;)
The Commentariat -- September 2, 2021
Marie: Reality Chex AGAIN is not accepting comments, through no design or fault of my own. However, my dumb interim plan to get around the problem still works. Here, again, are the easy instructions:
1. In the URL (address line), enter www.realitychex.com/display/Login and return. The login is case-sensitive, so that "L" in "Login" must be capitalized.
2. A log-in page will come up. Type squarespace in the Login box. Type nonsense in the password box. And return. That will get you page to the standard Reality Chex page. (Note: Don't use boldface type; I've put the stuff you have to use in boldface only to make it easier to see.)
3. Type your comment in the Comments box as usual. But at the end of the comment, sign it with your usual Reality Chex handle, because the name of the poster will say "See Above."
Also, thanks to Ken W. for alerting me.
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Afternoon Update:
Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Biden on Thursday said he is directing his administration to look into ways to protect abortion access for women in Texas after the Supreme Court refused to block the state's law that bans almost all abortions[.]... The White House on Wednesday said the proper recourse to ensure abortion access would be for Congress to codify Roe v. Wade. But Biden on Thursday signaled his administration would take unilateral action where possible. The president said he was asking the Gender Policy Council and White House Counsel to 'launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision, looking specifically to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to see what steps the Federal Government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe, and what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas' bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties.'"
Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that the House will vote on legislation to guarantee access to abortion upon its return to Washington later this month after the Supreme Court refused to block a restrictive Texas law that bans most abortions.... Pelosi said that after the House returns to session on Sept. 20, the chamber will vote on a bill from Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) to statutorily protect a person's ability to seek an abortion and for health care providers to provide abortion services.... The Senate companion bill to Chu's legislation has the support of 48 Democrats. Two Democrats, Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Bob Casey (Pa.) have not signed on as co-sponsors. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called for abolishing the filibuster so that legislation to enshrine Roe v. Wade can pass in the Senate with a simple majority and for expanding the Supreme Court." MB: IOW, the bill will not pass in the Senate.
Annie Grayer, et al., of CNN: "Democratic Chairman of the January 6 Select Committee Bennie Thompson announced on Thursday that Republican Rep. Liz Cheney will become the panel's vice chair, the latest sign that the Democrat-run committee is attempting to strike a bipartisan tone as it prepares to wade into politically contested waters. Cheney, one of two Republicans to serve on the committee, has defied her party by joining the panel controlled by Democrats and even sacrificed her own position in leadership in order to remain vocal and outspoken about the need to investigate the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol."
Mayberry Falls to Climate Change. Christopher Flavelle of the New York Times: "Climate shocks are pushing small rural communities..., many of which were already struggling economically, to the brink of insolvency. Rather than bouncing back, places hit repeatedly by hurricanes, floods and wildfires are unraveling: residents and employers leave, the tax base shrinks and it becomes even harder to fund basic services. That downward spiral now threatens low-income communities in the path this week of Hurricane Ida and those hit by the recent flooding in Tennessee -- hamlets regularly pummeled by storms that are growing more frequent and destructive because of climate change." ~~~
~~~ Marie: IOW, Republicans are destroying their own fairy tale. Republican politicians hold up these small towns as idyllic exemplars of "real America" at the same time they either oppose efforts to curb climate change or outright deny there is such a thing.
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Zelensky Gets His Oval Office Meeting with a Real U.S. President. Annie Karni of the New York Times: "President Biden on Wednesday assured Ukraine's president that the United States remained opposed to 'Russian aggression' in the region, using an Oval Office meeting to affirm his support for a leader unnerved by America's chaotic exit from Afghanistan. The meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine also allowed Mr. Biden to send a message to Russia that he was committed to standing by a strategic partner that Moscow has invaded. 'The partnership between our nations grows stronger and its going to become even stronger,' Mr. Biden said, noting the two countries had a 'similar value system' that included a commitment to a Europe that was 'whole, free and at peace.' Despite a delay of a few days, due in part to the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, Mr. Zelensky finally got the Oval Office reception he had been seeking since his election in 2019. His earlier efforts to secure such a meeting with ... Donald J. Trump led to Mr. Zelensky unwittingly becoming entangled in an international incident that led to Mr. Trump's first impeachment trial."
