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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."
Michael Kranish, et al., of the Washington Post: "For months, efforts to discredit special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign flickered at the fringes of political debate. Now, the allegation that FBI and Justice Department officials are part of a broad conspiracy against President Trump is suddenly center stage, amplified by conservative activists, GOP lawmakers, right-leaning media and the president himself. The clamor has become a sustained backdrop to the special counsel investigation, with congressional committees grilling a parade of law enforcement officials in recent days.... The partisan atmosphere is a sharp departure from the near-universal support that greeted Mueller's selection as special counsel in May -- and threatens to shadow his investigation's eventual findings. Trump, while vowing to cooperate with the special counsel, has also encouraged attacks on Mueller's credibility, tweeting that the investigation is 'the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. political history.'"
Julia Manchester of the Hill: "A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesman late Saturday labeled a string of shootings in Harrisburg, Pa. targeting police officers a terror attack and used the incident to criticize chain migration. Tyler Houltonsaid in a tweet that DHS confirmed that the suspect, 51-year-old Ahmed Amin El-Mofty, benefited from extended family chain migration, which takes place when immigrants in the U.S. sponsor other family members for visas.... [Ahmed] El-Mofty allegedly opened fire on police officers in three different locations in the state's capital on Friday. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were reportedly investigating whether the shootings could be considered an act of terror."
*****
Michael Shear & Julie Davis of the New York Times: In a June meeting, President Trumpdisparaged immigrants to the U.S. who are from majority non-white countries. Trump & aide Stephen Miller lashed out at Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for letting them into the U.S. "Haiti had sent 15,000 people. They 'all have AIDS,' he grumbled.... Forty thousand had come from Nigeria, Mr. Trump added. Once they had seen the United States, they would never 'go back to their huts,' [Trump said.]... Tempers flared and [chief of staff John] Kelly asked that the room be cleared of staff members. But even after the door to the Oval Office was closed, aides could still hear the president berating his most senior advisers. Sarah Huckabee Sanders ... denied on Saturday morning that Mr. Trump had made derogatory statements about immigrants during the meeting.... Mr. Trump entered office with an agenda of symbolic but incompletely thought-out goals, the product not of rigorous policy debate but of emotionally charged personal interactions and an instinct for tapping into the nativist views of white working-class Americans. Like many of his initiatives, his effort to change American immigration policy has been executed through a disorderly and dysfunctional process.... [But] his efforts to remake decades of immigration policy have gained increasing momentum as the White House became more disciplined and adept at either ignoring or undercutting the entrenched opposition of many parts of the government." This is a long piece. ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Trump's mother & paternal grandfather were immigrants to the U.S. So were two of his wives. It isn't immigration he opposes; it's people of color. ...
... digby: "What this story shows is that Trump wants to cut off immigration for anyone Trump doesn't like. Which means anyone who isn't white and/or rich. Trump, like his voters, wants an America that only looks like him." ...
... David Atkins in the Washington Monthly: "Every piece of Trump's supposed economic populism has been stripped away in a wave of pro-corporate policies benefiting the very rich and hurting the middle class. All that is left is the ugliest of racist and sexist vitriol. Those who continue ... to support this regime now have made very clear who they are, and it's antithetical to everything this nation of immigrants stands for." ...
... Benjamin Hart of New York: "As the [NYT] article notes, fear and disgust of outsiders has animatedTrump for decades; unlike, say, his position on abortion, bigotry has been one of his consistent traits since he entered public life. Among many, many other examples, Trump has demanded the death penalty for the Central Park Five and failed to change his opinion even when they were proven innocent; called Mexicans rapists on the first day of his presidential campaign; defended neo-Nazis; and, of course, advanced a conspiracy theory about the first black president for years. So even if the comments reported on Saturday go one step beyond what Trump might say in public (and it's a small step), they certainly feel like a plausible representation of the man 63 million Americans voted for -- the man whose xenophobia has made America more closed off to the world than it has been in generations." ...
... For Some Reason, People Don't Believe Mrs. Huckleberry. Eugune Scott of the Washington Post: "The challenge the White House currently faces -- especially among those groups with which Trump is highly unpopular -- is that most people trust the press more than they trust the president. According to a Quinnipiac poll, more than half -- 52 percent -- trust the media more than Trump to tell the truth about important issues. And for many voters, topics related to immigration and race are among the most important.
... Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal judge has partially blocked an order ... Donald Trump issued in October suspending admission of refugees from 11 countries, most of which are majority Muslim. U.S. District Court Judge James Robart issued a nationwide preliminary injunction Saturday afternoon that prevents the administration from halting or diverting resources from refugee applications brought on behalf of family members of immigrants already in the U.S. The injunction does not provide relief for refugees who lack a 'bona fide relationship' with individuals, businesses or schools in the U.S. The Seattle-based judge, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, said Trump's October order violated provisions in immigration laws ... governing criteria and procedures for admission of refugees." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Time for another Twitter bombardment of the judiciary. ...
... Steve Coll of the New Yorker: "Since the nineteen-seventies, Gallup has been polling Americans annually about their confidence in their country's institutions.... Over all, the project describes a collapse in trust over time, even though the surveys started amid the disillusionment of Watergate and the failed war in Vietnam.... The country's disillusionment with institutions enabled Donald Trump's election.... [Trump's unrelenting attacks on American institutions] suggests the need for a certain realism and vigilance about the rising volume of attacks by Trump and his allies on Robert Mueller ... and on the F.B.I., whose agents carry out much of the investigative work."
The Biggest Liar. Carlos Lozado of the Washington Postreviews books about three past presidential scandals. "Trump appears Nixonian in his disregard for democratic norms, Clintonian in his personal recklessness and beyond Reaganesque in his distance from the details of policy. But where the parallels and parables of past scandals fall apart is with Trump's well-documented disregard for truth. In Watergate, Iran-contra and the Clinton impeachment, views of the president's honesty played a significant role for the public, for administration officials and for lawmakers torn over how to proceed.... [Trump's] His tweets are his Nixon tapes; the 'Access Hollywood' recording his Starr report; his heedlessness for checks, balances and the rule of law his Iran-contra affair.... The expectation of integrity has given way to a cynical acceptance of deceit. As much as anything Mueller uncovers, this is the scandal of our time."
Nick Tabor, in New York, lists 55 specific waysTrump wrecked changed the U.S. this year.
Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "The F.B.I.'s embattled deputy director, Andrew G. McCabe, an unlikely lightning rod who has been attacked repeatedly by President Trump and congressional Republicans, is expected to retire after he becomes eligible for his pension early next year, according to people familiar with his decision. While Mr. McCabe's plans to leave aren't unexpected, his decision should take some of the pressure off Christopher A. Wray, who was confirmed as F.B.I. director in August. Mr. Trump has complained to confidantes that Mr. Wray has not moved fast enough to replace the senior leadership that he inherited from his predecessor, James B. Comey, whom Mr. Trump summarily dismissed in May.... On Saturday, Mr. Trump went after Mr. McCabe and Mr. Comey again in a fusillade on Twitter.... The president crowed on Saturday that James A. Baker, the F.B.I. general counsel, who was seen as an ally of Mr. Comey's, would soon step down from that post, although he will remain at the bureau." ...
... Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "Federal prosecutors are scrutinizing a $285 million loan from Deutsche Bank to Jared Kushner's family real-estate company, The Wall Street Journalreports. The loan was issued in October 2016, one month before the presidential election. Kushner was chief executive office of the Kushner Company at the time and was also advising the [Trump campaign]...."
Todd Frankel of the Washington Post: "Many U.S. charities are worried the tax overhaul bill signed by President Trump on Friday could spur a landmark shift in philanthropy, speeding along the decline of middle-class donors and transforming charitable gift-giving into a pursuit largely left to the wealthy. The source of concern is how the tax bill is expected to sharply reduce the number of taxpayers who qualify for the charitable tax deduction -- a big driver of gifts to nonprofits. One study predicts that donations will fall by at least $13 billion, about 4.5 percent, next year.... That could create new winners and losers in philanthropy. Nonprofits have long noticed that the wealthy are more likely to cut big checks to support museums and universities, while smaller donors tend to give to social-service agencies and religious organizations."
John Cassidy of the New Yorker (Dec. 22): "... for sheer bizarreness, it's hard to think of anything that matched the scene on Wednesday afternoon on the South Lawn of the White House, where Republican leaders, celebrating the passage of their terrible tax bill, lavished praise on Donald Trump in the manner of Communist functionaries addressing Mao or Stalin.... The sight of the G.O.P. celebrating its first big legislative success of the Trump era in such a degrading fashion [should] also remind everybody ... about what's at stake...: the future of democracy in this country."
Carol Morello & David Filipov of the Washington Post: "Russian officials said Saturday that the U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons to combat Russian-backed separatists will cause new bloodshed, as long-standing tensions between Washington and Moscow escalated over the four-year-old conflict. Moscow's admonition came shortly after the State Department announced Friday evening that the United States will provide heavy armaments to Ukraine for the first time, a step up from the support equipment and training offered so far.... On Wednesday, Washington said it had approved an export license allowing the sale of light weapons and small arms to Ukraine from commercial U.S. manufacturers. The U.S. decision to provide lethal weapons brought a predictably sharp rebuke from Moscow, which has tacitly backed the separatists in eastern Ukraine while denying that it actively supports them." ...
... Jeet Heer: "... the decision on arming Ukraine illustrates ... [that] the United States has two wildly divergent foreign policies toward Russia. Trump is pursuing a policy of conciliation, while the national security establishment, including Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have pursued a policy of aggressive containment. Trump sees Russia as a potential ally, while many in his cabinet and in Congress consider Russia a rival that is actively threatening American democracy. This contradictory policy could send mixed signals, leading to war.... If a crisis erupts, there's no clarity as to which of these two policies will govern.... On Monday, the Trump administration released its national security strategy, which portrayed Russia and China as rival superpowers.... And yet, in a speech introducing this document, Trump veered off of his prepared remarks and spoke about the need to 'build a great partnership' with Russia and China. Trump also described a friendly conversation he had with Putin...." ...
... Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "The Marine Corps commandant told about 300 Marines in Norway this week that they should be prepared for a 'bigass fight' to come. 'I hope I'm wrong, but there's a war coming,' Gen. Robert Neller told the Marines on Thursday, according to Military.com.... As the Marines' top general, Neller is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.... In particular, Neller predicted the Pacific and Russia to be the focus of any conflict in the future outside of the Middle East, Military.com reported.... It is unclear to what extent his comments were indicative of an actual war to come or merely meant as a pep talk for troops stationed far from home over the Christmas holiday."
Niraj Chokshi & Joumana Khatib of the New York Times: "Three executives of the Miss America Organization resigned on Saturday after reports that the pageant's leadership had attacked and derided former pageant winners in emails. Dan Meyers, a spokesman for Miss America, said the organization ha accepted the resignations of Sam Haskell, the chief executive; Josh Randle, the president; and Lynn Weidner, the chairwoman.... The emails, published by HuffPost on Thursday, showed that Mr. Haskell had made comments about former pageant winners that were disrespectful and misogynistic, with support, in some cases, from other members of the organization.... In a letter, reported by HuffPost on Friday, 49 former pageant winners said the behavior of Mr. Haskell and several other top leaders was 'despicable' and called for their resignation. The signatories included winners of pageants from 1948 to 2017."
Eileen Sullivan & Michael Tackett of the New York Times: "President Trump signed the most consequential tax legislation in three decades on Friday, even as he complained that he has not been given credit for his administration's accomplishments during a turbulent first year. Mr. Trump decided against doing a formal signing ceremony early next year because television news networks questioned whether he would keep his promise to sign the legislation before Christmas. Mr. Trump said he saw the coverage Friday morning and hastily called his staff to say that the legislation needed to be signed 'now,' prompting a last-minute Oval Office ceremony for the president's greatest achievement in his first year in office." (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... Naomi Jagoda of the Hill: "Congress's tax scorekeeper said Friday that the tax-cut package President Trumpsigned earlier in the day won't fully pay for itself through economic growth. After accounting for macroeconomic effects, the bill would reduce federal revenue by $1.07 trillion over 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT). While that's less than the $1.46 trillion price tag the JCT put on the bill before accounting for economic growth, the committee says the bill still isn't close to being deficit-neutral. The JCT's report was released hours after Trump signed the tax package int law at the White House. The president said that the tax cuts will be 'fantastic for the economy.'" Mrs. McC: Yeah, & Ivanka Trump said the tax heist would pay for itself. So the JCT must be wrong. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Jesse Drucker & Audrey Carlsen of the New York Times: "President Trump would save about $11 million on his taxes, if the new Republican tax overhaul were applied to his 2005 tax return, a New York Times analysis has found. The savings would be a roughly 30 percent cut. He would also save another $4.4 million on his eventual estate tax bill." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Jeffery Mays of the New York Times: "In wealthier, high-property-tax towns [in New York State]..., nearly all the residential property tax bills are more than $10,000. By prepaying next year's property taxes now, homeowners are hoping to deduct the payments on their 2017 federal taxes. On Friday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo [D-N.Y.] signed an executive order suspending provisions in state law that might have blocked some residents from prepaying next year's property taxes. Mr. Cuomo, a possible presidential contender, said the move was aimed at protecting residents from the 'divisive' Trump administration's tax law that is an 'economic dagger targeted for the heart' of New York.... He said some people may think the executive order was designed to 'circumvent' the tax bill President Trump just signed. 'You are damned right,' Mr. Cuomo said." See also Marvin S.'s comment at the end of yesterday's thread. ...
