The Ledes

Thursday, October 10, 2024

The New York Times' live updates of Hurrucane Milton consequences Thursday is 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.”

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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.”

Help!

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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 -- January 11, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Clare Foran & Daniella Diaz of CNN: "Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a New Jersey Democrat, said Monday that she has tested positive for Covid-19, and she blamed fellow members of Congress who sheltered in place without masks during the violent attack on the US Capitol last week. 'Following the events of Wednesday, including sheltering with several colleagues who refused to wear masks, I decided to take a Covid test. I have tested positive,'" the congresswoman tweeted. A statement from her office said that the congresswoman 'believes she was exposed during protective isolation in the US Capitol building as a result of insurrectionist riots. As reported by multiple news outlets, a number of members within the space ignored instructions to wear masks.'... Six House Republicans were captured on video refusing masks offered by a colleague during the US Capitol insurrection." The Washington Post's story is here. MB: The House should censure all of the Congressmembers refusing masks. ~~~

     ~~~ Kerri Enriquez of CNN (Jan. 9): "Six House Republicans were captured on video refusing masks offered by a colleague during the US Capitol insurrection on Wednesday. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Delaware Democrat, was shown approaching the group of colleagues and offering blue surgical masks. The video, shot from inside a safe room where the lawmakers gathered during the chaos, was published on Twitter by Punchbowl News. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene [QAnon], Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, Texas Rep. Michael Cloud and California Rep. Doug LaMalfa were captured unmasked and gathered closely together. They all refused the masks." The video is included with the story. CNN's Manu Raju reports in commentary on the video that members of Congress are required to wear masks while in the Capitol building. One of the men refusing a mask can be seen smirking at Rochester, & several are smiling. They are sitting close together in a space where it appears from the video that it would be impossible for members to maintain social distance.

David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "President Trump's private business failed to pay a $49,000 hotel bill incurred during Trump's 2017 inaugural -- and then, after the bill went to a collections agency, Trump's nonprofit inaugural committee agreed to pay the charge instead, according to a new filing from the D.C. Attorney General. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D) had already sued Trump's 2017 inaugural committee, alleging it had wasted donors' money on an overpriced, barely used ballroom at President Trump's own D.C. hotel. On Monday, Racine added a new allegation to that suit. He said that Trump's inaugural committee -- a tax-exempt charity -- had improperly paid a bill it did not owe, using nonprofit funds to pay a bill owed by a for-profit business. 'The Trump Organization was liable for the invoiced charges,' Racine's office said in the filing. 'The [Inaugural Committee's] payment of the invoice was unfair, unreasonable and unjustified and ultimately conferred improper private benefit to the Trump Organization.'" MB: We are so surprised.

Scott Wong & Mike Lillis of the Hill: "A trio of House Democrats close to leadership on Monday introduced a single article of impeachment against President Trump, charging him with inciting a mob of his supporters to carry out a violent attack on the Capitol in a bid to overturn Joe Biden's election victory. The article, co-authored by Reps. David Cicilline (R-I.), Ted Lieu (Calif.) and Jamie Raskin (Md.), states that Trump engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors by 'willfully inciting violence against the Government of the United States.'... Upping the pressure on [Vice President] Pence and the Republicans, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) during Monday's brief pro-forma session requested that Raskin's 25th Amendment resolution be passed by unanimous consent. That resolution calls on Pence to 'convene and mobilize' the Cabinet and vote to strip Trump of his powers. But Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), a Trump ally, objected. After the exchange, Hoyer told reporters that the full House will stage a vote on the Raskin resolution on Tuesday. The impeachment vote could come as early as Wednesday, he said, but that timeline could slip later in the week."

Melanie Bids Us Farewell. Now Quit Picking on Her. Jamie Ross of the Daily Beast: "First Lady Melania Trump has identified the worst thing about the entire horrific [Trump-motivated Capitol insurrection] spectacle -- people saying mean things about her online. In a deeply weird and jarring farewell statement posted by the White House early Monday morning, Melania first paid tribute to those who lost their lives in last week's violence carried out in support of her husband, before going on to settle some scores against unspecified people who she claims have 'attacked' her over the past few days since the riots.... 'I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me -- from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda....'... She also seems to praise Trump's supporters.... 'It is inspiring to see that so many have found a passion and enthusiasm in participating in an election, but we must not allow that passion to turn to violence,' she wrote." MB: Could it be that Melanie's whole anti-bullying campaign was about not bullying her?

