;)
The Commentariat -- February 27, 2021
Afternoon Update:
Bethan McKernan of the Guardian & Agencies: "Joe Biden has carried out his first military action as president, with airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed fighters in Syria, in what the Pentagon said was retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a US service member and other coalition troops. The overnight strikes killed 22 people after hitting three trucks loaded with munitions near the border town of Abu Kamal, a war monitor said on Friday." MB: A report I ran yesterday said at least one person was killed.
Matt Egan of CNN: "A former Republican operative who now leads one of the nation's most powerful business groups is praising President Joe Biden's efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic. 'It is fantastic to have a partner in the White House,' Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, told CNN Business. 'We felt like we were fighting this fight, frankly, all alone for the last year.' NAM, which represents more than 130,000 manufacturers, announced Friday it is planning to partner with the Biden administration to help fight the pandemic. Timmons, who said his father died from Covid, criticized the Trump administration's track record on the health crisis."
Trump de Oro: Hecho en Mexico. Guardian: "A golden statue of Donald Trump that has caused a stir at the annual US gathering of conservatives was made in Mexico -- a country the former president frequently demonized. ~~~
~~~ Lee Moran of the Huffington Post: "A former chair of the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday slammed what the event has now become.... Mickey Edwards -- who led the American Conservative Union, which organizes the event, for five years until 1983 -- ripped Republicans attending this year's CPAC in Orlando for their devotion to ... Donald Trump. In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, Edwards likened the GOP to a cult whose members are living in an alternate reality. Edwards served as a GOP representative for Oklahoma for 16 years until 1993 but quit the GOP in January following the deadly U.S. Capitol riot."
Worse Than CPAC. Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: "A sitting member of Congress appeared at a white nationalist convention Friday night, marking new GOP support for the racist movement. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) spoke in Orlando, Florida, at the America First Political Action conference, a far-right event meant to mimic the establishment Republican Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). After Gosar's speech, AFPAC organizer Nick Fuentes, who marched in the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville and was outside the Capitol with his supporters during the Jan. 6 riot, took the podium that warned that 'white people are done being bullied.' Fuentes praised the fatal riot as 'awesome,' describing it as 'light-hearted mischief.' He also mocked Gosar's colleague, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), for needing a wheelchair, saying Cawthorn couldn't 'stand up' for his constituents." ~~~
~~~ Addy Baird & Brianna Sacks of BuzzFeed News: Former students former Patrick Henry College, a small, Christian school in Northern Virginia, "said it didn't take long for women on campus to start warning one another: You don't want to be alone with [fellow student Madison Cawthorn], especially in his car. BuzzFeed News spoke with more than three dozen people ... who described or corroborated instances of sexual harassment and misconduct on campus, in Cawthorn's car, and at his house near campus. Four women told BuzzFeed News that Cawthorn, now a rising Republican star, was aggressive, misogynistic, or predatory toward them. Their allegations include calling them derogatory names in public in front of their peers, including calling one woman 'slutty,' asking them inappropriate questions about their sex lives, grabbing their thighs, forcing them to sit in his lap, and kissing and touching them without their consent.... According to more than a dozen people ... Cawthorn often used his car as a way to entrap and harass his women classmates, taking them on what he could call 'fun drives' off campus. Two said he would drive recklessly and ask them about their virginity and sexual experiences while they were locked in the moving vehicle." Madison became a student at the college when he was 21, so older than most of the women he allegedly harassed.
Keith Coffman of Reuters: "An avowed white supremacist was sentenced on Friday to 19-1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty months ago to a federal hate-crimes case stemming from a botched plot to bomb a historic Colorado synagogue in 2019. Richard Holzer, 28, appeared in a federal courtroom in Denver for a sentencing that capped an undercover FBI investigation of a plan to blow up Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colorado, the second-oldest synagogue in the state. Although the plot was thwarted, U.S. District Judge Raymond Moore said Holzer had sought 'to terrorize the Jewish community' of Pueblo...."
