The Ledes

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

The New York Times is live-updating developments Tuesday as powerful Hurricane Milton moves through the Gulf of Mexico toward Central Florida.

New York Times: “Cissy Houston, a Grammy Award-winning soul and gospel star who helped shepherd her daughter Whitney Houston to superstardom, died on Monday at her home in Newark. She was 91.”

The Wires
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The Ledes

Monday, October 7, 2024

Weather Channel: “H​urricane Milton has rapidly intensified into a Category 3 and hurricane and storm surge watches are now posted along Florida's western Gulf Coast, where the storm poses threats of life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds and flooding rainfall by midweek. 'Milton will be a historic storm for the west coast of Florida,' the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said in a briefing Monday morning.” ~~~

     ~~~ New York Times live updates are here for what is now a Cat 5 hurricane. 

CNN: “This year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their work on the discovery of microRNA, a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated. Their research revealed how genes give rise to different cells within the human body, a process known as gene regulation. Gene regulation by microRNA – a family of molecules that helps cells control the sort of proteins they make – ... was first revealed by Ambros and Ruvkun. The Nobel Prize committee announced the prestigious honor ... in Sweden on Monday.... Ambros, a professor of natural science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, conducted the research that earned him the prize at Harvard University. Ruvkun conducted his research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.”

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Public Service Announcement

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Washington Post: “Comedy news outlet the Onion — reinvigorated by new ownership over this year — is bringing back its once-popular video parodies of cable news. But this time, there’s someone with real news anchor experience in the chair. When the first episodes appear online Monday, former WAMU and MSNBC host Joshua Johnson will be the face of the resurrected 'Onion News Network.' Playing an ONN anchor character named Dwight Richmond, Johnson says he’s bringing a real anchor’s sense of clarity — and self-importance — to the job. 'If ONN is anything, it’s a news organization that is so unaware of its own ridiculousness that it has the confidence of a serial killer,' says Johnson, 44.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'll be darned if I can figured out how to watch ONN. If anybody knows, do tell. Thanks.

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.”

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The Commentariat -- April 13, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "President Biden has decided to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 20 years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon launched the country into its longest war, United States officials said Tuesday. The decision will keep more than 3,000 American troops on the ground in Afghanistan beyond the May 1 withdrawal deadline announced by the administration of ... Donald J. Trump. But it signals what Mr. Biden plans to present as a definitive end to America's 'Forever War.'" CNN's story is here.

Aamer Madhani of the AP: "President Joe Biden called on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to 'de-escalate tensions' following a Russian military buildup on Ukraine's border. Biden also told Putin the U.S. would 'act firmly in defense of its national interests' regarding Russian cyber intrusions and election interference, according to the White House. Biden proposed a summit meeting in a third country 'in the coming months' to discuss the full range of U.S.-Russia issues, the White House said. The call comes as concern rises in the West about a surge of cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-baсked separatists and Ukrainian forces have been locked in a conflict since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula." ~~~

~~~ Maybe Biden should call Idaho's governor, too. ~~~

~~~ "Greater Idaho." AP (via OregonLive): "Idaho lawmakers appeared intrigued but skeptical on Monday when pitched a plan to lop off about three-fourths of Oregon and add it to Idaho to create what would become the nation's third-largest state geographically.... If everything falls in line with Oregon, supporters envision also adding adjacent portions of southeastern Washington and northern California to Idaho."

Robert Burns of the AP: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Tuesday that he is expanding the U.S. military presence in Germany by 500 troops and has stopped planning for large-scale troop cuts ordered by the Trump administration. 'This planned increase in U.S. personnel underscores our commitment to Germany and the entire NATO alliance,' Austin said in a notable counterpoint to the Trump administration's repeated complaints that Germany is a weak partner on defense and security."

The New York Times' live updates of Day 12 of Derek Chauvin's murder trial are here. The Washington Post's live updates are here. CNN's liveblog is here.

