Ides of March 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Laura Barron-Lopez & Ben White of Politico: "President Joe Biden is appointing Gene Sperling to a role overseeing the implementation of the administration's coronavirus relief plan, a White House official confirmed on Monday. The announcement could come as early as Monday, sources familiar with the plans told Politico.... Sperling, who served on the economic teams in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, was under consideration to serve as Biden's director of the Office of Management and Budget after the president's first pick, Neera Tanden, failed to secure enough support in the Senate. Instead of that post, he is being tapped for a position within the White House where he will be tasked with overseeing the enactment of the recently-signed $1.9 trillion Covid-relief bill."

Spencer Hsu & Peter Hermann of the Washington Post: "Federal authorities have arrested and charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot but have not determined whether the exposure caused his death. Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania and George Pierre Tanios, 39 of Morgantown, W.Va., were arrested Sunday and are expected to appear in federal court Monday.... Khater and Tanios are charged with nine counts, including assaulting Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol Police officer identified as C. Edwards and a D.C. police officer identified as B. Chapman with a deadly weapon. They are also charged with civil disorder and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors filed charges after tipsters contacted the FBI allegedly identifying Khater and Tanios from wanted images released by the bureau from surveillance video and officer-worn body camera footage, the complaint said. It said the men grew up together in New Jersey...."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here.

Minnesota. Holly Bailey of the Washington Post:"The attorney for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd's death, asked the judge overseeing the case to delay the trial and reconsider a change-of-venue motion, saying he was 'gravely concerned the $27 million civil settlement announced last week between the city of Minneapolis and the Floyd family has tainted the jury pool. Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s defense attorney, questioned the 'suspicious timing' of the settlement and argued it was 'highly prejudicial' against his client. He called on Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter A. Cahill to 'at least' call back the jurors already seated in the case to question them to see if they had read the news of the settlement and if they could continue to be impartial in the case. Eight jurors have been seated."

Nicole Winfield of the AP: "The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church won't bless same-sex unions since God 'cannot bless sin.' The Vatican's orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions. The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was 'negative.' The note distinguished between the church's welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions. It argued that such unions are not part of God's plan and that any such sacramental recognition could be confused with marriage."

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Darlene Superville of the AP: "President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are opening an ambitious, cross-country tour this week to highlight the benefits of his $1.9 trillion plan to defeat the coronavirus and boost the economy."

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

Elizabeth Dwoskin of the Washington Post: "Facebook is conducting a vast behind-the-scenes study of doubts expressed by U.S. users about vaccines, a major project that attempts to probe and teach software to identify the medical attitudes of millions of Americans, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. The research is a large-scale attempt to understand the spread of ideas that contribute to vaccine hesitancy.... Some of the early findings are notable: Just 10 out of the 638 population segments contained 50 percent of all vaccine hesitancy content on the platform. And in the population segment with the most vaccine hesitancy, just 111 users contributed half of all vaccine hesitant content.... The research effort also discovered early evidence of significant overlap between communities that are skeptical of vaccines and those affiliated with QAnon.... Facebook has also banned a wide range of baseless or misleading claims about vaccines and covid...." ~~~

~~~ Who Needs a Vaccine When Kris Kobach Has a Magic Ozone Cure? Jeremy Fassler & Nia Yancopoulos of the Kansas Reflector: "In early October, Kris Kobach, Kansas' former Secretary of State, and Daniel Drake, a Wichita-based venture capitalist-turned-CEO, made a sales pitch to Kansas legislators. The duo wheeled in ... a shiny metal box Drake called a 'revolutionary' device that would 'kill COVID' and bring 'several hundred jobs back to Wichita.'... Drake explained that his company, MoJack Distributors, had developed a line called 'Scent Crusher' that uses aerosolized ozone, a tri-oxygen molecule, to sanitize hunting and sports products, 'only to realize that [the product also kills] COVID.' He told lawmakers the sample product next to him was part of a new line called 'Sarus Systems.'... There is no evidence Sarus Systems has made material steps toward rehoming hundreds of jobs to Kansas, and shipping records show products are currently being manufactured in China. There is also scant evidence their machines, or ozone in general, can safely eliminate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. And while the pair have hyped the products' popularity, claiming a three-month backlog and international interest, we were unable to verify any purchases -- from the state of Kansas or otherwise." ~~~

~~~ Allan Smith & Alex Seitz-Wald of NBC News on "How Biden, Republicans and public health leaders are trying to persuade GOP skeptics to get their Covid vaccinations." Marie: Unfortunately, there's not much there there. "The [Biden] administration is having ongoing conversations with conservative, evangelical and rural leaders. And, in addition to running ads on conservative media, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins appeared on the Christian Broadcasting Network and The 700 Club, and White House Covid-19 adviser Andy Slavitt appeared on conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt's show.... Veteran GOP pollster Frank Luntz ... is working with the de Beaumont Foundation to study and create pro-vaccine messaging aimed at conservatives[.]" Here's an example of what Republicans are doing to "help": "'Sen. [Ted] Cruz has received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and encourages people to do the same,' his spokesperson, Jessica Skaggs, said. 'If anyone has concerns, the senator recommends people consult their doctor.'" IOW, Ted offers a caveat to accommodate skeptics. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I do think if I were Joe Biden, I would call the heads of right-wing media into the Oval Office & nicely explain, with a little help from Walensky & Fauci maybe, to get with the program. If the CEOs don't want to edit their on-air oafs, then they should run network-produced PSAs promoting the vaccines, every time the on-air oafs deliver their disinformation. I think there's a solitary clip out there in which former President* FUBAR says, "Get your vaccination." The clip should feature prominently in the promos.

~~~ Nicole Lewis of the Marshall Project & Michael Sisak of the AP: "As states have begun COVID-19 inoculations at prisons across the country, corrections employees are refusing vaccines at alarming rates.... Infection rates in prisons are more than three times as high as in the general public. Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying people's symptoms, and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread.... Some correctional officers are refusing the vaccine because they fear both short- and long-term side effects of the immunizations. Others have embraced conspiracy theories about the vaccine. Distrust of the prison administration and its handling of the virus has also discouraged officers from being immunized. In some instances, correctional officers said they would rather be fired than be vaccinated.... [Also,] health care workers, caretakers in nursing homes and police officers -- who have witnessed the worst effects of the pandemic -- have declined to be vaccinated at unexpectedly high rates." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The short-term solution seems obvious: a shot in the arm or a pink slip. Of course these nitwits are in the general population, too, so that's not a long-term solution. But there doesn't seem to be an education program that will help them as long as they're getting their "education" from right-wing media outlets, as the reporters note, they're beyond hope.

