The Conversation -- January 10, 2025

Hamed Aleaziz & Miriam Jordan of the New York Times: "The Biden administration on Friday issued sweeping extensions of deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of people from Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela in a move that makes it almost impossible for ... Donald J. Trump to swiftly strip the benefit when he takes office. The extension of Temporary Protected Status, as the program is called, allows the immigrants to remain in the country with work permits and a shield from deportation for another 18 months from the expiration of their current protection in the spring. Late last year, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken recommended the protections be extended in a series of letters.... President Biden has expanded who could receive the status, as war erupted in Ukraine and instability gripped countries like Venezuela and Haiti.... About 600,000 Venezuelans who currently have the protection will be allowed to renew and remain in the United States until October 2026, and approximately 232,000 immigrants from El Salvador will be able to do so. More than 100,000 Ukrainians will also be able to remain in the United States until October 2026. Some 1,900 people from Sudan will also be allowed to renew their status."

Tracey Tully & Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have recommended a sentence of at least 15 years for Robert Menendez, New Jersey's former senator who was convicted of trading his political clout for bribes. The U.S. attorney's office is requesting a similarly long period of incarceration for Mr. Menendez's two co-defendants, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes. The government asked the judge, Sidney H. Stein, to impose a sentence of at least 10 years for Mr. Hana and nine years for Mr. Daibes."

Contemptible Rudy, Ctd. Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "A federal district judge found Rudolph W. Giuliani in contempt of court on Friday for continuing to defame two Georgia women after the 2020 election. In May, Mr. Giuliani agreed to stop repeating lies about the women, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, a mother-daughter team of election workers in Fulton County, Ga., during the 2020 race. That agreement, the judge, Beryl A. Howell, of the District of Columbia, said was 'clear and unambiguous.' In November, Mr. Giuliani repeated accusations against the women at least four times, after Donald J. Trump won the 2024 presidential election."

At 10:45 am ET, MSNBC is airing audio of earlier proceedings in the New York criminal case against Donald Trump. Update: You can listen to that audio here. It's 32:30 minutes long. Justice Juan Merchan's remarks, which come at the end of the proceedings, are worth hearing. In effect, he makes clear that the punishment fits neither the crime nor the criminal but is necessitated by of the rights of the American people to have a president* unencumbered by criminal procedures & the consequences of his criminal behavior. ~~~

     (Marie: And yet. And yet. The sentence reflects the bad judgment of the majority of American voters. It is an indictment of us.) ~~~

     ~~~ For his part, Trump either does not understand or pretends he does not understand what Merchan was talking about: ~~~

     ~~~ Colby Hall of Mediaite: "In both predictable and strange fashion..., Donald Trump framed the occasion of his official sentencing as a convicted felon as a win against 'Radical Democrats.' He also claimed that Judge Juan Merchan's ruling of 'unconditional discharge' was proof that 'THERE WAS NEVER A CASE.'... Shortly after the official sentencing procedure ended..., the president-elect took to social media to call the sentencing a loss for his political foes. 'The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt,' he posted, first on Truth Social. After repeating much of the same 'Witch Hunt' claims and alleging that the New York Southern District Court was working in coordination 'with the Biden/Harris Department of Injustice in lawless Weaponization,' Trump claimed the unconditional discharge 'proves that, as all Legal Scholars and Experts have said, THERE IS NO CASE, THERE WAS NEVER A CASE, and this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED.'"

~~~ Ben Protess & Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "After months of delay..., Donald J. Trump on Friday is set to become the first American president to be criminally sentenced. He is expected to avoid jail or any other substantive punishment, but the proceeding will still carry significant symbolic importance. It will formalize his status as a felon, making him the first to carry that dubious designation into the presidency." This is livebog. Stay tuned for amusing updates. ~~~

Kate Christobek & Ben Protess: "... Donald J. Trump's sentencing will allow him to begin mounting a formal appeal, but he did not wait for Friday to begin attacking his conviction. This week, Mr. Trump filed a civil action against the judge overseeing the case, challenging a pair of recent rulings that upheld his conviction. Both rulings rejected Mr. Trump's argument that, as a former and future president, he is entitled to immunity."

Maggie Haberman: "Trump is expected to join the courtroom remotely from Florida, where he returned yesterday after attending President Jimmy Carter's funeral service."

Bromwich: "[Joshua] Steinglass[, the prosecutor] says that the prosecutors agree with the expected sentence of unconditional discharge.... Steinglass ... is blasting Trump, saying that rather than expressing any remorse for his criminal acts, he has spread disdain 'for our institutions and the rule of law.'... 'This defendant has caused enduring damage to public perception of the criminal justice system and has placed officers of the court in harm's way,' Joshua Steinglass says."

Haberman: "Trump is now in a familiar pose, his arms crossed in defiance. He shakes his head again as Steinglass makes these remarks."

Christobek: "Steinglass, the prosecutor, noted that the probation report they received stated that the defendant sees himself as above the law and does not accept responsibility for his actions."

Bromwich: "[Todd] Blanche, [Trump's lawyer, who is with him at Mar-a-Lago,] as he has since he was retained, blasts the very legitimacy of the case. He says that it was 'started for what amounted to a third time' after Trump announced his intention to run for re-election, repeating Trump's frequent accusations of election interference.... Blanche is asserting the supremacy of the November election over the jury verdict in this courtroom, essentially saying that the political victory was the last word on the case."

Haberman: "Trump begins speaking. 'This has been a very terrible experience. I think it's been a tremendous setback' for New York and its court system, he says.... Trump seems to be reading from something in front of him. He is saying a version of what he has said before, that the payment to Stormy Daniels was a legal expense and that his accountants had logged it that way. He alludes to someone working with his 'opponent,' indicating President Biden.... Trump, as his lawyer Todd Blanche did, refers to 'legal experts' who he says thought the case shouldn't have been brought. He's going through a litany of people, from cable pundits to conservative legal experts....

"Trump calls Michael Cohen, his own former lawyer and fixer who was a key witness during the trial, a 'totally discredited person.' He says Cohen has 'no standing, he's been disbarred on other matters.' He says that Cohen was allowed to talk as if he was George Washington. 'But he's not George Washington.' Trump again falsely insists that the Justice Department is 'very involved,' and singles out Matthew Colangelo. He says they 'got them to move on me.' The lawyer sitting next to him, Todd Blanche, is his choice to be the No. 2 official at the Justice Department."

Bromwich: "'I was treated very, very unfairly, and I thank you very much,' Trump concludes.... Justice [Juan] Merchan is reflecting on his time on the bench, and some of the heinous crimes to which he's sentenced defendants in the past. He remarks that never before has the court been presented with such a 'unique and remarkable set of circumstances.' And yet the trial was a paradox, he says, because once the courtroom doors were closed, it was no different from the other trials held in this courthouse.... 'Donald Trump the ordinary citizen, Donald Trump the criminal defendant' would not be entitled to the protections of the presidency, Justice Merchan asserts. It is only that office that shields him from the seriousness of the verdict.... Justice Merchan, as expected, sentences Trump to an unconditional discharge. He wishes Trump 'godspeed' as he prepares to assume his second term in office. The judge leaves the bench."

Haberman: "... Justice Merchan just spelled ... out clearly that the protections are afforded to the office, not its occupant. Trump looks grim, sitting back a bit in his seat."

Marie: Oh, I recall when we were all pulling for John Fetterman: ~~~

     ~~~ AP: "Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman will become the chamber's first Democrat to meet with ... Donald Trump since the election and plans to travel to Trump's private Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The trip marks Fetterman's continuing evolution from a leading surrogate for President Joe Biden into a Trump-friendly lawmaker since Trump won the premier battleground state of Pennsylvania in November. Fetterman since has shown surprising warmth to Trump, complimenting his political appeal, agreeing with him on some policies and embracing some of Trump's would-be Cabinet nominees. Fetterman said in a statement Thursday that Trump invited him to meet and that he accepted." (Okay, I'll admit that if a president*-elect from the other party asked me to meet with him, I most likely would, although I would not travel out-of-state or out-of-District to do so.)

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Peter Baker of the New York Times: "The nation bade farewell to former President Jimmy Carter on Thursday with a majestic state funeral for a man who saw himself as anything but, remembering a peanut farmer from Georgia who rose to the heights of power and used it to fight for justice, eradicate disease and wage peace not war. Five living presidents and a broad array of other leaders gathered at Washington National Cathedral to pay tribute to the 39th president, not only for his accomplishments during four years in the nation's highest office but also for his relentless humanitarian work in the four decades after he left the White House.... It was hard not to hear the implicit contrast drawn between Mr. Carter's fundamental decency, integrity and commitment and Mr. Trump's rough-hewed, combative and grievance-filled politics.... From the splendor of the cavernous cathedral, [Mr. Carter] was flown to Georgia, where he was to be buried later in the day in a simple plot outside the modest $240,000 one-story ranch house in Plains, Ga., where he lived most of his life."

President Biden delivered the eulogy for President Carter in the National Cathedral. I commend you to hear him. ~~~

~~~ Here is the New York Times liveblog of the funeral & other proceedings.

Michael Shear: “With Mr. Trump in the audience, Mr. Biden did not single him out by name. But he delivered a message laced with meaning that could have been aimed at the next president."