New York. Paul Liotta of the Staten Island Advance: "Andrew Yang, a former Democratic presidential candidate and current frontrunner in the race for NYC mayor, came to the rescue of a photojournalist who was attacked Friday on the Staten Island Ferry.... When a ferry passenger carrying what appeared to be a metal pole approached the photographer, shoved him, and threateningly raised the implement, Yang sprang into action.... The man recognized Yang, who engaged and calmed him, speaking with him briefly and allowing the photographer to get away from the tense situation.... The incident happened at about 11:15 a.m., on an outdoor portion of the ferry's top deck. [Spencer] Platt, the photographer, expressed gratitude to Yang and his team."
Return of the Sea Turtles/Best Waterslide. Thanks to RAS for the lead:
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Sydney Ember & Ben Casselman of the New York Times: "The American economic recovery came perilously close to falling off a cliff at the end of last year. But government aid arrived just in time to prevent a disaster -- and possibly paved the way for a dynamic rebound. Personal income surged a remarkable 10 percent in January, the Commerce Department reported on Friday. Spending increased last month, too, by a healthy 2.4 percent, largely fueled by a rise in purchases of goods. The report was the latest sign of the economy's slow but steady march forward after a series of setbacks. Yet the data also underscored the extent to which government aid is buoying the economy. The rise in income last month was almost entirely attributable to the $600 government relief checks approved in December and to unemployment insurance payments. And while spending ticked up, purchases of services remained depressed as the pandemic continued to weigh heavily on the leisure and hospitality industries even as coronavirus cases fell."
Lauren Egan & Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "President Joe Biden traveled to Houston on Friday to survey the damage from Texas' recent historic winter storm, the president's first trip as commander in chief to a state following a natural disaster. Biden met with state and local officials about the recovery efforts at the Harris County Emergency Operations Center in Houston, commending them for putting together a 'hell of an operation,' before he and first lady Jill Biden toured a local food bank to thank volunteers." ~~~
~~~ Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "... when he traveled to Houston with Jill Biden, the first lady, the president used the power of his office for the first time to show support for a community ravaged by twin crises.... At an emergency response center in Houston on Friday, President Biden praised officials who had slept in stairwells as they worked around the clock to help people with no power or drinkable water because of the devastating storms, low temperatures and breakdown of basic utilities that had paralyzed Texas. At a food bank, Mr. Biden hugged a little girl who was volunteering, then talked to a woman about the death of his eldest son, once again plugging into the pain of others by accessing his own. Later, when visiting a stadium converted into a mass-vaccination site that will administer shots into the arms of some 6,000 Texans a day, Mr. Biden offered reassurance that the federal government would be working to provide clean water, blankets, food, fuel and shelter to people struggling to rebuild their lives in the state. 'We will be true partners to help you recover,' Mr. Biden said. 'We're in for the long haul.'" ~~~
~~~ Matthew Daly of the AP: "The deadly winter storm that caused widespread power outages in Texas and other states is a 'wake-up call' for the United States to build energy systems and other infrastructure that are more reliable and resilient in the face of extreme-weather events linked to climate change, President Joe Biden's national climate adviser says. In an interview with The Associated Press, Gina McCarthy said Friday that the storm that devastated Texas and other states 'is not going to be as unusual as people had hoped. It is going to happen, and we need to be as resilient and working together as much as possible. We need systems of energy that are reliable and resilient as well.'"
Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia approved the plan for operatives to assassinate the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, according to a previously classified intelligence report released on Friday, a step by the Biden administration to remind the world of the brutal killing and temper relations with the Saudi government. Much of the evidence the C.I.A. used to draw that conclusion remains classified, including recordings of Mr. Khashoggi's killing and dismemberment at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that were obtained by Turkish intelligence. But the report does outline who carried out the killing, describe what Prince Mohammed knew about the operation and lay out how the C.I.A. concluded that he ordered it and bears responsibility for Mr. Khashoggi's death. The release of the report also signaled that President Biden, unlike his predecessor, would not set aside the killing of Mr. Khashoggi and that his administration intended to attempt to isolate the crown prince, although it will avoid any measures that would threaten ties to the kingdom.... The Biden administration also announced penalties against Saudi officials, including a travel ban and freezing of assets of the kingdom's former intelligence chief and sanctions against members of a paramilitary unit that took part in the assassination." An AP report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "The unclassified report, by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), confirmed classified conclusions reached by the CIA just weeks after the killing of the dissident writer, a Virginia resident and contributing columnist for The Washington Post.... The State Department ... announced a new visa restriction policy against anyone 'acting on behalf of a foreign government' involved in 'serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident activities.' But in a reflection of what officials described as the complications of bilateral relations with a traditional partner nation, the restrictions will not be applied against the 35-year-old crown prince.... Failure to impose direct penalties on Mohammed is not likely to sit well with lawmakers who for years have pushed for him to be held accountable.... Donald Trump, who had also been briefed [on the classified report], continued to [MB: falsely] insist there no firm conclusions, asking, 'Well, will anybody really know?'... In an early 2019 measure..., Congress demanded that the ODNI produce an unclassified report of U.S. intelligence conclusions, including names of involved Saudi officials at all levels, and passed legislation giving the administration 30 days to release it. For the next two years, Trump ignored the law, while he and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner..., continued to develop a close relationships with Mohammed."(Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "The Washington Post and others reported in November 2018 that the CIA had concluded with high confidence that the crown prince was behind [the murder of Jamal Khashoggi]. Trump repeatedly questioned that intelligence, as he did with other intelligence he didn't like. He also suggested in a bizarre statement that we might never know the truth.... He also conveniently inserted allegations from Saudi Arabia that Khashoggi was aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood -- as if Khashoggi actually might have deserved what befell him.... Trump made a clear choice.... Despite all the evidence Trump was being fed, it was met with a shrug from the leader of the free world. On Friday, we learned that shrug was as ill-founded as it appeared. And if it wasn't clear two years ago, it became even clearer that it didn't exactly project his message of American strength." ~~~
~~~ Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times: "The United States government publicly identified Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia as the murderer of an American resident, and then President Biden choked. Instead of imposing sanctions on M.B.S., Biden appears ready to let the murderer walk. The weak message to other thuggish dictators considering such a murder is: Please don't do it, but we'll still work with you if we have to. The message to Saudi Arabia is: Go ahead and elevate M.B.S. to be the country's next king if you must. All this is a betrayal of my friend Jamal Khashoggi and of his values and ours. But even through the lens of realpolitik it's a missed opportunity to help Saudi Arabia understand that its own interest lies in finding a new crown prince who isn't reckless and doesn't kill and dismember journalists."
Juliet Eilperin & Dennis Brady of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Friday dramatically altered the way the U.S. government calculates the real-world cost of climate change, a move that could reshape a range of consequential decisions, from whether to allow new coal leasing on federal land to what sort of steel is used in taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects. The administration plans to boost the figure it will use to assess the damage that greenhouse gas pollution inflicts on society to $51 per ton of carbon dioxide -- a rate more than seven times higher than that used by ... Donald Trump's administration. But the number, known as the 'social cost of carbon,' could reach as high as $125 per ton once the administration conducts a more thorough analysis.... While this is not a new tax that consumers would have to pay, it would make it harder for fossil fuel projects to win government approval by factoring in their long-term costs to society." A Politico report is here.
