;)
The Commentariat -- July 4, 2019
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times gives an online quiz of the questions which applicants for U.S. citizenship most often get wrong. Mrs. McC: I got them all right, but if I had not lived here all my life & gone to school here, I certainly would have missed some, as a few are not things that would have registered even if I'd read a couple of U.S. history books.
Your Constitutional Crisis of the Day: Trump Considers Blowing off Supreme Court. Jonathan Swan & Mike Allen of Axios: "President Trump is considering an executive order to try to move forward with a citizenship question on the 2020 census.... But there is considerable skepticism within the administration that an executive order would succeed.... Trump's insistence on pushing ahead with the question, potentially without doing the legwork the Supreme Court called for, reflects his expansive view of executive power. A source familiar with some of the administration's internal deliberations said: 'I think that there's a good argument to be made that even though the president may lose in litigation at the end of the day, going through that process ultimately makes it clear that it's the chief justice, and not the Executive Branch, that bears responsibility for that unfortunate outcome.'"
Quid Pro Quo. Devin Dwyer & Stephanie Ebbs of ABC News: "President Donald Trump's Fourth of July celebration will feature $750,000 of donated fireworks from an Ohio retailer who has lobbied the White House against expanded tariffs on Chinese imports. And last week, the same day the donation was announced, the company -- Phantom Fireworks of Youngstown, Ohio -- got what it wanted: Trump decided to hold off on his threatened $300 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, which include fireworks." --s
Emily Holden of the Guardian: "Donald Trump plans to go on the offensive against criticism of his industry-friendly rollbacks of environment protections in a speech on Monday, according to three sources familiar with the plans. Trump will tout America's clean air and water, although his administration has advanced many efforts that experts say have undercut the country's environmental record.... He is not expected to make any major announcements of new policy initiatives. Yet in an off-the-record conference call on Wednesday, the White House reached out to key supporting groups requesting they spread the message that the US under Trump continues to be an environmental leader." --s
Presidential Race 2020. Julia Manchester of the Hill: "Democratic presidential hopefuls will be criss-crossing Iowa and New Hampshire on Thursday, using a series of appearances at Independence Day events to try to inject momentum for their campaigns in a highly volatile race."
Julia Kollewe of the Guardian: "Nearly half of all global pay is scooped up by just 10% of workers, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), while the lowest-paid 50% receive just 6.4%. The lowest 20% -- around 650 million workers -- get less than 1% of total pay, a figure that has barely moved in 13 years, the ILO analysis found. It used labour income figures from 2004 to 2017, the latest available data. A worker in the top 10% receives $7,445 a month (£5,866), while a worker in the bottom 10% gets just $22." --s
Reuters: "Deforestation in Brazil's portion of the Amazon rainforest rose more than 88% in June compared with the same month a year ago, the second consecutive month of rising forest destruction under the rightwing president Jair Bolsonaro.... While the final text of [a newly created] EU-Mercosur deal has not been released, an outline from the EU states the agreement includes a provision that the Paris agreement on climate change must be effectively implemented along with other commitments to fight deforestation. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, had warned last week before agreement on the deal that he would not sign off on it if Brazil leaves the Paris accord." --s
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Everything Is Now Officially Upside-Down & Crazy
President* Dismisses IG Report & Photo Proofs
** Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump on Wednesday came to the defense of border agents and scoffed at Democratic lawmakers' furor after an internal watchdog report found detained migrants are living in dismal conditions in federal detention facilities. In a series of tweets, Trump credited Border Patrol with doing a 'great job' and going 'above and beyond.' He blamed Democrats and existing immigration laws for ongoing issues at the border. He further claimed that many immigrants detained in the overcrowded facilities are 'living far better now than where they came from, and in far safer conditions.' 'No matter how good things actually look, even if perfect, the Democrat visitors will act shocked & aghast at how terrible things are. Just Pols,' Trump tweeted. 'If they really want to fix them, change the Immigration Laws and Loopholes. So easy to do!'... A short time later on Wednesday, Trump added: 'If Illegal Immigrants are unhappy with the conditions in the quickly built or refitted detentions centers, just tell them not to come. All problems solved!'" ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: That final tweet is proof that Trump favors the deplorable conditions to which he has subjected immigrants, including children, as means of deterrence.