Peter Baker: "Among the foreign dignitaries on hand are Justin Trudeau, who just announced that he is stepping down as prime minister of Canada, and Martín Torrijos, the former president of Panama. Trudeau's father was prime minister when Carter was president, and Torrijos's father was the president of Panama who signed the treaty with Carter turning over the Panama Canal." (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ Marie: When Donald & Melanie passed in front of Mike & Karen Pence, who were seated in the second row of pews, Mike rose & shook hands with Donald. Karen sat staring straight ahead, seeming to pretend the Trumps weren't there. President Obama had the misfortune of being seated right next to Donald Trump & seemed to be very polite to him. ~~~

~~~ Marie: This might not be the very best way to spend 10 minutes of your life, but I found Tim Miller's take jibed with my own. Perhaps you could listen while doing some productive chore:

⭐Charlie Savage & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court on Thursday said that it would not block the Justice Department from releasing a report by the special counsel Jack Smith about the two now-closed investigations he conducted into ... Donald J. Trump. In a brief and unsigned order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta, rejected an emergency request from Mr. Trump's legal team to stop the report from coming out. But the order does not necessarily mean the report will become public immediately. Both sections of Mr. Smith's two-volume report remain for the moment under an injunction put in place this week by a lower-court judge in Florida that is temporarily blocking their release.... In its order on Thursday night, the appeals court left the injunction in place but said that the Justice Department could take further action seeking to appeal it. Still, the injunction, which was issued by Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who oversaw the classified documents case, is scheduled to last only another three days. When it expires, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland could go ahead with his plans to release the portion of Mr. Smith's report concerning the election interference case. In the meantime, Mr. Trump's lawyers could try further to stop or delay the release of the report by asking the Supreme Court to step in." ~~~

     ~~~ A Politico report, by Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein, is here: "In short, the fate of Smith's report -- and whether some of it will be released publicly in the coming days -- remains a muddle."

⭐Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday denied ... Donald J. Trump's emergency bid to halt his criminal sentencing in New York, all but ensuring it would proceed as planned on Friday. In a brief unsigned order, a five-justice majority noted that Mr. Trump was not facing jail time and that he could still challenge his conviction 'in the ordinary course on appeal.' Although Mr. Trump had argued that being sentenced 10 days before his inauguration would distract from the presidential transition, the majority held, 'The burden that sentencing will impose on the president-elect's responsibilities is relatively insubstantial.'... Four of the court's conservative justices -- Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh -- noted dissents without providing reasons." (Also linked yesterday.) Politico's report is here. ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. received a call on his cellphone Tuesday. It was ... Donald J. Trump, calling from Florida. Hours later, Mr. Trump's legal team would ask Justice Alito and his eight colleagues on the Supreme Court to block his sentencing in New York for falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a pornographic film actress.... The call and its timing flouted any regard for even the appearance of a conflict of interest at a time when the Supreme Court has come under intense scrutiny over the justices' refusal to adopt a more rigorous and enforceable ethics code. The circumstances were extraordinary for another reason: Justice Alito was being drawn into a highly personalized effort by some Trump aides to blackball Republicans deemed insufficiently loyal to Mr. Trump from entering the administration...." Read on for the details. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Eloise Goldsmith of Common Dreams: "... Congressman Jamie Raskin was among those Thursday who called for Alito's recusal from the high profile case.... Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, denounced the call as a 'breach of judicial ethics' in a statement Thursday, adding 'especially when paired with his troubling past partisan ideological activity in favor of Trump, Justice Alito's decision to have a personal phone call with President Trump -- who obviously has an active and deeply personal matter before the court -- makes clear that he fundamentally misunderstands the basic requirements of judicial ethics or, more likely, believes himself to be above judicial ethics altogether.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Thursday blasted conservative Justice Samuel Alito for having a conversation with ... Trump amidst Trump's effort to have courts halt his criminal sentencing in New York. 'Brazenly unapologetic, Justice Alito has made impropriety the norm,' Blumenthal wrote on social media.... 'This inexcusable call w/ Trump certainly should compel recusal, disqualifying him from this case & much more. The Court's current supposed ethical standards are an unenforceable sham,' Blumenthal posted on the social platform X." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Obviously, Alito not only failed to recuse himself after his egregious breach of ethics, he sided with Trump in the case, effectively proving he is corrupt.

The Biggest Cheater. Hadas Gold of CNN: "... Donald Trump's team was given the questions asked by Fox News anchors at an Iowa town hall last January in advance by someone inside the network, according to a forthcoming book, in what would be a serious breach of journalism ethics. The report, which Fox said it plans to investigate, comes from the forthcoming book ... by Alex Isenstadt, a national political reporter at Politico.... Isenstadt told CNN the anecdote was based on 'multiple people with direct knowledge' of the event and that he was fully confident in the reporting....

"In 2022, CNN reported that [Fox personality Maria] Bartiromo had sent text messages to Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, outlining what she planned to ask in her interview with Trump in November 2020. The texts were revealed as part of Congress' investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.... Isenstadt reports that Trump seriously considered tapping ... Bartiromo as his running mate, before being talked out of it by his team." Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: Gosh, Donald Trump cheated on not just one test but two -- that we know of. Contrast the Trump team's behavior that Gold outlines with that of Al Gore's team in 2000, when they received copies of George W. Bush's campaign debate book & other Bush campaign material. (Also linked yesterday.)

Is Trumpinosis a Communicable Disease? Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Hamed Aleaziz of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump is likely to justify his plans to seal off the border with Mexico by citing a public health emergency from immigrants bringing disease into the United States. Now he just has to find one.... His advisers have spent recent months trying to find the right disease to build their case, according to four people.... [Besides looking for the presence of well-known diseases,] they also have considered trying to rationalize Title 42 [which can be used to impose public health restrictions] by arguing broadly that migrants at the border come from various countries and may carry unfamiliar disease -- an assertion that echoes a racist notion with a long history in the United States that minorities transmit infections.... The plan to invoke the border restrictions based on sporadic cases of illness or even a vague fear of illness -- rather than a major disease outbreak or pandemic -- would amount to a radical use of the public health measure in pursuit of an immigration crackdown."

Seb Starcevic, et al., of Politico: "A senior Greenlandic politician slammed Donald Trump Jr.'s visit to the island as 'staged,' and warned the United States not to 'invade us' given its historical treatment of Alaska's indigenous people. Pipaluk Lynge, an MP from Greenland’s largest party and chair of the parliamentary foreign and security policy committee..., [said,] 'No journalists were allowed to interview [Junior]. It was all staged to make it seem like we -- the Greenlandic people -- were MAGA and love to be a part of the USA,' Lynge said.... His welcome was not entirely warm, Lynge added. 'People were curious, but some took pictures giving him [the] finger at the airport ... Some wrote on Facebook: yankee go home,' she said... Local media said that the Trump Jr. camp passed out MAGA hats to residents on the day of the visit, while video footage from the trip showed the president-elect talking to cap-wearing Greenlanders on speakerphone during a lunch event."

Gaby Del Valle of the Verge: "As fires rage across Los Angeles..., the usual suspects have decided to blame the blazes on their political enemies. In a series of posts on Truth Social..., Donald Trump claimed firefighters' inability to get the fires under control was due to California Governor Gavin Newsom's water policies, including an effort to 'protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn't work!).' Meanwhile, on X, Elon Musk suggested that the fires were spreading due to the city fire chief's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. 'DEI means people DIE,' Musk wrote in a Wednesday night post.... But the rampant spread of the fires isn't due to the delta smelt, DEI, or even -- as Trump, Musk, and scores of mainstream publications have falsely claimed -- cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department's budget."

Faiz Siddiqui, et al., of the Washington Post: "Federal officials are already dealing with surrogates from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's nongovernmental body before Donald Trump is sworn in again.... In recent days, aides with the nongovernmental 'Department of Government Efficiency' ... have spoken with staffers at more than a dozen federal agencies.... Musk and Ramaswamy have significantly stepped up hiring for their new entity, with more than 50 staffers already working out of the offices of SpaceX, Musk's rocket-building company, in downtown Washington.... While much about DOGE remains unclear -- including who is paying the salaries of these staffers or exactly how DOGE representatives work with the formal transition team -- the agency outreach reflects intensifying efforts by Musk and Ramaswamy to propose what they say will be 'drastic' cuts to federal spending and regulations.... Musk and Ramaswamy are encountering a slew of obstacles, including reluctance among congressional Republicans to approve deep budget cuts and a skeptical career civil service."

Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: "Google is donating $1 million to ... Donald Trump's inauguration, following other tech giants in supporting an administration that will shape the company's historic antitrust case. Google will also live-stream the swearing-in ceremony on YouTube -- the second-most popular website in the world, behind Google itself -- and include a direct link on its homepage. Karan Bhatia, Google's global head of government affairs, said in a statement Thursday that the company is 'pleased' to support Trump's inauguration."

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "The Senate on Thursday came closer to passing a bill requiring the deportation of undocumented immigrants charged with minor crimes after most Democrats joined Republicans to advance it. All but eight Democrats and one independent voted to begin debate on the bill, easily exceeding the 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster. The legislation, which passed the House with bipartisan support earlier this week, appears to be on a smooth path to garnering the presidential signature of Donald J. Trump when he takes office this month. The vote reflected a major shift to the right among Democrats on immigration after their party's considerable electoral losses in November against Republicans...." The Hill's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post: "... some Democratic senators have thrown their support behind the exploitatively titled Laken Riley Act, which takes its name from a young nursing student murdered by an undocumented immigrant. But this is a terrible, demagogic bill. It would not have prevented its namesake's tragic death. Worse, it would complicate law enforcement's ability to prioritize public safety threats and give cranks in state government the ability to shut down legal immigration, nationwide. The bill was introduced last year as a messaging bill. It began with a preamble about why President Joe Biden was the absolute worst, followed by some bonkers anti-immigrant stuff that was unlikely to ever become law.... [Under the terms of the bill,] the Department of Homeland Security would be required to jail even falsely accused people indefinitely, at taxpayer expense."

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "The House on Thursday passed legislation that would impose sanctions on officials at the International Criminal Court, making a frontal assault on the tribunal in a rebuke of its move to charge top Israeli leaders with war crimes for their offensive against Hamas in Gaza. The bill instructs the president to freeze property assets and deny visas to any foreigners who materially or financially contributed to the court's efforts to 'investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute a protected person.'... The measure is one of several that were pushed through the House by Republicans last year but died in the Democratic-led Senate, and is now all but certain to be enacted now that Republicans control both chambers of Congress and Mr. Trump is taking office on Jan. 20." (MB: Either this means enough Democratic senators are expected to support the bill & overcome a filibuster, or the bill will not be subject to filibuster rules. I don't know.)

Zach Montague of the New York Times: "A federal judge in Kentucky on Thursday struck down President Biden's effort to expand protections for transgender students and make other changes to the rules governing sex discrimination in schools, ruling that the Education Department had overstepped and violated teachers' rights by requiring them to use students' preferred pronouns. The ruling, which extends nationwide, came as a major blow to the Biden administration in its effort to provide new safeguards for L.G.B.T.Q. and pregnant students, among others, through Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. It arrived just days before those protections were likely to face more scrutiny under a Trump administration that is expected to be hostile to the new rules and could refuse to defend them in court. In a 15-page opinion, Chief Judge Danny C. Reeves of the Eastern District of Kentucky wrote that the Education Department could not lawfully expand the definition of Title IX to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity, as it had proposed last year." MB: Reeves is a Bush II appointee. Politico's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The order, via the court system, is here.

Carol Rosenberg of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily halted a guilty plea hearing for the man accused of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks while it considers whether the deal he reached to avoid a death-penalty trial remains valid. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued the order on the eve of a hearing at the U.S. military court at Guantánamo Bay in which a military judge was to question the accused plotter, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, about the settlement he reached this summer with military prosecutors. The court will decide, during the next administration, whether Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III successfully withdrew from the settlement on Aug. 2, two days after the retired Army general he put in charge of the case signed it. Two lower, military courts ruled that he had acted too late."

Sam Biddle of the Intercept: "Meta is now granting its users new freedom to post a wide array of derogatory remarks about races, nationalities, ethnic groups, sexual orientations, and gender identities, training materials obtained by The Intercept reveal. Examples of newly permissible speech on Facebook and Instagram highlighted in the training materials include: 'Immigrants are grubby, filthy pieces of shit.'... The changes are part of a broader policy shift that includes the suspension of the company's fact-checking program. The goal, Meta said Tuesday, is to 'allow more speech by lifting restrictions.'... Kate Klonick, a content moderation policy expert..., [said,] 'To pretend these new rules are any more 'neutral' than the old rules is a farce and a lie.'"

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New Mexico. Julia Jacobs of the New York Times: "Alec Baldwin filed a lawsuit on Thursday accusing New Mexico prosecutors and law enforcement officials of waging a 'malicious prosecution' against him after the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the 'Rust' film set."

North Carolina. Police Kill Pizzagate Shooter. Hank Sanders of the New York Times: "A man in North Carolina who fired a rifle inside a Washington restaurant in 2016 because he wrongly believed an internet conspiracy known as Pizzagate was fatally shot by the police in North Carolina over the weekend when he pulled out a gun during a traffic stop, the authorities said. The man, Edgar Maddison Welch, 36, of Salisbury, N.C., was a passenger in a car on Saturday night when an officer with the Kannapolis Police Department recognized him from a prior arrest and believed there was an outstanding warrant over a felony probation violation, Chief Terry L. Spry of the Kannapolis Police Department said in a statement on Thursday. When the officer confirmed his suspicion and went to arrest him, Mr. Welch pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the officer, the police said. The police officer and a second officer ordered Mr. Welch to put his gun down. When he did not comply, they shot at him, the department said. Mr. Welch died on Monday at a hospital in Charlotte as a result of his injuries.

News Ledes

CNBC: "Job growth was much stronger than expected in December, likely providing the Federal Reserve less incentive to cut interest rates this year. Nonfarm payrolls surged by 256,000 for the month, up from 212,000 in November and above the 155,000 forecast from the Dow Jones consensus, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday." ~~~

