The Conversation -- December 13, 2024

Annie Grayer of CNN: "Rep. Nancy Pelosi was admitted to a hospital in Luxembourg after she 'sustained an injury during an official engagement,' a spokesperson said. Pelosi, 84, is continuing to work, the spokesperson, Ian Krager, said, and is currently receiving 'excellent' treatment from doctors and medical professionals. 'While traveling with a bipartisan Congressional delegation in Luxembourg to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge,' Krager said."

Walt Bogdanich & Michael Forsythe of the New York Times: "McKinsey & Company has agreed to pay $650 million to settle a Justice Department investigation of its work with the opioid maker Purdue Pharma. A former senior partner, Martin Elling, has also agreed to plead guilty to obstruction of justice for destroying internal company records in connection with that work. At the center of the government's case was McKinsey's advice that Purdue Pharma should 'turbocharge' sales of Purdue's flagship OxyContin painkiller in the midst of an opioid addiction epidemic that was killing hundreds of thousands of Americans. More than two dozen McKinsey partners consulted for Purdue over roughly 15 years, earning the firm $93 million."

~~~~~~~~~~

It's Friday the 13th, Trump is the president*-elect. What could possibly go wrong?

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "Kash Patel..., Trump's pick to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has called the top ranks of the bureau 'a threat to the people' and published a list of enemies, vowing retribution for investigations of top Republicans. He appears -- at least for now -- to be on a glide path for confirmation, with Republican senators lining up enthusiastically behind him. As Mr. Patel made the rounds on Capitol Hill this week ahead of his confirmation hearing, he received almost universal praise from G.O.P. members, even those who had raised concerns about some of Mr. Trump's other picks. Mr. Patel's warm welcome is fueled in part by an eagerness among Republicans to avoid incurring the wrath of Mr. Trump and his base after a groundswell of anger at Senate pushback to his picks to lead the Pentagon and the Department of Justice.... But it also reflects the extent to which a deep distrust of the F.B.I. has become Republican orthodoxy." ~~~

~~~ Marie: Of course we are not surprised that GOP senators are lying down in the path of the Trump bus to facilitate his running over them (beep beep). And that's especially a shame give the following item, which I missed, but which laura h. picked up on it in yesterday's Comments: ~~~

     ~~~ David French of the New York Times: "By stepping down, as the conservative writer Erick Erickson observed, [FBI Director Christopher] Wray has created a 'legal obstacle to Trump trying to bypass the Senate confirmation process.'... According to the Vacancies Reform Act, if a vacancy occurs in a Senate-confirmed position, the president can temporarily replace that appointee (such as the F.B.I. director) only with a person who has already received Senate confirmation or with a person who's served in a senior capacity in the agency (at the GS-15 pay scale) for at least 90 days in the year before the resignation. Kash Patel, Donald Trump's chosen successor at the F.B.I., meets neither of these criteria.... That means he can't walk into the job on Day 1.... So a resignation that at first blush looks like a capitulation (why didn't he wait to be fired?) is actually an act of defiance.... Patel is just such an 'unfit character' [as Alexander Hamilton referenced in Federalist No. 76,] and now it's senators' responsibility to protect the American republic from his malign influence -- if, that is, they have the courage to do their jobs." ~~~

~~~ ⭐Garrett Graff in Politico Magazine: Christopher "Wray's surprise decision [to resign] is, simply put, a damning decision, an abdication of leadership, and a terrifying indication of how unready Washington remains for a second Trump term. Wray's decision undermined decades of hard work -- by Congress, presidents, the Justice Department and the FBI itself -- to move it out of a partisan, political framework.... [Established] safeguards and traditions exist because the FBI, in the wrong hands, is incredibly dangerous to American democracy.... We've spent a half-century as a nation trying to make sure that [J. Edgar Hoover's abuse of the agency's power] never happens again -- and now Trump is explicitly saying he wants to restart that darkest chapter of the FBI's history.... The only reason Trump wants to change FBI directors is he doesn't think he can boss, bend and break Wray to his will sufficiently.... Wray's ... decision ... seems to help only one person: Wray, easing his way back into polite legal society and a top-shelf corporate or legal role with a minimum of awkward fuss and Trump vitriol." Read to the end; Graff smacks down Jim Comey, too.

Marie: Donald Trump will kill millions of Americans. His plan is already past the planning stage. I'm not kidding: ~~~

~~~ ⭐Christina Jewitt & Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "The lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a virus that can cause paralysis or death. That campaign is just one front in the war that the lawyer, Aaron Siri, is waging against vaccines of all kinds. Mr. Siri has also filed a petition seeking to pause the distribution of 13 other vaccines; challenged, and in some cases quashed, Covid vaccin mandates around the country; sued federal agencies for the disclosure of records related to vaccine approvals; and subjected prominent vaccine scientists to grueling videotaped depositions. Much of Mr. Siri's work — including the polio petition filed in 2022 -- has been on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network, a nonprofit whose founder is a close ally of Mr. Kennedy. Mr. Siri also represented Mr. Kennedy during his presidential campaign." ~~~

     ~~~ Daniel Payne of Politico: "... Donald Trump said he's open to getting rid of vaccines depending on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s review of their safety. Trump's comments to Time magazine contradict promises previously made by Kennedy, who is Trump's choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and has long been skeptical of vaccines widely considered to be safe and effective. Last month, Kennedy told NBC he would not take vaccines away from anyone who wants them. But Trump said in an interview with Time released Thursday that he might get rid of some vaccines if he thinks they're 'dangerous' or 'not beneficial' after working with Kennedy to review evidence of them."

What? Trump repeatedly made a major campaign promise that he's broken even before taking office? Unpossible! ~~~

     ~~~ Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump said in an interview that bringing down grocery prices will be 'very hard,' after he repeatedly promised during his campaign to cut costs, a major factor in winning over voters dissatisfied with the economy.... Throughout the campaign, Trump vowed to reduce the cost of food and energy as he blamed price hikes on Vice President Kamala Harris, who had promised to push for a federal ban on price gouging. In August at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump stood near a table of produce such as milk, eggs, cereal and coffee and attributed the price hikes to Harris.... 'I'd like to bring them down. It's hard to bring things down once they're up. You know, it's very hard. But I think that they will,' he said....

"In a wide-ranging interview on Nov. 25 that was published Thursday as part of his Time 'Person of the Year' honor, Trump said he would pardon people convicted of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol within hours of his inauguration, sought to distance himself from anti-transgender messages that Republicans used effectively against Democrats in the election and described the Middle East as an 'easier problem' to resolve than Russia's war against Ukraine." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Well, sure, because Trump has a super-duper Middle-East advisor who says he hasn't even visited the Middle East in years and apparently is not the crack dealmaker Trump claims (see related story on Tiffany Trump's father-in-law, linked below).

