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 14, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Emily Davies & Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post: "The National Mall will be closed for Inauguration Day, only accessible by media and security personnel, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues. The extraordinary closure is the latest in a series of security measures to harden the city against the type of violence that rocked the Capitol on Jan. 6."

Paul Sonne, et al., of the Washington Post: "The three top federal agencies responsible for protecting the nation -- the Departments of Justice, Defense and Homeland Security -- are all being run by acting officials, as the United States endures one of its most sensitive national security crises. The leadership vacuum is the product of President Trump's tempestuous relationships with his Cabinet secretaries and tendency to replace them for long periods of time with acting officials who lack Senate confirmation -- a pattern that has led to turmoil atop critical federal agencies for much of his presidency.... The makeshift leadership at the three agencies comes as Biden risks starting his presidency without any of his Cabinet nominees confirmed. In the recent past, the Senate has tried to confirm at least a few critical nominees immediately.... The Biden transition team said in a statement Wednesday that the confirmation hearing for Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's choice to run the Department of Homeland Security, had been moved up in the aftermath of the riot.... The confirmation hearing for Mayorkas was moved up to Jan. 19 after four former homeland security secretaries ... wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post saying the country couldn't afford one more day without a confirmed DHS secretary."

Trump's Terrorist Base. Devlin Barrett, et al., of the Washington Post: "Dozens of people on a terrorist watch list were in Washington for pro-Trump events Jan. 6.... The majority of the watch-listed individuals in Washington that day are suspected white supremacists whose past conduct so alarmed investigators that their names had been previously entered into the national Terrorist Screening Database, or TSDB, a massive set of names flagged as potential security risks, these people said. The watch list is larger and separate from the 'no-fly' list the government maintains.... The presence of so many watch-listed individuals in one place -- without more robust security measures to protect the public -- is another example of the intelligence failures preceding last week's fatal assault that sent lawmakers running for their lives, some current and former law enforcement officials argued.... Several law enforcement officials said they are shocked by the backgrounds of some individuals under investigation in connection with the Capitol riot, a pool of suspects that includes current and former law enforcement and military personnel as well as senior business executives and middle-aged business owners."

Alan Feuer & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "One week after an angry mob stormed the Capitol..., lawmakers called for new investigations and federal authorities fanned out across the country, taking into custody several more suspects, including two police officers from Virginia and a firefighter from Florida.... Federal law enforcement officials continued to examine whether the assault on the Capitol included coordinated efforts by small groups of extremists and was not merely a mass protest that spiraled out of control.... The inspector general's office of the Capitol Police said it was opening a potentially wide-ranging inquiry into security breaches connected to the siege. The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan federal watchdog agency, signaled that it would look into what role, if any, members of Congress may have played in inciting the mob of Trump supporters.... The Houston police chief, Art Acevedo, said in an interview on Wednesday that one of his officers, an 18-year veteran of the force, was also under investigation in connection to the Capitol attack and was likely to face charges.... Federal agents made more arrests on Wednesday in New York, Maryland, Texas and Florida, among them a firefighter from the town of Sanford, near Orlando. The firefighter, Andrew Williams, was charged with unlawful entry and disorderly conduct.... A group of Arizona state lawmakers released a letter on Wednesday that they had sent a day earlier to [acting AG Jeffrey] Rosen and [FBI Director Christopher] Wray, calling for an investigation into two of their own colleagues, Mark Finchem and Anthony Kern, who, according to social media posts, were at the riot at the Capitol."

Giulia Nieto del Rio, et al., of the New York Times: 'A man who was photographed holding a Confederate battle flag inside the U.S. Capitol last week during the riot was arrested Thursday in Delaware, two law enforcement officials said. The man, Kevin Seefried, was wanted by the F.B.I., which had sought help from the public to identify him and had widely circulated a dispatch plastered with images of him.... According to court documents, Mr. Seefried and his son, Hunter Seefried, were identified after the F.B.I. received a report from a co-worker of Hunter Seefried that said that the man had bragged about being in the Capitol with his father on January 6. Mr. Seefried's son was also charged.... A retired firefighter from Chester, Pa., [Robert Sanford,] was also arrested on Thursday after he was identified as the man seen in a video throwing a fire extinguisher at police officers during the riot.... Mr. Sanford went to the Capitol following 'the president's instructions,' a complaining witness told the F.B.I."