Understanding Josh. Katherine Stewart in a New York Times op-ed: "Mr. Hawley's idea of freedom is the freedom to conform to what he and his preferred religious authorities know to be right. Mr. Hawley is not shy about making the point explicit.... 'That is our charge. To take the Lordship of Christ, that message, into the public realm, and to seek the obedience of the nations. Of our nation!'... The line of thought here is starkly binary and nihilistic. It says that human existence in an inevitably pluralistic, modern society committed to equality is inherently worthless.... That this neo-medieval vision is incompatible with constitutional democracy is clear.... Mr. Hawley ... is a successful meritocrat of the Federalist Society variety. His greatest rival in that department is the Princeton debater Ted Cruz. They are résumé jockeys in a system that rewards those who do the best job of mobilizing fear and irrationalism. They are what happens when callow ambition meets the grotesque inequalities and injustices of our age." Thanks to Ken W. & P.D. Pepe for the link.

Why, We Had No Idea! Andrea Salcedo of the Washington Post: "The day before a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, an arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association sent out robocalls urging supporters to come to D.C. to 'fight' Congress over President Trump's baseless election fraud claims. 'At 1 p.m. we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,' said the message.... 'We're hoping patriots like you will join us to continue to fight to protect the integrity of our elections.' After the attempted insurrection on Wednesday..., several GOP attorneys general have distanced themselves from the robocalls, insisting they didn't know about the campaign. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, the chairman of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, the nonprofit that sent out the calls, blamed the group's staffers.... Those claims fell short for Marshall's Democratic counterparts, who pointed to the number of GOP officials who have repeated the president's unfounded election fraud claims." MB: We've linked a couple of stories on this before, but I'm glad to see major media picking up the thread.

~~~~~~~~~~

Matthew Lee of the AP: "President-elect Joe Biden announced Monday he has chosen veteran diplomat William Burns to be his CIA director. A former ambassador to Russia and Jordan, Burns, 64, had a 33-year career at the State Department under both Republican and Democratic presidents. He rose through the ranks of the diplomatic corps to become deputy secretary of state before retiring in 2014 to run the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace. Amid tumult in the State Department after Donald Trump took office in 2017, Burns held his tongue until last year when he began writing highly critical pieces of the Trump administration's policies in Foreign Affairs and other publications."

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Nicholas Fandos, et al., of the New York Times: "The House moved on two fronts on Sunday to try to force President Trump from office, escalating pressure on the vice president to strip him of power and committing to quickly begin impeachment proceedings against him for inciting a mob that violently attacked the seat of American government. In a letter to colleagues, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said the House would move forward on Monday with a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, and wrest the powers of the presidency. She called on Mr. Pence to respond 'within 24 hours' and indicated she expected a Tuesday vote on the resolution. Next, she said, the House would bring an impeachment case to the floor. Though she did not specify how quickly it would move, leading Democrats have suggested they could press forward on a remarkably quick timetable, charging Mr. Trump by midweek with 'high crimes and misdemeanors.'" The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's Pelosi's "Dear Democratic Colleague" letter, via her office.

Felicia Sonmez, et al., of the Washington Post: "House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Sunday that the House plans to vote this week to impeach President Trump -- but that the chamber may wait a few months to submit the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Clyburn's comments come amid tensions in the Democratic Party on whether to press ahead with action to hold Trump accountable for last week's deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol or whether to prioritize the agenda of President-elect Joe Biden, who will be inaugurated Jan. 20.... Democrats are weighing whether to wait until after the Biden administration's first 100 days to send articles of impeachment to the Senate, to allow the new president to install key members of his team." A CNN story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Kelsey Tamborrino of Politico: "'I don't think there's any doubt at all, there's none in my mind, that the president's behavior after the election was wildly different than his behavior before,' said [Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)] on CNN's 'State of the Union' on Sunday. 'He descended into a level of madness and engaged in activity that was absolutely unthinkable and unforgivable.'... The senator described the events of last week as 'orders of magnitude more egregious than anything we have ever seen from Donald Trump before.'... He reiterated that Trump should resign -- echoing his Republican colleague, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski." MB: Another way to put: All the scary things he's done before were to other people, but this time he frightened me. Since Trump has been so successful at threatening & belittling individual Members of Congress into submission, it seems not to have occurred to him that siccing a mob of terrorists on all of them at once might be a bridge too far. (Also linked yesterday.)

David Edwards of the Raw Story: "Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), a gun-toting supporter of the QAnon movement, is facing backlash after she was accused of live-tweeting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) location during the attack on Capitol Hill last week. Boebert shared the tweet soon after ... Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol with deadly results.... 'Today is 1776,' she declared in another tweet.... Twitter users responded by calling for the freshman representative to be jailed and removed from Congress."

Sarah Mimms of BuzzFeed News: "Republicans in Congress are demanding 'unity' after 147 of them voted to try to overturn the election, propping up the very lies that led a mob of ... Donald Trump's supporters to violently attack the US Capitol on Wednesday. The calls for unity came not in the immediate aftermath of the storming of the Capitol..., [but] as Democrats began to consider imposing consequences." MB: There is nothing that beats attack dog Jim Jordan's calling for "unity & healing." I hope every time Jordan makes a speech on the floor of the House or speaks up during a committee hearing, a Democrat will ask him what happened to his call for "unity & healing." (Also linked yesterday.)

Matthew Lee of the AP: "In a highly unusual move, American diplomats have drafted two cables condemning ... Donald Trump's incitement of the deadly assault on the Capitol and calling for administration officials to possibly support invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. Using what is known as the State Department's 'dissent channel,' career foreign and civil service officers said they fear last Wednesday's siege may badly undermine U.S. credibility to promote and defend democrati values abroad. 'Failing to publicly hold the president to account would further damage our democracy and our ability to effectively accomplish our foreign polic goals abroad,' according to the second of the two cables, which were circulated among diplomats late last week and then sent to State Department leadership. The cable called on [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo to support any lawful effort by Vice President Mike Pence and other Cabinet members to protect the country including through 'the possible implementation of the procedures provided for in Article 4 of the 25th Amendment, if appropriate.'"

Marie Fazio of the New York Times: "Here are a few of the people who face charges [for their participation in the terrorist seige on the Capitol]." ~~~

