;)
Thursday
Jan282021
The Commentariat -- January 29, 2021
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Luke Broadwater & Matthew Rosenberg of the New York Times: "Nearly 150 House Republicans supported ... Donald J. Trump's baseless claims that the election had been stolen from him. But [Rep. Paul] Gosar [R-Az.] and a handful of other Republican members of the House had deeper ties to extremist groups who pushed violent ideas and conspiracy theories and whose members were prominent among those who stormed the halls of Congress.... Their ranks include" Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Az.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), & Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). "It is not clear whether any elected officials played a role in directly facilitating the attack on the Capitol, other than helping to incite violence through false statements about the election being stolen from Mr. Trump.... In signaling either overt or tacit support, a small but vocal band of Republicans now serving in the House provided legitimacy and publicity to extremist groups and movements as they built toward their role in supporting Mr. Trump's efforts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 election and the attack on Congress.... To some degree, the members of Congress have been reflecting signals sent by Mr. Trump. During a presidential debate in October, he made a nod toward the Proud Boys, telling them to 'stand back and stand by.' Two months earlier, Mr. Trump described followers of QAnon ... as 'people that love our country,' adding that 'they do supposedly like me.'" The story details some of the wacko forays these Congressmembers have made into the dark side.
David Smith of the Guardian: "Donald Trump was cultivated as a Russian asset over 40 years and proved so willing to parrot anti-western propaganda that there were celebrations in Moscow, a former KGB spy has told the Guardian. Yuri Shvets, posted to Washington by the Soviet Union in the 1980s, compares the former US president to 'the Cambridge five', the British spy ring that passed secrets to Moscow during the second world war and early cold war. Now 67, Shvets is a key source for American Kompromat, a new book by journalist Craig Unger." MB: Although there is a great deal of fit between what we know about Trump & what Shvets claims, I would rate Shvets' assertions as "possibly true." AND it seems likely that the CIA would have known something about Trump's contacts with Russian agents. If so, didn't the public have a right to know before the 2016 election? What about Mike Pompeo, who headed the CIA? How about members of Congress, like Pelosi & McConnell? I'll be interested to see if there's any follow-up to this story. Thanks to unwashed for the link.
Dalton Bennett, et al., of the Washington Post: "The two pipe bombs that were discovered on Jan. 6 near the U.S. Capitol shortly before a mob stormed the building are believed to have been planted the night before, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation and video footage obtained by The Washington Post. The explosive devices, which were placed blocks from one another at the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees, have been largely overshadowed by the violent insurrection at the Capitol. But finding the person suspected of planting both bombs remains a priority for federal authorities, who last week boosted the reward for tips leading to the person's arrest from $50,000 to $75,000.... On Friday morning, the FBI released additional information that confirmed The Post's reporting about the timing of the placement of the bombs and raised the reward offered to $100,000." Includes some new video. MB: When I watched the way the person walked, I thought I was probably looking at a woman.
Jesse McKinley & Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the New York Times: "For most of the past year, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has tried to brush away a persistent criticism that undermined his national image as the man who led New York through the pandemic: that his policies had allowed thousands of nursing home residents to die of the virus. But Mr. Cuomo was dealt a blow when the New York State attorney general, Letitia James, reported on Thursday morning that Mr. Cuomo's administration had undercounted coronavirus-related deaths of state nursing home residents by the thousands. Just hours later, Ms. James was proved correct, as Health Department officials made public new data that added more than 3,800 deaths to their tally, representing nursing home residents who had died in hospitals and had not previously been counted by the state as nursing home deaths. The state's acknowledgment increased the overall death toll related to those facilities by more than 40 percent.... The findings do not change the overall number of Covid-19 deaths in New York -- more than 42,000, the most of any state -- but the recalculation in the number of nursing home deaths illustrates how unprepared the nursing home industry was in the first and deadliest weeks of the pandemic." An AP story is here.
