;)
The Commentariat -- July 16, 2020
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
The New York Times' live updates for coronavirus developments Thursday are here. Dr. Donnie prescribes PhucPsyence: "The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, reiterated President Trump's view that schools must open in the fall. 'When he says open,' she said, 'he means open and full, kids being able to attend each and every day at their school. The science should not stand in the way of this.'"
The Man with No Plan. Philip Rucker, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump has vowed that the nation's schools must reopen for the fall semester, but neither he nor his administration has detailed a plan for how to do so safely. Trump has boasted that the United States leads the world in coronavirus testing, yet he has declined to produce a national testing plan, and in many communities tests can take a week or longer to process, rendering their results all but useless in slowing the spread. And with case numbers spiking from coast..., Trump's most clearly articulated plan to end the covid-19 pandemic is to predict the virus will 'just disappear' and to bank on a vaccine being ready 'very, very soon.'... There is no cohesive national strategy, apart from unenforced federal health guidelines. Instead, the administration is offering a patchwork of solutions, often in reaction to outbreaks after they occur. Although Trump and his team declare sweeping objectives..., they have largely shirked responsibility for developing and executing plans to achieve them, putting the onus instead on state and local authorities."
John Bresnahan & Jake Sherman of Politico: "... Donald Trump has signaled to Hill Republicans that he will not sign a new coronavirus stimulus package without the inclusion of a payroll tax cut, according to three sources close to the issue.... The president has been fixated on a payroll tax cut for months, even though it has fallen on deaf ears on Capitol Hill -- Senate Republicans and House Democrats don't care for the proposal, and have resoundingly rejected it." Mrs. McC: Not only would a payroll tax cut further explode the deficit, it obviously does nothing for people who have been laid off because of business shutdowns forced by the coronavirus.
Carol Morello of the Washington Post: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that the American way of life and its founding principles are 'under attack,' focusing his criticism on voices in the mainstream news media and protesters who have torn down statues of historical figures. Speaking in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center..., Pompeo said the events roiling the United States today are antithetical to the nation's ideals. 'And yet today, the very core of what it means to be an American, indeed the American way of life itself, is under attack,' he said. 'Instead of seeking to improve America, leading voices promulgate hatred of our founding principles.'" Mrs. McC: If Mike & his boss are "leading voices," I guess he's right.
** Supremes Disenfranchise Florida's Ex-Felons. Gary Fineout of Politico: "In a blow to voting rights that could have consequences for the presidential election, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a Florida law restricting felon voting rights. The result is that hundreds of thousands of people with past felony convictions in the battleground state likely will be ineligible to vote in the August state primaries and, possibly, the November presidential election.... The high court on Thursday did not explain its decision. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg..., dissented. In a stinging rebuke, Justice Sotomayor said that 'this court's inaction continues a trend of condoning disenfranchisement.'... A study by University of Florida political professor Daniel Smith found that nearly 775,000 people with felony convictions have some sort of outstanding legal financial obligation.... Now the case will return to the appeals court, which is scheduled to hold a hearing Aug. 18, the same day as Florida's primary." ~~~
~~~ Amy Gardner & Lori Rozsa of the Washington Post: "The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Thursday to overturn a federal appeals court's decision that blocked some Florida felons' eligibility to participate in elections -- a major blow to efforts to restore voting rights to as many as 1.4 million people in the battleground state. The decision lets stand a temporary halt by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit of a judge's order that had cleared the way for hundreds of thousands of felons in the state to register to vote."
Now, here's a drug that has passed its field tests and is safe for men & women of all ages. Dr. Hattie prescribes:
Mrs. McCrabbie: I see where USA Today is catching up with me & other critics: ~~~
~~~ Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: "Facing intense criticism on social media, USA Today has admitted errors in an opinion piece written by a White House official that attacked Anthony S. Fauci..., saying in a post-publication note attached to the piece that it 'did not meet USA Today's fact-checking standards.' Published online Tuesday evening and in print on Wednesday, the opinion piece was authored by Peter Navarro, who heads the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and was paired with the provocative headline: 'Anthony Fauci has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on.' On Wednesday evening, editorial page editor Bill Sternberg added a note that both explained the piece's origins as well as its mistakes. 'Navarro's response echoed comments made to other news outlets in recent days,' he wrote, alluding to talking points critical of Fauci circulated by White House aides. 'We felt it was newsworthy because it expanded on those comments, put an on-the-record name to the attacks on Fauci, and contradicted White House denials of an anti-Fauci campaign.'... As part of the publication's response to the backlash that stemmed from publication of the piece, USA Today also published a 'fact check' piece on Wednesday night that concluded that 'Peter Navarro's claims about Dr. Anthony Fauci are misleading, lack context.'"