The Washington Post's live updates of Thursday's developments related to Afghanistan are here: "Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Wednesday ... [that] it is 'possible' the United States will coordinate with the Taliban in the fight against the Islamic State, although he declined to make predictions about potential collaboration with Afghanistan's new rulers, who could announce a new government as early as Thursday."
Mitch: Get Over It, People. Alex Rogers & Ali Zaslav of CNN: "Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that 'there isn't going to be an impeachment' of President Joe Biden over the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, noting that Democrats control the House and Senate. 'I think the way these behaviors get adjusted in this country is at the ballot box,' said McConnell at an event in Pikeville, Kentucky. 'The President is not going to be removed from office with a Democratic House and a narrowly Democratic Senate. That's not going to happen.'... Some Republicans, including Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, have since said that the President should resign or face impeachment."
From the IOKIYAR Department Files. Reid Epstein & Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "Early last year, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, praised ... Donald J. Trump's deal to pull American troops out of Afghanistan as 'a positive step.' As secretary of state, Mike Pompeo helped negotiate that agreement with the Taliban. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri pressed last November for a withdrawal as soon as possible. Now, the three are among dozens of prominent Republicans who, with President Biden seeing the pullout through, have sharply reversed themselves -- assailing Mr. Biden even as he keeps a promise that Mr. Trump had made, and carries out a policy to which they had given their full-throated support. The collective U-turn reflects Republicans' eagerness to attack Mr. Biden and ensure that he pays a political price for the way he ended the war. With Mr. Trump reversing himself as the withdrawal grew chaotic and, in its endgame, deadly, it also offers new evidence of how allegiance to the former president has come to override compunctions about policy flip-flops or political hypocrisy." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The implication that in recent memory Republicans have had any “compunctions about political hypocrisy” is ludicrous. Hypocrisy is central to their “political philosophy,” such as it is.
Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "We're now beginning to see just how ugly a House GOP takeover would be for the country. What is unmistakable is that a Republican House would be singularly devoted to using its power to avenge Donald Trump's 2020 loss -- and to whitewashing his efforts to overturn it in every way possible. Case in point: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has now openly threatened to use a GOP-controlled House to punish private companies that comply with lawful subpoenas issued by the House select committee examining the Jan. 6 insurrection.... [He made] an explicit threat to use the 'Republican majority' -- his words -- to punish compliance with congressional subpoenas that serve an investigation into an effort to overturn U.S. democracy through mob intimidation and violence.... One option for Democrats would be to refer McCarthy's threat to the House Ethics Committee, [ethicist Norm] Eisen says, under a House rule against bringing discredit on the House. That could result in punitive action, such as censure or a fine." The Ethics Committee's investigation could lead to a criminal referral to the DOJ. "'I see it as clear obstruction of justice,' Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) told me." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Zak Hudak of CBS News: "One of the two Republicans who sit on the House select committee investigating the deadly January 6 attack on the Capitol said a GOP colleague is 'using language that seems intended to incite violence.' 'I think every member ought to condemn that, and I'd like to see Leader McCarthy very clearly condemn it and explain how dangerous that is,' Wyoming Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney told CBS News. She was talking about freshman GOP Congressman Madison Cawthorn's remarks last weekend while in his home state of North Carolina, he said that there would be 'bloodshed' if elections continue to be 'rigged' and even suggested he, too, might join the fight." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Looks like Cheney is doing reporters' work for them. Yesterday I linked to a Vice story about Cawthorn's remarks. According to the Vice report, "When asked about Cawthorn's comments about busting out prisoners, [Cawthorn spokesman Luke] Ball said his boss 'wants due process for the prisoners and does not believe that is what they are currently receiving. He was not advocating for any form of illegal action, only that they receive full due process.'..." Patrick, in Tuesday's Comments, responded, in part, "GOP person A says something provocatively criminal-ish, and when asked about it his/her bobblehead talker explains it was all OK because it was not intended to be illegal, defamatory, whatever.... We need to get reporters who take the next step and challenge that type of answer, develop the fact that it is evasive and deceitful, and continue to write the story that Rep X advocates political violence despite disclaimers." I agree with Patrick. These spokesmen's after-remarks are not mere clean-up of a garbled message; they're a kind of disingenuous both-siderism, as in both sides of one mouth. The principal says something outrageous, and the spokesperson denies he meant anything outrageous.
