;)
The Commentariat -- May 20, 2020
Late Morning/Afternoon Updates:
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily blocked the release of parts of the report prepared by Robert S. Mueller III.... The court's order, concerning a request by the House Judiciary Committee for grand jury materials that the Justice Department had blacked out from the report provided to Congress, could mean that the full report would not be made available before the 2020 election. The Supreme Court's brief order gave no reasons for blocking an appeals court ruling ordering the release of the full report while the justices considered whether to hear the case. It ordered the Justice Department to file a petition seeking review by June 1. There were no noted dissents." A Hill report is here.
The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Wednesday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here.
Zach Montellaro & Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump mischaracterized Michigan's mail-in ballot policies on Wednesday while threatening federal funding to the state if election officials there do not retreat from measures meant to facilitate mail-in voting.... 'Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election,' Trump tweeted. 'This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!' He then followed up with another message mentioning the official Twitter accounts for acting White House budget director Russ Vought, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and the Treasury Department. The president's tweets mischaracterized a recent policy change in Michigan. On Tuesday, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, announced that all of the state's 7.7 million registered voters would be mailed absentee ballot applications for the August down-ballot primaries and November general election, not a ballot directly. Responding to the president, the secretary tweeted that 'I also have a name, it's Jocelyn Benson,' and noted that her office was sending applications 'like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia.'"
The CDC Is Tired of Trying to Reason with You White House People. Nick Valencia & Caroline Kelly of CNN: "The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted 60 pages of detailed guidelines on how to reopen the United States from coronavirus pandemic stay-at-home orders on the agency's website. The guidance was a slightly shorter version of a 68-page document shelved by the White House last week after concerns it was too specific. Still, the latest CDC document was very descriptive, providing a detailed road map for schools, restaurants, transit and child care facilities on the categories to consider before reopening. The guidance was posted without fanfare amid reported tensions between the agency and the White House. CNN previously reported one of the main hold ups for publishing the CDC documents was the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights Division felt that faith-based organizations were being unfairly targeted."
The Kleptocracy, Ctd. Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "A North Dakota construction firm that has received backing from President Trump has now secured the largest border wall contract ever awarded, a $1.3 billion deal to build 42 miles of black-painted fencing through the rugged mountains of southern Arizona. The company that won the contract, Fisher Sand and Gravel, has been repeatedly lauded by the president in White House meetings with border officials and military commanders, the result of a long and personalized marketing pitch to Trump and ardent supporters of his barrier project. After its initial bids for border contracts were passed over, the company and its CEO, Tommy Fisher, cut a direct path to the president by praising him on cable news, donating to his Republican allies and cultivating ties to former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon, GOP Senate candidate Kris Kobach and other conservative figures in Trump's orbit. Fisher's first and only other major border contract, for $400 million, is under review by the Defense Department inspector general after Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about improper White House influence on the procurement process."
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David L. Stern & Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on his law enforcement agencies Wednesday to investigate leaked audio of private phone calls several years ago between Vice President Joe Biden and Ukraine's then-president, Petro Poroshenko, and said that the conversations 'might be perceived, qualified as high treason.'... The recordings, which were first played at a news conference Tuesday in Kyiv, shed relatively little new light on Biden's role in ousting Ukraine's prosecutor general four years ago.... The recordings showed that Biden, as he has previously said publicly, linked loan guarantees for Ukraine in 2015 to the ouster of Viktor Shokin, then the country's prosecutor general.... But Zelensky's comments Wednesday could have been aimed at appeasing Trump, discrediting a rival in Poroshenko and deflecting to investigators all in one swipe.... Hours before Zelensky's news conference, he wrote in a New York Times op-ed that 'the impeachment story was not comfortable for me.... It took American and international attention away from the issues that mattered most to Ukraine and turned our country into a story about President Trump.'...<"
California Congressional Race. Not a Bigoted Bone in His Body. Ally Mutnick of Politico: "Republican congressional candidate Ted Howze said earlier this month he had nothing to do with social media posts from his personal accounts that demeaned Muslims, accused prominent Democrats of murder and mocked a survivor of the Parkland school shooting. The 'negative and ugly ideas,' he asserted, were penned by others whom he'd given access to his accounts, but he declined to name them. In the weeks since his denial, new questions have emerged about that explanation. At least a dozen additional posts from Howze's account over a two-year period espouse conspiracy theories, suggest Hillary Clinton and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) are responsible for murder, or denigrate Dreamers, Islam and the Black Lives Matter movement. As of Tuesday afternoon, they were accessible on his personal Facebook account. Howze, his party's nominee in a competitive central California district, is endorsed by the National Republican Congressional Committee and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy. He explicitly signed his name to one of these posts and tags family members in others."