~~~ CNBC:"Stocks tumbled Friday after a hot jobs report dampened Wall Street's expectations for more interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this year. The ow Jones Industrial Average traded 627 points lower, or 1.4%. The S&P 500 shed 1.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite lost nearly 2%. U.S. payrolls grew by 256,000 in December, while economists polled by Dow Jones expected to see an increase of 155,000. The unemployment rate, which was projected to remain at 4.2%, fell to 4.1% during the month. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note spiked to its highest level since late 2023 after the report."

New York Times: "The threat of more fires fueled by strong Santa Ana winds hung over Southern California on Friday as firefighters battled to contain the raging blazes that have killed at least 10 people and destroyed thousands of structures this week. More than 35,000 acres, an area twice the size of Manhattan, have burned in and around Los Angeles. A new fire, the Kenneth fire, broke out Thursday evening in West Hills, north of Calabasas, and grew rapidly to 1,000 acres in a matter of hours. The blaze shows 'we are absolutely not out of this extreme weather event,' said Kristin M. Crowley, the Los Angeles fire chief, at a news conference Thursday evening." This is a liveblog. ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times lists a few ways you can help the victims.

New York Times: "Anita Bryant, the singer and former beauty queen who had a robust and flourishing music career, including hit songs like 'Paper Roses,' in the 1960s and '70s, but whose opposition to gay rights -- she called homosexuality 'an abomination' -- virtually destroyed her career, died on Dec. 16. She was 84."

The Conversation -- January 9, 2025

⭐Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday denied ... Donald J. Trump's emergency bid to halt his criminal sentencing in New York, all but ensuring it would proceed as planned on Friday. In a brief unsigned order, a five-justice majority noted that Mr. Trump was not facing jail time and that he could still challenge his conviction 'in the ordinary course on appeal.' Although Mr. Trump had argued that being sentenced 10 days before his inauguration would distract from the presidential transition, the majority held, 'The burden that sentencing will impose on the president-elect's responsibilities is relatively insubstantial.'... Four of the court's conservative justices -- Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh -- noted dissents without providing reasons." ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. received a call on his cellphone Tuesday. It was ... Donald J. Trump, calling from Florida. Hours later, Mr. Trump's legal team would ask Justice Alito and his eight colleagues on the Supreme Court to block his sentencing in New York for falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a pornographic film actress.... The call and its timing flouted any regard for even the appearance of a conflict of interest at a time when the Supreme Court has come under intense scrutiny over the justices' refusal to adopt a more rigorous and enforceable ethics code. The circumstances were extraordinary for another reason: Justice Alito was being drawn into a highly personalized effort by some Trump aides to blackball Republicans deemed insufficiently loyal to Mr. Trump from entering the administration...." Read on for the details. ~~~

~~~ Eloise Goldsmith of Common Dreams: "... Congressman Jamie Raskin was among those Thursday who called for Alito's recusal from the high profile case.... Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, denounced the call as a 'breach of judicial ethics' in a statement Thursday, adding 'especially when paired with his troubling past partisan ideological activity in favor of Trump, Justice Alito's decision to have a personal phone call with President Trump -- who obviously has an active and deeply personal matter before the court -- makes clear that he fundamentally misunderstands the basic requirements of judicial ethics or, more likely, believes himself to be above judicial ethics altogether.'" ~~~

~~~ Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Thursday blasted conservative Justice Samuel Alito for having a conversation with ... Trump amidst Trump's effort to have courts halt his criminal sentencing in New York. 'Brazenly unapologetic, Justice Alito has made impropriety the norm,' Blumenthal wrote on social media.... 'This inexcusable call w/ Trump certainly should compel recusal, disqualifying him from this case & much more. The Court's current supposed ethical standards are an unenforceable sham,' Blumenthal posted on the social platform X." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Obviously, Alito not only failed to recuse himself after his egregious breach of ethics, he sided with Trump in the case, effectively proving he is corrupt.

