The Commentariat -- February 25, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here.

Millions and millions of Republicans, who don't think Joe Biden won the election, support his Covid relief package. -- David Plouffe, on MSNBC Thursday afternoon

Alejandro N. Mayorkas, DHS Secretary, in a Washington Post op-ed: "For several years, the United States has been suffering an upsurge in domestic violent extremism. The horror of seeing the U.S. Capitol, one of the pillars of our democracy, attacked on Jan. 6 was a brutal example of our suffering, and it compels us all to action.... I have designated domestic violent extremism as a National Priority Area for the first time, and will require state and local governments to spend 7.5 percent of their DHS grant awards combating this threat.... Americans have witnessed the costs of allowing politics to pervade intelligence. Since Inauguration Day, DHS has increased the development, production, and sharing of intelligence and other information central to countering domestic violent extremism."

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The Capitol Police is keeping its security posture high in response to intelligence that indicates some extremists who joined the Jan. 6 insurrection have discussed plans to attack the building during the State of the Union, Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman revealed Thursday. The chatter among extremists about trying to blow up the Capitol during the still-unscheduled presidential address, Pittman said, has prompted the Capitol Police to maintain the elevated presence it has kept since last month's riot.... 'We know that members of the militia groups that were present on Jan. 6 have stated their desire that they want to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible, with a direct nexus to the State of the Union,' Pittman said during testimony to a House Appropriations subcommittee.... Pittman said existing intelligence has underscored that insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol 'weren't only interested in attacking members and officers. They wanted to send a symbolic message to the nation as to who was in charge of that legislative process.'... ~~~

"Pittman said she pulled former chief Steven Sund's phone records and confirmed he reached out to the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms at 12:58 p.m. and 1:05 p.m., respectively. Sund has told lawmakers that he first reached out at 1:09 p.m. -- a timeline that one former sergeant-at-arms disputed in Senate testimony this week.... Former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving told senators he did not hear from Sund until 1:28 p.m. and that no formal request for National Guard assistance was lodged until after 2 p.m. Pittman's testimony appears to back up the narrative shared by Sund, who resigned shortly after violent insurrectionists threatened the presidential transfer of power."

Axios: "The Senate voted 64-35 on Thursday to confirm former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as secretary of the Department of Energy.... Granholm, only the second woman to head the department, will play a key role in President Biden's efforts to accelerate the U.S. shift to clean energy and help other countries do the same. Granholm said she hopes to strengthen solar and wind power usage, and to boost the development of clean-energy technologies, like electric vehicles." MB: Tolja senators prefer blondes.

Burgess Everett of Politico: "Sen. John Kennedy apologized on Thursday for calling President Joe Biden's Interior Department nominee, Deb Haaland, a 'whack job.' The Louisiana Republican said he regretted the remark about Haaland, explaining that he was searching for another word [-- 'extremist' --] before calling her 'a neo-socialist, left-of-Lenin whack job.'... His apology comes after women's rights activists and progressive Democrats spoke out to defend Biden's nominees of color, in the face of what they saw as a double standard applied to the aspiring budget chief's teetering nomination." MB: IOW, Kennedy considers falsely calling a member of Congress a "neo-socialist, left-of-Lenin extremist." to be A-OK.

Chandelis Duster of CNN: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is facing sharp criticism after she posted an anti-transgender sign outside of her office, directly across the hall from another lawmaker who has a transgender child. The antagonizing move by Greene comes as the House is expected to pass the Equality Act, a bill that would ban discrimination against LGTBQ Americans, later Thursday, after the Georgia Republican's attempt to block the act failed on Wednesday. It also follows a string of incendiary statements and actions by the freshman Georgia congresswoman.... Illinois Rep. Marie Newman, whose daughter is transgender, posted a video on Twitter of her hanging the pink and blue transgender pride flag outside her office Wednesday afternoon, captioning that Greene tried to block the act because she believes prohibiting discrimination against trans Americans is "disgusting, immoral, and evil,'" adding, 'thought we'd put up our Transgender flag so she can look at it every time she opens her door' with winking and transgender flag emojis. That evening, Greene retweeted Newman's post and added a video of her hanging a sign that reads 'There are TWO genders: MALE & FEMALE ...Trust The Science!'" ~~~

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the lead. RAS asks, "Can you guess which [post] Facebook removed?" CBS News Chicago/CNN: "... on Thursday, as Facebook temporarily removed a video Newman posted showing her displaying the transgender pride flag outside her office on Capitol Hill, labeling it as 'hate speech.' However, Facebook did not remove a video Greene posted showing her hanging an anti-transgender sign at the Capitol.... Facebook later restored the video, and the social media giant's policy communications director, Andy Stone, apologized for mistakenly flagging it as hate speech. 'Congresswoman, this plainly should not have happened. We've restored this content and you have our sincere apologies,' Stone wrote in a Twitter post." Thanks to RAS for the lead here, too.

Kara Scannell, et al., of CNN: "Tax records that ... Donald Trump tried to keep secret for years are now in the hands of the New York district attorney. Prosecutors obtained the records on Monday, according to a source, just hours after the US Supreme Court denied Trump's last-ditch effort to keep the records private. The millions of pages of documents, sources say, contain Trump's tax returns spanning from January 2011 to August 2019, as well as financial statements, engagement agreements, documents relating to the preparation and review of tax returns, and work papers and communications related to the tax returns." MB: Not sure if this is a forensic accountant's dream or nightmare.

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Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden reopened the country on Wednesday to people seeking green cards, ending a ban on legal immigration that ... Donald J. Trump imposed last spring, citing what he said was the need to protect American jobs during the pandemic. In a proclamation, Mr. Biden said that the ban did 'not advance the interests of the United States,' challenging Mr. Trump's claims that the way to protect the American economy during the health crisis was to shut the country off from the rest of the world. 'To the contrary,' Mr. Biden said of his predecessor's immigration ban, 'it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family members of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents from joining their families here. It also harms industries in the United States that utilize talent from around the world.' The president's action was the latest example of his efforts to roll back Mr. Trump's assault on the nation's immigration system."

David Lynch of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Wednesday formally ordered a 100-day government review of potential vulnerabilities in U.S. supply chains for critical items, including computer chips, medical gear, electric-vehicle batteries and specialized minerals. The directive comes as U.S. automakers are grappling with a severe shortage of semiconductors, essential ingredients in the high-tech entertainment and navigation systems that fill modern passenger vehicles. Biden’s executive order also is aimed at avoiding a repeat of the shortages of personal protective gear such as masks and gloves experienced last year during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic."

Ode DeJoy: Higher Prices, Slower Service. Jacob Bogage, et al., of the Washington Post: "The White House moved toward reasserting control of the U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday even as its Republican postmaster general defiantly told Congress he would press forward with plans to raise prices and slow the mail, brushing off calls for him to resign. President Biden named two Democrats and a voting rights advocate to fill three of the four openings on the Postal Service's governing board, according to three people briefed on the discussions and later confirmed by the White House: Ron Stroman, the Postal Service's recently retired deputy postmaster general; Amber McReynolds, the chief executive of the National Vote at Home Institute; and Anton Hajjar, the former general counsel of the American Postal Workers Union. The new slate would create a Democratic advantage and potentially the votes to oust [Postmaster General Louis] DeJoy, whose summer overhaul led to precipitous service declines that snarled up untold numbers of Americans' bills, prescriptions and paychecks.... DeJoy spent most of the [House Oversight] hearing dodging questions about his forthcoming strategic plan for the Postal Service...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The Constitution gives Congress the power "To establish Post Offices and post Roads." That's it. There's nothing that says the USPS has to make money or break even, nor that it must operate like a successful business. Rather, the Constitution implies that the USPS is a government service, akin to, say, the military. ~~~

EARLIER | @GerryConnolly: "Am I making this up? As Mr. Jordan would apparently have you believe, that the Pres. of the United States, last summer, Donald J. Trump, publicly said, 'voting by mail would lead to massive fraud'?