Shaun Hubler & Jeremy White of the New York Times: "The chief of police for Brooklyn Center, Minn., where Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by a white officer on Sunday, said on Monday that ... the officer, Kimberly A. Potter, a 26-year veteran of the force, had intended to deploy her Taser, the chief said at a news conference, but had shot her service pistol instead. Tasers look and feel different from pistols in a number of ways, and most police forces -- including Brooklyn Center's -- have standard precautions and protocols in place to prevent the sort of mix-up that can be deadly.... Tasers are often produced in bright colors, or with neon accents, to distinguish them from pistols.... [Pistols] ... pistol models weigh significantly more than a typical Taser.... Brooklyn Center Police Department protocol dictates that officers wear their guns on their dominant side and Tasers on the opposite side of their bodies, to reduce the risk that they will confuse the two weapons.... It appears that several aspects of how Officer Potter handled her weapons may have violated the protocol laid out in the manual, even if she had drawn her Taser and not her firearm." ~~~

~~~ Russ Thebault of the Washington Post: "In the span of just a couple of hours Monday evening, a Minneapolis suburb appears to have fundamentally refashioned its leadership after a local police officer shot and killed an unarmed Black man during a traffic stop the day before. Brooklyn Center, Minn., which erupted in protest Sunday as word of 20-year-old Daunte Wright's death spread, now has a new city manager and -- at least temporarily -- a new de facto leader of the police department after a city council vote that granted the mayor 'command authority' over the agency. The overhaul is likely to give Mayor Mike Elliott the power to fire the police chief and police officers, one legal expert told The Washington Post." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Mohamed Ibrahim & Mike Householder of the AP: "A white police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb resigned Tuesday, as did the city's police chief -- moves that the mayor said he hoped would help heal the community and lead to reconciliation after two nights of protests and unrest. The resignations from Officer Kim Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon came two days after the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here.

Racists Are the "Real Victims." Michael Gerson of the Washington Post: "Here is how [Tucker] Carlson defined ['replacement theory'] in the process of defending it last week: 'The Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate of the voters now casting ballots with new people, more obedient voters from the Third World.' Why people should be offended by this mystifies Carlson. 'Everyone wants to make a racial issue out of it,' he continued.... There is a reason, of course, that 'everyone' wants to make a racial issue out of this. Because it is a putrescent pile of racist myths and cliches. Nearly every phrase of Carlson's statement is the euphemistic expression of white-supremacist replacement doctrine. This is what modern, poll-tested, shrink-wrapped, mass-marketed racism looks like. Carlson is providing his audience with sophisticated rationales for their worst, most prejudicial instincts. And the brilliance of Carlson's business model is to reinterpret moral criticism of his bigotry as an attack by elites on his viewers. Public outrage is thus recycled into fuel for MAGA victimhood."

~~~~~~~~~~

Dan Diamond & Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "President Biden has selected Anne Milgram, a former state attorney general, prosecutor and longtime advocate for reform of the criminal justice system, to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, the White House announced on Monday.... The DEA has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration.... Donald Trump relied on several acting administrators to steer the roughly $3 billion agency, which investigates violations of the nation's drug laws."

David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump was waging his baseless assault on the election results last fall when Kristen Clarke, head of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, opened her inbox to a stream of vicious threats over her efforts to fight back and protect the rights of voters. Openly misogynistic, littered with racial epithets, the messages were of the variety that seeks to debase and intimidate prominent minority women.... On Wednesday, Clarke will appear at a Senate confirmation hearing as President Biden's nominee to lead the Justice Department's civil rights division.... Her confirmation path is expected to be contentious, however. At the Lawyers' Committee, Clarke was at the forefront of legal efforts to sue the Trump administration on voting rights, immigration, changes to the U.S. Census and the tear-gassing of protesters outside the White House last summer. She spoke out frequently against Trump and former attorneys general Jeff Sessions and William P. Barr."

The Guardian & agencies: "The Biden administration has struck an agreement with Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras to temporarily increase border security in an effort to stop migrants from reaching the US border. The agreement comes as the US saw a record number of unaccompanied children attempting to cross the border in March, and the largest number of Border Patrol encounters overall with migrants on the southern border -- just under 170,000 -- since March 2001. According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Mexico will maintain a deployment of about 10,000 troops, while Guatemala has sent 1,500 police and military personnel to its southern border and Honduras deployed 7,000 police and military to its border 'to disperse a large contingent of migrants' there. Guatemala will also set up 12 checkpoints along the migratory route through the country."

Priscilla Alvarez of CNN: "The number of unaccompanied minors in US Customs and Border Protection custody, akin to jail-like conditions, has dropped 45%, according to the latest government data, amid an ongoing effort by the Biden administration to find suitable spaces to accommodate kids after facing scrutiny for overcrowded facilities. As of Sunday, there were 3,130 children in the custody of CBP, an agency not intended to care for children for prolonged periods of time, marking a drop from the peak -- 5,767 on March 28 -- since the government started providing data, indicating progress in alleviating Border Patrol stations." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is encouraging news, but let's not credit the Biden administration. Rather, we should give props to Ted Cruz who hid in the reeds on the banks of the Rio Grande & popped up occasionally, scaring the bejeezus out of the kids attempting to cross into the U.S.

