The Ledes

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

The New York Times is live-updating developments Tuesday as powerful Hurricane Milton moves through the Gulf of Mexico toward Central Florida.

New York Times: “Cissy Houston, a Grammy Award-winning soul and gospel star who helped shepherd her daughter Whitney Houston to superstardom, died on Monday at her home in Newark. She was 91.”

The Wires
powered by Surfing Waves
The Ledes

Monday, October 7, 2024

Weather Channel: “H​urricane Milton has rapidly intensified into a Category 3 and hurricane and storm surge watches are now posted along Florida's western Gulf Coast, where the storm poses threats of life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds and flooding rainfall by midweek. 'Milton will be a historic storm for the west coast of Florida,' the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said in a briefing Monday morning.” ~~~

     ~~~ New York Times live updates are here for what is now a Cat 5 hurricane. 

CNN: “This year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their work on the discovery of microRNA, a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated. Their research revealed how genes give rise to different cells within the human body, a process known as gene regulation. Gene regulation by microRNA – a family of molecules that helps cells control the sort of proteins they make – ... was first revealed by Ambros and Ruvkun. The Nobel Prize committee announced the prestigious honor ... in Sweden on Monday.... Ambros, a professor of natural science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, conducted the research that earned him the prize at Harvard University. Ruvkun conducted his research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.”

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Public Service Announcement

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Washington Post: “Comedy news outlet the Onion — reinvigorated by new ownership over this year — is bringing back its once-popular video parodies of cable news. But this time, there’s someone with real news anchor experience in the chair. When the first episodes appear online Monday, former WAMU and MSNBC host Joshua Johnson will be the face of the resurrected 'Onion News Network.' Playing an ONN anchor character named Dwight Richmond, Johnson says he’s bringing a real anchor’s sense of clarity — and self-importance — to the job. 'If ONN is anything, it’s a news organization that is so unaware of its own ridiculousness that it has the confidence of a serial killer,' says Johnson, 44.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'll be darned if I can figured out how to watch ONN. If anybody knows, do tell. Thanks.

Washington Post: “First came the surprising discovery that Earth’s atmosphere is leaking. But for roughly 60 years, the reason remained a mystery. Since the late 1960s, satellites over the poles detected an extremely fast flow of particles escaping into space — at speeds of 20 kilometers per second. Scientists suspected that gravity and the magnetic field alone could not fully explain the stream. There had to be another source creating this leaky faucet. It turns out the mysterious force is a previously undiscovered global electric field, a recent study found. The field is only about the strength of a watch battery — but it’s enough to thrust lighter ions from our atmosphere into space. It’s also generated unlike other electric fields on Earth. This newly discovered aspect of our planet provides clues about the evolution of our atmosphere, perhaps explaining why Earth is habitable. The electric field is 'an agent of chaos,' said Glyn Collinson, a NASA rocket scientist and lead author of the study. 'It undoes gravity.... Without it, Earth would be very different.'”

The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

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The Commentariat -- May 11, 2021

Late Morning Update:

Lisa Friedman & Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "The Biden administration on Tuesday will announce its final approval of the nation's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, a major step toward President Biden's goal of expanding renewable energy production across the United States, according to two people familiar with the matter. The Vineyard Wind project calls for up to 84 turbines to be installed in the Atlantic Ocean about 12 nautical miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Together, they could generate about 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 400,000 homes. The $2.8 billion project is a joint venture of the energy firms Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners."

Paula Reid, et al., of CNN: "Federal investigators scrutinizing Rep. Matt Gaetz are seeking the cooperation of a former Capitol Hill intern who was once a girlfriend of the Florida Republican, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. Investigators could also soon gain the formal cooperation of a second key witness, former Florida county tax collector Joel Greenberg, who is approaching a deadline this week to strike a plea agreement with the government on more than two dozen charges he's facing. The pursuit of the cooperation comes as investigators are nearly finished collecting evidence, one source said. The probe, which is examining whether Gaetz broke federal sex trafficking, prostitution and public corruption laws and whether he had sex with a minor, has been ongoing for months."