Finally a job @IvankaTrump is qualified for. pic.twitter.com/dHMEJzB8lL
— Matt Ortega (@MattOrtega) July 15, 2020
Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Went to the freezer just now to find a delicious lunch, and there it was: Si es "Smart Ones" tiene que ser bueno: ~~~
~~~ Anonymous has a great comment in today's thread on Ted Cruz's obvious lie defending free speech & beans: "... My grandparents ate Goya black beans twice a day for nearly 90 years. And now the Left is trying to cancel Hispanic culture and silence free speech. The link Anonymous provides addresses much more than Ted's mythical math. For instance, Susie Meister: "What if, and I'm just spitballing here, Ted Cruz cared about the kids in cages at the border as much as he cares about beans?" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Here's how Republican political analysis works: If Joe Biden says, "Nice day!" he is finally admitting that climate change is a hoax. If Donald Trump says, "Nice day!" he has brought in the sunshine and saved the world from darkness. It's very nuanced.
Justine Coleman & Jonathan Easley of the Hill: "Republicans announced Thursday they will scale back the Republican National Convention in August as coronavirus cases rise in Florida, where President Trump is expected to deliver a speech accepting his party's nomination for reelection. Ronna Romney McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), informed members of the decision in a letter on Thursday that blamed the pandemic for the changes. The letter states that admittance to the convention in Jacksonville, Fla., will be limited only to regular delegates for the first three days, amounting to a crowd of about 2,500 people. Trump shifted the site of the celebration from North Carolina to Florida when it appeared the Jacksonville site might allow for large gatherings.... The official business for the convention will still take place in Charlotte, [North Carolina,] but the four-day celebration has been moved to Jacksonville."
Alexander Smith of NBC News: "Hackers from Russia's intelligence services have been attempting to steal information related to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, British officials said Thursday. The attacks have been carried out by a group called "APT29, also known as 'the Dukes' or 'Cozy Bear, which has been been using malware to target various organizations across the three countries, the United Kingdom's National Cyber Security Centre said in a statement. The United States' National Security Agency and Canada's Communications Security Establishment both agree with the assessment, the British officials said." Mrs. McC: IOW, another Russian attack on the U.S. & our allies that Trump will ignore. ~~~
~~~ Update: The Washington Post's report is here. ~~~
~~~ This is another excerpt from the Business Insider piece linked below that should be highlighted. We are all less safe: ~~~
~~~ "[A] NATO military intelligence official who regularly deals with Russian intelligence matters confirmed the nature of Russia's activity. He said NATO had limited some parts of its relationship with the US because of its closeness to Russia. Specifically some worried that US officials would send them its intelligence." --s
Noah Weiland of the New York Times: "The scientist leading the Trump administration's coronavirus vaccine program will be allowed to remain a government contractor, a decision that permits him to avoid ethics disclosures required of federal employees and maintain his investments in pharmaceutical companies. Two prominent watchdog groups as well as some Democrats in Congress had called for the Department of Health and Human Services to require that the scientist, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, a venture capitalist and a former executive at the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, fall under the same ethics rules as federal employees. The office of the inspector general at H.H.S. responded this week that it could not require such a shift, citing the unusual role that Dr. Slaoui was playing in the administration amid the pandemic." ~~~
~~~ Common Dreams via RawStory: "Ethics watchdogs on Wednesday slammed a ruling by the Health and Human Services Department's inspector general, who decided this week that Moncef Slaoui, a former pharmaceutical executive now heading the Trump administration's coronavirus vaccine task force, does not have to disclose or divest his investments in the industry. As the co-director of Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership aimed at finding a vaccine for Covid-19 by the end of 2020, Slaoui is in the position to award contracts to pharmaceutical companies researching potential vaccines and treatments." --s
Yeganeh Torbati of Propublica: "White House officials have pushed the U.S. Agency for International Development to purchase thousands of [ventilators] from U.S. companies and donate them abroad.... But the effort has been marked by dysfunction, with little clarity on how countries are chosen or how the ventilators are allocated. A USAID memo seen by ProPublica shows equipment donated to wealthy nations that typically do not get foreign aid, such as NATO countries, and to a few locations ill-equipped to use devices that require round-the-clock staffing and regular maintenance.... But public health experts said that without carefully assessing each country's health care expertise -- and following through to ensure hospitals can keep the machines running -- the donations could go to waste or even risk patients' lives." --s
Ryan McCarthy of Propublica: "[A]n analysis by ProPublica and First Draft, a global nonprofit that researches misinformation, shows that Facebook is rife with false or misleading claims about voting, particularly regarding voting by mail.... Many of these falsehoods appear to violate Facebook's standards yet have not been taken down or labeled as inaccurate. Some of them, generalizing from one or two cases, portrayed people of color as the face of voter fraud.... The false claims, including conspiracy theories about stolen elections or outright misrepresentations about voting by mail by Trump and prominent conservative outlets, are often among the most popular posts about voting on Facebook[.]" --s ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Great. False and racist, too. Thanks, Zuck!
