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Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

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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Friday
Sep082023

The Conversation -- September 9, 2023

New Mexico. Morgan Lee of the AP: "New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday issued an emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public across Albuquerque and the surrounding county for at least 30 days in response to a spate of gun violence. The Democratic governor said she expects legal challenges but was compelled to act because of recent shootings, including the death of an 11-year-old boy outside a minor league baseball stadium this week. Lujan Grisham said state police would be responsible for enforcing what amount to civil violations. Albuquerque police Chief Harold Medina said he won't enforce it, and Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said he's uneasy about it because it raises too many questions about constitutional rights."

Texas. Chuck Lindell of the Texas Tribune summarizes what-all happened this week at the state senate trial of suspended Texas attorney general Ken Paxton.

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times writes about her friendship with Jimmy Buffett.

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times is liveblogging developments at the G-20 summit: "Leaders of the world's largest economies gathered on Saturday to discuss ways to eas burdens on poorer nations, opening a Group of 20 summit whose Indian hosts hope will advance a global economic agenda even as it is overshadowed by Russia's war in Ukraine and the absence of the Russian and Chinese leaders. India, a growing diplomatic and economic power that has stuck to neutrality over the Ukraine conflict, has painstakingly tried to limit discussions about the war to the economic distress it has caused, with energy and food prices rising around the world. Atop the G20 economic agenda in New Delhi is the issue of global debt and reforming institutions such as the World Bank to address the growing strains on poorer countries; a push for more financing to help vulnerable nations deal with the costs of mitigating threats from climate change; and the potential of digital technologies to increase inclusion in global economies."

Fifth Circuit: The First Amendment Protects Dangerous Lies. Steven Myers of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the Biden administration most likely overstepped the First Amendment by urging the major social media platforms to remove misleading or false content about the Covid-19 pandemic, partly upholding a lower court's preliminary injunction in a victory for conservatives. The ruling, by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, was another twist in a First Amendment case that has challenged the government's ability to combat false and misleading narratives about the pandemic, voting rights and other issues that spread on social media." ~~~

     ~~~ Tierney Sneed of CNN: "A federal appeals court on Friday said the Biden administration likely violated the First Amendment in some of its communications with social media companies, but also narrowed a lower court judge's order on the matter. The US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that certain administration officials -- namely in the White House, the surgeon general, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation -- likely 'coerced or significantly encouraged social media platforms to moderate content' in violation of the First Amendment in its efforts to combat Covid-19 disinformation. But the three-judge panel said the preliminary injunction issued by US District Judge Terry Doughty in July, which ordered some Biden administration agencies and top officials not to communicate with social media companies about certain content, was 'both vague and broader than necessary to remedy the Plaintiffs' injuries, as shown at this preliminary juncture.'" Donald Trump appointed Doughty.

Trump Family Crime Blotter

** Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "... a judge rejected an effort by Mark Meadows, [Donald] Trump's former White House chief of staff, to move his case from state court to federal court.... The ruling, by Judge Steve C. Jones of the Northern District of Georgia, does not bode well for [other Georgia defendants who are expected to attempt to have their cases moved to federal court]." Meadows appealed the ruling Friday night. (An earlier version of this report was linked yesterday.) CNN's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So despite what we all may have assumed, even in a Trump administration, criminal activity is not a part of the written job description for chief-of-staff. (Okay, Judge Jones' actual rationale was more along the lines of -- working for a presidential campaign is not a part of the job description for chief-of-staff.)

** Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "A special grand jury that investigated election interference allegations in Georgia recommended indicting a number of Trump allies who were not charged, including Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the former senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, and Michael Flynn, a former national security adviser. In its final report, which a judge unsealed on Friday, the panel also recommended charges against Boris Epshteyn, one of ... Donald J. Trump's main lawyers, as well as a number of other Trump-aligned lawyers, including Cleta Mitchell and Lin Wood." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ CNN: "A Georgia judge has released the full final report from the special grand jury that investigated Donald Trump and his allies' attempts to overturn the 2020 election in the state. The panel recommended charges against GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and former GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did not charge them in the indictment last month against Trump and 18 other co-defendants." The linked page is a CNN liveblog that covers this & other matters related to the Georgia RICO case. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

"The Georgia special grand jury had recommended charges against 39 people as part of their 2020 election interference probe. Ultimately, 21 people on the list were not charged. One other person -- Michael Roman, whose name did not appear in the report -- was also charged by the Fulton County district attorney." This entry lists all the people the special grand jury recommended for indictment. ~~~

     ~~~ Politico's story is here. You can read the full special grand jury report here, via Politico. (CNN also has republished the report on its liveblog, but you'll have to scroll down to find it. (Also linked yesterday.)