Daniel Strauss of the Guardian: "Joe Biden has picked former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel to be his ambassador to Japan." MB: Oh, that's great. Rahm is so diplomatic.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alana Wise of NPR: "Those collecting unemployment benefits under the American Rescue Plan must accept 'suitable' employment when offered, President Biden said Monday, responding to last week's underwhelming April jobs report. 'We're going to make it clear that anyone collecting unemployment, who was offered a suitable job, must take the job or lose their unemployment benefits,' Biden said before adding: 'We don't see much evidence of that.' The president's remarks come just days after the latest jobs report showed fewer jobs created than expected: 260,000 vs. about 1 million. Some employers say that they're finding it difficult to find workers, and Republican critics argue that's because of the checks Americans are receiving from the coronavirus stimulus package." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times report is here. ~~~

~~~ Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "Has the Republican Party, which has championed the interests of big business and sought to keep wages low since the late 19th century, suddenly become populist?... But while Republicans have lately attacked selected businesses, their beef with big companies seems to be over noneconomic issues. It bothers them a lot that some of corporate America has taken a mild stand in favor of social equality and against voter suppression. What doesn't bother them is the fact that many corporations pay little or nothing in taxes and pay their workers poorly. On such matters the G.O.P. is the same as it ever was: It's for tax cuts that favor corporations and the wealthy, against anything that might improve the lives of ordinary workers.... The G.O.P. has always been determined to make the lives of the jobless miserable, regardless of economic conditions.... You should never make much of one month's numbers, especially in an economy still distorted by the pandemic. For example, that low reported number was 'seasonally adjusted.' The economy actually added more than a million jobs...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is why it makes me a little crazy when so-called journalists write about Republicans' "populist impulses" or whatever. We have not heard any populist impulses from the likes of Josh Hawley & the Former Guy. What we have heard is "populist pandering." If I'm telling you I'm fighting for your freeedumb while I filibuster tiny tax hikes for corporations & the rich, unemployment benefits & pro-union legislation, I'm a hypocrite, not a populist.

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "The Biden administration announced Monday that health care providers cannot discriminate against transgender individuals, the latest step in President Biden's efforts to restore civil rights protections for L.G.B.T.Q. people that were eliminated by his predecessor. Under the new policy, the Department of Health and Human Services will once again prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity by health care organizations that receive federal funding. The move will reverse a policy adopted by H.H.S. under ... Donald J. Trump which said that anti-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 did not apply to transgender people." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ken Dilanian & Kelly O'Donnell of NBC News: "A Russian criminal group may be responsible for a ransomware attack that shut down a major U.S. fuel pipeline, two sources familiar with the matter said Sunday. The group, known as DarkSide, is relatively new, but it has a sophisticated approach to the business of extortion, the sources said. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Sunday that the White House was working to help Colonial Pipeline, the Georgia-based company that operates the pipeline, to restart its 5,500-mile network." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. David Sanger & Pranshu Verma of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. confirmed on Monday that the hacking group DarkSide was responsible for the ransomware attack that closed a U.S. pipeline providing the East Coast with nearly half of its gasoline and jet fuel.... President Biden said on Monday that the government had mitigated any impact the hack on the petroleum pipeline might have had on the U.S. fuel supply. He added that his administration had efforts underway to 'disrupt and prosecute ransomware criminals.' Colonial Pipeline, the operator of the system..., [said] the company would restore service incrementally, with the goal of 'substantially' resuming service by the end of the week." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton told House lawmakers Monday that the agency must begin to think of itself as a 'protective agency' if it is to prevent future attacks on Congress like the one pro-Trump rioters carried out Jan. 6.... Bolton told lawmakers Monday that the force needs additional resources, including a stand-alone countersurveillance unit, to adequately address a growing number of threats to the U.S. Capitol and those who work there.... He also faulted outdated guidance and seemingly garbled orders for adding to the sense of chaos on Jan. 6 and the agency's flailing response as rioters forced their way into the building.... Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) read to Bolton from a Capitol Police timeline, which she said indicated that a group of about 200 members of the Proud Boys ... were allowed to roam the Capitol on the morning of Jan. 6 while officers were sent to monitor just 'three or four' counterdemonstrators." The Hill has a report here. A Politico story is here.

