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The Ledes

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Washington Post: “Paul D. Parkman, a scientist who in the 1960s played a central role in identifying the rubella virus and developing a vaccine to combat it, breakthroughs that have eliminated from much of the world a disease that can cause catastrophic birth defects and fetal death, died May 7 at his home in Auburn, N.Y. He was 91.”

New York Times: “Dabney Coleman, an award-winning television and movie actor best known for his over-the-top portrayals of garrulous, egomaniacal characters, died on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 92.”

The Wires
powered by Surfing Waves
The Ledes

Friday, May 17, 2024

AP: “Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area.”

Public Service Announcement

The Washington Post offers tips on how to keep your EV battery running in frigid temperatures. The link at the end of this graf is supposed to be a "gift link" (from me, Marie Burns, the giftor!), meaning that non-subscribers can read the article. Hope it works: https://wapo.st/3u8Z705

Marie: BTW, if you think our government sucks, I invite you to watch the PBS special "The Real story of Mr Bates vs the Post Office," about how the British post office falsely accused hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of subpostmasters of theft and fraud, succeeded in obtaining convictions and jail time, and essentially stole tens of thousands of pounds from some of them. Oh, and lied about it all. A dramatization of the story appeared as a four-part "Masterpiece Theater," which you still may be able to pick it up on your local PBS station. Otherwise, you can catch it here (for now). Just hope this does give our own Postmaster General Extraordinaire Louis DeJoy any ideas.

The Mysterious Roman Dodecahedron. Washington Post: A “group of amateur archaeologists sift[ing] through ... an ancient Roman pit in eastern England [found] ... a Roman dodecahedron, likely to have been placed there 1,700 years earlier.... Each of its pentagon-shaped faces is punctuated by a hole, varying in size, and each of its 20 corners is accented by a semi-spherical knob.” Archaeologists don't know what the Romans used these small dodecahedrons for but the best guess is that they have some religious significance.

"Countless studies have shown that people who spend less time in nature die younger and suffer higher rates of mental and physical ailments." So this Washington Post page allows you to check your own area to see how good your access to nature is.

Marie: If you don't like birthing stories, don't watch this video. But I thought it was pretty sweet -- and funny:

If you like Larry David, you may find this interview enjoyable:


Tracy Chapman & Luke Combs at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Allison Hope comments in a CNN opinion piece:

~~~ Here's Chapman singing "Fast Car" at the Oakland Coliseum in December 1988. ~~~

~~~ Here's the full 2024 Grammy winner's list, via CBS.

He Shot the Messenger. Washington Post: “The Messenger is shutting down immediately, the news site’s founder told employees in an email Wednesday, marking the abrupt demise of one of the stranger and more expensive recent experiments in digital media. In his email, Jimmy Finkelstein said he was 'personally devastated' to announce that he had failed in a last-ditch effort to raise more money for the site, saying that he had been fundraising as recently as the night before. Finkelstein said the site, which launched last year with outsize ambitions and a mammoth $50 million budget, would close 'effective immediately.' The New York Times first reported the site’s closure late Wednesday afternoon, appearing to catch many staffers off-guard, including editor in chief Dan Wakeford. As employees read the news story, the internal work chat service Slack erupted in what one employee called 'pandemonium.'... Minutes later, as staffers read Finkelstein’s email, its message was underscored as they were forcibly logged out of their Slack accounts. Former Messenger reporter Jim LaPorta posted on social media that employees would not receive health care or severance.”

Contact Marie

Click on this link to e-mail Marie.

Page Links
Tuesday
Dec032019

The Commentariat -- December 4, 2019

Late Morning Update:

