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

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

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

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

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

Click on photo to enlarge.

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

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

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

Washington Post: “An early Titian masterpiece — once looted by Napolean’s troops and a part of royal collections for centuries — caused a stir when it was stolen from the home of a British marquess in 1995. Seven years later, it was found inside an unassuming white and blue plastic bag at a bus stop in southwest London by an art detective, and returned. This week, the oil painting 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' sold for more than $22 million at Christie’s. It was a record for the Renaissance artist, whom museums describe as the greatest painter of 16th-century Venice. Ahead of the sale in April, the auction house billed it as 'the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market in more than a generation.'”

Washington Post: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare material, has undergone a major renovation. "The change to the building is pervasive, both subtle and transformational."

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Tuesday
Feb132024

The Conversation -- February 13, 2024

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "The United States House of Representatives voted narrowly on Tuesday to impeach Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, in a precedent-shattering vote that charged him with willfully refusing to enforce border laws and breaching the public trust. In a 214 to 213 vote, Republicans barreled past the solid opposition of Democrats and reservations in their own ranks to make Mr. Mayorkas the first sitting cabinet secretary in U.S. history to be impeached.... The charges against Mr. Mayorkas are expected to be rejected in the Democratic-led Senate, where conviction would require a two-thirds majority and even some Republicans have called the effort dead on arrival. It was not immediately clear whether senators would hold a trial to consider the articles, or vote to dismiss them.... The charges against him broke with history by failing to identify any such offense, instead effectively declaring the policy choices Mr. Mayorkas has carried out a constitutional crime." This is the pinned item in a liveblog. ~~~

     ~~~ Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "Breaking: House impeaches Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, succeeding on second try, in a rebuke of Biden's immigration policy. The resolution is non-binding, however, and may not go very far in the Senate because even some Republicans don't believe that Mayorkas's actions clear the bar for the high crimes and misdemeanors necessary for conviction. But Mayorkas is the first sitting Cabinet secretary to be impeached in 150 years. This story will be updated." ~~~

     ~~~ Lisa Mascaro of the AP: "The U.S. House voted Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with the Republican majority determined to punish the Biden administration over its handling of the U.S-Mexico border after failing last week in a politically embarrassing setback." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You should have seen the little satisfied smirk on Mike Johnson's face when he announced the impeachment vote. Manu Raju of CNN said the Senate, which is out of session for two weeks, probably would vote to dismiss the two impeachment charges without holding a trial. Viva Mayorkas!

Can you imagine? A former president of the United States saying that? The whole world heard it. And the worst thing is he means it. No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Let me say this as clearly as I can -- I never will. For God's sake, it’s dumb, it's shameful, it's dangerous, it's un-American. -- President Joe Biden, Tuesday, on Donald Trump ~~~

~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden denounced ... Donald J. Trump on Tuesday for encouraging Russia to attack certain NATO allies ... as he implored House Republicans to defy their putative nominee and pass new security aid for Ukraine and Israel. In a televised statement, Mr. Biden said a $95 billion spending package that the Senate passed earlier in the day on a bipartisan vote was imperative to help defeat the 'vicious onslaught' of President Vladimir V. Putin's Russia against Ukraine. And he linked the legislative debate to Mr. Trump's campaign speech siding with Moscow over European allies that he deemed 'delinquent.'"

Liz Goodwin of the Washington Post: "The Senate passed a $95 billion national security package to aid Israel, Ukraine and other U.S. allies early Tuesday after a months-long debate that has deeply divided congressional Republicans. The bill passed 70-29, after 22 Republicans joined Democrats in approving the aid. Bu House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) preemptively rejected the legislation on Monday night, saying in a statement that the package's failure to address U.S. border security makes it a nonstarter in the House. 'In the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,' Johnson said in a statement. 'America deserves better than the Senate's status quo.'" ~~~

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "House Republicans will try on Tuesday for a second time to impeach Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, on charges of willfully refusing to enforce border laws and breaching the public trust, after their first attempt at the partisan indictment ended in a stunning defeat. Three Republicans joined all Democrats last week in rejecting the impeachment charges, leaving the G.O.P., which has a tiny margin, just one vote short of a majority in a humiliating spectacle on the House floor.... Republicans ... were confident on Tuesday that their second attempt would be successful.... But the charges Republicans have levied have broken with history by failing to identify any such offense, instead effectively declaring the policy choices of the Biden administration that he has carried out a constitutional crime."