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The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Tuesday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Tuesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Doctor Trump, Medicine Man. Kevin Liptak of CNN: "Members of ... Donald Trump's Cabinet reinforced his decision to ingest an unproven treatment to prevent coronavirus on Tuesday, insisting the drug was safe even as none volunteered they were taking it themselves.... Even for an administration known for fealty, the declarations of support for a drug the US Food and Drug Administration has warned might be dangerous were notable. Trump was hosting his Cabinet at the White House for the first time in months.... No officials wore masks, though they were spaced several feet apart and spoke into microphones. As they went around the table, the Cabinet members uniformly praised Trump's handling of the pandemic and tried to insist the worst may be over.... When Trump was questioned why he decided to take hydroxychloroquine to prevent coming down with Covid-19 -- a disclosure he'd made a day earlier -- he dismissed his own government's warnings against using the drug for coronavirus, including from the FDA, which has said the drug should only be used in hospitals or clinical trials because they can kill or cause serious side effects.... He went on to bash a study of Veterans Affairs patients who received the drug, calling it false because it was administered to sick people who 'were ready to die.'... When pressed later how his administration was planning to return more than 35 million unemployed Americans to work, Trump lashed out. 'I think we've announced a plan. We're opening up our country. Just a rude person, you are,' he said." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump called on both DHHS secretary Alex Azar & VA secretary Robert Wilkie to back up his hydroxychloroquine claims. Azar deflected a little, but Wilkie was all in, agreeing with Trump that a huge study of VA patients was a "phony study" & saying the study was not a VA study, that some outside researchers merely used VA data. What Wilkie didn't say is that it was still a "government study" inasmuch as the NIH partially funded it. So here the POTUS* and his Cabinet, none of them wearing masks, going out of their way to prop up Trump's dangerous "medical advice" but not promoting various steps people must take to avoid getting or spreading the virus. ~~~
~~~ Meredith McGraw & Nancy Cook of Politico: "White House aides were as surprised as everyone else when ... Donald Trump mentioned he was taking a controversial drug to help ward off the coronavirus. Quickly, the administration assumed its typical posture for unexpected presidential proclamations -- in this case, that the president had been using the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. Officials defended the president's decision while artfully addressing whether it is wise for the country's leader take an unproven coronavirus treatment that some research has shown could have serious side effects.... Throughout the day, Trump simply defended his use of the drug, saying he believed hydroxychloroquine 'gives you an additional level of safety' and 'doesn't hurt people,' and said 'people are going to have to make up their own mind' regarding the drug's efficacy. The White House declined to comment beyond Trump's remarks.... Trump even dismissed one downbeat study about hydroxychloroquine as a 'Trump enemy statement.'... When asked on Monday whether anyone else in his administration or family was taking the drug, Trump said 'no.'" ~~~
~~~ Here's the memo, via CNN, from Sean Conley, Trump's White House physician, regarding Trump's claim that he's taking hydroxychloroquine. Nowhere does he say he has prescribed hydroxychloroquine for Trump. Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post has some thoughts on that. (Also linked yesterday.) Mrs. McC: It seems to me that while Conley may have carefully-worded his letter to help perpetrate another Trump lie, many Trumpbots will follow the apparent "advice" of Trump's doctor and try this at home. For a public servant (Conley is a Navy commander), he should apply "first, do no harm" to all Americans, not just Trump. It's occurred to me that there's another possibility that no one seems to have mentioned: Trump is taking "the hydroxy," but Conley refused to prescribe it, so Trump found another source. ~~~
~~~ In case you think no one is stupid enough to follow Trump's "medical advice" ~~~
~~~ Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: "Donald Trump's allies are seeking out hydroxychloroquine and even trying risky substitutes for the anti-malaria drug as it has become an emblem of the president's unorthodox approach to fighting coronavirus." Sommer cites examples. Mrs. McC: I liked the tonic water one because I do drink tonic water, and that is probably the onliest reason I don't have the Covid-19. ~~~
** Trump Shows the Military How Much He Loves Them. Alice Ollstein of Politico: "More than 40,000 National Guard members currently helping states test residents for the coronavirus and trace the spread of infections will face a 'hard stop' on their deployments on June 24 -- just one day shy of many members becoming eligible for key federal benefits, according to a senior FEMA official. The official outlined the Trump administration's plans on an interagency call on May 12, an audio version of which was obtained by Politico. The official also acknowledged during the call that the June 24 deadline means that thousands of members who first deployed in late March will find themselves with only 89 days of duty credit, one short of the 90-day threshold for qualifying for early retirement and education benefits under the Post-9/11 GI bill." Mrs. McC: They put their lives on hold -- and on the line -- to serve their country, and this is the thanks Trump gives them, even as he touts his love for the military.