Dancing with Donald at the Billionaires' Ball

Karen Weise & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Amazon said on Thursday that it was planning to donate $1 million to ... Donald J. Trump's inaugural fund, part of a pattern in which tech companies and their leaders are taking steps to repair their relationships with Mr. Trump. [Mark Zuckerberg's company] Meta, the parent company of Facebook, said on Wednesday that it was putting $1 million into the inaugural fund.... Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, have had a rocky history with Mr. Trump.... But over the summer, Mr. Bezos spoke with Mr. Trump after the former president was shot at a campaign event.... More recently, Mr. Bezos has said that he is 'very optimistic' about the incoming Trump administration. At the DealBook Summit in New York on Dec. 4, Mr. Bezos said that Mr. Trump 'seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation. And my point of view is, if I can help him do that, I'm going to help him, because we do have too much regulation in this country.'... Mr. Trump said on Thursday that Mr. Bezos, who chairs Amazon's board, was meeting him next week." ~~~

     ~~~ Make that $2MM. Thanks Jeff! Filip Timotija of the Hill: "Amazon will be donating $1 million to Trump's inauguration and also making a $1 million in-kind contribution, as the company will stream the formal admission through Prime Video, multiple outlets reported...." ~~~

     ~~~ Keeping the Lights On. Marie: If you saw yesterday's Conversation, you know that Jeff is happy to have you and me pay for Amazon delivery personnels' safety (which I'm glad to do), while he gives billionaire Trump $1MM. ~~~

~~~ Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Katie Robertson of the New York Times: "After ... Donald J. Trump announced a cascade of cabinet picks last month, the editorial board of The Los Angeles Times ... prepared an editorial arguing that the Senate should follow its traditional process for confirming nominees, particularly given the board's concerns about some of his picks, and ignore Mr. Trump's call for so-called recess appointments.... Hours before the editorial was set to be sent to the printer for the next day's newspaper..., the paper's owner, the billionaire medical entrepreneur Dr. Patrick ... Soon-Shiong told the opinion department's leaders that the editorial could not be published unless the paper also published an editorial with an opposing view.... Editors removed the editorial, headlined 'Donald Trump's cabinet choices are not normal. The Senate's confirmation process should be.' It never ran. Dr. Soon-Shiong's intervention, recounted by four people inside the Times..., is one of a string of events in which he has waded into the publication's opinion section in ways that he hadn't until this fall's presidential campaign." ~~~