Party of Putin, Ctd. Sky Palma of the Raw Story: "The House GOP's star witness in the Oversight Committee's investigation into Hunter Biden turns out to be connected to a Russian oligarch, The Daily Beast reported Tuesday. High-profile investor Tony Bobulinski has links to Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, a Ukrainian-born energy magnate who's been a longtime close ally of Vladimir Putin's, according to the report. 'In 2017, Vekselberg reportedly funneled $500,000 to an LLC run by Donald Trump's former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen, supposedly with the intention of influencing the new administration to let Russia illegally occupy parts of Eastern Ukraine,' The Beast's report stated. Vekselberg has been sanctioned more than once by U.S. law enforcement in regards to Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 election and the nation's aggression towards Ukraine, but Republicans are trying to ignore his links to Bobulinski. On Tuesday, Bobulinski will appear for a private interview with the House panel looking into impeaching President Joe Biden."

Annie Karni of the New York Times: "The racist discourse by Republican members of Congress, both in casual comments and in official statements, has become so commonplace that it now often slips by without any real condemnation from the G.O.P. Democrats frequently call for apologies but no longer expect any response, and those futile denunciations quickly disappear into a morass of polarized content on social media. The pattern is playing out as the Republican Party once again coalesces behind former President Donald J. Trump.... His approach has encouraged some Republicans to freely use rhetoric that denigrates people based on ethnicity, religion or nationality. 'The nature of Trumpism is to embolden extremism,' said Representative Ritchie Torres, a Black Democrat from New York.... Mr. Torres said the sad reality was that 'the extreme elements have concluded that racism might be bad morals but it's good politics.'" Read on. Karni provides sickening examples of what passes for GOP "discourse." ~~~

~~~ Judy Kurtz of the Hill: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is blasting a politically charged episode of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' saying it 'lied' and painted conservatives in her state and supporters of former President Trump as 'racists and red necks.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Well, that's mighty peculiar, because here's part of what Annie Karni writes about Greene's Congressional performance (linked above): "When Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, stood on the House floor this month to announce her proposal to censure the only Somali-born member of Congress, she said she was seeking punishment for 'Representative Ilhan Omar of Somalia -- I mean Minnesota.'... Ms. Greene has been fund-raising off her proposed censure of Ms. Omar, which was written relying on a mistranslation of her remarks in Somali that spread virally on right-wing social media, and she has fed the loop by amplifying the hate and misinformation online."

Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Chief Justice John Roberts is giving prosecutors a week to respond to ... Donald Trump's request to keep his federal criminal election-subversion trial on hold while he tries to persuade the Supreme Court to scuttle it entirely on the grounds of presidential immunity. A brief docket entry from the court Tuesday morning said special counsel Jack Smith has until next Tuesday at 5 p.m. to address the emergency application Trump's lawyers filed at the high court Monday."

Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering loosening its recommendations regarding how long people should isolate after testing positive for the coronavirus, another reflection of changing attitudes and norms as the pandemic recedes. Under the proposed guidelines, Americans would no longer be advised to isolate for five days before returning to work or school. Instead, they might return to their routines if they have been fever free for at least 24 hours without medication, the same standard applied to the influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses.The proposal would align the C.D.C.'s advice with revised isolation recommendations in Oregon and California. The shift was reported earlier by The Washington Post, but it is still under consideration, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions."

Trisha Thadani, et al., of the Washington Post: In 2022, a "Tesla Model 3 barreled into a tree and exploded in flames, killing [Hans] von Ohain, a Tesla employee and devoted fan of CEO Elon Musk. [Passenger Erk] Rossiter, who survived the crash, told emergency responders that von Ohain was using an 'auto-drive feature on the Tesla' that 'just ran straight off the road.'... In a recent interview, Rossiter said he believes that von Ohain was using Full Self-Driving, which -- if true -- would make his death the first known fatality involving Tesla's most advanced driver-assistance technology.... Since federal regulators began requiring automakers to report crashes involving driver-assistance systems in 2021, they have logged more than 900 in Teslas, including at least 40 that resulted in serious or fatal injuries, according to a Post analysis. Most involved Autopilot, which is designed for use on controlled-access highways. No fatal crash has been definitively linked to the more sophisticated Full Self-Driving, which is programmed to guide the car almost anywhere...."

