;)
The Conversation -- March 23, 2024
Aishvarya Kavi of the New York Times: "President Biden signed a $1.2 trillion spending package on Saturday, putting an end to the prospect of a government shutdown after the legislation passed a rushed series of congressional votes with bipartisan support and landed on his desk just after 2 a.m."
Marianne Levine, et al., of the Washington Post: Donald Trump has aligned "himself with Jan. 6 rioters, as he intensifies his use of dark, graphic and at times violent language.... Until November, he called the Jan. 6 defendants ... 'political prisoners' before introducing the term 'hostages,' according to a Washington Post analysis of his speeches this campaign cycle.... [A Washington Post] analysis [of his speeches] also showed an uptick in his references to Jan. 6 defendants, as well as the word 'criminals,' which Trump has used to describe prosecutors, political opponents, the press and undocumented immigrants. The escalation overlaps with his own mounting legal jeopardy...."
Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "Donald Trump's social media company could go public as soon as next week, paving the way for a potentially huge windfall for a former president who raked in tens of millions of dollars the last time one of his companies was listed on a stock exchange. That previous, decades-ago experience, however, did not end well for the company or its investors. While a 2016 Washington Post review found that Trump made over $44 million, the company -- Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts --- lost more than $1 billion and ended up in bankruptcy.... Trump, who was the company's chairman and later CEO, continued making millions of dollars a year in salary and bonuses despite the heavy losses [the company was experiencing under his direction]." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I'm no market guru, but my sense is that if Trump ran into the ground a business that is normally a cash cow, "Truth Social" -- a knockoff social media site in which the only "asset" is Trump tweets -- is worth about 50 cents.
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Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The Senate overwhelmingly gave final approval early Saturday to a $1.2 trillion spending bill to fund more than half of the government, effectively averting a shutdown by sending the legislation to President Biden's desk just hours after a midnight deadline. The 74-to-24 vote, which concluded about 2 a.m., capped an extraordinary day on Capitol Hill that began with a big bipartisan vote to speed the measure through the House, which set off a conservative revolt and prompted one Republican to threaten a bid to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from his post. The Senate action came more than 12 hours after the House vote, after intense haggling to arrange a series of politically charged votes on proposed changes to the legislation that Republicans had demanded that threatened to push the government into a brief partial shutdown into the weekend. The White House said in a statement minutes after the midnight deadline that federal officials had 'ceased shutdown preparations' in anticipation of Mr. Biden signing the legislation later Saturday." The AP's story is here. Both the NYT & AP stories are updates of stories linked earlier.~~~
~~~ Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: "The House approved a $1.2 trillion spending package Friday, hours before a midnight government shutdown deadline -- forcing the Senate up against a ticking clock to take up and pass the measure. The bill, which passed by a 286 to 134 vote, would fund about three-quarters of the federal government for the next six months, while also raising military pay, eliminating U.S. funding for the U.N. relief agency for Palestinians and bolstering security at the U.S.-Mexico border. The legislation's passage in the Senate is not in doubt -- it has the support of President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). But a single senator can throw up procedural roadblocks that push the government past the deadline and force a vote days later.... Republican Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.), Mike Lee (Utah) and Bill Hagerty (Tenn.) have already signaled they are likely to offer amendments, which would slow the Senate's progress on the bill." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ SO THEN. Manu Raju, et al., of CNN: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has filed a motion to oust Mike Johnson from the speakership, according to sources familiar with the matter, amid anger about the government funding bill. The House would have to consider Greene's motion within two legislative days after she is recognized. The chamber is heading for a two-week recess, and Greene told reporters she would not call up the resolution on Friday, which means the clock to force a vote has not started. Asked for a reaction by CNN, Johnson didn't respond, dismissing the question with a wave. After Greene filed the motion, she was swarmed by her Republican colleagues. A source close to the conversations told CNN that a number of fellow GOP lawmakers were trying to convince the Georgia Republican not to bring the motion.... Part of the argument to Greene from her Republican colleagues is that if she goes through with this, it could lead to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries inadvertently becoming speaker...." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. ~~~
~~~ Saving Ukraine. Nicholas Wu & Daniella Diaz of Politico: "Several Democrats from across the ideological spectrum said in interviews with Politico they would motion to table Greene-s resolution -- if it came to a vote -- if Johnson put a Ukraine aid package on the House floor for a vote.... 'It's not a question of saving Mike Johnson,' [said] Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). 'I'll make a common cause and an alliance with anybody in Congress who will try to save the Ukrainian people at this point.'"
