The Ledes

Thursday, October 10, 2024

CNBC: “The pace of price increases over the past year was higher than forecast in September while jobless claims posted an unexpected jump following Hurricane Helene and the Boeing strike, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The consumer price index, a broad gauge measuring the costs of goods and services across the U.S. economy, increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 2.4%. Both readings were 0.1 percentage point above the Dow Jones consensus. The annual inflation rate was 0.1 percentage point lower than August and is the lowest since February 2021.”

The New York Times' live updates of Hurrucane Milton consequences Thursday are here: “Milton was still producing damaging hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall to parts of East and Central Florida, forecasters said early Thursday, even as the powerful storm roared away from the Atlantic coast and left deaths and widespread damage across the state. Cities along Florida’s east coast are now facing flash flooding, damaging winds and storm surges. Some had already been battered by powerful tornadoes spun out by the storm before it made landfall on the Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane. In [St. Lucie] county [Fort Pierce], several people in a retirement community were killed by a tornado, the police said.... More than three million customers were without power in Florida as of early Thursday.” ~~~

     ~~~ Here are the Weater Channel's live updates.

CNN: “The 2024 Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to Han Kang, a South Korean author, for her 'intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.' Han, 53, began her career with a group of poems in a South Korean magazine, before making her prose debut in 1995 with a short story collection. She later began writing longer prose works, most notably 'The Vegetarian,' one of her first books to be translated into English. The novel, which won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016, charts a young woman’s attempt to live a more 'plant-like' existence after suffering macabre nightmares about human cruelty. Han is the first South Korean author to win the literature prize, and just the 18th woman out of the 117 prizes awarded since 1901.” The New York Times story is here.

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The Ledes

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Washington Post: “Hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, a spate of unusually strong and long-lived tornadoes touched down across the state, flipping tractor-trailers and ripping off roofs. The twisters surprised anxious residents, even as the storm’s eye still loomed. Authorities said there had been 'multiple' deaths after the intense and destructive tornadoes.” MB: I'm still on Florida's emergency-call list, and I received several calls from Lee County, urging me to shelter in place.

The Washington Post's live updates of Hurricane Milton developments are here: “Hurricane Milton, which has strengthened to a 'catastrophic' Category 5 storm, is closing in on Florida’s west coast and is expected to make landfall Wednesday night or early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said. The hurricane, which could bring maximum sustained winds of nearly 160 mph with bigger gusts, poses a dire threat to the densely populated zone that includes Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers. As well as 'damaging hurricane-force winds,' coastal communities face a 'life-threatening' storm surge, the center said.” ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates are here: “Milton carved a path of destruction after crashing ashore Wednesday evening on Florida’s Gulf Coast, making landfall near Sarasota as the second powerful hurricane to pound the region in less than two weeks. The storm battered the state for much of the day, with heavy winds, pelting rain and a spate of tornadoes.... By around midnight, the storm had destroyed more than 100 homes, killed several people in a retirement community and ripped the roof off Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.”

Washington Post: “The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to David Baker at the University of Washington and Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper of Google DeepMind.... The prize was awarded to scientists who cracked the code of proteins. Hassabis and Jumper used artificial intelligence to predict the structure of proteins, one of the toughest problems in biology. Baker created computational tools to design novel proteins with shapes and functions that can be used in drugs, vaccines and sensors.”

Sorry, forgot this yesterday: ~~~

Reuters: “U.S. scientist John Hopfield and British-Canadian Geoffrey Hinton won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for discoveries and inventions in machine learning that paved the way for the artificial intelligence boom. Heralded for its revolutionary potential in areas ranging from cutting-edge scientific discovery to more efficient admin, the emerging technology on which the duo worked has also raised fears humankind may soon be outsmarted and outcompeted by its own creation.”