Mr. Dimondstein: "I don't think you're imagining it" pic.twitter.com/ImmSuqFKxO

— CSPAN (@cspan) February 24, 2021

Senators Prefer Blond(e)s. Annie Linskey of the Washington Post: "Many of the president's Black, Latino, Asian and Native American nominees are encountering more political turbulence than their White counterparts, further drawing out the process of staffing the federal government.... Activists say the concerns raised over [Neera] Tanden are part of a broader pattern imperiling many of Biden's nominees of color, making their confirmation process rougher and meaner than in previous years and when compared with their White counterparts. Many of these nominees are still likely to go forward along mostly partisan lines, but with their qualifications scrutinized more closely and their reputations attacked more forcefully than their White counterparts, activists say.... A number of the nominees have been labeled with language that activist groups view as racially coded. For example, Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), Biden's nominee to be the first Native American to lead the Department of the Interior, is being cast by Republicans as a 'radical.'... Vanita Gupta, Biden's pick to be associate attorney general at the Justice Department and an Indian American, is the target of a multimillion-dollar ad campaign from conservative groups labeling her 'dangerous.' Heritage Action for America has focused on California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, questioning his qualifications to head the Health and Human Services Department because he's not a doctor, which has not always been a prerequisite for that position."

Marianne Levine of Politico: "Neera Tanden saw both of her Senate committee votes postponed Wednesday morning, the latest sign that her nomination to become director of the White House budget office is on the brink of collapse. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Budget committees sent out notices Wednesday saying that their slated votes on Tanden's nomination to become director of the Office of Management and Budget would be delayed." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Wednesday that she hasn't made a decision on Neera Tanden's nomination, leaving President Biden's pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) stuck in limbo.... Murkowski's decision on Tanden is viewed as crucial in the White House's uphill bid to salvage her nomination. Because Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has said he will oppose her, the White House needs to hold together the rest of the Democratic caucus and pick up at least one GOP senator. Murkowski is viewed as the final up-for-grabs GOP vote, after Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Mitt Romney (Utah) and Rob Portman (Ohio) all came out in opposition to her nomination." ~~~

     ~~~ It's Personal. Jacob Jarvis of Newsweek: "... Neera Tanden previously sent a tweet taking issue with the salary of former CEO of pharmaceutical company Mylan, Heather Bresch, who is the daughter of Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV)." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. MB: Mylan became infamous when it acquired EpiPen, an emergency allergy device, and raised the price from $50 to $608 for a two-pack. Bresch was COO at the time of the purchase, and when she appeared before a House committee in 2016, she took responsibility for & defended the price hike.

One More Way Trump Cost Us. Bill Chappell of NPR: "The cost of repairing damages from the attack on the U.S. Capitol and related security expenses have already topped $30 million and will keep rising, Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton told lawmakers on Wednesday.... Blanton said that congressional appropriations committees have already approved a transfer request of $30 million to pay for expenses and extend a temporary perimeter fencing contract through March 31."

Awk-Ward! Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "When members of a party's congressional leadership hold news conferences, there is a premium on working from the same playbook. That is decidedly not what happened Wednesday with House Republicans.... House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was asked whether ... Donald Trump should speak this weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). McCarthy didn't miss a beat, responding, 'Yes, he should.' But then the question was posed to the No. 3-ranking Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).... 'That's up to CPAC,' Cheney said... But then she went on: 'I've been clear on my views about President Trump and the extent to which, following Jan. 6, I don't believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country.'"

Andrew Kaczynski & Em Steck of CNN: "A close ally of Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene took part in the January 6 mob at the Capitol and said he was among those who eventually made their way into the building.... In tweets after the Capitol insurrection, Greene falsely suggested that those who had broken into the Capitol were not Republicans and instead falsely implied so-called 'Antifa' dressed as Trump supporters were to blame. In fact, Anthony Aguero, a conservative livestreamer, activist and associate of Greene, said on video following the January 6 assault on the Capitol that he had been among those who entered and attacked those who falsely claimed it was done by 'Antifa.' 'We were all there. It was not Antifa and it was not BLM. It was Trump supporters that did that yesterday. I'm the first to admit it, being one myself,' said Aguero in a video posted on January 7. 'I walked amongst all those people,' he added, later defending entering the Capitol. Greene and Aguero have worked closely together over the years on causes such as immigration and the border wall and have attended pro-Trump rallies together. In many since-deleted videos saved by CNN's KFile, Greene repeatedly calls Aguero 'amazing' and a 'friend.' On social media, Aguero has called Greene 'one of my closest friends.'"

