;)
The Commentariat -- June 25, 2020
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
CDC: 23 Million Americans Have Contracted Coronavirus. Lena Sun & Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post: "The number of Americans who have been infected with the novel coronavirus is likely 10 times higher than the 2.3 million confirmed cases, according to the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 'Our best estimate right now is that for every case that's reported, there actually are 10 other infections,' CDC Director Robert Redfield said Thursday on a call with reporters. Using that methodology pushes the tally of U.S. cases to at least 23 million. Redfield said the larger estimate is based on blood samples collected from across the country that look for the presence of antibodies to the virus. For every confirmed case of covid-19, 10 more people had antibodies, he said.... The CDC also updated its guidance Thursday to help people understand their risk for severe illness from covid-19...." A Hill report is here.
Max Cohen of Politico: "... Former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday ripped ... Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic and put forward his vision for expanding health care access by building on Obamacare. '[Trump's] like a child who can't believe this has happened to him -- all his whining and self-pity,' Biden said at a speech in Lancaster, Pa. 'Well, this pandemic didn't happen to him. It happened to all of us. And his job isn't to whine about it. His job is to do something about it, to lead.' During the speech in a recreation center gym, Biden called on the Trump administration to stop its ongoing lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, warning that it could lead to millions of Americans losing coverage."
Trumped-up Charges: Trump Creates a Pentagon Crisis. Helene Cooper & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "The Pentagon is facing a hemorrhage of talent as senior officials resign amid continued efforts by the White House to purge those perceived as political foes, including the Army lieutenant colonel [Alexander Vindman] who testified in the House impeachment hearings. The challenge of managing White House pressures and concerns about morale inside the Pentagon confronts Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, who is already in a precarious position with President Trump. The White House had made clear [to Pentagon officials] ... that Mr. Trump did not want to see Colonel Vindman promoted, the officials said. In fact, when they saw an earlier draft version of the list two weeks ago, National Security Council staff members even told their Defense Department counterparts they had evidence of misconduct by Colonel Vindman. No such evidence materialized.... The Army kept [Vindman's] name on the list, and sent it back to Mr. Esper, putting the defense secretary exactly where he did not want to be: in the cross hairs of the commander in chief." ~~~
~~~ Politicizing the Pentagon. Missy Ryan, et al., of the Washington Post: "The White House is intensifying an effort to hire Pentagon personnel with an undisputed allegiance to President Trump at a moment when his relationship with Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper has become strained, current and former officials said. The changes in mid-level leadership are poised to create a more avowedly political Defense Department and could erode the influence of Esper, who spoke out against Trump's proposed deployment of active-duty troops to quell unrest in U.S. cities after the killing of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police."
That Would Be a "No." Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "President Trump's nominee to take over the Manhattan federal prosecutors office after the abrupt dismissal of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman refused on Thursday to say whether he would recuse himself from pending investigations involving Trump's interests and associates if confirmed for the post. Appearing before a House Financial Services subcommittee, Securities and Exchange Committee Chairman Jay Clayton sought to deflect Democrats' questions about his selection for the job and the circumstances under which Berman was removed over the weekend, characterizing the Senate confirmation process as 'way down the road.' But when pressed by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) to 'commit, right here, to recusing yourself' from matters in which the president has a personal stake, Clayton demurred." Politico's story is here.
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court sided on Thursday with the Trump administration's efforts to speed the deportation of asylum seekers, ruling that a law limiting the role of federal courts in reviewing those decisions was constitutional.... Thursday's decision ... barred immigrants whose asylum claims were rejected in bare-bones proceedings from filing petitions for habeas corpus.... Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the five more conservative justices in the 7-to-2 decision, said asylum claims threatened to overwhelm the immigration system."
Family Matters. Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A revealing book set to be published next month by Mary Trump, niece of ... Donald Trump, moved closer to publication on Thursday after a probate court judge in New York turned down a bid to block release of the unflattering account. President Trump's brother Robert asked for a restraining order against publication, citing a nondisclosure agreement contained in a settlement involving the estate of their father Fred, who died in 1999.... Judge Peter Kelly of Queens County Surrogate Court said his court was not the proper venue for the dispute over the book, which he found to be far afield from matters involving the distribution of Fred Trump's estate. Kelly dismissed the legal application, calling it 'fatally defective.'... The lawyer who filed the application, Charles Harder, said he would take the request to another New York court."
