December 7, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Kaitlin Collins of CNN: "Lawyers for ... Donald Trump recently hired a team to search four of his properties for any potentially remaining classified materials, according to a source familiar the matter. The team of two searched Trump Tower in New York, the Bedminster golf club and two other properties amid lingering concerns from the Justice Department that not all documents had been returned to the federal government." The story advances a WashPo story linked earlier today. ~~~

     ~~~ ** Update. Why, Lookie Here. Jacqueline Alemany, et al., of the Washington Post: "Lawyers for ... Donald Trump found at least two items marked classified after an outside team hired by Trump searched a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Fla., used by the former president, according to people familiar with the matter. Those items were immediately turned over to the FBI, according to those people.... A person familiar with the matter said the storage unit had a mix of boxes, gifts, suits and clothes, among other things.... There was no cataloguing of what was put in the storage unit, Trump advisers said...."

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on Wednesday about whether to adopt a legal theory that would radically reshape how federal elections are conducted. The theory would give state legislatures enormous and largely unchecked power to set all sorts of election rules, notably by drawing congressional maps warped by partisan gerrymandering. The Supreme Court has never endorsed the 'independent state legislature' theory, but four of its conservative members have issued opinions that seemed to take it very seriously. The theory is based on a reading of the Constitution's Elections Clause, which says: 'The times, places and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof.' Proponents of the strongest form of the theory say this means that no other organ of state government can alter a legislature's actions on federal elections. They say that state supreme courts cannot require state laws to conform to state constitutions, that governors may not use their veto power to reject bills about federal elections, that election administrators may not issue regulations adjusting legislative enactments to take account of, say, a pandemic and that voters may not create independent redistricting commissions to address gerrymandering."

Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "Democrats on a pair of congressional committees have launched an aggressive new effort to obtain information about whether Jared Kushner's actions on U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf region as a senior White House adviser were influenced by the bailout of a property owned by his family business. Citing previously undisclosed emails and other documents related to ... Donald Trump's son-in-law, the committees on Monday night sent letters to the State and Defense departments requesting material that they say could shed new light on whether 'Kushner's financial conflict of interest may have led him to improperly influence U.S. tax, trade and national security policies for his own financial gain.' The letters ... focus on efforts by Kushner and his father, Charles Kushner, to bail out a troubled 41-story Fifth Avenue office building in New York City. The Kushner company in 2018 made a deal with a Canadian company, Brookfield Asset Management, which invested $1.2 billion for a 99-year lease. As a result, the Kushner family company avoided defaulting on a loan that was due the following year. Democrats have long raised questions about the deal because the Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, had a stake in one of Brookfield's investment arms."

Glenn Thrush & Serge Kovaleski of the New York Times: "A remarkable succession of administrative errors, gross incompetence and health system failures inside the federal prison system led to the bludgeoning death of James (Whitey) Bulger hours after he was transferred to a West Virginia prison in 2018, the inspector general of the Justice Department has found. The inspector general determined that officials in the federal Bureau of Prisons approved the downgrading of Mr. Bulger's medical condition -- even though they had determined he suffered from a life-threatening cardiac condition -- for the sole purpose of moving him out of a secure unit in a Florida prison to the Hazelton federal penitentiary after he threatened a nurse. They took minimal security precautions even though Mr. Bulger, 89, was widely known to have been a federal informant, which put him at heightened risk; they subsequently allowed word of his arrival to spread to hundreds of prison staff and eventually to the inmates who have been charged with beating him to death with a heavy padlock as he sat defenseless in his wheelchair, the report found. Mr. Bulger's death was preventable..., the Justice Department's inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, concluded in the damning 65-page report."

