Tuesday
Apr172018
The Commentariat -- April 18, 2018
Late Morning Update:
When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, "You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, it's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should've won." -- Donald Trump to Lester Holt, in May 2017 ...
** ... "This Russia Thing" Is Not "This Russia Thing," After All. John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Wednesday took to Twitter to deny that he fired James B. Comey as FBI director because of the bureau's 'phony' investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, including possible interaction with the Trump campaign. Trump's tweet came shortly after an appearance by Comey on NBC's 'Today' show to promote his new book, during which Comey asserted there 'could be' an obstruction of justice case to be made against Trump given the circumstances under which he was fired. 'Slippery James Comey, the worst FBI Director in history, was not fired because of the phony Russia investigation where, by the way, there was NO COLLUSION (except by the Dems)!' Trump wrote on Twitter." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Too Late, Trumpinocchio: You done been caught on tape accidentally admitting the truth.
Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "President Trump turned to Twitter early on Wednesday to dismiss the sketch of the man a pornographic actress claims threatened her years ago on his behalf.... 'A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!'... His tweet accompanied a post from another Twitter user, who said the man looked like [Stephanie] Clifford's former husband.... Ms. Clifford says the man in the sketch threatened her in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011 while she was with her infant daughter."
Choe Sang-Hun & Jane Perlez of the New York Times: "South Korea confirmed on Wednesday that it had been in talks with American and North Korean officials about negotiating a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War after more than 60 years, as the United States and its ally try to establish a basis for persuading the North t give up its nuclear weapons."
*****
Barbara Bush in 1984. New York Times photo.** Enid Nemy of the New York Times: "Barbara Bush, the widely admired wife of one president and the fiercely loyal mother of another, died Tuesday evening. She was 92.... The Bushes had celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in January, making them the longest-married couple in presidential history." ...
... Lois Romano of the Washington Post has a brief obituary here. ...
... Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post remembers Bush's Wellesley speech.
Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Internal Revenue Service will let taxpayers submit their tax returns without penalty through the end of the day Wednesday, delaying the deadline a day after widespread failures of the agency's systems for electronically filing returns. The agency's electronic filing system came back online early Tuesday evening, but for much of the day, the agency's online channels for direct tax payments, electronic filings and submissions filed via TurboTax and H&R Block were all not working. This story will be updated. The Internal Revenue Service's online system for submitting tax returns experienced widespread failures on Tuesday, complicating filing for the millions of taxpayers attempting to meet the government's midnight deadline." Emphasis original. Mrs. McC: Just this Monday MAG wrote that she wouldn't use electronic filing. I thought that was so-o-o-o retro. Maybe not. (This is an update of a story linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... New Lede: "The agency's electronic filing system came back online early Tuesday evening. But before that, the agency's online channels for direct tax payments, electronic filings and submissions filed via widely used tax preparation services such as TurboTax and H&R Block were not going through."
... Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "The Internal Revenue Service had an unexpected message for procrastinators who waited until Tuesday to make their annual Tax Day payments through the agency's website: Come back on Dec. 31, 9999. An outage on the agency's website, which began on Tuesday morning and was unresolved by midday, crippled a crucial part of the tax collection agency's website that allows taxpayers to make their payments directly through their bank accounts instead of paying fees that come with using debit or credit cards. Those seeking to make a payment were greeted with the message: 'This service is currently unavailable.' The website said it was undergoing a 'planned outage' beginning on Tax Day that would last until Dec. 31, 9999. The error message also said tax payments were still due despite the glitch.... The crash was reminiscent of the problems that plagued the Affordable Care Act's online health insurance exchange under President Barack Obama. It came on a day when President Trump and his top advisers were trumpeting the $1.5 trillion tax cut passed by Congress late last year." ...
... Dylan Scott of Vox: "Donald Trump, our most relatable president, has filed for an extension on his 2018 taxes.... [Mrs. McC: Actually, that's on his 2017 taxes.] Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the news on Tuesday, Tax Day, at her daily press conference."
The Man without a Compass. Alan Rappeport: "After publicly flirting last week with having the United States rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership, President Trump appeared to rebuff the idea once and for all late Tuesday. In a Twitter post at 10:49 p.m., Mr. Trump said that although Japan and South Korea would like the United States to join the 11 other nations in the multilateral trade agreement, he had no intention of doing so. The decision put an apparent end to a meandering trade policy in which Mr. Trump pulled out of the deal in his first week in office, before suggesting last week that he was having second thoughts. 'Too many contingencies and no way to get out if it doesn't work,' Mr. Trump wrote from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. 'Bilateral deals are far more efficient, profitable and better for OUR workers.' The comments confounded some trade experts on Tuesday night because South Korea is not in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Mr. Trump followed up with a shot at the World Trade Organization, which he said was 'bad' to the United States."
Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "CIA Director Mike Pompeo made a top-secret visit to North Korea over Easter weekend as an envoy for President Trump to meet with that country's leader, Kim Jong Un, according to two people with direct knowledge of the trip. The extraordinary meeting between one of Trump's most trusted emmisaries and the authoritarian head of a rogue state was part of an effort to lay the groundwork for direct talks between Trump and Kim about North Korea's nuclear weapons program, according to the two people, who requested anonymity because of the highly classified nature of the talks. The clandestine mission, which has not previously been reported, came soon after Pompeo was nominated to be secretary of state.... Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday, Trump appeared to allude to the extraordinary face-to-face meeting between Kim and Pompeo when he said the U.S. has had direct talks with North Korea 'at very high levels.' The president didn't elaborate." ...
... Margaret Hartmann: "... in light of Pompeo's reported meeting with Kim, what's the point of making a stand against confirming him for secretary of State? Trump has him essentially doing the job before the Senate's weighed in." Trump has rendered moot "normal channels," including the quaint Constitutional idea of Senate confirmation.
Mark Landler, et al., of the New York Times: "Nikki R. Haley, the ambassador to the United Nations, fired back at the White House on Tuesday, denying that she had been confused when she announced on Sunday that the Trump administration would impose new sanctions on Russia. 'With all due respect, I don't get confused,' she told Dana Perino of Fox News. She was responding to a comment earlier in the day by Larry Kudlow, the president's new national economics adviser who was briefing reporters in Florida before President Trump's meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. 'She got ahead of the curve,' Mr. Kudlow said. 'She's done a great job. She's a very effective ambassador, but there might have been some momentary confusion about that.'" ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: But of course you were right, Larry. She's a girl.
... "Trump [Is] Letting Haley Take Heat Despite Signing off on Sanctions." Eliana Johnson of Politico: "... Donald Trump gave approval last week for rolling out airstrikes in Syria as well as new sanctions on Russia, according to three senior administration officials -- but U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley wasn't briefed on changes to the sanctions plan before announcing it Sunday on national television. The episode marks the latest instance of members of Trump's team appearing out of sync with one another or with the president on foreign affairs."
Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "Defense Secretary Jim Mattis urged President Trump to get congressional approval before the United States launched airstrikes against Syria last week, but was overruled by Mr. Trump, who wanted a rapid and dramatic respose, military and administration officials said. Mr. Trump, the officials said, wanted to be seen as backing up a series of bellicose tweets with action, but was warned that an overly aggressive response risked igniting a wider war with Russia. Friday night's limited strikes on three targets, which lasted under two minutes, were the compromise.... In the end, the narrowly targeted strikes belied Mr. Trump's description Friday night [during his address to the nation] of a larger coordinated response that could take days or weeks." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump's wanting a super-bombastic response to impress Russia is particularly ironic considering that it appears the reason he "changed his mind about"/backed down from imposing sanctions was that Russia gently rattled a saber or two [also linked yesterday]. Trump scurried to notify the Russian embassy in Washington D.C., not to pay any attention to Haley's announcement.
Benjamin Hart of New York: "China lobbed another volley in the Sino-U.S. trade battles on Tuesday. The country imposed an extremely steep tariff -- 176.8 percent -- on sorghum, an American-made cereal grain that is used as a cattle feed and sweetener for baijiu, the popular Chinese liquor. After conducting an investigation, China concluded that the U.S. was dumping sorghum on the Chinese market, hurting its domestic producers. China imports about $1 billion a year worth of the grain from the U.S. Sorghu is mainly produced in the American South, in regions that voted heavily for President Trump." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Carol Leonnig, et al., of the Washington Post: "The FBI seizure of records from President Trump's personal attorney last week deeply rattled the president -- souring him on his long-stated preference to sit down for an interview with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and prompting him to renew efforts to hire more legal firepower, people familiar with the discussions said.... The president's lawyers are still open to talks with Mueller's office about the possibility and advisers caution that the president frequently changes his mind, but his legal team now sees a Mueller sit-down as less likely.... Trump was so upset, in fact, that he had trouble concentrating on plans that were laid out for him that day by his national security team about potential options for targeted missile strikes on Syria...."
