The Conversation -- November 30, 2024

RFK Jr., International Scourge. Salem Gebrekidan, et al., of the New York Times: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is in line to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in the next Trump administration..., has ... spent years working abroad to undermine policies that have been pillars of global health policy for a half-century, records show. He has done this by lending his celebrity, and the name of his nonprofit group, Children's Health Defense, to a network of overseas chapters that sow distrust in vaccine safety and spread misinformation far and wide. He, his organizations and their officials have interfered with vaccination efforts, undermined sex education campaigns meant to stem the spread of AIDS in Africa, and railed against global organizations like the World Health Organization that are in charge of health initiatives. Along the way, Mr. Kennedy has partnered with, financed or promoted fringe figures -- people who claim that 5G cellphone towers cause cancer, that homosexuality and contraceptive education are part of a global conspiracy to reduce African fertility and that the World Health Organization is trying to steal countries' sovereignty.... These people, more than leading scientists and experienced public health professionals, have existed in Mr. Kennedy's orbit for years." ~~~

~~~ Marie: It's getting more & more difficult to exaggerate how much trouble we are in. ~~~

~~~ Cashing In. Kipp Jones of Mediaite: "Cheryl Hines, the TV star wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., shared a partially nude video of the controversial nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services on her Instagram page Friday. Hines was promoting a line of 'MAHA' or Make America Healthy Again candles for her self-care products company Hines + Young...." MB: Fortunately, it's the Trump administration, so no ethics problem at all.

Christine Fernando of the AP: "... an emboldened fringe of right-wing 'manosphere' influencers ... have seized on Republican Donald Trump's presidential win to justify and amplify misogynistic derision and threats online. Many have appropriated a 1960s abortion rights rallying cry, declaring 'Your body, my choice' at women online and on college campuses. For many women, the words represent a worrying harbinger of what might lie ahead as some men perceive the election results as a rebuke of reproductive rights and women's rights.... The phrase 'Your body, my choice' has been largely attributed to a post on the social platform X from Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust-denying white nationalist and far-right internet personality who dined at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida two years ago.... Fuentes' post had 35 million views on X within 24 hours, according to a report by Frances-Wright's think tank, and the phrase spread rapidly to other social media platforms. Women on TikTok have reported seeing it inundate their comment sections. The slogan also has made its way offline with boys chanting it in middle schools or men directing it at women on college campuses...."

Playwright Sarah Bernstein in a New York Times op-ed: "Hundreds of years after the Brothers Grimm published their version of that classic rags-to-riches story ['Cinderella'], our cultural narratives still reflect the idea that a woman's status can be elevated by marrying a more successful man -- and a man's diminished by pairing with a more successful woman. Now that women are pulling ahead, the fairy tale has become increasingly unattainable. This development is causing both men and women to backslide to old gender stereotypes and creating a hostile division between them that provides fuel for the exploding manosphere.... It's little wonder Americans are experiencing surging loneliness, declining birthrates and -- as evidenced by Donald Trump's popularity with young men -- a cascade of resentment that threatens to reshape our democracy.... Letting go of the male breadwinner norm is not an instant fix for our culture, but we can't move forward without that step."

Constant Méheut of the New York Times: "Russian troops in eastern Ukraine have seized at least 10 villages and settlements in roughly as many days, according to a group with ties to the Ukrainian Army that maps the battlefield, as Moscow presses on with slow but steady advances that have heightened pressure on Ukraine's authorities to start cease-fire talks. The situation looks particularly precarious for Ukrainian forces in Donetsk, in Ukraine's east, where Russian forces are closing in on their last two strongholds in the southern part of the region, according to the analysis by the group, DeepState. The fall of the strongholds, Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka, could pave the way for a Russian takeover of the area, experts say. Russia, which annexed Donetsk in 2022 and controls about two-thirds of the region, is seeking to consolidate power over the whole territory." See related story, below.

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No, Justin, No! Matina Stevis-Gridneff of the New York Times: "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada went to Florida on Friday night to see... Donald J. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, two officials with direct knowledge of the visit said, after a threat by Mr. Trump to impose across-the-board tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico on Day 1....Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Trump dined together on Friday evening, one official said, along with a delegation of senior Trump allies poised for top trade and security positions in his new administration. Mr. Trudeau was accompanied on his visit by Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's minister of public safety. The Canadian prime minister was staying in the area overnight, but not at Mar-a-Lago." Here's a CBC News story.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Erica Green of the New York Times: "During the campaign..., Donald J. Trump swore he had 'nothing to do with' a right-wing policy blueprint known as Project 2025 that would overhaul the federal government, even though many of those involved in developing the plans were his allies. Mr. Trump even described many of the policy goals as 'absolutely ridiculous.' And during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, he said he was 'not going to read it.' Now..., Mr. Trump has recruited at least a half dozen architects and supporters of the plan to oversee key issues, including the federal budget, intelligence gathering and his promised plans for mass deportations.... Mr. Trump disavowed the 900-page manifesto when polls showed it was extremely unpopular with voters. Now that he has won a second term, [his critics] say, he appears to be brushing those concerns aside."