~~~~~~~~~~

Marie: Never mind that I wrote that last Tuesday was go-to-the-polls day in a special election to replace George Anthony Kitara Devolder Santos (Kicked-Out-of-the-House-N.Y.), today is election day on Long Island (or "Lawn Guyland," if you wish to pronounce it correctly). And there a problem (which would not have been a problem if the election had been held when I said it was): ~~~

~~~ Snowpocalypse! Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "... the special House election to replace George Santos in New York on Tuesday may come down to the most local of problems: an ill-timed Election Day snowstorm. Forecasters were calling for a half foot or more of snow to blanket parts of the Queens and Long Island district, with much of it falling during prime voting hours. Local leaders warned drivers to stay off the roads.... With the result expected to be exceedingly close, the most useful tools were suddenly old-fashioned shovels and snow plows -- which wary Democrats feared would be used by Nassau County Republicans to their voters' advantage."

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "A bipartisan coalition of senators on Monday night pushed a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel to the brink of passage, as Republicans fractured bitterly over the bill, with opponents threatening to fight it until the very end. On a vote of 66 to 33, the measure cleared its last hurdle before a final vote, with 17 Republicans joining almost all Democrats to help advance it over the full-throated objections of the bulk of G.O.P. senators, Republican leaders in the House and ... Donald J. Trump. That put the bill on track to pass the Senate no later than Wednesday. But the measure's fate was uncertain as Republican foes of the legislation promised to delay Senate passage as long as possible, and as Speaker Mike Johnson suggested he had no intention of bringing it up in the House, where the majority of Republicans have opposed continuing to send aid to Ukraine." ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated to reflect the fact that the bill has passed the Senate. ~~~

~~~ This is what we need to see Biden do to Mikey. That's President LBJ exercising a little persuasion over Theodore Green (D-R.I.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The Trials of Trump

Adam Liptak & Amy VanSickle of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump asked the Supreme Court on Monday to pause an appeals court's ruling rejecting his claim that he is absolutely immune from criminal charges based on his attempts to subvert the 2020 election. Unless the justices issue a stay while they consider whether to hear his promised appeal, proceedings in the criminal trial, which have been on hold, will resume. The filing was Mr. Trump's last-ditch effort to press his claim of total immunity, which has been rejected by two lower courts. The Supreme Court is now poised to determine whether and how fast his federal trial on charges that he tried to subvert the 2020 election will proceed. Unless the justices move quickly, the trial could be pushed into the heart of the 2024 campaign, or even past the election." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Delay, Delay, Delay, Voters' Rights, Ha Ha. Amy Howe of ScotusBlog: "Just as he did in [successfully] opposing Supreme Court review in December, Trump cautioned the justices against moving too quickly. He suggested that allowing him to first seek reconsideration of the panel's decision from the full D.C. Circuit would 'provide an opportunity' for 'thoughtful consideration in the lower court before this Court addresses the novel, complex, and momentous issues at stake in this appeal.' Trump's request will go first to Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles emergency appeals from the D.C. Circuit. Roberts almost certainly will direct [Jack] Smith to file a response to Trump's application. Once that response has been filed, Roberts and (again, almost certainly) the rest of the court could either treat Trump's request as an application for a stay of the D.C. Circuit's decision, as he has billed it, or they could treat it as a petition for review of the lower court's decision more broadly....