~~~ Caroline O'Donovan, et al., of the Washington Post: "Top executives in the technology industry have long been a target of Donald Trump's vitriol. As he prepares to return to the White House, they're lining up to gain favor with the president-elect. Some come bearing checkbooks. Google CEO Sundar Pichai was scheduled for a sit-down with him on Thursday. Salesforce CEO and Time magazine owner Marc Benioff celebrated his publication's naming of Trump as 'person of the year.'... The corporate giants appear to be hoping for a fresh start with Trump, who has lambasted the industry as biased and anticompetitive and targeted some of the biggest tech companies with threats of punitive action.... Trump filed lawsuits against Google and Meta in 2021, accusing them of censorship, and as president in 2019 threatened the two companies with legal assaults from the U.S. government.... Trump said Andrew Ferguson, his pick to head the Federal Trade Commission, will be 'standing up to Big Tech censorship.'" ~~~

~~~ So, Um, Not a Billionaire. Ruth Maclean, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald Trump's incoming Middle East adviser, Massad Boulos, has enjoyed a reputation as a billionaire mogul at the helm of a business that bears his family name. Mr. Boulos has been profiled as a tycoon by the world's media, telling a reporter in October that his company is worth billions.... In fact, records show that Mr. Boulos has spent the past two decades selling trucks and heavy machinery in Nigeria for a company his father-in-law controls. He is chief executive of the company, SCOA Nigeria PLC, which made a profit of less than $66,000 last year, corporate filings show. There is no indication in corporate documents that Mr. Boulos, a Lebanese-American whose son is married to Mr. Trump's daughter Tiffany, is a man of significant wealth as a result of his businesses. The truck dealership is valued at about $865,000 at its current share price. Mr. Boulos's stake, according to securities filings, is worth $1.53. As for Boulos Enterprises, the company that has been called his family business in The Financial Times and elsewhere, a company officer there said it is owned by an unrelated Boulos family. Mr. Boulos will advise on one of the world's most complicated and conflict-wracked regions -- a region that Mr. Boulos said this week that he has not visited in years." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The Times headline calls Boulos "a small-time truck salesman." Donald Trump calls him a "dealmaker" and a "highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene." While I will agree that a small-time truck salesman must make deals and can be highly-respected. But a leader in the business world? Seems a bit of a stretch. In fairness to Boulos, it's entirely possible that the reason his company's profits were so low is that he and his father-in-law skimmed millions off the top.

Christina Wilkie of CNBC: "The Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday charged global financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald with violating laws related to regulatory disclosures by so-called blank-check companies before they raise money from the public. Cantor's chairman and CEO, Howard Lutnick, was recently nominated by ... Donald Trump to lead the Commerce Department. Lutnick is co-chair of Trump's transition team. Cantor agreed to settle the SEC's charges by agreeing to pay a $6.75 million civil penalty and agreeing to not violate the securities laws at issue in the case. The firm did not admit or deny the charges...." MB: Oh, there's a way to eliminate fines for violating regulatory laws. Just repeal or ignore the laws! Or the agencies that enforce them! ~~~

⭐ ~~~ Party Like It's 1929 All Over Again. Alex Lang of the Independent: "Donald Trump's transition team has reportedly looked at ways to shrink or eliminate banking oversight - a move that could have dramatic impacts on everyday Americans and protecting their money. In interviews with candidates to oversee the banking sector, Trump advisers and DOGE - the advisory Department of Government Efficiency - officials have asked if the president-elect can abolish the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., according to the Wall Street Journal. Trump's team has also asked if the FDIC could be absorbed into the Treasury Department. Any move to eliminate the FDIC would require Congressional approval. But, if it were to happen, it would be a massive shakeup in the industry. The FDIC was created during the Great Depression. It is designed to help bulk up faith in the nation's banking system. Most people know the agency as it insures deposits in banks up to $250,000." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So the worst of both worlds: (1) inflation guaranteed because of tariffs, & (2) you'll have to keep your money under the mattress, where it will lose value every day. I don't see how fatcat bankers would think eliminating the FDIC would benefit them. Anyhow, major financial institutions will fail and the economy will collapse. Other than that, great idea!

Another Trumpy Conspiracy Theory Bites the Dust. Glenn Thrush & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "More than two dozen F.B.I. informants were in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, but contrary to widespread conspiracy theories, bureau officials did not order anyone to break the law as a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol that day, according to a report by a Justice Department watchdog released on Thursday. After a nearly four-year investigation, the department's inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, also determined that the F.B.I. had not stationed any undercover agents in the crowd that gathered at the Capitol to disrupt the certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s electoral victory over Donald J. Trump in the 2020 election. In his nearly 90-page report, Mr. Horowitz said the bureau 'undertook significant efforts to identify domestic terrorism subjects' who planned to travel to the Washington area on Jan. 6. But he criticized its leaders for failing to recognize the potential dangers posed by the rioters before they descended on the city. Moreover, he specifically chided the F.B.I.'s top ranks for failing to follow through on their promise to canvass their field offices for intelligence on potential threats after the 2020 election." (The link to the report embedded in the story is to a DOJ webpage, not to a NYT page, so it's free.) Politico's story is here.

GOP's Pet Biden-Corruption Fabulist to Go to Prison. Perry Stein of the Washington Post: "The FBI informant accused of lying about the Biden family's business dealings has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, admitting that he concocted a tale of President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden accepting bribes in exchange for protecting a Ukrainian energy company. The defendant, Alexander Smirnov, will also plead guilty to multiple tax charges, according to the agreement filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday morning. Special counsel David Weiss charged Smirnov in February with making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record.... In November, prosecutors indicted him again on tax charges.... As part of the plea agreement filed Thursday -- which still needs to be reviewed by a judge -- prosecutors recommended that Smirnov be sentenced to 48 to 72 months in prison.

"The agreement brings to a close an ugly chapter in which Republicans in Congress pinned allegations of Biden family corruption largely on claims Smirnov made to FBI agents in 2020 -- claims that Smirnov now admits were lies. Again and again, lawmakers repeated these and other accusations about the Biden family, at the same time saying that the Justice Department and FBI were not aggressively prosecuting the Bidens and other Democrats.... Parts of Smirnov's tale emerged in FBI documents trumpeted by congressional Republicans, even as his identity remained unknown on Capitol Hill -- and his claims unvetted."

Tobi Raji of the Washington Post: "A bill that would create dozens of new federal judgeships across the country received final approval in Congress on Thursday morning, setting up a likely veto from President Joe Biden even as his administration pushes to confirm his final nominees to fill existing judicial vacancies.... The White House announced this week that Biden would veto the bill, and leading Democratic lawmakers who had supported it are questioning it as well, wary of handing ... Donald Trump a trove of new federal judicial vacancies to fill once he takes office."

Annie Correal of the New York Times: "... a burial ground for enslaved people has been discovered at Andrew Jackson's home in Nashville, known as the Hermitage, the Andrew Jackson Foundation announced this week. The brash and divisive seventh U.S. president, whose portrait hung in the Oval Office during ... Donald J. Trump's first term, was known to have owned, along with his son, more than 300 enslaved people before the Civil War."

Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post: "Before the two-year marine heat wave that ended in 2016, Alaska had an estimated 8 million common murres -- a quarter of the world's population -- spread across abundant colonies in the Gulf of Alaska and the Eastern Bering Sea. These black-and-white seabirds nest in dense clusters among shoreline cliffs during the summer months and then head to the ocean the rest of the year to feast on schools of small fish such as capelin and sand lance, herring and krill. Some populations of such forage fish collapsed during the heat wave as temperatures in the north Pacific spiked by 2.5 to 3 degrees Celsius above normal. Many predators that rely on them suffered.... The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ... found that more than half of Alaska's common murres died -- some 4 million birds -- in what they described as the largest mortality event of any non-fish vertebrate wildlife species reported during the modern era. The killing was an order of magnitude larger, she said, than the hundreds of thousands of murres that perished in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska."

In yesterday's Conversation, we had some discussion about the structural problems in our socio-political system that have led us to this perilous point in our national history. Here's a part of the overall problem: ~~~

     ~~~ Dan Froomkin of Press Watch: "The nation's biggest, most important news organizations failed in their biggest, most important task in 2024. The whole reason the press is free in this constitutional democracy of ours, after all, is to create an informed electorate. And this one decidedly was not.... Why wasn't the media more aggressive about fighting disinformation and advancing democracy?... Why don't working-class voters pay as much attention to traditional media anymore?...

The answer to both questions is the same: It's the business model ... that singularly values affluent customers. And that business model affects everything they do.... The advertisers want to connect with the affluent, not the working class. The rich can afford subscriptions.... The marketing? It's directed at people with disposable income.... That means a tone that is effete, cautious, careful not to offend, and almost never outraged. That means avoiding anything that could conceivably be seen as partisan, for fear of alienating the affluent or the advertisers.... Nothing too antagonistic to corporate power. In short, nothing too populist." Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Froomkin goes on in Part II to describe what he considers an ideal, non-profit news organization, one that was accessible, explanatory, committed to fighting disinformation, & crusading. After Froomkin details what he means here, he writes: "So how do we get this ideal newsroom? The easiest, quickest way would be for Jeff Bezos to turn the Washington Post -- and an endowment -- over to an independent nonprofit with a board of esteemed, public-minded journalists. That would be a good start. Another possibility: ProPublica -- the wildly successful nonprofit investigative news organization -- could spin off its Washington bureau and start doing non-investigative work as well.... Any solution inevitably involves philanthropy...."

     ~~~ Marie: Say, what are the odds of Jeff Bezos giving away/relinquishing control of his newspaper? Therein lies the structural problem. Who are philanthropists? Oh, they're rich people. Multi-millionaires and billionaires. Those who aren't ultra-rich but might give to independent journalistic enterprises are likely to be well-educated. You know, the elite. The people who need the information Froomkin recommends are not in a position or of a mood to financially support informative political journalism. Hop on a NYC subway that goes to the outer boroughs, and you'll see what I mean: the straphangers (who may not be wealthy but who are, on the whole, better-educated than the average American) are reading a tabloid, possibly a Murdoch tabloid.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kentucky. David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department announced an agreement Thursday with the city of Louisville on a federal oversight plan tha will require the local police department to make sweeping changes aimed at curbing excessive force and racial discrimination. Authorities said the 242-page consent decree, which will be submitted to a federal judge for approval, mandates that the Louisville Police Department pursue changes to use-of-force policies, officer training and supervision, the handling of search warrants and officer wellness initiatives under the supervision of a federal monitor. The plan emerged more than 4½ years after a Louisville officer fatally shot Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, during a nighttime raid on her apartment in March 2020, an incident that helped spark nationwide social justice protests. One former officer who participated in the raid and another who helped falsify the search warrant were convicted on federal charges related to the raid, while two others are under indictment." (The embedded link is to a DOJ document, not a WashPo doc.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Syria. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in Syria are here: "A growing swell of diplomatic action is focused on the transition of power in Syria in the wake of the sudden collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime last week, along with broader de-escalation across the Middle East. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday in Ankara, the second day of meetings that reflect the central role Turkey will play in the weeks to come as the United States and its allies seek an inclusive and orderly transition of power. Turkey backed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that led the assault that ultimately toppled Assad, and reopened its embassy in Damascus on Thursday. Blinken has repeatedly pushed for an inclusive Syrian transition this week in his visits to Turkey and Jordan, a call echoed by the Group of Seven nations in a joint statement saying they would back a 'credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance' in Syria. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres also echoed those calls, at the same time calling on Israel to refrain from taking additional military moves there, saying Israel's attacks on Syrian targets this week represented 'extensive violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.' Israel has said that its attacks were designed to prevent weapons from ending up in the wrong hands. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, in the Middle East for visits to Israel, Qatar and Egypt, echoed that defense on Thursday."

The Conversation -- December 12, 2024

Leo Sands of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 more convicted of nonviolent crimes, the White House said in a statement Thursday, describing it as 'the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.... [At 6:15 am ET.,] This is a developing story that will be updated." The AP's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The White House "Fact Sheet" is here.

Mark Landler of the New York Times: Trump's awe of royalty may help Britain maintain a decent relationship with the U.S. "Mr. Trump's affection for the Windsors is palpable." MB: Landler, and those he cites, are probably right about Trump in this regard. That's pathetic.

Strange Woman Who Pledged to Be "Reporters' Worst Nightmare" to Lead VOA. Minho Kim of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump on Wednesday night chose Kari Lake to lead Voice of America, aiming to put a fierce loyalist who has called journalists 'monsters' in charge of a federally funded news outlet that reaches hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Mr. Trump was accused of using his appointees to try to turn Voice of America, whose aim is to offer unbiased news to audiences around the world, into a pro-Trump propaganda outlet during his first term. In his announcement of Ms. Lake, a local TV news anchor turned election denier who lost races for Senate and governor in Arizona, Mr. Trump hinted that he believed he had found an ally to try to reshape its coverage." The NBC News story is here.

Jonathan Swan & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... resuscitating [Pete] Hegseth in less than a week from dead man walking to a man with a real shot of being confirmed [as defense secretary] by the Senate -- was a test case of power and intimidation in the Trump era. It was a reminder of Mr. Trump's ability to summon an online swarm, even while spending minimal personal capital of his own. It showed that he has at his disposal a powerful movement, which jumped into action once his desires became clear. And it highlighted the role of Elon Musk, who has bottomless wealth to enforce Mr. Trump's desires.... The campaign to revive Mr. Hegseth's nomination was led internally by [JD] Vance and orchestrated externally by a small group of Mr. Trump's most aggressive allies. The group included his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and MAGA media figures..., chief among them Stephen K. Bannon; the radio host Charlie Kirk; and the Breitbart reporter Matt Boyle.... Mr. Hegseth relied on his own group of close allies ... as he made the rounds on Capitol Hill with his wife, Jennifer, by his side.... The cowing effect [of the pro-Hegseth campaign] reveals how intensely worried Republican senators are about getting on the wrong side of Mr. Trump and his MAGA movement. The arc of their public comments charts their apparent capitulation."

All the President*'s Lackeys. Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "...Trump intends to fill a large portion of his cabinet with figures who would otherwise struggle to find a place in a typical administration of either party.... Compare [these nominees] with virtually any other Republican White House or cabinet, and you'll see a team with shockingly little governing experience and almost no connection to the institutional Republican Party outside of donations.... What [Trump] wants ... are deputies and subordinates who will show a special and specific loyalty to him, above and beyond everything else.... [Today's Republican] party is little more than a patronage network centered on the personalist rule of an American caudillo and his billionaire allies.... The weakness of the institutional Republican Party, the fragility of the Republican majorities and the volatility of Trump himself are a recipe for political instability and chaos." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There is a much greater structural problem here than Bouie acknowledges. Donald Trump is not the problem. Even sycophantic Republicans are not the problem. The problem is an ignorant, belligerant, irresponsible electorate. The problem is the general social "system" that has fostered our failures to be decent citizens. It is a collective failure, to be sure, and the government -- both Democrats & Republicans -- are largely responsible for it. The "leaders" put their own interests first and even the best of them -- for the most part -- only nibbled at the structural problems. To borrow from Deep Throat, "These are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." Bernie Sanders, one of the exceptions who proves the rule, is retiring. A Trumpy rich guy defeated Sherrod Brown. There are few "bright guys" left, and they can't do much to save the country from its entrenched flaws. See related stories, linked below, on reactions to the murder of United HealthCare's CEO.

Adam Goldman & Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, said on Wednesday that he intended to resign before the Trump administration took office, bowing to the reality that ... Donald J. Trump had publicly declared his desire to replace him. Mr. Wray announced the move while addressing employees on Wednesday afternoon in remarks that tacitly acknowledged the politically charged position the F.B.I. now faces with an incoming president who openly scorns the agency. 'I've decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,' Mr. Wray said, adding, 'This is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.' The director spoke wistfully about his time at the F.B.I. 'This is not easy for me,' he said, addressing a packed conference room at F.B.I. headquarters, as many more watched on video feeds at F.B.I. offices around the country. 'I love this place, I love our mission and I love our people.' He left the room to a standing ovation, and some shed tears as Mr. Wray shook employees' hands on the way out, according to an F.B.I. official." (Also linked yesterday.) CNN's report is here. ~~~