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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 -- December 23, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Why? Because He Can. Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "President Trump made good Wednesday on his repeated threats to veto a $741 billion defense spending bill, setting up what is expected to be the first successful veto override of his presidency during his last weeks in office. The House and Senate each passed the bill earlier this month with strong veto-proof majorities, rejecting Trump's insistence that it be changed to meet his oftentimes shifting demands. Both chambers are expected to sustain the two-thirds majorities needed to override the president's veto. In his veto message, Trump complained that the legislation includes 'provisions that fail to respect our veterans' and military's history' -- a seeming reference to instructions that the Defense Department change the names of installations commemorating Confederate leaders. He also scorned the bill as a '"gift" to China and Russia,' slammed the bill for restricting his ability to draw down the presence of U.S. troops in certain foreign outposts, and excoriated lawmakers for failing to include an unrelated repeal of a law granting liability protections to technology companies that Trump has accused, without significant evidence of anti-conservative bias." Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: One or more of these possibilities explains the veto beyond Trump's just exercising his power: (1) screw up already screwed-up the holidays of Members of Congress who didn't bend to his will; (2) screw up the federal government; (3) further reduce U.S. influence around the world, thus sending an intended gift to China & Russia.

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

Anneken Tappe of CNN: "Claims for unemployment benefits fell across most categories in Wednesday's Labor Department report. Still the job market recovery has stalled while more than 20 million Americans need aid to make ends meet. Another 803,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week on a seasonally adjusted basis. That was a drop off from the week before but still nearly four times the claims during the same period in 2019, and yet another sign that the US job recovery has run into serious trouble."

Katie Thomas & Rebecca Robbins of the New York Times: "When federal regulators approved two antibody treatments last month for emergency use in high-risk Covid-19 patients, doctors worried there would not be enough to go around.... Early trial data had shown the treatments could keep people at risk of severe disease out of the hospital if administered soon after infection with the coronavirus. But in a surprising turn of events, the treatments are sitting unused in hospital refrigerators around the country, just when they might do the most to help patients and relieve the burden on overwhelmed hospitals as cases and deaths surge to record levels.... The federal government has on hand nearly 532,000 doses of the two drugs, and 55 percent of that has been shipped out, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. But early data collected from hospitals by the federal government suggest that they have given only about 20 percent of their supply to patients.... Administrators have struggled to identify people who should get the antibody drugs because of delays in testing and a lack of coordination between testing sites and hospitals."

Never Mind. Quint Forgey & Daniel Lippman of Politico: "Conflicting internal memos created confusion inside the White House on Wednesday about when staffers in the Executive Office of the President should begin preparing to leave work ahead of the transition next month. In an email Wednesday morning from the White House Management Office, EOP staffers were instructed to 'please disregard' an earlier memo that had been sent Tuesday informing them that they 'will start departing' on the week of Jan. 4.... The Tuesday memo also included information pertaining to outgoing employees' payroll, benefits, sick leave, records, ethics debriefing and security clearance.... The initial White House communication sent Tuesday had contradicted the ongoing public effort by ... Donald Trump and his top aides to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election." MB: So the fantacists have trumped the realists.

Another Fool's Errand. Kate Riga of TPM: "White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows made a mostly pointless pilgrimage to Cobb County, Georgia Tuesday to 'get to the truth' of the signature matching audit. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Meadows showed up flanked by secret service, but wasn't let into the room where the voter signatures from ballot envelopes are being matched to the signatures on file."

Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "The FBI has concluded that Iran was behind online efforts earlier this month to incite lethal violence against the bureau's director, a former top U.S. cyber expert and multiple state elections officials who have refuted claims of widespread voter fraud promoted by President Trump and his allies, federal and state officials said Tuesday. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray and ousted Homeland Security Department official Christopher Krebs were among more than a dozen people whose images, home addresses and other personal information were posted on a website titled 'Enemies of the People.' Crosshairs were superimposed over the photos."

~~~~~~~~~~

Trump Begins His Pardon Binge. See stories linked below.

~~~ Nick Niedzwiadek of Politico: "President-elect Joe Biden upbraided ... Donald Trump on Tuesday over his response to a massive cyberattack that's affected numerous government agencies. 'The attackers succeeded in catching the federal government off-guard and unprepared,' Biden said at an event in Wilmington, Delaware. 'The truth is this: the Trump administration failed to prioritize cybersecurity.'... Biden said based on the details that are publicly known thus far, the breach 'certainly fits Russia's long history of reckless disruptive cyber-activities.' He called on Trump to officially attribute the attack and hold those responsible for it accountable. 'This assault happened on Donald Trump's watch,' Biden said. 'It is still his responsibility as president to defend American interests for the next four weeks.... His failure will land on my doorstep,' he said. Biden said the Pentagon and other parts of the Trump administration need to keep his transition team in the loop about the cyberattack, which he said 'they haven't been doing.'" ~~~