"Moreover, Trump added, if he is required to stand trial 'at the height of election season,' it would 'radically disrupt' his ability to campaign. Therefore, he concluded, the D.C. Circuit's ruling poses a threat to both his own First Amendment rights and those of 'tens of millions of Americans' -- who, he insisted, 'are entitled to hear' his 'campaign message as they decide how to cast their votes in November.'" MB: Now, that is ironic. The charges in this case are that Trump tried to deprive 80 million voters of the right to choose the next president. Now, all of a sudden, Trump is concerned about voters' rights to choose the president. ~~~

~~~ Ian Millhiser of Vox: "... Trump's lawyers formally sought an order from the Supreme Court on Monday that could indefinitely delay his federal criminal trial for attempting to steal the 2020 election -- potentially until after the 2024 election is over. This attempt to delay the trial arrives at the Court somewhat disguised as something else: a procedural motion in a dispute about whether presidents have a broad freedom to commit crimes.... It is exceedingly unlikely that the Supreme Court will buy this argument, which would be broad enough to immunize Trump from prosecution if he returned to the White House and promptly ordered the military to kill the justices themselves. Nevertheless, this broad immunity claim matters because it gives the justices a vehicle they can use to shut down Trump's most important criminal trial -- if they want to." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: That is, there are a number of way to guarantee Trump absolute immunity without writing it down in a Supreme Court opinion. One of those ways is to delay attempts to hold Trump accountable until it's too late to do so. 

Katherine Faulders, et al., of ABC News: "... Donald Trump ... >arrived for a hearing Monday in his classified documents case that is being held in a special secure facility due to the sensitive nature of the materials involved. The hearing, in Fort Pierce, Florida, is being held under seal in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility or SCIF -- a specially-equipped secure room for viewing highly classified materials. Trump's co-defendants in the case, aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira, are not attending the hearing as they do not have clearance to access classified information. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ... is hearing arguments from attorneys for Trump and his two co-defendants on their 'defense theories of the case' and how 'any classified information might be relevant or helpful to the defense,' according to a court filing detailing the schedule.... Judge Cannon previously ruled that Smith's team must file a cache of documents on the public docket, but in a motion last week [Jack] Smith urged Cannon to reconsider her ruling, saying that doing so would, among other things, reveal the names of potential witnesses in the case, 'exposing them to significant and immediate risks of threats, intimidation, and harassment.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Two questions. (1) How come Loose Lips McDonald still has security clearance? (2) And didn't Trump show up at this hearing about witness intimidation in order to intimidate Judge Aileen? See also Patrick's response in yesterday's Comments.

Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "An Atlanta judge said on Monday that he would go forward with a hearing later this week [Thursday] delving into a romantic relationship between the two prosecutors leading an election interference case against ... Donald J. Trump and a number of his allies.... The defense is seeking to disqualify the two prosecutors -- Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, and Nathan J. Wade, who she hired to run the case. 'It's clear that disqualification can occur if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one,' the judge, Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court, said at a hearing on Monday afternoon." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Rachel Maddow said Monday night that the consequences of the hearing could be far more serious than the Times reporters let on. According to a Georgia law professor, if Willis takes a leave of absence now, the case can continue with an assistant DA taking the lead. However, if she does not step down, and if McAfee finds she is disqualified, then the entire case is over. IMO, unless Willis can prove her relationship with Wade does not present a conflict (and, no, one is not supposed to have to prove innocence), she should fall on her sword. Now. This case is far too important to be scuttled because of one woman's indiscretions. People will do what comes naturally, and I have nothing at all against that, but this is an instance in which the greater good should have come before her personal pleasure. ~~~

~~~ It's Showtime! Amy Gardner, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump plans to attend a Thursday hearing in Atlanta on allegations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) engaged in an improper personal relationship with the lead prosecutor on the election interference case.... His appearance would likely draw even more attention and perhaps chaos to the already highly anticipated hearing.... [Fulton County Judge Scott] McAfee said the hearing would focus on whether Willis benefited financially from hiring [Nathan] Wade, when their romantic relationship began and whether it continues." MB: I think the hearing will be televised.

Presidential Race

All in the ([Alleged!] Crime) Family. Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump said Monday night that he wants his daughter-in-law and one of his top aides to take prominent roles at the Republican National Committee as his team attempts to exert control over the party ahead of the November election. In a statement, Trump backed Michael Whatley, the chair of the North Carolina GOP, as the new chairman of the party to replace Ronna McDaniel, a longtime ally he has recently soured on, according to people familiar with the discussions. But Trump also said he would support Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, as co-chair of the party and Chris LaCivita, a top aide, as the top operating officer.... The moves come amid Trump's growing criticism of current RNC chair McDaniel, who is expected to leave her job after the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary amid Trump's unhappiness over lagging fundraising and other problems." Politico's story is here.

Here is some of the garbled gobbledygook the Stable Genius let fly just over this past weekend. And he had a teleprompter:

Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., said Monday that U.S. 'credibility is at stake' with each of its alliances, including NATO, which ... Donald Trump disparaged in recent remarks.... In a Truth Social post Monday afternoon, Trump appeared to double down on his earlier comments indicating he would let Russia do 'whatever the hell they want' to NATO countries that don't pay a specific amount of their gross domestic product toward defense spending. He said in all caps that NATO 'has to equalize,' adding, 'They will do that if properly asked. If not, America first!'" MB: Actually, Trump said he would "encourage" Russia to do whatever it wants, not "let" Russia do what it wants. There's a difference. The chairman of the joint chiefs has to appear to be apolitical; journalists are not required to water down and misquote Trump's dangerous statements.

