;)
November 18, 2021
Seung Min Kim & Dino Grandoni of the Washington Post: "President Biden continued his infrastructure sales tour Wednesday with a visit to the Detroit area, promoting American-made electric vehicles and his broader public works law while the rest of his climate agenda hangs in the balance in Washington. The car-aficionado-in-chief took a spin through a General Motors plant retooled to manufacture electric cars, proclaiming that Detroit has led the world in electric vehicles and that the new infrastructure law would further boost the use of non-gasoline-powered vehicles across the country." ~~~
~~~ The text of President Biden's speech as delivered, via the White House, is here. Video of the full speech is here. The President began with remarks that should (but probably won't) shut up Democratic social infrastructure bill critics like Joe Look-at-Me Manchin:
... two of the leading rating agencies on Wall Street confirmed today -- not a liberal think tank, two Wall Street outfits -- that the economic proposals we put forward for the nation -- the infrastructure law we just signed and the Build Back Better plan are being considered this week in Congress -- will not add to inflationary pressures in the economy. And at one -- and here's what one of the agencies said, and I quote, 'The bills do not add to inflation pressures.'... The reason? Because the policies I proposed, quote, 'help ...; lift long-term economic growth via stronger productivity ... labor force growth,' as well as taking 'the edge off of inflation. -- President Biden, Wednesday, Detroit
House Votes to Censure Gosar; Almost All Republicans Favor Incitement to Murder AOC. Felicia Sonmez, et al., of the Washington Post: "The House voted Wednesday to censure Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) for tweeting an anime video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and swinging swords at President Biden -- a move that comes amid growing worries about violent political rhetoric 10 months after a mob of former president Donald Trump's supporters attacked the Capitol. The 223-to-207 vote, with one member voting present, marks the first time in more than a decade that the House has censured one of its members. The resolution also removes Gosar from his assignments on the House Oversight and Natural Resources committees. Two Republicans, Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), joined Democrats in backing the measure. Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio) voted 'present.'"(Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. CNN's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: In a normal country, a few Republicans on the radical right would have supported Gosar. We do not live in a "normal country" when almost all of the elected House members of one party tacitly endorse violence against another member, specifically against a woman of color. Republicans are a party of violent, misogynistic cowards. They are reprehensible. ~~~
~~~ Gosar Repeats Censured Offense. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Wednesday, Newsweek reported that Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) retweeted an account promoting his own anime video depicting himself murdering Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) -- just minutes after the House voted to censure him and strip him of committee assignments for the original tweet. 'Gosar had previously deleted the controversial video, which shows him slaughtering Ocasio-Cortez before turning the blade towards President Joe Biden, refusing to apologize but explaining that he had "self-censored" due to a sense of "compassion for those who generally felt offense."'" The Newsweek story, which is firewalled, is here.
~~~ Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "... Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) is the one who truly has earned the censure of posterity. In his craven attempt to maintain himself as the House Republican leader, McCarthy showed once again that there is no level of violent, hateful or authoritarian speech that goes too far. By condoning threats and intimidation in the people's House, he is inviting actual violence -- and signing democracy's death warrant.... McCarthy was outraged -- not by the unrepentant [Paul] Gosar's homicidal cinematography but by Democrats' move to reprimand him.... McCarthy, on the House floor, mentioned the matter only in passing..., instead reciting a meandering list of grievances: Proxy voting! The Steele dossier! Afghanistan! He threatened that when speaker he would retaliate by stripping committee assignments from five Democrats over various perceived offenses.... There was once a case to be made that McCarthy was simply a weak leader. But now it's clear he is blessing the provocations to violence." ~~~
~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post points out that Republicans' response to Democrats punishing their members for egregious acts is to threaten that when Republicans return to power, they will punish Democrats for no reason at all. ~~~
~~~ The Party of Killers. Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) thanked Newsmax host Grant Stinchfield on Wednesday night for his support of Kyle Rittenhouse, who is currently on trial in Kenosha, Wisconsin.... [Gaetz said of Rittenhouse,] 'He is not guilty. He deserves a not guilty verdict, and I sure hope he gets it because you know what? Kyle Rittenhouse would probably make a pretty good congressional intern. We may reach out to him and see if he'd be interested in helping the country in additional ways.'" MB: "Additional ways"? IOW, killing two people & maiming a third was "helping the country."