You Might Be a Moron if ... (1) you call someone else a moron while you are in the act of committing several felonies; (2) you leave her an electronic trail documenting your crimes. ~~~

~~~ Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Standing on the Capitol steps on Jan. 6, Richard Michetti allegedly took a break from the rioting to argue with his ex-girlfriend over text message. After sending photos and videos of the mob and boasting how he had avoided tear gas, Michetti parroted ... Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud. 'If you can't see the election was stolen you're a moron,' Michetti wrote in a text to the woman, according to court documents. The next day, the woman he had insulted promptly told the FBI that her ex was at the Capitol, handing over to law enforcement the string of incriminating texts, photos and videos he sent to her. Michetti, who lives in Ridley Park, Pa., has now been charged with knowingly entering a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and obstruction of Congress. If convicted, Michetti, who was arraigned on Tuesday in federal court in Philadelphia, faces up to 20 years in prison, reported the Philadelphia Inquirer.&"

Kara Scannell of CNN: "The Manhattan district attorney's office has subpoenaed financial records related to Steve Bannon's crowd-funding border-wall effort, signaling that its criminal investigation into ... Donald Trump's chief strategist is advancing, according to people familiar with the matter. Prosecutors sent the subpoenas after Trump pardoned Bannon in late January for federal conspiracy crimes tied to the southern border-wall project, making Bannon among the Trump world figures -- including the former president -- subjects of criminal investigations by Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance.... The state grand jury investigation revives the possibility that Bannon, the conservative and outspoken political strategist, could face state criminal charges after shedding the federal case last month."

Scott Wong of the Hill: "Two key House Democrats will roll out legislation Thursday that would revoke a lifetime pension and other taxpayer-funded perks from former presidents who are convicted of felonies during or after office. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), who leads the Democrats' campaign arm, and Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) have authored the Restoring and Enforcing Accountability of Presidents (REAP) Act. It would reform the Former Presidents Act of 1958 by stripping past presidents convicted of a felony of their $219,200 annual pension, office space and a budget to pay for staff. The legislation does not impact lifetime Secret Service protection for convicted presidents. It will formally be introduced on Thursday, when Maloney and Jayapal will begin gathering co-sponsors."

Jeff Pegues & Melissa Quinn of CBS News: "Donald Trump Jr. ... was deposed by District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine this month as part of the district's lawsuit over the misuse of funds by the former president's inaugural committee. A court filing from Racine with the Superior Court of the District of Columbia indicates Trump Jr. answered questions at a deposition on February 11, during which he was asked about a contract signed by the Trump Organization for a block of hotel rooms at the Loews Madison Hotel in Washington during the week of the 2017 inauguration."

The Spoils of "Public Service." Jeff Stein & Yeganeh Torbati of the Washington Post (Feb. 23): "Steven Mnuchin, who was treasury secretary in the Trump administration, is planning to start an investment fund that is expected to raise money from sovereign [i.e., state-owned] wealth funds in the Persian Gulf region and other investors, two people familiar with the project said.... The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia control some of the region's largest investment funds, according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute.... Mnuchin frequently traveled to the Middle East throughout the Trump administration.... 'The fact that there were policies that were favorable to countries that now might benefit him in a business matter is troubling, and does raise questions about whether even the prospect of future business interests might have impacted decision-making, even if there were no specific plans in place,' said Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington...."

Florida Senate Race 2022. Marc Caputo of Politico: "Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy is seriously considering a bid to unseat Sen. Marco Rubio's 2022 reelection, announcing Wednesday that she's launching a statewide listening tour and has hired a top Democratic operative to manage the effort. Murphy, 42, has been elected three times to one of Florida's most competitive congressional districts in Orlando, and first won the seat by knocking out 12-term incumbent GOP Rep. John Mica when few thought she could. It was a giant-killer act that Democrats hope she can repeat if she takes on Rubio, widely seen as a hard-to-beat incumbent."

Georgia Senate Race 2022. Reis Thebault & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Former Georgia senator David Perdue will not run for Senate in 2022, he said Tuesday, backing out of the race a week after he filed the paperwork to explore a bid. Perdue made his decision days after he traveled to Florida to meet with ... Donald Trump and grew concerned [Trump] was not focused on helping Republicans win in 2022.... The two men get along well, but Perdue was reportedly disturbed by Trump's lack of focus on helping Republicans in 2022 and by his desire to exact revenge on party members he deemed insufficiently loyal, a person ... said. Perdue feared Trump would create a difficult climate, the person said." A CNN report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

"Alien Reptiles." Steve Cavendish, et al., of the New York Times lay out what is known about the Nashville Christmas bomber's motivations. "The F.B.I. and other federal and local law enforcement agencies investigating the bombing have not made any findings public, although officials said they expect a report by early March. Whatever else might have been on [Anthony] Warner's mind in the period leading up to his death, he had been fixated for years on the notion that alien reptiles who inhabited underground tunnels controlled the earth, a fantasy spread by a notorious British serial conspiracy theorist." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here.

Rebecca Robbins & Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hoping to make it easier for Americans to find Covid-19 vaccines, is backing the test of a centralized online portal where the public can search for nearby vaccination locations with doses on hand. The website, called VaccineFinder, is run by Boston Children's Hospital with the help of several collaborators.... It expanded on Wednesday to include the availability of coronavirus vaccines at more than 20,000 locations, concentrated in several states.If the program goes well, the website's developers plan to expand it nationwide.... The project is not a panacea. It will not enable people to book appointments...."

Matthew Conlen, et al., of the New York Times: "Throughout the pandemic, there has been perhaps nowhere more dangerous than a nursing home.... But for the first time since the American outbreak began roughly a year ago -- at a nursing care center in Kirkland, Wash. -- the threat inside nursing homes may have finally reached a turning point. Since the arrival of vaccines, which were prioritized to long-term care facilities starting in late December, new cases and deaths in nursing homes, a large subset of long-term care facilities, have fallen steeply, outpacing national declines, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data. The turnaround is an encouraging sign for vaccine effectiveness...."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Sarah Owermohle of Politico: "Johnson & Johnson's single-dose Covid-19 vaccine appears safe and effective, particularly against severe disease, though questions remain about how well it works in older people, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. The vaccine is 66 percent effective against overall Covid-19 illness but less effective against B.1.351, the strain first found in South Africa. The agency laid out data in briefing documents posted ahead of a Feb. 25 meeting of an independent advisory panel of vaccine experts that will discuss whether the vaccine should be authorized for people 18 and older." (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

New York. Hannah Knowles & Reis Thebault of the Washington Post: "A former aide to New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo [D] made detailed allegations Wednesday that the politician sexually harassed her, describing an unwanted kiss in Cuomo's office and a pattern of behavior that she says left her 'nauseous' going to work. Lindsey Boylan, who eventually resigned from the Democratic governor's team, described deep discomfort with Cuomo starting in 2016, when she says her boss told her the governor had a 'crush' on her. Boylan said in an online post that Cuomo 'would go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs,' and she shared images of text messages and emails that she said supported her story, an expansion on public allegations that Cuomo denied last year.... Boylan, in her post Wednesday, said Cuomo's treatment of her was part of a deep-rooted, workplace-wide problem, leading some New York lawmakers to call for an investigation. The Democratic leader of the state Senate said the ex-aide's claims were 'deeply disturbing.'... A spokeswoman for the governor, Caitlin Girouard, reiterated Wednesday that Boylan's 'claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false.'" The New York Times' story is here. A Daily Beast story is here.

South Dakota. Rachel Treisman of NPR: "South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg [R] is facing calls to leave office after newly released video evidence has raised questions about his conduct in the car crash that killed a pedestrian last year. It's the latest fallout from the Sept. 12 incident in which Ravnsborg, while driving home from an evening Republican fundraiser, fatally struck 55-year-old Joe Boever along the side of U.S. Highway 14.... In his initial 911 call, as well as in a subsequent two-page public statement, Ravnsborg said he believed his car had hit a deer or some other large animal and did not know he had killed a man until he returned to the accident scene the following day and discovered Boever's body. Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday called for Ravnsborg -- who faces three misdemeanor charges -- to resign. Later that day, a bipartisan group of South Dakota House lawmakers filed a resolution to impeach him.... At one point, investigators said that a pair of broken glasses was found inside the attorney general's car and that the glasses could have gotten there only by Boever's face entering through the windshield." Ravnsborg also denied seeing the bright flashlight Boever was carrying. Includes video of a portion of interrogation. The Washington Post's story is here.

Texas. Lexi Lonas of the Hill: "Texas's deregulated electricity market has raised costs to consumers by $28 billion since 2004, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis published Wednesday. The analysis found that consumers purchasing power from the deregulated electricity market have paid significantly more than state residents whose sources were traditional electric utilities. The report comes after widespread power outages in Texas that left millions of residents without power for days amid freezing temperatures. That was followed by many households receiving sky-high electricity bills, with warnings from experts that consumers are likely to be hit with covering the costs for grid upgrades." ~~~

~~~ Abbott: Those People I Appointed Really Suck. But Thanks for the Cash. Dillon Collier of KSAT San Antonio: "Since a deadly winter storm hit Texas earlier this month Governor Greg Abbott has repeatedly heaped criticism on ERCOT, the operator of the state's electric grid, claiming the entity was woefully unprepared for the dangerous weather that has killed a still-untold number of people. But an analysis of state campaign finance records by the KSAT 12 Defenders shows three current members of ERCOT's board have contributed thousands to Abbott's campaigns, with some of the funds dating back to his days as Texas Attorney General. Lori Cobos and DeAnn Walker, two Abbott appointees who sit on ERCOT's board..., are listed among the governor's lengthy list of political donors.... Walker, the chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and a former senior policy advisor to Abbott.... Board member Mark Carpenter ... has contributed $10,000 to Texans for Greg Abbott ... since October 2018. He was not appointed by Abbott...."

News Ledes

AP: "The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week but remained high by historical standards. Applications for benefits declined 111,000 from the previous week to a seasonally adjusted 730,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It is the lowest figure since late November. Still, before the virus erupted in the United States last March, weekly applications for unemployment benefits had never topped 700,000, even during the Great Recession of 2008-2009."

New York Times: "Fanne Foxe, the stripper known as 'the Argentine Firecracker,' who leapt from the limousine of Representative Wilbur D. Mills and plunged into Washington's Tidal Basin after a night of drinking exposing one of the biggest political sex scandals of the 1970s, died on Feb. 10. She was 84."

The Commentariat -- February 24, 2021

Late Morning Update:

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here.

Sarah Owermohle of Politico: "Johnson & Johnson's single-dose Covid-19 vaccine appears safe and effective, particularly against severe disease, though questions remain about how well it works in older people, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. The vaccine is 66 percent effective against overall Covid-19 illness but less effective against B.1.351, the strain first found in South Africa. The agency laid out data in briefing documents posted ahead of a Feb. 25 meeting of an independent advisory panel of vaccine experts that will discuss whether the vaccine should be authorized for people 18 and older."

Marianne Levine of Politico: "Neera Tanden saw both of her Senate committee votes postponed Wednesday morning, the latest sign that her nomination to become director of the White House budget office is on the brink of collapse. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Budget committees sent out notices Wednesday saying that their slated votes on Tanden's nomination to become director of the Office of Management and Budget would be delayed."