Sharon LaFraniere & Julie Tate of the New York Times: "The mother of Pete Hegseth..., Donald J. Trump's pick for secretary of defense, wrote him an email in 2018 saying he had routinely mistreated women for years and displayed a lack of character. 'On behalf of all the women (and I know it's many) you have abused in some way, I say -- get some help and take an honest look at yourself,' Penelope Hegseth wrote, stating that she still loved him. She also wrote: 'I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth.' Mrs. Hegseth, in a phone interview with The New York Times on Friday, said that she had sent her son an immediate follow-up email at the time apologizing for what she had written.... In the interview, she defended her son and disavowed the sentiments she had expressed in the initial email.... 'It is not true. It has never been true,' she said.... She said that publishing the contents of the first email was 'disgusting.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: No, Mrs. Hegseth, it's not "disgusting," it's journalism. Sure, this revelation is going to give your "disgusting" son more creds with Trump because he thinks mistreating women is manly and cool, but the American people need to know what kind of lowlife is running a Defense Department made up of men and women. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the full text of the email from Penelope Hegseth to her son Pete. Via the New York Times. (It's also linked in the body of the story; click on "wrote" above.)

Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "Scott Gottlieb, who led the Food and Drug Administration during the Trump administration, on Friday warned that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could 'cost lives' if confirmed as the next secretary of Health and Human Services. 'You're going to see measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rates go down,' Gottlieb said on CNBC, referencing Kennedy's longtime criticism of federal recommendations for childhood immunizations, and noting a recent decline in childhood vaccination rates. The nation is approaching a 'tipping point,' Gottlieb said, where a continued decline in childhood vaccines could soon lead to measles outbreaks and deaths of children. 'We're going to start seeing epidemics of diseases that have long been vanquished, and, God forbid, we see polio reemerge in this country,' he said. Gottlieb said he had been warning senators against confirming Kennedy.... He added that Kennedy, who founded one of the country's most prominent antivaccine groups, had 'smart people' around him who could take immediate steps to affect Americans' access to vaccines, such as changing federal vaccine recommendations."

Rachel Leingang of the Guardian: "Mike Johnston, the mayor of Denver..., said [earlier this month] he would protest deportations -- even being willing to go to jail for it.... Donald Trump's 'border czar', Tom Homan, said that's one area where he and Johnston agree. 'He's willing to go to jail, I'm willing to put him in jail,' Homan told Fox on Tuesday.... For his second term, Trump and his appointees have threatened a more forceful and broad deportation plan, though they have not offered details on what it will look like. Trump has said he will activate the military to carry out deportations, and there are likely to be flashy raids in Democratic cities that defy him.... Trump's team is reportedly figuring out ways the president could unilaterally remove federal resources from Democratic cities that don't go along with deportation plans.... Around the country, mayors and city councils are discussing how they can protect local immigrants from a mass deportation campaign. Cities cannot stop federal authorities from deporting people, but depending on state laws, they can refuse to use local resources or voluntarily provide information to assist in these operations."

Noah Bookbinder & Gregg Nunziata, respectively Democratic & Republican counsels to the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a New York Times op-ed: "We know how the confirmation process is supposed to work and how important F.B.I. vetting is to that process. That's why we're appalled by reports that the new Republican-led Senate and the incoming Trump administration may dispense with it.... Efforts to bypass F.B.I. background checks and even Senate confirmation itself via mass recess appointments, made by the president when the Senate is not in session, never would have flown with past iterations of the Judiciary Committee, regardless of which party was in charge. The Senate shouldn't stand for it now." The writers also nixed the Trumpy idea of having a private firm do the vetting.

More on Bomb Threats against Democrats. Azi Paybarah of the Washington Post: "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) said bomb threats and swatting incidents were made against Democratic lawmakers, their families and law enforcement personnel, shortly after the FBI said several similar threats were aimed at people ... Donald Trump has chosen for his incoming administration. The threats, Jeffries said Friday, were 'all signed with "MAGA" at the conclusion of the message.'... Jeffries, who did not name the targeted lawmakers, said law enforcement reacted swiftly and that no devices were found. Democratic Reps. from Connecticut Rosa DeLauro, Jahana Hayes and Jim Himes said in separate statements on Thursday that they were targeted with bomb threats. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-Rhode Island) said on Friday he was notified that he and his family were the targets of a bomb threat at their home.... Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) also received a bomb threat similar to those 'made against other Democrats on Thanksgiving,' his office confirmed on Friday."