     ~~~ David Sanger of the New York Times: "President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. accused President Trump on Tuesday of 'irrational downplaying' of the widespread hack of the federal government and American industries, saying that the current administration was denying him intelligence and warning Russia that he would not allow the intrusion to 'go unanswered' after he takes office. 'This assault happened on Donald Trump's watch when he wasn't watching,' Mr. Biden said.... 'It is still his responsibility as president to defend American interests for the next four weeks, but rest assured that even if he does not take it seriously, I will.' The direct critique was a remarkable departure from tradition, in which incoming presidents are careful about not second-guessing the actions of the incumbent. But Mr. Trump's refusal to recognize Mr. Biden's election victory, and his effort to subvert the results, has clearly poisoned elements of the transition process."

Miriam Jordan & Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "In a message intended to prevent a rush to the southwestern border, the incoming Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it would not immediately reverse restrictions imposed by President Trump that have effectively halted asylum and left thousands of migrants stranded outside the United States.... At an event in Wilmington, Del., the president-elect told reporters that he would enact a more 'humane policy' at the borders but that his administration would need 'probably the next six months' to rebuild a system to process migrants and secure funding for immigration judges. Changing Mr. Trump's policies immediately, he warned, would be 'the last thing we need' because it might lead to having 'two million people on our border.'"

Erica Green of the New York Times: "President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is expected to nominate Miguel A. Cardona, Connecticut's education commissioner, to serve as his education secretary, tapping a Latino to be the nation's highest education policymaker, according to two officials familiar with his plans. Dr. Cardona, if confirmed by the Senate, would be tasked with bringing the elementary, secondary and higher education systems back from the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic and repairing the considerable damage done.... The selection of Dr. Cardona would fulfill Mr. Biden's campaign promise to appoint a diverse cabinet and a secretary of education with public school experience -- a blunt juxtaposition to President Trump's billionaire private-school champion Betsy DeVos." MB: Time for an op-ed condemning Dr. Cardona for using that honorific. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: "Alex Padilla, California's secretary of state, has been appointed to fill the Senate seat held by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday, capping months of intense political jockeying among Democratic factions in the state. The son of Mexican-born immigrants who settled in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, Mr. Padilla, 47, will be the first Latino senator from California, where Latinos are about 40 percent of the population." MB: Because in a state with a population of about 20 million women, the majority of them citizens, Gavin couldn't find one who was qualified to do the job. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Consolation Prize. Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Tuesday tapped Assemblywoman Shirley Weber to serve as secretary of state after he picked Alex Padilla to join the Senate. Weber has served in the state legislature since 2012 and is the chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus."

Thomas Kaplan, et al., of the New York Times: "A day after Congress approved a hard-fought $900 billion stimulus package, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. called the measure a 'down payment' on Tuesday and vowed to enter office next month asking lawmakers t return to the negotiating table. 'Congress did its job this week,' he said, 'and I can and I must ask them to do it again next year.' In a year-end news conference in Wilmington, Del., Mr. Biden remained vague about the specifics of his plan. But he appeared to be laying the groundwork for how he will handle the country's economic recovery, signaling that another major economic relief package would be a priority." ~~~

