The Ledes

Thursday, September 19, 2024

New York Times: “A body believed to be of the suspect in a Kentucky highway shooting that left five people seriously injured this month was found on Wednesday, the authorities said, ending a manhunt that stretched into a second week and set the local community on edge. The Kentucky State Police commissioner, Phillip Burnett Jr., said in a Wednesday night news conference that at approximately 3:30 p.m., two troopers and two civilians found an unidentified body in the brush behind the highway exit where the shooting occurred.... The police have identified the suspect of the shooting as Joseph A. Couch, 32. They said that on Sept. 7, Mr. Couch perched on a cliff overlooking Interstate 75 about eight miles north of London, Ky., and opened fire. One of the wounded was shot in the face, and another was shot in the chest. A dozen vehicles were riddled with gunfire.”

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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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Monday
Jun102024

The Conversation -- June 10, 2024

Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: "Hunter Biden's defense team is expected to wrap up arguments in his federal firearms trial in Delaware on Monday, and the jury could begin deliberating by day's end barring any dramatic moves -- like a last-minute decision by Mr. Biden to testify on his own behalf."

CNN's live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "More details emerged of the Israeli operation that rescued four hostages held by Hamas but left many Palestinians dead.... Eyewitness said it was 'hell on Earth,' with the Palestinian foreign ministry calling the raid 'a gruesome massacre.' Israeli officials put the death toll lower, but blamed the carnage on Hamas for holding hostages in civilian areas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on key war cabinet member Benny Gantz to reconsider after resigning from government over the handling of the war in Gaza. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who traveled to the Middle East on Monday to push for a ceasefire agreement, is set to meet Netanyahu and defense minister Yoav Gallant this evening, before meeting Gantz on Tuesday.... The United States on Sunday called for a vote on its UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution backing the proposal for a permanent ceasefire and release of the hostages in Gaza."

~~~~~~~~~~

Biden Pays Respects to Soldiers Trump Called "Suckers" & "Losers." Toluse Olorunnipa, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden visited an American cemetery in France on Sunday, a somber setting that allowed him to pay his respects to fallen soldiers while reminding voters of one of the most controversial moments of Donald Trump's presidency. Biden's stop at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery -- a site Trump skipped during a 2018 trip after reportedly calling those buried there 'suckers' and 'losers' -- capped a five-day trip to France in which the president did not say his predecessor's name in public but nonetheless sought to make clear the sharp differences that exist between the two men and their presidencies.... The visit was part of a mounting effort by Biden and his campaign to resurface the worst memories of Trump's turbulent four years in office -- a push that has run squarely into a phenomenon pollsters have branded 'Trump amnesia.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link. Via digby.

Hamed Aleaziz, et al., of the New York Times: "The Biden administration is considering a proposal to protect undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation and allow them to work in the country legally.... The officials ... said that no final decision had been made and that the shape of the policy was unclear. Any such program could also provide some spouses an easier route to obtain U.S. citizenship."

National Crime Blotter

Notorious Crime Boss Donnie Short-Fingers Has Probation Hearing Monday. Adam Reiss, et al., of NBC News: "Former President Trump is scheduled to sit for a virtual interview on Monday with a New York City probation officer from his home at Mar-a-Lago with his attorney Todd Blanche at his side.... The probation interview is required by the court as part of the former president's pre-sentencing report. Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money case, permitted Blanche to be present for the probation interview after prosecutors did not object.... Martin Horn, former commissioner of the New York City Department of Corrections and Probation..., noted that the typical purpose of a probation interview is to obtain information on Trump's social and criminal history, financial resources, history of mental health, physical or addiction issues as well as to assess his living situation. Trump could also be asked if he is associating with anyone with a criminal record because he cannot associate with them if he is placed on probation, Horn said." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I suppose this will be the first time in history that the answer to, "Do you associate with known criminals?" will be, "Almost everyone I know is a criminal, but then I pardoned them all." Of course there's still Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, Ken Chesebro, Jenna Ellis, et. al, whose most recent crimes Trump couldn't pardon since he lost his pardoning privileges.

Presidential Race

Plus ça Change.... (Well, Except for that Total Fascist-Embrace Thing). Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: "Republicans in Congress are preparing to not just extend ... Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts if they win control of Washington in November's elections, but also lower rates even more for corporations, laying the early groundwork for a ferocious debate over taxes and spending next year and beyond.... GOP lawmakers and some of Trump's economic advisers are considering more corporate tax breaks -- which could expand the national debt by roughly $1 trillion over the next decade, according to researchers at Stanford University and MIT.... [President] Biden promises to raise taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations, allowing the Trump tax law's individual rate cuts to expire and pushing for legislation with taxes on businesses to pay for new investments in child and elder care, affordable housing and education."

John Bowden of the Independent: Donald Trump "was in Las Vegas, Nevada for a summertime rally in the searing heat -- high temperatures on the strip were projected to be around 103 degrees Fahrenheit.... At several points in the rally, he addressed the heat.... 'I don't want anybody going on me. We need every voter,' he said. 'I don't care about you. I just want your vote.'... After the rally concluded, local media reports found that nearly two dozen rallygoers had been treated onsite for medical issues resulting from the heat, while six ended up going to the hospital.... Trump spent much of the speech insulting America's immigrant population and describing incoming immigrants and asylum-seekers as criminals, mentally unstable, and 'not productive' members of society." ~~~

     ~~~ And for a bit more color, see Akhilleus' commentary at the top of today's thread.

