Wednesday
Jan012020
The Commentariat -- January 2, 2020
Late Morning Update:
Kate Brannen of Just Security: "Last month, a court ordered the government to release almost 300 pages of emails [related to the Ukraine scandal] to the Center for Public Integrity in response to a FOIA lawsuit. It released a first batch on Dec. 12, and then a second installment on Dec. 21..., but ... several [documents] were partially or completely blacked out. Since then, Just Security has viewed unredacted copies of these emails, which begin in June and end in early October. Together, they tell the behind-the-scenes story of the defense and budget officials who had to carry out the president's unexplained hold on military aid to Ukraine. The documents reveal growing concern from Pentagon officials that the hold would violate the Impoundment Control Act, which requires the executive branch to spend money as appropriated by Congress, and that the necessary steps to avoid this result weren't being taken.... The emails also show that no rationale was ever given for why the hold was put in place or why it was eventually lifted. What is clear is that it all came down to the president and what he wanted; no one else appears to have supported his position.... Instead, officials were anxiously waiting for the president to be convinced that the hold was a bad idea."
Jennifer Medina & Matt Stevens of the New York Times: "Julián Castro, the former housing secretary who was the only Latino candidate in the Democratic primary, said Thursday he would end his bid for the presidency, capping a yearlong campaign where he struggled in polls but remained a policy pacesetter on immigration and fighting poverty." The Guardian liveblog has several items related to Castro's withdrawal from the race, beginning @9:12 am ET.
Holly Otterbein of Politico: "Bernie Sanders raised more than $34.5 million in the final three months of 2019, a substantial sum that exceeds the two other Democratic presidential candidates who have announced their hauls so far in that period. The Vermont senator, who disclosed the amount Thursday morning, brought in a total of about $96 million last year from more than 5 million contributions. The campaign's average donation was $18."
Steve Holland of Reuters: "... Donald Trump's re-election campaign raised $46 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, a major haul that was boosted by a surge of donations in the wake of the Democrats' impeachment bid, a senior campaign official said on Thursday.... The $46 million for the fourth quarter was the amount raised only by the Trump re-election campaign. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence typically headline fundraising events that benefit both the campaign and the Republican National Committee. The amount raised by the RNC for the fourth quarter of 2019 is expected to be released soon."
Australia. Miriam Berger of the Washington Post: "Australia's prime minister visited families devastated by the wildfires. It did not go well.... Residents of the ravaged town [of Cobargo in southern New South Wales] were angry, their homes and livelihood suddenly incinerated in a fiery flash. On Thursday, they vented that frustration at visiting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who cut short his tour of the fire-hit residents amid their barrage of criticism.... 'How come we only had four trucks to defend our town? Because our town doesn't have a lot of money, but we have hearts of gold, prime minister,' one woman in a Led Zeppelin T-shirt walking a goat shouted at the prime minister."
International Incident. Simon Denyer of the Washington Post: "Turkish police detained seven people Thursday, including four pilots, on suspicion of having helped former Nissan executive Carlos Ghosn escape Japan and transit through Istanbul on his way to Lebanon, Turkey's state news agency reported. An investigation has been launched into Ghosn's 'illegal arrival' in Turkey after he escaped house arrest in Japan, according to the Anadolu news agency. The four pilots were believed to have traveled on the private jet that brought Ghosn from Japan on his way to Beirut. Two employees of a private ground handling company and the operations manager of a private cargo company were also detained. Turkey has close relations with Japan, while Japanese businesses are significant investors in the country.... Meanwhile, Japanese prosecutors raided Ghosn's now-vacated house in Tokyo on Thursday, as they sought clues to how he evaded their surveillance, slipped out of the country and arrived in Lebanon."
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David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Trump entered the new year facing flare-ups of long-burning crises with two old adversaries -- Iran and North Korea -- which are directly challenging his claim to have reasserted American power around the world. While the Iranian-backed attack on the United States Embassy in Baghdad seemed to be under control, it played to Mr. Trump's longtime worry that American diplomats and troops in the Middle East are easy targets and his longtime stance that the United States must pull back from the region. In North Korea, Kim Jong-un's declaration on Wednesday that the world would 'witness a new strategic weapon' seemed to be the end of an 18-month experiment in which Mr. Trump believed his force of personality -- and vague promises of economic development -- would wipe away a problem that plagued the last 12 of his predecessors.... Both the Iranians and the North Koreans seem to sense the vulnerability of a president under impeachment and facing re-election, even if they are often clumsy as they try to play those events to their advantage." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Fortunately for our adversaries, no matter how clumsy, Trump is clumsier.