** The Many Trumpy Lawyers of Hannity. Rosie Gray of the Atlantic: "Sean Hannity has had no shortage of lawyers. In court on Monday, his name was disclosed as the third 'mystery client' of Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen. Though Hannity says he was never actually Cohen's client, he does appear to have used the legal services of other well-connected Trump-world lawyers in a different matter a year ago. On May 25, 2017, KFAQ, a radio station based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, received a cease-and-desist letter signed by two lawyers for Hannity: Victoria Toensing and Jay Alan Sekulow. Toensing's signature sits above her name and that of her husband Joseph E. diGenova, the members of diGenova and Toensing LLP, who are identified as 'Counsel for Sean Hannity,' according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Atlantic. Sekulow is also identified in the letter page as a 'Counsel for Sean Hannity.'... The letter was sent in response to accusations against Hannity made by the controversial conservative activist Debbie Schlussel. During an appearance on the Pat Campbell show on KFAQ last April, Schlussel said Hannity had been 'creepy' towards her and had invited her to his hotel room. Sekulow is now the only known personal attorney for President Trump working full-time on the response to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry. Sekulow recently announced that diGenova and Toensing had been hired to join him, before reversing course.... Sekulow, diGenova, and Toensing have frequently appeared on Hannity's program; diGenova appeared on the show as recently as Monday night." ...
... MEANWHILE. Avery Anapol of the Hill: "Fox News on Tuesday issued a statement of support for prime-time host Sean Hannity amid backlash over his previously undisclosed ties to President Trump's personal lawyer." Mrs. McC: I wonder how happy the suits are that Hannity also repeatedly invited three of his other personal lawyers to appear as guests on his show. Will they issue three more "statements of support" or just put out a blanket "Whatever (as long as your ratings & sponsorship remain high)." ...
... BFFs. Robert Costa, et al., of the Washington Post: "The phone calls between President Trump and Sean Hannity come early in the morning or late at night, after the Fox News host goes off the air. They discuss ideas for Hannity's show, Trump's frustration with the ongoing special counsel probe and even, at times, what the president should tweet, according to people familiar with the conversations. When he's off the phone, Trump is known to cite Hannity when he talks with White House advisers. The revelation this week that the two men share an attorney is just the latest sign of how Hannity is intertwined with Trump's world -- an increasingly powerful confidant who offers the media-driven president a sympathetic ear and shared grievances.... [Hannity] is so close to Trump that some White House aides have dubbed him the unofficial chief of staff.... For a president who feels, intensely, that he is under siege, Hannity offers what he prizes: loyalty and a mass audience."
... Gabriel Sherman of Vanity Fair: "The symbiotic relationship between Donald Trump and Fox News can make it difficult to discern where the Trump administration ends and the network begins. But yesterday's revelation ... that Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen's three-person client roster includes Sean Hannity, was shocking, even to those inside Fox News.... 'Everyone's first impression was the same: you only hire Cohen for one reason,' one staffer said.... [But] Hannity's closeness with Trump has given him immense power at the network, and he's not afraid to show it." ...
... Andy Borowitz (satire): "Millions of Americans were stunned and incredulous on Monday after learning of a possible incident of bias at Fox News Channel.... But some Fox viewers, like Harland Dorrinson, of Topeka, Kansas, warned of a .rush to judgment' against Fox.... 'Whenever there was a national emergency, whether it was Benghazi, Hillary's e-mails, or Obama's birth certificate, Fox News was there,' he said. 'One little mistake doesn't wash all that away.'" ...
... digby: "Did [Hannity] talk to Cohen about dealing with this [Schlussel accusation] or something else like it? Who knows? But apparently Hannity was concerned enough about this to have lawyers threaten a radio station. By the way, he never mentioned that he'd hired these lawyers when he was interviewing them constantly on his show either." According to digby, Schlussel later retracted her claim. ...
... Maybe that's because this guy approached Schlussel:
... Kate Briquelet of the Daily Beast: "On Tuesday morning, [Stormy] Daniels and her relentless barrister Michael Avenatti appeared on ABC's The View to share a forensic sketch of the alleged bully and to announce a $100,000 reward for anyone who could identify him.... She reiterated the story she shared during her 60 Minutes interview last month, when she revealed that a mystery man intimidated her in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011. The guy's threats came soon after In Touch magazine interviewed her about her alleged romp and 10-month relationship with The Donald. 'Leave Trump alone. Forget the story,' the thug warned as Daniels, who was with her baby daughter, collected a diaper bag from her car. 'That's a beautiful little girl. It'd be a shame if something happened to her mom,' the tough guy added, before walking away."
Ken Dilanian of NBC News: "Donald Trump's campaign paid more than $66,000 to the law firm that represents Keith Schiller, his former longtime bodyguard, newly filed campaign records show. Schiller, who left a White House job in September, testified to the House Intelligence Committee in November that someon made an offer to send five women to Trump's hotel room in Moscow in the lead-up to the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. Two people familiar with the matter told NBC News that Schiller painted the incident in a light favorable to Trump, saying he turned down the offer on Trump's behalf and treated it as a joke. It is presumed by congressional investigators that Schiller told the same story to special counsel Robert Mueller.... Federal election law allows the use of campaign money for legal fees, but only if the fees are related to a matter connected to the campaign, legal experts say."
