The Conversation -- January 22, 2025
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "At a late-night inaugural ball on Monday..., [Donald] Trump, flush with his restoration to power, began waving a ceremonial sword he had been given almost as if it were a scepter and he were a king.... His return to the White House has been as much a coronation as an inauguration, a reflection of his own view of power and the fear it has instilled in his adversaries. His inaugural events have been suffused with regal themes. In his Inaugural Address, he claimed that when a gunman opened fire on him last summer, he 'was saved by God to make America great again,' an echo of the divine right of kings. He invoked the imperialist phrase 'manifest destiny,' declared that he would unilaterally rename mountains and seas as he sees fit and even claimed the right to take over territory belonging to other nations.... And in the weeks since his comeback election in November, Mr. Trump has asserted his dominance in the political space, making little effort to recognize anyone else's authority in a three-branch government, but instead making it clear that he expects other actors in the system to bend to his will." ~~~
~~~ Jimmy Kimmel seems unimpressed: ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: “His vice president, JD Vance, said he 'obviously' wouldn't do it. His nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, agreed there was no way: 'The president does not like people that abuse police officers,' she told senators last week. The Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, gave similar assurances that ... [Donald] Trump would not pardon 'violent criminals' -- the kind who bashed police officers with pieces of broken furniture or stashed an arsenal of weapons in Virginia to be used if their breach of the Capitol failed on Jan. 6, 2021. Even public opinion was against Mr. Trump. Just 34 percent of Americans thought he should pardon the Jan. 6 rioters, according to a Monmouth University poll in December. But on Monday..., he ... did exactly what he wanted: He decreed that every rioter would get some sort of reprieve. It didn't matter what crimes they committed.... [Mr. Trump] intends -- even more so than in his first term -- to test the outer limits of what he can get away with."
Erica Green of the New York Times: "... [Donald Trump on Wednesday revoked a 60-year-old executive order banning discrimination in hiring practices in the federal government, his latest action aimed at gutting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. His order, which the White House called "'he most important federal civil rights measure in decades,' revokes Executive Order 11246 signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. It prohibited discriminatory practices in hiring and employment in government contracting and asserted the government's commitment to affirmative action. Mr. Trump's order says that his action 'protects the civil rights of all Americans and expands individual opportunity.' Among its provisions is the elimination of any references to diversity, equity and inclusion in federal contracting and spending.... The administration has moved swiftly to eradicate all programs and practices in the federal government aimed at addressing systemic inequities."
Ellen Nakashima & John Hudson of the Washington Post: "National security adviser Michael Waltz has authorized a 'full review' of dozens of career officials who staff the White House on issues ranging from Iranian and North Korean nuclear proliferation to cyberespionage and Russia's war in Ukraine, according to his spokesman.... The officials, known as aides or detailees, were told Wednesday in a brief call conducted by Waltz's chief of staff, Brian McCormack, that they were to leave the building immediately, go home and be 'on call.' They were given instructions to return only if asked by their supervisors -- senior directors appointed by the Trump administration...." ~~~
Michael Birnbaum of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's plan to grant temporary security clearances to anyone he chooses opens the door to breaches and even espionage, experts and former officials say."
Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The Trump White House is moving to paralyze a bipartisan and independent watchdog agency that investigates national security activities that can intrude upon individual rights.... Congress established the agency, called the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, as an independent unit in the executive branch after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has security clearances and subpoena power, and is set up to have five members, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, who serve six-year terms. Some members are picked by the president, and some are selected by congressional leaders of the other party.... On Tuesday evening, each of the three members who were picked by Democrats -- Sharon Bradford Franklin, Edward W. Felten and Travis LeBlanc -- received an email from the White House telling them to submit resignation letters by the close of business on Jan. 23.... [Their] departure ... would mean the agency would lack enough members to function...."
Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Fresh from being freed by ... [Donald] Trump's sweeping grants of clemency, two of the nation's most notorious far-right leaders -- Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers militia -- spoke out this week.... They asserted unrepentantly that they wanted Mr. Trump to seek revenge on their behalf for being prosecuted in connection with the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Before Mr. Trump offered them a reprieve on Monday night, both men had been serving lengthy prison terms -- Mr. Tarrio 22 years and Mr. Rhodes 18 years -- on seditious conspiracy convictions arising from the roles they played in the storming of the Capitol.... 'Success,' Mr. Tarrio said, 'is going to be retribution.'... When asked how history should remember Jan. 6, [Mr. Rhodes] said, 'As Patriots' Day -- that we stood up for our country because we knew the election was stolen.' As for any regrets, he said he had none ... 'Because we did the right thing.'"
Dane Lamothe of the Washington Post:"The Coast Guard will surge additional resources to the 'Gulf of America' and several other locations, the service said in a statement Tuesday, after the Trump administration sacked its top admiral and alleged that she had failed to prioritize the security of U.S. borders. The statement marked one of the U.S. government's first official uses of ... Donald Trump's desired name for the Gulf of Mexico, a policy shift that has elicited derision from his domestic political foes and leaders in Mexico. Trump signed an executive order soon after his inauguration Monday setting a 30-day deadline for the Interior Department to take 'all appropriate action' needed to codify the new name."
You remember how a little while ago we learned that Elon did not play well with Vivek so Elon kicked Vivek out? Well, he's not playing much better in Donnie's sandbox. Oh, how will this end? ~~~
~~~ Theodore Schleifer & Cecilia Kang of the New York Times: "Elon Musk is casting doubt on the first major tech investment announcement made by ... [Donald] Trump, openly questioning the administration he now serves. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump announced a joint venture between OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle to create at least $100 billion in computing infrastructure to power artificial intelligence, some of which is already underway. But in two late-night messages on X, Mr. Musk said that the venture, dubbed Stargate, did not have the financing to achieve the promised investment levels. 'They don't have the money,' Mr. Musk wrote in reply to an OpenAI post on the announcement. 'SoftBank has well under $10B secured....' ... It's ... an unusual move for any senior policy official to question an initiative trumpeted by the president.... Mr. Musk has been battling with OpenAI's chief executive, Sam Altman."
Marie: Long, long ago (2009, to be exact), I warned that Republican men should never publicly speak or write about anything having to do with sex, because they seldom know WTF they're talking about. Nevertheless, they persisted. So it's not surprising that this is where we are: ~~~
~~~ I hope you're all feeling your feminine side, because Donald Trump just declared by executive fiat that you are a female. Congratulations, Girls! Eric Garcia of the Independent: "Specifically, the order defines a female as a 'a person belonging, at conception to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell,' while a male is a 'person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the small reproductive cell.'... Critics pointed out that genitalia at conception are 'phenotypically female,' according to the National Library of Medicine. For the first several weeks after conception, all human embryos follow a 'female' developmental blueprint until the activation of the SRY gene initiates sexual differentiation. Embryos with an XY genotype will begin developing male traits linked to the Y chromosome at roughly six weeks. Before then, human embryos have only developed female traits linked to the X chromosome. One social media critic scoffed that the order was 'written by morons.'" ~~~
~~~ Update: If you look down the page of Comments, you'll find that RAS has suggested an excellent way to manage this conundrum.
Heather Cox Richardson has some thoughts about Trump's stunts, and shares some of Will Bunch's observations about Trump's performance. Here's Richardson on Bunch: "Trump's first day on the job was 'a dangerous display of rapid mental decline.' Bunch recorded Trump's slurred speech, rambling, and nonsensical off-the-cuff speeches and said that his 'biggest takeaway from a day that some have anticipated and many have dreaded for the last four years is seeing how rapidly the oldest new president in America is declining right in front of us.'" Thanks to laura h. for the lead.
