Saturday
Aug012020
The Commentariat -- August 2, 2020
Afternoon Update:
Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "Dr. Deborah Birx on Sunday said the US is in a new phase in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, saying that the deadly virus is more widespread than when it first took hold in the US earlier this year. 'What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread. It's into the rural as equal urban areas,' Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, told CNN's Dana Bash on 'State of the Union.'... Asked if it was time to reset the federal government response to the pandemic, Birx said, 'I think the federal government reset about five to six weeks ago when we saw this starting to happen across the south.' But roughly six weeks ago, Vice President Mike Pence ... declared in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the US is 'winning the fight' and there 'isn't a "second wave."' Birx did not address those claims on Sunday." ~~~
~~~ Doina Chiacu & Christopher Bing of Reuters: "U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday she does not have confidence in White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, linking her to disinformation about the virus spread by ... Donald Trump. 'I think the president has been spreading disinformation about the virus and she is his appointee so, I don't have confidence there, no,' Speaker Pelosi told ABC's 'This Week' when asked if she has confidence in Birx. Birx, asked about Pelosi's comment during an interview with CNN's 'State of the Union,' said she had great respect for Pelosi and attributed the criticism to a New York Times article on the White House pandemic response that described Birx as having embraced overly optimistic assessments on the virus."
The Washington Post has a livefeed on its front page of the SpaceX splashdown. The Post is liveblogging events here, and the New York Times is liveblogging developments here.
"We Don't Know WTF We're Doing" -- RNC Officials. Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "The Republican National Committee says no final decision has been made about whether President Trump's renomination will be held in private at the GOP convention, contradicting previous reports that restrictions on crowd size during the coronavirus pandemic would prevent members of the press from attending. Two RNC officials insisted Sunday that they are still working through the logistics and press coverage options, a break with a statement reportedly made by a GOP convention spokesperson the previous day."
Zachary Warmbrodt of Politico: "Rep. Karen Bass on Sunday walked back 2016 comments praising Cuban leader Fidel Castro, as scrutiny of her views toward the Communist government threatened her potential selection as former Vice President Joe Biden's running mate." ~~~
~~~ Evan Semones of Politico: "Rep. Karen Bass, a top-tier contender to be Joe Biden's running mate, on Saturday sought to clarify remarks she made in 2010 praising the Church of Scientology.... In her remarks, Bass called on treating humans with respect and fighting oppression, but also spoke highly of the controversial group and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I wish to clarify or walk back every damned thing I ever said prior to August 2020. One or more of the following applies: "I never said that." "I was misquoted." "Obviously, I was just kidding." "I said 'was' when I meant 'wasn't.'" "My views have evolved." "Since that time, new information has come to light." "I don't recall." "I'll have to get back to you on that." "Fake news." "That's a nasty question."
~~~~~~~~~~
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Saturday are here: "Hours after unemployment benefits for tens of millions of Americans lapsed, administration officials arrived on Capitol Hill on Saturday morning for a rare meeting with top congressional Democrats to discuss a coronavirus relief package and work to break an impasse over new aid as the American economy continues to shudder. Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who hosted the meeting with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York in her Capitol Hill suite, emerged from the three-hour meeting -- the longest meeting held over the last six days -- and said the discussion 'was productive in terms of moving us forward,' but they remained far apart on a number of issues. They declined to offer specifics. Also in attendance were Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ AND what was the fake author of The Art of the Deal doing while Nancy & the boys were trying in vain to make a deal as millions of Americans were out of work and out of money? Maybe getting sick or evicted from their homes? Why, golfing at one of his clubs, of course. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Saturday are here: "July's infection total was more than double that of June and represents about 42 percent of the 4.5 million cases the country has logged since the outbreak started, according to tracking by The Washington Post.... 'July was definitely a disaster, and even though there was a lot more testing, the percent positivity was quite high in many areas, indicating that the rise in cases wasn't attributable solely to increased detection,' Ellie Murray, an epidemiologist at Boston University, told The Post. 'The U.S. has failed to take the opportunity that the summer could have presented to control this virus and is instead entering the fall in a disastrously bad position.'"