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Sheryl Stolberg & Abby Goodnough of the New York Times: "President Biden on Thursday ordered the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces reopened to give people throttled by the pandemic economy a new chance to obtain coverage, and he took steps to restore coverage mandates that had been undermined by his predecessor, including protecting those with pre-existing medical conditions. Thursday's orders also took aim at Trump-era restrictions on Medicaid, especially on work requirements imposed by some states on poor people trying to obtain coverage. Separately, Mr. Biden moved toward overturning his predecessor's restrictions on the use of taxpayer dollars for clinics that counsel patients on abortion, both in the United States and overseas." ~~~
~~~ Miriam Berger of the Washington Post: "On Thursday, a week into his presidency, Joe Biden signed an executive order rescinding ... the 'global gag rule,' which bars U.S. funding for organizations abroad that perform abortions or offer information about them[, a rule which Donald Trump had reinstated & expanded].... He also signed a memorandum requesting that the Department of Health and Human Services review a rule instated by Trump that cut off federal funding for domestic family planning programs involved with abortions, such as Planned Parenthood. Biden additionally ordered the restoration of funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which Trump had cut in a dispute over abortion provisions."; ~~~
~~~ President Biden signs executive orders "undoing the damage Trump has done" to the Affordable Care Act & Medicaid and women's access to healthcare: ~~~
Jim Tankersley & Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Democrats are preparing to bypass Republican objections to speed President Biden's $1.9 trillion economic aid package through Congress, rather than pare it back significantly to attract Republican votes, even as administration officials and congressional moderates hold out hopes of passing a bill with significant bipartisan support. On a day when new data from the Commerce Department showed that the economic recovery decelerated at the end of last year, Democratic leaders in Congress and administration officials said publicly and privately on Thursday that they were committed to a large-scale relief bill and would move next week to start a process that would allow it to pass with only Democratic votes, if necessary. Behind closed doors, congressional committees are already writing legislative text to turn Mr. Biden's plans into law." Politico's story is here.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez & Ed O'Keefe of CBS News: "President Biden is delaying by at least a few days a series of executive actions on immigration that were anticipated as early as this week, including the reversal of Trump-era asylum policies and a plan to reunite migrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, two people familiar with the ongoing deliberations told CBS News. A specific reason for the delay was not clear."
Lara Seligman of Politico: "The Pentagon has suspended the processing of a number of ... Donald Trump's last-minute appointees to defense advisory boards as the new administration looks to weed out loyalists to the former president. The move effectively prevents a number of Trump allies, including his 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and deputy campaign manager David Bossie, from actually serving on panels tasked with providing advice to the defense secretary, at least for the time being.... The freeze announced on Wednesday pertains only to appointees who have not yet been sworn in or have completed all the required paperwork.... It was not immediately clear whether the Pentagon planned to take any action against those who have been onboarded, but the Biden team is looking into whether it can replace dozens of Trump’s last-minute appointments to boards and commissions across the U.S. government."
Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "A gesture meant to bolster President Biden's call for unity and inclusion instead inspired divisiveness, after news emerged that a White House American Sign Language interpreter was a Trump supporter who previously interpreted videos rife with misinformation. Heather Mewshaw, who appeared in the White House coronavirus briefing on Monday beside press secretary Jen Psaki, was identified by deaf and hard-of-hearing advocates and Time Magazine, fueling questions about the White House's vetting process and what could have happened if Mewshaw misinterpreted Biden officials or inserted her own bias.... The Time article tied Mewshaw to Hands of Liberty, a right-wing interpreters group formerly known as Right Side ASL, pointing to posts that suggested Mewshaw led the group.... Many questioned why the White House would legitimize her by giving Mewshaw the national platform.... People in the deaf community told The Washington Post and wrote on social media that they felt Mewshaw's role in the Biden White House signaled the administration didn't fully understand the significance of the interpreter role, equating the use of Mewshaw to Biden hiring Trump's former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany as his own spokeswoman."
Neal Boudette & Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "The days of the internal combustion engine are numbered. General Motors said Thursday that it would phase out petroleum-powered cars and trucks and sell only vehicles that have zero tailpipe emissions by 2035, a seismic shift by one of the world's largest automakers that makes billions of dollars today from gas-guzzling pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. The announcement is likely to put pressure on automakers around the world to make similar commitments. It could also embolden President Biden and other elected officials to push for even more aggressive policies to fight climate change."
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Maxwell Tani & Lachlan Cartwright of the Daily Beast: "Less than six months before he became the New York Times' go-to reporter on the coronavirus pandemic, Donald McNeil Jr. was under intense scrutiny from the paper's top brass over accusations that he made wildly offensive and racist comments while leading a Times student trip [to Peru].... After the excursion ended, according to multiple parents of students on the trip who spoke with The Daily Beast along with documents shared with the Times and reviewed by the Beast, many participants relayed a series of troubling accusations to the paper: McNeil repeatedly made racist and sexist remarks throughout the trip including, according to two complaints, using the 'n-word.'... Multiple people familiar with the situation told The Daily Beast that an internal investigation was conducted about the claims and that the top science reporter was reprimanded." MB: Sounds like somebody at the Times had a Kevin-McCarthy-style "conversation" with McNeil.