Putin's Useful Idiots. Digby in Salon: "It is no coincidence that Trump made his biggest threat against NATO right after Tucker Carlson sat with Putin[.]... As it turns out the interview ended up mostly being a twisted history lesson from Putin with Carlson sitting there like a potted plant with a feigned fascinated expression on his face. The point of Putin's tutorial was to explain why Russia has every right to invade Ukraine and anywhere else he might fancy.... I find it hard to believe that Trump slogged through that tedious conversation or understood what Putin was talking about. But you can bet that Putin heard Trump and rubbed his hands together with glee. If only the American people heard him just as clearly." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ "Call and Response." Marcy Wheeler: "Over the weekend, Putin and Donald Trump seem to have come to public agreement that, if elected in November, Trump would help Putin pursue Greater Russia. In his session with Tucker Carlson, after all, Putin corrected the propagandist, informing him that, no, he didn't invade Ukraine because of concerns about NATO expansion, but because he considers Ukraine -- and much of Eastern Europe -- part of Greater Russia.... And then, within a day, Trump told a fabricated story that served to promise that not only wouldn't he honor America's commitment to defend NATO states, but would instead encourage Russia to do 'whatever they hell they want.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Marco Then. We must ensure we are protecting our national interests and protecting the security of our democratic allies. -- Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), December 2023, co-sponsor of a bill that would prevent any president from withdrawing the United States from NATO without approval from the Senate or an Act of Congress"

Marco Now: What? Me Worry? ~~~

~~~ Marie: Republican "leaders" this weekend made light of Trump's threat to abandon NATO (so why that legislation, Marco?). Don't let these geniuses convince you that Trump is kidding about encouraging Putin to invade NATO countries that Trump considers to be in arrears on some mythical payments he thinks are due. Ultra-conservative and former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton told Kaitlan Collins Monday night that Trump was dead serious. At a NATO meeting in 2018, Trump nearly did pull the plug. Just before he was about to address the NATO leaders, Trump asked Bolton, "Should I do it?" Bolton -- a national defense hawk -- advised him against it. But Bolton said he went back to his seat not knowing whether or not Trump would announce the U.S. was pulling out of NATO. As it turned out, Trump lost his nerve. But Trump would not have advisors like Bolton in a second administration. ~~~

     ~~~ Jim Sciutto of CNN: “A former senior US official told me that Trump issued orders to then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and then Defense Secretary Mark Esper for the US to withdraw from NATO. Despite vehemently opposing the move. They considered the president's direction a 'lawful order' and drew up plans to execute the withdrawal. Bolton recalls the 2018 summit with genuine fear. 'Honest to God, it was frightening because we didn't know what he was going to do up until the last minute. And I mean, I think, he all but said he was going to get out of NATO and then pulled back on it,' said Bolton." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You would never know it from listening to Trump, but more-or-less as I wrote in yesteday's Comments, (1) NATO countries don't "pay" into some group protection fund, the way Trump expresses it. There aren't any dues. Rather, the countries agreed in 2006 to dedicate at least two percent of their GDP to defense expenditures. (2) NATO has activated Article 5 -- the "all for one" provision Trump plans to abandon -- exactly once in its history. It was for the United States, in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. ~~~

     ~~~ Derek Hawkins of the Washington Post: Donald Trump "shocked leaders on both sides of the Atlantic -- and mischaracterized how the 31-member alliance works. NATO member nations all make payments to cover the operating expenses of the organization, which was founded in the aftermath of World War II to help Western Europe counter the Soviet Union with help from Canada and the United States. But they don't pay membership fees to remain in the alliance, so there's no delinquency to speak of. Countries do, however, commit to spending at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense each year, with the goal of ensuring the alliance's military readiness and deterring any potential attacks. The commitment is a guideline, not a requirement, that has been in place for nearly two decades. Last year, 11 countries met or exceeded that target, according to NATO statistics. The rest spent smaller portions of their GDP on defense. (Iceland, the only member state with no armed forces, is omitted from the data set.)" Includes a chart of what percentage each member nation spends on defense. With explanation.

One of These Guys Is Way Worse Than the Other. Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "... Trump -- who ostensibly spent four years as president of the United States -- has little clue of what NATO is or what NATO does. And when he spoke on the subject at a rally in South Carolina over the weekend, what he said was less a cogent discussion of foreign policy than it was gibberish -- the kind of outrageous nonsense that flows without interruption from an empty and unreflective mind.... In contrast to the obsessive coverage of Biden's age, there is comparatively little coverage of Trump's obvious deficiencies in that department. If we are going to use public comments as the measure of mental fitness, then the former president is clearly at a disadvantage." Bouie recounts a number of Trump's battier remarks about changing the name of Pennsylvania, mixing up China and North Korea (that's mixing up, not misspeaking), and something-something about an Iron Dome: "And they calmly walk to us, and ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. They've only got 17 seconds to figure this whole thing out. Boom. OK. Missile launch. Whoosh. Boom." ~~~