The court's order is stunning. Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny, a majority of justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand. -- Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Elena Kagan, in a dissent on the Texas abortion law opinion separate from CJ John Roberts' ~~~
Thanks to Forrest M. for the image.~~~ ** Adam Liptak, et al., of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block a Texas law prohibiting most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. The move, a response to an emergency application from abortion providers in the state, came less than a day after the law became effective, severely restricting access to the procedure. The vote was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining the court's three liberal members in dissent. The majority opinion was brief and unsigned, and it said the providers had not made out their case.... In reaching this conclusion,' the opinion said, 'we stress that we do not purport to resolve definitively any jurisdictional or substantive claim in the applicants' lawsuit. In particular, this order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas' law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts.' In dissent, Chief Justice Roberts wrote that he would have blocked the law while appeals moved forward." ~~~
~~~ Caroline Kitchener, et al., of the Washington Post: "A Texas law that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy took effect Wednesday, as a midnight deadline for the Supreme Court to stop it came and went without action.... For now, abortion providers in Texas, including Planned Parenthood and Whole Woman's Health, said they will no longer terminate pregnancies more than six weeks from a woman's last period.... The Texas law ... was designed to make it more difficult for abortion rights advocates to win ... pre-enforcement injunctions. The statute empowers individuals, instead of state government officials, to bring legal action in civil court against those who help women seeking a prohibited abortion.... A [federal] District Court judge in Austin said the case could proceed and scheduled a hearing for Monday to consider whether to block the law. But the Texas-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit called off the hearing. That action led to the emergency petition to the Supreme Court requesting a stay of the law[, but the Supreme Court failed to grant the request].... In a tweet on Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the Supreme Court's 'failure to block #SB8 has delivered catastrophe to women in Texas. This radical law is an all-out effort to erase the rights and protections of Roe v. Wade.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: As I understand it, under the Texas law, a Texan could successfully sue me for $10K, as I am a contributor to Planned Parenthood (although I haven't contributed since this morning, when the law went into effect). Maybe it's a good thing I also contribute to the ACLU. ~~~
~~~ Donna Cassata of the Washington Post: "President Biden called a Texas law prohibiting most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy a blatant violation of a woman's constitutional right to abortion established under the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling. In a statement Wednesday, the president said his administration is committed to Roe v. Wade and will 'protect and defend that right.'" President Biden's full statement, via the White House, is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "Texas fashioned an abortion prohibition whose bizarre, crowdsourced enforcement mechanism gave conservative courts a pretext not to enjoin it despite its conflict with Roe. And the Supreme Court has made Roe momentarily useless without sparking the nationwide convulsion that would have come from overturning it outright. The Texas law, known as Senate Bill 8, is now likely to be copied by conservative states across the country.... Perhaps the most shocking thing about S.B. 8 is the power it gives abortion opponents -- or simple opportunists -- over their fellow citizens.... Over the last several years, Republicans have taken a number of steps to legalize various forms of right-wing intimidation.... The Texas law ... deputizes abortion opponents to harass their enemies. Texas Right to Life has already launched a 'whistle-blower' website where people can submit anonymous tips.... Even if S.B. 8 is eventually knocked down, it's already sent a message about who the Republican Party intends to put in charge of the rest of us." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I suspect there are already some entrepreneurial Texans who already are going around that whistleblower website and combing the Web for individuals whom they can sue for aiding & abetting Texas abortion providers. BTW, Frank Rich's (firewalled) New York post, which I linked a few days ago, the Texas anti-abortion law fits right into his thesis about "America's Greatest Existential Threat." It isn't news; swamp creatures have been crawling out of the mud since before the so-called "United" States was founded, but now they seem to have taken over an increasingly growing and influential portion of the nation, from the former fake president* to Congressional Republicans to the majority of the Supreme Court. And along those lines ... ~~~
~~~ ** Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Texas this week showed us what a post-democracy America would look like. Thanks to a series of actions by the Texas legislature and governor, we now see exactly what the Trumpified Republican Party wants: to take us to an America where women cannot get abortions, even in cases of rape and incest; an America where almost everybody can openly carry a gun in public, without license, without permit, without safety training and without fingerprinting; and an America where law-abiding Black and Latino citizens are disproportionately denied the right to vote. This is where Texas and other red states are going, or have already gone. It is where the rest of America will go, unless those targeted by these new laws -- women, people of color and all small 'd' democrats -- rise up.... Texans overwhelmingly object to permitless carry.... Texans also oppose banning all abortions if Roe is overturned.... Furthermore, pluralities of Texans opposed the ban on drive-through voting and restrictions on early voting hours.... Texas legislators aren't answering to the people but rather to the White, male voters that put the Republicans in power."