Helluva a Job, Louie. Jacob Bogage & Hannah Denham of the Washington Post: "As the service crisis at the U.S. Postal Service drags into its eighth month, complaints are reaching a fever pitch. Consumers are inundating members of Congress with stories of late bills -- and the late fees they've absorbed as a result. Small-business owners are waiting weeks, even months, for checks to arrive, creating cash-flow crunches and debates on whether to switch to costlier private shippers. Large-scale mailers, such as banks and utilities, are urging clients to switch to paperless communication, a shift that would further undercut the agency's biggest revenue stream. The growing outcry adds another dimension to the agency's myriad crises: a clogged processing and transportation network, severe staffing shortages and $188.4 billion in liabilities. The prolonged performance declines have eroded the reputation of the few government agencies that boasts generations of broad public support.... The agency's delivery times have sunk to historic lows since [Louis] DeJoy took over last June.... The delays stem from DeJoy's abrupt reorganization of the Postal Service last July and residual holiday backlogs...." ~~~
~~~ Tanya Snyder of Politico: "United Airlines has been fined more than $49 million for fraud on postal service contracts for transportation of international mail.... The Justice Department announced on Friday that United had entered into a non-prosecution agreement and agreed to pay $17 million in criminal penalties and to return funds that were received through a fraud scheme perpetrated by former employees of United's Cargo Division. United will pay an additional $32 million as part of the settlement of a separate civil complaint.... From 2012 to 2015, United submitted false delivery scan data, which it owed USPS as part of its contract both when the airline took possession of the mail receptacles and when they delivered them. United was submitting automated delivery scans 'based on aspirational delivery times,' not the actual time of pickup or delivery. 'Through this data automation scheme, United secured millions of dollars in payments from the USPS to which United was not entitled under the [International Commercial Air] contracts,' the Justice Department said.... United employees 'knew that the data being transmitted was fabricated' and 'that the transmission of false data violated the terms of the ICAIR contracts.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: There's no indication in the report that any United employees or management staff suffered any consequences from the fraud they perpetrated.
Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have tapped a private database containing hundreds of millions of phone, water, electricity and other utility records while pursuing immigration violations, according to public documents uncovered by Georgetown Law researchers and shared with The Washington Post. ICE's use of the private database is another example of how government agencies have exploited commercial sources to access information they are not authorized to compile on their own. It also highlights how real-world surveillance efforts are being fueled by information people may never have expected would land in the hands of law enforcement. The database, CLEAR, includes more than 400 million names, addresses and service records from more than 80 utility companies covering all the staples of modern life, including water, gas and electricity, and phone, Internet and cable TV.... On Friday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent letters to the chief executives of Thomson Reuters and Equifax seeking documents and other information on how ICE has used the utility data in recent years."
Nahal Toosi of Politico: "A State Department official for several years has been publicly calling for the establishment of Christian nation-states, warning that white people face 'elimination' and railing against Jews as well as Black Lives Matter and other social movements. Fritz Berggren, a mid-ranking Foreign Service officer, openly uses his name and image as he espouses these and other controversial views, according to a review of his online postings.... According to a directory viewed by Politico, Berggren is currently assigned to a State Department unit that handles special immigrant visas for Afghans.... The State Department's options for addressing Berggren's online postings may be limited. There are rules that govern diplomats' on- and off-duty behavior that could be grounds for punishment or dismissal in similar instances -- rules that can differ based on whether a person is serving overseas or in the United States. But the federal government, for First Amendment reasons, is not supposed to dictate its employees' religious views." MB: If State really can't get rid of Fritz, it should stick him in a windowless room counting paperclips.
Marianne Levine, et al., of Politico: "Progressives are willing to accept defeat on the minimum wage for now and vote for President Joe Biden's coronavirus relief package. But they're channeling their energy into a renewed push to kill the filibuster. One day after the Senate parliamentarian effectively forced a $15 minimum wage hike out of Democrats' coronavirus relief package, leading liberal activists are racing to turn their bitter setback into opportunity. The need to sacrifice a key Biden priority in order to ensure the Covid aid bill can pass the Senate with a simple majority has handed progressive lawmakers and their allied groups a new talking point in their long-running quest to eliminate the legislative filibuster." MB: I don't see why they need "a new talking point." Tell dumbclucks Joe Manchin & Kyrsten Sinema that Senate Republicans have not captured a majority of voters in a quarter century, yet they've been stymieing Democratic bills -- that is, bills backed by representatives of a majority of voters -- all that time. If Republican senators were acting in good faith & tweaking bills to make them a teeny bit more moderate, then you might argue the filibuster had a legitimate purpose. But -- especially thanks to "Grim Reaper" Mitch McConnell -- good-faith tweaking hasn't happened for a long time.