Julie Bosman, et al., of the New York Times: "First, the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast were hit hardest as the coronavirus tore through the nation. Then it surged across the South. Now the virus is again picking up dangerous speed in much of the Midwest -- and in cities from Mississippi to Florida to California that thought they had already seen the worst of it. As the United States rides what amounts to a second wave of cases, with daily new infections leveling off at an alarming higher mark, there is a deepening national sense that the progress made in fighting the pandemic is coming undone and no patch of America is safe. In Missouri, Wisconsin and Illinois, distressed government officials are retightening restrictions on residents and businesses, and sounding warnings about a surge in coronavirus-related hospitalizations. In the South and the West, several states are reporting their highest levels of new coronavirus cases, with outbreaks overwhelming urban and rural areas alike." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ ** Joel Achenbach, et al., of the Washington Post: "The coronavirus is spreading at dangerous levels across much of the United States, and public health experts are demanding a dramatic reset in the national response, one that recognizes that the crisis is intensifying and that current piecemeal strategies aren't working. This is a new phase of the pandemic, one no longer built around local or regional clusters and hot spots. It comes at an unnerving moment in which the economy suffered its worst collapse since the Great Depression, schools are rapidly canceling plans for in-person instruction and Congress has failed to pass a new emergency relief package. President Trump continues to promote fringe science, the daily death toll keeps climbing and the human cost of the virus in America has just passed 150,000 lives." (Also linked yesterday.)
Evan Semones of Politico: "... Donald Trump publicly rebuked Dr. Anthony Fauci on Saturday, forcefully rejecting the nation's top infectious disease expert's testimony on why the U.S. has experienced a renewed surge in coronavirus cases. 'Wrong!' Trump wrote in a retweet of a video where Fauci explained to a House subcommittee that the U.S. has seen more cases than European countries because it only shut down a fraction of its economy amid the pandemic. 'We have more cases because we have tested far more than any other country, 60,000,000. If we tested less, there would be less cases,' the president added."
Kate Bennett of CNN: "As ... Donald Trump continues to demand a return to in-person classes for schools around the country despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the school attended by his youngest son has received an order prohibiting on-campus learning for the start of the school year. Montgomery County, Maryland, on Friday issued a directive demanding that private schools not conduct in-person learning until October 1. Barron Trump, who is slated to enter 9th grade in the fall, attends St. Andrew's Episcopal School, a private school in Potomac, Maryland, part of Montgomery County."
Lauren Egan of NBC News: "Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., said Saturday he tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the second lawmaker this week to announce they had contracted the virus. Grijalva said in a statement that he did not have any symptoms and felt fine. The congressman said he would self-quarantine at the recommendation of the Capitol's attending physician.... Grijalva had attended a a hearing of the Natural Resources Committee with [Rep. Louis] Gohmert [R-Texas] on Tuesday. During the hearing Gohmert [who has refused to wear a mask & tested positive this week] was at times seen without a face covering, sitting in close proximity to other lawmakers including Grijalva. 'While I cannot blame anyone directly for this, this week has shown that there are some Members of Congress who fail to take this crisis seriously,' Grijalva said in his statement, which did not mention Gohmert by name." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
William Saletan of Slate cites statistics that show Republican voters are not only becoming pro-mask, but also favoring mask mandates: "In a Yahoo News poll released on Friday, 57 percent of Republicans said it should be 'mandatory to wear a mask in public,' and 65 percent said it should be mandatory to do so in 'states with large numbers of new COVID-19 cases.'"
Germany. Not All Dummkopfs Are Americans. Loveday Morris & Miriam Berger of the Washington Post: "Thousands of largely mask-less demonstrators marched through central Berlin on Saturday chanting 'We are free people' to the beat of Queen's 'We Will Rock You' in a coronavirus restrictions protest that was also riddled with virus-related conspiracy theories. The demonstration took place despite recent warnings from German health officials about a new rise in infections.... Those present on Saturday included a hodgepodge of science skeptics, libertarians, Germany's far-right and constitutional loyalists, Reuters reported."