Lisa Lerer & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. plans to name Jaime Harrison as his pick to lead the Democratic National Committee, part of an effort to bolster the committee ahead of what are already expected to be challenging midterm elections for the party, according to two people with knowledge of the selection. A former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, Mr. Harrison became a national political star last year as he shattered fund-raising records in his race against Senator Lindsey Graham, who was up for re-election. While Mr. Harrison lost in November, drawing 44 percent of the vote to Mr. Graham's 55 percent, he developed a broad bench of support across the party." Politico's story is here.

Adolfo Flores & Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News: "Top Justice Department officials under ... Donald Trump pushed to separate immigrant families at the border despite knowing how difficult it would be to reunite them, according to a government watchdog report released Thursday. In spring 2018, the Trump administration announced the 'zero tolerance' policy, which called for prosecuting everyone who was caught crossing the border illegally. In practice, from May 5 to June 20 that year, the policy resulted in the separation of more than 3,000 children from their parents, prompting widespread backlash and confusion. Lawyers working to reunite immigrant families separated at the border said Wednesday that they still can't find the parents of 611 children. In its report, the Department of Justice's inspector general found that Jeff Sessions, who was attorney general at the time, and other leaders at the department did not effectively coordinate with government agencies that would ultimately be involved in prosecuting the parents and caring for the children. 'We concluded that the Department's single-minded focus on increasing immigration prosecutions came at the expense of careful and appropriate consideration of the impact of family unit prosecutions and child separations,' the report states. During a call with five US attorneys along the southern border who expressed concern about the separations, Sessions said ... 'We need to take away children,'... according to notes taken by one of the attorneys during the meeting.... 'If care about kids, don't bring them in; won't give amnesty; to people with kids.' The report also documented how planning between the departments of Justice and Homeland Security -- and within the agency itself -- had broken down throughout the process." ~~~

~~~ Julia Ainsley & Jacob Soboroff of NBC News: "After a scathing new report from the Justice Department's watchdog blamed top department officials for being the 'driving force' behind the Trump administration's 2018 migrant family separation policy, former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein issued a statement of regret Thursday and current DOJ official Gene Hamilton blamed the president for the policy. In interviews with the DOJ Office of Inspector General in the lead-up to the report, Gene Hamilton, known as a close ally of White House adviser Stephen Miller, said the decision to separate families, a policy known as 'zero tolerance' that lasted two months in 2018 before it was terminated by executive order, ultimately rested with ... Donald Trump and then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.... [Former AG Jeff] Sessions refused to be interviewed by the Inspector General.... The report could provide a road map for the incoming Biden administration to investigate those responsible for a policy President-elect Joe Biden has called criminal."

~~~~~~~~~~

Missy Ryan, et al., of the Washington Post: "National Guard forces from a growing list of states moved into positions across Washington[,D.C.,] on Wednesday as authorities scrambled to understand the extent of threats surrounding President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration and prevent a repeat of last week's deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. City and federal officials conducted tabletop exercises to rehearse inauguration security and strengthen coordination among a massive patchwork of police, National Guard troops and federal personnel that is expected to fan out ahead of protests this weekend and the Jan. 20 transfer of power. By next week, the D.C. police chief said, upward of 20,000 guardsmen were expected to be in place to guard against violence.... Officials and analysts monitoring online posts and message threads said some far-right groups appeared to be backing down from plans to come to Washington in coming days, at least in part owing to the National Guard and law enforcement presence."

Alexandra Jaffe & Zeke Miller of the AP: "President-elect Joe Biden will no longer be taking an Amtrak train to Washington for his inauguration because of security concerns, a person briefed on the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The president-elect's decision reflects growing worries over potential threats in the Capitol and across the U.S. in the lead-up to Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration."

Trump Impeached Again

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump on Wednesday became the first American president to be impeached twice, as 10 members of his party joined with Democrats in the House to charge him with 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in egging on a violent mob that stormed the Capitol last week. Reconvening in a building now heavily militarized against threats from pro-Trump activists and adorned with bunting for the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., lawmakers voted 232 to 197 to approve a single impeachment article. It accused Mr. Trump of 'inciting violence against the government of the United States' in his quest to overturn the election results, and called for him to be removed and disqualified from ever holding public office again. The vote left another indelible stain on Mr. Trump's presidency just a week before he is slated to leave office and laid bare the cracks running through the Republican Party. More members of his party voted to charge the president than in any other impeachment."