~~~ Spencer Hsu, et al., of the Washington Post: "U.S. counterterrorism prosecutors are investigating two men who allegedly wore tactical gear and held plastic restraints or zip ties in the U.S. Senate during the breach of the U.S. Capitol last week, the Justice Department announced. The men were arrested Sunday. Larry Rendell Brock, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, was arrested in Texas and charged with one count of knowingly entering a restricted building and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct, prosecutors said. Brock identified himself to the New Yorker last week as the man photographed in the well of the Senate chamber ... holding a white flex cuff.... Eric Gavelek Munchel, arrested in Tennessee, was charged with the same counts, prosecutors said, after being allegedly photographed climbing over a railing in the Senate gallery carrying plastic restraints, a holstered object on his right hip and a cellphone mounted on his chest."

Ken Dilanian, et al., of NBC News: "The FBI and the New York Police Department passed information [in the form of a report] to the Capitol Police about the possibility of violence during the Jan. 6 protests against certification of the presidential election, and the FBI even visited more than a dozen extremists already under investigation to urge them not to travel to Washington, senior law enforcement officials told NBC News. Those previously unreported details undercut the assertion by a top FBI official this week that officials had n indication violence was a possibility, and add to questions of what intelligence authorities had reviewed prior to the Capitol riot.... 'Prior to this event, the FBI obtained credible and actionable information about individuals who were planning on traveling to the protests whoexpressed a desire to engage in violence,' the senior FBI official told NBC News. 'The FBI was able to discourage those individuals from traveling to D.C.'... The FBI official said that by dissuading some extremists from traveling to Washington, the bureau may have prevented an even more violent situation." (Also linked yesterday.)

"I Don't Like the Visuals." Carol Leonnig, et al., of the Washington Post: "Two days before Congress was set to formalize President-elect Joe Biden's victory, Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund ... asked House and Senate security officials for permission to request that the D.C. National Guard be placed on standby in case he needed quick backup. But, Sund said Sunday, they turned him down.... It was the first of six times Sund's request for help was rejected or delayed, he said. Two days later on Wednesday afternoon, his forces already in the midst of crisis, Sund said he pleaded for help five more times as a scene far more dire than he had ever imagined unfolded on the historic Capitol grounds.... At 2:26 p.m., [after some of the mob had entered the Capitol building], Sund said, he joined a conference call to the Pentagon to plead for additional backup.... The D.C. contingent [on the phone call] was flabbergasted to hear a top Army official say that he could not recommend that his boss, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, approve the request. 'I don't like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background,' the official said.... Despite Sund's pleas, the first National Guard personnel didn't arrive at the Capitol until 5:40 p.m. -- after four people had died and the worst was long over." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I wonder how that "top Army official" liked the "visuals" that did come out of the Capitol. S/he should be demoted & sent to Somalia or some other place where there might not be "visuals" to worry about.