~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "... the agreement on a new pandemic aid package showed the ascendance of moderates as a new force in a divided Senate and validated President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s belief that it is still possible to make deals on Capitol Hill.... The group of moderates was essential to the outcome, pushing Senate and House leaders of both parties into direct personal negotiations that they had avoided for months, and demonstrating how crucial they are likely to be to Mr. Biden.... Given the slender partisan divides that will exist in both the Senate and House next year, the approach could provide a road map for the Biden administration if it hopes to break through congressional paralysis, especially in the Senate, and pass additional legislation. Mr. Biden has said another economic relief plan will be an early priority.... He was also not an idle bystander in the negotiations.... Mr. Biden on Dec. 2 threw his support behind the $900 billion plan being pushed by the centrist group." ~~~

~~~ ** BUT. "So, So Dumb." Rachel Siegel, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Tuesday night asked Congress to amend the nearly $900 billion stimulus and spending bill passed by the Senate just one day before, describing the legislation as 'a disgrace' and suggesting he would not immediately sign off on aid for millions of Americans. In a video posted to Twitter, Trump called on Congress to increase the 'ridiculously low' $600 stimulus checks to $2,000 and outlined a list of provisions in the final legislation that he described as 'wasteful spending and much more.' He did not mention that the $600 stimulus check idea came from his treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin. 'I am also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration will have to deliver a covid relief package, and maybe that administration will be me,' Trump said.... His own aides were stunned. Congressional aides were stunned. And the implications for what happens next could be severe. If he refuses to sign the bill, the government will shut down on Dec. 29. The $900 billion in emergency economic aid will be frozen.... 'So dumb,' one administration official said. 'So, so dumb.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Even though Trump's threat appears to come out of nowhere, it's worth bearing in mind that even crazy people do stuff "for a reason." In this case, I'd guess that Trump watched Joe Biden's press conference yesterday, and the threat is Trump's response to Biden's "down payment" remark (something he has said before). Trump likely feels compelled to respond to any perceived "mine's bigger than yours" challenge. The fact that a veto would stall or perhaps obliterate aid to desperate Americans evidently did not figure into his "thinking." ~~~

     ~~~ Kelly Hooper of Politico: "Trump said the package provides too much funding to foreign countries and should include more for American families and small businesses.... 'For example, among the more than 5,000 pages in this bill, which nobody in Congress has read because of its length and complexity, it's called the Covid relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with Covid,' Trump said.... House Democrats quickly capitalized on Trump's demand for $2,000 checks, announcing plans Tuesday night to try to pass a bill later this week doing just that." Both Speaker Pelosi & Leader Schumer tweeted support for a $2,000 payment. The New York Times' story is here. MB: Trump appears to be so out of it that he is unaware the bill is not just "a Covid relief bill," but funds the government through next September -- which is why so much of it "has almost nothing to do with Covid." I suspect his staff tried to explain this to him, but he isn't bright enough to pick up on a little $1.4 trillion detail. ~~~

~~~ Yeganeh Torbati of the Washington Post: "... tucked in the [big federal spending] bill was over $110 billion in tax breaks that strayed far from the way the bill was marketed to many Americans. These giveaways include big tax cuts for liquor producers, the motorsports entertainment sector, and manufacturers of electric motorcycles. Tax experts and good governance advocates have criticized such short-term tax relief extensions, arguing they hide the true cost of the cuts and advantage industries with the most well-connected lobbyists." MB: Thanks, Congress, because I'm so happy to subsidize NASCAR. Vroom, vroom. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Peggy McGlone of the Washington Post: "The 5,500-page spending and relief bill that Congress passed Monday night includes the authorization of two Smithsonian museums -- one focused on American Latinos, the other on American women -- that pave the way for the world's largest museum complex to become even more diverse. The omnibus bill calls on the Smithsonian to begin the lengthy process of creating the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women's History Museum by giving the quasi-federal institution permission to hire staff members, collect objects and present programs aimed at telling the stories unique to the groups. The proposed museums would be the first new Smithsonian facilities since the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016. Like that $540 million project, the new museums would be financed with 50 percent federal funding and 50 percent private donations."

Laurel Wamsley of NPR: "The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Walmart on Tuesday, alleging that the retail giant unlawfully dispensed controlled substances from pharmacies it operated nationwide. The government says that, between the actions of the company's pharmacies and its distribution centers, Walmart helped to fuel America's ongoing opioid crisis. Damages in the civil case could total in the billions of dollars, the Justice Department said. 'As one of the largest pharmacy chains and wholesale drug distributors in the country, Walmart had the responsibility and the means to help prevent the diversion of prescription opioids,' Jeffrey Bossert Clark, acting assistant attorney general of the Civil Division, said in a statement. 'Instead, for years, it did the opposite -- filling thousands of invalid prescriptions at its pharmacies and failing to report suspicious orders of opioids and other drugs placed by those pharmacies,' he added." The New York Times story is here.

Reset to Zero. Victoria Bekiempis of the Guardian: "Joe Biden will not inherit Donald Trump's millions of followers on the official president of the United States and White House Twitter accounts when he assumes the presidency, marking a departure from past social media practice, the Democratic president-elect's team said on Tuesday. In 2017 Barack Obama's administration insisted that Twitter transfer not only these accounts to Trump when he left the White House that January, but the accounts' followers as well and the social media giant appeared to do just that, per Business Insider." MB: Trust me, Joe. You don't want the majority of those followers.