~~~ Fauci Urges Trump to Push Vaccination. Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Anthony S. Fauci ... said in interviews Sunday that ... Donald Trump should be enlisted to encourage his supporters to get a coronavirus vaccine, after recent polling showed Republican men and Trump supporters have the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy. An NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll released last week showed that nearly half of Republican men and 47 percent of those who supported Trump in the 2020 election said they would not choose to be vaccinated, even if the coronavirus vaccines were made available to them. By contrast, only 10 percent of supporters of President Biden said they would not choose to be vaccinated if offered one, the poll found.... Earlier this month, Trump's office revealed that the former president had received a vaccine in January before leaving the White House but did not publicize it.... Trump did not participate in a recent public service announcement by the Ad Council that featured all of the other living former presidents encouraging Americans to get vaccinated, an omission Fauci said was 'puzzling.'" The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trying to get Trump to do the right thing is probably a fool's errand. Let's see what happens. But history, and the following Politico report, do not offer encouraging signs. ~~~

~~~ Nowhere Man. Gabby Orr & Meredith McGraw of Politico: "... Donald Trump finds himself adrift while in political exile. And Republicans, and even some allies, say he is disorganized, torn between playing the role of antagonist and party leader.... He backed away from creating a third party and has soured on the costly prospect of launching his own TV empire or social media startup. His vow to target disloyal Republicans with personally-recruited primary challengers has taken a backseat to conventional endorsements of senators who refused to indulge his quest to overturn the 2020 election. And though he was supposed to build a massive political apparatus to keep his MAGA movement afloat, it's unclear to Republicans what his PAC is actually doing, beyond entangling itself in disputes with Republican icons and the party's fundraising arms." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm sure we're not surprised. The only things Donald Trump has ever done in the last 40 years is collect money from suckers and tell lies about himself & people he doesn't like. He's just keeping up the tradition. ~~~

~~~ Trump Is Not the Only Scammer Trading on His Name. Theodoric Meyer of Politico: &"Over the past few weeks, Politico has received a number of robocalls from generically named political groups asking for cash in order to help in very Trump-specific missions. A donation of $100, for example, would help return Trump to Twitter. Or, for a similar amount, a potential donor can 'stop Kamala Harris and socialism,' the calls claim. Other calls ask for money to ensure that congressional Democrats don't dismantle the wall Trump started building along the U.S.-Mexico border. One of the telemarketers behind the calls, who spoke to a Politico reporter on Wednesday, promised that '100 percent of the contributions go directly to President Trump.' But the calls aren't being made by Trump's Save America political action committee. In fact, it's not entirely clear who's behind them." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Looks like "socialism" is a right-wing code word for "people of color."

Republican MOC Claims Credit for Covid Relief Plan She Voted Against. Ed Scarce of Crooks & Liars: "Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Florida) tweeted 'So proud to announce that the Biden Administration has just implemented my bipartisan COVID relief bill as part of @SBAgov policy!' She voted against it anyway. They really are shameless, aren't they? Salazar is not the only example of this either. Several other Republicans have tried the same trick, because apparently people are stupid and they think they can get away with it. And because Salazar represents a swing district (FL-27), that's actually nominally Democratic, she uses the words 'bipartisan support' a lot in her tweets...." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link.

Camila Montoya-Gomez of CBS News: "As of Sunday morning, U.S. Border Patrol was holding more than 4,200 unaccompanied migrant children in short-term holding facilities, including jail-like stations unfit to house minors, according to government records reviewed by CBS News. Nearly 3,000 of the unaccompanied children in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody had been held longer than 72 hours. CBP is legally obligated to transfer most unaccompanied minors to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the agency which oversees shelters licensed to house children, within three days of taking them into custody. The number of unaccompanied children in CBP custody on Sunday represents a 31% increase from early last week.... [Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro] Mayorkas ... Saturday ... announc[ed] the deployment of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials to help process migrant minors.... Mayorkas said Saturday in a statement announcing the deployment of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials to help process migrant minors.... [Health & Human Service] has also placed staff at Border Patrol facilities to expedite the process of releasing minors and rescinded a Trump-era agreement with DHS that allowed some information on sponsors of children to be sent to immigration authorities -- a move designed to encourage undocumented families to sponsor children." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Worth noting: this ballooning problem is the result of four years of the Trump administration's cruel & unusual policies. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "Previous administrations have also dispatched FEMA to help process migrants during surges in border crossings. However, the Biden administration cannot use disaster aid funding to support the processing of migrants in Texas after they cross the border without the consent of Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. States must request the funding from the federal government. Renae Eze, a spokeswoman for Mr. Abbott, said the Biden administration proposal to leverage disaster aid for Texas ... 'forces Texas to use our resources for what is the federal government's job, border security.... The federal government alone has the responsibility to test, screen and quarantine illegal immigrants crossing our border who may have Covid.'... Mr. Abbott and other Republicans have... Mr. Biden's critics have moved quickly in recent days to blame him for the increase of arrivals...."

     ~~~ Marie: IOW, it sure sounds like Gov. Greg is going to make it as difficult as possible for the federal government to treat children humanely. Republicans are endowed with a stunning viciousness. I don't know if Abbott behaves as he does because he is a racist or because he's simply cruel by nature. Whatever, the effect is the same. ** See also Patrick's comment below.

Nancy Pelosi, Cocaine Dealer. Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott suggested on Sunday that H.R. 1, the sweeping election-reform bill recently passed by the House of Representatives, could eventually result in Democrats 'using cocaine to buy votes.'... [Abbott told Maria Bartiromo of Fox 'News' that then-President Obama] 'sent his U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas as well as the FBI to south Texas to arrest and to prosecute people who were involved in ballot harvesting that were using cocaine to buy votes through the ballot harvesting process....'" MB: I'm pretty sure that by "South Texas," Abbott means "Hispanic people." Anyhow, it's pretty upsetting to find out that the effect of federal voting rights legislation would be to turn Americans into cocaine-addicted Democrats.