Philip Rucker, et al., of the Washington Post: "When Donald Trump on Wednesday became the first president ever impeached twice, he did so as a leader increasingly isolated, sullen and vengeful. With less than seven days remaining in his presidency, Trump's inner circle is shrinking, offices in his White House are emptying, and the president is lashing out at some of those who remain. He is angry that his allies have not mounted a more forceful defense of his incitement of the mob that stormed the Capitol last week, advisers and associates said. Though Trump has been exceptionally furious with Vice President Pence, his relationship with lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, one of his most steadfast defenders, is also fracturing.... Trump has instructed aides not to pay Giuliani's legal fees, two officials said, and has demanded that he personally approve any reimbursements for the expenses Giuliani incurred while traveling on the president's behalf to challenge election results in key states. They said Trump ... did not appreciate a demand from Giuliani for $20,000 a day in fees for his work attempting to overturn the election....

"... the White House did not mount a vigorous defense Wednesday as House members debated his fitness for office and, ultimately, voted to impeach him. This is both because there was no organized campaign to block impeachment and because many of his aides believe Trump's incitement of the riot was too odious to defend. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, who was central to the president's defense in his first impeachment a year ago, told other staffers to make sure word got out that he was not involved in defending Trump this time...." ~~~

~~~ Shannon Pettypiece, et al., of NBC News: "... Trump continues to cling to his false assertion that he won the election and is refusing pleas that he leave office days before his term expires because of his role in the deadly attack. Trump ... remains both defiant and sullen, said one former White House official.... Trump monitored the impeachment proceedings Wednesday mostly from the Oval Office, according to an administration official.... Stripped of the ability to fire off real-time responses, Trump must rely on a White House staff that has largely been replaced with moving boxes as aides head for the exits and allies fail to offer a defense of him in public.... The staff in White House normally thins in the final days of an administration as people secure new jobs, but Trump's West Wing has become a ghost town after resignations following last week's riot."

Alan Fram & Andrew Taylor of the AP: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday blocked a quick Senate impeachment trial for ... Donald Trump but did not rule out that he might eventually vote to convict the now twice-impeached president. Minutes after the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump, McConnell suggested in a statement that Trump's Senate trial will not start before Jan. 19, the chamber's next scheduled business day.... 'I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,' McConnell wrote [in a letter to GOP senators]." (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This, of course, is Mitch's attempt to have it both ways: (1) he's not down with Trump & His Insurrectionists, and (2) he supports Trump & Freedumb. At the same time, McConnell's move may be his way of controlling Trump, someone who has made Mitch's life more miserable than any Democrat has. As long as Mitch holds what looks like a real threat of impeachment over Trump's head -- in this case, for the rest of Trump's term -- Trump is incentivized to try to behave himself. Ergo, yesterday's hostage video.

From the Washington Post's live updates: "The House on Wednesday voted to impeach Trump on a charge of 'inciting violence' against the U.S. government, making him the first president in U.S. history to have been impeached twice. The final vote count was 232 in favor and 197 opposed. Ten Republicans joined all Democrats present in voting to impeach Trump.... The 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Peter Meijer (Mich.), Dan Newhouse (Wash.), Tom Rice (S.C.), Fred Upton (Mich.) and David Valadao (Calif.).... Trump now faces a Senate trial after his term ends, when the chamber could vote on barring him from future elective office if he is convicted." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ More from the Washington Post's updates: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) opened a two-hour debate Tuesday on Trump's impeachment by calling him 'a clear and present danger' and saying 'he must go.' The House is poised to impeach Trump on a single article charging him with 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in last week's takeover of the Capitol by a violent pro-Trump mob. ~~~

~~~ "As Wednesday's floor debate was underway, Trump issued a statement calling for there to be no violence at any of the protests that are expected to take place during the week of Biden's inauguration. 'In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,' Trump said in the statement, which was first reported by Fox News. 'That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.' According to Fox News, the White House will 'attempt to post the statement to all of Trump's official social media accounts.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

From the New York Times live updates: "The House had enough votes on Wednesday to impeach President Trump for inciting a violent insurrection against the United States government, as more than a half-dozen members of the president's party joined Democrats to charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors for an unprecedented second time." (Also linked yesterday.)

David Brand of the Queens Daily Eagle: "A Queens-born real estate developer made history Wednesday when he became the first U.S. president ever impeached twice by the House of Representatives. Donald Trump, a 74-year-old lame duck Republican, is accused of inciting a lethal mob of far-right supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol in order to prevent Congress from certifying the results of his resounding loss in the November 2020 election. President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, recorded 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232. With Trump's encouragement, Confederate-flag bearing white supremacists and fascist agitators besieged the Capitol, threatening to kill Vice President Mike Pence, breaking into lawmakers' offices, stealing public property and smearing feces on the wall.... Ten Republican members of Congress joined the Democratic majority in voting to impeach the Jamaica Estates native for the second time. In December 2019, Trump became the third president impeached by Congress -- and the first from Queens."