President Biden delivered the eulogy for President Carter in the National Cathedral. I commend you to hear him. (Sorry, linked earlier then disappeared. It's back now): ~~~

~~~ Here is the New York Times liveblog of the funeral & other proceedings.

Michael Shear: "With Mr. Trump in the audience, Mr. Biden did not single him out by name. But he delivered a message laced with meaning that could have been aimed at the next president."

Peter Baker: "Among the foreign dignitaries on hand are Justin Trudeau, who just announced that he is stepping down as prime minister of Canada, and Martín Torrijos, the former president of Panama. Trudeau's father was prime minister when Carter was president, and Torrijos's father was the president of Panama who signed the treaty with Carter turning over the Panama Canal."

     ~~~ Marie: When Donald & Melanie passed in front of Mike & Karen Pence, who were seated in the second row of pews, Mike rose & shook hands with Donald. Karen sat staring straight ahead, seeming to pretend the Trumps weren't there. President Obama had the misfortune of being seated right next to Donald Trump & seemed to be very polite to him.

Hadas Gold of CNN: "... Donald Trump’s team was given the questions asked by Fox News anchors at an Iowa town hall last January in advance by someone inside the network, according to a forthcoming book, in what would be a serious breach of journalism ethics. The report, which Fox said it plans to investigate, comes from the forthcoming book ... by Alex Isenstadt, a national political reporter at Politico.... Isenstadt told CNN the anecdote was based on 'multiple people with direct knowledge' of the event and that he was fully confident in the reporting....

"In 2022, CNN reported that [Fox personality Maria] Bartiromo had sent text messages to Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, outlining what she planned to ask in her interview with Trump in November 2020. The texts were revealed as part of Congress' investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.... Isenstadt reports that Trump seriously considered tapping ... Bartiromo as his running mate, before being talked out of it by his team." Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: Gosh, Donald Trump cheated on not just one test but two -- that we know of. Contrast the Trump team's behavior that Gold outlines with that of Al Gore's team in 2000, when they received copies of George W. Bush's campaign debate book & other Bush campaign material.

~~~~~~~~~~

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "A weeklong series of tributes to former President Jimmy Carter culminates on Thursday with a solemn state funeral in Washington that will bring together all five of the nation's living presidents.... Mr. Carter, who has lain in state for the past two days at the Capitol, will be brought to Washington National Cathedral for a 10 a.m. service featuring all the rituals of a national send-off. Then he will be flown back to his hometown, Plains, Ga., for burial outside the modest ranch house where he lived most of his life and died last week. The service represents the pinnacle of America's honors to its 39th president, who sought to heal the nation after the traumas of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War as he presided over a tumultuous time, from 1977 to 1981. President Biden will deliver a eulogy, as will Jason Carter, the former president's grandson, and Stuart E. Eizenstat, a longtime friend and White House domestic adviser to Mr. Carter. Eulogies that former President Gerald R. Ford and former Vice President Walter F. Mondale wrote before their own deaths will be read by their sons, Steven Ford and Ted Mondale." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: My prayer for Jimmy Carter includes a wish that Trump not figure out a way to gum up the funeral.

Brett Samuels of the Hill: 'President Biden will no longer travel to Italy this weekend as fires rage in Los Angeles County, the White House said Wednesday. 'After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police, fire and emergency personnel fighting the historic fires raging in the area and approved a Major Disaster declaration for California, President Biden made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy to remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead,' press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement." ~~~

~~~ You know who didn't cancel her trip abroad? The mayor of Los Angeles! ~~~

     ~~~ Alex Nieves of Politico: "Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faced mounting criticism Wednesday for her handling of deadly wildfires that continued to rage across the region, taking blame from influential city figures as she traveled back from a trip to Africa. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times, slammed Bass in an X post claiming the mayor slashed the Los Angeles Fire Department's budget, despite the high risk of wildfires in the region, and raised questions about reports that some fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades had run dry.... Moderate Democrat Rick Caruso, a real estate mogul who lost his mayoral bid to Bass in 2022, spent the morning making local TV appearances blasting Bass for traveling to Ghana, despite reports as early as last week about an impending wind storm."

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden acknowledged in a new interview released on Wednesday that he might not have had the vitality to serve another four years in office, even as he insisted that he could have won re-election had he stayed in the race.... Mr. Biden also confirmed ,,, that he was considering granting pre-emptive pardons to some of Mr. Trump's perceived enemies to protect them against what the incoming president has vowed wll be 'retribution.' Among those known to be under consideration are figures like former Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, who led the response to the coronavirus pandemic. During his meeting with Mr. Trump after the election, Mr. Biden said he tried to dissuade him from pursuing his adversaries.... The interview with USA Today itself demonstrated how the White House tried to shield him from encounters that might throw him off. After four years in office, it was he first time he has ever given an interview to any reporter from a major mainstream newspaper." (Also linked yesterday.)

Alexandra Marquez of NBC News: "President Joe Biden welcomed his first great-grandchild in California on Wednesday after his granddaughter Naomi Biden gave birth.... Biden said his granddaughter gave birth to 'a 10-pound, 4-ounce baby girl' before he quickly corrected himself to say 'baby boy.' Biden is the first modern president to have a great-grandchild born while in office. First lady Jill Biden shared a photo of herself and the president holding their great-grandson on Instagram later Wednesday with the caption 'We are proud to introduce you to our great-grandson: William Brannon Neal, IV.'"

Alan Feuer & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors tacitly signaled on Wednesday that the public may never see a portion of a report by the special counsel, Jack Smith, detailing his investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's refusal to give back a trove of classified documents he took from the White House.... Mr. Trump's legal team has been fighting a pitched battle in recent days to keep the report out of the public eye. In court papers on Wednesday, the Justice Department said that Attorney General Merrick B. Garland did not intend to release the volume about the documents inquiry until legal proceedings have ended against two co-defendants who were charged along with Mr. Trump.... The case against Mr. Trump's co-defendants is likely to continue into his second term starting Jan. 20, when he could pardon the men and end the case altogether. His appointees would then have the power to continue keeping Mr. Smith's report secret....

"The Justice Department does plan to release the portion of Mr. Smith's report focusing on the election interference charges, the court papers said. In their filing to the appeals court, prosecutors said that Mr. Garland would make Mr. Smith's report about the classified documents case available to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, except for information that is covered by a grand jury secrecy rule." (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The Justice Department revealed Garland's decision Wednesday morning in a court filing opposing Trump's effort to block Smith from releasing his final report altogether, 'since the President-elect is no longer a defendant in any Special Counsel matter.' Both cases against Trump were dismissed after he won election to a second term in November, with prosecutors citing long standing DOJ policies against prosecuting a sitting president.... In the filing, prosecutors asked the 11th Circuit to overturn Cannon's order, which appears to block the release of any portion of the entire report for the time being. The Justice Department is awaiting a ruling from the 11th circuit on this request before setting a timeline for releasing the 2020 election report." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The DOJ's court filing, an "Opposition to Motion for Injunction," is here. (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

~~~ Jonathan Last of the Bulwark has another idea: Jack "Smith's report should be public. As a matter of tradition (all previous special counsel reports were published) and also as a matter of morality.... [Now, under the Supreme Court's blanket of immunity,] if President Biden were to publish the report this afternoon in violation of Judge Cannon's order, he would do so with total immunity. Or, if the attorney general were to publish the report, putting himself at risk of being held in contempt of court, he could be pardoned by President Biden. That would all be perfectly above-board. Yet, amazingly, Biden and Garland seem to still be in 2015 mode.... President Biden should publish both volumes of Smith's report before leaving office.... Joe Biden didn't make these rules; but like it or not, the country is now governed by them. Unilateral disarmament is for suckers and hippies." Thanks to laura h. for the link

Trump Asks Supremes to Save Him Again. Josh Gerstein & Erica Orden of Politico: "... Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to halt his Friday sentencing for his hush money criminal conviction after a New York appeals court judge declined to intervene. Trump's lawyers filed an emergency application with the high court early Wednesday after the New York appeals court on Tuesday turned down his request to indefinitely postpone the sentencing.... The trial court judge scheduled to sentence Trump on Friday, Justice Juan Merchan, has indicated he doesn't plan to send Trump to jail and will permit him to attend the proceeding virtually. Still, Trump's lawyers told the Supreme Court that the sentencing will result in 'burden, disruption, stigma, and distraction' to him as he carries out his duties as president-elect. A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office prosecuted the case against Trump, said: 'We will respond in court papers.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Right. It's a stigma and a distraction. And a burden on accounta Trump can't handle two things at once. He can't handle one thing at once. ~~~

     ~~~ Ben Protess & Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump argues that he is entitled to full immunity from prosecution, and even sentencing, now that he is the president-elect. His lawyers have based that claim on a Supreme Court ruling last year that granted former presidents broad immunity for official acts.... A Supreme Court stay might scuttle Mr. Trump's sentencing for good." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Lisa Rubin pointed out on MSNBC that the Justice who would handle a New York request for a stay is Sonia Sotomayor. Although Rubin speculated that Sotomayor will likely hand the motion over to the full Court for a decision, she has the power to just tell Trump to faggedaboudit. Lordy, I hope she does.