The New York Times is live-updating today's Judiciary Committee hearing. The Washington Post's live updates are here. The Guardian's liveblog is here. The Guardian's liveblog tends to be the most up-to-the-minute. ~~~

~~~ Politico has texts of the prepared opening statement by today's witnesses.

Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump on Wednesday called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'two-faced' after a viral clip circulated showing Trudeau gossiping about the president's conduct at bilateral NATO meetings a day earlier." Mrs. McC: Trump has cancelled his press conference, maybe because Trudeau, Johnson & Macron laughed at him & hurt his fee-fees. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday abruptly canceled a press conference that was scheduled to cap a contentious trip to England for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's 70th anniversary meeting.... Hours before the press conference was set to start, video emerged of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau caught on a hot mic mocking Trump.... None of the politicians in the hot-mic video, which emerged on social media Tuesday evening, mentioned Trump by name. But Trudeau reportedly said later Wednesday that it was Trump's surprise announcement of the location for next year's Group of Seven summit that made 'his team's jaws drop to the floor.' Trump revealed Tuesday that the 2020 G-7 summit will be held at Camp David in Maryland, weeks after he retreated from a plan to host it at his own Miami golf resort."

David Herszenhorn of Politico: "... Donald Trump warned Germany to up its military spending, or face unspecified trade sanctions. Trump issued the warning on Tuesday while in London for a NATO leaders' summit, and ahead of a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel scheduled for early Wednesday afternoon."

Nicholas Burns in the Atlantic: "The not-so-closely guarded secret at NATO headquarters is allied officials are privately relieved that, rather than holding a full-fledged summit over two days, the leaders are holding just three and a half hours of formal discussions. That limited Trump's opportunities to blow up the proceedings, as he has done in other major meetings with European and Canadian leaders.... Article V [of the NATO treaty] has been invoked just once in NATO history, when the European allies and Canada vowed to come to our defense after the 9/11 attacks.... Trump appears entirely indifferent to the clear, decisive advantage over Russia and China that the United States enjoys because of our European ties. We have 28 allies in NATO, as well as treaty allies in Japan, South Korea, and Australia in the western Pacific, who will defend us when our backs are against the wall. This is the great power differential we enjoy with Moscow and Beijing."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael Shear & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday released a report documenting the impeachment case against President Trump, laying out the conclusions of its inquiry into allegations that he abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to help him in the 2020 presidential election and then impeded attempts by Congress to investigate.... The report's approval, expected on Tuesday evening, will set in motion the next phase in the impeachment of Mr. Trump, accelerating a constitutional clash that has happened only three times in the nation's history." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Kyle Cheney & Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "... Donald Trump abused the power of his office by pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his political rivals, House Democrats concluded in a highly anticipated report released Tuesday. The 300-page House Intelligence Committee report, which is expected to form the basis for articles of impeachment, also accuses Trump of engaging in an extensive effort to obstruct the House's impeachment inquiry and deprive investigators of key witnesses and documents. The report describes a president eager to use his leverage over Ukraine -- a country at war with Russia -- to extract political benefits ahead of the 2020 election. Trump allegedly conditioned military aid and a coveted White House meeting for Zelensky on his willingness to launch Trump's desired investigations, including one targeting former Vice President Joe Biden. '[T]he president placed his own personal and political interests above the national interests of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the U.S presidential election process, and endangered U.S. national security,' the report concludes. The Intelligence Committee formally adopted the report later Tuesday on a party-line vote, ahead of the first impeachment hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.... Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said his report uncovered 'overwhelming' evidence that should be presented to the Judiciary Committee immediately for consideration." ~~~

     ~~~ Here's a ScribD of the report via Vox. (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: A summary report is 17 pages & there are 300+ pages of background. Michael Shear of the New York Times reports the highlights of the Intel Committee report. ~~~

~~~ The one thing that's new to the public in the body of the Intel Committee's report is a series of phone call records. Here are some eye-poppers. ~~~

     ~~~ Rudy, Rudy, Rudy. Colby Itkowitz, et al., of the Washington Post (@ 5:00 pm ET): "Records obtained by the House Intelligence Committee show several calls text messages in early August between ... Rudolph W. Giuliani and people whose phone numbers are associated with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget. At that time, then-U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland were trying to set up a meeting between Trump and Zelensky that the Ukrainians were desperate to schedule. Ukrainian official asked Volker on Aug. 7 whether he had any 'news about White House meeting date,' and Volker said he asked Giuliani to 'weigh in.' Giuliani's calls and texts include a nearly 13-minute call with an OMB official and an unnamed number identified only as '-1' on Aug. 8.... The contents of the exchanges are not known, but they preceded a group text exchange on Aug. 9 in which Volker applauds Sondland for making progress toward setting up a White House meeting." Mrs. McC: Now, who do you suppose "1" is?