"Bienvenido de Nuevo, Ted!" Carol Lee & Leigh Ann Caldwell of NBC News: "When senators arrived at the Senate gym on Wednesday morning, they found that one of them had taped memes on the lockers welcoming [Ted] Cruz home and showing him in the short-sleeve polo shirt, jeans and Texas-flag mask that he had at the airport, according to two people familiar with the prank. 'Bienvenido de Nuevo, Ted!' was the 'welcome back' message typed at the top of the color printouts.... The rendering featured a manipulated photo of Cruz from his well-documented trip to Mexico, dragging his luggage across an arctic landscape while holding a tropical cocktail garnished with a slice of fruit in his other hand. He is shown walking toward an image of a masked Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. with his arms crossed and wearing striped, knitted gloves -- a pose famously captured during January's inauguration." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Katie Benner & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. has pinpointed an assailant in its investigation into the death of Brian D. Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who was injured while fending off the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol last month and later died, according to two law enforcement officials.... In a significant breakthrough in the case, investigators have now pinpointed a person seen on video of the riot who attacked several officers with bear spray, including Officer Sicknick, according to the officials. And video evidence shows that the assailant discussed attacking officers with the bear spray beforehand, one of the officials said. While investigators narrowed potential suspects seen in video footage to a single person this week, they have yet to identify the assailant by name." The Raw Story has a summary report here.
Garance Burke, et al., of the AP: "A faction of local, county and state Republican officials is pushing lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories that echo those that helped inspire the violent U.S. Capitol siege, online messaging that is spreading quickly through GOP ranks fueled by algorithms that boost extreme content. The Associated Press reviewed public and private social media accounts of nearly 1,000 federal, state, and local elected and appointed Republican officials nationwide, many of whom have voiced support for the Jan. 6 insurrection or demanded that the 2020 presidential election be overturned, sometimes in deleted posts or now-removed online forums." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Dana Bash, et al., of CNN: "More than a dozen of ... Donald Trump's closest Republican allies in the House have skipped Friday's votes and enlisted their colleagues to vote on their behalf, signing letters saying they can't attend 'due to the ongoing public health emergency.' But those members are actually expected to be in Orlando and listed as speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual meeting aimed at energizing conservative activists and boosting their own profiles." MB: They can't do their day jobs because they're in Orlando to pledge their fealty to the Golden Ass. ~~~
~~~ Freeedumb! Here's the evidence for the Trumpies' deep concern over "the ongoing public health emergency": Quint Forgey of Politico: "Organizers of the Conservative Political Action Conference were met with boos on Friday morning as they encouraged the crowd inside a Florida hotel ballroom to put on face masks in compliance with the host venue's policies. The awkward moment unfolded early on the first day of programming at the American Conservative Union's annual confab and represented a confusing shift in rhetoric from prior speakers who uniformly mocked coronavirus-related restrictions in a series of sharply partisan remarks." Emphasis added.
#CPAC #AmericaUncancelled pic.twitter.com/mVqBuF2blY
— William Turton (@WilliamTurton) February 26, 2021
~~~ Zack Beauchamp of Vox: "The Golden Calf is one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament.... It's a story about the allure of idolatry, how easy it is to abandon one's commitments to principle in favor of shiny, easy falsehoods. This biblical tale trended on Twitter in the US Frida morning because of the ... video [posted above], filmed on the first day of the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Someone involved in the conference constructed a golden statue -- not of a calf, but of Trump -- and wheeled it out to cheers from conference attendees.... There are so many reasons why this is a perfect metaphor for the state of the GOP after the Trump presidency.... In the Bible, the Golden Calf story ends with a furious Moses destroying the idol.... And yet, here they are, still building idols of a false god." ~~~
~~~ Marie: At least the biblical Golden Calf was made of, well, gold. The Gilded Ass is, well, painted with a cheap metal slurry. Not even a blasphemous idol, Trump's image is a fake blasphemous idol. Perfect symbol for a fake president*. ~~~
~~~ Jill Colvin of the AP: "A conference dedicated to the future of the conservative movement turned into an ode to Donald Trump as speakers declared their fealty to the former president and attendees posed for selfies with a golden statue of his likeness. As the Republican Party grapples with deep divisions over the extent to which they should embrace Trump after losing the White House and both chambers of Congress, those gathered at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference Friday made clear they are not ready to move on from the former president -- or from his baseless charges that the November election was rigged against him.... At the conference, speakers continued to fan disinformation and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, with panels dedicated to amplifying false claims of mass voter fraud that have been dismissed by the courts, state election officials and Trump's own administration. Indeed, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., another potential 2024 hopeful, drew among the loudest applause and a standing ovation when he bragged about challenging the election certification on Jan. 6 despite the storming of the Capitol building by Trump supporters trying to halt the process." MB: Is there such a thing as "collective insanity"?
