The Conversation -- January 6, 2025

The New York Times is liveblogging Congress's certification of the Electoral College vote. The headline of the current (at 12:30 pm ET) pinned item is kinda perfect: “Security is high for an event expected to underscore a peaceful transition.” ~~~

~~~ Update: Here's part of the latest summary, by Annie Karni: “A joint session of Congress on Monday certified ... Donald J. Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, peacefully performing a basic ritual of democracy that was brutally disrupted four years ago by a violent pro-Trump mob inflamed by his lie about a stolen election.... Unlike Mr. Trump back then, Vice President Kamala Harris did not dispute her loss in November, and unlike Republicans in the aftermath of the 2020 balloting, Democrats made no objections during the counting of the Electoral College votes. Instead, Ms. Harris stoically presided over the certification of her own loss without interruption. The presentation of the results unfolded quickly without drama, as House and Senate lawmakers who had been designated in advance read out the number of electoral votes from each state in alphabetical order, and who won them. One by one, the lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, rose to declare each state’s electoral votes 'regular in form and authentic,' and nobody rose to challenge any. The only sign of partisanship in the House chamber was in the applause: Only Republicans applauded after the counting of each state that Mr. Trump won, and rose at the end for a standing ovation when it was announced that he had secured a majority, while only Democrats clapped for the states that Ms. Harris won and rose to applaud when her total electoral votes were announced.” MB: So this means that if Trump keels over, it will be President JayDee.

Here are some other, brief entries (I've abbrebiated some of them):

Karni: “Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic minority leader, is giving a floor speech now recounting the events of Jan. 6, 2021.... He warned ... Donald J. Trump against pardoning the criminals who assaulted police officers that day. He said pardoning them 'would be a dangerous endorsement of political violence. It is wrong, it is reckless, and would be an insult to the memory of those who died in connection to that day.'”

Zolan Kanno-Youngs: “In a video posted on social media this morning, [Vice President] Harris said her job 'is a sacred obligation — one I will uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution and my unwavering faith in the American people.'”

Noah Weiland: “Senator Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, published a series of photos on X that he took at the Capitol Monday showing the quiet around the building as lawmakers prepared to certify ... Donald J. Trump’s victory. Next to each of the photos Kim posted was the scene in that location on January 6, 2021: shattered glass on doors, overturned furniture and the mob that stormed through the hallways.... Kim served in the House on that day in 2021, and was photographed in the Capitol Rotunda retrieving trash left behind by rioters. Relatively unknown at the time, the photos helped launch him onto the national political stage.”

Karni: “The House chamber is fairly empty as Vice President Kamala Harris and the senators file in for a joint session. It seems like the weather kept many House members from being here today.”

Karoun Demirjian: “The lawmakers reading out the electoral votes are the top Republican and Democrat from the Senate Rules Committee and the Committee on House Administration. They are Representatives Bryan Steil, Republican of Wisconsin, and Joe Morelle, Democrat of New York, and Senators Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, and Deb Fischer, Republican of Nebraska.”

Chris Cameron: “... Vice President Harris announces that 'Kamala D. Harris of the state of California has received 226 votes,' to raucous applause from Democrats in the audience.”

Catie Edmondson: “All told that took about 36 minutes, a reminder of what is supposed to be the pro forma nature of these sessions.”

Maya Miller: “Former Vice President Mike Pence, who received death threats four years ago when he presided over the certification of the 2020 election, praised the 'return of order and civility' to that process. In a post on social media, he called Vice President Kamala Harris 'particularly admirable' for presiding over the certification of an election she lost.”

Contemptible Rudy. Stefanos Chen of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Monday held Rudolph W. Giuliani in contempt of court for failing to cooperate in the handover of $11 million of his personal assets to Georgia poll workers he falsely accused of helping to steal the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Giuliani ... has so far failed to turn over the bulk of his personal assets as a down payment on the $148 million judgment the poll workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, won in a defamation lawsuit. The judge, Lewis J. Liman of U.S. District Court in Manhattan, has yet to detail what specific sanctions Mr. Giuliani faces."

⭐MEANWHILE, the New York Times also is liveblogging developments in Canadian politics: “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada announced on Monday that he would step down as Liberal Party leader and prime minister, a decision that means Canada will have a new leader once his party picks a new head through a nationwide election.... His resignation sets off a succession battle to replace him after roughly a decade at the helm of both the party and the country. The upheaval comes as the country is grappling with how best to deal with ... Donald J. Trump’s pledge to impose crippling tariffs on all imports from Canada on his first day in office. Canada and the United States are each other’s biggest trading partners.”

Carol Rosenberg of the New York Times: “The U.S. military sent 11 Yemeni prisoners at Guantánamo Bay to Oman to restart their lives, the Pentagon said on Monday, leaving just 15 men in the prison in a bold push at end of the Biden administration that has left the prison population smaller than at any time in its more than 20-year history. None of the released men had been charged with crimes during their two decades of detention. Now, all but six of the remaining prisoners have been charged with or convicted of war crimes.”

Ben Protess of the New York Times: “... Donald J. Trump has signaled that he plans to mount a full-scale legal offensive to stave off his criminal sentencing in New York, seeking a last-minute reprieve before becoming the first president who is a convicted felon. With the sentencing scheduled for Friday, just 10 days before the presidential inauguration, Mr. Trump’s lawyers have implored the judge overseeing his case to postpone the proceeding, according to a court filing unsealed on Monday.... If the judge does not pause the sentencing by 2 p.m. on Monday, the filing said, Mr. Trump will 'seek an emergency appellate review.'... Mr. Trump’s lawyers plan to file a civil action against Justice [Juan] Merchan and seek to freeze the sentencing....”

Mark Landler of the New York Times: “Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain on Monday fired back at Elon Musk after days of inflammatory social media posts by Mr. Musk, the billionaire owner of X, indirectly accusing him and others of 'spreading lies and misinformation' about victims of child sex abuse gangs.... Mr. Starmer also defended himself against accusations by Mr. Musk that he did not act quickly enough against gangs that abused and exploited young girls, when he was head of public prosecutions.... Mr. Musk has repeatedly asserted, without evidence, that Mr. Starmer had covered up the abuses.... The online accusations 'crossed a line,' Mr. Starmer said, adding, 'Once we lose the anchor that truth matters, in the robust debate that we must have, then we are on a very slippery slope.'” Related CNBC story linked below.

This is sickening: ~~~

     ~~~ Andrew Sorkin, et al., of the New York Times: “Jeff Bezos surprised many when he spoke of his hopes for ... Donald Trump’s return to power at the DealBook Summit last month. The duo’s reset took a new twist with Amazon’s announcement that it would release a documentary on Melania Trump shot by an outcast filmmaker, and more tumult at The Washington Post. But Bezos, like other business leaders, has been moving closer to the president-elect, and the decisions are inevitably being analyzed in that context. Amazon called it a 'behind the scenes' look at Trump — but she will have a big say. The documentary will be released this year on its Prime Video service and in theaters; filming began after the election. Melania is an executive producer, suggesting that she will be able to shape the narrative. The documentary was directed by Brett Ratner, who was accused of sexual misconduct.” ~~~

