;)
The Conversation -- February 2, 2024
Natasha Bertrand, et al., of CNN: "The US has begun conducting airstrikes on targets in Iraq and Syria, the start of what will likely be a series of larger-scale US strikes on Iranian-backed militias who have carried out attacks on US troops in the Middle East, according to two US officials. The retaliatory strikes came in response to a drone strike by Iran-backed militants on a US military outpost in Jordan on Sunday, which killed three US service members and wounded more than 40 others. They came not long after President Joe Biden attended a dignified transfer and met family members of the soldiers killed in Jordan. Officials have signaled the strikes are likely to be more significant than previous attacks on Iranian-backed militias over the last several weeks, which have primarily focused on weapons storage or training facilities." ~~~
~~~ Marie: There's reporting on MSNBC that the strikes have hit at least 85 targets, using 125 precision missile munitions. The targets include Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden honored three Army reservists killed in the Middle East as their bodies were returned to the United States on Friday in a silent, somber ceremony marking the first deaths under fire in a proxy war with Iranian-backed militias since Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Mr. Biden attended a short event known as a 'dignified transfer' at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware along with his wife, Jill Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No speeches were given but the president and others stood solemnly in a cold wind as the flag-draped cases were carried across the tarmac." ~~~
(~~~ From the Archives. S.V. Date of the Huffington Post (Sept. 2020): "In the world of ... Donald Trump, he has paid his respects to 'many, many' returning soldiers killed in the line of duty.... In the real world, Trump has traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware exactly four times ― fewer than half as many times as his vice president ― and avoided going at all for nearly two years after getting berated for his incompetence by the father of a slain Navy SEAL, according to a former White House aide who spoke on condition of anonymity. Bill Owens, the father of William 'Ryan' Owens, refused to shake Trump's hand at that Feb. 1, 2017, encounter, the aide said, and then told Trump that he was responsible for his son's death for approving the disastrous raid in Yemen without bothering to understand the risks."
Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "A duo of House Oversight and Accountability Democrats are asking the Government Accountability Office to review Sen. Tommy Tuberville's R-Ala.) 10-month blockade of military promotions.... The letter from ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) ... asks for a review of the 'unprecedented blockade of military promotions, including the short- and long-term detrimental effects on [the Defense Department] and our broader national security.'"
Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "Fani T. Willis, the district attorney prosecuting the Georgia election interference case against ... Donald J. Trump, acknowledged [in a court] on Friday a 'personal relationship' with a prosecutor she hired to manage the case but argued that it was not a reason to disqualify her or her office from it.... Ms. Willis's filing includes an affidavit from [prosecutor Nathan] Wade asserting that the personal relationship started only after Mr. Wade had been hired. The original motion containing the accusations, filed by Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign official, alleged that Ms. Willis had hired her 'boyfriend' as a special prosecutor, granting him lucrative contracts even though he was underqualified, and then benefited from going on vacations that Mr. Wade paid for. But Ms. Willis said in her filing that 'financial responsibility for personal travel taken is divided roughly evenly' and Mr. Wade echoed that language in his affidavit, adding that Ms. Willis 'received no funds or personal financial gain from my position as Special Prosecutor.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Katherine Doyle of NBC News: "House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has subpoenaed District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County, Georgia, demanding documents from her office following allegations that Willis fired a whistleblower who tried to stop a top campaign aide from misusing federal funds. The subpoena ... is part of a broader probe by Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Republicans into whether Willis used federal funds in conducting her more-than-two-year investigation into ... Donald Trump.... In a letter Friday, Jordan says Willis has failed to comply with two earlier requests for documents.... The subpoena calls on the district attorney's office to provide documents and communications 'referring or relating to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office's receipt and use of federal funds' and 'referring or relating to any allegations of the misuse of federal funds.' Willis' office has condemned Jordan's requests, writing last year in a letter to him that there is 'no justification in the Constitution for Congress to interfere with a state criminal matter.'"