Eleanor Mueller & Olivia Beavers of Politico: "Speaker Mike Johnson is about to drop to a one-vote majority, as retiring Rep. Mike Gallagher has decided he will exit the House as soon as next month, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. In a statement shortly after this story published, Gallagher said he planned to leave April 19.... Wisconsin law dictates that Gallagher's seat -- in a solidly red district -- will stay empty for the rest of his term. Departing before April 9 would have triggered a special election. The Wisconsin Republican announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection, after he received blowback for voting against impeaching Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. His allies, however, say he was long jaded by the antics of the House following the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy." (Also linked yesterday.)
The Trials of Trump
Matthew Goldstein of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's social media company on Friday completed a long-awaited merger with a cash-rich shell company, raising Mr. Trump's wealth by billions and potentially providing him a fresh source of cash to pay his mounting legal bills. In approving the merger, shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corporation will become shareholders of Trump Media & Technology Group, which will trade on the stock market under the stock symbol DJT. The deal will pump more than $300 million into Trump Media, which has all but exhausted its available cash and will allow Truth Social, the company's flagship digital media platform, to keep operating. Based on Digital World's stock price of $44 a share just before the vote announcement, Trump Media will debut with a market value of more than $5 billion. That means Mr. Trump's personal stake will be worth more than $3 billion. Shares of Trump Media could begin trading under the new stock symbol as soon as next week." (Also linked yesterday.)
It's a Miracle! Rebecca Shabad & Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "... Donald Trump claimed early Friday morning that he has 'almost' $500 million in cash, undercutting his lawyers' claims that he would not be able to comply with the $464 million judgment against him and his co-defendants in the civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. 'Through hard work, talent, and luck, I currently have almost five hundred million dollars in cash, a substantial amount of which I intended to use in my campaign for president,' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social in all caps. 'The often overturned political hack judge on the rigged and corrupt A.G. case, where I have done nothing wrong, knew this, wanted to take it away from me, and that's where and why he came up with the shocking number which, coupled with his crazy interest demand, is approximately $454,000,000.'... Trump hasn't contributed any of his own money to his presidential campaigns since 2016."* (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ * Lawrence O'Donnell said on-air that even in 2016, Trump did not really contribute to his campaign. He lent the campaign $10MM, but he reimbursed himself later.
~~~ Marie: I'd be curious to see Trump's filings & letters to the appeals court & to Justice Engoron. Do the attorneys assert that he doesn't have the cash? If so, that's a misrepresentation -- assuming he's able to pull $454MM out of a hat now. Update: According to O'Donnell, the attorneys asserted to the court that it was a "practical impossibility" for Trump to come up with the cash.
Glenn Thrush & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: At the time Merrick Garland was sworn in as attorney general, in March 2021, "some in the Justice Department were pushing for the chance to look at ties between pro-Trump rioters who assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, his allies who had camped out at the Willard Hotel, and possibly [Donald] Trump himself.... 'Follow the connective tissue upward,' said Mr. Garland.... Mr. Garland, 71, a former federal judge and prosecutor, proceeded with characteristic by-the-book caution, pressure-testing every significant legal maneuver, demanding that prosecutors take no shortcuts and declaring the inquiry would 'take as long as it takes.' As a result, prosecutors and the F.B.I. spent months sticking to their traditional playbook.... It would take the department nearly a year to focus on the actions contained in the indictment ultimately brought by Jack Smith.... Like many before them, Mr. Garland and his team appear to have underestimated Mr. Trump's capacity for reinvention and disruption, in this case through delay." (Also linked yesterday.)
Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times argues that the current Supreme Court does not reflect the will of the people: "five of the six members of the conservative majority on the Roberts court were nominated by presidents who entered office without the winds of a popular majority.... The three Trump justices bring additional baggage. Each one was nominated and confirmed in a show of partisan power politics.... As much as ours is a dire moment for the future of the American republic, we can at least rest assured that we aren't living through 1857 or 1860 or 1861.... This Supreme Court -- the Roberts court -- is playing its own version of the dangerous game that brought the Taney court to ruin. It is acting as if the public must obey its dictates. It is acting as if its legitimacy is incidental to its power. It is acting as if it cannot be touched or brought to heel."