Marie: I've been having a sad about Sam Alito because despite his willingness to accept bribes from rich Americans with business before the Court, he hasn't pulled in nearly as much swag as has his buddy Clarence (as far as we know). Luckily for Sam, there is more than one way to bribe him or turn his head: ~~~

     ~~~ Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. spoke with ... Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, not long before Mr. Trump's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to delay his sentencing following his conviction in New York in a case arising from hush money payments. Justice Alito said the call was a routine job reference for a former law clerk whom Mr. Trump was considering for a government position. It was not clear, however, why Mr. Trump would make a call to check references, a task generally left to lower-level aides. Gabe Roth..., director of Fix the Court..., said the call was deeply problematic given the ethics controversies swirling around the court in general and Justice Alito in particular.... 'Typically,' he added, 'Trump and Alito are better at hiding their ethics issues, at least for a few months.... But with the Supreme Court greenlighting near-absolute presidential immunity last year, and with Congress refusing to pass enforceable ethics for the justices, it appears there's no reason to even try." The ABC News story, which broke the story, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As usual, none of this is Sam's fault, and he is happy to ID & finger a former clerk: "'William Levi, one of my former law clerks, asked me to take a call from President-elect Trump regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position,' Justice Alito said. 'I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon.'" According to the ABC News report, "Levi is being considered for various legal jobs in the incoming administration, including general counsel of the Department of Defense, sources said. Levi, who clerked for Justice Alito from 2011-2012, served in the first Trump administration as chief of staff to then-Attorney General Bill Barr." I suppose I feel better about this, now that I know Levi is a jerk. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Liptak notes that "It was not clear ... why Mr. Trump would make a call to check references, a task generally left to lower-level aides." Well, maybe not to Liptak, but it was clear to Akhilleus. See his commentary at the top of today's thread.

Jonathan Chait of the Atlantic: "Since winning a second presidential term, Donald Trump has made a curious pivot to a kind of performative imperialism.... This time around... , we cannot simply assume that Trump's most harebrained schemes will fizzle.... Trump has long insisted that the United States should seize smaller countries' natural resources, and that American allies should be paying us protection money, as if they were shopkeepers and America were a mob boss.... [Also,] Trump seems to grasp the need for public dramas to entertain the MAGA base. Spectacles of domination play an important role in Trump's political style.... Trump could very well blunder from performative imperialism into a live shooting war.... More likely, he will antagonize allies and provoke voters in those countries to elevate nationalist leaders of their own who will stand up to the United States rather than cooperate with it." Thanks to laura h. for this gift link. (If it doesn't work, the link her comment in today's thread does work.) (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Leigh Kimmins of the Daily Beast, republished by Yahoo! News: "The man shown in a video posted by ... Donald Trump to Truth Social pleading for the U.S. to buy Greenland is a convicted drug dealer, according to local media reports. Taking to his social media site, Trump shared a clip of the heavy-set bearded man barking at the camera whilst wearing a MAGA cap. 'Denmark is taking advantage of us too much,' he told Trump representatives who were recording him after a chance meeting. 'Buy us! Buy Greenland! We don't want to be colonized by the Danish government anymore.'... [The MAGA enthusiast Timmy] Zeeb is a convicted drug dealer, violent criminal, and serial offender, according to Danish media outlets DR News and B.T.... Donald Trump Jr. touched down on the territory after his father suggested it was an 'absolute necessity' for the U.S. to have 'ownership and control' of it." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Don't you worry, Mr. Zeeb. I'm sure Donald Sr. will pardon you once the U.S. takes Greenland by force.

~~~ Jamey Keaten & Vanessa Gera of the AP: "Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,' [Donald the Larger] Trump wrote. 'The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!' Supporters later posted video of Trump speaking by phone to locals. In a statement, Greenland's government said Donald Trump Jr.'s visit was taking place 'as a private individual' and not as an official visit, and Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him." (Also linked yesterday.)

Emily Brooks of the Hill: "Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) will introduce a bill that would authorize the president to purchase the Panama Canal and put it under U.S. control, an acquisition that ... Trump has been pushing over the last several weeks."

Jennifer Bendery of the Huffington Post: "Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) on Wednesday warned senators not to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next health and human services secretary, sharing a dark story about Kennedy fueling an anti-vaccine misinformation campaign that Green said led to dozens of children dying in Samoa amid a measles outbreak. 'This is an absolute life-or-death decision that the Senate ... and frankly the incoming president is poised to make over our future,' Green, who is also a physician, said at a Capitol Hill press conference with other lawmakers who are medical professionals."

Theodore Schleifer, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's inaugural committee is no longer selling tickets for major donors to attend his swearing-in and accompanying private events in Washington.... The committee has raised over $170 million.... The haul is so big that some seven-figure donors have been placed on wait lists or have been told they probably will not receive V.I.P. tickets at all because the events are at capacity.... Leftover money is likely to be transferred to a committee for the eventual Trump presidential library." MB: How embarrassing to be a fat cat who doesn't get a ticket to the Fat Cats' Ball!

You may not be surprised to learn Republicans have become aggressively rude even in situations where at least a pretense of comity is traditional & expected: ~~~

     ~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times: "On Friday, [Bruce] Fischer, who stood beside his wife [Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)] holding the Bible on which she swore her oath, appeared to snub [Vice President Kamala] Harris by declining to shake her hand or even make eye contact with her afterward. Footage of the awkward interaction circulated widely online, with Democrats accusing Mr. Fischer of being racist, sexist and disrespectful of Ms. Harris, and MAGA commenters defending him.... The frostiness began before the vice president read the oath, when Ms. Fischer introduced her husband and positioned him next to Ms. Harris to hold the Bible for her. He appeared so reluctant to stand close to the vice president that she commented. 'It's OK, I won't bite. I'm not going to bite, don't worry,' Ms. Harris said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Not very Christian of you, Bruce. I'm going to guess (with no specific knowledge) that Bruce there considers himself a good Christian. Yet he thinks it's fine to openly (and in front of cameras) show disrespect to a woman who has offered her hand in friendship. While he was holding a Christian Bible. I guess Bruce is not familiar with that part of the Sermon on the Mount which credits Jesus with saying, "You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." [Matt 5:43-44]

Philip Marcelo of the AP: "Disgraced former congressman George Santos, facing a federal prison sentence, has won a few months' freedom to come up with more than half a million dollars in court fines -- including from work on his new podcast. A New York judge on Wednesday granted the Republican's request to delay his Feb. 7 sentencing after he pleaded guilty this summer to federal fraud and identity theft charges. U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert set the new court date for April 25, which is about three months less than Santos sought."

Marshall Cohen of CNN: "The disgraced former FBI informant who falsely accused President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden of taking a $10 million bribe from Ukraine was sentenced Wednesday to six years in federal prison, according to court records. The ex-informant, Alexander Smirnov, who is a dual US-Israeli citizen, has been in jail since his arrest last February. The sentencing in Los Angeles wraps up one of the final remnants of special counsel David Weiss" investigation into Hunter Biden and related matters. The only order of business that appears to be unsettled is Weiss' final report, which, per federal regulations, will be submitted to the attorney general, who can then release it to the public."

On the Waterfront. Lauren Gurley of the Washington Post: "Port terminal operators and the longshoremen's union reached a tentative deal Wednesday that averts a port strike that would have shut down the major East and Gulf coast ports next week. The deal must still be voted on by union members but offers workers new protections against automated technology replacing jobs in addition to hefty wage gains. The International Longshoremen's Association, the union representing dockworkers, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, representing container carriers and port operating employers, called the deal a 'win-win' in a joint statement.... Trump had declared his support for the union, after inviting ILA President Harold Daggett, who according to the union has decades-long ties to the incoming president, to his Mar-a-Lago estate in December."

Noam Scheiber & Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: "Two prominent labor groups are joining forces in an attempt to expand union membership and protect members' interests as they face the likelihood of a less union-friendly federal government under Donald J. Trump. The Service Employees International Union, which represents nearly two million workers in industries like home health care and janitorial services, said on Wednesday that it would become part of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., an umbrella group of more than 50 unions that represent more than 12.5 million workers. The boards of the two groups formally approved the affiliation arrangement earlier in the day."

Springtime for Bankers. Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Banks are on a winning streak, one that's poised to intensify as President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office. Biden-appointed regulators at the Federal Reserve and other agencies presided over a relatively fruitless era of bank oversight.... The rules [they proposed] were considered so onerous -- including by some top Fed officials -- that they died of their own ambitions.... During his first term, Mr. Trump appointed a slate of conservative judges who then slowly but significantly shifted the legal environment against strict federal oversight.... Big banks have been notching major victories that could allow them to avoid regulatory checks that were drawn up after the 2008 financial crisis.... And with Mr. Trump once again poised to run the White House, analysts predict that the regulations and supervisory practices that are supposed to prevent America's biggest and most interconnected financial institutions from making risky bets could be further chipped away...."

~~~~~~~~~~

Lebanon. Mohamad El Chamaa & Suzan Haidamous of the Washington Post: "Lebanon's parliament voted Thursday to elect Gen. Joseph Aoun, commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as the country's new president, ending a years-long leadership vacuum that hobbled the government, delayed key reforms and raised fears of a wider collapse as the nation faced numerous crises. Aoun, 60, was widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States, which funds, trains and arms the Lebanese military and helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah in November. He received 99 out of 128 votes from across the political spectrum, including Hezbollah lawmakers and their rivals in parliament."