James Gallagher of BBC: "The world is ill-prepared for the global crash in children being born which is set to have a 'jaw-dropping' impact on societies, say researchers. Falling fertility rates mean nearly every country could have shrinking populations by the end of the century. And 23 nations - including Spain and Japan - are expected to see their populations halve by 2100. Countries will also age dramatically, with as many people turning 80 as there are being born.... It has nothing to do with sperm counts or the usual things that come to mind when discussing fertility. Instead it is being driven by more women in education and work, as well as greater access to contraception, leading to women choosing to have fewer children." --s
~~~~~~~~~~
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
Fred Imbert of CNBC: "The number of Americans who filed for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week as the country continues to grapple with the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Initial weekly jobless claims came in at 1.3 million for the week ending July 11, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected a print of 1.25 million. It was also the 16th straight week in which initial claims totaled at least 1 million. Continuing claims -- which refer to those receiving benefits for at least two straight weeks -- totaled 17.33 million for the week of July 4." ~~~
~~~ Reuters: "U.S. retail sales increased more than expected in June, but the budding economic recovery is being threatened by a resurgence in new Covid-19 infections and high unemployment. The Commerce Department said on Thursday retail sales rose 7.5% last month. That was on top of the 18.2% jump in May, which was the biggest gain since the government started tracking the series in 1992. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales advancing 5% in June."
The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Wednesday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here: "Sidelined by the White House and harshly criticized in an extraordinary op-ed from a top adviser to the Trump administration, Anthony S. Fauci -- the nation's top infectious-disease expert -- said in an interview with the Atlantic published Wednesday that the country needs to focus on a surging virus 'rather than these games people are playing.'"
Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "After several days spent weathering attacks from White House officials, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci hit back on Wednesday, calling recent efforts to discredit him 'bizarre' ... in an interview with The Atlantic published on Wednesday ... and a hindrance to the government's ability to communicate information about the coronavirus pandemic.... On Wednesday, Peter Navarro, Mr. Trump's top trade adviser, published a brazen op-ed article in USA Today describing Dr. Fauci as 'wrong about everything.' Over the weekend, another of Mr. Trump's top advisers shared a mocking cartoon that portrayed Dr. Fauci as a leaky faucet. Other White House officials have targeted Dr. Fauci by distributing opposition research-style documents to reporters that detail what they say are his mistakes. All the while, White House officials -- including the president and the press secretary -- assert in the face of the evidence that there is no concerted effort to attack Dr. Fauci...., but so far [they have] not attacked the substance of [Navarro's] piece." An ABC News story is here. ~~~
~~~ Quint Forgey of Politico has a related story here. ~~~
Ultimately, it hurts the president to do that. When the staff lets out something like that and the entire scientific and press community push back on it, it ultimately hurts the president. -- Anthony Fauci, in an Atlantic interview this week
~~~ Jill Colvin & Zeke Miller of the AP: "... a person familiar with the matter said Trump himself was amused by the spat, believing Navarro highlighted errors by Fauci and helped reduce his public stature, which has grated on some in the West Wing for months.... 'Peter Navarro's statement or op-ed, whatever you want to classify it as, was an action that is a violation of well-established protocols that was not supported overtly or covertly by anyone in the West Wing,' [chief-of-staff Mark] Meadows told reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday evening. His 'comments really just reflect Peter Navarro's personal thinking and not the thinking of the West Wing.'" ~~~
~~~ Brian Williams of MSNBC said the LA Times is reporting that a senior White House official said Navarro had Trump's permission to write the op-ed and encouraged him to do so. ~~~
~~~ Kadia Goba & Dan Vergano of BuzzFeed News: "... thousands of ... doctors [are] publicly defending Fauci. The Infectious Diseases Society of America released a statement Wednesday speaking on behalf of its 12,000 medical doctors, research scientists, and public health experts, saying they won't be 'sidelined' and calling the campaign to discredit Fauci 'disturbing.'... The American Society for Microbiology also wrote a letter Tuesday to Vice President Mike Pence expressing its support for Fauci and other health officials 'prioritizing science-based public health strategies to address the COVID-19 pandemic.'... During an unrelated White House event on Wednesday..., Donald Trump skirted questions on whether he’s OK with Navarro's op-ed.... 'I get along very well with Dr. Fauci,' Trump said. When pressed on the question again, 'That's Peter Navarro, but I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci.' Later, the president told reporters that Navarro made a statement 'representing himself. He shouldn't be doing that.'" Mrs. McC: It's pretty impressive that even the nation's biggest bully has figured out he can't win by dissing Fauci. ~~~
~~~ Kevin Drum of Mother Jones debunks Peter Navarro's diatribe/op-ed against Anthony Fauci. Drum zeroes in on Navarro's "proofs" that Fauci got everything wrong: "... it turns out to be just the latest in an increasingly common conservative genre: a piece that links to articles that literally make the opposite of the point the author is claiming." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Gee, when the New York Times published a hateful, error-dotted op-ed by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the newsroom revolted & the editorial page editor resigned. But when USA Today publishes a hateful, error-filled op-ed by a top administration official -- well, crickets.
