The Commentariat -- January 12, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Thomas Gibbons-Neff of the New York Times: "Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said on Sunday that he never saw any specific piece of evidence that Iran was planning an attack on four American embassies, as President Trump had claimed last week as a justification for the strike on an Iranian general that sent the United States and Iran to the brink of war. 'I didn't see one with regard to four embassies,' Mr. Esper said on CBS's 'Face the Nation.' But he added: 'I share the president's view that probably -- my expectation was they were going to go after our embassies....' The muddled message on Sunday by Mr. Esper and other administration officials only added to the public debate regarding the Jan. 3 strike that killed Iran's most important general, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, and whether there was appropriate justification for the killing. The administration has offered shifting justifications for the strike.... Appearing on 'Fox News Sunday,' Robert O'Brien, the national security adviser, had also played down Mr. Trump's claim of specific, imminent threats to four American embassies in the region. 'Look, it's always difficult, even with the exquisite intelligence that we have, to know exactly what the targets are,' Mr. O'Brien said. 'We knew there were threats to American facilities, now whether they were bases, embassies -- you know it's always hard until the attack happens." The CBS News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This is the Secretary of Defense confirming on national TV that the POTUS* & Secretary of State lied about the reasons for setting the U.S. on a war footing. Oh, Nancy, could you bring us another Article of Impeachment, please.

David Stern & Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "Within hours of Iran's stunning admission Saturday that its missile mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, Ukraine ... put out photos, taken a day earlier, showing wreckage riddled with small holes, suggesting damage from shrapnel. Well before Iran admitted shooting down Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 outside Tehran on Wednesday, Ukraine realized the plane had been destroyed by a missile. But the country's leaders tread a careful diplomatic path.... Soon after the plane went down..., U.S. officials and the leaders of Canada and Britain told the world they believed the plane was likely shot down by Iran. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked them to share their information with him, but held off announcing any of Ukraine's conclusions -- a strategic decision.... [Ukrainian] officials were careful to avoid sharp criticism of Iran during this time to ensure its cooperation in the probe. Zelensky, caught between the United States and Iran after a U.S. drone strike killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani..., had the difficult task of securing the 'cooperation of Western backers and Iran without being drawn into either side's narrative of the Iran-U. S. conflict,' said Katharine Quinn-Judge, a Kyiv-based analyst for International Crisis Group." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It's kind of amazing that a year ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was a teevee comic. Right now he looks like about the smartest politician on the world stage. Let's hope he stays honest.

Kendall Karson of ABC News: "... a majority of Americans said they disapprove of President Trump's handling of the situation with Iran and feel less safe, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.... The poll showed a majority of Independents, 57%, and all U.S. adults, 56%, disapproving of Trump's handling of the situation with Iran, with 43% of both Independents and U.S. adults approving."

"Impeached for Life." Elise Viebeck & Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that President Trump is 'impeached for life' regardless of 'any gamesmanship' by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), whom she accused of orchestrating a 'coverup' of Trump's actions as the Senate waits for the House to transmit the articles of impeachment. Challenging McConnell to hold a serious trial that includes testimony from witnesses, Pelosi did not rule out the possibility that the House would subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton if the Senate chooses not to. She repeatedly chastised McConnell for signaling that he is not interested in fully weighing the House's charges." Politico has the story here.

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Anton Troianovski, et al., of the New York Times: "Iran's stunning admission that its forces errantly downed a Ukrainian jetliner -- reversing three days of denial -- did little to quell growing fury inside the country and beyond on Saturday as the deadly tragedy turned into a volatile political crisis for Tehran's leaders and overshadowed their struggle with the United States. Ukrainian officials criticized Iran's conduct, suggesting that the Iranians would not have admitted responsibility if investigators from Ukraine had not found evidence of a missile strike in the wreckage of the crash, which killed all 176 people aboard. Protests erupted in Tehran and other Iranian cities as dumbfounded citizens found a new reason to mistrust Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, and other officials. Protest videos even showed some shouting 'Khamenei is a murderer!' and anti-riot police tear-gassing violent demonstrators." ~~~

~~~ Marty Johnson of the Hill: "President Trump tweeted a message in support of Iranian protesters in Farsi Saturday, as demonstrators took to the streets to speak out against the government following the country's admission that it inadvertently shot down a Kyiv-bound commercial plane.... 'To the brave and suffering Iranian people: I have stood with you since the beginning of my presidency and my government will continue to stand with you,' Trump's said. 'We are following your protests closely,' he added. 'Your courage is inspiring.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: It would be extraordinary if Trump bumbled his way into regime change in Iran -- and with a little help from Ukraine. ~~~

~~~ Carla Herreria of the Huffington Post: "Iranian officials arrested and briefly detained Robert Macaire, the British ambassador to Iran, according to the United Kingdom's foreign secretary. Macaire was arrested amid a protest outside of a university in Tehran and detained for more than an hour. He was eventually released, the Iran-based Tasnim News Agency reported. 'The arrest of our Ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law,' British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement Saturday.... The U.S. State Department also denounced the arrest and called on the Iranian regime to formally apologize in its own statement Saturday."