** M.L. Nestel of the Raw Story: "Donald Trump's valet, who's been indicted as a central player in Trump's hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, became his hired hand after being removed from the White House once multiple sexual harassment claims came to light, The Daily Beast reports. Before landing a full-time position at the former president's Palm Beach palatial estate, Walt Nauta was a Navy enlistee who had been posted in the White House Presidential Support Detail since 2012. That ended, according to sources who spoke to the Daily Beast, when accusations materialized accusing Nauta of fraternization, adultery, harassment and circulating 'revenge porn,' among other sexual misconduct. He was escorted off White House grounds by the Navy and stripped of his White House security clearance, the report said. Three female service members accused Nauta of inappropriate behavior which spanned years, according to The Beast.... Two other women raised complaints accusing Nauta, who ultimately admitted to the relationships when confronted about them during a White House interview."
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Kasha Patel of the Washington Post: "Since 1887, [Punxsutawney] Phil forecast accurately about 40 percent of the time -- that's worse than flipping a dime. Eighty-five percent of his predictions call for an extended cold moment.... According to the Weather Service, the northern United States will probably see temperatures above average degrees.... The mid- to low latitudes have equal chances of above-, near- or below-average temperatures.... Winter is the fastest warming season in the United States because of climate change.... Punxsutawney Phil probably hasn't accounted for climate change or the current El Niño pattern in his recent weather prognosis." MB: I wish a more reliable forecaster would predict that the Giant Orange Rodent will wind up in the slammer. ~~~
~~~ Update. ABC 6 Philadelphia: "Punxsutawney Phil has made his prediction for 2024 Groundhog Day. The honorary groundhog did not see his shadow Friday morning, predicting that there will be an early spring. The day marks the 21st time Phil has not seen his shadow during the 138-year-old tradition."
Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "President Biden, whose approval rating has suffered amid high inflation, is beginning to pressure large grocery chains to slash food prices for American consumers, accusing the stores of reaping excess profits and ripping off shoppers. 'There are still too many corporations in America ripping people off: price gouging, junk fees, greedflation, shrinkflation,' Mr. Biden said last week in South Carolina. Aides say those comments are a preview of more pressure to come against grocery chains and other companies that are maintaining higher-than-usual profit margins after a period of rapid price growth.... Economic research suggests the cost of eggs, milk and other staples -- which consumers buy far more frequently than big-ticket items like furniture or electronics -- play an outsized role in shaping Americans' views of inflation. Those prices jumped by more than 11 percent in 2022 and by 5 percent last year, amid a post-pandemic inflation surge that was the nation's fastest burst of price increases in four decades. The rate of increase is slowing rapidly...."
Missy Ryan & Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that his recent cancer diagnosis was a 'gut punch' that left him shaken, disclosing new details about his ensuing medical crisis and asserting that he did not direct his staff to withhold the situation from the White House.... 'I want to be crystal clear: We did not handle this right. I did not handle this right,' Austin said. 'I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have also told my team and the American public, and I take full responsibility. I apologize to my teammates and the American people.'... Austin, 70, was noticeably thinner than before the health crisis, which put him in an intensive care unit for days. He walked gingerly to and from the podium in the Pentagon briefing room, and acknowledged using a golf cart in the building to help him get around. [His] news conference spanned nearly 40 minutes." ~~~
~~~ Marie: As Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC pointed out, neither Donald Trump nor any of his subordinates ever made a classy apology like Austin's. As anyone who has ever made a serious apology knows, it ain't easy. Making a public apology -- and taking questions -- can't be much fun. It takes character and fortitude, traits markedly absent in the Trumpy milieu.
Maxine Joselow of the Washington Post: "The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Joseph Goffman to lead the Environmental Protection Agency's air office, which is racing to finalize some of President Biden's most consequential climate rules before the end of his first term. Biden first tapped Goffman for the role in March 2022. But all Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III (W.Va.) have held up his nomination for nearly two years in protest of the administration's climate policies. Goffman, a veteran of the EPA under President Barack Obama, has been leading the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation on an acting basis since January 2021.... With a 50-49 vote, all Republicans joined Manchin in opposing Goffman's nomination."