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France. Aurelien Breeden of the Washington Post: "The world got its first glimpse on Friday of the newly renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. President Emmanuel Macron of France took viewers on a live televised tour of the cathedral's dazzlingly clean interior and rebuilt roofing, five years after a devastating fire that was followed by a colossal reconstruction effort.... The French president and his wife, Brigitte, gushed with admiration and craned their necks as they entered the 12th and 13th-century Gothic monument alongside the mayor and archbishop of Paris. More than 450,000 square feet of cream-colored limestone inside the cathedral have been meticulously stripped of ash, lead dust and centuries of accumulated grime, leaving its soaring vaults, thick columns and tall walls almost startlingly bright." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The cathedral certainly doesn't look as it did in our lifetimes; Notre Dame is a different experience now.

Syria. Raja Abdulrahim of the New York Times: "Syrian rebels breached the major city of Aleppo on Friday, according to the fighters and a war monitor, reigniting the country's long-running civil war with an intensity not seen in years. The rebels, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, took control of 'more than half of Aleppo' within hours on Friday without resistance from Syrian government forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group based in Britain.'

⭐Ukraine/Russia, et al. Sky News: "Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested a ceasefire deal could be struck if Ukrainian territory he controls could be taken 'under the NATO umbrella' - allowing him to negotiate the return of the rest later 'in a diplomatic way'. In an interview with Sky News's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay, the Ukrainian president was asked to respond to media reports saying one of ... Donald Trump's plans to end the war might be for Kyiv to cede the land Moscow has taken to Russia in exchange for Ukraine joining NATO. Mr Zelenskyy said NATO membership would have to be offered to unoccupied parts of the country in order to end the 'hot phase of the war', as long as the NATO invitation itself recognises Ukraine's internationally recognised borders. He appeared to accept occupied eastern parts of the country would fall outside of such a deal for the time being."

News Lede

Washington Post: "Great Lakes communities were pummeled with snow Friday as unusually warm weather plunged into a lake-effect snow event that is expected to continue into Monday. More than 20 inches had fallen in places along Lake Erie]s shore in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, with the highest total, 2.5 feet, in the Pennsylvania city of Erie as of 10:30 p.m. local time. Erie County declared a snow disaster Friday night, urging residents and visitors to 'please stay home, stay safe, and allow plow crews and first responders to do their work.' New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) declared a state of emergency Friday for parts of the state's north and west, including the city of Buffalo, and said the National Guard was on standby. Road closures in the region included a stretch of Interstate 90 in Pennsylvania, which connects Cleveland and Buffalo, disrupting motorists on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year."