     ~~~ Oliver Darcy: "Layoffs are expected to rock The Washington Post this week, according to people familiar with the matter. The layoffs are slated to hit the ... newspaper's business division, I’m told. One person familiar with the matter said that the cuts will be deep, impacting many dozens of employees.... The beleaguered newspaper ... has suffered a talent exodus over the last several weeks. As I reported earlier, star reporter Josh Dawsey will exit The Post for a job at The Wall Street Journal. His departure comes on the heels of other top staffers fleeing, including Matea Gold, Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer, Charles Lane, Tyler Pager, and Amanda Katz. A spokesperson for The Post didn’t have an immediate comment. But The Post has been in poor financial shape in recent years, a fact that management has not hidden from employees. Those financial problems were exacerbated when [owner Jeff] Bezos blocked The Post’s planned endorsement of Kamala Harris ahead of the November election, a move that led to more than 250,000 readers canceling their subscriptions."

Colorado. Adeel Hassan of the New York Times: “A prosecutor in the Denver District Attorney’s Office, who was fired two years ago, has been ordered disbarred after framing a male colleague for sexual harassment, a Colorado judicial office ruled. The former prosecutor, Yujin Choi, faked receiving text messages, altered her cellphone records and, during the investigation, destroyed her laptop and phone, according to a 26-page ruling by Colorado Supreme Court’s Office of the Presiding Disciplinary Judge released on Dec. 31.”

Louisiana. Apporva Mandavilli & Emily Anthes of the New York Times: “A Louisiana patient who had been hospitalized with severe bird flu has died, the first such fatality in the United States, state health officials reported on Monday. The patient was older than 65 and had underlying medical conditions, the officials said. The individual became infected with the bird flu virus, H5N1, after exposure to a backyard flock and wild birds. There is no sign that the virus is spreading from person to person anywhere in the country, and Louisiana officials have not identified any other cases in the state. Pasteurized dairy products remain safe to consume.”

Minnesota. Ernesto Londoño and Shaila Dewan of the New York Times: “The Minneapolis City Council unanimously voted on Monday to overhaul its police department to address a pattern of systemic abuses, as part of an agreement with the Department of Justice. Lawyers from the Department of Justice and the city, where George Floyd was killed in 2020 by a police officer, have raced in recent weeks to finalize terms of the deal, known as a consent decree, before ... Donald J. Trump takes office. The previous Trump administration opposed the use of consent decrees, and the fate of nearly a dozen other federal investigations into American police departments is uncertain.”

Marie: I got a very late start this morning, so if you zoomed in early and you're back, you might want to scan today's links again.

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A Day That Lives in Infamy

⭐President Joe Biden, in a Washington Post op-ed: “On this Jan. 6..., the vice president of the United States, faithful to her duty under our Constitution, will preside over the certification of her opponent’s victory in the November election. It is a ceremony that for more than two centuries has made America a beacon to the world.... For much of our history, this proceeding was treated as pro forma, a routine act. But after what we all witnessed on Jan. 6, 2021, we know we can never again take it for granted.... An unrelenting effort has been underway to rewrite — even erase — the history of that day.... As president-elect that day, I spoke to the country and called for peace, and for the certification to resume.

“Four years later, leaving office, I am determined to do everything I can to respect the peaceful transfer of power and restore the traditions we have long respected in America. The election will be certified peacefully. I have invited the incoming president to the White House on the morning of Jan. 20, and I will be present for his inauguration that afternoon.... We should commit to remembering Jan. 6, 2021, every year. To remember it as a day when our democracy was put to the test and prevailed. To remember that democracy — even in America — is never guaranteed.”

Matt Viser of the Washington Post: “President Joe Biden, who has attempted to oversee a smooth transition by withholding criticism of ... Donald Trump, has grown more animated about their differences ahead of the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. 'I think it should not be rewritten. I don’t think it should be forgotten,' he told reporters at the White House on Sunday afternoon. He expanded upon the remarks at an evening event and in a new opinion piece published Sunday night by The Washington Post. '... if you notice, I’ve reached out to make sure the smooth transition, we’ve got to get back to basic, normal transfer of power. I don’t think we should pretend it didn’t happen,' he said.... Speaking about Trump specifically, Biden added: '“I think what he did was a genuine threat to democracy, and I’m hopeful that we’re beyond it.'”

Kyle Cheney of Politico:  “Donald Trump is about to get the Jan. 6 that he denied Joe Biden.... If all goes as expected, by late Monday afternoon, Trump’s victory will be certified in a ceremony overseen by his vanquished rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, who will preside over the proceedings in her capacity as the president of the Senate. Harris has been clear she will administer a straightforward transfer of power. In doing so, she’ll follow in the footsteps of all vice presidents before her — including Mike Pence, who resisted Trump’s pressure to refuse to count electors from states Trump lost in 2020. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries drew Republican applause when he acknowledged Trump’s win Friday during a speech on the House floor. 'It’s OK,' Jeffries said in a moment of gallows humor directed at his GOP colleagues. 'There are no election deniers on our side of the aisle.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times: “Still, there are reminders everywhere of the violence that shocked the world on this day four years ago. The Capitol is on heavy lockdown, with tall black metal fencing around the building. Heightened federal, state and local security resources are on hand as lawmakers prepare to convene, starting at 1 p.m., for the constitutionally mandated task of counting and certifying the Electoral College votes. For the first time, the day has been designated by the Homeland Security Department as a 'national special security event.'”

The Washington Post is live-updating developments in the certification of the Electoral College vote.

Matthew Yglesias: "The unapologetic nature of Trump's political renaissance is an ongoing menace.... What disturbs me is the extent to which the entire conservative movement has retconned not just the events of four years ago, but their own reactions to those events, such that these days, to be disturbed by them is considered some form of lib hysteria.... Today, I am extremely alarmed, because Trump is back in power and no longer faces meaningful intra-party criticism for his actions four years ago.... Bad actors ... probe boundaries to see what they can get away with. Trump got in hot water after 1/6, but ultimately he got away with it. He won the nomination, and he won the general election. He’s stated his intention to pardon the perpetrators, and by all accounts, he’s going to do it. If he gets away with that with minimal intra-party pushback or criticism, he’ll try more stuff. And we’ll see what happens." An unusually interesting read.

Kyle Cheney of Politico:  “Federal prosecutors are weighing charging as many as 200 more people for their involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — including 60 suspected of assaulting or impeding police officers during the riot that nearly derailed the transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. The new figures, released by the Justice Department Monday, reveal for the first time how many cases prosecutors believe are pending as Trump prepares to take office and threatens to unravel the massive four-year probe. About 1,583 people have faced federal charges for their role in the attack — including more than 600 facing felony charges for assaulting or resisting police during the chaos.... It’s a signal flare to Trump, who has indicated he expects to pardon many people involved in the attack but has repeatedly mischaracterized the status of the cases.”

Washington Post Editors: “Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz concluded last month that no undercover FBI employees were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, nor at the rally on the Ellipse preceding the riot. He also revealed that the bureau had 26 informants in D.C. that day, but only three of them had been tasked by FBI field offices to be in the city. While they entered restricted areas at the Capitol, none were [was!] authorized to do so or to encourage others to break the law. These findings should be so unsurprising as to be unworthy of much attention. They are sadly relevant because, four years after the insurrection, key figures in the orbit of ... Donald Trump have tried to misrepresent them to suggest that they validate the preposterous claim that the FBI staged the Capitol attack.” Among those “key figures”: JayDee Vance, Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy. “Hovering over all of this is Mr. Trump’s promise to quickly pardon people convicted of Jan. 6 crimes. This would be even less justifiable after the IG report’s than it was before.” ~~~