"The Enemy Is Within" -- Pelosi
Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Two weeks after Representative Kevin McCarthy, the top House Republican, enraged Donald J. Trump by saying that he considered the former president responsible for the violent mob attack at the Capitol, the two men met on Thursday for what aides described as a 'good and cordial' meeting, and sought to present a united front. The meeting at Mr. Trump's private club in Palm Beach, Fla., came two weeks after Mr. McCarthy, in a speech on the House floor, said that the former president 'bears responsibility' for the events of Jan. 6.... On Thursday, aides released a photograph of Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Trump posing together in one of the ornate rooms at the former president's Mar-a-Lago club.... [A] statement bore the hallmarks of Mr. Trump's bombastic and often false assertions about himself, incorrectly claiming that his 'popularity has never been stronger than it is today.' 'His endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time,' the statement, issued by Mr. Trump's Save America political action committee, added, saying that Mr. Trump had agreed to work with Mr. McCarthy to try to take back the House majority in 2022."
Colby Itkowitz & Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Open hostility broke out among Republicans and Democrats in Congress on Thursday amid growing fears of physical violence and looming domestic terrorism threats from supporters of ... Donald Trump, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi leveling an extraordinary allegation that dangers lurk among the membership itself. 'The enemy is within the House of Representatives, a threat that members are concerned about, in addition to what is happening outside,' Pelosi (D-Calif.) said at a Thursday morning news conference. But even as she and others sounded the alarm, Republicans continued to deepen their ties to the former president.... Hours after Pelosi's remarks, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) met with Trump in Florida. In a statement, the pair vowed to work together to take back the House.... ~~~
~~~ "On Thursday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) publicly admonished Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), a leader of the election challenges, after he signaled support for her position on an unrelated issue. 'I am happy to work with Republicans on this issue where there's common ground, but you almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago so you can sit this one out,' she said on Twitter. 'Happy to work w/ almost any other GOP that aren't trying to get me killed.'" MB: Yeah, I'd say "trying to get me killed" could inspire me to feel some "hostility." ~~~
~~~ Sarah Ferris & Melanie Zanona of Politico: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday unloaded on House GOP leaders for elevating freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to a key panel, escalating pressure on Republicans to punish her for a long record of extremist comments. Pelosi said Greene should not be seated on the House Education Committee after peddling a false conspiracy theory that the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 was a hoax -- remarks that Democrats say are among Greene's most horrific in a broader trend of incendiary and at times threatening rhetoric. 'What could they be thinking? Or is thinking too generous of a word for what they might be doing?' Pelosi said Thursday.... 'It's absolutely appalling, and I think the focus has to be on the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives for the disregard they have for the deaths of those children.'... Pelosi on Thursday signaled that she is putting the onus directly on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to act...." ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Swan & Alayna Treene of Axios: "During previously unreported meetings last summer, House Republican leaders discussed — but then largely set aside -- fears that QAnon-supporting conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene would end up a flaming trainwreck for their party.... Greene has emerged not just as an embarrassment but a challenge for the GOP, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy now forced to weigh whether to maintain his policy of sanctioning members who make dangerous statements.... John Cowan, Greene's opponent in August's primary runoff for Georgia's 14th District seat, recalls separate conversations he had with McCarthy and [Steve] Scalise, the House GOP whip, in which both men acknowledged Greene was a serious problem for the party. Cowan detailed a phone conversation he had with McCarthy in July, during which he warned him about wild opposition research they had against Greene.... While both McCarthy and Scalise condemned Greene, and Scalise endorsed and raised money for and donated to Cowan, it wasn't enough to overcome the vocal support for Greene from Trump's then-chief of staff Mark Meadows. The backing of Meadows, his wife, Debbie, and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio was so strong that Cowan never had a real shot against Greene, [Cowan] said." ~~~
~~~ It Wasn't Climate Change; It Was a Jewish Space Laser! Eric Hananoki of Media Matters: "In November 2018, California was hit with the worst wildfire in the state's history. At the time, future Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wrote a bizarre Facebook post that echoed QAnon conspiracy theorists and falsely claimed that the real and hidden culprit behind the disaster was a laser from space triggered by some nefarious group of people ... [financed by Jews!:] She also speculated that a vice chairman at 'Rothschild Inc, international investment banking firm' was somehow involved.... Greene's post, which hasn't previously been reported, is just the latest example to be unearthed of her embracing conspiracy theories about tragedies during her time as a right-wing commentator. In addition to being a QAnon supporter, Greene has pushed conspiracy theories about 9/11, the Parkland and Sandy Hook school shootings, the Las Vegas shooting, and the murder of Democratic staffer Seth Rich, among others. Greene also has a history of pushing anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic remarks." ~~~
~~~ Marie: If you assume climate change is a hoax, if sparking from faulty PP&E transformers does not seem compelling, then you have to come up with other explanations for climate-related diasters. A Jewish laser beam from outer space seems good. What you do have to grant QAnon people, they have vivid imaginations & are rather clever at weaving their supremacist prejudices into their fantasies. ~~~
~~~ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tells Chris Hayes what the House Repubican caucus is like. (Jan. 27) A civics lesson well-worth hearing:
~~~ Matthew Choi of Politico: "Rep. Matt Gaetz fired off a barrage of insults against his colleague Liz Cheney during a rally in her home state of Wyoming on Thursday -- a raw embodiment of the cleavage across the Republican Party following ... Donald Trump's exit from office. Gaetz's rally flouted Republican leadership's appeal to temper the intraparty conflict. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urged members of his caucus Wednesday to lay off the attacks on each other.... Gaetz revealed his intention to campaign against Cheney after she and nine other House Republicans voted to impeach Trump for inciting an insurrection on the Capitol." MB: Gaetz is campaigning against & deriding a conservative leader of his own party because she opposes violent insurrection.