Steve Benen of MSNBC: On Wednesday, "... a $78 billion tax package that includes an expansion of the child tax credit ... cleared the lower chamber with bipartisan support, but Democratic votes outnumbered Republican votes, despite the fact that there's a GOP majority in the House, and despite the fact that the bill enjoyed the support of Republican leaders. The fact that the Democratic minority did the legislative heavy lifting was not unusual. On the contrary, this keeps happening. As 2023 came to an end..., Axios highlighted an underappreciated pattern: 'Republicans may hold the House majority, but Democratic yeas outnumbered GOP votes on every major bill that landed on President Biden's desk this year.' One month into 2024, the pattern remains intact. Two weeks ago, a bill to prevent a partial government shutdown cleared the House with 314 votes, but most of those votes -- 207 -- came from the House Democratic minority. Or put another way, GOP leaders, eager to avoid a crisis of their own making, relied on Democrats to govern."
The Trials of Trump and the Trump Gang
Daniel Boffrey of the Guardian: "Donald Trump's data protection claim for damages over allegations in the 'Steele dossier' that he took part in 'perverted' sex acts and gave bribes to Russian officials has been dismissed by a high court judge in London. Mrs Justice Steyn agreed with Orbis Business Intelligence, the company founded by the former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who compiled the contentious material, that the case should not go to trial. The ruling issued on Thursday said the court did not 'consider or determine the accuracy or inaccuracy of the memoranda' but found that Trump's claim for damages had been made outside the six-year period of 'limitations'. The court ruled that Trump 'has no reasonable grounds for bringing a claim for compensation or damages, and no real prospect of successfully obtaining such a remedy'." MB: One would think Trump's crack London lawyers would know what the statue of limitations was and would have advised him not to bring suit. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Where Did It All Go, Donald? David Edwards of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump appears to have spent $250,000 of donor money while losing a lawsuit against Christopher Steele in London.... MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin gathered Wednesday's financial filings from Trump's Save America leadership PAC. The document indicated Trump had spent hundreds of thousands on legal fees in the U.K. The firm Level Law is on record representing Trump in the London case. Save America PAC made multiple payments to Level Law throughout August, September, and October 2023, totaling over $270,000." (Also linked yesterday.)
Spencer Hsu & Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's March 4 trial date on charges of plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election has been dropped from the public calendar of the federal court in Washington, a sign of what has long been anticipated -- that his claim of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution would delay his trial while it remains on appeal.... A delay in the D.C. case makes it increasingly likely that the first of Trump's four criminal trials could be held this spring in Manhattan on New York state charges of business fraud in connection with hush money payments during the 2016 election. That trial has nominally been set for March 25, but the court in that case has signaled deference to Trump's federal election subversion case. New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has scheduled a pretrial hearing in two weeks -- Feb. 15 -- and is expected to decide after that if the trial will go forward as planned."
Marie: I had a house in Florida. It is quite a large house, built in 1925, during prohibition. The builder was one of Al Capone's lawyers. Not surprisingly, tucked under the stairs and behind a bookcase that swung on hidden hinges is what was called a "prohibition closet." Back in the day, secret closets were not limited to the homes of gangsters. They were quite common. At the same time my house was built, at the other end of the long road that passed my house and on the other side of the state, Marjorie Merriweather Post was building Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Don't you suppose she would have installed a prohibition closet there, too? ~~~
~~~ ** The Hidden Room, the Locked Closet. Katherine Faulders, et al., of ABC News: "Special counsel Jack Smith's team has questioned several witnesses about a closet and a so-called 'hidden room' inside ... Donald Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago that the FBI didn't check while searching the estate in August 2022.... As described to ABC News, the line of questioning in several interviews ahead of Trump's indictment last year on classified document charges suggests that -- long after the FBI seized dozens of boxes and more than 100 documents marked classified from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate -- Smith's team was trying to determine if there might still be more classified documents there.... As investigators would later learn, Trump allegedly had the closet's lock changed while his attorney was in Mar-a-Lago's basement, searching for classified documents in a storage room that he was told would have all such documents.... For years, the lock on the closet was managed by the Secret Service, but on June 2, 2022, Trump had it changed and wanted the key..., sources said.... [FBI agents conducting the search of Mar-a-Lago] decided not to break ... open [the locked closet], sources said.... In addition to the closet, the FBI also didn't search what authorities have called a 'hidden room' connected to Trump's bedroom, sources said.... [Access to the room was] a small door in one of the walls..., concealed behind a large dresser and a big TV, sources said."