Falih Hassan & Alissa Rubin of the New York Times: "After vowing to camp outside the United States Embassy until the Americans left Iraq, and trying for a second day to scale the compound's walls, demonstrators drawn largely from Iranian-backed militias called off their protest on Wednesday." The Hill has a story here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Michael Crowley & Edward Wong of the New York Times: "President Trump toughened his rhetoric toward Iran on Tuesday, saying the country would 'be held fully responsible' for the attack by Iraqi demonstrators on the United States Embassy compound in Baghdad, an assault that Mr. Trump said was directed by Tehran. 'This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!' Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening, in some of his most bellicose language of the year toward Iran. The growing crisis has strained Mr. Trump's aversion to war with Iran as well as his distaste for Middle East entanglements generally, including in Iraq." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Edward Wong: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday a weeklong trip to Ukraine and four other nations to stay in Washington and monitor tensions in Iraq after protesters broke into the United States Embassy compound in Baghdad and wrecked parts of it, the State Department said." Mrs. McC: Oh, gee, Secretary Pompompous could have avoided the embarrassment of firing Bill Taylor if only he had known Iraqis would embarrass him this weekend. ~~~
~~~ Peter Beinart of the Atlantic: "Over the last 18 months, Donald Trump has picked a fight with Iran that he won't end and can't win. That fight has had horrifying consequences for the Iranian people, led Tehran to restart its nuclear program, and now left parts of the American embassy compound in Baghdad in flames.... Absent a revolution that replaces the Islamic Republic with a more pliant regime, he's at Iran's mercy.... When it comes to Iran, Trump has shifted Republican foreign policy away from war without shifting it towards diplomacy -- the only stable alternative to war. So he's caught in a kind of purgatory." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Juan Cole: "Iraqi troops detailed to the embassy appear to have initially vanished.... It does not appear that the militiamen were very determined to get inside the embassy, since it seems to me they could have if they had tried very hard.... On Arabic satellite t.v. today, I saw a parade of hard line Shiite leaders accuse the embassy of being a nest of spies and a command headquarter for the infliction of harm on Iraqis by the United States. This is the discourse of the MEK (Mojahedin-e Khalq) and other organizations in 1979 who invaded the US embassy in Tehran and took the staff hostages for 444 days. Ironically, Rudy Giuliani and John Bolton later on appear to have more or less joined the MEK, taking tens of thousands of dollars in speaking fees for each appearance at its conclaves ... because it opposes the current regime in Tehran. Here's another irony: There doesn't appear to have been any enhanced security for the US Embassy in Baghdad in the wake of the Trump administration bombing.... In fact, Pompeo and the Trump administration have drastically slashed funding for embassy security...."
Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "Frank Clemente and William Rice from Americans for Tax Fairness issued a scathing editorial in the Los Angeles Times Wednesday about the failed Republican tax bill that not only left the middle-class behind it has failed in nearly everything promised.... 'Rushed through Congress by a Republican majority, the Trump-GOP tax cuts were promoted as a boon for the middle class,' wrote Clemente and Rice. 'Yet in 2020, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the richest 1% of taxpayers will get an average tax cut of around $50,000, 75 times more than the average cut for the bottom 80 percent.'... 'A close look at [the] Bureau of Labor Statistics figures shows that the growth rate in wages was just 0.4 percent in the two years since the tax cut. Compare that with wage growth of 0.7 percent in the last two years of President Obama's administration.'... Trump even claimed that the new law would 'cost me a fortune,' as a wealthy taxpayer.... 'Trump and his family have undoubtedly benefited by millions of dollars from at least five features of the law, ranging from lower top tax rates to a weakened estate tax,' wrote Clemente and Rice. 'Of course, we can't be sure exactly how much they've saved because Trump refuses to release his tax returns.'"
Dan Charles of NPR: "In 2019, the federal government delivered an extraordinary financial aid package to America's farmers. Farm subsidies jumped to their highest level in fourteen years, most of them paid out without any action by Congress.... It's an enormous amount of money, more than the final cost of bailing out the auto industry during the financial crisis of 2008. The auto industry bailout was fiercely debated in Congress. Yet the USDA created this new program out of thin air.... Joe Glauber, the USDA's former chief economist..., sees a risk of 'moral hazard' -- a situation in which someone is shielded from the consequences of poor decisions. The decision to start the trade war was costly, he says, and the Trump Administration, by tapping the federal treasury, is avoiding the political fallout from that decision. 'The sector that is hurt the most, and which would normally complain, all of a sudden it's assuaged by these payments. To me, that's a problem,' he says."
