;)
The Commentariat -- May 15, 2021
Late Morning Update:
Fares Akram & Joseph Krauss of the AP: "An Israeli airstrike targeted and destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets hours after another Israeli air raid on a densely populated refugee camp killed at least 10 Palestinians from an extended family, mostly children, on Saturday. The strike on the high-rise came nearly an hour after the military ordered people to evacuate the 12-story building, which also housed Al-Jazeera, other offices and residential apartments. The strike brought down the entire structure, which collapsed in a gigantic cloud of dust. There was no immediate explanation for why it was attacked. The earlier Israeli airstrike on the Gaza City refugee camp was the deadliest single strike of the current conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Both sides are pressing for an advantage as cease-fire efforts gather strength." MB: Gosh, just can't think why Israel would destroy a building housing media outlets. ~~~
~~~ In a statement, AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt said, "We are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP's bureau and other news organizations in Gaza. They have long known the location of our bureau and knew journalists were there. We received a warning that the building would be hit.... The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today."
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Alana Wise of NPR: "President Biden has revoked a number of executive actions taken by ... Donald Trump in the last year of his administration, mostly in response to the protests over systemic racism and police violence. The orders include Trump's move to establish a National Garden of American Heroes, an order related to conservative complaints about social media censorship and orders he signed to protect monuments and statues when protesters were targeting Confederate symbols last year. Those demonstrations intersected with the summer protests against the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The president also revoked a 2019 Trump proclamation that purported to prevent immigrants 'who will financially burden the United States healthcare system' from entering the United States. In announcing the suspension, Biden said the Trump health care order 'does not advance the interests of the United States.'"
Jeremy Herb & Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "The General Services Administration has provided House Democrats with documents related to ... Donald Trump's Washington hotel, in the second case this week where the Biden administration gave the House information that the Trump administration had blocked it from obtaining. The Biden administration revealed in a court filing on Friday that the House committee had asked for the records and the GSA had turned over some of them last week. House Transportation Chairman Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat, requested a slew of records in March related to the Trump International Hotel lease of the Old Post Office Building, which is not far from the White House. It was a request he had resubmitted to the GSA after it had been blocked by the Trump administration."
John Harwood of CNN: "Neera Tanden, the new administration's only Cabinet nominee rebuffed by the Senate, has become a senior adviser to President Joe Biden.... A longtime health policy expert, Tanden will begin planning for potential policy changes that could result from the forthcoming US Supreme Court decision on Republican legal efforts to strike down the Affordable Care Act. She worked in former President Barack Obama's administration as the act was designed and implemented. Among other duties, the official said, Tanden will also launch a review of the US Digital Service. The service is charged with solving the federal government's information technology and online security issues, recruiting technologists for tours of service akin to the Peace Corps."
Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "House Democrats pressed ahead on Friday with a bipartisan proposal to create an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, after reaching agreement with a key Republican to drop his party's demand that it look at left-wing violence unrelated to the assault. But it was not clear whether G.O.P. leaders, who have insisted any such inquiry study Black Lives Matter and antifa, a loose collective of antifascist activists, would go along with the deal. The uncertainty raised the prospect of a showdown in the House next week over the investigation and the Republican Party's reluctance to reckon with the deadly attack on Congress by a pro-Trump mob." ~~~