The Conversation -- November 29, 2024

Thanksgiving Messages from Our Leaders. Ivana Saric of Axios: "'Happy Thanksgiving, America. May we use this moment to take time from our busy lives and focus on what matters most: our families, our friends, our neighbors, and the fact that we've been blessed to live in America, the greatest country on Earth,' [President] Biden wrote on X Thursday. In a separate video message, he said he and First Lady Jill Biden were 'grateful for the trust you put in us these past four years.... It's been the honor of our lives to serve you in the White House,' he added. Gosh, that's sweet and heartening. ~~~

~~~ Oh, Wait, There's More. "... Trump took time in his Thanksgiving message to boast about his 'landslide victory' in November. 'Happy Thanksgiving to all, including to the Radical Left Lunatics who have worked so hard to destroy our Country, but who have miserably failed,' Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday. He also offered a separate Thanksgiving post of a photo of himself with a law enforcement officer."

     ~~~ Marie: It's not much consolation, I know, but at least we can assure ourselves that -- as miserable as Trump may make the country -- he is a perpetually-angry, joyless person. If you enjoyed a happy Thanksgiving, be assured that Trump did not. Happiness is something he has never experienced. Cruelty is his only pleasure, and I sense that cruelty is not much fun and the small satisfaction it may bring is shortlived.

Carol Rosenberg of the New York Times: "After months of wrangling over the legitimacy of a plea deal in the Sept. 11 case, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has stripped a senior official running the war crimes court of her authority to reach settlements in any cases at Guantánamo Bay. Mr. Austin's decision comes as government lawyers are trying to nullify a plea agreement in the Sept. 11, 2001, case. On July 31, Mr. Austin's appointee in charge of the court, Susan K. Escallier, approved a settlement that was reached by prosecutors across years of negotiations. But Mr. Austin said he was surprised by it and moved to rescind the deal, saying he strongly believed that the men accused of plotting the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people should face a trial. Now, in a memo dated Monday and obtained by The New York Times, Mr. Austin stripped Ms. Escallier of the authority to approve deals in the U.S.S. Cole and Bali bombing cases, 'effective immediately.' In doing so, he has given himself the sole power to approve plea deals in the terrorism cases in the final months of the Biden administration.... The move comes at an uncertain time for the 30 remaining detainees at Guantánamo Bay, a third of whom have been convicted or charged by military commission."

Andrew Solender of Axios: "Multiple U.S. House and Senate Democrats from Connecticut including the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee said Thursday they were the targets of bomb threats.... 'This morning, I was notified of a bomb threat targeting my home where I was celebrating Thanksgiving with my family,' top Intelligence Committee Democrat Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said in a statement.... Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also had his home targeted by a bomb threat on Thursday morning in what 'appears to be part of a coordinated effort involving multiple members of Congress and public figures,' his spokesperson said." Others targeted were Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.). No evidence of bombs was found.

Ah, a quaint headline to kick off the official holiday season: "Trump Team's Rejection of a Transition Deal Adds a Wrinkle to Its Transparency Pledges." ~~~

     ~~~ Simon Levien of the New York Times: "The refusal by ... Donald J. Trump's team to sign a transition agreement with the General Services Administration means that, despite the team's pledges to abide by several transparency customs of presidential handovers, it isn't legally bound to follow through on its promises. Presidential transitions abide by a series of laws and norms that enable the outgoing administration to brief incoming officials with nonpublic information and to fund transition operations. Mr. Trump's transition team, after forgoing the $7.2 million in government funds that the G.S.A. would have provided if they had reached an agreement, has promised to be transparent by disclosing the names of its donors and said it would not accept donations from foreigners. In an agreement with the White House, the transition team also released an ethics pledge, but the pledge may not be compliant with transition rules.... Mr. Trump has continued to refuse to sign an agreement with the Justice Department that would allow the F.B.I. to run security checks for transition staff." ~~~

     ~~~ No, no, people. We are not looking at "a wrinkle." These are in-your-face pledges not to adhere to old-fashioned codes of ethics. When you're a dictator, they let you do it. Take a look at this story, linked yesterday: ~~~

     ~~~ Betsy Klein, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump's team submitted an ethics plan guiding the conduct of its members throughout the transition period [with one notable omission].... 'There does not appear to be a provision addressing the requirement for the president-elect to address his conflicts of interest,' said Valerie Smith Boyd, director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.... In 2016, Trump took some nominal steps toward alleviating ethical concerns before entering the White House.... He has made no such assurances this time. Rather, Trump lately has added potential conflicts of interest with some of his latest business dealings.... The ethics agreement, posted late Tuesday to the General Services Administration's website, otherwise 'does appear to comply with most of the requirements in the Presidential Transition Act,' a law governing the protocols around transition activities, said Boyd."

     Marie: Every network news department must hold regular meetings with their full reporting staffs, some Zooming in from distant lands, where some suit gets up and tells them, "Now team, we're going to pretend this is politics as usual. The good news for us: there may be a few glitches that will catch eyeballs! Any honest reporter would be running from the room with her hair on fire. But these reporters are realists. They need their jobs, so unlike Trump and Co.,they follow the rules the bosses lay out for them, rules so concisely described by Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondents' Dinner of 2006:

... let's review the rules. Here's how it works: the president makes decisions. He's the Decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction!

~~~ The only thing that will save Trump's presidency, that will allow us to forever pretend everything was more or less normal and presidenty, would be that he chokes on a Big Mac while having lunch in the Oval Office and dies with a face plant on the Resolute Desk.

Stephanie Saul, et al., of the New York Times: Linda McMahon, whom Donald Trump has nominated to be Secretary of Education, for years ran World Wrestling Entertainment with her husband Vince. "Allegations surrounding the company under their management included promoting steroids, a culture of rampant sexual harassment, intimidation and assault. There have been several out-of-court settlements involving the company or Mr. McMahon personally.... [Over the years, the company has been] criticized for promoting violence, steroid use and sexualized content. In the early 2000s, Ms. McMahon would go so far as to engage in the W.W.E.'s theatrics herself. She kicked her husband ... in the groin in one routine. In another, she appeared to slap her daughter, Stephanie, and knock her to the floor.W.W.E.... [And] scientific studies ... found watching wrestling was correlated with violent behavior among children." ~~~

     ~~~ Lest you think that Linda McMahon doesn't have an interest in education, oh, she does: "She went on to help lead the American First Policy Institute, a little-known right-wing organization formed in 2021. The group's education agenda would steer schools decidedly to the right, by promoting increased spending for charter and private schools, reducing the influence of teachers' unions, and expanding 'parental rights' by giving parents more direct control over many aspects of public education, including curriculum and school library books. In higher education, the group has opposed permitting transgender players in women's sports; demanded the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and argued in favor of eliminating college degree requirements for some public-sector jobs." But don't worry about that: "(With Mr. Trump pledging to dismantle the Department of Education, experts in the field have suggested that if she is confirmed, her primary task may be to fire people.)"

