Friday
Feb072020
The Commentariat -- February 8, 2020
Afternoon Update:
Jon Keller of CBS Boston: "Pete Buttigieg continued his rise in Friday night's exclusive WBZ/Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll, for the first time taking a narrow lead that falls within the survey's 4.4% margin of error. Buttigieg pulled in 25 percent, up two points from Thursday night, while Bernie Sanders held steady at 24 percent. Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden also rose by two percentage points, placing Warren third with 14 percent and Biden fourth with 11. These slight changes seem to be driven by a four-point drop in the number of undecided voters climbing off the fence, a process likely to be enhanced by Friday night's televised debate."
New York Times opinion writers rate & comment on the Democratic presidential candidates' debate performances.
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Daniel Strauss of the Guardian: "Democratic presidential candidates clashed on Friday night in a tense televised debate that was dominated by attacks against Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, the two candidates who declared victory after the Iowa caucuses.... Sanders fielded criticism from his fellow candidates over his support for his Medicare for All universal healthcare proposal, a government-run health insurance plan favored by progressives that would revolutionize the US system, while Buttigieg was forced to fend off criticism over his youth and inexperience.... Opening the debate, [Joe] Biden acknowledged he 'took a hit' in Iowa, and he predicted that he would 'probably take a hit' in New Hampshire too, casting himself as an underdog in the Granite state considering Sanders' strong finish there in 2016.... When the debate veered toward a discussion on experience, 38-year-old Buttigieg ... contrasted himself with Biden, [Amy] Klobuchar and Sanders, saying he represented experience outside of Washington. But Klobuchar, 59, shot back that 'we have a newcomer in the White House, look where it got us'."
Reid Epstein & Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "Here are seven takeaways from the night."
Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: So I listened to 90 percent of the New Hampshire debate (most of which was men talking), and I decided Amy Klubuchar seemed most "presidential," the least likely to seem foolish at a G-7 meeting or in delivering an Oval Office speech to the nation -- and someone who could KO Donald the Impeached. I sent her campaign a contribution, my first of contribution to a presidential candidate this season.
Kendall Karson & Quinn Scanlan of ABC News: "Friday's Democratic debate, hosted by ABC News and its Manchester, NH-based affiliate WMUR-TV, caps a tumultuous political week that included the highly contentious and deeply partisan impeachment trial of President Trump and the problem-plagued Iowa caucuses. Without a clear front-runner, the debate in New Hampshire is the last chance for Democrats to make their case before the first-in-the-nation primary there next week.... The debate will be from 8-11 p.m. ET [Friday] at Saint Anselm College."
Here's the New York Times' live snark blog. The Washington Post's liveblog of the debate is here.
Politico's live debate analysis is here. Politico also has a live video feed (on about a 30-second delay) of the debate.
Katie Glueck & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Anita Dunn, a veteran Democratic operative and top adviser to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., is taking on an expanded role in his campaign as he seeks a reset after a disastrous fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.... But it's not clear that promoting Ms. Dunn will alter Mr. Biden's trajectory in the race -- or be the last change Mr. Biden makes." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Iowa and New Hampshire will not be moved from the Primary Schedule as long as I am President. Great tradition! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet today
While a president* may exert some control over the primary schedule of his own party, he can't do squat about primaries of other parties. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie
Akela Lacy of The Intercept: "Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign plagiarized portions of its plans for maternal health, LGBTQ equality, the economy, tax policy, infrastructure, and mental health from research publications, media outlets, and a number of nonprofit, educational, and policy groups. The Intercept found that exact passages from at least eight Bloomberg plans or accompanying fact sheets were direct copies of material from media outlets...." --s ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Maybe we should mention here that Bloomberg owns his own media outlet. Perhaps he could find a writer or two at Bloomberg News.
Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "Former US Rep. Joe Walsh is ending his uphill challenge against Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination, after suffering a crushing loss in the Iowa GOP caucuses in which he received only 1% of the vote." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
** Peter Baker, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump and his aides wasted little time opening a campaign of retribution against those he blames for his impeachment, firing on Friday two of the most prominent witnesses in the inquiry against him barely 48 hours after the Senate acquitted the president. Emboldened by his victory and determined to strike back, Mr. Trump fired Gordon D. Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, within hours of the White House dismissing Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, a decorated Iraq war veteran who was a Ukraine expert on the National Security Council. Both officials testified to a House committee about the president's efforts to pressure Ukraine to help him against his domestic political rivals. 'I was advised today that the president intends to recall me effective immediately as United States Ambassador to the European Union,' Mr. Sondland said in a statement just hours after Colonel Vindman's dismissal. He expressed gratitude to Mr. Trump 'for having given me the opportunity to serve.' Colonel Vindman was escorted out of the White House by security officers on Friday afternoon and told that his services were no longer needed. His twin brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, who also worked on the N.S.C. staff, was fired too and escorted out at the same time. Both will be sent back to the Defense Department." ~~~
~~~ Politico's story, by Kyle Cheney & others, is here. "The succession of personnel moves came amid a promise of 'payback' by White House officials against those who testified or played a role in the impeachment of the president. Trump has spent the two days since his acquittal by the Senate railing against his perceived enemies." More on Col. Vindman's firing linked below.
"You'll See." Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News: "... Donald Trump said Friday that his impeachment should be invalidated, and he gave an ominous warning when asked how he'll pay back those responsible, saying, 'You'll see.'... Trump showed little sign of wanting to mend fences with the Democrats, saying they suffer from 'Trump derangement syndrome' and that there is 'a lot of evil on that side.' When asked how he was going to unify the country following his divisive impeachment, Trump said he would do it by 'great success.'" ~~~
~~~ Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was escorted out of the White House on Friday and told to leave his position at the National Security Council (NSC), according to a statement released by his attorney. Vindman was one of the key witnesses who testified in connection with the House impeachment inquiry about President Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president during which Trump raised investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden's dealings in Ukraine. 'There is no question in the mind of any American why this man's job is over, why this country now has one less soldier serving it at the White House,' David Pressman, Vindman's attorney, said in a statement. 'LTC Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth. His honor, his commitment to right, frightened the powerful.'... 'Well, I'm not happy with him. You think I'm supposed to be happy with him? I'm not. They'll make that decision. You'll be hearing. They'll make a decision,' Trump, apparently referring to the NSC, told reporters Friday morning before departing for a speech in North Carolina." Mrs. McC: He should get another medal for this & a promotion to full bird. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE. Ellen Mitchell of the Hill: "Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday said the Pentagon protects its service members from retribution, following reports that President Trump may oust the top White House expert on Ukraine [Alexander Vindman] after he testified during House impeachment hearings. 'We protect all of our persons, service members, from retribution or anything like that. We've already addressed that in policy and other means,' Esper told reporters at the Pentagon during a press conference with his Colombian counterpart." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Earlier. Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump is preparing to push out a national security official who testified against him during the impeachment inquiry after he expressed deep anger on Thursday over the attempt to remove him from office because of his actions toward Ukraine. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman -- a National Security Council aide who testified during House Democrats' impeachment hearings -- will be informed in the coming days, likely on Friday, by administration officials that he is being reassigned to a position at the Defense Department.... Vindman had already informed senior officials at the NSC that he intended to take an early exit from his assignment and leave his post by the end of the month..., but Trump is eager to make a symbol of the Army officer soon after the Senate acquitted him of the impeachment charges approved by House Democrats." The Hill has a summary report here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Elura Nanos of Law & Crime: "Under federal law, retaliation against any officer or employee of any intelligence agency is illegal, and an allegation of retaliation triggers an external review by a panel of the Inspector General. So, would the White House be breaking the law by dropping Vindman from the NSC?... National security lawyer Bradley P. Moss told Law&Crime that 'A "reassignment" would ordinarily qualify as a retaliatory action in this context, and it is axiomatic this is retaliation according to the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. There is a potential loophole the White House could exploit,' Moss said, however. The administration could argue that 'testifying to Congress does not meet the strict requirements of PPD-19.... It's anyone's guess how that would shake out.' PPD-19 is specifically focused on protecting those who report waste, fraud, and abuse -- which is potentially distinct from Vindman's testifying at the request of Congress." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: There might be a better case for applying the law to Yevgeny Vindmand's "reassignment." Trump had him frog-stepped out of the White House alongside his brother. Yevgeny's misdeed? -- Sharing a gene pool with someone Trump hated. During his 62-minute post-acquittal ramble, Trump -- no doubt warned about the law -- bit his tongue, but he clearly had Yevgeny in his sights. He said, "But Lieutenant Colonel Vindman and his twin brother -- right -- we had some people that -- really amazing." ~~~
~~~ Susan Collins Disapproves. Eric Russell of the Portland (Maine) Press Herald: "U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, appearing in Maine for the first time since her vote not to impeach President Trump, said Friday that she disapproves of retribution against anyone who came forward with evidence during the process. Even as she was saying that, the Washington Post reported that Trump was expected to fire Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.... The president also has hinted, as have some supporters, that there should be payback against some of his critics. Collins said she was 'obviously' against that, but she did defend her vote to acquit the president, while also acknowledging his conduct was wrong.... Collins did not answer whether she would support Trump's reelection but later told the Sun Journal after an event in Lewiston that she has not made up her mind. 'I haven't even given thought to presidential politics,' she said." ~~~
~~~ "Heads on a Pike." Nancy LeTourneau of the Washington Monthly: "During the Senate trial (and yes, I use that word loosely), CBS reported that 'senators have been warned -- vote against the president and your head will be on a pike.' Given Trump's obsession with revenge, that didn't come as a surprise to most of us. But as a Politico headline stated, Republicans were 'livid' when Representative Adam Schiff mentioned the CBS report during his remarks in the Senate.... Just as CBS reported, the president is in the midst of putting heads on pikes to demonstrate what happens to those who cross him." ~~~
~~~ Alex Ward of Vox: "At this rate, anyone speaking truth to power may soon feel they need to leave or be purged. This is the real American carnage of the Trump era."
~~~ The Collaborators. Nancy Pelosi, in a Washington Post op-ed: "For weeks, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the Republican-controlled Senate have made themselves accomplices to the president's wrongdoing by suppressing additional evidence and rejecting the most basic elements of a fair judicial process. In declaring their loyalty to the president over our Constitution, Republicans have made a farce of the old boast that the U.S. Senate is the greatest deliberative body in the world. And they have joined the president in normalizing lawlessness and rejecting the checks and balances of our Constitution.... Sadly, because of the Republican Senate's betrayal of the Constitution, the president remains an ongoing threat to American democracy.... The president's lawyers all but concede his misconduct. Their argument was only that Congress and the American people have no right to stop him from using his power to cheat in our elections. With their vote, Senate Republicans embraced this darkest vision of power: that if the president believes his reelection is good for the country, he can then use any means necessary to win, with no accountability or consequences.