Marie: Wednesday, I wondered when the powers-that-be would put the Republican party on the terrorist watch list. I wasn't the only person thinking along those lines: ~~~
~~~ Harold Meyerson of the American Prospect: in a post titled, "Put the Republican Party on the Domestic Terrorist Watch List." "... the Republicans' indulgence of the [Marjorie] Greenes in their ranks -- and there are many such -- is of a piece with their overwhelming refusal to hold Trump responsible for the insurrection at the Capitol, much less their own current colleagues, such as Arizona’s Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs, who also encouraged the January 6 rioters. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution says that no government official can hold office 'who, having previously taken an oath ... to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.' That surely applies to Trump, but it increasingly appears that it should apply to most Republican members of Congress as well." ~~~
~~~ Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "The Republican Party is stuck, probably irreversibly, in a doom loop of bizarro. If the Trump-incited Capitol insurrection didn't snap the party back to sanity -- and it didn't -- nothing will. What isn't clear yet is who, exactly, will end up facing doom. Will it be the G.O.P. as a significant political force? Or will it be America as we know it? Unfortunately, we don't know the answer. It depends a lot on how successful Republicans will be in suppressing votes.... The G.O.P.'s national leadership, after briefly flirting with sense, has surrendered to the fantasies of the fringe. Cowardice rules.... One of America's two major political parties has parted ways with facts, logic and democracy, and it's not coming back.... And the Republican response to electoral defeat isn't to change policies to win over voters; it is to try to rig the next election." ~~~
~~~ Marie: And knowing all this, the media will continue to treat the GOP as one of two legitimate, mainstream political parties. The media will both-siderize GOP & Democratic views, normalizing Krugman's "bizarro." The media will describe radical, violent revolutionaries as "conservatives," as if what they really stand for is small government, fiscal responsibility & moderate social progress. The media will continue to describe the most blatant GOP lies as "presented without evidence." You will have to read between the lines of news stories, knowing all along that, unlike you, most readers have no clue.
Caitlin Emma & Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "The Capitol needs permanent fencing and backup forces continuously stationed nearby, the Capitol Police [acting] chief [Yogananda Pittman] said Thursday, immediately sparking objections from lawmakers concerned about creating a fortress that distances the public from the Legislative Branch.... Lawmakers from both parties immediately objected to the police chief's recommendations, noting that they have not received any threat assessments that would suggest permanent fencing would be necessary. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also said the city 'will not accept' permanent fencing or additional security forces 'being a long-term fixture in D.C.'"
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal judge has turned down a bid for release by the man photographed with his foot up on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the Capitol riot earlier this month. Two weeks ago, a federal magistrate in Arkansas ordered that Richard Barnett, 60, be placed on home detention to await trial on a felony charge of entering the Capitol with a dangerous weapon, as well as misdemeanor charges of unlawful entry to a restricted building, disorderly conduct and theft. However, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell blocked that order the same day. Following a memorable hearing on Thursday afternoon, she granted the government's appeal -- effectively ruling that Barnett will stay behind bars for months or longer."
Christina Carrega & David Shortell of CNN: "US Capitol Police on Wednesday afternoon arrested a West Virginia man who was armed with a handgun and 20 rounds of ammunition outside the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, which is near the US Capitol, a spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police Department said. In court documents, authorities identify the man as 71-year-old Dennis Westover. According to a police affidavit, Westover had 'Stop the Steal paperwork' with him 'that had a list of Senators and Representatives' in both the US Congress and West Virginia state house, along with their contact information. In an interview with Capitol Police detectives, Westover said that 'he was concerned about the honesty and integrity of the election.'... Westover was 'animated' and 'shouting' at National Guardsmen on the inside of the perimeter surrounding Capitol Hill when police first approached him Wednesday, according to another police affidavit."