Ben Sisario of the New York Times: "The Dixie Chicks are now the Chicks. The platinum-selling country trio, which in 2003 became pariahs in Nashville for criticizing President George W. Bush on the eve of the American-led invasion of Iraq, has changed its name, apparently in tacit acknowledgment of criticism over its use of the word 'Dixie,' a nostalgic nickname for the Civil War-era South. The group made the change stealthily on Thursday, releasing a new video as the Chicks and adjusting its social media presence. Representatives for the band confirmed the new name. But the three women of the group -- Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire, who have been among the most outspoken figures in the conservative world of country music -- made little immediate comment. In a brief statement on its new website, the band states simply: 'We want to meet this moment.'"
The New York Times' live updates for coronavirus developments Thursday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Thursday are here. "The 38,173 new infections reported by state health departments Wednesday underscored the changing geography of the U.S. outbreak. The bulk of the cases were posted in Texas, Florida and California, while Oklahoma also set a new statewide record in infections."
** Paying the Dead. Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "The federal government sent coronavirus stimulus payments to almost 1.1 million dead people totaling nearly $1.4 billion, Congress' independent watchdog reported Thursday.... The U.S. Government Accountability Office, an independent investigative agency that reports to Congress, issued the finding as part of a comprehensive report on the nearly $3 trillion in coronavirus relief spending approved by Congress in March and April. It said it had received the information from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration in an accounting as of April 30." An NBC News story is here. Thanks to Ken W. for the link.
Nelson Schwartz of the New York Times: "Nearly 1.5 million workers filed new claims for state unemployment insurance last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, the 14th week in a row that the figure has topped one million. An additional 728,000 filed for benefits from Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a federally funded emergency program aimed at covering the self-employed, independent contractors and other workers who don't qualify for traditional unemployment insurance."
Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Hannity Kills. No, Really. Christopher Ingraham of the Washington Post: "In recent weeks, three studies have focused on conservative media's role in fostering confusion about the seriousness of the coronavirus. Taken together, they paint a picture of a media ecosystem that amplifies misinformation, entertains conspiracy theories and discourages audiences from taking concrete steps to protect themselves and others. The end result, according to one of the studies, is that infection and mortality rates are higher in places where one pundit who initially downplayed the severity of the pandemic -- Fox News' Sean Hannity -- reaches the largest audiences.... [An Annenberg/U. of Illinois peer-reviewed study] found that people who got most of their information from mainstream print and broadcast outlets tended to have an accurate assessment of the severity of the pandemic and their risks of infection. But those who relied on conservative sources, such as Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, were more likely to believe in conspiracy theories or unfounded rumors, such as the belief that taking vitamin C could prevent infection, that the Chinese government had created the virus, and that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was exaggerating the pandemic's threat 'to damage the Trump presidency.'"
Leah Asmelash of CNN: "NASA is renaming its headquarters [in Washington, D.C.,] after Mary W. Jackson, the agency's first African American female engineer who helped inspire the story behind the book and film 'Hidden Figures.'... Jackson began her career with NASA at the segregated West Area Computing Unit of the agency's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, NASA said. A mathematician and an aerospace engineer, Jackson led programs aimed at uplifting women within NASA. She retired from NASA in 1985 and passed away in 2005, at the age of 83."
Tom Foreman, Jr., of the AP: "Three members of a North Carolina police department have been fired after a department audit of a video recording captured one of the officers saying a civil war was necessary to wipe Black people off the map and that he was ready. The Wilmington Police Department took the action on Tuesday against Cpl. Jessie Moore, and officers Kevin Piner and Brian Gilmore. Each was accused of violating standards of conduct, criticism and use of inappropriate jokes and slurs."