Too Bad. Josh Gerstein of Politico: "'The department has determined that due to President Trump's full and unconditional pardon of Paul Manafort, it is necessary to dismiss the criminal forfeiture proceedings involving the four assets which were the subject of the on-going forfeiture ancillary proceedings,' a Justice Department spokesman said Friday afternoon, following a court filing announcing the decision.... The real estate includes Manafort's 10-bedroom, 6-bath home at Bridgehampton, Long Island, valued at $11 million on Zillow, as well as an apartment in New York's Chinatown and a townhouse in Brooklyn. It is unclear what portion, if any, of the assets will return to Manafort as a result of the Justice Department's conclusion that Trump's pardon effectively nullified forfeitures that were not complete at the time he issued it late last year. Most or all of the property is likely to be sold to repay his debts and it is unclear how much money will be left over, if any."
AP: "A federal judge on Friday approved a $650 million settlement of a privacy lawsuit against Facebook for allegedly using photo face-tagging and other biometric data without the permission of its users. U.S. District Judge James Donato approved the deal in a class-action lawsuit that was filed in Illinois in 2015. Nearly 1.6 million Facebook users in Illinois who submitted claims will be affected. Donato called it one of the largest settlements ever for a privacy violation." ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE. Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. David Brooks Is Moonlighting at Facebook. Craig Silverman & Ryan Mac of BuzzFeed News: "On Tuesday, New York Times columnist David Brooks published a 900-word ode to Facebook Groups and how they foster online communities around the world. The column didn't appear in Brooks' usual spot in the Times, where he's had a popular opinion column since 2003. Instead, it was published on Facebook's corporate website to promote a new study of groups that was funded by the social media giant.... Brooks' post for Facebook painted a rosy picture of how people use Groups to create community connections.... 'It's not social media that's the problem, it's the ideas and behavior of the people who use it,' he says.... Brooks' ties to Facebook raise questions of conflicts of interest at the world's most influential newspaper.... [Brooks also] maintains commentary roles with NPR and PBS NewsHour."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
Caitlin Emma & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "The House approved President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion pandemic rescue plan in a 219 to 212 vote early Saturday morning, sending the measure to the Senate as Democrats race to pass it into law before boosted unemployment payments expire next month. All but two Democrats supported the sprawling coronavirus relief package, with zero Republicans backing it -- a major step toward enacting the White House's first major legislative priority amid dueling public health and economic crises.... The House package still includes that federal minimum wage hike to $15-an-hour, assuring minimal drama in the lower chamber, and forcing Senate Republicans to formally nix it next week." The New York Times story is here.
Carolyn Johnson & Laurie McGinley of the Washington Post: "An expert committee unanimously recommended Friday that the Food and Drug Administration authorize a coronavirus vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, making it all but certain there will soon be a third vaccine in the United States, the first to require just a single shot. The positive vote, after hours of scientific discussion, paves the way for a decision this weekend. If the vaccine is authorized, the first few million doses of a shot that is relatively simple to store, handle and administer could be distributed next week." Politico's report is here.
Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "Federal health officials warned impatient governors on Friday against relaxing pandemic control measures, saying that a recent steep drop in coronavirus cases and deaths in the United States may be leveling off at a very high number -- a shift that the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 'must be taken extremely seriously.' The pleas from the director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser for the virus, came as the Biden administration scrambled to stay ahead of a possible fourth surge of infections and the spread of worrisome variants, which officials say account for a rising percentage of cases in the country."
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C-PAC is now right at home:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-cpac-orlando-day-1-desantis-scott-20210226-che27r7wy5f5hj6px6ucj5o3re-story.html
On De Santis' "oasis of freedom:"
Been a long time since I looked up Rt rates but did this morning.
