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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.'”

Washington Post: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare material, has undergone a major renovation. "The change to the building is pervasive, both subtle and transformational."

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The Commentariat -- August 1, 2021

Karen DeYoung & Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration announced Friday that it will impose further sanctions on elements of the Cuban government over the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations earlier this month, as President Biden sought ways to help activists communicate freely and receive financial help from abroad. The Treasury Department announced penalties on two security officials and a police unit that the Biden administration blames for attempts to harm or silence protesters." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Sophie Kasakove of the New York Times: "For almost a year, a federal moratorium on evictions allowed tenants who suffered economic losses from the coronavirus pandemic to stay in their homes. Now, the moratorium's scheduled expiration at midnight on Saturday has left renters around the country packing their belongings and facing an uncertain future as they search for housing options. Already, homeless shelters have been adding beds in preparation for an influx of people in need of a safe place to live.... The protections were extended several times but also had a catch: Rent payments were delayed, not forgiven..... Through June, however, local governments had distributed just $3 billion of the nearly $47 billion in rental assistance that Congress made available, according to the Treasury Department." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Through a Glass Darkly. Lisa Lerer & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "In the hours and days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, rattled Republican lawmakers knew exactly who was to blame: Donald J. Trump.... By spring, however, after nearly 200 congressional Republicans had voted to clear Mr. Trump during a second impeachment proceeding, the conservative fringes of the party had already begun to rewrite history, describing the Capitol riot as a peaceful protest and comparing the invading mob to a 'normal tourist visit,' as one congressman put it. This past week, amid the emotional testimony of police officers at the first hearing of a House select committee, Republicans completed their journey through the looking-glass, spinning a new counternarrative of that deadly day. No longer content to absolve Mr. Trump, they concocted a version of events in which those accused of rioting were patriotic political prisoners and Speaker Nancy Pelosi was to blame for the violence.... Even with Mr. Trump gone from the White House, many Republicans have little intention of abandoning the prevarication that was a hallmark of his presidency."

Trump Uses Big Lie to Excuse Plot to Overturn Election. Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Donald Trump insisted on Saturday that when he told senior justice department officials to 'Just say that the election was corrupt [and] leave the rest to me', he was not attempting to subvert US democracy, but to 'uphold the integrity and honesty of elections and the sanctity of our vote'.... The documents released, he claimed, 'were meant to uphold the integrity and honesty of elections and the sanctity of our vote --- it is time for Congress and others to investigate how such corruption was allowed to take place rather than investigating those that are exposing this massive fraud on the American people'."

In the Words of an Aspiring Dictator. On behalf of the millions of men and women who share my outrage and want me to continue to fight for the truth, I am grateful for your support. -- Donald Trump, in a statement ~~~

~~~ The Big Grifter Keeps on Griftin'. Alex Isenstadt & Meridith McGraw of Politico: "... Donald Trump's political committees raised $82 million during the first half of 2021 and have $102 million in the bank, according to federal filings to be made public Saturday evening." The story goes on to explain how Trump separates the marks from their money. A New York Times story is here. ~~~

~~~ How the Big Grifter Self-Deals. Isaac Stanley-Becker & David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: Donald Trump's Save America PAC "sent at least $68,000 to the Trump Hotel Collection, showing how the real estate mogul -- long after ending his presidential campaign and leaving office -- continues to use donor money at his own properties. Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, separately spent $2,200 at Trump properties so far this year, according to a filing by the committee. And a Trump-backed PAC overseen by Corey Lewandowski, his 2016 campaign manager, paid $21,810 to rent space at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, according to that group's filing. These are small sums compared to the kind of spending Trump did at his properties on the campaign trail and in the Oval Office. But they stand out because of the relatively little spending Trump has done from his post-presidency war chest. Since Trump entered the presidential race in June 2015, he has used his political campaigns and associated committees to pump more than $19 million into his own businesses, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal campaign-finance records."

~~~ Here's Dolly Parton explaining what inspired her to write "I Will Always Love You," and then singing the song. ~~~

~~~ Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "In a catalogue that runs deep with hits, 'I Will Always Love You' stands as one of Dolly Parton's most successful songwriting credits, a tune that became a global phenomenon when it was covered by Whitney Houston for the 1992 film 'The Bodyguard.' Parton, who is estimated to have earned millions of dollars in royalties for writing the song in 1973, revealed this week how she spent her money from the songwriting credit for Houston, who died in 2012: She invested in a building located in a historically Black Nashville neighborhood. 'I bought my big office complex down in Nashville, and so I thought, "Well, this is a wonderful place to be,"' Parton said Thursday during a wide-ranging interview on Bravo's 'Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.'... She added, 'I love the fact that I spent that money on a complex and I think, "This is the house that Whitney built."'"