Michelle Boorstein of the Washington Post: "Lawmakers in mostly conservative states are pushing a coordinated effort to bring chaplains into public schools, aided by a new, legislation-crafting network that aims to address policy issues 'from a biblical world view' and by a consortium whose promotional materials say chaplains are a way to convert millions to Christianity. The bills have been introduced this legislative season in 14 states, inspired by Texas, which passed a law last year allowing school districts to hire chaplains or use them as volunteers for whatever role the local school board sees fit, including replacing trained counselors.... The bills are mushrooming in an era when the U.S. Supreme Court has expanded the rights of religious people and groups in the public square and weakened historic protections meant to keep the government from endorsing religion."
Mark Walker of the New York Times: "Passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines plane that made an emergency landing after a fuselage panel blew off this year have started to receive letters from the F.B.I. identifying them as possible victims of a crime. The letters are a sign that a criminal investigation the Justice Department has opened into Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737 Max 9 jet, is ramping up."
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd.
Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "Ronna McDaniel, who stepped down as chairwoman of the Republican National Committee this month, is joining NBC News as an on-air contributor, the network said on Friday. The hire adds a reliably conservative voice to NBC's stable of political analysts. Ms. McDaniel is also expected to provide commentary on MSNBC, NBC's left-leaning cable cousin and a network that ... Donald J. Trump and his allies often accuse of being an arm of the Democratic Party." MB: I guess Donnie Junior wasn't available. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Oliver Darcy of CNN: "NBC News on Friday announced that it had hired Ronna McDaniel, the former Republican National Committee chair who has repeatedly attacked the network and its journalists, assailed the news media as 'fake news' and promoted false claims around the 2020 vote, as an on-air commentator ahead of the 2024 presidential election.... McDaniel has a ... history attacking the progressive cable news channel MSNBC, which she will appear on in her new role. In recent years, she has repeatedly attacked the channel for 'spreading lies' and blasted those she described as the network's 'primetime propagandists.'... Earlier this month, CNBC hosted Trump for a lengthy phone interview in which the network's anchors allowed him to peddle lies and conspiracy theories on air without scrutiny. MSNBC has even started carrying Trump's remarks live on television, a practice that the network boasted for years it would not do." ~~~
~~~ John Knefel of Media Matters cites the network's own coverage of McDaniel's illustrious career as head of the RNC, like her prominent role in the fake electors scheme. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Tim Murphy of Mother Jones: "Spending seven years running interference for a fascistic fraudster who holds the First Amendment in roughly the same terminal contempt with which he regards women and low-flow toilets is not the kind of thing that should qualify you for a new career in journalism. But McDaniel did more than shill for the president. She played an important role in public and behind the scenes in Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election -- and with it, two and a half centuries of constitutional governance. That should be a clear red line for employers in the truth-telling business.... [Donald Trump's] goal is to erode trust in the press. I'm not sure why the suits at NBC News think it's in anyone's best interest to hire someone to do that work for Trump." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I don't know. Akhilleus had a great idea at the end of yesterday's Comments: give Ronna Romney McD "her own Sunday morning show: Meet the Traitors. A weekly round table of insurrectionists, haters of democracy, Heritage authoritarians, liars, and thugs. Also because we don't hear enough from these creeps already." I'm hoping the J-6 Choir -- those thugs in prison for participating in the insurrection -- will write and sing the show's theme song. The suits who hired Ronna are probably the same geniuses who pulled Mehdi Hasan's show. Seriously, I hope prominent MSNBC hosts will boycott any show on which Ronna appears, and if not that, tear her to shreds on air.
Ruth Igielnik of the New York Times: "Republicans who get their news from nonconservative mainstream media outlets are less likely to support Donald J. Trump than those who follow conservative outlets. And sizable numbers from the first group say they think Mr. Trump acted criminally, according to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll. This division could affect his standing among Republicans in the general electorate -- a decidedly different group from G.O.P. primary voters. That is in line with research that shows that changing the media habits of Fox News consumers may actually change their views. One hundred percent of the Republicans in our poll who said they got their news from Fox News or other conservative sources said they intended to support Mr. Trump in the general election.... [Of] Republicans whose main media sources are outlets like CNN and major news organizations: Seventy-nine percent of them plan to vote for Mr. Trump, and 13 percent said they planned to vote for President Biden." ~~~
~~~ Marie: So the vast majority of self-identified Republicans, even given facts & relatively nonpartisan news, still thinks the DiJiTal Dictator is a good choice.