** Peter Baker, et al., of the New York Times: "The operation that took out General [Qassem] Suleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, propelled the United States to the precipice of war with Iran and plunged the world into seven days of roiling uncertainty. The story of those seven days, and the secret planning in the months preceding them, ranks as the most perilous chapter so far in President Trump's three years in office after his decision to launch an audacious strike on Iran, and his attempt through allies and a back channel to keep the ensuing crisis from mushrooming out of control. The president's decision to ratchet up decades of simmering conflict with Iran set off an extraordinary worldwide drama, much of which played out behind the scenes." ~~~

~~~ Paul Waldman & Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "In an interview, Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told us there's 'no doubt' in his mind that the assassination of [Qassem] Soleimani and the effort to target [Abdul Reza] Shahlai ... -- a financier and key commander of Iran's elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen ... -- are part of a wider effort that's mostly being concealed from Congress. 'The more you hear, the more you realize that you've been fed a bunch of untruths,' Engel told us. 'Was Shahlai an imminent threat? I think not.' Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, added that this news badly complicates the rationale offered for the Soleimani killing.... 'If the objective was to weaken the Quds Force irrespective of any intelligence about imminent attacks on Americans, then where does that end?' Malinowski said. 'And is it over?'... Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been invited to testify next week to the Foreign Affairs Committee. But Engel told us that Pompeo has not said whether he'll appear. 'Right now it looks like he's not coming,' Engel told us. 'We haven't heard from him.'"

Ryan Nobles of CNN: "Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has agreed to co-sponsor Sen. Bernie Sanders' legislation that would freeze funding for any military action in Iran without express approval from Congress. Sanders ... introduced the bill shortly after the Trump administration held a classified briefing in which advisers outlined the case for their military strike last week that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Sanders was sharply critical of the briefing, saying afterward that the administration's briefers gave no proof of any imminent attack by Iran against US targets." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate and House Democrats have different strategies over how to limit President Trump's power to take military action against Iran. Senate Democrats are debating among themselves whether to take up a concurrent resolution passed by the House on Thursday limiting Trump's war powers, or to stick with a proposal sponsored by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). As a concurrent resolution, the House measure doesn't require Trump's signature. But it's not clear whether it would actually tie Trump's hands. The Supreme Court may ultimately have to decide if it has the binding force of law. The Senate bill would have the force of law, and it would be significant if approved by the GOP-controlled chamber. But it does require Trump's signature and has almost no chance of becoming law since it would be vetoed...."

Barbie Nadeau of the Daily Beast: "... Donald Trump concocted a blatant lie in a tweet Saturday morning, accusing Democrats of 'defending the life of Qassem Soleimani' who he called 'one of the worst terrorists in history.' There is no evidence that any Democrats have made such a defense. After Trump ally Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) made a similar assertion earlier this week, he apologized soon thereafter.... Earlier in the week, Nikki Haley, Trump's former Ambassador to the United Nations, claimed on Fox News that Democrats were 'mourning' the loss of the Iranian general. When pressed on what she meant, she doubled down."

Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "... President Trump suggested 'Nancy Pelosi will go down as the absolute worst Speaker of the House in U.S. History!' Trump's morning tweet is the third time in 24 hours the president has made this prediction about the California Democrat's legacy, placing the first woman in the role below the 53 ... men to have served as speaker since 1789. 'She is obsessed with impeachment, she has done nothing. She is going to go down as one of the worst Speakers in the history of our country,' Trump said Friday night during an interview with Fox News's Laura Ingraham. 'And she's become a crazed lunatic. But she will go down as -- I think maybe the worst speaker in the history of our country.' But some Twitter users were quick to point out the track record of other past speakers, namely [Dennis] Hastert (R-Ill.), the longest -running Republican speaker..., and an admitted sex offender who molested teenage boys he had coached in high school wrestling. Hastert was convicted of bank fraud in a scheme to buy the silence of his victims.... Several others mentioned former speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who resigned in part due to an extramarital affair he was having with a younger staffer at the same time he was impeaching President Bill Clinton for lying about his affair with an intern. Some nominated recent speakers John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), both of whom left Congress rather than lead the divided Republicans." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Another example of perfect Trumpian projection: Trump himself is rated by historians & political scientists as the worst or one of the worst presidents in U.S. history. And as for who is "obsessed with impeachment," well ...

Thirteen Previous Press Secretaries and WH Officials, in a CNN opinion piece: "All of us have experienced the challenges of a regular press briefing.... But day after day, we persisted.... public has a right to know what its government is doing, and the government has a duty to explain what it is doing.... In times of military conflict and international crisis, these briefings take on even more importance. Americans want to know the latest developments and seek the truth. On social media, wild rumors can fly, and our adversaries can manipulate disinformation to their advantage.... For that reason, among many, the country needs trusted sources of information delivered on a timely and regular schedule.... We respectfully urge the resumption of regular press briefings across our government, especially in the places where Americans want the truth, our allies in the world want information, and where all of us, hopefully, want to see American values reflected." --s

Jack Morse of Mashable: "The president's daughter and failed businesswoman was at the annual technology convention in Las Vegas, Nevada [last week] to give a talk on the future of work.... According to [Ivanka] Trump, the workers of tomorrow will be graced with an 'interoperable learning record' which will allow them to bring a list of all their skills with them wherever they go. That's right, Trump's big idea for the American worker is some kind of standardized LinkedIn. But, wait, there's more! This 'résumé of the future,' as Trump at one point referred to it, will do more than just list your job skills -- it was also send you push notifications.... [T]here's no denying Trump's boldness in just charging right ahead and pretending professional social networks and digital résumés don't already exist. 'We need to harness technology and data to enable people to have their information in their iPhone,' insisted Trump." --s

David Shortell & Evan Perez of CNN: "More than a dozen Saudi servicemen training at US military installations will be expelled from the United States after a review that followed the deadly shooting last month at a Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, multiple sources told CNN. The Saudis are not accused of aiding the 21-year-old Saudi Air Force second lieutenant who killed three American sailors in the December shooting, two sources said, but some are said to have connections to extremist movements, according to a person familiar with the situation. A number are also accused of possessing child pornography, according to a defense official and the person familiar with the situation."

Alexander Kaufman & Chris D'Angelo of Mother Jones: "The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled plans to gut one of America's most important environmental laws -- a move experts say is as much of a handout to polluting industries as it is a slap in the face to science and local communities. The proposed rules would change how the federal government implements the National Environmental Policy Act, a 50-year-old law that protects air, water and land by requiring federal agencies to conduct detailed environmental assessments of major infrastructure projects. Agencies would no longer be required to consider climate change when evaluating the environmental effects of pipelines, power plants, oil and gas drilling, airports, highways and other development." --s

DOJ Issues Barefoot-and-Pregnant Opinion. Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN (January 8): "The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel is arguing that the deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment has expired, a blow to supporters' push to enshrine the long-sought effort. 'We conclude that Congress had the constitutional authority to impose a deadline on the ratification of the ERA and, because that deadline has expired, the ERA Resolution is no longer pending before the States,' the OLC said in an opinion released Wednesday. The opinion, issued in response to a lawsuit filed by three conservative-leaning states, effectively prevents the archivist of the United States, who administers the ratification process, from verifying that the amendment is valid and part of the Constitution after the necessary number of states approve it. But his authority doesn't prevent states from acting on their own to ratify the amendment -- or preclude them from legally challenging the Justice Department's opinion in court.... The OLC also says that Congress cannot revive a proposed amendment after it has exceeded its deadline for ratification, suggesting instead that Congress restart the ratification process from scratch. The ERA Coalition, which supports the amendment, said it 'strongly disagrees with the OLC's opinion that the time limit cannot be removed' and intends to pursue it regardless." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: P.D. Pepe mentioned this in yesterday's Comments, and it's a story I missed timely. Bill Barr and the boys really don't like women, do they?

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration and a coalition of conservative states that have been challenging the Affordable Care Act said Friday that ... the [Supreme Court] should not grant a motion by the House of Representatives and Democratic-led states to expedite review of a decision by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit last month. The panel struck down the law's mandate that individuals buy health insurance but sent back to a lower court the question of whether the rest of the statute can stand without it." ~~~

~~~ Susannah Luthi of Politico: "The Trump administration and Republican-led states are urging the Supreme Court to swat away Democrats' request to immediately review a lawsuit threatening Obamacare, which would ensure the politically fraught case doesn't get resolved until after November's election."