     ~~~ Same link @4:45 pm ET: "Rudy "Giuliani called the White House repeatedly on the day that the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine was abruptly ordered to return to Washington, according to phone records released Monday by the House Intelligence Committee.... The records show that Giuliani made a flurry of calls to the White House on April 24 -- the day that Yovanovitch was summoned to Washington and told that she had lost Trump's confidence. Giuliani called the White House at least seven times that day between 7:47 a.m. and 8:09 p.m. He also received a call from a White House number and spent more than eight minutes speaking to someone identified only as '-1' in the report." ~~~

     ~~~ Zachary Basu of Axios: "Call records included in an >impeachment report released by House Democrats Tuesday show that House Intelligence Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) had a number of contacts in April with Rudy Giuliani and Lev Parnas, an associate of Giuliani's who has since been indicted for campaign finance violations.... The April contacts came in the midst of a smear campaign against former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, which was led by Giuliani, Parnas and John Solomon, a Trump-friendly journalist who formerly wrote for The Hill." ~~~

     ~~~ Lachan Markay of the Daily Beast has more on Rudy's calls: "Rudy Giuliani and one of his indicted Ukrainian associates exchanged a flurry of phone calls with Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), the top Republican on Congress' impeachment investigation panel, amid a Giuliani-led effort to dig up dirt on ... Donald Trump's political opponents in Ukraine. The House Intelligence Committee obtained phone records from AT&T showing extensive communications in early April involving Nunes, Giuliani, Lev Parnas, and The Hill columnist John Solomon, according to records released in the committee's formal report on its investigation underlying impeachment charges against President Donald Trump. The records shed new light on the relationship between Nunes, one of the impeachment inquiries most vehement critics, and the individuals at the center of what committee Democrats describe as an illicit campaign to weaponize U.S. foreign policy to Trump's political advantage." ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Both Adam Schiff & Lev Parnas' lawyer Joseph Bondy called out Devin Nunes' for his alleged secret collaboration with Giuliani & the White House while sitting on the committee that was investigating Trump & others. Schiff, when asked by reporters about Nunes' activities, said, "It is, I think, deeply concerning that at a time when the president of the U.S. was using the power of his office to dig up dirt on a political rival that there may be evidence that there were members of Congress complicit in that activity." And Bondy tweeted, "Devin Nunes, you should have recused yourself at the outset [of the impeachment hearings]." Schiff, BTW, said on MSNBC that Nunes had access to the phone logs as soon as the committee obtained them. ~~~