Mexico. "America Mexicana": President Trolls Trump. Emiliano Mega of the New York Times: "President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico used her Wednesday morning news conference to show a world map dating from 1607. The map labeled North America as Mexican America and already identified the Gulf of Mexico as such, 169 years before the United States was founded. 'Why don't we call it Mexican America? It sounds pretty, no?' Ms. Sheinbaum said while pointing to the map and smiling. In response to Mr. Trump's comment that Mexico was 'essentially run by the cartels,' Ms. Sheinbaum told reporters on Wednesday that, 'with all due respect,' the president-elect was ill-informed." Politico's report is here.

News Ledes

New York Times: "A new wildfire that raced across the Hollywood Hills early Thursday, threatening a wealthy area indelibly tied to the American film industry, put additional strain on millions of Los Angeles area residents already stressed by catastrophic blazes that have erased entire neighborhoods and streaked the sky with smoke and embers. The fires have killed at least five people, put tens of thousands under mandatory evacuation orders or warnings and burned more than 27,000 acres, equivalent to nearly 20,000 football fields. The largest ones, the Palisades and Eaton fires, have destroyed at least 2,000 structures and are already the two most destructive ever to hit Los Angeles." This is a liveblog. ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times reproduces a number of maps, some of them satellite imagery, tracking the fires.

The Conversation -- January 8, 2025

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden acknowledged in a new interview released on Wednesday that he might not have had the vitality to serve another four years in office, even as he insisted that he could have won re-election had he stayed in the race.... Mr. Biden also confirmed in the interview that he was considering granting pre-emptive pardons to some of Mr. Trump's perceived enemies to protect them against what the incoming president has vowed will be 'retribution.' Among those known to be under consideration are figures like former Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, who led the response to the coronavirus pandemic. During his meeting with Mr. Trump after the election, Mr. Biden said he tried to dissuade him from pursuing his adversaries.... The interview with USA Today itself demonstrated how the White House tried to shield him from encounters that might throw him off. After four years in office, it was the first time he has ever given an interview to any reporter from a major mainstream newspaper."

Alan Feuer & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors tacitly signaled on Wednesday that the public may never see a portion of a report by the special counsel, Jack Smith, detailing his investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's refusal to give back a trove of classified documents he took from the White House.... Mr. Trump's legal team has been fighting a pitched battle in recent days to keep the report out of the public eye. In court papers on Wednesday, the Justice Department said that Attorney General Merrick B. Garland did not intend to release the volume about the documents inquiry until legal proceedings have ended against two co-defendants who were charged along with Mr. Trump.... The case against Mr. Trump's co-defendants is likely to continue into his second term starting Jan. 20, when he could pardon the men and end the case altogether. His appointees would then have the power to continue keeping Mr. Smith's report secret....

"The Justice Department does plan to release the portion of Mr. Smith's report focusing on the election interference charges, the court papers said.In their filing to the appeals court, prosecutors said that Mr. Garland would make Mr. Smith's report about the classified documents case available to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, except for information that is covered by a grand jury secrecy rule."

     ~~~ Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The Justice Department revealed Garland's decision Wednesday morning in a court filing opposing Trump's effort to block Smith from releasing his final report altogether, 'since the President-elect is no longer a defendant in any Special Counsel matter.' Both cases against Trump were dismissed after he won election ... in November, with prosecutors citing long standing DOJ policies against prosecuting a sitting president.... In the filing, prosecutors asked the 11th Circuit to overturn Cannon's order, which appears to block the release of any portion of the entire report for the time being. The Justice Department is awaiting a ruling from the 11th circuit on this request before setting a timeline for releasing the 2020 election report." ~~~

     ~~~ The DOJ's court filing, an "Opposition to Motion for Injunction," is here.

Trump Asks Supremes to Save Him Again. Josh Gerstein & Erica Orden of Politico: "... Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to halt his Friday sentencing for his hush money criminal conviction after a New York appeals court judge declined to intervene. Trump's lawyers filed an emergency application with the high court early Wednesday after the New York appeals court on Tuesday turned down his request to indefinitely postpone the sentencing.... The trial court judge scheduled to sentence Trump on Friday, Justice Juan Merchan, has indicated he doesn't plan to send Trump to jail and will permit him to attend the proceeding virtually. Still, Trump's lawyers told the Supreme Court that the sentencing will result in 'burden, disruption, stigma, and distraction' to him as he carries out his duties as president-elect. A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office prosecuted the case against Trump, said: 'We will respond in court papers.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Right. It's a stigma and a distraction. And a burden on accounta Trump can't handle two things at once. He can't handle one thing at once. ~~~

     ~~~ Ben Protess & Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump argues that he is entitled to full immunity from prosecution, and even sentencing, now that he is the president-elect. His lawyers have based that claim on a Supreme Court ruling last year that granted former presidents broad immunity for official acts.... A Supreme Court stay might scuttle Mr. Trump's sentencing for good." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Lisa Rubin pointed out on MSNBC that the Justice who would handle a New York request for a stay is Sonia Sotomayor. Although Rubin speculated that Sotomayor will likely hand the motion over to the full Court for a decision, she has the power to just tell Trump to faggedaboudit. Lordy, I hope she does.

Jonathan Chait of the Atlantic: "Since winning a second presidential term, Donald Trump has made a curious pivot to a kind of performative imperialism.... This time around... , we cannot simply assume that Trump's most harebrained schemes will fizzle.... Trump has long insisted that the United States should seize smaller countries' natural resources, and that American allies should be paying us protection money, as if they were shopkeepers and America were a mob boss.... [Also,] Trump seems to grasp the need for public dramas to entertain the MAGA base. Spectacles of domination play an important role in Trump's political style.... Trump could very well blunder from performative imperialism into a live shooting war.... More likely, he will antagonize allies and provoke voters in those countries to elevate nationalist leaders of their own who will stand up to the United States rather than cooperate with it." Thanks to laura h. for this gift link. (If it doesn't work, the link her comment in today's thread does work.) ~~~

~~~ Jamey Keaten & Vanessa Gera of the AP: "Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,' [Donald the Larger] Trump wrote. 'The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!' Supporters later posted video of Trump speaking by phone to locals. In a statement, Greenland's government said Donald Trump Jr.'s visit was taking place 'as a private individual' and not as an official visit, and Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him."

~~~~~~~~~~

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "The nation's leaders on Tuesday kicked off three days of tributes to Jimmy Carter, staging an elaborate pageant of Washington fanfare for a politician who disavowed the trappings of the imperial presidency and never gave up his humble Georgia roots. Mr. Carter, who died last week at age 100, was flown to Washington and taken to the U.S. Navy Memorial downtown, then delivered to the Capitol by a horse-drawn caisson. He will lie in state in the Rotunda all day Wednesday before a formal state funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday.... The 39th president's flag-draped coffin was carried into the Rotunda by military bearers and placed on the same catafalque that once bore the bodies of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. All four of Mr. Carter's children -- Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy -- stood nearby, as did various grandchildren and other relatives, their faces a mix of sorrow and appreciation. During the course of the long day's journey from Atlanta to Washington, military bands played 'Hail to the Chief' no fewer than five times for a president who initially barred the song from being played at all when he was sworn in as president in January 1977.... At three of the stops on Tuesday, a 21-gun salute was fired in Mr. Carter's honor. A series of honor guards and military bands participated in the various events. The procession to the Capitol included a riderless horse with boots backward in the stirrups, a traditional military ritual symbolizing a fallen leader reviewing his troops for the final time." This is an update of a story linked yesterday. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yesterday I remarked that Donald Trump could not be invited to speak at the Rotunda -- as were Republican leaders John Thune & Mike Johnson -- because Trump does not know how to comport himself. Sure enough, Baker writes of the tributes Thune & Johnson paid to Carter, "The grace demonstrated by the Republican congressional leaders stood in contrast to the incoming president of their party, Donald J. Trump, who just a few hours earlier had criticized one of Mr. Carter's signature achievements and accused him of selling out the United States to foreign interests." AND, as Zolan Kanno-Youngs wrote in the liveblog of Trump's press ramble linked below, "Trump is asked why he would criticize Jimmy Carter's Panama Canal deal on the day the former president will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Trump says he mentioned it because he was asked about Panama by reporters. Trump actually brought up Panama himself in his opening remarks."

~~~ Not So Much Anymore. Matthew Brown of the AP: "The Biden administration on Tuesday abruptly dropped its nascent plan to protect old-growth forests after getting pushback from Republicans and the timber industry. The move was announced by U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore in a letter to forest supervisors. It brings a sudden end to a yearslong process to craft a nationwide plan that would better protect old trees that are increasingly threatened by climate change. The effort had been supported by some conservationists as one of the most significant forest preservation efforts in decades. President Joe Biden launched the initiative with an executive order on Earth Day in April 2022. The proposal went through extensive public comment periods and internal analyses by government officials and was due to be finalized any day. The plan would have limited logging in old-growth forests, with exceptions to allow logging in some old-growth areas to protect against wildfires."

David Sanger & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump refused on Tuesday to rule out the use of military or economic coercion to force Panama to give up control of the canal that America built more than a century ago and to push Denmark to sell Greenland to the United States. In a rambling, hourlong news conference, Mr. Trump repeatedly returned to the theme of American sacrifice in building the canal and accused China, falsely, of operating it today." This is a liveblog. See yesterday's Conversation for many of the entries. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Sanger & Shear's full report on the press ramble is here. The UPI report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ David Sanger of the New York Times: "There was talk of the rising number of beached whales in Massachusetts, the victim, [Donald Trump] ... said, of those windmills that have been erected off the coast. They 'are driving the whales crazy, obviously.' There was a vow to rename the Gulf of Mexico, by presidential decree, to the 'Gulf of America.' And then there was ... [his] refusal to rule out using military force to seize the 51-mile Panama Canal on national security grounds, along with the 836,000 square miles of Greenland, the world's largest island.... As the man who will be president again spun out threats and angry denouncements of the Biden administration and personal grievances for more than an hour on Tuesday in the living room of his Mar-a-Lago club..., the chaotic stream-of-consciousness presidency ... was back.... Mr. Trump has returned to our daily national cognizance, even though one could argue he never really left. Tuesday's news conference was a reminder of what that was like, and what the next four years may have in store." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Writing at about the same time Sanger was, likely before the publication of his piece, RAS expressed precisely the same sentiment. See the end of yesterday's Comments. ~~~

Marie: Thus struck me, too, as it likely did you: ~~~

     ~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: Donald Trump "just left open using a military threat against a NATO ally, Greenland. And NATO rules require an attack on any member to be treated as an attack on them all. That's certainly no small thing, even if it's just Trump being Trump. Trump was asked at a news conference Tuesday whether he would rule out using 'military or economic coercion' to take Greenland and the Panama Canal, both of which he has suggested he would like to claim for the United States. And his response, twice, was that he wouldn't rule it out.... The exchange is the latest ratcheting up of Trump's increasingly imperialistic entreaties.... Generally speaking, it's understood that NATO countries would defend one another in such a situation. In other words, Trump is at least rhetorically leaving open the possibility of a situation that could result in NATO going to war with itself." ~~~