A New Direction for CBP. Nick Miroff, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden is preparing to nominate Tucson police chief Chris Magnus to be commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, selecting a critic of the Trump administration's immigration policies to run the country's largest federal law enforcement agency as it contends with the biggest increase in migrants arriving at the southwest border in two decades. Magnus has led the Tucson police department since 2016 and has prominently associated himself with the reform movement favored by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party that emphasizes a less-aggressive, community-based policing model." Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Lara Seligman & Connor O'Brien of Politico: "President Joe Biden plans to nominate Pentagon veteran Christine Wormuth to be the first female Army secretary, the White House announced on Monday. Wormuth, a former top policy official at the Defense Department during the Obama administration, recently led Biden's Pentagon agency review team through one of the most contentious transitions in modern history, and has been in and out of the Pentagon since she began her public service career in the policy office in 1996."

Kylie Atwood & Kevin Liptak of CNN: "The Biden administration recently decided to keep the Trump-appointed US ambassador on the job in Moscow for the foreseeable future, two senior administration officials told CNN, demonstrating a willingness to nurture areas of stability in the US-Russia relationship after it got off to a tumultuous start. John Sullivan has been on the job for almost a year and a half. He is viewed by administration officials as a steady hand as the administration ramps up the pressure on Russia for taking actions to undermine the US and democratic values broadly. President Joe Biden is still deciding on other ambassadorial posts, and the White House said Monday the President had not decided on the 'vast majority' of positions."

Patrick Kingsley, et al., of the New York Times: "The White House was saying almost nothing in public on Monday about the apparent explosion inside Iran's Natanz facility, below more than 2 feet of reinforced concrete, which destroyed the power supply that keeps the centrifuges spinning at supersonic speeds, enriching uranium. 'The U.S. was not involved in any manner,' the White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said Monday.... White House and State Department officials said they had no idea whether the Iranians would show up in Vienna again on Wednesday, when the talks [to reboot a nuclear agreement] were scheduled to resume. In Tehran, lawmakers asked Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to suspend the talks, saying that Iran should not be engaged in negotiations when it is under attack.... Mr. Zarif, in a statement broadcast by Iranian state television, said that ... '...we will take our revenge on the Zionists.'..."

Benjamin Fearnow of Newsweek: "Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz said that President Joe Biden's recent announcement that Palestine will receive $250 million in U.S. funding will lead to Americans and Israelis getting killed. Cruz told the Breitbart News Sunday radio show that he believes no taxpayer money should go to the Palestinian Authority, which he believes directly fund anti-Israel and anti-American terrorists.... U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced Wednesday how the State Department funds are set to help Palestine, noting that $75 million is for 'economic development assistance in the West Bank and Gaza.' And Blinken said $10 million will go toward 'peacebuilding' with Israel in partnership with the United Nations." MB: It's easier to understand the totality of Ted's "political philosophy" if you understand that part of that belief system is the idea that humanitarian aid is self-defeating.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) & other Republicans are trying to paint Joe Biden as "not in charge" because Biden is not "engaging" like a bull in a china shop, as the former guy did. MB: IOW, they got nuthin'.

Play It Again, John. Charlie Savage & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "The special counsel scrutinizing the Russia inquiry, a Trump-era leftover, appears to be retreading ground that an inspector general explored in 2019.... [John] Durham has keyed in on the F.B.I.'s handling of a notorious dossier of political opposition research ... and questioned witnesses who may have insight into the matter. In particular, Mr. Durham[, using a subpoena,] has obtained documents from the Brookings Institution related to Igor Danchenko, a Russia researcher who worked there a decade ago and later helped gather rumors about Mr. Trump and Russia for that research, known as the Steele dossier...."

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Fox "News" White Immigrant CEO Good with Tucker's Anti-Immigrant Racism. Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Fox Corporation chief executive Lachlan Murdoch dismissed the Anti-Defamation League's demand that the company fire host Tucker Carlson, telling the organization in a letter that his company saw no problem with comments Carlson made about the racist 'great replacement' theory.... According to Murdoch, "A full review of the guest interview indicates that Mr. Carlson decried and rejected replacement theory. As Mr. Carlson himself stated during the guest interview: 'White replacement theory? No, no, this is a voting rights question.'"... In response, ADL's CEO Jonathan Greenblatt wrote that Carlson's "'attempt to at first dismiss' the replacement theory 'while in the very next breath endorsing it under cover of 'a voting rights question' does not give him free license to invoke a white supremacist trope. In fact..., it's worse, because he's using a straw man -- voting rights -- to give an underhanded endorsement of white supremacist beliefs while ironically suggesting it's not really white supremacism. While your response references a "full review" of the interview, it seems the reviewers missed the essential point here.'"