Sky Palma of RawStory: "According to an exclusive report from Fox News, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) is threatening to take action against Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson over his handling of the whistleblower's complaint, giving him until February 14 to comply with congressional requests for documents. 'I will be referring this matter for investigation by the Department of Justice if you once again refuse to comply,' Nunes wrote in a letter.... According to Fox News, House Intelligence Committee Republicans are investigating Atkinson's 'unusual handling' of the complaint, which was the key component of the Democrats' impeachment effort against President Trump." --s
Naomi Jagoda of the Hill: "Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) is criticizing the Treasury Department for providing Republican senators with financial records as part of their probe concerning Hunter Biden. Pascrell, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, blasted the department for turning over the documents while at the same time refusing to provide House Democrats with President Trump's tax returns. 'Continuing to violate the law to shield Donald Trump's tax returns while simultaneously aiding a blatantly partisan investigation is an affront to public service,' Pascrell wrote in a letter dated Thursday to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Pascrell's letter comes after a spokeswoman for Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Thursday that the Treasury Department is complying with a request for documents from two Senate GOP chairmen. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) sent a letter to Treasury in November as part of an investigation into 'potentially improper actions by the Obama administration' concerning Ukraine and Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian gas company where Hunter Biden ... worked." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Jordain Carney of the Hill: "A pledge to investigate the Bidens and Ukraine once the impeachment trial wraps is sparking divisions among Senate Republicans.... Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a vocal ally of Trump's, is pledging 'oversight.' Other GOP senators are warning that it's time for the Senate to move on after a weeks-long divisive fight that left scars on the chamber's normally clubby atmosphere. 'I know there's been some discussion about the Judiciary Committee taking a look at that. I think what I would like to see happen around here is a return to normalcy,' said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Republican senator...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Will Sommer, et al., of the Daily Beast: "Fox News' own research team has warned colleagues not to trust some of the network's top commentators' claims about Ukraine. An internal Fox News research briefing book obtained by The Daily Beast openly questions Fox News contributor John Solomon credibility, accusing him of playing an 'indispensable role' in a Ukrainian 'disinformation campaign.' The document also accuses frequent Fox News guest Rudy Giuliani of amplifying disinformation, as part of an effort to oust former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, and blasts Fox News guests Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova -- both ardent Trump boosters -- for 'spreading disinformation.' The 162-page document ... was created by Fox News senior political affairs specialist Bryan S. Murphy, who produces research from what is known as the network's Brain Room -- a newsroom division of researchers who provide information, data, and topic guides for the network's programming." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
** Profiteer-in-Chief. David Fahrenthold, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump's company charges the Secret Service for the rooms agents use while protecting him at his luxury properties -- billing U.S. taxpayers at rates as high as $650 per night, according to federal records and people who have seen receipts. Those charges, compiled here for the first time, show that Trump has an unprecedented -- and largely hidden -- business relationship with his own government.... Trump's company says it charges only minimal fees. But Secret Service records do not show that.... At the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, the Secret Service was charged $17,000 a month to use a three-bedroom cottage on the property, an unusually high rent for homes in that area, according to receipts from 2017. Trump's company billed the government even for days when Trump wasn't there.... The records show more than $471,000 in payments from taxpayers to Trump's companies. But -- because these records cover only a fraction of Trump's travel during a fraction of his term -- the actual total is likely to be higher." TPM has a summary report here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Chait: "There are several important takeaways from the Post's report. First, it shows that the Trump Organization has flat-out lied about the benefits it gets from the government business Trump throws its way.... Second, the Trump Organization appears to be overcharging the Secret Service for the use of its cottage properties.... Third, the federal government is withholding documentation about just how much it is spending on Trump properties.... While [the Secret Service is] required to report such expenses to Congress twice a year, it's only filed two of the six required reports. What's more, the reports it did file omitted key details.... And finally, as one might infer from the lack of disclosure, there may be a lot worse stuff out there.... Trump claims he has a 'legal obligation' to report corruption by people who happen to be running against him for president, but he is refusing even to comply with the current legal obligations to disclose his own profiteering at public expense." (Also linked yesterday.)
