire." I think those who need a savior don't much care about physical attractiveness, they just need someone they can believe in, someone they can worship. Now you would think those worshippers would fade away after learning what a scam artist their dear leader was/is but it seems to enhance their fealty. One could conclude that once one wraps themselves in a "god's grace" it's hard to let go. Those Beatle screamers would have left their seats if the Beatles had lost their mojo; our Trump lovers identification with him knows no bounds. And I wonder after Fatty finally gets his due––whenever the hell that will be––-will he still be that gift that keeps on giving? Or will "his people" turn to another god to worship?

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered Commenter`PD Pepe

And speaking of butt ugly authoritarians…

Can’t wait for the steel cage match between matinee idols Mitch (Turtle Man) McConnell and Rick (Bat Boy found in cave) Scott. Ricky might be good at stealing Medicare money from the government, but Mitchy is a dirty trickster from way back. But pretty sure I won’t be sticking around for the bare chests and wrestling tights portion of that fight. Ewww.

https://twitter.com/DonStough/status/983498294331609088/photo/2

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Now that the Pretender is back running the Big Scam I see that those Fact Checkers who have been happily cashing their unemployment checks for much of the last year have to go back to work.

Wonder if the Pretender knows he's helping Biden's employment numbers...

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

I wonder if Rupert has thought ahead this time and will be colluding with OAN, Newsmax and the other nut jobber "news" programs. The problem last time Faux tried to quit TFG was that they started bleeding viewers to the little guys and had to scramble to get them back after they didn't like hearing that their messiah is a total loser. I think things will turn out just like the last time they tried to split up with Donnie.

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

I'm so disappointed that Ivanka won't be on the team is Daddy wins
in 2024.
She says that she is so proud of the things she did for the American
people and the great things that administration accomplished.
Been racking my brain but those 'great things' elude me.
Does she mean tax cuts for the billionaires?
How about deregulations for giant corporations. Sometimes regulations
are a good thing.
I could Google it but not worth the effort.

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

Am squeaky clean as to NOT having heard any of Dumptruck's speech last night. I heard it was full of revenge and grievances. Of course: what else does he have? As others have said, he's unattractive, poorly dressed, nasty, stupid, a liar, jealous, unwell-spoken, a criminal, and who knows if he is rich on his own. He's squirreled away tons of money since he was ferried away from the White House, and that is the money he loves best since it belongs to others. He's a pig, no question about it, and so are his deputies Jason Whatsit and Steven Whosiewhatsie. I expect Steve Bannon is expecting a call..

I am so looking forward to a new stretch of two years while the people fed up with him for now, all ooze back into the sludge with him, and the idiotic media giants all fall into line with no real questions or revelations, and Merrick goes back to sleep. The FBI already said the documents were not hidden and transported out of hope for monetary advances; no, he just wanted them...and Meta says he is not to be questioned. How is it that it's instant replay? Jesus H Crackers, this is where we came in-- let's leave...

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

Forrest,

What did Ivanka do for the American people?

Easy. Mr. Ivanka (Peace in the Middle East Boy) scarfed $2 billion big ones after kissing Saudi butt cheeks for years. So that’s a lot for two Americans.

Oh, sorry. Did you mean the other 330 million?

November 16, 2022 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus
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