~~~ Annals of "Journalism," Ctd.

On Saturday, the New York Times online featured at least two reports on the "Biden is Old" theme on its front page. As Nisky Guy pointed out in the Comments that day, the Times front page also featured four -- count 'em, four -- opinion columns on that "Biden is Old" theme. "What the FUCK!!!" wrote Nisky Guy. And "BUT THE EMAILS!!" ~~~

~~~ Comes Now Paul Krugman of the New York Times to take on his own employer: "... watching the frenzy over President Biden's age, I am, for the first time, profoundly concerned about the nation's future.... And the final blow won't be the rise of political extremism -- that rise certainly created the preconditions for disaster, but it has been part of the landscape for some time now. No, what may turn this menace into catastrophe is the way the hand-wringing over Biden's age has overshadowed the real stakes in the 2024 election. It reminds me, as it reminds everyone I know, of the 2016 furor over Hillary Clinton's email server, which was a minor issue that may well have wound up swinging the election to Donald Trump.... As anyone who has recently spent time with Biden (and I have) can tell you, he is in full possession of his faculties -- completely lucid and with excellent grasp of detail.... Most important is that Biden has been a remarkably effective president." ~~~

     ~~~ Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC elaborated last night. Well worth listening.


Why Republicans Are More Likely Than Democrats to Experience Hearing Loss. Andrew Van Dam of the Washington Post: According to a CDC report, "'those [Americans] living in rural areas experience higher rates of [hearing loss], perhaps due to potential noise exposure from outdoor work and recreation such as forestry, all-terrain vehicles, and recreational firearms.' Emphasis ours.... Americans who have fired 1,000 rounds or more face three times the rate of hearing loss as those who have never fired a weapon, according to an analysis of 2011 and 2012 observations from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. It's a bit lower once you adjust for age and other factors -- probably closer to 1.8 times the rate.... And gun ownership tilts heavily rightward."

~~~~~~~~~~

Finland. And Then Along Came Trump. Johanna Lemola & Erika Solomon of the New York Times: "Educated in the United States and deeply pro-American, Finland's president-elect, Alexander Stubb, looked perfectly poised to lead his nation into a stronger trans-Atlantic partnership and redefine its role in the global order as a newly minted NATO member. Instead, he will enter office next month at a time when U.S. politics has once again thrown the durability of that relationship -- and the wisdom of European nations counting on it -- into question. For weeks, the two candidates in Finland's runoff presidential elections, which Mr. Stubb won on Sunday, had played up their pro-NATO credentials and tough views on Russia. Then ... Donald J. Trump threatened that, if re-elected, he would let Russia 'do whatever the hell they want' against NATO allies that do not contribute sufficiently to collective defense.... [Finland] holds NATO's longest border with Russia.... Living in Russia's shadow, Finland has long had a conscription army and already spends on its defense more than the 2 percent of G.D.P. that NATO members pledge to spend."

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Tuesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "CIA Director William J. Burns and Israeli intelligence chief David Barnea are expected to meet Tuesday in Egypt to continue negotiations for a possible hostage-release deal. Many Gazans are attempting to flee Rafah, ahead of an expected full-scale Israeli military operation in the southern city where about 1.4 million people are sheltering.... U.S. officials are hopeful that Israel will have a counter to Hamas's latest proposal, and they believe that 'the shape' of an agreement 'is coming together,' a senior U.S. administration official said earlier."