~~~~~~~~~~

Europe

Things Fall Apart. The Center Barely Holds. Matina Stevis-Gridneff of the New York Times: "Casting ballots in 27 countries, voters largely backed centrists in European Parliament elections, but far-right parties made serious inroads in France and Germany. Partial results made public late Sunday showed that centrist political groups were poised to lose some seats, but still maintain a clear majority of more than 400 seats in the 720-seat assembly. Even so, the outcome seemed likely to steel the far right as a disruptive force and unsettled the bloc's mainstream establishment." This is an update of a story linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Bad News in France. Roger Cohen & Aurelien Breeden of the New York Times: "President Emmanuel Macron of France, battered by a crushing defeat to the extreme right in European elections, dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Sunday and called for legislative elections beginning on June 30. His decision, announced in a television broadcast to the nation, was a measure of the devastating nature of the European Parliament election result, which gave the National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen and her wildly popular protégé, Jordan Bardella, about 31.5 percent of the vote, to about 15.2 percent for Mr. Macron's Renaissance party. It became the leading party in France by some distance. 'The rise of nationalists and demagogues is a danger for our nation and for Europe,' Mr. Macron said. 'After this day I cannot go on as though nothing has happened.'" Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ CNN's live updates of developments in the European elections are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here.

Nadeen Ebrahim of CNN: "sraeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has resigned from Benjamin Netanyahu's government, delivering a blow to the prime minister who has been celebrating the rare rescue of hostages held in Gaza. 'Netanyahu prevents us from moving forward to a real victory [in Gaza],' Gantz said in a televised statement Sunday in which he described leaving the government as a 'complex and painful' decision.... He accused Netanyahu of putting his own personal political considerations ahead of a post-war strategy for the Gaza Strip, claiming that 'fateful strategic decisions are met with hesitancy and procrastination due to political considerations,' and urged the prime minister to hold an election in the coming months." (Also linked yesterday.)

Waafa Shurafa & Samy Magdy of the AP: "At least 274 Palestinians, including dozens of children, were killed, and hundreds more were wounded, in the Israeli raid that rescued four hostages held by Hamas, Gaza's Health Ministry said Sunday. The Israeli military said its forces came under heavy fire and responded during the complex daytime operation in central Gaza. The killing of so many Palestinians, in a raid that Israelis celebrated as a stunning success, showed the heavy cost of such operations on top of the already soaring toll of the 8-month-old war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack."

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Reader Comments (13)

The Fat Felon, doing his usual schtick at some treason hootenanny in Vegas, offered this description: “
criminal, mentally unstable, and 'not productive' member of society.”

There he goes again. Talking all about himself. C’mon, Donnie, not everything is about you!

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Meanwhile, at that same meeting of the Demented Dotard 4 Prezdent fan club in Vegas, a technical thing happened, eliciting this response from the always erudite and we’ll spoken guest of dishonor:

“My elleromper nah work! Szas why I Tok like a idiot!” He followed this up with “Shitty, shitty, shitty, shitty, shit, shitty!” which is either the condition of his diaper, or his campaign. Awww
such eloquence! No wonder the MAGAts love him. His command of the English language is on a par with their own.

“Former President Donald Trump fumed about technical issues plaguing his rally in Las Vegas Sunday.

At several points during his speech, Trump complained that his teleprompter was not working. He made light of the issue after trying to say the word ‘Hispanic’ and flubbing it — instead saying “Hispanican.”