Trump Shows Working Americans How Much He Loves Them. Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Tuesday privately expressed opposition to extending a weekly $600 boost in unemployment insurance for laid-off workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic, according to three officials familiar with his remarks during a closed-door lunch with Republican senators on Capitol Hill. The increased unemployment benefits -- paid by the federal government but administered through individual states -- were enacted this year as part of a broader $2 trillion relief package passed by Congress. The boost expires this summer, and House Democrats have proposed extending the aid through January 2021." Mrs. McC: There's no reason for people to get unemployment insurance in summer; they can go out in the forest & forage for nuts & berries. And go fishing! It's fun to be unemployed!
Isaac Arnsdorf of ProPublica: "A food relief program championed by ... Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka is relying on some contractors who lack food distribution experience and aren't licensed to deal in fresh fruits and vegetables.... Forty-nine out of the 159 contractors picked by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to deliver boxes containing produce don't have a requisite license from the same agency.... The awards to firms for which no licenses could be found amount to $105.3 million, about 15% of the total for produce boxes.... When the program was announced, the nonprofit organization Feeding America surveyed its nationwide network of 200 food banks about their needs and worked with seven national distributors on how to implement the program. But none of those distributors received contracts." --s ~~~
~~~ Ed Mazza of the Huffington Post: "... Donald Trump offered an unusual warning to Virginia farmers on Tuesday, suggesting that their potatoes might be at risk and they will need to be armed to protect those spuds. [According to a tweet from the Hill, Trump said,] 'We're going after Virginia, with your crazy governor, we're going after Virginia. They want to take your Second Amendment. You know that, right? You'll have nobody guarding your potatoes.' Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) fired back on Twitter with a warning about the anti-malaria drug Trump is taking to prevent coronavirus infection despite the fact that it's not approved for the disease: 'I grew up on a Virginia farm, Mr. President -- our potatoes are fine. And as the only medical doctor among our nation's governors, I suggest you stop taking hydroxychloroquine....'" Thanks to P.D. Pepe for the link. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This story puts me in mind of Great Depression-era stories -- real & fictional -- I've heard or read of indigent people asking farmers for food or just stealing potatoes & other foods off the vine. Trump may realize that's where we are, and he thinks the answer is to shoot the starving gleaners to save a potato.
Erica Werner, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump's drive to swiftly reopen the economy came under fire Tuesday from Democratic senators who pointedly questioned the administration's strategy, forcing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to insist the White House would not sacrifice workers' lives for economic gain. But the growing insistence by Trump and Republican lawmakers to push for reopening while halting any new talks about aid has created a stark divide in the government's approach. As Trump has largely shut down negotiations for more emergency assistance, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell warned Tuesday that much more may be needed." This story is an update of one linked yesterday." The New York Times live-updated the hearing here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Chad Livengood of Crain's Detroit: "When Ford Motor Co. hosts ... Donald Trump on Thursday for a tour of its Rawsonville Components Plant in Ypsilanti, the automaker will be doing so in technical violation of an executive order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer prohibiting 'nonessential' plant tours. Her office signaled it would not stand in the way of the visit. Ford says it will require the president to wear a mask, something he has not done on other recent plant tours. Whitmer's new coronavirus pandemic workplace regulations for businesses laid out in Executive Order No. 2020-91 states that 'manufacturing facilities must ... suspend all non-essential in-person visits, including tours.'"