Georgia Senate Race 2022. Reis Thebault & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Former Georgia senator David Perdue will not run for Senate in 2022, he said Tuesday, backing out of the race a week after he filed the paperwork to explore a bid. Perdue made his decision days after he traveled to Florida to meet with ... Donald Trump and grew concerned [Trump] was not focused on helping Republicans win in 2022.... The two men get along well, but Perdue was reportedly disturbed by Trump's lack of focus on helping Republicans in 2022 and by his desire to exact revenge on party members he deemed insufficiently loyal, a person with knowledge of Perdue's thinking said. Perdue feared Trump would create a difficult climate, the person said." A CNN report is here.

"Alien Reptiles." Steve Cavendish, et al., of the New York Times lay out what is known about the Nashville Christmas bomber's motivations. "The F.B.I. and other federal and local law enforcement agencies investigating the bombing have not made any findings public, although officials said they expect a report by early March. Whatever else might have been on [Anthony] Warner's mind in the period leading up to his death, he had been fixated for years on the notion that alien reptiles who inhabited underground tunnels controlled the earth, a fantasy spread by a notorious British serial conspiracy theorist."

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Michael Crowley of the New York Times: "President Biden spoke by video conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada on Tuesday, trying in his first virtual meeting with a foreign leader to restore a sense of normalcy to a core relationship brusquely upended by ... Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump often cast America's northern neighbor, close ally and key trading partner as an economic predator and insulted Mr. Trudeau as 'two-faced,' 'weak' and 'dishonest.' Tuesday's tone could hardly have been more different. 'The United States has no closer friend than Canada,' Mr. Biden told Mr. Trudeau just before their meeting. 'We're all best served when the United States and Canada work together and lead together.' 'U.S. leadership has been sorely missed over the past years,' Mr. Trudeau responded.... In their statements [following their meeting], Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau said they would cooperate not only on climate change but also on the coronavirus, as well as on restoring their respective economies and combating racial discrimination. Mr. Biden also said that closer cooperation would allow the United States and Canada to more effectively compete with China.... But the relationship between the United States and Canada is not trouble free [because of disagreements over the Keystone XL pipeline & dairy tariffs]."

Joe Makes the Tough Calls, Too. Hans Nichols of Axios: "President Biden plans to call Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Wednesday, ahead of the public release of a potentially damning intelligence report about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a source briefed on the call told Axios.... The report, an unclassified document produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for expected release on Thursday, implies Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in Khashoggi's murder and dismemberment at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.... Biden is moving to recalibrate the Saudi relationship after the Trump administration made Riyadh's preferences in the Persian Gulf a priority for U.S. foreign policy."

John Hudson & Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "The Senate confirmed President Biden's nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday, elevating an African American woman and career diplomat to one of the most high-profile jobs in diplomacy. The upper chamber took an initial step, voting 78 to 20 to elevate Linda Thomas-Greenfield to ambassador status, with Democrats and moderate Republicans praising her decades of experience serving under presidents of both parties. A second vote to make her 'representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations' was 78 to 21."

Laura Reiley of the Washington Post: "The Senate voted 92 to 7 Tuesday to approve President Biden's nomination of Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary. Vilsack's path to confirmation was expected to be smooth after the Senate Agriculture Committee voted unanimously this month to advance his nomination, and many Republicans voted in favor Tuesday, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.). Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) broke with Democrats to vote against his nomination.... Asked about his no vote on the Vilsack confirmation, Sanders told The Washington Post, 'Well, I like Tom, and I've known him for years. But I think we need somebody a little bit more vigorous in terms of protecting family farms and taking on corporate agriculture.' Vilsack had faced intense criticism from civil rights activists saying he did not go far enough to eradicate racial discrimination at the agency or to support farmers of color during his first stint in the role. Corey Lea, a Black rancher in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and head of the Cowtown Foundation advocacy group, sent an open letter to Biden objecting to Vilsack's appointment. But he said Vilsack's confirmation represented an opportunity to make amends for the missteps in his first time in the job."

Darryl Fears of the Washington Post: "The Senate confirmation hearing for Deb Haaland, nominated to become the first Native American interior secretary, morphed Tuesday into a proxy fight over the future of fossil fuels as lawmakers from oil- and gas-producing states grilled her regarding the Biden administration's embrace of green energy. Nearly all the Republican members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee questioned Haaland about her past statements regarding the need to stop drilling on federal lands managed by the Interior Department. President Biden, who says the country needs to transition away from burning fossil fuels to mitigate climate change, has paused new drilling leases on public lands and waters -- a sharp departure from the Trump administration, which worked to expand drilling.... Through it all, Haaland ... remained calm, stressed that she wanted to work with supporters and opponents alike, and kept her answers short. Haaland, 60, sought to defuse aggressive questions from Republicans by reminding them that she was named the most bipartisan freshman congresswoman during her first term in the House as a Democrat from New Mexico, a seat to which she was reelected in November."

Marianne Levine of Politico: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will support Merrick Garland's nomination for attorney general, five years after blocking the judge's path to the Supreme Court.... McConnell has described his decision to block Garland as the 'most consequential thing I've ever done.'" ~~~

~~~ Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "One nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, is sailing toward confirmation as the next attorney general. Another, Neera Tanden, is on the defensive as the nominee to become director of the Office of Management and Budget. What they share at this moment is the capacity of Republicans for compartmentalization and deliberate memory loss.... What was unspoken [during Garland's Senate hearing] but circulating through the hearing room throughout the day was the fact that this was the same committee, and many of the same committee Republicans, who denied Garland so much as a hearing when he was nominated by Presidnt Barack Obama in early 2016 to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of conservative justice Antonin Scalia.... If giving offense on Twitter were the standard, Republicans should have abandoned Trump long ago. Instead, they looked the other way, pretending they never so much as read those tweets. Some Republicans say confirmation of [Neera] Tanden would not help in the healing process the country needs, ignoring the principal cause of the need for national restoration: a president twice impeached, and twice acquitted with overwhelming support from his party." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It has taken Both-Sider Dan a lo-o-ong time to come around, but at long last he has found an issue where GOP hypocrisy slightly outweighs his disdain for Democrats.

Mike DeBonis & Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "Top officials responsible for security at the Capitol on Jan. 6 as it was overrun by a mob backing ... Donald Trump blamed wide-ranging intelligence failures for the deadly attack at a Senate hearing Tuesday, pointing to lapses that included a missed email warning of violence and a larger inability to recognize the threat posed by domestic right-wing extremism. Three now-resigned officials -- Capitol Police chief Steven A. Sund, House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul D. Irving and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael C. Stenger -- each sought to minimize their responsibility for the events on that violent and chaotic day, which resulted in five deaths from injuries at the riot and temporarily delayed the congressional certification of President Biden's victory. But they each, to varying degrees, detailed how they were caught off-guard by the scale and ferocity of the pro-Trump crowd, which escalated from a relatively peaceful protest to a violent mob in a span of hours while security officials scrambled -- and ultimately failed -- to respond.... 'We properly planned for a mass demonstration with possible violence. What we got was a military-style, coordinated assault on my officers and a violent takeover of the Capitol Building,' [Sund said]." The New York Times' story is here. ~~~