Ella Lee of the Hill: "A New York judge is expected to issue an 'early to mid-February' ruling in the $370 million civil fraud case brought against former President Trump by the New York attorney general's office, a court spokesperson said Thursday. Judge Arthur Engoron previously said he would aim to issue a decision by the end of January but emphasized that the deadline was not firm. The new mid-February deadline is a 'rough estimate' and is 'subject to modifications,' according to the court spokesperson."
Ankush Kardori interviews attorney Roberta Kaplan for Politico Magazine: Kaplan, on why the jury found for E. Jean Carroll: Donald Trump's "misbehavior at the deposition in Carroll ... combined with how he acted in the trial -- which was speaking under his breath, shaking his head, getting up ... about eight or nine minutes into my closing argument.... The single most important thing that convicted Donald Trump -- both from his deposition and from the trial -- is Donald Trump's own behavior.... He basically said about the Access Hollywood tape, 'Unfortunately, or fortunately, stars have been able to get away with that for millions of years.'... When he left during [my closing] -- I didn't see it happen because I was facing the other way -- but when Judge Kaplan announced that he'd left the courtroom, I thought to myself, 'Okay, that's another $10 million.'... That Trump was misbehaving throughout the trial, like an 8-year-old having a temper tantrum, was a very important thing for people to understand." (Also linked yesterday.)
Zachary Cohen of CNN: "Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has no plans to step down from the Georgia election subversion case over allegations she's having an affair with her lead prosecutor, a decision driven in part over concern that her departure would effectively end the case against Donald Trump and his multiple defendants, sources familiar with the thinking inside the DA's office told CNN." MB: Of course she might not have a choice. "Judge Scott McAfee has scheduled a February 15 hearing for both sides to present evidence related to the allegations.... [And] last week, Georgia lawmakers voted to form a special committee to investigate Willis.... The committee will have subpoena power, giving it teeth, but it cannot disqualify Willis or bring an end to the case and can only write a report."
William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "Allen H. Weisselberg, a longtime lieutenant to Donald J. Trump, is negotiating a deal with Manhattan prosecutors that would require him to plead guilty to perjury, people with knowledge of the matter said. As part of the potential agreement with the Manhattan district attorney's office, Mr. Weisselberg would have to admit that he lied on the witness stand in Mr. Trump's recent civil fraud trial, the people said. Mr. Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer at Mr. Trump's family business, also would have to say that he lied under oath during in an interview with the New York attorney general's office, which brought the civil fraud case. The situation springs from a web of criminal and civil cases brought by the two agencies and would culminate a lengthy pressure campaign by the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, whose prosecutors had sought Mr. Weisselberg's cooperation as they investigated whether Mr. Trump committed electoral and financial crimes....
"It is also unclear which of Mr. Weisselberg's statements in the civil fraud case caught prosecutors' attention -- but trial transcripts offer hints.... While testifying, Mr. Weisselberg claimed that he 'never focused' on ... Mr. Trump's triplex apartment in Trump Tower, which is 10,996 square feet, but had been listed for years on his annual financial statements as measuring 30,000 square feet.... Shortly thereafter, Forbes magazine published an article contending that Mr. Weisselberg had lied under oath. The article cited emails and notes between [Mr. Weisselberg] and the magazine, which compiles a list of America's richest people, showed that Mr. Weisselberg 'played a key role in trying to convince Forbes over the course of several years' of the apartment's value. After that article was published, Mr. Weisselberg abruptly stopped testifying." (Also linked yesterday.)
Presidential Race
Michael Shear of the New York Times: Sanctions President Biden imposed on four West Bank Israelis "sent a message to Arab Americans, a key part of the political coalition he needs to be re-elected, that he is serious about using the power of the United States on behalf of the Palestinians. The White House announced the sanctions just hours before Mr. Biden held a campaign event in Michigan, a critical battleground state that has a large Arab American population and has been the site of numerous protests over the war in Gaza.... Before leaving for Michigan, Mr. Biden spoke about what he called 'the trauma, the death and destruction in Israel and Gaza.' Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, he pledged to work for the release of hostages held by Hamas and the lives of Palestinians. 'Not only do we pray for peace, we are actively working for peace, security, dignity for the Israeli people and the Palestinian people,' he told the group of lawmakers and religious leaders at the event....