Kaitlan Collins & Kevin Liptak of CNN: "On the day he will be impeached for a history-making second time..., Donald Trump lacks a comprehensive legal strategy, has nothing on his public schedule and is without his preferred social media methods of responding -- in part because his son-in-law put a stop to efforts establishing his presence on fringe platforms after he was banned from Twitter. It amounts to near-invisibility for the President at the most perilous moment of his presidency, which is ending in tumult and dramatic rebuke from members of his own party.... Jared Kushner intervened when other officials tried restoring the President's social media presence on sites that are often havens for extremists, such as Gab, following an unprecedented ban from several major platforms. According to an outside adviser and an administration official, Kushner and deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino blocked efforts by other aides, including personnel chief Johnny McEntee, to get the President on fringe social media platforms after he was suspended in some fashion from almost every major one, including Twitter, Facebook and, now, YouTube." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Update: "After the House voted 232 to 197 to impeach him ... Trump released a video statement that did not mention the historic development that had occurred a few hours earlier. Instead, he delivered a call for calm as the threat of new riots -- which Trump said he'd been briefed on by the Secret Service -- casts a pall over Washington. That briefing took place on Monday and played a role in the President's decision to record the video, an official told CNN. 'No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement or our great American flag,' he said from behind the Resolute Desk in the Ova Office.... At the end of the spot, which was recorded by the White House and not independent television cameras, Trump decried what he called the 'unprecedented assault on free speech we have seen in recent days.... Efforts to censor, cancel and blacklist our fellow citizens are wrong and they are dangerous,' he said." ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Haberman & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: “Under heavy pressure from his advisers, President Trump on Wednesday released a five-minute video recorded in the Oval Office condemning last week's mob violence at the Capitol and urging his supporters to stand down from further rioting next week. The video was released on a White House Twitter account. The president offered no note of humility, regret or self-reflection about his two months of false claims that the election was stolen from him.... Mr. Trump did not mention the name of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., he did not concede the election and he did not talk about Mr. Biden's inauguration, which is to take place next week under extraordinary security because of the threats inspired by the Capitol breach. He also made no mention of the impeachment vote.... But it was also a broader condemnation of the violence than he has offered so far.... [The purpose of cutting the video:] The president's aides have warned him that he faces potential legal exposure for the riot...

"Advisers said that Mr. Trump had to be dissuaded from going to the House floor to try to defend himself during Wednesday's impeachment proceedings, something he wanted to do during his first impeachment in December 2019, advisers said." Emphasis added. MB: Oh, if only. That would have been a spectacle to behold: Trump, the self-acclaimed great dealmaker, wheeling & cajoling, whining & berating members of Congress. And perhaps finally descending into a hot rage."

Emma Fitzsimmons of the New York Times: "... on Wednesday, [New York City] announced it would terminate its contracts with the Trump Organization after the riot at the U.S. Capitol. The decision by Mayor Bill de Blasio was another blow to Mr. Trump's prestige in New York, and hammered home the depths to which the president -- once viewed as a mischievous real estate celebrity -- has become a political and social pariah in his hometown.... The city is moving to cancel contracts at two ice-skating rinks at Central Park, the Central Park Carousel and the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, a city-owned golf course in the Bronx. The Trump Organization has had profits of about $17 million a year from the contracts, Mr. de Blasio said." A CNN story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Martyn McLaughlin of The Scotsman: "[G]olf's governing body finally gave voice to what many long suspected -- for as long as the historic Ayrshire property is besmirched by Mr Trump's ownership, it will not host the sport's oldest, and arguably most prestigious, tournament.... If the ... announcement is a bitter disappointment for Turnberry and Scotland, then it is nothing short of a catastrophe for the outgoing US president and his family firm.... The decision confirms the failure of Mr Trump's annexation of elite golf.... The Trump family preside over heavily indebted, loss-making properties in Scotland that will never host golf's biggest tournaments, and in the midst of a ruinous pandemic, they must now contend with the dire economic consequences of its patriarch's autocratic tendencies." --s