‘I got no teleprompters!’ Trump said. “And I haven’t from the beginning.’”

After which he said he wasn’t gonna pay nothin’! Harumph! Wait
when does he ever pay?

And I’m pretty sure a teleprompter glitch doesn’t make you sound like you’ve been taking your hourly dose of quaaludes with six fingers of Jack Daniels.

That Donnie! So refined, so eloquent, so calm under the most dire, horrible circumstances, like when a thingamajig doesn’t work right for two minutes. But sure
let’s give that the guy the nuclear codes again.

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Akhilleus: I think a "Hispanican" has potential, I'm just not sure for what. In Trump's mind it's probably something racist, but a "Hispanican" could be someone who speaks Spanish but is from the Americas and not Europe.

As for that string of "shitty"s, I think what Trump meant to say was, "Shitty, shitty, bang bang." But he suddenly realized he was a convicted felon, and somebody took his guns away, and now he has to skip the bang-bang part so he's reduced to extended scatological fulminations.

June 10, 2024 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Marie,

Scatological fulminations are all well and good, but I’m hoping for a lengthy penological culmination come July 11. I know that (too) many commentators are wearing down the finish on their pearls with all the high pressure clutching going on about what horrors might occur should the Fat Felon get jail time, especially for a first offense, and something “so minor”.

First, it’s only a first offense technically. This asshole is a career criminal. And it’s only “minor” if you completely overlook the context. He pulled a fast one on voters in order to steal the presidency, the effects of that fraud are almost incalculable, starting with his being then put in a position to destroy the Supreme Court.

Also, Judge Merchan is allowed to consider things like Fatty’s incredible disrespect during the trial, repeated violations of a gag order, his attempts to bribe and bully witnesses, his personal attacks on the judge, his family, the jury, and the legitimacy of the court system itself. I’ve read also that a very important element in sentencing is whether or not the defendant exhibits remorse, and whether it appears likely that he or she will not repeat their criminal actions if granted leniency. That’s a big NOT on both counts.

Finally, it’s important that the next Trump understand that pulling this kind of maneuver WILL land your ass in jail. I don’t care that he doesn’t get a year or two or three, but it has to be enough to make it hurt. I’d say at least two days for each count, say 68 days in the klink.

And no special treatment. And NO house arrest either.

I want him to hear that jail door slam shut.

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Paul Waldman

"Trump's Conviction Has Liberated the GOP

Trump doesn’t argue that he is clean, but that everybody is dirty: Everybody cheats on their taxes, everybody cheats on their wives, everybody falsifies business records, everybody gives bribes and takes bribes. Everybody’s venal, everybody’s corrupt, everybody’s worst selves are their truest selves, and he’s the honest one because his worst self is his only self.
The permission to be your worst self lay at the heart of Trump’s appeal in 2016. He didn’t use dog whistles or pretend to be a better person than he was; his bigotry, resentments and anger were right on the surface, and he encouraged his followers to be like him. Let your freak flag fly, stop being polite, grab ‘em by the pussy and tell those bastards what you think of them, right to their face."

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Wait, where are all those RWNJs who lambasted Obama for using a teleprompter. No comments about Orange guy? Is Donnie going to wear a tan suit next?

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterNiskyGuy

Wait, his entire incoherent rant is on a teleprompter??

And Hew Hewit in the WaPo declares that the conviction will be thrown out because the judge gave $35 to dems in some election, I forget which one, and I didn't read the entire rant, just skipped to comments. And I know I misspelled the name but I like it like that.

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered Commenterpat

Pat,

I kinda like that spelling too. Another traitor trying to chop up democracy and put it through the wood chipper to be used as mulch surrounding the dead roses at the Trump mausoleum.

But we could try other variations:

Skew
Screw
Stew
Pee-yoo
Blew (as in “
out his brains)
Flew (as in “
into the cuckoo’s nest)
Few (brain cells)

But Hew works nicely.

The ability of these galumphing goo-goos to craft protean pronouncements that change daily or even hourly, as their previous promises of earth-shattering truths sink into the sand is a blunder to behold.

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

"Railing against Biden’s D-Day rhetoric, right gives away the game

In 2017, on the 4th of July, NPR published a series of tweets with the text of the Declaration of Independence. It seemed like a simple, patriotic gesture to help celebrate our Independence Day. A surprising number of Republicans didn’t quite see it that way.

The more NPR published portions of the Declaration of Independence, the more rank-and-file conservatives — who apparently didn’t recognize the words of the document — assumed that the media outlet was publishing anti-Trump “propaganda.”