... ** Heather Long of the Washington Post on things you can do before January 1 to lower your tax bills for 2017 & 2018. Most of these work only if you itemize deductions. Mrs. McC: As for me, I'm giving more to charity this week & following Mrs. S.'s lead by trudging down to the local tax collector (can't drive; car stuck in snowbank!).
Adam Goldman & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: Donald "Trump's verbal assaults [on the F.B.I.] have put [Director Christopher] Wray and his leadership team in a difficult position.... Mr. Wray ... has promised the F.B.I.'s work would be based on the 'facts, the law and the impartial pursuit of justice -- period.' Yet Mr. Trump and his allies in Congress are making that task much harder. Current and former F.B.I. officials say Mr. Trump's criticisms, and those of normally supportive Republican members of Congress, have damaged morale in some quarters of the bureau.... During a congressional hearing this month, Representative Louie Gohmert, Republican of Texas, asked Mr. Wray about the political views of some of his top agents. F.B.I. officials said they were stunned that Mr. Gohmert singled out a seemingly random group of agents. Several of those mentioned had nothing to do with either the investigation into Hillary Clinton's handling of classified information, or the F.B.I.'s inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election.... Shortly after it was revealed early this month that a senior F.B.I. agent and counterintelligence lawyer who worked on both the Clinton and Russia investigations had made anti-Trump comments while exchanging texts, the president said in a Twitter post that the F.B.I.'s 'reputation is in Tatters.'"
Ana Swanson of the New York Times: A year ago, "Mr. Trump pledged to build roads and bridges, strengthen 'Buy America' provisions, protect factories from unfair imports and revive industry, especially steel. But after a year in office, Mr. Trump has not enacted these policies. And when it comes to steel, his failure to follow through on a promise has actually done more harm than good.... Foreign steel makers have rushed to get their product into the United States before tariffs start.... That surge of imports has hurt American steel makers, which were already struggling against a glut of cheap Chinese steel." (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: It's amazing how many Trump voters knew he was a non-stop liar but still thought whatever he said that profited them was the one true thing.
Mattathias Schwartz in New York: "Multiple news organizations have calculated that the death toll [in Puerto Rico] from Hurricane Maria exceeds 1,000; the New York Times, reviewing mortality data from previous years, identified an increase of 1,052 deaths during the first 42 days alone. This, too, is surely an incomplete reckoning. Even as the federal government winds down its response, withdrawing personnel and equipment, some homes are not expected to regain electricity for months. Experts are warning that, with the ballooning mosquito population and lack of clean drinking water, Puerto Rico is at risk of an epidemic. Though Donald Trump has mostly ignored it, he is presiding over a historic tragedy. By the time the island returns to normalcy, Maria could easily have surpassed Katrina to become the country's deadliest natural disaster in living memory." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Dana Milbank: "President Trump awarded himself a 10 out of 10 score two months ago for his response to Hurricane Maria, which leveled Puerto Rico." Milbank reiterates the dire, deathly situation in Puerto Rico today. "In October, when Trump was tossing 'beautiful, soft' rolls of paper towels at Puerto Ricans, he offered lavish promises of aid and said Wall Street lenders were 'going to say goodbye' to Puerto Rico's $72 billion debt. But the debt was not written off, and disaster-relief aid has been inadequate and piecemeal. Now, Trump and congressional Republicans are hitting Puerto Rico with an additional, man-made catastrophe.... Rather than give Puerto Rico special tax treatment [in the tax heist law], which it urgently needs, Trump and his congressional allies gave employers a powerful reason to move jobs off the island. You might recognize this pattern, even if you don't care about Puerto Rico and the suffering of the more than 3 million Americans there. Trump comes in with razzle-dazzle and self-congratulation, promising great things to come. Then, when the cameras are off, comes the quiet collapse."
... Merry Crassness. Get Your TrumpTrash Here! David Nakamura & Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: "For two decades, the commander in chief has doled out distinguished-looking coins as personal mementos. Now, the presidential 'challenge coin' has undergone a Trumpian transformation. The presidential seal has been replaced by an eagle bearing President Trump's signature. The eagle's head faces right, not left, as on the seal. The 13 arrows representing the original states have disappeared. And the national motto, 'E pluribus unum' ... is gone. Instead, both sides of the coin feature Trump's campaign slogan, 'Make America Great Again.'... In addition to his signature, Trump's name appears three times on the coin, which is thicker than those made for past presidents. And forget the traditional subdued silver and copper: Trump's coin, a White House aide marveled, is 'very gold.' The aide said the president, whose real estate properties are known for their gilded displays of wealth and status, was personally involved in redesigning the coin.... Some ethics experts questioned the unprecedented decision to include a campaign slogan on the coins, which are often distributed to members of the military."
Elizabeth Drew, in the New Republic, argues that Trump actually has a lot of "accomplishments" under his belt: "... after his first calendar year in office, his paltry legislative achievements notwithstanding, an unpopular president -- the most unpopular ever in a first year -- is having a broad and lasting impact on this country's domestic arrangements. No matter how long he turns out to have served, his sizeable footprints will be very difficult to erase."
Andrew Restuccia & Seung Min Kim of Politico: "About 100 of ... Donald Trump's nominees have been kicked back to the White House, prolonging an unusually high number o vacancies across his administration and escalating the Senate's long-running nominatio wars. While the Senate agreed to keep roughly 150 of Trump's picks for consideration next year, it refused to do so on roughly 100 others, according to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office. That means the White House will have to renominate them if Trump wants them installed.... Any one senator can object to allowing a nominee to be carried over. Though it's likely Democrats are responsible for most of the rejections, Republicans also could have triggered some, too.... Democrats said the caliber of Trump's nominees warranted [the holds]. In an interview earlier this week, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said he would look for obstacles to oppose nominees with 'egregious conflicts of interest,' an 'appalling lack of knowledge about the job,' or 'who are inclined to destroy the very agencies that they're assigned to support the mission of.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Wow! Haley Invites Some Lucky Diplomats to a Party! Julia Manchester of the Hill: "U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley issued thanks to the countries that did not vote for a U.N. resolution condemning the United States' decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Haley on Thursday sent invitations to a January reception to the eight countries that voted 'no' on the resolution, as well as the 35 countries that abstained from the vote and the 21 that did not cast a vote. Haley's invitation asks the nations who voted 'no,' abstained from voting or didn't cast a vote 'to a reception to thank you for your friendship to the United States.'" Mrs. McC: How stupid is this? (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Nor shall he comfort the afflicted, nor give alms to the poor, nor suffer the little children. -- The Gospel According to Jefferson B.S. (1:13)
Donald's Helper. Evil Elf Celebrates Christmas by Whacking Disabled, Poor, Children, Etc. Chris Geidner of BuzzFeed: "The Justice Department wiped a wide swath of 'guidance documents' off the books on Thursday, withdrawing 25 documents -- including one addressing integration of people with disabilities in state and local government programs and another on standards for assessing citizenship status discrimination. The Justice Department, in announcing the move, stated the 25 documents were 'unnecessary, inconsistent with existing law, or otherwise improper.' Several -- though not all of them -- were issued during President Barack Obama's administration." ...