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Michael Schmidt & Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times: "Since his election victory..., [Donald] Trump has said he would not seek retribution against his perceived enemies.... But in an executive order he signed on Monday night, Mr. Trump made clear that he has every intention to seek out and possibly punish government officials in the Justice Department and America's intelligence agencies as a way to 'correct past misconduct' against him and his supporters. It would be justice, the order said, against officials from the Biden administration who carried out an 'unprecedented, third-world weaponization of prosecutorial power to upend the democratic process.' This is what retribution could look like during the second Trump presidency: payback dressed up in the language of victimhood. That executive order ... came amid a blizzard of other actions on Monday evening. They included a highly unusual separate order that stripped the security clearances of dozens of former intelligence officials whom Mr. Trump has viewed as his political enemies. Another order gave the White House authority to grant immediate top-secret security clearance to any official for up to six months, circumventing the traditional background process managed by the F.B.I. and the intelligence community." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Reporters & commentators are discussing just how much more methodical Trump is being in his second term. But within that methodology, he is breeding a nationwide chaos which will stretch further and deeper than that which he managed to impose in his first term. His appointees, even at the highest levels, are woefully unqualified to fill their jobs, he is removing qualified lower-level staff from their jobs and replacing them with unvetted, unqualified loyalists, he is issuing unconstitutional and unlawful orders that eventually will affect every American and resident, he is threatening other nations in North America and around the world. This is a bitter & dangerous old man who has an entire cadre of administrative, Congressional & judicial sycophants to do his bidding. Chaos? You bet. Fastening our seatbelts for a bumpy ride will not be enough to save us.
Hamed Aleaziz of the New York Times: "The Trump administration on Tuesday expanded the powers that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have to swiftly remove some undocumented immigrants from the U.S., a move that could help ... [Donald] Trump carry out the large-scale deportation campaign he has promised. The new policy, detailed in a notice posted online, makes it so the Department of Homeland Security can more quickly deport certain undocumented immigrants who, upon arrest, cannot prove they have been in the country longer than two years. Such sweeping powers -- a process known as expedited removal, which allows unauthorized immigrants to be deported without court proceedings -- have long been reserved primarily for the area near the southern border. But the policy issued by the acting homeland security secretary, Benjamine C. Huffman, allows ICE officers to use it across the entirety of the United States." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Adios, due process. You stop momentarily on a street corner while "looking Hispanic." A cop arrests your for loitering. Back to Guatemala you go, amigo.
Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "... [Donald] Trump said on Tuesday that he intended to impose a 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports into the United States on Feb. 1, a decision that is sure to escalate trade tensions between the world's largest economies. Speaking at the White House, Mr. Trump said that the tariffs were in response to China's role in America's fentanyl crisis. Mr. Trump said that China was sending fentanyl to Canada and Mexico, from where it would be transported into the United States. The tariff threat comes after Mr. Trump said on Monday that he planned to impose a 25 percent duty on imports from Canada and Mexico as punishment for allowing fentanyl and illegal immigrants to cross into the United States." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Well, thank goodness I ordered my LG washer & dryer (maybe made in China & recommended by the NYT's Wirecutter) on Monday.
Cecilia Kang & Cade Metz of the New York Times: "President Trump on Tuesday announced a joint venture between [MB: among!] OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle to create at least $100 billion in computing infrastructure to power artificial intelligence. The venture, called Stargate, adds to tech companies' significant investments in U.S. data centers, huge buildings full of servers that provide computing power.... The announcement of the joint venture was an early trophy for Mr. Trump, even though the effort to form the venture predates his taking office on Monday.... On Monday he rolled back an executive order from former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. that imposed standards on safety and other requirements for government use of A.I.... OpenAI's chief executive, Sam Altman; SoftBank's chief, Masayoshi Son; and Oracle's founder, Larry Ellison, were at the White House announcement with Mr. Trump."
Spencer Hsu, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump defended his decision to free all of roughly 1,600 Jan. 6 riot defendants on Tuesday as the leaders of two extremist groups who played outsize roles in the Capitol attack walked out of federal prisons after serving a fraction of their sentences for seditious conspiracy. Trump called the conspirators' sentences 'ridiculous and excessive,' saying he pardoned 'people that were treated unbelievably poorly.' But counterterrorism experts say the pardons could further embolden fringe groups and hamper the Justice Department's fight against political violence.... 'Those [militia-style] groups of course are going to see the return of battle-hardened leaders, who in addition to having a kind of real-life legitimacy due to having actually fought the government, will also have a strong sense of victimhood and martyrdom, which will further radicalize and fuel recruitment platforms,' said Jacob Ware, a Council on Foreign Relations research fellow. 'This move is going to make combating terrorism far more difficult....'"