Dan Lamothe & Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "The D.C. National Guard's commanding general was directed twice by Pentagon leadership to send in troops as violence engulfed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, according to a newly released investigation that appears to undercut the now-retired general's claim that he would have responded to the riot more quickly if Trump administration officials had allowed. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy first notified Maj. Gen. William Walker by phone at 4:35 p.m. that Walker was authorized to send troops to Capitol Hill, and then called the general again 'to reissue the deployment order' about 30 minutes after McCarthy 'originally conveyed it,' an unidentified Army witness told investigators with the independent Defense Department Inspector General, according to a newly released report. The investigation's findings bring new scrutiny to Walker, who earlier this year was lauded for his candor in publicly recounting how dysfunction at the Pentagon stalled the National Guard's response as supporters of ... Donald Trump brutalized police and panicked lawmakers pleaded for help.... Walker said he was not allowed to respond to the anonymous statements before the report...."
Hannah Rabinowitz & Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "Jacob Chansley, the so-called 'QAnon Shaman,' was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the US Capitol riot.... Judge Royce Lamberth has had Chansley held in jail since his arrest, despite his multiple attempts to gain sympathy and his release. Other judges are likely to look to Lamberth's sentence as a possible benchmark, since Chansley is one of the first felony defendants among more than 660 Capitol riot cases to receive a punishment." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.
Rebecca Beitsch & Harper Neidig of the Hill: "... Stephen Bannon moved to plead not guilty Wednesday to criminal contempt of Congress charges after he failed to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.... The filing anticipates an arraignment scheduled for Thursday for Bannon in which he was expected to plead not guilty. His lawyers filed a motion Wednesday to enter the not guilty plea and skip the arraignment -- a move that requires approval from the judge."
Ruth Graham of the New York Times: "The Roman Catholic bishops of the United States backed away from a direct conflict with President Biden on Wednesday, approving a new document on the sacrament of the eucharist that does not mention the president or any politicians by name.... For some conservative Catholics, the real question was ...: Should Catholic politicians who publicly support and advance abortion rights be denied the sacrament?... The document ... highlighted a divide between conservative American bishops and the Vatican, and pitted some of the nation's most powerful prelates against the country's second Catholic president.... An emboldened Catholic right wing, including media outlets and activist groups, now feels increasingly free to antagonize Pope Francis and his agenda."
Noam Scheiber of the New York Times: "About 10,000 workers at the agriculture equipment maker Deere & Company will go back to work after the approval of a contract on Wednesday, bringing to an end a five-week strike that affected 14 facilities primarily in Iowa and Illinois. The six-year contract was ratified, 61 percent to 39 percent, after workers voted down two earlier agreements between the United Automobile Workers and the company.... The new contract raises wages and includes language that makes the company's performance pay more generous."
Dan Keating & Lenny Bernstein of the Washington Post: "The U.S. drug epidemic reached another terrible milestone Wednesday when the government announced that more than 100,000 people had died of overdoses between April 2020 and April 2021. It is the first time that drug-related deaths have reached six figures in any 12-month period.... The new figures, which are provisional but rarely change much in final tallies, represent a 28.5 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. The financial, mental health, housing and other difficulties of the covid-19 pandemic are widely blamed for much of the increase." The Guardian's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Thursday are here: "Mask-wearing reduces the incidence of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, by 53 percent, according to a study published on Thursday that looked at the results of dozens of earlier research examining the efficacy of the face-coverings. The meta-analysis, which is a method that combines the results of multiple scientific studies, was conducted by researchers from Australia's Monash University and Scotland's University of Edinburgh and published on the BMJ, a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal published by the British Medical Association, a trade union."