** Sean Naylor of Yahoo! News: "Former Defense Secretary James Mattis said Thursday the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol was 'fomented' by ... Donald Trump, and exemplified the 'internal threats' faced by the U.S. that should be viewed 'with every bit as much gravity as the external problems, and perhaps more so.' Speaking during an online event, Mattis walked through a list of national security threats such as North Korea, Russia, China and international terrorism, but then turned his attention to the U.S. 'There are also internal threats right now,' he said, citing 'the lack of unity on the consensual underpinnings of our democracy, and what we saw on Jan. 6, fomented by a sitting president.'... 'Globalism hasn't been altogether good in large parts of our country,' he said, adding that 'certain trade deals' had had 'second- and third-order effects inside our own country,' hurting some Americans economically and leaving them without hope for the future. 'People are much more inclined to listen to conspiracy theories and other things when they're losing hope,' Mattis said. Mattis was referring to the assault on the Capitol by hundreds of Trump supporters.... He made the comments in the webcast conversation with former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers, who said that the country faced a 'growing threat from white nationalists and other domestic extremists.'... Vickers, a former Special Forces officer, said that 'never in our worst nightmares did we imagine that we would witness an insurrection against our government incited by some of our top leaders.'"
** Voter Suppression, USA. Sam Levine of the Guardian: "After an election filled with misinformation and lies about fraud, Republicans have doubled down with a surge of bills to further restrict voting access in recent months, according to a new analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice. There are currently 106 pending bills across 28 states that would restrict access to voting, according to the data. That's a sharp increase from nearly a year ago, when there were 35 restrictive bills pending across 15 states.... The restrictions come on the heels of an election in which there was record turnout and Democrat and Republican election officials alike said there was no evidence of widespread wrongdoing or fraud. There were recounts, audits and lawsuits across many states to back up those assurances. Federal and state officials called the election 'the most secure in American history'.... Many of the restrictions have to do with placing new barriers around voting by mail, a process that a record number of Americans used in 2020 (46% of Americans cast a mail-in ballot in 2020, compared with just 19% four years ago)."
Pennsylvania. Trip Gabriel of the New York Times: "As a second impeachment trial for Donald J. Trump approaches next month, Republicans in states across the country are lining up behind the former president with unwavering support. Perhaps no state has demonstrated its fealty as tenaciously as Pennsylvania, where Republican officials have gone to extraordinary lengths to keep Trumpism at the center of their message as they bolster the president's false claims of a 'stolen' election. Eight of nine Republicans in Pennsylvania's congressional delegation voted to throw out their state's own electoral votes for President Biden on Jan 6, just hours after a mob had stormed the Capitol.... And one House member from the state, Scott Perry, was instrumental in promoting a plan in which Mr. Trump would fire the acting attorney general in an effort to stay in office. In the weeks since the Nov. 3 election, Republicans in Pennsylvania have made loyalty to the defeated ex-president the sole organizing principle of the party, the latest chapter in a rightward populist march repeated across other states."
Ohio. Dan Sewell of the AP: "Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a fiery Donald Trump supporter, won't run to succeed Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who announced this week he isn't going to seek a third term in 2022.... The eighth-term congressman's name surfaced soon after Portman's announcement as a potential strong contender in what's expected to be a crowded GOP field."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here. The New York Times' updates for Friday are here.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here.
Carl Zimmer, et al., of the New York Times: "Johnson & Johnson announced on Friday that its one-dose coronavirus vaccine provided strong protection against Covid-19, potentially offering the United States a third powerful tool in a desperate race against a worldwide rise in virus mutations. But the results came with a significant cautionary note: The vaccine's efficacy rate dropped from 72 percent in the United States to 57 percent in South Africa, where a highly contagious variant is driving most cases. Studies suggest that this variant also blunts the effectiveness of Covid vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax. The variant has spread to at least 31 countries, including the United States, where two cases were documented this week. Johnson & Johnson said that it planned to apply for emergency authorization of the vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration as soon as next week, putting it on track to receive clearance later in February." The AP's story is here.
Carolyn Johnson of the Washington Post: "A coronavirus vaccine made by Maryland biotech company Novavax proved effective at stopping coronavirus infections in global hot spots where concerning variants are dominant, the company announced Thursday. But in one of those trial sites, South Africa, the vaccine's degree of protection was markedly lower against a worrisome mutant first detected there. The data, presented by company news release, provides the first highly anticipated evidence of how well a vaccine performs against variants that have drawn global alarm as they spread. In a United Kingdom trial, where the B.1.1.7 variant has become dominant, the vaccine was 89 percent effective, and about half the infections were with the variant. In a smaller and less definitive South African trial where nearly all the participants were infected with the variant, the vaccine was 49 percent effective, although the company underscored that when looking only at people not infected with HIV, the efficacy was 60 percent." Politico has a story here.