Tim Novak of The Chicago Sun Times: "Mired in delays for seven years, President Donald Trump's appeal for a refund of at least $1 million on his Chicago skyscraper is now the subject of two state of Illinois investigations that center on whether a Republican state official pressured his staff to cut the president a break. Trump's appeal of the 2012 property taxes he paid for Trump International Hotel & Tower has come under scrutiny by the state's executive inspector general's office and then Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. Those are the result of an anonymous complaint the inspector general's office received last fall that Mauro Glorioso, the executive director of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, pressured his staff to rule in the president's favor, rejecting the staff's decision to deny Trump any refund." --s
Jonathan Chait: "Unsurprisingly, Trump is ginning up charges of illegality against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Speaker's alleged 'crime' is tearing up her printed copy of Trump's State of the Union address.... 'First of all, it's an official document, you're not allowed, it's illegal what she did. She broke the law,' [Trump said].... As a non-insane person may have intuited, it is not actually a crime to tear up the printed copy of a speech.... There are rules requiring the preservation of documents such as memos to the president, which must be preserved for historical records. Trump in fact violates that law literally almost every day. There are people whose job it is to tape back together the documents that Trump illegally tears up." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ What a dumb idea! Not even Bill Barr would fall for that ludicrous misapplication of the federal law criminalizing mutilation of government records. The copy was the Speaker's own, it wasn't a government record to begin with, and her action was purely symbolic expression well within the protection of both the speech and debate clause and the first amendment. -- Laurence Tribe, Harvard Law
Matthew Chapman of RawStory: "On Thursday, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner tweeted that the House of Representatives should 'make it rain subpoenas' -- and attach the threat of jail time to officials who refuse to honor them -- in order to find out whether Attorney General William Barr has quashed any Justice Department investigations into President Donald Trump. His tweet came in response to author Don Winslow, who asserts that sources in the DOJ tell him Barr has shut down six investigations into 'Trump and Trump related companies and surrogates,' and prevented two other investigations from beginning." --s
Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "The Justice Department has dropped its antitrust inquiry into four automakers that had sided with California in its dispute with the Trump administration over reducing climate-warming vehicle pollution, deciding that the companies had violated no laws, according to people familiar with the matter. The investigation, launched last September, had escalated a dispute over one of President Trump's most significant rollbacks of global warming regulations. The Justice Department's move was one of a slew of seemingly retributive actions by the White House against California, as the state worked with the four automakers -- Ford Motor Company, Volkswagen of America, Honda and BMW -- to defy Mr. Trump's planned rollback of national fuel economy standards."
Coral Davenport: "The Trump administration on Thursday finalized plans to allow mining and energy drilling on nearly a million acres of land in southern Utah that had once been protected as part of a major national monument. The Interior Department's release of a formal land-use blueprint for the approximately 861,974 acres of land will allow oil, gas and coal companies to complete the legal process for leasing mines and wells on land that had once been part of Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, established by President Bill Clinton. In December 2017, President Trump cut the monument's acreage about in half, aiming to open the newly unprotected land for drilling and development. At the same time, he removed about a million acres from another Utah monument, Bears Ears. Together, the moves were the largest rollback of public lands protection in United States history." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ryan Devereux of The Intercept: "Contractors working for the Trump administration are blowing apart a mountain on protected lands in southern Arizona to make way for the president's border wall. The blasting is happening on the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, a tract of Sonoran Desert wilderness long celebrated as one of the nation's great ecological treasures, that holds profound spiritual significance to multiple Native American groups. In a statement to The Intercept, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that the blasting began this week and will continue through the end of the month.... Celebrated as 'a pristine example of an intact Sonoran Desert ecosystem,' Organ Pipe was designated as a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1976." --s