Jay Reeves, et al., of the AP: "Under battle flags bearing Donald Trump's name, the Capitol's attackers pinned a bloodied police officer in a doorway.... They mortally wounded another officer with a blunt weapon and body-slammed a third over a railing into the crowd. 'Hang Mike Pence!' the insurrectionists chanted as they pressed inside, beating police with pipes. They demanded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's whereabouts, too. They hunted any and all lawmakers: 'Where are they?' Outside, makeshift gallows stood, complete with sturdy wooden steps and the noose. Guns and pipe bombs had been stashed in the vicinity.... The sinister nature of the assault has become evident, betraying the crowd as a force determined to occupy the inner sanctums of Congress and run down leaders.... This was not just a collection of Trump supporters with MAGA bling caught up in a wave.... 'What I saw in front of me,' [Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.)] said, 'was basically home-grown fascism, out of control.'"...

The mob got explicit marching orders from Trump and still more encouragement from the president's men. 'Fight like hell,' Trump exhorted his partisans at the staging rally. 'Let's have trial by combat,' implored his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, whose attempt to throw out election results in trial by courtroom failed. It's time to 'start taking down names and kicking ass,' said Republican Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama. Criminals pardoned by Trump, among them Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, came forward at rallies on the eve of the attack to tell the crowds they were fighting a battle between good and evil and they were on the side of good. On Capitol Hill, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri gave a clenched-fist salute to the hordes outside the Capitol as he pulled up to press his challenge of the election results."

Amy Brittain, et al., of the Washington Post: "Those who made their way to the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday hail from at least 36 states, along with the District of Columbia and Canada.... Their paths to the nation's capital were largely fueled by long-standing grievances and distrust.... Several who traveled to Washington to support the 'Stop the Steal' rally told The Post they were driven by two primary grievances: their opposition to the election results and the restrictions in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.... Others squarely cited their fealty to the president as the force that pulled them to the nation's capital.... Most who were interviewed by Post reporters remained resolute.... 'We were invited by the president' to Washington, said [58-year-old Glynnda] White, who says she stood outside the Capitol but did not enter the building. 'And we went.'" MB: One of the "grievances" made me laugh. If you read the article, search for "Saccone", and read all 9 grafs.

The New York Times' presidential transition live updates Sunday are here: "While sheltering in a secure location as a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, House lawmakers may have been exposed to someone who was infected with the coronavirus.... In an email sent to lawmakers, Dr. Brian P. Monahan ... said that ... 'individuals may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.'... Dozens of lawmakers, staff members and reporters took shelter in the secure room on Wednesday, but a handful of Republicans refused to wear masks, one person there said, even as Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, Democrat of Delaware, tried to pass out masks.... Representative Jake LaTurner of Kansas, received positive test results after voting on the House floor to overturn Arizona's results and did not return for a second vote early Thursday. It was unclear where Mr. LaTurner was sheltering in place...." Thanks to RAS for the lead. An AP story on Monahan's warning is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

David Sanger of the New York Times: "The speech that President Trump delivered to his supporters just before they attacked the Capitol last week is a central focus as House Democrats prepare an article of impeachment against him for inciting the deadly riot. Mr. Trump had urged supporters to come to Washington for a 'Save America March' on Wednesday, when Congress would ceremonially count President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s win, telling them to 'be there, will be wild!' At a rally just before the violence, he repeated many of his falsehoods about how the election was stolen, then dispatched the marchers to the Capitol as those proceedings were about to start. Here are some notable excerpts from Mr. Trump's remarks, with analysis.... The president's speech was riddled with violent imagery and calls to fight harder than before.... Whipping up anger against Republicans who were not going along with his plan for subverting the election, like Vice President Mike Pence, Mr. Trump told the crowd that '[very] different rules' now applied.... Mr. Trump repeatedly told his followers that they could still stop Mr. Biden from becoming president if they 'fight like hell,' a formulation that suggested they act and change things, not merely raise their voices in protest.... As he sicced his supporters on Congress, Mr. Trump assured them that he would personally accompany them to the Capitol."