~~~ Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post: "FBI Director Christopher A. Wray shouldn't have made it so easy for Donald Trump.... For the FBI director to announce that he will voluntarily step aside by Inauguration Day so that Trump can install a successor risks normalizing a decidedly aberrational and unhealthy development. Wray should have stayed and forced Trump's hand.... When Trump ousted [former FBI Director James] Comey, it was viewed as a cataclysmic, norm-shattering moment. Now, with history set to repeat itself, the replacement of an FBI director by an incoming president threatens to become rule rather than exception. It transforms what is supposed to be the ultimate apolitical job into just another political appointment. With that, the insulation provided by a 10-year term will be shredded, with FBI directors newly beholden to the president." ~~~

~~~ "Exit, Mumbling Platitudes." Benjamin Wittes of Lawfare: "Wray's public statement is muddled and lengthy. It is also cowardly.... To be fair, Wray faced no good option here. He could stay and be fired -- and humiliated.... Or he could preemptively obey, spare himself the embarrassment, roll out the red carpet for Kash Patel, and make what Trump is doing look orderly and not quite so much like a purge of professionals from the chief federal government outfit entitled to bear arms against American citizens.... By ducking out preemptively, Wray may even expand Trump's maneuvering room under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act in installing a temporary replacement.... The simple fact is that Wray's resignation is not the right thing for the Bureau, and it absolutely will not prevent the agency from being dragged deeper into the fray. But it probably is the right thing for Chris Wray, and it probably will mitigate the degree to which he personally gets dragged deeper into the fray. A quiet exit mumbling platitudes while the wrecking ball roars by."

Zuck Sucks Up. Mike Isaac, et al., of the New York Times: "Meta said on Wednesday that it had donated $1 million to ... Donald J. Trump/s inaugural fund, in the latest move by Mark Zuckerberg, the company/s chief executive, to foster a positive rapport with Mr. Trump. The Silicon Valley company did not provide details of why it made the donation, but the move came just weeks after Mr. Zuckerberg met with Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago. During that meeting last month, the two men exchanged pleasantries and Mr. Zuckerberg congratulated Mr. Trump on winning the presidency. Mr. Zuckerberg also had a meal with Marco Rubio, Mr. Trump's pick for Secretary of State, according to a person who saw the meeting happen." A CBS News report is here.

Time Sucks Up. Meredith McGraw of Politico: "Donald Trump is expected to be named Time magazine's 'Person of the Year' -- and to celebrate the unveiling of the cover, the president-elect will ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning, according to three people familiar with the plans...."

Julia Ainsley & Didi Martinez of NBC News: "The incoming Trump administration intends to rescind a long-standing policy that has prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from arresting undocumented people at or near so-called sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals or events such as funerals, weddings and public demonstrations without approval from supervisors, according to three sources familiar with the plan.... Donald Trump plans to rescind the policy as soon as the first day he is in office, according to the sources...." ~~~

~~~ It's the Holiday Season, and Trump Has His Own Little Elves. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: There have been "several recent efforts by far-right organizations, including some that have a history of taking it on themselves to patrol the border with Mexico, to insert themselves into [Donald Trump's] deportation plan.... The push by some militia groups to help Mr. Trump reflects how one of his signature policy proposals mirrors ideas that once existed solely on the fringes of American politics. Militia groups, especially in border states, have a long history of supporting enforcement efforts, sometimes taking migrants into custody on their own and turning them over to lawful authorities in agencies like the U.S. Border Patrol.... Last month, Tom Homan, a former immigration official nominated to oversee the deportation effort, seemed open to the idea of using nontraditional personnel to carry out the plan." Perhaps "armed, violent, bigoted, unstable vigilantes" would be a more accurate description of Trump's volunteers than is "elves."

Marie: To those of you I misled into thinking that I was glad Amazon billionaire Jeff Beelzebub had become an honorable employer, I apologize. I was being facetious. He -- and every other American billionaire, for that matter -- is a national disgrace. Excessuve wealth is a shameful thing, and a government that permits it is without merit.

In case you missed Fox's "Patriot Awards" show, RAS has linked this excellent review of the ceremony:

As They Were Leaving. Matt Brown of the AP: "Senate Democrats failed Wednesday to confirm a Democratic member of the National Labor Relations Board after independent Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema opposed the nomination, thwarting their hopes of locking in a majority at the federal agency for the first two years of ... Donald Trump's term. A vote to move ahead with the nomination of Lauren McFarren, who currently chairs the NLRB, failed 49-50. Had she been confirmed to another five-year term, it would have cemented a Democratic majority on the agency's board for the first two years of the incoming Trump administration. Now, Trump will likely be able to nominate McFarren's replacement.... The rejection of McFarren was yet another blow to Senate Democrats and President Joe Biden from Manchin and Sinema, who served as major brakes -- and at times outright obstacles -- to much of their legislative agenda the first two years of Biden's term." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

Turtle Emerges from Shell. Sanjana Karanth of the Huffington Post: "Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly said that ... Donald Trump's victory puts Americans in 'a very, very dangerous world,' stressing that he plans to spend his final two years in the Senate pushing back against the growing Trump-fueled isolationism within the GOP.... 'We're in a very, very dangerous world right now, reminiscent of before World War II,' McConnell told the Financial Times on Wednesday. 'Even the slogan is the same, "America First." That was what they said in the '30s.'... 'The cost of deterrence is considerably less than the cost of war,' the senator said to the Times. 'To most American voters, I think the simple answer is, "Let's stay out of it." That was the argument made in the ’30s and that just won't work. Thanks to [former President Ronald] Reagan, we know what does work -- not just saying peace through strength, but demonstrating it."