~~~ Summer Concepcion of TPM: "... Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Wednesday threw his support behind Dr. Anthony Fauci as the White House continues its efforts to discredit the top official in its coronavirus task force. When McConnell was asked during a press conference on Wednesday about his level of confidence in Fauci, after the Senate leader argued that Fauci has been the best source of advice since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, McConnell replied 'total.'" Mrs. McC: Obvious follow-up question: "What's you level of confidence in Donald Trump?" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Amy Goldstein & Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "State health leaders, public health experts and hospital officials warn that an abrupt change in how the Trump administration requires them to report coronavirus data will increase the burden on facilities already strained by the pandemic and could impede the distribution of critical medicines. The opposition came after the Department of Health and Human Services notified governors and hospital leaders this week that it was changing the protocol for sending the federal government daily information about coronavirus patients, supplies and bed capacity.... Officials also suggested that states might want to get the National Guard to assist hospitals -- an idea the industry has condemned." An AP report is here. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Also too, as Chris Hayes of MSNBC noted, the point person for disseminating information to the public is loudmouthed super-partisan Michael Caputo, a protégé of Roger Stone. Great! ~~~
The Trump Administration is going to have to give a full justification for this, because until they do, it's hard to see how this step won't further sideline public health experts and obscure the severity of this crisis. -- Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), in a tweet ~~~
~~~ Adriel Bettelheim of Politico: "An HHS-imposed change in how hospitals and states report coronavirus data to the government is drawing fierce criticism from public health groups and congressional Democrats concerned that the Trump administration could manipulate the numbers for political purposes.... A group of public health experts including former CDC Director Tom Frieden called the change unproductive, noting that Inadequate funding for health data at CDC and local agencies is already hindering a response to Covid-19. The experts said the new reporting system would be complicated to set up, adding that the administration hadn't consulted with state and local officials ahead of time." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Can't imagine why anyone thinks HHS would do a lousy job: ~~~
~~~ Dan Diamond & Adam Cancryn of Politico: "A top Trump administration health official violated federal contracting rules by steering millions of taxpayer dollars in contracts that ultimately benefited GOP-aligned communications consultants, according to an inspector general report set to be released today. The contracts, which were directed by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Seema Verma, were only halted after a Politico investigation raised questions about their legality and the agency had paid out more than $5 million to the contractors.... The report paints a detailed portrait of Verma's use of federal contracts to install allies who managed high-priority projects and exercised broad authority within CMS, while circumventing the agency's career officials and funding projects that ethics experts have said wasted taxpayers' money."
Griff Witte of the Washington Post: "... masks on Wednesday moved ever closer to becoming a new national reality in America's pandemic-scarred life, with businesses, states and health experts preaching their promise as the country's last line of defense against a fast-growing viral threat. Even as the White House continued to resist pushing for a national mask mandate, evidence abounded that face coverings were becoming a de facto requirement -- and not only in big cities where they have been in widespread use for months. Alabama's governor, who leads one of the country's most conservative states, on Wednesday said people would be obligated to wear masks when leaving the house..., mean[ing] nearly half of all states now have a mandate.... Walmart Inc., issued the same requirement for shoppers in its stores.... 'Shopping in a store is a privilege, not a right,' said the National Retail Federation."
Uh, Not in Georgia. Jeremy Redmon, et al., of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Wednesday extended Georgia's coronavirus restrictions while explicitly banning cities and counties from adopting rules requiring masks or other face coverings, a measure that could bolster the state's case in a possible legal battle ... against a string of cities that have defied Kemp's emergency order by requiring masks.... Kemp's executive order -- which was set to expire Wednesday evening -- still encourages, rather than requires, Georgians to wear masks in public. The governor has called such a requirement 'a bridge too far,' and his office has said local mandates are unenforceable.... The rate of new tests [in Georgia] that are positive for the disease is soaring...." Mrs. McC: Ali Velshi of MSNBC (I think it was) noted that when Kemp met Trump Wednesday, he donned a mask. Trump did not.
Florida. Skyler Swisher of the South Florida Sun Sentinel: "Nearly one-in-three children tested for the new coronavirus in Florida has been positive, and a South Florida health official is concerned the disease could cause lifelong damage even for children with mild illness. Dr. Alina Alonso, Palm Beach County's health department director, warned county commissioners Tuesday..., '[X-rays] are seeing there is damage to the lungs in these asymptomatic children.... We don't know how that is going to manifest a year from now or two years from now,' Alonso said.... Her comments stand in contrast to [not-a-doctor] Gov. Ron DeSantis' messaging that children are at low risk, and classrooms need to be reopened in the fall."