Bob Brigham of RawStory: "Misogynistic men who identify as part of the 'Involuntary Celibate' movement are domestic terrorism threats, according to a new report. The Texas Department of Public Safety included the warning in their 2020, 'Texas Domestic Terrorism Threat Assessment' (PDF).... 'What begins as a personal grievance due to perceived rejection by women may morph into allegiance to, and attempts to further, an Incel Rebellion. The result has thrust the Incel movement into the realm of domestic terrorism,' the report explained." --s

Way Beyond the Beltway

U.K. Caroline Davies of the Guardian: "The Queen has summoned senior royals to an emergency summit at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Monday to discuss the future of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The meeting, to be attended by the Queen, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex, will be the first time the four have met since the Sussex crisis exploded on Wednesday.... The meeting will be an opportunity for them to discuss proposals, drawn up after a series of consultations between palace officials and representatives of the UK and Canadian governments over how Meghan and Harry can achieve their aim of carving out new 'progressive' roles as hybrid royals. The country's most senior civil servant, cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, was reportedly one of the senior figures around the negotiating table, along with senior aides from Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace." ~~~

~~~ Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears a Tiara. Maureen Dowd: "Given the state of the world and the implosion of the British Empire -- with Scots once more contemplating an off ramp, Irish unity in play, Australia on fire and Boris Johnson tricking the queen into suspending Parliament in a Brexit ploy -- it is hard to feel sorry for the Duchess of Sussex complaining that her diamonds are heavy.... I think Meghan Markle should have wielded her wokeness where it is most needed -- in Buckingham Palace. She could have channeled the Obamas, who did a magnificent job of rising above racist taunts and working within the institution to imprint a new image of racial possibility in America. Markle had already successfully brought a refreshing dose of semi-radical chic to the royal family.... What's the rush to give up real influence to be an Instagram influencer? Besides, who unfollows their own grandmother?"

The Commentariat -- January 11, 2020

Farnaz Fassihi of the New York Times: "Iran announced early Saturday that it had accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, blaming it on human error because of what it called the plane's sharp, unexpected turn toward a sensitive military base, according to a statement issued by the country's military. The announcement reversed Iran's claims that mechanical issues caused the crash of the aircraft, which killed all 176 people aboard. It had persistently denied that Iranian military defenses had downed the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800. International pressure had been building on Iran to take responsibility. American and allied intelligence assessments have said that Iranian missiles brought down the plane, most likely by accident, amid the heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. Suspicions that an Iranian missile had brought down the plane began immediately after Wednesday morning's crash -- just hours after Iran fired missiles at two bases in Iraq housing American forces." The Hill's story is here. The AP story is here. ~~~

~~~ Isabelle Khurshudyan & Erin Cunningham of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that he expects 'a full admission of guilt' and for Iran 'to bring those responsible to justice' after it admitted to mistakenly shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 shortly after take-off from Tehran, killing all 176 on board.... 'We expect from Iran assurances of readiness for a full and open investigation, bringing the perpetrators to justice, returning bodies of the dead, payment of compensations, official apologies through diplomatic channels,' he said."

** The One Who Got Away. John Hudson, et al., of the Washington Post: "On the day the U.S. military killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, U.S. forces carried out another top secret mission against a senior Iranian military official in Yemen, according to U.S. officials. The strike targeting Abdul Reza Shahlai, a financier and key commander of Iran's elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen, did not result in his death, according to four U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The unsuccessful operation may indicate that the Trump administration's killing of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani last week was part of a broader operation than previously explained, raising questions about whether the mission was designed to cripple the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or solely to prevent an imminent attack on Americans as originally stated." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The AP's story is here.

Jonathan Chait: "Deep inside a long, detailed Wall Street Journal report about President Trump's foreign policy advisers is an explosive nugget: 'Mr. Trump, after the strike, told associates he was under pressure to deal with Gen. Soleimani from GOP senators he views as important supporters in his coming impeachment trial in the Senate, associates said.' This is a slightly stronger iteration of a fact the New York Times reported three days ago, to wit, 'pointed out to one person who spoke to him on the phone last week that he had been pressured to take a harder line on Iran by some Republican senators whose support he needs now more than ever amid an impeachment battle.' This would not mean Trump ordered the strike entirely, or even primarily, in order to placate Senate Republicans. But it does constitute an admission that domestic political considerations influenced his decision. That would, of course, constitute a grave dereliction of duty.... Of course, using his foreign policy authority for domestic political gain is the offense Trump is being impeached for." The Wall Street Journal report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It is entirely plausible that Trump assassinated a foreign guy to distract from being impeached for messing with a foreign guy. And you get bet he doesn't see anything wrong with it: you might call it a "perfect assassination." ~~~

~~~ Sam Brodey of the Daily Beast: "... as more details came out about the strike -- or, more importantly, did not come out -- mainstream Democratic Party figures were raising the suggestion that Trump brought the U.S. to the brink of war with a dangerous adversary with his own personal political considerations in mind.... Appearing on all five major Sunday shows the weekend before, [Mike] Pompeo only revealed that [Qassem] Soleimani was 'actively engaged and plotting against American interests.' On Thursday, Pompeo told Fox News' Laura Ingraham that the threat posed by Soleimani was real but 'we don't know precisely when and we don't know precisely where.' But by Friday..., Pompeo claimed at a White House press briefing that the U.S. 'had specific information on an imminent threat, and those threats from him included attacks on U.S. embassies. Period. Full stop.' Later that day, Trump himself divulged to Fox that Soleimani had supposedly targeted four U.S. embassies overseas, though he declined to name which ones."