National Security Officials M.I.A. Katie Benner, et al., of the New York Times: "Amid the sea of troubling facts, arrests and iconic images that have emerged in the days since the assault on the Capitol, one element remains largely absent: reassurances from some of the nation's top national security officials. Neither the acting attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, nor the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, has appeared at the type of high-profile news conference that typically marks a major criminal investigation, instead issuing news releases. Mr. Rosen also called for calm and vowed to fully investigate the violence, but the comments came in a video posted by the Justice Department on YouTube around midnight. Chad F. Wolf, the departing acting secretary of homeland security, was in the Middle East during the siege and did not return until later in the week. He also issued a news release that week calling the riot 'tragic and sickening.' For the most part, officials have not addressed that President Trump himself incited the attack by his supporters on Congress's certification of the Electoral College results." ~~~

~~~ John Eligon, et al., of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. on Wednesday urged police chiefs across the country to be on high alert for extremist activity and to share intelligence on any threats they encounter, as the U.S. government issued a dire intelligence bulletin warning of potential violence ahead of the inauguration. In the call with police chiefs, Christopher Wray, the F.B.I. director, and Kenneth Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, warned about potential attacks on state capitols, federal buildings, the homes of congressional members and businesses, according to one of the chiefs on the call." ~~~

~~~ Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "The deadly breach at the Capitol last week will be a 'significant driver of violence' for armed militia groups and racist extremists who are targeting the presidential inauguration next week, according to a joint intelligence bulletin issued by federal authorities. The 'boogaloo,' a movement that seeks to start a second civil war, and extremists aiming to trigger a race war 'may exploit the aftermath of the Capitol breach by conducting attacks to destabilize and force a climactic conflict in the United States,' according to the bulletin issued by the National Counterterrorism Center and the Justice and Homeland Security Departments, which was disseminated widely to law enforcement agencies across the country.... Antigovernment militias and racists extremists 'very likely pose the greatest domestic terrorism threats in 2021,' the agencies said."

Evan Perez of CNN: "Evidence uncovered so far, including weapons and tactics seen on surveillance video, suggests a level of planning that has led investigators to believe the attack on the US Capitol was not just a protest that spiraled out of control, a federal law enforcement official says. Among the evidence the FBI is examining are indications that some participants at the Trump rally at the Ellipse, outside the White House, left the event early, perhaps to retrieve items to be used in the assault on the Capitol. A team of investigators and prosecutors are also focused on the command and control aspect of the attack, looking at travel and communications records to determine if they can build a case that is similar to a counterterrorism investigation, the official said."

Michael Kranish, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the days since the Jan. 6 attack..., a number of Democrats have pointed to speeches, tweets and videos that they have said raised questions about whether the attackers may have been inspired or helped by Republican members of Congress.... Democrats sent a letter Wednesday asking congressional security officials to investigate what they called 'suspicious behavior and access given to visitors' the day before the attack. The letter said that Democratic lawmakers and staffers 'witnessed an extremely high number of outside groups' visiting the Capitol, which was unusual because the building has restricted public access since March, when pandemic protocols were enacted. Since then, tourists can enter the Capitol only when brought in by a member of Congress. Among the visitors, according to the Democrats' letter, were some who 'appeared to be associated with the rally.'... Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said in an interview that 'I do know that, yes, there were members that gave tours to individuals who participated in the riot.'" Politico's story is here.

Sarah Mimms of BuzzFeed News: "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live on Tuesday night that she had a 'very close encounter' on Jan. 6, the day of the violent insurrection at the US Capitol, and that she thought she 'was going to die.' Ocasio-Cortez did not provide many details about what happened to her on Jan. 6, saying she was not certain if she could 'disclose the full details' given security issues. But she called the encounter 'traumatizing,' saying, 'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.'" Update: the Washington Post report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Rebecca Tan of the Washington Post: Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman single-handedly held off -- and well, conned -- a mob of insurrectionists, leading them to a place where several armed officers stood in wait. Includes video. (Also linked yesterday.)

Meet the Trumpist. Evan Perez of CNN: "A rioter who stormed the US Capitol last week wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase 'Camp Auschwitz' was arrested Wednesday morning in Virginia, according to a law enforcement official.... The man in the sweatshirt was identified as Robert Keith Packer of Virginia. A law enforcement official told CNN that Packer was picked up in Newport News, Virginia.... Packer has a criminal history including three convictions for driving under the influence and a felony conviction for forging public records, according to Virginia court records." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post: "Federal authorities have arrested and charged two Virginia police officers who took a selfie during the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.... Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker, two members of the Rocky Mount Police Department in Virginia, took a selfie in front of a statute of John Stark, a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Robertson and Fracker are charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Vincent Veloz, a special agent with the U.S. Capitol Police, wrote in a statement of facts that Robertson posted on social media that 'we actually attacked the government,' and wrote that they 'took the fucking U.S. Capitol' in one day. He also wrote that he was proud to have 'put skin in the game.... If you are too much of a coward to risk arrest, being fired, and actual gunfire to secure your rights., you have no words to speak I value,' Robertson wrote in a message. Fracker, on Facebook, wrote that he didn't think he'd done anything wrong."