Oklahoma. KFOR-TV Oklahoma City: "One day after the Sooner State saw it's largest spike in COVID-19 cases, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt ... announced he was tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday and his results came back positive. He is currently quarantining at home." Mrs. McC: Oddly, that part about Stitt's testing positive is the last part of the story, at least as it's currently written. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Nicholas Wu & Courtney Subramanian of USA Today: "Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt announced Wednesday he had tested positive for the coronavirus weeks after attending ... Donald Trump's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he sat, bare-faced, among top state officials in a crowd of thousands." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Barbara Hoberock of the Tulsa World: "Stitt said he was 'not thinking about a mask mandate at all.... I am just hesitant to mandate something that is problematic to enforce,' the governor said." ~~~
~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "The coronavirus pandemic has for the first time infected one of the nation's governors. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) says he was 'pretty shocked' to have that distinction. But Stitt has also been among the most cavalier about the threat posed by the virus. The most visible example of Stitt's attitude toward the virus came last month, when he encouraged President Trump to hold a rally in Tulsa even as health officials balked. Stitt then attended the rally while, like the vast majority of people there, declining to wear a mask. 'My response to those folks, the naysayers, is: When is the right time?' Stitt said to critics of the rally.... In March, Stitt ... tweeted a picture of him and his children in a crowded restaurant and commented, 'It's packed tonight!'... [Stitt ultimately bowed to pressure to declare a coronavirus state of emergency.] At the time, Oklahoma was one of just eight states -- all of them with GOP governors and also in the middle of the country -- who resisted the stricter stay-at-home or 'shelter-in-place' orders."
Maryland. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in a Washington Post/Outlook opinion piece, trashes Donald Trump for his stubborn refusal to do anything to confront the coronavirus. Mrs. McC: Reading what Hogan & his wife Yumi went through to try to get testing supplies for Maryland, some of which has been reported previously, is maddening.
California. Rashaan Ayesh of Axios: "The 2021 Rose Parade on New Year's Day has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association announced Wednesday.... The last time the Rose Parade was canceled was in 1945 because of World War II."
** Tim Arango, et al., of the New York Times: "Almost from the moment George Floyd encountered the police on May 25, with a gun pointed at him, he appeared terrified and emotionally distraught, according to police camera footage that was newly made available for viewing Wednesday at a courthouse in downtown Minneapolis. Mr. Floyd was visibly shaken, with his head down, and crying, as if he were in the throes of a panic attack, as he put his hands on the steering wheel in response to a frantic order from an officer. He told the officers over and over that he was claustrophobic, as two officers struggled to push him to the back seat of a police vehicle. Throughout the video, he never appeared to present a physical threat to the officers, and even after he was handcuffed and searched for weapons, the officers seemed to be more concerned with controlling his body than saving his life, the footage showed. The video offers the fullest portrait yet of the tragic events around Mr. Floyd's killing.... The footage was made available for viewing Wednesday ... but was not allowed to be copied or recorded." ~~~
~~~ A Washington Post report is here. The Minneapolis Star Tribune's report is here.
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Based on reporters' accounts, it seems the police tortured Floyd before they murdered him. Allegedly.
Missouri. Night Rider in the White House. Meagan Flynn, et al., of the Washington Post: "The prosecutor investigating the St. Louis couple who aimed guns at protesters says she has received racist attacks and death threats that have worsened as President Trump has thrown his support behind the couple. 'This is a modern-day night ride, and everybody knows it,' St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner (D) said in an interview with The Washington Post, referring to the terroristic forays of the Ku Klux Klan into African American neighborhoods in the 19th and 20th centuries. 'And for a president to participate in it, in the larger context of racism and cronyism, is scary.'... Both the president and Republican governor [Mike Parson] have offered impassioned defenses of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who went viral after brandishing guns at protesters on the private street outside their mansion."
** Mitch Prothero of Business Insider: "Russia routinely exploited a US policy of increased information sharing to target Chechen dissidents, according to three law-enforcement and intelligence officials in Europe. The practice emerged after the Trump administration backed a policy of sharing more secret information with Russia, in hope of strengthening relations. Sources told Insider Russia routinely sought information on its targets of choice -- dissidents who fled the rule of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. The US appears to have received little in return.... The officials Insider spoke with confirmed the existence of the modern-day US-Russian arrangement after a former US intelligence official described it on the JustSecurity blog." --s (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
What's He Hiding? Ctd. Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "President Trump intends to fight the Manhattan district attorney's effort to access his tax records after last week's defeat at the Supreme Court, and may argue now that attempts to subpoena his accounting firm are politically motivated, Trump's lawyers told a judge on Wednesday.... Lawyers for Cyrus Vance, Jr.'s office, which faces a looming statute-of-limitations deadline should he decide to pursue a felony case, said in Wednesday's joint filing that the district attorney could enforce the subpoena immediately but would give the president until July 27 to file his new claims before doing so."