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Killing Their Constituents to Thwart Biden. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Not only are Republicans resisting Mr. Biden's push to end the pandemic, some of them are actively hampering it. Republican governors slow-walked vaccination efforts and lifted mask mandates early. In Washington, G.O.P. leaders like Steve Scalise, the second-ranking House Republican -- who himself didn't get vaccinated until about two weeks ago -- mocked public health guidance that even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors as 'government control.' There's little Mr. Biden can do." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Chris Velazco & Geoffrey Fowler of the Washington Post: "Like it or not, there's a real chance that somewhere you want to go will ask to see proof of your shots.... There is a growing number of ways to store your vaccination record on your smartphone, though unfortunately no be-all-end-all app or system. We're here to make sense of how different options approach your privacy, ensure security and try to spot counterfeits."

Florida. Rich McKay of Reuters (republished in AOL): "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on Friday blocking mask mandates in the state's schools, saying parents had the right to decide if their children would wear face coverings. The move by DeSantis, a Republican who has opposed strict COVID-19 rules on residents and businesses, overrules a requirement by two Florida counties, Broward and Gadsen, that students cover their faces when they return to class next month. 'In Florida, there will be no lockdowns, there will be no school closures, there will be no restrictions and no mandates in the state of Florida,' DeSantis said in announcing his executive order during a speech in southwest Cape Coral." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ David Neal of the Miami Herald: "Saturday, the state of Florida reported more new COVID-19 cases to the Centers for Disease Control than any previous day in the coronavirus pandemic: 21,683. That's a 12.1% jump over the previous record, Jan. 7's 19,334 cases during the worst month of the pandemic. Daily case counts routinely surpassed 10,000 as the pandemic peaked a second time. In the succeeding months, daily case counts returned to 2,000 and 8,000. The last half of July looks like the start of Florida's third COVID-19 peak, as the case numbers reported Thursday (17,093), Friday (17,589) and Saturday mix in with Jan. 6-8 to comprise the top six individual case count days." The article is free to nonsubscribers.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Japan. The New York Times' Olympics updates for Saturday are here. The Washington Post's live Olympics updates for Saturday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Comments Off

Reader Comments (8)

It appears that Ron DiSantis isn't a math major. If Florida is
averaging 20,000 new cases per day lately, that means that
from today until the end of 2021 there well be over 3 million
new cases in Florida. That's bad news for an aging population.
It means lots of deaths, or at the least, unnecessary suffering and
future medical problems.
Hope Medicare has lots of dollars to deal with it.

August 1, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

@Forrest Morris: And the majority of dead people or people too sick to vote are likely to be Republicans who didn't get vaccinated because hoax. Could swing an election or two. Good thinking, Ron!

August 1, 2021 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Somewhere in an American county we might just hear a Sunday sermon delivered in a small church with a extremely tall steeple symbolizing touching the heavens where all the holy reside. Let's say the preacher's name is Matthew and today he's citing that other Matthew–-the one from the Bible. He starts out with this:

Jesus said:

When I was a stranger, you welcomed me.

Suddenly a few of the congregants shouted back "unless I was coming from Mexico!"

Pastor Matt is not amused–-you can tell by the stern look he gives to the out-bursters. He clears his throat and continues:

When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink: Suddenly a whole row of yells

"except when I was standing in line to vote!"

Settle down, people, says Pastor Matt, settle down. Your rudeness is not appreciated. Now–-let me finish:

When I was homeless you gave me shelter.

This last homily took the cake–– at least half of the people stood up, fists clasped, faces contorted yelling:

"So long as I could pay the rent!"

"Geezz Louise," moaned Pastor Matt, looks like a whole lot of those liberal democrats have infiltrated our church this morning and so I close with this message:

"go forth and spread the word and if the word don't resonate then the hell with the word; just rest on your laurels, keep your mouth shut and at least try and be a decent human being."

And with that Pastor Matt took his leave, packed up his things and moved to another parish in another town where he, indeed, rested on his laurels and tried like hell to be a decent human being. He eventually gave up preaching and started a pig farm in Wisconsin. You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear was the last sermon he gave before he bid farewell to Matthew 25 and to himself.

Have yourself a good Sunday–-hear?

August 1, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

With all the prohibitions on health measures governor DeSantis is issuing I'm starting to think he's got the high number in the Florida GOP caucus covid pool.

August 1, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterBobby Lee

@Bobby Lee: You're probably right. And, like every Republican official, he's cheating, in this case, by moving the goalposts to increase he own odds.

August 1, 2021 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

"I Will Always Love You": Whitney belts it out really nice, but
Dolly does it with emotion. Could be I'm just prejudiced.. Haven't
been the same since Donna Summer left us.

August 1, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

Isn't it odd that these anti-vaccine troglodytes are mostly the
same ones who claim to be pro-life? Yet they're fine with
spreading a deadly virus which will take out more lives. Somehow
that doesn't compute.

August 1, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

Another of Michael Harriot's priceless pieces. "Simone Biles, Charlie Kirk and Why I Don't Love America." He writes with a sharp sarcasm and a great story telling ability. Harriot will force you to look in the mirror, force you to see thru a black man's eyes and make you laugh all at once.

https://bit.ly/37aBvt7

August 1, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAnonymous
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