Presidential Race 2020
Astead Herndon of the New York Times: "Elizabeth Warren isn't talking much about 'Medicare for All' anymore.... After months of attacks from other candidates, and questions and som blowback from both liberals and moderates, the most ambitious and expensive of Ms. Warren's many plans -- and the one most likely to transform the lives of voters -- is just a passing mention in her standard stump speech, rarely explored in depth unless a questioner brings it up.... With five weeks left before the Iowa caucuses, Ms. Warren is tailoring her closing message in the state to focus on rooting out Washington corruption...."
Fredreka Schouten of CNN: "Pete Buttigieg raised more than $24.7 million during the final three months of 2019, his campaign announced early Wednesday morning -- cementing his standing as one of the fundraising leaders of the 2020 Democratic presidential race." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
AND Tulsi Gabbard hangs ten of them toes in the frigid Atlantic off New Hampshire.
New Rules. Benjamin Siu of ABC News: "It's the start of a new year, which means new state laws will take effect across the nation. Minimum wage hikes, fees for electric vehicles, new consumer privacy rules, gun regulations -- these are just a few of the issues state legislatures have dipped into or will be dipping into over the next decade." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Vanessa Swales of the New York Times: "Here's a look at changes coming across the country."
Beyond the Beltway
New York. Joseph Berger of the New York Times: "For the past century, thousands of Jews have participated in a shared and daunting religious feat, reading the same page of the Talmud every day until they finish all 38 volumes of that central text of Jewish religious law and rabbinical debates. The task takes almost seven and a half years to complete and ends in a colossal party. On Wednesday, [90,000] Jews thronged MetLife Stadium to mark the occasion, but this time, a recent nationwide wave of anti-Semitic attacks freighted the communal celebration with extra meaning. On a windy and biting cold day, the gathering offered a chance to affirm their faith in the face of those terrible acts."
Way Beyond
Australia. Marnie O'Neill of news.com.au: "There are real concerns entire species of plants and animals have been wiped out by bushfires following revelations almost 500 million animals have died since the crisis began. Ecologists from the University of Sydney now estimate 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles have been lost since September. That figure is likely to soar following the devastating fires which have ripped through Victoria and the NSW South Coast over the past couple of days[.]" --s
Hong Kong. Russell Goldman & Elaine Yu of the New York Times: "Hong Kong protesters began the new year the way they'd spent much of the old one: in the streets. Nearly a month of relative quiet abruptly ended on Wednesday with the sounds of protesters' chants and police officers' tear-gas rifles. A peaceful New Year's Day march descended within a few hours into violent clashes. Riot officers deployed water cannons and pepper spray. Protesters built barricades out of umbrellas and paving stones, and vandalized at least two branches of a leading bank in the city, HSBC."
Israel. Josef Federman of the AP: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he would seek immunity from corruption charges, likely delaying any trial until after March elections, when he hopes to have a majority coalition that will shield him from prosecution. Netanyahu was indicted in November on charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust. After failing to assemble a governing majority following back-to-back elections last year, he will get a third shot at remaining in office in March. Wednesday's announcement essentially turns the upcoming election into a referendum on whether Netanyahu should be granted immunity and remain in office, or step down and stand trial. A recent poll indicated that a majority of Israelis oppose giving him immunity."
News Lede
New York Times: "Don Larsen, an otherwise ordinary pitcher who achieved the extraordinary when he threw the only perfect game in World Series history, died on Wednesday in Hayden Lake, Idaho. He was 90."
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Reader Comments (11)
@ Ken (from yesterday's comment)
I appreciate the positive outlook, and it's without a doubt that more Americans across the political spectrum are renewing their interest in journalism. Most everybody it seems like has been claiming higher ratings and interactions.
The problem I see with the rise in Faux News popularity is that it strikes at the heart of the "declining GOP" narrative. If you're watching Fox for any extended amount of time, you're almost certainly a Republican, or don't have other channels. And the fact that Fox viewership has never been so high takes a hammer to the idea that "sure, Republicans support Drumpf at rates of 80%+, but that's because the base is shrinking." I see serious discord between Fox's record high numbers, and a supposedly "shrinking base" and my first conclusion would be: American "conservatives" are chugging the kool-aid at record numbers, and are all in with their Dear Leader's promises of a pro-corporate, anti-liberal dystopia where they're exploited by the rich they want to emulate, but not as much as those colored folks so it's cool. Which leads me to believe that there is a whole army of older white folks, let's call them the "compromised majority" that deny supporting the Racist in Chief out loud, but are secretly itching to pull his levers again in 2020, spurred on by the disinformation campaigns of Fox News pulling and poking at their underdeveloped brain cells.
