The Ledes

Sunday, October 6, 2024

Weather Channel: “Tropical Storm Milton, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, is expected to become a hurricane late Sunday or early Monday. The storm is expected to pose a major hurricane threat to Florida by midweek, just over a week after Helene pushed through the region. The National Hurricane Center says that 'there is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday.'”

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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 6, 2013

"Depression, Not Ended." Paul Krugman: "Lousy jobs report....Yet for what, the third time since 2009, all discussion in Washington has turned away from job creation to deficits (even though the debt problem has largely faded away) and the need for an early Fed exit from stimulus (even though unemployment remains high and inflation low). Clearly, the answer is to cut Social Security!" ...

... Michael O'Brien of the Atlantic: "STOP CUTTING THE DEFICIT." ...

The President lays out his plan in his weekly address:

     ... Here's the transcript. Funny, not a word about why it's such a good idea to cut Social Security benefits -- which have nothing to do with the deficit, but he's proposing anyway. AP story here. ...

... ** Here's the lede in Stephen Ohlemacher's AP story, one that voters across the nation will be reading in their local papers this morning: "President Barack Obama's proposal to change the way the government measures inflation could lead to fewer people qualifying for college grants and anti-poverty programs, reduced benefits for seniors and veterans, and higher taxes for low-income families. If adopted across the government, the new inflation measure would have far-reaching effects because so many programs are adjusted each year based on year-to-year changes in consumer prices." ...

... Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic relates Obama's budget strategy (see if you're convinced). BUT: "We have pressing problems on our hands -- people struggling to pay for basic necessities, kids trapped in poverty, infrastructure that desperately needs repairing. Instead of talking about how to fix those problems, we'll be debating how much spending to cut and how quickly. That should be the real news of the day." ...

... Jon Chait of New York: "Mainly this appears to be a message strategy aimed at advocates of BipartisanThink, who have been blaming Obama for failing to offer the plan he has in fact been offering. The strategy is that, by converting their offer to Boehner from an 'offer' to a 'budget,' it will prove that Obama is Serious. On the one hand, this strikes me as completely ridiculous. On the other hand, it might actually work! BipartisanThinkers like Ron Fournier ('a gutsy change in strategy') and Joe Scarborough ('Now THIS is a real budget … exciting') are gushing with praise." See also Krugman's comment linked in yesterday's Commentariat." ...

... Jason Linkins of the Huffington Post: Obama "seems to have been consistently pushing for a plan that breaks with the liberal establishment in significant ways, and after a certain point, you have to perhaps entertain the notion that it's something that he authentically desires." ...

... Sahil Kapur of TPM: "Liberals are mounting strong criticisms of President Obama amid news that his budget will include a Social Security benefit cut -- an official endorsement of a policy compromise he's offered Republicans for years -- and warning Democrats not to dare vote to cut the cherished retirement program."

... Steve Benen: "... if you're a progressive who strongly opposes changes to Social Security and Medicare, I have good news for you: House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) hasn't seen Obama's new budget, but he's already rejecting it out of hand."

** Ezra Klein: "In a report for the New American Foundation..., [the authors] conclude that the ongoing debate over how to cut Social Security is all wrong: We need to make Social Security much more generous." Again, see Krugman's comment linked yesterday.

Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "The NRA's recent successes on Capitol Hill -- as well as a string of victories in state legislatures across the country -- demonstrate the effectiveness of the group's strategy to overcome a post-Newtown tilt toward gun control. The organization has drafted and circulated legislation, mobilized its members and continued to put pressure on politically vulnerable lawmakers. At the same time, groups attempting to promote stricter gun control measures have faltered."

New York Times Editors: Close Guantánamo.

New York Times Editors: "A federal district judge in New York has overturned the Obama administration's ban preventing girls younger than 17 from purchasing emergency contraceptive pills over the counter. It was a well-deserved rebuke to a politically motivated decision that overrode sound science and the health needs of young girls in order to placate political opponents of emergency contraception." ...

... Irin Carmon of Slate: "Today, a federal judge appointed by Ronald Reagan did for women’s health what the Obama administration was too politically cowardly to do: Make safe, time-sensitive emergency contraception available to everyone, regardless of age. The shameful thing is that it had to come to this. The administration, said 2nd Circuit District Judge Edward Korman, acted in 'bad faith' -- a phrase that arises again and again in the stinging decision. And Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius acted in a fashion that 'was politically motivated, scientifically unjustified, and contrary to agency precedent.'" ...

... Josh Lederman & Lauran Neergaard of the AP: "The Justice Department said it is evaluating whether to appeal.... A Justice spokeswoman said there would be a prompt decision. And the White House said Obama's view on the issue hasn't changed since 2011.... Absent an appeal or a government request for more time to prepare one, the ruling will take effect in 30 days, meaning that over-the-counter sales could start then."

CW: Obama's public remark about Harris is consistent with his public remark about controlling his daughters' access to birth control, a rationale he used to "justify" imposing accidental motherhood on thousands of American girls & women.

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Obama late Thursday night called Kamala Harris, the California attorney general, and apologized to her for telling a group of wealthy donors that she is the 'best-looking attorney general in the country.'" CW: He also said he was sorry he had asked her to go out and get coffee. In a statement, the White House noted that the President has withdrawn as an honorary judge of the annual Attorneys General Beauty Pageant even after organizers dropped the bathing suit competition.