Tess Owen of Vice News: "The FBI has elevated racially-motivated violent extremism to a 'national threat priority,' in yet another sign that the U.S. government has finally woken up to the threat posed by white nationalists and neo-Nazis at home and abroad. In a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray outlined several concrete steps the agency had taken to combat violent far-right extremists, explaining that the 'national threat priority' designation puts those groups or individuals on the same footing as ISIS in terms of the resources the FBI will devote to it.... The FBI chief also said that he'd created a domestic terrorism and hate crimes fusion cell to 'bring together the expertise of domestic terror folk and hate crimes folks.'" --s
Marina Villeneuve of the AP: "New York state will file a lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security's decision to block New Yorkers from participating in 'trusted traveler programs' in retribution for a new state law that could hinder federal immigration enforcement, officials said Friday. 'It's an abuse of power. It's extortion. It is hurting New Yorkers to advance their political agenda. And we're going to fight back,' Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a news conference in New York." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit from Congressional Democrats who accused ... Donald Trump of violating the Constitution by receiving profits from foreign governments' spending at his luxury Washington hotel and other businesses. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision did not address the legality of Trump's business dealings, but held that the more than 200 Democratic senators and House members who banded together in 2017 to bring the suit against the president lacked legal standing to do so. The unanimous ruling from an ideologically diverse three-judge panel suggested that if the House or Senate had formally authorized the suit, it may have been allowed to proceed, but the lawmakers acting as plaintiffs in the case did not have standing to pursue it on their own. 'Only an institution can assert an institutional injury,' the court wrote in its brief, 12-page decision." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Senate Race. South Carolina. Jay Connor of The Root: "FOX 24 Charleston, you done fucked up. During a news segment discussing 2019 Root 100 Honoree Jaime Harrison, who also just so happens to be running for U.S. Senate in South Carolina [against boot-licker Lindsey Graham] ... they flashed a mugshot while discussing the 44-year-old's ongoing campaign but no, the woman in that mugshot -- 22-year-old Javondrea Shaidasha McLeod -- isn't Harrison. And to imply as much, accidentally or otherwise, has the potential to not only irreparably harm his campaign, but his standing as a reputable politician." --s
Christian Davenport of the Washington Post: "Investigators probing the botched flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in December have found widespread and 'fundamental' problems with the company's software that could have led to a disastrous outcome more grievous than previously known, the agency said Friday. Boeing is now reviewing all 1 million lines of code in the capsule's computer systems, officials said. How long that review will take is uncertain, Boeing officials said. The discovery of widespread software problems in the Starliner spacecraft is reminiscent of the issues that surfaced in the aftermath of the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max airplanes that killed 346 people and led to the plane's grounding since early last year. Doug Loverro, the head of human exploration for NASA, said he could not speak to what, if any, connection there might be between the Starliner's software problems and the issues with the 737 Max."
Kate Taylor of the New York Times: "Most of the parents charged in the nation’s largest college admissions scandal were accused of paying to cheat on admissions exams or bribing coaches to get one child into college, or perhaps two. But prosecutors say that Douglas Hodge, the retired chief executive of the bond giant Pimco, was in a different class, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to get no fewer than four of his seven children into elite schools and attempting to do so with a fifth child. On Friday, a federal judge sentenced Mr. Hodge, who pleaded guilty to two counts -- money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud -- to nine months in prison. It was the heaviest punishment of any parent who has been sentenced in the admissions scandal, though it fell considerably short of the two years that prosecutors had recommended."
Colin Dwyer of NPR: "Antarctica experienced its hottest day on record Thursday. At least, that's what scientists reported at Argentina's Esperanza research station, on the very northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The finding, announced Thursday by Argentina's national meteorological service, placed the temperature at 18.3 degrees Celsius -- or just about 65 degrees Fahrenheit." Mrs. McC: Now many of us across the U.S. can honestly say that it was colder at our house than it was in Antarctica. In fact, I got a call from a friend in South Florida this morning, and he said it had gone down to 48 degrees Friday morning.