Arnold Goes There, and He Should Know. Kat Lonsdorf of NPR: "Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a heartfelt video to Twitter on Sunday, recounting his childhood in Austria after World War II and denouncing the violent mob that overtook the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The video, nearly eight minutes long and set to swelling music, starts by recalling Kristallnacht -- or the Night of Broken Glass.... 'Wednesday was the day of broken glass right here in the United States,' Schwarzenegger says in the video, which by Sunday afternoon had been viewed nearly 12 million times.... Schwarzenegger's father was a member of the Nazi party -- something Schwarzenegger himself didn't know until decades later -- and in the video, he talks openly about his father's anger and the abuse he inflicted on the family after the war." (Also linked yesterday.)

Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "Whether President Trump is forced from office or serves out the remaining days of his term, he is now destined to slink out of the White House considerably diminished from the strapping, fearsome force he and his advisers imagined he would be in his post-presidency. In the wake of the mob attack on the Capitol that Trump incited, some allies have abandoned him, many in the business community have shunned him and Twitter took away his social media megaphone.... Trump had planned to retreat from Washington to plot a comeback that could return him to the White House in four years, but now he will have to contend with a possible second impeachment or perhaps even criminal charges." (Also linked yesterday.)

Kevin Manahan of NJ.com: "The PGA of America will strip Donald Trump of the 2022 PGA Championship, which is scheduled to be held at Trump National Bedminster golf club in New Jersey. In a blistering column that says the golf world must sever all ties with Trump, Golfweek's Eamon Lynch said the PGA has been debating for two years the need to move the major championship and, once Trump is out of office, will announce the tournament will be played elsewhere[.]" (Also linked yesterday.) A Washington Post story is here. An ABC News story is here.

Justine Coleman of the Hill: "Payment processing company Stripe cut ties with President Trump's campaign after his supporters rioted at the Capitol last week.... Stripe, a San Francisco-based company that manages online card payments for several businesses, will stop processing payments to the campaign, saying the campaign violated its policies against encouraging violence after a pro-Trump mob stormed and vandalized the Capitol. The company requests that users not collect payments for 'high risk' activities, including for any business or organization that 'engages in, encourages, promotes or celebrates unlawful violence or physical harm to persons or property,' according to its website."

Scotland. Martyn McLaughlin of The Scotsman: "At least four MSPs across three parties have now supported an outright ban on the outgoing US president from flying into the country, intensifying the pressure on home secretary Priti Patel to stop Mr Trump from travelling here. The warnings are especially acute during the coronavirus pandemic, with one MSP warning that Mr Trump would be putting rural communities at risk were he to visit in coming weeks. Others, however, said once the pandemic is over, it should remain Mr Trump's right to visit his Scottish properties, despite the fact he is a 'dangerous man'. Scotland's health secretary Jeane Freeman said that if Mr Trump ignored the warnings to stay away, the Scottish Government 'would use every power available to it to protect the health of its citizens'." --s

Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "After months of stoking anger about alleged election fraud..., Cumulus Media, which employs some of the most popular right-leaning talk-radio hosts in the United States, has told its on-air personalities to stop suggesting that the election was stolen from President Trump -- or else face termination. A Cumulus executive issued the directive on Wednesday, just as Congress met to certify Joe Biden's election victory and an angry mob of Trump supporters marched on the Capitol.... 'We need to help induce national calm NOW,' Brian Philips, executive vice president of content for Cumulus, wrote in an internal memo.... Cumulus and its program syndication arm, Westwood One, 'will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has been resolved and there are no alternate acceptable "paths."'"

Josh & Ted's Excellent Adventure May Cost Them. David Shepardson, et al., of Reuters: "Marriott International Inc, the world's largest hotel company, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) said Sunday they will suspend donations to U.S. lawmakers who voted last week against certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory. 'We have taken the destructive events at the Capitol to undermine a legitimate and fair election into consideration and will be pausing political giving from our Political Action Committee to those who voted against certification of the election,' Marriott spokeswoman Connie Kim said, confirming a report in Popular Information, a political newsletter. BCBSA, the federation of 36 independent companies that provide health care coverage for one in three Americans, said 'in light of this week's violent, shocking assault on the United States Capitol, and the votes of some members of Congress to subvert the results of November's election by challenging Electoral College results, BCSBA will suspend contributions to those lawmakers who voted to undermine our democracy.'"