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California Senate Race. M.L. Nestel of the Raw Story: "Steve Garvey, the celebrity candidate angling to fill the late Sen. Diane Feinstein's seat, is deep in the hole with state and federal taxes. Garvey, a Los Angeles Dodger and San Diego Padres great, owes at least $350,000 and as much as $750,000 in back taxes dating over a decade ago, according to his February financial disclosure statement listing two estimated six-figure amounts and first reported by The Sacramento Bee.... Garvey is ... facing off against Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) in the November general election...." (Also linked yesterday.)
Texas. Oh, There Are Two "Justice" Systems. Jasper Scherer of the Texas Tribune: "Lawyers in Ken Paxton's felony securities fraud case are in talks about a deal to drop the charges facing the Republican attorney general if he performs community service and pays restitution, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Paxton could also have to take advanced legal education courses under a 'draft agreement' that would allow him to skirt next month's trial, the Statesman reported. Paxton, who has been under indictment on two first-degree fraud charges and a third-degree charge since 2015, was scheduled for a final pretrial hearing on Tuesday ahead of an April 15 trial in Houston. He is accused of soliciting investors in a McKinney technology company more than a decade ago without disclosing that the firm was paying him to promote its stock. He is also charged with steering clients to a friend's investment advising business without registering with the state securities board."
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Israel/Palestine, et al.
Making Matters Worse. Cate Brown of the Washington Post: "Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced the seizure of 10 square kilometers (3.8 square miles) of Palestinian territory in the West Bank on Friday. The move marks the single largest land seizure by the Israeli government since the 1993 Oslo accords, according to Peace Now, a settlement watchdog group.... Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law. Still, Israel has used land orders like the one issued Friday to gain control over 16 percent of Palestinian-controlled lands in the West Bank.... Friday's land order is particularly problematic for the prospect of a two-state solution, experts say.... More than 40 percent of the West Bank is under the control of Israeli settlers, according to the Israel-based rights group B'Tselem, and more than half-a-million Jewish residents now live in the West Bank."
Edith Lederer of the AP: "Russia and China on Friday vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution calling for 'an immediate and sustained cease-fire' in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 11 members in favor, three against and one abstention." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates of Friday's developments in the Israel/Hamas war are here.
Russia
AP: "Russian authorities detained 11 people, [link fixed] state media reported Saturday, after gunmen stormed a concert hall in Moscow in a grisly attack that left at least 115 people dead. Russia's Investigative Committee said four of those detained were directly involved in the attack that left the sprawling shopping mall and music venue smoldering with a collapsed roof. Russian agencies appeared to suggest the attack was linked to Ukraine even though the Islamic State group claimed responsibility in a statement. A U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press that U.S. agencies had confirmed that that group was responsible for the attack. The four suspects were stopped in the Bryansk region of western Russia, 'not far from the border with Ukraine,' Russia's Investigative Committee said. They planned to cross the border into Ukraine and 'had contacts' there, state news agency Tass said, citing Russia's FSB. The head of the FSB briefed President Vladimir Putin on the arrests on Saturday, according to Tass.... Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, denied any involvement. 'Ukraine has never resorted to the use of terrorist methods,' he posted on X...." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times liveblog of developments is here.
AP: "Several gunmen burst into a large concert hall on the edge of Moscow on Friday and sprayed visitors with automatic gunfire, killing at least 40 and injuring 100 others in an attack that came just days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the raid..., which state authorities were investigating as an act of terrorism. It was the deadliest attack in Russia in years and came as the country's war in Ukraine dragged into a third year. Russia's Federal Security Service, the main domestic security and counter-terrorism agency, said 40 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded in the attack at Crocus City Hall, a large music venue on Moscow's western edge. Russian news reports said that the assailants threw explosives, triggering the massive blaze at the hall, which can accommodate 6,000. Video from outside showed the building on fire.... The attack followed a statement issued earlier this month by the U.S. Embassy in Moscow that urged the Americans to avoid crowded places in the Russian capital in view of an imminent attack, a warning that was repeated by several other Western embassies." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' liveblog yesterday is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Julian Barnes & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "A branch of the Islamic State claimed responsibility on Friday for the attack in Moscow that killed at least 40 people and injured about 100 others, and U.S. officials confirmed the claim shortly afterward. The United States collected intelligence in March that Islamic State-Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, the branch of the group based in Afghanistan, had been planning an attack on Moscow, according to officials. ISIS members have been active in Russia, one U.S. official said.... In addition to publicly warning on March 7 about a possible attack, U.S. officials said they had privately told Russian officials about the intelligence pointing to an impending attack."