Alexander Vindman in a Washington Post op-ed: "At no point in my career or life have I felt our nation's values under greater threat and in more peril than at this moment. Our national government during the past few years has been more reminiscent of the authoritarian regime my family fled more than 40 years ago than the country I have devoted my life to serving. Our citizens are being subjected to the same kinds of attacks tyrants launch against their critics and political opponents. Those who choose loyalty to American values and allegiance to the Constitution over devotion to a mendacious president and his enablers are punished. The president recklessly downplayed the threat of the pandemic even as it swept through our country. The economic collapse that followed highlighted the growing income disparities in our society. Millions are grieving the loss of loved ones and many more have lost their livelihoods while the president publicly bemoans his approval ratings." Thanks to unwashed for the link. Mother Jones has a summary here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Maureen Dowd compares Donald Trump to Shakespeare's MacBeth. She cites liteary historian Stephen Greenblatt: "The tyrant, Macbeth and other plays suggest, is driven by a range of sexual anxieties: a compulsive need to prove his manhood, dread of impotence, a nagging apprehension that he will not be found sufficiently attractive or powerful, a fear of failure. Hence the penchant for bullying, the vicious misogyny, and the explosive violence. Hence, too, the vulnerability to taunts. Especially those bearing a latent or explicit sexual charge." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: I've sort of quit blaming Trump for the situation we're in. He's too stupid & crazy to be taken seriously. I blame Republicans who didn't stand up to him when it became clear early on that he could not lead a team to manage the pandemic. mike pence can't be fired; Trump put him in charge of the task force. pence should have actually taken charge. CDC director Robert Redfield should have gone on the teevee & showed some leadership, urging American to pay no attention to Trump. Mitch McConnell should have formed a coalition with Nancy Pelosi to take charge. ~~~
Victoria Vasseti & Norm Eisen in a Politico Magazine opinion piece: "... Attorney General William Barr has pivoted from establishment D.C. attorney -- sworn to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States == into Trump's family lawyer.... Is Election Day set by law? 'I've never looked into it,' Barr demurred in his testimony this week. Is it appropriate for the president to solicit or accept foreign assistance in an election? Barr's first answer: 'It depends what kind of assistance.' These are the answers of a man who has turned the once-proud Department of Justice into the president's personal law firm. That is contrary to every tradition of the Justice Department, but consistent with how Trump has operated for his entire professional life.... Barr has tried to muzzle Trump's critics, protect his friends, hide information from Congress and investigate those who investigated the president." ~~~
~~~ Bill Barr Is Preparing to Lie to You Again. Joshua Geltzer & Ryan Goodman in a Washington Post opinion piece: "... there's every reason to suspect [William] Barr will soon try again to mislead [the public] -- this time regarding one of his most important initiatives to date, an investigation by his handpicked U.S. attorney, John Durham -- in an effort to skew the 2020 elections.... Based on Barr's track record, it's important for the public to realize now that they can't take Barr's word on what Durham actually has found.... Barr has a history of mischaracterizing and even lying about the results of investigations before their details are public. That's what Barr did to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation... [and when he falsely claimed SDNY U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman had resigned]. The urgency of bracing people to disbelieve the attorney general increased dramatically on Tuesday, as Barr was asked whether he'd apply long-standing Justice Department policy not to announce politically sensitive new cases before an election by holding Durham's findings until after Nov. 3. Barr's answer was, for him, a rarity in its clarity: He said no." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: IOW, Barr is getting ready to tell you that Durham found extensive evidence that Joe Biden is a criminal.
Shane Harris of the Washington Post: "A senior Department of Homeland Security official whose office compiled 'intelligence reports' about journalists and protesters in Portland, Ore., has been removed from his job, according to three people familiar with the matter. Brian Murphy, the acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, was reassigned to a new position elsewhere in the department, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity.... Acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf made the decision on Friday, one person said." A Politico story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ It's Cooch's Fault! Betsy Swan of Politico: "Before the Department of Homeland Security's intelligence arm put together intelligence reports about journalists, its leaders advocated for less internal oversight of the office. Several months ago, the leadership of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis asked DHS's second-in-command, Ken Cuccinelli, to limit a department watchdog from regularly reviewing the intelligence products it produces and distributes. Cuccinelli signed off on the move, according to two sources..., which constrained the role of the department's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in approving the intelligence office's work. Before the policy change, I&A had to get the civil liberties watchdog's signoff to distribute its intelligence products to law enforcement partners.... In the months since the change, I&A's work has drawn withering criticism."