Kit Maher, et al. of CNN: "Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied proposing to ... Donald Trump that Mexico will close its border with the United States as he claimed in a post on Truth Social. 'Everyone has their own way of communicating, but I can assure you, I give you the certainty that we would never -- and we would be incapable of it -- propose that we would close the border,' Sheinbaum said during her regular morning news conference Thursday. 'It has never been our approach and of course we don;t agree with that.' Sheinbaum;s remarks came after Trump said Wednesday that the pair had a 'productive conversation' during their first talks since Trump announced tariffs against Mexico earlier this week that would slap a 25% tariff on all products from that country and from Canada. He claimed the move would be in retaliation for illegal immigration and 'crime and drugs' coming across the border. '... She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border....' Trump posted on Truth Social." ~~~

~~~ Yo, Trumpbots: That Pick-'em-Up Truck You Drive Es Hecho en México. Sarah Morland, et al., of Reuters (Nov. 27): "Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday Mexico would retaliate if ... Donald Trump followed through with his proposed 25% across-the-board tariff, a move her government warned could kill 400,000 U.S. jobs and drive up prices for U.S. consumers. 'If there are U.S. tariffs, Mexico would also raise tariffs,' Sheinbaum said during a press conference, in her clearest statement yet that the country was preparing possible retaliatory trade measures against its top trade partner. Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, speaking alongside Sheinbaum..., noted that 88% of pickup trucks sold in the U.S. are made in Mexico and would see a price increase. These vehicles are popular in rural areas that overwhelmingly voted for Trump. 'Our estimate is that the average price of these vehicles will increase by $3,000,' Ebrard said.... Analysts at Barclays said they estimate the proposed tariffs "could wipe out effectively all profits" from the Detroit Three automakers."

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Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in Israel's wars are here: "The Israel Defense Forces carried out attacks in Lebanon on Thursday, but the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect early the previous day mostly appeared to hold. The Israeli air force conducted a strike in southern Lebanon targeting suspected militants who had returned to a site from which projectiles had been fired at Israel during the war, the IDF said. Israeli troops also 'operated to prevent' militants from 'advancing' in southern Lebanon, it added. The Lebanese army said the IDF had violated the cease-fire agreement, while the IDF said it was responding to Hezbollah violating the cease-fire agreement. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Herzi Halevi said in a statement that 'any deviation from this agreement will be enforced with fire.' A Hezbollah lawmaker also accused Israel of violating the cease-fire, Reuters reported."

Ukraine/Russia et al. Daryna Mayer & Alexander Smith of NBC News: "More than 700,000 homes and businesses were without power across a frigid Ukraine early Thursday after Russia launched a widespread missile and drone attack on the country's energy sector. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the 'complex strike' was a retaliation for Ukraine's using American-made ATACMS missiles to strike inside Russia. Despite the widespread civilian impact, he claimed, without evidence, that the assault targeted military sites.... The power grid was targeted just as cold weather begins to bite, a tactic that Ukrainian officials and Western analysts say Russia deliberately deploys." ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement: "Overnight, Russia carried out a horrific aerial attack against Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities report that Russia launched nearly 200 missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, depriving Ukrainian civilians of access to electricity. This attack is outrageous and serves as yet another reminder of the urgency and importance of supporting the Ukrainian people in their defense against Russian aggression." Read the President's full statement at the link.

Thanksgiving Day 2024

Marie: Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone. Here's a holiday gift we can all enjoy. It turns out that what I couldn't stand about the Christmas-themed song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was Mariah Carey. The song is way Better with Beethoven. I've seen a few of these "in the style of" parodies. This one, by Josep Castanyer Alonso, is particularly brilliant, especially because it includes explanations. Thanks to Patrick for the link. ~~~

~~~ AND, on quite a different note, if you overindulge at the Thanksgiving table, you could dance off the added calories: ~~~

A Reason to be Thankful: Biden Rescues Wrongfully-detained Americans. Michael Birnbaum & Cate Caddell of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration and China have agreed to a prisoner swap, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday, securing the release of three Americans who the U.S. government has long said were wrongfully detained by Beijing. Americans Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung are en route back to the United States, the White House said, capping months of diplomatic pressure on China and securing a win for the Biden administration.... The White House said in a statement ... [that] no other Americans are wrongfully detained in China." (Also linked yesterday.)