“A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people,” one tweet read, sparking particular outrage from the right, who assumed the missive was directed at the then-Republican president.

And while there are plenty of other similar examples, the issue returned to the fore late last week when President Joe Biden delivered a pair of speeches in France in recognition of the anniversary of D-Day. The incumbent Democrat did not utter his predecessor’s name, but Biden did celebrate democracy and U.S. alliances, while condemning tyranny, authoritarianism and isolationism.

But given what the Democrat actually said and the principles he touted, some on the right are saying more than they intended with their complaints and condemnations of Biden’s inoffensive, patriotic rhetoric.

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Actually I love the idea that the Fat Felon’s screeching rants are all on a prompter.

I can see him trying to direct the people scrolling through the litany of lies and douchebag diatribes:

“Hey! Hey! Did we skip over the part where I call Joe Biden a murderer? Wait. There it is
no, no..that’s where I say Judge Merchan’s daughter is a hooker working out of Hillary Clinton’s kiddie porn studio. Wait
back up
that’s my favorite slur.

Okay
now can we skip over to the part where I talk about public hangings? Hold on
what’s that word? “Pubic hangmees” did I say that? You transcribed my last speech verbatim? Shit. I sound like Clarence Thomas!”

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Cut! Cut! Cut that part out! It makes Trump look bad!

Editors at Fox earn their money finagling Trump’s own words to keep him out of trouble.

So here he is, fucking up yet another softball interview where all he has to do is follow the interviewer, whose sole purpose in life is to make him look good, and not step on any rakes.

But, as usual, TrumpBrain is a rake-rich environment.

Here’s how it goes. The idea here is to make Fatty look like a true believer in transparency and truth, heroically getting to the bottom of things.

So


Faux interviewer: Would you disclose information on 9-11?

Fatty: Sure.

Faux interviewer: Information on the JFK assassination?

Fatty: Yes!

Faux interviewer: Jeffrey Epstein?

Fatty: Um
.yeah/

Hard edit. Cut, cut, cut. Right there where he says “yeah”

Because
.

Right after that, he immediately starts to backpedal. Furiously.

Jeffrey Epstein? What? Um
well, I dunno. Jesus. Epstein [holy shit!] I mean people could get hurt
blah, blah, blah
the way he died
the babes I
I mean those poor young girls


All he had to do was say “Absolutely!” then, of course, not do it. But as soon as the name “Jeffrey Epstein” worked its way down to the hippocampus, a red warning light started flashing in that lizard brain saying “Danger, danger, Will Robinson! Run away!” Because Trump was buddy-buddy with Epstein. Does anyone doubt he had sex with underage girls?

And Fox? Producers saw this panic attack followed by Trump’s ba-dee, ba-dee, ba-dee word salad and decided to save the day. The edited version hit the air. The uncut version played online. Oops!

Them rakes is everywhere!

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Rollingstone

"Justice Samuel Alito spoke candidly about the ideological battle between the left and the right — discussing the difficulty of living “peacefully” with ideological opponents in the face of “fundamental” differences that “can’t be compromised.” He endorsed what his interlocutor described as a necessary fight to “return our country to a place of godliness.” And Alito offered a blunt assessment of how America’s polarization will ultimately be resolved: “One side or the other is going to win.”

The justice’s unguarded comments highlight the degree to which Alito makes little effort to present himself as a neutral umpire calling judicial balls and strikes, but rather as a partisan member of a hard-right judicial faction that’s empowered to make life-altering decisions for every American."

Audio of the Alito conversation.

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Politico

"The capital of one of the world’s most stable democracies is gripped by growing panic about foreign agents working in elected office. A bombshell report by Canadian lawmakers has unnerved Parliament Hill, alleging that unnamed politicians have been covertly working with foreign governments.

The new report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians is the first to suggest that lawmakers in Canada’s parliament may have helped foreign actors meddle in political campaigns and leadership races.

The all-party NSICOP said Monday that it has reviewed intelligence that suggests “semi-witting or witting” parliamentarians have worked with foreign missions to mobilize voters during a political campaign; have taken cash “knowingly or through willful blindness” from foreign missions or their proxies; and have shared privileged information with foreign diplomatic officials.

Its report said China remains the largest foreign interference threat to Canada with India the second.

The intelligence included a claim that unnamed parliamentarians are taking direction from unnamed diplomats to “improperly influence” their colleagues or parliamentary business to the benefit of a foreign state."

June 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS
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