Michael Balsamo, et al., of the AP: "Far right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are planning to attend a rally later this month at the U.S. Capitol that is designed to demand 'justice' for the hundreds of people who have been charged in connection with January's insurrection, according to three people familiar with intelligence gathered by federal officials. As a result, U.S. Capitol Police have been discussing in recent weeks whether the large perimeter fence that was erected outside the Capitol after January's riot will need to be put back up, the people said. The officials have been discussing security plans that involve reconstructing the fence as well as another plan that does not involve a fence, the people said." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This is why you would expect members of Congress, like, say, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.). to speak out against the January 6 insurrectionists instead of calling them "political hostages," talking about "trying to 'bust' out those jailed for crimes related to the insurrection, repeatedly referring to them as political prisoners," and predicting "'bloodshed' over his false claims of election-rigging." AND apparently our young Congressman has been caught in a reflective (or reflexive) moment:
~~~ Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) said Wednesday that he is introducing a resolution to broadly condemn political violence after he faced backlash earlier in the week for warning of potential 'bloodshed' if elections 'continue to be rigged' while describing the people jailed after allegedly attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6 as 'political hostages.'... Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) office accused Cawthorn of 'calling for another January 6th-style attack' in a statement on Tuesday.... House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), meanwhile, has yet to address the remarks. Cawthorn called on Pelosi to co-sponsor his resolution and claimed his words were taken out of context by a 'left-wing media hit job.'" MB: Oh, I think we get the context. ~~~
~~~ AND There's This. Geneva Sands of CNN: "As the United States-backed government in Afghanistan fell to the Taliban and US troops raced to leave the country, White supremacist and anti-government extremists have expressed admiration for what the Taliban accomplished, a worrying development for US officials who have been grappling with the threat of domestic violent extremism. That praise has also been coupled with a wave of anti-refugee sentiment from far-right groups.... Several concerning trends have emerged in recent weeks on online platforms commonly used by anti-government, White supremacist and other domestic violent extremist groups, including 'framing the activities of the Taliban as a success,' and a model for those who believe in the need for a civil war in the US, the head of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis, John Cohen, said on a call Friday with local and state law enforcement, obtained by CNN."
As the Worms Turn. David Fahrenthold & Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "The Trump Organization's director of security has agreed to testify before a Manhattan grand jury investigating the former president and his company, according to a person familiar with the case. Matthew Calamari Jr., 28, received a subpoena to testify on Tuesday from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. (D) and will appear before the grand jury Thursday afternoon, according to the person. Calamari Jr. is the son of Matthew Calamari Sr., who now serves as the Trump Organization's chief operating officer and has worked for former president Donald Trump as a bodyguard, security man and executive for more than 30 years..... The planned grand jury testimony of Calamari Jr. was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which also reported that another Trump executive, controller Jeffrey McConney, will testify Thursday, as well." CNN's story is here.
Colin Kalmbacher of Law & Crime: "A federal court in Florida has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed against Twitter by the Delaware computer repairman who briefly captured national attention during the Hunter Biden laptop story. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be filed again, and the plaintiff was ordered to pay Twitter's attorneys' fees. John Paul Mac Isaac sued the technology giant (and a wholly-owned subsidiary) in February. He argued that Twitter's decision to lock The New York Post's account while Post staffers 'attempted to post and disseminate its exposé [about the lurid contents of the laptop] on the social media platform' was akin to calling him a hacker because Twitter cited its rationale for the time-limited ban as a violation of Twitter's rules against 'distribution of hacked material.'"
Jan Hoffman of the New York Times: "Purdue Pharma, the maker of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin, was dissolved on Wednesday in a wide-ranging bankruptcy settlement that will require the company's owners, members of the Sackler family, to turn over billions of dollars of their fortune to address the deadly opioid epidemic. But the agreement includes a much-disputed condition: It largely absolves the Sacklers of Purdue's opioid-related liability. And as such, they will remain among the richest families in the country. Judge Robert Drain of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, N.Y., approved the settlement, saying he wanted modest adjustments. The painstakingly negotiated plan will end thousands of lawsuits brought by state and local governments, tribes, hospitals and individuals to address a public health crisis that led to the deaths of more than 500,000 people nationwide. The settlement terms have been harshly criticized for shielding the Sacklers. They are receiving protections that are typically given to companies that emerge from bankruptcy, but not necessarily to owners who, like the Sacklers, do not themselves file for bankruptcy." NPR's story is here.