Way Beyond the Beltway
Daria Litvinova & Vladamir Isachenkov of the AP: "A Russian court on Thursday rejected an appeal by opposition leader Alexei Navalny for his release from jail, while authorities detained several of his allies and warned social media companies about promoting more protests after tens of thousands rallied across the country last weekend demanding his freedom. Appearing in court by video link from jail, Navalny denounced the criminal proceedings against him as part of a government campaign to intimidate the opposition."
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Reader Comments (20)
It's no head scratcher, really.
Why would Republican line up with the Pretender only weeks after he encouraged his adherents to storm the capitol in a failed coup?
Because entirely devoid of ideas that would effectively meet the nation's obvious needs or any interest in doing so, having shed all pretense of serving the country, the Pretender and his gang of rabid deplorables are all they have.
That's why I want no compromise in lieu of an impeachment vote. Censure be damned.
Yea or Nay. Then hang the Nay around the traitors' necks.
I for one am thrilled that the Party of Traitors has decided to crawl back to the head traitor.
Voting to impeach that monster would have given the R's who decided that the rule of law matters a free ride, basically absolving them of all the insidious, illegal, and treasonous stuff they've been party to over the years.
Now...they live and die with an unstable maniac. It's only a matter of time before the next Trumpy Explosion. Whether it's another violent mob rule action, some heretofore unknown legal jeopardy, or some Trumpbot shooting a Democrat (or three).
They are soulless cowards. Let them dangle from whatever length of frayed rope Fatty deigns to throw them.
And remember, not only are they inextricably tied to the Orange Monster, they're also chained to the mob, the gun nuts, the Greenes, the Proud Boys, the white supremacists, the Nazis, and all the other psychos who worship authoritarian, anti-democratic, anti-American control.
We all knew they don't have the balls to impeach Trump, even though a clearer case for impeachment would have made Publius and the signers at the Constitutional Convention do a jig, recognizing that they had, in fact, a great idea. But there was a chance that there might be some kind of attempt at coming together over the deserved fate of that rat bastard. But not now. The littlest rat bastard has fixed that one good. And he and the rest of the rats will be going down with the SS Fat Fuck.
If I had a life preserver, I'd save it for someone who deserved to survive.
As many have suspected, a former KGB major says that the Orange Menace was cultivated by Russia for the last 40 years.
"The ex-major recalled: “For the KGB, it was a charm offensive. They had collected a lot of information on his personality so they knew who he was personally. The feeling was that he was extremely vulnerable intellectually, and psychologically, and he was prone to flattery.
“This is what they exploited. They played the game as if they were immensely impressed by his personality and believed this is the guy who should be the president of the United States one day: it is people like him who could change the world. They fed him these so-called active measures soundbites and it happened. So it was a big achievement for the KGB active measures at the time.”
Let the investigations continue...
SWIMMING WITH SHARKS:
To continue with Ak's water ways it occurred to me that the moribund medley of misfits that reside on the other-side of the aisle resemble the Cuttlefish––blind but able to change color according to its surroundings. And yet there are those whose color, an eye burning yellow, was clear from the beginning.
I had been wondering how the Greene snake, otherwise known as the Liopeiltis Vernalis who has a vicious bite–– managed to get herself inside the House. Today I learn that her opponent, John Cowan, didn't have a chance since Mark and Debbie Meadows along with that swimmingly smarmy Jim Jordan, taking orders from the head shark himself, made it happen.
Conclusion: "We want people like Greene in our party."
Hence: WE no longer have a viable two-party system.
And how, now, do the Republicans define that party?
And all the while the Biden administration is making good on getting rid of the bad and if you didn't know it you could believe things were back to normal.
The article liked by Unwashed fills in some of the pieces in Trumpskyev's rise to power. It was a combination of him being a racist, authoritarian pig, enough of a lawless gangster to attract the undying support of right-wing thugs already primed by Reagan, Bush, Cheney, and the Kochs, and him being fatally susceptible to flattery, blandishments of the KGB brass.
Putin, an experienced agent and handler of field operatives, must have spotted a Grade A asset right off the bat. Even if he didn't get into politics, Trump had the right combination of unqualified pride, middling intellect, and a big enough mouth so that he could be useful in monkey wrenching the American political system. But when he jumped into the ring, it made perfect sense for Putin to pull out all the stops to help ram his (fat) asset into the White House.
All that talk about the Trump-Russia connection being the "greatest witch hunt in history" must have made Putin chuckle. He had made a big bet on the Fat Fascist and it paid off. Fatty was coming up with counter-measures all on his own. Only the best field agents can pull that stuff off.