~~~ Beth Reinhard & Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Around 7 p.m. on Jan. 5..., an FBI bulletin warning that extremists were calling for violent attacks on Congress landed in an email inbox used by the D.C. police department. That same evening, a member of the Capitol Police received the same memo. But the alert was not flagged for top officials at either agency, according to congressional testimony Tuesday -- deepening questions about the breakdowns that contributed to massive security failures on Jan. 6. Both acting D.C. police chief Robert J. Contee III and former Capitol Police chief Steven Sund said the intelligence community at large failed to detect key information about the intentions of the attackers and adequately communicate what was known in the run-up to the Capitol riot.... But Tuesday's joint hearing by two Senate committees also spotlighted the stark warnings that were issued before Congress met in a joint session to formalize Joe Biden's victory. One came in the form of the Capitol Police's own intelligence report three days before the attack, as The Washington Post first reported. In a 12-page memo, the agency's intelligence unit warned that 'Congress itself' could be targeted by angry Trump supporters.... Promoting all of this chaos and violence: 'President Trump himself,' the memo noted...." ~~~

~~~ Stupidest Senator Remains in Denial. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "After claiming that he had a battery of questions for the officials testifying about security lapses on that day, [Sen. Ron] Johnson instead spent his time delineating baseless claims about how the day unfolded written by a lone observer that had been published on a far-right website. The gist of the assessment is that since most of those present in D.C. that day were run-of-the-mill Trump supporters, those who stormed the Capitol must almost necessarily have been something else.... Johnson's goal was the same goal he had last week when he offered that the events of that day didn't amount to an 'armed insurrection,' a claim that hinges largely on what you think counts as armament worthy of the adjective.... Johnson's effort is by no means the only one underway." Bump cites House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Fox "News"' Tucker Carlson, the American Conservative Union's Matt Schlapp. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I watched about 30 seconds of Johnson's spiel: he characterized the Trump crowd as "families with children," a bunch of "positive and festive" ordinary Americans out for a picnic on the Mall. Those who attacked the Capitol, on the other hand, were Antifa "provocateurs." Until about a month ago, Ron Johnson was chairman of the Senate's Homeland Security Committee. Imagine the type of hearing he would have held -- if at all -- on the January 6 insurrection. Now say thank you, again, to Stacey Abrams. ~~~

As our hearing concludes, I want to make one thing clear: 'provocateurs' did not storm the Capitol. They were not 'fake Trump protestors.' The mood on January 6th was not 'festive.' That is disinformation. -- Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who co-led the hearing, in a tweet Tuesday afternoon

Yep, that was just what Mike Pence & Karen Pence were thinking... "What a festive crowd!"..... pic.twitter.com/OzOVqs4ttl

— 🇺🇸PatsLadi99 #TeamJustice 🇺🇸😷🏈🌏🗽⛵🍀✌ (@PatsLadi99) February 23, 2021

Aaron Navarro of CBS News: "Liz Cheney, the third ranking House Republican, on Tuesday called on the Republican party to 'make clear we aren't the party of white supremacy.' Cheney's remarks came during an event hosted by the Reagan Institute. 'It's very important for us to ignore the temptation to look away,' Cheney said. '.... You certainly saw anti-Semitism. You saw the symbols of Holocaust denial... you saw a Confederate flag being carried through the rotunda,' she said, referencing the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. 'We, as Republicans in particular, have a duty and an obligation to stand against that, to stand against insurrection.'... 'The president [Trump] and many around him pushed this idea that the election had been stolen. And that is a dangerous claim. It wasn't true,' she said.... She added that the commission [to examine the causes of the January 6 insurrection] should look into media organizations that pushed or continue to push the narrative of a fraudulent election, saying they are contributing to a very dangerous set of circumstances.'"

Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "A retired New York police officer who once was part of the security detail at City Hall was charged on Tuesday with assaulting a police officer with a metal flagpole during the pro-Trump riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The former officer, Thomas Webster, served in a New York Police Department unit that provided security for the mayor, Gracie Mansion and City Hall.... He retired from the force in 2011. Mr. Webster, 54, a former Marine, surrendered to the F.B.I. on Monday and was charged with six counts relating to the attack on an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., and his participation in the violent attempt to stop Congress from certifying the presidential election results. A federal prosecutor said there were videos of Mr. Webster attacking the Washington officer, first with a metal flagpole that earlier had flown a Marine Corps flag, and then with his bare hands. According to court documents, after the officer wrestled the flagpole away from Mr. Webster, the former Marine tackled the officer, pinned him to the ground, straddled him and attempted to rip off his face shield and gas mask -- an attack that left the officer unable to breathe. 'These videos shock the conscience,' the prosecutor, Benjamin A. Gianforti, said. He said Mr. Webster had shown an utter lack of compassion and had pursued the officer he attacked 'like a junkyard dog.'" An NBC News New York story is here.

A Queens Man Was Arrested for Alleged Role in Capitol Insurrection. David Brand of the Queens Daily Eagle: "A Republican district leader from Queens was arrested Tuesday and charged with various offenses for storming the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6. FBI agents arrested Philip Grillo, a former candidate in the special election for Queens Council District 24, at his girlfriend's home in Glen Oaks after identifying him by a Knights of Columbus jacket he was wearing inside the Capitol, federal prosecutors said. Grillo is charged with obstructing an official proceeding, trespassing and other offenses for his alleged role in the Capitol insurrection. A federal magistrate judge ordered Grillo released on $100,000 bond Tuesday afternoon. Grillo, 46, goes by 'The Republican Messiah' on Facebook and lives in Glen Oaks. He is a district leader in Assembly District 24, which he identifies as 'President Trumps Hometown District' on his Facebook page." MB: If only that "Queens Man" were Trump.

Rob Crilly of the (right-wing) Washington Examiner: "... Donald Trump told friends he would not appear at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida if Mike Pence, his always-loyal vice president, was also on the bill, according to people familiar with his conversations.... [Trump] remains furious with Pence for refusing to try to block the certification of Biden's Electoral College victory.... A spokesman for Trump said no such demand was ever made.... Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and a primary organizer of CPAC, said Pence had declined an invitation." MB: Gee, maybe pence remains furious with Trump for trying to kill him.

Asawin Suebsaeng & Lachlan Cartwright of the Daily Beast: "... investigators with the D.A.'s office have been expanding their criminal probe into Trump's business empire, asking questions and grilling witnesses -- as recently as in the past few days -- not only about Trump but particularly about his eldest son, Don Jr., and Allen Weisselberg, one of the former president's most trusted officers...."

Rudy Tried to Outrun Process-Servers. Zoe Richards of TPM: "Rudy Giuliani spent a week desperately dodging being served a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems after publicly suggesting he welcomed the legal challenge, the New York Daily News reported Monday evening.... 'After not responding to requests to waive service, Mr. Giuliani evaded in-person service of process for nearly a week,' said Tom Clare, an attorney for Dominion. 'It took numerous attempts, at both his home and office, before we were able to successfully serve Mr. Giuliani on February 10.'... While Giuliani has publicly threatened to counter sue ... and has even appeared to welcome the trial, a more private look into his efforts to dodge being served the suit paints a more desperate image of the attorney seeking to avoid litigation." MB: The story recounts some of Rudy's dodges, which are of a slapstick nature. Giuliani is the most risible character in Trump's stable of misfits, con-men & mobsters.

Supremes Tee Up Arizona Jim Crow Laws. Ian Millhiser of Vox: "Next Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear two cases that could shred much of what remains of the right to be free from racial discrimination at the polls. The defendants' arguments in two consolidated cases, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee and Arizona Republican Party v. Democratic National Committee, are some of the most aggressive attacks on the right to vote to reach the Supreme Court in the post-Jim Crow era. These two DNC cases concern two Arizona laws that make it more difficult to vote. The first requires voting officials to discard in their entirety ballots cast in the wrong precinct, rather than just not counting votes for local candidates who the voter should not have been able to vote for. The second prohibits many forms of 'ballot collection,' where a voter gives their absentee ballot to someone else and that person delivers that ballot to the election office." Thanks to RAS for the link.

New York. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: A homemade explosive device two brothers were rigging to announce the gender of a Catskill couple's womb-bound baby "unexpectedly malfunctioned, killing the expectant father and seriously injuring his 27-year-old brother, New York State Police said in a statement Monday.... Gender-reveal parties, which have roots in a 2008 parenting blog, have turned dangerous in recent years, as excited couples have opted for increasingly elaborate stunts to share whether they are having a boy or a girl. A novelty cannon killed a Michigan man at a gender-reveal party earlier this month. A soon-to-be grandmother died in Iowa after shrapnel from a homemade explosive device struck her chest in 2019. The parties have also sparked wildfires and caused a plane crash in recent years." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I wish one of these expectant couples would invite me to their gender-reveal party so I could RSVP: "I don't give a flying fuck about the sex of your expected child. I just hope you don't accidentally kill any of your guests, one of whom won't be me. P.S. Bear in mind that if you do kill someone, your child may spend her first years in an orphanage while you serve time for manslaughter, you self-absorbed nitwits."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here.