Michael Biesecker & Jason Dearen of the AP: "Republican political operatives are recruiting 'extremely pro-Trump' doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U.S. economy as quickly as possible, without waiting to meet safety benchmarks proposed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The plan was discussed in a May 11 conference call with a senior staffer for the Trump reelection campaign organized by CNP Action, an affiliate of the GOP-aligned Council for National Policy. A leaked recording of the hourlong call was provided to The Associated Press.... CNP Action is part of the Save Our Country Coalition, an alliance of conservative think tanks and political committees formed in late April to end state lockdowns implemented in response to the pandemic.... A resurgent economy is seen as critical to boosting ... Donald Trump's reelection hopes and has become a growing focus of the White House coronavirus task force led by Vice President Mike Pence." Mrs. McC: Wait, mike, I thought your task force was focused on saving all Americans from the coronavirus; now we find out it's more about your re-election? I'm so disillusioned.
Michelle Smith, et al., of the AP: "Public health officials in some states are accused of bungling coronavirus infection statistics or even using a little sleight of hand to deliberately make things look better than they are. The risk is that politicians, business owners and ordinary Americans who are making decisions about lockdowns, reopenings and other day-to-day matters could be left with the impression that the virus is under more control than it actually is.... In Florida, the data scientist who developed the state's coronavirus dashboard, Rebekah Jones, said this week that she was fired for refusing to manipulate data 'to drum up support for the plan to reopen.' Calls to health officials for comment were not immediately returned Tuesday. In Georgia, one of the earliest states to ease up on lockdowns and assure the public it was safe to go out again, the Department of Public Health published a graph around May 11 that showed new COVID-19 cases declining over time in the most severely affected counties. The daily entries, however, were not arranged in chronological order but in descending order.... A quick look at the graph made it appear as if the decline was smoother than it really was."
Natasha Turak of CNBC: "Experiments by a team in Hong Kong found that the coronavirus' transmission rate via respiratory droplets or airborne particles dropped by as much as 75% when surgical masks were used. 'The findings implied to the world and the public is that the effectiveness of mask-wearing against the coronavirus pandemic is huge,' Dr. Yuen Kwok-yung, a leadingmicrobiologist from Hong Kong University who helped discover the SARS virus in 2003, said Sunday."
If you're wondering about Elon Musk and "the red pill," Nellie Bowles of the New York Times has a primer.
Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times: "Annie Glenn, who in a high-profile life as the wife of John Glenn, the astronaut and senator, became an inspiration to many who, like her, stuttered severely, advocating on behalf of people with communication disorders of all kinds, died on Tuesday at a nursing home near St. Paul, Minn. She was 100. Hank Wilson ... of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University, said the cause was complications of the Covid-19 virus."
Edward Wong & David Sanger of the New York Times: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined an interview request for the State Department inspector general's inquiry into whether the Trump administration acted illegally in declaring an 'emergency' to bypass a congressional freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to three people with knowledge of his actions. Mr. Pompeo chose instead to answer written questions from investigators working for the inspector general, Steve A. Linick, who was fired by President Trump on Friday. That indicates that the secretary of state was aware of Mr. Linick's investigation and the specific lines of questioning about Mr. Pompeo's decision last year to resume the sales of bombs and other weapons...." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: That's ever so surprising because Pompeo told Carol Morello of the Washington Post that "... the decision [to recommend Linick's firing] was not an act of political retaliation, because he did not know beforehand that ... Linick was investigating allegations that he had an aide run personal errands for him." Okay, let's say that's a little misdirection. Mike says he didn't know about the personal-errands investigation, but he doesn't say anything about the Saudi-Arabia arms investigation. But then he denies that, too. According to Morello, "He [Pompeo] said he recalled only one case, involving a national security matter, in which he knew of an investigation until shortly before a report was released to the public." That "national security matter" can't be the Saudi Arabia arms case, because Linick has not released that report. So then, Pompeo concluded, "It is not possible that this decision [to fire Linick], or my recommendation rather, to the president rather, was based on any effort to retaliate for any investigation that was going on or is currently going on. Because I simply don't know. I'm not briefed on it. I usually see these investigations in final draft form 24 hours, 48 hours before the IG is prepared to release them. So it's simply not possible for this to be an act of retaliation. End of story." No, Mike, it's not the end of the story. When you decline to be interviewed for an investigation, it's safe to say you know about the investigation. I'm shocked that Mike Pompeo, the old boy who keeps a Bible open on his desk, would dissemble like that, would tell a Big Fat Lie. ~~~
~~~ Update. See also the last sentence of this synopsis of a new NBC News report. Turns out Mike also was lying about not knowing of Linick's investigation of Pompeo's personal abuses of office. ~~~