~~~ Chris Hayes: Trump has long thought that starting a war with Iran was a good way to win re-election:

~~~ Trump Elaborates on Earlier Lies. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump said in an interview airing Friday that Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani was plotting attacks against four embassies before the U.S. carried out last week's airstrike that killed the top commander. 'I can reveal that I believe it would have been four embassies,' Trump told Laura Ingraham during an interview on Fox News that will air in full Friday night. The president also said Soleimani was targeting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, repeating a claim he made on Thursday." ~~~

     ~~~ Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "But a senior administration official and a senior defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity..., said they were only aware of vague intelligence about a plot against the embassy in Baghdad and that the information did not suggest a fully formed plot. Neither official said there were threats against multiple embassies. The senior defense official did not directly contradict Trump but said there was concern that there might be an attempt to place a bomb at the Baghdad embassy, a heavily fortified structure in a secure area of the Iraqi capital.... Trump is 'totally obsessed with not letting something like Benghazi happen to him,' the official said, referring to the 2012 attack on a U.S. facility in Libya that has achieved totemic status among Trump allies.... The embassy in Baghdad did not receive an alert commensurate to the threat Trump described, said a person familiar with the situation...."

Carol Morello of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration hit Iran with more sanctions Friday in the first concrete response to the attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq this week, which were in retaliation for the U.S. airstrike that killed the most powerful Iranian military commander. The sanctions targeted Iran's metal industries, and eight senior military and national security officials who U.S. officials said were involved in the ballistic missile attacks on two bases in Iraq that house U.S. military personnel." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Steve Mnuchin announced this at a joint presser with Mike Pompeo. Pompeo went on to take a few questions with reporters; either all Democrats & Republicans lied through their teeth about what intel they received at a classified briefing in which Pompeo participated -- or Pompeo lied this afternoon. You can't believe anything coming out of the mouths of any administration officials. ~~~

     ~~~ Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Several Democratic senators say the administration did not discuss an alleged threat that Iran was planning to 'blow up' a U.S. Embassy during a closed-door briefing this week." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "For six days after Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani’s death, the Trump administration assured us he was behind 'imminent' attacks but declined to offer details. Then Trump came out Thursday and just said it: The deceased Quds Force commander was going to 'blow up' a U.S. Embassy. There have to be real questions about the accuracy of that claim. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced a package of new Iran sanctions Friday, but unanswered questions about the strike on Soleimani loomed over [the press conference].... NBC News's Peter Alexander asked [Pompeo] about the claims by the senators ... that the briefings included no such evidence about embassies..., and Pompeo initially seemed to directlytheir claims and confirm that the briefing included the embassies.... 'We told them about the imminent threat. All of the intelligence that we have briefed -- that you've heard today, I assure you, in an setting, we've provided in the classified setting as well.' [When] Alexander pressed him on it..., Pompeo became less explicit and reverted to talking more broadly...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Edward Wong & Megan Specia of the New York Times: "The State Department on Friday rebuffed the Iraqi government's request to begin discussions on pulling out troops, saying that any American officials going to Baghdad during a state of heightened tensions would not discuss a 'troop withdrawal,' as the Iraqi prime minister had requested. Instead, discussions would be about the 'appropriate force posture in the Middle East.' The statement from Washington was a direct rebuttal to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi of Iraq, and was certain to add to the friction between the two nations. The prime minister said earlier on Friday that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to send a delegation from the United States to discuss steps for the withdrawal of the approximately 5,200 American troops from his country, in the aftermath of a deadly American military strike ordered by President Trump that many Iraqis say violated their country's sovereignty." (Also linked yesterday.)

Adam Raymond of New York: "Republican Doug Collins, a congressman from Georgia, said Wednesday that Democrats' are in love with terrorists.' He also accused his Democratic colleagues of mourning slain Iranian General Qasem Soleimani more than 'our Gold Star families who were the ones who suffered under Soleimani.' The comments were made to Fox News' Lou Dobbs.... In a tweet Friday, Collins apologized, saying he does not in fact think that Democrats are 'in love' with terrorists.... What makes the comments even more absurd, though, is that Trump's Republican allies are falsely accusing Democrats of doing things Trump has actually done. He has literally claimed that he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un 'fell in love.' And as far as respect for Gold Star families goes, there's only one person in Washington who's engaged in a protracted, personal spat with one and he's sitting in the White House." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Trump Would Try to Privilege His Way out of Damning Testimony. Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Friday said he planned to invoke executive privilege in the event former national security adviser John Bolton was subpoenaed by lawmakers for the Senate impeachment trial.... 'Are you going to invoke executive privilege?' [Laura Ingraham] asked. 'Well I think you have to for the sake of the office,' Trump replied."

Michael Shepherd of the Bangor Daily News: "U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told reporters on Friday that she is working with a 'fairly small group' of fellow Republican senators toward a goal of ensuring witnesses can be called in the chamber's impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump.... 'I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement on how to proceed with the trial that will allow the opportunity for both the House and the president's counsel if they choose to do so,' she said."

Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday that she expects to send the articles of impeachment against President Trump over to the Senate next week to launch his long-awaited trial. The move comes more than three weeks after the House passed two articles of impeachment against Trump over his dealings with Ukraine and amid increasing pressure on the Speaker to drop her hold on the articles. 'I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate,' Pelosi wrote in a letter to Democrats." The New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jonathan Lemire, et al., of the AP: "The White House is considering dramatically expanding its much-litigated travel ban to additional countries amid a renewed election-year focus on immigration by ... Donald Trump, according to six people familiar with the deliberations. A document outlining the plans -- timed to coincide with the third anniversary of Trump's January 2017 executive order -- has been circulating the White House. But the countries that would be affected if it moves forward are blacked out, according to two of the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.... It's unclear exactly how many countries would be included in the expansion if it proceeds, but two of the people said that seven countries -- a majority of them Muslim -- would be added to the list.... The additional restrictions were proposed by Department of Homeland Security officials following a review of security protocols and 'identity management' for about 200 countries, according to the person."

Terry Gross of NPR interviews American Oligarchs author Andrea Bernstein on "how Trump and ... Jared Kushner have benefited from family connections and the influence of money in politics." The text includes highlights. Click on the podcast in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Thanks to Linda for the link.

** William Saletan of Slate: "From hawkishness to appeasement, the GOP has zigged, zagged, and zigged. Only one thing has remained constant: its partisan exploitation of the military and the flag. Republicans don't believe in standing up to enemies abroad. They believe in impugning the patriotism of Democrats. The 2016 Republican platform pledged to support the Kurdish people,' continue 'our partnership' with the Iraqi people, and press for change in North Korea, 'the Kim family's slave state.' It promised 'assistance to the armed forces of Ukraine' and sanctions on Russia 'until Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are fully restored.' Trump has proved that all these statements were lies."

Presidential Race

Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "Marianne Williamson, the self-help author and spiritual adviser whose long-shot presidential campaign called for reparations and a Department of Peace, announced on Friday that she would drop out of the race." Mrs. McC: I'm having such a sad over this I might have to buy a self-help book to "realign my psychic forces." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Bridget Read of New York: "Marianne Williamson -- self-described 'bitch for God,' defender of yoga girls, vanquisher of dark psychic forces -- has finally dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential-primary race.... 'To the remaining Democratic candidates,' she said, 'I wish you all my best on the road ahead. It was an honor being among you. Whichever one of you wins the nomination, I will be there with all my energy and in full support.' And as always, she believes 'love will prevail.' Trust Williamson to drop out on the day of a lunar eclipse, as she ascends to a higher plane of celestial being." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ian Duncan, et al., of the Washington Post: "Instant messages and other internal Boeing documents revealed Thursday show company employees discussing efforts to manipulate U.S. and international safety regulators.... In 2017, a Boeing employee wrote: 'this airplane is designed by clowns, who in turn are supervised by monkeys.' The documents were released by Boeing to congressional investigators probing how the company's 737 Max jets were certified by the Federal Aviation Administration as safe before two crashes that killed 346 people. The communications 'paint a deeply disturbing picture of the lengths Boeing was apparently willing to go to in order to evade scrutiny from regulators, flight crews, and the flying public, even as its own employees were sounding alarms internally,' said Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee. At issue in some of the messages was whether simulator training should be required for pilots flying the Max. Boeing went to great lengths to prevent such a requirement, in part because it would be costly for its customers, company documents show." ~~~