The De Santis oasis has an Rt rate twice that of WA State, where we're under the heavy thumb of Democratic Governor Inslee, and where voting patterns would say half--by geography- of our state is still nuts.
@Ken Winkes: Every time I look at a picture of Ron DeSantis, I think of a bratty "Bad News Bears" player. There were at least two "Bad News Bears" movies and apparently a TV show, so I don't know what kid -- if any specific kid -- DeSantis reminds me of, but I just see him as a mean bully Little League player. And definitely not as an adult governor. Ever.
Put that Golden Ass on the prior-service golden toilet, and ... Comedy Gold!
Next in Orlando - Animatronic Used Prezdets.
@Patrick: Ha ha ha. I just checked Disney World's page, and apparently he's already there: "Watch the curtain rise to reveal startlingly realistic Audio-Animatronics replicas of every President of the United States—together for the very first time.Hear speeches delivered by George Washington and the newest addition to the Hall, 45th President Donald J. Trump."
I got to wondering what speech of Trump's they might have chosen: one where he tells the crowd to beat up protesters? One where he calls the press the enemy of the people? How about where he says the coronavirus will just disappear? How about where he makes fun of ethnic groups? Or suggests Hillary should be assassinated. Nah, they chose the most plain-vanilla words they could find, although since his "speech" begins with his taking the oath to protect the Constitution, they at least do include a Big Fat Lie. Disney could have made the display more effective if the real fake presidents had arisen en masse to muzzle Trump and lock him up.
Here's video and transcript from PBS news re: the Saudi situation: Many voices weigh in. It appears to be a very sticky wicket:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/biden-administration-faces-major-foreign-policy-tests-in-the-middle-east
A year ago yesterday Fatty had a press conference in which he lied about the virus telling us it was "just like the flu, folks, not to get panicky ––it will disappear like a miracle." We know he lied because in January he was given warnings about this virus that would lead to a worldwide pandemic; Bob Woodward had it on good authority via recordings that the Dolt knew of the dangers early on. This knowledge alone makes Trump responsible for the horrific outcome that has befallen us. And this––above all the other nefarious blunders and hateful actions would under normal circumstances reduce this man to smithereens, putting him out to pasture along with great sighs of relief and plenty of spit balls hitting him where it hurts. BUT NO–--as we have seen during the CPAC get together he has become an icon in statuesque proportions, fake gold solder on the head which gives the object a form of off-beat fake splendor.
Something is rotten in the state of states and souls have been stolen. Their cries of "Stop the Steal" may one day lay in THEIR laps but as of now we have a division wide enough to devour a democracy that is already on tinder hooks.
@PD Pepe: Nearly as many times as I made fun of an outrageous Trump lie, I began to fill worse & worse about it because I realized how many of his lies had real-world negative consequences for people, right up to killing them. That anyone would support him -- not to mention Mitch McConnell, who said the other day he would support Trump if he were the Republicans presidential* nominee -- remains horrifying. Malevolent politicians are not exactly unheard of, but Trump is the worst of the worst.
I sorta disagree with Marie: Yes, used-prez in gold is the WORST president we ever had, but for Worst Person? Monster Mitch, who speaks out of ALL sides of his mouth. He thinks nothing of adoring the cretin in gold, then not, then yes, again. Because he is at least a strategic planner, he outmans Dump in the brains department, but they both belong in a moral deep swamp of their own making. And I can't get over Marie's take on the virtuous Manchin and Sinema-- that they should be reminded of the popular vote, but still run around spouting nonsense about not being able to raise the minimum wage to $15. Every minute of every day we are reminded how horrible people are multiplying like rabbits. Now, despite the votes, we still can't "have nice things" out of our own tolerance for idiots. Honestly, I don't even know why we listen to anyone's "ideas."
And the Saudi prince (I refuse to give him a cutesy initials title--) will go unpunished? What kind of world are we living in, where supposed allies and beneficiaries (of weapons) can get away with the murder and chopping-up of a journalist? Don't answer that-- I really don't want to know.
Sea Turtles going back home after the Texas freeze