(~~~ Devin Nuisance. Rowan Scarborough of the Washington Examiner: "Rep. Devin Nunes on Tuesday filed a defamation suit against CNN for a 'demonstrably false hit piece' that said the California Republican traveled to Vienna in 2018 to dig up dirt on former Vice President Joseph R. Biden. 'Devin Nunes did not go to Vienna or anywhere else in Austria in 2018,' declared the lawsuit seeking $435 million in damages. He said he visited two countries, Libya and Malta, on a 'codel' trip, meaning 'congressional delegation.' The CNN story, which ran Nov. 22, said Mr. Nunes met with former Ukraine chief prosecutor Viktor Shokin." ~~~)

~~~ Sharon LaFraniere & Julian Barnes of the New York Times take a stab at explaining the significance of Rudy's phone lobbying: "In the two days before President Trump forced out the American ambassador to Ukraine in April..., Rudolph W. Giuliani was on the phone with the White House more than a dozen times. Phone records cited in the impeachment report released Tuesday by the House Intelligence Committee illustrate the sprawling reach of Mr. Giuliani's campaign first to remove the ambassador, Marie L. Yovanovitch, then to force Ukraine's new government to announce criminal investigations for Mr. Trump's political gain. That effort accelerated through the spring and summer into a full-court press to force Ukraine's new president to accede to Mr. Trump's or risk losing $391 million in military assistance desperately needed to hold off Russian-led forces waging a separatist war in eastern Ukraine.... [Giuliani] reached out to ... Mike Pompeo..., John R. Bolton..., Devin Nunes..., [others,] and the owner of a mysterious number, '-1.'... The phone records also detail at least half a dozen calls between Mr. Giuliani and a number associated with the White House's Office of Management and Budget."~~~

     ~~~ Here's a report by NBC News, incorporating AP reports.

** Jonathan Chait: Evidence suggests "... Trump has been extorting Ukraine for his own political gain ... during the previous two years as well. Begin with Trump's notion that Ukraine, not Russia, hacked Democratic emails.... American intelligence officials have described the theory as a Russian-backed disinformation campaign.... Trump ... seems to have first heard [this idea] in the summer of 2016, from Paul Manafort.... By April 2017, Trump was repeating this theory in public, falsely telling an Associated Press reporter that a 'Ukrainian-based' company had taken the Democratic server with the stolen emails. A few months after that, Rudy Giuliani began meeting with Ukrainian officials." In June 2017, Giuliani met with former Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko & then-Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko. Lutsenko then opened an "investigation" into the "black ledger" scandal that had implicated Manafort. A few weeks later, Poroshenko scored a "drop-in" White House meeting with Trump. In 2018, the U.S. first agreed to sell Javelin missiles to Ukraine, & -- in exchange -- Ukraine quit cooperating with Bob Mueller's investigators. "Both [of these earlier quid pro quos] bear all the same superficial hallmarks to what occurred this year. In both instances, Giuliani had contacts with Ukrainian officials, and traded the same things (a presidential meeting and military aid). Also in both cases, Ukraine put its famously corrupt judicial system at the disposal of Trump's domestic interests."

Projection. I think he's a maniac. I think Adam Schiff is a deranged human being. I think he grew up with a complex for lots of reasons that are obvious. I think he's a very sick man.... This guy is sick. He made up the conversation [between Trump & Zelensky]. He lied. If he didn't do that in the halls of Congress, he'd be thrown in a jail. But he did it in the halls of Congress and he's given immunity. -- Donald Trump, at NATO

Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: "The State Department's No. 3 official on Tuesday flatly rejected a conspiracy theory pushed by ... Donald Trump and his personal attorney that it was Ukraine who systematically interfered in the 2016 election, not Russia. In a Senate Foreign Relations hearing on U.S. policy toward Russia, David Hale, the department's undersecretary for political affairs, succinctly summed up the findings of the U.S. intelligence community in response to questioning from the panel's top Democrat, Sen. Bob Menendez.... 'Was the Kremlin's interference in our 2016 election a hoax?' Menendez [asked], echoing the president's own language, and eliciting a swift 'no' from Hale. 'Are you aware of any evidence that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. election?' Menendez continued, to which Hale responded: 'I am not.'... Hale's series of responses is a departure from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who told reporters a week ago that he saw merit in investigating such allegations.... And Trump, too, has continued pushing the debunked claims that have formed -- in part -- the basis of his criticisms of Ukraine and set off the series of events resulting in the impeachment inquiry winding its way through the House." (Also linked yesterday.)

House Democrats released this video Tuesday morning:

Jeremy Stahl of Slate: "On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee will hold its first hearing in the latest phase of the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump. Based on everything we know about the committee's past oversight efforts, statements by Republican committee members and the president's defense team, and the details of the panel itself, one thing seems clear: Compared with the staid and productive fact-finding work conducted by the House Intelligence Committee over the past few weeks, this hearing will almost certainly be a disaster." ~~~

~~~ BUT. Heather Caygle & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler had a blunt message as he privately addressed Democrats the day before his panel assumes a starring role in the impeachment inquiry. 'I'm not going to take any shit,' Nadler said in a closed-door prep session Tuesday morning...."

Ann Marimow & Renae Merle of the Washington Post: "A federal appeals court has sided with House Democrats seeking to obtain President Trump's private financial records from Deutsche Bank and Capital One, stating that 'the public interest favors denial of a preliminary injunction.' The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit came in the ongoing legal battle Trump has waged over access to his private business records -- including two cases that have already reached the Supreme Court. The New York-based appeals court upheld Congress's broad investigative authority and ordered the two banks to comply with the House subpoenas for the president's financial information. The case pre-dates the public impeachment proceedings in the House.... Trump has asked the Supreme Court to block the subpoena, and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. agreed to temporarily put the order on hold to give the high court time to review the case. A separate three-judge panel of the 2nd Circuit also unanimously rejected Trump's effort to block New York grand jury subpoenas for his eight years of Trump's tax returns from his accounting firm.... Trump has also asked the Supreme Court to step in to stop disclosure of his financial records to New York prosecutors." A CNBC report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

** Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: Rudy "Giuliani's efforts to undermine the special counsel probe [-- an effort that began at the end of 2018 --] eventually snowballed into the current impeachment crisis gripping the capital --highlighting how the pressure Trump and his allies put on Ukraine originated as an effort to sow doubts about the Russia investigation.... The direct connection between the Mueller investigation and the Ukraine pressure campaign, often lost as the administration has reeled from controversy to controversy, shows the deep imprint the Russia investigation has had on the president.... Trump's determination to undercut the special counsel's findings was so great that, the very day after Mueller testified before Congress, the president appeared to solicit another country's political help in a phone call to his Ukrainian counterpart. In his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump described the Mueller investigation as 'nonsense,' emphasizing that it was very important to get to the bottom of what really happened." (Also linked yesterday.)