Oh, They Knew. Ted Hesson & Cristiano Lima of Politico: "Customs and Border Protection officials have been aware for up to three years that a secret Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents was posting offensive messages -- far longer than previously reported. Border Patrol leadership knew about photos posted to the group as far back as 2016, when agents reported them, according to a current Homeland Security official. The images -- several of which were provided to Politico -- show agents engaging in conduct that includes simulating sex acts and taking selfies while defecating.... Neither official knew of any serious punishment ever leveled at members of the Facebook group.... [After ProPublica reported on the site & some of its comments this week,] top Homeland Security Department officials, including acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan and Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost denounced those posts ... and pledged to hold any culpable agents accountable."
Judges Don't Buy Fake National Emergency. Elliot Spagat of the AP: "An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a freeze on Pentagon money to build a border wall with Mexico, casting doubt on ... Donald Trump's ability to make good on a signature campaign promise before the 2020 election. A divided three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco agreed with a lower court ruling that prevented the government from tapping Defense Department counterdrug money to build high-priority sections of wall in Arizona, California and New Mexico.... 'As for the public interest, we conclude that it is best served by respecting the Constitution's assignment of the power of the purse to Congress, and by deferring to Congress's understanding of the public interest as reflected in its repeated denial of more funding for border barrier construction,' wrote Judges Michelle Friedland, a Barack Obama appointee, and Richard Clifton, a George W. Bush appointee. The decision is a setback for Trump’s ambitious plans. He ended a 35-day government shutdown in February after Congress gave him far less than he wanted. He then declared a national emergency that the White House said would free billions of dollars from the Pentagon.... The administration immediately appealed."
Jacqueline Thomsen of the Hill: "The White House on Wednesday condemned a federal judge in Seattle who blocked an order from the administration allowing for the indefinite detention of some asylum-seekers, claiming that the ruling 'is at war with the rule of law.' White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham claimed in a statement that the ruling, which she characterized as being issued by 'a single, unelected district judge,' will only motivate 'smugglers and traffickers, which will lead to the further overwhelming of our immigration system by illegal aliens.'"
Government by Insane Tweet
Alan Rappeport, et al., of the New York Times: "A day after pledging that the 2020 census would not ask respondents about their citizenship, the Justice Department reversed course on Wednesday and said it was hunting for a way to restore the question on orders from President Trump. Officials told a federal judge in Maryland that they thought there would be a way to still add the question, despite printing deadlines, and that they would ask the Supreme Court to send the case to district court with instructions to remedy the situation. President Trump had been frustrated with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for mishandling the White House's effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, according to an administration official, and said on Wednesday that he was 'absolutely moving forward' with plans to add it despite a Supreme Court decision last week rejecting the move.... On Tuesday, the Justice Department said that the census forms were being printed without the citizenship question and Mr. Ross said that he was heeding the court's ruling. But the president ... is not letting the matter go. 'The News Reports about the Department of Commerce dropping its quest to put the Citizenship Question on the Census is incorrect or, to state it differently, FAKE!' Mr. Trump wrote Wednesday on Twitter." (This is an update of a story linked yesterday afternoon.)
David Graham of the Atlantic recounts the phone conference call among federal judge George Hazel, who is overseeing the Maryland census case & DOJ lawyers. The full transcript of the call is here. Chris Hayes' opening segment on this was good, & I'll try to get up a video when MSNBC makes one available.
President* Hijacks Popular National Holiday
A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. -- Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
Nancy Cook of Politico: "... White House officials and allies are wringing their hands over the risk of the hastily arranged event morphing into Trump's Inauguration 2.0, in which the size of the crowd and the ensuing media coverage do not meet the president's own outsized expectations for the event. 'They started this too late and everyone has plans already,' said Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor.... Less than 36 hours before the event, White House aides were crafting Trump's speech, while administration and RNC officials finalized the guest lists. A White House official declined to explain the system for handing out tickets or the various tiers of VIP access, except to say the reserved seating area -- extending from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to the middle the reflecting pool -- will feature veterans, Trump family and friends and special guests. The first lady, vice president and second lady, and a number of Cabinet officials are expected to attend, as well as several senior White House officials -- though the aide stressed this, too, was still coming together."