"On Thursday, the president [also] stopped by a Black-owned restaurant outside Detroit and met with about 100 members of the United Auto Workers, the union that had recently endorsed him. Against a backdrop with posters like 'UAW 4 JOE' and 'Unions heart Joe,' the president credited the labor movement for having the 'strongest economy in the whole damn world,' and dismissed skeptics who had predicted that 'China's going to eat our lunch. Well guess what, man? We don't taste that good.'"
Maya King of the New York Times: "South Carolina Democrats, working to turn out a show of force for President Biden in their party's primary on Saturday, would like to remind their voters that Nikki Haley is not the moderate Republican that some may believe her to be.... Palmetto State Democratic leaders have sought to paint Ms. Haley as a politician whose national ambitions led her to push for some of the most conservative policies in state history, pointing specifically to her signing a 20-week abortion ban while governor in 2016 and refusing to expand Medicaid.... For any Democrat thinking about skipping Saturday's primary and participating instead in the Republican contest three weeks later, the party's message is very clear: Don't.... The warning by Democrats is the latest sign of how the parties' divergent primary election dates have scrambled politics in the key early voting state. South Carolina's open primary system allows voters of any party to participate in either of the two primary elections."
Jonathan Lemire, et al., of Politico: "President JOE BIDEN has a reputation for salty language behind closed doors. But it nearly slipped out in public during his speech at Valley Forge last month to mark the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Animated and angry, he derided DONALD TRUMP and his followers for drawing glee from political violence. 'At his rally, he jokes about an intruder, whipped up by the Big Trump Lie, taking a hammer to Paul Pelosi's skull,' Biden said. 'And he thinks that's funny,' the president continued. 'He laughed about it. What a sick ...'... In private, he doesn't stop short. The president has described Trump to longtime friends and close aides as a 'sick fuck' who delights in others' misfortunes, according to three people.... According to one of the people who has spoken with the president, Biden recently said of Trump: 'What a fucking asshole the guy is.' The White House declined to comment."
Marie: Yesterday, I accidentally heard about 30 seconds of President Biden's speaking at the annual White House prayer breakfast. What struck me was how comfortable, gracious and generous he was in greeting various people in the room. Two Corinthians reminded me that the Orange Jesus could never be so comfortable, gracious and generous in a similar setting.
Frank Bruni of the New York Times makes the case for Trump-critic-turned-bootlicker/conspiracy-theorist Vivek Ramaswamy as Donald Trump's running mate. Not a serious column (few Bruni columns are serious), but amusing enough.
Frances Vinall of the Washington Post: "Joshua Schulte, the former Central Intelligence Agency employee who leaked a trove of classified information to WikiLeaks, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. The cache of information published by WikiLeaks, dubbed Vault 7, went online in several batches across 2017. It laid out many of the CIA's cyber capabilities and methods. The leak was the largest data breach in the history of the CIA and among the largest leaks of classified information in U.S. history, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said Thursday in a statement announcing the sentencing. It 'profoundly damaged the CIA's ability to collect foreign intelligence against America's adversaries,' put operatives in danger, damaged national security and cost the agency hundreds of millions of dollars, the prosecutors said." A CBS News story is here.
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Oregon. Claire Rush of the AP: "The Oregon Supreme Court said Thursday that 10 Republican state senators who staged a record-long walkout last year to stall bills on abortion, transgender health care and gun rights cannot run for reelection. The decision upholds the secretary of state's decision to disqualify the senators from the ballot under a voter-approved measure aimed at stopping such boycotts. Measure 113, passed by voters in 2022, amended the state constitution to bar lawmakers from reelection if they have more than 10 unexcused absences. Last year's boycott lasted six weeks -- the longest in state history -- and paralyzed the legislative session, stalling hundreds of bills." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: As I've written before, there are all kinds of reasons people are barred from running for office. So I don't find barring the leader of a violent insurrection from running for president* to be out-of-line.