~~~ Nicholas Wu & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "House Democrats on Friday announced plans to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, though it doesn't yet have the backing of the chamber's top Republican. Gridlock over the bill's provisions and partisan sniping had stalled progress on the commission for months after the attack. And while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Friday he hadn't formally signed off on the agreement, the deal announced Friday by House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and ranking member John Katko (R-N.Y.) does include some key concessions to Republicans. The bill could come to the floor 'as soon as next week,' Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Friday, noting that the panel is modeled after a bipartisan study of events leading up to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. That floor vote will likely be followed by a long-awaited emergency funding bill to address security flaws within the Capitol that the siege exposed." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Olivia Beavers of Politico: "Progressive Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) is asking his colleagues to sign onto a resolution that calls for censuring members who claim the fateful day was 'not an insurrection' and who are engaging in other efforts to undermine the 'damage that was done.'... He specifically pointed to recent comments made by GOP Reps. Andrew Clyde (Ga.), Jody Hice (Ga.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.). The resolution may face headwinds getting a vote on the House floor." ~~~
~~~ Liz Unbound. Clara Hill of Yahoo! News: "Representative Liz Cheney ... has called for a criminal investigation into ... Donald Trump for inciting the deadly Capitol insurrection on 6 January. In an interview with Savannah Guthrie on NBC's Today Show on Thursday, Ms Cheney said she was not 'surprised' by her removal as the chair of the Republican conference. She added that the GOP now finds itself in a 'moment where we have to decide whether we as a party whether we are going to embrace the truth.' She described the grip that Mr Trump had on the Republican party as 'dangerous' and 'a cult of personality,' saying it was a 'betrayal' to see him try to burn down the party and American democracy in an attempt to regain power." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Caroline Kelly of CNN: "Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney ... said Friday that several Republican members of Congress had voted against impeaching Trump out of fear for their own lives.... '... there were members who told me that they were afraid for their own security -- afraid, in some instances, for their lives,' she said. 'And that tells you something about where we are as a country, that members of Congress aren't able to cast votes, or feel that they can't, because of their own security.'"
Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "House Republicans chose Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on Friday to fill the leadership post recently occupied by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), replacing a harsh critic of ... Donald Trump with a lawmaker who has become one of his staunchest defenders. She received 134 votes while Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) received 46, according to GOP aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the closed meeting. Nine members voted present and three wrote in a person who was not running." An AP story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Margie The Stalker. Em Steck & Andrew Kaczynski of CNN: "During a February 2019 visit to congressional offices at the US Capitol [-- and before she was a MOC --] with associates who include a man who would later enter the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection, [Marjorie Taylor] Greene ... can be seen [in a video] taunting [Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez's staff outside the congresswoman's locked office by talking through a mailbox slot urging her to come out. In the video, from a since-deleted Facebook Live of Greene's that was saved by CNN's KFile, Greene tells Ocasio-Cortez to 'get rid of your diaper,' referring to the congresswoman's office as a 'day care.' Greene repeatedly indicates throughout her stream that security has been called on them. 'We're going to go see, we're going to visit, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Crazy eyes. Crazy eyes. Nutty. Cortez,' Greene says to the camera on the way to the congresswoman's office, mispronouncing 'Ocasio.'" MB: And you wonder why AOC is concerned for her safety as MTG continues to stalk her. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Margie the Tax Cheat. Justin Gray of WSB-TV Atlanta: "... Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her husband have two active homestead exemptions, which is against Georgia law. A homestead exemption is a big tax break any Georgia homeowner is entitled to for their primary residence. It is against the law to file for more than one.... In a statement, Greene's office told [Justin] Gray to mind his own business and called it a 'pathetic smear' when he asked them about the homestead exemptions." MB: What's particularly disgusting about Homesteader Margie is that she is well-to-do. One of her two "homesteads" -- the one she bought last year so she could "live" in a county she "represents" -- cost $610,000.
Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "A former confidant of Representative Matt Gaetz admitted in court papers on Friday to an array of federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, and agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department's ongoing investigations. The plea deal by Joel Greenberg, the onetime associate of Mr. Gaetz who had served as a tax collector in Seminole County, Fla., north of Orlando, until he was indicted last year, provided prosecutors a potential key witness as they decide whether to charge Mr. Gaetz, the Florida Republican who is a close ally of ... Donald J. Trump. Mr. Gaetz is said to be under investigation over whether he violated sex trafficking laws by having sex with the same 17-year-old. Mr. Greenberg did not implicate Mr. Gaetz by name in court papers filed by prosecutors in Federal District Court in Orlando. But Mr. Greenberg admitted that he 'introduced the minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts' with her, according to the documents, and that he was sometimes present. The others were not named." Includes copy of the plea deal, which runs to 86 pages. An AP story is here. ~~~
~~~ Jose Pagliery & Roger Sollenberger of the Daily Beast: "When Rep. Matt Gaetz attended a 2019 GOP fundraiser in Orlando, his date that night was someone he knew well: a paid escort and amateur Instagram model who led a cocaine-fueled party after the event, according to two witnesses.... Joel Greenberg will identify that escort to investigators as one of more than 15 young women Gaetz paid for sex, according to a source familiar with the investigation.... Megan Zalonka ... turned her relationship with Greenberg into a taxpayer-funded no-show job that earned her an estimated $7,000 to $17,500, according to three sources and corresponding government records.... On Oct. 26, 2019, Gaetz attended the 'Trump Defender Gala' fundraiser as the featured speaker at the Westgate Lake Resort in Orlando. Two witnesses present recalled friends reconvening at Gaetz's hotel room for an after-party, where Zalonka prepared lines of cocaine on the bathroom counter. One of those witnesses distinctly remembers Zalonka pulling the drugs out of her makeup bag, rolling a bill of cash, and joining Gaetz in snorting the cocaine.... Two sources said the pair had an ongoing financial relationship in exchange for sex.” ~~~
~~~ The Beast story is subscriber-firewalled. Daily Kos has a summary story here.
Tom Jackman & Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "A former captain in the U.S. Army Special Forces who last year admitted to spying for Russia was sentenced Friday to more than 15 years in prison by a federal judge in Alexandria. Peter Dzibinski Debbins, 46, pleaded guilty in November to the espionage-related charge of conspiracy to gather or deliver defense information to aid a foreign government. He was living in Manassas, Va., before his August arrest, which followed a failed polygraph test, court records show. 'He conspired with the Russian intelligence agents for his entire service in the U.S. Army,' prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. In court filings, Debbins said he was motivated by a combination of familial loyalty, financial opportunity and personal grievance against the U.S. Army." The AP's story is here.
Extreme Voter Fraud. KDVR Fox 31 (Denver): "Prosecutors have filed new charges against Barry Morphew, alleging the man accused of murdering his missing wife submitted a presidential ballot in her name. Morphew was recently arrested on charges of murdering his wife, Suzanne, after she disappeared a year ago. She still has yet to be found.... The ballot didn't contain Suzanne's signature, but it did list Barry as the witness.... On April 22, Barry was asked by FBI agents why he submitted a ballot for Suzanne. 'Just because I wanted Trump to win ... I know she (Suzanne) was going to vote for Trump anyways,' he told investigators. He also said he thought the 'other guys' were cheating so he would 'give him (former president Trump) another vote.'" MB: Trump voters are the best people. This guy allegedly kills his wife, then votes for Trump on her ballot. You can't make up this stuff. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
John Koblin of the New York Times: "Leslie Moonves, who led CBS as chief executive for 15 years before he was ousted in 2018, will receive nothing from the $120 million the company had set aside in a potential severance package, according to a federal filing on Friday. Mr. Moonves left CBS on Sept. 9, 2018, after more than a dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct, allegations that appeared in two articles in The New Yorker by Ronan Farrow. Mr. Moonves has denied the allegations."
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Michael Levenson of the New York Times: "The journalist Martin Bashir has left the British Broadcasting Corporation, as it prepares to publish the findings of an investigation into accusations that he used dishonest tactics to secure a major 1995 television interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.... An estimated 23 million people watched the interview, which rocked England and catapulted Mr. Bashir to international renown.... In November, longstanding questions about the methods that Mr. Bashir had used to earn Diana's trust came under renewed scrutiny in a two-part documentary that was broadcast on the British network ITV. The documentary contended that doctored bank statements -- purportedly proving that royal employees close to the princess were being paid to spy on her -- were used to gain Diana's confidence."