Democrats Try to Prevent Another Trump. Elizabeth Williamson of the New York Times: "As House Democrats move toward punishing President Trump with a history-making second impeachment, they are also pressing ahead with a parallel effort to try to ensure that Mr. Trump's four-year record of violating democratic and constitutional norms cannot be repeated. Mr. Trump's term has revealed enormous gaps between the ideals of American democracy and the reality. Even before he incited a mob to attack the Capitol and the legislative branch of government, he ignored watchdog rulings and constitutional safeguards, pressed to overturn the outcome of an election, and pardoned those who covered for him, all while funneling taxpayer dollars to his family business. In response, lawmakers and pressure groups are pushing for a wide-ranging overhaul of ethics laws..., hoping to reconstruct and strengthen the guardrails that Mr. Trump plowed through. Among the changes embraced by House Democratic leaders are limits on the president's pardon powers, mandated release of a president's tax returns, new enforcement powers for independent agencies and Congress, and firmer prohibitions against financial conflicts of interest in the White House." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Nothing in the story says the proposed legislation includes means to enforce Congressional subpoenas. I think that should be a priority.

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

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

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

Florida. Patricia Mazzei, et al., of the New York Times: Florida's "well-intended effort to throw open the doors of the vaccine program to everyone 65 and older has led to long lines, confusion and disappointment.... With states and counties left to largely sort out logistics by themselves, the rollout has gone anything but smoothly.... In a state with about 4.4 million people 65 and older, more than 402,000 doses had been administered as of Friday, according to federal data, the fourth-highest total in the nation. But Florida has used only about 30 percent of the vaccine doses it has received, behind 29 other states.... Dr. Perri Young, an internist in Miami, said that the distribution process has been shambolic and ineffective. Even as a doctor, she said, her access to information is minimal. 'It's crazy here,' she said. 'It became sort of lawless.'"

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Reader Comments (22)

I'm sure there is other bad news out there somewhere but the worst I've come across this AM is that the Pretender will not be making his last stand at the Alamo in San Antonio tomorrow, but instead by standing in front of his Wall 200 miles away in Alamo, Texas, for a final photo op.

But while I'm disappointed there is no chance he will suffer the same fate as the San Antonio American "heroes," there is something fittingly symbolic about him standing in front of the purposeless Wall that bookends his disastrous presidency.

The Wall was something the nation didn't need. It was built on a foundation of lies. It was about creating schisms, driving people and races apart. It was a promise broken from the beginning, Mexico didn't pay for it, and the Pretender unhesitatingly and brazenly stole the money for it from the body charged with our real national security, that is, from us.

Add it all up and the Wall is a perfect monument to he Pretender and his accomplishments.

A scam that other people paid for.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

This one made some sense out of Hawley:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/opinion/josh-hawley-religion-democracy.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

Not comforting sense, however. Turns out he's not a cynic, just nuts.

I'm still thinking his partner in crime, Cruz, is a cynical opportunist.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Kill a Democrat for Christ

There is little doubt as to the contribution of religion (specifically, the Christianity of the religious right) to the recent assault on democracy carried out by Trump brownshirts and those who despise any who disagree with them.

The religious component may not be clear at first, although there were signs carried by some alerting those who don't necessarily agree, that "Jesus is King". I have no problem with that belief. We are a nation built on tolerance. Tolerance for the religious and political beliefs of others. It becomes a problem, however, a very big problem, when those beliefs instigate the concept that those who don't go along with us deserve to die.

This isn't hyperbole. And there is no "both sides" here. Anti-choice forces have bombed health clinics that offer abortion services, and murdered doctors who work at those clinics. Is there a single incident in which those who feel that choice is a vital right have murdered anti-choice leaders?

I grew up Catholic. At my Confirmation, a Catholic sacrament, we were reminded that we were now Soldiers for Jesus Christ. The idea was to promote what we were taught in the Gospels. There was no mention, despite the nomenclature, that we were given permission to attack and even murder those who decided to go some other way. But that's not how it works for everyone.

The worst, most brutal (in terms of personal hatred) wars in the world have been fought over religion. The Thirty Years War, part of the European Wars of Religion, devastated huge swaths of the continent. In Germany alone, estimates run as high as 60% of the population having been killed or who died from the consequences of non-stop war. Just think of that. WWII wiped out about 15% of the European population. 60% would translate to about 65 million deaths.

Here's the problem with religious wars, and what makes those who wage such wars so brutal. If the other guy doesn't go along with your beliefs, he, perforce, rejects god. Your god, granted, but as far as you're concerned your god is the only true god. If you're against god, then you deserve everything you get. Anyone with a knowledge of the Reformation (or who has read Hillary Mantel's trilogy about the court of Henry VIII) must have had a few hair raising moments reading about the horrific tortures and executions reserved for apostates or any who won't, or can't, abide your proclamation of religious superiority.