Way Beyond the Beltway
Autocrats' Club. Tom Phillips of the Guardian: "He has long styled himself as a tropical Trump -- a socialist-skewering hardman fighting Brazilian carnage. But in recent weeks Brazil's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has taken his fixation with the US leader to new heights, livestreaming himself on Facebook as he watched his political idol in action. More than 4,000 miles to the south, at the heart of Brazil's very own political swamp, Bolsonaro sat down to watch -- filming himself viewing Trump's entire hour-long ['acquittal'] address...'We're not the only ones with backstabbers in politics,' Bolsonaro sniped of Mitt Romney's decision to vote against Trump in the impeachment trial. 'They've found a Republican rat too.'" --s
News Ledes
AP: "Mainland China's death toll from the new virus outbreak has risen to 811, surpassing the number of fatalities in the 2002-2003 SARS pandemic. However, the number of new cases reported over the last 24 hours on Sunday fell significantly from the previous period, something experts see as a sign the spread of the virus may be slowing. Another 89 deaths were reported, while 2,656 new cases were added for a total of 37,198. On Saturday, 3,399 cases were reported for the previous 24 hours. SARS is widely considered to have killed 774 people and sickened 8,098, mainly in mainland China and Hong Kong. The response this time has been much quicker and countries around the world are enforcing stricter measures to contain the spread."
AP: "A gunman described as a soldier angry over a financial dispute killed two people and then went on a far bloodier rampage Saturday in northeastern Thailand, shooting as he drove to a busy mall where shoppers fled in terror. At least 21 people were killed in all, 31 were injured and others were believed to be still inside the building as more gunshots rang out early Sunday."
AP: "Robert Conrad, the rugged, contentious actor who starred in the hugely popular 1960s television series 'Hawaiian Eye' and 'The Wild, Wild West,' died Saturday. He was 84."
AP: "Orson Bean, the witty actor and comedian who enlivened the game show 'To Tell the Truth' and played a crotchety merchant on 'Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,' was hit and killed by a car in Los Angeles, authorities said. He was 91."
New York: Friday "the National Transport Safety Board released its preliminary report into the January 26 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others. For the first time, it revealed that moments before impact the pilot deliberately broke FAA regulations meant to prevent just such kinds of accidents. As previously reported, in the minutes prior to the crash, pilot Ara Zobayan was flying just a few hundred feet over the floor of the San Fernando Valley, which lies at an elevation of 800 feet. An opaque layer of overcast clouds covered the area at an altitude of 1,900 feet. As Zobayan reached the southwestern edge of the valley and crossed into Calabasas, the ground below him climbed higher until he was zooming 150 mph over the road at scarcely more than 100 feet, with hillsides rising up on either side into the low clouds."
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Reader Comments (10)
Want to know what's legal? Ask an expert. The Pretender outta know..
https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/02/06/pelosi-ripping-sotu-illegal/
Prez Filthy McNasty will keep on with his demonstration of madness and gradually reduce his frightening base. A responsible candidate like Mike with the wonderful Stacy Abrams as VP candidate would be a formidable ticket to send Trump and his whole band home.
REVENGE IS MINE, SAITH THE LORD
How typical of this hollow man to purge those that spoke the truth about his dodgy, illegal doings. So thin skinned is this monster that he'd probably skin his own kin if he could. Before this man became president he lied and fudged his way through life––got a taste of what it took to screw people royally. Once in the White House that power did indeed corrupt exponentially ––those true colors shone brilliantly and those petty, evil ways became the norm. How many more will be shoved out the door?
Re: the debates last night: Looks like Amy done got herself a leg up: Many in the audience that Chris Hayes interviewed said they favored Amy. And now even Marie has joined in. Years ago I had an online relationship with Amy's godmother who told me--"You'll see, one day my Amy will be president of the U.S.––mark my word." She must be smiling ear to ear by this time.
I'm still wary––I keep thinking of how these candidates will do against the Donald whose revenge button is on high alert. Amy has a pretty clean slate I think––he can't accuse her of socialism, inexperience, too old or too young, corruption, etc. However––time has a way of changing perspectives (Bernie telling us he's changed re: gun control) and although we don't have years, we do have many months to watch and listen to these candidates and observe the polling in other states––especially those that are more diverse. And who knows? Maybe Fatty will explode or fall on his face while facing Nancy on a one to one confrontation.