Your Feel-Good Story for Today. Sydney Page of the Washington Post: "Latonya Young, a 44-year-old single mother of three, received a bachelor's degree last week. It was a lifelong goal -- and she credits one of her Uber passengers [-- Kevin Esch --] with making it possible." At critical junctures, Esch helped Young pay her bills. "She also received support from the Jeanette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund, which offers financial aid to low-income women older than 35 pursuing postsecondary education. Esch is now a board member of the organization, after Karen Sterk, the chief operating officer of the charity, heard about his friendship with Young and thought he'd be a perfect fit."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Because Republicans Cheat. Ivana Saric of Axios: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told CNN Thursday that members will still be required to wear masks on the House floor, despite new CDC guidance allowing fully vaccinated people to remove their masks indoors.... Pelosi's spokesperson cited the lack of clarity about which House members and their staffs are fully vaccinated, per Bloomberg." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Edgar Sandoval, et al., of the New York Times: "Across the country, governors, store owners and people running errands were scrambling on Friday to make sense of the abrupt change in federal guidelines, which said fully vaccinated people could now safely go most places, indoors or outdoors, without a mask. At least 20 states that still had mask mandates in place this week said by Friday evening that they would exempt fully vaccinated people or repeal the orders entirely, while at least five others with mask requirements had not announced any changes. The rapidly changing rules brought an end to more than a year of mandatory masking in much of the country, even as some said they were not yet ready to take off their face coverings."
Abha Bhattaraiy of the Washington Post: "Walmart, the country's largest retailer, said it will stop requiring masks for fully vaccinated customers and employees, joining Costco and Trader Joe's in easing store mandates after a contentious change in national guidelines.... Walmart announced its policy change in a memo to employees Friday, but noted that its 5,300 U.S. stores will continue to abide by local and state mask mandates. Unvaccinated shoppers and employees should continue wearing masks, the company said, though it did not offer details on how it would confirm whether customers have been inoculated. It also encouraged all employees to get vaccinated, and said it would give $75 to those who did.... But other major retailers, including Target, Home Depot, CVS and Harris Teeter, say they will continue to require masks in store as they review new CDC guidance and reevaluate store policies. The Retail Industry Leaders Association said the CDC's revised guidelines conflict with some state and local orders, creating ambiguity for retailers and their employees." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I shop at Walmart every couple of months, and you can bet I'll still be wearing my mask even tho I'm fully vaccinated. Because this: ~~~
~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Freeing up the unverifiable unvaccinated to blend in with their vaccinated neighbors by taking off their masks could allow them to more easily spread the disease among themselves. That could, in turn, make it more difficult to stamp out the virus. People have been talking about this in terms of whether the unvaccinated will simply 'lie' about their status, but they won't really even have to do that; they can just take off their masks.... Polling before the CDC's decision was announced suggests it's quite likely that a huge number of [the unvaccinated] will [go around unmasked]. And not only that, but unvaccinated people are also more likely to engage in riskier activities, in large part because they don't take the virus as seriously as those who have sought inoculation." MB: You didn't need Aaron Blake to tell you this; we already know a huge minority of our fellow citizens are irresponsible asses. AND ~~~
~~~ This interactive New York Times graphic will let you know what percentage of people in your county are vaccinated. Where I live, only 38 percent of people are fully vaccinated. So chances are, if I'm standing between two people in the check-out line, neither of the two lunkheads is vaccinated. (Luckily for me, I'm able to grocery-shop during the 6 am "senior hour," and the percent of those over the age of 65 who are vaccinated in 88 percent.
Beyond the Beltway
South Carolina. Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "The death of a Black man after police used pepper spray and Tasers on him in a South Carolina jail has stirred outrage as well as widespread calls for changes to the treatment of people in custody suffering from mental illness. Video footage released late on Thursday shows sheriff's deputies in Charleston County extracting the man, Jamal Sutherland, from his jail cell on Jan. 5, first using pepper spray on him, and then Tasers while he screams out in pain. He was declared dead soon after, and the graphic video spurred denunciations on Friday of the officers' response."