~~~ Platinum Parachute. David Gelles of the New York Times: "The very culture at Boeing appears to be broken, with some senior employees having little regard for regulators, customers and even co-workers. Perhaps most tellingly, the documents show Boeing employees repeatedly questioning the competence of their own colleagues, and the quality of the company's engineering. 'This is a joke,' a Boeing employee, referring to the 737 Max, said to a colleague in 2016. 'This airplane is ridiculous.' Another employee wrote: 'I honestly don't trust many people at Boeing.'... Ahead of a 2016 meeting to discuss training requirements for the plane, a Boeing employee described regulators as 'dogs watching TV.' Another time, a Boeing employee wrote: 'There is no confidence that the F.A.A. is understanding what they are accepting (or rejecting).' Airlines, which pay about $100 million apiece for the Max, were derided as incompetent, their questions unreasonable."

~~~ David Gelles: "Dennis A. Muilenburg, who was ousted as Boeing's chief executive last month as the company contended with the biggest crisis in its history, will depart with more than $60 million, the company said Friday. Mr. Muilenburg will not receive any additional severance or separation payments in connection with his departure, and Boeing said he had forfeited stock units worth some $14.6 million. But the value of the other stock and pension awards he is contractually entitled to receive is worth $62.2 million, the company said. Mr. Muilenburg also has stock options that could be worth many millions more."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Australia. Nick Perry of the AP: "Two wildfires merged to form a massive inferno in southeast Australia on Saturday.... Authorities were assessing the damage after firefighters battled flames fanned by strong winds through the night and lightning strikes sparked new blazes in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia's most populous states. Conditions were milder Saturday and forecast to remain relatively benign for the next week.... With no heavy rain expected, the 640,000-hectare ( 1.58 million-acre) blaze that formed overnight when two fires joined in the Snowy Mountains region near Tumbarumba close to the Victorian border is expected to burn for weeks, officials said."

Oman. Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, who over nearly five decades in power transformed his Persian Gulf kingdom from an isolated enclave into a developed nation known for brokering quiet talks between global foes, has died, the Omani government announced on Saturday. He was 79." The AP story is here.

News Lede

AP: "A magnitude 5.9 quake shook Puerto Rico on Saturday, causing millions of dollars of damage along the island's southern coast, where previous recent quakes have toppled homes and schools.... It was followed by several aftershocks, including a magnitude 5.2 temblor less than two minutes later. No injuries or deaths were reported, officials said. Saturday's quake occurred four days after a 6.4 magnitude quake in the same area and amid a spate of more than 1,200 mostly small quakes over the past 15 days, all at shallow depths."

The Commentariat -- January 10, 2020

Afternoon Update:

** The One Who Got Away. John Hudson, et al., of the Washington Post: "On the day the U.S. military killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, U.S. forces carried out another top secret mission against a senior Iranian military official in Yemen, according to U.S. officials. The strike targeting Abdul Reza Shahlai, a financier and key commander of Iran's elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen, did not result in his death, according to four U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The unsuccessful operation may indicate that the Trump administration's killing of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani last week was part of a broader operation than previously explained, raising questions about whether the mission was designed to cripple the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or solely to prevent an imminent attack on Americans as originally stated."

Jonathan Chait: “Deep inside a long, detailed Wall Street Journal report about President Trump's foreign policy advisers is an explosive nugget: 'Mr. Trump, after the strike, told associates he was under pressure to deal with Gen. Soleimani from GOP senators he views as important supporters in his coming impeachment trial in the Senate, associates said.' This is a slightly stronger iteration of a fact the New York Times reported three days ago, to wit, 'pointed out to one person who spoke to him on the phone last week that he had been pressured to take a harder line on Iran by some Republican senators whose support he needs now more than ever amid an impeachment battle.' This would not mean Trump ordered the strike entirely, or even primarily, in order to placate Senate Republicans. But it does constitute an admission that domestic political considerations influenced his decision. That would, of course, constitute a grave dereliction of duty.... Of course, using his foreign policy authority for domestic political gain is the offense Trump is being impeached for." The Wall Street Journal report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It is entirely plausible that Trump assassinated a foreign guy to distract from being impeached for messing with a foreign guy. And you get bet he doesn't see anything wrong with it: you might call it a "perfect assassination."

Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "Marianne Williamson, the self-help author and spiritual adviser whose long-shot presidential campaign called for reparations and a Department of Peace, announced on Friday that she would drop out of the race." Mrs. McC: I'm having such a sad over this I might have to buy a self-help book to "realign my psychic forces." ~~~