A Texas Man. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A Texas man who joined a mob at the Capitol on Jan. 6 told two rioters he had set up a security company as a front to access law enforcement-grade weaponry that could be used to 'take back our country,' according to private, encrypted messages revealed Saturday by prosecutors. Guy Reffitt, who drove from Texas to Washington, D.C., also said in recorded conversations that he and others were carrying firearms during the siege of the Capitol. He also encouraged his two associates to join the 'Texas Three Percenters' militia, according to the messages posted to Telegram.... Prosecutors described the arrangement in an effort to persuade a judge that Reffitt is too dangerous to be released before his trial on charges related to the Capitol assault. Reffitt is a self-described Three Percenter, which prosecutors describe as an ideology rooted in the notion that the current government is the equivalent of British oppressors and can be overthrown by armed militias. They noted that Reffitt misled the FBI about his company -- TTP Security, LLC -- telling them it had no connection to the Texas Three Percenters. Rather, he said, it stood for 'Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Trump-Loving Nazi Terrorist.Your Typical Trump-Hitler Fan. Marshall Cohen of CNN: "An Army reservist charged with storming the US Capitol was a well-known White supremacist and Nazi sympathizer at the Navy base where he worked as a contractor, and was even rebuked for sporting a distinctive 'Hitler mustache,' prosecutors said in new court filings. Federal prosecutors revealed Friday that the Navy conducted its own internal investigation into Timothy Hale-Cusanelli that uncovered numerous incidents where he promoted racist and sexist views. The Naval Criminal Investigation Service interviewed 44 of his colleagues and 34 of them said he held 'extremist or radical views pertaining to the Jewish people, minorities and women.' Hale-Cusanelli, 30, was charged with seven criminal counts, including obstructing congressional proceedings, civil disorder and disorderly conduct in the Capitol.." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I linked a Politico story about this Hitler wannabe yesterday, but I didn't have this swell photo then. Trump has teased a run for president* in 2024 & has hinted mike pence wont' be his running mate. He should pick der Führer instead. And definitely go with that pic. This needs a little work, but it's a good start for "Trump/Hale-Hitler in 2024!" campaign lit. ~~~

At the Ghost Hotel. David Smith of the Guardian: "Clobbered first by the coronavirus pandemic, then by its owner's election defeat, the Trump International Hotel in Washington is reeling from a huge loss of income and prestige.... One recent afternoon it seemed more reminiscent of the haunted hotel in Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining.... A week [after President Biden's inauguration], the New York Times reported that the lobby was largely vacant and the waiters and staff members outnumbered the customers." See also Akhilleus' comment below on Trump's business acumen. MB: I'm thinking that a rude, nasty oaf is not well-suited to the hospitality business.

Ted Comes to Tucker's Rescue. Under Biden, the military is launching political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson & other civilians who criticize their policy decisions. Officials in uniform are being used for the campaign. I've demanded a meeting with the Commandant of the USMC to put a stop to it. -- Sen. Ted Cruz, in a tweet

The tweet reproduces a copy of Ted's letter to Secretary of defense Lloyd Austin. It irks me that our tax dollars are being wasted on this farce. -- Marie

Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Marina Piofsky of the Hill: "MSNBC host Rachel Maddow won a Grammy Award on Sunday for the audiobook recording of her most recent book. The book, titled 'Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth,' was published in 2019. Maddow won the award in the Best Spoken Word Album category."

Beyond the Beltway

New York. Jesse McKinley & David Goodman of the New York Times: "At the height of the pandemic, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called upon some of his most trusted emissaries to return to the fold to help coordinate the state's coronavirus response, including Larry Schwartz, his former top aide who is now leading New York's vaccination efforts. But with Mr. Cuomo facing concurrent scandals and calls for his resignation, Mr. Schwartz has also assumed a more familiar role: as a political operative, asking state Democratic leaders to support the governor, a third-term Democrat, while continuing to discuss the urgent business of immunization. According to two Democratic county executives, Mr. Schwartz placed calls to them in recent weeks, inquiring about their loyalty to the governor.... [One county] executive's legal counsel filed a preliminary complaint on Friday with the state attorney general office's public integrity bureau, about a possible ethics violation by the governor's office, according to an official with direct knowledge of the complaint. Mr. Schwartz insisted in a statement on Sunday that he had never mixed Covid-response policy with political considerations...." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's story is here. An AP story, based on the NYT & WashPo reports, is here.

Way Beyond

** #MeToo Plus. Amanda Taub of the New York Times: "... the response [to the murder of Sarah Everard] from British women to reports that the police were going door to door telling women in the South London neighborhood where she disappeared to stay inside for their own safety became an outpouring of rage and frustration. It has set off a social movement that feels, somehow, different from those that have come before: women from all walks of life demanding safety from male violence -- and demanding that the police, the government and men collectively be the ones to bear the burden of ensuring it.... In the days after Ms. Everard's disappearance, a group calling itself Reclaim These Streets announced that a vigil would be held on Saturday night in a South London park. The event would be partly to mourn and partly to protest the police instructions to women to stay home for their own security and to demand safer streets instead.... Whatever the Met's internal reasoning, the message it sent to women across the country was that the police were doubling down on restricting women's freedom instead of men's violence." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is important. British women are demanding not just that men be prosecuted after the fact for sexual misconduct & violence but that society must prevent the misconduct & violence before it happens.

The Commentariat -- March 14, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

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

A Florida Man/Nowhere Man. Gabby Orr & Meredith McGraw of Politico: "... Donald Trump finds himself adrift while in political exile. And Republicans, and even some allies, say he is disorganized, torn between playing the role of antagonist and party leader.... He backed away from creating a third party and has soured on the costly prospect of launching his own TV empire or social media startup. His vow to target disloyal Republicans with personally-recruited primary challengers has taken a backseat to conventional endorsements of senators who refused to indulge his quest to overturn the 2020 election. And though he was supposed to build a massive political apparatus to keep his MAGA movement afloat, it's unclear to Republicans what his PAC is actually doing, beyond entangling itself in disputes with Republican icons and the party's fundraising arms." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm sure we're not surprised. The only things Donald Trump has ever done in the last 40 years is collect money from suckers and tell lies about himself & people he doesn't like. He's just keeping up the tradition.