But more than anything else, I'm sorry for myself. ~~~
~~~ Jeffrey Toobin of the New York Times: "By pardoning the rioters, [Donald Trump] was, in every real sense, pardoning himself. The president repeatedly promised during the campaign that he would pardon what he called the 'J6 hostages,' but he was vague about the details.... [Monday,] he pardoned a vast majority of the 1,600 who were arrested, including those who assaulted police officers.... Further, Mr. Trump ordered all pending cases, including those for defendants charged with violent crimes, to be dismissed.... The cases against them now disappear..., and the consequences of those convictions vanish as well. Former convicts ... will now have no restrictions on their right to purchase firearms; they will be free to bring guns to their next confrontation with authorities. The pardon recipients now join Mr. Trump himself as former Jan. 6 defendants who are in the clear for their actions on that day.... His actions were consistent with the transactional narcissism that characterized his approach to clemency during his first term." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Toobin's assertion piqued my interest. The text of Trump's executive order is here, via the Trump White House. It is worded in such a way that it does not pardon Trump himself. I think that was a mistake.
David Yaffe-Bellamy & Ryan Mac of the New York Times: "... [Donald] Trump on Tuesday granted a pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road drug marketplace and a cult hero in the cryptocurrency and libertarian worlds.... A Bitcoin pioneer, Mr. Ulbricht, 40, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2015, after he was convicted on charges that included distributing narcotics on the internet. 'I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright to let her know,' Mr. Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, misspelling Mr. Ulbricht's name and making a reference to federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. 'The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me.'" Thanks to laura h. for the link. An NPR story is here.
Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "When inmates are released from federal prison, the Justice Department places a call to their victims, notifying them that the defendant who attacked them is now free. On Tuesday, the phones of U.S. Capitol Police and D.C. police officers were buzzing nonstop. For Aquilino A. Gonell, a former Capitol Police sergeant, the automated calls began on Monday evening and continued into Tuesday morning after ... [Donald] Trump issued a sweeping legal reprieve to all of the nearly 1,600 defendants, including those convicted of violent crimes, in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Between 7:03 a.m. and 9:37 a.m., Mr. Gonell received nine calls from the Justice Department about the release of inmates. Mr. Gonell, who was assaulted during the attack and retired because of the injuries he suffered, was as outraged and distraught as he was shortly after the violence.... Harry Dunn, one of the most outspoken officers who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6, spent Monday and Tuesday checking in with his former colleagues. 'Everybody's angry and sad and devastated,' said Mr. Dunn, who has left the Capitol Police." ~~~
~~~ Sareen Habeshian of Axios: "... Trump's near-total pardon of Jan. 6 rioters was denounced by the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the U.S., and the International Association of Chiefs of Police on Tuesday.... The groups said they're deeply discouraged by pardons and commutations made by both the Biden and Trump administrations of individuals convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers.... The Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024." ~~~
House Republicans are celebrating pardons issued to a bloodthirsty mob that violently assaulted police officers on January 6, 2021. What happened to backing the Blue?... Far right extremists have become the party of lawlessness and disorder. Don't ever lecture America again. About anything. -- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) posted Tuesday on Threads (via the Hill)
~~~ Carrie Johnson, et al., of NPR: "Jan. 6 defendants and their families celebrated Trump's actions. Jacob Chansley, the convicted rioter widely described as the 'QAnon Shaman,' posted on social media, 'THANK YOU PRESIDENT TRUMP!!! NOW I AM GONNA BUY SOME MOTHA FU*KIN GUNS!!!'... Matthew Graves, [who] led the office that prosecuted all of the Jan. 6 cases..., told NPR, 'The actions taken by the President disproportionately benefit the most violent among the mob.'... Rioters used bats, flags, chemical sprays, poles and stolen police shields and batons to beat officers. Several rioters were convicted of charges for carrying loaded firearms in the melee.... Here are some of the people convicted of violence on Jan. 6, who received 'full, complete and unconditional' pardons...[.]"