John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard who sought the Republican presidential nomination four years ago, said in a new podcast that she plans to vote for Democrat Joe Biden in the fall. Fiorina said she continues to be a registered Republican but considers the election a 'binary choice' and has made clear she cannot support President Trump.... Fiorina has said she voted for Trump four years ago, despite disparaging comments he made about her looks. 'Look at that face!' Trump said to Rolling Stone. 'Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?'" A CNN story is here.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates for coronavirus developments Wednesday are here. "More than 35,000 new coronavirus cases were identified across the United States on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database, the highest single-day total since late April and the third-highest total of any day of the pandemic. As the United States continues to reopen its economy, case numbers are rising in more than 20 states, mostly in the South and West. Florida on Wednesday reported a new daily high of 5,508 cases. Texas reported more than 5,000 cases on Tuesday, its largest single-day total yet. Arizona added more than 3,600 cases, also a record. And in Washington State, where case numbers are again trending upward, the governor said residents would have to start wearing masks in public." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here. "Across the United States, more than 36,000 new infections were reported by state health departments on Wednesday -- surpassing the previous single-day record of 34,203 set on April 25. Texas, Florida and California led the way, with all three states reporting more than 5,000 new cases apiece. Three states -- California, Florida and Oklahoma -- reported record highs in new single-day coronavirus cases, while hospitalizations hit a new peak in Arizona, where intensive care units have quickly filled."
Nomaan Merchant & Juan Lozano of the AP: "Hospital administrators and health experts warned desperately Wednesday that parts of the U.S. are on the verge of becoming overwhelmed by a resurgence of the coronavirus, lamenting that politicians and a tired-of-being-cooped-up public are letting a disaster unfold. The U.S. recorded a one-day total of 34,700 new COVID-19 cases, the highest in two months, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University. The number of new cases per day is now running just short of the nation's late-April peak of 36,400." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ryan Grenoble of the Huffington Post: "COVID-19 testing centers across five states are set to lose federal funding next week after the Trump administration decided not to extend the program that established them. As a result, 13 testing sites across Colorado (1), Illinois (2), New Jersey (2), Pennsylvania (1) and Texas (7) will likely close if those states are unable to replace the necessary funding.... Donald Trump this week repeatedly called for a slowdown in COVID-19 testing, because the surge in new cases they help reveal is making his administration's response look bad.... 'It's pretty clear to me, and I think it's clear to all of us, that with the uptick of cases, now is not a time to retreat from our vigilance in testing,' Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said in a statement, distancing himself from the decision."
Texas. Caitlin O'Kane of CBS News: "Texas Governor Greg Abbott [R] said Wednesday the state is facing a 'massive outbreak' in the coronavirus pandemic and that greater restrictions may be necessary. Abbott made the comments during an interview with CBS affiliate KFDA-TV in Amarillo, Texas."
West Virginia. AP: "... Gov. Jim Justice forced out the commissioner of his public health bureau on Wednesday, hours after he publicly questioned the accuracy of the state's coronavirus data and detailed growing outbreaks in about a dozen counties. The abrupt resignation of Cathy Slemp, who was also a state health officer, came after the Republican governor vented during a news conference that West Virginia's active virus caseload may have been overstated.... Slemp, who was a regular feature of the governor's daily virus news conferences, has decades of public health experience.... Justice, a billionaire coal businessman without previous political experience, had showered Slemp with praise as he hosted press conferences about the virus during the outbreak...."
David Li of NBC News: "Visitors from coronavirus hot spots will have to quarantine for 14 days if they set foot in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut, the governors of those northeastern states said Wednesday. Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Utah and Texas have high, current infection rates to warrant this new quarantine advisory, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said." ~~~
~~~ Dan Mangan of CNBC: "The White House said Wednesday that ... Donald Trump will not change his plan to travel to New Jersey this weekend despite a new order by the governor requiring visitors who have been in states with high numbers of coronavirus cases to quarantine for 14 days. 'The president of the United States is not a civilian,' said White House spokesman Judd Deere, when asked about Trump's compliance with the quarantine order given his travel Tuesday to Arizona, which has seen a rise in the rate of its Covid-19 cases. 'Anyone who is in close proximity to him, including staff, guests, and press are tested for COVID-19 and confirmed to be negative,' Deere said in a statement.... 'Anyone traveling in support of the president this weekend will be closely monitored for symptoms and tested for COVID and therefore pose little to no risk to the local populations.'" Trump, as we know, went maskless in an Arizona mega-church full of maskless, screaming kids earlier this week. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Actually, the POTUS* is a civilian. That's the whole idea behind the Constitution's Article II (you do remember Article II, don't you, Donnie?), which makes the civilian president, rather than a military leader, the commander-in-chief. And those "traveling in support of the president"? Most of them are probably civilians, too. Deere's assertion that "With regard to Arizona, the White House followed it's COVID mitigation plan to ensure the President did not come into contact with anyone who was symptomatic or had not been tested," is nonsense. Trump came into contact with some 3,000 people who had not been tested.