Elections 2020
GOP Bans Reporters. Frank Lockwood of Arkansas Online: "When Republicans renominate Donald Trump for president in Charlotte, N.C., on Aug. 24, journalists won't be on hand to witness it, a convention spokesperson told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette this week. Reporters also will be kept from the room when the Republican National Committee meets to conduct official party business. The spokesperson couldn't say whether C-SPAN, the nonprofit public service network, would be allowed to air the proceedings." ~~~
~~~ Kevin Freking of the AP: "The vote to renominate ... Donald Trump is set to be conducted in private later this month, without members of the press present, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Convention, citing the coronavirus. While Trump called off the public components of the convention in Florida last month, citing spiking cases of the virus across the country, 336 delegates are scheduled to gather in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Aug. 24 to formally vote to make Trump the GOP standard-bearer once more.... If the GOP decision stands, it will mark the first party nominating convention in modern history to be closed to reporters." Mrs. McC: Wolf Blitzer is exercised about this because freedom of the press, but I see it as just weird. Besides, if there's something crooked about Trump's nomination, it will leak fastly.
Georgia Senate Race. Tia Mitchell & Chris Joyner of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler [R-Ga.] granted an interview to a TV pundit associated with white supremacy and Nazism. The interview aired on One America News Network on Thursday and Loeffler promoted it heavily on her Facebook and Twitter accounts Friday.... Jewish groups and media observers pointed out that [interviewer Jack] Posobiec promotes conspiracy theories and once associated with white supremacists including Richard Spencer.... Posobiec has been criticized in the past for posting anti-Semitic tweets.... Loeffler's team would not say whether she was aware of Posobiec's ties to Nazism and anti-Semitism, and they condemned the AJC for asking about it....[When] she spoke to Posobiec..., [she] focused on her ongoing clash with the WNBA over its 'Black lives matter' campaign.... She is co-owner of the Atlanta Dream WNBA team. She has spent about a month criticizing players' decision to wear shirts saying 'Black lives matter' or other social justice slogans and those who walk off the court during the national anthem.... A Monmouth University poll released Wednesday shown Loeffler leading U.S. Rep. Doug Collins [R-Obnoxious] in the November special election with 26% of support compared to his 20%. That free-for-all race also includes Democrats and third-party candidates."
Brian Fung of CNN: "... Donald Trump said Friday night that he will ban the popular short-form video app TikTok from operating in the United States, rejecting a potential deal for Microsoft to buy the app from its Chinese-owned parent company. 'As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States,' Trump said to reporters while aboard Air Force One. Trump said he could use emergency economic powers or an executive order. It was not immediately clear what such an order would look like and what legal challenges it might face. 'Well, I have that authority,' he said. Earlier on Friday, people working on the issue within the Trump administration expected the President to sign an order to force ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the social media platform, to sell the US operations of TikTok, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move was aimed at resolving policymakers' concerns that the foreign-owned TikTok may be a national security risk." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Tommy Christopher of Mediaite: "President Donald Trump rocked the social media world when he blurted out that he will be banning TikTok on Saturday, prompting a flood of reactions that pegged his decision to the dual humiliations of comedian Sarah Cooper and the pack of users who sabotaged his Tulsa rally." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Dan Primack of Axios: "President Trump 'has a deal on his desk,' whereby Microsoft would lead an acquisition of 100% of the U.S. operations of TikTok, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.... Trump Friday night said he plans to ban TikTok, as India has done, over concerns that the app could be sharing U.S. user data with the Chinese government.... U.S. presidents don't typically have approval or veto power over merger agreements. But this situation is different because of the involvement of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS), which has been reviewing ByteDance's 2017 acquisition of U.S. app Musical.ly and eventually merged with TikTok."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Germany. Katrin Bennhold of the New York Times: "Germany has belatedly begun dealing with far-right networks that officials now say are far more extensive than they ever understood. The reach of far-right extremists into its armed forces is particularly alarming in a country that has worked to cleanse itself of its Nazi past and the horrors of the Holocaust. In July the government disbanded an entire company infiltrated by extremists in the nation's special forces.... But ... the problem of far-right infiltration is neither new nor confined to to ... Germany's elite special forces..., the KSK, or even the military. Far-right extremism penetrated multiple layers of German society in the years when the authorities underestimated the threat or were reluctant to countenance it fully, officials and lawmakers acknowledge. Now they are struggling to uproot it." Mrs. McC: Are we paying more attention to German extremism now because the country has become the leader of the free world?