And now, not only does he still control an ex-president, he controls, through his asset, an entire political party. And not one of those fringe European parties with a few hundred thousand members, this is a party that represents tens of millions of Americans.
Putin has succeeded where legions of former Soviet agents and party bosses failed. He owns a huge chunk of America. They wanted to destroy America? Why not let so-called Americans do it for them?
If Trump decides he needs to get out of Dodge because of imminent imprisonment, he will be welcomed as a hero in the former Soviet Union, a far bigger star than their previous famous traitor, Kim Philby. Philby only arranged the deaths of a few hundred agents. Trump is responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of Americans. The Order of Lenin is a sure thing.
Maybe he'll get that big military parade after all.
In Red Square.
Secret Jewish space lasers? Whoa! I got to get me one of those. Point that sucker at Marred-a-Lago. Just for a test, y'understand. Oops. I must have hit the Greene button. The place is cooked. Hey, look. A fat orange blob is on fire. And there's a fiery blob next to him. Looks like Kevin McCarthy. Sorry, guys.
Just finished reading unwashed's Guardian piece. A new film called "The American" might be something someone might want to do.
"The feeling was that he [Trump] was extremely vulnerable intellectually and psychologically and he was prone to flattery."
"Trump was the perfect target in a lot of ways: his vanity, narcissism made him a natural target to recruit. He was cultivated over a 40-year period, right up through his election.”
Them soviets! they know a sucker when they see one.
Thanks unwashed for this––it's not surprising but it fills out important info that was, indeed, missing in the Mueller report.
Can you imagine the hair pulling going on among the "friends" in Fatty's little black book? With no Twittertantrums possible, he needs some outlet for his insane rants. Better call all those guys who have been giving him such great advice for the last however many years.
Only now, instead of hearing the Orange Monster bragging about how he's the greatest _____ in history, they have to listen to him bellowing like a wounded (fat) water buffalo about how that horrible Joe Biden is erasing all his evil schemes. He must sound like the Wicked Witch after Dorothy douses her. "I'm melting...melting! Oh, what a world. Who would have thought that that fucking guy could destroy all my beautiful wickedness.....ooooooohhhh....."
The thought of this rat bastard screaming at the help, shouting into the phone, punching the walls, and breaking the china he and Melanie slipped out of the White House when they slithered away, is indeed therapeutic. The big problem is that he still believes he's in charge. And he is.
At least in charge of the traitors. In very short order, he's become the Republicans' very own Eminence Grease.
I am so disappointed that I am back to feeling raw and angry, even with the Biden regime in the White House, systematically erasing as much of the previous "administration" as possible. The fact that our elected officials (at least the Democrats and responsible independents) have to watch their backs and keep alert makes me so nervous. While I never expected the Orange Gunk Machine to be an ally, I am amazed that the vast machinery is still grinding away, enmeshed in the Orange Slime. How do the people, for instance, keep track of the ways they lie and backtrack every time they have the opportunity to behave like decent humans? I give you Liar McCarthy, with the brown and orange nose... So wearying. Biden and his staff are made of steel, I swear.
Still no vaccine distribution plan in PA-- I guess because we had a trans health leader, and everyone know the treasonous globs of protoplasm in the lege, Trump lovers all, would never work with her, and instead are busy dreaming up new ways to suffocate the vote...yes, PA, when Toomey appears to be a sensible fella, you are governed by fools in the lege and in the House. Stay safe, Tom Wolf(e?) Democratic bulwark.
Apparently palace intrigue books weren't all the literature that was inspired by the Trump years. Chesty even has the scoop on unwashed's Russian asset story, lol.
How Monopolies Slowed the Vaccine Roll-Out, and Small Business Sped it Up
"The government partnered with chains CVS and Walgreens to deploy the vaccine, and these chains have done a bad job. There’s a natural experiment showing how independently owned pharmacies have outperformed the chains. Roughly 35% of pharmacies are independent, so we can look at where there are a lot of chain pharmacies, and where there aren’t, and then compare the two.
And what do we find? Illinois, where Walgreens has its headquarters, is 11th slowest in the country in terms of vaccine roll-out (based on the percentage of supply used). Rhode Island, where that wonderful consumer-based CVS is based, is one of the very worst, in the bottom five. Who is doing well? The leading states are rural, South Dakota, West Virginia, and New Mexico.
West Virginia is poor and rural, precisely what would make it harder to organize a vaccine strategy. And yet, the state, with its strategy based on independent pharmacies, managed to offer vaccines to every nursing home resident by the end of December, a month before nearly everyone else.