A Texas Man. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A Texas man who joined a mob at the Capitol on Jan. 6 told two rioters he had set up a security company as a front to access law enforcement-grade weaponry that could be used to 'take back our country,' according to private, encrypted messages revealed Saturday by prosecutors. Guy Reffitt, who drove from Texas to Washington, D.C., also said in recorded conversations that he and others were carrying firearms during the siege of the Capitol. He also encouraged his two associates to join the 'Texas Three Percenters' militia, according to the messages posted to Telegram.... Prosecutors described the arrangement in an effort to persuade a judge that Reffitt is too dangerous to be released before his trial on charges related to the Capitol assault. Reffitt is a self-described Three Percenter, which prosecutors describe as an ideology rooted in the notion that the current government is the equivalent of British oppressors and can be overthrown by armed militias. They noted that Reffitt misled the FBI about his company -- TTP Security, LLC -- telling them it had no connection to the Texas Three Percenters. Rather, he said, it stood for 'Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures.'"

I forgot! It's National Pi(e) Day! ~~~

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An Awakening. Marie: What with most Americans losing an hour of sleep time last night (except those living in Arizona or Hawaii), and what with a discussion in yesterday's Comments thread about "Nessun Dorma" ("let no one sleep") AND about "reaction" videos, it seemed like a good time to publish this guy's reactions to what he calls "Nissan Dorma" (precisely what I told the Italian rental company when my hired car wouldn't start). You probably won't want to watch the whole thing, but the guy's reactions are priceless:

Griff Witte, et al., of the Washington Post: "Compared with its developed-world peers, America has always been a study in contrasts, a paradox of exceptional achievement and jaw-dropping deprivation. Rarely have the disparities been rendered as vividly as in recent weeks and months. Historic breakthroughs in science, medicine and technology coexist intimately -- and uneasily -- alongside monumental failures of infrastructure, public health and equitable access to basic human needs. America can put a rover on Mars, but it can't keep the lights on and water running in the city that birthed the modern space program. It can develop vaccines, in record time, to combat a world-altering illness, but suffers one of the developed world's highest death rates due to lack of prevention and care. It spins out endless entertainment to keep millions preoccupied during lockdown -- and keep tech shares riding high on Wall Street -- but leaves kids disconnected from the access they need to do their schoolwork."

By R. Bolling. If you find the dialog balloons hard to read, you can click on the picture to increase the size. Thanks to PD Pepe for sending the cartoon my way.

Rosa Flores, et al., of CNN: "Children detained in an overcrowded government-run tent facility at the US-Mexico border say they haven't been able to shower for days or contact their parents, according to lawyers who interviewed them this week. Lawyers from the National Center for Youth Law spoke with about a dozen children in Donna, Texas, this week.... The children were terrified, crying and worried about not being able to speak with family members..., said [the director of the National Center for Youth Law].... The allegations ... come as concerns mount over the growing number of children in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody. Earlier this week, CNN reported that there were more than 3,700 unaccompanied migrant children in the agency's custody -- a record high. On Saturday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced he is directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support efforts for 90 days to shelter unaccompanied minors who have crossed the border." ~~~

~~~ Update. Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration is deploying the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Mexico border to help care for thousands of unaccompanied migrant teens and children who are arriving in overwhelming numbers and being packed into detention cells and tent shelters, the Department of Homeland Security said Saturday evening. The deployment marks another escalation in the administration's response to the growing crisis at the border. It is part of what DHS said would be a 90-day government-wide effort at the border, where an unprecedented number of minors are arriving without their parents each day and must be sheltered and cared for until they can be placed with a vetted sponsor, usually a parent or relative already living in the United States. About 8,500 teens and children are living in shelters run by Health and Human Services, and unaccompanied minors are arriving more quickly than HHS officials can place children with sponsors."

David Kirkpatrick & Allen Feuer of the New York Times: An examination of the histories of Proud Boys Joseph Biggs & Ethan Nordean "shows that local and federal law enforcement agencies passed up several opportunities to take action against them and their fellow Proud Boys long before they breached the Capitol.... Local police officers have appeared at times to side with the Proud Boys, especially when they have squared off against leftists openly critical of law enforcement.... The Proud Boys have made little effort to hide violent intentions.... Yet the Proud Boys' belligerence fit the definition of terrorism, other officials said: unlawful violence and intimidation for political aims. Members raised money to travel across state lines to dozens of rallies with the intent of street fighting, at least once explicitly targeting a Muslim community in upstate New York for harassment -- activities that could have justified the scrutiny of federal law enforcement." The details are disturbing. When these guys each attacked someone else, the victim was arrested, but the Proud Boys weren't. When police contacted Proud Boys in anticipation of expected violence, it was to help them out, not to warn them against attacking adversaries.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A U.S. Army reservist who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was widely known as a white supremacist and regularly discussed his hatred of Jews while working at a New Jersey-based naval facility, according to new evidence revealed by federal prosecutors late Friday. The reservist, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, who worked as a security contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle and held a secret-level security clearance, was arrested and charged Jan. 15 for allegedly breaching the Capitol. At the time, prosecutors described him as an 'avowed white supremacist' and Nazi sympathizer, a determination based in part on evidence provided by a confidential source to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and a YouTube channel in which Hale-Cusanelli expressed those views." MB: Or, as Sen. Ron Johnson would put it, a patriot "that loved this country." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Katie Lobosco & Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "Some Americans are already seeing the latest round of stimulus payments hit their bank accounts, as the first batch of funds is rolled out.... The White House on Thursday had announced that payments would go out as soon as this weekend for those who have their direct deposit information on hand at Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service. Processing of the first batch of stimulus payments began on Friday and more will roll out in the 'coming weeks,' an official with the Treasury Department told reporters on a Friday call. By Saturday morning, several people had posted on social media about seeing their stimulus payments pending in their bank accounts." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Mary Papenfuss of the Huffington Post: "Americans waiting to get their stimulus checks were growing increasingly frustrated Saturday after discovering some banks won't make checks available to them for days, even if they've already been deposited by the federal government. The official payment date for the 'Economic Impact Payments' is March 17, but millions of dollars in checks had already landed in countless bank accounts by Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported.... Chase, however, issued a statement that it will release the payments beginning March 17, apparently even if the money lands in accounts earlier. Wells Fargo said the same: that it will treat all checks as arriving March 17, whether they arrive earlier or not." MB: It's worth noting that big banks can make millions off use of the money for the days they hold these checks.

Amanda Burke of the Berkshire Eagle: "After Yo-Yo Ma received his second jab of a COVID-19 vaccine at Berkshire Community College Saturday, he transformed his 15-minute observation period into a concert for the newly inoculated. The world-famous cellist and part-time Berkshires resident completed his vaccination course at the field house clinic, and he 'wanted to give something back,' Richard Hall of the Berkshire COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative told The Eagle. Yo-Yo Ma took a seat along the wall of the observation area, masked and socially distanced away from the others. He went on to pass 15 minutes in observation playing cello for an applauding audience, in what Hall called a 'very special' concert that capped the day's vaccination event." ~~~

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

A Message from the Former Guy. I hope everyone remembers when they're getting the COVID-19 (often referred to as the China Virus) Vaccine, that if I wasn't President, you wouldn't be getting that beautiful 'shot' for 5 years, at best, and probably wouldn't be getting it at all. I hope everyone remembers! -- Donald Trump, in a racist statement released Wednesday ~~~