~~~~~~~~~~

** Jonathan Weisman & Maya King of the New York Times: "Senator Raphael Warnock defeated his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, in a runoff election on Tuesday that capped a grueling and costly campaign, secured a 51-seat Democratic majority and gave the first Black senator from Georgia a full six-year term. Mr. Warnock's victory, called by The Associated Press, ended a marathon midterm election cycle in which Democrats defied history, as they limited the loss of House seats that typically greets the party that holds the White House and now gain a seat in the Senate." This is the top-pinned story in a liveblog. The AP's story is here. The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Fox 5 Atlanta: "Republican candidate Herschel Walker took to the podium Tuesday night to thank his supporters, his staff, and God for giving him the opportunity to run in Georgia's Senate race after his projected loss to incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. 'The numbers look like they're not going to add up,' Walker, an ally and friend of ... Donald Trump, told supporters at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta. 'There's no excuses in life, and I'm not going to make any excuses now because we put up one heck of a fight.'" MB: A bigger person than Trump.

~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "Senator Raphael Warnock's victory in Georgia's runoff election on Tuesday delivered Democrats just one additional seat, but that single layer of padding for their majority will hand them exponentially more leeway to control the chamber than they have now.... With an additional vote, Democrats can take much more operational control of the Senate, easing the confirmation of contentious nominees, clearing the way for investigations and in general availing themselves of breathing room on a variety of matters.... Having an edge on [Senate] committees will allow Democrats to overcome Republican opposition, if they can hold together.... An enlarged majority also dilutes the influence of individual senators such as Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, who has used his swing-vote status to exert significant control over legislation.... Mr. Warnock's win also secured for Democrats the authority to subpoena witnesses before Senate committees without the cooperation of Republicans...."

Mary Jalonick, et al., of the AP: "Law enforcement officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 were honored Tuesday with Congressional Gold Medals nearly two years after they fought supporters of ... Donald Trump in a brutal and bloody attack. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the 'heroes' as she opened the ceremony in the the stately Capitol Rotunda, which was overrun that day when Trump supporters roamed the halls trying to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's election." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I could not find an isolated clip of Nancy Pelosi's remarks, but this video begins with her presentation. It's worth listening to her brief remarks wherein she pits Abraham Lincoln's most famous speech against Donald Trump's treachery. Masterful. ~~~

     ~~~ Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "In a moment that drew widespread attention, family members of former Capitol Police Office Brian Sicknick -- who died one day after the Capitol attack from natural causes following multiple strokes -- snubbed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) during the ceremony, declining to shake their hands after the medals were presented. The family members were captured on camera shaking hands with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), but when they got to McConnell and McCarthy, they continued walking. McConnell's hand was extended during the interaction. 'It's self-explanatory,' Ken Sicknick, the officer's brother, told reporters following the ceremony. 'They came out right away and condemned what happened on Jan. 6. And whatever hold that Trump has on them, they've backstepped, they've danced, they won't admit to wrongdoing.'"(Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

So Much Losing

** Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "The Trump Organization, the family real estate business that made Donald J. Trump a billionaire and propelled him from reality television to the White House, was convicted on Tuesday of tax fraud and other crimes, forever tarring the former president and the company that bears his name. The conviction on all 17 counts, after more than a day of jury deliberations in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, stemmed from the company's practice of doling out off-the-books perks to executives: They received luxury apartments, leased Mercedes-Benzes, extra cash at Christmas, even free cable television. They paid taxes on none of it." (This is an update of an item topping a NYT liveblog linked yesterday.) he top, Law & Crime's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. The Washington Post's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Amy Gardner, et al., of the Washington Post: "Special counsel Jack Smith has sent grand-jury subpoenas to local officials in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin -- three states that were central to ... Donald Trump's failed plan to stay in power following the 2020 election -- seeking any and all communications with Trump, his campaign and a long list of aides and allies. The requests for records arrived in Dane County, Wis.; Maricopa County, Ariz.; and Wayne County, Mich., late last week, and in Milwaukee on Monday, officials said. They are among the first known subpoenas issued since Smith was named last month by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the Jan. 6 Capitol attack case as well as the criminal probe of Trump's possible mishandling of classified documents at his Florida home. The subpoenas, at least three of which are dated Nov. 22, indicates that the Justice Department is extending its examination of the circumstances leading up to the Capitol attack to include local election officials and their potential interactions with the former president and his representatives." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol will issue criminal referrals to the Justice Department based on its inquiry, the panel's chairman said on Tuesday. Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the Democratic chairman of the committee, told reporters on Capitol Hill that the panel had agreed to take the step, but had not agreed on who would be the subject of the referrals. A subcommittee of four lawyers on the committee -- Representatives Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming; Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland; Zoe Lofgren, Democrat of California; and Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California -- has studied whether to issue criminal referrals to the Justice Department for ... Donald J. Trump and some of his top allies. The group made its recommendations privately on Friday. Among the potential charges they have considered are conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Trump's Own Lawyers Don't Trust Him. Jacqueline Alemany, et al., of the Washington Post: "Lawyers for ... Donald Trump conducted a search of at least two of his properties for classified materials in recent weeks, after they were instructed by a federal judge to attest they had fully complied with a May grand jury subpoena to turn over all materials bearing classified markings, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump's legal team hired an outside firm to carry out the search of his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., and, more recently, Trump Tower in New York, according to the people.... The team also offered the FBI the opportunity to observe the search, but the offer was declined, the people said.... Trump's lawyers have told the Justice Department that the outside team did not turn up any new classified information during their search, according to people familiar with the process, and have said they utilized a firm that had expertise in searching for documents."

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday said anyone who suggests the Constitution could be suspended 'would have a very hard time being sworn in as president of the United States.' McConnell's comments appeared directed squarely at former President Trump, who recently called for the termination of parts of the Constitution.... 'What I'm saying is that it would be pretty hard to be sworn in to the presidency if you're not willing to uphold the Constitution,' McConnell added when asked if he would support Trump if he were the Republican nominee for president in 2024." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

AND General Buck Turdgidson Ordered to Testify. Again. Tamar Hallerman of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "A Florida appeals court on Tuesday cleared the way for Michael Flynn..., Donald Trump's onetime national security adviser, to testify before a Fulton County special grand jury. The order, from Florida's Second District Court of Appeal, upholds a lower court ruling denying Flynn's push for a stay on his appearance, which is currently scheduled for Dec. 8."

Cleve Wootson & Toluse Olorunnipa of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Tuesday lauded a pair of semiconductor factories taking shape in Phoenix, saying they're a direct result of his economic policies -- a prelude to what is likely to be two years of crisscrossing the country in an effort to persuade voters the bills he's passed are making a difference in their lives. As Biden heads into the slog of divided government, when legislative wins are likely to be much rarer, he faces pressure to remind voters that he made major gains when he had a freer hand, even as some Democrats complain privately that Biden has so far struggled to convey that his agenda is helping ordinary families."

2024 Presidential Race. Kate Rogers & Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Jill Biden ... told President Emmanuel Macron of France at the White House state dinner last week that she and her husband are ready for his re-election campaign, according to two people with knowledge of the discussion. President Biden then joined the French president and the first lady in a playful toast.... The fact that the Bidens were willing to signal to an important foreign ally about the president's plans hints at how committed they are to a second term. The interaction also offered a window into the thinking of Dr. Biden, who has been held up as a decisive voice in her husband's deliberations.... Mr. Macron asked her whether she was ready for another campaign. Absolutely, was Dr. Biden's emphatic reply.... Then Mr. Macron led the table in a toast to Mr. Biden's 2024 campaign. Mr. Macron raised a glass of wine, and Mr. Biden raised his glass of Coca-Cola.... [Dr. Biden's] East Wing is operating as if a second run is assured, according to several people familiar with the situation. But she has also been clear that the decision is her husband's to make."