Trump Thinks He Can Get an Electoral College Vote in Maine. Jeff Stein & Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post: "The White House ordered the Department of Agriculture on Wednesday to extend farm bailout aid to the U.S. lobster industry, which has suffered under strained trade relations with China and tit-for-tat tariffs that significantly reduced exports to one of its biggest foreign markets. The order, signed by President Trump on Wednesday, comes weeks after a group of lobster fishermen in Maine asked the president for help.... On Wednesday night, Trump blamed ... Barack Obama for the decline of the lobster and fishing industries, despite the fact that the U.S. lobster trade was hurting under the current administration's trade war with China.
Dan Diamond of Politico: "Former national security adviser John Bolton's memoir has renewed concerns that ... Donald Trump undermined his administration's early attempts to grapple with China's spreading coronavirus outbreak out of concern for his personal relationship with President Xi Jinping.... Trump publicly praised China's handling of its outbreak across January and February, even as his health and national security deputies concluded that China was concealing information.... [Trump's tweets praising Xi] were counterproductive, said two current and one former official, noting that China had yet to provide key information about the virus' origins or allow U.S. health officials into the country; negotiations would stretch on through February.... Despite being out of the White House at the time, Bolton asserts in his memoir that Trump took steps to restrict information in the United States about the virus 'for fear of adversely affecting the elusive definitive trade deal with China, or offending the ever-so-sensitive Xi.'"
Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "Vice President Pence urged GOP senators on Wednesday to focus on 'encouraging signs' despite a recent spike in coronavirus cases in numerous states as various localities move swiftly to reopen their economies, according to several people present. Pence made the remarks in a closed-door lunch with Republican senators on Capitol Hill as lawmakers have begun to express alarm because of rising infection rates in Florida, Arizona, Texas and several other states, some of which are likely to be critical to the outcome of the presidential race in the fall and control of the Senate." Mrs. McC: Here's a heretofore secret videotape of the closed-door session:
Another Rat Leaves the Sinking Ship. Robert Costa, et al., of the Washington Post: "One of President Trump's senior economic officials has abruptly left the White House in the middle of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. He becomes the second senior White House economic official whose departure was announced this month. Tomas J. Philipson, acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, will leave his post by the end of June, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in an email. The announcement comes two days after Kevin Hassett, a senior White House economic official and Philipson's predecessor as chair of the CEA, announced he would also be stepping down." A Politico story is here.
Kellyanne Warms to Racist Term. Max Cohen of Politico: "White House counselor Kellyanne Conway reacted to ... Donald Trump's use of 'kung flu' first by explaining that Trump used the phrase to highlight the origins of the coronavirus in China -- and then by suggesting she disagreed with him. Weeks ago, Conway blasted the phrase as 'highly offensive."'But on Wednesday, she initially reacted to a reporter's question about the president's repeated use of 'kung flu' by criticizing the Chinese government. 'My reaction is that the president has made very clear he wants everybody to understand, and I think many Americans do understand, that the virus originated in China,' Conway said." Mrs. McC: As Conway herself pointed out in March, when she so strongly objected to the term, her children are one-quarter Asian-American. But to hell with kids, I guess.
Carol Leonnig & Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post: "Dozens of Secret Service officers and agents who were on site for President Trump's rally in Tulsa last week were ordered to self-quarantine after two of their colleagues tested positive for the novel coronavirus, part of the fallout from Trump's insistence on holding the mass gathering over the objections of public health officials. The Secret Service instructed employees who worked the Tulsa event to stay at home for 14 days when they returned from the weekend trip, according to two people familiar with the agency's decision. The order came in the wake of the discovery -- hours before the president's Saturday evening rally -- that at least six advance staffers who helped organize the trip had tested positive for the virus, including two Secret Service employees. Another two advance staffers tested positive after Trump returned to Washington on Sunday."