Now fast forward to Trump's Amerika. The progression of the Right has gone from scorched earth attacks by Republicans on Democrats, to the belief that Democrats have no right to govern, to what is rapidly gaining traction in the gutters of right-wing world, that Democrats have no right to live.

This is dogma writ large. No different from a religious war. The rioters on the right who attacked the Capitol building with an eye toward murdering apostates (mike pence) and those who disagree with them politically (Nancy Pelosi), follow a direct line from the religious right belief that religious tolerance is only for them, just as governance (despite the fact that they truly hate governing and suck at it) is only for Republicans.

And this feeling that god is on your side makes it perfectly fine to attack those who whom you think don't agree with your dogmatic beliefs with as much fury as you can muster, which is anathema to the basic tenets of democracy.

What makes democracy work is the ability of different political groups to disagree, and to do it without the threat of violence or death. That includes (indeed, requires) a peaceful transfer of power. This is why democracy has never been beloved by authoritarians (looking at you Trump, McConnell, Cruz, Hawley, etc.).

So then, it's a pretty clear shot (so to speak) from hatred of democracy, religious disagreements, and the closely held idea that your side is empowered by heaven, to murder. If you're killing an "evil person" for Christ, you're forgiven. Not just that, you are a hero.

But now we get to the part where the apologists on the right say "Liberals started it!"

Has there been rioting by those on the left? Yes. But here's the difference. Protests by Black Lives Matter and other groups against decades of police brutality are entirely legitimate. Maybe the protests get out of hand (they have). But the goal has never been, as it was by the Trump brownshirts, to murder people, or deny them their constitutional rights. Those Trump rioters weren't protesting. Some may believe that they are put upon, but mostly, they are "protesting" a fiction. They are not being oppressed. Just imagine the reaction if a single one of those Proud Boy motherfuckers had to endure a single day as a black person. They'd be ready to nuke the place.

And even the wildest rioting by those on the left is designed to change the system, not destroy it. There's a difference.

And none of the movements on the left for social change and justice (BLM, Occupy, etc.) is underpinned by the idea that their position is endowed by an imprimatur from god which gives them the right to destroy their enemies.

On the right, the Kill a Democrat for Christ movement is gaining steam. Trump pumped it up, but it's been coming for some time. And it ain't going away any time soon.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Seems Ken and I were reading the same excellent piece by Kathleen Stewart whose writing has been centered on the religious right for more than a decade. It answered my questions about Hawley whose bono fides certainly didn't seem to square with his behavior . I had already snuffed out Cruz since I'd been following him for years and knew of his religious fervor, being a child of alcoholics with a desperate need to be cock of the walk. Now along comes Josh: Stewart gets to the roots of Hawley's rage and once again the Myth resounds with its sound and fury.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/opinion/josh-hawley-religion-democracy.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

"Make no mistake: Mr. Hawley is a symptom, not a cause. He is a product of the same underlying forces that brought us Trump and the present crisis of American democracy. Unless we find a way to address these forces and the fundamental pathologies that drive them, then next month or next year we will be forced to contend with a new and perhaps more successful version of Mr. Hawley."

P.S. good to see blowback from many entities toward not only Trump but contributions to members of Congress who are explicit in the mayhem.

and a thought: if we don't oust Fatty fast he may just pardon all those loyal soldiers who were following his orders––could he do that???

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

As for impeachment, it won't go anywhere, because a traitor still controls the Senate, but it absolutely must go forward if for no other reason than it will prove that there are consequences to fomenting violence, insurrection, and treason. Were we to let the Fat Fascist walk on Inauguration Day, we would be saying that he is, as he and his followers believe, above the law. Pence will never invoke the 25th amendment, and Republicans will never go along with impeachment, but it's an absolute must that Democrats follow through. They must show that they, at least, follow the Constitution and attend to the rule of law. Plus, it cements Fatty's place in history as the most reviled, most criminal president* in US history.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@AK: If I recall correctly you once said, referring to the Catholic church at the time, but I presumed all religion–-that big myth in the sky stuff–- in particular as "the biggest scam ever in the history of man." Your post today illustrates the downside; I know that many feel there is an upside or as you say:

"The religious component may not be clear at first, although there were signs carried by some alerting those who don't necessarily agree, that "Jesus is King". I have no problem with that belief."