~~~ Bridget Read of New York: "Marianne Williamson -- self-described 'bitch for God,' defender of yoga girls, vanquisher of dark psychic forces -- has finally dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential-primary race.... 'To the remaining Democratic candidates,' she said, 'I wish you all my best on the road ahead. It was an honor being among you. Whichever one of you wins the nomination, I will be there with all my energy and in full support.' And as always, she believes 'love will prevail.' Trust Williamson to drop out on the day of a lunar eclipse, as she ascends to a higher plane of celestial being."

Adam Raymond of New York: "Republican Doug Collins, a congressman from Georgia, said Wednesday that Democrats' are in love with terrorists.' He also accused his Democratic colleagues of mourning slain Iranian General Qasem Soleimani more than 'our Gold Star families who were the ones who suffered under Soleimani.' The comments were made to Fox News' Lou Dobbs.... In a tweet Friday, Collins apologized, saying he does not in fact think that Democrats are 'in love' with terrorists.... What makes the comments even more absurd, though, is that Trump's Republican allies are falsely accusing Democrats of doing things Trump has actually done. He has literally claimed that he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un 'fell in love.' And as far as respect for Gold Star families goes, there's only one person in Washington who's engaged in a protracted, personal spat with one and he's sitting in the White House."

Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday that she expects to send the articles of impeachment against President Trump over to the Senate next week to launch his long-awaited trial. The move comes more than three weeks after the House passed two articles of impeachment against Trump over his dealings with Ukraine and amid increasing pressure on the Speaker to drop her hold on the articles. 'I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate,' Pelosi wrote in a letter to Democrats." The New York Times story is here.

Carol Morello of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration hit Iran with more sanctions Friday in the first concrete response to the attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq this week, which were in retaliation for the U.S. airstrike that killed the most powerful Iranian military commander. The sanctions targeted Iran's metal industries, and eight senior military and national security officials who U.S. officials said were involved in the ballistic missile attacks on two bases in Iraq that house U.S. military personnel." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Steve Mnuchin announced this at a joint presser with Mike Pompeo. Pompeo went on to take a few questions with reporters; either all Democrats & Republicans lied through their teeth about what intel they received at a classified briefing in which Pompeo participated -- or Pompeo lied this afternoon. You can't believe anything coming out of the mouths of any administration officials. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "For six days after Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani's death, the Trump administration assured us he was behind 'imminent' attacks but declined to offer details. Then Trump came out Thursday and just said it: The deceased Quds Force commander was going to 'blow up' a U.S. Embassy. There have to be real questions about the accuracy of that claim. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced a package of new Iran sanctions Friday, but unanswered questions about the strike on Soleimani loomed over [the press conference].... NBC News's Peter Alexander asked [Pompeo] about the claims by the senators ... that the briefings included no such evidence about embassies..., and Pompeo initially seemed to directly dispute their claims and confirm that the briefing included the embassies.... Alexander pressed him on it ... [and] Pompeo became less explicit and reverted to talking more broadly...."

Edward Wong & Megan Specia of the New York Times: "The State Department on Friday rebuffed the Iraqi government's request to begin discussions on pulling out troops, saying that any American officials going to Baghdad during a state of heightened tensions would not discuss a 'troop withdrawal,' as the Iraqi prime minister had requested. Instead, discussions would be about the 'appropriate force posture in the Middle East.' The statement from Washington was a direct rebuttal to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi of Iraq, and was certain to add to the friction between the two nations. The prime minister said earlier on Friday that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to send a delegation from the United States to discuss steps for the withdrawal of the approximately 5,200 American troops from his country, in the aftermath of a deadly American military strike ordered by President Trump that many Iraqis say violated their country's sovereignty."

~~~~~~~~~~

Catie Edmondson & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The House voted on Thursday to force President Trump to go to Congress for authorization before taking further military action against Iran, in a sharp rebuke of his decision to ratchet up hostilities with Tehran without the explicit approval of the legislative branch. The vote was 224 to 194, almost entirely along party lines, to curtail Mr. Trump's war-making power. It followed a bitterly partisan debate in which Democrats insisted that the president must involve Congress in any escalation against Iran, and Republicans -- following Mr. Trump's lead -- accused Democrats of coddling the enemy by questioning the commander in chief at a dangerous moment.... Mr. Trump took to Twitter early Thursday morning to rally House Republicans to oppose the measure, calling on them to 'vote against Crazy Nancy Pelosi's War Powers Resolution.'... Only three Republicans -- Representatives Matt Gaetz and Francis Rooney, both of Florida, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky -- along with the House's lone independent, Representative Justin Amash, joined Democrats in supporting the measure. Eight Democrats broke ranks to oppose it." The AP story is here.

Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "An Iranian missile accidentally brought down a Ukrainian jetliner over Iran this week, killing everyone aboard, American and allied officials said on Thursday, adding a tragic coda to the escalated military conflict between Washington and Tehran. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada said his country had intelligence that an Iranian surface-to-air missile brought down the jetliner, which was carrying 63 Canadians among its some 176 passengers and crew. Mr. Trudeau said his conclusion was based on a preliminary review of the evidence but called for a full investigation 'to be convinced beyond all doubt.'... A security camera captured the impact -- first the predawn darkness, then a series of blinding bursts of light in the distance, followed by a storm of burning debris in the foreground." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Tim Hepher & David Shepardson of Reuters: "The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has accepted an invitation from Iran to take part in its investigation into the crash of a Ukrainian airplane in Tehran, the agency confirmed late on Thursday.... Canada, which had dozens of passengers onboard, has also assigned an expert, while a team from Ukraine held discussions in Tehran on Thursday, [Farhad] Parvaresh[, Iran's representative at the International Civil Aviation Organization,] said in a telephone interview." ~~~