Mike Stobbe of the AP: "This is the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths expected to top 3 million for the first time -- due mainly to the coronavirus pandemic. Final mortality data for this year will not be available for months. But preliminary numbers suggest that the United States is on track to see more than 3.2 million deaths this year, or at least 400,000 more than in 2019. U.S. deaths increase most years, so some annual rise in fatalities is expected. But the 2020 numbers amount to a jump of about 15%, and could go higher once all the deaths from this month are counted."

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Marc Tracy of the New York Times: "The Pulitzer Prize Board said on Tuesday that it would no longer recognize the New York Times podcast 'Caliphate' and a related article as a 2019 Pulitzer finalist. The board stripped The Times of its finalist status four days after the news organization announced that the 2018 audio series did not meet its standards for accuracy.... A statement from The Times on Tuesday said, 'Given our conclusion that core portions of "Caliphate" did not live up to our editorial standards, we felt the right thing to do was to offer to return the Pulitzer finalist citation.'" The AP's story is here.

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

** Trump Grants Pardons, Clemency to Criminal Pals, Mass Murderers. Rosalind Helderman & Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "President Trump granted clemency on Tuesday to 20 people, including three former Republican members of Congress and two people who were convicted of crimes as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.... Trump gave a full pardon to George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy adviser to his 2016 campaign who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during its Russia investigation.... Trump also pardoned Alex van der Zwaan, a lawyer who had worked with Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort in work related to Ukraine and pleaded guilty to lying to Mueller's team.... Trump's other pardons on Tuesday included grants of clemency to former Republican members of congress Steve Stockman, Duncan Hunter and Chris Collins. He also pardoned four military contractors convicted of killing 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007. [MB: The contractors worked for Trump pal Erik Prince at the time.]" ~~~

~~~ Maggie Haberman & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "In an audacious pre-Christmas round of pardons, President Trump granted clemency on Tuesday to two people convicted in the special counsel's Russia inquiry, four Blackwater guards convicted in connection with the killing of Iraqi civilians and three corrupt former Republican members of Congress.... And Mr. Trump granted full pardons to two former Border Patrol agents whose sentences for their roles in the shooting of an alleged drug trafficker had previously been commuted by President George W. Bush.... A tabulation by the Harvard Law School professor Jack Goldsmith found that of the 45 pardons or commutations Mr. Trump had granted up until Tuesday, 88 percent aided someone with a personal tie to the president or furthered his political aims. And by nullifying the legal consequences of convictions in the Russia inquiry, Mr. Trump escalated a long campaign, aided by his outgoing attorney general, William P. Barr, to effectively undo the investigation by [Robert] Mueller, discredit the resulting prosecutions and punish those who instigated it in the first place." Politico's story is here. The AP's story is here.

Kyle Cheney, et al., of Politico: "... Donald Trump is plotting a final stand in Congress on Jan. 6, casting it as the ultimate loyalty test in his quest to remain in power and shutting out anyone who won't get in line. Trump has been strategizing in recent days with a band of his fiercest congressional supporters about the effort, which will involve lodging objections during the typically pro forma congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory.... The objections will ... force Republicans in Congress to go on record voting to affirm Biden's victory.... It's a preview of the burgeoning rift between two groups of Trump supporters: Those who will stand with him to subvert the outcome of the election, no matter what, and those who are accepting the results of the democratic process." ~~~

~~~ Manu Raju & Daniella Diaz of CNN: "Alabama GOP Rep. Mo Brooks and fellow House conservatives met privately on Monday with ... Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence as the lawmakers prepared to mount a long-shot bid in January to overturn the Electoral College results that made Joe Biden the official winner of the election." MB: We'll have to see if pence makes any unusual moves when he presides over the Congress's formal count of Electoral College votes. ~~~