~~~ Conservative Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post has the correct response. Thanks to Ken. W. for the link. Also too, in today's Comments, Akhilleus gets it so right. Marie: I used to compare Trump to Nero's fiddling while Rome burned, but as Akhilleus's analogy makes clear, Trump is way worse than Nero. (Also linked yesterday.)

S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "A dog rescue charity with links to Lara Trump has spent as much as $1.9 million at ... Donald Trump's properties over the last seven years and will drop an additional quarter-million at his Mar-a-Lago country club this weekend. According to a permit filed with the town of Palm Beach, Florida, Big Dog Ranch Rescue estimates it will spend $225,000 at the club where Donald Trump has taken up full-time residence since leaving the White House. All the profit from that spending winds up in his pocket. Internal Revenue Service filings show that the group has spent as much as $1,883,160 on fundraising costs at Mar-a-Lago and Trump's golf course 18 miles north in Jupiter starting in 2014. Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, started being listed as a chairwoman for charity events in 2018, and the group's president, Lauren Simmons, visited the White House in 2019 for the signing of a bill addressing animal cruelty." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ See also Akhilleus' comment below. I'll have Akhilleus know, however, that according to a report I didn't read & won't link, Donald made a "surprise appearance" at Lara's Mar-a-Lardo doggie scamapalooza.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. How Fox "News" Could Kill You. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Republican men are a central part of coronavirus vaccine resistance," and Republican men are the group most likely to get their "news" from Fox "News," which often features anti-vaxxers & other vaccine skeptics. For instance, right after Fox aired President Biden's address to the nation Thursday in Tucker Carlson's time slot (the TuckerCam incident!), Carlson interviewed vaccine skeptic Alex Berenson. The message: "the oppressive government was mandating that you do this scary thing [-- get vaccinated --], because this is what leftist government does." Coincidence or cause-and-effect??? ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: While it's acceptable, if stupid, to oppose the stimulus because the deficit! or lazy, mooching poor people! But it's unacceptable to oppose life-saving healthcare initiatives because Joe Biden. Fox "News" doesn't know the difference. BTW, even if the so-called "fairness doctrine" (-- which required broadcast networks to air opposing views --) were re-imposed, I don't think it would apply to Fox "News," which is a cable, not a broadcast, network. The basis for the fairness doctrine was the broadcast networks were granted rights to use "public" airwaves; cable networks use privately-owned cables to air their content. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I would like to ask Tucker Carlson who he thinks is the better citizen, he or Yo Yo Ma.

Beyond the Beltway

Kentucky. Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The boyfriend of Breonna Taylor on Friday filed a federal lawsuit against the Louisville government and the police officers involved in the botched raid in which his girlfriend was killed, alleging law enforcement made false claims to get a warrant to search Taylor's apartment and violated his constitutional rights. The 38-page lawsuit by Kenneth Walker casts Taylor's death as preventable and alleges broad, problematic practices of the Louisville Metro Police Department: nighttime raids and a failure by officers to clearly identify themselves."

New York. Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: The popularity Gov. Andrew Cuomo garnered from his daily coronavirus briefings represented "the apex of an Icarus-like arc for a leader convinced of his own hype and indestructibility. Less than a year later, Mr. Cuomo's governorship is imperiled, as he faces allegations of groping, sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior made by six women; an independent investigation into those accusations; an impeachment inquiry by state legislators; a federal investigation into his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic; and collapsing support from leaders in his own party.... [In] his self-regard, his disdain for fellow Democrats [and] his imperious demeanor, Mr. Cuomo alienated allies and enemies alike on his way up in politics, and [he] now finds himself sliding from hero-level worship to pariah-like status with the kind of astonishing speed that only the friendless suffer." ~~~

~~~ Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "A former Albany reporter on Friday became the seventh woman to accuse Andrew Cuomo (D) of sexual harassment, adding to a growing pile of allegations against the embattled New York governor. Jessica Bakeman, who worked as a statehouse reporter, detailed a number of instances in New York Magazine in which she says Cuomo harassed her. Bakeman prefaced her accounts by saying that Cuomo had put his hands 'on my arms, my shoulders, the small of my back, my waist' throughout her time as a reporter in the capital.... She [said] that she did not believe Cuomo was interested in her sexually but was asserting his power as governor." MB: Read the accounts Axelrod repeats & you're apt to agree with Bakeman's assessment. (Also linked yesterday.)

West Virginia. Ken Ward of the Mountain State Spotlight, published by ProPublica: "The federal government is seeking to collect nearly $3.2 million in fines from coal companies owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice after the firms violated the terms of a major water pollution settlement, according to documents filed Thursday in federal court. U.S. Department of Justice attorneys said in their filing that Southern Coal Corp. and two related companies failed to renew required water pollution permits, leading to unauthorized discharges at three mining sites in Tennessee and one in Alabama. Those permits are required so regulators can limit the runoff of everything from mud to toxic metals from coal operations. The companies' actions triggered fines under the terms of a 2016 settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency.... Justice, a billionaire listed by Forbes as the richest person in the state, owns a vast empire of businesses, including coal mines, resort hotels and agricultural interests, many of them regulated by the state agencies that report to him. While Justice's adult children have day-to-day control over the family's business operations, the governor has continued to guide the empire." Justice was a Democrat. In 2017, he became a Republican. MB: I'm sure that has nothing to do with how mean the EPA is under Democratic presidents. (Also linked yesterday.)

Way Beyond

U.K. Laura Smith-Spark, et al., of CNN: "A London Metropolitan Police officer has been charged with the kidnap and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, whose disappearance on a walk home has reignited a national debate in Britain on women's safety and sexual assault. Wayne Couzens, 48, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday for his first hearing. He has been remanded in custody and will next appear in court at the Old Bailey in London on March 16, according to Met Police. Everard disappeared on March 3 while walking in Clapham, south London, prompting an extensive police search in the area." ~~~