~~~ Rob Gillies & Tim Sullivan of the AP: "'All is well!'... Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday night, days after a U.S. drone strike killed Iran's most powerful general, and Iran, after a barrage of missiles, had signaled it was stepping back from further escalation. But 27 seconds before Trump's tweet, commercial flight trackers had lost contact with a Ukrainian International Airlines jet that had just taken off from Tehran's main airport. On board were 176 people, including 138 passengers on their way to Canada and at least 63 Canadian citizens and 11 Ukrainians. The plane ... slammed moments later into the ground.... What had begun with a drone attack on Gen. Qassem Soleimani's motorcade at the Baghdad airport had suddenly rippled outward until dozens of Iranian-Canadians, dozens of Iranian students studying in Canada, were dead.... Some in Canada quickly blamed Trump for the disaster.... Robert Bothwell, a professor ... at the University of Toronto, noted that Trump has said nothing about the dead Canadians.... 'Not a word of sympathy.' By Thursday night, Trump had yet to mention Canada's tragedy. Instead, in a campaign rally in Toledo, he told crowds that Soleimani's killing was 'American justice,' while deriding Democrats for questioning his decision to carry out the attack without first consulting Congress."

Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: "... Donald Trump suggested Thursday that he ordered the killing of Iran's top military commander last week to disrupt a previously undisclosed plot to attack the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.... 'We did it because they were looking to blow up our embassy. We also did it for other reasons that were very obvious. Somebody died, one of our military people died. People were badly wounded just a week before,' he added. Trump was still vague about the threat.... Trump declined to share further details about the alleged plot to destroy the embassy, answering a follow-up question on the subject by suggesting that evidence of such a plot was out in the open. He pointed to protesters who stormed the U.S. embassy in Baghdad just days before the drone attack that killed Soleimani. Although it wasn't clear, the president seemed to indicate that it was the protesters who marched on the embassy who were trying to blow it up.... 'If you look at the protesters, they were rough warriors. They weren't protesters. They were Iranian-backed -- some were from Iraq -- but they were Iranian-backed.'... Sen. Richard Blumenthal called [Trump's claim] 'inconsistent' with the information provided to lawmakers on Wednesday." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Apparently Trump was trying out a new lie. If Soleimani had been behind a plot to "blow up the U.S. embassy" in Baghdad, that would have been the first thing intelligence agencies would have revealed. According to several members of Congress, in the classified meetings they had with intelligence officials, the meagre intel they received did not mention any plan to blow up the embassy. ~~~

~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "It has been nearly a week since the killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, and the justification for the strike is still clear as mud. The Trump administration initially said Soleimani was planning 'imminent' attacks on Americans and U.S. interests in the Middle East, but it hasn't provided much in the way of elaboration. It has since oscillated between pointing to the imminence of such attacks and suggesting that the strike was retaliatory for what Soleimani had already done. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined to say whether the attacks were days or weeks away. Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, unambiguously endorsed the idea of imminent attacks, but he also said the intelligence didn't 'exactly say who, what, when, where.' And now, in the past 24 hours, it has become even more opaque.... Appearing on the 'Today' show [Thursday, Mike] Pence said the Trump administration did not share some of the most important information because of its sensitivity.... And then, to top it all off, Trump came out around noon on Thursday and disclosed one of Soleimani's alleged plots: to blow up a U.S. embassy." ~~~

~~~ Trump Adds More Embassies to Supposed Soleimani Hit List. Will Steakin of ABC News: "... Donald Trump kicked off the 2020 election year at his first campaign rally by touting and defending his order to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and slamming his political opponents who questioned the move.... 'Soleimani was actively planning new attacks, and he was looking very seriously at our embassies, and not just the embassy in Baghdad...,' he [said].... 'And yet now I see the radical left Democrats have expressed outrage over the termination of this horrible terrorist,' Trump told the crowd in Toledo."

Working Title: "Donald Trump Is a Fucking Idiot." John Kerry, in a New York Times op-ed: "This moment was nothing if not foreseeable the moment Mr. Trump abandoned the 2015 [nuclear] agreement [with Iran], which was working, and chose instead to isolate us from our allies, narrow our options in the region and slam shut the door to tackling additional issues with Iran through constructive diplomacy.... Presidents make lonely, difficult decisions about the use of force to protect our interests -- usually with the solace of knowing at least that diplomacy had failed. The tragedy of our current plight is that diplomacy was succeeding before it was abandoned."

Nicole Gaouette & Jamie Gangel of CNN: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was a driving force behind ... Donald Trump's decision to kill a top Iranian general, sources inside and around the administration tell CNN, a high-stakes move that demonstrates Pompeo's status as the most influential national security official in the Trump administration. Taking Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani 'off the battlefield' has been a goal for the top US diplomat for a decade, several sources told CNN. Targeting Iran's second most powerful official -- the leader of the Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, the politically and economically powerful military group with regional clout -- was Pompeo's idea, according to a source from his inner circle. That source said the secretary brought the suggestion to Trump. Pompeo 'was the one who made the case to take out Soleimani, it was him absolutely,' this source said." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The CNN story, along with a NYT story linked a couple of days ago, refutes earlier NYT (and other) reporting that Trump angrily but surprisingly chose the most extreme option from a menu of optional responses to violent Green Zone protests, stunning top Pentagon officials. Apparently, those Pentagon officials should have been paying more attention to Pompeo. BTW, because he has been a Congressman, the CIA director and Secretary of State, we tend to think of Pompeo as a Washington fixture. But ten years ago, Pompeo was an obscure CEO of a company that partnered with the Koch brothers' industries. He was elected to Congress in the 2010 Tea Party wave, also a Koch boys project. His claim to fame was badgering Hillary Clinton on Benghazi & making up 4-Pinocchio stuff about her. This is what passes for "statesmanship" in the GOP.

Parisa Hafezi & Babak Dehghanpisheh of Reuters: "A[n Iranian] Revolutionary Guards commander said Iran would take 'harsher revenge soon' after Tehran launched missile attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq in retaliation for last week's U.S. killing of an Iranian general, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday." (Also linked yesterday.)

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday once again rebuffed growing calls to send the House's articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate for trial and refused to provide a timetable for doing so, saying only that after weeks of delay, she would probably move 'soon.' Ms. Pelosi reiterated a call for Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, to detail the rules for a Senate trial so she could choose a team of lawmakers to prosecute the House's abuse of power and obstruction of Congress case."

Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is backing a resolution to change the Senate's rules to allow for lawmakers to dismiss articles of impeachment against President Trump before the House sends them over. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced on Thursday that McConnell has signed on as a co-sponsor to the resolution, which he introduced earlier this week.... Changing the rules would either require a two-thirds vote or for Republicans to deploy the 'nuclear' option. The resolution would give the House 25 days to send articles of impeachment over to the Senate. After that, a senator could offer a motion to dismiss 'with prejudice for failure by the House of Representatives to prosecute such articles' with a simple majority vote, according to Hawley's proposal. McConnell has repeatedly lashed out at Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for delaying sending over the two articles of impeachment."

Jury Foreman Colludes with Slacker Defendant Living Large in Public Housing. Manu Raju, et al., of CNN: "... Mitch McConnell and ... Donald Trump met Wednesday at the White House and discussed the upcoming Senate impeachment trial, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. McConnell, one of the sources said, walked Trump through the trial format and discussed how Senate Republicans were reacting to the developments around the trial.... The senator from Kentucky has not shared with the White House the text of the resolution that would set up the trial, according to one of the sources, who insists there's no negotiation with the GOP leader's office on how the language should be drafted. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has demanded to see the resolution before sending the two articles of impeachment to the Senate." (Also linked yesterday.)

Rudy Giuliani, drooling, pants-unzipped Constitutional scholar, has written an opinion piece, which apparently only the Daily Caller would run, arguing that the Supremes should step in & declare the Articles of Impeachment against his "client" to be unconstitutional. I have reluctantly linked Giuliani's screed so you won't have to look for it.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly praised Major Golsteyn and in December appeared with him at a campaign fund-raiser. -- New York Times

There are war criminals we assassinate, and (alleged) war criminals we laud. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie ~~~