Eugene Daniels & Sam Stein of Politico: "Come Wednesday, when top White House officials and Jewish leaders convene [a roundtable], it will further cement a status [Doug Emhoff] never set out to have: one of America's foremost Jewish political figures.... Emhoff has responded to his role as second gentleman by embracing his Jewish identity.... He put in place what he called a 'Jewish kitchen cabinet' on his staff to help address the community's issues. This past January, at a meeting on the White House grounds with then-Rep. Ted Deutch, he expressed a desire to find the right notes and role in responding to the rise of antisemitism.... Emhoff's role in future initiatives will not involve crafting policy but uplifting any administration announcements and continuing to speak out."

Craig Whitlock & Nate Jones of the Washington Post: "More than 500 retired U.S. military personnel -- including scores of generals and admirals -- have taken lucrative jobs since 2015 working for foreign governments, mostly in countries known for human rights abuses and political repression, according to a Washington Post investigation. In Saudi Arabia, for example, 15 retired U.S. generals and admirals have worked as paid consultants for the Defense Ministry since 2016.... Most of the retired U.S. personnel have worked as civilian contractors for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Persian Gulf monarchies, playing a critical, though largely invisible, role in upgrading their militaries. All the while, the gulf countries' security forces have continued to commit human rights abuses at home and beyond their borders. With shared intelligence, aerial refueling and other support from the U.S. government and contractors, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have intervened in Yemen's civil war to disastrous effect, triggering a global humanitarian crisis and killing thousands of civilians, according to United Nations investigators." ~~~

     ~~~ This is the most recent of a seven-part series; all parts are linked at the bottom of this very long article & currently on the WashPo's front page.

A Victory for Republicans Forces an Unnecessary Danger on the Military. Catie Edmondson & John Ismay of the New York Times: "Lawmakers unveiled an $858 billion military policy bill on Tuesday night that would terminate the Pentagon's mandate that troops receive the coronavirus vaccine, a move that the Biden administration has resisted but that came after Republicans threatened to block the bill without it. The decision to scrap the mandate, the product of negotiations between Senate and House leaders in both parties, was a victory for Republicans in a dispute that had added a politically charged and highly emotional issue to the annual military policy debate. Top Republicans, especially Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader who is campaigning for speaker, have made getting rid of the mandate a top priority in the bill, arguing that the requirement amounted to federal overreach and eroded military readiness.... Service members are required to be vaccinated against a whole host of viruses."

The Swan Song of Madison Cawthorn. Zoë Richards of NBC News: "The House Ethics Committee directed GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina to pay nearly $15,000 to a charity Tuesday after finding 'substantial evidence' that he improperly promoted a cryptocurrency while in Congress. The fine caps an investigation announced in May that looked into whether the scandal-plagued lawmaker touted a cryptocurrency known as a Let's Go Brandon coin in which he had a financial interest, and whether he engaged in 'an improper relationship' with an aide on his congressional staff. The committee said in its 81-page report that it did not find evidence of improprieties between Cawthorn and the staffer. However, the subcommittee that conducted the probe said Cawthorn violated rules against conflicts of interest surrounding the cryptocurrency and directed him to pay $14,237.49 to an appropriate charitable organization by Dec. 31. It also found that Cawthorn, 27, failed to file timely reports to the House 'disclosing his transactions relating to the cryptocurrency."

Palling Around with U.S. Adversaries. Gary Fineout of Politico: "Sen. Marco Rubio acknowledged on Tuesday through a spokesperson that he met with indicted ex-Rep. David Rivera [in July 2017] to discuss a potential deal to normalize relations between the United States and Venezuela -- but didn't know that his one-time friend and long-time political ally was working on behalf of strongman Nicolás Maduro. Rubio's dealings with Rivera emerged Monday night after federal authorities arrested and charged the former Miami lawmaker with eight criminal counts, including money laundering, conspiracy and failing to register as a foreign agent for work allegedly connected to the Maduro regime." Rubio also met with a close associate of Maduro's. In August 2022, Rubio told a Miami television statement that Riviera's lobbying for Maduro had "nothing to do with me."