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "A divided House on Wednesday passed a defense policy bill that would direct $895 billion to the Pentagon and other military operations, moving over the opposition of Democrats who objected to a provision denying coverage for transgender health care for the children of service members.... "The provision in question would bar TRICARE, the military's health care plan, from covering 'medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization' for children under 18.... The speaker [Mike Johnson] insisted at the last minute that he would not bring a defense bill to the floor without the provision [to block coverage].... The vote was 281 to 140, with 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against the bill. Republicans had pressed for a far more expansive ban on transgender health care coverage...."

Zoe Richards of NBC News: "A foster care advocate [Elliott Hinkle] is challenging Rep. Nancy Mace's account that she was 'physically accosted' by a man who was arrested at the Capitol on Tuesday.... [Hinkle describes the exchange between Mace & James McIntyre, whom Capitol Police arrested.] Lisa Dickson, another former foster youth and advocate, [said]..., 'I want to express deep disappointment in the fact that Congresswoman Nancy Mace came to a national foster youth event, told participating youth that it was a safe space -- and literally had one of them arrested by Capital police for simply shaking her hand and asking about trans rights.'..." Mace describes McIntyre's shaking her hand in a way she says was "aggressive" and "intimidating." And something about misogyny. She refused aid from paramedics, but later shared a picture of herself with her arm in a sling. MB: Oh, puh-leze. Wouldn't it me nice if we could take the word of a Congresswoman over that of an ordinary citizen? But Newshog Nancy has not been on the front pages enough lately, so this is what you get. Thanks to RAS for the lead.

Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post: "Two of the biggest critics of the U.S. health care system condemned the assassination of UnitedHealthcare's CEO Brian Thompson while calling out 'vile' insurance company practices aimed at maximizing profits. 'The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the health care system," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told HuffPost in an interview on Tuesday when asked about the cold response to Thompson's death, which included celebratory posts on social media.... Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called Thompson's killing 'outrageous' and 'unacceptable' before similarly criticizing insurance company practices." ~~~

~~~ Erik De La Garza of the Raw Story: "The aftermath of the shocking killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO -- and the 'cheering reaction' it triggered -- offers a stark warning to a society already desensitized to bloodshed, according to an [Atlantic] editorial published Wednesday. And the brazenness of the gleeful response from frustrated insurance customers nationwide is worrying to people who study violence closely, wrote Adrienne LeFrance, who added in her Atlantic editorial that last week's assassination of Brian Thompson could lead down a path of 'decivilization.' 'The line between a normal, functioning society and catastrophic decivilization can be crossed with a single act of mayhem,' LeFrance warned readers on Wednesday. She pointed out that the conditions that made a society susceptible to violence include 'highly visible wealth disparity, declining trust in democratic institutions, a heightened sense of victimhood, [and] intense partisan estrangement.'"

Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "New York Police said Wednesday that bullet casings recovered from the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson matched the gun found on Luigi Mangione, the man charged in the killing, and investigators believe he was acting on animus toward the health insurance industry and corporate America.... [New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch] said that the crime lab matched Mangione's fingerprints with those on a water bottle and Kind bar found near the area outside the New York Hilton Midtown where Thompson was gunned down on Dec. 4."

~~~~~~~~~~

North Carolina. Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "Flexing power just before they lose their supermajority, Republicans in North Carolina's legislature overrode a veto Wednesday to give one of their allies control over the state's elections board, rewrite ballot-counting rules and chip away at the power of the incoming Democratic governor. The move came as Republicans sought to claim three seats in the legislature and a spot on the state Supreme Court by throwing out tens of thousands of ballots in races they lost last month. The state Democratic Party is fighting that effort by asking a federal judge to ensure votes don't get tossed because of administrative errors. The developments offer the latest test for democracy in the swing state while highlighting North Carolina Republicans' brand of go-to-the-mat politics. Courts could soon review how ballots were counted in last month's election, and judges will almost certainly be asked to review the new law limiting the power of the incoming governor, Josh Stein (D)." The NBC News story is here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Canada Bows to Trump's Demands. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, et al., of the New York Times: "Canada is working on a broad plan, including drones and police dogs, to address concerns raised by ... Donald J. Trump about the shared border between the two nations, underscoring the urgency of avoiding threatened tariffs that would send its economy into meltdown. ... In a closely watched meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and the leaders of the country's provinces on Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau and senior members of his government said that they would come up with measures to fortify the border. The Canadian government will flesh out details, figure out a price tag, establish a timeline and then present the plan to the incoming Trump administration before Mr. Trump's inauguration next month...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Justin Chamberlain's appeasement plan would make some sense (even though he has allowed Trump to threaten & humiliate him) if there were a serious drug smuggling problem at the border, but experts say there is not.

South Korea. Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times: "In a surprise shift from remorse to defiance, President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea on Thursday refused to step down and lashed out at those who sought to oust him over his short-lived decision to place his country under military rule. Mr. Yoon has faced mounting pressure from all sides after his decision on Dec. 3 to declare martial law and send troops into the National Assembly. Tens of thousands of protesters have demanded his resignation, impeachment or arrest. His own party suggested that he resign early. The opposition has vowed to impeach him. The police are investigating possible insurrection charges against him.... Thursday..., [Mr. Yoon defended his declaration of martial law] as a bold move to 'save the country' from what he called the 'anti-state' opposition parties, which he accused of using a legislative majority to paralyze the nation. 'I will proudly confront it, whether it's impeachment or investigation,' Mr. Yoon said. 'I will fight to the end.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Maybe it would help if Yoon developed a perfume called "Fight, Fight, Fight!" ~~~

~~~ Oh, Apparently Not. Gawon Bae, et al., of CNN: "South Korea's ruling party has thrown its support behind attempts to impeach embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated decision to declare martial law that sparked a political crisis and widespread public anger in the country. The announcement came moments before Yoon delivered a defiant speech Thursday in which he attempted to justify his hugely controversial martial law decision and rejected growing calls from across the political spectrum for him to stand down. The People Power Party (PPP) had initially refused to back impeachment, hoping instead Yoon would resign from office. But its leadership said attempts to persuade him had made no progress."

Syria. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday in Syria's political upheaval are here: "Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Jordan and Turkey to promote a 'Syrian-led transition' in Damascus, meeting leaders of neighboring nations to try to get them on board.... The top U.S. diplomat 'will discuss the need for the transition process and new government in Syria to respect the rights of minorities' and will push for open channels of humanitarian assistance, and securing and destroying stockpiles of chemical weapons, spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. Earlier, Blinken had said the U.S. government will 'recognize and fully support' the new Syrian government if the transition process is inclusive and transparent. The rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the assault that toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime, was formed as an offshoot of al-Qaeda."

The Conversation -- December 11, 2024

Adam Goldman & Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, said on Wednesday that he intended to resign before the Trump administration took office, bowing to the reality that ... Donald J. Trump had publicly declared his desire to replace him. Mr. Wray announced the move while addressing employees on Wednesday afternoon in remarks that tacitly acknowledged the politically charged position the F.B.I. now faces with an incoming president who openly scorns the agency. 'I've decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,' Mr. Wray said, adding, 'This is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.' The director spoke wistfully about his time at the F.B.I. 'This is not easy for me,' he said, addressing a packed conference room at F.B.I. headquarters, as many more watched on video feeds at F.B.I. offices around the country. 'I love this place, I love our mission and I love our people.' He left the room to a standing ovation, and some shed tears as Mr. Wray shook employees&' hands on the way out, according to an F.B.I. official."

Marie: To those of you I misled into thinking that I was glad Amazon billionaire Jeff Beelzebub had become an honorable employer, I apologize. I was being facetious. He -- and every other American billionaire, for that matter -- is a national disgrace. Excessive wealth is a shameful thing, and a government that permits it is without merit.