Isaac Stanley-Becker & Christopher Rowland of the Washington Post: "Drug companies told lawmakers Tuesday they project a major increase in vaccine deliveries that will result in 140 million more doses over the next five weeks, saying they have solved manufacturing challenges and are in a position to overcome scarcity that has hampered the nation's fight against the coronavirus.... But achieving a surge on that scale remains daunting. Pfizer and Moderna ... will need to increase their combined deliveries to date of 80 million doses to reach their promised target of 220 million shots by March 31. That's a goal of 28 million doses each week on average, far greater than their performance so far. The Biden administration told governors Tuesday that doses allotted to states would grow from 13.5 million to 14.5 million per week, and it also directed 2.1 million doses to pharmacies...."

California. Los Angeles Times, republished by KTLA: "A coronavirus variant that emerged in mid-2020 and surged to become the dominant strain in California not only spreads more readily than its predecessors, but also evades antibodies generated by COVID-19 vaccines or prior infection and it's associated with severe illness and death, researchers said. In a study that helps explain the state's dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths -- and portends further trouble ahead -- scientists at UC San Francisco said the cluster of mutations that characterizes the homegrown strain should mark it as a 'variant of concern' on par with those from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil."

Beyond the Beltway

Maryland. Stephanie Saul of the New York Times: "With no way of paying tuition, Calvin E. Tyler Jr. dropped out of college in his hometown, Baltimore, in 1963 before becoming a truck driver for UPS. He was quickly promoted into management and ultimately worked his way into the company's executive suite, serving as its senior vice president for U.S. operations as well as a director. Nearly 60 years after he was forced to abandon his schooling, Mr. Tyler and his wife, Tina Tyler, have pledged $20 million to endow scholarships for financially needy students at the college he left, now known as Morgan State University. In making the announcement this week, officials said they believed the gift was the largest a former student has ever made to a historically Black university."

Michigan. Female Officials Receive Trump-Incited Threats. Todd Spangler of the Detroit Free Press: "U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens were the targets of threatening communications related to the run-up to the Nov. 3, 2020, election and its aftermath by two men -- one from Michigan and one from Georgia, state Attorney General Dana Nessel said Tuesday.... Nessel said [Daniel] Thompson, who identified himself as a Republican, said he was angry about the results of the November election, that he had joined a militia group and that there would be violence if the results of the election were not changed. The voicemail was left the day before a mob of ... Donald Trump's supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.... [Nessel] said Thompson was also charged with making a threatening call to Slotkin.... Nessel's office also said Clinton Stewart, 43, of Douglas, Georgia, has been charged with one count of malicious use of a telecommunications service for allegedly leaving a threatening voicemail message for Stephens on Sept. 18 in which he referenced 'activist judges' issuing rulings to help Biden win the Nov. 3 general election through the expanded use of mail-in ballots."

Minnesota. Tim Arango & Katie Benner of the New York Times: "A new federal grand jury has been empaneled in Minneapolis and the Justice Department has called new witnesses as part of its investigation of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who will go on trial in state court next month on a murder charge for the death of George Floyd, according to two people.... The fresh slate of witnesses subpoenaed to give testimony about Mr. Chauvin is an early sign that the federal investigation into the death of Mr. Floyd, which began last year and then languished, is being reinvigorated under the administration of President Biden. Mr. Chauvin, who is white, was seen in harrowing video footage kneeling for more than nine minutes on the neck of Mr. Floyd, a Black man, as he begged for his life. The video set off protests across the United States, some of which led to violence in cities including Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C."

New York. Sarah Nir of the New York Times: "The police officers who placed a mesh hood on a Black man last year and pressed his head down until he lost consciousness will not be charged in his death, officials said Tuesday, after a grand jury convened to investigate the case declined to bring an indictment. The killing of the man, Daniel Prude, in Rochester, N.Y., touched off intense protests in that city and others during a national reckoning around racism and brutality in policing. Mr. Prude's death was one of many instances in which Black men died in police custody in recent years. Public records showed that the Rochester Police Department sought to conceal the circumstances -- captured in graphic police body camera footage -- of Mr. Prude's death. The case led to the dismissal of the city's police chief." MB: Odd how prosecutors can indict a ham sandwich but not white cops who cause the death of a black man.

Texas. Erin Douglas & Mitchell Ferman of the Texas Tribune: "Five board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas -- the entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of Texas -- will resign on Wednesday, according to a notice to the Public Utility Commission. A sixth has withdrawn his application to the board. All six live outside of Texas.... ERCOT board members had come under fire last week when it was reported that some did not reside in the state. ERCOT officials, during a press conference last week, said it had temporarily removed personal information about the directors from its website because they were experiencing harassment.... Gov. Greg Abbott had called on ERCOT board members to resign in the aftermath of the crisis and said in a statement Tuesday that he welcomes their resignations, promising to investigate the grid operator.... The board directors wrote that before they resign, they will launch [a] review of the power crisis."

Way Beyond

Israel. Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "The Israeli government has pledged to send thousands of spare coronavirus vaccines to foreign allies, reigniting a debate about Israel's responsibilities to people closer to home: Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.... Israel has pledged at least twice as many doses to faraway countries as it has so far promised to the nearly five million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.... The vaccines allocated on Tuesday were given without conditions, but they tacitly reward recent gestures from the receiving countries that implicitly accept Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinians consider their capital." MB: I remember when I was a knee-jerk supporter of Israel. Not. Any. More.

The Commentariat -- February 23, 2021

Daniel Strauss of the Guardian: "In a somber address to the nation as the US surpassed half a million coronavirus deaths on Monday, Joe Biden urged the country to unify in its battle against the virus.... Biden used the speech to urge Americans to overcome partisanship and follow public health guidelines as his administration races to distribute vaccines and end the pandemic.... Biden focused on the loss Americans have felt because of the pandemic and the larger theme of coming together.... Biden's speech was bookended by solemn rituals to honor the 500,000 deaths. Ahead of his address, the National Cathedral rang its bells 500 times; afterwards, the president joined the first lady Jill Biden, Vice-president Kamala Harris, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff outside the White House, where they observed a moment of silence surrounded by 500 candles." A Washington Post story is here. ~~~

Michael Balsamo, et al., of the AP: "Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden's attorney general nominee, vowed Monday to prioritize combating extremist violence and said his first focus would be on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as he sought to assure lawmakers that the Justice Department would remain politically independent on his watch.... 'The attorney general represents the public interest, particularly and specifically as defined by the Constitution and the statutes of the United States,' Garland said. 'I do not plan to be interfered with by anyone.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) Update: The New York Times story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Wherein Judge Garland Explains Sedition to a Seditionist. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "... [Sen. Josh] Hawley [R-Kan.Mo.] didn't want to talk about the violence against police generated by his own attempt to overturn the election. He insisted that [Judge Merrick] Garland talk about 'assaults on federal property in places other than Washington' -- specifically, during racial-justice protests -- and whether those qualify as 'domestic terrorism.' Garland was not distracted by the seditionist's sleight of hand. He explained that using violence 'to disrupt democratic processes' (as occurred in the Capitol) is domestic terrorism, while attacking a courthouse at night (as occurred in Portland) is not. 'Both are criminal, but one is a core attack on our democratic institutions.'... For four years..., Donald Trump railed about 'law and order' while breaking the former and undermining the latter. In Garland, we see a restoration of actual law and order."

Ed Pilkington of the Guardian: "Neera Tanden, president of the left-leaning Center for American Progress, seemed unlikely to be confirmed as budget director in the Biden administration after Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, two moderate Republican senators, said they would not vote in her favour." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ IOKIYAR White Guy. Laura Barron-Lopez & Christopher Cadelago of Politico: "Women's rights activists and allied Democrats are growing increasingly vocal about what they call the unfair targeting of women and people of color nominated by Joe Biden to top posts in his administration.... Inside the White House, it did not go unnoticed that many of the lawmakers objecting to Tanden's social media missives -- including [Joe] Manchin [D-W.Va.] -- voted to confirm Richard Grenell, the acid-tongued Trump booster, to the post of U.S. ambassador to Germany. Democrats on and off the Hill likewise argued that [Neera] Tanden, who is of South Asian descent, was one of several nominees of color being treated differently than Trump-era nominees who lobbed personal attacks or expressed bigoted views.... Her supporters now say that her social media presence is being used as a cover by her opponents, noting that she has apologized, deleted and taken ownership for her tweets. And Democrats argue that after the Trump years, there is little justification for having someone's online behavior serve as a disqualifier." ~~~