... Taylor Dolven of Vice highlights perhaps the most egregious of the 25 "improper" guidelines: one that "advised courts against slapping poor people with large and unnecessary fines and fees." Related story linked yesterday. ...
Oh, and there's this:
* Editor's Note: The choristers featured in the video, despite what you may think you saw, are not "children." They're not young men. They're not boys. ...
... "For unto Us a Child an Unmarried Individual under the Age of 18 Is Born." Mica Rosenberg of Reuters: "The U.S. Justice Department has issued new guidelines for immigration judges that remove some instructions for how to protect unaccompanied juveniles appearing in their courtrooms. The new memo removes suggestions contained in the 2007 memo for how to conduct 'child-sensitive questioning' and adds reminders to judges to maintain 'impartiality' even though 'juvenile cases may present sympathetic allegations.' The new document also changes the word 'child' to 'unmarried individual under the age of 18' in many instances." Mrs. McC: The Trumpenspeak police are everywhere.
... Watch this segment: it's the essence of the Trump presidency*:
The Trump Russia Scandal
Raphael Satter, et al., of the AP: "... the hacking group known as Fancy Bear ... [targeted] at least 200 journalists, publishers and bloggers.... The AP identified journalists as the third-largest group on a hacking hit list obtained from cybersecurity firm Secureworks, after diplomatic personnel and U.S. Democrats. About 50 of the journalists worked at The New York Times. Another 50 were either foreign correspondents based in Moscow or Russian reporters like Lobkov who worked for independent news outlets. Others were prominent media figures in Ukraine, Moldova, the Baltics or Washington. The list of journalists provides new evidence for the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Fancy Bear acted on behalf of the Russian government when it intervened in the U.S. presidential election. Spy agencies say the hackers were working to help Republican Donald Trump." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have sought bank records about entities associated with the family company of Jared Kushner..., according to four people briefed on the matter. In recent weeks, prosecutors from the United States attorney's office in the Eastern District of New York subpoenaed records from Deutsche Bank, the giant German financial institution that has lent hundreds of millions of dollars to the Kushner family real estate business. Mr. Kushner, who was the Kushner Companies' chief executive until January, still owns part of the business after selling some of his stake." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Billy House of Bloomberg: "... Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon and his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski have been asked to testify to House lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Both men were sent letters this week by the House Intelligence Committee asking them to testify in early January.... The committee hasn't yet received a response from either Bannon or Lewandowski. The invitation, which didn't come in the form of a subpoena compelling them to testify, was for a 'voluntary interview' in the committee's offices, which means it would be held behind closed doors, the official said." (Also linked yesterday.)
Miriam Jordan of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court ruled Friday against President Trump's latest travel ban, saying that it 'exceeds the scope of his delegated authority,' but that it was ultimately for the Supreme Court to decide. A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Seattle affirmed the decision of a federal judge in Hawaii who ruled on Oct. 17 that the order was unlawful on statutory grounds. The ruling on Friday was a procedural but important step. This month, the Supreme Court allowed the ban -- the third version issued by the Trump administration -- to take effect for now, and encouraged the appeals courts to rule on the case, a sign that it intended to take up the matter. The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is considering a similar ruling out of Maryland."
NEW. Voter Fraud Commission Is Total Fraud. Josh Gerstein of Politico: "... Donald Trump's commission investigating voter fraud must give one of its Democratic members access to more of the panel's records, a federal judge ruled Friday night. U.S. District Court Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap appeared to have been denied documents needed to be an active player in the deliberations of what is formally known as the President's Advisory Commission on Election Integrity."
Rick Gladstone & David Sanger of the New York Times: "The United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea on Friday that significantly choke off new fuel supplies and order North Koreans working overseas to return home within two years, in what may prove the last test of whether any amount of economic pressure can force it to reverse course on its nuclear program. The sanctions, adopted by a vote of 15 to 0, were the third imposed this year in an escalating effort to force the North into negotiations. China and Russia joined in the resolution, though American officials have charged that in recent months the Russians have secretly been opening new links to the North, including new internet connections that give the country an alternative to communicating primarily through China." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Annie Karni of Politico: "... Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, has been accused of unwanted touching by a singer and longtime Trump supporter whose potential 'MAGA'-inspired congressional bid in Florida has been endorsed by the president himself. Joy Villa -- who drew headlines for wearing a 'Make America Great Again' dress to the Grammys earlier this year -- was celebrating the president's first year in office at a holiday party at the Trump International Hotel in Washington in late November when Lewandowski slapped her behind. After she objected, he dismissed her concerns and slapped her behind again, Villa said in an interview Friday.... Villa's recollection of the incident was corroborated by a friend who witnessed the exchange.... Villa's allegation against Lewandowski also comes at a moment when his star appears to be rising again with Trump." Mrs. McC: So out of character for such a nice, respectful dude.
John Brenahan of Politico: "The House Ethics Committee announced late Thursday that it was expanding its investigation into GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold to include allegations he improperly used official resources for campaign activities, as well as lying to the panel. Farenthold is already under investigation over claims that he sexually harassed at least one former staffer. Thursday's announcement, however, means the stakes have gone up dramatically for the Texas Republican, as misuse of official resources is a potential violation of both House rules and federal law. Farenthold has already announced he will retire due to the scandal surrounding the harassment allegations."
Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Just Kidding Edition. Judd Legum of Think Progress: "Some right-wing media outlets went to extreme lengths to discredit the women accusing Roy Moore of child sex abuse. Now, two men in charge of organizations involved in those smear campaigns claim they actually believed Moore's accusers all along.... In an interview with CNN, Breitbart editor-in-chief Alex Marlow said the claims of Leigh Corfman, who said she was sexually assaulted by Moore when she was 14, 'had a lot of credibility.'... James O'Keefe, the founder of the pseudo-journalism outlet Project Veritas, told Mediaite that he believed Moore's accusers. He didn't let that belief interfere with his work trying to discredit them, however, because 'it's not my subject matter.' O'Keefe claims his effort was about 'bias in the media.' O'Keefe tasked an operative to pose as a fake Roy Moore rape victim and approach Washington Post reporters with a false story.... The operation failed after the Post did basic background research on the woman, but the clear purpose was to undermine the credibility of the real accusers in the Washington Post's initial report -- which O'Keefe now says he believes was accurate." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Eileen Sullivan & Michael Tackett of the New York Times: "President Trump signed the most consequential tax legislation in three decades on Friday, even as he complained that he has not been given credit for his administration's accomplishments during a turbulent first year. Mr. Trump decided against doing a formal signing ceremony early next year because television news networks questioned whether he would keep his promise to sign the legislation before Christmas. Mr. Trump said he saw the coverage Friday morning and hastily called his staff to say that the legislation needed to be signed 'now,' prompting a last-minute Oval Office ceremony for the president's greatest achievement in his first year in office." ...