Simon Romero of the New York Times: "Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, spoke to ... Donald J. Trump on Wednesday afternoon, and both later characterized their discussion as positive while providing different descriptions of what Mexico is doing to stave off a potential tariff war. While Mr. Trump posted on social media that Mexico had agreed to stop migration to the United States through Mexico, 'effectively closing our Southern Border,' Ms. Sheinbaum limited her description of the migration-related issues they had discussed to migrant caravans no longer reaching the border with the United States. Still, Ms. Sheinbaum, who earlier in the day had made clear that Mexico would impose retaliatory tariffs in response to similar measures threatened by Mr. Trump, seemed to ease tensions by saying the exchange was 'excellent.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump of course is ignoring a long-standing premise of U.S. policy: that we have only one president at a time. Trump's negotiating with world leaders during Biden's presidency is more evidence for the theory that he'll never be president, but would best be described -- during those periods he can reasonably be assumed to hold office -- as president*. Oh, and there's this: ~~~

~~~ digby: "Rolling Stone is reporting today that Trump and Co have revived their plans to invade Mexico. I'm not kidding: 'Within Donald Trump's government-in-waiting, there is a fresh debate over whether and how thoroughly the president-elect should follow through on his campaign promise to attack or even invade Mexico, as part of the "war" he's pledged to wage against powerful drug cartels.... Trump's Cabinet picks, including his choices for secretary of defense and secretary of state, have publicly supported the idea of potentially unleashing the U.S. military in Mexico. So has the man Trump has tapped to be his national security adviser. So has the man Trump selected as his 'border czar' to lead his immigration crackdowns. So have various Trump allies in Congress and in the media.'... They're serious." The Rolling Stone story, which is firewalled, is here.

Rob Gillies of the AP: "Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the United States should ... Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official said Wednesday.... When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum.... Canadian officials argue their country is not the problem [when it comes to sending immigrants to the U.S. or fentanyl,] and that tariffs will have severe implications for both countries."

Whoa! What a Surprise! Betsy Klein, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump's team submitted an ethics plan guiding the conduct of its members throughout the transition period [with one notable omission].... 'There does not appear to be a provision addressing the requirement for the president-elect to address his conflicts of interest,' said Valerie Smith Boyd, director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.... In 2016, Trump took some nominal steps toward alleviating ethical concerns before entering the White House.... He has made no such assurances this time. Rather, Trump lately has added potential conflicts of interest with some of his latest business dealings.... The ethics agreement, posted late Tuesday to the General Services Administration's website, otherwise 'does appear to comply with most of the requirements in the Presidential Transition Act,' a law governing the protocols around transition activities, said Boyd." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Hey, Trump has an Article II that lets him do whatever he wants. And if you don't believe him, ask the Supreme Court.

Alexandra Marquez of NBC News: "... Donald Trump said Wednesday he will nominate retired Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.... During Trump's first administration, Kellogg served as Chief of Staff and executive secretary to the National Security Council. He previously served in the military for over 35 years. Kellogg in April co-authored a policy paper, obtained by NBC News, outlining how he'd seek to end the war in Ukraine, including potentially conditioning U.S. military aid to Kyiv on their participation in peace talks with Russia.... 'Ukraine would not be asked to relinquish the goal of regaining all its territory, but it would agree to use diplomacy, not force, with the understanding that this would require a future diplomatic breakthrough which probably will not occur before Putin leaves office,' Kellogg and [co-author Fred] Fleitz wrote." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Crowley of the New York Times: "In February, Mr. Kellogg defended Mr. Trump after the then-candidate declared that he would encourage Russia to 'do whatever the hell they want' to NATO members who fail to meet the alliance's targets for national military spending.... Mr. Kellogg said that Mr. Trump was 'onto something' by emphasizing the responsibility of NATO members to maintain strong armies." ~~~

     ~~~ Sareen Habeshian of Axios: "Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg ... has pushed a proposal to end the war between the two countries through Ukraine ceding land to Russia." MB: Habeshian doesn't present direct evidence of Kellogg's plans for Ukrainian territory held by Russia, but Reuters did: ~~~

     ~~~ AND Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "'Under the plan drawn up by Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, who both served as chiefs of staff in Trump's National Security Council during his 2017-2021 presidency, there would be a ceasefire based on prevailing battle lines during peace talks, Fleitz said,' Reuters reported [in June]. Maintaining the current battle lines would potentially leave Russia in control of a large percentage of Ukrainian territory, which Reuters noted 'would mark a big shift in the U.S. position on the war and would face opposition from European allies and within Trump's own Republican Party.'"