Paul Newberry of the AP: "Five-time Olympic swimming medalist Klete Keller was charged Wednesday with participating in a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol after video emerged that appeared to show him among those storming the building last week. An FBI complaint, citing screenshots from the video, asked that a warrant be issued charging Keller with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority and attempting to impede an official government function." MB: Sorry, but in the the accompanying photo, Keller looks like a member of the Nazi youth. (Also linked yesterday.)

Facebook Gives New Meaning to Targeted Advertising. Ryan Mac & Craig Silverman of BuzzFeed News: "Facebook has been running ads for body armor, gun holsters, and other military equipment next to content promoting election misinformation and news about the attempted coup at the US Capitol, despite internal warnings from concerned employees. In the aftermath of an attempted insurrection by ... Donald Trump's supporters last week at the US Capitol building, Facebook has served up ads for defense products to accounts that follow extremist content, according to the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit watchdog group.... Beginning last summer, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company banned pages, groups, and accounts belonging to US-based militant groups, 'boogaloo' extremists, and those associated with the QAnon mass delusion. But members of those movements quickly found ways around the company's policies by renaming their pages or using code names. They continue to proliferate, organize, and advertise on the social network. These ads for tactical gear, which were flagged internally by employees as potentially problematic, show Facebook has been profiting from content that amplifies political and cultural discord in the US."


Everything Is Still Going Very Smoothly. Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News: "The acting leader of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement abruptly resigned on Wednesday, just two weeks into the job after the agency's previous director also stepped down unexpectedly in December, according to a source.... The departure of Jonathan Fahey is the latest in a long line of resignations at ICE during the Trump administration.... [Fahey's] deputy, Tae Johnson, will now serve as acting director. The agency, which has come under mounting public scrutiny for controversial policies and operations throughout Trump's term, has now seen six leaders come and go since 2017. None of the directors of the agency during Trump's term were [was!] ever confirmed in the US Senate."

I will always take care of our wonderful senior citizens. -- Donald Trump, falsely promising seniors would receive $200 medical discount cards, Sept. 24, 2020 ~~~

~~~ Dan Diamond of Politico: "The White House will not be able to make good on ... Donald Trump's campaign promise to give older Americans discount cards to use for medicine, said four officials with knowledge of the deliberations, citing time pressures and still-unfinished planning. 'It would take days to get all the sign-offs we still need, plus the time to print the letters and make the cards,' said one official involved in the process, who ... noted that Inauguration Day is now three business days away. 'We ran out of time.'... Health department officials said that the timeline was never realistic, given the sheer number of unresolved issues.... Several Trump appointees involved in steering the project, including former White House economic official Theo Merkel..., also have departed the administration since December, further slowing the effort.... Trump announced on Sept. 24 that Medicare recipients would receive 'incredible' $200 cards in the 'coming weeks,' blindsiding his own aides and sparking a hasty attempt to rush announcement letters and cards to 39 million Medicare beneficiaries before Election Day."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Marie: Once I got through fuming at the House Freedumb Caucus who think they have a Constitutional right to make Democrats sick with Covid-19, I thought of this: ~~~

~~~ Ben Guarino of the Washington Post: "Three members of Congress may have contracted the coronavirus while sheltering in a crowded room as a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, testing positive shortly after getting a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Those positive tests do not mean the vaccines were faulty, experts said, noting that immune protection takes more than a week to kick in. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that are available to Americans require two doses for full protection; a single dose is not as effective as both. 'Early protection against covid-19 may occur from about 12 days after dose one,' said Naor Bar-Zeev, an infectious diseases physician and epidemiologists.... People 'should not really consider themselves protected really until after a week or two following dose two.'"

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan. David Eggert & Ed White of the AP: "Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder [R] was charged Wednesday with willful neglect of duty after an investigation of ruinous decisions that left Flint with lead-contaminated water and a regional outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. The charges, revealed in an online court record, are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.... No governor or former governor in Michigan's 184-year history had been charged with crimes related to their time in that office, according to the state archivist."