Josh Lederman, et al., of NBC News: "Until the coronavirus shut them down in March, [Mike Pompeo held] gatherings ... known as 'Madison Dinners' -- elaborate, unpublicized affairs that Pompeo and his wife, Susan Pompeo, began in 2018 and held regularly in the historic Diplomatic Reception Rooms [in the State Department's Harry S. Truman Building] on the government's dime. State Department officials involved in the dinners said they had raised concerns internally that the events were essentially using federal resources to cultivate a donor and supporter base for Pompeo's political ambitions -- complete with extensive contact information that gets sent back to Susan Pompeo's personal email address.... Pompeo held about two dozen Madison dinners since taking over in 2018 ... [at a cost of several hundred dollars per plate]. The records show that about 29 percent of the invitees came from the corporate world, while about a quarter of them hailed from the media or entertainment industries, with conservative media members heavily represented. About 30 percent work in politics or government, and just 14 percent were diplomats or foreign officials. Every single member of the House or the Senate who has been invited is a Republican.... The Madison dinners ... aren't disclosed on Pompeo's public schedule.... Two administration officials told NBC News that [State Department inspector general Steve] Linick made some type of inquiry last week, before he was fired, to the protocol office. One of the officials said Pompeo's office was then notified." Emphasis added. ~~~
~~~ Alexander Bolton & Laura Kelly of the Hill: "Senate Republicans are demanding a fuller explanation from President Trump about his firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, the fourth inspector general to be removed or targeted for removal by the president in the past three months." Among those requiring more answers are John Thune, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, & John Risch, along with Chuck Grassley. (Also linked yesterday.)
Ian Duncan & Michael Laris of the Washington Post: "Three leading House Democrats said Tuesday that they plan to open an investigation into the replacement of the Transportation Department's acting inspector general, concerned that the move was tied to an ongoing investigation of Secretary Elaine Chao's dealings with the state of Kentucky. Chao is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and has faced questions about whether her department has given preferential treatment to projects in the state. On Friday [the same day he announced he was firing State Department IG Steve Linick], President Trump named Howard 'Skip' Elliott, the head of a pipeline safety agency, as acting DOT inspector general.... In the letter to Elliott, the lawmakers said they viewed his appointment as part of a broader attack by Trump on inspectors general across the government." ~~~
~~~ Sam Mintz of Politico: "Rep. Peter DeFazio and two other senior House Democrats on Tuesday demanded that the Trump administration reinstate Mitchell Behm, who had been the acting Transportation Department inspector general until he was ousted from the position over the weekend and replaced with the head of another agency."
This Is Awkward. Issac Arnsdorf of ProPublica (Feb 21): "President Donald Trump's new acting intelligence director, Richard Grenell, used to do consulting work on behalf of an Eastern European oligarch.... Vladimir Plahotniuc, but did not disclose that he was being paid, according to records and interviews. Grenell also did not register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which generally requires people to disclose work in the U.S. on behalf of foreign politicians." --s ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Why is it awkward? Well, besides the little failure-to-disclose matter, check out what Plahotniuc has been up to, linked under Way Beyond the Beltway. All the best people, etc., etc. ~~~
~~~ Well, that's okay because Grenell is about to lose his "acting" job & go back to Germany, where he is the unpopular U.S. ambassador. ~~~
~~~ Shane Harris of the Washington Post: "Texas congressman John Ratcliffe (R) took a step closer to becoming President Trump's top intelligence adviser on Tuesday, after the Senate Intelligence Committee voted along party lines to move his nomination to the full Senate. Committee members voted 8 to 7 in favor of Ratcliffe as the next director of national intelligence, following an extraordinary hearing earlier this month held under social distancing guidelines. Ratcliffe sat far back from masked senators who questioned him on his credentials and whether he was capable of acting independently of his political allegiance to the president. The committee vote was held behind closed doors in a secure facility in the Capitol. Ratcliffe is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate in a vote likely to be held after Memorial Day, according to congressional aides." A Hill story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
A Day That Will Live in Infamy -- But Not Because of Susan Rice. Betsy Swan of Politico: "On the day of ... Donald Trump's inauguration, outgoing national security adviser Susan Rice sent herself an email that has since drawn intense scrutiny from Republicans. Now the full text of the email has been declassified.... It says that then-FBI Director James Comey worried about sharing classified information with the Trump team because of incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn's frequent conversations with the Russian ambassador but that Comey had no knowledge of Flynn sharing classified information with the envoy. Republicans have seized on the document as potential evidence that the outgoing president had ordered the FBI to spy on the new administration, as Trump has alleged. And they have ... suggest[ed] that in warning Comey to proceed 'by the book,' [President] Obama was implying that top law enforcement officials had done the opposite. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Rice said it shows the Obama administration handled the Flynn situation appropriately." A facsimile of the declassified memo is here. ~~~
~~~ Mrs McCrabbie: Wingers were very excited about the "explosive" declassification (no links). Alas, as Rachel Maddow pointed out, the Trump administration's big "exposé" of the nefarious Susan Rice backfired: the memo to file was completely appropriate & shows no hint of wrongdoing. The reason Republicans assume that President Obama & other Democrats are always up to no good is classic projection: Republicans are always up to no good, and they think others must be just as underhanded as they are.