~~~ BUT Republican members of Congress whose lives these officers saved on January 6, 2021? Meh! ~~~
We're looking at the future, not the past. -- Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) ~~~
~~~ Robert Jimison of the New York Times: "A small contingent of Republicans in Congress [-- like Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) & Susan Collins (Maine) --] on Tuesday criticized ... Donald Trump's pardons of more than 1,500 people charged for their actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, including rioters who violently attacked police.... Members of Congress ran in fear of their lives from the Capitol four years ago as it was besieged by a pro-Trump mob, and many Republicans made strong statements in the immediate aftermath of the attack that violent rioters must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But on Tuesday, few spoke up to object to Mr. Trump's pardons, and many Republican lawmakers said it was time to move on.... Last week before being sworn in as vice president, JD Vance was clear during an interview on 'Fox News Sunday' that violent rioters should not be pardoned." ~~~
~~~ The Chickens Come Home to Roost ... in the Palm of Trump's Tiny Hand. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "When the idea of pardons for Jan. 6 defendants first circulated, the pushback from Republican senators was pretty swift. And even the few who entertained the idea drew a line at pardoning the violent ones.... But now that ... Donald Trump has gone there and granted clemency to every Jan. 6 defendant -- including those who assaulted police -- the response from Republicans has been strikingly muted. And some are even giving Trump a nod of approval, a remarkable episode that shows how Trump gradually lures his party to vouch for the previously unthinkable.
Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "One day after ... Donald J. Trump issued a sweeping legal reprieve to all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, some of the defendants started having their cases dismissed or even began to be released from custody. By Tuesday afternoon, two of the country's most prominent far-right extremists -- Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers militia -- who played central roles in the Capitol attack had been set free.... Defendants have also started to be released from the local jail in Washington, where several rioters have been held in recent years in a special area nicknamed the 'patriot wing.' On Monday night, two brothers from Pennsylvania, Matthew and Andrew Valentin, were set free, only days after being sentenced to two and a half years each on charges of assaulting the police." (Also linked yesterday.)
Bill Kristol of the Bulwark: "Shortly after noon yesterday, Donald Trump took the oath of office. He swore that he would 'faithfully execute the office of president of the United States' and would, to the best of his ability, 'preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.' He spent the rest of the day violating that oath.... Trump's embrace of illegality and unconstitutionality was a feature, not a bug, of Day One of his presidency. From abrogating the law governing TikTok to trying to end birthright citizenship -- not to mention a host of other actions, especially but not only concerning immigration -- Trump made clear that a lawless presidency is at the core of his vision for his second term. Yet in a way the most radical statement of lawlessness was an act for which Trump does have constitutional authority: the pardon, or in a few cases commutation, of all the criminals and defendants involved in the January 6th assault on the Capitol. The pardons included the most violent and unrepentant of the convicts, and the leaders of dangerous extremist groups." (Also linked yesterday.)
Jack Detsch & Paul McLeary of Politico: "Homeland Security officials have removed Adm. Linda Fagan from her role as the Coast Guard's commandant, according to a note sent to service members -- the first firing of a top military officer under the Trump administration. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman, in his message, said Fagan had been relieved and Adm. Kevin E. Lunday would become the service's acting commandant.... A senior DHS official said Fagan was removed for failing to address border threats, allowing delays and cost overruns in the Coast Guard's icebreaker and helicopter programs, and putting an 'excessive focus' on diversity and inclusion efforts that diverted 'resources and attention from operational imperatives.'... Fagan was the first female service chief of a U.S.military branch.... But Fagan's firing ran into immediate protests from some top Democratic lawmakers." (Also linked yesterday.)
Petty, Petty, Petty. Kaitlin Collins of CNN: "Within hours of taking office..., Donald Trump terminated the Secret Service detail that was assigned to his former national security adviser John Bolton, Bolton confirmed to CNN on Tuesday. Bolton, who left the Trump White House in November 2019, has required ongoing US Secret Service protection because of threats against him from Iran. Trump initially terminated his protection after he left his administration in the first term, but President Joe Biden restored it once he took office." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.