And you then talked of tolerance. Yes, however my intense objection to these beliefs which are based on myth but proposed and believed as fact interfere with Science in its many guises––we are seeing this during the pandemic. So as much as I wish I had those feelings of tolerance those feelings have fled.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

If I were Josh Hawley & someone wrote an op-ed about me that appeared on the front page of the online New York Times, I'm certain I would read it. So what must Josh think when he reads Katherine Stewart's takedown of his Christians-only views? Stewart's piece does not fault Hawley so much for his stupid stunts inciting insurrections as she does fault the underlying religious philosophy that caused the sunts. Is well-educated Josh able to understand what she's writing about? Could her analysis sink in, even for a moment?

I doubt it. As Akhilleus points out, Hawley believes that no matter what, God -- and more specifically Jesus -- is on his side. And anyone who takes that side -- even if he be a heathen like Trump -- is immersed in a "righteous" cause. Even a person who doesn't often swallow "the little cracker" has Jesus' blessing if he fights against the evil liberal secularists.

January 11, 2021 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

I find it laughable, or maybe disturbing, that many of those right wing nuts will state on social media that the Capitol invaders could have been liberals just to make them look bad.
I can assure you that if I had occasion to go to the Capitol
I'd be wearing a suit and tie, not horns and fur, etc.
They're no doubt back home now working on costumes and war paint for the Jan. 20th invasion.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

Forrest,

Oh, c’mon. You mean you wouldn’t go full Game of Thrones haberdashery for your visit to the Capitol? I’ll bet a sword and battle mace would come in handy on the Washington Metro at rush hour. And a mail hauberk would be good protection against someone spilling their Big Gulp in your lap when the train brakes to a stop. Besides, suits are so 20th century.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Hawley is an even crazier whacko than I thought. And he’s not alone.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Re Josh Hawley, what I want to know is how the heck did he get into Stanford and Yale?? Is there some affirmative action program for those whose religious beliefs would prevent them from having the critical thinking skills that would otherwise be required?

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRockygirl

Do Roger Stone and Michael Flynn already need another pardon to keep them out of jail? Has anyone ever gotten two pardons from a President? Rudy was smart to put off his pardon until the last day, but you know within the week he, just like most of Trump's "friends, will have committed at least a handfull of felonies. They are who they are and those old dogs won't be learning any new tricks.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Don't wish to supply too simple an answer to Rockygirl's fine question, but were universities like Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Harvard and other so-called elite institutions to apply the filter she suggests, at this point in our devolving cultural history, there would be no Republicans left (remaining?) in their student population.

That might be good for learning but not so good for the universities' endowments, because at present there's a whole lot of money behind the nuts.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

"because there's a whole lot of money behind the nuts":
Most heartening article I've read today listed some corporate donors asking themselves what is our money financing? and concluding the destruction of American ideals. Hope the realization lasts more than 24 hours.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterCowichan's Opinion

Miz Melanoma gave us a peek at he outlook a few years ago when she made the trip with her "I really don't care" jacket.

But little did we suspect then how much she cared so little about.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterBobby Lee

Here's the latest news blurb from a St Louis NBC affiliate regarding Hawley being attacked and asked to reign:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD2Epo4lDUs

Anyone know anything about Businessman David Humphreys - Hawley's (donor) supporter?

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered Commenterperiscope

Here's the latest news blurb from a St Louis NBC affiliate regarding Hawley being attacked and asked to resign:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD2Epo4lDUs

Anyone know anything about Businessman David Humphreys - Hawley's (donor) supporter?

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered Commenterperiscope

Apologies. I'll show myself out.

Humphreys, who withdrew his support from Hawley, is CEO of Tamko home products, mostly asphalt shingles, produced in the USA, and is a prominent philanthropist in Missouri.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered Commenterperiscope

Pile on the poor Pretender, now that he's down, says Mad Dog Bolton.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/11/bolton-trump-gop-republicans-457735

It's not Republicans' fault, says Bolton. The Pretender was an aberration. And now, ironically and amusingly, he, of all people, is the scapegoat.

Recognizing that, however, does not clean Republicans' hands of the stench they worked so hard to earn and richly deserve.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

When Hillary said "deplorables" several years ago she knew of whom she spoke.

Speaking of the Ivy leaguers: they have great libraries. But now that the information landscape is flatter, that matters less. What they have now is the people networks that work to keep a huge percentage of academic research funding. Morality doesn't appear to figure into their metrics.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered Commentercitizen625

In the past, when people asked whether or not I believed in God, my standard response was: Which one?

That usually shut them up straight away.

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered Commenterunwashed

Here's an interesting piece by Fiona Hill about Drumpf's self-coup. The "autogolpes" as Ak described

January 11, 2021 | Unregistered Commenterunwashed
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