Cassie Da Costa of the Daily Beast: "In the final third of director Nick Sweeney's 79-minute documentary, ['AKA Jane Roe'] featuring many end-of-life reflections from [Norma] McCorvey -- who grew up queer, poor, and was sexually abused by a family member her mother sent her to live with after leaving reform school -- the former Jane Roe admits that her later turn to the anti-abortion camp as a born-again Christian was 'all an act.'... '... I took their money and they took me out in front of the cameras and told me what to say....' [The] Reverend [Rob] Schenck confirms that she was 'coached on what to say' in her anti-abortion speeches.... Reverend Flip Benham (of the infamous Operation Rescue) ... denies McCorvey was paid; Schenck insists she was, saying that 'at a few points, she was actually on the payroll, as it were.' AKA Jane Roe finds documents disclosing at least $456,911 in 'benevolent gifts' from the anti-abortion movement to McCorvey." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. ~~~
~~~ A Day That Will Live in Infamy. Kenya Evelyn of the Guardian: "Included in the documentary also are scenes from the presidential election night in 2016, depicting McCorvey's disappointment as Democrat Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump. 'I wish I knew how many abortions Donald Trump was responsible for,' she quipped in the scene. 'I'm sure he's lost count, if he can count that high.'" ~~~
~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "It's a little better now, but elite punditry in the 90s and early aughts was saturated with arguments that even if one was pro-choice one should concede that American pro-lifers were acting according to Deep Moral Principles that merited not merely respect but accommodation, when in fact the movement was a total legal, moral, and ethical shambles. Remember the McCorvey Purchase if you see such arguments again, which you surely will."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Moldova. Reuters: "Moldova's Prosecutor General said on Monday that one of the country's richest people, Vladimir Plahotniuc, had been charged with involvement in the theft of $1 billion from Moldovan banks in 2014-2015.... The scandal triggered street protests, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union froze aid, the leu currency plunged to record lows and inflation climbed into double digits." --s
Spain. Chloé Farand of Climate Home News: "The Spanish government is due to present an ambitious draft law to cut the country's carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 to Parliament on Tuesday. Spain joins a handful of countries to have set out a legal binding strategy to end their contribution to global heating in the next 30 years." --s
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One more thing I did not know--from History.com
"On April 12, 1955, the day the Salk vaccine was declared “safe, effective and potent,” legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Morrow interviewed its creator and asked who owned the patent. “Well, the people, I would say,” said Salk in light of the millions of charitable donations raised by the March of Dimes that funded the vaccine’s research and field testing. “There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?” Lawyers for the foundation had investigated the possibility of patenting the vaccine but did not pursue it, in part because of Salk’s reluctance."
Times have changed--just a little--haven't they?
Fatty, oops, I mean the Morbidly Obese Orange Menace, is being defended by the usual coterie of testicle cozies. “Fat shaming!! How awful!! That horrible Nancy Pelosi!”
Yeah. But here’s the thing. Fat...er, the lardy traitor mooching off of us, may not be technically morbidly obese, as a raft of articles now points out, but by any measure, he is a paunchy fat fuck. Most articles choose to repeat the “official” (ahem) weight listed in recent physical reports. But c’mon. 243 lbs.? There’s no way this guy is 243 lbs. he’s 260 easy. Maybe more. So morbidly obese? Maybe not, but tearing into Pelosi for “insulting” a lifelong insulting asshole is a roar. This is a guy who calls women dogs and brags about sexually molesting them. He makes Don Rickles look like Mother Teresa. But, holy shit, don’t say something accurate about poor little donnie-kins. His delicate sensibility can’t take it.