Wisconsin. CBS Chicago: "Prosecutors in Kenosha County, Wisconsin said in a filing Wednesday that Kyle Rittenhouse flashed white power hand gestures and had the Proud Boys' anthem sung to him in a Wisconsin bar last week. Rittenhouse is accused of shooting and killing two people and wounding a third during civil unrest in Kenosha days after the shooting of Jacob Blake by police there. He was spotted at Pudgy's Pub in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin on Tuesday, Jan. 5, the same day he was pleaded not guilty to charges of shooting and killing two people and injuring a third during violent protests in Kenosha this summer.... Another filing asked to have the conditions of Rittenhouse's bond modified so that he would be prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol or being inside an establishment where alcohol is served. Prosecutors also asked that conditions also be added to Rittenhouse's bond that would forbid him from making any white power or white supremacy signs or hand gestures, and that would prohibit him from having contact with 'any known militia members or known members of any violent white power/white supremacist groups or organizations, including but not limited to the group identified as the "Proud Boys."'"

News Lede

New York Times: "Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, who for a time was ... Donald J. Trump's personal physician and who had attested that Mr. Trump would be 'the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency,' died on Friday. He was 73. His death was announced on Thursday in a paid notice in The New York Times. The notice did not give a cause or say where he died."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (25)

I only heard a minute of the show today, and I hope it was the worst minute because it was awful. Some butthead was up there saying something like “Last summer the lefties were cheering on the riots and mayhem. Some have said that T**** lit the flame on Wednesday, but last summer antifa was lighting real fires and you did nothing!” I don’t know who it was, and maybe it didn’t come out quite that way, but all I could think was: Oh where to begin?!

January 13, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterNiskyGuy

@Nisky Guy: Excellent use of your time. You pretty much heard the whole GOP argument in that one minute. Fake whataboutism was all they had, so many of them stood up & tried it. Yeah, maybe Trump repeatedly lied & used bellicose language to urge his followers to attack the Capitol, but what did you do about rioters in Portland?

January 14, 2021 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

"Reimpeach"

Yesterday it wasn't a word. Today, headed for OED WOTY.

Nisky - that butthead was Gaetz (DUI- FL). He has the talent of saying the stupidest illogic and having a district with the stupidest voters to believe it.

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPatrick

This Congress seems like a marriage gone bad.
Husband (Republican): If you turn me in, it will only make matters worse.
Wife (Democrat): O.K. then, hit me again.

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris

Proud Boys (Shtuppiden Jungen) have an anthem?

Does it zound like zis?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQeom54Zbhk

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPatrick

From the Kranish/WaPo article linked above:

"...[Federal agents] are also using cellphone records in the U.S. Capitol, which provide a detailed account of whose devices were in the building, including where and when. Many rioters were using their phones throughout the chaos, making it easier for the FBI to build cases not just against them but also other rioters..."

Just as we discussed here last week. "Can you hear me now?"

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered Commenterunwashed

Linda Greenhouse says she doesn't mean to sound snarky but she does wonder what Justice John Robert's thinks about his former law clerk Josh Hawley; rather she means to open the door to a deeper inquiry:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/opinion/supreme-court-trump.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

I find the possibility that some lawmakers––and they will be named by Mikie Sherrell, ( D-NJ) were complicit in the Capitol mayhem by leading a tour within the building on Jan. 5 to some of the terrorists that stormed the Capitol the next day. Sherrell found it suspicious that a tour was taking place because of Covid restrictions so she took notes. There will be an investigation. I'm guessing a few of those right wing weasel speakers yesterday gushing about unity might just be some of those tour guides.

And Rick Snyder–-finally!! Flint's poster boy done drown in his own tainted bath water.

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

I see that Congress' very own Quaren*, Marjorie Taylor Greene, will be introducing Articles of Impeachment against Joe Biden for something something on his first day in office.

*Can't take credit for Quaren; read it in one of the comments to The Hill piece, but it is perfect, eh?

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRockygirl

@AK: Apropos of our discussion of Merrick Garland–-from the above Greenhouse piece:

"Justices have drifted quite far from their ideological starting points. Harry Blackmun, John Paul Stevens and David Souter come to mind. All were Republican-appointed justices (by Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, respectively) who ended their careers as among the most liberal members of the court they served on. Could history repeat itself with any members of the Roberts court?"

@Rocky: tis indeed! MTG --may she be Muffled, Tied and Gutted in due time.

@Jeanne: good to know things are good in your household.

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

Four years later this still rings true

https://www.gocomics.com/m2bulls/2017/01/20

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterBobby Lee

Thanks PD, Linda is always relevant. Has it occurred to anyone that matters that decades of ceaseless militarization and indoctrination of men (women) into the art of using violence to solve issues coupled with as Greenhouse says judicial "deference" have brought us to the storming of the Capital? We look culpably stupid by not looking at the Kochs and Mercers and Gingrichs and Schwarzmans who pay low enough taxes to have time for setting this agenda of riff raff versus working constructively.