~~~ David Milliken & Natalie Thomas of Reuters: "Police in London clashed with mourners and protesters on Saturday after more than a thousand people gathered to mark the killing of a 33-year-old woman, hours after the police officer charged with her murder appeared in court.... Early on Saturday an impromptu memorial with flowers and candles sprang up around the bandstand on Clapham Common in southwest London, near where Everard was last seen alive. Kate, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, was among those who paid their respects.... By late Saturday around a thousand people - mostly women - gathered at the site to pay their respects and protest at the lack of security they felt when out alone. Some chanted 'shame on you' at police who were present. Campaign groups had wanted to organise a formal vigil, but London's Metropolitan Police said people should not gather due to coronavirus restrictions. The head of the force, Cressida Dick, said any vigil 'would be unlawful and would be unsafe'. As tensions mounted, Reuters witnesses saw police drag several women away from the gathering on Clapham Common."

U.K. If you wonder why Harry & Meghan's son is not a prince, it isn't because the royals are racists; it's because the current palace rules, adopted in 1917, limit the number of princes & princesses. Queen Elizabeth can change the rules, and in fact she did, to grant princely titles to Prince William's younger children, who didn't qualify under George V's 1917 rules.

The Commentariat -- March 13, 2021

Late Morning Update:

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

I hope everyone remembers when they're getting the COVID-19 (often referred to as the China Virus) Vaccine, that if I wasn't President, you wouldn't be getting that beautiful 'shot' for 5 years, at best, and probably wouldn't be getting it at all. I hope everyone remembers! -- Donald Trump, in a racist statement released Wednesday ~~~

~~~ Conservative Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post has the correct response. Thanks to Ken. W. for the link. Also too, in today's Comments, Akhilleus gets it so right. Marie: I used to compare Trump to Nero's fiddling while Rome burned, but as Akhilleus's analogy makes clear, Trump is way worse than Nero.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A U.S. Army reservist who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was widely known as a white supremacist and regularly discussed his hatred of Jews while working at a New Jersey-based naval facility, according to new evidence revealed by federal prosecutors late Friday. The reservist, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, who worked as a security contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle and held a secret-level security clearance, was arrested and charged Jan. 15 for allegedly breaching the Capitol. At the time, prosecutors described him as an 'avowed white supremacist' and Nazi sympathizer, a determination based in part on evidence provided by a confidential source to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and a YouTube channel in which Hale-Cusanelli expressed those views." MB: Or, as Sen. Ron Johnson would put it, a patriot "that loved this country."

S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "A dog rescue charity with links to Lara Trump has spent as much as $1.9 million at ... Donald Trump's properties over the last seven years and will drop an additional quarter-million at his Mar-a-Lago country club this weekend. According to a permit filed with the town of Palm Beach, Florida, Big Dog Ranch Rescue estimates it will spend $225,000 at the club where Donald Trump has taken up full-time residence since leaving the White House. All the profit from that spending winds up in his pocket. Internal Revenue Service filings show that the group has spent as much as $1,883,160 on fundraising costs at Mar-a-Lago and Trump's golf course 18 miles north in Jupiter starting in 2014. Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, started being listed as a chairwoman for charity events in 2018, and the group's president, Lauren Simmons, visited the White House in 2019 for the signing of a bill addressing animal cruelty."

New York. Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "A former Albany reporter on Friday became the seventh woman to accuse Andrew Cuomo (D) of sexual harassment, adding to a growing pile of allegations against the embattled New York governor. Jessica Bakeman, who worked as a statehouse reporter, detailed a number of instances in New York Magazine in which she says Cuomo harassed her. Bakeman prefaced her accounts by saying that Cuomo had put his hands 'on my arms, my shoulders, the small of my back, my waist' throughout her time as a reporter in the capital.... She [said] that she did not believe Cuomo was interested in her sexually but was asserting his power as governor." MB: Read the accounts Axelrod repeats & you're apt to agree with Bakeman's assessment.

West Virginia. Ken Ward of the Mountain State Spotlight, published by ProPublica: "The federal government is seeking to collect nearly $3.2 million in fines from coal companies owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice after the firms violated the terms of a major water pollution settlement, according to documents filed Thursday in federal court. U.S. Department of Justice attorneys said in their filing that Southern Coal Corp. and two related companies failed to renew required water pollution permits, leading to unauthorized discharges at three mining sites in Tennessee and one in Alabama. Those permits are required so regulators can limit the runoff of everything from mud to toxic metals from coal operations. The companies' actions triggered fines under the terms of a 2016 settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency.... Justice, a billionaire listed by Forbes as the richest person in the state, owns a vast empire of businesses, including coal mines, resort hotels and agricultural interests, many of them regulated by the state agencies that report to him. While Justice's adult children have day-to-day control over the family's business operations, the governor has continued to guide the empire." Justice was a Democrat. In 2017, he became a Republican. MB: I'm sure that has nothing to do with how mean the EPA is under Democratic presidents.

~~~~~~~~~~

Chloee Weiner & Brandon Carter of NPR: "President Biden and Vice President Harris spoke at the White House Rose Garden Friday afternoon in a ceremony celebrating the passage of the administration's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package earlier this week. The joint event with congressional Democratic leaders marks the start of a concerted push by the White House to promote the American Rescue Plan around the country.... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer attended, alongside a number of Democratic House and Senate committee chairs."