     ~~~ Steve M. says pence has to join Trump in this kamikaze mission, as his political future depends on it: "Sure, we all know he's not crazy enough to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, even if no member of the Trump family runs, but for now he polls well when President Trump isn't included in the surveys. If Pence fails to back this challenge, his chances instantly drop to zero." ~~~

~~~ Nevertheless. Jonathan Swan of Axios: "President Trump, in his final days, is turning bitterly on virtually every person around him, griping about anyone who refuses to indulge conspiracy theories or hopeless bids to overturn the election, several top officials tell Axios.... Targets of his outrage include Vice President Pence, chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Secretary of State Pompeo and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.... Trump thinks everyone around him is weak, stupid or disloyal --; and increasingly seeks comfort only in people who egg him on to overturn the election results. We cannot stress enough how unnerved Trump officials are by the conversations unfolding inside the White House.... Pence's role on Jan. 6 has begun to loom large in Trump's mind, according to people who've discussed the matter with him. Trump would view Pence performing his constitutional duty -- and validating the election result -- as the ultimate betrayal." Swan has obtained secret tapes from inside the White House: (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

I'm losing friends and family over a straight-up cult based on anti-Semitism, fantasy and just bizarre made-up tripe. It's an idiocracy based on a digital prophet. -- Rep. Denver Riggleman, R-Va ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Ben Collins of NBC News: "With Trump's days in office dwindling, QAnon influencers have become increasingly restless and militant, urging the president to'#crosstherubicon,' the hashtag a reference to Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon river after the Roman Senate explicitly told him not to, effectively kick-starting the Roman civil war and Caesar's dictatorship." Interesting reading. ~~~

~~~ AND Forrest M. uncovered this video of a meeting Down Under of QAnon Anonymous:

David Enrich of the New York Times: "President Trump's longtime banker at Deutsche Bank, who arranged for the German lender to make hundreds of millions of dollars of loans to his company, is stepping down from the bank. Rosemary Vrablic, a managing director and senior banker in Deutsche Bank's wealth management division, recently handed in her resignation, which the bank accepted, according to a bank spokesman, Daniel Hunter. The reasons for Ms. Vrablic's abrupt resignation were not clear. Deutsche Bank in August opened an internal review into a 2013 real estate transaction between Ms. Vrablic and a company owned in part by Jared Kushner..., a client of Ms. Vrablic's. Dominic Scalzi, a longtime colleague of Ms. Vrablic's who played a role in that transaction, will also leave the bank." CNN's report is here.

Julia Ainsley, et al., of NBC News: "Federal prosecutors have discussed making a legal request for Rudy Giuliani's electronic communications, two sources familiar with the probe tell NBC News, a sign that the investigation into ... Donald Trump's personal attorney remains active and may soon be ramping up. Prosecutors for the Southern District of New York have been in communication with Justice Department officials in Washington about gaining access to Giuliani's emails, the two sources said. The Southern District needs Washington's approval before its prosecutors can ask a judge to sign a search warrant for materials that may be protected by attorney-client privilege, according to department policy. It is not known whether Washington has been granted that approval." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Sharon LaFraniere & Katie Thomas of the New York Times: "The Trump administration and Pfizer are close to a deal under which the pharmaceutical company would bolster supply of its coronavirus vaccine for the United States by at least tens of millions of doses next year in exchange for a government directive giving it better access to manufacturing supplies, people familiar with the discussions said. An agreement, which could be announced as early as Wednesday, would help the United States at least partly offset a looming vaccine shortage that could leave as many as 110 million adult Americans uncovered in the first half of 2021." An AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ ** Update. Zack Budryk of the Hill: "The Trump administration has ordered another 100 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine, Pfizer announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, Pfizer and BioNTech will supply a total of 200 million doses to the U.S., the company said in a statement. The deliveries are expected to be completed by the end of July 2021." At 7:50 am ET, this was a developing story.

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

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nick Niedzwiadek of Politico: "A cohort of the federal government's top health officials received shots of the coronavirus vaccine on stage Tuesday alongside a half-dozen frontline health care workers. The event was equal parts a public endorsement of the safety of the vaccines, two of which have been authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration this month, and a celebration of the National Institutes of Health's influential role in developing the inoculation created by U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna.... In addition to [HHS Secretary Alex] Azar, the list of dignitaries included National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci.... Fauci was introduced as 'America's doctor' by the event's master of ceremonies -- NIH Office of Research Services Director Colleen McGowan, who also received a shot Tuesday...."