Put troops out there so we can thank them — leave tanks for Red Square. -- Gen. Anthony Zinni, Ret. four-star Marine general and former head of CentCom ...
... Thomas Gibbons-Neff, et al., of the New York Times: "... some retired and active-duty military officers, and, privately, even some Defense Department personnel said the participation of the military in President Trump's 'Salute to America' appears to politicize the armed forces on a day when the nation traditionally toasts its independence in a nonpartisan environment.... The festivities have put the Pentagon in a bind in trying to both follow orders from the commander in chief while also trying to sidestep the inevitable accusation that Mr. Trump is being allowed to politicize the military.... Two Defense Department officials said the vision for a relatively small contribution from the military was greatly expanded over the past two weeks.... Originally, 1,000 troops were supposed to participate in the event, but that number was whittled down to 300 -- including about a dozen who were ordered to build a platform for the tanks to keep from damaging the ground beneath...." ...
... Wesley Morgan of Politico: "Most top military chiefs [are] skipping Trump's July Fourth fest.... The only service chief in attendance will be Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz. Instead of their top officers, the Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps are sending a group of their next tier of leaders...."
Elizabeth Thomas & Luis Martinez of ABC News: "Amid growing questions about the added cost to taxpayers for his July Fourth 'Salute to America' event on the National Mall that will include tanks and military flyovers..., Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday that the added expense will be worth it. 'The cost of our great Salute to America tomorrow will be very little compared to what it is worth. We own the planes, we have the pilots, the airport is right next door (Andrews), all we need is the fuel. We own the tanks and all. Fireworks are donated by two of the greats,' Trump tweeted.... While the Pentagon and other agencies involved so far have declined to give specifics on how much the military's participation and other added factors will cost taxpayers, the Washington Post reported that the National Park Service is using nearly $2.5 million in park entrance fees to help pay the cost, funds that would have been used to do repairs on the nation's parks. The NPS and Interior Department have acknowledged costs will be higher than in previous years in part because of the added security when the president attends an event."
Niv Elis of the Hill: "Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees Interior Department spending, threatened on Wednesday to investigate the reported use of National Park Service entrance fees to finance President Trump's July 4th celebration on the National Mall. 'Mr. Trump's event is on federal grounds. The National Mall belongs to all of us. I'm prepared to use my full oversight authority as Chair of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Committee to determine how this decision was made and hold the responsible parties accountable,' McCollum said in a statement. 'This administration needs to be reminded that the power of the purse belongs to Congress.'... The Interior Department is reportedly diverting $2.5 million from National Park Service entrance fees to help pay for the event." (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... ** Lili Loufbourow of Slate: "By inserting himself (and military tanks, over the military's objections) into the event, and by conflating a celebration of American independence with a celebration of himself, Trump is trying to twist one of the few nonpartisan spectacles this country has left into an endorsement of the ugly policies he stands for, which includes 'border security' so brutal, inhumane, and ineffective that people are dying in American custody." ...
... Rex Huppke of the Chicago Tribune: "Greetings, fellow Americans* (*designation of 'Americans' does not apply to critics of President Donald J. Trump) and WELCOME to President Donald J. Trump's 'Salute to America' celebration of the Fourth of July and of President Donald J. Trump." Huppke goes on in this vein. For instance: "There will be, as the president promised, 'the brand-new Sherman tanks' on display in the Definitely-Not-Overcompensating-for-Something Dome of Manliness. (Don't believe the LYING MEDIA claims that Sherman tanks were last used in the 1950s. These Sherman tanks will be new, and they will be MAGNIFICENT!)" Thanks to Ken W. for the link.
Mrs. McCrabbie: I celebrated Independence Day early when I attended (and participated in) a reading of "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?", Frederick Douglass's 1852 speech delivered in Rochester, New York. The performance was, to my surprise, a standing-room only event in our small-town hall, proving that Donald Trump was right, after all, when he said two years ago, "Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who's done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice." Some things are still good. Even now.