I hope I'm wrong, but anyone watching Fox throughout 2020 is going to have a completely warped sense of reality as their hysterics will surely reach fever pitch from now 'til November. I wouldn't expect anyone who endures such propaganda from even being able to see the forest for the trees.
(AP): " Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he would seek immunity from corruption charges..."
Sound familiar?
With a few piddly exceptions (that so-called charity thing), the Pretender has managed it so far...
How does that old saw go? With great power comes great immunity? Or great irresponsibility, was it? Something like that...
@Ken: OR that other old saw, originally directed at the Catholic church: "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." ( many when quoting this leave out the word "tends" which changes its message absolutely.)
TRUMPSCHMERZ
Susan Glasser from the New Yorker gives us what she calls "the word of the year."
https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/our-year-of-trumpschmerz
@PD Pepe: Thanks for correcting the "power corrupts" citation. Also, in his letter to Bishop Creighton, I note that the next sentence after the "absolute power" line begins, "Great men are almost always bad men...." Maybe Trump agrees with that. He aspires to being a "great" man, so he figures "bad" is a prerequisite. He has done a helluva job on the "bad" part; the "great" part, not so much.
Enjoyed listening to the "Little Women" clip. I recall Hepburn, during one of her many interviews, talking about the restrictive clothing women wore through the ages and specifically her role in "Little Women": "Try running through the snow in that kind of garb!" Hepburn was one of the first Hollywood female film actors that sported slacks and throughout her life she donned them exclusively.
I have always found it interesting to watch the fashions for women throughout the decades––says a lot about the power of the male which, I am happy to observe, has to a great extent declined––but certainly not died. This, however, does not dismiss women's own need for whatever makes her boat float––if you need to feel sexier in sky high heels then... even if they are bad for the feet and bad for the back.
Tutti gusti sono gusti.
@PD Pepe: It's "Tutti gusti sono giusti," literally, "Everyone's tastes are correct," similar to "To each his own," or "There's no accounting for taste."
Since we're referencing Lord Acton, that canny observer of human frailty, how about this as a trenchant explanation for Fox News' loyal viewership?
"There are two things which cannot be attacked in front: ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They can only be shaken by the simple development of the contrary qualities. They will not bear discussion."
That Acton fellow is a treasure trove.
Or as MSGT Gibson paraphrased Lord Acton, "Ain't no cure for stupid, 'cept training."
The big brag.
The Pretender highlighted his fund raising performance in the fourth quarter. He raised a whopping 46 million in campaign contributions.
But now-former mayor Pete and the old socialist together raised over 60 million....
Does that mean something, you all think?
The “Little Women” piece was well done overall. At first, I was reluctant to comment here on RC because I must confess I preferred the ‘slick’ 1949 David O’Selznick version. Why? Dunno, maybe because it was when I was a teen and having read the book over and over many times (my favorite before Gone With the Wind) and could always relate to Jo. My book with its black and white line illustrations was read and reread…always stopping pages before Jo met up with Professor Behr. What? I detested the bearded/top hatted guy, whatever did she see in him?
June Allyson was OK and I actually didn’t mind Elizabeth Taylor as a blonde. Except I could never understand her always perfect ringlets.
Later, I tried to watch the 1994 version on Netflix and had to quit. Susan Sarandon is Susan Sarandon is Susan Sarandon. And the huggy/kissy touchy-feely stuff was so over the top, sugary-sweet. A lot of “I love you Marmee, I love you Meg, I love you Beth, I love you Amy, I love you Jo (ad infinitum) Goodnight John Boy.”
Ugh. Winona Ryder is no Jo.
Looking at the scenes from the Greta Gertwig film…yeah, I’ll pass on it as well. Why does messy hair make things more of the period? Really?
And why do filmmakers think it is necessary to film things so darkly? Have you seen a recent crime flic in which no one seems to know where a light switch is? Scenes are murky, dark, blurry…and yet, the Venetian blind slats are always there to create a shadowy atmosphere. Who still has Venetian blinds?
My New Year’s rant, will now slink back into my cave
and mutter about Trump.
@MAG: You go girl! as they say somewhere behind those Venetian blinds. As much as the Gertwig film is being touted I think I'll pass. I've seen almost all of them and like you the love fest from the previous films put me off sugar for months and you're spot on about Winona Ryder being a "no Jo."
@Marie: thanks for correcting my spelling. My youngest son introduced that phrase to me when I asked why in the world was his girl friend always late to everything. He was in high school at the time and was taking Italian. That particular scene has stayed with me because of the way he looked at me, smiled knowingly, and said "Tutti gusti sono giusti." To each his own", he translated.