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered Commentercitizen625

Since the goal of Impeachment is removal from office what other penalties can be assessed on Trump if he is convicted after he is no longer in office? Sorry to be so ignorant on this.

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterBobby Lee

If Trump is convicted they would have a second vote on a permanent ban from holding public office, no 2024 Presidential run for Dumpy. I believe the same would happen if he was convicted of the violating the 14th Admendment, and that only takes a majority vote.

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

NY Sues NYPD
"New York State Attorney General Letitia James is suing the New York City Police Department in an effort to install a federal monitor to oversee them.

The lawsuit comes after the AG’s office found widespread civil rights abuses by police against Black Lives Matter protesters over the summer."

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

RAS and BL - I suspect that the post-conviction ban on office holding would hurt DiJiT the most when it became clear that he could not raise funds on a potential Prezdet campaign. He could do PACs, of course, but if he tried to convert PACbucks to Trumpbucks, whammo, another violation AND probably fraud. You'd have to be really stupid to donate.

Wait ...

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPatrick

The Trump supporters aren't the only stupid ones, the US Government spent over $100k because Jared and Ivanka would not let them in their home to use one of their six toilets. Funny note, the Obamas literally had to take more shit because of the Trumps. "This forced agents to find creative ways to properly relieve themselves, including trips to former President Barack Obama's house, which is located in the same neighborhood"

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

@Bobby Lee: According to this Market Watch story, the government spends about 4 million each a year on ex-presidents. If Trump is impeached, he would lose a lot of that, including his pension, a fat travel allowance for himself & Melanie & an allowance for an office, staff & equipment. I'm guessing he would still keep a Secret Service detail. Since no president has been convicted, what he is deprived of is a little unclear, according to the Market Watch story. So Trump could sue for benefits! And you know he will.

Anyway, the loss of those benefits is as good a reason as any to impeach him. BTW, it's also a very good reason for him to resign -- if he resigns on his last day in office, he would probably still get those benefits, just as Nixon did. Please, nobody tell him.

January 14, 2021 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

In their own words. The Daily Show has a video of the "Heroes of the Insurrection"

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

@Marie, while he doesn't specifically mention benefits, Lawrence Tribe says in his op-ed that resignation doesn't take the risk of conviction by the Senate away from the president**.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/13/senate-impeachment-trial-constitutional-after-trump-leaves/

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered Commenterunwashed

A little rant 5 minutes with Donald by Helen. "Since March 2020 you had one job. ONE JOB. Get people to stay safe until a vaccine was ready to distribute. You failed miserably. 375,000 people are dead because you couldn’t convince your army of morons to wear a mask… which is odd considering how easily they wear a hood. And what is their excuse? “It’s too uncomfortable and it won’t do any good.” Are you shitting me? Look at EVERY picture of a surgeon during surgery and then sit down and shut the hell up."
About Trump "You could throw yourself on the floor and miss. If you had an intelligent thought it would die of loneliness. You are an asshat wearing an asshat."

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Thanks all, for the information. One thing I hope to see taken away is the frequent flyer program. In fact, I'm betting he heads down to Palm Beach for the weekend. No fun golfing in DC weather this week!

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterBobby Lee

@RAS: that video of the "Heroes of the Insurrection" is chilling––but then you bring in Helen who swats the flies and fires up the coals to roast the head of the vectors–-who said little old ladies couldn't raise holy hell when needed!

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

@RAS: I see that I’m not the only one who calls Gaetz a butthead, though Helen capitalized it, and I didn’t actually know it was him at the time. If the Foo shits...

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterNiskyGuy

RAS,

Trumpish assholes don’t refuse to wear a mask because it’s uncomfortable. They do it because they see it as a great way to “own the libs”. I guarantee you, if a liberal suggested that jumping off a cliff would be bad for the environment, thousands of MAGA morons word line up for the leap.

Here’s another example of these idiots (and I see them every day waltzing into stores with no masks, strutting around and daring anyone to say anything) endangering innocent people because they ain’t gonna let commie, anti-Trump lib’ruls steal their freeeeedom!

January 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@unwashed: Thanks. I read Tribe's essay just as you do: that resignation would not necessarily absolve the Kaiser. I'd be delighted if Trump didn't end up living large off our dimes. I wouldn't be sad if he ended up on the bread line. Lady, can you spare a dime? Nope.

January 14, 2021 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns
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