The Pandemic, Ctd.

** Noah Weiland, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal health agencies on Tuesday called for an immediate pause in use of Johnson & Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine after six recipients in the United States developed a rare disorder involving blood clots within about two weeks of vaccination. All six recipients were women between the ages of 18 and 48. One woman died and a second woman in Nebraska has been hospitalized in critical condition. Nearly seven million people in the United States have received Johnson & Johnson shots so far, and roughly nine million more doses have been shipped out to the states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." CNN's story is here.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

I can't believe I'm linking this. Surely the story is on a par with Trump's short-timer acting AG Matt Whitaker's big-dick toilets: ~~~

~~~ Big Ass Lands Job at Big Ass Fans, Promoting Pricey "Covid-Killing" Big Ass Fans. Ty Pendlebury of CNET: "Big Ass Fans, the Kentucky-based maker of a virus-killing smart fan, is seeking to boost its COVID-19 credentials by adding the former head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to its ranks. Former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield is now the strategic health and safety advisor for Big Ass Fans' Clean Air Systems. Redfield was appointed to the CDC by ... Donald Trump.... He's now found a new role at a time when some former Trump administration employees are having trouble landing new jobs. Shortly after the onset of the pandemic last year, Big Ass Fans introduced the Haiku UV-C. The smart ceiling fan, which starts at $1,750, uses UV light to kill viruses, bacteria, mold and other harmful airborne agents. Independent tests have also suggested the fan can kill SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that causes COVID-19."

Michigan. Noah Weiland & Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "The Biden administration and Michigan's Democratic governor are locked in an increasingly tense standoff over the state's worst-in-the-nation coronavirus outbreak, with a top federal health official on Monday urging the governor to lock down her state. As the governor, Gretchen Whitmer, publicly called again for a surge of vaccine supply, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at a White House news conference that securing extra doses was not the most immediate or practical solution to the outbreak. She said that Michigan -- whose metro areas include 16 of the 17 worst outbreaks in the nation -- needed to enact shutdown measures to stamp out the crush of infections."

Beyond the Beltway

Georgia. Variety, republished by NBC News: "Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith will move production on their big-budget, runaway slave thriller 'Emancipation' out of Georgia in protest over the state's controversial new voting restrictions."

Minnesota. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, et al., of the New York Times: "The officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop near Minneapolis mistakenly confused her gun for her Taser, police officials said on Monday, quickly releasing video as they tried to ease tensions in a state on edge over the Derek Chauvin trial. In a brief clip of body camera video, officers from the Brooklyn Center Police Department can be seen trying to handcuff the driver, Daunte Wright, before he suddenly lurches back into his car. One of the officers, whose name has not been released, aims a weapon at Mr. Wright and shouts, 'Taser! Taser! Taser!' She fires one round, and Mr. Wright groans in pain. 'Holy shit, I just shot him,' the officer can be heard shouting." ~~~

~~~ Griff Witte & Mark Berman of the Washington Post: Derek Chauvin's "trial hurtled toward its conclusion on Monday, with final arguments in the case ... expected next week, even as authorities were racing to stave off a second night of unrest after [Daunte] Wright's death. Officials announced curfews, schools suspended in-person classes, professional sports teams canceled games and businesses boarded up after a first night that included peaceful protests -- but also clashes between police and demonstrators, as well as looting of local businesses."

Mississippi. April Is Secret Confederate Heritage Month. Donna Ladd of the Mississippi Free Press: According to the Sons of the Confederates Facebook page, Gov. Tate Reeves has declared April to be Confederate Heritage Month. The news has not appeared on the Secretary of State's proclamation page nor in new media. MB: It's kinda like Tate put a white pointy hood on it.

Virginia. Laura Vozzella & Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post: "Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) on Monday said he had launched a broad civil rights probe of the police officers and department involved in the violent traffic stop of a Black Army officer. Also Monday, the town of Windsor announced that a Virginia State Police investigation of the incident had begun and that town officials had turned over 'numerous requested documents.'"