Frances Vinall of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump's administration took aim at government DEI programs, ordering federal diversity, equity and inclusion employees to be placed on leave no later than Wednesday and for DEI offices to be closed down, according to a memorandum sent Tuesday by the Office of Personnel Management. The directive will eventually lead to these employees being laid off or reassigned, and followed executive orders on Monday in which Trump directed an end to what he called 'radical and wasteful' federal government DEI programs. OPM acting director Charles Ezell sent the memorandum to federal department and agency heads, instructing them to inform all employees of DEI offices by 5 p.m. Wednesday that they were being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately." The AP report is here.
Trump Shuts Down Health Agency Info. Lena Sun, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration has instructed federal health agencies to pause all external communications, such as health advisories, weekly scientific reports, updates to websites and social media post.... The instructions were delivered Tuesday to staff at agencies inside the Department of Health and Human Services, including officials at the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health, one day after the new administration took office.... The health agencies are charged with making decisions that touch the lives of every American and are the source of crucial information to health-care providers and organizations across the country." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I need an inoculation that Medicare paid for, at least up until noon on Monday. I saw an item that indicated Trump had cut or would cut that benefit. I guess if I called around the federal government trying to find out what the rule of the moment was, no one would be allowed to tell me, even if he knew the answer.
Faiz Siddiqui, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's order establishing the 'Department of Government Efficiency' aims to give billionaire Elon Musk's team sweeping access to operations at federal agencies, revamping its structure after competing visions left one of its leaders seeking an exit. The new structure -- which has DOGE taking over the U.S. Digital Service, part of the Executive Office of the President -- emerged after months of behind-the-scenes maneuvering between Musk and fellow billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, the DOGE co-leader who will depart to run for governor of Ohio. Deep philosophical differences over how the panel should operate helped spur Ramaswamy to leave.... In his new role, Musk appears to have vast access to the inner workings of government that far exceeds the plan as initially conceived." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Anyone who thought Elon or Vivek could work with a partner was foolish. Elon can "work with" Donald because Donald doesn't do anything. But Donnie is the boss, so the longer Elon sticks around, the more it means he's getting what he wants out of Donnie Boy.
Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal judge in Florida stopped the Justice Department on Tuesday from releasing to Congress a potentially damning section of a report by the former special counsel, Jack Smith, detailing his lengthy investigation of ... [Donald] Trump's mishandling of classified documents. In a strongly worded 14-page order, the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, said that federal prosecutors should not be allowed to share the section of the two-volume report with anyone outside the Justice Department, including members of Congress, given the risk that the information, some of which she said had not yet been made public, could slip out.... Merrick B. Garland, then the attorney general, had proposed showing the classified documents section of Mr. Smith's report to the four top leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.... Mr. Trump's lawyers and the other defense lawyers in the case have vehemently fought the release of the report to anyone outside the Justice Department." (Also linked yesterday.)
Mattathias Schwartz of the New York Times: "Attorneys general from 18 states sued ... [Donald] Trump on Tuesday to block an executive order that refuses to recognize the U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrants as citizens, the opening salvo in what promises to be a long legal battle over the Trump administration's immigration policies. The complaint, filed in Federal District Court in Massachusetts was joined by the cities of San Francisco and Washington, D.C.... [Trump's] order flew in the face of more than 100 years of legal precedent.... The courts recognized only a narrow exception for the children of accredited diplomats. But there are signs the judiciary could be divided on the issue. Judge James C. Ho, whom Mr. Trump nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, has ... liken[ed] unauthorized immigrants to an invading army. That comparison has also been made by lawyers for the State of Texas and another declaration by Mr. Trump that illegal crossings at the southern border amount to an 'ongoing invasion.'" An NBC News report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ New Lede: "Attorneys general from 22 states sued President Trump in two federal district courts on Tuesday to block an executive order that refuses to recognize the U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrants as citizens, the opening salvo in what promises to be a long legal battle over the Trump administration's immigration policies." ~~~
~~~ Also Too. Gaby Del Valle of the Verge: "The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and a host of other organizations filed a suit in a New Hampshire federal court on Monday night, hours after the order was announced." Del Valle also notes that to get around that pesky Constitution thing, "Trump's executive order attempts to reinterpret the 14th Amendment rather than amending or repealing it altogether.... Put simply, under Trump's order, the children of most undocumented immigrants wouldn't be US citizens, nor would the children of people in the country on student, work, or tourist visas." The report includes the pertinent language of the order. ~~~
~~~ Steve M. explains why the courts -- or at least what he aptly calls "the FedSoc Six" will find for Trump: "So I'm calling it now: This case will reach the Supreme Court and the Court will rule in Trump's favor. Established law? Roe was established law. Chevron deference was established law. Sections 4(b) and 5 of the Voting Rights Act were established law. Leonard Leo's minions don't care." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link.