Charlie Savage & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "The special counsel who investigated Russia's 2016 election interference, Robert S. Mueller III, scrutinized 'a member of the news media suspected of participating in the conspiracy' to hack Democrats and make their emails public, the Justice Department disclosed on Wednesday.... No member of the news media was charged with conspiring in the hack-and-dump operation, and the disclosure on Wednesday left many questions unanswered.... The disclosure of the scrutiny of a member of the news media was contained in a revision to a report issued by the Trump administration about investigative activities that affected or involved the news media in 2018. The Trump-era version of that report had omitted the episode. The Justice Department under President Biden also issued reports on Wednesday covering such investigative activities in 2019, which the Trump-era department failed to issue, and in 2020. And it provided new details about leak investigations at the end of the Trump administration that sought records for reporters with CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times." ~~~
~~~ Matt Zapotosky & Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "The Biden Justice Department on Wednesday released a more detailed accounting of recently revealed federal law enforcement efforts to secretly obtain journalists' phone records, attempting to honor a public commitment to transparency and disclosing for the first time that Attorney General Merrick Garland personally approved keeping one case under wraps. Among the records released Wednesday were chronologies of the department's efforts to obtain records from New York Times, CNN and Washington Post reporters to advance leak investigations -- all of which the department said began in the Trump administration with the approval of then-Attorney General William P. Barr.... In all three cases, the department had pursued reporters' records as a means of trying to identify the sources of stories written in the first year of Trump's presidency; the reporters themselves were not targets of investigation."
From the New York Times' live storm updates: Don't Jack with Shaq. "An arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday for a man who angrily confronted an NBC News reporter [Shaquille Brewster] live on TV while covering Hurricane Ida in Gulfport, Miss., screaming, 'Report accurately!' in his face. The man, Benjamin Eugene Dagley, 54, of Wooster, Ohio, will be charged with two counts of simple assault, one count of disturbing the peace and one count of violating an emergency curfew, the Gulfport Police Department said. Mr. Dagley, who is on probation for an incident in Ohio involving a break-in at a metal plating shop, may also be in violation of travel restrictions that are part of his probation, the police said.... It was unclear why Mr. Dagley had been in Gulfport -- about 1,000 miles from his home -- a day after a major hurricane hit the area." MB: Apparently Ben did not go a thousand miles for one of Shaq's smiles. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here: "Unvaccinated people should avoid traveling during the Labor Day holiday, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.... Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the C.D.C., identified vaccination and masking as key factors in preventing the spread of the virus.... Dr. Walensky said that gatherings -- among vaccinated relatives and friends -- should take place outdoors. And everyone, including those who are vaccinated, should wear masks in public indoor settings." MB: Dr. Walensky is just one of those left-coast elite control freaks who is trying to take away my freedom to snort horse dewormer. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Joe & the Covid. Alyssa Lukpat of the New York Times: "Joe Rogan, the host of the hugely popular podcast 'The Joe Rogan Experience,' said on Wednesday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus after he returned from a series of shows in Florida, where the virus is rampant. Mr. Rogan, who was rebuked by federal officials last spring for suggesting on the podcast that young healthy people need not get Covid vaccinations, said that he started feeling sick on Saturday night after he returned from performing in Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. He did not say whether he had been vaccinated.... In his video on Wednesday, Mr. Rogan said he had been treated with a series of medications. The list of treatments he mentioned included monoclonal antibodies, which have been shown to protect Covid patients at risk of becoming gravely ill; and prednisone, a steroid widely accepted as a Covid treatment.... Mr. Rogan also said he had received a 'vitamin drip' as well as ivermectin, a drug primarily used as a veterinary deworming agent." MB: So Covid, yes; but worms, probably not. ~~~
~~~ The Guardian's story is here: "Rogan, described by the New York Times as 'one of the most consumed media products on the planet', has legions of devoted followers. Some episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience have boasted tens of millions of downloads, and his recommendations for everything from supplements to shaving supplies can be a godsend for companies. That's why his apparent endorsement of a medicine totally unproven as an effective treatment for Covid-19 is concerning."