~~~ Washington Post Editors: "Republicans spent four years playing down and forgiving ... Donald Trump's disgusting tweets. Not a single Republican voted against confirming Richard Grenell, Mr. Trump's ambassador to Germany, despite his history of Twitter trolling -- including nasty comments about the appearances of female journalists and world leaders -- which was far worse than Ms. Tanden's tweets. Mr. Manchin voted to confirm Mr. Grenell, too.... Is it unacceptable for the OMB director to be strongly partisan? Republicans didn't think so when they jammed through Mick Mulvaney, a co-founder of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, to be Mr. Trump's first OMB chair...."

Natasha Bertrand of Politico: "The U.S. is preparing to respond to Russia's poisoning and jailing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and is expected to coordinate a sanctions rollout with European allies in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. The response would mark a break with the previous administration, which prepared a sanctions package following Navalny's poisoning but never implemented it, the people said. It would also constitute the new administration's first major step in holding Russia accountable for human rights abuses, which [President] Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have listed as a key pillar of their foreign policy agenda."

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday rejected ... Donald Trump's last-chance effort to keep his private financial records from the Manhattan district attorney, ending a long and drawn-out legal battle. After a four-month delay, the court denied Trump's motion in a one-sentence order with no recorded dissents. District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. has won every stage of the legal fight -- including the first round at the Supreme Court -- but has yet to receive the records he says are necessary for a grand jury investigation into whether the president's companies violated state law." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. As Ken writes, "Whoopie!" Update: The New York Times' story is here. Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ "What's Next?" William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "Terabytes of data. Dozens of prosecutors, investigators and forensic accountants sifting through millions of pages of financial documents. An outside consulting firm drilling down on the arcana of commercial real estate and tax strategies. That is the monumental task that lies ahead in the Manhattan district attorney's criminal investigation into ... Donald J. Trump and his family business after a United States Supreme Court order on Monday cleared the way for prosecutors to obtain eight years worth of Mr. Trump's tax returns and other financial records.... The crucial next phase in the Manhattan inquiry will begin in earnest this week when investigators for the district attorney's office collect the records from the law firm that represents Mr. Trump's accountants, Mazars USA...." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mike McIntire of the New York Times: "In addition to the tax returns, Mr. Trump's accountants, Mazars USA, must also produce business records on which those returns are based and communications with the Trump Organization. Such material could provide important context and background to decisions that Mr. Trump or his accountants made when preparing to file taxes." ~~~

     ~~~ digby reproduces much of Jonathan Chait's (New York) post on how angry Trump is that a grand jury will get to see tax returns that every other presidential candidate in recent history has voluntarily revealed publicly. Chait: "Trump's position on the tax returns rests on a series of assertions, ranging from his false claim that Robert Mueller found 'No Collusion' to his insistence that he actually won the 2020 election to his extremely ironic complaint that prosecutors targeting their political opponents is 'fascism, not justice.'... The most conspicuous absence from Trump's statement is any explanation as to why he has fought so hard to conceal this information, which all his predecessors willingly disclosed." Here's a funny part of Trump's everybody's-picking-on-me rant: "This is something which has never happened to a president before." Chait points to the obvious: no other president has refused to release the info. ~~~

     ~~~ Steve M. reproduces Trump's rant, via Jim Acosta of CNN. Steve sees in the rant another call to violence: "He says prosecutors want to 'take [him] out' -- and then writes, 'except that the people of our Country won't stand for it.'... After January 6, we know ... they'd do it by means of political violence.... The risk of a violent mass disruption of a Trump trial is great. And in his statement today, I think Trump is trying to summon just such a response." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Steve also points out something I've been meaning to mention: "When Trump says, 'the people of our Country,' he always means the people of his country: Trump voters, whom he regards as the only legitimate Americans." This is made obvious, I think, by the way Trump often pronounces "our" when he says "our country." When I say "our country," it usually comes out "are country," with the emphasis on "country"; I slide over "our." When Trump says "our country," he emphasizes "our," which he extends to two syllables: "ow!-er" and makes the modifier "our" as important as -- or more important than -- the noun "country."

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "... a bipartisan group of senators is pressing ahead with a series of investigative hearings to scrutinize the security breakdowns that failed to prevent the deadly pro-Trump rampage. The inquiry begins on Tuesday with a joint hearing of two Senate committees to question the officials who were in charge of securing the Capitol during the attack, when Capitol Police officers and members of the District of Columbia's police force called in as reinforcements were overrun as the vice president and members of the House and the Senate were gathered inside."

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would not hear an appeal from Pennsylvania Republicans who sought to disqualify mailed ballots in the 2020 presidential election that arrived after Election Day. The court's brief order gave no reasons for turning down the case, which as a practical matter marked the end of Supreme Court litigation over the election. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch dissented, saying the court should have used it to provide guidance in future elections. The dissenting justices acknowledged that the number of ballots at issue in the case was too small to affect President Biden's victory in the state. But the legal question the case presented -- about the power of state courts to revise election laws -- was, they said, a significant one that should be resolved without the pressure of an impending election."

     ~~~ Rick Hasen comments here. ~~~

     ~~~ Clarence's "Argument from Ignorance." Jerry Lambe of Law & Crime: "U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was not happy that his colleagues ... chose to pass up the opportunity to weigh in on a slew of cases stemming from last year's presidential elections, penning a highly critical dissent. Attorneys, on the other hand, pointed out that the stalwart conservative appeared to adopt the 'argument from ignorance' fallacy with regards to voter irregularities, suggesting that a lack of proof is not enough to show fraud did not occur.... In a footnote..., Thomas ... postulates that a proposition may be true simply because it hasn't been definitively proven to be false.... Thomas then went on to espouse what he views as the dangers inherently presented by widespread absentee voting, citing several examples of attempted fraud -- none of which took place over the latest election cycle -- and a 2012 New York Times article to conclude that 'the risk of fraud is "vastly more prevalent" for mail-in voting ballots.'"

Who Would Have Thought an "Oath Keeper" Would Lie in a Sworn Court Document? Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "Jessica Watkins, a leader in an alleged Oath Keepers conspiracy in the US Capitol insurrection, changed her story Monday about meeting with Secret Service agents in describing her actions on January 6. In a court filing over the weekend, Watkins said she was given a VIP pass to the Trump rally, had met with Secret Service agents and was providing security for legislators and others, including in their march to the Capitol. But on Monday, Watkins took back some of those assertions, saying she had merely spoken with Secret Service members as she passed through security at the rally." MB: Apparently Oath Keepers don't take oath-keeping too seriously. Ever.

Ken Klippenstein & Eric Lichtblau of the Intercept: "Within hours of the storming of the Capitol on January 6, the FBI began securing thousands of phone and electronic records connected to people at the scene of the rioting -- including some related to members of Congress, raising potentially thorny legal questions.... The Justice Department has publicly said that its task force includes senior public corruption officials. That involvement 'indicates a focus on public officials, i.e. Capitol Police and members of Congress,' the retired FBI official said. In recent years, the FBI has had to tread lightly in seeking any records of members of Congress due to protections under the Constitution's speech or debate clause, which shields the legislative work of Congress from executive branch interference.... On January 11, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., released a statement warning against the Justice Department getting involved in the investigation of the attack, at least regarding members of Congress, asserting that the Senate should oversee the matter."