News Ledes
Weather Channel: "Isaias (ees-ah-EE-ahs) is moving on its way to Florida's East Coast, now as a tropical storm, before tracking up the East Coast as far north as New England in the first half of the week ahead. Winds have decreased slightly in Isaias since Saturday afternoon as the storm fights with dry air and wind shear, and tries to recover from interaction with the Bahamas' Andros Island. A hurricane warning is in effect from Boca Raton to the Flagler/Volusia County Line in Florida. A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area within 36 hours." ~~~
~~~ On its front page, the Miami Herald says it is providing unlimited access to Hurricane Isaias stories. It's not clear from the blurb whether or not you have to sign up for access. ~~~
~~~ Update. Washington Post: "Tropica Storm Isaias is skirting along Florida's east coast and, through Sunday night, will unleash scattered areas of strong winds, heavy rain, and, along the shore, rough surf. But the storm, which has spared the Sunshine State from its most severe weather, is ... set to charge up the entire East Coast, crashing ashore in the Carolinas Monday night, before surging up the rest of the Eastern Seaboard from Virginia to Maine and exiting late Wednesday. Tropical storm warnings and watches stretch from the Florida coast to Long Island, including Norfolk, Va., the Chesapeake Bay and Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, coastal New Jersey, and New York City. Heavy rains are predicted to drench large areas of the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, as well as New England regions."
Washington Post: "The launch two months ago went about as smoothly as possible, flying American astronauts into orbit from U.S. soil for the first time since 2011. And SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft docked so gracefully with the International Space Station that NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley didn't even feel it. Now they are coming home.... [Behnken and Hurley] boarded their Endeavour spacecraft and undocked from the station at 7:35 p.m. Eastern time Saturday. [They are] aiming [to splash down at] a site in the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.... Splashdown Sunday is scheduled for 2:48 p.m."
New York Times: "Wilford Brimley, a portly actor with a walrus mustache who found his niche playing cantankerous coots in 'Absence of Malice,' 'The Natural,' 'Cocoon' and other films, died on Saturday at age 85.:
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Reader Comments (12)
Can even the most rabid Trumpy MAGA drooler not see the astounding stupidity in a statement like “If we tested less, there’d be less cases”? (And it’s fewer cases, not less, idiot.)
This is no different than saying if I close my eyes, no one is there.
By this logic, if cops didn’t set up breathalyzer roadblocks on New Year’s Eve, or stop people swerving across the highway, there’d be no drunk drivers.
I’m tempted to suggest that he means to say if we didn’t test as much there wouldn’t be as many coronavirus cases counted. But giving this imbecile the benefit of the doubt is a waste of time. Besides, even if that’s what he meant, what would be the point? Of COURSE there wouldn’t be as many cases counted. But people would still be getting sick and dying.
But he “aced” that cognitive assessment, right?
So reporters won’t be allowed to witness the coronation of the corrupt little king? Great. If I were a reporter I’d be thrilled. One less thing I wouldn’t have to regret seeing for the rest of my life.
AH, but what if......there was a coup. There's Donald all spruced up ready to accept the nomination and the head of the committee to elect comes forth and says:
"The Grand Old Party, otherwise known as "God's Own Party." has heretofore rendered Donald J. Trump null and void and is nominating Lindsey Graham as our next president of the U.S. We understand this comes as a shock but we as a party can no longer put up with the current president's demolitions. Our house needs sturdy bricks to build its greatness––moral fiber to digest its missions."
At this announcement Fatty faints––his great bulk falling from the podium hits the floor with a poignant plunk heard round the world which prompts many of its people to start dancing in the streets (see side bar). Lindsey takes the stage, waves, accepts the nomination and then says:
"Ya'all thought I was being hypocritical and off my chump but I was preparing for just this kind of take-over make-over. We southern boys have a knack for crackin the whip when we see fit. You are in for a treat, folks, believe me!"
and since there were no reporters present this extraordinary spectacle was not reported until hours later when word was out that Trump had been dumped and Lindsey had gotten the hole in one. And the fun began.
Once more into the breech!