~~~ Thomas Joscelyn & Norm Eisen in the Bulwark: "Kash Patel..., Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as FBI director..., has repeatedly insinuated or argued that the FBI used its confidential human sources or employees to instigate the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol and entrap Trump’s supporters.... The man who could lead Trump’s FBI has failed to substantiate these wild accusations, which are contradicted by other evidence and by common sense.... Patel pushing conspiracy theories about what happened on January 6th should disqualify him from leading the FBI...." The authors go into details about Patel's elaborate conspiracy theories. MB: These are not offhand tweets like those by JayDee, Elon & Vivek. Patel had to do quite a bit of fake research to come up with these wackadoodle theories. It's horrifying to recall that Patel's most significant "qualification" for becoming FBI director is his time as a federal prosecutor. It is no wonder that so many Americans have so little respect for our system of jurisprudence.

Jennifer Jacobs, et al., of CBS News: "Senate Majority Leader John Thune has privately told ... Donald Trump that he believes Pete Hegseth will have the votes to be confirmed as Secretary of Defense, according to three sources." And this is one of the many bits that have caused Matt Yglesias to be "extremely worried": "... he’s got an unqualified drunk set to run the Pentagon...."

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump’s aides are exploring tariff plans that would be applied to every country but only cover critical imports, three people familiar with the matter said — a key shift from his plans during the 2024 presidential campaign. If implemented, the emerging plans would pare back the most sweeping elements of Trump’s campaign plans but still would be likely to upend global trade and carry major consequences for the U.S. economy and consumers.... As a candidate, Trump called for 'universal' tariffs of as high as 10 or 20 percent on everything imported into the United States.... [Now,] rather than apply tariffs to all imports, the current discussions center on imposing them only on certain sectors deemed critical to national or economic security....”

Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post: “In the matter of Donald J. Trump, the criminal justice system failed egregiously to hold the once and future president accountable.... Still, to read [New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan] Merchan’s decision last week upholding Trump’s felony conviction is to see welcome glimmers of accountability for Trump’s underlying conduct and his behavior as the prosecution proceeded. 'It was the premediated and continuous deception by the leader of the free world that is the gravamen of this offense' he wrote. 'Defendant has gone to great lengths to broadcast on social media and other forums his lack of respect for judges, juries, grand juries and the justice system as a whole. In the case at bar, despite repeated admonitions, this Court was left with no choice but to find the Defendant guilty of 10 counts of Contempt.'” Merchan also finds considerable fault with Trump's lawyers, lawyers whom Trump plans to place in top positions at the Justice Department. ~~~

~~~ Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: “Despite previewing a sentence without real punishment, [Justice Juan] Merchan, to his credit, issued a blistering opinion reaffirming the foundation of our legal system.... If Americans remain aggrieved over the lack of real punishment for Trump’s New York crimes, however, our ire should not be directed solely at Merchan. The failure to enact a punishment to fit the crime is largely the fault of the voters. They knew he was a felon. They still voted him into office. They determined he would essentially never face accountability. They decided tax cuts or mass deportation or 'owning the libs' or something was more important than keeping a convict who abused his oath out of office. They, not Merchan, are the ones who flaunted their disdain for the rule of law and decided that character no longer should be a qualification for president.... It turns out that the rule of law is no match for voters determined to elect a convict, serial liar and insurrectionist leader to the presidency.”

Musk Suggests U.S. Declare War against U.K. Chloe Taylor of CNBC: “Elon Musk has questioned whether the United States should 'liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government' after hitting out at top U.K. lawmakers.... Musk accused the U.K. Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips of being a 'rape genocide apologist' on Friday, before publishing a series of posts calling for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be ousted and face jail time over how child grooming gangs and other criminals who targeted children have been prosecuted. His criticisms of the U.K. government over the weekend culminated in a poll, where he posed the concept of 'liberating the people of Britain' to the platform’s users.” MB: Hey, we did it once, & by 1781, that worked out okay. So why not now?

⭐“The Tech Oligarchs Have Found Their Man." Paul Waldman on Substack: “We’ve heard this so often about the ultra-rich when they enter politics as candidates: It is their very commitment to devoting their lives to amassing ever more money that shows they can’t be bought. This is something many Trump supporters say about him, all the evidence of his relentless grasping for every last dime notwithstanding. And now, apparently, we’re even saying it about the oligarchs who use use their money to bend government to their will. This is not just about Elon Musk.... We’re also witnessing a procession of his tech industry plutocrat peers lining up to offer tributes to Donald Trump in the form of million-dollar checks — Bezos, Zuckerberg, Cook, and more surely to come....

“That’s not to say Musk does not stand apart.... He changed his avatar on X to a cartoon of Pepe the Frog, a meme associated with various kinds of far-right extremists, including neo-Nazis. He also changed the name on his account to 'Kekius Maximus,' referencing a related alt-right meme[.]... Apart from his copious conflicts of interest, he is a toxic man-baby, embodying everything repellent about contemporary internet culture — desperate for attention, marinating in hate, credulous toward every idiotic lie that passes his eyeballs — to the point where the world’s richest man is now also the world’s most influential spreader of misinformation.” Do read on. Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

David Lynch of the Washington Post: “Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel sued President Joe Biden on Monday over his decision to bar them from joining forces, alleging that he had violated their constitutional rights to due process in a corrupt bid to obtain political support for his reelection campaign. In a second legal filing, the companies sued steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs; Lourenco Goncalves, its chief executive; and David McCall, the president of the United Steelworkers union, for interfering with Nippon Steel’s plans to buy the American company. That lawsuit, filed in the Western District of Pennsylvania, says Goncalves and McCall engaged in antitrust and racketeering violations while trying to wreck the transaction so that Cleveland Cliffs could obtain a chokehold on the domestic steel market.”

Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Now that he is no longer working for the New York Times, Paul Krugman feels free to directly criticize its reports -- as he does here. (Link fixed; thanks, Elizabeth.)

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Louisiana. Katie Selig of the New York Times: “President Biden will travel to New Orleans on Monday to meet with local and state officials, the families of victims and others affected by the deadly Jan. 1 terror attack in the city, according to the White House. Mr. Biden’s visit will be one of his final acts as the nation’s “consoler in chief.” He will be accompanied by the first lady, Jill Biden, the White House announcement said.... Monday is also Twelfth Night, the start of Carnival season in New Orleans.” MB: Yes, and a good day for President Biden to be as far away as reasonable from the Capitol on the anniversary of the day his vice president will certify the election of the terrorist who tried to take the presidency from him by force.

     ~~~ Rick Rojas of the New York Times: “Months before the man behind the New Orleans terror attack plowed a truck into a New Year’s Day crowd, he rode through the area on a bicycle, recording videos of his target using eyeglasses with a built-in camera, investigators said on Sunday. He was back again a few weeks later, they said, probably to continue his plotting. Those details emerged as investigators revealed more about the driver and the extensive planning behind the attack, which killed 14 people, injured many others and left New Orleans starting 2025 grappling with a cascade of anguish and alarm.... Investigators found that the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had made trips to Egypt and Canada in 2023. But they said on Sunday that they had yet to determine what role, if any, those travels might have played in his evolving beliefs or his planning for the New Orleans attack.Investigators found that the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had made trips to Egypt and Canada in 2023. But they said on Sunday that they had yet to determine what role, if any, those travels might have played in his evolving beliefs or his planning for the New Orleans attack.”

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⭐ Canada. Oliver Holmes of the Guardian: “Justin Trudeau could announce his resignation as early as Monday, two leading Canadian newspapers have reported, after a snowballing leadership crisis that has caused the prime minister to lose support within his party. The Globe and Mail newspaper cited three sources as saying that Trudeau, 53, would quit as head of the ruling Liberal party after nearly a decade in office. It said one of the sources had recently spoken to the prime minister and believed he intended to step down before an emergency meeting of party members on Wednesday, 'so it doesn’t look like he was forced out by his own MPs'. The Toronto Star said it had also confirmed that Trudeau was 'expected to signal his intentions to step aside as early as Monday', citing what it said was a senior source.”

News Lede

New York Times: “A major winter storm slammed into the Mid-Atlantic region on Monday, snarling morning commutes and daily routines with heavy snow and freezing rain. Dangerous driving conditions were expected from West Virginia to Delaware, the Weather Prediction Center said, with up to 12 inches of snow expected in some areas, including Washington. Air and train travel was disrupted, and more than 350,000 people across the path of the storm were without power on Monday morning, from Missouri to Virginia.... An additional two to four inches of snow is likely over portions of the Ohio Valley, where travel disruptions will continue.... Several states in the path of the storm — including Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, parts of New Jersey and Washington, D.C. — have declared states of emergency.”

The Conversation -- January 5, 2025

Kyle Cheney of Politico:  “Donald Trump is about to get the Jan. 6 that he denied Joe Biden.... If all goes as expected, by late Monday afternoon, Trump’s victory will be certified in a ceremony overseen by his vanquished rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, who will preside over the proceedings in her capacity as the president of the Senate. Harris has been clear she will administer a straightforward transfer of power. In doing so, she’ll follow in the footsteps of all vice presidents before her — including Mike Pence, who resisted Trump’s pressure to refuse to count electors from states Trump lost in 2020. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries drew Republican applause when he acknowledged Trump’s win Friday during a speech on the House floor. 'It’s OK,' Jeffries said in a moment of gallows humor directed at his GOP colleagues. 'There are no election deniers on our side of the aisle.'”

Now that he is no longer working for the New York Times, Paul Krugman feels free to directly criticize its reports -- as he does here. (Link fixed; thanks, Elizabeth.)

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Michael Shear & Zach Montague of the New York Times: “... on Saturday, [President] Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 18 people, including some of the brightest lights of the old guard that Mr. Trump wants to tear down. In doing so, the 82-year-old president is sending an unmistakable message of support for a democratic order he has said is threatened by Mr. Trump’s re-election.... Among those receiving the award were Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, senator and secretary of state whom Mr. Trump threatened to jail and who received a standing ovation on Saturday; Robert F. Kennedy, the assassinated senator whose son has embraced Mr. Trump; and George Romney, the late father of former Senator Mitt Romney, the Republican from Utah who repeatedly rejected Mr. Trump’s actions and philosophy. The younger Mr. Romney accepted the award on Saturday. Mr. Kennedy’s medal was accepted by his daughter, Kerry Kennedy.” (This is an update of a story linked yesterday.) ~~~

Peter Baker of the New York Times: “To hear ... Donald J. Trump tell it, he is about to take over a nation ravaged by crisis, a desolate hellscape of crime, chaos and economic hardship. 'Our Country is a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World!' he declared on social media last week. But by many traditional metrics, the America that Mr. Trump will inherit from President Biden when he takes the oath for a second time, two weeks from Monday, is actually in better shape than that bequeathed to any newly elected president since George W. Bush came into office in 2001. 

“For the first time since that transition 24 years ago, there will be no American troops at war overseas on Inauguration Day. New data reported in the past few days indicate that murders are way down, illegal immigration at the southern border has fallen even below where it was when Mr. Trump left office and roaring stock markets finished their best two years in a quarter-century. Jobs are up, wages are rising and the economy is growing as fast as it did during Mr. Trump’s presidency. Unemployment is as low as it was just before the Covid-19 pandemic and near its historic best. Domestic energy production is higher than it has ever been.”

Alessandro Sassoon & others of the New York Times followed the procession of President Jimmy Carter's remains as they traveled through Georgia. ~~~