Betsy Woodruff of the Daily Beast: "James Comey appears to have inadvertently played a role in his deputy Andrew McCabe's expulsion from the FBI." Not only did Comey insist upon an investigation into an FBI leak to the Wall Street Journal, he & McCabe "gave the inspector general vastly different characterizations of [a] conversation [in which the two discussed the leak].... The inspector general's report ultimately concluded that Comey's recollection of the Comey/McCabe conversation was the correct one, and that McCabe lacked candor with Comey about his role in the Oct. 30 article."
They're All Corrupt, Ctd. Juliet Eilperin & Brady Dennis of the Washington Post: "Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt upgraded his official car last year to a costlier, larger vehicle with bullet-resistant covers over bucket seats, according to federal records and interviews with current and former agency officials. Recent EPA administrators have traveled in a Chevrolet Tahoe, and agency officials had arranged for Pruitt to use the same vehicle when he joined the administration in February. But he switched to a larger, newer and more high-end Chevy Suburban last June. One former EPA official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation, said that Pruitt remarked that he wanted the larger car because it was similar to ones in which some other Cabinet officials rode.... Meanwhile, the 2014 Chevy Tahoe with four-wheel-drive that was used by Gina McCarthy, Pruitt's predecessor as EPA administrator, has largely sat idle at the EPA's headquarters...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... "Scott Pruitt Has Become Ridiculous." New York Times Editors: "Despite stiff competition, Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is by common consensus the worst of the ideologues and mediocrities President Trump chose to populate his cabinet. Policies aside -- and they're terrible, from an environmental perspective -- Mr. Pruitt's self-aggrandizing and borderline thuggish behavior has disgraced his office and demoralized his employees.... Any other president would have fired him. Mr. Trump praises him. 'Scott is doing a great job!' the president tweeted on April 7.... [Pruitt] didn't get everything he and his team wanted: a bulletproof sport utility vehicle, for instance, equipped with special tires designed to keep moving even when hit by gunfire; a $100,000-a-month contract to fly on private jets. But heaven help the E.P.A. staff members bold enough to challenge these demands.... One frequently overlooked truth about Mr. Pruitt amid these complaints is that for all his swagger he has actually accomplished very little in terms of actual policy -- a wholly desirable outcome, from our standpoint."
They're All Corrupt, Ctd. Scotty's "Scandal Clone." Emily Atkin of the New Republic: "Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is making headlines left and right, for all the wrong reasons. Over the past two days, the man in charge of managing the nation's public lands and resources has been accused of wasting taxpayer money on expensive travel; failing to disclose potential conflicts of interest; having an inappropriately close relationship to a top energy lobbyist; and lying about his professional credentials.... Zinke's growing scandals look eerily similar to those surrounding Scott Pruitt...." Atkin lays out Zinke's scandals of the week along with some lingering ones. They're all so Pruittesque. And she doesn't include this one:
I'm a geologist. And I don't consider myself a genius, but I'm a pretty smart guy. -- Ryan Zinke, during a Senate hearing last June ...
... Actually, No. Sarah Ganim of CNN: "Defending his decision to shrink the Bears Ears national monument to lawmakers last week, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke fell back one of his favorite credentials. 'I'm a geologist,' he said. 'I can assure you that oil and gas in Bears Ears was not part of my decision matrix. A geologist will tell you there is little, if any, oil and gas.' Since becoming leader of the 70,000-employee agency, Zinke has suggested that he was a geologist or former geologist at least 40 times in public settings, including many under oath before Congress. Zinke, however, has never held a job as a geologist. In his autobiography, Zinke wrote that he majored in geology at the University of Oregon, which he attended on a football scholarship, and chose his major at random.... Several geologists who CNN has spoken with have flagged his comments as disingenuous, saying that someone with a 34-year-old degree who never worked in the field is not considered a geologist."
They're All Corrupt, Ctd. Marisa Schultz of the New York Post: "President Trump's trade representative is spending nearly $1 million on new furniture -- and blaming the Obama administration. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer spent more than $917,000 to furnish the two trade offices near the White House, according to contracts reviewed by The Post. That's a significant increase compared to the last two trade reps.... 'The furniture purchases are the culmination of a longtime, planned project that began under the Obama Administration to replace two-decade-old furniture,' Lighthizer's office said in a statement. They said they're just sticking to the plan set in motion under Obama. 'The project to upgrade offices has been going on since 2014,' the trade office said. But Obama-era reps say they didn't sign off on any major remodeling plans."