Texas, Florida. DeSantis Issues a States' Rights Manifesto & Sends the Guard to Texas. Lauren Sforza of the Hill: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Thursday he will be deploying members of the National Guard to 'assist' Texas at the southern border, where Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has declared an invasion amid a surge in migrant border crossings. DeSantis said he will be sending members of the Florida National Guard and members of the Florida State Guard to help Texas 'in its efforts to stop the invasion at the southern border.' The announcement stated that Florida has offered up to 1,000 of its National Guard members 'based on Texas's needs.' 'States have every right to defend their sovereignty and we are pleased to increase our support to Texas as the Lone Star State works to stop the invasion across the border,' DeSantis said in a statement. 'Our reinforcements will help Texas to add additional barriers, including razor wire along the border. We don't have a country if we don't have a border.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Texas. Stephen Vladeck in a New York Times op-ed: "... what's really happening in Texas isn't a constitutional crisis. It's a stress test for a potential constitutional crisis -- and we're all failing miserably.... Congress has been unable to pass meaningful immigration reforms for decades -- leaving the balance striking to the discretion of successive presidents. Legally, the constitutional law is quite clear: The federal government gets to set nationwide immigration policies and choose how to enforce them.... There is no serious argument that states have the authority to impede or supplant federal enforcement efforts. Federal supremacy is hard-wired into the Constitution.... All that the Supreme Court did last week was to wipe away, with no explanation, a lower-court injunction that was effectively barring federal officials from removing the razor wire that Texas had placed along the border. Nothing in the ruling stopped Texas from doing anything, so there was no way in which [Texas Gov. Greg] Abbott could 'defy' the court, even if he wanted to.... And although some prominent Democrats have urged President Biden to federalize the Texas National Guard in response, such a move would be legally dubious on its own and would serve only to escalate the political conflict." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I disagree with Vladeck, but he's an expert, and I'm not. The principal reasons for my disagreement are wingers' actions and rhetoric, which Vladeck briefly outlines.
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Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said on Thursday that he would set up a test vote next week on a measure pairing an immigration crackdown with tens of billions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine and Israel, but the package is facing a rough road with Republican resistance in both chambers. Mr. Schumer's promise came as a small group of Republican and Democratic senators rushed to finalize a plan to clamp down on migration across the U.S. border with Mexico, which Republicans had demanded be paired with any further aid to Kyiv for its war against Russian aggression. Senate leaders in both parties have called the emerging border agreement the best chance in decades to address the intractable issue of immigration, and President Biden has endorsed it. But right-wing Republicans, egged on by ... Donald J. Trump, have denounced it as too weak, prompting Speaker Mike Johnson to call it dead on arrival in the House and indicating that it may have no path through Congress. And since negotiators have yet to release the text of their agreement, it is not yet clear whether Senate Republicans will embrace or reject it. Mr. Schumer said the finished product would be public 'no later than Sunday,' to give senators enough time to examine it before an initial vote expected by Wednesday."
Israel/Palestine, et al.
The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israel's defense minister said the focus of its operation will turn to Rafah -- a city in the south of the Gaza that is now said to be home to almost half its population. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, renewed its plea for countries including the United States, Britain and Germany to reverse their decisions to suspend at least $440 million in funding, saying that nearly 2 million people depended on it 'for their sheer survival,' following Israeli accusations that staff members had participated in Hamas's Oct. 7 attacks.... U.S. Central Command said it had destroyed an aerial drone over the Gulf of Aden and an explosive USV, or uncrewed surface vehicle, launched by the Houthis in the Red Sea on Thursday. Earlier, the U.S. military said it destroyed Houthi targets in Yemen, including 10 drones and a 'UAV ground control center,' after identifying an 'imminent threat' against ships in the Red Sea." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Friday are here. CNN's live updates are here.