Edward Wong of the New York Times:"A U.S. federal court said in a filing on Tuesday that it was dismissing a lawsuit against the crown prince of Saudi Arabia over the killing of a Saudi columnist who lived in Virginia, after the State Department's determination that the prince has immunity as a head of state or government. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of the columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, named Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the most prominent defendant. Mr. Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents while visiting Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul in 2018 to get documents for his upcoming wedding." CNN's report is here.

Twitter Clusterfuck, Ctd. Faiz Siddiqui of the Washington Post: "Ads for more than three dozen brands including major corporations appeared on the Twitter pages of white nationalist accounts in recent days after Twitter owner Elon Musk restored hordes of banned users to the social media platform. Promoted tweets from Amazon, Snap, Uber and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, among others, appeared inadvertently on the pages of at least two white nationalists, Andrew Anglin and Patrick Casey.... In a vast cost-cutting campaign, Musk fired hundreds of Twitter of employees, including entire teams devoted to content moderation of the site, including ensuring ads not appear on content brands would find objectionable. According to a former Twitter employee..., the accounts must be flagged to prevent advertising from appearing near them -- or they will be treated as ad-eligible."

Beyond the Beltway

Alaska. Ian Livingston & Jacob Feuerstein of the Washington Post: "At the northern tip of Alaska, the city of Utqiagvik on Monday reached its warmest temperature ever observed between November and March, when the mercury shot up to 40 degrees-- 36 degrees above the norm. The record-crushing high temperature was six degrees higher than the next warmest December reading ever measured there, in more than a century of records. It marked yet another exceptional extreme event in a region that is rapidly warming because of human-caused climate change."

California. Killer Robots Nixed for Now. Niha Masih of the Washington Post: "San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to bar police from using robots to kill, in a striking reversal that comes just a week after it gave law enforcement that right in a limited number of situations. The board had received widespread criticism after voting Nov. 29 to approve a police proposal authorizing law enforcement to deploy remote-controlled, ground-based robots to use deadly force when there is 'imminent' risk to life and alternative measures to subdue the threat do not work. Officials on Tuesday also sent the issue back to a committee for additional review, leaving the policy open to future amendment."

Colorado. Karin Bruilliard & Emily Wax-Thibodeaux of the Washington Post: "Anderson Lee Aldrich, who is accused of fatally shooting five people and wounding 17 others at a Colorado Springs night club last month, was formally charged with 305 counts of murder, hate crimes and assault Tuesday. Aldrich, who appeared in court, allegedly entered the club shortly before midnight armed with a pistol and an assault-style rifle and began firing. Then attack ended when other patrons subdued the assailant, authorities say. Aldrich did not speak at Tuesday's hearing." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Jim Mustian, et al., of the AP: "Anderson Lee Aldrich loaded bullets into a Glock pistol and chugged vodka, ominously warning frightened grandparents not to stand in the way of an elaborate plan to stockpile guns, ammo, body armor and a homemade bomb to become 'the next mass killer.' 'You guys die today and I'm taking you with me,' they quoted Aldrich as saying. 'I'm loaded and ready.' So began a day of terror Aldrich unleashed in June 2021.... But charges against Aldrich for the actions that day were dropped for reasons the district attorney has refused to explain due to the case being sealed and there was no record showing guns were seized under Colorado's 'red flag' law with similarly no explanation from the sheriff. All of it could be one of the most glaring missed warnings in America's sad litany of mass violence because, just a year and a half later, Aldrich was free to carry out the plan to become 'the next mass killer.'"

Florida. Ben Brasch of the Washington Post: "The chief of the Tampa Police Department has resigned after the release of a body-cam video showing the chief flashing her badge to get out of a traffic violation on a golf cart. Mary O'Connor resigned Monday after being asked to leave by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. That move followed an internal investigation that found she violated department policy and 'compromised her and the city of Tampa's professionalism and ethics by using her position of authority.' A Pinellas County sheriff's deputy stopped O'Connor and her husband on the golf cart about 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 12 after seeing that they were driving without a tag."