~~~~~~~~~~

Marie: Still don't have my new computer, but it's my fault (and the weather's), not Best Buy's.

Life Lesson of the Week. Recently I saw an Amazon ad that urged people who receive packages to turn on their outside lights at night to help delivery people who bring packages after dark. I thought that was a good idea, and I've been doing it. Isn't it great that it turns out billionaire Jeff Bezos -- infamous for union-busting and for working employees to exhaustion in terrible conditions before firing them -- does care about his employees, after all? Oh, but at your expense, not his.

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "White House officials on Tuesday said President Biden would veto a bipartisan measure creating 66 new federal judicial seats over the next three presidential administrations, stating that the measure the House is set to take up this week is 'unnecessary to the efficient and effective administration of justice.' In a new statement, the officials, from the Office of Management and Budget, also noted that the legislation, which passed the Senate with no opposition in August, would create new vacancies in states where senators have dragged their feet on filling vacancies during the Biden administration. 'Those efforts to hold open judicial vacancies suggest that concerns about judicial economy and caseload are not the true motivating force behind passage of this bill now,' the statement said.... The bill sat idle in the Republican-controlled House until Donald J. Trump won, providing the G.O.P. with new incentive to pass it even as Senate Democrats are racing to fill as many judicial vacancies as possible...."

Cecilia Kang & David McCabe of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson to lead the Federal Trade Commission, installing a current Republican member of the agency who has promised to ease up on the policing of powerful American companies -- except for the biggest technology firms. Mr. Trump also picked Mark Meador, a former Senate antitrust aide, to join the agency, creating a Republican majority on the five-person commission and squeezing out the current Democratic chair, Lina Khan. Ms. Khan became a political lightning rod for aggressively challenging mergers like Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard, and filing lawsuits to break up tech titans Amazon and Meta. Mr. Ferguson, a veteran Congressional aide and former Supreme Court clerk, joined the F.T.C. as a minority party member in the spring, and does not need to be confirmed." ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "But don't worry, Ferguson will pursue one 'anti-corporate' agenda -- i.e. attacking social media companies that don't provide a firehose of Nazi content to users who don't want it -- and that will be enough for Josh Hawley and Matt Stoller to describe him as Khan's worthy heir while the FTC retreats to a laissez-faire position on all mergers and acquisitions unless they involve companies Donald Trump wants to punish personally." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here's the Wikipedia page on Matt Stoller. If I have ever heard of him, I forgot.

David Nakamura & Maeve Reston of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's nomination of a fierce loyalist who has accused Democrats of election fraud to a key Justice Department position has alarmed prominent civil rights leaders, who warned Tuesday that her ideological views would take precedence over the enforcement of legal protections for marginalized groups. Harmeet K. Dhillon, Trump's pick for assistant attorney general in charge of the civil rights division, is a California-based attorney and former state Republican Party official who has championed conservative opposition to corporate diversity initiatives, transgender rights and coronavirus lockdown policies.... Through a private law firm she founded in 2006, Dhillon has been involved in cases challenging states over voting right laws, redistricting and other election-related issues on behalf of Republicans. She emerged as a fierce advocate of Trump's baseless assertions of widespread election fraud in 2020 while serving as a legal adviser to his presidential campaign, calling on the Supreme Court to intervene in favor of his attempts to overturn the results in several key swing states." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Don't know why anyone is "alarmed." There was a 99.9 percent chance (and I'm giving Trump the benefit of the doubt here -- you probably think I should have made that 100 percent) that Trump would appoint someone who opposes civil rights to head the Civil Rights Division of DOJ.

Say, what should you do if your son cheats on his loudmouthed fiancee? (a) tell her these things happen and wish her well; (b) keep your distance; it's none of your business; (c) get rid of her by making her ambassador to a country far, far away. If you chose (c), your name might be Donald. ~~~

~~~ Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "... It was an announcement made amid a swirl of tabloid speculation: Kimberly Guilfoyle, a loyalist of ... Donald J. Trump and -- more pointedly -- the fiancée of his son Donald Jr. had been named ambassador to Greece. The timing of the move -- early Tuesday evening -- would have been unremarkable except for what preceded it: rumors that the president-elect's eldest son was dating a socialite, Bettina Anderson. The new relationship was seemingly documented in a series of photos published earlier on Tuesday by the British tabloid The Daily Mail, which described them as 'incontrovertible proof the soon-to-be First Son has moved on with a 'stunning "it girl."'" Politico has an item here.

Old, White Male GOP Senators Refuse to Do Their Constitutional Duty. Annie Karni of the New York Times: "The debate over [Pete] Hegseth's fitness to be confirmed [as Secretary of Defense] has revealed a gender divide in the Senate, where a tiny group of Republican women have emerged as some of the only skeptics. They have done so even as their male colleagues have rushed to sweep aside allegations against Mr. Hegseth of sexual assault, sexual impropriety in the workplace, public drunkenness and fiscal mismanagement. Senator Rick Scott of Florida told CNN's Jake Tapper that he was 'disgusted' that the woman who alleged that Mr. Hegseth sexually assaulted her was not 'willing to go on your show or some show and have you ask them all the questions.' (Mr. Tapper pointed out that as part of a financial settlement Mr. Hegseth struck with the woman who accused him of raping her in 2017, she signed a nondisclosure agreement that would prevent her from doing that.)... There are currently nine Republican women serving in the Senate, which is still made up mostly of old men. And there are even fewer women who have been willing to voice any potential concerns. Those who might be inclined to are further isolated by both the politics of the moment and the math of their newly won majority."

Marie: In Tuesday's Comments, RAS linked to a bizarre post by Donald Trump, embedded in a Bluesky post by Josh Marshall. I put up Marshall's post here, and it worked until it didn't. Anyway, it's worth your checking out RAS's link because ... WTF?

Hannah Rabinowitz, et al., of CNN: "The Justice Department secretly obtained phone records from two members of Congress and 43 staffers -- including Kash Patel..., Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI -- during sweeping leak investigations during Trump's first term, according to a watchdog report released Tuesday. [The MOCs the DOJ targeted were California Democrats Adam Schiff & Eric Swalwell.] The new report from the Justice Department's inspector general raises concerns about how the department tried to root out reporters' sources from a sprawling and bipartisan list of federal employees who had access to classified information because of their job.... Prosecutors also sought records including emails from journalists at CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times, according to the report.... Seeking records based only on 'the close proximity in time between access to classified information and subsequent publication of the information ... risks chilling Congress's ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch,' the inspector general wrote.... The inspector general did not recommend charges against anyone ... and did not find any indication that the career prosecutors assigned to the leak investigation were motivated by politics." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Right. And we're all sure Trump has learned his lesson from this embarrassing report, and will never allow the DOJ to get involved in any similar invasive activity ever, ever again. Oh, wait, Trump fired at least five inspectors general in 2020, and there's a big question about what he's gonna do during what is shaping up to be a totally lawless "administration." . (Also linked yesterday.) Here's the NBC News story, which RAS linked yesterday. ~~~

~~~ Kerry Picket of the (right-wing) Washington Times: "FBI Director Christopher A. Wray plans to resign on or before Inauguration Day, The Washington Times has learned. Mr. Wray is calling it quits because he doesn't want to get fired by ... Donald Trump, according to sources inside the bureau who are familiar with the director's thinking." MB: Wray, a Republican, is falling on his sword for Trump. A principled director would make Trump fire him. (Also linked yesterday.)