These fucking people. They’re the ones who bandy about every variety of slurs, swipes, and epithets. If you wanna call me out for insulting this treasonous fat fuck then you should be ready to explain how he’s not A. fat, B. a fuck, and C. a traitor. Good luck with that.
But to rip Nancy Pelosi for calling this waddling repository of adipose rotundity “obese” is the height of fucking disingenuity.
@Akhilleus: Despite his claiming to be 6'3", "Girthers" have found pictures of MOOM standing next to various men of about the same height as he (including Obama who was probably wearing lifts as a dirty trick to make Trump look shorter). The Girthers have pointed out that MOOM is no more than 6'1" or 6'2". A Wellness chart shows that even if his height were 6'3", which apparently it isn't, his admitted weight would make him "obese."
Think DeSantis caught the lying virus directly from the Pretender, or as I believe the facts show, lying has been pandemic in the Republican Party for years?
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-official-says-she-was-ousted-refusing-censor-coronavirus-data-n1210551
And she wasn't even an inspector general.
Marie,
I’ve wondered about the MOOM’s claims about his height for a while now after seeing his Soiled Fatness standing next to Obama in which they appear to be the same height (ie, not 6’3”). Hey, he lies about his brain, his words, his accomplishments, his wonderfulness, his knowledge of...well, just about everything. So why not his height and weight, his health, and what kind of dangerous medications he’s taking? Any way you look at it, he’s a fat fuck. O-BESE, as in fat like the pig.
If Pelosi’s assertion that he’s morbidly obese is off, it’s a small difference of degree only, not one of kind.
As for this Navy doctor allowing such terrible medical advice to endanger credulous, not very smart Americans, well, an MD after one’s name is no guarantee of credibility or good character. On the other hand, the guy could have been a veritable Hippocrates before drifting into the orbit of the Orange Death Star. Fatty infects everyone and everything he touches with his own personal brand of dishonesty and duplicity. He’s King Midas in reverse, turning gold into disease-ridden puke.
The dirty secret, the cruel calculus, that may be behind Republicans' reluctant to extend or sweeten unemployment benefits is an admission that many jobs are not that much fun.
Some are back-breaking, some dangerous, some boring, many even pointless. They are jobs whose only "attraction" is the push of economic desperation. Without that desperation, many more would likely make the sane choice of not working--at those jobs.
Of course, there is another calculus at work(!) too, the fact that with the $600 bonus, some ARE making more by not working than they did on the job, and they kinda like it that way. From those I know in this position, the rub is the medical insurance coverage that won't be extended beyond three months. That has them worried.
SPUDS IN DANGER:
Moom being Moom, always at the ready for curt replies and hasty goodbyes especially for officials who aren't wiping up the floor for him, was sucking up to all the farmers yesterday as he bragged about how much he was helping them, money wise–––we learned that never in the history of this country was there anything like this largesse–-even Lincoln, he said, didn't go as far as Trump ( again referring to himself in the third person)* But again, Moom being the asshole he is, just couldn't stop himself from dissing Virginia's Gov. (D), Ralph Northam, warning those farmers that taking away your guns is a bad thing because, holy cow, all your potatoes are in jeopardy–-bad men come steal all those spuds. How lucky we are to have such a concerned president that cares so deeply about potatoes and agriculture in general. On second thought––since he loves French Fries, it's once again all about him, ain't it?
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-virginia-potatoes_n_5ec4b313c5b6956f416a1114
* I've mentioned this before, but I find Trump addressing himself as a third person fascinating. As one of my sons once asked why his teacher always referred to herself when giving directions of any kind, as Mrs. Keller ––"doesn't she know who she is?" Perhaps our man in question here can separate himself from the scum bag that is with the pretender president he plays.The Real art of the deal––the play within the play and the actor keeps his make-up on at all times.
PD,
More on the potato crunch. Potatoes are a big crop here in WA, most grown in the eastern irrigated Grand Couleee country but many here in in our wetside county, too:
https://skagitbreaking.com/2020/05/17/road-to-1-million-pounds-of-potatoes-continues-in-burlington/
As for the third person locution, maybe the Pretender has cultivated his narcissistic personality disorder for so long, stroking, encouraging and feeding it, that that creation might as you suggest have become a separate identity, and it's not that great a psychological step from pretend president to pretend King.
When he addresses himself that way, he's talking about the emerging King.
After all, he has already referred to himself as the Savior...