U.K. Karla Adam & Bryan Pietsch of the Washington Post: "Catherine, Princess of Wales, said she has been diagnosed with cancer and that she was in the early stages of chemotherapy, as she asked for "time, space and privacy' while completing treatment. The news came as a 'huge shock,' Catherine said in a prerecorded message posted on X on Friday and broadcast on the BBC. 'William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,' she said. She said that after she underwent major abdominal surgery in January, she thought that her condition was noncancerous. 'The surgery was successful, however, tests after the operation found that cancer had been present,' she said." (Also linked yesterday.)
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Reader Comments (6)
Marie’s suggestion that the pro-Trump, anti-democracy, anti-US scumbags at NBC (can’t call them “both-sides” anymore; they’re all in on one side only) hire the so-called J6 choir to provide the theme song for the possible upcoming Meet the Traitors Sunday morning gasbag extravaganza, is an appropriate idea.
Remember how Donald Trump ended the career of NFL player Colin Kaepernick for daring to protest the officially sanctioned murders of unarmed black men by various police forces around the country? Kaepernick and other players engaged in non-violent, peaceful protest, as was their right under the Constitution.
The Fat Fascist saw this as a way to stick it to black players by jumping up and down in faux patriotic fervor about how they “dishonored” the National Anthem. NFL owners obliged the massa and promptly got rid of Kaepernick, thus sending a message to any other uppity blacks to watch their step.
Since then, the league’s owners have colluded, illegally, to keep Kaepernick out of the game. This is a pretty astounding outcome considering that A. Kaepernick once led his team to the Super Bowl, and B. this is a league made up of teams that live and die by the quality of their quarterbacks, a league that routinely recycles half-assed white quarterbacks who have never been within 1,000 miles of the Super Bowl, and who command tens of millions of dollars in salaries each year. But somehow, Kaepernick can’t seem to find a job.
Trump routinely brags to his racist supporters about how he got this “disrespectful” darkie booted from the NFL.
But here’s Mr. Respect the Anthem, a guy who doesn’t even know the words to the song, and who is now using the anthem, to which he has seen fit to add his own words, to make money for traitors who tried to overthrow the government. Is taking a knee, in a quiet, non-violent protest during the playing of the anthem worse than mutilating it and monetizing it for the benefit of violent insurrectionists??
And let’s not even get into the disgraceful aspect of this hater of America, hypocritically reciting the Pledge of Allegiance as violent felons, convicted of crimes against the nation merrily sing an anthem about a nation they tried to destroy, a guy who has never honored a pledge in his life, and who demonstrates allegiance only to himself.
None of which matters to the bean counters at NBC.
What’s next? The Nightly News with Steve Bannon?
A bad case of the doldrums.
https://time.com/6958494/united-states-falls-world-happiness-report/
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/23/upshot/fox-republicans-trump.html
No doubt related, but are we looking at cause or effect?
I’ll go with cause.
One of the commentators on Chris Hayes last night said that Russian propaganda there was claiming that the warning of just such an attack as what happened was actually a threat and the US is behind the massacre in Moscow. Putin was whining about blackmail and dismissing the intelligence just a few days before the attack in response to the US government telling Americans to avoid crowded spaces last week.
All these Republicans quitting the House have basically said the same thing, "screw you Republican voters and Republican Party for electing all these worthless losers to Congress who incapable of completing the simplest of tasks." Though of course they don't have the self awareness to see that they are also the problem and helped create the atmosphere of disinformation that lead so many to detach from reality.
Well said, RAS. As the seas rise around the iceberg of GOP perfidy, we continue to notice only the tip. I laugh out loud when one of the Tea Party morons gets in a huff over what's happened to a once-great party (although you have to actually study history to figure out when it all went wrong for the GOP--I'd say 1962 when Barry Goldwater crossed over to the dark side).
@Jack Mahoney: Yes, I am old enough to remember way back in the day when there were Republicans -- especially here in the Northeast -- a liberal would be glad to support. And they were a helluva a lot better than most Southern Democrats (although we had some good guys in S.E. Florida). And I agree; Barry Goldwater marked the beginning of the end of all that.
There was an article in the WashPo just this week about Richard Nixon's proposing a four-day work week.