~~~ Emily Cochrane of the New York Times reports on the schedule of events honoring President Jimmy Carter this week. (Also linked yesterday.) 

Emma Bubola of the New York Times: “Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy has gone to to visit ... Donald J. Trump at his Florida golf club for an informal meeting held on Saturday. The trip, to Mar-a-Lago, comes just a few days before Ms. Meloni is set to welcome President Biden in Rome for an official visit to Italy and the Vatican on Jan. 9 to 12.... The meeting reinforces the hopes of Ms. Meloni’s supporters that the conservative Italian prime minister will become Mr. Trump’s go-to ally in Europe.”

Steff Thomas of the Hill: “President-elect Trump in a weekend rant turned his ire on the New York judge who ordered sentencing to begin next week in his hush money case, calling him 'the most conflicted judge in New York State history.... I never falsified business records. It is a fake, made up charge by a corrupt judge who is just doing the work of the Biden/Harris Injustice Department, an attack on their political opponent, ME!,' he wrote on Truth Social on Saturday morning, echoing his initial response. 'He created a case where there was none. Keeps a “gag order” on me so that I can’t talk about how crooked he is,' Trump continued. 'The Fake News knows all about it, but they refuse to talk. He may be the most conflicted judge in New York State history.'” Et-cetera. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course Trump's rant -- which goes on -- is full of lies. Just these few sentences are falsehoods: Merchan bent over backwards to accommodate Trump & his entourage, the case was not brought by an arm of the DOJ, Trump did falsify business records, the gag order does not seem to be precluding Trump from talking about the judge, & the MSM has written thousands of words about the case.

On Board with the Biggest Grifter, Ctd. Ken Vogel, et al., of the New York Times: “Since his victory in November..., Donald J. Trump’s allies have raised well over $200 million for a constellation of groups that will fund his inauguration, his political operation and eventually his presidential library.... It is a staggering sum that underscores efforts by donors and corporate interests to curry favor with Mr. Trump ahead of a second presidential term after a number of business leaders denounced him following the violence by his supporters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021." (Also linked yesterday.)  MB: Now you see why Ann Telnaes of the Washington Post felt compelled to quit her job (see NYT story & her Substack post linked yesterday).

The Liars' Tallest Tale. Dan Barry & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “As the Inauguration Day ritual conveying the peaceful transfer of power unfolds, [Donald Trump] will stand where the worst of the mayhem of Jan. 6, 2021, took place, largely in his name.... Myriad factors explain his stunning resurrection, but not least of them is how effectively he and his loyalists have laundered the history of Jan. 6, turning a political nightmare into a political asset. What began as a strained attempt to absolve Mr. Trump of responsibility for Jan. 6 gradually took hold, as his allies in Congress and the media played down the attack and redirected blame to left-wing plants, Democrats and even the government. Violent rioters — prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned — somehow became patriotic martyrs. This inverted interpretation defied what the country had watched unfold, but it neatly fit the persecution narrative that binds Mr. Trump to many of his faithful. Once he committed to running again for president, he doubled down on flipping the script about the riot and its blowback, including a congressional inquiry and two criminal indictments against him, as part of an orchestrated victimization.” ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, in the Real World. Joe Heim & Olivia George of the Washington Post: “The black security fences are up again. Local and federal law enforcement agencies have been placed on full alert. Five-hundred soldiers with the D.C. National Guard stand ready to assist if called. If the preparations are any indication, the certifying of the presidential election at the U.S. Capitol on Monday will not be a repeat of Jan. 6, 2021.... For those caught in the direct wake of Jan. 6, it remains a day marked by both fear and heroism, by despair for the country as well as determination that the attack not define it.... For many of those living and working on Capitol Hill, the neighborhood surrounding the Capitol, the attack was personal and felt for months. Streets were closed. Helicopters circled overhead. Local parks were patrolled by troops.”

Michael Podhorzer has some observations about how Trump "won" the 2024 election. His essay explains (in unnecessary detail, IMO) why he put "won" in quotation marks. But up front he reminds us of something it's sometimes easy to forget: "... Trump’s candidacy was only viable because the justices he appointed to the Supreme Court: (1) disabled the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment (which should otherwise have barred him from holding office again) and (2) shielded him from standing trial before the election for trying to overturn the 2020 results or for hoarding classified documents (which would have kept his criminality in full view of the electorate, and possibly rendered his candidacy a non-starter due to a jail sentence or loss of support). In any other country, we would understand that as part of an autocratic takeover, not a democratic victory." And he does ignore Mitch McConnell's part in all this.