The Family that Rebels Together Gets Jail Time Together. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "A Tennessee man and his mother were sentenced to prison on Friday for seeking to intimidate lawmakers by marching with matching tactical vests and carrying zip tie-style handcuffs during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, federal prosecutors said. The man, Eric Munchel, 32, of Nashville, who became known on social media as 'Zip Tie Guy,' was sentenced to nearly five years in prison, the Justice Department said. His mother, Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 59, of Woodstock, Ga., was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, the department said. They were fined $2,000 each, and their prison terms will be followed by two and a half years of supervised release." The NBC News story is here. MB: Such a sweet family-values kinda story. I mean, how can you jail a mom-and-son couple who wore matching outfits to the revolution?

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Last October, a few months before he went to trial on sedition charges linked to the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, got an invitation: [to meet with his lawyers and federal prosecutors].... During that meeting, Mr. Tarrio recounted on Friday in a phone interview from jail, the prosecutors told him that they believed he had communicated in the run-up to the riot with ... Donald J. Trump through at least three intermediaries. The prosecutors, Mr. Tarrio said, offered him leniency if he could corroborate their theory. Mr. Tarrio said he told them they were wrong. And the discussion with prosecutors -- which took place in Miami, Mr. Tarrio's hometown -- apparently went nowhere. Mr. Tarrio was later convicted of seditious conspiracy in federal court in Washington and was sentenced on Tuesday to 22 years in prison.... 'There is absolutely no connection between me and President Trump,' Mr. Tarrio said.... During the sedition trial, prosecutors introduced a text message ... suggesting that he had coordinated some rallies the Proud Boys were involved in with Mr. Trump's campaign."

Presidential Race 2024

Dareh Gregorian, et al., of NBC News: "... Donald Trump is seeking to have a Colorado lawsuit aimed at kicking him off the 2024 ballot in the state moved to federal court. In a court filing on Thursday, lawyers for Trump argued the suit brought earlier this week by a group of six voters should be moved from state court to federal court because it centers on the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which holds that no person shall hold any office if they 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion' after having taken an oath to support the Constitution." (Also linked yesterday.)

Nicholas Nehamas & Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: "During his 2018 run for governor, Ron DeSantis not only pledged to protect Florida's Everglades and waterways, he also acknowledged that humans played a role in exacerbating the climate change that threatened them.... Now running for president..., the Florida governor no longer repeats his previous view that humans affect the climate, even as scientists say that the hurricanes battering his state are being intensified by man-made global warming.... Instead, Mr. DeSantis has seemingly reverted to an old Republican Party line that climate change is happening naturally, without being accelerated by human behavior like the burning of fossil fuels. Decades of scientific research contradict that position. And it is also out of step with what polling shows many Americans believe. On the 2024 campaign trail, Mr. DeSantis has promised to ramp up domestic oil and gas production and fight against mandates on the introduction of electric vehicles -- the kinds of steps that could worsen the sea-level rise that is flooding coastal cities in Florida and around the world." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Ron DeSantolini is the best living American specimen of how blind ambition corrupts. What a pathetic little clown.