** Laura Strickler of NBC News: "A federal agency that was run by a college friend of Jared Kushner and assigned $100 million to spend on fixing the Covid supply chain crunch has so far failed to invest a single dime, according to a new government watchdog report. In 2020, the Trump administration directed the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to loan out $100 million in Pentagon funds through the CARES Act to 'finance the domestic production of strategic resources needed to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, and to strengthen any relevant domestic medical supply chains.'... Adam Boehler, briefly a college roommate of ... Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, ran the International Development Finance Corporation starting in fall 2019.... Boehler left the DFC on Jan. 20, the day of President Joe Biden's inauguration, and was succeeded by [an acting CEO, Dev] Jagadesan." Jagadesan blamed the Departments of Defense & Health & Human Services for the interminable delays in "emergency" funding. In fairness to the agency, it apparently has spent about $1MM (it doesn't keep very good records so no telling the exact figure) shuffling papers.
~~~ Marie: So if you thought putting Jared in charge of stuff was a terrible idea, look what you get when you put a "friend of Jared" in charge of something. Bupkis. Minus a million dollars (or so).
Beyond the Beltway
Georgia. Giulia Heyward of the New York Times: "Travis McMichael, the man who shot Ahmaud Arbery to death after chasing him through a suburban Georgia neighborhood, testified in his own defense on Wednesday, arguing that pointing his gun at Mr. Arbery was an attempt to 'de-escalate' the situation, a tactic he said he had learned during use-of-force training while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. 'If you pull a weapon on someone, from what I've learned in my training, usually that tells people to back off,' Mr. McMichael said, describing it as 'compelled compliance.'... He described the encounter as 'the most traumatic experience of my life.'" MB: A little more traumatic for the man you murdered. I'd like to know if the Coast Guard really trains its personnel to fire on burglary suspects. McMichael's testimony, IMO, was bizarre.
New York. Ashley Southall & Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "Two of the men found guilty of the assassination of Malcolm X are expected to have their convictions thrown out on Thursday, the Manhattan district attorney and lawyers for the two men said, rewriting the official history of one of the most notorious murders of the civil rights era. For decades, historians have cast doubt on the case against the two men, Muhammad A. Aziz and Khalil Islam, who each spent more than 20 years in prison. Their exoneration represents a remarkable acknowledgment of grave errors made in a case of towering importance: the 1965 murder of one of America's most influential Black leaders.... A 22-month investigation conducted jointly by the Manhattan district attorney's office and lawyers for the two men found that prosecutors and two of the nation's premier law enforcement agencies -- the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York Police Department -- had withheld key evidence that, had it been turned over, would likely have led to the men's acquittal.... The case against them was questionable from the outset, and in the decades since, historians and amateur investigators have raised doubts about the official story." The AP's report is here.
Charles Blow of the New York Times: "There is quite the convergence at the moment of race and justice as cases featuring white male defendants accused of everything from murder to insurrection dominate news coverage." Blow looks at a number of cases in the news. But here's one that didn't catch his attention: ~~~
~~~ New York. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "A New York man who pleaded guilty to rape and sexual abuse for assaulting four teenage girls during parties at his parents' home will not face jail time after a judge Tuesday sentenced him to eight years probation. Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy III said he 'agonized' over the case of 20-year-old Christopher Belter, who was accused of committing the crimes when he was 16 or 17. Belter pleaded guilty in 2019 to felony charges.... Murphy concluded that jail time for [Belter] 'would be inappropriate' in a ruling that shocked the courtroom.... Steven M. Cohen, an attorney for one of the victims..., told The Washington Post on Wednesday..., 'If Chris Belter was not a White defendant from a rich and influential family, in my experience ... he would surely have been sentenced to prison.'... [The rapes were] fueled by [Belter's] mother, Tricia Vacanti, now 50; his stepfather, Gary Sullo, 56; and Jessica M. Long, 42, a family friend, who allegedly supplied teen girls with alcohol and marijuana, according to state police."