~~~ So Then. Reuters: "The European Union will not let other nations attack its sovereign borders, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday, responding to comments by ... Donald Trump on taking over Greenland. Trump declined on Monday to rule out military or economic action as part of his avowed desire to have the U.S. take control of Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said he did not believe the U.S. would invade the vast Arctic island that has been part of Denmark for over 600 years. 'There is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are,' he told France Inter radio. 'We are a strong continent.'" ~~~

~~~ Maybe M. Barrot should have checked in with Fox "News" before he started getting all belligerent about Greenland. There's a history there, see? The link is to a post by digby, supplied by Akhilleus, whose commentary below provides all the reportage necessary. (It's kind of amazing that Conan O'Brien's discussion with Anderson Cooper (see yesterday's Conversation) was more informative than Fox "News"'s discussion. And O'Brien's remarks were intentionally funny; the Fox folks just can't help it.

We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate. It's appropriate. And Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country. -- Donald Trump, at a press ramble yesterday ~~~

~~~ Kathryn Watson of CBS News: "... Donald Trump says he plans to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the 'Gulf of America,' calling the move 'appropriate' and criticizing Mexico for the migrants crossing the U.S. southern border.... Trump ally Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said she would introduce legislation to that effect on Thursday morning.... It's not immediately clear whether Trump has the authority to alter the name for U.S. use, although a push by both him and Republicans in Congress could change U.S. governmental references." ~~~

     ~~~ Meg Kinnard of the AP attempts to answer the question "Can he do that?" but fails. "The International Hydrographic Organization -- of which both the United States and Mexico are members -- works to ensure all the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly, and also names some of them. There are instances where countries refer to the same body of water or landmark by different names in their own documentation." Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post has a different non-answer. ~~~

      ~~~ Marie: Renaming is tricky, even when the new name is imposed by entities with the authority to do so. New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia & the city council renamed Sixth Avenue to Avenue of the Americas in 1945. They clearly had the authority to do so. But 80 years later millions of New Yorkers still call that street Sixth Avenue. Anybody who thinks Mexico and Cuba (much less Mexicans & Cubans) will go along with Trump's proposal have another think coming.

⭐Eric Lipton, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump was at the lectern talking through the approaching inauguration of his second term. But across the ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., was a display of the extraordinary way that his family business interests are now fully mixed with his plans for governance of the United States. Mr. Trump opened the unusual news conference on Tuesday by introducing Hussain Sajwani, the founder and chairman of DAMAC Properties, a Dubai-based real estate firm that partnered with the Trump family a decade ago to build the first Trump-branded golf course in the Middle East. Now, Mr. Trump said, DAMAC is planning to invest billions of dollars in the United States to build data centers, with the help of Mr. Trump and the federal government, even while DAMAC continues its role as a Trump business partner. There too in the room at Mar-a-Lago was Steve Witkoff, who is in business with a new crypto company called World Liberty Financial that both Mr. Trump and his sons helped start. Mr. Witkoff, while still working with the crypto company, is already serving as Mr. Trump's Middle East envoy, and Mr. Witkoff provided an update from the stage on efforts to release Israeli hostages held in Gaza." Eric Trump, who has his fingers in many a pie, some of a Middle East flavor, was there, too. And leave us not forget Jared, who was not in the room. "The scale of overlap between Mr. Trump's family members and their business interests, and the government he will lead, all showcased on the same day, underscores how unprecedented the second Trump presidency and the potential for conflicts of interest will be." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: No, no, this is not about a "potential" for conflicts of interest. It is about on-going conflicts of interest. Trump was giving "news" ramble in the guise of president*-elect while at the same time advertising his own business interests as if they were Trump steaks or Trump wine or Trump made-in-China ties. Reporters must have been disappointed they didn't get a bit of bling as one usually does at such commercial events.

Daniel Barnes & Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "The federal judge who oversaw the classified documents case against ... Donald Trump issued an order Tuesday temporarily blocking the release of special counsel Jack Smith's report on his investigation. The injunction lasts until three days after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on a pending request to block the release of the report over a separate matter involving Trump co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. Lawyers for Nauta and De Oliveira filed a motion Monday night asking U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to block the report, citing the judge's previous ruling that Smith's appointment was unconstitutional.... Despite no longer being a defendant in the case, attorneys for Trump filed a motion with Cannon on Tuesday asking her to step in." Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times story is here. MB: IMO, the NYT report is more helpful in explaining how Cannon's decision colors way outside the lines, so far, in fact, that she has ruled on the D.C. case, which Judge Tanya Chutkan is overseeing.

Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: Donald Trump's "defense lawyers ... Todd Blanche and Emil Bove ... accused the special counsel [Jack Smith] of unethical and improper behavior in his prosecutions of their client.... [The] aggressive posture [of a letter they wrote this week to the Justice Department] was all the more fraught and remarkable because Mr. Blanche and Mr. Bove are now poised to assume senior positions in Mr. Trump's Justice Department, where they could soon have a say in how to evaluate -- or even punish -- Mr. Smith and his deputies. There is no precedent for a situation in which a former president's criminal defense lawyers go almost overnight from representing him against the federal government to being high-ranking officials in an administration led by that same client -- one who has regularly signaled that he wants to use the Justice Department to mete out retribution against his perceived opponents." A story about the person who will be Blanche & Bove's boss is linked below.

Transactional Pam. Eric Lipton & Kate Kelly of the New York Times: "Pam Bondi, whom ... Donald J. Trump intends to nominate as attorney general, received trips and donations funded by those seeking favors from her [when she was Florida's attorney general].... While she was Florida's attorney general, Ms. Bondi became known for what one lobbying firm called her 'business-friendly' attitude. She and her staff agreed to meet with a steady stream of lawyers whose clients ... had been targeted by other states for investigations, a New York Times review of her work found. Then, in her time as a lobbyist, which began in early 2019, Ms. Bondi represented a long roster of corporate clients, including Uber and Amazon. Many of these companies have business with the federal government -- and could be subject to scrutiny by a Justice Department run by her, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest. The client list in recent years has also included foreign entities that have tried to leverage Ms. Bondi's influence and connections...."

The Collaborators, Ctd.

Marie: Yesterday, I linked a New York Times Business item about Jeff Bezos' Amazon Prime featuring a "documentary" about Melania Trump, which Trump herself is producing. (First, can we establish that it's not a "documentary" if you produce it yourself and have any control over content. It's a "vanity project." Then there's this: ~~~

     ~~~ John Dorman of Business Insider, via Yahoo! News: "Amazon will reportedly shell out $40 million to license a documentary on incoming first lady Melania Trump. The price tag includes the film itself, a smaller-scale theatrical run before being featured on Prime Video, and a supplementary docuseries.... Melania Trump will be an executive producer on the projects.... It's unclear how much the incoming first lady will be paid." IOW, as RAS pointed out in yesterday's Comments, Jeff Bezos is just throwing millions of dollars at Melanie. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: But here's an odd thing. Bezos himself has gone through the most expensive divorce in U.S. history, & a messy one at that. Bezos claimed that the National Enquirer, which perhaps not coincidentally has ties to Donald Trump, attempted to extort him over Bezos' racy text messaging with a woman the tabloid later reported he was having an affair with. There is ample reporting of evidence that Donald & Melanie have, at best, a testy relationship, and there has been much speculation that Melanie would divorce Trump if it were to her advantage to do so. So I'm wondering why Jeff thinks giving Melanie the means to have her way is a good idea. Is this Jeff's signal to Donald that "Yes, you can do things to annoy me, but I can ruin your life, too"?