~~~ Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "An Army general has denied a request by an officer pardoned in an open murder case by President Trump to have his Special Forces tab reinstated, setting up a potential flash point with the commander in chief. The decoration for retired Army Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn was denied Dec. 3 by Lt. Gen. Francis M. Beaudette, the commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, the Army disclosed Thursday. Beaudette's decision is not final, and the service said in a statement that it will next have an administrative panel consider whether it should reinstate the Special Forces tab and a Distinguished Service Cross -- the U.S. military's second-highest valor award -- and expunge a letter of reprimand Golsteyn received in connection with his case. Golsteyn was awaiting trial this year in the alleged murder of a suspected Taliban bombmaker in Marja, Afghanistan, in February 2010. The service opened an investigation into Golsteyn after he disclosed the killing during a 2011 polygraph as the CIA was considering him for a job. Army officials revoked the tab and valor award in 2014 while issuing the reprimand and charged Golsteyn with murder in 2018.... In December..., [Golsteyn] appeared with the president at a closed-door Republican fundraiser in Miami."

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A divided federal appeals court has lifted a lower court's order blocking $3.6 billion in military construction funds that ... Donald Trump planned to use to finance an expanded and improved border wall. The New Orleans-based 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a brief order on Wednesday granting the Trump administration's request to stay the injunction that U.S. District Court Judge David Briones, based in El Paso, Texas, issued last month." The plaintiffs have not decided whether or not to appeal the decision. (Also linked yesterday.)

Julia Conley of Common Dreams: "As Puerto Rico dealt with the fallout from a series of devastating earthquakes in recent days, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined calls Thursday for the Trump administration to release $18 billion in disaster aid to the island more than two years after the money was appropriated. The funds were meant to go to the U.S. territory after Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused nearly $150 billion in damage in September 2017.... On Thursday, about two-thirds of the island once again had no power and hundreds of thousands of people were without running water following the earthquakes, including a 6.4-magnitude earthquake which struck Tuesday[.] 'We call upon the White House to stop its unlawful withholding of funds from Puerto Rico,' Pelosi said at a press conference Thursday. 'There are needs that need to be met, there has been a disaster designated, but the ongoing withholding of funds appropriated by Congress to Puerto Rico is illegal.'"

Now, This Was a Hoax. Devlin Barrett & Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "A Justice Department inquiry launched more than two years ago to mollify conservatives clamoring for more investigations of Hillary Clinton has effectively ended with no tangible results, and current and former law enforcement officials said they never expected the effort to produce much of anything. John Huber, the U.S. attorney in Utah, was tapped in November 2017 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to look into concerns raised by President Trump and his allies in Congress that the FBI had not fully pursued cases of possible corruption at the Clinton Foundation and during Clinton's time as secretary of state, when the U.S. government decided not to block the sale of a company called Uranium One." The Raw Story has a summary of the WashPo report.

Way Beyond the Beltway

U.K. Mark Landler of the New York Times: "Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, failed to get clearance from Queen Elizabeth II before announcing their unorthodox plan to become part-time, financially independent royals and divide their time between Britain and North America. But the couple had been planning the move for months.... Soon after the couple issued a statement saying they planned to 'step back' from their royal duties, they elaborated their thinking on a new, slickly produced website. The site was quietly designed by a firm in Canada with no input from Buckingham Palace.... It has swiftly come to symbolize what palace officials regard as a rogue operation by Prince Harry and Meghan, one that now threatens the unity of the House of Windsor and the future of two of its most popular members.... The Duke and Duchess of Sussex ... felt forced to disclose their plans prematurely after they learned that the Sun, a tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch, got wind of the internal discussions about their status and was preparing a story, two people with ties to the family said." ~~~

~~~ Afua Hirsch in a New York Times op-ed: "If the media paid more attention to Britain's communities of color, perhaps it would find the announcement far less surprising. With a new prime minister whose track record includes overtly racist statements, some of which would make even Donald Trump blush, a Brexit project linked to native nationalism and a desire to rid Britain of large numbers of immigrants, and an ever thickening loom of imperial nostalgia, many of us are also thinking about moving. From the very first headline about her being '(almost) straight outta Compton' and having 'exotic' DNA, the racist treatment of Meghan has been impossible to ignore."

News Lede

AP: "U.S. employers downshifted their hiring in December, adding 145,000 jobs as consumer spending appeared to aid gains in the retail and hospitality sectors. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate held at 3.5% for the second straight month, prolonging a half-century low. Hiring slipped after robust gains of 256,000 in November caused in part by the end of a strike at General Motors."