Morgan Chalfant & Brett Samuels of the Hill: "The White House is mounting an all-out push to sell President Biden's newly signed coronavirus relief bill to the public, starting with trips to multiple states in the coming week.... Administration officials say Democrats fell short during the Obama era of selling the 2009 economic recovery bill.... The trips across the country -- many of them targeting swing states -- are the center point of the White House's campaign to highlight the tangible deliverables of the American Rescue Plan Act, including the $1,400 direct payments going to the majority of Americans and funding for vaccine distribution and school reopenings.

Peter Alexander: Biden Should Give Trump More Credit. Tommy Christopher of Mediaite: "NBC News White House correspondent Peter Alexander took the initiative to compose a statement that President Joe Biden could use in order to give ... Donald Trump some credit for the success of the vaccination program that's currently underway. Several news outlets, including ABC News and The New York Times, criticized President Biden's address to the nation on the anniversary of the Covid pandemic shutdown for failing to credit Trump. At Friday's White House daily briefing, Alexander asked Press Secretary Jen Psaki about that aspect of the speech, and went a step further by reading his own version of what Biden could have said to credit Trump." MB: Yeesh!

Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "The United States, India, Japan and Australia pledged Friday to jointly manufacture and distribute up to 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine before the end of next year, as the Biden administration comes under increased pressure to provide more vaccine help to poorer nations. The vaccine would be supplied to Southeast Asian nations and potentially elsewhere as act of charity that represents a workaround for President Biden, who has said he cannot yet divert any U.S. supply despite a projected surplus, given that many Americans are still urgently awaiting their immunizations."

Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: "The coronavirus has been running rampant for months through Immigration and Customs Enforcement's network of jails holding civil immigration detainees fighting deportation -- but the agency has no vaccination program and, unlike the Bureau of Prisons, is relying on state and local health departments to procure vaccine doses. Nobody can say how many detainees have been vaccinated. The Biden administration says it wants to make every adult in the United States eligible for vaccination by May -- and immigration agents have said they would not interfere with efforts to vaccinate undocumented immigrants outside of detention. But lawyers for immigrants who are detained say there is no urgency to vaccinate those in federal custody against a deadly pathogen that can spread fast in confined spaces."

California. Capitalism Is Awesome, Ctd., When the Boss Is a Careless Tyrant. Faiz Siddiqui of the Washington Post: "Tesla's Bay Area production plant recorded hundreds of covid-19 cases following CEO Elon Musk's defiant reopening of the plant in May, according to county-level data obtained by a legal transparency website.... The data, covering the months between May and December, showed there were around 450 total reported cases. Roughly 10,000 people work at the plant.... Musk fought vigorously against the county-mandated shutdown, arguing Tesla should be allowed to continue producing cars despite the stay-at-home orders. In late April, he railed against the government mandates, hurling expletives during an earnings call and calling them 'fascist.' By May 11, he said Tesla was reopening, ultimately drawing support from anti-shutdown crowds and ... Donald Trump."

Texas. Wes Wilson of KXAN Austin: "A Texas District Court judge refused to grant the State of Texas an emergency, temporary injunction on Friday, meaning the mask mandate from Austin and Travis County will stay in place for at least two more weeks.... Judge Lora Livingston said she wanted more time for each side to make their case. She set another hearing for March 26. But this means Austin and Travis County will be able to enforce its mask mandate through spring break, which starts this weekend."

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "U.S. prosecutors on Friday sketched out the gargantuan scope of the investigation in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, asking for courts to delay most cases by at least two months after being pressed by a handful of defendants and some judges to speed up trials and plea offers. 'The investigation and prosecution of the Capitol Attack will likely be one of the largest in American history, both in terms of the number of defendants prosecuted and the nature and volume of the evidence,' the U.S. attorney's office in D.C. wrote in morning court filings in seeking a delay before turning over evidence to defendants.... Charges have been brought against 312 people and are expected against at least 100 more, according to court officials and prosecutors." NPR's story is here.

Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post: "A New York man arrested Friday for assaulting a D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol confessed to the FBI that he buried the officer's badge in his backyard after he returned home. Thomas Sibick was arrested Friday in Buffalo, New York, according to court records. Sibick faces five charges, including obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, assaulting or impeding officers, and taking a thing of value by force or intimidation. Sibick was caught on video assaulting MPD Officer Mike Fanone, who was tasered and assaulted by rioters, who dragged him into the mob as they tried to get into the Capitol.... Fanone's body camera footage shows his police radio and badge being ripped from his vest by Sibick, according to the affidavit. After the riot, Sibick posted images of himself holding a U.S. Capitol Police shield and attempting to enter the building with the mob." MB: Sibick is one of the people Sen. RonAnon describes as among those who "truly respect law enforcement." ~~~