Nicolle Gaouette & Kylie Atwood of CNN: "One of ... Donald Trump's most common responses to intelligence briefings is to doubt what he's being told, former Deputy Director of Intelligence Susan Gordon said Tuesday. Gordon, an intelligence veteran of more than 30 years, said Monday that Trump had two typical responses to briefings. 'One,"'I don't think that's true,'" Gordon told the Women's Foreign Policy Group..., 'and the other is ... "Why is that true? Why are we there? Why is this what you believe? Why do we do that?" Those sorts of things.'... Gordon seemed to suggest that it was more difficult trying to figure out where the President had gotten the information that was shaping his beliefs and opinions than dealing with his tendency to doubt what he was being told.... Gordon'remarks about the President at the group's gathering may be her first since Trump veered from protocol to block her from rising to become the acting director of national intelligence after the July resignation of Dan Coats.... Gordon's ouster came about because Trump, who has had a contentious relationship with his own intelligence services, wanted a political loyalist in the role who would 'rein in' the intelligence agencies." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: As Gordon notes, there's nothing wrong with a commander-in-chief questioning intelligence assessments. But if the reason for doubting the assessment is, "That's not what Putin or Erdogan on bin Salman or some guy on Fox 'News' says," there's a problem. BTW, what goodies do you suppose Trump got for refusing to condemn MSB for the gruesome murder of Jamal Khashoggi & for supporting Erdogan's brutal attack on the Kurds? We probably should stop pretending Trump "is drawn to" dictators & acknowledge that his supposed "attraction" to them is the as-yet-unknown "favors" they grant him.


Emmanuel Macron Is Tired of Trying to Reason with Donald Trump. Katie Rogers & Annie Karni of the New York Times: "A once-cordial relationship between President Trump and President Emmanuel Macron of France devolved in a dramatic fashion on Tuesday, as the two leaders publicly sparred over their approach to containing the threat of terrorism and a shared vision for the future of NATO, a 70-year-old alliance facing existential threats on multiple fronts. In a lengthy appearance before reporters, the president met a cool reception from Mr. Macron, who earlier in the day Mr. Trump derided as 'very insulting' for his recent remarks on the 'brain death' of the alliance. When asked to address his earlier comments on the French leader, Mr. Trump, a leader averse to face-to-face confrontation, initially demurred, but Mr. Macron was direct." This is an update of a story also linked early yesterday. The Hill's story of the Macron-Trump meeting is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Aamer Madhani & Zeke Miller of the AP: "... Donald Trump barreled into a NATO leaders' meeting on Tuesday aiming insults at French President Emmanuel Macron, slamming 'unpatriotic' Democrats at home for holding an impeachment hearing while he is abroad and playing down the impact his domestic troubles are having on his standing on the global stage." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Mark Landler of the New York Times: "President Trump has always relished throwing European leaders off balance, antagonizing allies, embracing insurgents and setting off a frantic contest for how best to deal with him. Now, as Europe undergoes dizzying political changes of its own, it is throwing Mr. Trump off balance. In London for a NATO summit meeting, Mr. Trump was subjected to a rare tongue-lashing on trade and terrorism by President Emmanuel Macron of France, who dismissed his attempt to lighten the mood with a curt, 'Let's be serious.' Earlier in the day, Mr. Trump held his own tongue about British politics, heeding Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plea not to barge into Britain's election at the 11th hour.... Mr. Trump bridled almost visibly as he tried to stay out of the British election on Dec. 12. 'I don't want to complicate it,' he said, in a grudging admission that he is so unpopular in Britain that a full-throated endorsement of the prime minister could backfire.... For a president who prides himself on being the Great Disrupter, it was a startling turnabout, one that underscored how Europe's shifting landscape -- with an ambitious president in France, a lame-duck leader in Germany and a breakaway populist in Britain -- has scrambled the calculus for Mr. Trump." ~~~

~~~ Macron Tricks Baby Trump into Endorsing NATO. Jonathan Chait: "The keenest minds in what remains of the free world have set themselves to the task of distracting Trump long enough to get through the NATO summit without dissolving the alliance in a tantrum. The Washington Post detailed the efforts leading up to the summit. The plans include flattering Trump with an elaborate dinner at Buckingham Palace, and presenting a series of trumped-up concessions to make it appear the allies have buckled to Trump's demands by increasing their spending, thereby allowing him to claim victory rather than storming out in a huff.... Amusingly, what seems to have worked instead is Emmanuel Macron's completely different ploy. The French president gave an interview last month decrying the 'brain death' of NATO, which he said had failed to account for America's shrinking commitment under Trump. Trump himself has called NATO 'obsolete,' openly questioned whether the U.S. would come to the defense of allies under attack..., and privately told aides on several occasions last year he wants to withdraw from the alliance. But the notion that somebody else would question NATO, and blame its demise on Trump, has enraged him.... And now Trump is lashing out at Macron. 'NATO serves a great purpose,' he declared [Tuesday].... Manipulating children into doing what you want by pretending to demand they do the opposite thing is a trick most parents learn to use. It usually stops working around the age of 5."

Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Tuesday made his most pessimistic comments in weeks regarding a trade deal with China, just one day after ratcheting up tensions with Brazil, Argentina, and France, sending chills through Wall Street and making clear there would be no let up in his protectionist tactics. Speaking on the first day of NATO's 70th anniversary summit, Trump said he was open to waiting until after the 2020 elections to reach a trade deal with China, a sharp departure from his comments in October when he said a' phase one' deal was nearly complete. The markets plunged on Trump's remarks, continuing a rocky December that began with Trump's Monday announcement -- coupled with disappointing manufacturing and construction data -- that he would reimpose tariffs on steel and aluminum from Brazil and Argentina.... The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 400 points after his comments, or 1.4 percent, and the Standard & Poor's 500 fell roughly 1.3 percent." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Thomas Franck of CNBC: “... Donald Trump downplayed the stock market's Tuesday losses as 'peanuts' when compared to both the economic importance of striking a favorable trade deal with China and the market's gains since his election." @11:15 am ET, that's the whole story. (Also linked yesterday.)

The royal Duke of York
Hung out with Donald Trump.

But Donald doesn't know him since
He fell into a dump. ~~~

 