I object to [Speaker Johnson's] false attribution of the prayer to Jefferson — part of the endless Christian nationalist campaign to remake Jefferson into a devout Christian when he was actually an enlightenment era freethinker who thought religion should remain private and out of government. -- Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) ~~~

~~~ Bible Mike Tries to Tear Down Jefferson's Wall of Separation. Azi Paybarah of the Washington Post: “Shortly before Mike Johnson was sworn in as House speaker on Friday, he stood in front of the incoming members of Congress and offered what he said was 'a prayer for the nation' that was said every day [by] Thomas Jefferson [when he] was in the White House and 'and every day thereafter until his death.'... Johnson told the lawmakers, it is 'quite familiar to historians and probably many of us.'... Historians do know the quote — because it has been falsely attributed to Jefferson for years.... 'Ultimately, it seems unlikely that Jefferson would have composed or delivered a public prayer of this sort,' the [Thomas Jefferson Foundation] said. 'He considered religion a private matter, and when asked to recommend a national day of fasting and prayer, wrote, “I consider the government of the US. as interdicted by the constitution from intermedling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises.”’” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I would suggest Bible Mike take a field trip over to the Library of Congress (which I believe he can reach from his office via tunnel). There he will find on display President Jefferson's letter to the Danbury, Connecticut, Baptists, in which he assured them, "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State." ~~~

     ~~~ However, I'm not convinced of the logic of the Jefferson Foundation's argument. Read the letter the Danbury Baptists wrote to Jefferson, then compare (a) a clause from Jefferson's complimentary close to them with (b) the language of the prayer Bible Mike falsely attributes to Jefferson:

(a) Letter to Baptists: -- "I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man...." ~~~

(b) Mike's Prayer: "Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth."

     It appears to me Jefferson's closing proves he was willing to make quasi-public prayers. As for what daily prayers he may or may not have said, well, we can't know, can we? That's the whole idea of separation of church & state.

Cat Zakrzewski of the Washington Post: Elon Musk “has boosted far-right figures in Britain, Germany and Canada with a blizzard of social media posts in recent days.... He appears to be applying a playbook similar to the one he used to disrupt American politics, now boosting conservative politicians in the governments of the United States’ top allies. But his disregard for the veracity of his posts and his elevation of far-right and extremist figures have alarmed liberal leaders around the world.’” MB: It's as if those evil cartoon characters who dominated the world in various action comic book stories have come to life and settled into the person of Elon Musk.

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New York. In case  you're a person who has to drive into Manhattan, Ana Ley & Winnie Hu of the New York Times explain how traffic congestion pricing, which began just after midnight today, works.

The Conversation -- January 4, 2025

Marie: Here's one thing I like about the New York Times. You don't have to agree with their takes on current events, but they do have takes, and they often are not shy about them: ~~~

    ~~~ Michael Shear of the New York Times: “... on Saturday, Mr. Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 Americans, including some of the brightest lights of the old guard that Mr. Trump wants to tear down. In doing so, the 82-year-old outgoing president is sending an unmistakable message of support for a democratic order he has said is threatened by Mr. Trump’s re-election. Among those receiving the award are HillaryClinton, the former first lady, senator and secretary of state whom Mr. Trump threatened to jail; Robert F. Kennedy, the assassinated senator whose son has embraced Mr. Trump; and George Romney, the late father of Senator Mitt Romney, the Republican from Utah who repeatedly rejected Mr. Trump’s actions and philosophy.” Compare this to the WashPo story linked earlier today; there's nohting wrong with the WashPo story; it adequately shares the facts, but Shear ascribes a purpose to the awards. Shear may or may not be right, but he gives the reader a key to the latch. 

Emily Cochrane of the New York Times reports on the schedule of events honoring President Jimmy Carter this week.

Steff Thomas of the Hill: “President-elect Trump in a weekend rant turned his ire on the New York judge who ordered sentencing to begin next week in his hush money case, calling him 'the most conflicted judge in New York State history.... I never falsified business records. It is a fake, made up charge by a corrupt judge who is just doing the work of the Biden/Harris Injustice Department, an attack on their political opponent, ME!,' he wrote on Truth Social on Saturday morning, echoing his initial response. 'He created a case where there was none. Keeps a “gag order” on me so that I can’t talk about how crooked he is,' Trump continued. 'The Fake News knows all about it, but they refuse to talk. He may be the most conflicted judge in New York State history.'” Et-cetera. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course Trump's rant -- which goes on -- is full of lies. Just these few sentences are falsehoods: Merchan bent over backwards to accommodate Trump & his entourage, the case was not brought by an arm of the DOJ, Trump did falsify business records, the gag order does not seem to be precluding Trump from talking about the judge, & the MSM has written thousands of words about the case.

On Board with the Biggest Grifter, Ctd. Ken Vogel, et al., of the New York Times: “Since his victory in November..., Donald J. Trump’s allies have raised well over $200 million for a constellation of groups that will fund his inauguration, his political operation and eventually his presidential library.... It is a staggering sum that underscores efforts by donors and corporate interests to curry favor with Mr. Trump ahead of a second presidential term after a number of business leaders denounced him following the violence by his supporters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021." MB: Now you see why Ann Telnaes of the Washington Post felt compelled to quit her job (see story linked below).

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Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: “Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday won re-election to the top post in the House, salvaging his job in a dramatic last-minute turnabout by putting down a revolt from conservatives who initially voted to block his ascent. Mr. Johnson barely mustered the majority he needed to win re-election on the first ballot, with help from ... Donald J. Trump, who interrupted a golf game to lobby holdouts by phone.... The chaotic scene that played out on the House floor — with three Republicans initially opposing Mr. Johnson and six more abstaining until it appeared he would lose before voting for him — reflected the same divisions within G.O.P. ranks that had plagued [former speaker Kevin] McCarthy [R-Calif.]. It was a grim portent for Mr. Johnson at the start of the new all-Republican Congress, and for Mr. Trump as he embarks upon his second term with an ambitious and crowded agenda that will require his party to stay almost entirely unified.” Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The headline here is not that Johnson won the speakership but that Trump interrupted his golf game to help him out. It's true that in so doing Trump benefited himself nearly as much as he did Johnson. But still. What a sacrifice! Until Johnson loses the speakership, he will never be anything more than Trump's abused puppydog. Not a Congressman, not a father, not a husband, not a "Christian," not a person.