Good News for Trump. Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "The effort to pass legislation to protect Robert Mueller's job as special counsel appeared to hit a dead end Tuesday as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would not allow the bill to come to the floor for a full Senate vote. 'I'm the one who decides what we take to the floor. That's my responsibility as majority leader. We'll not be having this on the floor of the Senate,' the Kentucky Republican said in an interview on Fox News. Earlier in the day, Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said again that legislation to protect Mueller's position was 'unnecessary' because, based on 'the kinds of conversations we have had,' he believes that the president will not take steps to dismiss the special counsel." ...
... Jonathan Chait: "McConnell argues, as he has in the past, that such a bill is 'unnecessary' because there is 'no indication' Trump would fire the special counsel. Of course there are many indications. Innumerable news reports have described Trump raging about Mueller and demanding his firing. Trump actually ordered the firing of Mueller in June, and again in December, and has begun attacking Mueller publicly, as well as attacking the Department of Justice official who oversees and has approved his investigation, both privately and publicly. Trump has also previously fired the FBI director, with whom he closely associates Mueller. Other than that, there aren't any indications.... When McConnell refuses to act because he says he doesn't think a threat is real, it means he is happy to let the threat be carried out."
Why Pajama Boy Quit Congress. Jennifer Bendery of the Huffington Post: "The House Ethics Committee was about to rule against [Rep. Blake] Farenthold [R-Texas] in its investigation into whether he sexually harassed members of his staff, used official money for campaign purposes and lied in previous testimony to the committee, according to the office of Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.). The committee gave Farenthold a heads-up about its coming decision, so he quit, per Speier's office.... By stepping down, Farenthold was able to avoid whatever punishment the committee would have handed down."
Mike DeBonis & Dave Weigel of the Washington Post: "Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.), a frequent critic of President Trump and a leader of the GOP's moderate bloc in the House, said Tuesday that he will resign from Congress within weeks. His decision could set up a costly special election if the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania orders one. Dent had already announced his retirement from Congress in September, citing personal reasons for the decision while also lamenting the marginalization of the 'governing wing' of the Republican Party as the GOP has moved further to the right." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... In a statement, Pennslyvania Gov. Tom Wolf thanked Dent for his service. "Once Governor Wolf receives an official resignation notice with an exact date, he will make a formal decision regarding scheduling the date of a special election." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "A closely divided Supreme Court struggled on Tuesday to decide whether internet retailers should have to collect sales taxes in states where they have no physical presence. Brick-and-mortar businesses have long complained that they are disadvantaged by having to charge sales taxes while many of their online competitors do not. States have said that they are missing out on tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue under a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that helped spur the rise of internet shopping. By the end of arguments on Tuesday, it was not clear whether there were five votes to overrule the 1992 decision, Quill Corporation v. North Dakota, which said the Constitution bars states from collecting sales taxes from companies that do not have a substantial connection to the state."
Jessica Gresko of the AP: "The Supreme Court said Tuesday that part of a federal law that makes it easier to deport immigrants who have been convicted of crimes is too vague to be enforced. The court's 5-4 decision — an unusual alignment in which new Justice Neil Gorsuch joined the four liberal justices - concerns a catchall provision of immigration law that defines what makes a crime violent. Conviction for a crime of violence makes deportation 'a virtual certainty' for an immigrant, no matter how long he has lived in the United States, Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her opinion for the court. The decision is a loss for ... Donald Trump's administration, which has emphasized stricter enforcement of immigration law. In this case, President Barack Obama's administration took the same position in the Supreme Court in defense of the challenged provision." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Would have posted this sooner, but I got the vapors when I read Gorsuch voted with the "liberals." ...
... Ian Millhiser: "Gorsuch's vote, and his separate opinion in Dimaya, confirms that he is ... willing to hand liberals a small victory on the path to a much larger effort to shift legal doctrines to the right.... When read in light of Gorsuch's prior record, his separate opinion in Dimaya suggests that he sees this case as one step in a broader anti-regulatory journey."
Rachel Abrams of the New York Times: "Starbucks said on Tuesday that it would close its more than 8,000 stores in the United States for one day to conduct anti-bias training after two African-American men were arrested at one of its stores last week, prompting outrage. Starbucks will close the stores May 29 to offer the training to 175,000 employees. 'I've spent the last few days in Philadelphia with my leadership team listening to the community, learning what we did wrong and the steps we need to take to fix it,' Kevin R. Johnson, the company's chief executive, said in a statement announcing the training.... The decision ... underscores the damage done to Starbucks's reputation for being a socially responsible company, one that sells fair-trade coffee and promotes its stores as a meeting place.... The employee who called the police is no longer employed by Starbucks, the company confirmed on Monday." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Pardon my failure of cynicism, but I'm glad to see Starbucks taking this single racist incident seriously & making a huge effort to prevent similar occurrences in the future. I hope the guys the Philly police arrested & held for nine hours get more than a couple of free lattes for the extreme hassle. I look for the day when being non-white in America means simply being in America. ...