~~~ Iliana Magra of the New York Times: "President Trump denied on Tuesday that he knew Prince Andrew, the son of Queen Elizabeth II who has become entangled in sexual abuse accusations against the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. But photographs show they have met several times over the past 20 years." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Jennifer Hassan of the Washington Post: "President Trump said at a news conference on Tuesday that he 'doesn't know' Britain's Prince Andrew, despite photos of the two taking a walk side by side in June, smiling at Westminster Abbey during the president's three-day state visit to Britain and attending at least one social gathering several years ago." (Also linked yesterday.)

So You Think Trump Doesn't Make the U.S. the Laughingstock of the World? Allyson Chiu of the Washington Post: Snippets of a conversation among "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron ... were captured in a short video that went viral late Tuesday after viewers surmised that the group appeared to be joking about President Trump's performance earlier in the day. 'Is that why you were late?' a smiling Johnson asks Macron in the 25-second clip first shared by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. 'He was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top,' Trudeau chimes in. Hours before the reception, Trump had turned what were 'expected to be brief photo opportunities' with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Macron and Trudeau into 'his own personal daytime cable show,' The Washington Post reported. During the one-on-one meetings, Trump clashed with Macron and needled Trudeau over Canada's NATO spending.... 'You just watched his team's jaws drop to the floor,' an animated Trudeau later tells the group." Here's an AP story. Mrs. McC: A commenter to one tweet carrying the video notes that also among the group are Netherlands PM Mark Rutte Princess Anne. Can't see Anne's face, but Rutte seems to be amused:

 

** Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "Speaking to a roomful of police officers and prosecutors on Tuesday, Attorney General William P. Barr ... suggested, those who don't show 'respect' to authority could lose access to police services. 'Today, the American people ... have to start showing, more than they do, the respect and support that law enforcement deserves,' Barr said in pointed remarks delivered at a Justice Department ceremony to honor police officers. Barr added that 'if communities don't give that support and respect, they might find themselves without the police protection they need.'" A HuffPost story is here. Mrs. McC: This is what the attorney general of the United States thinks of First Amendment rights for people who live in certain "disrespectful communities." Bill Barr is just a smarter Donald Trump.