~~~ New York Times liveblog (January 3): “Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday salvaged his bid to win another term in a dramatic turn on the House floor after he won over a pair of conservative holdouts who initially opposed him, denying him the majority needed to prevail. As the vote was held open well past the point when every member had voted, Mr. Johnson huddled off the House floor with two of the three hard-liners who had refused to back him. Minutes later, they returned to the floor, and the two — Representatives Keith Self of Texas and Ralph Norman of South Carolina — strode to the center of the chamber and changed their votes, handing the Louisiana Republican the support necessary to win another term as Republicans stood and applauded. Ultimately only one Republican, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, held firm in his opposition to Mr. Johnson. The vote made for a tense and confusing scene on the House floor, after a clutch of conservatives initially withheld their votes for Mr. Johnson, only to later reverse course and vote for him.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Maya Miller: “The far-right House Freedom Caucus released a letter following Johnson’s victory making clear that its members’ support for him as speaker is lukewarm at best. They only voted for him 'because of our steadfast support of President Trump and to ensure the timely certification of his electors,' the letter said, and they cast their votes 'despite our sincere reservations regarding the Speaker’s track record over the past 15 months.'”

Luke Broadwater: “You saw at the end [of the vote (but before two holdouts changed their vote to Johnson)] several House Freedom Caucus members vote for Johnson to prevent [Democratic Leader Hakim] Jeffries from becoming speaker. If too many hard-right members had refused to vote at all, there was a danger they would accidentally cause a Democrat to be elected.”