... Naomi Jagoda of the Hill: "Congress's tax scorekeeper said Friday that the tax-cut package President Trump signed earlier in the day won't fully pay for itself through economic growth. After accounting for macroeconomic effects, the bill would reduce federal revenue by $1.07 trillion over 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT). While that's less than the $1.46 trillion price tag the JCT put on the bill before accounting for economic growth, the committee says the bill still isn't close to being deficit-neutral. The JCT's report was released hours after Trump signed the tax package into law at the White House. The president said that the tax cuts will be 'fantastic for the economy.'" Mrs. McC: Yeah, & Ivanka Trump said the tax heist would pay for itself. So the JCT must be wrong. ...
... Jesse Drucker & Audrey Carlsen of the New York Times: "President Trump would save about $11 million on his taxes, if the new Republican tax overhaul were applied to his 2005 tax return, a New York Times analysis has found. The savings would be a roughly 30 percent cut. He would also save another $4.4 million on his eventual estate tax bill."
Mattathias Schwartz in New York: "Multiple news organizations have calculated that the death toll [in Puerto Rico] from Hurricane Maria exceeds 1,000; the New York Times, reviewing mortality data from previous years, identified an increase of 1,052 deaths during the first 42 days alone. This, too, is surely an incomplete reckoning. Even as the federal government winds down its response..., some homes are not expected to regain electricity for months. Experts are warning that, with the ballooning mosquito population and lack of clean drinking water, Puerto Rico is at risk of an epidemic. Though Donald Trump has mostly ignored it, he is presiding over a historic tragedy. By the time the island returns to normalcy, Maria could easily have surpassed Katrina to become the country's deadliest natural disaster in living memory."
Ana Swanson of the New York Times: A year ago, "Mr. Trump pledged to build roads and bridges, strengthen 'Buy America' provisions, protect factories from unfair imports and revive industry, especially steel. But after a year in office, Mr. Trump has not enacted these policies. And when it comes to steel, his failure to follow through on a promise has actually done more harm than good.... Foreign steel makers have rushed to get their product into the United States before tariffs start.... That surge of imports has hurt American steel makers, which were already struggling against a glut of cheap Chinese steel." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: It's amazing how many Trump voters knew he was a non-stop liar but still thought whatever he said that profited them was the one true thing.
Andrew Restuccia & Seung Min Kim of Politico: "About 100 of ... Donald Trump's nominees have been kicked back to the White House, prolonging an unusually high number of vacancies across his administration and escalating the Senate's long-running nomination wars. While the Senate agreed to keep roughly 150 of Trump's picks for consideration next year, it refused to do so on roughly 100 others, according to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office. That means the White House will have to renominate them if Trump wants them installed.... Any one senator can object to allowing a nominee to be carried over. Though it's likely Democrats are responsible for most of the rejections, Republicans also could have triggered some, too.... Democrats said the caliber of Trump's nominees warranted [the holds]. In an interview earlier this week, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said he would look for obstacles to oppose nominees with 'egregious conflicts of interest,' an 'appalling lack of knowledge about the job,' or 'who are inclined to destroy the very agencies that they;re assigned to support the mission of.'"
Rick Gladstone & David Sanger of the New York Times: "The United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea on Friday that significantly choke off new fuel supplies and order North Koreans working overseas to return home within two years, in what may prove the last test of whether any amount of economic pressure can force it to reverse course on its nuclear program. The sanctions, adopted by a vote of 15 to 0, were the third imposed this year in an escalating effort to force the North into negotiations. China and Russia joined in the resolution, though American officials have charged that in recent months the Russians have secretly been opening new links to the North, including new internet connections that give the country an alternative to communicating primarily through China."
Wow! Haley Invites Some Lucky Diplomats to a Party! Julia Manchester of the Hill: "U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley issued thanks to the countries that did not vote for a U.N. resolution condemning the United States' decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Haley on Thursday sent invitations to a January reception to the eight countries that voted 'no' on the resolution, as well as the 35 countries that abstained from the vote and the 21 that did not cast a vote. Haley's invitation asks the nations who voted 'no,' abstained from voting or didn't cast a vote 'to a reception to thank you for your friendship to the United States.'" Mrs. McC: How stupid is this?
Raphael Satter, et al., of the AP: "... the hacking group known as Fancy Bear ... [targeted] at least 200 journalists, publishers and bloggers.... The AP identified journalists as the third-largest group on a hacking hit list obtained from cybersecurity firm Secureworks, after diplomatic personnel and U.S. Democrats. About 50 of the journalists worked at The New York Times. Another 50 were either foreign correspondents based in Moscow or Russian reporters like Lobkov who worked for independent news outlets. Others were prominent media figures in Ukraine, Moldova, the Baltics or Washington. The list of journalists provides new evidence for the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Fancy Bear acted on behalf of the Russian government when it intervened in the U.S. presidential election. Spy agencies say the hackers were working to help Republican Donald Trump."
Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have sought bank records about entities associated with the family company of Jared Kushner..., according to four people briefed on the matter. In recent weeks, prosecutors from the United States attorney's office in the Eastern District of New York subpoenaed records from Deutsche Bank, the giant German financial institution that has lent hundreds of millions of dollars to the Kushner family real estate business. Mr. Kushner, who was the Kushner Companies' chief executive until January, still owns part of the business after selling some of his stake."
Billy House of Bloomberg: "... Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon and his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski have been asked to testify to House lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Both men were sent letters this week by the House Intelligence Committee asking them to testify in early January.... The committee hasn't yet received a response from either Bannon or Lewandowski. The invitation, which didn't come in the form of a subpoena compelling them to testify, was for a 'voluntary interview' in the committee's offices, which means it would be held behind closed doors, the official said."
Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Just Kidding Edition. Judd Legum of Think Progress: "Some right-wing media outlets went to extreme lengths to discredit the women accusing Roy Moore of child sex abuse. Now, two men in charge of organizations involved in those smear campaigns claim they actually believed Moore's accusers all along.... In an interview with CNN, Breitbart editor-in-chief Alex Marlow said the claims of Leigh Corfman, who said she was sexually assaulted by Moore when she was 14, 'had a lot of credibility.'... James O'Keefe, the founder of the pseudo-journalism outlet Project Veritas, told Mediaite that he believed Moore's accusers. He didn't let that belief interfere with his work trying to discredit them, however, because 'it’s not my subject matter.' O'Keefe claims his effort was about 'bias in the media.' O'Keefe tasked an operative to pose as a fake Roy Moore rape victim and approach Washington Post reporters with a false story.... The operation failed after the Post did basic background research on the woman, but the clear purpose was to undermine the credibility of the real accusers in the Washington Post's initial report -- which O'Keefe now says he believes was accurate."