South Dakota. John Wagner of the Washington Post: "The daughter of South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R) said Tuesday that she would turn in her real estate appraiser license and exit the business by the end of the year amid continuing scrutiny over whether her mother intervened in her licensing. In a letter to the South Dakota Department of Labor, Kassidy Peters, Noem's daughter, insisted that neither she nor her mother had done anything wrong but said that a legislative inquiry into the matter had 'successfully destroyed my business.' 'It is clear that none of this will stop until my reputation and that of my young family are destroyed,' Peters wrote. 'The entire inquiry and media pressure has done irreparable damage to my business.'" MB: The South Dakota legislature is controlled by Republicans. Nonetheless, a Republican governor -- and even her family member -- are the oppressed victims of their ruinous harassment. That's just so wrong.
Way Beyond
Belarus/Poland. Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "Belarus used buses Wednesday to move hundreds of migrants from the Polish border to a nearby warehouse, providing temporary shelter amid freezing temperatures and potentially easing a standoff with the European Union. The Belarus decision comes a day after violence erupted along the border, where migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere have been stranded. For months, Belarus has opened routes for migrants to reach E.U. borders in retaliation for European sanctions. Polish authorities used water cannons to push back the migrants, an escalation they said was overseen by Belarusian forces." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Backfire! Robyn Dixon of the Washington Post: "Months after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko unleashed a migrant crisis against the European Union, the gambit has come full circle. Lukashenko's regime is now struggling over what do with thousands of stranded people he lured from the Middle East and beyond -- and the man often called Europe's last dictator is trying to save face after trying to punish his neighbors over sanctions."
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Reader Comments (13)
As the vote to censure Paul Gosar was completed a few of our most enlightened numskulls on the right took to the floor and gave their objections which were pathetically ridiculous revealing their need to remain strident in their sick "sticking by the GOP playbook." This kind of desperation is almost as comical as it is painful to watch. And one of these frisky fellows went further a field and has come out with this:
"He [Rittenhouse] is not guilty. He deserves a not guilty verdict, and I sure hope he gets it because you know what, Kyle Rittenhouse would probably make a pretty good congressional intern,” Gaetz said on the right-wing network Newsmax. “We may reach out to him and see if he’d be interested in helping the country in additional ways.”
Well, golly, why the heck not! From observing that little punk you could see how limited he is–-perfect for Gaetz who is extremely interested in helping our country in "additional ways."
As I finished that last sentence I heard lots of barking from across the way and then––a woman's voice shouted:
"WHO LEFT THE DOGS OUT?"
And here's a headline that perked up my eyes:
UNDER BIDEN'S WATCH OIL COMPANIES SNAG 1.7 MILLION ACRES OF THE GULF.
So if you just caught that headline and didn't read the piece you'd think Biden is all for more drilling and more waters to drill from. Here's Jen Psaki :
"We believe the decision is wrong. We're required to comply with the injunction. It's a legal case and legal process ...and not aligned with our view, the President's policies or the executive order that he signed."
Others also concerned about our planet are fighting back but don't know how they can actually change this injunction.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-gulf-lease-sale-final_n_61951ebee4b025be1ad57446
My guess is that Gaetz would want Rittenhouse as an intern and be
sure to bring that AR-15, or whatever it is, 'cause we have some
special intern jobs to finish, like Paul Gosar's plan to eliminate
those we aren't especially fond of, like AO-C, Nancy P. and Joe
Biden.
Never thought I'd live to see the day. (Didn't I say that a dozen times
in the last few months?).
@Forrest Morris: Excellent point. I was flummoxed by Gaetz's remark until you explained it. Now I see where Gaetz would find it very useful to have an "intern" strutting around wherever it was legal -- or illegal, doesn't seem to matter to Rittenhouse -- carrying an AR-15 to rid Gaetz of those meddlesome Democrats -- or whoever. I didn't understand at all what Gaetz meant by "additional ways." Unfortunately, I think you've figured it out.
You have to hope that Gosar & Gaetz are just infantile fantasists. But it is possible that they intend to carry out their murderous fantasies -- or have others do the dirty work for them.
@PD Pepe: I saw a similar headline elsewhere today (can't recall where). Thanks for pointing out Psaki's explanation.
https://www.newsweek.com/largest-us-bank-cuts-ties-conservative-group-canceling-donald-trump-jr-event-1650599
Darn.