Justice Alito's decision to dress up some misguided views of his ethical obligations as a formal Court opinion doesn't make the missive any more correct or any less imperious. -- Gabe Roth of Fix the Courts ~~~

~~~ Tierney Sneed of CNN: "Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito sharply rejected calls from Democratic senators that he not participate in an upcoming tax case where one of the lawyers involved also participated in recent Wall Street Journal interviews of the conservative jurist. Alito, in a court filing Friday, said the argument for him to recuse was 'unsound' and that there was 'no valid reason' for him not to participate in the case. 'When Mr. Rivkin participated in the interviews and co-authored the articles, he did so as a journalist, not an advocate,' Alito wrote, referring to David B. Rivkin, the opinion journalist in question who is representing one of the parties in the tax case.... Alito on Friday contended that Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate Judiciary Chairman who led the calls for Alito to sit out in the case, was apparently pushing a theory for recusal that 'fundamentally misunderstands the circumstances under which Supreme Court Justices must work.'" MB: I don't know why all you little people can't see that Sam is the reincarnation of Caesar's wife. (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Excellent commentary in yesterday's thread, particularly in regard to the Supreme's ruling on the poor, mistreated praying football coach (well, one-time football coach). Also see Patrick's commentary on Donald the Sun King; it turns out Trump & Louis have more in common than their affinity for the rococo.

~~~~~~~~~~

California. Paul Kane & Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Friday that she will run for reelection in 2024 for her San Francisco-area House seat, ending speculation about her political future after she decided last year she would step down as the leader of the House Democratic caucus." (Also linked yesterday.)

Texas. So Much for Minimally Humane Treatment. Zoe Richards of NBC News: "A federal appeals court Thursday put on hold a judge's order from earlier this week requiring Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to remove a floating barrier from the middle of the Rio Grande. The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals allowed Abbott, a Republican, to leave in place for now the 1,000-foot barrier the state installed to deter illegal migrant crossings. The order was issued by a three-judge panel of two Democratic appointees and a Republican appointee." (Also linked yesterday.)

My name is Yon Yonson,
I come from Wisconsin,
We have no democracy there. ~~~

~~~ ** Wisconsin. Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "No matter how much Wisconsin voters might want to elect a Democratic Legislature, the Republican gerrymander won't allow them to. The gerrymandering alone undermines Wisconsin's status as a democracy. If a majority of the people cannot, under any realistic circumstances, elect a legislative majority of their choosing, then it's hard to say whether they actually govern themselves.... In 2018, for example, Wisconsin voters put Tony Evers, a Democrat, in the governor's mansion, sweeping the incumbent, Scott Walker [R], out of office. Almost immediately, Wisconsin Republicans introduced legislation to weaken the state's executive branch....

"Earlier this year, Wisconsin voters ... elect[ed] Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal Milwaukee county judge, to the State Supreme Court.... Wisconsin Republicans can't strip a judicial officer of her power. But they can remove her, which is what they intend to do. [Further, they plan to make it impossible for Evers to appoint a replacement.]... It's that breathtaking contempt for the people of Wisconsin -- who have voted, since 2018, for a more liberal State Legislature and a more liberal State Supreme Court and a more liberal governor, with the full powers of his office available to him -- that makes the Wisconsin Republican Party the most openly authoritarian in the country.... In the absence of national regulation -- and against the backdrop of a federal Supreme Court that is, at best, apathetic on issues of voting rights -- states are as liable to become laboratories of autocracy as they are to serve as laboratories of democracy."

News Lede

The New York Times is liveblogging developments in Morocco following a deadly earthquake: "As dawn broke over Morocco on Saturday, a frantic effort was taking shape over mountainous terrain to rescue survivors of a powerful earthquake that had struck about 50 miles from the city of Marrakesh late Friday, killing at least 632 people. Morocco's Interior Ministry said early Saturday that the victims had died after the quake struck in the High Atlas Mountains shortly after 11 p.m. and that at least 329 others had been transported to hospitals with injuries."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (2)

Douthat has another in the seemingly endless lines of opinion pieces about why Biden is so unpopular...I didn't read it.

Didn't stop me from commenting, tho'.

"The situation the country is in calls to mind the old and obvious rejoinder to someone complaining about the aches and pains of growing old...

Think of the alternative.

I have, do and will."

September 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Most polls that I have read blame inflation on Pres. Biden.

I blame it on corporate greed, like that old saying "whatever the
market will bear."

And some of these same people blaming Biden for inflation are
themselves to blame. Personal greed. I see it in my own neighborhood.
Houses that sold for 3 or 4 hundred thousand dollars a couple of years
ago are put on the market for over a million, and they sell. A lot of
them are selling to investors who buy up anything that comes on
the market and turn them into rentals.
Could that be the reason for housing shortages? Could that be the
reason we have so many homeless people now?

September 9, 2023 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris
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