*****
The Cheese Stands Alone. Rick Gladstone & Mark Landler of the New York Times: "A lopsided majority of United Nations members rebuked the United States on Thursday, denouncing its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and ignoring President Trump's threats to retaliate by cutting aid to countries voting against it. In a collective act of defiance toward Washington, the United Nations General Assembly voted 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions, for a resolution demanding that the United States rescind its Dec. 6 declaration on Jerusalem, the contested holy city. The resolution is nonbinding and therefore largely symbolic, but the vote indicated the extent to which the Trump administration's departure from a 50-year international consensus on Jerusalem's status has unsettled world politics and contributed to America's diplomatic isolation. Major allies like Britain, France, Germany and Japan voted for the resolution, though some allies, like Australia and Canada, abstained." E-I-E-I-O. ...
... "Trump Is Trying to Corrupt the U.N." Martin Longman in the Washington Monthly: "The basic premise of the United Nations, according to the Trump administration, is that the U.S. spends a lot of money on the organization and in return other members should vote the way we want them to vote. If they don't, we may punish the entire organization. We may punish individual countries in other ways by withholding or canceling economic or military or humanitarian aid. We also will react negatively to anything that can be perceived as disrespect, and if the United Nations as a whole questions our foreign policy decisions, that is definitely a sign of disrespect rather than substantive or moral disagreement.... This behavior is corrupt.... Threats we can't keep don't make us stronger or more respected, and they certainly don't increase the likelihood that we'll get the votes we want in the future. Overall, this has been a shameful and horrid day for the United States on the international stage." ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: It's worth remembering that millions of Americans voted for Old MacDonald based on his overarching sales pitch that he was a great dealmaker who would use his incredible negotiating skills to MAGA. If continually issuing petty threats that alienate friend & foe alike are MAGA, then the Trumpbots were right. ...
... "Narcissistic, Vengeful Autocrat." David Ferguson of the Raw Story: "Former CIA Director John O. Brennan joined Twitter back in September but never used his account until Thursday and when he broke his silence, it was to slam ... Donald Trump. First, Brennan remembered the victims of the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1998, but his next tweet was aimed squarely at the White House. 'Trump Admin threat to retaliate against nations that exercise sovereign right in UN to oppose US position on Jerusalem is beyond outrageous,' wrote Brennan, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama. 'Shows @realDonaldTrump expects blind loyalty and subservience from everyone -- qualities usually found in narcissistic, vengeful autocrats.'" ...
... New York TimesEditors: "Many elements of President Trump's first National Security Strategy report could have been endorsed by his predecessors.... Where the exercise runs aground is in the disconnect between the strategy, as it appears on paper, and which in some respects reflects mainstream thinking, and Mr. Trump's tweets, statements and actions that present the unpredictable public face of his policies -- including his comments ... introducing the document.... Nowhere are the contradictions between Mr. Trump and the strategy document more obvious than on the subject of Russia.... [Trump's] boastfulness and belligerence and tendency to self-aggrandizement are not only costing America worldwide support, but also isolating it. Case in point: [the Jerusalem fiasco]." ...
... Declan Walsh of the New York Times: "Vice President Mike Pence's planned visit to the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity, ought to have had a particular poignancy in the days before Christmas. When he first floated the idea of a trip in October, Mr. Pence, an evangelical Christian, vowed to highlight the persecution of Christians at the hands of Islamic State extremists, and he scheduled meeting with several Christian leaders, which was sure to play well with his conservative American base.... But then on Dec. 6, President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, smashing seven decades of American policy and provoking violent protests. One by one, Christian leaders publicly canceled their meetings with Mr. Pence. President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority -- a critical figure in the Trump administration's ambitious plans for a sweeping Middle East peace deal -- also canceled. Then Mr. Pence himself canceled the whole trip, saying he needed to stay in Washington to oversee an important tax reform vote -- an assertion that drew a measure of skepticism." ...
Christianity now faces an exodus in the Middle East unrivaled since the days of Moses. -- mike pence, "in a speech sprinkled with biblical references" ...
Those must be the Christians for whom Jesus parted the Red Sea? -- Patrick, in yesterday's thread
Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "In a legal victory for the Trump administration, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit on Thursday that accused President Trump of violating the Constitution by continuing to own and profit from his business empire. The complaint, filed this year in the Southern District of New York, said that Mr. Trump had harmed plaintiffs in the restaurant and hotel business, including an organization representing more than 200 restaurants and thousands of employees. The lawsuit said that the plaintiffs competed directly with restaurants that Mr. Trump owns or in which he has a financial interest and that they had suffered as a result of his failure to fully distance himself from his businesses.... Judge George B. Daniels of United States District Court in Manhattan found that the plaintiffs had failed to show that they had lost revenue because of specific actions by Mr. Trump. Even before Mr. Trump took office, the judge said, 'he had amassed wealth and fame and was competing against' the plaintiffs." Mrs. McC: Daniels was appointed by Bill Clinton. ...
... MEANWHILE. Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post: "All six defendants in a crucial trial involving demonstrators arrested during ... Donald Trump’s inauguration were found not guilty of all charges on Thursday. The trial of the six defendants ― Jennifer Armento, Oliver Harris, Brittne Lawson, Michelle Macchio, Christina Simmons and Alexei Wood ― began in mid-November. It raised major First Amendment issues and was seen as a bellwether that could determine whether the government will proceed with the prosecutions of many of the nearly 200 other defendants who have trials scheduled throughout the next year. Despite Thursday's verdict, Justice Department prosecutors appeared ready to take all of the remaining defendants to trial.... The first six to go on trial include a photographer who had solicited a news outlet for inauguration-related work and two women who acted as 'street medics' that day and were carrying medical supplies."
The Trump Russia Scandal
Caroline Orr of Shareblue: "In a move that went largely unnoticed last week, Donald Trump quietly handed Russian President Vladimir Putin ... an invitation to continue undermining American democracy, with no strings attached.... Hours after signing the annual defense spending bill called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Trump released an accompanying presidential signing statement formalizing his opposition to a slew of measures aimed at enforcing a tougher U.S. policy towards Russia. The measures, which passed with large bipartisan majorities in both chambers of Congress, focus on combatting Russian aggression in the U.S. and around the world, with a specific focus on hybrid warfare operations. They were included in the NDAA as part of a broader response to Russian election interference and ongoing influence campaigns waged by the Kremlin.... In the statement, Trump explicitly objected to over 40 provisions included in the bill, most of which were aimed at bolstering our defenses against Russian aggression. Among other things, Trump ... specifically noted his objection to the subsection directing the military and other government agencies to strengthen our defenses against cyberattacks, as well as developing new strategies to counter the 'use of misinformation, disinformation..., active measures, propaganda, and deception and denial activities of the Russian Federation in the United States and Europe, through traditional and social media.'" ...