“Ownership structure matters,” she [Stacy Mitchell] said. “Pharmacists are health care workers, so when they own the pharmacies, they prioritize care.”
@RAS: This doesn't surprise me. Speaking purely anecdotally, I can tell you that the pharmacists in the chains I have to go to to satisfy my health insurance provider have showed less initiative than a 10-year-old forced to write a school report on Martin Van Buren.* I don't think they're stupid; it's probably difficult to get a degree in pharmacy, but the chains seem to select them for indifference.
I have still been unable to get the latest shingles vaccination (even tho I had the chicken pops as a child), which for some insurance "reason" I must get at the pharm & not the doctor's office. Excuses have included, "Don't have it," "Don't know when we'll get it," "Wait list is too long to put you on it."
So tasked with managing & administering live-saving vaccines, they do not seem to be well-suited.
* In fairness to schoolchildren -- when my little brother was about 10, he had to write a report on any president of his choice. Most of his classmates picked Abe Lincoln or George Washington, but not my brother. He picked Martin Van Buren. When my mother asked him why, he said, "Because there's less written about Van Buren than about any other president."
P.S. Those "other" Trump-inspired literary endeavors sound excellent. Sorry I'll miss them.
@Marie Burns: From the same article, "Last year, the New York Times did an important series on how pharmacies at big chains are run like sweatshops, leading to mistakes in prescriptions, medical errors, and death. Employee pharmacists at CVS and Walgreens described “understaffed and chaotic workplaces where they said it had become difficult to perform their jobs safely.” So during an emergency, it’s not a surprise that the vaccine roll-out isn’t going well where CVS and Walgreens are in charge. They aren’t good during non-emergencies, why would they improve when the pressure is on?"
So your experience does not look to be out of the ordinary.
Marie,
Your brother could also have picked William Henry Harrison. The guy was only president for a month, and a couple of weeks of that month he was sick in bed. It would have been a short report:
William Henry Harrison
Inaugurated. Caught a cold. Died.
The End.
" ... they have to listen to him bellowing like a wounded (fat) water buffalo about how that horrible Joe Biden is erasing all his evil schemes. " Thus wrote Akhilleus.
But ... maybe not. Maybe the ex-Prez* remains unaware of the extensive Biden repeal, because:
(a) he doesn't read
(b) Fox isn't really telling the story (I dunno, I have never watched an instant of Fox)
(c) he has no staffers to tell him things he doesn't want to hear.
He's still working on screwing those who did not support his coups. Maybe in a few months he'll realize he's Ozymandias II, when the weather turns and Palm Beach is occupied only by locals.
Patrick,
Good points. But I'm guessing he doesn't have a clue who Ozymandias I was, never mind who Shelley was. But from the accounts I've seen on Google news feeds, Fox traitors are all in a tizzy about how Biden is trying to undo the four years of Walpurgisnacht that was the Trump administration, so he may have an inkling that his beautiful wickedness is under attack. Luckily, he has plenty of flying monkeys around him to protect his delicate fee-fees.
Regarding media stories from the GOP as “presented without evidence”: I believe that high school journalism students are encouraged to write legitimate news stories by being mindful of the mnemonic FACT = Fast, Accurate, Concise, True. Today, media outlets have, thanks to the profit motive, changed the mnemonic to false equivalence (F), anecdotal or ambiguous (A), curt (C), and tangential (T).
Thanks Marie and RC for keeping the old school alive, and to the commenters for all that is humorous, curt, and tangential.
Arizona GOP Drafts Bill To Fix Voting. If The State Votes Blue, They'll Fix It!
"Arizona House Ways and Means Committee Chair Shawnna Bolick is saying the quiet part out loud. On Wednesday, she introduced a bill to allow Arizona legislators to award the state's Electoral College votes to their preferred candidate at any time up until a new president is sworn in on January 20, irrespective of the will of the voters."
"The legislature retains its legislative authority regarding the office of presidential elector and by majority vote at any time before the presidential inauguration may revoke the secretary of state's issuance or certification of a presidential elector's certificate of election,"
Apparently Bolick agrees with Mike Lee that America is not a democracy.
This armchair psychiatrist believes the Pretender still doesn't give a damn about any of his policies or executive orders Biden has reversed.
He cares only that they were HIS that are being overturned.
No more than he cared about the substance of Obama's work he obliterated. That it was Obama's was enough for him (and for some portion of his drooling base).
On the subject of pharmacies and the C-19 vaccine, there's an article in Commentary in the Orlando Sentinel with the intriguing title: "Publix (grocery chain) gives 100K$ to DeSantis, gets exclusive C-19 vaccine deals.
I've passed my free articles and can't add anything other than to say it looks interesting.