My initial thought is that if the RNC won't let reporters and news media into their clique, then the media should deny the RNC airtime and coverage. Accountability is what the RNC fears. They've already tied their ship of governance to the Orange Boat Anchor and they fear how much worse it will get. No media and they get to spin the whole story.
No Sunday Sermon. Don't have one in me.
But do have a depressing thought which I will generously share here with the best of my friends.
See two NYTimes columns, the one by Krugman linked here the other day in which he says Republicans are not just greedy but have elevated greed to sacramental status. Not sure I wholly get the fine distinction he's driving at but accept the fundamental point: Current Republicans are all about self-interest and no longer make even a pretense of possessing a social conscience.
Then Stuart Stevens, Romney's campaign manager, becomes another in a long line of prominent Republican strategists to recant (obviously a growth industry in Republican circles), penning an op-ed today's Times in which he admits he was wrong about the Republican Party all along.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/29/opinion/trump-republican-party-racism.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Turns out the party he adhered to was never about all those laudable traits he thought he was supporting, the small government, fiscal and personal responsibility mouthings that constitutrd the Republican pablum since my father's days.
All along his party was really about greed (Krugman!) and racisal animus.
Aside from my wonderment that anyone with an ounce of sense could have taken so long to discover what was directly in front of his eyes, and the attendant skepticism that wonderment entails, the thought I'm left with is not so much about the Republican Party considered as an institution but about the millions that have voted fot it, contributed money to it, and considered it their home over the last fifty years.
What in the world could they have been thinking--or feeling? And what about those thoughts or feelings could possibly be praiseworthy?
Were they all gulled by the same high sounding phrases that Stevens says he was taken in by?
Just as I'm skeptical about Steven's sudden conversion, I have the feeling that all along most Republicans didn't buy the claptrap. They just repeated the mouthings to make them feel better about being the terrible people they really were.
And they are still forty percent of the country--and still just as awful.
Which makes both the Krugman and Stevens op-eds not so much indictments of a party as of our nation.
@PD: verry verry funny!
Just realized that the Trump Office of Intelligence & Analysis (a branch—well, more like a broken twig—of the Debasement of Homeland Security) is the oxymoron of the year! Congrats, all you Trump losers and incompetents.
For that matter, the entire concept of homeland security under the Orange Traitor, is about as oxymoronic as it gets. In fact the whole schmeer is oxymoronic: justice? Nope. Education? Un-unh. Defense? Definitely not. Interior? Sold! Agriculture? Full’a vultures. Health and Human Services? Unhealthy and inhuman. Treasury? Trump family piggy bank.
But for now, “Trump Office of Intelligence & Analysis“ takes the cake.
Pardon me if we've heard this before, but Pompeo says Dear Leader will take action against Tik-Tok and other Chinese aps "in the coming days".
Sounds like "Infrastructure week" all over again, or maybe that super duper replacement for Obamacare.
This cite is a few days old 7/29. The author, Roger McNamee is an early investor in FB, mentor to Zuckerberg and quite brilliant. And - OMG - has an acute understanding of the downfall of tech and how to fix it. His book "Zucked" is quite good, although McNamee was still clinging to the Zuckerberg is not the Machiavellian early incel asshat the rest of us see. McNamee seems to have dropped some of those rose colored glasses. Also in his favor, he and his spouse established an elephant rescue in Nthern CA.
This piece is focused, succinct and poses some actual solutions to our frightening tech overlords. The balance between privacy and free speech is precarious. McNamee approaches the problem in 4 parts: Safety, Privacy, Competition and Securities Law. Its not a lengthy piece but lots of worthwhile meat.
https://bit.ly/2XkujG1
On Bass-like apologies:
"We all replace all of our cells about every seven years, in a continuous process. When I said that questionable thing a few years ago, obviously, those were problematic brain cells. They're gone now. Live and unlearn."
@Patrick: Okay, "I have different brain cells now" is one I missed. But it's a good one.
Asked RCers yesterday who they believe the best VP candidate might be.
Asked because I didn't know and thought all the reported contenders had problems. Seems that they all do. I understand the delayed announcement, which is nonetheless likely to arrive before that super dooper healthcare for everyone Bobby Lee mentions (tho' I do expect some vague, glittery bullet points on that soon so the Pretender can present it as part of his reelection sales pitch).
Any ideas?
Is there a dark (or light) horse waiting for her chance?