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "A few days before the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, the House Republican leader had a conference call with GOP lawmakers. On the call, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois warned [Minority Leader Kevin] McCarthy that his and other party leaders' claims -- that the election had been stolen and that Republicans had the power to block Joe Biden's victory from being certified -- 'would lead to violence on January 6th.' The response? Crickets, Kinzinger said, and then McCarthy 'dismissively' blew off the warning. 'Ok, Adam,' the GOP leader replied, 'operator next question.' The rest -- a Capitol ransacked, certification halted, five dead -- is history.... [At a National Press Club virtural meeting Monday, Kinzinger said,] 'Liz [Cheney] is being chased out for one thing[:]... Her consistency. She said the same exact thing that Kevin McCarthy said on January 6th, which is Donald Trump is responsible' for the insurrection.... 'the person that should have their leadership challenged is Kevin McCarthy.' [Kinzinger] has been relentless in calling out McCarthy's cowardice."

A Room of His Own. Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post: "Last week, The Fact Checker revealed that the 'room' that [Kevin] McCarthy [said he] rented from prominent pollster Frank Luntz for at least two months was in a 7,000-square-foot space -- a combination of four penthouse apartments. It turns out that the bylaws of the condo building, Clara Barton at Penn Quarter, specifically prohibit condo owners from renting anything less than the entire space -- and for not less than six months.... Besides the 'room' he rented, McCarthy would have had access to a 24/7 concierge, a rooftop pool, a fitness center, a media room, a business center and a party room with a bar and pool table.... The Campaign for Accountability, a nonpartisan watchdog organization, has asked the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate the McCarthy-Luntz arrangement." Renting out a portion of his $4.3 million condo complex to McCarthy also required Luntz to acquire a business license, which apparently he did not. McCarthy's spokesperson claimed the room he rented was about "400 square feet." MB: That's a very big room. And I didn't know that being a pollster was such a high-paying gig; Luntz claims he lives in L.A., and usually doesn't occupy his D.C. condo.

AP: "The head of the Vatican's doctrine office is warning U.S. bishops to deliberate carefully and minimize divisions before proceeding with a possible plan to rebuke Roman Catholic politicians such as President Joe Biden for receiving Communion even though they support abortion rights. The strong words of caution came in a letter from Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, addressed to Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCCB will convene for a national meeting June 16, with plans to vote on drafting a document on the Communion issue[.]... Ladaria, in his letter, said any new policy 'requires that dialogue occurs in two stages: first among the bishops themselves, and then between bishops and Catholic pro-choice politicians within their jurisdictions.'"

Luisa Beck & Chico Harlan of the Washington Post: "German priests across more than 100 churches have been blessing gay relationships in recent days in a coordinated -- and sometimes live-streamed -- defiance of a Vatican order signed by Pope Francis. For gay Catholics who have long felt marginalized by Catholic teaching, the events are a celebratory moment, marked by sermons on inclusivity and rainbow church decorations. But the events also amount to an open rebellion -- and a test for a pontiff whose tenure has been marked by divisions over hot-button issues, especially the church's stance on homosexuality....The German ceremonies are taking place two months after Francis signed off on a declaration barring priests from blessing same-sex unions.... It marked a jarring message from a pontiff who has generally sought to welcome gays, and who famously said,'Who am I to judge?'" (Also linked yesterday.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here.

Lauren Neergaard & Candice Choi of the AP: "... regulators [at the Food and Drug Administration] on Monday expanded use of Pfizer's [Covid-19] shot to those as young as 12, sparking a race to protect middle and high school students before they head back to class in the fall. Shots could begin as soon as a federal vaccine advisory committee issues recommendations for using the two-dose vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds, expected Wednesday." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times report is here.

Eric Levenson of CNN: "About 58% of American adults have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine -- but the rates differ depending on where you look. At the top of the list is Vermont, where 74.5% of adults have had at least one vaccine dose. Every state in the Northeast has given at least one dose to over 60% of its adult residents, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the bottom is Mississippi, where 41.5% of adults have received at least one vaccine dose. Similarly, every state on its border has vaccinated less than half of its adult residents. The contrast between states and regions largely fits along partisan political lines: States that voted Democratic in the most recent presidential election have higher vaccination rates than those that voted Republican. In fact, the 19 states with the highest percentage of vaccinated adults all voted for President Joe Biden. Among the 16 states with the lowest vaccination rates, only Georgia went for Biden, according to the CDC." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Hey, Republicans (I'm talking to you, TucKKKer), this is a correlation that is not a coincidence.