Quint Forgey of Politico: "Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, indicated in an interview Tuesday that she would soon retire from government service, suggesting a recent report on her personal travel had taken a toll on her family. Asked whether she would stay on to assist President-elect Joe Biden's pandemic response, Birx told the U.S. news network Newsy that she wants the incoming administration 'to be successful,' and that she 'will be helpful in any role that people think I can be helpful in. And then I will retire.'... Birx's remarks ... came after the Associated Press reported Monday that on the day after Thanksgiving, she traveled to one of her vacation properties on Delaware's Fenwick Island, accompanied by three generations of her family from two households.... While Biden has named [Anthony] Fauci ... as his chief medical adviser in the incoming administration, the president-elect's team has hesitated to bring Birx on board -- with critics voicing concerns about her credibility and accusing her of at times being overly deferential to Trump."

U.K. William Booth, et al., of the Washington Post: "France agreed Tuesday to reopen its borders to travelers from Britain and get trade flowing again, but it may take days to clear out the thousands of cargo trucks snarled while a travel ban was in place, prompted by fears of a fast-spreading coronavirus mutation in England. More than 50 countries have enacted restrictions on arrivals from Britain, disrupting passenger air service between the United Kingdom and the rest of the world. But France's ban was particularly disruptive, halting transit along one of the most crucial trade routes in Europe. The French government on Tuesday announced a reopening, starting Wednesday, for European Union citizens and residents if they provide a negative coronavirus test from the previous 72 hours. Truck drivers of all nationalities will be permitted entry as long as they, too, can provide evidence of a test if asked." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A CNN on-air report I heard early this morning said that some 7,000 trucks are stuck in Southeast England waiting to cross the Channel. These truckers were stuck out in the middle of nowhere, with no facilities & no food, some of them for days. And of course the drivers have no way to get the coronavirus tests that may be required for passage. According to CNN, France had let through only two trucks.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Israel. Steve Hendrix of the Washington Post: "Israel's fractious coalition government collapsed Tuesday night, forcing the country into its fourth round of national elections in less than two years. The immediate cause was the failure of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, to pass an annual budget by a midnight deadline, one of many basic acts of lawmaking that have gone undone since right-wing and centrist parties reached an unwieldy power-sharing agreement in the spring. In the upcoming elections, automatically scheduled for March 23, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will face an usually strong right-wing challenge. Major defections from the dominant Likud party could imperil the record-long rule of Netanyahu, whose popularity has plummeted as the coronavirus has devastated the Israeli economy." The AP's report is here.

Comments Off

Reader Comments (17)

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/22/politics/trump-pardons/index.html

Those crooks gotta stick together. The tip of the pardoning iceberg?

Wish I were a Republican or Fascist who had done something really, really bad, but looks like I've missed my chance, again.

December 22, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

The next real president (as opposed to the thing we have now), observes that Trump’s abysmal and willful failure to protect national security will fall on his doorstep.

Two things, Joe:

First, you’re absolutely correct, and the second you take office, right wing media and the entire Party of Traitors will scream that you haven’t fixed it yet.

Second, that was the plan.

December 22, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

White House aides are “unnerved” by Fatty’s latest fusillade of feculence and fantasy? Are you kidding me? Where have they been? This guy has been barking mad since he came down the escalator to the bought and paid for cheers of hired actors. Professing nervousness now at this late date at his treasonous schemes and hysterical antics is like low level mafiosi expressing surprise that they work for a criminal organization.

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

I'm betting Jan. 6 will provide a clarifying moment mikey would rather duck.

He has three choices:

He could go with honesty over dishonesty....a wrenching departure from past practice and a sure end to his political career.

He could choose the tattered remnants of the Republican Party over the rising behemoth of Trumpism, along with the rest of the party pretending an allegiance to high mindedness it does not possess.....which would also end his political career.

....or he could do the Pretender's bidding, as he has all along, little mikey, over there skulking in the background, and publicly renew his attachment to the floundering star he followed into high office.

Or--a fourth--he could get Covid, pull some strings, and retreat to a hospital bed in an undisclosed location.

Another what's behind door number ? moment in the nation's history.

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

@Ken Winkes: Your Option 4 is intriguing. I don't know how these things work: if mikey doesn't show up to fulfill his Constitutional duty, who's in charge? It's probably the President Pro-tem, and I think that's Grassley. But I wish it would be the person in line to the presidency right after mikey; that's Nancy Pelosi.