Comments Off

Reader Comments (23)

I just wanted to highlight today's CNN article on the 'microchip shortage'. Seems the President continues to be quietly in charge as the Whitehouse convened a powerhouse meeting to fix the bottleneck via a domestic solution. Just another example of a President quietly getting things done. Dropdead John Cornyn. This deserves to be republished by realitychex.
I am so pleased with our new President !
"Gelsinger's comments follow a virtual gathering of executives from firms that make and rely on semiconductor technology convened by the White House on Monday. The Biden administration convened the meeting to discuss the chip shortage and the need to shore up America's semiconductor supply chain. Attendees also included Dell Technologies (DELL) CEO Michael Dell, Google (GOOGL GOOGLE) CEO Sundar Pichai, General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Micron (MICR) CEO Sanjay Mehrotra and others.
In an appearance at the summit, President Joe Biden said there is bipartisan support for bolstering domestic semiconductor production, an effort that is part of his larger infrastructure investment plan."

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterWolfgang

The story Wolfgang refers to is here. As Wolfgang suggests, it's a comfort to know that the Biden administration is tackling problems some of us didn't know we had.

April 13, 2021 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Lee Enterprises owns 10 newspapers in Iowa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Enterprises. This outfit is like the Koch brothers of publishing "news". I point them out because outfits like Realitychex are exactly what the flattened internet world is supposed to do. Lee concentrates control, reduces local content, and ceases publication of nuanced local dailies and weeklies. Lee is like the Sinclair broadcaster version of newspapers. Or the Bezos version of retailing, or news, or groceries, or rockets, or ....They all squash local control and harm local self-sufficiency.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered Commentercitizen625

It shouldn't be long now before the microdicks and microbrains at Fox and in Congress find something "wrong" with Biden's domestic microchip initiative.

It really doesn't matter what they were "for" at some point in the past (even last month). If Democrats are for something, no matter what it is, they'll be against it. For generations the GQP has been a stalwart supporter of corporate America ("What's good for General Motors, is good for the country."). But now the Evil Treasonous Turtle is telling corporate leaders to tell their story walkin'. Why? Wall Street seems to be leaning a tad--not tipping over, certainly--but a tad to the left, and that dog ain't gonna hunt. Not for the traitors.

So microdicks...have at it. Whine away while a real president does real work that IS good for the country.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

TENNESEE THRENODY:

I found it interesting that there was very little coverage yesterday re: the shooting in Tenn., but found full coverage today way below today's NYT. At the time of Monday's shooting Austin-East H.S. was still reeling from the fatal shooting of FOUR shootings since Jan. Wow! you say to yourself--what's going on? And then you read this:

"The shooting came four days after Mr. Lee, a Republican, signed a bill allowing most adults to carry a handgun without a permit, The Tennessean newspaper of Nashville reported. The law goes into effect on July 1."

And on Monday Gov. Bill Lee, man with stars in his eyes, did the usual sorrow and pity thing with prayers, of course.

and then a Ms Kincannon, the mayor, said that the city had work to do to reduce gun violence.

YA THINK!!!!!!!!!

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

The Johnson and Johnson story is scary. According to NPR, the delivery system (I don't mean trucks-- I mean its makeup to get the vaccine into the bloodstream-- unfortunately, I can't remember the names of the different makeups of the vaccines...) of itself is different from that of Pfizer and Moderna. I don't personally know anyone who has gotten it, but in PA it was initially reserved for educators, and I am not plugged into the schools. Now I am feeling lucky with Moderna...

Poor Governor Witmer. She dare not shut down her state because people in camo are likely to "gun for her" again. Crap times. Meanwhile, party hearty, idiots...

Gray day today, but enjoying the brilliant pinks greens and yellows of spring. I think our flowering trees are spectacular this year-- they must have enjoyed enough moisture and sunlight to ace their brilliant performance. Or maybe it is the absence of Dumpiepuss in the upper 49. Last night Colbert announced a contest to come up with an alternate name for you-know-whom-the-bell-tolls... It tolls "for he..."

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

Fool me once, fool me again, something, something...

So this morning I'm listening to the radio. Nothing about Trump. It was glorious. But then...(*sigh*)

This confederate douchebag comes on and announces that because there are more working class voters all the time these days, the GQP is now the party of the working class. I was happy I had nothing in my mouth. I'd have choked or spit it across the kitchen.