Way Beyond

Argentina. Almudena Calatrava of the AP: "Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was convicted and sentenced Tuesday to 6 years in prison and a lifetime ban from holding public office for a fraud scheme that embezzled $1 billion through public works projects during her presidency. A three-judge panel found the Peronist leader guilty of fraud, but rejected a charge of running a criminal organization, for which the sentence could have been 12 years in prison. It's the first time an Argentine vice president has been convicted of a crime while in office. The sentence isn't firm until appeals are decided, a process that could take years. She'll remains immune from arrest meanwhile, as long as she can keep getting elected." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

China. Chang Che, et al., of the New York Times: "The Chinese government on Wednesday unveiled a broad easing of its strict 'zero Covid' policy, after an extraordinary outburst of discontent in mass street protests a week ago. The changes do not dismantle the policy, but they represent a loosening of measures that have dragged down the economy by disrupting daily life for hundreds of millions of people, forcing many small businesses to close and sending youth unemployment to a record high. Here are the highlights from the announcement."

Germany. QAnon über den Rhein. Melissa Eddy & Erika Solomon of the New York Times: "Special Forces in Germany have arrested 25 people suspected of supporting a domestic terrorist organization that planned to overthrow the government and form its own state, the federal prosecutor said on Wednesday. In early-morning raids carried out across the country, Special Forces officers detained people believed to be members and supporters of the group, which prosecutors said had been formed in the past year and was operating on the conviction that 'Germany is currently ruled by members of a so-called deep state' that needed to be overthrown. Prosecutors said two other people had been arrested outside Germany, one in Austria and another in Italy. The prosecutors described the group, which they did not identify, as being influenced by the ideologies of the conspiracy group QAnon and a right-wing German conspiracy group called the Reichsbürger, or Citizens of the Reich, which believes that Germany's post-World War II republic is not a sovereign country but a corporation set up by the Allies who won the war." The Guardian's report is here.

Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Wednesday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefings for Wednesday are here: "Ukraine's allies are walking a fine line after a series of drone strikes targeting Russian military airfields this week, seeking to acknowledge Ukraine's right to defend itself by hitting military targets, while also balancing concerns about escalating the conflict. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Tuesday the United States has 'neither encouraged nor enabled' Ukraine to carry out attacks inside Russia, while a Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief the press, separately said: 'Attacks on legitimate targets would be legal, but that's not to say that we support or endorse.'... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited his country's forces near the front line in the eastern Donetsk region on Tuesday."

Matthew Bigg of the New York Times: "President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was named Time magazine's person of the year on Wednesday in recognition of his leadership during his country's war against Russia. The magazine also recognized 'the spirit of Ukraine,' pointing to the country's resilience in a rebuke to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. The closely watched honor marks the latest step in a remarkable ascent that has seen Mr. Zelensky catapulted from a career as a television comedian, first to the presidency in 2019 and then, this year, to the status of a leader with global stature."

Comments

[Akhilleus]

Fatty Loses Big. Again!

So much losing. A jury finds his company (which, for all intents and purposes is him) guilty of a baker’s dozen plus four counts of fraud, fraud, fraud, tax evasion, and corporate assholeism.

Then his hand-picked bobble head, Mr. I live in a different state and don’t know what the fuck is going on, lost, which is exactly the same as Fatty losing.

If we heard that he’d developed a few exceptionally painful hemorrhoids in the same 24 hour period as all that losing, it would be icing on the asshole.

Can’t wait for cries of Fraud! and whining about how everything is so unfair to his wonderfulness. But for the nonce, schadenfreude will reign like you read about.

[Ken Winkes]

Awkward news on Pearl Harbor Day, I'd think.

Once again, Republicans are willing to kill people to make a political point, this time members of the military they pretend to love.

How a requirement that service members not be vaccinated against Covid makes them more ready to serve escapes me.

But then the R's tossed logic out the window decades ago.

On the other hand, they may know something about the military I'd rather not know all that much about.

Judging from the high proportion of military and ex-military Oath Keeper members, it's possible the R's are just complying with the the wishes of their military base.