After pimping Goya food products how long will it be until Ivanka is shilling out for automobiles and big box stores? -- Bobby Lee, in yesterday's Comments thread ~~~
~~~ Darlene Superville of the AP: "Ivanka Trump on Wednesday defended tweeting a photo of herself holding up a can of Goya beans to buck up a Hispanic-owned business that she says has been unfairly treated, arguing that she has 'every right' to publicly express her support. Government watchdogs countered that ... Ivanka Trump doesn't have the right to violate ethics rules that bar government officials from using their public office to endorse specific products or groups.... The White House would be responsible for disciplining Ivanka Trump for any ethics violation but chose not to in a similar case involving White House counselor Kellyanne Conway in 2017. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters accompanying the president to Atlanta on Wednesday that he doubted Ivanka Trump would face any repercussions." Mrs. McC: The screenshot of Ivanka's tweet, which accompanies the story, is a classic. Ivanka truly looks like a Latina hawking beans in a can. ~~~
~~~ Wait, Wait! It Gets Worse. (You Knew It Would.) Justin Wise of the Hill: "President Trump on Wednesday shared a photo on Instagram with several Goya Foods products as the White House doubled down on its public support of the company even as a similar tweet from Ivanka Trump raised concerns about the violation of ethics rules for public officials. The photo, taken from the Oval Office, was promoted on the president's Instagram account.... The White House strongly pushed back against the criticism Ivanka Trump faced, claiming the media and the 'cancel culture movement' was responsible." Mrs. McC: I'd like to see Joe & Jill in their kitchen whipping up some delicious Ortega chili bowls with a side of fat-free Ortega refried beans. ~~~
~~~ Jenna Grande of CREW: "President Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows appears to have violated the Hatch Act twice during separate interviews with Fox News, according to a complaint sent today to the Office of Special Counsel by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). While appearing in his official position as White House Chief of Staff, Meadows advocated in both interviews for President Trump's reelection and against his 2020 opponent, Joe Biden, and in one he also endorsed the Republican candidate running for his former congressional seat.... 'It is alarming and disturbing to see the president's Chief of Staff so blatantly violate the law by using his official position for politics. As one of the highest ranking officials in the White House, he should know better,' said CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder.... The Hatch Act prohibits executive branch employees from 'us[ing their] official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.'"
All the Best People ... Leak. Dan Diamond, et al., of Politico: "In the middle of a devastating pandemic and a searing economic crisis, the White House has an urgent question for its colleagues across the administration: Are you loyal enough to ... Donald Trump? The White House's presidential personnel office is conducting one-on-one interviews with health officials and hundreds of other political appointees across federal agencies, an exercise some of the subjects have called 'loyalty tests' to root out threats of leaks and other potentially subversive acts just months before the presidential election, according to interviews with 15 current and former senior administration officials.... The reinterviewing exercise is being led by Johnny McEntee, a 30-year-old who's been a Trump aide since the 2016 campaign and was installed earlier this year as chief of the White House personnel office and is responsible for filling thousands or jobs across the federal agencies."
Elections 2020
Max Greenwood of the Hill: "Former Vice President Joe Biden has widened his lead over President Trump to 15 points in a new national Quinnipiac University poll. The poll released Wednesday shows Biden with 52 percent of the vote to Trump's 37 percent, the widest lead for the presumptive Democratic nominee recorded by a Quinnipiac survey to date. A similar poll from last month found Biden leading Trump by 8 points."
Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump is shaking up his re-election team with less than four months until November's vote, replacing his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, in an acknowledgment of the president's diminished standing in nearly all public and private polling since the spring. Mr. Parscale, who was named campaign manager unusually early, in February 2018, will step out of the job and Bill Stepien, currently the deputy campaign manager and a veteran political operative, will take over. Mr. Parscale will stay on with the campaign, becoming a senior adviser for data and digital operations.... Jared Kushner ... confirmed the moves Wednesday night.... Mr. Parscale has no background in politics, and he suffered something of a mortal wound in the role three weeks ago when a much-hyped rally in Tulsa, Okla., to 'reboot' Mr. Trump's campaign was sparsely attended." Mrs. McC: The problem could be the product, not the packager. Update: A Politico story is here.
Alabama. Amber Phillips of the Washington Post on the lessons Jeff Sessions' humiliation teach other elected Republicans. (Also linked yesterday.)
Texas. Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, the former White House physician with no political experience who ran a campaign based on his close relationship with President Trump, won a Republican runoff election for a House seat in Texas on Tuesday night, effectively stamping his ticket to Congress next year." Jackson, who ran in a crowded primary field, got a good deal of help from the Trump campaign. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ And Jackson Is Still the Great Doctor He Always Was. Quint Forgey of Politico: "Ronny Jackson ... said Wednesday that Americans should not be required to wear masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 'I think that wearing a mask is a personal choice, and I don't particularly want my government telling me that I have to wear a mask. And so I think that's a choice that I can make,' Jackson told 'Fox & Friends.' The remarks from Jackson, a retired Navy rear admiral who served as the personal doctor for Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, not only contradict the universal guidance of public health experts, but also undermine Texas Gov. Greg Abbott -- who has mandated that most of his state's residents wear a mask." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Mark Berman & Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "In an early morning, 5-4 order, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the second federal execution this week. The decision, with all four liberal justices dissenting, comes after the court allowed the first federal execution since 2003 to proceed on Tuesday. In an order posted after 3 a.m. on Thursday, the court lifted two separate injunctions blocking the execution of Wesley Purkey, 68, who was convicted in 2003 of raping and murdering 16-year-old Jennifer Long. He killed Long in 1998, and that same year, he also killed 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales, court records show."
Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg left Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Wednesday, a day after being admitted for treatment of a possible infection. The court's spokeswoman, Kathy Arberg, said in an emailed statement that Ginsburg 'is home and doing well' but provided no other details about the justice's condition."