Yasmeen Abutaleb & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah II, speaking jointly at the White House on Monday, warned against an indiscriminate Israeli invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, resulting in an event that had not occurred since the Israel-Hamas war began -- the president standing alongside an Arab leader to voice reservations about the Israeli onslaught in the Palestinian enclave. 'The major military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible plan to ensure the safety and support of more than 1 million people sheltering there,' Biden said, referring to Israel's publicly announced plans to invade the city. 'Many people there have been displaced -- displaced multiple times, fleeing the violence to the north. And now they're packed into Rafah, exposed and vulnerable. They need to be protected.' Abdullah was more direct. 'We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah. It is certain to create another humanitarian catastrophe,' the king said.... He added: 'We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end.'"

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "President Biden, perhaps the most emotionally pro-Zionist president in history, last week used his immense reserve of goodwill and credibility on Israel to do something no other president had: He laid down strong conditions on use of military aid. However, he deftly did not single out Israel for special treatment. 'U.S. President Joe Biden issued a memorandum on Thursday requiring allies who receive military aid from the U.S. to provide "credible and reliable written assurances" of their adherence to international law including international human rights law,' the Times of Israel reported. Israel will need to supply written assurances within 45 days or risk loss of aid.... No one should underestimate the impact of the decision. The Associated Press explained, Democratic senators on Friday called Biden's directive -- meant to bring breadth, oversight, deadlines and teeth to efforts to ensure foreign governments don't use U.S. military aid against civilians -- historic.'" Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

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Reader Comments (8)

And there's this this morning, which I'd hope would prove to have more teeth than the SCOTUS ethics pleasings.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/02/13/biden-israel-aid/

February 13, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

@Ken Winkes. Thanks. It's impossible to imagine Trump and Kushner (and whoever that kid was Kushner handed off the Abraham Accords job to) even trying to deftly manage an international crisis. There's an astounding contrast between Trump -- "Russia, go ahead and bomb Germany; that will teach them a lesson" -- and Biden pressuring & cajoling Bibi to quit massacring children.

February 13, 2024 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Memo to donald, re: NATO members paying 2% of GDP

GDP of USA=$23trillion

GDP of Europe=$24trillion

Who's paying more into NATO?

(Info from the Googles, so hope it't correct).

February 13, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris

The donald claims he signed a bill that made Taylor Swift rich, and now she's voting for Joe Biden.

It's more like: 'someone dropped this bill on my desk and said "sign
this bill" and I tried to read it but it had long words in it.

It was the Music Modernization Act and it changed the way copyright
owners of music are paid by streaming services.

https://variety.com/2024/music/news/trump-did-nothing-on-music-
modernization-taylor-swift-1235907368/

February 13, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris

I have loved Jon Stewart for his ideas, his heart and his way of delivery which is comedy gold, and I forgot to tune in last night. Thanks for the clip, but I finally turned it off before it was done, as I just could not laugh at Biden's quirks and age anymore. Jon seems to have forgotten that the two candidates are on no equal plain, that one is a mean, POS lunatic, and one has mistaken words for years. Yes, I wish things were different, that we had a gem of untold wealth as a candidate, but the press and Jon insisted on insisting that these two candidates are equally horrible. No. It is not funny, that clip. Maybe he redeemed himself at the end, and I will never know, but we cannot afford to treat the two men equally, laugh at them equally. The lunatic is using the courts to turn everything to his advantage, and the other guy has had to fix everything possible since he was elected in 2020. No comparison.

February 13, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

@Jeanne: Not only did Stewart not redeem himself, he made it way worse. His last couple of minutes, he suggested that no matter who wins, we all have to work at making things better. It was very bipartisan-y; that is, stunningly naive. I almost didn't embed it, because the last several minutes were so damned dumb.

February 13, 2024 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Marie: thanks. I am so disappointed that Jon Stewart, champion of victims of anything and especially the 9/11 diseased victims. So disappointed. Apparently the whole subject is blowing up in the 6pm MSNBC. The right has at the very least said everything they can possibly say about age and Democrats. Those people are hateful and dishonest and ugly.

February 13, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

For want of a vote?

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4466861-democrat-misses-close-mayorkas-impeachment-vote-due-to-covid-19/

February 13, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes
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