... They Were in a White Space. Jamelle Bouie: "Philadelphia is a city in which 43 percent of residents are black. The Philadelphia Starbucks where two black men were arrested last Thursday, however, is located in a zip code that is 79 percent white and just 6 percent black. In all likelihood, most of the clientele there is white, which, to borrow from sociologist Elijah Anderson, makes this particular location a 'white space.'... Everyone, eventually, finds themselves out of place. But it's only some people -- raced people -- who have to move with particular care through unfamiliar spaces, lest they bring ruinous scrutiny on themselves."
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Matt Yglesias of Vox has some thoughts on Richard Cohen, the Washington Post columnist whose crap, for some reason, is never linked here: "There's a phrase I learned a few years back that goes, 'When you are accustomed to privilege, equality can feel like oppression.' Cohen's career, I think, exemplifies the wisdom contained in that aphorism. He's a guy who's enjoyed a well-compensated, high-status, easy-to-do job for decades who nonetheless quite sincerely feels put upon by the fact that he lost a job to a woman sometime in the 1970s and sometimes get called a racist because he thinks young black men should be subject to discriminatory treatment. He feels, on these grounds, a profound affinity for Trump voters. And because the demographic of put-upon older white men does, in fact, exert disproportionate influence over American social and economic institutions, there continues to be a well-compensated and not very taxing job for him into his late 70s."
Beyond the Beltway
Kurt Shillinger of the Washington Post: "Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley said Tuesday that his office had evidence of a probable felony related to a donor list for a charity founded by Gov. Eric Greitens, who remained defiant despite earlier accusations and widespread calls for his resignation. Hawley said Tuesday that he turned over evidence on Greitens, a Republican, to the St. Louis circuit attorney. His actions come a week after lawmakers released a report saying Greitens initiated unwanted sexual contact with a woman who worked as his hairdresser, allegations that intensified calls for him to resign The allegations in that report are related to an invasion-of-privacy charge that had been brought against Greitens by Kim Gardner, the St. Louis circuit attorney. Hawley said Tuesday that he found evidence that Greitens, during his run for governor, had 'obtained, transmitted and used' the donor list of his charity for the purpose of political fundraising without the organization's knowledge." ...
... Get Out! Jack Suntrup of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Leaders in Missouri’s GOP-controlled House issued a stinging rebuke of Republican Gov. Eric Greitens on Tuesday evening, calling on the state's chief executive to resign as scandals continue to consume his administration. 'Leaders at all levels of government are entrusted with an incredible responsibility to the Missourians we represent,' said a joint statement from House Speaker Todd Richardson, House Majority Leader Rob Vescovo and House Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr.... Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard of Joplin issued a similar statement, saying the governor should step aside. If he doesn't Richard said, 'it is my wish that we immediately start impeachment proceedings.' The governor responded on Twitter, saying he would not resign."
Sam Levin of the Guardian: "California police fired what sounded like more than 30 bullets at a packed car in a shopping store parking lot, killing a black father of three and injuring a young woman in the latest US law enforcement shooting to spark backlash. Police in Barstow, two hours outside of Los Angeles, killed 26-year-old Diante Yarber, who was believed to be unarmed and was driving his cousin and friends to a local Walmart on the morning of 5 April. Police have alleged that Yarber was 'wanted for questioning' in a stolen vehicle case and that he 'accelerated' the car towards officers when they tried to stop him, but his family and their attorney argued that the young father posed no threat and should not have been treated as a suspect in the first place."
Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "The Sacramento Police Department on Monday released dozens of videos related to the Stephon Clark killing -- new material that showed officers muting their body-worn cameras at least 16 times, raising more questions about police action in the moments after the fatal shooting of the unarmed black man. Clark, 22, was hit by eight of the 20 rounds fired by two officers on March 18 in his grandmother's back yard, according to an independent autopsy requested by his family. He was unarmed. Police have said they believed he was raising a gun at them, but only a white iPhone was found near his body. Videos show six minutes pass between shots fired and responders attempting chest compressions. Police handcuffed and searched Clark before they began first aid."
News Lede
New York Times: "Carl Kasell, an NPR newscaster who, late in his career, cast off his anchorman gravitas once a week and for years became an absurdist comedian on the popular satirical quiz show 'Wait Wait .. Don't Tell Me!,' died on Tuesday in Potomac, Md. He was 84."