Dat ol' debbil Sydney Blumenthal wrote up the nine questions for the WH doc. Number 9 is:
" Medical researchers have concluded that hydroxychloroquine may cause neuropsychiatric symptoms, “including agitation, insomnia, confusion, mania, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, catatonia, psychosis, and suicidal ideation.” Has Dr. Conley properly assessed his patient, President Trump, for his susceptibility to these symptoms? Since Trump has been taking the drug has Dr. Conley observed that it has produced or exacerbated any of these symptoms in President Trump?"
DijIt may have been taking his Oreoxy since forever, given his standard "... neuropsychiatric symptoms, “including agitation, insomnia, confusion, mania, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, catatonia, psychosis, and suicidal ideation.” "
So maybe if he stopped the meds he would become a not-nuts person? I doubt it. But we can hope for catatonia if he keeps popping.
https://www.justsecurity.org/70253/nine-questions-for-the-white-house-physician-sean-conley-presidents-use-of-hydroxychloroquine/
I reckon I can quit worrying about discrepancies in the C-19 data reports down here in Florida. Governor DeSantis declared charges of manipulation and censorship to be a "nonissue" in a press conference.
It sure has legs for a non issue and major media outlets are looking into it closely.
I think there is ONE reason that Dumpie says the name "Trump" often--as in, they just hate trump... -or- she's a real trump-hater... and that is: he loves his name and loves to hear ANYONE voice it. Even if it is HIM!! The exception is the s*** coming out of the mouths of the cabinet members ad nauseum, such as ...under the president's leadership... -or- thanks to the president's direction, we...
He, mental midget that he is, probably has personal rules: always demand that the name be mentioned in any discourse, even if self-declaiming. And, second, always remark upon the rudeness of people asking embarrassing questions of me from the press pool, while never addressing the question.
The PLAN, people, is the trump plan of opening the country. That is all you need to know. How rude you are to ask. The third rule is: always accuse your tormentors (like Mrs. Pelosi--)of behaving the way you do. Mental conditions/issues? Hell yes, but it isn't Pelosi--
This has gotten so bad that I can only surmise that his fans/supporters/fellow repugnants are just as mentally cesspool-like as he is. I wanna know, on hearing Rubio is taking over Senate Judiciary, wasn't Gohmert available?
Jeanne: No, but under the arcane seniority rules, Little Randy was. I think we got rampant ambition as opposed to rampant destruction.
Reference: "A Day That Will Live in Infamy -- But Not Because of Susan Rice. Betsy Swan of Politico:" Larry C. Johnson at Sic Semper Tyrannis says that Sally Yates, in an interview with the FBI, said only she, James Comey, and President Obama were present at that meeting. Susan Rice was not there, according to what the FBI says Yates said to them. As he points out, which would you consider more credible, a statement to the FBI, which carries grave penalties for being wrong (lying), or a Memo for Record sent by one person to herself (a common method in the bureaucracy for documenting events).?
Bobby Lee (I spent most of my youth in VA, NC and KY, and I keep seeing your name and ending up with a twanging "Bawby-LEEEEE" in my head-- please tell me you don't live in New England or something--:)Anyhoo, I am ALWAYS grateful when we are not subject to Mr. Woodchuck-head's sanctimonious, nasty weirdo talk; I can put up with Florida Man much more than the KY loon, any day of the week...
Procopius,
Having perused the Wikipedia site on Larry Johnson, whom I knew nothing about, I would arm myself with a heavy load of skepticism before I went very far with him down any dark alley.
For the alleys he seems to frequent appear to be dark indeed.
According to Wikipedia he made a hard turn to the right when Obama came on the presidential scene, spreading the infamous Michelle Obama hoax (a real hoax) and later accused John Kerry of war crimes, offering no proof of course, in the mode of his readers' (judging from their comments on his website) current idol.
The conspiracy theories he has propounded go on from there.
@Procopius & @Ken Winkes: Ken, thanks for the clarification.
Procopius, if you're gong to cite a right-wing commentator -- unless s/he's a very famous one -- it's helpful to say so. I never heard of Larry Johnson, although I understand he does have a public profile.
What's worse, Procopius, if you're going to make a point of citing a right-wing commentator, you should not go on to misrepresent what he claims. In the post you cited, Johnson claims Obama sent other participants out of the room to speak only to Yates & Comey. He does not claim that Rice wasn't there for the meeting, as you imply.
Procopius, it's been clear for a long time that you're trolling us here, and I've allowed it. But even a troll should not purposely present misinformation as fact.