... mainly because I knew that even though those thousands of people that were marching the Capitol were trying to pressure people like me to vote the way they wanted me to vote, I knew those were people that loved this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break a law, and so I wasn't concerned.... Now had the tables been turned..., and President Trump won the election and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned. -- Sen. RonAnon Johnson (R-Wis.) in a radio interview Friday ~~~

~~~ Stupidest Senator: I'm Afraid of Peaceful Black Protesters, Not Violent White Terrorists. Dartunorro Clark of NBC News (republished in Yahoo! News): “Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., described the pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 as people who 'truly respect law enforcement' and 'loved this country' in a radio interview Friday and expressed worry if the mob had been Black Lives Matter protesters or Antifa members. Johnson said he 'never felt threatened' as thousands of rioters broke through barricades, forcing Congress to evacuate parts of the building and abruptly pause a ceremonial event affirming that President-elect Joe Biden won the November election."

Jill Filipovic in a Washington Post op-ed: "Senate Republicans are suddenly social media critics, particularly fussy about what they consider out of bounds for the raucous public square of Twitter. They sank Neera Tanden, President Biden's first choice to run the Office of Management and Budget, over what they deemed to be mean tweets.... Republicans are recycling the mean-tweets attack on Biden nominees whose tweets aren't even mean -- they're just harsh truths.... For example, Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have criticized Vanita Gupta, Biden's nominee for associate attorney general, for tweeting her reaction to the 2020 GOP convention: 'Don't know if I can take three more nights of racism, xenophobia, and outrageous lies.' But her tweet was right on the merits, and the language appropriate.... Let's face it: Tweets aren't the issue. This is about the mirror being held up to Republican failures." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "The Defense Department's internal watchdog has concluded a long-delayed investigation into Michael Flynn, defense officials said Friday, sending its findings to the Army in a case that could bring tens of thousands of dollars in financial penalties for ... Donald Trump's first national security adviser. The investigation focuses on Flynn's acceptance of money from Russian and Turkish interests before joining the Trump administration, a potential violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause. With few exceptions, U.S. officials, including retired service members like Flynn, are prohibited from accepting money or gifts from foreign governments.... The inspector general's investigation, opened in April 2017, was put on hold for more than three years amid a broader scandal that included a criminal investigation of Flynn by the Justice Department...."

Remembering the Former Guy. How Not to Show Your Respects. Cnaan Liphshiz of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: "Donald Trump showed off photos of naked women posing with him on a yacht to mourners at the shiva for an associate's mother, The New Yorker reported. Jennifer Weisselberg, the former daughter-in-law of the Trump organization's chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, recalled the incident in a profile of Cyrus Vance Jr., the Manhattan prosecutor who is considering charging the former president and real estate mogul on tax, insurance and banking fraud charges. The incident took place before her 2004 wedding to Barry Weisselberg. Trump arrived at the shiva at a modest Long Island home and declared,'This is where my C.F.O. lives? It's embarrassing!' He then showed the photos of the women. 'After that, he starts hitting on me,' Jennifer Weisselberg said of Trump, and complained that her future father-in-law 'didn't stand up for me.'"

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. TuckerCam! Phil Owen of the the Wrap: "President Joe Biden gave a speech during Tucker Carlson's time slot on Thursday night, and Fox News tried something new, and strange: having a live feed of Tucker's face throughout, so viewers could enjoy watching him stare blankly into the camera while listening to the president. The 'Live Tucker Reaction' inlay may have been improvised on the fly -- the box initially appeared a couple minutes into the speech, and then disappeared after about 30 seconds. A couple minutes after that it came back, and stayed up for seven minutes before disappearing again. It came and went two more times before the speech ended.... Right after Biden said that it's wrong to be racist against Asian Americans, we got one of Tucker's most obvious reactions of the speech: he raised his eyebrows at that moment.... A reminder that Fox News argued in court last year that Tucker Carlson should not to be treated like a credible news person." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In the still photos I've seen, Tucker was scowling, which I think is his idea of looking pensive. I feel sort of jealous of Joe Biden; I wish I had a TuckerCam following me around & scowling at my every action & word. Maybe my opthalmologist can rig something up in a corner of my glasses.

Beyond the Beltway

Minnesota. Shaquille Brewster & Janelle Griffith of NBC News: "The city of Minneapolis has reached a $27 million settlement with George Floyd's family just weeks before the trial is scheduled to begin for the former officer charged with murder in his death. The City Council unanimously approved the settlement Friday after adding the matter to its agenda for a closed session[.] Floyd's family filed a federal lawsuit in July against the city and the four officers involved in the arrest that led to his death. The lawsuit took issue with neck restraints and police policies and training, among other things." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times' story is here.

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní & Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "Facing a deluge of calls to resign from New York's U.S. senators and the majority of its House Democrats, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo made clear on Friday he had no intention of quitting, deriding the mounting pressure from his own party as 'cancel culture' and insisting he would not bow to it." A Politico story is here. ~~~

~~~ Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) late Friday called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to resign amid growing sexual harassment allegations against him. In a joint statement, the two senators, who had come under pressure themselves to call on Cuomo to resign after other state officials and House lawmakers from New York had done so, said it would be difficult for him to continue to govern given the controversies." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Brian M. Rosenthal & Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the New York Times: "In interviews over the past week, more than 35 people who have worked in [Gov. Andrew] Cuomo's executive chamber described the office as deeply chaotic, unprofessional and toxic, especially for young women. It is a workplace, the current and former employees said, where tasks are assigned not based on job titles, but on who is liked by Mr. Cuomo and his top aides. Those interviewed described an environment where the senior executive staff regularly deride junior workers, test their dedication to the governor and make them compete to earn his affection and avoid his wrath.... Many said they believed that Mr. Cuomo and other officials seemed to focus on how employees looked and how they dressed. Twelve young women said they felt pressured to wear makeup, dresses and heels, because, it was rumored, that was what the governor liked.... Mr. Cuomo's office denied many of the issues raised by the employees...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Get Out! Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "A raft of powerful Democratic members of New York's congressional delegation, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jerrold Nadler, called on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to resign on Friday, saying Mr. Cuomo had lost the capacity to govern amid a series of multiplying scandals. In a cascade of separate and joint statements, at least 12 House members said Mr. Cuomo should leave office following a string of sexual harassment allegations and controversy over his administration's handling of nursing homes during the pandemic. 'Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of the people of New York,' said Mr. Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and one of the highest-ranking members of Congress. 'Governor Cuomo must resign.'" A Politico story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Zoe Richards of TPM: "Aides to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called former employees to glean information about potential conversations they had with Lindsey Boylan a former aide who first accused Cuomo of sexual harassment in December, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. 'I felt intimidated, and I felt bewildered,' Ana Liss, a former aide to the governor who received one of the calls in December, told WSJ. The governor's office made calls to Liss and at least five other former employees either to find out if they had heard from Boylan or to gather information about her in conversations that some said they saw as attempts to intimidate them, WSJ said.... One said a caller encouraged them to give reporters any information that would discredit the former aide, who worked for the Cuomo administration between 2015 and 2018 and alleged in tweets that he 'sexually harassed me for years,' and that 'many saw it, and watched.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Way Beyond

Russia. Reuters: "Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been moved from a jail where he had been held in quarantine for the past several weeks, and the TASS news agency said he was now at the penal colony where he is meant to serve out a two-and-a-half year sentence. One of Navalny's lawyers confirmed that Navalny was no longer being held at the Kolchugino jail in the Vladimir region northeast of Moscow, but said the legal team had not been told where he had been taken." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)