Jonathan Landay of Reuters: "Nearly 1,660 Afghans cleared by the U.S. government to resettle in the U.S., including family members of active-duty U.S. military personnel, are having their flights canceled under ... Donald Trump's order suspending U.S. refugee programs, a U.S. official and a leading refugee resettlement advocate said on Monday. The group includes unaccompanied minors awaiting reunification with their families in the U.S. as well as Afghans at risk of Taliban retribution because they fought for the former U.S.-backed Afghan government, said Shawn VanDiver, head of the #AfghanEvac coalition of U.S. veterans and advocacy groups and the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity." Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)
A WWJD Moment. Jason DeRose & Sarah Ventre of NPR: "During a prayer service at Washington's National Cathedral Tuesday, the Episcopal bishop of Washington directly confronted President Trump while he and Vice President J.D. Vance were seated in the front row. 'Let me make one final plea, Mr. President,' Bishop Mariann Budde said in her 15-minute sermon. 'Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,' said Budde, as she appeared to look towards the president.... 'There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives.... The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals, they -- they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors.'..." ~~~
Lucifer Responds. Tiffany Stanley, et al., of the AP: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded an apology from the Episcopal bishop of Washington after she made a direct appeal to him during a prayer service marking his inauguration to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and migrant workers who are in the United States illegally.... After he returned to the White House, Trump said, 'I didn't think it was a good service' and 'they could do much better.' But later, in an overnight post on his social media site, he sharply criticized the 'so-called Bishop' as a 'Radical Left hard line Trump hater.... She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart,' said Trump..., adding that Budde didn't mention that some migrants have come to the United States and killed people. 'Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job!' Trump said. 'She and her church owe the public an apology!'" ~~~
~~~ And Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) wants Bishop Budde to be deported. (Link is to a Hill story.) (MB: Yeah, Trump might as well throw out the First Amendment along with the Fourteenth. Pretty soon all that will be left is the Second Amendment and the first parts of Article II [but not Section 4, which is about impeachment].)
~~~ Marie: I'll tell you one thing Bishop Budde gets wrong. She's a woman. And women who disagree with Donald Trump are automatically "nasty" and "not smart." And so forth.
Julie Tsirkin, et al., of NBC News: "Senators received an affidavit Tuesday from the former sister-in-law of defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth in which she says his behavior caused his second wife to fear for her safety. The receipt of the affidavit comes after Senate Armed Services Committee staffers were in contact with Hegseth's former sister-in-law for several days. The former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, submitted the affidavit in response to a Jan. 18 letter from Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., seeking 'a statement attesting to your personal knowledge about Mr. Hegseth's fitness to occupy this important position.'... Reed said in a statement Tuesday, 'As I have said for months, the reports of Mr. Hegseth's history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and public misconduct necessitate an exhaustive background investigation. I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this sworn affidavit confirms that fact.' He added that 'the alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth ... would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense.' Danielle describes in the affidavit allegations of volatile and threatening conduct by Hegseth that made his second wife, Samantha Hegseth, fear for her safety." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ ⭐Karoun Demirjian & Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "Yet just hours after the affidavit was filed, Republican leaders plowed ahead on Tuesday night to schedule a vote on Mr. Hegseth's confirmation, with several rank-and-file members of the party dismissing the sworn statement as a desperate attempt at character assassination that would fail. Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, began taking the necessary steps to limit debate and schedule an up-or-down vote within days, effectively closing off any avenue for senators to investigate further. And all Republicans voted to keep the nomination on track." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Placing a violent, incompetent drunk atop the U.S. military is on Thune & Republican senators. Their constituents should not be allowed to forget it.