Adam Cancryn of Politico: "President Joe Biden on Tuesday took direct aim at ... Donald Trump's economic agenda, denigrating his plan to impose sweeping tariffs and cut taxes as a 'major mistake' that will weaken the economy. In a speech at the Brookings Institution, Biden warned that Trump's plans would largely benefit the wealthy, reversing what he described as progress made over the last four years toward strengthening the working class.... The remarks represented the president's sharpest and most extensive criticism of Trump since the November election, with his attacks growing more direct as he got deeper into the nearly 40-minute speech." (Also linked yesterday.)

Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says Donald Trump's imminent return to the presidency is not a reason to throw out the 34-count conviction that jurors delivered in the hush money case earlier this year. Bragg conceded in a court filing that Trump cannot be sentenced while he is president. But he said Justice Juan Merchan has a variety of options to put the case on hold during Trump's second term -- and then issue a sentence after he leaves office in January 2029." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Bragg's filing opposing Trump's Motion to Dismiss is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: "The New York Attorney General's Office on Tuesday rejected a demand from Donald Trump's lawyer to drop the massive civil business fraud case that has put the president-elect on the hook for more than $480 million in fines. 'This Office will not stipulate to vacate the final judgment already entered by Supreme Court, New York County, in this action or otherwise seek to dismiss the action,' Deputy Solicitor General Judith Vale wrote in a letter to Trump defense attorney John Sauer." (Also linked yesterday.)

Trump Skates, His Lawyers & Aide Face Additional Criminal Charges. Scott Bauer of the AP: "Wisconsin prosecutors filed 10 additional felony charges Tuesday against two attorneys and an aide to ... Donald Trump who advised Trump in 2020 as part of a plan to submit paperwork falsely claiming that the Republican had won the battleground state that year. Jim Troupis, who was Trump's attorney in Wisconsin, Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney who advised the campaign, and Mike Roman, Trump's director of Election Day operations in 2020, all initially faced a single felony forgery charge in Wisconsin. Those charges were filed in June. But on Tuesday, two days before the three are scheduled for their initial court appearances, the Wisconsin Department of Justice filed 10 additional felony charges against each of them. The charges are for using forgery in an attempt to defraud each of the 10 Republican electors who cast their ballots for Trump that year.... None of the [fake Wisconsin] electors have [has!] been charged. The 10 Wisconsin electors, Chesebro and Troupis all settled a lawsuit that was brought against them in 2023."

Dream On. Shia Kapos of Politico: "Donald Trump's choice to lead border security efforts promised a hard line on enforcement in a speech Monday to Chicago Republicans, with apparently little room for leniency even for the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. Tom Homan, who has been picked to serve as 'border czar' in the new administration, said the children of non-citizens would be part of the wave of deportations promised by the incoming administration.... His remarks showed none of the flexibility that Trump himself seemed to suggest in a weekend interview, when he said that he favored some kind of resolution for the status of people brought to the country long ago as children by illegal immigrants -- so-called 'dreamers.' 'We have to do something about the dreamers because these are people that have been brought here at a very young age,' Trump said in an interview with NBC News' 'Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Kipp Jones of Mediaite: "U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy covered his ears during a tense exchange with Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) on Tuesday in protest as the two sparred about the efficiency of the Postal Service. DeJoy addressed members of the House Oversight Committee during a hearing about the efficiency of the USPS when McCormick ripped the agency. The Georgia Republican said the USPS had tanked its reputation in recent years, specifically under DeJoy's leadership.... As McCormick continued to criticize DeJoy, the postmaster general covered his ears and said, 'You're talking to yourself.'" MB: DeJoy is a shady character/Republican donor (here's his Wikipage) effectively appointed by Donald Trump because Trump appointed all the members of the USPS Board of Governors who selected DeJoy as Postmaster General.

Allison Pecorin of ABC News: "Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell fell during the Senate Republican lunch on Tuesday. It was initially unclear if McConnell, 82, was injured or what the severity of the fall was. Two medical responders were seen briefly entering his office and then departed. Shortly afterward, McConnell's office put out a statement that he had sustained a 'minor cut' to the face and a 'sprained wrist' from the incident. 'Leader McConnell tripped following lunch. He sustained a minor cut to the face and sprained his wrist. He has been cleared to resume his schedule,' his spokesperson said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Annals of Fake Journalism. Bad News for the News. Benjamin Mullin & Elizabeth Williamson of the New York Times: "A judge late Tuesday night said he would not approve the sale of Infowars, the website founded by the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, to the Chicago-based satirical publication The Onion, prolonging a messy tug of war between two high-profile suitors. The ruling, by Judge Christopher M. Lopez in federal bankruptcy court in Houston, poses a roadblock for The Onion's plan to take possession of the Infowars site and its associated assets after it won an auction last month. The Onion's bid was backed by the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting, who in 2022 won a $1.4 billion defamation lawsuit against Mr. Jones." The AP report is here.

Danielle Kaye of the New York Times: "The biggest grocery store merger in U.S. history was dealt a double blow on Tuesday: Within less than two hours, both a federal and a state judge moved to block the deal. Judge Adrienne Nelson of U.S. District Court in Oregon sided with the Federal Trade Commission in its lawsuit seeking to halt Kroger's $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons, a rival grocery chain. It was a win for federal regulators who have argued that the merger would risk reducing competition at the expense of consumers and workers. The grocery chains 'engage in substantial head-to-head competition and the proposed merger would remove that competition,' Judge Nelson said in her decision, calling the merger 'presumptively unlawful.' Her preliminary injunction placed the merger on shaky ground as it heads to the final step to determine the deal's fate: the F.T.C.'s internal administrative process. About an hour after the federal ruling, a judge in Washington State also blocked the deal on the grounds that it could substantially lessen competition. Another state challenge in Colorado is still pending." CNN's report is here.

Todd Richmond of the AP: "U.S. wildlife officials announced a decision Tuesday to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies after years of warnings from environmentalists that populations are shrinking and the beloved pollinator may not survive climate change. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to add the butterfly to the threatened species list by the end of next year following an extensive public comment period." MB: That's good for me because I'm such an excellent lepidopterist that monarch is the only butterfly species I can name (and of course I know only the common name, not the "real" [Greek] species name).