Tara Copp of the AP: "... Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, has not served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the service.... The appointment comes at a critical moment for the Navy, which has been stretched thin with deployments around the world and must contend with a shrinking fleet even as the naval forces of its main rival, China, are growing. Trump has campaigned on expanding the Navy and would need to fight bureaucratic inertia to do so. But it's uncertain whether a secretary with no military experience -- either in uniform or as a defense civilian - would be well-positioned to lead that effort." ~~~

     ~~~ Even some Trumpbots are not amused. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: One personality trait Trump's picks have in common with Trump: a complete lack of humility. If for some strange reason a president accidentally picked me to be Secretary of the Navy, I would decline the nomination as I would know I was not up to the job and my selection would be unfair to the men and women of the Navy. But Phelan, an investor, has no qualms. He apparently thinks an outing on a friend's yacht and a tourist visit to the Capitol are all the qualifications needed by a smart guy such as he.

Brandy Zadrozny of NBC News: "In 2019, [Robert Kennedy, Jr.,] called the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]'s vaccine division a fascist enterprise and accused it of knowingly hurting children. He also compared what he saw as a widespread conspiracy to hide harms from the child vaccination program to the cover-up of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church."

Devlin Barrett & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Several of the people ... Donald J. Trump has picked to be cabinet nominees or for White House positions received threats on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.... Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said several cabinet nominees and others were targeted with 'violent, un-American threats to their lives and those who live with them.' Law enforcement and other authorities 'acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted,' she added. The F.B.I. said in a statement it was aware of the bomb threats and so-called swatting calls, which entail contacting law enforcement to falsely claim a dangerous person is at a particular address. Such calls are designed to create a frantic armed police response to frighten, harass and endanger someone at their home. Three people familiar with the threats, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said one of those targeted was Susie Wiles, Mr. Trump's campaign manager who he has tapped to serve as the White House chief of staff." Elise Stefanik, Lee Zeldin & Brooke Rollins also were targeted. (Also linked yesterday.) The AP's report is here.

Lord Zuck Travels to the Court of Mar-a-Lardo to Pay Liege Homage. Mike Isaac, et al., of the New York Times: "Mark Zuckerberg met on Wednesday with ... Donald J. Trump in a rare face-to-face encounter, the latest attempt by the Meta chief executive to establish a positive rapport with Mr. Trump. The meeting, confirmed by three people..., was initiated by Mr. Zuckerberg, who has had a strained relationship with Mr. Trump over the past decade. Mr. Trump, who has long maintained that Meta has unfairly restrained him and other conservatives across its social media apps, has lobbed broadsides against Mr. Zuckerberg on social media and during stump speeches. Mr. Zuckerberg flew into West Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday evening before joining Mr. Trump at ... Mar-a-Lago...." The AP's report is here.

Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Elon Musk on Wednesday called for the elimination of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, one of the nation's most powerful watchdog agencies, signaling it could be scrapped as part of a planned review of government spending ordered by ... Donald Trump. 'Delete CFPB,' Musk said in an early-morning post on X..., categorizing the bureau as an example of 'too many duplicative regulatory agencies' in Washington." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Clearly, this is not an effort to curtail the usual irritants of "waste, fraud and abuse." As Romm writes, "Unlike other federal offices, the CFPB is funded by transfers from the Federal Reserve, a move meant to insulate the watchdog from political infighting and lobbying pressure." So Musk isn't worried about wasting taxpayer dollars; the Fed gets its operating money from interest on securities it owns (page 4 of the linked doc), not from tax dollars. Rather, as Romm writes, Musk got his CFPB bug from billionaire Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreeson, who has investments in some of the financial institutions the CFPB has cracked down on.

Miranda Nazzaro of the Hill: "Elon Musk on Wednesday suggested retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman 'committed treason' and 'will pay' after the former Trump impeachment witness accused the tech billionaire and close Trump ally of being unwittingly used by Russia. 'Vindman is on the payroll of Ukranian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States,' Musk wrote on his social media platform X, responding to comments Vindman made in an interview about Musk's reported conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Musk added that Vindman ... 'will pay the appropriate penalty.' In a response on X, Vindman said Musk's comments were 'false and completely unfounded accusations.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This may be the precursor to SOP in the Trump administration*: criticize Trump or a Trumpolodyte and "pay the appropriate penalty." Treason is a capital offense. Trump resumed executions for federal offenses during his first term, and the feds executed thirteen inmates during the first Trump administration. Merrick Garland reinstated the moratorium on federal executions in July 2021. ~~~