Soooo....lessee...working class heroes, eh? Republicans, eh? Sure, why not? I mean, more Americans have moved into the working class because Republican economic policies have put them there. Used to have a good job? A house? A couple of cars in the driveway? White collar job? Yup. No more. Now we rent a double wide, share a 1963 Ford Fairlane with Fred Flintstone brakes, and work cleaning toilets at Motel 6. Thanks, Republicans. Oh, yeah, and don't forget how hard these R's worked to raise the minimum wage so these putative new Republican voters didn't have to live on Ramen noodles and cat food.

Then he said that the Republican Party had to learn all the great lessons Donald Trump taught them about the working class.

What? Don't pay them shit? Spit on them? Insult them?

Donald Trump's lessons involve spreading lies and misinformation, sowing dissension, division, hatred, and stupidity.

But then I thought, "Hey, they're already doing that. I guess they DID learn those lessons."

The Party of the Working Class. Right.

Oh, one other thing. 40% of the working class demographic are non-whites, and they're sure to vote Republican. That is, if they can make it to the voting booth after Republicans blocked their way.

Do you ever feel like the whole thing is one big April Fools joke?

"Party of the Working Class! HA! April Fools! Gotcha!"

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Confederate Heritage Month? Whazat? Like slave auction re-enactments? Lessons in treason? Lynching how-to public service announcements? They’re already Jim Crowing like mad. What else? Maybe open fire on some military installations? Sounds like fun.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Confederate Heritage Month. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

Oops: Whitman

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

I find it odd that during our governor Whitmer's last lockdown, the
rednecks and Republicans didn't threaten her because the museums
and libraries were closed. It was bars, bowling alleys and the like.
Because tourism. I'm sure that's why cases are up here. I don't walk
to the drugstore 3 blocks away because the sidewalks are swarming
with tourists with no masks.
It's so weird here in our little tourist town that city council has
declared a 6 block area "open carry". No, not guns, liquor. They
can't crowd into the bars or restaurants because of seating limits,
so just get a takeout and walk around drinking.
There were complaints that they would be peeing in yards and
having sex in the parks. My response was "what's new, they've
been doing that for years."

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

I wonder how many of these C-19 cases in young adults in the upper midwest spent their Easter break in the lower southeast?

We certainly hosted a slew of them who didn't give a green damn about any precautions against the disease.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterBobby Lee

The definition of insanity...

Another day, another crazy shootout, more bullets, more bodies.

The answer? Thoughts and prayers.

How’s that working out? Prevent any mass murders or incredibly stoopid things like guns in schools?

Nah. It doesn’t do shit. But tomorrow, and the day after, and ten years from now, their answer to gum violence will still be “thoughts and prayers”. Cuz that’s working out so well.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Ak: Yeah, I really hate gum violence. I remember once in high
school being ganged up by girls with bubble gum, sticking it in my
hair. That's probably the most violence we ever had in school.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

@Akhilleus: "Gum violence"? Is that like when I yell & use dirty words?

Your friend who never, ever makes typos,

April 13, 2021 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

I went and read the link of Idaho annexing most of Oregon and chunks of Washington and California. I'd think "crazy" but within the past fifty years there was a movement to transfer the Florida panhandle to Alabama.

The only thing I can say is that it would be gerrymandering on a whole different scale. "MAGA's of the west, unite!"

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterBobby Lee

Marie, Hahaha...I just now noticed that. I think gum violence has to do with the kind of chewing gum we had when I was a kid: Bazooka gum. Or maybe it comes with popping those big bubbles.

Forrest, man, you had some meeeaan girls in your school! Thoughts and prayers...

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Ak: Nah, they were just jealous because I could date the
popular guy and they couldn't.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

Forrest,

Hahaha. The best kind of revenge.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

A couple very good articles. Michael Harriot (The Root) "Maybe America is Just Racist". Pleasure to read Harriot.

https://bit.ly/3a6DOPu


Adam Serwer in The Atlantic. "The Republican Party Finds a New Group to Demonize" IMHO Serwer is currently one of America's best writers. Such a command of history and a deft way with ideas.

https://bit.ly/3saXacJ

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAnonymous

As a resident of WA State's sane side, I could maybe get behind the Greater Idaho plan.... as long as it came with a border wall that Greater Idaho would pay for.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Best ever!

"Forrest, man, you had some meeeaan girls in your school! Thoughts and prayers...

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Ak: Nah, they were just jealous because I could date the
popular guy and they couldn't.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

Third time is the charm... Whitmer.
Sheesh. Apologies.

April 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne
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