** More Fuzzy Math. David Leonhardt of the New York Times: "When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines last month for mask wearing, it announced that 'less than 10 percent' of Covid-19 transmission was occurring outdoors.... But the number is almost certainly misleading.... In truth, the share of transmission that has occurred outdoors seems to be below 1 percent and may be below 0.1 percent, multiple epidemiologists told me.... [The CDC's number] is an example of how the C.D.C. is struggling to communicate effectively, and leaving many people confused about what's truly risky.... They continue to treat outdoor transmission as a major risk.... There is not a single documented Covid infection anywhere in the world from casual outdoor interactions, such as walking past someone on a street or eating at a nearby table."

Kentucky. AP: "Kentuckians aged 18 and up who get their first or second dose [of a Covid-19 vaccine] at a participating Kroger or Walmart can now receive a coupon for a Kentucky lottery ticket. Some 225,000 coupons are available for the Kentucky Cash Ball through May 21, which has a top prize of $225,000. Customers have until June 1 to redeem their coupons. Around 1.86 million Kentucky residents have been vaccinated."

Romania. Vlad the Impaler Offers Covid Shots. Jack Guy & Cristiana Moisescu of CNN: "A Romanian castle said to be the home of Dracula is offering free Covid-19 jabs to visitors as part of a vaccination drive. Bran Castle, in Transylvania, announced its Pfizer BionTech Vaccine Marathon in a Facebook post published Friday. Completed in 1388, the castle sits outside the city of Brasov. It resembles the castle inhabited by Count Dracula, the main character in Irish author Bram Stoker's novel 'Dracula,' published in 1897. Dracula is thought to have been inspired by the bloodthirsty 15th-century ruler Vlad III Dracula, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler, who ordered the brutal torture and killing of tens of thousands of people during his reign."

Beyond the Beltway

Kentucky. Marisa Iati of the Washington Post: "Two Louisville police officers whose shots struck and killed Breonna Taylor never should have fired their weapons, a department investigator found -- a conclusion that the force's upper brass partly rejected. Although the officers had a right to protect themselves when Taylor's boyfriend fired at them, the 'circumstances made it unsafe to take a single shot' in response, Sgt. Andrew Meyer wrote in a Dec. 4 memo summarizing his investigation.... The newly released records, first reported by the Courier-Journal, show that then-Chief Yvette Gentry partly rejected the investigator's finding that both officers violated the department's use of deadly force policy during the incident on March 13, 2020. Although Gentry agreed that now-fired Detective Myles Cosgrove breached the rule, she absolved Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly."

New York City Mayoral Race. The New York Times endorses Kathryn Garcia as the Democratic nominee for mayor in New York City's Democratic primary.

Texas. The Man and the Tiger -- An Unusual Entry on the Police Blotter. CNN: So the Houston police were chasing a murder suspect who had a tiger in his car. They caught the guy, but the tiger got away. MB: Uh, you might want to keep small pets & children inside.

Virginia Gubernatorial Race. Trip Gabriel of the New York Times: "Glenn Youngkin, a wealthy first-time candidate who walked a line between his party's Trump-centric base and appeals to business interests, won the Republican nomination for governor of Virginia on Monday. He heads into a general election in one of only two states choosing their governors in 2021, in the latest running of an off-year race often viewed as a referendum on the party holding the White House.... The results were tabulated by Republican officials two days after roughly 30,000 voters cast ranked-choice ballots at 39 locations around the state.... In the sixth round of counting, Mr. Youngkin passed the required 50 percent threshold.... Mr. Youngkin ... will face the winner of the Democratic primary next month. In that race, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe has held a significant lead in fund-raising as well as in recent polls over four rivals." Politico's story is here.

Way Beyond

Marie: I guess it's Big Cat Day:

Hong Kong. James Griffiths of CNN: "A leopard remains on the loose near one of China's biggest cities after three of the big cats escaped a zoo over the busy May Day holiday. Residents living near the Hangzhou Safari Park, which did not inform the public for a week that the leopards had escaped, spotted the wild cats last week and alerted authorities, according to an announcement from the Fuyang District government. Surveillance footage posted online showed one of the leopards walking near the upscale Jinyuan Villa area east of the park on Friday. Search teams were dispatched, and two of the leopards were recovered, the local government said in a statement. It was not until the search was already underway, and seven days since the animals were reportedly first spotted, that the park officially notified the public. According to state-backed The Paper, park staff had initially denied reports any leopards had escaped.... The person in charge of the park was taken into police custody."