Bernie and Warren want to change the system; Amy will make the system we have better; Pete will look good and speak pretty; Biden, I'm afraid has seen his day. And Bloomberg is waiting in the wings.
Question: Since Trump has gone against Esper's statements re: protections of his people, will Esper resign, speak up or crawl back into his corner like the rest of the sycophants.
@Bea, thanks for the link to the CNN transcript of the lunatic rantings of IMPOtuS last Thursday. It allowed me to verify a couple things that I though I had heard.
1. The "Sir" tell. Using the search function (Ctrl+F) returned 5 hits covering 4 imaginary conversations.
2. During his riff on Steve Scalise:
"...He was practicing for the baseball game against, I guess, the Democrats, right? And this whack job started shooting, hurt Roger -- I don't know if Roger's here -- but hurt a number of people, hit them -- but really hit Steve. Steve was at second base. He was the second baseman. And he went down, and -- and it was terrible. I mean, I saw the whole thing, and it was terrible..."
He said that he was there. He wasn't. The lies will never stop. Ever.
I've read comments elsewhere criticizing the media for broadcasting that episode of derangement. I think they did the public, and the world, a favor by giving an unfiltered view of a completely unfiltered and polluted man. What a whack-job and totally unfit being, one who's supposed to be the leader of the free world. There is no reason to ever trust him about anything, unless there's harm involved.
I am not familiar with Zach Carter but this piece by him on Huff-po says Amy's "Platform is a Pie-in-the Sky Fantasy" which is actually what Amy has been saying about Bernie and Warren's ideas. According to Carter there ain't a hell of a lot any democrat can do to improve the system while we have republican power preventing anything from going through. One solution, of course, is getting Dem control of the senate and shove the turtle back into his shell. The possibility of that happening is another pie in the sky unless–––Jesus intervenes cuz he be real concerned about fairness and such. Prayers, people––get down on your knees!
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amy-klobuchar-platform-fantasy_n_5e3e3602c5b6bb0ffc1155c9
Everyone is rightly concerned about four more years of Trump, which seems entirely possible if he can contain his dementia mostly off camera, but I'm increasingly worried about just getting to January 2021. We've been waiting for the GOP's fever to break for over a decade now, but the fever has transformed into a contagious virus among whole sectors of society, apparently eating their brains and souls.
This entire year is going to be gut punches EVERY week, sometimes multiple per week, for non-cult members. I hope the will to overcome this cancer is stronger than their ability to break down our weakened collective immune system.
@PD Pepe: Carter's point is kind of silly. Most of the Democrats' agendas wouldn't get thru a GOP Congress. That's why the items on their wish lists are not law now. Carter seems to be suggesting that the candidates should limit their platforms to what they can do via executive order (a number of which would likely wind up in court). Klobuchar's point -- and I've heard her articulate it -- is that some of Warren's & Sanders' big-ticket platform items would not get thru a Democratic Congress.
Carter is assuming the Senate will remain under Republican control. One of the problems with a President Klobuchar, Warren, Sanders or Bennet is that if any one of them leaves the Senate, his or her seat will be up for grabs. I don't know what the laws of the various states are (Massachusetts, for instance, keeps changing the law to fit the circumstances) governing appointments & special elections for vacant Senate seats. But both Massachusetts & Vermont currently have Republican governors, and -- depending on the state laws & the 2021 makeup of the Senate -- the elevation of one of these state's senators to president could potentially tip the scale back from a slim Democratic Senate majority to a Republican one.
I don't think Carter is thinking clearly. Or, if he is, he's being disingenuous.
@safari: You're right. We're in for a bumpy ride. Eric Trump will become an appellate court judge yet.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/the-2020-disinformation-war/605530/
Here's a long article about all the fake news we are all going to have to wade through in this presidental campaign
Florida counties have begun mailing out the vote by mail ballots for the 17 March Democratic primary.
Now it starts to seem real.