The New York Times is liveblogging developments in the case of Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson: "A suspect charged with murder in New York in the assassination of the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare in Midtown Manhattan will fight extradition to New York to face murder charges, potentially keeping him in custody in Pennsylvania for weeks.... The suspect, Luigi Mangione, 26, was charged late Monday in Manhattan with second-degree murder, forgery and three gun charges.... The suspect saw the killing as a 'symbolic takedown,' according to a New York Police Department internal report that detailed parts of a three-page manifesto found with him at the time of his arrest. As he arrived at his extradition hearing Tuesday at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pa., near Altoona, he struggled against officers leading him toward an entrance. Before he disappeared into the building, he turned toward reporters and shouted. Hours later, he was led out of the courthouse in handcuffs and brought into the police car that would bring him back to a state prison." ~~~

~~~ Life in a Land of Nitwits. Kipp Jones of Mediaite: "The Pennsylvania McDonald's where police arrested the man suspected of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been flooded with negative reviews online since Monday, according to CNN. Per the network, the Altoona, Pennsylvania, location where police detained Luigi Mangione is being smeared on Yelp and Google as employees are being branded 'rats and snitches' by people unabashedly sympathetic to the 26-year-old's alleged murder." MB: It's a safe bet than a huge majority of the rat connoisseurs voted for Trump and other Republicans; they're so stupid that they think murdering an odious health insurance exec is a good way to solve the gross deficiencies in our national healthcare "system" when in fact voting against their favorite greed enablers could get them a Bernie Sanders-style healthcare system. ~~~

~~~ Paul Waldman on Substack: "You want a 'kitchen table issue' that will help Democrats 'connect toregular people where they live' and 'show what their values are'? Well here you go.... It took the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare to bring home the fact that Americans are filled with a barely contained fury over the way this system works, even if it could be worse.... Despite the tremendous good the ACA accomplished (the elimination of preexisting conditions denials, tens of millions more with coverage), ours is still by most standards the worst health care system in the industrialized world. Not only do we pay far, far more than citizens of any other advanced democracy, we have middling health outcomes, we still have millions of uninsured, and we're slaves to a system in which every consideration is secondary to the pursuit of private profit....

"Meanwhile, Donald Trump is desperately hoping everyone stops talking about health care, because he's trapped by his own history and his party salivating at the thought of tossing tens of millions off their coverage.... So this is the moment for Democrats to do two things: First, make a relentless push on health care, attacking the Trump administration, Republicans in Congress, and insurance companies as all one entity, a collection of villains whom voters can blame for everything that's bad about our health care system. Second, they need to start developing the framework for the next phase of reform and sell their politicians on what emerges." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

~~~~~~~~~~

Massachusetts. Jenna Russell of the New York Times: "A two-year investigation by the Justice Department found patterns of 'outrageous' conduct by the police in Worcester, Mass., including excessive use of force and sexual contact between undercover officers and women suspected of prostitution. In a report released on Monday, the department's civil rights division detailed police misconduct dating back at least five years in Worcester, a city of 207,000 in central Massachusetts. It corroborated repeated reports by women's advocates in the city that officers had 'tricked or misled' women suspected of being prostitutes into providing sex acts and 'offered less, or no, punishment in exchange for sex.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel, et al.

Jack Nicas of the New York Times: "As soon as it became clear on Sunday that there would be regime change in neighboring Syria, Israel began a sweeping aerial campaign. By Tuesday, at least 350 airstrikes had leveled military assets across Syria, taking out the Navy, fighter jets, drones, tanks, air-defense systems, weapons plants and a wide array of missiles and rockets, according to the Israeli military. Israeli officials said they were destroying weapons and military facilities to keep them out of the hands of Islamist extremists. The rebel group that led the toppling of the president, Bashar al-Assad, was formerly linked to Al Qaeda and is still designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the United Nations.... The Israeli campaign over the past two days has been exceptional in force and scope, trying to ensure that whoever ends up in power in Syria will be significantly disarmed." More on Syria linked below.

Forget Human Rights. Ephrat Livni of the New York Times: "Dozens of wounded patients in a hospital in the northern Gaza Strip are in danger of dying because of a dire absence of basic supplies like food and water, according to local health authorities. The health ministry in Gaza said in a statement late on Tuesday that 60 wounded people in the Indonesian Hospital in the enclave's north were 'at risk of death due to a lack of food and water' exacerbating their conditions..... The appeal came as the United Nations was marking the 75th anniversary of Human Rights Day, commemorating the date in 1948 when the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

South Korea. Jin Yu Young of the New York Times: "South Korean police raided the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday as part of an investigation whether his declaration of martial law last week, which plunged the country into a political crisis, was insurrection. At a parliamentary hearing, Jung Chung-rae, a legislator from the opposition Democratic Party, said 'the police are conducting a raid on the presidential office.' Mr. Jung is also chairman of the parliamentary committee that deals with judicial matters. A police special investigation unit in charge of the investigation confirmed the raid and said it had also carried out search and seizure operations at several other offices: the Korean National Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the National Assembly Police Guards. The authorities have barred Mr. Yoon from leaving the country, as prosecutors and the police try to determine whether he and his supporters in the military and the government committed insurrection when they ordered soldiers to enter the National Assembly." ~~~

~~~ Michelle Lee of the Washington Post: "The chief prosecutor leading a criminal investigation into South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that he wouldn't hesitate to have Yoon arrested for insurrection, if warranted, over his extraordinary decision to declare martial law last week. This came the same day as a special police unit attempted to raid the presidential office, but their efforts led to a standoff with security services for three hours.... The opposition will make another attempt to impeach Yoon this Saturday.... Yoon's former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was detained on Sunday and formally arrested Wednesday, attempted to take his own life in the detention center, Shin Yong-hae, head of the South Korean Correctional Service, told lawmakers Wednesday. He survived and has since been moved to a hospital."

Syria

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Wednesday in Syria regime change are here: "The Syrian rebel coalition that ousted Bashar al-Assad, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), said Wednesday that it had further consolidated control over the country's east as it seeks to build a new political order in the country. Mohammed al-Bashir, who previously led the HTS-backed governing body in Syria's Idlib province, said he will serve as Syria's caretaker prime minister until March, with the backing of the rebel coalition. Bashir told Al Jazeera it was time for 'stability and calm.' Rebel forces claimed Wednesday that they had taken control of Deir al-Zour, the largest city in Syria's east. The Washington Post could not immediately verify the claim."

John Hudson, et al., of the Washington Post: "A U.S. group is traveling to Syria this week in search of long-missing journalist Austin Tice, after the surprise ouster of President Bashar al-Assad revived hopes that he will be found alive 12 years after his abduction while documenting the country's brutal civil war. The head of the Washington-based nonprofit Syrian Emergency Task Force, Mouaz Moustafa, reached the Syria-Turkey border Tuesday and is scheduled to arrive in Damascus, the capital, on Wednesday, he told The Washington Post in a phone interview."

Tortured to Death. Liz Sly of the Washington Post: "... Mazen al-Hamada, the ... 47-year-old Syrian activist, who suffered unimaginable torture in the [Assad] regime's brutal prisons, escaped to Europe in 2014. There, he set about telling his story, reliving the horrors he had been subjected to in vivid detail to statesmen, legislatures and anyone who would listen.... Then in 2020, he went back to Syria, telling friends he was convinced it was pointless to continue sharing his torment with a world that didn't care.... He was detained upon arrival at Damascus International Airport, and disappeared into the prison system once again. On Tuesday, relatives in Damascus identified his body among around 40 corpses found wrapped in bloodied sheets and dumped at the military hospital in the Damascus suburb of Harasta. They appeared to have been freshly killed, perhaps in the last hours before Assad fled and the rebels took over, said Mouaz Moustafa of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, who worked closely with Hamada. Gruesome photos of his body posted online, too gruesome to describe, suggested he died an agonizing death, under torture to the end."

Ukraine/Russia, et al. Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "The Biden administration transferred $20 billion to Ukraine on Tuesday, providing an urgently needed economic lifeline in the form of a loan that will be repaid using interest earned from Russia's frozen central bank assets. The transfer of the funds comes as Ukraine is facing a period of grave uncertainty with ... Donald J. Trump poised to take office next month and Russia's war continuing unabated."