Major Twitter Hack. Sheera Frenkel, et al., of the New York Times: Wednesday afternoon, "dozens of the biggest names in America -- including Joseph R. Biden Jr., Barack Obama, Kanye West, Bill Gates and Elon Musk -- posted similar messages on Twitter: Send Bitcoin and the famous people would send back double your money. It was all a scam, of course, the result of one of the most brazen online attacks in memory. A first wave of attacks hit the Twitter accounts of prominent cryptocurrency leaders and companies. But soon after, the list of victims broadened to include a Who's Who of Americans in politics, entertainment and tech, in a major show of force by the hackers. Twitter quickly removed many of the messages, but in some cases similar tweets were sent again from the same accounts, suggesting that Twitter was powerless to take back control of the accounts. The company eventually disabled broad swaths of its service, including the ability of verified users to tweet, as it scrambled to prevent the scam from spreading further.... The attack was concerning to security experts because it suggested that the hackers could have easily caused much more havoc." A Politico story is here.
Capitalisim Is Awesome, Ctd. Timothy Floyd of Reuters: "The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation believes firms in the nearly $10-trillion private investment funds industry are being used as vehicles for laundering money at scale, according to a leaked intelligence bulletin prepared by the agency in May.... It also said the industry lacks adequate anti-money laundering programs and called for greater scrutiny by regulators, which have yet to issue rules for the industry.... The FBI bulletin cites four cases of planned or reported laundering operations, involving hundreds of millions of dollars, using private funds. One of those cases led to a criminal conviction.... The bulletin was contained among a cache of law enforcement documents, dubbed 'BlueLeaks', which were obtained through a security breach at a web development firm." --s (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Way Beyond the Beltway
Archie Bland of the Guardian: "The statue of slave trader Edward Colston was replaced in Bristol on Wednesday morning -- with a sculpture of one of the protesters whose anger brought him down. The figure of Jen Reid, who was photographed standing on the plinth with her fist raised after the 17th century merchant was toppled by Black Lives Matter demonstrators last month, was erected at dawn by a team directed by the artist Marc Quinn.... After meticulous planning to ensure the statue could be erected quickly enough to have it in place before officials arrived, the vehicles left the scene about 15 minutes after they got there.... The ambush sculpture is likely to reignite the debate over public statuary in the UK that began with the toppling of the Colston figure five weeks ago." --s (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
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“Pardon My Dust”
Talks underway to move ashes of writer Dorothy Parker out of Baltimore
“The ashes of writer Dorothy Parker, who died in 1967, are buried in a memorial garden in the backyard of the Baltimore headquarters of the NAACP. The civil rights organization has announced plans to relocate to Washington.”
From The WashPo
Puh-leze send Dorothy back to New York City. She could replace the statue of Christopher Columbus on Central Park's beautiful Mall/"Literary Walk."
What a fantastic proposal, Bea. I would love that!
(Although she did honor the NAACP & Dr. King.)
But was a Noo Yawker!
(And at the top of my “If you could spend time with anyone” list.)
If it’s a Trump, it has to be a lie...
Okay class, show of hands. How many think Fatty, who calls Hispanics rapists and murderers, and/or white-whitey-white ivory tower-bound Prices Ivanka* have ever opened a can of Goya black beans, never mind tasted them.
These people must think Hispanics are feckless and stupid if they think they’ll set aside their well deserved loathing for the family that puts their babies in cages and leaves them to die, or who tells Latinos, particularly hard hit by the Trump virus, to just “get used to it”.
Perhaps he thinks there are enough Hispanic voters out there who will blame Joe Biden for people dumping cans of Goya products down the sink that he can benefit from injecting yet more hatred and cynicism out into the body politic.
It’s all they got. Oh, besides smirking faces in need of serious punching.
*Just look at that picture of Princess Ivanka holding that Goya can wearing an incredibly forced smile. It looks like she’s thinking “Please take this fucking picture before I get Latin cooties.
@Akhilleus: Are those "ootiekays"?
@Mrs McC: The comment on Georgia governor Kemp wearing a mask while Trump did not just emphasizes the "photo op" nature of his boldly striding through the corridors of Walter Reed video.
WHO'S A GOOD BOY?"
Whenever I watched and listened to Jeff Sessions through the years the image of a fluffy white poodle with a ferocious bite came to mind. There was always that elfin smile, and those twinkling eyes which belied the deep racism that this Alabaman harbored. Before the rise of Billy Barr, Eric Lach (New Yorker) says it was hard to imagine an A. G. better suited to Trump's purpose. As politicians go, Sessions' defeat yesterday might very well be shrugged off–-bye bye birdy kind of thing–-but I think Session's story with the Trump administration is quintessential in understanding or acknowledging how Trump uses people over and over and over again.
" In 2016, Sessions had asked Bannon if Trump could win; he should have asked what Trump would demand. Getting down in the dirt is now a requirement for serving in the executive branch of the United States government. Sessions, in one key instance, wouldn’t do it. “If I do this endorsement and it doesn’t work,” Sessions had told Bannon in 2016, “it’s the end of my career in the Republican Party.” He did the endorsement, and it did work. His career in the Republican Party has ended anyway.