Siva Vaidhyanathan in a Guardian op-ed: "Mark Zuckerberg seems to have gone full Maga. Just two weeks before Donald Trump assumes power over the world's most powerful government, the CEO and founder of the most powerful collection of Internet companies has decided to capitalize on what is sure to be a large and fast retreat from accountability and regulatory curbs on corporate negligence. Some might read Zuckerberg's announcement on Tuesday that he will end the eight-year project to protect users from hatred, threats, harassment and violent imagery as an example of pandering to the president-elect's own power or Elon Musk's new role as regulatory consigliere to Trump. That would get him wrong. Zuckerberg is reverting to his core beliefs because of opportunity, not aligning himself with Trump out of fear.... [He] is firmly committed to the principle that he knows better than the rest of us and that his company's services are good for us.... Zuckerberg's self-regard is beyond limits.... Zuckerberg is using Trump, not the other way around." ~~~

~~~ As if to prove he has no shame ~~~

~~~ Andy Hoffman & Kurt Wagner of Bloomberg News, reprinted in the Toronto Sun: "Mark Zuckerberg wore a rare Swiss watch worth about $900,000 in a video explaining his company's decision to end third-party fact checking on its social media platforms in the U.S." ~~~`

~~~ Marie: Why are Facebook & TikTok & such called "social media" anyway? What could be more "anti-social" than sitting siloed in a small room slouched over a tiny, glowing screen, with which you use all of your being to concentrate on and communicate with sometimes artificial people, often people you don't know, and almost always people from whom you are separated. Many times, you do not ask for or anticipate a reply, so you are essentially talking to yourself, yet may not be trying to get at your inner self as one might when writing a diary. I don't think what we call social media have created an unnatural form of expression, but they are more "anti-social" than "social," IMO.

Arno Rosenfeld of the Forward: "The Heritage Foundation plans to 'identify and target' volunteer editors on Wikipedia who it says are 'abusing their position' by publishing content the group believes to be antisemitic, according to documents obtained by the Forward. Employees of Heritage, the conservative think tank that produced the Project 2025 policy blueprint for the second Trump administration, said they plan to use facial recognition software and a database of hacked usernames and passwords in order to identify contributors to the online encyclopedia, who mostly work under pseudonyms. It's not clear exactly what kind of antisemitism the Wikipedia effort, which has not been previously reported, is intended to address. But in recent months some Jewish groups have complained about a series of changes on the website relating to Israel, the war in Gaza and its repercussions."

Timothy Snyder on Substack: In Great Britain, "the party in opposition ... appointed its own leading members to 'shadow' each government minister, including the prime minister.... The shadow ministers 'shadowed' the actual ministers, in the sense of following their every move, criticizing policy and offering alternatives. Importantly, the shadow minister was always available to offer commentary to the press on his or her area of expertise.... At any point a journalist, and thus the public, had access to an alternative point of view, one which was both pertinently expert and politically relevant.... In two weeks, the same man [who tried to violently overthrow the government four years ago] will be inaugurated president of the United States, this time with a centibillionaire as the unelected de facto head of government and with anti-qualified anti-patriots as his cabinet nominees.... The Democratic Party ... [should] form a shadow cabinet.... A shadow cabinet would remind us of how much better things can be." Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: Sounds to me like an excellent idea. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There are open questions, like (1) Who would "appoint" the shadow cabinet? (2) Would there be a shadow president*? (3) Who would appoint her? (4) Would the DNC pay the shadow Cabinet members? (5) Would the shadow Cabinet meet to discuss issues? (6) How would people in the shadow Cabinet be dismissed? And so forth. Something would have to be established (and modified) in a quasi-formal manner.

Kate Selig of the New York Times: "An Army doctor pleaded guilty in a military court on Tuesday to sexually assaulting dozens of his patients, bringing one of the military's largest sex abuse cases closer to resolution. The doctor, Maj. Michael Stockin, who is currently serving at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State, was accused of touching or viewing the genitals of 41 of his male patients under the guise of medical treatment between 2019 and 2022, according to court documents. At a hearing on Tuesday, he admitted to 36 counts of abusive sexual contact and five of indecent viewing, according to Michelle McCaskill, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel."

Hiroko Tabuchi of the New York Times: "... wastewater, even after treatment, contains high levels of harmful 'forever chemicals' that are already contaminating the drinking water of millions of Americans, researchers said in a study published on Monday that analyzed wastewater samples nationwide. The study, led by researchers at Harvard and New York University, found elevated levels of six types of chemicals known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in the samples. The chemicals, which have been linked to cancer and other diseases, are known as forever chemicals because they don't break down in the environment. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency started to regulate PFAS in drinking water. The researchers found that the samples contained an even greater quantity of organofluorines, a wider group of chemicals that includes PFAS and is used in pharmaceuticals, refrigerants, and nonstick coatings. The majority of those chemicals are unregulated and the health consequences of exposure to many of them are still unknown."

~~~~~~~~~~

North Carolina Supreme Court Election. Patrick Marley & Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "Republicans on the North Carolina Supreme Court blocked state officials Tuesday from certifying the reelection of one of their Democratic colleagues and signaled they would decide within weeks whether to throw out tens of thousands of ballots. The move could change the election results and strengthen the GOP's control of the swing state's high court. It comes two months after Justice Allison Riggs (D) eked out a 734-vote victory over Jefferson Griffin, a Republican who sits on the state court of appeals. After the election, Griffin challenged about 60,000 ballots cast by voters who have not provided election officials with their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Democrats who control the state elections board rejected his arguments last month, and Griffin asked the state Supreme Court to prevent the elections board from including those ballots in its final tally. On Tuesday, the court issued a brief order barring the elections board from certifying the results. It said it will accept briefs on the case through Jan. 24." The NBC News story is here.

Virginia Local Elections. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Democrats on Tuesday held two key state legislative seats in Virginia, retaining their majorities in the General Assembly in the first special elections since ... Donald J. Trump won back the White House. The results were expected in overlapping House of Delegates and State Senate districts in Loudoun County, a Washington suburb. Democrats have traditionally occupied the seats, which became vacant when the local state senator was elected to Congress and the delegate subsequently resigned to run to replace him."

~~~~~~~~~~

Iran/Italy. Emma Bubola of the New York Times: "Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who was detained last month in Iran while on a reporting trip, was released and on her way back to Italy on Wednesday, the Italian government said in a statement.... Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy called Ms. Sala's parents on Wednesday to tell them that she was returning, according to the government statement.... Ms. Sala, 29, had been held for 20 days and told her family that she was kept in an isolation cell, with only two blankets and constant light, her family has said.... Ms. Sala, who had a journalist visa, was arrested on Dec. 19 on charges of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but officials there did not provide any further details."

South Korea. Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times: "South Korea's Presidential Security Service, a​n agency​ assigned to protect the president..., is now at the heart of South Korea's biggest political mess in decades, acting as a final line of defense to prevent criminal investigators from detaining President Yoon Suk Yeol on​ charges of insurrection.... A majority of South Koreans, according to surveys, want him ousted and arrested, and a court on Tuesday granted investigators a new warrant to detain him​. The only thing standing between them and Mr. Yoon is the ... P.S.S., which blocked the first attempt to serve the warrant last Friday. When 100 criminal investigators and police officers showed up at ​his residence, the agency's staff outnumbered them two-to-one and held them off, questioning the legality of the court-issued document.... Under Mr. Yoon, [the P.S.S.] began ​attracting unsavory attention from the public as its agents ​​dragged away protesters during public events.... Its roots are in the era of military dictatorships."

Sudan. Katharine Houreld of the Washington Post: "The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces is committing genocide in Sudan, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday, and the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned its chief, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, in a sharp departure from U.S. policy that has treated both sides as equally culpable for one of the world's most brutal conflicts.... The war between the RSF and Sudan's military has plunged parts of the nation of 50 million into a spreading famine, created the world's largest refugee crisis and sucked in fighters from neighboring nations. The death toll is unknown -- large parts of the country have no internet or phone network -- but U.S. officials estimated last year that about 150,000 people had been killed."

News Ledes

⭐New York Times: "Terrifying scenes played out across Southern California early Wednesday as multiple wildfires grew at dizzying speeds in a fierce windstorm, covering cities in smoke, whipping up storms of embers and turning the sky red. Already anticipating devastating losses, officials have warned that the worst is still to come, with increasingly wild winds expected to fuel the out-of-control blazes and hamper firefighters into Wednesday. An unknown number of homes have been destroyed along the scenic coast, and at least 30,000 residents have been forced to evacuate, with evacuation zones growing hour by hour. Hundreds of structures will most likely be lost, said Traci Park, the Los Angeles city councilwoman whose district includes Pacific Palisades, the site of the biggest fire." This is a liveblog.

New York Times: "Peter Yarrow, whose caring and righteous vocals for the trio Peter, Paul and Mary helped establish them as one of the most popular folk acts of the 1960s, died on Tuesday at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was 86."

New York Times: "Two bodies were discovered in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue plane on Monday after a flight from New York to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the airline said in a statement on Tuesday."