Trenton Daniel of the AP: "A new report on American aid to Haiti in the wake of that country's devastating earthquake finds much of the money went to U.S.-based companies and organizations. The Center for Economic and Policy Research analyzed the $1.15 billion pledged after the January 2010 quake and found that the "vast majority" of the money it could follow went straight to U.S. companies or organizations, more than half in the Washington area alone. Just 1 percent went directly to Haitian companies." CW: OR, why I don't get all choked up & pull out my checkbook when Bill Clinton -- "the most influential man in Haiti" -- asks me to help people in need.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Dr. Paul Rothman, the dean of medical faculty at Johns Hopkins University..., issued a statement Friday labeling Ben Carson's comments about gay marriage 'offensive' and said the school will meet with students who want him removed as commencement speaker. Carson, meanwhile, offered a fuller apology for the comments, which compared gay marriage to bestiality and pedophilia." AND here's a question for Blake: how come Rothman is "Dr. Paul Rothman" & Carson is "Ben Carson." They are both medical doctors. Why doesn't Carson get the honorific, too, even if he is a jerk?

Tom Canavan of the AP: Rutgers University "Athletic Director Tim Pernetti resign[ed] over his failure to immediately fire coach Mike Rice, who was caught on video hitting, kicking and taunting players with anti-gay slurs at practice.... Also resigning was John B. Wolf, Rutgers' interim senior vice president and general counsel, who is believed to have recommended against firing Rice in December over the video." ...

... Kate Zernike & Steve Eder of the New York Times: "On Friday, the university also released a 50-page report that John P. Lacey, an outside lawyer, prepared last year in response to the abuse allegations. It made clear that Rutgers officials were aware that Mr. Rice's outbursts 'were not isolated' and that he had a fierce temper, used homophobic and misogynistic slurs, kicked his players and threw basketballs at them. But it described Mr. Rice as 'passionate, energetic and demanding' and concluded that his behavior constituted 'permissible training.' It found that he aimed to 'cause them to play better during the team's basketball games.'" ...

... Ted Sherman & Kelly Heyboer of the Star-Ledger: "Pernetti -- under a settlement agreement obtained by The Star-Ledger -- will be paid more than $1.2 million in return for his resignation. Under the terms of his contract, Rice is entitled to receive more than $1 million." ...

... Kelly Heyboer: "Under Rice's contract, the coach could be fired for bringing 'shame or disgrace to the university.' If he was fired 'for cause' in December, the university would not have to pay him for the remainder of his $650,000 contract or give him his $100,000 bonus for completing the season, his contract said. The report stopped short of recommending whether Rice should be fired, suspended or punished in any other way."

** Roger Ebert's New Yorker cartoon caption contest entries. (He won once.)

Local News

War on Women, Ctd. John Hanna of the AP: " Kansas legislators gave final passage to a sweeping anti-abortion measure Friday night, sending Gov. Sam Brownback a bill that declares life begins 'at fertilization' while blocking tax breaks for abortion providers< and banning abortions performed solely because of the baby's sex. The House voted 90-30 for a compromise version of the bill reconciling differences between the two chambers, only hours after the Senate approved it, 28-10. The Republican governor is a strong abortion opponent, and supporters of the measure expect him to sign it into law so that the new restrictions take effect July 1."

News Ledes

AP: "Militants killed six Americans, including a young female diplomat, and an Afghan doctor Saturday in a pair of attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday. It was the deadliest day for the United States in the war in eight months."

New York Times: "J. David Kuo, an evangelical Christian who served as a leader in President George W. Bush's faith initiative but later became a critic, died on Friday. He was 44."

AP: "The Southern California church headed by popular evangelical Pastor Rick Warren announced Saturday that Warren's 27-year-old son has committed suicide. Warren's Saddleback Valley Community Church said in a statement that Matthew Warren had struggled with mental illness and deep depression throughout his life."

New York Times: "Nelson Mandela ... was discharged from a hospital on Saturday after a nine-day stay to receive treatment for pneumonia, the South African government said."

Reuters: "World powers and Iran failed again to end the deadlock in a decade-old dispute over Tehran's nuclear program in talks that ended in Kazakhstan on Saturday, prolonging a standoff that could yet spiral into a new Middle East war. No new talks were scheduled but big power negotiators, who earlier this year were insisting that time was running out, were at pains to say the diplomatic process would continue."

Reuters: "Three people were shot to death in a rural Idaho house where a man and his son were breeding pit bulls, police said on Saturday, adding that they found two small children and up to 70 dogs on the property."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (1)

OH DEAH! My (former) ward, Kenny Cuccinelli, is currently obsessed with oral sex--banning it, I mean--even between heteros. I always knew that Lil' Kenny would not have a very satisfactory sex life, what with bein' a bigtime Catholic, who definitely practices the "rhythm" method, and wonders why he has so many kiddies. Maybe if he had forced hisself to read the "Joy of Sex," he would not be so mean--be more sexually satisfied--and not have all those little Republican mouths to feed.

P.S. I have HAD IT with Kathleen Sibelius--a terrible Secy. of HHS. She is probly into "rhythm" too. I think she and Kenny should loosen up, get out of D.C. and smoke a little dope--"medical" MaryJane,

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/04/cuccinelli-wants-rehearing-virginias-anti-sodomy-law

April 6, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterKate Madison
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