Mrs. McCrabbie: You know how mike pence had to abort his scheduled trip to New Hampshire to rush back to the White House & nobody will tell us why? (See yesterday's Commentariat.) I personally suspect -- and I emphasize here that I have absolutely no evidence this is true -- that Trump was so wigged out that officials thought pence might have to come back to take over the presidency until Trump got his bearings again. Evidently by the time mike got back from Andrews, Trump had calmed down or was otherwise back to "normal." I really believe the POTUS* is insane, and sooner or later the cover-up experts will be out of tricks.
Corruption as Usual
Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "The Justice Department's top watchdog will review why the F.B.I. scuttled plans to erect a new headquarters in suburban Washington and instead chose to replace the J. Edgar Hoover Building on its current site near the White House, he wrote to lawmakers this week. The F.B.I.'s abrupt change of plans has fueled concerns among Democrats in Congress that President Trump personally intervened to make sure that the land was not redeveloped with a project that would compete with his company's nearby hotel. In May, Democrats asked the Justice Department's inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, to examine the decision.... the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray..., has insisted that the decision to stay in Washington was his.... The inspector general for the General Services Administration, which handles real estate for the federal government, has already said that the proposal to rebuild the existing headquarters could cost hundreds of millions of dollars more than the long-term relocation plan and that the new headquarters would accommodate about 2,500 fewer employees." Emphasis added.
Paid Leave??? Meredith Lerner of CREW: "Heather Nauert, a former State Department spokesperson and President Trump's original pick to replace Nikki Haley as the United States Representative to the United Nations, reported in her termination financial disclosure report that she received salary payments from 21st Century Fox while she was working in government. Nauert was an anchor and correspondent on Fox News from August 2007 until April 2017, when she joined the State Department as a spokesperson. She reported receiving $167,000 from 21st Century Fox, which she characterized as 'Salary' ... cover[ing] the period from January 1, 2018, eight months after she entered government, to March 31, 2019, the date she left the State Department. If Nauert's termination financial disclosure report is correct, the salary payments are problematic because the White House gave her an ethics waiver that authorized her to meet, interview, and communicate with 21st Century Fox employees. The Counsel to the President explained that the basis for the waiver included a finding that she did not have a 'continuing relationship with' or 'financial interest in' the company. The State Department's ethics official gave Nauert a related ethics waiver, and he offered the same explanation." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
David Kirkpatrick of the New York Times: "Iran will 'take the next step' on Sunday and begin to enrich uranium beyond the levels specified under its 2015 accord with the United States and other global powers, President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday, state news outlets reported. Mr. Rouhani's pledge to accelerate the country's uranium enrichment is the latest step in an escalating confrontation with the United States over President Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear pact and imposition of crippling economic sanctions on Iran." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Haley Byrd of CNN: "Rep. Justin Amash, the only congressional Republican who publicly argues that ... Donald Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct, announced Thursday he is quitting the GOP. 'Today, I am declaring my independence and leaving the Republican Party,' Amash wrote in a Washington Post op-ed Thursday morning.... Amash didn't mention the President by name, but his decision to abandon the party comes after months of escalating criticism not just of the President but of his own colleagues for their failure to hold Trump to account, specifically for the actions detailed in special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the 2016 election and its aftermath."
Presidential Race 2020. Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: "Kamala Harris on Wednesday debuted a new line of attack against ... Donald Trump, saying that her background as a prosecutor made her uniquely suited to take on 'a predator' like the president. At an Iowa event, during a riff on Trump's trade and health care policies and his handling of the surge of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, the 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful ripped the president for betraying the American people."
Rebecca Klar of the Hill: "Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) is turning down a Harvard research fellowship amid public backlash over the university choosing the governor, who was widely criticized for his handling of the Flint, Mich., water crisis. Snyder tweeted Wednesday that he notified the Harvard Kennedy School of his decision." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Beyond the Beltway
Arizona. Bob Orgeta of CNN: "Federal prosecutors in Tucson, Arizona, said in court Tuesday that they were dropping a charge of conspiracy to transport 'illegal aliens' against humanitarian aid worker Scott Warren, but will seek to retry him on two charges of 'harboring illegal aliens.' Warren's first trial on those three charges ended in a mistrial June 11, after jurors told US District Court Judge Raner Collins they couldn't reach a verdict. Eight of the 12 jurors had favored acquitting Warren of all charges. That trial drew widespread attention over concern that it represented an effort by the Trump administration to criminalize humanitarian aid work."