Barbara Starr & Chandelis Duster of CNN: "Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher has retired from the Navy, capping off a career that gained national attention when ... Donald Trump controversially intervened in a war crimes case on his behalf.Gallagher retired on November 30 as planned, according to several Navy officials. His retirement followed standard practice for enlisted sailors with 20 or more years of service. He has been transferred to the 'fleet reserve,' a list of personnel that can be potentially called back to active duty in a national crisis." (Also linked yesterday.)

AP: "GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter showed no emotion in the courtroom when he pleaded guilty to misusing campaign money in San Diego on Tuesday. Outside federal court, the California congressman declined to say when he would leave office.... [Prosecutor Phil] Halpern vowed to seek a prison term for Hunter of at least a year, although his plea agreement calls for up to five years." (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race 2020

Dan Merica & Kate Sullivan of CNN: "Sen. Kamala Harris ended her 2020 presidential campaign on Tuesday. The California Democrat told her senior staff of the decision Tuesday morning, and later sent an email to supporters.... The senator, who struggled to energize her campaign in recent months, acknowledged that financial pressures led to her decision." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's Harris's statement. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Too bad. We will miss you Kamala. -- Donald Trump, in a tweet

Don't worry, Mr. President. I'll see you at your trial. -- Kamala Harris, in a tweeted response

Presidential Race 2016. Daniel Victor of the New York Times: "An influential political power broker who was a witness named in the Mueller report was among eight people charged with conspiring to conceal the source of excessive contributions to groups supporting Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday. Prosecutors say George Nader, a Lebanese-American businessman who was a cooperating witness in Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, conspired with Ahmad 'Andy' Khawaja, the owner of an online payments company, to conceal more than $3.5 million in donations to the groups. The donations let Mr. Khawaja gain access to Mrs. Clinton during the campaign, and he also visited with President Trump in the Oval Office, according to an investigation by The Associated Press last year.... Mr. Nader, who has been a frequent visitor to Mr. Trump's White House, has spent decades working in international diplomacy.... Mr. Nader is currently in federal custody on unrelated charges of possessing child pornography.... Prosecutors said Mr. Khawaja made the donations in the names of himself, his wife and his business, but that the money actually came from Mr. Nader. While arranging the payments, Mr. Nader reported to an official of an unspecified foreign government about his efforts to gain influence...." ~~~

Congressional Race 2020. GOP Congressman Lives in a UPS Mailbox. Tim Carpenter of the Topeka Capital-Journal: "U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins' [R] decision to sign a Kansas voter registration form and two other election documents that asserted his residential address was a UPS Store in Topeka could constitute felony voter fraud under federal law and election perjury under state statute, officials said Tuesday. Shawnee County records show the first-term Republican listed his official residence as 6021 S.W. 29th St. in Topeka, which corresponds to a UPS Store, when he signed a form to change his residency for voter registration purposes in August, signed an application for a mail-in ballot in October and signed a document to complete advance voting for the November election. It isn't clear where the congressman physically resided in Kansas after August nor what Topeka precinct he was legally qualified to be part of when voting in November.... A bipartisan contingent of Kansas politicians was critical of Watkins' handling of his residential declaration. Several of these Democrats and Republicans said they suspected Watkins' acts rose to the level of criminal conduct."

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Fake residency is a Kansas Republican tradition. In 2014, reporters found that Sen. Pat Roberts didn't actually live in Kansas. He listed as his residence the home of donors who supposedly rented him a room in their house.

Beyond the Beltway

Texas. Alex Samuels & Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune: "State Rep. Rick Miller, R-Sugar Land, is no longer running for reelection after he sparked a firestorm for saying he was facing primary challengers because they are 'Asian.'... In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Miller said that two of his Republican opponents -- former Fort Bend GOP Chairman Jacey Jetton and Houston Fire Department analyst Leonard Chan -- likely joined the race because they're Asian in a district with a sizable Asian population.... The backlash was swift earlier Tuesday as Gov. Greg Abbott pulled his endorsement of Miller and the Fort Bend county GOP chair asked him to consider dropping out."