Here's a 21st-century version of Scott Fitzgerald's "Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me." ~~~
~~~ Sigal Samuel of Vox: "For the tech bros -- or as some say, the broligarchs -- [MAGA] is about much more than just maintaining and growing their riches. It's about ... An ideology inspired by science fiction and fantasy. An ideology that says they are supermen, and supermen should not be subject to rules, because they're doing something incredibly important: remaking the world in their image.... Their philosophy goes well beyond simple libertarianism. It's not just that they want a government that won't tread on them. They want absolutely zero limits on their power. Not those dictated by democratic governments, by financial systems, or by facts.... All of these men see themselves as the heroes or protagonists in their own sci-fi saga. And a key part of being a 'technological superman' -- or ubermensch, as the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche would say -- is that you're above the law.... They valorize aggression, which is coded as male." Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)
The Kack Is Back. Tobi Raji of the Washington Post: "A decision by a federal judge last week is reviving the effort to limit access to mifepristone, opening a fresh round of litigation over a widely used drug that has grown in importance since the Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion nearly three years ago. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas ruled Thursday that three states -- Missouri, Kansas and Idaho -- can move forward with a lawsuit that seeks to change the way the drug is prescribed and used. Kacsmaryk, who was nominated by ... Donald Trump in 2019, has a history of strong antiabortion views, The Washington Post reported...."
Jules Feiffer's New York Times obituary is here. A Washington Post obituary was linked yesterday.
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Oklahoma. Nuria Martinez-Keel of the Oklahoma Voice: "In an email to district superintendents..., [State (School) Superintendent Ryan] Walters said the first act of his new Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism is to require all schools to 'play the attached video to all kids that are enrolled' and also send it to parents. In the video, which is posted on the Education Department's YouTube page, Walters prays for Trump and his presidential administration 'as they continue to bring about change to the country.' Walters told students they weren’t obligated to join him in prayer. His video also blames the 'radical left' for attacking religious liberty in schools and claims teacher unions have mocked patriotism.... Oklahoma's top education official has no authority to force schools to show students a video of himself praying for ... Donald Trump, the state Attorney General's Office found. 'Not only is this edict unenforceable, it is contrary to parents’ rights, local control and individual free-exercise rights,' Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Phil Bacharach said Friday." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his commentary near the end of yesterday's thread.
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Israel's Wars. Isabel Kershner & Fatima AbdulKarim of the New York Times: "Israeli security forces on Tuesday embarked on a military operation in Jenin, a Palestinian city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as Israel turned its focus to an area seen as a hotbed of militancy just days after a temporary cease-fire took hold in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said in a statement that the operation, the latest in a string of West Bank raids over the past year, was aimed at 'eradicating terrorism' and would be 'extensive and significant.'... On Monday..., Trump rescinded sanctions imposed by the Biden administration last year on dozens of far-right Israeli individuals and settler groups accused of violence against Palestinians and the seizure or destruction of Palestinian property ... even as Jewish extremists raided several Palestinian villages.... The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited control over parts of the West Bank and is a rival of Hamas, has been carrying out its own operation against armed militants in Jenin in recent weeks...."
U.K. When Harry Met Rupert ... Rupert Backed Down. Karla Adam of the Washington Post: “A much anticipated trial pitting a crusading prince against a media giant ended before it began on Wednesday, when Prince Harry reached a last-minute settlement with Rupert Murdoch's British media group that included an eight figure sum and a long-sought apology. As part of the deal, Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN) issued a formal apology, which was read out in court by Harry's lawyer David Sherborne, conceding 'unlawful' acts."
News Lede
Washington Post: "Valérie André, a French military officer, brain surgeon and licensed pilot who was believed to be the first woman to fly helicopter rescue missions in combat zones -- during the French-Indochina war of the early 1950s -- and who two decades later became the first woman to reach the rank of general in the French armed forces, died Jan. 21 in Paris. She was 102."
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