... Manu Raju & Jeremy Herb of CNN: "FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabefaced numerous questions this week about his interactions, conversations and correspondence with his one-time boss, former FBI Director James Comey, spanning both the FBI's Russia investigation and its probe into Hillary Clinton's private email server, according to multiple sources from both parties with knowledge of his testimony. In private testimony before the House Intelligence Committee this week, McCabe told lawmakers that Comey informed him of conversations he had with ... Donald Trump soon after they happened, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter. The testimony suggests McCabe could corroborate Comey's account, including Trump's ask that Comey show him loyalty, which the President has strongly disputed. Comey previously testified that he briefed some of his senior colleagues at the FBI about this conversation with Trump. McCabe appeared for more than 14 hours of testimony behind closed doors in two sessions this week before members of the House Intelligence, Oversight and Judiciary committees, amid growing calls for his firing from Republicans critical of the FBI's handling of both investigations." ...
... Where "Oversight" = Collaborating & Interference. Natasha Bertrand of Business Insider: "Republican lawmakers' sustained attacks on the FBI and the special counsel Robert Mueller in recent weeks have raised questions about whether the White House has coordinated or influenced the effort. Three House Republicans most opposed to Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election -- Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz & Ron DeSantis -- have indicated that they have spoken to the White House -- and ... Donald Trump directly -- about it.... It is unclear whether [Devin] Nunes has remained in contact with Trump.... Nunes ... has for weeks been meeting secretly with a group of House Intelligence Committee Republicans to build a case that senior leaders of the Justice Department and FBI mishandled the contents of the Trump-Russia dossier -- a raw intelligence document compiled by the former British spy Christopher Steele outlining allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow." ...
... Richard Painter & Norman Eisen in a New York Times op-ed on the ways Trump & his allies are working to undermineRobert Mueller & his investigators. ...
... Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "The selection of Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) as the ranking member on Judiciary was the clearest sign yet of how seriously House Democrats consider the possibility of a full-blown constitutional showdown with Trump. You wouldn't know it from how many of them talk. When it comes to the I-word, most Democrats have walked a tightrope -- with even Nadler hesitant to mention impeachment in interviews before votes were cast Wednesday.... Nadler won [the committee leadership post in] a secret ballot 118 to 72, demonstrating that this caucus wants to be ready to clash with Trump if it vaults into the majority after next year's midterm elections." (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... Greg Sargent: "This is exactly what Democrats should be doing -- right now. Not just because an impeachment battle might actually happen, but also for another reason: Democrats will need to find a more effective way to talk to the American people about the serial degradation of our democracy we are seeing in the Trump era, for the good of the party, yes, but also for the good of the country.... Trump's ongoing self-dealing and abuses of power, the facts being unearthed in the Russia probes, the obvious efforts earlier this year to hamstring the FBI investigation, the blithe lack of concern about future assaults on our democracy, the uncontrollable contempt for governing norms and the rule of law, and the profound inability to grasp the most basic obligations that come with his office -- both to the public and to the integrity of our system of government -- plainly add up to an aggregate level of degradation that commands a serious effort to determine whether he is fit to continue." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Stephanie Baker & Irina Reznik of Bloomberg: Robert Mueller's team is looking into a sham U.S. foundation "financed by $500,000 in donations, mostly from wealthy Russians with ties to Petr Katsyv, deputy director of Russian Railways and a longtime acquaintance of Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika. Rather than a nonprofit helping unite Americans with Russian adoptees, the foundation was a lobbying vehicle against sanctions.... Most of the Russians financing the foundation said in interviews that they knew nothing about U.S. adoptions of Russian children, contradicting the foundation's U.S. disclosure forms.... [Robert] Akhmetshin, a former Soviet intelligence officer [who is a lobbyist for & employee of the 'foundation']..., met with senior officials of the Donald Trump campaign in New York: the candidate's son, son-in-law and campaign manager." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Luke Nozicka of the Des Moines Register: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the prison sentence of former Iowa slaughterhouse executive Sholom Rubashkin, who was sentenced to 27 years for bank fraud and money laundering, the White House said. In a statement, the White House said the decision, which is not a presidential pardon, had bipartisan support from leaders across the political spectrum, such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). Trump's action does not vacate Rubashkin's conviction and leaves his term of supervised release and a restitution obligation, the White House said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: For one thing, Trump sees nothing wrong with bank fraud & money laundering.
Roger Cohen of the New York Times: "If this is America...." Cohen, with a little help from Rudyard Kipling, reminds us of what Trump & Trumpistas have wrought. "This is not America. It must be fought for and won back." ...
... Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "There's been a synthesis, in which Trump and establishment Republicans adopt one another's worst qualities. Trump, who campaigned as a putative economic populist -- even calling for higher taxes on the rich -- will soon sign into law the tax plan of the House speaker Paul Ryan's Ayn Randian dreams. The majority of elected Republicans, in turn, are assuming a posture of slavish submission to Trump, worshiping their dear leader and collaborating in the maintenance of his alternative reality.... The mounting authoritarianism of the Republican Party under Trump is particularly blatant when it comes to the Russia investigation." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: You may have noticed that when today's columnists try to figure out what has gone wrong with this country, they inevitably turn to philosophers & other observers who studied Nazism & other totalitarian phenomena. ...
... Masha Gessen of the New Yorker: "Donald Trumphas scored a legislative victory with staggering costs. The price of the tax bill has to be measured not only in the loss American society will face in the increase in inequality, in the impact on public health, and the growth of the deficit, but also in the damage to political culture inflicted by the spectacle of one powerful man after another telling lies of various sorts.... There is the [political speech] genre of the thoroughly insincere pronouncement that is all empty ritual.... These kinds of speeches are usually given in dictatorships: their intended audience is not the public but the tyrant. This is what we observed in Washington on Wednesday, and it's the scariest part of Trump's big tax triumph."
Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "An Oval Office meeting involving President Trump and his top advisers on Wednesday devolved into a heated exchange between his former campaign manager [Corey Lewandowski] and the White House political director [Bill Stepien], people briefed on the discussion said." Trump was mellow.
Republican Family Values. Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is considering measures to halt a surge of Central American families and unaccompanied minors coming across the Mexican border, including a proposal to separate parents from their children, according to Trump administration officials with knowledge of the plans. These measures ... would also crack down on& migrants living in the United States illegally who send for their children. That aspect of the effort would use data collected by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to target parents for deportation after they attempt to regain custody of their children from government shelters." ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: As cruel as this proposal sounds, it's perfectly consistent with the Roy Moore school of philosophy. In this school of thought, the only "family values" are "white family values," so it is quite all right to tear apart non-white families. It is one thing, of course, to hear an old crank like Moore voice an opinion about superior family values in the good old, pre-Civil War days, and quite another to learn a high-level federal official is making the break-up of families part of a plan for the future. Feliz Navidad, people.