Would guess the Pretend Family Goya ads are directed at both the few loyal Republican Hispanics (there are some) whose priority is jobs, jobs, jobs and thus support the Pretender's gleeful rapine of the country and at his diehard white followers who are tired of nothing but meat.
TexMex without the ten gallon hat.
And of course it's a violation of ethics, but minor enough to be beheath notice for this family of crooks.
Thought the other day they do present a paradox. While there is no bottom to their depravity, they are among the most shallow people I know.
Marie,
Very good.
That would be the way the pigs would describe it, aka Trumps.
Here's a sing-a-long for our times––ya'all can sing a long and for a moment it will cheer you up.
https://enchantmentathamilton.org/20200601ForTheLongestTime.mp4
PD, thank you for the singalong. In it is the answer to why we (USA!USA!) are doing so poorly with COVID, and why Canada, NZ, Oz, and most Euroweenies are doing better.
The Canadian singers sing of keeping "2 meter" (metre?) social distance, whereas here in the US we strive for 6 feet of separation.
Countries on the metric system are doing better!!!!!!!!!
Clearly the fault of poor COVID containment lies with our use of the English measurement system based on body parts, walking distances, and the average ground-covering abilities of English horses. Whereas the metrics, with distances now based on natural wavelengths, do better.
So, it's not our fault, no matter how stupid we behave as a society, no matter what stupidity our national leadership exhibits. The fault lies in our tape measures!
It's good to have that weight* lifted from the conscience. But not furlong.
*In kilos, eh?
As an avid eater of Latino cuisine, I can assure you that pure white (nationalist) clothing is not recommended for black bean consumption.
Despite the clear ethics violations, I'm actually quite content with the official pictures of Drumphus and his corrupt daughter. Those pictures will now go into history books where in (hopefully) saner times we can reflect on the insanity and depravity of these heartless, bumbling ghouls who decided to push beans and chocolate wafers while 140,000+ Americans were dead from a raging pandemic, thousands more sick at home curling up in fetal positions across the country for lack of health insurance and historic economic devastation set in across the country.
Watching America burns from abroad is surreal, and still he retains his cult followers, with the whole GOP blazing the way.
Alright, we're officially banana republic status. The CDC website has been wiped clean of its hospital capacity information. The public is officially flying blind. In the middle of a pandemic with no national strategy to combat it. This is absolute insanity. Congress and the GOP must scream bloody murder right away.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/cdc-cuts-off-public-information-about-hospital-capacity-report/
The GOYA bean spots by the Trumps... I don't know anything about Cuban cuisine. Cruz tweeted that his grandparents ate GOYA beans for 90 years. Goya was established in 1936 and his parents died in 1991 and 2004. Other than the math not adding up, GOYA was a small company until 1970 and didn't export before the US embargo. Even so, maybe Cubans eat GOYA canned beans. I can reliably say that my husband, his family and every other Hispanic I know (live in CA) would not be caught dead eating canned beans. Its a felony.
A piece on the Cruz bean fiasco. https://bit.ly/30eFPU8
EFFECTIVE NEW DRUG FOR THESE TIMES!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlusWzDY4qw
Thank you so much, Dr. Hattie. I've ordered a gallon.
Victoria -
I’ve only just begun the protocol yet already feeling a lift.
(Placebo Effect?)
Will keep you posted re: progress.
A mega-high dosing was prescribed in my case.
But was reassured that side effects are rare.
à votre santé!
More cogs on the wheels within wheels of the corona virus vaccine multi-billion dollar contract awards.
We've met some of these players before, and they don't look any better the second time around.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/health/coronavirus-vaccine-novavax.html?
Crooked as it all appears to be, I hope it works.
My wife used to take Attagirl (Ativan) while she was undergoing cancer treatments but Phucumol sounds even better!
And here's a few words from The Buttercream Dream.
Speaking of beans, I wonder how black bears like them. I have a few cans and bags of Goya and was thinking of returning them directly to the lake house that they own nearby, opened of course. Hopefully the bears won't have any problems with gas.
Everett Eclectic's (a man to whom Ken is very close) response to Pompeo's WAPO piece:
Everett Eclectic
"Just finished a long biography of Leslie Groves, who built the Pentagon and saw to the success of the Manhattan Project, and in its pages encountered dozens of West Point graduates of his era, who like Groves must be spinning in their graves at what you have done to sully, to trample on, the Point's tradition of courage, selfless service to the nation,and above all, integrity.
You are as corrupt as your boss, but may be worse because in addition to your corruption, you are the worst sort of hypocrite, pretending to be principled while in fact weakening the nation and trampling on the very principles you claim to admire.
A pox on you."
Kayleigh’s Daily offered *this* as reasoning for sending children back to school?!?
“The science should not stand in the way of this.”
Help! Me oh-so confoozed.
@Hattie: Yeah, that quote screamed off of the page for me, too. They’re all bullshitters.