Beyond the Beltway
Louisiana. Ramon Vargas of the Times-Picayune: "A crew of Jefferson Parish workers was repairing a Metairie water main broken by Hurricane Ida when a woman pulled up in her car Wednesday, called them 'f----ng n----rs' and demanded that they be arrested. The workers then flagged down sheriff's deputies and reported her harassment, at which point the woman twice struck one officer with her car before another deputy shot her to death, said Sheriff Joe Lopinto and an eyewitness who recorded a series of videos of the beginning of the woman's meltdown."
Texas. See links to stories & opinions about Texas under the main section of entries above.
Way Beyond
Aina Khan of the New York Times: "The British TV personality Piers Morgan was cleared on Wednesday by Britain's communications regulator over critical comments he made on air about Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, after her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Mr. Morgan had been under investigation by Ofcom, the media regulator, which received a record number of complaints in March after he criticized Meghan on air and said he did not believe her accounts of being poorly treated by the royal establishment." But he isn't likely to get back his old job as host of ITV's "Good Morning, Britain." MB: Morgan is a twit, and I hate to be on his side, but anybody ought to be able to question the veracity of a royal or other public figure. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
News Ledes
New York Times: "Three days after Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana, its weakened remnants tore into the Northeast and claimed at least 43 lives across New York, New Jersey and two other states in an onslaught that ended Thursday and served as an ominous sign of climate change's capacity to wreak new kinds of havoc. The last storm this deadly in the region, Sandy in 2012, did its damage mostly through tidal surges. But most of this storm's toll -- both in human life and property damage -- reflected the extent to which the sheer volume of rain simply overwhelmed the infrastructure of a region built for a different meteorological era. Officials warned that the unthinkable was quickly becoming the norm."
New York Times: "Cramped basement apartments have long been a prevalent piece of New York City's vast housing stock, a shadowy network of illegal rentals that often lack basic safety features like more than one way to get out, and that yet are a vital source of shelter for many immigrants.... But after Wednesday's record-shattering rainfall, the underground units turned into tormented scenes of life and death: Of the 13 people killed so far in New York City in Wednesday's storm, at least 11 were in basement units, nearly as many dead as in Louisiana, where Hurricane Ida made landfall earlier this week.... Climate change has now made these low-lying homes increasingly treacherous for a different reason: the likelihood of deadly flooding, when a wall of water blocks what is often the only means of escape."
Weather Channel: "It was a night of dual disasters as heavy rain inundated the New York City metro area and tornadoes tore across the Philadelphia suburbs Wednesday evening. The weather was spawned by the remnants of what once was Hurricane Ida. The tornadoes trapped people in their homes, damaged trees, knocked down trees and power lines and left tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power. Homes were flooded and water rescues were ongoing in New York, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, western New Jersey and Maryland." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times is live-updating developments related to damage caused in the Northeast by the remnants of Hurricane Ida: "The New York City area was under a state of emergency early Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida barreled into the region with furious, wind-driven rain that led to at least eight deaths and all but halted subway service, destroyed homes in New Jersey and resulted in a tornado warning for the Bronx. The rain on Wednesday night -- 3.1 inches in Central Park in an hour -- shattered a record set only last week, when 1.94 inches of rain fell in the park during Tropical Storm Henri. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency in New York City for the first time." New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio & New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declares states of emergencies & urged non-emergency vehicles to stay off the roads. The MTA rail & subway systems services were suspended as was all New Jersey rail transit. Newark airport suspended flights.
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Reader Comments (6)
OK, let's give the crippled Squarespace an early morning shot.
Two comments.
Tumbled to the latest Squarespace conniption yesterday when I tried to link and comment on the Sacklers' get out of jail free card issued by Judge Drain. I and my state's attorney general are among the aggrieved.
The judge's excuse in earlier arguments? Too many individual suits would clog the already overburdened courts.
Hardly a reason to let the Sackers be granted immunity from further suits and keep a hefty portion of their billions, I'd say.
And on a lighter note, this too from yesterday:
I call it double dumb.
https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2021/09/02/vaccine-fake-card-hawaii-arrest-moos-pkg-vpx.cnn
Ken Winkes
Predictions, nay, invocations of bloodshed are fast becoming required demands from confederates, and not just from the whackos. Well, yes, they are all from the whackos, but some are quite prominent whackos, including members of Congress and one of the premier screamers in right-wing media land.