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Reader Comments (16)
Barbara Bush lived a most interesting and vibrant life and will be remembered well. According to John Meecham, the biographer of her husband, he discovered that she had kept a diary since 1942 so he asked her if he could read it and use some of the contents. She agreed only on the condition that she see what he intended to use. He gave her 80 pages of notes to peruse; while reading she looked up and said, "Boy, oh, boy, was I ever an opinionated 42 year old!" It seems to me she continued in that vein throughout her life––no shrinking violet was she. I remember her saying during some interview years ago that she knew when she died she would be reunited with Robin, the daughter that died at three years of age. I thought about that today for some time.
Chris Hayes got Eric Holder to admit he is thinking of running for President. I'll drink to that!
The Nikki Haley episode is another example of this poorly run administration but this situation is much more serious than some of the other walk-backs from whatshisname; it means that the rest of the world can't count on the U.S.––will doubt the representation. Haley is doing a pretty decent job and I applaud her for defending her stance and her words. And the contrast between how she has conducted herself and someone like Pruitt who should be shoved under the bus, but isn't, is astounding.
" I look for the day when being non-white in America means simply being in America. ..." Marie
As do I, but I fear the two of us aren't going to live long enough to see it.
I remember Barbara Bush most for saying, after visiting with Hurricane Katrina victims in a Houston evacuation center, "..so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway," she said, "so this is working very well for them."
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/07/us/nationalspecial/barbara-bush-calls-evacuees-better-off.html
President* Stoopid keeps yakking about what a great negotiator he is (best ever) and how he wants bilateral trade agreements with all our trading partners. Great. So when is the Great Negotiator going to start negotiating? Trump seems to think that bilateral trade agreements can be done over a round of golf.
Unlike arranging for Vinny and Tony to show up and cow contractors on the job site of one of his half-assed, soon to go belly-up building projects, trade partnerships are complicated and require knowledge, experience, and expertise to pull off in a way that benefits both sides. Needless to say, Trump is completely bereft of knowledge, experience, and expertise in, well, a crap load of areas, never mind the arcane world of international trade.
But never mind, it makes a great sound bite to open one of the wingnut Trump Shows.
What I want to know is which Faux show he'll give up every day so he can work on his bilateral trade plans. Maybe he thinks he can squeeze in some time during commercial breaks.
It's just one example among many of this furshlugginer junk pile of an administration. It's not that they don't do anything by the book, they burned the book. Which doesn't matter because none of them can read anyway.
The Turtle Man is practically inviting Trump to fire Mueller. It's the inverse of his traitorous plot to deny a sitting president his choice of a Supreme Court nominee. But in this case, he's telling President* Collusion that he can do what he wants. The Senate, as ordered by McConnell, will have a seat and not interfere. He wants to fire Mueller, go right ahead.
I doubt there's ever been, in America's long history, three such treasonous, anti-American schemers and frauds at the top of the Executive and Legislative branches as Trump, McConnell, and Ryan.
Under Reagan and Poppy, Confederates at least pretended to abide by the rule of law. Under The Decider, they basically said "Whatever". Now, they're actively working against the essential goals of Democracy and the American Experiment.
Putin couldn't have hoped for more willing partners.
@Akhilleus: He can just ask Hannity to take care of it since apparently their joint fixer is going to be in the joint. Would you please call Hannity & tell him to tell Trump that South Korea is not in the TPP, after all?
Another Playactor.
Ryan Zinke, like his idiot boss, wants everyone to know that he's like, really smart. Also, a geologist.
Huh.
Well, the fact that he chose geology as a college major by closing his eyes and pointing at a list of majors (according to his own recollection), the fact that he's never done any field research, written any papers, achieved any degrees beyond a BS (ain't that the truth), and never worked as a geologist, all considered together with his highly suspect thinking about geologic issues, do not fill me with confidence that he's either A. smart, or B. a geologist.
Here's what Zinke says about fracking (from the CNN article linked above):
"I'm a former geologist. I say 'former' because when I went to school, I was taught that we are going to be out of oil in 2003; that there was peak oil. That's not possible with fracking."
He's saying that shale oil is an unending supply, that it will never peak, and never run out.
I'm pretty sure most reasonably astute fifth graders know what a crock of shit that is.
Real geologists (not playactors who lurched into geology on a whim) have a much different conclusion than "It will never run out. Duh."
A report by the International Energy Agency, using real geologists, "...projects that U.S. domestic oil supplies, dominated by fracking, will begin to decline by 2020. 'As tight oil output in the United States levels off, and non-OPEC supply falls back in the 2020s,' the report says, 'the Middle East becomes the major source of supply growth.'