December 23, 2020 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Pence's puzzlement is giving him tummy aches and headaches ––"what to do--what to do??" keeps him awake at night ruminating while running to the john every hour to pee cuz he be drinking lots of water to quench his thirst for future presidential power. We have witnessed him standing next to Doofus doing his "I am only a fixture for Fatty" thing but out on the trail giving speeches he opens up like a queen undoing his billowy bloomers while mother stands on the sidelines holding the Bible. Mikey had a father whose credo was whatever HE deemed right––there was no deviation, so said a brother who then said "Mike is just like that." No wonder he's religious–-follow the fella who will fulfill your fancies–-from Papa, to a god, to Trump––neat succession.

So––while Mike is deciding, his bully boss is having one hell of a romp. It gives me great pleasure to hear from those that kept their mouths shut for four years, and now finally are expressing shock and horror at the sheer lunacy of this man. It's unsettling how so many fail to see life's hairballs and pin-curves even with it hits them right between the eyes.

That German parody video is great! Good to laugh.

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

P.S. Wow––Forest––just watched that video––thanks so much for the find; Trickle down economics brought the house down––love it!

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

In some ways, the scariest thing I’ve read this morning is PD’s observation that the half-pence’s trail of obsequious, unquestioning obedience has brought him from daddy to god...to Trump! Jesus. Still, isn’t this the trail followed by millions of fawning, servile lemmings? But the idea that, for the vast majority, Trump outweighs god (or at least any semblance of moral, decent behavior, is truly disturbing.

Weak minds and hateful intent, wed as always to the weird confederate Janus-like belief that they are at once superior to those they hate AND horribly victimized by them, will do that, I suppose. And since god hasn’t, by their din lights, sufficiently smited their enemies, they turn to a vicious, unprincipled, ignorant baby, given to rage tweets and illegal attacks on those they hate, including threatening military action against them.

There’s no hope for these people. And I’m not sorry to say that.

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

The hypocrisy on the right is breathtaking. What, so surprising that Fat SOB is behaving somewhat erratically-- gosh, am gobsmacked. Meanwhile, the natives in Oregon are restless, guns bristling... and who knows what the Russians are planning, and the crazies plot to overthrow the election-- well, I don't know if it is the stuff of an offbeat spy novel or maybe one by Carl Hiasson (spelling probably wrong--) and the entire administration has turned into a species of Florida Man.
PA is not wasting time on this drivel of the latest lawsuit-- nothing on the front page. The pardon crap is so crazy-- these people are mongrels. I was hoping for freedom for the young woman in Texas, I think, who voted twice by mistake or some such incident and got five years... Silly me.

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

Some holiday beer to brighten the day

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

I don't understand why the business community has not made more noise about the Russian hack. It wasn't just the government that got infiltrated. I guess the business community is going to take a page out of Trump's playbook and pretend they didn't lose anything. And as long as the Dow doesn't care that Russia was snooping through all the big companies' files then Donald doesn't care either.

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

This is how I hope the Speaker opens the session on January 6:

"And just as a reminder, Everyone here swore an oath to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that [you] will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that [you] take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that [you] will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which [you have entered].' That means you are supposed to protect the country against the charlatans and crackpots who say they have evidence of election fraud but don't produce it in court. So no fuckin' around. Let's certify this election."

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterNiskyGuy

I wish they would move up the January 6 vote count a couple of days so that the Democrats could use Loeffler and Perdue's votes against them in the January 5 runoff.

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

@NiskyGuy

My wife laughed aloud when I read your suggestion to her.

Thanks from both of us.

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

On the just announced Pretender veto of the Defense Act:

Think the Pretender really gives a hoot about confederate-named military bases? Or even extending liability protection to social media giants?

Think again. I'm guessing it's this provision that he really hates.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/12/11/anonymous-shell-company-us-ban/

He takes anti-corruption measures personally....as he darn well should.

Another gut (or spine or ball) check for Repugnant senators..

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/us/politics/trump-pardon-manafort-stone.html

Which intrepid prosecutor will haul these yokels back into a grand jury and force then to. sing or face comtempt, now that they no longer have the Fifth's protection?

December 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes
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