Way Beyond
Israel. The New York Times' live updates of the armed conflict in Israel on Saturday are here. ~~~
~~~ Vivian Yee of the New York Times: "Violence between Israelis and Palestinians expanded in new directions on Friday, with deadly clashes convulsing the occupied West Bank and anti-Israeli protests erupting along Israel's borders with two Arab neighbors. The widening sense of mayhem in Israel and the Palestinian territories came as Israeli airstrikes brought mass evacuations and funerals to Gaza, and as Hamas rockets singed Israeli towns for a fifth consecutive day. Hamas and Israeli officials signaled they were open to discussing a cease-fire amid global calls for peace and frantic diplomacy aimed at heading off a further fracturing in one of the Middle East's most intractable struggles." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates of the armed conflict in Israel on Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Bernie Sanders, in a New York Times op-ed: "In this moment of crisis, the United States should be urging an immediate cease-fire. We should also understand that, while Hamas firing rockets into Israeli communities is absolutely unacceptable, today's conflict did not begin with those rockets.... We have seen Benjamin Netanyahu's government work to marginalize and demonize Palestinian citizens of Israel, pursue settlement policies designed to foreclose the possibility of a two-state solution and pass laws that entrench systemic inequality between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel.... Over more than a decade of his right-wing rule in Israel, Mr. Netanyahu has cultivated an increasingly intolerant and authoritarian type of racist nationalism.... In the Middle East, where we provide nearly $4 billion a year in aid to Israel, we can no longer be apologists for the right-wing Netanyahu government and its undemocratic and racist behavior. We must change course and adopt an evenhanded approach, one that upholds and strengthens international law regarding the protection of civilians, as well as existing U.S. law holding that the provision of U.S. military aid must not enable human rights abuses."
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Reader Comments (3)
"[there has been] systemic inequality between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel.... Over more than a decade of his right-wing rule in Israel, Mr. Netanyahu has cultivated an increasingly intolerant and authoritarian type of racist nationalism" says Bernie. The portrait of Bibi is the portrait of the Baby so no wonder these two were brothers in arms. Kissy kissy on the cheeks and lower regions, these two despicable dunces created an atmosphere of pure terror and those in favor have taken them seriously. And hey! whatever happened to Jared's quest to bring something- something together in Israel and Palestine––his smug attitude always on parade. Where is he hiding today?,
The new ( fake drug) "Insurectigone" is priceless! Brian Williams closed with this gem last night and I went to sleep smiling. Will those featured get a whiff of this?
Reading this morning that there are those who are fearful of dire repercussions if they veer off the GOP Party message is infuriating! Why isn't something being done about that. Dr. Peter Hotez, who has been a MSNBC helpful navigator throughout this pandemic tells us that he has received death threats and vicious emails; his voice quivered as he said this. Fauci has also mentioned these same messages and not only to him but to members of his family. Of course why am I asking such silly questions when we have members like that manic, maniacal Marjorie in Congress who is clearly a threat not only to AOC but to democracy itself.
But this morning I see that our lettuce is already showing their heads while our broccoli rabe begs to be picked now. Nature thrives even in the worst of times.
Here's an interesting piece on How a Genetic Trait in Black People Can Give Police Cover:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/15/us/african-americans-sickle-cell-police.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
A thousand years ago when I was a Med Tech (at the U. of Missouri Hospital) I came across quite a few cases of sickle cells–-they present as crescent shapes which stick together and block blood flow.
PD,
Time then to speak of cabbages and kings (or king wannabes).
Your mention of nature going forward despite the nuttiness around it reminds me of a short little clip from Terrence Malick’s brilliant meditation on war, “The Thin Red Line”. Set during the battle of Guadalcanal, the film moves across the lines of combat exploring the various conditions and consequences of a vicious, bloody, and costly engagement.
At one point, as bullets fly and bombs tear up trees, rocks, and men, a soldier hunkered down in the dirt, notices ants going about their business, oblivious to the chaos and death around them. Nature goes on, despite the despots, the dullards, and the demented.
And the land torn asunder begins to repair itself before the troop ships are out of sight. I’d wager if you visited any of those islands in the Pacific theater, you’d have to look hard to discover the battle scars, now overgrown with lush greenery.
As much as the Trumps of the world believe in their own greatness and pride themselves on their power to control the universe, the universe itself considers them to be no more or less than any other speck of once primordial dust. A bit of the old Big Bang, or in Fatty’s case, the big bust. A “king” not worth a half decent head of cabbage.