Alexander Mallin & Luke Barr of ABC News: "Two Justice Department whistleblowers appeared before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday to outline a series of allegations regarding what they described as political meddling in department affairs under ... Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr. Aaron Zelinsky, a department attorney who withdrew from the prosecution of Trump-ally Roger Stone after Barr intervened in the sentencing process, and John Elias, a former acting chief of staff in the antitrust division under Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, both testified that they felt department leadership had wrongfully intervened in typically-sensitive law enforcement matters purely to benefit Trump's interests. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Zelinksy Names Names. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A federal prosecutor offered lawmakers on Wednesday a roadmap to investigate alleged political interference in the sentencing of longtime Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone. Aaron Zelinsky, one of four lead prosecutors in the Stone case, told the House Judiciary Committee that senior officials -- including the head of the Justice Department's public corruption unit -- freely discussed concerns that they were being pressured to go easy on Stone during sentencing." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Nicholas Fandos, et al., of the New York Times: "Two Justice Department officials recounted to Congress in stinging detail on Wednesday how political appointees had intervened in criminal and antitrust cases to advance the personal interests of President Trump and Attorney General William P. Barr.... The two accounts painted a damning portrait of the Justice Department under Mr. Barr, made all the more remarkable given that the witnesses were both still department employees.... Democrats turned frequently to a third witness, Donald B. Ayer, who was deputy attorney general under President George Bush and warned that under Mr. Barr, the country was 'on the way to something far worse than Watergate.'... Not long after the hearing got underway, the Justice Department announced that Mr. Barr had agreed to appear himself before the panel on July 28. Democrats had been threatening to issue a subpoena for his appearance." ~~~
~~~ Matt Zapotosky & Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "A federal prosecutor's testimony Wednesday that he was pressed by supervisors to offer a more lenient sentencing recommendation for a friend of President Trump's capped a remarkable four-month stretch in which Attorney General William P. Barr has seemed to repeatedly bend the Justice Department to Trump's political interests -- generating significant controversy but no personal consequence, legal analysts said. Since February, Barr has intervened in two criminal cases to the benefit of those who once advised Trump; ousted a U.S. attorney who is investigating Trump's personal lawyer; and dutifully implemented Trumps vision for a forceful crack down on demonstrators in the District protesting police violence.... But lawmakers, who already held Barr in contempt last year for defying congressional subpoenas, seem to have little in the way of practical recourse." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It isn't that Congress can do nothing; Congress has the power to impeach & remove Barr. It's that Congressional Republicans -- who of course control the Senate -- refuse to do anything. They are part of the vast right-wing conspiracy. ~~~
~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post cites major takeaways from the House hearing. ~~~
~~~ Colin Kalmbacher of Law & Crime: "A federal court issued a brief order on Wednesday afternoon in an apparent attempt to make sure that Attorney General Bill Barr's DOJ isn't exerting improper influence over prison stint of ... Donald Trump's longtime confidant and political advisor Roger Stone. The order just so happened to come down on the same day so-called whistleblowers testified about the DOJ's controversial intervention in Stone's sentencing recommendations. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson advised the Department of Justice (DOJ) to come prepared in a filing due Thursday with some sort of precedent in the district -- or by way of an agency internal policy -- that would support delaying the start of Stone's imprisonment any further."
MEANWHILE. Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "A divided federal appeals court panel ordered an immediate end on Wednesday to the case against Michael T. Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser -- delivering a major victory to Mr. Flynn and to the Justice Department, which had sought to drop the case. In the ruling, two of three judges on a panel for the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered the trial judge overseeing the matter, Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, to immediately dismiss the case withoutfurther review. The third accused his colleagues of 'grievously' overstepping their powers, and the full appeals court has the option of reviewing the matter. The order -- a so-called writ of mandamus -- was rare and came as a surprise, taking its place as yet another twist in the extraordinary legal and political drama surrounding the prosecution of Mr. Flynn, who twice pleaded guilty to lying to F.B.I. agents in the Russia investigation about his conversations in December 2016 with the Russian ambassador to the United States." A Politico story is here. Mrs. McC: You don't have to be a genius to guess which judges were Republican appointees & which was an Obama appointee. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Aaron Keller of Law & Crime: "A federal grand jury on Wednesday returned yet a third charging document against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The new document, a second superseding indictment, 'broaden[s] the scope of the conspiracy surrounding alleged computer intrusions with which Assange was previously charged,' the U.S. Department of Justice said.... Assange is in the U.K. The U.S. government has asked that he be extradited here to face the charges."
John Avlon of CNN rails against Donald Trump for falsely accusing President Obama (and others) of treason.