Earlier this year the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) also forecast a plateau in U.S. oil production after 2020.
The basis for these forecasts are estimates of shale oil reserves. A 2013 Energy Department report on technically recoverable shale oil—the amount that's recoverable without regard to cost—puts U.S. potential at 58 billion barrels. That's equivalent to a little more than eight years of U.S. consumption at the current rate of almost 19 million barrels a day."
"Proved reserves", that is, those that can be economically accessed, is about half that number.
It should be pointed out that industry "experts" suggest that shale oil reserves will last up to 50 years. But even if you buy that, the conclusion should not be "It will never run out". Even stupider is the fact that after US shale oil reserves--and crude oil--run out, we're back to relying on an increasingly unstable Middle East for the bulk of our energy supply, especially since forward thinkers in the Trump administration have nixed alternative and renewable energy projects.
On one hand, it's funny that morons are parading around pretending to be something they're not. But when the playacting gets in the way of necessary progress in an area as vital as energy, it's not so funny anymore. Or smart.
Whether we get zinked or trumped, we'll be screwed any way you look at it.
For the Birds
From all reports, Trump has morphed the Bush-Cheney concept of the Unitary Executive, a theory of monarchical powers for the president ramped up by Reagan and given a shot of steroids under The Decider, into something more reflective of his own personal idiom.
The idea is that the president should be able to act unilaterally on many fronts without the consent or interference of congress. He (or she) should be able, basically, to do whatever the fuck they want.
Under Trump, who is lurching this way and that, (to TPP or not to TPP, state department doesn't matter because l'etat c'est moi, omnibus bill, not omnibus bill, enact war-like attacks on foreign powers without consulting congress, it goes on...), the idea has become the Aviary Executive.
Aristophanes would love it.
Tweet, tweet.
@Akhilleus: I have an undergrad degree in psychology. I have never once in the decades since I got my degree called myself a psychologist nor has it ever crossed my mind that I was one. According to CNN, Zinke has called himself a geologist at least 40 times in the past year + a few months. I sure as hell hope no college or university gives Zinke an honorary doctorate.
@Bea, if one does it should be in agriculture for his BS. As the old joke goes - an MS means more of the same, a PhD means piles higher and deeper.
@unwashed: That's an old joke that passed me by. I'm going to remember it.
Zinke the rock-guy:
When I was in college the first time (mid-60s) I went to a South West Conference U, Rice. It prided itself that all of the football players had to take a full academic load, and they were admitted on scholastics as well as football talent. Just like Hah-vahd.
But Texas isn't New England, and the SWC had opponents like Texas, Arkansas, Baylor. Bottom line was that Rice always had poor W-L records, but occasionally had the pleasure of upsetting one of the biggies to ruin that team's championship chances. I think it was Darryl Royal who said that Rice was like cowshit in the milkpail, one bad day could ruin their whole season.
Anyway, the point: any SWC team requires players to spend a lot of time training, and most jocks will look for lighter academic loads to avoid total exhaustion. So at Rice, the geology major became "Rocks for jocks," relatively easy science, which allowed players to get a BS (actually, at Rice, an MS in most cases), maintain scholastic standards, and, in many cases, get a good job with an oil outfit. Undergrad Geology at Rice back then was pretty much practical training in oil exploration and field techniques.
Zinke played football at Oregon, was a geology major, I'm thinking it was a similar program.
Auto-correct struck again, meant to write "piled" not "piles."
Bea, maybe it was just a joke among fellow aggies at UW-Madison where one of my favorite courses was Weed Science because of the extensive extracurricular field testing.
@ Patrick
Yup. Pardon a snobby moment.
Do remember "rocks for jocks."
And my WAG would be that Oregon's entry standards for football players (or anyone) didn't and don't hold a candle to Rice's.
@unwashed. I think it'll probably works both ways! Piled. Past tense, passive. Piles. Active delivery system!
@Ken: WAG was a new acronym for me and had to look it up.
Then also came across SWAG: (Scientific Wild-Assed Guess.) Learn something new every day here.
What, no bulletproof brains?
Do I have this right? Scott (Cone of Silence) Pruitt has ordered a special car with bulletproof seats? First, is he planning on driving through Damascus? Second, bulletproof seats? How does that protect the people sitting in those seats? Oh...wait. I know. Brave Sir Scotty will be hunkered down in the back seat frantically calling Delta Force to come save him while whoever sits up front gets shot. If they get killed, at least the bullets won't go through the bodies AND the seats to get him too.
Brave Sir Scotty!
These Trumpy guys. They think of everything.
The four words EPA employees never want to hear: "You sit up front."