Israel. Steve Hendrix & Shira Rubin of the Washington Post: "The militant group Hamas fired seven rockets at Jerusalem and dozens more at southern Israel on Monday evening after violent clashes near the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Arab protesters left more than 300 Palestinians injured. Israel retaliated for the rocket attacks with airstrikes against the Gaza Strip, killing 20 people, including nine children, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. The Israeli military said three Hamas operatives were among the dead." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Fares Akram & Karin Laub of the AP: "Israel unleashed new airstrikes on Gaza early Tuesday, hitting the high-rise home of a Hamas field commander and two border tunnels dug by militants, as Hamas and other armed groups fired dozens of rockets toward Israel. It was an escalation sparked by weeks of tensions in contested Jerusalem. Since sundown Monday when the cross-border fighting erupted, 24 Palestinians - including nine children - were killed in Gaza, most by airstrikes, Gaza health officials said. The Israeli military said 15 of the dead were militants. During the same period, Gaza militants fired more than 200 rockets toward Israel, injuring six Israeli civilians in a direct hit on an apartment building. This was preceded by hours of clashes Monday between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, mainly in Jerusalem but also across the West Bank. More than 700 Palestinians were hurt, including nearly 500 who were treated at hospitals."

News Lede

Guardian: "At least 11 people have died and many more have been wounded in a school shooting in the Russian city of Kazan, Russia's state RIA Novosti news agency has reported. Students were seen jumping from the third floor of the four-storey School No 175, where more than 1,000 pupils are enrolled."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (5)

FOR ONE BRIEF SHINING MOMENT:

We have another book about JFK–-it's a two-fer–-the first: "Coming of Age in the American Century--1917-1956; the second volume will follow whenever Fredrik Logevall completes his compelling tale of one of our most written about presidents. A poll taken last June by YouGov rated JFK one of the four greatest presidents–-tied for third with FDR and trailing only Abe and George W.

I must admit I was smitten with Kennedy, not paying a whole lot of attention to what he actually accomplished and even after learning about his lustful dalliances I brushed them aside–-I was that bitten.

But now, nearly six decades after his murder, we need to reevaluate. When we look at what Kennedy actually accomplished it was very little of lasting significance. Aside from a tax cut, he signed no major domestic policies into law, and his only enduring diplomatic success was a treaty banning atmospheric nuclear tests. In contrast: FDR and LBJ accomplished great feats throughout their years as president. So was it the dramatic rhetoric and the elegant beauty of his young family? Was it the Camelot myth Jackie made so real? The sense of humor displayed in all his pressers? The wealth? That smile?

Norman Mailer wrote that the Democrats––" were going to nominate a man who, no matter how serious his political dedication might be, was indisputably...going to be seen as a great box-office actor, and the consequences of that were staggering and not at all easy to calculate."

Logevall concentrates also on the credo of American exceptionalism that made the American century possible and also cut it short.

There were many who hated Kennedy–-especially in Texas–-and now in this 21st century we get a biographer who sheds the drapery that has hung over Kennedy for all these years and has let in some sunshine on the TRUTH–-a word that has been besmirched of late.

"Unhappy the land that needs heroes"–-Bertolt Brecht wrote in 1939.

And what we are witnessing in the GOP House of Horrors speaks to this loud and perfectly clear!

May 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

@PD Pepe: Couldn't agree more about JFK. I even met him when I was in my teens. I was in college when he was assassinated, and all the girls in my dorm were glued to the teevee for days -- and I'm sure they didn't all come from Democratic households. But we loved him and we tried to emulate Jackie. One of the girls in my dorm was considered a great beauty; she was very pretty, but her main asset was her looking a bit like Jackie -- and she did play that up. I believe I had a pillbox hat myself! (And, no, I didn't look a bit like Jackie -- more like Jack!)

The Kennedys were as good at PR as they were at producing the stars they promoted. Remember Jackie's "Camelot"? But in truth, as you say, Jack didn't do much, and it seems unlikely he would have done a lot had he had the time. He did more in death; LBJ never would have got the civil rights bills through without appealing to Jack's memory -- and that was rather fake; Jack was fairly tepid about civil rights. Had Jack & Lyndon not mired the U.S. in the atrocities of Viet Nam, it's LBJ who would have been remembered as a great president.

May 11, 2021 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

If the Kennedy bio is half as thorough as the Caro bio series about LBJ, it could be an interesting read. JFK's dad spent the last years of his life advancing the mythic greatness of his assassinated son as only a Hollywood producer could do. Sr. knew that myth lives longer than fact. Imagine if Orange One had enough sense to surround himself with good people to advance his myth. Revolutionists, knuckle-draggers, and bottle blonds don't advance one's mythical status.

May 11, 2021 | Unregistered Commentercitizen625

Didn’t Rahm Emmanuel have a sign on his desk, when he was chief of staff, that said “Go fuck yourself”? I seem to remember reading something like that.

I know that Emmanuel has problems, but at a time in which the traitors think they’re hammers and treat the rest of us as 12 gauge roofing nails, I’m not entirely unhappy if Biden wants to hire a jackhammer to pound the winger Trumpbots into third-world bound scrap metal.

May 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

On a lighter note, Randy Rainbow has a new one....
"Clang clang clang went Josh Hawley"......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07II_EJlcYg
One of the best ones yet, I think......

May 11, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterBonnit
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