And I was so hoping to drop a few hundred bucks to hear the junior pretender...
The photo atop a NYT essay, on the effects of guns demonstrated in the Rittenhouse trial, shows that Baby Kyle's weapon has no sights. It is a point and shoot weapon.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/opinion/kyle-rittenhouse-guns.html
That means one or some of the following:
-- The kid wanted a scope, but had not yet acquired one
-- As set up, the weapon is good for close-encounter firefights. No iron sights mean that it can be whipped around quickly without the barrel catching on straps, foliage, odd equipment, etc., and can be fired through loopholes more easily
-- But it is no good for range target shooting or hunting
-- It is of limited accuracy as a facility defense (i.e. guard duty) weapon, where you want to engage offenders at range
Whether he intended so or not, Baby Kyle was equipped for close combat ambush, not for guard duty.
The Florida legislature is in special session specifically to pass laws forbidding vaccine and mask mandates.
In senate bill 2-B there is a provision for "anticipated pregnancy" being a valid reason. No one has yet been able to say just what "anticipated pregnancy" is.
Conversation between Marvin and Mary, a couple who just got married:
Marvin: so we've talked about having children but do you think this is the right time to start trying?
Mary: Gee, honey, I'd like to start now but I've heard that the vaccine may screw up my female parts.
Marvin: where did you hear that?
Mary: I think from Tucker–-he talked about how women should be aware of the dangers of getting the vaccine if they anticipated getting pregnant.
Marvin: Well, gosh, if Tucker said that we'd better be aware of the pitfalls and postpone a pregnancy.
Mary: That Tucker–--he's so full of –-oh, how can I phrase it–-
Marvin: Don't even try–-sometimes words fail us, so let's leave it be. Drink?
Mary: Love one and make it a double–-I'll toast to not anticipating a pregnancy–-and another tip of the glass to Fox for their perspicuous insights.
The End.
@ Bobby Lee
Seems clear enough to me.
"Anticipated pregnancy" is intended to clearly distinguish the specific physical state from that of those who are "a little bit pregnant."
I think there should be a little more planning before too many all-
electric vehicles are produced. Where I live, our electricity comes
mainly from a coal burning plant. We see those mile long trains
loaded with coal going up north to be burned. Supposedly there's
a process that catches the pollution but I'm a little skeptical about
that. Could be fake news.
We need much more solar and wind power first, and people are gonna'
say, well, the sun doesn't shine here much in the winter. But solar
energy can be stored in batteries from what I've heard.
We just bought a gasoline-electric-hybrid. The gasoline engine charges
batteries which take over and run the drive shafts when they are fully charged.
This brings the MPG up to around 40. That's more than twice as much
as the previous van we had (Toyota Sienna, totaled when hit from
behind by a 19 year old speeding and texting).
Also, charging stations are few and far between. I know of only one
in the area and it's about 15 miles away. I suppose in the future all
homes will have their own charging station, but that seems like a long
way off.
Just last week we were hearing numerous stories about the Republicans who voted for the infrastructure bill and all the threats they were receiving, including hearing some the voice mails, but yesterday those same people decided to vote with the guy sending the threats because he is one of theirs. They are all awful people who care only for themselves.
And let us not forget that just a few years ago a guy started sending pipe bombs to Democrats and the media because of the words of the head of the Republican party.l
RAS: Yes, I am sure they all approve the sending of pipe bombs to synagogues and Democrats. I just wrote my congressman, who is a reprehensible piece of crapola named Lloyd Smucker. He brags that he is a Mennonite family man, but Mennonites are peaceful. This jerk voted against both infrastructure AND dumping Gosar, who is batshit, not just a horrible human being. Sounds so peaceful to approve of death threats to a fellow congressperson. As someone has said, in any workplace in the land, Gosar would be hitchhiking home since he should be on a no-fly list as a terrorist-- but no. NOT in congress. And I am sure Smucker will brag about infrastructure as soon as he sees results. Because he is a liar and a piece of crapola like his bosses.