The dumb ones.

[NiskyGuy]

If one of the local officials in Michigan or Arizona to brush off the subpoena, I hope they get thrown in jail faster than they can say Jack Smith. Time is running out!

[Patrick]

Imagine the political world today if, back in 1965-71, you could be classified 4F for refusing to accept an inoculation. The draft would have become a voluntary intake. Shrub, Quayle and thousands could have avoided the reserves; Ali would never have been stripped of his title; no Cambodia, no Kent State; no Nixon; millions of permutational changes. They would have had a war and nobody came, to paraphrase a popular poster of the day.

However -- since there is no draft today, all the COVID Vax ban does is put the uniformed services in danger, because there are more opportunities for the disease to spread. Although much has changed in service life over the decades, a constant remains -- combatants are routinely in confined areas in close contact with their teammates - in ships, planes, classrooms, assault vehicles, foxholes, etc.

Self-inflicted wounds are really stupid.

Will the military compensate now by excusing the unvaxxed from combat deployment, because they are a known source of casualties? That will create a whole new category of REMFs and not be well-accepted by real soldiers.

[Akhilleus]

Sorry to hear about Ted Cruz’s daughter Heidi, who was taken to the hospital with self-inflicted stab wounds. Adolescence just doesn’t get easier for some kids. As my own kid makes his way through the world, we do everything we can to help, but you never know how things work out for some families. Hopefully she can find a better road to travel from here on out.

And just as an aside, I’ve seen an outpouring of support from all sides, Democrats especially. Too bad Republicans can’t behave with decency like that. Just compare this situation with the attacks on the Pelosi family.

There is no “both sides”.

[Ken Winkes]

Akhilleus,

I remember that my own adolescent path, like that of many teens', was replete with uncertainty and disappointments, but I would never have described it as torturous.

Maybe I've just forgotten, but watching my own sons grow up (one now 54, the younger 39) and now listening to the experiences of our teenage grandchildren, I believe they have it much harder, and that teendoms' difficulties have only increased over the years.

I and they grew and grow in stable families, always at least materially comfortable, so I can't imagine what demons those experiencing poverty of any kind, material or psychological, might have to wrestle.

Still, I can't help but believe the hazards afforded by the easy availability of drugs, by social media and the loneliness it paradoxically reflects and imposes, and in the relative absence of assigned family responsibilities and the sense of accomplishment and self-worth that might come with their fulfillment have cast more and more teens adrift.

Much as I sometime wish I were younger, they often evoke in me an uncomfortable sense of sympathy for their plight and of my helplessness to do anything about it.

But maybe this is just an old man, who has no real idea, talking through his hat...

[Ken Winkes]

While immediately intended to ensure that the many already gerrymandered states controlled by Republican legislatures can extend their reach to national elections, the likely consequence I see of the Moore effort would be to impose minority government on the country at large and in the process further dis-unite an already shaky union.

Call it sneaky secession.

[Marie Burns]

@Ken Winkes: If the Court ruled in such a way as to effect secession here & there, I'd be a bit sanguine about it. Unfortunately, the effect of any ruling that conforms to the "independent state legislature" theory will likely affect all of us.

It could, and probably would, mean legislatures would change the results of state elections, so that the makeup of the House & Senate would change, So could the results of a presidential elections by state legislatures creating their own slate of electors, committed to voting for a candidate who was not the choice of the people of that state.

And I reckon it's more likely that Republican-led legislatures would exercise their muscle than would legislatures controlled by Democrats.

[RAS]

The "independent state legislature" theory and TFG calling for the termination of the Constitution sound pretty similar, no checks and balances to get in their way. Both would most likely lead an installed, instead of elected, President. And it's easy to see Democracy fading away under their power grab and dire consequences for most of us.

[Ken Winkes]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/07/election-oversight-supreme-court-north-carolina/

Maybe we can hope only three of the justices are certifiable...