Annie Karni (an entry with Biblical echos): “And on the first day of the 119th Congress, Representative Nancy Pelosi wore flats.” Pelosi recently had hip replacement surgery after fracturing her hip on a fall in Luxembourg during a Congressional trip.

~~~ Joe Perticone of the Bulwark made a helpful report on how the vote went down. He writes gems like, "Prior to the vote, Democrats cheered as the clerk read the notice that former Rep. Matt Gaetz would not be joining them."

⭐Felonious Don Is Still Felonious. Ben Protess & Kate Christobek of the New York Times: “A New York judge on Friday upheld ... Donald J. Trump’s felony conviction but signaled that he was inclined to spare him any punishment, a striking development in a case that had spotlighted an array of criminal acts and imperiled the former and future president’s freedom. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, indicated that he favored a so-called unconditional discharge of Mr. Trump’s sentence, a rare and lenient alternative to jail or probation. He set a sentencing date of Jan. 10, and ordered Mr. Trump to appear either in person or virtually. An unconditional discharge would cement Mr. Trump’s status as a felon just weeks before his inauguration — he would be the first to carry that dubious designation into the presidency — even as it would water down the consequences for his crimes.... That sentence, Justice Merchan wrote in an 18-page decision, 'appears to be the most viable solution to ensure finality and allow defendant to pursue his appellate options.'” The linked "decision and order" comes via the New York courts. The AP's story is here.

Marie: Some of you hardnosed cynics were speculating the other day that Trump's relatively decent statement in regard to the death of President Carter would soon be amended. Julie in MA informed us in yesterday's Comments that we're there. Here is a post Trump wrote (no big words so likely his own voice) on his failing social media site (artwork added):

The Democrats are all “giddy” about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at “half mast” during my Inauguration. They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our Country, they only think about themselves. Look at what they’ve done to our once GREAT America over the past four years - It’s a total mess! In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half mast. Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! -- Donald Trump

Trump's New Friend & Master of the Universe Knows Best. Mark Landler of the New York Times: “Elon Musk has once again set his sights on Britain, putting the country in the bull’s-eye in the capricious world of his online obsessions. In a fusillade of posts that began before the new year, Mr. Musk moved on from his enthusiastic boosting of a far-right party in Germany to targeting Britain on multiple politically sensitive fronts.... He demanded the release of a convicted criminal and far-right agitator. He falsely accused the prime minister, Keir Starmer, of failing to go after child rapists when he was head of public prosecutions. He endorsed a post calling on King Charles III to dissolve Parliament and call elections to remove Britain’s seven-month-old Labour government, a constitutional impossibility.”

Now, Let Us Turn Our Lonely Eyes to Trump's Discarded Friend. The Question Arose, “Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?” Stefanos Chen & Olivia Bensimon of the New York Times: “Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, was grilled for hours in federal court on Friday after missing several deadlines to hand over $11 million of his prized possessions to two poll workers he defamed after the 2020 election. Mr. Giuliani avoided, for now, being held in contempt of court — a charge he has been threatened with at various times during the case and that could include jail time. But for most of his time on the stand, Mr. Giuliani frustrated the judge and the plaintiffs’ lawyers with a spotty memory and vague answers that slowed to a crawl proceedings that were already bogged down in minutiae.” Giuliani claimed not to know the whereabouts of his Yankee memerobilia, including a signed DiMaggio jersey that once hung over Giuliani's fireplace.

Aw, So Unfa-a-a-a-air! Kyle Cheney of Politico: “A federal judge has denied a Jan. 6 felony defendant’s request for permission to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration, despite a personal invitation from members of the Utah congressional delegation. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said Russell Taylor’s 'unusually grave' conduct at the Capitol — which included recruiting 'fighters' to descend on the Capitol, wearing armor, carrying weapons and helping others push past a police line — did not warrant the 'immense privilege' of attending an inauguration.... Former Utah representative Chris Stewart, who wrote to Lamberth on behalf of three current members of Utah’s congressional delegation, asked the judge’s permission for Taylor to attend as their guest.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Stewart, in his December 6, 2024, letter to Judge Lambeth, does not name the "three other current members of the Utah congressional delegation" who would just love to host an insurrectionist whose actions against the U.S. Congress were "unusually grave." But assuming Stewart did not include Utah's U.S. Senators Mike Lee & Mitt Romney when he wrote, the gracious hosts, according to this Wikipedia entry, would be three of these four: Blake Moore, John Curtis (as of yesterday, U.S. Sen. Curtis). Burgess Owens & Celeste Maloy, all Republicans (of course).

Maxine Joselow of the Washington Post: “President Joe Biden will move Monday to block all future oil and gas drilling across more than 625 million acres of federal waters — equivalent to nearly a quarter of the total land area of the United States, according to two people briefed on the decision.... Donald Trump, who has described his energy policy as 'drill, baby, drill,' is likely to work with congressional Republicans to challenge the decision. Biden will issue two memorandums that prohibit future federal oil and gas leasing across large swaths of the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska, the two people said. The oil and gas industry has long prized the eastern Gulf of Mexico in particular, viewing the area as a key part of its offshore production plans.”

Maeve Reston & Rachel Tashjian of the Washington Post: “President Joe Biden on Saturday will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to a star-studded list of celebrities, donors and former politicians, bestowing the nation’s highest civilian honor on some of the country’s best-known names and others who were integral in securing the victory of Biden and other Democrats in recent elections. Several of the nominees are already thorns in the side of ... Donald Trump, in an indication that Biden is trying to cement a legacy and uphold institutions central to democracy. The honorees include 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, billionaire donor George Soros, actor Michael J. Fox and deceased titans of politics such as Robert F. Kennedy.” The story includes the names of all of those who will receive the Medal of Freedom today. The ABC News report is here.

David Lynch & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: “President Joe Biden’s decision Friday to block the sale of U.S. Steel to a Japanese rival has ignited an imminent legal challenge, alarmed foreign investors and cast a shadow over the careers of several thousand American steelworkers the White House says it wants to help.... The president’s decision, at least for now, leaves in ruins the corporate strategies of two giants: Nippon Steel, the world’s fourth-largest steel producer, and U.S. Steel, whose products shaped the nation’s buildings, bridges, autos and appliances. In the near term, the companies plan a legal offensive they expect will demonstrate that the government’s review was distorted by the president’s political needs. As he faced a tough reelection fight, Biden sided with David McCall, the president of the United Steelworkers union, who opposed the deal from the start and provided the president campaign help in several key states.”

Roni Rabin of the New York Times: “Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer, and alcoholic beverages should carry a warning label as packs of cigarettes do, the U.S. surgeon general [Dr. Vivek Murthy] said on Friday. It is the latest salvo in a fierce debate about the risks and benefits of moderate drinking as the influential U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans are about to be updated. For decades, moderate drinking was said to help prevent heart attacks and strokes.... But growing research has linked drinking, sometimes even within the recommended limits, to various types of cancer.” The CBS News report is here.

Not Getting a Medal. Tracey Tully of the New York Times: “With less than a month to go before Robert Menendez, New Jersey’s disgraced former U.S. senator, is scheduled to be sentenced for corruption, his lawyers submitted an emotion-laden appeal for leniency based on what they depicted as Mr. Menendez’s hardscrabble upbringing, life of service and devotion to family.... As they did during Mr. Menendez’s two-month bribery trial in Manhattan, [Mr. Menendez's lawyers] ... suggested that their client’s greatest failing was being led astray by a conniving wife. Nadine Menendez, the former senator’s wife, was charged with her husband with conspiring to trade his political influence for bribes of cash, gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible. Her trial is expected to start next month.” MB: If Trump can get off with an unconditional discharge, why not Bribable Bob?

Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: “Ann Telnaes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for The Washington Post, said on Friday evening that she was resigning after the newspaper’s opinions section rejected a cartoon depicting The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, genuflecting toward a statue of President-elect Donald J. Trump. In a brief statement posted to Substack, Ms. Telnaes — who has worked at The Post since 2008 — called the newspaper’s decision to kill her cartoon a 'game changer' that was 'dangerous for a free press.'... David Shipley, The Post’s opinions editor, said in a statement that he respected Ms. Telnaes and all she had given to The Post “but ... not every editorial judgment is a reflection of a malign force.... My decision was guided by the fact that we had just published a column on the same topic as the cartoon and had already scheduled another column — this one a satire — for publication. The only bias was against repetition.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Telnaes's Substack post, which is here, include an image of her draft of the cartoon.

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Louisiana, Isabelle Taft, et al., of the New York Times: “The man who plowed a pickup truck down a crowded New Orleans street early on New Year’s Day, killing 14 people, had planned to use a transmitter to detonate two explosives he had placed near the site of the attack, the F.B.I. said on Friday. The attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who the authorities have said was inspired by the Islamic State extremist group, had placed both of the explosive devices on Bourbon Street, the famous stretch of bars and revelry that Mr. Jabbar turned into a scene of devastation on Wednesday morning. Neither of the devices went off, and the transmitter and two guns were recovered from the truck driven by Mr. Jabbar, who was killed by the police moments after his attack. It was not clear whether the devices had failed to detonate because Mr. Jabbar had not activated the transmitter, or because it did not work.”

Nevada. Jacey Fortin, et al., of the New York Times: “The Green Beret who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel this week in Las Vegas and took his own life had written that he wanted to send a 'wake-up call' to the country, the authorities said on Friday. In notes recovered by investigators from one of his phones and made public on Friday, the soldier, Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger, praised ... Donald J. Trump and wrote that 'our soldiers are done fighting wars without end states or clear objectives.'... Friday..., authorities disclosed that Sergeant Livelsberger, a veteran of several combat tours, had post-traumatic stress disorder and had written in a notes app on his phone that the country was 'headed toward collapse.' 'This was not a terrorist attack,' the note said. 'It was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?' At a news conference on Friday, Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said that in the notes, Sergeant Livelsberger had gone on to 'explain a variety of other grievances and issues — some political, some personal.'” The AP report is here.

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Honduras. Annie Correal of the New York Times: “Honduras’s president threatened to push the U.S. military out of a base it built decades ago in the Central American country should ... Donald J. Trump carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants from the United States. The response by President Xiomara Castro of Honduras, in an address broadcast on television and radio on Wednesday, was the first concrete pushback by a leader in the region to Mr. Trump’s plan to send back millions of Latin American citizens living in the United States.... Governments in the region rely on remittances from immigrants in the United States. They account for as much as 25 percent of Honduras’s economy.” Thanks to Ken W. for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here's a concrete example of Trump's making the U.S. less safe even before he assumes office.

News Lede

New York Times: “David Lodge, the erudite author of academic comedy and a wide-ranging literary critic, died on Wednesday in Birmingham, England. He was 89.”