~~~ Marie: About a week ago, I ran a link to a story along the lines of the next linked story, but it bears repeating: ~~~

     ~~~ Hadas Gold & Rene Marsh of CNN: "Last week, in the midst of the flurry of his daily missives, [Elon] Musk reposted two X posts that revealed the names and titles of people holding four relatively obscure climate-related government positions. Each post has been viewed tens of millions of times, and the individuals named have been subjected to a barrage of negative attention. At least one of the four women named has deleted her social media accounts.... Several current federal employees told CNN they're afraid their lives will be forever changed -- including physically threatened == as Musk makes behind-the-scenes bureaucrats into personal targets.... Musk has done this kind of thing before -- and it's led to real danger for the people named. Missy Cummings [of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration] angered Musk when she was ... critical of Tesla's driver-assist programs and she had called for regulating the systems. Musk targeted Cummings on ... Twitter, and his legions of fans followed....Cummings said she received a torrent of attacks, including death threats, and had to temporarily relocate before she eventually moved.... [One expert said s/he was] 'not surprised' with Musk's re-posts, adding they are an example of a 'classic pattern' of cyber harassment."

Senator Potato Head Confuses U.S. with Russia. Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "'The United States has sent $211 BILLION of your tax dollars to Ukraine, 4X as much as the rest of the world COMBINED,' [Sen. Tommy] Tuberville [R-ALa.] wrote on X. The former college football coach was soon hit with a community note that read, 'The $211 billion figure is the amount Russia has spent on the war as of February 2024. Senator Tuberville appears to have confused the United States with Russia.' The community note linked to a Reuters article that read, 'Russia has probably spent up to $211 billion in equipping, deploying and maintaining its troops for operations in Ukraine and Moscow has lost more than $10 billion in canceled or postponed arms sales, a senior U.S. defense official said on Friday.'" Hey, an easy mistake to make. Besides, how could a sitting U.S. senator possibly check the facts before he shared something this stupid? Thanks to Akhilleus for the link, and for his commentary at the end of yesterday's thread.

AP: "A federal appeals court Wednesday ruled that Border Patrol agents cannot cut razor wire that Texas installed on the U.S.-Mexico border in the town of Eagle Pass, which has become the center of the state's aggressive measures to curb migrant crossings. The decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a victory for Texas in a long-running rift over immigration policy with the Biden administration, which has also sought to remove floating barriers installed on the Rio Grande. Texas has continued to install razor wire along its roughly 1,200-mile (1,900 kilometers) border with Mexico over the past year. In a 2-1 ruling, the court issued an injunction blocking Border Patrol agents from damaging the wire in Eagle Pass."

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New York. Hurubie Meko & Jan Ransom of the New York Times: "A federal judge overseeing New York City's Rikers Island jail complex on Wednesday found the city in contempt for failing to stem violence and excessive force at the facility, and said she was leaning toward taking control of the city's jails. The judge, Laura Taylor Swain, said in a 65-page opinion that the city and its Department of Correction had violated the constitutional rights of prisoners and staff members alike by exposing them to danger, and had intentionally ignored her orders. The judge wrote that she was 'inclined' to impose an outside authority, known as a receiver.... She ordered the city and lawyers representing prisoners to devise a plan for a receivership by Jan. 14."

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Israel/Palestine, et al. Euan Ward, et al., of the New York Times: "Thousands of civilians began the journey back to their war-ravaged, mostly abandoned communities around Beirut and in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, as a U.S.-backed cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah took tenuous hold after more than 13 months of bloodshed. Vehicles stuffed with whatever items people took as they fled Israeli bombing crawled bumper to bumper on roads heading south from Beirut, the capital. For the people in them, elation, relief -- and, for Hezbollah supporters, defiance -- vied with grim knowledge: They might not have homes to return to, and the 60-day truce might not hold or bring the hoped-for end of the deadliest, most destructive war their nation has suffered in decades. But it was not clear when the people of southern Lebanon ... could go back, as the Israeli military said it would not yet permit residents in an area that had been a Hezbollah stronghold, used to launch most of its attacks on Israel. About one-quarter of Lebanon's more than five million people have been forced from their homes by the war."

News Lede

New York Times: "The Rev. Robert W. Dixon Sr., the last known survivor of the U.S. Army's all-Black regiments known as Buffalo Soldiers, died on Nov. 15 near Albany, N.Y. He was 103.... Mr. Dixon was a corporal in World War II stationed at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where members of the Ninth Cavalry Regiment, composed of African Americans, trained cadets in horseback riding and mounted tactics. Created after the Civil War, the Army's all-Black cavalry and infantry regiments were nicknamed 'Buffalo Soldiers' by Native Americans who encountered them in the nation's Western expansion in the post-Civil War 19th century....

"The troops could serve only west of the Mississippi River because most white Southerners would not tolerate armed Black soldiers in their communities. They fought in the Indian Wars and protected settlers moving West. During the Spanish-American War, the experienced horsemen of the 10th Cavalry led the way for Col. Theodore Roosevelt's novice Roughriders in fighting in Cuba."