You know all that stuff in John Bolton's book about how Trump was so accommodating to Xi Jinpeng at the same time he was pretending to be "tough on China"? You know how Trump said it was all lies? Well, now there's this: ~~~
~~~ Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "On June 2, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) signed on as a co-sponsor of a bill to punish China for undermining Hong Kong's independence. Two weeks later, he turned around and blocked it -- at the request of the White House. As a result, the bipartisan bill, which imposes mandatory sanctions over China's continued incursions into Hong Kong's internal affairs, is stalled on Capitol Hill even as it has broad bipartisan support."
Devlin Barrett & Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: “U.S. marshals have been told they should prepare to help protect national monuments across the country, according to an email directive viewed by The Washington Post, as President Trump has vowed stern punishment for those who vandalize or destroy such structures as part of police violence protests.... Earlier Wednesday, defense officials said that the Army activated about 400 unarmed members of the Washington, D.C., National Guard to 'prevent any defacing or destruction' of monuments."
Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a Republican-drafted bill aimed at overhauling the nation's policing practices ... spelling a potential death knell to efforts at revisions at the federal level in an election year. In a 55-to-45 vote, the legislation written primarily by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) failed to advance in the Senate, where it needed 60 votes to proceed. Most Democratic senators said the bill fell far short of what was needed to meaningfully change policing tactics and was beyond the point of salvageable.... GOP senators privately offered amendment votes meant to address several criticisms of the bill that [Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer and Sens. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) laid out in a letter to [Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell on Tuesday. The Democrats turned down that offer, according to two GOP officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss procedural deliberations, and also rejected a subsequent offer of more amendment votes. Scott privately told Democrats that if they did not get votes on amendments they sought, that he, too, would help them filibuster his own bill...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) An NBC News story is here.
Arizona. Simon Romero of the New York Times: "The police chief of Tucson, Ariz., abruptly offered to resign on Wednesday while releasing a video in which a 27-year-old Latino man, Carlos Ingram Lopez, died in police custody two months ago. The video, taken by police officers' body cameras and not made public until Wednesday, depicts a gruesome episode on April 21. Before his death, Mr. Lopez is seen handcuffed while pleading repeatedly in English and Spanish for water and for his nana, or grandmother. Chief Chris Magnus said officers did not use a chokehold on Mr. Lopez. But he said they violated training guidelines by restraining the victim in a prone position, face down, for about 12 minutes before Mr. Lopez went into cardiac arrest and died at the scene. While he was restrained, Mr. Lopez told the officers he could not breathe. The autopsy report said the cause of death was a combination of physical restraint and cardiac arrest involving cocaine intoxication. Three officers resigned from the department last Thursday, Chief Magnus said."
Georgia. Christina Carrega of ABC News: "A Georgia grand jury indicted the three men arrested and charged in connection with the alleged murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Cobb District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes announced on Wednesday that a grand jury voted to indict Gregory and Travis McMichael along with William Bryan for the felony murder and aggravated assault that resulted in Arbery death.... 'The presentation took an hour and a half and the true bill came back in 10 minutes,' Holmes said during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A New York Times story is here.
New York. Trolling Trump. Larry Celona & Julia Marsh of the New York Post: "Mayor Bill de Blasio is planning to install a massive Black Lives Matter mural right outside Trump Tower in Manhattan ... sometime before July 4th weekend.... The installation is one of seven that will pop up across all five boroughs. Three are now planned for Manhattan -- along Centre Street in Lower Manhattan, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in Harlem and in front of Trump Tower." Mrs. McC: Another reason for Trump to be glad he's now a Florida man.
Wisconsin. Yes, Some Protesters Are Violent & Stupid. Molly Beck & Lawrence Andrea of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Fury exploded outside the Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday night as protesters smashed windows at the statehouse, attacked a state senator, and tore down two iconic statues -- including one of an abolitionist who died trying to end slavery during the Civil War. The unrest began earlier Tuesday following the arrest of a Black man who was arrested after bringing a megaphone and a baseball bat into a Capitol square restaurant. It followed weeks of mostly peaceful protests of the death of George Floyd.... [The protesters' actions] prompted Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday to put the Wisconsin National Guard on notice to protect state buildings, including the Capitol. During the melee late Tuesday, Democratic state Sen. Tim Carpenter was assaulted after filming the protesters." ~~~
~~~ Update. Scott Bauer & Todd Richmond of the AP: "Wisconsin's governor activated the National Guard on Wednesday to protect state properties after a night of violence that included the toppling of two statues outside the state Capitol, one of which commemorated an abolitionist Civil War hero."