Madison Cawthorn (R-Anti-America) called for bloodshed in the service of freeing Trump’s criminal goon squad, and now we have TuKKKer KKKarlson demanding revolution. “People will revolt” he sputters, and here again, likely, he will weasel-word his way past any complaints that he is calling for armed revolution. But I ask you, when confederates hear the word “revolt”, especially when used in a philippic demanding the heads of Democrats, what other kind of revolution do you think they look forward to? The use of harsh language?
Things are progressing at a frightening pace. Fatty is still looking to open a can of violence and outrage based on lies crafted to help only him, rallies of the unhinged and heavily armed are being planned every week it seems, and calls for violent, armed revolution are the order of the day.
And as we’ve already seen, police in many places will not stop them. Recently in Seattle (I believe it was Seattle), the police stood by while armed Proud Boys rampaged. The chief said it wasn’t his job to do anything about it. But we all know that the battle gear, pepper spray and military tanks would have been on the streets had it been BLM supporters rioting.
The Supreme Court* is now in the business of upholding illegal and unconstitutional laws, another, more insidious form of revolution.
It’s bad. Very bad.
And it’s gonna get worse. The only voices on the right now come from off the chain, violent loonies.
https://amp.theguardian.com/media/2021/aug/31/fox-news-tucker-carlson-revolt-violence
Akhilleus
Regarding this outrageous ruling on the fetid activities of the criminal enterprise known as the Sackler Family, who are allowed to pay a pittance and slink away with billions still in their pockets—money made off the lives they ruined—smirking and twirling their collective mustache as they admit no guilt, I’m left to wonder how this would play out in another scenario.
If a Mexican drug cartel leader, say, Pablo Escobar, moved this much product with similar resulting death, addiction, and wanton, repeated destruction of millions of lives, would he be allowed to drop off a few 18 wheelers of cash, then keep his houses, his planes, and billions more, stay out of jail and get a promise that no one could ever charge him again for his drug activities?
The Sacklers should be stripped of every penny, chained up and dropped into the fucking Black Hole of Calcutta.
Instead, they’ll convene in the Mediterranean on a yacht the size of the USS Enterprise, where they’ll toast each other for being wealthy, white, connected and untouchable. A $4 billion fine? Don’t make me laugh. That’s like those joke fines in the NFL where a player making $30 million a year is fined $25,000 for a cheap shot that ended someone’s career. They spend that much on a watch.
I realize that this Alford Plea bullshit has some place in the legal system, but it’s mostly used by crooks like the Sacklers (and the Trumps) to escape any taint of guilt, guilt they should own, but never will.
And what about the people they addicted, many of whom ended up before a judge who didn’t let them Alford Plea their way out of a jail sentence?
Oh yeah. They don’t live in mansions with servants.
Akhilleus
And now, Texas.
Right.
Please to be telling me how the Bible bangers who look forward to snitching on poor women looking to make decisions about their own lives, and the medical personnel who assist them in an entirely legal medical procedure, hitting them all with thousands of dollars in fines, legal costs, and perhaps jail time, will uncover highly personal information. Isn’t that illegal?
I thought medical records were private. And I thought patients had every right to consult doctors in private as well.
Oh, that’s right. Rights are only for confederates.
We really are moving with all speed to a police state, with the aid of the Supreme (*cough-cough*) Court*, the rulers of which are too cowardly to come right out and kill Roe, instead, allowing a clearly illegal, unconstitutional rule to do the dirty work for them. Pontius Pilates, all. And next, watch all the copycat laws rushed through red state “legislatures”.
How ‘bout we enact a law that enables “concerned citizens” to rat out gun nuts who own illegal weapons? Just imagine the outrage then…
God, I hate these fucking people.
" Elijah McClain case: Grand jury indicts police, paramedics in death
All five face charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in death of 23-year-old"
https://www.denverpost.com/2021/09/01/elijah-mcclain-grand-jury-aurora-police/
RAS
And a few more actions held up by wingers as reasons for impeaching Joe Biden:
He doesn’t give Trump enough credit for fixing the universe.
Tan suit (again).
He crossed the street when the lights were against him. Ten years ago.
He’s not down with horse pills for treating a virus.
He wants EVERYONE to be able to vote!
A thing happened.
It’s Thursday.
Reasons for NOT impeaching a president*:
Treason
Lying to the public about a deadly disease.
Treason.
Fomenting an attack on the Capitol.
Treason.