Lisa Friedman, et al., of the New York Times & ProPublica: "More than 700 people have left the Environmental Protection Agency since President Trump took office, a wave of departures that puts the administration nearly a quarter of the way toward its goal of shrinking the agency to levels last seen during the Reagan administration.... The departures reflect poor morale and a sense of grievance at the agency, which has been criticized by President Trump and top Republicans in Congress as bloated and guilty of regulatory overreach. That unease is likely to deepen following revelations that Republican campaign operatives were using the Freedom of Information Act to request copies of emails from E.P.A. officials suspected of opposing Mr. Trump and his agenda.... Within the agency, science in particular is taking a hard hit. More than 27 percent of those who left this year were scientists.... Scientists, for the most part, are also not being replaced.... Political appointees, however, are on the rise."
When You Think They Can't Get Worse.... Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Attorney General Jeff Sessionsis rescinding an Obama-era Justice Department letter that asked local courts across the country to be wary of slapping poor defendants with fines and fees to fill their jurisdictions' coffers, part of a broad rollback of guidance that Sessions believes overreached. It's the latest move in Sessions's effort to dramatically reshape the Justice Department by undoing many of the reforms imposed by his predecessors and giving the institution a harder edge. Sessions is revoking 25 previous guidance documents dating back decades and covering topics as diverse as ATF procedures and the Americans With Disabilities Act." Mrs. McC: Do we still have to call it the "Justice" Department?
Cold Case Files. Tom Winter, et al., of NBC News: "On the orders of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Justice Department prosecutors have begun asking FBI agents to explain the evidence they found in a now dormant criminal investigation into a controversial uranium deal that critics have linked to Bill and Hillary Clinton, multiple law enforcement officials told NBC News. The interviews with FBI agents are part of the Justice Department's effort to fulfill a promise an assistant attorney general made to Congress last month to examine whether a special counsel was warranted to look into what has become known as the Uranium One deal, a senior Justice Department official said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Despite Trump's Best Efforts.... Robert Pear of the New York Times: "The Trump administration said Thursday that 8.8 million people had signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's federal marketplace, a surprisingly large number only slightly lower than the total in the last open enrollment period, which was twice as long and heavily advertised."
** Mike DeBonis & Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "The House passed a short-term spending measure Thursday to avert a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday and advanced a separate $81 billion disaster relief bill to aid victims of recent hurricanes and wildfires. The Senate is expected to vote Thursday evening on the stopgap, which passed the House 231 to 188 and will push back delicate decisions on spending, immigration, health care and national security until Jan. 19.... The Senate is not expected to take up the disaster bill until January; it passed the House 251 to 169. Thursday's congressional votes are expected to be the last of 2017." ...
... Update: "Congress passed a stopgap spending bill Thursday, averting a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday but pushing into January showdowns on spending, immigration, health care and national security. Among the issues still to be resolved is federal aid for victims of recent hurricanes and wildfires. The House on Thursday passed a separate $81 billion disaster relief bill, but the Senate did not immediately take it up amid Democratic objections.... It passed the House 231 to 188 and cleared the Senate 66 to 32. Thursday's congressional votes are expected to be the last of 2017."
Elise Viebeck of the Washington Post: "Sen. Al Frankenbade farewell to Capitol Hill on Thursday with a lengthy broadside against the policies of the Trump administration and a call for politicians to commit themselves to 'honesty in public discourse.' The speech put to rest questions about whether Franken (D-Minn.) would follow through on his promise to resign over more than a half-dozen allegations that he had touched women inappropriately. Until Wednesday, Franken had not announced the date he would leave the Senate, and at least two Democratic colleagues -- Sens. Joe Manchin III (W.Va.) and Patrick J. Leahy (Vt.) -- recently said that he should reverse his decision. In his farewell address, Franken lamented what he described as the degradation of truth in the national political debate and the hyper-partisan environment this has produced. He will resign his seat on Jan. 2 and his successor, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith (D), is scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 3." ...
Jan Wolfe of Reuters: "Democratic-leaning states may take legal action to challenge the cap on deductions of state and local taxes under the sweeping overhaul of the U.S. tax code, and even though such lawsuits would face long odds they could help galvanize Democrats for next year's mid-term election." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Paul Krugmanpoints to some of the winners in the tax heist. Here's one group: "The centerpiece of the legislation is a huge tax cut for corporations. Republicans claim that this tax cut will be passed on to workers in the form of higher wages, but most independent studies conclude that even in the long run only between one-fifth and one-quarter of the tax cut will trickle down to workers. And the fraction will be much lower in the short run -- say, the next few years. So this is basically a tax cut for shareholders. And who are these shareholders? About a third of the total benefits will go to foreigners." ...
... AND Ivanka Trumpvouches for Sen. Bob Corker's "real integrity." Mrs. McC: So never mind anything negative I wrote about the Corker Kickback. And never mind that Ivanka & family will make millions on that kickback, too. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Dumber than a Post(card). Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: Ivanka Trumpis "a walking advertisement for the danger of nepotism, an exemplar of class privilege and a perfect representative for Republican know-nothingism. She was supposed to be the brains of the family and the moral ballast; instead, she's a self-righteous enabler.... She was out talking nonsense again on Thursday: 'I'm really looking forward to doing a lot of traveling in April when people realize the effect that this has ... The vast majority will be [doing their taxes] on a single postcard.' Thunk. There's no postcard. That was a prop. And the filing for the first year under the new tax code will be in 2019." She also claimed the tax heist would eliminate the national debt. "In fairness to Trump, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also advanced this hooey, but you would think that she would at least have witnessed the pummeling Collins took for her phony assertion and learned from that. When one is not used to be being contradicted, one is perhaps less concerned with accuracy."
Jane Mayer of the New Yorker: "On Tuesday, in a convention center in West Palm Beach, Florida, amid chants of 'USA!' and 'The wall is going to be built!,' Donald Trump, Jr., kicked off a three-day annual summit for Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit. Based outside of Chicago, Turning Point's aim is to foment a political revolution on America's college campuses, in part by funnelling money into student government elections across the country to elect right-leaning candidates. But it is secretive about its funding and its donors, raising the prospect that 'dark money' may now be shaping not just state and federal races but ones on campus. Turning Point touts its close relationship with the President's family.... Internal documents that I obtained, as well as interviews with former employees, suggest that the group may have skirted campaign-finance laws that bar charitable organizations from participating in political activity.... Turning Point USA is also alleged to have fostered an atmosphere that is hostile to minorities."
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