Elections 2020
Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "The Democratic National Convention will move out of Milwaukee's professional basketball arena, and state delegations are being urged not to travel to the city because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, party officials said Wednesday. Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. still intends to travel to Milwaukee to accept his party's presidential nomination, his campaign manager said, but neither his campaign nor the Democratic National Committee has made firm commitments that Mr. Biden will attend. The Democratic convention will be 'anchored' in Milwaukee, but the four-night mid-August event will 'include both live broadcasts and curated content from Milwaukee and other satellite cities, locations and landmarks across the country,' according to a news release."
Tim Murphy of Mother Jones: "Tens of thousands of absentee ballots still remain to be counted, and the race is not likely to be called for days. But [Rep. Eliot] Engel's [D-N.Y.] opponent, 44-year-old former middle school principal Jamaal Bowman, declared victory on Wednesday morning after election-day returns gave him a commanding 27-point advantage over the incumbent.... Engel was endorsed by both of the state's Democratic senators, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Westchester County's own Hillary Clinton."
Moo-Fucking-Hoo. Kate Irby of the Fresno Bee: "A judge has ruled that Rep. Devin Nunes [R] has no right to sue Twitter over statements made by a fake Internet cow, someone parodying his mother and a Republican strategist. Judge John Marshall said in a decision Friday that Twitter was 'immune from the defamation claims of' Nunes, R-Tulare, due to federal law that says social media companies are not liable for what people post on their platforms.... The case [is still] pending against the two parody Twitter accounts and [Republican strategist Liz] Mair. But it's a blow to Nunes nonetheless, as he was trying to push Twitter into revealing the identities of the two accounts, who have been mocking him online anonymously." Mrs. McC: Of course the biggest "blow to Nunes" is that Judge Marshall removed the deep pockets from the case, meaning there's no chance of a hefty nuisance settlement being laid out for Devin.
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Reader Comments (12)
Democracy, Republican Style...
I went to vote yesterday and discovered that the polling place I’ve been going to for years was closed. The location was changed to a place on the other side of town. When I found it, I asked someone inside about the change. “Umm...coronavirus...” was the answer. This didn’t seem to make any sense to me. How was it that an entirely empty building (the local public high school) posed more of a threat than the new location? In fact, the new spot was smaller, meaning social distancing was more difficult. No one could explain the switch or offer a reason better than “Umm...coronavirus...”.
Initially I began to suspect that the Republicans in charge of things had decided that it would be great to see if they could screw with the Democratic turnout. There was no problem on the Republican side as those up for re-election were a lock, but dropping turnout for Democratic candidates could be a plus for the Trumpbots.
I’m not sure that was the reason but this odd situation did give me a sense of what it will be like for millions of Democrats in November who go to vote only to find that they now have to schlep across town (and wait in line for hours) to exercise their franchise. If I was coming from work or had some other time constraint, there’d be a chance I might not have made it in time. I’m betting this will be a serious problem for many Democrats who find that Party of Traitor apparatchiks have closed or moved polling places in Democratic strongholds to help the Orange Menace this fall.
The answer in the vast majority of cases will not be “Umm..coronavirus...”, it will be “Fuck you, asshole. We always win.”
Trumpvirus Redux
From now on, anyone who suffers and dies from the resurgence of the Trumpvirus should blame the Orange Monster. Pushing to reopen everything far too early just to try to win an election is the stupidest, most irresponsible thing this stupid, irresponsible creep has ever done. This is grade A authoritarian shit. Look for him to hold a big military style parade to congratulate himself for “beating” the virus à la his pal and fellow authoritarian dictator, Vladimir Putin. Another murderous bastard.
Akhilleus,
I will definitely blame the Pretender when Covid kills me.
And unlike those who showed up for the Tulsa Corona Creep Show, I didn't sign a waiver, so I'm thinking any Hereafter court will grant me standing--even if I'm dead on my feet-- to sue.