New York. Jeffery Mays & Jan Ransom of the New York Times: "The Democratic primary for district attorney in Queens, a race that drew nationwide attention, was thrown deep into uncertainty on Wednesday after a count of paper ballots flipped the primary-night result. Tiffany Cabán, a 31-year-old public defender, saw her almost 1,100-vote lead evaporate, with Melinda Katz, the Queens borough president, edging out to a 20-vote lead.The tight margin will automatically trigger a recount, according to Valerie Vazquez-Diaz, a spokeswoman for the New York City Board of Elections. It also spurred accusations from Ms. Cabán's side that elections officials improperly invalidated more than 2,000 affidavit ballots before the paper ballots were counted."
Ohio. Jessie Hellmann of the Hill: "A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked an Ohio law that would have banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The law, which bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, was signed earlier this year by Gov. Mike DeWine (R) and challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood."
News Lede
AP: "The strongest earthquake in 20 years shook a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday, rattling nerves on the July 4th holiday and causing injuries and damage in a town near the epicenter, followed by a swarm of ongoing aftershocks. The 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest, California. Multiple injuries and two house fires were reported in the town of 28,000. Emergency crews were also dealing with small vegetation fires, gas leaks and reports of cracked roads, Kern County Fire Chief David Witt said."
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Reader Comments (6)
Oh, what to do on Independence Day?
Why, declare your independenc, of course!
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/04/politics/justin-amash-leaving-gop/index.html
Amash, adhering to the tenets of libertarianism's broken political clock, is given to occasional random accuracy, like his call for the Pretender's impeachment.
But being right even once in a while apparently made him a bad fit for today's R's.
TANKS? NO THANKS
Fatty wants these in the parade because they are very big. Fatty loves big things and if, like at his inauguration, the crowd was sparse, he just makes it bigger and better anyway cuz he's a lying somabitch.
But back to tanks: for years the army has tried to convince Congress to stop buying new ones. They are expensive to build, maintain, exercise and train troops to use. The army already has more than six thousand of them––more than ever needed. Why you may ask would Congress be so hell bent on buying more. Look no further than "thems" that want to protect spending and jobs in their districts. The result is funding for weapon systems the armed forces don't want.
Happy Fourth everyone––keep the faith.
Thanks, Bea, for signaling to all that our country is in distress.
I think your hypothesis about pence staying in DC is absolutely plausible.
So what would possibly make him wig out?
a. He learned that the supreme court would rule against him regarding the census.
b. He learned that a federal judge ruled against him regarding asylum seekers.
c. His tighty-whiteys were a little too tighty.
I'm going with possibility c.
The Pretender tells the SCOTUS to go pound sand?
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/451668-trump-mulls-executive-order-to-add-citizenship-question-to-census
A definition of hubris?
Ken,
Hubris is one way to describe it. The other is that Trump is totally ignorant of how the United States government works and the role, responsibilities, and limitations of the office of the president. He has been trying to run things as if he is the god producer of a reality TV show on which he can hire and fire at will, determine who gets booted off the show each week and which ass kissers get to live to kiss his gigantic, flatulence spewing posterior the next week.
I second Victoria's recognition of Marie's decision to depict the flag upside down. It's not just that we are in an upside down state with a traitor, liar, and greedy punk in the White House (which we are), but that the upside down flag is a signal of distress.
No doubt wingers and trumpbots will assail any who dare to do this, but flying the flag upside down during the Obama presidency was routine with many 'baggers. Of course, I'm sure they feel having a black president, and a Democrat, in the White House was all they needed to feel distressed.
But we are now in a genuinely distressful place. A treasonous jackal is in charge and today has co-opted the closest thing Americans have to a sacred holiday by making the Fourth of July all about himself, his insecurities at being cowardly Cadet Bonespurs, his lies, his greed, his debasement of America, the Constitution, human rights, and basic human decency.
He is a cancerous tumor that, if left untreated (allowed to steal another election), will wound the country far more grievously than he and his cohorts, enablers, cronies, and fellow traitors have already done so.
So Happy Fourth of July to all Americans who understand what we are truly about. And it's not the enrichment and aggrandizement of Trump, his crooked family, and his mewling sycophants.