Yasmeen Abutaleb & Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "President Biden signed an executive order on Thursday that imposes sanctions on four West Bank settlers who have committed violence against Palestinians. The order marks the most significant action Biden has taken against Israelis amid criticism over U.S. backing for Israel's war in Gaza. The executive order mirrors sanctions imposed on individuals designated as terrorists, two senior administration officials said.... It will block the settlers from accessing all U.S. property and assets or from engaging with the American financial system. The settlers will not be allowed to send money to the United States or have anyone act on their behalf, the officials said. The order also prevents any American from contributing money, goods or services to those sanctioned, the officials said.... Thursday's executive order marks the first significant action [Biden] has been willing to take against Israelis in the nearly four-month-old war." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Tucker Reals, et al., of CBS News: "... plans have been approved for a series of strikes over a number of days against targets -- including Iranian personnel and facilities -- inside Iraq and Syria. The strikes will come in response to drone and rocket attacks targeting U.S. forces in the region, including the drone attack on Sunday that killed three U.S. service members at the Tower 22 base inside Jordan, near the Syrian border.... There have been no new attacks on U.S. troop locations in the region since the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah announced Wednesday that it was suspending military operations against American forces. There was no indication from U.S. officials that the group's declared suspension was delaying the American military's retaliatory strikes.... [Defense Secretary Lloyd] Austin told reporters the U.S. was trying to 'hold the right people accountable' without escalating the conflict in the region. 'We will have a multitiered response, and ... we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on what the situation is,' Austin said."
Ukraine, et al.
Twisting Orban's Arm with Carrots and Sticks. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, et al., of the New York Times: "Some European leaders jested they'd send Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary their hotel bills for the extra nights they had to spend in Brussels to convince him to support funding for Ukraine. Others, less jokingly, relayed to him he was facing the risk of a legal suspension from E.U. proceedings. And a few offered a friendly, sympathetic ear over late-night drinks as he complained about what he sees as a European bureaucracy stacked against him out of ideological animus. By Thursday morning, just one hour into an emergency European Union summit meeting, this carefully coordinated, behind-the-scenes pressure had forced Mr. Orban to fold and agree to a landmark 50 billion euro ($54 billion) fund for Ukraine that will help the country stay afloat for the next four years, even as U.S. aid is stuck in Congress." A threat from European Council President Charles Michel & late-nite champagne with Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni figured into the offensive. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Andrew Higgins of the New York Times: "For Mr. Orban, whether to send billions of dollars to Ukraine has never been a question of immovable principle, and he folded Thursday when told that some member states were serious about isolating him, even stripping him of his vote, if he continued to block the aid. Rather, it is just one of many issues on which he has sought to establish himself as the leader of a pan-European movement in defense of national sovereignty and traditional values against what he scorns as out-of-touch urban elites." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Lede
CNBC: "Job growth posted a surprisingly strong increase in January, demonstrating again that the U.S. labor market is solid and poised to support broader economic growth. Nonfarm payrolls expanded by 353,000 for the month, much better than the Dow Jones estimate for 185,000, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The unemployment rate held at 3.7%, against the estimate for 3.8%. Wage growth also showed strength, as average hourly earnings increased 0.6%, double the monthly estimate. On a year-over-year basis, wages jumped 4.5%, well above the 4.1% forecast."
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Reader Comments (10)
The southern border crisis has been solved.
Lauren Boebert wants the river filled with alligators to keep out
those immigrants. Apparently she thinks the river flows from the
Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico.
It doesn't. It leaves New Mexico and Arizona, as well as parts of Ca
open to pedestrians.
How does she plan to keep those alligators facing south?
A better idea would be to fill the river with Republicans like Boebert.
That should scare anyone away.
https://democraticundergound.com/132211096
@Forrest Morris: I couldn't link to the URL you provided, but I did find a Democratic Underground republication here. It's a copy of an Newsweek article which MSN republished here.
According to that article, Bobo wants to enact Trump's policy of establishing "alligator moats," whatever those are, in the Rio Grande. The article doesn't really suggest she thinks the Rio Grande runs from sea to shining sea. If she does, that would be particularly funny, because the Rio Grande originates in Boebert's Congressional district.
Watched a stunning historical documentary last night, an installment in PBS’s always exemplary American Experience series, on The Blinding of Isaac Woodard. I’d heard of this case in passing over the years as a seminal event in the Civil Rights Movement, but I was largely unaware of the shocking details.
The short version is this: in 1946, Sgt. Isaac Woodard, a decorated army veteran retuning home to South Carolina, asked the driver of a bus he was riding if he could get off at the next stop to use a rest room. The driver cursed him and flagged down a cop. Woodard was taken off the bus, beaten so severely that he was permanently blinded, thrown into a cell, had whiskey poured over him and was arrested for being drunk and disorderly, he was also denied medical treatment for days.