@Ak: I would think the word better get out that voters should check on-line to find out their polling places. Your experience smacks of some dodgy dealings by some dodgy dealers otherwise known as "our friends from the other side"––-in your case they moved a perfectly reasonable polling place to the "other side" of town––and why not? It's called sabotage with a capital S and a little bitty "e" at the end that's as silent and sneaky as they are.
Watched some of the House Judiciary hearing yesterday: I've watched many, many hearings over the years but I have never witnessed such a complete disruptive, disgraceful one as this. We seem to have reached a point where any congressional decorum has flown the coop. The desperation of some of these Republicans is so pitifully apparent that it almost makes one sorry for them–––I say this with tongue firmly in cheek.
Here's a short video of Jon Stewart on Colbert's "At home show" talking about the Biden trait that "In this moment, this country needs."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jon-stewart-joe-biden-2020-election_n_5ef4063fc5b66c312681ddd1
I always cry a little these days after listening to Jon–-a voice that still brings such humanity and compassion into our lives.
Cockroach Law
Some Trump flunky judges decided that the traitor and liar (seems like those are the most desired qualities to work for the Orange Menace) Mike Flynn should be let go scot free even though he has admitted—twice—to criminal actions. Surprise, surprise, surprise.
Expect lots more of that kind of pro-crook, pro-treason decision. The NY Times reports that the Party of Traitors-controlled Senate has just approved the 200th(!) Trumpy judge.
These quisling mountebanks are approving unqualified apparatchiks for the federal bench just as fast as the KKK, the NRA, the anti-democracy Federalist Society, and the Trump Crime Family can put them up for sale.
Just imagine the federal judiciary populated by a whole army of little Bill Barr cock-a-roaches, scrambling over laws and the concept of justice as quickly as their little buggy legs can jiggle. Billy Barr’s Roach Motel. They check in but they never check out.they leave cockroach droppings all over the Constitution.
“You’re a Democrat!?!? Guilty! 300 years in solitary for the crime of not bowing to the great lord Fatty!”
“You’re a friend of Fatty? A crook, a traitor, and a liar?? Not guilty! And the taxpayers will pick up your legal tab and set you up for life with reparations.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/dead-wrong-feds-sent-1-4b-stimulus-checks-over-million-n1232070
Have reported here the amusement of attempting to return to the Treasury Dept. one of these checks addressed to DESC. Since I've heard nothing from the gummint in six or so weeks, looks like the second try worked, but I had no idea how common these zombie checks were.
I shouldn't have been surprised. I'm thinking the Pretender regime does this all the time, subsidizing the dead or the dying, sending lotsa money to zombie industries like coal or massive support (now at least 19 billion bucks) to the ag sector that you've killed yoursef.
The hysteria on the teevee today is unbelievable/predictable:
Surprise! The trumpvirus is in our state! Our hospitals are overwhelmed! Who woulda guessed...!? No one knew this would happen... Some people have said that the Chinese sneaked over here and brought it to our parties and rallies and bars and beaches and salons and gyms... Probably in rented trucks by the Democrats, invited by them... I can't even believe this can happen. It probably isn't even true-- those numbers are overreach... But don't worry, it isn't hitting the White House and Mike says it won't, and things are MUCH better, we don't need no stinkin' masks, and the people dying are either too old or too young, so it doesn't matter much... Say, aren't we having another rally today?
(s/ of course-- It's hard/impossible to even be sympathetic/empathetic to the red-hatted rabble. If the Staggering Crapweasel doesn't care, neither do I--)
Fatty sent over a billion dollars to a million dead people? Competency at its best! I’m guessing those are the dead people who will be “voting” for him in November.
I have to disagree with those who say it's not a racist dog whistle.
"Kung flu" is flung poo.
Get the sense that some Republicans believe Barr's Dept. of Injustice could use a bigger watchdog?
Wonder why.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/504532-senate-panel-votes-21-1-to-back-justice-ig-measure-over-graham-objections
In one of the most exceptional economic moments in recent history, the economic advisors Philipson and Hassett quit work at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. This should be terminal proof that adherants of "trickle down" don't believe it works. Crunch-time is when the best want to work. This pair is so professionally incurious that they don't even want to try and make things better. Joseph Kennedy was ascribed the quote that when the shoe shine boy offers stock tips, it is time to sell the market. I'm thinking that when the White House Council of Economic Advisers people take to the hills, it might be a good idea to be in cash.