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Reader Comments (8)

Last night Steve Schmidt used the metaphor of pilot fish surrounding a shark to describe Trump's sycophants. Wait a minute! I says to me self–-why does that ring a bell? Then I remembered the Herman Melville poem ( yes, Herman wrote many poems). It is called "The Maldive Shark"and captured the aesthetic and "moral" hideousness of a predator, the Maldive shark, who is guided through the perilous seas by his awful sycophants, the little pilot fish who remain unharmed because they are useful to him, nimble and alert and wary in sea depths as he is not. The shark tolerates these fish because they clean parasites from his skin. In Melville's poem, according to Helen Vendler, "The poem is initially shocking because it has been cast into waltz-like rhythms that seem totally incongruous with the ponderous with the ponderous shark, but the reader comes to realize that the pilot fish not only constitute the eyes of the shark but also govern his lunge toward the kill with their own wily quick-wittedness ; they are the brain behind the hulk."

We can parse this in many ways, but if I could, I'd like to tell Herman that he did a bang up job of describing what we are dealing with in 2019. And thinking of Nunes and the rest of "the gang of sleaze" as "little pilot fish" gives me great pleasure.

December 4, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

@PD Pepe: Thanks for that. The poem is here. And yeah, Melville was remarkably prescient when he wrote of "the dotard lethargic and dull." Does Kim Jong-un read American poetry?

December 4, 2019 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

P.D.

Thanks for the Melville. It helped.

Saw the same Schmidt act last night and was a little surprised to find myself more offended than entertained by his shtick. That reaction to him has been growing for some time. Not that he is wrong about the Pretender and his pilots (tho' I don't see the Pretender pilots ridding the Pretender of parasites so much as acting as parasites themselves), but as time has gone on I tend to separate the performance from the person and remember, among other things, that it was Mr. Schmidt who brought us Sarah Palin (one of the alps of cynical politics, it seems to me) and more recently followed the money (shark food?) to Howard Schulz's lair, where I assume he dined sumptously for a while on capitalist offal.

Guess I'm saying that while I still appreciate Schmidt's ability to turn an occasion new phrase, I see less principle in the performance than I once did...

....so tacking on the Melville really did help.

December 4, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Nothing like some good snark to brighten a day. This video is all over twitter. The Queen appears to gesture to Princess Anne to come over and greet Trump in the receiving line, she shrugs very dramatically. Prior to the gesture/shrug, Princess Anne looks like she's examining from a few feet behind Melania and Trump and making comments (to husband?) with an amused expression. There's a small # of "explanations" on twitter.

I'm not a royal watcher in real time, but I enjoy "The Crown" on Netflix. After seeing the rebellious portrayal of a young Princess Anne hooking up with Parker Bowles' soon-to-be husband, I can more easily imagine her snarking away at Trump and Melania. (Melania's yellow school bus raincoat ensemble) Yes, I am a bit adolescent once in a while.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10479590/princess-anne-shrugs-queen-donald-trump/

December 4, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterAnonymous

Was curious about how Turley would handle himself and took a quick look-see at his opening statement. The whole fifty plus pages exceeded my curiosity quotient but found it interesting that he seemed to be saying that without being certain what was going on in the Pretender's mind we could not be certain that his actions stemmed from corrupt intent....therefore....

Seemed a frail reed on which to mount an argument. Because we can't see into the Pretender's black box of a brain, we cannot fairly judge his actions, corrupt as his history and by all appearances his behavior toward Ukraine would seem to be.

Reminded me of the Supremes assault on quid pro quo. If there's no video of the bag of money changing hands, it doesn't exist.

I'm sure there were subtleties I missed buried in Turley's argument, but....

Regarding his conclusion, where he takes a gentlemanly stroll through history, I never agreed that JFK's profile in courage had it right with his account of the Andrew Johnson impeachment. Maybe we give principle (Turley likes that word) short shrift when we separate courage from the cause in which it is displayed.

Johnson, a Southern sympathizer who shafted Reconstruction, should have been impeached.

December 4, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

When Turley started to talk about Charles II, I realized it was time to finish up the prep work on the turkey soup ...

December 4, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterPatrick

Can hardly imagine the chest pains shooting through Fatty McThinskin's chest when he heard about Western leaders mocking his idiocy. What sad, depressing rage he surely blamed on someone else.

I'm sure Ivanka got right on the phone setting up a couple rallies in deep Qanon territory.

December 4, 2019 | Unregistered Commentersafari

Alas! If we could only appreciate Mr. Turdley's smarts. The second most-quoted law professor in the land.

December 4, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterMAG
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