A trial ensued at which the cop, a local police chief with a long history of astounding racial violence, was found not guilty by an all white jury. The verdict was ready in five minutes.
But the case took on greater significance, attracting the attention of NAACP legal affairs director, Thurgood Marshall, as well as that of President Harry Truman.
Now the events of the beating and it’s aftermath are shocking and disgusting, but for me, what was just as stunning was the jaw dropping connection to present day white supremacists and state’s rights traitors.
The storm kicked up surrounding Woodard’s blinding and the miscarriage of Justice created a furor among white supremacists, particularly as regards voting. The supporters of white supremacy then, as now, understood that in order to maintain control, suppression of the vote was an absolute must. Sound familiar?
All-white primaries were a regular thing in the south for generations until the Supreme Court in 1944 put a stop to that. But Dixiecrats in SC thought they had found a sneaky way around the court’s ruling. They tried to say that the SC Democratic Party was a private club, just like a ladies’ sewing circle, and could restrict membership as they saw fit. A federal judge pointed out that sewing circles don’t elect the President. He denied their claim. Black citizens would be allowed to vote. The racists were outraged.
Truman had just addressed the NAACP national meeting and was denounced by Strom Thurmond as a totalitarian tyrant. Sound familiar?
The state’s rights white supremacists then decided that they didn’t have to do what the Supreme Court had instructed. They could go what they wanted to “protect their state”. Again, sound familiar?
After all these years, we’re still hearing the same bullshit from the haters, the racists, and the white supremacists.
The big difference today is that a controlling faction of the Supreme Court sides with those people, as does an entire political party and its leader.
Oh, but South Carolina did finally vacate Isaac Woodard’s phony drunk and disorderly charge.
26 years after he died.
Amazing show. Catch it if you can.
Mar-a-Lago donnie didn't see his shadow this morning in Palm Beach,
so that means six more weeks of bad luck, for him, and good luck
for the rest of us.
PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has issued their annual rant against the exploitive treatment of Punxsutawney Phil. Never mind that Phil, a treasured pet, is better off than millions of children. Where are People for the Ethical Treatment of Children?
And AK, I hope they don't air that documentary in Dixie -- might make some white kiddies feel bad. And worse, make some black kids get uppity.
Speaking of voter suppression, Republicans are at it again.
They are fighting mail-in ballots that are received after the voting
date, never mind that the law states it's the post mark that matters,
not the day received, like up to five days after the vote.
I think the five day rule has to do with service members who are out
of the country, or place where the mail is slower than the pony express
was.
https://apnews..com/article/mail-voting-ballot-deadlines-republicans-
trump-fa62a5c8678c0b6ec8dc3f63030d6339
Liz Dye
"Ken Paxton's lawlessness previews Trump's second term"
@RAS: Paxton has long reminded me of the villains in cartoonish superman-type movies: no nuance, no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Just a vile, diabolical little prick.
I wonder if he wouldn't make just the running mate for Trump. After all, Trump wouldn't have to worry about coming to harm -- like assassination -- when everybody knew his veep was worse than he.
@Marie: Paxton is awful enough to be Trump's VP pick, but I think his eye condition probably puts him lower on the VP list because he doesn't look like he is out of central casting for the job. Trump is so fixated on image. If Paxton starts wearing an eye patch to cover it up we will know that he is really shooting for the VP job. Like Trump it would also help him escape his legal troubles.
Wanted: criminal scumbags.
The Orange Monster, once one surveys his actions. His friends, his lies, his predilections for fellow criminals and scumbags, seems constitutionally unable to befriend, or hire, any good, decent, morally upstanding individuals. Rather, he prefers assholes like like Walt Nauta.
Here’s the not so hypothetical hypothetical.
Fatty is looking to hire someone. He is reviewing resumes.
Resume one: someone with sterling recommendations, experienced, smart, decent, strong character, upstanding citizen.
Resume two: snarling, sneaky, slimy lowlife sexual predator, spreader of revenge porn, accused by multiple women of inappropriate behavior, who has been stripped of security clearance by a branch of the armed forces.
“Junior! Call number two. He’s our kind of guy. Just what we need. Tell that number one guy to fuck off and go work for the Democrats. We don’t need his kind.”