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: At civil rights icon John Lewis's funeral last year, President "Obama asked Democrats to kill the filibuster and pass a voting rights bill because it was the right thing to do. But there's a stronger argument: that if Democrats don't do this, they'll be at the mercy of a Trumpified Republican Party that has radicalized against democracy itself. Democrats have already written the kind of voting rights bill Obama spoke about. It's the For the People Act, designated as H.R. 1 in the House and S. 1 in the Senate. If passed and signed into law, it would establish automatic, same-day and online voter registration, protect eligible voters from overly broad purges that remove them from the rolls, restore the Voting Rights Act with a new formula for federal preclearance..., re-enfranchise the formerly incarcerated, strengthen mail-in voting systems, institute nationwide early voting and increase criminal penalties for voter intimidation."

Kevin Collier of NBC News: "Voting-machine maker Dominion Voting Systems has sued Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow and a staunch ally of ... Donald Trump, for $1.3 billion over his monthslong campaign of making false claims about the 2020 election. Lindell, the founder of a pillow company and one of Trump's most visible defenders after he lost the election, has spent months sharing a baseless conspiracy theory that President Joe Biden only won because of a sprawling conspiracy that includes the Venezuelan government and hacked voting machines."

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Thanks to RAS for the link: ~~~

It really does seem like @chucktodd @jonkarl and @margbrennan oughta maybe call a meeting and talk about how not to let lies that nearly destroyed the country air unchecked on their shows. https://t.co/fKCmhzs6DQ

— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) February 22, 2021

Alan Feuer & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of Mexico's most notorious drug trafficker, best known as El Chapo, was arrested Monday and charged with helping her husband run his multibillion-dollar criminal empire and plotting to break him out of prison after he was captured in 2014. Ms. Coronel, a former beauty queen, had been under investigation for at least two years by U.S. federal authorities for being an accomplice to her husband, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, who was convicted in 2019 at a trial in Brooklyn of masterminding a huge drug conspiracy and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. Court documents filed in Ms. Coronel's case said she relayed messages for Mr. Guzmán that helped him make drug shipments from 2012 to 2014 and evade capture by the legions of American and Mexican authorities who had been pursuing him for years. Evidence emerged at Mr. Guzmán's trial that Ms. Coronel was also a chief conspirator in a sophisticated plot to break him out of the Altiplano prison in Mexico by digging a nearly mile-long tunnel into the shower of his cell."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. See also President Biden's remarks, linked (+ embedded video) at the top of the page.)

Washington Post Editors: "The president has challenged ... critics [of the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package by asking rhetorically]: 'What would they have me cut? What would they have me leave out?...'... The first trim should be to Mr. Biden's proposed $1,400 direct payments, the current House version of which would cost $422 billion. The 'checks' would phase out between $75,000 and $100,000 of individual income, and $150,000 and $200,000 for couples -- meaning all but the top-earning 10 percent of U.S. households would get at least some cash. That's a lot of money to shower on the non-poor.... Second, it is increasingly clear that the pandemic reduced states and local governments' revenue far less than initially feared, especially considering federal aid they have already received." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't know enough about the editors' second proposal to agree or disagree, but I strongly agree with their first suggestion. First, researchers have found that the great majority of recipients of the first stimulus checks in May 2020 saved, rather than spent, the checks. I'm all for families building up their savings, but not at my expense. I resent being forced to take money out of my pocket to give to the savings accounts of couples who earn more than I do (I won't receive a stimulus check & have not in the last two rounds). The entire reason Biden & Congress are proposing the $1,400 for middle-class & upper-middle-class families is to make the measure more popular with a demographic group their courting (and with the White House aides who wrote the bill & Congressional aides who will help push it through, many of whom will see checks cut for them).

Julie Steenhuysen of Reuters: "Dr. Anthony Fauci ... said political divisiveness contributed significantly to the 'stunning' U.S. COVID-19 death toll, which on Monday surpassed 500,000 lives lost.... 'Even under the best of circumstances, this would have been a very serious problem,' Fauci said, noting that despite strong adherence to public health measures, countries such as Germany and the UK struggled with the virus. 'However, that does not explain how a rich and sophisticated country can have the most percentage of deaths and be the hardest-hit country in the world,' said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a top adviser to President Joe Biden. 'That I believe should not have happened.'... The nation's failure cannot all be laid at the feet of Donald Trump, Fauci said. 'But the lack of involvement at the very top of the leadership in trying to do everything that was science-based was clearly detrimental to the effort.'... He called ... disregard [of Task Force-recommended phasing-in standards] by several governors and mayors "incomprehensible to me (when) you could see right in front of your eyes what was happening.'"

Beyond the Beltway

Colorado. Guardian & Agencies: "Police officers in Aurora, Colorado, did not have a legal basis to stop, frisk and use a chokehold on Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old black man who died after being restrained by officers and paramedics in the Denver suburb in August 2019, an independent investigation has found. According to a report published on Monday, 'body worn camera audio, limited video and ... interviews with the officers tell two contrasting stories. The officers' statements on the scene and in subsequent recorded interviews suggest a violent and relentless struggle.' The report added: 'The limited video, and the audio from the body worn cameras, reveal Mr McClain surrounded by officers, all larger than he, crying out in pain, apologizing, explaining himself and pleading with the officers.' McClain, a keen musician and athlete, was stopped on 24 August 2019, while walking home from a convenience store. He was not suspected of any crime."

Texas. Alana Rocha of the Texas Tribune: "At the height of last week's winter storm that left millions of Texans without access to heat and clean water, Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, were out of state on a 'previously planned' business trip to Utah, a spokesman confirmed.... 'AG Paxton did lose power, but did not leave Texas until after power had returned to most of the state, including his own home,' [a spokesperson] said in a statement." MB: But that isn't true. Power was out in wide swaths of the state last Thursday, and Ken had meetings in Utah on Wednesday & Friday. His staff did not reveal his whereabouts on Monday of precise when he left Texas & came back. ~~~

     ~~~ Paul LeBlanc, et al., of CNN: "As Texas attorney general, Paxton is responsible for overseeing key aspects of the state's response to the devastating winter storm." MB: That includes, for instance, consumer protection, at a time Texas were hit with multi-thousand-dollar bills for a few hours of power.

Virginia. Laura Vozzella & Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: "Two bills to abolish the death penalty in Virginia won final approval in the state General Assembly on Monday and were headed to Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who is expected to sign them. Virginia -- historically one of the nation's most prolific death penalty states -- would then become the first in the South to abandon the ultimate punishment. The state Senate approved by a vote of 22 to 16 a House bill that bans executions and establishes a maximum punishment of life in prison without the possibility of parole. A judge would have discretion to suspend part of that sentence -- a sticking point for some Republicans, who pushed unsuccessfully to make life without parole a mandatory minimum. An identical Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax), passed the House by a 57-to-43 vote, with two Republicans joining all Democrats. Del. Michael P. Mullin (D-Newport News), a prosecutor for the city of Hampton, carried the House version." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Ledes

CNN: Golfer Tiger Woods was severely injured in a single-vehicle crash in Los Angeles County at about 7 am PT today. This page is a liveblog of developments.

New York Times: "Lawrence Ferlinghetti, a poet, publisher and political iconoclast who inspired and nurtured generations of San Francisco artists and writers from City Lights, his famed bookstore, died on Monday at his home in San Francisco. He was 101.... The spiritual godfather of the Beat movement, Mr. Ferlinghetti made his home base in the modest independent book haven now formally known as City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. A self-described 'literary meeting place' founded in 1953 and located on the border of the city's sometimes swank, sometimes seedy North Beach neighborhood, City Lights, on Columbus Avenue, soon became as much a part of the San Francisco scene as the Golden Gate Bridge or Fisherman's Wharf. (The city's board of supervisors designated it a historic landmark in 2001.)"